Tending in your Autumn Season

When I think about this month in October, I've learned to associate it with California native gardening. As my good friend and mentor, retired horticulturist Jeffrey Caldwell, reminds me, the beauty and diversity of the California wild is only possible, thanks to the Ohlone people in this area. Most of the land was traditionally tended, starting in the fall, and it was tradition to take small steps to prepare for the land, so that plants could blossom in the spring.

Often times, I've been taught through native plant gardening that the way to tend is by weeding for as long as it takes to finish a cup of coffee. In other words, by tending, we're usually taking small steps to care for different parts of our lives.

To me, this is a season of deep tending.
While many of my neighbors are putting out their Halloween lawn decorations, I'm thinking a lot about the small steps I can take to care for my loved ones, my garden and my community.

My family and I are also thinking about ways to invite close friends and family into our home with creature comforts, perhaps with spiced cakes, scented candles, and trying out new board games. All of the small steps that we take could add up in the future.

Why now in October?
In many cultures, October is the month where we anticipate the return of ghosts, fend off evil spirits, and we also remember our ancestors.

Broadly in Asian cultures, this is also the time of year when it's ill-advised to make big financial decisions, move to a different city or take huge business risks. Whether you call it "All Hallow's Eve," Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, or by other names, this is a time of choosing to make smaller moves now.

Here's how I'm tending this month:
I'm pruning back my California fuschia plants so that they'll grow healthier next summer. I am looking forward to choosing a few new seedlings, which should get good nourishment from winter rains. I imagine gardening will look different in colder places, but this might be the time of year that you start to bring in more indoor plants into your home.

I'm also slowing down on hosting local events in this season, because looking ahead at December, we have plans to travel, and so now is the time for us to conserve energy where we can.

A gentle invitation: What are you tending to?
October is a month of planning small actions, and not pursuing big efforts.
How will you tend to your life this month?
1. Self-care: Ask yourself: What small act of care could I pursue this season?
Another way to think about it is: What's one way that I could tend to something that brings me joy? For example, buying yourself an indoor plant to brighten your days in winter.
2. Community: Ask how can I give back to my community in a way that energizes me, helps me to feel connected and isn't taxing to me? (Maybe, it's simply reaching out to family and friends to refresh your address book, in preparation for sharing postcards perhaps?)
3. Your creativity: What's one creative pursuit you've been ignoring, which you crave? Or what's something you dread (like finances!) where you can be more playful and curious?
4. Your attention: In what ways can I tend to my attention and sense of place? Maybe, simply notice the times you have an urge to doom-scroll. What's the feeling you have that causes it?
5. What can you let go of? What's something you've hold on to too tightly that you can let go of? Is there some way you can feel lighter instead?

Even if you write just one reflection in your journal, or draw some boxes with pictures to remind you, those are all meaningful entries in your notebook.

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📖 In my sketchbook: Cultivating a sit spot
Keeping a nature's notebook is an active practice. It occurs to me that we can't protect nature, if we aren't aware of what is around us. The act of engaging our senses, choosing to notice the world in a playful and curious way is important. It helps us to see the world differently so that we can solve important problems.

Have you tried cultivating a sit spot?
A sit spot is a chosen seat anywhere in your home where you can look outside. By simply coming back to the same spot, you can train your body to find peace and calm more quickly.

In my sit spot, I notice the difference in the seasons. I see whether a new bird has appeared. I also realized that when I thought I was hearing a bird, I was really hearing a screeching squirrel. I noticed the buckwheat flowers have turned to seed, giving the birds plenty of food for the fall. I can see where the yard has gotten too weedy. Ultimately, I will make a mental note of where the backyard needs tending.

🎫 Upcoming events
South Bay Nature Journaling Club is a part of the wider SF Bay Area Regional Nature Journaling Club. I've been looking at different ways to cross-promote and partner, and so one of the ways that we will be doing this is through Creative Mornings.

Currently, I'm offering 1 free event each month, where I'm intentionally choosing places that are usually hotter in the summer months.
- On October 11th, we'll have a picnic at Vasona Lake Park.
- November will be a birdwatching and walk around Boronda Lake.
- In December, I'm hosting a birthday walk and casual birdwatching near my home.

As for my friends who know me from afar, I would like to host at least one pop-up this season. If you would like to sponsor an online workshop, please reach out!