The Garden Project - Living outside the 9 to 5

“I get by with a little help from my friends" – no one learns anything when things are good.

I have never planted a garden before. I thought it would be too much work, unsure how long I would be in said apartment rental...let's call it what it was...commitment issue. I was inspired by my friends and learning more about worm tubes or "vermiculture”, garden sitting for my friend who said she never liked harvesting anyway and to take what I wanted.

Within a few weeks of discussion with the present and inspiring roommate – we settled on two beds 3' by 3' primarily made from recycled wood pallets, spare nails, and a quick few hours we were ready to lay down our first soil beds. Our worms were Red Wigglers from a farm in Upland CA. The tubes are about 6” in the ground and then covered by the bed starter so another 1' – PVC pipe from general store, and drilled holes in the sides to allow the worms to the soil, then back to the tube to feast on our kitchen scraps for compost.

It took all of maybe 4 – 6 hours (over many weeks)...really that is it, and on September 1 Labor Day we planted mostly seedlings, and the rest was seed: cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, beets, fava beans, lettuce mixes, pole beans, okra, and spaghetti squash (monster plant and quite happy in its new home).

While we were at it we decided to reseed a bit of grassy area to brighten the yard from the harsh drought – since we were watering the garden anyway. It is now called The Meadow, with no defined lines and various grass types to make up the soft bed for laying away the afternoons.  

The excitement of looking at our beds an knowing it was all in the ground and there was nothing to do but wait...each day has brought a continuous discovery of resilience and patience. The garden has brought so much to this time in my life to celebrate small challenges, and be creative with projects that take time and live outside your 9 – 5.

NEW EXPERIENCES - OLD DESTINATIONS

This summer was filled  work and more work.  Although not all was paying, a garden on the horizon for example (more to come on that project).  I love to get out and learn more about my current full time employer  REI Outdoor School...paddling is a new love.

Summer is a time to spend dreaming about the future and basking in the sunlight of the day's gifts.  I found much of that this last weekend.

From my first ever mountains to sea day and weekend...the Ice House Canyon Trail Head to Cucamonga Peak...to walking Hero dog at the beach in Newport.

I also was a tag along instructor for a Stand Up Paddle board Tour with my company REI, starting with a surf launch at Cabrillo Beach then out on board, the smooth relaxing ocean is a new found love for this Colorado native.  I couldn't have been more thankful, for my life and my experiences that fill my whole heart with gratitude.

Little bits of heaven...

Since moving to Santa Ana 2010 I have grown to love the bits of nature so many don't realize its value.  To me it starts with my backyard....

and just having a little space that brings singing birds (my favorite is the Black Phoebe) , cool breezes of fresh air puts a smile on my face.  I don't spend near enough time here but it impacts me daily knowing its there.

Next about 1/4 mile away is Santiago Park, has been a "think tank" for many of my deepest connections, and emotions as I walk the path season to season each day is different like today with the spring air and these fragrant blooms...

The Fig tree is beginning to leaf in the yard and my heart is full...it is Spring.  No other season is like it, representing a time anew and more importantly recognition of the coming year, and its potential.

Find your place in nature, go there often...you will find solace, acceptance, and true spirit.

Sharing with little ones...

Since starting to blog...frankly I haven't been really blogging. I found many projects to keep me busy and focused on my mission to share nature with people, in both work and play.

A few months ago I was asked by a fellow nature program supporter if I would be interested in starting a program for a couple of homeschool families...I wasn't sure about this type of venture since I am not a traditionally trained "teacher" but knew I had a lot to offer these families and it would be a great way to start building more programs locally... thus began Tuesdays Adventures. Yup, you guessed it. The classes were held on Tuesdays for 10 weeks this fall taking me an a small group of three around the county exploring new a different places. We tried to cover one focus each trip, geology, water, clouds, seeds, plants, basic ecology but we mostly just played pretend and learned about the animals and the places we visited. Some weeks we met at a host family house and had lessons there, and other weeks we explored: Pirates' Cover - Corona del Mar State Beach, San Joaquin Marsh, Turtle Rock Nature Center, Mason Regional Park, Santiago Nature Preserve, Grower's Direct / Costa Mesa Community Garden (on Hamilton), and Orange County Coastkeeper Nature Play Garden The success of the program is loosely based on...they want more!  So I will be writing a Spring 10 week program starting in March.

