My latest creation...

I took apart two old pillow cases and a purse to make this "new" swing bag. I have never created such a structured purse before, and I am very happy with the results. I didn't follow a pattern, I dreamt it up one day. Not that it is oh so, original, but it felt good to think up the construction method myself.

The fabric is from vintage Indian pieces patched together. The previous purse was just too baggy for me and I rarely used it.

I LOVE the fabric and thought I would create a more updated look with a vintage feel.

I love the beading, the variety, and the age of the pieces. I drew up the pattern in my design notebook (fancy), cut it out of brown paper, pieced it together with glue and tape, and did my modifications. I even did a pleated fold on the side panels. I felt like I was on Project Runway.

What fun.

My two girlfriends cheered me on via Skype

from distant shores and here it is....

I used a deep red liner with a magnetic closure, new for me. I also added a pocket for my glasses, one for my keys, cell phone, and a small skinny one for my pens.

Finishing up half done projects and dreaming up new ones?

What a way to start the new year!!

More to come....

Peace.

A month later - Hoping for a Winter Harvest

The high tunnel has been planted for the winter garden. My son and I did some soil tests before we planted and recorded our data. Once we harvest we will test again. We found some old French doors at a salvage place for $5 each and the old wooden trimmed sliding glass, double-paned door for free at the dump. We don't lose too much light on that side of the tunnel. This is a view of the western exposure. The rolled up side is south facing.

Looking west from the eastern door. In the fore ground, center row you can see the Tatsoi, next the Chinese Cabbage, parsley, leeks, and finally our onion sets.

Our young farmer.

The Chinese Cabbage, or Wong Bok, is doing great. Everything has been getting thinned and replanted. We have had a pretty warm November.

My son and I filled the barrels with water to hopefully increase humidity and increase heat at night. ? We are planning on getting some thermometers to monitor temperature variation.

He likes to come up with ideas to test, a scientist in the making!

Salad greens, Claytonia, Parsley, Easter Egg Radish... I have also planted Bok Choy, Bull's Blood Beets, Feldsalat or Mache, Mustard Greens, Daikon Radish, tons of varieties of spinach, Choy Pac, and transplanted Kale and Chard from the garden. I still have Celeriac growing too.

We still have to cover the crops with a secondary row cover, but that won't be until next month. Tune in for more later... but meanwhile,

our salad greens in all of their crisp, autumn yumminess....

We are grateful and happy.

Two entire seasons have passed....

So much has happened, so much has changed.

One of our new projects was our high tunnel.

We built it to extend our growing season here in zone 5A,

and to grow winter greens.

We toured as many local hoop houses as we could find in our quest to learn,

and we read every book we could find.

Eliot Coleman's books were our major inspiration...

The first year was filled with lessons.

I planted the house full of tomatoes, various peppers, summer squash, tomatillo's, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pickling cucumbers.

We pickled so many cucumbers. The tomatoes over grew everything, and we are still getting hot and sweet peppers in October, not to mention the best watermelons I have had since I was kid. They just don't grow these melons for market anymore.

What a delight.

This summer was hot, humid, and rainy...

unusual for our climate here.

Most of our best food came from the house. I think if it hadn't been for our hoop house I would have been extremely disappointed with a lot of our food production this year. The heavy spring rains caused moldy strawberries, lots of summer rain led to bouts of late blight on the tomatoes and potatoes in the field...

and then there were the deer, my poor pea crop disappeared.

We have had a few hard frosts already. All of the remaining Brassica are doing great in the field. In the hoop house, all is well. The cantaloupe and cucumbers are wilted but the peppers and tomatoes are doing fine, and still producing.

Early on in the season we tied up all of the vining plants. It worked out great. Next year I will prune back the tomatoes and grow fewer of them! I am still making my roasted tomato sauce now... I have been making it for over 4 weeks. I didn't get many tomatoes in the field at all this year and it seemed to take them so long to ripen. My window sill is full of green field tomatoes.

My sister-in-law turned me on to a great recipe.

I roast sliced, whole tomatoes (skin, seeds, and all) with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a 425 degree oven for about 35 minutes. I drain some of the water from the tomatoes and let them cool. Freeze them flat, put them into a freezer bag, and store them in a stack in the freezer. I add other ingredients like basil or peppers too.

