Twitter-feed update

Whew! Where did April and May go?  We're into June and I guess the testament to my activity is that I haven't had time to sit and blog.   Something I want to change and need to build into my practice.  I thought I would use my 'tweets' from the last months as a way to play catch up:

30 Mar - Off to check out milk cows under a BLUE sky

2 Apr - Sitting down to write article on agroecology and missing my view over Schumacher College garden

12 Apr - wondering if others get to the point where they wish the words would jump from their brain to the paper without going through fingers

18 Apr - Back on the porch with a book and the sun... Oh how I missed this in the winter

21 Apr - PC candidate says election is about leadership & talks of "steady hand of Harper"... Oh that's what it's called.

21 Apr - PC candidate doesn't think questions from Sask. farmers valid bc they aren't in his consisutency. That's leadership...

21 Apr - PC candidate says this is "Kevin in haha"... doesn't make me laugh.

26 Apr - Currently reading 40 Gardening Tips to Maximize Your Harvest

27 Apr - Used to follow StanleyCup by wesbites and texts from friends.  Back in Canada and its still twitter that's my playoff source.

28 Apr - Chairs & tables all set & ready 4 Viking Sustainability Fair TOMORROW!

28 Apr - The first solar panel just arrived at the Viking Sustainability Fair

30 Apr - Viking Sustainability Fair comes a close.. Bring on the Power of the Land dinner and concert with the Dandylionesses!

30 Apr - Just saw the northern lights for the first since moving home, lovely end to a great weekend.

2 May - If you will take 10 minutes to go through the Tim Horton's drive-thru, why not take 10 minutes to go through democracy?

2 May - Planned the 'intown' garden (mom and dad's) and arrange seeds in order of earliest planting.

2 May - Getting ready to garden... Although some would argue that I've been gardening since March!

9 May - Been playing in the garden all day - with my shoes off and feet in the dirt!

10 May - planted (most) of my parents garden today and now dreaming of the first salad that comes out to go with our BBQ

11 May - Registration for the Alberta Permaculture Convergence is now open!

11 May - Just made my first batch of homemade mayo and now pondering the possibilities for innovation...

11 May - First ticket for the Alberta permaculture convergence paid for... And registration only started today!

13 May - Getting ready to plant potatoes and looking forward to seeing the gems these grow!

14 May - After a week of planting (gardens & trees) nice to have fresh greens & we didn't even plant them: nettles, lambs quarters, wild chive.

15 May - With 6200trees to plant, it's treeaplalooza around here.  Sitting in the calm shelter of trees in the middle of this wind, it's worth the effort.

18 May - Just heard that my Jerusalem artichoke order is on it's way! More planting to do!

18 May - I htink I can say mom & dad's garden is 'in.' Only potatoes 2 plant @ community plot & I'm on to V's place.

18 May - hello rain, welcome!

20 May - My Jimmy Nardello is blooming!

21 May - Another day, another garden to plant.

24 May - Favorite magazines these days? SmallFarmCanada and MotherEarthNews

30 May - seem to have motivation for anything BUT sitting inside and doing computer based work

31 May - trying alightheart's trick: going to start writing before I notice

31 May - Spent the morning interviewing a local rabbit farmer... So guess what I had for supper? :)

1 Jun - wicked answer to common question 'where to you live?' - 'in a prairie ecosystem'

6 Jun - Moments to remember forever: being the backyard with Mom as a flock of 10-15 waxwings land in our apple tree.

6 Jun - rhubarb chutney simmering and spruce-tip vodka infusing... time for a nice bath.

TODAY - All the plants have been moved outside and the shuffleboard is once again a shuffleboard... the basement looks so much bigger!

Signed, sealed and being delivered

It's taken me some time to put together this post.  After sending my thesis off to the printer - I needed a break from typing out words in any form of narrative other than short emails.  So here I am - a few days later - reflecting on how these days feel and acknowledging this milestone.  


