Here's out keyhole bed after the first frost. You can see how the cucurbits have died back, and all that remains is the fruit. In our case, that was mainly acorn squash & pumpkins.

Remember how I mentioned that we were going to get some snow???

And here's a shot of our yard with over a foot of snow on it! ... Oh and Adam's feelin' sassy in his snowsuit.

Remember all of those mystery cucurbits? Yeah, they turned out to be pumpkins! Who knew?!

Happy Halloween!

Love,

The R&R House

An updated photo of the bike shelter, taken from the west. Photo credits & kudos go to Lindsay!

The weather in Denver is quite fickle. I do believe that we are expecting a foot of snow over the next couple of days. I’m taking suggestions on how to better weatherize our shed.

• We have a LOT of wood, with some plywood. This may be useful on the south side, against the fence.
• We have a few tarps; one is quite long.  This could provide a flexible barrier to the wind/snow.

So a couple of weeks ago, we held a music swapping party at our house. (Note that this desperately needs to happen again with more folks informed, involved, and just plain bein’ prepared.) And of course, the sharpies  were whipped out and this game began. Enjoy the photos:

With Courtney and Helios combined, we get NAPE SUPE!

Adam's known for his Noob Lore. ...Actually, isn't that kind of an oxymoron?

Josiah: MOAR FORT!!

Fall has never been my favorite season. Going back to school, shivering in the first snowfall, darker and darker evenings, watching the trees become stripped and gangly… it all seemed so depressing. But as I’ve slowly learned to listen to nature’s patterns, I’m starting to see autumn as a time of precarious abundance, a time when we can live off summer’s bounty as we re-assess our past year and prepare for the cold months.

Sure, I’d rather be biking to work in a t-shirt than a down coat, and I’ll take peaches fresh off the branch over homemade preserves any day. But when I’m surrounded by a culture addicted to perpetual growth, the end of the harvest gives me a much-needed reminder that contraction is just as important as expansion. Indeed, it’s the way all life operates. Without dead leaves rotting on the ground, the soil would eventually be robbed of its nutrients. Without fallen trees, there would be no light on the forest floor for new seedlings to sprout. And without a nightly dose of sleep, our bodies and minds would lose touch with reality and crash.

Still, as an entrepreneur, putting that understanding into practice can be mighty tough. When I’m on a roll with the Wild Green Yonder, I’m almost constantly pushing past my own limits: sending one more email to that awesome contact I just met at a conference, composing one more tweet about a revolutionary gardening technique, promoting my classes in one more place.

To be sure, success in a new venture depends on being ridiculously dedicated and thorough. But paradoxically, I’ve found that my biggest insights, my most creative moments, come when I force myself to unplug. Like fallen leaves breaking down into rich humus, the fertile grounds of innovation are only nurtured when we drop our temporary commitments, take a deep breath, and reflect on the larger picture of which our current situation is a part.

To me, that larger picture would seem to place our cultural zeitgeist in an October of sorts, as well: though we continue to reap the fruits of the great fossil fuel harvest, the first of chills of a different season are here. Does the coming winter of energy descent spell the end of the good times? Certainly not. It merely invites us to use our foresight and maturity to with the roll with the changing season, and preserve the precarious abundance we’ve gathered for the future.

In the meantime, though, there’s still leaves on the trees, and the sun is warm on my shoulders. I’m called to put away my laptop, take a deep breath – and marvel at the bounty.

Half-day intensive led by Jim Gibson

Sunday, October 11th 1:00-5:00

R&R House, 2131 York (entrance in alley between York and Gaylord), sliding scale $25-$40 (RSVP)

Mushrooms are among the least understood – and most important – species in an integrated ecosystem. They can be used for growing food and medicine, building soil, improving the growth of plants, and even remediating toxic pollution.

Join expert Colorado mycophile Jim Gibson for this hands-on half day intensive and learn all about the mysterious and powerful organisms of kingdom fungi. We’ll learn how fungi work, explore the beneficial properties of several specific species, discuss a variety of techniques for mushroom cultivation, and inoculate a mushroom patch together in the R&R House permaculture garden.

_______________________________

The Wild Green Yonder offers a variety of interactive workshops and intensive courses centered around regenerative design. Most classes are facilitated by certified Permaculture facilitators Adam Brock or Kenzie Davison, along with qualified guest experts.

Contact us if there’s a subject you’d like to see us teach, or if you’re interested in arranging a custom workshop for your organization. You can download a flyer of Wild Green Yonder’s Fall classes here… and check back frequently for updates!