Nora Desert, founder of the So Nora Dating Club, is happy to announce a new crop of ladies interested in finding their soil mates:

Meet Bea. “I love to cook. Bring a good bottle of emulsion and let’s get to know each other.”

Trish: “I love to swim, so pack your trunks! You bring the watering can, I’ll have the soil, and let’s see if we can’t figure out how to make it work.”

Rose: “Yes, my parents found the name ironic. No, I’m not sickly sweet. Apply only if you can complete the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. Oh, and I prefer nitrates over phosphates, fyi.”

Lola: “I like coffee, bookstores and Star Trek. Do you like chess?”

Marnie: “Ohmygod! This is so fun! We should totally go out for lattes and shoe shopping. You need shoes, right? I mean, your pot is definitely leaning. Not to be rude, but I seriously think we need to go shoe shopping. See you at Lowe’s?”

Valeria: “Habla Espanol?”

Pilar: “My favorite days are 100 degrees. I love the soil I’m planted in and can’t imagine a vista better than mine from this patio. If you’d like regular sun, occasional rain and a good solid foundation, apply within.”

Marnie: “Ohmygod. I cannot believe you just said ‘apply within!’ hee hee!”
~K

You may have heard of the Farm Bill; it’s been in the American news a bunch lately. Last week the Senate approved it by a large margin. The House passed it a day earlier. Today it is supposed to reach President Bush’s desk, where it is anticipated he will use his trusty veto. Thankfully, it seems Congress has enough votes to overturn his veto if that occurs.
I won’t get into the specifics of the politics behind keeping or vetoing this bill from the President’s perspective (or reported perspective), but I will say that as a relatively new advocate in the food banking community, I am so relieved this bill has finally made its way through Congress and will be soon funded. It is controversial. There are subsidies for the farming industry that don’t make sense, but there is a silver lining that does.

In a nutshell, this legislation influences every single American’s life. It addresses food prices (expected to jump 5% this year) by increasing nutritional programs by more than $10 billion. This helps get more food in food pantries and more people who qualify for food stamps enrolled. This isn’t socialism by any means; if there is anyone who advocates for the community — not the government — to be responsible for helping the needy, it’s me. However, there are gaps in that philosophy that I’m not solving anytime soon and this funding will help in the meantime.

It also helps make sure that senior citizens — many of whom are homebound — get fresh fruits and vegetables. The majority of those Arizonans (80,000) who go hungry each day are children and the elderly. That makes me a bit sick to my stomach.

This morning I volunteered to take photos of a gleaning project in the far West Valley. Talk about collaboration — prisoners from the nearby facility are used as volunteers to pick crops from fields donated by a local farm. Duncan Farms has certain fields it plants and then sets aside for food banks state-wide. Today these ladies picked cabbage, which will be sent to food banks this afternoon and hopefully placed in food boxes for anyone in need tonight. My favorite part about this gleaning system is that there is little waste. A lot of the produce within this program would otherwise end up in a landfill and there is nothing more disgusting to me than the fattest nation in the world throwing away food. As one of my colleagues said yesterday, “Hunger in America isn’t a supply issue; it is a distribution issue.”

If you want to reduce the food waste in your community, check out this blog. And if you’d like to see what the average American family throws away each month, take a deep breath and then click here.

If you are interested in helping your local food pantry, the best items to donate are: canned meat, canned fruits and veggies, peanut butter and juice in containers that won’t break.

On a side note, if you are ever feeling a bit unfeminine, spend your morning with a bunch of female inmates in a sweaty, dirty, hot, farm field. You’ll skip away feeling like the most delicate, fragile ballerina to ever get her slippers dusty.

~K

Even though Alma grew up in Arizona, she’d never been to Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon until today. I know. Seriously! Flagstaff is one of my favorite places on earth. I would love to live there again one day. And it wasn’t until I was living in Flag and studying at NAU that Amanda took me to the Grand Canyon for the first time. (My mom always told us as children it was “just a big hole in the ground.” With all due respect, mama couldn’t be more wrong on this one.)

We started the morning with a 5 am departure from Tempe, a 8 am appointment with some killer blueberry Swedish pancakes at La Bellavia in Flagstaff and some strong coffee during the 150-mile route in between. By 10 am we were at the South Rim, walking, gaping and people watching. After hitting the IMAX show, Flagstaff for some afternoon shopping and lunch at Crystal Creek, we were back in the Valley by 6 pm. A full, happy day indeed.

