Let the good times roll.

Neal, Jamie, and I riding a pig in Cincinnati, OH

This weekend my friend Jamie from college came to visit from Ohio. We had not seen each other in over two years since her wedding and prior to that maybe once since living in Wilmington, NC. Jamie and I met the end of my freshman year of college at UNCW because she lived in the same apartment complex as one of my best friends. The first impression I had of Jamie was that she was ridiculously proud of being from Ohio (did you know that 8 of our presidents are from OH, it is the birthplace of the wright brothers, and that buckeyes are goodluck?), she loved sports (Go Buckeyes!), and she would say exactly what she was thinking (while laughing the whole time). What I loved about her was that even though we had completely different political views and many differing beliefs, she was always up for and adventure and you could count on her to be there when you needed her.

My sophomore year we ended up all living together in a neighborhood called Yesteroak, which was the beginning of what would be three years of being her roommate and many insane memories. There were a lot of cul-de-sac parties, late nights of playing nintendo, girl fights (sometimes involving nintendo), dance parties, dog chasing, broken hearts, pig-pickins, and growing pains.

When she arrived Friday night it was as though I had just seen her last week. There is something about having lived with someone for several years that creates a level of comfort similar to family. No matter what you have gone through or how long it has been you tend to fall back into your routine without any trouble.

Saturday while I worked the farmers market she went with Dan on the bike ride for Edwin and then biked to Marion square to meet up with me. Before she arrived I had gotten a call that there were some loose chickens in someone's front yard (my boss told me I could add the title Chicken Wrangler to my resume if I could catch them). So when Jamie found me, we jumped in the truck and went on a chicken hunt. Next thing I know I have caught a hen and cannot find the rest of the flock. I peek over the fence and see the other six hanging out next door. As it turns out, they live at the neighbors house under the porch and are owned by a guy that obviously knows nothing about chickens (including that they fly, need water, and that roosters are illegal downtown). Needless to say, if they get loose again, I may not be returning them.

From there we headed home and then to Sullivan's Island. We hung out under the cloud covered sky, watching storms roll past, and eventually got chased away by the tide. I realized that I need to spend way more time at the beach, especially in the late afternoon.

After beaching it, we stopped at a local bar to get a drink, at which point we decided we wanted to find a dock to sit on and enjoy the sunset. With our to-go drinks and Jamee's fishing pole we headed out onto a small and unblocked private dock. We put our feet in the water, cast out the line, watched the sun melt into the water, and talked about the good ole days.

As if the moment could not get any better, dolphins broke the surface and began curiously investigating what our private dock party was all about. This same moment could have easily occurred 6 years ago except that now we talk about our careers, being in committed relationships, and considering a life with children.


Sunday after brunch we headed into downtown to walk King street, visit the market, explore some of my favorite spots, and visit Dan at work. We took a bike taxi to dinner, dodged the rain-drops, and finally headed home to go to bed. The weekend was nothing incredibly out of the ordinary but it was nice because for a few days I was able to enjoy the comfort of an old friend, share my world with someone that genuinely cared, and laugh until it hurt.


I know that in 6 more years we will look back nostalgically on weekends like this one and envy our freedom and youth... but I have no doubt that we continue to enjoy whatever it is we happen to be doing.

Everything will be okay.

I promise my next post will be full of pictures, fun stories, and happy thoughts. For now I have to share some videos that support a lot of my thoughts from the last post. Please know that I do not necessarily agree with everything these people have to say but I like their overall messages.

Here is a video of a man doing what a lot of us wish we could in a way that I found ridiculously entertaining.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAQrsA3m8Bg&feature=player_embedded#at=453

Then there is this music video for "Words I Never Said" by Lupe Fiasco that makes a pretty strong statement...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22l1sf5JZD0

The last one is another Lupe Fiasco song that is a little more inspirational, especially for kids that are growing up in bad neighborhoods...my favorite verse is:

"So no matter what you been through
no matter what you into
no matter what you see when you look outside your window
brown grass or green grass
picket fence or barbed wire
Never ever put them down
you just lift your arms higher
raise em till’ your arms tired
Let em’ know you’re there
That you struggling and survivin’ that you gonna persevere
Yeah, ain’t no body leavin, no body goin’ home
even if they turn the lights out the show is goin’ on!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHMGIBaanQ

Proud to be an American

Monday night was was the annual celebration of the day our country declared our independence... I spent the evening with friends, riding bikes, and being awed by the sound and sight of fireworks going off less a few hundred feet away. As the reverberations pounded my chest, I thought about how impressive it is that we have harnessed the power of chemical reactions to create something so beautiful. The visual spectacle was accompanied by iconic American music like the Top Gun soundtrack and Born in the USA, both of which brought a smile to my face along with a reminder that the essence of the 4th of July celebration has changed dramatically since 1776.

