I sat in my late grandmother Margery’s rocking chair, rocking back and forth sipping a warm cup of chai and stared out the window as traffic rushed by. Often the over stimulating hustle and bustle of the city gave me anxiety. This evening however,  I felt calm like Gram was hugging me, as her chair rocked me back and forth, listening to the splashing sounds the traffic makes on the wet busy streets. 

There is no beginning, I’ll just start here. 

Welcome, my name is Dionne. I am the creator of the blog here at Kale and Calendula. The purpose of this blog is to share my learning experience of getting to know plants and fungi. To show that even a urban dweller can walk the plant path. The city needs plant people! No matter where you live, you can and will benefit by reconnecting with plant kin. No, you do not need to own a beautiful piece of land to connect with plants, my friend. In fact, in reading “Nature’s Fix” I learned that there is ongoing research that shows people find ease in knowing nature is near, whether that be a window with a view, a well groomed park, botanical garden or a special pathway into the forrest. Instead of wishing you can own something that maybe your circumstances can not afford- just step out for a walk.

As for the blog- most of the stories here will be tales of connection with the vegetal world. While the plants and fungi we harvest can offer nutrients and medicinal constituents, there is also a profound sense of healing that takes place just by the very act of tending to them, even sitting with them.

Have you ever sat in wonder under the canopy of a weeping willow? Maybe it was at the trunk of a mighty oak or a marvellous maple?

To be truthful, the sense of comfort I tried to capture with those first words from my grandmothers rocking chair- was the same place [sense of comfort] under the weeping willow that grandma Sue planted at Monte Creek. It was a place to sit in safety and not think but feel,  while I was wrapped in a warm hug. The comfort under salix babylonica was also that of a cooling reprieve. It was shade on a hot summers day. It was privacy under the whimsical canopy. A safe place to cool down when I was hot headed. A friend to tell secrets to. They’re of the same kind. They are kin. I wasn’t the caretaker of those trees, but as a child, I remember a sense of connection and wellbeing when sitting in solace under them. Randy had taught me to take a fallen willow reed and make a bracelet. Sometimes I would sit alone under the tree and look out at the creek as I tried to craft a bracelet for the sake of wellness…

John Forti says “Herbalism is born of gardens. It blends horticulture, foodways, folkways, art, science, and craft for the sake of wellness. It is the gardener’s first line of defense, and while it can sounds mysterious, it can be as simple as chamomile tea for digestion, jewelweed for poison ivy, or aloe for a burn”

I started my garden plot adventures in 2019 while I was attending my nutrition training at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Vancouver B.C. It was a lengthy commute on the West Coast Express. The time spent speeding back on the tracks, was a time of reflection. I remember coming back late March 2019 after one of Erin Levine’s lectures on Nutrition and the Environment. As the train headed east to so called Mission from Waterfront, I lost myself in day dream as I sipped my raspberry leaf tea. Erin’s classes sparked something deep within me. We had spent the hours talking about guerrilla gardening, food forests, community gardens and urban farms. We finished the day with a documentary on how inner-city food gardens were creating a safe space for people in recovery to find meaning and grow food. I wish I could capture the depth of inspiration I felt from that class. As the train sped homeward -to the internet I scrolled my phone and sure enough I discovered that there was a community garden here in so called Abbotsford on traditional Stó:lō territory.

As a settler here on the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people; I practice and offer gratitude as I continue to learn from these beautiful lands. It is here on those lands that I have been tending to plants and the seeds I have sown at my little garden plot. It is here I have learned reciprocity. It is here I have been humbled. I have cried, I have lost and I have mourned in a mound of soil wrapped in bindweed and buttercup. I am no expert and looking down at my dirty hands my thumb is not green. But when that tiny star shaped borage flower calls the bee who travels to pollinate my watermelon I feel joy. When an unrecognized volunteer plant pops up I am delighted to meet them.

“May I have a tiny nibble?” I ask.

Herbal Jedi, Yarrow Willard says “Plant medicine is the peoples medicine.” And the plants are calling. Join me on the journey to listen as they speak.