Holiday Sharing Expo

Neighbors Sharing Food, Crafts, Skills, and Goods

Sunday, December 9 11am – 12:30pm FREE !

Common Ground Organic Garden Supply & Education Center www.commongroundinpaloalto.org

559 College Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Hop on your bikes with your friends and family for a multiple
skill and goods sharing event, just in time for the holidays. At this special holiday event, we’ll have a regifting exchange, share holiday decor, and have a few holiday-themed demos as well. So join us to share your garden and kitchen bounty, your extra arts
and crafts supplies, beloved (or neglected) books, old clothing,
children’s toys, gifts, and holiday decor. Bring what you have to share;
take home something you don’t. We’ll also share stories, make
music, and make sure your bike is safe. We’ll have demos on
kitchen skills and craft techniques on the half-hour, too.
Bring your bikes, bike supplies, homegrown fruit, vegetables,
eggs, herbs, honey, flowers, paints, markers, books, shirts,
skirts, pants, fabric, yarn, paper, sheet music, patterns, books,
garden tools, craft tools, toys, kits, seeds, unwanted gifts, and more. Be sure to
bring a bag to take home the bounty, so you’ll have enough for
gifts!

Local Garden Share – Bring extra bounty from the garden (produce,
fruit, herbs, eggs, honey, flowers, plants in pots), things made
in the kitchen from the things from the garden, seeds, seedlings,
tools, utensils, books, magazines. Anything garden and
food-related is welcome.

Craft Share – Bring your arts and crafts supplies and tools,
holiday decorations, and even artistic creations to share. Share
with other crafters to find new uses for fabric, yarn, sewing
supplies, paper craft supplies, paint and pens, glues,
sketchbooks, pretty boxes, holiday decorating supplies, wreaths,
candle and soap-making kits, jewelry, and much more. We’ll have
demos on some fun crafts and gifts you can make for the holidays, and Fabmo will be on hand. Extra materials will be donated to SCRAP.

Bicycle workshop – Let’s work together to do minor maintenance
and make minor adjustments to improve your bike for efficiency,
safety and comfort, with Tom Kabat. He’ll help you with: Tire
pressure, Oiling squeaky chains, Seat ergonomics, Adjusting
bar position for good wristernomics, Adjusting gears, brakes
and headsets. He can also coach you through fixing a flat tire!

Book share – Turn in your old beloved books in readable
condition (no pages missing please) and take home a new good
read. Bring fiction, nonfiction, kids’ books, travel guides,
biographies, audiobooks, how-to guides, and more. Any extras will
be donated to the library.

Clothes share – Bring something that no longer fits but still
looks good (free of stains and tears) and find something that
you need to complete your wardrobe. Skirts, pants, winter gear,
dresses, suits, socks, bathing suits, shirts, coats, baby clothes,
children’s clothes, hats, and more. All ages’ clothing welcome.

Toy share – Kids bored of the same old toys? Need a good gift for
small hands? Trade in a toy for something new-to-them, and get
the next generation involved in sharing and keeping things out
of the landfill. Bring toys in playable condition, no sharp or
broken parts, please. Extras will be donated to a local
children’s shelter.

Transition Tales – we’ll continue with Transition Tales videos,
by Willi Paul, as you share stories about your experiences with
Transition and in the community for the holiday season.

Re-Gifting exchange – Got some gifts collecting dust? Bring them to our regifting exchange for someone else’s holiday gifting. You might find a few stocking stuffers or treasures for yourself band your loved ones, as well.

Music – come and make music with us!

Throughout the Bay Area, neighbors are coming together for
sharing locally grown, fresh produce, as well as arts and crafts
supplies, and other household items. Our Palo Alto sharing event
is supported by a coalition of community ecological organizations
and neighborhood groups including: Acterra, Barron Park Green
Team, Barron Park Garden Network, Barron Park Assn, Common Ground,
City of Palo Alto Community Gardens, Deborah’s Palm, FabMo, Midtown
Green Team, Opalz, SCRAP, Slow Food South Bay, Transition Palo Alto
and Transition Silicon Valley.

The Common Ground store is open during the event, so plan to
stop in to get any supplies you need to continue your garden
bounty or more. Also, the event is located only 3 blocks from
the California Ave Farmers’ Market, which is open from 9:00 AM
to 1:00 PM. You will have time to shop or have a meal at the
market before or after the event.

