Contemplation

“Aster on Goldenrod” – Soergel Orchards – Wexford, PA

Everyday I contemplate suicide…

Genocide… Elimination of a people…
Elimination of those born under the church and steeple…
I was born a lamb… Meaning born under god…
Our entire culture is nothing more than a fraud…

Belief is a product of the depths of imagination…
Evolution is natures response to societal regeneration…
Population booms will guarantee catastrophic loss…
Nothing can save us… Not even the cross…

I have faith… My faith is rooted in nature…
The herbs will heal me… The trees are my savior…
Ashes become ashes… Dust becomes dust…
Nature is the only god I can openly trust…

Follow the moon to the earths distant edge…
Sail the rivers through the channels we dredge…
At the end of the sky sits a savior numbered one…
Sing praises to the stars and worship the sun…

Today is my 2 year anniversary of blogging on wordpress… I wanted to take a second to thank all of the readers that give me the inspiration to continue writing… So… Thank you… Just knowing that a few people enjoy my blog has been mind-blowing… Your comments regularly make me digitally blush… Even the occasional negative comment inspires me to keep on going… So as I celebrate 2 years… I thank you… You are the reason I am still here…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

“Butterfly on Aster” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA

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World War 501c3 – I am a Non-Prophet

I’m grouping these two poems together… They are a touch negative and representative of a past mood that has now passed… Enjoy…

I am a non-prophet… I will make you cry…
I will make the stars fall like rain from the sky…
I choose my battles based on what I believe…
Honesty is by far the best way to deceive…

I can already hear the distant bulldozers rumble…
Soon the tall trees will fall and tumble…
Public parks are a publicly funded resource…
Nonprofits dictate with little recourse…

Can’t see the forests for the piles of cash…
Soon the trees will be a toxic pile of ash……
They see us as the poorest and ask for a fee…
Soon we will all fight in world war 501c3…

——————————————————–

There is something wrong with the non-profit culture…
White wigs rain from the mouths of corporate vultures…
The rich get richer and the poor are asked to volunteer…
We hoist them to the penthouse… Then we carry their gear…

The pen is mightier than the sword… At least it’s lighter…
A charity is only as strong as their best grant writer…
501c3 designation is a flat out disgrace…
To working class folks with sweat on their face…

So fuck the nonprofits… Fuck the cash burning whores…
Quit buying garbage from their minimum wage stores…
They take million dollar salaries with no real explanation…
Volunteering is more valuable than your financial donation…

World wars in the future fought for financial return…
Soldiers will be nothing more than unpaid interns…
We will kill each other over our wasted environment…
Non-profit status doesn’t make you a government…

Charity status is a gift from the people… For the people…
It is not an offering to be used for lies… Deceit… Or evil…
It means you are required to do the job you said you would do…
Your job is to help the majority… Instead of paying the few…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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Four Photographs of June – Beautiful Invaders

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plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Composition in Scraps – Primary

“Composition in Scraps – Primary” – Bricks from my garden… River stones from the alley… Dandelions and Buttercups… Blue Flag Iris… Bamboo… Red Twig Dogwood… Apple…

A collaboration of a few of the things I find beautiful… Mere scraps to most… But to me… To me these things all posses as much individual beauty as they do as one composition… They were collected for a reason… They were collected to define a season… They were collected to define me…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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Composition in Scraps – Composing Me

“Composition in Scraps” – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – As the name implies… Scraps from a day at work… It was either this or the garbage can… Almost a self-portrait in a way…

Put me in a group of people… And I crumble…
I stutter… Shake… And ultimately stumble…
Nature is my saving grace… My constant drive…
Put me in the forest and watch me come alive…

Know where I’m going… I’m just not sure how to start…
Looking for my salvation in the form of natural art…
Stop for a moment below a twisted mulberry tree…
Every part of which can heal… From root to canopy…

Shattered glass outlines brick like shiny gemstones…
Naked trees against the sky resemble broken bones…
Moments in time always shape our inner perception…
Shadows in our lives lead to shadows in our reception…

Towering grey clouds rise from the distant horizon…
Thunder rumbles as the afternoon humidity rises…
Towering Maple trees sway as the steady breeze blows…
As this moment progresses my tattered spirit grows…

Right here… Right now… I am among the poorest…
The most I have to offer is some pictures of the forest…
Sitting here watching the sun rise over rotten homes…
Sitting here watching the sunrise… While my soul roams…

I never know where my mind will take me… I never know what I will find… But as long as I slow down and pay attention to the world around me… I always find something beautiful… I always find something grand…

Someday… I will find you…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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A Little Help from my Friends

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The following post was not easy to write… before the emails and comments start I have to say that I am alright… I won’t be accepting comments on this particular post… Read it for what it is… A deeply personal piece of art… Enjoy… plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello This work is licensed […]

A Plant A Day Till Spring – Day 37 – Basil

“Lemon Plumes” – Summer 2013 – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – Right next to my front walkway… A favorite of the neighborhood kids… And the secret ingredient to my world famous Lemon Beer Chicken….

