Flower Arranging

If you want to try your hand at flower arranging, read on to see some of the things I have learned. Keep in mind that I have not have any formal training in floral design, and the flowers I work with are the basic hardy kind that come from the grocery store, or my own cut flower garden. What I know comes from three sources: The Indoor Garden Book by John Brookes (in print but getting hard to find), random YouTube videos, and trial and error.

Floral design is no different from other types of design. There is a mix of visual and construction “rules” and creativity. Those two aspects are on a continuum in some areas of design, including floral design. You don’t have to be a particularly creative person to arrange flowers if you want to follow the “rules”. On the other hand, sometimes good design often comes from throwing the rules out the window and trying something completely new. It’s all individual. I personally fall near the middle between rules and creativity.

The only thing you need in terms of equipment is a good pair of sharp scissors, and possibly floral foam. (See below in the container section) Floral foam is available in any craft store. You want the WET kind. It holds water. The DRY kind does not. It’s usually between $1 and 2$ per block. I use my blocks more than once.

The rest of this post is going to be about simply sharing the things that I have personally learned. I hope it’s helpful to you. Here we go!

Get some inspiration. Good designers don’t create in a vacuum. Look at pictures. Look at the arrangements in the grocery store. Ask yourself:

1. What kind of flowers do I like?
2. What colors do I like?
3. What kind of container do I want to use? Tall or short? Small or large?

A good designer has some idea of what they want the finished item to look like before they start.

Choose a container. You can arrange flowers in just about anything. These are things I have used:

1. A tall vase. This would be a vertical arrangement and a good starter container. Unless you have something tall in your yard, (see Greens below) you will probably want grocery store greens for this type of container. Cheapskate tip (CST): Don’t have a vase? The thrift shop likely has a ton for as little as 50¢.
2. A short vase. (Requires floral foam)
3. A canning jar. If you don’t have one laying around, they are pretty cheap at the craft store. Also a good starter container.
4. A basket. (Requires floral foam). You need to be able to line it with plastic. It should have definite sides. Sometimes you can find a floral basket with plastic already in it. (CST: thrift store)
5. A mug. (Requires floral foam) Any kind. A good starter container for working with foam.
6. A wood box. (Requires floral foam) I have a long one of these that I’ve used for many, many years. It needs to have solid sides and a solid bottom, and the ability to be lined with plastic.
7. A bowl. (Requires floral foam) This can be any size. I sometimes find bowls tricky, so I wouldn’t use it for a beginner project.
8. Important: if you are going to put a basket, wood box, or a clay container on a wood surface, make sure the bottom of the container does not come in direct contact with the wood. The wood will become water damaged. My wood box has thick felt feet underneath. So do my clay containers. Plastic underneath works too. Don’t put them directly on a table runner either. The table runner will mildew, and the table will still have water damage. #thingslearnedthehardway

Choose your greens. Greens are vital to a professional arrangement. They are your design “background” Don’t skip them:

1. The grocery store usually has greens, but I usually get them from my yard. For my northern friends this may only be evergreens in the winter, but they last well. In the south, we have a little more to choose from.
2. These are some of the things I have used with success for greens from my yard: arborvitae, camellia, boxwood, gardenia, bay bush, rosemary, lavender, ivy, vinca, ferns, artemisia, and hydrangea. Things with woody stems last well.
3. Another CST: The more greens you use, the fewer flowers you have to buy. The florist uses a lot of flowers in an arrangement - more than I usually do. The folks buying those arrangements are paying for that. I personally like more greens.

Choose your flowers. This is actually the most important step.

1. Color. By all means, PICK WHAT YOU LIKE! You can make a wonderful arrangement with just one type of flower, greens, and baby’s breath. I hold the bunches together and try to imagine what it will look like. You can also get a mixed bouquet of flowers (usually more expensive) and arrange those!
2. How many different types? I usually don’t get more than 2-3 different types of flowers, including the baby’s breath if I’m using it. The stores around here have 3 bunches for $12 dollars, so that’s a big determining factor for me.
3. How much will I need? Think about the diameter of the opening in your container. I use that as a guide for a tall arrangement. How many bunches with greens will fit in that opening? If you are making a shorter arrangement, you can halve that measurement. If I’m making a shorter arrangement, I usually get one bunch that has multiple short flowers on one stem. The blooms farther down the main stem can be cut off and used individually. In the grocery store, those are usually mini carnations, mini roses, mums, or daisies.
4. Condition considerations. Choose bunches with closed buds. The tighter the better. This lengthens the life of the arrangement. They will open pretty quickly after the arrangement is done. Are any of the leaves yellow, brown, or rotting? Leave that bunch right there. The bacteria from rotting leaves will kill the arrangement. Those flowers won’t last long either.

