Two Days!

Two days! We need mulch, and a few more plants!

I, Hannibal, was particularly inspired when walking along the streets of Richmond yesterday morning. I was searching for examples of gg, as Richmond seems to be the home of gg in the United States.

After finding this wonderful picture- an example of how guerrilla gardening can transform an empty space, he headed to the lovely Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for a much needed mini date with Nora Bell!

She was definitely the prettiest flower there! Oh my!

We hope you can come out with us tomorrow night. And we hope you can bring some much, shovels and flowers!

4 days!

4 days...

Homework:

mulch, mulch, mulch
plants, plants, plants

Meet at 7:30 for a drink Friday night.

8 PM, we strike!
-- Hannibal and Nora Belle

WFGs:

After that lovely meal, the wonderful fun in the yard, and the truly engaging conversation that went on last night, we are truly going to miss these potlucks!

Wipe the kids out playing with friends and eat a magnificent feast: pasta with lemon and capers, homemade cheese and bread, blueberry pie - made on site, apple bread, quiche filled with one pig, fresh fruit, and to die for mango and black bean salsa.

Oh, man! I was hurting today. So stuffed.

Thanks to all who came out. What a blast.

With our planning coming to an end and the implementation of our efforts coming on Friday night, we are so glad that you have joined us on this little quest to make the world a better and prettier place. We will look forward to meeting again next year to plan for the official day, and certainly will welcome any ideas to have mini-meetings, plannings and bombings throughout the year.

Feel free to schedule an event and send it out to the group, or just call on individuals. That's ok too. Invite others along next year, if you would like. Use the guides, given out last night (available by e-mail, if you were not able to get one), to inspire greatness.

But enough about next week. Let's focus on this week!

Meeting at 7:30 PM, reconstruction site.bring - clothes to get dirty

any plants you want to add.

compost or top soil

tumbler or reusable coffee mug - for your drink

water jugs or milk jugs, filled with wonderful h20

the kids

8:00 PM = dark, so bring flash lights or head lamps

name tags will be provided

If you can't work with us and want to donate something, or just come and watch:

bring: sodas, lemonade, finger foods

plants, mulch or potting soil

a song or two, the new Common cd...

a banjo,fiddle, guitar, washboard

Can we get these guys? klang.org

a rest chair, icy thick cold shakes

a dramatic reading from your favorite book

etc.

Check for updates here on our website:http://www.wellfedguerrillas.blogspot.com/

Well Fed Guerrillas:We do what we do, but never on an empty stomach.

It will be a pleasure to dig with you.-- Hannibal and Nora Belle

Just think, after next week...we can slow it down...

hhhh-A Team!

What started out as a way to get families together and make Salem prettier has become a bit of a joy for Nora Belle and me. We look forward to meeting with everyone, including a few faces who were unable to meet with us last time.

We have word of sausage quiche, seed bombs, and some non-flame retardant beer, coming along with the various families tomorrow.

I haven't heard from Tooley D (code name given, since he never sent one!), but maybe some of that yummy bread, eh?

Come early, stay late. Arrive late, take off early. Just stop by. We would love to take an inventory and set up a design for Friday night.

Bring a list, or whatever plants you can. Lucky Lantana dropped off plants today. Thanks

LL! Beardless Jo (cng-shnso)- still on for taking some shots on May 1?

Thurston Howell (cng-shnso)- and his family? ideas, How was your trip?

Haftagetaways (cng-stnso)- where are you? we've got some work to do now!

Jammin J C(cng-shnso)- - in town?

Riddle Me This and Bell of the Ball (cng-stnso)- : Any chances you could come along? Riddle Me This - Chapter 10 made me sit on the edge of my seat!!!! Where were you when you wrote this stunning chapter and were you worried that someone might be looking over your shoulder? The N? WOW!

Mama G.G. is in the house!

Mama Taney, Strawly and the boys, are in the how-us!

Nora Belle, Hannibal, Bubba, AR-er, and Ninnan are in the HOUSE!

Too true and HA-H (cng-stnso) are coming along, I heard. Thanks you guys! What a brave band we are becoming!

OH! This just in! Bring a big rock and/or a plain t-shirt if you want a team t-shirt. Application party Saturday night! We have an iron, and we will use it for JUSTICE! and maybe bring a buck or two to pay Onion Brush, POD and Lulu back for buying the iron on transfers.

Couple of weeks ago, did you think we were going to have this much fun? updates at

http://www.wellfedguerrillas.blogspot.com/

-- Hannibal and Nora Belle"Ich liebe es wenn ein Plan funktioniert"

rent Man on Wire - stunning!

Potluck and Planning Meeting for the BIG event!

