Finding a Balance Between Technology, Nature, and Life

Technology is amazing and can benefit your life in multiple ways – I’ll be the first to admit it – but what do you do when you catch yourself obsessing over your phone or laptop? I've recently noticed a series of unhealthy patterns in my behavior that are leading me to make some changes in my life. For example, it’s difficult for me to sit and watch a movie or a television show without picking up my phone. When did I stop being able to enjoy a movie? My first thought when seeing a pretty flower is to take a picture, not enjoy it. Reading sessions are interrupted by phone-checking and walks outside “have” to go hand-in-hand with music or a podcast. I'm not alone. Various articles discussing the subject have popped up all over the internet. Guys, it's time for a change.

Last Sunday Matt and I went to the Riparian Wildlife Preserve in Gilbert. It’s one of my new favorite places to go as it’s completely free and a wonderful spot to bird watch! Normally, I’m identifying and documenting birds or taking pictures of beautiful things I see to share afterwards, but there was one point where I wasn't doing either, and it’s the part of the day I remember with the most clarity and enjoyment. We were sitting on the edge of the lake, and four geese came right up on shore. It was obvious that these geese were used to a human presence. There Matt and I sat and just watched the geese. Granted, I took a few pictures because I couldn't resist, but towards the end, it was simple observation and enjoyment for what was around me. I noticed how the goose’s bill was so strong – he/she was pulling up grass growing out of the water and devouring it. I noticed the orange around his eyes, the webbing on his feet, the way he was enjoying this Sunday as much as I. I noticed that his friend preferred the taste of dried grasses to fresh – and that he was clearly like “What the heck?!” when he realized all his buddies left him to go back in the water before swimming out to rejoin them. We were so still that a rat or rodent of some kind came up pretty close to Matt and just nibbled on something while we sat and watched. Plenty of us have thought "ugh!" at the mention of a rat, but how many of us have actually watched a rat in it's natural habitat, just living life? How many have taken the time to see it for what it is - a life? A life that can feel, walk, distinguish food from the inedible, sense danger and run. A being that can fear, breathe, and enjoy a moment. 

How many of these experiences had I missed in the past due to looking at my phone?

This afternoon, I came home to see that the finches finally found the food we had hidden away for them in a tree by our bedroom window. Yes – I took a picture, but then I sat. I sat and watched them eat, bicker, and play while I sipped my tea. I noticed the scent of the tea; I enjoyed it. I noticed that it was really a family of house finches. I saw the “dad” stand aside and let the young ones eat the feed. I saw another family on Earth, enjoying their day.

This is connecting with nature. This is what my life is about. These are the moments that make it so important that I put down my phone or log off the computer. My Facebook is currently deactivated, and no, it probably won’t stay that way, and I’ll continue to use the apps that make my life easier. I’ll continue to share pictures on Instagram because I do enjoy sharing beautiful things with others, but then I’m going to put down the phone. I’m going to live life through my own eyes – not the screen of my iPhone. I'm going to enjoy the moments in my life that I'm so blessed to have. 

Here are some things I want to do differently – feel free to share if you have any suggestions or tips you’d like to add!

1. Schedule a technology-free day/evening. No phones, no computer – just enjoy the moment.

2. Facebook Detox – It sounds silly, but it’s not! Many people are truly addicted to social media. Schedule a week-long “detox” to give yourself a break; you might be surprised what you realize!

3. Enjoy the world through your own eyes, not a camera lens. This one is going to be the hardest for me. I get really picture happy when I see pretty things! But you know what? I usually end up regretting it afterwards because I feel like I missed out! It’s been proven that our clearest memories are made when we aren't taking pictures!

4. No phones or computers during movies or TV shows. Isn't the enjoyment of one technology enough? Being on my phone at the same time means I’m not enjoying the movie or my phone, which is just wasted time.

5. Meditate. It’s just good for you! It trains your brain to slow down and enjoy the moment, which is what this post is all about!

