Trying a New Path
As many of you know, we are just getting started building our homestead here in Boston, VA. As Spring is finally and truly upon us, we have definitely been inspired to create and try a lot of new things. Today I was outside walking and had a new level of appreciation for what we were doing and creating, and this month, instead of writing about a specific technique thing you can use right now, I wanted to talk more about these thoughts through the lens of Permaculture and hopefully inspire you to get out there and try some new and exciting things! This is the time of year that nature is bursting into life, and sometimes it’s good for us to let a bit of that out ourselves and really get our creative juices running.
Since we moved in late last Fall, we’ve been slogging our way through 50ft of mud from the drive to the house every time it rains. The first tasks that we set out tackle this spring were creating two paths so that we could avoid this problem in key locations near the house. This turned out to be a lot more involved than we had initially realized. We wanted to make sure that we did it in a responsible way that would stand the test of time. After countless hours of laying borders and building stones walls, wheelbarrowing nearly 18,000 pounds of gravel, and light compacting of loose gravel in a way that would allow water to be distributed we had our two paths. Not only could we now avoid the mud, but they are functional and beautiful and really add to the space the way we wanted them too.
Today, while I was walking on one of these short paths, I stopped and really took in what we had created, and I began to see this path in a very different way. Sure……it’s just path, but it is truly beautiful. The ways the small gravel weaves throughout the large stones in the wall, the smooth curves that follow and work with the landscape, and the sweat and love that went into creating it. It reminded me of the feeling you get when you eat something that you grew and cared for yourself. It always just tastes better and looks that much more beautiful. This really inspired me to keep going. I began to see the ways in which different aspects of the landscape would work together and join each other.
As Spring arrives and you begin to get that bug to get outside and get your hands dirty, perhaps take a small step back first. Don’t just do the same things you’ve done every year. With Permaculture we are always striving to find new and innovative ways to regenerate and give back to our landscape. Look at your space as a whole and envision what it could be. How could different systems work together and how can you create new, meaning topography? What would be the first small thing that you could do to get on the path to creating your vision?
When we create new things with love, that comes through not only to us, but in the way other see them as well. The more things we can put out there that give back to Mother Earth and which are born of love the better so this Spring try something new. Create something beautiful!
With gratitude,
Daniel