Family Transition to Resilience and Living Lightly

Vermicomposting Begun

2012-02-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

I have started vermicomposting! I bought a bag of red wigglers at Arbour (from Jerry's Farm) and set up the old unused aquarium in the front hall. Our galley kitchen has no space for it.

Instructions dictate that I use the food processor to make a slurry of food for them. I am not so keen on this as it is extra work. However, I'll experiment until I get it worked into my own life. Adjustments will be made.

Does anyone have a successful indoor worm composter? Any advice?

The Hayless Haybox!

2012-02-05T15:49:00.001-05:00

Amber of Unstuffed posted on using her sun oven as a haybox. A hay box is just a very well insulated box that you cook in after you have the contents of your pot nice and hot. The heat can't escape, so it keeps circulating in the pot, cooking the food. Think of it as a crock pot without the electricity.

I tried it today with pea soup! I put all the ingredients in the black cooking pot and heated the contents for about 10 minutes. While it was heating, I put the double boiler insert into it and heated milk for yogourt. Once the soup was bubbling away and the milk ready to incubate, the yogourt went into the cooler and the pot of soup went into the blanket and towel lined sun oven.

If I were to write a post about it and take pictures, it would be Amber's post plagiarized... so just go here to see her pictures and learn how she came up with the idea!

Now, I have found a recipe for Moroccan Spiced Baked Beans that I think will be on tomorrow's menu -- fresh out of the hayless haybox when we get home from work. I am so happy because it seemed odd to have this rather large sun oven collecting dust in the winter. Now, it has a four-season use and I am cooking (almost) without using the grid!

Pamela 1, Hydro (almost) nothing

Careers & Sustainablity

2012-01-21T09:39:00.000-05:00

Warning: Blatant proudness post.

Our daughters pushed the family to start the family transition because they were rather distraught at the state of the world and wanted to DO something on a personal level.

Now, at age 20, J is taking this to the next level in her own life. She has been working diligently to develop a business in Ottawa to provide herself with a career she is passionate about -- sustainable living and community building. I can't say exactly what she is working on until it launches, but I am so impressed with the research, connections, and dedication she is showing. Personality note -- J's greatest quality is her ability to throw herself into a project, simultaneously seeing both the forest and the trees.

What has delighted me the most is the people she is surrounding herself with. This generation is not the ME generation, but the WE generation. The generation of the sixties got people imagining a different world. The next generation rode the technological revolution with focus on making money during the day and volunteering at night, as if making money and helping the community were separate activities.

The WE generation has married two by creating a new triple bottom line. They want their businesses to make them money while benefiting the environment and society. Rather than just competing in the business world, collaboration is the philosophy. This balance is exactly how our economy and our community has to transition in order to become resilient emotionally, economically, and socially.

I have always believed that people are smart enough to find solutions. The WE generation is doing this.

Before we started this project, Peter and I had a good conversation about J. She would get so upset at the state of the world and what was coming that there was a concern this project might feed her despair, not dissipate it. Although we hoped that the family transition would be proactive and give her hope, the reason for the transition was bigger than just J.

I don't think the family transition gave her the idea for this business, but I think it has given her knowledge about the nitty gritty of sustainable living, helped her engage with other people in the community dedicated to the cause, and fuelled her enthusiasm not her angst.

You go, J!

Living Beautifully

2012-01-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

I have had a bit of an epiphany, just as we pass Epiphany in 2012. Thanks to the kids for planting the seed.

Living lightly means living better -- and that includes esthetics. I have never really been visual, so never cared how things look. However, I am now making a 2012 resilience resolution:

Lightly and Beautifully.

I have experienced this over the past couple of years, but as an extra. I started buying second-hand and all of a sudden could afford silk, cashmere, wool, and linen clothes. On Boxing Day, I went into a mall store with my daughter and was surprised at myself. I felt the clothes and decided none of them were good enough for me! Polyester, aside from being a pollutant, is not warm or cool, or even attractive. I went into an expensive store and found cashmere sweaters with price tags that would have sent me to polyester had second-hand not been an option.

K prefers tables to desks. Someone suggested we go to Ikea to get a cheap table. Funny enough, I grumbled that I no longer want junk. It used to be so easy to go to Ikea for cheap furniture that could be easily replaced.

Instead, I went on Kijiji and got K a dining room table that she can use as a desk now and take with her when she moves out. It is lovely and cost less than an Ikea table! The table is large, which is great for projects. It is beautiful, which adds class to her room. In the basement, I found a cut glass lamp, threw a trilight in it and now she has lighting she can adjust for ambiance or for studying.

Good quality clothes.

Lovely furniture.

Attractive art.

Makeup.

Haircuts.

Esthetics is now a complimentary focus to this family transition.

Laundry without Bleach

2012-01-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

We now use various sizes of cloth squares to replace:

Paper Towels
Paper Napkins
Kleenex
Plastic wrap for cheese

This means an extra load of laundry per week. I usually add them to the white sock load. I tried to wash in cold water without bleach. Laundry fail: stains grew on top of stains and the whites got grey. I was annoyed.

So, I tried washing soda, learning that cold water makes solid bricks out of washing soda. I decided that this one load per week would have to be done in hot water.

Now, I put the load on to soak for about an hour with the washing soda and environmentally friendly laundry soap. Then I run the regular program.

All these cloths get ironed before they get hung to dry. I find it takes very little time to get the cloths ironed, compared to the same load of dry cloths. I just hang them and then fold when dry. By changing back to hot wash, I am finding the cloths are much cleaner.

Salsa Lesson

2011-12-29T10:05:00.000-05:00

Last week, Peter opened a jar of salsa. Not OUR salsa, but the salsa he had just bought. I was confused because in the basement we have about 15 jars of the yummy salsa we spent hours making.

Then, I realized what had happened. All the salsa is in boxes on the floor of the cold room, under a table. I had put a few jars out on the shelves but had stored everything else out of sight. So rather than using his woman's eyes and moving stuff, he assumed we had none left and bought more. He had also bought canned tomatoes that we really didn't need.

Today, I unboxed ALL the preserves and made them very visible. I brought up a jar of OUR salsa and put it in the fridge, ready to be opened.

Moral of the story: If you hide all the preserves because you are afraid they will be eaten all at once, there is a good chance none will get eaten at all.

Repairing my Backpack!

2011-12-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

Does contributing to the closed-loop economy give more money to members of my community than if I take the linear route, while enabling me to save money? I got to thinking about this the week before Christmas when the zipper on my favourite backpack broke

The next day, I took the pack to a shoe repair place and asked if he could replace the zipper. I would have thought he would have been interested in our business.

Repair Guy:        How much did you pay for the pack?
Me:                       Why is that relevant?
Repair Guy:       It will cost $35. Maybe it is cheaper to buy a new one?
Me:                      I like THIS pack and the rest is in good condition.   Can you replace the
                           zipper?
Repair Guy:      Yes, but are you sure? Is it worth more than $35?
Me:                    It is worth not sending to the landfill. When can you fix it by?
Repair Guy:      Thursday.
Me:                     Perfect!

I am pretty sure this pack is worth more than double the repair cost. It is an Obusforme pack that I have had for six years so far. If I bought a new pack, the store would likely make a buck or two off the new purchase, but surely the labour cost of the repair guy would be more than a buck or two. I paid less and this guy made more than had I bought new. No resources were used in the disposal of this pack and the shipping of a new one.

I am contributing to the closed loop economy by contracting someone with a skill in my own community to repair my pack. I would be contributing to an unsustainable linear economy had I tossed out my pack and bought a new one.

I keep hearing that without the linear economy, our society will crash and burn and citizens will starve. The more I think about it, the less logical that seems. Isn't the current model already crashing?

Finesse Success!

2011-12-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

Over the past month, I've vented about my frustrations. Well, here is a good news post!

Peter came home from grocery shopping on Friday with (almost) NO PLASTIC!!!!!

How did this happen, you ask?

Basically finesse, not manipulation. Although, I have SO much information in my head about the evils of plastic, I talked to him a couple of weeks ago about only one aspect. It was a short conversation about how plastic cannot be recycled and how every bit of plastic we consume will end up in our grandchildren's world as toxic plastic waste. I told him that glass can be recycled, so if he had a choice, glass is best. The problem with cans is that they are lined in plastic.

As usual, Peter had his shopping bags and box, cotton produce bags, steel containers, and his list. As I unloaded, I was delighted with what didn't come home. There was no sour cream, which meant I had to scramble to make some (failed miserably, but will try again). No accidental plastic bags for the veggies. No styrofoam and plastic wrapped meat.

I did a happy dance! It was the first Friday in a year that I haven't scowled as I put away the groceries.

What changed? I think the final straw for Peter was that plastic can't be recycled. He gets peak oil, but it doesn't hit an emotional chord with him. Everyone's last straw seems to be different. The trick is to find that straw and add it to the arsenal of knowledge.

Cellphone Emotional Descent

2011-12-19T11:04:00.001-05:00

Emotional alert. Emotional descent!

K, our almost 17-year-old, has a new annoying habit that is a good thing for her and an annoying thing for me. She takes her cellphone everywhere and keeps it turned off.

Last night, I told her I had been trying to get in touch with her when she was out, but her phone was off.

K: "I know. I was socializing with real people and didn't want to be distracted by the incoming texts and phone calls."

I was looking for a way to tell her off for this because "I" couldn't reach her. She was doing the right thing. This was just pushing my comfort zone. The reason we pay for her plan is so that we can stay in touch with her when she is out.

After a long pause, I said, "Smart girl. Good friendships develop when you are fully engaged in being with a friend, not distracted by inane messages. How about, when you do this, you remember to touch base with me if you are running late. Keep the Momdar turned off and my blood pressure down."

ACK... still don't like it... but will lump it. The whole point is that she has a phone in case SHE needs to call. At 17, she is an adult in training. Time to treat her like one.

sigh

... I feel like my baby is standing on the edge of the nest, flapping her wings, taking test flights...

Happy Resilient Christmas!

2011-12-16T09:37:00.000-05:00

"I hate Christmas when I am broke. I can't get into the Christmas spirit when I am poor." I've heard this a few times this month. Kinda odd since the central figure of the whole celebration was so poor, the family was homeless.

Someone also suggested we bring all our gifts from other people on Christmas Day so we will have packages to open.

I was confused at first. Interestingly, there are no other presents. My family no longer exchanges stuff other than between parents and offspring. The rest of us have a family discussion on which charity to donate to. Then, we vote and pass the hat.

The presents are now on par with the Christmas pudding for me. Just one small part of the whole celebration, not the highlight. The hightlight is the people I get to see and the conversations I get to have.

Last year, almost all my gifts to others were handmade. Very little cost, big investment of time... and I had fun doing it. This year, there is a combination of bought and homemade. Most of the bought is not stuff but experiences. The stuff is solid enough to be handed down to the next generation and, with the exception of one present, not likely to end up in the landfill.

In becoming a resilient community, this transition is going to be difficult for many people. However, once our society does make the transition, maybe Christmas will be less stressful and more joyous.

Closed Loop Consumer

2011-12-15T11:33:00.000-05:00

I was cleaning out my spice cupboard and came across a glass mayonnaise jar with a steel lid from the early 80's! For as long as Peter and I have been together, it has been refilled with bay leaves. Chances are, this jar will be handed down to the next generation.

This got me thinking about Annie Leonard. In her video, The Story of Stuff, she explains how our materials economy is linear, but to be sustainable, it needs to be a closed loop.

The linear model extracts natural resources, uses them quickly, and then disposes of them.

A closed loop model basically cuts out or drastically reduces the extraction of natural resources and transforms rather than disposes of the product.

The question I get is HOW do we do this? An example would be a glass jar.

Linear

Now go back and extract more sand and go through the process for the next jar you need. The sand dunes should become scarce and the landfill pile grow. In a linear economy, there is a constant depletion of resources.

Closed Loop

No new sand. No power to extract the sand, make it into glass to make a jar. (If the glass is recycled and not reused, there is power to remake the container, but not to make new glass.) No shipping from afar. No resources used to dispose of it.

The jar example works because glass can be remade into the same glass container. The steel lid can be remade into a steel lid.

Plastics, however, cannot be REcycled. They can only be DOWNcycled, meaning that plastic can only be remade into an inferior product until the plastic eventually ends up as a pollutant.

