American Gothic.....................................

American Gothic- "I had experienced a kind of bigotry and discrimination here that I never expected to experience..At first, I asked her about her life, what it was like. and so disastrous that I felt that I must photograph this woman in a way that would make me feel or make the public feel about what Washington,D.C. was in 1942. So I put her before the American flag with a broom in one hand and a mop in another. And I said, "American Gothic"-that's how I felt at the moment. I didn't care about what anybody else felt. That's what I felt about America and Ella Watson's position inside America."
- Photographer Gordon Parks

YOU GOT TIRES?

In the process of restoring my 1962  Corvair Rampside suitably named Roscoe, it would have to
have 4 new tires. You need tires?, you go to Bobs Tire Town Bob's has been a fixture in Los Angeles, the corner of Washington and Arlington for more than thirty years. It's been there so long that you almost don't see it anymore, you know what I mean? Anyway, back to the tires. Bob's carried the size tire that would fit my vintage truck which was not the case with the big chain stores. I borrowed a car and took my rims over to Bob's. Edwin, Bob's manager had already pulled the tires I would need, and within a half hour I was out the door; but not before I made Bob an offer he couldn't refuse.I said,"Bob, your place looks like shit!, let me create a garden for you!" He was already tuning up his mouth to say no because he didn't want to spend any money. I said, no really, all I need from you are tires! He couldn't quite wrap his mind around what I was saying because he had no point of reference. The place always looked like shit, people just stood around waiting for their cars. Most people   used their  time to make calls or went across the street to the mini market just for something to do.

I asked Bob if he could get me some tires, about two hundred of them? He said,"Tires, sure!, I got tires, I'll get you the tires, when do you want them?" You can tell by his excitement that he bought my idea for the tires.
I think I had him at, FREE! Anyway, I set about gathering recycled plants while my helper cleaned the space, stacked the tires per my layout, then filled the stacks with soil. I did a first layer of plantings with what would be the bones of the garden. The larger Agaves, Salvias and grasses.
                                                          
We had a good two weeks of rain
after which  I  planted another layer with Aloes, Sages, and Succulents.  I've got some weeding to do which is fine,because  it's sort of therapy. This garden is gonna rock in another year or so; right now it's causing quite a stir in the neighborhood. When folks walk by when I'm working they can't help but give me an old story about Bob's Tire, or ask me about the Agave's. Isn't that the plant you can make Tequila?
The cool thing is that Bob let me run with it and the community gets a garden! It feels good giving back to community! So now you know what you can do with used tires! If you have an eyesore in your community, or if you would like a community garden or a garden of your own, go ahead..do it! Maybe that's all it'll take is for someone to get the ball rolling and that someone could be you! Get your hands a little dirty, it feels good, kinda naughty but nice! We've always been told to keep our hands clean. I now  give you permission to get them dirty and grow something! It's rewarding in so many ways! secret..it's kinda sensual!! shhhh!
Have fun!

It's Not a Contest.................

 

I've been thinking about what I wanted to write about for a few weeks now. Christmas has come and gone.The year 2011 is new and old already if your routine hasn't changed. A lot is going on in the world these days. Precedents are standard fair..sort of a societal Shock and Awe

.

In the midst of all this I am compelled  to stand my ground. Stand in the realization that, I am enough!  My contribution to society is self!... yea.. I didn't come to the planet to sign up for the race of who's got the most, I am enough!  It took me more than half of my lifetime so far to come to this conclusion, and I can tell you, it's a deeply satisfying perspective.

What's on my mind is that I believe we all contribute something special, some of us are the teachers, but all of us are learning.  I'm learning that less is so much more! I embrace slow living lovingly. Fresh baked bread, line drying my laundry, truck restoration my landscape design projects, living low on the radar is so much more peaceful. I appreciate enjoying breakfast on the front porch and  hanging out with my dogs in the garden. I'm humbled by light that creates sculpture is unexpected places I am dazzled by the dance of the humming birds.

I'm even more humbled by the ability to "SEE".  I see the world in paintings and still life sculptures..how grateful I am for this artistry. I digress. With the advancements in technology it is easy to get caught up in the contest of what's new and improved. I hope you will  find your rhythm of slow....keep something for yourself. I dare ya!

