Barnswallow

Walk through a burnt forest to Thompson Creek Falls 2011

2012-01-17T00:01:00.001-07:00

Camping Rocky Mountains Thompson Creek 2011

2012-01-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

Crossing the creek to find where the creek meets the river.

Drying out after our hike

Hike to the gorge head

Top of the gorge

Looking down at the bottom of the gorge falls

View at the top of the gorge

The girls

Fossil rock

lightning rock

Camping Rocky Mountains Thompson Creek 2011

2012-01-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Linds and Chels in the fox tails

Klaus

Fly fishing lessons. Guess who's the teacher?

Lily plays frisby

Linds and Chels

Beautiful garden

2012-01-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Transplanting 2011

2012-01-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

100 Tomato babies are being hardened off. They have languished in the house since April. 3rd weekend in May is the usual plant-out time, but I have had too many plants die by a late frost so I wait until June 1. Prior to that, they go outside in the shade every day. First for only an hour, increasing gradually until they are ready for a full day.

Basil plants get their first little exposure to sun.

The cold frame gets a lining of poly (because I didn't treat the wood yet) and some potting soil amended with worm compost. On both sides seedlings of lettuce had been started, then planted out in the garden. The space was then used for basil, the princess plant who loves sun and heat. Kept warm against the house, covered with an old house window, they will grow to be happy and productive all summer.

Lots of transplants. See at the top right, there are pots with tomatoes, also planted on the patio (bricks come later in the summer), which acts as a heat-sink for these sun/heat loving plants.

Baby Robin

2012-01-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

Blown from a tree north of the barn.

Worm Towers in the Mandala Garden

2012-01-16T13:54:00.002-07:00

My question, as a worm composter in the winter, has always been "How do I use the worms in my garden?" because I don't want to do as much worm composting inside (I keep a bin going just so I don't have to buy more worms for the cold winter, when the compost pile seems so far away). Building these worm towers was an answer that intrigued me. The idea is that one can put the worms into the tower, place food into them (worm-type food: straw, manure, kitchen scraps and a splash of water now and then...) and let their tunneling create oxygen to the roots of the plants, and pockets where the water can seep in, and leave behind their black/gold poop as fertilizer.

The theory is (of course I had no view into their wormy world) that they will eat, travel out the holes and into the surrounding growing area, and back to eat again.

Some considerations:

1) There is some talk out there (here's me not trusting the interwebs completely) that the worms will eat the feeder roots of plants. After a very successful season despite our rainy weather, I would say that my findings are that they don't. But do some research. I'm open to hearing from experts on the matter.

2) The worms die in our zone 3 climate. At least this is what I've been told by my worm gurus. I'm hearing from a couple sources that they are mutating in our climate and surviving our winters. Which brings us to...

3)Is it ethical to introduce a new species to our climate? (obviously, I went ahead with reckless abandon)

Here's some how-to:

WWOOFer, Ryouta cut this 6"pvc pipe that we had kicking around (in the barn for too long) into 3' lengths on the chop saw and then drilled 1" holes into the bottom 1 1/2' of it. If I had it to do it again, I would only drill 1' up from the bottom so there's less to bury.

One buried worm tower wit ha tomato cage around it. I have no pictures of the 100 tomato plants I planted, roughly 40 of them on worm towers. I had one on either side of each tower. Next year I shall also plant 2/ tower, but a quarter turn around the tower, because I left the roots in the ground. I hope that these will decompose by the following year so that I can plant in the original spots again.

Here are two of the worm towers, buried in the Mandala Garden.

A lovely picture of the Mandala garden in it's prime (see the worm towers poking up?) , the flood (about 1/2 receded at this time), and the new sand stone rock steps leading down to the new patio, which also acts as a heat sink for some potted tomatoes and basil.... more on that soon.

more on sticks, harvesting worms

2012-01-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

The tomato babies are big enough to need staking. Sticks work JUST FINE

Piles of worm compost on the kitchen floor; in preparation for fertilizing tomatoes

Pile o' worms after the compost has been taken away.

Potting up the tomato seedlings Spring 2011

2012-01-16T11:38:00.001-07:00

Sticks and stones

2012-01-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

No, not getting ready for Zompocolipse...

chopping, carving mulch steaks

making a stop cut then the side, angle cut for notch in mulch steaks

Pea fence and mulch steaks

From the get-go, this season has been about sticks. I have loved sticks since I was a kid, but within the past few years as a gardener and artist, I have found that they are more to me than something to throw, whittle or use as a drawing tool. When, around the middle of April, my first ever WWOOF worker arrived, we started using sticks as markers to map out my new Permaculture, Fukuoka inspired vegetable garden beds ie: Mandala Garden. And, I have to say that I am completely in love with the multiple functions, aka "stacking functions"in the Permaculture world, that I've created by cutting and using sticks.

When scoping out sticks to use, I immediately thought of our willows, a large patch of wild willows of varying kinds at the back of our property. Although willows lend their flexibility and often the quality of being quite straight, Ryouta, the WWOOFer couldn't get in to the willow patch because of the flooding we experienced this spring. So, the next best thing was Poplar saplings. These things are like weeds here, in Alberta, popping up unwanted along fence lines and encroaching on other spaces such as garden sites and amongst a lovely hedge of lilac along the front of the property. So, Ryouta set about cutting down many suckers and saplings, delimbing them, and cutting them to size for several projects.

The projects we used them for were many. First, the stakes I mentioned to mark where we were to dig Mandala garden. Next, some longer sticks to criss-cross, as seen in the last photo, for the Chinese stick gardening method I'd learned from a friend, who was taught by his Chinese neighbour. The sticks are stuck as deeply into the ground as possible at an angle, weaving in and out of previously thus planted sticks. This creates and nice support for peas and other vine plants, and in turn creates shade for lettuce and spinach. Another use for the sticks is the pegs you see Ryouta creating. They were carved to a point so they could be secure and with a notch out of the top to catch and hold the twine we used to hold the criss-crossed, longer sapling cuttings up and over the mounds. These longer cuttings hold the straw mulch down in our at times 80-100 km/ hour winds.

The shear number of functions that sticks have offered, including the freeing of space created by removing them makes me giddy. I love sticks.

Good Neighbour's wind and solar and bio fuel domestic energy

2012-01-11T23:31:00.001-07:00

We went on a tour in my community. I have thanked the fella who's handiwork this is, but haven't asked if I can use his name and picture, so I'll refer to him as Good Neighbour. Good Neighbour's focus is alternative energy. In the midst of Alberta farm country, this is a real treat to see. Above is a generator, run on biofuel. He ships the generators in from India. When the English still held India as a colony, the former shipped these generators from home. Now, England out of the picture, a company in India still makes them. They come with a need to be retooled, but after that are a decent deal, even after shipping to Canada.

This one is a dual wheel.

The "on" button

Good Neighbour works for a techy company in Edmonton. They have designed new shape of blades for his wind mill.

Summer 2010 WWOOFer goes horseback riding

2012-01-11T16:27:00.000-07:00

Dale introduces his horse to WWOOOFer, Ryouta

Dale and Jesse give Ryouta lessons

Yes, that is the sunset into which they are riding

Ponoka Home School Art Class Jan/Feb 2012

2012-01-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ponoka Home School Art Class 2011/12 MediaVariety Series

Instructor, Margot Soltice

6 Mondays, Jan 9-30, Feb 6 and 13th

ages 6-12 ~11:30am -1pm (please send a lunch)

ages 12-18 ~1:30- 3:30

In this Series of art classes, your child will be taught a number of concepts using drawing and printing, textiles and sculpting methods while creating fun projects. For the purpose of parents’ marking their child’s work, a copy of the list of concepts taken from the Alberta Government Curriculum for Art that the instructor feels apply to the projects will be supplied at the first lesson. If both the Fall and January sessions are taken, it should supply a fairly well-rounded art year for the students. Class minimum and maximum apply, please register via email barnswallow@xplornet.com. Any questions may be directed to Margot: 780 387 3588

Materials:

Hard cover, coil sketchbook with heavy paper.

3B and 3H pencils

Eraser, white or kneaded

Pencil sharpener

Cost per student: $80.00

Edmonton home school art class Jan/Feb 2012

2012-01-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

YOUTH ART CLASSES Home School and After School at The Paint Spot

Instructor Margot Soltice

Margot is an Edmonton-born and raised and has been largely a self-taught artist. Spending summers residing at Pigeon Lake was a huge contributor to Margot's creativity, and remains her inspiration today. Margot's work is multi-faceted. She enjoys playing with a variety of different mediums including watercolour, pen and ink, acrylic, mosaics, printmaking, clay sculpting and multimedia. Margot is happy to discuss the curriculum or needs of students. Contact her at barnswallow@xplornet.com For registration please call The Paint Spot : 780 432 0240.

HOME SCHOOL CLASSES

Ages 6-12, Thursdays 11 AM -1 PM (please send a lunch)

Ages 12-18, Thursdays 1:30 PM- 3:30 PM

AFTER SCHOOL CLASS

All ages, Thursdays 4 PM – 6 PM (Please send a nutritious snack)

$99

Term 2: Winter 2012 THURSDAYS January 12-26 and February 2-16

In the second term of art classes, children will expand on concepts learned in the first term while creating imaginative projects using textiles and sculpting methods.

Jan 12 Batik: this project will be carried over into other classes due to fabric drying times. Age appropriate materials used to interpret a poem into a visual story.

Jan 19 Paper mache: this project will be carried over into other classes due to paper mache drying times. Construct paper mache on a form to be later used as a canvas for a landscape

Jan 26 Soap sculpting: natural forms

Feb 2 Wire sculpture: creating 3D from 2D using wire.

Feb 9 Chalk Pastel drawing: on black paper- Student’s choice of subject, learning colour, shading, and mood

Feb16 Found object printing on paper Beautiful art materials and advice to inspire creativity!

Supply List: (20% Paint Spot student discount) Hard cover, coil sketchbook with heavy paper 3B and 3H pencils Eraser, white or kneaded

Pencil sharpener

Seed Potato Farm

2011-06-10T08:06:00.000-06:00

The Heinis live about 3 miles from me. Their large family farm produces seed potato from laboratory slips, that the Heinis plant into their greeenhouse. Millions of grape sized potatoes are replanted into the fields for 4 successive years. Each crop is subjected to that year's weather, bacterial infections and any other nasty that can be thrown at a potato. Heidi, with her Swiss accent, tells Ryouta about the big bags of potatoes behind them. Some potatoes are delivered in these, and some are delivered loose, by the truck load.

These boxes have potatoes that are scarred from last year's rain. They are still good to plant, but the customer will not want them for fear that they carry disease.

This is one of 3 buildings on the Heini farm. The others are for storage. This one is where all the action happens. The wooden office on stilts has a light in it and a small conveyor belt. Someone sits in this little room and picks through the potatoes for the first time. They are deposited into the crate to the right of the room, where a fork lift picks it up and carries it to the next sorting station.

2 or more people grade them again. Grading consists of "good" or "bad".

The conveyor belt runs almost the full length of the barn, into a truck that backs into the space and drives forward as it is filled. The potatoes used to be trucked down to the US, but Canada had a potato blight last year (same one that Ireland starved as a result of it) so the borders were closed. Most of the potatoes will be shipped to Mexico and Canada to be grown for fries or potato chips.

Dandelions and Bees and me

2011-06-06T09:17:00.000-06:00

Singing the praises of these beautiful and abundant (where we let them be) plant. Here's a chart bestowing the nutritional benefits from the leaves:

1 cup raw	Vit. A Daily Value	Vit. K Daily Value	Calcium Daily Value	Iron Daily Value
Dandelion Greens	2712 IU 54%	151 mcg 188%	103 mg 10%	1.7 mg 9%
Broccoli	581 IU 12%	89.4 mcg 112%	41.4 mg 4%	0.6 mg 4%

From the University of Maryland: Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Its leaves are often used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots can be found in some coffee substitutes, and the flowers are used to make certain wines.

In traditional medicine, dandelion roots and leaves were used to treat liver problems. Native Americans also used dandelion decoctions (liquid made by boiling down the herb in water) to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and stomach upset. Chinese medicinal practitioners traditionally used dandelion to treat digestive disorders, appendicitis, and breast problems (such as inflammation or lack of milk flow). In Europe, herbalists incorporated it into remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes, and diarrhea.

Today, dandelion roots are mainly used as an appetite stimulant, digestive aid, and for liver and gallbladder function. Dandelion leaves are used as a diuretic to stimulate the excretion of urine.