According to the City of Ottawa site:

Yogourt tubs can become flower pots or plastic lumber
Drink bottles can become polyester
Polyester becomes garbage

In other words, plastic is a linear economy product. To maintain the plastic habit, we need to be constantly mining petroleum, transforming it, shipping it from afar, using it, downcycling it, and tossing it. Downcycling, when it happens, only delays the eventual landfill trip.

Many plastics cannot be recycled because they can't be separated from fillers and dyes.

The next question is about work. How can people make a living if new things are not made? I would suggest that there would be jobs in supporting more second-hand shops, in recycling manufacturing, and in the service industry. We got rid of the guys who came through the streets to collect your nightsoil (bathroom waste) and replaced their jobs with sewer maintenance and construction.

The monks who were scribes are now librarians, teachers, writers, and artists.

Reusing our glass container was us being closed loop consumers. Now, however, our mayonnaise consumption makes us contribute to the linear model of consumption. Hellmans only sells mayonnaise in plastic jars now. Petroleum is mined to make a new jar for Peter every month. It is shipped, consumed, thrown into the bluebox to be downcycled until eventually it will pollute our grandchildren's environment.

ANGRY!!! Am I Naive?

2011-12-12T21:57:00.001-05:00

I am seething with bubbling anger, steam blowing out of my nose and ears... or it would if I could make it happen.

Last year, I wrote about the Christmas Potluck Metamorphosis from Optimum Waste to Minimum Waste. It was inspiring.

The same event this year was a complete disaster. The organizers warned me that their free source of dishes and table clothes no longer worked with them. I packed my own dishes, knowing that everything would be disposable.

I was naive in thinking that they would choose the less harmful alternatives. Paper plates made from recycled paper or corn-based cutlery. The table cloths might be paper too.

Much to my horror...

Plastic table cloths, not paper, not cloth, not even reuseable plastic. I actually laughed in dismay when I saw plastic sprinkles and cutouts on the table as some sort of decoration that could end up in the belly of some bird later this week. Had they asked for people to loan out table cloths, I would have gladly brought a few!

Styrofoam cups, not even paper

Styrofoam plates, not even paper or bamboo

Plastic wine glasses even though there was a full set of glass wine glasses in a cupboard in that very room.

Coloured paper napkins

Juice boxes

Water bottles

Pop bottles

At the end of the event, we were all asked to help clean up. I felt tense and irritated running from table to plastic garbage bag, watching the mounting garbage that would never disappear in my lifetime ... all for three hours of use.

What angers me the most is that the majority of people in that room were highly educated. They obviously read newspapers and tsk tsk when they see the news about the impact of pollution. I guess education has nothing to do with social responsibility.

Throughout my transition, I have done my best to save my judgement for myself and my family. Everyone is at different stages, I tell myself. Just do what you can, Pamela, and don't preach.

Egad, I wanted to stand on top of all that garbage and yell at everyone while dropping f-bombs.

Being part of next year's organizing committee is not an option. Writing to put down all the hard work that went into the event seems ungrateful, although I am not in the least bit grateful.

If educated folk won't choose to live even just a little lighter, what hope is there? Is transition even worth it? Am I really so naive to think that even though we have the intelligence to make this a better world the majority really prefer the status quo?

HELP!!!!! What do you suggest!!!

Giving Up the Cellphone

2011-12-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

Last week, I brought an old watch to the jeweller to replace the battery and the strap. Why? Because Peter and I have given up the cellphone. We had one each, then decided to have one between us. Finally, we let go of the last one.

I feel a little naked without it, but not inconvenienced. By wearing a watch and resurrecting our old paper address book, I have replaced the functions I miss most.

There are times when I miss the phone, but my quality of life hasn't gone down without it. We had cellphones for seven years. I can't even remember how many. But between all four of us, none of the phones lasted more than two years. They got lost, stolen, or just plain broken. Then, there is the money we spent monthly that could have gone to better use.

K still has her phone. With phone booths dangerously close to extinction, I feel safer knowing that my teenager can call if she needs help or a cab or even just to turn the Momdar off and let me know she is fine.

Although I only used the cell to call a few people, I feel rather uncomfortable being without one. I wonder if this is permanent or whether we will cave and reconnect. Does anyone else out there live without cellphones in a world without public phones?

History of Plastic

2011-12-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

Plastic was invented less than 150 years ago.

Plastic came into widespread use around 60 years ago.

Now, in the ocean, there is a plastic garbage patch the size of Texas, possibly twice the size of France. This patch was first discovered only 14 years ago. Does this mean it wasn't there when my kids were born?

How many years until the plastic garbage patch is the size of the ocean?
How much non-biodegradable, toxic garbage covers the rest of the Earth?

I think about this when I see all the plastic disposable coffee lids walking around town.
Is coffee-to-go-because-I-can't-be-bothered-to-bring-my-mug really that critical to our quality of life?

Telegraph article: Drowning in Plastic

Gently Encouraging Changes

2011-12-01T13:33:00.001-05:00

A formal reception at work happens twice a year, with VIPs from the diplomatic community invited and a formal dress code in effect.

Last year, I pointed out that we have a responsibility to demonstrate environmental stewardship and then pointed out what we could do differently.

Today, I attended the reception and the organizer came to me and pointed out that we now had washable mugs for the coffee. He also pointed out that they haven't solved the disposable plate problem, but the plates were not styrofoam and the cutlery was compostable. What delighted me was the awareness.

I told him I was truly happy that the first step has been taken. I just celebrated what was done, not how much more there was to do.

I had brought my walkabout plate, my spork, and a linen napkin.... which I used.

People are thinking. They are poking their big toes into the sustainable living pool.

Happy Dance in Ottawa!!!!

A Teenager Unplugged

2011-11-26T14:43:00.016-05:00

A conversation on Saturday afternoon between me and K, with an interjection by N, K's friend. They were on their way out to go winter boot shopping:

K: Mum, I'm leaving my phone here.

Me: Really? You don't want it with you while you are out? (I like the security of her having it for emergencies and so I can turn off my Momdar by calling her if she is 30 seconds late.)

K: Yup

N: What? You are cutting yourself off from the outside world?

K & N in unison: Let's go out into the outside world!

They laughed and skipped out the door hand in hand. No cellphones. No iPods. No computers. No virtual world, just the real one.

Goofballs. I loved it! K's personal transition includes not letting technology control her. It's Saturday afternoon and she is with a friend. With no phones, they can give each other their undivided attentions.

The main link to resiliencey is that by using cellphones only when they are needed, they should last longer. More importantly, technology seems to distract those who are addicted. Being able to focus on the person she is with or the task she is doing will enable her to develop solid relationships and manage time by completing tasks more efficiently.

Cheese: Finesse vs Manipulation

2011-11-26T12:01:00.001-05:00

Cheese. The challenge: Peter LOVES cheese. I have been looking longingly at the cheese drawer, dreaming of the day it is plastic-free, organic and local.

Peter does the shopping + Peter eats cheese several times a day = Potential battle ground.

I don't want a battle ground. Peter really doesn't have time to do the research, so it is up to me to get the ball rolling without making them canon balls.

I could have started in any of these ways:

1. Made Peter read articles I put in front of him.
2. Found a place where we can get cheese in our own containers.
3. Figured out how to store cheese without plastic wrap.
4. Refused to eat any cheese that has touched plastic.

#3 won out because it lets the transition begin without pushing Peter's cheese buttons.

I have been reading up on all this for the past two weeks. This morning, I told Peter I would like us to transition the cheese and I am going to experiment with storing cheese without plastic. He liked the idea. I think the only thing we use cling-wrap for now is for cheese. The food comes home in plastic, gets cut out of its wrapping and then rewrapped in cling wrap. By calling this an experiment, it doesn't commit us -- a psychological ploy to get one and all to keep an open mind!

He came downstairs and saw me reorganizing the cheese drawer and asked how it works. I told him:

Apparently, cheese takes on the taste of plastic and, like fine wine, it needs to breathe. I got his attention with this because Peter loves good food and is an awesome cook. If sustainable living improves the taste of his cheese, he will be all for it!
Hard cheeses get brushed with a bit of olive oil and wrapped in a cloth. I used old cotton napkins that are wearing out and not coming out pristine white anymore. Peter asked if this meant oiling the cheese every time he uses it. I suggested we try only doing it after his last piece of cheese at night. If this is too much work, it won't be sustained.
Soft cheeses should be in a breathable container. I have glass containers with plastic lids that have a hole for burping before putting in the freezer. However, I found a small container with a loose-fitting glass lid for our brie and goat cheese. It is easy to see.
I asked Peter if he had heard of Cedars Food Market in the Old Ottawa South because rumour has it cheese can be bought without wrapping. Not only had he heard about it, he had gone in and discovered it was expensive. A year ago, this would have been end of discussion, but we were able to successfully transition to organic meat and afford it. The seed has been planted.

Sometimes, transitioning a family member takes a little finesse. I don't want to manipulate because that would be mean and disrespectful. The finesse comes in knowing what is important to Peter and addressing that point. Taste can't be compromised. The overall budget can't change. He is so busy, making cheese complicated would be an unnecessary annoyance. The difference between finesse and manipulation is that with finesse, both our needs and wants are addressed. With manipulation, there is a loser.

Esthetics & Carbon Footprint

2011-11-23T12:45:00.019-05:00

Last night, I had an aha moment. I have been so wrapped up in the project of living lightly, that somehow I forgot that it doesn't mean I have to look like an old hippy.

A little background information... In April, I decided to not buy any new-to-me clothes, other than socks and underwear.

When I first started shopping like this, I was thinking carbon footprint. I took J with me last week (she is my fashionista) and asked her for her input. She kept talking about what looked good on me or what didn't suit me or how I should try something on because it was gorgeous. J puts carbon footprint on an equal footing with esthetics -- a good thing in my mind. She made me buy a blouse that looked good and felt good, but I was afraid I would sweat in it. I wore it for the first time and wondered why it felt so comfortable in both sensation and heat. That was when I discovered it was 100% silk. Then, I saw the cleaning instructions: hand wash, but dry clean for best results. I hand washed it.

I have certain requirements:

1. Only shop in second-hand, vintage, consignment shops, and garage sales.
2. All new-to-me clothing should be as high in natural fibres as possible. 100% would be great, but I want to set myself up for success, so I haven't set the bar that high.
3. I get to make some of my own clothes over the winter. :)
4. No dry cleaning.

Seven months in and I am finding my wardrobe is getting a lot better than when I limited myself to malls! Consignment stores have the higher-end gently used clothes. Just as the prices are higher, so is the quality.

At The Clothes Secret in Old Ottawa South, I bought:

2 100% wool cardigans
1 turtleneck sweater: silk, cotton & cashmere with 20% synthetic
1 turtleneck sweater: 100% cashmere
1 blouse: 100% silk
2 pairs lined pants: wool blend
1 pair workout pants: 100% unnatural ;)
1 pure linen shirt
1 pure cotton shirt

At the Bay, I bought
5 pair of 92% cotton undies
2 pair of bamboo rayon undies (FAIL)
6 pairs of wool socks, 80 - 100% wool

I also started knitting socks! A whole new skillset for me! Yarn Forward, Sew On helps me out when I get stuck. I have finished one sock, which is so warm I had to chase K around the house to get it off her foot! The plan is to knit myself three pairs.

I have felt GREAT this week -- cozy in my cashmere and wool, luxurious in silk, and rich in the savings!

Labels:Clothes, Mindful Shopping

Planning for Illness

2011-11-21T08:20:00.001-05:00

Poor K (16) was lying on the sofa exhausted one night last week. She tumbled into bed way earlier than normal for a teenager. The next morning, there was a note that she had been up most of the night with a tummy bug.

I went down to the freezer and brought up homemade stock from an organic chicken, stopped by the coldroom for homemade applesauce, pulled out the homemade sourdough white bread, made a pot of rice, and noticed the bananas that Peter insists are locally grown in Manotick. (I married a comedian.) I made a thermos of tea from various leaves I had harvested over the summer, particularly violets.

All this, as I was getting ready for work. It took no time at all and there was no stress. K would wake up to healthy, soothing food options.

In the time before transition, I would have had to stop on the way home from work to pick up a jar of applesauce and a cooked BBQ chicken to make quick stock from. In a pinch, I would have made bouillon from a bottle of concentrate. If she had had a cold, I would have hit the pharmacy right away.

