In my last post, I said one person can make a difference. Then I got to thinking about what we do here and how we might step things up ...
We compost, and use the results in the garden. Find out if the new "organics" bin from the city will take animal waste or used guinea pig wood shavings? What about used tissues, cotton balls, and paper towels?
We try to shop for items in minimal and recyclable packaging. Find out if the stores will let us bring our own bags/containers for produce and bulk bin items?
I always have a bag with me for any deposit cans or bottles I find on my walks. Take another bag and pick up litter and recyclables?
I always turn off the coffeemaker as soon as the coffee is made, and nuke a cup of coffee when I want one. Check Freecycle and/or thrift stores for a ten-cup thermos jug?
All of the electronics are plugged into power bars for easy shutoff, and I always unplug the phone/battery chargers as soon as the phone or battery is charged. Unplug the toaster and coffeemaker when they're not in use? Can't unplug the microwave unless I move the fridge, and there's nowhere else for it to go ...
I wash full loads of laundry in cold water with minimal eco-friendly detergent, and hang everything to dry (outdoor line in good weather, indoor line and rack in the basement in bad weather). Not sure if there's any way to improve this, since we wear everything except socks and knickers (mine) and shorts (his) more than once, use the same towels for at least a week, and don't change the sheets every week.
I use rags for cleaning and wiping up spills. Try to wean Big Guy off paper towels? Might work, might not.
I walk everywhere that's a half-hour walk away or less, and take public transit almost everywhere else. I'd like to walk more but my bad knees won't stand for it, even with my cane. Can I do the monthly Costco trip on transit? Tricky, since Big Guy absolutely will not use public transit, and it would take both of my "bag lady" carts to get the shopping home. Maybe smaller trips every two weeks instead?
Before a shopping/errands trip in the car, we make a list, collect the relevant coupons and marked sale flyers, make sure our bags are in the trunk, and plan the most efficient route to get everything done in one trip. Could more of these errands be done on foot or on public transit? How much gas does this trip take, compared to how much I'd spend on transit fares? How much longer would it take on transit? On foot? How many errands and how much shopping can I manage by myself on foot or on transit?
I have a long list in my notebook of (non-food) items not to buy, either because we have plenty already or I don't want to use that particular item any more. How many things can I add to that list? How many things can I phase out and not replace once they've been used up?
I already get most of my fabrics and yarn, and all of my clothes except for knickers, bras, socks, and footwear, at thrift stores, yard sales, and Freecycle. Don't get any more until I've used up what I have, no matter how good a deal it is or how pretty it is?
We have rain barrels, we have a brick in the toilet tank, I save the rinse water from the dishes for the planters, and in the summer I put the drain hose from the washer out the window on the rinse cycle to water the trees and shrubs on that side of the house, and we never water the lawn. We also had the (free) city water meter installed so we only pay for what we actually use (a bit more than a third of the flat rate for unmetered houses). Can I redo the flowerbeds with local native plants that need less water? What can I use for mulch? (It's been suggested that we use the shavings out of the guinea pig cage, but we already have big problems with wood lice aka sowbugs eating the plant roots. That's why we can't grow potatoes, carrots, or radishes.) Can we set up some kind of drip irrigation for the fruit trees and the veggie planters, so less evaporates and we water less often?
Questions? Answers? Suggestions?
Friday, June 8, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
It Rained
Again. So I missed seeing the transit of Venus. Guess I'll just have to wait until it comes around again when I'm 162.
I've also missed the last three eclipses (solar and lunar) because of rain, and several meteor showers. Does the universe not want me to see these things?
* * * * * *
The rain is also keeping the salmonberries from ripening; they'll need at least three sunny days before I can pick more. The blackberries should be okay, since they wouldn't be ripe for at least another month anyway, and July is usually nicely warm and sunny. And today I saw little teeny baby fruit on my cherry tree and my plum tree and my apple tree!
* * * * * *
I've been catching up (yes, still!) on the other blogs I read, and finding a lot of food for thought ...
I don't think we'll ever have a "Zero Waste Home", but every week I see a little less trash, a little less food waste, a little more making do with what we have ... baby steps.
This coming October, we'll be presented with three shiny new bins from the city: one each for garbage, recycling, and yard waste/compost/organics. I think it's great! The info that came in the mail says that garbage and recycling will be picked up every other week, and organics every week. Well, as it is we don't put garbage or recycling out every week anyway, and since these new bins will be bigger we may end up only putting the garbage bin out once a month. I'd like to get that down a lot farther, but P has a large dog and two cats, and we have two guinea pigs and are looking at a couple of kittens in August, so unless all their waste qualifies as organic it will all still have to go in the garbage. I'll have to look into that.
Tomorrow I'll be walking over to the Post Office to see if I can stop all the unaddressed advertising we get every week. It pretty much all goes straight from the mail slot to the recycling bin, and it's such a waste; the only things I don't toss immediately are envelopes with plain insides, which I turn inside out and make lists on. From the P.O. I will head over to the Shaw office to see about downgrading our cable/internet/phone package - it's just costing us way too much for what we currently use/watch. Then, on to the Safeway to return some deposit Coke cans and recycle this month's accumulation of plastic bags, and then to the bank to deposit my rolled coins (over $100!), and finally to the library.
No food waste in the last seven days!! Not even the bone from Sunday night's ham - Dog is enjoying it out in the yard right now. And the remains went into a huge vat of split pea soup, which we packaged up for the freezer this morning. Carrot peelings were welcomed loudly by the guinea pigs, eggshells and onion trimmings went into the compost, and coffee grounds got scattered directly into the garden to discourage snails and slugs (I'll let you know if it works!).