When the show concluded, we walked our bikes through the crowds planning our next stop. As we walked, a guy in front of me finished his tall-boy (beer), crushed it up and threw it into the bushes. Unable to contain myself, I blurted "Seriously?" to the back of his head. He cocked his head to the side and arrogantly grunted "Yeah". To which I replied, "Proud to be an American." His parting words of justification were, "Yeah, I do what I want."

This basically sums ups my overall disappointment with the average American. Fly the stars and stripes, attend a baseball game, watch the fireworks, get drunk, and then carelessly live your life to your own comfort and convenience. This guy was just one more of the millions that seems to confuse independence for entitlement, freedom for free reign, and pride for ego. This situation deserves a poster in which fireworks are going off in the background and this red-white-and-blue patriot is littering next to a pristine marsh.. across the top it would simply say "FAIL".

It seems the Land of the Free has given a little too much leeway in all the wrong places. Our consumer driven economy has skewed the values of our country so much that we have sold our principles and quality of life for a few more pennies. People have put their own privileges above the rights of others so that they can live cheap, easy, and convenient lifestyles full of instant gratification and self indulgence. I could go off on this tangent for weeks but I think you all get the point. Back to my iconic 4th of July...

After this less than inspiring run-in, we all headed back to the house and decided to play a board game. We settled on playing "Life", since none of us had played since childhood. After a thorough briefing, we got rolling. You start with a mini-van, you must choose between going straight into a career or accruing $40k of debt for a degree, and then you take a spin. Along the way, you stop to get your career and salary, get married, have kids, win and lose money, buy a house, choose to purchase insurance, play the stock market, and make decisions that mirror those being made everyday. Of course the person with the most money and assets wins in the end. Within minutes of beginning we all realized that this game is a lot more entertaining when we were younger and these types of decisions were too far in the future to be taken seriously. We softened the blow of this reality with a few drinks, competing stories of financial woes, some upbeat music, and the occasionally self-depreciating joke.

Playing as a adult comes with a much different perspective and when your mini-van driving game piece ends up accruing debt, getting stuck with a low-paying job, and being left behind your peers on the board- it starts to feel a little too much like the real thing.

This brings me back again to the idea of what it means to be an American. There are so many movies, television shows, songs, commercials and games similar to "Life" that further reinforce the idea that there is a standard operating procedure for becoming a successful adult in the United States. It gives the impression that there is a "right way", that you can win or lose, and that the winner is the one with all of the money. Yet this expectation and set of rules has resulted in the highest rate of divorce, bankruptcy, and suicide since the 1950s and more people are on mood and behavioral modifying medications than ever. It is this "right way" that pushed me to feel inadequate, left me doubting my decisions, and created a constant pressure for me to achieve traditional success that left me with stomach ulcers and debt.

I recently watched the documentary God Grew Tired of Us and it left me with the most bizarre mix of hope and disappointment on this same subject. It tells the story of the thousands of boys ages 3- 13 that fled their country of Sudan to avoid being killed or enslaved and spent almost a decade as refugees. Of these refugees, 3800 were selected to be re-settled in the United States. You watch them leave a refugee village that is small and lacking in supplies but full of brotherhood, friendship, and laughter with hope that the US holds the key to a better life. The young men must overcome the immense cultural and physical differences of coming to a new country and prepare to repay the debt that they have accrued for their travels. The story unfolds as they struggled to learn our customs, speak better English, and adjust to the American way of life.

Over the span of four years there is a transformation of these young men as they find jobs, send money home, try and stay connect with each other, and struggle to overcome their alienation of being immigrants. I cringed when I watched as they were harassed by police officers for traveling in groups, ignored by other pedestrians when they needed help, and mocked for their accents; this lack of compassion combined with the pressure resulted in the complete mental breakdown of one of the young men that had to be institutionalized. In many of the interviews they talk about they missed the sense of community, openness, and friendship that is such an integral part of their country. They felt a sense of disillusionment at how hard they had to work to gain so little, leaving them with no time for their family and a never ending sense of backsliding.

