Hello everyone,
I hope this note finds you well. Are you somewhere having the warm, sunny weather we're having this October week in London, Canada?
I've just been listening to CBC news, a bit of coverage about the anti-GMO marches held yesterday, across Canada and the U.S., to protest genetic modification of crops and the corporations that developed and promote the technology (chemical companies out for profit and control).
I don't joke when I describe myself an an "uncompromising organic gardener". I've stated here and elsewhere that the companies that develop and push GMOs worldwide are evil people.
I'm happy that many people come out to protest.
I want more.
I want the people at the protests to all have a fact-filled flyer in their hands. At its smallest this would be an 8 1/2" x 14" double-side folded flyer, ie packed. Protesters need to have information about such things as:
- just what the patenting issues are and how they affect farmers in all countries and us
- agricultural comparative studies that show that organic agriculture has equal or better yields than GMO/pesticide agriculture
- to talk about Canada and the U.S., exact information about just what crops are grown GMO and their path in our food chain ... showing, for example, just how far the high-fructose-from-corn food amendment goes
- a summary of some of the feeding/animal health/death studies, with references, researcher names and universities
- documented examples of situations where Monsanto has sued farmers for having GMO plants - that the farmers didn't plant! - found on their property, and the Monsanto money spent on prosecuting/persecuting farmers
- the situation for farmers in other countries ... how they are drawn in to what is equivalent to a first "hit" of special seed and then put in debt buying the pesticides necessary to grow them to maximum yield
I'm sure I'll think of other things. If I find a bit of time each day for a while to locate pieces of the above info ... maybe start with www.cban.ca and www.navdanya.org ... what'll I come up with?
My husband was just writing about the crises of environment affecting our honeybees and Monarchs ... referring to the need to have all roadways lined with flowers to create nectar/shelter paths, he wrote "we need to line our roadways with jewels of welcome".
Very best regards to all of you,
Why's Woman
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Natural Dyeing at Goodlines Decor
Good morning!
I hope this note finds you all well.
Yes, I'm still around.
Been over-busy helping get a friend ready for her hip-replacement surgery and in its follow-up. It went well and she's in physio ... 85 and rarin' to go at her usual pace! .. plus, she'll be staying at our home for some weeks. I am so grateful to the health care people involved. And so astounded at seeing my friend without pain and developing an even, strong gait.
I know there are all sorts of on-line items about dyeing fabrics, however, I just wanted to point out a short, positive, eco-friendly item on the Goodlines Decor website (which you should look at anyway because there are nice things, locally made there!)
http://goodlinesdecor.com/2012/11/natural-dying-for-natural-beauty/
I really appreciate the care for the environment that goes into the work done by Lois, of Goodlines. She has even figured out natural dyes and those where the water/dye bath used can be disposed of in soil (in the fall) so that they biodegrade in the best way. That is so neat, and I'd never made the connection between natural dyes and being able to send the water outside! So thanks!
I'm starting to try to maybe catch up with the emails and things to do I've been setting aside in the last 6 weeks.
Thanks for you understanding and very best regards!
Why's Woman
I hope this note finds you all well.
Yes, I'm still around.
Been over-busy helping get a friend ready for her hip-replacement surgery and in its follow-up. It went well and she's in physio ... 85 and rarin' to go at her usual pace! .. plus, she'll be staying at our home for some weeks. I am so grateful to the health care people involved. And so astounded at seeing my friend without pain and developing an even, strong gait.
I know there are all sorts of on-line items about dyeing fabrics, however, I just wanted to point out a short, positive, eco-friendly item on the Goodlines Decor website (which you should look at anyway because there are nice things, locally made there!)
http://goodlinesdecor.com/2012/11/natural-dying-for-natural-beauty/
I really appreciate the care for the environment that goes into the work done by Lois, of Goodlines. She has even figured out natural dyes and those where the water/dye bath used can be disposed of in soil (in the fall) so that they biodegrade in the best way. That is so neat, and I'd never made the connection between natural dyes and being able to send the water outside! So thanks!
I'm starting to try to maybe catch up with the emails and things to do I've been setting aside in the last 6 weeks.
Thanks for you understanding and very best regards!
Why's Woman
Saturday, August 17, 2013
On weather, again, and on paying for not planting food
Good morning everyone,
I hope this note finds you well.
I've been thinking about weather again and "retirement living".