What a great day for a project - after a quickie post on Facebook, I have such wonderful people in my life (Pam, James, Will, Gary, Adam, Teri, Mike, Matt, and Nicole) who all came out on a lovely Sunday morning to help with the garden. We first worked on the hidden trails, then moved into the garden area for weeding and mulching (a never ending task). With such a great crew we knocked out some great work and headed off for lunch at the near by burger place.

Join us next time - http://www.facebook.com/events/206559722784771

Quote -

―…children are disappearing from the outdoors at a rate that would make them top of any conservationist’s list of endangered species if they were any other member of the animal kingdom.‖ Tim Gill, British play advocate in The Ecologist

Innovation Project - Nature Playscape

A what? Nature Playscape...what is that? Sounds cool and something I would want to be a part of.

You are! Well most of us, who enjoy the outdoors and sunshine, dirt, trees, rocks...you get the idea. If you would like to help out, definitely you can contact me via email.

Is this my idea? No, many people from around the globe have this idea - children are suppose to be in nature to grow healthy, creative, and active imaginations. I agree, so I pitched the idea to the local non-profit Orange County Coastkeeper to use in their demonstration garden in a urban area of Orange CA. Thankfully they loved the idea and hired Reconnect Nature to do the project.
http://www.coastkeeper.org/coastkeeper-garden/

After working with the garden team we decided on a few key features to implement into the design: hidden trails, embankment slides, boulder fields,covered pathways, and climbing trunks. Designing is the easy part, I have become creative and realistic about what features will continue to keep the area natural and subtle enough for families and everyone to enjoy.

We are hoping to work with the local community for future projects and volunteering for the implementation this spring - and in time for the Coastkeeper Garden opening this April.

Wish us luck!! Stay tuned for more details!

Tanka Haiku (Japanese poetry of interconnectedness to nature)

In the Park - Santiago Creek Park
Girl walks along trunk,
She is told to get down now,
I give a small grin,
I promise to not deny,
Our children will play again.




,

Oak on the Embankment - Fremont Canyon
I am aged seasons
I collect webs on branches,
Rock starting to crack,
Precariously placed here,
Life will not last in seasons.

If you only had one day...

This day is not much different and I am too distracted thinking of all the best days to replicate, or mourning knowing this would be the last. If I had one day, I would hope to have no knowledge of past or future, and to only know this day as if it was all I had ever known. Witness the rising of the Sunshine, on the Hills, with golden beams highlighting the Trees and begin to cast grey shadows on the Ground and Grass. The rising Birds for a greeting of song are the sound which lets the world know it is time to experience something new and never before witnessed. This day is a day filled with the potential for new life in the Blossoms opening to the days rays filling with hope of guests to lift nectar and pollen to share and scatter for seeds of future. The heat is soft and wraps around my head neck and shoulders, my body eases lying down. All I can do is listen to the light and the shadows as the sun moves across the Sky. There is no hunger today, no thirst; it is only to bear witness of the life around me. Humanity has no attachment to our scenario, I watch children play, and tease and become sad only to forget why they cry to continue playing with a new sense of life and joy. The string instrument is a hum vibration only brought to full potential in this moment because sound is brief once released, the moment is passed, and only by human hands does the world know such sounds. I forget about my breath, I forget about my body, and I am forgotten I have no past and I have no future, this moment is all I have each day. I reengage my body, I want to see a view from the Mountain; I experience a climb to the top to witness the 360 degrees of zero separation between me and the Sky. It is only on the peak I see where the Earth and Sky meet; it is far away in the distance where you come from. I follow the Sun’s path to the end of the Earth were it meets the Sea, to again witness the sky and ocean meeting it fills with breath and joy of calmness crashing of water collapse on the shore. Watching light settle behind the rim of sea my eyes highlight the Clouds on a memory for another day, to recall because I will not get another day like today.

