Children. Our best teachers.

I am in awe of my sons. As with all of Life, parenting is a journey. My sons continue to offer me both sanctuary and inspiration, perhaps most poignantly in the difficult moments. Love the perspective, structure, approach, as in these photos taken by my eldest son and his best friend (a son to me as well).

Our garden, we fondly call Revery, did well with little water.

According to our EBMUD statement covering 09 July through 08 September, as compared to last year during this time, typically our peak Summer usage period:

- We used 26 vs. 42 water units, 39% less than 2009,
- We consumed an average of 318 vs. 551 gallons of water/day, 43% less than 2009, and
- We spent $98.14 vs. $144.18 on water for the period, a savings of 32%.

Ethos’ philosophy-in-action.

Water deeply and infrequently.

A poem written by my youngest son, age 7. With grace to his 1st grade teacher, Cheri Facer.

Inside of Me.

Inside of me is a cold, clear river flowing in the mountains.
Inside of me is an oak tree quiet in the forest.
I am a soccer ball flying intothe net for a goal.
I am a pencil drawing super heroes.
Inside of me is a red ruby in a hidden treasure chest.
Inside of me is a very nice person.
Inside of me is a golden spirit.
I am a storm of happiness.
I am a bowl full of love.

May 2010

Glorious abundance.

Our home, Revery, and the garden. It shows what healthy soil and thoughtful planting can become without management.

Aphids? Eek. Some solutions...

The aphids and (their many relatives) are busy at this time of year, as our roses and other blossoms begin to emerge. This Thursday, I will release 5,000 lacewing larva – the babies are insect eating machines – and the lacewing is one of those amazing ‘good guys’ for our gardens (along with the Soldier bug, Lady bug, Predatory wasps...).

From my favorite bug guy, Ron Whithurst of Rincon Vitova:

“Honeydew (sugary poop) on leaves grows sooty mold - a give away that you have honeydew producing pests like aphid, whitefly, mealybug, scale working the plant.

Spray with 1% soap (Dr Bronner’s or castile soap from Trader Joe’s is inexpensive with water in a spray bottle), let sit a while, 20 min, then wash off with forceful spray of water, then maybe follow up with an oil spray if you want to reduce population. (note from Jae: if you spray blossoms, such as roses, directly from the side, they won’t be damaged. If you are concerned about a stem breaking, you can support gently in your hand while you spray the water.)

Manage ants, they protect the scale from predators and parasites http://www.rinconvitova.com/ant_bait_antpro.htm

Release some lacewing and Lindorus if it needs more clean up in a week or two.
http://www.rinconvitova.com/lacewing.htm
http://www.rinconvitova.com/bulletins_product_htm/Lindorus_BUL.htm

not familiar with the particular scale, a micrograph would help...
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=usb+microscope&aq=1&aqi=g10&aql=f&oq=usb+micro&gs_rfai=&fp=bcdf8cbbf06dc4f “

happiness,

Ron

Ron Whitehurst
Marketing Manager

Rincon-Vitova Insectaries,
P.O. Box 1555, Ventura, CA 93002-1555
805-643-5407 800-248-2847 (BUGS) fax 805-643-6267

e-mail: bugnet@rinconvitova.com
web: http://www.rinconvitova.com

Biological Solutions for Pest Management

Healing soils and dance? Yes, they're connected.

The Wooden Floor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPVuwzEBjV0

Words the illustrate why I work with soils, animals and people.

The powerful wisdom of our Native American elders. This is Part 4 of many parts available on YouTube. Peace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BqJMwKZdyE&feature=related

Wondrous blossoming.

This time of year is one of constant change in our gardens. Revery, my name for our own garden, is bursting with the energy of flowers and new growth. This Euphorbia, 'Blackbird', one of my favorite hybrids, becomes a source of drink for the insects.

And this lovely native hybrid, Mimulus, I so often enjoy as it grows among the Coyote Brush in the Berkeley hills.

And my beloved Bearded Irises - so many are ready to burst forth in every imaginable color.

May you enjoy the wonder of your gardens.

Peace,

Jae

Gardening with Nature by Elaine R. Ingham Ph.D. and Carole Ann Rollins, Ph.D.

These women are two of my heroes. Valuable information here in a tangible format. http://gardeningwithnature.net/About_the_Authors_QK.html

Fungi the Magnificent

Yesterday, I nudged through a debris pile in my garden. It contained begonia rootballs that I had pulled from a site after the last hard frost. Observing the new leaves on what had appeared completely dead plant matter was another opportunity for learning - begonias are toughies. As I unearthed the begonias planning to replant them at the site, I marveled at the mycelium, a fungal network of threadlike cells, that was evident.