Very delicious and always so yummy in January.

I hope your summer was wonderful and

healthy!

Women for Women

A simple little thing like having an amount equivalent to $1 day taken out of your credit card account can help turn another woman and her family's life around.

Imagine living in a war torn country, caring for your children, trying to run a household while the infrastructure is in ruins, and all you dream about is changing the course of your life.... where do you turn? Women for Women International creates a vehicle for you to directly affect the life of an individual, one distinct woman, your sister. You can literally reach across the planet and give her a hand, a shoulder to lean on, a heart that cares for her, and change the course of her life. It feels impossible to leave your home and go to Bosnia & Herzegovin, Sudan, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Kosovo, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but you can, you can help by enabling other strong women around the world to help them by funding their work in these remote countries where women need us more than ever. It costs as much as one dinner out in a restaurant.... the equivalent of one dinner and you could change the course of an entire family's life! We have the power.

I often find myself feeling overwhelmed with my responsibilities at home and my work, and then I think what it must be like to live in a country that has been destroyed by war. It can take generations to overcome the trauma and financial loss. My mother was raised in Munich during the war and even now at 72 years old she is still haunted by the memories of war, hunger, loss, death, destruction, and fear.

We can help change that future for other women right now, without leaving our homes. You can sponsor a sister in war torn countries through Women to Women. When you do they send you a packet with her picture, her story, her background, and pictures of her children. You write to each other, share your stories from across the world. It is very personal and I have to say that it feels so good to be a part of her story. When she "graduates" from the year long program Women for Women International sends you the update of her journey. They make it such an easy thing to do, and yet it is such a huge thing to share! Go to their website...

http://www.womenforwomen.org/

What is Sponsorship?

Our sponsorship program supports women survivors of war and conflicts as they progress through a one-year program that helps them rebuild their lives.

Your sponsorship funds are used to help women receive job-skills training, business and money management basics and rights awareness education.

A woman cannot be enrolled in the WfWI program until she has a sponsor; so a sponsor's influence on her life could not be more important.

A Financial Lifeline to a Woman Survivor of War

After an initial enrollment fee of $30, we ask sponsors to make monthly, tax-deductible donations of $27. The money your sponsored sister receives provides her with a stipend that she can use as she chooses; to pay for basic necessities such as food and shelter, cover school fees or invest in income-generating activities.

A survey of WfWI participants showed that funds went toward helping themselves, their children and their future.

• 25% of their funds went toward tuition for their children,
• 20% for clothing,
• 20% for savings,
• 20% for income-generation activities and
• 15% for food.

The remainder of your sponsorship donations supports the tools and resources a sister receives as she progresses through the program, such as job-skills trainers, equipment and other vital staff members.

Once your sponsored sister has completed her one-year program, you are automatically matched with a new sister in need of your help.

We'll Keep You Informed of Your Sister's Progress

You'll receive periodic updates on the status of your sister along with stories from other women survivors and sponsorship community. Many sponsors exchange letters with their sisters.

The letter-exchange component of the sponsorship program serves as a source of emotional support and encouragement to the women in WfWI programs. For many women, knowing that someone they have never met is interested in their life and future and willing to provide them support gives them motivation to complete the one-year program.

As a sponsor, you'll also receive:

• A Welcome Kit that tells you everything you need to know about sponsorship;
• A newsletter, with quarterly updates on our programs in the field;
• A sponsor log-in account for a portal where you can obtain updates on your sister and send letters electronically.

A New Life Emerging.... Yes!

Spring is coming.

We are still locked in the grips of a very cold March. Icy, little mud, not too much sunshine, and cold nights. The cold nights are good for maple sugaring but the cold days aren't helping the sap flow. Lots of people are having a good year though. My neighbor put these old school sap buckets on our trees. Yummy, sweet sap. I find it so amazing, the gifts given by these majestic trees. Drawing from the earth, sharing her sweetness. I love the sound of the sap dripping in the buckets, tip, tip, tip... I can hear it across the field.

