Drought and lesser losses...

For hoarder types like me, drought poses certain dilemmas beyond water bills and plant loss. Not that I'm the typical garden-variety hoarder with boxes lining the hallways. I am more of a metaphysical/ mental hoarder. I can't let go of thoughts; never fully rejecting (or accepting) any idea or ideology (which makes me a poor target for conversion by priests, politicians or advertisers)... So when drought strikes, like it has in Texas for the 2011 growing season(s), the mental, physical and emotional gap between 'let it all go' and 'dig deeper' leaves very little room for middle ground or balanced decisions.

I recently turned up a photo from earlier in the summer, taken at a friend's urban wildflower garden - about 1 month into the worst of this year's drought - right as mother nature was starting to show us all what 'lack' really means...

We urban and suburban homesteaders hardly suffered as much as many fellow Texas did this year. At our place, we didn't lose anything to wildfire, nor did we see our animals auctioned off at low prices because we couldn't afford to import hay. We did however lose a good deal of the orchard, and many new additions to the garden that were added this past spring. During the worst of it, I had my head down and faced the storm - dragging drip lines around hour after hour, a flock of chickens in my wake, and despite near constant water application to both plants and animals, we buried a few of our beloved birds. After the rain returned, we saw invasive pasture grass come up in beds over night where we have fought for years to eradicate it...

In the moment, none of that bothered me, and 'dig in' meant spending more than what was reasonable on water when it may have been best to replace some less tolerant plant varieties. But now, it seems to mean 'let it all go', as I look helplessly at dead trees and beds overflowing with cursed bermuda grass... Neither is an appropriate path...

This photo gives me hope -that there are answers, success stories, and options still out there. Our Bohemian Homestead may not be closer to the fully developed farm and sculpture garden we envision it to be some day, but then again, we didn't lose everything and we are quite blessed to still be experiencing a gorgeous fall... Drought, after all, is one end of a scale of measurement; much like the scale the stretches between 'keep digging endlessly deeper' and 'let it all go'. And as surprising as it was to be blindsided by the relentless heat and lack of rain, it is equally surprising to be surprised at all: extremes DO happen.

As challenging as it is for an idea hoarder to do, I have had to overcome the desire to hang onto what I think my garden and homestead SHOULD be. As willing as I am to accept 'messy', 'weedy', and 'unfinished', I never imagined working 'completely different design' or 'reinvented land use' into my mindset. Change is inevitable as we teeter back and forth upon multiple scales of life's measuring sticks - sometimes balanced, and other times tumbling toward one extreme or another... Regaining balance as we look toward the 2012 season means more rain barrels, more wildflowers, certainly more grasses, more soil improvement, and less fretting over the inevitable losses -particularly the loss of ideas. Ideas, after all, are easy to replace -as long as I can make room for "the new" by being willing to cull the hoard. This difficult exercise moves me closer to true bohemiana; for 'balance' and 'going with the flow' of change are central to a Way Kind Bohemian Life... Peace, love, and wildflowers!

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"Bricks and Water"

A fellow across the aisle from me on an early flight from Boston this morning was reading the front page of the Wall Street Journal's financial section as I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep. It was just 5 am in Texas after all, and I had been up for 2 hours already. I awoke as the coffee cart lumbered past. He was on the last page now; either a very thorough reader - or I slept longer than I thought. It's my policy to avoid eye contact with any news media - thus preserving my will to live - but ya' can't really help what is in your line of sight as you open your eyes from the depths of a coma-like nap.

"BRICKS AND WATER": this is what the headline read. Under it was a line graph; the sort we are all used to seeing when we are presented with a daily, weekly (insert time here) stock report. Up and down. Some wild lurches and dives. Mountain ranges. Valleys and peaks. An ECG. Not being a financial person, I raised an eyebrow at the 'Bricks and Water' header. What could that MEAN? That the economy is all wet and slippery? That stocks are heavy, and are sinking into a pool of collective negative energy that we just can't seem to stop stewing in? That everything is smooth sailing with the exception of a few rocky ripples?

I don't know. And Lord help me I try not to care. Bricks and water, to me, mean garden structures. Pools. Ponds. Patios with moss growing on them. These things are REAL. Stocks and bonds, credit, debt, these things are only as real as we allow them to be. The value of gold is only what we arbitrarily assign to it. I can't imagine that a 100 dollar bill has much more nutritional value that a 1 dollar bill, or that it lights a fire better because of those two extra zeros. Yet we allow ourselves to get all worked up over these unreal things in life, to the point where they destroy our health, our happiness, our relationships; that little ECG on the stock report each evening is probably the cause of more ECG's in the emergency room...

