Center of the pumpkin

A short post today. We had a planned trip to Pleasanton, CA to the fairgrounds to visit family and friends at Alameda County Fairgrounds for the big hot-rod show--which really means a bit of looking at the cool cars and a bunch relaxing and visiting with good people.

But I was so excited to get the center bed complete today (and more tomorrow) I got up at 6:00 am and worked thru til about 10 before we had to get ready to go. Just got home a few minutes ago. We do this garden but we both work very full time. And right now my commute to work takes two hours a day. So you have to rigorously work in garden time early or late some days.

Some years ago I was part of a group of people who were invited to 300+ acres on Coleman Valley Road outside of Occidental, CA (on the ridge over Bodega Bay) to start an intentional community. In the late sixties and seventies this area was magical, a garden of another variety. The first radical back-to-the-land "free" community started there, called "Morningstar". Another followed called "Wheeler's Ranch". The fun and crazy alternate to Greyhound bus, called "The Green Tortise, originated just around the corner, and down the road was the Farallons Rural Intsitute.

We called our new community "Oceansong". It was a beyond idyllic setting, gorgeous rolling Sonoma County hills, beautiful redwood groves, black oak, deep fog misted canyons, dark rich soil. We started a garden (I wasn't one of the gardeners), a school, a construction company, and a meditation teaching center. There is still an educational foundation there called "Oceansong Farm and Wilderness Center". I lived in a large canvas Mongolian style yurt and worked in the Gurdjieff center owned bakery and coffee shop in the nearby town of Occidental.

The owners had a small community on the land before that they called "Center of the Pumpkin". I always enjoyed that name. There is a story about the naming, something about a group of friends having a wonderful evening full of music and spirit and sharing around a large stone fireplace. Someone had set a pumpkin quite close to the fire. Late in the evening people snuggled into blankets on couches and rugs, and fell asleep.

In the morning they woke to find the pumpkin perfectly cooked, and ate it for breakfast. So they decided that day to name their community (based on organic farming and rural life skills) after the event.

Its funny to think about the center of pumpkin. It either seems to have no center, or it seems it is all one big center. An great Indian sage, Paramhansa Yogananda, said that God is "center everywhere, circumference nowhere." Like a pumpkin.

So I have been yearning to bring the center of a barefoot garden to life. Lisa and I talked about plants that we both feel have exceptional power and radiance. We both agreed on sage, lavendar and basil. And thought the colors of lavendar and regal grays and deep greens all resonated together well. So you can see in the picture here our first organic seedlings, our first babies, ready for planting. There are several sage varities, including the healing and aromic "Clary Sage". A lavendar (can't remember the specific type) and an Italian basil. Perhaps we will plant our first plants tomorrow!

We'll see. Has to feel right. No real hurry. There is no end game, just the enjoyment of the journey.

michael, from a barefoot garden