One Season into the Next

Does anyone remember September going by? I sure don't. It really does feel like I'm not in the center of the day, hour, moment......I seem to be off to the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. Sort of ironic as I really thought of my move to Harsens Island as one of quiet and solitude so that I could write and garden. But obviously I don't know myself very well. Everything I do becomes some sort of a project. Will I never learn? However, Joe and I were having dinner eating the stuffed cabbage recipe I sent out last week (are you kidding me! It is amazing), talking about how incredibly rewarding the year has been. For me, it has been a diamond kind of existence with many facets. The garden, writing the newsletter, meeting the farmers, Bluegrass Festival - with which we have committed to establishing monies for an emergency fund for families in need), produce stand and teaching voice, voice over workshops and voice classes at Michigan Actors Studio. This summer I also saw four royalty checks for my CD that was released last year - as any indie musician will tell you, that is amazing. But I have CD Baby, the Airlines, Satellite Radio and Brian Ball's Women;s Radio to thank for that. It has reminded me that it is time to record as the material is already written, I just need to decide what direction I want to go in. Great timing as our garden "to do " list is beginning to shrink.

We thought that we would continue the produce stand until November but it looks like island life does go into hibernation a tad early so we are going to be open in a casual way selling canned goods. For all of you islanders who read this newsletter, feel free to stop by anytime and we will accommodate you. Next week we will provide a list of what we have - much of it will be great for gifts with the holidays coming up. We are still pulling food out of the ground i.e. spinach, heirloom strawberry lettuce, sweet potatoes, herbs, beets, onions, parsnips, tomatoes (if you can believe it - thanks to everything I read about raised gardens), kale, eggplant, cabbage and collards. This last week, Joe canned the green beans, tomato sauce, pickled beets and green tomatoes. I made applesauce, salsa, corn succotash, eggplant puree, green tomato bread, stuffed cabbage and both of us mashed and froze the potatoes - oh wait, let's not forget the pounds of pesto......it continues to be a lot of work but again, incredibly rewarding. (By the way, the eggplant puree is to die for - you could actually use that as a dip or sandwich spread - as I often say - SHUT UP it's so good).

I will continue the newsletter and that is when I will move into some other earth friendly subjects that have struck my fancy. There is so much that I read about that I want to share and of course get feedback on - I am really looking forward to it. I have spoken to my webmaster - the fab Doug Van Slembrouk. He is going to post my two books on my site http://www.katehart.com in the next couple of weeks. I will let you know when they are done so that if you are interested, you can download a chapter at a time - or just leave it online and read it there. Along with that, we are going to get the Magik Nuts website up (I already have orders for 50 lbs) and create a page for Cricket Garden. That too should be done in a couple of weeks.

I do want to apologize if I have ever come off as being a bit preachy. I do have to continue, on a daily basis, to keep a wise ol' saying running through my brain- "Those who know, don't speak. Those who speak, don't know." (Politicians anyone???) My goal will be to take on each newsletter with love and humility with no intention other than to share what I think is interesting but at no time demanding you should think the way that I do. That never gets anyone anywhere does it?

We are going to miss visiting with our wonderful neighbors every week as you come and get your produce. Buddy, our garden cat, will also miss doing his meet and greet at the front of the driveway, welcoming you into his domain, bringing dead mice for all of us to admire and then jumping up on the stand for one last petting extravaganza. With all of these wonderful spring and summer memories, please don't be strangers - it seems that our beautiful garden opened up a little magical door where good intentions could thrive and with that we could make new friends. From one season into the next we send our love and may the fall and winter bring sustenance and peace to your family.

