Volunteers do it for free.

What makes Dunwoody truly great is the limitless capacity of friends and neighbors to volunteer their time and talent for causes near and dear to their hearts. 

In the past few weeks, I've had the privilege of working with volunteers at Dunwoody High School, Dunwoody Nature Center, Campaign Guy's energetic yard sign brigade, the DeKalb Master Gardener program, and St. Luke's Presbyterian Church. As I've shopped, carpooled, and run errands, I've also encountered volunteers like the firefighters collecting for Muscular Dystrophy, a sweet woman staffing the gift shop at Scottish Rite, parents loading and unloading instruments for the Friday night Marching Band performance, a young mom carrying a bag and picking up trash as she walked her child to Austin Elementary School, bloggers spreading the news about community events to Dunwoody's virtual neighborhood, the Young Professionals of Dunwoody planning a spectacular block party benefiting the DHS Band program, and .... well, frankly, seeing volunteers isn't just an occasional thing in Dunwoody. It's a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-'em, integral part of life in this It's a Wonderful Life town.

John F. Kennedy gave us all an echoing call to volunteerism, asking us to give, not receive; to look for opportunities to serve, not to benefit.  The Peace Corps, Habitat for Humanity, and other world-changing volunteer organizations are a legacy of my childhood, that era when a passion to change the world preempted practical considerations like retirement funds and keeping up with the Joneses. Dunwoody is well represented by volunteer service organizations like the National Charity League, Dunwoody Woman's Club, Rotary and Kiwanis, faith groups, medical-focused charities, and others.

As this economy makes all of us look over our shoulders and fret over savings and expenditures, volunteers are even more critical to the quality of life we enjoy.  According to The Nonprofit Times,

"(t)he total estimated value of volunteer service in 2010 reached $173 billion with the proportion of volunteers serving more than 100 hours increasing from 33.2 percent in 2009 to 33.8 percent in 2010."

My unsubstantiated guess is that the percentage of Dunwoody volunteers serving that 100+ hour mark is even higher.

As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 draws near, remember. And do something. Honor our men and women in uniform by using the freedoms they fight so hard to defend. Including volunteering your time and talent to enrich our community. Check with Dunwoody's own Pebbletossers,  Hands on Atlanta, and the City's volunteer opportunities board. Grab a trash bag and talk a walk around town - there's always windblown trash in natural areas and rights-of-way. 

Volunteers do it for free .... and from the heart.

I love a parade.

This year, the Knitternall family enjoyed Dunwoody's 4th of July parade from quite a different perspective. While we've marched alongside Troop 764, St. Luke's Presbyterian Church, swim team, and Dunwoody Nature Center entries in the past, this year, we did this:

We're having a blast supporting Terry in his bid for City Council. And discovering even more reasons to love Dunwoody.

For example:

• Kids say "thank you" when you give them candy. (Even the loudly assertive "We want candy!" contingent said "thanks.")
• In one morning, we got to say hello to more friends and neighbors than we normally see in a week.
• Dunwoody Police Officers on Segways - fun!
• Boy Scouts serving barbecue - the logistics are impressive and food quite good.
• Even as they melted into a sweaty puddle of overheated, flushed red exhaustion, parade participants and watchers wished each other a "Happy 4th!"
• The Dunwoody Homeowners Association and their volunteers ... just wow. Until you've been IN the parade, you can't fully appreciate all the work that goes into staging the state's largest 4th of July event.
• I bet the MJCC's Clifford the Big Red Dog bus could do a brisk business just giving rides to small ones. Loved the balloon ears.
• Hint to Italian food aficionados - Dunwoody's Carrabba's Italian Grill is not only a great place to eat, but the manager is a really nice guy and the restaurant is very generous in supporting the community.
• Master Gardeners ... the secret behind Dunwoody Nature Center's native plantings.  Their parade entry was accompanied by Junior Counselors, a cadre of volunteer teens who support the environmental education center's summer camp.
• Dunwoody High School ... band, football players, cheerleaders, lacrosse team, principal - our home town school does us proud every year.
• Peachtree race runners, who arrive to cheer on the parade after their early morning exertions (and celebrations).
• Unabashed patriotism, from Army and Marine bands to small children in special July 4th ensembles. Gotta love it.
• Instant gratification - getting to see all the parade entries we missed thanks to Dunwoody Patch.

