Only a mom of young children could get away with posting New Year resolutions in May right? Here is my more traditional list of resolutions. I did complete the actual Annual Review in late December and keep that in my paper notebook. For online reference I prefer this kind of list though. So in no particular order:
1) I will put more effort into my overall appearance and self-care. A variety of factors play into this. Clothing-wise this idea began when I came across A Year in Skirts. I found her experiment intriguing, but not really practical for me as I don’t drive a car and do more yardwork than the average woman. Then winter rolled around and I was able to bring my too-hot-for-summer Enwrapture skirt out of the closet. I realized this skirt was actually warmer than any of the pants I owned. Then I happened across several (thank you universe) blog posts that also shared that skirts actually tend to be warmer than pants. Sold!
So I began scouring thrift shops for layered or wool skirts. Around this time my mother also gave me money for “Not from a thrift store!” clothes. She said that I let myself go since having Lily>.< Oh well, so that should help this NY resolutions anyway!
In my actual Annual Review I also include such things as yoga, abhyanga, hair care routine, removing my wisdom teeth and amalgams, and oil pulling, but I'll go into those later as I implement them over the year. I guess I'm focusing on the clothes first as that is easiest to change.
2) I will create a more structured home therapy for Jing. Long story short I am burnt out from overpriced, inadequate speech therapists. I am going to give us a break this year and try out some homegrown ideas. I will still have her re-evaluated in summer through the awesome FREE public school service. I think it’s important we have a yearly report of her progress and hopefully within a couple years she will have rounded out with her peers.
3) I will complete at least one of the Gnowfglin’s e-courses. I have been doing Traditional Foods for… um at least five years (I am horrible with remembering these kinds of things)? Which is actually much longer than most TF bloggers. Wardeh has been doing this for at least ten years and is one of the few bloggers whom I actually feel overwhelmed by their TF technique. Because of her experience her course is the only one I recommend. Anyway on another note a friend mentioned having a buddy to bounce off of makes the e-courses easier to complete so maybe I will ask around.
EDIT: Not sure how, but I forgot about Kerry Ann and her Cooking Traditional Foods. I think because she only recently began offering e-courses. She has also been doing TF for over a decade. I have not personally sampled any of her e-courses though.
4) I am going to create a homemaking binder. It’s a thought that’s been floating around my head for awhile and I’ve decided to take the plunge this year. It seems the sensible way to get on top of my menu planning, grocery shopping, cleaning schedule, decluttering, receipts, meeting notes, random important papers, and idea doodles.
5) I will create a family ritual of Nature Therapy. Two clothing swaps ago I picked up a bundle of old Mothering magazines. One of them had an article on Waldkinder. I was inspired to incorporate this idea into our family life. I was successful for a short time last year, but it fell to the wayside during the holiday season. I hope to turn this into a greater community idea down the line, but let me at least get my family into it:)
6) I WILL get out of the house more hahaha! Do you feel the desperation? I still struggle with my move to Mesa and the addition of a second child while choosing to not be a driver. I was quite accustomed to my 1-2 mile walking radius in Tempe and Chandler. Here in Mesa the businesses I prefer are more like 2-6 miles away. It’s too tiring and time consuming to walk at least 4 miles roundtrip. Whether I like it or not I need to transition to more bus and bike use. If you think biking in the city is intimidating, try it with kids!
7) Somehow I will build on my friendships. Why is it so difficult, for me at least, to create a meaningful friendship? Like I mentioned in the Annual Review post most of our friends moved out of state. I am quite tired of being friendless.
8) I will try my hand at container gardening. There’s a romantic appeal to plants in pretty pots and being able to arrange them as you wish on a porch. Besides Don is rather territorial of the large garden plots in the front and backyard. I am going to claim the porches then!
9) I am going to do the 52 Book Challenge and note all the books and magazines I read this year. I have always wanted to do this, but forget every year until June (what is up with that?). I am sure I easily read 52 books a year, but I’d like to know! I am including magazines because I want to develop the habit of reading Permaculture Activist, Permaculture, and Communities as Don does. These magazines are information packed with very little advertising so I feel they are worth noting on my book list.
