Food for the mind

One aspect of living more wisely, at least for me, is to spend more time on things that feed your mind and soul. I've tried to do more reading and writing and less watching of the boob-tube. Or, if I am in front of the tube at night with the hubby (who collects movies), I have a knitting or crochet project in hand and work on creating my own designs.

I do make a couple of exceptions though. I have found two web sites that showcase truly inspirational videos. Be careful if you are at work because it is easy to lose a whole afternoon to one of these sites.

ArtBabble was created by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and allows you to explore the art world through video. Really fascinating, whether you are an art lover or not, and the videos go far beyond just looking at paintings or sculpture.

Another wonderful and inspirational site is TED. TED videos are free to the world and showcase brilliant and truly remarkable people sharing ideas that make you stop and think about the world around you. TED Talks cover every conceivable topic, ranging from business to science to design.

So get a cuppa tea or coffee and settle in some afternoon and watch a video or two. Betcha can't stop with just one!!

A different kind of Turkey Day

We (mom-in-law, hubby, me) decided today that rather than a) cook all day tomorrow for just the three of us or b) deal with the crowds going out, we would go out tonight. Wednesdays are seafood night at the Gathering of Nations buffet at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. We all love seafood, but here in the mountains, you don't find a lot of it, at least not anything really good like you find on the coast. We have not tried this particular buffet before, so I'll let you know how it turns out.

Tomorrow, instead of a big turkey dinner, I am fixing brunch--Southwestern Eggs Benedict with fresh fruit, coffee and juices. I made polenta today (or as we call it down south, cornmeal mush) and it is chilling in the fridge. The rest of the day, we will just stay home and if we get really hungry, snack on leftover pork roast. No turkey this year, though we may stick one in the freezer while they are on sale. With the hectic schedule the hubby and I seem to be keeping lately, a lazy day at home will be the biggest treat of all.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Gluten-free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

I've been on a quest for some time now to get my husband to start eating breakfast. I am a firm believer in the benefits of eating breakfast and I think I have most of the medical profession on my side in that regard. He finally relented and said that he would eat oatmeal, because of its heart healthy benefits, if I could find a way to make it look like something else. He is also a stickler about muffins and anything that looks or tastes like cake is NOT a muffin (according to Jim). So I have been on a quest for a good muffin recipe and this one is pretty good. It is gluten-free (for me, because I have celiac disease) and tasty enough for him.

Gluten-free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

2 c. gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour)

1/2 tsp. xanthum gum

1-3/4 c. gluten-free rolled oats (again-Bob's Red Mill GF Rolled Oats)

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/3 c. canola oil

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. blueberries (fresh, frozen or canned and drained. I used frozen and did not thaw them out.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, xanthum gum, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Combine egg, oil, buttermilk and vanilla in small bowl and whisk until well blended. Stir into flour mixture just until well blended, then fold in blueberries. Spoon evenly into 18 (2-1/2 inch) nonstick muffin cups. The batter is very thick and sticky, so you may want to spray a little PAM in those muffin cups even if they are nonstick.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove and serve warm or cool completely on wire racks. I store them in a plastic container in the refrigerator and warm them for about 30 seconds in the microwave before serving.

Breast Cancer Awareness video from St. Vincents

You gotta see this. All the staff at St Vincent's participated in this video, "The Pink Glove Dance", to promote breast cancer awareness.

I want this handbag!!

Now this is what I call upcycling for a thrift store handbag. Jeff Crystal has provided instructions for installing a solar battery in a handbag that will keep your cell phone powered up as you are out and about. The bag was crafted by Mark Farina and could be all the next rage--he is taking requests to 'solar up' bags.

Not your Grandma's quilts

As a would be fiber artist, I think I sometimes forget that you can take the oldest techniques and methods and give them a completely new twist. This guy has done just that with solar system inspired quilts--jimmy mcbride.

Have a green holiday!

Here we are just four weeks from Thanksgiving and I really haven't thought about what I'll do this year for Christmas. The holiday season is, without a doubt, one of the most consumer oriented, waste producing times of year. Not to sound like a grinch--I love the holidays, but several years ago, my family decided to scale back on Christmas and make it more about family get together than gift exchange. We limit gifts to less than $20 or something hand made and focus instead on trying to get together for the holidays. We cook a big, family, gut-busting meal, pull out card games and family albums, and laugh til we cry.

This year, instead of buying and decorating a tree for the house, we are going to decorate the big blue spruce in the middle of the yard. You can see it clearly from our living room window. A few things we have in mind for decorations are cranberries and popcorn garlands, pine cones smeared with peanut butter and rolled in bird seed, and other bird friendly decorations. Christmas cards will get recycled for craft projects. I buy plain paper in bright colors so I can use it year round. I've also used the Sunday funnies for wrapping paper.

There are many ways to make your Christmas more earth friendly and meaningful if you just start now and give it a little thought. It is also a great time of year to teach your kids about giving and caring for others. For more ideas for a more earth friendly holiday, check out this article from Green Living Tips. If electronics will be high on your list of things to give and receive, check out this website to find locations near you that recycle old electronics.

Eating wisely

I have been on a gluten free diet for the past 25 years, so naturally I probably read labels and pay more attention to what is in food than the average person does. When I start reading labels and see a list of things that look like they came from the chemical shelf in a lab, I cringe. Gluten-free may not be easy, but I think it may be healthier in the long run.