We look forward to next year's parade. Rain or shine, it's the anchor of our family's July 4th celebrations.

There's a chipmunk in the hellebores.

I fell in love with hellebores while working at Dunwoody Nature Center. There's a spot at the rear of the main building where they thrive in purple, pink, and pearly white beauty, spreading assertively toward the pollinators' garden.

During last year's Spring Plant Sale, the master gardeners divided a few of the larger sections as passalongs. I bought one to see how hellebores would do in the Knitternall yard, despite its tremendous liabilities (huge water-hogging maple tree, shallow dirt thanks to said maple tree's root system).

It LOVED my sad front yard. So this year, I sent an all-call to the master gardeners, asking if they would mind dividing their own collections for the passalong sale (benefitting Dunwoody Nature Center).  One darling gardener immediately brought me three large transplants, which I promptly installed beneath the maple tree's massive canopy.  This morning, a tiny chipmunk peeked from beneath one of the hellebore's large leaves, looking skyward for passing hawks before it scampered beneath our front porch. (And that's another story. Chipmunks and their tunnel systems are NOT good things for plant roots and foundations.)

When I left the park yesterday, I saw about a dozen hellebores sitting in pots, ready for passalong sales.

Dibs!

Dunwoody Nature Center's Spring Plant Sale

I'm ordering quite a few treasures through the Dunwoody Nature Center's Spring Native Plant Sale. At least I know they'll LIKE the crazy Georgia climate. My yard is nothing if not challenge-burdened:

• a trifecta maple tree that sucks all the moisture out of the front yard
• a back yard with looming hardwoods, meaning little to no sunshine
• an east-facing house
• side yards with little to no chance of more than 3 hours of sunlight

Nonetheless, the curbside vegetable garden is bustling as peas cast creeping tendrils toward the trellis, romaine lettuce is sending shoots sunward, and radishes are thrilled by the early spring warmth.

I kill more plants than finally thrive, which makes the survivors even more dear.

Order some plants from Dunwoody Nature Center and support their worthy mission: to give everyone some blissful greenspace in our increasingly urban community.

We want your telephone number.

The Girl Scouts want my social security number to verify I'm safe around my daughter and her friends during GS activities. Google wants my telephone number in case my blog gets hijacked or I lose my password. The library wants to see my driver's license every now and then to make sure it's really me checking out the latest bestseller. The United States government wants to see my in my altogether before I can board a plane. Every website I visit wants to leave a few unsavory cookies on my computer to track my interests.

I am not comfortable with mandatory identity-proving procedures, the loss of privacy, and the increased demand by governmental and commercial entities for personal information. I am more comfortable with anonymity. (I know, that seems a bit perverse considering the very public nature of this blog.)

It's insidious. Gradually, over time, I've grown accustomed to the relentless demand for personal information everywhere I go, from the grocery store to my kids' schools. I am asked to share my address, telephone number, and social security number for a background check, my socioeconomic status and interests "for marketing purposes," and proof of medical insurance and liability waiver to have my cholesterol checked.


I am pragmatic about the reasons for these intrusions. I recognize that our culture and way of life are in flux, wrestling with the transition from everybody-is-the-same to an uneasy imbalance among government, commercial, and personal interests.

Another morning is dawning. I'm packing school lunches, Preschool Phonics gear, and freelance paperwork for several projects due today while I hold down the fort at Dunwoody Nature Center as interim director.

