Global Chaprazz: E V I C T E D

I guess I saw it coming. I still wasn't thrilled when I came home from work two days ago, exhausted and light-thirsty, to the news that my plants would have to be removed from my roof immediately, or I would be facing fines and trouble. I had exactly 20 minutes to take them down, per order of the Peninsula Police (actually the homeowner's association board of directors... or some other people with a fancy title who think they're so great and entitled to ruining people's dreams...) I was pissed. Not because they made me take the plants down pe se, (I knew that eventually they'd bust me) but for their coldheartedness in not hearing me out. I was, and am, more pissed at the ridiculous bureaucracy behind their decision. There is absolutely no sound reason for me not to have a few oxygen-creating plants up on my roof. Excuse me, but it's not like I'm setting off fireworks from my window and having crazy rager parties in the early hours of the night. I'm civilly trying to be sustainable and reduce my carbon footprint. I'm growing my own food so that I don't have to buy food that's been shipped in from thousands of miles away, thereby I'm not supporting the oil companies and our country's absurd agenda for crude oil. But this neighborhood is probably owned by some oil sheiks in Saudi Arabia anyway. It's probably owned by the same people who run the Holiday Inn and Shell Gas Station. So I'm going to pretend that that's the reason they're having me remove my plants. See, it's all politics! I just want to run away to a place on this planet where people will just leave me alone to do my own thing. I'm thinking of traveling to Argentina. It's been a dream destination of mine since I did a report on it in 6th grade. I'll just have to wait for the southern hemisphere to be in-season... maybe I'll find a job as a rancher or I'll just go wwoof down there. I'm sure the Gauchos wouldn't have anything against a few heads of lettuce... As long as I try their beef ;) Well, real Argentinian ranch beef might change my semi-vegetarianistic diet, but I'm fine with that. Fluidity, Change, Adaptation... it's a part of life.

All plants on my desk!

Last shot on the roof :'(

Wonderful Arugula

Avocado Sprout!

Pumpkins-hopefully ready by halloween!

Taking up all my room

So, just as I've moved what seems like a billion times in my life, my plants went on a little roadtrip with me today. I put the pallet in the back of my car and buckled them up like children and drove them to their temporary home; daycare as I like to call it. I've had some pretty traumatic experiences with daycare and various babysitters as a child, so I wanted to make sure they'd be going to a good place. So where better than at my old school. Currently on summer vacation, the school is vacant and they won't be bothered. In return, I'm helping to keep the plants watered and well. Wonderful trade agreement. See... this is how life should be. No money, just a decent, honest, work-trade deal. It's pretty cool that they're hanging out at the Waldorf highschool. Waldorf (albeit the SF waldorf) is where I really started to learn how to garden. It was one of my favorite classes ever. I still remember how awesome it was to watch our artichokes growing and to harvest our vegetables. We had these adorable little wild strawberries and we put up copper wire to keep out the snails. As I went through my early teen years, gardening at school was a drudgery, just like everything else, but on the inside I really loved it. Now It's like completing a full cycle. A teacher gave me the wooden pallet, and now I'm bringing them all back to grow at the school. I don't know. I like the feeling of this situation. The best thing that negative situations (like the eviction of all my green tenants) can bring about is positive change. Something better. I would love for there to be a garden on my roof, but maybe I can become a full-time garden for the school and get a job there. Who knows?