Choose any “add in” material. This is usually dried or artificial stuff from the craft store:

1. Dried stuff: Berry branches, wheat (sometimes comes in different colors), dried grasses, bunny tail grass (also comes in different colors), seed pods, pinecones ( you have to wrap them on something called a floral pick) and curly willow. Avoid dried flowers. They rot when they get moist.
2. Artificial stuff: I have never mixed real and artificial flowers or greens, but I’ve used other artificial things, particularly at Christmas, including berries, leaf and berries covered in glitter, small fruit, and small ornaments.
3. Fairy lights: this is one of my favorites. You can run the lights throughout the arrangement, run the length of plain wire down the side of the container, and tuck the battery pack behind or even beneath the container.
   

Prep the flowers. This is one of the keys to making sure the arrangement lasts as long as possible.

1. Cut the bottom inch off the stem. This is going to help with the next step.
2. Water them. If I’m going to use the flowers right away, I just put the ends of them submerged in water in the sink. Otherwise I put them in a few inches of water in an empty cat litter bucket. If you are using flower foam, soak that too.
3. Flower food? i personally have not seen a difference whether I use that stuff or not.

Figure out how far the flowers are going to be exposed above the container and do a preliminary cut. I use a couple rules of thumb to figure out how long stems need to be:

1. Tall arrangement: (a vase that is thinner than it is tall) I cut the stems to be 1/2 again as tall as the vase. So if the vase is 5” tall for example, the stems should start at 7.5”. I usually eyeball this, but you could use a ruler if you want!
2. Short arrangement: (container that’s wider than it is tall) In this case I make the arrangement around the same height as the container. If I’m using floral foam, I add one inch to the height of the container. So for a 2” high container, I’m going to start with 3” stems.
3. Do a preliminary cut to length. You are going to adjust as you go along. I usually cut one “measurement” flower, and then cut everything else to match it. If you are unsure, cut them a little long. You can always cut them down farther.
4. Cut the stems at an angle. This creates more surface area for the material to draw water.
5. Strip the leaves off the entire length of the stem that will be in water or in foam. Wet leaves rot. That creates bacteria that will shorten the life of the arrangement.

Follow a specific order for adding material to your container and remember the Odd Number Rule.

1. Remember to use the odd number rule. The number of individual types of flowers in an arrangement, particularly the feature flowers, should be an odd number. I confess I don’t know why this looks better, but it does. For example, you should include 1, 3, or 5 roses, but not four. Typically, the grocery store will provide a single flower type bouquet with an odd number of stems.
2. If you are using flower foam, put it in your container. It cuts very easily. Make it as snug as possible, using smaller pieces as necessary. Make sure the water has soaked all the way through it.
3. Greens first. This is your background. For either a tall or short arrangement, cut some of the greens a little shorter than the others. Those are going to go around the edge. If you are working with floral foam, put the edge greens in at a very shallow angle. After you put the edge greens in, fill in with the rest.
4. Second, “feature flowers”. These are the flowers you want to emphasize. They may be bigger, brighter or deeper color, or few in number. Examples would be roses, Gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, etc. Big rule of thumb: don’t put one of these feature flowers dead in the center of the arrangement. It will look strange. Instead, put them AROUND the center, using different angles, so some are low and some are high. If you have three feature stems, arrange them in an irregular triangle. If you are having a hard time visualizing this, put a different flower stem in the dead center and arrange around it. Rotate the arrangement so far, and make sure you have a feature flower at several angles.
5. Third: filler flowers. These are everything that’s left. You are going so they are just a bit LOWER than the feature flowers. You want to fill in somewhat randomly at different angles from shallow to further upright. If you are creating a tall arrangement, you will probably be cutting the stems to get a nice overall shape. Keep rotating to make sure the greens and flowers look balanced and evenly spaced.
6. Last, Baby’s Breath and “add in” material. ( Remember this is optional). Save Baby’s Breath for last because of its delicate nature. This is also a good time to arrange any “add in” material.

Make sure the arrangement is well watered.

Now step back and look at what you have accomplished! Doesn’t it look beautiful? Find a place to put it in the house where you will see it several times a day! Keep water in it, and take time to enjoy looking at it!

Hit me up with any questions, and show me your arrangements! You can do both here, on FB (Pamela Mecca Seymour) or on IG (Figlio_Mio).

Christmas Trip - Hidden Damage.

Merry Christmas! It took me awhile this time to sit down and write, but today seems an appropriate day to do it. Part of the reason it took so long is because it was the week before Christmas, but the other reason that I was disappointed. I expected that more would have changed since I was in WNC in November. I know that a lot of people have been working very hard, and I know that they are disappointed to not be as far along as they would like to be either. There is a lot of work still left to be done.

