texts saved for one reason or another

+25.01.2010 / 22:56:14 [492] I've just come back from standing in a freezing field for 3 days being licked by horses whilst holding a giant aztec skull with glowing eyes covered in bacon. This is my idea of spring.x
+29.01.2010 / 22:04:05 [801] Na du kommst mit, logisch! :) ich meld mich dann nochmal
+02.02.10 / 12:53:36 [445] Hoi Judith, ik ben nu in Berlijn. Het zal leuk zijn om jou te zien. Groetjes, Klaus
+05.02.10 / 08:14:26 [823] It was that lovely i realized exactlt the same way. My thoughts could use your words. Sorry for not writing back yesterday. Somethimes there is not even one free minute. And at the moment i think going out this weekend isnt right fr me. was drunken as a sailorman. Need a bit silence, need a bit daylight, need a bit me. But. when mood in changing i call you, Ju. :) hug!
+20.03.10 / 00:05:50 [492] Oodely noodely Oodie. big rainy hello. Look no snow. See if the queen we let you use her loo.xx
+27.03.10 / 16:03:51 [492] Lovely to finally meet another Meijer though. Pitty you can't come to bristol tomorrow. I'll say hello to the mummies from you. I'm sure they'll rememeber you.x
+29.03.10 / 00:46:25 [492] Your my girl in the bubble.xxx
+07.04.10 / 20:40:38 [907] Hey my dear, i am still in the Woods, i hike a lot, meet some origins and tomorrow i have a Date with a Horse, hope she will not throw me off. I will be back in Berlin on friday Night, maybe you would like to come over then? x ander
+08.04.10 / 20:15:45 [907] Aloa mon amure, just got back from a nice Ride with Anita, she was quite nice warm and calm. Was a little frightening to handle that Big Thing, but th...

no update is good update :)

Don't forget the fire!

Since the Löwengarten wishlist is online, and Simon recovered from his cold and is back in good health, the house and land is magical transforming - triggered by various causes....

Many people from the Versorgungsgemeinschaft are showing interest in Löwengarten 'insides' and Simon's email inbox in being occupied with requests like: Can I please have that cupboard....I would like some firewood.....Tools are being added and fly out again almost straight away :) A lot of the beautiful furniture is made by Simon himself -from many different kinds of wood- and have a very unique construction. It's wonderful to find many enthusiastic adoptive parents. The fist van load of treasures has found it's way to Berlin and the spaces cupboards ad shelves created in the house are being filled in with some DIY experimental constructions with vegetable boxes and ropes :) Looks great!

Besides working on the land and taking care of the animals our daily routine involves photographing, sorting and packing all that needs to go - either to Simon's parents or to the Löwengarten Wish-list. Imagine us: Simon with a measuring tape and writing board and me with a camera running around in and around the house..."Aaaaa, this can also go!" .....Simon cheerfully noticed another chair :) "Photo time Judith!" Klik and flits....and next one...but not without creating our own playground of furniture that we climb and pose on! Some things got me so excited by that I just had to put them online... There is a epic mountain of banana cartons stacked at the attic and I was super inspired to put them online - forgetting that Simon needs most of them for the move.... a classic trail and error ;)


Usually I'm updating the site in the evening and have to take care that cyberspace does not get in the way of my fire ritual, it's freezing and my room needs to be heated. It happened quite often this last week that I suddenly jumped up and shouted "O no, I forgot to keep an eye on the fire"...but actually with more shit an fuck in the vocabulary :D Now there is a note lying around on Simon desk saying: Don't forget the fire!

Another movement is happing in the garden, the cows moved to a new part with fresh grass and lushes leaves! Yesterday we moved the fence and made a way towards the next part of the garden that can be mowed. They are very happy standing next to the Greenhouse. This morning I went to see them with some breakfast-bread and they where moo-ing very satisfied. It was a wonderful cold and sunny morning.

Tomorrow we will go to Berlin to deliver some wood and I will stay in the city - after almost 3 weeks at this lovely place I decided to go on a little weekend trip to Köln :) A while ago I was invited to help with an exhibition / workshop around and about upcycling: Messe de Meister von Morgen . Yesterday while schuffling some Mist in the morning I remembered this invite and felt inspired to join Jorge, our great Trial and Error intern. I called Inga- the organiser from JACK IN THE BOX She was very happy to hear I'm making my way over, and so am I!

Will take Perceval and a couple of Steiners with me to continue where Simon stopped - hope I can change into reading myself instead of being read to :) Linking the ritual of reading to each other very much, maybe we can start a little circle in Berlin, I'm up for it!

