Bea and Charlotte climb one of the apple trees (last fall) that we’ll be pruning this coming Sunday (Jan. 24) for our first homesteading workshop of 2010.

We want to apologize for our absence … it’s been quite a while since we last posted something to the site. 2009 was a rough year for many, us included, and ended roughly as well–with Margaret laid up with pneumonia for almost 2 weeks over Christmas and New Years. It’s amazing how quickly the delicate balance of children, chores, work, and other obligations can be upset when one half of the team goes down. Needless to say, it’s taken us a bit to recover. Margaret’s been working on a post about her time spent resting and recovering, which we’ll be posting soon.

Before that, we want to announce our first Homesteading Workshop of 2010, which will be a Winter Tree Pruning Workshop this Sunday, January 24, from 1-4pm, which we’re doing in conjunction with the Lakes Region Permaculture group. Dave Homa, who has pruned trees professionally, will be showing us how to prune our apple trees while they are in their winter dormancy in order to improve their ongoing health and productivity. The event will include discussion of techniques, common mistakes and suggested tools. Handouts will be provided. The session is expected to run about 3 hours, including an hour outside pruning (so dress warm and in layers), and will be followed by the sharing of a potluck meal (please bring a dish to share). There is a $5 fee that covers the Permaculture group’s Meetup costs. Bring pruners or loppers if you have them. There is a limit of 15 people. (Date: Sunday, January 24, 1-4pm). Hope to see you there!

posted by karl Announcements, Events, Workshops apple, pruning, trees, workshop