A Taste of Childhood

I've been stuck in front of my computer for the better part of the day working on homework. The trip outside to do chores Around 6 was a welcome distraction. I reveled in the raindrops cascading down my face and the crisp fall air. It finally feels like October. My dad had even started a fire in the fireplace in my parents living room, and I inhaled deeply as a breeze brought the musky scent to my nose. Call me crazy, but I've always loved the smell of a fire in the fireplace. It takes me back to holiday afternoons gathered around the fire with a cup of tea or hot cocoa, playing board games with my family while a heavy snow carpets the landscape beyond our windows. Times I will treasure always. The trip to do chores was a couple of hours ago and the grind of finalizing a presentation for my Literary Editing class was beginning to ware on me. Just as I thought I'd had enough, an angelic voice could be heard drifting up the stairs to the loft apartment my kids and I live in. "Just a minute, I'm going to bring this upstairs to Steph." More heavenly words have never been spoken, especially when I know my mom has been baking for the same amount of time as I've been typing out this presentation. (Power point and I, are only just beginning to be on speaking terms).

I'd been inwardly drooling over the smell of pastry, sugar and cinnamon that had been tickling my nose for the last hour, so the idea of a potential plate being brought to my rescue was a true life saver. Determined to stay focused I only paused when the plate was finally settled on the table next to me. "Just for you." I'm in my 30's and there is nothing better than my mom's home cooked pastry. But this time she had brought me a slice of my childhood, "snails" The leftover bits of pie pastry rolled out and spread with either a jam, preserves, or lemon curd and then rolled up and sliced so that a lovely spiral of pastry and filling can be seen on the side and the shape resembles that of the little critters they are named for. My favorites though, and the flavor which suddenly in front of me, taking me back to a simpler childhood is cinnamon sugar. There they are on the plate before me, four precious cinnamon sugar snails. One bite and I was 7 years old again, trembling hand reaching over the counter trying to grab a steaming snail from the pie plate. Too eager to wait for them to cool. They were better than the pie itself, which was saying something considering my mom's pie attracted neighbors far and wide to our table.

Hours of homework suddenly faded away and I savored the first bite, then the second. We all have them, those little triggers which transport us to another time and place. A time when life seemed simpler and the joys of childhood easier to embrace. Each snail was a bit of Christmas, a taste of winters in Massachusetts playing in the snow with my brother, gathering around a packed table at Thanksgiving and glaring at any family member willing to take the last snail. I savor every sweet bite and for a brief moment forget about the task ahead of me. Forget about my Spanish test, stop worrying about the presentation or my Math homework.

I've just looked down, WHO ATE MY LAST SNAIL??!??

The Little Changes

Around the farm, summer means hanging the laundry out on the line. Until now, it's simply been a great way to cut back on our electricity bill, but now I'm recognizing the many other environmental benefits it holds. Hanging out your laundry may seem to be a minimal difference, but every little bit helps, right? Most of Europe already cuts back on their fossil fuel use by hanging out their laundry, even in colder months. I'll be looking at Lehman's to get an indoor rack to hang the clothes up over the winter. Or if the mild winters continue, I may just keep using the outdoor line.

I'm also enjoying making a difference by using an all natural detergent from Seventh Generation. The Native Americans have a philosophy of thinking of their actions and how they will effect the next seven generations. After learning about this idea from my Global Environmental Issues class, I thought it appropriate to try out this Environmentally friendly company. If you're interested here's their website. So far we're loving the laundry detergent, dish detergent, tissues, and paper towels!

http://www.seventhgeneration.com/

Here's a few of the benefits to line drying over using your dryer.

• Some households can save up to $100 a year from switching to line drying. Most likely that would increase as line drying eliminates the use of dryer sheets. If you have a large family and are going through multiple loads of laundry think of how many dryer sheets that is. Switching to a 1/4 cup of vinegar in the washing machine will help in removing tough odors from the wash and keeps clothes softer after they are hung out. 
• Go green! Some serious energy conservation is happening here. I don't know the numbers, but think of the fossil fuels we would save if your entire neighborbood switched.
• Consider the activity and time an excuse to escape outdoors for a few minutes. I find it's soothing, relazing and gives me a chance to think. 
• If you haven't discovered it yet, the fresh scent of line dried clothing is so relaxing.

If you want a few more, take a look at this website, and get line drying!

http://laundry.about.com/od/ecofriendlylaundry/tp/10reasonstolinedrylaundry.htm

If you aren't convinced, just google, line drying vs electric dryer and make your own decision. 

Fruits of our labors

Nothing compares to the first burst of sweet berry goodness from a farm grown strawberry!

