Blueberries? They couldn’t be blueberries! I’d never seen blueberries in the desert, or for sale in a Tucson farmer’s market, or in anyone’s garden in this town. And I certainly hadn’t planted them in my garden. I went in closer. The plant was loaded with little fruits, purplish-black, the size of blueberries or even slightlyContinue reading “Post 75: My Black Pearls”
Tag Archives: Desert Harvesting
Post 70: Fighting the Power (with Dandelions)
I hope I’m allowed to echo the slogan/chant/battle cry Fight the Power, even though I’m an old white lady and this refrain emerged from decades of Black energy, music, protest, and vulnerability. There is still a power that needs to be fought, and its domain has, over time, expanded rather than narrowed. Governments, corporations, and certain celebratedContinue reading “Post 70: Fighting the Power (with Dandelions)”
Post 67: Is There Really a Goddess of Reuse?
This post is about the Goddess of Reuse. You have to wade through some text to get to her, but it’s worth it. I was still young and good-looking when I installed my gutters. It was 1998, and my permaculture teachers had just answered a question I’d had since moving to Tucson: Was it worthContinue reading “Post 67: Is There Really a Goddess of Reuse?”
Post 58: Zero-Carbon Dating
Notes from Kay: Last week I mentioned a post I had just written might have been somehow erased. I can now say it has been lost forever. Argh. It’s a frustrating loss, but not tragic, as human losses go. (I’ll rewrite it when I can handle the thought.) At some point in the near future,Continue reading “Post 58: Zero-Carbon Dating”
Post 57: Fast Lane, or Purslane?
I’d originally planned for this post to be an essay about the irrigation ditch I dug from the street through my front yard. It was all written, ready for photos, when the contents of the Word file went blank. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but computers are inhabited with little devils, whose favorite pastime—whenContinue reading “Post 57: Fast Lane, or Purslane?“
Post 52: A Monsoon Story
Nature is the opposite of new stuff. If you’re out in your back yard, you’re not at Walmart. If you’re hiking in the wilderness, you’re not ordering stuff on the Internet. If you’re camping in the reality of the desert, you’re not moving through the artificial world of video games. Human beings tend to thinkContinue reading “Post 52: A Monsoon Story”
Post 50: It’s Raining Candy
It’s saguaro-fruit harvesting season once again. Since saguaro fruits are, in my opinion, just about the sweetest, tastiest, most beautiful fruits this Sonoran Desert has to offer, I was planning to include harvesting and cooking tips on my New Stuff Sucks post this week. Then I thought, well, I’m getting more out-of-area readers now, andContinue reading “Post 50: It’s Raining Candy“
Post 44: Three for Free
So now we’ve got inflation again, and higher prices at the grocery store. We’ve got empty shelves, here and there. Supply chain problems, we’re told—but “chain” is too simple a concept. Our global interdependence is more like a fine web, covering the planet in such detail that nobody can understand much more than the nearbyContinue reading “Post 44: Three for Free“
Post 40: A Fresh Code of Paint
One afternoon when my former mother-in-law was still my mother-in-law, we were hanging out in my kitchen. She was cleaning my refrigerator–she was always looking for ways to help out, so I started making sure I saved some dirt and grime for her when she visited–while I was painting the door frame. “Why are youContinue reading “Post 40: A Fresh Code of Paint”
Post 34: Loving Your Before and After
I. INTRO: FOUR DECADES I’ve lived at this property for nearly 41 years. It should be looking a little bit different by now, right? At the time we bought the house, I didn’t know anything about fixing up a home interior, and not much about gardening or landscaping in the desert, either. We had littleContinue reading “Post 34: Loving Your Before and After”
New Stuff Sucks 