The Places That Scare You! AND Chicken Casserole with Chocolate Cake

BOO!

Okay, so you're not scared. It's only a picture of our twins, trying on the Halloween outfit they will wear to their preschool party on Friday. I couldn't resist though as they were so darn cute. But going back to the word,"BOO!" Was I ever a bit scared four years ago this week, when I went in for my first ultrasound after finding out I was pregnant. I'll never forget the ultrasound technologist telling us that she wasn't a Doctor and therefore couldn't tell us anything....but she said she could show us "something", and then she moved her ultrasound wand across my lower belly and said, "here is one "thing", and here is two."

My husband who was casually chewing gum and holding Will throughout the exam didn't stop chewing, instead he said,"look Will, there is your new baby brother or sister." He hadn't picked up on what the technologist was showing us AT ALL

I, on the other hand am an old hand at ultrasounds and was heightened to every word she uttered from the time she asked us to follow her into the exam room. You see, I had been spotting and was so scared  the first words I would hear were, "I'm so sorry there is no heart beat." So when I saw those two flickering heart beats I was elated, truly excited, but yes also extremely scared.  We called them our Boo babies at the time.

When D and I left the building I stopped him before we got to the car and said, "you know what she was showing us don't you?" And he just went, "Huh?" And it was then I uttered the words, "Twins!" He stopped chewing his gum and just went quiet. He was in that state for many weeks and although I was scared, I was just so happy to have babies with heart beats. When you have tried a long time to complete your family and you are finally pregnant, you just enjoy each day that comes and try not to be fearful about the future.

Thankfully, the pregnancy went well and the girls are thriving and healthy. Talking about my fear, reminds me of the fears of many women. The fear first that they may never find a partner in order to have a child, or the strength and courage to choose motherhood as a single person if they are partnerless. Then there is the fear of infertility, which can be devastating, debilitating and sadly, in many cases cause severe depression. As if infertility isn't bad enough, often women then have to pull themselves out of the trenches of deep darkness to fight their battle for a child.  And even when that dream finally comes true, they then have to deal with issues from post traumatic stress while trying to find some semblance of happiness being a new mom.

Then still others have the fear of  not experiencing a healthy pregnancy, dealing with a painful labour, difficult delivery and finally having a living, breathing child.. And that is all before their baby arrives on earth. Don't get me going about once the baby arrives as I will let your imagination take over from there, although I will leave you with this one story of  when our first baby slept through the night for the first time. I asked D to check on her as I was so scared we had lost her in the night. You see, our OB-GYN who delivered her, had just lost his infant son from sudden death syndrome a few months earlier and I thought, if it could happen to him well we are not immune. Irrational I know, but this is the stuff of life. FEAR!

Well, I could go on and on with regards to fears, but what I wanted to say was thisHalloween time of year reminds me of the day, 4 years ago that we found out we were having TWO BOO babies......and it's been a wonderful experience. Yes, my hands are full as many people often comment, but they are full of multiple blessings. The biggest thing that scares us is often fear itself.

This post though is REALLY about a book review I wanted to share since tonight is my Sacred Circle book club meeting and the book we are discussing is, "The Places that Scare You, a guide to fearlessness in difficult times," by Pema Chodron. I don't know if you've had the chance to read this book or not, (I invited you to be a sacred sister on one of my blogs in September) but in case you haven't and in case you have your share of anxiety and fears, this book gives one many insights to  contemplate and incorporate  into ones life.

                                                            

I have recently written about the terrorism that occurred in Canada on a prior post (Earthlings Get Grounded) and a thought that really rang home to me was on Page 7 of this book. The author wrote, "Hatred never ceases by hatred-but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law."

On page 42, Pema Chodron writes, "In cultivating loving kindness we train first to be honest, loving and compassionate towards ourselves."

And on Page 52, she says, "As a result of compassionate practise, we will start to have a deeper understanding of the roots of suffering."

 


It was quite timely to read this and so I thought, "I send love to all terrorists around the world." I know many would not understand this way of thinking but if we truly believe we are all connected, I'm only hurting myself by thinking anything but love.

In Chapter three, "The Buddha taught that there are three principal characteristics  of human existence. They are, "impermanence, egolessness, or dissatisfaction."

Recognizing these qualities, to be real and true in our own experience helps us to relax with things as they are.

