Energy for Orphans

What can you get for $9,000? New kitchen cabinets, some expensive furniture, perhaps a few weeks in Europe? For Michelle Anderson, founder of Energy 4 Orphans, and Sophie Herbert, Martha’s niece and a partner in Energy 4 Orphans, $9000 means a new children’s home for orphans in Chamrajanagar, Karnataka, South India for 35 girls, the organization’s current project. “That will change these girls’ futures and the futures of their kids,” Michelle told me in a phone interview. 

The current girls house at Deenabandhu is home to 14 girls (ages 4 to 13) and two house mothers. Though it is well cared-for, a new campus is essential in order for the organization to care for more girls. Sophie Herbert, shown at right.


After I saw Sophie on the Martha Stewart Show last week, and heard there was a Canadian connection to her fundraising efforts, I decided to learn more about Energy 4 Orphans and got in touch with Michelle.

Michelle, who lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, founded Energy 4 Orphans in 2006 and raises funds to help break the poverty cycle by giving orphans, particularly young girls, the opportunities to learn and develop in circumstances that foster self-empowerment.

A new orphanage for 35 girls in Karnataka, the current project being undertaken by E4O, can mean new opportunities for the girls and their future families. Often times in many poverty-stricken regions, orphans are forced into a cruel life on the streets, where they usually succumb to the conditions of abject poverty: lack of education, prostitution, violence and despair.

Many of the girls are serious students of Bharata Natyam dance. Boys can also join in the fun.

Growing up, Michelle volunteered all over the world. It was in Africa, however, where she says she learned the most about giving back. Not just by witnessing first-hand how much need there is in Africa, but also realizing how simple giving back really is.


“What a lot of people don’t realize is that it’s so easy. It takes very little effort and very little money to help so many people,” she says.


Michelle, a lifelong activist, became disillusioned by the large, international aid organizations, which she says have policies that keep donors at a distance, and further fail to accurately report how the money raised is being spent.


She decided to start her own fundraising initiative and made sure that integration was a fundamental part of the process.


“I want to give people a firsthand perspective of what it feels like to help these communities. I want them to see for themselves and also to get the pleasure of helping someone. It’s sort of the principle of karmic yoga,” she says: the process of giving and healing so that one receives and heals in turn.


She began by using her own experiences as a yoga instructor to help raise funds to buy new beds for an orphanage in Nepal.


This was made possible primarily through a program that Anderson and her yoga teachers developed called Yoga in the Parks, a series of outdoor, by-donation community classes that raised $1,000 for the program in its inaugural year. In 2007, that amount doubled.


Also in 2007, Michelle was introduced to Sophie in India by a mutual friend and she became involved in the E4O project. Sophie built the organization’s website and currently heads up the New York City branch of E4O, raising money and awareness there through classes and fundraising events.
Beginning in October, a series of Monday evening community yoga classes led by Sophie and Maggie Converse in New York will accept donations of $10 for the Deenabandhu Trust Orphanage in Karnataka, South India.

Sophie will also be donating 25% of the sales of her photographs from an upcoming exhibit in Manhattan and has asked fellow yoga instructor David Hollander to donate 20% of the proceeds of his Bhakti Flow workshops at Exhale Spa, beginning in October.

Expanding fundraisers has been the key to fulfilling the Energy 4 Orphans mandate. Michelle explained that this past summer was a successful one for her:


“On Canada Day (July 1) we had a day of massage on the causeway here. People could come and get massages and were asked to donate what they could. We also started a silent auction with 75 items that were up for bid, with all proceeds going to Energy 4 Orphans. We have a massage therapist here, too, who volunteered to use the proceeds of one day of work for the program, so it’s been really, really great to see so many people getting involved.”

Ulitimately, Michelle would like to see Energy 4 Orphans expand into cities across the globe and possibly linking with a larger organization, but she keeps an open mind about it all and takes it as it comes. Ideally, she says, working in Africa to help AIDS orphans would be the greatest challenge and reward.

“There are villages and villages in Africa made up of just children whose parents all died of AIDS. If we could expand yoga programs there and raise money for those villages, it would be amazing.”