Morning radio hosts have for a few weeks been discussing the "cool" summer we've been having. Me, I love the temperatures that are below 25 celcius. And everything in my garden is growing well, so that's fine too. The radio host and weather reporter conversation has turned to "finally getting summer weather" because temperatures are going to rise with 30C predicted for next week. What there's no conversation about is that there's been only about 2cm (less than one inch) of rain in August so far, and none predicted on the next week's forecast. So, we're headed into hotter weather and basically no rain. This is stressful for the late growing vegetable crops that I and others put in: Chinese cabbages and pak choi, daikon radishes, beets, kale, swiss chard.
As for "retirement living" there's a posh retirement residence on a route I often take. It's housed in a re-worked building on top of a high hill (surely one of London's largest, no-buildings places). The grassy hill has for years been cut meticulously by a riding lawn mower. The person who runs the machine is skilled: the grass cut leaves visible light and dark diagonal lines up and down the height and breadth of the slopes and it is tidily done with no wobbles or crossovers. I've looked at this hill for years and never thought anything of it, until Wednesday when, as I approached, a dream must have taken over me and I saw the entire hill as a terraced vegetable and fruit gardens similar to those that grow in other countries. There were gently sloping paths down so even residents who have to use wheel chairs could safely traverse up and down. There were two rest spots with benches and a table. There were people working in the various gardens, tending and harvesting. It was a food forest on a piece of land that faces west and gets wonderful sun for growing.
I had to stop my bike suddenly on the sidewalk, nearly tumbled off as my foot hit the sidewalk too hard. It was that disorienting.
By coincidence, there was a woman groundskeeper stacking branches being trimmed trees near the sidewalk. I called out to her "Have you ever thought that this whole area could be turned into terraced gardens?" I saw her gaze shift from left to right and back to me. Her face had a bewildered look, and she said "That would be a wonderful idea, that would work."
She might have been bewildered because a stranger asked her an odd and unexpected question. She might have seemed bewildered because - suddenly - she had her own garden vision. I hope the latter.
My mind has kept turning over the vision of terraced gardens in this space. Of food production. Of older, retired people who live in one of the most expensive places where all they need is "taken care of" and retirement "lifestyle" is easy.
Surely part of the high fees they pay is the cost of land that does nothing. No tree cover, no flowers, no colours, no food, no paths, no shelter.
Still disoriented, but sending best regards,
Why's Woman
I hope this note finds you well.
I've been thinking about weather again and "retirement living".
Morning radio hosts have for a few weeks been discussing the "cool" summer we've been having. Me, I love the temperatures that are below 25 celcius. And everything in my garden is growing well, so that's fine too. The radio host and weather reporter conversation has turned to "finally getting summer weather" because temperatures are going to rise with 30C predicted for next week. What there's no conversation about is that there's been only about 2cm (less than one inch) of rain in August so far, and none predicted on the next week's forecast. So, we're headed into hotter weather and basically no rain. This is stressful for the late growing vegetable crops that I and others put in: Chinese cabbages and pak choi, daikon radishes, beets, kale, swiss chard.
As for "retirement living" there's a posh retirement residence on a route I often take. It's housed in a re-worked building on top of a high hill (surely one of London's largest, no-buildings places). The grassy hill has for years been cut meticulously by a riding lawn mower. The person who runs the machine is skilled: the grass cut leaves visible light and dark diagonal lines up and down the height and breadth of the slopes and it is tidily done with no wobbles or crossovers. I've looked at this hill for years and never thought anything of it, until Wednesday when, as I approached, a dream must have taken over me and I saw the entire hill as a terraced vegetable and fruit gardens similar to those that grow in other countries. There were gently sloping paths down so even residents who have to use wheel chairs could safely traverse up and down. There were two rest spots with benches and a table. There were people working in the various gardens, tending and harvesting. It was a food forest on a piece of land that faces west and gets wonderful sun for growing.
I had to stop my bike suddenly on the sidewalk, nearly tumbled off as my foot hit the sidewalk too hard. It was that disorienting.
By coincidence, there was a woman groundskeeper stacking branches being trimmed trees near the sidewalk. I called out to her "Have you ever thought that this whole area could be turned into terraced gardens?" I saw her gaze shift from left to right and back to me. Her face had a bewildered look, and she said "That would be a wonderful idea, that would work."
She might have been bewildered because a stranger asked her an odd and unexpected question. She might have seemed bewildered because - suddenly - she had her own garden vision. I hope the latter.
My mind has kept turning over the vision of terraced gardens in this space. Of food production. Of older, retired people who live in one of the most expensive places where all they need is "taken care of" and retirement "lifestyle" is easy.
Surely part of the high fees they pay is the cost of land that does nothing. No tree cover, no flowers, no colours, no food, no paths, no shelter.
Still disoriented, but sending best regards,
Why's Woman
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
What Guerilla Gardening should really be about - TED Talk by Ron Finley of South Central LA
Good morning everyone,
I hope this note finds you well.
