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May Meeting: longer than usual, spirited, at times contentious, but fun!

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frog in the GANG pond

One of the two adult frogs in the GANG pool. I think the female (they’re bigger). This couple has called the GANG pond home for two years now. Polliwogs now swarm . . .

GANA Meeting May 6, 2013

Christian Science Church

2425 E. 3rd St.

7:00 p.m.

Present: Doug, Jim, Georgia, Jelene, Ann and, later, Al

A small coterie of Green Acres residents scooted circled chairs close and proceeded to hammer out our the pre-set agenda items, one by one, until done. The atmosphere was spirited, and, at times, contentious, argumentative, and, amazingly enough, also filled with good will. Somehow we are learning how to air our disagreements without shutting down or hating each other . . .

We greatly missed our friend and neighbor, the late John Gaus, who died about  a month ago, and who would have loved to argue, too.

Agenda:

• Bypass protection: Ann mentioned that Linda Thompson, Senior Environmental Planner for the city of Bloomington, had once told her that when the Bypass widening was done, we should contact her. That the city needs to recreate some sort of barrier for those homes severely affected by the widened Bypass. And yet, as someone at the meeting noted, “Why is no one here from the areas affected? Why should we care, if they don’t?” We also briefly discussed the ideas of possibly applying for a Neighborhood Improvement Grant to construct the barriers, and of reaching out to Bread & Roses, a local permaculture tree farm, for help as well. First step: Ann will contact Linda Thompson and let the group at this meeting know the results.

• Annual Bloomington Neighborhood Celebration, June 1st. Ann, Jim, Doug and Georgia all agreed to help table at this event that brings neighborhood associations together to share ideas and fun. Rather than the traditional “Awards Ceremony,” Vickie Provine of HAND has asked each neighborhood to draw up a “Neighborhood Potluck Idea” to share with other neighborhoods — either an idea that has already become a reality or one that’s in the works. Everybody agreed that the GANG (Green Acres Neighborhood Garden), now entering its fifth growing season, is the obvious choice, for us. Other possibilities included: our visioning process with the city; Jennifer’s new, whole yard garden, GANE (Green Acres Neighborhood Ecovillage), and the Gift Circle.

Ann agreed to write up the GANG garden and submit it as GANA’s contribution.

• Green Acres Neighborhood Ecovillage (GANE): Doug told the story of how GANE got started, two years ago, when he moved into Green Acres across the street from Ann, as a way of further realizing our long term vision/goal of a sustainable neighborhood. So far, it sits shimmering on the internet as mostly virtual reality, but the information on the GANE website draws at least one or two calls a month from people from elsewhere who would like to move to a place that sounds so ideal; plus Doug spoke for an hour with the man who started Enright Village in Cincinnati, likewise working towards retrofitting an existing neighborhood into an ecovillage. A few of us plan to visit Cincinnati soon to learn more about how they are coming along.

That segued into a considerable discussion about ways to encourage more families, retired people, faculty and other working people, graduate students, etc. to move into the neighborhood, so that it wouldn’t be so dominated by undergraduate rentals. Jelene talked about taking pictures of existing houses for rent or purchase, and Georgia said she would talk to her daughter Lucy who lists them for her neighborhood and might be happy to do so for ours. We could then have a list of properties up on our websites (GANA and GANE) for newcomers. (Neighbor Jane did this for GANA for a year or two, homes for purchase, though not to rent. Thank you, Jane!)

And that discussion segued into yet another one, how to build membership in GANA. We thought of a band night (for all the bands that practice in the neighborhood), with food and possibly a fundraiser. Possibly at the Comedy Club, since Georgia knows the owners. But the idea that seemed to stick was  “movie night,” pairing our meetings with movies, like we did with a Speaker Series a few years ago. It would be easy to do in the new space.

• GANG Garden: Jim, the new director of the garden talked about our SPEA interns (three of them at this point), and new projects there. These include:

  • the Wildlife Habitat designation and sign that we are about to apply for
  • the new and improved teepee for beans
  • renovations inside the green house
  • the John Gaus Memorial bed (made from the Elm tree that died. John was a great lover of trees.)
  • fundraiser (for both GANA and GANG): Yard sale? (Need to plan this further, if so, discussion inconclusive); baked sale? (that may be a problem, in terms of new regulations of some kind. Jelene will investigate.) Or should we just ask for membership dues again. It seems easier . . .