I can't wait for these lovelies to turn a deep blue. They just burst in your mouth!

We're already looking forward to the large amount of pickling we'll be doing later this summer. We've sprayed organic fungicide already to protect the plants this year. The once a week spray prevents several different types of fungus from taking over. If you're dealing with fungicide be sure to get an organic spray, but you have to be incredibly careful not to spray around bees as it can kill them quickly.




 The potatoes are already looking great! We hilled them last week before the rain hit. It will be fun digging them up in the fall. Can't wait for mashed potatoes made from our own garden veggies!










When "going green" means enjoying fresh asparagus, there's little debate involved.

 We'll be saving a few of these beauties this fall and letting the eyes grow over the winter so we can plant them next spring. Sweet potatoes from the garden are the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving! There will be a great deal of preserving this year! If you have sweet potatoes make sure you have LOTS of space. These fun plants send out vines and take over a large area. They can block out the sun from shorter plants so give them their own space to spread and grow. But you can also trim the vines back if you need. They will also sew new shoots which will yield a second crop later in the fall/winter.

Seven rows of corn, properly hilled, and growing like crazy after only a few days! Planted so that the wind that runs up the ravine and back hills will help with the pollination. Last year was the first year we enjoyed a crop of corn, and it was fabulous. So, it was an essential for this years garden. Depending on the crop we may even try to can a few ears to save for the winter. 

 .Sweet peas are one of my favorites in early spring. It took a while to figure out we had sweet peas rather than snow peas this year. They're becoming a regular guest on our dinner table. And we're counting down the days till the beans are ready to be picked.

This is one for even those who are struggling to find the space to start a garden. An old water trough is easy to fill with compost and top with soil, then plant your favorites. This lovely container is right outside our back door. It provides us with lettuce and kale within easy reach. Summer salads have so many fantastic flavors with the variety from this back door garden.  

And I couldn't close this post without a picture of our favorite webbed friends. They're loving the sun.

'Poo Free

My bar shampoo arrived!!!
























Thanks to a recommendation from a friend I've taken a plunge. I'm going 'Poo free. No more bottled shampoo or conditioner. I'd been using Wen for my curly hair, but recent media attention made me switch back to Dove,, but I wanted to try something better for my hair and the environment! My hair washing now includes; coconut oil once or twice a week, just a half hour before I shower to let it soak into my hair and add the extra moisture my curles like, (the excess oil all washes out with the J.R. Liggetts bar soap), then I rinse with apple cider vinegar mixed in water to help the Ph balance, and then just rinse with water. So far it's worked out really well. I'll keep you updated. I've heard there's a transition period while your hair adapts to not using shampoo. I rarely used shampoo to begin with, since I have curls, so I may not suffer like others. Shampoo as we know it today didn't come into existence till the 1930's, and the harsh detergents in shampoo wreak havoc on your hair's natural ability to produce the oils that keep your mane looking healthy and less frizzy. Here's a site I found really helpful, that shares the benefits and several different "no-poo" options if you're interested in giving it a whirl. Don't get discouraged though!! Keep it up and I promise you'll enjoy the benefits, and feel a lot better about helping the environment as well!

https://www.nopoomethod.com/

Here's where I bought my bar shampoo.
http://www.iherb.com

But there are several online sellers you can get it from, including Amazon.

 As you can see from the picture its 100% "Earth Friendly" And definitely worth the price, at $6.74/bar, as it's the equivalent of a 24oz bottle of shampoo. I'd recommend keeping it in a soap saver dish to protect it from the shower water which will diminish the number of uses.

My kids are going to start trying it, and their hair is the opposite of mine, I'll get an update out soon and let you know how it goes!

Hope you give it a try and let me know what you think!

Your Carbon/Environmental Footprint

Go ahead, be brave. Take a wack at it, I dare you. Find out how many planets we would need if we all lived like you. I hope you get a better result than I did, then you can tell me how!

https://www.greencred.me/footprintcalculator/

Organic or Bust

I sat in front of the computer screen clicking through the questions and answering honestly. The class: Global Environmental Issues, The assignment: calculate your environmental footprint. As I sped through the answers I felt pretty good about things. Our tiny little apartment didn't have a/c and I left the heat pretty low in the winter, we always wore sweaters and sweatshirts anyway. My dad had trained me to turn off lights, we tried to buy locally whenever possible, I'm not a vegetarian, but steak or burgers hit my plate once in a blue moon; and although my '04 Isuzu SUV was a gas guzzler and I was putting in an hour commute six days a week I felt that I lived in a way that was much more sustainable than the average American. Then I hit the "complete" button and my jaw dropped. "If everyone on the Earth lived like you we would need 2 1/2 planets." I stared at the screen, shaking my head in disbelief. Seriously? Two and a half planets?! But we lived on a small farm, we get eggs from chickens, we have two gardens that feed us through the summer, I barely ever eat red meat, we use a propane tank for our heating, the reasons raced through my head. The car was a significant factor contributing to my obscenely large footprint, but there wasn't a lot I could do about that one. Single parent of two kids, back in college. The SUV in question had been paid off two years ago and the lack of a car payment was a God send, for the time being.