I loved this concept since the theme of my life is all about surrender It's a life lesson that runs through each moment of my life as I attempt to not attach to anything, instead, just notice what I'm reacting to and then letting it go. I'm not brilliant one day and a screw up the next. I'm not what I do, or what people think if me. IF I don't attach to anything, then nothing, NO THING, can influence me or make me feel good, or bad.

 It's a journey for sure but something I'm finding easier as I'm getting older. Good thing too since one of the biggest fears most humans have is dying. Accepting that our earthly body is always in a state of change, and will eventually stop functioning is either a freeing idea or scary to some. Understanding that we ARE, not the human body, that this is only our vehicle while on this earth and eventually it will stop working, makes it easier to let go of even dissatisfaction, like aging, or a part of our body that appears not perfect to us.

The other main idea that was presented in this book has to do with the sweet spot in life. Is it when things are going great and all our dreams are coming true? Nope! It's when things are really tough and difficult. When we are able to remain in that place and stand our ground, that is when we become true warriors. It's when we really soften and become more compassionate towards ourselves, and others. It's when we glimpse the idea that we are all connected.

On page 122, Chodron writes, "The fact we spend a long time in the middle, the juicy spot is  the fruitful place to be---resting here completely---steadfastly experiencing the clarity of the present moment is called, Enlightenment."


I loved the quote at the beginning of Chapter 7 on Loving Kindness-

"Peace between Countries must rest on the solid foundation of love between individuals."                                    ~Mahatma Gandhi~

"No matter where we are on the journey-we are always stepping further into groundlessness. Enlightenment is not the end-it's just the beginning of fully entering into we know not what."

The last words of that sentence....WE KNOW NOT WHAT....isn't that our worst fear? That we don't know what is ahead of us and that is something that is really hard for most people to deal with...letting go and trusting that ALL SHALL BE WELL.

Before I close my book review, I liked how Pema Chodron brought in stories of her experiences with her teachers. A few simple words they said to her in response to her training came back to me and resonated with my soul, they were, "It's no big deal." and "It's Okay."

Although this book was rich with wonderful ideas, at the end of it, I was just thinking to myself, I'm okay, and it's no big deal. And that is what I'm taking to book club tonight.

As we are about to head into Trick or Treat season, when scary creatures are ringing our door bell, literal or figuritively, I thought I would leave you with a comfort food recipe that I made last night. PERFECT for making this weekend, "Country Chicken Casserole and Biscuits" and a recipe for a quick "Chocolate cake," you can whip up really fast and delicious enough to impress your scariest guests.

Happy Halloween! if I don't get the chance to post again...it's really busy around here this time of year although I had hoped to get my famous sugar cookie recipe on my blog...stay tuned for my pumpkin cookie recipes. I have to make it for Will's kindergarten class party so I will try to bring you in the kitchen for some fun creations. Enjoy this special time of year when we really have to look fear in the face and say, BOO!

Hope's Country Chicken Casserole with Biscuits

Ingredients

• 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups diced potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup sliced celery
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups of vegetables whatever you have....I used brocoli, cauliflower, swiss chard and kale,
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• if you have some sage and parsley they make a nice seasoning that you can add when you cook the celery, onions and garlic

 Note: If you want a really creamy sauce double the sauce ingredients above

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Bake chicken pieces until lightly browned, no longer pink. ( it took 40 mins for my breast pieces which were quite thick) Remove from oven, cut up into small 1 inch pieces. Set aside
3. Cut up potatoes into nice big chunks and boil until almost done, add carrots and the rest of the vegetables...cook until all are tender. Remove and drain water.
4. In a sauce pan, melt 2 tbsp butter, cook celery, onions, garlic until tender. Add chicken broth and cook until boiling. Remove.
5. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and then slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper if you wish.
6.  Put chicken and vegetables into a a casserole dish along with the chicken broth and  white sauce, mix well.  

(Make biscuits  and put on top of casserole....bake in hot oven 450 F for 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown)

 This is what it looks like before adding the biscuits....since this was such a large pan though, next time I would add more white sauce...and also next time I'm going to do the English Pea and carrots....my kids aren't crazy about peas but I LOVE THEM ..my Grandma Clark used to say, "they will put hair on your chest!"