* * * * * *
Sadly, a lot of the comments I see on other blogs are of the "One person can't possibly make any difference" variety. I disagree. If only one person on the planet tried to change things, to conserve, to stop waste or pollution or excessive consumption, then maybe it wouldn't matter. But when you add up all the "one persons" working for change, even if it's only in their own homes, it can make a difference. And I believe it has made a difference already, and will continue and snowball and grow.
I've also missed the last three eclipses (solar and lunar) because of rain, and several meteor showers. Does the universe not want me to see these things?
* * * * * *
The rain is also keeping the salmonberries from ripening; they'll need at least three sunny days before I can pick more. The blackberries should be okay, since they wouldn't be ripe for at least another month anyway, and July is usually nicely warm and sunny. And today I saw little teeny baby fruit on my cherry tree and my plum tree and my apple tree!
* * * * * *
I've been catching up (yes, still!) on the other blogs I read, and finding a lot of food for thought ...
I don't think we'll ever have a "Zero Waste Home", but every week I see a little less trash, a little less food waste, a little more making do with what we have ... baby steps.
This coming October, we'll be presented with three shiny new bins from the city: one each for garbage, recycling, and yard waste/compost/organics. I think it's great! The info that came in the mail says that garbage and recycling will be picked up every other week, and organics every week. Well, as it is we don't put garbage or recycling out every week anyway, and since these new bins will be bigger we may end up only putting the garbage bin out once a month. I'd like to get that down a lot farther, but P has a large dog and two cats, and we have two guinea pigs and are looking at a couple of kittens in August, so unless all their waste qualifies as organic it will all still have to go in the garbage. I'll have to look into that.
Tomorrow I'll be walking over to the Post Office to see if I can stop all the unaddressed advertising we get every week. It pretty much all goes straight from the mail slot to the recycling bin, and it's such a waste; the only things I don't toss immediately are envelopes with plain insides, which I turn inside out and make lists on. From the P.O. I will head over to the Shaw office to see about downgrading our cable/internet/phone package - it's just costing us way too much for what we currently use/watch. Then, on to the Safeway to return some deposit Coke cans and recycle this month's accumulation of plastic bags, and then to the bank to deposit my rolled coins (over $100!), and finally to the library.
No food waste in the last seven days!! Not even the bone from Sunday night's ham - Dog is enjoying it out in the yard right now. And the remains went into a huge vat of split pea soup, which we packaged up for the freezer this morning. Carrot peelings were welcomed loudly by the guinea pigs, eggshells and onion trimmings went into the compost, and coffee grounds got scattered directly into the garden to discourage snails and slugs (I'll let you know if it works!).
* * * * * *
Sadly, a lot of the comments I see on other blogs are of the "One person can't possibly make any difference" variety. I disagree. If only one person on the planet tried to change things, to conserve, to stop waste or pollution or excessive consumption, then maybe it wouldn't matter. But when you add up all the "one persons" working for change, even if it's only in their own homes, it can make a difference. And I believe it has made a difference already, and will continue and snowball and grow.
Friday, May 25, 2012
All Kinds Of Random
The job search continues ... nothing back from the most promising leads yet, but I refuse to give up! Sooner or later something will happen for me, even if it's only something to pay me a living wage while I look for something better.
* * * * * *
I'm happy to report that the food waste for the last two weeks consisted of one-half a baked potato skin - we were just too full to stuff & eat the last one - and the skin off my share of last weekend's barbecued salmon. And even that wasn't really wasted, since Big Guy ended up giving it to the Dog. I don't count the few wilted veggies from the back of the fridge, since the guinea pigs happily gobble those up.
* * * * * *
It rained for a few days, so I spent a lot of time catching up on my blog reading, and following links from old favourites to a number of new favourites. Isn't that always the way? One link leads to another ... and another ... and another ... and before you know it, there goes the weekend!
Funny thing, though. There are a gazillion "green" blogs, and a gazillion "frugal" blogs, but surprisingly few that put the two things together other than in an incidental "oh-by-the-way-this-might-save-money-too" kind of way.
Why is that? Yes, I know that organic is more expensive than non-organic, and truly green cleaning products and recycled paper products are too. But isn't there some way to do as much as we can afford to? Do we have to choose either green or frugal?
Granted, with both of us unemployed, Big Guy and I just can't afford to go all-organic/all-natural/all-recycled in the grocery store... but we still manage to combine green and frugal in lots of ways:
Bar soap - we buy whatever non-scented, non-added-to soap is on sale ... and when the pieces get really small, I collect them and tie them into one of those mesh bags our fresh garlic came in, and hang it by the basement sink for grimy-from-the-workshop-or-garden hand washing.
Paper towels - are only used for draining bacon. Which we buy in bulk slabs and slice ourselves, for about half the price of sliced bacon.
Pest control - we put out cat chow for the local skunk, so we don't have rats or mice. We encourage ladybugs in the garden. We scatter coffee grounds around the base of the rhubarb and tomato plants, so we don't have much snail/slug damage. Fruit trees are patrolled by the cats. so the birds and squirrels are (slowly, I admit) learning to leave the fruit alone. And I plant marigolds between the veggies to deter other bugs.
