dragon commission for baby

A progression in pen and ink with water colour pencils

rough sketch.  The puffs of smoke were going to hold the baby's and his parent's names.  Upon receiving the names (long, Spanish names with birth dates) I decided to omit the smoke and plant the names top and bottom.

Transferred out of my sketch book with transfer paper, ink added.

Some details.

I really enjoyed doing this one. 

Secret Mission/ new little Art Journal!

This is my new little Art Journal! I had started using it as a handy, small travel sketch book but found I liked the paper enough to do some serious doodling.  This is my husband's initials done in pen and ink. I hope to fill the book in the next few days for a secret mission (announcement date- TBA).  I will spill the news if it's good.  Perhaps I'll show some soggy, tear drop splooged paintings if it's not-so-good. 

Alberta Permaculture, waking up in Spring

You feel it? Spring is HERE, in Alberta. I'm not talking to those of you who'd like to see the temperatures scoot right up there, into the teens or twenties already so that you can shed your winter garb, have your field of vision clear of any white what-so-ever...all overnight.  You live in La La Land, and wouldn't like what I have to say about my Alberta Spring experience.

I LIKE the intermittent snow. I LIKE the cold snaps, and I like that we have time to change our way of thinking from one of deep deep hibernation and survival of the fittest. I want time to muse about what I will be doing this year, ease into the growing season.  I also like that at least to some degree Alberta weather is like the sun, moon and stars, predictable.

When I sense that it's spring, it's like an awakening. For me, yes, and also for the birds; some of whom have been here all along but are now starting to sing their sweet, love-sick hearts out and some of whom are already coming up from the south. The slow but steady increase of our winged friends' song is like the intentional rise in a symphony's volume at the beginning of a set, the warming up for what you have to know by it's sheer insistence into our audio space, is going to be amazing.  The crescendo of tuning their instruments, testing their voices, willing our silence to witness the stage of things to come into being.

The awakening happens on a more subtle level.  The trees' buds are warming up to the day.  This is something that I have come to feel in the air. The bursting forth of live is still a ways away. The hint of green probably won't happen for another few weeks, but there are things happening under the bark; under that skin. The life-blood is stirring. Last year's energy stored, then frozen,  is being tapped and used to it's greatest efficiency for a great purpose, to provide sun, rain and oxygen catchers.  Aside from nutrient absorption and seed production, this is the most serious stuff for a tree. Wake up! Gather energy. Burst Forth!

That we experience warm days, longer hours, these are the things that have become important to those who have to spend all day inside an office, often with harsh lighting and stuffy air. I don't discount these things to be significantly sad. They are. I would launch into how difficult it is for these people, and what has our culture come to, except that 1) they've chosen this path, and 2) It's not everyone that can make as little money as I, yet reap such great joy at being as connected to nature. Our plights are equally challenging. I choose the path made of humus and rock, and they, one of more fluid (or not, depending on debt load) finances.

How is this connected to the study of Permaculture, this awakening? It is this connectedness that will bring our poor, sad bodies back to being human.  An awareness of what the type of cloud in the sky, or why the brown leaves are still on some trees from last fall, or which birdsong has been added or subtracted to the symphony makes our essence part of nature, rather than aside from it. When we are immersed, linked, whole heartedly, this is when we can feel strong.  When we feel the awakening in our blood, the excitement of being alive and being part of something way bigger we can enjoy the benefits of it that much more.

Recreation.  RE CREATION.  To re-create ourselves, our involvement in nature's ways, that is how Permaculture works.  Do we have to go back to the toiling ways of old... the backbreaking, poor, hard-calloused ways of our not-so-distant forefathers? No. It's wise to look back for the wisdom that past generations have to offer. Our understanding of how things work in nature can come from them. "Organic" was THE way of things 100 years ago, only they called it "farming. "Organic" is a word made to describe a set of nature's rules for those of us who forgot, in a very short space of time, that we are not in charge...that we can't possibly run around spraying willy-nilly, and expect no consequences for ourselves. It's a good word. Study it's meaning, and you will start to feel the effects of being reconnected, recreated, rejuvenated.

What conventional* thing are you going to give up this season that will allow you to reconnect to your nature; your place in the natural world? I'd love to hear  from you (even if you're not from Alberta).

*An interesting word. My dictionary widget's 2nd definition says Conventional: concerned with what is generally held to be acceptable at the expense of individuality and sincerity.  Makes ya think, eh?

