Thankful Thursdays: The Community Garden

Veggies at the 2010 West Show Jersey (byMan Vyi)

It takes a lot of energy to create a community garden. Not the “Oh, gosh, the power bill is sky high!” energy, but the physical type. Weeding, planting, watering, harvesting, and sharing.  Learning is another part of the event. What plants thrive in a certain area and when should seeds be planted? Can I transplant a certain fruit tree from one area to another?

I saw a video on FB today that made me smile from ear to ear. It’s about an Ag (agriculture) instructor and students at Sylmar High School, located in Southern California’s Los Angeles County. Students pitch in to grow vegetables and fruit trees to share with their neighbors. Organic vegetables are donated not only to feed the hungry, but to show others that food is accessible to anyone willing to grow it.

A friend once told me that he was proud to have fulfilled the purpose of his life by teaching his children how to survive well, including growing their own food. Years later, his kids now teach their kids the same skills. 

Do you want a break from the dismal highlights of today’s news? Treat yourself to the seldom recognized effort of teachers and students to make a positive difference in today’s world.

Traveling Tuesdays: The Evolution of Salt Lake City, Utah

NASA makes everything clear!

 It's a fun drive from Northern Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah when it's done in the summer and early fall. NASA shows off the high mountains that are part of the journey to SLC. It's fantastic when a city's growth is displayed in pictures. Here are a few of my favorites from Wikimedia Commons.

Salt Lake City 1869

SLC in the early 1900s

Completed in 1894, the Salt Lake City and County Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the USA. The reference number of this Richardsonian Romanesque building is 70000629. It is also the world’s first building to be retrofitted with base isolators. Think slinkies – there are 440 rubber and steel isolators that help the building float during an earthquake.

Sunset is beautiful

The 1980 US Olympic hockey team thrilled millions with their Gold Medal performance. They were invited to Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium in SLC to light the Olympic flame for the 2002 Winter Games.

Winter Scene of the city and mountains

What cities do you enjoy visiting or learning about?

Panorama of SLC 1913

Thankful Thursdays: Fashionable Framework

Much like family albums and videos of important events, things we love to see are available in an instant. Wikimedia Commons, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, and a treasure trove of other sources bring back memories of other times and great entertainment. It was fun to find some great pictures of Leonard Nimoy in the public domain that reminded me of what an incredible actor he was. 

 Looking at pictures from the past is like going to a retro fashion show! Polyester, silk, cotton, and 50/50 blends delivered fabrics that added to the durability and style of wool. There is an assortment of material in this picture as the crew of NC-1701 was introduced to the real-life Enterprise shuttle. Bell bottom slacks, much in style at the time, return to fashion now and again much to my delight. They are so comfortable.

Vulcan ears and inquisitive eyebrows are appropriate apparel at Star Trek conventions.

 Kid Monk Baroni is a 1952 film featuring Leonard Nimoy as the leader of a street gang who chooses a career as a professional boxer in an effort to escape the neighborhood. The clothing has changed somewhat, but breaking free of the past is still an elusive quest today.

Mission Impossible displayed fashion, talent and entertainment on weekly television in the 1970s. Here’s the cast. Hard to believe they were spies! 

 Perhaps clothing does make the difference in how others see each person.  I’d suggest, however, refraining from saying anything to Chewbacca about fashion.

Green Weed and Fire Control in Rural Nevada

There’s Vegas and then there’s the rest of Nevada. Acres and acres of sagebrush and sand sprawl across its boundaries with an occasional pond, lake, or river thrown in along with high mountains. With the early spring-like weather, weeds blossomed out like crazy and then instantly dried out. They foretold the chance of accidental fire and offered a hiding spot to rattlesnakes and other critters.

Okay, here's the plan..

 

It is a lot of work to fight weeds and overgrowth. When it needs done, I prefer to use green products that won’t harm the soil, pets and other animals, and family. What a delight it was this year to have the goats down the way volunteer to visit and chow down the weeds and overwhelming greenery fast turning to wheat-colored fire hazards.

Hey, Ladies, over here! Follow me!

Wow, this is a lot of work! Let's take a break.

What a great job. Now it's time for me to complete the clean-up!

I’m amazed at how neatly they cleared the area. They did an excellent job of dragging out limbs torn off trees by the 100+ MPH winds that frequent the area. Together, they chomped off the twigs and small branches. Now it is easier for me to cut the branches for firewood to combat winter’s coldest days (I’m amazed at how fast the year is flying by!). The land is cleared and protected against wildfires.

Are you in an area where defensive space is a part of fire protection? What kinds of four-legged neighbors drop by to visit?