1917

This poster by the Committee of Public Safety in Pennsylvania borrowed its look from USFA posters by the artist Frederic G. Cooper, c.1917.

Source: Special Collections, National Agricultural Library

There are many, many more posters here. While it is miraculous and wonderful that we are not embroiled in a war of the magnitude of WWs I & II, why is it that if we asked Americans to cinch the waistbands of their food budget, we would surely hear protests? Elevating the importance of not wasting food is a need for the world, let alone America, but we don't push it in propaganda. Why? Why is it a luxury to have enough to eat instead of a duty to share the wealth?

I love that our CSA, Abbondanza, donates a portion of each crop to Community Food Share (rather than sell to restaurants for a profit) and if someone fails to pick up their share, that too is donated. How else can I (we) help? With this simple poster, I have all the tools I need. Here's to 1917 and the US Government's involvement. I love all the work Michele Obama is doing to encourage us all to grow our own, eat healthier and not waste. But how cool would it be if posters like this were on the highways instead of ads for geico or Toyota? Anyway. Spread the word!!!

the garden is growing!!!

The garden is starting to perk up! The mint is doing great thanks to all the rain but everything else was starting to worry me. We have zero tomatoes! I don't understand! In years past, cherry tomatoes were the only things I could get to grow! I may get a few larger, further along plants and pop them in. Tonight Ted and I took a closer look at the carrots and sugar snap peas and lo and behold! They are up! They are still small (although we couldn't resist pulling up a few teeny carrots just to talk about root vegetables) but they are so cute! We started those from seed on February 22!! Talk about a long wait. The sugar snaps and carrots were the first to sprout. Hooray!! I just don't understand those tomatoes...

Today at swim practice Ted learned the "inchworm" move, the first step in Butterfly. Most of the kids would "wiggle, wiggle, rest... wiggle, wiggle, rest... "etc. Not Ted! He wiggled his way from one end and back again four times (which was the drill) with enthusiasm. After practice he said his stomach hurt. He'll have rock hard abs with that drill! They also did a few laps of "whatever you want to do" and he chose backstroke (usually he chooses breaststroke). He looked so confident and graceful. He is not a fan of freestyle at all (neither am I!). Coach Brooks said he was going to be great at the Butterfly. That's exactly what Judy says about Sam (he does the wiggle thing all the time, just to be fancy).

Monday is Shavuot, no camps for any of the kiddos so we'll do our bike to the pools routine. Tuesday Ted starts HHS camp and Wednesday Sam and Mae start JCC camp. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be our pool days for the next 2 weeks, although I expect we'll spend some evenings there as well so Ted can get some fun in. He is very tired after practice and usually lies on a chair for about an hour before getting in the water to play. He is also eating up a storm, probably due to the swimming. I am so happy he is enjoying it!

attracting creepy crawlies

I haven't yet read Last Child in the Woods (it's waiting for me at the library and I'll get it tomorrow) but on my to-do list is to plant native plants that will attract more birds to our postcard stamp backyard. We will resurrect our two birdfeeders which at least guarantee a steady stream of pigeons (really, I'd had enough of them in Chicago). I'll check out the seeds this Saturday at the Farmer's Market.

Speaking of which, I'm hoping to bike to the market this Saturday. It's far and I'm not really a biker, but since we have to go to the Shoenfelds (in the mountains) for chavurah this Saturday, the fam could pick me up on the way. We'll see. It's a goal. I think it would be prettier to take Marshall Road to Broadway, but there's no bike lane on Marshall Road for some of it. But taking South Boulder Road, while there is a bike lane, seems too whizzy and busy. I'll report back!