Be the change you want to see...

I've been following the path of this inspiring family since my own decision to change the way we live. But I hadn't seen this particular clip. SO inspiring. Thanks, Heather!

Boycotting Bad Behaviour

There is so much talk in the news just now of China's horrendous human rights records, of Tibet's desperate attempt for self-rule, and ultimately the conversations point at a call for boycotting the olympics.

I think that if we want to get a message across to China that we want them to consider doing things differently, we need to be willing to take some responsibility OURSELVES. Why ask athletes to give up their jobs so that we can send a message? Why not send the message ourselves? It's a huge challenge, but how about we ALL STOP BUYING ANYTHING MADE IN CHINA. It means giving up things that we think we need. It means paying more for nearly everything. But for me it means peace of mind and a sense of contribution.

Today I'm giving away my wedding-present-Sunbeam-made-in-China kettle (which is plastic and who loves the idea of drinking water that's been boiled in plastic anyway? yech!) in favour of my mum's old stainless steel made-in-the-USA-stovetop-kettle. It's been down at the trailer and irretrievable until now that the road has dried up, and I'm thrilled to have it back in its rightful place!

p.s. if you need motivation to stop buying m-i-C, watch "Manufactured Landscapes", likely available at your local library or "Mardi Gras, Made In China" or many other equally compelling documentaries about the horrors WE are causing in China by buying the cheap, crappy, polluting stuff they make only for us and would never consider using themselves.

Anyone want to order with me?

I have a bag similar to this that I use every time I buy something and I've been looking for more of them. I have plenty of other bags that I've made from t-shirts or have been given by talented sewers, but this little one that sits so small and unobtrusive in my bag is my favourite. Sometimes it's the only one I remember to take with me and I've had to dump it out in my car so I could use it again! I'm going to order a couple more. Anyone want to join orders with me? Looks like they're about $12 with shipping. I've had mine a few years, it's been used hundreds of times, I've thrown it in the laundry many times and it still works like a charm. Let me know if you want to order with me.

Gladness and Sadness in July

We were SO excited to see a yellow-bellied flycatcher nesting under the eave of our barn, we did a little song and dance in a circle under the nest every day. The day the baby (seemed to be just one!?) hatched, we were giddy with joy. Imagine how we were by the day the little bird took its first flight, us 3 crouched against the barn holding our breath... What we didn't know was that someone more sinister was also watching and holding her breath..... Yup. Our cat. OH! How we wailed when we caught her with our sweet little baby in her mouth... We had a funeral and wept tears of anger and sadness, the little mother flycatcher singing her mournful song in the tree directly above us. We each said a little prayer and it thrilled my heart to hear the sweet gratitude of my children for the Great Mother and the comfort and joy she gives my wee ones. They were both blessing this little bird on its next journey and assuring its mother that it would soon rejoin her...

We thoroughly enjoyed our strawberry and raspberry harvests this year. Our freezer is heavy with both. I wanted to make a combination of black currant/rasp/strawberry saft, so we went picking bc's with friends and made up 3 lovely jars for winter sipping. Delicious!

My beautiful friend from highschool found the love of her life and we got to attend her wedding. She's had a rough time since our carefree days of indulgence living in Pakistan with servants and drivers and all... She's overcome SO much, she inspires me just to think of her. Her brother ended his own life, her first marriage ended in disappointment, her mother has suffered a multitude of strokes, and Jill was the victim of a brutal break-and-enter and very nearly lost her life. She's scarred, physically and emotionally, but the beauty of her spirit shines so brightly through her eyes my heart squeezes every time I think of her. I couldn't help thinking, as I watched Annika enraptured watching this beautiful ceremony that things could have been very very different. When I was Annika's age I sat weeping through a funeral of a friend of my mother's who hadn't been so lucky in escaping her attacker. Thank you, Great Mother, for protecting my dear friend. Thank you for her spirit, her courage, her strength and her beauty that inspires us all.