Regardless, I caught a Muse right after midnight, and knew then what I want to say today.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who made these trips to Western North Carolina possible. Your generosity has blown me away. Between the two trips we took almost $4500 of food, toys, and clothing up to Minneapolis. People in my neighborhood, people in the greater area around my home, friends, and family far and wide contributed to this effort. United Church in Apex provided over 60 toys for 20 children in partnership with many local businesses and generous individuals! This does not even include all the people who sent gift cards up to Minneapolis, or ordered Christmas gifts from Blunt Pretzels, or bought things for Blunt Pretzels from their wish list! Moreover, several of you told me that I should contact you again the spring as new needs will surely arise.

Absolutely amazing.

On this last trip, my husband Dave came along. I asked him to because I wanted a fresh perspective about what we would see as we travelled around. Our first two stopes were in Swannanoa and Asheville. Some young friends at Casa Esperanza Montessori and Raleigh Oaks Charter in Raleigh wrote cards to kids at two schools in the area.

 

We started by stopping at WD Williams Elementary in Swannanoa. At the beginning of December, there were about 1200 students who were homeless as a result of hurricane Helene in Buncombe County. WD Williams is part of the Buncombe school district. Their school has many children that are homeless as a result of losing homes and trailers, and they lost everything. Some children even lost family members.

We hope that the cards we dropped off helped cheer some of those children up, and we are really grateful to the kids at Casa Esperanza who took time to make such beautiful cards for children in a place aways away from Raleigh.

After we dropped the cards from Casa at the school, we took a tour through town. Clean-up does not look like it has progressed much since November 12th, when I saw it for the first time:

(Video from last Tuesday's trip through town)

It was nice to see that most of the tents were gone.

From there we drove into Asheville and dropped off the cards from Raleigh Oaks Charter School to the Asheville Waldorf School. Hopefully the cards will let the children at Asheville Waldorf know that there are children in another Waldorf school on the other side of the state that are thinking about them as they cope with the after effects of the storm.

Asheville Waldorf was flooded during the storm, and many of their parents are currently unemployed. Those parents cannot afford tuition payments that are due at the 1st of the year. All of the children, except those who were displaced, are still welcome to come to the school whether their parents can pay tuition or not. At this point, the school is struggling to stay open.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Following our two errands around Asheville and our tour of Swannanoa, we headed up to Minneapolis in the heart of Avery County. We saw good sized piles of debris still scattered here and there next to the road as we went along - again, unchanged from November. Saw some new RV encampments also. I’m happy to report that all of the roads we traveled had been repaired and repaved. (NC DOT is wonderful!)

We got to Minneapolis and met Christie who has been my contact there. We were excited to unload the car with the things we had brought, and Dave even wore a special hat for the occasion.

The distribution center in the house where we dropped off our things had been organized in the previous months. A glut of used clothing had been moved to the basement to make way for Christmas things.

 

Our toys and new clothes were set aside specifically for families that did not have the ability to get to the larger Christmas Store event they were going to have at the Distribution Center. Later that evening, I received feedback from Christie that the things we had brought were “all perfect”. Such a good thing to hear, right?

🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼

As we headed out of Minneapolis and down through Spruce Pines and Burnsville, I asked Dave what he thought about what he had seen. He talked a little bit about what he referred to as “hidden damage“. Minneapolis is a small town. It’s not on any major highway - not a town that you would typically drive through on your way to or from anywhere. But it has significant amounts of damage - damage you might not be aware of unless you specifically looked for it.

The hidden damage is an issue all throughout the 12,000 mi.² area in WNC that was affected by Helene. There are areas that are fine with no damage. But if you were along a stream, a river, or down the bottom of the embankment that had a water source, you were inundated. It was likely the trees came down - some of them even on your house. In some cases, houses AND people were absolutely obliterated; like the family in Minneapolis and the trailers in Swannanoa. But it’s not always obvious unless you look for it.

Which brings up a different kind of hidden damage. Just hidden damage is best. Illustrated by the issue of heating an RV. RVs use propane. They use a lot of propane. Sometimes upwards of $200 a month worth of propane. If you are not working, it’s difficult to afford to buy all the propane that you need. The economic cost to the area is going to be very substantial and very long-term but right now, it has profound implications for people‘s daily lives.

Imagine that your house and your car were damaged beyond repair by the storm. You are now living in an RV and let's also assume that you still have a job. (Many people do not. The unemployment rate in the storm area is hovering at around 8%) How are you going to get to it? What happens if the job isn’t particularly high paying and now your commute has doubled? Are you going to be able to afford the gas? What if you car washed away or was damaged beyond repair? How do you get to work or even go to the grocery store to get food for your family? If you’re up of a long road away from the distribution center how do you even get there to get free food for your family?

