Rabbits! & Drawdown
| An old tradition (superstition?) I heard from my parents was that to ensure prosperity, the first word to be spoken on the first day of each month is, “rabbits.” I blew it again today. Sigh. My first words, at approximately 3:53 a.m., were, “What is it, Ion? Okay. I’m on my way, duckies.” Because both the elderly cat and the flock were hungry and unwilling to wait till daybreak. Back to my purpose for today’s blog post … Who in their right mind doesn’t want to prosper? Not talking simply financial prosperity. Not talking about so wealthy you don’t know where to keep it all. Prosperity is, to me, having enough to meet all the needs, some of the wants, and plenty to share and reinvest, so that the system (such as the household, garden, PLANET), may continue to meet needs and wants, share, and regenerate. I think I may hear yawns out there … Wondering what this has to do with ducksteading? Thank you for asking (-: I do not see how we can truly prosper without healthy ecosystems, a.k.a. Nature. This is the primary infrastructure that all life depends on. The destruction of forests, pollution of soil and water, burning of fossil fuels, unchecked soil erosion to name a few issues, are keeping a growing number of us from prospering. It does not have to be this way. We are not powerless to change. Paul Hawken is the editor of a book, “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.¨ Page 222 of the book is a “SUMMARY OF SOLUTIONS BY OVERALL RANKING.” Numbers 3, 4, and 11 are all things that can be done here at the duckstead. The overall batting average here lately has been lower than I would like to see it, but these numbers have re-inspired me. #3 Reduced Food Waste – We do pretty well, here, as we compost food waste, and are improving on preventing it in the first place, by better planning. #4 Plant-Rich Diet – Getting there. Dr. Terry Wahls (Wahls Protocol – see her YouTube videos for her amazing story) recommends three platefuls (plates full? of vegetables (and some fungi and a little seaweed)) daily for good health. At her urging, we have increased the amount of plant foods in our diets. #11 Regenerative Agriculture. In short, that’s growing food using methods that actually improve the soil ecology and ecosystems connected to the cropland. At its finest, it is restoring ecosystems that feed us (doing away with monocropping). This may be where we’ve made the most progress. When we moved here, there was a bit of lawn. It has been replaced by patches of wild plants that provide habitat for beneficial organisms (bees, birds, spiders, etc.), by the duck pen (a giant composter, as far as the soil is concerned), and gardens. We have left more than half of our place wooded and will continue to let it be. We have very few plant pests, and very little pest damage. We have many kinds of birds, some reptiles, small mammals, and amphibians here. We have all manner of beneficial fungi as well, some edible, some medicinal. It is a beautiful place that can appear chaotic sometimes especially in the midst of a new project or after a tornado or ice storm. Perhaps you can adopt a place where you live or where you gather with others. Better, let a place adopt you, become its devoted child, or grandchild. Learn its needs and how to rejuvenate it. Make it a glorious revival – of the land, and yourself. Prosper. |