10) I will complete one “craft” project a week. A place craft in quotes because I couldn’t think of a better word honestly. Perhaps project, but that makes it sound dreary to me. I plan to accomplish either something (fun) I’ve been putting off or perfect a new child-friendly craft to add to my class list. Mostly little odd ‘n end projects that I keep putting off because they’re not essential to daily life, but I would say they’re becoming quite essential to my personal fulfillment. A few of these “projects” I would say actually fall into the realm of re-skilling.
I could go on, but I believe this is my priority list. Plus ten is a lot to me! I think I usually chose six at the most. It’s the year of a yang dragon so I suppose ambition will pay off;)
I think I’m in a minority in that I actually enjoy making New Year’s resolutions and the process involved in fulfilling them. I used to be quite successful and simply rolled over the one or two I didn’t complete into the next year.
Then I had kids! I didn’t even bother to make any the first year or two and I believe this was appropriate. There’s more than enough self-imposed pressure that first year! Then once I returned to the habit more so than before I witnessed resolutions becoming obsolete after a few months. I didn’t like my new hobby or group activity as much as I thought I would… Or my child would change developmentally adding or knocking out a window of opportunity (no more naps!?, finally sleeping through the night!, you can walk now!?, etc). I wasn’t just juggling my desires, but my baby’s and partner’s lives as well. By the end of the year my resolution list looked radically different than what I began! Nothing wrong with that, but it certainly threw me for a loop.
Then I remember last year taking a look at Chris Guillebeau’s Annual Review and thinking, “What a good idea!” And that about sums it up – I forgot about it right after. Seeing it up pop up again I decided to do it this year. I like his list of questions and feel the format will work better for me as a mom than creating a linear list.
Here is my haphazard go at an Annual Review. My plans for 2012 will be in my next post.
What went well this year?
I got rspermacultureguild.org up! An actual website for our non-profit exists! I believe that’s a big step to have covered!
I (kinda) became more involved in the Rainbow Rhythm and local WAPF groups and in Jing’s MIS parent club.
So on a personal note I finally met new people who may become good friends. [About two years ago both Don and I experienced a mass exodus of friends to the Pacific Northwest and a few to the East. Half of these weren't even mutual friends! Then I moved into Don's home and had my second child. So I have been quite friendless for awhile:(]
Jing is much more interested in school-related learning. You know, the stuff you “have” to learn and on a timeline even!
I learned more about business building – a topic of interest. And I’m pleased that I updated Facebook well and got out a newsletter every month.
Don’s and I relationship improved compared to previous years. One specific part of this is that I better understand his concept of “clean” now. If your partner’s like mine then you get this…
I (finally, shut up) drastically improved in my ability to dress myself and the kiddos for winter weather. [Yes we live in Phoenix, Arizona and we are only talking about 60 degree weather on average shut up again]
I’m pretty sure I managed to feed and clothe the family the majority of the time.
What did not go well?
We earned less money than previous years. I feel growing RSPG is proving harder than Don thought. As a result we did not have a Fall PDC.
My grocery and cooking habits did not adjust appropriately to our change in income.
I still feel like I’m moving in even after more than a year!! I don’t know. I feel like a roommate in some ways and that this house is not my home.
I (and Don) are still struggling to find a rhythm with Jing.
I did not feel “satisfied” most of the year. This is definitely new for me. I did not do enough “refilling” if you get my drift. There was too much take, take, take in my everyday life and not enough giving back to myself.
Part of the above stems from not accomplishing much with the blog or reading other people’s blogs. Writing and reading are important pastimes for me and I suffer when I neglect them. In general I did not write or read enough.
I was way too disorganized even by my realistic standards for myself. I just “got by” and didn’t care otherwise. Probably because…
I was feeling pulled in too many directions! Dear Lord how many hats can one person wear? I do not want to be this busy in 2012 with such minimal pay off.
And last, but not least I spent too much time on the computer. I realize Don cannot do a good portion of the computer work I can, but I can’t stand being tied to a computer this much.
Ugh. :) Everything is intertwined isn’t it?
You get BOLD after awhile solar cooking here in the Sonoran Desert. You’re not supposed to be able to cook on an overcast day, but I am assuming the people who write these manuals live up North. With the sun peeking out once or twice and quickly heating the oven to 200 degrees you can at least cook vegetables. This is what I did on Tuesday. Broccoli and mushrooms for the curious.