Again, the summer's been getting away with me. I think of things to say when I'm nowhere near my computer! This morning I spotted Ron Finley's inspiring and important TED talk posted on Jenna's Cold Antler Farm site - thanks Jenna!
Guerilla gardening isn't about tossing flower seed bombs over a fence and running away, never to maintain whatever manages to grow; that idea of "guerilla" gardening is from 20 years ago. To my thinking such action missed the idea that in order to make a garden grow you had to come back regularly and take care of it.
Ron Finley of South Central LA comes back to the gardens he starts. He works. He inspires others to work. He says that to make something like a garden sustainable you have to sustain it. (I've got to add that 20 years ago the word "sustainable" wasn't even in regular use)
In his TED talk, Ron Finley shows us that guerilla gardening gets people actually gardening and learning about plants and about food. It feeds people. It transforms people and neighbourhoods through food. And you get strawberries! To paraphrase him: make a shovel your weapon of choice and 'get out and plant some shit'.
Hope you are inspired too!
http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la.html
Best regards!!
Why's Woman
I hope this note finds you well.
Again, the summer's been getting away with me. I think of things to say when I'm nowhere near my computer! This morning I spotted Ron Finley's inspiring and important TED talk posted on Jenna's Cold Antler Farm site - thanks Jenna!
Guerilla gardening isn't about tossing flower seed bombs over a fence and running away, never to maintain whatever manages to grow; that idea of "guerilla" gardening is from 20 years ago. To my thinking such action missed the idea that in order to make a garden grow you had to come back regularly and take care of it.
Ron Finley of South Central LA comes back to the gardens he starts. He works. He inspires others to work. He says that to make something like a garden sustainable you have to sustain it. (I've got to add that 20 years ago the word "sustainable" wasn't even in regular use)
In his TED talk, Ron Finley shows us that guerilla gardening gets people actually gardening and learning about plants and about food. It feeds people. It transforms people and neighbourhoods through food. And you get strawberries! To paraphrase him: make a shovel your weapon of choice and 'get out and plant some shit'.
Hope you are inspired too!
http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la.html
Best regards!!
Why's Woman
Friday, July 19, 2013
Feed the pollinating insects! No blooms cut before their time!
Hello everyone,
I hope you are well, and the 33 degree celcius temperatures (London, Ont. and Ontario) haven't taken too bad a toll on you.
I was out in the garden this morning, looking around at the varied plants in bloom. Catnip grown to the size of small shrubs have taken up residence between the burgundy day lilies in what is - or was - an almost formal perennial flower bed several years ago. This same bed also has a plant called Elecampane. It should be called Elephancampane, from the size of its lower, largest leaves: 70cm long and 30 cm wide. At almost 2m tall it's beginning to flower. For all the leaves it produces the flowers are maybe 10cm across, multi-petal yellow. They are in bloom and they stay.
The herb garden has an established hedgerow of agrimony, which sends out long stems and blooms with yellow flowers all along. I'm discovering it would be a weed in another location.
So alkanet might be described as a weed in a farm field locale. Bugloss, it's called too. It has the most astounding blue flowers on long stems.
Avens spreads and blooms. Another weed by another name.
There are also daylilies in yellow, burgundy, and organge standard blooms, blue balloon flowers, parsley about to come into flower, catmint getting to a second flowering, red burgundy, what I call sun drops (not sure if they are a form of evening primrose). Two rescued butterfly weed are recovering and taking on size. I'm hoping for bloom.
Everything is about bloom right now. Everything is about food for pollinating insects.
Without getting into reference articles - a first for me! - if a plant is blooming or about to, it stays. Never mind that usually I'd prune back things for show-off space, or wider paths, or just because it's invading (like the Jerusalem artichokes!). If there's pollen and nectar for the pollinating insects, the plant stays.
A week or so ago the Ontario Beekeepers Association actually called for a halt to the use of Neonicotinoid pesticides. This adds their voice to many others in Canada who want to get rid of a bee-killing herbicide. Colony collapse disorder continues. European countries are several years ahead of us in banning these pesticides.
The important thing I can do in my own yard these days is to let the plant life happen, and wonder at the dozens of fat bees that feed in my purple burgamot and the insects feeding throughout the various other blooms.
Very best regards,
Why's Woman
I hope you are well, and the 33 degree celcius temperatures (London, Ont. and Ontario) haven't taken too bad a toll on you.
