Iudicare vivos et mortuos; the living and the dead

Successful gardens grow, and thank the Lord that ours has been successful indeed. I've gotten to taste a few of the cucumbers I started in May, and honestly, they are the most delicious cucumbers on the face of the earth. Also, Mama's beans, tomatoes, and peppers have really taken off and nearly overgrown the raised bed. We used some of her basil the other day to make pesto for our pizza, and that too, was the tastiest pesto I have ever had. Mama also made some raspberry cheesecake from raspberries that grown in our patch. The patch however, has become severely overgrown.
A raspberry patch such as this needs to be clear cut every three years to ensure new growth and cut out overgrowth. The last time I clear cut ours was before I went to Iowa for college, so it needs a good clear cutting this fall, I have already begun to cut away weeds, overgrowth, and old growth just to reach the ripe berries which the patch contains. Once again, the berries were quite delicious and all the cheesecake was eaten in the same day (no small feat for a household of three). There is just an inexpressible joy that comes from eating food that one has grown oneself, on ones own land. This is the same land which my ancestors grew their own food on 300 years ago. Through the miracle that is decomposition, the Lord has continued to bless us with good produce all these years in our pathetic New England soil. The death of each plant in the gardens is not in vain, for without it, there could be no new growth, no new life.
Speaking of decomposition, my mother and I went back to the cemetery today to document more graves. This place just down the road is where most of my ancestors who lived in our house and worked our soil are laid to rest. We document graves to honor them and their work, to remember them. Their hard work and faith are not to be forgotten, for all that are buried there, not just our family. There they lie, their heads to the west so that when they sit up they can see the coming of Christ from Jerusalem in the east. No, I'm not superstitious, I don't actually believe Christ will rise in the east (though there's no reason he can't) but it's a rather awesome mental image. For I do believe in the resurrection, that the believers will rise.
The title comes from the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, which both state (with slight variation):

Et ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Patris omnipotentis,

inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.

he ascended into heaven,he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and from thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Hanging Laundry

In my continued effort to serve God and save the planet, I am glad to find that my family already participates an an age old tradition which conserves an immense amount of energy. On of the largest energy consuming appliances in our homes (and the largest household electricity consumer in the country) is our dryer. What people do not realize, is that living without an electric or gas powered dryer is possible. Dr. Sleeth recommends in his book, "Serve God Save the Planet" he suggests the use of the revolutionary, "solar powered clothes dryer". In other words, the outdoor laundry line. In addition, the chore of hanging laundry is a good way to do work with ones hands and accomplish something, which is very good for the psyche. Never mind the wonder of the smell and crisp feel of fresh laundry hung on the line.
Oh, and in the winter, a good laundry rack will do the job, especially if the house is warm and dry from being heated with good old bio fuel such as wood in the stove.

An age old task, drawing water.

