My Victory Garden

This year I decided that I would put more effort into growing food. I have had more or less success with that over the years for a number of reasons. I live in a redwood forest with only a small area that is cleared. The soil is clay and since I live in a canyon, I don't get much sun.

That being said, I decided to start my plants and seeds early in my small greenhouse. Everything was ready to go into the ground. I went away for a weekend training in Plant Spirit Healing with Pam Montgomery and broke my ankle.

Since then, five weeks ago, I have only been outside once to go to the doctor. I am stuck in the house because I can't get down the stairs of my porch, nor walk with crutches on soil.

My plants are marooned in the greenhouse. I won't be able to plant them for another 3 weeks or so.

Meanwhile, my roses are blooming like never before in the front yard. I feel they are sending me healing energy, calming me down and telling me not to worry. Usually by this time of the year, it is so hot that the gardens need watering twice a day. Right now, at 2:30 pm it is still overcast. It rained yesterday and is generally cold outside. The great thing about this is that my garden is not burning up while I am in here not able to do anything about it. It's as if the weather is cooperating to keep my plants hydrated.

Since I embarked on this journey of Plant Spirit Healing, everything has shifted. I have had to cancel many of the events where I planned to sell my herbal products. I am not sure where this will lead and I am not 'thinking' about it. I am instead listening. Listening for instructions. Eliminating the static whenever possible.

On the Herbal Highway today seaweed was featured, then on the Visionary Activist show, the talk on renewal resources - biofuels etc, featured seaweed. So the message for today is clearly about seaweed. I need to eat more seaweed.

Of the products I make and sell here through Etsy, my Sea Witch Salve includes an infused oil of Fucus I made from seaweed I gathered on the Sonoma Coast near where I live. The Hammam bars (soap) have seaweed in them too. Seaweed has so many uses both externally and internally. It is a wonderful natural fertilizer too. You can pick up all that dried up old 'dead' stuff on the beach and bury it in your yard for fertilizer. Traditional cultures all over the world have done this for centuries.