I hope that whatever 'Bricks and Water' might mean to my suited neighbor in flight doesn't distress him too much today; it is lovely outside - sunny bright and warm. Alternately, if it is good news, I also hope that it doesn't give false hope or security in a world where our arbitrary value assignments to ideas, things, styles and brands can be very fickle. I like my investment right out there in my garden where I can see it, smell it, and eat its dividends. 'Bricks and Water'. It may be a good week to start building a new path:)

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Spring Greens (and lessons in 'letting go'...)

As spring warms and gradually turns to the deeper greens and brighter sun of summer, the salad vegetables, too, become a memory of cooler, more refreshing days. Pictured here are the last of the spring salad ingredients: lettuce, spinach, green onions and strawberries.

The onion plants remain in the ground to form summer bulbs of course, but soon their tender tops will be too strong tasting for salads. The lettuce and spinach are bolting, going to seed, and becoming bitter. I have left them in the ground as well: to shade the berry plants through the hot summer and perhaps reseed themselves. A garden is an investment in HOPE afterall...

I am always saddened a bit by change; this time, dreading the end to my cool evening harvests with glasses of wine full of strawberries.

The happy discovery of basil plants - volunteers from last years plants that went to seed - amidst the greens and cover crops help me though... Soon it will be tomatoes and basil, fresh salsa from onions and peppers, and hot summer fun:) And hope, always hope, of more volunteers next year.

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Running for all the Wrong Reasons - a guest blog on Elizathon.com

It isn't every day I would put a photo of myself in a swimsuit 'out there' for the world to see! Like many American girls, I grew up with a list of insecurities regarding body image, being 'thin', and looking like the glossy images I saw in magazines... so brace yourself, here it is...gulp. Ok, so maybe I will put it at the bottom of the post, just so you have time to change your minds:)

Not too bad for 43 I guess...and only willing to let dear friend Heather snap the shot a few weeks back while we were sunning, funning, wine-ing and dining in the garden because of, well, the wine-ing part of the afternoon.


How many women (and men) around the world spend endless and unsatisfying hours at the gym or on the track or in front of a fitness video? I used to be one of them; logging mile after mile with a head full of self judgement. This is my topic for a guest blog on Elizathon.com, a blog for "real-world" runners who are out there for the RIGHT reasons: a joy for self expression through physical activity. I love Elizathon for its approach to running, Elizabeth sees running the way I see gardening: as something 'real people' can achieve!

It wasn't until I found gardening that 'exercise' became tolerable for me. I can spend hours sweating, lifting, moving, digging, bending and stretching without a second thought or moment of self-consciousness: the way it was meant to be!

Which leads to a new topic: just how much exercise IS gardening? I bet there is a website out there with a calorie counter to log various garden chores... But I gave up counting calories about the same time I gave up the gym membership and started gardening... :)

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Edible and Medicinal Plant Database (the best!)

"There are over 20,000 species of edible plants in the world yet fewer than 20 species now provide 90% of our food. However, there are hundreds of less well known edible plants from all around the world which are both delicious and nutritious." - Plants For A Future database website...

Last week I wrote a quick post about the tonifying and nutritional value of the three most common 'weeds' found in my North Texas garden: dandelion, henbit and chickweed. Primrose, pictured here, is another 'weed' in our Texas lawns, but because it is pretty, most folks tolerate this medicinal gem known for soothing PMS and the physiological signs of menopause.

While searching for answers to the edible and medicinal qualities of some of my "less attractive" weeds (yes, looking for the positive in everything!) I came across this most amazing database:

Plants For A Future: 7000 Edible and Medicinal Plants

(click above for link)

This comprehensive database offers an easy to use system which allows users to type in any plant name (or part of a name!), then pulls up a guide to the plant suggesting its edible value, medicinal value, growth requirements and even design ideas!! The site also offers references, a forum and a blog.

Part of a complete Homesteading effort includes using the resources Mother nature has gifted us with- which certainly includes the wild plants common to our areas. Developing an appreciation for these 'weeds' makes them much more tolerable in our landscapes, and much less work and worry for us as gardeners!! Please enjoy and share this wonderful resource gifted to us through a charitable organization to support the work of Ken and Addy Fern! Blessings:)

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Eat This Law: Home Owners Associations vs. Homestead Efforts

Home Owner's Associations can set rules to prevent the house-next-door from growing a sofa on the porch and help protect your investment,,, but what happens when the regulations work against your backyard homestead visions?

