Similar to the Green Screens I featured at Better Farm’s blog, NY-based Window Farms is testing their small-space prototype, which is “a drip system made from recycled water bottles, holding 25 plants…inexpensive and made from relatively inexpensive materials.” This installation (now on display at Eyebeam gallery, 540 W 21st St), was created “through working with agricultural, architectural and other specialists, collecting sensor data, and reinterpreting hydroponics research conducted by NASA scientists and marijuana farmers.” Makes sense–the science needed to maintain a thriving plant indoors with no natural elements (as weed farmers do) makes dealing with a north-facing apartment window small potatoes.
I stumbled upon this project via a Bust Magazine post, which also included Brooklyn-based Rooftop Farms, responsible for a 6,000 square foot organic veggie (rooftop) farm in Greenpoint. It’s amazing how many “green” movements are happening in the NYC area, considering how little green space there is….which probably explains it. It only took me a few years of living here to realize how much I appreciate (and miss) living somewhere where I don’t have to commute to a park/non-developed square foot of land.
These limitations haven’t limited the above mentioned, and I’m sure even more sustainable ideas will be cropping up (zing!) soon. Which poses the question–if you had unlimited funding and resources, what would your green idea for your city/town be?
Filed under: Amis & Famille, Bookworm, Deep Thoughts, It's all relative, Workin’ 9-5
We spent the holiday weekend up in Maine with my parents and, besides the now annual trip to the Wildlife Park and the Forest Lake boat parade/fireworks (Loon Queen led and illegally bought), there was a lot of time for me to swing on the hammock (when it wasn’t raining), and think about my next moves.
The new job with Manhattan Plant Design Experts is great in most every way…I’m moving around all day (as opposed to being chained to a desk), I’m learning hands-on expert tips and tricks about plant maintenance, the only supervisor I ever answer to regularly is a chilled-out Spanish dude named Javier, I have a healthy mix of alone-time and time spent socializing with a variety of new people, and since I have a “uniform” (a really cute baby tee with the company lotus/zen logo on it) I don’t have to really worry about my outfit early in the morning. The catch is…the money. I have more or less cut my full-time salary in HALF by taking this job, a fact I was aware of when putting in the 2 weeks notice, but per the usual way I deal with money, I chose to stick my head in the sand instead of thinking about it.
But I have no intention of quitting this job. You could say its due to my stubborn-as-a-mule refusal to return to cube-culture, even if it means the only “luxury” I allow myself is my Netflix subscription. But there’s more to it than that–I chose this new career path, and am fully prepared to pay my dues (while padding my resume), regardless of any economic downturns. I think it’s sad how so many people feel trapped in their jobs due to the “unknown” of trying something new. I know not having a man-child boss lording over me anymore, along with a free gym membership (it’s called walking), is worth the lifestyle crunch.
That being said, I am aware that the lugging of a 10 pound bag of tools while on foot (which is going to get REALLY fun come blazing August and frigid February) will only hold its charm for so long. As writer Anna Johnson so eloquently describes stopgap jobs in one of my favorite books (Three Black Skirts): “Interim jobs…feel insignificant only if you see them as a dead end…Focus your energies on the job you really want. To get out of an in-between job, give yourself a deadline, a modest savings plan, and a strategy.”
So…I’ve already scored 1 regular freelance client and am hustling to fill that dance card with more regulars (spread the word, peeps – I am an experienced/talented graphic designer), I’m working at an entry level and soul fulfilling job perfectly in line with my shiny new career, our lease runs out in March, and there’s a little Farm up north that could use some management for next year’s summer months (because you have to be craycray if you think I’m going to live 15 minutes away from Canada in the middle of winter).
If I wanted to delve even deeper into my woodland fantasy future, I’d imagine building a home out of salvaged pieces with secret histories, a la Handmade Houses: A Guide to the Woodbutcher’s Art by Art Boericke (which I conveniently borrowed from Mom and Daddio), and surrounding it with 6 Zones of Permacultured perfection. But one thing at a time…
Photos: Are from the Handmade Houses book. Buy it, seriously.
