reality

Creative projects on hold for a short while, no fun photos,..... been working as much as I can at Grocer's Daughter making truffles and chocolate bars (yum yum yum!). Jayson dislocated his shoulder while snowboarding, so he is out of commission for a few weeks and not able to teach. I'm pulling double duty at work and home and trying to keep it all together. I do love where I work - best smelling job ever! Leaf came to work with me today, she loves it, too. A special, special place where magic happens.

I am winding down a bit while Leaf is resting. Thinking about Biodynamics and sending energy to our land for the plants we hope to grow and welcome this spring and summer. The snow has stopped falling for a little while. We had about 16 inches Tuesday night, another 12 the next two days, and probably another 10 inches last night plus blowing and drifting. It was quite a chore shoveling out to the wood pile and the compost. Leaf decided to read every book about snowmen that she has and played with bears. How fitting, of course!

I have been thinking about what change I will make for March in our move towards sustainability. January's and February's have been so successful. Jayson remarked the other day what an amazing change the family cloth has made in toilet paper consumption. I am loving the ToGoWare stainless food storage and satiating my creative needs with knitting and sewing. Some ideas for March include establishing regular visits with elders in our community, always remembering our own containers to bring food home from restaurants (not that we have been out at all lately, but I am hopeful), learning to make pasta from scratch to eliminate that purchase with packaging, and having designated shut-off times when absolutely nothing is using power in the entire house and all is quiet. Wow, the last one is really appealing. I used to live without any power or electric hum or cell phone emissions. What happened?

This change will take effort from everyone in the house. I will post more when I am able.
Peaceful evening to you~~~~

knitting on....

Leaf's hat was finished in an afternoon while she napped on my lap. She chose the yarn (100% wool), and I am pleased with how it turned out. Jayson's is next.... I actually had most of it knitted, but could not live with a mistake in it and unraveled the entire thing. I suppose that is where the term "knit-picky" might come from. Ha-ha!
I am envisioning a sweet pair of pants to make next. I hesitate to write any more about it, lest it lose some magic.
My other challenge for Feb is keeping up with the housework while satiating my compulsive knitting craze.

Here is a wonderful poem I read about once a week; it is me and is the source of inspiration and continued renewal of energy for what I am doing with this life.

I Will
Listen, I've decided:
Life is too precious to ponder
the petty details any longer
and to put it bluntly
I will not participate.
I will not be coming to the party.
I will not be returning the call.
I will not be anything to anyone.
I will stare at the gray sky till it is blue.
I will walk in the green fields and
smell the wildflowers.
I will imbibe this life the way
it was meant to be imbibed.
I will listen only to my body
and the black crows.
I will live by the true laws of the Land.
I will pick wild blackberries and pet cats.
I will write poems I share
only with the wind.
I will raise a child
on the edge of nowhere.
I will nourish her on magic and honey.
I will teach her
the language of the fairies.
We will play in
the forest at twilight.
We will hurl all hardship
downhill to the sea.

-Marni Norwich

One Small Change for February: Self-Reliance

Not exactly a small change. On our path to sustainability, my family must learn how to do many more things ourselves.... especially where we live.
Last week I read a knitting tutorial and learned how to knit. Soon, the family will have new hats that fit well! This is a skill I promised myself I would acquire this winter.
I also inherited a sewing machine last month. Three nights ago we unearthed it, only to discover it was not running! Jayson took it apart, figured out how it works, cleaned it, oiled it, fixed it,..... and now I am learning to use it! Leaf has two new stuffed mouse friends made from an old pair of jeans.... and clothing for Leaf and me is on the way!
I am taking a woodworking class later this month (we bartered with a friend for tuition), and I can finally get some tips to make my projects better executed. Hopefully some playstands will come of this.
I am finally getting my head and rest of me in gear to get creative with bringing more income in, or at the very least, have more bartering items. I feel like a bear that just came out of my cave. Motion has begun with the quickening in the earth.
And we are planning our garden!

All of these elements are helping to bring us closer to sustainability. And the most beautiful part is the feeling of making something, creating something, out of re-used materials, and made with love. It just feels good.

plastics update

Here is the link to the Diane Rehm show, I believe if you click on the left side where the show is listed it will play the audio.
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/10/01/24.php#31737

I am so glad that I listened to this last night. Good info and an important discussion. I did some of my own research, too, because I have many more questions. Leaf and I then cleaned out the tupperware cupboard. We kept a few containers to store/freeze leftovers in. Most of what we had in there is #5. I found numerous sites on the web stating that #2, 4, & 5 are safer plastics to use for re-use. They do not contain BPA. However, they do contain other chemicals that can be carcinogenic of heated. We do not use a microwave and have always washed our re-used plastic by hand, so this aspect does not concern me. What I did think about is putting warm leftovers into containers.... my solution: just let it cool completely. We use glass (pyrex) for storage as much as we can, but run out sometimes. With the addition of stainless containers for picnics and going to work (they won't break like glass can), I feel good about our system for now.

We had held on to a few plastic children's dishes that my sister gave us for when they come over, but after what I heard and read, I posted them on freecycle (not really wanting anyone else to use them and feeling a bit of contradiction within myself about it). We have wooden bowls that visiting children can use if their parents feel they would not do well with the china dishes. As for drinking vessels, we use mostly glass and ceramic. I am working on getting a few more tiny "Todd mugs" from our friend Todd Springer whose mugs have withstood numerous drops to the concrete floor! Leaf can also share her Kleen Kanteens if needed.

