MARCIA
POWELL -- Blog article (#11) – May 5, 2013
Picking up
from my last blog of January 12th, (to read earlier blog articles, go
to http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/),
I am enjoying my 2nd spring in the Heartland. Truly beautiful!
Duke, my
gardening consultant, rigged up a grow light in my little cellar and
showed me how to plant seeds into trays. First I let them germinate
in my house, then I put them under the grow light, then into the
greenhouse where I transplanted them into bigger containers, and,
finallh (once the weather was warm enough) transplanted them into the
soil. Whew! Labor intensive, but worth it, as I already have a
bunch of edible lettuce! Despite the unusual amount of rain here (a
relief after last year's drought), I've managed to get some other
veggies planted as well. I'm way ahead of where I was last year.
I've put
up my “EAT YOUR YARD” sign. Now and then the little kids from
the neighboring grade school walk past my place on their way to the
nearby junior high. I was out gardening when I heard little voices
saying “Eat your yard,” and realized that they will ask their
teachers what it means, and (hopefully) share it with their parents.
The
project of helping (mostly typing and sentence structure) Frank with
his dissertation (soil science) is ongoing, but we can now see the
light at the end of the tunnel. The pay for this work is helping me
pay for all the extra programming that was done for last year's
Affinity Exchange merger with FreeSpirit Singles. We've been working
together for a year now and it's going well—always more people
getting hooked up!
Another
big project is getting a house on my property. First I had to solve
the problem of getting the mortgage from the house Stephen and I
purchased in 1981 (!) off my credit report! Happy to report a done
on this. Then I had to complete my taxes so the mortgage banker had
official data about my financial scene. Without going into the gory
details, I learned that because of the 2008 mortgage debacle, the
regulations these days are very stiff (pendulum swing). Even though
I had down money set aside, my income is such that they could only
loan me a small-ish amount. I was hoping to do a straw bale house,
or earth-berm, or something that would make an eco statement; but the
banks won't loan money for a non-conventional house! I cried. But
it is very important for me to live on my land as soon as possible so
I can start creating the sustainable farm.
After a
few sessions with the salesman at Riley Homes, we worked out how I
can get a modular (manufactured) 3-bedroom home with a 2-car detached
garage. I'm hoping things move along such that I can move in no
later than October.
In
addition to letting the Land Connection organization know I'm looking
for a young farmer, I posted a listing on a website out of Iowa that
matches landowners with wannabe farmers. If any of you know of a
young man with a passion for organic farming, now is the time to
connect me with him.
As for my
“activist” activities, I attended a 2nd Amendment rally at the
state capital in Springfield in January. Wore my “blizzard boots”
and Tibetan cap (still a So Cal wuss!). Then again in March I
boarded one of 2 buses and again went to Springfield—this time both
marched AND lobbied the State legislators re gun rights. A week
later, I was back at the capital, this time lobbying for Food and
Water Watch—legislation calling for labeling of GMOs, as well as
saner laws regarding composting. Right now if Sally across the
street threw her produce scraps on my compost pile, we would be in
trouble with the law!! That truly made my jaw drop!
Campaigned
for a Republican for Mayor of Urbana, but he lost. Always a learning
experience, no matter the outcome.
I continue
my role as Secretary for the local Libertarian Party. Last night we
hosted a showing of the documentary “Nullifcation—the Rightful
Remedy” about the 10th amendment. Great film! Now that we know
where and how to do this (local library), we can host more movie
nights. Enlighten! Enlighten!
Meanwhile,
during the cold winter, I noticed feeling lonely now and then.
Therefore when someone in the neighborhood posted a notice about
giving away their cat, I decided to help her out. Leo is 5 years
old, orange and white, longhaired, and very handsome! He stayed
under the bed for the first few days, but gradually came out and got
oriented. His front paws have been declawed, which is good since he
does bat at me now and then. He's gradually getting friendlier.
Anyway, I can share the events of the day with him. I always say
“Leo, guard the house,” as I leave, and “Hi, Honey, I'm home!”
when I return.
What with
my continually backlogged emails, my reading is still done in “dead
time.” Nevertheless, I manage to get some books read. Amazingly,
everything I've read for the last year is by someone I know! My
sister Jane (Creason) finished co-authoring the last book my father
wrote, entitled “Conspiracy,” which, like his other books,
emphasizes the importance of a proper education system. She did a
great job! Also highly recommended is “True Tails” by Jon
Soeder, who writes about his ability to communicate telepathically
with animals. After finishing it, I tracked him down and had a
lovely phone conversation with him. And now I'm reading “I Hate to
Say Goodbye” by Ruti Ydovich, a long-time friend. It's about her
life growing up in Israel, and it is marvelous! All of these books
are on Amazon.com
Saw a
local production of “My Fair Lady” with my 11-year-old voice
student and her mother, which made it even more fun. Saw “The Late
Quartet” about a string quartet, and shortly thereafter “Quartet”
about an operatic quartet at the local Art theater. So still getting
some culture—there's more here than I have time for!
Hope you
all are flourishing and prospering (thriving)!
Please
write and give me an update on your adventures.
Love to
all, Marcia (217) 607-0632 home (818) 552-2211 cell