Laundry - we've never used fabric softener because of Big Guy's allergies. Everything gets washed in cold water and whatever enviro-friendly detergent was on sale - and a lot less of it than the "recommended" amount! - and hung up to dry; towels do go in the dryer once they're dry, but just a few minutes on the no-heat "fluff" cycle to beat the stiffness out of them. Because if I don't do that ... well, next time you shower, dry yourself off with a cedar shingle and you'll know exactly why I do that!
Groceries - we do buy in bulk and stock up at case lot sales, but I won't let him put anything in the cart unless all of the packaging is recyclable. And I always have our reusable canvas bags handy - no plastic bags, thank you!
I guess my bottom line is that life is full of compromises, and I have to find the best compromise I can between what's completely "green" and what we can afford to do.
* * * * * *
It looks as though I'm going to have to bite the bullet and either a) leave my herb garden until next year, or b) break down and buy bedding plants instead of starting from seeds. Sigh. If I can find the bedding plants, I'll probably get them; I don't want to wait another whole year and a half for my own homegrown mint tea. (There are times when I think the universe just doesn't want me to have a garden ...)
* * * * * *
A couple of weeks ago, Big Guy scattered a whole bunch of lime on the front so-called lawn, trying to kill the moss. Well, as of today the moss is still there, but instead of greener grass in most of the yard, we have a beautiful lush cover of new clover! I wonder if I can persuade him that the entire lawn should be clover, not grass? More clover means more honeybees, which means more fruits and vegetables get pollinated ... plus it wouldn't need to be mowed nearly as often, and the cuttings make great guinea pig fodder ... hmmm. I'll work on that!
* * * * * *
I'm happy to report that the food waste for the last two weeks consisted of one-half a baked potato skin - we were just too full to stuff & eat the last one - and the skin off my share of last weekend's barbecued salmon. And even that wasn't really wasted, since Big Guy ended up giving it to the Dog. I don't count the few wilted veggies from the back of the fridge, since the guinea pigs happily gobble those up.
* * * * * *
It rained for a few days, so I spent a lot of time catching up on my blog reading, and following links from old favourites to a number of new favourites. Isn't that always the way? One link leads to another ... and another ... and another ... and before you know it, there goes the weekend!
Funny thing, though. There are a gazillion "green" blogs, and a gazillion "frugal" blogs, but surprisingly few that put the two things together other than in an incidental "oh-by-the-way-this-might-save-money-too" kind of way.
Why is that? Yes, I know that organic is more expensive than non-organic, and truly green cleaning products and recycled paper products are too. But isn't there some way to do as much as we can afford to? Do we have to choose either green or frugal?
Granted, with both of us unemployed, Big Guy and I just can't afford to go all-organic/all-natural/all-recycled in the grocery store... but we still manage to combine green and frugal in lots of ways:
Bar soap - we buy whatever non-scented, non-added-to soap is on sale ... and when the pieces get really small, I collect them and tie them into one of those mesh bags our fresh garlic came in, and hang it by the basement sink for grimy-from-the-workshop-or-garden hand washing.
Paper towels - are only used for draining bacon. Which we buy in bulk slabs and slice ourselves, for about half the price of sliced bacon.
Pest control - we put out cat chow for the local skunk, so we don't have rats or mice. We encourage ladybugs in the garden. We scatter coffee grounds around the base of the rhubarb and tomato plants, so we don't have much snail/slug damage. Fruit trees are patrolled by the cats. so the birds and squirrels are (slowly, I admit) learning to leave the fruit alone. And I plant marigolds between the veggies to deter other bugs.
Laundry - we've never used fabric softener because of Big Guy's allergies. Everything gets washed in cold water and whatever enviro-friendly detergent was on sale - and a lot less of it than the "recommended" amount! - and hung up to dry; towels do go in the dryer once they're dry, but just a few minutes on the no-heat "fluff" cycle to beat the stiffness out of them. Because if I don't do that ... well, next time you shower, dry yourself off with a cedar shingle and you'll know exactly why I do that!
Groceries - we do buy in bulk and stock up at case lot sales, but I won't let him put anything in the cart unless all of the packaging is recyclable. And I always have our reusable canvas bags handy - no plastic bags, thank you!
I guess my bottom line is that life is full of compromises, and I have to find the best compromise I can between what's completely "green" and what we can afford to do.
* * * * * *
It looks as though I'm going to have to bite the bullet and either a) leave my herb garden until next year, or b) break down and buy bedding plants instead of starting from seeds. Sigh. If I can find the bedding plants, I'll probably get them; I don't want to wait another whole year and a half for my own homegrown mint tea. (There are times when I think the universe just doesn't want me to have a garden ...)
* * * * * *
A couple of weeks ago, Big Guy scattered a whole bunch of lime on the front so-called lawn, trying to kill the moss. Well, as of today the moss is still there, but instead of greener grass in most of the yard, we have a beautiful lush cover of new clover! I wonder if I can persuade him that the entire lawn should be clover, not grass? More clover means more honeybees, which means more fruits and vegetables get pollinated ... plus it wouldn't need to be mowed nearly as often, and the cuttings make great guinea pig fodder ... hmmm. I'll work on that!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Free Food On The Hoof
Well, actually, on the stem ....
In less than a month, this young forest will present us with a year's worth of blackberries:
The salmonberries are ripening nicely and should be ready early next week:
And the first crop of rhubarb now resides in the fridge, ready to be chopped and baked into tomorrow's muffins:
In less than a month, this young forest will present us with a year's worth of blackberries:
The salmonberries are ripening nicely and should be ready early next week:
And the first crop of rhubarb now resides in the fridge, ready to be chopped and baked into tomorrow's muffins:
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Motivation
How do I get it back?
