cachet writes

Paying It Forward at Christmas

2011-12-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

I wastalking with my family last week about a cool idea I read on a blog—a ‘payingit forward’ sort of thing. The idea is to either decide on acts of kindness todo each day for a couple weeks leading up to Christmas, or to let a situationpresent itself each day, and to follow through to show another human beingextra kindness in this season.

Sometimes Istruggle with feeling ‘Grinchy’ during the holidays. I want the holidays to bemeaningful, but what does that meanand how do I do it? I often become toofocused on my wants, my agenda, my to-do list, the next place I have to be, andon and on. I feel overwhelmed and unable to enjoy the season. I want my kids toexperience the joy of giving to others, but I have to set that example. How doI even start?

The premiseis simple. Seek out ways to give freely to others, often strangers, thisholiday season. One of the ideas I readwas to buy a gift card to the store that you’re in when you check out—it can bejust $5—and then either give it to someone as you’re leaving the store or stickit under someone’s windshield wiper.

How cool would that be? What aboutthis—pay for the person behind you in the coffee shop line. Tip the baristaextra big. Spend time with an elderly neighbor who craves company. Bake cookiesand leave them on someone’s doorstep with a note. Handwrite a note to someonewho meant a lot to you growing up and tell them.

Teach a child something you wish someonehad taught you (or did teach you) when you were a kid. Donate stuff you don’t want or need to alocal charity. Donate food to a food pantry. Shovel your neighbor’s sidewalkafter a snow. Babysit for a single momor dad. Hide quarters in a vending machine change slot. Compliment peoplefreely. Wish the driver who cut you off well. Let go of a grudge.

I’m on aroll but also out of space. We plan to brainstorm ideas and make a list.Getting stuff isn’t just what a good life is made of, it’s being good to eachother however we can. Merry Christmas!

Hippies hoop with fire

2011-12-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

I just have to share—I got to dosomething last weekend that I thought was pretty sweet—hoop with fire. You may be thinking, ‘Hooping? Fire? What?’

Even thoughit’s becoming more well-known, hooping, or hoopdance, is still prettyobscure. I hear over and over againadults saying that ‘they can’t hoop’ and thinking it’s only for kids. Nope! Ilove to coax people into trying it, and I love it when they get hooked, or atleast have a dang good time for those few minutes.

So I’vebeen hooping for a few years now, and looking back I can see how much it’sstretched me and how much I’ve progressed, and how many people I’ve met throughit. It’s been a wild ride.

And lastSaturday night it got a whole lot wilder.

I’ve beenwanting to fire hoop almost since I started hooping. I let people know that I wouldfirehoop someday and I was patient, knowing it would happen. Finally, it did.My friend Rebecca, queen-of-all-things-circus was up in Indy for the weekendand arranged to teach a fire safety workshop and take us would-be-fire-hooperson the fire hooping ride with her.

We werenervous and a little jittery, not really knowing what to expect other than we’dbe spinning a flaming hoop around our bodies. ‘What if we catch on fire?’ was a thought that ran through our mindsmore than once.

Before weknew it, we were intentionally catching ourselves on fire. Rebecca had us swipeflames on ourselves and then put them out, to help take away the fear of beingon fire and to see that if it happened, we could stay calm and take care of it.

So, wejumped in and fire hooped. And it was amazing. We can’t stop talking about it,so there’s a good chance that there’ll be more fire hooping in the ‘ville.

All this tosay, whether it’s fire hooping in our case, or whatever you dream of, dowhatever you can to make it happen. Life’s short, live it up!

Go local to lose the holiday loco

2011-11-18T09:01:00.001-08:00

I’m not sure how it can be November already, and already everywhere I turn I see the glossy Christmas ads and hear about Black Friday.

If you know anything about me, you can probably guess that I’m not a fan of Black Friday and in fact refuse to shop on that day. From my eco-friendly perspective, the extreme consume-consume-consume mentality that our culture fosters leaves in its wake a tremendous amount of waste. After Christmas, garbage cans will overflow with wrapping, with boxes, with plastic shrinkwrap, and the discards that are ‘so last year.’

Will anyone be the happier for it?

There is also that ‘waste’ that is less obvious—the time spent driving to and from the stores, the gas used to get there, the time spent looking and in line, and likely a huge amount of money spent on things that aren’t wanted or needed.

I don’t like a lot of stuff, and clutter makes me twitchy. However, I live in a house with five other people, so I have had to learn to deal somewhat. More ‘stuff’ to deal with = not fun for Mom. Last year we got our kids art lessons, along with a few clothes and a few toys and books.

It was a great balance. No one was overwhelmed by heaps of stuff, we paid cash all the way, and we supported local businesses. And of course, I recycled all the packaging and wrapping (I use newspaper, kraft paper and aluminum foil. I also like to use cute fabric bags—even better!).

This year I plan to do the same. It’s a conscious decision to turn away from the marketing, from the greedy culture that always wants the next big thing. I’ll shop the independent stores, eat at the independent restaurants, and support the local artisans. They are numerous here in and around our town, and as an independent artist myself I was so grateful that people bought gifts from me. I can’t think of a better way to spend my holiday dollars.

We are the grasshoppers

2011-11-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve had the nagging question in mymind for awhile now—just how essential is it that I do what I do? Why do Ispend time and energy writing what I do? Why do I spend an hour playing in myhoop when I could/should be doing something ‘more productive’? When I’m drivento create, what does it even matter, really?

I’ve lived in Noblesville for over a decadenow, which in and of itself blows my mind. It was a fluke that we even landedhere, lured by a real estate ad in the Indy Star one lazy Sunday. It was asthough, in brief moment of perusing the ads we decided it was time to buy ahouse, and since the old house listing we ‘fell in love with’ was inNoblesville (wherever that was) we decided this was ‘it’ and fell in love withthis town, too.

