I want a garden…

When we first moved into the current apartment we have, it was chosen based on two or three things. After seeing both available spaces, the first thing we loved was that it was the first floor. Then we were told there’s no air conditioning in the units. Ugh! The great thing about the downstairs space was there are a lot of doors and it got a ton of light but no direct sunshine, so those hot summer days would be bearable. Downstairs it shall be!

I started working at the nursery about 5 months after the move. Now, after having been there for some time, I have the urge to have my own garden to pull fresh veggies and herbs from. But the problem is vegetables and herbs need sunlight to grow. NOOOoooo….!!!

So when I began looking into the things that only need bright light and not direct sunshine, there are only 5 or 6 that I would want to use. So that left me with my hopes crushed. Then I saw this super cool picture in the current issue of Fine Gardening Magazine

truck farm — Image via culinate.com This functioning truck also functions as a garden bed!!

While I do what I can to decrease the size of my carbon footprint, I am too scattered to use my bike to get everywhere, like work, on time. My car has been a true blessing, (THANK YOU TOMMY-O!!!) to get me to places that I would still be taking the bus to otherwise.

Here’s a little history. In Brooklyn, early 2009, Ian Cheney debuted the beauty pictured above as a solution to the problem of not having a space to grow fresh food in the crowded city. Nowadays the truck is used to teach people that you can grow food nearly anywhere and the benefits of doing so.

The more I think about this concept and my craving for having my own little garden makes me want to try and see if I can grow anything greenhouse style in my Rav4! I super rarely have more than one passenger in my car, so I have a good chunk of space to plant some of my fave veggies and herbs!

Can you imagine?? I would save money on my grocery bill, not contribute to pollution by the purchasing of foods driven from who knows where, eat food that truly doesn’t have pesticides (because there’s not a large likelihood of pests getting into the car), and it’d just be damn cool!

Figuring out the logistics of how to get my car adjusted is going to take a while because I want to have the garden bed tilted so that when I water my car (hahaha!) the excess H2O will drain out of the back door. Also, the car has a carpeted “trunk” area, so not only do I have to make sure that’s going to be covered with a plastic bedding liner, I also have to pull out the crowbar and all that type of stuff and have it put somewhere easily accessible. So as you can see there are still a lot of things to figure out, but I may see if Yamagami’s would be willing to sponsor such a project and I can call it the Yamagami’s Mobile Garden. Or maybe not. We’ll have to see.

Do you have a truck? Check out Truck Farm and maybe you can become a part of their fleet.

What’s the weirdest container you’ve planted in or wanted to use as a planter? How’d it turn out? Leave a comment below and let’s trade stories!

Argh! One weekend left and the pursuit of perfection is still on!

This afternoon after leaving Yamagami’s Nursery, I hopped in the car and set out for the theatre and this afternoon’s matinee. But as I was heading southbound on Hwy 85, I began to feel sluggish and a case of the “boy am I tired’s” hit me like a ton of bricks. My body was sore from the Zohar rehearsal for the winter showcase and from the week off of the show, and from my gym workout after a 3 week break on Saturday.

But sure enough, as I get into place for the opening of the show, the lovely Roberta gives me a pep talk and I am raring to go. And go we did. Weeeellllllll, until after my first exit. Hahahaha. When I come back on stage with Finch, we totally forgot what it was that I was supposed to say. Actually let me rephrase that. I knew the line, but it always trips me up because the way that it’s written. It’s written as “My secretary will take care of the forms and getting your particulars.” For me, I feel like saying “My secretary will take care of getting the forms and your particulars.” It’s that one little word: getting. And what came out of my mouth was “My secretary will uuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..getting your particulars and filling out the forms.” I swear that “uh” felt like the longest moment in the world!

Then I began to joke and say that I would make it a character choice and go on the rest of the show and use that randomly throughout. Like, “Well, uuuuuuuhhhhhhhh, this is something.” Or better yet, as I am singing: “A secretary is not uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh a toy.”

Just be sure that the “uh” sound like and old dry wooden door opening. Had to make sure you had that imagery in there for ya.

Other than that, the only other thing that I can knit pick is that I was early during that same dance break that I rolled my ankle on last night.

The audience was small but mighty! People came out in to the lobby in such high spirits it was wonderful to see and the hear how much they enjoyed themselves. I am so happy, but with that in mind, we have to get the word out about this show to have our last two performances sold out. So if you would be so kind and please write a review of the show on Artsopolis, I can’t tell you how much all of us in the H2$ family would appreciate it. After today’s performance, I got to meet a number of wonderful people who did happen to enjoy themselves so a special shout out to Bijou and Bo. A lovely young duo how were very knowledgeable about theatre and all the little things that we accomplished that some people may have missed.

If you haven’t been able to make it out to the show, I would personally like to invite you to come out and watch the show. Also, let me know if you are coming so I can be sure to look for you after and thank you personally. I hope to see you there on Friday on better yet, closing night!

You can change the world…(revisited)

or at least help to change the world! On August 20, this Saturday, Yamagami’s Nursery will host a Hope Services Recycled Bike sale. Due to the success of our March collaboration, we decided it should happen again. The last sale averaged about 25-30 bikes sold in just a few hours. It was nice to see those happy faces (including mine) leaving with a “new” bike.

