Soaked and labeled two dozen or so seeds in ziplock bags & brought the arsenal down to the garden for mass planting. Coupled with the flats of starts which were delivered, there were probably 30 varieties of vegetables and over a dozen different flowers. The sun was hot in the sky. I got a serious tan. I went from white to black in a morning. Heeyah!
While I work in the garden people walk by, give compliments through the fence, but nearly never walk in. Last night I gave a Hopi elder named Harold a ride home from the Kogui's cabin, where most people have been congregating when the day's work is over. Harold's cabin is on the other side of campus. A dark walk. We talked briefly; mostly about my El Camino. I felt privileged to have him in my car.
This morning they walked past my garden and waved. They paused and decided to pay a visit. Five minutes earlier I spotted a garter snake in the garden popping his head up from the leaves in a row. I thanked him for coming and told him to bring his friends and eat as many slugs as they find. I pointed the snake out to the elders and Harold told me that many times he had passed the garden and saw me working hard, watched the building of the garden; but was called to come in this day. He believed that the snake had come to give him a a message.Back in Arizona his wife was visited by 3 bull snakes in their home. They are one of the largest snakes in the country and are infamous for their 'bad attitude'. They are constrictors. A gang of bull snakes. Two male and one female. If Harold's wife had been harmed, he would have had to cut his trip short to be with her, not completing the work he was doing here with the other first nations people. The work trying to come up with a solution for the worsening state of mother earth. Work to preserve our cultures and our people. This lil' garter snake came to tell Harold everything was okay. That his wife was safe and he could continue without worry.
These two Hopi elders performed a blessing and gave thanks. Wow. My garden was blessed by Hopi elders.
They were also really interested in how I was growing the garden. They checked out ziplocks of seeds and marveled at how many different varieties I could grow. Tons of beans and squash. Peas for food and cut flowers. Six types of greens (not lettuce). Plants for fun like loofa and love lies bleeding. And varieties of flowers to encourage pollinators to visit often. Not to mention the dozens of tomato starts who actually made it through the greenhouse tragedy.
They asked about the soil & irrigation and were so happy to know the food flowers, and herbs would be harvested and used to prepare meals for our guests throughout the season. They were impressed bu how much food a 1/2 acre could produce.
Harold told me that he had wanted to build a community garden for the past couple of years and that they needed help. Clearing a space, fighting invasives, and harnessing water from a spring. He told me that what I was doing , growing food organically, was the answer. I got goosebumps and felt elated because that is what I believe.
The night before I'd sat and talked with some people about what the elders, specifically the Kogui's message was.What was so important they'd left the mountain and flown for the first time, to NYC of all places? The message was that we have taken too much from our mother earth without giving back. They came here to meet with other first peoples; the elders of N & S American nations and later at the Peace Summit in Newark, the Russian/Siberian elders and elders from China/Tibet. They offered them all bundles of the elements (shells, stones, seeds, sweetgrass, etc) to each of the elders and also brought them to sacred sites nearby Phoencia. A beautiful way to get their message out and have it understood around the world.Jr. gave a bundle to the Kogui. One of the gifts it contained were a bunch of seed packs I picked up at the store from a local Hudson Valley seed supplier. They feature NY artists' work printed on a revolutionary folding & resealable sweet little package. The seeds are harvested from varieties acclimated to our area. Varieties that have been grown here for years. The plants I chose will probably grow even better where they live, near the equator. I hand selected 9 varieties. They consider it a lucky number. I'd like to think they'll plant them... in the high Sierra Nevada mountains of Columbia. Such a sweet, fulfilling thought.
Next time it's all about Mickey McSquirrel the Red and how we've made amends after a rocky start.
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