Yard Update (A photo post)

So as many of you know, I am starting an urban homestead here in Columbus. Transforming the yard has been a big project this year, and we haven't gotten it all done yet. For pics of "before"see here.

Here is the lush oasis our front yard is becoming:

Rowan, descending our stairs into the yard. You can see the rim of the huge planter box we share with the neighbors here.

My front yard. Wildflowers (mainly zinnias and sunflowers) create a wall all along the edge that borders the driveway. We get lots of bees and butterflies. The herb spiral, still unfinished (we have been only using free reclaimed materials and that takes time) has been overrun with morning glories and Delicata squash!

What happens when a major storm destroys your backyard gazebo? Take two corners and sink them into the ground, making an archway with prayer flags and vining plants, of course!

After we got rid of those hideous shrubs, we tacked up trellises and I planted morning glories. They, um, like it here.

A look at the lush planter box from my steps.

Tiny details are hidden in the box like this.

And this.

My morning glories, the view from the porch rocker. It's like a lush green stained glass window.

Before and After (Actually, During!)

My neighbors and I have been super busy creating the kind of yard that we want- one that sustains us with food, medicine, and respite. We had our work cut out for us, too. The property has been neglected for a while, since for the first two years the people in my unit were horrible and no one wanted to be in the yard near them. Before that, no one has done anything in the yard for quite some time.

Remember my horrible 1970's era bushes in the front of the house?

Ugly. A real eyesore.

And they hid gross decades of trash, too.

They are GONE. It was sooo hard getting those things out of that large planter box. First, we took a chainsaw to the shrubs. Then these horrible stumps with viney roots were left:

We are saving it to let the cukes and eggplants grow over them.

Don't let it's compact-ness fool you. Many of those long roots were cut off with shears or a saw. It took hours of grueling work and many people to get all 4 out.


What does the box look like now? It is in process, but here are some pix:

Long shot, from my steps towards the neighbors. Pond in the center, Plants and doo dads on the sides.

My neighbor's side is neater than mine. All my cool things were left behind with my peeps in CA.
Working on acquiring fun things.

Her side- I will have a matching lattice on my side for the morning glories we planted on my side soon.

Above my neighbor's side.

My foxglove.

My side has morning glories and other vines planted behind some Hostas.

Where my trellis will be by the end of the weekend- waiting for my morning glories to come up!

I have also made progress on other parts of the yard. The side has been cleared for veggies:

Before: We transplanted the wildflowers to the front, eliminating some grass.

After- tomatoes, peppers, cukes, eggplants, and more!

The herb spiral needs more bricks! Here it is so far, next to a small bed of herbs, framed by beer bottles. (I also planted wildflowers on the slope near the driveway, and they are coming up really well!)

My neighbor is ahead of me. She not only has her side bed filled with herbs and lettuces (hers is rimmed with wine bottles), but she has her trellis up for her vining flowers. (See mine on the lawn, waiting to be cut with my neighbor's dremel tool?)

Here's her side trellis and a salvaged stair rail (it was in the box behind those awful bushes!) for our green beans.

Lettuces and basil.

Basil and oregano

So there we are so far! I haven't shown you the back, but the neighbors got a FREE gazebo (minus the netting) off of freecycle, so we are growing thornless blackberries around it for shade. Pretty awesome, if you ask me!

A more sustainable life

We moved to Ohio because we wanted to have a lifestyle that was still urban, but slower.We wanted to make time for living sustainably- in harmony with the earth, its cycles, and its other inhabitants. You know, like a Witch should!

Since moving to Ohio in mid-February, we have started the following:

We are making our own kefir.
At the rate my son drinks it, it is more economical
and healthy to make it ourselves.
Organic raw milk!
Plus, no more plastic bottles from the store!

Speaking of bottles, in addition to recycling, we are saving
our glass bottles to edge our garden beds.

We have started wildcrafting walks as a family.
This bouquet came from our last walk, where
I discovered delicious sassafrass! 

My library is mostly unpacked...

Herb books, mushroom books, lots of reference guides!

We obviously need to drink more wine.

Seedlings. These are thyme, cilantro, and tomatoes.

This pond will be cleaned and moved into a huge front box
along with morning glories, trumpetvine, and other decorative plants.
It's gonna be so much better than the ugly bushes that are there now.

Rowan on the porch.

Our current wild side yard, which will become raised beds.

Rowan "helping".

Putting the plants debris in the compost pile

Our first cleared out area on our side of the yard.
It was totally overgrown.

This is one of the few heirloom organic seed companies
that isn't owned in any way by Monsanto.
Their stocks go back to the 1700's and are
amazing in their variety.
Order a $5 catalogue to help support their efforts, please!

Seedlings for kohlrabi, peppers, tomatoes,
sweet potatoes, potatoes, peppers.

Seedlings for basil, rosemary, strawberry, echinacea,
parsley, and more.