Compost heaven...

Most people who know me, know that nothing bothers me more than waste. I seriously cannot handle things being wasted. Anything. I'm one of those people who stops on the road, leans out as far as I can to pick up a glove or pad of paper or plastic bag... I know it's in my genes -- my dad worked for my brother for awhile emptying big dumpsters and MOST of the contents ended up being saved. It was his ideal job, and probably would be mine too: rescuing things from the dump? Aaah! What could be more rewarding?! I think when I lived in Pakistan and used to watch the Afghan refugees go through the garbage bin in the back, I really saw how nothing, truly NOTHING should be wasted. And that's how I see life. Nothing should be waste! Everything should be reused, remade, rethunk, or never made in the first place. So it's not surprising that I REALLY love compost. I dream about compost. I can't look at discarded organic matter without thinking about compost. I peel carrots at friends' houses and sneak the peelings into my bag to bring home. I have a standing offer to anyone I know to bring their compostable materials over for my chickens or composts. I see people's grass clippings on the side of the road or better yet, bagged up oak leaves, and I bring them home for my compost. I'm even collecting my pee to pour onto my compost (nitrogen!!) So, mostly for my like-minded cousin who also shares a love of such things, here's a pictorial tour of my compost garden:

All of my composts (so far) are in my chicken coop. This is the one that's shaded by mock orange, that the chickens dig through, take what they want, add their own offerings, and this composter makes solid gold...
This is my quickest composter. It's at least 25 years old, inherited from my dad, been remade a few times, and still going strong. I can never get over how quickly this turns organic matter into beautiful black clumpy soil.

These are two fairly useless ones I inherited from my father-in-law. Difficult to stir, water runs off before it gets to the bottom, not sure why I keep them, except that I never have enough room for compostable materials... I mostly just put grass clippings (my fil's), leaves and chicken bedding into these. They're slow.

These are those ones that the county sells each year. Not bad. Not good. I keep inheriting peoples' who think it's a great idea but don't actually use them. Hard to stir, and a bit slow.
This is my "top secret" wire mesh circle, surrounded by black plastic recently made composter. I put a shovel full of dog poo, followed by a handfull of leaves and so far it hasn't stunk at all. Amazes me. I read that this will be "done" quicker than I can imagine. I'll keep you posted... hee! because you REALLY want the details, don't you? he he

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!

One of my favourite days of the year... just knowing that so many people around the globe are inspired to find new ways to take care of our precious planet...

The radio show today was cancelled. I have to admit I was terribly disappointed, but it wasn't all for naught. In getting ready to talk to thousands in 84 different countries around the globe, I was inspired to a new level to truly be the change I want to see... to get off my ass and really live the inspired life I yearn to...

In the night, I came up with what I think is a fabulous idea... come over to my environment blog to see what I converted this into (at 4 AM! ahem!):

It's pretty cool! Come see. hee!

Getting Ready...

So, I've agreed to join Lillian and Dave Brummet on the RADIO this Sunday... The show will focus on proactive behaviors any person can do that can immediately benefit the environment - and themselves. Rather than pointing fingers or concentrating on the negative aspect of environmental issues they hope to inspire listeners to start where they are and take matters in their own hands. There will be a variety of guests that will discuss attainable goals for individuals during the two hour talk show. I get 10 minutes. I'm oscillating between genuine excitement at sharing my passion for this topic and sheer terror at being on the radio. I'm a radio-virgin. eeeek!
So I've decided to gather my thoughts here to steady my nerves. Why am I doing this (my husband asked)?
Because I'm a very average person who's passionate about doing my wee part to keep the earth healthy (notice I didn't say "normal", Heather! ha!) There are so many many people that are doing far more than I am, and I'm not pretending for a second that I'm some sort of activist or that I'm doing everything possible. That's just exactly why I want to share what I AM doing. Because the things I am doing can be done by absolutely anyone. I think that if people realized how EASY it is to do a lot of little things that DO make a difference, that more people would be doing them, and the difference we'd make together would be powerful. I want to contribute to the whole tipping point...
So... I have to think again about what I AM doing (bear with me, this is mostly repetitive, I know).

