2024 April 6 New Friends, Full Circle

 I met a bunch of new friends last summer at a free “Reconnecting with Nature” class at Lorain County Community College (LCCC). I had been following LCCC’s Sustainable Agriculture program on social media for a couple of years and I jumped at the chance to take a free summer class. The class was taught by Medicine Flower, Allison McKim. 

A bundle of foraged plants to dry and burn ceremoniously. Summer 2023

Every week, we met on the lawn under the trees. Almost every week, it rained. Luckily we were all pretty comfortable with the rain and came prepared. We got to learn about wild edibles and medicinal plants, take walks and observe nature, reflect on our ancestral ties to the Earth, and think deeply about our place within this ecosystem. In one class we even made a representation of the Wheel of the Year from found natural elements. I secretly wondered what the more religiously-minded folks thought of the “pagan ritual”, but everyone participated and dug deeply into the process. 

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A part of the wheel of the year. Art from found elements. 

The best part of the class by far were the friends I met. Five people from class have come to visit my garden. I’ve walked in the woods with many of them, attended spiritual events, and I regularly attend my friend Barbara’s Learning Circles at Starre’s Acres. 

Barbara lives in an eco-friendly home built into the side of a hill on several acres of beautifully wooded forest. She’s living the dream. When she visited my garden with her partner Jim, they both said I was living the dream too. From then on, when Barbara introduces me to people at her Learning Circles, she always mentions my “permaculture garden”. 

The funny thing is, while I’ve seen and heard the word, I never really knew what permaculture was. I looked up the definition “permanent agriculture” and figured she was talking about my perennial edible plants: grapes, asparagus, blackberries, ramps, etc. Then, during Spring Break, I went to the library and checked out every book I could find about permaculture. 

As I’m digging into “Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability” by David Holmgren, EVERYTHING is making more sense. Permaculture is more than just plants; it’s a mindset, and it’s the principles behind the actions we take with nature. As I’m reading, thousands of connections are being made. Barbara’s home, garden, forest and lifestyle make more sense. My own home, garden and lifestyle are making more sense. Yes, permaculture is the word for what I pretty much do, and want to do more of in the future. 

An example of this came when I was outside with the chickens this morning. I saw a new plant growing by the fence, and I didn’t immediately recognize it. I used my phone app to identify it as Clematis. My initial sense was that clematis is invasive, but I read further to realize it’s Clematis virginiana “Virgin’s bower”. It’s native to North America and it’s common along the forest edge. The forest edge is what I’ve always considered my yard. I imagine my neighborhood as a forest -there are still a few tall oaks around.

Permaculture Principle 11: Use Edges and Value the Marginal. 

The edges, where two ecosystems collide is a hotspot for biodiversity. Permaculturists use this principle as they are considering new designs. I find it really exciting that I’ve been planting the back yard as if it’s a forest edge and then something that I didn’t plant popped right into the perfect spot. New friend!

Clematis virginiana is the host plant for the Clematis Clearwing moth (not my photo below):

One cool thing just leads to the next!