I have been making a lot of changes lately. Some are simple - I've decided to avoid buying plastic water bottles. Some are deeper - I've decided to become an active member of a church community. The changes are intentional, and deeply personal.
My breakdown in October was a real wake-up call for me. It took me a while to figure out exactly what it was about, and there are probably no completely simple answers to that question, but I think I know, anyway. I think that I was no longer living in accordance with my values, and that my whole system broke down as a result.
Living according to my values, to me, means listening to that inner voice inside me that is very firm about what I should and should not do. The inner voice doesn't lie. As a matter of fact, that inner voice is sometimes painfully honest. My voice told me that I was pretending to be someone that I was not...I was not being thoughtful in my choices in too many cases, and I'd gotten out of whack.
I decided to listen to the voice, and it told me some things I wasn't expecting. It told me:
- Get out of breast cancer land. Even volunteer work in the breast cancer field was too much. I was being defined by breast cancer, and such a definition was too limiting and narrow.
- Write more. I've been writing in my journal, and it is such a gift to find time to do so.
- Get hands on with charity work. It feels good to me.
- Actively pursue spirituality. Not a passive occassional thought about being a nice person, but a deep seeking that for me involves a lot of reading, discussion, and joining of a church community that maps to my values.
- Slow down.
- Do what I think is most important, no excuses.
Out of this, my deep desire to leave the planet a better place than I found it started to speak to me, and I realized that I was a part of the problem. Worse than that, I knew better. I knew that I wasn't helping, and that I was ignoring my inner voice. My inner voice told me that I was capable of much more than I was giving.
So, I've been trying to listen to that voice, and the most amazing thing started happening: I started to feel happy again.
I recognize that we're all in different phases of our journies. Some people might read this and think, "Well, DUH!" and wonder what took me so long to reach this point. That's okay. Some people might think, "I know just what you mean!" because they're at my side on this journey. Others might say, "I have no idea what you're talking about" because they're on a different journey all together. I suspect that all fo these things are okay, that all points in the journey are okay. It's not about better or worse, except on an individual level. My inner voice said, "You should be trying harder. You should be on a different path. You've gone astray," and at that point, I needed to change.
So, I'm looking at things large and small, and feeling passionate and excited about them. I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with adopting a new habit, and I love the intellectual challenge of trying to puzzle out the pieces. I feel very open to the process, and to what it might bring me. I may change directions many times, and I may not always know my destination, but I think if I listen to my inner voice, which is strong, I will end up okay.
I have always considered myself an environmentalist. I have a deep love of nature - I'm the type to go back woods backpacking and love it. When I was single, I did backpacking trips with girlfriends, and once I did one solo. I love sleeping in a tent. I love sitting around a small campfire, with a billion stars overhead. I love swimming in glacial melt on a hot day. But I'd lost all of this, and had replaced it with other things, like dinners out. There's nothing wrong with dinner at a nice resturant (actually, it sounds rather nice right now), but it doesn't satisfy me in the same way that dinner over a campfire satisfies me.
I hadn't totally gone off track. I hadn't become an axe murderer who beat my daughter and cursed at strangers. I am proud, mostly, of the type of mother I am, and I am proud of the quality of my friendships. I am proud for my commitment to family. Lots of things are right...but the inner voice kept insisting "more!"
My small accomplishments in becoming a more environmentally aware person are deeply personally satisfying to me. I believe that I'm helping the planet, and all of its inhabitants, by my small personal choices, even if I'm only helping a teeny, tiny amount. But it just makes me feel happy, and as I've said, being happy is pretty darned important to me.
So, if you're reading this, and wondering why I've become so crazy, this is the answer. I'm not telling you what to do (although of course I've got billions of ideas I'd love to discuss). I'm not your inner voice. I can not insist that you make the changes that I am making, and indeed I think I'd be foolish to think that those reading this must be on the same page I am.....if I'd been presented with these changes a year ago, I couldn't have done it. But right now, for me, the timing is right.
I would love to inspire others to adapt some of these changes, because I believe that they're healthy for everyone involved, and I'll continue to present my "case" as to why I believe that. But I'm not in the business of running others' lives, of telling others what to do, or in judging them for what they do.
I don't expect everyone I know to ditch all their plastic containers, to refuse disposable water bottles, to go all organic in their food, to only buy non-toxic cleaning products, to carry a sack so that paper and plastic bags become items of the past. Yes, these are my goals, but I'd be a fool to think that everyone who reads this has the same goals.
And there are so many worthy goals in the world! This is MY project. I have other goals that I could or should be working on, but I can only focus on so much. This is my focus now.
A couple of friends indicated to me recently that I'd become so hard core that they'd be embarrassed if I saw them drinking out of plastic, or that they'd be nervous to serve me food for fear it wouldn't be "right." Let me assure you, I am so far from perfection that I'm more nervous that others' will hear my stated opinions about the environment and then call me a hypocrite for not doign all that I can. I'm judging my own choices, NOT others' choices. I promise.
And how could I judge others, when I am struggling so much with this stuff, even when I'm giving it my all?
I still drive my car short distances sometimes. Often, actually. Tessa takes so long to walk, ro the weather is poor, or we're running late....I'm filled with excuses.
Organic is EXPENSIVE. If money were no object, I'd eat 100% organic. But it's expensive, and I make choices. I'm not always thrilled with those choices.
I'm not sure what to do about plastic water bottles while on trips. We'll start our trip to Spokane with our Klean Kanteen's all filled and fresh....but what happens when we're in Moses Lake and thirsty? I don't think I'm comfortable filling my bottle from a gas station restroom (yuck). So how do we get water?! I'm not going to dehydrate myself out of purist motives.
The garden is a lovely idea, but I fear that when we add up the money it's going to be twice as expensive than organic produce straight from the store.
I want to buy local. Local coffee, chocolate, bananas, mangos, tea, and sugar don't exist. I keep buying them.
Tonight Ryan was out for the evening, and I wasn't sure what to make for dinner. I found a Trader Joe's Cashew Chicken with Veggies & Rice dish in my freezer (which we intended to eat after my last surgery, not knowing how many people would bring us meals). Each component was in a different plastic bag (sauce, rice, chicken & veggies, cashews) within a bigger plastic bag. Talk about processed, even though it had "healthy" food in it. I cooked it up for Tessa and I. And I'd probably do it again, despite the plastic and packaging. (Much cheaper than ordering out, and healthier.)
I'm not meeting my goal of one vegetarian dinner per week.
Now, I'm not beating myself up about these things. I am SO PROUD of the hard work I've done to advance my environmental goals. I've done lots of things that are becoming habits, and I'm thrilled about that. I will continue to offer advice and ideas to anyone who is interested (and if you visit the blog, I hate to tell you, but I consider you "interested" even if you're not!).
I do recognize that I am working on my stuff, and you (whoever you are) are working on your stuff. I'm not better than you. I'm not more advanced than you. You are you, and I am me, and it's all okay. I'm learning, and processing, and sharing what is working for me and why I think it's working.
The thing about having a blog is tha tI share all of this crazy stuff, with no idea (most of the time) how it's received. I find it a lot more fun to share pictures of blooming tulips or a freshly tilled garden bed than I do all the weeds in other parts of the yard...but trust me, we've got weeds. Lots of them. I hope the neighbors don't complain!
With this environmental thing, all I can say is that it's important to me, and I'm working on it. Some stuff, I think I'm getting "right." Some stuff, I'm still muddling through. Some stuff, I'm not even aware of yet. And some stuff, I just might be off base. So, we'll see. It's all a journey.
Signing off!
Love,
Kristina
PS In the "failed experiment" list: "healthy" deodorant. I've tried Tom's of Maine and Alba varieties, and I think they (I!) stink. Back to my paraben filled old stuff. ;-) I am proud to be granola, but I don't want B.O. Really, I've got my limits!
PPS We are leaving tomorrow for Spokane. We're THRILLED to spend time with the Weitz cousins and family, and to share their lives for a bit. We're also really excited to see Caley graduate from Whitworth. It will be a fabulous time. We'll be gone Fri-Mon, so I'll be offline until then.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
That is the sound my body is making today, after a few more hours of gardening.
The front bed - the one with tulips - had become really neglected due to all this attention to the vegetable bed. Several hours later, it's looking much better. I am, once again, startled at how much work this is.
I put in some cosmos, the squashes, and some wildflowers (which actually aren't in the front bed, they're between the rhododendron and the camelia). I also put in a few nasturciums; I have this image of serving salads with edible flowers in them (we'll see!). As I planned, we now have summer and winter squash growing right next to the rose bushes and lavendar. Crazy! But why not?
I also thatched some bare areas in the back yard, and filled in a small hole that Shep started, and put grass seed out. The ground is nice and wet, and it's supposed to be hot this weekend, so with a little luck it'll all come together. The back grass doesn't look too bad but it's pretty heavily used between dog and children (our one plus many others) so it'd be nice if it started the summer pretty strong.
But mostly I just weeded, weeded, and weeded some more in the front yard. I was horrified, but not surprised, to see how quickly wild grass has moved back in to areas I weeded a while ago....I'd completely cleaned out one area, and now it's full of nasty grass again. (Why is it so hard to get grass to grow in a lawn, but so easy to make it fill up a flower bed?)
And don't think that it hasn't occurred to me that MANY people have been doing this much gardening, and much more, for years and years and years and that this isn't exactly new. No, it's as old as agriculture itself (10,000 years if I'm not mistaken) but it's still new to me.
And new to my body. Good aches and pains, but aches and pains none-the-less!
I had intended to go to a yoga class tonight for "my" night but I think that since my body might just keel over from the additional shock, I'll head to a quiet place to write in my journal instead. Sitting sounds really, really good right now.
The front bed - the one with tulips - had become really neglected due to all this attention to the vegetable bed. Several hours later, it's looking much better. I am, once again, startled at how much work this is.
I put in some cosmos, the squashes, and some wildflowers (which actually aren't in the front bed, they're between the rhododendron and the camelia). I also put in a few nasturciums; I have this image of serving salads with edible flowers in them (we'll see!). As I planned, we now have summer and winter squash growing right next to the rose bushes and lavendar. Crazy! But why not?
I also thatched some bare areas in the back yard, and filled in a small hole that Shep started, and put grass seed out. The ground is nice and wet, and it's supposed to be hot this weekend, so with a little luck it'll all come together. The back grass doesn't look too bad but it's pretty heavily used between dog and children (our one plus many others) so it'd be nice if it started the summer pretty strong.
But mostly I just weeded, weeded, and weeded some more in the front yard. I was horrified, but not surprised, to see how quickly wild grass has moved back in to areas I weeded a while ago....I'd completely cleaned out one area, and now it's full of nasty grass again. (Why is it so hard to get grass to grow in a lawn, but so easy to make it fill up a flower bed?)
And don't think that it hasn't occurred to me that MANY people have been doing this much gardening, and much more, for years and years and years and that this isn't exactly new. No, it's as old as agriculture itself (10,000 years if I'm not mistaken) but it's still new to me.
And new to my body. Good aches and pains, but aches and pains none-the-less!
I had intended to go to a yoga class tonight for "my" night but I think that since my body might just keel over from the additional shock, I'll head to a quiet place to write in my journal instead. Sitting sounds really, really good right now.
Wednesday
I'm gearing up for a busy Wednesday.
This morning, Tessa is going to have a playdate with Anna, and I'm going to rush about doing chores and taking Shep for a nice walk (even though it's still damp and cold looking outside). I need to buy a new water pitcher, because we gave up the Brita and our old, small one from Ikea broke yesterday, so I'll need to trek to Bed, Bath & Beyond or Marshall's to buy a new one. (That annoys me. I don't want to drive, I don't want to buy things, but it is what it is, and our family wants cold water to drink.)
This afternoon, we're watching Jessie, and I'm hoping that the weather is nice so that the girls can play outside and I can get some more gardening in. I need to prep the flower beds - removing weeds and dead tulip stems - for planting squash.
Tonight after family dinner I'm going to do a yoga class - ahhhh.
Nothing unusual, just another day, but I'll be busy. And on that note, Tessa needs her breakfast, so I'm off.
This morning, Tessa is going to have a playdate with Anna, and I'm going to rush about doing chores and taking Shep for a nice walk (even though it's still damp and cold looking outside). I need to buy a new water pitcher, because we gave up the Brita and our old, small one from Ikea broke yesterday, so I'll need to trek to Bed, Bath & Beyond or Marshall's to buy a new one. (That annoys me. I don't want to drive, I don't want to buy things, but it is what it is, and our family wants cold water to drink.)
This afternoon, we're watching Jessie, and I'm hoping that the weather is nice so that the girls can play outside and I can get some more gardening in. I need to prep the flower beds - removing weeds and dead tulip stems - for planting squash.
Tonight after family dinner I'm going to do a yoga class - ahhhh.
Nothing unusual, just another day, but I'll be busy. And on that note, Tessa needs her breakfast, so I'm off.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Food waste
A thought just occured to me.
Maybe it's so easy to waste food when you don't have to work very hard for it.
I am breaking my back and worrying and reading and learning and watching and waiting and watering my garden, and every little carrot sprout feels precious. I have never felt this way about food before - food has always been something I just get out of the grocery store. But now, food is something I'm laboring over, and it becomes more precious in the labor.
Today it poured rain....wet and miserable. It's supposed to be 80-90 this weekend. To me, that seems like an ideal combination: first, soak the soil, then let the sun come and warm things up to help things to grow. We will be in Spokane this weekend for Caley's graduation and I hope that when we come home things aren't completely toasted!
I've never worried about stuff like this before.
And on another note...
Not every inch of our yard is vegetables, fruits, or grass....we do have some borders and beds with flowers and whatnot in them. Yesterday, Tessa and I planted some columbine seeds in the back, and we planted two hanging planters (because I just couldn't bring myself to pay $20-40 for them; instead, we used potting soil, seeds, and flower starts and created two baskets from baskets purchased in previous years....one for the front, one for the back....right now they're spindly but hopefully in a few weeks they'll be more full and lush). It actually felt weird to plant flowers - where's the food? Funny.
Speaking of flowers and food, I picked up some squash (summer and winter) seeds, and the packets said that they would grow best if we attracted bees to polinate them, and suggested planting cosmos in the same garden plot. This sounds lovely to me! I'm actually going to plant the squash in the front beds - the ones with roses and lavendar in them. During the spring, those beds are filled with tulips, but in the summer they're pretty bare, and I think it'll be cool to have the squash growing along the ground, with lavendar plants bordering them, and roses coming up from the middle. I'll throw in some cosmos, and maybe Grandma Tess's daisies will bloom....and we'll have a crazy garden. Crazy like me, I guess...pumpkins and roses. What a combination.
Maybe it's so easy to waste food when you don't have to work very hard for it.
I am breaking my back and worrying and reading and learning and watching and waiting and watering my garden, and every little carrot sprout feels precious. I have never felt this way about food before - food has always been something I just get out of the grocery store. But now, food is something I'm laboring over, and it becomes more precious in the labor.
Today it poured rain....wet and miserable. It's supposed to be 80-90 this weekend. To me, that seems like an ideal combination: first, soak the soil, then let the sun come and warm things up to help things to grow. We will be in Spokane this weekend for Caley's graduation and I hope that when we come home things aren't completely toasted!
I've never worried about stuff like this before.
And on another note...
Not every inch of our yard is vegetables, fruits, or grass....we do have some borders and beds with flowers and whatnot in them. Yesterday, Tessa and I planted some columbine seeds in the back, and we planted two hanging planters (because I just couldn't bring myself to pay $20-40 for them; instead, we used potting soil, seeds, and flower starts and created two baskets from baskets purchased in previous years....one for the front, one for the back....right now they're spindly but hopefully in a few weeks they'll be more full and lush). It actually felt weird to plant flowers - where's the food? Funny.
Speaking of flowers and food, I picked up some squash (summer and winter) seeds, and the packets said that they would grow best if we attracted bees to polinate them, and suggested planting cosmos in the same garden plot. This sounds lovely to me! I'm actually going to plant the squash in the front beds - the ones with roses and lavendar in them. During the spring, those beds are filled with tulips, but in the summer they're pretty bare, and I think it'll be cool to have the squash growing along the ground, with lavendar plants bordering them, and roses coming up from the middle. I'll throw in some cosmos, and maybe Grandma Tess's daisies will bloom....and we'll have a crazy garden. Crazy like me, I guess...pumpkins and roses. What a combination.
Public service announcement - Pets on hot days
(Picture of Shep in our front yard. The yellow rope is to keep him from running into the street ever again! The front isn't fenced, and he likes to be out there with us when we're gardening.)City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
NEWS ADVISORY
SUBJECT: Keeping pets safe during hot weather.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/13/2008 10:05:00 AM
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Titus (206) 386-4293 Katherine Schubert-Knapp (206) 684-0909 Kathy Sugiyama (206) 684-0909
Seattle Animal Shelter offers tips to keep pets safe during hot weather
SEATTLE – With temperatures expected to hit 80 to 90 degrees later this week in the Seattle area, the Seattle Animal Shelter reminds pet owners to exercise good judgment and use common sense when it comes to protecting their pets from the heat.
“Every year, we receive hundreds of calls about pets locked in cars on hot days,” says Shelter Director Don Jordan. “Many pet owners are unaware that cars left in direct sunlight turn into lethal ovens, reaching fatal temperatures of 130 degrees or more within just a few minutes. Even dogs left in cars in the shade with the windows cracked on hot days, are at risk of brain damage or death. Dogs must cool themselves through panting and their systems simply can’t handle high temperatures.”
If you must travel with your pet, Jordan advises carrying water for your pet, and avoiding trips where you have to leave the pet in the car. “It’s not worth the risk,” he says.
Jordan offers the following tips for protecting pets during hot weather:
· Never leave your animal chained or penned up in direct sunlight. Provide a shady area where the animal can retreat such as a doghouse, porch or under a shady tree. And always provide cool water.
· If you leave animals indoors, open the windows, keep a fan running, provide plenty of water, and if possible, leave them in a cool location.
· Never leave dogs or cats unattended in a closed, locked car. Temperatures can exceed 130 degrees in a matter of minutes. Animals do not perspire like humans; they cool themselves through their lungs by panting. Hot air can lead to brain damage or death. Also, be aware that vinyl seats in vehicles get hot under animals’ feet and prevents them from perspiring through their paws. Remember, with the movement of the sun, a vehicle originally parked in the shade may soon be in direct sunlight.
· Avoid overexerting your animal in hot weather. Exercise is fine when taken in moderation, but obesity, old age, underlying disease and previous bouts of heat stroke can predispose an animal to the condition.
Feathered friends:
· Take caution and place the bird's cage away from direct sunlight during the intense heat of the afternoon.
· Provide water and fruits and vegetables with high moisture content.
Pet owners can be held criminally liable for committing cruelty to animals if a pet dies, or is found suffering from heat prostration. If you see an animal that may need help, or if you have questions, contact the Seattle Animal Shelter at (206) 386-PETS (7387).
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Truth and Right Relations
Today's WSUU sermon was lovely, and timely for me.
The children's story was about how to tell the truth - a child tells a lie to her mother and is punished, so she vows to tell the truth all the time. She starts to volunteer truth, some of which is not kind, and so the other children start to get angry and leave her out. As I listened, I thought, "is this the message I am meant to hear?" but the story continued. A neighbor says, "Isn't my garden perfect?" and the child hesitantly (remembering how the children reacted to her truth-telling) says, "Umm, it looks like a jungle." At first, the neighbor is upset. But the next day, the child comes by and the neighbor is working in her garden, and says, "You know, you were right, it had gotten pretty wild," and the neighbor and child happily work together to restore the garden.
The adult sermon was about right relations, and about "staying at the table" to have the difficult conversations. This, too, is about telling the truth in kind ways. But it is not about letting things smooth over, letting things that are troublesome slip by in an effort not to make waves. It is about being true to one's ideals, while leaving room to hear others' viewpoints. It is about honoring one's self, while being compassionate towards others. It is about openness.
The sermon posed the idea that when we just sit back, and remove our viewpoint from the conversation, we are being false, and ensuring that there is no depth to the relationship. The trick, it seems, is to remain true to one's own values while allowing others to remain true to their own DIFFERENT values, and to accept such differences.
The sermon also pointed out that this could lead to chaos, and usually does. Even when offered in the right spirit, with thoughtfulness and openness, stating one's differences can cause quite a reaction. The speaker (a guest reverend this week) stated that this is good, and perhaps even necessary, because through this chaos a new, deeper meaning can be found. She also acknowledged that new meaning was not always found,and that sometimes the chaos is the final result.
This is what I'm thinking about tonight. It's interesting, and comforting, and confusing (how does one know when to speak up, and in what way to speak up?) and I'm grateful for the oportunity to mull it over.
In thinking through speaking up for my own ideas, I think I need to ask myself:
- Am I being truthful AND kind?
- am I honoring myself and others by speaking up?
- am I willing to endure chaos?
- (and a subset of that one) in enduring chaos, can I stand tall and confident?
- is there a possibility for greater depth of relationship through the telling of such truths?
The trick, I see, is to be compassionate toward self and others at the same time.
I am so glad that I'm being given this information to think about. I appreciate the chance to work on the spiritual side of myself in a structured way, because without the structure I feel a little lost in wondering how to work it out and through.
The children's story was about how to tell the truth - a child tells a lie to her mother and is punished, so she vows to tell the truth all the time. She starts to volunteer truth, some of which is not kind, and so the other children start to get angry and leave her out. As I listened, I thought, "is this the message I am meant to hear?" but the story continued. A neighbor says, "Isn't my garden perfect?" and the child hesitantly (remembering how the children reacted to her truth-telling) says, "Umm, it looks like a jungle." At first, the neighbor is upset. But the next day, the child comes by and the neighbor is working in her garden, and says, "You know, you were right, it had gotten pretty wild," and the neighbor and child happily work together to restore the garden.
The adult sermon was about right relations, and about "staying at the table" to have the difficult conversations. This, too, is about telling the truth in kind ways. But it is not about letting things smooth over, letting things that are troublesome slip by in an effort not to make waves. It is about being true to one's ideals, while leaving room to hear others' viewpoints. It is about honoring one's self, while being compassionate towards others. It is about openness.
The sermon posed the idea that when we just sit back, and remove our viewpoint from the conversation, we are being false, and ensuring that there is no depth to the relationship. The trick, it seems, is to remain true to one's own values while allowing others to remain true to their own DIFFERENT values, and to accept such differences.
The sermon also pointed out that this could lead to chaos, and usually does. Even when offered in the right spirit, with thoughtfulness and openness, stating one's differences can cause quite a reaction. The speaker (a guest reverend this week) stated that this is good, and perhaps even necessary, because through this chaos a new, deeper meaning can be found. She also acknowledged that new meaning was not always found,and that sometimes the chaos is the final result.
This is what I'm thinking about tonight. It's interesting, and comforting, and confusing (how does one know when to speak up, and in what way to speak up?) and I'm grateful for the oportunity to mull it over.
In thinking through speaking up for my own ideas, I think I need to ask myself:
- Am I being truthful AND kind?
- am I honoring myself and others by speaking up?
- am I willing to endure chaos?
- (and a subset of that one) in enduring chaos, can I stand tall and confident?
- is there a possibility for greater depth of relationship through the telling of such truths?
The trick, I see, is to be compassionate toward self and others at the same time.
I am so glad that I'm being given this information to think about. I appreciate the chance to work on the spiritual side of myself in a structured way, because without the structure I feel a little lost in wondering how to work it out and through.
Garden pictures
As I post these pictures, I'm somewhat amused by myself.
What are these pictures of, exactly? A patch of dirt, some wire and bamboo cages, a snaking hose? Tiny plants that have yet to bear anything....a big black dog and a bouncy blonde girl in the corners of some pictures. It's not much, and yet I'm so proud of it.
I really feel that in some small way our garden makes a difference.
It's certainly making a difference in how I spend my time! Ryan spent a full hour preparing the ground further for the tomatoes to go into it. He dug deep, tilled in compost, shook out weeds, and even sifted all the dirt to get the rocks out (apparently West Seattle dirt is glacial till - man do we have a zillion rocks). I spent a couple of hours weeding around the blueberries (not pictured here), planting tomatoes, basil, garlic, strawberries, and herbs. We have herbs in pots in the back yard - the oregano, parsley, cilantro, and rosemary are all going crazy; the chives look pretty good; and today I planted mint and thyme. I still want to plant basil in a pot in addition to in the ground (I have a plant in my kitchen that is ready to transplant), and I'd like tarragon and some others as well. Anyway, just snaking the soaker hose through takes time, and of course weeding all around....
I stand back and survey my work, and I feel good. Tessa is learning how food is grown, and I am learning, too. It has been so long since I got my hands dirty like this. My body is stretching, and my mind is, too. I see, at long last, why so many people find gardening to be a meditative practice. My back aches from stooping over (today I found myself crawling under our Japanese maple, by the blueberries, to get a creeping morning glory out), but my mind feels clearer from the whole process.
I believe that I am positively impacting the earth, too. We're enriching our soil with compost and vermicompost from our own scraps; we're going to be able to eat as locally as it gets if this stuff ever really grows into food. I say "if" because even though that is certainly the goal, I still have a hard time imagining such success. We're reducing our carbon footprints by growing our own food, even though the percentage is so small. Every bit helps, I think.
Our family is spending time together in this way. We tie Shep up so that he can walk all over the yard but not get into the street (it's been over a year since his accident but we will never forget how awful it was); Tessa dances around and picks dandelions for my "Mama vase," Ryan and I work, and chat. It has to be good. It feels good.
The universe hasn't shifted because I'm trying to grow food, but something has changed for me. I certainly couldn't have imagined myself doing this five years ago, or even two years ago. I've never successfully gardened before, and I think (hope!) that my lack of success in the past had more to do with inattentiveness, lack of understanding, and low priorities than anything else. Now I'm attentive, willing to read and learn, and promising not to forget to water. (Today was the first time we really watered, as in working the soil I saw that things were drying out. We've had rain, but nothing substantial.)
Garden updates
From this (a close up shot of the "lawn" on the other side of the garden....yes, those are dandelions.....yes, they drive me crazy):
We have created this:
Our little vegetable garden is in the ground, and I'm so happy with the small progress we've had already. Today Ryan and I did a couple more hours worth of work, weeding and planting, and at last the rows are all in.
Starting at the house, and moving forward to the street, we have:
- early cabbage (from starts, it's doubled in size)
- leeks (no noticeable difference from when I planted the starts; maybe they're working on roots?)
- rainbow Swiss chard (double in size since I planted starts)
- mixed lettuces (doubled in size since I planted starts
- two kinds of carrots (tiny little green bits poking through the soil now, all in a row)
- two kinds of onions (looks like they're thriving; they haven't been in the ground long and they're noticeably bigger)
- two kinds of sugar snap peas (these are the winners so far - the starts are at least double in size, and the seeds are poking their strong green heads out of the soil)
- radishes (just the first inkling of green coming up now)
- beets (nothing yet...but the seeds are in)
- basil (three plants in the ground as of today)
- garlic (I broke up a head and planted the cloves today)
- four kinds of tomatoes (planted starts today)
- six kinds of strawberries totalling 25-30 plants (many of which are bearing fruit already - it's green, but looks promising)
....and there are spots for the starts that are growing in the basement now, including two more kinds of tomatoes and one kind of sweet pepper. They're just not quite big enough to transplant so they'll grow indoors for a while longer before they move outside.
The soaker hoses are all hooked up and in place; I still need to mulch on top of them to keep them from cracking in the summer sun and to be most efficient with watering. I also still want to get a rainbarrel, and I need to do that soon, to hook up to the soaker hoses.
It makes me happy to see tiny little seeds turn into something green, even if it's also tiny. I can't wait to harvest something - anything! - although I'll have to be patient. Maybe strawberries in a few weeks?
Pictures from the weekend
The weekend was filled with busy adventures: our yard sale, Tessa's blessing, and Mother's Day Brunch. Here are a few tastes of our busy days.
GG (Grandma) playing piano with Tessa - they did a duet (of sorts - Grandma played a tune, anyway!).
Not the best picture, but it does show how much Tessa and Krystal love to bond. 
Joshua (Jockey) and Camille on the teeter-totter.
Four generations of Dahl women: Krystal, Grandma, Mom, Tessa and I (on our back deck, after Mother's Day brunch at our house).
Cousin Caleb - he played monkey on the swingset and I loved watching his joy and antics.
Pseudo-serious - Mike and Dad posing in our back yard.
Heather and I - with a passel of kids in the background! (And I can't help but noticing....ugh I hate the way my chest looks. In October, with the next surgery, it will be smaller. It had better be, anyway.)
Sweet Camille and silly Kelton with his cow. 
From our yard sale: Tessa's lemonade stand.
Tessa, Anna, and Cassie at the lemonade stand. They made over $40 for Habitat for Humanity, had a great time....and got to drink lemonade.
At Tessa's child blessing today.
The family! Mother's Day Brunch.
My mom (Mum) and I together on Mother's Day. Love you, Mum!
Tessa, Anna, and Cassie at the lemonade stand. They made over $40 for Habitat for Humanity, had a great time....and got to drink lemonade.
At Tessa's child blessing today.
The family! Mother's Day Brunch.
My mom (Mum) and I together on Mother's Day. Love you, Mum!
Not the best picture, but it does show how much Tessa and Krystal love to bond. Joshua (Jockey) and Camille on the teeter-totter.Four generations of Dahl women: Krystal, Grandma, Mom, Tessa and I (on our back deck, after Mother's Day brunch at our house).Pseudo-serious - Mike and Dad posing in our back yard.Heather and I - with a passel of kids in the background! (And I can't help but noticing....ugh I hate the way my chest looks. In October, with the next surgery, it will be smaller. It had better be, anyway.)
Sweet Camille and silly Kelton with his cow.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Worth a little note
Today I stopped in at a 3-Day yard sale. I mentioned that I'd done the 3-Day before, and that I'd done a yard sale the previous two years. They said, "You spoke at camp! We heard you and you're the reason we're walking this year....we weren't going to, but you were so inspirational!"
It gladdened my heart in so many ways. I don't get a lot of feedback (positive or negative) from my public speaking; generally, I just speak, people clap politely, and then I leave, and it's over. It means more to me than I can say that my words made a difference to somebody, and changed their course of action in a way that benefits the world. You go, ladies! Three cheers for Team Hiking for Hooters. :-)
I will do the 3-Day again. Just not this year. Breast cancer has worn out my soul, and I don't have much to give in that area right now. I'll be back; I'm sure of it. But I need to get a bit stronger first, so that it doesn't drain me so completely.
It gladdened my heart in so many ways. I don't get a lot of feedback (positive or negative) from my public speaking; generally, I just speak, people clap politely, and then I leave, and it's over. It means more to me than I can say that my words made a difference to somebody, and changed their course of action in a way that benefits the world. You go, ladies! Three cheers for Team Hiking for Hooters. :-)
I will do the 3-Day again. Just not this year. Breast cancer has worn out my soul, and I don't have much to give in that area right now. I'll be back; I'm sure of it. But I need to get a bit stronger first, so that it doesn't drain me so completely.
Two places at once
Despite my desire to live in the moment, I often wish that I could be in two places at once.
Tomorrow, after the WSUU service, there is a peace march from the service to the Alaska Junction. Mother's Day was founded by Unitarian activist Julia Ward Howe in 1870 as a proclamation for mothers to protest sending their children to war. There is still too much war in the world, and today, more than ever, this message is appropriate and necessary.
To mothers who have children fighting wars, near and far: bless you. My mother's heart aches for you. I deeply, deeply wish that your children could return home to you, safe and sound.
We tell Tessa at home, "Hitting is not a solution! Use your words to work it out!" and oh how I deeply wish that the world could operate on the same principles.
After the peace march, there will be the singing of a hymn, "We are a gentle angry people."
http://www.hollynear.com/lyrics/singing.for.our.lives.html
I am proud to be a UU. I am proud that there will be peaceful marching, peaceful protest. If I could be in two places at once, I'd be there!
Tomorrow, after the WSUU service, there is a peace march from the service to the Alaska Junction. Mother's Day was founded by Unitarian activist Julia Ward Howe in 1870 as a proclamation for mothers to protest sending their children to war. There is still too much war in the world, and today, more than ever, this message is appropriate and necessary.
To mothers who have children fighting wars, near and far: bless you. My mother's heart aches for you. I deeply, deeply wish that your children could return home to you, safe and sound.
We tell Tessa at home, "Hitting is not a solution! Use your words to work it out!" and oh how I deeply wish that the world could operate on the same principles.
After the peace march, there will be the singing of a hymn, "We are a gentle angry people."
http://www.hollynear.com/lyrics/singing.for.our.lives.html
I am proud to be a UU. I am proud that there will be peaceful marching, peaceful protest. If I could be in two places at once, I'd be there!
Glad that's done!
Our yard sale was a success. We got rid of a bunch of stuff we didn't need, and we made a bit of cash. Tessa's lemonade stand was a huge success for both her and Anna - they made $40 to donate to Habitat for Humanity! We will definitely repeat the lemonade stand; we were grateful that Tessa could do something hands-on to save the world, and we hope that she keeps the lesson in her heart, internalizing it and making it a part of her. When the Habitat house is done, I hope she sees it and thinks, "Because of me, a family has a better life. My part was small but it was IMPORTANT!" I hope that this is one of many, many lessons on this subject.
And now of course, we're tired. Tessa and Anna are over and playing nicely, and I'm taking a break here for a moment before getting back to cooking and cleaning. Tonight is Michele's party and I'm making a mango salsa (mangos on sale at Costco....the frugal part of me is satisfied, but the environmental part - distance, non-organic, plastic packaging - is dismayed.....) which I've done before and it's delicious.
Tomorrow will be a very busy day for us.
We will attend church in the morning, and Tessa is being blessed as a member of WSUU. I'm delighted to have her do this joining into the WSUU community; I want her to feel at home there. The ceremony is not about divine favor as much as it is about community and faith, and it warms my heart to think of it. I am exceedingly grateful that we found WSUU when Tessa was so young, so that she may grow up with its reinforcement of our values.
After church, my family (GG, Mom & Dad, Mike, Krystal, and boys....as well as Heather, Jenny and kids, because their hubbies are leaving on business trips) will join us for brunch. Tonight I'm making a french toast dish that soaks overnight and bakes in the oven - yummmm. And I'm making a blueberry coffee cake, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit salad. Coffee, juice, and voila'! It's all simple food, but I have some work to do before it's all done. I'm hoping for elegant casual - the kids will run around like crazy, of course, and hopefully the adults will get to chat. If the weather's good, the kids will gulp down their food and then play on the swingset, and that will work well for ALL parties!
(And jsut for the record - last weekend was my Mother's Day downtime. This weekend, it's all family and church and yard sales and cooking and parties....and that's a-okay with me. I am grateful to have these people in my life, and to share my life in these ways.)
To the mothers in my life: Thank you for encouraging me to be the best mother I know how to be. Thank you for modeling such incredible mothering, so that I can learn from you. Thank you for helping me when I go astray in my mothering. And thank you for helping to mother my daughter, so that she knows that she's got her real mama, but she's got dozens of helper-mamas too, who care about her and share her joys and sorrows.
And to my real & actual mother: I love you, Mum. I wouldn't be who I am without your help and guidance. I am grateful for your constant presence in my life, for your laughter and friendship and guideance. I have known since birth how deeply I was loved, and this gift is the best I could ever have received, and the one I most hope to give Tessa. Thank you, Mom, for believing in me through thick and thin, and for being such a wonderful mother. I love you!
And now of course, we're tired. Tessa and Anna are over and playing nicely, and I'm taking a break here for a moment before getting back to cooking and cleaning. Tonight is Michele's party and I'm making a mango salsa (mangos on sale at Costco....the frugal part of me is satisfied, but the environmental part - distance, non-organic, plastic packaging - is dismayed.....) which I've done before and it's delicious.
Tomorrow will be a very busy day for us.
We will attend church in the morning, and Tessa is being blessed as a member of WSUU. I'm delighted to have her do this joining into the WSUU community; I want her to feel at home there. The ceremony is not about divine favor as much as it is about community and faith, and it warms my heart to think of it. I am exceedingly grateful that we found WSUU when Tessa was so young, so that she may grow up with its reinforcement of our values.
After church, my family (GG, Mom & Dad, Mike, Krystal, and boys....as well as Heather, Jenny and kids, because their hubbies are leaving on business trips) will join us for brunch. Tonight I'm making a french toast dish that soaks overnight and bakes in the oven - yummmm. And I'm making a blueberry coffee cake, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit salad. Coffee, juice, and voila'! It's all simple food, but I have some work to do before it's all done. I'm hoping for elegant casual - the kids will run around like crazy, of course, and hopefully the adults will get to chat. If the weather's good, the kids will gulp down their food and then play on the swingset, and that will work well for ALL parties!
(And jsut for the record - last weekend was my Mother's Day downtime. This weekend, it's all family and church and yard sales and cooking and parties....and that's a-okay with me. I am grateful to have these people in my life, and to share my life in these ways.)
To the mothers in my life: Thank you for encouraging me to be the best mother I know how to be. Thank you for modeling such incredible mothering, so that I can learn from you. Thank you for helping me when I go astray in my mothering. And thank you for helping to mother my daughter, so that she knows that she's got her real mama, but she's got dozens of helper-mamas too, who care about her and share her joys and sorrows.
And to my real & actual mother: I love you, Mum. I wouldn't be who I am without your help and guidance. I am grateful for your constant presence in my life, for your laughter and friendship and guideance. I have known since birth how deeply I was loved, and this gift is the best I could ever have received, and the one I most hope to give Tessa. Thank you, Mom, for believing in me through thick and thin, and for being such a wonderful mother. I love you!
Friday, May 09, 2008
Yawnnnn
I'm trying SO hard to get to bed by 10. It's 10:20. OOPS!
Lizard update: all is well. Tessa and I went together to the dentist's office (she missed preschool by sleeping in, so I figured I might as well take her) and she told the front desk folks her story and gave them a dollar (of her own money, from when she sold her own toys at Jenny's yard sale) and asked if she could buy a new lizard. For her pains, she got lots of smiles and FOUR lizard toys (okay, two lizards, a turtle, and a monkey).
Phew. We made it through that one alive!
Tomorrow is the giant West Seattle Yard Sale. I can not tell you how relieved I am that we are not holding a 3-Day sale at our house- last year nearly did me in. Instead, we're going super-low-key and we're participating in the sale at C&P - we'll bring in a couple tables worth of stuff, and Tessa is going to sell lemonade in the afternoon ($1/cup, all proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, come by and buy a glass!) as her first personal charity fundraiser. We'll make a few dollars, and we'll clean out our attic, and everybody should come out ahead. I also hope to go yard saling for a few of my own items:
- a queen headboard for the guest room
- tea party stuff (cups, teapots, plates, fancy spoons, etc.)
- fall clothes for Tessa
- gardening stuff (open to what I see - we're new so we don't have everything yet)
- a garden bench
- a birdbath
- cast iron frying pan
So, hopefully I'll get a chance to run around and have fun in addition to slaving behind the table. Whenever I'm feeling done, though, we can simply pack up and go - hurrah! We don't have THAT much, and since we're doing it at C&P, it should be easy. (Fingers crossed.)
Yard saling is actually a very efficient activity. No additional toxins are produced in the selling of these items; they're already in circulation. It's frugal, of course, as nothing sells for retail. This is local, so driving is a non-issue (though we might drive to the big sales, it's within a few mile radius). The environment wins, pocketbooks win, and maybe even our household wins by getting some cool stuff. Love it!
Now I'm off to bed - busy day today, busy day tomorrow....
Lizard update: all is well. Tessa and I went together to the dentist's office (she missed preschool by sleeping in, so I figured I might as well take her) and she told the front desk folks her story and gave them a dollar (of her own money, from when she sold her own toys at Jenny's yard sale) and asked if she could buy a new lizard. For her pains, she got lots of smiles and FOUR lizard toys (okay, two lizards, a turtle, and a monkey).
Phew. We made it through that one alive!
Tomorrow is the giant West Seattle Yard Sale. I can not tell you how relieved I am that we are not holding a 3-Day sale at our house- last year nearly did me in. Instead, we're going super-low-key and we're participating in the sale at C&P - we'll bring in a couple tables worth of stuff, and Tessa is going to sell lemonade in the afternoon ($1/cup, all proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, come by and buy a glass!) as her first personal charity fundraiser. We'll make a few dollars, and we'll clean out our attic, and everybody should come out ahead. I also hope to go yard saling for a few of my own items:
- a queen headboard for the guest room
- tea party stuff (cups, teapots, plates, fancy spoons, etc.)
- fall clothes for Tessa
- gardening stuff (open to what I see - we're new so we don't have everything yet)
- a garden bench
- a birdbath
- cast iron frying pan
So, hopefully I'll get a chance to run around and have fun in addition to slaving behind the table. Whenever I'm feeling done, though, we can simply pack up and go - hurrah! We don't have THAT much, and since we're doing it at C&P, it should be easy. (Fingers crossed.)
Yard saling is actually a very efficient activity. No additional toxins are produced in the selling of these items; they're already in circulation. It's frugal, of course, as nothing sells for retail. This is local, so driving is a non-issue (though we might drive to the big sales, it's within a few mile radius). The environment wins, pocketbooks win, and maybe even our household wins by getting some cool stuff. Love it!
Now I'm off to bed - busy day today, busy day tomorrow....
Tessa and the lizard update
Tessa JUST woke up, and so I'm keeping her out of preschool.
The reason she slept in so late, and that I didn't wake her earlier, is that the kid cried herself to sleep until about 10:30 or 11pm last night. You've gotta be kidding me! Argh.
She seems in a good mood....let's hope that the good mood sticks....!
The reason she slept in so late, and that I didn't wake her earlier, is that the kid cried herself to sleep until about 10:30 or 11pm last night. You've gotta be kidding me! Argh.
She seems in a good mood....let's hope that the good mood sticks....!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Sometimes it's tough being five
Background: At Tessa's dentist's office, at the end of each appointment the children are given a "coin" and get to go to a series of machines (not unlike gumball machines) to choose a type of small toy as their reward for doing well. Last time, Tessa chose a sticky lizard, and loved it until it's limbs fell off (these are cheap toys; it didn't take long). This time, she couldn't wait to get a new lizard.
Tessa has shown off her lizard, took it with her to preschool today, and is quite infatuated with it. This is a bit weird (of all the toys to choose....?) but fine, of course.
Until tonight. I was in the kitchen doing dishes after dinner, and suddenly I heard a true shriek from the bathroom - I ran in expecting blood. "IT'S GONE!" she cried, truly gasping for breath and with tears streaming down her cheeks. "IT'S GONE! FOREVER!" and she cried so hard that the whites of her eyes were literally a bright pink.
Assessment....what is she talking about.....? Ahhh. She was giving "Sticky" a bath in the bathroom sink. For reasons unknown to me, she removed the little catcher that sits in the drain....and Sticky was washed out to sea.
For a moment, *I* was mad. "Tessa," I growled, "This is going to cost Mommy & Daddy a big plumbing bill and I'm upset that you did that!"
Oops. I realized very quickly that this was not jsut "one of those things" but that the poor girl was nearly hyperventilating - this wasn't her standard "I'm not getting my way" fit but really, truly, a desperate time.
So, I have spent the past hour plus of my life mourning one very cheap, linty, sticky lizard. I've tried sympathy ("I know how much you liked Sticky,") and I've tried cheap psychology ("Come on - this isn't the worst thing you've dealt with. It could have been worse! It could have been Bear!" - absolutely the most awful, wrong thing I could have said, by the way, and for the record - her shrieks at this point were deafening and it took a good while to calm her down from that one), and I've tried Sound of Music standards (which went well until I tried the unknown fourth verse....the one in which I substitute things from our life for the lyrics. Bringing up Sticky in one line was NOT a good idea.); and I've tried telling her stories from my childhood ("On a road trip, our dog used to ride in the back seat with Uncle Mike and I, and he got diarhea all over my favorite Holly Hobby doll!" - to this she replied that her lizard loss was much, much worse) AND I EVEN PULLED THE CANCER CARD! She said, "I'll never feel better, ever, ever, ever, and I'll never stop crying, " and I said, "Well, Mommy had cancer and I thought I'd never stop crying and I did" and she said, "Did it hurt when they shaved your head?" and I thought that I was really getting somewhere and then she said, "This is the worst day of my life and losing Sticky is MUCH MUCH WORSE than that!"
Well. Okay then.
At this point, fortunately, my sense of humor was in overdrive, and it was all that I could do to keep from laughing, which most definately was not an option in front of her. At some point in the cancer story I ws thinking "oh no I'm scarring her for life with all of this" and I felt guilty, but when she ranked her two cent sticky lizard going down the drain as MUCH MUCH WORSE than cancer, I realized that she wasn't too scarred by my slightly off comparison.
Ahhh, tough to be five.
And tomorrow, when she's at preschool, I plan to go back to her dentist's office to offer them cash for a new sticky lizard. I mean, how can I not?!
Tessa has shown off her lizard, took it with her to preschool today, and is quite infatuated with it. This is a bit weird (of all the toys to choose....?) but fine, of course.
Until tonight. I was in the kitchen doing dishes after dinner, and suddenly I heard a true shriek from the bathroom - I ran in expecting blood. "IT'S GONE!" she cried, truly gasping for breath and with tears streaming down her cheeks. "IT'S GONE! FOREVER!" and she cried so hard that the whites of her eyes were literally a bright pink.
Assessment....what is she talking about.....? Ahhh. She was giving "Sticky" a bath in the bathroom sink. For reasons unknown to me, she removed the little catcher that sits in the drain....and Sticky was washed out to sea.
For a moment, *I* was mad. "Tessa," I growled, "This is going to cost Mommy & Daddy a big plumbing bill and I'm upset that you did that!"
Oops. I realized very quickly that this was not jsut "one of those things" but that the poor girl was nearly hyperventilating - this wasn't her standard "I'm not getting my way" fit but really, truly, a desperate time.
So, I have spent the past hour plus of my life mourning one very cheap, linty, sticky lizard. I've tried sympathy ("I know how much you liked Sticky,") and I've tried cheap psychology ("Come on - this isn't the worst thing you've dealt with. It could have been worse! It could have been Bear!" - absolutely the most awful, wrong thing I could have said, by the way, and for the record - her shrieks at this point were deafening and it took a good while to calm her down from that one), and I've tried Sound of Music standards (which went well until I tried the unknown fourth verse....the one in which I substitute things from our life for the lyrics. Bringing up Sticky in one line was NOT a good idea.); and I've tried telling her stories from my childhood ("On a road trip, our dog used to ride in the back seat with Uncle Mike and I, and he got diarhea all over my favorite Holly Hobby doll!" - to this she replied that her lizard loss was much, much worse) AND I EVEN PULLED THE CANCER CARD! She said, "I'll never feel better, ever, ever, ever, and I'll never stop crying, " and I said, "Well, Mommy had cancer and I thought I'd never stop crying and I did" and she said, "Did it hurt when they shaved your head?" and I thought that I was really getting somewhere and then she said, "This is the worst day of my life and losing Sticky is MUCH MUCH WORSE than that!"
Well. Okay then.
At this point, fortunately, my sense of humor was in overdrive, and it was all that I could do to keep from laughing, which most definately was not an option in front of her. At some point in the cancer story I ws thinking "oh no I'm scarring her for life with all of this" and I felt guilty, but when she ranked her two cent sticky lizard going down the drain as MUCH MUCH WORSE than cancer, I realized that she wasn't too scarred by my slightly off comparison.
Ahhh, tough to be five.
And tomorrow, when she's at preschool, I plan to go back to her dentist's office to offer them cash for a new sticky lizard. I mean, how can I not?!
Getting back into my body
Today Tessa, Shep and I walked to preschool.
On the way back, a mere mile, I plugged in my iPod and jammed out to the tunes as I really stretched my legs.
IT FELT FANTASTIC.
I am ready to move again, ready to allow my body to move, ready to feel good.
October, and another surgery, looms ahead. But between now and then it's all about healing... again. It's about getting back into running. It's about beach days. It's about the tunes in my ears, the sun on my face, the wag of my dog's tail.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
By the way, the first some that came up on the "shuffle" function of my iPod was "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night. (I'm rockin' to the oldies these days, I guess.)
"Joy to the world,
to all the boys and girls;
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea,
Joy to you and me."
How apropos.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
On the way back, a mere mile, I plugged in my iPod and jammed out to the tunes as I really stretched my legs.
IT FELT FANTASTIC.
I am ready to move again, ready to allow my body to move, ready to feel good.
October, and another surgery, looms ahead. But between now and then it's all about healing... again. It's about getting back into running. It's about beach days. It's about the tunes in my ears, the sun on my face, the wag of my dog's tail.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
By the way, the first some that came up on the "shuffle" function of my iPod was "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night. (I'm rockin' to the oldies these days, I guess.)
"Joy to the world,
to all the boys and girls;
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea,
Joy to you and me."
How apropos.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Did you know?
That the water you run to warm up your shower, so that you're not sprayed with cold water when you step in, is about two gallons? (At our house, anyway.) We now have a bucket in our shower to catch this "warm up" water, and it gets filled to overflowing before we even step in the shower.
We're using this water in our garden, or for mopping.
We're using this water in our garden, or for mopping.
Happiness Runs
The musical director at WSUU has some diverse selections, and a few weeks ago she chose an old song, "Happiness Runs" by Donovan, and we sang it in a round.
It gets into my head sometimes, and out of this sweet little bit of silliness, I'm finding deep thoughts.
"Happiness runs in a circular motion,
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea;
Everybody is a part of everything anyway,
You can have everything if you let yourself be.
Happiness runs, happiness runs...
Why? Oh, because..."
Today this song is playing it's merry way through my head and making me smile. I really believe that we can not be happy until we're making others' lives happy (that's the circular motion) and that living according to our innermost personal values is the key to our happiness. We are all connected to one another, and there is no escaping it. Our thoughts bob about and change and shift with the currants, but we are all interconnected and if we accept this interconnectedness and listen to our inner voices, we'll be happy. Happiness is out there, running around waiting for us. Why? It just "is." Whether it is God's will, the workings of an intricate universe, or something intrinsic nature is unknown to us. But it is.
I'm working a lot on happiness lately - as a matter of fact, it's ALL I'm working on. A friend asked me if that was not the wrong approach (what about peacefulness? compassion? wisdom? love?) and my response is that happiness, TRUE happiness, is the result of all of those things. If I want to be happy I need to live according to those other values. The result of peacefulness, compassion, wisdom, and love must be happiness, I think.
The Dalai Lama spoke of this, much more eloquently than I ever could. He talked about "good selfish" and "bad selfish." "Good selfish" is what I'm trying for. I wish to be happy, and that could be seen as selfish. But the thing is, I want deep and true happiness, the kind where my mind is not nagging me that I've done something wrong, and to get that kind of happiness, I must be generous in other ways. The end result, I hope, is my internal happiness; the external result, though, is improving the world around me and other's happiness (and this is the "good" part of "good selfish"). It is not wrong to be motivated by what feels good, the Dalai Lama said, when the world benefits.
("Bad selfish" is living only for the moment, regardless of its impact on others. I might throw out angry words because it feels good in the moment to be "right," but in the end, these words hurt me as well as others because I know that hurting someone is never justified. I might do something bad to the earth because it's convenient to me, but to do so is foolish, because in the end I pay the price, and my selfishness harms others AND myself.)
Apologies to the Dalai Lama for saying this so much less eloquently than he did, but it has struck me in profound ways and I'm really trying to live according to these values.
So, today, where-ever you are, and whoever you are, I hope that you feel happy. I hope that you feel that little bubbling happiness inside of you that says "I know who I am. I know I'm doing the right thing." I hope you find many reasons to laugh, and to feel deep joy.
Love,
Kristina
PS My joy of the day: Dancing with Tessa. Tomorrow is my official lifting of the 10 pound restriction, and I figured that neither my body nor the plastic surgeon would know if I was 14 hours early. I put "Happiness Runs" music on, and Tessa and I danced with her in my arms, complete with dips. Tessa's joy at being held close by her mama was tangible, and gladdened me in ways that maybe only another mother can understand. Talk about healing...Tessa laughed and held me close and told me that she loved me "more than the trees....more than the hummingbirds....more than a sidewalk." Despite my confusion at why I'm being compared to slabs of concrete :-) this moment will stay with me for a long, long time.
It gets into my head sometimes, and out of this sweet little bit of silliness, I'm finding deep thoughts.
"Happiness runs in a circular motion,
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea;
Everybody is a part of everything anyway,
You can have everything if you let yourself be.
Happiness runs, happiness runs...
Why? Oh, because..."
Today this song is playing it's merry way through my head and making me smile. I really believe that we can not be happy until we're making others' lives happy (that's the circular motion) and that living according to our innermost personal values is the key to our happiness. We are all connected to one another, and there is no escaping it. Our thoughts bob about and change and shift with the currants, but we are all interconnected and if we accept this interconnectedness and listen to our inner voices, we'll be happy. Happiness is out there, running around waiting for us. Why? It just "is." Whether it is God's will, the workings of an intricate universe, or something intrinsic nature is unknown to us. But it is.
I'm working a lot on happiness lately - as a matter of fact, it's ALL I'm working on. A friend asked me if that was not the wrong approach (what about peacefulness? compassion? wisdom? love?) and my response is that happiness, TRUE happiness, is the result of all of those things. If I want to be happy I need to live according to those other values. The result of peacefulness, compassion, wisdom, and love must be happiness, I think.
The Dalai Lama spoke of this, much more eloquently than I ever could. He talked about "good selfish" and "bad selfish." "Good selfish" is what I'm trying for. I wish to be happy, and that could be seen as selfish. But the thing is, I want deep and true happiness, the kind where my mind is not nagging me that I've done something wrong, and to get that kind of happiness, I must be generous in other ways. The end result, I hope, is my internal happiness; the external result, though, is improving the world around me and other's happiness (and this is the "good" part of "good selfish"). It is not wrong to be motivated by what feels good, the Dalai Lama said, when the world benefits.
("Bad selfish" is living only for the moment, regardless of its impact on others. I might throw out angry words because it feels good in the moment to be "right," but in the end, these words hurt me as well as others because I know that hurting someone is never justified. I might do something bad to the earth because it's convenient to me, but to do so is foolish, because in the end I pay the price, and my selfishness harms others AND myself.)
Apologies to the Dalai Lama for saying this so much less eloquently than he did, but it has struck me in profound ways and I'm really trying to live according to these values.
So, today, where-ever you are, and whoever you are, I hope that you feel happy. I hope that you feel that little bubbling happiness inside of you that says "I know who I am. I know I'm doing the right thing." I hope you find many reasons to laugh, and to feel deep joy.
Love,
Kristina
PS My joy of the day: Dancing with Tessa. Tomorrow is my official lifting of the 10 pound restriction, and I figured that neither my body nor the plastic surgeon would know if I was 14 hours early. I put "Happiness Runs" music on, and Tessa and I danced with her in my arms, complete with dips. Tessa's joy at being held close by her mama was tangible, and gladdened me in ways that maybe only another mother can understand. Talk about healing...Tessa laughed and held me close and told me that she loved me "more than the trees....more than the hummingbirds....more than a sidewalk." Despite my confusion at why I'm being compared to slabs of concrete :-) this moment will stay with me for a long, long time.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Small Tessa update
We visited the dentist today, and received the excellent news that Tessa has no cavitites. She was an angel in the dentist's chair, opening wide and being sweet, and I had to laugh - at home when I help brush or floss her teeth she's a real pill about it and bites the toothbrush and makes faces and resists (she wants to do it BY HERSELF -she's clear on that). But with the dentist, she was sweet as pie, and I'm glad.
I was worried because her teeth are VERY close together (e.g. she will need braces later, guaranteed, just like her mom & dad) and the dentist gave us a good lecture (nicely, at least) about how we should be flossing every single day and she's at higher risk etc. (We brush twice a day, but flossing, well.....we mean well.....it happens on occassion.....oops.)
"Weak" teeth run in the family too, and Tessa's cousin is struggling with some dental issues at a young age....we love him and we're sorry he has to deal with that. We wouldn't wish it on him, EVER! Some enamel is soft, some is hard, and Tessa lucked into getting the hard kind, so we're lucky in that regard.
But we're now religious flossers, and Tessa better understands the importance of having Mom & Dad help her when she brushes/flosses, and why she can't do it all herself. Tessa listened carefully to what the dentist said, and she's agreed that it's very important, so we'll be flossing nightly. The family the flosses together stays together?!
I was worried because her teeth are VERY close together (e.g. she will need braces later, guaranteed, just like her mom & dad) and the dentist gave us a good lecture (nicely, at least) about how we should be flossing every single day and she's at higher risk etc. (We brush twice a day, but flossing, well.....we mean well.....it happens on occassion.....oops.)
"Weak" teeth run in the family too, and Tessa's cousin is struggling with some dental issues at a young age....we love him and we're sorry he has to deal with that. We wouldn't wish it on him, EVER! Some enamel is soft, some is hard, and Tessa lucked into getting the hard kind, so we're lucky in that regard.
But we're now religious flossers, and Tessa better understands the importance of having Mom & Dad help her when she brushes/flosses, and why she can't do it all herself. Tessa listened carefully to what the dentist said, and she's agreed that it's very important, so we'll be flossing nightly. The family the flosses together stays together?!
Oops.
Okay, so I'm human.
Jenny has Tessa for a couple of hours, so what did I do?
I went shopping.
I wasted an hour of my "wild and precious life" (Mary Oliver) shopping in Marshall's when I didn't need a single thing. I still can't believe I did that! I picked things up, put them down, felt vaguely unsettled about it....didn't spend any money (good) but when left on my own, did shopping instead of something meaningful.
Shep really would have liked a walk, and I could have gotten some exercise, listened to my iPod, etc. I could have put up paint in the downstairs bathroom. I could have listened to music, drunk tea, and written in my journal. I could have read. I could have done laundry. I could have gardened. I could have written a note to a friend, or done filing, or a million other things.
I'm only human, and I make mistakes. I'm going to try to remember this one, though. Today it seemed like everything in the store was junk, not designed to last. I found a beautiful flower pot but it had warning labels all over it saying "NOT INTENDED FOR FOOD!" which I interpreted to mean "contains lead" and since I'd like a lead free yard (and I was thinking of planting herbs in it, to eat) I didn't get it. And cute shoes, made of all synthetic materials (bad for feet, bad for earth?). And loads of other things I didn't need.
So then I went back to the grocery store to buy cilantro - the stuff I planted is doing GREAT (surprisingly so, actually) but it's still too small to harvest, and tonight's dinner needs some. I wasted a lot of time looking at things that the "conventional" grocery store doesn't sell. The honey was all in plastic or there were tiny glass jars for $8.99 (so I didn't buy any); they don't sell Bob's Red Mill flour there (and I prefer it because it's a) local and b) organic and c) relatively cheap); the list goes on. I bought organic canola oil (I use it in my bread) but realized after I got home that I had a 10% off coupon for PCC and I should have waited to buy it there when I get the honey. GRRRRR.
I did get coffee filters (bleach free) which was an absolute necessity...so I guess it was worth it.
But this was a ridiculous way to spend free time. Lesson learned (I hope!).
Tonight will be a quick family dinner, and then I'm off to "Cool Moms for a Hot Planet" at C&P. One mom at a time, we're going to save the world. I am convinced that this is possible. Don't laugh, I really mean it. Look how much I've been able to do in the past few months - it's remarkable to me.
- thermostat lowered and programmed
- moving to exclusively energy efficient lightbulbs
- hot water tank heat reduced
- unplugging items
- reducing plastic use
- cut our garbage in half through changed habits
- drastically reduced food waste
- planted a garden
- cut miles on our car
- making my own bread
- not buying books (with two exceptions, okay ;-) ) but borrowing them from the library - every day I get a new library notice of a "treat" waiting for me
- increased walking
- eliminate one refrigerator
- shopping mostly PCC and farmer's markets (e.g. more local food)
- reduced massive amounts of stuff coming in our door
- eliminated disposable water bottles
- all cloth napkins, all the time
- all rags/reusable mops etc, not disposable, for most cleaning
- all environmentally friendly cleaners (baking soda, Method, etc.)
Yes, I have a LOT to learn. A LOT. But I am learning. And it feels good to know I've done this much, even when I make stupid mistakes.
Jenny has Tessa for a couple of hours, so what did I do?
I went shopping.
I wasted an hour of my "wild and precious life" (Mary Oliver) shopping in Marshall's when I didn't need a single thing. I still can't believe I did that! I picked things up, put them down, felt vaguely unsettled about it....didn't spend any money (good) but when left on my own, did shopping instead of something meaningful.
Shep really would have liked a walk, and I could have gotten some exercise, listened to my iPod, etc. I could have put up paint in the downstairs bathroom. I could have listened to music, drunk tea, and written in my journal. I could have read. I could have done laundry. I could have gardened. I could have written a note to a friend, or done filing, or a million other things.
I'm only human, and I make mistakes. I'm going to try to remember this one, though. Today it seemed like everything in the store was junk, not designed to last. I found a beautiful flower pot but it had warning labels all over it saying "NOT INTENDED FOR FOOD!" which I interpreted to mean "contains lead" and since I'd like a lead free yard (and I was thinking of planting herbs in it, to eat) I didn't get it. And cute shoes, made of all synthetic materials (bad for feet, bad for earth?). And loads of other things I didn't need.
So then I went back to the grocery store to buy cilantro - the stuff I planted is doing GREAT (surprisingly so, actually) but it's still too small to harvest, and tonight's dinner needs some. I wasted a lot of time looking at things that the "conventional" grocery store doesn't sell. The honey was all in plastic or there were tiny glass jars for $8.99 (so I didn't buy any); they don't sell Bob's Red Mill flour there (and I prefer it because it's a) local and b) organic and c) relatively cheap); the list goes on. I bought organic canola oil (I use it in my bread) but realized after I got home that I had a 10% off coupon for PCC and I should have waited to buy it there when I get the honey. GRRRRR.
I did get coffee filters (bleach free) which was an absolute necessity...so I guess it was worth it.
But this was a ridiculous way to spend free time. Lesson learned (I hope!).
Tonight will be a quick family dinner, and then I'm off to "Cool Moms for a Hot Planet" at C&P. One mom at a time, we're going to save the world. I am convinced that this is possible. Don't laugh, I really mean it. Look how much I've been able to do in the past few months - it's remarkable to me.
- thermostat lowered and programmed
- moving to exclusively energy efficient lightbulbs
- hot water tank heat reduced
- unplugging items
- reducing plastic use
- cut our garbage in half through changed habits
- drastically reduced food waste
- planted a garden
- cut miles on our car
- making my own bread
- not buying books (with two exceptions, okay ;-) ) but borrowing them from the library - every day I get a new library notice of a "treat" waiting for me
- increased walking
- eliminate one refrigerator
- shopping mostly PCC and farmer's markets (e.g. more local food)
- reduced massive amounts of stuff coming in our door
- eliminated disposable water bottles
- all cloth napkins, all the time
- all rags/reusable mops etc, not disposable, for most cleaning
- all environmentally friendly cleaners (baking soda, Method, etc.)
Yes, I have a LOT to learn. A LOT. But I am learning. And it feels good to know I've done this much, even when I make stupid mistakes.
Reader Poll - Please reply!
I'm interested in knowing what temperature you keep your house in two parts:
1) When you're at home and awake; and
2) When you're asleep or away from the house.
I've heard a lot of answers, ranging from 72 degrees down to 55 degrees.
What do you do? Please leave a comment and tell me.
1) When you're at home and awake; and
2) When you're asleep or away from the house.
I've heard a lot of answers, ranging from 72 degrees down to 55 degrees.
What do you do? Please leave a comment and tell me.
Reduce plastics!
I am determine to reduce the number of plastics entering my house. DETERMINED.
Today, I sent this message to "Organicgirl" - www. iloveorganicgirl.com - which is a brand of organic produce sold at the West Seattle Morgan Street Thriftway. I also mentioned to the checker at Thriftway that I do not wish to buy highly packaged produce.
Reducing plastic is difficult. I'm learning more, and realizing that such a simple step is actually going to be very difficult, but that it's an important part of what needs to be done to heal the earth, create clean air and water for humans and animals alike, etc.
Today I'm suggesting two ways that you, a not-so-crazy-person-as-myself, can heal the earth:
1. When given a choice, choose the product with less packaging, or no plastic packaging.
2. When not given a choice, speak up! This can be as simple as mentioning to a store employee that you'd prefer to have less packaging in your products, or as active as creating a national letter writing campaign. (I believe that the middle road, just sending an email to state your opinion about plastics and packaging to the manufacturer/producer, is a great idea.)
------------------
Yesterday I went grocery shopping at a local (West Seattle, Washington) store and needed green onions. I was delighted that organic green onions were available, and I'm happy to buy your brand...but I was very unhappy with the fact that it came in plastic packaging. One of the reasons I buy organic is to help my body (I feel no need to ingest pesticides) but the other is to reduce harm to the environment. A simple, tiny rubber band seems so much less harmful than a big plastic bag! Plus, I had to buy twice as many onions as I needed, as I couldn't control the quantity within the bag, so unless I can pawn them off on someone or find green onion recipes (?) a good portion of them are certain to go to waste.Please, consider reducing your packaging. Your logo is cute, but it's not worth damaging the earth with the production and disposal of toxins (plastics) that are unnecessary.In the future, I will not buy your product; now that I know that this store has highly packaged organic goods, I'll return to shopping at PCC and other local, organic stores that do not promote packaging.Thank you for considering my request.
------------
PS If you live close to me and you need green oinons, gimme a call. I've got way too many!
PPS I never thought to plant green onions - hmmm. I wonder if I can find seeds....
Today, I sent this message to "Organicgirl" - www. iloveorganicgirl.com - which is a brand of organic produce sold at the West Seattle Morgan Street Thriftway. I also mentioned to the checker at Thriftway that I do not wish to buy highly packaged produce.
Reducing plastic is difficult. I'm learning more, and realizing that such a simple step is actually going to be very difficult, but that it's an important part of what needs to be done to heal the earth, create clean air and water for humans and animals alike, etc.
Today I'm suggesting two ways that you, a not-so-crazy-person-as-myself, can heal the earth:
1. When given a choice, choose the product with less packaging, or no plastic packaging.
2. When not given a choice, speak up! This can be as simple as mentioning to a store employee that you'd prefer to have less packaging in your products, or as active as creating a national letter writing campaign. (I believe that the middle road, just sending an email to state your opinion about plastics and packaging to the manufacturer/producer, is a great idea.)
------------------
Yesterday I went grocery shopping at a local (West Seattle, Washington) store and needed green onions. I was delighted that organic green onions were available, and I'm happy to buy your brand...but I was very unhappy with the fact that it came in plastic packaging. One of the reasons I buy organic is to help my body (I feel no need to ingest pesticides) but the other is to reduce harm to the environment. A simple, tiny rubber band seems so much less harmful than a big plastic bag! Plus, I had to buy twice as many onions as I needed, as I couldn't control the quantity within the bag, so unless I can pawn them off on someone or find green onion recipes (?) a good portion of them are certain to go to waste.Please, consider reducing your packaging. Your logo is cute, but it's not worth damaging the earth with the production and disposal of toxins (plastics) that are unnecessary.In the future, I will not buy your product; now that I know that this store has highly packaged organic goods, I'll return to shopping at PCC and other local, organic stores that do not promote packaging.Thank you for considering my request.
------------
PS If you live close to me and you need green oinons, gimme a call. I've got way too many!
PPS I never thought to plant green onions - hmmm. I wonder if I can find seeds....
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Hmmm
Today I'm out of sorts. Nothing serious, just out of sorts. It was a busy day that started well, with PEPS at our house, then Tessa at preschool while I ran all kinds of errands....and then I just ran out of steam.
I'm trying very, very, very hard to be the environmental girl, and often struggling. Grocery shopping is becoming a new form of torture for me, balancing all of my desires (frugality, organic, local, healthy, not processed, simple preparations). I'm trying to avoid buying plastics so wanted to buy two half gallons of milk in paper instead of one gallon in plastic, but to do so would cost about $2 more per gallon. So I bought in glass, and spent even more. (Sigh) I will figure it out, and there are answers, they're just not easy all the time.
And I bought organic green onions....that came pre-sealed in a plastic sack. What's wrong with a tiny rubber band instead of all that plastic? And is it better to buy non-organic in that case, to avoid packaging? Why on earth would an organic producer package like that? And I ended up buying twice as many as I needed because they were pre-packaged.
Little struggles....I will learn.
I went to Costco (boneless, skinless, organic chicken thighs for $3.99/pound; I bought three pounds and came home and froze them in one pound sections) and found a deal worth sharing: Light bulbs. Seattle Public Utilities is offering an incentive to buy energy efficient bulbs, and so they have an instant rebate on a 10 pack of bulbs that retails for $17.89 and the rebate is for $13.50 - wow! Ten bulbs for less than $4 is an excellent, frugal deal. Thanks, SPU. (The offer is available at other stores, as well - check your local Fred Meyer, Home Depot, McLendon as well to see if they have a similar offer.) But I had to drive to Costco, and since I did it with Tessa at preschool I wasn't able to consolidate as many errands as I wanted to, and so I put some extra miles on the car today. Not many, but enough.
Tonight I made hamburgers for dinner - it felt decadent. Still, with Great Harvest's organic hamburger buns (whole grain) for $.50 each, and $4 worth of Misty Isle Farms organic ground beef (lean of course), and an avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, it was a pretty healthy meal. (We already had ketchup, mustard, and pickles, as well as some cheddar cheese.) I made a side of orzo pasta with parmesan (an old Rachel Ray recipe) to go with it. To feed the whole family dinner was about $10.50 even including condiments etc. and I'm pleased enough with that - if we'd had similar burgers at Jak's they'd be that much EACH.
And I did do something I'd been meaning to do "forever" today - I unplugged our second fridge. We'd been working on emptying the freezer, and I was able to consolidate the two fridges into one. In theory, this will save 7% of our electric bill. I think that the downstairs fridge is actually in better shape than the upstairs one, so I'd like to get rid of the upstairs one and switch out the downstairs one....but I have to get Ryan and some help to do that, as my body no longer moves things like refrigerators. (I still have a 10 pound weight restriction, but even when that's lifted - FRIDAY! - I won't be able to do fridges.)
I'm fighting allergies, or is it a cold? Now Tessa and I are both coughing. I'm out of sorts because of it, so perhaps this is the source of my angst today.
Whatever. Hopefully a good night's sleep will cure me.
I'm trying very, very, very hard to be the environmental girl, and often struggling. Grocery shopping is becoming a new form of torture for me, balancing all of my desires (frugality, organic, local, healthy, not processed, simple preparations). I'm trying to avoid buying plastics so wanted to buy two half gallons of milk in paper instead of one gallon in plastic, but to do so would cost about $2 more per gallon. So I bought in glass, and spent even more. (Sigh) I will figure it out, and there are answers, they're just not easy all the time.
And I bought organic green onions....that came pre-sealed in a plastic sack. What's wrong with a tiny rubber band instead of all that plastic? And is it better to buy non-organic in that case, to avoid packaging? Why on earth would an organic producer package like that? And I ended up buying twice as many as I needed because they were pre-packaged.
Little struggles....I will learn.
I went to Costco (boneless, skinless, organic chicken thighs for $3.99/pound; I bought three pounds and came home and froze them in one pound sections) and found a deal worth sharing: Light bulbs. Seattle Public Utilities is offering an incentive to buy energy efficient bulbs, and so they have an instant rebate on a 10 pack of bulbs that retails for $17.89 and the rebate is for $13.50 - wow! Ten bulbs for less than $4 is an excellent, frugal deal. Thanks, SPU. (The offer is available at other stores, as well - check your local Fred Meyer, Home Depot, McLendon as well to see if they have a similar offer.) But I had to drive to Costco, and since I did it with Tessa at preschool I wasn't able to consolidate as many errands as I wanted to, and so I put some extra miles on the car today. Not many, but enough.
Tonight I made hamburgers for dinner - it felt decadent. Still, with Great Harvest's organic hamburger buns (whole grain) for $.50 each, and $4 worth of Misty Isle Farms organic ground beef (lean of course), and an avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, it was a pretty healthy meal. (We already had ketchup, mustard, and pickles, as well as some cheddar cheese.) I made a side of orzo pasta with parmesan (an old Rachel Ray recipe) to go with it. To feed the whole family dinner was about $10.50 even including condiments etc. and I'm pleased enough with that - if we'd had similar burgers at Jak's they'd be that much EACH.
And I did do something I'd been meaning to do "forever" today - I unplugged our second fridge. We'd been working on emptying the freezer, and I was able to consolidate the two fridges into one. In theory, this will save 7% of our electric bill. I think that the downstairs fridge is actually in better shape than the upstairs one, so I'd like to get rid of the upstairs one and switch out the downstairs one....but I have to get Ryan and some help to do that, as my body no longer moves things like refrigerators. (I still have a 10 pound weight restriction, but even when that's lifted - FRIDAY! - I won't be able to do fridges.)
I'm fighting allergies, or is it a cold? Now Tessa and I are both coughing. I'm out of sorts because of it, so perhaps this is the source of my angst today.
Whatever. Hopefully a good night's sleep will cure me.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Busy but slow
Every minute is filled, but I have promised not to be so rushed. This is an interesting juxtaposition - I wish to live my life to the fullest, not wasting a minute....but as our friend Paul says, "I refuse to live my life in 15 minute increments." I am trying to do what is important, to slow down, to enjoy it or do it well, as the case may be.
Today we had a morning of chores, including planting several more rows in the garden (now we have spinach, golden beets, and radishes to add to our list), and then we had playdates. Zoe came with us, and I watched Camille (who napped for a good deal of the time) at Heather's, and while Zoe & Tessa played I did menu planning, caught up on my snail-mail, etc. Then, some errands including grocery shopping, then we dinner with Ryan. Overall, a lovely day.
And my "allergies" if that is what they are have kicked in BIG time tonight. Argh. Off to bed for me!
Today we had a morning of chores, including planting several more rows in the garden (now we have spinach, golden beets, and radishes to add to our list), and then we had playdates. Zoe came with us, and I watched Camille (who napped for a good deal of the time) at Heather's, and while Zoe & Tessa played I did menu planning, caught up on my snail-mail, etc. Then, some errands including grocery shopping, then we dinner with Ryan. Overall, a lovely day.
And my "allergies" if that is what they are have kicked in BIG time tonight. Argh. Off to bed for me!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Home from Orcas
Tired and happy.
I wrote in my journal, talked with Heather and Marisa, did yoga on the deck, read, contemplated the natural beauty, and enjoyed. I spent a couple of hours (?) in Darvill's, my favorite bookstore anywhere, and loved every second of that luxury.
The only down note (a small one given the joy of the weekend) was that I think I've got seasonal allergies. Sneezing, blowing my nose every few minutes (or more!)...ugh. I took a Benedryl and I'm off to bed.
I wrote in my journal, talked with Heather and Marisa, did yoga on the deck, read, contemplated the natural beauty, and enjoyed. I spent a couple of hours (?) in Darvill's, my favorite bookstore anywhere, and loved every second of that luxury.
The only down note (a small one given the joy of the weekend) was that I think I've got seasonal allergies. Sneezing, blowing my nose every few minutes (or more!)...ugh. I took a Benedryl and I'm off to bed.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Fashion and Orcas Island
The fashion show was tons of fun. I was totally out of my league, but I decided that being goofy and silly was better than being stiff and cold, so I played the extrovert (not much of a stretch for me!) and I think it went well. It was memorable, anyway!
And now I'm off to Orcas Island, and I can't wait for my girl-time to begin. And reading. And relaxing. And painting my toenails. And doing yoga on the deck. Maybe going for a hike. Sitting in the hot tub. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............
See you on Monday!
And now I'm off to Orcas Island, and I can't wait for my girl-time to begin. And reading. And relaxing. And painting my toenails. And doing yoga on the deck. Maybe going for a hike. Sitting in the hot tub. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............
See you on Monday!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
The first time
Today was the first time, ever, that I wished that Tessa would have a sibling.
Today Camille was over for the morning - and Tessa made my "job" so easy. She shared, she helped Camille, she even told me when it was time for a diaper change. She encouraged Camille, she tried to teach her things (like "Camille, this is a baby horse. Do you know what a baby horse is called?" and then supplying the answer, "A foal!"). She was gentle, tender, and delightful. And she was having a blast, too - I could tell she felt like such a "big kid" and was delighted to show someone younger the ropes...on her own terms. I was able to do tons of chores, chat on the phone....and just delight in watching them. Camille had a smile on her face the whole time, following Tessa's lead and playing and chatting. It was nothing short of lovely.
I do not want a second child. I'm not changing my mind. I have been expecting this moment for years, wondering when I'd have the pangs, and I've actually been quite startled at my level of contentedness at having one child - feelings of joy mixed with relief, because I know I'm a better parent to one child than I could be to two. (I admire parents of more than one child immensely: I know them to be more patient than myself! It's a good thing I know my limits.) I LOVE having an only child, and it is absolutely the right thing for our whole family. I even think that Tessa loves being an only child - she adores her playdates, but at the end of the day she wants time to herself.
But today I saw what kind of big sister Tessa might have been. Today I saw how the other side might have looked. Of course, it helps that Camille is such an integral part of our lives, and has a very special place in my heart....I adore her and love her and delight on her, all on her own. Today I saw how fabulous Tessa would have been, and how much she would have enjoyed a sibling, and I ached for what will not be.
This moment passes. We dropped off Camille (funny enough, roadside! - we were walking to the Junction and Heather drove by and scooped up Camille), and Tessa and I fell back into our usual talking about this and that and though I'd been enjoying having the two children together (Tessa was pushing Camille in the jogger, at Tessa's insistance and Camille's delight, while I held Shep's leash; I was proud of myself for getting it together and walking with them, even though we WERE five minutes late for preschool)....at the end of the day I love it being just Tessa and I (and Ryan!).
Siblings don't always get along, and I know that not every moment with siblings in a household is like what I saw today. I'm glad that I got to see today's events, and see the love between these two children, and the joy they had in one another's company. I have not changed my mind about the path we chose. Still, it was bittersweet to see what might have been. Tessa would have been a great sister.
We find our joy in a different package, but it's not often that I get a complete window into the road not taken, and today I saw life through different eyes. It doesn't make me regret our choices, even though I felt my chest tighten as I realized what I was seeing. It is what it is; there are different ways to find joy.
And Camille is welcome here any day of the week. :-)
Today Camille was over for the morning - and Tessa made my "job" so easy. She shared, she helped Camille, she even told me when it was time for a diaper change. She encouraged Camille, she tried to teach her things (like "Camille, this is a baby horse. Do you know what a baby horse is called?" and then supplying the answer, "A foal!"). She was gentle, tender, and delightful. And she was having a blast, too - I could tell she felt like such a "big kid" and was delighted to show someone younger the ropes...on her own terms. I was able to do tons of chores, chat on the phone....and just delight in watching them. Camille had a smile on her face the whole time, following Tessa's lead and playing and chatting. It was nothing short of lovely.
I do not want a second child. I'm not changing my mind. I have been expecting this moment for years, wondering when I'd have the pangs, and I've actually been quite startled at my level of contentedness at having one child - feelings of joy mixed with relief, because I know I'm a better parent to one child than I could be to two. (I admire parents of more than one child immensely: I know them to be more patient than myself! It's a good thing I know my limits.) I LOVE having an only child, and it is absolutely the right thing for our whole family. I even think that Tessa loves being an only child - she adores her playdates, but at the end of the day she wants time to herself.
But today I saw what kind of big sister Tessa might have been. Today I saw how the other side might have looked. Of course, it helps that Camille is such an integral part of our lives, and has a very special place in my heart....I adore her and love her and delight on her, all on her own. Today I saw how fabulous Tessa would have been, and how much she would have enjoyed a sibling, and I ached for what will not be.
This moment passes. We dropped off Camille (funny enough, roadside! - we were walking to the Junction and Heather drove by and scooped up Camille), and Tessa and I fell back into our usual talking about this and that and though I'd been enjoying having the two children together (Tessa was pushing Camille in the jogger, at Tessa's insistance and Camille's delight, while I held Shep's leash; I was proud of myself for getting it together and walking with them, even though we WERE five minutes late for preschool)....at the end of the day I love it being just Tessa and I (and Ryan!).
Siblings don't always get along, and I know that not every moment with siblings in a household is like what I saw today. I'm glad that I got to see today's events, and see the love between these two children, and the joy they had in one another's company. I have not changed my mind about the path we chose. Still, it was bittersweet to see what might have been. Tessa would have been a great sister.
We find our joy in a different package, but it's not often that I get a complete window into the road not taken, and today I saw life through different eyes. It doesn't make me regret our choices, even though I felt my chest tighten as I realized what I was seeing. It is what it is; there are different ways to find joy.
And Camille is welcome here any day of the week. :-)
Fashion Show Day
Today is the Northwest Hope and Healing Fashion show, and I'm modeling as a survivor in the show. I need to be downtown at 3pm to do hair, make-up, and hopefully get some instructions on what a model must do (I didn't study that in college ;-) ) .... it will be a blast but I'm also nervous. I hope to be able to get lots of photos to post.
I still can't believe I'm going to model lingerie. It's beautiful, and it's only one (of three) outfits I will be wearing.....please help me to remember that this is for charity, that nobody cares about my cellulite, and that I don't have to be ashamed of my body, even if I do have a muffin top!
But it's a busy day....no time to ruminate on the environment or frugality. Gotta run - wish me luck tonight!
I still can't believe I'm going to model lingerie. It's beautiful, and it's only one (of three) outfits I will be wearing.....please help me to remember that this is for charity, that nobody cares about my cellulite, and that I don't have to be ashamed of my body, even if I do have a muffin top!
But it's a busy day....no time to ruminate on the environment or frugality. Gotta run - wish me luck tonight!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Why I garden
I garden because it is giving me joy.
Joy to do something good for the earth - land previously used for weedy grass with no benefit to anyone is now being used to grow healthy food in a sustainable way.
Joy because this fits into my budget - in theory, anyway, I will reap what I sow and will collect a financial benefit as well as a healthy bite to eat.
Joy because I'm reconnecting with the earth - feeling wind on my face, feeling the texture of the soil, learning about growth cycles in plants.
Joy because I'm teaching my daughter these things.
Joy because a sun ripened strawberry, warm from the vine, is about the most delicious thing on earth.
Joy because it's something our family can do together, interacting with one another.
Joy because it's useful, purposeful.
Joy because it's "fun" physical therapy, working my body the way it's meant to be worked.
Joy because it's about life, not illness, not worries.
Joy because I'm proud of my learning, proud of my accomplishments (weed-free dirt....!), proud of what it is I'm attempting to do.
Joy because gardening is a form of slowing down.
The flowers are nice, but largely ignored right now. I'll have to figure out something sustainable and lovely to plant in the front once the tulips die down; we have lavendar, Grandma Tess's daisies, roses, and just a few other things....but I know we'll need a bit more. It looks like our other daisies and giant pink poppy are coming back, but the flower garden is rather hodge-podge and in need of help.
I have so much to learn. I haven't got composting figured out at all, though the worm bins work overtime. I haven't figured out how to cycle crops so that I have lovely winter crops as well. I haven't figured out if I really do need to plant fava beans to prevent erosion and keep nitrogen in the soil. I haven't even figured out if I've done anything right yet....the only proof will be eating these delicious foods, and not finding out that they cost $10 per bite. (This DOES need to be economical.)
Our back bed has wild geranium growing through it - it's actually pretty but it's going to choke out the irises and peonies if I'm not careful, and I want to do the squash there...but there are only so many hours in a day!
Despite the mountain of mulch we got, and the fact that it isn't all used yet, we're going to run out. Hmmm!
But I garden for the joy of it. It's a very different joy than the kind I'm used to - slower. But joy, none-the-less. It's a peaceful kind of joy.
Joy to do something good for the earth - land previously used for weedy grass with no benefit to anyone is now being used to grow healthy food in a sustainable way.
Joy because this fits into my budget - in theory, anyway, I will reap what I sow and will collect a financial benefit as well as a healthy bite to eat.
Joy because I'm reconnecting with the earth - feeling wind on my face, feeling the texture of the soil, learning about growth cycles in plants.
Joy because I'm teaching my daughter these things.
Joy because a sun ripened strawberry, warm from the vine, is about the most delicious thing on earth.
Joy because it's something our family can do together, interacting with one another.
Joy because it's useful, purposeful.
Joy because it's "fun" physical therapy, working my body the way it's meant to be worked.
Joy because it's about life, not illness, not worries.
Joy because I'm proud of my learning, proud of my accomplishments (weed-free dirt....!), proud of what it is I'm attempting to do.
Joy because gardening is a form of slowing down.
The flowers are nice, but largely ignored right now. I'll have to figure out something sustainable and lovely to plant in the front once the tulips die down; we have lavendar, Grandma Tess's daisies, roses, and just a few other things....but I know we'll need a bit more. It looks like our other daisies and giant pink poppy are coming back, but the flower garden is rather hodge-podge and in need of help.
I have so much to learn. I haven't got composting figured out at all, though the worm bins work overtime. I haven't figured out how to cycle crops so that I have lovely winter crops as well. I haven't figured out if I really do need to plant fava beans to prevent erosion and keep nitrogen in the soil. I haven't even figured out if I've done anything right yet....the only proof will be eating these delicious foods, and not finding out that they cost $10 per bite. (This DOES need to be economical.)
Our back bed has wild geranium growing through it - it's actually pretty but it's going to choke out the irises and peonies if I'm not careful, and I want to do the squash there...but there are only so many hours in a day!
Despite the mountain of mulch we got, and the fact that it isn't all used yet, we're going to run out. Hmmm!
But I garden for the joy of it. It's a very different joy than the kind I'm used to - slower. But joy, none-the-less. It's a peaceful kind of joy.
Garden - with pictures
Our lilac is about to go into full flower - today it really started to open, and the scent was heavenly. It grows next to our living room window (it must be 12 feet tall) and when we open the window the scent of lilacs -which I love - wafts through the house.
No blog post with pictures is complete without one of Tessa - here she is with some flower pots in front of our house.
Tulips in our front garden bed....