I think most of us reading this blog understand the significance of water. We all took 6th grade science and hopefully remember that water is necessary to support life on earth. We understand the wonder of the water cycle and how water is one of the few molecular compounds that actually expands when frozen, which allows freshwater life in northern climates to survive the winter and renews these water bodies each year.
We also hopefully understand the need for fresh water, for drinking and cleaning, both necessary for human survival. Throughout the ages when shortages of fresh water, or droughts, occur there is almost certainly a loss of human life and an economic toll in that area. We no longer blink at the statistics when we are told how many people die because of a shortage of fresh water around the world. Either by dehydration, starvation, or water-borne diseases, all occur because of a shortage of fresh water. Even in the United States, aquifers are becoming dried out with all the water drawn for crops in the west, more saddening however is the amount of water lost to Southwestern lawns and golf courses each year. Just in case anyone needed a reminder of how greedy we citizens of the US can be.
Throughout the Bible, a theme of the importance of water reemerges throughout the text. When Abram and Lot separate, Lot chooses to live in the Jordan Valley near Sodom because, "Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar" (Genesis13:10 ESV). Us Bible readers know just how well that turned out for him... When the Lord (or the three men) visits Abraham to promise him a son, after bowing down the first thing Abraham calls for is water to be brought to wash their feet (Genesis 18:3 ESV). After Hagar and her son Ishmael are exiled in the desert, they run out of water, and Hagar puts her son under a bush so that they do not have to watch one another die of thirst. God speaks to her and promises that Ishmael too will be made into a great nation. "Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water" (Genesis 21:19 ESV). When Abraham's servant goes to find a wife for Issac, he prays that God will show him the right woman by a spring of water when she offers to water his camels, hence he meets Rebekah as she comes to water her sheep (Genesis 24: 10-21 ESV). In the famous Psalm 23 the good shepard, "He leads me beside still waters" (Psalm 23:2 ESV). The woman of Samaria (prostitute?) met the savior at the well when he asked for a drink of water, and he in return offered her living water (John 4).
So what is it that each one of us can do to save fresh water for those who are in need? Use less, only do full loads of laundry or dishes. Put a brick or a full water bottle in your toilet tank so it uses less when it flushes. My favorite, gather rain water in a large cistern (like a 55 gallon drum) to use for watering gardens and other task that do not require clean water. By gathering rain water, you save it from flowing into the rivers and oceans where it is no longer fresh, instead of using up the fresh water in aquifers. Then you too, can go gather water at the cistern, as Christ and the people of the Bible did. You never know who you will be leaving a little more fresh water for.

Then they also will answer saying, "When were you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?" Then he will answer to them, saying, "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me" And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:44-46 ESV)

Cemetery Documenting

So, in addition to finding the lost (and unlost) cemeteries of Douglas, we are also in the process of documenting each stone in one particular cemetery, the Douglas Center Cemetery. It is one of the largest (I would guess third largest) and likely the oldest. The process has been going on for a few years now, and over the winter my mother lost track of which headstones had been done and which have yet to be documented. Hence the immense pile of pictures and binders to be gone through.
Alas, and that is only one of 21, possibly 24 cemeteries in the town. In the picture is the Baker Cemetery, but we don't even know if there are any Baker family members buried in this cemetery, so far all we've found are Steele family members. Well, hence the necessity of cemetery documentation.

Dam Woes; water and stone, beavers and politicians

Forgive my mildly punny title. But yes, it seems that Douglas these days is having issues with its dams. You will have read my previous blogs on the problems with beaver dams being built throughout Douglas' waterways. Alas, a problem of a more two legged nature has been ongoing as well concerning the Manchaug Pond dam.
I was initially informed of this issue the first time I attended a Town of Douglas Open Space Committee meeting (of which I have just been voted in as a member!) in which I was informed that MRC (Manchaug Reservior Corporation) and it's parent company Interface Fabrics Group of Atlanta, plan to breach the dam. Meaning, destroy it, remove it. There is nothing wrong with this dam, the company just doesn't want it anymore. According to the Interface Fabrics Group it has "ceased manufacturing operations in Massachusetts in 2003, it announced its intention to divest itself of all of its assets and its subsidiaries' assets in the commonwealth, including the dam" (Vecchione, Ruth. Worcester Telegram and Gazette, June 18 2009). Their representative, Porter states "..."The dam no longer serves the purpose with the intent for why it was built. We believe doing this would ultimately result in a net benefit impact" (Farnsworth, Josh. Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, July 10 2009).
However, those of us even mildly interested in the good of the community, both in Douglas and Sutton, think that MRC is just doing this to relieve themselves of the responsibilities relating to the dam. Very little good could come of breaching the dam, in fact, it would be a disaster. According various officials quoted in articles in both the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Worcester Telegram and Gazette, as well as my own observations, removal of the dam would have a variety of detrimental effects. Property values of those living on the pond, especially those in cute waterfront properties and the two campgrounds situated there, would decline and these areas may even cease to have waterfront property. Floodwaters from the area would, well, cause flooding downstream from the dam. Bodies of water upstream from the pond would shrink, including the Whitin Reservoir (this may mean something to those of you will cabins in the area).
This dam was originally constructed to keep the water level high to provided flow to the mills downstream, it is true that those mills no longer operate as such. However, the loss of the dam and subsequent loss of water flow would mean the water level would be too low for the Douglas Water and Sewer Plant to keep it's permit, the town would have to truck the sewage out. The Milford Power Plant would suffer and the new "green" Alternatives Building would not have enough flow to power it's proposed hydroelectric plant. In fact, any one of the old mills along this waterway (of which there were once 11) could have it's own hydroelectric power, unless this dam is breached.
As for environmental impacts, it is true, draining the pond would leave us with more wetlands. However, the wetlands we have would change. This means the potential loss of 4 vernal pools, a rare habitat which cannot be re-created. The distruption of wetlands which have already adapted to the placement of this pond 130 years ago would be disasterous in the fragile current state of the environment.
For more information, or to get involved, I strongly recommend manchaugpondassociation.blogspot.com . This blog was the source for most of the information I just wrote about, and provides more coverage of the issue. This organization is strongly opposed to the breaching of the dam and continues posting as the issue develops. Also, it has nice pictures.
Alas, Douglas and it's dams. We have issues when they go up, and issues when they come down. Thank goodness many of our dams have stayed the same. Below is a picture of an old sawmill dam in the woods. No beavers, and no politicians. Just water and stone, you have to love it.

