UPDATE: Regular RW&G readers know that since this post first appeared, DigforTexas.com launched. Here's a bit of an update on the Texas Governor's Mansion. Obviously, the First Family's priorities are on rebuilding the fire-bombed structure.Okay, so the cat's outta the bag... and in a story distributed to some 400 newspapers nationwide. GASP!
I've been working behind-the-scenes to start up a Texas-centric version of Eat The View, with Roger Doiron's blessing. Mostly research thus far, but I've lined up some partners in grime (get it? gardeners? dirt?) and hope to launch something online soon. In my head, I call it "Dig for Texas". And, yup, it's partisan-neutral. We'll be looking at providing an inventory of existing public vegetable gardens and garden resources. From there? Well, the hope is that the message will trickle down to folks in individual counties who'll decide to start community and home gardens, too.
The good news is that I discovered AFTER chatting initially with the reporter that the Texas Governor's Mansion has had a veggie garden since, oh, forever. It just hasn't been well-publicized, and I sure didn't recall seeing it when I'd been to the mansion years ago. Of course, with the firebombing last year, the mansion is outta commission for awhile... there's even some news today suggesting that the mansion may be converted into a historical center. So our challenge here is how we mobilize the, er, troops to celebrate our state's garden heritage without over-relying on the governor's home garden in the short run.
Personally, I really think that the heritage angle is the way to go here. Why? As I said in the article:
“‘Well, the Obamas put one on their White House lawn,’ is probably not going to be the most appealing argument,” [Price] says of her budding campaign to convince the Republican Texas governor and his wife to plant a kitchen garden.Still chuckling when I read that. That's the model of an understatement, no? Teehee.
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