Three days after K got sick, I started with a cold that was making the rounds at work. I got the echinacea going, finished off the home made stock, ate soup that was full of vitamin C, used the Netipot, and spent every minute I was not at work, in bed.

K and I both bounced back since we supported our immune systems.

With the stock depleted, Peter made an amazing batch of broth from one of our organic CSA chickens on the weekend. It is frozen and ready for duty the next time someone gets sick... or the next time we make soup (which is weekly).

The Pen Cemetery

2011-11-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

You know what a pen cemetery is. It's that place where pens go to die. It's a mass grave that expands as if there has been an epidemic. But when you WANT a pen that works, you have to go hunting!

Today, I attacked the study with great gusto. Just a general clean with my transition goggles metaphorically perched on my nose. I got rid of a few boxes of books for donation. Then, I took the pen cemetery and asked K and a friend to test all pens and sort into "destination landfill" and "keep".

Sigh. We will never ever have to ever buy another pen, pencil, highlighter, marker or pencil crayon ever again. Ever. This was just the study pen cemetery. We have another one on the computer desk in the dining room and yet another in the basement. I did have one happy find. A steel mechanical pencil that if not lost, should work for many many years to come.

K's friend mentioned that he was going to have to go to Staples for some school supplies. My ears perked. I asked him to take what he wanted from the working pens and pencils and then follow me upstairs where he found the right sized binders, notebooks, and file folders. Believe me, they won't be missed. I just saved a starving student money!

My transition goggles brought into focus:

Four staplers
Five rulers
Many packages of neon paper of various gross colours
A bedding cemetery.
An old computer. I mean really old. Like a 486.
A lonely sock club
Boxes of pictures
Music cassettes. Yes, we still have a cassette player on another floor.
VHS videos.
An overflowing box of old batteries.

So here is the new conundrum. Do I get rid of all these things so that we can have more room and start using better alternatives or should I keep them and use them all up before replacing them? Some are no brainers -- tools that don't work and are beyond repair need to be ethically disposed of. But what about the rest? In the next ten years, will the girls use up the binders, the writing paraphernalia, and neon paper? Will they take staplers with them and wear them out? I would free up five shelves in our tiny study if I got rid of this clutter.

Peter told me an interesting story. A custodian at a local school goes around cleaning up every night. He finds school supplies on the floor -- erasers, pencils... He figures that Canadian kids have no appreciation for what they have, so if it is on the floor, he doesn't put it in the trash, he collects it. Once a year, he goes to his country of birth and brings all the supplies to an underfunded school. The airline gives him the extra baggage space for free.

We boxed up all the extra supplies for this man. I felt so happy putting together the package, making sure that only stuff that I would let my own kids use would be donated. If it isn't good enough for K and J, it isn't good enough for any kids.

Adjusting the Thermostat with Clothes!

2011-11-12T17:06:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, I was chilled. I looked at the thermostat. I was oh so tempted to crank up the heat even though it was 21C.

If you had seen me, you would have thought I was dressed warmly enough. I had on pants, socks, slippers and a hoody. But I was still cold.

So, while the kettle boiled for tea, I changed. From:

workout pants to cords
synthetic socks to smartwool cosy socks
from a t-shirt to an undershirt + a longsleeved cotton top + a silk scarf
from a synthetic hoody to a wool cardigan

Within five minutes, the thermostat was adjusted -- the internal one. No extra gas was used to warm me up!

Green Garbage Bag Replacement!

2011-11-11T14:44:00.001-05:00

I spent most of the weekend doing some spring cleaning in November. I have a whole pile of clothes to donate... but no more green garbage bags!

We stopped using them over a year ago. I put the kettle on, made a lovely hot cup of tea and sat contemplating. I find that when plastic would be a first resort, I need to stop the world for a bit and do some creative rethinking. Any excuse for a tea break.

Is there an alternative to big plastic bags? I need to contain these clothes somehow. A bag will only last for a few days before it gets ripped open and sent to the landfill. Plastic isn't temporary and shouldn't be treated as if it is. Here are some options I found in the bottom of the teacup:

1. Fold the clothes in a pile, wrap them in an old sheet or a huge skirt and tie the bundle together.

2. Buy paper garden garbage bags.

3. Hunt through the house for old boxes or forgotten plastic bags.

I started laughing when I walked by the chest freezer. I could just pile the clothes in the freezer. When it is full of donation stuff, I could call up one of the myriad organizations who take gently used stuff and get rid of both the freezer and the stuff!

I knew that wouldn't fly with Peter, so I ended up tying everything together with a piece of clothing that wasn't ready to be turned into rags.

I always feel a sense of mini-elation when I take the time to contemplate and then mentally let go of an old solution in favour of a cheaper and lighter living alternative!

Go me!!!!

Affording Organic Meat

2011-11-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

After 18 months of dancing with the meat transition, I think we are dancing with skill! Getting four people and the budget in sinc was slow, but sure. Here was the process:

1. May 2010, we agree to eat down all the meat in the freezer and not buy any more until it is gone. The idea was to start buying local, organic once the old meat was used up. K (16-year-old daughter), who felt strongly about this, agreed to not be vegetarian for a couple of months.

2. May 2010, K and I go to the farmer's market and gasp at the prices of local, organic meat. Peter gives us the heads up that he won't break the budget. He was right, but this was the hurdle we had to jump.

3. June 2010. Father's Day. K and I go to the farmer's market and buy sausages to BBQ. We had planned to buy steaks, but the prices were ghastly. BTW, the sausages were awesome.

4. July 2010. The industrial meat is finished. Peter continues to buy industrial meat and K refuses to eat it. She declares she is a freegetarian. In her definition, she will ONLY eat local, organickish meat. It doesn't have to be certified, but should be free range, anti-biotic and hormone free. About once a month, I buy an organic chicken.

5. Winter 2011. K gets mono and looks so weak. I buy more organic chicken and make good healthy soups that are easy to eat and yet full of protein and the good stuff sick folk need. I get the worst cold I think I have ever had and need lots of healthy soup, too. Peter brought me a package of ramen chicken flavoured soup. I looked at him askance. I was sick and needed nutrition, not something to stop the hunger pains. I got out of bed and made my own soup.

6. June 2011 to September 2011. Peter buys industrial meat, attempts local. I go to the farmer's market and buy local grass fed beef. Peter is impressed that the prices are better than the previous summer. We eat a mix of the two meats. K only partakes from my purchases. I work diligently to learn to make more vegetarian dishes. We are down to eating meat twice a week, sometimes three times.

7. September 2011. Peter rediscovers Saslov's, a local butcher. HE starts supplementing his industrial purchases with lower carbon footprint choices. I get frustrated with the styrofoam coming in with meat. Finally, I take a leaf out of K's book. I tell Peter that I am now transitioning to no longer eating meat that comes in plastic and on styrofoam. That now leaves Peter as the only industrial meat eater because they don't have butcher paper at grocery stores. He asked.

8. October 2011.
a. We get an order of chickens from a local farmer.
b. Peter puts Saslov's on his regular grocery route. He is really happy with the change because he goes there first and has a fresh knish for dinner. The butcher will wrap the meat in butcher paper. Peter has him take meat out of the plastic and styrofoam and repackage it for us because the butcher paper can go in the green bin. This may seem counter-productive, but the more it happens, the more likely change will come. Back in the 80s, Peter did this with broccoli. It used to be more packaging than vegetable. He kicked up a fuss and would unwrap the broccoli in the store. He couldn't have been the only one doing this because now we rarely see that.
c. I continued to improve the variety of vegetarian meals.

Now, we only eat local, organickish meat! Peter tells me that compared to before transition, we now eat about 50% less meat and double the eggs. We also eat beans, quinoa, cheese, tofu and nuts -- about 70% more than we used to. The beans transitioned from canned beans to dried beans as I discovered the joys of the pressure canner. Also, dried beans have retained a lot more nutrition than their industrially packaged counterparts.

We eat high quality food with lots of variety. Peter, who held true to the budget, finds that we pay the same as we used to; We used to buy less nutritious high carbon footprint food. So far, the meat transition has been a win-win situation.

In May 2010, we went shopping and were terrified at how much this might cost us. We wondered if we could afford to transition. Apparently, we could, can and will continue! It took 18 months, but we got here! By the way, the view is great. :)

The Freezer: From Overstuffed to Redundant

2011-11-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

Our Freezer November 2011
Chickens, some stock, some stuffed peppers, two soups, curry, chicken paprika

Well folks, my brain is muddled, stuck on a conundrum, perplexed and bemused. Our chest freezer has more air space than food in it. It is only November. The growing and preserving season is all over and we no longer buy freezer stuff in bulk. With a finite number of containers (thanks to no longer having plastic containers such as yogourt coming into the house), leftovers are eaten within week or two.

Our cold room is full of dried and canned food and some root veggies. The freezer was unplugged in April when we had eaten down all that had been preserved the summer before. We fired up the freezer when we took our chicken order from a local farm in October.

It seems odd, but I am rather in awe, feeling a bit uncomfortable. We used to have a food morgue -- a freezer full of food we had forgotten about and would end up throwing out once it was freezer-burned beyond recognition. Now we have frozen air.

I was thinking about buying a new freezer. Ours is 17 years old and hydro will come take it and dispose of it responsibly. A new freezer would be cheaper to run. But, do we really need a freezer?

Someone said: "Just fill it up!"

Without thinking, I said: "But the growing season is over. Our experiments with drying and canning were successful, so there are no fruits and vegetables to freeze and no source until next year."

Then, I realized what he said. He was suggesting going and taking advantages of sales, particularly COSTCO. I could buy lots of bread on sale or other meat. Now, I am used to fresh, homemade bread, the only bread we buy is hot bagels from Kettleman's or a specialty bread on a Friday night to be consumed asap with good cheese and a bottle of wine. We get meat weekly from a local butcher... and we eat less meat. Now that we know what fresh veggies, even those we have preserved, taste like, we can't imagine eating tasteless industrially frozen veggies. What's more, filling up the freezer would mean bringing in more plastic.

A major step in transition has just naturally happened. By learning to preserve and make our own food, and source the rest mindfully, the freezer is becoming redundant.

I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to get rid of the freezer. Part of me wants to replace it with a smaller one. Part of me is terrified of NOT having one.

Honestly folks, I feel like a rug is being pulled from underneath me. The funny thing is... Peter, the girls and I are the ones who voluntarily pulled it. Peter tells me he feels the same way.

For now, I vote that we not make a decision until we are ready psychologically. The great thing about transitioning while we have options is that we can take the time to process the changes rather than having to face them all at once.

Any suggestions? Do you have a story of discomfort during transition?

Transitioning the Family Frustrations

2011-11-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

I'm frustrated. Not upset, just mildly annoyed. Doing things as a group can be akin to herding cats when four independent thinkers are involved.

We've been at this for 18 months; somehow I thought we would be further ahead. Although we have definitely lowered the family's carbon footprint and learned so many new skills, we could have less garbage going to recycling and the landfill. We could use less energy. We could have preserved more food.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. I know these are the words that undermine motivation, but it is what I am feeling right now.

So here are the frustrations.

1. A whole pack of soap bars individually packaged in cardboard and then bound together in plastic came in the house when we had already been buying naked earth-friendly bars.

2. Stryofoam packaged meat double wrapped in plastic was still making it into the grocery cart.

3. Fruit and veggies that were VOLUNTARILY plastic bagged made it through the back door.

4. Rooms devoid of human life are lit with computer and radios on, for the benefit of the dust mites.

5. Lighters for the smokers and for the BBQ make it in the house rather than matches.

6. Occasionally, a disposable drink container makes it home because someone didn't bring along a mug.

7. Halloween was full of plastic-wrappings.

If I were transitioning on my own, this would be so much easier. I kinda like my family, though and we have definitely made progress.

I am not really sure what to do, but we definitely need some sort of renewal.

Any ideas?

Duped: Bamboo Rayon Underwear

2011-10-29T09:49:00.001-04:00

I've been duped!!!!! I bought the greenwashing!

After discovering that the shop in the market that sells organic clothes had gone out of business, I decided I was desperate for underwear and would go to The Bay and Pecco's, since I had no idea where to get organic clothes in Ottawa.

