Urban Homesteading- My 2 pennies

Okay, up until now I have kept my big mouth shut about the Urban Homesteading Trademark debacle. You might have read about this on Ms. Chicken's Blog, but seeing as it is Urban Homesteaders Action Day , I thought I would join in the fray. Just a reminder, these are my own opinions and considering I am way too quick to snap to judgement, and drink way too much coffee, take out of them what you will.

First off, I must tell you, I don't think I qualify as an Urban Homesteader®. I am not into living like the Ingalls. I like my modern conveniences. I do however, grow some of my own food. And I can food. And dehydrate food. And freeze it. If that makes me a "Steader" so be it.

Secondly, I am sorry, to a certain family, living in Pasedena, CA., but the fact you call one of your websites "Freedom Gardens ®" (and one in which I used to be proud to be called a member) then you trademark common terms? Sounds a bit like Monsanto and their patented Genetically Modified Seed stock. You apparently do not realize that you are alienating the very people who looked up to you. And came to your website for advice. Or maybe you just don't give a rats ass. My great grandparents were actual Homesteaders® . They lived in sod huts and drank warm cows milk and grew their own food. Long before your so-called "Institute" existed.

So excuse me now if I say That I am an Urban Homesteader® .... I come from a long line of them!

What's on your IPOD?

Ipods, ep3 Players, Elecronic recording devices. LOL I am technology deprived! I know that downloading music is the modern green way. But, Rob is a guy who still likes ALBUMS. LOL. But if I had an IPOD, I would have AMY WINEHOUSE- REHAB on it. Amy Winehouse? That ICON for personal healthcare? Yes. Say what you want about Ms. Winehouse, she has a great voice and song style. She is no Stevie Nicks, (but then who is?) Anyway she would be on my IPOD list, as would Ms.Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, but no matter I am still missing 8 track players and cassette players in my car- I don't have one of these devices- lol I have one car that has an AM (Only)Radio. Maybe I need one of these:
Lawrence Welk had a record player in his car!! This was a Chrysler Feature that didn't pan out!

Ever had one of those days???

Just to let Chile know she is not the only one who gets strange injuries, I gotta tell you all about my day. I got a glass shard in my foot Sunday. Try as I could, I could not get ahold of it to remove it. So Monday I had to call the podiatrist, Hoping for an appointment. They could not get me in until today. So, the regular podiatrist is not in. He is in Mexico taking shoes to the poor, and treating folks down there. Not an un-noble cause. So i get this young pup of a doctor. Looked like he just came out of podiatry school. He took X-Rays, found the shard, and proceeded to cut into my foot and remove it. Very good young doctor, he had me in and out in about an hour. He wrote me two prescriptions. And boy let me tell you, by the time I got to work my foot was killing me. Luckily I took the Ibuprofen 800 Mg. I was feeling pretty good, and got through the night.

One of my jobs at work tonight was to try and replace a washer in a leaky shower valve in the Women's shower. Unfortunately, that particular shower has bad shut offs, so I had to shut the water mains off. We put a sign up on Tuesday that the showers would be closed due to no water. Sure as shit I went in to shut the water off, there were two guys working out. One of them had the nerve to say to me he was sick and tired of maintenance always shutting off the water when he was using the fitness center. Well really I am sorry... sorry we put signs up in the fitness center that said we would shut down the showers for 2 hours and he apparently didn't see them before today. Then this dumb ass has the nerve to say to me "Apparently you don't know who I am ... I am Mr. So and so, And I work very closely with the company CEO." Well I said to him,"Apparently you don't know who I am- I am the guy who knows where the main water valves are and can shut the damn showers down right in the middle of your shower should I see fit. Needless to say I won that argument. Finished the job in less than 1/2 hour. If dumb ass would have spent more time working his tired old poop body out instead of bothering a working guy he would have never known the showers were down. Asshole.

Mom and my uncle celebrating old age.

