Blizzard

Okay, okay, it's been over a month without a post - eeck! The fall semester finally wrapped up with the completion of a major project and a few papers turned in last week. I unfortunately had a terrible cold for the past two weeks (I think my immune system just gave up) and ended up with a sinus infection AND tonsillitis at the same time - gross! After hours of sleep, gallons of chicken noodle soup, a few boxes of tissues, and plenty of cough drops, I'm finally feeling more alive - just in time for playing in the snow and the holidays!

And about that snow........

It started snowing in Charlottesville at about 3pm on Friday and didn't stop until Saturday night. Total accumulation (on our back patio) was 22 inches! It was really beautiful to watch all of that snow accumulate and enjoy the quietness a blanket of snow brings. Fortunately, our electric stayed on (mostly) and Scott, Charlie, and I have been snug as three little bugs in a rug. We ventured outside yesterday to walk down to Washington Park expecting to see people sledding on the giant hill. Much to our surprise there was hardly anyone there - apparently when snow is that deep the sleds just sink! We did catch a few folks with innertubes bouncing around. We went back again today and it was a different story - hill was covered with people with all sorts of sledding "equipment." My personal favorite by far was the people who just wore trash bags and flung themselves zipping down the hill - classic.

Anyway, here are a few photos of the big snow. Scott and I are hopefully headed to Arkansas tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with my family (if we can make it out of Charlottesville). I'm sure there will be great stories to share after that adventure :). One of these days I'll also make it back to the farm and have some updates for you about "winter farming." I've missed the past few weeks due to the wrath of sickness, but I hear there's still a lot happening, including the completion of the second hoop house, and more........

A female cardinal on our back patio

Scott lounging in the snow yesterday at Washington Park - still snowing at this point and hardly anyone else around.

The road in front of our house on Saturday

Charlie bounding in the snow - running was out of the question with snow over his head!

Our car.....under there somewhere. We dug it out this morning - hopefully the roads will be clear enough to load up and go to Arkansas tomorrow.....

Classic Charlie with snow on his nose

The hill at Washington Park today - full of people sledding!

Early November on the Farm

Some photos from Twin Springs - early November. Garlic ready to go in the ground, beautiful fall broccoli and cabbage, field of brassicas, boxes of peppers out of the hoop house, new hoop house going up, and amazing fall color on the leaves. Whew!

Cold Frame and Wade's Mill

Well, as usual, life has been super busy lately! Recent adventures include helping build a cold frame for the UVa Community Garden (that later had to be removed due to an agreement with the University that we wouldn't have any structures - I know, I know, ridiculous!), installing row covers, visiting Wade's Mill (a fairly local small mill), working on the farm, and of course lots of schoolwork!

For more information about the garden adventures, please visit the my most recent post:http://uvagarden.wordpress.com/

For more info. about Wade's Mill, please visit their website: http://www.wadesmill.com/ AND check out the pictures below :)

....and I carved a pumpkin for Halloween!

PS: My creative juices have not been flowing lately - let me know if you have a topic idea for a post to get me going again!

Junk in the Trunk

Pickup trucks evoke a certain image for most people - dusty roads, farm fields, and old men in cowboy hats may all come to mind.

Although I live in a small city, on a blacktop road, don't even own a cowboy hat, and am certainly not an old man, I too drive a pickup truck. Affectionately named the "Danger Ranger" or if you're on a first name basis "White Lightening," my truck has been the handiest vehicle I've owned. A friend and I were briefly talking today about the stuff I carry around in the back and I realized just how handy it really is! Over the past month I've filled the back with a load of finished compost, plenty of weeds for the compost, two bushels of apples, two dozen pumpkins, and assorted tools. We decided what you carry around can say a lot about you, so with that in mind...... What junk is in your trunk??

My most recent adventures in the Danger Ranger.

Jack of All Trades - Master of None.....

.......also known as my extended resume.

With a little less than 7 months before graduating from grad. school, people have been asking the dreaded question - "What's next?" My mom is especially inquisitive in this regard - I'm not sure if the interest is necessarily in what I'll be doing but more the where I'll be. For right now, I'm taking the approach of "we'll see what happens" and "there are just so many opportunities!"