1. I'm trying to grow most of my own food. I have several fruit trees (and hoping to plant one new one every year for at least 5 years), raspberry canes (wanting blackberry ones), strawberries, and an extensive vegetable garden (we just built 15 new raised beds!)
2. I'm trying to learn how to make most of our own processed foods so that we get the health benefits of fresh, preservative-free, chemical-free, unpackaged foods. So far we make our own jam, canned tomatoes, salsa, yogurt, bread, cookies, cakes, pies, cinnamon buns, soup stock, tortillas, muffins, pesto, dehydrated fruit, crackers, pickles etc. I want to learn how to make my own pasta, perogies, raw dog food (I haven't started yet, Heather!!), mayonnaise (I need the recipe again, Andrea), and ?? (do you know how to make something I might be interested in? can you share please?)
3. I really try to think more about what I'm NOT going to buy than what I am.
   For example, I'm not going to buy any more:
   paper towels (I can use rags)
   plastic wrap (I still use some plastic, but it's all recycled from foods I choose to buy in plastic. I wish I could buy all my food plastic-free but it doesn't seem do-able just yet. I might choose to buy carrots in a plastic bag that are local than the bulk carrots that are shipped in from California, for instance.)
   styrofoam (toxic and unnecessary)
   toys that hold a child's interest for a miniscule amount of time and toys cheaply made out of plastic (Playmobil is an exception)
   lower quality clothes and shoes that have the same amount of embedded energy than their higher priced, higher quality cousins that will hopefully last ten times longer
   anything new that I can find second hand
   any books that I don't need to write in or highlight or dog-ear (those can come from the library)
   cleaners or sprays that are toxic and packaged in small bottles (I'm experimenting with making my own from vinegar, baking soda and soap -- this is an on-going process as I use up the last of my gentle-to-the-earth bottled cleaners and experiment with different recipes for laundry soap, etc.)
4. I'm trying to reduce the number of trips I make "to town" per week, doing as many errands as possible in one day, having most days "car-free" days. And I'm planning to start biking in for my childrens' afternoon classes, and then getting a ride home with my husband after work. Maybe eventually I'll be able to pull the bike-trailer up the long hill to home, but I'm not there yet.
5. I'm using my own bags and my own containers for everything I possibly can. The deli and bulk-food stores are getting used to taring my containers so that I can avoid using extra packaging.
6. I'm looking for a plumber who knows how to refit my house so that the grey water goes outside onto my plants and trees (can you recommend anyone?). We do have rainbarrels that can collect a total of 2000 litres (about 525 gallons).
7. I'm saving my own seeds to protect seed diversity and heritage.
8. I'm choosing to homeschool my kids for many reasons, but the main reason is so that they are free. They are free to think for themselves, free from indoctrination, free to design their own lives in every way. Both of my children are inextricably linked to the earth and are most at home in nature. This is where most of their learning occurs.
9. I choose not to buy industrial meat. We buy organic meat from local farmers where we can SEE how the animals are raised, and from our families who ranch bison in Alberta.
10. I choose to buy locally whenever there is a choice. My goal is to dehydrate, can, cold-storage (we're building a cold cellar in our bank this summer for carrots, potatoes, apples, etc.), freeze as much of our own food as possible, and commit to buying the rest from within a 100 mile radius. So far I've not been able to convince my family that we don't need bananas, oranges, lemons, kiwis, pineapple, etc. I think we need to build a greenhouse, next.
11. I have my husband 90% convinced to replace our aging toilets with composting ones. A CBC interview with Charles Simon completely convinced me that it is possible. He talked about a community of 90,000 people in Ontario where ALL of the toilets are composting ones. Amazing. The interview is very inspiring. I highly recommend a 20 minute listen (just scroll down to March 19). Charles reminds us that there is no such thing as waste in nature. Poo is just food for another organism. Sewer systems are destroying SO much of our planet's water.
12. I don't use my dryer anymore.
13. I don't use to-go cups (I keep several insulated mugs in the trunk of my car). I take my own containers to get take-out food.
14. I'm REALLY trying not to buy anything containing perfluorochemicals. I'm REALLY surprised how pervasive these chemicals are. Anything that's non-stick or water-resistant, including carpets, fabrics, pyjamas, stain-resistant clothing, etc.
15. I'm saving paper. I'm trying to buy only recycled paper products, and recycling all the bits I can from the mail. I don't want anyone clear-cutting our beautiful forests so that my family can wipe their bums with soft cushy toiletpaper.
16. I'm trying to use every recyclable item at least twice. Trash Talk has been an amazing source for ideas in this regard.
17. I'm composting everything I can from newspaper to hair to kitchen scraps to all non-recyclable paper products (that have been used as many times as we possibly can) (excluding toilet paper).
18. I have chickens, so even the kitchen scraps I can't put into my compost get recycled through the chickens.
19. I choose to buy organic food as much as I can.
20. I use a diva cup instead of tampons and luna pads instead of disposable ones.
21. We plant at least 10 trees every year.
22. I try not to turn my oven on unless I can use it for at least 2 or 3 things. (For example, I bake my bread at the same time as my supper is cooking, and might put in a yam for the following night as well.)

