Smoke from the Lake Berryessa fire rises over the eastern ridge of the Napa Valley.
Fire and Farming This morning it is evident that the fire in the eastern most part of Napa County is less contained that it was yesterday morning this time. A large plume of smoke spreads across the sky at first light. The orangish light is alarming and reminds us to think about animals and evacuation… Read more »
Mandala ripples in the fountain.
The Word for the Day, this rainy morning, from www.gratefulness.org: Mountains and oceans have whole worlds of innumerable wondrous features. We should understand that it is not only our distant surroundings that are like this, but even what is right here, even a single drop of water. DOGEN ZENJI Yes, it surprised us and… Read more »
The hollow of an ancient valley oak used to make barrel compost.
This summer of the fourth year of drought, we are liberally using the Barrel Compost we made on site in December (see post, Making Barrel Compost). Each fruit day (moon in fire signs) we spray the ground under the grapevines and orchard, and each flower day, moon in air signs) we spray the aromatics. The vines looked… Read more »
Making Barrel Compost In December Jesse and I made barrel compost and buried it in the hollow of an ancient oak that fell last May. We “stirred” eggshells and basalt dust into Biodynamic cow manure that Jesse got from his friend Seth (we do not have cows on our ranch) for a full hour, and… Read more »
Serpent like line runs through lavender. She runs west of our home, severing irrigation pipes and alarming us more than a little! In my imagination, she is a dragon who woke up writhing wildly in the early hours of Sunday morning. Believe me, we noticed her! The walls of our home twisted and everything in… Read more »
Bud Break: Beginning, Again
The season’s fruit and leaves are all wrapped up in this baby bundle. This week the Chardonnay vines are pushing tiny buds, some already unfolding to reveal miniature leaves and future grape bunches, baby bundles of the season’s riches. Today we begin the Biodynamic sprays. The moon is in… Read more »
Budbreak
Tiny bud. Within a couple of days, leaves will be unfolding. Budbreak Yesterday Ramon asked that the goats no longer walk through the vines as the buds have swollen into white fuzzy bulblike balls and will be unfolding within the day into tiny leaves (delicacies to a… Read more »
Stinging nettle flourishes in the Irish cemetery of my ancestors. What does it mean that stinging nettle does not grow on our ranch? Obviously, our hot and dry Mediterranean climate does not invite nettle, but energetically, what are we missing? Rudolf Steiner said it is the one Biodynamic preparation plant (504) for which there is no substitute…. Read more »
Monday (fruit/fire day, moon in Leo) we sprayed the third of the Barrel Compost earth sprays in the vineyard and orchard. The next few days (until Saturday morning) are root days (moon in Virgo, earth sign) and are ideal for making compost or compost tea, planting carrots, rutabagas, turnips, onions, or digging onions and potatoes…. Read more »
Anna and the compost pile (which is in process of being spread) This short YouTube film shows the importance of soil building in sequestering carbon (in carbon dioxide) and slowing and/or stopping global warming. Inspiring in its four minute message, it also lacks detail, like what would it mean to increase organic matter by 1.6%?… Read more »
© 2024 Patricia Damery.
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