On the 30th of September I mailed my thesis to the UK finishing my part in the journey that has been my MSc.  It was done with a sense of completion, satisfaction and readiness to move forward from here.  The text I have written feels inadequate because it does not contain or capture the richness of the experiences I have this summer, the inspiration I have been given by the people I have met, nor all of the ideas that are bubbling inside.  In that way - I expect it has been a success.  For me - my MSc and this thesis was a key step in my coming home and rooting into the topics and the places that I am passionate about.  I have taken that step and am ready for the steps that follow.  And in the last few days, it has been nice to know that I can go berry picking (rose hips, hawthorn and mountain ash) without the guilt of feeling that I should behind a book or computer screen.  

Title page of thesis:  Home Coming: An exercise in belonging by exploring ecological resilience and the farming communities of east-central Alberta

Word cloud from the complete text of my thesis

If you would like to take a look at the complete edition - you can download it here:  https://public.me.com/brendalynnschroeder

An update and an excerpt

It's been almost a month since I have been home and a couple weeks since I posted here.  I guess the last days have fallen into a pretty decent routine of breakfast - reading/writing - some gardening or something outside - lunch - more reading/writing/gardening - dinner, cooking it sometimes - cards or knitting or some less 'brainy' stuff but maybe still related to my thesis.  Also - mix into that getting logistics to coming home sorted (almost all done) and the break in there when I go out to Vance's for a walk on the farm or he comes into town to catch up.

It's great in terms of getting to enjoy the summer and having time to think and work - although I am getting restless in terms of missing a bit more of an active/social life.  It is good to be able to balance the heady stuff with things like weeding the garden, picking raspberry leaves to dry, foraging along the pond for wild mint and yarrow...  we've had two ripe strawberries and more asparagus from the garden and just holding breathes to see what survives the rain and wind from the last 24 hours.  We've had over 10cm of rain since last night at 6pm - (18 hours) and it is still coming down.

I am off tomorrow to spend 4 days working on Sunrise Farms (mentioned in the earlier post) - I kind of wish the sunshine and heat was still around but guess I won't be too hot in my coveralls!

Will try to post more from there but in the mean time - thought to share this small paragraph from the introduction of my thesis.  I was writing about the approach I am taking and why.  This was the final, more personal point:

"A journey to become native to this place.  This place in time and space that humanity is within; this place in the ecosystems that we humans occupy; this place in Alberta, Canada - were I grew up but never really felt a part of until now.  Wes Jackson’s book “Becoming Native to This Place” gave me this underlying statement and understanding of what my journey has been about.  I have sought education and experiences to help me witness and understand the wider global context that my life sits within; I have held deep the question “how can we humans flourish, unapologetic-ally, on this earth?”; and I have felt pulled back to Canada, to Alberta and to the rural life I was raised in.  These questions and explorations are my journey to becoming native to this place and I believe that as I live my inquiry I am a part of all humanity re-placing ourselves."

We did make a trip out to the farm that I grew up on.  It was unplanned (at least from my part) and it was a bit overwhelming in terms of the memories that came back.  Just walking through the yard, a smell or the sight of a certain tree or spot near the barn... and a sweet, simple memory would be waiting for me.  I hope to make another trip out there before the place is sold.

Roots and Shoots

It's now been just over a week that I have been home and what a week it has been.  Am going to capture here some highlights:

Open Day at Sunrise Farm:  Last Thursday we went out to Sunrise Farm to join about 25 others in walking about the land and learning of the journey that Don and Marie Ruzicka have been on these last 15 years.  The conversations that happened through the day moved from co-planting trees to create shelter-belts and wildlife areas to how our economic system does or doesn't 'count' and on to our role (as farmers and as humans) in the broader ecosystem(s) we are apart of.  It was like being back at Schumacher.  What a wonderful gift - to find a philosophical home as I reconnect to my physical home.  

Old friends: was fortunate to be 'kidnapped' on Saturday by one of my dearest friends from high school.  Deanna picked me up and took me up to Edmonton to see one of her daughters dance in an Irish performance on Saturday night.  It was great to reconnect with Dee and to have some time to cuddle her kids - I do enjoy being Auntie Brenda.  I came back to Stettler with a bag full of wild mushrooms and some horseradish... probably not the usual thing a woman goes to the city for.

