Garden Update

I haven't been raptured. I'm okay with that. I just planted a garden. I'd like to see it through.

The tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, and eggplant are all doing fine in their pots. I transplanted thyme, oregano, parsley, and lovage into some of the tomato pots, and they seem to be liking their new homes. Kale, broccoli, cabbage, garlic chives, and red onions are all looking great in the raised bed. The L-shaped vegetable bed is quiet except for the pumpkin and loofah transplants.

Then there are the direct sown seeds. The snow peas were the first to poke through the surface. Yesterday, I noticed there were also radishes of the French Breakfast variety, kohlrabi, and chioggia beets sprouting. With this week of thunderstorms, I had some fears that some of the seeds would get washed away. I was dumping excess water out of pots, and checking the beds daily. Today, there are Scarlet Globe radish, Black Spanish radish, Sylvetta arugula, golden chicory, and Amish snap pea raising up little leaves.

A neighbor noticed me and called out a good morning. He asked me how we built the bed. He wants to build his own.

The bed is about 36' long. It's 5' wide for half of it, and 3' wide for the other half. This is because of the fence the bed is against - the raised bed fits the shape of the fence.

Beds are generally 4' wide to make it easy for you to reach in for sowing, weeding, harvesting, staking, etc. We used untreated wood for the bed (chemically treated wood is a bad idea for a vegetable garden). It's pretty easy to take a drill and secure wood together at the ends. You can get four 8' long pieces of 2" x 10", cut two of the pieces in half, and have a 4' x 8' vegetable bed. Instead of going through the back-breaking work of turning over sod, lay down layers of newspaper. Once the soil is put in, everything growing underneath it will die.

For soil, I used GreenCycle. They delivered a mix of organic topsoil and compost to my driveway. We then hauled it all over, using tarps, to the beds. It was hard work, but I had some good people helping me out.

Pictures coming soon. Watching these little guys grow is so exciting!

Count Your Blessings, foo'.

Inspired by my good friend over at Daily Dose of Diva, I am reminded to count my blessings. This dreary weather can get me in a down mood. A week of rain and gray skies! There are some additional pressures, but I'm going to stick with blaming the weather for right now.

The blessings:

• I have a brain. It allows me to absorb and synthesize new information, recall good times, and regulate all motor functions. Gotta love that.
• I'm with this guy. He's funny, extremely smart, very supportive, and he challenges me. We have a wonderful partnership and share a home with our strange, furry kids. 
• The kids. Malai, the chihuahua, and Quadrapus, the Munchkin cat.
• The pets. The snake, the fish, the cherry shrimp, and the composting red wigglers.
• I have a beautiful start to a garden, with the help of some good people. I am making a healthy choice to grow my own food and to grow it organically with heirloom varieties.
• I have artistic skill and plenty of supplies.
• My car had to stay overnight at the shop recently. The bill ended up being $750.37. I am grateful that I had the wherewithal to save money and be able to pay the bill. I am grateful to have a running car.
• I am grateful for my job, and for the two future positions I have been offered. 
• I am grateful for access to a gorgeous 400 acre farm, and friends who live or party there.

That's enough blessings from me for now. What are you grateful for?

Tread on Trafficking - Week 3

Yes! Week 3! For more info, read this post.

I was almost able to return to my regularly scheduled programming. Here we go:

Sunday -                                2 hours yard work
Monday -                             3 miles walking
Tuesday -                              Nothing
Wednesday -                         3 miles running
                                             45 minutes weight lifting (upper)
Thursday -                            3 miles running
                                             45 minutes weight lifting (lower)
                                            Zumba
Friday -                                3 miles walking
                                            45 minutes weight lifting (upper)
Saturday -                            Nothing

That's 12 miles and 3 lifting sessions. I originally pledged an hour of cycling. If my gracious sponsors may allow it, I am replacing cycling with an hour of Zumba, since my bike has issues. Adjusting my schedule for these things has been difficult some days, but I am getting it in. Remembering that I am doing it for a cause definitely helps.

You can do your part in ending human trafficking by sponsoring me here. Your donation is tax-deductible and you will receive a tax receipt automatically if you donate through my page. Help me reach my goal of $500.00!

Tread on Trafficking - Week 2

Wow, another week! Please check out my original post on Tread on Trafficking so you know what it's all about!