Let's meet again for a night of dining, planning and rebel-rousing fun. **** "Put it up to eleven." One last night to meet to go over the events for Guerrilla Gardening Day.

6:30 PM, love to see you there!

E-mail us for directions, to avoid revealing secret code names.

SalemGuerrillas@gmail.com

Kids welcome!

Bring a dish or drinks to share! You will have to announce your code name at the door. Have it ready!

Homework:

Bring plants, mulch, weapons of green construction, and a hungry belly. Even if you can't make it for dinner, let us know where we can pick up donations.

Look for another spot to add a sunflower sprout.

Paint a substantial rock green, then add BLOOM to the rock. L is green, other letters are black.

We will be making these Saturday night. Wear painting clothes.

Work on your secret code name. Hannibal likes his secret persona and seems to have taken it on as a well worn summer dress. He is not a chatty person, but his character has certainly become so. Our most recent additions are Lulu, Mama G. G. and Lucky Lantana.

Glad to have you all on the team. Anyone starting to sweat? Any chance of getting someone to play a little music for us while we plant?

8PM - May 1, 2009 is the BIG event. Mark it on the calendar.

-us

****
Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: These go to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: The sustain, listen to it.
Marty DiBergi: I don't hear anything.
Nigel Tufnel: Well you would though, if it were playing.

Hannibal has been drinking too much coffee lately...

Hello there. In an effort to make certain we have enough plants to make a difference, we suggested that we reach out to the community to ask for plants. Reaching out decreases autonomy, however it increases the possibilities. We sent out a flier to the group, and asked for your opinion. We have some time to get to get these printed for our neighborhood tomorrow and would like for you to consider printing them and posting them around their neighborhood.

Initially, we asked for input from all participants, and thought it would be wonderful to have everyone in agreement. But let's face it, this is war, a war against weeds and neglect. Both spread like wildfire. If we waited on everyone to agree on something, then we could not put this plan into action.

If you are not heard from before 12 midnight tonight, your vote will be considered a yes. If you were planning on voting no, 12 midnight is your final time for input on this flier. With a name like Hannibal and Nora Belle, we command attention. We shake our righteous fists at you and proclaim this battle nearly won. All we need is a few plants, some mulch and a couple of madcap misfits. You were told you were special, talented, lovely people. This is the truth. Don't make us pull the pin on our holy hand grenades.

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!It's one of the relics Brother Maynard is carrying with him!Brother Maynard, bring forth the Holy Hand Grenade.So uhhh... How does it work?Consult the Book of Armaments!And Lord Antioch held the Holy Hand Grenade up on high saying.Oh Lord, bless this thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch that with it we may blow thy enemies to bits.... In thy mercy.And the lord did grin.And they did feast upon the lamb, and the stoat, and orangatang, and breakfast cereals, and Skip a bit brother.And the Lord spake saying.First shall thou pull out the Holy Pin.They thou shalt count to three.Three shall be the number thou shall count.And the number of the counting shall be three.Thou shalt not count to four.Neither count thou to two, unless thy then proceed to three.Five is right out!When three, being the third number be reached, lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade toward thy foe, whom being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it!Amen...

Much love, and a power trip,

Hannibal and Nora Belle.
p.s. If your code name is listed here, you are even more specialer, because you wrote to us with input...

Onion Brush, POD, Lulu, Mama Taney, Strawly, Hannibal, Nora Belle, Bubba, Ar-er, Ninnan, Mama G. G.

specialer and stuck to your computer...geeks.

Forgive us. We have been reading way too much Roald Dahl in our spare time.

"I began to realize how simple life could be if one had a regular routine to follow with fixed hours, a fixed salary, and very little original thinking to do." Roald Dahl

word.

p.s. Atom of Atom and His Package thought it was "awesome" that we included his songs on the Guerrilla Gardening Day Mix cds. I told him, that's just how we roll.

Potluck Saturday Night! and a reminder...

Hello there WFG's! We are so glad you are on this adventure with us! What fun.

Saturday night, Hannibal and Nora Belle will be hosting our second potluck dinner and planning meeting. Directions will be sent out on a need to know basis. Just let us know. It is very important that we eat, chat and be merry together. It will be good to check for any missing pieces of the puzzle before the big event on GGD!

Thanks again,

-us

HOMEWORK!

We must hear from you about the flier asking for supplies. Let us know what you think before tomorrow night.

Also, Nora Belle had a marvelous idea about our Joker's card. How about a really large rock, painted with a bright color and then adding BLOOM to it! Black letters, except for the green L. I love it! She is so amazing! Large rock, so that it can not be used to create damage. Bring this with you Saturday night!

Spur of the moment Seed Bomb Cookout!

