Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor

Today we couldn’t do as much because it rained for about half the day. But we did get some done and you can go to my page listed in my last entry to see the update. We irrigated for the first time this season – always an exciting event!

We are spending our entire weekend getting our field planted. Yesterday we spent 5 hours before it got too hot. Tom raked up hills for planting and I dug the irrigation ditch around the perimeter of the field. Then we planted the 11 rows we were able to get ready.

Today we spent 6 hours doing the same – Tom raking up hills and I widened the irrigation ditch. We were able to get 10 more rows ready and planted.

I have posted an update on our garden page at:
Tom and Dee’s Excellent Garden Adventures

Tomorrow we hope to get most of the rest of the field completed.

We are well on our way to our garden planting. Today we just had our biggest field plowed and tilled. Here is a page I have started on our garden, which will be updated regularly:
Our Garden

I posted a comment to an article on Chlorophyll and thought I’d post it here as well.

Consensus……or “Anti-Consensus”?

Personal experience has proven to me that consensus often does not work and should never be used as the sole model of decision-making. Having been a consensus junkie for a couple of years, my addiction came to a screeching halt last summer when the consensus decision-making model was abused to achieve the agenda of a small faction of people in the Green Party of Utah.

Using “anti-consensus”, our party was ultimately deprived of having the rightful Green Party Presidential Candidate on its ballot line, cheating Utah voters out of a Green Candidate.

“Anti-Consensus” is simple. Think of proposal ahead of time. Plan to propose it at a meeting. Pre-plan to have one of your co-horts block it. According to the Consensus decision-making model, blocks halt everything and no decision is made. Nothing moves forward.

It’s as easy as that!

Although I am an advocate of consensus decision-making in many situations, such as, say….affinity groups in civil disobedience actions……I am cured of my addiction where consensus is concerned regarding decision-making in the political arena. It just doesn’t work.

The Green Party of Utah is overhauling its bylaws to rid itself of being locked into this decision-making model as its sole tool for such business. It is unfortunate that the learning curve cost Utah voters in the 2004 presidential election (by virtue of the lack of a Green Candidate for president as an option), but looking forward to future elections it is our hope that decisions will be made more efficiently and with greater precision, using methods in addition to/other than consensus…..or “anti-consensus”.

SALT LAKE CITY CODEPINK CONDUCTS COUNTER RECRUITMENT AT WEST HIGH SCHOOL

SALT LAKE CITY (May 20)-On May 20, the Army Recruiting Command “stood down” for retraining of its recruiters after numerous allegations of unscrupulous tactics by recruiters. Salt Lake City CodePINK, part of CodePINK, a national movement of women for peace and social justice, on Friday May 20, at 2 PM, in coordination with the American Friends Service Committee, MMOB, ACORN and Working Assets, and the Green Party of Utah “stood up” to conduct counter recruitment efforts at high schools across the country. They greeted West High School students as they exited classes for the day. They informed students of their privacy rights, under the “No Child Left Behind Act”, and encouraged them to seek balanced information and weigh all of their options. Our high schools should be Military Free Zones! Jodie Evans, one of the co-founders of CodePINK joined the local group at this action!

SALT LAKE CITY CODEPINK is an evolving women-initiated grass-roots peace and social justice movement that seeks a sustainable world through positive social change with proactive, creative protest and

non-violent direct action. SLCCodePink.

Nationwide, CodePINK has given “pink slips” to numerous public officials including President Bush for lying about weapons of mass destruction and to Arnold Schwarzenegger for his history of degrading women. They were active at the national conventions of both major political parties. Utah CodePINK has protested the country’s involvement in Iraq, Halliburton’s and Bechtel’s profiteering, and Wal-Mart’s low wages and oppression of workers. For more information see CodePink.

Mother’s Day, May 8, 2005:

From Greg, my oldest, 20, who also presented me with a hat and hair pin:

From Brian, my middle child, 18, who presented me with the DVD “Garfield”:

From Emily, my youngest, 15, who presented me with an E-Card and called me twice from afar:

“Happy Mother’s Day to My Wonderful Friend; Happy Mother’s Day to My Wonderful Mother”
Mama,

I love you and am so happy I came into this life with a wonderful mother! You have always been here for me and i know you always will be. Thanks for thinking of your children before you think of your self. We have been thorugh many struggles and you were what keep us alive. Happy Mothers Day. Love Emily