    Gaus bed

    The John Gaus Memorial Garden Bed (teepee to the left, tarp-covered hugelculture bed in background)

  • Kickstarter (crowdfunding) for GANG structures (a new gate with limestone, a new, strong trellis for blackberries, a drip irrigation system).
  • The possibility of adding ducks rather than chickens to the garden system, though ducks are not yet sanctioned by the city. (Ducks are easier to care for, their eggs are bigger, and they eat garden slugs.).

• Final Item: sketches for painting the utility box at the corner of Bryan and 3rd. This was the contentious part of the meeting, saved for last, since we knew that it would be difficult, given that people have different tastes in art, and, as the monsignor used to thunder from the pulpit when I was a kid, “De Gustibus, Non Disputandum Est” (in taste, there is no dispute).

But of course, there was a dispute. And not just about artistic taste, but about just what should the box convey? What are the ideas behind the box, asked Doug. Well, I said, that’s not how Jim and Georgia went about it. They asked the neighborhood list-serve what people would like to see on the box, and they got lots of responses (hmm. So people don’t like to come to meetings, but they do read the emails and they do respond to this kind of request.). And most of the responses were animals: deer, dogs, coyotes, cats — these were the ones that ended up sketched by the artist that Jim chose, who has done public art before and he likes her style. Some of us at the meeting also liked it, and others did not. Some thought that what should be on the box is the logo, since we already have a logo, and it’s beautiful, and it’s on our teeshirts and banners and website, etc. etc. And please! We need continuity!

Jim kept countering that this is an artistic project, and that he’s holding the space for the artist . . .

We collectively decided to drop the deer, since we’d rather not have deer coming through the neighborhood — they eat our gardens. Likewise, drop the coyote (too scary) and replace with a dog. And maybe add smaller wildlife, like rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels. And, Al said, butterflies! And, I said, several times, tweak the sketch of the bee so it looks more like a bee, and not a hornet!

But why are we so focused on the animals? Why not the people, and the plants? — several chorused. How about change the position of the hands in the sketch to include a seed, asked Jim. How about adding a tree, like is in our original logo, wailed everybody else. On and on.

And shouldn’t it say “Green Acres Neighborhood,” not just “Green Acres,” as indicated by the sketches? And the tone of the sketches look religious! (rays coming out of a sun . . .).

The breakthrough moment came when we all realized that the entire discussion had been operating with two hidden assumptions: one, held by Jim, that this was an art project, not a sign announcing the neighborhood.

As in this description, from the city gov website:

The Adopt a Box Program is part of the City of Bloomington’s Stop and StART initiative which seeks to enliven the mundane and beautify the basic in accessible locations through a series of public art projects.

Proposals may be submitted by any individual or organization and should include a detailed description of the location of the traffic box, a color rendering of the artwork proposed and information on the artist or artist team who will be creating the artwork. A list of artists or artist teams is available from BEAD upon request. Adopters are responsible for supplies including primer and paint.

And the other, that this painting should be our neighborhood’s sign, and should be the logo.

Aaah! How about separating out the two? How about a Green Acres sign with our logo on it, and the art project on the box? Okay, now we can all get behind it.

We hope to apply for a Small and Simple Grant to cover the costs of this joint project.

Jim will send the sketches back to the artist to to alter and refine. And he’ll get back to this group with the results.

 

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Neighbors Jen Naylor and family have transformed their entire yard into a tiny urban farm!

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photo.2

The garden in June — garlic, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, peas and peppers.

April 27, 2013

by Jennifer Naylor

A few months ago, the lovely Georgia Schaich asked me to write a blog post for GANA.  Today, as I was digging away in our front garden and perennial beds, and my hens were clucking around the backyard, I decided I better get to it! For those of you I have not met, my name is Jen Naylor and I live on E. 4th Street with my husband Shawn, our two sons, two dogs and a flock of backyard chickens.

Two of our Barred Plymouth Rocks and a Buff Orphington.

Two of our Barred Plymouth Rocks and a Buff Orphington.

We moved to Green Acres five years ago, and after a period of years during which we had no real roots or green space, we were eager to starting planning, digging and growing.  We immediately dug the first few square garden boxes, and plenty of landscaping beds as well. The front of our house faces south, and the backyard is lovely and large with two huge Maple trees…so we decided we would food garden in the front yard.

