good 'n planty

I have been slacking on blog posting for several reasons these past few weeks, the most recent being the trip I took to Columbus, Ohio for the dedication of the Waterworks cistern in the school garden I was working with. I got to meet some wonderful, driven people and see the beautifully-designed school and garden. I'm proud of Organic Gardening and the Waterworks sponsors, Aveeno and Nature's Path for putting this program together, it was great to see how it's helping people firsthand.

Another stop that day was a luncheon with Antonia Demas, the founder of a curriculum called "Food is Elementary." She was an incredibly interesting and informative speaker and we were treated to a lunch prepared from her school menu: Three sisters casserole (butternut squash, kidney beans and corn tossed lightly in maple syrup, served warm), cranberry hoecakes, cabbage salad, chickpea quinoa and baked apples- everything was seasonal and delicious.

It is always good to come home but I had a great time visiting Columbus and definitely found it to be, as Scott says, "a surprisingly hip city."

I didn't have very much room for cutting flowers this summer- I wanted give enough space to the veggies. But all summer long I had this vibrant stalk of celosia cheering everything along. In the rush of preparing for a small dinner party on Sunday, I ran downstairs to cut this single stem and plopped it in a vintage tin. My friends were intrigued by my alien-looking centerpiece, and I was pleased it got the attention it was demanding. It was also perfect timing to cut it, too- I doubt it would be looked as nice after this mornings first snowfall.

This weekend my lifelong friend Gwen and her boyfriend Andrew went apple-picking at a local orchard.

It was a beautiful day and according to Gwen, "the bounty was plentiful..."

She didn't suspect a thing, until Andrew spoke up..."You know Gwen, most apples have a star in the middle when you cut them open, but this one has a RING!"

Haha- What a clever boy, congratulations Gwen and Andrew!

Yesterday was the un-official start of winter in my book. Ok, maybe not winter, but I needed a coat, hat, and gloves, and my car was frosted. I actually didn't mind the cold simply because it gave me the chance to test out the beautiful wool arm warmers my sister knitted for my birthday, (thanks Kate!). I love wearing mine, they are so much less restrictive than mittens. 

If you're not a knitter, this awesome etsy store sells arm warmers made from recycled sweaters- or just stop by for some inspiration and make your own!

I love this free (!) downloadable Carnivorous Plants calendar from A Print A Day. I laughed the other day when I saw people shopping a calendar kiosk in the mall -doesn't everyone wait till they're on sale after Jan. 1st? Well now you can have your 2009 calendar without spending a penny. (Plus...you could probably fill in the all the dates with pencils and reuse it!).