Local sources

I stopped by my neighborhood HyVee store last night, just to see for myself what local products they offer, since they so often brag of this.  Besides the two local milk brands, Burbachs and Legacy, I found local salad dressing (Iowa and Nebraska), cheese (Jisa’s of Nebraska – also available at our farmer’s market), chicken – free-range, hormone-free (Iowa), beef -pasture-raised, hormone-free (Iowa), yogurt (Iowa, but unfortunately I don’t really like it), popcorn (Nebraska),  jelly and honey (Nebraska), soybean oil (Iowa), herbs (Iowa), meat seasoning and BBQ sauce (Iowa), and relatively local cream.  Relatively, as in Wisconsin, BUT it IS organic and Wisconsin is definitely better than say, California.  I’m trying to justify it to myself so that I can make ice cream. J 

I also noted that the store’s bakery bakes bread daily in-house.  Does this count as local?  Does buying from any local bakery count, if the ingredients are of an undetermined origin?  I have yet to discover a local flour mill, so I would have to guess that all ingredients are shipped in to all of our local bakeries.  Where do you draw the line? 

I didn’t bother with the produce section, other than the herbs, because most of my veggies come from the farmers market (and hopefully soon my garden), but it is nice to know that I can get some other items close to home during the week.  I am definitely getting geared up for Local Food Month!

Closing the loop

Our local news station, KETV, reported on the dedication ceremony yesterday in Mead, NE for the new E3 BioFuels ethanol plant.  E3 stands for “Earth Energy Environment” and the plant is a closed-loop system that produces ethanol without additionally polluting the surrounding environment.  The plant is attached to a feedlot; it takes all the cow manure produced by the feedlot and runs it through an anaerobic digester to create biogas.  The biogas is used to fuel the ethanol plant.  Isn’t that cool?  Granted feedlots are not good things, but as long as they are around, we might as well find ways to make them work for us.  A conventional ethanol plant runs off traditional fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal; using the cow manure reduced our dependence on these fuels.  This isn’t a perfect system – the cows are stilled penned up and being fed corn, instead of grazing in open spaces, but I’d rather see their byproducts used wisely than what is normally done - letting the manure rot in the sun, smelling not-so-great, and creating run-off into local water supplies when it rains…

 

ML send me a great link today to Wardrobe Refashion! I emailed the girl to see if I can get in on the next pledge...what a great excuse to extend my no-shopping! Feeling inspired, I came home and cut up another t-shirt, this time an XL freebie from my trusty State Farm agent. Here's the finished result:

It was just a prototype - next time I'll use a shirt that doesn't advertise!

This is one of my latest creations - the pants that is (I bought the top in Estes Park at a Nepalese boutique). I'm calling them "Happy Pants" right now...although I'm a little concerned about the other definitions! This particular pair is made from my old bedroom curtains (which were refashioned saris with gold stamping).

What I haven't bought...

I’ve completed a full 2 weeks of attempting to not shop.  What have I purchased?  Besides the occasional soda pop at work (during post-running hypoglycemic episodes only), a much-needed pot for my ailing patio tomato plant, a bracelet and some t-shirts at the Goodwill (these were recycled fabric for a new project), and the ribbon and Velcro to complete a costume, not much.  I’ve avoided the opportunity for shopping as much as possible, but of course, in our society temptations abound.  I think I’ve done a decent job of fending it off.  What haven’t I bought?  In the past two weeks, I have considered, and postponed, purchasing the following items:

• magazine subscription – both the paper and e-versions
• lawn chairs – would have been great at Shakespeare…
• new fabric – still haven’t used all I have…
• books – several are not available through either the library or PBS L
• cheese-maker – don’t ask
• additional Melodias – I’ve had a taste, I want them all!
• t-shirt dress – maybe I can make one?
• art work – beautiful stuff at the SAF
• bread bowl – I’m sure I would’ve used it!
• ORG t-shirt – maybe once ML is actually playing…
• reusable grocery bags – needed, but am using various bags I find around the house for now
• recycled backpack – it just looked cool
• “surfer” shoes – I have no idea what they’re really called, but they were so comfy…

All of these items are things I could afford and would have normally bought on impulse, but I’m being good.  I’m sticking with my pledge, as best I can.  The cd I ordered from Amazon before I started has already arrived, a couple of weeks early, but I am not opening the package until this is over.  Instant gratification be damned! J

Today I will finished reading Affluenza – I failed miserably the “affluenza self-diagnosis test” in Chapter 21.  I am deeply infected.  Hopefully this month is my first step towards recovery…

 