Oh, BTW while I am ranting and raving, let me take a moment to say Happy Birthday to my Mom.Wow. 78!!! God ain't that old. I would show you what I got for her, but we aren't exchangin presents until Sunday. And I thought that would be a good post for trashy Tuesday.

What A Day!

We are experiencing very nice spring like weather here in the normally gray, cloudy Northwest. Pretty busy day today- First, I went and help the gardeners at New Futures @ the Heights in Burien establish their new community garden, as part of the crew at Sustainable Burien. It is neat to see the residents of this mostly Latin community take and interest in growing their own. We were putting in fence posts around the garden with wire to allow berry bushes to grow up on. I wish I had pictures, I took pics with My cell phone, but like the idiot I can be forgot to save them to my phone. Then later in the day, I attended a party given by the B/IAS folks, at the Burien Press as a thank you to all who were involved which included Community Gardeners from Sustainable Burien. The bad part was I ate three pieces of Diabetic candy before attending and had a bout with IBS. That candy tastes good, but does a number on the human waste system! But I made it through!

And in my little radical way, I parked by the old B/IAS spot and spread a bunch of seed bombs. Guerrilla Gardening can be so exhilarating! More on that later, And I finally got some seeds started at home. Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes, Tumblers, "Syrian" Summer Squash, pumpkins and sweet peppers are now in the green house awaiting launch.

2nd Blog-Iversary Musings and ramblings

Well lets see. Today (Wednesday February 10) Marks 2 years here on Blogger. This blog or rather the pre-cursor is two years old. The pre-cursor? The original blog was found at tripod. Here is the URL. You can see my style has not changed much. I am getting better about spell check. But the theme is pretty much still the same. Tidbits of my boring life, hoping someone may find something I say or do interesting or useful. Originally I started a blog to show off my Ikea hacks. But since then I have delved into greening up my life, DIY, junk art, gardening. Blah Blah. I have found over the past two years that there is a great community of like minded people out there. We may not always agree politically or philosophically, but we read each other well. Some of the first friends I have made in the blogging world have come and gone (Burbon Mom, Verde,Pirate Farmer, Where are you???) And that’s okay. That is life. People are going to come in and out of your life all the time, and leave for a variety of reasons. (I learned that in AA) That’s part of the circle of life.

In two years you have watched me go through the circle of life with relatives, my pets (Tuffy, Binky, Spike) and have always been there, with your kind comments and thoughts. And it does not go unappreciated. You have gotten me to pee on my garden, freeze my ass off, garden to the point of worrying about rain, sun, wind and aphids. LOL. And you have pushed me to using a green house. To start plants. And you give me a place to occasionally mouth off and show disrespect to our elected officials. That I do willingly! (I just can't keep my trap shut)

Anyway, here we start our third year journey on the good ship Rob's World. Hopefully it will sail smooth.
And remember Life IS a bed of roses, just watch out for the pricks!

Interweb Review: Cheap Thrills edition

Lots of news coming over the Internets and blogs this week- I thought I would let others do the work for me (at work they call that the boss) and link y'all toward the places to go on the Inter Web to find all this great info!

Bush Pilot DID repair plane with Duct Tape: First off, a lot of folks say this is urban legend, a myth and such; guess what folks- it really did happen. And 2- Duct Tape can fix anything.

Cheap Entertainment: News from Lori Bongiorno at Yahoo Green about the different ways to rent movies. Good News For us Wii Owners- We will be able to stream Netflix this spring!

Food Packaging is unnecessary and evil: No Shit? I just saw individual packs of Pickle chips for the first time in the store. And hey, while I like pickles, If I go out and buy a snack pack there better be pudding or Jell-o in it. I put that right up there with Boiled Eggs encased in plastic (Guess the original shell that has worked for years is no longer good enough) and string cheese.

Speaking of Food- Food Trends for 2010: Shopping at the Farmer's market is in; as are cookbooks, new food labeling and getting junior out of in front of the TV.

Home Improvements are to be big in 2010 as well: Maybe this is the year I get those jobs done once and for all. Hope springs eternal.