Holiday - Giving of Thanks.

I write of the remembrance of last weeks gorge. It came to me, once I received the shopping list of visiting family that matters this year were in my own hand. I voted with my dollars this season and went all out, Organic to me is life purity and the representation of it, nothing altered and nothing tainted. Our culture is a machine of consumption with little or no thought about the driven industries behind it. I am greatful to live in an area with such abundance of organic food, that it was not an all out pocketbook buster. These competitive pricing allowed everything from the organic free range turkey, to the sweet potatoes, and the pecans bought in bulk (which reminds me I need to make another pie).
You might ask..."Did you taste the difference?" Well not at first...I had to think about it a minute but yes there was a difference, the turkey dark meat was the darkest I had ever tasted and almost too rich, the white being more flavorful. The beans were my favorite and fresh was definitely the crispness, potatoes were slim and we gobbled those up, with in a day or two. But the Gravy...ah the gravy was divine. I have to give this up to my cousin's wife who I bravely handed over the turkey to entrust in her roaster, and the drippings into the gravy, which she tasked like a pro. So yes, there is a difference, even if it is only in my mind and principle do I buy organic, there is a difference. As for the connection to nature, my thoughtful process with the purchases and cooking gave value to the food and family with which I will always want to appreciate and enjoy no matter the occasion. During your holiday, place thought into the ingredients and food and you too might experience a little more for your time and money.

Reconnect Nature Writing Workshop & Picnic

Reconnect Nature - Writing Workshop & Picnic

$25.00

Join naturalist Lyndie Bradshaw, and author Sarah Rafael Garcia for a two hour writing workshop focused on response and inspiration from the natural world with group collaboration. Each class will be themed with different tours and exercises to develop your skills.

Please bring your own writing materials (clipboards will be available), picnic and refreshments included for extra sensory experience.

SEPTEMBER 26 6pm: Changes in Season

*Register
REGISTER HERE

Random Acts of Nature

We are in full swing and after finishing the second day of writing in nature with complete engagement. The community here is a great resource for urban and natural living, although it was difficult to express the purpose of such a workshop, some just knew it was just what they needed. We hope to continue and learn simple ways to connect the community every day to the areas within reach. Success story with teenagers; we engaged them and asked if they wanted to participate as they were walking home from school, they were curious and wanted to know why we would do this. Mind you this is in the most concentrated youth population with little or no green space within the entire zip code, 92701. We talked about subtle nature and urban planning and how we could notice our own relaxation under the canopy, witnessing protection and space. Although the students did not expect this they responded in the most natural way, with a feeling of ease and belonging. The next day one of the girls came again to experience nature, and brought a friend. This was amazing and worth, all the planning and stressing that no one would show or that it was not something teenagers think they need. They do, and I encourage everyone to continue the work and continue to connect youth, and teenagers to this great understanding that nature is secure, it is life, it is non-judgemental, transends all emotion into a balance of belonging and connection to something bigger than ourselves. Thanks!!

Reconnect Nature Free Writing Workshops for Santa Ana Residents

Thank You for your interest in the Reconnect Nature Program! We are very excited to share simple ways to keep you connected to your local natural areas. We will be exploring the different locations in the area for our workshops, writing and sharing our connection stories. The goal of the program is to leave you with a sense of genuine care and concern for our natural world bringing you a sense of belonging. With exercises we share our thoughts and create a well rounded sense of community, and nature's place in it. This is the outline for the weekend.

Friday Sept 3 4p - 6p; Sasscer Park (301 W Santa Ana Blvd Santa Ana, CA 92701)
Urban Nature; taking recognition of the area with a brief history of the area to share the origin of landscape and nature people plant to create beauty.

