11.03.08
Posted in Environment, Musings, Vent at 3:20 pm by trueepicure
I try to remember to bring my reusable bags to the store. Most of the time I remember, and if I don’t, I fill my backpack and debate the ridiculousness of maybe buying a new reusable bag while I’m standing on line. I don’t actually buy a new bag, but I usually consider it while I mentally kick myself for not remembering. What bothers me even more than not remembering to bring my bags is when I *do* bring my bags and the cashier doesn’t seem to have a clue about what I am doing.
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09.10.08
Posted in Environment, Fabulous Find at 10:23 am by trueepicure
I have an obsession with William Morris designs. I find the botanicals so completely captivating, probably because of the organic yet stylized designs. Imagine my excitement when I found this. And this.
Paper sources is carrying the Victoria and Albert Museum aluminum bottles and vacuum flasks, as well as garden tools in both patterns. I’m not sure I can really justify purchasing one of the bottles, since I have about eight bazillion other reusable containers, but it’s nice to know that such cute things exist!
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07.21.08
Posted in Environment, Gardening, Plants at 3:36 pm by trueepicure
Ollas, Spanish for pots (pronounced oh-yas), are a brilliant, ancient irrigation technique. Check out the Urban Homestead and their step-by-step directions for using ollas. It sounds like they would work well in anything but sandy soil… I wonder how they would do in this ridiculous clay we have in our backyard?
(Thanks to Ravelry Green Thumbs Group for the heads up on these!)
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06.29.08
Posted in Environment, Flowers, Food, Gardening, Musings, Plants at 1:05 pm by trueepicure
It’s been raining so much here lately, that we haven’t been able to mow the lawn much. I know E isn’t particularly happy about it, but at least the bees are happy. They seem to like the clover that’s growing in the yard:
I’m trying to pay more attention to the bees… and to the smaller things in life that I tend to overlook because I’m busy or just plain not paying attention. Bees are on my mind more and more lately because of the news about Colony Collapse Disorder. I now have a number of veggie plants in the back yard, that won’t get pollinated unless the bees or other insects are drawn to the yard. Imagine what will happen if all of the bees die?!
So here’s to our slightly overgrown lawn, bees, and the other small things that might get overlooked.
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05.29.08
Posted in Affirmation, Environment, Musings at 9:29 am by trueepicure
Some days you just have to enjoy the simple beauty the world has to offer. Forget about all of the worry, and just enjoy what is.
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03.23.08
Posted in Environment, Musings, Vent at 4:55 pm by trueepicure
I’m on the email mailing lists of a number of different charitable organizations, and I receive emails about their activities on a fairly frequent basis. Some of these lists receive postings from other organizations, which is nice, because it allows me to be informed about related work that is going on in other organizations. I received one such email a couple of weeks ago, from a group that is starting up a clean drinking water program for schools in developing nations. “Great idea.” Was my first thought. Drinking water for schools means that an entire community (potentially) has access to clean drinking water. This is such an important thing for everyone - clean water means a reduction in disease, and an increase in crop harvests, and is in general, a critical part of human survival.
Which started me thinking (or rather, made an internal conversation surface again): what about clean drinking water in this country?
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07.16.07
Posted in Environment, Flowers, Gardening, Musings, Plants at 11:06 am by trueepicure
CBS Sunday Morning had a great “article” on Claudia Johnson this weekend. Mrs. Johnson is better known as “Lady Bird” Johnson, the wife of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson was remembered for her involvement in getting the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 passed into Law. Mrs. Johnson also started the National Wildflower Research Center, with actress Helen Hayes, which was later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
I’m sure that Mrs. Johnson is remembered by many people for many other things, but I can’t imagine a better thing to be remembered for than wanting to make the world a more beautiful place.
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04.22.07
Posted in Craft, Environment, Musings at 5:20 pm by trueepicure
I have a large self-healing mat that I carried from Arizona to Virginia. It didn’t survive the trip very well (I didn’t really think that it would) but I kept it because I couldn’t bear to throw such a thing away. Silly, really, since it’s easy to buy a new one, and I can’t really rely on the measurements any more, since the mat is warped in various directions.
But me, being me, I can’t bear to just throw something that significant (in size) away, and to my knowledge, my mat isn’t recyclable. Or is it?
I did a quick Google search on how to fix my mat, and as I thought, it can’t really be trusted to be accurate for measuring. I can, however, flatten it out and cut it up to use for smaller craft projects - like my new card-making obsession! How’s that for a little bit of Earth Day, reducing-my-ecological-footprint action?
Happy Earth Day!
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