Before you go out and buy that present....
If you are thinking of giving a gift to a person who enjoys gardening or someone who loves to cook, why not consider a donation in their name to The Dinner Garden a non-profit group whose goal is for people to establish food security for their families by planting their own food to eat and also sell for income. End Hunger. "The solution is in your own backyard." Give light and people will find their own way.
Do you know someone who loves jewelry? Bead for Life fights poverty in Uganda by teaching women skills they can use to start their own business. You can buy their products from the website or make a donation to the program. He who obtains has little, he who scatters has much.
Do you love animals or do you have a pet at home? Donate to your local SPCA. Norfolk or Virginia Beach Seek joy in what you give, not in what you get.
Do you like people and love to give parties? Why not give a gift of love to Architecture for Humanity which supports a network of architects, designers and building professionals to lend their talents to communities where their services are most needed and can least be afforded. You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
Here in Tidewater there are many of us who spend a lot of time in and on the water. The Ocean Foundation is fighting to repopulate the ecosystems of the Gulf Coast - a region recovering from the recent British Petroleum oil spill. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.
Do you have children or grandchildren? Replace a stuffed toy you would normally purchase with a donation to The World Wildlife Fund Symbolically adopt a panda, tiger, polar bear or humpback whale for $50.00 and they will send you a stuffed animal, a photo, adoption certificate and information about the animal. Teach your children that it is impossible to love without giving.
This season especially, please remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
birch
Trees are poems that Earth writes upon the sky. We fell them down and turn them into paper, that we may record our emptiness. ---Kahlil Gibran
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Swinging Pendulum
This morning as I was pouring milk into my second cup of sugared coffee (having just finished a breakfast of bacon and eggs). I sat down and reached around my husband's newspaper for the strawberry jelly to spread on my buttered biscuit, when I realized (with a guilty pang) that sitting in my refrigerator were 4 cups of YOGURT, a bowl of leftover FRUIT SALAD, and that I had GRANOLA cereal in the cupboard!
After all the reading (and preaching) I've done lately about the importance of eating fresh, whole foods I still can't seem to break my inclination to reach for the stuff that tastes good, but isn't necessarily good for you.
I suppose I could blame it on my upbringing, but I did later live a very healthy, natural foods type of life for many years. So, I do know better - and I know I CAN do better. I just don't anymore and I guess it's laziness.
I was raised by an educated mother who enjoyed her career and hated cooking . Her meal plans were determined by what was quickest. This was in a time before prepackaged meals, so weekday suppers usually meant boiled potatoes, a can of corn and fried Spam doused with ketchup.
On weekends, when she had more time, she might (over)cook a roast or put on a pot of beans. I don't remember many salads, unless you count her shredded carrots in Jello concoction. We ate sliced tomatoes, but I don't think I ever tasted a cucumber that wasn't in pickle form. Fruits were limited to apples, oranges and bananas.
My sister and I ate lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches washed down with Kool-Aid. Our parents lived on coffee and cigarettes.
In later years, when my parents finally retired, they bought my Grandmother's old farm house and property, planted a garden and raised chickens. My Mother would call me and proudly say, "We're eating like poor folks!" Meaning, of course, that she had gone back to her roots and was once again eating sweet potatoes, turnip greens and black-eyed peas she had grown herself and was cooking cornbread and drinking iced tea.
But, it was too late for my sister and I, who were raised on Fruit Loops, frozen fish sticks and Tang.
However, in that statement of hers, I finally got a flash of insight. My mother grew up in a large family during the depression. They depended upon their garden to eat. They canned what they grew and baked their own bread by necessity. So success -to her generation- was having a career that gave you enough money to buy your food from a store. You didn't have to nurse your babies! You worked and, therefore, could afford to buy canned formula that caretakers could feed your child in a bottle.
Those bottle-fed babies (my generation) grew up to become "hippies". We rejected our parents way of life and went back to the land. (Well, for awhile anyway.) We identified with our grandparents.
Our children, tired of living on bean sprouts and tofu, swung the other way. They craved Happy Meals and rejoiced in grandparents (our parents) who bought them Slurpees and served Pop Tarts for breakfast and Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs in a can for lunch.
Their children (our grandchildren) - those now in high school and college - have tipped back towards us. They are the vegetarians.
In between all these generations are lots of confused people! How else can you explain the simultaneous popularity of Starbucks with its unnatural, flavored coffees and Sushi - the ultimate fresh food? There has to be a happy medium out there somewhere.
Maybe I'll just put a dab of Cool Whip on that fruit salad.
-----------------
Please Read:
Twinkie, deconstructed: my journey to discover how the ingredients found in processed foods are grown, mined (yes, mined), and manipulated into what America eats by Ettlinger, Steve
Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at any meal: how to avoid hidden toxins in your food by Mindell, Earl
Fast food nation : the dark side of the all-American meal by Schlosser, Eric.
The paleo solution: the original human diet by Wolf, Robb
.
After all the reading (and preaching) I've done lately about the importance of eating fresh, whole foods I still can't seem to break my inclination to reach for the stuff that tastes good, but isn't necessarily good for you.
I suppose I could blame it on my upbringing, but I did later live a very healthy, natural foods type of life for many years. So, I do know better - and I know I CAN do better. I just don't anymore and I guess it's laziness.
I was raised by an educated mother who enjoyed her career and hated cooking . Her meal plans were determined by what was quickest. This was in a time before prepackaged meals, so weekday suppers usually meant boiled potatoes, a can of corn and fried Spam doused with ketchup.
On weekends, when she had more time, she might (over)cook a roast or put on a pot of beans. I don't remember many salads, unless you count her shredded carrots in Jello concoction. We ate sliced tomatoes, but I don't think I ever tasted a cucumber that wasn't in pickle form. Fruits were limited to apples, oranges and bananas.
My sister and I ate lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches washed down with Kool-Aid. Our parents lived on coffee and cigarettes.
In later years, when my parents finally retired, they bought my Grandmother's old farm house and property, planted a garden and raised chickens. My Mother would call me and proudly say, "We're eating like poor folks!" Meaning, of course, that she had gone back to her roots and was once again eating sweet potatoes, turnip greens and black-eyed peas she had grown herself and was cooking cornbread and drinking iced tea.
But, it was too late for my sister and I, who were raised on Fruit Loops, frozen fish sticks and Tang.
However, in that statement of hers, I finally got a flash of insight. My mother grew up in a large family during the depression. They depended upon their garden to eat. They canned what they grew and baked their own bread by necessity. So success -to her generation- was having a career that gave you enough money to buy your food from a store. You didn't have to nurse your babies! You worked and, therefore, could afford to buy canned formula that caretakers could feed your child in a bottle.
Those bottle-fed babies (my generation) grew up to become "hippies". We rejected our parents way of life and went back to the land. (Well, for awhile anyway.) We identified with our grandparents.
Our children, tired of living on bean sprouts and tofu, swung the other way. They craved Happy Meals and rejoiced in grandparents (our parents) who bought them Slurpees and served Pop Tarts for breakfast and Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs in a can for lunch.
