AfricanKelli

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I’ve been volunteering with the Phoenix Permaculture Guild for about a year. Basically, we are a group who love to garden. Otherwise, our views and backgrounds couldn’t vary more. One of the men I often sit with at our meetings is a gazillionaire Republican businessman who likes to talk and talk and say again Arizona “not having enough water” is a myth. He has charts and his own data, no less.

Anyway — I truly enjoy this gumbo of gardeners. A member of the organization sent a brilliant email today addressing this and I thought I’d share for those interested. It’s long, but well worth it!

Liz Lonetti writes:

“Permaculture is NOT about individual techniques that might save energy or anything like that (like gardening, changing out lightbulbs, or even rainwater harvesting) it is about creating systems that solve many problems at one time while creating surpluses that further feed the system and contribute to long term sustainability and viability.  If that doesn’t exactly make sense – the example I like to give is that of the forest.

Back in the age of free love, it occurred to Bill Mollison (founder of permaculture who was an ecologist studying the forest ecosystems in Australia) that there was a vast difference between the way the forest worked as system and the way human’s civilization does – the immediate contrast was in the production of food (hence the name Perma[nent Agri]culture).  Our system is a one way consumption of water, soil and other resources requiring massive inputs in the form of fertilizers and pesticides to gain paltry outputs of grain and other staple foods that are then shipped great distances.  By comparison the ecology of the forest is one that is incredibly abundant in both animal and plant matter and is also quite stable over hundreds of years without any outside inputs necessary (no person is out spreading fertilizer in the forest, but the trees drop leaves and the animals and soil organisms create the soil fertility for ‘free’).  Mollison’s idea was to try to create a way for people to learn from those stable systems and apply that to the way we live.

That being said, there are a number of creative ways people incorporate specific techniques to accomplish this ’systems’ thinking in their own lives.  Examples:

Compost - composting takes something that is considered a ‘waste product’ (like say leaves in the forest) and recognize it for what it is – an underutilized resource for building soil health, feeding microorganizms and putting organic matter in our desert soils.  In my case it also attracts some amount of insects that help feed my chickens and increased my garden’s fertility giving me a better quantity and quality of food.  It also saves me from having to purchase chemical fertilzers, supporting agribusiness companies that don’t share my ethics and values.

Microlivestock- If you’re going to have the hassle of having a pet – why not have one that also contributes to our urban ecosystems?  Chickens are an example of an urban pet that will do well in a typical backyard, happily eating weeds, grass (and your veggies!), and insects while distributing free fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and turning over your soil.  You are rewarded with fresh eggs for a minimal amount of input to this micro system.  My ladies keep the urban orchards weed free while benefiting from the shade and protection provided by the tree cover and cleaning up the occasional dropped fruits.

Edible Landscaping – by incorporating yummy plants into your existing landscape, you are now getting much more productivity for the same amount of inputs.  for example, by converting a grass lawn to food production, you can create something that is beautiful, productive, contributes to your health with high nutrient foods, connects you to the seasons of the place you live, gets you out to meet your neighbors, provides food that contributes nothing to global climate change as there were no trucks or chemical fertilizers involved with delivering these calories to your table.  It gives you a place to put your compost and other ‘waste’ products to good use (cardboard, paper, etc), diverting that from our landfills.

Urban Orchards – Fruit trees planted in your yard strategically can provide a lot more than just fruit.  They can help shade your house to lower AC costs, creating a cooling microclimate around your house.  If you’ve planted deciduous trees, they will allow winter sunlight into your home to help warm it as well.  A well planted tree can also provide a wind block keeping drying winds away from tender garden spaces or a funnel to encourage breezes into your favorite patio seating spot.  Leaves and trimmings can be composted or fed to livestock, which in turn will provide more fertilizer to the trees.

Can you see how all these things mentioned so far are interconnected?  You can weave these individual strategies together to contribute essential resources to each other making the entire system more stable and productive.  A short listing of other techniques that can be woven into our lifestyle include:

