Raves – Page 2

Guerilla Gardening

Imagine making a midnight run, armed only with peonies and tulips, a hand spade and packet of seeds. This is a typical evening for one Mr. Richard Reynolds, the Londoner credited with bringing back the beautifully defiant act of guerilla gardening.

Jon Mooallem caught up with Reynolds sometime in April, apparently to write this wonderful treat of an article from the Sunday Times magazine a couple of weeks back. I’m obviously late to the party on these happenings, as the BBC and others have been reporting on Reynolds’ movement since early 2005. Reynolds and his crews focus on neglected public land, taking over plots of weeds and turning them into cared for public spaces. It seems they have re-ignited a worldwide movement of bewildering, another term synonymous with guerilla gardening coined by Australian gardener Bob Crombie. Or rather, it seems this natural act is becoming a part of the collective consciousness once again.

Still, the most famous group of Londoners employing these tactics should probably go to the activists associated with the group The Land is Ours, a group that occupied 13 acres of derelict land belonging to the Guiness company, for five and a half months before being evicted. Their mission was to highlight “the appalling misuse of urban land, the lack of provision of affordable housing and the deterioration of the urban environment”. And they potentially learned all this from Liz Christy and her Green Guerillas from the Bowery in New York in the 1970’s, who learned it from a couple of Brits, who must’ve read the bible at some juncture. Point is, this act of using public space for the community’s greater good has been around a long time. Everything runs in a circular motion.

And to think that I have a half of an acre with no garden growing…hmph. I always felt that I needed to own a home before I had a garden, and now that I do, I think that I need to find a place that I want to put down roots before I sow. Instead, I think, I should just stop thinking so much and perhaps pick up a hoe and take some action for a moment. (grab a hoe…did you like that? It makes me feel giddy and juvenile, so I couldn’t help but mention it…)

Enjoy the video that the Nation fashioned over two years ago, if you’d like. And if you’re feelin’ it, get yourself some tools, cuttings, and maybe a headlamp and have a go at it, yeah?

Re-connection in Cincy

I had the pleasure of visiting two dear friends this past weekend in Cincinnati. With my visit, I was also treated to seeing many other good friends who also live there. Oh joy!

And the one (major) factor missing in my life these days are just that – my friends. While I have so much that I am incredibly thankful for every day, my friends have always been my family, an ethos which was naturally ignited in high-school and reinforced through the world of the Grateful Dead and westward travel. To this day, my friends are as important to me as my family, and the titles are interchangeable among the two groups, making me the luckiest gal in all the land.

I made two new friends, too. They are young boys, named E and R, and they are four and two years old, respectively. They are, as you may have guessed, the beautiful children of my dear sweet friends, A and T. And beautiful they are. SO SWEET, and smart, and artistic, and sensitive, whilst still being full-on, running, jumping, yelling, wrastlin’ BOYS. They melted my heart, and I can’t wait for their visit down South; To hunt for ‘gators and play in the sand.

R, me, and E, at the Cincinnati Cinergy Museum, part of the Museum Center. Notice R’s Elvis coat? What a rock star.

Dream Job: Check

Between climbing around the attics of newly built homes applying mastic to ductwork and performing blower door tests, and touring the warehouse of one exceptionally organized, design and environmentally conscious swedish furniture maker, I have not had time to write. But that is OK, because I have landed what is – today- my dream job.

It all started months ago, and if anyone is really keeping track besides me, it began when my friend Matt and I commiserated about the incompetence of our then employer a couple of years ago. He and I both parted ways with that employer, but thanks to a recent introduction he made for me, I now work for a conscientious and cool alternative energy provider. This type of entity is NOT an easy one to come by in these parts, and it was not even three years ago when my former employer looked at me like I had two heads when I mentioned differentiating ourselves from the rest of the market by implementing some green design. Apparently, the word “green” threw him.

Since last week, so many strange things have come full circle, reminding me that the universe works in complete and perfect ways. Like the first client I did a energy efficiency upgrade for last week. I know him. Met him last month at a campaign drive. And that former employer? Well, he just called our company because he wants to get their existing inventory “certified green.” The list goes on, but the story is the same. Do what you love, and the circles start to close. Then, you are inside of the circle, instead of trying to figure out how to jump into it from the outside.

And THIS story would not be complete unless I told you about solar Bill. He is the person that I work with in this market. He is my teacher, my mentor. He is an engineer, a former oceanographer, a hunter, a maker of musical instruments, a leader of kids’ and their science projects; he is better than MacGyver when it comes to his ability to re-purpose items to create astounding workable solutions, and he is humble and mellow and old-school and conscientious. They don’t make them like this anymore, and I could not have asked for a better person to show me the ropes and work with every day.

And as for the company, well, they are committed to solar, wind, and micro-hydro energy and in helping people get their homes to be more energy efficient. And they are smart, wonderful folk.

So here’s to landing a gig that has purpose, is fulfilling on many levels, and hopefully helps to make the world a better place while we earn our keep. My glass is held high. Cheers.

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