Other places to get books- More cheap Entertainment: Melinda did the hardwork and searched out options for low cost books. Better get out my Dewey and Sketch Library Card!

NW FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW

Okay I can't hold my excitement. The NW Flower and Garden Show is just around the corner. February 3-7th, at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center, in Seattle. Why, Rob, do you attend a flower show, when you are a he-man manly-man man? Well I like to garden. And I like to get ideas for my yard, like the one year a fence for around the garden, made of broken shovels, tools, and an Ironing board. You know... Shit I will never make. And B- there are new products to see and not buy! (The scourge of all trade show salesman- people that have no intention of buying) But seriously, I do enjoy the show. And I enjoy the creativity. So I am getting my back pack ready-
Water Bottle, Check.
Lunch snack and Light Rail Money? Check.
Muggsly? Check

AWW Dad... Let me go... I got my pack, and I can help you carry things home... Pleeeaaase let me go with!

Dog Treats, Dog Leash? Check---WHAT? No Romeo- you cannot go with me. You be good and protect the house. Sorry Buddy. Too Many people. And too many trees planted- You would go into cuteness overload. Really.And with all those trees planted you know what would happen.
Anyway- If anyone wants to meet up- send me an email at robj98168@yahoo.com and we will go have a coffee or something. There are a ton of eating and restaurant type places there.

ReCycling Styrofoam!

A post that would make Fake Plastic Fish Cry tears of joy! While reduction would be better, there is now a business that recycles styrofoam! We now have a place to recycle Styrofoam! IKEA SEATTLE has a recycling center, and they accept Styrofoam. Very convenient- they are about 1 mile from work. The Styrofoam is recycled next door at StyroRecycle, where the styrofoam is ground up, compressed and densified into blocks, which are then manufactured into plastic products such as: picture frames, TV & computer cases, office equipment and other plastic products. Nice to know. Would be even better if they picked up the styrofoam in our recycling, but hey, I'm all for the baby steps. Here is hoping the StyroRecycle makes a go at it, proving once and for all that green economics work.
Click here for a PDF of their brochure!Another great thing at
IKEA is purchase a SUNNEN Solar powered Lamp, and Now at IKEA stores worldwide, for every SUNNAN solar-powered lamp sold, one lamp will be given to UNICEF to light up the life of a child. The first shipments of donated lights are destined for Pakistan, helping children in camps for people who had to flee their homes, and remote villages in Balochistan and the North West Frontier province. This unit will enable children to play, read, write and study at night, even if their homes have no electricity. Millions of children can’t draw, write or read after sunset, limiting their horizons and possibly their futures. IKEA hopes these lamps are a small but important contribution to improving the lives of children in developing countries.
These lamps are so cool- set them in a sunny window in the morning, and at night they give light. How cool is that? I support companies with a sense of community and responsibility, so yes I do support IKEA. Lovable little swedes!

Worse than Black Friday...

OMG! I had to go to the Mall area today- as much as I disdain Black Friday I hate the day after Christmas for the same reason- TOO MANY PEOPLE!!! You see my Cell Phone decided to not work right so I went to the Verizon Store right here in Burien. They couldn't fix it and told me the nearest service center was South Center (our wonderful neighborhood shopping center) "right next to Chipoltle's. Well I got in the car and Romi and I drove there- first to stand still on the freeway, due to all the folks who had to make a return. So we crept (seriously- I could of gotten out of my car and waddled my fat ass there the last two miles, with a dog who believes he single handily needs to pee on every bush shrub and rock along the way and got there faster) up to Chipoltle's and lo and behold no Verizon- luckily it was across the parking lot. Went in.Very nice folks at that store- they tool my name- they have a computerized number system, told me to take a seat. Shortly they called my name and the technician came out and got me. She explained my 2 year warranty had expired and my date to be eligible for upgrade was July. She said they could send me a new cell (the same type I had) for $50. When would I get it I asked? Tuesday or Wednesday. Well this wasn't good, my mom who is recovering from knee surgery depends on my cell phone to call me 3 or 4 times a day to day she needs milk or she is out of cat food or She is tired of looking at her Christmas tree. So I end up buying a similar cell phone to the one I had. Then Techy Girl tells me that because I had such a low level cell phone to begin with, I wouldn't be able to transfer my "contact list" and other stuff via computer- I would have to do it by hand. Think you don't have many associates and friends? Try typing in your contact list by hand. You will be amazed how popular you are! So today I learned that

