Roses are for Lover's,
That is people who are in love with Roses. We spent the better part of the day pruning roses on Friday, which thankfully only has to happen once a year. When I first gazed upon that thick thorny patch of new and old growth intertwined in a mass that no human would venture into. I thought WTF what kind of internship did I sign on for. After we were shown how to approach pruning the plants we set off on our own corners working our way into the center. At first I moved very slowly but then after being pierced through my leather gloves a few times, and learning that this particular kind of rose can be cut back quite vigorously, I had at it. By the time we finished pruning I started to think it wasn't that bad. And maybe when these beasts start to bloom I will really understand why folks are so in love with roses.
Things Learned:
1. when pruning roses cut back old branches and thin growth
2. work from the top of the rose bush and then the bottom
3. use a rack when screening compost to help move the sticks and stones around with more ease
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Urban Farming Reading
Here is a link to a good new website I found on urban-farming news.
http://www.thecitygreens.com/2010/03/17/farms-in-the-sky-a-new-york-city-roundup/
http://www.thecitygreens.com/2010/03/17/farms-in-the-sky-a-new-york-city-roundup/
Wavehill and Sick
Wavehill is Great!
It is such a beautiful place and it is about to burst with flowers and colors of all kind. Yesterday was great except for the fact that my nose was dripping all day and I was constantly sneezing.
It was a very windy chilly morning outside. So we bundled up, grabbed our felcos and our buckets and started pruning the lavender bed. Which has at least ten different varieties of lavender. I grabbed some of the dry fragrant clippings, brought them home, and stuck them in a fuzzy sock in my bureau. Then we moved onto screening some compost into the backs of a couple gators and driving it up to the flower bed where we took turns sprinkling it on the garden. After that we went to the terrace and cleaned up and composted the beds. I think our tasks in the coming weeks will mostly be spring clean up.
What did I learn?
1. Take compost from the top of the pile if it has recently rained.
2. Use sparring amounts of compost on spring soil that hasn't birthed its perennial sprouts yet.
3.Take the day off if you think you are getting sick becuase you will just end up taking the next day off which I did.
4.When a plant has been in storage all winter without much sun exposure it is good to burlap it when it first goes out doors so the new exposure doesn't give it sunburn.
Today wasn't as great because I missed out on the first plant ID walk but I do feel much better. The remedy to illness is sleep-in/cuddle, have someone who loves you make you something with eggs and good coffee, clean(that is probably just me), and lay down and read alot! ;)
Also for super long commutes my new fav is crosswords
peacals y'all
It is such a beautiful place and it is about to burst with flowers and colors of all kind. Yesterday was great except for the fact that my nose was dripping all day and I was constantly sneezing.
It was a very windy chilly morning outside. So we bundled up, grabbed our felcos and our buckets and started pruning the lavender bed. Which has at least ten different varieties of lavender. I grabbed some of the dry fragrant clippings, brought them home, and stuck them in a fuzzy sock in my bureau. Then we moved onto screening some compost into the backs of a couple gators and driving it up to the flower bed where we took turns sprinkling it on the garden. After that we went to the terrace and cleaned up and composted the beds. I think our tasks in the coming weeks will mostly be spring clean up.
What did I learn?
1. Take compost from the top of the pile if it has recently rained.
2. Use sparring amounts of compost on spring soil that hasn't birthed its perennial sprouts yet.
3.Take the day off if you think you are getting sick becuase you will just end up taking the next day off which I did.
4.When a plant has been in storage all winter without much sun exposure it is good to burlap it when it first goes out doors so the new exposure doesn't give it sunburn.
Today wasn't as great because I missed out on the first plant ID walk but I do feel much better. The remedy to illness is sleep-in/cuddle, have someone who loves you make you something with eggs and good coffee, clean(that is probably just me), and lay down and read alot! ;)
Also for super long commutes my new fav is crosswords
peacals y'all
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wavehill Internship
Hello Folks,
Well I started my internship at Wavehill two days ago. I have been on unemployment all winter and it is time to leave that safety net behind and re-enter the work force. Although I did go to the Labor office of New York today to try and see if there was some way that I could maintain a portion of my unemployment anyway. The answer was of course a big fat NO! I am nervous of course about how things will work out but hopeful for the future.
