Economic theory tells us the stock market is a future earnings prediction machine. But have you ever seen anything more wildly distractable as the stock market? If it was actually pricing the future, it would not flail about with every bit of breaking news.
Projects update: The Green Man’s Patch; Firewood
The Green Man’s Patch That, by the way, is the name Rachel and I have settled on for our yard/garden/micro-homestead/thing. Thanks to John for the “patch” inspiration. All the serviceberry trees are now planted. The one to the right is in the former location of an ornamental sand cherry tree we planted several years ago in our normie yard period. I kept a chunk of the sand cherry trunk to see if I can carve something from it.
What is home?
This morning, Rachel and I were talking about home. We often talk about plans and projects, and what we’ve built here over the years; sometimes, though, we talk about home in its hidden sense, the feeling that lies behind our patch of ground in the plain light of day. What is home in the hidden sense for you? Does it align with your patch of ground? When the two senses of home align, that is a sign of an integrated life.
One of the prettiest dogwoods I’ve ever seen, across the street from the credit union.
Rachel got a nice picture of our chives in bloom. Edible and pretty!
A survey of the fruit on the Green Man Micro Homestead (just made that up! maybe a bit overstated?):
- Concord grapes. This will be the third year of grape harvest. The first harvest was great. The second, not so much, probably due to 1. too much rain and 2. not enough pruning.
- Strawberries. We’ve scaled up the strawberries this year, using a milk crate vertical growing method that allows for many more plants than we’ve had in the past.
- Serviceberries. New this year. Two of the three trees are now planted. We may get a bit of fruit this year from the two larger trees but I don’t imagine it’ll be a lot.
- Gooseberries. This little guy struggled in the front yard for the first two years of his life. Rachel moved him to the back and he seems much happier. Still, it might take another year or two for there to be any harvest.
So they’re remaking Little House on the Prairie. Come on, guys, we already have a bad version of Little House on the Prairie: the whole second half of Little House on the Prairie.
What is adulthood?
When you situate yourself in a nexus of relationships–ancestors, community, spirits, nonhumans, and more–your role in the intergenerational gift economy becomes clearer. When this role becomes clearer, your responsibility as both inheritor and steward becomes clearer. Your responsibilities become your sacred task. They are no less tasks for being sacred, but the context matters. There are some responsibilities I have that are not easy. When I settle into the nexus, though, the clarity keeps me going.
Nate Hagens has put out an excellent three video series on the role oil plays in our modern world system, and how this might play out into the future. 1 | 2 | 3
Rachel and I aren’t preppers but at this point it’s looking like good sense to stock up on some staples.
Projects update: F150 and gardening
A few small tasks completed on the F150 this week: Sticky tailgate handle just needed some WD-40. Bolts for the tailgate mechanism access panel are marinating in Evaporust. Door panel clips replaced on the passenger side. Door striker replaced on passenger side. I had hoped that replacing the door striker on the driver side would fix the not-fully-shutting problem. It didn’t. Looks like it may be that the door hinge pin and bushing are worn out, making the door sag.