Repair, Reuse and Repurpose
Using Urbanite, reclaimed wood and other salvaged material instead of new
Creative repurposing of items like tubs or cattle troughs for planters or garden ponds
Collecting Coffee Grounds from your local barista to use on your gardens
Right house right location – smaller homes in town are more efficient on many levels than mini-mansions on the outskirts of town
Promoting Genetic Diversity
Polyculture plantings
Open source and heirloom seeds
Zone Design – thinking about how we use space and placing components appropriately
Rainwater Harvesting
Roof gutters can direct water to cisterns or directly into the ground to feed trees and plants
Patios, driveways and paths can be sloped to drain water into adjacent planting beds
Keeping water onsite reducing water runoff that contributes to contaminates to our natural water ways
Graywater Reuse
Running the washing machine or bath water to a grove of fruit trees
Energy Saving Strategies
Passive Energy
Added insulation
High Energy Windows
Shade Trees
Awnings and trellis covers
Turning off lights and appliances when not in use
Thick adobe style walls that help mitigate cooling/heating loads…
Active Energy
High efficiency Heating and Cooling units
Solar water heaters
Windmills, Solar Panels, etc
This list goes on and on and on, some strategies being lower impact on one’s ecological footprint (and wallet) than others
Backyard Habitat certification
Encourage native wildlife by planting some native plants (also can help conserve water)
Provide water and shelter for native insects that help pollinate the plants
Using Natural and EcoFriendly Building Products & Techniques
No VOC paints, clay or milk paints
Cob or straw bale construction
Natural fibers
Petroleum free products…
Locally Produced Products
Reduce transportation fuel needed by buying local
Supports local jobs
Alternative Transportation
Riding your bike or walking contributes positively to your health
Reduces fossil fuel use with people power or public transporation

There are lots more things that can be added, but this gives you a good basis for understanding that we’re looking for a bigger picture than just a pretty garden or a solar panel.  You certainly don’t need everything from this list, but the more you can add the better the sustainable example will be!”

“Talk doesn’t cook rice.”
–Chinese Proverb

Don’t mind the saggy butt on this bag; it doesn’t look like it when it is full of baby supplies. This contemporary take on a baby bag is in the post, heading to Robin. I “met” Robin and her husband via Salty Senor once upon a time. Robin and Jim have two little girls — Amalea and Maya. They are the epitome of a sweet, young family. I love reading both of their blogs and rooting for their success.

I’d been promising Robin this bag for too long and am glad it’s finished. I am loving all things orange right now.

{How great is that duck fabric? I fell in love with it once I saw it peeking out of the remnant basket at the fabric store. Quack!}

The last few weeks have been peacefully busy — productive without stress. I’ve been sewing, gardening, cooking, reading, watching (Mad Men), running, hiking, bowling and spending quite a bit of quality time with friends. I have also been trying to eat more “whole” foods and cut out the junk. You wouldn’t have known this if you saw me at the bowling alley, per se, but change comes in baby steps.

In an attempt to actually cook that metaphoric rice instead of just talking about it, I roasted carrots this weekend for the first time. Roasting veggies for soup seems to be the new fad at my house lately. I grab whatever looks good at the market, throw it on a cookie sheet with some olive oil and an hour later scoop it into a blender before adding some stock.

This week’s bright green soup has roughly 10,000 times your daily dose of goodness in each scoop. Of course, I made way too much and will be eating it for a couple days — but there are worse problems to have. My magic touch with these soups is to add gobs of cayenne. It is so spicy, I can’t help but want more. Perhaps this will fuel a few more healthy changes.

Hope your 2010 is off to an equally happy start!

~K

Sunday I was in charge of Children’s Moment at church. The timely lesson was about giving thanks. I whipped up some Thanksgiving cards and we talked about the importance of being grateful. The kids went into the congregation and found someone to give a card to and then we worked on cards for their families in Sunday School.

I am a bit like Johnny Appleseed, but with correspondence. Johnny Stampyseed? Kelli Appleletter? Hmm… I like to spread it and make others write letters too. (My brother told me the other day he’s saved all the letters I’ve sent him since he left for college and there are more than 100. I’m a little crazy, I know.) The kids agreed — getting personal mail rocks.  They now know the secret too — to get mail, you’ve got to send some stationery love too. They were as excited as a group of little ones gets about a thinly veiled manners lesson.

I whipped up some music mixes this weekend too. Looking at this photo I just realized the Four Seasons song is a Vivaldi and it is Violin not Violent. Ha! Violin autmun, not violent autumn.

I think these might be my two very favorite things to receive:  handwritten notes and mixes of la musica.

Hope your Thanksgiving week is off to a great start!

~K

I have been hoarding essays lately, trying to figure out the best way to wax poetic about the latest happy happenings. Instead, how about some photos of cookies and scattered reminiscing?