An insulated oven like the Global Sun Oven retains the sun’s heat for a long period of time continuing to cook the food even as the sun has disappeared. So 200 degrees for 3-6 hours can slow cook quite a bit.
So even on the overcast days I am now putting out the oven and checking the dial every couple of hours. Being as this is Phoenix the sun has always poked out at least once to heat the oven and I have gotten at least a side dish out of it. Like I said probably doesn’t work so well in the North where the sun seems weaker and may never even peek out once.
Sunday we headed into Phoenix to help create a raised bed garden at Midwives Rising!
Only a few people showed so we all had to improvise a bit. We decided to make one bed as opposed to the initial plan of two. Then we ended up removing bricks from the platform in the yard and building the bed directly into the soil. We scrounged soil from the back alley and went to the nearest nursery for some more filler. Then we threw in the compost and manure we had on hand.
The babies were quite fascinated by me and so I had baby duty. Here they are plotting my demise.
They notice the tiniest things don’t they? Like the missing plastic phone jack piece so the tiny hole is now accessible for foreign objects.
When the babies seemed distracted by their toys I attempted to exit the building for a shot of the bed-in-progress. I gently opened the door and the kiddos snapped around and hurled towards me at an alarming rate. I quickly shut the door. No sneaking out not even for a second!
So I got a couple shots through the window:
You can see the existing brick platform and the removed bricks in this one.
Here is a shot of the finished project courtesy of Greta:
And yes if you know Don he strongly dislikes raised bed gardens. By assisting in the creation of one he is not advocating their existence in Phoenix, Arizona;)
Don was hesitant about attending Monday’s WAPF meeting. I did not probe, but I assumed it was because Traditional Foods is one of my interests and that mainly women attend these meetings. If you know Don then you know he is often surrounded by a crowd of women. Indeed this meeting was yet another of those times.
On to the goats! Here is Bethany talking about life with goats.
Recalling what I can… She has both males and females. Having a male around takes the guess work out of wondering whether or not the female is in heat. Other than that he eats for free 99% of the time;) Yes many jokes could be had here.
Goats will not replace your lawnmower. They do not graze short grass like a sheep, but go for tall weeds and trees. No young urban orchards around these guys! (From my experience chickens can replace a lawnmower though.)
I believe this metal milking stand was put together locally and was about $300. When you’re first learning to milk you can use a strap to hold hind legs in place – no spilt milk to cry over.
The first few squirts contain the most bacteria so you want to keep that milk out of your pail. I don’t remember what this cup+screen is called, but it helps you check for milk clots which may indicate mastitis.
If you’ve breastfed a baby then you know all about let-down and the milk ejection reflex. Once you get going with the pumping soon enough the goat’s natural let-down will assist you. Bethany says that it’s still hard work and hand endurance builds with time.
Don brought up the GM alfalfa issue. We’re hoping to form a large enough local co-op to entice a farmer to grow organic alfalfa for us. Looking for sources if you know of any!
All the milk implements are stainless steel. This is a funnel with corresponding filters. Bethany says that the milk stays sweeter longer if it’s been filtered – a week as compared to a few days.
Straight into a pot for cheesemaking! I believe each goat currently gives one gallon. Maybe I should take notes next time?
Don asks me why I don’t blog. Well I’ve been creating a website and I am no web talent! Of course there have been other internutz things going on, but that website takes the cake.
He sometimes forgets I’m also surrounded by these little people. Children. Who need to eat (more than once a day even!), get prepped for bed at an early hour, still need help in the poop arena, and Dear Lord need my undivided attention quite regularly throughout the day. Not enough attention? Mischief runs amok! And that mischief only multiplies exponentially if that attention is not given while young…
So here I am after the great web deluge of the summer. Just letting my presence and renewed commitment be known.
Don attended the final keynote speaker Brock Dolman while I rested a (very short) bit and soothed a sick Lily. Don says Brock was loaded with anecdotes. He was part presenter, part comedian, part poet. There were times when Don felt distracted by the anticipation of the next cute message and as a result wasn’t paying attention to more of the content. But then again Don did come away with some catchy phrases and intriguing image ideas. He was very impressed with Brock’s extensive business structuring.
