Urban growing

Plants are like people--they need to be cared for, basic necessities met, and each plant has different, individualistic needs.  When all these things are met, they bloom and change with the seasons and it's so interesting watching them grow.

This is my first time growing several different types of herbs and flowers inside my home, which is on the 5th floor in downtown L.A.  It's not easy growing things in our place because 1) sun only comes in through one side, and 2) there are no window bug screens (industrial windows) so bugs keep coming in attacking my babies.  I've killed many plants since picking up the hobby and I just move forward with a different plant and learn as I kill--I mean grow.

The varieties I have are dwarf basil, sage, flat Italian parsley, peppermint, chocolate mint, creeping thyme, and marigolds.  Here are some shots after recently harvesting them and some tips I learned:

Top: Peppermint; Bottom: Chocolate Mint.  Mint is very invasive so needs to be planted separately or in a pot.
They prefer very moist soil and can be harvested year round.

"I don't give a flying..."

"Come on, Dover! Move your blommin' ass!"

Eliza Doolittle at the racetracks, of course.  And so we donned our big hats and off to the Santa Anita Race Tracks we went.

Things are blooming this time of year

Controversial Blog Post?

I love controversy.  Not because I'm antagonistic, but because it raises questions and debate over issues that we otherwise feel nothing towards.  Good art is often controversial.  And I don't care if the name of this blog connotes a feeling of negativity...if you look closely it really isn't about the negative stuff.  But I digress.  I design for a clothing company which I also write some blog posts.  Today I had to pull this post off because it had a negative comment on our FB fan page.  Here's the comment:

Jason Hames: I like your products and thought about purchasing some, but after reading this I have changed my mind. I will be removing your company from my FB feed.

So Jason, what were you so offended by?  I'm curious to know.  But since this blog post is being removed from all memory, I may never know.  What do you think about my post?:

"A few weeks ago, the LAPD disbanded the Occupy LA peaceful protesters from the City Hall grounds in downtown LA.  I live a few blocks away from city hall and was able to take some of these photos when they were camped out for several weeks straight.  The area was highly monitored by police, but overall it was a peaceful and non-violent protest and anyone was able to walk through the grounds, speak with the protesters, and attend meetings held nightly.
The main theme behind Occupy is shedding light on the fact that the top 1% of the richest people in the US own about 40% of our wealth.  The protesters were speaking on behalf of the other 99%.
Was there an Occupy movement going on in your city/town?  If so, how did you feel about the message?  Do you feel this movement speaks to you and your generation?"