Filed under: ... in Natureland, Amis & Famille, It's all relative, Spotlight On
Miss Stephanie and I recently took the free ferry (which now also runs from DUMBO) out to Governer’s Island for an “art fair.” I use quote marks b/c this fair was really just a gathering of reject ravers, occasionally dressed as (aging) fairies, showcasing their handmade and performance art…all while trying their hardest to visually ruin any quality photos I wanted to take. Despite these obstacles, I prevailed with my usual array of naturey eye candy (along with a few official aerial views thrown in for good measure):
Since most are not familiar with the history of Governer’s Island, I have selected the events in the island’s timeline that I feel are most noteworthy (for a more thorough recap, click here):
Pre-Colonial Era
Lenape Indians settle on island they call “Pagganck” (“Nut Island”)
1637 Wouter Van Twiller, Dutch Governor of New Netherlands, privately acquires island from Native American owners, Cakapeteyno and Pehiwas, allegedly for two axe heads, a string of beads and a few nails.
1698 British officially acquire the island, thereafter called “Governors Island,” for the “benefit and accommodation of His Majesty’s Governors.”
June 1710 Thousands of German refugees, on epidemic-ridden ships, are quarantined on the Island.
April 1776 Continental troops under George Washington occupy and fortify Governors Island against British invasion.
The New Republic
1784-1794 Unused military facilities fall into disrepair and the island is leased for a racetrack and summer resort.
1797 Garrison is assigned to the new fort, consisting of “a major, a captain, a surgeon, 2 lieutenants, 3 sergeants, 4 musicians, 5 artificers, and 34 privates.”
1849-68 Periodic cholera epidemics sweep the Island.
April-June 1852 Ulysses S. Grant resides in the officers’ quarters known as the Block House.
The Civil War and Beyond
1861-1865 Civil War Governors Island is the central Army recruiting station for the Eastern Seaboard, and Castle Williams is a prison camp, sometimes holding over 1,000 Confederate soldiers.
February 24, 1865 Confederate Captain John Yates Beall is executed on Governors Island for piracy on Union shipping.
1870 Yellow fever epidemic rages on the island.
1895 First squirrels are brought to Governors Island.
1897 Congress proposes a bill to convey Governors Island to the City of New York “for the purpose of a public park.” The Army Board of Engineers, citing the Island’s indispensability “for military purposes,” soundly rejects the proposal.
September 29, 1909 Wilbur Wright takes off from Governors Island on the first flight ever over American waters, circling the Statue of Liberty before returning. A few days later he flies from the island to Grant’s Tomb and back.
World Wars I and II
1918 “World’s shortest railroad” (a locomotive and three flat cars on 1 ¾ miles of track) carries coal, machinery and supplies from the pier to shops and warehouses.
1937-1938 Comedians Tommy and Dick Smothers are born at the base hospital while their father, Major Thomas Boyln Smothers, is stationed on the island.
1942 WAC detachment brings the island its first women soldiers.
1965 U.S. Army leaves Governors Island.
June 30, 1966 Rear Admiral I.J. Stephens accepts jurisdiction over Governors Island on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard.
July 4, 1976 Governors Island is opened to the public for the first time, hosting 20,000 residents and visitors for fireworks and a parade of tall ships for America’s Bicentennial.
1983 Burger King opens on the Island and serves beer. Other activities for officers and enlisted men include golf, tennis, swimming, bowling, bingo and movies.
December 7, 1988 Diplomatic meetings between Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held at the Admiral’s House.
September 1, 1996 Coast Guard leaves Governors Island.
April 1, 2002 President George W. Bush, Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announce that the federal government will sell the island back to the people of New York for one dollar.
January 31, 2003 After 200 years, Governors Island is returned to the people of New York City and State through the Governors Island Preservation and Education Program (GIPEC).
February 7, 2003 Twenty-two acres of the island are transferred to the National Park Service.
A truly beautiful NYC destination, with an interesting history. I suggest bringing a picnic lunch and your bikes (although bike rentals are also available), and going on a day that doesn’t include an event of some kind. And no worries – I think the threat of an island-wide swine flu “epidemic” is slim to none…
Last 3 photos from the official website of Governer’s Island.
There’s a lot of talk about corporate “greenwashing” and how we as consumers fall for it by buying the “green” products and services being pushed on us daily by whoever has the best ad campaign. But better decisions can be made if we simply start educating ourselves to what actually does a service to this planet, and not just clears our conscience. And no effort is too small when it comes to the economic, climate and energy crisis. If you’re not able to make the pilgrimage to Better Farm or an equivalent center of environmental sustainability, then bring the movement to your own hometown (or city) through a Transition Initiative.
