The Gopher Guy

Gregg Crawford, aka The Gopher Guy, at Harmony Farm Supply Just like anyone with open land in West Sonoma County, we have a gopher problem. We have been able to keep them out of our kitchen garden’s raised beds by lining their interiors with 1/2″ galvanized hardware cloth, but have plans to cultivate a 1/2 […]

Le Forgeron

Most villages in the Bassar region of Togo, West Africa, still had a blacksmith when Ene and I lived there briefly about 20 years ago. Our friend, Innocent (above) was Le Forgeron de Guerrin-Kouka, the market town where we lived. Although iron smelting had been in steady decline since Colonial times, it was still practiced […]

Tools Making Tools

  One of the cool things about craft production is that it does not respond to markets so much as do away with them altogether- supply and demand are localized in both space and time. When in the service of self-sufficiency, production is not only localized but scaled in response to some form of human […]

Interview with Caroline Woolard

  I’m continuing to feature an ongoing series of interviews and studio visits with other makers/artisans/crafters. If you would like to introduce yourself and your work to a growing Deep Craft network, I invite you to visit the PARTICIPATE page of this site. Meanwhile, allow me to introduce you to artist/provocateur Caroline Woolard. DC: Describe […]

The Week in Bloom

Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) Since I was a teenager I’ve always ridden nimble, road racing bikes and my attention has been on speed and navigating the road to avoid flats. Inspired by our rural environs and the Rivendell ethos, I’ve recently swapped out my racing machines in favor of a sturdier, Surly Long Haul Trucker, […]

Fools Parade and The Blessing of the Fleet

Occidental Fools Parade, Occidental, CA Two contrasting annual traditions merge seamlessly with the season in West Sonoma County. The Occidental Fools Parade continues to grow exponentially since its inception six years ago. Everyone is invited to participate, and people of all ages bring instruments and march in elaborate costume around Occidental’s tiny square. The event […]

Small is Beautiful, Revisited

The cardinal virtues of temperance, prudence, fortitude, and justice I recently reread E.F. Schumacher’s classic Small is Beautiful (originally published by Blond and Riggs Ltd., London, 1973). I first read this book as part of my training with the US Peace Corps almost 20 years ago when I was an ‘appropriate technology’ agent in West […]