Mister Bergeron,
I sit in silence and take it all in. I am surrounded by birdsong, bugs, flowers, and a gentle breeze. I am Part of this.
The thousand plants that I have tended and cared for are thriving each year and making my sunny days of June a delight. I stand in awe at the beauty of being part of this infinitely complex system that I barely understand.
I care for the pond and the food forest by keeping a gentle eye on them and letting them do their thing.
I do not know how the pond operates.
I do not know the science behind.
I know the patterns in the dance of frogs, lilies, and reed.
The house is carefully placed midway up the hill. So that it is protected from the high ridge winds and the valley currents as well. It looks out onto the plains. Low enough to still feel as parts of them. Its shapes and openings play with the sun as it dances in the sky throughout the day, throughout the weeks, throughout the year.
The house also dances with the wind, as it collects the summer breeze and washes it through to cool us but also shuts away from the winter cold that gushes down the valley at times.
It has an eastern porch for morning coffees. And the southern wisteria shading our summer lunch.
It shows us the magnificence of sun rises and paints its walls with afternoon glow. The Oak grove shades it from western heat strokes when August comes.
The walls help purify the air, and the land that produced its material is thriving. The people that built it are thriving. From roof all the way to shower heads and tabletops, each and every choice is moving towards layers upon layers of goodness. Social, cultural, ecological, spiritual, all the layers of goodness you can bring into the choices that make your life.
The neighboring houses along the watershed all share the same rhythmic dances.
They all, in their own way, respond to their place and contribute to its blossoming.
Houses can dance with the patterns of nature and by inhabiting them, so can we. They are but a mirror of this story of us in nature, not outside of it.
Us indigenous, not foreign.
Us partners, not conquerors.
Happy and content, surrounded by beauty.
Is that so hard?
Let's make this place happen. Let's make all of these places happen.
Love,
Jo
This reminds me of the Sicilian man who bought land unseen in Fresno back in the 30's, I believe. He made the best of what he had, which was hardpan. To escape the heat, he dug underground, creating a warren of rooms and cool spaces. Not only that, he devised a way to grow orange, lemon and lime trees underground. Some of which are still alive. AND he built himself a couple of fish ponds. The place is full of light and fresh air. You can find the documentary on YouTube. It's fascinating and aligns perfectly with this post, since it is about being one with your home and living space.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUKRPoQKynk
How often have I thought about this! The house being one with the place where it's built and at the same time, being one with the person who inhabits it. How much better it would be for us to not live in what some architect thought would be a cool house.