Transition Initiatives are based on four key assumptions:
• That life with dramatically lower energy consumption is inevitable, and that it’s better to plan for it than to be taken by surprise.
• That our settlements and communities presently lack the resilience to enable them to weather the severe energy shocks that will accompany peak oil.
• That we have to act collectively, and we have to act now.
• That by unleashing the collective genius of those around us to creatively and proactively design our energy descent, we can build ways of living that are more connected, more enriching and that recognise the biological limits of our planet.
If the idea of a grassroots movement in your own backyard appeals to you, then join Regenerative Culture for the Transition Town Training being offered over the weekend of July 17-19th, at a tba location right here in the city. This training “will show you how to set up and run a successful Transition Initiative. [You will] receive imaginative and inspiring tools for community outreach, education and engagement. Discover how to create positive visions, and move people to positive action.”
Sounds good to me. Unfortunately, I’m already booked that weekend with the start of my Permaculture certificate course, so if anyone does decide to check this Transition workshop out, there’s a guest blogging gig with your name on it!
Well that title got your attention, hmm? Sorry, but my porn days are over – I’m talking about WATERING CANS, and the untapped (zing!) market of portable possibilities that industrial designers have yet to unearth. This came up during my first week with Manhattan Plant Design Experts, when I realized I could carry a much smaller bag, if I didn’t need to fit a clunky, 4 gallon can in there along with my tools…which got me into researching what is out there already…
And the answer is – not much. After multiple reworded Google searches, I came across this collapsible watering bag, on ebay, but it only holds 3 quarts, and has a perforated spout, so not an ideal match for the high volume, precise watering needs of the job (don’t think I didn’t still buy it, however).
Also came across this design for a screw-on watering spout by Nicolas Le Moigne from Switzerland. This genius idea was one of the entries for Design Boom’s contest to reduce plastic bottle waste. Unfortunately, as often happens with genius ideas, this was only ever a prototype.
So it seems I will have to design it myself, probably along the lines of a Bendable Interior Object…But until I get around to that (along with my patent-pending Fire Escape Seat, stay tuned), I’ll appease myself with some quirky, non-flattening watering can designs:
All this reminds me of how much I wanted one of those watering can purses when they first came out a few years ago…
Tree watercan by Dutch By Design
Alessi Kiwi watering can by Panik
Magis “Pipe Dreams” watering can by Panik
Large Blue watering can by Buzzy Seeds
Good Grips Pour and Serve watering can by OXO
Although Nicole has already reported on the work (and play) that was accomplished while up at the Farm over Memorial weekend, I thought I’d add my 2¢ worth of photos. Please note the beautiful scenery, the soulful guitar strumming of Afternoon Delight, and the vintage signage found around Alexandria Bay and Redwood.
After my first day on the new job, I feel that my head is about to burst with all the new plant knowledge trickling into it. I will give a more thorough recap once the initiation week is over, but for now, enjoy a self-indulgent poem by everyone’s favorite narcissist:
the follies of summer
Quicksand, ocean sky
Wondering, don’t ask me why or how we got here
We just did
The most eternal sun-drenched kiss is locked in my mind as something I won’t miss
Or even try to remember
Summer has come and gone so many times I’ve lost count
Endless, nameless, marked by time as nothing special
But warmth is here, you see
In darling soliloquy
Hidden in costume and fine-boned prose
Under canopies of sheltered light and life
Summer is here and it is all mine
Can’t wait to put on those new khaki shorts I had to buy!
Garden photo: Kay Loves Vintage
One of my biggest blog fans (aka, my sister) sent me an interesting article from the Times about Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research and their succulent roofs. Succulents? Why not the usual grass? It seems fairly obvious when explained to you by an uber intelligent scientist like the Center’s Stuart Gaffin:
[Succulents] sop up and vaporize rainwater before it can jam the city sewage treatment plants; they cut summer heat that can exceed 170 degrees on a roof. No mowing required. “They’re nature’s geniuses at staying cool,” Mr. Gaffin says, while stepping across the resilient mat of sedum plants flourishing high over West 112th Street. He gestures to the city panorama and estimates 30 square miles of unused rooftop acreage that could be vegetating. “Twenty times Central Park!” he declares, sounding like a producer coveting Broadway…[The roofs] have a weird urban serenity. Far from streetwise rats, the worst critters that have shown up are butterflies and crickets.
