So today I got up really early to join some fellow rewilders to harvest cottonwood buds to tincture and make into a salve for sore muscles. We met at the house of Norris and Theressa, some of the coolest people in Portland, as far as I'm concerned. They have an awesome permacultured half-acre yard, with free-range chickens and a de-paved driveway that now has fruit trees and a baby grape vine planted where cars used to sit. They also forage a large percentage of the foods they eat; Norris is the most knowledgeable "plant guy" I know, and can usually off the top of his head tell you about ten different edible things which are ripe within walking distance of his house in any given season. He spends a good portion of his day in alleys and parks around Portland, collecting food. Theressa does as well, but she is more often seen doing repair work on their house these days. Their eventual goal is to have a hunter-gatherer tribe in Northern California, and unlike most folks who claim to want this lifestyle, Norris and Theressa agressively pursue it.
Anyway, we met at their house and then went to a park called Whitaker Pond which is a series of ponds with some woods around it, to collect cottonwood buds. It was a cold, brisk day to be out looking for cottonwood buds, but the smell of cottonwood and the medicinal; propalistic taste of the buds drove us onward. It was also amazing skirting the edge of the ponds, looking for tracks. We saw beaver-downed trees, beaver tracks, signs of raccoon, otter, a very cool hummingbird nest, and then, I found a skull which we believe belonged to my totem-animal, the possum! Surely, that was a good sign! After much collecting; our group dispursed and I went to the liquor store to purchase Everclear to make my tincture with the cottonwood. My intuition told me to go into the New Season's next to the liquor store. As I talked with my mom on the phone about needing a sign on which direction my life should take, I noticed a midwife I knew (but hadn't gotten along with very well at previous meetings,) at the deli counter. I quickly hung up the phone and approached the midwife. She was jumpy from lack of sleep after a few births in a row, but she quickly cut to the chase.
"Do you have an apprenticeship yet?"
"Not yet..."
"You gotta get your feelers out there..."
"I know....that's what I'm doing..."
"Well, you know, I'm gonna need another apprentice in about six months or so...give me a call..."
Although this wasn't a definate invitation to apprentice with her, there was hope there, and I felt my intuition lead me down that particular isle in the store at that particular time, so I have faith that I'll be apprenticing in six months or so with that particular midwife. I decided to let intuition lead the rest of my day. Amazingly, the day continued to get better; the chronically drunken roommate had been told off by my other roommates and had gone out and gotten himself a job; the surrealist group I'm a part of ended up being poetic madness, and then, to top it all off, I ended up at a benefit at the Red and Black Cafe for the feminist bookstore In Other Words, talking about magic with my friend Allen and running into the person I wanted to talk with the most about starting a bike-doula business; and low and behold, she also wanted to see me (again, I've had problems with this person on pervious occastions and wasn't sure she'd be into the idea of being business partners; but suddenly, it was like everything that had ever happened had been forgiven and forgotten.)
So in one day, I got two proposals about possible work opportunities, a whole bunch of medicinal cottonwood, new respect for all of my roommates, poetry and nonsense from my friend Allen, music from all-female bands...whew, long and beautiful day! I can't wait to see what tommorrow brings!
Love ya,
Carrot
