Starting at 11:30 pm on New Year’s Eve we grind frankincense, myrrh, and homeopathic gold in a mortar and pestle for a full hour. This is an aromatic activity, the scent intoxicating us with the change of the year, the past and the future all together in this very moment. It is a time to… Read more »
Spraying the “501” along the boundary line early morning. Inviting solar and cosmic energies This time of year we spray the perimeter of our land, first with “BC prep,” a biodynamic spray that has all the biodynamic compost preps plus the horned manure earth spray, or “500”, (late afternoon), then with the quartz crystal cosmic… Read more »
Field spray being activated with moisture overnight. Biodynamic Field Spray in Forest This evening we are moistening the biodynamic field spray to apply to forest areas in which we have cut dead wood or thinned brush. Tomorrow afternoon we will mix a unit of the field prep (two ounces… Read more »
People have asked… What the goats will be having for Christmas Dinner First Course —will be their wormwood concoction, which is an herbal wormer mixed with molasses. They love it! Once I had mixed it in the refrigerator. I caught my son taking the bowl out preparing to sneak “gingerbread cookie dough”. Needless to say,… Read more »
Manger SceneManger Scene
Manger Scene My sister and I called the nativity the “manger scene”. We would get the set out of the attic for the first Sunday in Advent. The scene had the holy family, of course, and an assortment of angels, but also a cow, donkey, two sheep, and a shepherd. My grandmother’s set was so… Read more »
P.I. enjoying the labors. Cutting Up Wood Donald and Ramon cut up downed wood and dead trees most days, wood that we season a year and burn for heat. This practice is carbon neutral if the wood is seasoned well and then burned hot in an environmentally certified wood stove. Splitting logs, which will then… Read more »
Before: Downed dead wood and brush in dangerous buildup Forest Care After years of fire suppression (80 years in our area), there is heavy buildup of downed wood and underbrush. Part of bringing balance to our ranch involves clearing some of this. After: Forest floor that has had… Read more »
Bobcat hunting south of kitchen last week. Bobcat: Why habitat is important. This is the time of year we see the bobcat hunting. He comes early morning and again late in the day, patiently waiting by gopher holes for his meal. He is seldom disappointed! Photo taken a year ago… Read more »
Lot Number Goatsong 11
Lot Number Goatsong 11 This year 2011 most of the lavender we cut to dry came from field Goatsong, an area between our house and the labyrinth. This lavender grows in thin topsoil and the plants have grown more slowly over the years. But even now, at age 12, they are putting out the long… Read more »
Toyon leading goats up slope. Lot Number Toyon 11 Each year Ramon looks for those plants whose stems are the longest for bouquet making, and this year the field Toyon was one of two that won! Field Toyon is on an north-facing slope above the Chardonnay. Often the lavender there blooms earliest. The little brown… Read more »
© 2026 Patricia Damery.
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