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I didn’t know about this parable until this morning. A man who has been a victim of violent oppression in Central America quoted it in an NPR story. But he only quoted the first part, and now that I know this I find it even more moving. He rendered it, or rather the translator did:
“Do not pull the weeds. Because while you pull them you may uproot the wheat with them.” —Matthew 13:29
Jane Heyre and Bridget always know exactly what to do. This morning’s enthusiasm was: eat these spent brown-eyed susans, newly winter crispy, and make poop out of them. I shook the branches vigorously into the snow to scatter more seeds before bringing them inside to the bunny room. I still haven’t mulched and bundled Salvatore II for winter, which came on suddenly November 9. But I did get the garlic planted in between stories yesterday, a very sunny day all day.
These pagan god/numeric month names don’t really work. As a hodgepodge globalist language, English has perhaps lost some of its vital essence in this way, or never had it (Chaucer also had Roman months). The Czech name for November is listopad (leaf fall), which this year here was spot on. I propose these month names:
Pruning
Chaga
Pond Tend
Strawberries
Garlic Scapes
Sunburn Big Wave Day
Tomatoes
Figs
Quince
Garlic Down/Sunchokes Up
Solar Fairy Lights
Year in Review
I used to think spring was my favorite time of year, all violence and promises. But early fall is now the month when I go out in the cool morning and eat round 2 of everbearing raspberries (usually bigger and redder and more than round 1), gather hazelnuts, check the hoophouse for ripe figs, and say “you’re welcome” to the birds eating the high haws and elderberries and the dragonflies taking out mosquitos over the pond.
First year of flowering for this little nonElberta quince I planted about 10 years ago.
MDNR says no open burning right now. Let's hope people listen.
Still, nice to get 20 minutes of free vitamin D. Seemed like a good day to give White Pine some space; it's been looking a little harried. This native crapapple has been very successful in this hectic location; time to challenge it some more. More inside branches for inside bunnies.
Tanks and hoses are still frozen, so let's see about making some water while working the desk job.
Giant garbage patch in the ocean is now the size of France.
But:
I was there for my free birthday dinner. She said: Take these! Tell people!
Garlic cured and sorted by weight.
clary sage supercrop
lupine
Trying again. Ten this time. Here are some.
In the Walnut Mulberry Gooseberry Currant Strawberry Guild.
On the east side of the pond over Bayard Rustin's grave.
On the north side of the Pit of Fecundity alternating with cup plants.
And did some tidying in the Elberta Quince nursery.
On Demand
Just saw a youngish-looking oriole, so I set this up for him. Padded on the tree side with scrap angora.
This is year four for these sunchokes residing in the compost pile. They are beasts with two-inch diameter, eight-foot stalks. Two years ago I took some out and replanted elsewhere and they turned back into David Banner.
70 degrees
Linden and wild cherry branches trimmed in March that are STILL ALIVE in stock tank 2. The cherries have flowerbuds. Interested to see if they'll bloom.
Snails and tadpoles coming soon to take care of this algae. The one wood frog is quiet now, but he/she's in there.
State of the Hoop. I planted a bunch of the carrot starts already and these (along top of left rail) will be next when I clear the space. Fig is doing well and Michigan Pecan is busting out. Spinach, far left in back, is like spinach trees.
Pea fence
Pea fence. Goddam I love welded wire.
Pea
STILL ALIVE.
Just threw up some affordable housing.
Former Rabbitrarium, now woodshed and skunk bunker.
Frog and toad safety corridor
Transplanted cup plants, kicking it
Last year's garlic row is this year's tomato and carrot row (next to hazelnut alley).
This was a pond hole that is now a hole with sticks in it.
Vertical line through center of this photo will be a persimmon row (trees purchased from the Benzie Conservation District sale) flanked by black currants and rabbit graves (Chelsea Manning and Geronimo are buried here). To the left under straw is crimson clover and maybe a horseradish if it lived.
Prematurely planted garlic (note to self, November at earliest this year) and the Elberta Quince Preservation Society quince nursery. Oh yeah and American chestnuts. Planted about a hundred of those seeds from the diseased tree in Frankfort.
State of the Hoop, April 2. More greens than I can eat by myself.
You can't really tell from this photo, but this bird feeder on Francis's grave is very popular. The dogwood behind it offers a good waystation.
Danvers carrots.
More Danvers carrots. I've never grown carrots before. But I've been following Ray Peat's advice to eat a raw carrot salad nearly every day, and #becauseJaneHeyre, so it seemed like a good idea to try. Behind, flamingo spinach, which is awesome because it is both a big leaf and a flat leaf, requiring less-careful washing, and perfect for sandwiches. And milk thistle in and out of pots, which I've been giving away.
Hoop flap propped up on old screen door for daytime ventilation (it's 85 degrees in there right now at 10:30 am with the flap open, 49 degrees outside air temperature). I planted 10 black currant starts from Oikos Tree Crops this week, some of which are here in this strawberry mulberry gooseberry square.
The birds (again, they flewed away) really like this feral-cat-proof fenced-in pond for baths. I hope the frogs made it through the winter under there.
Inner bed walls and floor complete
Intern insisted on installing steps. Eyeroll.
Alas the lemon tree and grapefruit have not made it. But the fig seems fine in its dormancy.
Et voilà.
I missed it at peak, but there was a massive crew of cedar waxwings chowing down on this crabapple. Like 15 or 20 of them. That's my crap pruning job, the "i gotta get through here with a wheelbarrow" technique. Will fix it in March. I've never seen anybody eating these before, so I wasn't sure it was good for anything but bees. Maybe I'll plant another one. The hawthorn, dogwood, wild cherry, and I'm sure remaining raspberries and wild grapes are denuded.
heading into sauce.
Now available on YouTube. And here's our logo! As it goes with these things, there's already a "Half-Assed Homestead" on YouTube. But she is waaaaaaaaay more than half-assed. She is way too good at what she is doing. It's kind of false advertising. But her donkey butt logo is supercute. And she is awesome. May the half-assedness proliferate across the land!
“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.”