Sally Voris
Sally brings a unique perspective to gardening and farming, having been a storyteller and community organizer before she discovered biodynamic agriculture more than ten years ago. She has been deeply inspired by world-class gardener Alan Chadwick.
Touched by Turkeys
This spring, I bought six poults on a whim for half-price at the local hardware store. Now families will feast on two birds at Thanksgiving, ending a season rich with experience and emotion.
“Gobble doesn't do the sound justice,” a visitor said on Sunday. I agreed. For me, a gobbler is like an Italian tenor striding across the . . .
The Adventures of an Almost Independent Tough Old Bird
I considered calling a professional chimney sweep last spring when the stove began smoking. I heat the old farmhouse with a wood stove, “The Boss.” In February, it keeps me warm and the pipes from bursting. Toward the end of the season, I ran out of seasoned firewood and began using green wood. After the stove began smoking, I . . .
A Shared Currency
I walked into the basement of the local church last week to peel apples for the church's apple butter festival. Some twenty older adults worked steadily; one or two welcomed me. I reveled in the buzz of activity, but felt slightly out of place. Though I had lived in the area for 14 years, my roots were in a small town near Baltimore. These . . .
An Uncommon Art
To dance with life is
An uncommon art.
To waltz with the moment
To partner with wild, elemental forces
Beyond our conscious knowing
Moving with streams of energy,
that flow invisibly
From Heaven to Earth
From outer to inner
From light to darkness
From life to death
And back again.
. . .
An Unexpected Flood
We should have known the flood was coming: a flood of weeds grew in the garden after our recent drenching rains. Now, mid-September, the forecasts called for more rain over the weekend; the ground was already saturated.
When I created the garden more than ten years ago, I created raised beds, four feet across, with trenches in between . . .
A Delightful Day
Such a rich tapestry of life unfolded yesterday! I had called for help! Forecasters predicted four more days of rain, with the potential for eight inches of rain from Hurricane Florence. Last weekend, our local creek closed our road as five inches of rain fell on ground already soaked. I wanted to pull the carrots and leeks out of my garden . . .
Spider Web Season
Yesterday, mist hung heavy as I slogged across squishy wet ground and into the garden. There droplets hung together like a jeweled necklace on the underside of the stem of a tithonia, the bright-orange Mexican sunflower. On the adjacent flower, tiny droplets danced on another spiral web. “Spider web season!” I exclaimed to . . .
