vehicular automobilic shlobble-gob

             Image above was scanned from the faded blue paperback manual, shoved in the glove compartment of the 1996 F-250, which is quite amazingly, in our possession. 
It has not quite sank in that we actually have a vehicle now; and not just some little automobile, but a heavy-duty TrrrUCk! with two fuel tanks, a v8 and a cab that, when parked, is a good two feet above my head- before climbing inside.
             But hey, you remember Ol' Tooth... that primer-grey, beefy beast with not a hint of a muffler?
Well, you will be relieved to know that THIS truck is much more reliable and hopefully even a long-lasting one. Even so, it feels illegal. I peek out my window every so often to make sure the Department of Transportation isn't slapping a ticket on it. As if its mere existence is a violation to the city somehow. But no, it is more-so a violation to myself! Afterall, though we only drive it when we need it (which will soon be everyday, once i'm farming and hauling things in it), it is a gas-gusseling change in our lifestyle. 
           Okay okay, calm down saltron, your ideals haven't entirely flown out the window yet. 
Just think of it as an extra large power-tool. Take a deep breathe and keep reading the manual. 

sketchbook gluttony

"Nothing is...

as stifling to success in agriculture as inflexible adherence to someone else's rule."


-Eliot Coleman


I've been reading this guy alot lately, upon recommendation of my future boss and of other farming/horticulture sources i've consulted over the last few years. In my opinion, his views and practices comes as close to permaculture as an organic, commercial/market gardener can get. 
Having had a crush on permaculture for some time, this appeals to me. Because most folks in the U.S. are unable* to incorporate permaculture techniques at home;we end up paying Whole Foods (i.e. whole paychecks) prices for some things or just going conventional for the rest, because it hurts the pocket. 
However, for folks who have the time and energy to invest in their living spaces, i would recommend Food Not Lawns** or anything written by Eliot Coleman, really. He lives in Maine, a primarily zone 5 region, but  makes it clear that variations on his particular experiences are easily incorporated to vastly different climates. (Denver/Boulder is a dry zone 5)
Because I am embarking on a new life of farming, I am anxious to really feel the differences between my city-dwelling life and that of the country (sitting on a tiller, hand-harvesting, hand-weeding, washing, driving trucks, pruning, picking, being covered in dirt CONSTANTLY.) My mother will be thankful that i finally have good reason to smell like a musky rat... besides not bathing. here you go, mom. 
I am thoroughly excited about growing things i've never attempted: Asparagus, Mache, Artichokes, Burdock Root, Daikon, Boc Choy (pac choi), etc...


O', I will miss this crazy city. 
Denver...you smashed-up, gritty anarchist visionary-lover. 
In a way, I am abandoning the projects I still love. Freeschool, Denver Zine Library, CopWatch potlucks, trips to Pablo's Coffee and the best bike shop ever.  
I will miss the collectives of all creeds and colors and phobias and obsessions. I will miss Terese. I will miss the stenchy Ol' Platte. 
But open land awaits. It beckons to kick my bright-eyed ass, straight to China. Will I come back for seconds? Hell yes, i will.
Making decisions. 
Making transitions. 
Taking steps.


*By unable, I mean, that the majority of folks either work WAY to much just to break even or don't have the energy, knowledge or opportunity to realize how they might grow their own food and how easy it really can be.

**Food Not Lawns outlines how one can adopt permanent culture on a household, or even Appartment size, level. It is good for ideas, but should be translated to one's particular situation and with things in mind (such as climate, availability of seed, knowledge of land and water-rights, etc). I would also recommend 'The Urban Homestead' by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen, which can be found at the library.

winter's gruesome babe

I was finally able to enlarge the comic I had posted earlier.* 


And darlings, Pleeeeease read it left to right and then top to bottom, instead of scrolling down immediately to view the pictures, like the person who flips casually through a grahic novel they aren't sure about; for shame. 
I command you to enjoy this experience!


*located below, past the regular postings. 

Pull Up a Five-Gallon Bucket & Make Yourself Comfortable

Sixty-four times twenty-four hours until work begins again. 

With a truck to buy and a move to make out of Denver. 

With meetings to attend, meals to prepare with violent

creativity and a bit of volunteering at this or that event.

With walks to take in the snow, to the store; to the rec. center. 

With a daunting amount of material to read in preparation 

for agriculture. 

And a brain packed with divergent interests,

misplaced passions, energies and emotions.

That chunky, pink Royal with a stubborn margin release

won't lend my fingers the dexterity to continue manually.

My handwriting floats in and out of legibility and the front

steps have been swept too often of the fresh snow. 

I return humbly, to the electronic world, to give birth to:

a 5 page essay on feminism I screech out one

Washington Park, windy afternoon here; 

a comic series I coughed up in early January, there.

It is not with boredom, but with focus that I embark here.

Focusing on not all the pressures to do it all, but on the 

desire to begin one thing, and proceed to the next.

feel free to find a warm corner, a thought to pick, a witty jab

and any what-have-you's you might find clinging to the unswept ceiling

of these entries.