Their children (our grandchildren) - those now in high school and college - have tipped back towards us. They are the vegetarians.
 |
| It all depends on your point of view. |
In between all these generations are lots of confused people! How else can you explain the simultaneous popularity of Starbucks with its unnatural, flavored coffees and Sushi - the ultimate fresh food? There has to be a happy medium out there somewhere.
Maybe I'll just put a dab of Cool Whip on that fruit salad.
-----------------
Please Read:
Twinkie, deconstructed: my journey to discover how the ingredients found in processed foods are grown, mined (yes, mined), and manipulated into what America eats by Ettlinger, Steve
Dr. Earl Mindell's Unsafe at any meal: how to avoid hidden toxins in your food by Mindell, Earl
Fast food nation : the dark side of the all-American meal by Schlosser, Eric.
The paleo solution: the original human diet by Wolf, Robb
Monday, November 22, 2010
Manna Mania
With the approaching Thanksgiving holiday, which often seems to be celebrated by gluttony and over-indulgence, it may now be appropriate to talk about food and the politics of food.
Manna was the name of the food God sent to the Israelites during their 40 years in the desert. It fell from Heaven upon the ground as small white grains resembling coriander seeds. It tasted like honey.
Some are still searching for a perfect food source to feed us all. With the increasing world population, it sometimes seems we need another phenomenon like manna. For awhile, TVP (textured vegetable protein) was the “miracle” scientists held up to the light.
I’m suspicious of any “food” that has to be processed, disguised and then mixed with other foods in order to be palatable.
TVP is made from proteins that are EXTRACTED from soybeans, cotton seeds, wheat and oats. It is pressed into various shapes (flakes, chunks, strips) and sizes. It looks like dog kibble! A similar taste comparison for meat eaters would be baked chicken versus chicken McNuggets, for vegetarians it would be a fresh ear of roasted corn versus a can of niblets.
Vegetarians, who are concerned about cruelty to animals, or humans eating certain species to the point of extinction, may be quick to endorse this product. However, there are a few things they should know about TVP.
• TVP is not a complete protein. You can’t use it as a substitute for the complete protein you would get from eating animal foods (meats, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs, yogurt, and milk) that contain all 9 essential amino acids. Proteins derived from plant foods (beans, rice, grains, and vegetables) are incomplete. Incomplete proteins have to be combined in meals to make a complete protein (for example by combining rice and beans). TVP is incomplete.
• TVP lacks isoflavones (which are in other soy products such as tofu, miso, and tempeh). Isoflavones are the whole reason for the health benefits in eating soy.
• TVP is not organic. Under organic production, use of pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides) on plants is prohibited. Livestock must be raised with regular access to pasture and without use of antibiotics or growth hormones. Neither animals nor produce can be genetically modified.
• TVP has one of the highest percentages of contamination by pesticides of any food that is eaten. We may as well be lotus-eaters like those in Greek mythology, who ate the narcotic plant and ceased to care about anything or anyone.
To find out how much protein you need daily, divide your body weight in pounds by 2.2 (which gives you your weight in kilograms) and then multiply that number by 0.8 - then check the charts below to discover the amount of protein in each food.
Just as you don’t need a Nicoderm patch to quit smoking, there is no reason that you ever need to eat TVP if you decide to abstain from eating flesh. It's not hard to satisfy your protein needs, as long as you eat a variety of foods.
Another food source that scientists hope is akin to biblical Manna is green algae. Algae are simple photosynthetic plants that live in water, most often known as plankton. You think you would never eat seaweed? Chances are you already have! Algae has found its way into many commercial products. There are four algae products: Agar (found in Hostess Fruit Pies), Alginic acit (found in Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup and Sunny Delight Orange Juice), Carrageenan (found in Johnston’s Pumpkin Pie and Baby Ruth Candy Bars) and Diatomaceous Earth (found in Sensodyne Tooth Paste and most swimming pool filter powders.) Pond scum? Yummy!
People are going to keep looking for that one perfect food source, but I don’t think they are going to find it. Our hope in the ability to feed future mankind lies in our politics, not our science.
The Earth COULD certainly provide us with the variety and quantity of plants and animals needed to feed us all. And, people SHOULD certainly be able to figure out how to distribute this bounty evenly.
Now, if we just WOULD.
Otherwise, the alternative is “Soylent Green”.
Books About Politics of Food:
The Third Freedom by McGovern, George S.
The crazy makers : how the food industry is destroying our brains and harming our children by Simontacchi, Carol N.
The hundred-year lie : how food and medicine are destroying your health by Fitzgerald, Randall
Food politics : how the food industry influences nutrition and health by Nestle, Marion
The Maker's Diet by Rubin, Jordan
Manna was the name of the food God sent to the Israelites during their 40 years in the desert. It fell from Heaven upon the ground as small white grains resembling coriander seeds. It tasted like honey.
Some are still searching for a perfect food source to feed us all. With the increasing world population, it sometimes seems we need another phenomenon like manna. For awhile, TVP (textured vegetable protein) was the “miracle” scientists held up to the light.
I’m suspicious of any “food” that has to be processed, disguised and then mixed with other foods in order to be palatable.
TVP is made from proteins that are EXTRACTED from soybeans, cotton seeds, wheat and oats. It is pressed into various shapes (flakes, chunks, strips) and sizes. It looks like dog kibble! A similar taste comparison for meat eaters would be baked chicken versus chicken McNuggets, for vegetarians it would be a fresh ear of roasted corn versus a can of niblets.
Vegetarians, who are concerned about cruelty to animals, or humans eating certain species to the point of extinction, may be quick to endorse this product. However, there are a few things they should know about TVP.
• TVP is not a complete protein. You can’t use it as a substitute for the complete protein you would get from eating animal foods (meats, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs, yogurt, and milk) that contain all 9 essential amino acids. Proteins derived from plant foods (beans, rice, grains, and vegetables) are incomplete. Incomplete proteins have to be combined in meals to make a complete protein (for example by combining rice and beans). TVP is incomplete.
• TVP lacks isoflavones (which are in other soy products such as tofu, miso, and tempeh). Isoflavones are the whole reason for the health benefits in eating soy.
• TVP is not organic. Under organic production, use of pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides) on plants is prohibited. Livestock must be raised with regular access to pasture and without use of antibiotics or growth hormones. Neither animals nor produce can be genetically modified.
• TVP has one of the highest percentages of contamination by pesticides of any food that is eaten. We may as well be lotus-eaters like those in Greek mythology, who ate the narcotic plant and ceased to care about anything or anyone.
To find out how much protein you need daily, divide your body weight in pounds by 2.2 (which gives you your weight in kilograms) and then multiply that number by 0.8 - then check the charts below to discover the amount of protein in each food.
Animal Sources of Protein Serving Size Protein (in grams)
Meat/Poultry/Fish 3 oz. 21
Cottage cheese ½ cup 14
Milk 1 cup 8
Yogurt 1 cup 8
Cheese 1 oz. 7
Egg 1 whole 6
Egg white only 1 3
Plant sources of Protein Serving Size Protein (in grams)
Tofu, raw, firm 3 oz. 13
Legumes: (Black beans,
Kidney beans, Chickpeas, etc.) ½ cup 7 – 8
Peanut butter 2 T. 8
Nuts 1 oz. 5
Bread 1 oz. (1 slice) 3
Cereal 1 oz. 3
Vegetables ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw 3
Pasta or rice ½ cup 3
Just as you don’t need a Nicoderm patch to quit smoking, there is no reason that you ever need to eat TVP if you decide to abstain from eating flesh. It's not hard to satisfy your protein needs, as long as you eat a variety of foods.