Stanley's Umbrella Wisdom

Stanley lives across the street from me, he's half of fraternal twins, a robust  man of color in his late sixty's. Stanley's  gate is painfully tentative, he walks as though he was chained at the ankles, the results of a stroke brought on from 3  gun shots to  his chest. He manages conversation with his staccato lisp, when he calls me over,I go armed with patience and attentiveness because he is relentless to share whatever is  on his mind.
 One day not unlike any other, he calls me over because he had something for me. I was working in the garden and needed a couple of minutes to take off my gloves and wash my hands. When I got  to his house, he leaned forward from his steps and handed me an umbrella. Stanley stutters, "take it,you  might  need it one day". I'm thinking, yea right, it's one of those spring like sunny afternoon's easterners dream about during bitter storms. I thank him and reluctantly took the umbrella, It was one of those .99 cent cheapies but still to good to throw into the trash. Besides, Stanley gave it to me in such a protective caring way.(guilt)  I would later throw it in the trunk of my car.
Several months later I was having some sensitivity to the sun, feeling faint from it's radiating hot glare, it felt as if it was pounding me into the asphalt. It was an otherwise lovely outing and I didn't want to be forced to go home. It was then remembered that Stanly's umbrella was in the trunk of my car! Thank you Stanley!
I'm realizing that there is purpose in all things, I may not see it at that moment, but time and time again I realize that there is  an evolved wisdom that sustains me.The trick is to remember this wisdom when shit hits the fan....FAITH!                                            ~Happy New Year!~
Shalom

A Season for Sharing

The last couple of months have gone by in a blur..I suppose my attention was divided between the two gardens that I've recently completed .I never look forward to down time, but the truth of the matter is that I need to replenish my creative energy and dawn my Domestic Diva cap around my own household!
My garden is flush with layers of color and texture, appreciating the recent precipitation since it depends on natural rainfall. My navel oranges beckon to be picked creating a bounty to be shared.

The cool weather summons a fire in the hearth and fresh baked bread.  I'm thinking that my bread would be a wonderful gift to share over the holidays. I find  that baking bread is nurturing on so many levels, the coolness and texture of the flour is delightfully sensual.
The warmth of the oven,and the scent of the flour and yeast baking is difficult to describe other that it is soulfully mouth watering.

I haven't been bombarded with the usual Christmas frenzy since I do not watch television, and I can't tell you when was the last time I stepped foot in a mall. I  use my down time to make goodies for friends, chop a supply of wood for the fire and listen to the classic sounds of Ella, Carmen, Sara, Miles, Coltrane on my turntable!
That's what I call slow living! I appreciate the slower pace I manage to create in my household, well, as slow as you can get with a rambunctious teenager a foot! Giving back to self is the foundation for sharing in my humble opinion. The gift of time well spent with loved ones, breaking bread and sharing conversation are what memories are made of.  When Last I checked, you couldn't find that kind of gift on store shelves and you
won't find that kind of gift on the markdown isle or the "as is"
section of the store. Giving or sharing is not an all or nothing proposition for one day that happens to fall on December 25th. I say, everyday one can share something even if it's no more than a kind word or gesture. However you spend your holiday, make it MEMORABLE, make it BOUNTIFUL make it SOULFUL.
Peace~

On the road again with Roscoe

About Eight months ago I decided to sell my,"mommy car". For years I chauffeured my kids around in what boasts to be one of  the safest cars on the road. Volvo, you know ,"Volvo for Life"! Premium sound, leather seats with warmers, surround air bags, you know, all the extra's to keep you alive in the event of an accident. I'm thinking that the car's price tag is nothing compared to the value of my kids lives!Right? Well, I value my kids lives, but it's time for them to take the bus! Years of no gratitude, just attitude revealed that it was time to do something for myself. I sold the Volvo to another starry eyed mom wanting to protect her kid's lives with one of the safest cars on the road! (until they reach 15 or so) I set out to find something special. It had to be a truck with a little something special going on. I can't drive around in an anonymous half-ton..my truck would be a cool vintage work-truck!Daily  I checked the adds in the paper, always on the lookout for something that called out to me! My kids thought I had lost my mind, why would I sell our perfectly comfortable XC90 for a rickety old beater?? You can visualize the rolllllll of the eyes with the exasperated, MOMMMMMM!!! My reply, "take the bus!" BUT, MOM!!!!!

