So, it would seem that I've skipped another month - November. It wasn't really my best month, anyway. It started out with a pretty significant health scare for me. I was hospitalized for 4 days with hypertension. And right after I got out of the hospital with my 3 new daily meds, I learned that a friend had committed suicide.
Both events took me by complete surprise, and the combination took me to a pretty dark place for awhile. I'm still getting used to the extra pills, and I'm really afraid that my blood pressure will spike up again and I'll have a stroke. I've never had high blood pressure before, other than during pregnancy (which I am not currently experiencing) so this is a new issue for me. Yay.
And then Phil. He was a friend of a friend, and I was just getting to know him. Super nice guy, really smart, talented musician. Phil's best friend, who was like his brother, is like family to me. I've spent many holidays with them, dining and celebrating, talking and laughing.
With suicides, conversations seem to go 'well, he seemed happy' or 'so many people loved him, how could he do this?' which in Phil's case were both applicable. Having battled depression for many years, I understand suicide inasmuch as I've experienced what they call "suicidal thoughts." It isn't so much a desire to die as a longing for peace, a rest from the constant barrage of awfulness in your mind. I don't begrudge Phil for what he did, but my heart breaks for those he left behind.
So in the midst of all this, hospital stays and funerals, my mind couldn't have been further from the project at work. And now, as we plan for the holidays, we're also looking ahead to next year. Barring any proof that the Mayans were right all along, this ball needs to get rolling again.
There have been some developments - we are officially addressing the Farm and the Market as separate projects now (whereas before, it has always been one, the Farm & Market). Joe and I are assigned to the Market, which will hopefully be a full-fledged Jenks Farmers Market next spring. And the farm is being managed by my Dad and a young man named Kyle who used to have his own farm and has a ton of ideas for ours.
Right now, most of the work is on spreadsheets, as we prepare our budgets for 2013. Once we have our next year's plan in place, I'll be able to go into more detail. But today, my brain is still trying to claw its way back from the serious rattling it has recently taken. I'm pretty unfocused these days, and the holidays being around the corner are no help. So I'm going to spend some time with my family, pick myself up, and get going again next year.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
The Show-Off Show
I started keeping a diary in the 4th grade - at the age my oldest daughter is now. It had Snoopy and Woodstock on the cover, and a little lock with a code, which probably never prevented my sister from reading it. If I were to somehow locate the thing and re-read it, I wouldn't be surprised if many of the entries (which were generally separated by about a month) started with something like, "Dear Diary, I'm sorry it's been so long since I wrote." I thought of that when I damn near started this post with the same sentiment. Dear Blog, I wanted to write at least once a month, and sorry but I missed September. I must have assumed that my diary always accepted the apologies, and hopefully the blog does, too.
Whatever. We've been extra busy at Southwood, in preparations for a most exciting event: our first ever visit from the Garden Center Performance Group (GCPG)! We - meaning Southwood's duly appointed representatives, my Dad and the nursery's GM, Joe - have been members of this illustrious group for a few years, meeting every few months for comparisons and discussions, and once a year visiting a member nursery. It has been a terrific learning experience
You can't imagine a bigger par-tay: the owners and managers of 10 garden centers dishing about such riveting subjects as growth regulators, point-of-sale software and employment practices. Every industry has the equivalent, and unless it's the lingo you use every day and the stuff you make incessant spreadsheets about, it would be as clear as mud and utterly dull.
But since that is our lingo and spreadsheet fodder (and I truly believe it's possible for a person to become addicted to Excel), we are approaching this visit with supreme gusto. The purpose of a site visit, besides the usual meeting business, is a tour and critique of the host member's garden center. These are people who have been colleagues for generations (many are family businesses) and although they aren't generally competitors for the same market, they are nonetheless competitive. I imagine this critique will be a humbling experience, as well as one that will produce some truly remarkable feedback on what we're doing, from people who know what they're looking at and aren't afraid to say what they're thinking.
Southwood has been spiffed up, freshly painted, and will have our best feet forward in two weeks. Of course, the point is for us to be doing business as usual, because that's what we want the feedback on. The nursery will be open, and after being treated to a delicious breakfast and Power Point presentation, our guests will saunter about, asking questions of our employees, peeking into our greenhouses and inspecting our landscape designs. They will then retire to our Market House, where they will be treated to more food, another Power Point presentation, and the opportunity to ask us whatever they want. It is here that they will hear all of our Big Plans for the Farm & Market.
And it is here that I get a little bit panicky. What if they don't like it? Even more terrifying, what if they don't think it's do-able? I honestly don't think that will happen, because at the last meeting (in Minneapolis, which I attended with my mom and sister as guests), they heard a little bit and seemed intrigued. The industry brass generally opines that the concepts we're pursing align well with the future of garden centers. Still, critique is critique, and as helpful as it can be, it can certainly sting, too. Southwood is pretty polished, but our little project is still very raw.
So, we're preparing ourselves emotionally as well as physically for this event. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing them - they're really creative and intelligent people who obsess about the same things we do. They run such innovative and successful businesses: Hicks Nurseries on Long Island, Bordine's in Detroit, Chalet and Platt Hill nurseries in Chicagoland, Rogers in Orange County, Watson's in Seattle. Brothers Corey and Calvin Bordine alone are worth the admission.
It's in 2 weeks, right after Oktoberfest (which my father claims is "better than Christmas!"). Dear Blog, I'll let you know how it goes.
Whatever. We've been extra busy at Southwood, in preparations for a most exciting event: our first ever visit from the Garden Center Performance Group (GCPG)! We - meaning Southwood's duly appointed representatives, my Dad and the nursery's GM, Joe - have been members of this illustrious group for a few years, meeting every few months for comparisons and discussions, and once a year visiting a member nursery. It has been a terrific learning experience
You can't imagine a bigger par-tay: the owners and managers of 10 garden centers dishing about such riveting subjects as growth regulators, point-of-sale software and employment practices. Every industry has the equivalent, and unless it's the lingo you use every day and the stuff you make incessant spreadsheets about, it would be as clear as mud and utterly dull.
But since that is our lingo and spreadsheet fodder (and I truly believe it's possible for a person to become addicted to Excel), we are approaching this visit with supreme gusto. The purpose of a site visit, besides the usual meeting business, is a tour and critique of the host member's garden center. These are people who have been colleagues for generations (many are family businesses) and although they aren't generally competitors for the same market, they are nonetheless competitive. I imagine this critique will be a humbling experience, as well as one that will produce some truly remarkable feedback on what we're doing, from people who know what they're looking at and aren't afraid to say what they're thinking.
Southwood has been spiffed up, freshly painted, and will have our best feet forward in two weeks. Of course, the point is for us to be doing business as usual, because that's what we want the feedback on. The nursery will be open, and after being treated to a delicious breakfast and Power Point presentation, our guests will saunter about, asking questions of our employees, peeking into our greenhouses and inspecting our landscape designs. They will then retire to our Market House, where they will be treated to more food, another Power Point presentation, and the opportunity to ask us whatever they want. It is here that they will hear all of our Big Plans for the Farm & Market.
And it is here that I get a little bit panicky. What if they don't like it? Even more terrifying, what if they don't think it's do-able? I honestly don't think that will happen, because at the last meeting (in Minneapolis, which I attended with my mom and sister as guests), they heard a little bit and seemed intrigued. The industry brass generally opines that the concepts we're pursing align well with the future of garden centers. Still, critique is critique, and as helpful as it can be, it can certainly sting, too. Southwood is pretty polished, but our little project is still very raw.
So, we're preparing ourselves emotionally as well as physically for this event. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing them - they're really creative and intelligent people who obsess about the same things we do. They run such innovative and successful businesses: Hicks Nurseries on Long Island, Bordine's in Detroit, Chalet and Platt Hill nurseries in Chicagoland, Rogers in Orange County, Watson's in Seattle. Brothers Corey and Calvin Bordine alone are worth the admission.
It's in 2 weeks, right after Oktoberfest (which my father claims is "better than Christmas!"). Dear Blog, I'll let you know how it goes.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
How To Grow
The design phase of the Market is officially underway! We are starting to lay out the buildings on paper!
I tend to over-celebrate my milestones sometimes, because it's hard not to get impatient with this development process. We've been talking about this project for what feels like forever, and I want so badly to reach the point where we start to actually build something. But, of course, time never moves so slowly as right before something you're anxiously anticipating.
