Permaculture

Last weekend I finally completed my Permaculture Designer Certification (PDC).   From what I was told there are about 80 people in Portland who have a PDC and I think I'm holding this 72 hour course in higher regards then my Bachelor degree.   I think the Permaculture Designer Certification had more of a feel of integration then my degree in botany/ecology which the process just felt mechanical.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed most of the courses I took earning my Bachelor degree, but I didn't feel very grounded.   It is possible that the issues of finding a job in the field of my degree caused some of the problems, Newt and Dubya definitely made the situation worse. 

One thing that I really enjoy about permaculture is it is mostly about good systems design and thus applicable to many areas of life.  One day I might be able to earn a living regenerating habitats of all kinds (including social) , but I'm happy to be incorporating it in my life and a little bit with the day job.

Here are the VBC6 events that I'm planning on attending.

Friday

Guerilla Gardening - 3pm to 5pm - http://www.thedirt.org/node/2317

Saturday

Templekeeping: The Art of Creating and Maintaining Sacred Space - 1pm to 3pm - http://www.thedirt.org/node/2321

Portland Emergent: Weaving a New World in the Shell of the Old - 3pm to 5pm - http://www.thedirt.org/node/2322

VBC6 evening - Judy BlueHorse Skelton & Tryon Creek Farm - starts at 6pm -  http://www.thedirt.org/node/2358

Sunday

Mushroom Workshop: Welcoming Mushrooms into our Communities - 3pm to 5pm - http://www.thedirt.org/node/2326

While waiting (online) for my co-workers to complete their part of a weekend update I was out cutting down two large arbor vitae shrubs in the backyard.  As is part of my ritual when pruning or cutting down a plant, I tell the plant what I'm going to do if for no other reason the respect.

The reason I was cutting down the two arbor vitae is I'm working on implementing a food forest with chestnuts, seaberries and blueberries in the front yard and a backyard featuring a large veggie garden,  two pawpaws, two pears, a cherry, plumbs reaching in from the neighbors yard, two columnar apples, a persimmon, kiwi trellis, many goumies with a bunch strawberries, herbs and greens mixed in.  The backyard is long enough to fit everything with a sizable grassy area to hang out in.    Of course I'll mix in a few benches and a hammock or two.    Maybe work in a pond that will store water that be used on the trees during the drier months.

 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=344&storyType=garden

CORVALLIS - Soil is alive. Much more than a prop to hold up your plants, healthy soil is a jungle of voracious creatures eating and pooping and reproducing their way toward glorious soil fertility.

A single teaspoon (1 gram) of rich garden soil can hold up to 1 billion bacteria, several yards of fungal filaments, several thousand protozoa, and scores of nematodes, according to Kathy Merrifield, nematologist at Oregon State University. Most of those creatures are exceedingly small. Compared to these Lilliputians, earthworms and millipedes are giants. Each has a role in the secret life of soil.

Well my first attempt at pruning a fairly large tree was reasonably successful as I cleared out a number of branches growing in parallel and/or crossing from one side of the tree to the other. That is I cleared out the problem branches to about 12 feet as that was has high as I could climb and still be able to saw off branches. I also would classify the effort a success as I didn't fall out of the tree or draw blood.