These young men had seen such unimaginable things, survived walking hundreds of miles carrying one another, lived through attacks from wild animals, and entered man-hood as orphaned refugees only to end up in America scraping for minimum wage and losing themselves in the isolation of our society. Towards the end it shows many of the young men gathering at a conference to re-connect with each other and in many cases and address the issues that many of them were facing and there was a glimmer of hope in their unfailing ambition.

I was inspired by the hearts and the strength of these young men that had endured so much pain and suffering and continued to work so hard in hopes of changing their lives. I then think about how many people grow-up in the United States surrounded by type of opportunities these boys crossed a desert and an ocean for and take it for granted. How many people their age are sleepwalking through life ungrateful, seeking instant gratification, never questioning anything, always trying to buy something bigger and better, and seeking out to the quickest and easiest way to die fat and happy.

Perhaps it is time we all stop and consider what it is to be an American and how we need to start re-defining that. To me being an American should mean that I respect the freedom so many have died for by using it to strengthen my community and my country. When I am successful, I should delight in the opportunity to share my time, experience, and bounty with those that are less fortunate. I will celebrate my independence by defending my right to make my own decisions about my life and my body. To ensure that the leaders of my country are strong I will use my voice to guide their decisions and vote for those that I believe in. I believe that every body of government, business, and corporation should operate in a way they can be proud of and hold policies of transparency with no fear of third party auditing. Although my funds are limited, I will use my money wisely and support the local economy that supports me by buying from local businesses, restaurants, and farmers. It is time that we demand that our country is shaped democratically by the voice of the people and not the corporations and groups with deep pockets. I am proud to be an American but I am not yet proud of many of my fellow Americans, something I hope will change with time.

I think it is time we start holding each other to a higher standard, to start exploring and supporting new and different ways of living, to learn from cultures much older than ours, to meet our neighbors, and to become a country of individuals that believes in something greater than ourselves.

Adventures in Farmland...

Last weekend I was able to spend three glorious days traveling from one farm to the next with Daniel, starting in Conway, SC and ending somewhere outside of Greenville, SC. We toured eight farms total, spending around an hour and half on average at each farm. Needless to say, it was an awesome weekend full of great people, an abundance of vegetables, all kinds of animals, and beautiful places.

On Friday we visited Freewoods Farm, Thompson Farm, LW Paul Living Museum in conjunction with a Clemson program. We learned about the history around African American farmers, saw some interesting agri-tourism ideas, and got some hands-on experience at another living history farm. The LW Paul Living Museum was my favorite of the day because it included info on cane sugar, corn milling, timber sawing, tobacco cutting/stringing/curing, mule cultivation, potato storage and other fun historical building examples. I even got to try the plow behind the mule! Here are the pictures of all three:


Saturday we headed over to the Clemson Student farm, Barrioz Family Farm, and Baird Family Farm. At Clemson we were able to hear three phenomenal speakers talk about how to control pests organically including weeds, insects, and diseases. I also got to see an old friend from college which was great! Barrioz Family Farm was a nice example of a market garden that had some great terracing and a cute little tractor. Our final farm for the day was a little trickier to find and we ended up cutting through a private drive full of goats to get to our final destination (a bonus!). Baird Family Farm had a great set up that included bottom lands, a stream, forested hills, and upland fields. They let us walk in their stream, tour their fields, and feed their pig.

Sunday we headed to Bio-way farm and then onto Early Bird Worm Farm. Bio-way was utilizing some strategies in permaculture, which I cannot get enough of. He had some really neat forest plants that were edible and/or medicinal as well as mushroom logs and native flowers. Early Bird Worm Farm was hands down the best part of the tours. This farm makes its living raising and selling worms but also processes deer/chickens, raises rabbits, grows/sells vegetables, grows mushrooms, processes corn, and hosts a variety of critters including sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, and dogs. We ended up staying at this farm talking to the farmer until it was dark and left with our car full of farm fresh goodies.

