Mound Therapy & Update

Planning and Coordinating a task to be done can always be tricky. After reviewing the Farmer's Almanac, the local weather, and the condition the mounds were in, we decided 1) we needed to spend some one on one time with the mounds, 2) figure out what we were going to do with the critters and 3) go back to the calendar and find a new day to plant. This past Saturday was predicted to be cold, followed by some rain and more cold weather. Although March just started, it seemed to be slipping from our fingers already.

MOUND THERAPY
Saturday we went out to the garden. The morning was cool and breezy, but we began the one on one time with our milpa (plot of land). We tilled, reshaped and pulled any lingering roots out. We laughed, caught up with each other and observed what was happening to our space, Mother Earth. As we moved the initial layer of the mound we found that the earth was moist and for me, it was much easier to shift the ground and re-sculpt what the wind, light rain and cold air has done. I started with gloves, then decided that I needed to touch the ground, feel for roots and work with what was in front of me. Using my handy mini-claw I was able to re-work the area. The sun felt so warm, and the shade cold. I realized that despite the Texas weather, Winter was soon-to-be over. Spring is set to start on March 21st, so it was interesting to see that majority of the roots I pulled were dry, and dead. I didn't see too many Grub worms and no ants, which was good!

CRITTERS!
As suspected, the culprits who have been invading the garden are some of the neighborhood strays: Possum (the dog that belongs to no one, but got nicknamed because someone thought s/he was a possum); this cute toy-sized dog, and a cat that looks like the beloved indoor cat, Cheto. Mainly, I think Possum has been relieving her/his self near the garden, plus there were some dog-like paw prints around the mounds, not to mention some unpleasant surprises in the path along the fence on the side of the house. (Yuck!) Either way, as we worked we discussed a mixture Dee heard about using cayenne, mustard and black pepper to minimize pests, little and big. In addition to that, we tried using this wire that was around the yard to create a make-shift gate and revive Panchito, the scarecrow we named the first year we did the garden.


THE PROGRESS:
Gate- The wire didn't seem too easy to work with it, and was bound by more wire. With no wire cutters, we were forced to re-think that strategy and get some other materials we could work with soon to get the gate working.
Critters- Dee was able to spend some one on one time with the mixture to keep pest away Sunday. Hopefully that will work in the mean time. We also stopped by the store and pick up some more supplies to make a large batch we can just pull from when we need to reapply the mixture over time.
Scarecrow- Panchito Jr. hehe, As I spent some time with managing the waterhose, and feeding the mounds some water after a morning/afternoon of being cared for, Dee moved around finding materials to build him.

THINGS TO DO:
- Work on a fence
- Prepare to plant! We lay seeds down in a few weeks!!
- Lay Seeds! I am excited because it turns out, while everyone is celebrating Mexika New Year, we will be laying our seeds. After thinking about that for a while tears came to my eyes. It is a beautiful thing, and I am happy to pay reverence to la madre tierra this way.

YO:

There is this phrase, that came to me that expresses how I feel with the garden:

In Lak Ech: 

Tú eres mi otro yo. Si te hago daño a ti, Me hago daño a mí mismo. 

You are my other me. If I do harm to you, I do harm to myself. 

Sí te amo y respeto, Me amo y respeto yo. 

If I love and respect you, I love and respect myself. 

Its taking care of the Earth, but taking care of myself. There is this liberating feeling that feels me when I work with the land, seeing the change, feeling connected and understanding the beginning of the cycle. I joked and said, this is what it feels like to be an original person, a Mexika, the strength and patience that is demanded from you to do what was necessary is no joke. Yet, its so amazing to experience, I found stretching helped with some of the aches and pain, but it was great. I love community, and talk about it, and being in the garden is community to me. There might not be too many people putting in the work right now, but its something that can be used as a platform to unite people.

Take a break from mainstream society and take a walk in the wilderness, tend to a plant and touch the earth. It will change you. I have had a long weekend, but definitely productive.

Peace hermano/as,
Gritona

prepping & pests

it's getting close to the time to plant our first seeds in the jardin. since clearing land, we have kept up with the yard by making observations and continuing to weed where necessary. despite wanting to have planted seeds already, we have been waiting out the chill here in Houston so seeds will go down in a good way.

the newly designated/available day for putting seed down will be March 16th, 2013. Good timing- after all...