1. People (drivers) going to return Christmas Gifts suck almost as much as those Black Friday Shoppers


2. Techy people are not impressed with my low level choices in technology


3. Verizon in South Center is not next to Chipoltle's


4. This area was not designed for large amounts of vehicle traffic.
5. Mall is not the proper word for where people gather to shop- try using MAUL

So I do learn things even when I am on vacation, excuse me my new cell phone is ringing... It's my mom calling to tell me her cat doesn't like the type of cat food I bought and could I go out now and get the right kind. I forgot and bought Tuscan chicken in gravy served with garden greens intsead of Chicken Florentine in gravy served with garden greens. Such is life in my world.

Got my own Chuck (Klosterman)

You may or may not be familiar with Jenna Woginrich. She wrote the book "Made from Scratch" - very good book- very revealing (that is if you ever had dreams of farm living) She made me decide I am a city boy through and through. She also writes this blog, Cold Antler Farm about her little farm in Sandpointe, Vermont. She has been struggling a bit lately and is trying a lot of ways to earn money to buy her own little place (farm) So i wrote her an email telling her I wanted a picture of Chuck Klosterman.
Chuck was her rooster. Cock of the walk. And he suffered from B/A (bad attitude). Would spur you just as soon as look at you. You know, my kind of bird. Jenna recently and with much uncertainty (I am sure) sent Chuck to the big hen house in the sky. Yup. Wrung his neck. Turned him into Coq-Au-Vin.Now I don't blame her. You should never piss off (or spur) your benevolent owner. Especially if you know she carries a sharp axe. A bad rooster is not good. Ask my aunt Shirley. When she was a girl, my mom still gets the giggles something awful when telling how one of their roosters would always single out poor Aunt Shirley -jump on her back and peck her head. Gave my Auntie a big fear of birds it did. And I have always said if I get chickens, which I might this spring, I will name them Laverne and Shirley, after my aunts Laverne and Shirley (My Aunt Laverne actually had chickens and named a pig, Rob, after me- so I shall return the honor). Since we are allowed three hens- the third one might be Crunchy, or maybe Crunchy Chuck in honor of the bloggess and Mr. Klosterman. Anyway I digress. I bought a Chuck Watercolor. Jenna, besides being a good writer is a very talented water color artist to boot. Her paintings of her animals are filled with character and whimsy. She does all this and she bakes pie. And plays her own music (In fact in her book she claims and I must agree that making your own music is a sustainable concept). Her etsy store is full of her original Watercolors of farm life, some music and even hats!(Perfect choices for Crunchy's Buy Hand Challenge)

Take a read of Jenna's Cold Antler Farm Blog, and visit her etsy store. Support a gal and her dream! You never know the next egg you meet might come from Jenna!

Rest

I was just thinking... I need a nap. With all the Halloween and Day of the Dead goings on and having to go in work early today and tomorrow. Dammit- I need some rest. So no blog post tomight. Move over Romeo- Daddy needs a nap.

Changing Cell Phones

Dude, your cell phone should be in the Smithsonian. That's usually what I hear from folks. "Specially the younger set. I have to admit not being to in tune with the latest electronical do-hickeys, in fact I would put myself just above Electronically Challenged. But it's not my fault- I was just raised under different ethics. I mean why buy a new cell phone (LOL Now instead of "buy" you "upgrade") when the old one works just fine? Maybe if I text messaged more than I do Okay. But now I am told you can get new phones that you can search the interweb thingy, and with all the app's you can use your phone for your TV Remote, a GPS, lojack your pet. Cool.
OK I need an upgrade to my cell phone. But what about my old cell phone? Where does it go from here?
Places to recycle your old cell phones*:
Cell Phones For Soldiers- Recycles your old cell phone (in working order) and gives it to a Soldier overseas to use to phone home; They have drop off points all over the place

Pets Smart Charities/Recycle for life: Recycles your old cell phones and printer cartridges and the money raised goes to Recycling For Pets- a program that recycles the waste out of phones (precious metals et. al.)and raises money for Homeless Pet Charities throughout the US. Mailers are available at all PetsSmart Stores. And here is a list of eligible cell phones and ink cartridges.

