Tag: free

the free stand

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I want to connect with my community. I want to share with my community. We are a somewhat rural town made up of old houses that are more like cabins constructed by people living in San Francisco who wanted a place to stay in the summer along the Russian River. This vacation hot spot has now turned into more affordable full time housing with a tight knit community.

As I wasn’t new to the area but new to this neighborhood, I wanted to meet our neighbors. Through daily walks we slowly began to meet our neighbors. The ones living here for 50 years under the tall redwood trees to the newly arrived family who loved the unique character of the neighborhood. You’d be hard pressed to find a house identical to the next.

There is a beauty in sharing and offering help. I believe the person offering the help oftens benefits just as much as the one receiving. So when I had contemplated putting up some sort of stand to offer veggies our family couldn’t consume or to share the odd piece of clothing or tool no longer needed in our household, I knew it would benefit us just as it would our neighbors. With the help of some recycled wood from old fences, a piece of drift wood, and old deck wood I was able to create a little stand to do just this.

I put out extra veggie starts and was left a note thanking us because this particular person hadn’t been able to get to the nursery this year. I put out veggies only for them to be brought back cooked for us. Items that may have been thrown out have been quickly picked up extending that item’s lifetime. It’s been great to have people stop and look in the garden while visiting the stand. I’ve met many people in the neighborhood as well as people just paying through. All my experiences have been positive regarding this stand.

So, today, I go out and look to see what’s been taken. A pair of old speakers, a lime, and a plate. I’ll imagine this person sipping a margarita, eating a grilled cheese while listening to their favorite tunes. Our items that were collecting dust are brought to life through new eyes and hands.

DIY Compost Bin Made from Pallets

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Pallets are everywhere for free. Check Craigslist and you’ll probably see something local. Often, they’re thrown behind dumpsters. Here’s a pallet 2 stage compost bin I made from some pallets I picked up. The idea is that one side will be loaded first then by the time the next side is full, the first one should be fully composted. The front is from paint my brother was throwing out.
**I chose to line with hardware cloth because of rats but is definitely not required.

Mock up of compost bin.
A branch from a tree I cut was used as a brace.
Inside of the compost bin that’s been lined with hardware cloth.
Finished compost bin made out of pallets.

Regional Parks Botanical Garden at Tilden in Berkeley, California

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Spring is a great time to invite your neighbors or friends who aren’t necessarily interested in plants to take a hike through a local park or botanical garden. Even if their interest lies far away from the ‘natural’ world, the showy blooms of many of our native and non native flowers will spark their interest for an hour or two. Who knows? Maybe they will catch the plant bug. I know for me, once I’m introduce to something, I began to have more appeciation for what it is, whether it be a plant, mushroom, make-up technique, fast car, anything!

I visited the Botanical Garden at Tilden in Berkeley with my friend Samantha the other day. This place has been around since 1940 and it shows. There is an amazing display of plants from all regions of California. It’s a great way to see the state’s flora in one place. Did I mention it’s free?!? There is also tours on Saturday and Sundays.

Here are a few pictures from a recent visit to the gardens…