Dandelion may be used in a variety of available forms:

Dried leaf infusion: 1 - 2 teaspoonfuls, 3 times daily. Pour hot water onto dried leaf and steep for 5 - 10 minutes. Drink as directed.
Dried root decoction: 1/2 - 2 teaspoonfuls, 3 times daily. Place root into boiling water for 5 - 10 minutes. Strain and drink as directed.
Leaf tincture (1:5) in 30% alcohol: 100 - 150 drops, 3 times daily
Standardized powdered extract (4:1) leaf: 500 mg, 1 - 3 times daily
Standardized powdered extract (4:1) root: 500 mg, 1 - 3 times daily
Root tincture (1:2) fresh root in 45% alcohol: 100 - 150 drops, 3 times daily

Precautions:

The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, contain components that can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care, under the supervision of a health care provider.

Dandelion is generally considered safe. Some individuals, however, may develop an allergic reaction from touching dandelion, and others may develop mouth sores. If you have an allergy to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, daisies, or iodine, you should avoid dandelion. In some people, dandelion can cause increased stomach acid and heartburn. It may also irritate the skin if applied topically.

People with gallbladder problems and gallstones should consult a health care provider before eating dandelion.

Thanks.

Borrowed (thank you) from Wildflower News for June, published by the Edmonton Naturalization Group, Cherry Dodd.

Honey Bee Update.
I haven't seen many honey bees in the city yet. There were honey bees at the nursery garden plot feasting on the abundance of dandelions, but
it's the bumblebees that have been hard at work in my yard pollinating my apple tree.
People are probably getting tired of me saying that dandelions are such a wonderful source of food for bees, but the other day I found someone - an official state apiculturist, no less - who had the same point of view. The article, Relying on Dandelions, by Madeline Bodin, was in the Bennington Banner. Here is an except:

Vermont has never had a case of Colony Collapse Disorder. Vermont’s patchwork of farms, fields, and forests means there’s usually something in bloom throughout the warm-weather months (to keep the bees well-fed and healthy.) In fact, providing honeybees with an important food source doesn’t require any effort at all, just don’t mow down your dandelions. As a non-native plant, dandelions are a weed by almost every definition, but honeybees are not native to this continent, either. Dandelions bloom early in the spring, when there are few other flowers. They are a vital source of both nectar and pollen at that time of year, when the bees’ food stores are at their lowest.

Will we ever get to the bottom of Colony Collapse Disorder? "I don’t thing its ever going to come down to a few things," says Steve Parise, who was once Vermont’s official state
apiculturist and who still helps the state’s beekeepers in his job
with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.
"We are looking at 10 different factors interacting with each other. The only cure, for now, is a healthier environment for bees, and for this important and welcome non-native species, that includes plenty of dandelions."

Madeline Bodin is a writer living in Andover.
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/opinion/ci_18124935

Dandelion Blossom Tea
Since there are more than enough dandelions for everyone this year, here is my method of preventing some of them from going to seed.
Pick 5 or 6 dandelion blossoms (no stems), check for ants etc. and place them in a mug. Pour boiling water on them and let then steep for 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste and drink. This is a very mild tea, green tasting but not bitter. Dandelion tea is a great liver tonic.
I usually pick a year's supply and dry them on a screen. Once the blossoms have dried they can be stored in glass jars.

Dandelion Fritter recipe from http://www.learningherbs.com/dandelion_recipes.html
First of all I love gathering the dandelion flowers – just the tops for fritters. They are easy to pick and so bright and cheery on a sunny day. Usually, I want to pick more than I need, just because the gathering is so fun. Do pick them in the sunshine when they are open, and when you have time to make the fritters right after gathering.
Bring your basket of flowers inside, find a bowl, and mix together one egg and one cup of milk. Stir in a cup of flour and your fritter batter is ready to go. (If you like your fritters sweet you can add a little maple syrup or honey.)
Now, prepare a skillet on the stove with gently warmed olive oil – keep it over medium heat.
Take one of the flowers and hold it by the greens at the base of the flower petals. Dip the petals into the batter and twirl until the flower is covered.
Drop it into the skillet, flower side down. Continue dipping and dropping flowers, checking the first ones every once in a while to see if they are brown. When they’ve lightly browned, flip them over and brown them on the other side.
When they’re brown on both sides remove them from the skillet and drain the excess oil on paper towel.
For a sweet treat, drizzle them with maple syrup, honey, jam, or powdered sugar. For savory fritters try dipping in mustard or adding some savory herbs to the batter.

A second method for fritter making is to pull the dandelion flower petals from the green base and add the petals to the batter. Then you can cook them up just like pancakes.

Not only are the fritters delicious, the dandelion flowers are good for your heart. Dandelion flower tea can help relieve pain from headaches, menstrual cramps, backaches, stomachaches and depression. The rest of the plant (greens and roots) has nourishing, healing properties as well. So, once you’ve fallen in love with the flowers, consider seeking out further information and enjoy blowing her white seeds and making your wishes, knowing that you’re spreading seeds of health throughout your neighborhood.

Permaculture Potato Patch

2011-06-03T09:08:00.000-06:00

Ryouta (WWOOFer) is planting the potatoes that were gifted to me, as they are every year, from the potato farm down the road. The patch was chosen because it is a strip of particularly persistent thistles. I hope to turn this patch of ground from one of curses and pain to one of lush growth atop of humus and nutrients.

The potatoes are sitting on top of 3-4 layers of cardboard, which will snuff out the thistles that grow there. It was quite dry when the cardboard was put down, so some soil on the edges kept it from blowing away.

Enough straw to completely cover the potatoes was put on, blocking the light. Lily helps.

My hand to show reference (sort of. My hands are small) as to depth of straw and size of potato.

White Tail Lake, BC May long, 2011

2011-06-01T11:37:00.000-06:00

Permaculture hot water tank

2011-05-30T14:39:00.000-06:00

Check out this hot water tank, built by Floyd in the camp site next to ours. We camped up in the East Kootenays in BC at White Tail lake for the May Long Weekend 2011. The logging road in takes approximately an hour (if you don't want to jiggle every screw out of your vehicle). Being remote like that makes a person feel cut off and much in need of ways to cope with things like running out of propane. Of course a person could heat over the fire, but this method allows a large quantity of water to be heated in a relatively simple fashion.
SO. You can see above that Floyd has his 5 gallon pail insulated and duct taped to the hilt. He keeps a scooping pot handy so he can refill after doing dishes or having a shower. His camping spot, used 2X/ year by he and his wife, Helen, for 2-3 weeks each time, once in the cool spring and once in the potentially cool fall, is situated beside a mountain run-off babbling brook.

That's my grubby hand, showing how Floyd attached a handle to the double lid. Between two lids there is insulation and then they are duct taped together.

A peek inside the 5 gallon pail. It's not quite boiling, but will boil if left long enough. Floyd has been retired for some time, but he's still plotting and planning. He figures he'll bring a hot tub out one of these times and shock the other campers. You can barely see the fittings that he's got on the inside, securing the hoses.

Here, you see the two hoses, scavenged from a hot tub. One is placed high on the bucket, the other as low as it can go. "Hot" and "Cold" if you will. Having the whole thing up on a stump is important, allowing gravity to help the cold water fall when it wants to.

The "Y" stick is an important part, keeping the hot up and the cold down.

I didn't ask what the log is for, but can guess it's to keep the pipes off of the cold ground. Either way, Floyd's thinking cap seems to be put on straight, so I'll follow his lead.

Because they come to the same camp ground year after year, Floyd was designed the heating element specifically for this hole.

You can't see it here, but scroll back and notice how the top element (the one that comes off the top and is further away in this picture) is the "hot" and the bottom one is for the cold. This is important. When first told that our neighbours had this going on, I thought he would have used copper pipe, but because copper wears out faster, he's chosen aluminum.

To bend the pipe, he filled it with sand first. This disallows kinks and breaks.

I covet his old kettles. Cast aluminum.

Lily helps me.

WWOOFers!

2011-05-17T17:03:00.000-06:00

Ryouta digging and digging and digging.

Ryouta, with Edmonton locals, Cody and Lisa (and Margot behind the camera), going for a river valley hike.

Family gathering at Easter (wonder how the other half lives?)

Ryouta helping Stan, Margot's father, in Stan's shop....building a cold frame.

Margot and Stan and cold frame. Gifted: One 2X4"some nails and a couple of eye hooks. Reused: old aluminum framed windows from house reno, 3/4" plywood from make-shift dog pen, scrap 2X6" (had to rip it because of the bend in it) from a friend/contractor, Jim's Ft MacMurray building project, and all the tools, planning and building from a "can-do" Dad.

Mandala Garden Construction

2011-05-16T17:26:00.000-06:00

Isn't she beautiful? The construction of the mandala garden here, in central, rural Alberta, Canada, is almost complete (only about 6' of mound yet to build). The bed is about 26' X 26'. The mounds are approximately 2.5' tall and 4' wide. The pathways, from which the soil came are 2' wide. This concept came from Emilia Hazelip's Fukuoka inspired Permaculture garden

The straw you see here was being applied last week, until 50-80 km/hr winds took it off of the mounds. I decided to plant now and wait to mulch, then put in place the willow and poplar stick criss-crosses over the mounds to hold it when the Spring winds decide to die down some.

So far, I've planted garlic, onions and some pole beans on the sides of the beds, and red, orange and yellow carrots on the top. Much time will be spent in the next few days to plant more. We'll be done most of the successive seeding and planting out of tomatoes by June 1.

Ryouta, our farm help from Japan, has been here since April 12 and will stay until July or August. He has been digging and digging and digging (I have done some too, but he deserves most of the credit). The dirt has, in some places a lot of quack grass roots, and in others rocks, all of which must be eradicated. My son, Erroll, who came home for 2 days to help with some of the digging remarked that it's too bad that Ryouta will not be here for all of the harvest after such hard work. Hopefully he will benefit from the abundance before he goes.

The grass poking out is trying to escape from under the layers of cardboard we've placed on the ground before adding dirt. I have hope that we can contain it. Organic gardening requires hard work and some thinking.

Only the spot on the left is unfinished. The garden is shaped like 2 big "C"s, one inside the other. The opening of the outside, larger "C" is closer to the house and the opening for the smaller, inside "C" is opposite that. My intention is to create a space where one must slow down and meander in order to get around the garden; slow food, if you will. I wanted to have organic, curved lines (a departure from the necessary straight rows that I had to have when gardening for 25 families).

If you are interested in participating in this, or any other Permaculture project, please feel free to call. 780 387 3588. Hands-on experience will give you the best feel for how to tackle your own space. Think about using me as a coach, or ask about workshops.

The Barnswallow Corner Permaculture and Art Focus

2011-05-07T10:23:00.001-06:00

Barnswallow Corner

Small group workshops and individual or family coaching. Learn to reconnect to the land, build your Permaculture knowledge through reskilling and hands-on projects. Enjoy learning how to add an artistic element to the creation of your space. You may schedule time with me, (an drive an easy 1/2 hour South of Edmonton) or watch for workshops on the site listed below.

Ecological Creative Food Production Design, Education and Coaching
http://barnswallowmjs.blogspot.com/
Contact: Margot Soltice barnswallow@xplornet.com, 780 387 3588

grateful garden

2011-04-09T13:53:00.003-06:00

Grateful to the woman who, with no good intention, once told me that I didn't "know a weed if it hit (me) in the head" whilst looking on at the glorious display of wildflowers in my vegetable garden. Because of this exchange, I look past the weeds (which are really the things I don't want in the garden of my mind) and celebrate the little blossoms.

