J at Veg*n cooking... picked up on this meme and I was shocked to see how full my own list was, so shocked in fact I decided to brag
1. Started my own blog – umm yeah
2. Slept under the stars – my ideal definition of camping includes the tent only as a contingency should it rain.
3. Played in a band – several actually, though never to the extent I would have liked to
4. Visited Hawaii – two years ago, I visited my best bud since first grade, his wife and my godson
5. Watched a meteor shower – yep
6. Given more than I can afford to charity -- I don't know what the definition of more than I can afford is but I have given, to varying degrees, though sadly not as much as I would like
7. Been to Disneyland/world - couple times, I have family in Fullerton, which is about 15 minutes away from Anaheim
8. Climbed a mountain – technically it was called a mountain, but it hardly seemed like it
9. Held a praying mantis –I don't remember if it was a mantis or katydid
10. Sung a solo – a couple of times in school, and in the band (see above)
11. Bungee jumped – um no, never, no plans to
12. Visited Paris – eventually, though not yet
13. Watched lightning at sea – never had the good fortune to see it
14. Taught myself an art from scratch – is life an art? I taught myself a few artistic things which I do with varying degrees of proficiency.
15. Adopted a child – two actually
16. Had food poisoning – got served a dip that I was told was Veg-safe but had chicken stock, I was not well for a few days, lets leave it at that.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty – I try to avoid NYC though I imagine at some point my wife will take me
18. Grown my own vegetables –heck YEAH!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France – not yet
20. Slept on an overnight train –I think when I was about 5 we took a train back from Cali, but I don't have much of a memory of it.
21. Had a pillow fight – yeah I think so
22. Hitchhiked –no thanks
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. – usually happens at least once a year
24. Built a snow fort – yes but it was a long time ago
25. Held a lamb – yep
26. Gone skinny dipping – yes, in fact with enough starlight my pale complexion reflects well enough to light up the whole neighborhood
27. Run a Marathon – no way
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice – no, but assuming climate change doesn't make it impossible, I'd like to eventually
29. Seen a total eclipse – yep
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset – both
31. Hit a home run – sigh...no
32. Been on a cruise – yes
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person – pretty much everyone who lives in NY state has at some point
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors – I'd love to go to ireland eventually
35. Seen an Amish community – seen amish people & buggies, but not a community per se
36. Taught myself a new language – bits and pieces of Japanese and Italian, but I'm more focused on Latin right now
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied – I have enough now, but the banks I owe would disagree.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person – Nope.
39. Gone rock climbing – no but I would consider it
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David – eventually
41. Sung karaoke – yes, numerous times
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt – not a priority but I would pass it up either
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant – don't think I have
44. Visited Africa – not yet, though I'd love to see egypt
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight – yep, hawaii
46. Been transported in an ambulance – Thankfully, no.
47. Had my portrait painted – sketched...in an art class
48. Gone deep sea fishing – no desire to do so
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person – yes, and it was amazing
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris – someday probably
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling –yes and its was amazing
52. Kissed in the rain – yes though I really don't see what the attraction is. Seems like one of those things that is romantic simply because people say its supposed to be romantic.
53. Played in the mud – numerous times
54. Gone to a drive-in theater – saw WALL e
55. Been in a movie. – not that I know of
56. Visited the Great Wall of China –nop
57. Started a business – not unless you count a lemonade stand
58. Taken a martial arts class – a couple, sadly I did not have the time to pursue it more seriously
59. Visited Russia – nope
60. Served at a soup kitchen – yep
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies – sold popcorn in cub scouts, does that count?
62. Gone whale watching – Whale watching? yeah, saw a couple whales but it wasnt really that exciting
63. Got flowers for no reason – given yes, gotten no
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma – no and the blood bank's policy regarding donating within a year of your last tattoo has thwarted that for some time.