These are the questions that our friends in Western North Carolina are asking themselves this Christmas Day and will continue to ask for a very long time. We cannot forget about them. I was so glad when Congress passed the $110B relief act, but government is slow, and it’s gonna take a long time for that money to get there. I’m hoping that’s the North Carolina General Assembly will do their part and get money out to Western North Carolina that they so far have not appropriated. (Just incredible.....<sigh>)

Christie told us they were probably about 50 RVs in and around the Minneapolis area. The $4500 donation I delivered is a lot of money, but consider that the cash equivalent will only keep 50 RVs in propane for about two weeks. The folks in Western North Carolina need more substantial long-term help. There is a limit to what aid organizations and private individuals can do to help in a disaster that it is as large in scope as Helene and is over $58 billion in damage in North Carolina alone.

I hope that you will keep your attention on my friends in Swannanoa and Minneapolis as we follow their story together. I will be doing more after the New Year, but most of it is gonna focus around advocating for my western North Carolina friends with the North Carolina General Assembly. Hopefully they can do things to help out there like pass legislation to modify building codes for temporary structures. Hopefully they can actually send immediate relief money out there in the next month or two.

We shall see.

Email to a Nun

Thanks for doing this! It will mean a lot to the folks listed below, and maybe get the word out a little bit more about what’s really happening out there. The media has moved on at this point except for the occasional story about neighbor helping neighbor. But everything is definitely not OK.

It’s a mess out there.

Nine weeks after the storm and there are maybe a dozen areas with incredible conditions: mud and debris still piled up by the side of the road; people still isolated or roads are a challenge to traverse; homelessness because homes were completely obliterated; no income because area businesses are still temporarily or permanently closed; long travel times to get food and supplies without adequate money for gas; adults and children living in RVs, sometimes with no heat, cars, and tents; people living in homes that have damage such that they are exposed to the elements; problems with propane access /availability; and still some places without potable water.

Federal and state money is rapidly running out. FEMA has tried its best, but they are understaffed, underfunded and way too bureaucratic. The application process for home damage can be confusing. Many people are denied assistance for reasons that are unclear. Homeowners insurance will not pay many, many claims because this event was considered a flood, and most people in the mountains do not have flood insurance. The damage estimate over the entire 12000 sq mile area currently stands at $53 Billion. Governor Cooper has asked the North Carolina General Assembly for $4 billion. So far, 9 weeks after the storm, they have authorized $900 million. They are “waiting to see how much the federal government is going to send.” But Congress has not acted yet. And that might not happen before Christmas. So people are depending on very dedicated aid agencies and volunteers. The agencies are a patchwork - sometimes they duplicate effort, and sometimes serious needs just fall through the cracks. It can be difficult for a victim to figure out where to go and who to see. Because so many cars were destroyed along with homes, people may not even be able to get to where the aid is being distributed. This disaster is way too big for private individuals and aid agencies to tackle.

So that’s the big picture. Here’s a little more info about my two “adopted “ places, Minneapolis NC, and Swannanoa.

Minneapolis is a tiny hamlet in the town of Newland, up in Avery County. Very, very rural. 1902 children K-12 in seven different schools. Minneapolis has a population of 185. Right now the center of town is the Global Methodist Church which is running a food/supply distribution center for the area. It’s up on a hill. Which is good, because the town flooded and had a major landslide. A woman was swept away while her husband and children watched. Many lost everything they owned, and many are out of work. I was there three weeks ago to deliver fresh food (eggs, butter, cheese, etc) because the nearest open grocery store was a two hour hike and they hadn’t had fresh food in six weeks. I’ve copied a video of what it looked like there two weeks ago. https://youtu.be/EWU_7yii2PQ There hasn’t been much change since then.  

I’ve had a hard time getting individual names of people working to help their neighbors there. I’m gonna keep working on that.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Even after nine weeks, Swannanoa defies description. I know you saw the photos, but I’ve attached a video made six days ago.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BQoyxtgsx/?mibextid=UalRPS 

 In the video you can see the type of damage, but you can’t see the scope of the damage. I spent four days there after I came down from Minneapolis. I wasn’t able to find the exact figure, but based on the overall number for Buncombe County as a whole (1200 children K-12), I would think that the elementary school in town currently has about 100 homeless kids. Blunt Pretzels owner Eddy Schoeffmann closed his store for eight weeks to feed people in Swannanoa. 1500 a day on average. His staff changed gears to make it happen. I’m not sure they were being paid, because Eddy was struggling to keep the power on. Volunteers (like me) signed up online and just showed up. I had never worked in a commercial kitchen before. World Central Kitchen brought in an 8000 gallon potable water tank, and supplied some of the food. The rest was donated. Two guys traded off as chef, worked with whatever ingredients showed up, and whatever humans showed up, and cranked out very healthy very yummy food for all of those people from 11:30am until 7:30 at night, 7 days a week. A real live loaves and fishes thing, right there.

