I just started a new blog... it is call "The True Library Project"... check it out.

The website is:
http://thetruelibraryproject.blogspot.com/

It is one of my social experiment. It is also a part of the artwork for ArtPrize.
Here is the description of the blog and the project:

"This is a blog that work along side my other blog:

www.athankfulone.blogspot.com

It is a recording of another social experiment I am doing. 

This experiment is call "The True Library Project"

I want to challenge the way we learn and teach today. 

I want to challenge the way our education system is today. 

I want to experiment a new way of learning and teaching, a new way of exchanging knowledges and insights. 

I hope this experiment will give me new directions and insights into this issue. 

The project will requires me to go around and ask anyone, strangers or friends alike, to ask them for a piece of knowledge and I will write them down in my note book. As I go to people and ask for their knowledge, they will be encouraged to read what already be written in the book, knowledges that other had written. This project will provides a platform and a place in which people can learn from each other and at the same time able to contribute to others' knowledge. People can continue to come back to me to farther contribute or to read what is new in the book. It is an ongoing process of knowledge exchange and sharing. 

I wonder what it will be like if we all carry a book like this and we pass it around all the time. Will we learn more??? I don't know yet or I might never know, but hopefully this project will give me new thoughts about this subject matter. 

On this blog, I will post all the knowledges that I gain from the day and I hope you all will enjoy it and if you like, please comment on it. The tile of each entry is the name of the knowledge giver and where is he or she staying. 

Hope you will find it interesting and inspiriting!"

Find a new spot today!!!

Here it is:

It situation in the middle of few abandoned houses. It should be quite safe to garden there. 

More pumpkins and more potato had came out!!!

Today, I went to all the gardens and watered them all. It is a beautiful day with fair, warm, dry weather. The plants definitely needed the freshness of the water as evidenced from the cracked crust of the dry ground. I recounted the number of pumpkins and potato and found that I now have 35 pumpkins plants and 9 potato. They are coming out strongly!!! Some of the pumpkins even now growing their third leaf from only two leafs at the very beginning.

The third leaf is coming out between the two original leaf. 

Some day time pictures of what we planted last night: 

 

From 3 rows to 6 rows of goodness!!!

The two beautiful pea plants!!!

Today when I check up on the carrot garden by the road side, I found even more footprints on it. I am wondering will those carrots survive and how human's existence will affect their life. 

Few artistic shot... hope you enjoy!

Empty house with boarded windows and boarded doors...

I explored the downtown area today in hope of better understanding it. The area that I was at is an area that fill with homeless shelters and ministries of some sorts. It is a pretty poor area of the city, situated just on the skirt of downtown. Where it is not right inside the city where rent is high and also not far enough away from downtown to be call suburb. It caught between the decision of living in downtown or far away from it by people with means and capitals. The people who got caught, as the word "caught" can defines their situation: they were forced to be where they are with their limited means and capitals.

I walked down this quiet street in the area even though it was such a sunny, beautiful day. Half the houses are empty with boarded windows and boarded doors. It was a street with a queer atmosphere to it. I continued to walk and explore the street and its queerness. A couple of the abandoned houses can be access from the outside with a broken door. It is broken, dark and smelly inside. I came across a man walking by and I asked him politely the reason for all these abandoned house. He told me that it is because the city government been buying out those houses so that they can build more fancy condos and apartments. In my head I wondered to myself,"If this in between place of the city and the suburb is going to be developed and become a part of the city, where the people who have no choices but to live there, where will they go? Where can they go if this in-between-place is gone?" I could not formulate an answer then and there. So i left with a heavy heart and a troubling minds.

I took one last look down this queer street and I cannot help but felt a bit lonely for myself as well for those houses and the lives that they contain. Suddenly, the sun shine of Africa once again seem so kind and inviting. I miss you, Africa.

Here is some pictures of those lonely building in its surrounding:

 

The part that we turn to let the water flows is taken away, to prevent farther usage?

Here is some pictures of an interior of an abandoned house. I was able to go in because the back door to the basement was broken. 

Some good time that I will never forget!!!

First and foremost, I want to thanks Jenny, Meg, Anna and Andrew for giving me this beautiful memories that I treasure so much!!! It was truly beautiful the time that we were able to share last night. What a night. Us five went out and garden last night at the same location that I went gardening alone that one time. The garden was truly a magnificent sight with its rows and circle of vegetated soils. I am so excited about this garden and all the relationships with others that I was able to foster through it.

The act of gardening had given so much thus far, so much that it is hard to say it all. I am just feeling bless to able to undertake such project and gain such support. I am grateful.

There are all of us except me: Anna, Jenny, Meg and Andrew. What a group of great people!!!

Last night, we planted 1 row of cucumber, 1 row of zucchini, 1 row of corn and 4 more circles, 8 seeds each of watermelons. Also, Anna been having growing two pea plants that been producing peas. With the school year coming to an end, she needed to find a new home for the plant so she brought the plants with her and we planted it into the garden.

 

Anna with her beloved pea plants. When we were leaving the garden last night, Anna made me sad by saying goodbye to those pea plants with such love and emotion. I was sad. Anna, I promise you I will take good care of your pea plants. 