Besides inspiration, this summer's task has been discovering How to Grow - in two ways, actually. The first is literal. Our tomatoes, via the Food Bank, nourished hundreds of families who wouldn't normally experience a fresh, sun-ripened, locally-grown heirloom tomato. Growing them also allowed us to provide feedback on the harvested product to OSU's Department of Horticulture, facilitating the education of future agriculturalists.
And for the past few weeks, we have also discovered that the platiculture method allows - despite record-setting heat - for a bumper crop of watermelons!
Once again, they have given us the opportunity to nourish others with what we've grown. The Food Bank received 200 melons late this week, and I'm sure we'll be sending more. I'll soon be calling the Farm-to-School coordinator at Jenks schools, as well.
Throughout this first week at my kids' school, we've loaded the back of our minivan with watermelons and handed them out to our friends in the 3:00 pickup line. And last night we took ten melons to our back-to-school picnic. We were handing out slices at the tail end of four tables stacked with hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and desserts, and we didn't take home any leftovers.
The melons are also our first crop to sell at Southwood in the retail store, which is big because it's the first time the Farm & Market has brought money into the organization, instead of out.
Which leads me to the second meaning behind the title - a more figurative meaning - which pertains to the business itself. We've been pretty hunkered down through the economic slump. Our last major growth period was in 2003 when we started the production division, where we grow many of our own plants.
As much as this Farm & Market mean to me, and as much as I believe this venture will be a great addition to our business, it is absolutely essential that we don't cannibalize Southwood to make it happen. There is still a lot of economic uncertainty in this country. Although Tulsa's oil and gas industry have insulated us from the worst of the recession, undertaking growth in a weak economy requires a leap of faith.
Before we begin, I'm doing everything in my power to plan properly, do my homework, and ensure that nothing we do hurts Southwood's ability to do what it does. It's a tricky process, but I am energized and ready to go.
I tend to over-celebrate my milestones sometimes, because it's hard not to get impatient with this development process. We've been talking about this project for what feels like forever, and I want so badly to reach the point where we start to actually build something. But, of course, time never moves so slowly as right before something you're anxiously anticipating.
Besides inspiration, this summer's task has been discovering How to Grow - in two ways, actually. The first is literal. Our tomatoes, via the Food Bank, nourished hundreds of families who wouldn't normally experience a fresh, sun-ripened, locally-grown heirloom tomato. Growing them also allowed us to provide feedback on the harvested product to OSU's Department of Horticulture, facilitating the education of future agriculturalists.
And for the past few weeks, we have also discovered that the platiculture method allows - despite record-setting heat - for a bumper crop of watermelons!
Once again, they have given us the opportunity to nourish others with what we've grown. The Food Bank received 200 melons late this week, and I'm sure we'll be sending more. I'll soon be calling the Farm-to-School coordinator at Jenks schools, as well. Throughout this first week at my kids' school, we've loaded the back of our minivan with watermelons and handed them out to our friends in the 3:00 pickup line. And last night we took ten melons to our back-to-school picnic. We were handing out slices at the tail end of four tables stacked with hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and desserts, and we didn't take home any leftovers.
The melons are also our first crop to sell at Southwood in the retail store, which is big because it's the first time the Farm & Market has brought money into the organization, instead of out.
Which leads me to the second meaning behind the title - a more figurative meaning - which pertains to the business itself. We've been pretty hunkered down through the economic slump. Our last major growth period was in 2003 when we started the production division, where we grow many of our own plants.
As much as this Farm & Market mean to me, and as much as I believe this venture will be a great addition to our business, it is absolutely essential that we don't cannibalize Southwood to make it happen. There is still a lot of economic uncertainty in this country. Although Tulsa's oil and gas industry have insulated us from the worst of the recession, undertaking growth in a weak economy requires a leap of faith.
Before we begin, I'm doing everything in my power to plan properly, do my homework, and ensure that nothing we do hurts Southwood's ability to do what it does. It's a tricky process, but I am energized and ready to go.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Operation: Inspiration - Checking In
I'm getting a little lax with my postings this summer. I'm lax with many things lately, a phenomenon that I find happens when it's over 105 degrees for very many days in a row. Right about now, I'm really hoping that the climate isn't shifting in this direction, and that these incredibly hot summer temperatures aren't a vicious new normal. It will be interesting to see what's in store for us this winter, because in the last two years we have had both the wettest and driest winters on record in Oklahoma.
In the meantime, I'm going to revisit my goal of getting inspired this summer. It's hardly a measurable goal, which leaves me some room for subjectivity on the matter, in which case I am going to call it a success. Interestingly, the location for my greatest inspiration on where I want to take this project was not only California, but right here in Oklahoma, and also Minnesota.
California was beautiful, of course, with its flowers and beaches and perfect 85-degree days. We had such a great time, reconnected with our daughters, and saw what wonderful things can be done when open minds allow creativity to flow. I love places where imagination is embedded into a culture, as it seems to be on the West Coast (not to mention Disneyland, which is like imagination on steroids).
Back home, we put our own creativity to use as we harvested hundreds of pounds of tomatoes and quickly realized that we needed to find ways to use them, fast. We entered the SalsaFest, held an heirloom tomato-tasting event at the OSU Extension offices in Tulsa, had adventures in canning with my dad and received some exciting media attention for donating 200 lbs. of tomatoes to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
Also this summer, the very exciting Tulsa Health Department initiative, Pathways to Health kicked off. Not only is it my first real Board service, but I truly believe this collective impact program has the potential to make a real difference in addressing Oklahoma's health issues. I am so proud of my cousin Lynnsey, who is spearheading this effort. I will post regularly about it on this blog, and you can follow it on Twitter (@TulsaP2H).
So my takeaway from the activities this summer is the power of passion and common goals. I'm finding such a powerful movement of people who refuse to settle for poor health options, not just for themselves and their families, but for their communities as well. At the P2H event, a 20-something young woman proudly declared herself "a total public health nut." Don't tell me this country is doomed and that the government is going to destroy us all. This City-County Health Department employee shows me otherwise.
Which, finally, brings me to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I tagged along to a meeting of our Garden Center Performance Group. This group of garden center owners and managers meets three times a year to discuss their performances (as the name of the group probably indicates, but it seemed to need more explanation). On the first day, we took a tour of area garden centers, which included Tangletown/Wise Acres, which is doing pretty much what we want to be doing with the market, running a very successful CSA and restaurant. Plus, the group had some amazing discussions about where the garden center industry is going, and it is very much in the direction of local foods and farming.
All in all, I feel like we're on our game with this project. Now that everybody is back from vacations, and school starts back up in a couple of weeks, we are launching into our Strategic Planning season. We will be starting to sit down with designers soon! So excited!
In the meantime, I'm going to revisit my goal of getting inspired this summer. It's hardly a measurable goal, which leaves me some room for subjectivity on the matter, in which case I am going to call it a success. Interestingly, the location for my greatest inspiration on where I want to take this project was not only California, but right here in Oklahoma, and also Minnesota.
California was beautiful, of course, with its flowers and beaches and perfect 85-degree days. We had such a great time, reconnected with our daughters, and saw what wonderful things can be done when open minds allow creativity to flow. I love places where imagination is embedded into a culture, as it seems to be on the West Coast (not to mention Disneyland, which is like imagination on steroids).
Back home, we put our own creativity to use as we harvested hundreds of pounds of tomatoes and quickly realized that we needed to find ways to use them, fast. We entered the SalsaFest, held an heirloom tomato-tasting event at the OSU Extension offices in Tulsa, had adventures in canning with my dad and received some exciting media attention for donating 200 lbs. of tomatoes to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
Also this summer, the very exciting Tulsa Health Department initiative, Pathways to Health kicked off. Not only is it my first real Board service, but I truly believe this collective impact program has the potential to make a real difference in addressing Oklahoma's health issues. I am so proud of my cousin Lynnsey, who is spearheading this effort. I will post regularly about it on this blog, and you can follow it on Twitter (@TulsaP2H).
So my takeaway from the activities this summer is the power of passion and common goals. I'm finding such a powerful movement of people who refuse to settle for poor health options, not just for themselves and their families, but for their communities as well. At the P2H event, a 20-something young woman proudly declared herself "a total public health nut." Don't tell me this country is doomed and that the government is going to destroy us all. This City-County Health Department employee shows me otherwise.