The convergence was inspiring to the both of us yet we desired more than inspiration. Don was hoping for some more answers to the PDC curriculum dilemma, but it seems that it’s hard to get concensus between the old, “thorny” pioneers and the new wave. He also enjoyed being surrounded by fellow activists. I was disappointed by the small number of long-term permaculturists and surprised by the number of new graduates the convergence attracted. I did not necessarily feel I was in a crowd of activists. We both feel the convergence lacked a certain depth to it.
We were both surprised by how few permies came in from neighboring states. Our caravan was the only Arizona presence. Ironically as Eagle Spirit (one of our crew) pointed out Phoenix supposedly had the largest permaculture guild. At least in “members” eh?
I’m personally amused the most I got out of the weekend of presentations came from a Zone 0 panel I attended. They oddly described Zone 0 as self-care and this is what drew me in. Don has had so many issues with Zone 00 in his PDC curriculum I wanted to see what others thought of this area. Yet the term Zone 0 applies to buildings and technology. So of course the majority of people who showed up at the panel were expecting that kind of discussion. As the panel clarified its idea for their Zone 0 (or what we call Zone 00) discussion the crowd remained. People were very interested in The Self being integrated into permaculture education. I feel Don would actually have benefitted more than me from this panel yet everything happens for a reason:)
So the most pertinent presentation for Don was the ‘PDC Curriculum Evolution’ by Ben Fahrer. Drama. Chaos. A mess:) A few words to describe the international permaculture design certification scene.
Don’s gone through his own cosm concerning what is the permaculture design course curriculum. There is no standard curriculum. A teacher has relative freedom to design his/her own course. His former PDC outlet did not resonate with his interpretation of the curriculum. So yes our own drama, chaos, and mess.
It was nice to see all of Don’s work here in Phoenix honored by someone like Ben. Some people appreciate you and some do not!
For me attending this segment, and the convergence in general, is providing new groundwork for our organizations and the Fall 2011 PDC.
So I admit besides Bill Mollison and David Holmgren I don’t really know other people’s contributions to permaculture. I recognize names, but that does not mean I really know their significance.
I had heard of Penny Livingston-Stark well enough. She is a good presenter and gave a pleasant overview of her work and permaculture in general. There’s such a disconnect though. Other than moving or coming in for a weekend workshop or a week or two of a more intensive course there’s no way to experience what this person does. Maybe I’m a bit weirded out that our caravan group of four + two kiddos were the only people from Arizona. It’s kind of disappointing to be hearing of all these wonderful programs and classes happening in CA, but to not be part of the community to participate. Not that I want to up and move to CA. I was born and raised in CA and do not wish to return. I just want more action here in AZ. Build it and they will come right?
You probably wanted more about Penny though… and I am at a loss:( Maybe Don can fill in more later.
And so we are home from the 2nd annual SoCal convergence. This year it was held in Malibu of all places.
We left early Friday morning and caravaned with a couple of our students. We had two small kiddos between us so a half day journey stretched into a longer one. I do not like long road trips. I was not a happy camper as my mother would say.
I skipped Friday evening’s keynote speaker Mark Lakeman and attempted an early sleep with Lily. So I asked Don to share and here is somewhat of a paraphrase:
Mark Lakeman is a co-founder of City Repair. His emphasis is on slowing down neighborhood traffic and bringing people outside into the common spaces creating community space in the crossroads. Mark’s presentation was as much about natural patterns as it was about community connections. European cities have a road network like a web. Where roads intersect a marketplace forms. In a man-made grid road system no such common place can thrive.
With City Repair road intersections are softened – corners are rounded and paintings are drawn in the middle space. Benches are added along the sides plus little kiosks for information and stores. There is even a tea spot at one. Roundabouts are added where possible and these in turn host community gardens. Strips of pavement (between sidewalk and curb) are uplifted and gardens planted further softening and slowing the city streets.
People in the room were very inspired by what Mark has helped create in Portland. An amazing number of intersections have been “repaired” by the community. The people local to the area create and maintain each of their own intersections.
Also Portland’s naked bike ride which Mark Lakeman is also a supporter of has grown from 400 to 13,000 people. It’s a summer night to celebrate freedom, life, and fun in the community. I am a naturist so I had to share that piece.
His presentation made me wonder if the city of Mesa would allow me to change Butte Circle.