Weekly Home School Art Classes- Edmonton

2011-03-04T11:26:00.002-07:00

Weekly Home School Art Classes at The Paint Spot
Instructor Margot Soltice

Term 2 - Playing with Media
Tuesdays March 22, April 5- 26, May 3 AM Class Ages 6 - 11, 9:30AM - 12:30PM PM Class Ages 12 - 18, 1:30PM - 4:30PM $150 + minimal supplies (10% student discount)
Home School Drawing is recommended, but not essential to take before this class.Your budding artists will experiment with various mediums and learn new techniques each week. This course even offers a look into the art and mind of an old master, giving the students some art history.
March 22
Art postcards, using acrylic paint, drawing and other media. Creating pockets in journals and adding texture and dimension, using various painting techniques and materials.
April 5
Learn about layering with various media. Origami. Think: cool, fun symbols, flat objects that can fit in the art journal. Be creative.
April 12
Create mood with colour. Build on a theme using collage and found objects. Learning to plan ahead. April 19 Play with water colour techniques. Choose a subject and paint it using choice of techniques. Incorporate stitching/ fibre art.
April 26
Poetry and motion. Visually express emotion in student- chosen poetry. Stencil making. Homework: gather pictures and other flat memorabilia. May 3
Bees wax on wood. Creating a painting and adding texture and dimension with wax.
Margot Soltice is an Edmonton-born and raised and has been largely a self-taught artist. Spending summers residing at Pigeon Lake was a huge contributor to Margot's creativity, and remains her inspiration today. Margot's work is multi-faceted. She enjoys playing with a variety of different mediums including watercolour, pen and ink, acrylic, mosaics, printmaking, clay sculpting and multimedia.
Margot is happy to discuss the curriculum or needs of students.
Contact her at barnswallow@xplornet.com
Paint Spot (New Address) 10032 - 81 Avenue Edmonton

Wetaskiwin Home School Art Classes Spring 2011

2011-03-03T04:50:00.000-07:00

Wetaskiwin Home School Art Classes

Children will experience a variety of drawing, painting and other fun art projects, using many types of materials and learning loads of valuable art information. Margot Soltice has been creating art all her life. She lives by Pigeon Lake and offers classes there, in Edmonton and Ponoka. No experience necessary. All skill levels welcome. For more information and to register please email Margot barnswallow@xplornet.com before March 14, 2011

Life Church, Wetaskiwin

Mondays: March 21, 28 April 4,11,18 May 2

11am-1pm ages 6-12

1:30-3:30 ages 12-18

Cost:$60/child

Lesson 1- Drawing: learn some basics in how to see what you are going to draw. Mixed: Artist Trading Cards, using acrylic paint.

Lesson 2- Drawing: learn about tools, pattern hunt. Mixed: Creating pockets in journals. Play with background techniques with acrylic paint.

Lesson 3- Origami. Drawing: shading. Mixed: Try some oil pastels.

Lesson 4- Drawing: Instruction re: “draw what you see”, using a number of techniques. Mixed: Add texture and dimension, using various painting techniques and other materials. Homework for lesson 5: collect “found objects” (preferably, not manufactured stickers or scrapbook materials. Think: cool, fun symbols, flat objects that can fit in the art journal. Be creative.)

Lesson 5- Drawing: Perspective. Mixed: Learn about layering with various media.

Lesson 6- Drawing: Draw from real life, using negative space. Mixed: Colour building using water colour paint. Learn how water colour is different from acrylics.

Students should bring an “art journal”. This is typically a hard-bound, heavier papered (90-140 lb paper) coil bound book. Also please supply one 3H pencil and one 3B pencil, a white eraser, a pencil sharpener and a paint shirt.

No-Till, Soil Enrichment Permaculture Garden Workshop

2011-02-17T16:35:00.002-07:00

Workshop Announcement

No-Till, Soil Enrichment Garden Workshop Opportunity:

Eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers in our vegetable gardens… help create a model garden.

Barnswallow Corner Farm, located just East of Pigeon Lake.

April 30 (Rain out date: May 7), 2011, 10am-4pm with 1 hour for pot-luck lunch @ 12:00

With the growing concern over high nitrogen in Pigeon Lake’s waterways people are looking for ways that they can reduce their home use of chemical fertilizers and for ways to be involved in the movement toward a healthier lake.

Barnswallow Corner Farm No-Till, Soil Enrichment Garden Workshop assists residents of the Pigeon Lake area, and all others interested, in eliminating the usage of chemical fertilizer with a hands-on, instructional workshop. The instruction given will allow residents to learn about some basic principals in Permaculture practices and no-till gardening. The hands-on development of a no-till garden will provide a space for future Permaculture teaching at Barnswallow Corner Farm. Some study material will be provided, as well as some answers to individuals’ home garden design questions.

This workshop is one of a series of opportunities to receive training in Permaculture practices. Workshops are open to Adults and Youth. Adults are strongly encouraged to work with a local youth partner. Non-residents welcome. There is limited space, please register as soon as possible.

Please contact Margot Soltice @ 780 387 3588 or barnswallow@xplornet.com

Hope to see you there!

Four

2011-02-05T12:39:00.003-07:00

“I don’t get why the little indigenous man stole our bags in the first place”, you say, as we ponder how to get out of the jungle. I’m silent, going over the past 4 days. First, 4 monkeys sat staring at us for hours, then lined up on the path and looked at us until we followed them to the beach. There, they scrambled up into a tree and each threw a leaf-packet containing one little winged seed. We were tired and hot so we slept under the almost-full moon. On the second day we rose to the sun, and to our surprise, a sand castle. Or should I say a sand village, with 4 distinctive holdings and 4 courtyards. In each courtyard there was black soil, teaming with life; bugs and worms that drew the small birds to it where they ate breakfast. On day 3 we awoke to the deep barks of the monkeys. At our feet they had each gifted us with a coconut cup, filled with fresh water. We each drank our fill, with one left over. Now, on day four, we sit in the shade, waiting for a clue. None had come in the morning. No sign of our little friends. It’s hot and sticky. “LOOK!” you say, the monkeys had returned to sit around their sand village. We cautiously approached, and looked down at the seeds, the water, the sand, feeling scorched by the sun. “Ohhhh,” we both say at once. We opened the seed packets and watched as the wind took their little wings to the courtyard, to the soil, we watered them with the fresh water, and were grateful for the life-giving sun, if only for the little seeds. All happened at once, the monkeys went crazy, woofing and clapping, trees sprouted from the villages, growing huge before our eyes, up to the blazing sun and shaded us. A quiet chuckle was heard from behind the trees, now grown into an extension of the jungle. There we found our bags, but no sign of our guides, nor the little man.

Margot

i am

2011-02-05T12:38:00.003-07:00

‎"Respond" you said to me. I looked up, feeling cold and too automated. "Dream" you say. "I cannot", says I. "Cry" you order, you slammed your fist on the table. "I can only simulate." I replied. "LOVE ME" you begged. I put my head down and my light went out. You wrapped your arms around me, your palms on fire with the energy you wished to transmit. I warmed. I grew.... slowly. I feel my heart. Thank you.

Margot

The Stirring Bowl

2011-02-04T23:06:00.002-07:00

We sat by the fire, with bowls of liquid adventure in our laps, stirring and stirring. You said "did you remember the little ones, way down south? They know more than anyone about this." I nodded. "Did you put in the ones who dance? I love them. They don't pay a lick of attention to us, but they sure make the road easy to walk." Again, I nodded. We stirred. "I saw you adding those imps, those rascals. I don't know why we need them, but you know best". The fire grew low. I added 2 logs. Just 2. And stoked it. Shyly, you ask "Why the bad ones? Why did we have to choose them?" "Because," I said "because She told me that we should never ever be sorry, even for choosing them...it's made us who we are today". You nodded, and stirred, and drank from our past.

Margot

Leduc Rep article

2010-11-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

Pigeon Lake-based painter Margot Soltice is the Artist of the Month for November at the Elsie Johns Gallery in the Leduc Civic Centre. (Alexandra Pope/Rep Staff)

November's artist has made painting her life's work

Local News

By Alexandra Pope

Growing up, Margot Soltice spent her summers basking in the sights and sounds of Pigeon Lake.

Today, Soltice's paintings pay tribute to the lake's beauty and rich history with their vivid colours and expressive lines.
Soltice's work is on display until the end of the month in the Elsie Johns Gallery at the Leduc Civic Centre. The artist, a self-professed lover of colour, hopes viewers will respond to her idyllic scenes.
"I hope to express the light in any given subject, and playfulness too," she said. "I like to think the feelings from my paintings are light ones."Soltice, who grew up in Edmonton but moved to an acreage near Pigeon Lake with her husband and three children 12 years ago to be "immersed in nature," began drawing at an early age, experimenting with different media including pen-and-ink drawings, watercolours and India ink.
She recently began painting with acrylics and said she loves the sense of freedom of working with a vast palette of bright, bold colours.

Soltice, whose other passions include permaculture and community shared agriculture, recently decided to make art her life's work. Summers are spent working outdoors at various sites around Pigeon Lake, while in the winters, Soltice looks for opportunities to exhibit her work.

So far her work has graced the walls of Cha Island Tea Company and Expressions Café in Edmonton and Black Gold Gallery and Frame in Leduc, and been featured in the annual Edmonton and Pigeon Lake Art Walks.
She also teaches art to various groups of children and adults in the Edmonton area.
"I'm doing what I want to do," she said. "I'm enjoying the fact that I can work with people and express what I see and share it."
To challenge herself further, Soltice, who recently took up camping with her family, hopes to explore and portray more of Alberta.
"We choose campgrounds based on the surrounding visuals," she laughed.
"I'd love to have Alberta as my subject. I like the open quality of rural Alberta and the sense of history we have in all the old outbuildings."
To view more of Soltice's work, visit www.barnswallowcorner.ca.

Thanksgiving tradition

2010-11-04T09:50:00.000-06:00

One of my favourite traditions; Canadian Thanksgiving at the lake with the whole family. Grandad supplies the pile, grandchildren demolish it, and if we're quick enough (we weren't this year) parents clean it up. Thanks Grandad.

Can you smell the leaves? I remember...

Reflection

2010-10-20T15:06:00.000-06:00

It occurred to me last night, while bending into unrealistic shapes at yoga, and looking around at my neighbours, on their mats, in various degrees of tilt, shake and sweat (it was our first session in our little rural community), that there is a juxtaposition in the meditative quality of most things that humans do.

Here we are, grunting and teetering, extending muscles that we didn't even know we have, and we are to look within ourselves and accept the beauty, that we "already have what it takes within us". Now, I am not making fun of this lovely practice. I LOVE this practice. It makes me happy. It makes me feel so good. It's gentle, kind, and allows for mistakes. It encompasses and is not exclusive. And yet we strain.

Perhaps it's the human condition at which I am shaking my head. Pause for reflection is most likely what got the majority of us in such a state that we feel we need yoga. Like the Yogis (bear with me on this one, it might be a stretch.... ooo!) who sit in obedient prayer for hours and hours, creating tightness in their bodies, daily we look within ourselves and also create tension.

Do these sound familiar?
~I ask myself every day to write a to-do list, and beat myself up if all the points are not scratched out by bedtime.
~And again in the morning when I transfer those things to today.
~I look at each person I know and wish to emulate some part of that person, seeing not the beauty in my own individuality, but dumping "I should"s on myself, heaping more and more on my mental lists as I see more (creativity/productivity/kindness/industriousness...) in all the people around me.
~I beat myself up for every mistake, using language that I'd never use with loved ones, telling myself I am no good at (...)

I could go on, but it would only fuel fires.

To put the fire out, we eat, or we drink, or dive into prime time tv, jump on the net, which acts as no net, I can tell you. When these things provide a great bit #fail, we might turn to something kinder, gentler, a way to ease our aching soul. And we push a little harder, and strain, reaching for that peace, that relief from inner voice.

Today, I remind myself, that I came, imperfect into this world. And that I may have heaped multitudes of microsins on my shoulders. And that it's the opening up to let all that I need, which was already there, waiting, into the space I've created for such things that is causing the ache there. I am undoing years of unkindness to myself.

The days are pulling out..

2010-10-19T14:37:00.001-06:00

This thought came to mind as I watched two great huge thing-a-ma-jigs pull past our place recently. They looked like long (about 3 houses long) propane tanks. Perhaps they were; they came from the gas plant that is being systematically dismantled 7 miles down the road from us. I get all sorts of cool things passing by on the highway, including herds of over 100 Harley Davidsons, and houses. Yes, I sit in my living room and watch as someone's domicile waits for the power company crew to lift the wires so that it can go to it's resting place.

I think of a term an English friend uses in the spring, when "the nights are pulling out" and flip it, now, in the Fall, thinking instead "the days are pulling out." The leaves are all but gone, the night temperatures are much cooler, promising snow soon. So, thing-a-ma-jigs, Harleys, homes and days, are all pulling away.

These things all leave behind them a void where instead of work for the community, a sense of freedom and light, and even a family's space to live, there's...what? More work fills the space, merri-making and light are created indoors and new buildings go up. A spiral of activity, following the path of the seasons, go round and round and round, not ceasing, and sometimes not even slowing to catch breath or take note of inner, deeper needs.

If, by chance, you've had time to sit and read this post, then perhaps you've started scaling back already. Good. If you find yourself saying "I don't have time" to too many things that you want to do, then read on just a wee bit. Say "no" to something this week. Ask a friend or coworker or fellow club member if they can do it. With the time you've gained by saying no (good for you, btw!) try spending it in a quiet place, away from hubbub. Try gathering your core needs and putting them into a list of 3 things. Work toward them for the rest of the week. Enjoy. Share, if you feel you have time. Thanks.