Hannibal, Nora Belle, Ar-er, Ninnan, Bubba, Onion Brush, POD, and Lulu had a lovely spontaneous and productive cookout and seed bomb building session.

The process:

mix, laugh, eat, drink, ball!

These trumpet seeds will be become lovely ground cover. First, they must be dried. Second, they must be blessed. Third, they must be thrown!

Feel free to host your own.

Next meeting, in person...

We would like to invite you to our house one more time before the May 1st ground covering for Guerrilla Gardening Day. We will try to work up a fun e-vite, but we wanted to give you a heads up on the date. Saturday April 25th, at our house. E-mail if you need directions.

Potluck will be our weapon of choice. 6:30 still ok?

I know that some of you have prior engagements. These people will need to meet with us personally sometime before this. That's ok. We really like you.

Homework:

Pick a code name already. I have to have something to write on your name tag.Hannibal, Norabelle, AR-er, Ninnan, Bubba, Onion Brush, POD, Mama Taney and Strawly have already completed that assignment. They have less homework than you!!!

We need plants, mulch and tools this week, as well. See what you can do about this. If each person donated one shade plant, we would be set. We have to fill the A-Team van.

Happy Earth Day this week, All.

Speaking of that, tomorrow on Grandin Village there is a lovely Earth Day celebration, including a raffle at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op, which will help raise money for Kids In the Valley, Adventuring! KIVA (for short) is a free monthly family nature club working to raise awareness of the lovely local parks. They get families out in the parks, show them free nature play activities, help the families learn about the environment and encourage them to volunteer together as a family. Check out their website at http://www.kidsadventuring.org/

-- Hannibal and Nora Belle

ground covered!

"Mission accomplished. One down - many to follow:)POD & Onion Brush"

Many thanks to POD and Onion Brush, Salem Guerrillas, who have created and placed ground cover here in Salem.

Please check it out! Well done.

Anyone else wanting to connect with this vibrant and sinister side team, feel free to contact here and we will send them your contact info.

-- Hannibal and Nora Belle

works, actions, possibilities

Good morning Well Fed Guerrillas!

A report from the home front:

Members were encouraged at our potluck and civil disobedience meeting to find their own personal project to brighten the world around them. POD, a member of our motley crew, sent in this picture of her contribution. Look for this lovely pot, filled with a scene -improving plant, somewhere around town very soon.

POD - your imagination and dedication are an inspiration to GG's everywhere.

More secret code names, tremendous ideas, world-changing individual plans, and another meeting time are coming along soon. Be ready.

Hannibal and Nora Belle

"Ich liebe es wenn ein Plan funktioniert"

Guerrilla Gardening Musc Mix

Guerilla Gardening Day Mix

Disc yellow

Be –common
Nothing But Flowers – Talking Heads
Sunflower River Blues – pelt
Dragonfly – low
In the Grass – Evan Dando
Jaywalker’s Song – Josh Joplin
Hello Bonjour – Michael Franti and Spearhead
Butterflies – Toad the Wet Sprocket
Busting Up a Starbucks – Mike Doughty
Hey Man, Now You’re Really Living – Eels
Seed Song
Anarchy Means I Litter – both by Atom and His Package
Gardening at Night – R.E.M.
I am a Full Grown Man – Phosphorescent
I’d Like That – XTC
Tomato song – PWRFL Power
Hey World (Don’t Give Up Version) – Michael Franti and Spearhead
Legalize It – Medeski, Martin, Wood, and Scofield
Marigolds – Glen Phillips

Disc black
Gospel Plow – the Hackensaw Boys
P.E.A. – The Black Twig Pickers
All the Diamonds – Bruce Cockburn
Flower – Moby
With My Own Two Hands – Jack Johnson/Ben Harper
Lovers in a Dangerous Time – BNL
Snapdragon Surprise – john r. Williamson
That’s How Things Get Done – Howe Gelb
dig – adam again
Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie) – Pierce Pettis
Tarragon – Vic Chesnutt
See a Little Light – Bob Mould
Atlas – Battles
The Whole Night Sky – Bruce Cockburn
Believe – Q-tip
Little Dawn – Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Gigantic – Pixies
FTP – BNL
Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles

Write, if you want a copy. salemguerrillas@gmail.com

Bombs Away

A challenge for all Salem Well Fed Guerrillas: mix up a few seed bombs to launch on inpenetrable areas of town. The attached video features Richard Reynolds, founder of guerrillagardening.org, demonstrating the simple steps necessary for creating such artillery.

Feedback, Code Names and Phase 3: Direction

Here are a couple of pictures of the proposed site.

We figured some of you talented visual people could use the blank pages to add what it might look like when we finished. Seems to be a shady spot. That's why the original stuff did not take.So, some hostas, lilies of the valley, etc. Open to suggestions, for those with gardening experience.

