Growing your own vegetables is a satisfying experience. There are countless varieties, many of which are easy to grow.
Location
Most vegetables require a sunny spot and most enjoy at least eight hours of sun per day. Avoid spots with tree roots that will steal moisture and nutrients from your crops.
I love belly laughing, but I really love seeing families together getting the uncontrollable giggles — the “hand me my inhaler” and “I gotta change my pants” kinda laughter. In my family it happens, and this week we are together.
Well done to all who participated in the Chilmark Road Race. I think it is a brilliant addition to have the runner’s first name printed large enough for us to read on their racing bib. The website is easy to navigate, and the fact that you can click a video icon and watch the moment your runner crosses the finish line and hear the announcer is delightful.
My sister really appreciated hearing a strong voice calling, “Finish strong; you got this, Jennie!” as she headed toward the finish line. I’m thinking of grabbing a clip of the audio to replay during my workday.
The fair is this week; my father was hugely competitive with his vegetables, and we gardened together. Winning for the biggest tomato was his obsession. Last year he won four blue ribbons. I miss him, and cannot recreate what we did. It has been hard to work in the garden without him. The raspberry bushes he had me order that arrived just before he died offered us a few berries last week. I brought them to Mum. She was delighted. I am working slowly, and much is still untilled. Thistles have gone to seed, and brilliantly colored songbirds are enjoying the feast. I planted rows of flowers, vegetables for our kitchen, and am planning paths and benches. My sister and I nurtured his tomato plants, the ones he started before he died, and we will enter whichever is the biggest tomato in his honor. My sisters and I will enter our art, and will eagerly await the moment the hall opens after judging, and celebrating memories and fostering our own interests and passions.
This Friday the 18th, my brother-in-law will be presenting a book by his father, Leutrell (“Mike”) Osborne, “Black Man in the CIA,” at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs, from 10 am to noon. Mike worked for the CIA during the Cold War years. This book documents his experiences as a spy manager, providing unique insights for others to understand his rise in the CIA. He supervised CIA agents and assets in more than 30 countries. He became the only one of his profession to gain six years of experience in Information Assurance (IA). His devotion and work for the government of the U.S. is part of the story, but the fact that he is a Black man in the CIA is the cornerstone that can inspire others who have dreams of a career of service to their country.
At Native Earth Teaching Farm, 94 North Road in Chilmark:
- There won’t be Goat Yoga this Saturday, August 19, but other dates are still on: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 to 6:30 pm, and Saturdays from August 26 on, 10:30 to 11:30 am.
- Slow Flow Yoga with baby pygmy goats. $35 per person; for ages 13-plus. Sliding-scale options are available. Registration and prepayment are required. Email goatyogamv@gmail.com.
- Indigo Dye Experience, Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 pm, continues.
The Chilmark Community Center announced a late season youth tennis camp for the weeks of August 21 and 28, through Sept. 1. It is a two-week program for youth ages 8 to 15, from 9 am until noon. Kids can sign up for one week at a time. Register at chilmarkcommunitycenter.org, and check out the adult fitness class schedules while you are there!
At the Yard, Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss will perform August 18 and 19, at 7 pm. Patricia Nanon Theater will hold pop-up performances on August 17 at noon at Morning Glory Farm, and on Friday the 18th at 12 pm at the fair. Go to dancetheyard.org for more information.
The Yoga Barn’s offerings never disappoint, and this week’s Storytelling: An Adventure into Understanding and Creating Your Story, with Jason Mazar-Kelly, on August 19 from 2 to 4 pm looks transformative: “We will reflect on our own stories and utilize the practice of yoga to support us in opening up our stories, including how we might change those stories to better serve us in our lives.”
If you have any Chilmark Town Column suggestions, email Claire Ganz, cganz@live.com.
Source: mvtimes.com
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