There are many other Swannanoa stories to tell, but we can save those for another time. 

If anybody you know wants to help materially out there, they can cruise on over to my FB page. I’m keeping a current list of immediate needs and where to send them pinned right to the top. 

Please feel free to share far and wide.

Pam

Extreme Behaviors in School

 Im so sorry that this has become so hard. 😔 I’m a retired school counselor, and love a child who struggles with behavior in school. I have seen some chair flipping in my time. I have also been punched, kicked and bitten. The first thing I will say is that adults in schools should not be subjected to violence and injury. Neither should other kids. Disruption on that level not only disrupts the natural flow of learning, it actually traumatizes other children who no longer feel safe. It’s getting worse, and it’s not acceptable. I think the issue of increasing behavior problems from children with special learning needs has many factors. Here is what is in my brain.

1. The NC 13% cap creates funding issues for schools that affect the amount of staff they can hire. That 1:1 SPED teacher is very expensive. The district might not be able to afford it. There might not even money for appropriate sized small groups.

2. Teachers, staff, admin, and even some counselors don’t have adequate training in trauma informed response. Children can get triggered by things we might not even realize. Example: a child in my last school had very disruptive behavior in K. Seemed to come out of the blue. Nobody could figure out what to do, and the teacher was totally done with this kid. Eventually we learned that when the child was 3, a caregiver had yelled at him and slammed him into the wall, fracturing his skull. The K teacher tended to speak in a loud voice at times. That was what was setting him off. He was placed with soft-spoken teachers after that, and the behaviors disappeared. He’s an honor student in high school now. He was not a child with special learning needs, but many other children are.

3. The adults at school are not trained properly in how to deescalate extreme behavior, which often occurs when the child is in flight or fight mode. Child I Love (CIL) has extreme anxiety about certain academic tasks. IEP accommodation was written for the ability to go to a designated adult when she started to feel out of control. (Flight). Teacher decided that she should not be allowed to do that anymore, so one day he blocked the door. Flight turned into fight, and he got kicked. (She had appropriate consequences at home, including a written apology to the teacher). Which brings me to the next thing.

4. Some teachers, staff and admin believe that most extreme behaviors are deliberate, and therefore punish. That usually just causes an increase in the frequency of the behaviors because the underlying cause is not addressed.

5. Some admin do not really understand trauma informed response, so consequences are inconsistent or inappropriate. (Child kicks teacher. Child goes to the office, someone talks to them, and sends them back to class with chips). Again, underlying cause is not addressed, and teacher feels angry/demoralized.

6. Not enough time spent actually TEACHING kids how to appropriately respond to anger, sadness and frustration. See #1, and notice that your counselor has absolutely no time to do this.

7. Teachers do not have enough training in the specific cognition differences for a child with a special learning need. What does it mean to a child with poor processing speed when material is presented once, and then is used immediately in practice? Kid only absorbed half of the material Frustration can build, and suddenly we have an explosion that looks like it came out of nowhere. Because the kid is in the midst of a tantrum and their frontal cortex has actually shut down, they can’t respond to anyone’s repeated questions about what the problem is - they need about 20 minutes before their amygdala releases it’s stranglehold on their brain. Because their slow processing speed is a result of ADHD, by the time they calm down, they genuinely may not even remember what the problem was in the first place. Your EC team and your counselor probably can help with this. But they don’t always have enough time to do this. See #1 and #6.

7. And here’s the final thing. All of this takes TIME. Time that teachers do not have. Because there is so much pressure to produce academic results. Testing requirements make it difficult to put Maslow before Bloom. 

Now you will notice that I have not mentioned poor parenting. That’s because almost all of these behaviors are caused by trauma or disability. NOT by poor parenting. The parents might not respond to the problem appropriately, but that doesn’t mean schools shouldn’t. My experience is that most parents are doing the best they can. But they are also learning on the job, and they are worried about their kid, and they may feel guilty. And yes, I am fully aware that a) parents are often not willing to face, or even understand why their child is having problems. (One of my favorite saying here is “Denial is not a river in Egypt”), b) parents don’t understand that school should not be the only place that kids get support with behavior health - like ya probably need professional counseling outside of school, c). parents don’t always see school people as professionals, and are therefore unwilling to sign on to plans the school develops or the suggestions they make, and d) parents can just be disrespectful and mean. Particularly if the relationship with the school has become adversarial. There should be some sort of software feature that bounces back any email that is written after 8 pm.

PLEASE understand that I am not throwing this all back on teachers. They are only one part of a system to address behavior issues, which are increasing in this country. (And that is a whole different blog post) But segregation of children with behavior issues is what happened prior to 1975. It was cruel and ineffective.

