Lazy Spring Days.

Good afternoon to all our readers out there!

It's an odd sort of day today. Its been an odd sort of couple weeks, actually. The weather has been wildly varying from sun and clear blue skies to dark clouds, rain, hail, and thunder and back. All in the span of 10-15 minutes. Needless to say, its made for an awkward time to be in the gardens. Our starts that are outdoors are slowly growing, but the lack of constant sun is making it hard for them to really take off. The ones indoors are starting to get a bit leggy, stretching to get as much sun as they can in our west windows. I'm afraid that if the weather doesn't pick up soon that we'll have some troubles with stunted growth this summer.

Regardless of what's going on outdoors, this has been perfect weather to be doing stuff indoors. I'm actually sitting in the window drinking some vanilla roobios tea as I write this. Of course, I spent all morning cleaning the house from top to bottom. Plenty of time for some thorough spring cleaning!

Its also a perfect time to do some reading. In an earlier post I mentioned the "Radical Homemakers". We picked up the book this weekend. It's by Shannon Hayes. I haven't started reading it yet, but you can expect to hear more about it as soon as I do! In the mean time, check out their website at: http://radicalhomemakers.com/

We also picked up the book "Pedaling Revolution" by Jeff Mapes. He's a Portlander, so its been really neat to recognize the streets he talks about as he writes on "how cyclists are changing American cities." He focuses on Portland, New York City and a few other places in les-EU as well as about the Netherlands, the mecca of biking. I've only just started reading it, so I'll hold off on talking about it any more, but you can find his book at Powell's online store here: http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780870714191

Fair weather!

-Fauna

Radical Homemakers Part 1.

There was an article in the newpaper on Tuesday called "Radical Homemakers". It was promoting a book, but the article featured a number of Portland area women who were taking steps to simplify their lives. We decided we wanted to do something like that for ourselves too.

Fauna, 26

"Growing up on a farm I couldn't wait to leave it. Today, I find myself closer and closer to living on a farm again but this time I value the experience, the produce, the struggles. This time its on my own terms and I love it!"

Then: Living in apartments from year to year. "I never had space to plant anything and always felt too transient to feel good about planning any sort of a garden.

Now: Living on a self-proclaimed urban farm complete with organic garden, chicken coop, rain barrels, and compost station.

The turning point: A little over a year ago she decided that simply trying to live a green life wasn't enough. She decided it was time to settle down in a permanent place and work on creating a more sustainable lifestyle including a local food economy.

Life on two wheels: She sold her car upon moving to Portland 2 years ago and hasn't looked back. While there have been some rough times relying on bicycles only, she enjoys the slower pace of life it creates. Today, she bikes everywhere, from market to work to Sauvie Island for berries, and even 60 miles toward the coast to visit a friend for the weekend.

Radical Homemaker Cred: She cans, pickles, and makes jellies out of as much produce as she can to minimize food costs through the slower seasons. She is also working on building cold frames so that she won't have to rely on outside sources for year round greens. She cooks in a Basque style that focuses on bringing out the foods natural flavors without using many sauces or marinades (most of which contain high fructose corn syrup if unknowingly bought at the supermarket).

Latest Project: A permaculture lunch to teach people how they can turn their backyards into a permaculture paradise too.

-Fauna