Love to all

black salsify

A little dip into the past of how..... Löwengarten got into my HEART.

Last November Tau, Roland, Sandra and myself spend 4 days at Löwengarten.

This photo was taken by Hinnerk back then, a lovely Neuköln-er that also joined the fun and shows my very first harvesting experience :) Sandra is holding a beauty of a Schwarzwurzel in her hand- they are called black salsify in English.

back into the now.....

Yesterday we where in Berlin for the delivery of the vegetables and a CSA meeting in the evening - in cosy Ida Nowhere. Hinnerk also happened to be there and told me he developed his images, today he send them to me. Great! Thank you so much.

I'm cheerful and happy, hope you are too.

Bridges and Schiller

Thomas -as good old friend from Simon- came to visit us today. We had long and interesting discussions and walked a fair bit through the woods.

When passing one particular slippery hand-made bridge the wood where my foot landed was rotten and my whole leg peeked through :) oodie almost in the water! Luckily there where two men to help me out of this situation :D

When we got back to the house we made lovely lunch together with Sebastian and Robert, they returned from vacation yesterday and are both studying Biodynamic agriculture with Löwengarten as practical placement. A big group and a big pot of soup. It was a short visit though, tomorrow they will leave again for a study week. Lets see if I'm still there when they get back....

After lunch Thomas read from Schiller and we fell a sleep.

Parsnip feast

Today Andreas and Bernadette from the Kreutzberger community group came over for a days of work. We just about finished breakfast when they arrived. After a little catch up and a coffee Simon shared what had to be done and took them sorting parsnips. I decided to continued with taking pictures for Simon's Share-List: An overview of everything he has at Löwengarten and doesn't need or can not take. Goal of this list is to find new owners. It sounds like the usual moving out clean up but the only difference is that in this move there are piles of wood and animals involved. Especially the cows, that don't have a new home yet and should find a new owner soon...

Because we found -and find- it very important to help Simon and the cows we discussed how we could communicate these excess belonging to the community so they can maybe become adoptive parents of stuff - or maybe a cow :) Together we came up with an idea and Pavlik created an application that can show what it is that Simon wants to find a new home or owner for. I took the task of taking pictures of everything. Have a look if you like, here is the version so far: Löwengarten Liste It's still in progress as you can see, soon there will be more content and a link on the Löwengarten website.

I really enjoy taking pictures and helping out with sorting stuff, Simon has quite some treasures you must know :) I've already been blessed with one apoption: A big red woolen jumper that is keeping me warm at the moment. As you can see in the list there as still two cows missing, I would like to photograph Rubinu (snout above) and Baschka in their full beauty to make the cow family complete -Rubinu confused my camera for a jummie piece of bread so I couldn't get the right angle. Maybe tomorrow.

Anyway, I was busy in the kitchen this morning - photographing many thinks like cupboards, the fridge and dishwasher and uploading and importing them. I was right in the middle when Simon told me he was going for a nap and he would not join us for lunch, he was still not feeling 100% recovered from the flue that tortured him the last couple of days. He told me I could discuss with Andreas and Bernadette when and what we would like to eat. I noticed it was coming close to 1pm so I finished my last uploads and put my shoes on to go outside and speak to them...but I first had to find them...where were they? They were not at the container with the parsnips, behind the house or in the basement was also no one. I checked the whole house... but nobody besides sleeping Simon -that I did not wanted to wake. The bikes and cars were there so they couldn't be in the garden. But where are they then? I decided to jump on a bike and check the garden anyway....


When I arrived at the garden there was no Andreas nor Bernadette, very confusing situation...and not just because I had no idea where they could be but I also noticed something else peculiar. Rubinu was standing at a spot he could not be, the electric wire boarders the parsnip field and he was wondering around on the parsnip field. I'd looked and wondered if I maybe was mistaken and put my bike against a tree to go over and check it out. I saw the wire was down and a couple of metal poles that guide the wire were lying on the ground. For a second I thought I could fix is easily and said something like "Hey, what are you doing? Please go back" and pointed to the field where the others were. No way. Instead the others came to have a look and joined Rubinu on the parsnip field. Ehhh...and now? So I jumped on my bike and cycled back to the house where I had no other option to wake Simon -where Andreas and Bernadette were was still a mysterie ...

Together with Simon we took a crate of bread and went back to fix the fence and -most important- figure out why it broke down in the first place. The cows are very sweet and would not like to get shocked so there must be another cause of this all.

