kindle

Forty Days, Forty Nights
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Anyone who has created a birthday or graduation party, or
planned a wedding can identify. It begins with a thirst that
water can’t touch, moves towards an insatiable hunger, especially
for sweets, and finishes with mornings began too early, coffee
dark. Mood darker. However as the day unfolds and the most
unexpected blessings arrive it appears everything will,
after-all, turn out fine. 

This week has been no exception. Postcard mailings got delayed,
stickers for a gift box were wrong, speaker logistics seemed
insurmountable. And then like ants carrying drops from a picnic
the march of fortuitous luck began. 

A generous friend elected to underwrite a dynamic presenter;
Anita Sanchez from The Pachamama Alliance (check out
pachamama.org) they are bridging the divide between the
indigenous and the modern-very cool! Later in the week the owner
of the Black Point Inn / Migis Lodge agrees to provide shelter
(spelled: Waterfront Gorgeous!) for all speakers traveling from
away-at no expense to the organization. Where except in the
movies does that happen? And a dear friend from NH called,
discovered I could use a hand ordering the weekend roster; he
drove north and spent the day brainstorming, acting as a sounding
board, offering sage counsel. WiseAcres agreees to provide green
tea popcicles to everyone. Light, ahh that light of day, of tasks
accomplished… it was pouring through the windows. A friend in
need is a friend- indeed. 

We at Kaleidoscope with less than six weeks till show-time, have
entered into the tunnel, the channel, that warm nook of
“everything’s possible” and also that chilly parlor of “look out,
duck, keep your head down”. Every minute brings with it energy,
excitement, the rush of “WOW this event is going to blow peoples
minds!”. Yes, the word roller-coaster surfaces, often. What
compels people to put themselves out there, on the ledge, near
the edge, with so much in the balance? 

The answer for me at least is the alternative. Today we are
reading about a hurricane hitting Houston, millions evacuating or
trying, last month it was New Orleans-again! Not long ago an
earthquake created a tsunami that leveled southeast asia,
mudslides in China, etc… the list goes on. I am not sure about
each of you but I truly believe the international body of
scientists when they state: we are in the red zone, our last
chance of correcting the environmental wrongs of the last
century, the time is now. 

I hear their dire warnings as an open invitation: jump in, grab
an oar, bring your talent. Kindle, at the core is that party,
nondenominational, it is an opportunity for people, young and
old, to bring their talent, their gifts, to share together in a
global perspective, a universal calling. And quite frankly they
are bringing it! 

On October 17-19 we will showcase 30 dynamic presentations
brought forward-freely- by nearly 70 experts. In addition there
will be 15 vignettes of extraordinary entertainment. Three
keynoters will IGNITE your imagination, ten plenary speakers will
AWAKEN your imagination… and to the left of you and to the
right of you will be others who are equally determined to dig in,
to make a difference, to lend a hand. Before it is too late,
before Houston, New Orleans, Portland and Portsmouth are
underwater. Before millions are environmentally forced to
migrate, and yes, before Polar Bears begin to die from
starvation-unable to reach the next berg. 

So we plod forward uncertain of the outcome: will anyone attend?
has everyone heard about it yet? Did we get the word out early
enough? Each night I retire to bed curious if just because we
built it they will come…? and in the morning when I review
yesterdays efforts, and the coffee begins to work, I realize:
“Holy Smokes, do we have enough seats, enough food, enough
space…” to hold the many who will attend, who understand this
conversation is no longer an elective it is an imperative, who
enjoy making things right. 

If you have not yet been to our website (kindledinme.com) or went
last week I encourage each of you to check it out again. We are
beginning to harvest the fruits of our labor and to display the
produce that is our pride and joy. Charismatic-megaflora in
abundance. And drop us a line, we are always looking for ideas,
volunteers and suggestions on how to make this an unforgettable
event. 

warm wishes,

Ted

According to the website of Bioneer Roger Doiron
(kitchengardners.org) we know that:”Roger is an advocate for
local and regional food systems. He is founder and director of
Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI), a Maine-based nonprofit
network of over 6000 individuals from 100 countries who are
taking a (dirty) hands-on approach to relocalizing the food
supply.Doiron also works to promote vibrant local, state, and
regional food systems through his work with the Eat Local Foods
Coalition (ELFC) and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture
Working Group (NESAWG). In 2007, he was chosen as a Food and
Society Policy Fellow
[http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/].”However what many of you
may not know is that he has a wicked sense of humour and a real
talent for telling a story through words and pictures.He has a
video out there on the wide web (YouTube) that is entitled ‘This
Lawn is Your Lawn’, it is excellent from beginning to end… and
should be shared by many. It is also a terrific teaser for what
some might expect from a Bioneers conference. Light, playful,
important, rich, meaningful and informative. No fear mongering
for us, most Bioneers I know are to busy undoing great mistakes
to take time to sit around and complain. Too busy building,
dreaming, gardening and creating.Roger will be joined by other
doers including phenom Amanda Beal, a study in productivity if
ever there was- some are certain she has been cloned. When not
doing important work at PROP she can be found toiling in the
intellectual fields of MOFGA or exploring Yellowstone national
Park- and doing it in style, with a smile. John Piotto (think
Unity Barn Raisers, the Maine Farms Project, and serious
legislation) and Melissa White-Pillsbury (MOFGAS Marketing maven)
will also participate in the worksho.It has been said we are what
we eat, some believe we are also what we think. This formidable
quartet will prove to be both inspirational and informative- how
could it not with these accomplished pros at the helm. Look for
them on at Kindle on Friday afternoon. 