~The World Changer’s Commitment: “I have chosen to change society and I also choose to be intelligent in the way I go about it. The future needs me well-rested, well-organised, well-nourished and well-exercised … If I am not enjoying what I am doing then there is something wrong with the way I am doing it and I will correct it”.~

Moving cows

2010-10-09T00:10:00.000-06:00

Late summer, I got a call from my neighbour. "Got any extra bodies that can come help move cows?". I jumped at the chance. These neighbours custom graze other people's cattle. They get herds from various farmers, put them together in the same field, feed them up nice and fat and return them in the fall, getting paid for the difference in weight from beginning to end.

Upon arriving, I was told to stand at the corner, beside the white electric fence Deanna set up. I told her "I've never done this before" (suddenly realizing I could not personally stop a stampede). "Don't wave, don't shout, just stand there so they know not to go that way". I know from reading Michael Pollen's account of Joel Salatin's farming methods that these cattle are moved frequently from field to field, allowed to munch on fresh grass. Because they are allowed to eat the most nutritious part of the grass before the gates open up to the next smorgasbord of grass, they are always eager to move from field to field.

Deanna opened the gate and started her call for the cattle to follow "Cow Boss! Cow Boss!!" This is what Deanna's husband, Leon has always used to call the cattle.

Slowly at first, then at a fast-paced walk, the 350 1000-ish lb animals went across the road. It was eerily quiet, very unlike the stampede I thought I might witness.

It was all over in a matter of minutes. I was little help.

Very shortly after, I read on Deanna's facebook status that the cows had gone back to their owners.

A great story from Deanna: Husband Leon stood, looking at a herd while talking with a cattle owner at the latter's farm. Some of the cattle they were looking at had been to Deanna's and Leon's farm. Leon shouted "Cow Boss!" and the heads of each of the cows who'd been custom grazed lifted above the backs of the other cows and looked Leon's way. "Well," said the other farmer "you named them!"

saying a few words

2010-09-28T23:29:00.001-06:00

12 years ago the gang was gathered, as they often did, at the Marshall's lake cabin. Rainne, my good friend, married into a family of 9 kids. With their spouses and kids and friends of family and kids, and us Soltices, it was a crowd. This time "Uncle Stinky" was there. I tried to tell my 3 kids, then 3, 5 and 7 that it was rude to call someone stinky, but Uncle insisted and let's face it, it was irresistible . He's a bit of a throw-back, all long-haired, and unbathed, making a hippy statement.

Uncle Stinky was recruited to go with the kids down to the beach to throw rocks. Little 3 year old Lindsay was allowed to tag along. 10 minutes after they left, 3 of the young guys came tumbling back into the yard, huffing and puffing and begging for the shovel. "We found a dead porcupine! Uncle Stinky wants to bury it!"Off they went shovel in hand.

Later, the report via Uncle Stinky: "So, there we were, after digging the hole and placing the porcupine into it. I asked the kids if we should have a moment of silence and then say a few words. They all stood there quietly, even though a dead porcupine is pretty cool. I asked if anyone wanted to say anything. There was little Linds, all serious (what is she? 3?), she said 'He was a good porcupine'".

Home School Art Classes Edmonton

2010-09-01T06:58:00.000-06:00

WEEKLY HOME SCHOOL ART

Weekly Home School

Art Classes

Instructor Margot Soltice

$150/term + minimal supplies

(10% student discount)

Term 1 - Drawing

Tuesdays, Sept 7 - 28, Oct 5 & 12

Grades 1 - 6, 9:30AM - 12:30PM

Grades 7 - 12, 1:30PM - 4:30PM

This class is for all skill levels. Drawing is an essential component of art. Students will learn to draw what they see using various materials. Here, they will learn line, composition, and 3 dimensional drawing using shading. This is a good class to take before Home School Art- playing with media, offered in November 2010.

Term 2 - Playing with Media

Tuesdays Nov 2 - 30 & Dec 7

Grades 1 - 6, 9:30AM - 12:30PM

Grades 7 - 12, 1:30PM - 4:30PM

Home School Drawing is recommended, but not essential to take before this class. Here, you will find the prerequisites for most curriculums (it contains a portion of the hours required for a high school option). Your budding artists will experiment with various mediums, including photography (must bring digital camera), printmaking, sculpture and painting. It even offers a look into the art and mind of an old master, giving the students some art history!

CLICK ON THE PDF BELOW TO VIEW FULL BROCHURE

Back to the real world

2010-08-27T11:09:00.000-06:00

I have spent my summer camping, creating art and spending time with family. Not totally unplugged, but enough so that I feel regenerated, and fulfilled. A snippit of my creation:

I sit

2010-07-29T07:56:00.001-06:00

I sit in the early hours of the morning, retrospective. The fog eliminates a larger view of the world, so I pull in. Guilty pleasure at not having a punch-the-clock job, flitting about- all humming bird like- picking berries, creating art, tending to loved ones. These are the things that disallow my feet to touch the ground. Loving it.

keeping me busy

2010-07-08T17:14:00.000-06:00

When it comes to how much I take on, my people's thoughts range from mildly amused to deeply concerned about my mental health. I am tickled that more than one friend has actually announced that they are my friend because I am into so many different things. And, I am mildly amused with myself when I step back and take a look at my seemingly scattered pattern. The concern, like the amusement, stirs up a mirror reaction in me. When things fail, as they are at times prone to do, I am lead to think that the reason was that I couldn't dedicate enough of my time to any one thing. I am also painfully aware of my stress level and how it affects myself and those in my immediate vicinity. Having said that, it's the middle of the road activity level that I feel quite comfy.

As I am able to stay self employed for longer and longer periods of time, I find that I am better able to manage a decent amount of activities and positions or contractual jobs. Of course, it helps that I am the second income for our family, which is slowly but surely diminishing in financial need with each of our kids growing up and leaving. Feeling relatively secure with my husband's job helps too. When I worked seasonally, school bus driver in the winter and CSA owner in the summer, there was little room to be flexible in career path, whether that meant thoughts of changing my winter or my summer work. It used to be that I would take on 2, 3 and sometimes even 4 jobs that overlapped, trying desperately to do something, anything that I could earn money doing. I would also say yes to things that even remotely looked like the things I want to do, in hopes I could at least enjoy my love by proxy. This grasping at anything made me harried, unable to make good decisions and stretched. I didn't realize that the money coming in was spent on things that allowed me to stay working, like extra fuel and more convenient food. Now, working less means I can plan my driving trips more carefully, manage my family life better, and feel more organized.

Making the choice to work at home means that I have to be very conscientious about how I look at each work choice. Being fairly diversified in my life-work choices means that while things are dry in one area, they are plentiful in another. Finding new avenues in each of these areas takes a little leg-work, so if I were to have to go to a 9-5, it would severely cut into my productivity. That is not to say that I'm not tempted on a regular basis to reenter the world of punching a clock. Not taking on too much at once has been a long arduous lesson for me too. How DOES one say "no" to good work when there isn't regular money coming in? For me, the answer is in all the failures and difficulties they put on my personal life. I know now to be very selective in what I take on.

So? What's keeping me busy now? I had chosen a while back to remain true to a small handful of interests: family, art, Permaculture. Then, I learned that those interests are very broad, and that I had to define for myself what they meant for me. For example, does dedication to family mean that I go to each and every function that my rather close family has? If I do, is it necessary that I attend all 3 days that a birthday, or Mother's day can often imply (yes, my family is very good at stretching out our lovely time together)? How 'bout Permaculture? The very reason I entered into the world of Permaculture design causes me to say "no" to some very good, very nicely paid gigs; my back is worn out. Now, interestingly, I have found that "busy" means something entirely different than it did this time 2 years ago. I am managing the few things well, rather than many things poorly.

Next question; does this mean I'm making enough money? Well, the answer is not simple. Suffice it to say that we as a family are working on the other important question: When is enough enough? For us, I think what we have might be enough for now. The bills are manageable and we are happy. My income is fairly close to nothing at the moment, but there are many irons in the fire. With an *art show in the 3rd week of July, and several art lessons being advertised by a **prominent, well-connected art supply store for home schooled kids, and a rather ***cool connection in my community at an up and coming eco centre, I feel confident that there will be something good, this way coming.

Some interesting things that inspired the above commentary:
~I am right-brained, perhaps a little ADD, a Creative, and for those of you who know Myers-Briggs, an ENFP (extrovert, intuitive, feeling, perceiving)
~My world is filled with the exact opposite types of people and I drive them crazy. I love you all, you drive me crazy too :)
~The death of a close friend, the injury of my back, and the desire to place meaning in my own life propelled me toward a better way of choosing what I do for a living. Life-work.
~In order to build up something good, one must break down what they have. I am very fortunate that the things that I most need in my life are still in place.
~It is because I have come to know myself better, and have accepted the things that I might not have even a year ago, that I can now state with ease and confidence that I am on the right path.

*Cha Island Tea Company 10332 81 Ave
**http://www.paintspot.ca/
***http://www.lakechecolodge.ca/

Ooo. I like this: David Holmgren on Permaculture

2010-06-16T15:56:00.000-06:00

"Permaculture is a design system for agricultural systems and landscapes... It is a thinking tool. It is also a process for reclaiming our place in nature. Part of the problem in the current psychology that prevails in our culture is that we are separate from nature and not constrained by its limits. Clearly energy peak and descent will smash that mistaken view once and for all. What is also necessary is to realize that we are not some contradiction of nature - a destroyer of it - but that we have a place in it and can reclaim that place. "

David Holmgren, speaking at the "fuelling the Future' conference, 2005

I would very much like to have that place in nature, please.

Northern Lights/ Permaculture

2010-06-16T15:06:00.001-06:00

Northern Lights

Permaculture

Zen Tangle/ Frog and the Sun

2010-06-16T14:12:00.000-06:00

Zen Tangle

Frog and the Sun

Community building and gratitude

2010-06-16T07:43:00.000-06:00

Twice in the past week I've found myself in the community building mode. Once at the Ma Me O beach film club, and once at a yearly meeting for the summer camp at our local little church. To the Ma Me O gathering, I took my In Transition DVD and my contribution to the pot luck. To the camp meeting I took ideas and enthusiasm. In both places I deposited, I hope, a sense of gratitude that I may participate in such heartfelt, intentional endeavours.

The Ma Me O film club gathering was the last of this season, but only my second one. Despite the fact that the In Transition DVD is from the UK and would not read to the projector, hence could not be played as our round-up for the year, I was not disappointed in the evening. We connected on deep levels, ate together and watched a short documentary on the Lubicon Indians from the Peace region in Alberta. And, despite the fact that it was only my second visit, I felt welcome.

As it turns out, I am already a part of the community of Ma Me O. While setting up, Mike, the unofficial leader and I spoke of his involvement in building a straw-bale house for Bob. Bob's family name sounded familiar and in short order we discovered that not only had I called Bob to ask him if he'd sing at an event I held at my house 4 years ago, but so had I asked Mike. Seconds later, in walked Bob, who as well as being the singer and straw-bale house owner is also the man who sold me 2 rebuilt bikes some 8 years ago. After a short discussion about this web of connection, I was introduced to a couple who in minutes we remembered I'd stopped and talked to them in front of their house last year because they have solar panels and raised garden beds in their front yard. Oh, and we knew all along that Mike is the father of my son's good friend, but we hadn't connected in person until I was invited to come to the film club. The lady who invited me, Aileen, and Ann (solar panels), and Tess, Bob's wife, are all teachers in varying degrees. I share their love of teaching. Ahh, content now. I am one with Ma Me O (and area).

The summer camp connections are more straightforward and long ago made, but worth mentioning here. I have been involved in some way for over ten years. The people who have done their part in teaching the 50-100 kids are members of my community; I have known them since moving to Pipestone 12 years ago. These people have supported my running the craft shack and have helped me learn the skill of teaching groups of kids that come in waves of excitement and enthusiasm, but in 1/2 hour stints (crazy!). This learned skill has translated into my current pursuit of teaching home school art classes. I am grateful to the adults, the kids, the community and the process.

Camping

2010-06-14T23:57:00.000-06:00

My daughter dons her camping apparel; bluebells and strawberry blossoms.

Ooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Enough is enough

2010-06-09T10:42:00.002-06:00

When is enough enough? We are living in a false economy now, many on the brink of ruin. The cultural "norm" (whatever that is) has long been of progress and growth. The feverish pitch at which most people drive themselves to increase their worth financially has only increased more with what is called by some "The World Crisis". The sales of antidepressants and anti anxiety medication has gone up exponentially. How can we change our thought-process so that enough can be enough?

One way is to look at how we make decisions on what we need. You'd better believe that marketers have got the psychology of consumerism down pat. Our purchasing behaviour is driven by their understanding of the brain. It's high time we learned to understand our own.

The human brain does not register negatives. This seemingly small factoid is actually huge when you measure it against some of our society's biggest issues. Take, for example, the diet industry. When some great diet advice such as "do not..." comes our way, our brain hears only the "..." part. So, if we are told "do not eat potato chips", we hear "eat chips" or, simply "CHIPS" and we immediately want some.

It is a sci-fi concept to purposely erase a thought (love the movies, Men in Black and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but they are fictional). I want you to participate in a small experiment right now. Concentrate. DO NOT THINK ABOUT PUMPKINS. What's your first thought about? Most say "pumpkins". So when we're given a task, our brain automatically finds the subject, and thinks it consciously.

For my fellow Douglas Adams fans: "Don't panic!!"... go get your towel.

The implications are gargantuan. If we apply the pumpkin-thinking back to the diet, and look at the 23% of overweight women in Canada, and 33% in the US, how many of us are being sold a line of goods? Don't eat the cookie, but buy my method that tells you more things not to eat so that after you eat the whole bag, buy the new, improved edition of my method. Clever.

Let's take that a step further. For all of us, men and women alike, how many of us directly measure our self-worth by our "success". How often does a person hear, in one form or another "you're not good enough"? This is a negative statement, so we should only register that we are good enough, right? Ah, but marketing will have you over a barrel on this one too. They place an image in your brain of what they would like you to see; "This new TV/car/boat/house/body is better than your old one". And so we are left with only a positive image...one of their product, or concept. More cleverness.

The solution? To wake up from the automatron state of consuming others' thoughts and products, and place our own thoughts in there. Ask ourselves these three questions:
1) What are they trying to sell me?
2) Do I want/need or can I afford this in my current position in life?
3) Is what I have good enough?

Sometimes the answer to #1 is perfectly obvious. Sometimes it's absolutely ridiculous and one should ask a different #2 question: Did I need this item/service before I watched this commercial? or did the commercial convince me I need it? #3 is the kicker. I'll jump right into my own examples in hopes to give you an idea of how we can effectively answer it with a resounding "YES".

Are my kitchen cupboards new/pretty/functional enough? Wellll, they are pretty old and ugly and decrepit . Buying new ones would help with the resale value of our home. I could go into debt to improve my kitchen (floors, ceiling and walls would also have to be addressed), but the stress that that debt might create could be the ruin of my marriage and relationships that spin off of it. I like my marriage. I want to keep it. Yes, my kitchen is good enough.

Is my job good enough? Oh my, this is a biggie. Really, there are a number of problems with my current state of work. Self-discipline, taking on too much, then not enough. Of course I could always use more money. I could drop all dreams to be self-employed doing what I want and love, and get a "normal" job, punching a clock, creating instantly a set paycheck, making the bill paying a little more predictable, easier and yet... I have a list of things as long as my arm why that situation does not work for me as an individual, including the fact that I become very unhappy, stifled, which in turn effects those around me. So for the betterment of my mental health and my relationships, my job is (a work in progress but) good enough.

You get the picture. So to recap: first, outline the negative statement being thrown at you ie: "Your ___ is not good enough". Second, recognize what they are trying to replace it with ie: "Our ___ is better". Third, make a conscious, detailed argument for and against their statement.

Now, the last thing to do is to remind ourselves on a regular basis (just as regular as we are subjected to the negative message) of our informed, intelligent decision. Sticky notes around the house work well. "I make enough money" "I am a good parent" "I am strong enough". Or, if you're shy and don't want others to see these things, make it a mantra. When the panicky feeling of "not enough" sets in, state and restate and state again how what you have works for YOU. Make it a positive. I AM enough.

~This post was created in response to a blog post by Chris Zydel on her Creative Juices Arts blog check it out here .

Dozen Poppies... for a friend

2010-05-30T22:16:00.004-06:00

36" X 48"

Mixed medium; acrylic on Canvas with origami paper.

Peak Oil-Transition Initiative - Pipestone, AB

2010-05-21T14:23:00.002-06:00

Transition towns, as they were formerly called, now Transition Initiatives, was the subject of our gathering. The main subject is how to transition from oil dependency to local resilience. I had stumbled upon the website for * Transition Culture , and was both shocked at the enlightened viewpoint, and grateful that there is some direction, some idea of how to surge ahead, in an otherwise **dismal-looking future. I'd ordered the film and wanted to see how well it would be received in my own community.

I waited to see how many and which people came to my small, living room gathering. I'd invited several people from my community, Pipestone, AB, knowing full well that lives are busy. I hoped that if they all showed up, that some wouldn't mind standing. My living room is small. As it turned out, the perfect number came; 5. With my daughter (15), husband and I, that made 8.

In our group, we enjoyed the company of a farmer who's husband works @ an fuel producing/distribution plant, a pastor with a strong desire to build community, a teen who is considering whether to stay in the community or go when she becomes of age, a construction worker (my husband) who works at an energy producing plant a long commute away, a former teacher/greenhouse worker who's spouse drives a water truck supplying the oil industry, a musician who's family has been and is farming in this community for generations, a greenhouse owner/school bus driver and myself, an artist/Permaculture designer/art teacher/local food producer.

The gathering was heartening. There were people who'd recently moved here (in a rural community, that can mean up to 6 or 7 years ago), and people who'd been here for generations. Each of us, as we chimed in, stated somewhat the same feelings; we're curious, worried, wanting solutions. There were strong indications that 1) we see the problem and 2) we'd like to tackle it from home, from our community. That we are not alone is in itself comforting.

We broke into groups of 2 (important community building exercise) and answered a couple questions.
#1) What are some serious concerns/challenges that Pipestone faces in the even of Peak Oil crisis?
Some of the answers
Travel is necessity.
Farm fuels/ pesticides/ herbicides- cost prohibitive
Winter costs ie: heating, can't grow food, clothing
Physiologically- hermit syndrom w/no travel, not as involved with other people.
Food storeage- personal livelihood ie: bus drivers, truck drivers, almost anyone
Sports and rec- not available locally
Climate change

#2) What are some of the things that are very doable right now within Pipestone (as community, families and individuals) that could make positive change?
Alternative fuels for electricity/heating
Community transportation eg: every Wednesday, grocery shop day
Unused land/gardens shared by others
Market gardens in PIPESTONE, not outside community
People can become closer to their food
Educational Gardens for students in schools
More community building usage- not heating empty buildings
Increasing community fellowship

And #3) How will each of these things affect Pipestone positively?
A fairly unanimous; Community!!!
Shared purpose = meaningful life.
Time; time NOT running around, away from community will create time home, time to gather, time to celebrate.
Security- knowing neighbours and them us, means we watch out for one another.
Control over future.

Where do we go from here? is the final question that we answered as a group. It's fairly simple to brainstorm what could be done, but what we are actually capable of doing is another subject altogether. People's lives are busy, but there is another concern; how to approach the idea of reducing considerably our community's oil consumption when a good portion of those people are either in the oil industry, so they are very dependent on it's survival, and many are heavily dependent on the consumption ie: farming? We agreed that we'd like to remain sensitive to these facts. Smaller viewings, hosted by each of the members of what I like to think of is the pilot group, is our plan. As well, we will be screening the 2nd film as the original group. These small steps are a good start.

*This link is directly to a post on their site that is a video between Rob Hopkins (the mover and groover of Transition Culture) and Edmonton's The Way We Green initiative. Edmonton is my place of birth and where I grew up. It's 30 minutes from my current home, and is where most of my family lives.

**Peak Oil is a very large subject, both emotionally and intellectually. There is a large amount of data out there, educate yourself. Wiki has some good basic info, and you can check out Transition Culture's web sidebar, which has reading and viewing info. There's lots out there.

Staying-up-stupidly

2010-05-19T15:57:00.000-06:00

I am p.u.m.p.e.d! I'd like to make a more concerted effort at posting what went on at our first Pipestone In Transition gathering. For the time being, though, suffice it to say I'm very, very happy.

Now, I sit, nye on midnight, with a fresh breeze blowing in the open window, the dishes done, a cup of tea at my elbow, belly and mind full. The temperature today was supposed to reach into the 30s (celcius). My house was hot. And I cleaned all day. It's good to be off my feet.

As a bonus, I am listening to the tappity tap of the rain on my tin roof, and the loud, incessant voices of the frogs. Yep, very happy.

Blog Award!!! (trumpets here)

2010-05-16T23:13:00.003-06:00

Here, I tell something of a secret: I fall apart at the mere thought of public speaking, let alone actually doing it. All the cliche things happen to me, I freeze, go blank, get all sweaty and mushy in the knees and belly. Just to add insult to injury, if it's reading I have to do, I have some freak thing in me that keeps on reading, despite the fact that the words aren't registering, so I end up feeling like I have read garbled gobbledeegook.

There. That being said, I am thrilled to win this blog award, from Amy Nicols Thank you Amy!
I will not stand at a virtual podium, if you don't mind. I have discovered that it suits me fine to visualize a cup of tea in my hands, and in those of whom are here to witness, and a comfy small circle of chairs in a brightly lit room----scratch that, if it's my visualization, we're in the woods, with dappled brilliant green light, the smell of fresh rain and the sounds of a couple bees doing their scrumptious job of collecting pollen on the dandelions, which have just popped their heads up and the frogs singing their hearts out in the distance. (I will not be winning an award for the lack of run-on sentences, thank you). You and I can chat about meaningful things during this award ceremony, and we will all leave feeling full, and sweet, having spent that time together.

I had not seen nor heard of blog awards before winning one, so it has taken me a couple of days to sort it out. The idea of winning something is of course lovely (the name of the award is "Lovely Blog Award for my Favourite Bloggers" by Heather) and the rules are here

But the best thing about it is that it has helped me to continue a thought-stream that sprung up, out of the soil and has been burbling along with copious amounts of input ever since. It seems that everywhere my internet travels take me, I find people who support the idea (inadvertently or not) that in order to receive the most pleasure from life, one must give of themselves. They seem to know and express freely that in order to live well in this world, they must contribute wholeheartedly themselves.

So, in the spirit of this wonderful, lovely blog award, and in following the rules set for winning, I introduce to you 14 of my favourite bloggers (not all, but a good sampling):

I am new to following Alicia's blog, but can't wait to see more. The first post I read was one about how to brighten people's day. That she sells her handmade cards is not at the forefront of her blog, although she has cleverly intrigued me with them. It's apparent that her intent is to share good things with people. Heartfelt and catchy, are these lovely cards. And to top it off, she readily supports the work of other artists (as seen in this picture of a handmade journal).

Another new one, and keeping the same strain, is Michael's blog. He writes smart advice about finding your creativity. Fun and challenging all wrapped up in 20 minutes.

Chris Zidel , the sexy mamma has so much inspiring, intentional, beautiful stuff on her blog and site it blew me away. I love looking at her ideas, and one day, ONE DAY, I will go down to one of her workshops. Much LOVE.

Connie is great. She is currently calling me, pulling me, sharing with me her funny, charming, exciting, and sometimes scary walk thru this life of being daringly creative. I value her lessons learned on life, womanhood and being an artist in this day. Good job, Hon.

Lisa's take on how to live your life productively as a Creative has shone some pretty incredible aurora borealis-type lights on my life. I am inspired. Truly.

Jo Lynch is pretty clever. She's figured out a way to quench the thirst of a person's eyes. Very cool, creative work. Not sure that this is really a blog, but she tells stories with her art.

There is a calm coolness to Emerson's posts. Being visual, I love her photos. At one point she claimed that she disliked the title of her blog, An Apple a day but I think it speaks of the old-worldiness about what she writes.

Bumisehat Haiti is an organization that I did a little (very little) volunteer work for last winter. Their mission is so good. My daughter wishes to be a mid-wife, so I am particularly interested in their efforts.

Wow! Creative. Giving. Prolific. Awesomeness! Dose of Creativity. Scroll down Melanie's memory lane near the bottom on the left and see how much she's put into this blog.