65. Gone sky diving – jumping out of a perfectly good airplane is ingratitude towards the plane and pilot
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp – no
67. Bounced a check – yes, I was still trying to wrap my head around the issue of cash flow
68. Flown in a helicopter – yep in hawaii
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy – my mom recently uncovered the teddy bear I was given in the hospital when I was born
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial – yes
71. Eaten caviar – blech, no
72. Pieced a quilt – Nope.
73. Stood in Times Square – unfortunately yes
74. Toured the Everglades – no
75. Been fired from a job – no thankfully
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London – No.
77. Broken a bone – Toes, toes, toes. Nothing else thankfully and I hope that I never do!< taken directly from J, but it applies
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle – yes
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person – nope
80. Published a book – I've started writing a couple, but much like most of the people who want to be writers, I lack the discipline to actually keep writing.
81. Visited the Vatican –yep, pretty cool actually
82. Bought a brand new car – a couple of times, though I doubt I ever will again
83. Walked in Jerusalem – no
84. Had my picture in the newspaper – as a kid
85. Read the entire Bible – not quite but I'll get there
86. Visited the White House – during the reagan administration, though it would be cool to see it again.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating – as a kid and its probably one of the reasons I'm vegetarian now
88. Had chickenpox – yep, in fifth grade I think
89. Saved someone’s life – she said I did, but I think it would have just been a bad fall down the stairs
90. Sat on a jury – not yet knock on wood
91. Met someone famous – I sat in front of Richard Kind at a production of "Big River" but honestly I never said a word, I didn't want to bother him, and the play was so amazing I didn't really care.
92. Joined a book club – nope, unless you count my brother and I
93. Lost a loved one – my Grandfather's death was one of the hardest moments in my life.
94. Had a baby – biologically impossible considering my gender, but if you mean participate in making a baby, no, we adopted instead of having our own.
95. Seen the Alamo in person – never considered it
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake – not a priority
97. Been involved in a law suit - my company has, but not me personally
98. Owned a cell phone – unfortunately yes
99. Been stung by a bee – bunch of times as a kid
100. Ridden an elephant – I think I may have as a kid, though I would not choose to now
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thinking in charts
I've confessed my love of the visual before, but this time around I decided to actually come up with something original. Its part of a much larger plan I'm brewing, but this seems to be the core of my thoughts. It seems like there are so many individual projects that get passed around and talked about, that unless you have spent some time in a permaculture book, or are fairly well versed in all things sustainable, that you might have difficulty putting things into perspective. Here is my version of the map in visual terms what books like "The self sufficient suburban gardener" put in words.
Obviously there are a lot of things left out, but I think its a decent place to start. I seem to be short on time lately, and I know I need to finish the section on prepared storage and animals, but you get the gist of it. Anything I have left out? Disagree with anything?
Obviously there are a lot of things left out, but I think its a decent place to start. I seem to be short on time lately, and I know I need to finish the section on prepared storage and animals, but you get the gist of it. Anything I have left out? Disagree with anything?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
minor developments
In the sunroom project, apparently we either lose 1'2" off the front or wait till february for an opportunity to obtain a variance. The Company has offered to cut a substantial deal if we shrink a tad and proceed now, so we took it. Onward, and more waiting.
It would appear there has been some consolidation of the change.org recommendations. Victory Garden on the whitehouse lawn has now become "Green the Whitehouse" I must confess I both love and hate the green moniker. On the one hand it makes the concept of conservation and such more accessable to the public at large. On the other hand it makes it trendy and thus doomed to be over with, and is a faaar to big a tent, including in the idea of green the ludicrous notion of things like "clean" (lie) coal" and other feel good greenwashing tokenism. Its fine if the heading Green includes specific actions like gardening, modern appliances, conservation practices, and the restoration of solar panels on the roof that were originally implemented by Carter, then torn down by Bonzo.
Its fine to make this a big tent idea, but lets keep the specifics clear.
Monsanto is at it again, and made seed saving a priority this year.