“A Plant a Day till Spring” will highlight one plant a day, starting on the winter solstice (December 21, 2013)… And ending on the vernal equinox (March 20, 2014)… If all goes to plan I will be starting with old Snowdrop photos from 2013… And ending with new photos of Snowdrops in 2014…

Basil… I absolutely love this plant… I grow as many varieties as I can get my hands on… Italian, lemon, cinnamon, lime, magic, sacred, Minette, Thai, globe, spicy, purple, red… And that is just in my front yard… Although Basil is considered a culinary herb… I actually use it as an ornamental plant that I have the option of eating…

I can’t even begin to convey how many times I have been told I should prune the flowers off of my Basil… And yes… If I was going for the edible leaves… That would be the case… And I do this to my “Italian Large Leaf” plants… But I like the way Basil looks when it is in flower… I always have… I believe it is one of the most underrated landscape plants available…

Basil is an annual… Plant it… Water it… Establish it… And leave it alone… It is a Mediterranean plant so it can handle drought… All that’s left is to enjoy it… Which I promise you will…

“Dragon Basil” – Summer 2013 – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – This variety is actually known as “Michael’s Magical”… But early on I noticed the flowers look like dragons so I made my own common name…

Basil in bloom is a beautiful thing… The plant suddenly begins to stretch toward the heavens… Slowly… Tiny flowers begin to form along each stem… They are a favorite of bees… Often attracting so many it will appear as a swarm… When the wind blows… The plant dances… In unison the flowers sway back and forth… This is often the only time I can get close enough to them to prune without disturbing the worker bees…

I always grow Basil along the walkway to my front door… Anytime I walk past I run my hand through the flowers… Because of this… My front yard always smells of either cinnamon or lemon…

Children also seem to appreciate the smell of basil… It does not burn the nose like Sage… Even the spicy varieties smell pleasant… Plus… There are so many varieties available… It makes it easy to keep the kids guessing…

“Rubrum” – Summer 2013 – Whitney Avenue – Wilkinsburg, PA – A red variety… Well… It is actually a purple… But it is the reddest of the purples…

Woke up to a few inches of fresh snow… Expecting a few more this afternoon and then -30 wind chills tonight… Going exploring with my camera later… But because many of my readers are in parts of the world that don’t get snow… I am including a photo of last nights snow squall… As always… Taken with a shitty camera with a very shitty flash…

“Sudden Squall” – January 25, 2014 – Looking at Hamnett Way – Wilkinsburg, PA

Garden Connections

I am dreaming of Spring… Planning my gardens… Well… Gardens and farm… Dreaming of Bees… Dreaming of chooks… Dreaming of watching the landscape burst forth… Shades of green… Shades of shade…

Dreaming of spending time with you… In our gardens… Because thanks to our friends the bees… Our gardens speak to each other… Therefore I see my gardens as yours… And your gardens as mine…

When your garden is healthy… My garden is healthy…

When my garden is healthy… I am healthy…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

If you want some science – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil

New To writing and never had to cite sources before… These “Plant a Day Till Spring” posts are simply intended to kill time until spring when I start writing more… My source (where applicable) is Wikipedia.org… The photography is all my own… And I am adding my own information…

This website and all of the information presented within is provided free by the author… Me… It is my sole opinion and is not representative of anyone other than myself… Although this website is free… I sell prints of my photography here – www.society6.com/chriscondello – or you can contact me directly with questions at – c.condello@hotmail.com – Although it isn’t a requirement… It helps…

Remember to tip… My Bitcoin digital wallet address is – 1JsKwa3vYgy4LZjNk4YmPEHFJNjPt2wDJj

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Garden Prayer #4 – Always Seek the Beautiful

“Floating in Blue” – April 2013 – Wilkinsburg, PA – Dandelions floating in a dyed puddle…

Little bird sitting on a naked branch… Winter feathers puffed up and proud… Working for the right to live… Singing for the seeds I give… Singing for the sheltered trees… Crying in the frigid breeze…

Awake before the rising sun… Early risers we are one… Light the candle see your eyes… In the glow our spirits fly… Evening energy differs from day… Mornings we work and evenings we play…

Always seek the beautiful… Always take the scenic route… Take the path to stellar dreams… Believe in Jack and magic beans… Have faith in your hands and you will find… Nature cooperates with piece of mind…

Plants bloom and water flows… Birds sing and vegetables grow… A healthy garden grows a healthy you… Thinking like this will change your view…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

I wanted to take a second and mention that I am in the process of writing a book… As of right now the title is “A Green Thumbed Vagabond”… But knowing me… That is subject to change… Any way… I’ll keep everyone updated as the project progresses…

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Practical Permaculture – Breaking Ground on Another Urban Garden

“Looking on from Rebecca Avenue” – The vacant lot from the street… Sidewalk in the foreground… The trees in the rear will be heavily trimmed this spring… There is a brick alley in the rear… And my very involved landlady owns the houses on either side of the lot…

So… I am excited to announce that after an entire year of observation and preparation, I will be breaking ground on a new guerrilla garden/farm here in Wilkinsburg, PA late this winter. Located roughly one block from my current garden (The Garden Table), this lot will focus on production as opposed to aesthetics. I intend to document every project I undertake, much of it will be shared through this blog.

