A Deeper Shade of Green

I'll be honest: a few years ago, my eyes sort of glazed over when people started talkin' eco. It wasn't that I didn't care; I just cared theoretically. I recycled, and that was more or less the extent of my green activities. In the last couple of years, my commitment to being green has grown quite a bit. I've been asking myself why lately, as it now seems to me that there are few things more crucial than motivating people to go greener. The "why" for me is easy, though: other people sharing their green practices and nonjudgmentally encouraging others to do the same. We are by no means as green as we could be, but here are some of the things we do now, and some of the people who inspired us.

1. Cloth Napkins - Lisa & Rebecca
I've actually been using cloth napkins since I lived with Lisa, before Ben and I married. At first I thought she was sort of quaint when she unpacked her squares of cotton, but I was quickly hooked. I inherited some from her, and then Rebecca made us some more so that we have enough to keep our faces clean without ever missing paper. We use them a few times and then just throw the napkins in the wash with whatever other laundry we're doing. This saves us money, saves paper, and is just a really nice cheap luxury.

2. Cloth diapers - Erin & Julie
I never ever in a million years would have guessed that we would use cloth diapers for Juliette. In fact, when Julie, my mentor and pastor from seminary, offered to give us six weeks of cloth diaper service, I was reluctant to accept it. I now know that cloth diaper services are the best of the best options for diapers - all the benefits of cloth without any of the work, plus Di-dee Diaper, the So-Cal service, uses a crazy small amount of water to clean them and delivers them in natural gas vehicles. They are, however, expensive. We were ready to go back to disposables when Erin posted a carnival of how-to's for cloth diapering. I read that post, and her friends' posts, oh... twenty times? before I finally decided we really could do it. And in all seriousness: CLOTH DIAPERS ARE NO BIG THING. You get your system down, and you're good to go. The extra laundry is negligible but the savings are profound. Now that Juliette nurses less, we are in the golden era of cloth diapers - we rarely even have to rinse them out anymore. (e.t.a. - we do use disposables at night, all-day trips, and vacations. they do have their place!!)

3. No more paper towels - indirectly Erin and Julie, plus Rebecca
When we ran out of paper towels in May, I asked Ben if it would be okay for us to just not buy anymore. All of a sudden it dawned on me that it was kind of ridiculous to still use paper towels if we were willing to do cloth diapers. While Rebecca was here, I asked her if she used paper towels, and she said "no" in the most perfect tone of voice. It conveyed her feelings about them without making me feel guilty that we'd been using them all along. It was an inspirational "no," an "of course we can give up paper towels" no. We're still working out our post-paper towels system, but I don't see us going back.

4. More local food & gardening - Barbara Kingsolver and all the gardeners we know, especially Anna and Rebecca,
So our banana consumption is bananas lately, thanks to Juliette's newfound passion for the equatorial fruit. But we do eat a lot more local food and visit the farmers market with much greater regularity thanks to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. And I can't get enough of gardening! I invariably ask people about their gardens when I call them, and am already plotting a larger plot in the parsonage backyard for next year.

5. Walking for (some) errands under 2 miles - Hmm... maybe Tsh at Simple Mom?
Around about the time I started walking more for exercise this spring, I realized that our vicinity is way more walkable than I'd previously considered it to be. I remember I did some zip code walkability check on the internet a couple years ago, and scoffed that Torrance was supposedly super-walkable. It's true that we end up walking alongside the fourth-longest mall in America and crossing suburban megastreets. But we can and do easily walk to Target, the grocery store, the farmers market, the library, the movie theater, and the park.

6. Diva Cup - Tsh from Simple Mom
I've been hemming and hawing as to whether or not I really want to blog about men-stroo-a-shun. It's not really on my list of topics for public discussion. But I'm downright evangelical about the Diva Cup, and cannot imagine ever going back to pads or tampons. The green factor is only part of it: it's simply a better method, period. Pun intended, of course.