Please note: This is an outdoor event. In case of rain,
event will be cancelled.

More information about Craft swaps and Garden shares.

In tune with the season, Transitioners gathered last Sunday (10/28) for the second annual Transition Winter Squash party. Folks brought different kinds of winter squash and all “squashed” into the Barbara Weinstein’s kitchen to cook, share recipes, and visit. Creations included butternut squash stews, tender delicata squash rings, rice-stuffed squash, spaghetti squash marinara, and some mini-Japanese Kabocha squash from Cathy Berwaldt’s garden. And even some zuccini spread with Oaxacan cheese so the summer varieties didn’t feel left out.

If you’d like to join in on future reskilling parties like this, sign up for the reskilling list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tpa_reskilling/

Intrigued by the idea of Hugelkultur raised garden beds, Transitioners from Book Group 6 got together October 21 for a old-fashioned garden bed raising at Emily Rosen’s Greenwave community in East Palo Alto. 

The idea is to create a mound with a rich mix of organic material that requires little irrigation.

We started by digging a trench with mounds of dirt on both sides.

Then we added kitchen scraps, then green clippings,

Piled on old rotting logs, added leaves, raked the dirt back on,

And then put straw on as the icing.

Then finally, all relaxed with a picnic!

Thanks to Emily for hosting and to William for leading the effort.

If you’d like to learn more about Hugelkultur, here’s a good link: http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/ And to be included in future reskilling activities, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tpa_reskilling/ and sign up for the group.

A contingent of folks from from Transition Palo Alto and Transition Silicon Valley joined other Transitioners from all round Northern California for the first ever Northern California Regional Transition Conference in Richmond. People came from as far as Humbolt, Nevada City, and Santa Cruz to meet with each others, learn about what’s happening in other communities, and get ideas on how to work effectively to build strong local communities.

The challenges and opportunities we all face were beautifully symbolized by the location of the event.  Hosted at the old Ford plant in Richmond, attendees were delighted to step in from an industrial landscape to the Buddhas by the Bay museum where the conference was held, to be surrounded by rooms with beautiful and spiritually uplifting Buddha statues and other artifacts from all over the world.

Attendees learned about how the Transition movement is growing around the world and some of the inspiring work that various Transition initiatives are doing, from seed banks and local currencies to involvement in local government and sharing of food, clothing, and crafts. In addition to sponsoring their own projects and events many initiatives are working with other social action and faith-based organizations to  further extend Transition ideas.

At the conference, our own folks from Transition Silicon Valley and Transition Palo Alto hosted an Open Space session on Resilient Lifestyles. This is a new TSV project with the goal of supporting people who are looking for alternative lifestyles and livelihoods that break away from the corporate rat race. If you’d like to get involved in the project, you can join the new Yahoo group we’ve set up, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tsv_resilientlifestyles

If you want to learn more about the Northern California regional group, you can get information by going to the Transition US website at http://www.transitionus.org.

All had a grand time at our 100 mile potluck to celebrate the end of the Digging for Solutions series from Films of Vision and Hope. Everyone shared their reflections on the series, and as  special treat, folks got to see two beautiful short films from the Sonatas of the Soil collection by filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia.

Documentary filmmaker Elizabeth Thompson visited the Conversation, Community, and Calling group this week to share her new film, The Dewdrop World. It’s a moving reflection on Elizabeth’s attempts to help her mother adjust following a diagnosis of ALS, and explores the parallels that she sees with climate change and the decline of our fragile planet.  Conversation group members especially appreciated the incredible spirit of Elizabeth’s mother, and the message that even with impermanence and loss, each moment can be precious and joyful. For more on Elizabeth’s film work, see http://www.thompsonfilms.com. 

The Conversation group meets every two weeks. For more information, go to the Groups and Project page.

DP Craft Swap 9-22-12

Neighbors sharing Crafts, Clothes, Books, and Music
*Saturday, September 22* 1:00pm – 3:00pm FREE !
Deborah’s Palm
555 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (behind building)

Hop on your bikes with your friends and family for craft, clothes, and book
swap and share. Join us to share your extra arts and crafts supplies,
beloved (or neglected) books, and old clothing. Come ready to sew in our
sew-off, make music with found objects, and learn from a few craft demos.
Bring what you have to share; take home something you don’t. Bring your
herbs, flowers, paints, markers, books, shirts, skirts, pants, fabric,
yarn, paper, sheet music, patterns, books, garden/craft tools, and more. Be
sure to bring a bag to take home the bounty!