The CIL finally has an IEP and excellent behavior support from EC. Behaviors have greatly decreased. Gen Ed teacher needs more understanding and training (ie: lower than typical developmental abilities regarding independence and responsibility may be the result of underdeveloped executive function. They are not a moral failing to be responded to with punitive measures) Since the emotional needs required to be successful in school are being met by at least some of the adults (safety, belonging, trust, encouragement and positive response for effort), behavior has improved, and learning is happening. She recognizes that and is feeling more confident. The positive cycle is repeated and amplified.

I really, really hope that a positive cycle can begin for the children that have behavior issues in your school. EVERYONE in your school community deserves that.  

Day 5 - The Smallest Things Can Make the Biggest Difference

I was too tired to post last night about my last day on Alexander Place. But that was good, because I had the chance to think about everything on the trip home.

I think the biggest lesson I learned this week is how far a little bit can go. When disaster wipes out some, or all of what you have, life comes down to food, appropriate clothing, and a warm place to sleep. For example, the man on Day 2 that had lost everything but what he could quickly throw into the car, donating the shoes because the one good pair he had were all he needed. A $7 big bag of apples can become six big trays of apple crisp. $30 of lettuce and spinach can become 12 trays of salad. That $37 can help feed a lot of people.

There are many, many of us in America who are not living in Western North Carolina or other areas that have recently, or are currently experiencing a natural disaster. Government is good for some things - getting the roads cleared and fixed, turning the power back on, getting clean water flowing, etc. But recovery really depends on friends, neighbors, and strangers chipping in as able. I’ve seen first hand how grassroots organization can get help to where it’s needed.

The biggest problem with grassroots help, however, is that when the “first flush” of help and aid is done, the need slips from our attention. Volunteers go home and donations stop. But the need hasn’t ended.

That’s where we are right now in WNC. Folks have gone home. Aid organizations are pulling out. Local people are now trying to simultaneously care for their own needs while helping others. There are lots of places there that have major destruction. In addition to Minneapolis and Swannanoa, I can think of Spruce Pine, Fairview, Burnsville, Barnardsville, Newland, Bat Cave, and Chimney Rock to name a few. The rural areas up around those towns are also damaged and sometimes still isolated. Repair and rebuilding has just started.

Some things will get easier over the coming weeks. When drinkable water returns to Buncombe County, more places dependent on that water will be able to open, and more people will be able to go back to work. There still will be people to feed, but it will be less. World Central Kitchen will begin to consolidate feeding locations around Thanksgiving. Distribution centers will start to consolidate also. As roads continue to open, it will be easier to get supplies and groceries. The next phase is going to focus on creating and repairing housing. Houses have been gutted, RVs have been moved onto lots and into yards; tiny houses are being built.

You can still help if you want to, and some ways do not involve spending money. Here’s a list ways to help that are specific to my two adopted places, Minnesota and Swannanoa. They are listed from most to least expensive.

1. Come out here. Helping at a feeding location or a distribution center is easy. Contractors and folks who can swing a hammer are going to be needed big time; well into the new year. You should arrange a trip through a contact and coordinate a place to stay. If you are feeling led to make a trip, it might take me a few days, but I can help put you in touch with people.

2. Gift Cards. This is really huge right now - people need gas and groceries in both locations. In Swannanoa the volunteers are using their own gas to get the food supplies to feed people. Many of them are relying on a tent to sleep in, Blunt Pretzels for all of their food, and friends/family for gas money. In Minneapolis much of the town works at factories over in Marion. It used to be 30 miles. Now it’s over 50. $20 and $25 denominations are great. Gas can be any major chain. Grocery stores in either location are Ingles, Food Lion, Lowe’s and WalMart. Swannanoa folks can also get to Aldi.

3. Cards and Postcards. There’s an awful lot of trauma. Just everywhere. Cards of encouragement can really be huge. If you have it, slip a $5 bill in. It will get to the right person. Doesn’t matter what the card looks like. It’s the note inside that counts. Can be as simple as “we are thinking about/praying for you here in <your town>. If you can get a few people in your neighborhood, church, hobby group, or work to sign it, even better.

4. Buy pretzels. They still need to pay the rent and keep the lights on at Blunt Pretzels! Minimum order is $20, shipped anywhere. https://bluntpretzels.com/collections

5. Spread the word, and keep sharing. All of my posts from this week are shareable. You can also post the link to those individual posts on Threads or Bluesky if you would like. (If you can’t figure out how to copy the link, let me know) On Fridays I will be sending a very short “news of the week” from my two adopted locations, with the single most immediate need. Those will be shareable as well. Let’s keep the story of WNC alive on social media.