As long as she is able to inspire people to make a difference and take hands-on approaches to solving these problems, she is pleased.

“I have a student, TJ, who is going to India in November to help start the construction of the new girls’ home. That’s what I like to see: people actually taking it upon themselves to make that kind of difference.”

Oh, Alexis

I can’t let September pass without wishing Alexis Stewart a Happyish Birthday. She turns 43 on the 27th.

I know many readers of this blog (and many Martha Stewart fans in general) have a hard time with Martha’s only daughter. But I actually think Alexis has been one of Martha’s greatest teachers, just as Martha has been for Alexis. They are opposites in so many ways, very similar in others, and the friction that exists between them is something only the universe, with its warped sense of humour, could ever dream up. Yin and Yang should be so lucky. As an article in New York magazine asked, “How did Martha Stewart end up with Howard Stern’s baby?”

An auburn-haired Martha holds little Alexis after a bath. (1965)

In the long, complicated history of mother/daughter relationships, theirs is typical of most: a love/hate balancing act that can often teeter on the verge of being vindictive and enraging. Past wrongs that nag the subconscious, recurring misunderstandings, longed-for affection from both sides - sometimes granted and sometimes withheld.

The difference in the Alexis & Martha saga is the enormity of the shadow cast by Martha’s achievements, an accumulation of influence so great that it affects popular culture, the American marketplace, commerce, journalism, the arts and beyond. Any person (even those with the strongest sense of individuality and strength) coming into the world under that kind of maternal umbrella would have a hard time finding individual ground, much less the drive to compete with it all. Talk about daunting.
 

And yet, Martha cannot and should not be blamed for her accolades and self-made successes. Similarly, Alexis cannot and should not be blamed for being born into her circumstances. She didn’t ask to be born. She didn’t ask for her mother’s fame and fortune. It was there, and Martha has been generous with it, even though it must have been hard for Alexis at times to find her own voice in the midst of such ambition.

The cake on the left doesn't look much like the pound cake Martha baked for Alexis one year, with no icing, decorated only with a single pillar candle.

I know Alexis feels that not many people like her. That may be true. Many people, it seems, do not. But the first time I saw Alexis on Larry King Live in 2004 defending her mom after the guilty verdict was delivered I felt something of a connection to her: her deadpan delivery, her unfiltered opinions, her sarcasm, her wit, and far more masked than anything else - her love. I’m really not a fan of sex with women, but that night I kind of... wanted her.

More than this, though, it is Alexis’s humanity that I think most endears her to me. Cut through all the studied attitude, the haughty, superior condescension and the icy-cold demeanor and you have a woman who loves puppies and yoga, who enjoys baking, who is a talented decorator, a loyal (but demanding) friend and someone who wants very much to be a mom. She combats persistent sadness with excellent form and doesn’t ever give up.

I have little doubt that if Alexis and I were closer in age (and residence, and circumstance) that she and I would be friends, if given the chance. I get Alexis. I was a lonesome child, too, awkward and ill at ease much of the time. I used to put ear plugs in my ears at childhood slumber parties and tell the other kids not to breathe so I could sleep. I used to leave my own birthday parties just to be alone and I've never been a phone person. I like minimalism and simplicity in the home, leaning toward the modern but classic lines that she, too, loves. In short, I've lived an Alexis-like existence in some respects and it's therefore very hard for me not to be sympathetic and admiring of her.

So, I hope you have a Happyish Birthday, Alexis. I’m in your corner. I wish you continued success. I haven't seen the new show yet, but I'm looking forward to the day I do.

The Year of the Potato

The Year of the Potato. That sounds rather dramatic, doesn't it? Well, in fact, it is. I learned only today that the United Nations has named 2008 the Year of the Potato in an effort to highlight the potato's benefits in reducing global poverty. I wanted to do a feature here on this blog because I think one of the main lessons I've learned from Martha has been the notion of agricultural sustainability and the promotion of a cooperative way of developing healthy crops, on a local level, to help feed a community, whether it is on a private farm or as part of a larger community.

