Minnie the Cat

October 14, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Dear Gardeners,

With much sadness we inform you Minnie Mouse, one of our garden cats, was euthanized yesterday morning. It appears that she had been struck by a car. Her injuries were severe, and after consulting with a local veterinarian Walli Raninger made the difficult decision to end Minnie’s suffering.

As some of you know, Minnie arrived at the garden more than eight years ago. Walli adopted the tiny tortoise colored kitten and gave her a home where she stayed until recent times when Minnie began having trouble accepting apartment confinement.

Released to the garden last spring and under the watchful care of Walli and the other Garden Cat Committee members, the mature Minnie Mouse relaxed, thrived and joined the other cats on rodent patrol. Though she could be feisty from time to time, she never missed a petting opportunity and will be sorely missed by those who got to know her.

Please join us in expressing sympathy to Walli and the Committee who cared for Minnie, a cat who was never, ever a mouse.

Jean and the Steering Committee

10/9: Thanatopolis Exhibition and Dinner at I-Park

October 8, 2010
by garden
1 min read
Norbert Attard went back to Malta after the 104th St. Installation and has just returned to to the US, installing at I-Park, CT, for The Thanatopolis Exhibition. He got the good news while in our garden. If you want to participate in the $20 dinner please let Anna Lise know this week. It is a long day and possibly long evening, so people will have to take care of their own transportation, as it is to hard for me to organize a shared van with a timeframe that pleases all.
People should respond to my email : aaaonyc@gmail.com, or cell: 212 865-2108
The dinner is located at I-Park, 428 Hopyard Road, East Haddam, CT. I-Park is resident artist program located on a 450-acre woodland retreat in rural East Haddam, Connecticut. See http://www.i-park.org for details.
Please contact Anna-Lise if you are interested in attending (don’t try to click the image).

Gazebo Painting/Construction Party: Sunday, October 17

October 4, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Hi to All, 
Just to let you know that I am sponsoring a PAINTING/CONSTRUCTION PARTY on Sunday October 17 (raindate:sat,10/23) from 1-4pm for the purpose of painting the gazebo floor (paints/rollers will be supplied) and restoration of east side of gazebo (need Frank to take a look at rotting beam). Pizza (heroes) and sodas/water (hot tea/coffee in case its too cold) will be supplied for members who come out to help.
My computer will be down for a few days(bedroom restoration) so if you want to let me know right away call me at 212 666 9733 or better 646 539 8596 ,Thank you in advance.
Lou Ludyny
A BIG P.S.:  I also need help on decorating garden for HALLOWEEN PARTY to be held on sat.,Oct 30(R.D.Oct 31) 1-3pm for children 12 and under. ALSO SWEETS DONATIONS IN THE FORM OF PACKAGED CANDY WILL BE GREATFULLY APPRECIATED!!!!
THANKS,
LOU

Farming Concrete Harvest‏

September 20, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Just a note to let you know that our harvest records (June thru mid-Sept) have been submitted to Farming Concrete for tallying purposes. This includes the sheets filled out by members as well as records of the peach and fig tree harvests. Here’s hoping we qualify for a 2011 grant.

In the meantime the looseleaf notebook has been returned to the gazebo. There you can easily record your harvest w/ scale, from this point until the end of the season.

If anyone has pictures of harvesting activities say from the peach festival plz forward them to mara@farmingconcrete.com

Thanks,
Janice Vrana
S.C. Member

Meeting with artist Monday evening! Flea Market Fundraiser Saturday 18 September!‏

September 13, 2010
by garden
2 min read
1 Comment

Dear Gardeners,

We had a very productive meeting today despite the early clouds. Thank you to all who participated; and it was nice to have such a healthy turnout of 28 gardeners, not including the beautiful Keohane girls who cleaned up countless piles of pulled weeds.

Anna Lise Jensen will be hosting a meeting with the artisit Norbert Attard Monday evening (Sept 13) from 6 to 7 pm in the hopes of deciding on an art project to install in our garden. Anna Lise and Mr. Attard are hoping for some collaboration with the gardeners and would very much like to have some creative input from our community. And and all who are able to attend are encouraged to do so. Mr. Attard will only be in the city for a week and is very keen on installing a piece in the garden. We will try to have a proposal emailed to everyone by Tuesday in order to get a vote in favor or not with enough time for the artist to actually install his work. You can view his website at http://www.norbertattard.com/biography.pdf

Also, a flea market fundraiser has been organized by some friends and neighbors of the two families affected by the recent fire. It will be at the garden next Saturday the 18th from 11 to 6. Please feel free to bring baked goods and/or items to sell, or contact Lillian Jeanpierre for more information at bjorglil@peoplere.com. We did collect contributions for Christine Barrow at the meeting today. Anyone who was unable to contribute and still wishes to do so can mail directly to Christine at 635 Central Park West, #6G.

Thanks,
Mary Kelly
for the steering committee

Jazzmobile Monday Night‏

August 23, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Attn: GARDEN MEMBERS, NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS

What? Jazzmobile sponsored by DEBNA, returns to Duke Ellington Blvd. for one of its
final FREE musical events of the summer

Where? W. 106th St. between Manhattan Ave. and CPW in the street

Who? Jazzmobile Allstars featuring Gregory Generet

When? 8/23/10, Monday at 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Bring a chair or pull up a piece of curb.

Tell your neighbors.

See ya there.

Jean Jaworek
DEBNA Treasurer

Aug 10: Public Hearing on Proposed Changes to the 2002 Community Gardens Agreement

August 9, 2010
by garden
2 min read

Dear Gardeners,

Thanks to everyone who made the Wednesday night Work Evening so productive. If you did not attend, please contact Alan Tenney (alan.tenney@gmail.com) for a make-up work assignment.