Home Sweet Home

Fall is really here. Isn't it funny how our bodies, minds, spirits begin to crave and do different things? I know my days are changing dramatically due to less sunlight, cooler temperatures and taking on a full work schedule. Four to five days a I have an hour drive coming to and from work. The drive to work is on the meditative side. The drive home not so much, as it is dark which means I don't have the spectacular view. Since so many of you don't know Harsens Island I would love to clue you in on my slice of heaven. When Joe and I moved out to Harsens Island we had several agendas to fulfill by being here. First of all, and maybe the most important was to be close to nature. Secondly, we wanted to be in a place where there was a sense of community. Third, due to feeling beat up from being on the road, running bands, dealing with club owners, agents and managers - I could feel a stagnation of spirit and because of that, I was up for an adventure. But finally and most important, the great Lake St. Clair is an important piece of Joe's young history. He had such a "soul" connection with this magical lake. Since nature and the connection to the earth is so important to us, I will lead with that. When you get off the island and head west, almost immediately you are in Saint John's Marsh. Besides being the largest freshwater delta in the world, the St. Clair River Delta contains the greatest area of unaltered coastal marsh in the state. It is under management by the St. Clair Flats Wildlife Association which protects 745 acres. St. John's Marsh is part of a cluster of lake plain prairies within the St. Clair River delta. Lake plain prairies are relatively flat, occurring on sand ridges overlaying clay. Close to 160 different kinds of plants thrive in the area. The Natural Area is adjacent to 3,000 acres of St. John's Marsh which is occasionally managed with fires. What I have found so far is that the shaping of Michigan's landscape began during the great Ice Age, sculpting four massive continental glaciers rapidly moving across the Midwest. Michigan experienced the last great ice sheet, known as the Wisconsin Glacier, about fourteen thousand years ago. Actually, some say it was 13,500 years ago and this is a cycle that happens every 13,500 years and believe me, last winter, with all the ice, I believe them. Okay, back to the history of the Marsh. This huge mass was a mile thick and almost four million miles square. As the "river of ice" crept over the underlying rocks, its base scraped millions of tons of earth like a giant bulldozer over the land. The debris composed of soil, pebbles, cobbles and boulders - all being pushed forward, grinding rocks into dust, while boulders scratched their way through the bedrock. Then the climate began to warm. Melt-water carried the soils and rocks away from the melting glacier, depositing over the landscape. As this blend of soils and rocks was dropped away from the ice, the low hills, were created across the state. The weight of the glacier was lessening and the earth began to rebound, like a sponge returning to its original shape when the squeezing stopped. The landscape began to emerge like a slowly rising phoenix. Plants began to appear on the drying landscape. Communities formed as plants found a suitable growing environment near each other. Okay, I did ramble a bit - hope this wasn't too dry, but I find it really fascinating that all of this happened and here I am, little ol' me, lucky enough to live next to it. But this is only a part of what I see. In addition, there is an incredible array of river fowl, deer, raccoons, beavers (love their twig huts that stick out of the marsh like summer built igloos), swans, ducks and geese. Other animals species include great blue heron (which nests on the islands and I am privy to see almost daily), the Eastern fox snake (one of which kept slithering up to my produce stand - I eventually grew fearless, picking him up and putting him back in the weeds by the canal - oh and let's not forget his babies that were in my house) restricted to coastal marshes of Saginaw Bay, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie, King rail, and the rare Forster's Tern (nests on the channel levees that extend west from Dickinson Island). The Marsh is a well-known stop-over for migrating waterfowl, and provides nesting habitat for other birds, including some of the state-threatened birds. Along with the animal life are the incredible prairie wildflowers/grasses, such as blazing star, tall sun flower, big blue stem grass and Indian grass. On Dickinson Island, next to Harsens Island, small areas of wet prairie exist between the oaks on the ancient delta formation and meadow of the younger delta wetland. Wet prairie sites on both Dickinson and Harsens Islands provide habitat for rare plant species. My daily drives and living on the island reflect all of the above. As a matter of fact, when driving home early on a Sunday last winter, the iced up canal had one small opening, exposing a bit of fresh water with two swans huddled, waiting for lunch to swim by. Other days I might see, ice fisherman, in cars, trucks, portable and more permanent looking shanties, dotted long the lake. In the summer I'll see canoeing, fishing, hunting, nature study groups, photographers and birdwatchers. Beats looking at the back end of a car on the freeway. When people ask me, "Isn't it hard to drive that far? or "Doesn't it get to you when you can't get off the island?" I have to smile. In my opinion, the disconnectedness with nature has just about ruined this planet. Being with nature while trying to live a life in the modern world, is not easy. But the hardship is worth it. There is a high price for not paying attention to this incredible earth that we are living on. I once wrote a children's story about a girl named Fig who lived in a world where all the trees were disappearing because people just stopped thinking about them. Maybe I can take my lead from Fig while I slowly pick away at living a life that won't be a terrible impact on earth. Everything from plans to purchase a small car, to putting in a wood stove for heat. But none of this would be foremost in my mind, if I weren't living in a place that was a constant reminder of what is really important - and that my friends, is the ground we stand on and the earth that feeds us. Home Sweet Home! Now what you want to know about , the food!		Recipe of the Week Thai Pumpkin Soup This is a spicy variety on our favorite pumpkin soup. You can make it mild spicy or hot spicy by using different types of chilies. Instead of the traditional sour cream, this recipe uses coconut milk. Quick n' easy! Ingredients 1 tbl. vegetable oil 1 tbl. butter 1 clove garlic, chopped 4 shallots, chopped 2 sm. fresh red chili peppers, chopped 1 tbl. chopped lemon grass 2 1/8 cups unsweetened coconut milk 1 bunch fresh basil leaves Directions: 1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, chilies and lemongrass in oil until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic). Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Cook until pumpkin softens. 2. In a blender, blend the soup in batches to a smooth or slightly chunky consistency, whatever you prefer. Serve with basil leaves. Letters From...YOU! Barbara from Austin, TX writes... "I just LOVE your newsletters! Thank you so much for sharing all that you do and all that you are with us. These are thoroughly enjoyable Many thanks again." More from our valued readers... "Hi Kate! Great newsletter this week and last! But even greater still...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! All my love, Laurie" "I've heard you sing on CD - I have a Detroit Women CD - love it. That's how I originally got on your newsletter. I always wanted to hear you LIVE, but, do you sing at all anymore?" "I forward your garden newsletters to my mom also - she's a Master Gardener in Indiana - and she loves getting them! What a great service you are providing to so many people - spreading your joy: first, through music and now, this. You are gifted. Thank you for blessing all of us - and helping to heal the planet in so many ways. Namaste.
Produce Stand

