My continuation of Sharon Astyk’s now-completed “Independence Days” project (June-Aug 2022), which offered a framework for recognising how we’re building resiliency, community, and accountability that will make our lives better now and in the future. Many of Sharon’s categories are (or could be) related to gardening, so it seems to fit here on this blog. Equally, none of them has to do with gardening. They’re all multifaceted.
- Plant something: plant, start something
Husband removed snow tires from cars on Thursday and Friday, another sign of the start of not-winter. And the little antique car passed inspection on Tuesday. Also: Local brewery began hosting beer gardens again on Saturday (a beautiful day) and we attended.
No new plants or seeds planted this week. We got almost 4 inches of rain, so not much gardening of any sort done.
- Harvest something: harvest, forage or glean
Nothing. But the chives are ready!
- Preserve something: food or local community resource
Preserved local resources: Ate at local bakery Wed (inside) and Sunday (outside). Attended local beer garden Saturday. Bought items at local farmstand Friday, and bought flower arrangements for friends’ birthdays from local florist on Friday as well. Bought pizza and salad from local pizza place on Saturday.
Preserved sanity: Walked around the lake on Saturday and at the bog on Sunday. Also walked in town on Sunday and Wednesday.
- Waste Not: reduce waste, reuse, salvage, repair, give away to an actual person
Used old (expired) ingredients in a casserole on Wed. Husband patched another pair of his jeans and he mended a frayed bath towel.
- Want Not: food and emergency supplies, increase economic security, reorganize to use/waste less
Husband spent hours Mon. and Tues. on phone with phone and wireless carriers trying to sort out service for an older cell phone, one he could carry with him while doing fishing, kayaking, doing yard work (so the newer one wouldn’t be lost or broken). Still in progress. Sigh.
- Eating The Food: shop the pantry, new recipes, creative use of leftovers, help feed others
Made a creamed spinach, tortellini, cheese, soy crumbles, pasta sauce casserole on Tuesday that I hadn’t made in a year or so. I had to make the creamed spinach myself since none of the groceries within 45 minutes sells creamed spinach anymore. We had leftovers on Monday, Wed., Friday, and Sunday.
- Caregiving/Mutual Aid: contribute to community support systems, volunteer, mutual aid, advocate
Nothing.
- Skill up: particularly if they help us get along, grow, make our new reality better
Nothing.
- Tend & Maintain: cleaning stuff, replacing supplies, car or bike maintenance, stuff to prevent failure/breaking/hassle down the line
Got biopsy results (benign) from dermatologist on Friday. Watered houseplants on Tuesday (something I remember to do about every 3 weeks). Vacuumed on Thursday. Husband cleaned the air purifier’s filter on Monday.
- Winter is coming: making our relationships, family life, home, community, immediate surroundings, jobs better for a long and hard upcoming year or few years
Lots of social interaction this week, and lots of birthdays.
Had “elevenses” at a friend’s on Monday morning, lovely way to start the week.
Chatted with friend/neighbour on Wed., Thurs, and Friday. Chatted with another friend/neighbour on Sunday.
Send a friend an online birthday card on Thursday, and another friend a birthday card via mail on Friday.
Celebrated two birthdays in my in-person (hybrid) Salon group on Friday with homemade gluten-free cheesecake (delicious; not made by me), cards, gifts, and flowers, and since a few members of a yoga group one of the birthday celebrants belongs to were invited, I met two new people and was reacquainted with another, all of whom I liked.
Permaculture met on Thursday (Zoom) and we added a new member who seems like a good fit.
The killdeer is back!