It would appear there has been some consolidation of the change.org recommendations. Victory Garden on the whitehouse lawn has now become "Green the Whitehouse" I must confess I both love and hate the green moniker. On the one hand it makes the concept of conservation and such more accessable to the public at large. On the other hand it makes it trendy and thus doomed to be over with, and is a faaar to big a tent, including in the idea of green the ludicrous notion of things like "clean" (lie) coal" and other feel good greenwashing tokenism. Its fine if the heading Green includes specific actions like gardening, modern appliances, conservation practices, and the restoration of solar panels on the roof that were originally implemented by Carter, then torn down by Bonzo.
Its fine to make this a big tent idea, but lets keep the specifics clear.
Monsanto is at it again, and made seed saving a priority this year.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monkey see Monkey do, I've got another book review
Katie at Gardenpunks just reviewed the perennial favorite (pun intended) Gaia's Garden, and I can't say I disagree with a single word she typed.
I like to hear myself talk, or type as it were, so it was kind of disappointed that I could not flex my more garrulous tendencies in response beyond a simple "right on, i agree, me too"
So I dug out one of my favorites to share.
The Self Sufficient Suburban Gardener by Jeff Ball is an out of print hardcover book from rodale press. Why it is out of print I will never know, perhaps it popularity during the initial print was not what rodale was hoping. It may have just been out before its time, regardless, its time has come.
While the book is by no means exhaustive, it is quite useful in one regard that I don't think has been truly filled and that is as a aerial view of sorts. It paints a roadmap of what the goal is for most of us. That being the transformation of our consumption only plots of land into something capable of providing a net gain beyond just a simple garden. Lots of people have gardens, this plan goes several steps further. This would be a great book to loan a friend who is more than a bit curious about "whats with the trees and stuff. "
Beyond its use in evangelism and outreach, it does one thing I think even converts like myself need. It breaks the whole project down into phases. Its easy to look at something like Path to Freedom and say "That is where I want to go with my life, but wow, there is a lot that needs to be done, where do I start and how do I get to steps 2,3,4 and so on."
Here's the caveat, if they wanted to make the book perfect it would have taken several volumes. It glosses over some things that really need deeper exploration. Were I to design a curriculum, this would be the trunk of the tree, and the discussion of each of the phases would require a different book to augment the material on any given branch. The basic intensive planting and bed preparation chapter needs support from something like "How to Grow more Vegetables..." The chapter about extending the seasons demands you read "Four season Harvest" to get the finer points.
That being said, as many of you may be suspecting, I love detail, charts, diagrams, deep deep detail. So perhaps a more courageous person could take this book, jump in head first, and be totally fine. But just because the roadmap is zoomed back does not make it useless. I refer to this time and time again.
It assumes the reader is convinced of the necessity of such things, and there is little beyond "save some money, eat some quality food" in terms of why these steps are necessary, if you need a convincer look elsewhere, if you need a map, look here.
Grade: A-
This actually gives me an idea, stay tuned.
I like to hear myself talk, or type as it were, so it was kind of disappointed that I could not flex my more garrulous tendencies in response beyond a simple "right on, i agree, me too"
So I dug out one of my favorites to share.
The Self Sufficient Suburban Gardener by Jeff Ball is an out of print hardcover book from rodale press. Why it is out of print I will never know, perhaps it popularity during the initial print was not what rodale was hoping. It may have just been out before its time, regardless, its time has come.
While the book is by no means exhaustive, it is quite useful in one regard that I don't think has been truly filled and that is as a aerial view of sorts. It paints a roadmap of what the goal is for most of us. That being the transformation of our consumption only plots of land into something capable of providing a net gain beyond just a simple garden. Lots of people have gardens, this plan goes several steps further. This would be a great book to loan a friend who is more than a bit curious about "whats with the trees and stuff. "
Beyond its use in evangelism and outreach, it does one thing I think even converts like myself need. It breaks the whole project down into phases. Its easy to look at something like Path to Freedom and say "That is where I want to go with my life, but wow, there is a lot that needs to be done, where do I start and how do I get to steps 2,3,4 and so on."
