Seasonal Changes

 The season has been slow to shift this year, but the clouds came in on Friday and brought some long awaited rain; I fell asleep to the sound of rain on the roof of the house and the greenhouse, with a cool breeze blowing through the windows.  Because of the change in weather, we have been breaking down the summer rituals and supplies.

1.       The tomato plants came out of the ground on Friday afternoon.

2.       I made pesto and applesauce with the last of the summer harvest.

3.       I whacked back a laurel hedge to bring more light into the yard.

4.       The plum is pruned.

5.       We put the table and benches away for the winter; it grows heavier with each week of rain.

6.       Folding chairs are in the shed, not out in the rain.

7.       In the back hall, we washed and put away the racks for the food dryer and the steam canner, as well as the long strands of canning lids.

8.       The larder is cleaned out for the winter onions and seed potatoes and squashes.

9.       The greywater bucket and basin are washed and stored away.

10.   Some of the storm windows are on and the rest will go up this week, over several days.

11.    There’s an extra blanket on the bed.

12.   The clothes are drying in the dining room, not on the line.

13.   The cat really wants a lap. All the time.

14.   I put on socks and a sweater. Mark dug out his heavy wool hat.

15.   Mark took a shower in the bathroom, not in the greenhouse, for the first time since May.

The light is deep gold through dying leaves. The clouds are deep grey. The world is, as always, beautiful.

Breakfast Fires

 

                What is the best thing about campground camping in the fall? The breakfast fire, even in the backyard.

                It was a cool and bright morning, and quiet. No traffic. No sirens. The Cedar Waxwings were flying overhead in a huge flock, settling on the highest branches of the fig tree, coming to the backyard plum to rest, swarming the fruit once again. We could hear their wings and the gossip about meals still to be eaten in the neighborhood above. The chickens held their own conversations as they stretched their wings into the morning sun and pecked at the dried artichoke heads for seeds. Mr Beezhold found the carrots tops I had laid out for him in the asparagus bed after the market on Saturday. The fire sent shimmers of heat into the sky. The sun worked its way across the garden, which is tangled and fading in the cool autumn air.

          

      Down on the ground, Mark and I sat by the fire, warming our toes. I had brought out the New York Times. The cat shifted back and forth from lap to lap, depending on the temperature of the flames. We drank our tea and ate fried potatoes and scrambled eggs with onion, and a slice of toast. Mark brought out a piece of chocolate to finish it off and we reached for the Sunday paper. I added a few more chunks of wood to the fire, but then leaned back to stare into the deep blue sky.

 

Get There Another Way 2022

 

Get There Another Way week is coming up this week. Rather than registering and logging trips online, I am resolving to not drive—or be a passenger—this week, October 1^st through the 8^th. I will log trips and thoughts here, every day, for the week.

 

Sunday, October 2nd: Climate Friendly Rule-Making

Walk—five miles

Bike to Burgerville five miles, there and back

The state of Oregon, following the executive order on Climate Change from Governor Brown, has been working on our land development codes to no longer encourage, but to direct more dense, transit orientated housing stock. One requirement is to remove all parking requirements for any residential development within a half mile of Robust Transit. I have always questioned the logic of the “if we don’t provide parking, people won’t want cars” in Corvallis because the only time I drive is when I leave town to travel or camp. There is no public transit to Camp Sherman and it takes five hours to travel to Milwaukie Oregon by transit from my house. Until gas prices are so high that they can no longer afford to drive, people are going to drive.

A better place to start regulating parking and thus, travel alone by car might be commercial and office lots. According to the “Maryland Transportation Institute  and “an anonymized national panel of mobile device data from multiple sources,” in 2021, 52% of all trips in the US, using all modes of transportation, were for distances of less than three miles. Some 28% of trips were for less than one mile, and just 2% were for greater than 50 miles.”  If we made it more difficult to park at stores and work, which are often short jaunts of one to three miles (especially in Corvallis, which is only about three miles wide at its widest point!)  we could significantly reduce driving. When it is more difficult to park, and easier to walk or ride a bike, people will shift modes.

Monday, October 3rd: Buffered bike lanes

Walk to and from school: 3/4 mile total

Bike to City Council and back: 2.5 miles total

This evening, I will bike home from city council via one of our new buffered bike lanes. It starts after Ninth street and runs up Harrison until King's, where I will turn off into my neighborhood. A buffered bike lane  is created by paint-- a full bike lane with a double line a foot apart, giving the rider a little more space separated from the cars. It works really well  on medium trafficked streets, especially the one I will be riding tonight, which is one way. What makes this one very nice is the pavement; the road as recently redone and the asphalt is smooth and uninterrupted by a gutter line all the way home. 

In high traffic areas, bikers need more protection-- physical divisions between where they are riding and the cars are moving. 

Tuesday, October 4: Walking as a daily meditation

Walk to and from school: 3/4 miles, round trip

Walk to the grocery store (plus a bit of a wander): 2 miles

I prefer walking to biking. The movement between spaces clears my mind. To and from school, or a meeting... the walk provides a break between lives. Years ago, Mark was un employed and walked me to work in the morning. It was great for him-- got him outside, moving in the morning. After a week, I was so cross and nasty that he asked me why. I realized that the time and the walk between home and school was when I did my short term planning and mental prep for the day. Without that time, I was not mentally prepared for the day. He has never walked me to work since. 

Wednesday, October 5: Grocery shopping

Walk to and from school: 3/4 mile, round trip

Walked to a meeting-- about three blocks, one way

Yesterday, I picked up the groceries for the week. I walked to the co-op with my backpack, filled it up, and walked home. Once a month, we do a Big Shop, buying all of our bulk items and filling jars. I have a shopping list that I use to decide on what we need. That week, Mark hitches up the bike cart and we ride up. I fill the two canvas bags that fit perfectly into my baskets and the rest piles into the cart. And we get a owner's discount. We are so lucky to live close to our co-op and a Fred Meyers, as well as other services. 

Thursday, October 6:

Walked The Loop: home to school, to downtown for council meeting, then home again, 3 miles

I walk this loop several times a week when we are meeting in person. Because our core downtown has small, gridded blocks, it is never boring. I can swing down a street I have not walked in several months, veer towards the river if there is construction, and admire all of the old houses and front gardens through my neighborhood. Usually a cat wanders out to greet me or I see an old-- or recent-- student along the way. Sometimes I get questions from people out watering their yards. Walking allows me to be part of the community I represent without going out of my way to set up spaces and meetings and tightens the web of connections throughout the community. 

Friday, October 7:

Walked to and from school: 3/4 mile, round trip

Walked to and from the library: 2 miles, total

Young woman on bike.

Late afternoon, October

Arms outstretched, flying.

Saturday, October 8:

Morning walk to the top of Bald Hill and back, 6.5 miles or so

Sunday, October 9:

MLK Park and back: 6 miles

Ad on the way I picked some berry branches for the mantel, stopped at an Open House to check on how they were marketing their buildings, watched a small child in a cargo bike gobble with turkeys as they crossed the road, and talked to an older man who had picked up a bunch of trash in the park and was wondering where he could put the bag so it was not flung all over again tonight.  I love long walks through town. 

Monday, October 10:

Work and Back 1 mile