Lou Ludyny, our Green Thumb Representative, spoke at the meeting about the Proposed Rules for community gardens that will replace the 2002 Memorandum of Agreement between the New York State Attorney General and the Bloomberg Administration that has been protecting community gardens for the past 8 years and will expire in Sept 2010. The New York City Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC) is in firm opposition to these Proposed Rules because they threaten community gardens with development and do not offer the same protections as the 2002 Community Gardens Agreement.

A public hearing for comments on the Proposed Rules on community gardens under Parks and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) will be held on

Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010
11AM
Chelsea Recreation Center
430 W 25th St (between 9th and 10th)

Please attend if you can and give your support for community gardens. For more information about the Proposed Changes, how to register to give testimony, what/who to bring and how to have your voice heard is available at
http://www.nyccgc.org/ or contact Lou Ludyny (louludyny@aol.com)

Concert in the Garden this Thursday, Aug 5, 7-9PM‏

August 4, 2010
by garden
2 min read

!!Music in the W 104th St Community Garden this Thursday, Aug 5, 7-9PM!!

Please stop by the W. 104th St Community Garden this Thursday for an evening of music. The program will include:

N=1 is Columbia University researchers Alan Tenney on saxophone; Darrick Li on drums, Ian Tattersall on electric cello; Tim Spencer on bass guitar; and featuring singer/songwriter Ashley Juavinett on guitar and vocals… don’t worry, we all have day jobs.

Pianist, composer, singer and songwriter Chris Blacker recently moved to NYC from Seattle, where for the past seven years he collaborated with artists including cabaret-noir act Circus Contraption, gypsy jazz groups Hot Club Sandwich and Pearl Django, classical pianist/composer Amy Rubin, folk singer Jes Raymond, and music theater legend Jon Cypher. In 2006 Chris Blacker received an ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award for his composition “Tidal.” Chris’s performance may include songs from his recently-released EP “Another Red Night” as well as a work-in-progress composition inspired by the W 104 Garden!

http://www.myspace.com/chrisblackermusic

Brian Gottesman is a guitarist/keyboardist/singer/songwriter/W104th St Gardener(!). In the 1990’s Brian cofounded the legendary Boston-based funk band Chucklehead and subsequently formed the band Rype as a vehicle for his original melodic rock songs. Brian has released critically-praised albums both as a band leader and solo artist, including Extra Virgin (1995), Pardon My Mess (2001) and The Sound of Yes (2003).

“[Brian’s] talent is extraordinary… remarkably honest and uplifting… a special achievement.” – Steve Morse (WBOS, The Boston Globe)

http://www.briangottesman.com/

Ashley Juavinett is a Philadelphia-based singer songwriter who shared her considerable talents with the W104th St Garden during Make Music New York. Ashley has impressed audiences at World Cafe Live in her native Philadelphia and at Cafe Vivaldi in NYC, where she performed this summer in support of her self-released EP Twenty Miles to Freedom.

http://www.myspace.com/ashleyj.music

Rainwater Harvesting/Beekeeping events at Brooklyn Commons

July 29, 2010
by garden
2 min read

If you’re interested in rainwater harvesting or beekeeping, check out these workshops and visit http://thecommonsbrooklyn.org for our full calendar and for more details.

RAINWATER HARVESTING Part 1: presentation with Q&A
Saturday, July 31, 1-3:30 p.m.

RAINWATER HARVESTING Part 2: hands-on workshop
Sunday, August 1, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

This two-part class, taught by Tyler Caruso, a student at Pratt’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, can be taken in combination or separately.
$15 for Saturday alone; $40 for Sunday alone; $50 for both (suggested; pay what you can)

The Saturday afternoon presentation will provide an overview of rainwater harvesting: techniques, active and passive methods of water collection, history, best management practices, and applicability to conserving rainfall as a natural resource.

The Sunday workshop is geared towards do-it-yourself types who want to learn about installing their own rainwater harvesting systems. During lunch there will be an opportunity to meet individually to discuss your rainwater plans and projects.

BEEKEEPING BASICS

This three-part series, taught by the knowledgeable and entertaining James Fischer from the Gotham City Honey Co-op and the NYC Beekeepers Meetup, can be attended as a set or separately. $6 each or two for $10 or three for $15 (suggested; pay what you can)

Session 1: What’s the Buzz?
Thursday, August 12, 7 p.m.

-Why keep bees, who keeps bees, how people keep bees
-Beekeepers’ year: what happens when
-What newbies ought to know

Session 2: Hive Inspection
Saturday, August 14, 10 a.m.

-How to inspect a hive and what’s happening at this time of year

Session 3: Overview of Bee Behavior, Pests and Diseases
Thursday, August 19, 7 p.m.

Understanding the behavior of bees is crucial to nearly every aspect of beekeeping. If you don’t understand their instinctive goals and correctly interpret their actions, you will be working against, rather than with them. Merely keeping one’s bees alive requires vigilance on the part of the beekeeper, but the good news is that New York is separated by the Hudson River from the US mainland, so we have a chance at controlling diseases and pests in NYC if we work together.

http://thecommonsbrooklyn.org

The Commons
388 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn

If you have questions, contact melissa@thecommonsbrooklyn.org

DIRECTIONS TO THE COMMONS

A, C and G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn; F to Bergen Street; B, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to Atlantic-Pacific; LIRR to Flatbush Avenue; B63 and B65

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