Weekend: Cancelled

It was a rather disappointing weekend.  Two of the events I was really looking forward to (dancing at the Summer Arts Festival and sand volleyball) were cancelled.  Diva Soma was scheduled to dance at the SAF on  Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday afternoon, but shortly after the Saturday afternoon performance, we were informed that we were “distracting” and had to quit.  Apparently, we drew too much of a crowd and no one was watching the bands in the main pavilion.  Friday’s performance was also a little short, due to a torrential downpour and a really poor-quality sound system.  It is hard to dance when you can’t hear the music! J 

Despite the rain Friday night, we did still manage to catch Henry V at Shakespeare on the Green.  I was really moved by the relevance of the play to the current state of war that we are facing…   After the play, we stopped into Mick’s to see Oxygen.  I enjoyed the band – they were quality musicians, although not quite my style of music.

Saturday was a bummer.  First of all, my darling husband insisted that I go shopping with him, although he knows that I am refraining from such activities this month.  He did his best to shield me from all the girly clothes and shoes I would normally head straight for, and bought me a cookie for my trouble, but still… it was a miserable afternoon.  With the dancing being cancelled, the DH and I made the most of the evening, heading out with some of his band mates to catch another local cover band, Cheshire Grin.  The bar was far too smoky for me – it was hard to see, much less breath!

Sunday morning, he insisted on going back to the mall!!! WTF?  Wasn’t one day enough?  Apparently not.  Ugh.  I had dance practice in the afternoon, followed by dinner with the in-laws (which garnered me a free wheelbarrow and some transplants for my garden – yea!)  After dinner, I headed to ML’s Roller Derby bout – I helped her pass out program and deal with Random Drunk Boy before taking my seat and enjoying my first roller derby experience.  It was quite a show – even though all the skaters were less experienced, they were quite impressive.  It’s not something I could ever do – I dislike going fast and being touched, both of which seem to be requirements for the sport – but I would definitely attend another bout as a spectator.

ML and I headed out after the second period for volleyball.  For the second week in a row there were no cars in the parking lot of the complex.  OK…upon approaching the door, I was informed by the manager that Sunday V-ball was cancelled and we should have been called.  Nope, we weren’t.  How disappointing, since I know everyone was looking forward to playing…and since we are all pretty busy, there isn’t another league night that will work for us, so we are officially done.  

Overall, not the greatest weekend, and I’m still in a not-so-happy mood. L  Hopefully this weekend will be better – it ends with a Roger Waters’ concert, so it can’t be all bad. J

 

Solo Anxiety

Oh, so nervous. Today is the first day of Omaha's Summer Arts Festival, and Diva Soma was invited to dance at the tent of local radio station 96.1 The Brew. Angeli Tenebrarum is taking the first set tonight, and since we only have one group choreography, this means we each need to have a solo. I've been half-heartedly working on mine all week, finishing it last night. I'm freaking out! I love the song ("Trinkit" by Beats Antique - isn't that a fitting song title during my no-buying-useless-crap month? Trinkit?!?), but I'm not all that confident in my abilities in this particular style of belly dance yet. Hopefully it will be a small crowd. :)
The art festival is just the first of many activities planned for this fine weekend. Afterwards, the DH and I will be meeting ML at Shakespeare on the Green to see Henry V, and then on to see local band Oxygen. Farmer's Market tomorrow morning, hopefully followed by a nap :), and then back to the SAF for more dancing. The plans for Saturday are undecided at this point, but Sunday is booked - SAF, family dinner, ML's ORG bout, and the first night of sand volleyball...

Happy Summer Solstice!

According to my calendar, it’s the first day of summer!  Hmmm…I guess that would explain the temps in the 90’s and my urge to wear a swimsuit. J 

 

One week down...

Today is officially Day 9 of my No Shopping Month.  How’s it going?  Pretty well.  Sure, there have been some temptations, and there have been some opportunities for purchases that I really wanted to justify as necessary, and heck, I’ll admit that I stopped by the store the other day and bought something.  However, the purchased items (Velcro strips and ribbon) have already been used, so they were not just “things to buy”, which is what I’m trying to avoid.   I’ve also caved on some junk food, but not nearly as much as I usually do – mainly just a pop once in a while after my lunchtime jog when I feel slightly hypoglycemic…

ML and I were discussing my challenge this morning – what I am really trying to accomplish versus what’s going on in her life – and I think I said it pretty well to her:

“My main focus is to stop focusing on objects as the main goal of my life, which I think has unconsciously always been my prime motivation - I've always been a shopper, and I've let that influence my career decisions and other life choices.  If I would have taken the time in high school or even before (or even after) to really figure out what I valued, besides stuff, I would not have taken the path I took – with was the "path to the most money".  Granted, I'm happy with a lot of the "consequences" of that path - Lowell, my friends, etc - I'm not thrilled with most of it.  I enjoy being busy, but I want to be sure that any experiences I cram in aren't because I think I should or because they will result is me acquiring things.  I even questioned the sewing, since it just leads to more stuff.  If I start selling the things I make, is that just as bad, since I'd be doing it for profit, not for pleasure?