Well, that's 22 things. 22 things to share for Earth Day. I hope next year I'll have 44. Or more. And I hope one of those things is "I'm an activist". I want to write more letters, participate in more marches, demand change at a faster pace... Maybe this is the year... Sometimes I think "who do I think I am talking about saving the earth when there are SOOOO many more things I could be doing..." But these are easy things. Anyone could do. There's power in that, I think. don't you?

Inspired

You know you have a real friend when they care enough to tell you that you're off track. Thank you for all the responses to my "angry" post. I'm glad I got that out. And I'm especially grateful to know you care and you're reading me. Thanks for the emails.
One of my soulsisters gently told me she'd rather read encouraging things on my blog. That she comes looking for inspiration. And this really resonated with me. Thank you, dearheart, becauase I think that's why I come here too. Another soulsister reminded me of her favourite Dyer quote "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." And still another reminded me of the law of attraction. I was starting to feel that maybe I should say "I'm failing" instead of "I'm trying". Remembering the law of attraction I am now going to say "I'm making a difference by ____". So, in that spirit, I am going to start searching/manifesting stories to encourage and inspire me and you. Here's the one I found today (moved to 3R's blog - click to read).

UNLESS it's normal...

"But now," says the Once-ler,

"Now that you're here,

the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.

UNLESS someone like you

cares a whole awful lot,

nothing is going to get better.

It's not."

