Spring is here, harbinger of Hope.
Tomorrow, Riverbank Neighbors
will host a celebration at the "Farm"
2549 west Hutchinson
(the vacant lot where a proto-McMansion collapsed)
at 6:00 until 8:00.
We'll have a nice fire going and a grill.
Bring friends and food (no tree nuts, please)
brings stories and song, 
drinks and dance,
and re-usable cups, plates and tableware 
(you will receive an eco-gold star).
Bring lawn chairs if you like.
If there is a downpour, we will retreat to the Leki/Albano house.
We take delight in marking this moment,
the balance of night and day,
the breaking of dormancy, 
the shedding of coats and worries.
Please feel welcomed to come.

On the next few Mondays I invite you to respond to Mighty Acorns Journals with me,
a fun, but voluminous (is this a word?) task, in the Conference Room.
We meet after drop-off. Tea and coffee are available. 
Spend an hour, or whatever.  I have completed  only 3 of 9 classrooms.
And I can't do this work when it is beautiful outside. 
Join me!

I have almost finished reading the book:
We Are Multitudes, by Ed Yong
No, it is not about insurrection.
It is a review of the scientific inquiry into the role that our "gut"
biome plays in the ecological community we call our body.
We are truly a community of many many beings inhabiting our lives,
and almost all of them are our dear friends, just like at Waters School.
This is a gentle admonition against the supposed wisdom of being anti-septic. 

I attended the Chicago River Summit, a symposium whose theme could be summarized:
Get Ready To Swim!
Yes. In the Chicago River. 
Not yet.
And I am definitely not switching from my favorite Lake swimming spot.
But the science shared was so very interesting. 
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District has partnered with Argonne National Lab to test the genome of DNA present in river water and sediment samples at sites along the River for the past few years. They were looking for quantities and sources of fecal coliform bacteria to determine the level of health hazard present to humans. 
The results were very surprising. 
The vast vast majority of fecal coliform present originated in animals other than humans: fish, birds, geese, dogs, cats, other mammals....
and are considered non-pathogenic to human beings. 
The basic assertion is that water quality has improved enough that new signage is needed that is less intimidating to users of the water ways, 
and that areas should be made human-accessible .... for swimming.
If this makes you un-comfortable, I completely understand. 
The water quality is still, it seems to me, at best, unappealing for swimming. 
But it is good to know we are headed in the right direction.
See me for details of the study.

Garden night will re-start this Wednesday, weather-willing, with a robust clean up and salutary campfire. We start at 5:00!
Mr. Leki

Dear Gardening Friends, 
Champing at the bit to engage with the natural growing world.
It is time to prune the currants (and plant some).
If you are interested in learning how to do this (properly and productively) let me know and we will schedule a training workshop. 
Then, when you are "certified" you can go out and prune whenever the sap starts a-flowing and the weather draws you out. 
The window is now:
end of winter, 
before the shrubs bud out. 
Hey!
Let me know.


New After-School Garden Club at Waters
Green Explorers Club  Grades K-5  – Fridays Right at School
Green Explorers Club teaches kids the tools of sustainability while building a healthy curiosity for life sciences and the environment. We explore sustainability through hands-on experiments and activities that demonstrate the importance of taking care of our planet. Topics include Mini-Terrarium, Composting, Recycling, Chicago Coyotes, Sustainable Food, Urban Birding, Resilient Communities, Bees & Pollinators, and Tree Identification.
Register now! Scroll down to Electives