Shade tolerant plants in a shady yard

When planting season rolls around we can't help but see or hear something about what to plant and where, how to tend it, and how to receive the most bounty from our efforts. While some of us can dream of soon flitting through the garden, merrily casting pumpkin seed down this isle, and rare heirloom tomato seed down that isle, others feel left in the dark... literally.

A shady yard or even a shady spot in the yard may seem incapable of growing anything. If you do any reading, you know that "full sun" means at least 6 hours of daylight. Because of this, sun loving plants like tomatoes and pumpkins are out.

Or are they?  It's a good idea to look high as well as low for your plant growing needs.  Check out the sides of buildings and fences, under the eves of the house, garage or a shed.  If there is a spot that gets a couple hours of light on the ground, would it get more if the plants were elevated? A great way to plot where the sun hits is to pick a sunny day when you're going to be home all day.  Find a long stick and place it in the test area. Get up early (oh, come on... to be outside early in the morning with a cuppa? you'll be happy, trust me) and mark with a line and a time where the shade line is on it, if it's anywhere near the stick.. maybe you can go back to bed for an hour or two until it even reaches the stick. Each hour, go out and make another mark and note the time. When you are done, you have a good gauge for how high to put the containers with plants according to the plants' light requirements.

There are pretty metal hanging brackets sold at any gardening center for the purpose of hanging a pot with long hooks.  There are also disposable (I'd find a way to reuse a bag by looking at the garden centre ones and mimicking where they put the holes. Liquor store bags come to mind) to hang plants from fences.  I have experimented with cutting off the bottom of 2 liter pop bottles, and feeding a little tomato seedling up, through the spout, into the soil I've placed in the bottle.  With 3 or 4 holes poked around the cut-end of the bottle to thread twine through and hang it, it makes a spiffy up-side-down tomato pot, watered from the top.  I'd place mulch on the top to keep the moisture in, since there isn't a lot of soil to hold it. An ice cream pail would work too.

Your sweet sun spot not next to a building or fence? No worries. Use a ladder or build a tiered shelf on which you can set the potted plants.  Place the plants with least amount of sun requirement on the bottom, the most on top.  An old shelf works well too.  I have seen some pretty respectful arrangements of saw horses and planks, made to look very functional and neat, especially once the plants fill in! If you are feeling, after experimentation with raised platforms, that you'd like to have something more  permanent, look into a spiral herb garden, made with recycled concrete chunks or field stone.

It's not all cut and dried, either sun or no sun, there is such a thing as "part shade" category, which fall into 4-6 hours of sun, and then there are shade tolerant plants, which like 2-3 hours of sun only.  Here are a few of the latter: Mints (careful! these spread like wildfire!) , chives, garlic, and parsley, beets, brocolli, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, spinach and turnips. Peas are a cool weather crop that like part sun, and so can go in early, and will climb, allowing them to receive more light, later, when they are taller.  


For more tips on starting a garden, watch here, on this blog.  Click on "permaculture" in tags, on the left side bar. 

My heart sings

My heart sings when I step out from these walls;
step out to where all have forgotten
to where the trees darken the horizon
against an azure sky,
whispering
and the cool spring mistress brushes my cheek with a kiss
softly.

And my heart sings when I hear the frog-like baritone
of crow
the rush of long dead leaves along the snow
and hushed breaths from my own breast
keep me company
keep me.

And oh, my heart sings with the hint of musky humus
and the flit across my vision
is she watching me, as I watch her?
twigs in tow? busy busy
I get lost
I find my own home here
in the hush.

How my heart sings.


-Margot Soltice

I make stuff

To remind myself how productive I actually am.  Feeling a bit "UN" today. 

Marmalade.

The beginnings of some paintings
Some creations by my 3-5 yr old "Art For Tots" gig. It's Fimo; baked to harden so they can take them home.

Little baby leek and onion sprouts. 

art journal page in progress (will post finished work)

Another art journal page in progress (will post finished work)

How to convert from Community Shared Agriculture to Organic Raspberry production

I have decided to document the shift between Barnswallow Corner the CSA, to Barnswallow Organic somethingorotherfoodproductionandretreatdealio. Ok, so I haven't come up with a good name yet. I'm open to suggestions. 

 The "BIG PICTURE", the one say, 5 years down the road, will include food production, such as organic raspberries, garlic, and perhaps a small CSA (yeah, yeah, my people will be all over me for this one.  I'm just not done, even if my back is.  I promise to ask for help).  A retreat is also in order.  One that incorporates good food, art as therapy, yoga and permaculture.  