7. Composting - Tsh from Simple Mom
I should point out that just before Earth Day, Tsh posted 40 Tips to Go Greener at Home, and I was just primed to take it seriously and try some of the tips; that's why so many of these are Tsh-related. This happened to be the weekend we were planting our garden, and we were both intrigued by the idea of adding a compost bin to the project. It was something I had wanted to do but for whatever reason thought it sounded hard or expensive (some of those frou frou compost bins are hundreds of dollars). Tsh posted a link to instructions how to turn an 18-gallon Rubbermaid container into a compost bin with a power drill. Ben did all the work, and now we're already starting to see our kitchen and garden scraps turning into rich compost. I never thought I would be so excited about decomposing eggshells.

* * *
We've made most of these changes since Juliette was born. And while we've learned and been inspired by these ecologically-minded friends, wanting my daughter to experience a healthy earth is at the heart of these changes. I'm glad that she will grow up taking green for granted.

A big thank you to all the people who have helped us go greener - this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Rainbows Blessings

Three friends from seminary were ordained on Saturday at the Cal-Pac Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, including my dear Lara. I organized some of her friends from all over the country - actually, the world - to participate in giving her a beautiful handmade rainbow stole I found on Etsy. Facebook makes suprising people surprisingly easy - her Facebook friends list gave me all the contact info I needed. Very cool. I hereby encourage y'all to check out Gloria Vestments next time you're on the market for a new stole. Actually, nothing will put you on the market for a new stole faster than checking out Gloria Vestments. Anna's handiwork is exquisite, and she went above and beyond to get it here on time for the ordination.

Behold:

You can't see the reverse side well enough in my photo, so here's the photo from the Gloria Vestments site. It's reversible, and the white side is quilted with rainbow thread. So lovely.

I totally wish I could make stoles. Indeed, I am bound and determined to learn to sew well enough to make stoles.

I also finally finished the prayer shawl that was supposed to be Lara's birthday present in March of 2005. It was also pretty beautiful, if I do say so myself.
On a related note, Lara did the blessing for Juliette's dedication service a year ago. This is part of what she said:

Juliette, on the day you were born, a rainbow filled the sky and that raindbow is a sign of God's promise and love for God's people. Today we celebrate the love that surrounds you and the promises made to nurture you in the life of faith. So Juliette, receive this blessing of love as a beloved child of God. May you grow to always know Jesus as your friend and companion. May you see with eyes of faith, and be guided by the light of God. May songs of peace fill your days and thoughts of mercy fill your mind. Let your words be gentle and your touch be kind. When you take steps of compassion also take strides for justice. As you are held and embraced this day, may you also embrace the life and gifts given to you with thanksgiving, find joy in God's abundant creation, and always look to the colors of the rainbow to make your heart smile. God's grace be before you, Christ's love be in you, and the Holy Spirit be always at your side.

Amen.

The Second Monday in June

...is henceforth Blueberry Pie for Breakfast Day.

Last night I made a blueberry pie. I wanted to eat some immediately after it came out of the oven, but it was obvious that the filling was way too hot for the pie to set, so I went to bed with an empty stomach.

Which meant, of course, that the very first thing I did this morning was eat a piece of blueberry pie. It was soooooo good. I was almost done with my piece in the time it took for Juliette to get a diaper change, I inhaled it so quickly.

When Ben walked into the kitchen, he was shocked - not that I was eating blueberry pie for breakfast, but that I hadn't taken a picture of it first. So we took a picture...
And then we saw just how much Juliette wanted some...

Juliette made up for the fact that she didn't eat a bite of her birthday cake by thoroughly enjoying her Blueberry Pie for Breakfast Day treat.
Blueberry Pie for Breakfast Day will be closely followed by Bread Machine Appreciation Day, which will be observed on June 19th, the anniversary of when we bought our beloved Williams-Sonoma on Craigslist.

It remains to be seen if Blueberry Pie for Breakfast Day is also celebrated on the third Tuesday of the month.