Check-in for this week:

Goal: $500.00
Raised so far: $218.00

Sunday                   Nothing
Monday                  3 mile run outdoors
                              45 minutes weight lifting
Tuesday                 Nothing
Wednesday            3 mile walk outdoors
                              45 minutes weight lifting
Thursday                3 mile walk outdoors
                              1 hour yardwork
Friday                    3 mile walk outdoors
                              2 hours yardwork
Saturday                4 hours yardwork

So, this week got a little messed up. On Wednesday, I woke up with a pain in my neck. It got worst throughout the day. I did weights for lower body to avoid the neck issue. On Thursday, I awoke with an even greater pain. But I had to get the raised bed painted and the dirt arrived, so I filled my pots with mixes of topsoil, peat moss, and perlite. On Friday, the pain was still there. I walked 3 miles on each of those days, and did yardwork anyway, because I felt I had to be as proactive as possible. On Saturday, my neck felt much better, but it was a day committed to yardwork and entertaining guests. I did my 12 miles, but nine of them were walking. I only did two weight lifting sessions because of the neck issue. I didn't cycle because my bike still needs work. I also missed Zumba because of the neck issue. :(

In its place, I got a lot of much needed yardwork done. I stayed active, and will resume the usual routine this week. Thanks for tuning in, and please sponsor me so that together, we can help end human trafficking.

A Dirty Fiesta

It finally happened - my dirt arrived.

Four yards of organic mixed topsoil and compost! Don't you just want to lay in it like a pile of leaves? ;)

First, I painted the bed.

Malai "helped." The pots are for tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, herbs, and dwarf sugar peas.

Then, with actual help of course, the bed was filled! Here there will grow cucumbers, okra, kohlrabi, lettuces, zucchini, onions, leeks, thai basil, spinach, radishes, and broccoli.

We had dirt leftover, so a whole new garden bed was created!

All those daylilies and other things near the foreground of the photo were up against the house. I moved them to the end of the fence and created an L-shaped vegetable bed. This is where the corn, pumpkin, loofah, beans, and peas are going. All that's needed now are some trellises!

It was a lot of work. Digging, painting, carrying, and planning. Couldn't have done it without the help of family and friends, so thank you to them. At the end of the day and after a shower, Lover and I settled into our couch not wanting to move again. Our chihuahua and Munchkin cat curled around us, and we held cups of hot gomaichu (a great tea with a woody, savory flavor). Worn, accomplished, clean, and sore, I felt completely content.

It's been a slow start, but next year will be better. Now that the beds are in, I can plant cool weather crops like brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) and peas early on. The onions, tomatoes, and peppers will get started with the grow-light and heat mats, and everything else will get put in as soon as the last frost pasts. Gardening makes me super happy. What makes you happy?

Treading on Trafficking - Week 1

It was my first week to complete Tread on Trafficking. I pledged 12 miles of running, three 45-minute sessions of weight lifting, and 1 hour of biking per week for eight weeks to raise awareness and money for Love146's fight against child sex slavery and exploitation.

This week I was sponsored for $218.00. Thank you so much to Rachel and Dave for their contributions! I have a goal of $500.00. If you'd like to help prevent human trafficking, please visit my page and donate!

So, let's see how I did for Week 1 of 8.

• Sunday - Nothing
• Monday - 3 mile run on treadmill
•                 45-minute session weight lifting
•                 (added bonus - 30 minute walk after dinner)
• Tuesday - Nothing, due to a long meeting.
• Wednesday - 3 mile run on treadmill
•                      45-minute session weight lifting
• Thursday - Zumba! 45 minutes
•                   3 mile run on treadmill
• Friday - 3 mile run on treadmill
•              45-minute session weight lifting
• Saturday - My plan was to bike. But my bike was not up to par. :(   So instead I did 2 hours of yardwork in my yard and in a friend's. 

So, that was it! 12 miles and three 45-minute workout sessions. I also went for walks, and joined Zumba just for fun!

You can join and be Treader, too! Just check out the link above!

Bridgeport Beautifies

Our team service project (TSP) was in full gear in April! There were mural workshops and workshops for seed starting and stone sculptures. To find out more, check out this blog.

TSP is certainly a challenge. You're thrown into a room with nine strangers and expected to invent a service project that has everyone's buy-in. Just add cameras and you've got the Real World of service-learning.

Yet, we successfully completed the big day for our TSP: the Park City Sweep. The Saturday involved city clean-up in 20 neighborhoods, with over 200 volunteers also engaging in new plantings, and repainting benches and picnic tables. Come June 4th, we'll have our Ribbon-Cutting ceremony at the downtown Bridgeport Public Library, to celebrate our installation of a community garden and new public mural.

