Cattail Basket

This was a fun project that I have been wanting to try and had been putting it off. Basketry from materials at hand is one of the basic skills our ancestors used to create abundance and resiliency in their lives. In this newsletter focused primarily on healing, cattail is one of the important plants in the environment that helps to heal the wetlands, and our bodies, and it provides a beautiful and adaptable resource for a number of practical uses. Here is an overview of how I made this basket. For more complete instructions, check out my free article on my Buy Me a Coffee page.

Cost: $0

Time: about 3 hours

Materials: 5 or 6 cattails cut long

How to do it

Cut 14 cattail leaves to 12 to 16 inches and brace 7 of them between two boards.

Weave the other 7 leaves through the first 7.

Remove the weaving from the boards and work the weaving tight in the center of the leaves.

Twine two narrow leaves all the way around the woven square, then bend the leaves up into the shape of the basket.

Continue twining tight rows up the sides of the basket, making sure you pull the corners in tight.

Weave the top into a attractive finish and tidy it up.

For more complete instructions, click the link below. While you are there If you leave a tip, it would help me keep the newsletter going.

Healing The Soil

The way that we view the world in our current society seems to be insistent on putting each aspect into its own box and then to analyse it separate from the other parts of the world. This works up to a point, but it never gives holistic view. When we do this, we miss the connections and the cycles that exist. We miss the ways that one part of the cycle feeds the next and then how the energy comes back around again.

The soil of the land that we stand upon is a prime example of this. Often, farmers and gardeners see the soil only as something that holds the roots of their plants. This conventional view sees the soil as a dead medium, so the tendency is to feed the plants with the minimal mix of chemicals for the plants to grow and produce a crop in the current year. Under this system, the soil gradually looses its structure, stability, and life.

I view the soil as a living and breathing entity. When the soil is viewed in this light, it becomes a part of an interconnected and cyclical system. All of the diverse parts of that soil contribute to the health of the whole system.

The roots of the plants draw nutrients up from the depths and help to create healthy structure. The plants feed the animals, insects, and us. The plants, animals, and insects leave organic matter on the surface. The soil creatures draw that organic matter into the soil where critters, fungus, and bacteria breaks it down to fuel the next growth cycle.

This is a greatly simplified thumb nail, but it is complete enough for this discussion.

When you see the soil as a part of a living cycle, and with this outline in mind, the basics for healing the soil become clear. In most cases, adding organic material is the medicine that the soil needs.

In reality, it is a little bit more nuanced than this. Every location, ecosystem, and micro-climate is unique. The first step is to observe and understand the natural ecosystem where you are. Adjust the basics that I’m giving you to fit into that local cycle

As a produce farmer and gardener in the mid-west of the US, every place that I started growing crops had been degraded by years of conventional practices. My method of restoring health was to add large amounts of balanced organic matter and eliminate the harsh herbicides and pesticides. I’ll be honest, the reason that I started this was for weed control. The improvements to the soil health was expected, but it happened much faster than I dreamed was possible. In the moderate climate where I farmed, I used hay that was too old to be used as feed. The best hay that I found was a 50:50 mix of grass and alfalfa.

In my large production areas, I tilled the soil once in the spring and mulched about 6 to 8 inches deep with loose hay. I then planted transplants through the mulch. This worked because the grassy hay had nearly the ideal nutrient/carbon mix for healthy soil. In doing this, I took dead farm soil to a soil that was thriving with life in about three years.

Here are some other things that you can do:

Plant a dense, mixed cover crop that contains both grassy grains and legumes.

Add clover or other legumes to your lawn or mowed areas or food forest.

Leave lawn clippings where they fall if you can, or use them in the garden.

Don’t use herbicides.

Leave the leaves where they are if you can or mix them with nitrogen rich source in the garden.

Create swales, terraces, or catches to capture water and organic material so that it becomes rich soil.

Mimic the natural environment where you are.

This takes time, but it is a win, win, win. The environment becomes healthier and more balanced. The soil becomes more nutrient rich and stable. Your life becomes more resilient, and the food you grow becomes more nutritious.

ILLUSION - DRAGONFLIES

Then it happened. She was relaxing with her morning coffee, when she felt a thump on the back of her head. She ignored it because the man she was traveling with was showing signs of dementia and had been getting abusive. With the second thump on the back of her head, she became annoyed. When he hit her again, she turned around in time for the fourth blow to catch her at the hairline at the left temple. She lost count of the number of blows she endured before she had him restrained and 911 called.

Bruised and bloodied, the ordeal was finally over. Or was it. She made her way to a favorite spot of solitude where she could spend some time. To learn what she found, purchase this print and story by clicking the link below.

And for a little bit more

Events

August 18 - Never Give Up Day

August 26 - National Banana Split Day

August 31 - Full Moon

September 4 - Labor Day, US

September 15 - International Day of Democracy

September 15 - New Moon

Cattail

One of my favorite plants has always been cattails. They have always given me a sense of calm, mystery, and life. They drew me to them like a magnet, and still do. I didn’t know why I was drawn to them as a child, but every aspect of the cattail is healing and nurturing.

Cattails, or bulrushes, are found in a number of areas around the world. They thrive in quiet standing water, or saturate and swampy ground. They love these edge spaces and help to stabilize these wetlands with their thickly rooted rhizomes.

These perennials start their growth in the spring as shoots that develop into a thick grassy stand. They quickly grow up to 10 feet tall with a cigar shaped seed head that grows up from the center. This creates prime habitat for birds, wildlife, and young fish. Every part of the plant has practical use for humans, and it is one of the premier plants for removing a number of toxins from the environment.

For a while, in the 20th century, this stately plant was maligned. Attempts were made to eliminate it from many of its natural places. Our ancestors could have told us that this was not a wise move. Restoring these natural stands and allowing them to thrive is one step towards returning the environment and ourselves to health.

This is an excerpt from a much longer article published on my website. To read the full article, click the button. Check out the artwork that I have for sale while you are there.

Turtle

When I was a child (a very long time ago), my family would take a yearly vacation from our farm in the mid-west. Often, we went out across Nebraska, Colorado, and other places in the west. As we crossed the sand hills of Nebraska, every few miles we would see a “Sand Hills Turtle” crossing the road. These were actually terrapins. We usually picked one of them up to take home as a pet. I would not do this now. They are under stress and, as a species, under decline. However, at the time, I was fascinated by this creature, and I still am.

There is an ancient knowledge and connection to the turtle at play here. The turtle is a symbol of Earth and her cycles. According to Native American legend, the land was built by the turtle. And, I actually live, and lived my entire life, on Turtle Island. Right now, turtles, terrapins, and tortoises are in decline world wide.

What does it say that this symbol of Earth is not thriving on Earth?

To me, it indicates that we might want to re-think our relationship with Earth. We might want to stop trying to “own” her, and view her as a guide and live within her cycles.

For a longer discussion of the Turtle and her symbology, follow the button to my website. My original artwork is also available there for purchase.

Digital versions of my artwork are available on my Buy Me a Coffee page.

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

My favorite book about creating healthy and thriving environments in your own space is INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE by Bill Mollison and Reny Mia Slay

I know that I have mentioned him before, but Andrew Millison from Oregon State University is a great resource for topics in healing the environment. He has a YouTube channel that is easy to find.

Some one I'm following:

One of the organizations that I am following is the PACHAMAMA ALLIANCE. They are an activist organization promoting sustainable causes. You can find them at pachamama.org