Our Thursday morning work hour began with pod-mate, Solan sharing a personal and heartfelt message with us. Afterward, the feeling of friendship and teamwork seemed to expand as we worked on potting up a few plants and mixing new soil. Our work time ended in vibrant and thoughtful discussion.
Shadow puppy came to see us and enjoyed his people time with Dan
Potting up Hungarian hot peppers. I’ll be excited to welcome these future additions to my grandfather’s hot stew recipe!
Justin enjoying the soil mixing and ‘making it count’
L to R: Dan, Andreas, and Solan. The plan was to plant beets where the peas didn’t do well but the soil temp was too low. Maybe next week!
Great candid photo from Solan. L to R: Dan, Justin. Seated: Andreas, Alex and myself. Shadow in foreground.
With notable news about the growing law suits against Monsanto that morning, it started interesting and thoughtful conversations about the vital work we do at Green Acres. Each and every one of us is capable of doing this work — anywhere there is soil to heal and there are good hearts to plant seeds.
Unfortunately, the only two decent photos from Thursday dinner at Maple House are below. Next time I plan to bring out the big camera! It was a lovely evening with mild temperatures and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Fresh flowers were a nice touch from Daisy and neighbor Jenny brought us a wild flower from her yard called a Siberian Squill. Early conversations were about seasonings while looking at recipe books, talk of family traditions, baking, candied flowers — there seemed to be a dessert theme!
Jenny, Jelene, Wanda, Eva, and Sophia joined us early. Andreas arrived with Annie soon after and Aaron stopped in later with his sweet dog, Masha. Many lively discussions! The spread wasn’t big this night but the connection was nourishing.
Last Wednesday, Green Acres took delivery of about half a dozen different kinds of trees and shrubs to disperse to our neighbors who participated in The Neighborhood Planting Project. We took orders over the course of two weeks via email, and in person at community dinners.
From the flyer: The Neighborhood Planting Project is a group of neighbors on Bloomington’s westside committed to supporting local growing, food autonomy, ecological restoration, and public beauty.
I came to the project a little late in the game but after reading about it, I was all in. Hugh did such a great job facilitating, it was a breeze. Admittedly, I was somewhat frantic the day before and day of, expecting small trees with sizable root balls and hoping for enough space in the second greenhouse. Turns out they were just whip starts. No trucks or extra folks needed to lift and carry! Free trees and plenty of smiles from the delivery crew!
L to R, standing: Thanks Mick & Kevin and the rest of the NPP team. Thanks also to Hugh!
Kevin grabs the gooseberry starts to show us how to plant one on site, complete with a soil amendment — included with each order
Dan and Kevin find a spot near the fence line of the main garden to plant the gooseberry
Hickory, Paw Paw, Hazelnut, White Pine [and a special request for Dogwood — to surprise my mom]
Thanks to @IUonStrike for the NPP nod and a Green Acres mention on Twitter. Here’s an archive to the local EcoReport on WFHB.
Learn more about this project and watch for Green Acres to participate again next year!
Spring Greetings, Green Acres patrons! Before I jump in with my first post here on GA’s blog, I’d like to start by introducing myself.
My name is Gabrielle. You might recognize my writing style if you’re on our mailing list for community dinners. I’m also the Outreach Coordinator [a.k.a. media maven] among other hats that fit me well at Green Acres. I arrived last September like a leaf on a whirlwind. My journey here has been challenging, satisfying and humbling. That’s a long story for another time, and on another blog.
I’m an Indiana native who came to permaculture through peak oil study and news analysis after the BP Oil Disaster in the Gulf. My late mentor, Mike Ruppert, lit a fire under my backside with his work. I dug in my heels to share information, search for communities, eventually traveling down the west coast during an Occupy media tour. Like a hawk, I was always looking for like-minded individuals and ‘some place’ that resonated with me.
As it turned out I didn’t have to look further than my own back yard. I discovered people online doing what needed to be done in Bloomington, Indiana. It had a peak oil task force, a growing permaculture community, and climate mitigation strategies not only being discussed but put into action. It was just after the first Occupiers took Zuccotti Park that I read the name, Ann Kreilkamp.
There has been a learning curve for this rookie to intentional community but thankfully it hasn’t been steep thanks to the wisdom of not just one, but two brilliant women. I feel ‘home’ singing in my bones here. I’m in love with Ann’s vision and intention as the founder of Green Acres. I’m eternally grateful for her friendship and recognizing my value here before I saw it, frankly. I also found myself guided in grounded, loving and creative energy from its garden goddess, Rebecca Ellsworth.
I’ve since been given the title, “proto-crone” which is equally humorous and humbling as I approach 52! Both of these women are straight shooting Sagittarius, but it was Ann who explained that Green Acres needed a ‘bridge’ in this inter-generational community; someone representing my age group. We both laughed. Hey, no pressure, right? But I understood on many levels what she meant.
As a Gemini, I understand communication is a bridge. It is tragic to see so many being easily burned over divisive politics. We must also work to communicate with our souls — through art, poetry, music, but also FOOD. When was the last time you saw people argue when someone announces that pie is served? With a mouthful of good food, people shut up long enough to notice the common threads that keep people and cultures healthy. This is what builds resilient spirits. And it all starts with healthy soil. That is permanent culture: permaculture.
I don’t feel pressure — I feel vital. I feel planted in the fertile soil that was the social permaculture of my ancestors. As a Taoist in practice, I asked myself, “Am I no longer the river but a bridge?” Ah ha, I’m both! Welcome to your paradigm shift, proto-crone. It’s time to get liminal — but it’s also time to get dirt under your nails again, and honor your grandmothers. Every. Single. Day.
It is my earnest intention to use my ‘gift of gab’ to sing the song of Green Acres on this blog and beyond. Today, I need to flow with the current of information, which is rapid. There’s much to share about Green Acres’ happenings from this past week, so to quote one of my favorite authors, Graham Hancock: “In writing, always strive for elegance and clarity. But if you must sacrifice one to save the other, sacrifice elegance.” Time to skip to the end!
L to R, Hugh, Annie, [me], Jim, and Dan. Hugh brings us first news of the tree planting project, community dinner night, January 24, 2019
In closing, I invite you to view my bio to learn more about me. I’ll be sharing posts from here to my blog and across networks to spread the word about my home and hamlet with my readers. I hope you all enjoy the changes for Green Acres’ web presence as much as I enjoy ‘growing community from the ground up’ with my new friends and neighbors. I am still occupying. This is my People’s Kitchen!
I always welcome comments and feedback. Thank you for reading!
