painted trees + magic beans

Hey there, happy fall! Autumn is an ephemeral time where we can feel the progression of time more than the other seasons. It's so beautiful here in Cincinnati with vivid yellows, blood reds, and mixtures of the rainbow. By this point, four years out of our first year of college, I think most of the designers are past the point of looking for the perfect leaf for their color design study.

I had the pleasure this weekend of attending part of the Cincinnati branch of the Bioneers 2010 conference. The conference is centered in San Rafael, California, with offshoots in many cities nationwide. Cincinnati's was led by Imago, an environmental education organization centered in Price Hill. I took a tour of the ecovillage surrounding Imago's main site, including their urban CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) greenhouse. It was informative to see that such a garden could be supported 1. in this region's climate and 2. in an urban environment. And be a success! This ecovillage consisted of a street in the neighborhood where many of the neighbors have created an intentional community that is seeking health in many regards. It has taken a different look and involvement for each household, but many of them have gardens, whether vegetable, an edible forest garden, etc. One woman had a straw bale shed - very cool! By the end we were sipping some sun tea on our tour guide's porch, talking about urban gardens, watching the leaves drift over the road, as a perfect autumn day would feel, look and smell. Mmhmm.

Also, for anyone interested in sustainable design in Cinci, none other but the renown William McDonough is coming to speak at Xavier University on Monday, October 25th. Here's the info.

Saturday ended with Beanstock. I hosted a fairytale/fable/folklore/myth party that included paint, chalk, music, dancing, and cookies. We even had a semi-professional face-painter who did quite a fabulous job.

Besides this? School, school, and school. I remember as a 1st/2nd/3rd year wondering how in the world the graduate students came up with their elaborate thesis projects. And now I'm living in the midst.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admiral - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Phil. 4.8.