"A lot of people say that an octopus is like an alien."// Craig Foster (My Octopus Teacher) It's a little bit of a science lesson.My Octopus Teacher, is an implicit Edenesque documentary, set in a kelp forest full of vivid sounds and scenery, seaweed and sea anemones, in a place called Cape of Storms, West … Continue reading Edenesque
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Old Fashioned Home Remedy
"Many old-fashioned remedies are going out of fashion, not because they are ineffective, but because an art is required for their management, and a sufficient degree of labor required that most people are unwilling to provide.// Agatha Thrash, M.D. (Home Remedies p. 143) Stored in the cabinets above my refrigerator are 20lbs of activated charcoal … Continue reading Old Fashioned Home Remedy
Nascar Speed Park
"Racers, on your mark," and then fires the starting pistol that triggers the race, a perfect way to emerge from the pandemic funk. Masked track attendant, Caiden, Keller, Deyanciss, Hugo All gas, no brakes. The brake is the red pedal on the left, the gas is the green pedal on the right, and around the … Continue reading Nascar Speed Park
Booming Blackberries
Blackberry Blooms, drip line and wire trellis I'm sharing expert gardening tips specific to blackberries to boost our brain power and to document the development of our small farm & garden. Blackberry madness started with three thornless varieties given to us by Duane Marcus at The Funny Farm in Stone Mountain, GA, where we spent … Continue reading Booming Blackberries
100 Blueberry Bushes
This last weekend of April, we engaged with a couple of our young campers, Deyanciss and Quan. Blueberry Patch From Atlanta to Alabama, our long weekend began with a full day of catch-up talk and travel and good-for-you grocery shopping along the way. An optional planting day of one hundred blueberry bushes into previously prepared … Continue reading 100 Blueberry Bushes
Out of the City
Out of the City The notion of home and space has perhaps never been as coveted as it is right now. "Out of the city," serves as a reminder of the big-picture transformations the housing industry is now experiencing. The reshuffling of people from city centers to suburbs is a pandemic-fueled trend that’s unlikely to … Continue reading Out of the City
You Were There To Help
"You heard our call in the nick of time; The day we needed you, you were there to help." Urban Community Life usually has more participants than donors, but his year, we had 12 donors and nine participants. I painted a set of 12 watercolor thank you cards to send out this week to Margaret … Continue reading You Were There To Help
Reaching for the £ight
Tyrese stopped by the Johnson's in Atlanta today to say hello. Photo by §tacy §weeney Reaching for the £ight One of the most challenging aspects of ministry is doing it alone, without volunteers, but pulling it all together in the moment we're in is most urgent and relevant. The art world may have vanished overnight, … Continue reading Reaching for the £ight
Preparations For Centuries
Native Orange Azalea with Straw and Evergreen | 2017 | Photograph by Stacy Sweeney Preparations For Centuries Our situation today can best be described by the old saying, "We can't see the forest for the trees." Unimproved land, no matter how elusive that is to imagine, can be a journey of constant discovery. Yet, there … Continue reading Preparations For Centuries
Provision, 2020
One of Our Service Projects During Our Summer Road Trip, 2019 Urban Community Life (UCLife) began with an idea born in faith. Plant the simple seeds of service, community, agriculture, health and education in the lives of urban youth and see what will grow. Those seeds produced 2020 vision - a center of influence that … Continue reading Provision, 2020