Hello fellow revelers, in your words, in the order they arrived, here is 2011…
illuminati zombies mathyapolis anonymous Kardashian – “really?” Irene scribbling(s) HOT! frustrating “Like” followers friended unfriendedRepubli-jokes awakening occupy occupy expensive penultimate bunnies demonifying prepping gardening climate change solidarity 99%
Our game was 201 and 1, in which we were trying to come up with 201 words, and I was going to add one more at the end. We didn’t come up with that many, which is just as well. It would have been closer to the Illiad than the flash poem I was going for. The “and 1” is for one word I wanted to follow the rest, which would be a little gift from 2011 to 2012. The words you gave to describe 2011 have a bit of a sense of mystery to me, like we’ve all been uncovering a little more of what the world is about. It is also electric, with most of the words suggesting action of some sort. Concern for the earth, and how things are changing, is enmeshed in all of it, as is a sense of the importance of our neighbors and how we relate to each other, how we ‘be’ with each other. Reading each of these words, the one that to me follows logically for 2012 is….
100%
I am hoping that the momentum of 2011, including the frustrations, anxieties, and actions prompted by them, will lead us on a more unified path in the year ahead. Unified, of course, does not mean “same.” I think of it, more, as harmonious, to permit each of us to be more productive on every level. I believe that we are coming to a place with a more global scope and broader embrace. The world needs a great big injection of peace, and the war in Iraq ending may be a catalyst for that. It’s also time to get past the politicking and on to the bigger questions of the day, including how to start really fixing all the wrongs that are metastasizing, including things like global warming/climate change, financial corruption, exclusionary policies and practices, wobbly financial regulations, a political system where money is synonymous with advantage, crumbling infrastructure in the U.S., and a food production system that is killing its citizens. It will take a breaking down of the walls that separate us, including the one between the 99 and the one percent, to even begin to accomplish any of these goals, all of which are vital to our successful survival.
So adieu to you 2011, and hello to you 2012, the year of 100%.
QUESTION: how about you? What do you see in store for the year ahead? What should we be striving for this year? What’s your word of the year? Go ahead … gimme the dirt!
revelgardener 
Renewal
This morning I was checking my bamboo plant and found a new shoot nearly a foot long. I don’t know how I missed it for the 2 or 3 days it had probably been growing already. I questioned whether I was taking care of it properly since quite a few leaves had yellowed before taking it inside for the winter- this morning I got my answer in the form of a healthy new beginning.
2011 is past us, at least it’s calendar, but the events from last year like many before it will effect us for years to come. I can think of so many bad things that happened last year; the failing economy, climate change, unemployment, war, natural disasters, eroding of our freedoms, and a government gone wild to mention a few. On the positive side people are starting to become aware of what is going on outside of the ‘bread and circuses’ spoon fed to us in the forms of reality TV, sports, celebrity hijinks, and the like. Some saw what was going on here and across the globe, and far too many lost jobs and/ or their homes.
2012 stands before us, and our actions starting right now will have a large influence on what we will be saying about it next year. Pick a few problems and try to do something about them. In some cases our small part of the solution is as near as a window sill or garden outside. Buying from local sources helps keep jobs and money in the US as well as reducing pollution from the fuel needed for long distance transport. Reducing our reliance on credit cards, paying off debts, wasting less water and electric, driving less- all will benefit us and in many cases save us money. Despite the hype about the Mayan calendar, 2012 can be a good year. There’s a Chinese proverb I think of every now and then:
“Unless we change the direction we are heading, we might end up where we are going”.
Most of us have seen where we are heading by now. It’s time to change our direction.
Looking through the collection of words we came up with I couldn’t resist trying to use them all. This is what I came up with.
Of the past year twenty eleven,
Most would agree, it wasn’t like heaven.
Illuminati by day and zombies by night,
To those awakening, it was a real fright.
Back on the hill the Republi-jokes,
Couldn’t agree, with Demo-folks.
To us on the streets it was so frustrating,
The fools on the hill, economy degrading.
For a while the media told us,
Things are OK, the bad news is bogus.
It wasn’t too long as things got expensive,
Jobs were lost, and people got pensive.
