A Howard Watson Intrigue

Since last speaking with you I mustered up an army of 48 people to help clean up 55 th and 57 th Street beaches in Chicago for Adopt A Beach Day.   Although we all felt we were doing something wonderful, we found ourselves clearing away trash that should not have been on the beaches. Crap like condoms, baby diapers, tampons, and other stuff were thrown in bushes and trees and found under rocks from people too lazy to walk steps to throw in a trash bin. And the birds were in full battle array! Sometimes you had to almost use sticks to shoo them away. They did not go peacefully. Just so you know, it is now a crime in Illinois to feed birds (any birds) on any beach in the State. As a matter of fact, the fine is $500. The reason the fine is so steep is because of the number of swim bans for the past several summers on our beaches. (Swim bans are when the beaches are closed due to too much bacteria (usually e-coli) in the water.) The reason there is so much bacteria in the ...

I made several mistakes this planting season. Duh. Let’s start with: - listening to everybody but the pros and my gut; - planting tomatoes too close together even though I knew to plant two feet apart; - planting cucumbers too close together (after awhile they become one property); - planting too few onions, too soon, too close together; - Not buying a heat lamp; (even though the beets and jalapeno peppers seeds were duds); - Not building climbing terraces for the cucumbers and tomatoes waaaaay before I needed them; - planting too many basil plants; - Not planting garlic or bell peppers. The mistakes above cost me time but not money or enthusiasm. And to be honest, even with the mistakes I mentioned above I still did a pretty good job of feeding others. I thoroughly enjoyed sowing, but I really enjoyed reaping. I took pleasure in the comments from both family and friends when biting into crunchy cucumbers, chomping down on juicy tomatoes, going stark raving mad not only from the sc...

I must admit I am pretty proud of my little vegetable garden. After several months of tilling, watering, pulling weeds, pruning and tying and lacing, I am ready for a rest - except I can’t rest. Now I have to get my produce to the market, in this case – my friends, who are eagerly waiting to crunch down on cucumbers, tear apart some basil, parsley, oregano and tarragon and bite into some of the biggest reddest tomatoes around. Although the tomatoes won’t be ready until late next month they are already showing signs of bursting into the world. I can’t believe it, my little tomatoes I grew from seed are now real plants that will produce real fruit. When I deliver these vegetables and fruits to others they will know exactly where they came from and exactly who grew them. They will also know that there were NO insecticides or herbicides used to protect their food – only me. They will also know that no vehicle transported them or no refrigeration preserved them, or no warehouse housed...

I don't know about you, but I have been working my butt off trying to make sure that beaches in Chicago are free of contaminants and litter. Why am I doing this? Because I want to not only swim in Lake Michigan, I want to be able to at least believe the water won't kill me if accidentally swallowed. This week, Congress is debating proposals that would strip the federal Clean Water Act of its power and cut clean water funding. What the hell am I working for? Am I spitting in the wind? Tell your representative to oppose HR 2018, the “Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011.” For 40 years, the Clean Water Act has enabled the EPA to create a level playing field for water quality that has improved our waters and protected public health. In the Great Lakes, the Clean Water Act is the driving force for reducing dangerous toxic pollutants. It requires EPA to help the states implement Great Lakes water quality criteria that keep our beaches clean and our drinking water saf...

Have you ever visited a place that was so tranquil, so beautiful or so nurturing that you had to claim it as your own spot, only to find others already claimed it for the same reasons? The Osaka Japanese Garden in Chicago's Jackson Park is just such a place. Last week I was feeling unbelievably stressed out due to budget cuts at work, everything climbing but my my paycheck, CTA incoveniencing me for a myriad of reasons, and of course family issues. No matter how much I wanted to run away to Mexico or Cuba or Belize, I decided that maybe, just maybe my stress would be reduced by simply visiting the Garden. So last week I trudged over in the evening right before the sun was getting off work. The Garden is as amazing in the summer as it is in the spring and fall. The beauty of the garden, the babbling brooks, the whistle of birds flying low, the slight bend of the pussy willows and the "not in a hurry" movement of the li...

I recently found out why organic costs so much more than regular food. Last weekend I worked my flat butt off getting the weeds out of my garden. Those suckers did not want to leave. I think there were more weeds than dirt.  I know there were more weeds than vegetables. After grueling in the sun for over two hours pulling those critters, I now consider myself a farmhand. Talk about labor intensive. Can you imagine pulling weeds and pests off fruits and vegetables for 8-10 hours a day, five  to six days a week? Not me. I now have so much more respect for migrant workers. When I was finally done with the back-breaking tedious work, I pulled up a lawn chair, sat under a shade tree, opened a bag of tortilla chips, grabbed some dip and drank lots of wine. It didn't take long but I soon felt better. I'm not advocating becoming a lush while gardening, but maintaining an organic garden is difficult and tedious work so you might as ...

I am slightly disappointed in some of my vegetables, specifically the jalapeño peppers and beets. They have not grown an inch…literally. It was recently brought to my attention (as in hindsight) not to fret too much as the seeds might have been too old to sow. Never thought about that aspect. Planting my vegetable garden has kind of taken on a life of its own. Neighbors now talk with me at the fence and discuss a myriad of things from farming patterns, to the unusual consistent damp weather (until recently), to the pesky weeds, to plants finally emerging big time. As you know, I have talked and written about community gardening on a continuous basis (some might say ad nauseam). Come to think about it, this is what I am doing.   I am providing an outlet for those who want to talk over the fence but really feel stuck as to what to say. The garden provides that opening. Now everyone else talks ad nauseam about what I’m planting, how I’m planting it and how I’m trying to keep those ...