Here's the caveat, if they wanted to make the book perfect it would have taken several volumes. It glosses over some things that really need deeper exploration. Were I to design a curriculum, this would be the trunk of the tree, and the discussion of each of the phases would require a different book to augment the material on any given branch. The basic intensive planting and bed preparation chapter needs support from something like "How to Grow more Vegetables..." The chapter about extending the seasons demands you read "Four season Harvest" to get the finer points.
That being said, as many of you may be suspecting, I love detail, charts, diagrams, deep deep detail. So perhaps a more courageous person could take this book, jump in head first, and be totally fine. But just because the roadmap is zoomed back does not make it useless. I refer to this time and time again.
It assumes the reader is convinced of the necessity of such things, and there is little beyond "save some money, eat some quality food" in terms of why these steps are necessary, if you need a convincer look elsewhere, if you need a map, look here.
Grade: A-
This actually gives me an idea, stay tuned.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
winter again
and the seedlings are getting bigger. This will be the second year of starting perennials waaay early indoors and letting them essentially become potbound by the time the soil is right for transplanting. I had fantastic results last year with this technique, once in the ground they all seemed to just explode and fill in the area early, eliminating the need to weed around them. In fact, some transplants got downright huge the first season. The wormwood ended up as big around as a beach ball as did the valerian and fennel.
But I still need more. Right now there are about 20 different species of plants that inhabit the area by the pond. Per my motto of "throw diversity at the problem" that simply wont do. I need more variety to attract more insects, birds, etc who hopefully on their way to this spot, will stop over in the garden and eat a few pests or pollinate a few flowers.
Here is what is in there right now
wormwood (standard and sweet annie), asiatic lillies, north american water lilly, calla lilly, valerian, fennel, roman chamomile, echinacea, feverfew, lavender, rosemary, common sage, creeping thyme, wild ginger, ginseng, garlic chive, Lamb's ear, mint, lemon balm, bee balm, borage, st. John's wort, hyssop, valerian, and a pair of pawpaw trees.
I've started sorrel, soapwort and skullcap, I'd appreciate suggestions of perennials or easily self sowing annuals to add to this. Even better, if anyone wants to trade some seed I have leftovers of pretty much everything on the list that should still be good, most is only a year old and has
been kept dry and dark.
I'm particularly interested if any of your suggestions can be made into tea, chamomile is nice, but I am kind of tiring of it, which is fine because I'm starting to run low.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Why I dont support small farms...
Its the same reason I don't support the troops...
(here's a hint, I do, but I think the notion of "support" is a feelgood excuse to abandon the need for action)
The number 2 suggestion in change.org for ag. policy is to support small farms. I think thats great, but exactly how do we do that when small farms just cant compete on terms that the average American can accept. The second we begin to pull subsidies on mega agriculture, their puppets in the media will cry out that the ones who will be hurt the most are small farmers and poor people who cant afford food anymore. And people will buy it.
Here is why I think a victory garden in the front lawn of the whitehouse is the superior choice. President elect Obama no matter what you think of his political persuasion has demonstrated one irrefutable fact. The man can inspire. A victory garden in the whitehouse lawn will put more gardens across America, it will get people thinking more about how they can personally be a part of a changing food economy, and it will get them thinking about local food sources, i.e. small farms. To truly cause a resurgence in small farms there has to be demand, supply side economics (cheap abundance, incentivized monoculture, industrial reliance) is what brought us to the point of giant agriculture domination. Demand side will force the discussion back on to preferable terms. Having the truest definition of mainstream (the president) tout the virtues of raising food first at home, shifts the discussion from the fringes into terms that get everyone interested. I can talk till I'm blue in the face about why its better to raise and buy locally, but I'm one of "those people." I am a walking definition of the stereotypical bleeding heart yuppie granola. The president is not.
The perception of the messenger is often just as important as the validity of the message.