Which, finally, brings me to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I tagged along to a meeting of our Garden Center Performance Group. This group of garden center owners and managers meets three times a year to discuss their performances (as the name of the group probably indicates, but it seemed to need more explanation). On the first day, we took a tour of area garden centers, which included Tangletown/Wise Acres, which is doing pretty much what we want to be doing with the market, running a very successful CSA and restaurant. Plus, the group had some amazing discussions about where the garden center industry is going, and it is very much in the direction of local foods and farming.
All in all, I feel like we're on our game with this project. Now that everybody is back from vacations, and school starts back up in a couple of weeks, we are launching into our Strategic Planning season. We will be starting to sit down with designers soon! So excited!
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| The tomatoes right we took to the OSU Extension for tasting. |
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| The Food Bank donation: 200 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes went to Iron Gate Soup Kitchen. They sent out a quick press release the day before, and four TV stations showed up! |
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Fruits of Our Labor
We are nearing the completion of our first season as farmers. Our first tomato and pepper crop yielded a decent harvest, and we were able to grow them organically. Next we'll harvest the onions, watermelons and pumpkins, all of which are coming along nicely despite the drought.
SalsaFest was a fun project with a surprising win for best use of local ingredients! It gave us the chance to break in the Market House kitchen and involve some of our Southwood employees: Anna , Emmie and Juan. The salsa turned out delicious, with the sweet flavor of the heirloom tomatoes against a little heat from the jalapeño, anaheim and bell peppers.
SalsaFest was a fun project with a surprising win for best use of local ingredients! It gave us the chance to break in the Market House kitchen and involve some of our Southwood employees: Anna , Emmie and Juan. The salsa turned out delicious, with the sweet flavor of the heirloom tomatoes against a little heat from the jalapeño, anaheim and bell peppers.
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| Ginny (my mom), Emmie and Juan prep the tomatoes for the salsa. The varieties we used included Cherokee Purple, Brandywine and Azoychka. |
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| Joe (my husband) appears pleased with the salsa display at SalsaFest. |
The salsa took all of the tomatoes we had harvested, and the festival took almost all of the salsa - we did put bowl of it in the employee break room at Southwood right after we made it. I understand they ate it all.
This Friday, July 13 from 9-11 a.m., we're offering our friends one more way to taste the fruits of our labor, at the OSU Extension Center on 15th Street. We'll have the heirloom tomato and pepper varieties available for tasting. Dr. Brandenberger is bringing forms for participants to fill out as part of the trial we're performing for the OSU Horticulture Department, too. Drop by if you have a chance!
Little by little, I'm finding a niche for myself and my project in Tulsa's local food and health nutrition scene. At SalsaFest, I knew a lot more of the core organizers and volunteers than I expected. The event was held by Sustainable Tulsa and Elote Restaurant, both very active in the drive to bring more local food to Tulsans. The two groups who are working to build community grocery stores in the downtown areas (Cam's and Archer Market) were also represented. I'm discovering an exciting sense of community and common goals among these people, and I'm really looking forward to continuing to work with them.
Another exciting project I'm working on is Pathways to Health, through the Tulsa City-County Health Department. My fabulous cousin, Lynnsey Childress, is spearheading this collaborative effort to improve the health of the Tulsa population. We had our first planning meeting at the end of June, and I'm so impressed with what they've done so far to build momentum. If anyone is interested in hearing more about it, please email me or leave a comment. The more people who join in the fight to take Oklahoma off the top of about every national bad health rating, the better.
Next up, we're going to launch into the design phase for the Market, and some long-range planning for the Farm & Market as well as Southwood's Production department. That department, which grows a lot of the plants we sell at Southwood, is located at a greenhouse range about two miles from the retail facility, but will also expand to include part of the farm. A new Production Manager just joined the Southwood staff, and we expect that department to grow as part of this venture.
My Dad says the secret to growth and development is "measure twice, cut once" so that's what we're doing!
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| I couldn't resist posting our trophy! Best Use of Local Ingredients. We're proud of our upside-down bowl, mason jar and basil plant! |
Monday, June 25, 2012
Salsa Party, Less Ambitious Version
While we were dallying about the West Coast, our salsa garden was growing away and filling out. Not being a prolific gardener myself (I liken myself to the shoemaker's daughter who had no shoes), I forget how quickly it happens. So we have:
April:
May:
June:
April:
We decided that in lieu of trying to put together our own Salsa Party, when we weren't at all sure about our crop, we would join in this celebration with our friends at Elote and Sustainable Tulsa.
So this week, the beautiful crop you see pictured on the Market House counter will become Southwood Grown Salsa, an official entry in SalsaFest 2012. Emmie Sherry and Anna Morgan will be helping us create our masterpiece. And unless plans change, we will also be donating some of our Habañero and Jalapeño peppers to the Pepper Eating contest.
We tried out some of the tomatoes this weekend at the lake, over hamburgers, in salads and in guacamole (we are very thorough researchers). They were phenomenal. I'm not normally a tomato eater but after this weekend I'm going to rephrase - I'm not a grocery store tomato eater. These are nothing like those - meaty and flavorful. I can't wait to taste the salsa.
Speaking of which ... we would love to have you come by and visit us on Friday at SalsaFest 2012! It's Friday evening (June 29) downtown on the Centennial Green at 6th and Boston near Elote. It will be hot - we're expecting 105 and downtown Tulsa is not known for its cool breezes anyway. But I think (hope) someone said there were misters happening, and there will be great food and drinks. Participants get a bag of tortilla chips and 2 oz. of each salsa.
Plus, who doesn't love a good chihuahua costume contest? See you there!
Monday, June 18, 2012
California Pictures!
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| Lush vegetation makes everything prettier. Dining at the Proud Bird restaurant by Los Angeles airport. |
We took our kids to the Santa Monica Pier, up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, to Anaheim and down to Orange County. We gave them a true Disneyland experience (thanks Mom for joining us for that portion - you made it just that much better!) and introduced them to cousins they'd never met.
Joe and I decided before we had children that one of our priorities in parenting was to show them the world.
We don't have a huge showy house or expensive cars, and we watch our expenses so that every year we can pull together a family vacation. We do sometimes rely on our friends to host us if possible, and our families help us or even join us some years. The rewards for us as a family are unparalleled.
We learn a lot about each other on our vacations. Getting out of our own daily routine and seeing how other people live gives us a lot of perspective on the choices we make. It often makes us appreciate what we have, including the ability to travel. It sometimes makes us wonder how people get to where they are - from the mansions of Beverly Hills, to the barrios in East LA (which we avoided, but glimpsed from the highway). We experience a little envy of those who lead lives beside beaches and in stunning homes overlooking the Pacific. We appreciate the sheer number and variety of bizarre people and behaviors we came across. We even reflect on what we love about our own home, and what parts of Oklahoma are missing in other states.
Mostly, though, we just enjoy being together, seeing new things and having fun. The four of us really have a good time together. Sometimes daily life gets so hectic and structured, it's easy to forget what charming, intelligent and unique daughters we are raising.
Audrey, with her artist's soul and caring spirit, is fascinated by everything from zoo animals to breaking surf. Everywhere she goes, she creates: sand castles, sketches on menus, song lyrics about Disney characters. And when she goes to a playground, she seeks out small children to nurture and entertain, invariably striking up charming conversations with their parents as well.
Audrey turned 9 on our second day at Disneyland. They give you a badge if its your birthday, and everybody who sees you mentions it. Not being an attention seeker, Audrey said it made her uncomfortable having all of those strangers wish her a happy birthday, so she took it off. Catherine, on the other hand, was more than happy to receive the attention. She got herself a badge by telling them that even though it wasn't her actual birthday, she was celebrating it there at Disneyland. She graciously accepted "happy birthdays" long after her sister had stopped.And that's my Wild Cat. Brave, athletic, outgoing and always entertaining. She tells great jokes, dances like a beast, and is up for pretty much any adventure, unless its culinary.
Catherine has always loved beaches, but this was her first experience with the Pacific surf. She would run like crazy towards that freezing water and then hurry back to the shore as the surf came towards her, getting soaked and knocked down, and cracking up laughing the entire time.But all good things come to an end, and we are glad to be home. We could have done without the fridge going out while we were gone, causing an extreme stench that had us looking for a dead animal until we realized what it was. But oh well.
Amidst the sightseeing and family fun, Joe and I managed to find some personal inspiration in California. It bears repeating that it is really a beautiful state. There's vegetation everywhere - palm trees, tropical flowers, fruit trees. Flowers that die out in our Oklahoma winters are perennials out there, and they're huge. I grew up in a nursery, but my husband is the walking plant encyclopedia in our family. Everywhere we went he snapped pictures of plants and landscapes, against the backdrop of the rolling ocean.