I thoughtback to this after attending the recent launch party of Noblesville’s firstliterary journal, The Polk Street Review. My husband and I walked from ourhouse to the party, which was held at our friends’ lovely home just a fewblocks from ours. The wide, shallow front steps led to the inviting wraparoundporch. The tables of libations beckoned me and I poured some wine and saidhello to our Old Town friends gathered on the porch in the crisp, cool air.

The roomswere full of chairs and people, the light was welcoming and I was aware of thesatisfying click of my brown boots on the oak floors. Of course, I also noticedthe table of delicious food and made that my second stop.

I’m so gladto live in this town, and that night full of readings and creative energy andlaughter is one of my best memories of living here. I’m always so inspired bythe talented people here who create—not for glory or money or recognition butbecause they love to and they want and need to. The final reading of the night,The Ant and The Grasshopper, answered my nagging question.

“Work isimportant. But play, and discussion, and love of non-essential things is alsoimportant. We are the grasshoppers and we are necessary. Long live thegrasshopper!” (Introduction to The Polk Street Review)

The 'ville is good, but could be great

2011-10-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve tackled controversial topicsin this column before, indeed.

I’ve alwaysshied away from writing about politics, however. Why? I’m not sure. Maybebecause I know how divisive it can be, and in general I don’t feel qualified todiscuss matters that seem way beyond my scope of understanding.

I’m not apatheticthough. My parents’ words echo in my head every time an election comes around,“if you don’t vote, you have no right to complain.” I always head to the polls.

Well, I’mwriting about politics now, and not because I have delved into matters of taxabatements and TIF districts and have any insights there, but there are somethings that I have observed.

We werehappy to put our two cents in when the city hired a firm to garner citizeninput and put together a strategic plan for downtown. We’d given our ideas asto what we’d like to see and we had this vision dangling before us of whatNoblesville could be. A Riverwalk? More walkability and more diversity of shopsdowntown? More public spaces, trails,and ooh, how about a theater to replace the ones (yes, multiple) that were torndown once upon a time in favor of parking lots? The plan was put together and…nothing happened. This was in 2005, anddowntown still pretty much looks the same.

I’mconcerned about the unprecedented Positron deal. $7 million given to a companycalled Positron, currently already based in Fishers, so that they would build afacility in Noblesville. $7 million. That could have gone a long way toward aparking garage or two and a downtown theater, both things that would have enhanceddowntown and met needs for the public sector.

I have several friends new to Indiana and toNoblesville that have expressed their disappointment in our lack of voting pooldiversity here. One said to me, “I’m used to having a largepool to pick from either party. Not having that can’t promote true democracy.”

With the election coming up in twoweeks, I’m thrilled there is an actual mayoral race. You’ve probably seen thesigns around town, ‘Mike Corbett for Mayor.’

You can check out Mike’s website, www.mikecorbettformayor.com toread about his positions. Most important, make your voice heard on November 8.You can even vote prior to Election Day by going to the Election Office at theJudicial Center downtown.

Pieces of You

2011-10-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

(from Sept. exhibit at HEPL)

With only three days left in the month (where did Septembergo?), I recommend that you make a point to visit the library to see the Artexhibit Pieces of You. Thiscollaborative Art project was made possible by Kandi Jamieson of Arthouse andher students at Cicero Adventist Elementary and Indiana Academy.

Stapledonto the curved wall, you will see 2,947 small plastic bags, each containing asmall object. These comprise a memorial representing all of those that died tenyears ago on 9/11. On the anniversary of 9/11, amid a flurry of facebookquestions and status updates asking and answering ‘where were you?,’ I stayedquiet.

Where wasI? I was safe in my tiny house, hundreds of miles from the horrors. I didn’tlose anyone I loved. I didn’t personally have to grieve the loss of a husband,a child, a friend. I didn’t know anyone that was there.

The exhibitis poignant in its simplicity—ranging from items as common and mundane as atwist-tie or candy wrapper to a tiny dog biscuit to a crocheted flower. “Eachitem represents a person like you and me,” Jamieson said.

“It’sironic because all these items can be found in the junk drawer at some point,and just like the junk drawer where items are lost and forgotten, we’ve takenthem out and put them on display to remember. I wanted to find a way we couldconnect it to our personal life.”

AfterSeptember, the exhibit will be on display at Arthouse, 195 S. 10^thStreet, Noblesville.

Be Open Minded--Arthouse

2011-10-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

(this also wasn't published, but hey, I'll blog it, too)

Art Teachers Billy and KandiJamieson of Arthouse recently wrapped up a Graffiti and Mural painting class,where the end result was a collaboration of ideas and designs painted onto avintage VW bus.

Often graffiti is painted without permission,but “it’s also a style,” Kandi Jamieson said. “In the class, we went through the whole history of it. Graffiti art is a way to make politicalstatements. Kids have something to say. Let’s allow them to speak theirmind—they need a voice.”

The Jamiesons juxtaposed theconcepts of graffiti and murals together in the class, allowing students tocontribute ideas and collaborate on the design for the bus. “We had to compromise and even agree todisagree sometimes.

One of the phrases that was paintedon the bus, Be Open Minded, “really captured it,” Kandi said. “Even for adultswho see graffiti art around, for them to be open minded and ask ‘why are kidsdoing this?’”

“Have we given them the opportunityto speak their mind and a place to create art? That’s what we want to do here.”

The Jamiesons plan to continueoffering the Mural and Graffiti classes, and hope to do some inside murals inthe colder months. Stop by Arthouse at195 S. 10^th Street, visit www.arthousenoblesville.blogspot.comor call 773.0038 for class schedules.

Photo cutline: “Billboards are allover and right in your face, why can’t art be like that?” Kandi Jamieson, whowants to see more public art in Noblesville.

Historic Home Tour—be there or be square

2011-10-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

(this wasn't published in CIN, but since I wrote it I thought I would at least blog it)

Ilived in downtown Noblesville for four years before I ever went on the Home Tour.I was so enchanted that I immediately volunteered our home for the next year’stour (seriously). I’ve been involved with the Noblesville Preservation Alliance(NPA) ever since.