We spent our first day raking up a lawn area that had a whole bunch of sweet gum seed pods on it. At first I was admiring these soft spined balls of auburn, but as the day wore on a grew tired of what seemed like their unending numbers. We, me my boss and the four other interns, pried all of the sweet gum balls, that had wedged themselves half way into the soft wet spring soil, out. It was quite the task but rewarding and a good team building exercise. Today we cleared out another area, referred to as the conifer slope, removing sticks, pine cones, leaves, and the like. I had to leave early to go to the labor office so I missed our time in the greenhouse, BUMMER!
Oh and we also removed some under-story saplings, that kinda look like yews, and replanted them to an actual under-story area.
The people are just as nice as the folks at The High Line and the Garden is gorgeous. It is the only time in my life that I wish I had a car. This is because my commute is an hour and twenty minutes each way. I have taken to doing crosswords and of course reading. My book right now is biomimcry, interesting so far.
Well otherwise things seem as right as rain ;)
peace out!
Well I started my internship at Wavehill two days ago. I have been on unemployment all winter and it is time to leave that safety net behind and re-enter the work force. Although I did go to the Labor office of New York today to try and see if there was some way that I could maintain a portion of my unemployment anyway. The answer was of course a big fat NO! I am nervous of course about how things will work out but hopeful for the future.
We spent our first day raking up a lawn area that had a whole bunch of sweet gum seed pods on it. At first I was admiring these soft spined balls of auburn, but as the day wore on a grew tired of what seemed like their unending numbers. We, me my boss and the four other interns, pried all of the sweet gum balls, that had wedged themselves half way into the soft wet spring soil, out. It was quite the task but rewarding and a good team building exercise. Today we cleared out another area, referred to as the conifer slope, removing sticks, pine cones, leaves, and the like. I had to leave early to go to the labor office so I missed our time in the greenhouse, BUMMER!
Oh and we also removed some under-story saplings, that kinda look like yews, and replanted them to an actual under-story area.
The people are just as nice as the folks at The High Line and the Garden is gorgeous. It is the only time in my life that I wish I had a car. This is because my commute is an hour and twenty minutes each way. I have taken to doing crosswords and of course reading. My book right now is biomimcry, interesting so far.
Well otherwise things seem as right as rain ;)
peace out!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
beekeeping New York
Here is s a article on Beekeeping in New York. Hopefully it will be legal soon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/science/earth/15bees.html?emc=eta1
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/science/earth/15bees.html?emc=eta1
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Yogamazing
I just came form a yoga class in the East Village. I was very uneasy about the idea of going to this yoga studio. 1. it is ny and everything here, everywhere you go is super crowded. 2. I am officially off on my own again away from my folks, thus very poor. 3. I have been practicing for the past three months five days a week at a tiny studio with low attendance in a suburb outside of Chicago.
Well, I hadn't done yoga in a day, and I was craving some movement. So I tried out Yoga to the people on st. mark's and it was great! Yes really crowded but none the less fun. The teacher was encouraging people to make funny noises and breath loudly. She created an inhibition free environment. The teacher was there more as a guide through the yoga practice and less as an instructor. Although I don't think that is bad I do worry about people who haven't practiced much yoga. There are some positions where you can hurt yourself or just not get the full expression of the pose if you aren't familiar with the way to correct yourself in the pose.
That aside Alternative health care is really catching on and this quote from an article posted on The American Academy of Family Physicians shows that many people seem to agree , "A recently released government report (15-page PDF; About PDFs) found that U.S. adults are spending almost $34 billion a year on complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, products and therapies, as well as on visits to CAM practitioners. And that popularity can translate into extra dollars for family physicians, says one FP.
And webMD says that yoga has many benefits such as less stress, strength, more calm and mood stability, better breathing techniques which allows one to get more oxygen in there body, flexibility, posture, and heart benefits.
