Heirloom Tomato Seeds from Jamie Wellik

The first weekend in April, I drove to the Schmidt farm outside of Winsted to work with Grey Schmidt to plant the germination flats. These are some of the eight varieties the Jamie picked out to supplement the varieties Grey grows for his commercial venture. I am so grateful for the support the Schmidt's have been over the years, to support the germination of tasty heirlooms as well as standard hybrids for gardens in the city. Last year, I supported tilling 11 gardens and I am on my way to a similar number this year. Soon we will be past frost time here in Minnesota and I hope to capture the process of planting in a future blog entry. Grey raises some 7.000 tomato plants to fullfill his contract with a grocery chain in the Twin Cities and I am grateful to have the energy to put sweat equity into his enterprise as well as mine. Green sustainable solutions, leading from behind. Empowerment to each garden!

Deborah Aurianivar on the Stone Bridge

My friend Deborah was in town from Arizona. Always attracted to the waters of life, here we share a brisk walk in the Minneapolis downtown along the Mississippi during the spring rush at the end of March! Thanks Deborah for our continued friendship. Perhaps soon we will be sharing stories around the fire and even in the desert of Arizona. She is one great acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine women too. More shall be revealed.

Mississippi River High Water- Grief and the waters of life

Here is this author on the Wabasha Bridge, photo taken by Steve or Charlie Borden, men I know through the Mankind Project MN. At the time of the spring thaw, I was dealing with some respiratory illness dealing with grief and tiredness. Grateful for the compassionate witnessing of my tears by both Charlie and Steve, two men I have learned to trust to witness the release of my deep grief work, whenever it comes up. Interesting how the grief can just well up from deep in my gut and the sounds come along with it. Trust the process. Thinking about the teaching of Martin Prechtel a Mayan teacher whom I have done some work with in the past. Ah, mother earth and the waters of life, continue to model with seasons of change. Pilamiya. Thanks in gratitude. All my relations!

Mother's Day 2010 Storage Move St Cloud

Nate, my oldest son, contacted me a while back to support him in storing the large computer game console he acquired back in the day at the Java Joint in downtown St Cloud. I remember visiting the place when it was quite smoke filled and Nate had an office for a computer and internet business across the street on St Germain. Anyway, some five years ago, his mom asked that he move the large console from the family garage. On Sunday, I met Sarah here at her garage with her friend from Winona, who was kind enough to store it for Nate in her garage across the Mississippi River in East St Cloud while we loaded it onto my utility trailer. I am so glad the trailer works so well to cart a variety of things around!

Here are Jesse and Nate, 25 and 29 unloading the console at our Waite Park storage area.

The Chinese Theater - Hollywood Boulevard

. Here are a few photos of Hollywood Blvd. The Kodak Theater and the Chinese Theater were closed for some Steven Spielberg red carpet release and perhaps for the Oscars. Back in Minnesota, on the Sunday night of the Oscars, I was happy that my friend Dave Murphy another MKP guy suggested we see Hurt Locker as he heard the buzz that it might do well. Indeed watching from my sister Jane's place with Don in Inver Grove Heights, I watched a fellow MKP brother and son of my 2009 UK WEG roommate Bill Boal, Mark Boal, pick up the Oscar for Best Screen Play. Wow, interesting to actually know the family of a winner.

View of LA plains from Palo Rancho Verdes Area

This is an early morning view from the home of Dick and Ginny Granoff on the hill of Palo Rancho Verdes not far from Long Beach. Dick and I staffed the Los Angeles New Warrior Training Adventure in late February and he and Ginny were kind enough to house me for a couple of nights when I went into LA from Long Beach on the Blue Line to the Red line in Hollywood. I met Tom Bussler in Hollywood, West Hollywood in a building he mentioned folks like Lily Tomlin used to live in after having lunch at a local Hollywood Venue, The Griddle.

Feb 18th - 3 Birthdays Cooper's Irish Pub in St Louis Park West End

Here we are celebrating Feb 18 with three birthday folks. Zach Engler, me, Kathy and Gary Engler (the three of us share Feb 18th as our birthday, and Molly Engler. Thanks to Zach Engler for suggesting this venue who is a resident of St Louis Park as well. He and his sister Molly now have a growing business, Metro Pets and More, Molly started out walking dogs.
See www.metropetsandmore.com. Grateful for my growing family of choice and new beginnings here in St Louis Park. In the same complex is a big new theater where I saw Avitar in 3D on New Years Day, and Hurt Locker, the night before the Oscars. I was quite surprised when Mark Boal, son of Bill Boal with whom I attended the Mankind Project World Elder Gathering in London and roomed with at the Columbia, won the Oscar for his writing of the screen play for Hurt Locker. Quite moving for me, as the film names WAR as the ultimate addiction here on this planet. WAR "we are right" and the killing that the two leggeds keep on doing in the name of the right God and all of that. People who fly airplanes into buildings and all. Anyway, I am grateful for the beauty of today and each day. Peace, love, joy with the spring.