Presentation: Sustainable Landscape Design, Feb 28, 10a-noon and Mar 15, 2pm

We will be speaking about sustainable landscape design -- what it is, why it's important, and how you can do it, too. Two dates: Saturday, February 28th, 10am to noon, at the Ron Gentry center in Allen; and Sunday, March 15th, 2pm, at Rohde's Nursery in Garland.

Making Sense of This Nonsensical World

Several years ago when I was employed by Collin County Community College, my supervisor gave me Kent M. Keith's Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments. I thumbed through it but was consumed at that time with reading classic novels. Only recently did I pick it up again...and was amazed by its relevance on all levels: personally, professionally, emotionally and spiritually. Don't you love it when you are presented with a message that you really needed to hear? "Serendipity, baby", as I'm fond of saying.

I devoured the book in a couple of days and have recommended it to others. MANY others. (Thank you, Kathrine Swanson.) So here they are, the ten Paradoxical Commandments. Check out the book for more thorough explanations. It's a great read, and probably serendipitous for you, too.

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered...Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives...Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies...Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow...Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable...Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds...Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs...Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight...Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them...Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth...Give the world the best you have anyway.

Ringing in 2009

David, Sage, Folsom the Dog and I would like to wish you all a very happy new year. We hope your holiday season has been bright and earth-conscious. Bright green! Speaking of green...after much planning and hand-wringing and kink-working-out, NativeDave.com is once again harvesting our seeds of sustainability and replanting with a new crop of ideas. (In some cases, literally.) As you may remember, a couple of years ago we began phasing out certain services: installation and maintenance. Although we miss digging our fingers in the dirt, we feel gratified that by sharing our ideas via designs, consultations, writing projects and speaking engagements, we inch closer toward making a difference in this crazy world.

This year we are minimizing our "onsite" or in-person meetings to focus on online design and consultation services. For as little as $75 we will share with you suggestions to make your landscape more ecologically, and economically, sustainable. Please contact us by email at nativedaveinc@gmail.com or by phone at 972.596.3889 for details. For installation and maintenance servicesm, including hardscape elements, please contact Keith Pulliam of Appealing Gardens Landscape at 469.569.8049. For irrigation services, call Tony Rizo of Organic Option at 817.903.1786.

We have several pending requests for speaking engagements and will announce those dates and other pertinent information soon.

Last fall we mentioned we are expanding to other markets. Our online design and consultation services now extend to anywhere in Texas. However, we will be limiting our availability for speaking engagements to Dallas/Ft Worth/Denton and Corpus Christi, for now. Soon we will also be available for dates in Austin and San Antonio; at some point, we will add Houston to our list of service areas.