Healing Gardens

Wk #7:

This week it was all about the new compost bins.  I went to Home Depot and spent 1 hour pricing materials to build the new bins.  I don't know how Dylan figured this could be done for $150.  (I think that was the figure he gave me back in Winter quarter)  It looks like it's going to be about twice that much to build the bins the right way with the pressure treated lumber.   Saturday morning I got up early and went by Home Depot to pick up the 4x4's for the posts.  I spent Saturday morning clearing the vines and comfrey from the area for the new compost bin systems and starting to mark out where each post would go.  Saturday afternoon Mike & John helped me use the post hole digger to get the holes dug (THANK YOU MIKE & JOHN!!!).  Tuesday I spent 5 hours at the LHG, with the help of my husband & girlfriend.  Getting all the posts level & set in quick set cement (4 of the holes had to be re-dug!!.. They were 2 inches off!!  We managed to get all the posts set and started putting on the back and side boards.  Next week I will pick up the last of the wood & finish putting on the boards.  I learned that when I'm going to put posts in the ground, I really need to have the boards that are going to attach to them there, to make sure that everything lines up.  Time to date:  28 hours

	Me & Aaron work with the quickset cement
	Lecion & Aaron helping with setting the boards.

Wk #6

The only thing I got done for project time in  Wk#6 was spending an hour in the LHG with my father-in-law, teaching him about the native plants and showing him the work that had been done by the students this quarter.  He was very impressed at the multitude of habitats that are represented in the LHG.  Time to date:  22 hours

 Wk #5:

Allyson came over to my house on Saturday and we spent 4 hours identifying plants which could be salvaged for the LHG.  She selected some of the plants to go ahead and bring back for the LHG, and decided to email Marja about what other plants might be wanted.  On Monday I spent 2 hours in the LHG showing my husband and two friends the work that we have been doing, and talking with them about the different plants and habitats of the LHG.  Learning:  Last quarter I spent most of my time in the LHG doing physical labor, pulling all the material out of the old compost bins, getting it put into rows, starting to clean that area up, and then transfering the material to the round bins.  This quarter, while I've been waiting to see when Dylan would have time to help build the compost bins I've been spending a lot of time getting to actually know the plants of the LHG.  I think the thing I've learned the most from this is that both of these are good.  I enjoyed my time with my pitchfork, getting dirty and sweaty last quarter.  I've also enjoyed my time just looking and touching the plants this quarter.  I am learning from the plants to slow down. My plan for the rest of the quarter:  I've been waiting on Dylan, because I've never really built anything myself before.  When I have projects I want done on our property, I put up a proposal, we talk about it, and then the boys & sometimes a volunteer crew build it for me.  I've looked at the plan for the compost bins and I think I might be able to do it myself.  The only difficulty I might have is using the posthole digger to get the holes in the ground.  I'm going to go to Home Depot this week and price out the materials again, and I've blocked Monday the 21st of May on my calendar to do the building (I won't get any time in the LHG this coming week because my father-in-law will be visiting the whole week.)   Time to date:  21 hours 

Here are a few pictures I took from when Allyson came to get plants; and then at the LHG:

Wk #4:

I wasn't able to spend a lot of time outside at the LHG this week, as my allergies were severely acting up.  I spent 1 hour on Monday walking around the LHG and observing the plants again.  Also took some close up pictures of a few of the plants.  Then I went home and spent another 2 hours going back and forth between websites and my copy of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast trying to really LEARN to recognize the LHG native plants without having to look them up all the time.   This week I learned that it would be nice to have thistle plants on our property.  I think they would have been able to help with my exploding allergies. Time to date:  15 hours.

Wk #3:  

Saturday for class time:  After our walk at McLane Creek, I went to the Farmers market for lunch; ended up buying a Gingko Biloba tree for my property to plant for Earth Day.  (I've wanted one since I saw the examples planted at the sculpture garden last quarter).  Spent 2 & 1/2 hours after that working on the compost area; I brought in more chicken wire and an extra pitchfork from home, Allyson helped me and we managed to get almost all of the compost rows turned into the bins.  I think I'm going to need to put up one or two more bins, based on the amount of weeding material that is being generated right now.  After working in the LHG, I went to Synergy talks on Green building, and Food Activism.

 This week I decided to take some time to get to know the different parts of the LHG garden better.  I spent 2 hours on Tuesday taking time to sit in the different areas of the LHG and really look deeply at the plants.  They feel happier to me then they did during winter quarter.  I know that part of that is because it is spring, and they are surging forward with their growth, but I feel that part of it also is the love and care that is being put into the gardens right now with all the work that is being done.  Wednesday I pulled out the handout on Medicinal Plants historically present in the LHG and spent 2 hours going through it starting to make myself a spreadsheet that has the information from the handout, as well as pictures and additional information that I looked up online.  I got a lot of great information off this wonderful website from the Oregon State University:  http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/  This week I learned that it is much easier to look up precise species if I use the proper Latin name.  Time to date:  12 hours

Wk#2:

Spent 2 hours photo-copying extra material on composting, particularily the Seattle Tilth Master Composter handbook; 1 hour organizing the 3 ning binder for the Composting area; 2 hours in the LHG taking pictures and looking for things to draw; 3 hours building round bins along the woodline, and starting to move the compost piles into the temporary bins (this will get them out of the way of the tractor so that area can be mowed).  This week I drew a sunflower and a fairy in my journal, then painted it with watercolors.  This week: I learned that if I SLOW DOWN, and am patient with myself, I can put images on paper that are recognizable.  I'm learning not to be so self-critical, and not to expect perfection the first time I try something.  I also walked around my property this week and marked a couple of plants to be transplanted to the LHG; specifically I have a couple of trilliums that are right on a deer trail, I want to move them and would like to donate them to the LHG.   Time to date:  8 hours (I guess it adds up quickly)