I was out in the garden this morning, looking around at the varied plants in bloom. Catnip grown to the size of small shrubs have taken up residence between the burgundy day lilies in what is - or was - an almost formal perennial flower bed several years ago. This same bed also has a plant called Elecampane. It should be called Elephancampane, from the size of its lower, largest leaves: 70cm long and 30 cm wide. At almost 2m tall it's beginning to flower. For all the leaves it produces the flowers are maybe 10cm across, multi-petal yellow. They are in bloom and they stay.
The herb garden has an established hedgerow of agrimony, which sends out long stems and blooms with yellow flowers all along. I'm discovering it would be a weed in another location.
So alkanet might be described as a weed in a farm field locale. Bugloss, it's called too. It has the most astounding blue flowers on long stems.
Avens spreads and blooms. Another weed by another name.
There are also daylilies in yellow, burgundy, and organge standard blooms, blue balloon flowers, parsley about to come into flower, catmint getting to a second flowering, red burgundy, what I call sun drops (not sure if they are a form of evening primrose). Two rescued butterfly weed are recovering and taking on size. I'm hoping for bloom.
Everything is about bloom right now. Everything is about food for pollinating insects.
Without getting into reference articles - a first for me! - if a plant is blooming or about to, it stays. Never mind that usually I'd prune back things for show-off space, or wider paths, or just because it's invading (like the Jerusalem artichokes!). If there's pollen and nectar for the pollinating insects, the plant stays.
A week or so ago the Ontario Beekeepers Association actually called for a halt to the use of Neonicotinoid pesticides. This adds their voice to many others in Canada who want to get rid of a bee-killing herbicide. Colony collapse disorder continues. European countries are several years ahead of us in banning these pesticides.
The important thing I can do in my own yard these days is to let the plant life happen, and wonder at the dozens of fat bees that feed in my purple burgamot and the insects feeding throughout the various other blooms.
Very best regards,
Why's Woman
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Ecological Gardening, Marjorie Harris and James Hansen
Hello everyone,
Here in London, Ontario, we had a pleasant day. Temperature in the low 20's celcius. No heat wave of the sort in British Columbia and in the U.S. where some areas are having temperatures in the 40's celcius ... which is beyond ridiculous into scary.
And I happened to take off my bookshelf a copy of Marjorie Harris' book Ecological
Gardening: Your Path to a Healthy Garden
(revised and updated 1996 from its 1991 first edition).
Seventeen, or perhaps even 22 years ago, Harris put a section about xeriscaping in her book -
gardening for drought. And included this quotation by James Hansen, (then) Director of NASA's
Goddard space center:
"As the greenhouse effect increases we will see
hydrological extremes. Some areas, especially mid-continental regions, will
have more frequent and extreme drought."
Harris is a garden designer and writer, and a proponent of
organic gardening. She's Canadian! She's just started posting some new garden
videos (done for the Globe and Mail newspaper) on her website www.marjorieharris.com
Harris is always ahead of the trend, or, more accurately,
she knows when a trend isn't a good idea and tells us something useful instead. She obviously knew who James Hansen was well
before many environmentally savvy people (me included!) had any inkling who he
was, and before his name began to really be associated with climate change -
global warming.
Hansen's recent book, Storms
of My Grandchildren, is in the London Public Library. I've mentioned him before too: http://savingtheworldinmysparetime.blogspot.ca/search?q=James+Hansen
Thanks Marjorie Harris and James Hansen. Even if you are talking about things that scare me.
Sincerely, and with best regards,
Why's Woman
Monday, July 1, 2013
Go read Stephanie's blog for Canada Day
Hello everyone,
I hope this note finds you all well and that you had some down time this Canada Day.
I seem to have taken a month off. Not that I didn't have anything to say. It's more that I've had so much in my head that I haven't been able to find where to start ... or how to continue in a succinct way when I did start writing.
And I'm taking an easy way back in to blogging, by referring you over to Stephanie Pearl McPhee's blog Yarn Harlet. She's talking about the positives of Canada's health care system, which - despite problems and some slowness - does give us all health care we don't have to pay for. For me and my family, that means a lot too.
She says it way better than I will tho' so check her out ... www.yarnharlot.ca/blog
Very best regards,
Why's Woman
I hope this note finds you all well and that you had some down time this Canada Day.
I seem to have taken a month off. Not that I didn't have anything to say. It's more that I've had so much in my head that I haven't been able to find where to start ... or how to continue in a succinct way when I did start writing.
And I'm taking an easy way back in to blogging, by referring you over to Stephanie Pearl McPhee's blog Yarn Harlet. She's talking about the positives of Canada's health care system, which - despite problems and some slowness - does give us all health care we don't have to pay for. For me and my family, that means a lot too.
She says it way better than I will tho' so check her out ... www.yarnharlot.ca/blog
Very best regards,
Why's Woman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)