                                                                                                              

Urban Farming Externship - Week 4

Well, it's week 4 and our project is starting to resemble more than two holes in the ground! We got the PVC watering system put together. It began with a trip to Ace Hardware where we bought the following:

• 25 feet of 4mm Heavy Duty Plastic Sheeting 
• 1 1/2 inch-1 1/2 inch-1/2 inch Tee (2)
• 1 1/2 inch Cap (2)
• 1 1/2 inch Elbow (2)
• 3 1/2 feet of 1 1/2 inch PVC (2)
• 1 1/2 feet of 1 1/2 inch PVC (2)
• 1 foot of 1 1/2 inch PVC (2)
• 1/2 foot of 1/2 inch PVC (2)

First, we lined the holes with the plastic sheeting, which we rolled out and cut into thirds:

Next, we assembled the PVC pieces, cut a small hole in the plastic for the overflow, and put them in. I will note that we ended up trimming each of the 1 foot PVC pieces quite a bit, but I would still recommend buying a foot, as the length will be largely determined by how perfect you dug your hole. After putting in the PVC system, we stapled the plastic sheeting to the wood to somewhat hold it together. It looks messy right now, but I'll trim it up once we put in the gravel. I wanted to leave plenty of slack just in case. 

YAY for wicking beds! 

...and here is the progress so far:

Our plan next week is to get the gravel in. I don't know that it's going to be a one-weekend project. We've had excessive heat warnings this past week and shoveling gravel will be hard work! We're going to start with some round-shaped gravel we have on the side of the house. There's quite a bit in a fairly large area, and I'd like to get it cleaned out anyway because it's the perfect place to grow rows of veggies that don't mind some shade! 

Week 6 may be a bit slow; I'm getting my wisdom teeth out that week and I have no idea how long it will take me to recover. I plan to sip on lots of fruit and veggie packed smoothies and juices to speed up recovery - wish me luck! :)

Lastly, and unrelated to my externship - I was finally able to get my hands dirty. Most of my spring flowers are toast since the heat hit, so I planted some pretty lantana that the bees are sure to love:

We also decided to turn over a corner of our yard to nature. I noticed some "weeds" and native trees pop up there, so we're going to just let them be. Birding is another of my hobbies, and I think they would appreciate some native trees and shrubs in our yard. :) 

Urban Farming Externship - Week 3

Well, my update this week isn't too exciting, but the digging is complete! We now have two nice 4 foot by 4 foot by 1 foot holes dug for our reservoirs. :) Now that the hard part is complete I'll get to have some real fun! (..and you'll get to see pictures that are a bit more interesting!) I did more research today on the specific parts needed for the piping. I attempted to go online and pick out all the parts in advance, but this proved to be an overwhelming task, so I jotted down a sketch of the individual parts to take in the store with me.

My main concern at this point is how we're going to put in the overflow since our reservoir is below ground. I came up with two options:

1. Put in the gravel in higher than ground level, drill a hole in the wood, and insert the overflow pipe there. This method would require the beds to be raised a bit more, perhaps another 3 inches or so. 

2. Put in the gravel only to ground level and dig out a little inlet (or outlet?) on the outside of the bed. We could insert an overflow pipe here, then stop watering once the water begins to drain out.

Here are my goals for next week:

• Purchase liner and all piping parts for the reservoir and assemble them.
• Find a free load of gravel for pick-up and bring it to our house. Most free loads that I see require you to bring a shovel and collect it yourself, so the shoveling may not be over just yet!

Here's a picture of the progress so far:

A Lesson in Gratitude

Despite being known for their inaccuracy, I check the weather reports daily. Living in Arizona, I get excited at the slightest chance of rain. I love rain, storms, and the pretty sunsets made after a cloudy day. The past couple of weeks have been a rarity by Arizona standards; we’ve had a chance of rain and clouds nearly every day for over a week. After doing my obligatory weather check yesterday evening, I found myself disappointed. It looked like the cloudy days were gone, only to be replaced by the typical hot summer days without a cloud in the sky.