At this point, I'm going with 'no', 'cause I really do enjoy it.  Should I stop enjoying it, I'll probably take a long break from the sewing machine.”

I’m about halfway through Affluenza (and I highly recommend it).  It, like all books lately, is taking some time to get through, because of a severe crunch on my free-time.  Is this bad?  ML seems to think so, as she seems very frustrated by her many extracurriculars eating away at the time she spends on herself, even though she very much enjoys these activities.  While I’ll freely admit that this past weekend, when I had no obligations, was a wonderful change of pace, I actually love being busy.  I love my activities and have tried to be picky about what I do.  This has been especially important since getting married, as for some crazy reason my husband thinks we need to spend time together. J  So I’ve tried to pick things I’m really passionate about (belly dance, volunteering) and that can mainly fit around our two schedules – for instance, I have dance practice while he’s at band practice.  I read while he watches TV (and sometimes, we read together…gasp!).  He drums while I sew.  A lot of our entertainment activities (music, plays, races, art shows) can be down together, or I do them solo while he works. It works out pretty well…most of the time. 

So, I guess what I’m saying is that in these 9 short days, I’m already starting to clear my head a little about at least one thing that is important to me:  activities that I enjoy enough to not mind the amount of time they take…I’ve got a long way to go, but so far, it’s not nearly as unpleasant as I would have thought… J

 

The bargain basement

I went “shopping” this weekend, in my basement.  Got a couple of nice items of clothing, and I didn’t spend a dime…  Everything once in a great while, I sort out my dresser and closet, taking all the clothes I haven’t worn in a while (seasonal items, etc) and packing them away.  This weekend I pulled out one of the large storage totes I’d packed away, to see if there was anything I could donate to the Jumble Shop.  While digging through this massive pile of clothing, I found a nice pair of black trousers – I’m guessing at one point, I bought a new pair of nearly identical pants, so I put these aside – and a silky green sleeveless shell with some beading across the front.  Both items look reasonably stylish and work-appropriate, and since I’d forgotten that I even possessed them, they were new to me!  The rest of the items, as well as a large bag of shoes, are heading to the Jumble Shop tonight on my way to dance class…hopefully someone else will get a little thrill from my basement scavenging as well.

 

Not berry productive...

ML and I drove down to Dunbar today to pick strawberries...well, we attempted to at least. It's the tail end of the strawberry season here and the small patch was pretty barren. We harvested 1 1/2 pounds of pretty little strawberries before calling it a day. I was consoled by the fact that at least we now knew where the farm was...then I talked to the farmer. He's closing up shop and calling it quits after this season. Bummer. Well, at least we got some experience with berry-picking. Next summer we'll just have to start earlier and find another spot.

26 Temptations

The title of one of my favorite Devotcha! songs, and the hell I am living right now. How come when you give something up voluntarily, it's suddenly everywhere?!? So I quit shopping for a while. Do you think the world is taking it easy on me? That would be NO. My husband almost suggested that we go to the mall as our Saturday night activity last night. I know he wasn't thinking about the implications of that for me, just the fact that he has $500 to blow on clothes for himself at the moment, but still... I got an email from one of the Divas about the recent Ren Faire and it's plethora of belly dance gear for sale. There is a HUGE sale at the fabric store coming up during this horrid month (I wonder if it'll be OK to cave for that one if I run out of fabric at home? Not likely to happen, but it's glimmer of hope...) Not to mention every e-newsletter I get contains mention of something lovely to buy. :( The not-so-happy little goddess is pouting.

Going local

Crunchy Chicken announced her latest challenge today:  Local Food Month.  Eating more local food was one of the goals of Low Impact Week.  I’m really excited about this challenge, which will span the month of July.  I’ve read up a lot on local food over the past couple of years, and I’ve been shopping at a local farmers market for several summers.  This year, I also took on the personal challenge of a home garden.