New Paradigms or Everything I've Let Go Of Has Clawmarks On It.

I have so much that I want to write about that each day, I'm sure I know what it is and then I have another thought and another thought - I can feel a book coming on! Oh no! Not another book!!! I can hear you all the way from Harsens Island. Well, let's just see where this all goes and if I'm lucky some of you will keep me company along the way. I know this is a garden newsletter so really, I should keep all things garden-like. But coming from a family of soap box preachers - my great grandfather used to stand in a park in Romania preaching politics, later followed by my grandfather who was one of the founders of the Detroit auto union at GM - I guess I just can't help myself. What's the worse-case scenario? You can delete me from your inbox, but oh, I don't think I could bear that, so I will try and be a good girl!

No one wants their belief system to be smashed to bits. We spend years fixing our minds on what our truth is. This covers a broad spectrum i.e. religion, politics, weight loss, medicine, anthropology, living conditions, life on other planets - you name it and we have probably formed an opinion in our young lives, building, dismissing, editing all information throughout the years. So when we begin to entertain the fact we need to find another way to live, it is not going to be a simple process. Instead of moving into the world of "Let's find a way that really works" we go into "What about me?" "Hey, that's not how I've always done it." "Why should I change." and "My life works just the way it is." One of the easier answers is that it really is a numbers game. There are so many people on this planet that we not only have to think about what is good for the individual but each other. But here's the big AH HA! If you are thinking about your neighbor, you begin to change and leave the world of kindergarten what about me I'm the most important thing on the planet, to being a much happier fulfilled human being. At least that has been my experience.

This was a tactic that I had to utilize when running a band. Some of you may remember, I had groups with six to seven women singers and a four-piece band. If I left my ego at the door, than they had to leave theirs. I would always put myself last in song choices and importance unless it was for the good of the group to take a more leadership position. But because of this sacrifice the group and concept were incredibly popular allowing all of us to achieve our collective dreams that we couldn't achieve individually. It really did work.