I can remember family get-togethers where a big lunch was served, everything was covered with a cup towel and left on the table and we then grazed on it the rest of the afternoon. No one got sick or died that I can recall, but maybe we were just lucky. Nowadays, I don't take that risk.

I have a wonderful book, Stocking Up, that I often refer to for advice on storing and processing fruits, vegetables and meats. I recently found a website, FoodSafety.gov, that has additional information on recalls and safety. With so much of our food supply coming from countries that don't have the safety standards that we expect, I think it is only prudent to educate ourselves on food safety and where our food comes from. When possible, I try to buy from local farmers, because even our organic produce comes from a long way off.

Ten Things I love about New Mexico (so far)

1. Being swarmed by hummingbirds when I carry the feeders out early in the morning.

2. Listening to elk bugle on the hills around our house.

3. Eating lunch at El Paisano in Capitan, where the same family has been cooking traditional New Mexican food for 62 years.

4. Watching the sun light up the mountains around my house early in the morning.

5. Watching deer come and go around the house all day.

6. Picking raspberries and drinking lavender lemonade at Lavender Spring Ranch.

7. Roasting fresh picked green chiles and making green chile stew.

8. All the art galleries in the area. New Mexico seems to attract artists of all kinds.

9. Going barefoot at White Sands. The gypsum sand never gets hot, no matter how hot the day is.

10. Eating green chile pistachios and chile pistachio brittle and drinking pistachio flavored wine right on the ranch where the pistachios and grapes are grown.

Check out the new i-House from Clayton Homes

These little homes were featured in a recent issue of Mother Earth News. I like what I see so far in their attempts to provide affordable green modular homes. The Clayton i-House would definitely be worth checking out if you are looking for a more sustainable lifestyle.

We lived in Clayton homes on our farm in Texas. They have won many awards for their excellence in modular and mobile homes. The little mobile home I lived in was built in the 80's, but had 2x4 framing with studs on 16" centers just like a stick built house and the floors were solid 3/4" plywood covered with carpet or vinyl. It was suffering from neglect, but with a little work it made a comfy and cozy cottage.

Life lessons

My little dog, Bashful, passed on very quietly last week. His health was declining due to congestive heart failure and then he got an infection in his mouth on top of that. We had been to the vet to see what could be done to help him, but I think the medications on top of the added infection were just too much for his little system. It was difficult to clean his teeth because the vet was leery of sedating him with his heart condition. I was leery of brushing because he hated it and I did not want to stress him because of his heart. We buried him on the hill below the house with a beautiful view of the valley below. He was a sweet, kind little dog and we miss him terribly.

I've learned the hard way that there are things you need to do to keep your pets healthy beyond the standard vaccinations. Keeping their teeth clean will do wonders for their health. Some people do it successfully by providing chewies and breath buster tablets and some by brushing. Otherwise, a trip to the vet as needed to have their teeth cleaned before gum disease sets in will do wonders. My mother-in-law has a large Weimaraner that is going on 12 years old and he still bounces around like a puppy, but she has had his teeth cleaned professionally every six months or so since he was about 2 years old. I sincerely believe that it makes a big difference and will be much more diligent about tooth cleaning from now on. It is as important for them as it is for us.

My cubeecraft boys

This is the cubeecraft.com version of my boys, Inkmo and Jackmo. Those nicknames have evolved into alter egos that my son often uses in his cartoons. If you check out the Cubeecraft website, there are lots of other cool things to do with cubeecraft.

Novel ways to recycle bottles

This article from the Daily Green has some very novel ideas for recycling plastic and glass bottles. In particular, check the video at the very end--made by folks who obviously have too much time on their hands.

Charities for crafters

Busy hands are happy hands, so I have been looking for charity projects that would allow me to use my crafting skills for a worthy cause. Here are three that were recently highlighted in my Yarnmarket Knitting News e-newsletter:

Project Linus--make blankets of all kinds for babies and children that are hospitalized

The Snuggles Project--snuggly blankets for animal shelters

Socks for Soldiers--hand knitted socks for soldiers

These came from the Lion Brand web site:

Knots of Love: knitted and crocheted caps for cancer patients going through chemotherapy

Any many, many more in the Lion Brand newsletter

Proud mom bragging

My youngest son is starting his own business and I am very proud of how hard he has worked to do that. He is a WOSTEP certified watchmaker and has been working at Breitling for the past couple of years, but they started laying people off this summer. He returned to Texas and is starting his own watch and clock repair business. He will start by contracting with jewelry stores instead of dealing directly with the public. He is very driven and self-disciplined and I think he will be very successful. He doesn't have a web site up yet, but can be reached currently at info.keeperoftime at gmail.com.

How healthy is dog food?

Believe it or not, this is something I've been pondering a lot. I feel fairly certain that if I ate exactly the same thing twice a day, day in and day out, no matter how nutritionally complete it says it is--I probably wouldn't be very healthy.

So why is it different for dogs?

I've started giving mine little bits of fresh veggies, small amounts of plain yogurt with live cultures, a little shredded cheese, a little hard boiled egg--just a little something mixed with their dog food to wake up their taste buds. I must say, it has certainly perked up their appetites. Even my picky eater is eating now.