Thisyear’s tour will be extra special with so many great complementary events,which you can read about in the cover story. I love the stories woven into thistown’s fabric and I had a great time learning more about the stories of thosewho’ve lived here for years.

StorytellerElizabeth (Betty) Gerrard plans to be at one of the homes dressed in costume.Gerrard, who has lived in the same home in Noblesville for the past sixty-fiveyears would like to share with tourgoers some of the changes she’s seen.

She recalls that there was only onestoplight in town when she moved to Noblesville in the 1940’s, and she hasvivid memories of Gran’pa’s Candy Store, featured as a Point of Interest on theTour this year.

DottieYoung shared her experience being on the very first home tour in 1986. “CarolKarst-Wasson talked me into it,” Dottie said. “I was teaching full time in Indyand raising Emily Young Compton, now the tour chair. I think I had just gottenout of the shower as the first guests started coming in (Tom Bond and hiswife).”

Nowhere I learned something else—the Bonds parked their antique car in front ofthe Young’s house. When you realize that the Young’s live on Conner street,wow! There was parking right on Conner Street.

Dottierecalls over 500 guests that first year. (We can top that this year). “The tourstarted right on the heels of moving the Craig House. That was a fabulous day,watching that huge house roll across Conner,” Dottie said. “This history givesus a sense of place, a touchstone to know where we are to consider how thistown would look without its centerpiece.”

Jill Hutchinson is another avid tourgoer. “I love it when thevolunteers have a story about the home or there are pictures of the originalowners and you get a small view of the past. That's my favorite but what's notto love? You get to walk around our beautiful town and see great decoratingideas.”

I hope to see you September 17. www.noblesvillepreservation.com

Still spinning the circle, seeing where it takes me (sept. 20)

2011-10-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I participated in aNeighborhood Block Party in downtown Indy. Windsor Park is a historicneighborhood on the near east-side, near Chatham Arch and Mass Ave. It was abeautiful Saturday, the cold and rain that was predicted and that populated theprevious week never materialized. We were so grateful for the sun that warmedour damp bones.

I brought my six year old hooperand helper, Lily, and we set up our ‘hoop booth,’ having brought community hulahoops for the party goers to hoop to the live music. Lily became immediatefriends with a girl her age who lives in the neighborhood, and kids and adultsgravitated to the hoops we’d brought.

Two of the girls became so enamoredwith the hoops that they ended up spinning them for hours. They got so goodthat I challenged them to a race. We ran, with the hoops spinning around ourwaists, to the Food Truck parked a few houses down. (I’m proud to say I won.Three times.)

One girl told me it was the bestparty she’d ever been to, because “I’ve never been around such cool stuff.”

And in this little neighborhoodmiles from Noblesville, I even saw people that I knew. Kay Grimm and Sue Spicerhave an incredible story. They live not far from Windsor Park and have purchasedvacant city lots and turned them into heirloom gardens—Fruit Loop Acres. I hadmet Kay and Sue earlier this year—in Noblesville at a house concert—and I wasand am captivated by their work and their passion.

And, two days after this I gotinvited to perform with my LED hoop at a launch party next month. The hoop has taken me to amazing places. Thecircle keeps getting bigger and bigger. It’s an incredible life.

Touring Noblesville's History

2011-10-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

Read the story here (p.9)

Be smarter with water usage-cut water footprint (Sept. 6)

2011-10-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

For quiteawhile now I’ve said I’m going to cut back on my coffee consumption, but Inever really do. I like (ok, love)coffee a whole lot and it’s tough to cut back. Sure, cups of coffee seem pretty innocuous, don’t they? But, as withmost things, there’s much more than meets the eye.

I try toget organic, fair trade coffee in the hopes that it’s really, truly a moreresponsible choice, but even if I do and even if it is, that’s not the end ofthe story. The story actually beginswith realizing that there’s a heckuva lot more water involved in that cup ofcoffee than what was used to brew it.

That single cup of coffee actuallyhas 37 gallons of water behind it. It’s called ‘virtual water’ and it’s howmuch water was needed to make the product, whatever it is, that you possess.

With this summer’s near drought andthe constant re-realization that we need to conserve water, it’s a topic thatdeserves attention. Discover Magazineputs it this way in their article titled “Everything You Know About WaterConservation Is Wrong:” Forget shortshowers. Worry about the 6,340 gallons of “virtual water” in your leather bag.”

Consider how much water it takes toproduce not just your food, but your paper, your clothes, and myriad otherthings. We waste way too much water inthis country when it’s more important than ever to be smart with it and it’s ahuge issue, but here are some food related ways to conserve virtual water:

Try to avoid bottled water and userefillable canteens when possible.

Eat less meat. Meat requires 5-10 times more water thanvegetables, so by cutting back on meat, you’re conserving hundreds of gallonsof water.

Don’t waste leftovers. Throwing food away wastes all that water thatwent into making that food, and besides, the less cooking the better, right?

Drink more water and less coffee,tea, soda and all those other beverages, all of which have a much higher waterfootprint than water from the tap.

Cut your engine in line—children breathe here (August 23)

2011-10-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

I read an article recently that gotme a bit riled up. An Indianapolisschool district now must charge for bus service because of a “budgetshortfall,” when voters turned down a referendum in May.

When I read the numbers—that noteven 2,000 students are signed up to ride the buses (down from 7-8,000 lastyear)—my heart sank thinking of the environmental impact of all of those carsidling in line and all of that concentrated pollution. Yuck.

After school began I read thatparents sat in long, snaking lines of cars, probably all idling. One parent with three school kids spent fourhours driving (and sitting) in traffic on the first day.

The environmental impact is HUGE,as is the concern I have for these kids breathing in this cloud of pollution.Is there any anti-idling ordinance at any Indiana school? I’m doubtful, andit’s endlessly frustrating.