Ever wonder where strange stories from deep deep in the forest came from? Rima Staines ' back pocket! I feel like a child again, soaking up every image, every word in her blog. Check out her clock gallery too. The tic-tocking will have you in the room with the clocks

This man's wisdom is amazing. It's also the first stuff I guzzle with my morning coffee every day. Greedily. (and he doesn't even have pictures)

And since we're talking about famous guys, lookee here . Michael Pollan sings to my choir. We are both about local food production. I love that he travels N. America for me and then reports back to me on the most important issues. Thanks, Michael.

I appreciate the newsletters, personally addressed to me, in my mailbox periodically.Rhodale Institute

has been around for a long time, fighting the good fight, educating, and pumping out excellent information. Thank you.

here , check out Twilight Calls the Dream of Art. Maria has gobsmacked me. This art is so delicious. Page after page of yummy, steampunk-esque, art nouveau-ish, lovely images. Enjoy.

The Art of Non-Conformity. I like it. Chris Guilabeau is a guy who's makin' his way in the world in an entrepreneurial manner, yet without scratching and clawing his way to the top. He travels excessively, and likes to keep his business small. He's got some class, this fella.

Sandy Dempsey is an amazing woman. I gather so many flowers of wisdom from her blog every time I read it. She's candid, a wealth of information and REAL. Her journey through a transition between the corporate world and being her own woman is shared generously.

Well, that's it. My take on award-worthy blogs. Enjoy.

P.S. Oh! and thank you again, Amy!

Big Babies, small space OR I have a sickness

2010-05-12T15:46:00.000-06:00

In April, when the seeds in my hand were a mere thought, an idea, an exciting prediction, I looked at my seedling rack with it's 3 shelves and thought "aw heck, just plant all the seeds, some won't germinate, right?". I thought I'd have room. Rather, I really didn't think much about the room they'd need.

This might seem like a small oversight for the average new tomato grower. But I'm not average, or new to tomato growing. I have grown enough tomatoes for multiple families. The Community Shared Agriculture, for which this blog was started and named, and that I owned and operated held 25 memberships 3 years ago. So, you see, growing over 100 tomato plants for a shrinking family is INSANE (*sniff* my second boy is moving out this summer) .

My only excuse is that growing tomatoes feels a lot like the essence of parenting to me. Starting small, nourishing, coaxing, watering... Some days it feels like all a person does is chase after them, nipping at the bits you don't want to grow, admiring their shape and colour, being eternally grateful when it's time for them to sleep, and watching, hopefully for them to bare fruit (NOT YET, please!).

K, I think the tomatoes/babies metaphor has been stretched to the limit. Now I want to talk about the cool idea I had (borrowed from some article read years ago) of using tin cans to pot them up. When growing tomatoes from seed it's a good idea to take the little seedlings at the 2-4 leaf stage, out of the seed tray and put them in a little pot that will let their roots spread out. When they get too big for that pot, it's time to bury them up to their necks in soil in a bigger-yet pot. It was at this stage that I realized I had a big space issue (in actuality, I saw it coming, I just didn't know how to deal with it).

Using pots with a bigger foot print meant that I was going to have to find space elsewhere in my house. The window they're in is East-facing and the shelf they're on has fluorescent bulbs to add just that much more light (otherwise they'd go leggy). The only South-facing windows we have are in the basement, one of which is a kid's bedroom.... doable, but a little invasive for the kid.

Digging through all the containers I have stockpiled in the shed and my house, wracking my brain for ones that are smaller on the bottom but have enough room to wind the longer stems of these bigger plants finally found a solution; recycle box! The tin cans are perfect.

Smugness: I had washed them out well to put them in recycle so that task was done, plus they even painted the insides of the cans for me, so that rust isn't an issue. All potted up plants fit on the shelf.

Now, if they'd only stay the same size! (only 2 weeks left 'til planting time).

Yummy, mucky, delicious clay

2010-05-07T15:07:00.000-06:00

The lovely mask is Lindsay's work. The little dragon is mine.

I collect wiggly things.

2010-05-06T22:52:00.002-06:00

These little gaffers are personally responsible for the beautiful green growth of my tomato babies. Good poop from the worm compost bin.... Poop>>>seeds >>>tomato babies

My collection grows.

2010-05-06T22:46:00.001-06:00

All those itty bitty seeds germinated. And now I have a bigger collection. There's over 100 tomato babies here.

I collect things.

2010-05-06T22:28:00.000-06:00

Too many tomato seeds. Tommy Toes Yellow, Tumbler, Ox Heart, Eva Purple Ball, Whipper Snapper and Sophie's Choice.

Lists, lists, lists

2010-05-05T10:06:00.000-06:00

I run them through my head all day. I'm convinced I sleep with them because I wake up with a list yelling at me in my head before a coherent thought can form. It's like a little train, "gotta do, gotta make, gotta call, gotta find, gotta clean..." Sigh.

For the most part, I find the best solution is if ya can't beat 'em join 'em. The things on the lists aren't going to go away, nor are the OCD-like repeated reminders all day. They poke and prod, and cajole and even ridicule "Why aren't you better at remembering to do that task? Weren't you supposed to do that last week? You've passed by that item 8 times, isn't it time you put it away?". The only way to win is to have a louder voice, more control.

That's not bad for starters, but where's the plan? How to formulate what to do? Ha ha, very funny. Make a list. Now to organize which stuff goes on which list. There's To Do lists ie: daily grind, LIFE PLAN lists ie: health, family, work etc, wish lists, reading lists... then there's sub lists and prioritizing said lists, and finding the darned list that you need to go do the tasks you listed!

I could get into how I've discovered new ways to make lists, but perhaps this is looking a little like a list in itself already. Just for a giggle, I will share the list that inspired this post:

One thing on today's To Do list: Start (late) the English and Psych distance learning courses I've chosen to do as a precursor to taking Art Therapy.

New List: Things I get to do on my breaks every ten minutes (it's been so long since going to school, I thought I'd start slow).

water baby tomatoes
laundry
vacuum
order pictures
walk on the land with the dogs (erm. check this off already)
write this post (oh dear, caught me)

playing with acrylic based inks

2010-05-04T06:40:00.001-06:00

May 4th, 2010

2010-05-04T06:28:00.000-06:00

What's sheet mulch?/ Sheet Mulch workshop

2010-04-27T08:01:00.002-06:00

Sadly, this workshop has been canceled.
If you're interested in being updated on future workshops via email, let me know and I'll add you to the list. Thanks,
Margot
PS There's an exciting one coming up in Edmonton, and another at the farm. Locations and dates TBA

Sheet Mulch: A method of layering easily decomposable, organic matter in order to promote microbial activity, prevent weeds, and create moisture retention. Plant health is increased considerably when this method is used.

Sheet Mulch Workshop
May 8, 2010- 10:00-3:00
Barnswallow Corner Farm
Presentation by Margot Soltice
Pot Luck lunch
Hands-on sheet mulching, flash mob-style
Seed/perennial exchange
Contact Margot: barnswallow@xplornet.com or phone 780 387 3588

playing

2010-04-26T23:27:00.001-06:00

Permaculture sheet mulch workshop

2010-04-21T23:57:00.000-06:00

Beautiful black soil, isn't it? This garden has supplied the produce for up to 25 families, mostly Edmontonians, since 2000. For the past couple of years it has lain dormant, except for weeds. Sad, but necessary. While I have regrouped from back injury, plans to change my practices from fighting weeds to working with nature have been sprouting.

Now, with Permaculture design at the forefront of Barnswallow Corner's focus, I am working slowly toward rebuilding the Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) project. Thoughts of a raspberry U-pick, apple orchard, or simply planting the space and using it for grass, chickens and other animals have been discussed. These things still appeal, but the community and love of growing local food are still my passion.

Number one challenge is how to tackle the things that need to get done now, before long term help arrives. The master plan involves WWOOFers, and farm apprentices. Until the housing for these extra bodies come to fruition, we will be having a number of free or inexpensive permaculture workshops.

The first workshop is to apply layers of straw, compost and cardboard to the land you see in the picture above. The purpose is as layered as the materials; soil building, moisture retention and weed suppression. There will be an informational session, seed/perennial swap, heirloom tomato plants for sale, and a potluck. In the spirit of gifting, this is a free workshop.

Details:
May 8, 2010
10 am- approximately 3 pm
Potluck (Yay!); a cold dish, sandwiches, or salad for 5
bring hat, rubber boots, garden gloves, lawn chair, sun screen, water bottle.
If you have these items, please label them with your name:
shovel, garden fork, wheel barrow

With enough people, the sheet mulching should not take much more than 2 hours. I will have a short slide presentation to show in the morning, and will share some permaculture knowledge and experiences.

Please email me, Margot; barnswallow@xplornet.com

Sit or run?/ Lazy or industrious?

2010-04-19T06:21:00.000-06:00

The act of quiet introspection is considered a luxury by some. In fact, it can be considered lazy, or having "too much time on their hands". With the past year's (or so) mudslide economy, this has been the case for too many. There's loads of activity online exemplifying this; marketing tips and tricks, blogging how-tos, how to have a presence on twitter etc. etc. etc. ad nauseam.

Thing is, when one is listening to the quiet hum of one's laptop, whilst still in their jammies, sipping a cuppa, the world is whizzing by, going somewhere around 1000 miles/hour. Now there's a juxtaposition. The mind is moving and turning and checking and flipping from one tab to the next; twitter- check, fb-check, blog-check, DOW-check, email-check, check, check, check. And the body sits.

Industry, shmindustry. I'd like to hear who's unplugged, been on a walk, lately, gone bowling, relearned how to throw a frisbe, learned a new yummy yoga move? Go. Be free. Discuss (when you get back).

Permaculture and 3 secrets of the best chicken gravy ever

2010-04-05T12:18:00.001-06:00

I'm so sorry if this offends anyone. Being a transplant from city to country myself, I can certainly see why it might. These little chicks, held lovingly by my kids, are destined for our plates.

Our family lives on an acreage smack dab in the middle of a rural farming community so we are no strangers to the idea that baby chicks = dinner. No, we don't eat them small. We raise them from day olds to approximately 8-12 weeks, at which time we butcher them at 5 1/2- 7 lbs.

I put this picture up because it was the only one I could find. The pictures of the chicken tractor in which we raise our birds, are being elusive. If I find ours I'll swap them out later. Here's one of a chicken tractor I saw while in the Kootenays, British Columbia whilst taking my Permaculture designer course.

A chicken tractor is a unit, built as lightweight as possible, that one person (usually) can drag to the next grassy area for the chickens to cluck, scratch, catch bugs, graze on grass and in general, be as chickenly as possible. Ours is built rather heavily (my big, strong husband likes to build like that), out of 2X4s and wire mesh. It's got wheels on one end and a handle to lift and pull on the other. The top opens for us to take the waterer out before moving it. The feed goes into a a eves trough that is fixed inside the unit.

How this pertains to Permaculture is that it uses several Permaculture principals. "Catch and store energy"- the energy of the grass is being stored in the chickens for our later use, "Integrate, rather than segregate"- put the chickens in a space that can be moved rather than keeping them in the same space. Use the resources you have, such as grass for feed, allowing the manure to go back into the grass, fertilizing it (but not killing it due to over fertilizing). "Use and value diversity"- letting the chickens out, into a more chicken-conducive atmosphere allows them to exercise, be happy and therefore produce a healthier bird, which is in turn healthier for us (chickens kept on grass have been proven to contain higher omega 3 fatty acids, which is something our bodies cannot produce on their own and we are found to be lacking in our culture.) This manner of keeping chickens is so well rounded that almost all of the Permaculture design principals can be applied.

Why pictures of live chickens when I promised a gravy recipe you ask? Well, it's a process. First come the chickens (in my case... I'm sure for some it's the egg). Then, a couple months of feeding, watering and moving the chicken tractor around the yard. Some frustration because of deaths ensue, mostly because of the cost factor, but some because we are responsible for the lives of these little bodies and to see one go means that either we haven't done our job, or the type of chicken we bought is not hardy enough. Thist part is a whole 'nother blog post, as is butchering day, which is typically done with another family. After butchering, and clean-up of same, it takes a few weeks for my brain to stop associating the death and smells and mess to what is being prepared to go on our table. The carcasses sit in our freezer for that time, awaiting some very good eating.

Here I pause, fingers poised over the key board. Do I speak to those who've eaten farm fresh chicken? I know that I'd be singing to the choir if I were to do so, but perhaps finding a new audience is the best. Can we at least assume that we've all eaten some form of fresh, not-bought-from-the-store food, whether it be tomato, an herb, corn, or carrot? For those of you who haven't, please, I implore you, find a market and buy something fresh and eat it tonight, or as soon as you can. For those of you who have, but have yet to try fresh, gently grown chicken, trust me in that the experience is heavenly.