March 12th 2013, will be the Year Ce Calli. One House / Uno Casa- Mexica New Year

Ce/Cen/Cem: Is the 1st number in the count of destinies and signifies the beginning, the origin. It also represents a unity, Ce, or a conjunction, conformed by various elements constructing a whole, like: Cemanahuac, the conception of the original universe. Cenyeliztli, the family like a life generating unit; and people ourselves are a set composed of several elements.

Calli: It is generally translated as house, in the sense of a building or construction, unlike the place where you live or serves as a dwelling that is called "chantli" in the Mexica language, Nahuatl.

Calli is what contains, protects or guards something. for example:

Acalli: act of boarding a boat
Huacalli: latticed box that contains something
Teocalli: where the knowledge is stored
Xicalli: Jícara, container that is used to hold something in their center.

In the indigenous thinking, calli is where each one should try to know oneself inwardly, ourselves are the containers of our own essence, which we are solely responsible for.

The Cincalco is another name of Tamoachan or Temoanchan, it is the place of the original house, the great womb of Mother Earth, that with the water (the sacred and vital liquid) gives birth to all beings and gives them livelihood.

-Translated from Calendario Mexicano, Maestro Arturo Meza Gutierrez





So, with that energy we will be set for March 16th to put seed down. A little copal, sweet grass, lavanda, y sage will move all things accordingly and it will be a good day!

My sister and I are looking for ways to make the jardin more 'open', inviting, and nice to inhabit even when we are not working in the jardin. have a few ideas i'll share more about later.

In other news:

/looks like the biggest pest this year will be .......drum roll please:
.......................
..............
..........
..............

stray dogs

i researched natural ways to get rid of the strays and decided to implement 3:
- investing in a gate/partition from my sisters yard next door
- a new scarecrow - Panchito Revisited
- a dry mix of cayanne pepper, black ground pepper, dry mustard powder, and coffee grounds (which ants also hate). i mixed these ingredients today and waited for the Sun to be high to go out and spread this blend around. after placing it around where the dogs get through, along side the house, and other places i've seen them hanging out, i hid when i saw one dog in my sisters yard and watched to see if my blend would work. interestingly, the dog trotted over to the gate opening- sniffed around- and then ran back to the front of the house, not passing the lines where i had laid down my mix.
of course the only down side to this is that when it rains or is particularly windy, the mix will have to be reapplied where necessary. it's good though- that there are NO ANTS in the garden space- our biggest pest of the past. i still threw down some dry grits alongside some spots of grounds for the ants that might pop up.


please advise

We bought tomato seeds and are debating on whether to grow them in pots or to designate a part of the garden and set up poles. thoughts?

Happily Sore

This past weekend has been on my calendar for weeks. I have patiently awaited and thought of what my feelings would be like after we had the chance to get back in the garden and use the space again (thank you Deecolonize).

Friday I awaited for word of our hermano coming to town to help us on this mission we have made for ourselves. My sisters and I giggled and waited chatting the evening away, while these emotions of excitement were rolling inside of me. As predicted, once our hermano came we spent the hours of the night talking and vibing with each other. I listened intently to the knowledge in the room, and the jokes being made, and it made me feel good to be surrounded by other conscious people. We talked about health, the garden, materials to learn, made plans to exchange other information, and spoke of the past the "good ol'days".

We were going to turn the ground, change what life had sprouted since the last occasion and prepare the space for our bigger plans: a milpa of the three sisters (corn, bean and squash) and a few other foods. We made plans to do what we have manifested for so long- becoming self-sufficient.

Saturday we gathered for breakfast, my sister prepared migas (sin huevo) with cebollitas, tomate, chile and aguacate along with some tasty fruits for us so we can have a hearty breakfast before we began. There was an overcast in the air, no direct sunlight, but it was pleasant to work in. The three of us got started. Just three. We were like the three sisters, only the los tres hermanos working side by side, doing what was necessary to be done.

We passed the time joking and catching up with each other's lives. The energy was good, and flowed naturally as we worked.

The morning we spent working to "clean the area" and turn the ground, and begin to till the land.

