Winter times is difficult for back-to-the-land types.
Often the rain and snow keeps them inactive and this
impacts ones attitude. Having lots of projects and
doing "something" always gives my positive side a
boost. The Net sometimes substitutes as a winter
activity but it is easy to slip into argument and
opinion which seldom has a positive outcome.
Originally i had hoped this list would be for people
actively adjusting their life in ecological ways. We
would discuss individual actions and the why/how behind
our actions. This didn't generate much to talk
and it now looks like we are more comfortable debating issues.
The strange thing is that every time and issue gets discussed
a bunch of people leave the list. Maybe they don't want
anything but positive messages and have cabin fever like
myself. There is no way to know because little feedback
is given.
Anyway, i'm going to talk about what i'm doing and if it
bores everyone... delete my messages.
It is frosty in the shady areas around the house and
on into the forest. I've started working with various
compost systems in preparation for spring. A new
garden area is being prepared by digging a few trenches
and filling with branches and other organic material.
These deep trenches seem to create great gardens
when combined with surface mulching.
The greenhouse now has sprouts up and is full of compost. This
compost will be spread around later. On top of the fine compost
i will add all the straw from the barn. I've found that sheep
manure doesn't need much composting so it will be spread on
top along with the straw.
It is too wet and cold for pruning so i'll wait a few weeks.
I've got a spray bottle of bleach ready and the pruners have
been oiled and sharpened. We lost a few trees once by not
bleaching the pruners between trees so now the bottle hangs
on my belt. For anyone new to fruit trees the question
here might be: How does pruning help the ecology?
Julie bred the sheep this year and soon it will be time to
monitor them and prepare for lambing. One year we set up
an intercom in the barn to know when the sheep were ready
or in trouble. What a disaster. One of our sheep snored
so bad it kept us up all night. When they began to go into
labor it was even worse. All night long they groaned and
moaned. Now we just check their progress each evening and
do not get very involved until after the birth.
Other activities are: planting trees, trail work, cleaning
the hydro, organizing the barn and recycling shed, and checking
the crops in the root cellar.
----
jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko
underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape
to leave ecopath: unsubscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