I had so many good intentions ... I was going to find a good job, finish organizing my workroom, finish all four sweaters, get a herb garden going, plant some raspberry canes, get out for a long brisk walk every day, get started on making a real patio out back, watch a couple of my DVD lectures every evening, post a blog entry at least once a week ...
None of those things have happened, not really. I'm still working on the first sweater a little bit at a time, I do go for a walk every few days, I did make it to all my job search workshops, and I do chip away at the workroom organization a little bit almost every day. But ... I just can't seem to get motivated to actually finish anything. For the last couple of weeks I've spent far too much time reading fiction, overeating, and watching NCIS reruns.
What happened? I don't really know. Maybe after being hors de combat for so long, I tried to do too much too soon? Maybe the loss of FatBrat hit me harder than I thought? Maybe the job-search stress and uncertainty is getting me down? It could be one or all of those. It could be - Goddess forbid! - that the clinical depression that runs in my family has finally tracked me down? Though I don't really believe it's depression ... when I do get out for a walk - usually with P and The Dog - I really enjoy it. And when I get something significant done in the house or the yard, it makes me happy. And I do enjoy socializing with friends and family. But it takes a real effort of will to get off the sofa and do something; though once I'm doing whatever it is, I'm glad I did get up. So I think my problem is a lack of motivation. But how did I lose it, and how can I find it again?
* * * * * *
Sister S and I took Mom to the rhododendron gardens at Deer Lake Park on Mothers' Day - lovely gardens, a beautiful warm sunny day - altogether a very good afternoon. That's Mom in the bottom pic, asking me to get a close-up shot of the lovely red blooms:
* * * * * *
I have a couple of promising job leads, both for work I'm very good at. One is what I would call my "dream" job; it's local (which means a one-zone transit pass at $81/month), it's in export lumber, it's with a company that only deals in FSC-certified forest products. Overall, this would be the job I'd keep showing up at every day even if I won the lottery. The other is also in my field; it's export CS for a shipping line agent, and while it's in downtown Vancouver (a three-zone transit pass at $151/month) it's at a company where I already know some people, have worked with them before, and get along well with them. So, now I wait to see what happens with those, and in the meantime I keep looking. Who knows? There might be something even better out there!
* * * * * *
I don't normally talk about specific products by name here, but I'm going to make an exception for this one: I will never again use Avon hair colouring, nor will I recommend it to my Avon customers. It's touted as a "salon-quality" product, but (at least in my case) that only applies if said "salon" is affiliated with a clown school ... The brochure, the package, and the website all called the colour I chose "dark brown". After following the directions to the letter - and I've been colouring my hair for nevermindhowmany years - did I get dark brown? Nope ... I got a weird bright purplish red. Think day-glo maroon; and vigorous shampooing only served to tone down the purple a bit while making the red even brighter. So it's back to Miss Clairol for me - she's never let me down.
* * * * * *
P and I, while walking The Dog, discovered a really nice little park a few blocks from here. It has a grassy field and a kids' playground, but also has some nice trails through a patch of forest. We've found blackberry canes galore, of course, and also lots of salmonberry vines. So we're checking on them every few days and hoping, once they're ripe, to get our share before they're all gone. Salmonberries are best fresh, while blackberries make fabulous jam; salmonberries also tend to be ripe a few weeks before the blackberries. I foresee a number of walks with ice-cream pails in hand ... exercise, sunshine and fresh air, and free fresh berries! And S has said I'm welcome to go over and dig up a couple of her raspberry canes, which I'll probably do next weekend. I already know where I'm going to put them - along the side fence in the back yard, where they'll get plenty of sunshine but will be out of reach of hungry passers-by!
* * * * * *
It doesn't look like I'll get my patio this year after all. Currently it looks like this:
Sigh.
It's actually all paved with 12" x 12" cement slabs; I'd like to keep those, but pull them up and put down a bed of gravel and sand, then lay them back down level with better drainage. Then I'd put my lawn swing near the left back corner, my sundial (now residing in the basement, alas) in the centre, put up a trellis across the back with grapevines (Thompson seedless if possible), have planters along both sides for my herb garden, and maybe get a little wood-burning chiminea for cool evenings. I'd prune all the overhanging laurel back to the fence line, but leave the white lilac alone - I can't resist the smell of blooming lilacs! (In fact, I went out a little while ago and cut a bunch for the living room, which now smells heavenly!)
Big Guy is trying to convince me that if he moves all the firewood from the fence side to the garage side, there will be more patio space. Sure there will, just like Daylight Saving Time actually makes the day an hour longer ... if I cut a foot off one end of a blanket and then sew it on the other end, will I have a longer blanket? Thought so.
And it's not just the firewood, it's all the other junk. Windows we took out of the house that he might put in the garage wall some day, outdoor toys the girls outgrew a decade ago but might want back some day, a dozen empty cat litter pails we might need for something some day, a dead water heater he might turn into a smoker some day, dead tires he might turn into planters some day ... scary stuff, some of it. And you'd think, with a 900-square-foot workshop and a storage shed, he could find a better home for the stuff he absolutely can't part with. Some day ... I will simply start hauling the crap out of that area and dumping it where he has to deal with it or keep tripping over it.
But for today ... back to the sweaters.