Hope's Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups All purpose Flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk

(For our larger family I double the recipe....any extra biscuits get eaten with jam the next day)

Instructions

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture is the consistency of course cornmeal. Make a well in the centre of these ingredients; add liquid slowly. When all the liquid has been added, stir dough rather vigorously until it comes freely from the side of the bowl. Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for a few minutes. roll or pat out to desired thickness--about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in a hot oven, 450 degrees F. Makes 12 biscuits

David loves it when I'm cooking for my "blog" because he often gets a glass of wine too....

Tonight we added a nice white wine that my sister J and brother in law B, gave D for his birthday. B says it is the best quality white wine for it's price...we love B.C. wine! Thanks J and B!

Perfect with my Country Chicken Casserole with Biscuits....ENJOY!

And for another comfort food that will surely chase anything you are scared of, AWAY>>>>

Hope's Comfort Food Homemade Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder (opt)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water...I had left over coffee so I added a cup of hot coffee

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring or 1-13x9 pan.
2. For the cake:
3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
4. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water(coffee if you have it) to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
5. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or in one large pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan or let cool completely and ice in pan. .
7. Frost cake with a Buttercream icing....I added a tsp of hot water with instant coffee for a mocha flavour to my icing

 I was in such a rush, taking kids to piano, picking up University kid, Skyping other University kid from a distance to see how his Mid term exam went, and texting high school kid to see when Volleyball practise ended that I was lucky to ice this cake...turned out really great although the decoration of coconut and almonds weren't the greatest...hey but it's life. I'm glad I don't have all the time in the world to set up my blog posts looking perfect because you know, life isn't like that...not real life and that is nothing to be scared of. It's sometimes messy but tastes GREAT!

This cake was the perfect comfort dessert after the Country Chicken Casserole with biscuits...I hope you try it out on a day that you need some home cooking to comfort you.

 

If you are interested in hearing more from Pema Chodron, on Fear and Fearlessness....check out this YouTube video.

And another one with Oprah.....why fear is nothing to be afraid of

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy, peaceful...and FEARLESS!

Blessings from Hope

Earthlings Get Grounded

 

When you're finally up at the moon looking back on earth, all those differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend, and you're going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can't we learn to live together like decent people.

— Frank Borman, Apollo 8, Newsweek magazine, 23 December 1968.

It's been an action packed week and I'm sorry I haven't been able to write any posts but as you may have read, it started with D and I attending an Urban Farm Symposium last Saturday and continued with a long awaited visit from my sister B and my brother in law J. Life has been rich with new ideas and insights and I'm thankful, since I wouldn't have much to write about without the abundance of both in my life.

Before I move into the meat of this blog, I want to give you a bit of the back story so you can appreciate the whole picture and some history. My sister B lives in Victoria on Vancouver Island. Not too far from my homestead, only a days drive and ferry ride away but far enough so we only see each other a few times a year. And that is when she generously comes to visit. I remember our visit in the summer of 2013. She was chiding me for walking everywhere barefoot. I told her that putting shoes on was too much of a hassle since I was often running after the little ones. We were down to the garden, or play area,  or swimming in the pool, several times a day and it's not like we have a yard with obstacles like chicken droppings or even dog waste. But still, she cautioned me on being careful walking in the dirt as there are pathogens that could enter through broken skin etc and cause infection.

Did I mention she is my BIG sister. She was just shy of 13 when I was born, so she has always been a bit protective and always nurturing towards me. This past summer, she and her daughter, T and two granddaughters, H and M, came for a visit. We had a lovely visit with lots of laughter and some moments of deep soul talk. The kind only sisters can share (and nieces). My sister always brings gifts that are useful and some that I wouldn't go out and buy myself. For instance, on one of her shopping trips, she came home with a lucky bamboo plant in an elephant planter. Since I study the art of Feng Shui, I knew she was giving us a gift full of many blessings. She is always bestowing the best of life upon me and my family.

This is my lucky elephant bamboo, full of blessings that B gave this past summer

I'm also thankful, that she is highly organized and is often clearing clutter, another wonderful Feng Shui practice. There have been many occasions where I have benefited after one of her space clearing sessions. This past summer was another such time when she left a box of "things" for me to peruse after she left. Some of my most treasured pieces of clothing have come second hand from her, so with tears still in my eyes wondering when I would see her again,  I unearthed the contents piece by piece,  trying on this and that. When I came to the bottom of the box there were a familiar pair of shoes I had often admired her wearing. They are a pair of lovely brown, Josef Siebels.  They are what my  mother in law D would have called, "sensible walking shoes," when she herself lived in Victoria watching women walking their dogs in such footwear. 

