- Author: Rose Hayden-Smith
Some weeks are harder than others. This week, I found myself continuously distracted and saddened by the closure of my favorite independent bookstore, Adventures for Kids (AFK). Located in midtown Ventura, AFK simply became unable to compete against megabooksellers (online and retail), and a lackluster economy.
Even before I became a parent, I was a loyal customer. AFK is a two block walk from my house, just down the street and through the alley, and into their back door. I knew many of the people who worked there well, through my professional work, church and other community activities. Those who worked at AFK usually did so on a part-time basis: in their other lives, they were journalists who wrote about books and writing, school teachers, college professors and school librarians. They love and breathe books in the same way we do.
The day my pregnancy was confirmed nearly thirteen years ago, the first place I stopped on my way home from the doctor's office was AFK, where I purchased a Sandra Boynton book. After years of purchasing books for expectant friends at AFK, I was eager to begin a book collection for my own child. And collect we did; over the years, we purchased dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of books at AFK. Some months, especially when I was earning a Masters in Education at UCSB, a significant portion of my paycheck was spent there. Those months, we ate modestly, but I was fed by re-engaging the literature of my youth, and in turn, sharing it with others.
From an early, early age, Natalie played in the store; she attended book readings there; she learned about science in messy, hands-on and fun ways in AFK's back parking lot; and she made friends, not just kids, but adults. Sticky fingers were welcomed, touch anything, sit and read, play...it was a great place for a busy toddler and a sometimes stressed mom. JK Rowling signed a couple of Harry Potter books for us at AFK...imagine an author with that degree of commerical success coming to small Ventura, to a humble bookstore. A humble bookstore, but a place so central to the community. And come the authors did, and we amassed an enviable collection of signed books.
In the last couple of years, Natalie befriended the store's new owner, Barbara O'Grady, who frequently solicited her opinion on books. She attended writing seminars there, working with a group of other literature-minded kids at a table in the middle of the store. In the last year, Natalie was permitted to walk to AFK alone with her friend, Mallory. Invariably, they'd pool their money and come home with an armful of books to be shared. This week, they repeated the ritual, but it was a sad and final act.
Barbara, who was known to us in her previous career as the person responsible for the not-just-your-ordinary-company-cafeteria at Patagonia, talked to Natalie, just talked, book lover to book lover. And Natalie would always want to go visit her good friend Geoff Godfrey, a retired school teacher and the husband of Marilyn Godfrey (whose work on the Ventura Unified School District's Healthy Schools Project I've blogged about before). These are good people: a few months ago, the store hosted a talent show organized by Natalie's friend Matthew that raised enough money to purchase malaria nets for 30 African families. The talent was a line-up of mostly sixth grade friends from Cabrillo Middle School. On a Sunday afternoon, more than a hundred of us crowded into AFK, marveled at the growth of our kids, and experienced real community.
A huge Harry Potter fan, I visited the store one year at midnight in my pajamas and bathrobe to get my copy of the latest HP adventure. The store was packed, even at midnight, but no one spared a second glance for the middle-aged woman in the fuzzy green bathrobe. I stayed up all night reading that book.
So, I blog about sustainable food systems and gardening...what's the link with the increasingly common story of a locally owned business going under? Well, there are many links. The folks at AFK partnered with us to promote literature that supported the notion of agricultural literacy. They sponsored book showcases of important literature related to this topic when we had our teacher trainings. Their adult section contained excellent titles about sustainable food systems. And several of those who worked there have been involved in gardening, nutrition education and sustainable food systems activities in our community. Book lovers and gardeners have lots in common. Book lovers till the mind and feed the heart; gardeners till the soil and feed the soul.
So I've been in a funk this week. My husband, Bill, and I talked about the changed landscape of our midtown neighborhood, of all the stores and businesses dear to us that have disappeared in the last twenty-one years we've lived here. About the people who've worked in those businesses, or owned those businesses - some of them neighbors, like Barbara - and how our lives intersect with them, and how their inability to thrive in this economy threatens all of us. Today, I got my hair cut at the salon that has shared the building with AFK, this salon owned by a friend who lives two blocks away. The sadness lingered there, too, and the uncertainty: could the space be rented? What might come in? Would it be a locally-owned business that could be integrated into our neighborhood?
When we don't patronize local business they go away. Local businesses include farmers. Sometimes even when we do patronize them, they can't compete against mega-businesses. And now, more than ever, eating locally seems to be even more important, an antidote to what's occuring.
"A Garden for Everyone. Everyone in a Garden."
- Author: Rose Hayden-Smith
Reaching youth with a healthy lifestyle message is vital. A healthy lifestyle incorporates proper eating, physical activity AND gardening. Educating youth about a healthy lifestyle is especially critical today: nearly one in three U.S. youth are obese. Using youth to reach youth with the healthy lifestyle message is essential to its success. Thankfully, there is an organization that is trying to do this in a big way.
