Why is this plant critter mad?

plus, a special Raleigh library event today!

Greetings, Frog Troublers!

Last weekend we had the pleasure of signing copies of Plant Pets at BBGB Books in Richmond, Virginia—an adorable bookstore right next to World of Mirth (an awesome toy store) in Carytown. Bea and Harriet were especially impressed by a bookstore entirely focused on kids’ and YA books. It was easy for Harriet to find some of her favorites, like Geraldine Pu and Dory Fantasmagory, and Bea discovered some new loves in the YA section, like The Inheritance Games (more on this one later, we promise!).

Today, at 2:30 pm, we have an extra special library event with scientist and writer Eleanor Spicer Rice at Oberlin Library in Raleigh. Oberlin was Bea’s favorite library when we lived in Raleigh because they hosted such fun events and storytimes, so it’s great to head back there with one of our favorite science writers. Dr. Eleanor will be talking about her hilarious and eye-opening new book, Your Pets’ Secret Lives: The Truth Behind Your Pets’ Wildest Behaviors, and Bea will of course be talking about Plant Pets. We’ll each have a pet-themed craft to share. Here’s a sneak preview of ours:

We call these plant critters, and they’re easy to make. All you need is:

-a small pot (we got some tiny terracotta ones at Walmart, but repurposed plastic pots work too)

-some potting soil

-googly eyes and/or a permanent marker

-a spider plant with babies

-perhaps a paper clip

The spider plant babies we used came from the wonderful folks at the Chatham Agricultural Extension/Therapeutic Horticulture program, who joined us at Goldston Public Library for a plant swap on Friday. The very kind Rieppe Hendrick brought a magnificent mama spider plant and let us take a bunch of cuttings.

To make your critter, just fill your pot with potting soil. Tuck a small spider plantlet into the soil, roots down. If it doesn’t want to stay, you can unbend a paper clip and use that to sink the roots into the soil.

Glue on your googly eyes. Add eyelashes, a kitty corn, whiskers, whatever you like!

Spider plants are easy to take care of—we looked after one this summer while plant-sitting. They grow quickly, and will soon get roots. The plantlets, also called spiderettes, are the small plants that appear at the end of long offshoots that form when the mother plant blooms.

But why is this critter (created by Harriet) mad?

Maybe it’s because lots of people this election season are not going to vote all the way down their ballots! It’s really, really important to vote in every race and for every measure, because local races and ballot measures make a big difference in the daily life of your community.

One way to get informed and be prepared (with voting dates and deadlines) is by using this Vote Save America Build Your Ballot tool. It’s free, easy to understand, and uses your address to link you to information about national, statewide, judicial, and local candidates. You can also look up individual candidates on Vote 411, a nonpartisan site that also asks candidates questions and shares their responses. Vote 411 even includes school board candidates, which can be harder to learn about, even though they are crucially important!

In Chatham County, for example, we have two school board races.

Though the school board is a non-partisan position, it’s one where you really need to have experienced, fair-minded, level-headed folks who listen to the community with the best interest of all kids in mind. We understood the stakes this past week when a small group of parents tried to challenge an excellent Chatham/NC Arts Council artist-in-residency program at one of our middle schools. The only reason we could discern, listening to their complaints? The program, a beat-making workshop led by Grammy nominated artist Pierce Freelon, is called “Blackspace.” 🙄

While our school board listened to everyone who spoke at the meeting last week—teaching artists, parents, teachers, and community members—they also have an excellent track record of supporting teachers and kids. Our superintendent read a statement in support of our teachers, who (by the way) have carefully selected and work with the teaching artists who visit their classrooms. He began:

Public schools are the backbone of our community. They are where our children learn, grow, and prepare for their futures. Yet instead of celebrating these spaces for the opportunities they provide, political agendas are increasingly pulling our schools and teachers away from their true mission.

Since the pandemic, many politically motivated groups have injected themselves into schools—not to improve education, but to create controversy and sow division. For them, schools are battlegrounds for political points, not places of learning. Moreover, our teachers—professionals who dedicate their lives to nurturing the next generation—find themselves caught in the crossfire. This must stop.

Well said, Dr. Jackson!

The Frog Trouble Times joins Public School Strong and the Chatham Democratic Party in endorsing Ana Carlson and David Hamm, running for district 1 and 2 respectively. Carlson will be new, and is running unopposed, but she supported our successful work in asking for higher pay for teachers last spring, is a public school parent, and is an advocate for equity for all students. Hamm is a long-serving member of the school board who also advocates for all students and strongly supported our request for higher teacher pay. He is a retired Chatham County teacher and principal, and his daughters are teachers in Chatham too (one was Harriet’s teacher last year!)

Here’s David Hamm speaking at the recent NAACP candidate forum:

We are proud to endorese Ana Carlson and David Hamm and appreciate their service to the community.

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One more important ask for you, Frog Troublers! Our longtime readers know that we hold an annual school fundraiser that we transformed, as parents and teachers, from a corporate, incentive-based outside fundraiser to a DIY, local fundraiser. Instead of annoying social media asks designed to help kids win junky plastic toys, our fundraiser is homegrown and low-pressure. Kids host lemonade stands, craft fairs, plant sales, and readathons. 100% of the money we raise will go this year to field trips, classroom learning subscriptions, cultural arts programs, and library books—way better than the 51% schools take home from programs like Boosterthon.

Kids still can get prizes—but it’s based on participation, not total amount raised, and the prizes are all from local businesses, or are experienced-based and within the school. For example, kids can become the PE teacher’s assistant or principal’s assistant for the day. Glee Kids, McIntyre’s, Flyleaf Books, and many other local businesses also donated prizes and gift cards for participating kids and teachers. Bea and I donated copies of Plant Pets as prizes.

If you can donate—any amount helps—Bea would be glad to send you, as a thank-you, one of her adorable amigurumi crochet animals. You might get an octopus, a donut, a jellyfish, or a mouse—she’s always thinking up new crochet projects these days. Just let us know in the comments or with an email and we’ll get you your critter, stat! If you’d like to give to Perry Harrison, here is the link.

Thank you for all that you do for your community! Lots of love from us.