Of course, succulents! Grass may be the most resilient plant, constantly regenerating, even after frost or mildfire, but succulents…these are desert plants used to extreme temperature changes daily. Genius. I would love to get involved with this somehow–add it to the growing naturey to-dos, stat!
I also really just want to walk on that roof. Barefoot if possible.
Green Roof photo: CCSR
I was late in joining the drinking for Chiara’s birthday on Friday night, because I attended a lecture – EcoVillages: Where They Are, What They’re Doing, Why They’re Important. I know, NERD ALERT! But listen, the presenter, Diana Leafe Christian, was fascinating. She’s an author, speaker, workshop presenter, activist for intentional communities and all around groovy lady who lives and works (when not touring) at the Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina. She described Ecovillages as consisting of people who live together with a common goal in mind, whether that be ecological, economic, social, cultural, spiritual, environmental sustainability or all of the above.
She breezed through a plethora of slides from ecovillages all over the world, while listing off distinct (and similar) traits that defined (or connected) them all. I frantically took down notes, mainly if they could be related to future Better Farm brainstorms (translation: Nicole and I shooting the shit, usually while finishing off a bottle of wine). Here’s the shortlist of ideas (mentioned alongside a relevant ecovillage) that I felt were particularly inspiring:
Earthaven:
• Off-grid, passive solar homes (with special fridges made for off-grid), with water powered electric
• Metal roofs for water catchment, catchment tanks then gravity feed to the house(s)
• Some natural buildings, some hybrid (arguments for each)
• Some rammed earth floors – making those houses warmest in the winter, coolest in the summer
• Troughs for gray water to be naturally cleaned by organisms for use again in the home and garden
• Independent income community (not income sharing), with cottage industries on side to be hired both internally and externally
• Solar powered golfcarts (mopeds, anyone?)
Ecovillage at Ithaca
• Co-housing with common areas and optional group dinners
• Shared use of car(s)
• “Guys Baking Pies” (yearly event)
Los Angelas Ecovillage
If one woman and her followers can convince the housing dept of a major city to allow 2 adjacent apartment complexes deemed an “ecovillage” while also turning the street into a pedestrian only zone…well then the co-op with neighbors and environmental activism is just the icing on the (vegan) cake.
Dancing Rabbit (Missouri)
• Turned grain silos into cottages
• Hay bale insulation
• Make their own bio diesel fuel
Findhorn Foundation (Scotland)
• 40 off-grid house, some with green roofs
• Constructed wetlands inside a greenhouse (complete with gray water system)
• Cottages created out of whiskey barrels
Tlhogo Ecovillage (South Africa)
The Marquina Ecovillage and “El Poncho Living and Learning Center” (Bolivia)
Ecocentro IPEC (Brazil)
Diana only briefly mentioned these, but they’re all Sustainability Educational Centers, so I must do some more research on my own…
A few other ideas I jotted in the margin:
• U-pick berry farm
• Trout pond
• Mail order cottage industries
• Swales to catch water
• Voisin method for soil rotation
Crazy musings? We’ll see when I’m elbow deep in cow shit up in Redwood. Until next blog, I leave you with Jonthan Dawson’s 8 Common Characteristics for Successful Ecovillages:
1. Build low impact human settlements
2. Promote sustainable local economics (ie. alternative currency, investment opportunities, etc)
3. Grow and process own food (For own use and for commerce – either way shrinking footprint)
4. Engage in earth restoration
5. Fair Participatory Governance (ie. concensus, committees, etc)
6. Help others
7. Peace activism
8. Whole person education
Earthaven photo: gerryblog at Flickr
I was waiting until I had actually put in my 2 weeks notice (which had to be done via email due to my “important” meeting being put off repeatedly) to post this announcement…so here goes: I GOT A NEW JOB! And one that’s directly relevant to my change of career/schooling/future plans! It’s with Manhattan Plant Design Experts, a women-owned company that’s been in business over 20 years, providing design, installation and maintenance of interior and exterior plants and flowers to the commercial and corporate community of NYC.