In the meantime - while I await the perfect job to land in my mailbox, leave a message on my phone, or shoot me a line through email - I've been thinking about what I've done already and what skills I have (or, if you prefer planner language - what tools I have in my toolbox). Well, I haven't updated my resume for a while, mostly because I don't have anywhere to send it yet, but I thought I would entertain you with an "extended" version. Here's a story of my "career" thus far, going back to the very beginning.......

Fall 2009:

Intern, Institute for Environmental Negotiation -

• Work on logistics for Virginia Natural Resource Leadership Institute - i.e. make copies and phone calls

Intern, Twin Springs Farm

• Assist with planting, harvesting, and general farm maintenance - i.e. physical labor, play in the dirt, smash bugs, and eat fresh veggies

UVa Community Garden Manager

• Organize volunteers and manage garden tasks - i.e. maintaining a blog, sending emails, meeting with undergrads, working in the garden, soliciting donations, organizing workdays, watering, weeding, teaching, squashing bugs

Poplar Ridge Challenge Course

• Part -time facilitator on ropes course leading groups through team building and leadership development initiatives - i.e. play with ropes and harnesses and challenge people to do things they think they don't want to

Summer 2009:

Twin Springs Farm Intern

• Assist with planting, harvesting, and general farm maintenance - i.e. physical labor, play in the dirt, smash bugs, and eat fresh veggies

Poplar Ridge Challenge Course

• Part -time facilitator on ropes course leading groups through team building and leadership development initiatives - i.e. play with ropes and harnesses and challenge people to do things they think they don't want to

Fall 2008/Spring 2009:

Teaching Assistant

• Assist Professor Tim Beatley with PLAN 103 - Introduction to Planning and other research interests - i.e. grade papers, organize field trips, and answer undergrad questions

Poplar Ridge Challenge Course

• Part -time facilitator on ropes course leading groups through team building and leadership development initiatives - i.e. play with ropes and harnesses and challenge people to do things they think they don't want to

Summer 2008:

City of Charlottesville - Summer Day Camp Counselor

• Work with children grades 4-6 to provide meaningful activity and recreation - i.e. be reduced to tears by pre-teens on a regular basis; play kickball and go to the swimming pool

Summer 2006-Spring 2008:

Assistant Director Student Activities and Greek Life, Washington and Lee University

• Advise five sororities, organize events, and provide guidance to over 100 student organizations - i.e. counsel students, counsel parents, counsel more students

Spring 2005-Spring 2006

Intern - University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension 4H Center - Environmental Educator and Ropes Course Facilitator

• Teach environmental education classes to 4th-6th grade classes including fishing, canoeing, rock climbing, orienteering, astronomy, and nature awareness. Facilitate on high ropes course - i.e. coolest job EVER

Fall 2005:

City of Conway, Special Census - Census taker

• Collect US Census information for City of Conway - i.e. go door to door asking people to fill out forms, worst job ever

Summer 2002 - Fall 2005:

Cracker Barrel - server

• Work to achieve the company goal of "pleasing people" as a food server - i.e. take compliments and complaints in stride, take orders, serve food, bus tables, wash dishes, prepare food, act as hostess, open store, close store, collect tiny paychecks

Fall 2000 - Summer 2001:

Cadron Creek Arabian Horse Farm - general labor

• Perform general labor tasks to assist with horse farm management including feeding and watering; administer meds and take care of injured horses - i.e. work with horses all day - sweet job

Personal "business" - landscaping

• Mow and weedeat several lawns in neighborhood - i.e. exactly what it sounds like

Summer 2000:

Haydiddle Farm - general labor

• Perform general farm labor tasks such as fixing fence, painting, raking hay and working hay - i.e. often HARD physical labor on family farm - reiterate the importance of going to school

1996 - 2000:

Newton Contracting and Newton Line Painting

• General construction labor including framing and assist with parking lot line painting business including preparing lots and painting - i.e. wake up at the butt crack of dawn to go pick up construction sites, carry lumber, and sweep parking lots - learn the importance of getting an education so I don't have to do physical labor (that didn't really sink in....)