'The Lorax' by Dr. Seuss, 1971

Thanks for your comment, Heather, about being normal. I've never wanted to be 'normal' either. I've always associated normal with boring. I've always been comfortable living on the fringes of acceptability, finding my own way for every corner of my lifestyle. I've never had a penchant for keeping up with the Jones' nor have I ever wanted to wear clothes that were in fashion or have a house that was cool.
But lately, it's become painfully obvious to me that unless something is considered "normal" it isn't embraced by the masses. And I feel pretty desperate about that when it comes to the environment. EVERYONE is talking about what the governments need to do. Everyone's watching An Inconvenient Truth and bemoaning global warming. But when I look around in my daily life, I don't see people actually doing anything about it. And this terrifies me.
We've had 2 trees cut down in the last two days -- beetle kill -- global warming. The arborist told me that ALL the scientists agree that by 2011 virtually all of the pine trees in B.C. will be dead. We have seriously mourned the loss of these 2 trees, they have sheltered us from the storms and the heat of the sun, they've sung to us in the winds, they've been food for our squirrels, they've given us mulch from their needles, they've been homes for the birds in our forests. They're JUST TREES, you say. How easy it is to forget that we cannot live without trees. But more than the oxygen they provide, trees are living, breathing reminders of the sacredness of Mother Earth... of the goddess within every one of us. And they're dieing because one species on this planet just canNOT seem to find it within themselves to save them. And it's too late now. Nothing we could do at this point will save these magnificent trees. Ugh. I feel SO discouraged.
I.just.do.not.understand.WHY.people.don't.care.
WHY isn't everyone doing EVERYthing they can to reverse the destruction of our planet? WHY????? Peak oil is coming. Why aren't we saving every last drop that's left for things that cannot be replaced with sustainable resources? Oh, anyone can poo poo that too and I'm sure you can always find an "expert" (sponsored by oil companies, no doubt) who will tell you this is all a myth and we are FINE JUST FINE and not to worry at all. But we're smart. We know we can't continue the way we have. Right? Do you have pine trees in your backyard? Have you ever googled the number of species that is disappearing EVERY MINUTE because of our collective greed? Imagine how shocking it would have been for your great grandmother to hear that the air would soon be so bad that children would be encouraged to play indoors many days. That we can't drink from our mountain streams. That we can't eat fish from our lakes or even from our vast oceans for fear of poisoning. She could not have imagined a world such as this. I tell my grandmother (who's lived in a nursing home for 10 years) and she absolutely doesn't believe me. "Oh go on," she says.
Why aren't we embracing solar and wind and water power? I'm not talking about THEM. I'm talking about US. About me. About you.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not on a soapbox here. I'm not doing my share yet either, and not even sure why. I'm really discouraged and searching for some encouragement and I'm not finding it. Did you know that some religions teach their converts that caring for the environment isn't their job?! No lie. I have been told by people who believe that they can live as greedy, consumer-driven, polluting, environmentally-damaging lives as they want and "God will take care of the earth". Well, not in those words, but same concept. Truly. Someone SOON is coming and they will all rise into heaven together and the earth will light on fire or something. OH. MY. GOD.
Yeah. Encouragement is not exactly abounding all around me.
It's not even expected yet to bring your own bags to the store. WHY? What could be more simple than just saying no to new plastic bags? It's not even a blip in our lifestyle. Yet it's just not happening.
So that's what I meant, when I said I'm encouraged when people say "but you seem so normal" when they hear or see the wee things I'm doing. Because maybe if they consider me normal then I can help effect change. If I'm doing it, then maybe they can give themselves permission to do it too -- without the fear of somehow not being "normal" or "hip" or "cool" or "fashionable" or "insert insecurity here" enough.
There's just SO many little things we could be doing. And we're not. We keep sitting on our fat asses waiting for someone ELSE to wake up and save the planet for us. Well you know what? THERE IS NOBODY ELSE. It's you. and me. and her. and him. It's US. Are we going to get that in time? The last few grains are falling through the timer and we're still looking the other way. AAAAGH!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP.
For those of you who haven't yet, PLEASE Come and read my weak attempt to inspire you and you and you and you and ME to start with the little things. Come help me get some momentum going. PLEASE. Let your mind drift to what you COULD do. Find inspiration. And share it. Tell me about the little ways you conserve. I'll share them. And together we can make a difference... Gawdalmighty, how sad is it that that phrase is considered corny?

What could I say to light a fire under you? Did you click on any of the links I put in this post? Did you read any of it? Or is it just too depressing. Would you much rather just not know any of that. Yeah, me too. Somedays I wish I didn't care so much. Somedays I wish I could just be happily oblivious and believe that "someone else" will fix it all... or that I'm going to fly up on a cloud to heaven and so it won't matter anyway... Nope. Wasn't made that way.
So? I need your help. Help me find a way to ignite the cool, hip, stylish 'normal' masses. Please.

Every little thing...

This post has been in "draft" waiting for me to think of things to add to the list. I've been pecking away at it just as this pileated woodpecker has been completely de-barking one of our pinetrees, eating all the beetles and larvae on it! He worked here tirelessly for weeks, but has now flown on. And alas! I have nothing more to add just now so will post and continue to seek inspiration for further change...

Cherrybean's Death to the Climate post has been mulling in my mind... Along with all the headline news about climate change and the wake-up call to the world to pull up our socks...

In the journals I keep for my children I keep a list of everything we do to try to save the world. I have a feeling they are going to be very angry in a few years that people of the generations before them didn't do enough to keep their planet clean. I want them to know that I'm keen and open to do as much as I can. But I'm always looking for what MORE I could be doing, and so I'm hoping that by sharing some of the things I'm doing, that I will manifest into my life (comments, people, comments!) ideas from others...

So here's the new things I've taken on in the last few months or so:
* inspired by Andrea, I no longer turn my dryer on. I found an old flower-drying rack that I'm using over the stairwell. I'm stunned by how quickly everything dries with our woodheat, and how easy this one change has been for me. I've always used my clothesline in the spring/summer/autumn, but didn't think I had much option in the winter. Surprise!

* this isn't entirely new, but if I don't have my to-go mug, I skip the drive-through. I've been doing this for a couple years now, but I would get a coffee for a friend without much thought. Now, if I don't have my guest-to-go-mug, my friend doesn't get coffee either.

* I refuse to buy anything packaged in styrofoam. I refuse to use styrofoam. At Christmas time we were served hot chocolate in styrofoam cups and that was the last time any styrofoam will go to the landfill because of me.

* I've replaced all of my non-stick cookware except cookie sheets (if you see stainless steel ones somewhere, will you give me a shout please?) and am trying not to buy anything with perfluorochemicals in or on it. This is NOT an easy change (good-bye most shampoos, take-out pizza (the boxes are coated) Gortex, Stainmaster (carpets, mattresses), microwave popcorn, Teflon, etc), but this is a chemical that will NEVER leave the earth (it has a half-life of tens of thousands of years), is found at alarmingly high rates in our bloodstreams and breastmilk, causes cancer and who knows what else, and is slowly killing everything from polarbears in the high arctic to butterflies in the Amazon. It's in my children's blood and there's nothing I can do about that. But I can try my darndest to try not to add to it... Skeptical? Google "perfluorochemicals" and see if you don't want to make some changes yourself.

* inspired by Linda, when I turn my oven on I'm ready to cook nearly everything for the week. Yesterday I made 2 loaves of bread (thanks for the recipe, Andrea!), 2 batches of cookies, roasted cauliflower and honey (!) soup, roasted the last spaghetti squash from our garden, roasted a chicken, and sweet potato fries, all in 3 hours. SO gratifying!

* inspired by Linda and many of my friends, I am trying to arrange everything I need to use our car for into one or two days out. This has been incredibly freeing, so far! We have lots of days of really free time, and our days 'in town' are full and productive. As soon as the ice is off the roads, I'm planning to start biking most places. You'll have to hold me to this one as this has been a goal for well over a year. oops!

* I'm trying really hard to use almost every single thing at least twice. Paper is easy, food packaging is more challenging (but all the more motivation to buy food sans packaging!). I buy everything I can in as big of a container as I can find, as these are so much easier to re-use. And I shop at a store that allows me to bring my own containers in and fill them from their bulk containers.

*Also inspired by Andrea (I should probably just have a whole post on what this incredible woman has inspired in my life...) I no longer buy any plastic bags or plastic wrap (and now hate to admit that I ever did. ugh!) I'm still using up some that I bought about 2 years ago, and trying to make them last as long as possible. Also, I find that I'm forced ? no, make that choose! to buy some things in plastic bags, and so I wash and store them for future use.

