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Global Farms & BlogLovin
Hello all!
First, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who stopped by for the Sustainable Yard Tour. I think we had about 100 or so people here, and a good time was had by all. We met a lot of other garden geeks and seed savers, as well as a great number of local foodies and just all around cool people. We were also able to connect with Andy from the International Institute, about the cool project they are doing, called the Global Farms Initiative.
The International Institute Global Farms Initiative is an agriculture-based career training program for refugees with two training locations: the North site, at Hodiamont and Plymouth, and the South site, an incubator farm in the Botanical Heights Neighborhood near Folsom & 39th in South City. The goal of the agriculture job training program is to provide refugees who desire a career in agriculture with a variety of educational opportunities intended for replication in their own farming endeavors. This job training program is a low-cost alternative for our new American farmers and a means to economic self-sufficiency.
There is a lot more the II does and teaches, but in short, this particular initiative is a pretty cool program that feeds the City Greens Market and helps start new businesses in the area. They are always looking for extra garden tools or supplies, seeds or plants, so if you have anything like that languishing in your garage or shed, feel free to get in touch with Andy or let me know what you have and I’ll be happy to pass it along.
On a more techie note, if you currently use Google Reader to access the enthralling content of this and other blogs, you know that is coming to an end this week. However, Fear Not! We’re hooked up with BlogLovin, and you can click that link on the right panel at the main blog site, sign in, and this and other blogs will be delivered directly to your internet doorstep. How cool is that? You can also download the apps for your iwhatever or droidwhatever, or just click the link on the site and voila! You are good to go.
Thanks again to everyone who stopped by, and for all of those out you trying to make the world a kinder, safer, saner place. Have a great day!
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We are on the Sustainable Yard Tour & This House is For Sale!
Hello all! I wanted to update you on some cool happenings here at the Blessings Enterprises World Headquarters.
First, and how cool is this: This yard and space is listed on the 2013 Sustainable Yard Tour on Sunday, June 23, from 11-4:00. You can find more about the tour and all the other cool spaces here. Feel free to come by, and by all means, check out some of the other listed houses and yards. A lot of neat stuff is happening in St. Louis, and the community is happy to share ideas and expertise. The Tour is a wonderful way to get to know your neighbors and get some great gardening ideas.
Now in its third year, The Sustainable Backyard Tour is a free, self-guided, open-house-style tour of sustainable outdoor residential spaces around St. Louis. It is a unique opportunity to see firsthand how others have integrated sustainable living practices into their little piece of Earth. You’ll see a wide range of organic and sustainable practices, from natives to bees, from perennial veggies to fruit trees, demonstrated in St. Louis back yards, front yards, side yards, courtyards and more!
If you check out their website, you’ll find maps and other info at a variety of locations around the city and county. You can also download more info here or on their website.
Next, those of you who actually come to see me in person will see a For Sale sign out front starting this week. Yes, it’s true: the Little House in the City is for sale. I will be moving to an office space, probably in the Webster area, when this sweet house sells. By all means, if you know some urban homesteading hippie, send them on over! I’ll still work with clients 3 days a week and will be writing and pursuing some other interests a few days a week. I will probably also be spending some time in New Mexico to write and do some research. A lot of fun things are unfolding for all of us, much is in motion these days! I’ll post as info becomes available, but for now, we are still working out of the city.
Hope to see some of you Sunday for the Tour!
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Guerilla Gardening
Gardening is the most therapeutic and defiant act you can do, especially in the city. Plus, you get strawberries.
~~ Ron Finley
Hello all! In honor of Mother’s Day, I spent the weekend planting a crazy organic garden, playing in the dirt. I planted about 60 or so cucumbers, aka Pickle Seeds. I planted an equally ridiculous amount of tomatoes and assorted other edibles… Some peppers, more salad greens, tons of sunflower seeds and a variety of other things. The garlic I planted last fall is coming up like crazy, the herbs are on full display and things are blooming like a veritable Garden of Eden out there. I had fresh salads all winter long from a cold frame that survived snow, ice and weeks of frigid temps. Last year 9 people ate out of our little city yard. It’s a revolution!
