NATIVE PERENNIALS: Both plants and people!

May 1, 2022

Yesterday morning, Marita and I worked to get both kudzu (Invasive Plant that Ate the South) and eunymous (native to Asia, invasive “winter creeper” here) out of the area under the giant maple tree, in part to make up for three of us suddenly cutting out of Friday’s work party in order to join a “disorientation tour with striking IU graduate student workers. 

I told her I was thinking about checking out a nearby native plant sale, that afternoon, and would she like to join me? Well, she couldn’t, but I managed to mosey over there around 3 pm.

Hinkle-Garton Farmstead to Offer Daisy Days Native Plant Sale Saturday, Sunday

And guess what? At least 75% of the tables set up for the sale were completely empty, with the rest holding leftovers from the likely not-so-cool native perennials. I did manage to get two each of $5 pots and one $7 pot — 7 different varieties for $57 total. I made sure to take a photo of the description and name of each plant, so I will know whether shade, part shade, or full sun for each. These will go in hopefully later today.

While I was paying for my little darlings, the man selling them told me that in order to get a good selection of plants, I would have needed to arrive when everybody else did, at 10:30 AM, parking, and then getting into a long line! He said they sold more plants in the first hour than they sold during the entire weekend last year. WOW! That he’s just going to cancel the Sunday sale, since the plants are about gone.

WOW! People here in this town are really catching on!

Meanwhile, this morning I walked around part of the Green Acres Village land, and photographed these perennial  lovelies.

 

We have tons of valerian here, don’t know how it got here either, but it grows very tall and has a large white flower that blooms later. I’d call it an invasive, except that it’s such a great medicinal herb. And with my jumpy nervous system and chronic insomnia I can certainly make use of it.

Plus, got several photos of the wandering path network podmate Joseph just created in front of the house where he lives, using wood chips, in the forest garden dominated by our massive, and now cut back Elderberry Queen, (center right).

Another view, with elderberry to the left.

I love to see people come into their own here, taking initiative to explore their own native perennial talents! We’ve noticed before, the beautiful cut flower arrangements and tiny little altars he creates. Clearly,  Joseph is a designer.

 

 

I join a “disorientation tour” with striking IU graduate student workers

April 30, 2022

Two days ago, puppy Shadow and I decided to take our morning walk through the IU campus, with the aim of running in to some of the grad student employees who have been striking to persuade/force the IU admin to agree to them forming a union.  And wouldn’t you know, there they were, under a canopy sitting at a table giving away snacks and talking to whoever came by. All of a sudden, I hear, “Hi Ann!” Aha! Hugh, a friend of mine. I started to go up to him when he waved me away saying, “I’ve got to talk to this trucker.” I picked up their flyer, took some popcorn, and then suddenly, a loud cheer. The UPS truck that had backed into place behind me had agreed not to drop off its load, but instead, to support the strikers! That’s when I realized that they had set up their table strategically, right by the loading dock for trucks delivering to the IMU.

WOW! And I arrived just as this sign of solidarity with UPS workers was about to take place . . .

At the table I picked up this little flyer, and put both buttons on. Hmmm . . . The “disorientation tours” caught my eye.

Okay! Especially since this is the very week that parents visit campus with prospective students, and receive “orientation tours.” Clever! And yes, the strikers hope their “disorientation” tours will cross paths with the “orientation” tours, since the administration is making sure the official orientation tours stay clear of the places strikers have set up their tables.

I decided to go on one of the tours the next day, which was yesterday, the morning of one of our regular Friday morning GAPV work parties. Oops! Just realized that. Well, I’m going anyhow.

I went to tell the group which had gathered to discuss what needs planting, before setting out for campus again. Interrupted them, saying I’m going to head down to IU and go on a tour where grad student strikers are going to point out to us “where the money really goes.” Instantly, two podmates wanted to join me, Marita and Joseph. Oops, didn’t expect that. Felt a bit guilty, but heck, we need to follow our instincts, eh?

Was somewhat concerned that Daniel, a new podmate and new garden manager, would think we were deserting the work party. But no; actually, Joseph had put in time the day before designing and filling paths with wood chips in front of the house he lives in, and today Marita and I decided to work this morning to clear out kudzu and eunonymous from the area surrounding the large maple tree. Plus: we then asked Daniel to show us what needs planting now, and both of us will work tomorrow afternoon doing that.

So, three of us, Marita, Joseph and I, plus Shadow, sauntered on down to IU, heading for that same strategic place I had gone the day before, to join the 11 AM disorientation tour. The gathered strikers holding high their signs were high spirited and loudly chanting back and forth to each other their crying need for unionization, given the intransigence of the IU administration. In fact, the new president, Pamela Whitten, had not uttered a single word on the subject in the three weeks this strike has been going on, leaving it up to the Vice-Provost to take the heat. Next week is finals. Some tenured professors are going to have to be grading the finals of their own classes, since approximately half the graduate students who receive pitiful stipends for teaching and grading are now striking.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the end. Will the remote, top-down administration finally bow down to the academic peons’ needs? If not, will that refusal discourage future graduate students from considering IU?

Here’s the photos I took on our tour, which I must admit, didn’t tell me much about where the money went, because the chants were so spirited and loud. Starting out . . .

. . . we headed for the Metz Carillon Bells, which have just been relocated to a gigantic tower and now sport four more bells, to put these bells in a special class consisting of only 30 others in the whole world.

Of course the strikers gave details on how much this relocation and renovation cost, in the millions.

I did catch one remark, as we were passing by the president’s home on campus. “The president makes $600,000 per year and is the only one to live in subsidized housing!” (Let one thing in Pamela Whitten’s favor be said, however: she actually lives there, unlike the last president who lived instead in an estate on the edge of town.)

Here’s the strikers’ brochure, if you want to know more.

 

It will be interesting to see how this particular strike for graduate student employee unionization turns out.

A quick search didn’t turn up which universities have yielded to graduate student employee demands for unionization. Is this information being suppressed?