Growing Family

To my Wistful Self

Darling Girl,

You've left all your Sydney friends behind, not out of your heart, but an impossible distance away for movie nights, coffee dates, and playdates that turn into dinner, with the husbands joining after work, and carrying sleepy children home, slung over shoulders like sacks of potatoes. Do not lose heart. It feels like you had those friendships forever. You didn't. They started small.

Those darling, life long friends, to whom you could open your soul, were once strangers. Once they asked you to a movie and you didn't know if you should go - you didn't know if they would like you, or if you would like them, you didn't know if you would click. You sat in your home pining for your Nashville friends, the only ones who really knew you, the only ones you could show your soul - the ones that had playdates, that turned to dinner, and husbands carrying sleeping children to the car.

All friendships start out small. First, there's the meeting. Then, the getting of numbers. You have to get over yourself and call for a coffee. You have to conquer your jitters and be so bold as to invite someone to a movie. They might say no. 

Your best, best, best friends used to be strangers. Don't despair, and don't punch your husband in the nose when he says "PMS". 

 

Permaculture

Studying Permaculture is taking up more of my time and energy these days and so I thought I would start to share about it on the blog. As I've mentioned, I am viewing this year as my transition year. I have stayed home with my children, and now that Finch is in preschool part time, and will be going to school full days next year, I want to prepare to start working outside my home again. After years of thoughtful consideration, I am deciding not to return to social work/adoption/child advocacy at this time, and am putting my brain and hands to another one of my passion - growing things.

To that end I am enrolled in the Certificate of Permaculture course through Urban Harvest, a local organization on mission to "grow gardens, and enrich lives" through farmers markets, community gardens, school gardens, educational classes, and a myriad of other green things.

I first learned about permaculture in Australia. For a succinct definition, you can view this video: 

 

The concept of permaculure originated with two bright Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren.

Now, lest you be afraid that I am going to go all beardy weirdy on you from now on, take heart, I will not! I just completed the first section of the Permaculture Certificate course which was "Growing Bountiful Gardens", which combined classroom lectures and two full days of hands on learning out at Animal Farm, an organic vegetable farm that provides produce to Houston and Austin chefs, and much more. 

In talking to my classmates I have come to realize how important gardening has been to me for years. I come from generations of gardeners, and being in my mother's gardens was a wonderful part of my childhood. I have been trying to grow food for The Captain and I since we had our first place together, and I have included our children in the garden from the beginning. In Nashville, I created landscape designs for friends, and in Sydney I helped many friends start their own vegetable and fruit gardens. I love growing. It makes sense to continue on this path.

I also love nature in general, and stewardship of God's creation seems like a natural value to me, not like a hippy dippy extreme. My interest in permaculture stems from this intense love of nature, green, and lovely, and wanting to nurture and protect it. If you have time and interest, this video is the first thing about permaculture I ever saw, and I continue to find it the most inspiring. It is the most information rich, and exciting garden video I have ever seen, and I've been thinking about it since I first saw it six years ago. Who knew in 2013 I would be living in Houston studying permaculture? I certainly never did! Thank you Josh Byrne for inspiring me in the first place!