I was encouraged and surprised to learn just how effective potatoes could potentially be in bringing struggling communities into stronger social positions. It is the potato's ability to grow just about everywhere that makes it a prime candidate for global crop initiatives.

Potatoes are among the most bountiful, healthful and easy-to-grow crops on the planet. From South America to the northern plains of Europe, and in many parts of Africa, the potato flourishes. They are easy to grow in small plots of land in urban centers, where most of the world’s poorest populations dwell, making them an essential crop for people who need to feed their families or to sell at market for income. In both instances, when implemented properly, the poverty cycle could weaken by encouraging agricultural sustainability, improving nutrition and developing cooperative community planning.

POTATO FACTS:

-By 2020, global demand for potato crops will have increased by 200%.
-Potatoes are the fourth largest crop grown in the world
-Potatoes were first discovered 8000 years ago in Peru and were first grown as a crop by the Incas.

-In the 1500s, the potato was brought from South America to Europe by Spanish explorers, which led to the wide proliferation of the potato in crops around the world.
-China, India and Russia are the three largest producers of potatoes in the global market, followed by the United States and Canada.

-Potatoes are high in carbohydrates (energy) and rich in vitamin C, and can be easily stored for long periods of time.

STORING AND HANDLING POTATOES:

The following is information about how to store potatoes from the Potato Growers of Alberta:

Store potatoes in a cool well-ventilated area away from light in cardboard boxes or burlap sacks. When storing new and small potatoes, keep them in a refrigerator at 4 to 6°C (40 to 43°F). Under these conditions, you can store them for 2 weeks or longer. If potatoes are over exposed to light they will develop a green tinge, this should be trimmed off the potato as it should not be eaten.

If potatoes are dropped more then 6 inches, they will bruise and turn into spoiled potatoes. Cool, dark storage is best since normal house temperatures can cause potatoes to deteriorate quickly. Potatoes breathe and perspire (lose water) so take them out of the plastic bag they come in and put them in a bin when storing. Before storing spuds, look them over and use any bruised ones first. Since dampness can cause decay, it is best not to wash spuds before storing. Avoid storing potatoes with onions or garlic since potatoes will pick up gases from the onion and garlic and the potato will deteriorate faster.

Chrysanthemums

I’ve always been a fall guy. The crispness in the air, the layered fashions, the rustic colours of the leaves and the season’s deep, harvest flavours all enliven me in a way no other season does. But fall’s true jewels are the brave and hardy flowers that seem to defy the coming of frost with their brave blossoms. Asters and chrysanthemums are my two fall favourites and I’ve wasted little time filling my balcony (and even my bedroom) with potted mums. Below is a summary of chrysanthemum information I hope you’ll find useful and interesting. Most of it was garnered from the National Chrysanthemum Society of America, a site you ought to visit if you’re as much a mum enthusiast as I am.

These ones are on my balcony at the moment. I love the warm rust colour. So very fall!

The chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb and is described in writings as early as the 15th Century B.C. In fact, some of the earliest Chinese pottery depicted the chrysanthemum. As an herb in ancient China, it was believed to have the power of life. Legend has it that the boiled roots were used as a headache and flu remedy; young sprouts and petals were eaten in salads; and leaves were brewed for a festive drink. The ancient Chinese name for chrysanthemum is "Chu." The Chinese city of Chu-Hsien (which means Chrysanthemum City) was so named to honor the flower.


Around the 8th century A.D., the chrysanthemum appeared in Japan. So taken were the Japanese with this flower that they adopted a single flowered chrysanthemum as the crest and official seal of the Emperor. The chrysanthemum in the crest is a 16-floret variety called "Ichimonjiginu." Family seals for prominent Japanese families also contain some type of chrysanthemum called a Kikumon – "Kiku" means chrysanthemum and "Mon" means crest. In Japan, the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum is the highest Order of Chivalry. Japan also has a National Chrysanthemum Day, which is called the Festival of Happiness.

Recently at the New York Botanical Gardens, the largest kiku exposition in North America was held, with stunning examples of Japanese mums, trained to grow in unusual forms, including dramatic, cascading mums that all grow from a single stem, like these ones below.