Family and friends floated in and out throughout the day sharing either their experiences, awe or memories of farming. That was cool, we even got some of Nessa's TopCake Cupcakes (an up and coming business out of the barrio).



Meanwhile, we discovered a wide arrange of WORMS! (ewww, YUCK!!)

Grub worms: are not not good for the garden. They are usually found in grass, and signs of them usually reflects the yellowing/browning of grass.(Grub worm right)

We were curious about "Rolly Pollys", I did a little research and found out that, they are NOT good for young plants, because they like to eat them, as well as vegetation that is dying. Once a plant matures, these small pests are no longer appealed. Some solutions involve: beer, chicken grit, grits, banana+boric acid. I am still researching methods and will report soon. (pic below)

Needless to say, as most of us learned as children, Earthworms fertilize the soil to help make plants and crops healthy.

We had the chance to learn more about the decolonizing of Yolquiahuitl, and how he has come to where he is in life, as well as the significance of his name. We hand an awesome lunch and time to joke around some more.

After lunch we formed the rows of the garden, and I won't lie, towards the end we kept sitting down and the aches and pains were starting to show themselves. BUT we went onward, and when we finished the sun was gone, the dark settled in and a tear fell. We had done it and it was amazing.

This morning I woke up sore, but very happy. Yesterday, we began the chapter of a new lifestyle and I can't wait to see it.

Thank You to Yolquiahuitl, with your faith in us and willingless to lend a helping hand to be our talachero, we were able to begin. I wanted to tell you that you are a breath of fresh air and help generate the thoughts, emotions and hearts of original people in all of us. You are living up to your name, and I am thankful for all that you share. I await your return and look forward to celebrating the harvest with you.

Peace and Love, Gritona

Mujer Energia

On Friday, June 11th- Those who could, came together to create more progress in the jardin - adjusting the rows that had been started… interesting thing was- only women came. 3 mujeres took tool to soil and carved out 7 tilled rows & 2 untilled- & a back walkway for easy access to composting materials. The work was difficult and each of us had to stop a few times and drink water, trade tools, readjust ourselves.
 

The great thing was that we all knew what had to be done clearly and moved forward from there. We conversed and caught up on 'sister time', but still took time to ourselves and quietly took notice of the Earth, the amazing soil, the wind, birds, and treasures the ground still had to share  with us.

It was good female energy & I believe it's left a balanced and steady calm over the jardin..esp because the men had first taken on the endeavor.

We finished just as the Sun began to cast nightly shadows on everything.. And we saw our silhouettes standing strong against the red casita that separates our plots. 

Paz.

Carving Space

I wrote this 6/6/10- the day after we first went out to the jardin- to my fellow garden workers. i humbly share pieces with you:

It felt so good to be out in the garden again. I think that the time the jardin had 'off' (not being used and covered with grass/leaves/etc) helped it survive over the extremely crazy winter we went through here in Houston. My home lost cactus and aloe vera plants to the freeze that we had enjoyed for many years- it was cold!
Anyway, I think the soil looked great once we were done uncovering both areas.
The heat now is what is immense. Thank you Jess & Mate for bringing water to share, Amber for the Gatorade, and Myra for the PB & J Sandwiches. Coming together and sharing what we have with full knowledge that it will be reciprocated ~ but with little care if it will be, is part of what communal working is about. We want to be there, we want to grow, we know what's to be done to make it happen- and that, to me, is a huge part of what drives the work and the onda of the jardin. The details of that- we leave to conversations in the jardin.

Please lets keep in mind that the Sun is heavy now & that has the potential to create sunburn, excess sweating, headaches, wetness, discomfort, dehydration, and thus, frustration. The beautiful thing about this is that it can all be prevented by taking proper precautions while we are working. You know your body better than anyone, so work with this in mind.

Another thing I thought to share is the fact that most of the people involved are conscious, revolutionary thinkers. We are most definitely all people that know that the energy we exhibit is the energy that will exist in all the things we are manifesting constantly (every day, hour, min, second) - on several levels at once. Everything we feel & do in the garden is felt by Tonantzin/ Mother Earth. Of course, because we have our hands in her.