I'm also making sure I have my driver's license, insurance card, frequent customer card for the grocery store, checking account card, credit card, smart phone with contact information, remote log in for my desktop, personal hotspot, and memorized passwords and user names for the many accounts I work on each day ... without which, I could not function at all and all of which reveal so much about my personal life to strangers around the world.

Kinda creepy, isn't it?

Bridging the gap.

I'm baaaaack. Delightedly so.

The Board of Directors of Dunwoody Nature Center paid me quite a compliment. They asked me to return and serve as the Interim Executive Director while they complete their search for a successor to Claire Hayes, who retires next week. Of course I said yes. While my freelance writing continues, and they understand the juggling I'll do over the two months (or less) of the interim period, we're all confident that it'll work out very nicely. (I'm nothing if not hyper organized and multi-task oriented.) My goal is to create a solid operational foundation for the new Executive Director.

This is a crucial and exciting turning point for the Nature Center, as it stands on the threshold of truly remarkable changes that will have far-reaching benefits for our community. A new strategic plan that clarifies their mission and goals, a new City parks department led by the savvy and responsive Brent Walker, a dynamic parks and greenspace planning process that supports a public/private partnership as the Board begins the process of planning a new education center, new programs for adults and children, and new and long-time donors recognizing the value of environmental education and supporting the Nature Center with their financial support.

If you haven't been to Dunwoody Park ... oh, my. This brief February warmth is a gift that can only be enjoyed outdoors. Walk the trails, listen to the birds, hunt for those first green shoots emerging from the ground and the tips of trees, and breathe deeply.

See you at Dunwoody Nature Center!

It's gardening weather.

I had no idea so much time had passed since my last post. Let's see ... finished my tenure at Dunwoody Nature Center, had a birthday, enjoyed the resolution of our long rezoning headache,  demolitioned some sad-looking plants in the yard, re-enlisted at DNC to serve an interim role during the transition from retiring Executive Director Claire Hayes until her successor is named, moved the garden box to the front yard (where there's actually sun most of the day), watched our son compete in his last Mock Trial competition for Dunwoody High School, sent several more checks to North Georgia College & State University for our rising Freshman, enjoyed the Student Showcase at Peachtree Charter Middle School, and wrote lots and lots and LOTS of copy for my wonderful clients.

Love writing. Love gardening. Love this beautiful, warm February week.

And now for a public service message.

Dear neighbors passing our home on the way to and from the path to Dunwoody Village:

PLEASE don't let your darlin' dog PIDDLE on my soon-to-be-planted bed of lettuces, radishes, and early peas. Yes, it's right at the edge of our yard, in tempting leash distance from your sniffing-for-a-good-spot pooch. But it's the only sunny spot in our entire yard. And I have high hopes for spring and summer crops. So please aVOID the temptation to let your dog  ELIMINATE on our vegetable garden.

A Farmers Market bike - what a great birthday gift.

Thank you very much.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Take a walk. Ride bikes. Explore the trails at Dunwoody Nature Center and Brook Run. Get outside and breathe. Just breathe.

Aaaaahhhhh.

Change is good.

January 28 will be my last day at Dunwoody Nature Center.

Difficult decision. Right thing to do.

I have been blessed in so many ways during my five+-year tenure, manning the administration desk at this vibrant, essential environmental education centerpiece in Dunwoody.  The executive director and board gave me free reign to develop new systems and procedures and every day brought encounters with visitors and friends coming to Dunwoody Park for hiking, walking their dogs, bringing their children to classes and camps, and volunteering. What a great job! Where else can you go to work in shorts and jeans, take a walk in the woods while you work out a solution to something, play with young children eager to explore the great outdoors, and help preserve a precious bit of greenspace in our increasingly urban community?

As the organization finalizes its strategic plan and begins some dynamic new changes, I decided it was time to turn the reins to someone else, who can be a part of those changes and help Dunwoody Nature Center evolve into something even more wonderful.

In the short term, I'll focus on freelance writing (quite a full docket for the near future) and Preschool Phonics. I'll also watch for the next opportunity, whether more freelance clients or .... who knows?