The meat has a different texture, let alone taste. Everyone I know who has tried and compared it to store bought (and consequently, raised in un-chicken-friendly conditions) have exclaimed with delight that THIS, this is what a chicken is supposed to be like. It is moist without being mushy. It tastes, well, like chicken (should).

Now, because the meal becomes a lot more special since we've lived with this process, a lot of thought goes into the prepping of it. It's no secret to those who know me that I consider the right gravy to be an essential. It's also no secret that I am celiac. The frustrations at having to figure out substitutes for wheat, or other glutenous products have been a topic of discussion for a little over a year now. I have found a solution to the wheat in gravy challenge I faced, with an added bonus.

I'm about to tell you the 3 secrets of perfect gravy.

Secret #1) Make a rue. Many meals did my husband suffer that I made starchy, lumpy gravy until I discovered this secret. I share it with delight.

In a frying pan, place equal amounts of butter (I don't substitute margarine here, butter is better!) and flour. If you want more gravy, increase both the amounts of butter and flour equally. I usually use 1/4 -1/2 Cup of both, giving me more gravy for left overs. If you're only making a little, say for 2 people, reduce all of the amounts; butter, flour and liquid.

Secret #2) Make the rue with sweet white rice flour. Now, I know y'all aren't celiac and so I don't suppose to foist my wheat free diet on you. What I do intend to do is to share this cool find with you. The rice flour creates a better gravy. It makes almost double the amount that wheat flour makes, it makes it smoother and according to my family, it tastes better.

Secret #3) Use vegetable "Better Than Bouillon" brand flavouring. First, of course, when you take the chicken out of the pan, scrape up all the yummy browned bits and add it to the liquids that you will be adding to the rue (or even use the same pan for roasting and then for gravy making). While the butter is melting for the rue, measure 2 Cups of WARM water (be prepared to add more if needed) and add 1-2 Tablespoons (more to taste) of Better Than Bouillon into the water. Add the water slowly, whisking while you do.

Add thyme and pepper to taste.

You're welcome.

dragon commission for baby

2010-03-26T00:56:00.005-06:00

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!

2010-03-25T09:37:00.001-06:00

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

2010-03-24T06:16:00.001-06:00

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

2010-03-20T16:40:00.001-06:00

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

2010-03-12T10:32:00.001-07:00

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

2010-03-11T13:15:00.009-07:00

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

2010-03-10T15:22:00.009-07:00

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

2010-03-09T07:59:00.002-07:00

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

2010-03-04T08:57:00.004-07:00

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

2010-03-03T15:40:00.005-07:00

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!

2010-03-01T11:26:00.012-07:00

Lake fun birthday weekend

2010-03-01T09:21:00.009-07:00

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!

2010-03-01T09:08:00.005-07:00

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

2010-03-01T08:49:00.004-07:00

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.

Thirteen Things Thursday

2010-02-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

1. Berry school was delicious! Raspberries and saskatoons are dancing in my head (like sugarplums, only different).

2. Spent the day dreaming with Randy. Combined efforts are our best foot and we're putting it forward.

3. I get to see my son today. We're galavanting around the city together. LOVE.

4. My friend is coming to spend the weekend with me at the lake. Just the girls!

5. The home school art class project went well and is very promising. Finally! An attempt at marrying gainful employment with LIFE WORK seems promising.

6. I have a puppy!

7. my 18 yr old just offered to poop scoop the yard (!!!) How proud am I?

8. The sun is shining in the living room window so hard that I can't see the screen. It's delightfully distracting after cold, dark winter days.

9. The stomach flu has left the building.

10. soft, sage green

11. The seed-starting shelf is coming upstairs this weekend! I will start onions. And, I hope to get some gogi berry seeds from my neighbour. Planning the garden makes me happy.

12. My daughter.

13. Freedom to express myself visually.

Art Journal 21, Good advice

2010-02-19T03:23:00.006-07:00

Honouring a friend. She was so sagely in parts of her life. In others she was a very young soul. I liked this advice, this very good advice. I use it often. No more demons in my head.

Cool pocket/envelope. I like the idea of creating and using space to put things that can be pulled out and reminisced over (I hate that I am ending this sentence with a preposition but how else would I format it?). This envelope is made of one page of a calendar. I have gazillions, as I choose my calendars on these options:

1) does it have big squares/enough room so I can jot down my crazy life?

2) does it have beautiful pictures? I'ma gonna hang the thing for a year on my wall, is it art?

The envelope is sealed with 2 brads and hemp string.

Hemp string and handmade paper. mmmmm yum.

Art Journal 20, Maya Angelou

2010-02-16T06:24:00.005-07:00

Does your lizard brain get in the way? The lizard brain is that part of your brain which helps you survive, the part that influences your thoughts on how to preserve your sex, your strength and your place in the pack, so to speak. It's ancient, and it's active. Daily.

Survival is pretty important, so I won't knock that scaly, old thing that leads us from "the edge" to safety, into the arms of "the norm". BUT, and you had to know there would be a BUT, I will suggest that we be aware of why we are making the decisions to stay safe, to follow the expectations of society, and why we don't let ourselves teeter on the edge, even if that edge allows us to blossom into a great and wonderful being.

K, enough talking in euphemisms. What I'm really talking about here is that scary thought of diving into what you know to be your true value, your gift and allowing that gift to be what drives you every day.

Lots of people are doing it. Loads of people are trying to shake off the icky old image that they wore while pursuing their former career, now that they are unemployed due to what my friends in Costa Rica called "The World Crisis" (oh my, how can one country have such an effect on the whole world???). And in this shaking off, they are starting to recreate what it means to be an individual again. Entrepreneurial ventures are taking off and succeeding left and right. There is a near-audible, visible movement toward greater self-motivation and innovation.

In this time of greater communication via the interweb, we have opportunity, literally at our fingertips, to access loads of information on how to be brave and take this giant step. There is heaps upon heaps of advice offered because the people who are successful know that to entice business, one must offer some advice on how they do it. Plus, there are some very generous, kind people out there, who's gift it is to help people.

So go. Be bold. Listen to the lizard brain when you are actually on a cliff edge, but nudge it aside when you're simply looking to do what you'd do best. There's some great reading, in Seth Godin's blog here

and in Sandy Dempsey's The Dreaming Cafe, here and in the wonderful words of Maya Angelou, who's poetry I picked for my 3rd poetry page in my art journal. To see the 1st and 2nd poetry pages click: Shel Silvertein, and Edgar Allen Poe .

Art Journal 19, Edgar Allen Poe

2010-02-15T09:46:00.005-07:00

Edgar Allen Poe. Dark. Scary. Raw. Vulnerable.

When I was in my late teens, my mother gave me a beautifully bound set of Poe's work. I devoured it . His work is deliciously different than anything I had read. He goes into the place in the minds of man that we generally don't like to go.

I love the famous poem, Raven. The imagery lends itself well to the ingrained (learned?) fear some have for black birds.

Here, I show a little of my process. Something I realize now I have not done much. Perhaps I will have to slow the creative process a bit to share that. The cut-out for the raven was free hand-drawn and cut out with a rotary cutter. The toothbrush was used for splattering the white paint. The paint I use is artist's quality, simply because I have yet to find a student's quality that I am happy with mixing colours. I could buy hundreds of colours of craft paint or just a few tubes of more expensive, but higher quality and therefore easier to use, artist quality. I used "grunge" board cut outs from a scrap booking store.

Oops, now I have to admit a prejudice I have. It did not start as a healthy, well-balanced prejudice. I admit that I have always thought that art wins out over crafts, in the craft vs art argument. One of my first visits to a scrap book store (drooling over the paper and tools) turned a little sour when I was told what I wanted to do with the materials and equipment were "so 70's" and reminded the young lady of what her mother would do way back when. I should have asked if her mother is an artist, but what I did was take my really cool paper home in somewhat of a huff and left them sitting in storage... until I began my art journal. Now, I feel a little sad for that young girl, that she defines what can be done with materials by what she is told she can do. Now, I use that paper and those yummy tools in my art journal, where appropriate. And now, I smile as I see the word "grunge" describes my use of these things.

Art Journal 18, Shel Siverstein- Rain

2010-02-14T09:43:00.004-07:00

....and all that I hear as I lie in my bed

is the slishity slosh of the rain in my head - Shel Silverstein.

Life is silly sometimes. I like being silly.

Art Journal 17, Oliver Ridley Turtles

2010-02-12T10:22:00.003-07:00

While in Costa Rica, we went to the next beach, Ostional (a harrowing 1 hour 4 wheel drive taxi ride, driven by a lovely local, name of Abel) to see a bunch of turtles laying their eggs. It left an impression on me, not all good; I felt mixed emotions about their preservation. At the same time, it was a thrill to see such powerful mamma-nature stuff going on, right before our eyes.

Art Journal 16, Whyte Ave. Wonders

2010-02-12T08:39:00.004-07:00

These funky adverts, post cards and stickers came from a pile just inside the door of a pretty cool little shop on Whyte Ave. Edmonton. I'm not sure why some of them were there, as they were advertising events in far away places, but I scooped them up eagerly and used them in this simple collage to remind me of my "mommy/daughter day".

Art journal 15, HEY!

2010-02-11T15:20:00.004-07:00

Quick. First thing in the morning, who gets your time? What are your first thoughts as you wake to a new day? Does the old hamster jump on his wheel in your brain and start running, running, running, with thoughts of bank balances, chores, relationships in need of a lifesaver?

KKKKKKKKK! (sound effect of me throwing a monkey wrench into your works)

Now find a new plan. Redirect your thinking, even if it's for a short time away from baby, husband, work, or any other of life's "shoulds" to YOU.

Wake up in the morning, and before you put one foot on the floor, decide to have one good thought that will carry you thru the day. Practice, and see if you can do it automatically before stirring. There might be mornings when there are several false starts, many tricky attempts, but keep trying.

Replace the previously grumpy and worrisome inner-voice with an enthusiastic, energetic "HEY!" That should get your attention. Allow this voice to reason with your doubts and fears. Let it tell you with the voice of a warm, soft mother's voice that there is a way, and you'll begin today. Be gentle, be fun, be kind. Love yourself.

Art journal 14, bad entry?

2010-02-10T09:09:00.007-07:00

AK!

The temptation was to not put this entry in at all. I think my husband's words were "...a scrawny coyote". Self deprecation is charming right? Well, not really. One of the things that I am trying to foster, both in my daughter and in myself is to never, never, never negatively critique one's own work. Let the other person be the judge (see my husband's comment, the shyter). Yet, here, in my account of my art journaling journey, I want to assert that to DO ART is important.

A good friend of mine started her art journal not too long ago. It was a Friday night, just the girls, and a lovely setting of newspaper and paint and scissors and glue. The conversation, while we were getting ready, went something like this:

Friend "OK, I've got pencils, paint and some loose paper"

Me "Why loose paper?"

Friend "to paint on"

Me "Where's your art journal that we bought together?"

Friend "Well, I thought I'd just start on some scrap paper"

Me "But the whole point is to have it in the book, so you can refer back to it, see where you were that day"

Friend "What if I wreck it?"

Me "What?"

Friend "the book. What if I wreck those nice sheets of white paper?"

Me "Oh no you don't! We're gonna dive right in, bring that journal"

This was before our sensory exercise in which we discovered our inner brave child. The page did not look so daunting and we had a lovely, deep exploration of feeling and expression.

This painting, not so much. But I did reconnect with my watercolour set, and played with eyes and technique. I feel rather good about this mangy wolf and his weird forest.

Apollo

2010-02-08T19:54:00.003-07:00

Art Journal 13, Faerie grass-mixed media

2010-02-08T07:56:00.006-07:00

Who hasn't wondered whether Faeries really dance around the faerie ring at night? A world of shiny dew, deep deep loamy smells, and a sprinkling of majik. Fall asleep in the ring and you'll slumber forever. Catch the flitter....blink, and she's gone.

Mixed medium; acrylic paint, magazine strips and woman (centre) with polymer medium, and black ink roller pen.

Art Journal 12, Desert intensity

2010-02-07T19:37:00.002-07:00

This was perhaps the most non-intentional art journal entry. Only the process was deliberate. I'd cut a picture out of a magazine to use in the practice of transferring. After prepping the surface with gesso and some lovely warm desert, sandy colours, I painted the surface (to the left of the desert dude) with gel medium. Put the picture upside down on the surface, and smooth out the bubbles. After, spritz with water, and rub the excess paper off, leaving the image on the paper. It was not as intense as I'd like, so I'll be playing with this some more. Did a bit of research online for images of clothing like you see here. I love LOVE drawing wrinkles in clothing and wanted to simplify this fella's look by using fewer brush strokes to catch his essence. Altho I don't think this is traditional garb for Afghanistan, that's what he makes me think of.

