Sharon's Natural Gardens

    It was 5 years ago today that we spread my husband ,KC 's  ashes on the land here while doing a biodynamic 3 kings ceremony on Jan 6th, the epithany.  There is now a memorial bench in a special grove ,I call the Sacred Grove, where I can visit him as well as the old grandmother horse who was my speciall animal friend when the kids were young, along with cherished, childhood pets. It does give me comfort to go out there when I am in the mood and play my flutes .The horses, daughter and granddaughter also love flute music and I have a feeling all the plants and animals living on the land do as well.

    A week before he passed, we were reading a book by Woody Woodraska called "Soul Journey Medicine "about what he would want to do after he died and He wanted to be composted .I think theres a poem about it in the book. When you live so close to the land as our lives have been, I think there is a deep bond with the earth and the cycle of life that creates the soil .One of my favorite poems is by american poet Walt Whitman called Compost. KC said he wanted his ashes spread on the compost pile so on this special day which we had planned to do together ,I cleaned the stables and put some of his ashes in the pile I was building and the rest was mixed with finished compost and spread by each friend of his on the land. We also  buried some in an urn in the sacred groveand gathered there together in remembrance.  It was certainly not your usual funeral process but the funeral director told me many people chose unusual ways to have a ceremony for their loved ones .I have made special wreaths to be floated out to sea for people doing burial ceremonies. I think it is beautiful to create memories for those we loved so much in life .

   These days in the gardens , things have shifted to mostly growing foods for myself. I do offer local gardening classes here  and even a gardening program where people learn to garden but so far I have not found people locally willing or able to do the long term program -its a real commitment of time and money. I think it is not an idea easily embraced in todays culture. Still, I am here when people are ready and I try to help them learn to compost and garden .I am moving to growing more herbal medicines, flowers and working with fiber arts and crafts. I am also hosting folks wanting to learn to garden and bartering for help  on the homestead.  Its a great way to meet new friends  . I am enjoying the animals and caring for the land and hope I stay healthy enough to do that all my days .