Now almost two months later (since the first post about this and the temporary solution) and after many meetings these past few weeks of having “purchase gate posts, sink gate posts, build gates” on our agenda of things to do in the “urgent and important” quadrant, the gate posts were bought sometime last week and yesterday we had a day of dryness and sunk two of ten gate posts. 

It turns out (after much confusion, and re-explaining of the layout to me) that there are going to be three gates two of which will be arbors with roses climbing on them, and the third will be just a gate. The arbors have four posts and cross beams between them. Once the posts are in and sunk the temporary fence of fish netting will move to be around the entire garden, rather than just one quadrant which it is how it is now.  Then maybe sometime in the future when there is more money to buy materials the fencing will be wire, but fish netting will have to do for now.

Then an elaborate level structure was built to brace the posts with two cross pieces of wood at about head height and ankle height level across the path between the two posts (perfect for tripping and hitting one's head), and two diagonal stabilizing pieces of wood on one post to the north and east and the other post to the south and west. At some point in the process concrete was mixed and we were now ready to pour it. 

Then we started a preliminary clean up process and realized we had lots of concrete left, thankfully Tom had a kit for making square paving stones, and we had just enough concrete to make one paver. The paver was just big enough to fit four three inch tiles in the middle. 

We called Tom. When he arrived we planned and marked out where the posts should go. This involved tying back a rose bush and stringing a string across the garden to find the straightness of the future fence. 

Once we were confident on the placement of the holes we started digging. We were digging with post hole diggers and a big metal rod for loosening the dirt. We alternated one person jabbing the rod into the hole and loosening the dirt with another person on the other hole with the post hole digger. Once the holes were dug we put a little bit of gravel in the holes, and started setting the posts. 

Patricia designed a mosaic for the bottom while Tom, Doug and I poured the concrete for one post... Doug and I shoveling concrete and Tom down by the hole smoothing it out. Patricia and I laid out the mosaic. I went and brought back more concrete for the other post. Patricia and I mixed the rest of the concrete. Dorothy designed the second mosaic. 

Patricia and I cleaned off the tools. Then ate a quick lunch so that we could finish cleaning all the tools away before the young ones came home from school. Now Jean can build the gates...


This is a frog living in the garden.  It is about 1" long and has found a niche inside the water spigot.

Over the past two semesters I have been going to Quest University Canada. I have been increasingly discontented by a few aspects about Quest and I thought some time away where I could reflect on my experiences there would be good. 

So I arranged to end my semester early to come to Songaia and be a Garden Intern for a few months and reflect upon those experiences. 

But I do not live life in a vacuum and reflection always happens simultaneous to actively doing.
I felt the community aspect as well as the permaculture gardening made Songaia the perfect place to work through these inner processes while simultaneously actively learning and working hard. Songaia has not failed in this regard.

The community is full of awesome beautiful beings who each in their own idiosyncratic quirks and skills that fits into niches from which a cohesive community emerges. 

There is Patricia who manages interns and appears to be the main coordinator of the garden.
Nancy was the wife of (now deceased) Fred Lamphear who started the garden. Nancy (and it sounds like Fred as well) are amazing people for whom Thomas Berry's Dream of the Earth and Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces are sources of inspiration and quotes to live life by.
Nartano is a machine whisperer, a genius at fixing machines, a very good resource. 
Susie always seems crazily busy but also seems to thrive in that chaos, flowing effortlessly, like a taoist octopus. 
These are just a few of the mutitudes of various personalities and skills, without which this community would cease to be.

This is good to be able to recognize similarities and patterns in taste, smell, usage, soil preference, stem, leaf, flower look at the familial level. This becomes a huge asset when thinking about planting, in terms of crop rotation and/or inter planting/companion plants. 

Another awesome example of living permaculture is something other interns of past years have described, and that is the opportunity to design. We are given equal (it seems) say in design. This feels both daunting and exciting. Daunting because I suddenly have to know what to do and be able to apply it and it will have lasting effects long past my stay here. Exciting because I am given the responsibility and options to try it.

A Rosarian named Rose was over teaching us how to prune roses and mentioned Alliums as being good around roses, there are more onions to plant than we know what to do with. I suggested planting some of our many onions (in the Allium family) around the roses, Patricia and Helen thought that was a great idea, although it has yet to be done. Maybe that will become my project or at least part of it over my stay here...