This weekend, ML and I will visit a nearby berry farm – cross your fingers that we don’t come home empty-handed!  I’ve convinced my mother to loan me her canning supplies, so I can finally restock my jam and jelly reserves…I’ve been considering doing the PB&J thing a lot more often, both for the economic and environment benefits, as well as the fact that I just really like them. J  But as I refuse to eat store-bought jelly, I’ve whittled my supply down to Grandma’s Chokecherry Jelly.  I’m on my last jar…it’s good stuff!

Hmmm…maybe foraging the Omaha landscape for food will distract me from not-shopping…

Deprived or depraved?

So since I decided to stop buying myself stuff two days ago, formally declaring my intentions yesterday (and telling my husband, who laughed), I’ve been thinking. Is giving up shopping really doing anything to stem my wanton materialism? Sure, I’ll stop accumulating new objects, but am I even getting close to the root of the problem?

Dictionary.com defines materialism as: A preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values; the theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life.

What do I value? I hope by the end of these 30 days, I have a better idea. Maybe if new things aren’t an option for me, I’ll stop thinking about them, and focus on what really matters to me…whatever that is… J I hope I like myself more after this. I was certainly not impressed with me after reading Kasser’s book.

So, stay tuned for more random questions; there are sure to be many as I spend less time buying s$%# and more time searching my soul for the meaning of it all…

***

Update - a few minutes later: Do I sound like a poor spoiled suburbanite, whining about "how hard life is in my new house, with my good job, loving husband, and full social life"? That's not my intention at all, so I apologize now if your eyeballs are aching from all the rolling they're doing right now. I just feel that, despite all I have, I am missing something. There has to be more to life than finding time for a new yoga class and dragging myself to work each day to pay for more shoes...

A break from the "gimmes"

So, a while back, I posted about desperately wanting a pair of Melodia pants. Desperately, like I couldn’t live without then, in severe pout mode, ready to slap them on a credit card – it was crucial that I buy these pants. I did manage to talk myself off the ledge, reassuring myself that the pants would still be there when I had the money…and they were. Last week I had the money and I ordered the pants. Black S33 Fringes. Beautiful. I got them Monday – they are fabulous! They do wonderful things for my butt, they are comfy and sexy, and I am just loving them. I am sure I will get plenty of use out of them. But after they arrived, and I had tried them on, I did what I do with most any other new toy – played with it for a second, then set it aside. The thrill was gone. This gave me pause and I thought – is this all there is? Do I live merely for the pursuit of new things? I have plenty of things – I buy things, I make things…don’t I have enough? Is there ever enough? How often to I buy things that I need versus things I just want?

Monday night after the pants arrived, I finished my latest library book, The High Cost of Materialism. It was an eye-opener. I am materialistic, simple as that. And because I am this way, I am not truly living my life, but merely window-shopping. Focusing on things detracts from my relationships with other people and the world around me. It’s a depressing thought. It’s also a rather pathetic thought. Do I really put objects ahead of everything else? Are my priorities totally out of whack?

I’ve read other books on voluntary simplicity, going without, not shopping; I regularly peruse blogs such as The Compact…but I’ve never given too much thought to doing it myself. Could I do it? Could I give up my materialistic ways? Even for, say, a month? I have my doubts…but I’m willing to give it a shot. So, in the spirit of ML’s personal challenges, I’m going to give up buying myself things for 30 days. I started yesterday… ;)

Here are my rules:

• No new clothing. The folks at the Compact and even at the local yahoo group allow for purchases such as swimwear, socks, and undies, but I’m well-stocked, so I’ll be fine…
• No new music, movies, books. I am a belly-dance dvd and cd addict. In fact, I have a new dvd on order with Amazon. However, it’s a pre-release order, so it shouldn’t show up before this challenge is over, and if it does, I won’t open it. I already get most of my books from the library and from Paperback Swap, so I should be fine in that department as well.
• No unnecessary grocery items or toiletries – I am about to run out of shampoo (a necessity), but I will skip the pretty nail polish that I’ll have to pass on my way to the hair product aisle. I’ll also restrain from junk food and other useless food items – just because I want it doesn’t mean my body benefits from it.
• No new fabric or craft supplies. This is probably the big one – other than dvds – I buy A LOT of fabric. In fact, I have bags and bags of fabric in our guest room. I have so many un-started and half-finished projects, I could probably go all summer without buying more. Maybe I will! For now, though, I will concentrate on using up what I have for the next 29 days.

I’ll probably add to this list – I’m sure there is plenty of other stuff I insist on buying on a whim.