By the time we got back the cows had found the crates with freshly harvested parsnips and started a little parsnip party. The bread all of the sudden was not that interesting anymore, vegetables are much tastier :) Simon spreaded the bread in the field where they were supposed to be and I -party pooper as I am- confiscated the parsnip crates. All was well and they decided for bread.

Simon fixed the fence that was broken because the greenhous door blew open and hit it and I figured out that Andreas and Bernadette where working behind the chicken stable harvesting red beets. A space I haven't worked yet but will now never forget to look now. Lunch time!

"Judith...what's that on your face?"

After almost a week at Löwengarten I started to realize it's possible. It's not just another idealistic wish but an observation and mix of certain facts that I somehow knew would work together but had to see with my own eyes.

Besides the bio we have not ones emptied the recycle or the non-recyclable bins. They are both two regular size buckets and at the moment half full - but actually there was something in them before we arrived so not sure how long they've been in use. The majority of the non-recyclable waste contains of broken cups and a shoe that Midna got her paws on...a dog has to chew what a dog has to chew :) In the recyclable bin there are some butter wrappings and maybe a couple of other things.... but to be honest I'm not so interested.

So it is possible for me not to be interested in waste?! Instead I'd put my energy and joy in natural resources to fulfill every day's needs: food, shelter and many kinds of interactions and warmths <3

It made me think about my relation with waste. Maybe I should move away from waste and focus more on waste-less ways..

I feel strongly about raising awareness about reducing, recycling, upcycling and avoiding waste to possibly inspire people to adjust their consumption ways in a more desirable way for themselves and the(ir) environment, and have been -and still do- enjoy participating and initiating projects around these topics but it might be time for me to reassess my strategy.

It made me think about about a thing Robin shared - a sweet friend of Pavlik and a teacher in Bangladesh that kindly helped out with a presentation about "Solidarity Economies" Pavlik and Bine prepared for the Berlin Taize gathering last week. During his presentation said something quite obvious but easy to forget: "Childeren don't learn the things you tell them, they learn the things you show them." Replace children with people and add the probability that it could be that fear plays a role into changing into not yet widly establisched and developing livestyles and maybe thinking there is something of somebody benifiting of 'this all' because that's how the Non-Solidair stuctures they are part of usually work. We will all benifit.

It could be that showing and sharing that community supported (agri)culture can reduce waste, be more socially and passionately driven, be more sustainable with sharing knowledge / skills / resourses and that these communities can also decide their own individual group values that the benefits come more to the surface and more and therefore more people feel strongly about exploring their own possibilities.

We don't have to live by the rules we don't agree with -and mostly don't understand but are told that they are 'good for us' If we don't like them, we can create our own that we support and feel happy and at ease about because... if we don't have these qualities in our lives, what are we supposed to get our inspiration and spirit from?

Independed ways are possible and Löwengarten and Simon's view on community is only one of many and he is always open the very happy and willing to share his experience. Lets show and share what we are capable of!

Yesterday we went to get milk, this meant taking a glass jar to the neighbouring farm that has milking cows and getting it straight from the tank. Simon updated the logbook with how much he took and cleaned a dirty spot just under the tap - it was already there when we got there, I think something must have been leaking maybe. There was no tetra or till lady involved but on the other hand the o so important trust -trust that the milk is good even though not packed in a liter pack and trust in that people are honest at documenting what they take.

Question: Will there be less waste if there is more trust?

I got up at 7 this morning to spend some time with the apples and the chicken before breakfast, the apples not only smelled great but also looked amazing. Sorted quite some characters you wont find in most mainstream supermarket for next weeks delivery. After breakfast I felt happy and planned in some glitter wood chopping - I happened to pack a little pot in my bag, lucky me! Later this afternoon Simon looked at me and asked: "What do you have on your face?" I told him about my glitter mood, he reacted ".....ahh, glitter....I though it was snail slime!"

---please ignore my lovely spelling mistakes and special sentences and don't worry if your lost in some bits ;) It's the sharing that counts :)

Parsnip harvesting and little people

Yesterday we systematically harvested Parsnips - guess who came up with the most productive way :) Simons son Eaneas helped us and build a boat out of crates. At the end of the day commented to me "Du Du siehst aber aber smutsich aus!" ...time to take a shower and wash my clothes ;) I like to sit in the dirt, can't help it :)

...in the name of 'No-Plan-January' I only packed a small backpack with some warm socks, a spare T-shirt and my thermos underwear (which is more then enough if you have a washing machine). Simon also has plenty of clothes people left behind and Pavlik gave me a crash course how to start a cosy fire so I wont be cold.