WOW~ I was thankful to have a new pair of shoes. On the first day this fall, when it was particularly cold, I wore them when taking the little girls to preschool. I was chatting with J, our children's preschool teacher. We go WAY back, since she taught our oldest son, Clark, 18 years earlier and every little one since then. She knows our family really well and we have been fortunate to have her in our lives.

I don't really know how our conversation took off but I think it had something to do with the weather finally growing colder and I was having to ditch my sandals. I told her I had spent most of my summer barefoot and that my older sister must have felt sorry for me as she gave me these wonderful shoes to wear, as I motioned towards my new, high end shoes. J, said she knew someone who also enjoyed going barefoot and commented about it being very good for you.

My sister B and brother in law J arrived at our home last Monday. While the weekend had been gloriously warm, the weather had shifted on Monday which was decidedly colder. We hadn't started the furnace yet this year, so after giving my sister a big hug and chatting briefly, I noticed she was uncharacteristically barefoot. I asked her if I could get her a pair of socks or something. She looked down at her very tanned feet, (did I mention they had been on holidays down the Oregon Coast etc for the past month?) and said, "no thanks, I'm doing the barefoot thing."

We talked about their trip etc and then it finally came around to her feet once again and I asked what was up with the bare feet? It was then she told me about a book she and B had read while on their holidays. It was called, "Earthing." They also had the DVD, which they had brought along for us to watch. She showed me pictures of her and J walking barefoot with my other sister, J and her husband B. (hey, just now I noticed that the couples share the same first letters...but in reverse)  They had been visiting with them for 2 days and they were "grounding" themselves at their acreage all weekend.

Grounding or Earthing is defined as placing one’s bare feet on the ground whether it be dirt, grass, sand or concrete (especially when humid or wet). When you ground to the electron-enriched earth, an improved balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system occurs.

The Earth is a natural source of electrons and subtle electrical fields, which are essential for proper functioning of immune systems, circulation, synchronization of biorhythms and other physiological processes and may actually be the most effective, essential, least expensive, and easiest to attain antioxidant.
 
Modern science has thoroughly documented the connection between inflammation and all of the chronic diseases, including the diseases of aging and the aging process itself. It is important to understand that inflammation is a condition that can be reduced or prevented by grounding your body to the Earth, the way virtually all of your ancestors have done for hundreds if not thousands of generations

I had to laugh at first. Here was my big sister first telling me to put my shoes on, actually giving me a pair of shoes and now she was telling me to take them off. In addition stressing that going barefoot was the way to go. I could have told her that.

Although I didn't know there were any significant health benefits, I knew how I felt after being at the ocean, walking on the beach for a week or burying my feet in the sand while the children made crab castles. Also, walking in my garden barefoot or sitting and meditating on the earth felt restorative. When we listen to our body and how it's reacting, we are never wrong.

                                            



Well, throughout the week that B was visiting, when we had a moment we would go out into the yard barefoot. The little people were thrilled because they knew intrinsically what felt good and were baffled at why I had been harping at them to put their shoes on since the weather turned cold. As long as they were bundled up with a sweater etc, they felt great barefoot and surprisingly enough, the earth still held a lot of heat from our long hot summer.

Our little girls, Victoria and Kate grounding with their Auntie B.

And so, my dear blog friends, from my big sister, now to you I say, "to shoe or not to shoe?" that is the question. Maybe, if more of us went barefoot on the earth, communed with nature, our whole world would be healthier and more balanced. At the very least we would be connected to our roots and care for Mother Earth as she cares for us.

AND

That brings me to another insight I had during the week. As you probably know, unless you are living off the grid without any contact with the outer world, during the past week there were several acts of terrorism in my country, one which occurred on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. A lone gunman, Michael Abdul Ehaf-Bibeau, who was a recent convert to Islam, killed an unarmed soldier, 24 year old Cpl. Nathan Cerillo, who was standing guard at our National War Memorial. He then went on to enter the Parliament building and after a round of gun fire was shot and killed himself. My heart just weeps and I know this sounds crazy, but I am so sad for everyone involved...even the shooter.

