Predicting the future - Reply hazy, try again

Okay here it comes …the big countdown to the latest doomsday prediction

12-21-12

Are you scared?  Nope, me neither. I’m not worried that the world will end suddenly just because we have reached a magic number on our calendar. As one of my friends (laughingly) pointed out, I’ve lived through 5-5-55, 6-6-66, 7-7-77, 8-8-88, 9-9-99, 10-10-10, 11-11-11 and now 12-12-12!  

I remember the Y2K panic. That didn’t happen, did it? Besides, I was taught that God put me on Earth to accomplish a certain number of things, and right now, I’m so far behind that I know I will never die!

What causes great civilizations to collapse is over-expansion and the exhaustion of natural resources. The Mayans did both.  If they could not foresee their own end, then I’m not putting much stock in their forecast for the rest of us. The future is what we make it.

Mystery of Easter Island 

Mankind has messed up a lot of things, but I believe we still have time to correct our mistakes. We’ve cut down rainforests, blown up mountain tops, killed whales, fouled our drinking water, waged war with each other…

yet even in big polluted cities, birds are still building nests on tall buildings, grass is still growing in sidewalk cracks and when people put a flowerpot out on their windowsill - butterflies still come by.  Nature will survive us if we give it the smallest chance.

Rewilding

Consider this poem by Sara Teasdale:

There Will Come Soft Rains     

There will come  soft rains and the smell of the ground,

And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,

And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire

Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree

If Mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,

Would scarcely know that we were gone.

It’s a wonderful world.

We exist because our ancestors had the power to adapt successfully to changes in the environment.

This ability to modify ourselves is written in our genes.  

We Are Hardwired For Adaptation

You don’t have to be a scientist to understand this.  Just look at your family tree. (Sorry, you can’t escape your biology.) Who you are is due to the decisions your ancestors made in choosing mates.  If you think they’ve reached perfection in you, I suppose you could store some of that DNA so that you could be cloned in the future. (In the deep South we already do this – it’s called “cousins”.)

Albert Einstein said, "I never think of the future, it comes soon enough."  And he was right. It has come sooner than I ever thought it would. Because time DOES fly.

When I was a child watching cartoons on Saturday while drinking Tang ...

"The drink chosen for the Gemini Astronauts!"

...I thought by the year 2000 I’d be riding into work on a flying car like “The Jetsons”, 

living in a very different city,

 and looking something like this

Oh, wait isn’t Katie Perry doing that one now? 

Okay, maybe it’s better for everyone in my age group and size that this clothing trend didn’t happen.  Scary! 

Who really started this doomsday myth?  According to news reports, Guatemala’s Mayan people have accused their government of perpetuating the myth that their calendar foresees the imminent end of the world to promote tourism for monetary gain. Imagine! As if anyone would do that, right?

In reality, the world’s end is linked to our sun – which was formed about 5 billion years ago and still has about 3-1/2 billion years left before the gas fueling it is depleted.  When that time approaches, the sun will become a “red giant” expanding more than 250 times its present diameter.  The planets closest to the sun (including the Earth) will be burned up! But, hey – we’ve got a looong time to figure out the solution.

We could just set up a human colony on another planet, you say? Yeah, but it would have to be located in a galaxy other than this one, because our sun’s next phase would be as a “white dwarf”  - which would make our whole solar system uninhabitable.

We may have an environmental sword pointed at us, but the future does not have to be a plank that we walk blindfolded. There are always choices.  We just have to remember that the pirates are not our friends.

It may be the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine.

"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time; and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." -- William Shakespeare, from Macbeth

Trowel and Error

Sometimes I feel that a blog is hardly worth writing anymore.  There are so many out there! Everyone is busy writing them, so who is reading them? There are so many voices and topics to choose from that it is impossible to believe that anything I say or think hasn't already been said or thought  - and probably expressed more eloquently. Is there nothing new under the sun?

Planet Earth Video Link

Maybe not.  But, there is probably alot of old stuff we don't know anything about - or new ways to do old stuff. The ultimate in recycling. That's why I like Pinterest. There is no craft, skill, artistry, trade or clever idea that hasn't been investigated, photographed and documented for you to look at and try. 

    

Garden "Flower"

 

Garden Wind Chimes

Tire Caterpillar Planters

I don't know how many more slaps to the head with the exclamation of "Why didn't I think of that?" I can make. I am absolutely addicted to Pinterest! And if I wasn't wasting so much time looking at it all, I might have time to actually do some of the things shown to me.



Tomatoes



Eggplants

 

Roasted Veggies with Cheese - Yum!

If there is nothing left for me to show and nothing new I can tell, then all I can do is record events as they unfold.   A journal?  A diary?  I'm not Ann Frank. I'm not even Mia Thermopolis. I last kept a diary when I was in 8th grade.  I still have it and let me tell you -it makes for some pretty boring reading!  If I could go back in time and speak to my 14-year-old self what I would say? 

 

 

 



I'd say " Quit whining. All the things you worry about will never happen.  Things you never imagined will.  All the friends who are so important to you now will disappear from your life and it won't matter.  All the people and things you take for granted now will prove to be what is important."  I'd tell myself that I am stronger than I think I am, smarter than others think I am and that it is always a good idea to be kind. 