So here are your contacts:

In Minneapolis:

Christie Hughes

c/o Minneapolis Global Methodist Church

2719 US 19E

Newland, NC

28657

I will get some specific names for cards and update this post.

Swannanoa (Blunt Pretzels)

Terilee Condron

Blunt Pretzels

120 Alexander Place

Swannanoa, NC.

28778

Cards can also be designated for Chris, Yves, or Sara. Terilee is the baker for Blunt Pretzels. She keeps the volunteers organized in the kitchen. Eddie Schoeffmann is the man who owns Blunt Pretzels, and has now closed it for 7 weeks to feed people.

If you want to send gift cards electronically to either location, email me for that contact info.

Thank y’all for reading this week and for your support and encouragement ! Writing has helped me process a lot of “stuff”. Let’s not forget these folks.

Please ❤️

Day 4 - What Are You Going to Do With All of Those Turnips?

Today started a bit late, even though I got up early. My Chevy Volt (at home in Cary) is what I call ADHD proof. It beeps when you leave your key in the car, when you leave the car on, and when you leave the lights on. It locks automatically, but only when you walk away with the keys. It has been awesome for me. Dave’s 2008 CR-V, on the other hand, expects the driver to be a neurotypical adult. So it did NOT beep at me when I left the lights on. Yes. Dead as a door nail this morning. Michael from AAA showed up unlocked the car (there’s a whole OTHER story about why the drivers door no longer opens, but that’s for another time. Apparently my husband has already told a few of you anyway). Michael was very nice and with a cig falling out of the side of his mouth and a big smile very kindly told me to be more mindful of the lights. So.

Volunteering where things move at a fast pace and almost everyone is a volunteer means being able to go with the flow, take initiative, and make mistakes. When I finally got to Swannanoa all of the lunch prep was pretty much done. I had a little bit of donation money left, so I asked if I could go get anything. Aprons was the answer. So a quest into Asheville yielded those and I headed back.

When I got back, all the stuff that had been used for lunch, and a few pots from the night before had been nicely stacked next to and on the sink. Guess what I was asked to do next? I had a little help at the beginning, and some on the backend, but it basically took 3 1/2 hours to wash everything. I like having hands in hot water, and the music was good, so I was surprised at how long it had taken when I was finally finished. Plus Yves, the head chef of the day, kept coming over asking in a beautiful French accent things like, “Have you eaten?” “Do you want coffee or tea?” And encouragement like, “The dishwasher is really the heart of the kitchen. We cannot work without clean utensils.” (I have a skeptical face right now)

Yves normally cooks at a very nice restaurant in Asheville. He’s been coming to Alexander Place regularly since the storm to help cook. That’s somewhat of a challenge, because he never knows what has appeared for him to cook, or the amount of the particular ingredient. Yesterday it was hamburger patties, a butt ton of carrots, onions, and stew beef. Also collards. Lots and lots of collards. And several cans of black eyes peas. So hamburgers, stew, collard greens and baked beans. Today we had pulled pork, pulled chicken, lots and lots of collards and black eyed peas, cooked carrots, raw shredded carrots, one tray of stir fried rice, and one tray of chocolate chip cookies.

Inside there are also three massive bags of turnips. I asked Yves tonight if he knew what they would do with them. (Shrug) “No idea”. But they will get used. Probably mashed would be my guess.

People coming through the line tonight did not care what was being served. They would happily consume mashed turnip. After dishes were done and I had the appropriate Yves sanctioned break, I went outside to help. There had been a line all day, but it really started to que up around 5. All sorts again. Guys in reflective gear who had been working on whatever. An impeccably dressed guy with a British accent and a cane. Couples old and young. Moms and Dads with kids. The kids were awesome. No faces, very little, “I don’t want that” Most remembered to say Thank You. Guy serving next to me kept telling them that the collards were frog leg stew. I saw some absolute looks of horror. “Don’t take him seriously. He’s just kidding.” (He grew up in Skaneateles, for my CNY peeps!)

Now a kid that hasn’t had a decent meal for awhile will take everything that’s offered, eat it in record time, and come back for seconds of whatever else there is. I used to see it in school. It happened wwaaaayyyy too often tonight. One little girl with long black hair and gorgeous brown eyes looked to be about seven. Had on a bright pink puffy coat. She came through the line once, took a big helping of everything. 15 minutes later, she threw the empty container away, came back through the line again. (Quietly) “Is it OK to get more?” I leaned forward a little bit and said, “Absolutely. And can I tell you something? I have a very beautiful Granddaughter who is just a little bit older than you. And you are just as beautiful as she is.” I would wash dishes all day long to see the look on that face again. Pretty sure she polished off that second container too.

We served a continuous line for about two hours. It was about 7:30 when Yves told me to go home. Done for the day.