What I am allowed:

• Non-material entertainment – concerts, lectures, art exhibits, plays – you don’t really “consume” that kind of stuff. That is, it’s not going to sit on my shelf after I’ve paid for it. Same for paying for classes and workshops – they are experiences, and well-worth the money. The hard part here will be the shopping at the workshops – there is a workshop in two weeks and it will be difficult not to buy anything among all the sparkly objects for sale.
• Food (non-junk) and necessary toiletries, medications. I’m not getting any thrill out of these, believe me.
• Used and home-made objects. I love to sew, so I have some ideas in mind for refashioning some old pieces and constructing some new ones. Plus I will continue to trade books and use the things I already have.

Hopefully, I’ll come out of this experience with a less-cluttered guest room, some extra cash and a sense of peace…and hopefully I won’t head straight for the mall.

Saturday Morning Post

Good morning! A little sleepy today, but it's so beautiful outside, it's hard to stay put for too long... I'm just returning from the farmers markets - that's right, markets plural. The dear husband and I got up at 4:30 this morning to go and walk/jog our shift at the Relay For Life, and ended up going back to bed around 7:00, so by the time I got up (again), I figured it was too late to drive all the way to my regular farmers market. Plus, two markets closer to our house opened last weekend, so this was a good time to check those out. I first stopped at the Millard Farmers Market. It was a little sparse. I only saw two veggies stands and a lot of crafts and baked goods. Still I left with broccoli, snap peas, and carrots. Not bad! Then I weaved my way northwest to te Village Point Farmer's Market. It was much better stocked, but much like the shopping center it calls home, it was a little pretentious and overpriced. There was some good stuff, such as the spring lettuce mix, but it cost me about 2 times what I would normally pay. I had hoped for some herbs to attempt some of the pestos recipes I learned this week, but at $2.50 a bunch (instead of $.50 at the OMFM!), I said no thanks. I can buy Iowa-grown herbs at HyVee for that price! I left that market with spring mix, baby onions, garlic, eggs (only $2 a dozen, so not bad), asparagus, and some yummy-looking strawberries. Now if I can just stay awake...

The end of LIW..or just the beginning?

Today is the final day of Low Impact Week, and I must say that I have very much enjoyed it. It was exactly the push I needed to make some changes towards more sustainable living. Thanks Crunchy Chicken, and to all the rest of you – I’ve learned a lot from reading about your experiences and ideas.

My household will continue to turn up or off the A/C – not just because it’s more energy-efficient to open the windows, but because we’re cheap! Keeping appliances unplugged will be more of a challenge, as it is such a nice convenience to have things at the ready.

I love my clothesline!!! I did two loads of wash last night and everything dries so fast with our wind here…I’m not sure about some things, like socks – they get rather stiff. However, I rarely wear socks in the summer, so this won’t really be my problem! J Sorry, honey!

The running outside will be good on nice days, but I will head indoors when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Yesterday, I found out that running during a high wind advisory is not…advisable.

I will continue to buy local food as much as possible and hopefully extremely local food, as my garden is slowly showing signs of life. On Tuesday, I planted a raspberry bush and a Catawba grapevine. These two will take a few years to bear fruit, but I’m patient… Our meal of locally-raised bacon-wrapped pork chops last night was amazing – they were prepared with fresh garlic from the farmer’s market. I had to supplement the community-garden broccoli with some of the frozen variety just for volume, but I could definitely tell a difference and the local veggie won out.

I’m also going to keep pushing my dear husband on the grocery bag issue – persistent nagging is just one of my many talents, but he’s pretty amenable to change, if it’s well reasoned. I will also use my powers of nagging to wear him down on the recycling – he’s decent about it, but I know that just tossing everything in the garbage is “easier” and he’s a slave to convenience.

Since I didn’t manage to get through the first couple of days without using disposable cups (during the race and at the bar), I had resolved not to use a single one the rest of the week. I have kept that vow, but since I managed to not remember my reusable glass at work, I’ve been a tad dehydrated the last two days! Fortunately, I ran back into the house this morning and grabbed a glass and a spoon. Yea!

Tonight I will drop off my first donation of the Junior League “year” at the Jumble Shop tonight on my way to my “Cooking With Herbs” class at the local botanical gardens. I haven’t planted any herbs because I don’t really know what to do with them, but hopefully after tonight, I will be an herb and spice master! …or something like that. J

I sent off my first book on PaperbackSwap yesterday, with a second to follow tomorrow (a book about the band Phish – don’t even ask why I own this, since I never really got into jam bands – oh, well, at least it’s going to a good home), and I requested my first one – an Erica Jong novel I haven’t got around to yet.

So here’s to the end of Low Impact Week and the start of a Low(er) Impact Life!