Reports from the field...

"Sunflowers to be dropped soon."

"I keep driving, looking and finding great places for plants."

"I sent my neighbor to our website. He said he has done something like this."

"I could run off some sheets from my dye-sub printer if you don't mind taking the paper cutter to them. Those would be completely water/weather proof."

"I'm sneaking a potted plant over to the back entrance of ______ this week - it needs something."

"I love the name! Somehow a banana logo comes to mind...."

"I visited the guerillasgardening.org website and would love to be a part of the group! Let's get to planting!"

Code names so far:

Hannibal , for he watched too much A-Team as a kid.

Here is part of the Wikipedia article: The A-Team revolves around the four members of a former commando outfit and current group of mercenaries. Their leader is Col. John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard), whose plans tend to be unorthodox but effective. Lt. Templeton "Faceman" (usually referred to simply as "Face") Peck (Dirk Benedict — Tim Dunigan appeared as Templeton Peck in the pilot) is a smooth-talking con-man who serves as the team's appropriator of vehicles and other useful items. The team's pilot is Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), who has been declared insane and resides in a mental institution for the show's first four seasons. Finally, there is the team's strong man and mechanic, Sgt. B.A. "Bad Attitude" Baracus (Mr. T).

He (typist) is probably more like "Howling Mad," but that was a bit too much. Plus, now he can yell "Ich liebe es wenn ein Plan funktioniert" whenever he wants.

Other code names:

Mama Taney and Strawly

POD

Now we are just waiting on yours!

Next step:

Field trip to the spot. E-mail us for the location. Too many people at once may be a bit too much, but let's give it a try. Let us know when you are available. We will be out Tuesday night, Wednesday and Friday. We could meet Monday, Tuesday day, Thursday, Saturday night or Sunday.

Howework:

Turn in code name. When is the last time you had this much fun?

Work on plot design - see attached photos or personal seed dropping.

Consider collecting plants, gift cards ($5 max!) for the team.

One wonderful member has collected periwinkle plants for our plot.

Visit Gorrillagardening.org .

Send e-mail if you would like to be on sub team for seed bomb creation.

Lastly, submit or vote on final Well Fed Guerrillas insignia, i.e. the awesomest guerrilla gardening insignia ever created (see below). This will allow us to have it printed out to be left with your plant or at the project sight.

-us

BTW: You color your world.

Phase 2: Enter the Emblem!

Hello all. A day of gardening with the boys has produced six cabbage plants, three lavender and four strawberry plants. BTW, we had to make the garden first. All done, for now. Anyone have an extra tomato plant laying around? We would also like to place a cucumber plant this week.

A introductory quick guide to the book, On Guerrilla Gardening, was passed out to our attendees last night. This sheet also had a reccomended listening sheet (music for guerrilla gardening) which will be attached to hard copy cdrs, if we can get it to work right. If anyone needs a copy, you can check the attachment to today's e-mail. Not on the list? Send us an e-mail to salemguerrillas@gmail.com


Lastly, please attend to the insignia, created last night by one of our talented members (who hasn't picked a code name!). We don't have to use this one, if others have another idea. However, in our opinion, this one is tops. See side picture. This could be our joker's card, our emblem, etc. It also just gets us giggly wiggly. Love it!

BLOOM is our battle cry! Come on people. Camp it up!

Take it to a WHOLE 'NOTHER LEVEL!

"Ich liebe es wenn ein Plan funktioniert"

Hannibal and lovely partner-in-crime (who is still working on code name)

Meeting 1 - the development

Thanks for joining us. Looking for an interesting name? No fear. I chose this totally lame one in the meantime. Might stick. You got something better?

Dinner was lovely - flank steak with peanut sauce, cous cous, three bean chili, amazing mac and cheese, homemade bread, beer - root, premium and lusious home brew, brownies and bananas foster. If I missed your side dish, forgive me. You must not have left any. We will put together a website to connect with each other. Let me know of your ideas. I will not bombard you with e-mails. We just want to keep this campy fun idea going.

We welcome your ideas and insight, especially if they are cool and ...insightful. This is just the filler. When's the next dinner?


A few plans were made and commitments were discussed. Music was shared, notes were read. Code names are a must.

Know that you were handpicked because of your clever quirkiness and exceeding talent. So get to work with that already.

Sub teams are needed: seed bombs, fundraisers, snacks, soundtracks, webdesign, clever comment writers, for our token, videographers and people to say "Dammit Donahues, leave us alone."

We won't change the world, just make it prettier...in a gritty kinda way. Arghh... Muwa-ha-ha-haaah. Check with your talent account balance and let us know how and when you want to help. Let's get together again before May 1.

-us