We also got a lot of ideas for the farm & market, particularly at a visit to a Edendale Urban Farm in LA's Silverlake neighborhood. We're excited about the "Idea Books" we're putting together this summer in preparation for the design process this fall. We are rested, rejuvenated, and reminded of how lucky we are. Enjoy more photos of our trip below.  |
| Audrey investigates Edendale Farm |
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| Catherine and her Solo Cup befriend the chickens at Edendale. |
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| And pose in front of a makeshift potting bench. |
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| A green roof at the Los Angeles Zoo |
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| Not amused by my mock fear of the gigantic snake. |
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| Too busy with new stuffed animals to notice the lion. I opted to not mock fear this time. |
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| So many beautiful flowers! |
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| Audrey declared the Hollywood sign "totally awesome" |
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| So many people ... so much smog. This is one reason we prefer Oklahoma. |
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| Disneyland! Overpriced, overcrowded, totally worth it. |
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| But this is really our preference. A solo stroll on a quiet beach. |
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| Catherine thought these guys were "so cool" in Malibu. |
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| We notice irrigation techniques. Do you? |
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| Orange County Beach with our niece (Joe's brother's daughter) Holli, and her husband, Eric. |
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| Their little dude, Eric Jr. |
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| Their sweet daughter Cora Lou - they call her Lulu. She and Audrey both got cold and decided to snuggle up. |
Monday, May 28, 2012
Inspiration Across the Nation
This summer, I am undertaking the administrative task of getting inspired.
Some people find their inspiration with a paintbrush or in a yoga pose. I find it in writing. Whether on a keyboard or with pen and paper, my best thinking happens as I write. I journal and list and jot and scrawl my way through life, because if I didn't I would have no clue what was happening next. And it is my job, both as a Mom and professionally, to always know what's happening next.
I have spent the last 10 years working as my Dad's administrative assistant, helping him craft his communications. He provides the voice; I provide the words; and together, we say what Southwood needs to say. It's actually been quite the bonding experience for us, most of the time.
With the farm & market, I'm finding my own voice, and am ready to start determining the right words. Hence this summer's project: the Farm & Market Idea Books. We're essentially going to compile the pictures, information and notes that we've amassed over several years of inspiration-gathering. My goal is to present a coherent collection of information that we can flip through, mark up and discuss as we launch into the major step of designing the farm & market facilities this fall.
And of course, we'll continue to seek inspiration this summer, starting with a family vacation to Los Angeles and Disneyland!
Not everything that works in California would work in Oklahoma, of course. But the west coast is so far ahead of us on some of the concepts I'm trying to tap into, I think it'll be beneficial. Plus, I get to take my kids to Disneyland! And Disney has practically trademarked inspiration, so really, I owe it to my work to go there.
This will most likely be my last blog post before I head west. Planning and executing a vacation for a family of four can be an adventure in itself, especially when flights and car rentals and 3-day park hopper passes are involved. Next time you hear from me, I will be several pairs of Mickey ears and many exciting ideas richer.
Some people find their inspiration with a paintbrush or in a yoga pose. I find it in writing. Whether on a keyboard or with pen and paper, my best thinking happens as I write. I journal and list and jot and scrawl my way through life, because if I didn't I would have no clue what was happening next. And it is my job, both as a Mom and professionally, to always know what's happening next.
I have spent the last 10 years working as my Dad's administrative assistant, helping him craft his communications. He provides the voice; I provide the words; and together, we say what Southwood needs to say. It's actually been quite the bonding experience for us, most of the time.
With the farm & market, I'm finding my own voice, and am ready to start determining the right words. Hence this summer's project: the Farm & Market Idea Books. We're essentially going to compile the pictures, information and notes that we've amassed over several years of inspiration-gathering. My goal is to present a coherent collection of information that we can flip through, mark up and discuss as we launch into the major step of designing the farm & market facilities this fall.
And of course, we'll continue to seek inspiration this summer, starting with a family vacation to Los Angeles and Disneyland!
Not everything that works in California would work in Oklahoma, of course. But the west coast is so far ahead of us on some of the concepts I'm trying to tap into, I think it'll be beneficial. Plus, I get to take my kids to Disneyland! And Disney has practically trademarked inspiration, so really, I owe it to my work to go there.
This will most likely be my last blog post before I head west. Planning and executing a vacation for a family of four can be an adventure in itself, especially when flights and car rentals and 3-day park hopper passes are involved. Next time you hear from me, I will be several pairs of Mickey ears and many exciting ideas richer.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Yodeling and Planning
Like any good retailer, we at Southwood take frequent and thoughtful looks at our sales numbers. These numbers apparently used to be handwritten into ledgers, but nowadays they come in multi-colored graphs and charts. One such document found in our email inboxes (because we're trying to go green and not print as much) is the Three Year Sales Average.
If you were looking at this graph without trying to read the numbers, which are in an approximiately 4-point font, it would resemble a picture of a very tall mountain peak with a shorter and more rounded hill beside it. Those are Mt. Spring Season and Fall-Plus-Christmas-Decor Hill. If a driving rain or big storm has wiped out a spring weekend, Mt. Spring Season has multiple peaks. The higher the peak, the happier we are, but the more we feel like we have just climbed a mountain when the season is finished.
If one were to make awesome use of those graphs, and add a yodeling mountain climber a-la "The Price is Right" Cliffhanger Game, he would be on his way downhill right now, having traversed the ascent and peak. Summer is a quiet time at Southwood, when we catch our breath, water the plants and assess the all-important spring season in the Garden Center. It's also when we launch into the tasks we hope to accomplish before we circle around and start climbing the mountain again.
Every year, in early June, we pull out our strategic plans, to-do lists and goals spreadsheets (those would be Ginny's) and decide what projects to tackle. This year, I'm all about the market. Joe and I have set up an office there, hauled some of the kids' toys there, and otherwise prepared ourselves to camp out there this summer. Our intent is to take care of the garden, generate data for the vegetable trails and define our vision for the project. I have already labeled four binders: Programs, Marketing, Infrastructure and Farms/Techniques. By the time school starts, I hope to have them filled.
We have visited - and will continue to visit - farms, markets, museums, zoos, restaurants and retailers. We have amassed a bin full of the papers they distribute. We have taken hundreds of pictures of fencing, roofs, animal pens, vegetable gardens, store displays, marketing pieces, bee hives, hay bale mazes, and everything in between. In fact, if you've seen something awesome that you think we should put in those notebooks, Email Them To Me!
So here's what the place looks like in May 2012. Let the changing begin.
If you were looking at this graph without trying to read the numbers, which are in an approximiately 4-point font, it would resemble a picture of a very tall mountain peak with a shorter and more rounded hill beside it. Those are Mt. Spring Season and Fall-Plus-Christmas-Decor Hill. If a driving rain or big storm has wiped out a spring weekend, Mt. Spring Season has multiple peaks. The higher the peak, the happier we are, but the more we feel like we have just climbed a mountain when the season is finished.
If one were to make awesome use of those graphs, and add a yodeling mountain climber a-la "The Price is Right" Cliffhanger Game, he would be on his way downhill right now, having traversed the ascent and peak. Summer is a quiet time at Southwood, when we catch our breath, water the plants and assess the all-important spring season in the Garden Center. It's also when we launch into the tasks we hope to accomplish before we circle around and start climbing the mountain again.
Every year, in early June, we pull out our strategic plans, to-do lists and goals spreadsheets (those would be Ginny's) and decide what projects to tackle. This year, I'm all about the market. Joe and I have set up an office there, hauled some of the kids' toys there, and otherwise prepared ourselves to camp out there this summer. Our intent is to take care of the garden, generate data for the vegetable trails and define our vision for the project. I have already labeled four binders: Programs, Marketing, Infrastructure and Farms/Techniques. By the time school starts, I hope to have them filled.
We have visited - and will continue to visit - farms, markets, museums, zoos, restaurants and retailers. We have amassed a bin full of the papers they distribute. We have taken hundreds of pictures of fencing, roofs, animal pens, vegetable gardens, store displays, marketing pieces, bee hives, hay bale mazes, and everything in between. In fact, if you've seen something awesome that you think we should put in those notebooks, Email Them To Me!
So here's what the place looks like in May 2012. Let the changing begin.
