The Paper Passion Project

 Leaf-litter Hiding Litter     Wow, two posts in one week! I know that it's quite the surprise, but I had to walk my doggo after getting back from a semi-long vacation. Due to that, he pulled more than he usually does and seemed slightly more aggressive towards other dogs (luckily he's small/controllable and doesn't bite unless fully threatened). I think everyone being away from a while had him feeling extra anxious (my father-in-law has been disabled nearly Pip's whole life, so he has near-always had someone home with him). I also apologize, as this post might come off as semi-rambling. Anyway, this isn't a dog-blog, so let me tell you what I found!      Sadly, with the leaf-litter everywhere, I didn't find as much as I typically do. I think it's partly due to the leaves not really getting raked yet (which is good), and the cold weather deterring those from venturing outside—so, maybe less litter than the summertime produces.       ...

8/20/2025: Transplanted Starters  Two Documented-days of Litter and One of Transplanting A Brief 'Where-I've-Been:'      With the economy, my last semester of college classes, my internship kicking my ass, and TWO vacations (one being my 5-year Anniversary), I've been a bit behind on posting to my blog, but I've tried to still help out the planet where I can! Although, with summer officially over (and with bad weather canceling the little amount of leftover outdoor, volunteering events), many outdoor, volunteering opportunities are drying up. So, for now, I will be doing more independent volunteer-work. Additionally, my phone sadly broke roughly a month ago, making me lose a picture of someone's artwork that I didn't backup. So, while someone else had drawn something, I sadly won't be sharing it with y'all today. :( A lesson learned on procrastination.      August 20th: Transplanting Epilobium Canum      Starting off with the oldest post...

U of U Greenhouse that is shared with Public Lands July 30: Transplanting Native Plants for Public Lands  Where Have I Been? Well, apologizes for the late post, but—to keep it brief—I just found out that I'm moving in less than 30 days from a 1,100 sq ft, two bedroom apartment to a bedroom that's about 120 sq ft. Needless to say, on top of my internship starting, my last semester of college, and running my business, it has been a little rough  finding time to do much else. While volunteering has not been cut out of my priority list, posting about it has.  What I Did: Enough about me, let's discuss the project! I went to the U of U's greenhouse, as it's shared with Public Lands' SLC's Native Habitat Plantings team, and learned how to transplant plants into wetland boxes. I learned about how important it is to plant a plant around its collar (where root and stem meet) and to not have too much air pockets in the soil when planting (but also that it has to have ...

  Jordan Park: Volunteer Cleanup     On the Sunday morning of July 6th, Salt Lake City's Public Lands hosted a volunteer cleanup at Jordan Park, the day after the return of its 4th of July drone show. Around 15 volunteers arrived and used the supplied buckets and grabbers to clean up the field and around the playground area. Overall, I found plastic water bottle caps and balloon pieces to be the most common liter. The oddest thing I found was either a pacifier, a child's sock, or an eyelash curler; the eyelash curler was a nice one, too!      After the cleanup, I got in my car to drive home when I had noticed tents being set up for, what I now know is, the People's Market. This is an weekly farmer's market that Jordan Park hosts every Sunday. While there were many friendly vendors, fresh produce, and lots of beautiful handmade items, I ended up buying a Matcha and Blueberry Lemmon custard from Prin Ya's Custard—and I am sure glad that I did!   ...

  Local Artwork:  Sketches by Alex     It has finally happened; I've received my first submission of art that's been drawn on my paper! Thank you Alex for sending and sharing your lovely art. I love your use of negative space to really make your work pop, as well as the impressive shading you've done with markers. I hope your work inspires others to find the time to engage in their hobbies! 

Local Artwork:  Peacock at Allen Park     While walking around my neighborhood, I found another little, local library outside of someone's shop. While I'll usually take and leave a book, I noticed that this particular library offered artwork, as well! Of course, I had to run home, put together some kits of paper, and began thinking of my own art to contribute.       While I am not much of an artist, I will dabble in painting and charcoal every once in a while. After visiting Allen Park, I felt very inspired to paint what I had seen. So, here is my peacock from Allen Park! I hope that others will soon send me their beautiful art so my peacock isn't lonely on my blog.      Update (July 9, 2025): While this was originally published on June 18, 2025, I feel I must update what I ended up doing with this piece of artwork. A few days after I had put the kits and art into the library, I noticed this house with peacock decorations in its front la...

 June 11: Allen Park Cleanup  Dilapidated Gazebo at Allen Park     On June 11, 2025, Salt Lake City's Public Lands partnered with the Friends of Allen Park to create this cleanup! For two-and-a-half hours, we weeded, swept, and cut down overgrown grass. While there is still much work to do at Allen Park, it felt good contributing to the park's conservation project. Moreover, it felt even better to be contributing to my local community's joy. Although the impact of this project may seem years away—as there are still many more phases to complete this vision—I learned that many of those that were volunteering beside me had once lived there, visited often before the closure, and had even met Yda, who has been taking care of the peacocks.      While I could discuss Allen Park, it's rich history, and its future and current community impact forever, I will be saving that for a more detailed, future post. For now, I'll leave you with some additional photos of...