Home Owners' Association

Okay, here's the deal. My husband and I live in a townhome on the outskirts of Charlotte. It is part of a small housing community. We each get a small front yard and a slightly larger back yard off of an alleyway where we park. So, both sides are quite visible. In the Home Owners' Association guidelines, it specifically states that we are allowed to have planters in our yards as long as we keep the plants in good condition (ie. remove dead or diseased plants as soon as possible). The first year we lived here, I created a patio garden with everything in containers. I was so happy with my yield of cherry tomatoes and banana peppers that I decided to create a large planter garden in my backyard for the next spring. So, that fall, my mother and I created a large bed, surrounded by a stone border, so that it could cook down and amend the soil for the spring planting. It looked very neat with pine straw on top of it. The following January, we received a note from our HOA about the "structure" in our backyard which we had not gained a permit to build, and that we were to "cease construction immediately." My husband promptly called the HOA to let them know that we were completely within the guidelines and to stop harassing us about it. Once spring came, I planted a plethora of vegetables and herbs and enjoyed a huge tomato and pepper crop once again, along with quite a few other things. About halfway through the summer, we received yet another notice from the HOA, this time telling us that there was "trash and vegetation growing in our yard that needed to be removed immediately." This peaked my anger, of course and I called them immediately. This first person I spoke to obviously knew what I was talking about when she replied, "you're the one with the tomato plants." She then went on to complain about their size and that they were vegetable plants. I assured her that they were in good condition and were being maintained quite well. This went on back and forth for quite a while, with both of us getting angrier and more stubborn. Finally, I threatened her with legal action and she hung up on me. My husband called back later to complain to the manager about her attitude and to once again cease harassing us. We haven't heard from them since, but spring is almost here and my garden plans are even more ambitious than last year. So, we'll see if we hear from them again. What I don't understand is, why can't a person be allowed to grow their own food on their own property?? As my mom would say, "it's criminal." So to everyone out there, go grow your own!

Bath and Beauty

Here is my new bath routine for 2008: baking soda shampoo, apple cider vinegar rinse, castille soap, rose water/witch hazel toner, and jojoba oil as a moisturizer. That’s it. They work better than any other beauty product they will try to sell you. Here’s the easy way to wash your hair. In your shower or bath, keep a jar of baking soda, an empty 8 ounce cup, and a bottle of apple cider vinegar. Wet your hair and apply a tablespoon of baking soda to the roots and massage your scalp. This will release tension and reinvigorate the blood vessels in the scalp, causing healthier, faster growing hair. Rinse thoroughly. Fill the cup with water and add two tablespoons of the apple cider vinegar. Pour over your hair and let stand for a few minutes before rinsing. If you have dandruff, add a few drops of lavender oil to the rinse. Adding other essential oils will perfume the vinegar, in case you are worried about the smell. Aside from lavender, rosemary and eucalyptus are also recommended. Your hair may need about two weeks to two months to get used to this new routine. Because conventional shampoos strip all of the oil from your hair and scalp, your oil glands work overtime to replenish the lost oils. As soon as you are no longer removing the oils on a regular basis, it will take the glands a short while to accept the change. Your hair may seem a little bit oily at first, but as soon as it acclimatizes, your hair will have more body and shine to it than ever before. You won’t ever need styling products either! I have super-fine hair and could never get it to look right on it’s own before. Now I don’t even need conditioner, hair spray, or mousse. They are all completely unnecessary now. And you wouldn’t even believe how much money I save by not having to buy all of those products anymore.

Beginnings

Why am I writing this? That is the best question. Partly, it’s because I want to get all of these thoughts I’ve been having down on paper, to document this journey. Partly, I know that other people are at the beginning as I was and, like me, need some insight. I’m hoping that this will then help both of us.
Speaking of beginnings, I couldn’t even tell you exactly when my organic life began. It came on so gradually over the years, there is no direct event that I can point to. My mother, from an artistic family, brought my brother and I up in a liberal environment. All of her friends were ex-hippies, running 100 year-old tree farms, Montessori schools, instructing yoga classes, and so on. These were our “aunts” and “uncles” and they were incredible influences. We also always had plenty of animals around us, which gave us a deep appreciation for other creatures. And she started her first serious garden right after her divorce when I was 10. So, both my brother and I, who was 8 at the time, were introduced to gardening during those formative years. Granted, we weren’t the most enthusiastic helpers at first, but this became her new passion, so we were constantly exposed to it.
Any new project that required manual labor, we were involved in. When she learned how to create a sustainable plant pond, we dug the hole. When she wanted to fill in part of the pond years later and create a stone patio, we braved the fire ants. Anybody who wandered into her sphere got pulled into “indentured servitude.” Even when her brother came to attend my wedding, she convinced him to help her put in a rain barrel system. Like I said, the garden is her passion. Most visits to me involve her driving her ”work truck” so that she can get a new load of manure from a place down the street from my home. Through the years and with the acquisition of my own home, I developed a greater understanding of the finer arts of the natural world. And she is always there to offer her own advice and experiences (and quite a few starter plants).

This is Not Civilized

Why do I ache for a time never known to me?
When we were surrounded not by material things,
But by the people we loved,
Our homes,
Our land.
When we took pride in what we could create
With our own two hands,
And our skills were useful to others.
Bartering, trading, skill for skill.
Music and art were everyday, yet magical.
We did not cut great swaths across the earth,
Destroying all in our path,
Paving the world.
We lived with it, lived on it,
Loved the earth, which gives us life.
Why do we try so hard now to forsake it?
To ignore our own bodies’ pull
Towards that natural force.
We have stopped passing down
Those tales of magic
And myth
And love.
The ache has no cure,
Yet.

7-25-2005