A little update: Randy and I had gone to "Berry School" in Red Deer, Alberta, where we hoped to glean enough information on producing raspberries that I could use the old CSA garden for a new raspberry patch.  It's about 1/2 acre on a corner of the property, visible enough from the highway that we could easily have enough business to sell that small amount.  

We attended a "weed management" talk.  After 5 minutes of playing lip service to the organic world ("yadda yadda organic blah blah blah, chemicals work better bladee blah blah blah") I wrote Randy a note to say I'm checking out.  He stayed (I worried he'd come out a convert).  

I followed the other organically minded gal to a table in another room where we'd eventually have lunch and exchanged reasons for being there.  She is part owner of En Sente winery, just outside Edmonton (within 1 hour from my house).  She and her sisters make wine from organic fruit.  This was of intrigue to me, but even more so was the fact that she asked if I would be interested in producing raspberries organically for them. Actually, it was more like a pleading request. 

This is a very exciting thought.  To have the berries sold before they are ripe, and to a winery! that uses organic fruit! I wanted to yell YES!  Alas, I must contain my excitement, and do my homework before jumping into the grape mashing barrel with both bare feet.  I have been in situations before where I honoured my entrepreneurial, creative side way too much, and not done the leg work to see if it's feasible. 

I'm also excited today because I've initiated the organic certification process.  Well, what I've done is talked with OPAM, the certification body I'd go thru if all goes well. The excitement comes from hearing that hurdles I thought I might have either don't exist anymore or are far more achievable.

One of the reasons I didn't certify for the CSA was that I would have had to buy organic feed for the horses because 1) they are on the property and the whole property must be organic to keep one's certification and 2) we use their manure on our crops.  This is far more sustainable than buying organic manure.  Now it is allowed, within parameters, to use conventionally fed animal manure on organic crops.   The cost to buy and ship organic feed was a factor that might've made growing  organic raspberries a no go financially. 

Another hurdle was the time it would take to become organic and the cost of doing so.  If I were to put in the 3-4 years that I thought it might take to wait the 3 year "TR" or transition time, that's a lot of money out of pocket for no production. Or, I guess we could've tried to establish a U-pick for that time, but I know that it takes time to build a clientele and I'd hate to do that only to eventually close our gates to them.  

Anyway, because of my diligence in not using chemical fertilizer, herbicides or pesticides, OPAM has stated that their new (since I last checked) guidelines are to state that if I have not had any outside inputs (chemicals) for 3 years, I can become TR for this year, plant and become certified next year, and be in production the following year. 

Two more things: A lovely lady from Earth's General Store has offered to assist me in the admin part of organizing a work shop for sheet mulching (cardboard and straw)  the space into which I plan on planting the raspberries.  I am waiting on info to see if this is an accepted organic practice.  If it's a go-ahead, I will be able to fulfill my promise to ask for help (something this somewhat broken body needs).

AAAANNND, my phone call to a former work-mate, Glen, who runs a small fleet of yellow school buses really panned out.  Apparently, if one wished to convert a working 15 yr old yellow school bus into a WWOOFer palace, it might cost as little as $2000 to purchase said bus.  

To sum up: 

Berry school to learn about raspberry growing-check

Meet local Winery owner who asks me to produce organic raspberries for her-check

Initiate organic certification process research- check

Initiate interest in sheet mulch (permaculture) for raspberry plot-check

Bonus offer to do admin work for sheet mulch work shop- check

Connect with excellent local yellow school bus source for WWOOFer palace-check

Good day!

classic right brainer, ENFP, Orange girl

That's me (see title of this blog).  I LOVE the psychology behind personality type testing.  I'd done lots of them throughout school; in psychology class, aptitude course and even in a hair dressing course I took (many, many moons ago). I remember being very interested in the outcome, but because I hadn't had all the history I have now, I didn't know as well then as I do now how it all is SO accurate.  

In trying to discover why my son was having so much difficulty in school in grade two, I came across a book, Right Brained Children in a Left Brained World.  What I found was that not only was my son particularly right brained, but so am I.  I owe a lot to that book, firstly because it allowed me to see my son as NOT the problem (the school certainly didn't condone his creativity, even squelched it) and that he's gifted and has much potential, and secondly ditto for me.  

This is when I dove back into art after an 8 year lapse.

A year or so ago quite a few members of our community took the Colours course. I heard about it thru one of those people as she pointed a finger at me announcing "Orange!!". I was intrigued. I asked if I could have a crash course on teaching Colours so that I might help the people I worked with in Costa Rica (an attempt to set up a not-for-profit to community garden) to organize themselves and see how each member could positively affect the project.  I was given that crash-course and bought a number of work books.  The intent was to deliver a one-time course to the Costa Rica group.  Alas, that portion of the project fell through and I was left with excess work books.  These, over time, have been used with friends and people who've helped me in other ways.  So, I've become quite accustomed to thinking of people in terms of Orange, Blue, Gold and Green.  Appropriate for an artist, eh?