There have been so many horrific events of terrorism around the world but I think for many reasons this latest was particularly disturbing since Canadians are known to be peace keepers and this act occurred in the heart of our political system...close to where our Prime Minister and MP's were debating choices we as Canadians uphold. Freedom, justice, equality, etc.

With the thoughts of growing food swirling in my head from last weekend's Urban Farm Symposium and the idea of  grounding/earthing and its benefits, along with this news story settling in my heart, I have to wonder if most of the world has its head in the clouds. For many on earth being in a dream state is how they maneuver through life. Asleep to the fact that we are all connected and unaware that if we don't wake up now, our precious Mother Earth will be destroyed and humanity along with it. Cracks are forming all over the earth.

For many humans the light is being turned on and through their environmental concerns they are starting to see the bigger picture. As if they are out in space and looking with awe at the beauty and peace within our grasp. Understanding that we can't heal the earth and all the damage we have done to it, without addressing people's suffering at the same time.

Something I read this week in a book by Pema Chodron called, "Taking the Leap," resonated with me and I wanted to share it here. She wrote,

"Working on ourselves and becoming more conscious about our own minds and emotions may be the only way for us to find a solutions that address the welfare of all beings and the survival of the earth itself."

She further shares this,

"There was a story that was widely circulated a few days after the attack of September 11, 2001, that illustrates our dilemma. A Native American grandfather was speaking to his grandson about violence and cruelty and how it comes about. He said, it was as if two wolves were fighting in his heart. One wolf was vengeful and angry, and the other wolf was understanding and kind. The grandson asked his grandfather which wolf would win the fight in his heart. And the grandfather answered, "the one that wins, will be the one I choose to feed."


She continues,

"So this is our challenge, the challenge for our spiritual practice and the challenge for the world~how can we train right now, not later, to feed the right wolf?"
                                                                                        ~Pema Chodron, from "Taking the Leap"~

I want to thank Pema Chodron for that. I finished reading my Sacred Sister's book club selection earlier in the month. It was called, "The Places That Scare Us" by Pema Chodron. I enjoyed it so much that I started reading more of her writing and it has settled in my heart. She is right on.

I know the wolf I want to feed.

How about you?

Every day we make choices to wake up. Sending understanding and kindness into the world seems the only way to heal.

Another way to stay awake though is being grounded and so, that ties in to the benefits of EARTHING....it just feels like a constantly flowing circle, we keep coming back to ourselves and the answer seems so simple. Take care of the earth, and the earth will take care of us.

If you want to learn more about Earthing, I thought I would give you a link to the YouTube full movie. It's called, "Grounded." (click the highlighted word) and it is a light, easy to watch documentary of one man's story and how Earthing changed his life and the little town of Haines, Alaska.

Well that was my week in a nutshell. As I said a sad goodbye to my sister, I wanted to share a picture she took of D and me with Will. I'm wearing another of her gifts.....what she called, "grandma's apron" and you know what? There could be a revival of these lovely things as it's really useful. A blog for another day. Hey, and notice my fantastic shoes in the picture below. Thanks B! I'm blessed to have cool sisters!  Also, so very grateful that I have people actually reading my blog so thank you to you...my dear blog readers!

Peace out!

D, and myself, with our sweet William...saying goodbye to my sister B and brother in law J

Until we meet again, may you be well, peaceful and happy.

Blessings from Hope

Food for Thought....A Day at our Urban Farm Symposium

This is a view of the lake outside of the cafeteria

A week ago today, D and I were listening attentively to all the speakers (there were 8 in total) at our local Urban Farm Symposium. The location could not have been better, as we were in the cafeteria at our local College, which is adjacent to Patchwork Farm. Patchwork Farm, is a community collective farm, where people of all ages and abilities join in meaningful activities that fosters personal growth, strengthens the local food system and enhances appreciation for land, food, health and community. The actual location for the College and the Farm is on the hillside above Kalamalka Lake, a tiny bit west of where our homestead is situated.  

It was Patchwork Farm, along with all their supporters, that put on this Symposium. I thought it would have been better attended, however there were under 50 in attendance, which was disheartening when you think water and food are the basics of life and supporting both were discussed in detail throughout the day.

On the plus side, having a small gathering meant we had great seats and the group felt intimate enough where we were comfortable asking questions throughout the day.

