Yesterday I got to do some things related to gardening, so it’s a good time to introduce that topic.

One of the theories I’m thinking through in my life and work here is that artists serve the community in ways that are unique to being artists, in addition to producing and presenting their creative work. So one of my goals when I got here was to get involved in as many different community groups as I could. Of course it would need to be something I was passionate about, because to really invest deeply I’d need to want to be there.

I decided to take “grassroots” very literally.

You may know that I had a plot in a community garden for the last two years I was in NYC, and it was a great source of joy (and sanity) for me. But it was 45 minutes door-to-dirt, between a walk to the bus stop, then a bus, then more walking to the plot.

So one of the things I was adamant about when looking for housing in Texas was space to garden – and being able to walk out my front door to get to my plants.

Be careful what you wish for. Continue reading →