Craft Share – Bring your arts and crafts supplies and tools, and even
artistic creations to share. We’ll have demos on simple crafts you can
make, techniques you can learn, a chance to show off your skills, and even
a crochet lesson. We’ll also have a sew-off – trade your sewing skills
using craft swap supplies. Fabmo will also be on hand with supplies and a
great demo. Any extras will go to SCRAP-SF.

Scrapophony– Fun with Found Sounds – Learn to make and play some simple
‘musical instruments’ from things found around the house. Discover the joys
found sound and explore the wonders of sound via everyday objects. Humans
have been experimenting with ways to make music with found objects (sticks,
bones, rocks…) for about as long as there have been humans. Join us in
rekindling that sense of auditory exploration which is the wellspring of
musical creativity.

Book share – Turn in your old beloved books in readable condition (no pages
missing please) and take home a new good read. Any extras will be donated
to the library.

Clothes share – Bring something that no longer fits but still looks good
(free of stains and tears) and find something that you need to complete
your wardrobe. Any remaining clothes will be donated to Goodwill for
recycling.

Refreshments will be provided.

Throughout the Bay Area, neighbors are coming together for sharing arts and
crafts supplies and other household items. Our Palo Alto sharing event is
supported by a coalition of community ecological organizations and
neighborhood groups including: Deborah’s Palm, Palo Alto Green Teams,
Opalz, Fabmo, SCRAP, Transition Palo Alto and Transition Silicon Valley.

Deborah’s Palm is a non-profit organization offering all women a place to
unwind, connect with others, discover new options, and restore a sense of
well-being. Any donations made to Deborah’s Palm are tax-deductible.

Please take home any excess of what you bring, if you can. Some items such
as books, craft supplies and clothes may be donated to local charities and
shelters.

Questions/comments/signup contact rani bacraftswap at gmail.com

I knew it was going to be a fun event when someone at the grocery store said it would be a beautiful day. Peter Ruddock and I set up the tables with lots of help from others and Common Ground, and those helping and doing demos (Herb Moore, Willi Paul, Wendy Breu, Tom Kabat, Annette Isaacson, Katherine Wong, and more!) started setting up as well.

On this particular beautiful, sunny Sunday, we had a lot of wonderful new treats beyond either the usual Garden Share or Craft Swap. Our almost-regular Herb Moore set up Scrapophony, creating music with interesting scrap materials ranging from PVC pipe and gears to glass jars wrapped in rubberbands. We gathered as Herb conducted us from a slow low pitter-patter to a thundering rainstorm, up and down, until the last crescendo and finale.

Tom Kabat, along with Trevor and Katie, was repairing and testing out bicycles and even scooters, riding figure-eights through the parking lot with bells ringing.

Tables were set up for sharing the usual garden produce (this time including a wide variety of seeds and greens, eggs, gorgeous blooms, and lots of summer produce) and craft swap items, but we had more tables: books, toys, and clothes as well. Kids played among the toys and set out their cherished baby items, and many of the items were eagerly snatched up as their stories were told. I took the opportunity to find a few gems myself.

Willi Paul set up near the garden tables with his video camera, a screen, and a chair – making videos of people’s stories and histories of coming to the expo, their association with Transition, and their thoughts about the impending future. You can see his post on his blog and watch these first ever Transition Tales here or above (the presenters include myself, Patricia Becker, Peter Ruddock, Romola Georgia, folks from Transition Cupertino, and first-time visitors to the share).

Wendy Breu did a delightful demo on making stunning lavender wands from fresh lavender from the garden, weaving colorful ribbon among the stems to make a keepsake, to keep moths away, and to enjoy the fragrance for years.

Valerie showed up unexpectedly with a massage table and gave complimentary massages to sharers. Several people brought food as well, unasked, and shared other items that were in excellent condition and useful. Many remaining items were given to the library, a local garage sale to raise funds for charity, or other local charities. In all, over 100 people attended the event, and many told me they hoped for more like this in the future. All these were wonderful new additions to our sharing and truly made it reskilling and sharing in multiple senses of the word. Thanks to the community for making our soon-to-be-great event really great!