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| First crops of tomatoes, peppers, onions and herbs are in the ground and starting to produce. |
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| The house has been remodeled as an education center with a demonstration kitchen. It occurs to me that I should take some pictures of the inside, too. I'll get right on that. |
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| The farm is pretty and green, a blank slate to create something that will serve the community while preserving its beauty. |
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| And last but not least, Audrey and Catherine running towards me on our front lawn. They are so healthy and fit. I hope this project will keep them that way forever. |
Monday, May 14, 2012
Make Your Neuroses Work For You!
The great thing about having a mental illness is that you get to go to spend a lot of time with psychologists. It's a sometimes thin silver lining, I'll admit, but talk therapy is actually a very healing process. It requires a lot of work on the part of the patient, up to and including a full-on lifestyle change. But any type of therapy is more difficult than a pharmaceutical approach, and it is more often than not the key to recovery.
Unfortunately, there is still a huge stigma here in middle America against mental illness. People don't talk about clinical depression, or bipolar disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder, openly in public. They don't have 5K runs or benefit fundraisers for anxiety research. As a result, people are considerably less aware of the mental health problem consuming our country right now.
It's an illness - just like cancer, or diabetes, or heart disease. The chemistry of your brain literally changes, causing short circuits in normal thought processes. And it is often lethal. People who commit suicide or homicide, or who overdose while self-medicating, often have undiagnosed or untreated mental illness.
Even those deaths are stigmatized, assumed to be the result of a character flaw or personal failing. Yes, bad choices are involved. But the same could be said for a 30-year smoker who dies of lung cancer or the 400 lb. man who collapses from cardiac arrest. And sometimes, there are no apparent bad choices - a person who eats right and exercises and makes great choices gets cancer and dies. The same is true of mental illness and its fatalities. Sometimes all the therapy and medicine in the world can't make it better.
I can't explain what it's like to be in the depths of a depressive episode, any more than a person with cancer could explain the experience to someone who hasn't been there. It is debilitating. I have lost years of my life to depression, and my physical health has suffered tremendously as well.
Unlike cancer, there is no accepted definition of remission from mental illnesses like anxiety or depression. It's more like heart disease or diabetes. Once you have it, you always have to control it, and the best way to do that is with genuine lifestyle changes. Pills can mask the symptoms, and get your neurons firing the right direction again, but if you really want to make yourself better, your whole program has to change.
What that entails is looking at yourself and acknowledging your bad habits. And then, instead of beating yourself up over them and using them as an excuse to quit trying, you have to go through the physical process of replacing those bad habits with good habits. I am somewhere in the middle of that process.
And that, to make a long story longer, is why I'm building this farm and market. My goal is to make it a place where good habits come to thrive. And hopefully, in the process, I can contribute to the greater good of addressing the awfulness that is mental illness. And cancer. And diabetes. And heart disease.
And to Dr. Miramar Garcia Cohn: You saved my life. Thanks.
Unfortunately, there is still a huge stigma here in middle America against mental illness. People don't talk about clinical depression, or bipolar disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder, openly in public. They don't have 5K runs or benefit fundraisers for anxiety research. As a result, people are considerably less aware of the mental health problem consuming our country right now.
It's an illness - just like cancer, or diabetes, or heart disease. The chemistry of your brain literally changes, causing short circuits in normal thought processes. And it is often lethal. People who commit suicide or homicide, or who overdose while self-medicating, often have undiagnosed or untreated mental illness.
Even those deaths are stigmatized, assumed to be the result of a character flaw or personal failing. Yes, bad choices are involved. But the same could be said for a 30-year smoker who dies of lung cancer or the 400 lb. man who collapses from cardiac arrest. And sometimes, there are no apparent bad choices - a person who eats right and exercises and makes great choices gets cancer and dies. The same is true of mental illness and its fatalities. Sometimes all the therapy and medicine in the world can't make it better.
I can't explain what it's like to be in the depths of a depressive episode, any more than a person with cancer could explain the experience to someone who hasn't been there. It is debilitating. I have lost years of my life to depression, and my physical health has suffered tremendously as well.
Unlike cancer, there is no accepted definition of remission from mental illnesses like anxiety or depression. It's more like heart disease or diabetes. Once you have it, you always have to control it, and the best way to do that is with genuine lifestyle changes. Pills can mask the symptoms, and get your neurons firing the right direction again, but if you really want to make yourself better, your whole program has to change.
What that entails is looking at yourself and acknowledging your bad habits. And then, instead of beating yourself up over them and using them as an excuse to quit trying, you have to go through the physical process of replacing those bad habits with good habits. I am somewhere in the middle of that process.
And that, to make a long story longer, is why I'm building this farm and market. My goal is to make it a place where good habits come to thrive. And hopefully, in the process, I can contribute to the greater good of addressing the awfulness that is mental illness. And cancer. And diabetes. And heart disease.
And to Dr. Miramar Garcia Cohn: You saved my life. Thanks.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Update-us Maximus
Operation: Salsa Garden is underway! We have tomatoes, onions, peppers and cilantro in the ground! Next week, we'll add the grafted tomatoes, which are currently being started in Southwood's greenhouses on Delaware Ave. All of the wind we've had so far hasn't helped the plants already in the ground, which include the starts we're evaluating for OSU. We've had to run the water quite a bit, and the onions and cilantro are struggling from being whipped around by the wind.
Another big announcement: the Southwood Salsa Party is officially set for July 28! It's earlier than we originally thought, but spring came so early this year, everything else is apparently going to follow suit. As you may recall, last year on that date the temperature was a balmy 118. Hopefully that will not be the case this year. If it is, we might have to get creative with the party, which I vote will happen whether we grow anything or not.
The Farmer's Almanac says it's going to be an intermittently hot and stormy summer, but it doesn't say scorching, blazing hot like last year's did. The Farmer's Almanac claims to be surprisingly accurate, having also predicted the 2011 "Snowmageddon" storm we all remember so fondly. The link above describes their process. I'm going to start reading it, like a good farmer, and I'll report back on my findings.
The next crop to go in the ground will be watermelons, followed later by pumpkins, at the farm garden. As it turns out, we have a ton of watermelon seeds, due to some confusion in our last meeting with OSU's Dr. Brandenberger. Hey, if a double order of watermelon seeds is the biggest goof we make this year, I'm going to consider it an overwhelming success.
This weekend was the Jenks Herb Festival, which is a very well-attended event. For the past several years, Southwood has partnered with RARC/The Bridges Foundation to sell hanging baskets and patio pots, with part of the proceeds going to that organization. (I'm going to write a blog post soon about cause marketing.) By this time next year, we would like to have the market building built for people to walk through. I'm pretty confident that there's some overlap between the people at that event and our future customers.
As the final update, here is a picture of Emmie's Pallet Garden. Southwood's vegetable guru Emmie Sherry demonstrated this unique and inexpensive method at our Plant a Row for the Hungry event in March. As you can see, it is currently thriving in a sunny spot outside of the office trailers at Southwood. Yes, office trailers. We're nothing if not resourceful. Happy gardening!
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| Here is the garden in its planted glory, being inspected by my daughters. I accidentally erased the pictures Joe and I took the day we planted. Which is a shame, because there was a really fantastic candid shot of me discovering that I had put my hand in a pool of fresh neon orange nursery paint. Oops.) |
The Farmer's Almanac says it's going to be an intermittently hot and stormy summer, but it doesn't say scorching, blazing hot like last year's did. The Farmer's Almanac claims to be surprisingly accurate, having also predicted the 2011 "Snowmageddon" storm we all remember so fondly. The link above describes their process. I'm going to start reading it, like a good farmer, and I'll report back on my findings.
The next crop to go in the ground will be watermelons, followed later by pumpkins, at the farm garden. As it turns out, we have a ton of watermelon seeds, due to some confusion in our last meeting with OSU's Dr. Brandenberger. Hey, if a double order of watermelon seeds is the biggest goof we make this year, I'm going to consider it an overwhelming success.
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| Ready for its watermelons, with a lovely new gravel road and water line. |
As the final update, here is a picture of Emmie's Pallet Garden. Southwood's vegetable guru Emmie Sherry demonstrated this unique and inexpensive method at our Plant a Row for the Hungry event in March. As you can see, it is currently thriving in a sunny spot outside of the office trailers at Southwood. Yes, office trailers. We're nothing if not resourceful. Happy gardening!
 |
| It's not the best picture in the world, but the tomatoes are flowing at the bottom, and there are tons of tiny peppers and tomatoes growing all over it. The kale at the top is doing well, too. This would be so easy for a balcony or patio! Just don't forget to water it! |
Monday, April 23, 2012
Role Playing
After a couple of rain delays and a bit of impatience on my part, we will be planting the Salsa Garden at the Southwood Market House this week! I'm looking forward to posting pictures of the planting process and finished bed, because that'll mean it's really happened. I will have started the process of becoming a farmer. Or something like a farmer, anyway.
