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I have never been to Olympia, Washington, but for many years I have appreciated two artists who live there: Nikki McClure & Stella Marrs. A friend from Washington State gave us a Nikki McClure calendar five years ago and now it's an annual ritual to purchase ours plus a few for new converts. Nikki McClure does not shy away from tough topics (see May "Witness" above), she has a real feel for nature and her graphic style always shows me a new perspective. As a postcard collector since I was 12, I have long had a stack of Stella Marrs' hip environmental postcards. The one below lists the top ten commercial fruits & veggies with the highest amounts of pesticide concentration and toxicity. Thanks to this postcard, I ONLY buy organic strawberries as they head the list.
I and the birds are really enjoying the difference a month
makes in the life cycle of this wonderful native tree.
Here's a tired but satisfied Jerome McDonnell setting up for the WBEZ Worldview Global Activism Expo at Northeastern University. The actual event (4/25/09) was, as they say: "Absolutely Fabulous!" Over 3000 people attended and learned about international peace & justice projects and met the activists featured on the Worldview Thursday series.
The break-out session I led on "Sustainable Strategies for Greener Gardens" was one of the best audiences I'd ever had: diverse, engaged, knowledgeable and with a sense of humor. Throughout the Expo, many fascinating people interested in our Earthways/AFOPADI project stopped by our table. We hope to soon connect with their generous offers of assistance. It amazed me that people with skills and connections I hadn't imagined materialized out of the air...which later in the day spawned ferocious thunderstorms to remind us all of the power of nature!Speaking of nature in general and landscapes in particular, Jerome said he was going to take a day off after the Expo to work in his garden. When we taped the 4/21/09 Worldview radio segment, we had discussed native plants, especially prairie grasses. So, yesterday, I asked him which ones he intended to plant. When you read this, I hope he'll be enjoying a much-deserved day of planting plugs of Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum).
Saturday April 25th at Northeastern University. Free & Fabulous!I am honored and thrilled to be included. Stop by our table or come hear me speak at a break-out session at 2:30 pm. The topic is, of course, the Earthways/AFOPADI Reforesting & Organic Agriculture in Guatemala. Learn more about growing plants in difficult situations. Introduce yourself...
Re: previous post: I meant to say "Hollyhock." (This photo also by Judette.)
I've just watched the light fade on my first tulips (orange, three days ago) as the snow falls. Typical Chicago in April.
We have so many ways of defining beauty. When I spoke on WBEZ's Worldview last August, I surprised myself by voicing a desire to work with art once basic needs are stabilized in the Guatemalan villages where Earthways helps support AFOPADI's work. But of course it's a matter of art existing in different forms. People have long recognized the artistry of the weavings. To bridge her shyness, I compared the woman's huipil with the color of her gladiolus.
Below (Judette's photo), we got a demonstration of the intricate backstrap weaving process. Shortly afterwards, the weaver gave us samples of the natural shampoo (mostly aloe) she and 15 other woman have begun to manufacture. People did not use shampoo in the village before. This is one of the few successful micro-finance projects in the villages we visited. Another involves women who have learned how to slaughter their own pigs. Go local!