Anywho folks! Think about it! It may be fun ;)
Well, I hadn't done yoga in a day, and I was craving some movement. So I tried out Yoga to the people on st. mark's and it was great! Yes really crowded but none the less fun. The teacher was encouraging people to make funny noises and breath loudly. She created an inhibition free environment. The teacher was there more as a guide through the yoga practice and less as an instructor. Although I don't think that is bad I do worry about people who haven't practiced much yoga. There are some positions where you can hurt yourself or just not get the full expression of the pose if you aren't familiar with the way to correct yourself in the pose.
That aside Alternative health care is really catching on and this quote from an article posted on The American Academy of Family Physicians shows that many people seem to agree , "A recently released government report (15-page PDF; About PDFs) found that U.S. adults are spending almost $34 billion a year on complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, products and therapies, as well as on visits to CAM practitioners. And that popularity can translate into extra dollars for family physicians, says one FP.
And webMD says that yoga has many benefits such as less stress, strength, more calm and mood stability, better breathing techniques which allows one to get more oxygen in there body, flexibility, posture, and heart benefits.
Anywho folks! Think about it! It may be fun ;)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Taxes turns to therapy
Over the past year and a half I have moved from Pittsburgh, PA to my parents house in IL, to New York, to Homestead, FL, to New York, to my parents house, to New York, to Pittsburgh, to New York,to Brooklyn, to New York, to my parents house, and now back to new York. If you have a hard time getting motivated to do your taxes imagine how tough it was for me to get started today.
I am using my father's income tax filing program to file this year because I thought I might need a little guidance. I have worked four different jobs in New York and Pittsburgh, collected unemployment, and paid student loans. None of this was done in IL. But since my father's program was downloaded to his computer in IL, the program kept trying to make me file in IL.
So I called this company which helps you to file your taxes and talked to a lady who wasn't helpful so I called again and thats when Matt answered the phone. And tax filing time slowly turned into marriage counseling. Matt's marriage is seeing some tough times right now. His partner of 20 years is committing adultery and says that she doesn't love him anymore. They aren't sleeping in the same room and she is contemplating filing for divorce. Matt had a lot to tell me about his current situation and I listened. I tried to help and tell him to honor himself and also, if he wanted to, honor his marriage.
But then he asked me what I would do?
Now I have cheated and I have been cheated on and it isn't an easy thing to deal with on either end of the spectrum. I told Matt that you have to be a good person, you have to try and work with this person, but you have to have a level of self preservation as you go through all this. If you need space, take the space, if you need time, take the time.
Anyway we never fixed my tax problem because we got so lost in his life and also my mom had dinner on the table. But I think I really helped Matt this evening. He may not have helped me finish filing my taxes but he did help me to remember that life is hard sometimes. Life doesn't always go the way you want but you must be thankful for what you have. Stick to the positive side of things. Because once you loose that you loose life.
I guess I will finish my taxes tomorrow ;)
I am using my father's income tax filing program to file this year because I thought I might need a little guidance. I have worked four different jobs in New York and Pittsburgh, collected unemployment, and paid student loans. None of this was done in IL. But since my father's program was downloaded to his computer in IL, the program kept trying to make me file in IL.
So I called this company which helps you to file your taxes and talked to a lady who wasn't helpful so I called again and thats when Matt answered the phone. And tax filing time slowly turned into marriage counseling. Matt's marriage is seeing some tough times right now. His partner of 20 years is committing adultery and says that she doesn't love him anymore. They aren't sleeping in the same room and she is contemplating filing for divorce. Matt had a lot to tell me about his current situation and I listened. I tried to help and tell him to honor himself and also, if he wanted to, honor his marriage.
But then he asked me what I would do?
Now I have cheated and I have been cheated on and it isn't an easy thing to deal with on either end of the spectrum. I told Matt that you have to be a good person, you have to try and work with this person, but you have to have a level of self preservation as you go through all this. If you need space, take the space, if you need time, take the time.