At Pecco's, a bike store, I got a merino wool cap for under my bike helmet. It is nice and warm and takes up little space. I also got Smartwool socks... 100% wool. I gasped at the price, put my hand on my heart and promised to wash them in delicate and hang dry.

Then, off to the Bay with a vow to only buy enough cotton undies to get me started until I can actually find organic intimates. I bought three pairs of 88% wool socks that were cheaper than the Smartwool. Warm feet will let me keep the house cooler this winter.

I discovered that there is no such thing as pure cotton underwear. The best I could find was 92% cotton, 8% spandex. So, I bit the bullet and picked up five pair. Then, I saw a green coloured label that said: BAMBOO RAYON. I had no idea what rayon was exactly, but from this label, I figured it wasn't oil-based; it wouldn't end up as microplastics on the beaches of the Ottawa River. I bought two pair, figuring I would read all about it tonight.

Apparently, the magic potion that tranforms any wood into rayon is the chemical soup. So, I was duped and bought the marketing on the packaging. I read several articles, including one from Patagonia. Bamboo is environmentally friendly because it grows organically up to four feet a day. So it is indeed the process of converting it to rayon, not the raw material, that is the problem.

Apparently, linen made from bamboo is fine. It doesn't use solvents and other toxins that affect the reproductive systems of the factory workers converting bamboo to rayon.

I posted yesterday that I was on the hunt. Urban Girl from Heartfelt posted that Faeries Dance had pretty intimates. I was thrilled! I am still hoping to find an actual store in Ottawa that I can go to, but if I don't, I will be ordering from here. They have the same cotton-lycra mix, but at least the cotton is organic. Also, their bamboo socks are bamboo-viscose which means they are processed with the same chemicals needed for the rayon. So, beware of any bamboo materials. If it says bamboo-rayon or viscose, they are attempting a greenwash.

I need more wool socks, but I will make them. I have one started now. Yarn Forward, Sew On on Bank Street has a really simple pattern, great wool... and has sat patiently with me when turning the heel looked daunting. Now K wants to learn to knit socks. :)

Laundry Lint Pollutes

2011-10-28T11:14:00.000-04:00

I have slowly slowly slowly been converting my clothing choices to natural fibres since I am trying to lower my dependence on fossil fuels. I really don't need oil in my clothes (synthetic fibres).

I had thought about clothes that have been re-used and repurposed eventually end up in the landfill, but until yesterday, I hadn't thought about the water system. I heard a report on CBC about the sewage treatment plants being unable to catch the tiny microplastic fibres that come off our clothes. These fibres eventually make it into the ocean where they are consumed and also absorb toxins. In the study of beaches, every single 1 cup sample of sand had microplastics that likely came from laundry. Here is an article on the details. Here is a report from the University of Cambridge.

Now I feel that I have yet another reason to transition the wardrobe. I am going to focus on 100% natural materials, preferably gently used. Eventually, I want to get to organic, but I have to figure out how to afford organic. I went to Greenliving Ottawa because I have no idea where to start the search.

So, here is the REAL issue: Is it possible to have SEXY organic underwear?

Canna Lilies -- Not Just an Ornamental Plant!

2011-10-13T19:13:00.001-04:00

Last spring, someone gave me a number of canna lily roots he had saved from his own garden. I looked them up on the Internet, discovered they were REALLY tall plants, mixed them with my sunflowers and filled the front bed.

It was so nice sitting on our front porch with the flowers from these two plants at eye level. We watch the bees gorge on sunflowers and buzz around the canna lilies. We watched a spider craft a web between the plants and then catch and devour a bee!

Last weekend, I put the garden to bed, pulling out all the annuals and chopping the rhizomes off the canna lilies. They had multiplied so much that I mulled over what to do with them. It really was a bumper crop. I needed about 10% to plant next year. Just as I was cutting them off the stalks, my neighbour came by and told me that canna lilies are a food crop in China. Apparently, it is like a yam. I got so excited that the next time I was online, I looked up the information just to confirm. Now, I have a huge container of a new and tasty veggie in my cold room!!!

I put some in a stew today. K says they are the love child of a turnip and a sweet potato.

All I can say is that multiculturalism rocks!!!! I will eat these over the winter, plant what I need and share the rest with those who are interested.

Sourdough Starter Conceived!!!!!!!

2011-10-06T10:40:00.000-04:00

WHOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!! After doing a yeasty beasty dance, chanting and plain wishing, the flour and juice finally captured some wild yeast from the air and conceived a lovely bubbling batch of starter!

I will be nurturing it for a few more days, but if anyone wants some, we could meet at a cafe downtown for coffee and starter.

Email me: pamelascaiff@gmail.com

Workshops!

2011-10-04T11:13:00.000-04:00

Transition Ottawa is putting on a series of free workshops on the resilient kitchen. I attended one on making salsa. As a result, Peter and I have an amazing collection of salsas ready to go for all those winter parties we have planned. :) One batch is slightly sweet, the other is hot. Yum.

I have been asked to give a workshop on making yogourt and cottage cheese without special equipment. Although my focus is on making the food and letting people sample, I will also talk about the domino effect making yogourt had on other aspects of resilience.

If you would like to come, there are 8 spaces left as of this morning. Contact The Resilient Kitchen.

Community Resilience & Sourdough Starter

2011-10-02T08:14:00.000-04:00

I got home from a business trip and discovered the sour dough starter I had been lovingly tending all summer long was left out and nobody put it away. It was mouldy and crusty.

I asked K, my 16-year-old transition nut to go downstairs and get me a can of pineapple so I could get a new batch of wild yeast growing again. When she came upstairs, she handed me the only can down there and said:

"Mum, what are you going to do when the price of oil is such that you can't get a can of pineapple to capture wild yeast with?"

I told her I would probably have to experiment to find something else, but that if I were vigilant, I could just keep the sour dough starter alive forever.

"Ok, so what if there is an earthquake and the starter dies and there is no oil and no pineapple in Ottawa. BUT, you have grain and can make bread."

The conversation went back and forth. Then, in frustration, K said: "Mum, you are completely missing the point. If you are resilient and your community is resilient, then someone out there has already got wild yeast sour dough starter. Resiliency is about pulling together as a community and helping each other. Why don't you just go post on Facebook, Transition Ottawa, your blog, email or drums and ASK if anyone has some sourdough starter they could part with? That's what the pioneers used to do."

I looked at her with great pride. She was absolutely right. Sharing skills. Sharing tools. Sharing sourdough starter. The easy part is sharing. The hard part is asking.

Does anyone out there have some wild yeast sourdough starter they could share with me?

Old Habits Die Hard

2011-10-01T10:10:00.000-04:00

I have yet another example of transitioning a family being a lot harder than one would think. Everyone is at different stages, but in crisis time, we see what has become a habit and what is still so ingrained that old habits rise again.

I was away for the week on business and pleasure. K says everything fell apart with me away, but really it wasn't because I wasn't there, it was because there were way too many mini-crises. The two main ones:

1. Peter had emergency dental surgery. He was on mega pain-killers and couldn't eat.
2. K caught a cold.

I told them that there was homemade stock in the freezer. I had actually planned for illness when it was least convenient and made the stock a week or two earlier. Naturally, nobody had the energy to make a soup from it.

So, I came home, opened up the fridge and saw:

- individual puddings
- Boost meal replacement drinks (individual)
- meat on styrofoam trays
- industrial yogourt in three containers
- a tub of ice cream in a plastic container
- store-bought bread in the freezer

I stood there with the door open and all that cold air flowing out, surprised. I closed the door and took a deep breath. Then, I thought about WHY that happened. There was a meal plan, but then it got changed because of Peter's surgery and K's cold. The meat could have been avoided because it was a for a party that never happened while I was away. But the rest was non-think survival stuff.

Ok, so one week of slipping doesn't mean all has gone to hell. Peter got all that food on his bike... pretty amazing considering the pain he was in.

So, I decided there was absolutely no point in being upset. The long run is what counts. Later, I will mull over how to avoid this happening again. In the meantime, there were puddings... industrial, chemically charged, yummy puddings. Chocolate pudding.

I reached into the fridge, peeled back the cover of the individually-wrapped junk food, dipped my spoon into the shiny chocolate, slowly moved the spoon into my mouth, let my lips surround the chocolate and slowly pulled the empty spoon out of my mouth. I let the chocolate pudding coat my tongue, my teeth, the roof of my mouth, tasting and feeling every little morsel before I swallowed and repeated the process.

mmmmmmmmm....

Then, Peter gave me a bowl of ice cream.

Buses and Families Don't Mix

2011-09-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

Ottawa City Council and the bus company have hiked fares and cut bus service. Our family, who does not own a car, has had to drop the bus as a main source of transportation.

Tonight, we are going to the National Arts Centre. The bus would cost a family of four, more than $20.00 return. We will be saving money by taking a taxi each way.

Excuse my English, but I am royally pissed off that the bus is not a viable option.

grrrrrrrrrrr

Trashy Memorial Tributes

2011-08-25T12:23:00.000-04:00

As we drive up to the cottage, there are occasional crosses with plastic flowers on the side of the road to mark the death place of an accident victim. When Diana died, there was a sea of flowers, notes and teddy bears at various palaces and embassies, even the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto.

Yesterday, I went to the lying in state of Jack Layton at Parliament Hill. There was a small tribute fence where people put garbage in order to honour his memory. The flowers were wrapped in plastic. There were teddy bears that won't look so cute next week in the landfill. There were bottles of Orange Crush, notes in plastic sleeves or laminated, orange balls, toxic candles and a few Layton buttons. It looked like an orange garbage dump. I thought this was rather odd considering that Jack Layton lived lightly on this earth. He was known for commuting by bike, for renovating his house so that he lived off the grid, and for fighting for environmental policies with teeth.

I had planned to bring a sunflower from my garden, but forgot. It would have been pretty, almost orange, and waste-free.

I signed the book of condolences in the foyer of Parliament. When I stood before Mr. Layton's coffin, my only thoughts were "thank you". Thank you for living lightly and enjoying it. Thank you for working at the political level to make our world a little cleaner, a little fairer, a little happier.

I like the idea of the wall of tributes -- personal expressions of gratitude and grief. Perhaps it is time to transition those walls to ones that do not contribute to the death of the planet, but add life to it. Flowers from our gardens, messages written on recycled paper...

Any other ideas?

Back To School Living Lighter

2011-08-23T11:21:00.000-04:00

Last year, we successfully transitioned to litterless lunches. Click here for last year's post on litterless lunches. As an update, no containers were lost! We found that it is very important to buy quality. A couple of our thermoses needed replacing because they did not hold the heat, the plastic caps broke when dropped on the floor, or they leaked.

Last year we invested. This year, I do NOT have to buy ANY lunch containers because every steel container is still in one piece, doesn't leak and is in our possession. As of now, last year's investment is making this year's start up school costs cheaper than any other year.

The Backpack. We all have good quality backpacks from Mountain Equipment Coop or Obusform. We have had them for three or four years. Each one has been washed. I noticed someone had a knife that put a small cut in one pack, so I will be repairing it this weekend.

The Binders. Lots left over from last year. No new ones this year.

The pencils and pens. I went through the house and found all kinds of pencils and pens. I am in the process of going through them to find out which ones are unusable. They will be tossed. The rest used.

Buying new pens and pencils. I walked through two different office supply stores, looking for eco pens and pencils. Everything is packaged. There are pens that take refills, but no fountain pens. Then, I dropped by my favourite environmental shop, Arbour. The pencils are made of recycled wood and paper. I can also buy them individually with no packaging!

Paper. Lots of leftover paper. Really, students use less LINED paper now than they used to. I have not seen either of my kids use 100 sheets in a year.  They use computers to take a lot of notes and then print out their notes. K's learning disability makes computer use a must. J still prefers taking notes by hand, but in a bound notebook.

The printer should be our focus now. Refillable ink. Recycled paper.

The computers.
K has a small 3-year-old computer she needs for the classroom. I have had it tuned up and ready to go. She doesn't need bells and whistles -- this is not for playing games or watching videos. No need for a newer model.

J has a new Mac that she knows must see her through the next five years (minimum) as she moves into higher education. The programs she will have to use will not run on her little Asus. We know the Mac will be dependable, durable and has great support. In essence, it will last longer than a refurbished PC. After we bought it, we found some disturbing information on the production side (human rights) of Apple. So, what happened to the little Asus? We have kept it, but I am thinking about getting it tuned up and donating it to a younger student.