But we are humans and change is scary. Scary means fear and fear means lack of faith. Therefore lack of faith equals fear. Faith can mean anything to you. A higher power or maybe just your life's experience that things do happen the way they are supposed to. Or better yet maybe faith in this case, could be the collective consciousness of the group. I agree that at times, it is all too overwhelming. However I know that I forget that there are only three kinds of fear - fear of being wrong, fear of being lonely and fear of being hurt. I have often been in a place where I believed I had faith but yet, still remained fearful - hmmmmm - forgetting that faith is an action word. There is a disconnect there, isn't there? I find, the other part of our human condition, is that we don't change our minds because life looks like a Walt Disney movie with bluebirds landing on our shoulders and fairies doing our housework. We change our minds because we cannot stand the pain anymore. We absolutely feel like we are going to die so therefore maybe there might be a different way - hence, everything I have let go of has claw marks on it. It reminds me of the old joke where the guy falls off the cliff and is hanging with one hand to a branch keeping him from dropping to his death. God himself comes out of the clouds and says "Just let go." The guy thinks a minute and says, "Can I get a second opinion?"

I am going to make this particular "paradigm" newsletter in three parts. Part 2 will be sent next week and Part 3 the week after. There are many new paradigms I have been reading about which truly fascinate me that I would like to share. But let's start with seeds as I don't want to be deleted from your email just yet! So see, it is about gardening!!

With all of my talk about "new paradigms" it doesn't leave out that maybe going back and relearning something that mankind "used" to know just might be a good idea. Because it's not modern doesn't mean it's not good. Which brings me to the following:

A recent book, Seed of Knowledge, Stone of Plenty, by John Burke presents scientific evidence that the old-world engineers who built the massive henges, pyramids, mounds and dolmen of the ancient world may well have understood a true secret - lost to modern man until now. Burke, is an unusual combination in that he is an anthropologist and a physicist, doing most of his research at Harvard. He and his team have found that these structures are overwhelmingly sited at locations where the local geology magnified naturally-occurring electromagnetic fluctuations in the earth's crust and, further, that pyramidal and corbel-roofed stone structures erected at these locations enhanced this effect. Additionally, they reveal that indigenous seeds, when placed at theselocations (for various periods of time, depending upon the type of seed) show significant increases in growth rate and yield when subsequently planted-as well as increasedresistance to plant stressors (lack of sunlight and/or drought conditions). Such results would of course, be of enormous importance to ancient peoples. Burke suggests that the monument-builders not only knew these facts, but deliberately chose these sites and structure-shapes in order to insure their culture's food production. I find it extremely interesting that Burke's experiments with seeds indigenous to each specific location studied produced similar results. Seeds placed on top of the "Lost World" pyramid at Tikal show increased growth-rate relative to their controls.

In America they conducted these experiments on ancient Indian burial grounds, with the same results. Leading them to believe that these mounds were built on "lines of energy" for manydifferent reasons. All kinds of questions come up. How did these ancient peoples know where these places were? Did they just feel it? How did they know what these energies would do? Was it a hit and miss sort of thing? Did they think, well, "I feel better when I sit there, maybe this magical spot is good for other living things"?

In March I am going to get a group of gardeners together and head on down to Ohio where there are some serious mounds and lay my seeds out for two or three hours and see if there is a difference. With the changes in the weather, creating new strains of disease for the vegetation, I really have nothing to lose. I tried to talk my husband in going last year - but in his defense, I think the two of us were just too busy. If any of you would like to make a "seed of knowledge trip" let me know and we can make a weekend of it.

As I grow older I am forced to face that I really don't know much. My new mantra is that I believe everything and nothing. I am working on allowing information to come through without my opinions attached and corrupting what might be a new idea that counters all that I believe in and maybe, hopefully, might help in allowing this planet to be an even better place to live.