I’m so tired of theshort-sightedness (we don’t want to pay more taxes!) vs. the long term thinking of “what’s bestfor the students/parents/staff/environment/health?” I think this applies to the school too,because apparently the school has a $14 million ‘rainy day’ fund. If the schooltransportation issue isn’t a worthwhile cause to spend money on, I don’t knowwhat is.

If you drive your child to school, pleasecarpool if you can and turn off your engine anytime you’ll be waiting for morethan 10 seconds in line. Many schooldistricts nationwide have adopted anti-idling campaigns and I would love to seethis here in Indiana. Idling iscompletely unnecessary and it’s SUCH an easy thing to just cut the engine. Oh, and with our state ranking number six(yeah, in the Top Ten!) for toxic air quality, it’s the least we can all do.

Eating Smart and Reading Smart (august 16)

2011-10-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

A recenttopic of discussion that I watched unfold regarding the all-important topic offood is one that I’ve given a lot of thought to and am constantlyevaluating—“is it better to eat organic first, or local first?” In an ideal world the answer would be “both,”but it’s not as cut and dried as that.

Groceryshopping with me is pretty much a nightmare. I agonize over everything, notjust what to eat but when to eat it (hybrid hydroponic tomatoes in January? That’san easy one, no). Is it organic? Wheredid it come from?

I can spendten minutes in the organic apple section looking to see which apples to buy.Even if organic, if they came from New Zealand or Chile, it’s better to get organicapples from the US—they didn’t have to travel as far to get here to Indiana.

What aboutlocal apples? Seems to be the best choice. But then there’s the issue ofpesticides. Does consuming thepesticides on local apples outweigh the benefit of the carbon footprint createdby organic apples coming to us from thousands of miles away? Further complicating the issue, I read thatmany organics do have chemicals used, naturally derived instead of synthetic,and many need to be applied in greater quantities.

And, asmuch as I try to garden and shop farmer’s markets in the summer, most of mydiet really isn’t local.

I don’tknow what to do about this. I’d love tohear readers thoughts on this issue. How do you eat?

On asimilar thoughtful note, I was in a bookstore last week and saw copies of theUtne Reader, a magazine my friend Linda has recommended many times. I love tohold something in my hands even though I can read online, so I grabbed acopy. It’s wonderful and smartly written,and so I recommend it, too.

That same day I was in the library,so I checked and they have copies of Utne (and Current in Noblesville) there too. Sweet! Here’s gratitude for our library, whichis pretty awesome and has just about everything I want, and hello, Mark! (Oneof the helpful and personable employees there.)

Thanks for reading me, and I lookforward to your thoughts!

Time just won

2011-08-11T10:08:00.001-07:00

It’s funny how lines are drawn and dots are connected in unexpected ways, isn’t it? I recently saved a Word doc with the title ‘Time just won’t slow down’ and it showed up as the title of this column, ‘Time just won.’

Huh.

This is the constant battle, isn’t it? Don’t we often feel like we’re racing the clock and always under deadline and always running out of time? I know the feeling very well.

It helps me to take a deep breath and try to remember that where I am right now is exactly where I need to be, and to enjoy the journey.

And I do love this journey. I feel like I’m on a path of constant wonder and discovery and I see no end to it. I love this life.

One night last week, we headed downtown to the alley behind Kirk’s Hardware just as it was getting dark. As the light faded from the sky and we commented what a gorgeous night it was, grateful for the lower temps, talented photographer Ernie Mills shot photos of my friend Lynn Spencer-Nelson and I lighting up the night sky with our LED hoops. Music spilled out from my ipod as we spun our lights around each other, laughing and feeling so comfortable and so completely in our element with our circles of light.

We even drew a little crowd of onlookers, who watched from their apartment window and then came out into the alley.

Time seemed to stand still while the minutes ticked away as though they were seconds. Here we weren’t in a battle against time, but completely immersed in the moment and in complete love with it.

And this is what it’s about I think, finding a passion and a talent that you love so much that you lose yourself, in the case of Lynn and I—in our hoops—and in the case of Ernie—behind the lens of his camera. We won.

Creating a female counter-culture

2011-08-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

At my bookclub we often sound off about issues. It never fails, each meeting we either get pumped up about a topic the author brings up or go off on various tangents. The conversations are always interesting and enlightening, and I’ve read some interesting perspectives on the particular topic that came up at the last bookclub several times over the past few months, so I thought I’d bring it up here.

The topic? PMS. But even more than that, the necessity of calling up the soul, which is so important for a meaningful and creative life.

So, how did we get on this subject? In the book (yes, in our bookclub we discuss the same book every month!) the author wrote about the importance for women to ‘converse with the wild feminine’—to take a little break from the world and have some solitude. The author laughs when she hears the claim that women were considered by some anthropologists to be ‘unclean’ and forced to leave the village once a month. “All women know that even if there were such a forced ritual exile, every single woman would…leave the village hanging her head mournfully….and then break into a jig down the path.”

Women often feel more intensely around that time, and in fact senses are heightened and tears often come more easily. Yes, we may get edgy and irritated, but this is because we feel so deeply. We aren’t ‘weaker’ because of our emotion, we just don’t see the world like men typically do. Men generally see the world more linearly and women employ more circular logic and rely more on intuition and emotion.

Sheila Kelley writes “I believe that this ‘emotional irrationality’ is nothing more than the deep connection that women have to the vulnerability of humanity. It’s empathy. To be blessed with empathy is one of the greatest gifts on Earth.”

Labels like PMS are often negative and dismissive, but feeling so deeply isn’t a bad thing. We can create our own female culture and propel it forward through a positive spin on ‘PMS’ and take our emotion and channel it into something good for us and for our souls. Which brings me back to solitude, to carving out a simple place for yourself to escape for a bit—a little intentional solitude. It doesn’t have to cost anything—just a little time and effort. It’s vital.

