Exhausted...

Exhausted, but going to sleep the sleep of the just.  Working everyday to do some good in the world is its own reward.  Whatever may or may not happen with this month's week on the street, I can honestly say that I gave this and all of the Waiverly Projects my all attention, including many all nighters.  I can't help but remind myself that it is getting harder for others out there.  It is a little chillier, and a little harder to find a good place to sleep.

Imagine...

Think about all of the things that you learned from your parents.  Try to imagine a life without that knowledge.  Try to imagine not learning how to drive from your parents or not being able to even think about going to the prom.  Think about all of the things that you hated, but are thankful for (curfews, eating right, doing your homework, etc.)
Combine with that the idea of being ostricized and bullied for not having a home, not having the coolest clothes or a new pair of shoes.  This is what homeless youth go through.  More often than not, the relationship with their parents is bad or non-existent.  This is what today's homeless youth goes through.
Why do we allow these children to start off backwards?

Together...

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.
Mohandas Gandhi
We often find that it can be the grandest gesture or the most benign act that can set in motion the changing of the world.  So on that note, we are going to be doing something a little different.
Looking for cans!  We are out to recycle every aluminum can in Atlanta all in an effort to raise money for The Waiverly Projects....So hang on to the Red Bull can, or put that sixer of PBR cans aside for us.  We will take anything aluminum.  Contact Eli at Elimontgomery@live.com or Jenn at Kukiesnmilk@gmail.com and let us take those cans because every ounce counts!

The Slow Turning of the World...

I think that one of the greatest curses that comes with human knowledge is that of the passage of time.  We are able to recognize the slow turning of the world, and it's wide sweep around the sun, and who knows what the sun is spinning around. The Earth does what it is going to do and but the human part of it, the man made beauracracy is what sometimes takes the fun out of it. 
   We often think of fall as the time of year when everything goes to sleep and this is not true.  It is just the time when things take place behind closed doors or deep underground. Consider it practice and preparation for the big show to come.  Any farmer can tell you that the work does not stop when the last tomato is off the vine.   Since we are no longer a strictly agrarian society, it is easy to forget that things continue to happen after that first leaf hits the ground, or after the first frost.
   I said all of that because, as I sit and go blind on paperwork and applications of so many sorts, to rest my eyes, I will often take a moment to glance outside and wish I was there.  It is not without these moments that things get done.  We hope to bring about a lot of change in the spring, but it is these moment behind the scenes and deep underground that bring change.

When "I" becomes "We" or I Am Not Crazy

There is a point in any project, when the kernel of an idea that was rattling around in your head becomes a real and true thing in the world.  There is a point where what was only a flight of fancy or a doodle in the margins of a notebook, takes shape.  Those moments, when they are realized, are heart warming,  Even more heartwarming, is when you look around and see that others are sharing it with you.  There is a moment when the "I" of your world, become "We".
   I would say the great thing when that moment comes is a certain validation.  Those moments come with the realization that you are not crazy or, at the very least, you are surrounded by people who are just as crazy as you. 
   I write this as an open letter to those who have dared to be crazy with me.  Whether it is has been by rolling up your sleeves and digging in, or by simply nodding along while I ranted.  There are great things coming up in the next few months and hopefully years after that and if you look at my earlier blogs, you know why I am doing this.  I just want to thank you for coming on the journey with me and I invite you to invite others along with us!

My Mission to Compost!

     It’s a few degrees cooler and it is getting just a little darker just a little earlier. I haven’t been bitten by anything in couple of days, so it appears the mosquitoes have had their fill and are off to other places. Fall is most definitely on the way, even though it is not here yet. Still, my mind is on spring.
I have taken a few running starts at a good compost pile. When I live in Seattle, I had a pretty good little garden going on the back deck of our duplex. I was in a tomato phase then (I still am) and even though that space did not have really good sun and it was a struggle battling with the bugs to keep it organic, there was nothing better than the thought of leaving work and going to that war. It was at this time of year, when I felt a little regret, as the leaves began to fade and brown replaced green, but I looked forward to a whole new battle: COMPOST!
     I am the first to admit that I like the idea, but I have no idea what I am doing. I have gotten far enough into a good pile to see steam rising on a cold winter morning when I lifted the tarp. I loved watching the needle on the thermometer climb to a triumphant 140 degrees.
     I think I am enamored with the circle of life. Things that were once dinner worthy being broken down and returned to nature. Egg shells and coffee grounds that were the refuse from a hasty breakfast, were now slowly giving structure and texture to my pile. The bugs that I detest in the summer sought refuge in my pile and some were forming a network of tunnels and highways where rotting bread was being hauled to and fro.

     I even tried vermicomposting. If you lay a piece of cardboard on pretty much any area of land on a cool night, by the morning there will be bright red worms under it that will work to devour your garbage and provide you will great fertilizer in a few weeks. They are more of a challenge. You never want to drown them in food nor do you want to starve them to death. Worm farms are a lot of work.
With composting the process is simple. Keep it semi-aerated and as wet as a damp sponge. Keep flipping the pile and don’t let it get too hot, nor too cold and in a little while, you have a rich brown/black mixture that will work wonders on you garden in the spring; or so I am told.
     I must admit, I have never gotten that far. A good garden is a sign of man’s civilization. You are saying, “I am here and I have managed to tame one little spot of God’s planet.” I am often tempted to beat my chest when I have planted something. I have never been able to make it that far. This is the drawback to a mobile life. I am rarely in one spot for the length of that circle of life. I guess that is why I am so very excited about this project.

Just1Acre

Just1Acre
A few years ago, some friends of mine and I were walking around Bellevue, a city just outside of Seattle, Washington. The main thing that we noticed were the gaping holes in the ground. We were told that the average “footprint” of the average building in Bellevue and Seattle is about an acre. An Acre is about the size of a football field without the end zones. We counted 18 of them.
We did not and do not have a large problem with the buildings themselves. We are not against progress at all. As a matter of fact, in that progress we can see a lot of opportunity and that is the point of Just1Acre. When these new buildings are being built, emerging from these huge holes like trees of metal and glass, they block out the sun and create a new skyline for the city. We just feel that it could have been done with more of a not to the environment.
With 18 acres and more to come in the future, we are conquering more land than we are saving but above all we feel that the solutions are simple and have the potential to be very helpful and therapeutic. With these huge buildings could also come a rooftop garden. The balconies and open areas could be very therapeutic for the people who live there, even picking fresh basil from your windowsill. A lot of people do not understand how simple this can be.
The major idea of Just1Acre is to spread understanding. The goals and ideas are simple and easily done and that is what J1A is all about. So please, follow along!