Dear friends,

My biggest 2006 news is that I have sold my two-acre herb farm in Twisp and am now living near Hood River, Oregon. I have started a new half-acre herb & berry patch and it is doing wonderfully.

Here are announcements of my next events and my research project on peak food.

May your projects bear good fruits.
May your gardens grow bountifully.
May you have joy and understanding in your life.

Michael Skeeter Pilarski

friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com
360-927-1274 cell


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August 23, Wednesday evening Garden Party at my new Hood River garden. Call or email if interested.

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Sept 23 - Oct 7, 2006
PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE  - MONTANA

Hot Springs, Montana
Alameda's Hot Springs Retreat.
Instructed by Michael Pilarski and Mike Holecek.
The course will cover the basic permaculture curriculum with special emphases on native plants; ecosystem restoration; wildcrafting; and low-external input, sustainable agriculture. Course fee: $700 + lodging.
Contact  Alice Cabell  (406) 261-1570.
afcabell@hotmail.com
www.alamedashotsprings.com (click on events)

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September 9th
Organizing Meeting for Singing Alive Gathering
A remote spot on the Olympic Peninsula about 1 hour west of Olympia.

This is an invitation to attend a gathering to share our circle songs, dances, and music, and work with the vision and logistics of putting a ceremonial village together for a weekend sometime next summer (2007). We will be meeting (and singing) at the site of next year's gathering.
Singing Alive is a new circle-song gathering being organized by Morgan Brent and Michael Pilarski.
For directions and details go to the events page at Tribes of Creation website.
www.tribesofcreation.com/pages/events.html
Scroll down to the date Sept 9

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August 25- September 1.  Herb Processing and Seed Cleaning Intensive. At Sunny Pine Farm in Twisp, Washington. We will also be digging and processing Lomatium dissectum root. No charge. You help me in exchange for learning how to process dry herbs and clean seeds. I am willing to pay experienced help.

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October 12-15. Okanogan Family Faire (Barter Faire)  Near Tonasket, north-central Washington. 33rd annual. One of the premier counter-culture events in the Pacific Northwest. Check their website to make sure the date is correct.
www.okanoganfamilyfaire.com

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November 3-5. The 2nd Inland Northwest Restoration Conference is being postponed until 2007.

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The Northwest Herbal Faire is not being held in 2006.
We are taking a sabbatical after 10 annual Herbal Faires.
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PEAK FOOD
By now, most of us have heard of peak oil .  Few people as yet are using the term peak food .  If world oil production has peaked and begun the downward decline, what about world food production?  I asked myself this question in early July. Upon researching this question my preliminary conclusion is that world food production peaked in 2004. A lot more details can be found in my recent Peak Food article at :
www.alamedashotsprings.com/peakfoodarticle.html
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