Change is good.

Redistricting inside the lines.

Consultants are everywhere. Before making a difficult (politically risky) decision, governing bodies bring in the objective expert, who researches and opines, then presents well supported recommendations that said governing bodies can then hold like a shield before constituents.

1. Consultants put together the smart-%$$ Dunwoody branding that it appears we'll have to live with until all parties feel they've gotten their money's worth.

2. Consultants have been guiding long-range planning for development of key city areas. Anyone who has been part of the sounding boards or surveys quickly figured out certain preferences by the consultants would make it into the recommendations, no matter what the survey responses might be. For example, residents said "no" to multi-storied multi-family residential development in the Dunwoody Village area. Behold, the mixed use concept advocated by the consultants in the concept stage looks like a done deal in the final recommendations. (My favorite argument: that residences should be part of the "city center." The city center is surrounded by residential neighborhoods.)

3. Consultants have told the DeKalb School Board that redistricting should include carving some neighborhoods within the city limits of Dunwoody and sending those children to schools in Chamblee. While the expected fire storm rages among elementary school parents who care much more about their children's K-5 experience than the high school that is FAR more important, this particular recommendation is just wrong. Hopefully, the Dunwoody Cluster Charter Schools effort will bring those neighborhoods back into the fold.

Strategic planning is an exhausting, somewhat surreal, and often ineffective process. Wading through everyone's opinions, trying to find consensus, putting a human face on statistics, denying facts because they don't fit someone's goals, trying to discern longrange implications of each decision, and often dismissing the resulting plan because a key decision maker decides it isn't the right direction: if you've ever been part of a strategic planning committee, you know how deeply frustrating the work can be. So I have a lot of empathy for the Dunwoody City Council, the DeKalb School Board, the Dunwoody Charter Cluster committee, and all the civic organizations I've served through the years.

There are so many strategic plans in the air right now it's hard to focus on the essentials, but focusing is imperative. Do we want multi-storied buildings looming over residential neighborhoods? Should parts of Dunwoody see their kids traveling to Chamblee for school? Will local schools actually use the freedoms and opportunities of a charter document or bow to the neverending pressure of the county administration to use its preferred curricula, textbooks, class structure, etc.? Can we get rid of Georgia's failing New Math curriculum like Fulton County and other school systems have already done? Which college (or this?) will my son choose and will he finish all of his scholarship applications in time? (Okay, that's a Knitternall family strategic plan.) How effective is a plan if there's no money to make it happen? And on and on and on.

I am grateful for people who tirelessly dig into the strategic planning process because it is an essential step in preparing for change of any kind. And I've worked with consultants who have been highly effective in guiding committees from free-for-all brainstorming to solid, well grounded goals and strategies.

Ten years from now, the political, commercial, residential, educational, and social landscape in Dunwoody will be dramatically different from what it is today.  All this strategic pain will be a memory, and new residents will have no clue how much work went into the quality of life we all enjoy.

At least, that's what I hope.

Nature is calling.

Dunwoody Patch, a new online news source for our community, has a charming slide show in today's edition featuring Dunwoody Nature Center. (I think we need to do some refurbishing of the cap art.) It's a timely reminder that outdoor fun and learning isn't confined to warm weather. As a matter of fact, there's a new Lunch & Learn series starting this week, nature classes for little ones begin shortly, a great family event about maple trees and maple syrup weekend after next, two school groups are coming to the park this month for field trips, a brigade of volunteers will work on trail maintenance and invasives over the coming weeks, and summer camp registration begins February 1 for members. In other words, nature doesn't live by warm temperatures alone. It's alive and dynamic every month of the year. And it's free.

The best cure for cabin fever is getting outdoors, in rain gear or heavy coats if needed. I walked over to Dunwoody Park this weekend with Scooter the Wonder Dog, who found a splendid array of scents to puzzle over and a few free-ranging dogs to check out (leashes, please!). While I enjoy our urban ambles, the park is a much quieter place to exercise, so I try to include it in most of my loops. (And since I just typed the word "walk," and Scooter is somewhat psychic about the prospect of an outing, I need to go get the leash.)