Our first speaker, and host for the day, Keli Westgate is a Certified Permaculture Designer, a Director of the Sustainable Environment Network Systems, SENS, as well as a multi-media producer and marketing freelancer. She shared the many community and environment projects that the SENS group has on the go, including the Vernon in Transition Movement, Beesafe, a monthly speaker series, and my personal favourite topic, the vision for a Vernon Earthship Healing and Education Centre.

An earthship, is a unique type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and recycled materials, designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico. The term is a registered trademark of Michael Reynolds.

Other than the fact that the original creator of this design shares my husband's last name, D and I are intrigued by the idea of using recycled items, like tires and glass bottles, to create a totally sustainable housing plan. During our next short break we were bubbling with possibilities and our creative juices were flowing as we discussed  how we could create such a place for our family. When I came home from the symposium and did some research, I see a family in Alberta is doing just that, and here is a link to the CBC report on this Prairie Earthship home.  


Some earthship images,














Our next lecture was given by Jane Emlyn, who has a background in Soil Biology, is a co-founder in BeeSafe, is a master gardener and has a lifetime experience in self sufficient living. She brought her knowledge of natural farming practices and small lot design to the table. I loved how she started talking about her observations on how things grow when she was just a child. She shared her memories of living close to a richly forested area, where she was able to walk in nature, experience the changing seasons and notice how the trees and plants were growing without any help from man.

 

She also talked about her childhood being a time when everyone had a kitchen garden in their backyard and her neighbours, who came from diverse cultures with various gardening practices, all contributed to her learning and knowledge. She watched how in the fall, the hardest working gardeners cleaned their beds of all plant debris and placed it in a compost bin to be dug out again in the spring and spread around the garden. While these gardeners had beautiful productive gardens, she thought there had to be a more natural and efficient way that required less effort.\\

 

Later in her life, she studied soil biology and learned how the earth is teeming with billions of organisms working in a symbiotic relationship to create the perfect environment for the continuing lifecycle of all things. The no dig philosophy was one she adopted and with great success. Her lecture was called, "Winterize Your Soil."  The general premise of her talk was to encourage us to think about leaving gardening debris exactly where it grew. Whatever was left after you harvested your vegetables, etc, remained in place in the garden. Break it down into smaller, manageable pieces if you wish for quicker decomposition, but leave it in place.  She was also big on mulches, layering the garden with leaves, straw bales, whatever you have available and in the spring, she stressed that nothing be removed. You just plant right on top. She shared a few books that she highly recommended.

They were:

"Green Thumb" by Ruth Stout 

"The One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka

"The Zero Mile Diet" by Carolyn Herriot

The easy, relaxed way, Jane spoke about her gardening practices made me think about how hard I sometimes work in my garden, hauling debris to my compost and then working it back in every spring. I was going to really think about how, "I can let nature do most of the work to create the rich fertile soil I desire. The basis for growing all things." (Stay tuned for my upcoming blog post on "Grounding, or another word, Earthing" which ties into this belief)

After a tea break, we were introduced to Cuyler Page who shared his expansive knowledge on growing wheat, particularly Red Fife Wheat. He had interesting history to share and stories to tell about growing Red Fife. All Red Fife grown for use today in artisan bakeries around our area can trace its ancestry to a half pound he and Sharon Rempel planted at the Grist Mill at Keremeos in 1989. He told stories about growing wheat and also gave us a demonstration on threshing and winnowing the wheat that had been harvested earlier from Patchwork Farm. It was all very interesting but to grow enough wheat to make one loaf of bread in my opinion, was too much for the urban farmer. I appreciated all the knowledge however and as I was eating my lunch of bun with veggies and hummus, I was appreciating what went in to make the bun. A lot of work!

Before Lunch was served, Bill Hickey, uncovered the secrets of growing cold hardy varieties of figs in the Okanagan Valley. Bill is a lifetime gardener with an adventurous streak. On hearing four years ago that a few people in Vernon had fig trees in the ground he decided to find the best suited fig cultivars for our climate. Over 20 varieties are candidates. Eight varieties are ripening in his yard currently. He went on to show us how to grow and prune figs for quick production but after the talk, although I admired his tenacity, I thought, that is something I don't have time to entertain. I just want to feed my family and spend my time more efficiently. However, for those people, who want a hobby, growing figs would be lovely...and eating them even better.

