Giving Thanks

It's the holiday of gratitude and abundance, for most.

My own hope every time this holiday comes around, is that I can maintain at attitude of gratitude throughout the whole year. Sometimes I forget about the little blessings, and sometimes I am acutely aware of just how fortunate I really am.

So, I am challenging myself to think of 30 things within the next 15 minutes. My list of what I am grateful for, and not in order of importance:

1. My brain. It sometimes is not functioning at the level I would like it to be, but it has allowed me to be adaptable, to learn, and to progress as a human being.

2. My mother and my sister. I would not be here without them.

3. My love. He is loving, supportive, understanding, accepting, funny, intelligent, empowering, and a number of other adjectives that make him wonderful and inspire me to be a better me.

4. Malai. She is the bee's knees. Even though she's a dog, and not a bee.

5. My friends. Especially the besties.

6. My ridiculous amount of pets aside from Malai. They provide much amusement, and an opportunity to care. That's Phoenix (FiFi) the snake, Crabulon the Mighty and The Kraken the crabs, and the six goldfish: Queen Marigold, Frosty, Fin, Pebble, Midas, and Silverbutt. And I suppose I shouldn't forget the one thousand worms who are composting my kitchen scraps in the basement, all known as Veronica Jrs. 

7. My health. I am living, breathing, walking, and I am also grateful for the urge and the resolve I have to maintain at least a good level of health.

8.. My houseplants. I get a sense of well-being whenever I am caring for them, and I am grateful for that.

9. I said my friends already, but I also want to specifically give a shout out to the Forest Folk. I love you, guys.

10. Public Allies. The people.

11. Public Allies. The program. 

12. This blog and my journal. Both help to keep me sane.

13. Art supplies. They provide promise.

14. The creative urge that I have to satisfy. It keeps me going.

15. Shelter. I have a home and a bed to sleep in, plus awesome people and pets living with me. 

16. Nature.  Nothing makes me feel better than taking a walk along wooded paths, or taking in a view of a rainbow over the Rocky Mountains, or just looking at the Rocky Mountains themselves, or taking a plunge into clean, ocean water, or observing Nature's creatures big and small. Nature is awesome.

17. Access to the internet.

18. Books. Books are awesome.

19. Eyesight. I am thankful for being able to see.

20. Legs. I am thankful for strong, healthy legs that can carry me far.

21. My dancing pole. I love my dancing pole, and the opportunity it gives me to feel strong and sexy.

22. Music. I am so very thankful for music.

23. Oxygen. Go planet Earth!

24. Bills. Yes, I am thankful for bills. They indicate that I am able to afford things that other people in the world might not be able to afford, or even have access to.

25. My right to vote and my right to civic engagement. Some people don't have that.

26. Time. I am thankful for the time that I do have.

27. I am thankful for language, and I mean language in all its forms. It provides connection to others.

28. I am thankful for crayons. 'Nuff said.

29. Yoga. Both the asanas (physical postures) and the philosophy.

30. Humor. I am grateful for a sense of humor.

So, I could be more specific with a lot of things, and I am definitely missing things. But there's a lot to be grateful for, all year round. Like, this octopus below.

LOL. I've been looking for an excuse to post him. He's so cute!!!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Make a Difference Day

For us at Public Allies, we had our first required service day on Saturday, November 13th. Public Allies gathered in New Haven, split into groups, and arrived at sites.

My group went to help the Alden Ave. Community Garden. This is an entirely new garden! We gathered a lot of brush and cleaned it out, plus started leveling out the ground for a tool shed. I met a carpenter named Larry, and Larry and I spearheaded the building of three raised beds, including a trapezoidal bed (yay for mitering!).

I wore three layers that day - hoodie, long-sleeve, and tee. By the early afternoon, I was down to the t-shirt because of the beautiful, sunny weather we were having. After the beds were built and filled with fresh compost, we planted garlic bulbs.

I'm so glad we got to help out this new garden. You can find out more about community gardening and how it helps here.

I also enjoyed helping because of what it does for me. (I have never claimed to be an altruist.) I plan on having raised beds in the backyard, and this gave me a better sense of how to do it. Putting two pieces of wood together with a screw gun is easy enough to think about, but this demonstrated how to make it structurally sound, and it was good practice. You never know what skills and knowledge you might gain when you spend a Saturday volunteering. Go Public Allies!

Waiting for Worms

Yes. That's what I am doing. Waiting for worms.