Come on, Scooter. Walk!

A yummy reason to support Dunwoody Nature Center

 Join Dunwoody Nature Center Today.

"Grow" a Love of Nature for a Lifetime. 

Fall 2010 Membership Drive

Join Dunwoody Nature Center by November 15 and receive a gift certificate for one regular size frozen custard at Village Burger!   The first 100 new and renewed members during our two-week on-line membership drive will receive an e-coupon to Village Burger. Simply go to www.dunwoodynature.org  and click on "information on membership and Annual Fund giving" on the right-hand side.   Members Are The Roots of Our Mission ... and Growth. Your membership benefits include discounts on programs and early camp registration ... as well as the intangible (and priceless) knowledge that you are helping to ensure that this greenspace and these quality programs continue to thrive.    We receive no government funding, other than the City's payment of certain utilities and maintenance services.  Your support is critical to keeping the lights on, paying our wonderful environmental educators and continuing to provide  excellent community programs.   I'm already a member. How else can I help? If you are already a member or sponsor, Thank You! Please forward this message to friends and neighbors to help us spread the word about our membership drive.     There are other ways you can help. Volunteer at Dunwoody Nature Center, helping us with park and trail improvements, special events, and our never-ending "to do" list. You can also contribute to the Annual Fund with an online payment. Any amount is much appreciated and well invested.     We cannot accomplish this alone.  Members make it possible ... and fun ... to fulfill our mission: "to preserve and manage the natural environment and related facilities of Dunwoody Park and to foster the enjoyment and appreciation of nature through environmental education and outreach programs."     Thanks for your support!     Thanks to Village Burger of Dunwoody for their generous support of our Fall 2010 membership drive.

Dunwoody Nature Center is located on the grounds of Dunwoody Park, 5343 Roberts Drive; Dunwoody, GA 30338. Our mailing address is P. O. Box 88070; Dunwoody, GA 30356. For more information, please contact Claire Waggenspack Hayes, Executive Director, at 770-394-3322 or claire@dunwoodynature.org.

 

Dunwoody Nature Center is a  501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

 

 

 

 

Knitternall in the Park in the Dark

I'm shepherding Dunwoody Nature Center's Whooooo's in the Park after Dark? Chattahoochee Nature Center is bringing two raptors, we'll have some fun crafts for the kiddies and hot chocolate for everyone. Come on ... and bring your flashlight!

Whooooooooooo's 
in the Park in the Dark? 
Saturday, October 16
6:30 - 8:30 PM

DNC Members $3; General Public $5

Spend an evening in the park as darkness falls and the sounds of night-time nature abound. Enjoy animal presentations of birds of prey and a hike to listen for owls calling. Which owl says "Who cooks for you?" Which little owl makes a tiny whistling noise? Make some crafts, see the world through owl eyes, and dissect owl pellets. Stay for refreshments as the stars come out! Fees are per person. Cash only; no will call available for this event.

Don't forget the Knitternall 100 Giveaway:  When my "followers" total 100, I'll give away a hand knit lace shawl in your choice of colors to one chosen at random! (The pattern is Haruni by Emily Ross.) I'll cast on as soon as I contact the winner and we discuss the options.

Phonics Phunnies.

My Preschool Phonics classes are well underway. The children are settled into class routines, I've figured out each one's learning style and quirks, and we've jumped gleefully into blending sounds into words.

I begin each year believing that, having taught this program for more than six years, I've seen and heard everything.

Like do I live at Dunwoody Nature Center? (Feels that way sometimes.) Are my children actually Phonics Friends who decided to stay with me because they love, love, love Phonics? (I said yes.) And the fact that there's one child, every single year, who likes to put EVERYTHING in his mouth (I've had to retrieve letter magnets, pencil erasers, puzzle pieces, notes to parents, and a hot dot pen from various little mouths through the years.)