Hooping for a Cure at Forest Park Sat. Aug. 13 and Festivale Sat. Aug. 20

2011-08-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

from 430-630. I'm going to be hosting this hoop jam to raise money for a cause near and dear to my heart--the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I'm asking for a $10 donation per hooper, and hoops will be provided! Then the next weekend, I'll be in downtown Indy at Festivale (with my hoops!) for the CFF.

See here for the hoop jam info and here for Festivale info.

If you can't attend and want to donate, please do so below. Thank you SO much.

When a Garden Equals Jail Time

2011-07-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Oak Park, Michigan is in the news in a bad way. Julie Bass, who grows organic vegetables in her front yard, was cited for violating a city code that says residents are required to have “suitable, live plant material” in their front yard. Bass is facing 93 days of jail time because she’s growing some vegetables in front of her house.

Apparently the definition of ‘suitable’ pretty much just pertains to grass, and maybe some trees and flowers, but NOT actual food, as far as the city is concerned.

Really now? This reminds me of my rant about HOA’s and clothesline bans.

I personally would LOVE to see people growing vegetables in their front yards, back yards, wherever they can. I think we see enough grass already, truly, and grass is kinda high maintenance and fairly boring.

It’s like if you live in suburbia you’re expected to conform to the norm, to arbitrary, subjective and narrow standards of what is acceptable, and growing vegetables? Well, that’s just not ok.

Backwards, I tell you. Bass has even gotten neighborhood kids interested in her garden and they enjoy helping her. That’s another one of my pet peeves—most people have a lack of access to fresh, organic food. Here Bass is not only growing organic food, but giving kids access to it—not to mention the kids have the great fun of watching food grow before their wondrous eyes. And she’s being punished for it.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet this story has exploded and Bass is getting all kinds of support. As of press time the facebook page ‘Oak Park Hates Veggies’ had over 23,000 ‘likes.’ I’d love to see Bass’s neighbors plant gardens in their front yards too. How far is the city going to take this? If Bass and her neighbors all go to jail, there will be worse eyesores—such as a sea of unmowed grass.

It just boggles the mind that time and effort and money would be poured into this case of prosecuting a woman innocently growing a patch of vegetables. Shouldn’t it a right that we should be able to line dry our clothes and grow some plants? It’s definitely not worthy of being a crime.

Grounded in the Earth

2011-07-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

When my old house was on the Historic Home Tour several years ago, I had one of those ‘light bulb moments.’ It was the first time I met fellow column writer here, Holly Lindzy, as she traipsed through my yard taking pictures and then came up to me and asked, “are you the gardener?” I looked back at her blankly, thinking “am I the what?” Then I guess I mumbled that yes, I was the gardener.

And from then on, in part thanks to Holly’s confidence in my humble little garden and the fact that I could clearly see I was actually growing things, I’ve known I’m a gardener. I love having my hands in the dirt, turning the soil, sticking in plants and seeds and seeing what happens.

I love my flowers and how right now my flowerbeds around my house are a sea of wildflowers—white Shasta daisies and purple coneflowers, that divide and spread with no effort from me. I’m also growing fruits and vegetables, and it’s such a thrill for me and my children to go pick some tomatoes—organic of course—right from outside our back door.

More and more people, it seems, are forgoing the grass, making gardens, and growing some of their own food on their urban or suburban land. I’ve always preferred gardens to grass. A couple of months ago I was at a party and met two fascinating women that have transformed five vacant city lots on the near Eastside of Indy into a certified wildlife habitat, orchard, and organic heirloom gardens, complete with native plants and installation art.

I can’t wait to take a trip down there to visit, and just a couple weeks ago I was at (another) party at my friend Linda’s. Her backyard is gorgeous and inspiring, from the fairy swing hanging from the maple to a brick patio made with reclaimed bricks from her sidewalk that was replaced to a large vegetable garden and flowers throughout the winding paths.

All of this makes me want to go get grounded in the earth, to plant more, to be the caretaker of something that is beautiful and thriving. It’s good for the earth and good for the soul.

Lazy, hazy days of summer

2011-07-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

I got together with my hippie chick friends last week to celebrate the solstice, and we each tried to bring food that had ingredients that came from our growing gardens—lettuce, kale and herbs were a few. We ate, we hooped, then we read some summer poems and had a campfire. The wind blew (but it didn’t rain!) and we lingered outside till the darkness at the edges crept over us.

June is my favorite month—the month when school is out, when “fireflies turn on their electric wills,” when plans are made and carried out for living life to the max. June may also have once been my favorite month because my birthday happens to fall within it, though I’m not quite as thrilled at being yet another year older anymore.

I started thinking about what I’m loving in my life right now and what’s making the summer of 2011 special:

Hooping. If you see a crazy bunch of people at Forest Park on a Saturday between 4:30 and 6:30 pm doing crazy things with hoops, welcome to hooping. We love to share the love of hooping, which is why we bring extra hoops. It’s for adults and kids alike, and I think of it as my playtime.

Bancroft Moscado at Mr. G’s (tell Bryan I sent you. He’ll know). I tried this wine recently for the first time and now it’s my ‘go-to’ wine for bookclubs and get-togethers. It’s light and fruity, perfectly refreshing on these summer nights. And it’s only 5.99 per bottle, perfect!

My native Indiana coneflowers and Shasta daisies, which require no special care and are just starting to bloom.

My strawberry patch and heirloom tomato garden. We harvested strawberries from our little patch earlier this month, and my tomatoes are taking off. Looking forward to a toasted tomato sandwich—coming up soon.

Happy Summer to you.

*Firefly quote from a poem by Stacy Cassarino

Returning to the earth in death

2011-06-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Natural burial must have come into my awareness once upon a time from one of the environmental blogs I read. I know, I know—death is not exactly a fun topic and is one I’d rather not think about, but it’s important and unavoidable.

So, I tried to get past my mental roadblocks of not even wanting to think about it and started doing some research. With gratitude to google, I easily learned about the resources for how to obtain a green burial, which, as it turns out, isn’t quite as easy as googling is.

But what is natural burial and how does it compare to conventional burial?