Here are the pictures:

In the end I managed to meet a lot of great people, learned a lot of new techniques for organic growing, scored a little tan, plowed a field, saw tobacco flowers, pet a pig, ate fresh veggies, discovered jam called FROG (figs, raspberries, oranges, and ginger), bought a plant that helps toothaches, and became even more inspired to homestead.

I think this quote pretty much sums up the trip:

"Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands."

–Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Jay (Aug. 23, 1785)

Getting adjusted.

Although I am down to just one job, I don't want anyone to worry that I will get bored or lack any kind of adventure. As usual every day is different and today was another action packed one.

I woke up early with my usual routine of dog feeding and garden maintenance... then I headed off to start the day at Joseph Fields farm playing with the goats and apprentices. After showing the apprentices about de-worming, hoof clipping, and other critter related info, I chatted with Joseph about dealing with blossom end rot and left determined to figure out if he is allowed to use Calcium Nitrate since he is certified organic.

I stopped at the Bogarden for my daily check in and somehow managed to get a $45 ticket for being half-way in a no-parking zone for less than 5 minutes. Are meter maids human or have they had their bodies snatched by aliens? They are eerily lacking compassion or hearing, even when given basil as a peace offering. Just as I am putting the ticket in my car, a neighbor drives past just to yell at me for having my truck parked in a no-parking zone. Not feeling the love on the corner of Bogard and Rutledge today... but at least the Sunflowers are looking good.

After that expensive stop-off, I made it back to the office for desk work where I cranked out emails/phone meetings and created a Lowcountry Farmers Google Group that I am excited about. I then went to a new small restaurant in Park Circle where I ate jicama for the first time (yum!) and was served a very expensive Mojito without the alcohol... the old guy serving me clearly thought I was underage but didn't have the guts to ask-awkward.

Then I came home to play with the dogs, do some dishes, and hang out session with one of my close friends. When she left, I headed out to check our the freshly cut grass and as usual ended up in the garden. I weeded and fought pests, both of which have gained significant ground recently. Between aphids, squash bugs, and squash vine borers, I am get all kinds of hands-on organic pest management experience.

To rewarded myself, I harvested peppers, cucumbers, collards, squash, beans, tomatoes, okra, and herbs for dinner. Afterward I made some herb butter to use later on and shared the recipe with my sister and mom.

Needless to say, I now spend my day doing what I love and I have time after work to spend time with the people I love, in the places I love.

All of my hard work pays off... finally.

As you may have noticed by now, I like to keep things interesting in my life. Over the last few months I have been struggling to balance my Director Position with Fields to Families with working as a full-time nanny (plus babysitting, landscaping, dog walking, etc.).

Myself and Dale Snyder of Sweetgrass Garden Co-op, a farm dedicated to growing food for the hungry of the Lowcountry.

She is a little less cute when you arrive at 4:30am and leave at 7pm.

I have had very little time, energy, or money to allow to me to stay connected with friends and family as I was working days, nights, and weekends. I honestly avoided blogging for fear of scaring people into thinking I was going to have a full-blown meltdown... which was not far from reality.

Just as I felt as if I had lost my way, I was presented with the opportunity to take on a new position with Lowcountry Local First (non-profit that supports the shift to buying local) as the Director of Sustainable Agriculture. This was a tricky offer because the person that held this position before me was a friend of mine and I felt very committed to Fields to Families. This being said, I could not ignore the fact that I needed a full-time salary and the position was perfect for me. So over the last month I informed my board at Fields to Families as well as my nanny family that I would be leaving. I slowly began taking on responsibility at LLF while tying up loose ends at my previous positions.

Yesterday was my first day solely working with LLF and for the first time in almost five years, I will finally have only one job. Okay, let me say that again. For the first time in almost five years, I will finally have only ONE JOB. This alone is like a gift from the heavens. You can read the email announcement that was sent out at the very bottom of this post. In summary, I will be running a department that does the following:

-the Growing New Farmers program to partner farming apprentices with farming mentors (which I helped pilot last year). We currently have three Teaching Assistants, four full-time apprentices, and 15 part-time apprentices. See a pic below...

-the New and Beginning Farmers program to work with farmers that have farmed 10 years or less receive statewide trainings.
-the Fresh on the Menu program to connect Chefs, Farmers, Producers, and the general public.
- the Growers Group program to host farm tours, guest speakers, and networking for local growers.
- Other fun and exciting farm related things!!