Gardening, composting and cooking:  am enjoying putting down roots - literally.  I have picked up some potted herbs for cooking, planting some seeds I picked in the Dartington Gardens before I left, and set down the horseradish roots from Edmonton.  And am now practising patience in hoping for the seeds and roots to produce.  

In the patience field:  I built a compost in the backyard and again - now the waiting game of decomposition begins.  I was pleased to find some very fat worms under it and take that as a sign that they are busy at work in the bottom layers of food scraps and cardboard.

And cooking:  those mushrooms have served us once alongside our garden asparagus and my basil plants to make a yummy pasta... and tomorrow the rest of them will feature at our BBQ.

Connecting ideas and getting back into the labyrinth of my thesis:  I just finished reading 'Web of Life' by Capra and have a good sense of my first chapters as well as the inquiry I am on...  and so will be taking more steps in that direction over the next days.

Speaking of labyrinth - was amazed to stumble across one in the park right by my parents place... but it needs some care by the park maintenance, you get half way in and then lose the path completely.  NOT the metaphor I need right now :)

And another good find:  a local, organic winery that is about 2 hours from here selling their wines at the farmer's market... tasting notes to follow soon ;)

Pictures can be viewed here.

Landing

Written on the 13 June - the sun was shining but my head was hazy so apologies for the disconnected thoughts and emotions:

24 hours (almost) at home and  I can say I am unpacked.  Or at least as unpacked as it is going to get until I find myself in a permanent home (however many months from now).

After bouncing from Romania for a wedding - Ireland for some gorgeous views and wonderful music - Wales for an Organic Gardening course and then back to the College for my last bag: I arrived into Calgary airport yesterday at noon with no ticket out and declared myself a Canadian resident again.

I AM facing small bouts of anxiety feeling like I am behind on my thesis because I have been 'away from it' the last weeks (despite being fine according to my timeline and plan) and also feeling like I need to start moving to get a job and pay back my loans.  But I am keeping calm and blaming this anxiety on the jet-lag grogginess I have been walking around with.

Getting on the plane to come home was easier and less emotional than I thought it would be - but once the many good-byes were said, this step was really another in a path that was set out last year when I left Singapore.  It is a big step but it is not a change in direction and so it feels natural.  It is something I have been preparing for over the entire 8 months spent at the College.

In the last few hours I have unpacked into my bedroom and begun to make my parent's basement my temporary home and office for the summer.  The desk is set up, clothes put away, books laid out... all I need to do is arrange for internet and to tack up my previously designed 'thesis maps' and I am set to get back to work on my Master's.  

It was interesting being 'reunited' with my items from Singapore.  I went through the boxes I had shipped and pulled out the books, a few kitchen items and other things that I will use this summer... the rest can wait in the boxes until I have my own space again.  Just seeing and touching some items took me back to different times and I am reminded of how much has changed, come together, fallen away over the last year. 

And it has already been nice to share with my parents ideas for little projects around here (setting up their compost), reading more about what 'weeds' we have in our garden that are edible (my mom seems excited about getting into a bit of foraging with me), and bird watching with my Mom from our back porch.  The back porch and garden have already become my favourite spots again.  While my desk in the basement may not have the stellar view I had at the college - having a sunny patch of grass and a little garden to sit next to, I am in heaven; I am home.

B

Test flight

My bags are all packed and the room cleaned out - am ready to  begin the physical journey home (the mental and spiritual journey began a long time ago).  But it feels funny because I am not heading home just yet.  That flight is on the 12th June.  


Before then I will be in Romania for a wedding and then will meet up with a friend and we'll travel up to Ireland, take an organic gardening course at the Centre for Alternative Technology and then pop through Schumacher College for a few days.  THEN the real goodbyes will happen and I will be on a flight back to Calgary.

Hello... again

After many months (years?) of hiatus from writing and blogging - I am back online.

Short update is that I have spent the last 7 months in the south west of the UK at Schumacher College. I am doing the MSc in Holistic Science and in a few short weeks leave here and head back to Canada in order to complete my thesis (due the end of September) and to begin my next phase of life there.

Yes - I am moving back to Canada after around 10 years abroad... and I can't wait. No place has called to me as much as the prairie skies of Alberta.

And this blog is a way of capturing and sharing this part of my journey.