We have a friend who owns a small, family pizza place here in our little country town. They don't deliver, but we like their hand made crusts and the fact that they use local, seasonal vegetables in their dishes as often as possible. When we have extra peppers, tomatoes, basil or other garden goodies, it isn't unusual to work a trade: produce for pies. Good deal!

The last time we ran in for a pick up, our owner-friend asked how long it would be until our garden was underway this year. We reported all that had been planted so far, and asked if she had tried her hand at a little backyard homesteading yet. She HAD, in fact, tried to grow a few pepper plants last summer, but unfortunately she was fined for it! It seems that her Home Owner Association FORBIDS the growing of vegetables in their neighborhood, even in the back yard!

I do understand the value of HOA rules about upkeep, vehicles parked in driveways, junk in yards, excessive signage, and other issues that can effect the overall health and value of the neighborhood in general. After all, who would want the scene above moving in on their block? Yes, we can all agree that a fleet of non-moving vehicles beached on concrete blocks should be forbidden, and that grandma shouldn't hang her skivvies out to dry on the front porch, but to forbid a pepper plant? In the BACK YARD? It is this Homesteader's opinion that that is outrageous (and not very Earth Friendly, either!!)

So let's talk about HOMESTEAD STYLE, Homestead Savvy, and Homestead Sophisticated!

Consider the photo to the left: rubber boots by the door, ready to go pick flowers or veggies, a basket for gathering alongside. Wonderful biodiversity, a hand crafted rustic chair, and, with door propped invitingly open, an "indoor/outdoor" lifestyle is evident.






The Front Door isn't the only part of a Homestead property that can display style of course: even the backyard vegetable garden can be sophisticated! The example in the photo (right) is admittedly extreme garden porn, but not at all unobtainable for a small urban lot...IMAGINE:)

With Spring 2011 upon us, I hope to post many more photos of vegetable gardens, herb beds, fruit trees, and yes, even chicken coops, that illustrate the possibilities of stylish backyard homesteads,,,designed with even the most discerning HOA in mind! Ranging from simple to elaborate, urban and suburban gardens can be wonderful, green neighborhood additions. If you happen to live in a community with strict rules about vegetable production, consider printing a few pictures for the next Home Owner's meeting, and perhaps inspire some neighbors to get growing! More ideas? Link HERE..

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The Bohemian Homestead: A House. A Home. A Homestead

We all know the difference between a house and a home. A house is but a mere structure, a place to hang one's hat, a roof over our head; but a HOME, ah, a home is where the heart is, it is shelter from the storm, and where we long to be when we are away. When a "house" becomes a "home", it is because we are more emotionally invested in it, having banked love, memories, and a sense of place.

I have come to discover that the distance between 'home' and 'HOMESTEAD' is just as great; although the words to describe the additional investment required to transform a mere home into a homestead still escape me. "Permanence" comes to mind, as does "connectedness". After all, one doesn't start homesteading a piece of real estate they intend to leave someday (at least without a plan and a container garden), because the roots of a homestead run deep. Of course, the very word 'homestead' automatically implies growing things and an investment in the land one's "home" sits upon, even if it is a tiny suburban lot, or a condominium courtyard, or just a windowsill; when we homestead, we literally DO lay down roots. And with roots, our investment begins to yield returns - our plants feed us, our animals nurture us, our kitchens become havens of health and wellness, we require fewer resources from 'the outside world', and we generate fewer wastes in exchange. We act more 'sustainably', yet become more sustained.

If a 'home' is a state of mind, then a 'homestead' is a condition of the heart. I can't recall the exact moment my home became our homestead. Thankfully, there are no minimum requirements to meet, or any conditional checklists that must be satisfied. It does seem, though, that the common denominators uniting backyard homesteads and their enthusiasts are:

*Gardening, producing a share of one's own food
*Composting as much as possible
*Collecting, storing, and reusing rainwater
*Experimenting with alternative energy
*Investing in biodiversity
*Integrating small animals into land management plans: milk, eggs and honey
*Implementing organic practices
*Learning food preservation techniques
*Eating well, using nutrition first in our healthcare practices, using medicinal herbs
*Working and sharing food and resources with our neighbors and communities

Sound complicated? It really isn't - because creating a homestead is less about what we DO than how we FEEL. At our Bohemian Homestead, my husband, Eddie, and I started simply with a small herb garden and just forgot to stop...Slowly, quite accidentally and without warning, the home evolved into a place we felt utterly connected to: complete with kids and chickens, weeds and crops, and - in keeping with our personal vision of paradise - crazy, large scale sculptures interspersed among the gardens. It is a homestead because mundane activities like taking out the compost and feeding the birds have become sacred, and because, despite all American pressures to 'be mobile', to 'move upward', we have decided that THIS is the place. ...and it sure feels GOOD:)

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Musings: On Garden Snobs and Dope Growers

This link comes from one of my favorite garden blogs: GardenRant. I am in such awe of what the gals at GardenRant produce I almost didn't share it for fear of looking like a rank amateur against their impressive background. But they are just too awesome to hoard. In particular, I love their honest, quick-and-dirty approach to gardening.