So what the heck have I been doing in the last few months besides working (because of course, I love a good juggling act).

Throughout this whole season I have continued to work hard on the Bogarden project, which has been a great labor of love. Daniel and I also worked closely with our co-conspirators at the Holy City Bike Co-op to plan and facilitate Bike! Bike! Southeast, a bicycling conference that was attended by over 75 people from several states and a variety of cities. This and other efforts has led to the presentation of an award next week from the City, although I am still unsure what I am actually receiving :-)

Dan leading the group through Hampton Park to the Lowcountry Roller Derby bout.

Here is a short video that was produced about the Bogarden this month by a woman named Melanie Creech that did a great job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BFuw10aG8k&feature=channel_video_title

There is also another news story style video as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCmcCxC2qRM&feature=relmfu

As far as life on the home-front, Daniel and I have been using what little free time we have to start our own little homestead. We have tilled a large plot of 7 rows and planted tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, watermelon, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, onions, and okra. We put up a fence to stop the dogs from doing their own "tilling" and unwanted fertilizing and planted some perennials out-front. Dan scavenged some bricks from the yard and dug a nice little fire pit for us. Using mostly salvaged materials we have been making slow and steady process on our chicken coop... which is turning into high-end avian housing for a small flock of upscale chickens. As usual, I have my ridiculously large collection of potted flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruit trees scatter throughout the property. The compost bin that Dan made from salvaged wood is currently hosting some gloriously rich looking black gold.

So overall... life has been busy and will continue to be busy... at least now I can have more time for play. And sleep, yes, sleep.

Here is the job announcement:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lowcountry Local First <Lowcountry_Local_First@mail.vresp.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 8, 2011 at 12:25 PM
Subject: LLF Announces new Director of Sustainable Agriculture

Nikki Seibert new Director of Sustainable Agriculture for LLF!

As things are growing all over the Lowcountry so are we! We are excited to announce that Nikki Seibert will be joining us at Lowcountry Local First as the Director of our Sustainable Agriculture Program, Farm Fresh Food!

As many of you know LLF has been working in this area since our inception partnering with SCDA to promote “Fresh on the Menu” by reaching out to those restaurants looking to source local food and farmers seeking new markets.

Nikki has played an integral role with the LLF team over the past year and half when piloting our Growing New Farmers Program and our online market Farm Fresh Market. Nikki has participated as an apprentice in our program and then gone on to lead Fields to Families as their Executive Director. Her ability to build community is apparent in what she has already accomplished with the Bogarden and the Holy City Bike Co-op. We know that her professionalism and desire for excellence make her the perfect choice for sustaining and building on our current programming.

Nikki will be joining us starting April 18^th please join me in welcoming her to the team!

Locally Yours,

Jamee

BIO:
Nikki Seibert is a passionate local leader in the environmental and social justice movements in the Lowcountry whose diverse experience has allowed her to initiate significant change.

With a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and several years working in Environmental Education and Outreach, she moved to Charleston in 2007 to work for Habitat for Humanity as an AmeriCorps Construction Crew Leader. After her service year, she developed an award winning green building program for Sea Island Habitat that gained local and regional recognition beyond just the construction changes but the homeowner education, community outreach, and staff trainings. During this time, she also completed her Masters of Environmental Studies at the College of Charleston, ran the campus’s recycling program, wrote and reported for The Digitel, and blogged about her car-free lifestyle. After the completion of her Masters, she continued working for Habitat but also assisted Charleston County Human Services Commission in the development of their Housing program as a part-time case worker. In 2010, she joined three friends in the creation of the Bogarden community garden on the corner of Bogard and Rutledge Ave which received a City of Charleston Community Pride Award.

The above efforts earned her the Dana Beach Award, the Leadership in Sustainability Award, the Outstanding Graduate Student Award, the Carolina Recycling Association “Behind the Scenes” Award, and a Post and Courier High Profile.

When the LLF Growing New Farmers program was announced, Nikki immediately saw her opportunity to turn her lifetime hobby of working with gardens into a career shift. Her time as a farming apprentice exposed her to all of the elements of the local food system and ultimately led to her position as the Director for Fields to Families.

She is excited for the opportunity to focus her attention on the Sustainable Agriculture program for Lowcountry Local First and is excited to continue its success!