In the first three years, we landscaped three sides of the house, developed about 100 square feet of fenced in vegetable beds and had planted numerous blueberry, raspberry and blackberry plants.

"Blue Moon" Blueberries in June.

“Blue Moon” Blueberries in June.

We had also brought two babies into our family, and were quite busy here at home.

My husband Shawn had been contemplating backyard chickens for some time.  Though I was tiring of buying eight or more dozen eggs a month to keep everyone here fed, I felt that hens would be simply too much work to add onto what already seemed like an endless chore list.  But last spring, he took the plunge and ordered the days old baby chicks to be delivered, then spent the next months tirelessly working on the construction and security of a lively yellow chicken coop for our backyard.

The coop in the fall with Jamey, our second born watching the hens range.

The coop in the fall with Jamey, our second born watching the hens range.

The children really enjoyed them and although they were not laying much for quite a few months, they did start to make quick work of the endless piles of yard waste we had piled in our backyard. Then they started laying, and after a year of keeping this sweet little flock, I am sold on the value of adding hens to a household trying to work towards sustainability, food independence, and beautification. Here are a few tips, cautions and highlights from our brief experience thus far keeping backyard hens.

  • The bulk of the labor involved really is building a secure and stable coop.  Pre-fabricated options abound, as do purchased plans and ideas for repurposing old items into coops.  The strategy I suggest to friends interested is to build the coop in the fall, as to avoid having chicks growing faster than you can build in the spring.

  • Hens will eat almost all kitchen waste, and gladly. There are myriad techniques to harnessing the power of their manure as fertilizer; we are attempting to use a deep litter with our hens, which means cleaning out the coop only annually.  They are not particularly dirty or stinky.  They also turn all and any composting materials that they can find, and do so relentlessly.  We have seen piles that we thought would never break down turn into the most lovely, fertile soil more quickly than we ever thought possible.

  • When you are leaving town, you need someone to come by daily to be sure they have clean water, feed and to collect the eggs.eggs

  • We are finding that our dogs co-exist with our hens surprisingly well.  However, we did spend the first full year managing them entirely separate, and would have continued to do so if they had not accidentally been free ranging the back yard together and forced us to see that no one cared much about the other back there.

  • By one year of age, we are getting about an egg a day per bird.  But over the winter months you see a sharp decline, from around the solstice to mid-February.  One can put lights and lamps into a coop to force laying to continue, but they will in the end stop laying sooner in life because of that lack of rest.

  • Fresh eggs are delicious and a worthy reward for what little time and energy the birds actually require of you.

We are often out and about in our front yard, as there is always work to be done.  We love living in Green Acres, and are happy to answer any questions or show you what we have done to start our little urban homestead.  It continues to grow, as Shawn is working on the construction of a hoop house as an addition to the existing vegetable beds…at times it is pretty wild, but there is often something to pick and eat, and we are always learning and improving our strategies.  Happy Spring, neighbors!

The garden right now: two long beds nearest are the foundation for the hoop house. Growing now are garlic, onions, peas, escarole, radishes, carrots, scallions and beets

The garden right now: two long beds nearest are the foundation for the hoop house. Growing now are garlic, onions, peas, escarole, radishes, carrots, scallions and beets

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January Meeting: good, meaty; rapid decisions, lots of ideas, listening, and collaboration

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Eight neighbors gathered in a circle of chairs in our wonderful new meeting room, thanks to the Christian Science Church on 3rd Street, at 7 p.m., Monday, January 28.

Georgia had prepared an agenda beforehand, and we followed it closely, making rapid decisions which usually involved two people immediately volunteering to pursue the agenda item and report back to the group. As a result, the meeting was over in little more than an hour! Kind of surprised us all, how little reluctance we feel during this new year to pursue our common interest in grounding the vision (and official plan, filed with the city.gov) of Green Acres as a sustainable neighborhood.

On the agenda:

• Neighborhood Safety Update: Ann and Jelene reported on this, noting no new activity re: the awful crime suffered by and in our neighborhood a few months ago. Jelene reported that the suspected “perps” are in custody, as I  also reported here.

• Animal Safety Update:  We talked about the idea of going for a Small and Simple city grant to put up little poles with plastic bags at various points in the neighborhood, but tabled the idea for now. The general feeling of this group seems to be that there are not all that many people walking dogs in Green Acres  and most of them DO pick up their pup’s poops, and besides, who wants to add extra plastic to the waste stream? However, one person pointed out that when she walks her daughter’s dog in our neighborhood, sometimes she sees people glaring out their windows, making sure the dog doesn’t poop on their lawn!