About two weeks ago, I began bird watching. Like most of my hobbies, I jumped in head first. Unlike most of my hobbies, I fell head over heels in love, enough to wake up earlier in the mornings just so I could grab my notebook, bird book, and binoculars to catch a glimpse of who was visiting that day.

This morning, I wasn’t too excited. I woke up, looked out my window, and saw nothing but blue, endless sky. “Ugh. The Arizona summer is back.” I thought. Still, I got up, got ready, and went outside. It wasn’t long before I heard the pleasant chatter of a nearby hummingbird. I quickly grabbed my binoculars to get a closer look. Wow! There he was, sitting up on a wire. The first thing I saw was a bright flash of magenta in the sunlight. He seemed to know I was looking as he jumped from wire to wire, colors dancing and glinting in the bright morning sun. I had no idea that something so dazzling and beautiful could be found in my desert backyard. In that moment, I didn’t miss the clouds or the rain. I was filled with gratitude and joy for the bright sunlight that allowed me, for the first time, to see the beautiful colors of an Anna’s Hummingbird.

It was a beautiful reminder from Mother Nature. Be grateful. Find the good in every day. There’s always something to be thankful for.

Urban Farming Externship - Week 2

Good News!

This week was all about digging since the reservoir portion of our wicking bed will be underground. I was shocked at how easy (by Arizona terms, that is!) that breaking up the ground and digging ended up being. I'm thinking that at one point someone had grass or other plants growing in our yard because the soil wasn't as compact as I was expecting. We're also right in the middle of monsoon season and we got one good storm before we began digging. Even with these helping factors, I had to water the ground quite a bit to help soften the soil. It's not something I was particularly happy to do, as water conservation is very important in the desert, but I went ahead and did it since it was a one-time thing.

I also did some research and compiled a list of materials that we're going to need in the coming weeks:

• Plastic Lining (Builder's Plastic)
• PVC Pipe and Elbow Joints
• Gravel
• Compost
• Soil
• Cover Crop Seeds
• Shade Cloth or Similar

We will probably buy the plastic lining, piping, and shade cloth from a hardware store. I think we'll be able to get gravel for free from Craig's List. We'll be able to get some compost from our worm farm, but we'll probably supplement it with compost bought at a nursery. We're going to mix that compost with the soil we dug out to install the reservoir. I ordered the cover crop seeds this week from Johnny's Selected Seeds. I picked a nitrogen fixation mix made up of winter rye, field peas, rye grass, crimson clover, and hairy vetch. Some of the cover crop will be edible, like the field peas! It's also very pretty. Here's a picture from the website:

Here's a picture of the reservoir for the first bed; it still needs a little more work. The reservoir will need to be a foot deep. It's that deep in the middle, but more work around the edges is needed. Next week we'll focus on finishing the reservoir for the first bed and beginning work on the second bed. 

Look at all that healthy dirt! Thank you, Mother Nature!

A picture of my exhausted self; digging in the July Arizona heat is no joke! Don't forget to drink lots and lots of water anytime you're doing outside work! 

Blessings to all! Look for an update next week! :) 

Urban Farming Externship

Hi All -

As some of you may know, I'm attending Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. I'm majoring in holistic nutrition and urban farming. As part of my urban farming program, I'm required to complete an urban farming externship by picking a project to do on my own so I have some real experience! I've chosen to prepare my raised beds to grow and harvest my own food by using the wicking method.

Wicking a raised bed is essentially creating a reservoir below the soil to water plants from below. It's a great idea for raised beds in Arizona, where I live. It prevents unnecessary evaporation that occurs when you water from the top.

In the coming weeks, I'll be posting a weekly update of my progress. My goals for next week are to break up the soil beneath the raised beds, research wicking methods, and create a supply list. I hope you enjoy my journey! Below is a "before" picture.

Much love!