AfricanKelli

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There is a quilting store next to my favorite sushi joint. I’ve stared through the window drooling at their beautiful bolts for years and never once made it in time to shop. The sushi restaurant opens late and it isn’t in an area of town I’m regularly running other errands. But Wednesday! Well, Wednesday 3 Dudes Quilting was open and I broke every single “I-will-use-what-I-already-have” promise I’ve made to myself and went a little wild.

One of the dudes was cutting fabric and showed us his latest quilt. It was very sweet and it makes me happy to think there are small businesses still thriving in these crazy times.

Three cheers for the indies!

~K

Did you know 1 in 3 children in Arizona is considered “hungry?”  This is simply unacceptable to me.

Remember when I tried to get that community garden off the ground, so to speak, in central Phoenix? Well, a few lessons were learned in the toil. Namely, taking earth that’s been happily growing Bermuda grass for decades and trying to transform it into fertile soil for vegetables requires a lot more than a bunch of volunteers and hand tools. Perhaps a commercial grade construction crew could have done it, but we couldn’t. We, meaning me and probably more than a hundred volunteers in the last two years, spent countless hours digging, weeding, pulling, pushing and aching as a result. The bumper crop of okra was a mild success but the true gem of the garden is the orchard. The 75 fruit trees don’t mind a bit of Bermuda at their heels. With regular irrigation, they are thriving.

In the next year we should see a crop of citrus, apples, cherries, plums and figs. The trees cost about $20 a piece to get into the earth. They require little care and will soon be mighty producers of fresh fruit — a luxury in this community.

This got me thinking.

My little church isn’t the only one on irrigation in central Phoenix. Nor are we the only faith community with grandfathered water rights, lots of space, a desire to be more social aware, and home to community-minded folk. What if we paired the Valley Permaculture Alliance (I’m a board member) with the Association of Arizona Food Banks and the local faith community? What if we asked each church, synagogue, mosque and faith center on irrigation to plant 5 fruit trees at an expense of $100? We could partner the churches with a permaculture volunteer who knew something about planting trees and a food bank willing to get the produce to hungry families in the Valley?

Even better, what if we grew enough produce that there was a glut and we were able to send fresh fruit created from earth and water that was otherwise going to feed Bermuda grass to hungry bellies nationally?

Oh, we can. And we will. The national gleaning system, which the Association of Arizona Food Banks is a part of, will likely see truck-loads of grapefruit, oranges and lemons sent to northern states in return for trucks of potatoes and grain for desert bellies. The best part of this community project is that no extra water or space is needed. Fewer than 10 volunteer hours a year are required and a simple investment of $100. I don’t think we could make large-scale community changing work any simpler.

Here is where you come into play. Do you attend a church or other faith center in the Phoenix area? Do you have irrigation? Are you interested in helping see this project come to light? I’ve got the permaculture guild and the food banks on board. My church will be participating. I’ll be volunteering. I’d love it if you would too.

Interested?

~K

I recently visited the Cézanne exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum with some friends. I’m not sure what it was about this show in particular that made me want to attend; I’ve never taken an art course, much less studied the great European artists. And yet I knew I’d be better off for having taken the time with such great works of creativity.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The collection pairs 16 pieces of Cézanne’s art with a handful of American artists to show the influence of his genius. I know so little about art; again, I cannot explain why I like what I do. There are simply some artists — like Frida and Georgia O’Keeffe — who make my heart beat a bit faster when I’m near their work. Cézanne’s art is glorious. He was truly touched with such a talent.

If you live in Phoenix and haven’t been, consider this my five banana review of the collection.

Get there.

Now.

It’s only $10 and you’ll kick yourself if you don’t get a chance to spend a couple hours with one of the best artists ever, before the show moves along September 26th.

One of the American artists I was introduced to through this juxtaposition of art was Marsden Hartley. Consistently I found myself in front of his paintings dreaming of the scenery, creating the story behind the view and wishing more than anything he was standing next to me and could explain every stroke. I’m looking forward to reading more about Hartley and looking for his work elsewhere. His landscapes are truly breathtaking.