Church of the Earth

I always think I know what I am going to write about, each week, mulling it over as I work in the garden. I was sure that I was going to write about how much I love the island and what it means to my heart to be accepted by all of you. But when I got home late last night after teaching for 12 hours, I got a note from former school chum and new Vineyard owner, Wendy. She wrote;

"Thanks for the newsletters, they are fun and informative. We have been tucking, suckering, hedging, spraying and mulching the vineyard non-stop. Every morning 5am still too hot. Overwhelmed to say the least. But learning like crazy and loving it. The clusters of grapes are beautiful! Nothing like "The Church of the Earth" is there?"

The church of the earth! That's it, isn't it? This is our sacred ground and we it's guardians, protectors, ministers, if you will. And our job, to be dutiful in caring for it. I just don't seem to be doing all that I can. If only I didn't have to drive, buy gas and being a part of this madness. Or why is everything wrapped in plastic? Why, on the rare occasion that Joe and I eat out, do we have to bring our food home in styrofoam? When will this end? When do we find our connection to earth realizing that there are answers in us as individuals in knowing what we can do to make things better? We can't rely on politicians or policies or government or wishful thinking. The answer lies in each and every one of us. And even though I know this, it takes complete focus and energy to live in a different way. As we are all being bombarded with what others think we need and should have, we never realize we really don't need much at all. So onward and upward as we look for a new ways to solve old problems. As Albert Einstein said "If we knew what we were doing, they wouldn't call it research."

My goal next week, since I have it off, is to get rid of every bit of what I don't need dropping it off to Salvation Army. Begin to live in a simpler way, without clutter and see if the lack of clutter, will unclutter my brain, giving me room to think about what it is that I can do. But, in the meantime, I have been in my church, with my hands in the dirt. This week, I dug up most of the garlic, planted cabbage, cauliflower and transplanted tomato plants. The green peppers are getting big enough to pick, the elephant garlic is huge, the green beans are being harvested, along with the zucchini and squash. Joe planted beets and Judy has wandered around the garden finding places for heirloom seeds that she wants to try. We are always running out of space, so it is a good thing that we pulled the last of our amazing beets, giving us another place to dig. This morning, with cup of coffee in hand, I sat in the garden with grateful thanks that I have had the opportunity to do something that matters, no matter how small in the scheme of things.

Waste Not Want Not

While we travel up our sharp learning curve, with the back-drop of the humidity, Joe, Judy and I, still remain passionate about fresh produce and learning everything we can about it. Not only are we educating ourselves on what is healthy, what you are willing to buy, how much we should charge when it cost us more than the grocery store, (trying not to pass it on to you and still make a little bit of money), when/how much the next planting should go in and be - but let's not forget the "Oh my gosh, what do we do with the leftover food!" Like I said, it is a sharp curve but answers are coming fast. But first, I would like to talk about prices and how we come up with what we do.

Everything is organic. If we don't grow it, then we buy it. Organic food cost a lot. I never knew why, before. But I sure do now. You lose crops caused by blights, and lack of sprays due to being committed to a healthier planet and palate. The food spoils faster because it is not genetically modified also driving the cost up. Another factor is we don't order in large amounts. And since, I almost never walk into a grocery store (I have always hated them, just the lighting and music drives me bonkers, let alone the food) I really don't compare. When I go to the Farmer's Market I do check their prices and try and stay pretty much where they are. My tomatoes were more expensive because I was getting them from the only grower in Michigan that had them ready in May, which was a real luxury. If a few tomatoes go bad or are bruised, which always happens, you can kiss your profit good-bye. And, you aren't adding the ferry trip and gas...blah blah blah. Hey, no one makes me do this, I love it, just thought I would explain to the one old guy that told me my tomatoes were too expensive. Now that ours our coming in, we have dropped the prices by 75 cents a pound which, I know helps your pocket book and we can make a little.

