The organic farming movement has been on the rise for quite some time. Almost every week I read about a city dweller giving up everything to go be a farmer, and I have to say, there's quite a lot that's appealing about this.  A great deal of work met by a great deal of satisfaction, that's how most sum it up. 

 Here I am with my sister  Naomi (eating at M Chaya in LA www.mcafedechaya.com).  She's done exactly that. 

 And, here we are having a delicious organic lunch at her house in Ojai. About five years ago, Naomi, a vegan (naturally) and also a very talented PR guru and law school graduate felt the call of the wild cauliflower . She left a high powered PR job at Conde Nast to learn how to become an organic farmer.  Now, being a clever thing that she is, she managed to keep one foot in the urban world and two hands in the dirt, by freelancing for the very company that wanted to promote her. They couldn't get enough of her as it turned out and she continues to freelance for them and many other companies. But her priorities have to do with organic farming. 

So in between launches of major magazines, Naomi would take off for two months at a time, and literally travel the world on farming sabbaticals.

Now, she combines both her talents... her profound love of organic farming and deep belief in the need to create a sustainable food systems with her work. 

She's currently working with the Slow Food Nation to promote their upcoming event over Labor Day in San Francisco which is happening from August 29^th-September  1,2008.

Slow Food (www.slowfood.com) was founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini as a response to the opening of a McDonalds in Piazza di Spagna in Rome. The idea behind the movement focuses on how we can take back control of our food by outlining three central principles: food must be good (healthful and delicious); it must be clean (produced sustainably in ways that respect the environment), and it must be fair (produced with respect for social justice). Today, the movement exists in over 50 countries and has over 80,000 members and supporters.  Slow Food USA has 14,000 members and oversees a number of programs including Slow Food in Schools, the Ark of Taste and Slow Food Presidia - programs that protect heirloom foods and endangered animal breeds.

As part of the promotion for the upcoming event, Slow Food organized a "Victory Garden", which was planted in front of City Hall. The garden aims to show the possibilities and benefits of urban food production.

Here's Naomi with SF Mayor, Mayor Gavin Newsom, showing off The Slow Food Nation Victory Garden.  Check out www.slowfoodnation.org for all the details for the Labor Day events. Pretty cool. 

 Last week I had to leave town unexpectedly. Normally, this isn't big problem for me. I can pack three items of clothes and make them work for days. But, I had no one to watch my dog, Skip. Now, this is a problem because Skip isn't a typical dog. First of all, he's not really a dog. He's a little man,   and is a pretty avid blogger himself.  http://skipadogslife365.blogspot.com/

 So, he's a pretty smart guy and he always knows when I'm about to leave. 

I had heard about LA Dogworks a couple of years ago. They were they latest arrivals in designer doggy day care. They specialize in all the Hollywood trappings, holistic dog care, complete with "Zen" garden, daily walks and really focus on creating a safe, healthy environment for your pooch to socialize in.  This was most important to me because Skip isn't exactly the most social dog.   I went onto the site and I have to say, I was impressed with what I read. They really stressed the philosophy of good doggy mental health--which we all really translates to good mental health for the owner. 

 I called and had a long conversation with Glen. I explained my problem and he suggested I bring Skip in for a consultation and take a look around. But, first he needed all of his shots. They are strict about that for your own dogs protection. Now, there are people who would laugh at the idea of your dog staying in a nicer hotel than most people, but desperate times call for desperate measures. This is the "Dog Park" and the the area where owners can sit or go to when they pick up their pets. 

I brought Skip in to meet with Diana, the "Park" manager. She evaluates all the dogs and ask about their behavior and any issues.  Skip is very shy, he's a rescue dog and quite frankly, he only likes me. He was not at all happy to be there. I saw many dogs coming and going all happy as can be and I lamented the fact that I had created the ultimate mama's boy.  Yes, that's us together. 

So, it might be easy to understand that Skip was not at all interested in staying one second longer than he had to. Why would he when he gets to cuddle in bed with me?  But after 45 minutes of talking with Diana, he started to warm up to her and she didn't even have treats on her.  I decided based on my extensive conversation with Diana, that this would be a good place for him. She seemed confident and capable.  Plus, I had no choice. I left him for a couple of hours that day in hopes that he would get use to the place. Diana assured me that she would work with him and I really felt that she had Skip's best interest at heart.

I took a tour of the place and I have to say, I was very impressed with the layout. It's very organized, clean and systematic. No small detail left unnoticed. Whatever special need you have, they are happy to accommodate you.

There's a main area called the "park' where the dogs spend most of their day playing and lounging. There's a park manager 24 hours a day watching the dogs.  The back area is a called 'the run" that's where the dogs who are being boarded have their crates. (You can bring your own crate and toys and anything else you can dream of for your pooch to feel comfortable). Big dogs and small dogs are separated.  There's a quite place for nervous dogs and grooming on the premises. I especially liked that they are open 24 hours a day and there's always someone there. If you come home from a late flight and it's 2am and you want your dog, all you have to do is call them and you can pick up your pooch. That also means you can call and check any time on your dog.  For an extra 5$ they offer a dog walking service, which is nice because your dog can get outside and have one-on-one attention and do his business outside in the sunshine.

So, it was decided. Skip would stay at LA Dogworks. Now, when it came to dropping him off, I had to be stealthy and fast. Because he's very good at guilting me with his acting ability. I didn't want to make a drama of the situation and he's quite the actor when he wants to be.  I came in, dropped him off, and they took him straight into the park. Once inside your dog is processed. He gets a special I.D tag, kind of like an inmate, and they take down all the important information regarding his eating habits ect. Of course, being the drama queen, Skip  pitched a fit and was crying and barking and I felt terrible for him, but at the same time, I knew it would be good for him. Welcome to being a dog. 

Then, once he was in, I brought in his crate and dog food.  I had a long talk with Pete, another manager, who was great. He was up to speed on all things Skip.   And I was off. 

I had this vision of Skip looking for me out the window like he does at home.  And, I did call several times to get a status report on Skip.  He was sitting in the front of the dog park looking for me for hours. And, as it turned out,  It took many hours and several treats and growls later, but Skip slowly started to adjust to his new  home. He wasn't too happy about it, that's for sure and that's tough to hear, but sometimes it's hard to remember, he's a dog.  When I came to pick him up in the middle of the night, he flew into my arms and gave me a look as if to say, "please don't do that every again,"  but he was safe and I was happy to have a place to take him.  And, as the sign says, Time Heals All Wounds. (BTW, this was not taken at LA DOGWORKS).

LA DOGWORKS

1014 North Highland Ave

LA, CA 90038

323.461.5151

www.ladogworks.com

35$ for up to 6 hours of doggy day care

65$ for overnight boarding