Taproot - People and Nature

Got an email from Backyard Abundance today talking about their next event where they will partner with an organization called Taproot.  This post, truly, is all about jealousy.  The people who've started Taproot are doing what sounds like the perfect job.  Building a sustainable farm, helping kids get back into nature instead of sitting in front of a computer or t.v., helping adults re-connect with nature and hands-on processes.  Yep, I'm jealous, particularly as I sit in front of a computer for the first of many hours today knowing that today will be one more glorious spring-like day (it's March, this has to be a false spring bout). 

I'm fantasizing about grabbing a god-daughter, or a few, making some PB&J sandwiches, filling a thermos with milk and heading to a park...

More on the Backyard Abundance event - it's an Environmental Film Fest Sunday, March 15, 2009, 3-5pm at the Iowa City Public Libary.  The film is "Farming With Nature: A Case Study of Temperate Permaculture" and it will be followed by a presentation on choosing environmentally-friendly plants for your yard.

Sappy weekend at ICNC

Just got an announcement that one of our natural resources should be going crazy this weekend for the Maple Syrup Festival at ICNC:

IOWA POISED FOR OUTSTANDING SAP RUN
This week’s weather forecast is perfect for Iowa sugar making.

“Maple trees flow sap when warm sunny days follow cold nights. That’s precisely the forecast this week,”

said Rich Patterson, Director of the Indian Creek Nature Center.

The Nature Center is geared up to collect sap from several hundred maple and box elder trees. It boils sap into maple syrup in a New Hampshire style maple sugarhouse.

“The sap flow is timed perfectly for this weekend’s Maple Syrup Festival,”

continued Patterson.

The Festival will be held Saturday, March 7 and Sunday March 8 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. It includes syruping demonstrations, live music, and a breakfast featuring local maple syrup on pancakes.

“Syruping is a fascinating activity, and we welcome anyone to come to the Nature Center to see it in action,”

said Patterson.

Reuse but not Reduce, I think

Today a co-worker introduced me to a new site online - paperbackswap.com. The concept is - list all the paperbacks you're willing to part with and when someone else requests one you mail it to them (on your dime) and you get a credit to request a book from someone else. The site also includes reviews, ratings, tools to help you find books....much like a literary Netflix.

I like the concept as a way to deal with those books I read but don't want to keep around. I've found that taking them to a used books store really nets me nothing, but at least this process is a fair exchange...you pay for the postage to send your book on to a new home, then someone pays the postage to send your book to you.

It's a good way to reuse books...but I doubt that it will effectively reduce my inventory. I'm sure I will be replacing books at the same rate they leave the house. But $2.50 in postage is much more palatable than $8.00 at the book store.

Thought Provoking Art

A friend twittered about this article on how artist Don Simon is using his art to speak to how industrialization is impacting the world around us and other species.  It's definitely worth a visit, and watch the video hear the artist explain his works.  It's almost as good as getting to an art opening.

Unnaturalism at grist.org

Indian Creek Nature Center Board

I just had my first board meeting at the Indian Creek Nature Center.  I took on this board position because it came up in Jr. League that they were looking for a volunteer and because I'd been looking for a more hands-on/outdoorsy volunteer opportunity.  I have to admit...in the past I thought of the nature center as just a place for kids' activities that was loosely tied to the trail system.  In my interview to apply to be on the board I learned more about the organization and it's mission, and was impressed.  But sitting in the board meeting, hearing the staff speak, and getting even more detail on their mission of sustainability, land stewardship, and mission to teach these values to the community I was more excited than ever.

My biggest problem, now, is limiting myself to a reasonable number of committees to get involved with.  It all sounds like so much fun, so progressive, so much to learn!

Bag Addict

I have to admit, I've become somewhat addicted to collecting different bags now...and just last week I stopped in a local quilt shop and found out that they had a class to make a bag very similar to my uber-favorite Chico bags, but in quilter's cotton. With the crappy weather we've been having I don't think I'll make it to the next class...but now I'm running in to bag patterns all over.

See this one from the Purl Bee: "Apple Picking Tote" I like the shape of this one. It only matches...about 3 bags I already have.

But while I was there I also found a tutorial on napkins...specifically cocktail napkins that shows a great way to finish the edges without requiring a rolled hem and/or a serger. Check out "Simple + Spooky Cocktail Napkins". This creates a quandry for me though...I love cute cocktail napkins - you know, the ones with the bitchy old ladies on them saying wiseass stuff? Or the beautiful baroque prints...or even fun bright stripes and dots. You know where I'm headed though...I need to make myself a big ol' set of these and stop buying paper. Darn it all.

Remembering Freecycle

So I have all this stuff that I need to find new homes for...and today Freecycle was finally top of mind again. I used to be a member a few years ago- but got disgusted with the local moderators being too picky about sig lines in the posts. I've mellowed...so I decided I'd try it again. Forgot that it's based on Yahoo! Groups - which utterly suck. For a diatribe on just why it sucks you can read my 30 Minutes a Day post for today.

I still love the concept of Freecycle, and if I can ever get subscribed again, I look forward to giving away many, many things in the coming months.