At one time, several years ago, I was traveling and camping on all types of farms or ranches. But, the stalking on the road, while camping, and also at home had become so bad I had to stop my farming/camping adventures. My reason for camping at the farms or ranches was to learn from the experts who lived, worked, and had the priceless knowledge that only comes from years of experience. I wanted to see, feel, and experience farming and ranching from their point of view.
One of my adventures took me to a bamboo farm where I parked my van on their farm, took a two hour tour of the farm with the owners, and learned everything they knew about starting a bamboo farm. After returning home I booked another weekend with them, only this time I returned to ‘work on the farm. I wanted them to show me how to propagate bamboo, feed it, mulch it, trim it, eat it, make tea, and even use a tractor to cut a clump in half and move it.
I was hooked on bamboo! But, I was moving to a new home at that time and knew the bamboo farm was going to be just a dream for the future. Jump ahead to today where I’ve now gone through the anxiety and fear of eight months of gang stalking at my new home. Plus, my stalker’s mission was recently shared with me – break into my home, ‘drop’ evidence they have created, and frame me for a crime I did not commit. Thus, I’m now home 24/7 trying to protect my home and myself from their intended harm. You can’t imagine how many times I have stopped, sat down, and pondered the questions, “Why would any human find pleasure in stalking, harming, and destroying another human’s life? What is missing within the lives of the new stalking couple and those club members that they find torturing another person their purpose in life?”
It was time!
Time for me to channel the stalking anxiety into a special project – a bamboo farm. What is the old saying, “Hard work is good for the soul and mind.” I certainly needed to get in my yard, work the soil, and be with nature while catching my stalking neighbors monitoring my comings and goings.
I had already purchased five small bamboo plants to test the soil, sunlight, and climate for growing bamboo in this area. Those plants had survived and some of the species were thriving. It was time for me to jump in completely as I channeled the stalking anxiety into some hard work building a bamboo farm. In preparation for their arrival, each day after work for two weeks I tore out the underbrush on my empty lot next to my home, cutting down trees, raking the underbrush, and clearing a meditative path. The clearing of underbrush was just what I needed to focus my energy, anger, and anxiety into something productive.
One sleepless night I sat in the dark shopping for bamboo plants. What an experience! Some plants listed for $300.00 for a little tiny bamboo plant while others were cheaper, but would not withstand lower temperatures. I pulled out my notes from my trips to the bamboo farm to find the names of those plants the bamboo farmers recommended for my area. Ten plants later, I had finalized my order for the plants to begin the bamboo farm.
The plants have arrived!
Here’s the unboxing after being shipped overnight to reduce the stress upon the plants. The bamboo will line either side of the meditative path providing an overarching canopy of bamboo up to 30-40 feet high.
The meditative path is now lined with the newly planted bamboo shoots. It was a challenge determining where to place each species of bamboo. Some grow up 30 feet while one giant construction grade bamboo will grow 100 feet high with six inch diameter stalks with edible shoots. Incredible!
It took several hours, return trips outside, drawings, and finally a landscape map on paper before I had the final layout. Once I moved the potted plants to their locations, I went out throughout the day, sat down, and watched the sunlight dance through the meditative walkway. The dispersed sunlight will be beautiful and work well for the plants even in the winter months. The bamboo will eventually grow to the height of the higher trees creating a beautiful canopy over this empty lot. The landscape map below shows the bamboo after five years of growth so I could be sure to plant them with enough distance between each plant.
It is time to channel the anxiety into digging the holes, working the cow manure into the soil, fertilizing, and setting each of the plants into the meditative walk. Then, I’ll step back, visit them each day, water them, and begin my eco-art therapy sessions by nature journaling each step within building the bamboo farm. I’ll illustrate every plant, leaf, and even the tiny insects in my bamboo farm as part of my self-administered therapy during this challenging time of stalking from my neighbors.
More to come as I complete eco-art therapy projects within my bamboo garden. And join me as I provide updates about the growth of each plant within the bamboo farm. I’ll also add my research, websites, and any bamboo related videos I find as I build my bamboo farm. Join me and purchase a single bamboo (clumping, not running bamboo) for your home.
More eco-art therapy and sketches to come in my next post.
Help spread the word about eco-art to everyone via your social media accounts. And please reach out to those who are being stalked and may need eco-art therapy to help them deal with their anxiety and stress. Take them on a hike, share time with them doing some eco-art, and bring them an art kit. They will be forever grateful to you.
Disclaimer
I am not a therapist, nor do I claim to be trained in eco-art therapy. This blog provides information, research, and a view of applied eco-art therapy or art therapy applied to my personal situation. This is not a substitute for professional counseling services.