The Impact of Low-Impact

Wow, Day 6 already. How’s everyone doing? I feel like the week went by so fast, I might just keep going for a few days… Here’s my progress so far:

1. Energy consumption: The A/C was off as much as possible, other than when our house guests were around this weekend. I unplugged the electrical appliances that I use regularly when I wasn’t using them – hairdryer, phone charger, sewing machine, lamps. I didn’t’ realize how many of our appliances’ plugs are so inaccessible – but I’ve noticed that this was a common theme for a lot of LIW folks. The tv wasn’t on too much, other than for Sopranos. My dear husband watched about the same amount, but we both read more than usual this week, too. However, last night, I thought he was watching tv in the living room, so I started talking to him. When he didn’t answer, I listened more carefully – he was actually in a different room watching tv…but didn’t shut the first set off! Grrrrr…so much for my positive example!

On a positive note, we installed the clothesline yesterday! I put in a load of wash before I left for work this morning (cold water of course), so I can take advantage of this extra-windy day when I get home.

I also ran outside on Monday. Jogging on an air force base is…different. I took yesterday off, but will be back out there to brave the elements again this morning.

2. Reduce water usage: I’ve been even more vigilant about my short showers and sink usage this week, and we haven’t watered the yard or garden once…thank goddess for these late-spring rain storms.

3. Change your food habits: ML and I had our local and/or organic meal on Sunday, which I also took as leftovers for Monday’s lunch. Last night Lowell and I enjoyed taco salad made with grass-fed, locally-raised ground beef, lettuce from the farmers market and organic tomatoes. Not much I could do about the taco seasoning… ;) I’ve also enjoyed an organic yogurt and granola parfait every morning this week for breakfast…yum! Other than that, there hasn’t been much cooking at our house – we went to dinner with some friends Monday night – a last meal together before they move to Minnesota. The menu promised that the chicken in my salad was free-range and well-treated, but I didn’t ask too many questions. I did, however, decline to take the leftovers home because of all the Styrofoam containers I saw on the other tables…plus salad doesn’t travel well…

I can honestly say I haven’t accepted a single plastic bag this whole week! I remembered to take my own bag almost everywhere, although it’s in the wash pile now after getting organic parfait on it. Oops!

As far as the eating vegetarian, or more correctly flexitarian – since I’m allowing locally-produced meat – I’ve done OK. Not perfect, as you’ll note in my chicken salad confession above, but I’ve had a lot of fruit and a lot of salads this week. Tonight I’m preparing locally-produced pork chops and the broccoli I bought from a community garden sale.

4. Reduce dependence on paper: I’m doing great with this. The husband? Not so much. Last night, he washed his hands in the kitchen and proceeded straight to the paper towels, completely ignoring the perfectly clean cloth towel sitting in front of them. I know it’s just a habit thing, but it annoys me. I wasn’t raised with paper towels – my mother did not buy them and they were a novelty when I used on at a friend’s home. I still don’t buy them, but the DH puts them in the shopping cart. Sure, they are nice when cooking bacon and other greasy foods, but for basic utility purposes like hand drying and cleaning, I think they are a huge waste. I still have my hand towel at work, and I managed to take one with me when I went out this weekend.

5. Reduce garbage output – I’ve been super gung-ho on the recycling front this week, and my compost pile is full (not pretty, but full). However, as far as the single-use products go, I slacked a bit on the cutlery front – I keep forgetting my silverware. The water bottle is still in use, though. Tonight I’m sorting through all of my “donatables” to take to the Jumble Shop tomorrow. Last night I signed up for Paperback Swap and will be sending out my first book tonight.

6. Reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle usage: this is a huge challenge for me. I live 20 miles from my job, with no one to carpool with, so there is about 200 miles a week I put on my car. Add to that dance practices and other activities across town. If I can combine several errands into a trip, I do – I don’t go out of my way to drive somewhere unless its necessary, but there isn’t much I can do about not driving – we’re just too far away! This was an issue for me when we moved into this neighborhood, and will definitely be a factor when we move again.

7. Do something that last more than a week – my garden is going well, I will be line-drying a lot this summer, and I’m loving the local food. We’ll see how well the compost bin goes – I’m not optimistic at this point. It’s sorta gross. But I can see myself making a lot of these changes permanent.

2 full days left – way to go, everyone! J

Harnessing the power of sun and wind

My new clothesline arrived yesterday.  Unfortunately, all that’s been done with it so far is to take it out of the box and determine a good place for it in the yard.  I need some cement and rocks first, apparently.  If I can get that taken care of tonight, and the get hole dug, I should be line-drying my laundry by tomorrow!  I haven’t done any laundry so far during Low Impact Week because I’ve been waiting for this, but gee, now what excuse will I use?

