We must move

Moving is one of the most bittersweet life events all humans must do. At some point everyone has to move. Whether moving when you’re a kid cause your parents got a new job in a different place, moving out your parent’s house for college or moving into your first home or apartment.

This past week I moved from my family home in rural Connecticut to Harlem, NYC. I have spent the last three years since college living at home, which has been a blessing. Living in Connecticut I could be exposed to activities I wouldn’t have in the city. I was able to hike on the Appalachian Trail anytime I pleased since my hometown falls right on the trail. I was able to work on a farm a mile from my house and receive organic vegetables regularly. I re fell in love with the being outdoors and came to the realization that I feel most at peace when I am in nature. 

I was lucky enough to form a new relationship with the parents in my early twenties. That felt more like a best friendship then parents. However I knew I couldn’t stay in Connecticut forever. Although I will always be a country girl I knew it was time for me to move like the water in the Housatonic River that runs by my house.

An opportunity presented itself to move in with two of my best friends in the city and I took it. My first apartment and my first time living in the city. Although there is less nature to get lost in in New York there is culture to be experienced at every moment.

When packing I kept it simple. My favorite clothes, bedding, toiletries, plants and a few trinkets that I reminded me of home. As nervous as I was to move from the horse farm I grew up on to the big apple. I knew it was time to go. One of the hardest things about living in the area of Connecticut I was in was the complete lack of diversity. I was always the only black person where ever I went. 

Now that I am here it feels amazing being in a neighborhood with deep roots of Black History and Pan Africanism. 

I still have much exploring to do in Harlem and around the entire city. I feel like I am on a new planet. I am thankful that I decided to move and allow a fresh experience into my life. If you don’t move things will never change and that’s not always positive. I look forward to sharing this next chapter of my life with you all in the city that is full of big dreamers who apparently never sleep.

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— Goldfeather (@Arvolyn) November 13, 2013

How I made my Tepee Garden

How I made my Tepee Garden 

July 20, 2013

Two years ago I decided that I needed a tepee in my life. I was really into the blog HonestlyWTF and they had a DIY post about how to make your own tepee. I instantly feel in love with the idea and decided to get to work.

Building the tepee structure with my dad.

I first built the tepee for my Burning Man themed graduation party in 2011, check out the post here. My father and I went into the forest and cut down the trees ourselves and a family friend provided a few more tepee poles to use. With fabrics I found at the thrift store I sewed together a cover for the tepee. I used denim, velvet, my childhood Star Wars sheets, and floral prints to name a few. I made a patch work quilt for the structure.
The tepee was a hit at the party; it became a peaceful hang out amongst all the fun. My friends had intimate conversations; face painted, gave each other massages and even slept in the tepee.

Graduation Party 2011

After the party was over with all the work that went into building it I had no intention of taking it down anytime soon. The tepee eventually became apart of my family's property. In the winter we decorated it with Christmas lights. It survived snow, rain, sleet and hail, but eventually the quilt wore out. I decided to take the quilt cover off and let the tepee stand as a skeleton.

Christmas in the tepee

This summer I decided to give the tepee new life by turning it into a tepee garden.
In the early spring I started gathering seeds, planning how the garden would be structured and what would grow inside of it. I decided to grow climber plants up the tepee poles such as morning glories, cardinal climbers, black-eyed susans and beans. The inside of the tepee garden would have a mix of herbs and vegetables including lavender, sage, oregano, dill, cilantro, peppers, peas and tomatoes.

Baby cilantro in a eggshell 

I got the idea from the Free People Blog to make an egg crate garden to start my seeds. In the egg crate garden I watched my baby plants begin to grow in their eggshell homes. Some plants did well in the eggs other didn’t make it. I learned quickly that gardening is a process of trial and error. You are never always going to get it right the first time. But the seeds that did well flourished like my cilantro, beans and peas.

As time went by the plants started to outgrow their eggshell homes and the temperature was warm enough to finally plant them outside.
My Gardener Guru and good friend Nikki Jimmo came over to help me break ground. We overturned the dirt in the tepee so I could sit inside and have plants surrounding me at all angles. We planted beans and pea seeds directly into the soil as well as placing the egg starter plants in the garden. Getting everything in the ground was a lot of work but we could only imagine what it would look like when it was in bloom at the end of the summer.
Slowly as the days began to get warmer my plants started to grow. I remember the day the baby pea plants just popped right out the ground. Their presence was reassurance that this was really happening my tepee garden was growing.

Planting sage, lavender and mint. 

All of the plants growth was staggered different plants peaking at various times. The peas came in the late spring, dill and cilantro grew in the early summer, while the lavender and sage flourished in the mid summer. The tomatoes arrived by mid July and the morning glories blossomed in early August. Watching each of my plants grow from seed to full shape I learned to appreciate each stage of its life. Evolving from tiny sprouts, to vines and finally a bright flower full of light.

Although summer is coming to an end the tepee garden hasn’t peaked.  The cardinal climbers vines have grown to the top of the tepee but still need to produce red flowers. I am hoping in time for my birthday in September.
Spending the summer weeding, planting and eating the harvests of the tepee garden has been a healing experience. Every morning I look forward to running outside and seeing something new that has grown or bloomed. It has served as a peaceful sanctuary for me anytime I am upset, stressed or sad. As soon as I step inside the tepee garden and rub my fingers with the lavender and smell their sweet scent whatever was bugging me feels far away. The tepee stands tall in my yard, it has a presence. It’s a symbol of my presence on earth.

More photos of my tepee's evolution below.