I've learned from experience that when my old dog eats some brands of dog food, he has seizures. He is now on Purina One and has not had a seizure since I switched him to that, and it has been many, many years now. He was seizing once or twice a month before then. Another dog had bouts of diarrhea until I put him on the same dog food. I'm not promoting a certain brand of dog food by any means--this just happens to be the one that seems to work best for my dogs after much trial and error and they eat it, unlike some of the pricier brands I got from my vet.

So I am wondering--how good is it really to keep your dog on one food day in and day out? Is there any real research to support that? (this is my doctoral training talking here)

An update on hard water and dishes

I finally found a product that removes the hard water stains in the dishwasher. It is called Lemi Shine and I am here to tell you that it works!! I can finally use my dishwasher and not have to soak everything in vinegar when it comes out. The manufacturer does caution you about putting painted dishes and some other things, but for my every day Corelle dishes and glassware, it works just great.

Multi-purpose welded wire panels

One thing that I have missed here is the wire panels I used for just about everything back in Texas. Welded wire comes in many sizes and I've used it with T-posts to make trellises, dog kennels, temporary pens, covers over my kennel--very versatile stuff.

I built a small greenhouse for my tomatoes that became their support as they grew. I cut a piece of 4" by 4" welded wire panel slightly larger than my tomato bed (this requires bolt cutters). I drove metal T-posts in at the corners and on the sides. I laid the wire panel over the posts and lowered it to about one foot above my newly planted, small tomato plants. I draped 6 ml plastic over the whole thing until danger of frost had passed (I was living in south Texas at the time-zone 8). As the tomatoes started growing, they grew up through the welded wire, which supported them beautifully. As they got taller, I added a second layer of welded wire and secured it near the top of the T-posts. I had tomatoes all summer, up until they froze in December (this was also a lasagna garden).

When the hot Texas sun made an oven of my dog kennel, I secured a piece of welded wire across the top and planted gourds all around the outside. The gourds quickly covered the top of the kennel and I had the added bonus of harvesting dried gourds to use in craft projects. In the winter, the foliage died back and the sun could get through, but in summer it provided deep shade for my dogs, plus little critters lived in the leaves and provided many hours of wiener dog entertainment.

The metal panel is rigid enough that you can bend it and stand it upright to make a trellis. You need sufficient length to make it as high as you need it. I used a 20 foot length cut to about 3 feet wide (actually a left over from another project) to put a trellis over my back gate. I just secured it at each corner by wiring it to the gate post or putting in a T-post on the outside corner. Once covered with flowering vines, you couldn't really see the metal or the T-posts. We used a wider panel to build a trellis for climbing roses, then put a bench underneath it.

Because wiener dogs are diggers, we used strips of welded wire about 18" wide to put under the sides of the kennel, flat on the ground, all the way around. We covered it with mulch so the dogs could walk on it. It kept them from digging under the kennel fence and was flat and rigid enough that we could mow over it.

I have no doubt that when I build my garden preserve here, welded wire panels will play a key role. It is definitely on my top ten list of useful material for country living.

Gardening ideas

One of the things I have learned since our move to New Mexico is that I will have to learn a new way of gardening. I used to compost everything--but food in a compost pile attracts critters like bears and we don't want to invite bears to our yard. A friend of mine who lived in a town house started worm composting, which was a good way to dispose of kitchen scraps. You can also buy enclosed composters that aren't quite as messy as my favorite, out-under-a-tree compost bin. Here, the composter will have to be in the house, garage or basement to keep animals from getting into it, so I am still thinking about exactly how to do that given that our winter nights can get rather cold. Worms would probably die from the cold, but I do have an unfinished basement where I could stash an enclosed composter, if I can make it mouse proof.

Another problem is protecting plants from deer and elk. They will hop right up on your deck and eat things. We have a deck that goes completely around our house and being that we are on a hill, three sides are hard to reach. The deer would have to walk in from the back side of the house. I'm gambling they won't do that, but we'll see. The deck on the south side of the house could easily be blocked off with a gate, assuming deer won't jump over it because it is a rather restricted space requiring that they negotiate stairs.

I've grown tomatoes and peppers in a simple grow box made from a laundry basket lined with a heavy plastic trash bag with holes poked through all layers for drainage. That was for a class project my son had in school, but worked fairly well. However, I would recommend that you give more thought to what kind of plastic the basket is lined with--something I will definitely look into before I repeat that project. I came across this article on grow boxes, which has some good and fairly simple ideas. Eventually, I hope to build an enclosed garden space somewhere on our property, but that is a project for another day. For now, it will have to be the south deck.

Two other resources that might prove useful for small space gardening are Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza and All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. I used the lasagna method last year and had the best tomatoes by far that I have ever raised. Growing in small spaces with raised beds means completely rethinking how you space your plants. Traditional rows are not necessary. I recommend both these books for small space gardens. They give you a whole new way to think about gardening.

Crafting for our four-legged family members

This is a nice collection of goodies to make for pets, provided in the weekly roundup at Threadbanger. It has everything from flea spray to home made tags. One of my next projects is crocheted sweaters for all the wiener dogs because Ruidoso gets cold in the winter time. I have a hard time getting them to go outside on cool, summer mornings. They will have their first real snow experience this coming winter. Should be interesting!

This lady is an inspiration

I hope I have this much get up and go when I am 89, not to mention moxie. I've been driving the same Ford F150 since 1998 and Henry has about 140,000 miles on him, but that is nothing compared to Miss Rachel and her Chariot. I particularly like the way she chose lifetime guarantee parts and has had mufflers and batteries replaced at no charge. Smart lady!! You can view her video at GrowingBolder.com.

