[JourneydeJenny email 09/06/07] "circles and cycles: back to Portland"

Dear friends,

As we say goodbye to the warm days of summer, I smile to know that my friends in Southern Africa are finally able to take off their winter sweaters and hats. Yet as I sit here with my big glass of water and yummy breakfast, I know that my friends in Zimbabwe still have a long way to go until they can enjoy such simple pleasures. It just seems so absurd to me that I can have all the clean water I want, and they can’t even find a running tap in their high-density urban neighborhood.

Alas, I am here in my own taproot-land of New England, making ready to return to my lateral-root land of Portland, and still trying to make sense of my new branching roots in Africa (sorry, only the plant lovers might get all of those references). But I feel really good, solidly grounded in the work I have been doing and continue to do.

After a teary goodbye to friends in Zimbabwe and South Africa, I came home to be with family and help deliver my new (beautiful) niece. Since then, I have been putting together slideshows and stories, and working out my new understandings of social change, the “movement of movements,” grassroots organizing, tools for today’s version of sustainability, my own place in all of this and how it relates to Portland’s petri dish of sustainable-izing culture.

I have learned so much this year, and I can’t wait to share it with you through myriad forms: stories, photos and videos, my blog (newly updated with 50 youtube videos! http://journeydejenny.blogspot.com ) and of course, how it integrates into the next steps of my (our?) work. Thank you all for supporting this phenomenal year of “cross-pollination”! I am simply amazed at how synchronistic the whole year turned out to be, and it was certainly fueled by the emotional, financial and educational support that each of you has shared (directly or indirectly--I feel it).

I’ll be back at TLC Farm next Tuesday night, and look forward to re-connecting with my community around Portland. If you’re free the following Sunday (the 16^th), we are having a harvest festival/fundraising auction day at TLC Farm--a fun time to see you all! (details below)

in community and with a smile,

Jenny

p.s. In my next email, I hope to report back with a detailed overview of what I have learned this year, and fun tidbits like my budget, new friends, etc. And then I will write just once in a while, as I have been doing so far. If you want OFF of this email list, please tell me! (no offense taken ;-)

p.p.s. A correction for the botanists out there: I should have said that my new African roots are “adventitious”, meaning, “growing from a new stem”. But the word “branching” seemed useful enough in this context. ;-)

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Cornucopia, a harvest festival and benefit for Tryon Life Community Farm

Sunday, September 16, 2:00-7:00pm at TLC Farm

This year, we're bringing our annual fundraising auction to the farm, and

combining it with a day of celebrating harvest!

The day will be filled with loads of engaging and entertaining events,

including:

*live acoustic music from Ponderosa, Alexa Wiley, Aliah Farah, and the

Josh Cole Band;

*kids activities, including a cider press, corn husk dolls and old fashioned ice-cream

making;

*local and sustainable auction items (a few tantalizing examples: $100

gift certificates to Higgins and Pastini, a spa day at Kanani Pearl,

beautiful art and photography, and much more);

*organic finger food, wine & beer;

*a harvest trade/barter table - please bring your extra harvest and

preserves to share!

*pie-baking contest (each person who brings a pie for the contest will

get entered into a raffle for a trip to Breitenbush Hot Springs, as well

as prizes for best sweet pie, best savory pie, and most original pie.)

Tickets are $20 (including delicious local organic food, wine, and other

refreshments); we invite you to buy tickets online.

Click here to buy tickets and register:

https://tryonfarm.org/share/index.php?q=civicrm/event/register&id=3&rese...

Kids under 12 get in free, and volunteer opportunities are available.

Contact brenna@tryonfarm.org or call (503)245-3847 for more information,

to volunteer or to donate an item to the auction.

Due to limited parking, we will be running a shuttle from the parking lot

of Riverdale High School, at 9727 SW Terwilliger, on the corner of SW

Terwilliger and Boones Ferry.