August 2004 Journal Entry
By D’Coda
Rather than a yearly update, we’ll be offering a monthly journal section. Our intent is not only to provide an “update” on what’s going on with the community, but to make ourselves better known as people, to share whatever may have caught our fancy over the month. There may be book recommendations, products we’ve tried and like, recipes, poems, anecdotes, the range is unlimited.
We are also starting a new website to encourage other communities to journal their living experiences and collect their entries together on one site. Thus, we hope to do our part in unifying the intentional community movement and stimulate getting to know each other. This new site isn’t up yet and will be announced.
VOL now has a pod (a sub-community) called Metta Lodge, it too is just getting started. It’s website is under construction and can be found at http://www.philosopherfarmercolony.org . Metta Lodge is a Buddhist pod intended for practicing Buddhists. We envision a group residence for about four Buddhists and accommodations for retreat visitors.
In May, David contributed (and hiked in) a solar powered laptop. Now, Valley residents will have access to email even though we aren’t yet on-line. The process is to download emails in town and mail them by post to the Valley. So, there will be lag time in responding to emails of anywhere from 2-4 weeks. We do plan on installing sat-link for on-line capabilities.
This is a big help in communications between resident and non-resident members. We’re finally able to have the necessary group discussions and are currently revising our by-laws and other community agreements. As I write, our focus is on our membership policy. We are adding a new category, the supporting member. This will give folks who aren’t ready yet to become provisional members access to the community, including a vacation in the forest, free herb classes, free seeds and other services we can provide those who are willing and able to assist us in developing this community. It’s still on the “drawing board” but we’ll fill you in as soon as we have all of the details worked out.
This has been a tough year for the garden and a good example for why we created http://www.ozarkseedexchange.com earlier this year. The worst flood since 1945 took out a large section of the garden in April. After replanting, the gardener broke a rib and wasn’t able to properly tend everything. Then, a cycle of bear crunching down fence so rabbits and deer could eat freely added to the losses. And finally, we’ve had a very cold summer and many heat lovers just wimped out. Bad for the garden, but good for spreading the message that gardeners need to help each other. Seed losses will be reflected on our seed exchange website with a new “obituary” seed list to demonstrate how unforeseen events can wipe out rare and valuable seeds. When several gardeners work together on seed saving and keep a common seed bank, no one gardener need fear this kind of set back…in terms of saving seed anyway.
Even so, this garden is set up to provide food and medicine no matter what happens. There are a lot of rugged food crops that can take a beating and still produce, they have free rein and will make even a disaster year productive. Things like potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, gobo, mustard and turnip greens, amaranth, lamb’s quarters, a number of herbs…simply cannot be stopped.
Lots of animal adventures so far this year. Our beautiful dog, Chewie disappeared for a month and was feared dead. But he returned with his puppy. Yes, that’s right HIS puppy. A 6 month old (gasp) female we’ve named Anu. She was terrified of humans, obviously seriously abused and abandoned but is now a healthy and happy animal.
But that’s not all. Along with the pup came a bear (and I’ve recently discovered, a cat). The bear insisted on joining our happy little family and it took weeks of full time bear training to persuade her to follow the rule of “No Bears In The Yard”. I had the opportunity to try out a number of methods including my own version of “shock and awe” involving acting like a ferocious animal with an air horn and an assortment of roars and growls and cougar calls. Sprinkling cayenne pepper over the barrels of guinea food she was trying to get into. Never got as far as the plastic bag filled with ammonia and covered with olive oil…she seems to have learned to stay out of the yard. I did get some photos of her which will be posted once they’re developed.
A coyote raid on the guinea pen has taken us down to only 3 (male) birds. Mojo, my dearest hand raised bird was among the survivors.
Perhaps the most unusual part of the summer is how cold it is. Instead of the sweltering common to mid-August…I needed to wear a sweater at noon on August 13. And nights have gotten down to 39 degrees, but averaging between 50-60. Days are cool. We’re also still getting a lot of rain, which usually doesn’t happen, in the late summer.
