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Thursday, November 19, 2015

A new hope

Episode 4- A New Hope

Many blogs ago, I said if I talked about food anymore I would be starting a food blog. Sooo- I am changing tacks. The Earthship is fine, don't worry. Sitting there; a silent (DRY!:) monument to a brighter future. We burnt so much of our energy on it in years past that we have been expending elsewhere of late.

 For many years I
       (Not to claim singularity- many, many people share this dream in various forms and fashions, and still more whose parallel and coincide)
                              have had a dream of a community center/commons where the knowledge of how to survive sustainably here in Alaska can be shared at will and by anyone who possesses it.  Recently some things have begun lining up to where I feel we are making forward momentum:

1) Spring 2014 I was invited to become a board member of Cook InletKeeper. CIK is a public
 interest non profit group whose goal is to "Protect Cook Inlet and the life it sustains". This is the
20th anniversary year of CIK. Cook Inletkeeper historically and presently helps tackle big fights
with natural resource extraction companies about ridiculously placed mines and other ecological atrocities. Watchdogging the permitting and political processes with a critical eye towards habitat
and ecological issues
         which are often left unattended with minimal restrictions/enforcement/protection-                  Kind of like leaving Merlyn (rest in peace) home alone sleeping thinking- " Oh he probably won't get in the garbage this time" even tho he does most every time .. Coming home to the chewed up contents of the garbage cans strewn about the house.)
                                         as well as providing an array of public services such as water, soil and Fukushima radiation testing, clean harbor programs, electronics recycling...........etc. the list goes on and on. See the website for more info-
http://inletkeeper.org.                              Of late Cook InletKeeper has turned an eye towards local foods & climate change, as well as engaging the lives sustained by Cook Inlet. 

2) In June, a close friend and I started "Where It's At," mindful food, drink and music. We operate a food truck as well as a community use space where people can meet, eat, play music and get together. We also have a weekly organic/local produce basket that is allowing us to have access to higher quality foods for our families as well as make headway in the direction of local foods availability and networking.  And speaking of changing tacks, Where It's At has decided to streamline for the winter. Keeping water from freezing has become an insurmountable challenge, with newly installed heat tracing/anti freezing methods etc. not totally fulfilling the necessity of their function.  The bus is closed for the season!
Woot!
Time to enjoy the "quiet" of winter!
    The next plan is to be open Wednesday Evenings and Tuesday days. Produce baskets will be available as usual as well as soup and coffee by donation(sing for your supper, volunteer for veggies are some of the ideas we are excited to be exploring!) We are hoping to be able to be more engaged with the people that show up as well as make music more a part of our life and times. Other activities such as community dialogue, coloring, BYO Art project, stitch and (bitch)(ditch)(enrich)
(kitsch)( niche)(pitch)(witch), homework, reading,etc,etc,etc will be encouraged.
   Find us on Facebook for more info as well as updates and beautiful pictures of fruits and veggies!

In the past few years, I have struggled to put down words about our forward momentum as it has
become less tangible.  Recently I made an agreement with myself that since I still had a lot I wanted
to talk about, I would start blogging again. I also had to have a chat about it being ok to change tacks.
 I do it constantly in my life and time, why not in my blogging world?   Take good care Y'all
See you soon