Peter has a new-to-us refurbished computer that will travel back and forth between work and home. When it is at home, we share it.

The Main Computer is in the dining room, hooked up to the printer and speakers. It has been tuned up and is ready to go for the year. I think it is going to die on us, regardless of the maintenance. It is now 7 years old. I am hoping it gets us through another couple of years. Once K finishes high school and Peter retires, we won't need to replace it as one refurbished laptop should be enough for the two old fogies left in the house.

We now have two recharging centres in the house for phones and laptops. At bedtime, the stations are turned on and everything is plugged in. This serves two purposes. The first is to use energy at off-peak times. The second is to keep electronics out of the bedrooms so that we create atmospheres conducive to relaxing by being disconnected from the world.

Clothes. K will have $50.00 waiting for her when she gets home from her trip. She can go get a new-to-her outfit. I know she has worn out all her jeans... and she made them last two years!

Start-up costs of this school year?
Clothes:        $50.00
Haircuts:         70.00 (I know, it sounds like a lot, but a good haircut needs no products to maintain)
Lunch stuff:       0.00
Binders:            0.00
Paper:              0.00
Pens/Pencils:    0.00
Backpacks:      0.00
Computers:  $60.00 (maintenance on three computers)

Time in stores: Mum, no time. K, up to her.

Bigger Bathroom: Thanks Transition!

2011-08-14T10:57:00.000-04:00

My bathroom is bigger than it was!

When we moved to this rather old house, the tiny bathroom had a medicine cabinet, but no vanity with drawers or cupboards. We had to store towels in the linen closet and use a small chest of drawers in the hall for toiletries.

Yesterday, I emptied the chest of drawers. Most of it went in the medicine cabinet. I have old plastic drawers that I put in the linen closet for the first aid stuff. Toilet paper is in the linen closet, too.

The chest of drawers will now go in K's room for clothes. Why did we need this piece of furniture for toiletries but we don't now? We stopped bringing plastic in the house. Plastic actually takes up a lot of space.

I remember in our old house, we had a whole cupboard of plastic bottles -- ends of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, creams, cleaners... In our present house, we have less space, but there was a whole large drawer dedicated to plastic bottles. We also had a large feminine hygiene drawer. No longer necessary since a diva cup each travels in our purses.

Now, without packaging, our house got bigger. No furniture in the hall. K has a dresser.

Without all this stuff, has our quality of life dropped? Nope. Not at all. Flylady says you can't organize chaos. With less stuff, I actually know what we have and I spend less time organizing it. Today, I noticed I was out of face cream. I washed out the container and will get it refilled this afternoon. One small container that sits in the medicine cabinet. Cleaning the bathroom takes a couple of minutes a day.

So, my bathroom no longer spills into furniture in the hall. Thanks Transition!

Harvesting the Sun

2011-08-13T11:24:00.001-04:00

For the first time in my half century, I have been harvesting the sun! Aside from making plants grow, the sun is a pretty powerful tool that costs nothing to use. Somehow we have been brainwashed into thinking that we actually need to buy energy. The earth is just not capable of providing us with the energy we need unless we process it in factories. Well, not so.

Every day, I check the forecast to see if I can use the sun. We do not have any solar panels.

1. Laundry on the line. Who needs to pollute the environment with bleach when the sun can do it for me? I will usually wash the clothes during the off peak hours and hang first thing in the morning. Sheets can dry in 30 minutes! If I have a lot of darks, I may wait for a cloudy (not rainy) day or hang in the shade or in the house. If I put darks on the line, then the clothes are turned inside out and the moment each piece is dry, it comes off the line.

2. Yogourt on the patio table. Yogourt needs a warm day temperature to grow. I heat the milk in the sun oven, then put the jars out on the table to grow all day long. By the time the sun goes down, I have yogourt. No energy!

3. Sun oven cooking. My new toy!!! I make bread, cook beans for humous, make stews... And it costs me absolutely nothing in energy. I just harvest the sun! I now attempt to plan my baking for sunny days to avoid the oven. This also helps us keep the air conditioning off because the house is not heating up.

4. Cottage Cheese. The first step is getting the milk to slightly above room temperature. I just put the milk in a dark pot out on the patio table to get warm before I add the rennet. Then, it just sits there for the day. At night, I bring it in, wrapped in a towel.

5. Sun-infused teas. Tea and water in a glass jar sitting on the patio table brews rather nicely. Once it is ready, I pop it in the fridge or toss in an ice cube and drink!

Living Lightly and Losing Weight

2011-08-11T19:23:00.000-04:00

I went back to work this week. This meant putting on a bra and work clothes.

I was dreading the bra -- it is pretty tight and should be replaced. I put it on and was confused. It was definitely mine... but not constricting. It was actually comfortable and left NO red marks at the end of the day.

Today, I was running out of clothing options. I had a nice ironed cotton shirt hanging in the closet, but I knew it was too small. I could put it on, but the buttons would pull. I tried it on, thinking that maybe I could put a t-shirt under it and not button it up. Not only did it button up, but it's loose!!!!!! Even the arms are loose!!!!

So, how did I lose weight with no exercise and diet regime? Upon reflection, I think living lightly is allowing my body to find its healthy norm. No individually wrapped food means very little junk food. It's been a hot summer, so the water bottle keeps getting refilled and drunk. No bottles of industrial iced tea. My home-made iced tea tastes good without sugar or honey. Salads are delicious snacks.

We don't have a car, so my feet and my bike take me most places. I think I only used the bus once while I was off work.

I have been weeding several hours a week at an urban farm.... and biking both ways. When I am there, I snack on the peas fresh off the vines or a tomato.

And then there is the empty nest. Peter and me. ;0

We've been swimming at cottages. Now, he is pushing me to go out biking with him for more than just transportation.

Simple lifestyle changes that don't require journals or trainers or meetings or gyms or money seem to have made the difference. I have no idea how much I have lost because we don't have bathroom scales. And I don't really care. I'll let the doctor weigh me at my next physical... and I might just bike there.

Renewing Commitment

2011-08-07T11:34:00.001-04:00

I haven't blogged in six weeks! Have I burned out? Not really. I haven't actually been thinking about transition. So, I started thinking about it this week, wondering what to blog about.

Guess what!?!?!?! Living lightly is just becoming a habit and I don't notice it as much as I did in the first year of transition! We are still avoiding plastic by making food, using litterless options, living with less hydro and gas. Peter got me a brand spanking new bike when mine was stolen. I was looking on Kijiji for a used bike, but Peter insisted that the technology has changed to the point that a new bike today will likely do the rest of my life.

Originally, I was going to write about being on a plateau and not making progress. Plateaux are fine. They give me a chance to catch my breath and deal with other things, so long as I maintain current habits. Then, I realized that I have been gathering and drying different plants and my walks in parks have changed the focus. I have been learning to identify edible wild plants, even if I am not collecting them all.

I have been working on an urban farming project with four other families, but oddly, I am not preserving as much as I did last year. I plan to correct this as of now because I remember how wonderful cooking and eating was last winter!

So what has my focus been? Me and Peter. We have an empty nest for the summer and have been enjoying reconnecting as a couple without kids. It's been 20 years since we have had so much time alone. I have spent time with my mother, my sister, the dog, friends and all by myself.

Transition isn't just about reducing carbon footprint via stuff. It also includes strengthening relationships. Society doesn't exist without relationships. Where people are not emotionally close, society is less safe, less healthy, less happy. A resilient community works together.

Peter volunteered at Bluesfest for two weeks. This is usually the highlight of his summer. He loves talking to interesting people, listening to music, and being with the other volunteers who are now good friends. He picked up a harmonica the other day and is now looking for lessons. Unplugged music. Gotta love it.

Now that I am back to work and back to routine, I am getting back to ramping up transition to the next level. I started by watching all the Annie Lennox videos (the Story of Stuff) and reading my friends' blogs.

Peter, on the other hand, is ramping up our health habits. Apparently, we are off for a bike ride.

Living Lightly and Travelling

2011-06-25T11:30:00.001-04:00

K and I spent the weekend finishing packing her up for her big summer trip. She will be a nanny for a family member who is going on an archaeological dig. K will be in England and Turkey for a total of ten weeks away from Ottawa (ok, ok... away from ME).

I have been rather impressed with her attitude to packing since none of the ideas were mine.

1. She doesn't want to pollute the village in Turkey with western crap. So, she has as many natural products that are garbage-free as she could bring. This includes facewash and shampoos. We got some toxic-but-recommended-by-the-family-dermatologist sunscreen because the cost of the natural stuff is frankly too expensive considering how much K will need. :(

2. She selected litterless lunch containers, including a cloth napkin, two sanctus mundo steel containers, along with a steel water bottle and her thermos. When she gets through airport security, she can go fill up her water bottle to avoid plastic water bottles on the plane. The containers will also help her save money because she can bring food from home when she goes out for the day.

3. Value Village purchases make up over half her wardrobe.

4. The sheet sleeping bag is organic cotton.

5. Almost no single-use items!

In the end, she was allowed 55 lbs of luggage and left with 31 lbs. So, she was really travelling lightly in more ways than one! Why use the maximum when she can be just as happy with the minimum... happier if she thinks about her back!

K is hoping to bring home new ideas on living lightly as she travels this summer. She wants to see community gardens in England and see what Turkish villagers do differently from Canadians. She wants to find out what wild foods are available and what they taste like. I love that living lightly is intrinsic to K's habits because it means that she feels passionately about it not that she does it because Mum and Dad are watching. In fact, it many areas, K is further ahead in transition that we are.

Resilience for me and Peter will be learning to live without kids for the summer. This is bitter-sweet. K's going off with values we are glad of. But... she is going off... taking her first fledgling flight out of the nest.

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was. K will come back, but the 16-year-old we send off in two days won't be coming back. A 16-year-old young woman with new ideas, more confidence and more independence will take her place. She will be back in the nest, but will always be standing on the edge, flapping her wings, getting ready for the big flight.

Family resilience will become extended ... because no matter where we are all living, we will still be a tight family always there for each other.

Ok ok... I am getting maudlin. K is traveling but keeping her impact on the earth in mind. And THAT, folks, is what this post was supposed to be about.

Making Our Daily Bread a Habit

2011-06-22T17:32:00.000-04:00

Sourdough bread rising with some leftover starter put to one side for the next batch.

Before we gave up industrial bread, homemade bread was a treat. It felt like soooooo much work. Amazing how once new habits get worked into routines they lose the burden concept.

I discovered a really easy no-knead recipe that I can do with my eyes closed and takes just minutes of labour and zero brain power. I try to time the baking for off-peak hours or along with something else going in the oven.

No-Knead, No Time, No Think Bread (2 loaves)

Step One: a couple of minutes. I often do this at the same time as making dinner.
Mix with a wooden spoon:

4 cups white flour (put an extra cup of flour in a bowl for step two)
2 cups other flour (Peter likes whole grain)
2 tablespoons bread machine yeast
1 tablespoon salt

Add about 3 cups of luke-warm water.

Leave it for an hour to rise, covered with a tea towel.

NB: The ratio of white to other flour can change... just experiment with it. Peter loves multi-grain industrial bread. I discovered that 4 cups white and 2 cups multigrain simulated this. Gradually, I am shifting the ratio to less white flour... until he notices and protests. ;)

Step Two: A couple of minutes
Preheat oven to about 350F
1. Grease 2 bread pans.
2. Dump 1 cup of flour in one, getting flour on all sides. Dump flour in other pan and repeat.
3. Dump flour on counter.
4. Dump risen dough onto floured counter.
5. Gently form the dough into shape. Don't handle too much.
6. Dump dough in pans.
7. Cover pans while you clean up the counter (really; it is not that big a mess).
8. Let rise till almost doubled in size. This usually takes about 30 minutes.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Wild Yeast Bread (takes a little more thinking, but it's fun)

Step One: Grow some wild yeast: Time: One week
Follow the instructions at The Fresh Loaf. It is easy and very successful! Once you have done this step, you can keep it nurtured for years, apparently. Just put a cup of the sponge aside each time you bake.

Step Two: Make bread.
Apparently, one cup of starter replaces one pack or two tablespoons of yeast in a recipe. I started with the Joy of Cooking Sourdough recipe.

