Spotted at the Ann Nichols Garden in Oakland, CA.

Fox Run by Jill Nienhuis

Root Simple readers are talented people. This week I discovered that regular reader Jill Nienhuis is not only an urban homesteader, but a talented artist, too. Her paintings and other projects are wonderful – -you can see more at her website : Jill Nienhuis

Jill lives in a neighborhood in NW Detroit called Brightmoor. It’s a neighborhood which has fallen on hard times, but is being revitalized, largely through gardening. She and her boyfriend, Michael, are growing a large garden on several vacant lots, and are looking to buy a house near their garden at auction. Land in Brightmoor is inexpensive. (One of the lots she gardens on cost $210.)  She also says that there’s a 170 acre forest at the edge of her neighborhood, which makes it feel more like the country than the city.

Looking at Google images of the Brightmoor areas, I agree. It does have a country feel. There’s lots of open space, lots of green lushness — along with the blighted houses and other signs of urban decay. You can also see this in her work, of course. It looks like a place waiting to wake up and blossom. It just needs caring hands, and people with vision. And as you can tell by their work, Jill and Michael have plenty of vision.

Thanks for letting us share your work, Jill!

Hubbard Farms by Jill Nienhuis

I really like this mural that just appeared in our neighborhood near the corner of Sunset and Coronado.

Bunnies tumble out of a magic hat and there’s a silhouette of a coyote and crow (common urban wildlife here).

The text, “do you beleav [sic] in magic” brought a smile to my face as I waited for the bus. My day had been re-enchanted by this symbolic bit of street art.

A picture I took on May 5 of one of our artichoke plants. I think I grew it from seed–Franchi’s Violetto variety. In the background are Chadwick’s sweet peas.