 Imagine the look on their faces when the tow truck pulled up to the house with this! Three flats, a non-operative engine, rust, and the remnants of a sign which gave me a clue to it's previous incarnation,"No Butt crack Plumbing"! This my friends is a Corvair Rampside pick-up or known as Corvair 95. There were about ten thousand made between 1961 to 1963. This is a sixty two. It would take some work, but since when have I been afraid of a challenge?


 The truck had been sitting on the storage lot for more than 7 years, this I now know because of the back fees I had to cough up! I got the usual, "Do you know what you're getting into?" Have you lost your mind? 

 This is what I call recycling!! Anyone can buy a new truck! How many folks are going to take the time to restore anything? This is one truck the landfill would not get! I found an amazing mechanic that specializes in Corvair's with a mobile service that comes to your house! For the next 6 months we would schedule work days on the truck. I was the handy assistant, learning about my truck and taking care of the smaller details and research. I worked on my gardens in between working on the truck which helped to finance the restoration. I felt certain that the truck would generate additional business just for the cool factor!

I have a new vocabulary as it relates to truck parts! It has definitely generated a new learning curve of which I'm grateful!! It is a work in progress and  totally sound! It squeaks, rumbles, and bounces to it's destination! Along the way, I get high signs, shout outs like, "cool truck!", "nice ride"! When I pulled up to the nursery the other day the truck created quite the buzz! The guys swapped stories about the classics they've had, wanted to take pictures with the truck,

There was even a bit of jockeying as to  who would load my  order on the truck! Roscoe brought such a high energy to the nursery! When I pulled off the guys sort of lined up to get a parting look all waving simultaneously ! It really made the day! Who knew how restoring this cool truck would affect the lives of so many folks out there!

Jesse is one of the nurserymen who has helped me with my orders for more that15 years! Roscoe is now another member of the family, making the rounds, being cool...and just having fun!
Someone's abandoned trash is now my treasure. Recycling takes many forms, nothing preachy..have some fun, create something, but by all means step out of your comfort zone and do SOMETHING!! In the meantime, I'll see you on the road!
Toot toot for now!

A place of one's own

It seems that I've taken a random pause from my blog for the past month. I've been so busy living life that there hasn't been the time or the urge to write. Then there are my  thoughts on  this blogging thing..I mean, is anyone really reading these posts? Does any one really care about laundry, living sustainably, or my thoughts about these concepts? Anyway, life and random thoughts and realizations have been swirling in my head..like this construct called a Bedroom. I'm thinking, why does a bed have to be in the bedroom? What's up with this  idea that one sleeps on this mattress with a headboard and foot board in a bedroom??? My queen sized bed took two thirds of the space in my "bedroom"!  I thought, I want a Salon! So I retired my queen sized turn century cast iron bed to the garage until I can find it a new home. I gave away my Deluxe Pillow-Top and took back my space!! A room of my own! My Salon!  I bought the most sensual 60's periwinkle 7 foot couch ode to Grace Kelley, found the most sumptuous chaise with down cushions!  My new bed is a Japanese futon which is my daily reminder of the simplicity of rest. I love the space I've created..moving around my room, sampling the different views and energy, sitting, lounging, sleeping, dancing! I appreciate the ritual of laying out my bed in the evening, a signal that it's the end of the day and it's quite time, a settling of the mind and body. When I awake, I take a deep stretch, then fold the bedding in a sequence that respects the bedding down in the evening. So simply elegant in purely functional way. Honoring my self...taking naps when I need them, walking, sharing,  taking my time to enjoy the bath, showering in the garden, working in the garden, being around people that interest me staying in the moment. I guess it takes honest living to come to life altering realizations , ah ha moments are pretty cool! It's kinda like the puzzle pieces are starting to fit together and you are starting to get the picture. Get your Ah Ha On! If anything in my post resonates with you, then I am pleased, I want your lives and moments to be fulfilling and thought provoking as mine are at times.
Be daring, write your own scrips, lay in the voluptuous beds you make, create a room of your own! Shake it up people, let em know you were there!!!
Aloha