dear ms b-i start school today

DEAR MS B-I START SCHOOL TODAY

ms b
over the years i have helped several schools with their gardens
usually offering advice and well acting as a consultant
letting the kids and the teachers do all the planning and work
i sort of provide my garden knowledge
and
when i can
provide donations like plants compost soil
rainwater tanks etc


once my cowgirl get it done sister in law principal
asked if i would be interested in helping her do a garden
so
of course i said yes
she got larger watering tanks
filled them with good soil

i got plants picking those that would grow well
and that kids might eat
like lettuce spinach swiss chard carrots broccoli etc
they loved it
so did i


then my wife shes school wanted to do a garden
i donated and set up a 5 ft raised bed for her classroom
some of her kids did the manual work
i just sort of supervised
ok so i did get my hands dirty

i made sure they
had good soil
used the right products
planted things at the right time
planted things that would grow and they would eat
i left the planting and planning the planting to them
it was one of her classes favorite places to go to
for outside classroom time


a former patient contacted me once
to help her design and put together the garden
at her kids school
she was the brains behind it all
i just again provided consultation and some hands on help
setting it all up

she and the kids made their own soil
i actually learned a lot from them and her
i even incorporated some of what she taught me
into my country n garden
and
am using it now in my sb country n garden
thanks mc


a fellow meals on wheels volunteer asked me
well i volunteered to help when she was talking about it
for her kids school
many of my former patients went to school there
many of the teachers were my former patients

again
they did all the planning and work
i provided consultation and advice
and
i also was able to get donated to them
compost mulch organic garden supplies left over from
my habitat for humanity landscape projects

i usually try to stay on the periphery and let the kids and teachers
do everything
its not always like i would do it
i did keep them from making some bad mistakes at times

my two nephews here went to the same elementary school
had the same teacher
you know one of those remember them forever teachers
one of those that when asked
whose your favorite
its always her
i had mine
i do think that if i was in school with them she would be mine also

she follows my blog especially when i write about school gardens
when she read i was moving here
she sent me a message
will you volunteer to help with our school garden
you betcha i said
that was one of 4 volunteer things i wanted to do
along with the alzheimers groups the community garden
habitat for humanity meals on wheels
you gotta give back
for me
i realize there are things up in my brain that i know that
others dont
that i can share with them that may improve their lives in some way
isnt that what volunteering is about


so
ms b
today
i start school
returning to help all those little kiddos like you
develop an interest in gardening
that like their love for their teacher
will last a lifetime

i hope i get an a

the organicgreen doctor

make it bigger

MAKE IT BIGGER
there are some things the government
just cant seem to do as well
as charities can

maybe its the politics involved
the taxes that would have to be spent
to do the same services

hopefully all of us have charities
that we support

we have chosen a few that we support
we do this support by
first doing volunteer work
it costs only for the gas to get there
the pay
you feel it deep inside
well its worth it when you get finished
with your days task

even when my wife she helps me with the
habitat for humanity landscape
yes even she feels good about the time
she spends helping finish up the landscape
for the new owner

so based on our interests in helping certain
organizations

we support by volunteering and or giving donations to


williamson county habitat for humanity


williamson county meals on wheels



alzheimers texas

today in austin
you dont have to live in this area to donate
there is an online charity donation push that happens every year
to raise money for charities

this year the goal is $9,000,000

lets all help these charities meet their goals
many dont receive government money
some do
but
what we give them is most of what they have
to do the good they do


the day is
amplify austin day
click on this link
i live here i give here
type in the group you want to donate to
do your donation
they all need help

then after you do your donation
try
volunteering like we do
if you have kids make them volunteer
it could change their lives

it will make you and your family better people
it will make you feel good inside
you never know
one day you may need some of their help

lets make it bigger today

the organicgreen doctor

the intern

the INTERN
having been rained in for several days
having seen too much rio olympics
seeing all those stories about swimmers urinating in
a gas station
why not just save that for the swimming pool guys
having not enough football yet to watch
i said to my wife she
lets find a movie on tv
so on hbo
there was the movie the intern with robert deniro and anne hathaway

as i watched this
as many of you who have retired
as i did too early 5 years ago
you recognize that lost look
that
what am i going to do now
you can only clean the house
mow the yard
paint
read the paper
organize your papers
all those other things that need to be done
then
what next you ask

thats when
your life can either get better for everyone
or
you become stagnant

i chose like robert deniro did
to not to become stagnant
look at
you need to see the movie
the good
how much he made those around him
better
and
happier

there are a lot of retired folks who have a lot to offer
their numbers keep growing and growing each year
why dont we
schools government charities businesses
do a better job of taping into this source of knowledge and manpower
some of its free ie they just volunteer

thats what i did

i always wanted to help build a house with habitat for humanity
so
i showed up one day and started volunteering once or twice a week
i am on somewhere between 10-15 houses that i have helped with
most i have supervised and planned the landscape
with sometimes little funds

i would do it again

then
my mom got free meals
so
i volunteered for meals of wheels delivering once a week
on a 28 mile route spread out from the kitchen site
to close to where the country n is located

i have befriended several of the clients
helping one find the right medicare rx plan and saved him a
couple of thousand on his drug bills each year
i also helped with making sure his last will was handled like
he wanted along with other dedicated volunteers

i even planted a tomato for a 94 year old client in a movable
pot so she could grow fresh tomatoes
a proud possession is that tomato for her

i recently cut down a fallen tree off another clients wheelchair ramp

things i wouldnt have got to do if i hadnt decided to get involved
with meals on wheels
the clients life was made a little better by my decision
i feel good inside for doing it

i got involved with the alzheimers movement
doing alzheimers walks to raise funds
i having personally raised several thousands for the movement over
the last 5 years
i like doing alzheimers talks answering those questions about the disease
that people always want answers for but cannot get them
i am involved with alzheimers research as a volunteer subject
ive been stuck with needles in the arm and the back multiple times
endured numerous memory tests
hoping to do my part to find an answer for this disease
at the same time somehow making my memory better

wait
maybe it was because i chose like robert did
not to stay home and go stagnant
but
to get involved

so
if your are retired or if you just have some free time
you need to get involved
maybe
become an intern

the organicgreen doctor