Freezing berries

We love berries around here, especially blueberries and strawberries. This time of year you can get fresh berries aplenty, so we decided to put some up in the freezer. I've used this method with blueberries, strawberries and blackberries and it is a fairly quick and easy way to put them up.

First, I clean all the green stemmy bits out--hull strawberries, but leave them whole. Pick stems and leaves out and any mushy or too-green berries. Rinse them well in a colander. I put down several layers of newspaper, then cover those with paper towels (you can add the soggy paper to your compost pile afterward). You could also use cuptowels, but they will have berry stains when you are finished. If you are putting up a lot of berries, you may want to build a screen or perforated tray of some kind to spread them on to let them drain.

I spread the berries out on the towels and let them drain well, then spread them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and pop them in the freezer. In two to three hours, they are frozen enough that I can scoop them into a freezer container or freezer baggie and put them in the deep freeze. By freezing them on a cookie sheet, they will stay separated so that you can just scoop out a cup or so as you need them. It also allows you to grab a handful for a nice frozen treat when the weather is hot--eat them plain or stir them into yogurt.

I have a book that was given to me years ago that I use constantly when putting up fruits and veggies. It is called Stocking Up, by Carol Stupping, and the newest version is available on Amazon. It is a very comprehensive book on preserving foods and my version even has plans for building a storage area in a cellar for your stores of food, drying trays, home made driers--just about anything you would need. It provides information on freezing, drying and canning fruits and vegetables, preserving dairy products and meat, making butter, storing nuts, seeds and grains and a ton of other useful information. I highly recommend this book if you are growing and preserving your own food.

Learning about light pollution

If you've never seen the sky on a truly dark, cloudless night, then you are missing one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see. Here in New Mexico, we try to control light pollution. Our subdivision rules include controlling light at night, which we appreciate, because the night views are truly incredible. We have one "security" light and it has sensors for both motion and light, so it only comes on at night if something passes by and triggers it. It is also solar powered, so it can be placed almost anywhere without the hassle of wiring it in. If you want to learn more about the efforts in this country to control light pollution, check out this very informative article from Lighter Footstep on five ways you can reduce light pollution.

More DIY wedding goodies

Well, I am up to my eyebrows right now in wedding things. It is amazing how much time and work goes into even the simple home ceremony that we are having. We are having cheesecake (gluten free) instead of a traditional wedding cake because we love it and half my family has to eat gluten free. I found a couple of recipes that freeze well and will bake those ahead of time. I am making a simple A-line dress, but adding a crocheted shrug from the summer issue of Interweave Crochet (with slight modifications--different yarn) and fingerless wedding gloves from Crochetnmore. I am also working on a design for a beaded and crocheted hair froo-froo--I'll post more on that later.

We found a wonderful service here--a wedding officiate and ordained minister who is also a professional photographer. Layne Holland, at Ruidoso Wedding, has a great idea--helping people have simple, memorable weddings that don't cost an arm and a leg. Our ceremony will include a sand unity ceremony and Layne had some wonderful suggestions on how to include our family and friends in the ceremony as participants rather than as just onlookers. The albums he had put together for other couples were just beautiful and he had some stunning pictures of happy couples with majestic mountain scenery in the background. If you are looking for a destination wedding in the mountains or unique intimate ceremony, I highly recommend Layne.

Here are more DIY wedding goodies:

DIY Wedding Decor Roundup from Threadbangers

Do It Yourself Weddings

DIY Network Wedding Planning Tips

DIY Bride-Crafty Wedding Goodies

Collecting inspiration--making a "glue book"

This is an idea I came across on the Think Crafts Blog--a glue book. I am always coming across ideas in magazines that I like--decorating, landscaping, hair styles, doggie couture, whatever. Often times, it is not something I want to reproduce exactly, but it inspires some kind of design idea or an idea for a gift for a particular person, an organizing problem that needed a unique fix, a quote that would be great for starting a lesson, planning a special event, ideas for writing an article--that kind of thing. At one time I tried tearing out pages and saving them in an idea file, but that stacked up way too much paper way to fast and I usually never went back to it. A glue book would be an easy way to keep ideas, pictures, poems, quotes--anything you come across that you don't want to send out to the recycling bin, but really don't have a place to store. Plus, when you just need a quiet moment to recharge your batteries, you can get a cuppa your favorite beverage, kick your feet up, and thumb through all your favorite and very personal inspirations in one little book. What a great idea!

Breaking the Hard Copy Habit

I am a lover of hard-copy books, despite my geekiness. But one of my goals for living more sustainably is to buy less paper and use more digital. I did a little research on how to do that and wrote an article that is posted on Helium. I hope you will take time to read it and visit me on Helium.

My favorite "cook book"

Living sustainably goes beyond "green living", at least for me. After seventeen years as professional staff in a major research university, I was looking for a change. My job was taking up more and more of my time and energy, particularly as I got more and more into grant writing, and yet it was less and less fulfilling. To change that, I have two simple rules--simplify life and spend more time doing things I enjoy.

When my kids were living at home, I cooked all the time and on Saturday nights, we often chose a country and cooked dishes from that country. In the process, I taught my boys how to cook. After they fledged and left the nest, I cooked less and less and spent more of my time doing work related tasks--reading journal articles, editing grant proposals, etc. and just snacking for meals or eating TV dinners. Now I have started cooking again and am enjoying it more than ever.