Some took to prepping and saving up food,
Starting a garden, they saw it was good.
Others raised bunnies and chickens too,
They used them for food, recycled their pooh.
Climate change ruined many a crop,
One thing to agree upon, boy was it HOT!
Out of the anonymous a small 1%,
Gathered together, a message sent.
Friended and “liked” on Facebook and Twitter,
Solidarity increased, hope seemed to glitter.
The remaining 99% thought it demonifying,
Of Wall Street & Company, the truth was horrifying.
‘Occupy Occupy’ that was their chant,
As for the media, they called it a rant.
Now the park’s empty the 1% gone,
Of police and surveillance, they’re still around.
For a city without money and so much to fix,
Seeing such waste, there’s politicians to nix.
As this poem ends and comes to it’s ultimate,
It’s safe to say, this part is penultimate.
2011 is over and out of the way,
Of 2012, what can we say?
When you turn on the news and hear a Kardashian,
Ask yourself why, then change the station.
If something seems strange don’t just believe,
Ask yourself “Really?”, it may be to deceive.
Write on the blog called Revel Gardener,
With lots of followers, it does impart power.
Power to grow food that is healthy,
Once you have that, you truly are wealthy.
On the blog you won’t be unfriended,
All are welcome, until time unended.
Irene scribbling(s) are here to be found,
Like all else here, the info is sound.
To the poster of ‘mathyapolis’ I take off my hat,
I had to go online, to look up that.
Help keep the hill on the straight and narrow,
Come elections in November, your vote is your arrow.
Don’t give much thought to Dems or Repubs,
They both got us here, time for both to get scrubbed.
Remember your freedoms and hold them so dear,
They’re why we can write dumb poems, and not live in fear.
Remember our soldiers wherever they fight,
It’s because of them, you sleep free tonight.
They give 100% for you and for I,
So don’t be afraid, to let our flag fly.
Have a great 2012!
I looked at my box of seeds and thought I should do an inventory of what I already have before deciding on and ordering new seeds. I am planning on planting less variety but more of what I do plant, so I have to resist the temptation to order, order, order. Still in the process of deciding what to order though.
I’ve been measuring the height of my latest bamboo shoot for the past 3 days. It’s been averaging 7 inches of growth per day! I wish some other plants like my corn would have grown like that last year.
In the garden this year, better planning as far as what, where, and how much to plant. For the next growing season I want to put in an automated drip irrigation system. I pretty much planned out everything, I just have to place the parts order. That should help things cope better with the hot weather and not have to worry about plants if I go away for a week or two. The much talked about, but incredibly elusive garden journal will begin with the new growing season too. It’ll probably be a paper book, but I suspect as it evolves the PC will get involved to reorganize and fine tune things. Steve Howard of the Growing Your Grub podcast had a great idea of putting a pole with a mailbox in the garden. He keeps his garden journal and some pens in it so they’re always nearby when he needs it.
Another thing I haven’t done is walk through the small patch of woods down the block to see if I can identify any wild edible plants. I want to read more about using a compass and map, then see if I can put it to a test. The woods aren’t very large so there’s little chance of really getting lost. I’ll save that for warmer weather.
Not new for 2012, but rather continuing into it is podcast listening. There’s lots of information to be found on all kinds of topics. One I just started listening to is at:
http://www.HarvestEating.com
Check out the site run by chef Keith Snow. There’s lots of recipes, tips, and ‘how to’ videos. The first few podcasts I listened to were given from the front porch of his house located on his farm. Topics included cooking, benefits of eating fresh local foods, tips for fast healthy meals, canning, gardening, and homestead information.
Hey Ralph, did you do that inventory before ordering more seeds? That’s a very good idea given that, despite a long shelf life, you really shouldn’t keep seeds around indefinitely. I remember hearing that you should really try to use them within two years. I think three is okay too but it gets highly iffy after that. You’ve inspired me and I think I’m going to do an inventory as well. I’ve started mapping out the garden for next year but only in my head so far. I think there will be some serious reorganizing, and using more space. One thing that’s on my list is to send the soil out to have it tested. I did a store bought soil tester last year, and just didn’t feel comfortable that it was really accurate, especially given some online reviews of OTC soil samplers in general.