Anyway we never fixed my tax problem because we got so lost in his life and also my mom had dinner on the table. But I think I really helped Matt this evening. He may not have helped me finish filing my taxes but he did help me to remember that life is hard sometimes. Life doesn't always go the way you want but you must be thankful for what you have. Stick to the positive side of things. Because once you loose that you loose life.
I guess I will finish my taxes tomorrow ;)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Keep it busy
You know,
Life is not easy, it is hard getting through sometimes. Thats why I like to keep busy. The busier I keep myself the better my brain is, on all levels. I don't worry, I don't think crazy unhealthy things like my boyfriend doesn't love me or I suck or somehthing like that.
Moving on then in an effort to keep my mind from wondring to the negative side of my psyche I read some more chapters of Farm City by Novella Carpenter. Who is my mini hero until I find the space in my life to start my own urban farm or join some kind of urban farming initiative.
Today I read about the nineteenth century urban market plots, about 2 acres in size, that Paris had available for its citizens to farm. It was estimated that from 1,800 plots 100,000 tons of produce was harvested annually. So much that they actually exported produce to other countries.
The more I read her book and check out http://www.cityfarmer.info/, my new favorite blog, the more I find that our world has a deep history of urban farming.
Many immigrants to the states kept pigs and chickens in and around their urban dwellings, during war times people in Great Britain and in the US were encouraged to turn their yards and limited green space into Victory Gardens, in New York in the 1970's there was a city initiative that supported community gardens throughout the city in abandoned lots, Havana, Cuba has been a urban farming city for quite sometime and their urban farming only becomes more prolific with time,"Shanghai raises 85 percent of its produce within city limits." Farm City, and urban farming is also encouraged in Poland and Tanzania.
Many people in cities in the US have slowly been getting their feet wet,even more so in recent months since the recession started in late 2008. With the poor only finding it harder to survive and the federal aid becoming more and more scarce for the growing numbers on unemployment, urban farming is sounding a lot more enticing to many people. When you're unemployed what you don't have is money but what you do have is a whole lot of time. Might as well spend it outside making yourself useful. Unless you have a allergy to the sun I don't think it will hurt you.
Don't have soil start making it yourself. I have a wormbin at my parents house and my boyfriend and I's apartment. It is so easy and they are the most low maintenance pets you'll ever have. Worms eat My Garbage by Mary Applehof is a great way to get started. You don't have to buy the super expensive 20 dollar lb. bag of worms either, most bait shops sell red wigglers, $4 for 50 worms. Feed them eggshells and in no time you'll have a pound of worms.
anywho I have to get back to painting folks
Peace out
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Life is not easy, it is hard getting through sometimes. Thats why I like to keep busy. The busier I keep myself the better my brain is, on all levels. I don't worry, I don't think crazy unhealthy things like my boyfriend doesn't love me or I suck or somehthing like that.
Moving on then in an effort to keep my mind from wondring to the negative side of my psyche I read some more chapters of Farm City by Novella Carpenter. Who is my mini hero until I find the space in my life to start my own urban farm or join some kind of urban farming initiative.
Today I read about the nineteenth century urban market plots, about 2 acres in size, that Paris had available for its citizens to farm. It was estimated that from 1,800 plots 100,000 tons of produce was harvested annually. So much that they actually exported produce to other countries.
The more I read her book and check out http://www.cityfarmer.info/, my new favorite blog, the more I find that our world has a deep history of urban farming.
Many immigrants to the states kept pigs and chickens in and around their urban dwellings, during war times people in Great Britain and in the US were encouraged to turn their yards and limited green space into Victory Gardens, in New York in the 1970's there was a city initiative that supported community gardens throughout the city in abandoned lots, Havana, Cuba has been a urban farming city for quite sometime and their urban farming only becomes more prolific with time,"Shanghai raises 85 percent of its produce within city limits." Farm City, and urban farming is also encouraged in Poland and Tanzania.
