Another Earth Day: Working with Cedar and Pohaku

I've been helping Pete with his latest project -- realigning the entrance to the Tilth. Subtle and substantial changes open up the fences to a future informational kiosk on the right-side, and a farm stand on the left side.

You can't appreciate the work involved unless you do it. Behind the scenes of a project like this I assisted with the things Pete does from the time he gets up off the bed and on his feet.

There were cedar poles to move, old holes to refill, new poles to dig, new holes to refill. The mounds of small rocks unearthed from previous human enterprises are  piled nearby and into the pukas they went to hold the poles in place once they were re-positioned.

The beautiful thing about Cedar is her durability and beauty as she ages. I'm not sure how long the Cedar boards have been in place, but guess they have seen many seasons of rain, wind, sun and fog.

Mindfulness is involved as the posts and cross pieces are laid out for the new fence design. The shape of each face or side of Cedar has character: knot holes, the flow of grain pattern, the way lichen has grown to form their own design. We talk about which face to show and how one board fits best without having to cut to fit. Pete will reuse the Cedar that is left when both sides of the entry are finished.

My job was to gather pohaku, rocks, pour them into the puka, kibits about design, and hold things in place while Pete used the o'o, the saw or the screw gun.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Pete said when we finished last night. He's always generous with his thanks for help with projects. For a guy who has worked on nearly as many jobs as he has years on the planet this time around, he has a real knack for making sure his help feels appreciated. Add to that his talent for teasing and you begin to get a feel for who this guy is.

The other thing one rarely sees, is that Pete wears out. Last night was one was one of those times. Worn and out, he napped. Not a common thing. Then, he slept and slept and slept. At times like that I pick up the slack for the many chores that still need doing. I got to take care of him.

Right-side of entry 

Left-side of entry

Today I helped Pete finish off the left-side with plenty of space for a farm stand and customer parking coming soon. Back inside, I sit to tell the story. Another Earth Day. A mixed bag of work and time doing things together to be here on this Prairie Front. Lucky us!

Filipina-side of Moki

What's your Earth Day been like?