It basically means being buried in a biodegradable, sustainable casket without the use of toxic formaldehyde embalming fluid. This appeals to me because I try to avoid chemicals in my body in life, so I really don’t want to have them in my body in death. The casket part is important to me too. I want a simple casket that’s not made of veneer, plastic, steel, and/or exotic, non-sustainably harvested wood. I also don’t want to be encased in a concrete vault.

One of the few funeral homes here in Indiana who offer this natural option say that “it allows your body to gently reunite with the earth while nurturing and renewing the land.”

It’s like composting, at its essence. Returning to the earth. I like that, the thought of being buried in a natural setting along winding paths, or at least in an environmentally sustainable way.

Even though today only a handful of funeral providers offer this option, it’s gaining in popularity as more people learn about it. Visit www.greenburialcouncil.org for a listing of approved providers.

For those interested in the this route, there is a ‘green’ cemetery, Kessler Woods, located in Indianapolis. No state requires embalming or concrete vaults for burial, and there are no laws prohibiting unembalmed bodies from being buried in biodegradable caskets.

So even though a cemetery may not be certified ‘green,’ it’s worth asking funeral directors and cemetery caretakers about. The more requests are made, the more accepted and mainstream it will become.

See www.indianalivinggreen.com for a great article on this topic.

Historic Homes of Noblesville-355 S. 9th St.

2011-06-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Location: 355 S. 9th St.

Owners: Dr. Jason and Tina Bell, since 2005

Style & History: The Sowerwine house was build in 1904 by Charles and Sarah Sowerwine. The home, a late Queen Anne, exhibits numerous characteristics of this style, but without the exuberant ornamentation. Edward and Eleanor Forsythe, who owned the home from 1918 to 1950, enlarged it with a 2-story addition in the 1920’s and converted it to apartment in the 1930’s. After more than sixty-five years as apartments, the home was recently converted back into a single-family residence.

What are your favorite features? “We like that the house has large size rooms with plenty of storage, the large wrap-around front porch and our in-ground swimming pool.”

What work have you done on your house? “The entire house has been renovated and has all new electrical and plumbing. We have added some new windows, a wood pellet stove, new porch railing, hardi plank siding, and landscaping.”

What do you like about this area/neighborhood? “What we like about the neighborhood, is that the community is starting to focus more on green living and restoring these beautiful homes and structures.”

Serendipity and Schoolhouses

2011-06-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

Serendipity. That’s what Dottie said as we got back into her car after a chat with a local man after we stopped to snap a picture of his house. The front door was open and he invited us in and showed us around. We connected because we’re ‘old house’ people, or more accurately, ‘old building’ people. Old buildings are a way to connect with the past, with people who came before us, a way to honor the hard lives they led, and a way to be a part of what will be history someday.

After I interviewed Dottie Young, who grew up right in Clarksville, for some of the history on last week’s schoolhouse cover story, she invited me to go along on a tour of old remaining schoolhouses in the area. She told me fascinating stories of people and places as we passed mile after mile of cornfields. “That house was constructed without nails,” she said as we passed a large white farmhouse, and “my mother was born in a house that used to stand here on this corner.”

Dottie told me of tiny, nearly forgotten cemeteries tucked in the acres. She has ancestors buried at many of them, dating back to when this area was settled. She took me to an early surviving log cabin—and I was amazed. It still has a wood shingle roof!

I’d never been on most of these roads, but I’d been to one of the old schoolhouses we visited. I actually wrote about it here back when I first discovered it by accident. Just a shell now, in ruins but still standing, it touched me so deeply then and still does. Dottie thinks it was called ‘Willow Pond’.

Down the road from that schoolhouse is where we met Josh Reynolds. His is an amazing story of how he and his wife Laura purchased their schoolhouse and have renovated it into a beautiful, cozy home with soaring fourteen foot ceilings and wood floors. What’s now the front door wasn’t the original entrance, but there was a big hole in the wall from where a tractor had been driven right through the wall—on purpose—a common practice back then. The limestone plaque is inscribed with the name Charles Zeis, Dottie’s great-grandfather.

I feel so much gratitude for those who work to preserve our stories and our buildings and our past.

Saving the Schoolhouse

2011-06-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

Love this place, love this woman, love that I got to do this story: Garden Thyme

CF Walk update and another fundraiser coming up

2011-06-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

What a thrill for me to be able to do the cover story on Fritz Mills and the Cystic Fibrosis walk a few weeks ago. He’s one of the coolest people I know and I admire him. Fritz is courageous, kind, and pretty awesome all around.

In the very soggy month of May, the day of the walk was sunny and warm. The total raised for the Noblesville walk was $19,570, with $7,407.00 of that coming from Fritz’s Fantastic Friends team, surpassing their goal of $5,000. Thank you to all who participated and gave to this great cause.

Mark your calendars for another fun upcoming event right here in Noblesville. On Sunday June 12, Sid Davis will be hosting his annual Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser at the Noblesville Golf and Batting Center, located at 14700 Willow View Road, just off State Road 32 West.

Golf and Batting is open from 12-8 PM on Sundays and Davis will donate gross proceeds from the entire day to the CF Foundation. Festivities will be ongoing from 12-5 PM. Activities include a Driving Range, Putt Putt, Batting Cages, Sand Volleyball and Arcade Games.

For the third year there will also be a cornhole tournament. Teams of two register for a fee and the Grand Prize is half of the total pot going to the winners and the other half going to the CF Foundation (if the winner chooses to donate their winnings to the CF Foundation too, all the better). Contact Davis at www.golfandbattingcenter.com or 773.2909 to register. Info can also be found on the facebook page, Noblesville Golf and Batting Center.

As far as food goes, there will be Black Diamond BBQ available for purchase. You’ll also want to check out the raffle items, including: an autographed Steve Wariner guitar, a fireworks package, a gear/gift certificate from Nurpu, concert tickets from HANK 97.1 FM, autographed items from this year’s Indy 500 winner, Alex Tagliani, a custom hula hoop (donated by me) and more.