One of my favorite "cook books" is AllRecipes.com. It allows you to rate recipes, add recipes to share with others, search out recipes and see how others have rated them and, my favorite feature, have a recipe box where you can save recipes that you like. You can search by country, which is what my boys and I often did, or you can search by ingredient or any other key word. My youngest son, my mom and I must stay on a gluten-free diet, so today I am trying a recipe for Tres Leches for my wedding to see how I can modify the recipe with gluten-free flour that I get from Bob's Red Mill. I usually have really good luck with their gluten free flour mix and we are looking forward to trying out this cake recipe. I will let you know how it turns out!!

I will write more later on the other projects I am working on for the wedding--my dress with crocheted accessories, the ceremony, the food--all done in an effort to keep the day simple, beautiful and memorable.

Crafting for hoarders

I am a hoarder--something my mate does not understand. Maybe its because my grandparents were products of the Great Depression and I spent summers with my grandmother growing up. She never threw anything away that had any life at all left in it. It kills me to toss anything that might have a use somewhere down the road. I never leave old furniture on the curb--I rebuild or repurpose it and occasionally, donate it. I have fabric hoards that are almost as old as my grown kids. I don't hoard to the extent of having 300 cats and newspapers piled on every surface of my house--I recycle the newspapers and magazines (or make beads) and I'm allergic to cats. But if something might have another life as some kind of craft project, I stash it away. Thankfully, I am also something of an organizer, so the hoards don't get too far out of hand and stay in my craft room, for the most part.

This week I have found several good articles written by fellow hoarders. This is a great article from Crafting a Green World on revamping old furniture. I love these articles on ten uses for old bottle caps and wine corks. I can't stand to throw either away.

T-shirts are something else I have trouble tossing, but the average t-shirt makes me look like a badly stuffed sausage casing and the length is usually totally wrong. This article from Craft Magazine gave me some great ideas for revamping old t-shirts and adding to my yarn stash. The one lesson I learned from this is that cutting a t-shirt into a yarn strip with scissors is tiring and makes your hands hurt. I don't have a rotary cutter, but will probably buy one before I do this again. I have several t-shirts left over from my son's mountain bike racing days which I plan to make into a quilt and I can turn the left overs into yarn. I've also made other projects out of t-shirts and have the book, Generation T, which I love. Many of the designs are kind of punk, but it is chock full of ideas (108 to be exact) for repurposing and redesigning t-shirts. I saw the author, Megan Nicolay, and her sisters make a wedding dress out of 6 white cotton t-shirts on DIY's Uncommon Threads (one of my favorite shows) and it turned out really nice. Definitely worth a try, but probably more appropriate for someone who is young and thin.

No more CLR on my dishes!

I was lamenting in a recent post about having to use CLR on my dishes to get rid of hard water stains. Now I have found something that works just as good and is more friendly--vinegar!! Using vinegar to clean my dishes just doesn't bother me like using CLR--it just seems more natural, it's less expensive, and I always have it on hand because I use it for so many other things. I put one cup of vinegar to one quart water and soaked the dishes for five minutes, then rinsed with cold water. All the white, chalky residue was gone. I did a little searching and found a website with 1,000 more tips on using vinegar--I guess I better start buying it by the gallon!

Disposing of old prescription drugs-don't flush!

This is one of those things that I really hadn't thought about until it popped up in my reader. Don't assume that the best way to dispose of old medications is to flush them. Municipal water systems are not equipped to handle drugs in the water--a scary thought, particularly if someone was up to no good. The Office of National Drug Control Policy has issued guidelines for disposing of medications instead of flushing them. The United States Geologic Survey has additional publications on drug, hormone and other contaminants that are in our waterways.

Recycling electronics

This is something we struggle with all the time. Being a family of geeks, we have way too much obsolete electronic clutter around. We don't want to send it to a land fill, but sometimes you can't even give the stuff away, so it just piles up in the garage. This article from GreenLivingTips has several good resources for getting rid of old electronics.

I've used FreeCycle before and had great success getting rid of old computer components that were still functional, as well as other things. When I lived in College Station, the city had recycling days once or twice a year where you could bring in electronics and other hazardous materials, so always check with your local city services to see if they have a hazardous recycling program of some kind. I am not familiar with the other resources mentioned in the article, but will certainly be checking them out. 

Hummingbird Season

One of my favorite times of year is finally here--hummingbird season. I put out one feeder, just to see who was in the neighborhood, and so far have seen at least three different hummingbirds coming to visit and sup. I make my hummingbird treat with one part sugar and four parts RO water--no dye, no honey, no artificial sweeteners. Those are all no-no's for hummingbirds. The only problem is that the hanger is over the deck and every time it swings a little, it drips sugar water. I have a messy spot on the deck and it attracts ants, so we will have to find a better location. 

My feeders are plastic and were here at the house when we moved in. They look like giant strawberries--not that attractive. However, this article on Crafting a Green World has a tutorial on making your own feeder from a glass bottle and copper tubing--another great way to repurpose a glass bottle. There are also links to other DIY projects that are hummer related. If you are a gardener, you can get top ten lists for native plants and exotic plants that hummers love at RubyThroat.org, as well as lots of other info on hummingbirds.

