The Potting Bench

This is a companion article that I wrote last summer. After finishing the raised garden bed for my friend last summer, we had six pallets left over. After debating and scheming, we decided to build a potting bench to give her a bit of outdoor work space. The strategy that I chose to pursue was to cut the best parts of the pellets to size and screw the pieces together. The requirements were that the bench be a comfortable work height, that I can mow under it, that use only what was available at hand, and it be sturdy. Including the cost of the pallets, the project cost was $6 (this was the purchase price last year) and the entire project took me about 5 hours. This includes the time to cut up the rest of the pallets into fire wood.

SUPPLIES: pallets and screws

TOOLS: tape measure, square, pencil, circular saw, drill, hand saw (for trimming rough edges), screw driver, OPT: chalk line

1) Create a rough sketch of the project and measure the pallets to finalize the plan.

2) Measure and mark the sides, top, and back

3) Cut these four pieces and mock them together to make sure everything fits.

4) Attach the back to the sides, measuring and squaring as you go. This oak, it must be drilled before screws are driven in.

5) Set the bench upright and ease everything into square, measure and cut the shelf

6) Put the shelf in place and drill and drive screws to secure it in place

7) Place the top into position and screw it into place

8) Test everything to make sure it is secure and sturdy

This type of project with these materials has no fully defined plan. It is an adjust as you go type of project. Start with a rough idea of what you are doing and some basic skills, then think out of the box. For a more complete rundown of how I put this together, click on the link to go to the full article on Buy Me a Coffee. Leaving a tip is not required, but it is appreciated and helps to support my effort to showcase affordable ways to create abundance and resiliency.

The Cycle

It is early August of 2024 on the shores of Lake Erie here in north east Ohio in the United States of America. It is early August and I find that I am struggling with all that is happening right now. If I am honest, it has been easier here than in many parts of the country and the world. And even here, the air is drinkable. Every storm that has come through has pushed severe limits close to people that I know and love. And the politics, well, let’s just say, are an exercise in chaos.

And through it all, I do feel blessed, lucky, and abundant. We have had smoke but no fire. We have had strong storms, but the rain fed the garden. The heat and humidity is oppressive, but not deadly. And the rest of it, I roll my eyes.

It all really does feel like a fire hose of crises, disasters, and discord. What is not breaking feels like it’s stressed as far as it can be stressed. It can be overwhelming and numbing to pay attention to all of what is going on right now. When we look at each piece, each crisis, and try to take it all in, it is a bit too much all at once.

It’s a bit like viewing a tapestry close up. Viewed from a few inches, all that we see are the individual threads and their frays and flaws. From close up, we can see where the stresses on the fabric are fracturing the weak points. When we take this close view, we try to fix each individual thread, one at a time. However, too often, that “fixed” thread transfers the stress and damage to another part of the fabric.

The real solution to this dilemma is to take a few steps back from the tapestry so that we can see the ornery puppy tugging at the corner of the tapestry. Ah, now we can see the common cause of the effects that are rippling through the tapestry. With this view, we start repairing the tapestry by encouraging the puppy to go play with the children.

So it is with the fire hose of crises, whether it is personal or global. We can spend our time and energy endlessly “fixing” one problem after another until there is nothing left of the fabric of life that can be repaired. Or we can take a few steps back and see where the stress is coming from. It has been my experience, that when life gets complicated, and one challenge piles on top of another, the underlying cause is usually quite simple, as is the solution.

With crisis after crisis piling on top of one another,it is time to address the source of the stress. If we are to heal the world, or more accurately, allow the Earth herself, we have to stop doing those things that break the threads of the tapestry. In essence, the underlying cause of the fire hose of crises is our broken relationships and disconnection. This is first and foremost our relationship with our self. It is also our relationships with the environment and the other life on this planet. Then the one relationship that makes all the difference, our relationship with the Earth herself.

Healing the Earth starts with healing ourselves. It is in the rebuilding of connections to each other and the Earth. When we come back into understanding that all that we are, all that we aspire to be, and our very existence depends upon the health of the Earth, we begin to touch healing and wisdom.

Healing in ourselves and the Earth begins when we understand the true nature of abundance on this Earth. Resources, abundance, energy, life, and beauty are infinitely available only when they are flowing in a cycle. They are available to us sustainably only when they are cared for as if they are sacred. This Earth is a living, sacred, and shared trust, that stays healthy and vibrant when energy and resources cycle. When any form of energy or resource gets collected, horded, and controlled by the hands and manipulations of a few, this sacred abundance stagnates and becomes toxic. Then it disappears.

The solution s simple, but it is not easy. We are the source of the problem. We are the source of the solution. We can continue to fray the fabric of life. Or we can live in the cycle of life. The choice really is ours.

Sanctuary

She. Was. Alone.

Separated from what she once knew.

She. Was. Alone.

She had been alone

For a very long time.

………

Where did the woman end?

Where did the dragon begin?

With a heart full of courage,

Her journey would begin again.