(As a side note: Our Locavore distributor told me how Kroger has a warehouse in Illinois that is the size of 18 football fields. He said it is packed with unripened food from California, Mexico, and South America to name a few. Then to ripen the food before it is to go out to us, they spray it with the gas Ethanol. Let's not go into how they wax the eggs so they will keep for several months in their coolers; a high price to keep food prices down)

I have a friend who sells essential oils. She was telling me how many plants it takes to make one bottle of oil. She said that if they followed the same price costs they had in the 1920's the product would be 20 times more than what it is now. She laughed when I told her that after watching how long it takes for a watermelon to grow, they should be priced at $100.00. The awareness for me, has been what it takes for something to grow. The weather must be conducive, good soil conditions, planting, fertilizing, watering every day, unless mother nature wants to cooperate and then of course weeding. Which if you are anything like Joe and I, is just a fricking losing battle. After seeing Jackie at RC Organics fabulous farm (she co-ops 50 families) and all of her weeds and the fact that they don't seem to bother her, I have decided to let go a little on this and/or get help when we can afford it. This is not a Zen Garden or will probably ever be on the garden tour, but it does do what it is supposed to, which is to feed us and others.

Now, what do we do with the extra food? I have gotten really good at getting on the internet and discovering that you are able to can radishes, make vegetable soup with just about anything and if you have a hydrator, can make kale chips. Right now we are on our third huge pot of vegetable soup, getting it ready for canning. It has turnips, corn, cauliflower, green beans, parsnips, garlic, onion, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini and squash. We call it roots soup. Cook it up, pour it into the jars, seal them up and can away. Viola! Veggie soup! A lot of work? Yes! But if you were raised by the mother I was raised by, wasting food is a sin tantamount to "Though shall not commit adultery". She ground her own meat, put all the vegetable scraps in the soup pot that was never not on the stove and created on the spot recipes. Hopefully, we can return to some of this good ol' common sense and in the meantime be healthier for it. So if you don't buy my incredible green peppers this weekend, I will pull out her insanely good recipe for stuffed peppers with lamb, rice and tomato. I also have a recipe where you stuff the peppers with black beans and rice! Yummy!

We continue to explore, plant, weed, water, discuss, learn, dig, laugh, cry, cook, bake, sell, organize and live this new lifestyle and hopefully inspire you to do the same.

Warm Fuzzy Monsters

Because of weather, either extreme heat or thunderstorms, two of the three days we closed the produce stand down early. On Saturday, Joe and I were sitting down to a just picked from the garden meal, and several people knocked on our dining room window to get tomatoes. Up Joe went and fetched the tomatoes. The following day after the thunderstorm, we closed early and to celebrate Joe's birthday wanting to take out the inflatable Achilles I bought him for his birthday. As we were dragging the boat out of the driveway, three or four people drove up and asked if they could just get a few things. So back to the garage to get more produce. Later that afternoon, we went up to the Schoolhouse to get some dinner (which was fabulous by the way) and when returning, there were people waiting in our driveway. I looked at Joe and said "I think we created a monster." A warm fuzzy, friendly, let us know how much you love us, Puff the Magic Dragon kind of monster....and we couldn't be happier.

The great stories and recipes you share with us are so appreciated. One of my favorite stories was told to me as two of our customers and I were picking pole beans from the vine, about a gardener friend of theirs who was trying to do the same thing as us (produce stand). One day a lady wouldn't buy his carrots because she thought he was lying about how he pulled them out of the ground. She was positive that carrots grew on trees. You got to love that (I have to admit that broccoli was always a mystery to me) but growing on trees is a stretch.

Every single day, three or four people tell us how much they love what we are doing. It means the world to not only Joe and I but to Judy who has really helped and guided us in this huge undertaking. We do understand driving around the island trying to find a fresh tomato. Eating something other than some wilted veggie is what prompted this whole shindig. There are so many of you that want organic food and/or your food to come from Michigan. And believe me this is no easy feat. If you go to Eastern Market almost all of the distributors sell crops that are from out-0f- state. Only one distributor specializes in Michigan produce (his stuff is amazing). That is where I get the tomatoes, butter lettuce, melons (when he has them), cherries, blueberries, apricots and now the soda, salsa and blueberry/cherry products. The rest comes from either our garden, local organic farmer, Jackie or Don Dull, who has taken us under his wing. Speaking of wings, this is where I want to thank my mentor, Judy Jessup as her no-nonsense ways and big open heart are one of the reasons we are getting this right because my friends, this is a huge learning curve. Not only in what we should plant and how much, but buying wholesale and selling retail is another world that I barely have had time to investigate.