We walked our land for hours yesterday. Look at all that snow, darn it. We found some lone moose tracks and followed them out onto the road. You can tell so much about an animal by following the tracks for a good distance. How fast they were walking, what they nibbled on, how many times they went this way or that. I wondered when the tracks were made? They weren't fresh and the snow has been melting a little every day. I think this beauty must be big, but I don't have a lot of experience with moose, so can't say for sure. The actual foot print was 7" plus around and the scat was big and there was a lot of it!

I have finally done it!

I just sent off my check for an amazing Permaculture Design Certification course co-sponsored by Prospect Rock Permaculture and Burlington Permaculture. I think taking the 30 Day Vegan Journey has really changed some fundamental things about the way I choose to live my life... One of them is giving myself the gift of just "doing it" and doing it for Me. This new way of letting my heart emerge is contagious. I am taking this course, not one weekend a month over a period of seven months, not a few weekends here and there, but for two whole weeks in Vermont! I will be staying on a sustainable farm! I am beyond excited, and the teachers are amazing!

I can't believe I am doing this. I wake up every morning so incredibly excited, it is like I am traveling to India or something. I have so many things to get ready, the seedlings need to get planted, the garden all done, the greenhouse completely set up, the animals situated, the babies off the heat lamps, all of the work done before June 18th... all of it. I feel like a kid on the last day of school about to embark on a wonderful summer adventure!

My New Life is Emerging, one of my own creation, for Me, for Us, designed by my heart, and fueled by a new bravery to just say Yes, what am I waiting for?

Yes!

Burlington Permaculture and Prospect Rock Permaculture are pleased to offer our fourth-annual early summer Permaculture Design Certification course. This year our course will be even further immersed in ecology and practice: held at Willow Crossing Farm- a regenerative organic family farm and now decade-old permaculture project on the beautiful Lamoille River and Vermont’s Long Trail.
The two week residential intensive course goes above and beyond the internationally recognized standard curriculum with focus on Social Justice, Food Security, Farm Design, Transition, Environmental and Outdoor Education, Natural Building, Horticulture Therapy, Community/ Commercial Scale Production and Propagation, Appropriate Farm Machinery and Tools, and visits to the vibrant farms, homesteads, nurseries, and ethical businesses that contribute to the resilient agricultural economy of northern Vermont.

Almost 100% of the food served during the course will come from the host site and immediately local farms visited during the course. With abundant opportunities to see, practice, and implement permaculture solutions at varying scales, thorough grounding in the process of design and first-hand study of ecology, and led by some of the most experienced designers, farmers, and educators in Vermont and the Northeast- this course affords opportunities for development and engagement in personal and community resilience like no other.

Hands-on Design and Co-Creation of Vibrant, Wholly Nourishing Human Landscapes:

Together, we’ll engage in whole-systems ecological design and implementation of permaculture solutions for a multi-use community garden specifically focused on the needs of food-insecure Vermonters. Learn alongside students, architects, activists, community planners, homesteaders, farmers, business owners, and others while engaging in real world design problems, and being immersed the wild and cultivated beauty of a permaculture site. Each student will also be guided in generating and presenting a design for a site of their own choosing.

Our approach explores the way human beings- as individuals and communities- can participate in the creation of ethical, socially just, and ecologically regenerative perennial support systems. We apply the sciences of Ecology, Anthropology, Ethnobiology, and Evolution to agriculture, the built environment, and social and economic organization (‘invisible structures’) by integrating plants, animals, buildings, people, communities, economies, and the landscapes that surround us through careful analysis and thoughtful design. We also practice permaculture ethics, principles, techniques, and skills by collaborating on real-world projects with an eye towards repairing, restoring, and regenerating human ecosystems.

We welcome graduates of other permaculture design courses to refresh their certification, gain new perspective and experience, build their networks, and advance their practice with the Advanced Permaculture Design and Teacher/ Facilitator Training opportunities available at this site and through this course.

Permaculture is a design science focused on the intersection of social and ecological health. We explore the relationships between the built environment, food security, energy, water, and natural communities, in order to retrofit this infrastructure to respond to the confluent crises of the 21st century with localized resilience, abundance, and ecological regeneration. Build your skills and capacity by taking part!