There’ll be entertainment, too. Linda Lee and the Noble Creek Boys will play live from 1-3 and I’m going to be there from 3-5 hooping it up, so come out and hoop, too. I’ll have music and community hoops of all sizes and weights to use. What great activities to do as a family and support a great cause. Hope to see you there!

Historic Homes of Noblesville--595 N. 10th St.

2011-06-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Location: 595 North 10th Street

Owners: Bud and Linda Ramsay, since 2002

Style & History: Built in a Traditional style, the home was constructed in 1941 and was a Show House at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds. It was then dismantled and moved to its permanent home, a lot that was originally part of the County Fairgrounds. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, owners of Armstrong Shoe store downtown, were the original owners. “We’ve heard stories about how well-loved the Armstrongs were in the community, and the wonderful light displays they did for Holidays and the generous candy they gave out for Halloween.”

What are your favorite features? “We love the extra large lot, the sunroom, and the large master bath. There’s a bar room in the basement, complete with a gorgeous marble bar that was dropped in when the house was built. We love the house and the way it feels. It’s a cozy, bright house.”

What work have you done on your house? “We owned the house for two years before we moved in. We scraped wallpaper, replaced the floors on the main level, installed a new kitchen counter and appliances, tore off the old sunroom and built a new sunroom, with a large master bath above it. We finished the basement, have a new garage and redid the landscaping and pond. We plan to put new windows in the original part of the house.”

What do you like about this area/neighborhood? “Everything—the friendly neighbors, being close to downtown, and we love living across from the school.”

Memorial Day--more than a car race

2011-05-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

My first memories of Memorial Day go back to the tiny town I was raised in and my dad’s famous potato salad and celebratory first-grilled-hamburgers-of-the-season. When I was in junior high and high school and in the marching band, I participated in the Memorial Day parade that went down the main street in town and ended at the American Legion just across the railroad tracks. I stood at attention during the ceremony—a solemn salute to people I didn’t know and wars I difficult to comprehend.

The history of what we now call Memorial Day is interesting. Held on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and it was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to honor those killed in the Civil War by decorating their graves.

In some small way, my family tries to pay our respects to veterans by attending the ceremonies held here in Old Town on Memorial Day. I appreciate the efforts to honor those who are no longer here, to take some time remember them somehow even though I never knew them, and to help my kids know the meaning of the holiday and its origins. I feel that since they’re in such close proximity to the Indy 500 it would be easy for them to think it’s a holiday devoted to a car race.

Ceremonies this year start at the Courthouse lawn at 11 AM with the past commander of the American Legion giving a speech, followed by a 21 gun salute and Taps. The next stop is Riverside Cemetery, located off of 5th Street along the banks of the White River, where veterans names will be read, then the procession will move to Crownland Cemetery on Monument St. where there will be a short ceremony. Following the ceremony, all attendees are invited to the American Legion at 1094 Conner Street for lunch.

Another reason why you should recycle more and throw away less

2011-05-29T05:15:00.001-07:00

Several readers emailed me with comments and questions on the recycling story I wrote a couple of months back, and I wanted to address one in particular. I’d mentioned that 50 percent of the money made through the recycling program comes back to the city to offset cost increases in the contract with Republic and we should all participate as much as possible.

Deb Webster wrote to me: “In your article on garbage collection/recycling in Noblesville you mentioned that our recycling actually provides a kick-back of sorts to the city's bill by Republic. I have never read that anywhere but in your column! This information needs to be posted on our water bills, on a banner in town, the city's website... Is it possible to get people recycling to the point that it would subsidize our garbage costs sufficiently to stop raising our bills?

Dan and I produce more recycling by far than garbage. We always have a full to overflowing recycle bin and one bag of garbage in our big garbage bin. We're just 2 people. I would think families would far out strip us in recycling if they were just more aware.”

I put the question to Len Finchum, Noblesville’s Street Commissioner, who replied that yes, half of the monies made from our recycle program reverts back to the City to help offset the expenses, and he agreed that if it was posted from time to time to the Noblesville residents it may help with their decision to recycle more.

Finchum also stated that while the return of monies helps with the recycle portion of the contract, the overall contract cost outweighs the possibilities of the funds being reduced enough to save a substantial amount, but it does help.

Finchum went on to say, “If Noblesville showed that it could recycle to a level exceeding the general trash amounts, then the contract could be written to address this. The contract will be up next year and I will look at the verbiage to possibly address a tonnage comparison of trash and recycling. Anything is possible if enough people support the idea and put forth the effort to see it done. Thank you for your thoughts and positive support that Noblesville residents can make better things happen.”

Thanks for your great question, Deb, and for your thoughtful response, Len. And again, rock on, recyclers.

Indy's Child--Indy on a Budget

2011-05-17T17:19:00.001-07:00

Indy on a Budget

One-Tank-Getaways in Indiana

by Krista Bocko

May 01, 2011

With gas prices hovering near the $4 a gallon mark, many families are opting to stay close to home for family vacations this year—also known as 'staycations'—where day or overnight trips replace far-flung travel.

Discovering, or re-discovering, unique destinations within a few hours drive of home can be just as fun as long trips, or even more so, since everyone is spared long hours in the car. Kids will barely have time to ask, "Are we there yet?"

Another bonus? Less packing required. Take some extra changes of clothes, maybe a cooler of snacks (though unique restaurants are readily available), a camera, sunscreen, swimsuits and towels if you're going the water route, and you should be good to go.

Check out these trip ideas, all which are located within a three hour drive of downtown Indianapolis.

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French Lick

Located two and a half hours from downtown and on the edge of the Hoosier National Forest, resides French Lick Resort and its two historic hotels; the French Lick Springs Hotel and the West Baden Springs Hotel.

Most of the resort activities are open to the public, such as bowling, an arcade, stables, golf, biking/hiking trails, and more. The hotels are located one mile apart from each other on State Road 56, with a shuttle that runs between the two and a trail that connects them. Seewww.frenchlick.com for more information.