Gardening is therapy for me, but it’s more than that, at many levels. It’s about going against a tide of perception, a cultural rule, that says it is not OK to really take care of yourself. It’s about the fact that to really take time for yourself, not work so hard, be gentle with self, others and earth is to start a revolution. It’s also acknowledgment of what a radical, spiritual act it is to make your landscape edible, to grow something from a tiny seed that can feed you, and countless others, months later. It’s an act of communion with the earth, and a means of resistance to a system that says you must be dependent on people you do not even know for all of your food choices. It’s also a spiritual act to take part in an activity that has sustained us for generations. It’s good stuff.
I thought about this video while I was planting, and wanted to share it. Ron Finley is a professional clothing designer for athletes. He lives in South Central LA and is also known as a Guerilla Gardener. He envisions a world where gangstas garden, where cool kids know their nutrition and where communities embrace the act of growing, knowing and sharing the best of the earth’s fresh-grown food. As part of this effort, Ron is planning to build an urban garden in South Central LA that will serve as an example of a well-balanced, fruit-and-veggie oasis – called “HQ.” Inspired by the idea of turning unused space such as parkways and vacant lots into fruitful endeavors, this garden and gathering place will be a community hub, where people learn about nutrition and join together to plant, work and unwind. HQ will create a myriad of jobs for local residents, and this plot of land will be a self-sufficient ecosystem of gardening, education, cooking, business learning and management. The community will get their hands dirty together, shovel together, work together and be healthy together. You can read more about his efforts here.
His TED talk is great, and not too long. Enjoy, and go start your own revolution!
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I’m Actually Not That Busy, Either
Hello all!
I saw this post and wanted to share it. I’m coming off a several day silent retreat and this was a perfect reminder as I do re-entry.
This is a a total cut and paste, I have added nothing to it. The original post from SuperHero Life, by Andrea Scher, can be found here.
Enjoy 🙂
This is my new mantra: I’m actually not that busy.
It doesn’t sound spiritual or like something you heard at your yoga class. It might not even feel true the first few times you say it! But it’s changing my life.
My aha moment came when I saw this graphic above on Facebook. Moments later I heard Brene Brown talk about how we glorify our busy lives, how we actually think that if we’re not busy our lives are less important or have less value. It’s subtle, but always saying we are busy is another way we reinforce our not-enoughness.
When people ask you how you’re doing, do you do what I do? Do you say, “Oh fine, crazy, busy as ever!” or “Really good… super busy!”
But what is busy really? but something we tell ourselves.
I practiced it this morning when I dropped off Nico at school. As I signed him out, I heard that familiar refrain, Okay sister, you better get going now and get to your desk… But then I stopped myself and said, I’m actually not that busy!and let myself stay a few extra minutes building a tower of blocks with him.
It was just a few more minutes but it felt spacious, like I got to decide that I have time for everything. I felt myself writing a new story: that there is enough time for what’s most important in my life.
If you see it all as part of the creative process (and I do) — the daydreams, the walks, the lying on the couch, the spontaneous lunch with a friend — it starts to make sense. My best work is done this way– not when I am pinched and constricted but expansive and present.
So yeah, the more I say it, the more it feels true. I’m not that busy people! and it’s awesome.
Will you try this with me?
The next time someone asks you how you are, I dare you to say: Great! I’m actually not that busy.
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Look for the Helpers
What can we say about the events in Boston? So much pain and so much suffering, in Boston and all over the world. Our hearts ache in compassion for those impacted and those working to help, in Boston and all over the globe. In the last 72 hours, there have been bombings in our country and others, earthquakes with scores missing or dead, other natural disasters, other personal losses and so much pain and confusion. In times such as this, I think it’s human to want to retaliate, to add aggression to an already confused and painful situation, to want to strike out in our own pain and fear.
