Starting off Spring with Logic, Creativity & Chaos

It's time to plan and plant the garden again. My process is an equal mix logic, creativity and chaos. First I get out all of my seeds and spread them all over the ground. I draw a picture (not to scale) of the backyard and how I want the flow (colors, heights, shapes, etc.). Notice the coffee is an important part of the process.


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Then, I get practical and use graph paper to plan out how much of what will fit in the space I'm working with. Based on that number, I know how many of which seeds to start. I also plan which seeds I'll sow directly outside and when. Also, I figure out which ones will get planted in the community garden plot instead of the backyard.



Finally, I put it all together and spend 6-8 weeks babying my seedlings until I harden them off with tough love and transplant them to the great outdoors.

Fickle March

You're like a Cleveland Gray when there's daffodils blooming in the alleys and the sylvan cyclists glide by in the afternoon and when you dream the Guardians of the bridge stretch out their arms and drop their vehicles from a great height and the splash into the river sends ripples to the lake and back again to shore when a mysterious gull flies out of the valley his call bounces off the top of our towering city and then vanishes when you wave your wand and change the melody.

Pop Up Pearl

On May 21st, from noon until dusk, Old Brooklyn along Pearl Road will transform into Pop Up Pearl. For one day, vacant storefronts will showcase Pop UP gift shops, art galleries, restaurants and a more. If you've got an idea to fill a vacant storefront you can participate.

1996-97 was a good year

I had forgotten about the Primitive Radio Gods until Last.fm reminded me to like them. Remembering to like their song, Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hand, reminded me to like Pepper by the Butthole Surfers and Brimful of Asha by Cornershop. It's good to remember to like what you like.

We Are Not Vacant

"Just because we have vacant lots and abandoned houses in our neighborhood doesn't mean we live in a vacant and abandoned neighborhood."

-Barbara Anderson speaking at a Neighborhood Connections holiday party


Need proof? Check out the Re-imagining Cleveland's Ideas to Action Resource Book.

Local Food in Early March

Eating locally in early March means eating from the pantry and the "cellar". We don't have a cellar, but we do have a poorly heated front hallway that works pretty well. Tonight's dinner is soup made from:

• Canned vegetable stock (carrot, onion, garlic and celery from late summer)
  
• Canned Green Beans (From July)
  
• Frozen Kale (From Sept)
  
• Frozen Kohlrabi (From August)
  
• Frozen Zucchini (from July)
  
• City Fresh Garlic (stored from Dec)
  
• City Fresh Cabbage (stored from Dec)
• Dried Adzuki Beans (pantry)

Giddy with the Prospect of Spring

Cleveland Crocus Emerges!

Reducing the Noise

I just spent about an hour unsubscribing to 20 -newsletters and retail email lists that clutter up my email inbox. I also un-joined 3 underused ning sites.

I retained a subscription with the 4 e-newsletters I actually read; feeling light and free about this.