Any other new composters out there?  I have fruit flies.  Bad.  I started burying my greens a little better – I’m sure my slacker habits of just tossing the new stuff on top led to this problem, but they don’t’ seem to be going anywhere…

We also have ants!  In the garage, that is.  I walked to my car yesterday morning and was horrified to see hundreds of the little beasts gathering near the entrance of the garage…I managed to persuade that group to leave, but there were 3 times as many this morning.  My neighbor across the street stopped by and told me he’d ended up calling Orkin – apparently this is a neighborhood-wide problem.  I’ve dealt with ants in my old house before – trying Borax, cayenne pepper, paprika and every other non-toxic remedy I could find, as they were in my kitchen and I was concerned about accidentally poising the dog.  In the end, I resorted to a can of Raid…  I would be amenable to the more pet-friendly soluations again, but the sheer volume of the ant population and the not-so-great luck I had dealing with them before is gradually pushing me towards the phone to call in the pros….

 

Back to the grind

Monday morning again.  How do the weekends go by so quickly?  Despite packing in as much activity as possible, I managed to get nothing done…

Between family in town, my race, two belly dance shows, two farmers markets, sewing, reading, painting, cooking and attending my first ever roller derby practice (just to watch) with ML, I’m quite exhausted…

So it’s Day 4 of Low Impact Week.  Not too bad, so far.  I remembered my water bottle and my hand towel, so I can honestly say I did not use a single napkin or paper towel.  I did, however, use 2 disposable plastic cups, in addition to the paper cups during the race.  It couldn’t entirely be helped – the bar I was at Saturday night didn’t seem like they would be amenable to putting my drink in a water bottle.  I let that one go.  Yesterday, ML and I managed to bring all of our plastic drink ware (and everyone else’s) home for recycling.  I also ended up with a couple plastic bags at the farmer’s market Saturday (none on Sunday though!)  I was OK with one of the bags – it’s not practical to bring loose salad greens home without a bag…the other bag I tried to fit as much as possible in – it had meat in it (grassfed ground beef, and locally-raised bacon-wrapped chops…mmmm….) from two different stands, so I had one vendor put their wares into the bag I already had from the other stands…  Man, it’s amazing how guilty I feel about plastic bag usage this week.  It’s not like I ever throw them away after a single use, and usually not even then…

Unfortunately on Saturday, we got to the Farmers Market too late for tomatoes and the herbs we were searching for.  I found locally grown oregano and basil at my Hyvee, but had to resort to the Whole Foods store for organic tomatoes…  Ugh, I remembered why it is that I don’t shop there on a regular basis…those were some pricey tomatoes!  Granted, I bought a ton of them, but still…I can’t wait until my garden starts yielding some of those plump red babies!  

The second farmers market, the new one on Bancroft, was a little disappointing.  There were only 2 food vendors, and despite the no-artsy-craftsy promises in the ads, there was a art/craft stand.  I came away with some fresh broccoli and a couple of lamb chops, though, as well as some information on a community gardening project…  I won’t give up on this FM entirely – it was their first day, so I’m sure it’ll improve over the weeks.

In the pleasantly surprising news category, I have to say my dear sweet husband is handling Low Impact Week very well, even asking some questions.  I caught him tossing a plastic veggie dip container in the trash without thinking about it (don’t worry – I rescued it), but other than that, he’s been very cooperative.  

Well, I suppose…off to work I go…

 

I don't do nap time

At least not well. I succumbed to a brief nap this afternoon - its brevity was cut short :) by my dear sweet husband, who upon arriving home from work decided to join me in my slumber, but managed to wake me in the process...I fell back asleep but it was too late. What should have been a quick 20-minute cat-nap turned into a full hour snooze, and now I'm groggy as hell. Great. I have to be on the road in an hour!
We had the first night of a two-night gig last night (that's where I'm off to again this evening), and I think it went fairly decent. I tried out a new solo, and while nervous and totally faking most of it, I received several compliments on my stage presence. That, or some people can anticipate my tendency to melt down afterwards and were just trying to stay out of my way! :)
I am the 5-Mile Champion!!! OK, maybe not. But I did manage to defend my title as the Nebraska 5-Mile Women's Age 25-29, and I will wear my medal proudly, despite the fact that there were like 4 women total in my age group. It was a PR for me, so that's at least something. A full 3 minutes faster than the run I did last week.
So it's Day 2 of Low Impact Week. Last night I took a water bottle and hand towel with me to our show. I will do the same tonight, but I'm not certain it will make up for the 3 paper cups I had to toss on the ground during the race - carrying a reusable bottle during the race really wasn't an option, nor was going without water... Oh, well - these things take practice....
Ugh, better get ready. If I don't wake up fully soon, I feel sorry for anyone who crosses my path...

