Things at the farm are starting to pick up again- we've gotten the chicken coop into place and are almost done painting it, we're thinking about where we want to plant things, and we got our baby chicks (Flora is going to write about them soon)! The rhubarb is coming up again and has spread since last summer. The poppies have reseeded all over the place (Flora thinks they're weeds and should be pulled, but I think they're beautiful and should stay). We are planning to put in a series of Goddess gardens- herbs and flowers placed together with artifacts designating them as sacred to various Goddesses (we'll write more about that later too).
The weather is warm again and the sun is shining! Its been really tempting to just jump on our bikes and disappear into the wilderness. Alas, we haven't done so.
Flora sold her car last weekend, and we now are living completely car/motor free! Its been exciting and annoying all at the same time. Its nice not to have that responsibility of a vehicle, and its nice to no longer be able to take the easy way out and drive. Its been annoying in that we now have to plan our trips a bit more now. If we want to leave town, we have to plan for a zipcar. If we want to attend an event on the other side of Portland, we have to think about the best ways to get there. This might seem simple for many bike riders, indeed it used to be simple for us too... we have been part of the bike community for a while now. Unfortunately, in mid-January we had a wrench thrown into the works when a car struck me while I was on my bike. Thankfully my bike only sustained a scratch. Sadly, I was not that lucky. Recovery has been slow. So while I want to, I'm just now able to get back on a bike for light, short rides. It would be easy to write this off as an inconvenience of being a full-time bike rider, but that attitude scares me. There are far too many bike/auto accidents and close-calls that happen, even in bike-friendly Portland.
So yes, there is lots going on. And we'll be posting on here more often again now that there is stuff to write about. Expect more soon!
Fauna
Indeed, there is a major problem with our attitude towards motor vehicle traffic, as if the injuries and casualties along the way are just "necessary sacrifice" on the way to progress. The #1 cause of death in the U.S. for ages 1-15 is motor vehicle traffic, and that goes up through age 34 for all but the "black" ethnic group (according to the CDC). Something major needs to change here.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I hope you recover quickly, and I hope you're able to get out on a bike more soon, as it's looking like it's going to be a great spring for riding. Already it seems like everywhere I go there are people on bikes, even on quiet side streets where I'm usually the only person around.
Good luck with the chickens, I'm excited to hear how that goes. Cheers!
Thanks for the well-wishes! Its now early April and I'm back on my bike again and starting to get reconditioned to biking distances!
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