In seeking shelter from her storm,

She found Sanctuary in the dragon.

The print and story of Sanctuary is available at Buy Me a Coffee

Original Artwork by Manitu Okahas is available at Manitu Okahas Studio, manituokahasstudio.com

And for a little bit more

Events

August 8 - Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day

August 11 - Olympics Closing Ceremony

August 12 - Perseid Meteor Shower Peak

August 19 - Full Moon

August 25 - National Banana Split Day

September 2 - Labor Day in the US

September 2 - New Moon, next newsletter

Rosemary

Rosemary is a beautiful evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the mountains and hills around the Mediterranean Sea. The name “rosemary” comes from the Latin term for “Dew of the Sea”. Rosmarinus officinalis, is only hardy down to around 25* F plus or minus a bit, so can not be grown as a perennial garden plant in most temperate zones. It is definitely not hardy where I am staying at this time.

That being said, it is such a beautiful plant and herb to have, that I find ways to grow this aromatic shrub. Rosemary is an herb that I crave. I use it in meat dishes, vegetable dishes, and poultry. I add rosemary to salad dressings and marinades. I often add a sprig to my watermelon, lemon, or raspberry shrub. Rosemary is one part of a tea blend that I make for myself and an important part of an ointment that I make.

Rosemary has been used since ancient times as a medicinal herb for a number of issues. Many of these have been backed up by modern research. It is most often used to support the nervous system. It seems to be especially helpful in improving and supporting brain health, memory, concentration, and focus. Rosemary acts as a general health tonic and is supportive of the immune system and circulatory system. I use it as a topical anti-inflammatory.

There are a number of other potential positive health effects of rosemary as well. It is one of the herbs that is worth the effort to use in cooking or to add to your favorite beverage. Also, washing surfaces with a strong rosemary tea may help disinfect the surfaces from viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

Rosemary is a safe herb at culinary levels of use and is generally considered safe at higher levels of consumption. There are some cautions for the use of rosemary at higher levels. These include pregnancy, high blood pressure, epilepsy, and some prescription medications. Check with your medical provider or pharmacist before starting any herbal regimen.

Whether I am living in USDA zone 5 or traveling, I grow my rosemary in a two gallon pot. The one in the picture is growing I my mini garden that I planted in an old roaster pan. Rosemary s not really fond of indoor spaces and does need a dormancy period. Here is how I manage it. My first trick is to make sure that this shrub has well drained soil. A bit of sand in the potting mix helps as does a layer of rocks in the bottom of the pot. My other rosemary is growing in the inside portion of a pasta pot. The second trick is to delay bringing the rosemary inside until the night time temperatures drop below its threshold in the fall and take it out in the spring as soon as the night time temperatures are high enough. I then overwinter my rosemary in an unheated porch that stays just above freezing. Rosemary likes as much light as you can give it and good air flow, especially in the winter. If I have a string of warm days, I take the rosemary back outside during the day. Rosemary is prone to powdery mildew if it doesn’t get enough UV light and air flow. Sunlight and air flow are the best preventives and I keep mine on the dry side when they are stuck inside. If needed, I spritz them with a baking soda and water wash occasionally. After a couple of hours, I wash it off.

Rosemary is very easy to propagate from cuttings. So, in the fall, take a few cuttings from the plant and give yourself a fall back just in case your main plant doesn’t make it through the winter.

Here is an article on some the energetic properties of rosemary.

Here is a link to my ointment recipe that I have posted on Buy Me a Coffee. While it is yours for free, if you leave a small donation, that goes a long ways towards supporting my effort to share what I have learned.

Here is a link to my instructions for a propagation tray. Read it for free on Buy Me a Coffee.

Caduceus

The caduceus is a symbol that is generally recognized worldwide as a symbol of the medical sciences and healing. It is usually represented as two serpents entwined around a staff with hawk’s wings or an orb at the top. In my rendition, I used stylized dragons to represent healing, learning, and wisdom. The symbol is usually associated with Hermes and Mercury, but it actually dates back to ancient Lagash and Babylonia.

The caduceus is a symbol that brings simplicity to apparent complexity, mirroring life itself. The staff represents values and integrity. The serpents represent flexibility, growth, and balance. The wings represent understanding and wisdom. On their own, these symbols seem complex. But when the three elements are brought together, the caduceus represents the true source of life, health, and healing.

While the nuances and the framework varies a bit from culture to culture, the caduceus symbolizes healing on all levels through balance and harmony. this can be the balancing of opposites. It can be the balancing of the masculine and the feminine. It is also the balancing of the spiritual with the analytical. It is in this balance that the cycle of life is found with its transformation and deep healing.

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

For information on permaculture check out these two books.

Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison

Building a Better World In Your Back Yard - … by Paul Wheaton

One online resource is the Pachamama Alliance at pachamama.org

Some one I'm following:

One of the organizations that I follow is the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. This organization is host to the Grandmother’s Wisdom Project at grandmotherswisdom.org