Since getting back to Songaia, things have tipped definitely into late summer: blackberries, the beginning of the tomatoes, even apples. Work has shifted almost exclusively to harvesting, and partially to get out of the heat, partly because it really does need doing, we’ve been spending the afternoons in the common house kitchen preserving. We’ve dried, we’ve canned, and frozen. There have been gallons of applesauce.

On Monday, I spent the afternoon pickling purple beans (very unfortunately, they immediately lose their rich color after just a few minutes in brine). I remember planting those beans right at the beginning of my time at Songaia,  and later building the trellises that they grew up. It’s reminding me of one of the reasons I first wanted to spend a whole summer at Songaia – the chance to follow through an entire season in one place, to get to see the real turning of the cycle. 

As a rising senior in high school, most of my peers are doing something to pad their college applications this summer. While realizing it is necessary to do something with my time, I decided to take a route that would actually make me happy and fulfilled. The time I have spent at Songaia so far has been amazing and surprising—I learn so much every day, from small tips about planting to the creation of Bokashi compost. The work is fun and challenging but laidback enough that there is nothing stressful about it.

This past Monday, I spent the morning composting with Doug. This was a job that I had been warned about, but although the smell took some getting used to, I found it actually quite relaxing and methodical. There was also a distinct sense of pride at signing the back of the composting shirt, as if I had been inducted into an exclusive club.

That afternoon, as the temperature climbed, I was able to sit inside in the cool air and sort seeds. The process was mellow yet required a great deal of concentration—keeping the seeds separate and labeling each correctly was something that couldn’t be messed up. 

On Tuesday I spent the morning weeding and mulching the Circle Garden with a sizable portion of the garden crew. This was one of the most satisfying jobs I have done because once we had finished, the garden had transformed into a neat and tidy space. 

I then picked blackberries and in the afternoon cooked jam for the first time. The combination of blackberry, plum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and rose turned out really well, and jam making is a skill I will definitely take with me into the future. I’m looking forward to the next two weeks I’ll be working at Songaia!

It’s always great when things seem to happen right on time.  If you’re the philosophical type you may say that everything happens in time, but it would have been inconvenient if last week’s rain had started a day earlier—before we completed the retaining wall around the cottage at Life Song Commons.  Again, this project had little to do with food but a lot to do with the sustainability of the cottage as a living space.  In its breadth permaculture recognizes these things as connected.

When we resumed construction we were right where I left off on my last blog post.  We still had to tunnel beneath the concrete that was once a driveway and extend the trench along the west side of the cottage before we could lay any pipe or gravel.  I don’t remember if it was in the original plan for the trench to wrap around the west side but the benefit is that it diverts all of the water to the row of blueberries.  Although the gutter itself still needs to be put up on the shed to the east of the cottage, we added a section of pipe to connect it to the cottage’s drainage before refilling the trench.

As the current residents of the cottage Alex and I were motivated to make it look nice when the excavation was done.  Lucky as we were that the middle part of the drive way was not paved at digging time, it looked pretty rough after it was filled back in.  Using only the bricks, stones, and slabs of rock we unearthed in digging the trench (and one log left behind from the tree removal a few weeks back), we pieced together a more inviting patio.

There was something satisfying about waking up late to the sound of rain the next morning, knowing the project that took us a month to finish was being put to use on its first day of existence.  Around here people are understandably disillusioned with the rain but I, like the blueberries, still find it refreshing.