I had so many good intentions ... I was going to find a good job, finish organizing my workroom, finish all four sweaters, get a herb garden going, plant some raspberry canes, get out for a long brisk walk every day, get started on making a real patio out back, watch a couple of my DVD lectures every evening, post a blog entry at least once a week ...
None of those things have happened, not really. I'm still working on the first sweater a little bit at a time, I do go for a walk every few days, I did make it to all my job search workshops, and I do chip away at the workroom organization a little bit almost every day. But ... I just can't seem to get motivated to actually finish anything. For the last couple of weeks I've spent far too much time reading fiction, overeating, and watching NCIS reruns.
What happened? I don't really know. Maybe after being hors de combat for so long, I tried to do too much too soon? Maybe the loss of FatBrat hit me harder than I thought? Maybe the job-search stress and uncertainty is getting me down? It could be one or all of those. It could be - Goddess forbid! - that the clinical depression that runs in my family has finally tracked me down? Though I don't really believe it's depression ... when I do get out for a walk - usually with P and The Dog - I really enjoy it. And when I get something significant done in the house or the yard, it makes me happy. And I do enjoy socializing with friends and family. But it takes a real effort of will to get off the sofa and do something; though once I'm doing whatever it is, I'm glad I did get up. So I think my problem is a lack of motivation. But how did I lose it, and how can I find it again?
* * * * * *
Sister S and I took Mom to the rhododendron gardens at Deer Lake Park on Mothers' Day - lovely gardens, a beautiful warm sunny day - altogether a very good afternoon. That's Mom in the bottom pic, asking me to get a close-up shot of the lovely red blooms:
* * * * * *
I have a couple of promising job leads, both for work I'm very good at. One is what I would call my "dream" job; it's local (which means a one-zone transit pass at $81/month), it's in export lumber, it's with a company that only deals in FSC-certified forest products. Overall, this would be the job I'd keep showing up at every day even if I won the lottery. The other is also in my field; it's export CS for a shipping line agent, and while it's in downtown Vancouver (a three-zone transit pass at $151/month) it's at a company where I already know some people, have worked with them before, and get along well with them. So, now I wait to see what happens with those, and in the meantime I keep looking. Who knows? There might be something even better out there!
* * * * * *
I don't normally talk about specific products by name here, but I'm going to make an exception for this one: I will never again use Avon hair colouring, nor will I recommend it to my Avon customers. It's touted as a "salon-quality" product, but (at least in my case) that only applies if said "salon" is affiliated with a clown school ... The brochure, the package, and the website all called the colour I chose "dark brown". After following the directions to the letter - and I've been colouring my hair for nevermindhowmany years - did I get dark brown? Nope ... I got a weird bright purplish red. Think day-glo maroon; and vigorous shampooing only served to tone down the purple a bit while making the red even brighter. So it's back to Miss Clairol for me - she's never let me down.
* * * * * *
P and I, while walking The Dog, discovered a really nice little park a few blocks from here. It has a grassy field and a kids' playground, but also has some nice trails through a patch of forest. We've found blackberry canes galore, of course, and also lots of salmonberry vines. So we're checking on them every few days and hoping, once they're ripe, to get our share before they're all gone. Salmonberries are best fresh, while blackberries make fabulous jam; salmonberries also tend to be ripe a few weeks before the blackberries. I foresee a number of walks with ice-cream pails in hand ... exercise, sunshine and fresh air, and free fresh berries! And S has said I'm welcome to go over and dig up a couple of her raspberry canes, which I'll probably do next weekend. I already know where I'm going to put them - along the side fence in the back yard, where they'll get plenty of sunshine but will be out of reach of hungry passers-by!
* * * * * *
It doesn't look like I'll get my patio this year after all. Currently it looks like this:
Sigh.
It's actually all paved with 12" x 12" cement slabs; I'd like to keep those, but pull them up and put down a bed of gravel and sand, then lay them back down level with better drainage. Then I'd put my lawn swing near the left back corner, my sundial (now residing in the basement, alas) in the centre, put up a trellis across the back with grapevines (Thompson seedless if possible), have planters along both sides for my herb garden, and maybe get a little wood-burning chiminea for cool evenings. I'd prune all the overhanging laurel back to the fence line, but leave the white lilac alone - I can't resist the smell of blooming lilacs! (In fact, I went out a little while ago and cut a bunch for the living room, which now smells heavenly!)
Big Guy is trying to convince me that if he moves all the firewood from the fence side to the garage side, there will be more patio space. Sure there will, just like Daylight Saving Time actually makes the day an hour longer ... if I cut a foot off one end of a blanket and then sew it on the other end, will I have a longer blanket? Thought so.
And it's not just the firewood, it's all the other junk. Windows we took out of the house that he might put in the garage wall some day, outdoor toys the girls outgrew a decade ago but might want back some day, a dozen empty cat litter pails we might need for something some day, a dead water heater he might turn into a smoker some day, dead tires he might turn into planters some day ... scary stuff, some of it. And you'd think, with a 900-square-foot workshop and a storage shed, he could find a better home for the stuff he absolutely can't part with. Some day ... I will simply start hauling the crap out of that area and dumping it where he has to deal with it or keep tripping over it.
But for today ... back to the sweaters.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Finally Getting Somewhere
After almost four months of forced inactivity (illness, injury, house guest) I feel like I'm finally starting to make a little progress. I've rescheduled all my job search workshops, I'm getting out for a long walk almost every day, and my workroom is coming together beautifully. I have the fabric ready to lay out and cut for the curtains, and nearly all the organizing is done ... only two more shelves to go. Then some art pieces will be hung up, and I will be a very happy camper.
