Lehman's Country Life

I love my cats. They keep the rat and mouse population at bay.  But they also have brought in some species that we would rather they did not think were exotic squeak toys.

We live out in West Cavan near the Northern Ireland border. Because of the thirty years of troubles this area became depopulated of humans but the wildlife really moved in.  I have recorded rare damselflies. We rejoice in the frogs that we hope will eat the slugs before they eat the zucchini.

But what has me worried is our cat  Zymina’s latest offering, a horseshoe bat.
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Stinging Nettle

Spring finally has the sun splitting the sky here in Ireland. The winter aconite was very much later this year, as were the wild primroses and my planted daffodils. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day the weather turned discernibly softer during the days, although the nights can still leave a ground frost.

What really alerted me to how late spring was this year was the non-appearance of the stinging nettles. The upside of stinging nettles is that they are a harbinger of good soil fertility. The downside is that they are rampant and will choke the life out of any vegetables you plant.
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This year, choose a family tree!

Take a walk in the woods and get to know the different types of trees. In a fairly short space of time you will find yourself admiring the beauty of one particular species. This may well become your own family’s ‘chieftain’ or clan totem tree. Take a stroll and see if a tree decides to share its totemic power.

By planting a tree you also help mop up that CO2!

St. Patrick’s Day in the USA may be too cold to plant your potatoes as they traditionally do.  But it may be possible to plant a tree depending upon where you live in the United States. Arbor Day is traditionally the last Friday in April but many states, like Florida, Louisiana and Hawaii, celebrate Arbor Day earlier. Maine and Alaska have to wait until May though!
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Over the past year Tony and I took a hard look at our garbage – how much we make, how we get rid of it and how could we reduce it.

In Ireland there are no property taxes. But you do pay for services like refuse collection and you have control over how much you compost, burn on the home hearth, recycle at the ‘Bring Centre’ (glass, plastic bottles and aluminium drink cans).

We buy refuse bags (five for €25) at our local supermarket issued by Cavan County Council that holds about 40 kilos. A household of two living conscientiously can reduce a lot of waste. Actually, most of ours is cat litter because I have not been totally successful in creating a cat litter composting area.
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Let’s be realistic. No matter how eco-conscious we are there is no way around the season where it is better to give than receive. We may have all been taught that it is the thought that counts, but we are not immune to those cultural pressures that say that presentation is all that matters. There are ways though where we can beat the super consumers at their own game and get kudos for creativity.

There are lots of ways to minimize waste and still present gifts that show care, attention and a sense of occasion. It takes a bit of time and ingenuity but it is all fun stuff and very low tech. Here are some of my tried and tested eco-Christmas stratagems.
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Whether you are a Christian, Jewish, a neo-pagan or celebrate Kwansa, all the ‘deep mid-winter’ festivals have one thing in common. At this darkest time in the Northern Hemisphere, we celebrate light.

Jesus is revered as the ‘Light of the World.’ In Hanukah Jews celebrate the ‘Festival of Lights.’ Pagans recount the tale of how the Corn King, having been cut down and sacrificed at Harvest, is reborn by the Great Mother; even though the winter solstice is the shortest day, it marks the return of the Light and lengthening days.

Interwoven with this theme of light is the urge to remind ourselves that the earth will wake up out of its long sleep with new growth.
Psychologically, it makes sense that many of us with European ancestors, drag indoors any bit of evergreen to remind ourselves that no matter how cold it is outside, life always renews.
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Plum Cake

Every country has it’s own special foods for celebrating Christmas. In the States from my childhood I associate cookie making as the special baking session of the season. Germany has stollen. But I have lived more than a quarter of a century now in either England or Ireland and the comestible essentials seem to be Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and mince pies.

Christmas pudding translates easily to what Americans know as plum pudding. The making of the pudding is highly ritualised with a special ‘Stir Up Sunday’ at the beginning of advent when the pudding is mixed up and each member of the household asked to stir in a wish. The prizes – silver boots, pennies, etc. are carefully wrapped in greaseproof paper and put in the pudding after the mix has been put in a muslin lined pudding basin. Then the first steaming session commences.
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We’ve passed the autumnal equinox and now the light in the evening is dimming at an ever-quicker pace. Even though there may be more golden days, these past couple of mornings there has been a light shimmering of frost and a crispness in the air that is just a tad on the sharp side.

Artisan Wood-Burning Cookstove

This is when the cast iron casseroles and earthenware bean pots come into their own season. With our log burner glowing my appetite is ready for putting some ‘flannel’ around my own ‘lites.’

In Italy they have reinvented the antidote to fast food with the Slow Food Movement. This season is perfect for doubling up on using your heat sources. So if you have a wood cookstove like an Aga or Stanley, then the low oven is perfect for casserole preparation. You can leave, go out to work and come home to the yummiest, most soul-satisfying dinner. (A slow cooker suffices, too, but it won’t heat your house as nicely.)

Bearing in mind that cattle add to our CO2 emissions, it’s worth considering reducing the amount of meat from cattle we eat. This does not mean that you need to go vegetarian! But to lower your carbon footprint you need to consider supporting your local beef, pork and lamb producers. You can have your meat and eat it too if you reduce food mileage. It’s also important to support local food production from an economic point of view. The more we support local producers and spend money in our local communities we expend less in terms of CO2 emissions from our journeys to market globally. So look for local labels or patronise farmer’s markets where you can be confident of your food’s providence.
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When is a flashlight not a flashlight?

When it joins the orchestra!

While this sounds like a joke that some of the kids would get up on stage to tell on Camp Cabaret Night, it is quite soberly a fact. To get everyone in the act, our compere Diarmuid, set challenges for to make music from unusual, not to say eccentric, sources. It is perfectly possible (Liam proved it) to make a joyful noise from a wheel wrench! It reminded me a little of a higher pitched tuba. Wind-up flashlights are not only practical and eco-friendly, they can also be pressed into musical instrument duty and make a delightful whizzing sound when wound.
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Here in the British Isles we refer to our vacations as our holidays. This goes back to the root ‘holy days’, those days within the ecclesiastical and liturgical calendar when even the lowliest of labourers would get their chance of a rest. I’ve just got back from my holiday and my spirit is certainly refreshed and revived.

With the cost of gas being high both in the USA and Europe – we are paying €1.33 a litre – I am grateful that we decided last April to attend a music camp that was less than 100 miles from home. With no wilderness in Ireland to really compare with what is available in, say, the North American West, camping on a low-impact, light-upon-the-Earth site is our homegrown alternative.

The Earthsong Camp is an eight-day music camp and admission includes a smorgasbord of workshops in drumming, dancing and singing. It’s family friendly with a very strict no alcohol, no drug, no cell phone, and no electronic music policy. It was rare to even see someone smoke tobacco.
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