Afterward, we had brunch and discussed which were are our favorites and why. It was such a lovely afternoon with friends and a much needed dose of creative inspiration.

~k

P.S. Apologize to my friend Sarah who’d invited me months ago when I couldn’t attend. Let’s go again!

The rare rainy and cool Saturday summer morning in Phoenix brought out the best in everyone at the downtown farmer’s market this morning. The seasonal rains cut the tension of the heat exhausted; there’s nearly an audible city-wide sigh of relief when the storms begin each year. Today, it seemed even the flowers were rejoicing the temporary break.

It makes me happy to see how the market has grown in the last few years; there are so many more vendors and a wild variety of food and handmade items offered. The Public Market is also a fantastic new community resource for Phoenicians.

The perfect Saturday morning would be the oatmeal at Matt’s Big Breakfast, a tour of the farmer’s market with a lazy walk through Burton Barr for some new books and then off to Gallo Blanco for lunch.

Phoenix is huge. It is stucco and beige. It has backward politics and suburbs across 100 miles of the desert floor. It is hot half of the year. It is Goldilocks-perfect half of the year. And yet, if you look a bit closer, you can see the beauty in the growing community of folks who want to make this city something a bit better too. The volunteers and farmers at the market. The local restaurateurs gathering at each other’s openings and special events in collaboration and support. The world class art at the museums along Central Avenue. The music of the Pangean Orchestra. Independent movies at Camelview. Arizona wines poured at FNB. Maya’s Farm produce put to great use at Sweet Republic. Thousands of miles of hiking trails. A growing number of bike lanes. And a city that will once again rise from the latest nonsense that has tarnished the reality of so many more ethnicities, faiths and ways of life living and thriving together.

May the rains stay a bit longer, and may they wash away the hatred hanging over our state and help the current crazy state leadership set sail for other lands.

~K

If you live in Phoenix and haven’t yet tried Gallo Blanco, do. The tacos on Tuesday are buy 2 get one 1 free. The white sangria comes with a glass full of fresh cut fruit. The servers are eclectic and kind. And if you’ve got time to kill, hit the pool at the Clarendon before or after. It is spectacular.

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The best aspects of the menu: the guacamole (with diced citrus), agua frescas, huevos rancheros and the beans. Oh, the beans. Something so simple and yet so rarely this plate-licking good. Reasonably priced, Gallo is fast becoming one of my favorite restaurants.

(I may or may not have bought one of their t-shirts after brunch yesterday. I am a sucker for supporting great local businesses and if they feed me? Well. Even better.)

-K

I’m leading Vacation Bible School at my church this week, in the evenings after work. The theme, which my friend Tina brainstormed, is “Super Heroes for Faith.” Last night was the first night and to be honest, I didn’t know that I’d have many kids show up. We are a central-city church with very few children in our congregation. I was hired in February as the youth ministry leader to help bring new families with children to the church, and to make those with kids who do attend feel at home with more comprehensive youth programs.

Needless to say, I’m at the bottom of a very big hill. I thought a fun week of evening activities at the church would help get kids familiar with each other and with me. I figured this way they’d be more interested in coming on Sundays to play at Sunday school, etc. If you’ve worked with children in this capacity, you know the resources available are lackluster. There are thousands of websites dedicated to specific educational products but nothing that I’ve been able to find to: get kids to trust you, get parents to trust you, get both parties interested, explain complex issues of faith in simple, clear terms, make children comfortable with the super scary stuff that happens in the Bible ( Let’s not sugar coat this. Our leader was hung from a cross with nails and eventually cut open to bleed to death. When Old Testament God (cranky God, as I like to call him) got angry, He killed in swaths without mercy. We love to talk about Noah, but how about everyone else who drowned in that flood? Pestilence, wrath, pilars of salt … Lovely imagery when you are ultimately trying to teach, “Love everyone!”)