We had another beautiful sunny day and lots of fun. Wonder how long I will stay for, Simon offered me a place till the end of January. Lets see :) Saturday a big bunch of people form Weltraum will come over for a day of fun, YAY! Seven fit in their car and they will try to fill her up.
http://transitiontown-friedrichshain-kreuzberg.de/so36/weltraum

I really feel thankful to be here!

Today I will go for a bikeride, the men are all off to Berlin and I would like to explore the surroundings.

O shit!

Yesterday evening I set the alarm to get up early and to head out to the pastures. We wanted to get an hour or so work done before breakfast. There was still lots of shit to collect..

"What are you doing? It is still dark...." Pavlik mumbled when I turned off the alarm and whispered good morning. He peacefully closed his eyes again and I joined him. Five minutes later I lit the candle and pored us a cup of tea from the thermos and we slowly got up.

The misty dusk had almost passed away by the time our short walk brought us to destination 'Kuhfladen' where the fun started: How to collect as much shit with the least amount of effort? Pavlik proposed the 80/20 rule; to get 80 percent of the work done with 20 percent of the effort...a real challenge

....me on one hand wanted to collect every little shit possible, every crumb of manure, and Pavlik on the productivity side of it wanting the get the job done. It was quite some shit you must know so I voted for his strategy ;)

First rule: Start at the end of the field..as long as you don't take shit away from it's destination there is not much that can go wrong - I wanted to start collecting straight away and take the shits on a trip, but no way :) "Judith, what are you doing" was said repeatedly to me. "Don't touch the shit with your hands, just use the fork...please leave the crumbs" and "Stop playing with the shit and get back to work" also made me laugh. After a while we where a well programmed shit-team and had shit loads of fun.

Pavlik still had some wished though: A golf car please with a big hover mouth to suck up the shit, then it would go much faster and it wouldn't be so heavy. Some shits where huge and weight a couple of kilos. it looked like an elephant passed by.

Around 9 pm the sun rose high enough that if peeked over the first trees in the distance shining a line of light over the pasture, we happened to be right in it. It's strength and warmth was unbelievable. We decided to leave for the house with two hungry stomachs but waited to enjoy this moment. With our eyes closed we absorbed the suns energy and I couldn't have wished for a more beautiful start of the day.

We walked back and together with Simon made breakfast. After lovely fruit-salad and cream I took my camera to the Misthaufe - the place where all the shit comes together and gets mixed with leaves and straw to rest and become Humus- and to capture some shit action...there where some hours of work to do.

By 2 pm we finished clearing the pasture and after lunch we emptied the containers at the Misthaufe....i kept on stepping in it :)

Nineteen big containers filled with shit we managed to gather today. Big shit muscle ache tomorrow.

We made pancakes for diner to celebrate <3

...Simon only has 4 cows, just imagine the shit he would be in if he had 40!

sounds like cowbells

This year my so called new year was spend in the quietness of the countryside. It was super sweet to get so many invitations for diners and celebrations but the thought of the firework war-zone of Berlin Neukölln, and the anxiety it will cause me, I decided to ask Simon if he could use some help on his farm. He liked the thought, and so did my sweet friend Pavlik that joined me.

Simon runs a community supported agriculture farm that is called Löwengarten - land-und-leute.com/ - and has 5 ha of land, 4 cows and a bunch of chicken. This project makes it possible to deliver 180 people, spread over 7 Berlin based communities, weekly fresh fruit and vegetables for a fare price. All people are friendly welcomed to the farm to help out with for example harvesting and maintenance to not only share the experience of seeing where their lovely foods come from but to also make the project sustainable.

A few months ago Simon decided that is was time to move on and to find new possibilities. Therefore he is moving out of his farm at the end of January and will proceed his deliveries from another farm close to Berlin. A time with lots to do.

Besides feeling at ease with the surroundings and enjoying working and being close to nature, Löwengarten has a special effect on me of unwinding and of 'everything will be ok'... the cabbages will keep on growing even though I didn't reply to an email and the cows don't care if a project proposal is hand in this week or the next.

Unfortunately I haven't felt the best of all, bad throat. Today we cooked lunch and I played with Eaneas and Pavlik was figuring out a technical way to list all Simon's open-task and belongings that need to be taken care of. It rained. Yesterday wood chopping and -my favorite- cow shit collection stood on the itinerary ;) We also started taking down the last fences of the pastures. Tomorrow we will continue.

Good night!