My current responsibility is in the compilation and writing of a book documenting our project, "Bridgeport Beautifies." I am so excited to be doing this. I am writing about the importance of urban beautification as remediation for urban decay and unimaginative or problematic city planning. I get to talk about murals, gardens, guerilla seed bombing, and the vital importance of city cleanliness. We''re ordering a few copies, so if you're interested in seeing it, you'll have to check it out at the Bridgeport Library!

Tread on Trafficking

Today, I want to tell you about an organization called Love146. Love146 is intent on ending child sex slavery and exploitation. Heavy topic, right? Right. But there's something you can do to help.

First, let me tell you more about Love146. Their services not only include methods in preventing human trafficking, but also providing aftercare for child sex slave survivors. One of my fellow Public Allies is placed there and cares deeply about his work. I have taken one of their trainings in identifying victims of human trafficking, and though the content can be upsetting, the upside is that I learned ways of how I can do my part here in Connecticut. Yes, sex slavery with children does happen here.

And this is where you come in.

Love146 is currently holding "Tread on Trafficking." From their website:

Tread on Trafficking is a virtual event that happens across the globe beginning May 1st, 2011. Those who tread on trafficking put their foot down to raise awareness about child sex slavery and funds to care for survivors and those vulnerable to exploitation. Treaders ask sponsors to support them for the number of miles or hours they spend running, swimming, biking, or working out in some form over the eight week period of May & June. Becoming a treader is really simple, anyone, anywhere can sign up. All proceeds raised by those treading benefit the work of Love146.

I have signed up to be a Treader. I will run 12 miles per week, lift weights 3 times per week, and cycle for 1 hour per week for the eight weeks. I am asking, to anyone who is able, that you sponsor me in Tread on Trafficking (or become a Treader yourself!). My target goal is $500.00, but it would be awesome to go even further. You can check out my fundraising page here. (Your donation is tax-deductible and you will receive a tax receipt automatically if you use my page.)

I greatly and deeply appreciate anything you can do. Together, we can put an end to child slavery and exploitation.

Park City Sweep

Public Allies Bridgeport had an awesome weekend! We had our big Park City Sweep*, where we had over 200 volunteers out at 21 sites on Saturday for street clean up, plantings, and painting. Participating groups included United Way of Coastal Fairfield County's Wi-Mentor Program, high school teams from buildOn, and groups from Alpha Community Services, Sacred Heart University, and Fairfield Prep's Fathers & Sons Program.

 
 Even Mayor Finch decided to get in on the action and plant a tree at Washington Park!

There was a lot of fun to be had as we did our part in caring for Bridgeport.

We planted seedlings in the Library's new "Michelle Obama Garden."

The results of our Stone Sculpture workshop were laid out in the Library Garden.

These pickle barrels were repurposed into planters.

We send out a heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers and organizations that made this day possible!

For the big celebration, we will be having a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the downtown Bridgeport Public Library on June 4th, from 12pm-3pm. Come out and have a good time!

*Even though the Sweep is over, you can still do your part! If you would like to continue participating in Groundwork Bridgeport's biannual Park City Sweep, please contact Jack Dillon at director@groundworkbridgeport.org or 203-335-6126. I've already signed up!

Earthplace in Westport

Lover and I visited the Westport Nature Center and cruised its trails. I've decided to start learning the manual settings on my camera, and Lover is helping me out. First practice shots:

Don't these fiddleheads look gigantic? They're actually the size of a half-dollar. Does anyone under twenty know what a half-dollar looks like?

Also, we came across this guy:

And, then, this guy:

He was alone, but he was a sight to behold. I walked one way, and Lover went looking around in another. I don't think he realized he became part of the photo shoot.

Oh! Now he's looking! Unfortunately, the only pic I got of this male in full-feathered array was blurry:

But he was quite the model, anyway.

So then we continued, and came upon a bog. 

I love turtles! Lover then pointed out this:

Can you guess what all those little black dots are?

If you said tadpoles, you are correct!

These guys were newly emerged. There were hundreds!

Next up, we saw another turkey:

This one didn't stick around for pictures, though. So, onward we walked, until we came upon Lover's favorite tree.

Big tree. While we stood, we were interrupted by noises in the brush.

There are two in the photo above, but in all there were five deer watching us.

 

Can you see three deer in the pic below?

 Ah, I love spring days in the forest. The green is well on its way.