More beavers!

In the days of the Dudley Acres farm, it was found necessary to build a pond to provide a consistent source of water for the farm animals and whatnot. Building ponds was common in the area, there are many streams and marshes and low places. A pond could be created simply by damming a small waterway in a low place and allowing the water to fill it. Such was Dudley pond. Today it still has a man made dam with a wheel to adjust the water height and a spillway to let out water when it became too high.
This body of water still stands, with its dam and spillway. However, the beavers have decided to further alter the pond themselves. They too, constructed a dam, in the spillway. So that the water does become too high.
The current ownership of Dudley Pond is unknown to me, but the highway department has been destroying the beaver dam consistently for two years now, to prevent flooding from occurring in the area. I too, may spend some time in my waders pulling apart beaver dams, though it's not really my place. My ancestors may have built the dam, but it is no longer within the family. I would like it back into the families possession. Perhaps then I could take care of this beaver and maybe even install a micro-hydro generator.

Gardening

In my pursuit to serve God and save the planet, I , like many others, am adopting a more sustainable lifestyle. This of course involves eating foods that are organic and local. Organic, because less energy and chemicals are consumed on fertilizers and pesticides. And local, to save on shipping costs and support the local community. I decided to try and save money also, (being unemployed and all). So, I'm trying to grow my own food. The Dudley acres farm has always had a few pear and peach trees, so we continue to harvest from those. Each fall we can peaches and make pear sauce. This harvest, I also want to make pear wine and pear mead (I will need lots of honey). We have also added three apple trees a few years ago which we can get apples from each year. I also have a large black raspberry patch, though it needs pruning this fall. I planted six cucumber plants this year, only four survived, but all have flowers on them which will turn into tasty cucumbers!
My mother also grows a few vegetables. In her raised bed garden she has tomatoes, peppers, peas, and basil. Next year, we also want chickens to make eggs and to eat all kinds of garden beasties, of the arthropod and gastropod varieties. I would also like some bees in the future to supply honey. Also next year, I would like to grow sweet corn, squash and beans, like the Wampanoag and Nipmuc natives of this area. They grew corn to make corn meal, and planted it with beans to give the soil nitrogen, and squash to keep away raccoons (raccoons will not step on the prickly leaves of squash plants).
In a few years...I also want some goats like Grandma Grace Dudley. We shall see, but as far as I can see, I have high hopes for Dudley Acres Farm to be a farm again. A step back into the past, and a step in the right direction for a sustainable future.