Shades of Green & Gray . . .

Today, At The Green House. . .

Shades of green and gray. . . I chose to color today’s comic with as many variations of green & gray as possible. . . the new is lush and green and always calling out “come play in me” and the old is a reminder of all the playing we did. . . I chose this quote today for many reasons but mostly because I love the lyrics from this song by JJ Heller. It’s a lovely song about the beauty of aging and it’s a lesson for me in embracing the old and the new.

I have given a lot of thought lately to AI, Social Media, screen time and all the “new stuff” us vintage humans are trying to figure out . . . the good, bad or whatever. . . and then I ask “Google” to help me find a song (lyrics) about Growing Older and it shows me some great songs that I already know, plus about 4 suggestions in, this song from someone named JJ Heller. . .

I google further and find some really beautiful lyrics, a recording and video and lots of amazing music from Jennifer Judy Heller. . . and then I realized I’d found the kind of person that I’d love to have as a neighbor.

https://www.jjheller.com

So. . . I have much more to say about neighbors and greens and grays. . . fresh seedlings and compost. . . which I’ll save for tomorrow when we meet a few of the critters At The Green House. And I’ll have A LOT more to say about JJ Heller. Until then. . .

Peace!

A New Recipe. . .

What to make for dinner? What to do for the next 20 years? Peter Menice and I are working on the recipe for what we want to leave as our “legacy” or. . . just like your dinner choice, what kind of flavors want you to recall when you think of us. Today we start our new version of a comic concept we started over 20 years ago.

We began by selling “The Green House” to newspapers. . . yes, those actual paper periodicals that we’d find on our doorsteps or in our paper box each morning. Unfortunately, times were changing and this “internet thing” was becoming the hot way to get your morning news. Our core group of 30-ish papers were starting to disappear, and the reality hit that we weren’t going to make a living with this feature. . . at least not in the failing media market of the early 2000’s.

Long story short. . . brevity is key in the comic world. . . it’s now 2026 and Peter and I are in much different places in our lives and still have the desire to create. We want to spread positive messages. We want to tell stories and share our characters with like-minded people who think there’s something special about “the simple life” and getting back to a greener lifestyle. We want to share our passion for a simpler, greener, more conscious life. Plus, we like doing it and it’ll “keep us busy!”

We want to create a community of people who share ideas, stories, thoughts and yes, recipes! We have a lot of ideas and plans for integrating our readership into this feature, but it’s going to take a little time to get that all working. It seems though, that this internet thing that helped bring down the first “Green House” could actually help a lot of kindred spirits come visit us “At The Green House.”

Here’s a little about our plans. . . what if we could build a large email list and send you our comics directly 2-3 times a week? . . . and what if we could share a larger format version of At The Green House (a Sunday comic version for those of a certain age) and some other great green comics by other artists on the weekends? What if we could create and interactive website where we talk about great Green companies and individuals and share their stories? To be honest, we’re kind of old and not really experts on this Social Media stuff, so we’re reaching out to friends for help and advice. . . basically what we want the future website to be. . . help us help each other. We’ve found a great person to help direct our “office” and help with pulling all the ideas together (Scott!). . . Next we need to find people who love to do Social Media stuff. . . love to direct content . . . love to put together videos. . . etc etc . . . and it’s all going to take a little time.

Today we’re planting a new seed and we’re going to see what grows. What Peter and I do best is write and draw stuff. . . and talk to people. If you want to share your thoughts, please DO!

Actually, to get back to the “recipe” metaphor. . . a recipe is just a list of ingredients, like characters, story lines, humor, visuals. . . we’re fairly good at that stuff, but how you put it together matters. . . the spices, the presentation. . . . the people you share it with. . . if the dog enjoys licking the plate . . .

If you’re interested in helping, just sign up for our newsletter. We’ll share more details there. . . as well as in this blog, but it’d be easier to just send you our thoughts in an email along with this week’s tasty comics. Oh! I almost forgot. . . one of our other ideas is to share a quote with each comic and a Green Song of the Day. . . and we’d love to get YOUR input on that stuff. . . and credit you for the ideas. We’d accomplish that by sending you a pencil sketch of an upcoming comic. . . one that will be finished and published 4-6 weeks later. If you have a quote that you think adds to the content, let us know! If you know a singer, group, great song that “kinda sorta” relates to the comic material, or would just brighten up someone’s day, share that! There’s so much talent out there, we’d love to have you share yours with us. We’d just attatch a YouTube link or other link to each email and to each blog post and credit the creator/author and of course, you. . . our talented neighbor “At The Green House. ” Whew, that was a lot.