Another food source that scientists hope is akin to biblical Manna is green algae. Algae are simple photosynthetic plants that live in water, most often known as plankton. You think you would never eat seaweed? Chances are you already have! Algae has found its way into many commercial products. There are four algae products: Agar (found in Hostess Fruit Pies), Alginic acit (found in Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup and Sunny Delight Orange Juice), Carrageenan (found in Johnston’s Pumpkin Pie and Baby Ruth Candy Bars) and Diatomaceous Earth (found in Sensodyne Tooth Paste and most swimming pool filter powders.) Pond scum? Yummy!
 |
| Alginic acit |
 |
| Carrageenan |
 |
| Diatomaceous Earth |
 |
| Agar |
People are going to keep looking for that one perfect food source, but I don’t think they are going to find it. Our hope in the ability to feed future mankind lies in our politics, not our science.
The Earth COULD certainly provide us with the variety and quantity of plants and animals needed to feed us all. And, people SHOULD certainly be able to figure out how to distribute this bounty evenly.
Now, if we just WOULD.
Books About Politics of Food:
The Third Freedom by McGovern, George S.
The crazy makers : how the food industry is destroying our brains and harming our children by Simontacchi, Carol N.
The hundred-year lie : how food and medicine are destroying your health by Fitzgerald, Randall
Food politics : how the food industry influences nutrition and health by Nestle, Marion
The Maker's Diet by Rubin, Jordan
Friday, November 5, 2010
Relapse
The crunchy part of the year has begun. You know, when everything is smushed together into
"halloweenthanksgivingchristmasnewyears"?
From October until the start of the new year, my life is just too busy. I'm always trying to squeeze extras into my routine and inevitably other things are neglected. (Such as blog posting!) So, let me play some catch up.I've posted pictures below of my "recycled" clothing experiment. The skirt that was too long was shortened and a ruffle added to the bottom with the excess material, along with a matching ribbon trim.
 |
| skirt |
 |
sweater |
I crocheted red cap sleeves on the sleeveless brown sweater and also made a little flower pin with some of the skirt material.
 |
| blouse |
The blouse that was too low cut has been made modest by the addition of some pink crocheted lace stretched across the neckline.
 |
| "plarn" (plastic yarn) bag |
I thought I'd also show a picture of the finished "plarn" bag from several posts ago.
I have not gotten around to the aprons yet (though they would have been the simplest project) because I had to make two Halloween costumes first and I ran out of gas. The Halloween outfits both had aprons though!
 |
| Halloween Dress 2 |
 |
| Halloween Dress 1 |
The purple apron was made from an old shirt I had and the white one was made from a pillowcase. I took two bridesmaid's dresses I bought at a thrift store and reconstructed them using lace and netting I had at home.
There has been enough "recycling" going on here that I really should speak of something else for awhile. But, no matter how hard I try to think of something else, recycling seems to be dominating my life right now both at home and at work.
At work, we have several projects going on and some that we recently finished that involve the re-use of materials. We have put up new display shelving for our paperbacks that came from a book shop and our wooden cupboards came from a department store that went out of business. Our old revolving bookracks have been given to another branch library for re-use.
 |
| cupboards on red wall and display tables |
 |
| paperbacks |
We are in the process of building a "coffee shop area" in the library that will have vending machines, tables and chairs, wooden floor, beautiful lighting and piped in music! While new to us, this is a re-cyled concept stolen from Barnes and Noble that we hope to copy successfully.
 |
| future coffee shop area |
The "Big Shift" project (where every non-fiction book at Central is re-shelved and every shelf has been adjusted) is almost complete. Now instead of the Dewey numbers running horizontally across the aisles, they flow down each column as they should - making books so much easier for patrons to locate.
 |
| reshelved non-fiction |
At home, I cooked a big ham with pineapple for supper on Sunday - then recycled it into sandwiches the rest of the week. Ugh! I'm even reading a book called "Juliet" by Anne Fortier which is a updated, recycled plot from Shakespear's "Romeo and Juliet". Earlier this week I watched the old musical "West Side Story" - which is [guess what?] another re-telling of "Romeo and Juliet". Seriously, I just now realized that!
OMG! Have I finally reached the age where there truly is nothing new under the sun?
Maybe not. Recently, my daughter made me listen to this song she liked by someone called "Shaggy". It was set to a Jamaican beat, but the lyrics and tune were basically stolen from the old Juice Newton song (who BTW stole it from Nina Simone!) called "Don't Call Me Angel". Well, okay there was one little difference - instead of singing "just touch my cheek before you leave me", he sang "closer than my peeps you are to me". Hopefully, this is one song that won't be played in the coffee shop area. (Sigh)
Slowly turn away.
I won't beg you to stay.
(Maybe the sun's light will be dim and it won't matter anyhow.)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Binge and Purge
I’ve been going through my closet. I’m getting rid of everything that doesn’t fit, I don’t wear or I don’t like anymore. I may end up naked! What to do with the items I remove? I usually take everything to Goodwill (where I then sometimes end up buying replacements – which defeats the whole “reduce” idea.)
This time, however, I’m going to take some of the items and “reuse” them. I’ve checked out a book called “200 Sewing Tips, Techniques and Trade Secrets” by Lorna Knight which I’m hoping will help me do things like alter existing pieces or turn some flowered skirts into aprons . I’m going to perform some sweater surgery too and see what I can reconstruct . SEE LINKS BELOW
If all goes well, I may then tackle my daughter’s closet (where I am sure to find tons of sparkly things that she no longer wears). These can be turned into cute, little dresses for our sweet 3-year old neighbor or her new baby sister who will arrive in December. I’ve already got some patterns and this part should be fun.
I have to confess that I have a Love/Hate relationship with sewing. I grew up in a rural area and timewhen girls sewed. I had sewing lessons in 4-H Club and also as part of (required) Home Economics classes in High School. I hated it. I wasn’t good at it.
I’ll tell you how bad I was; I sewed the sleeve of the blouse I was wearing to the hem of an A-line dress I was making in Miss Moody’s 9th grade class. Everyone laughed. Then all the girls came over in a giggling cluster to watch Miss Moody whip out her seam ripper and disentangle me. How humiliating!
Flash forward several years: I took a summer job at a garment factory where they sewed coats. (I know! What was I thinking?) Well, I guess I didn’t think they’d actually put me on a sewing machine – but they did. They sat me down and gave me a big bolt of corduroy which I was to hem in one long, continuous stitch – and a hook that you wore on your finger like a ring. When you came to the end of the bolt, you were supposed to use the hook to cut the thread.