Much like a Bioneer’s conference the aforementioned seemingly dissimilar entities comfortably co-habitate a space finding there is safety in numbers, while quietly reminding us diversity nourishes sustainability.

Today’s WILDFIRE profile is Melvin Murrel a social entrepreneur extraordinaire. He is also a hard working fisherman / farmer: an uncommon combination anywhere let alone 100 miles from the nearest shores of New Hampshire. We find Melvin, an extremely articulate man of African-American descent on a misty morning, clad in tall rubber work boots and coveralls, his head topped with a brown USMC cap. One could just as easily picture him in tweed, speaking to an undergraduate crop of aspiring entrepreneurs- although after spending several hours with him one quickly realizes he is clearly a man who would rather do than talk about doing. And do he does!

We arrived last week, as part of a statewide ‘tour de force’ of New Hampshire unsure of what we would find…exactly. Having never been to an inland aquaculture farm, we came upon the village of Deering and Melvin’s farm nestled in a pristine land preserve, complete with dirt roads, beautiful wetlands, and thick forest. The farm is entitled ‘the Poling Farm’, after David Poling who passed last year at 98 years old, his heart simply expired after a long life well-lived.

Given Melvin’s contagious passion for his vocation in addition to location it is likely he too shall live a long life. Melvin farms for fish in what is known as ‘fireponds’, a term I had never heard. (Appropriate enough for a blog entitled Wildfires and an organization creating a conference called Kindle, I bemused.)

Fireponds, usually small bodies of fresh water no more than 25-35 yards across, are very clean. Melvin proudly boasts “they are drinkable upon one boil” rather than the three boils CDC recommends for other ponds. In these tiny forest pools one can raise 3,000 fish and net upwards of $6,000 dollars. Now, before everyone starts digging holes in their backyards its important to remember like any garden it requires attention and maintenance. Which is one of the many reasons Melvin is such a dynamic story: his organization (visit: www.polingaquaculture.com) can and will prepare and consult with you on creating your firepond, and possibly (depending on your location) even maintain it for a share of the revenue- he calls this “mixing”.

Managing a farm, a sustainable working farm, not one of those factory, heavily subsidized, multinational corporate farms requires ingenuity the likes of which many households would shutter before adopting. A working farm also requires visionary leadership and a willingness to take risks, experiment, collaborate, and innovate. Fortunately for the Poling Farm they have all that in Melvin.

Melvins success story is compelling for several reasons: The most interesting is his challenges keeping up with the demand. In addition to horn pout he grows shiners, crayfish, bluegill and bass. Reminding us like any good investment portfolio one needs to diversify remaining ever mindful of trends staying abreast of the times and consumers interests. One of the reasons maintaining inventory is so difficult is workforce related. Area kids wont work for nine dollars an hour, and he wryly observes don’t want to get dirty. Present immigration hysteria has forced many of his migratory latin-american workers to look elsewhere for employment, regardless their ‘green card’ status. Profiling and with it the predictable hassles in the area have created a difficult environment for those industries that require physical manpower.

Melvin, undeterred, ever the innovator, has found a swift stream of good workers in those young war veterans returning home with various disorders a result of combat fatigue and having witnessed too much death and destruction. As a war veteran Melvin knows this community better than most. Melvin suggests the clean air, majestic forest and tranquil ponds provide the fresh canvas for one to reassemble their lives; sitting ten feet from a pond, looking out over rolling hills with summer green everywhere it is easily understood.

So what about the ferns and alpaca- simply another manner in which Melvin has diversified his holdings. The next time your in a florist shop and elect to include some decorative ferns amuse yourself by imaging them growing next to a pond beside some stately, if odd-looking, alpaca.

Melvin and his organization: the New Hampshire Aquaculture Association are recipients of the Maine-based Great Bay Foundation’s financial support, and their website details his efforts further. If able drop this 21st century fisher-farmer a note, saluting his pioneering efforts, maybe even include a charitable gift- it will be money well spent. But an even wiser idea might be to contract with him to build you your own cash generating fire-pond!

His website states:

“Come visit for a while…
we’re sure you’ll go home with a better
understanding of farm-based aquaculture
and perhaps even some Poling Horned Pout.

Great stock for your pond,
even better as that night’s dinner!”

…and he does not disappoint, although we did not leave with any Poling Horned Pout we did leave with an earful of wisdom and a renewed sense of what is possible when one thinks inside and outside of the pond.