garden update & local politics
approaching peak fall color
I opened my computer to write about the contemporary relevance of Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour (autonomy, secret desires, bird symbolism, the nature of time, etc) for my lit class but in my post apple buckwheat pancake* lunch stupor I don’t want to do that. I want to update you about my garden.
*Buckwheat is gluten free despite its name and is pretty easy to find in food co-ops both locally and organically grown in the northeast. It’s also soooo delicious and now that we have an oven (!!) I can't stop baking buckwheat things. Do you want a round up of my fav buckwheat recipes? Tis the season…
Now for a garden update:
A few weeks ago we had a big in-ground pool removed and filled in with garden soil. We immediately got to digging a 50’ row for autumn greens production- all frost tolerant varieties so we can hope for a few little harvests this season. Fast forward to about three weeks later and we have just had our first light frost. So far everything is still chugging along and we should be able to start harvesting next week.
This weekend we are hoping to work on putting up a greenhouse but Hayden and I are also feeling a little exhausted by the never ending stream of house projects we are working on (wood to stack, brush to chip, ceilings to paint, weird holes to fill, etc.) SO, maybe we will put it off for a few days and make the most of these last warm and dry autumn weekend afternoons - time to stomp around the leaves downtown and take a hike and sit at the cafe and chat about house projects instead of doing them ;) Tip of the hat to my neighbors who are hopefully relieved that we finally trimmed the overgrown hedge after three months of being here. We’re getting there.
All that matters is that we get the greenhouse up before the ground freezes so we can use it for seed stratification over winter and seed starting in early spring. I’m trying to be less of a hard-ass about projects and ~enjoy the process~ instead. I have a little Notion homepage where I organize all of my life and school projects and my current note to self across the top of my screen: channeling my beautiful intensity. hehe. Maybe you need to hear that too! We can be efficient AND somewhat relaxed.
We are working with sandy loam here. I have never seen anything like it. My shovel sinks right in. It could not be more different than the soil we had in Brooktondale - wet meadow with loads of organic matter and a shallow bedrock. Oddly enough, they are both considered prime farmland. I can’t wait to experience a full season of this sandy soil. I’m slowly learning about why it’s so sandy here, hopefully I’ll have more to report on that eventually.
These photos are from just over a week ago:
Grua sitting pretty in a patch we just planted of: Beach plums, Aronia Berries (three species: red, white, and purple), Red Bud Tree, Monarda, New England Aster, Switchgrass, Prairie Drop Seed, Little Blue Stem, Mountain Mint, and Shrubby Saint John’s Wort. The grass was all ripped up here from when the excavator came to take away the pool so we hopped on it right after and planted up a lush native meadow of herbs and fruit bearing trees and shrubs. Can’t wait for it to fill in next year!
Something came over me in the past few weeks and I suddenly can’t get enough of identifying the calls of all the little birds around us. I wake up and open Merlin to take a recording and see who is around. I’m sitting on the front porch, app is open. Running through the woods? Stopping because who was just chirping. Hayden stares at me in disbelief because he has been trying to get me to share his bird hobby for years. You can’t make a horse drink as they say. If I wasn’t motivated enough to plant a native forest-scape outside my window, now I have the pressure of providing for my birds.
It’s cool hearing the feedback that you like the home reno adjacent updates so I am going to keep them coming.
I made a little gallery wall for few of Hayden’s diplomas (ikr) with photos and art we’ve collected. I have more to add to this, but it’s a good start. H was out of town so I did this as a little surprise and it was extremely challenging for me to not let him in on what I was doing when we checked in. He didn’t see until he walked into his home office the following Monday :’), t’was cute.
Hayden’s office was the first one we painted…after we stripped the LED lights from the entire circumference of the trim and scraped what I can only imagine was superglue holding them there. I’m painting all the walls a pretty stark gallery white (I think it’s official name is Sugar Dust from the company ECOS) which I think (hope) will look chic with the warm dark trim that is in every room.
Now for some small town politics.