Meg and Anna planting the first pea plant!

Jenny and Anna planting the second pea plant. 

Beautiful smile!!!

Here we are, the two pea plants. I hope they can adopt to this new soil easily1

We joked, laughed, teased, dig, watered, planted, jumped, danced, took pictures... we had such a good time.

Jenny losing up the soil!

Andrew losing up the soil as Meg and Jenny putting in the cucumber seeds!!!

Anna working hard at the dry ground, losing up the dirt. 

Meg planting watermelons seeds!

Jenny watering our watermelons... cam you tell that the black paint on the container is chipping away... I wonder how long would it be when I have to repaint the containers.  

Jenny pondering over the garden!!! The garden is getting bigger1!! 

Thanks for tuning in for another adventure that we have. 

I wish you enjoyed it!

keep in touch and have a nice day. 

Human's existence... found...

I went back to one of the road side garden that we planted with carrot seeds... and I found footprints all over it... It reminded me one again that there are going to be interventions and disruptions as the gardens mature from all sorts of different situations. It is in public spaces and it is for everyone, one who care for the gardens or one who disregard gardens. It does not matter who the people are, everyone have a right to those gardens, construction or destruction. It is meant for all, human and nature alike, so I should not be angry or have any thought of protecting it by lining poles and strings to set boundaries. Although I know of that, I was still sad about the disruption I saw in my garden.

Footprint of humans kind!!!

Another late night, another pair of coffee smelling hands!!!

YES, I went out last night again. It actually is my first solo garden run. All the guerrilla gardening action so far had been teamed up with my buddies. Since it is exam time for my college, so it is harder for my buddies to have time and energy to come out with me. On the other hand, I am only a part time student so I have a lot more time than most of my buddies. It was a great solo run.

Solo run is definitely a bit different than with a team of buddies. I have to admit that it is less fun and goofy but I found that it is more meditative and thoughtful when I am on my own, just the soil and I, the nature and I... It was a very calming and soothing experience as I tend the garden in silents. When I am gardening along, my senses are able to focus more on the gardening itself. I can better feel the dampness of the soil, the smell of the coffee grounds, the size of the seeds, the tiredness of my body and the toughness of my palm... it was a spiritual experience to have my sense so open to the act of gardening. I love that feeling. But that does not mean that I don't like to go out and garden with others... I love to go garden with others too, oh so much... they are just different.

I planned 9 circles of watermelons, 8 seeds in each circles. I got about 9 liters of coffee grounds and I shoveled it into the soil before I planted the seeds. The soil should be quit fine for growing.

It was such an amazing sight when I finished planning. It was so beautiful to see the circles as they lay next to the 3 long line of potato plants. It is like an abstract painting... almost... ha. check it out:

Isn't this a beautiful picture? 3 rows of potato, 9 circles of watermelons. 

More picture of the new gardens:

Thanks for reading again!!!

Tonight, actually in about a hour... heading out to garden with 3 of my buddies, Jenny, Megan and Anna!!! probably planting some corn tonight... same place as where all these watermelons and potato are... and Monday I will be explore downtown more to find new places to put in new gardens!!! 

keep in touch!

wish you all well!!!

32 pumpkins plants and 7 potato plants...

Yesterday after I finished my volunteering services, I went back to the garden which is situated by a local hospital with pumpkins circles and rows of potato to check on the growth of the young ones and to water them for yesterday was a hot, dry day.

It was always so exciting to go to the gardens and see the progress it has made. I counted the pumpkins and the potato. I have 32 pumpkins plants and 7 potato plants now. I feel blessed as I carried a big grin. I am so loving this.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, seven of them pumpkin plants!!! 

Pumpkin plants!

Close up on a pumpkin plant, can you see all the detail, beautiful patterns on the leaf. 

This is a potato plant!!! 

Potato cracking the dry hard ground, fighting to be alive, fighting to breathes. 

Two potato plants coming from the same potato seeding. 

While I was checking out the pumpkins circle, a bird with a touch of orange on its head, come hopping around and away from the pumpkin circles. It could be my imagination or it could be the bird's body language, I felt that the bird was feeling guilty. Ha, it sound silly, I know. But I wondered was it eating the leafs of the pumpkins plants when I arrived for one of the pumpkins only have one leafs while normally it have a pair of leafs. The sighting of the bird reminded me that I am not only completing with the weather, nature and the soils, I am also completing with other animals for the existence of those plant. The competitive nature of mine arose as the thought mature. I have no resentments toward the bird for it is right so for the bird to gather foods, just as right so for me to gather foods. I truly appreciate my encounter with the bird as it reminded me this valuable lesson: not just humans should deserve to gain from this earth but also all animals under the sky deserve a piece of this land, treasure and kingdom. Thank you, little bird... for reminding me this lesson.

This is my gardening log book which I keep all my information and history of this guerrilla gardening project!!!

Thanks for reading again!!! 

I really appreciate your reading!!! 

If any of my blog entries provoke thoughts in you, please leave me a comment. 

I would love to hear about it all!!! 

Have a great day!!!