Gingersnaps are my favorite cookie, without a doubt. I like them stale, with cold milk. I like them warm, with hot tea. I like them small, big, lumpy, covered with crystallized ginger and even the chocolate variety. I am not alone in my love of the gingersnap. My mother — who would buy bags when grocery shopping with her children and allow us to eat them from the cart (before paying! The rebel! We were shocked. And far too excited we were all going to be caught and thrown out.), and Rebilou are also fanatics of the baked good.

So, imagine my delight when I realized my latest knitting project is just the same hue of gingery rust orange. Snap!

This scarf is one of many holiday projects and the details are being kept under lock and key. However, may I instead offer you details about the wildly fabulous Barbara Kingsolver and her new novel, “The Lacuna?”

Did I mention I met Ms. Kingsolver (along with 100 other people in a busy auditorium) last week and managed to ask her a question that made her laugh? Did I also mention that the first 50 pages of “The Lacuna” are heavy and the interviews I heard with Barbara beforehand had me nervous my 12 years of dedicated worship were misplaced? She was just so serious and I was sincerely worried the biologist from Tucson who wrote “Animal Dreams” and “The Poisonwood Bible” had been eaten up by the now super succesful Kentucky best selling author.

Good news. I was wrong. In person? She is witty, funny, tall, slightly awkward and really down to earth. She read her book excerpts with passion and with a faux Mexican accent that made me giggle a bit.  She took questions from the audience and deflected silly comments with such grace, everyone was laughing. Also, the book picks up speed quickly and is becoming one of my favorites. I’m having a hard time balancing my daily activities with my hunger for being on the couch, deep in the story of an American boy growing up in Mexico. Of course, that American boy is living in central Mexico and goes to work for Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

The dialog is exceptionally good and the manner of telling the story is wonderful. I am inhaling this book, not unlike the way those cookies above quickly disappeared.

The other essays go a bit like this: there are the three quilts waiting for binding, Thanksgiving correspondence in need of stamps, holiday baking planned, an apron to give away thanks to all of your lovely comments, and a community garden begging to be replanted. Also, my Botswanan squash are growing up the side of my house and into my front door. My little home is beginning to resemble a fairy tale. Everyone keeps saying “prune” but the vines are so pretty.

Oh — and that apron. Congrats luck #21,  Candace!

~K

I saw Ree Drummond at Changing Hands last night. She spoke a bit about her new cookbook. Beforehand, over drinks with girlfriends and the cookbook, we talked about the incorporation of family (especially children) into such projects. Is it okay to put your kid’s photos online? We agreed that in this format, it was fine. She and her husband must agree and the truth is, the cookbook isn’t just recipes. It is a gorgeous view of their family and their way of life. She has so much to be proud of.

As I watched the masses swarm to hear Ree speak — truly more folks came to hear her than Jimmy Carter or Madeleine Albright’s recent visits — it dawned on me  one of the reasons she and Dooce are so incredibly well received in the blog world is because they are willing to be so vulnerable. They talk about the details of their personal lives and while I’m sure they don’t reveal all, they are comfortable taking us into their homes for a glimpse.

I’m not entirely sure where my comfort level sits on my personal life and the blog; there are times I’ve revealed enough to get a phone call from my angry little brother in Colorado (who magically must have just happened to read my “stupid blog he never reads” that day) to say, “Too much! Stop talking!” There are other times I’ve handled  crises and changes without mentioning a word because I just didn’t know how to broach the topic.

I love what this blog has provided me. More than anything, it is a daily challenge to be creative, positive and proactive in my writing. It pushes me to carry my camera nearly everywhere and to document my life in a way that previous generations would have certainly deemed vain. C’est la vie. Life changes and my skin is a bit thicker than it used to be. I can hear my friend Mini’s voice saying, “Dear, you can’t please everyone” each time I open an email or receive a comment bemoaning my views.

The title to this entry is a bit tongue in cheek. A man I had been spending time with of late recently told me I was “too domestic.” He hurled this at me in a moment of anger, one in which I wish more than anything I’d had the chance to remind him that without such an interest, he wouldn’t have eaten about a dozen requested chocolate cakes. Alas, I sat there slack jawed thinking, “Too domestic? That’s a new one.” It stung for about two seconds until I remembered I’m much better off being exactly who I am — a woman who loves to play house as much at 30 as I did at 5.

And yes, I’d say domestic is an apt description. When I went to download photos for this entry, flowers, a future quilt and three dozen cookies I baked yesterday came up as options. While I dislike being pigeonholed into such specific descriptions, people will think what they want.  (And those people will not get cookies. Or cake.)

~K