This week, and my youth leadership generally, is geared toward the happy side of faith. I’m always willing to discuss the heavy stuff, but summer vacation to me means fun. It’s pizza, movies, super hero capes, reading great books and swimming with hot dogs barbecuing nearby. It doesn’t mean memorization, castigation or guilt.

When I asked the kids last night what their super power would be — after discussing Noah’s means of getting all the animals in the ark in twos, Jonah’s ability to survive in the giant fish, Jesus’ talent for walking on water and feeding the masses with a few loaves of bread and a couple fish — their answers varied. One little boy in particular had the adults giggling with his immediate response — “telekinesis!” I had to later ask him what that meant. The 7-year-old impressed me wildly with his eye roll and quick, disgusted response, “Mind reading. Duh.”

Duh.

Rather than following a set curriculum for purchase for this week, I’ve thrown together four nights of activities that I hope will both engage the kids and meet some of the goals listed above. Last night was decorating our own capes. Tonight we are watching a movie. Tomorrow we are learning the art of storytelling. Thursday we are swimming.

I may just ask them to try to walk on that water on their way in the pool.

-K

I didn’t take my camera to dinner…

I had dinner last night at a friend’s house in a older section of Tempe. Imagine walking up to a garden gate to find a treasure on the other side. Peach trees overloaded with fruit, dogs lounging in the shade and yapping underfoot, a container garden, pots of dried and fresh flowers, and chickens. A large deck, with a hole cut in the center to accommodate a huge mulberry tree strung with tiny white lights, holds a few benches and a long table with a tiny chandelier hung above. The table was set with a handful of odd chairs and held hundreds of tiny white peaches, already plucked from another tree. Around the bend of the yard was a pool of fish, pets kept only to keep the mosquitoes away from the irrigated yard.

Entering the home, you push through a large glass door that has been painted by a local artist using native themes. The walls are plastered and the kitchen is painted a bright orange. Letterpress lithographs are framed on the walls — celebrating academics from the nearby university and their accomplishments and speeches. A bunch of handwoven baskets crowds above one kitchen cabinet. A stack of handmade ceramic  bowls teeters on a low kitchen island shelf. The saltillo tile has been cut into flower patterns and the rusty color is beautiful against the bright walls. The living room walls have tiny native plants painted here and there. There is a painted hummingbird in one alcove and a giant phoenix rising from the ashes above the doorway to a library overwhelmed with books.

I couldn’t dream of a more incredible home and I saw all of 1000 square feet of one portion.

It was at the kitchen table where I met three other friends last night. We sat, enjoying hummus and a block of French cheese with bowls of chips and crackers, and plotted how we are going to create meaningful programs for those interested in creating similarly spectacular gardens in the Phoenix area. Before last night, I couldn’t have even imagined a space so incredible within a 2 minute drive of my tiny home. After the dinner meeting, I couldn’t dream of not having a home just like it.

We are planning so many great events for the upcoming year with the Phoenix Permaculture Guild (which now has a new and fancy name — Valley Permaculture Alliance), including a series of gardening classes that will start with a dirt backyard and during a several month process, be transformed by teachers and participants into functioning gardens. Not just gardens that grow gorgeous flowers and pretty herbs. Gardens that provide fresh fruits and vegetables in neighborhoods of our city where these luxuries are as hard to find as savings accounts and college educations. We’ll seek out families who are interested in gardens but don’t have the know-how to make it happen and we’ll create a community around the project. Ideally, we’ll replace bags of fast food with plates of homegrown goodness.

I was so fired up about the work at hand, I had a hard time sleeping. Pair this with a native foods cookbook I’m going to work on in conjunction with mesquite and carob milling, and tree day — where we’ll see thousands of fruit trees planted in the Valley — and you can feel my excitement.

If you live in the desert Southwest and are interested in gardening but feel intimidated, let’s talk. I’ll resort to my favorite personal tagline: if I can do it, so can a trained monkey.I’m telling you — there is little else I find as rewarding as taking my tiny (and I mean TINY) piece of land and making it productive. Plus, the fruits of the labor are delicious.