The Sponge: A couple of minutes
1.5 cups of warm water
1 cup starter
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar or honey or molasses
2 tablespoons salt

Mix this all together, cover with a tea towel and leave over night. I actually do this in the morning and leave it until dinnerish time. It rises slowly.

The loaves: 10 minutes or less of labour. 2-3 hours to rise
1. Put 1 cup of the sponge in a glass jar to keep for next time. Since I bake every two days or so, it is never in the fridge, but being nurtured for the next baking.
2. Grease and flour two loaf pans
3. Knead in another cup or two of flour. (I have been experimenting with multigrain, not white flour and it works beautifully.)
4. Shape the loaves and put in the pans. Butter the tops if you want a soft crust.
5. Let rise.
6. Bake at 350F for about 30-45 minutes or until nice and golden brown.

Over the summer, I plan on experimenting with these basic recipes to make different breads... like rye!

Take-Out & Garbage

2011-06-20T08:32:00.000-04:00

For Father's Day, Peter wanted pho, a fabulous Vietnamese build-your-own soup. Since it is exam time, we thought take-out would be faster and also, we love eating in our own backyard.

Peter and K loaded a canvas bag of our sanctus mundo containers into the bike trailer and took off to the restaurant while I set the table.

We were expecting to have to convince the restaurant folk to use our containers; they didn't bat an eye and filled all the containers with food! There is a little bit of waste, but 90% less than we would have had otherwise.

Admission time: I wavered a little. K automatically suggested we bring our own containers. I was tired from being outside all day and really didn't want to do dishes. Then, I thought about all I had done that day that was sustainable -- foraging, drying food, making massage oil and bread and yogourt. Having an optimum waste dinner would have been nuts. I was so glad K balanced us.

Again, a wonderful example of how transitioning together keeps us on the path of living lightly.

The Eco-Lawn

2011-06-17T08:37:00.000-04:00

The city came and nicely replace all the lead piping going from the street to the house. In the process, they ripped up the front lawn. I had spent four years transitioning it to Eco-Lawn, so was a little pouty. However, they would come and replace it... well, not IT, but the lawn.

We live in a semi-detached house. We rent our side. Although I explained to the neighbours and to the landlord why I wanted the Eco-Lawn back, apparently, they all wanted sod. The landlord was willing to give me the Eco-Lawn seed to overseed, but that takes four years, so I wasn't really impressed.

Resources used to produce sod from a sod farm:
- lots of water
- gas for the machines (lawn mowers, cutters, fertilizers...)
- herbicides and pesticides
- transportation to our place

Resources used to establish the sod:
- lots of water
- likely not all the sod will take, so replacing patches (according to my experiences in suburbia). Basically, the sod is on drugs so it looks really healthy when it is laid, but in reality it is now about to go through withdrawal and doesn't have the strength to grow without a lot of help.

Well, the sod guys arrived when I was sitting in the back yard with J. J ran out and asked them to wait five minutes so we could harvest all the wild lambsquarters before they laid the sod. They thought we were nuts, but actually tried the leaf and then told us that they can never let anyone know they ate weeds.

In the course of the conversation, I convinced the crew to lay the sod on the neighbours' side and put some extra topsoil on our side. Again, they thought we were nuts because the sod was free... as in no financial cost, but screw the cost to our environment.

The next morning, I spread out compost for natural nutrition and seeded with Eco-Lawn. I watered. I will water until the lawn is established. Once it is lush, no more watering. No more mowing. This is a seven-fescue lawn used in Kelowna where there are droughts. The roots go so deep that they can't even sod farm it because the rolls would be too huge! It stops growing at nine inches, so mowing is optional. Peter likes is shorter, so he can mow if he likes.

So, the carbon footprint of my lawn for production and for maintenance will be so incredibly low. The transportation of a couple of pounds of seeds was pretty low. Both sod and seed need watering all summer. But our side will only need the one summer watered.

How do I feel about the neighbour's lawn? I still like them and certainly don't feel angry about their side. Everyone is at a different stage of environmental awareness and action. I can only enforce my own ethics on myself, not anyone else. If the sod had actually gone in on our side, though, I would not have watered once because of my own commitment to sustainability. And... I am cheap. Who wants to pay for water for no good reason?

K wanted to know why we didn't do a whole perennial garden. I pointed out the cost and the fact that I have already expanded the flower and food beds on the property. It is also nice to have a patch of non-paved land to play on. The lawn will be diverse, not only in the different fescues in it but in the natural wild plants that will also come up. I am hoping ground ivy, clover and some dandelions find their way to our place.

Redefining Employment

2011-06-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

Over the winter, I read The Radical Homemaker -- a book I highly recommend. Shannon Hayes, the author, researched how families who voluntarily live lightly and live on very little money. Basically, on families transitioning to resilience or already resilient, her own family included.

The main big ideas are

1. Wealth is not about the number of dollars you bring home each year. It is about redefining the necessities of life and figuring out how to meet your family's needs. For example, is a large house a necessity or is time with your family a necessity? If you have to sacrifice one to get the other, make that a well-thought out decision rather than a default position.

2. The families who are successfully living lightly have come to similar conclusions even though they have never met. The four tenets of this lifestyle, according the author, are environmental sustainability, social justice, family and community.

Over our first year of transition, we have come naturally to adapt the same four tenets. We have also noticed that we have more time and money in the winter because all the hard work of preserving food over the summer pays off.

I am between contracts for the next seven weeks. It is possible for me to work 34 weeks a year, but financially, it takes its toll. As a result, I work an extra ten weeks to make up the cash and still find myself with 8 weeks unemployed. During this layoff, I want to shift from thinking of myself as unemployed to thinking of myself as being actively engaged as a producer, rather than a consumer.

Maybe the biggest transition this summer will be intellectual... and figuring out how to apply the theory to reality.

Me and Juan Valdez

2011-06-07T15:38:00.000-04:00

Juan Valdez, the representative of the Colombian coffee industry, has been on my mind lately. I seem to remember ads saying he picked all the beans himself.

I have been out there digging up dandelion roots, scrubbing them within an inch of their ex-lives and overseeing the roasting of the roots. A couple of hours of work gives me about a cup of ready-to-grind roots. All I can say is that every single drop of Pamela's Dandy Coffee must be savoured. Juan Valdez and I work way too hard to have our labour squandered.

Which brings me to the (organic, fair trade) coffee growers and pickers around the world. They work just as hard as I do. And yet, there seems to be several cups of coffee down dumped down our drain every week. Human and natural resources squandered, not because Peter and I have misjudged, we have just always made a full pot of coffee without really thinking about it. K is way ahead of us on this as she buys specialty teas with her pocket money and only makes enough for the number of cups, not mugs, that will be drunk.

Generally, since we began preparing food from the grassroots level, we have been wasting less food. Less in the compost, less in the food morgue, less in the green bin. It took us a while to get to the coffee, though. We used to make two french presses every morning for our breakfast coffee and our thermoses. However, there was always at least a cup of cold coffee leftover when I got home from work.

This morning, while I was boiling the water for the second pot. I looked at the cup of dandelion root I had roasted the night before. Side by side, my roots and Juan's beans all of a sudden had the same value to me. Not financial, but labour value. Ok, Juan, I am not going to disrespect your labour (or my pocketbook or our carbon footprint) because there would be hell to pay if anyone made a full pot of my dandy coffee and didn't actually drink it -- two hours' work down the drain. I figured out just how much coffee I needed to fill my thermos since my morning mug was already full. Then, I made half a press.

Funny how when you only get your food from the store, wasting it is only about your pocketbook. When you learn to take food from seed to cup, from the garden to fork, wasting seems preposterous.

I salute you, Juan!

Foraging Newbie

2011-06-03T12:25:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, I get so excited about learning something new that I am tempted to go full steam ahead even if I have no idea what I am doing.

Foraging is my latest all-consuming interest. I fantasize about a whole pantry filled with foraged food.

Last night, I went over to a stand of raspberry bushes to harvest the leaves. I had scissors in hand. I felt like a kid in a candy shop and no adults supervising.

I sat for a minute and looked at the bushes. I am rather fond of these bushes since I helped with the planting of them. I reminded myself that these are not consumables found at stores. I can't take as much as I want since there is no warehouse outside of town ready to replenish the shelves. Living lightly means treating plants with respect so that they can share their bounty, not have it stolen from them.

I decided that if I only develop one really ingrained habit this year, it will be to approach every plant with respect. I thought about the aboriginal traditions of thanking an animal for giving its life so that the hunter's family may eat. In some traditions, they plant part of the animal so that it goes back to the earth.

The raspberry canes were flourishing and I want them to continue flourishing. I was excited to see budding flowers that would produce fruit for my community. I asked myself how many leaves could this plant share with me and still flourish. I don't want it to survive. I want it to flourish.

I had no idea, so I decided I would snip off five to ten leaves from each of the plants, depending on its size. With every snip, I said "Thank You". Just the act of thanking the plant made me so very careful about where the next snip would be. It was such an interesting feeling, this mindful foraging.

After I harvested the leaves, I stood back and looked at the canes again. These were planted a year ago, but could do with some help. I have no idea what to do, but I know there are experts out there who could share their knowledge with me.

All of a sudden, I feel responsible for these bushes. It reminded me of St Exupery's passage in The Little Prince where the fox is explaining what taming is. According to the fox, taming is "to establish ties". The Little Prince thinks about his rose on his planet and he realizes that he has tamed her. The rose is unique to him and he is unique to the rose. The fox advises him that he is now responsible for his rose since there is nothing more important than this symbiotic relationship. "Je suis responsable de ma rose." (I am responsible for my rose.)

Now that I have taken some of her leaves, I feel responsible for my raspberry bush. I don't own it. But I have a relationship with it.

Je suis responsable de mon framboisier.

Sweet Tea akin to Soft Drinks?

2011-06-02T10:20:00.000-04:00

The past couple of weeks, I have been doing lots of research and some harvesting of plants to be used for teas. In a recent post, I talked about what I like in tea -- and that is I prefer them fresh, not sweet.

K and Peter, however, love to heap the sugar or honey in their teas. This got me thinking about sugar consumption.

There are so many reasons to keep sugar to a minimum: the risk of diabetes, weight problems, concentration problems, dental problems, and the carbon footprint associated with production and transportation. Even with local honey or maple syrup, although the carbon footprint is drastically lower, the health concerns are the same.

Our palettes have been trained to like daily hits of sweetness because sugar is hidden in almost all processed foods. If I preserve all these plants for hot drinks in the winter, am I really kidding myself that this is better than pop? Imagine K has four different mugs of local, herbal tea every day, but she loads it up with sweetener. The health benefits might be greater if we only had tap water available.

Habits that promote health contribute to resilience. With less illness, we are healthier! I know this is from the department of the bleeding obvious, but health means strength to have fun, to work in gardens, to fix stuff, to learn.

So, I will continue drinking teas that I like sugar-free and will mull over how to further demote sugar in our diet.

Happy Garbage Day!

2011-05-31T08:14:00.000-04:00

As an English as a foreign language teacher, I also help foreign students understand Canadian culture. Last year, a student told the teachers that when her homestay family mentioned the following day was Garbage Day, the student thought it was some kind of holiday -- like Family Day or Labour Day.

Today is Garbage Day and a day worth celebrating in our family. Peter declared that there wasn't enough landfill stuff to justify the truck stopping at our place! There was nothing in the landfill bin in the garage and the kitchen landfill garbage wasn't even full. We had paper recycling and some green bin, but that was about it.

Funny enough, I was the one who wanted to put our wee bit out to the curb and Peter was the one to insist we don't. No idea why I wanted the wee bit out because it isn't the stinky kind of garbage. This is why family transition is good -- we gently push each other.

Ottawa is going to move to twice a month pickup soon. I agree with this in areas where the green bin program is in effect. However, there are a lot of townhouse condos that the city hasn't given green bin service to. As a result, they need the weekly pickup. But for the rest of us -- bring it on!

What a long way we have come from when I was a child and we had landfill pickup twice a week and newspaper pickup once a month.

Although the goal is to send nothing to the curb, it is so very important to celebrate all the little milestones on the way to meeting that goal.

Happy Garbage Day!!!

Mint & Lemon Balm Tea

2011-05-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

I made a huge thermos of mint and lemon balm tea with the leftovers from last summers' harvest. We sold the tea at the Great Glebe Garage sale and had the two plants on hand to sell. People were absolutely fascinated that the tea grew walking distance from the point of sale.