Big Splash Adventure Indoor Water Park, which features a retractable roof and an outdoor pool, is also located on State Road 56, not far from French Lick Resort. Open year-round, the weather does not matter when it comes to enjoying this innovative park.www.bigsplashadventure.com.

Santa Claus

Just three hours away from Indy is Santa Claus, Ind., where the amusement park Holiday World is located. Holiday World opens for its 65th season on Saturday, May 7, and its water park, Splashin' Safari, opens on Friday, May 13. Rollercoaster enthusiasts will love The Voyage, the world's #1 wooden coaster, with a top speed of 67 mph and five underground tunnels, and Splashin' Safari's Wildebeest, the world's longest water coaster. New this year to the park is Splashin' Safari Sam's Splash Land for children, with eight fun water slides and an activity pool. Seewww.holidayworld.com for more information.

Park tips and notes: Have a meeting place in case you get separated and note what your children are wearing. Try a weekday visit for smaller crowds and less wait time. The park supplies free sunscreen and soft drinks. Save $4 off the General Admission ticket price and $2 off the Guest-Under-54" and Senior 60+ ticket price when you purchase tickets online. Children ages two and younger are free.

Also in Santa Claus, Ind., Lake Rudolph Campground & R.V. Resort is only a few minutes from Holiday World and offers over 200 family rental RVs and cabins. RV rental rates range from $130 to $175 per night in-season (beginning Memorial Day weekend) and cabin rates begin at $185.

Tent and RV sites are also available and range from $31 to $54 per night. Golf carts are available for rent too, rates are $35 per day for 4-passenger carts and $55 per day for 6-passenger carts. See www.lakerudolph.com for more information on rentals as well as what to bring on your stay.

Bloomington

Less than one hour south of Monument Circle in Bloomington, Ind. is WonderLab, an award-winning science museum that offers interactive exhibits for all ages. This summer, a new exhibition titled Toys: The Inside Story, will open on June 2 through September 4. Through the exhibit, discover how combinations of gears, pulleys, linkages, circuits and more make toys work like Jack-in-the-Box, Operation, and Etch A Sketch.

WonderLab is located at 308 W. Fourth Street in the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District, and is near the Indiana University college campus as well as other downtown area attractions. Visit www.wonderlab.org for more information. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.. Admission is $6 for children ages 1 to 17 and $7 for adults ages 18 and up.

Another Bloomington, Ind. attraction is Indiana's largest inland lake, Lake Monroe. Spend a day relaxing on the water with family and friends by renting a boat at one of the Local boat rental marinas, or by taking a hike along one of the surrounding trails.

Visit www.visitbloomington.com for more information about visiting Bloomington and its other attractions.

Columbus

Also located less than one hour from Monument Circle and just 30-some miles east of Bloomington, Ind., is Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor and Museum in Columbus, Ind. The historic Zaharakos, which has been operating for 111 years, serves up premium ice cream, floats, milkshakes and old fashioned sodas. Zaharakos is located at 329 Washington St. in Columbus, Ind., and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 9 a.m to 8 p.m. www.zaharakos.com

For more adventures, head a few doors down to kidscommons Children's Museum in downtown Columbus, Ind. located at 309 Washington St. Check out their climbing wall, which is not just any climbing wall, but a replica of the historic building's front. Kids will also find the giant toilet that they can actually climb into, which is pretty cool, too. Kidscommon is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.. Admission is $6 for ages 18 months and up. www.kidscommons.org

If you've seen Indianapolis' Children's Museum's Fireworks of Glass by Dale Chihuly, be sure to stop by the Columbus Visitors Center located at 506 5th St. to see Chihuly's large glass chandelier that visitors say looks like macaroni and cheese.

Columbus, Ind. also has lots of public art that can be touched and interacted with, and a state of the art playground, Freedom Field, that was designed with handicapped accessibility in mind. Visit www.columbus.in.us for more information.

Brown County

For over 100 years, artists have been creating handmade works of art in Brown County, Ind. Now, the artists are inviting you to come Experience the Arts in Brown County and to get inspired and be creative. This summer, artists are teaching their forms of art to anyone who is willing to learn.

"If you have the desire to be creative, these artists will inspire and teach you to make something from the heart," said organizer Kathy Anderson. "With over 75 classes to choose from, selecting the classes you want to participate in will be your hardest decision, and you will definitely want to plan on spending more than a day."

Many of the classes are providing the supplies for the students, making it easy for them to just "show up and begin creating". A majority of the students will take home a finished product. Class schedules are flexible, offering half-day, full day and multi-day sessions. Traditional courses include: Painting & Drawing, Writing, Clay, Jewelry, Fiber Arts, Woodworking, Music and some lectures. A number of fun and interesting non-traditional categories include: Mixed Media, Folk Art, Culinary, Theater, Movement, Dance, Healing and Just for Kids. For complete details, a full listing of class courses and to register, visitwww.experiencebrowncounty.com or call 812-988-7140.

Hills O' Brown Vacation Rentals are located in the heart of Brown County, Ind. It is one of the largest rental management companies in Southern Indiana specializing in managing over 115 vacation homes, log cabins, guest suites and cottages in Brown, Bartholomew and Monroe counties. All of their rentals are fully furnished; most include hot tubs and seasonal fireplaces. The homes vary in size accommodating from 2-10 guests and are located in many locations including private, wooded acreage, in the heart of Nashville, Ind., or homes with scenic views. A family-friendly guest ranch complete with horseback riding and zip line adventures borders Brown County State Park comfortably sleeps 54 guests, and is ideal for a family reunion or gathering. Reservations and information about all homes are available online at www.browncountylogcabins.com.

View images.

Krista Bocko is a freelance writer living in Noblesville, Indiana with her husband and four children. She can be reached at kbocko@sbcglobal.net or via her blog at www.cachetwrites.com.