The white threads visible here are the mycelium. Not only is fungus essential for the transfer of nutrients between the soils and plants, the health of plants and soils is enhanced by their presence.

In all installations of plants, we apply myccrrhizal spores to the root ball of the new plant. The product I use is produced by a friend and colleague, Carole Ann Rollins, Ph.D., at her company Nature Technologies http://www.nature-technologies.com/Mycorrhizae.html

My clients and crew laugh when I rush to them at a job site, holding gently a blob of soil held together by mycelium and giddy from the discovery. I often ponder whether I love more the fungi or the dung beetle for their importance to soil. Then realize it is like my children, animals, and tribe - I love them all, equally.

Peace. And fungi.

Jae

Patrick Whitefield, author of The Earth Care Manual

Inspiration is everywhere. I was reminded of Patrick Whitefield's words as I researched a soil remediation last night. The Earth Care Manual is a marvelous resource. His words follow:

"This book is much more about solutions than about problems, more about what we can do in the present situation that about how we came to be in It in the first place. Yet there's no escaping the fact that the Earth is in a dire state, and getting worse. In the twenty-three years I've been actively involved in the ecological movement almost every aspect of planetary health has got worse.

This raises the question: Is it all worth it? If we do out best to heal the Earth and make our place in her a sustainable one, is there a good chance that we will succeed? Or is it a forlorn hope? It's a big questions, and one which can lead to depression if we look at the facts honestly and dispassionately. But to my mind it's the wrong question. Evening if we could answer it - and we can never know anything about the future for certain - it would beg the question, How do I want to live my life?.

Here I find the teaching of Mahatma Gandhi very useful. One of his precepts was that of non-attachment to the fruits of our labour. All we can do in life is to make sure that we play our own part in it the best way we can. Much as we would like to, we can never do more than that. Everything we do is so complex, and relies for its ultimate completion on so many different people and natural forces, that we can never take responsibility for the final outcome of our actions. We can only take responsibility for our actions themselves.

So my answer to the question, How do I want to live my life? is that I want to be part of the solution rather than a part of the problem."

His words are beautiful and inspiring for me. May I do a good job living this way to show my children how.

Love, light and laughter.

Jae

Living WITH nature.

The creekside remediation project with Villa San Ramon has been both challenging and deeply rewarding. Perhaps most beautiful for me are the dialogues we have with the residents of the community, sharing their memories - of time in their home gardens, of their favorite flowers, of the lush colors and aromas - and expressing their appreciation for our work.

Last week, I toured the site with the Executive Director and the Vice President of Operations for Vintage Senior Living. As we walked, it was noted that the trees now in lush flower had only few flowers in the year prior. And, Virbunums previously with limited flowers are now with abundant flowers.

It is, simply, providing the opportunity for abundant diversity within the community of soil microbes that results in this kind of plant health. And love, I think.

We continued our work on the property and discovered the marvel of Nature in the parking lot. Within the deep cover of Boxwood in a parking median, lay a mother Mallard on her nest. I captured two snails and dropped them to her as an offering for her trust in us. And, as we have worked this site, the Canada Geese, Snowy Egrets, Peregrine Falcons and Cooper's Hawks have graced us with their presence as we apply compost, plant natives (e.g., Penstemon pseudospectabilis), and broadcast wildflower seeds.

It is a gift to do the work of healing soils. Truly. And so much more to share...

A gorgeous poem shared by Molly, Permaculture student

The seven of pentacles

Under a sky the color of pea soup
she is looking at her work growing away there
actively, thickly like grapevines or pole beans
as things grow in the real world, slowly enough.
If you tend them properly, if you mulch, if you water,
if you provide birds that eat insects a home and winter food
if the sun shines and you pick off caterpillars,
if the praying mantis comes and the ladybugs and the bees,
then the plants flourish, but at their own internal clock.

Connections are made slowly, sometimes they grow underground.
You cannot always tell by looking what is happening.
More than half a tree is spread out in the soil under your feet.
Penetrate quietly as the earthworm that blows no trumpet.
Fight persistently as the creeper that brings down the tree.
Spread like the squash plant that overruns the garden.
Gnaw in the dark and use the sun to make sugar.

Weave real connections, create real nodes, build real houses.
Live a life you can endure; make love that is loving.
Keep tangling and interweaving and taking more in,
a thicket and bramble wilderness to the outside but to us
interconnected with rabbit runs and burrows and lairs.

Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen:
reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in.
This is how we are going to live for a long time: not always,
for every gardener knows that after the digging, after the planting,
after the long season of tending and growth, the harvest comes.

~Marge Piercy

What is Soil Ecology?

I support the Wikipedia Foundation - this is a great overview. Enjoy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_ecology

Why do I love the fungi?

Thank you, Jake Voit.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/258