I will be starting out as one of their “plant technicians,” roaming the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, watering, pruning and rocking out to my ipod while building killer leg muscles. Ha! I’m meeting with my new boss, Pam, later today to go over the specifics – she’s extremely nice and tells me they’re working on expanding the biz to include full floral design services, so me assisting the main designer is also to be expected.
All in all, an entry-level foot in the door with a lot of room to grow…and what I’m lacking for in pay, I will be making up for with free training and hands on experience! The journey continues…
Illustration via ReubenMiller
This perfectly sums up my feelings today…On the brink of something possible wonderful, although first I have to step into the unknown…(curiouser and curiouser, hmm?)
Dear readers,
I’m waaay behind with the blog…was up at Better Farm for a long weekend of renovations and general maxin,’ plus been spending my free time either home-schooling myself on all that is naturey or on the job hunt full-force (may have some news on that front – fingers crossed!) But for now, be satisfied with a pictorial recap of Butch and I’s trip to Montauk a couple weekends ago.
P.S. Please note the motel Butch picked out, his sexy waistline potato pants, and the best place to get Lunch east of the BQE.
Just a couple amazing design solutions I came across today:
First, a business card designed for an environmental consultant…only it’s not a card, it’s a stamp that is then put on any scrap of whatever that otherwise would have ended up as garbage. Not only a genius form of services promotion, but an alternative that will hopefully gain some followers. Count me in…next time I actually have a reason to hand out cards!
Next, via Apartment Therapy, these creative downspouts are part of a water reclamation project by Environmental Artist, Buster Simpson as part of the Growing Vine Street Project. Gives me some ideas for rainwater collection, including plant irrigation and an outdoor (rural) shower! So many ideas, so few hours in a day…
Photos: Business card from ibelieveinadv
Rain spout from Apartment Therapy
For those who may remember, back in November I mentioned a little book called Edible Estates by the mad-scientist performance artist meets practical, sustainable living guru” Fritz Haeg. Since then I’ve bought a copy for Daddio (Lord knows what he’s up to at this point with his “floating garden”), signed up for a Urban Permaculture certificate course, and started scheming for a perma garden up at Better Farm.
Well wouldn’t you know it, but during a much needed stroll around my naturey links, I peeked in on the Garden Lab to see what ole Fritzy was up to…and found that he’s not only still adding edible estates, his next one is planned for right here in the city at 10th and 26th. AND, they are recruiting volunteer planters for Saturday, June 13th!
Yes, I already sent my email, and yes, I also just peed a little.
Photo: Fritz Haeg
Angela sent me a great post on design*sponge’s “weeder’s digest” about wisteria obsession. Makes me think that maybe I’ll run into a roadside field in Jersey tomorrow and pick out something nice. Afterall, New Jersey is supposedly one of the top markets for wildflower production…
Photo: Design*Sponge
Beer Pong for a good cause? Believe, because that is exactly what’s happening this Saturday at Chez Kristen (Nicole’s sister) & Jeff. They were nice enough to organize this last-minute gathering so we can round up a little extra cash for our massive crew driving up to Better Farm for renovations over Memorial Day weekend (which is rapidly approaching, and I’m only done with part 1 of my new permaculture book!).
I don’t expect to see too many of my Brooklyn crew out there, but if they want to brave the Jersey Transit, I’m sure we could organize a ride of some kind from the station (although I can’t guarantee it won’t be in a muddy Jeep driven by a lacrosse playing jock). Regardless this should be an interesting evening.
And stay tuned: I’ve got ideas for a “Loud Music/Silent Auction” fundraiser for later this summer – so anyone I know who plays music/makes art, be warned…you will be involved!
Or, more appropriately, who domesticated whom? That relationship between plants and humans is the overall idea behind enviromental journalist Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World (Random House, 2001). Structurely, Pollan breaks it down into four sections, each matching a distinct human desire with the plant that fulfills it: Sweetness/Apple, Beauty/Tulip, Intoxication/Marijuana, and Control/Potato.