The big hole in the ground is in fact a giant, breath taking sight to see. After arriving and watching Alma’s reaction to this wonder of the world, I sat down on rock to give thanks and be mindful of the experience. Large black hawks enjoying the cool, breezy currents above, circled and swooped. Pine trees rustled in the same temperate wind. Squirrels appeared occasionally, schizophrenic with desire. Beg for a treat? Run away, startled by the constant foot traffic and occasional dog? Noisy tourist buses arrived with their gray diesel disturbing an otherwise pristine view. Visitors from dozens of countries gawked in their native tongues, but their awe was universal. And the grand dame herself, with colors ranging from the palest yellow to the darkest indigo and every shade in between. She was spectacular, worthy of the bravado, and even the $3.60 a gallon gas for the 400-mile road trip.

I love this Grand Canyon State.
~K

I’m swimming in work this week and not spending much time behind the Singer or skillet, so I thought I’d instead share a few new environmental resources for Arizonans who may be interested.

- For those on SRP time of use plan, May 1 was the kickoff for the new “on peak” energy hours. I’ve used this plan for quite a while and it saves me boatloads of money, especially in the summer with air conditioning bills. For example, my May bill is less than $35. Granted, my home is tiny, but incorporating a few of their energy saving tips has saved me green.

- SRP is also offering a new tree planting program. For $3 a month you can plant 72 Ponderosa pines in Arizona. Your donation is matched by SRP and the trees will be planted to offset our carbon use. The 72 trees are equivalent to the offsetting of 26 typical households. Giddyup.

- Urban gardeners, there is a fantastic new resource I’m just learning about. Have you heard of this guy? How about his classes? This week’s include raising city chickens (on my agenda soon enough) and using minimal water for vegetable gardening.

Rad! Soon enough I’m going to have my own raised beds full of veggies. Until then, I’ll just keep taking these community lessons and creating the best plan.

FYI — no community dinner this week, peeps. I’m in Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon tomorrow. I’ve got a feast planned for next Thursday. Save the date.

Cheers,
K

Survived the bus commute today in honor of Earth Day. The daily ride pass costs $2.50, not $1.25 as I thought. This left me scrambling at the front of the bus for change for a $10 after I had already put in all the quarters in my wallet (5, as planned). It was like being at Rhodes Junior High School for the first day of 7th grade all over again. There I am fiddling with my bottom row locker when all the freshman are spinning through their combos with ease, hovering above and snickering at the green new kids. Thanks to the kind wave of the bus driver, I took my seat without ever finding the right change.

It was the right change to my routine. The brief experience threw me into a new mix of folk who I otherwise wouldn’t spend an hour with socially. I like these sorts of social situations where you feel completely uncomfortable because the universe is shaking you down and trying to teach you something about yourself. There were high school students from the technical school speaking Spanish and playing with their long, shiny brown hair. There was an African immigrant in a pressed white shirt that was so thin I could see his bus card clearly through his front pocket. A man with a hearing aid slowly rocked back and forth, flicking his long fingernails and never looking up from the black plastic flooring. I smiled, thumbed through my book mindlessly and people-watched with hunger. Bus riding is good for a writer’s soul.

The commute was easy. It took an hour, including about a mile walk — which I thoroughly enjoyed knowing we are full well climbing back in the oven known as the Phoenix summer soon enough. The bus was comfortable, the company eclectic and I didn’t have any road rage while reading and day dreaming. Imagine that.
I may have to give this public transport thing a fair shake, although it means I’d miss my morning coffee stops on the way into work. You know your life problems are insignificant when it all comes down to caffeine.

~K

Tonight I added the Valley Interfaith Project rally at Pilgrim Rest Church in downtown Phoenix. Crammed in the pews with 1,000 other folk of all faiths, we listened as religious and political leaders addressed Arizona’s immigration policy. Mayor Gordon spoke to Sheriff Joe’s illegal behavior. Two community leaders gave a pretty funny presentation about Russell Pearce — awarded human rights enemy #1 in the state. (He wants to prevent citizenship for children born to parents who are not citizens. The dude needs a hug. And a girlfriend. He’s obviously pretty miserable.) We stood, cheered, prayed and rallied in unison: the faith community of Phoenix wants improved immigration policies and human rights for all.
It was by far the coolest community event I’ve ever attended. I can’t wait to become more involved with this group.
Even though my family has moved, Phoenix really is my hood. I talk about moving away, but I do love it here, as a member of this big, crazy stuccoed city (even if we have too many golf courses and shopping malls.)

