Tucson Park(ing) Day

PARK(ing) Day is a global event that focuses on urban green space. Artists and citizens collaborate by transforming selected city parking spots into bite-sized temporary public parks.
It's a creative, great one-day event celebrating place-making.
Tucson participated this year, and there was amazing foot-traffic downtown! Families with strollers, photographers, even shoppers. City informational kiosks set up out on the streets. Gardeners. People talking, crafting, browsing. Nice. Why can't this happen every day?

Pay It Forward

My special Tucson friend at She Weds posted a challenge this past week about Paying it Forward. I was one of the first 3 comments on her blog, so I'm in the game and paying it forward to you.

The point of this is not to encourage a form of blog chain letter, but to create momentum on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and pay it forward.

I have agreed to send something nice to the first 3 bloggers who post a comment on this Tucson Cowgirl blog entry. I'm assuming that "something nice" can be a token of some sort that will make someone smile and hold some form of positive meaning. In turn, those "first three commenters" who respond to my post will honor the pay it forward concept to the first 3 people who post on their blog… and so on. Please note my little pay it forward needs to be mailed (it is a token, honest), I can only pay it forward within the United States. My little token is something eco-conscious. So if you're interested in participating in this, be one of the first three to leave a comment. Please remember that if you agree to pay it forward, you need to post this acknowledgment on your blog, link to me, and pay it forward to three more people.

In this past week of economic disarray, political mean-spiritness and shifting priorities, I believe a reaching out to extend a friendly gesture is worthwhile. The world seems to be rocking on its foundation in so many ways, I hope little things like this can help.

Where are you, Adam Walinsky?

Nothing like music from Les Mis to get me going. A new Barack Obama video is stirring on YouTube. It’s set in the final hours before the November 4 elections. The idealistic faces of young professionals working in some Obama headquarters are fearful and weary, but like the young revolutionists of Les Mis they rally behind an inspired and funny rendition of the powerful song, One More Day.

I’ve resisted being pulled into the horrible, nonstop hate/love noise buzzing in blogland. But that video brought me back about 38 years, to a scene played out almost the same way, in the small New York City headquarters of Adam Walinsky, another young, idealistic lawyer running for office in 1970.

Of course in those days there was no YouTube, no Internet, no blogs. Walinsky, on a Kennedy-inspired ticket, was running for NY state Attorney General. Walinsky’s words, mission of substance, and vision of change had fired up a group of young urban idealists. In 1970 we were a bit more scraggly looking than the Obama team depicted in the video, but we were young urban idealists nonetheless.

As an editor of my college paper, a grassroots community organizer and would-be journalist who sought to change the world, I was one dreamer of the early 70s who put her soul and sweat into an individual who stood for her ideals. I volunteered day and night for Walinsky’s campaign – and I can’t begin to name all the similarities I see now between our motley volunteer crew and the Obama campaign.

What’s different today is the nonstop mean-spirited madness underway. I am dismayed. Too much spewing on both sides of the fence. Too many darts thrown with no one caring about the consequences. This was not the way in 1970. We debated and protested, yes, but thoughtful discussion based upon the issues was our secret weapon, not 24/7 blog tirades.

I wonder what America wants now. It looks like everyone wants to keep talking at each other, taking pot shots, churning opinions upon opinions. Or maybe we are starting to realize that it's time to focus on the issues and the facts...that it is time to cut the noise so each of us can make thoughtful decisions on November 4, 2008. So much depends on this.

OK, I got that out of my system. Now back to being just a Tucson cowgirl doing her thing here in the desert. Everyone is too busy blogging to listen, anyway.

(Accompanying photo is of fellow volunteers, in Walinsky headquarters, NYC, circa 1970. Do I sound like an ancient hippie if I say, "those were the days?")

New York, I Remember

As it was for all New Yorkers that day, my life changed on September 11. If you were downtown coming up from the subway at Union Square that morning (as Leigh was), you stood and stared incredulously at smoke in one tower, then stepped back, horrified the next minute, as you watched what looked like a big bird fly into the second tower.

If you were me you at first didn’t believe what you saw, then tried frantically to reach family, with cell phones unresponsive. When phones cleared in stages, I reached our son, away at college. I lied and reassured him that we were all OK, although I had a lump bigger than a tennis ball in my throat. I honestly did not know yet that Leigh and my brother Stephen were safe, but I would not tell Brett that. It would be hours before I connected with Leigh (and then Stephen by email).

With family safe, I thought I would feel relief. But it was anything but that. Weeks of disgust at the news and great fear began. The stink of smoke, false-alarms of new attacks and death all flung a curtain of chaos around my New York. We were alive, yes, but so many including a neighbor, a friend’s sister and many work associates were not. Our city was forever altered. What now?

It took a long time, but feelings of a new normal took the place of uneasiness. New York did survive. I was able to recall fun, good memories at the World Trade Center, like a Christmas up in Windows on the World Restaurant, with just Leigh, Brett and I staring out in awe at our great city. I was strengthened by amazing everyday heroes who stepped up in times of need all around us in New York. I'm not the only one who treasures a silent story of great courage, compassion and leadership from that time.

We didn’t make the decision to move to Tucson on September 11, 2001. But because of that day we turned to a new chapter in our lives. We said adios to successful careers because we knew they meant nothing if indeed you were too busy to enjoy life with those you love. We learned that we could do without some material things, in order to enjoy other, more immeasurable moments, like sunsets.

I photographed Leigh back in the early 1970s, with Manhattan and the World Trade Center in the background. At that age, newly married and out of college, we were free and oblivious to some dire twists and turns in the future. Evil can certainly smack you in the face around the next corner. But each of us, in our own way, has the ability to smack back with a bit of good. The smallest contribution of self in behalf of community has impact.

That’s the way I feel now as I keep New York close to my heart. I’ll never forget, but I now look ahead to a future of good, which we have the power to influence.

Look what popped up at our house

We stepped out the door to take Bisbee for a walk on Friday afternoon and there it was in front of us – Our desert agave sending up a stalk and getting ready to bloom.

This beautiful desert succulent is called a century plant because of the time it can take the plant to bloom. I don’t know how old our plant is, but experts say it can take up to 50 years to send up its towering flower stalk, depending on the conditions and the specie!

Now that the panicle of our plant is visible, it seems to be growing rapidly. We’re so excited. How tall will it be? (The stalk can approach 20’ in height.) Will the bats come? (The fabulous stalk display will attract pollinators including bats, hummingbirds, bees and moths.)

A sad sideline to this is that the bloom probably means our agave will die. However, you may note from the photo that our wonderful agave has been preparing her legacy – Surrounding her is a small colony of pups who will live on beyond the once-in-a-lifetime cluster of flowers!

Just another day here in the old pueblo – Desert life is just amazing. When the stalk cluster blooms, it will be beautiful, and I'll certainly post that photo.