(here's a hint, I do, but I think the notion of "support" is a feelgood excuse to abandon the need for action)
The number 2 suggestion in change.org for ag. policy is to support small farms. I think thats great, but exactly how do we do that when small farms just cant compete on terms that the average American can accept. The second we begin to pull subsidies on mega agriculture, their puppets in the media will cry out that the ones who will be hurt the most are small farmers and poor people who cant afford food anymore. And people will buy it.
Here is why I think a victory garden in the front lawn of the whitehouse is the superior choice. President elect Obama no matter what you think of his political persuasion has demonstrated one irrefutable fact. The man can inspire. A victory garden in the whitehouse lawn will put more gardens across America, it will get people thinking more about how they can personally be a part of a changing food economy, and it will get them thinking about local food sources, i.e. small farms. To truly cause a resurgence in small farms there has to be demand, supply side economics (cheap abundance, incentivized monoculture, industrial reliance) is what brought us to the point of giant agriculture domination. Demand side will force the discussion back on to preferable terms. Having the truest definition of mainstream (the president) tout the virtues of raising food first at home, shifts the discussion from the fringes into terms that get everyone interested. I can talk till I'm blue in the face about why its better to raise and buy locally, but I'm one of "those people." I am a walking definition of the stereotypical bleeding heart yuppie granola. The president is not.
The perception of the messenger is often just as important as the validity of the message.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Calling guild experts
While working on layout for the front yard our family is trying to find a use for the space between each of the fruit trees.
behold my most excellent aerial view of the front yard. The dark green circles in L formation are fruit trees, (apple, peach, plum, pear, apricot)
Can anyone suggest compatible plants from a permaculture perspective? or perhaps a source where I might find this information. Most of the books on the subject I have found do not include the tables and or lists I was hoping for. Which brings me to a minor rant about the "proprietary nature" of permaculture. Granted, I believe in compensating people for their skill and experience, but when information is so critical and may one day be the difference between life and death, keeping those cards so close to the vest seems counter to the mission of the concept.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Last minute additions...
Playmobile, that bastion of blue collar fun now includes black glove occupations.
and Dear God please tell me these poor fellows have good health coverage
And for those of you who noticed the new widget on the left, please spend the 5 minutes to register at change.org and vote for this idea. This is something we should have done on 9/12/01. Turn all that fear and uncertainty into positive, empowering action, rather than shop for stuff we cant afford. True food security will come from a diverse and decentralized system, and our leaders need to take the lead.
and Dear God please tell me these poor fellows have good health coverage
And for those of you who noticed the new widget on the left, please spend the 5 minutes to register at change.org and vote for this idea. This is something we should have done on 9/12/01. Turn all that fear and uncertainty into positive, empowering action, rather than shop for stuff we cant afford. True food security will come from a diverse and decentralized system, and our leaders need to take the lead.
Tis the season
For seed catalogs!
The Miller Nurseries (where my trees come from) and Fedco (where my spuds came from) were expected, but I am not sure where the other two came from, I must be on someone's list. The other two were quite glossy and full of lots of pictures. Neither had an "about us" blurb anywhere to be found, so I don't know if they are independent or simple a storefront for some other big company. Have open pollinated seeds become big business? (again)
The Miller Nurseries (where my trees come from) and Fedco (where my spuds came from) were expected, but I am not sure where the other two came from, I must be on someone's list. The other two were quite glossy and full of lots of pictures. Neither had an "about us" blurb anywhere to be found, so I don't know if they are independent or simple a storefront for some other big company. Have open pollinated seeds become big business? (again)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Holy Helio Harnessing!
Proving yet again that its not just the Unitarians who can get their eco-act together...
The catholic church shows it can roll with the green crowd too!
Eartfirst regales us with a tale of a convent gone green.
To quote a part of the article: "It’s so great to hear about this sort of thing happening – and truly, how better to show gratitude for the wonders of nature than to be a responsible steward of the land and its resources?"