Throw in the mix middle school, high school, four and a half years of undergrad, one and a half years of grad school; study abroad in Australia and Costa Rica; volunteering at a Therapeutic Riding Center, an environmental education center, an afterschool garden club; getting married; living in three different states, at least 10 different houses; buying and selling three vehicles; and.......

that's the story of my life!

Busy Life

So I haven't posted on here for a few weeks, BUT it has been less than a month for anyone who was counting :)

What have I been doing in all that time? Well, plenty of stuff, but I thought I'd highlight two projects today - the UVa Community Garden and the Student Planning Association Local Thanksgiving Dinner (both of which conveniently have other blogs to check out!).

I am the current manager of the UVa Community Garden, a small vegetable garden planted on grounds last spring. My role as manager involves working with the undergraduate leadership team to plan events, make planting decisions, and organize volunteers. I also maintain their blog.... www.uvagarden.wordpress.com - check it out for more about what we've been up to this fall!

I am also the social chair for our planning department student organization (SPA). Part of this role involves planning the annual "Local" Thanksgiving Dinner. The dinner is an opportunity for the whole department to share a potluck style meal AND celebrate local foods by sourcing all ingredients from within a 100-mile radius (inspired by the Alisa Smith, author of Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-mile Diet).

To get people excited about the dinner, and increase the education about local foods, the Thanksgiving committee has planned several events leading up to the actual dinner this year. The "journey" to Thanksgiving features a food preserving workshop to make applesauce and ferment some vegetables (I have no idea how to do this - it will really be an adventure!), a field trip to a local mill and vineyard, the annual apple harvest festival, and a trip to Polyface farm to pick up turkeys for the dinner. You can follow our journey here (on yet another blog!): http://hundredmilethanksgiving.wordpress.com/

Ok, there you go - finally an update! Check out the other blogs, let me know what you think, and check back soon!

Chicago Millenium Park

In early August, Scott and I road tripped to Chicago for a wedding.  After the wedding, we ventured into downtown to spend an afternoon exploring.  Millenium Park was by far the most memorable part of the experience.

The 24.5 acre park was transformed from railroad tracks and surface parking lot in 1998.  The venue now includes an outdoor music venue, fountains, multiple sculptures and artworks, and the Lurie Garden.  The 5 acre garden feature with flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees was completed in 2004.  According to the "design narrative" of the project, the garden represents Chicago's motto, "Urb in Horto" or City in a Garden referring to the transformation from flat and marshy land to a "bold and powerful city".  Although there are several significant features, the most striking aspect of the garden for me was the contrast between the open space full of flowers and grasses against the city skyline.  

Despite the beauty of the flowers, I couldn't help wonder what the space would look like with some vegetables planted in the garden too.  Imagine five acres of food in the middle of a major city!  How would this change the park and garden?  Would people still appreciate the beauty of the space?  How many people would a space like that feed?  Of course after all of these questions (and returning to Virginia) I learned there is a vegetable farm in downtown Chicago!  Growing Power, a non-profit urban agriculture project, has three gardens throughout Chicago - one in Grant Park adjacent to Millenium Park.  DANG! I can't believe I missed the opportunity to see it!  (Although I'm not sure I could have actually gone over there due to Lollapalooza music festival happening at the same time).

Urban agriculture is definitely gaining more attention as people begin to understand the value and importance of gardens/farms in all areas.  Urban residents seem to especially benefit from the educational opportunities and socially equalizing nature of gardens.  Gardens (and food in general) can be a tremendous community building tool that brings together different ages, races, and socioeconomic classes.  I'd really like to explore these opportunities and some of the associated challenges in more detail......

But right now I must return to more reading - oh, grad school.  Interestingly enough I'm reading about green infrastructure planning, though, which brings this conversation full circle.  

Lurie Gardens 

The Crown Fountain in Millenium park above and below.

Cloud Gate sculpture in Millenium Park.