• Summer Party: our talk about animals led us to the idea of some kind of neighborhood gathering this summer where we invite our dogs to be with us. But where? Possible venues: GANG garden, by the underpass, and the water retention pond area on 10th and Jefferson. Also, Jelene has more daylilies, so may host another Plant Share, but again, when?

• Adopt-A-Box: this is an idea spearheaded by Georgia and Jim, to paint the utility box on the corner of 3rd and Hillsdale. This will begin the process of visually designating this neighborhood as “Green Acres” for those entering, leaving, and passing by. We agreed that in part this painting would hold the logo design that we have already created for teeshirts and brochures. We can fund the artist, design and painting supplies through a Small and Simple grant. The first Small and Simple Grant proposal is due February 21, 2013, or, if we miss that date, then the next one is in April.

• Ann brought up the problem of graffiti on the wall at the new underpass. Al thinks, that, because of the nature of the “messages,” that it might be somehow gang-related. In response to this development, we’re looking at the idea of holding an event to paint a mural on the outside wall that has been defaced, and of possibly designating the walls inside the tunnel as “free wall” — space for free expression. Georgia and Jim will look into this idea re: Small and Simple grants as well as the utility box. In any case, we agree some kind of a Green Acres sign also needs to go up at the underpass.

• More ideas for Small and Simple grants: fruit and nut trees, but where? along streets? and/or in yards? Georgia and Jim will investigate the city’s policies on fruit trees. We agreed that more neighborhood-grown food is always good in a neighborhood that officially calls itself “sustainable”!

• Idea for either Small and Simple, or possibly larger, i.e., Neighborhood Improvement Grant: this also has to do with trees, and/or some kind of visual/sound barrier to help heal the long wound opened along the eastern border of Green Acres by the widened bypass. John, who lives at the east end of DeKist, says that there is no time, night or day, when, even through closed windows, he doesn’t hear the sound of traffic. The city is aware of this already, and we agree that it is now time to pursue remedies. Georgia and Jim will also investigate this matter when they visit the city gov.

• Report on Green Acres Neighborhood Garden: Jim, a Goddard student and permaculturist who is living in Ann’s house, is the new Director of the GANG garden and will be working with SPEA interns and hopefully, neighobors! this year in the garden. He is currently creating two gigantic hugel culture beds out of  the limbs of a large old elm tree that had to be cut down due to dropping limbs and its position near two houses. These beds are so full and rich that they should be fertile for at least 20 years!

• Report on Green Acres Neighborhood Ecovillage: the official goals of GANA (the neighborhood association) are all incorporated into GANE (the ecovillage idea). Ann and Doug are spearheading the ecovillage website and concept. We are happy to report that GANG 2, the second Green Acres Neighborhood Garden, is to be created this spring by organic gardener and new neighbor Rebecca and IU students who live near her on 7th and Roosevelt.  Ann and Doug will brainstorm other ways to fulfill the official objectives of the neighborhood plan as articulated by the idea of Green Acres as an ecovillage.

The group discussed the idea of how to be more proactive in inviting people into the neighborhood who share the values of neighborliness and sustainability. Georgia and Jelene will pursue this idea, focusing on both rentals and houses for sale. 

• Throughout the meeting the three websites that serve the neighborhood (this one, i.e., GANA, GANE-the ecovillage, and GANG-the garden(s) were in play as places where we publicize what we are doing. When the subject of dogs came up, we thought about putting up a “Dog of the Month” picture with his or her story on these sites. Ann agreed to spearhead this idea. And speaking of animals, Georgia will ask Jen, a neighbor of hers who has just installed chickens in their back yard, to write up a story about their experience and send it to us for putting up here and on the GANE site as well. The more activity we create, both on the web and in our lives together, the more activity we will attract, the more we regenerate our shared value of  living in community.

Oh yes, one more thing: if you’ve noticed the sweet, colorful little bench at the corner of DeKist and Overhill, that was constructed, painted and gifted to the GANG garden by Daniel, the  neighbor who delivers our papers. The bench serves as a place for children to sit as they wait for the school bus in the morning. Thanks again, Daniel!

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