I was young and had long hair that hung below my waist. Sometime during the sewing process, I reached back to flip my hair out of the way and damn near cut off my ear with that hook! It’s amazing how much blood a cut to the ear generates. Needless to say, they took me off the sewing machine and put me in the steam press room – where I had other adventures.
Since those days, I’ve had numerous occasions to sew. I’ve had some successes and some hilarious failures. (Such as the baby dress for my daughter where all the little red tractors were upside down because I turned the pattern the wrong way.)
I use as my inspiration for trying this “green” project a friend I had back in high school named Mary Ann Capelle, who took drama and theater classes. She could take something out of her closet, tear off the collar and sleeves, and turn it into something new and pretty. When she bought clothes off the rack it was with the idea of cannibalizing them for parts! She would take a plain blouse and embroider a little flower on the cuff, add lace to a V-neck dress, or dye her sneakers.
This is what I’d like to be able to do, but I’m not Mary Ann. I don’t expect perfection. I just hope I don’t end up looking like Blossom.
This time, however, I’m going to take some of the items and “reuse” them. I’ve checked out a book called “200 Sewing Tips, Techniques and Trade Secrets” by Lorna Knight which I’m hoping will help me do things like alter existing pieces or turn some flowered skirts into aprons . I’m going to perform some sweater surgery too and see what I can reconstruct . SEE LINKS BELOW
If all goes well, I may then tackle my daughter’s closet (where I am sure to find tons of sparkly things that she no longer wears). These can be turned into cute, little dresses for our sweet 3-year old neighbor or her new baby sister who will arrive in December. I’ve already got some patterns and this part should be fun.
 |
| Fix a V-neck blouse |
 |
| Fix a sleeveless sweater and a long skirt |
I have to confess that I have a Love/Hate relationship with sewing. I grew up in a rural area and time
I’ll tell you how bad I was; I sewed the sleeve of the blouse I was wearing to the hem of an A-line dress I was making in Miss Moody’s 9th grade class. Everyone laughed. Then all the girls came over in a giggling cluster to watch Miss Moody whip out her seam ripper and disentangle me. How humiliating!
Flash forward several years: I took a summer job at a garment factory where they sewed coats. (I know! What was I thinking?) Well, I guess I didn’t think they’d actually put me on a sewing machine – but they did. They sat me down and gave me a big bolt of corduroy which I was to hem in one long, continuous stitch – and a hook that you wore on your finger like a ring. When you came to the end of the bolt, you were supposed to use the hook to cut the thread.
I was young and had long hair that hung below my waist. Sometime during the sewing process, I reached back to flip my hair out of the way and damn near cut off my ear with that hook! It’s amazing how much blood a cut to the ear generates. Needless to say, they took me off the sewing machine and put me in the steam press room – where I had other adventures.
Since those days, I’ve had numerous occasions to sew. I’ve had some successes and some hilarious failures. (Such as the baby dress for my daughter where all the little red tractors were upside down because I turned the pattern the wrong way.)
I use as my inspiration for trying this “green” project a friend I had back in high school named Mary Ann Capelle, who took drama and theater classes. She could take something out of her closet, tear off the collar and sleeves, and turn it into something new and pretty. When she bought clothes off the rack it was with the idea of cannibalizing them for parts! She would take a plain blouse and embroider a little flower on the cuff, add lace to a V-neck dress, or dye her sneakers.
This is what I’d like to be able to do, but I’m not Mary Ann. I don’t expect perfection. I just hope I don’t end up looking like Blossom.
Library books to consider:
SWEATER SURGERY by Girard, Stephenie
Subversive Seamster:Transform thrift store threads into street culture" by Alvarado, Melissa
Alchemy Arts: Recycling Is Chic by MacKay, Kate
The Weekend Sewer's Guide To Dresses by Matthews, Kate
Make Your Own Clothes: 20 Custom Fit Patterns To Sew by Clayton, Marie
Sewing With Fabulous Vintage Fabrics by Franklin, Arden
Friday, September 3, 2010
Resistance is Fertile!
Today I actually got to do something I haven’t done in awhile (because of the heat, the rain and my hectic life). I sat out on my deck early in the morning, before the neighbors were up. (That would be the ones on the right with the kids and barking dog and the one on the left who loves to crank up his boat in the driveway and play Beach Boy music.)
I could hear the birds and feel the breeze and the grass was wet. My little dog was busy snuffling around exploring trails left by rude squirrels with his nose.
I’m usually pretty social – or at least I’m always surrounded by people. Mostly, I really like people. This morning though, I enjoyed the hushed, gentle sounds and the rare solitude. My happiness was to linger over a cup of coffee, breathe deeply and just BE.
It made me wonder what it would be like if there were no people at all. There would be nothing or no one around to make demands upon me. Would it be this peaceful? If it was, would I be able to appreciate it? Would it even matter?
Maybe that’s the only reason we are here; to appreciate it. Consider this thought. We’ve only got one Earth, so we should take the time to appreciate it. You don’t have to be standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon to know how majestic our world is.
Look around your neighborhood. Is it filled with noise, flashing signs and strip malls? Could it be improved? Has the beauty of the natural world disappeared completely? Does it reflect the way the world was intended? It doesn’t have to be that way. Even shop owners can plant a flower in a clay pot or hang a wind chime.
When my parents lived in New Mexico their town had an ordinance requiring all new construction to be made of adobe brick and landscapers could not plant grass. Why? Because of water restrictions to be sure, but also because locals wanted to preserve the integrity of their ecosystem …and their cultural heritage.
You see, a lot of folks from back East retire there because they’ve “always wanted to live out West” or because the dry desert air is good for their health.
Once they are there, however, they start planting grass – in a climate that does not have the water to support it. They start building Cape Cod houses and log cabins in an area that has never had enough trees for those types of dwellings to develop. Locals have always used mud bricks (adobe) to build their homes.
Pretty soon the scenery changes; the very reason people moved out West disappears. No more adobe homes with swept yards and cactus. Taco Bells spring up and restaurants serving authentic Mexican foods struggle. Quaint little shops go out of business because everyone shops at the Super Walmart down the road.
It’s not progress exactly, but it is a progression. The natural world and all the things that make one place unique from another, merge into a unified blend of vanilla monotony.
Even here in Chesapeake wooded areas are stripped of lovely, mature trees – the undulating ground graded flat and developers build ugly, squat “communities” and give them ironic names like “Green Tree Villas”. How sad!
I know there is still beauty in the world, but it is there in spite of us – not because of anything we’ve done. Usually.
There is an underground movement of people who call themselves “Guerilla Gardeners” who roam about the cities surreptitiously planting flowers, shrubs and trees in blighted areas.
LINKS
http://www.guerrillagardening.org/
http://www.greenguerillas.org/
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/011420.html
This is the only kind of revolutionary group I’d actually like to join.
In fact, if anyone can help me locate one around here I’d be grateful. Together we could turn the city of Chesapeake into Emerald City. Maybe if I can’t find one, I could start one? Anyone interested?
VIDEO http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2008/apr/25/guerrilla.gardening
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2008/apr/25/seedbombing
I could hear the birds and feel the breeze and the grass was wet. My little dog was busy snuffling around exploring trails left by rude squirrels with his nose.
