FYI

- Natalia Rose-

"Since we cannot live for even a few minutes without oxygen, it's no surprise that shallow breathing leads to premature aging and even premature death."
-Albert Camus-

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."
-H.G.Wells-

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I have hope for the human race."
-A.Simms-

"At just twenty-two weeks old, an average UK citizen will be responsible for the equivalent emissions of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, which someone in Tanzania will generate in their whole lifetimes."
Invincible summer cherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrries!

it's our party

Friday night I attended a discussion about Transition Town Asheville, our local movement toward co-creating a sustainable Asheville beyond peak oil. A timely gathering with the torture of and in the Gulf continuing, the meeting was actually a talk given by a gentleman and self-proclaimed creator of sustainability Michael Brownlee of Transition Boulder. Passionate and grounding, moving and frustrating, I became more passionate about living in Asheville; more grounded in simplifying my life; moved to act; and frustrated with myself and my society for being where we are, forgetting our Momma and living vicariously through the Big names in Hollywood and Wall Street.

Transition Asheville is taking off in Asheville. The idea of moving toward local resilience fascinates me. Who would we be as a collective if we learned to look into each other's eyes and be honest and fair?

(This is what happened when I was away from home on Sunday.)

Our friend Albert Einstein once noticed that "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius --- and a lot of courage --- to move in the opposite direction." .........been drawn to the simple, the empty, the spacious, the natural. Putting things in garage sales; getting rid, dropping things off at Goodwill empowers, that's my experience. Why do we all have so much stuff? We're surrounded by stuff all the time!

Are you familiar with June Berries? They are sweet berries that resemble blueberries. There are two varieties familiar to me Princess Diana and Prince William. Seriously. On my walks with S, over the years in this neighborhood I call home/community, June Berries are around. Mike and his wife grow them; the Organic Mechanic planted them out front their newish building, and I just met the man who lives in the house with the perfect sized back yard with two bushes bursting with them.

I eyed these bushes a few days ago and I soon found myself Knocking on his door and Asking him if he knew of his very berries. He was well aware of them, having just come from picking some himself and agreeing to let me in his yard to pick some myself. He even handed me a catalog of fruit-bearing plants. Sweetness doubled and tripled!

I'm finding out how to be more honest with myself and in turn with you. Finding ways to look into myself and at the same time look into the eyes of the people around me and admit, there you are, and here I am and what can I do for you?

"Nothing succeeds like success" in this. I'm doing it when I remember to do it and reaping the rewards. There you are. Here I am. And What fun might having less control be? Not just fun, but subtle and illuminating and enrichingly sweet. I think of clouds and outta control puppies and trees blown by the wind. It's our party, this life, and it's always time to cheer for Heisenberg!

In over my head

Hello again; can you tell I'm wondering which way to go? I find that I don't think I'm expert enough to write anything that matters or that anyone wants to read. But putting that to the side, let's see........................Innocence................................................how sweet it is.

I'm reminded again and again on my walks with Scout, many that I take more for me than for him, of innocence. With all the blooming and esteem that the lavender and rosemary and growing vegetables like chard exude, I am reminded of how beautiful and easy innocence is.

Simplicity
Gullibility
Unworldliness
Greenness

I can remember having those characteristics, and maybe I still have them, but I pretend not to. Over the weekend, I spouted more than once to more than one person just how complicated life is. Read any non-fiction book and you succumb to the complexity of whatever the subject is.

But really who wants to be unworldly?

If you're reading this, you've probably tried to be more knowing and worldly than you really are. I know I do, and I wonder why I do that? Insecurity!?

There's a lot I don't know and books are one way to find out. I am reading lots of books. They lie all around my house; I bring them upstairs, and then need them downstairs.

One :: Diet for a Hot Planet is a new book out by Anna Lappe, the daughter of the doyen Francis Moore Lappe who wrote Diet for a Small Planet published in 1971.

Two :: Raw Food::Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose which I bought two years ago at TJMaxx at a reduced price. It's a wonder of a book; if you know of a good juicer, let me know. I've been looking at ebay auctions; lost out on one I would have liked, so I seek further.

Three :: Gardening with Wildlife, A Complete Guide to Attracting and Enjoying The Fascinating Creatures In Your Backyard ... A National Wildlife Federation book that is not on Amazon. Here's where we are :: "June has been called the high tide of nature's year. Every form of wildlife seems to be active. Sit on the bench in your garden, stay quiet, listen, and keep your eyes wide open. As you 'hear life murmur and see it glisten,' you'll be surprised how much of the nature lore pictured in this book you can discover for yourself."

In different ways, they are all my favorites right now. And having books is one more way I seek knowing so that I can pretend I know things I don't.

I'm in over my head, though, lacking innocence.