Grist finds a story about the vatican installing a solar array that will produce 6 times the energy that will be needed, with the excess being fed back into the grid. Admittedly, Ratzinger was not my favorite choice for Pope, but he certainly seems to be making an effort to break away from the iron fisted doctrinaire of his previous position.
Its nice to catch such notoriously slow acting institutions such as The Church moving forward faster than some so called pillars of western progress.
The catholic church shows it can roll with the green crowd too!
Eartfirst regales us with a tale of a convent gone green.
To quote a part of the article: "It’s so great to hear about this sort of thing happening – and truly, how better to show gratitude for the wonders of nature than to be a responsible steward of the land and its resources?"
Grist finds a story about the vatican installing a solar array that will produce 6 times the energy that will be needed, with the excess being fed back into the grid. Admittedly, Ratzinger was not my favorite choice for Pope, but he certainly seems to be making an effort to break away from the iron fisted doctrinaire of his previous position.
Its nice to catch such notoriously slow acting institutions such as The Church moving forward faster than some so called pillars of western progress.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
carpe stimuli
hell in a handbasket might perhaps be exaggeration, then again...
A thought provoking post on freedom gardens got me wondering. The neighborhood kid (via parental leading I'm sure) had already made an assumption for the reason behind the garden. I think given the current mood of the nation people are going to start making assumptions about our motives, perhaps placing us in the same category as the perennial survivalist who jealously guards their canned goods with gun in hand.
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it presents to the mind of the beholder a clear picture that "THIS IS A WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS" It connects the dots in a way that is so patently obvious that little explanation is needed. On the other hand it limits the perception of the intent of the garden and the gardener to a preconceived notion, and that notion is largely an unpalatable one. Do I want the casual observer to realize that food security is obtainable by our own hands on our own land? Of course, but to limit the perception to just a solution to a crisis merely allows us to survive the current one, it does not prevent the same thing from happening again.
This is not a discussion that can be confined to food security alone. The issue of crisis is merely the stimulus that makes this change of life more palatable to the "rest of the world."
I spend a lot of time wrestling with the urge to speak up, I don't want to be "that guy" but when silence means people assume I'm something else, then I'd happily settle for "that guy."
The skeptical side of me says that people reading tons of other posts and blogs means that there is no such thing as synchronicity, but odd coincidences in subject matter arise so often lately that part of me wants to think it is meaningful. Anyway, Rob at Onestraw has been staring at the big picture and drawn the conclusion that this entire exercise is not about merely surviving the world but changing it into something new. Amen.
A thought provoking post on freedom gardens got me wondering. The neighborhood kid (via parental leading I'm sure) had already made an assumption for the reason behind the garden. I think given the current mood of the nation people are going to start making assumptions about our motives, perhaps placing us in the same category as the perennial survivalist who jealously guards their canned goods with gun in hand.
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it presents to the mind of the beholder a clear picture that "THIS IS A WAY OUT OF THE CRISIS" It connects the dots in a way that is so patently obvious that little explanation is needed. On the other hand it limits the perception of the intent of the garden and the gardener to a preconceived notion, and that notion is largely an unpalatable one. Do I want the casual observer to realize that food security is obtainable by our own hands on our own land? Of course, but to limit the perception to just a solution to a crisis merely allows us to survive the current one, it does not prevent the same thing from happening again.
This is not a discussion that can be confined to food security alone. The issue of crisis is merely the stimulus that makes this change of life more palatable to the "rest of the world."
I spend a lot of time wrestling with the urge to speak up, I don't want to be "that guy" but when silence means people assume I'm something else, then I'd happily settle for "that guy."
The skeptical side of me says that people reading tons of other posts and blogs means that there is no such thing as synchronicity, but odd coincidences in subject matter arise so often lately that part of me wants to think it is meaningful. Anyway, Rob at Onestraw has been staring at the big picture and drawn the conclusion that this entire exercise is not about merely surviving the world but changing it into something new. Amen.
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