Thanks for staying and reading. . . and hopefully sharing. We’re starting off slow, but we will definitely grow! The big question is, will Todd like the stew?

Peace,

Brad & Peter

Our Mission Statement, “Encourage Global Worming.”

Our Mission Statement. . .

“Encourage Global Worming.” A cute way of saying that we want to encourage thoughts and actions that get people back into the earth. . . Gardening, hiking, composting. . . but wait. . . that’s a big step for some people. . . like getting into a new hobby. Let’s simplify, how about get an herb plant or two and see if you can grow them on a windowsill? Get up in the morning and walk outside first thing. . . see what’s happening out there. Take your used coffee grounds and scratch them into the soil around some of the bushes in your yard. . . Or, make a point to read “At The Green House” every week and see if you can get further inspired by the subjects and ideas we feature.

When we first started creating “At The Green House” we had lofty goals. We wanted to get the world to love and follow the adventures of Wormy (aka Earthworm “The World’s Most Down-to-Earth Superhero”). We thought that there was no better critter to encourage ecoconsciousness than an earthworm. We were right and hopefully still are.

Our latest version of the comic is starting on Monday, June 1st and will be published here on Mondays and Wednesdays. Next week we’re going to post on Tuesday, being that Monday is Memorial Day and we hope you’ll all be out paying tribute to our Country’s fallen heroes and having some family celebrations. Our comic for Tuesday is a “memory” as well- one of our favorites about another enemy to the health of our country. . . high fructose corn syrup.

On June 1st you’ll be joining us in starting an new growing season for the Greens. The characters and main themes are still the same as ever, we’re just slowing down the pace to create storylines that gently bring you into the Green’s world. . . your world, just a neighborhood or two away. As I said, we’ll be posting new material on this website twice a week, but would encourage you to opt in on our Newsletter. Well, it’s someday going to be a newsletter, but for now, we’ll just be sending you the latest comic direct to your email, so you don’t have to scroll through endless Social Media posts to follow our stories. The emails are just that, the comic and blog post link for that day. No advertising. Our mission is still to “Encourage Global Worming,” not net sales. If we come out with a new t-shirt or mug or something we think you might want to see, we’ll put a link in the blog or let you know in another email that states it’s purpose. . . “Hey, there’s a cool new Wormy T-shirt in the Green House Country Store!” Click or don’t.

Hope you enjoy Peter’s fun, fantastic watercolor of our planet and many of the wonderful things to appreciate about it. Including worms.

Have a wonderful picnic, parade and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Peace,

Brad & Peter

The Sun Shines Not On Us But In Us. . .

“Here is calm so deep, grasses cease waving. . . . Wonderful how completely everything in wild nature fits into us, as if truly part and parent of us. The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and; tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.”

~ John Muir

The Giving Trees. . .

“Trees give peace to the souls of men.” ~ Nora Waln

I’ve had strong connections to trees for as long as I can remember. My first “Art Show” first place award in grade school was a pencil drawing of a tree. My happy place is always a walk in the woods.

My most profound experience in life came from an hour long chemo session back in 2013 when I stared out a window at the Cancer Center at a beautiful oak that was just coming into it’s new leaves. . . around April. . . and I just found myself finding ease and peace at the miracle before me. I remember studying all of the “negative” space between branches and twigs. . . seeing the “tree” in two forms. . . negative and positive. Which after surviving the chemo and the cancer proved to be how I envisioned the whole experience going forward.

I would love if the whole of humanity had the experience of being with trees, and silence and self. . . just breathe it in, and out. That should be a primary lesson in each person’s education. See that we’re all connected, feel that we’re all connected. Connect.

Then, the simplest thing like bringing a reusable bag into a store should be the easiest way to please ourselves and our friends, the giving trees.

~ Brad

PS: I’d love to hear your comments on connections with trees and nature. It would definitely help fuel new material based on your experiences. Peace!

Happy Earth Day

Hope you all are having a great Earth Day and making a difference. Peter and I wanted to make sure we got our first new material posted today as it is one way we can take action and make a difference. In our homes, every day is Earth Day, but it’s wonderful to have one day where we connect in a united way across the globe. Please share your thoughts and any activities that you are involved in that we all might want to know about! Mother’s Day is a couple of weeks away, but Mother Earth’s Day is today. . . and so I share an old gem of a Green Tune from Tom Rush, “Mother Earth” . . .