AND... it was delicious!

This year, I am experimenting with growing plants to replace regular black tea and coffee. I tried after Christmas to give up coffee, but I soon realized I wasn't ready for that particular transition. So, I kept mulling, reading, and managed to drink more herbal teas than I used to. Some I would try at tea shops. K, our tea guru, would introduce me to her favourites.

I discovered a few things during the mulling process.

1. I don't like sweet or fruity teas. Occasionally, I don't mind an iced one, but really, I prefer non-sweet drinks. This would also explain why I can't stand soft drinks unless it is soda water with lemon. I guess I like the freshness in my mouth.

2. I have my coffee as cafe au lait. I like a little milk with my coffee. I think I will enjoy the dandelion coffee if it is very milky since the milk cuts the bitterness without adding sweetness.

3. I am curious about medicinal teas. Black tea has always been part of my arsenal for mild asthma. Mint tea has been a favourite when I have a cold. So, it is not really a huge leap to think about other teas. My mother-in-law made me drink chamomile when I was pregnant and not feeling well. She was right; it worked, but I didn't like it.

I bought some tea plants for the garden: chamomile, lemon grass, anise hyssop. I have mint and lemon balm going from last year. I am trying to hunt down echinacea. Dandelion root is being harvested. I figure that if I grow this, I am more likely to drink it and acquire the taste -- or at least not automatically revert to what I have been drinking for the past half decade. There is something almost spiritual about nurturing a plant and harvesting what I need and leaving what it needs to flourish.

Dandelion Coffee

2011-05-25T15:46:00.000-04:00

I did it! I harvested dandelion roots, washed them, roasted them, ground them, brewed them and drank the coffee!

Peter and K declared the coffee drinkable. Not sure if this is praise, but after the taste test, Peter, our coffee expert, drank a whole mug of it.

It is coffee-like in that it is bitter, but not harsh. With milk, it tastes quite good, although Peter liked it with maple syrup.

I only roasted enough for two pots because this was an experiment. Now that we have declared it drinkable and the price of coffee has gone up dramatically, I will harvest the dandelion as much as possible.

Amber from Unstuffed gave me some good advice on dandelions. I asked her if I it was true that it should only be harvested spring and fall. Apparently, it can be harvested all summer long, but for medicinal purposes, spring and fall harvests are best.

I really want to learn more about urban foraging, but have decided to learn about one plant at a time rather than trying to master it too quickly. Last year, I discovered tulips. This year, dandelions.

Wick Watering Container Plants

2011-05-23T17:50:00.000-04:00

I have been doing this for a couple of years and it works beautifully! Being a rather lazy person, I have trouble with container plants because it means watering daily... sometimes twice a day. Being a mother, I can do this on vacation, but when I go back to work in August, watering little pots of plants drops so far low on my priority list that I often let the need for sleep trump my plants' need for water.

So... I did some research. By having a container of water with a rope in it that then trails out of the water reservoir and all around your plants, the water will travel up the rope and gently keep your container watered.

Below is a step by step guide to Pamela's Chest.

1. Gather materials: Container (an old chest K found on garbage night), six feet of cotton rope, a small garbage can, dirt, water, cheesecloth, plants.

2. Place the garbage can at the back of the container. Fill with water.

3. Soak the rope and then put the middle of the rope at the bottom of the container.

4. Fill the container halfway with really good dirt.

5. Snake the rope around the the dirt with the middle still deep in the water.

6. Top up the soil and plant.

7. Cover the pail with cheesecloth to keep the mosquitoes away.

8. Once a week or less, top up the water reservoir.

My chest is at the front of the house on a south facing wall. I have flowers that will explode with colour and a pepper plant and an ivy that will come inside at the end of the season.

A Hanky Convert?

2011-05-18T09:38:00.001-04:00

Photo Cred to Jack Canfield

K said months ago that she was nowhere near being able to transition to cloth hankies.

On Sunday, she got a cold. She got up from dinner, walked over to my basket of pretty, ironed hankies... and blew her nose!!!!

This morning, she showed me how she uses my folded hankies to get past her icky issues.

I am doing private happy dances! My only "problem" is that I now really need to make a lot more pretty hankies!

Another example of one family member doing something for his or herself and the others watching and mulling. And then transitioning.

First Anniversary of Transition!

2011-05-14T20:23:00.000-04:00

Our Celebratory Cake: bought over a year ago that nobody wanted to eat. So, with our odd sense of humour, we figured a completely non-sustainable, huge carbon footprint cake would in some really odd way, be funny. God forbid we throw out the mix. So, we did the responsible thing and ate it!

I mentioned to someone this week that this weekend marks one full year since the family decided to transition to resilience -- to stop complaining about peak oil, climate change, economic issues, and social justice issues -- and to just take action as a family. She was shocked, "It's only been one year?! But you guys have done so much!"

I couldn't help but laugh. I was thinking that we could have done more! Later, I got to thinking that this is transition and we had determined a year ago, that this would take a few years. What was important was to start.

So... what have we done?

1. Overcome the fear.
2. Eaten more organically.
3. Joined a CSA.
4. Learned to grow and preserve food.
5. Lowered the garbage coming into the house by making cottage cheese, yogourt and bread.
6. Got rid of plastic in the form of shampoo. Switched to shampoo bars or baking soda and vinegar.
7. Turned off more lights.
8. Made beeswax and soy candles.
9. Litterless lunches.
10. Repurposed plastic food containers.
11. Replaced food containers with steel or glass.
12. Used cast iron and copper pans more often. Decided to look for cast iron fry pan to replace the Teflon pan.
13. Got a convection toaster oven to reduce use of the big oven.
14. Bought milk in returnable jug.
15. Reduced use of the microwave.
16. Switched to bulk food stores, including Bulk Barn and two local health food stores.
17. Reduced the number of times a month we get the Vrtucar.
18. Laundry, dishsoap and dishwasher soap refilled at Arbour.
19. Made lipbalm. :)
20. Threw more parties. :)
21. Started learning about foraging for food in the city.
22. Joined Transition Ottawa.
23. Emptied the freezer in the spring because we ate with the season.
24. Had earth hours all winter long. Lit our candles in the evening when we were hanging out. :)
25. Bought more locally.
26. Played board games together.
27. Frequented farmer's markets weekly.
28. Used the water barrels more.
29. No more paper towels.
30. Pamela switched to cloth hankies. Peter and K mulling.
31. Bio bags for the dog poop.
32. Organic treats for the dog.
33. Organic chocolate.
34. Made Easter Bunnies
35. K (16 years) got involved in organizing events to help support social justice issues.
36. J (19 years) started her first seedlings, made a homemade greenhouse in her apartment, planned her balcony garden. :)
37. Had more picnics.
38. Attended and participated in Transition Ottawa events.
39. Local fruit only for most of the winter !!! (and the year, but it is tough in winter)
40. The women switched away from disposable feminine hygiene. Yeah Diva Cup!!!
41. Pamela and K got low carbon footprint hair cuts. Peter has always done this.
42. Bought more of our clothes and needed stuff second hand.
43. Started bringing back beer caps.
44. Buying more local wine and beer.
45. Got happier and closer as a family!

Well, I guess maybe we have done a lot! I can't wait to see what happens in the next year.

Dealing with Skeptics

2011-05-09T21:56:00.002-04:00

When I write this blog, I figure that the majority of readers are interested in. resilience. However, I talk to lots of people who are skeptical; I find it interesting to listen to their arguments against making change.

When we were in Arbour picking up the Camino chocolate for Easter bunnies, a friend, who knows environmental issues are important, asked about the refillable soaps. His first question was How does it compare to the stuff at Walmart?

His main focus was the price. As soon as I mentioned the cost, the answer was There you go... implying that no further discussion was needed -- money trumps the environment any day.

I mentioned that if my budget is $100, then I have to find ways to offset costs of more expensive choices. For example, at Bulk Barn I buy baking soda for cleaning. Baking soda is way cheaper than any bathtub cleaner Walmart sells, so I can afford to spend an extra dollar on the laundry soap from Arbour. I told him that it is a little more expensive, but that the contents don't harm the environment and not producing plastic or putting chemicals down the drain also lowers the carbon footprint of laundry. I also hang all my clothes to dry, so the cost of doing laundry is cheaper than running big machines -- especially now that the family is shrinking.

What I find interesting is the internal conflict I see in most people. They are concerned about the environment, yet afraid to make changes. They are happy that we are no longer car dependent, yet somehow can't imagine reducing their use of the car. They think it's great that we take mugs everywhere and bring thermoses to work, but they are not ready to step out of the disposable world.

Changing our habits is expensive: There you go... we can't change. Really, it should be: We don't want to change. We like cheap products and our disposable society. We like our gizmos that are designed to become waste as soon as possible. Someone else can fix the problems.

I remember last May feeling very conflicted myself. I actually couldn't sleep one night wondering if we could really afford to be resilient or if I could make such dramatic changes.

When K was away at Christmas, a relative told her not to worry about the environment; the scientists will figure it out and we will all be fine. K was shocked, but didn't reply. Later she commented to me that she didn't understand why people would say such things: the scientists have already figured it out and told us what to do. There is no magic chemical solution that can be sprayed into the air to clean everything up. Everyone needs to make changes if they want humanity to continue to be part of the ecosystem.

Sometimes, I want to become supreme dictator and get everyone to change on Tuesday at 6:30 am. Alas, since my Surpreme Dictator papers have not yet arrived, I have to deal with my own emotions of frustration.

So why don't I throw in the towel and go buy my yogourt? Because I like becoming resilient. I like seeing that this is possible. A few people at work have said that they watch me and start thinking about their decisions. Somehow my actions lead to their mulling.

My friend who is nowhere near mulling getting laundry soap from Arbour said that he should start hanging his laundry. Later, he commented that he should really get a travel mug because his job is on the road and he stops in at Tim's a few times a day.

Hankies

2011-05-03T21:16:00.000-04:00

I have lots of hankies, now! I dug some up from my own past when my grandmother used to send me hankies from Britain. Then, a friend went to a free garage sale where she picked me up two very old box sets that someone's grandma had probably gifted. J gave me a really pretty hankie for Christmas.

I am amazed at how uncomfortable people are about cloth hankies. Their big concern is hygiene. Wow... how quickly we get indoctrinated in one generation.

I think our society has been taught that in order to be hygienic, we have to be able to conduct surgery anywhere, any time. Studies now show that we are so obsessed with being germ-free that the general population doesn't have the antibodies to resist bugs as well as previous generations did. Kids who play in dirt are healthier.

The only hot wash and dry I do is the napkins, underwear, socks and towels. The hankies go into this load. They get dried and then ironed. I like the look of ironed napkins and hankies, but I also do it to make sure that any germs that got missed in the washed get annihilated by a hot iron.

The only difference between hankies and tissues is that dirty tissues don't get brought home -- oh wait -- how come the marketing of tissues now includes how they no longer break down in the wash? I know they make it into our wash -- just today, I pulled a wad out of someone's jeans.

So where is the family at with hankies? I am completely on board. I have a pretty basket with the ironed hankies beside the box of disposables. The rest of the family is mulling.

My next step is to make sniffles sets. This will be a cloth bag with a lot of flannel hankies made from an old sheet. I had a miserable cold a couple of weeks ago and I was washing hankies every day. I also had to resort to paper tissues. So, I will have my pretty ones for occasional use and sniffle sets that I can use for illness or allergy season.

So, where are you in the hanky debate?

Solar Radio and Light

2011-04-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

Ottawa had a HUGE windstorm on Thursday. I was attempting to take a nap, but one eye kept opening, watching the big tree outside my bedroom window swaying quite impressively. I wondered what the radio was saying -- only to discover that the power was out.

No problem, I grabbed the solar-windup radio we gave Peter last Father's Day. He likes to listen to the radio outside every morning and it was annoying me that he would unplug the kitchen radio and run it on the backup batteries. I could just imagine a day when we needed the batteries to work and they would be dead. Hence the solar radio.

Our Off-The-Grid Radio and Emergency Light

Peter just winds it up and presto -- good reception! It also has an LED light on it for emergencies. Since it is used daily, it is always handy.

