After several months of rich unsettlement we came again to garden together. Many signs help us in a community garden. Informing, handing over, and gathering knowledges and skills such as 'writing up a jobs list.'
Some signs let folk know about the ethics of the garden,
and some about what is going on in places that look like not much is happening,
When new beds are planted they are vulnerable to many things. Our tending and the chance tending of kindly community folk bring gifts to this garden of love.
Some signs give simple insights. It's not that Thai basil is
anti life, rather our medical culture, like the dominant culture it springs from, is simplistically human centric. Learning to become hardy and resilient participants of life brings many insights and gifts.
Some signs encourage spontaneous participation,
some sing praise to other-than-human agency and service,
and others alert us to future abundance.
When we water today for tomorrow's fare, fare that we may not even get to eat ourselves, we too become participants in service to the living of the world.
Letting others know when we've last watered is again another way of handing over precious information in order to save precious resources.
Directing kitchen wastes to our community compost hub to make enriched soils for future food is true money in the bank. If the virus has taught us anything, it is how vulnerable industrial food chains are.
We planted this weeping mulberry several years ago for children's play. This little nook doesn't need a written sign to invite children in.
Reading can reduce our capacity to play and experience life in the present. Some places are better without signs.
Many thanks to Jen, Meg, Andrew, Ruth, Tyson, Fe, Jasmine, Jasper, Woody, Fab, Luna, Archie, Elias, Solaris and Apollo for helping in the garden this month. And big thanks to Patrick for organising and facilitating the working bees and communications in the garden. When we come together our souls and our soils are lifted, turned and enriched.
And when we garden on Djaara land we know that it
always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
