Turning of the Year

The view from my south porch has changed dramatically since I took this picture three days ago. Now there are fewer leaves on the trees, and they are not as bright, whereas the ground is thick with a cushion of yellow and red. Some folks thought we would not have a beautiful autumn show because of the drought, but it has been quite lovely here. Two nights of freezing temperatures several weeks ago ended the season for tender plants, but the hardy ones are still enjoying the crisp clear weather.

Still we are in drought conditions. Even though autumn is often dry here in Iowa, we've not recovered from the lack of rain in the summer. So I have been watering both gardens. The well here on the farm seems just fine yet, and the old red pump, seated in the center of the comfrey above, has been working overtime this past week.

It is interesting to see what plants survive despite drought conditions. The yellow beets (below) were a big surprise! They did not get particular care this summer, nor much watering. Yet they produced huge roots that are tender and sweet. And some large turnips that should have been harvested months ago also surprised me with a sweet smooth texture and flavor. I am grateful!

I have stayed home today with a virus of some sort, and it has slowed me down. Though I don't like to be sick, it is good to slow down. I have just finished watching the movie "I Am" and I am hoping that those who read this blog will find it and watch it too. For those of us who are concerned about the way the world is going, this film is a good prescription. It shows how we've gone astray, but also shows that built into our DNA is the ability to bring us around. I most emphatically recommend it!

Do You Want to Make Plant Medicine? Here's how!

Medicine from Plants:
Tincture-Making Workshop

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Wapsinonoc Farm, West Branch, Iowa

At this workshop you will:

• Learn about the healing properties of a variety of medicinal plants growing in Wapsinonoc Gardens.
• Choose one or more plants suited to your own needs.
• Tour the medicinal gardens
• Harvest your chosen plants, clean, prepare and fill tincture jars to take home.

Provided:

• Handouts of medicinal plant descriptions and uses, & instructions on tincturing
• Lots of individual attention as you choose your plants and make your tinctures
• Medicinal plants
• Large and small jars for tincturing
• Small dosage dropper bottle
• 100 proof vodka
• Snack

Cost: $50 per person. Please register early as workshop is limited to ten people.

Contact Info: Nan Fawcett, 2039 Eureka Avenue, West Branch, IA 52358, nanjfawcett@gmail.com.

RAIN

Finally, when our hopes had diminished and we were well into crisis mode, the rain came. At first it was hard to believe. So often we had been disappointed. Clouds can look so full of promise, and yet a few scattered raindrops only serve to accentuate the desperate need for moisture. This time, though, the rain came hard, a real downpour, blown in by wind from the west. I stopped what I was doing. Nothing mattered as much as witnessing this event. I went out onto the south porch and created a little nest from which to watch. The rain drenched me to the skin, and still I sat there, giving thanks to the universe.

I hope you can see the raindrops on the leaves in the pictures above. At the time, it seemed a miracle, the dust all washed away and the plants reaching up in gratitude, or so it seemed. Still, of course, it was too late for many things. Whole crops had died or been stunted, and the fate of long-living friends like the trees was still in question. One rain would not be enough. But it was a start.

And then it rained again, and later again. The ground is still dry if you dig down several inches, but shallow-rooted things are in a rush to catch up. Lawns are green again. Perennials whose growth died early are now making a come-back. Nature is rebounding and it is even easy to occasionally forget that our earth at this local level went through a crisis so recently. Nature is showing her resiliency, and it is inspiring. But she needs increasing resiliency these days of climate change and ecosystem destruction. She needs all the support she can get.

Drought

It is hard to be inspired to write anything on the blog during this record-breaking drought. I have no beautiful photo to grace this entry. A photo of the gardens would only be depressing. Sometimes we boast about an impressive statistic. But this one leaves only a dismal and hopeless feeling. In mid-summer the gardens and fields are usually lush with produce here. Yet today when you walk outside, the grass crackles and breaks under foot, the plants are shriveled and stunted. And each time clouds cover the sky, you wait, hoping, praying for rain. It has been so long since it rained that it is hard to remember that beautiful sound on the roof, on the trees. Surely it will rain again, but when the clouds have passed us by so many times, one begins to wonder if this absence of life-giving water will ever end. The last prediction I heard was that it will be October before we get real rain, far too late to rescue any crops. Can the trees survive this, I wonder? Do they have ways of hunkering down, preserving energy, minimizing output? I imagine that Nature does have  a wealth of strategies when it responds to a crisis such as this. And I would like to learn those ways.

If this is a trend, if we are looking at a shift in the climate here, our lives are going to change in dramatic ways very soon. Conservation will become a necessity. Simplicity will allow survival. Even though I am grieving for the plants, for all of nature outside, I hope I have space in myself to also learn from this experience so that I can be better prepared for the future.

Weeders needed!

I have been doing trades all year: weeding for massage sessions or plants. And now that it has rained (hooray), there is more weeding to be done. If you are interested and live nearby, please send me an email at nanjfawcett@gmail.com and we can set up a time. It is fun to weed together. Good conversation can happen and more gets done!

Rain!

I had given up offering another tincture workshop this summer because of the drought. Although the second and third year perennials were holding their own, they were vulnerable because of the lack of rainfall for the last two or three months. And the new plantings were just hanging in there, those of them that survived. But hallelujah, we had a good rain on Saturday evening and it has given everything a new lease on life. Although there is no rain in the forecast for awhile, I am hopeful that the gardens will recover now. And so I've scheduled another tincture workshop for July 8th. The post immediately before this has a notice about this workshop, though I don't know why it is in color. I hope you can read it.

Making tinctures is so satisfying! And the wonderful thing about tinctures, once they're made, is that they last for years. So you can have a set of various remedies that wait in your medicine cabinet until you  need them.

Here's your chance to make some plant medicine!

Tincture-Making Workshop

Sunday, May 27, 1-5:00 p.m.

Wapsinonoc Farm, West Branch, IA

At this workshop you will:

•         Learn about healing properties of medicinal plants growing in Wapsinonoc Gardens

•         Choose one or more plants that you would like to tincture

•         Tour the medicinal gardens

•         Harvest your chosen plants, clean, prepare, and fill tincture jars to take home

Provided:

•         Handouts of medicinal plant descriptions and uses, & instructions on tincturing

•         Lots of individual attention as you choose your plants and make your tinctures

•         Medicinal plants

•         Large and small jars for tincturing

•         One small dosage dropper bottle

•         100 proof vodka

•         Snack

Cost: $50 per person. Please register early as workshop is limited to ten people

Contact info: Nan Fawcett, 2039 Eureka Avenue, West Branch, IA 52358
nanjfawcett@gmail.com or 319-643-3342.