Our town is quintessentially post industrial New England. I love the look of all the old brick buildings on the canal with their big windows - I do wish they were not shuttered though, so much potential! Recently I signed up for the river defender’s email list to learn more and I’ve been delighted to learn about rare and endangered Shortnose Sturgeon found in the river nearby. I also learned about a big public meeting about the controversial potential relicensing of the dam. (Or as I heard my fellow townspeople call it at the meeting - the monster.)
Can we talk about shortnose sturgeon for a second? This beautiful fish has become a vulnerable species because of habit loss - oo catching myself using passive language (something watching the news has made me very aware of this year, that is, when passive vs active voice is used…), more accurately, because of deliberate choices made by people to disregard ecology in the name of “development”.
The further north that Shortnose Sturgeon travel, the longer they live. The ones who make it up to Canada have a lifespan of 60 years. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration they use their “vacuum like mouths” to eat mollusks and other delicious things from the muddy riverbeds. Also according to NOAA they are endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Okay, so now that we know a little more about the Shortnose Sturgeon, let me fill you in on the meeting. It was at our local theatre!
It was an almost four hour meeting so I showed up with my knitting project and got cozy in the auditorium seating. When I arrived, I walked through a spirited protest with big beautiful art of the Shortnose Sturgeon and lots of little “deny!” posters. People want MassDEP to deny the relicensing of the dam. I learned that the river flows backwards for three miles!! MassDEP presented first and talked about how they could add new stipulations regarding water quality and measures to protect the wildlife to the contract if they approve the relicensing of the dam. Massachusetts Wildlife and Fisheries presented after MassDEP and backed up the concerns of the citizens and agreed that the dam and the backwards flowing river make for an ecological disaster. One commenter said something along the lines of: “As long as the river is flowing backwards due to the dam, all the plunge pools and fish nets and other big projects meant to save the fish will be a Sisyphean task.”
It felt good to participate in local discourse (even just by being present) and my heart swelled at each of my many fellow townspeople who stood up and told their stories about the dam and asked poignant questions. I teared up a few times! A Nipmuc man gave a moving speech about the cultural importance of the river to his tribe. The people want the dam decommissioned!
At one point Hayden slipped into the meeting and whispered in my ear: “Just did some rough calculations…seems like they could produce all the power they need on about sixty acres of solar panels. They could find that in parking lots and rooftops, right?” I urged him to stand up and ask his question but I think we were both feeling a little shy, what with being the new people in town and all. I will have to ask around and find out why that alternative is not considered - seems like a win for the river, the people, and finally finding a shady place to park.
By the end of the meeting I was feeling deflated. It seems likely that MassDEP will grant the license to the energy company despite the public outrage at the ecological devastation occurring because of it. MassDEP made it clear that if they deny the energy company, they will be taken to court for a lengthy legal process with an uncertain outcome and that the energy company will be able to use the dam for that whole process, which could take years. They explained that: conversely, if they accept the relicensing and make stipulations about water quality, it could be seen as an overall better outcome than the legal nightmare alternative. Either way, we will know their decision around the end of the year.
After they shared about the legal ramifications of denying the recertification of the dam, one of my fellow meeting attendees stood up and asked (I’m paraphrasing): “What makes you not hope for more?”
What you have just read is my simple understanding of a complex issue I am just getting familiar with. Here is the full recorded meeting if you are interested in learning more. I will continue to get educated on this particular project that is now close to my heart and I hope to learn more about dam decommissioning in general.
Thanks for reading! And btw, I really appreciated the response to my last black bear centric missive. Brat summer to wildlife winter or something :o
If you enjoyed this newsletter it would mean a lot to me if you would engage with it! A little heart, comment, share, or direct feedback goes a long way in making this writing project sustainable. Thank you.
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Geraldine
Ive never read anything more Virgo than this. In the best way possible! You do so much I can’t even comprehend it. Very inspiring to see your passions blossoming right now in a very new environment. Blessings!
I feel so inspired by your writing and passion. Thank you for sharing!!