Our dynamic natural site in the midst of an agriculturally vibrant area affords ample opportunities to study and observe wild ecology, fruit, nut, vegetable, and medicinal herb production, natural/ alternative beekeeping poultry care, natural building, alternative energy, community-scale resilience, etc. In addition to all farm sourced food, immersion in wild ecology, radical sustainability, and the site offers us the opportunity to swim, hike, paddle, and camp in the beauty and inspiration of the early Vermont summer.

All farm sourced, local organic meals, travel to field trips, canoe and kayak use, and camping accommodation is included in the course cost of $1200. There are other lodging options available at additional cost. There are limited opportunities for professional development grants, work trade, scholarships, and other financial aid. Discounted registration for groups, couples, referrals, and travel to the course by boat, bike, foot, or other non motorized means, is available for early registrations. This course has historically filled quickly, please contact us to reserve your space as soon as possible.

As always, permaculture designers, activists, and alumni are welcome visit to present, review students designs, network, or just join us for a (very) local organic meal! Many sessions will be open and free to interested public.

Instructors and guests include: Keith Morris, Mark Krawczyk, Alissa White, Lisa DePiano, Andrew Faust, Skotty Kellogg, Starhawk, the Beehive Collective, and more!

http://prospectrockpermaculture.wordpress.com/2011-pdc/

In which we expand our joy of homeschooling....

My lovely, patient, obliging, ever ready student loves, loves, loves to read.

As part of our Waldorf inspired homeschool journey he is reading through all of the volumes of The Library of Pioneering and Woodcraft by Ernest Thompson Seton. We just started Botany and he is so excited and teachable.

I wanted to share two of the goals from "Woodcraft is Lifecraft"...

4. The Great Central Fire.

Represented in our law, and in our ceremonies. Only the re-creation of the sacred fire has power to thrill us and strike chords of primitive remembrance. When people gather around a fire they shed all modern artifice and return to the essence of self, revealing the naked soul. Since time immemorial, humanity has seen in this blessed fire the means and emblem of light, warmth, protection, friendliness, and council. When people have met together in peace and shared the warmth of the welcoming fire, it forges a lasting bond of union overcoming wide divergence in attitudes and perspectives. This fire is the symbol at the center of Woodcraft. We shall not fail to use its magic powers.

8. An heroic ideal.

Woodcraft offers an heroic ideal, an image of a mature human being, physically strong, mentally alert, spiritually attuned, dedicated to community service. Anxious to learn, willing to teach, inspired by vision. Prepared to share with others, with courage, intelligence, power and wisdom. Cognizant of the past, unafraid of the future, profoundly aware that action is only possible in the present moment. Able to use this moment to the best advantage, equipped to listen, communicate and actively respond as needed. By presenting an heroic ideal Woodcraft gives each individual the inspiration to set and then strive towards personal goals. Woodcraft is dedicated to exploring knowledge, increasing tolerance through understanding, and improving global environmental conditions.

"Maturity, not scholarship is the first aim of education." Woodcrafters... Ernest Thompson Seton

Tell me, what could be better than that????

from http://www.etsetoninstitute.org/the-woodcraft-way/

Spring is right around the corner...

Even if it snows again, that is o.k., the sun is back and it is getting stronger every day!

Still lovin' my vegan journey. I am so into food.

Made my old stand-by Yakisoba tonight, a la' my girlfriend Keiko.

Yum.

My herbal, strawberry patch spiral my husband made for me.

A view from last March.

I saw my new oncologist today. He is so nice, thorough, and attentive. I haven't seen an oncologist for two years so having a doctor that is following Me feels so reassuring. Over the last two weeks I have had a complete blood panel, a chest x-ray, an abdominal CT-scan (yikes), a brain MRI, total MRI scan of my spine, and hips. No cancer!!!! I do have arthritis in my spine and neck and stenosis, but that is nothing compared to bone cancer.

Yes, I'll take that, thank you...

Yoga, physical therapy, massage, well that sounds lovely.

No proton beam radiation, I am such a lucky girl.

Seeds I saved from plants I grew. On this tray, radish and oats.

And a Butternut seed from my neighbor Henry's tree.

We miss you Henry....