Age of Aquarius



Age of Aquarius



She is the Goddess of new Consciousness....An awakening happening at this very moment.... The realization that the path we are on has shifted before our very eyes.
As we shall all soon see, the worst of times are the catalyst for new beginnings....Beginnings of things that are the way they are meant to be.  The only thing there is to do, is be.
 "Be the change you wish to see." -Gandhi

Is it time to garden yet????

Whew!  I don't know what happened there, but I am back. 
Way back when... out at the farm, we were desperately trying to improve the soil, or should I say create "soil" from clay.  We finally realized that although not impossible, this is going to take some time.  We are still doing this in many areas by adding manure, wood chips, growing cover crops, etc.  However, we have decided to build raised beds to have an area where we can grow vegetables this decade.  As in NOW!  Spring is just around the corner. What better time than on this auspicious full moon to start seeds and plan your garden. 
Here is how we are building the garden:

how big is this thing going to be???

We are using wood from a retaining wall we had been building somewhere else.  We thought these resources would go to better use at Pangea, building a garden bed that should be big enough (maybe) to grow everything we want to grow.  At least for now!  Our future garden beds will be built using existing materials from the land such as downed trees and rocks.  We want our gardens to represent sustainability in every way.  That includes seed saving and using open pollinated, organic, and heirloom variety seeds (as much as possible), as well as many other ways we can responsibly manage our resources at hand.



       

     Because the clay is SO hard, it takes quite a while to dig down one foot to insert our vertical stabilizer pieces.  As you can see from the picture to the right, the top layer of this area had been scraped down several feet below the surface.  Not only does this take away any top soil, but also the softer "newer" soil that usually exists just below the surface.  What we have found, is that four feet below where the topsoil once lived, is a sort of rock clay combination that is extremely difficult to dig by hand.  Although fascinating in a geological sense, not so much to a girl with a shovel.  And a pick.  And thankfully, an extremely strong man!
We should be totally buff by the time we are finished.  Just one more reason to go build a garden, right?

The area where we are building looked so completely flat before we began.  Once we started putting level flat boards down on the ground we realized how much of a slope we have in this area.  It is extremely challenging to make a completely level box. 








We decided we would build one large bed to begin with and use all the boards we already have on hand.  This way, we can reconfigure the garden every season to utilize crop rotation and other organic gardening methods. 

We are almost finished with the giant box.  We are going to leave two sections open so we can back in dump trucks full of good soil.  Soil is the key to a successful garden. And oh, will we ever appreciate the good soil!!! Now go get your seeds ready.

Winter Solstice



"Winter Solstice 2011"

In the middle of darkness
and the sun is nowhere to be found
behind the clouds of windswept far away
begins the light.
slowly.
creeping toward the now
until it shines
evermore.

Back in Colorado...

After leaving Moab, we decided that we were not quite finished with Colorado, so here we are again.  There are several areas around here we would like to explore and we decided we want to go skiing.  I have never been, so I think I will be happy to take a lesson.  Or two. 
Today, we went for a wonderful hike with our friend Brandon on Dakota Ridge...affectionately called "Hogback".  The coolest thing was seeing all the mountain bikers attempting to traverse this incredibly rocky terrain.  I was starting to wonder about mountain biking in Colorado until I was told this was one of the toughest trails around.  I certainly could see why.  Yikes.  Thank you for the beautiful sunny fun-filled day!

Slickrock rocks!

This past week in Moab has been a blast. I apologize for being such a slack blog writer this week. My excuse? Distracted by fun! We have filled these past few days with many adventures on trails with wheels and on foot. We met a father and son from Alberta CA on the Poison Spider Mesa trail. We spent a couple of fun-filled days together exploring the backcountry on the Porcupine Rim 4 x4 trail and the White Rim trail through Canyonlands. We have seen some truly amazing scenery. The landscape is vivid in color and texture. The sky in the west seems to be a particular shade of blue not seen anywhere else.
The past couple of days we have spent exploring Arches National Park. The geology of this area is truly unique. The layers of sedimentary rock eroding and leaving these unusual formations of spires, arches, balanced rocks, and other amazing shapes is fascinating. The setting sun on the red sandstone is breathtaking. The sight of the full moon rising over the La Sal mountains from inside the park on Thursday was a sight that is beyond words.

More gnarly trails...

Oh what a gorgeous day today here in Moab! Although it was only about 50 degrees, the sky was a vivid blue with plenty of sunshine.
We hiked the Negro Bill Canyon trail. It's about 4 1/2 miles long, criss-crossing a beautiful clear creek, and ending up at the Morning Glory arch. Apparently this arch is actually the sixth largest natural bridge in the world.
Then we drove the Poison Spider Mesa jeep trail up some totally gnarly terrain.....dude. It's always interesting being on a trail in a four wheel drive vehicle as well as mountain bikers and dirt bikers. It certainly gives you a different perspective. Of course here in Moab it's all about the fun and adventure!

"Occupy Yourself"

Moab!

After several fun filled days in Colorado, we are now in Moab, UT.  Denver got 10" of snow yesterday after we left. Wow. Welcome to winter. We had a great time with our friends there.  We explored all the surrounding areas...Boulder, Lyons, Evergreen, Morrison, Golden, and everywhere in between. We went to the red rocks amphitheater and finished one scenic day with some of the best Indian food I have had in a long time. Thank you Brandon and Renea for a terrific few days in Colorado. 
We camped last night at the Rabbit Valley mountain biking area and woke up to heavy rain and sleet during the night. Amazingly, it seemed dry and ice free this morning despite freezing temperatures. 

Today, we did the Hell's Revenge trail here in Moab. All I can say is...phew!... That is one gnarly trail. It was an absolutely beautiful day and now that we are out of the car I can breathe deeply and say, mostly honestly, that we had a blast. Remember, when you ask for adventure in your life, you get it!

"The Path"

The path can be anything we choose
Joy or misery can easily be ours
The thoughts of today
Create our tomorrows
So what path are you on?

Happy Anniversary love!