A Kinder Gentler Future

In a simple gesture with trusting implications the Na Na sisters ( Oona O'niell and Rianna Bowen) raise the flag of peace in a modern day "swords into plowshares" maneuver. It seems to me that if we exhibit faith in our Daily Acts we will be rewarded with results , , , and speaking of Daily Acts . . . the latest edition of Ripples produced by Petaluma's own delightful crew of walk the walkers led by the intrepid Trathen is a most worthy read . . . sign up now for your edition . . . go to http://daily-acts.org/ . . . Petaluma keeps growing as a green, compassionate caring community . . . welcome to the overground!

Lock your doors

Here is bug's new river ride . . . a 1961 Silverline 15' runabout with a 1961 Evinrude 2 stroke

We have reached that time of year when one must be careful about leaving your unattended car doors unlocked . . . you may just come back and find it stuffed full of giant zucchinis . . . be that as it may, the community of abundant gardens is no doubt my favorite time of year . . . i get to walk 30 feet from my door and start my day off with a big bowl of blackberries . . . real tomatoes remind me why agribiz does not satisfy . . . saw the mad scramble at the county fair as we delivered things to the fabulous Suzanne Alexander at the Sustainable Sonoma Tent . . . check it out . . . the fair opens today!

Swords to Plowshares, Barbed wire to Tibetan Prayer Flags

Well, our excitement at Heritage Salvage about the impending annexation of the property into the city limits of Petaluma have caused us to dress up the front entry to reflect our pleasure. As a gift to the fine burg of Petaluma we have fashioned an old style barn roof sign of  "Welcome to Petaluma" and added some salsa garden beds with our version of a verdant flourishing lawn (recycled artificial turf) Our next step was to take some of the cyclone fencing down and replace it with chicken roosts repurposd as fencing. We have also begun removing the barbed wire, of which i am not a fan, and are replacing it with Tibetan Prayer flags. As i began researching Tibetan Prayer Flags, and discovered that there were like 500,000 places to purchase same (half of which are probably made in China), i handed the task over to the intrepid Kim Sprouse of our office and showroom fame, and she ended up speaking with the Marin Tibetan Center and they are going to have the Prayer Flags Blessed before we come to get them! 

Here is the Backside of our movie set entry way . . . our intention is to keep morphing the yard into a Green Architectural Playland! Many more things to come. At this point we have just received about 40,000 bd ft of con heart and con common redwood from a manufacturing concerns boneyard, 2x4, 2x6, 4x4, and 4x6, never used and dry! Another new addition is a collection of 60 limestone fenceposts from Kansas! Come on by!

locavores revel in Farmers markets

Being the firm believer that there should be Farmers Markets every couple of miles so that everybody could walk, bicycle or take their solar wheelchair to get there, i love this time of year when the proliferation of fresh produce from local farmers rolls into town . . . and you can find out down to a tenth of a mile how far our food traveled . . . and it's so damn good . . . my very late planting of my salsa garden at the yard has taken hold, not sure how me peppers and tomatoes will fare but it was so satisfying to put it in! . . . a couple more maneuvers to ensure that the voracious forest rats known as deer will not be able to use the tomatoes for dessert . . . it is so dry they will be going the extra mile to glean fresh greens . . . i've seen a lot in the river this year . . . speaking of which, i spent the day after work trying to tune my sleek new river craft, a 1961 Silverline 15' runabout with a 1961 evinrude . . . sweet package indeed . . . more time will be spent on my back door waterway! I am now looking for HS to be sharing more space with community endeavors and am reaching out to bring in like minded Petaluminaries to build a central green presence in our fine burg. We are pleased to be supported by and in turn supporting Suzanne Alexander and Sustainable Sonoma . . . we are planning a presence at the Sonoma County Fair in the Sustainable Sonoma tent!

Buy local, shop local, meet local and be a friend!

MP

Gifts of Unknown Things, and unknown things as gifts

waiting for an appining!


this is a bit of a long story but i am going to tell it by gosh, i am . . . . i have become very enamored 

of two dervishes that i recently discovered 

via the ethernet . . .

 rumor has it that they are living in or around Salmo, BC, Canada, 

that's a salmon without the N . . . 

which was given to Elson and it became Nelson 

 . . .  but that is a story for another day . . . these dervish type fellas were seen in Salwarkhamis tunics probably from their Grandma's stash of exotic things

(this would be reporters speculation)

Now these two dervishes probably have some connection to the two amazing Grands mentioned in previous blog! . . . ohhh the wondrous way of the World Wide Web and the exotic possibilities that may yet unfold with Worlds Weird Weather . . . The Merry Plankster is thorughly pleased!

Relativity beyond Theory

Be i so pleased to officially announce my Daughter and my two Grands to this very page! May all your happinesses be as special to you as these three are to me! Through a very special set of extenuating circumstances i have not yet been able to meet these three very handsome, sagacious, fun-filled and frolicsome relations . . . whole story soon to come to a bookstore near you! That would be Suzy, Hayden and Mason . . . there is always something to look forward to!

Everything is Relative!!

June swooned and went away . . . July Flies! . . . in the California Heat with a glass of wine and a smoked sunset my thoughts have turned to relevant phrase of " everything is Relative" which when asked, "how are you?", when things were not going well at the yard,  and i had just heard my younger brother had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Carcinoma, i reflected and replied, "Personally i am excellent, healthy, emotionally unsettled and concerned for the well being of my brother! What a trooper we knew he would be . . . as the Deakin and extended family immediately circled the spiritual wagons and the realities of the frailty of Diagnosed life enters our consciousness we all, Dennis and Janet first, have stepped up to the nothing is impossible page! . . . i quote from "Alice in Wonderland" . . .  

"There's no use trying.'  Alice said, 'One can't believe impossible things!'

"'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen, 'When I was your age I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'" (I was reminded of that quote reading Barbara Kingsolvers "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" which is a fine read digging to the roots of locavores! )

You gotta love the reappearance of many things at the farmers markets!

So, I digress, with the great attitude of two families and many friends, we venture forth! looking for alternative solutions and will be happy to hear of any!

I look forward to spending many closer years with Brother Dennis as i am reminded of the frailty of our existence and things not done!! . . . and of the power of the human spirit and things yet to do!

More about the reality of Relativity next blog!