Saturday Sept 4 5p - 8p Santiago Park (900 E Memory Ln Santa Ana CA 92706)
Sunset Reflections; with indigenous ceremony for welcoming nature into our lives and us into nature, talk about natural plants specific to our region.

Sunday Sept 5 3p - 5p Portola Park (1700 E Santa Clara AVE Santa Ana 92705)
Seasons Changes; walks to the abandoned orchard with reflection of our relationship with nature and agriculture in the area.

Please email me for more information - reconnectnatureblog@gmail.com

Choice is a beautiful thing...

I have experienced the truth of what is missing in child development, with outstanding, overbooked, stressed, anxiety ridden youth who survive in a numb state, surrounding the harsh raw emotion with meaningless, materialistic, false securities. Children have choosen stagnation over play, media over dirt, and entertainment over imagination. Now is only time in my life I am driven to take action and reverse the evolution of demis, bringing health and development back into the awareness to those who understand we are at a crossroads. We choose our path from this point forward and my heart aches as I write the emotion is strong telling me that my own attraction is beyond my time on this planet and must be shared with younger influence to see and experience the authentic teachings of our natural beings, before it is lost forever. Natural Thinking Systems Process is this teaching for myself as a vehicle to the future of work for my own connection and that of the next inhabitants. I would like to keep with the independent flow of the ProjectConnect and the long term learning systems of Micheal Cohen, this is going to ensure the level of authenticity is balanced and uninfluenced by traditional educational forums. I appreciate the purpose and system layed out before me to take and apply in my own medium allowing my authentic self to truely connect with nature and my community.

Take action!

The No Child Left Inside bill (NCLI) is currently still in committee. It will hopefully be attached as an amendment to the ESEA (No Child Left BEHIND) bill that Obama should be authorizing later this year. They both have a fair number of co-sponsors. In OREGON Sen. Wyden is a co-sponsor. Sen. Merkely is not.

Leadership from the House Education and Labor Committee issued a bipartisan statement last month reflecting their commitment to amending and improving ESEA (No Child Left BEHIND) this year.

They have flagged NCLI on their website as a key bill up for consideration and are inviting organizations and agencies to submit comments on NCLI and other legislation related to ESE.

The NCLI website recommends:

Please take a few moments today to email the Committee at eseacomments@mail.house.gov and let them know that you support the inclusion of the No Child Left Inside Act (H.R. 2053) in the reauthorized ESEA. Please consider calling or writing to your senator as well.

The Trail....reflection of the Sierras

The Gift; Air is a scarce resource in the LA valley, and to explore its freshness is a sense of true joy. One of the first things always to notice is the clean air, very thankful to the trees, sky, and wild for allowing this precious cycle to exist. I am gitty with its quality. On the morning of the Mt. Whitney ascent it is cool, and I refuse to stop breathing...any moment not taking in a breath is a moment never to return, as this is a temporary visit and nothing is to be wasted.
My Gift; Oh to be honest, my gift was given over again as respiration quickened and the oxygen became thin, my lungs ached with satisfaction of sorts to exert and be present in the exchange...so present.
Gift of Life; Words can not explain the way a trip into the wild can validate your life, and the gift of movement and ability. I am truly blessed to have an able body, and to engage on heights not known to most. I am humbled in the experience. To climb a mountain, is the greatest connection to self and surroundings.
Disconnect from Nature; My examples of disconnection happened literally on trail with a stumble because my mind wondered to other places, and my shoe would catch, and awaken the present moment with the surge of adrenaline. Popping my mind into focus to be with the mountain at all times for assurance of safety, and connection.
Nature wants you alive; Absolutely!! We reached the summit and were blessed with conditions ideal for the top of the peaks, clear sky slight breeze, and sun. Attraction to the sky heighten our awareness of building clouds signaling our decent to lower ground, time was ticking to safety...we were granted permission to descend and become protected at lower ground. Thankful we continued the communication with the skies and lead us to continue to travel in the amongst a surge of storms granting valuable information on our travels for the final days of the trip.
Connection with Nature Feels good; So True!! I am bursting with emotion from our excursion. I share the feelings every time I am asked...and people seemed like the message and feel the connection through me, as a portal of sorts to these wonderful feelings.
Words are your destiny; I learned the true meaning of intention, and commitment. I value myself to follow though with authentic meaning, this carries into my everyday life and I will draw from this example to form as a role model of my true self, this is my genuine attraction.
Natural sensations and feelings guide you; The days were determined by the sky, along the trail if water and sun arose in unison, we were drawn to bathe and sun for refreshed body and mind. The language became so ritualistic often minimal words were exchanged between me and my hiker companion on the protocol. Like the sky for safely, it offered joy and warmth, for drying and relaxed feelings. Trusting these was a natural attraction and trust was unquestioned.
Nature has no words