The Soon-to-be-Great Reskilling and Sharing Expo
Neighbors Sharing Food, Crafts, Skills, and Goods
Sunday,  August 12 11am – 12:30pm      FREE !
Common Ground Organic Garden Supply & Education Center
www.commongroundinpaloalto.org
559 College Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Hop on your bikes with your friends and family for a multiple skill and goods sharing event. Join us to share your garden and kitchen bounty, your extra arts and crafts supplies, beloved (or neglected) books, old clothing, and children’s toys. Bring what you have to share; take home something you don’t.   You’ll also learn to make homemade musical instruments and get a (or learn to do your own) bike tunup. We’ll have demos on kitchen skills and craft techniques on the half-hour, too. Bring your bikes, bike supplies, homegrown fruit, vegetables, eggs, herbs, honey, flowers, paints, markers, books, shirts, skirts, pants, fabric, yarn, paper, sheet music, patterns, books, garden/craft tools, toys, kits and more. Be sure to bring a bag to take home the bounty!

Local Garden Share – Bring extra bounty from the garden (produce, fruit, herbs, eggs, honey, flowers, plants in pots), things made in the kitchen from the things from the garden, seeds, seedlings, tools, utensils, books, magazines. Anything garden and food-related is welcome.

Craft Share – Bring your arts and crafts supplies and tools, and even artistic creations to share.  We’ll have demos on simple crafts you can make, techniques you can learn, a chance to show off your skills, and even a crochet lesson.

Bicycle workshop – Let’s work together to do minor maintenance and make minor adjustments to improve your bike for efficiency, safety and comfort, with Trevor and Katie. They’ll help you with: Tire pressure, Oiling squeaky chains, Seat ergonomics, Adjusting bar position for good wristernomics, Adjusting gears, brakes and headsets. They can also coach you through fixing a flat tire!

Scrapophony– Fun with Found Sounds – Learn to make and play some simple ‘musical instruments’ from things found around the house. Discover the joys found sound and explore the wonders of sound via everyday objects. Humans have been experimenting with ways to make music with found objects (sticks, bones, rocks…) for about as long as there have been humans. Join us in rekindling that sense of auditory exploration which is the wellspring of musical creativity.

Book share – Turn in your old beloved books in readable condition (no pages missing please) and take home a new good read. Any extras will be donated to the library.

Clothes share – Bring something that no longer fits but still looks good (free of stains and tears) and find something that you need to complete your wardrobe. Any remaining clothes will be donated to Goodwill for recycling.

Toy share – Kids bored of the same old toys? Trade them in for something new-to-them, and get the next generation involved in sharing and keeping things out of the landfill. Extras will be donated to a local children’s shelter.

Throughout the Bay Area, neighbors are coming together for sharing locally grown, fresh produce, as well as arts and crafts supplies, and other household items. Our Palo Alto sharing event is supported by a coalition of community ecological organizations and neighborhood groups including: Acterra, Barron Park Green Team, Barron Park Garden Network, Barron Park Assn, Common Ground, City of Palo Alto Community Gardens, Deborah’s Palm, Midtown Green Team, Opalz, Slow Food South Bay, Transition Palo Alto and Transition Silicon Valley.

The Common Ground store is open during the event, so plan to stop in to get any supplies you need to continue your garden bounty or more.  Also, the event is located only 3 blocks from the California Ave Farmers’ Market, which is open from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  You will have time to shop or have lunch at the market after the event.

Please take home any excess of what you bring, if you can. Other items such as toys, books, craft supplies and clothes may be donated to local charities and shelters. More information will be posted at http://transitionpaloalto.org

The Conversation, Community, and Calling (a.k.a. Conversation) group welcomed new and old participants on a chilly but glorious evening this past week.  Affectionately dubbed the Transition Palo Alto “support group for activists,” the Conversation group started in 2010 with some sessions that Cecile Andrews did on helping folks identify and pursue their personal purpose (their “calling”). Since then, the group has given support to people exploring new ideas and projects, looked at personal and political activism, and even supported folks with issues in their personal lives. Communication has been a frequent topic, and the group turned to it again this week. Mary Jane Marcus led an exercise in compassionate listening, and Chris Selberg shared ideas from a recent workshop on non-violent communication.

The Conversation group meets every two weeks. For more information, go to the Groups and Project page.