Like so many people I wanted to do my part on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Since the weather forecast was not so rosy, I looked for another option and found Planet Indy: Gestalt Gardening with Felder Rushing. Irreverent, humorous and knowledgeable, Felder spoke of Horticulture versus Gardening and his gestalt approach to enjoying his own sacred place.

Horticulture is linear, planned, regimented, processed and goes by the book, which is full of Latin. It requires chemicals, weeding, watering, fussing, mowing, trimming, backaches, headaches and heartbreak when plants won’t grow.

Gardening gives people the right to lighten up, be outside the box, plant what they love and what grows naturally, requires low maintenance, little to no watering, weeding, chemicals, mowing or trimming. A true garden is a place of divine beauty as it reflects the spirit of it’s’ owner. The Gardener’s Bill of Rights proclaims:

 You can have as many wind chimes as you can afford to buy
 You are free to miss-pronounce names of plants or not know the names at all
 You are allowed to place clashing colors together just like nature
 You can plant in clumps not rows or plant just one of something
 You are allowed to pronounce the “H” in herb
 You are free to grow NO GRASS AT ALL
 You can create a garden anywhere
 You must accessorize
 You are free to plant Bottle trees – they are beautiful!

Free your garden and yourself by trying something different. Give yourself a sacred place to enjoy. For inspiration visit Felder’s website at http://www.felderrushing.net

Presented by the Indianapolis Museum of Art Planet Indy is a monthly series of guest speakers addressing Sustainability. For more information and future events go to
http://www.imamuseum.org

By the age of seven, I had spent half of my life and most of what I remember up to that point abroad. In 1990, already working for General Motors for some time, my father was offered a three-year position at a plant in Luxembourg. My parents pondered the opportunity, accepted, and off we went! Because of the differences in architecture from what we know in the United States, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you some of what surrounded me at an early age.

As a child, I knew that there were some differences between Indiana and Luxembourg, such as cultural and language differences, the landscape, the food, and of course differences architecturally. My parents really took advantage of the traveling and sight-seeing that could be done, taking my brother and me along on weekend trips throughout Luxembourg and surrounding nations. For a child, I remember a good deal of our travels, whether or not I appreciated their educational value! I’ve attached some images to this blog—photographs my parents took and others found online of different landmarks around the Luxembourgish landscape!

Background:
Luxembourg is home to just under 500,000 people—up to 43% of whom are foreigners! Luxembourg has the highest population of foreigners of any European Union nation. The national language is Luxembourgish—a combination of French and German languages. It is spoken by native Luxembourgers but not my many others. French and German are the official languages of Luxembourg, spoken by most inhabitants. These are the languages used in business, in schools and in church. Luxembourg is a very small country—100 kilometers from North to South and 50 kilometers East to West, with a total area of 2,500 square kilometers or 999 square miles! The dominant religion found in Luxembourg is Roman Catholicism—with the rest being Protestants, Jews and Muslims.

What are some architectural elements that were part of your childhood? What great structures or styles of architecture have influenced you? Please share!

Photo #1:
“The Grund” (a quarter in central Luxembourg City known for pubs and restaurants but also as a residential area)

Photo #2:
American Military Cemetary and the grave of General George Patton

Photo #3:
Our home! 4 Rue Jean Schneider, Mamer, Luxembourg

Photo #4:
Another photo of The Grund

Photo #5:
The (in)famous red bridge…this was a landmark for me. During the summers, we would go back to Kokomo, and as we would fly back in for the school year, I always knew we were home when I could see the red bridge below!

Submitted by: Lee Boyland

Congratulations to the Butler Bulldogs for their successful season and NCAA tournament! The Bulldogs captured the hearts and imaginations of college basketball fans nationwide with their improbable NCAA run. Upsetting a Syracuse team that many “experts” favored to win the tournament in the Elite Eight, and Big Ten power Michigan State in the National Semifinal was not enough; Butler knew they belonged with the “big boys.”

Looking back on the NCAA Tournament, I think we all learned, or re-learned, an important lesson thanks to Indianapolis’ own Butler Bulldogs. First, most every analyst predicted Butler to lose most every game they played starting with Syracuse. At that point in time, it was understandable. Syracuse has been a national power for years led by Jim Boeheim, a future NCAA Hall of Fame lock. Butler didn’t get the message… They won. Then they faced the Michigan State Spartans led by another future Hall of Fame coach, Tom Izzo. Still, Butler won a very close game and advanced to the Final Four. Again, someone forgot to tell them they were supposed to lose. In the NCAA Final, Butler faced Duke University, a program led by Hall of Famer “Coach K” and his three national championships. Duke is home to some of the most celebrated basketball teams and players in NCAA history. Butler would surely lose by 20 points… Experts were convinced that Butler just couldn’t hang with Duke… It was unthinkable.

Butler ignored all the negative sentiments and continued to do what made them successful… They played to their strengths and nearly conquered their modern day Goliath. Butler lost by only 2 points to the team that was supposed to thrash them by twenty points or more. They even had two chances to win the game at the end… Butler proved that it’s not the size of the dog, or Bulldog in the fight that really matters.

March Madness made me wonder why can’t we all be “Bulldogs”? If we stick to what we do best, focus on our clients’ needs, customer service, satisfaction, and have fun, success will follow.

Submitted By: Amanda Medlen