Even the sweaters are moving along nicely! The pink hoodie is almost completely sewn together, and the camel short-sleeved v-neck pullover is half-sewn and awaiting its neckband. After that, the green shell will get sewn together and neckbanded, and then the cream/wine/forest cardigan will get sewn together and its shawl collar and i-cord ties knitted on.
* * * * * *
I've been thinking a lot about money lately. Not surprising, since Big Guy was just laid off again. Today I emptied my piggy bank and rolled up what I could, and was very pleased, when I added up all the finished rolls, to find I have $200 to deposit into my savings account tomorrow. (I don't deposit loose coins, just whatever can be rolled.) This makes up for a third of FatBrat's vet bill, so I'll have that money back in savings quite a bit sooner than I thought.
As the years go by, I find Big Guy's attitudes towards money more and more aggravating and worrisome. For example, he has no problem at all spending hundreds of dollars he doesn't have on the truck ... but even though he's been the only one driving my car for the last few months, he refuses to chip in a penny for the insurance because "it's not his car". Well, the insurance expires next month, and if he wants to drive it after that, he'll have to insure it, because I can't afford to.
It just really, really bothers me that he's always taken debt for granted; his view is that everyone has debt, everyone lives and dies with debt, and his debt load is not a big deal. He actually doesn't mind having thousands of dollars in credit card debt plus a ten-thousand-dollar overdraft! It completely baffles me that he's never given a second's though to who will get stuck paying that off if he dies ... or maybe it ties into his ongoing conviction that his income is his alone to do whatever he likes with, while my income is "ours" and should all go into maintaining the household. And people wonder why he doesn't know I have a savings account!
* * * * * *
This year's gardening is off to a somewhat slow start. The tomato seedlings are doing well, and all the varied flower seeds daughter P planted have sprouted nicely. However, when I went looking for my stash of veggie and herb seeds, they were nowhere to be found. It turns out Big Guy tossed them all because he thought seeds over a year old were no good. Cue his red face when P pointed out that all the flower seeds she'd planted were at least eight to ten years old ...
So I'll be seed shopping tomorrow. Sigh. I plan to get green beans, zucchini, pumpkin, pickling cucumbers, parsley, oregano, tarragon, dill, thyme, garlic chive, sweet basil, mint, and spearmint. If the price is right, I'd also like to pick up a few raspberry canes and some lavender.
The apple tree and the plum tree blossomed lavishly, and we had a few nice dry semi-sunny days, so I'm hoping everything got pollinated and we'll have a good fruit crop. There are a few flowers on the cherry tree and none on the pear tree, but we didn't expect fruit from those two for two or three more years anyway.
* * * * * *
Is it cheating or stealing to scan/copy knitting patterns from library books?
Even the sweaters are moving along nicely! The pink hoodie is almost completely sewn together, and the camel short-sleeved v-neck pullover is half-sewn and awaiting its neckband. After that, the green shell will get sewn together and neckbanded, and then the cream/wine/forest cardigan will get sewn together and its shawl collar and i-cord ties knitted on.
* * * * * *
I've been thinking a lot about money lately. Not surprising, since Big Guy was just laid off again. Today I emptied my piggy bank and rolled up what I could, and was very pleased, when I added up all the finished rolls, to find I have $200 to deposit into my savings account tomorrow. (I don't deposit loose coins, just whatever can be rolled.) This makes up for a third of FatBrat's vet bill, so I'll have that money back in savings quite a bit sooner than I thought.
As the years go by, I find Big Guy's attitudes towards money more and more aggravating and worrisome. For example, he has no problem at all spending hundreds of dollars he doesn't have on the truck ... but even though he's been the only one driving my car for the last few months, he refuses to chip in a penny for the insurance because "it's not his car". Well, the insurance expires next month, and if he wants to drive it after that, he'll have to insure it, because I can't afford to.
It just really, really bothers me that he's always taken debt for granted; his view is that everyone has debt, everyone lives and dies with debt, and his debt load is not a big deal. He actually doesn't mind having thousands of dollars in credit card debt plus a ten-thousand-dollar overdraft! It completely baffles me that he's never given a second's though to who will get stuck paying that off if he dies ... or maybe it ties into his ongoing conviction that his income is his alone to do whatever he likes with, while my income is "ours" and should all go into maintaining the household. And people wonder why he doesn't know I have a savings account!
* * * * * *
This year's gardening is off to a somewhat slow start. The tomato seedlings are doing well, and all the varied flower seeds daughter P planted have sprouted nicely. However, when I went looking for my stash of veggie and herb seeds, they were nowhere to be found. It turns out Big Guy tossed them all because he thought seeds over a year old were no good. Cue his red face when P pointed out that all the flower seeds she'd planted were at least eight to ten years old ...
So I'll be seed shopping tomorrow. Sigh. I plan to get green beans, zucchini, pumpkin, pickling cucumbers, parsley, oregano, tarragon, dill, thyme, garlic chive, sweet basil, mint, and spearmint. If the price is right, I'd also like to pick up a few raspberry canes and some lavender.
The apple tree and the plum tree blossomed lavishly, and we had a few nice dry semi-sunny days, so I'm hoping everything got pollinated and we'll have a good fruit crop. There are a few flowers on the cherry tree and none on the pear tree, but we didn't expect fruit from those two for two or three more years anyway.
* * * * * *
Is it cheating or stealing to scan/copy knitting patterns from library books?
