education through food & film
hyperlocal empowerment 
getting coordinated. again 2.4.12
I have been experiencing successive waves of organizing. And i have to say that i love it. i have a new persistence based on efficient motion. it applies to moving bins of popcorn as well as getting everything else done. not new, just an increase in frequency that it crosses my mind to do a little more with a little less. or a lot more with the same. In any event and on every scale, I am enjoying the results of the anti-entropic work. More of the chop wood, carry water but applied across some motions that I never incorporated into a rhythm before now. We will just have to see how long I can maintain this energy level. It feels like I can do it!
Meeting Neighbors and Friends 1.26.12
I had the best time this last Tuesday seeing the turn out for the Vancouver Watersheds Alliance showing of Queen of the Sun. It was a packed house and tremendous to see the active bee and VWA community talking and listening. Energizing all around. It really did give a boost to WestVanBeeStewards and I am shortly off to start the BFZ – Bee Friendly Zone project. More info on that will show up on the WestVanBeestewards site!
I used to love public speaking and then I didn’t. I preferred all the back issue stuff like fact checking and information gathering or materials prep. Or even the physical labor of building, doing hauling. After that long hiatus away form talking and “teaching” (ha!), I realized that it is necessary, needed, wanted, and part of the overall community dialogue. And that to skirt around that public dialogue makes the gathering of information a bit useless. Not only that, but I get to meet likeminded folks!
I look forward to more engagement with my neighbors and co-conspirators about how powerful a group of people can be in creating cleaner, better, stronger communities. Bee Friendly Communities!
p.s. the picture is of me talking and talking, but not at the bee event….. 
It was taken last year by Abby Harris. (The fabulous Abby Harris)
p.p.s Go see Dirt! the movie. on February 28th, 2012. It is awesome.
don’t always learn something for no reason 1.19.12
i hear many lament that they learned stuff in school that has no purpose. hell, even i have made the argument that i will die of a heart attack if someone actually paid me to draw a picture of the book lungs of a spider! that said, i am damn proud that I can still compare breathing apparatus of birds, spiders, insects, fish, mammals etc!
even if pride and memory stretching aren’t good enough to be called “useful”, most of everything you learn you CAN find a way to apply. I kid you not! Now, learning how to apply knowledge is a knowledge in itself. And the first rule of learning that is to never be discouraged. No matter what officials, teachers, or your peoples tell you.
thrilled by prospect of february filled with officials 1.17.12
i am working hard on labels and applications in addition to contract work that deadlines at the end of the month. And what I am beginning to really feel is the need to talk to a million different officials about the rules and regulations that might apply to the next phase of my project. or not.
do i need to observe a setback, is it allowed in city limits, what kind of license. are you sure that this is the way? until, at last, i can do what i want to do somewhere within a 5 block radius of my homespot. i just love the look on people’s faces when they realize that i won’t go away until i get an answer that fits.
double dipping 1.14.12
I am always thoroughly excited when projects overlap and both can be strengthened with one effort. I have been gazing and meandering through farm listings in our region (and how awesome the selection is!), and I have been preparing the pasture list and looking for those that keep bees. I now have a great grass-fed beef and other meat animals listing for the 2012 season AND I have a list of farms where I can ask about beekeeping practices and talk shop about bees in Clark County. Winter may quiet the soil and the hives, but it is damn busy here above-ground on the market-front! But very sweet too.
i dream of nicolas’ poblanos 1.9.12
There are so many things that i have actually accomplished n the last year that I am a bit stunned myself. I told myself at the beginning of 2011 that I would make the year special in terms of my determination and courage. After a sucktastically not good 2010 on the personal front, 2011 was like lightning and fireworks. For 2012, I dream of poblanos and getting back to farm circuit and adding the market stall at urban growers market. Here in the weird, warm January it is a lovely dream.
hearth goes live tonight 1.6.12
after 8months of learning and doing, hearth goes live tonight. it is exciting in many ways, but right now i am too fried to really dig it. i am more nervous than not, and will just have to wait and see if it all works as it should.
ringing in a new, year 12.31.11
i have one more domain to move, and then i will be entirely done with prior hosting services. not only is that in progress, but i am moving my cart66 work to a friend’s project and am implementing foxycart/foxyshop for hearth. so, it is prosecco (prosecco cointreau cranberry) and php-land after today’s festivities.
Sunday and Monday, besides moving slowly, i will tackle CCU and the RBF video review. i have already started on the priority tasks on these, but it will feel lovely to get the re-editing done and the new training vids in place with their augmented text content.
And last, but not least, i WILL do a full LiveTrue sweep for L, so that she can start the new year happier on her way back form South America. Plus, I think I have the WP cart solution for her…after i finish the foxycart plunge this weekend! Around and around we go!
happy end of year for this calendar.