Japanese examples of chrysanthemums at the New York City Botanical Gardens last year.

Since the chrysanthemum was first introduced into North America during colonial times, its popularity has grown such that mums now reign as undisputed "Queen of the Fall Flowers."
Chrysanthemums come in a wide variety of colors, including white, off-white, yellow, gold, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, lavender and purple. Mum plants can grow to be 2-3 feet high, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions. Chrysanthemums also come in many flower forms; that is, chrysanthemums are often grouped by the shape and arrangement of their petals. The most popular flower form is the "decorative," which is so packed with long, broad petals that you can hardly see its center.

These ones are in my bedroom. I love it when the morning sun hits them through the window.

Growing chrysanthemums in the garden requires getting a few things right; they're fussier to grow than many other plants.

In the North, it all begins with buying cultivars that are hardy mums in your area. Potted chrysanthemum flowers are sold by the millions at nurseries in fall, because they've become a staple for outdoor fall decorating. The chrysanthemum is the third highest-selling potted flower in North America, after geraniums and poinsettia, coming in at $68.9 million in sales in 2004. These are not necessarily cultivars meant to be grown locally. Most of the ones you see in nurseries and grocery stores this time of year are shipped in from greenhouses. Also, because these chrysanthemum flowers are bought specifically for autumnal displays, many people often fail to plant them early enough to allow the chrysanthemums to become established in the garden: they should be planted at least 6 weeks before a killing frost, and even that may not be soon enough.

Many people, however, do have great success planting potted mums in the ground, as shown in the two photos below of my mom's front garden. My parents have a little row of mums in their front garden that comes up year after year. My mother adds to it each year with another potted mum.

Still, it's wiser to buy mail-order mums (single-stemmed rooted cuttings) from a catalog and plant them in spring, rather than planting potted mums you've purchased in fall. In a good catalog, you have all the relevant information in front of you. Also, spring planting gives the plants longer to become established.

While chrysanthemum flowers hold up against light frosts, be mindful that hard frosts will damage the blooms.

So, add some fall flavour to the front steps, the balcony, or even indoors, and enjoy some cool-weather colour with chrysanthemums.

The House that Got Away

New York’s Daily News recently asked Martha what her biggest real estate regret has been. She wasted no time in answering: the Duke Semans mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue, which sold for $40-million to Russian real-estate czar Tamir Sapir in January, 2006. Martha told the Daily News that she was ready to bid on the seven-story, 20,000 square foot house but decided to postpone it in lieu of a much-needed vacation. When she got back, however, the house had already been sold. She says she deeply regrets that now:

“That was going to be my place in New York. It had stairs, and I love stairs. The dogs could run up and down them. I could entertain before events at the museum. I could have musicians playing. I almost cry every time I go by.”

Martha has a Fifth-Avenue pied-a-terre not far away from the Semans mansion for city entertaining, but it is a mere fraction of the size, with a single bedroom and a narrow, galley kitchen. (You can read more about her apartment through the “Martha’s Homes” link at the side.)

Built in 1901, the facade of the Semans house faces Fifth Avenue and runs down the side of East 82nd Street. It includes two outdoor terraces and offers amazing rooftop views of Fifth Avenue & Central Park. It is located directly across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and features 11 marble fireplaces, three elevators and a sweeping brass-and-wrought-iron staircase. One of the bathrooms is said to be finished entirely in black marble. With its 12-foot high ceilings, gold-leaf trimmed fixtures and intricate plaster friezes, the property is a living piece of architectural history.

Martha might take a little sigh of relief, though. The house needed a further $10-million in renovations to convert the mansion to a single residence again, which had been previously divided into three apartments.

Bedroom Beauty

This compilation of advice on designing a happy bedroom, gleaned from too many design magazines over the years, will hopefully be insightful to some of you. Let the bedroom be the sanctuary it was meant to be. I've itemized the subjects under headings for easier reading.

