How I discovered my leadership identity in the age of COVID and the Black Lives Matter movement
This article was originally published by Kalllion Leadership, Inc., in 2021. I am grateful to them for letting me tell my story. In 2020 I assumed an IT Leadership position at Duke University as part of a centralization of IT services under the Office of Information Technology. In my new role, I lead a small […]
Paw Paws
After 12 years of trying, we finally got our first paw paws today! I am beyond excited.
Spring
It’s April and the back of the yard is full of flowers. Yellow daffodils, purple comfrey and the beautiful white bell-shaped flowers on Solomon’s Seal make for a nice mix of spring colors. The pitcher plants are thriving and making little ones. The yard is teeming with life. L. and I have been doing a lot […]
School days
Monday is L’s first day of classes at Club Boulevard School and he is really excited. Yesterday we delivered some snacks and supplies. Last Saturday we joined some of the parents, staff, and students in a mulching project for the school. Levi had a good time mulching the walkway with his principal, Ms. Phillips. It […]
Dinosaur plants
It was a long, wet winter but eventually the sun came out. The yard is squishy in spots, but it has never looked more fecund. Clover, chickweed, moss, daffodils and other flowers dot the yard now. The blueberries are budding. I saw my first frog of the year hop into Farthing pond today. The pitcher […]
The Turtle
I went outside to feed the cats the other evening and saw a large turtle hanging out near the pitcher plants next to the pond. Amazed, I ran back in the house and grabbed Shawnna and Levi. When we got back outside the turtle was heading towards the deep end of the pond and we […]
Blueberries are for the birds …
Being a permaculture enthusiast means playing the long game sometimes. It’s kind of like having an investment that eventually pays dividends. I bought our house in 2007 knowing that I would be putting down roots in the City of Durham. What sold me on the property was our backyard—a fenced-in double lot, unusual for a […]
The Fledglings
Our bluebird babies are getting ready to fledge. Last night a whole family of bluebirds flew into our backyard and perched themselves in a tree high above the bluebird house. The fledglings were poking their heads out, unsure of their next move. while our feral cat Grace was looking up at the scene, licking her lips. As […]
The Peace of Wild Things
Life in the Pandemic. It’s been a surreal month. We’ve run the gamut of emotions here at our house. As good medicine we’ve been trying to cultivate an atmosphere of fun and silliness, starting with a Christmas tree decorating party our first week at home. Later we pulled out our giant inflatable Mickey Mouse. Last […]
Where the Frogs Went
Lately we’ve seen cooler temperatures with periodic bursts of rain, filling up Farthing Pond and our big rain cubes. Last week I estimated that we had about 2,000 gallons of water at our disposal, so when Levi told me he wanted to “build some waterfalls” I was happy to oblige. I just let the water […]