~K

One of the many reasons I love Holy Week, Spring and Easter is that it is a time to wipe the slate clean and start over. I’m taking an internal inventory this week, coming up with some new life plans and trying to take quiet time to truly listen to my faith and be in conversation with God. I feel like these Mexican poppies — full of life, not quite yet open, uncertain of what lies ahead but willing to turn my face to the sun with faith that it will all work out for the best.

Happy first day of Spring to all,
Kelli

I drove to Nogales, Arizona yesterday to work for the day. Although the health project I was there to observe is on both sides of the border, I wasn’t able to cross to Mexico because I forgot my passport. (Such a consummate professional.) Regardless, we wouldn’t have been able to cross because the lines each direction for those walking was three hours and longer if you were going by car. I didn’t have six hours total to observe, much less just that for a silly queue. Needless to say these new passport-for-Mexico-travel rules are slow-going in the effective implementation department. I can only imagine how businesses on both sides of the border are hurting with decreased traffic.
Instead, I spent my time visiting with our health project workers and catching up with the progress we are making in these poor communities. It was an exceptionally fulfilling day professionally.

On the way home, I stopped at the Mission of Tumacacori and the Mission of San Xavier del Bac. First up, San Xavier:

This church is everything you’d imagine a Spanish cathedral in the middle of the Arizona desert on an Indian reservation to be. It is starkly beautiful, ornate and mind boggling. It is surrounded by poverty you cannot imagine being “American.” Nonetheless, it is a very pretty building and I am glad we stopped. It was a great place to sit down for a few minutes, collect my thoughts from the day and refuel spiritually during Holy Week.

~K

My roommate is moving next week to Canada and taking the five kitties with her. I’ll miss her company, although I am still not a “cat person.” Give me a Saint Bernard any day. I just don’t know what to do with cats, other than vacuum behind them regularly. I’ve thought about getting another roommate because the additional rent money is quite nice, but I need some time to sew. And knit. And do things outside of the kitchen. Next week the guest room will be transformed into my art studio once more and I’ll have to rely on the kindness of friends to feed me. I’ll be too busy with my Singer to mess with my skillet.

This week I’m busy making mini cheesecake for my neighbor, reading, hiking and preparing for Spring sports. Yesterday I signed up for $320 worth of events in March, April and May. (See? roommate money put to good use.) I’ll be competing in the Masters swimming state meet in Tucson in a couple weeks, a 2.4 mile open-water swim in Tempe, a few Splash and Dash events and a couple triathlons. With all of these events lined up, my workouts have become more disciplined and focused. I’m not just exercising because I love it but because I have dreams of winning the Splash and Dash series. And maybe the mile event at the state swim meet. Oh, that would be fun! Having swam in my brother’s shadow for nearly my entire life (you know, until he quit swimming and I just had coaches remind me ever so often that I was “Cody’s sister!! Is he still swimming?”) I am the one competing these days. The fact that even though he hasn’t swam in years and could more than likely still beat me in the pool in a sprint doesn’t bother me at all. Really. That said, I’d probably have to rescue him during the 2.4 mile race. I’ve always been more of a distance athlete. If nothing else, maybe that chip will fall off my shoulder during that mile swim. Ha!

~K

Happiness on one of several hikes I took this weekend (with Panda and Shay); you’ve got to absorb every second of this fabulous Spring weather while you have it in Arizona. The desert is so green from our wet winter and it seems the entire Valley is outside this weekend, watching Spring-training games, golfing, walking, breathing in the warm, sunny happiness of glorious pre-summer weather.

Have you heard of The Happiness Project (THP)? It’s no secret around here that I’m all for self-help, having a regular “to do” list and resolutions galore. In fact, I just ordered this book, even after the conservative-Christian backlash. (I’m agreeing with very little they say these days.)

So, my version of THP:
Role models: My father, Paul Farmer, JPM, Ruth
Mission: Do good, be good, smile often.
Motto: Be the Light
Symbol: A Saguaro with Her Arms Outstretched
Patron Saint: Ruth, one of the original tough, smart women

The Two Splendid Truths:
1. To be happier, think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.
2. One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy.
One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself. {I’m keeping these!}

What is your motto? What makes you happy? Today my list includes Fresh & Easy Markets, beautiful weather, new espadrilles, seeing The Other Boleyn Girl yesterday after having read the book and being able to laugh at the wild differences, dinner plans with friends, bowling well last night even though that damn Salty beat me by one pin, and having time to craft and cook.

~K