****In nature our multisensory is our awakening of deep soul connections to our systems, we are from the earth and constantly becoming earth, we communicate in the order of life, and cycles. A wisdom exists in this connection allowing growth and intelligence to guide our actions. the smaller the action the more subtle the attraction, building of the webstrings to strengthen the ties that bind. In this You Belong...every attraction is pulling you further into the web, luring you into the feelings of belonging and connection to life and balance. You are from nature and will return to nature, with or without your consent, the joy is that you can embrace this as truth, dispelling all anxiety about any non-natural choices you make. Draw close your awareness for this, and you can heal the suffering, and guilt from disconnection, keep in practice your true self and let attraction guide you to your life's destiny.

Reconnect Nature Writing Workshops Starting July

Reconnect Nature - Writing Workshop & Picnic

$25.00

Join naturalist Lyndie Bradshaw, and author Sarah Garcia for a two hour writing workshop focused on response and inspiration from the natural world with group collaboration. Each class will be themed with different tours and exercises to develop your skills.

Please bring your own writing materials (clipboards will be available), picnic and refreshments included for extra sensory experience.
JULY: Summer Reflections
AUGUST: Sunset & Rest
SEPTEMBER: Changes in Season

*Register for all classes and receive a $10 discount on the series.
REGISTER HERE

Conflicts Among... the many

The online scheduled class started weeks ago and just now I am posting again. This is a time of great change in our world, as I move forward the class requires me to post weekly exercises about my observations in nature and some of the difficult challenges that lay ahead. The conflict is in our society, and even within my own life and choices. This is the time to be completely honest and forward about where we stand on the issues, and the limited choices we are able to make. Along with on going heartache for the Gulf Coast and its members of fragile systems we see the webstring ties our delicate world together. I encourage you to look for the webstring in your area that is intact or broken, please take time to comment on what you see, or feel. What choices are you making that may have harsh environmental disconnection...my own is in the clothing industry, made from high end carbon/oil based textiles, shipped across the globe at astonishing rates, that seem to lack some consistancy...this is my reality.

How the city hurts your brain - The Boston Globe

How the city hurts your brain - The Boston Globe

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A Psychosis of a Symptomatic Society

This is the beginning...to detect the puzzle, with illness ramped up to the degree of which we can not with stand any longer. This is a travesty. A day does not go by without bringing up concern for the youth, our awakening is happening. I contiue to build passion around the "doing".

What is it that everyone is seeing, for one it was an interaction with a 4 year old on digital video game brought to keep him entertained while mom gets her hair done. The young man could go on and on about the game, telling my friend the different levels, characters and how he learned to navigate the small controller. Not to say the games are the "devil" but the amount of time spent on this game gave evidence to the amount of time this young mind spent daily learning the advanced multi media device. Remember age 4? I sure don't but I am sure if I was to sit waiting for my mother it involved some craft or imagination to entertain myself.

In The Te of Piglet, the author talks about the shortened childhood and the burden we place on young minds to be faster, learn more, at what time do they learn to be playful and innoccent. Adults could benefit from relearning this simple mindset.

I work as a parttime naturalist, and many times I think...why talk let the flow of the elements take us...back to a playful mind, ease and natural way for the relaxing the mind to take in the response emotionally.