The Organic Rebellion

We’ve been assigned a plot in the Community Garden and I can’t wait to start! Growing up, we always had a lush, family garden, so much so, that when I went away to college and had to buy food on my own, I was shocked at what passed for “fresh produce.” Not only were the grocery store tomatoes, dry and puny, so were the zucchinis, lettuces, potatoes, and onions. I quickly realized why my suburban housemates didn’t share my veggie cravings. They didn’t have the benefit of rural exposure to Food The Way God Intended It To Be. To add insult to injury, grocery stores charged exorbitant prices for their fraudulent fruit.

Thanks to an abundance of farmers markets in our new home town and our own little piece of earth, my children will not have to war with their vegetables. We can finally turn our (light)sabers into plowshares and use our peelings. May the Farm be with you.

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Welcome to Goleta

Wednesday, July 2nd was move-in day, and our new home town greeted us with a spectacular sunset, casting an amazing orange-pink glow. I’ve never seen anything like it, beautiful and eerie, all at the same time. Our “warm welcome” was the result of the Gap Fire that had just started to burn about an hour before our arrival.

There were power outages throughout the evening, but we managed to get moved in with the help of neighbors and several flashlights. Upon waking the next day, everything was covered in ashes and the fire continued to burn.

Tonight is the first night that we haven’t lost power, and it appears as if the flames are moving away from the populated areas. There are reports that those who had evacuated are being allowed to return to their homes.

Meanwhile, we continue to unpack and sweep up ashes. It is amazing how the ash sneaks through the shutters, the screens and into unexpected places…

2008 Jul 03 Gap Fire 2 Originally uploaded by Shooting Star Photos

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A Body In Motion, Stays In Motion

So this is the view from where I stand. The storm clouds are starting to break and the sun is about to burst through…

Relocating my family in anticipation of starting a doctoral program 100+ miles away from family and friends, is definitely an emotional, mental and physical challenge. Weekly (sometimes daily) I struggle to keep the remaining items on my to do list from unraveling all my hard work. Thankfully, I am a firm believer in destiny and the basic principles of physics. As long as God keeps opening doors, I figure I’ll keep walking through them no matter how much effort it takes. And I’m finding that as long as I keep moving, doors keep opening. Inertia for the win.

Yesterday’s day trip to check out our new home town was fun and refreshing, despite the fact our day began at 4:30am and ended after midnight. The weather was perfect and the drive was lovely. The plan had been to check out the main resources active unschooling families require — libraries, bookstores, community centers, parks and beaches. We also wanted to get a peek at our new home and take a look around campus. It was an ambitious plan. Time ran out before we could make it to all of our destinations, but we did enough to get my children excited and on board for the move.

There is so much more to do, but the end is in sight. I’ll leave the details to God and just keep moving, decluttering, packing, making phone calls, answering emails and packing. Seven days and counting…

48 Minutes Later (32201)Originally uploaded by kstoon

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World Wide Knit in Public Day

June 14th is World Wide Knit in Public Day. Quick! Grab your knitting and get to a KIP!

World Wide Knit in Public Day was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes. It began as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other’s company. Knitting is such a solitary act that it’s easy to knit alone somewhere and sink into your work without thinking about all the other knitters out there. Neighbors could spend all their lives never knowing that the other knits. This a specific day to get out of your house and go to a local event (with your knitting in tow) just for you and people like you. Who knows you might even bump into your neighbor! Consider this a spark, to ignite a fire; getting all of the closeted knitters out into fresh air.

WWKiP Day is unique, in that it’s the largest knitter run event in the world. Each local event is put together by a volunteer or a group of volunteers. They each organize an event because they want to, not because they have to. They bring their own fresh ideas into planning where the event should be held, and what people would like to do. If it weren’t for these volunteer hosts, WWKiP Day would still just be an idea. So when you go to your local event, make sure you thank your host(s) and if you’re inclined, bring along some yummy treats to share.

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