Not the kind that get inside you and cause trouble, but the kind that make all sorts of good sh*t for your garden. Eisenia fetida, or the mighty "red wiggler," is a popular favorite of fisherpeople and gardeners alike. In the world of vermiculture, the noble red wiggler eats your refuse and casts it out into fine, dark, good, earthiness that is awesome for your plants!

All you need is a vermicomposter:

 

A good guide:

And worms. Which you will notice I do not have a picture of, because as the title of this blog entry indicates, I am waiting for worms.

:)

Bridgeport's 2010 ArtTrail

Over the weekend and last week, I got to see bits and piece of the 2010 Bridgeport Art Trail. On Thursday evening, I watched the unveiling of a new mural (photo from and blog seen here.) by Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli, as part of ongoing exhibition of the MainState Ventures 1st Annual Art Competition.

On Friday, the Public Allies Bridgeport Team went out and viewed the new Sculpture Studio, the new art and retail store Space, and the new location of the Bridgeport Arts and Cultural Council. It was an artsy kind of outing, and much fun was had:

(Above photo taken in Sculpture Studio by Sharaya Smith)

Those of you playing Red Dead Redemption will of course note the likeness of John Marston in the above sculpture piece. ;)

On Sunday, Lover and I traipsed through the American Fabrics Arts Building where more than 30 artists opened their studios to the public. The variety - letterpress printing to jewelry to painting to needlecraft - was an awesome thing to see, as was the quality of work being produced. (The building itself was a sight to see!)

If you live around here, or even if you don't, you can check out the links above and below for more info. Support our local artists as much as you can, even if it's just to go and look at their stuff! Creatvity and hard work is something to be celebrated, and art is a vehicle for revolution and rejuvenation (of the self and of a community - Plato in his Republic would not allow for artists and poets because of the danger they presented to the "phlosopher-king" politcal structure he was advocating; artists and poets stimulate free thinking!).

More Links:

thegalleryatblackrock.com

citylightsgallery.com

barnum-museum.org

bportbuzz.com

bportlibrary.com

playhouseonthegreen.org

publicartdesigncenter.org

rainyfaye.com

thebananaland.com

Happy Trails!

Infohmayshun

Upon being accepted to Public Allies, which is an Americorps funded program, I was placed at a nonprofit organization in the Bridgeport area. I have two components to my job within the organization: the first is to implement its new marketing campaign, and the second is to co-facilitate sex education classes. Totally lovin' it.

Today as I and my co-facilitator were giving information on HIV and AIDS, one of the kids made a statement that Magic Johnson is "cured," because with money, "you can do anything."

1.) Magic Johnson has full blown AIDS.

2.) He is on a cocktail of drugs that are keeping him alive and as healthy as he can possibly be, plus he takes care of himself - exercises, eats well, etc.

3.)When he gets tested for the virus, it does not appear in his test results because he is on drugs that suppress its appearance.

4.) He will still die, eventually, of an AIDS related illness.

5.) You do not have to be exceedingly wealthy to be on the same drug cocktail that he is on.

No matter what we said, though, this kid told us we were buggin', and that our information was wrong. It finally came to the point (now with the whole class in an uproar) where I told him, "Look, you can believe that if you want, but please don't go spreading it around, because you are spreading misinformation that can get people killed."

"Not if you got money, miss." Is what he replied.

And I'm buggin'???

On a happier note, today on NPR they talked about a really cool website that is dedicated to preserving words no longer found in the dictionary. If you have a love of language, even just to use funny, rarely used words, check out Save the Words where you can adopt a word and bring it back to the English language!

Hunger and Food Security

This Saturday is "Make a Difference Day" in Public Allies. So, the three teams (Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven) are banding together to complete service projects within the city of New Haven. We are being broken off into groups and sent to different sites, but the overall theme is regarding hunger and food security.

For the most part, hunger and food security in the US refers to the ability of a family or individual to obtain sufficient food for their household. Some households find themselves skipping meals, or skimping on quality and/or quantity. This can lead to malnutrition, mental health issues, and surprisingly, it is also linked with obesity.

Obesity, you say?

Yes, obesity. Families trying to stretch every last dollar often buy fast food as a way to fill up, putting nutrition-empty starches and sugars into their bodies, which leave them hungry soon after due to the high glycemic index of these foods. On top of fast food being so easy and cheap, the USDA estimates that 23.5 million people, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income areas where a supermarket is located more than a mile away. 11.5 million of those 23.5 million live at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. Of the children living in poverty, 44.8 percent are obese, compared to the 31.7 percent of the general population. Low-income zip codes have 25 percent fewer supermarkets than middle-income zip codes. These occurrences are called "food deserts." People living in food deserts often have less access to vehicles, limiting their food choices.

