Roof Gardener (to be)

I am starting to get settled here again. It's a wonderful feeling. My project for expanding my sustainable lifestyle is starting to crystalize. My teensy garden is absolutely out of space, so I'm trying to go vertical along the house walls, and make use of the roof under my window. I plan to use this old baby-gate as a trellis for the garden, and place some shipping pallets on my roof, filled with yoghurt containers in which I can grow some veggies. It would be awesome to have a real garden up there, complete with a wind chine, some cushy pillows for people to come and chill on, maybe a hammock hung between the rafters, and a telescope, for evening stargazing…. hey, no harm in dreaming. 

Now, my "neighborhood association" is probably not going to condone this project, no matter how much I try to persuade them with "going green," "it's for the sake of the environment," "it's called a LOCAL movement." I doubt they'll hear any of it. In the end, they are just rich, greedy bastards, part of some development corporation who don't give the slightest shit about 19-year olds trying to be sustainable…. Ugh. I want my own land and the right to do whatever I want with it. Well, I'll just do it and see how long before anyone tells me to stop. Maybe they'll warm up to the idea (serious wishful thinking, probably in vain.) Maybe I can get some sort of homeowner's petition going…. I honestly see no reason why a few plants on my roof is done anyone any harm. And I plan to make it aesthetically pleasing and beautiful, so it's not like I'm some trailer-trash roof-hick who's going to give the neighborhood a bad rap. 

I sat on my roof for about 3 hours yesterday, brainstorming, scribbling away in a marble-composition book. I must have looked so strange. All the little Japanese girls who live next door were pointing and giggling and asking what on earth I was doing up there. I told them that I was going to start another garden, because there's so much room up there. They kind of cocked their heads and didn't get it. Oh well... one day they'll see. I have about 50 yoghurt containers that I am planning to use for the lettuces and herbs. Why not make it a recycling project as well? If anybody's got old containers they don't need, bring 'em on over  and I'll try to make use of them. Now if only I could find a place for some chickens and goats... hmmm... I'll just wait till I have my real land. 

This morning I picked up an old wooden pallet that my school was trying to get rid of, and finally found some organic seeds on the island. It was like christmas: CHARD, LETTUCE, ARUGULA, BASIL, CILANTRO, TOMATOES, MORE LETTUCE, WOOHOO! Right now I'm waiting for the goddamn leaf-blowers to shut up so I can climb onto my roof and get my garden started in peace. I'm not planning to go on display for the gardeners, thanks. I honestly don't understand the purpose of that invention, leaf-blowers are probably the biggest waste of resources (and time) I can think of. Not just the oil required to power them, but the cost and oil involved in their production, plus the shipping to get them here, plus the packaging and maintenance… pure idiocy. 

Anyway, it's a beautiful day, I had a great conversation with the dairy-man at whole foods, and I got some amazing new greens from Ma'o farms that I'm going to try out, along with some beets. Oh, how I love fresh produce. Local, organic, fresh produce. Hopefully I'll have some of my own very soon!

Yesterday I made a salad with the arugula I got from the farmer's market stand at the Waldorfaire. It was amazing. Strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado and that lemon dressing, with LOTS of freshly ground black pepper. 

Arugula, mystery greens, orange slices, tomatoes, cucumbers, grated parmesan...

The day before I'd made one with those unknown greens and lots of yummies in them. Salads are just so amazing. My sister thinks I'm crazy. So do a lot of others. Well… I probably am. That's ok.