We maintained this ideology & onda (feeling/mood) in the Jardin great last year- It's an amazing thing and I know we all felt it again when we saw the soil. When I picked weeds and broke apart land, it wasn't just so that we could plant food, it was also because as I physically did those things, I was mentally breaking down to rebuild, giving action to the words that I use & the things that I discuss, working on social living/relationships with friends I trust with mySelf, partaking in creating balance in the Universe, and creating a space for people of color that does not rely on 'the powers that be' to decide whether I can eat, coexist, and live.

All of these thoughts came to me while we worked and when I came back in the afternoon to the plots to reflect.
I'm excited about the next phases and cannot wait to see the maize standing tall again soon!


Peace y Tiahui!!

Dirt in my fingernails..

This past Saturday was the very first day I worked in the Jardin since last summer. It has been a long time, lots of things have changed in the yarda and in life for all of us. Having the opportunity to work in the garden is beyond words for me at this point. There is a beautiful vibe that was created through last year's trial and error experiences, I hope that we can keep the onda of the jardin that way this year and move forward from Saturday into what we plan on being a Jardin of love, commitment y comunidad.

Dreaming of A Green Christmas & An Even Greener New Year!

Houston weather has been cold and rainy these past few weeks. It's made it hard for me to even want to step outside, preferring the warm glow of the Sun to the harsh stabs of the cold- at times freezing temperatures.
Yet, this past weekend, I peered out of my back windows at home and looked out to the plot of land that we used to plant the corn just a few months back and it took me to that sunny and growing time. More importantly, it got me thinking about the things that will grow out of the land once the weather is better and we can all gather together again to make growth happen- all in the spirit of self-sustainability & green goodness!

Also, came across this article about staying Green during the Holidays! Enjoy!

http://www.39online.com/lifestyle/green/sns-health-holiday-eco-friendly-green,0,5057134.story

Dreaming of a Green Holiday?

If so, try these 10 eco-friendly suggestions brought to you

by Mother Nature.
Jim Williams HealthKey.com contributor

December 2009-

"Ring, ring...Mother Nature calling, can you cut me some slack this holiday season?"

Certainly, the holidays are celebration of family and friends, a festive time filled with gift giving, decorating, tree trimming and sparkling lights. But not so much fun for the environment.

Trashing the Holidays

Americans generate 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day than any other time of the year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The food waste, the ribbons and bows, the paper, boxes and shopping bags, all add up to an extra million tons of waste each week for five weeks.

Strange as it might sound, the holiday season is the perfect time to reduce, reuse and recycle. Here are 10 ways to be celebrate a 'green' holiday season:

1. Start a "living tradition" in your family and purchase a live Christmas tree, which you can replant after the holidays. Your local nursery will be able to suggest which kind of tree is best for replanting, as well as how to acclimate your tree from outdoors to indoors.

2. If you by a pre-cut tree, be sure to recycle it after the holidays. Call the maintenance department in your city or local recycling center for instructions.

3. Cut up and use your old holiday greetings cards for gift tags next year, or kids' craft projects. If you don't choose to reuse them, be sure to recycle the cards with mixed paper and magazines.

4. Consider not sending greeting cards at all and let your fingers do the "talking." There are great many Web sites that offer free e-cards. Oh, the trees we would save!

5. Save energy by using LED lights. LED are 90 percent more efficient than traditional lights. If people replaced their normal Christmas lights with LEDs, we'd save at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a month. That's enough energy to power 200,000 homes for a year. If everyone switched, it would amount to an incredible amount of energy savings. Also, there are many different lighting options that are more environment-friendly, including solar powered lights.

6. Use rechargeable batteries. There's a USBCELL available that recharges by plugging into your computer. Standard rechargeable batteries are also a good choice.

7. Use newspaper, old gift bags, comics and magazines for wrapping paper. They also work for padding more delicate items and recycle paper at the same time.

8. If you have your mind set on using holiday-themed wrapping paper, try to use post-consumer and chlorine-free recycled paper.

9. Buy handmade items with less packaging such as a sweaters, stuffed toys, wooden toys, puzzles, furniture, etc.

10. Consider gifts of time such as volunteering, gift certificates for favors such as helping a friend with childcare. Or make your own gift certificates that give someone a free hour of babysitting, a free dinner, house cleaning, etc.