I wonder sometimes if it's a role I'm going to be able to pull off. Despite being the daughter of garden center owners, I've never been much of a gardener (although I certainly did marry one). I'm not entirely sure what being a farmer actually entails. It was never a particular aspiration of mine. So why am I doing it?
My stock answer to the "what do you want to be" inquiries we all endure as children was "a writer." I kept it purposely vague, since I had no idea what I wanted to write about. I only knew that stringing words together came easily to me and I liked doing it. I studied journalism in college, worked as a copyeditor, and then toiled for a year as a high school newspaper advisor.
By that time I had been married a couple of years, and lacking any particular enthusiasm toward either of those careers, I launched into the only role I absolutely knew I wanted: motherhood. Politically, there's a lot of talk these days about moms working in the home or out of the home. The bottom line of it is that you have to do what's best for your family and your situation. For me and my family, I had to get out of the house.
So I went to work part time as an administrative assistant for my dad at Southwood. It was perfect for what I needed, a flexible and laid-back job that would allow me to interact with adults and let me contribute financially to our household. It didn't necessarily fit with the journalism career I envisioned for myself, but it would give me more freedom to personally attend to my kids' needs.
Fast forward 10 years to today, and I wonder why I ever wanted to go anywhere besides Southwood. I love being a part of my family's business, and I feel a genuine ownership for what we do, who we are, and our place in this community. With my sister back in town, things are falling into place nicely for us to develop and expand the company.
Which brings me to Southwood Farm & Market, and planting a Salsa Garden. I feel like I'm merging a series of roles in my life. Business owner seeking opportunity. Citizen of Tulsa/Jenks seeking a way to give back. Concerned mother seeking a sustainable lifestyle for my children. Woman seeking better health awareness. Human seeking connection to the Earth. It's kind of exciting, not knowing what I'm going to find.
I wonder sometimes if it's a role I'm going to be able to pull off. Despite being the daughter of garden center owners, I've never been much of a gardener (although I certainly did marry one). I'm not entirely sure what being a farmer actually entails. It was never a particular aspiration of mine. So why am I doing it?
My stock answer to the "what do you want to be" inquiries we all endure as children was "a writer." I kept it purposely vague, since I had no idea what I wanted to write about. I only knew that stringing words together came easily to me and I liked doing it. I studied journalism in college, worked as a copyeditor, and then toiled for a year as a high school newspaper advisor.
By that time I had been married a couple of years, and lacking any particular enthusiasm toward either of those careers, I launched into the only role I absolutely knew I wanted: motherhood. Politically, there's a lot of talk these days about moms working in the home or out of the home. The bottom line of it is that you have to do what's best for your family and your situation. For me and my family, I had to get out of the house.
So I went to work part time as an administrative assistant for my dad at Southwood. It was perfect for what I needed, a flexible and laid-back job that would allow me to interact with adults and let me contribute financially to our household. It didn't necessarily fit with the journalism career I envisioned for myself, but it would give me more freedom to personally attend to my kids' needs.
Fast forward 10 years to today, and I wonder why I ever wanted to go anywhere besides Southwood. I love being a part of my family's business, and I feel a genuine ownership for what we do, who we are, and our place in this community. With my sister back in town, things are falling into place nicely for us to develop and expand the company.
Which brings me to Southwood Farm & Market, and planting a Salsa Garden. I feel like I'm merging a series of roles in my life. Business owner seeking opportunity. Citizen of Tulsa/Jenks seeking a way to give back. Concerned mother seeking a sustainable lifestyle for my children. Woman seeking better health awareness. Human seeking connection to the Earth. It's kind of exciting, not knowing what I'm going to find.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
A Need for Ag-vocacy
As I mentioned at the end of my prior post, there is very real cause for concern for America's small farmers right now. It isn't all bad news, because a lot of amazing people are advocating at federal, state and local levels to ease the burdens of farm families. Ag-vocacy (yes, it is a real thing) is a growing grassroots movement that is making good use of social media. But there is a long way to go - unfortunately, it is still very difficult in this country to make a living producing real food on a scale that's manageable for one family.
Farmers' livelihoods are affected by many kinds of laws (food safety, environmental, immigration, education) made at every level of government. I'll try not to get overly political, because that's not the point of this blog. But how these laws are framed - who gets over- or under-regulated, who gets the money, who gets the laws in their favor - they all affect American industry in a very big way. And of course, those decisions are very partisan, because in this country right now, every decision is very partisan.
The top level of farmers' "rules to live by" comes courtesy of the federal Farm Bill. It is an omnibus bill, which basically means it's a bunch of laws rolled into one bill that all get passed together, and it happens every 5 years. State and local laws affect farmers, too - in your daily life, you're far more likely to encounter a city, county or state mandate than a federal one - but the tone of the big guy trickles down to the little guys. Even if economics don't always trickle down, other stuff does.
Luckily for us, Oklahoma's Department of Agriculture has a very good ag-vocate in Sec. of Ag. Jim Reese. I've had the pleasure of meeting him twice - the second time at the state capitol this week - and he is very engaged with the needs of small farmers in this state. He even wants to come to our Salsa Party in September!
The current federal farm bill, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, expires in September of this year. The prior farm bill expired in 2007 and it took 8 months of wrangling to pass it. Considering the political environment in this country right now, we won't see the next version until the dust settles after the election, because nobody's touching energy during a lame duck session.
And honestly, that's about as much as I know about the Farm Bill. I am not a policy expert, so I couldn't tell you what the thing says, or what any of it means. But as a news junkie, I CAN tell you that it means the ag sector is going to be in flux for awhile. I can also tell you that as far as what's going to be in the next Farm Bill, which will likely come out sometime in mid-to-late 2013, all bets are off. I'm sure there are analysts who have a pretty good idea of what it will look like, but until after the election, we won't know who's voting on it.
I predict that next summer, every pundit in this country will be solemnly spouting polls and digestible factoids about food and energy policy. With absolutely nothing electoral to talk about, unless something crazy happens, we'll hear about the Farm Bill. Because it really does affect a lot, considering that you're talking about little topics like Food, Conservation and Energy.
The question is - how far can the ag-vocates get in spreading information about the need for the Farm Bill to support small farmers in America? Or will the huge corporations like Syngenta and Monsanto use their huge lobbying power to write the bill in their favor, sacrificing programs like "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" to pay for their subsidies?
I guess you could say I'm a newly minted ag-vocate.
Farmers' livelihoods are affected by many kinds of laws (food safety, environmental, immigration, education) made at every level of government. I'll try not to get overly political, because that's not the point of this blog. But how these laws are framed - who gets over- or under-regulated, who gets the money, who gets the laws in their favor - they all affect American industry in a very big way. And of course, those decisions are very partisan, because in this country right now, every decision is very partisan.
The top level of farmers' "rules to live by" comes courtesy of the federal Farm Bill. It is an omnibus bill, which basically means it's a bunch of laws rolled into one bill that all get passed together, and it happens every 5 years. State and local laws affect farmers, too - in your daily life, you're far more likely to encounter a city, county or state mandate than a federal one - but the tone of the big guy trickles down to the little guys. Even if economics don't always trickle down, other stuff does.
Luckily for us, Oklahoma's Department of Agriculture has a very good ag-vocate in Sec. of Ag. Jim Reese. I've had the pleasure of meeting him twice - the second time at the state capitol this week - and he is very engaged with the needs of small farmers in this state. He even wants to come to our Salsa Party in September!
The current federal farm bill, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, expires in September of this year. The prior farm bill expired in 2007 and it took 8 months of wrangling to pass it. Considering the political environment in this country right now, we won't see the next version until the dust settles after the election, because nobody's touching energy during a lame duck session.
And honestly, that's about as much as I know about the Farm Bill. I am not a policy expert, so I couldn't tell you what the thing says, or what any of it means. But as a news junkie, I CAN tell you that it means the ag sector is going to be in flux for awhile. I can also tell you that as far as what's going to be in the next Farm Bill, which will likely come out sometime in mid-to-late 2013, all bets are off. I'm sure there are analysts who have a pretty good idea of what it will look like, but until after the election, we won't know who's voting on it.
