“Tidy thoughts are for losers”

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(November 3, 2019) Kelsay Shaw is a man after my own heart. When he says, “Tidy thoughts are for losers,” he strikes a blow for nature. He’s talking about your garden, of course. And he’s talking about the average gardener’s need for neatness that is anathema to nature. I’m not saying that a garden can’t be neat. Just don’t make it your ultimate goal.

So it’s a pleasure to have Kelsay back on the show today. The last time we saw him, Peggy and I were sitting the middle of a prairie at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Wilmington, Illinois. Actually, we were sitting there with broadcast equipment and a lot of great guests. Kelsay was one of them.

Part of the reason we asked him to be on that show was because his family business, Possibility Place Nursery, is just a few minutes down the road in Monee. His father started the business 26 years ago. Here’s what they do.

Our specialty is growing native trees and shrubs that are indigenous to northeast Illinois. Ninety percent of our plants’ seed is collected in Northern Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Plants grown from seed collected in these areas are better adapted to the greater Chicago area than plants grown from seed collected further east and south. The soil and climate have tested these plants for 8,000 years. Only the strong have survived!

Kelsay ain’t your usual garden expert. Here’s what he wants us to learn.

• Why we should use, if not complete embrace, native species appropriate to our local environs. And why even integration of these species on a casual level is ok but not the end goal for gardeners. Learn more about your site before you plant.
• How to remove native plant stigmas of weedy, aggressive and similar epithets. Natives are used far more than most think, but mostly as varieties or cultivars. It’s important to use straight species and seed grown material. Don’t worry about the neighbor!
• Look at quality of material from growers and don’t overlook the roots. No good grower will send material down the road that is bad It happens, but rarely. Develop a relationship with a grower or two and how to know a good one.
• Don’t be sentimental. Planting for you is important but these are not dogs or cats or the yard your gran cared for 1200 miles away. You live in a special place embrace the possibilities of it.

I love experts who say things you don’t necessarily expect. This will be fun.

The on-going Chicago carriage horse debate

I can’t believe that it was a year ago when I wrote,

Almost a year ago, an ordinance was introduced into the Chicago City council that would figuratively change the City’s landscape. Ordinance O2017-8598, co-sponsored by Aldermen Brendan Reilly, Brian Hopkins and Raymond Lopez.

The ordinance they jointly introduced would delete all of the language governing city licenses and regulations for horse-drawn carriages and replace it with the single sentence that would mark the beginning of the end of the industry.

It states, “No horse-drawn carriage license shall be renewed.”

Well, the ordinance has now become O2019-4125, but it hasn’t moved much forward. The person behind the effort to remove carriage horses from Chicago is Jodie Wiederkehr. Her organization, Chicago Alliance for Animals, has continued to document horses that they believe have been overworked in violation of the existing city ordinance.

They also think that  a majority of Chicago alders s are in favor of passing the law that would ban carriage licenses in Chicago.

And yet, another year later, even with a new mayor, the law seems no closer to being passed out of the Committee on License and Consumer Protection.

What’s going on?

We welcome Jodie Wiederkehr back to the program today. Here’s a timeline that she sent, which has been slightly abbreviated.

Sept. 12, 2018 – The ordinance finally went to a hearing in the License Committee.  After a 4.5 hour meeting, Chairwoman Emma Mitts blocked a vote.

Late Nov. 2018 – Horse carriage operators’ licenses were renewed.

Dec. 2018 – FOIA returned showing not one of the 3 carriage companies complied with the conditions of their settlements after being taken to court by the City of Chicago in the summer of 2018, by not submitting monthly required log books from summer – Dec.  And yet, they got their licenses renewed.

From Fall 2018 – Spring 2019 – CAA acquired approx. 30 endorsements for a horse carriage ban from Aldermanic candidates and one Mayoral candidate (Susanna Mendoza).

June 2019 – Alderman Hopkins introduced O2019-4125, a newer and more comprehensive version of the first bill.

July 4, 2019 – 3 horses were worked when it was 91 degrees (horses worked when too hot 8/26/18, 8/5/18 & 8/4/18 and many more times – too many to look up)

Aug. 25, 2019 – horse with open wounds and limping is sent back to the stable by Chicago’s Animal Care & Control.  Also, the horse’s tail was deliberately attached to the harness, so the horse couldn’t swat at flies.

Thurs. Sept. 5, 2019 – Antique Coach & Carriage horse forced to trot and working at 5:32 pm, during rush hour.

Sept 9, 2019 – The ordinance officially has 26 co-sponsors & 32 Aldermen have told us they support a ban.

Sept. 6, 2019 – Alderman Hopkins’ office told us in an email that Mayor Lightfoot’s office removed the ordinance from the Sept. 11th License Committee agenda.

“It was going to be on the agenda (!!!) but the Mayor’s office pulled it to take another look at it.”

Oct. 2, 2019 – A group of CAA volunteers go to the Mayor’s office and delivered 20,000 signatures of people who want horse carriages banned and we asked for answers and a meeting.

Oct. 8, 2019 –  License Committee Meeting – it’s not on the agenda.  

Thurs. Oct. 17, 2019 – The Mayor’s office finally meets with me and one of my top volunteers, who’s a former assistant state’s attorney.  They offer a 1 year phase out in return for getting the horses retired.

Fri. Oct 18, 2019 – I send the terms that the Mayor’s office requested that CAA would like to see happen in order to allow the horses to be overworked for another year.

Mon. Oct. 21, 2019 – The Mayor’s office sends me an email stating, “we plan to meet with the horse carriage companies to discuss our next steps within the next few weeks.” 

I send multiple emails to the Mayor’s office, BACP, CACC, Aldermen Hopkins & Reilly asking for answers and why horses continue to be overworked every weekend and nobody responds.

3 horses overworked 10/27/19, 5 horses overworked 10/19/19, 2 horses overworked 9/29/19, 2 horses overworked 8/25/19, 6 horses overworked 11/24/18, horses overworked 10/27/18, horse worked 13 hrs. 10/13/18, horses overworked 9/22 & 9/15, 8 horses overworked 9/1/18 – there are many, many more times – these are just some recent dates when we were able to document.

Oct. 30, 2019 – A group of CAA volunteers goes to the Mayor’s office again after not getting any answers.  Once again, the same representative (Juan Carlos Linares, Chief Engagement Officer) promises answers, but we haven’t received a return email or phone call.  Alderman Hopkins happened to be walking by, so I asked him about it and if he’d be willing to do a Rule 41 at the Nov. City Council meeting since the Mayor is obstructing justice and not allowing it on the agenda.  He said he would be willing, but would have to discuss it with Alderman Reilly.

CAA now has more than 200 business endorsements including veterinarians, legislators, equine experts, animal protection organizations, local businesses, etc. all totalling millions of people in support of a horse carriage ban.

Nov. 1, 2019 – The final Nov. agenda is posted online, but the bill is not on the Nov. 6th License Committee agenda.

As I posted a year ago, the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois argues that the horses are not being abused at all. We invited staff from the Mayor’s Office, as well as Alders and staff from several wards to appear on this show. None accepted our invitation.