Turns out I can still be surprised.

I did not think that a lanyard holding a name tag could become a chew toy. I have some powerful chewers this year.

"Can I use the bathroom outside? Did you know you can pee on a tree?" Well, yes I did. But I encouraged the little scholar to use the regular bathroom instead. (I also noted that /pee/ and /tree/ rhyme. I never miss a teachable moment.)

"Look!" I looked. At the same time one of my students was successfully matching rhyming word pictures, his "free" hand was stuck firmly up his nose. "Honey, let's not pick noses in class. And you need to wash your hands." "Why?"

I taught the children the Little Red Wagon chant (You can't ride in my little red wagon! The front wheel's broken and the axle's draggin! Chugga, chugga, chugga chugga chugga!) It's a great wiggle-soother. I forgot that preschoolers can't say "axle" very well. So, loud and clear across Dunwoody Park came one little darlin's rendition: "The front seat's broken and the a (double s) is draggin!" I am proud of myself for not falling apart in giggles right in the middle of the lesson.

"Mrs. Nall, we're late because the back-berry kept talking." Mom blushed and I chuckled. "My phone does that too, sometimes." 

Keep 'em coming, kids!

Snakes Alive!

Snakes Alive!

Saturday, October 9

11:00 - 4:00 PM

DNC Members $8; General Public $10

Drop by to visit reptile expert Connie Haynes of Nature Corners to discuss the amazing characteristics of snakes. Examine artifacts and exhibits of live snakes and see a snake up close as it moves on the ground. Explore the habits of snakes, their eating patterns, and natural history. Native and exotic snakes will be available to observe and touch. (Venomous snakes will not be present, though will be discussed. All of Connie's animals are rescued or rehabilitated.)  Purchase tickets for will call or pay cash during the event.

Dunwoody Nature Center is located on the grounds of Dunwoody Park, 5343 Roberts Drive in Dunwoody.  The nonprofit organization's mission is to preserve and manage the natural environment and related facilities of Dunwoody Park and to foster the enjoyment and appreciation of nature through environmental education and outreach programs.

Bad bunny.

I'm researching rabbit prevention.

Not for the cute little bunnies that hop along Dunwoody Park's woods each spring.

Nor the big ones that streak across the road early in the morning as I wind my way through Wytercreek and Roberts Drive.

The ones that eat the garden. Blast it.

My perspective on Peter Rabbit has changed completely. Now I understand how very frustrated the farmer must have been. Every single vegetable we plant at the Nature Center becomes a feast for roving bunnies. I caught them at it one day, so there's no doubt they're the prime culprit.

I'm determined to turn things around next spring with a low cost, easy to shift enclosure for the garden. I want to use materials we already have in hand because that's our way (reuse and recycle).

There are lots of ideas in virtual gardener land. But I'd love to hear what works here in Dunwoody.

Ideas very much welcome.

Afraid of the outdoors.

It happens nearly every time a class comes to Dunwoody Nature Center: there are children afraid of bees and yellow jackets, worried that snakes lurk everywhere, startled by the wind, and anxious about all the open space. They're afraid of the outdoors.

In the past five years, we've cut the time we spend outdoors in half. More and more children are more comfortable indoors, with their electronic games and wired entertainment. Adults move from temperature-controlled home to car to work and back again. Every moment of the day is scheduled, structured, and stressful.

What are we doing to ourselves?

Teach one child to love nature and you nurture a life of self-sufficiency and creativity. Teach a class to appreciate the natural beauty around them and you develop a generation that enjoys and appreciates the outdoors.

Dunwoody Nature Center is beginning its Fall Annual Campaign. Its environmental education programs are funded entirely by memberships, generous donors, and program fees.

If you haven't visited Dunwoody Nature Center lately (or ever), take a walk in the park. Enjoy the splashing creek. Perch along the railing of the treehouse pavilion for a tree-high view of what's happening in the wetlands. Share a picnic in the fresh open air.