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Kansas City, Missouri with my daughter, Natalie, so that she could participate in a special meeting. The opportunity was offered by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which is a collaboration between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. The Alliance has recently selected twenty youth between the ages of 8 and 17 to serve as its youth advisory board, and to act as spokespersons for the issue of childhood obesity. The youth are from all across the nation, and have diverse interests, talents, life stories and goals. But they share one ambition: to help all youth lead a healthier lifestyle. They gathered in nearly the literal center of the nation - Kansas City, Missouri - to tackle one of the most serious issues facing youth: obesity.*
When we arrived in Kansas City after a long day of travel, we didn't know what to expect. We went down to the pool to meet the youth and their parents. Within minutes, the kids were friends. Since they've left Kansas City, they have been in constant contact via email, text messaging, phone and Facebook, sharing ideas, resources and energy. Each is commited to making a difference in their community. Together, they hope to make a difference nationally. After meeting them, I believe they will. They are already spreading out, like so many seeds tossed in the wind. Some are interviewing with newspapers. Some, like my daughter, have started blogging about healthy lifestyle issues. Others are speaking in public venues, getting youth to sign healthy lifestyle pledge cards, hosting community events to raise awareness of the issue...they are using their passion and creativity to reverse the tide of childhood obesity that threatens to overwhelm our nation's health system.
Their goals are ambitious: to stop the climb in childhood obesity by 2010, and to reverse the trend by 2015. Laudable goals. Amazing youth. I will watch their efforts with great anticipation. You can, too, by visiting the Alliance's website.
So what's the gardening link? Gardening provides a way to improve diet and is a form of healthy exercise. It's a great kid-friendly activity, too. Gardening is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. Is it part of yours?
"A Garden for Everyone. Everyone in a Garden."
* For all you geography wonks, the actual geographic center of the contiguous (lower) 48 states is about four miles west of Lebanon, Kansas, at 98°35' West 39°50' North. That's about 458 miles from Kansas City, MO. Pretty close to center in a nation as big as this! But it was a nice literary device, right?
- Author: Rose Hayden-Smith
I've written a bit about gardening as an important part of civic engagement in American life. Not only in the past, as reflected in Victory Garden programs, but in contemporary American society. Programs such as The Food Project in Boston engage youth through gardening/urban agriculture, providing not only practical skills, but valuable life skills, as well. These kinds of efforts engage youth in creating a food future that is sustainable, healthy and just.
I call this "coming back out onto the front porch."
When I was a small child growing up in a bucolic community outside of Philadelphia, the return of warm weather each spring brought the screen door out from winter storage. The front door remained open nearly all summer, even late into the evening. The front porch was a favorite gathering spot. There, the business of the neighborhood, whether negotiating playdates, exchanging pleasantries or courting (I had older siblings) was transacted.
Each Fourth of July, our front porch became the staging ground for our family's participation in the neighborhood parade. In retrospect, it was a pretty simple thing: bikes, wagons and all the kinds of contraptions kids could create, decorated in red, white and blue. When I was five, I led the procession down our block, wearing a tall Uncle Sam hat. The day seemed to last forever, with lots of good food shared among neighbors (including tomatoes from our garden, salted watermelon, and incredibly sweet berries). Everyone came out onto their front porch to participate in the collective life of our block.
Two weeks ago, our CSA piloted delivery of our midtown Ventura produce boxes to my front porch. It was a great trial run. Two of the families to whom boxes were directed are close friends. The mother of the third family works at my daughter's school, and I know her. One box was to be claimed by a woman who is a friend of a friend. The other boxes were destined for individuals I had not previously met.
We left the front door open, and throughout the course of the late afternoon and into the evening, people dropped by to pick up the boxes. It was nice to say "hello," talk about the great food we had received, and just re-connect. Natalie and I stepped out onto the front porch into "deep community," where we shared with neighbors and new friends our intentional decision to participate in a different kind of consumption pattern.
Contents of our box included farm-fresh eggs, fresh-baked bread, lucious blackberries, fennel, carrots, potatoes, cherries, apricots, lettuce, squash, and the largest onions I've ever seen. Good stuff all. An extra box was left for sharing with neighbors and friends, and was distributed by early this morning. We had extra fennel...did a neighbor want it? No, but she'd call another neighbor and see if they did.
A lot can happen when we step out onto our front porch. Even more can happen when we move into our yards and garden.
Warmer weather provides a great opportunity to start a garden of some sort. Take advantage of the longer days, the slower pace, and reconnect with the soil. Grow something for yourself, something to share with a neighbor, or something to donate to a local food bank.
And after you've planted your garden, come onto your front porch, and see what happens. Community happens around gardens.
"A Garden for Everyone. Everyone in a Garden."
- Author: Rose Hayden-Smith
Our family recently began subscribing to a CSA (community supported agriculture) venture. We live in Ventura, and have ready (and enviable!) access to an amazing array of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. We buy strawberries from a local farmer who operates across the street from my husband's office, or at our local farmer's market. We buy oranges from a farm stand near Santa Paula. We have our regular go-to people. But we wanted more, and we wanted to be more intentional in our purchases, to make an ongoing financial commitment to a particular group of local farmers.
So we joined an established CSA that was willing to extend their service a little south, if we could find a handful of subscribers. It was easy to do, and through various email lists and via word-of-mouth, a group of us found each other and began this experiment.