Water Lessons

We have really hard well water here (104 g/gallon) and have an industrial size water softener under the house. Sodium chloride is used to soften the water, so there are higher than normal levels of sodium in the water used in the house. We still have problems with white residue on dishes that are washed in the dishwasher...I have yet to figure out the solution to that, but am looking into it. Plastic seems to be the worst. The technician who services our water softener said that there will always be some residue...our water is just really hard. I have learned a few things, though.

Softened water will kill your houseplants because of the sodium level. I can vouch for this...sorry, little croton. Plants must be watered with RO (reverse osmosis) water or with the hard water directly from the well that has by-passed the softener or better yet, from a cistern. We have metal roofs on our garage and house with a system of gutters that drain into three large cisterns. This is the best water for plants. You can set up your own rain water collection barrel on a smaller scale if you have gutters and it really does make a difference with your plants, particularly if you are in an area that has to ration water.

There is some evidence that there is less cardiovascular disease in communities where people drink hard water. Softened water is not recommended for people who are on sodium restricted diets. I use the hard water or RO water for my pets. I have a dog with heart problems and he does not need the added sodium.

The purpose of water softeners is to keep scale from building in pipes and appliances and so detergents and cleansers will work properly. I can tell you from experience that hair shampooed with hard water feels like it is coated in chalk dust--a nasty feeling. You definitely want softened water for washing. However, coffee made from softened water tastes awful, particularly to a coffee snob, so you better have an RO system installed in the kitchen for cooking and drinking water. You can also buy bottled water if you are a serious coffee snob (like my son). 

The constant diligence required to keep softeners working and filters changed is a pain, not to mention pricey. It is worth the $29 a month to have a water company do the maintenance. When filters get dirty, there is no water in the house. And they get dirty surprisingly fast.

CLR is your friend. It takes away all the scale that accumulates on dishes, shower walls and other surfaces exposed to water. Half a cup or so in a dishpan of water, soak a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly. I try to avoid using nasty chemicals on things I eat out of, but a coating of scale makes everything look and feel dirty, like it is covered in dried milk.  I wash my dishes by hand and dry them now, just like in the olden days. With just the two of us here, it doesn't take much time and keeps water spots at bay. My wine glasses are sparkly and I don't have to resort to CLR soaks.

Wine bottles make great waterers for plants. They provide a deep, slow soak and are a useful way to re-purpose empty wine bottles. Fill them with water, then turn them upside down and shove them into the soil. It takes about 6-8 hours for the bottle to empty--I didn't believe it either until I tried it several times with different sizes of pots. It works like a charm and I don't have trays full of water under my pots (or running over) like I usually have after watering. And it gives me a great excuse to empty more wine bottles.

The Good Life

On a recent trip to Carrizozo, the county seat of Lincoln County, we made a little side trip to the Valley of Fires Recreation Area. It has a nice walking trail through it, or if you are really brave, information on  longer hikes across the lava fields. We opted for the walking trail. It is a mile or less in length and part of it could be accessed by wheelchair. There were signs providing some detail on the local vegetation and animals and shaded picnic tables where you could sit and rest or eat a snack. All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon.

At the visitor's center, I found a little cookbook with traditional New Mexico recipes. The title of the book is "The Good Life: New Mexico Traditions and Food". The author, Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert, was born and raised in New Mexico. She served as a home economics extension agent in northern New Mexico from 1929 until she retired in 1959. 

The first half of the book is about the Turrieta family and provides an account of daily life in a small New Mexico village in the early 1900's. The author writes about the traditional dishes made from jerky, corn, chiles and beans, but also weaves in details about weddings, celebrations, harvest time, wakes and other normal life events. The second half of the book has more than 80 classic recipes that were typical for that time and place, passed down for generations in the author's family. I really enjoyed learning about traditional New Mexico and look forward to trying more of the recipes. 

Repurposing telephone books

Recently, I was ranting on the number of telephone books that were delivered to my house and what a silly waste of paper they are. Today, I came across a similar rant and a very clever idea from Chica and Jo to create a desktop pen, pencil and office clutter organizer out of a phone book. I just may have to try making this one!

The perils of rural New Mexico living

I just got back from taking our big dog, Babe, to the vet. This is his second trip due to a corneal laceration from having his head down in the grass and brush snooping around. Having spent his whole life on St. Augustine manicured to 3", I guess he just doesn't know how to avoid grass injuries. Hopefully, he will learn before he puts an eye out.

While I was there, I queried the vet, a lifelong citizen of Capitan, NM, and ranch raised, on what kinds of things we need to watch out for here regarding our dogs. Her answers were a little disturbing. When the deer start fawning, they will attack a dog with little provocation. She said she sees lots of dogs, particularly small ones, that have been badly stomped by deer and a screaming, yelling, arm-waving human apparently won't phase them (the deer) much. Deer are about like rabbits (or some people consider them to be more like rats) around here and not too afraid of people. They graze all around our house every day and we see them grazing in yards all over town. 

The mountain lions and bear have gotten so tame and accustomed to people that they will come right up on your porch to look for food. Food includes fat wiener dogs or cats that aren't fast enough to get away. She said we should put flood lights in the area where we let our dogs out at night--the bright light usually keeps the bears and mountain lions away. (Thankfully, the bears just come down in summer.) Right now, there is a mountain lion in the area that is coming right up on people's porches and snatching their cats. Local authorities are trying to hunt him down before he decides to snatch a kid. 

We also have skunks and porcupines, which our dogs won't know anything about. My old dog, Bashful, has congestive heart failure and apparently the change in altitude means a change in medication. He has been a little droopy, so he will be the next one to the vet. On the flip side, the local ticks aren't the kind that carry Lyme disease and we don't have to dose for heartworm in the winter months. Mountain life is going to take some adjusting for both quadrupeds and bipeds, I think. Now I really do have something to fear in the dark.

Idea for local phone books

This is what I think we need. A website entitled "mylocalphonebook.com". For each city, you would have "mylocalphonebook.com/richmond-tx/". Everything for that city would then fall under that heading. You could have commercial listings, personal listings, community areas for clubs and organizations, city and government offices--everything in one spot and maintained so it is always up-to-date, keyword searchable, linked to mapping sites like Google Maps or Google Earth. People could write reviews or recommendations for local businesses, rate services--this needs more thought to flesh it out, but I think this is what we should do to get completely away from paper phone books that are usually out of date and never seem to have exactly what you are looking for.

My two cents worth for the day.

Phone Book Rant

Seven phone books in six months. (Make that TEN-I just opened my front door and found three more on the step--what a waste!)??? We have lived in this house six months and so far have received seven (now ten) phone books--greater Houston area, Yellowbook, YPOne, the Real Yellow Pages, etc. Every time I turn around, I see another phone book wrapped in plastic out in the drive way. The reality is that I rarely ever use a phone book anymore. I look online for everything. I think we should have an option, when we have our phones installed, that we can request NOT to receive phone books. 

Think about how much is wasted on phone books...paper and ink to print them, plastic to wrap them, gas to deliver them. Granted, somebody has a paid job dropping them off and I wouldn't want to take anyone's job away, but perhaps that job could instead be a position for a person to update an online phone book...one that is always current and easily searchable, lets me comment on and rate local businesses, gives me a list of the most highly rated local businesses for different categories, etc. Instead of web sites that are just electronic versions of paper books, let's reverse that. Make the electronic versions the best and most recent and nix the paper versions altogether unless a person specifically requests one when they get their phones. If anyone knows of such a service, please share!!

I have found one good use for the big Houston phone books, however. They are great for pressing flowers.

Meet Miss Clara, Recessionista Extraordinaire

My mom and I got the biggest kick out of Miss Clara and her wise advise for cooking and living on a budget--so timely for us right now, as it was for her back in the Great Depression. My grandparents lived through the Depression, but unfortunately, we did not capture all that wisdom before they were gone. I think Miss Clara's family has done a wonderful thing helping her put together her website, blog and videos. We should all make more of an effort to record and archive the wisdom of our elders for future generations to enjoy. My mom just completed "Grandmother Remembers" books for my two boys, both in their twenties, and they loved them. I have no doubt that, as they get older and perhaps have families of their own, these books will grow in sentimental value. 

Fire Defensibility

I'm learning things today that I have never had to think about before. The wind has been AWFUL here in Richmond (as have my allergies) and we've had some grass fires around Austin in the news lately.    The Firewise movement started as an effort to help homeowners protect their lives and property in the event of a wildfire. Even here in Texas, given the drought in some areas of the state and the high winds we sometimes experience, Firewise principles could save homes and lives. 

The house we are moving to in New Mexico is in an area that is rated very dangerous for wildfires. As I was looking for information on gardening in New Mexico, I began to learn that landscaping can save your house, and your butt, in areas that are subject to wildfires. The New Mexico State Forestry Division has a web page devoted to strategies for making your house more defensible in the event of a fire and provides lists of plants that are fire resistant. One of the first things we will have to do is establish a Zone 1 around our house. It has been empty for several years and the brush and dry grass have accumulated way to close to the house. We are on a hill, and fire loves to run uphill, so it will be particularly critical on the downhill side of the house. One more thing on my to-do list.

Having Thrifty Fun

I found a new website that looks promising. It has ideas and forums for sharing ways to live more economically. Thrifty Fun includes forums for coupon exchange, seed exchange, and sharing tips. I clicked through it and found several good ideas like this one for re-using/recycling glass jars. 

Medicating Dogs

One of my old dogs, Bashful, was recently diagnosed with congestive heart problems and is now on pills for his heart and for water retention. Not wanting to get into the rodeo of shoving pills down his throat twice a day for the rest of his little life, I was looking for an easier way to get him to take the pills. You can buy treats that are designed just for hiding pills, but again, they are a little pricey. I tried hiding them in a small piece of cheese, but regular cheese is just too stiff and we don't usually keep faux cheese (i.e. individually wrapped slices or Velveeta). I don't keep Velveeta in the house because I like it too much and it settles straight to the bottom. I tried wrapping it in a little lunch meat, but it fell out about half the time.

I finally hit on something that works, though, and he gobbles it down, even though he is usually my picky eater. I pinch off a piece of bread, about 1" square, and add just a few drops of water. I knead it a little until it is gooey rather than crumbly and if possible, add a drop or two of meat drippings, gravy, leftover frying oil or even just a drop or two of olive or canola oil. I knead it into a ball, then shove the pills into it and make sure they are covered. So far it has worked perfectly--he slurps it down and nothing falls out. Now he thinks he is getting treats twice a day and we don't have to suffer through pill rodeos.