THE BED
It is the focal point of the room and its look sets the mood of the space – for better or for worse. First, consider its orientation and placement in the room. Doubles, Queen-size and King-size beds should be centered on a wall and framed by two matching sides, whether they are tables or chests of drawers, shelves or armoires. Matching lamps can be placed on either side, too, for a classic, timeless look. Never shove a large bed against a wall or into a corner; the room’s layout will look lopsided with such a weighty piece of furniture off to one side. The bed should be the room’s anchor. A single twin bed in a child’s room or guest room can be placed more casually against a wall and can often double as a daybed for seating. A pair of twin beds should be placed symmetrically in the room, linked between them by a table with lighting.

THE LINENS
An unmade or unkempt bed will forever ruin a bedroom’s charms. If the bed is not made, the entire room looks messy. Take a few minutes each morning to make your bed. It’s a transformative act that can actually redefine the room. Spend your money on good pillows and a good duvet. Few things in the annals of home decor are sadder than a bed with limp pillows and a lumpy bedspread. Invest in higher quality linens and you’ll feel better about the room, both in and out of bed. For the bedspread, avoid large, bold patterns: they don’t belong on the largest object in the quietest room in the home. Choose simple, fine sheets in restful neutral tones that can match nearly any cover. Choosing natural fibers like cotton, linen or silk will generally mean a more comfortable sleep. A high thread count is desirable, but any honest bedding salesman will tell you that after 400 it becomes irrelevant.

SKIRTS, CUSHIONS AND THROWS
These dressing items can make or break the look of the room. Bed skirts often make a bed look more substantial and can add a formal, decorative element to the entire room. Keep the skirts simple and tailored for modern décor. Ruffled, pleated or scalloped bed skirts work better in traditional rooms. A general rule for cushions is this: more than seven on a queen-size bed is too many but fewer than four is too few. Large coloured cushions go at the back. You can change the Euro shams on these by season for a fresh look. In front of these, prop up two standard pillows in cases that match the sheets. For added luxury drop two more standard pillows in decorative cases and finally place a smaller, decorative pillow in front of these as a finishing touch. Throws should be folded lengthwise and placed neatly at the end of the bed. They are ostensibly there for impromptu napping on top of the covers but can add an elegant trim and contrasting texture to the bed when not in use. My bed is dressed with two Euro-style pillows, four standard pillows and one, smaller, decorative pillow in a contrasting fabric. It has a simple bed skirt and a folded woolen throw in a matching neutral at the end of the bed. Cozy!

Martha's Seal Harbor four-poster bed from the Skylands collection with Bernhardt.


THE HEADBOARD
This is an aspect of the room that, when done properly, offsets the other furnishings. Many people forego the headboard and bed frame all together, which is fine as long as other measures are taken to give the bed foundational form: large artwork on the wall over the bed and a trunk at the foot of the bed, for example. Those that do opt for headboards and bed frames often overdo it. One should choose a bed frame and headboard that are sturdy but not ostentatious. If you prefer wooden furniture, choose simple lines and sturdy proportions in a high-quality wood. Maple or oak are most desirable. Stay away from sloped headboards and footboards as they eat up valuable space. Metallic bed frames can be more elaborate and will add a delicate lightness to the room, perhaps even a touch of shimmer, depending on the level of luster.

THE LAMPS
Lighting acts as the room’s jewelry, adding sparkle, glimmer and even a touch of whimsy, if desired. The lighting on the nightstands should be proportionate to the bed and the room itself. If the bed is large and commanding, slender lamps with tiny shades will look inappropriate on its flanks. Instead, choose lamps with large proportions that can hold their own against such weighty furniture. The lamps should be high enough to read by and placed close enough to reach the switches from the bed. Secondary lamps can be placed throughout the room: a floor lamp next to a reading chair or small, decorative lamps on dressers.

ELECTRONICS
I personally feel that most electronics have no place in the bedroom. Televisions and computers in the bedroom are particular pet peeves of mine. I realize it is a personal choice, but I feel that a bedroom ought to be that one sanctuary in the home where one can be at peace, undistracted by screens and monitors. Music in the bedroom, however, is desirable and I frequently fall asleep with my headphones on, listening to my favourite songs. A radio or small stereo system in the bedroom, discreetly hidden in a cabinet, can be instrumental in setting the mood for sleep… or other nocturnal adventures!