As is my typical fashion, I intend to complete this project using very little money. That may not seem like a big deal, but given the fact that it typically takes $25,000 in grant money to get one of these things off the ground…  I think I’m doing pretty good so far… In fact, this will be the fourth vacant lot I have converted into a beautiful urban garden with a budget of basically nothing.

The lot itself is 60’W x 140’D, with a 4′ rise over the first 15′ of the lot. It was a relatively recent demolition, wood frame and sandstone foundation. As a result, the lot has not had a chance to become too overgrown. Myself, as well as the borough employees maintained the lot over the summer through regular mowing and litter removal. Although there are some invasive weeds growing throughout, I have managed to keep them to a minimum through regular removal.

“The Garden Table” – This is where I went when I had to move Whitney Avenue Urban Farm… Now that it has filled up… I have found myself seeking a place to overflow… My new lot will be used for all of the food I want to grow… But can’t quite fit into one small lot…

As it sits today, the grass is mowed and the lot is clear. I have been dumping leaf and wood debris all summer, remediation will be performed throughout development. The front quarter of the property will be raised using salvaged foundation stones, the fill will be locally available compost created from the leaves collected from the streets of Wilkinsburg. Bricks are a constantly available resource in my neighborhood, so I intend to work with them as much as possible. It is always tough for me to speculate what materials I will find in the immediate area, for that reason my plans typically change throughout the course of construction.

Fruit producing trees will be planted throughout, underneath each of these trees will be appropriate guilds. Vegetables will be grown in both contained rows, and interspersed among other plants. The quarter of the lot closest to the street will be mainly ornamental, the purpose of which is to make people driving by turn and take notice. The top of the slope will be a line of dogwood and redbud trees, which will also help in privatizing the rear of the garden from the road.

“Whitney Avenue Urban Farm” – You are looking at one year of work… This farm lasted two growing seasons before I moved it… But I did… Brick by brick… Roughly two blocks away to The Garden Table…

Just to give you an idea of some of the things I will be including… Fruit trees will be (but not limited to) plum, pear, peach, apple, cherry, serviceberry and figs… The figs will be surrounded by south-facing keyhole style gardens to protect during the coldest months… Blueberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries and raspberries will be sporadically placed… Rows will be cut and vegetables will be numerous… I’m hoping to get into bees… The gutters from the neighboring houses will be collected or diverted into the garden… The lot also has a run-off issue towards the street… I intend to fix this with a bioswale… Everything on site will be recycled and locally scavenged… All plants will be personally propagated or donations from friends…

The food grown will be made available to locals on a (as long as you don’t steal it all) basis… As always… Volunteers always get first dibs… As of right now… I am the only person signed on… Though I do have a friend who is interested in helping… Regardless… I will be planting fruit trees come the thaw…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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Individuality – Make Your Own Way

“SOLO – Almost Floating” – Frick Park – Pittsburgh, PA – Sculpture of stone… Free standing cairn…
~
A gift to the stream…

The day of the individual has come and gone…
Now were programmed to be corporate pawns…
We will work until were blind dumb or dead…
Fighting for crumbs while the big wigs break bread…

There will always be someone just a little bit cheaper…
Computers replace man like the fucking grim reaper…
A corporate soldier that’s been assigned a code…
So the company can determine your financial load…

This is not a world where I could coexist…
I’m too much of a shit that just wants to resist…
I ask too many questions and look for blame…
At minimum wage we are one and the same…

Resistance is futile and our futures are bleak…
The only hope is the independence we seek…
Depending on nature is depending on your self…
Not paying the standard rate for food off the shelf…

Stand up for your most basic of human rights…
Food in the cupboard and children’s night lights…
Anything extra is for the corporate class…
Lack of food is one way they own your ass…

Pay a living wage to make sure we get to work…
Eat with your hands because a fork is a perk…
Subsistence pay is a form of human slavery…
But in the corporate world it’s a sign of bravery…

College degrees in hand like the soldier boy…
Sent out across the land like the generals toy…
Don’t be another fool or a disposable tool…
Our lives depend on principles that each of us rule…

plant petunias and question everything – chriscondello

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