holes in my moccassins

we're getting ready to build raised beds at my parents' house this weekend. of the hundred plus seeds i planted, about 10 of them popped up. i work far away for 3 days a week, and i often go down to baltimore or elsewhere on my 4-day weekends, so i only spend random time at my folks' where the plants are. i've got plenty of guilt over being a neglectful plant mom. dense potting soil, mold, lack of enough sunlight, overwatering when wrongly guessing on weather patterns, and simple lack of attention resulted in the poor showing i got this year. i planted a new tray of mostly tomatoes last week, but that one doesnt look that promising either. its hard being rootless and away, and trying to raise up a garden. i may have to buy seedlings at a farm or something. we'll see. anyway. i hope at least the garden peach seeds come up. they are my favorite.


this morning i watched a groundhog eating the tall dandelion stems in the yard. now i know why they're called hogs. that guy ate like a little oinky pig. it was super cute. he was smart to be in our yard. my parents had a fully disturbed dirt yard after building a new house about 5 years ago. they never planted grass, so our yard is all weeds and grass that came in on its own. a lot of wonderful weeds. the groundhog was wiser than i- i wish i collected a bunch of dandelion leaves to eat before my dad mowed this afternoon. i did, however, get to collect a bunch of wild mint leaves, which are drying in my room. i'm planning to smoke them. i haven't smoked cigarettes in about 3 weeks, but i've gone that distance and way more before. i like smoking, i just hate how it makes me feel. so, i'm drying the mint to roll into cigarette papers, for a harmless smoke. mullein and sage are also good herbs for smoking. smoking mullein can actually help reverse lung damage from smoking cigarettes, and can help with asthma and bronchitis. sweet. i haven't seen any mullein growing in this yard, though i do know where i've seen it in past years, so i'll probably bring that into my new smoking habit soon, too. you can smoke most dried leaves, so i may experiment with different blends in the future. for now i'm into the wild mint. i bruised a few leaves and enjoyed them in my sparkling red wine. yum.


i've started carrying a bag in my back pocket for foraging. this encourages me to actually do it more, instead of making mental maps of where i see edible things i recognize. i'd like to go on a weed walk soon, with the Wildman. i went once, when i was ten or so. i think i'd get much more out of it now. also, i'm ordering these books by Samuel Thayer.


i want to start using road kill, not to eat. for craft. preparing small leathers or furs and burying their remains into the soil appeals to me more than to see them decay on the asphalt. this has been a goal for awhile and i'm only baby steps closer. on one drive back from baltimore i kept thinking about stopping for the next big dead bird i found. i always think about doing that while i'm driving, but i'm usually going so fast on the highway that its hard to decide to stop and act with the right timing before it just seems like a silly thing to do. so, but this time, i was prepared. right before i found the big, dead, turkey vulture, i knew i was about to find it. i felt it about to happen, so i actually slowed the car a little before i found it, and pulled over not 20 yards past.

from the safety of my moving vehicle, it seemed like an easy task- go collect feathers! not so, my friend. those feathers don't just pop off their wings. this great bird had to be a recent kill. i had a feeling if i laid my hands on its body, it would have a trace of warmth. i didn't. i was afraid of bugs and bird disease. i pick up feathers all the time, mind you. off of any ground. city, forest, chicken coop. i have hundreds of feathers on my craft desk. but i was spooked a bit. i tugged on some of the outer feathers to no avail. i realized i would need tools in the future, to do this seriously. plastic gloves, for sure. ziplock bags. scissors, perhaps, maybe. this time, i collected a few of the loose feathers that were around it, moved the body from the asphalt to the grass, and gave thanks. the feathers i kept had tiny mites on them. i shook them off and wrapped them in a plastic shopping bag from the floor in my car. i washed them in soap and water when i got home. three very long, brown, striped feathers, and a tiny one.

the other baby step is that i've got an email address for an artist who i know through 2 degrees of separation, who uses furs from roadkill in her work. i'm not exactly sure what to ask her, yet. i'm sure i'll figure that out soon.

anyway. happy spring. eat it all! ramps, field onions, violets, and dandelions!


<3jacqueline p.s. here's a great post on digging up dandelion roots and making dandelion coffee. (what in the wild?!)