That moment was the turning point. It had been coming on slowly through this class. I can't say to what lengths I'll go, but I knew I needed to make a change. In my life, in my kids life, and hopefully set an example that would allow my kids to enjoy the world for years to come. As a nature lover, I'd always been worried when news anchors started brandying words like, "global warming, overpopulation, or climate change," around. They made me nervous. Concerned with the dangers that our beautiful planet faced. Throughout the semester I began thinking about my kids and their kids, and even their grandkids. What did I want them to be able to experience. The way things were going, would they be able to see the Great Barrier Reef, or watch sea creatures in tide pools? Would there still be rainforests to explore? How many more animals would we force into extinction? So, when our final assignment came, to write our own Environmental Ethics Statement, (see below) I made a decision. It was time to make a change. I struggled with thinking, "how could just one person make a difference?" "Will my choices change the state of the world?" Maybe not, but I wasn't willing to do nothing when I could do something. And at least I could teach my kids ways to help, and live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Our mission: to change as many non-sustainable habits into sustainable ones during the summer months so that once school starts we are living as sustainably as possible, and hopefully inspiring others to do the same! 

Environmental Ethics Statement: A letter to my kids

Dear Anna and Miguel, 

As you have grown up and begun to learn more about the world, the environment and our relationship to them, you have shown me time and again, that we have a responsibility to protect what God has given us. You both have done projects searching for solution to current environmental issues. When the BP oil spill occurred, you ran around the house stuffing dog and human hair into a bag to take to school. You both were members of the oceanographers club raising money to help protect endangered sea creatures. You have loved your studies about the rain forest, and learning about the animals whose homes are being wiped out through deforestation. Miguel, I remember how upset you were when you heard about the damage that was being done by the Hershey Company, and to this day, you still won’t let me buy products from Mars or Hershey. I remember you telling me even then, how hard the people worked in South American countries, but didn’t have the same living conditions we did, and how much you wanted to help. Your love and consideration of the world around us and the people from all over is truly an inspiration. 

As I consider the activities that we have done together, from camping on the Meramec River, bike riding along the Katy Trail, summer vacations on Lake Michigan and strolling the beaches of Maine, I want to know that all of these places will still be around, and just as beautiful for you to share with your children and your grandchildren. I want to know that when I tell you about the reefs and sea life in the Bahamas, that you will be able to witness that same beauty one day. That the tide pools scattered over the rocky shore beneath the Marshall Point Lighthouse will once again hold the variety of animal life that it once did when I was your age. 

                 Now it is my turn to step up and continue that love, that knowledge and that awareness you have shared with me, by instilling in our family new habits that can make a difference for the world. Because, when I think of children like you living in India, China, or any other developing nation, I know they deserve a better world and one where they won’t have to work for 12 hours a day and only earn $36.00. Did you know, the Lakota Sioux have a proverb that says, “We do not inherit this land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” That is how I will base my actions. 

                So, here is my promise to you, my commitment to do my best to set an example for you both in protecting and preserving the environment, and our world, for children of the future. I promise to make sure that we are living as sustainably as possible within our own home; to recognize when a change to a more sustainable option can be made and make it; to grow as much from our own garden as possible, finding ways to buy locally whatever we can’t grow ourselves and only support foods that are in season; to trade in our Suzi for a hybrid as soon as I graduate; to teach you exactly what we can and cannot recycle, how long showers should be, and how to conserve products to minimalize our consumption; to reinforce the joys of bike riding, so you aren’t afraid of setting out on long trips on a bike instead of a car; to raise you to always look at those around you as equals regardless of race, color, beliefs, or gender; to make sure you know how to continue the progress we start by supporting your learning and helping you take it even further by setting the example for others; and most importantly to truly embrace the world and our environment as God’s gift to us. 

Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health, "Man is the expression of Soul. The Indians caught some glimpses of the underlying reality, when they called a certain beautiful lake “the smile of the Great Spirit” '(Science and Health, 477:26). Every time we see a rainbow, or watch the flowers bloom in spring, or look out at the ocean, we should remember it’s a gift from God and if we are guided by love we will always make the right choices.

Love you always,

Mom