Our lunch was rich with discussion and food. As D and I enjoyed a deliciously thick pumpkin soup and our choice of sandwiches or buns loaded with yummy veggies inside, we talked about the direction we saw our own homestead traveling and the dreams we had on the horizon. Before the afternoon lectures began, we took a walk outside to enjoy the day. I was thinking perhaps the real gardeners had stayed home to work in their yards on this Saturday, as although the day had begun cold and cloudy, by lunch the day had warmed and the sun was shining brightly. It was a perfect day to muck around in the yard. Here is a picture of the raised gardens at Patchwork farm and below is a picture of the view from the farm.

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More pictures at Patchwork Farm...Kale still going crazy above

Before we went back inside, I snapped a picture of D...I was so happy he decided to join me and share in my passion. He has been so busy at his office and I think all these lectures opened his eyes to the endless opportunities available for our homestead.

All refreshed, we were ready to discuss some pretty serious issues on, "Food, Farming and Community." Wendy Holm, is an award -winning resource Economist, Agrologist and Journalist. She has covered stories at the forefront of Canadian policy since the early 1990's picking up eight national journalism awards since 2003. Wendy holds an honours B.Sc. in Business Administration, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics and a Masters of Management, Cooperatives and Credit Unions. She talked about world food and farming practices and how important the small family farm is to the world. Also, in great detail, she discussed the necessity of protecting our agriculture lands from corporations who want to profit without any care or consequence for the environment.

Check out the following YouTube video called, A Vision Of Agriculture with Wendy Holm

As Wendy left to leave for the airport, I thanked her for coming and giving me, "Food for Thought!" It's people like this who help to change the way we think about growing food in the world. I felt really empowered and while I don't have any of her credentials, she left me feeling that I could make a difference in the world.

As my head was still spinning from such a meaty lecture, our next speaker, Heather Clay brought 30 years of experience working in the beekeeping industry and recently co-edited a book on Honey Bee Diseases and Pests. Her topic, "The Urban Beescape" was exactly what I had been looking for as I tried to think about how we could become small scale beekeepers. I was thinking how wonderful it would be for our children to watch how the bees pollinate our crops and how they all work together to make an elixir for life. Honey! Check out the site, www.capabees.org

Our second last speaker was Curtis Stone, who owns "Green City Acres" in Kelowna, B.C. He talked efficiently for one hour discussing how to practically turn 2000 square feet of lawn into a productive garden which can earn a substantial amount of money.....my notes say, $18,000 dollars however this is all dependent on your crop and who is purchasing your produce. He discussed the technical process of converting a lawn into a mini-farm and the economics of production. Of course this was interesting to see how quickly he moved into production and also introduced the idea that just because you live in an urban setting, doesn't mean you can't become a farmer.  A profitable farmer turning lawn into food....and money. Here's a Youtube video, "Meet an urban farmer....Curtis from Green City Acres."  Gets one thinking for sure!

And finally at the end of a wonderful day of stimulating ideas and thoughts came a lovely speaker, Gordon Hiebert, of Element Eco-design, who is a permaculture practitioner in the North Okanagan. He uses his knowledge of ecological systems to create sustainable building, regenerative agriculture, water harvesting and waste systems to create unique integrated designs. His easy going, relaxed approach made me feel peaceful, believing I was moving in the right direction and it was comforting to know there was this wealth of knowledge in my backyard. His topic also brought me back to the speaker of the day that really inspired both D and I; the Earthship home, which feels like the perfect direction for us to move towards. Perhaps, D and I won't live in such a place in our lifetime but perhaps our grandchildren will be so fortunate. We told our son Clark about it when we came home and you never know when you plants seeds if they will grow, as Clark is in his 4th year studying Evironmental Sciences and he hopes to become an architect in the future.
 


We ended our day feeling really blessed to be on this earth with other people so passionate about growing food, conserving water and caring for our planet. For healing our earth and healing our souls is going to require a conscious connection in our communities. It was just what I needed as the season of Autumn throws a blanket of leaves on the ground. It lays a blanket of possibilities at my feet. Endless and exciting.

Now I'm off to winterize my garden.......I'm just cutting up my corn stalks, my tomato plants, raking up my leaves and laying them on the debris. Letting it be still. Then I'm going to sit and drink a hot cup of tea and give thanks.

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves. ~Mahatma Gandhi

Will picking the perfect pumpkin at the patch this week.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope