the little strainer that saved the kitchen

I went into Ellie's on Wednesday in search of a larger compost bin for our kitchen. With my newfound love of salads, our small container wasn't cutting it. Ellie's is a local, all-green supply store for eco-friendly products. I first heard about them 4 years ago while planning Ted's zero-waste 5th birthday party. Since then, we've purchased bamboo sporks, compostable cups and the like from them for the kids' birthday parties. I knew they would have an assortment of compost bins and I found one I liked and snatched it up. I also saw this cute little colander in apple green. I had to have it. Now, I am not normally so impulsive, especially about kitchen things. I am constantly weeding out excess gadgets from our drawers. But there was something about this cute, happy little guy that got me. It was 65 degrees out. I came home and opened the windows, slid the screen door into place at the back door and enjoyed the warm breeze and streaming sun. And I cleaned. Spring cleaning in February? I attacked every room of the house tossing "cwap" and putting things in their rightful places. I cleaned the stove into a shocking sparkle that caused Paul to think I had hired a house cleaner! All because of this little cutie! I haven't done the floors, and it's cold today, but my house is a little bit cheerier, and that makes me happy. Thanks, Preserve, for a totally cute product that inspired a kitchen!

1917

This poster by the Committee of Public Safety in Pennsylvania borrowed its look from USFA posters by the artist Frederic G. Cooper, c.1917.

Source: Special Collections, National Agricultural Library

There are many, many more posters here. While it is miraculous and wonderful that we are not embroiled in a war of the magnitude of WWs I & II, why is it that if we asked Americans to cinch the waistbands of their food budget, we would surely hear protests? Elevating the importance of not wasting food is a need for the world, let alone America, but we don't push it in propaganda. Why? Why is it a luxury to have enough to eat instead of a duty to share the wealth?

I love that our CSA, Abbondanza, donates a portion of each crop to Community Food Share (rather than sell to restaurants for a profit) and if someone fails to pick up their share, that too is donated. How else can I (we) help? With this simple poster, I have all the tools I need. Here's to 1917 and the US Government's involvement. I love all the work Michele Obama is doing to encourage us all to grow our own, eat healthier and not waste. But how cool would it be if posters like this were on the highways instead of ads for geico or Toyota? Anyway. Spread the word!!!

it's coming along!

It's been another busy yet productive week. I subbed two days this week (which always throws my routine) but the house is "detail-cleaned", the painter has done the trim upstairs and will return Monday/Tuesday to finish the trim and paint the downstairs. The carpet will be installed on Feb. 1 and we will be ready to list on Feb. 9. The house is moving along and looking good. Simple things like new drip pans on the stove and an actual futon cover on the futon (!) make a world of difference. We meet with the mortgage guy next Thursday, so we can be pre-approved and ready to go. It's crazy how quickly things start moving once we set our minds to it!

In home news, it is a challenge to try to maintain order amidst the chaos of workers coming and going. The kids are a bit snippy, which I'm sure is stress. I know I'm snippy too!

We ran out of dishwasher powder tonight, and rather than dash to Safeway for a box, I did a quick google search on "homemade dishwasher powder." So easy! So cheap! 2 cups borax mixed with 1 cup baking soda with white vinegar in the rinse compartment. We'll see how clean things get, but I like this almost as much as my simple soap nuts, and general cleaning with vinegar or baking soda. (Did I mention, thanks to my short hair, that I now shampoo with baking soda and rinse with apple cider vinegar? Laugh if you will, but it's dirt cheap, natural, and my hair, short though it is, feel soft and silky!)

Our meals are still coming from the pantry, freezer and basement "root cellar." So far, so good on that end. I shared a list of our most common "go-to meals" on my other blog. Those foods and squash soups are pretty much standards around here these days, and it's really fun (in a nerdy sort of way) to only go to the grocery store to buy (local of course!) apples and cheese.

The majority of "stuff" has either been donated or packed away. The kids each have an under-the-bed box with their "must haves" and the superfluous kitchen and family room things are also boxed. This weekend we will pack the pictures and move the Lego table and Paul's computer/desk to the basement. A quick switch of family room/living room furniture will pretty much be it and we will be ready for the final touches. Wow.

Ted has started on the Magic Treehouse series. He thinks it is easier than Horrible Harry because "they don't do that annoying hyphen thing all the time," which I can see would get old. He is reading 2-3 chapters a night and doing 15 minutes of multiplication homework on the computer (kids and computers these days! even the homework is on the computer!) He is officially off his ILP and "no longer eligible" for services. Hee. Love it.

*Update* Everything in the dishwasher was as clean if not more clean. Seventh Generation? Buh-bye.

My 1st Review!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by eco-canteen. They wanted to send me a free sample of their product for me to review. How cool is that?! It arrived a few days ago and I tried it out. Let me first say that I already own 2 stainless steel water bottles. One type is the SIGG, which my kids use, and another is Enviro, which is their backup. (Yes, I admit it: I am still using (and loving) my BPA free CamelBak with bite valve. I love it.) Anyway, I tried out the Eco Canteen and liked it for all the right reasons. First of all, it's cheap, only $9.99 (compared to almost $17 for the others!) for the same stainless steel quality. The top has a nice lip to it (so I don't spill all over myself, which happens to me with the Enviro). I also like the sleek, slender design and cute logo. I'm not a huge fan of the plastic top (why not stay stainless steel all the way?) but I LOVE it for toting around in my bag for when I want to buy a drink (drinks other than water do NOT work with my beloved CamelBak!). I plan to keep this tidy Eco Canteen in my bag with my bento box (for leftovers) and To-Go Ware untensil set (glass straw, bamboo fork, knife and spoon). While I may not use it as my 100oz/day water bottle, I do plan to keep it with me in my bag. So, for an eco-friendly, inexpensive alternative to plastic, try the Eco-Canteen!

Holly Homemaker I'm not

Well, perhaps I should have taken Home Ec in high school instead of AP Biology. I haven't made much use of those fancy AP classes, but it sure would have been handy to have more basic skills. Still, I've been darning away lately, determined to make our clothes last a little longer. It's frustrating, but feels good, in the same way growing our little carrots and tomatoes does. 

In other news, Sam and I made headway today on GF waffles. Pancakes are good, but my kids love their waffles. Success! 

Ted graduated to the next level in Swim America last Thursday. His freestyle looks so much better, but I hope they keep reviewing it just in case. He should be ready to go on May 15 for the first RCF practice. Sam is going to do PreTeam this year, which will be fun. Our summer is shaping up to be a mellow one. June is all swim team, July is our KY vacation followed by 3 weeks at RMDC, then August will be a few weeks of chilling at the pool and getting ready for school (which starts so ridiculously early in mid-August.) Hopefully, we will either have moved or be in the process by the time Sam starts K. August would be a good month for this, as we have nothing planned. We shall see. 

Tomorrow will be Week 3 of waiting for the warranty company to move on our claim. Last Monday we were in the "engineer is drawing out a plan of repair" stage. Next will be having 2 bidding repair companies out; the warranty company will pay us the $$ of the lower bidder. Then we'll hire them and pay with that money. Let's hope we move to stage 2 sooner rather than later. Although, with June and July so local, I am OK with an August or September move, poor selling season that it is. 

seriously

We keep our house on the chilly side. (I know that's a terrible pic!). 62 during the day (6am-10pm) and 52 while we're sleeping. While there is a fun challenge to go with it, the Freezer Yer Buns over at CrunchyChicken, we would probably do it anyway. Like under-5 minute showers, composting and recycling, it's just part of what we do anyway. BUT! People have reacted so strongly recently (not Aunt Nancy, btw, she was very supportive!) that I just wanted to point out that 62 is not cold! yes, you need socks on and probably a sweater too, but it's December, people! Plus, our kids are obviously not freezing, so don't call Social Services on us just yet.



We had a wonderful surprise today ... a HUGE box of presents from G'ma and G'pa Kessie! Tons of pics on moeltini. Mmmm!!!!! Thanks, Mom & Dad!

102 and keepin' cool!

Here's a cute pic Paul took on their roadtrip home. Apparently the boys thought it would be a good idea to fill their shirts with sand and then dump the sand elsewhere. Because, what else are you supposed to do at a rest stop? Cutie.
Yesterday and today the high hit 102. It was hot outside, but quite comfortable inside. We kept the windows open, the curtains and blinds closed, and the ceiling fan on. We did spend an hour at Burger King playing on the indoor play structure because we had an hour to kill after picking up Ted and before our CSA pickup. That was a nice cool thing to do. So, so far so good!

Quick Challenge Update

I love challenges and there are a lot of them going on. I think I'm supposed to be updating so the organizers can put up recaps. Since I'll be MIA for 2 weeks, I thought I'd update here and label them, in case someone comes checking up on me.

One Local Summer: lots of local meals this week and I blanched and froze the excess for winter. Meals include:

• steamed greens (CSA) with tofu (local Boulder company),
  
• homemade (local flour) flour tortillas with eggs (Jay Hill Farms), greens (CSA), beans (CSA) and salsa (Rocky Mountain Farms),
  
• radish (Jay Hill) and marinated artichokes (Rocky Mountain Farms) salad (CSA spinach) and of course,
  
• the requisite almond butter (Justin's, local Boulder company) and jam (Rocky Mountain Farms) on homemade bread (local flour).
  
• We've been enjoying Jay Hill eggs and (local flour) pancakes with (Rocky Mountain Farm) strawberry syrup for breakfast all week too.
  
• And loads of strawberries and sugar snap peas from Jay Hill! A delicious week.

Keep Yer Cool
This one is easy so far. It is pleasant in the morning and evening. Mid-afternoon is pretty hot, in the low 90s all week. I've brought back the nap (I read this on a blog yesterday and thought it was ingenious!) Napping from 1-3 helps get through that time of day and lets me stay up later at night enjoying the cool night air. We have the AC set to go on when temps hit 86, although with Paul working at home we'll have to see if that's too hot for him. So far, he chose the hottest week to go to Iowa. I'm doing just fine being hot. It's tough in the car but luckily 2 out of 3 kids enjoy the wind in their face (can you guess who hates it?) so we are doing OK there. So far, so good.

5 Minute Shower Challenge
No problem! Having short hair and shaving infrequently make this easy for me. I think my showers average about 2-3 minutes, a bit less than 5 when I'm counting my warm up water time (caught in a bucket to water the garden, of course!) This one is a no-brainer and I'm mad at myself for not doing this earlier.

The One Can a Month and I'm a Bookworm are starting up on July 1, so I'll jump on those when I get back! Going from half a 32 gallon trash bin to essentially a quarter is the challenge. Try and put the trash out just once a month. I'm eager to learn even more tips on reducing our garbage output. It seems like it should be easier but we are still at 2 full kitchen sizes bags per week. Reading one eco book a month will be the push I need to plow through the Michael Pollan books, so looking forward to getting back into The Omnivore's Dilemma when I finish up Ahab's Wife for bookclub.

The Addiction challenge comes to an end in June. Mine was not eating out unless it was planned and I did great until the boys left. We ate out for girls night on Monday (planned, AOK and was my first time in a month and it was delicious!!) but then Wendy and I took the kids to Noodles after swimming on Thursday, and then I brought home some sushi (from a local restaurant in Superior) for lunch today. And now we're off for 2 weeks of probably eating out a lot. Still, it showed me the value of planning my special occasions and I do plan to pick it back up when we return in July.

The Don't Buy It - Put Your Rebate to Work rebate check is slotted to be deposited into our "Boulder House Down Payment" account. We think it will be mailed sometime after July 4, according to the site. We'll see!

I think that's it for challenges! As a general note, previous challenge buttons are moved to the bottom of the list but are on-going. So many of these are great enough (and easy enough!) to do full time.

Just call me Ma Ingalls

Today was a good one. One of the first days I've really felt ... I'd say 98%! After retrieving my bike from Stacy's, I took a pleasant ride around Rock Creek. It was still cool out and since I didn't have the kids with me, I could stay in the street where it's not as bumpy!
I got home and started the bread, then set about putting together my Wonder Wash. It was a terrible mess of plastic and I felt very guilty about it. But, it only took 1.5 gallons to wash and 0.5 to rinse, so 2 gallons in total. Pretty good. I did a small wash for my first time and it took me all of 20 minutes from start to finish (including hanging it up on the line). I can see that I'll have to use the regular washer for most of the our large loads, but on a day when I normally would skip a load and then be annoyed the next day when it had gotten too big, it'll be of great help.
After picking up Mae (Sam went to Jason's, of course), we took Ole to the dog park which he seemed to enjoy. Mae enjoyed "writing" in the sand with a stick. I enjoyed the shade of a tree. Then we ran our errands: dropping off books (scored $50+ in credit) at The Bookworm, picking up eggs, strawberries, sugar snap peas and dill at Jay Hill farms, and finally, picking Ted (and Jack) up from camp. We then changed into our swimsuits and headed out on bikes (even Mae) to Lakeshore, where the kiddos swam for hours (and ate up all the strawberries and sugar snap peas). Paul meandered by with Ole and Sam wanted to bike home with him. I think Ted, Mae and I got home around 8:30. It was great fun.
Tomorrow is the CCAI Reunion Picnic. Paul has a guys chavurah shooting/biking thing, so it'll just be me and the crew. Hope I don't lose anyone!

love this!

I love love love hanging out the laundry. It's a bit of a pain when it's raining because my house resembles the inside of a laundromat, but it's good practice for winter. On warm sunny days, I actually take my time, just listening to the birds and soaking in the sun. It's a nice, reflective time for me. I do a wash every day. Most of the washes are small, so I was psyched to see this cool, no electricity, minimal water usage, Wonder Wash. A perfect 10 year Anniversary gift for me, don't you think? "For the woman who has everything.." Bwa ha ha. Seriously though, I think I'll give it a try. I do have some small loads that give me serious guilt trips. Then again, Mae's monster loads are worth the real machine. We'll see. Yet again, very nice to see something out there that is an alternative to using energy and water for something I do every single day.

Ted starts HHS camp tomorrow and the other two JCC on Wed & Fri. I'm looking forward to a brief 2 weeks of routine before another week of mellow summer. Today, after biking to swim practice and then to the other pool, I swam laps again. My breaststroke is fine but my ridiculous ski injury (rotator cuff?) made freestyle slow and painful. Ted spent lots of time in the lap lane practicing his strokes or, literally, on the bottom of the pool sneaking up on me. Both Sam and Mae did a lot of swim-float-swim to me today too. A nice, mellow day.

make that no cars!

On Friday I was dreaming about our gentle footprint once we move to Boulder. With access to the bike path, Boulder's supurb bus system and being close to school, the Farmer's Market and a grocery store, we could easily go down to one car. But something was nagging at me. Something I had heard of but couldn't remember. Renting a car? But you paid a membership? What was that? Thanks to a favorite green blog I read, the answer was presented to me tonight. It's Zipcar. With a zipcar membership, you have access to an entire fleet of (often hybrid) vehicles depending on your need. A quick zip to the grocery store sans kiddos on a snowy morning? The car above fits the bill. For a family trip, a larger vehicle would be better. Etc. So, next week I'm going to contact them and see how we go about starting this program in Boulder. Seems to me it would be very successful here. If so, I hope/dream/vow to get rid of our cars for good. Woo hoo!

Update! Thank you to a reader who let me know about Boulder CarShare! Rock on, Boulder!

2014?

2010 is the year we hope to move to Boulder. Part dream and part goal, I hope that 2014 will see to the installation of a LifePort garage. The average system size is 4.8 kW, which will satisfy 100% of the annual demands of an average $120/month electricity bill. (Our ave. monthly bill is $115, lower in the summer, a touch higher in the winter). Yippee! Daydream or not, isn't it fabulous that such things exist and are becoming more and more mainstream? This system will pay for itself in 6 months to a year. Among other lofty goals for our Boulder existence, I also want to go down to one car, keep chickens, and perhaps volunteer our front yard (maybe some of the back yard too?) to the Boulder Community Roots Urban Gardens program. Today we were all starving at 2pm (we hadn't eaten since breakfast and constant swimming had finally fatigued us all into agreement: let's get lunch! We came home and I made PB&Js, sliced up some organic watermelon, and poured homemade soymilk into our Mason jar glasses. A few months, heck, a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have hesitated to make a quick stop at Noodles, Wahoos, Taco Bell or Panda Express for a quick meal to satisfy our growling bellies. But with goals like these, a spur-of-the-moment, quick and convenient purchase seems unattractive. Plus, my almond butter is seriously good. Yum.
I highly recommend the book Living Simply with Children by Marie Sherlock. It's a nice blueprint to adjusting life to how you want to live it, rather than how society dictates you should want to live it. Great book.

Eco-Throwdown Recap

Crunchy's Eco-Throwdown comes to an end tomorrow. I've done well, but not as well as I thought I could.

I committed to:
1. No plastic
2. No paper products
4. Local food only
5. No garbage output
6. No excessive water usage

No plastic was HARD. It's everywhere! But truthfully, not buying things made that pretty easy. I also only am gifting books (wrapped in comics, something I've always done) to the birthday children (we have 3 parties this weekend alone!). The kids' water bottles are replaced by stainless steel and I am 100% committed to not accepting plastic at the store (I bring my own bags for bulk items as well as big ones for the whole shebang. That's been fun.)

No paper products was easy since I was coming at it from a paper-free place. We already use cloth wipes, towels and hankies.

Local food only was tougher at the start of May and easy now, with the Farmer's Market in full swing. The big chore is to make sure to put up enough so we can still eat locally in the late winter. Mmmm, the beet greens and red chard are soooooo good after a long winter!! I've found local flour, honey, nut butters, eggs, and produce. The rest I'm working on. Hard to get local tofu that is not wrapped in plastic! Looking into making my own.

Originally I wondered, without plastic and without buying new things, would we have any garbage? The answer is yes, but SOOOOOO much less! Today, Friday, I pitched our full kitchen garbage into the large bin in the garage. We downgraded from a 90pound bin to a 60pound bin since we weren’t filling the 90pound. I noticed, while tossing it in, that this was our FIRST bag. Garbage pickup in on Mondays! I anticipate one more bag, since we will fill up the kitchen bag with the 2 small upstairs bathroom bins. Anyway, if we keep this up, I'll downgrade again to the 30pound bin. I would LOVE to manage just one trash bag per week. But two is not bad!!

Using less water has been a great lesson. I just never thought of it before. Now I fill my kitty litter jugs with 'warm up water' from my not-daily-anymore shower, keep jugs on hand by the drainspouts for afternoon rain showers, and keep the dishes in soapy water before putting them into the dishwasher, rather than rinsing each dish. I'm still doing a load of laundry a day, but I'm trying to not just toss things in just because they've been worn. This is easy for Paul and me, and even Mae, but the boys' clothes are always SO DIRTY!! Working on it.

I didn't sign up for the electricity one, but I've made some simple changes that should help. I don't turn any lights on til early evening (taking an Army Shower in the semi-darkness is an example!) and am in the process of transferring the deep freeze food into the regular freezer so we can turn it off in the summer. No AC needed yet, and our goal is to make it til August (July can be pretty brutal). Paul has a good system of closing all the blinds in the front (south) of the house and opening up the back, then switching around 3pm. So far, it's working well. It's only gotten up to 82, but I'm hoping we can stick it out!

This has been a great challenge, but a tough one. I plan to continue doing everything I've started and see where it takes us. The kids are SO aware of what's going on. "Is this plastic?" "Mae's wasting water!!" "Did this peach come from our farm (our CSA)?" Very cool.

Another challenge

This month's challenge over at Chile Chews is to identify an 'addiction' and do without it for a month. Mine is eating out. I love my Monday night sushi night (alone with a book and delicious sushi ... heaven) but what am I really craving? Time alone to read? Delicious food? Let's try a month without it. We also love biking to Wahoo's, eating outside, and then biking home. It's a fun summer tradition. Let's try picnicking in the park instead. I have 2 exceptions: Girl's Night and Paul's birthday dinner. Other than that, no eating out in June. Check.

Green Bean's Bookworm Challenge is going to continue because we all love it so much. I read SOOOO many eco books this month. I just plowed through "Radical Simplicity" and am working my way through "Food Not Lawns" by H.C. Flores. I didn't post a review of "Last Child in the Woods," last month's book, so I'll do that soon. "Radical Simplicity" was a great, fast read. I'll review that tomorrow. Good stuff.

We opened a savings account today. For the month of May, we managed to save 2K plus some change. It was REALLY interesting to record EVERY SINGLE PENNY and see where we're spending money. Since we're not buying anything new and using up all our pantry stores, we're in a good place. It doesn't feel like deprivation; it feels like SUCCESS that we CAN DO THIS. I'm hoping to save $2500 next month, so the deposit of 2K doesn't completely empty the account. We'll do it. Rock on.

want $1 off your latte?

Today it was FREEZING! My sweet mother had sent me a beautifully decorated Starbucks gift card for Mother's Day (I, on the other hand, was too flummoxed by her hospital stay to even send her anything! I know, I'm pathetic. Luckily, she still loves me anyway. Yes! A card is on its way to her. Geesh.) Anyway, I went ahead and 'registered' the pretty card at Starbucks.com, since Wendy said it would get me free soymilk. Although I don't go to Starbucks much anymore, today's chilly temps begged for a steamy latte. Off I went, personal cup in hand, to my local drive-thru. "Grande Personal Cup Sugar Free Hazelnut Soy Latte, please, " I said. "That'll be $4," was the reply. Ouch. I'm glad I make mine at home. I drove up and handed the barista my rosebud card. She came back and said, "Wow! You saved an entire dollar!" She showed me my receipt and, sure enough, free soymilk and SF Hazelnut syrup ($.45 each) plus a $.10 personal cup discount and my total was $3.25 ($.25 tax). Not bad! Not something I'll do every day like I used to, but nice for a treat. Next time, I'm going to order a Tall (12oz) size and see what the total is.

Rainbarrels, homemade corndogs and Jiggley-Puff

For those of you unfamiliar with Pokemon, there is a very cute one named Jiggley-Puff. She sings a sweet little song and puts everyone to sleep. This makes her angry, so she draws on everyone with her microphone-turned-marker. The boys think this is hysterical. Apparently they played Jiggley-Puff and Pikachu on Monday night. Sam was JP, obviously. Hee.

Today there was a tornado in Fort Collins! We had some wild rain and found out later how crazy it really way. During this rain, I went out and put my gigantic kitty litter jugs under my drainspouts. I filled 6 40-pound jugs! That'll be alot of water for my garden when it doesn't rain! Now I just need a way to store it. I'll be checking with the local car wash places (they have 50 gallon tubs that they will sometimes part with).

Also, today I cooked up a bath of VeganDad's hotdogs and cornbread from VeganLunchBox. This will be a re-try of homemade corndogs. They were soundly rejected last time, but we'll try again. I'm aiming for no more processed foods, and they love their corndogs.

Just got an email from Horizons and the kids were in "tornado position" for a while. Should be a fun story for him to tell.

Bye bye, cute dishes

Today I went through the cupboards, chucking the cute kiddie plastic dinnerware. No more plates, bowls, sippy cups or utensils made of plastic. Mae was momentarily furious but a brownie soothed the tide. I'm sad to see the cuteness gone, but I admit, I am LOVING the spaciousness of my cupboards! The boys, as usual, are completely on-board. Ted wondered if all the plastic bottles gave him his asthma. A possible connection. Here's why I went AWOL on the dishes:

Bisphenol A is used to make hard, glasslike plastic containers for food and drink, such as clear Nalgene bottles and toddler sip cups. It also can be used to line tin food and drink cans.
Avoid using plastic food containers marked on the bottom with the recycling label No. 7; they may contain bisphenol A. Not all No. 7 products contain the chemical, but this is a reasonable guideline for a category of plastics to avoid, especially for children's use. Plastics with the recycling labels No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 do not contain bisphenol A.

To be super-safe:

Use glass baby bottles and dishes.
Don't microwave food in plastic containers.
Toss out old, scratched plastic dishes and containers.
Don't wash plastic dishes in the dishwasher or using strong detergents, which can speed up wear and tear.
Avoid canned food and drinks.
Avoid using plastic wraps. Some contain bisphenol A, though certain brands, such as Saran, don't.

Source: Environmental Working Group

a plan

We have news. We are going to move to Boulder. W00t! This will be a 12-24 month process of building up equity in this house and padding our savings for a hefty down payment. We had a good talk on Saturday night about our priorities. Mostly, our focus now needs to be at Horizons. We'll be there for 11 years, and another 4 if you count high school. It makes sense to live in Boulder. And for me, I want to live close enough to school to be able to walk (6 blocks or so is out far enough, I think). I want to be able to bike or walk to the store for essentials. And we will be. Soon. Now that I have a goal, my whole obsessive leap into the Voluntary Simplicity movement will have some backbone behind it. Paul is willing to move; I want to move. All we need to do is save for it. Will do. I've been paring down anyway and I have to tell the truth - I don't miss the shopping! I drove past Target today on my way home from the library and I didn't even WANT to stop in. I don't want anything! (Well, I would like a bird feeder, but I'm working on scoring that in some other way. Used, donated, make-your-own? We'll see.) I almost feel a sense of relief that I have 'an excuse' for not shopping, for not having new clothes, for not buying my kids new plastic crap just to give myself an hour of free time. I feel more peaceful and content than I have in a long time. Now, back to reading. Lordy, my eyes are going to fall out!

I had a lovely Mother's Day. Paul let me sleep in and then I had a nice long run. Ted and I walked to Starbucks to enjoy my Mother's Day card from my mom. We had ice cream cake from Glacier (mmm!) and grilled (veggie) burgers and watermelon for dinner. A restful day. I finished up my bookclub book and am on to Not Buying It which is a good read.

slowing down some more

Decisions, decisions. Today I decided to take a mini break from TKD. I'll restart again in June after the next testing cycle. I'm really wanting to be HOME these days, plus my knees are sore enough with running - adding 25 lunging jumping jacks to the day doesn't help. Mr. D. was completely understanding, so that was a relief. No guilt or anything.

I had the laundry up on the line by 8:15, when I left to take the little ones to preschool. That was cool. I knew I wouldn't be home til late and we're getting into the season of afternoon showers, so ... better safe than sorry. Or, better damp than soaked, in this case.

After hiking with Ole, I spent the morning going through the last of the toys in the basement and loaded the van with 2 boxes of toys and some shoe donations. That feels good. I plan to go through the legos and Playmobile on Wednesday. It seems cruel to just hand over a huge box of mixed up pieces. The least I can do is organize into "pirates" and "knights," I figure. And I recycled about 10 Bionicle boxes at EcoCycle. Turns out they are #1 plastic and could have gone in our bin anyway. The person explained to me that "narrow neck bottle" actually only means that the NECK needs to be NARROWER than the body. So, the Bionicles boxes and the peanut jar would have been fine. Good to know!

I am still reading Last Child in the Woods. It's a fabulous book, but written in a less witty manner than Voluntary Simplicity and Affluenza. I am slogging through though, and it is worth it. I can't wait to get to our book club pick this month, Digging to America.

Off to fold, bath and bed!

go Obama!

from No Impact Man:

As the New York Times said today in an editorial (with my emphasis):

Senators John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton have hit on a new way to pander to American voters: a temporary suspension of the federal gasoline tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The proposal may draw applause and votes from Americans feeling the pain of nearly $4-a-gallon gasoline. But it is an expensive and environmentally unsound policy that would do nothing to help American drivers... Fortunately, Mr. Obama has not caved to the rising calls for cheap energy and has refused to follow his rivals down this misguided path...

Joseph Romm, a progressive, who worked for the Clintons as acting assistant secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy, writing critically of the gas tax on his blog, Climate Progress, says (again with my emphasis):

I write this post with some sadness. I would not have expected a major progressive politician who obviously cares about global warming to propose a gas tax holiday, which has no public benefits whatsoever, but at the same time undermines the entire rationale behind a national climate strategy that includes, as it must, a pricing mechanism for greenhouse gases. I try, however, to be as consistent as possible — and if such a proposal was cynical and hypocritical for Sen. McCain, it is equally cynical and hypocritical for Sen. Clinton. Kudos to Sen. Obama for opposing this absurd proposal — double kudos because it might cost him a few votes.

According to the Washington Post, meanwhile:

Harvard professor N. Gregory Mankiw, who has written a best-selling textbook on economics, said what he teaches is different from what Clinton and McCain are saying about gas taxes. "What you learn in Economics 101 is that if producers can't produce much more, when you cut the tax on that good the tax is kept . . . by the suppliers and is not passed on to consumers," he said.

Which makes the move by Clinton and McCain all the more cynical. While the measure will cost the federal government $9 billion and send entirely the wrong message on climate change, McCain and Clinton know as well as anyone else that oil companies won't pass the price break onto consumers but instead will pocket it.

They are paying $9 billion in our money, in other words, to make a false promise. They are trying to trick voters into voting for them.

Environmentalists said, according to the Post:

[that] stoking ire about the cost of gas undermines efforts to build a case for limiting carbon emissions, which could raise prices at the pump. "It sends a confusing message," said Kevin Knoblauch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "What's more helpful is if [politicians] help consumers understand that this isn't about near-term gas prices, it's about a comprehensive and smart approach to energy policies."

The sad news is that this whole mishigas is a first indication of how McCain or Clinton would treat the climate issue if they became president. The good news is that it is also and indication of how Obama would treat it.