Low Impact Week

ML and I are participating in Low Impact Week, which spans this first week of June. This event is sponsored by Crunchy Chicken and some other blogs we regularly peruse. CC had several suggestion for Low Impact activities, several of which I happily noted I already do! J As I am not dragging my husband along for this low-impact adventure, my house will probably remain a mid-impact dwelling, but I figure every little bit helps…The following are the suggested and accepted tasks I will complete for low impact week, along with some I came up with on my own. Blue items are things we already do; red items are new things I’ll try that CC suggested; green items are my own additions.
1. Reduce energy consumption -
· Turn up the A/C; off if feasible. Unfortunately, I’m having houseguests this weekend – I’m guessing they won’t be too amenable the lack of A/C. Generally, though, we just use the ceiling fans and open the windows.
· unplug appliances when not in use that still draw energy when off (like your cell phone charger)
· turn off the TV unless you are actually watching something. Our TV won’t be completely off this week – the DH will watch some, and I’m sorry, but it’s the season finale of the Shield and very nearly the last episode of the Sopranos… However, I have several books to finish, and I rarely watch more tv a week than those two shows.
· use the air dry on your dishwasher instead of heat dry – we already do this…
· use only cold water in your washing machine– we already do this…
· line dry your clothes instead of using the dryer* - my new clothesline is on its way, so this will start as soon as I can install it.
· Run outdoors – I usually run on the treadmill at my works’ gym. This week, I’m going to run outside as much as possible.
2. Reduce water usage -
· take shorter showers - – we already do this…
· turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth – we already do this…
· be aware of water usage when at the kitchen sink - turn it off in between tasks – we already do this…
Fortunately, Nebraska is getting record amounts of rain this spring – we’ve barely watered our lawn and garden. 3. Change your food habits -
· try to buy organic and/or locally grown food – I intend to shop at a couple of Farmer’s Markets this weekend, and I just discovered that the grocery store blocks from our house sells locally-produced milk in reusable glass bottles! I also purchased some organic cereal and yogurt during our latest trip to the store…
· minimize pre-packaged foods and make more of your own from scratch – we try to do this as much as possible.
· use cloth bags at the grocery store instead of getting paper or plastic* - I broached this subject last night with the DH; he’s not wild about the idea of bringing our own reusable bags to the grocery store, as we make 2 large trips a month, but he didn’t say no… I already refuse bags if I don’t have much to carry, and am getting better about bringing my own bag.
· don't get take-out if it means non-recyclable packaging* - we will probably not get any take-out this week anyway…
· try eating vegetarian or vegan for the week (choose your level from egg/dairy acceptable to no animals products at all)* I plan to eat only locally-produced meat this week, if any. There are several local farms that bringing their product to the farmer’s market. 4. Reduce your dependence on paper products -
· print out only what is necessary – always!
· don't use paper towels; when you can, use cloth napkins or towels instead (e.g. public restrooms)* - I’ve been doing this at work for the past few weeks and no one has made any comments yet. 5. Reduce your garbage output -
· recycle everything you can (for your area) – we already do this – our sanitation company is very good about recycling – they take almost all recyclable plastics, glass, paper, metal, etc.
· donate used items to a charity instead of throwing them out or taking them to the dump – the new “quota year” for the Junior League’s thrift shop starts today, and I have tons of stuff to donate; this will get done only when I have a good reason to drive to that part of town – I’m going to make my errands as efficient as possible.
· compost your food waste and soiled paper products* - my compost bin needs some work, but I’m already attempting to do this.
· Use fewer single-use products - I regularly use disposable cutlery when eating at work. This week, I will bringing a washable spoon and fork; I also keep a glass at my desk for use at the water cooler to avoid plastic-bottled water.
6. Reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle usage -
· Carpool when taking trips or going out to eat with friends
7. Do something that lasts more than a week -
· replace one bulb per day with a Compact Fluorescent light bulb – I probably won’t buy any new bulbs this week, but we already have 16 CFL bulbs installed in our home.
· take your name off of junk mail and mailing lists for catalogs you don't want – we did this a while back – had our names removed from several mailing lists and credit-card offer services. Its amazing how much less junk mail we get.
· set up a compost bin for your food scraps* - see notes above
§ Start a garden – see my other blog