Tomorrow I’m going to tell you about several ways to get involved with what is happening out here, even in very small ways.

Please feel free to share anything I have posted this week.

Nite nite!

Day 3 - Alexander Place

Today I switched gears a little bit. Instead of working in the warehouse one end of the street, I walked up to the other end, and got to organize the food stock at Blunt Pretzels. There is quite the operation going on here on Alexander Place. It’s up a small hill from the river, so it really didn’t get swamped. The free food/clothes/cleaning supplies/diapers/odds and ends is at one end in the beige corrugated/brick building in the pic below. A couple of the volunteers sleep on folding cots in there; the warehouse manager sleeps in his truck nearby.

Up at the other end of the street, there’s a hot food spot operating out of the Blunt Pretzels store. As the name suggests, they made big artisan pretzels out of the store until the storm. After the storm, the owner brought in shelves for stock, brought in food, and started feeding people. Some of what they cook is done outside, and all of it is served out there. World Central Kitchen provided an 8000 gallon water tank and plumbed it to the kitchen. WCK also supplies some of the food. The rest comes from donations. There aren’t any WCK folks working in the hot food operation. I think maybe two people are still being paid by Blunt Pretzels (?) but everyone else is a volunteer. It takes around 40 people each day to feed around 1500 people. Everyone is very focused on the task at hand, and takes this feeding business very seriously. Blunt Pretzels has just started to make some of their own product again, primarily for shipment. But the store has basically been closed for six weeks. When I asked someone today, they said the goal was to end serving free hot food there by Jan 1, but they would be there for the duration.

Folks volunteering on Alexander Place have come from all over the country. Some are living in tents. Some are finding other places to bunk. There are people from different parts of NC too, and folk right from Swannanoa who are looking to pitch in and keep busy helping their neighbors.

I had a chance to meet a lot of people from Swannanoa yesterday and today. Yesterday about 1/2 of the people who came to the warehouse were Hispanic. Some spoke English, others did not. I know enough Spanish to let people know I’m friendly, then Google translate goes into overtime mode. I can mangle the result in such a way to be understood, but also to elicit some giggles.

The other folks that came in yesterday are from all different stripes. Moms with a couple of littles in tow or with a baby. Maybe to get some food, diapers, baby food and a few items of clothing. A newlywed couple. Men getting food to bring home, or “diapers for my grandson”. Elderly and disabled people. The one common thread was that everything, or nearly everything was gone. Including the $750 in emergency funds.

When I got to the warehouse yesterday, Paul, the man who supervises there told me that a lot of people who came in would just want to talk and tell their story. The guy who came in for the diapers was a bit awkward and kept saying he had never been there before. He was friendly, and you just knew it was killing him to come and ask for help. He needed help finding the right size, and as we were sorting through the diaper packages, told me in a quieter voice that they had temporarily run out of money and diapers at the same time. Another guy came in, looked at me very seriously and told me he had developed an addiction. When I said, “That’s fine, how can I help?” He started laughing and asked me where he could find the cans of green beans. Then he proceeded to tell me how his Mama used to make them. He had been cooking them everyday since the power came back on. Comfort food. A fifth grade girl told me how happy she was when school opened because she could be with her friends and not think about “All this stuff.”

One man came in to drop off two bags of shoes. They were gently worn. It looked like he had suffered a stroke, and the shoes were on a cart. He was limping and could only use one arm. After some confusion and the miracle of Google translate I finally figured out that he was DONATING the shoes and not taking them home. Told me he didn’t need them, and wanted someone else to have them who didn’t have shoes. I asked him about his house. He made a swishing sound and flicked his hand up in the air. Gone. But they had been able to grab some stuff as the water came up, and that included those shoes.

Up the street I was able to talk to some folks who were getting hot food. Many were living in houses with marginal damage, but couldn’t cook there because of the contaminated water. They didn’t even trust it after it was boiled and didn’t even want to take showers in it because of all of the runoff that might have gone into the reservoir. I heard that same thing from a couple of people. Water filter systems in five gallon buckets are a real hot commodity at the warehouse.

When the storm came through, it took out not only the major aqueduct (I guess) from the reservoir into Buncombe County, it took out the water treatment plant as well. It took a couple of weeks to get the water flowing back into the greater Asheville area again, but there’s still no way to treat the water.

Most of the independent restaurants in downtown Asheville are closed. Another economic impact. I ate last night at Mellow Mushroom. No veggies. Can’t wash them. No plates. Can’t wash those either. The only beverages that are available in the entire county aside from coffee and beer need to come out of a can or a bottle. The guy at Dunkin Donuts told me this morning that they hope to have clean water by Christmas.

Meanwhile, on Alexander Place, the tanker truck came today with fresh water for Blunt Pretzels.

Thanks from out here, and y’all have a good night!