Monday, April 23, 2012
Interesting Times
As in "May you live in ...".
And has it ever been an "interesting" few weeks!
First there was the broken elbow. Ever try to shower with one arm taped into a trash bag, or put a decent bra on one-handed? 'Nuff said. Even tying my hair back in its usual ponytail was a real challenge.
My very dear friend S arrived from the midwestern USA on April 8th. Almost the 9th, actually, since her plane landed at 11:35 p.m. and by the time she was through Customs and we got back in D's car it was after midnight. So far so good; we got back here and sat around drinking coffee and chatting until after 2:30 a.m., then D went home and S and I crashed.
The morning of the 9th, my elderly FatBratCat started throwing up blood. Raced off to the vet, who wanted to keep her overnight to do bloodwork, x-rays, etc. Went back on the 10th, and was told that she had suffered catastrophic kidney failure, and that at her age the prognosis was pretty grim. So I did the right thing ... the only possible thing ... Why is it that so often, the kindest and most loving thing to do is also the hardest? She did have seventeen good spoiled-rotten years. And we did know that, like GabbyTabby, it was only a matter of time. But losing two much-loved kitties in less than a year really hurts. I get up in the morning feeling like I've forgotten something ... it feels strange not having a cat in the house for the first time in over thirty years.
Honestly, it would have been much easier to deal with if S hadn't kept pushing. "You're not even crying! When I had to put my cat down I bawled for days! But then, I really loved my cat." Finally I had to tell her, "Look - I don't cry in front of anyone, not even Big Guy - never have, never will. It has less than nothing to do with how much I loved FatBrat or how much I miss her. The subject is not open for discussion." Rude to a guest? Possibly - although not nearly as rude as what I wanted to say. Especially after S then asked if I was going to let the cat's death spoil her vacation! Well, no, I wasn't, but it was ... difficult.
* * * * * * * *
Between the 10th and the 14th of April, we took S up to Lynn Canyon to hike up and down the river and across the suspension bridge, we took her up to Squamish for lunch and then to Shannon Falls, and D took her up the Fraser Canyon and into the Rockies as far as Revelstoke. I didn't go with them that day, as I had to see the orthopedic specialist about my elbow.
The doctor very obligingly inspected the new x-rays and removed the cast! Smiles all around - no surgery needed, I just need to be a little careful with it for a few weeks.
The following day we drove down to Washington State - D and S dropped me off at J's new place in Everett, then headed into Seattle for a baseball game (D is a staunch Mariners fan). I just hope they enjoyed the game as much as I enjoyed my evening with J!
From the 15th through to when we dropped S at the airport the morning of the 21st, we didn't go so far afield, as D had to go back to work and Big Guy had my car every day. We took public transit a couple of times - into Vancouver to have lunch with my girls, and to Metrotown to do some shopping - and walked around the shopping areas here a couple of afternoons. But with no car and the weather turning cold and wet again, we spent a lot of time in the house gabbing, watching movies, and playing cards. I taught S a variant of rummy the girls and I play a lot, and she picked it up quite quickly in spite of its intricacies.
* * * * * * * *
In other areas since my last post - having a house guest really cramped my style in some areas, and it was very hard to bite my tongue:
Power must be super-cheap where S lives ... she never turned a light off, never powered down the laptop I'd set up in the guest room for her (even when we were leaving for the airport!), kept wanting the heat bumped up about eight degrees above where we keep it, took half-hour showers daily but never used a towel more than once, and ran the washer and dryer every night for whatever she'd worn that day. Come on, a "full" load for one pair of leggings and a t-shirt? Please!
Food waste - let's not even go there. Never before in my life have I seen anyone eat half a slice of pizza, throw the other half away, then grab two more slices and do the same with them. Or take the biggest pork chop and the biggest baked potato, then throw away a third of the chop and half the potato.
Frugality - went right out the window. S wouldn't eat red meat but loves seafood (expensive), didn't bother getting enough Canadian cash to cover more than the souvenirs she'd promised her friends, wouldn't drink coffee but can't survive without a two-litre bottle of Coke a day, took it for granted that D or I would pay for all her meals out, all her transit fares ...
She's still a very dear friend but it's so true that you never really know someone until you live with them!
* * * * * * * *
Garden planning proceeds well, though rather differently than I'd envisioned last winter. Big Guy decided to try starting tomato plants from seeds rather than buying bedding plants, and they're coming along very nicely. He planted 24 seeds, of which 20 have sprouted. Once the weather cooperates, we'll bung the best eight or ten into the outdoor tomato planter, and I'll plant chives and parsley in between. The rest of the herbs will be in pots hung on the chain-link side fence, and if I can I'll be putting cages made of old window screening around those to keep the squirrels and birds from eating the plants.
My fruit trees are all blossoming, so I'm hoping the rain will hold off until everything's pollinated. Apples, plums, pears, cherries, black currants ... if all goes well I see a busy canning/freezing/drying season ahead. Not to mention the rhubarb, which I'll be eating the first stalks of this week, and the mint and spearmint to be dried for tea. And if I can talk Big Guy into it, I'd love to put in some raspberry canes.
* * * * * * * *
What comes next? Re-scheduling all the Options workshops I missed (between whooping cough and the broken elbow), picking up the intensive job search again, and seeing if I can't get my home-based business up and running again. Oh, and starting a new batch of crafts for next winter's craft fairs. And finishing four (yes, four!) sweaters that had to be put on "hold" until my new workroom was ready and I could use both hands again. And the mending keeps piling up ...