The journey continues, refining, planning and expanding. We are going to put in nine more raised beds in August. We would like most of the food we sell, to come from the island. It supports the whole idea of sustainability within the neighborhood and it is something we can all take pride in - especially if this could become more of a community garden. But baby steps are the only way to learn how to walk properly. So please be patient as we learn and find our way through permits in doing something year round. We will continue to expand on the cooperative concept and I will forge ahead on writing about our experiences. And in the meantime, all of you scary monsters. keep ringing the doorbell.

Finding My Niche

As the Bluegrass festival approaches, Joe and I are getting busier and busier. Right now, technically I have three jobs. The garden/produce stand, teaching voice and voice over workshops (training voices for commercials) and festival producer. I get up in the mornings and literally pace, until I can find the rhythm of what I should do first. It is overwhelming and I only have myself to blame. Why I would think that producing a Bluegrass Festival is a good idea at this time in my life, really has me stumped. When I look back a few months ago at when I shot off my big mouth that this would be a great fundraiser, I really didn't think it through. Now, I have done this before and it usually turns out just fine, but I am training myself to say no, to just about everything. Is it selfish, you bet! Is that okay? You bet! Because this selfishness will give me the energy to do something that may actually matter before I move on into the next world.

I have lived a life that many people envy. Everything from writing a play that ran close to a dozen times, to being nominated and/or the recipient for over 50 industry awards, to performing for thousands of people, to producing major events. But I am here to tell you, that none of that is enviable. That life is hard, self-serving, narcisstic and as far as I can tell, didn't really do much to help make this planet a better place. I have a tendency to always compare what is going on in my small life with the backdrop of world events. This week, 10 million Chinese were misplaced due to mudslides. In Pakistan, thousands have been killed and many more due to flooding. In Moscow, almost a million acres have burned due to wild fires with no end in sight. So how important is my silly career? Or a festival? Or if I win or don't win an award. In the scheme of things, it means nothing.

All I can come up with for a meaningful existence is to be kind (I fail at this daily, someone always pisses me off; this week the phone company), have an open heart and try to live consciously, hence the garden, recycle, organic, neighborhood sustainability and love. One of my favorite customers, told me that I exude passion for the produce stand and sharing the food. It's true, I do feel passion for the first time, in a long time. As passion dissipated, towards the end of my career, this beautiful island rescued me. It has filled my heart with beauty, solitude and maybe one day, peace, if I can sit still long enough to appreciate it.

I received a note from one of my customers, Karen Kelly. She wrote; "I want to commend you, Joe and Judy.. think about mother earth and her rewards! I look forward to reading your email's each week. They're heartfelt and informative. They truly show your commitment to the process of community and living organic! My husband and I have a cottage on the north channel with an organic vegetable/flower garden. I've been canning organic salsa for at least 10 years. I also make homemade pesto and freeze it for the winter. As you know, some years yield more tomatoes then others and my basil always grows good so I always have pesto in my freezer. We plant beans, tomatoes(cherry, regular & roma), basil, zucchini, Japanese cucumbers, Japanese eggplants, green & red peppers, jalapenos, banana peppers, chili peppers & habanero's. We try to eat it all, give it to our kids or freeze it for later in the winter! I read that you are having trouble with the weeds in your garden. We use our grass clippings as mulch for our garden. This really knocks down the weeds. Also, as you know, if you plant flowers in with your veggies, they bring in the good bugs that will eat the bad bugs on your veggies. Thank you again for all of the organic gardening tips and recipes! What a great summer it's been for our veggie and flower gardens. As I sit on my dock at sunset and look around me at all of the nature...I truly think I've got my own slice of heaven! Mother Earth, she's a powerful gal!!!

That note is more powerful than all the applause in China. If I am one of the lucky ones, I will continue to grow into a better human being with the aid of my beautiful garden, which teaches me patience, quest for knowledge, appreciation for detail, the collaborative rhythm of nature and most of all providing me with my niche for the first time in my life.