I’m usually pretty social – or at least I’m always surrounded by people. Mostly, I really like people. This morning though, I enjoyed the hushed, gentle sounds and the rare solitude. My happiness was to linger over a cup of coffee, breathe deeply and just BE.
It made me wonder what it would be like if there were no people at all. There would be nothing or no one around to make demands upon me. Would it be this peaceful? If it was, would I be able to appreciate it? Would it even matter?
Maybe that’s the only reason we are here; to appreciate it. Consider this thought. We’ve only got one Earth, so we should take the time to appreciate it. You don’t have to be standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon to know how majestic our world is.
Look around your neighborhood. Is it filled with noise, flashing signs and strip malls? Could it be improved? Has the beauty of the natural world disappeared completely? Does it reflect the way the world was intended? It doesn’t have to be that way. Even shop owners can plant a flower in a clay pot or hang a wind chime.
When my parents lived in New Mexico their town had an ordinance requiring all new construction to be made of adobe brick and landscapers could not plant grass. Why? Because of water restrictions to be sure, but also because locals wanted to preserve the integrity of their ecosystem …and their cultural heritage.
You see, a lot of folks from back East retire there because they’ve “always wanted to live out West” or because the dry desert air is good for their health.
Once they are there, however, they start planting grass – in a climate that does not have the water to support it. They start building Cape Cod houses and log cabins in an area that has never had enough trees for those types of dwellings to develop. Locals have always used mud bricks (adobe) to build their homes.
Pretty soon the scenery changes; the very reason people moved out West disappears. No more adobe homes with swept yards and cactus. Taco Bells spring up and restaurants serving authentic Mexican foods struggle. Quaint little shops go out of business because everyone shops at the Super Walmart down the road.
It’s not progress exactly, but it is a progression. The natural world and all the things that make one place unique from another, merge into a unified blend of vanilla monotony.
Even here in Chesapeake wooded areas are stripped of lovely, mature trees – the undulating ground graded flat and developers build ugly, squat “communities” and give them ironic names like “Green Tree Villas”. How sad!
I know there is still beauty in the world, but it is there in spite of us – not because of anything we’ve done. Usually.
There is an underground movement of people who call themselves “Guerilla Gardeners” who roam about the cities surreptitiously planting flowers, shrubs and trees in blighted areas.
LINKS
http://www.guerrillagardening.org/
http://www.greenguerillas.org/
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/011420.html
This is the only kind of revolutionary group I’d actually like to join.
In fact, if anyone can help me locate one around here I’d be grateful. Together we could turn the city of Chesapeake into Emerald City. Maybe if I can’t find one, I could start one? Anyone interested?
VIDEO http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2008/apr/25/guerrilla.gardening
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2008/apr/25/seedbombing
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Cheap, Cheap, Cheap
Our family was “green” before it was cool. We weren’t called “green” back then; we were called “cheap”. I don’t consider us to be tightwads. I prefer to think of us as thrifty. We’ve always shopped at consignment stores, bought 2nd hand cars, cooked at home and (YIKES!) even eaten leftovers. Refrigerator Soup Recipe. There’s not much in my house that isn’t pre-owned, but I don’t feel deprived. I feel liberated.
We save our money not because we’re greedy, but because we have chosen not to be. We don’t have to purchase the newest toy on the market to be happy. We’re “under-buyers”. We have the money to buy it; we just don’t feel the need to.
A cheapskate is not someone who is miserly. It’s someone who spends less than they earn. It’s someone who lives below his means. It’s not a bad thing. It’s our preference. We have no debt. We have savings.
Here’s how it works:
Figure out what your take-home pay is, and then spend LESS than that each month. (OMG how simple!)Take what you didn’t spend, and save it for long-term goals like sending your child to college or retirement. Use it for things you can’t afford to pay for out of your regular paycheck, like trips to Europe (or flat-screen TV’s). Save it for emergencies. If you do this, I promise you will not be troubled about money anymore.
When you put off your purchases by saving up for them first, YOU are choosing how you spend your money. You give yourself time to think. You are not being enticed by slick advertising campaigns into believing that you can’t live without whatever it is they are selling. YOU are in control. YOU are determining just how much you need or want each item. It’s called delayed gratification.
Some easy ways to save money
1. You don’t have to give your kids everything they want. An indulged child has the worst possible preparation for life. Seriously. Don't spoil them!
2. Eat at home. Plan your meals. Shop for groceries once a week. Brown bag your lunch. Drink tap water. Family meals are powerful!
3. Don’t replace items unless they are broken. Buy used or discount. You don’t have to empty the grocery store shelves buying “green” products to do this either. It’s just as green to use what you already have on hand or cheaper versions of the green line. Use natural products!
4. Go low-tech. Wash your clothes in cold water, use clotheslines, wash dishes by hand, use crockpots, sweep & mop the floor instead of vacuuming. Rake the yard instead of using a leaf blower. For entertainment, GO TO THE LIBRARY for your books and movies – attend free events there too.
5. Reduce the size of your lawn by using ground covers. You’ll save water and mow less. You can get free plants at http://www.plantswap.net/ or call a local landscaper – they usually discard the plants they uproot from landscaping jobs.
I mention all of the above first to promote “cheap” living as an incentive for you to try fiscal fasting. There is, however, also a second reason. It’s the connection between spending /consuming less and saving the planet.
I’m not saying you have to become a FREEGAN for goodness sakes! (That sounds a little too scary for me!)
But you could take this test to see how green you are, and then read some of the books listed below.
Available at Chesapeake Public Library
Thrifty: living the frugal life with style by Harris, Marjorie.
This green house: home improvements for the eco-smart, the thrifty, and the do-it-yourselfer by Piven, Joshua.
Cheap talk with the frugal friends: over 500 tips, tricks, and creative ideas for saving money by Zalewski, Angie
Chick living: frugal and fabulous by Koederitz Melcher, Kris.
Baking soda: over 500 fabulous, fun, and frugal uses you've probably never thought of by Lansky, Vicki.
Frugal families: making the most of your hard-earned money by McCoy, Jonni.
The frugal gourmet on our immigrant ancestors: recipes you should have gotten from your grandmother
by Smith, Jeff.
Bottom Line's household magic: 2,022 money-saving, time-saving, make-it-last solutions and suprising new uses for everyday products! by Wilen, Joan.
Better groceries for less cash: 101 tested and proven ways to save on food by Putala, Randall
When changing a lightbulb just isn't enough by Anderson, Emily
52 easy weekend home repairs: a year's worth of money-saving projects by Time-Life Books.
---------------------
The planet might be too big for you to save, but at least you can save your pocketbook.
We save our money not because we’re greedy, but because we have chosen not to be. We don’t have to purchase the newest toy on the market to be happy. We’re “under-buyers”. We have the money to buy it; we just don’t feel the need to.
A cheapskate is not someone who is miserly. It’s someone who spends less than they earn. It’s someone who lives below his means. It’s not a bad thing. It’s our preference. We have no debt. We have savings.