Controlling sponge nasties

I often wonder what kind of nasties I'm spreading around my kitchen when I use a sponge repeatedly. I can't afford to use a new one every time I clean and it would be hugely wasteful even if I could afford it. I also don't want to use the disposable bleach wipes every time I clean, also hugely wasteful. I occasionally clean my counters with a 10% bleach solution, especially if I've been working with something like raw meat, but that still leaves the problem of the sponge and how to sanitize it.

Thankfully, our government has come to the rescue on that one. This is an excellent article from the USDA Agricultural Research Service on the most effective ways to clean sponges--Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges. I don't use the dry cycle on my dishwasher, but I do have a microwave. Be sure the sponge is damp and zap it for one minute. That method was 99.99% effective in the ARS trials.

I found another interesting article on the different kinds of sponges on the Green Living Tips blog. I may try growing luffas just to see how well they hold up as kitchen sponges. I tried growing gourd vines as shade covers for my kennel and it worked really well, giving me a nice supply of gourds for crafting and good shade for my dogs in the hottest part of the year. The dogs were entertained by the lizards and other critters that inhabited the vines. The luffa may work equally well, assuming I can grow it in the mountains of New Mexico. Hmmm...need to do some searching on high altitude gardening.

Living Wisely...in New Mexico

A dream is finally coming true. Jim has been transferred to New Mexico and we will finally be able to live in our home in Ruidoso. We are snowed right now with all the packing and moving prep, but very excited at the prospect of finally being home. Both our moms will be living with us, which will take some adjusting, but I think there will be plenty of room for everyone and we will all get along. Time will tell on that one, I guess.

Back to packing!!

Beautiful Recycling

I came across this website, Mzuri Beads, when I was looking for a 'recipe' for paper beads. We have so much waste that passes through our hands and out to our landfills. I have been looking for ways to re-use or re-purpose as much of it as I can. This website is truly inspiring!! I encourage you to take a few minutes to check it out.

Back to basics--a guide for living wisely

Part of living more sustainably, at least for me, is living more simply. I spent the last eight months commuting with all the other rats in the race to get to downtown Houston for a job that I didn't care for and that was going no where. It was a paycheck. It was my first experience of living and working in a big city and hopefully, I will never have to repeat it. Now I am working at home and looking for ways to live more simply, peacefully, and sustainably.

Before I moved to Houston, I lived on five acres near Iola, TX. We had chickens, gardens, pasture fences that always seemed to need repair, a pond (or as we call it in Texas--a tank) with fish who would come to the surface to be fed, a peddle boat for lazy afternoons piddling around on the tank, a barn that always seemed to need some kind of maintenance--but it was a happy, easy way to live. I think more people are looking for that nowadays.

One source that I have turned to often over the years has been Mother Earth News. Mother has all kinds of ideas and advice for living wisely, things that you can do whether in the city or in the country. You can make small changes to your life style, or search through all her archives and get really back to the earth-build your own home, make your own solar collector, or convert a vehicle to run on wood chips---Mother has it all. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a "guide to living wisely".

Day one of my more sustainable life

I spent the entire day working on business things and just loved it. I probably put in more hours today than I normally would in a salaried job, but it feels so good to be in control of my day, to be in an environment that is peaceful and healthy. I spent the last seven months in one of the most oppressive professional environments I've ever experienced in my life. But it is behind me now and I am rejoicing.

Everyone should take the time to educate themselves about workplace abuse and particularly what constitutes verbal abuse in the workplace and the effect it can have. Professional staff at universities are usually "at will" employees, which means they are not under contract and can be controlled with the threat of losing their job. I had to chose between my honor and my paycheck and, though being unemployed for the first time in 20 some odd years is scary, being my own boss is a rush like you would not believe!!

My life, part deux

I quit my job this month. I was a really bad match for me...I'll stop there. Don't want to air too much dirty laundry. Today is my first official day of 'unemployment' and my first official day as a freelance writer. I am still looking for a day job that will carry me for another year or so til I can really get the writing thing going. But I've always loved to write--I've journaled for years to get myself through ups and downs and examine my life in detail and I seem to become the writer-by-default in every job that I have. So now I am pursuing it in earnest. And as every good Aggie knows, in times of jubilation, you WHOOP!!! So tonight I am WHOOPING!!!!!!

An example of unconditional love

My friend Jamie sent this to me and it is just the most amazing, and touching, story. I've always told my kids that it is OK to be different. Being different is just different, not bad or wrong. As long as you are not hurting yourself or others and your not breaking any laws, God's or man's, be who you are and appreciate others for their uniqueness. These two friends have it down--why can't we all be so open minded? WARNING: Before you watch the Animal Odd Couple, you may want to get out a hankie. ::sniff::

The road to self-employment

Well the journey has begun. My goal is to become a self-employed freelance writer. I have no intention of becoming the next J.K. Rowling, but I do love writing, seem to be fairly good at it, and have the self discipline (I think) to be successfully self-employed. I've set up a web site to reserve the name--http://www.virtualprofessionalservices.com--but am still working on the details of the business plan. I kept the name fairly broad to allow me to branch out as I learn more about the market and what fits best for me (and because family members with other talents may come on board). However, I also have in the back of my mind an idea to create a virtual network of professionals who are good at their job and can work together on projects, such as one person doing graphic design and the other working on written content. I don't want employees--I want colleagues. I still need to figure out those details.

Time for that later. Right now I just need to figure out how to generate income, marketing, contracts, etc. Exciting, but also just not enough hours in the day to get it all done!!