an oasis all my own

This past month, a fire lit under my ass. I started rearranging, cleaning, discarding, and putting my home together a new way. So many things had been put into place with a 'that will work for now' mentality, but it was time to wipe the slate clean. I needed a refresh. I wanted to look around and feel calm...inspired in my own home. Bit by bit, I worked through it. I finally went and bought the things we'd been needing. I added a few plants to the collection. It started to come together. Slowly, I was building my own personal oasis. 

There is nothing liking having your own space. A retreat where you can escape to at the end of the day. Surroundings that fill you with happiness. You set the accoutrements, each object placed, each decoration intentional, and then you fill it with the people you love, the animals who give you companionship, the food that feeds your body. Your personality and your movements imprint themselves on the walls. Evidence of life sprinkles throughout. You have all you'll ever need, right there.

I'm a traveling soul -- drawn to adventure, but at the end of it all, there is nothing like coming home. Build your oasis. Leave it. Return to it. Appreciate how it supports you.

greensgrow update

As always, Greensgrow is an amazing place to hang out. I'm lucky to get to photograph this place.

recently on the farm

Winter 2015 at Greensgrow Farm in Philadelphia, PA. This place brings a smile to my face even in the depths of winter.

farm 51

This past weekend, I got to do a little ride along with Jana. We went to a Philadelphia urban farm called Farm51. I'd heard of the place and was dying to check it out, so when she invited me along, there was an eager, "yes." 

The experience of being so inspired around what and how you can plant left me overwhelmingly giddy. I no doubt embarrassingly asked too many questions and tried way too hard to be these dudes' best friend. Their property is a dream and their ability with plants is genius. 

What these two guys, Neal & Andrew, have created, gives me hope that such a thing can exist within city limits. You see, I do dream of having a small farm one day. I'd love a tribe of goats and chickens, heritage strains of corn, sweet berries, and beds and beds of greens (I could go on). But the idea of going back to country life, at this point, is a mystery to me. I grew up there, but never as an adult had to survive there. I'm scared that I'll make a grand move to the rolling hills and miss the culture I find here in urban life. I love the shops, the health food stores, the music, and the fact that I can get anywhere I want with my own two feet of the wheels or my bicycle. 

An urban farm is a beautiful marriage where the benefits of country and urban life can be shared. It sounds cheesy to say, but it's really like a mirror to the dichotomy that I find within myself. I'm a country girl at heart, but a city dweller in spirit. Perhaps an urban farm is the answer to my life questions.

Read more about Farm51 in Jana's interview here.