AfricanKelli

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I know, I know.  Another book post. We’ll get back to the knitting, cooking, traveling and the such soon. I need a couple more days of enjoying the after-glow.  Amanda — who edited the novel and took the back cover photo — also took a gorgeous collections of shots Tuesday night. How couldn’t I share these?

Rex! My old running buddy!

Mr. Green — my 8th grade English teacher.

Clare, who I traveled with to Nicaragua and Bolivia. And, Duda, a friend who grew up in Mozambique.

My mama. This photo makes me a little teary.

Ms. Sunshine Cupcakes!

My boss, Joe.

Mark and Susie, parents to this adorable boy.

Alma! My world traveling buddy.

Ms. St. Arnauld, my 6th grade teacher.

Rett + Karen, who have been friends with my parents since high school. My dad tells a funny story of Rett giving him shots of whiskey right before he walked down the aisle to marry my mom.

Diane — a long-time family friend.

JT + Kathleen — Mini’s parents and my good friends.

My minister + friend, Jeff.

The Bennetts! Kacey’s folks + my cheerleaders.

Mariah and Julez, who among other things are my bowling buddies.

Octavio, Ted + JT.

Pretty much the best night of my life so far.

Thank you again, Amanda, for taking these. See the complete set at: www.nemecphotos.com

~K

Did you notice last night was a full moon? Couldn’t have been coincidence. The “Under the Same Moon” signing brought more than a 100 of my friends and family under one roof, too. I honestly couldn’t believe how many people were there — my grandparents and uncle from Tucson, my mama from Texas, three of my favorite teachers, many family friends who’ve taken me in as an additional child since my parents moved, my girlfriends, coworkers, fellow church attendants, bloggers and I think, just maybe, even a few strangers.

It was a night I’ll never forget. Today I am so full of hope, happiness and gratitude.

Thank you, dear blog readers. You too are included on the acknowledgment page.

~K

(And there are many more photos and video clips to come, but I couldn’t help but post a few to start off the day!)

Did you know 1 in 3 children in Arizona is considered “hungry?”  This is simply unacceptable to me.

Remember when I tried to get that community garden off the ground, so to speak, in central Phoenix? Well, a few lessons were learned in the toil. Namely, taking earth that’s been happily growing Bermuda grass for decades and trying to transform it into fertile soil for vegetables requires a lot more than a bunch of volunteers and hand tools. Perhaps a commercial grade construction crew could have done it, but we couldn’t. We, meaning me and probably more than a hundred volunteers in the last two years, spent countless hours digging, weeding, pulling, pushing and aching as a result. The bumper crop of okra was a mild success but the true gem of the garden is the orchard. The 75 fruit trees don’t mind a bit of Bermuda at their heels. With regular irrigation, they are thriving.

In the next year we should see a crop of citrus, apples, cherries, plums and figs. The trees cost about $20 a piece to get into the earth. They require little care and will soon be mighty producers of fresh fruit — a luxury in this community.

This got me thinking.

My little church isn’t the only one on irrigation in central Phoenix. Nor are we the only faith community with grandfathered water rights, lots of space, a desire to be more social aware, and home to community-minded folk. What if we paired the Valley Permaculture Alliance (I’m a board member) with the Association of Arizona Food Banks and the local faith community? What if we asked each church, synagogue, mosque and faith center on irrigation to plant 5 fruit trees at an expense of $100? We could partner the churches with a permaculture volunteer who knew something about planting trees and a food bank willing to get the produce to hungry families in the Valley?

Even better, what if we grew enough produce that there was a glut and we were able to send fresh fruit created from earth and water that was otherwise going to feed Bermuda grass to hungry bellies nationally?

Oh, we can. And we will. The national gleaning system, which the Association of Arizona Food Banks is a part of, will likely see truck-loads of grapefruit, oranges and lemons sent to northern states in return for trucks of potatoes and grain for desert bellies. The best part of this community project is that no extra water or space is needed. Fewer than 10 volunteer hours a year are required and a simple investment of $100. I don’t think we could make large-scale community changing work any simpler.

Here is where you come into play. Do you attend a church or other faith center in the Phoenix area? Do you have irrigation? Are you interested in helping see this project come to light? I’ve got the permaculture guild and the food banks on board. My church will be participating. I’ll be volunteering. I’d love it if you would too.

Interested?

~K

I’m not talking about Quayle jr., who has started his political career in Arizona running on his family name and a penchant for white lies. No, no. I’m talking desert birds. Did you know these sweet creatures squeek? I was house-sitting this weekend for family friends; the dad feeds a handful of birds each evening as the sun drops beneath the horizon. I threw the cup of seed over the fence as instructed and waited with my camera.

The little creatures scurried from high and far making the tiniest, highest noise. It. Was. Adorable.

I’m appreciating the smallest of Arizona life these days; it’s a challenge to find things you love about desert life this time of year, other than the obvious:  air conditioning, ice cream, cold swimming pools, clean sheets, ceiling fans, popsicles, big hats, shade, etc.

~K

I recently visited the Cézanne exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum with some friends. I’m not sure what it was about this show in particular that made me want to attend; I’ve never taken an art course, much less studied the great European artists. And yet I knew I’d be better off for having taken the time with such great works of creativity.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The collection pairs 16 pieces of Cézanne’s art with a handful of American artists to show the influence of his genius. I know so little about art; again, I cannot explain why I like what I do. There are simply some artists — like Frida and Georgia O’Keeffe — who make my heart beat a bit faster when I’m near their work. Cézanne’s art is glorious. He was truly touched with such a talent.

If you live in Phoenix and haven’t been, consider this my five banana review of the collection.

Get there.

Now.

It’s only $10 and you’ll kick yourself if you don’t get a chance to spend a couple hours with one of the best artists ever, before the show moves along September 26th.

One of the American artists I was introduced to through this juxtaposition of art was Marsden Hartley. Consistently I found myself in front of his paintings dreaming of the scenery, creating the story behind the view and wishing more than anything he was standing next to me and could explain every stroke. I’m looking forward to reading more about Hartley and looking for his work elsewhere. His landscapes are truly breathtaking.

Afterward, we had brunch and discussed which were are our favorites and why. It was such a lovely afternoon with friends and a much needed dose of creative inspiration.

~k

P.S. Apologize to my friend Sarah who’d invited me months ago when I couldn’t attend. Let’s go again!