Wish me luck!
And has it ever been an "interesting" few weeks!
First there was the broken elbow. Ever try to shower with one arm taped into a trash bag, or put a decent bra on one-handed? 'Nuff said. Even tying my hair back in its usual ponytail was a real challenge.
My very dear friend S arrived from the midwestern USA on April 8th. Almost the 9th, actually, since her plane landed at 11:35 p.m. and by the time she was through Customs and we got back in D's car it was after midnight. So far so good; we got back here and sat around drinking coffee and chatting until after 2:30 a.m., then D went home and S and I crashed.
The morning of the 9th, my elderly FatBratCat started throwing up blood. Raced off to the vet, who wanted to keep her overnight to do bloodwork, x-rays, etc. Went back on the 10th, and was told that she had suffered catastrophic kidney failure, and that at her age the prognosis was pretty grim. So I did the right thing ... the only possible thing ... Why is it that so often, the kindest and most loving thing to do is also the hardest? She did have seventeen good spoiled-rotten years. And we did know that, like GabbyTabby, it was only a matter of time. But losing two much-loved kitties in less than a year really hurts. I get up in the morning feeling like I've forgotten something ... it feels strange not having a cat in the house for the first time in over thirty years.
Honestly, it would have been much easier to deal with if S hadn't kept pushing. "You're not even crying! When I had to put my cat down I bawled for days! But then, I really loved my cat." Finally I had to tell her, "Look - I don't cry in front of anyone, not even Big Guy - never have, never will. It has less than nothing to do with how much I loved FatBrat or how much I miss her. The subject is not open for discussion." Rude to a guest? Possibly - although not nearly as rude as what I wanted to say. Especially after S then asked if I was going to let the cat's death spoil her vacation! Well, no, I wasn't, but it was ... difficult.
* * * * * * * *
Between the 10th and the 14th of April, we took S up to Lynn Canyon to hike up and down the river and across the suspension bridge, we took her up to Squamish for lunch and then to Shannon Falls, and D took her up the Fraser Canyon and into the Rockies as far as Revelstoke. I didn't go with them that day, as I had to see the orthopedic specialist about my elbow.
The doctor very obligingly inspected the new x-rays and removed the cast! Smiles all around - no surgery needed, I just need to be a little careful with it for a few weeks.
The following day we drove down to Washington State - D and S dropped me off at J's new place in Everett, then headed into Seattle for a baseball game (D is a staunch Mariners fan). I just hope they enjoyed the game as much as I enjoyed my evening with J!
From the 15th through to when we dropped S at the airport the morning of the 21st, we didn't go so far afield, as D had to go back to work and Big Guy had my car every day. We took public transit a couple of times - into Vancouver to have lunch with my girls, and to Metrotown to do some shopping - and walked around the shopping areas here a couple of afternoons. But with no car and the weather turning cold and wet again, we spent a lot of time in the house gabbing, watching movies, and playing cards. I taught S a variant of rummy the girls and I play a lot, and she picked it up quite quickly in spite of its intricacies.
* * * * * * * *
In other areas since my last post - having a house guest really cramped my style in some areas, and it was very hard to bite my tongue:
Power must be super-cheap where S lives ... she never turned a light off, never powered down the laptop I'd set up in the guest room for her (even when we were leaving for the airport!), kept wanting the heat bumped up about eight degrees above where we keep it, took half-hour showers daily but never used a towel more than once, and ran the washer and dryer every night for whatever she'd worn that day. Come on, a "full" load for one pair of leggings and a t-shirt? Please!
Food waste - let's not even go there. Never before in my life have I seen anyone eat half a slice of pizza, throw the other half away, then grab two more slices and do the same with them. Or take the biggest pork chop and the biggest baked potato, then throw away a third of the chop and half the potato.
Frugality - went right out the window. S wouldn't eat red meat but loves seafood (expensive), didn't bother getting enough Canadian cash to cover more than the souvenirs she'd promised her friends, wouldn't drink coffee but can't survive without a two-litre bottle of Coke a day, took it for granted that D or I would pay for all her meals out, all her transit fares ...
She's still a very dear friend but it's so true that you never really know someone until you live with them!
* * * * * * * *
Garden planning proceeds well, though rather differently than I'd envisioned last winter. Big Guy decided to try starting tomato plants from seeds rather than buying bedding plants, and they're coming along very nicely. He planted 24 seeds, of which 20 have sprouted. Once the weather cooperates, we'll bung the best eight or ten into the outdoor tomato planter, and I'll plant chives and parsley in between. The rest of the herbs will be in pots hung on the chain-link side fence, and if I can I'll be putting cages made of old window screening around those to keep the squirrels and birds from eating the plants.
My fruit trees are all blossoming, so I'm hoping the rain will hold off until everything's pollinated. Apples, plums, pears, cherries, black currants ... if all goes well I see a busy canning/freezing/drying season ahead. Not to mention the rhubarb, which I'll be eating the first stalks of this week, and the mint and spearmint to be dried for tea. And if I can talk Big Guy into it, I'd love to put in some raspberry canes.
* * * * * * * *
What comes next? Re-scheduling all the Options workshops I missed (between whooping cough and the broken elbow), picking up the intensive job search again, and seeing if I can't get my home-based business up and running again. Oh, and starting a new batch of crafts for next winter's craft fairs. And finishing four (yes, four!) sweaters that had to be put on "hold" until my new workroom was ready and I could use both hands again. And the mending keeps piling up ...
Wish me luck!
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