Other charities that want your old cell phones: Wireless Recycling, Collective good, Eco-Cell
*source- the Daily Green.com

now since I plan to stay with verizon, I have a choice where my old cell phone can go. And hopefully do some good.

PARKING THE CAR FOR CHILI

This post is in support of Chile's Park the Car Challenge. A challenge I am not registered for, as I need to drive to work. But I thought I would relate an experience I had to day PARKING THE CAR FOR CHILI. And Yes, I know. Chile is spelled with an "E" at the end not an "I". But read on:
Well today at work I had planned to have delicious, nutritious chili dogs for lunch. I got my lunch ready, got the hot dogs out. Got the buns out. I forgot to bring my can of Vegetarian Chili. So now what? Recently I have been reading Chile's Blog about parking the car. So I thought - I
have three good options- Get in my car and go to 7-11 and get a can of chili. 2- Go in my car , go to Mikes Gourmet Hot Dogs and get the king of all Chili Dogs 3- Ride my Work Bike to the store- bad idea as my work bike is in need of maintenance and truthfully I only use it when I don't have a van or electric go cart which is one advantage to cutting our crew from 9 to 3- I always have one or the other. 4- Screw 1, 2 and 3- Walk to the corner convenience store (About 1/2 mile from the front door at work. Ms.Chile, who rides her bike Hunnerts of miles a week with no booster, would be so proud of me for parking the car, yet disgusted at me for eating and loving Chili Dogs. So anyway I decided to park the car and go for a quick little walk. The walk takes me to a short cut through "springbrook trail park",Were a couple of years ago a rabbit dashed out and bit me. The only thing I have in common with Jimmy Carter- Unprovoked Rabbit attacks. Or I would have had to walk thorught the trail if they were not widening Interstate 405 to keep the citizens in Bellevue (the city in Washington, not the Famous Mental Hospital in New York - though I can't always tell the difference) happy. Of course Road contruction workers make me nervous as well, a bad experience I had as a kid and got into a F.U.! F.U.! Argument with one (Needless to say it was a case of him comparing me to Mama Cass - whom I loved- and saying that "Be Careful- Mama Cass choked on a sandwich"- to which my reply was something like "Don't be stupid your whole life, you worthless motherfucker" Even as a kid I had a mouth that my dad thought would get me killed before I was 21.)
Anyway I noticed with amazement how much bottled water and Gatorade these guys drink- And even more amazement when I saw they picked up every one of their empties. They had a box just for empty bottles and cans! Of course when I got to the store, I found I had forgotten my bag in the car, so I grabbed a can of chili and went to the register. $1.99 the clerk said. I paid him and of course he said- "Wanna bag?". Yes I did, but told him No I was fine. So there I go off back to work looking a tad bit like Mr. Magoo with my can of chili in one hand. Down the street.I had survived the walk, The construction workers, and the republican rabbits. Happy to be back at work, nuking my chili and my wienies. I parked the car. I survived. I ate Chili Dogs. Life is Good. Doesn't seem like a bad thing to once in awhile to hoof it.

Home Grown Movie trailer

There is a documentary coming out about one of my favorate familys, The Dervaes. It will be cool to get a close up more personal look at their life and struggles to make it on 1/5 an acre. Maybe a bit more inspiration that some more of us can do this as well! The Trailer for "Homegrown" and if your havent joined freedom gardens yet get over there

Inspiration

Everyonce in awhile I need inspiration from others. This video produced by CBS news, is one of those newstories that make me want to watch TV news. Featuring the Dervaes family and others in the front lawns to garden movement shows how easy it is to get rid of that lawn and put in gardens:

And for some inspiration from my garden:Spaghetti squash growing in my front yard!
Sammy's fave: catnip growing in a pot

And looky here! I can has artichoke? Yes you can!