-K

Almost a year ago, I heard a blog friend from Georgia would be moving to Phoenix. I was delighted.  As she planned the move westward, we exchanged countless emails about neighborhoods, churches and activities. I was really looking forward to spending time with Tina. (Once upon a time, she’d sent me a gorgeous crochet scarf that I wear regularly.)

It is always strange to meet someone in person for the first time when you’ve been chatting as friends on the Internets for years. I’ve pushed through this level of social discomfort and have met some amazing women. It is a sweet pleasure to hear someone’s actual voice for the first time, in contrast with how you thought it would sound. Without fail, each blogger I’ve met “in real life” has been even kinder than I could have imagined.

Tina and I have been spending time together since she arrived. Her family is incredibly kind and our mutual domestic hobbies keep us chatting away in knitting stores. She’s introduced me to Arizona landmarks I never made the time to explore. I’ve shown her the culinary pleasures of Pita Jungle.When we were knitting together in December, I was working on my light pink wrap, which ended up far too small. I still wear and adore it, because I spent gobs of money on cashmere yarn and countless hours knitting, but I bemoaned how I’d love a bigger version.

Voila.

Tina. Made. This. For. Me.

Can you believe that?

It is orange, beautiful, soft, perfect, warm and made me feel quite at home this weekend in Idaho with Finny — who is a masterful knitter.

I am overwhelmed by the kindness of this act and so very thankful that yet again, I’ve been blessed with a generous and sweet friendship. Thank you Tina!

~K

Food and Beverage – a sassy new restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, has local foodie aficionados gossiping about the fabulous food and service. I was invited to join a group for a late meal there last night and oh, it lived up to every word of praise.

FnB is owned by Pavle and his wife Emily. They have three children, including 2 little ones. One can only imagine how they run a business with such precision and manage to have a 1 and 3 year old at home. I’d guess they don’t dream, but instead barely remember crawling into bed each night — exhausted by accomplishing their dreams, the loveliest shade of tired.

Pavle and Emily are a delight. He is unlike anyone I’ve met; he has a memory like an elephant, greeting everyone at the table by name and with their drink order from the previous visit. His accent is Montenegran-via Colombia-via Queens. Thankfully, you won’t hear a single Scottsdale influenced “totally awesome bro!” in his thoughtful, multilingual vocabulary. He was meant for this business and being in his midst — watching him work the tiny restaurant and make each person there feel like he or she is the one he really wanted to see that night — is powerful.

And Emily is just a treat. With bright lipstick and a wide smile, she is the quiet partner, but not to be discounted. It’s easy to see her hardwork and eye to detail in every meal, drink, reservation. I’d love to have a glass of wine with her sometime and hear about the fine tuned secrets she’s gathered to make this life seem gracefully effortless.

They love this work and are transcending the field. It is a delight to be near such passion.

Oh, and the food was unbelieveably good too. 5 stars, A +, 5 bananas — however you want to rate it. We had fennel salad, roasted carrots, chicken, pasta, bass with beets and black lentils, and of course — dark chocolate cake with a tiny dollop of vanilla ice cream and rhubarb for dessert. I so enjoyed the experience and it was refreshing to have such a personal and sincere meal outside of the home.

FnB has a set menu, and additional items offered at the chef’s whimzy after 10 pm. Our reservations were for 10:01. I’d highly recommend the same. Go with friends who will order a bunch of different small plates to share. It is a sweet way to spend an evening — being pampered by Pavle.

~K

Talked some friends into joining me for dinner this week at Gallo Blanco. If you live in Phoenix and haven’t made it in for a meal yet, andale! The food is great, the staff is kind and the atmosphere is eclectic.   The fish tacos, in particular, are my favorite. Also, the guacamole is so, so good — rivals that of the locally famous guac at Barrio Cafe.

These chilaquiles were gone before I could come up for a breath. Yum.

~K