*We have commited as a family to plant 10 trees per year (here's a super easy way to do this! that only takes about 5 minutes!). Annika came up with this number as one tree for everyone in her 'family', which includes us 4, our dog, our cat, Gma & Gpa, and our 2 Foster Plan children. I love seeing the little wire cages up around our land, protecting these little promises of hope...

*This one will have loads of controversy (or skepticism, or laughter?! ha!) for those who know me and loathe my packrat ways, but I really think there is virtue in keeping for re-use rather than tossing. How many times have you gone to give someone a gift only to bemoan the fact that you just got rid of something they would've loved not two months ago? And all those little wires and hooks and bits of paper that you're dumping in the trash? They are SO handy at the right moment. It's all about organization and I'm always looking for ideas on that one... Loving Martha's book on this very subject just now. It irks me just a bit that people get so excited about their recycling habits, when that truly is not the answer. Oh, I don't mean we shouldn't recycle. We should be recycling absolutely everything we possibly can. But if the guilt of consumerism is eased by recycling, then we've clearly missed the entire point. We must consume LESS (reduce), reuse more. And then what we absolutely can't re-use in ANY other way, we recycle.

*All of my appliances have an Energy Star rating except my ancient washer and dryer. I know nobody else would want to inherit my washer so near to the end of its life, so I will keep it going until it gives up the ghost and then hope I can recycle some of its parts? and replace it with a super-efficient frontload. And maybe I won't bother replacing the dryer? When do you really NEED a dryer?

* I've switched to using a DivaCup along with Lunapads. I'm so impressed with how easy this change was, as well. I do have a box of unbleached, fully biodegradable cotton pads in my cupboard for travel or what-have-you, but so far I've rarely had to resort to using them. I'm much more comfortable with rinsing out my lunapads than I am with putting anything bloody into my compost! Yuck, right? But really, after using cloth diapers and feeling good about that choice, I decided that having filled a landfill site or two with my 25 years of pads was enough.

* I'm hoping to expand the growing of our own food every year. Our small garden plots last year produced an amazing amount of food to eat, can, freeze, pickle, jam and store, and I'm hoping to expand those plots by at least half again this year. Our chickens keep us in plenty of eggs and I'm thinking of raising some fryer hens as well, this year. I have to admit, I'd LOVE a jersey milkcow like the one I grew up with (and yes, J, her name was Annabelle!). Think of the cheese I could make and the fresh yogurt and butter and how lovely and large we'd all get. Ha! My A doesn't do well with dairy, but I think raw milk would be a different story. What do you think?

* I'm always hunting for more ways to buy from local producers. If you live around here, did you know that Anita sells local honey and coffee in addition to the huge service she does for those of us who get in on the Rancho Vignola orders each Autumn? What else am I missing out on?

* I'm trying to make as much of our food as I can -- bread, crackers, soup stock, jams, jellies, pickles, etc.

Okay, so those are the major new things I've implemented.

But there's one big smear on my conscience. Santa brought us a hot tub. I love the warmth and comfort of it but I just can't get past the monstrosity of unrecyclable, uncompostable plastic that it is... not to mention the toxicity of the chemicals and the energy that goes into keeping the water hot... My husband has always wanted one and this was clearly something that was really important to him. He works hard and it took him an entire month away from us to pay for this beast (this is one of his rationales for deserving it, and one of my reasons for not wanting it). We've gone round and round on this one and I'm attempting to surrender to the fact that it is here to stay and looking for ways to open my heart and enjoy it with my well-meaning husband... I have a hard time with the chemicals, for sure, but if it were a big hole in the ground lined with stones, and still took the same amount of chemicals and electricity to heat, I'd feel better about it. But it's NOT, and so it is what it is.

Anyway, hot-tub aside, I'm hoping to be able to add to this list every month. I would love to replace my beloved car with a hybrid, but I'm not convinced there's an all-wheel-drive-hybrid (and barring moving, I need all-wheel-drive) out there that's truly a better choice. Care to disagree? I'd love to hear what you have to say.

About anything... xo