Several on Saturday

1. I had high hopes that I'd make it through my photo-a-week 2009, but since I never got a system going, it's been a bear to keep up with. (I don't know how you 365ers do it.) It was kind of gettin' me down, so I just decided to scrap it and upload recent favorites to Flickr. I probably have taken at least a photo a week, I just don't have the energy to organize them accordingly. (And yes, I know that iPhoto more or less does it for you.) At any rate, here's the new batch of mostly-Juliette.

2. I wasn't looking through the viewfinder when I took this; I just held the camera in the air and shot blindly. And I love it.
3. I was unintentionally the Crazy Lady at jury duty yesterday. First of all, I was sick - am sick - with one of the sneeziest, snottiest colds I've ever had. So everyone was already very aware of me, and one lady understandably got up and moved after I had a sneezing attack (I did cover my nose and bring tons of tissues, for the record). I was in the juror box for a civil case involving neighbors disputing over the trimming of oleander. The defense attorney was asking us all if we knew what oleanders are, if we know if they are poisonous or not, if we consider them a hedge or a bush or a tree, etc. One man made everyone laugh when he said, "Well, I know what oleanders are now." Well, I happen to have a lot of oleander experience. At least more than my fellow jurors. I was sort of cataloging it in my head before they got to me, so I'd be ready. Yes, we have oleanders. Yup, once our gardener cut them down below the level of our bathroom window, but now they're taller than the house. Oh, and once I was at a concert and the singer (Sarah Harmer) had a new song about oleanders and she commented on how difficult they are to grow in Canada but here in So Cal they're growing like crazy on the interstate medians. Um, did I really just say that? In front of the whole court? Yes, I did. And was I surprised when the plaintiff's attorney immediately dismissed me for cause? No, I wasn't. All I can say is that at least I didn't go into the plot of White Oleander, that great Janet Fitch book in which a woman poisons her lover with oleander petals. Because it was next in the catalogue queue.

4. I'm loving this album...


So is Juliette - it's the one she was dancing to the other day.

5. On that topic... I just realized that there is a bad word in the Black Eyed Peas song she was dancing to the day before that. Oops. My apologies.

6. Also on that topic, Elizabeth was speculating that Juliette's mad dance moves must be a sign of "nature" in the "nature v. nurture" debate. Well, perhaps. But that child has seen lots of mad dance moves from both her parental units, and I just uncovered an old video in which we were more or less giving her dance lessons. So I'm pretty sure she's locked into being a dancing fool no matter what. She'll probably embarrass herself at jury duty one day, too... what can I say. We're a little goofy around here sometimes.

7. One more dance-related item: ohmygoodness do we love So You Think You Can Dance in these parts. Ben actually allowed it to begin recording when the Lakers game was in overtime. Now that it's the real season - past the partially-obnoxious auditions phase - it's just. so. good.

8. The first volume of my blog book came, and it was so exciting! The book printed beautifully, and it was pretty amazing to see how much I wrote in just one year. My favorite posts were definitely the ones in which I recorded things Ben and I said to make each other laugh. We'd forgotten most of them, of course. I hereby endorse Blurb.

Happy Saturday! Here's hoping I have a voice and can get through worship tomorrow without going through an entire kleenex box...

More Juliette Dancing...

Juliette reveals some new country-western moves...

Gasp

However did my baby get so grown up?!

Dancing Juliette

Blurbing

I'm in the process of slurping my blog into Blurb - which is to say that I'm using their BookSmart program to organize and print my blog into book format. At first, I totally underestimated how much data nearly five years of blogging had generated, and was attempting to slurp the whole thing. I think it would have been roughly the size of a Russian novel, especially since they don't seem to let you put print than one post per page (at least not without extensive editing). So instead, I'm going with eras, beginning with my first year after seminary. Just for that time frame, it will be 214 pages long. And that was before I added many pictures! The sad thing is that the book won't contain any comments, which are often the best part. Oh well. I'm going to feel better when I finally have this thing on paper.