And consider supporting this Dunwoody gem with a contribution to the Annual Fund. You can do it easily: just visit www.dunwoodynature.org and click "Donate Now." Every dollar helps ensure that one more child discovers the joy of playing outside.

Will it be your child?

Fight, flight, or flow.

Dunwoody Nature Center's program manager is leaving us to teach at North Georgia College and University. Dr. Bahun will bring profound expertise and a calm demeanor to environmental science education at this wonderful gem in the mountains. (It's on my son's short list of schools.)

She leaves many pearls behind.

"When a job gets that many moving parts it's time for the amoeba to split and create two jobs."

"The fact that you waited until the last minute does not make your problem my emergency."

"I find that there are three ways to handle any situation: fight, flight, or flow. I prefer to flow."

"I understand that our schedule and policies don't fit your preferences. May I suggest some local camps where you might find someone more flexible?" (To a parent who called on a Monday to register her 3- and 6 year-olds in the same camp group.)

"Please don't." (To a man who bicycled over with a copperhead in a bag - he asked if he could release it in Dunwoody Park.)

Best wishes, Carla. You're smart, warm, and funny as heck. Thank you for the many footprints you leave behind. 

Trial and error

For two summers, I've tried to coax vegetables to grow in less than four hours of direct sunlight. The beans were cooperative, the cucumbers did just fine, but everything else winced. So I've put my name on the waitlist for a plot at the Dunwoody Community Garden, where direct sunlight is in abundant supply (as are advice and encouragement by other gardeners).

Dunwoody is hilly, lush with greenery, and quite beautiful through every season. But the downside of all these trees is that gardening is a challenge.

Which reminds me of the history of Dunwoody Park. We have evidence of terraces cut into the hillsides along the creek. In the early settler days, the farmers cleared the land and cut terraces so they could grow crops. Faced with the same conditions as we have today, they maximized the yield of the hilly terrain by leveling as much land as possible and clearing the way for direct sunlight. One family even had a mill on the property - its dam and millstone are still on the grounds.

Urban gardening has so many challenges those early farmers would have thought ridiculous. We can't just do with our land as we see fit. There are tree ordinances, setbacks, residential codes regarding structures visible from the street, and sundry other obstacles to raising food. But creative folks are figuring out ways to be self-reliant.

The good news is that my garden box is mobile. So I'll take it down this winter, keep my fingers crossed that I can move it to Brook Run, and get ready for a new year and a new garden.

Dunwoody bits and pieces.

Dunwoody High School has a new principal. The circumstances of the change in leadership are not wonderful, but I feel optimistic about Mr. Swanson and the very positive impact he can have on the high school. By all accounts (friends with children at DeKalb School of the Arts), he is warm, savvy, flexible, creative in problem solving, firm, and a good communicator. 

I spent seven days in Tennessee working with the Mountain T.O.P. project and my gardens pouted. I lost a Cherokee Black tomato plant, two shrubs, all of my basil, and a hosta. This turn of events ruined the work I've been doing for the past year to "get" that I'm NOT indispensible to my family, job, and volunteer committees. I tend to over-extend myself because I worry that no one else will do or volunteer or care about something. Isn't that just a bit self-important? So I left work and family for a week of mission work, only to return to a very neglected garden. Maybe I'm indispensible after all, at least when it comes to watering and weeding.

Dunwoody Nature Center's executive director, Claire Hayes, will retire mid-2011. She will complete 11 years at the helm; a search for her successor will commence this fall. Her tenure has been so long that her personality is ingrained in every facet of the center's programs. At the same time (just about), the City of Dunwoody just took ownership of the parks from DeKalb County. As a Dunwoody resident and a member of the staff, I'm delighted by the change in park management.  It'll be interesting to see how the Nature Center evolves over the next few years.