Art Journal 11, The Web of Life

2010-02-07T13:11:00.008-07:00

It seems that I have been remiss in telling the whys of my Art Journaling journey. I love the idea of documenting one's walk thru life with visuals.

I've tried the written journal, and altho I feel very good about it while doing it, I'm easily distracted. Days, even weeks later, I find that I have forgotten to make those day's entries. Also, for unknown reasons, I find that most of my written entries seem to be negative. There are a few books tucked away here and there that I have made family members swear they'll burn if anything happens to me. Good to get the nasty stuff out, just not so good to share, or reminisce.

That I am by nature an artist, one that enjoys beauty and interest in most everything I see is why I want to keep an art journal. Because I see these things, it makes me want to express that which I see and also makes me want to share with others the joy of that expression.

Deep, meaningful relationships with people are high on my list of important life-affirming things. Because of this, I developed a keen interest in what makes people tick; psychology.

Marrying the two passions as Art Therapy is a natural transition. My attempt here, in this blog, is to find what interests people, to share my journal entries as an opening for discussion. Art inspires. Art heals. Art brings forth life, love, passion.

As I head in the direction of new-found expression, I invite others to do the same. Please share with me, either by email barnswallow@xplornet.com , or following on this blog and sending me links to pictures of your art journals.

The Web of Life

There is a quote that is attributed to Chief Seattle (incorrectly, but see here for the speech that is in question. It is, despite arguments of it's origin, lovely). The quote: "Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. "

Permaculture in Alberta Winter

2010-02-02T07:38:00.003-07:00

Not many articles on the net will bestow the virtues of Permaculture whilst speaking of Alberta in the winter. In fact, many would say the words Permaculture and winter are an oxymoron. Permaculture, an up-and-coming practice, for the lack of a better word, encompasses the idea of living with permanence and agriculture simultaneously. I like to think of the -culture part of the word as just that, Culture; how we live.

There is no set formula for Permaculture. It comes with a set of principals that allow a person to interact with nature, and to incorporate many of nature's building blocks into one's own life and living space. Permaculture principals include "observe" and "use and value diversity". As well, Permaculture holds strong to 3 ethics; 1) take care of people, 2) fair share, and 3) take care of Earth.

So, can we tacke care of ourselves in an Albertan winter, use only our fair share, and still take care of Earth? Our rather "black" industry of oil muddies the sight of many, who speak highly of jobs over the aforementioned ethics. Our Culture is in dire need of a get-back-to-the-Earth injection. Yet the Earth, it seems, is FROZEN SOLID. It seems the Locavore diet would have us all eating meat and dried berries and forego greens and oranges. What to do? What to do?

In the stead of throwing out all principals and tearing down change, one might consider building their own system. After all, Nature allows for individuality, diversity. There are many great "how to"s out there, so I won't try to emulate them. I will give you some ideas on how to start your own list of practices.

The first and biggest subject in terms of how to reduce is that surrounding FOOD. We need it, we want lots of it, and we often go to great lengths to enjoy the best of it. So, what, in your kitchen can you do, that you are not already doing? (ha! I felt Alberta poised, ready to claim that they recycle all of their food packaging! good for you, now some deeper thought). Which foods do you know that you could get from a closer source so that the fuel costs, road costs, health (pollution) costs to our Earth are lower?

Oh, OK. I'll help you here. Eggs. This is only one small, yet nutrient-packed item that holds such big impact on the environment, physically and ethically. See this informative article from "Feed Your Eco" blog: http://organicbugblog.com/how-would-you-like-your-eggs/ .

I live 30 minutes south of Edmonton, Alberta, on an acreage, surrounded by farms. On and off for years we have had up to 20 laying chickens. I called them my "Happy Chickens" because all the lables out there were confusing to me ie: free range etc (thanks again, Feed Your Eco). I just wanted my chickens to be all about chickeniness, you know, scratching dirt, bawking, eating bugs. For the longest time, when we weighed the cost of going out to the coop several times a day in sub-arctic temps to take food, fresh water and to collect the delectable hard-shelled morsels, it was worth it. Until it became too back-breaking to clean the coop. We now rely on neighbours, who still have a small-scale chicken coop, and sell to us fortunate souls who still appreciate home-grown over store bought any day.

See, the eggs you get in the average grocery store are not the same beasts as the ones from just-down-the-road. My 18 year old son will attest to that. He nags me when we're getting low, wants me to put in a call to our friend, just-down-the-road. What makes the home-built ones special? The taste, for sure. This is because of the feed. Mass produced eggs come from chickens who eat a diet of grains that are less expensive to buy bulk. The yolks of eggs produced by chickens who're eating a good diet are bright orangey-yellow, so creamy that it's hard to lick the remains from your lips, and, to quote a friend/world-class chef from Calgary, "you can tell they're fresh, they sit up so nicely on the plate". What he means is that the yolk, when fresh, is rounder, firmer and has a taller profile.

I know that all of the above gushing review is true, as well as the fact that my egg footprint is low. That's one food item down, hundreds, perhaps thousands to go. Think I'll tackle coffee again.

You don't have a just-down-the-road neighbour to buy eggs from? Two words: Farmers' market. Heck, you might even meet the bee keeper, or beef or cheese, or potato producer as well. When you do, ask about his/her practices. What makes their potatoes better? Do they have pictures of their operation? Can you come out and take a tour? Beats sitting in the same four walls, wasting away a perfectly good, sunny Alberta winter day, eh?

See more on Margot's Permaculture in the left side-bar. Click on "Permaculture".

Art journal 10

2010-01-30T16:19:00.006-07:00

If I could spend my days wandering in the forest, I'd be ever so happy.

There's a wee bit of magic under the drippy, chirpy canopy. The needle and moss carpet hushes the residents' parley; muffled and hidden. Lookee, under the fungus, is it the red squirrel? I know the Little Folk, they fancy playing "I'm a stick" lest you stand still and peer, just the proper way; out of the side of the eye.

Art journal 9, a sensory exercise

2010-01-28T16:53:00.006-07:00

Too often, we forget how to FEEL, with our whole body, the experiences we are having.

Try: Close your eyes and think of when you were small. Imagine yourself, walking in the sand toward the monkey bars. The sand under your feet makes your ankles turn a funny way, makes walking difficult. You trudge. Then, the sensation of the cold metal bar hits your hands as you grip the one at chest height. Up you go, one foot at at time, hand over hand, straining and pulling, feeling each cool bar as you go. Feeling strong. Determination to get to the top. Stop. Pant. Steady yourself. Think. How do I get myself to the position where I can hang, feet down? Still gripping. Hands getting a little sweaty at the thought of letting go. Wiggle. Try one foot. DEEP BREATH, and.... I know I can do this. OK, go! I did it! I'm hanging! Really, really high! Looking down. Light headed. Now I have to drop. DEEP BREATH, and....

Those brave actions are the same actions that we can take in making a page in an art journal now. Giving permission to take action, and to feel what we feel in the moment. The process is what it's about, baby. Not the outcome, not the kudos (or blank stares of disinterest) from others, not pride in what we did, but the simple DEEP BREATH, and....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here, I used acrylic to paint the back ground. Gessoed first, then had-atter with some yummy colours. Red and green are on the opposite sides of the colour wheel, so they are "complimentary colours"; colours that will stand out when put side by side. I drew the left hand (Avatar hand) and traced my right. Cut magazine pictures out and collaged them w/o attaching them to the page yet, then cut them to the shape of my right hand and glued them onto the page. With a little watered down white paint on the right, I then proceeded to play with pattern. Wasn't happy with some of what I'd done around the hands so played with different colours and textures using different brush strokes. I LOVE acrylics for this. I labled this one "i", and played with words around the Avatar-looking left hand. Appropriate, altho not blue, since we had just seen the movie 2X.

Oh yeah, and this page was completed with my good friend, who is very very brave.

art journal 8, art therapy; Death, saying goodbye

2010-01-27T11:13:00.004-07:00

My path that has taken me to the art journal began 30 years ago, when in grade 9, the counselor told us we must decide right then what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. Personally, this came as a shock. I knew how young I was. There was no way I could even begin to decide. "Tough, pick something". So, I said "OK, something to do with art or psychology.", while resenting the push. Little did I know that 30 years later, after much life experience in both art and psychology, I'd be thinking of Art Therapy.
This was a difficult but cathartic page to do. Death brings sadness, a desire to find a place to "put" all the feelings, an inner struggle for finding footing. Zeus, our lovely Belgian Shepherd, Collie X died of a ruptured tumor on his spleen. No warnings. One day good, next day, very very bad.

Playing, romping, grumble-talking, wagging sweet boy. That was our Zeus.

Permaculture course, Kootenays, summer '09; work day

2010-01-26T23:43:00.010-07:00

S'me, crouching to look at the various veggie beds in Gregoire's permaculture garden. In the background you can see all manners of trees. Most of them are fruit or nut bearing. He has sheet mulched everything; first spreading cardboard in enough layers to suppress weeds, and in the veggie garden, topping with straw. We side-dressed a lot of his vegetables this day with compost. Lookit that lovely lavendar!

We made seed balls in the shade (phew! it was hot in August!). Masanobu Fukuoka's revolutionary farming practices can be read about in "One Straw Revolution". One of his amazing practices is to make these seed balls by rolling the seeds into balls of clay and cast them about, allowing rain to break the clay down but protecting the seed from birds in the mean time.

Casting the seed balls is exhilarating. Here, Shilough, myself and Rachel throw the seed balls into the garden area.

Permaculture course Kootenays

2010-01-26T21:26:00.006-07:00

Forest walk with Shanoon on our first field trip first day of two week permaculture course at Spiral Farm in the kootenays .

Indian Pipe. This was a nice surprise at the beginning of the trail on the property of a generous native woman's land. Great symbolism.

Sandy passes me the sweet grass.

Deep Freeze Festival 2010

2010-01-26T16:47:00.004-07:00

I LOVED this festival. The Deep Freeze Festival, at Arts on the Ave, was one of Edmonton's art scene winter festival gigs, this year's theme was Byzantine. Stayed at Sister's place (oh, how spoiled I was), set up Saturday morning and kept my stuff there overnight (unlike other markets I've been to, where set up and break down could've easily given me a break down).

These little pixie pendants, wrapped with soldered edges, were a big hit. On Friday night Sis said she could tell me the name of each of them. Saturday, a lovely lady bought one and asked that particular pixie's name. So, I packed them up and my lovely sister named each of them.

Art journal 7, texture; northern lights, Banff doodles

2010-01-25T18:33:00.006-07:00

Art is tactile! Well these pages are. Flat art is not usually about the touching. My newfound-joyful-playtime-art is all about the touching. My hands get messy with spackle, smearing it around, creating a textured substrate. Here, I create my first night scene with northern lights.

The texture under this big ol' doodle, done in Banff, is spackle, and clear gesso. I don't know why, but my clear gesso is like sandpaper. I was supposed to be sitting, all inspired-like, in my hotel room while everyone else skied. I didn't want to paint mountains. Apparently eyeballs and pretty squiggly lines were more important. Dang. Have to go back now.

Art jounal 6,

2010-01-25T08:25:00.006-07:00

Multilayered with purple ink (droplets dropped on the page and splatter-blown with a straw), acrylic paint dabbed on with crinkled paper, circle-lollypop faces and clouds that blow my kids across the page.

And then I got cheesie. Used the same ink and acrylic application, but used up some old dollar store 3-d junk I bought. At least I was thinking that the circle theme would continue on this page.

The Frog and the Sun

2010-01-24T00:22:00.005-07:00

Creating this piece made my heart sing.

My second canvas venture in mixed media. Spackle makes for a raised, textured surface. Then, alternately applying and partially washing off acrylic paint creates a unique look. The frog has a presence on land that is healthy. Whenever I hear frog song in the spring, though deafening in the night, it brings peace of mind that our land is happy.

art journal 5, adding layers

2010-01-23T22:33:00.006-07:00

Behind the curtains (sample material for curtains I wanted in the living room) stands a bird. I dunno, just a bird. There isn't much significance to this page. Just that I painted. And coloured and drew and stamped and stapled and rubbed on. The background, done in water colour crayons was inspiration for a future painting, The Frog and Sun.