 

From Lunch to Landfill Video Link

 

But, it doesn't really matter what I'd say because (at that age) I wouldn't be listening!  And if perchance I did hear, I wouldn't understand or believe it anyway.

 

Most of Mankind is like a 14-year old child too. We are old enough to see what is going on around us and certainly intelligent enough understand the implications, but only concerned with that which affects us directly.  We may hear what others are saying, but we don't really listen - or care. We are selfish and ignorant.

 

 

 

 

 

One change that is needed is the way we view food and its production, but as philosphers have noted  “People don’t change because they see the light; they change because they feel the heat.”  

If we were to divide the Earth equally among all humans it would give us about 4 acres per person.  However, only 3/4 of one acre would be livable.  We would have to share some of that 3/4 acre with other non-human animals too.  The tiny portion that is our "fair share" has to be able to produce food for everyone.  I think it is probably safe to say that we have overshot the carrying capacity of our planet.

Per Michael Pollen, in order to make the most of what we have available to us we need to eat REAL food, LESS of it and make sure it is mostly PLANTS.  We have a limited amount of grain to feed the world, but we are using 60% of it to feed animals that we in turn eat.

 

What can you do? 

Buy food locally, buy organic and buy in season. Know what is in your food. Read labels. Plant a garden. Raise chickens. Cook and eat at home. Get involved.  Know the issues. 

Community Garden
  

Organic Farming

  

Fight to make sure that healthy meals are being served in public schools, write to your representatives, and insist that local Farmer's Markets accept food stamps. Why? Healthy food needs to be affordable for everyone.

A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.

Is there nothing new under the sun?  Just our future.

 

 Books available at Chesapeake Public Libraries 
CLICK ON GREEN LINKS TO SEE

The Good Food Revolution: growing healthy food, people,and communities  by Allen, Will 

The mini farming guide to vegetable gardening by Markham, Brett

Stand up and garden by Moss-Sprague, Mary
The one-block feast: an adventure in food from yard to table by True, Margo
World without fish: how could we let this happen? By Kurlansky, Mark
The eco-neighbor’s guide to a green community by Johnson, J. Angelique
Earth friendly shopping by Gosman, Gillian
Earth friendly food by Gosman, Gillian
Encyclopedia of organic, sustainable and local food by Duram, Leslie
Do it gorgeously:how to make less toxic, less expensive and more beautiful products by Uliano, Sophie
Made by hand: searching for meaning in a throwaway world by Frauenfelder, Mark
In the green kitchen by Waters, Alice
The story of stuff: how our obsession with stuff istrashing the planet, our communities, and our health-and a vision for change by Leonard, Annie
Shift your habit: easy ways to save your money, simplify your life, and save the planet by Rogers,Elizabeth
Your eco-friendly yard: sustainable ideas to save you time, money and the Earth by Girolamo, Tom
The self-sufficient life and how to live it: the complete back-to-basics guide by Seymour, John
True Green Home: 100 inspirational ideas for creating a green environment at home by McKay, Kim
Green Metropolis: why living smaller, living closer, and driving less are  the keys to sustainability by Owen, David

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                 

In the Magic Garden

When I was 5 years old, my Mother did something unexpected. She enrolled me in a private Kindergarten class. I say “unexpected” because back in those days (and in that place) Kindergarten was not required and no one had ever heard of the term “preschool”. Children simply entered first grade when they turned 6, hopefully graduated when they turned 18 and then went out and got a job. Life was much simpler then.

Now THIS is a dollhouse!

Close up of the interior

 

The thing I remember most about that Kindergarten class is the dollhouse that stood -taller than me- at the back of the room.  From the first moment I saw it, I coveted it!  I would stand for long periods looking inside those rooms- wishing I was small enough to live in that little house. But, of course, I didn’t know the magic words to make that happen.  (I knew about fairies and magic from stories my Mother read to us.)

Fairies can live anywhere!

I especially liked The Borrowers by Mary Norton, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham and The Dolls House by Rumer Godden.  I liked the idea that teeny people and tiny animals could be hiding amongst us (just living in cozy wee houses  and going about their business)  and we never knew!

Stalking

Oh, if only I could be small enough to sleep in a bed made out of a matchbox like Arrietty!



The Borrowers

Or, ride down the river in a little boat with a water rat and have a picnic like mole!

I shot secret glances at the dolls in the dollhouse to see if they moved (like Godden’s “Tottie”) when they thought we weren’t looking, but they never did.

I got a dollhouse that Christmas from Santa and although I was happy enough playing with it, it wasn’t  “REAL”. It was made out of tin with rugs and curtains painted on it and all the furniture was made out of pink plastic. I knew no small person or talking animal would ever really want to live in it.  It was a toy.

Not Real

To remedy this problem, I stayed busy over the next five years or so making secret outdoor houses out of twigs and leaves for any stray fairy or borrower who might need a home.  I got pretty good at it.  I made them in the woods where we went camping, next to steams, and always next to any tree with a hole at its base (after speaking into the hole first in case it was already occupied, of course!)