This awful 1970's era bush is going to go.
It will make room in that huge brick planter box
for a pond, gorgeous vining flowers and trellises.
On the rim will be containers of even more flowers.

The bush, partially cut back, reveals trash. Boo!

My latest order from Landreth Seeds:
lots of herbs and pollinator attractors!

My worm bin has some "tea" to use on my
plants already!

Using the dryer less. When I do, I am saving my dryer lint and
putting it in egg cartons with beeswax for firestarters.
The neighbors have a lovely firepit that they share.

We are using soap nuts now in cotton bags instead
of clothes detergent. We can compost them when we are done.
We have a compost pile in the back, as well as the worm bin.

Worm food!

All over, people are starting to do more sustainably-conscious things. What are you doing?

Life in Columbus, An Update

Life is settling in nicely here in Columbus. My Witch Mama told me that she could see moving here was following the flow and I agreed with her then and even more so now. My life is full of possibilities and promise here and the living is so much easier than in my beloved Bay Area.

In fact, I have been surprised to see other die-hard Bay Area folks moving or contemplating moving to unexpected places lately. I think we may see a mass exodus- one that I had no idea that I was a part of!

My partner was blessed with a transfer from his previous job in Appalachia to a facility here (he works taking care of seniors- this time with folks with Alzheimer's related dementia). So that stabilized our income a bit while we transitioned. But it is not enough to live on in the long term. So I have been hustling to make money while also trying to start a business (Boline). I have been selling things on Amazon and Ebay, and freelancing for some folks that I worked for back in California.

Rowan plays with a baby rhino sculpture at the Zoo.

I spend my days with Rowan, of course. Once a week we go to the library and adjoining playground and he is learning so much. We also go to the Zoo or COSI (where we were blessed to be given memberships for Rowan's birthday!) about every two weeks. The librarians and new friends are astounded at his age because of how verbal and obviously smart he is. Yes, I am bragging, but this mama is proud! My goals for his learning are that by the end of this year, he will not only know his alphabet but the sounds that each letter makes, he will be able to count to twenty, and he will be able to say his address and mama's name and phone number. I also am trying to model how to answer the question, "why?". So far he just repeats his original statement or just says "because". I am hoping to model reasoning to him so he can start putting his motives to words soon.

I also have fallen in with a few groups- The Helping Hands Community Garden, which raises food for the local food bank; Art Party Columbus, which is a social and event organizing group of artists. (They put on shows and events, have monthly social gatherings, and are working to increase the profile of local artists here in Columbus.); and Queer Behavior, a group of queer activists and artists who are working to make all kinds of events happen here in Columbus. Queer Yoga, Queer Cinema Nights, and my very own Crafternoons are but a few.

My very first table for Boline!

I also have made fast friends with our wonderful neighbors. We have a weekly potluck dinner and our kids play together regularly. And guess what?! Pagan Playdate is starting up THIS FRIDAY! I am very excited to meet other Witches. Pagans, and their kids. We plan on doing playdates as well as kids' sabbats.

My homestead is gearing up- I have plants sprouting indoors and we will be building raised beds and a brick oven from reclaimed materials soon. We have chickens that won't live here, but at a friend's and we will share in the chicken-y goodness by visiting often and sharing expenses and eggs. I will be building an herb spiral in the front yard and also using the front and back porches to grow things. I have created a fund that I am asking people to chip into- so we can afford beekeeping equipment. This will allow me to use honey and beeswax that I am 100% sure of the source and quality.

I am in the running for not one but TWO positions at Unitarian Universalist churches. I interviewed for a Summer Sunday School position this past Friday in Columbus and I am waiting to tell the Director there whether or not I can accept the position. I didn't say yes right away, because I am waiting to see if there is a *permanent* position at another church just north of Columbus. This second position would ease me into Religious Education (RE) work, help pay for credentialing, and is in admin, which is easy work for me and I can do much of it from home and stay with Rowan. But there are lots of possibilities with this second position to get my foot in the door of an RE position!

Calendula sprouting in the window,
on the land spirits altar.

My semester at Starr King is more than half over, and I am looking forward to finishing and having more free time in the summer. This semester I took a world religions class and did a class of my own making, writing RE and social justice curricula. Next semester, I will be volunteering at that second church I mentioned doing tasks a Director of Religious Education would do fo school credit and continue writing my curricula. All self directed work- woot!

Boline is shaping up too. I have about 5 more remedies in the works for the next couple weeks and managed to get some in the store already. I am making a natural anti-biotic/anti-microbial salve, a body/baby powder, some insect repellent, some first aid cream, and some face cleanser. I also hope to make a mouth wash soon. I have a logo prototype from the artist that I am working with, and I am excited to create real labels, business cards and the like once it is finished.

So things are shaping up to be great here. The move was exactly what we needed, I think. I still miss my  friends and kin in the Bay Area and I wish there was more dim sum, sushi, and artisanal bread in the supermarkets here. But I will find what I need and much much more.