Where did all the caretakers go?
Backyard politics and mindful frustrations.
When I was at school there was a caretaker.
I can’t remember much about him but his house was next door to the school over a small wall we sat on at playtime.
I think he moved around where we didn’t as we never really saw him.
His presence was everywhere. Everything was immaculate. Nothing fell apart.
Everything worked.
One of the things my husband and I have started taking seriously here on our little allotment plot is our role as earth keepers.
We have chickens, multiple worm farms, crops that fertilise our clay soil. We’re trying things out in nature in real time, learning, growing and sharing it all with the kids.
Dave has a certificate in permaculture studies from Tap o North too. We both have enthusiasm and in equal measure resistance.
If we’re on a walk with the baby and spot some litter, we pick it up and put it in the nearest bin - there’s not much really.
But that’s not the whole picture…
When I pop to our local post office, there is a ridiculous (because it’s easy to solve) problem.
A tonne of litter (wrappers mostly) gathered (blown?) into the cracks and corners in the car park and opposite the mess - 3 wheelie bins ever single one padlocked shut.
Should I write to someone? Go back with gloves and a bin bag? Go home feeling sad? Let it go?
When I do the school run, there’s an ABUNDANCE of veggies and fruit. It’s been ready to be picked for at least a month but no one is.
Teachers, staff and parents walk past it twice a day, 5 days a week.
It’s a bounty. Perhaps nobody needs it?
When I pop to our local Lidl for our groceries I drop something “luxury” into the overflowing food bank trolley every time. If I’ve forgotten to buy something I give something meant for me. This week it was prawn crackers. Last week hazelnut chocolate.
In the food bank everything is (usually) basic - tins of beans, dried pasta, rice. I nestle my luxury item in there and imagine it causing a bright moment in someone’s day. There’s never anything fresh. That’s not what it’s for. I know lots of people need and use it as they put call outs on twitter.
When I had to go to our local household recovery centre (the tip) a lot when we were building the extension, I noticed 3 things.
The staff were very ‘house proud’ and inquisitive about what you were bringing
They sell soil. It’s turned around from all the home green waste collected! It made me really happy.
I can tell if someone is going to be a “good recycler” by looking at their energy and intent upon arrival.
Lots are, some are not.
There was a whole 6 months where plastic couldn’t be shipped to China so it had to go to the incinerator. I brought mine back home. I’m not sure why.
One of the retired guys in the village had a menagerie of animals, lots of property and nice cars. He’s obsessed with killing weeds (wild flowers) that seed on the edges outside his property and the paths in between. Sometimes you can tell when he’s slipped over the boundary and keenly killed some of ours.
A weed called ‘mares tail’ resists the chemical killer. When we first moved in here there was none. Now it’s in every patch he’s ever treated.
“Bugger to get rid of” he says pursuing it every summer.
I spotted some in our garden last week amongst the wildflowers, cherry tree and nettles I harvest for nettle tea.
I sighed, then dutifully followed my rather unsteady 18 month old daughter as she toddled to fill her bucket with last night’s rain water from the water butt to water the plants.
The weed killing really bothers me here too 💔 I’d love to know more about Dave’s permaculture course!
I could have written this post. We have a little free pantry in our neighborhood playground where you can leave shelf stable food for someone who needs it. Sometimes I tuck in little extras. I remember once we were having a hard time and instead of helping us out with money we were gifted a bunch of cheap food we wouldn’t have chosen. (Little did we know I was autistic so consistent flavor and texture was really important to me. Plus no one asked about food allergies.) Mom was so offended they didn’t trust us to pick out our own groceries. I always remember that when I leave something extra there. Just because people are having a hard time doesn’t mean they wouldn’t enjoy a jar of chocolate hazelnut. Also, I think we have Mare’s Tails as well. I’m not sure if it’s the same plant, but we had several pop up when we let part of our yard grow tall. We also found a self seeded tomato plant. This year there are 4 volunteer tomato’s. Davy loves checking on them and they grow better than anything we planted.