Tag: Jacksonville

Dirty in Public

Brian FullfordLeave a comment

My first mud run with my friend Chuck Schoonmaker and his family.

A rough last few months had the site on life support. Neither Chris nor I had time or inspiration to move outside these thin walls. I guess it never occurred to us that a simple push or punch would relieve us from the congestion. As my friend Josh McTiernan has always told me: “Just write.” How is it that the things we “know” are the things we forget? A failed philosophy of individual exploration trips on over its own ideas. But pulls itself back up an moves onward.

The job of the pilgrim.

I would like to say we have codified our philosophy and have moved on from our humble beginnings. The sad truth is that as small as we thought our idea was it still lacked vision and a plan. So while we maneuver through our own mistakes and ignorance there is only the art of “doing”. We will write. We will photograph. We will share positive to invoke change. Beyond that the road is unknown but the effort is not lost.

There are many things being experienced and considered.
But while we wait, here are things that have happened:

* I took the GRE. Top percentile in Qualitative. 4.5 out of 6 on the essay. 19th percentile on Qualitative. How do you get into graduate school with that? Math has humbled me.

* My first mud run with my daughter. Started writing about it. I will finish it.

* 13.1 trail run in Pelham, AL with my friends Brian and Philip. Another experience worth sharing. It will come.

* My wife attended a youth counselor seminar in Atlanta. Some great theological inspiration…even for this agnostic.

* My friend Josh returns from Kazakhstan. He was in the Peace Corps. His story is quite enlightening. Another share moment.

 * I have learned a lot about addiction. But I have so much more to consume.

I guess you could say the “changing” and “charity” has been a bit more introspective. While I watch others help out Haiti, the homeless and other areas I try to remind myself of those small dots and that beating the self up serves no purpose other than building the wall. The checklist is a work in action.

Chris and I appreciate all who visit this humble site. We hope inspiration can be found amidst the mess. More-so we hope you take the time to share with us what is going on in your world. Yes the internet is littered with sites much like this but maybe this will be the one that changes the one. If you don’t try you fail.

Be well.

Quick Shot: The Character Behind Being Self Sufficient

Brian FullfordLeave a comment

BOB SELF/The Times-Union Dean and Kim Black and their daughter Alanna, 12, load up their plates at a buffet-style afternoon meal. Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/home-and-garden/2011-08-06/story/family-lives-land-north-jacksonville#ixzz1Vh71E0BM

I came across this piece while having a wonderful breakfast at Lillie’s Coffee Bar, consisting of unsweetened herbal tea (cold) along with an egg and cheese breakfast croissant . Some free advertising for Lillie’s, the atmosphere helps make this quaint establishment. Nothing too fancy on the menu but I was happy with my breakfast sandwich and the tea was very memorable. That night a jazz band was playing and the courtyard was packed.

Back to the reason for the writing.

My brother-in-law, Larry Figart, is an arborist who works for the City of Jacksonville. His knowledge of plant life is constantly mined when I am with him. He also dabbles in growing vegetables and has recently become a bee keeper (fresh honey for Christmas.) Since my wife and I seem to kill things we try to grow I have held off on attempting to sow my own fruit and vegetable garden, along with something as simple as a sunflower. While the article below did nothing to calm my fears that anything other than consistent and time-consuming attention would suffice when attempting to become a suburban farmer, it did serve to remind me that the time invested reaps something more than food for the table. It is a character building burden of love.

The idea that growing your own food can serve to alleviate your shopping bill is a fantasy I gave up some time ago. I fully understand, and was actually reminded of it this summer, that time and money put into gardening more than likely will cost you in the end regardless of what you harvest. As noted, it requires time and attention, something this blog from 2008 notes in detail.

But is that really the point? So one might spend a few years in the red. Is there not an experience that is obtained from working the land? This article seems to answer that question with a resounding yes. As the father Dean Black stated:

“It’s a labor of love,” Black said. “I’m also teaching my children an important life skill. They’re going to learn it, and one day they’ll find a use for it, or maybe not.”

I think you will find the comments of the children the most interesting, if you are not already exposed to the benefits of being self-sufficient. What this family does extends to actual hunting so my admiration and envy is a bit inflated.

A FAMILY LIVES OF THE LAND IN NORTHERN JACKSONVILLE