The view of the blueberry patch - it's hard to see more than mulch in this picture, but if you look very closely you can see four small blueberry bushes (with tags hanging off them, identifying their type and care) in the foreground. You can also see our neighbors' big blueberry bushes, which are years old and doing well, along the property line. The picture after that is a close up (sideways, sorry) of one of the bushes.
No blog post with pictures is complete without one of Tessa - here she is with some flower pots in front of our house.
I've had some requests for pictures of our garden, so I'm obliging. I have to say, I am very, very proud of my work in the garden. My body is not used to the physicality of such work, and I started this project with almost NO knowledge of gardening, but I'm learning as I go. First I read at least a half a dozen books on gardening (no, scratch that...probably more than a dozen books) from the library, then Ryan did the grass removal, and since then it's been dribs and drabs of work as my body will allow.
Currently, the crops in the ground are:
- two kinds of carrot seeds
- leeks (now I'm learning that there are autumn leeks and winter leeks and I have no idea what I've planted...it just said "leeks")
- two kinds of onions
- early cabbage (which doesn't look like it's doing well....any ideas, anyone?)
- two kinds of sugar snap peas
- four kinds of strawberries (in addition to our alpine strawberries from last year, which overwintered well and are doing fabulously in the bit pot)
- kale
- mixed lettuces
- two kinds of blueberries
In pots in the back, I have planted cilantro, and I have basil growing in the kitchen. Parsley, chives, and oregano overwintered really well in a planter, and we always have rosemary in the raised bed. I still want to plant basil in the ground, as well as thyme, garlic, and some other herbs.
In old yogurt and salsa containers, sitting in a warm window in the basement, I have two kinds of tomatoes and an early pepper variety, all from seeds. I'm also planning to get some more tomato starts, because I love tomatoes, and I would even like to can some.
I still have radishes, beets, spinach, and more lettuce that need to be planted.
And if I get all that done, then I want to prepare the raised bed for potatoes and two kinds of squash (one summer and one winter squash)...but I'm not there yet.
Pictures!
First, the view of our garden from the front porch.....looks like a lot of dirt, doesn't it?! We've planted in rows, with mulched walkways between the rows so that we can tend the vegetables.
Next, a picture taken of 1/2 of the garden from the view looking from the street. The front poles are bamboo supports (bamboo=sustainable resource) built to hold up the sugar snap peas. We planted sugar snap peas from starts, and also from seeds (one set to each teepee). We'll see which ones grow best.
Next, a close up of one row - this one has rainbow Swiss chard and mixed lettuce plants, from starts. The soaker hose runs through the middle, and I think we need to mulch on top, too, when the plants are a little bigger. The soaker hose is a place-holder right now, as with spring rains we haven't watered at all. Our plan is to hook up the soaker hose to a rainbarrel at the corner of the house, and harness a rainfall "harvest."
Near the front flower beds, a strawberry patch. So far I've got 17 plants in (not including the 5 or so Alpine strawberries), including Shuksan, Rainier, Quinault, and "everbearing" (?) varieties. I think I'll buy a few more - our family will eat as many strawberries as we can grow, no problem, and sun-sweetened on the vine they are more delicious than anything I've ever tasted. Today I mulched around the strawberries, in part to keep down weeds and keep in moisture, etc., but also because I'm told that if strawberries sit on dry mulch they don't rot as easily, and slugs don't like the harsh (rough) mulch, so will avoid them, too. We'll see if that's true!
The view of the blueberry patch - it's hard to see more than mulch in this picture, but if you look very closely you can see four small blueberry bushes (with tags hanging off them, identifying their type and care) in the foreground. You can also see our neighbors' big blueberry bushes, which are years old and doing well, along the property line. The picture after that is a close up (sideways, sorry) of one of the bushes.
Movies
We've rediscovered the movie feature on our camera - love it! Here are a few short clips:
Tessa's first sewing machine lesson, from expert Grandma.
Story time with Aunt Susan in the guest room at Grandma and Bopa's.
Tessa jumproping in our yard in front of her new swingset.
Dear Michele with baby Everett. I want to bottle up the sound of that laughter - isn't it the best? Everett was watching Tessa jumprope and he just adored it. Big brother Elliott wasn't as convinced, but a good time was had by all.
In a nutshell
I know that this blog has become all over the map, and I hope you're okay with that, because I'm okay with that. This blog is fulfilling several functions for me:
- Communicating information about my breast cancer treatment, including reconstruction
- Keeping friends and family updated about the ins and outs of our lives as a family
- Personal therapy for me - a chance to vent my feelings and sort them out and even occassionally get some online support from my readers
- A chance to work out ideas in writing (which is how I do my best thinking) on subjects such as compassion, joy, the environment, frugality, lifestyle, etc.
- A chance to share with others some of my ideas about how to change the world in small, incremental, easy-to-bite-off steps
- A documentation of the changes in my life in my quest for a balance between health, environment, and happiness (with a big dose of frugality thrown in!)
The more I write here, the more into I become, and blogging has become one of my favorite activities. As usual, I wish that I had more time for it to craft my messages, organize them, make them more readable, edit for stupid mistakes like using the same adjective twice in the same sentence, etc. (in addition to myriad spelling errors!). But I'm also trying to live in the moment, and I consider the blog my raw material, not the final result. What will I turn it into? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps a series of books. Perhaps a couple of essays. Perhaps something different entirely. Still, I'm drawn to keep writing it down...so I write.
I've mentioned our trip to Portland, but I haven't posted anything yet, so here goes - pictures! We had a lovely trip, and Mom & Dad S. were fabulous hosts (as always), treating us to home cooked meals, shared laughter, a trip to Bob's Red Mill so that Tessa could learn how they ground flour in "olden days," a visit with Scott & Susan, etc. The train ride was a pretty near perfect way to travel for our family, very relaxing, but the most fun was had with our family.
Some pictures:
Here's a picture of Tessa getting her first sewing machine lesson from Grandma - she was fascinated, and believes her grandma to be the most talented seamstress around. (Thanks so much, Mom, for mending Ryan's things!)
Aunt Susan was one of the highlights of the trip for Tessa. Not only did we celebrate Aunt Susan's birthday (meaning that Grandma made her famous Surface Birthday Cake - angel food with the family recipe frosting), Aunt Susan read Tessa stories (this picture) and played Littlest Pet Shop with her. Tessa LOVED it!
Ryan helped out a bit in the garden, and Tessa made short work of climbing the trees in the yard.
Here's Grandma, Bopa, and Tessa in front of Bob's Red Mill. It was a beautiful, sunny day.
And one more picture of Grandma, Bopa, and Tessa, this one taken in their back yard.
Tessa is awake and ready to go about her day so I need to cut this short, but here are my quick other thoughts....
= The garden continues to be a source of pleasure, frustration (I am so lacking in knowledge!) and activity for us. Every day we make some minor progress, and I'm so hopeful about what it will yield.
= I can't get enough reading in about how to alter my small world to make our bigger world a better place. I'm really enjoying the process - it gives me a sense of peacefulness that I am living in a "right livelihood" manner, and this in turn gives me joy.
= I am trying so hard to focus on what is meaningful to me, and to leave the other stuff aside. I'm trying much harder than ever before to live within my values, and you see the struggle and joy of that on just about every posting these days. I am committed to being happy, and I believe strongly that to do so I must live my life in a way beneficial to the planet and its inhabitants. Compassion is a major part of this, and I'm trying to incorporate more compassion into all I do. It does pay back, interestingly.
= Chasing a more frugal (aka living within or below our means) lifestyle is a challenge, but I am feeling the challenge and not deprivation. This is a major learning curve for me - I know little about frugality! - but I'm actually enjoying it.
And today's plan? Get the rest of the strawberry plants in the ground, and get the pea vines up. Lunch with my mom and GG (Tessa too). An afternoon at our home with Abby, Gabe, and Soleil (Abby is even more into this environmental stuff than I am!), and then a family evening together. Many other chores and details call, but the day is full. Oh well!
And this weekend I'm off to Orcas - hurrah!
And Tessa insists that I am done now. Ciao!
BPA: Watch out for your cans
In all of the hubbub about baby bottles containing BPA (worthy hubbub, don't get me wrong) I think that I was unaware that BPA is contained in potentially toxic levels in CANS as much as in water bottles and #7 plastics.
As I said before, we don't eat a lot of canned goods, but we're about to eat even fewer.
For those of you concerned, here is a partial list of companies who make canned foods and their public responses about BPA in their cans. The list (and interesting/scary information about BPA in cans) is located at:
http://organicgrace.com/node/316
Common Brands of Canned Foods and Company Responses
Amy's: Not SafeCompany says they DO use BPA.
Bionaturae: DependsBionaturae carries tomato paste and strained tomatoes in jars, but the company says they DO use BPA in cans. However, they are researching an alternative.
Eden: DependsCompany says they DO use BPA in tomato cans. However, organic bean cans do NOT contain BPA.
Muir Glen: Not SafeCompany says they DO use BPA.
Trader Joe's: SafeCompany says they do NOT use BPA.
Westbrae Natural: UnclearCompany email response says "We do not test our packaging for Bisphenol A."
Westbrook Farms: SafeCompany says they do NOT use BPA.
Wolfgang Puck: Not SafeCompany says they DO use BPA.
Progresso NOT SAFE
Today 4/23/08 (a customer) spoke directly to the companies listed below and they all said they use BPA as a chemical component in the lining of theirfoodcans:
Bush Brothers & Co (known for their Bush's Beansbrand)
Swanson division of Campbells
Campbell's Libby's, Nestle,Carnation (different divisions of the same co)
Con Agra (Ex:Rosarita brandrefried beans)
hope this helps.
S&W Organic said theydo have trace amounts of bp-A in their cans.
Santa Barbara Olives NO BPA
Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk HAS BPA and defends it. This makes me very sad!
As I said before, we don't eat a lot of canned goods, but we're about to eat even fewer.
For those of you concerned, here is a partial list of companies who make canned foods and their public responses about BPA in their cans. The list (and interesting/scary information about BPA in cans) is located at:
http://organicgrace.com/node/316
Common Brands of Canned Foods and Company Responses
Amy's: Not SafeCompany says they DO use BPA.
Bionaturae: DependsBionaturae carries tomato paste and strained tomatoes in jars, but the company says they DO use BPA in cans. However, they are researching an alternative.
Eden: DependsCompany says they DO use BPA in tomato cans. However, organic bean cans do NOT contain BPA.
Muir Glen: Not SafeCompany says they DO use BPA.
Trader Joe's: SafeCompany says they do NOT use BPA.
Westbrae Natural: UnclearCompany email response says "We do not test our packaging for Bisphenol A."
Westbrook Farms: SafeCompany says they do NOT use BPA.
Wolfgang Puck: Not SafeCompany says they DO use BPA.
Progresso NOT SAFE
Today 4/23/08 (a customer) spoke directly to the companies listed below and they all said they use BPA as a chemical component in the lining of theirfoodcans:
Bush Brothers & Co (known for their Bush's Beansbrand)
Swanson division of Campbells
Campbell's Libby's, Nestle,Carnation (different divisions of the same co)
Con Agra (Ex:Rosarita brandrefried beans)
hope this helps.
S&W Organic said theydo have trace amounts of bp-A in their cans.
Santa Barbara Olives NO BPA
Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk HAS BPA and defends it. This makes me very sad!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Easy action
I'm not the only Crazy Lady around, according to a recent comment on my previous blog entry. Hurrah! Crazy loves company.
There is a petition that is in circulation to get The Clorox Company to take back their Brita filters and recycle them, as the original Brita company (Brita GmbH in Germany) does. Currently, there is no way to recycle Brita filters in the US, though it's being done in Europe.
Please sign the online petition stating that you believe that The Clorox Company should offer alternatives in their products to keep plastic out of landfills.
http://www.gopetition.com/online/18444.html
Thank you Beth Terri for taking action and making a difference. (And don't you love the 'net? One minute I'm rambling on and on and on about plastic, and the next my inbox tells me a simple, neat, easy way to make a difference....with a link to the petition. LOVE IT!)
There is a petition that is in circulation to get The Clorox Company to take back their Brita filters and recycle them, as the original Brita company (Brita GmbH in Germany) does. Currently, there is no way to recycle Brita filters in the US, though it's being done in Europe.
Please sign the online petition stating that you believe that The Clorox Company should offer alternatives in their products to keep plastic out of landfills.
http://www.gopetition.com/online/18444.html
Thank you Beth Terri for taking action and making a difference. (And don't you love the 'net? One minute I'm rambling on and on and on about plastic, and the next my inbox tells me a simple, neat, easy way to make a difference....with a link to the petition. LOVE IT!)
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