After scanning and/or rereading what was on my mind throughout spring 2005- spring 2006, I am reminded, once again, how very much I miss Deacon. That was one exceptionally good dog. I think this process is going to get much harder when I get to fall 2006. But at least I know the story gets happier again come spring 2007...

So much life here, really. Even though this blog represents only a fraction of what's going on, and often just through trivial bits and pieces, I'd be lying if I said it didn't matter to me, very very much.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Elizabeth's newest (and coolest) scrapbooking project yet officially launched yesterday. Along with a couple other post-Simple Scrapbooks friends, she's organized an "inspiration collective." Check it out, all ye scrapbookers and lay appreciators!
2. I'm doing my best to combine morning walk/jogs with local errands. We are regulars at the farmers market that is about a mile away, and now I've added the library and the bank to my list of places to go. As someone who is not a natural runner, I need every little bit of help I can get, from music to sermon podcasts to set destinations.

3. Speaking of the library. I had another run-in with a rude circulation desk clerk, and I wanted to go all librarian's daughter on her... whatever that might mean. I'm pretty sure it involves pointing out that living into stereotypes of librarians isn't doing anyone any good. Anyway, I'd returned to the library to purchase a $5 copy of Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything. (Did you catch that?? A FIVE DOLLAR COPY of a THIRTY-FIVE DOLLAR COOKBOOK!) I didn't have cash the first time I'd seen it, so the helpful and kind circulation desk clerk who embodied everything a librarian should be offered to put it on hold for me on the reserve shelf. So I go in, explain that I'm here to purchase a book on hold, and the unpleasant circulation lady is shocked! shocked! that some idiot would have allowed such a monumental breach of library regulations. She repeated at least four times that this is not allowed, that I need to know that this is not allowed, and I'm never to do it again. When she launched into her tirade upon returning from the reserve shelf with the book (did she want me to say "sorry, I won't buy it if I wasn't supposed to have it held for me"??), I said once, quietly, "I don't think it's my fault." She of course got all defensive, etcetera, and I didn't say anything else other than "thank you."

4. That was the same morning I dropped my tray of strawberries at the farmers market. We have been eating bruised yet still mostly delicious strawberries all week.

5. The cheap yet hard-earned cookbooks is fabulous. I'm hoping to trip over a $5 copy of his How To Cook Everything Vegetarian as well, just so long as I don't stub my toe or something in the process. Last night I used up some leftover black beans I'd frozen to make soup. I didn't make it exactly as the recipe called for, but I think that's kind of the point with his approach. You learn the basics and improvise. It wasn't thick enough for my bean soup tastes, so I added some quinoa for the last ten minutes. It absorbed the extra liquid and gave it a nice texture. I think I'll end up making this every time I make black beans for something else - I have not figured out how to gauge dried beans. Once they're soaked I suddenly have enough beans to feed thirty people.

6. The dress-sewing project continues. It is actually starting to resemble a dress. It's a good thing I had extra fabric, though, because I messed up so many times when I was cutting out the pattern. The whole process is incredibly taxing for my poor mind, which is all but bereft of logic and spacial reasoning skills.

7. The news was so depressing yesterday, wasn't it?

8. Our zucchini plant is still producing, and we are thoroughly enjoying the fruits of our labor. (Most of the labor entailed digging out the overgrown geranium bush to clear space for the garden, but still.) I bought a simple, beautifully designed salad bowl from Ikea for $4, and thanks to our prodigious farmers market trips, we've been eating big salads full of sunflower sprouts and sugar snap peas. I just realized how many of these bits are about food... I love food. I may even be turning into a foodie.

9. I'm listening to The Omnivore's Dilemma on CD, and it reminds me that I don't love all food. Man, is that some disconcerting stuff.

10. The lectionary for the next few weeks is kind of getting me down. I sort of wish I could go off lectionary and do a preaching series, but I'm hoping the new volume of Feasting on the Word will be a source of inspiration.

Happy Tuesday!