This post, by a guest 'ranter', addresses Garden Snobbery from the interesting point of view of a marijuana grower who couldn't get his book published because he 'wasn't a REAL gardener'. Um, untrue. There are many illegal applications of horticulture, and growing dope is just one of them (and hardly the most profitable: ever bought a geranium plant without a tag in it? chances it was illegally propagated!)

This paragraph is what really hit home:


"In the gardening world, many times there is an elitism that is sort of inherent in the plants and kind of garden a gardener grows. Those that don’t know the latin names of every plant turn their nose up at those that do. Those that like fancy flower gardens with a feng shui design, look down at those who garden in more of a disorderly kung fu design. Vegetable gardeners think their gardens are better than flower gardeners. Container gardeners choose the beauty and art of the container over growing in soil. And vice versa in many of those examples."


'...disorderly kung fu design' ... snort... I never knew there was a term for my garden style...


You don't have to have an opinion about marijuana cultivation to get the point here: people like to sound like know-it-alls and gardeners are no exception. In fact, outside of the world of wine snobs, gardeners are the biggest bunch of horn-tooters I know. How can we possible encourage others to join in the garden-game if we can't answer a question without being preachy and self-righteous? Quick story: I dropped out of the local organic gardening club the same night I joined because one of the horn-tooter types lectured me for a half hour on "what was WRONG WITH ME because I wasn't a pacifist and didn't I know fire ants were part of the freakin' ecosystem (duh)", all because I had the audacity to ask about a good organic control for the vicious little devils.


Moral of the story: if we want to actively help Guard'n the Planet, and bring others into the fold, drop the big words and attachments to what "REAL GARDENING" means.

To read the full rant, click on this link to GardenRant. And try not to love it too much:)

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Edible Estates

Ok, so it isn't the most easily navigated website, but once you get used to the little pull down tabs the garden eye-candy and amazing urban/suburban landscape transformations are worth it~


A wonderful initiative with an accompanying book.
Bueno, we likey! Way to help Guard'n the Planet! Click here for link to Edible Estates

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Why People DON'T Garden, and how to change their minds

To garden is to use the Earth as a canvas on which we create beautiful and sustainable works of art. Garden time is play time. Garden time is meditation time. Garden time is exercise time, 'me' time, couples time, or family time. We all know the many benefits of digging in the dirt - physical, health and nutrition, environmental, financial and emotional - it is why we are here after all: to learn more about gardens, backyard homesteading, and how to share our passion with others. Some folks are tough recruits though; no matter how much they love the IDEA of gardening, it is just too overwhelming an enterprise for them to actually actually DO.

I have been reviewing websites for good information about 'gardening' and 'homesteading' basics. Because organic gardening and composting tend to form the 'core' of backyard homesteading, these subjects have been the focus of my search. There are some awesome sites out there to be sure, but for the most part it seems like gardening and composting are being presented as 'science' rather than 'art'. Certainly there is a science to gardening: we need to know what plants will survive in our areas, which insects are harmful vs. our garden allies, and how to judge the health of our soil. But there is NOT A BOOK OR WEBSITE IN THE WORLD that can explain gardening like EXPERIENCE. And if our non-gardening wannabe-greener friends are overwhelmed by facts, figures, charts, the periodic table of elements, and carbon to nitrogen ratios, they may indeed never try.

People DON'T GARDEN when they feel:

- overwhelmed by science and what 'they don't already know'

- intimidated by glossy magazines featuring perfect, weed free, professional gardens

- as if they have a "black thumb" because some (or many) plants have died in the past

- they don't feel a connection to their home, and are afraid to 'invest' in putting down roots

LEAD BY EXAMPLE (and change someone's opinion without words):

*Share your joy, passion, and of course, your harvest!

*Invite people to your garden or homestead, even if it isn't 'perfect' at the moment (especially if it isn't perfect at the moment!)
*Offer to help someone with plant selection or starting their first bed.

*Share your failures with a light heart

*Answer questions with a smile:)

Travel forth and spread the vibes, and help others get growing!
Photo above is from "edible estates", a delightful movement...click here for link to Edible Estates.

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