Style blogs

For the past few years now a hobby of mine has been reading style blogs. I read as if sampling fruit; each blogger has her unique style and taste. One of them likes to wear floral, one of them likes classic pieces and has great hair, and another one puts together such effortless looks that I wonder how she does it. One of my aspirations is to start a style blog one day! I would like to include food and DIY projects as well. I think that would be an enjoyable experience in college or beyond.

Garden Obstacles and Challenges

Since I've never gardened before, the act of gardening itself will be a new challenge for me. I can be somewhat germaphobic, so any anxiety about getting my fingers and arms in the dirt gardening will need to be overcome. However, I'm not too concerned about that - I think a main obstacle will be what happens to the garden after it is planted. I hope I will have enough time to help maintain the garden and keep it safe from pests or animals who might eat the plants. Other major issues are going to be maintaining the soil at an optimal condition for all the plants. Like anything, this garden will be a time commitment with a payoff that may take some time to come. I will be happy to work on it and nurture growth!

Town Hall Discussion and Emotional Sustainability

Last Wednesday we had a town hall discussion among teachers, students, administrators and custodial staff. Among the topics we discussed were emotional sustainability, recycling, and food. I was pleased to find that the encouragement of healthy lifestyles for students and faculty was a theme throughout the discussion.

Our talk answered questions about recycling and school lunches and brought up certain student issues. I noticed how some of the freshmen spoke about having 6 hours of homework a night, which seemed like way too much. I think time management was really essential to my adjustment to BCA as a freshman. In addition, we discussed the possibility of having healthier lunches and I hope these ideas come to fruition one day, even if it is after I graduate.

One topic that really hit home for me was emotional sustainability. It felt good to know that others are struggling with the same issues of balancing giving and taking on an everyday basis. This is something I need to remember as I try to improve my academics, extracurriculars, and physical health- mental health is just as important. This may mean putting something less important to the side while I focus on other things.

Last weekend I practiced yoga on Saturday and Sunday morning for 45 minutes. It was nice to open up my lungs and stretch my limbs early in the morning and it was a great start to the day. Like the picture at the beginning of this post, I feel like yoga is refreshing and liberating. It helps me maintain my emotional and physical sustainability.

Square Foot Garden Plans

Today Cathy, Maddy and I are planning what we will plant in our three-square foot garden. We would like to plant the following (All from Lowes)

- Blue Concord Grape Plant $14.98
- Strawberry Plant -10-Pack Quinalt Everbearing Strawberry $9.98
- Rosemary -2.5-Quart Pink Bog Rosemary (L4165) $6.98

- Asparagus - 6-Pack Jersey Giant Asparagus Hybrid $14.98 

- Blackberry - 2-Pack Darrow Blackberry Plant $14.98

- Potato - 5 Lbs. Goldrush Russet Seed Potatoes $19.98

This list has more than we can actually plant, but we wanted to gather ideas in case we cannot realistically plant some of these.