Our neighborhood's ongoing battle with the rezoning of the property behind us has been idling while the court system slowly processes the case; recently, it has kicked back into high gear as the court date looms and the original Goddard franchise petitioners try to figure out yet another way to get the property. I do wonder . . . what is so magical about this specific location that the Goddard franchisees are willing to wait 2+ years and invest so much in the legal morass just to operate their day care behind our houses?  There are other properties in the Perimeter area that would be far more accepting of and conducive to day care operations. (We're certainly not the first neighborhood to protest this kind of rezoning . . . )

Our son is beginning his senior year in high school and just completed an intensive three-week college class that required a one-hour commute and lots of homework. He's showing some very welcome signs of independence, initiative, and pleasure in school - quite refreshing.

Dan Weber is exiting his State Senate office; Fran Millar is running for the seat. The two men share a passion for education and tireless work ethic.  I know that Dan still has many, many contributions to make on behalf of Dunwoody. I'm delighted that Fran wants to continue serving this community. He has my vote.

I'm visiting the "twin towers" in Atlanta for the first time this week as I attend the State school charter meeting. I'm keeping fingers and toes and eyes crossed that Peachtree's charter will be approved. Now more than ever, we need the flexibility (and accountability) the charter affords to serve Dunwoody's middle school students and to continue to increase the quality of the education our children deserve. Coming changes for PCMS are very exciting and reflect the principal's understanding of and compassion for the middle school student.

I finished Nora's Sweater! It's lovely and I confess, with no small bit of pride, that it was a challenging project start to finish. I still need to block it, and will do so this week. Then I'll wait for cooler weather after October to enjoy it.

Life's funny that way.

Musings . . .

1. At some point, I decided that I was going to be very selective about the new things I learn. Every time we get a new cell phone or audio/video component or computer, the learning curve changes. Not that it's necessarily harder - it's just new. I'm tired of having to reconfigure, input, troubleshoot, explore options, set my preferences, download, rewire, and customize technology to make it as simple and straightforward as possible. It's like a recipe: if it has more than six ingredients and more than one isn't already in my pantry, I'm just not interested. I'm capable - I'm just not willing to invest the time in every single cool new thing that comes along.

2. In this age of online mapping, websites loaded with instructions and information, and the handy dandy phone, why do people get in their cars and head someplace THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET TO?  My favorite telephone calls begin with "can you tell me how to get there?" when they're EN ROUTE. Well, where are you now? Do you have access to a computer? Do you have a road map in the vehicle? Can you pull to the side of the road so you can safely write down the directions? Oh, you don't have something to write with - or on? So you're calling me at every intersection to make sure you're going the right way?

This happens all the time.

3. One of my favorite people has the most marvelous attitude about challenges: you can fight, flight, or flow. She chooses flow every time. So as tensions mount and confusion reigns, she's an oasis of calm and can-do. She reminds me of that tortoise in Aesop's fable: slow and steady win the race.

4. Nature has its own rhythm that is contrary to the Disney-esque expectations of our somewhat cloistered daily lives. Weather isn't always picture perfect, animals and insects don't perform on cue, baby birds and squirrels fall out of nests and become prey for hawks, mosquitoes like the early evening as much as we do, poison ivy and poison oak lurk everywhere, and rabbits like the same vegetables we do. Rather than try to control nature, it's best to go along with it.

5. I've learned a new dress standard: "Dunwoody Casual." A friend asked me about appropriate attire for an evening garden party. "I assume Dunwoody Casual is fine."  I'll have to look that one up, but I wonder if it includes a tennis skirt?  

6. A Dunwoody High School student named Danny Kanso organized a brigade of volunteers from the DHS rank and file to help before and during the Butterfly Festival. He showed up early, kept a list of the ones who showed up, tracked their hours, made a copy so I could log them into Dunwoody Nature Center's database, and checked on everyone to make sure they were on task. I highly recommend him to every future college and employer.

7. Camp trunks leave home perfectly packed. They come home looking like my kids' bedrooms.