Now, I have retaken the Meyers-Briggs tests that I remember taking in all those classes of yesteryear. I'm pegged at an ENFP.  Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving.  The profile can be seen here

I laugh out loud each time I read it.  Sometimes I'm very afraid for those who live with me day in and day out.  Sometimes I rejoice that there are others in the world like me (really, I didn't know).  Sometimes I find that mirror not flattering at all, wishing I had another skin I could put on.  And, sometimes I snuggle up close to myself and enjoy the warm glow of knowing that it's OK to be me.

I'm not done with those self discoveries. Nor am I done with looking at those around me.  I've had my husband and daughter do the test and will be asking my sons to do the same.  I like the idea of them knowing who they are and what the rest of us are like.  It's permission to accept another for who they are.

Art Journal 24, Manga

A dear old friend has asked me to teach her kids some art. Manga is their interest, so Manga is what I'm working on.  I'll be showing them how to draw this style, but wanted to try my hand at painting it.  Not where I'd normally go art-wise, but it's interesting to see how intentional they are with each element.  The dots are to portray a light, even exciting feeling.  Did it work?

Only 3 pages away from finishing this journal! I'm going to the city today. To be more precise, I'm going to my favourite art stores (yes, that's plural...lucky, lucky!) to see if I can find the next home for my messy child's play.  I'm sad on one hand, and excited for the next on the other.  

Art Journal 23, Bush Wren '10

Lisa Sonora Beam  is my inspiration for this art journal post.  The back ground was hastily put together to cover the "wooops" from last post, where the ink from the print transfered onto this page. 

In finding a theme for my year, I wanted to rhyme, as Lisa did with her "Zen '10".  Wrens are one of my favourite birds, so it suits well to name this year "Bush Wren '10".  Don't know if you can see the description of a bush wren on the page, so here it is.  Every word can be translated into how I'd like to spend this year.  Really, this was just part of the process.  I will be building a visual journal for the purpose of strategic planning. 

Small and compact, bubbly and energetic like their songs. Hopping quickly thru tangles and low branches and in spring and summer frequently pausing to deliver cheerful trilling songs. Summer home in open forest, FOREST EDGES, backyards and barnyards. Winter more secretive, preferring brushy tangles, thickets and hedgerows.

In case you're wondering, what small and compact mean to me is that my projects are being honed, reduced in size and number but increasing in quality.  My songs are the words I sing to the world as to what my goals and aspirations are. Hopping quickly thru tangles and low branches simply means that I must be fast and agile in my dealing with problems and challenges, and yet always remember to stop frequently to deliver cheerful trilling songs. In the summer, I must keep my attention on open forest, (I'm planting many many trees on our acreage this year), plus forest and forest edges are very important models for a permaculturalist, such as myself.  Backyards and barnyards are my focus in permaculture and my own endeavours, as I plan and implement a permaculturally sound commercial raspberry patch.  Winter months will find me more insular again, focusing on small groups in my art teaching and sharing;  tangles, thickets and hedgerows keep bad weather out, and create a microclimate of warmth and abundant food. 

Art Journal 22, Print making!

Lake fun birthday weekend

So? We live in the land of the frozen. On a day like this, who cares?  OH! The beauty!

The view from inside the cabin toward the frozen lake...

....and coming off the lake onto a trail blazed by skidoos...

...and jumpin' for joy, out on the ice-covered lake. 

First home school class; SO FUN!

18 kids + goopy stuff + permission to get messy and creative = A GREAT DAY.

We made these plaster masks by first applying plaster bandages, then decorating with paint and glue and glittery bits. Some applied the bandages to a plastic mask "blank", while others braved doing it right on their face.  It was a full day, with 2 classes, split by age, morning and afternoon.  While the masks dried, we learned about face feature placement and the colour wheel.  Each month we'll tackle a new project.  

The energy of the kids and parents (who were very generous with their time, helping) was so similar to that of the Community Shared Agriculture.  I was thrilled to have been a part of this and am looking forward to seeing them all again.

Bath no stinkin' good

Our puppy likes that we have horses.  Correction; our puppy likes that we have horse poop.  And, like many puppies, sees no reason not to eat his own poop.  Stinky, stinky puppy.  Bath time.  

Since this bath, more poop.  Oh well.