Take Care of Yourself
Welcome to Issue 29. We're keeping it simple again — but there's one big thing to share this week: some major changes are coming to this newsletter once the semester wraps up. More on that below, along with what to expect in class this week and a reminder about our potluck (which is in two weeks — not this one!).
This is also my final week with the high school program, and I'll be finished on Thursday. More on what that's meant for me down in the Thought of the Week. Let's get into it.
For Students
What to Expect in Class This Week
Heads up: it's going to be a hot one, with Friday climbing into the high 90s. That changes a few things for our Friday classes, so please read carefully.
Regenerative Gardening classes: This week is our big Eight Principles of Regenerative Gardening lecture. We'll go through all eight — what each principle is, what it means, and how to actually apply it — and look at some real examples along the way. This is one of my favorite lectures of the semester, so I'm looking forward to it.
8 AM Gardening class (Friday): We'll meet at our usual time, 8–10. I'm planning a brief meeting and then some garden time while it's still cool — I don't want to keep anyone out in the heat. Around 9 AM, anyone who'd like to take a short walk over to the orchard near the horticulture unit is welcome to join me. If you'd rather stay behind and keep working in the garden, that's completely fine.
10 AM Wildlife Sanctuary class (Friday): Because of the heat — and the construction currently going on in the sanctuary — we're going to do something a little different this week. We'll meet at our usual spot, then head over to the horticulture unit on the other side of campus and visit the koi pond. Since this is a small group, I'll also email you all directly with the details so no one's left guessing.
Potluck Reminder
Our end-of-semester potluck is coming up — in two weeks, not this week! It lands during week six, so depending on your class, that's July 28th, 29th, 30th, or 31st. I'll remind everyone in person at each location this week, but mark your calendars now so it doesn't sneak up on you. More details to come.
Big Changes Coming to the Newsletter
Once this semester ends, this newsletter is going to look pretty different — and I think the changes are going to make things clearer and better for everyone. Here's the short version:
Two separate things instead of one. I'm splitting the student information out into its own weekly student bulletin — short, simple, just the class info you need each week, emailed only to students actively enrolled in a class. The newsletter itself will become a monthly publication focused on gardening topics, for students and the wider community alike.
Why the split? Honestly, it's mostly to make life easier. A lot of you have run into trouble getting on the email list, so going forward I'll add enrolled students to the bulletin list at the start of each semester (and I'll always check first — if you'd rather not be on it, you won't be). Everything's automated, so you can also unsubscribe anytime with one click.
A few YouTube changes too. My YouTube email list is becoming a live-stream-only list — it'll just send you the link whenever I go live. If you want a heads-up when new videos drop, the best way is to subscribe on YouTube and turn on the notification bell. I'll also mention new videos in the monthly newsletter so nothing slips by.
All of this starts next semester, not right now. We'll talk through it again in our first class.
A couple of things I'm hoping to add once we move to the monthly format — no promises yet, but I'd love to make them happen:
A space for student writing — informational pieces, and maybe even a little poetry corner for those of you who like to write.
Garden photo sharing — a lot of you have asked for a way to share photos of your gardens with each other. I'm going to try to build a simple form where you can submit a picture and a bit about it, feature a few each month, and let students comment on one another's gardens right in the newsletter.
I'll share more on all of this soon. There'll be a few quiet weeks after the semester ends while I work on a big overhaul of the website behind the scenes.
Thought of the Week
This Thursday, I finish up my last week with the high school program — and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready for it.
It was a program with a rocky start. Some technical issues early on meant students couldn't submit their work for a stretch, and a lot of them fell behind because of it. Many didn't really hit their stride until this week — which means right now I've got a mountain of grading in front of me. I'm seeing well over a hundred assignments come in a day, and it's only going to climb before Thursday. I'm doing everything I can to be caught up when the program ends, though there's a real chance I'll be grading into the weekend too.
So if I've been slow to answer your emails lately, I hope you'll understand. It's been a genuinely hectic stretch, and I'm doing my best.
Here's the thing I keep coming back to, and the reason I'm writing about it at all: when we get this busy, we tend to stop taking care of ourselves. I've been guilty of exactly that these past few weeks — not eating the way I should, not sleeping the way I should, letting the things that keep me healthy slide to the bottom of the list. I recognize it, and I know I need to do better, because I want to be around and healthy for a long time.
I'm sharing it because I suspect I'm not the only one. If you're in a busy season of your own right now, take this as a gentle reminder from someone in the thick of it: don't let yourself go by the wayside. Rest, eat well, sleep. The work will still be there.
As for me, I've got three weeks off after this — though "off" is generous. I'll be overhauling the website, working on some projects for my parents (including prep for some bigger yard work this fall), getting back toward a bi-weekly YouTube schedule, and figuring out when live streams return (soon — date to be announced). I'm also in the middle of a hiring process at the Lyle Center, which is its own unknown on my schedule right now. Not much of a vacation when you spend it catching up on everything you fell behind on, is it? But I'll be carving out a few real days of rest in there too. I'd better take my own advice.
See you in class.