I predict that next summer, every pundit in this country will be solemnly spouting polls and digestible factoids about food and energy policy. With absolutely nothing electoral to talk about, unless something crazy happens, we'll hear about the Farm Bill. Because it really does affect a lot, considering that you're talking about little topics like Food, Conservation and Energy.
The question is - how far can the ag-vocates get in spreading information about the need for the Farm Bill to support small farmers in America? Or will the huge corporations like Syngenta and Monsanto use their huge lobbying power to write the bill in their favor, sacrificing programs like "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" to pay for their subsidies?
I guess you could say I'm a newly minted ag-vocate.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Trials and Errors
Ladies and gents (or possibly just gent - hi Sam) planting season has arrived! The plasticulture is down, the beds are prepared, and the vegetables will be in place very soon. And so, with no further ado, I bring you the official unveiling of the first ever crop to be planted at Southwood Farm & Market!
Well, maybe a little bit of further ado: first I have to acknowledge there is a possibility that this entire crop will die. We're pretty good growers, so we have that going for us. But last summer in Oklahoma was brutally hot, and if that happens again, our crops, along with everybody else's, will suffer. This is the reality for all small farmers. I'm going to get back to that in a minute, though.
The Market
106 E. Apache (now called Aquarium Place) in Jenks
Being the more public of the two locations, this garden is more for show. The farm garden, which is bigger (market = 360 linear feet of plasticulture; farm = 2,800 linear feet) will be the more functional producer. So our fun market garden will be a salsa garden: tomatoes, onions, peppers and herbs. The working plan is that after we harvest, we'll throw a Salsa Party at Southwood. We'll give people a basket of our Southwood grown ingredients and have a salsa contest, bring in a guest chef to cook a Mexican dinner using local ingredients, and invite a group of salsa dancers to perform. We are all about excuses to have a party, and harvests are historically just that. Ole!
The Farm
Jenks, just south of Creek Turnpike and east of Elm
So, while the market garden produces party supplies, the farm garden will be participating in educational research. We are working with Oklahoma State University Professor Dr. Lynn Brandenberger to perform a tomato trial through their department. Working with one of Dr. B's colleagues, we'll grow several varieties of heirloom tomatoes. We will be comparing plants grown from traditional "seed saver" seeds, started in the OSU greenhouses in Stillwater, to the same varieties grafted onto hardy root stock, started by one of suppliers. We will receive all of the plants as plugs, about the size of a test tube, and plant them all in about a week or two.
The trial itself will be performed at harvest time. This is my first vegetable trial, but essentially we'll be separating the fruits into marketable and unmarketable, performing various weights and measures and noting why we culled what we did. And of course, unmarketable does not mean inedible, though there will be those as well, so we'll be cooking up or donating what we can't sell but can still eat.
This is going to be a lot of work, so cross your fingers for us! If it works out as we hope, you're all invited to the Southwood Salsa Party. If not, we'll wash our hands, sharpen our tools and plant the next crop.
Which brings me back to the small farmer topic for a second - The more I read and write and tweet and live and breathe this project, the more I'm becoming aware of what life is like for small farmers in the 21st century. Farming in America has reached a critical point. Our food supply in this country is held hostage by huge corporations like Monsanto. Two of the best documentaries I'm aware of are Food Inc. and The World According to Monsanto (which is actually available to watch free online, if you'll follow the link). Both of these are well worth two hours of your time, if you eat.
I'll write more about this subject next week, because this Monday, April 9, 2012, Joe and I will be participating in the first ever Local Food Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol. I'm sure it's going to be a very informative and interesting day!
I'll finish the post with my farmer Joe, being himself.
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Well, maybe a little bit of further ado: first I have to acknowledge there is a possibility that this entire crop will die. We're pretty good growers, so we have that going for us. But last summer in Oklahoma was brutally hot, and if that happens again, our crops, along with everybody else's, will suffer. This is the reality for all small farmers. I'm going to get back to that in a minute, though.
The Market
106 E. Apache (now called Aquarium Place) in Jenks
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| Audrey wields the shovel while Micah lays the plasticulture from the tractor. The rig on the back lays an irrigation drip line and the plastic at the same time. |
The Farm
Jenks, just south of Creek Turnpike and east of Elm
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| The plasticulture beds. This is the view looking north, toward the Creek Turnpike. |
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| The farm house, mid-remodel. The farm foreman or caretaker will live here. |
The trial itself will be performed at harvest time. This is my first vegetable trial, but essentially we'll be separating the fruits into marketable and unmarketable, performing various weights and measures and noting why we culled what we did. And of course, unmarketable does not mean inedible, though there will be those as well, so we'll be cooking up or donating what we can't sell but can still eat.
This is going to be a lot of work, so cross your fingers for us! If it works out as we hope, you're all invited to the Southwood Salsa Party. If not, we'll wash our hands, sharpen our tools and plant the next crop.
Which brings me back to the small farmer topic for a second - The more I read and write and tweet and live and breathe this project, the more I'm becoming aware of what life is like for small farmers in the 21st century. Farming in America has reached a critical point. Our food supply in this country is held hostage by huge corporations like Monsanto. Two of the best documentaries I'm aware of are Food Inc. and The World According to Monsanto (which is actually available to watch free online, if you'll follow the link). Both of these are well worth two hours of your time, if you eat.
I'll write more about this subject next week, because this Monday, April 9, 2012, Joe and I will be participating in the first ever Local Food Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol. I'm sure it's going to be a very informative and interesting day!
I'll finish the post with my farmer Joe, being himself.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Plant a Row of Awesome!
SO ... the results are in for Plant a Row for the Hungry. For comparison: last year we raised about 3,000 lbs. of food donations. Our all time high from the previous six years is about 5,000 lbs. (2010 I think. One year it snowed 10" and we still got 800 lbs.)
Our 2012 total is OVER 7,000 POUNDS!!!
Saturday was unbelievable. The nursery was packed with people bearing cans to donate to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. A few people declined the free tomatoes because their beds weren't ready but they wanted to bring a donation. One woman had heard on Channel 8's "Good Day Tulsa" that the Food Bank needed peanut butter and brought a case. There were seniors working on a community garden at their retirement community. Young families. New gardeners. People who had contributed every year except the year it snowed. People who had never been to Southwood before.
And my favorite - people who had heard the buzz about our Farm & Market and wanted to know more. Even with the demonstration called off, we had about 45 people at the vegetable and plasticulte class at the Market House.
The most touching arrivals, for me personally, were the people who had known former Jenks 3rd grade teacher Mrs. George, whose home has become the Education Center at the Southwood Market seen in the pictures below. Mrs. George's father, one of Jenks' first mayors and proprietor of its first general store, George's Cash Store, built it in 1920. Mrs. George never married, taught in the Jenks Schools for 60 years, and lived in the house until she passed away at age 100 in 2010.
The residents of Jenks have watched us remodel the house over the past year, without changing the exterior. Several have commented they were sure when she passed away that it would have to be torn down, and were grateful that we had saved it. We even refurbished the original front door and her interior "parlor" doors, the only parts of the interior we could salvage. It was not in good shape.
Our 2012 total is OVER 7,000 POUNDS!!!
Saturday was unbelievable. The nursery was packed with people bearing cans to donate to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. A few people declined the free tomatoes because their beds weren't ready but they wanted to bring a donation. One woman had heard on Channel 8's "Good Day Tulsa" that the Food Bank needed peanut butter and brought a case. There were seniors working on a community garden at their retirement community. Young families. New gardeners. People who had contributed every year except the year it snowed. People who had never been to Southwood before.
And my favorite - people who had heard the buzz about our Farm & Market and wanted to know more. Even with the demonstration called off, we had about 45 people at the vegetable and plasticulte class at the Market House.
The most touching arrivals, for me personally, were the people who had known former Jenks 3rd grade teacher Mrs. George, whose home has become the Education Center at the Southwood Market seen in the pictures below. Mrs. George's father, one of Jenks' first mayors and proprietor of its first general store, George's Cash Store, built it in 1920. Mrs. George never married, taught in the Jenks Schools for 60 years, and lived in the house until she passed away at age 100 in 2010.
The residents of Jenks have watched us remodel the house over the past year, without changing the exterior. Several have commented they were sure when she passed away that it would have to be torn down, and were grateful that we had saved it. We even refurbished the original front door and her interior "parlor" doors, the only parts of the interior we could salvage. It was not in good shape.