Now you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying, “Jery, how is a recycled bike sale going to change the world?” And to that my friends, I answer thusly:

First:

Hope Services is a wonderful organization that provides programs and services – including job training, counseling and community living — that assist more than 2,500 children, adults and seniors with developmental disabilities. When you stop by the Nursery on August 20th and purchase a lovingly refurbished recycled bicycle from Hope Services, your money goes directly to Hope Services and they can continue their work in bettering the lives of the people they work with.

Second:

When you buy a recycled bike from Hope Services, you will be helping to save the environment! Yup, you’ll be easing congestion on the road, consuming less of our limited supply of oil, and saving metal from taking up space in a landfill! The folks at Hope Services have put a lot of time and energy into bringing the bikes into tip top shape, and three or four of the display bikes have already been snapped up by Yamagami’s customers! So that’s a great indicator of what we’ll be expecting this weekend.

Third:

Save yourself a heap of money! As gas prices near the $4 mark, how many times less will you need to fill up your tank and what kind of dough does that leave in your pocket? Also, if you do use your car less and your bike more, you may want to check with your insurance agent to see if there’s a lowering of your premium since you use your car much less. I don’t know if it’ll be the case, but it doesn’t hurt you to check, right?

Fourth:

By hopping on your new bike, you are being active and making your body stronger. Bike riding can not only be beneficial as an exercise item, but also a relaxation devise as well. Did you have a stressful day? Ride a few miles uphill and you’ll probably forget all about your problems as you focus on the task at hand.

Maybe your thinking, “Jery, I have three bikes and I can only ride one!” Well, then buddy have I got a great idea for you! Why not donate your other two bikes to Hope Services? I don’t know if they could be utilized as a tax write off, but come on down to the Nursery on August 20th and talk to the people from Hope Services.

What happens if you can’t make it on the 20th but you still would like to buy a bike? Never fret, my dears, for Hope Services holds a bike sale every Friday in their warehouse in Santa Clara. You can find their address and directions on the Hope Services website at http://www.hopeservices.org

I hope we see you at the Hope Services Recycled Bike Sale on August 20th at Yamagami’s Nursery. For those that don’t know, the nursery is located at 1361 S. De Anza Blvd, right off of the 85 freeway. The sale will last from 10 am until 3 pm.

If you don’t need or want a bike, then come on down and just walk through the flowers and plants for the fun of it. You can even check out the winners of our first ever Photo Contest! The top ten photos are on display in our seminar room. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll be doing that event annually. Help us support the community, just by stopping by!

♭♪♫ Papa- Paparazzi ♩♩♫

Flowers never looked so good! Calling all you non-professional photogs out there!!

Could you use a little cash? Of course you could. I mean, who couldn’t nowadays, right? Then I think I may have a fun way to earn it! And it’s kinda easy…

Yamagami’s Nursery is having a contest for the best picture of flowers.

The contest is basically three stages.

Stage 1: You have until June 26th to upload your best image to the Yamagami’s Photo Contest Page by submitting them to: Flowers@YNurseryNews.com. You may upload only three submissions. It could be close-ups of the flower or a wide angle shot of a display of them, just as long as they are the focal point of the image. Keep in mind, there may be a brief delay getting you pictures to the proper page, so get them in at least three days before the deadline.

Stage 2: Beginning June 27th and thru July 23rd, the public will begin to vote on which images they like the best. You can find the competing images HERE. There are some amazing images. However, don’t let that discourage you from putting your best foot into the contest. Just as nature’s created millions and millions of beautiful images, your creativity and uniqueness can capture something that most people have never seen. Challenge yourself to see beyond the stunning colors and the brilliance in the patterns. The top ten images will then be submitted to a panel of judges who will then award the cash prizes.

Step 3: Beginning August 18th, you can view the images when you stop on by the nursery as they will be on display. On August 27, Yamagami’s will host an awards show and the prizes for the Top 3 will be given to the photographers with the best images. All of the Top Ten finalists will receive a small Yamagami’s Nursery gift certificate.

Please read the complete detailed rules before entering and best of luck to all you picture snapping photogs out there.

Sadly, employees of Yamagami’s and their families are not eligible to enter.

Here are a couple of my fave nature shots that I’ve taken. What do you love to capture with the lens? Share where do you like to go for that inspiration?

You can change the world…

or at least help to change the world! On March 12, this Saturday, Yamagami’s Nursery will host a Hope Services Recycled Bike sale.

Now you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying, “Jery, how is a recycled bike sale going to change the world?” And to that my friends, I answer thusly:

First:

Hope Services is a wonderful organization that provides programs and services – including job training, counseling and community living — that assist more than 2,500 children, adults and seniors with developmental disabilities. When you stop by the Nursery on March 12th and purchase a lovingly refurbished recycled bicycle from Hope Services, your money goes directly to Hope Services and they can continue their work in bettering the lives of the people they work with.

Second:

Third:

Fourth:

What happens if you can’t make it on the 12th but you still would like to buy a bike? Never fret, my dears, for Hope Services holds a bike sale every Friday in their warehouse in Santa Clara. You can find their address and directions on the Hope Services website at http://www.hopeservices.org

I hope we see you at the Hope Services Recycled Bike Sale on March 12th at Yamagami’s Nursery. The sale will last from 10 am until 3 pm.

If you don’t need or want a bike, then come on down and just walk through the flowers and plants for the fun of it. Help us support the community!