So, just simply providing information about nutrition and health is not enough. Low-income families and individuals need to have access to healthier foods, and not just fast food places and convenience stores.The Obama administration has a joint intiative coming with the Treasury, USDA, and HHS to make available more than $400 million "in financial and technical assistance to community development financial institutions, other nonprofits, and businesses with sound strategies for addressing the healthy food needs of communities."

This will address school lunches, community gardens, farmers markets, SNAP, and grocery store chains.

Also, check out these links:


Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative
Many farmers' markets now accept SNAP!
If Urban Farms Can't Feed Us, What Are They Good For?
Food Trucks: A Solution to Overcoming Food Deserts?
Carrot Vending Machines in Schools! Surprise Success!

There is help on the way. :)

I'm super excited because my group is charged with the task of putting a community garden to bed for the winter, and to build a tool shed. I love stuff like this. I once built a septic tank (out of concrete blocks, re bar, and wet cement) in Costa Rica with Habitat for Humanity, and I can't even tell you how accomplished I felt afterward. Not to mention I love gardening, so I am excited about working in the garden. I hope it's not a brumal day like today was, though!

Whacky Weekend

What a weekend! I got out of professional development trainings in New Haven on Friday to come home and prep my paintings for hanging in a show - fixing frames and attaching hooks and wires. The site of our show, Uncensored: Women in the Arts, was happening in Wilton on Saturday and the artist hanging was Friday night.I was there for two and a half hours! I had good conversation with an old friend and ex, and Malai circled happily about our feet.

Lover and I then went out and enjoyed a beer, bumping into acquaintances and making time for a crossword. We are a pair of cruciverbalists! Total nerds at the bar.

 Love it.

Saturday morning I got up and finished a painting. That's right. It was a 3' x 3' painting, and I painted it up right quick, showered, dressed, and headed for the show. With the painting. Set it up on an easel and was good to go!

The show was exquisite, filled with SOH's (and by that, I mean Sapient, Obstreperous, Hoydens!). Talented artists and photographers, a great space, and amazing performers - we had a singer/songwriter, a classical guitarist who rocked the house (classically, of course), some great bands, and a solo pianist/singer! The audio and visual smorgasbord attracted quite the turnout. Who could ask for more?

And a big THANKS to Jen and Sony for putting it all together!

(Some of us ran out real quick for sushi - I love my bffs Angelica and Katty (who was the one classically rocking the house), and also thanks to Stone for traveling all the way he did to see the show!)

Sunday was a day of in and out in beautiful weather as Lover and I ran errands. I have found myself loving New England more and more. You just can't beat the beauty of fall in zone 5. The leaves are swirling over the roads in breezes, and the light leaping across the maidengrass and the autumn sun reflected in the water - I become enthralled.

Anyway, we got a spiffy new comforter to brighten up the bedroom a little bit, a new doormat (seen below with my furry child Malai who slightly resembles a pig),

some winter decorations (they're penguins with skis and sleds),

a new fish tank for the six lovelies that have been cramped in the tank with the Halloween crabs (google Halloween crabs and find some amusement),

 and some other stuff. We also enjoyed ourselves doing some window shopping in downtown Westport, and splitting a gourmet cupcake and a couple of mochas.

We finished the evening with dinner with Lover's parents, and their really spunky new dog, Lucky. Malai and Lucky aren't friends yet since Malai is socially retarded...and so is Lucky, but he's still a puppy. Anyway, Lucky's outgoing and friendly, excitable nature combined with jumpy puppy impulses doesn't do it for my shy little Malai.  

Oh, and more exciting news! I ordered a vermicomposter online! I've been wanting to make one, but after reading this guy's article, I decided to just order one, and I will instead build the outdoor compost bin. I get the bin, the red wigglers, and the book "Worms Eat My Garbage" next week!

Okay, I think I have posted quite enough! Have a great week everyone!

[Edit: see a video of the new fish tank/fountain!]

Halloween Hullabaloo

Halloween was a bit rushed - but we got it together with our bowl of candy and carved jack-o-lanterns! Even our beloved "kids" lent a hand...or a claw...

 

Shark really got into it!

 

Octopus claimed the big orange one after Shark warned him away from his little white one.

Here they are playing nicely together.

And then the carnage really began...

 I got the pumpkins safely outside.

 

Of course, Malai was never far. She had her "hoochie mama" outfit on for Halloween.

 

Happy (Belated) Halloween!

(you can see Malai's ears in the glass of the door)