Is anyone home?

Noticing my obsession, my Aunt Eppie (who was patient and understood kids) showed me how to make tiny furniture from wooden spools, flat rocks and empty cocoa cans – and how to decorate with tin foil and bits of ribbon and cut-up magazine pages. From Peggy, a neighbor girl who babysat us, I learned how to make a doll out of twigs, leaves and flowers – which I would occasionally place inside of one of my houses as bait. Alas, the houses remained unoccupied and so eventually I grew up and abandoned the effort.



Twig dolls

Then a couple of weeks ago, I was in the garden behind our Children’s Department  watering the plants and I noticed something surprising !

We have fairies in our garden!

It only took me fifty years to stumble upon one in its natural state! There was no one home, however, and later I understood why. 

Alien Invaders

Maybe this is the reason they are so rare?

Less Mess

I didn't read this as a child.

My house is a mess. Every single room is filled with clutter. Every closet and drawer is full.  This didn’t happen overnight, of course. The detritus of the past 20 years has been steadily accumulating and has now reached the point where I feel it would be easier to just sell the house and start over than to clean!

I’m pretty sure though, that in order to sell my house, I’d have to clean it anyway – so that’s really not a solution.

Possible before women worked 40 hours a week

To make myself feel better, I went online and searched images for other examples of sloppy housekeeping.  I thought my place would look good by comparison, but I was wrong, wrong, wrong! I’m going to post a few pictures here and there, but I’m not going to tell which ones (if any) are actually from my house! I’m going to let you guess. I guarantee that no matter what your house looks like though, mine is worse.

Where's the TV remote?

Just take a clean shirt from the top of the pile.

 

I’d like to be able to blame the entire problem on my husband -and believe me, he is a major contributor. But sadly part of it is me too. He has collections. While I like to think that I am going to “do something with” stuff instead of just throwing it away.  Sometimes I do and it turns out good.  Sometimes I don’t.  Mostly, I start a project, but don’t finish.



An attempt at organization? LOL



When's the last time you ate in the dining room?

Repair - YES

Reuse - YES

  Recycle - YES

     Reduce - HUH?

I could blame it all on Pinterest. (www.Pinterest.com )  This is the most addictive website ever! With all its nifty diy craft projects, you almost feel guilty if you don't do something creative with every single used household item. It's impossible, isn't it?  Thank God Pinterest hasn't been around long enough to cause much damage.

Well, except damage like - A BUSTED SPLEEN - because you can't keep up with all the ideas that people are posting to the site.!"Suzy Homemakers" every one of them. Even Dudepins - a site for guys, can make you feel inadequate.

Manly men repurpose their old drum sets after Rock Stardom fails.

I’m going to have to tackle this problem room by room – and the room I’d like to start with is the garage.  A lot of people have problems with keeping their garage clean. It easily becomes a permanent home for household items that are seldom used or stuff that is “too good to throw away”. Really? If you are not using it, just how good is it? It’s just taking up space.

Keep the door closed so the neighbors won't know! 

I need the garage to be cleared in order to have a place to put the stuff I’m removing from the other rooms. (I’ll be emptying it just so I can fill it up again.) Depressing!

Though clutter is caused equally by both men and women, female clutter is generally prettier than male clutter,don't you think?  Which would you rather look at- a fabric stash or drill bits?

Male

Female

Before I began the cleanup, I'll need to see what Clutter Level I'm at.



I think I'm a solid 2, borderline 3. 



Maybe there is hope.  After all, the scale goes up to a 9.  YIKES!!!

Poems Heard in the Children's Garden

Garden Instructions

Plant seeds early in the spring

When the ground is warm.

Two inches deep in well-tilled soil

Where they’ll be safe from harm.

Let the sun and rain pour down.

Be careful where you hoe.

A miracle is taking place:

Seeds split and start to grow.

Snap Beans

Snap your fingers, jazzy beans,

Tap your toes,

Click your heels, strut your stuff in tight green jeans.

Go ahead and belt a tune.

Make it loud.

Wow the crowd.

Your time is short. It's way past June.

Zucchini

I have all of these zucchini!
What am I supposed to do?
I could fry them, make bread
or cook them in a stew.

I have all of these zucchini!
Can you help me with them, please?
Make some cookies or a cake
broil them with some cheese.

I have all of these zucchini!
Would you give some to your friends?
Just make sure you wash them first
then peel and cut both ends.

I have all these zucchini!
Minestrone sure sounds nice.
Throw in some beans and garlic
And a little bit of rice.  

May you all enjoy zucchini!

It's an easyplant to grow.
Just make sure you count how many
Seeds you've planted in a row.

Tomatoes

Tomato blossom, fruit so red,

All the world’s a garden bed!

Dill

Dainty Doily Dill Weed

dances in the breeze,

waving tiny blossoms,

calling to the peas!

Carrots

What does a carrot know,

Smothered in dirt below?

 Songs of worms,

Tap-tapping rains,

The smell of earth,

And growing pains.

What else does a carrot know,

Alone in the dark, below?

 Sound of boots,

Thud of hoe,

A gentle tug-

It’s time to go.