Here’s how it works:
Figure out what your take-home pay is, and then spend LESS than that each month. (OMG how simple!)Take what you didn’t spend, and save it for long-term goals like sending your child to college or retirement. Use it for things you can’t afford to pay for out of your regular paycheck, like trips to Europe (or flat-screen TV’s). Save it for emergencies. If you do this, I promise you will not be troubled about money anymore.
When you put off your purchases by saving up for them first, YOU are choosing how you spend your money. You give yourself time to think. You are not being enticed by slick advertising campaigns into believing that you can’t live without whatever it is they are selling. YOU are in control. YOU are determining just how much you need or want each item. It’s called delayed gratification.
Some easy ways to save money
1. You don’t have to give your kids everything they want. An indulged child has the worst possible preparation for life. Seriously. Don't spoil them!
2. Eat at home. Plan your meals. Shop for groceries once a week. Brown bag your lunch. Drink tap water. Family meals are powerful!
3. Don’t replace items unless they are broken. Buy used or discount. You don’t have to empty the grocery store shelves buying “green” products to do this either. It’s just as green to use what you already have on hand or cheaper versions of the green line. Use natural products!
4. Go low-tech. Wash your clothes in cold water, use clotheslines, wash dishes by hand, use crockpots, sweep & mop the floor instead of vacuuming. Rake the yard instead of using a leaf blower. For entertainment, GO TO THE LIBRARY for your books and movies – attend free events there too.
5. Reduce the size of your lawn by using ground covers. You’ll save water and mow less. You can get free plants at http://www.plantswap.net/ or call a local landscaper – they usually discard the plants they uproot from landscaping jobs.
I mention all of the above first to promote “cheap” living as an incentive for you to try fiscal fasting. There is, however, also a second reason. It’s the connection between spending /consuming less and saving the planet.
I’m not saying you have to become a FREEGAN for goodness sakes! (That sounds a little too scary for me!)
But you could take this test to see how green you are, and then read some of the books listed below.
Available at Chesapeake Public Library
Thrifty: living the frugal life with style by Harris, Marjorie.
This green house: home improvements for the eco-smart, the thrifty, and the do-it-yourselfer by Piven, Joshua.
Cheap talk with the frugal friends: over 500 tips, tricks, and creative ideas for saving money by Zalewski, Angie
Chick living: frugal and fabulous by Koederitz Melcher, Kris.
Baking soda: over 500 fabulous, fun, and frugal uses you've probably never thought of by Lansky, Vicki.
Frugal families: making the most of your hard-earned money by McCoy, Jonni.
The frugal gourmet on our immigrant ancestors: recipes you should have gotten from your grandmother
by Smith, Jeff.
Bottom Line's household magic: 2,022 money-saving, time-saving, make-it-last solutions and suprising new uses for everyday products! by Wilen, Joan.
Better groceries for less cash: 101 tested and proven ways to save on food by Putala, Randall
When changing a lightbulb just isn't enough by Anderson, Emily
52 easy weekend home repairs: a year's worth of money-saving projects by Time-Life Books.
---------------------
The planet might be too big for you to save, but at least you can save your pocketbook.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Raindrops
Learn about the many uses of a rain barrel and how to build one.
Workshops sponsored by
Chesapeake Department of Agriculture, Chesapeake Master Gardeners,
Discounted workshop fee of $40, due at time of registration
(Fee includes barrel, help with assembly, and handouts)
Collecting rainwater in a barrel can save you money
and eliminate the problems of eroded foundations, soil erosion
and water pollutions caused by runoff.
Join next classes:
Saturday, August 28th at 10:00am at Indian River Library
or Saturday, September 25th at 10:00am at Central Library
Call 382-6348 for additional information
ROOTS (Leaves, Nuts and Berries)
I just finished a book called “The Origin Diet” by Elizabeth Somer that seemed to make some valid points. She claims that by eating like our stone-age forefathers did, we could live longer, healthier lives. What does this have to do with being green? Two words - “Processed Foods”.
Our ancestors preserved their food by drying, salting, fermenting, smoking and freezing. Today we reconstitute, hydrogenate, emulsify, puff, defoam, and fortify our food. Processing has turned low-calorie, nourishing foods into low-nutrient, calorie-rich foods. (For Example: Apples into fried apple pies, potatoes into Tater Tots and Yogurt into pudding with candy sprinkles.)
Our food labels list ingredients such as xanthan gum, aspartome, dextrose glucose and sodium benzoate.
The ancient farmer cultivated an assortment of corn, wild rice, and other grains. Now farmers plant only brand name crops that have been genetically engineered to produce higher yields. (Such as Silver Queen corn and Better Boy tomatoes.) These types of foods are called GMO’s, which stands for Genetically Manufactured Organisms.
When the only thing we plant is one specific variety, we lose our ability to prepare for an uncertain future. What happens when that one special crop fails or becomes diseased? Ever hear of the Irish Potato Famine?
If we depend exclusively upon these “Superfoods”, we will lose the diversity of our natural food supply. Unless we save the seeds, some plant species will die out forever because they are no longer being cultivated. SEED SAVERS Who knows what nutrients, what medical benefits, and other useful qualities we will lose if they disappear?
Having a variety of crop species ensures that we have the genetic resources needed to face future climate changes, and will be able to combat diseases that develop a resistance to old defenses.
It took thousands of years for man to evolve from ape. We went from hunting and gathering, to farming, to fast-food windows in the blink of an eye. These last few hundred years have not allowed our bodies time enough to adapt to our present environment. Our biology is still conditioned toward diets and activity levels that existed in the past.
Our bodies crave water, nuts, seeds, leaves and wild game. We give them soda pop, cheese doodles and hot dogs. Our diets are killing us because it’s not the food we need.
Part of being green is taking advantage of what nature offers us without depleting the source and in using less energy to produce goods. It, therefore, makes sense to plant or buy natural food products.
If being green also means to conserve, then by feeding ourselves the types of foods we need to stay healthy and avoiding the foods that cause us problems, we are conserving mankind’s future.
I hereby promise myself that I will begin to treat my body better (again) by avoiding fast foods and giving up soda. If anyone sees me lingering by the snack machine contemplating the purchase of a Reese’s Cup, feel free to grab me by my hair and drag me away. It’s what any honorable caveman would do. Thanks!
---------
Books to Read by Jean M Auel
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Valley of Horses
The Mammoth Hunters
The Plains of Passage
The Shelters of Stone
The Land of Painted Caves
Our ancestors preserved their food by drying, salting, fermenting, smoking and freezing. Today we reconstitute, hydrogenate, emulsify, puff, defoam, and fortify our food. Processing has turned low-calorie, nourishing foods into low-nutrient, calorie-rich foods. (For Example: Apples into fried apple pies, potatoes into Tater Tots and Yogurt into pudding with candy sprinkles.)
Our food labels list ingredients such as xanthan gum, aspartome, dextrose glucose and sodium benzoate.
The ancient farmer cultivated an assortment of corn, wild rice, and other grains. Now farmers plant only brand name crops that have been genetically engineered to produce higher yields. (Such as Silver Queen corn and Better Boy tomatoes.) These types of foods are called GMO’s, which stands for Genetically Manufactured Organisms.