Many people in cities in the US have slowly been getting their feet wet,even more so in recent months since the recession started in late 2008. With the poor only finding it harder to survive and the federal aid becoming more and more scarce for the growing numbers on unemployment, urban farming is sounding a lot more enticing to many people. When you're unemployed what you don't have is money but what you do have is a whole lot of time. Might as well spend it outside making yourself useful. Unless you have a allergy to the sun I don't think it will hurt you.
Don't have soil start making it yourself. I have a wormbin at my parents house and my boyfriend and I's apartment. It is so easy and they are the most low maintenance pets you'll ever have. Worms eat My Garbage by Mary Applehof is a great way to get started. You don't have to buy the super expensive 20 dollar lb. bag of worms either, most bait shops sell red wigglers, $4 for 50 worms. Feed them eggshells and in no time you'll have a pound of worms.
anywho I have to get back to painting folks
Peace out
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Rabbit seminar
Whoops! here is the full article http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/dining/03rabbit.html?ref=dining
and yes it mentions when and where. I ams till very interested in if there will be another work-shop.
I guess it happened in Nov. which is a bummer becuase if I had known I so would have gone to that.
peace out lovlies
and yes it mentions when and where. I ams till very interested in if there will be another work-shop.
I guess it happened in Nov. which is a bummer becuase if I had known I so would have gone to that.
peace out lovlies
Rabbit harvest
Here is a link to a NYT article/slide show about butchering rabbits in Brooklyn, NY.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/03/02/dining/20100303-rabbit-slideshow_index.html?ref=dining
Cool photos and Novella Carpenter ran the butchreing part of the workshop. What I want to know is when did this happen? Doesn't say in the article, but ifit happens again I am in!
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/03/02/dining/20100303-rabbit-slideshow_index.html?ref=dining
Cool photos and Novella Carpenter ran the butchreing part of the workshop. What I want to know is when did this happen? Doesn't say in the article, but ifit happens again I am in!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dive and Urban Farming
Howdy Y'all!
I saw a great! short film this weekend at The Peace on Earth Film Festival called DIVE! It was about dumpster diving for food. Since I have dumpster dived before this concept was nothing new to me. What was new info though was the amazing numbers they presented on food waste. In all my diving experiences I never saw the amount of food that the people in this movie were able to produce. In one night they were able to attain, from the dumpster, enough chicken to feed themselves for one year. That is RIDICULOUS!
The other big issue/topic they were working with, in the documentary, was getting the stores to donate food to homeless shelters or food banks. Many of the stores in their area said that they donated food but then when they would go to check the store's dumpsters they would be full of not donated food.
All in all a very good short documentary that was serious, but it didn't make you feel guilty, and empowering. I give it a thumbs up ;)
Also the other documentaries were good as well Homegrown Revolution and Namaste. I unfortunately didn't make it to the sat. and sun. portion of the fest so I can't really comment on that, but judging on Friday I would say that those films are probably worth looking into as well.
Okay second topic ;)
Urban Farming, which is a great passion of mine, is a subject I am always searching the internet for. Whatever snippet I can grab I like to follow like news articles, groups forming, and active folks in general who are more inclined towards a sustainable future with a focus on urban farming and urban homesteading.
Anywho, I was reading an article in the Seattle Times about a great new group that just formed called the Alley Cats. Whose mission it is to grow food on donated empty plots on Beacon Hill and they hope to spread into other areas as well. They have people who are trained in soil sciencs, landscaping, and folks who are switching careers as well. Here as link to the article http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011220435_urbanfarm01m.html
It is just so empowering to read this stuff and know that there are so many other people out there who share similar views on community, health, impoverished neighborhoods, and creating more sustainable cities.
Some books I am reading right now that you may enjoy.
Farm City: An Education of an Urban Farmer
No Impact Man
Silent Spring
Medicine as Meditation
and a book I just got from the library that has great big pictures of crazy looking poultry, which I can't wait to do some drawings of. I swear animals are the only thing that give me that feeling like, "Oh! you are so cute I just want to bite your head off!" Sounds a little crazy I know but hey! Sometimes things are really f....ing cute.
peace out folks :))))))))
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