Anyone else have some "garden inspirations"?

THEIVERY AMONGST BLOGGERS

I stole this meme from Ms. Chicken, who stole it from Ruchi, who stole it from Beany who stole it from Meadowlark...AND SO IT GOES
A - Age: 49

B - Bed size: Full

C - Chore you hate: Cleaning the kitty's litter box

D - Dog's name: Romeo

E - Essential start your day item: Smoking a ciggy

F - Favorite color: I drive two red cars, and my Vespa is black so of
course my favorite color is Green

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Silver

H - Height: 5'6" But I blog much taller

I - Instruments you play: In my life- I have played piano, saxophone, ukulele, harmonica, auto harp and the zither; now I just play the radio

J - Job title: Maintenance Plumber, BAT (certified) (Backflow assembly Tester)

K - Kid(s): No thank you

L - Living arrangements: 3 bedroom "cottage"

M - Mom's name: Darlene

N - Nicknames: Let see- Rob, Robbie, Boof, Prince Valiant

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Tonsillectomy, Congestive Heart Failure

P - Pet Peeve: Too many to list, Mostly involves other drivers

Q - Quote from a movie: "I love wrong numbers" from Ruthless People

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: Spoiled Only Child

T - Time you wake up: Usually by 8, sometimes 10 never as late as 12:00

U- Underwear: Boxer Briefs, when I wear underwear, which is not always.
Never wear thongs. Or jockstraps. Sleep naked.

V - Vegetable you dislike: Eggplant. or Okra.I HAVE NEVER LIKED EITHER.

W - Ways you run late: Goofing off before work

X - X-rays you've had: Chest, Knee, foot. Catheter to check my heart. Dental.

Y - Yummy food you make: Jams; soups, pumpkin creme broulee I copy any recipe I see and looks tasty

Z - Zoo favorite: not a big fan of zoos but would have to go with Woodland Park zoo in Seattle

Who's next to steal this meme?

Rambler

A 65 Rambler Ambassador Wagon Complete with make out seats!

No this is not a post about the most embarrassing car my folks ever owned (A 1967 AMC Rambler Ambassador station wagon I couldn't stand when I was a kid-of course would give my eye teeth for now)My dad used to brag about the fact the car had make out seats and you could turn the whole car into a bed! Dad was so proud- Hey later in his life he owned a Plymouth Volare Wagon-

This is one of those posts where I ramble on and on. So bear with me-

Today I found another store in my area that had bulk food items- That is two stores within walking distance! Maybe one of these days I will find one that sells milk in glass bottles. Anyway, I digress- Cheap Like Me Blog yesterday posted a recipe for make your own instant Oatmeal, since I eat oatmeal just about every morning I was interested. I wanted to make this yesterday but had no rolled oats (one meatloaf too many I guess)So into the store I went and happened on to this Bulk Bin Aisle. I must admit I don't shop at this store (Fred Meyer) often so it was a big surprise! The Bulk items aren't cool like some of the stores y'all shop in, but it tickles me so! And they aren't much different than the organic bins at the Grainery (Health Food store) Just your basic grains, oats and other hot cereals, gummi bears and nuts- But it is an improvement! "Baby Steps" I sighed.

My Co-Worker, Billy

Also In a day of surprises, I found out my employer, nay my work group hired a Rent a goat company to remove brush and blackberry bushes of our property. I found out when my dispatcher called me on the radio, in a fit of confusion saying some lady called and she needs the hydrant turned on to water her goats! Well I had to find out about why she had her goats there, and of course, they were there to work! LOL I laughed about that one all night- I could be replaced by a billy goat- but let it be known on the radio that I took care of the goats at Boeing and all is well. Maybe I relayed that the goats are in the 20 building (Executives), but I would never admit to it. I'm but an innocent lamb.