When the only thing we plant is one specific variety, we lose our ability to prepare for an uncertain future. What happens when that one special crop fails or becomes diseased? Ever hear of the Irish Potato Famine?
If we depend exclusively upon these “Superfoods”, we will lose the diversity of our natural food supply. Unless we save the seeds, some plant species will die out forever because they are no longer being cultivated. SEED SAVERS Who knows what nutrients, what medical benefits, and other useful qualities we will lose if they disappear?
Having a variety of crop species ensures that we have the genetic resources needed to face future climate changes, and will be able to combat diseases that develop a resistance to old defenses.
It took thousands of years for man to evolve from ape. We went from hunting and gathering, to farming, to fast-food windows in the blink of an eye. These last few hundred years have not allowed our bodies time enough to adapt to our present environment. Our biology is still conditioned toward diets and activity levels that existed in the past.
Our bodies crave water, nuts, seeds, leaves and wild game. We give them soda pop, cheese doodles and hot dogs. Our diets are killing us because it’s not the food we need.
Part of being green is taking advantage of what nature offers us without depleting the source and in using less energy to produce goods. It, therefore, makes sense to plant or buy natural food products.
If being green also means to conserve, then by feeding ourselves the types of foods we need to stay healthy and avoiding the foods that cause us problems, we are conserving mankind’s future.
I hereby promise myself that I will begin to treat my body better (again) by avoiding fast foods and giving up soda. If anyone sees me lingering by the snack machine contemplating the purchase of a Reese’s Cup, feel free to grab me by my hair and drag me away. It’s what any honorable caveman would do. Thanks!
---------
Books to Read by Jean M Auel
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Valley of Horses
The Mammoth Hunters
The Plains of Passage
The Shelters of Stone
The Land of Painted Caves
Friday, July 16, 2010
It’s Not EZ Being Green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that
The idea of a “green” society is compelling, but easier said than done. We are all so accustomed to the horn of plenty that we have been living in for the past 40 years that it’s hard to accept that ours is a lifestyle that is increasingly unacceptable to the rest of the world. It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over
Socially unacceptable because many have so little while a few have so much, but economically unacceptable too as the world’s resources are being depleted. Kermit the frog was right. It ain’t easy. Pursuits that are worthwhile never are.Cause you’re not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
Look at all the lists that are put out about how to "live lightly" and how to "reduce your carbon footprint" .Some of these suggestions seem pretty obvious; others make you slap your head and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Well, most of us don’t think.
But green’s the color of Spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
We live our life emulating King Sisuphus of Greek Mythology. (He pushed a rock up a mountain every day, and at the end of each day, it rolled back down.) Sound familiar? We can get stuck in a loop that’s hard to break. We do the things we do because we’ve always done them that way. We’re on auto-pilot. And green can be big like an ocean
Stop!
Reconfigure!
Today is when everything that’s going to happen from now on begins! Before you go to work tomorrow consider these ideas:
Take a shower rather than a bath. (I haven’t bathed in years!…hehehe.)
Buy clothes from thrift stores. It’s fun.
Use biodegradable cleaning products. biodegradable cleaning products"
(Thanks to Mike Andruczyk, VCE-Horticulture Agent for the City of Chesapeake for this link!)
Avoid clothes that need to be dry cleaned.
Buy recycled products.Run the dishwasher only when it’s full.
Turn down your thermostat.
Take public transit.
Bike or walk to work.
Carpool.
Drive more slowly.
Or important like a mountain
While you are at work try some of these:Send emails instead of letters.
Convert to PDF for paperless document sharing.
Scan documents instead of copying them.
(The more you do online, the less paper you need.)
Print on both sides of the page.
Reuse your binders and folders.
Use misprints as notepads.
Encourage employees to use payroll direct deposit.
Use Instant Messaging or video conferencing.
Use natural daylight as a free source of lighting for the office.
(It has been proven to improve worker productivity and satisfaction.)
Add plants to your office.
Or tall like a tree
It’s lunch time. Did you do any of these?Bring lunch to work in a reusable container.
Grow your own vegetables or buy local produce.
Do not buy foods containing genetically modified organisms.
Say NO to GMO's!
Break the bottled water habit, use a mug or glass. Drink tap water.
It could make you wonder why
But why wonder why?
The afternoon rolls by:You see that many tasks are still undone. You may begin to wonder where all the time went. Take some comfort in knowing that scientists studying the Earth’s motion say that the planet has been spinning faster in recent years, and thus the days ARE shorter. It’s not you.
I am green and it’ll do fine.
It’s time to leave for the day! Did you remember these?Switch off lights you don’t need.
Unplug machines when not in use.
It’s beautiful!
Now before you pull in your driveway, swing by the library and check out some books!READ, RETURN, REPEAT
And I think it’s what I want to be.
Books on RecyclingSneaky green uses for everyday things by Tymony, Cy
Don't throw it out by Baird, Lori
Re-creative: 50 projects for turning found items into contemporary design by Dodds, Steve
High tech trash by Grossman, Elizabeth
Redux: designs that reuse, recycle and reveal by Roberts, Jennifer
Taking out the trash: a no-nonsense guide to recycling by Carless, Jennifer
Friday, July 2, 2010
Green Acres
It was a book put out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture called “Living on a Few Acres” that started it all.
Having grown up in the “urban” area of downtown Norfolk, my husband had always longed to live on a farm. He was a gritty Vietnam vet.
And I was a young, idealistic "hippie". So we bought a rundown house that had some land around it and a barn. While both working full-time jobs, we lived in our old house and renovated the new one. (Paying 2 mortgage payments!) He bought a tractor, I planted a garden and we had a baby.
Life was very busy and very fulfilling.
What we realized later, was that there were portions of that agriculture book that we must have skipped over. Did it mention how tired we would be? It glossed over the way projects would suck up all our free time with phrases like this one , “ You will be provided plenty of opportunity for creative and useful work.” Boy, were we ever!
The chapters on the economics of it all were pretty short too. Did you know that you can almost go broke “saving money”? While my husband was busy using his DIY carpentry skills, I got into “growing our own food” in a big way. I tilled a 40 x 25 foot garden plot in the backyard and, over the course of the next 15 years, planted an amazing assortment of vegetables, flowers and herbs.
However, if you added up the cost of the various tools and equipment needed for our projects (the books, charts, seeds, plants, lumber, fertilizers, canning supplies etc...) and measured the time and effort involved, was it worth it? I think so.
Could we have saved money by just hiring someone to do the carpentry work and bought our food at a farmer’s market? Maybe. I don’t think it would have been the same though. The satisfaction we got from doing something by ourselves would have been lost.
We opened a door into an unknown world. It started out as fun. Later, as we got older, it started feeling more like work than adventure. It was time consuming. I began to resent the fact that after working 40 hours a week at my job, my evenings and weekends were being spent tending the garden. My husband was tired of home improvement projects. We had no "free time".
We wanted to lay on the beach or shop at the mall; which was what my (by now) teenage daughter was doing. We wanted to just read books, watch TV and sit on the deck sipping ice tea.
So, my garden got smaller and smaller and finally ceased to exist. I feel guilty about it and many days I miss it terribly.