A big concern that I am not sure what I will do about is BPA in the lining of canned goods. We have a shelf of canned beans, some pumpkin purees, and a few soups. I have always liked having these on hand for when I haven't soaked beans overnight. I learned that Eden Foods is the only company that has BPA free cans. While I will contact other companies to inquire about their cans, what do I do with the food on our shelf that we have been eating? I think I will use them sparingly, really try to plan meals ahead so that I have time to use the dry beans, and maybe donate some to a food pantry. I do feel a bit strange about giving other people things I do not feel safe using or eating, I have concluded that it probably better for them to at least be eating organic beans instead of the other kinds that may be available to them.


Those are my thoughts on this cold and snowy day. To balance all of the cerebral work, we had a day full of art and tactile bliss~~~~~
baked 3 dozen vegan cookies, 2 loaves of bread ( and Leaf made a mini-loaf), sculpted with beeswax, and painted for 4 hours!!

another small change

My intention for change this last month was to stop the influx of new plastic produce and other food bags into the home. So far.... it's working!! I'm not referring to what we bring the groceries home in, we have been using tote bags and boxes for years; I mean the bags for spinach and dried cherries. I am loving the Ecobags for kale, bulk beets and carrots, herbs, dried beans,.... and they are easy to wash. I am happy to report that I enjoy each time I do NOT reach for a plastic bag. So glad that I finally implemented this overdue change... and that I am no longer washing plastic bags. Ugh. With the addition of a portable dishwasher from J's parents (thank you thank you!), our kitchen is much cleaner. We have a great recycling business locally where I can retire the old plastic bags. http://bayarearecycling.net/

About a week into January, I was inspired by Suzy from HipMountainMama to bring back the family cloth.

Leaf was already using only cloth, a leftover habit from diapers, it only made sense to have the rest of the family on board. I decided to ease into it with just for #1 or for the final cleaning after #2. This can get graphic so I will leave it at that. We have both options set up in the bathroom and a small stainless trash can with a removable bucket for the used cloths. This way, guests can choose their own method, as well. I am pleased with this set-up. So far, our toilet paper consumption has significantly decreased, especially because I drink a lot of tea!


Now we move towards the next month and another small change. There has been a lot of discussion lately about research done on chemical additives in plastics and other products. Noteably, the book Slow Death by Rubber Duck. I am so glad that more people are talking about this. I missed the interview on the Diane Rehm show, but will look for the transcript.
While driving home last week, I began to think about what I have in my household that is "unknown plastic" to me. Not much, but one comment I did catch from the authors is the importance of keeping it away from consumables. Well, the only place we really have plastic is in the "tupperware cupboard." Re-usable food storage containers, or re-used yogurt and other containers. I don't know if these plastics contain harmful and leaching chemicals. Last summer, I moved to storing most leftovers in glass bowls (with plastic lids), and now I will be moving farther with the addition of stainless steel containers. I ordered some and hope to have them tomorrow. I don't think this will be our only change for the month, especially because there is a lot more I need to research, but it is another step. I question the use, procuring, and production of steel as well. With almost anything, I want to know everything I can about it before making a choice I feel I can promote to others. And sometimes all of this thought and time seems ridiculous to me because it feels like it is spent on things. Things that are insignificant in the long run. Not that protecting my family from toxins is insignificant, what I mean is why don't I just go out and carve a bowl from one of the fallen trees near our house? I can go so far with my thoughts that I need to just pull back and recognize that I need to take steps, too.

I will be pondering what other changes I can make towards a truly sustainable lifestyle.

Tonight, we enjoy another meal of leek greens we harvested last spring. Enjoy the picture from then and thoughts of the seeds that are busy within the earth. Now is a perfect time to dance outside, it helps to wake those seeds up and to honor mother earth. I recommend a good stomping dance to celebrate Imbolc!

january picnic

Beautiful days of sunshine, no time for the computer! We spent the day as a family (a rare thing with Jayson's work schedule) creating and laughing. We hiked into our woods and all worked on the "nest," the recent addition to our special space - made from downed branches. I will post pictures when I have some (they are on J's phone). After a magical hike home where Leaf was the Cross Country Cat (yow meow!), we had a picnic in the snow. Such magical and memorable moments. J went to work and Leaf and I sang songs about sunshine for the remainder of the day.


We spent the weekend at the lovely Neahtawanta Inn for a Bioneers planning retreat - the work for the annual October conference is underway!
Today is a gray slushy day, good for baking cookies and reading stories. I usually have somewhat of a slothy day when I return from being away. I enjoy the slow pace and lots of tea!

the crafting day!!

Yesterday was a perfect day for making things. I was prompted into action when my daughter came to me and said, "Snoopy doesn't have a doghouse. Can Mama help Snoopy find his doghouse?" I dove into the recycling, found some sturdy cardboard and we were off!After Snoopy had a new home, it then became necessary to make a home for the fox and the bears. We built a cave out of rocks for the bears, and made a nice nest in a basket "den" for the fox. It was then requested that we have some birdies for the nest, too. After a quick story about foxes and birds, it was decided that the birdies should have their own nest. I took some carded and plant-dyed wool and we wet felted three bluebirds and a nest of their own. It was Leaf's first time felting!

Next, we made some felted food for the dollhouse. The dollies had been getting quite hungry since Christmas. Leaf and I felted 2 apples, 2 oranges, a loaf of bread, and a pumpkin. When they were finished and dried, she told me that the dollies needed a refrigerator for their food. Wow! So into the recycling bag again, and I found a Yogi Tea box. Perfect!

It felt so good to have simple and quick projects with tangible and functional results. I am excited to do more.