Whenever possible though, try to slow down. The human tendency is to break off into camps of “us” and “them,” to want to hurt someone because you are hurting so much. For just a moment, try something different. Stop blaming yourself or others for the fear and confusion you feel. Take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders. Come out of fight or flight. Let yourself feel gratitude and a moment’s peace, come back home to yourself. Think of those you love and let your heart open again. Stop watching the same scary video over and over. Be the peace and change you want to see in the world. Replace that turbulence inside with a sacred calm, that anxiety with a gentle relaxation. Breathe into the feelings and allow them to dissipate.
We’re all we’ve got, sweet friends, and we are enough. YOU are enough. Peace begins with a smile. Be gentle with yourselves today, and focus on the love you have for those around you. Breathe into that, and go forth in peace. It really does change things, in ways beyond your wildest dreams. You may not be able to hold back the darkness, but you can be the Light, and the light always overcomes the darkness. Always.
Here’s our Quote for the Day:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”
Mr. Fred Rogers
1928-2003, Educator, Minister, Songwriter, Author and Television Host
Today, look for the helpers. I promise you will see them everywhere.
Peace.
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You are not broken. You are more ready than you think.
Hello all. This is a straight cut/paste from Mara Glatzel’s blog, and we thank her profusely for posting it. So, if you had the world’s undivided attention for 10 seconds, what would you say?
Without further ado, here is her beautiful post, the main site can be found here.
You Are Not Broken. You Are More Ready Than You Think.
On Thursday, I came across a prompt from Erika Lyremark from The Daily Whip that said:
If you had the world’s undivided attention for 10 seconds, what would you say?
My fingers started to itch and I clung to a voice that begged: your truth. 10 seconds. don’t second guess. GO.
I wrote:
You are not broken. It is not too late. It IS possible. You are more ready than you think. Dig in.
And you responded, in droves.
I wonder…
How many of us are walking around the world, holding on to the belief that at any moment we will be found out?
How many of us believe that we are frauds, moving about our day going through the motions, panicked that someone will notice?
How many of us use the excuse, it’s too late for me, to keep ourselves from standing out, stepping up, and taking risks?
How many of us are glued to the belief that only the lucky few deserve a seriously gorgeous life with abundance, relationships that rock you to the core, work that is fulfilling and heart-warming, and a connection with your body deeply grounded in self-trust?
How often do we tell ourselves to shut up and remain small, because we are afraid of the bright light burning in our hearts?
How many of us allow ourselves to believe that our connection to others, our spot in our beloved community, is contingent on our towing the party line and keeping our heads down?
How often have you told yourself that if you really showed up for yourself,everyone you love would abandon you, call you arrogant, or begrudge you your happiness?
How often do we let our fear delay our joy by chanting the mantra: next week, next month, next year?
You are ready now.
You are ready to step up and have your voice counted.
You are ready to drop your struggle with your food.
You are ready to stop permitting your body to be the scapegoat for your frustration about your life.
You are ready to open your heart and mind to the possibility of welcoming people into your life whosupport your success and absolutely love the look of you lit up, plugged in, and turned on by your life.
You are ready to begin bringing yourwhole-self to your work. And you are ready to take a good look at any work situation that doesn’t permit you the possibility of doing so.
You are ready to have the most mind-bending, heart-opening, body-worshiping sex, in your body, with the lights on, right this second.
You are ready to have conversations about the hard stuff, the I’m not sure you’ll love me if I tell you stuff, because you deserve to be loved with a whole-heart and a clear conscience.
It is possible to build a life that you love and is tailor-fit to allow room for the great expanse of your wildest dreams.
It is not too late.
You are not too broken, too old, to far gone, _________.
Today, take a chance. Run the risk. Turn the volume up a notch.
You are a gorgeous, phenomenal, smart, creative, gorgeous, wildly passionate thing. I see you.
I hope you will join me in breaking the chains of should and ought to, and begin cultivating a life based in love, energy, and excitement.
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