My point in telling you all this, is so that you will know that the reward you’ll get in growing your own food is not from the money you will save. It’s good because you are eating fresh produce that you raised yourself. It’s “green”, but you’re not going to save the world doing it. Sorry.
What you will do is gain some small measure of independence from the urban world and re-discover the simpler joys of the real, NATURAL world.
There is satisfaction in doing something by yourself, whether it is tiling a floor, planting a garden, building a deck, baking bread or sewing curtains. It’s fun going to yard sales or browsing through second-hand shops. I hope you all discover these small pleasures.
Don’t, however, become self-righteous about how “green” you are because you are doing these things. Because I promise you this; one day you will crave a greasy, fast-food meal, a trip to the mall to buy a pair of shoes you don’t need and a day frittered away at the beach.
Trust me, I know.
---------------------------------------------
Books in our collection that may interest you are:
A Thousand Acres by Smiley, Jane
The Good Earth by Buck, Pearl S
Prodigal Summer by Kingsolver, Barbara
Farmer Boy by Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Mudbound by Jordan, Hillary
The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An old fashioned recipe book by Emery, Carla
The Off Season by Murdock, Catherine Gilbert
A Painted House by Grisham, John
Hit by a Farm: How I learned to stop worrying and love the barn by Friend, Catherine
Homesteading: A backyard guide to growing your own food, canning, keeping chickens, generating your own energy, crafting, herbal medicine, and more by Gehring, Abigail R.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Kingsolver, Barbara
The Botany of Desire: A plant's eye view of the world by Pollan, Michael
Plenty: One man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally by Smith, Alisa
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A natural history of four meals by Pollan, Michael
Fast Food Nation: The dark side of the all-American meal by Schlosser, Eric
The World Without Us by Weisman, Alan
Having grown up in the “urban” area of downtown Norfolk, my husband had always longed to live on a farm. He was a gritty Vietnam vet.
And I was a young, idealistic "hippie". So we bought a rundown house that had some land around it and a barn. While both working full-time jobs, we lived in our old house and renovated the new one. (Paying 2 mortgage payments!) He bought a tractor, I planted a garden and we had a baby.
Life was very busy and very fulfilling.
What we realized later, was that there were portions of that agriculture book that we must have skipped over. Did it mention how tired we would be? It glossed over the way projects would suck up all our free time with phrases like this one , “ You will be provided plenty of opportunity for creative and useful work.” Boy, were we ever!
The chapters on the economics of it all were pretty short too. Did you know that you can almost go broke “saving money”? While my husband was busy using his DIY carpentry skills, I got into “growing our own food” in a big way. I tilled a 40 x 25 foot garden plot in the backyard and, over the course of the next 15 years, planted an amazing assortment of vegetables, flowers and herbs.
However, if you added up the cost of the various tools and equipment needed for our projects (the books, charts, seeds, plants, lumber, fertilizers, canning supplies etc...) and measured the time and effort involved, was it worth it? I think so.
Could we have saved money by just hiring someone to do the carpentry work and bought our food at a farmer’s market? Maybe. I don’t think it would have been the same though. The satisfaction we got from doing something by ourselves would have been lost.
We opened a door into an unknown world. It started out as fun. Later, as we got older, it started feeling more like work than adventure. It was time consuming. I began to resent the fact that after working 40 hours a week at my job, my evenings and weekends were being spent tending the garden. My husband was tired of home improvement projects. We had no "free time".
We wanted to lay on the beach or shop at the mall; which was what my (by now) teenage daughter was doing. We wanted to just read books, watch TV and sit on the deck sipping ice tea.
So, my garden got smaller and smaller and finally ceased to exist. I feel guilty about it and many days I miss it terribly.
What you will do is gain some small measure of independence from the urban world and re-discover the simpler joys of the real, NATURAL world.
There is satisfaction in doing something by yourself, whether it is tiling a floor, planting a garden, building a deck, baking bread or sewing curtains. It’s fun going to yard sales or browsing through second-hand shops. I hope you all discover these small pleasures.
Don’t, however, become self-righteous about how “green” you are because you are doing these things. Because I promise you this; one day you will crave a greasy, fast-food meal, a trip to the mall to buy a pair of shoes you don’t need and a day frittered away at the beach.
Trust me, I know.
---------------------------------------------
Books in our collection that may interest you are:
A Thousand Acres by Smiley, Jane
The Good Earth by Buck, Pearl S
Prodigal Summer by Kingsolver, Barbara
Farmer Boy by Wilder, Laura Ingalls
Mudbound by Jordan, Hillary
The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An old fashioned recipe book by Emery, Carla
The Off Season by Murdock, Catherine Gilbert
A Painted House by Grisham, John
Hit by a Farm: How I learned to stop worrying and love the barn by Friend, Catherine
Homesteading: A backyard guide to growing your own food, canning, keeping chickens, generating your own energy, crafting, herbal medicine, and more by Gehring, Abigail R.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Kingsolver, Barbara
The Botany of Desire: A plant's eye view of the world by Pollan, Michael
Plenty: One man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally by Smith, Alisa
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A natural history of four meals by Pollan, Michael
Fast Food Nation: The dark side of the all-American meal by Schlosser, Eric
The World Without Us by Weisman, Alan
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Big Oil, Big Problem
I've been trying to throw out a few ideas about things we can do at home and at work to help save our planet, and basically ignoring the big environmental issue of the day - the BP Oil Spill.
You can understand the reason why.
Suddenly, all good deeds seem pointless. All the people in the world who are recycling cans, planting gardens, picking up trash and trading in their SUV’s cannot undo or mitigate the damage already done by the careless actions of one big company.
But, we already knew that, didn’t we? It doesn’t mean we give up. We should never, ever give up! It’s a chance to win others over to our side!
How can we help?
Should we donate money?
Should we volunteer?
After seeing this tragedy unfold on TV and reading about it in the papers, anyone with a lick of sense knows that there has to be a better way of producing energy than drilling for oil. One look at all the dead birds and fish and the fouling of our wetlands and beaches this oil has caused, should convince everyone of the moral necessity of finding another alternative.
Bio-diesel from Algae
Renewable Energy
Energy Alternative for Auto Industry
Oilgae?
Green Gold
If we could lower our consumption of oil by improving our transportation system (which accounts for about 2/3 of America’s oil use) then we could also separate our country’s energy policies from our overseas security commitments.
No blood for oil.
War for resources?
We live on a tiny, watery planet located at the far edge of the universe because there is a fragile bubble of air surrounding us.
We need this air to breathe, we need water to drink, and food (plants and animals) to eat. If we destroy our ocean, and the plants and animals that live in its waters, we will disrupt the water cycle upon which all life depends.
Did you know that the most ancient life form on Earth is
blue-green algae (aka cyanobacteria)? Chemical traces of this bacteria have been found in 2.7-billion-year-old rocks, indicating that these bacteria were abundant and busy adding oxygen (through photosynthesis) to the Earth’s atmosphere way back then.
Without plants to produce oxygen for us to breathe, we will die.
Without plants to provide food for us and all the animals upon the Earth, our future will be very short and our remaining time here will be desolate.
We can’t let this happen.
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