Surprise number three- Sustainable Burien or "SuBu" as we like to call it is going to put in a community garden exhibit at the B/ias (Burien Interim Art Space). So I am guessing it is but a short time we get the word from the city parks on a "P-Patch" program starting soon!

And now finally- A word about Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Both Icons of my generation. Every blue blooded straight boy had or wanted to have the poster of Farrah which showed her nipple through her swimsuit. Tame by today's standards, it was hot by the seventies standards. Farrah of course showed her real talent for acting later in life but it was the automobiles that I remember her and the angels driving. Farrah had a Ford Mustang Cobra, late seventies edition, Kate Jackson had a smart Pinto, and Jaclyn Smith of course had a stylish (for the day) Fairmount Futura. I suspect Ms. Fawcett was a bit like that Mustang- Cool, fast and no one seemed to appreciate it until it was too late. I remember Michael Jackson singing with his brothers on Ed Sullivan at the log cabin we rented on Whidbey island (yes my dad packed a TV in the rambler. We were a true 60's family) Anyway, like Michael or not, he remains instilled with me, particularly because we are so close in age. I will always remember him, not for great videos like "Thriller" or "Billie Jean" but for the little boy, my age who so confidently sang "ABC" on national TV.

Well that's enough of the wonder years for one night.

Is Earth Day relevant?

This is the theme of the current APLS carnival.

Is earth day relevant? Well, it is the one time of year we celebrate earth. I see hope in the world- All of a sudden solar power and wind power are becoming more important, I see an elected official and his wife plan a garden in the white house. I see companies take some responsibility for the waste that their products make ( thanks to the tenacity of a blogger)But why not all year long? Doesn't Earth deserve 365 days of our respect and reverence? I think so. So this year, I will take my shopping bags (not forgetting them at home), always carry my own cup for coffee or water, Go meatless one day a week, participate in all of Crunchy's challenges. I will be jubilant in that I live in an wildlife habitat. I will continue my quest for electric transportation, I will get more involved in local community.

These are all great promises- but what if I forget my shopping bag or forget and buy a coffee without my muggsly? Will the earth suddenly gasp and die?

Probably not. And while doing those things is important- unless a lot more people start doing them they aren't going to amount to a hill of scarlet runner beans.

But What I do Know:

I know the best way to get folks to change is example. Maybe that's what Earth Day should be thought of- As a day of example, maybe that should be the relevance of Earth Day.

I know that doing these things is important, and I hope by leading living by example others will as well. Well that is except for the Bulgarian electrician I work with. He scoffs at my solar powered security lights- But, I have seen hope- my mom, the "plastic bag queen" uses a shopping bag now. And I don't get mad at her and bitch about it when she forgets to bring it. She is also getting good at bringing her own containers to thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to take home leftovers. I guess these are called baby steps. And I will celebrate them.

My Solar powered Security Light

So Happy Earth Day everybody. I hope it is relevant and meaningful for you.

Now if I could get the Bulgarian to try a solar powered security light.

Just a rambling post

Just goofing around on my day off.
Remember the Fondue I made a few days back? Well half of it was left over so I reheated it, added about a cup of milk and some broccoli- Instant Cheese soup. Wasn't too bad, I have had better.

Took down my mom's lights and Installed her GPS system I gave her in her car. Then I installed the one she gave me in the truck. Like having a wife direct me to wherever!

Took all the boughs down, removed the wire holding them together and put them in the yardwaste bin. Took a bunch of stuff from mom's deck and put it in the compost bin. Also put a bag of used grounds form the starbucks and put them in the compost bin.

Checked the worm bin- everyone is alive and squiggling, so I guess they survived the cold. Gave them a rotten apple.

Started getting ready to order my apple trees and such from Raintree. Got too late to call so will do that tomorrow.

Went and looked at some puppies at the local pet store- I cannot justify buying a puppy when so many at the shelters need homes.