Curious about building your own rain barrel? I built one and  wrote an article inspired by the process. It appears in the June/July issue of Flavor Magazine, a magazine dedicated to “Cultivating the Capital Foodshed” in the D.C./Virginia region.

Rain, Rain, Go This Way

An excerpt:

A rain barrel has many practical uses, whether you’re an urbanite, a serious gardener, or somewhere in-between. A rain barrel can service a small, urban herb garden, for example, or maintain stretches of suburban lawn. Gardeners in particular appreciate water from rain barrels because harvested rainfall does not have the additives or chemicals some municipalities add to the water supply. Plants respond better to water that hasn’t been softened.

Read it all here.

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Excerpt from the article “Contain Yourself: The Simple Art of Growing Edible Plants in Pots” for Edible Blue Ridge:

For apartment dwellers, those with small yards, or even newbie gardeners who want to start slow, edible container gardens are a wondrous solution.

Their modular nature gives you the freedom to move them around, depending on where they seem to be thriving. Container gardening also can be easier to tend. Pots that are tall or set on a step can eliminate bending and straining. Plus, potted plants are less prone to weeds, which, when they do pop up, are easier to pull out.

Click here to read the rest, or browse the latest issue of Edible Blue Ridge.

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Hi @twitter friends,

How do you use Twitter and social media? As a commercial writer, let me share how I use it (personally, versus professionally).

I believe social media is a creativity engine, a way to share and spark ideas.

First of all, I rarely answer the literal question “what are you doing?”.  Instead, I try and share information I find useful and think you’ll find entertaining, educational, informative, or thought-provoking.

I tend to follow people who share a similar philosophy.

In alphabetical order, here are the top 10 topics you’ll probably find in my Twitter stream. If we share interests, I would honored for your “follow”.

Environmental Issues – downtown revitalization, smart development, transportation, and everyday environmental choices by individuals and cities

Food/Farm Issues – interests me as co-owner of a neighborhood grocery store (@GeorgeBowers) 

Historic Home Restoration – we are in the slow, yet rewarding, process of doing just that

Microfinance – I’m honored to be part of SPARC-PLUG, a local mico-lending program for economic development; it’s been a critical component to our small business

Real Estate – from architecture and design, to notions of history, community, to real estate as a financial investment…

Social Media – because the evolution of social media tools and use are fascinating … not to mention a cornerstone of business.

@Staunton, Virginia – because I love the walkable, creative, and historic town where I live…

Technology & Society – how are we using technology? How can technology bring about positive changes?

Urbanism -  I am interested in urbanism from design, environmental, and social prospectives…

“Urban Escapee” Themes – wondering if you could live outside the big city? I wondered that, too. Turns out it’s becoming easier and easier…

What are your “Top 10 Topics”? Send me an @reply or DM. I’d love to know.

To our shared creativity,

Katie

@KatieMcCaskey

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I’ll share strategies I use for clients such as AOL as well as those I use for the Twitter account of George Bowers Grocery (@GeorgeBowers), the neighborhood grocery I own with my husband.

NOTE: This class is extremely limited due to the personal and direct attention given to all participants.

WEEK 1
Learn the small business benefits Twitter offers. Understand how it works from a technical and strategic point-of-view. You will create an account so you can begin to experiment with the technology (we’ll discuss in Week 2 whether or not you will use this account for your small business branding and marketing). You will leave with a homework assignment.

WEEK 2
We’ll review your homework and discuss who you’ve followed and why. We’ll strategize opportunities to use Twitter for your specific small business and discuss if you should maintain a Twitter account as your business identity, as your personal branding, or possibly both.

WEEK 3
We’ll create your first Twitter campaign. You’ll also be introduced to a variety of free third-party tools to maximize the effectiveness of your work as well as measure results. We’ll discuss methods to track conversations and keywords in multiple Twitter streams.

WEEK 4
We’ll evaluate your campaign results. Then, we’ll create a specific strategy to integrate Twitter and other social media tools into your small business marketing efforts.

Each class is one hour.

Price: $200
Location: 9 Augusta Street, Staunton at the Staunton Creative Community Fund offices
Next Session: Thursday, October 8th – (classes 10/8, 10/15, – no class 10/22 – 10/29, 11/1)

Reserve your space now by paying online via debit or credit card.
You may also pay at the door if enrollment space allows.
For more info: 540-466-4141

Class: Twitter for Small Business – Absolute Beginners

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