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| Dad, Emmie, my daughters Audrey and Catherine, and my husband Joe on the back patio. Dad is explaining the Farm & Market project to the attendees. The map on the left is the market, and the right one is the farm. |
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| Emmie Sherry demonstrates how to build a vertical veggie & herb garden with a recycled pallet. |
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| Micah Anderson shares the benefits of Plasticulture gardening, in a surprisingly funny presentation. I love a good Power Point slideshow when the speaker is knowledgable about the subject and a genuine and genial person. He had pictures of himself picking cotton on his family's farm when he was 6, and pointed out a crooked row in one of the plasticulture pictures saying, "My daddy would have made me re-do that one."  If you've never been inside Southwood, this is one of about 6 huge greenhouses at the store. And this is less than half of the room. You should totally go see it.  Dan and Amanda (aka The Cheese Wench and a longtime friend of my sister's) do a great program on local food and restuarants every Saturday at 2:00. Here they're interviewing Southwood's fruit tree guru, Chase Couch.  Ozzie wants everyone to go away. Especially Audrey. My kids have been known to carry him away from his cozy spots into other spots that are not cozy. |
Thursday, March 22, 2012
A Bit of Good Advice
First and foremost, the update on the March 24th event -
Plant a Row for the Hungry will be going on all day at Southwood. For up to 10 non-perishable food items donationed (they need peanut butter), we will give you a free vegetable plant. OSU Master Gardeners will be there to offer advice to thumbs both green and brown.
At 1 p.m., the Vegetable Education session will take place as scheduled at the Market House (106 E. Apache-now renamed Aquarium Place-in Jenks. There's a map here.) The actual installation of the Plasticulture beds at the Farm and the Market, has been postponed until March 31 due to this week's rain.
Southwood's lovely vegetable expert Emmie Sherry will demonstrate how to build a really cool vertical planter out of a recycled pallet, and give a brief overview of Southwood's 2012 spring vegetable selection. Immediately afterwards, Micah Anderson, Plasticulture Program Coordinator with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, will discuss the many benefits of this method (which include water and nutrient conservation as well as weed control.)
At 2 p.m. KRMG's OKFoodie will tape live at Southwood, featuring Southwood friend The Cheese Wench.
We hope to see you there!
And now, as my sister calls them, some of "Brenda's musings" -
My dad says when he and my mom were first starting out in business, one of the best pieces of advice he received was to always seek mentors. Both of my parents took that message to heart. Throughout their careers, they have surrounded themselves with intelligent people and listened to what they had to say. Turns out, it's a good business strategy.
Southwood was built on the wisdom of those mentors. Some of the best employees - wonderful people who taught me how to work hard during my teenage years at the cash register - have been the retirees who enjoyed low-key second careers at Southwood. Mom and dad sought the wisdom of business, civic and industry leaders in the Will Rogers Rotary Club, the Tulsa Parks & Recreation Board (I cannot even begin to tell you how much Mr. Walt Helmerich taught my father), TU's Family Owned Business Institute, and the American Nursery & Landscape Association.
Still, the best mentors, who really taught my parents how to have the strength, resiliance and courage to build a thriving business, were their families. The Schultes, the Cronks, the McAulays - my array of Oklahoma German and Irish clans - are a loving, supportive and occasionally boisterous lot.
Today, in the families as well as the civic, business and industry organizations, my parents and their fellow Baby Boomers are stepping gracefully (sort of) into the roles and responsibilites of society elders. Not that they're old. 60 is still the new 20, I swear. And we, their sons and daughters, find ourselves needing to take charge of a few things while they're out discovering that 60 is, in fact, not the new 20.
Luckily for me, as it turns out, taking in a lot of great advice equipped my parents to, in turn, dispense equally great advice. And so, with the foundation and direction of my family's loving and boisterous wisdom, I - along with my MBA-finance-wizard sister and my hyperactive-earthy-plant-guy husband - am helping to steer Southwood into its next phase.
Interestingly, I'm finding that as I seek my own mentors in this project, I'm looking not just at my elders but also quite often at my peers and even my juniors. I'm really enjoying my new foray into social media beyond Facebook. As much of a news junkie as I am, I find so much of what's on older media like TV is depressing and sponsor-driven. The blogosphere and social media is so much more organic and real, I find a lot of inspiration here. And of course, it's all youth-driven.
So I've decided that my goal at this point is to take it all in, and as somebody once told my dad, to seek mentors everywhere I happen to find them.
Plant a Row for the Hungry will be going on all day at Southwood. For up to 10 non-perishable food items donationed (they need peanut butter), we will give you a free vegetable plant. OSU Master Gardeners will be there to offer advice to thumbs both green and brown.
At 1 p.m., the Vegetable Education session will take place as scheduled at the Market House (106 E. Apache-now renamed Aquarium Place-in Jenks. There's a map here.) The actual installation of the Plasticulture beds at the Farm and the Market, has been postponed until March 31 due to this week's rain.
Southwood's lovely vegetable expert Emmie Sherry will demonstrate how to build a really cool vertical planter out of a recycled pallet, and give a brief overview of Southwood's 2012 spring vegetable selection. Immediately afterwards, Micah Anderson, Plasticulture Program Coordinator with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, will discuss the many benefits of this method (which include water and nutrient conservation as well as weed control.)
At 2 p.m. KRMG's OKFoodie will tape live at Southwood, featuring Southwood friend The Cheese Wench.
We hope to see you there!
And now, as my sister calls them, some of "Brenda's musings" -
My dad says when he and my mom were first starting out in business, one of the best pieces of advice he received was to always seek mentors. Both of my parents took that message to heart. Throughout their careers, they have surrounded themselves with intelligent people and listened to what they had to say. Turns out, it's a good business strategy.
Southwood was built on the wisdom of those mentors. Some of the best employees - wonderful people who taught me how to work hard during my teenage years at the cash register - have been the retirees who enjoyed low-key second careers at Southwood. Mom and dad sought the wisdom of business, civic and industry leaders in the Will Rogers Rotary Club, the Tulsa Parks & Recreation Board (I cannot even begin to tell you how much Mr. Walt Helmerich taught my father), TU's Family Owned Business Institute, and the American Nursery & Landscape Association.
Still, the best mentors, who really taught my parents how to have the strength, resiliance and courage to build a thriving business, were their families. The Schultes, the Cronks, the McAulays - my array of Oklahoma German and Irish clans - are a loving, supportive and occasionally boisterous lot.
Today, in the families as well as the civic, business and industry organizations, my parents and their fellow Baby Boomers are stepping gracefully (sort of) into the roles and responsibilites of society elders. Not that they're old. 60 is still the new 20, I swear. And we, their sons and daughters, find ourselves needing to take charge of a few things while they're out discovering that 60 is, in fact, not the new 20.
Luckily for me, as it turns out, taking in a lot of great advice equipped my parents to, in turn, dispense equally great advice. And so, with the foundation and direction of my family's loving and boisterous wisdom, I - along with my MBA-finance-wizard sister and my hyperactive-earthy-plant-guy husband - am helping to steer Southwood into its next phase.
Interestingly, I'm finding that as I seek my own mentors in this project, I'm looking not just at my elders but also quite often at my peers and even my juniors. I'm really enjoying my new foray into social media beyond Facebook. As much of a news junkie as I am, I find so much of what's on older media like TV is depressing and sponsor-driven. The blogosphere and social media is so much more organic and real, I find a lot of inspiration here. And of course, it's all youth-driven.
So I've decided that my goal at this point is to take it all in, and as somebody once told my dad, to seek mentors everywhere I happen to find them.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Boo on You, Rain!
As Southwood’s spring-kickoff event on March 24 draws closer, and the rain keeps tracking over us, we have determined that the ground is going to be too wet for the Plasticulture installation demos at the Farm and Market. HOWEVER, the education session, with Emmie Sherry from Southwood demonstrating how to build a vertical container garden using a recycled pallet, and Micah Anderson from the OK Department of Ag presenting the pros and cons of Plasticulture, will take place as planned. These will happen inside the new Market location’s Education center, at 106 E. Apache in Jenks. The Plant a Row for the Hungry event at Southwood will go on as planned as well.
The demonstrations have been re-scheduled for March 31 at 10 a.m. More information to follow.
To learn more or to register for the education session, visit www.southwoodnursery.com/events.shtml
Thanks!
Brenda Baird
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
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