Wednesday is CSA day, and all of us look forward to it with excitement. Last week, my daughter Natalie had a minimum day at school, and joined me for the pick-up at Patagonia's corporate office. (Nice company...for no charge, willing to let boxes of produce be stacked in their lobby, under the stairs. The receptionist even offers to help us carry out the box!).
As we carried the box to the car, Natalie's eyes sparkled. As I drove home, she pulled every item out of the box, examined it with delight, and radiated excitement. Literally beaming. Eggs from cage-free chickens and fresh-baked organic bread are add-ons we've gotten, and Natalie is delighted. She tears off pieces of the bread in the car. When we arrive home, she wants a "snack." This ends up becoming a golden omelet seasoned with fresh basil, toasted cinnamon-cranberry bread, sliced sun-kissed strawberries and pieces of pixie tangerines, so succulent and sweet. Oh, and a tiny salad of the tastiest butter lettuce sprinkled with shredded cheese.
Dinner the next night is easy, thanks to the recipes provided with the box. Natalie helps to prepare wheat pasta with sauteed zucchini (flavored with the elephant garlic, which she says is the best thing she's ever smelled).
The next day, I've invited Natalie, a six-year veteran of school garden programs, to speak to our local Master Gardener trainee class about why it might be important for them to volunteer with youth in garden settings. She does talk about it, so eloquently that I am moved. She is particularly concerned about the oil situation, and the implications for her generation. She sees gardening as one part of the solution. What is the most moving aspect of her talk, however, is what she tells these adults about our family's subscription to the CSA. She describes the contents of this week's box lovingly. Many of them don't know what a CSA is, so she explains, very articulately.
While Natalie admits she doesn't want to be a farmer yet, I'm working on her. And she is becoming more interested in gardening and food systems: her summer crop this year will be cucumbers, her absolute favorite. And I definitely feel that the connections Natalie is making about farming and where her food comes from are becoming more real to her, and helping her to understand the larger context of the food system, what is sustainable, and what is not. The connections are made real several days a week, when she helps prepare and eats the good food produced by her neighbors, and can recite the memory of the taste, the smell, the feel of that good food to others.
"A Garden for Everyone. Everyone in a Garden."
- Author: Rose Hayden-Smith
This week's recall of 143 million pounds of beef (much of it destined for the nation's school lunch program) inspired today's blog. Originally, I was going to plug school gardens and farm-to-school as a way to improve the school food system. I began writing about
Instead, I am going to allow a youth to speak to the issue. My daughter, Natalie, a middle-school student in Ventura Unified, was asked to prepare a written and oral book report. With my encouragement, she chose to discuss Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson's, "Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know about Fast Food." It's "Fast Food Nation" for younger audiences, and it's a compelling read. Natalie read it, and after she was done for the day, I'd read it, too. The writing style engaged her, and I noticed her sharing information with her friends via phone calls, emails and in personal conversations. Hmmm…youth advocacy? The report she gave was a hit, and the book has passed among eight different sixth graders and their families in the last couple of months. When it was returned to us last week (on a short layover before being passed on to yet another friend), I noticed how dog-eared it had become. An important book will take on that aspect, don't you think?
Inspired by the book, Natalie wrote the authors. Here is a copy of her letter, unedited:
"Dear Eric Schlosser & Charles Wilson,
I really enjoyed reading your book Chew On This. I really liked how honest you were about McDonalds, and how they just wanted to make money, and not care about what they put into their products. I used to eat at Wendy’s at least once a week. Since I started reading your book, I’ve only eaten there once in one month and a half. I think that Chew On This has really changed my perspective on food. I really appreciate that you have made a book that can really change someone’s life. I liked it so much; I am going to do a book report on it. I have been telling all of my classmates about it, and many of them want to read it. Most of my classmates liked hearing about the food coloring and how the chickens were treated at the slaughter houses. Some of them even said, “I never want to eat at McDonalds again!” Other classmates have asked me repeatedly if they could borrow my book. I also told my teacher about how they now do Gastric Bypass Surgery on kids, she said “Really? I can’t understand why they would do that if it’s so dangerous for adults!”
I was amazed at how much I didn’t know, because my mom works in agriculture, and the history of agriculture. She even read the book and was also amazed at how much she didn’t know. My mom went to a food conference this summer, and I met Melinda Hemmelgarn, (The Food Sleuth), and I have listened to her talk before. If you haven’t read her column, you should. Again, I really thank you for writing this book. You have changed my life.
Sincerely,
11 years old, Natalie Smith"
Mom again. I guess the point of this blog is to note that perhaps the strongest allies we have to help us promote gardening, healthy eating, and a sustainable food system are youth. If we can provide space for them to enter into the discussion, they may direct us to the solution. That's certainly my hope.
Over the President's Day holiday, Natalie planted her spring
P.S. from Natalie’s mom: Natalie is right about a lot of things, including how much her mom doesn’t know. She’s also spot on about reading Melinda Hemmelgarn's work. A link to yesterday's column, in which she addressed
"A Garden for Everyone. Everyone in a Garden."