I’m not going to give a full summary, because I highly recommend this book and think the experience of Pollan’s masterful writing is better than my blogging. Instead, I’m going to share a selection of quotes I pulled that particularly resounded with me:
“In the best of all possible worlds we’d be preserving the wild places themselves…The next best world, though, is the one that preserves the quality of wildness itself, if only because it is upon wildness…that domestication depends. ‘In wildness is the preservation of the world,” Thoreau once wrote; a century later, when many of the wild places are no more, Wendell Berry has proposed this necessary corollary: ‘In human culture is the preservation of wildness.’”
“To take a leaf or a flower and use it to change out experience of consciousness suggests a very different sort of sacrament, one at odds with our loftier notions of self, not to mention civilized society…Even so, letting nature have her way with us now and again still seems like a useful thing to do, if only to bring our abstracted upward gaze back down to Earth for a time.”
“We’re unsure about our power in nature, its legitimacy, and its reality, and rightly so. Perhaps more than most, the farmer or the gardener understands that his control is always something of a fiction, depending as it does on luck and weather and much else that is beyond his control. It is only the suspension of disbelief that allows him to plant again every spring, to wade out into the season’s uncertainties.”
“Soil truly is a wilderness.”
“‘This is the assembly of life that it took a billion years to evolve,’ the zoologist E.O. Wilson has written, speaking of biodiversity. ‘It has eaten the storms–folded them into its genes–and created the world that created us. It holds the world steady.’”
Cover image: Random House.
Stefan Sagmeister wants to tell you what he’s learned so far….
An informative, not to mention productive, movement found via More Ways to Waste Time:
Like I need an excuse to spend money, as witnessed by Angela during our LI spree yesterday…
Filed under: Deep Thoughts, Horticulture School!, It's all relative, Workin’ 9-5
So….know why I still hadn’t heard from BBG about classes? Because, despite me having successfully faxed my registration info in, they never got it. And apparently it was “a problem with a lot of people.” And apparently there was an option to register via email, but they just don’t make it clear anywhere, so nobody KNOWS about it. And how nice of the woman to call me back (after the 3rd message) just to tell me that the classes were booked, and suggest that I sign up for a much more advanced class that I’m not prepared for yet. Thanks, honey, but I’d rather bury my money at the former site of Astroland. F that S!
This lovely news came yesterday, in the middle of a ridiculous head cold I’ve been battling + lack of sleep due to having to be at work an hour and a half early the last couple days to let some video guys in (and let’s not even go into the lack of appreciation on the that front). Needless to say, memsy is not pleased.
But after crying into the soup Butch made for me, I tried to shed some positive light on my now slightly challenged plans. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
- Already bought some books from Amazon that cover the classes I would have been taking had peeps not had their heads up their asses. This includes botany, soil management, and woody/herbaceous plant identification. I don’t see the point anymore with paying a disorganized organization to teach me what I can teach myself. If I later feel like certain classes at BBG will supplement my home-schooling, I may reconsider. Maybe. But in reality, horticulture is the kind of field where hands on work counts for a lot.
- So to start, I’m going to a volunteer meeting on May 13th at Prospect Park to see about volunteering as a gardener.
- Luckily I’m already signed up for an intensive Urban Permaculture certificate course starting in July at the New York Open Center, and ending with the completion of a community garden in Park Slope. The Open Center course seems like it will be amazing – And much more relative to what I want to accomplish up at Better Farm. I mean, how can you go wrong with an org that teaches classes in “Shamanic Journeying.” Spirit animals, anyone?
- I just joined up with the Crown Heights CSA (actually just came back from the meetup tonight), which will hopefully introduce me to some interesting people. The L.I. based Sang Lee Farms we are partnering with is also being kind enough to let us have a field trip in a couple weekends. Exciting!
- Not getting into the BBG classes may also be the kick in the pants I needed to leave my mentally stressful job. Now I won’t have to worry about working somewhere that is flexible with me leaving early for class (Perma class is only on the weekends), and also won’t need to feel like I have to be thankful for an “opportunity” that pays for classes. I will gladly take something that pays less that is more rewarding – so the job search is on again!
- And of course, Better Farm. Memorial Day is approaching and the “worker bees” are getting ready to go beautify the place and get it ready for workshops later this summer. I can’t stress enough how thankful and excited I am about this budding little piece of heaven. Besides helping with general cleanup, my special assignment is the “curb appeal” of the farm, using native plants only! Stay tuned.
Pissed-off tree photo: FunnyPart.com
