...Hey there. Life continues apace here; today I did a bunch of top-wire along the deer-fence, which is SOOOO close to being finished. Eden and I are pretty close to transplanting all of our flower starts; we've given up on making garden beds and are just transplanting straight into the ground for the rest of the season, as we just don't have time. We're also due to meet and talk about our project together, both all the little tasks we have going now and our future for next year. Growing flowers has been great for us, as a way of focusing and motivating ourselves. But the main thing we're interested in is in growing/wildcrafting medicinal herbs. There are so many forms it could take, and we just have to sit down and pick a few directions to start with.

As the fossil fuel economy falls apart, and people aren't going to be able to afford or otherwise have access to pharmaceutical medicine, what are the really useful plants to offer to folks? Some herbs have been overly wildcrafted (harvested from the wild), to the point where the plants are now endangered. So we definitely have interest in growing those, as well as growing herbs that suit our climate. And then there's the whole wildcrafting side of things, which I'm probably the most interested in. I'd like to learn how to identify and harvest both herbs and edible plants, and I've really been enjoying going on walks around the land, taking in the different plants. The wildflowers are all out now, and it's pretty gorgeous.

I spent some time at a party at Trillium Farm nearby here, and met a guy who makes wildcrafted wines with his partner. The idea of making things -- wines, ciders, tinctures, salves, etc. -- with the plants that grow around here is exciting. The byproduct of that work is that I would get a much more intimate view of the place I live in -- not just the land I live on, but many of the neighboring places around here. I'd get to know which plants are where, and when they flower; and I'd get to be out in beauty alot. The Siskiyou mountain range that I'm in is the most ecologically diverse mountain range in the country, so there's lots to explore.

....It's been raining part of almost every day for a week now, after blistering heat. The weather's been warming up though, and today was great -- overcast, but very comforting for working. I've had my clothes out on the line for days now, waiting for the wet period to be over, and I finally went to check them out, only to find out they were totally dry.

....I received a wonderful book of haiku written by a friend from Zen Center, and I've taken to bringing along a little bit of paper and a pen around with me, in case the muse strikes me, but so far I've completely forgotten about it.

That's the newz. Please comment if you'd like.

Peace, Danny