It wasn't until after the storm that I realized that we have already taken some pretty good steps to resilience. We had fresh food to make an awesome cold meal with; a source of news; candles in case the power is out at night; a plug-in phone that doesn't depend on electricity; and books and games that don't need power to enjoy.

FYI, we got the radio at Arbour Environmental Shoppe. It was a bit pricey, but it works so well that it was worth it. A lot of the previous versions of these gizmos never seemed reliable, but the technology has really improved.

Minimalist Flushing

2011-04-28T11:22:00.001-04:00

Man oh man, I love reading blogs! From the Clean Bin Project, I learned that you can buy toilet paper from janitorial supply stores -- toilet paper that does not come wrapped in plastic!

So, I opened up Google, did a search and voila! We now have a supplier, although I am still looking for toilet paper that is not individually wrapped, at least is it made from recycled paper.

It is a 2ply, 500 sheets per roll, 40 rolls per case.

$24.30

Dodds' Janitorial Limited
2285 St. Laurent Blvd, Suite D4
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 4Z7

I would have been more thrilled had the individual rolls not been wrapped in paper, but at least I can recycle the paper wrapper. The plastic around the toilet rolls from the grocery stores goes from our home to the landfill and I really want to get our landfill bound garbage down to zero.

Also, someone recommended www.bathroomsprayer.com for a hand held bidet. My initial reaction was: you have got to be kidding! Then, I got to thinking that this would make the peewipe thing easier because the mini washcloths would really be like individual towels to dry off. So, a lot cleaner.

Although water is used with the bidet, more water (and energy) is used in the production of toilet paper. Also, more energy is used to process solid waste, which includes toilet paper.

Something to think about. For now, though, we can try out the toilet rolls. One little step at a time since Peter and K are drawing the line at pee wipes -- for now.

muaaahahahahahaaaaaaaaa

Wild Food in the City Tour!!!

2011-04-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

If you are in Ottawa and want to learn to about wild food in the city... Transition Ottawa is putting on this wonderful urban wild food in the city tour!

I can't wait!!!!!

http://urbanwildtours.blogspot.com/2011/04/may-8th-at-230-pm-wild-food-in-city.html

Year Two: Summer Food Management

2011-04-25T10:55:00.001-04:00

We are about to start year two of our project!

This summer, we will reduce carbon footprint by continuing new habits that no longer seem so new...

-- making yogourt, cottage cheese and bread.
-- using the convection toaster oven rather than the big oven when possible.

Now, for the changes:

1. Canned Beans Banned!!! We eat a lot of beans in the summer in salads and as hummus. Last summer, we had canned beans on hand, but learned to use the pressure cooker to cook dried beans as much as possible. This takes planning, but we were successful! We are down to a couple of cans of beans which means our last cans of beans. By only having dried beans, we will definitely have to think ahead. On the other hand, dried beans increase nutrition, cost less, take up less space, reduce oil consumption (processing and shipping), and avoid contact with BPA's. We have bought the beans at the local middle eastern store in the past; they are great, but in plastic bags. This summer, our beans will be bought in bulk.

2. The Sun Oven! We will learn how to use this to reduce use of the big oven in the house.

baking most of the bread
heating the milk for the yogourt
cooking the beans (see above)

3. Grass-fed local beef. Apparently, grass-fed beef have a lower carbon footprint than grain-fed because grain makes them fart and grain needs to be produced and shipped. I found a local grass fed beef farm and will order ground beef and steaks from them. Once we have finished the beef, that is it for the summer. So, we will be eating significantly less meat than other summers -- and meat that is somewhat lighter on the environment.

4. The freezer was empty and unplugged on 23 April! It would be great if we could figure out how to dry and can everything so that we don't have to freeze anything and eventually get rid of the freezer. However, that is a leap and we are going in baby steps. The fact that, for the first time ever, we have been able to unplug the freezer means that a lot of baby steps have taken place since we started our transition almost a year ago. I would love to get to the point where only the fridge freezer is used. It's not that freezers are evil, but they do take up a lot of space and they do eat hydro. Just as importantly, there is always the risk of freezer burn.

5. Cancelling the CSA. I know, I know... CSA's are good things. However, we are now doing a lot of growing ourselves. The plan is to grow as much as we can, supplement at the local farmer's market and perhaps get the CSA back for the winter.

I asked Peter to read this over before I post because I wanted his input. His concerns are planning ahead with the beans since this hasn't been our modus operandi in the past. However, last summer, I did do a lot of planning with beans and we actually had leftover cans of beans which we only stocked once. The reality is that in building resilience, we have to move away from just-in-time thinking. He is willing to give it a whirl. His concern with the freezer is whether the beef we order from the farmer will fit in the upstairs freezer. We have to eat down the meat that is there first, but he is right. We will have to play this by ear.

Fair Trade Easter Chocolate!

2011-04-24T09:33:00.001-04:00

Today, we are hosting Easter Sunday dinner. We will have about 13 people, including two kids ... plus our own kids who will always be kids when it comes to the Easter Bunny (Peter and me) giving them Easter treats.

Usually, they get a chocolate bunny, chocolate eggs and real eggs. I still wanted to give them treats, but in the spirit of resilience and social responsibility, wanted the treats to be without garbage and without infringement of human rights or environmental needs.

Large, hollow chocolate eggs are wrapped in foil, then firm plastic, then put in a box and wrapped in cellophane. The chocolate inside is of poor quality, so we are paying for the packaging. Also, the chocolate probably comes from cocoa plants that are grown industrially and exploit the workers while harming the environment. I wanted chocolate that is grown responsibly; fair trade chocolate.

My colleague told me that Bulk Barn sells chocolate molds and chocolate pucks. Since Peter was going to Bulk Barn for baking soda, picking up the molds would be easy. I was less comfortable with buying the chocolate there because I wasn't sure if their chocolate was fair trade. This is Easter and chocolate is the luxury. Luxuries should have the lowest carbon footprint possible.

I bought Camino chocolate -- which is expensive but man is it good! This is a luxury, after all!

I got to thinking about the cost. I was in Laura Secord, getting Peter an egg. Despite the fact that the egg is in a cardboard box shrink wrapped in plastic, I decided to get the egg simply because he loves them and it would be the only garbage bought. When I was at the cash, I watched the cost of the goodies others were buying. A couple of bunnies, some eggs, boxes of chocolates... none of the family buys were less than $60.00. I remembered that when I bought the Camino baking chocolate.

Together, K and I had a lot of fun making the chocolate bunnies. So much so that K declared this was now a family tradition and that we have to make chocolate Santas at Christmas! She knows that four bunnies cost us $70.00, so having yet more fair trade Easter chocolates was just not going to happen. Quality is better than quantity... and healthier.

K asked me if we were still going to do the Easter egg hunt. She is 16, so I was surprised... but not all that surprised when I thought about it. I remembered still wanting all the fun little traditions even as I got older. I boiled up a pile of eggs. We decided to use them as place cards for Easter dinner. Kat used a wax crayon to write the names; then we died them with leftover blueberries and cherry juice! I will hide these eggs and the bunnies. Then, the kids can figure out the seating arrangements with the eggs and share the bunnies evenly.

Empty Chest Freezer!!!!!

2011-04-23T08:46:00.000-04:00

Wow!!!! In 16 years, this has never ever ever happened. The chest freezer is empty and unplugged!!!!

Why, you ask?

Because we have eaten with the seasons and it is 23 April, the end of one season and the beginning of another. :) The roasting chickens from the farm have been gobbled up. The local fruit is finished. The corn we froze in August has vanished. What little food was in the chest freezer, I was able to relocate to the fridge freezer.

In past years, we have had to deal with the freezer as a food morgue; every year we would try to eat down the freezer because it was too full to add food. However with food management being ever so important when we are paying high prices for local or organic or fair trade food, we couldn't afford the food morgue management style of yesteryear.

What were the tricks?

1. No plastic. Really truly! Because we only use glass or steel, we have a finite number of receptacles for freezing food. There are no old yogourt containers or ziplock bags anymore. So, when we wanted to store leftovers and noticed how empty the container shelf was, we had to go hunting and discover cooked food before it became freezer-burned -- thus freeing up a glass container.

2. Shopping at home before shopping in the stores. We only did a major shop once or twice a month over the winter. I could pick up fresh eggs or local apples on the way home from work; milk is sold a block away; the CSA delivered veggies every week. Before the big shop, we checked exactly what was in the freezer, the fridge and the pantry.

3. No processed foods in the freezer. Those frozen lasagna's and bags of perogies take up a lot of space! Also, we never seemed to get through bags of perogies or asian dumplings. I still actually had some leftover perogies from last year in the freezer, but decided that 15 months in the freezer was enough and sent the out with the green bin.

4. We didn't buy anything unseasonal to store. For example, no more bags of frozen tropical fruit. We were only eating the fruit we had prepared and bought local apples. Absolutely no industrially frozen vegetables were bought. We ate more vegetarian meals, which meant not stocking up on meat that could become freezer-burned.

5. Freezer Surprise Weeks. Usually, the last week of each month was Freezer Surprise Week. I just hunted for leftovers buried in the freezer. Sometimes we all ate the same thing; sometimes it felt like a restaurant with all of us choosing from a menu of individually frozen meals that were supposed to be lunches but had multiplied.

So, now the freezer will be unplugged until the preserving starts once again. I figure this will be two or three months of not running hydro! This would be about 300 kilowatt hours.

I think I am odd. I keep going down to the basement to stare at the empty freezer.

Plastic-Free Showers

2011-04-21T20:47:00.001-04:00

Ok, so the lining of the shower stall is plastic... BUT...

No more shampoo bottles! It actually took us 11 months to get everyone converted, but, this morning, I got in the shower and saw:

2 shampoo bars
1 mason jar of facewash
1 bottle of diluted apple cider vinegar (the bottle has been reused since last June and will be reused for years to come)
1 bar of soap
1 bar of conditioner (that nobody uses, so it is now designated for shaving legs)
1 jar of baking soda

Our main supplier is LUSH. You can go in and just cut off a block of cleansers, soaps or pick up a puck of shampoo. We have two pucks. The one from LUSH we love. The other shampoo puck we got at a fair and it really dries out the scalp -- so using it as body soap. The shampoo pucks last us about six months. Although they appear expensive ($10), they work out a lot less than liquid shampoo.

K loves the deodorant from LUSH, too. Again, we just cut off a block. No plastic container.

The bathroom is not yet plastic-free, but we are getting there. I am guessing K won't be using face washes from the drug store soon since she is experimenting with the LUSH lines. Peter still likes his shaving foam -- again, not sure when that will change, but since he has a beard, the can of foam probably lasts a long time.

We also have plastic toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes.

We still use Q-tips.

The feminine hygiene issue has been addressed -- three cheers for the Diva Cup! No garbage. No Mess. Low Cost. Very Low Carbon Footprint. Improved Quality of Life.

I remember years ago finding so many unemptied bottles of stuff in the bathroom. It took up the whole cupboard under the sink. Standing in the shower felt like a danger zone as there were so many bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, body wash and cleaners that they often cascaded off the ledges once the water got going. Now, the bathroom is easier to clean and cheaper to run. We are all still clean!!!

Springing into Laundry!

2011-04-14T09:56:00.001-04:00

It is sunny out today!

Last night, I did a number of loads of laundry and this morning, hung them all out on the line. I have been doing this for years, but I am tweaking how I do it.

Last summer, I hung the darks in the basement to avoid them fading in the sunshine. The problem is that that dehumidifier had to work extra hard. From now on, I will only hang stuff in the basement in the winter months. The dehumidifier is now on a timer to work at night when the energy it uses is not only cheaper, but more importantly won't add stress to the grid at peak times. Coal-fired plants come online in times of great demand.

I am also going to attempt not to use the dryer all summer long. At the moment, only the hotwash (towels, undies, socks, cloths) are tumble-dried. Little things take longer to put on the line; towels are softer dried in dryers. I am guessing though that a windy day will make the towels a bit softer.

I gave my Wonder Washer to J, who has moved out. Apparently, she has been using it for about 30% of her laundry, but everything drips. So, any day now, her spinner will be arriving. This should cut down on drying time, eliminate the dripping and allow her to do more low-cost and low carbon footprint laundry in her little apartment.

Wonder Washer Spin Dryer (Click for more information)

Wonder Washer (Click for more information)

If it all works well for her, I may invest in a Wonder Washer and Spinner for us.

For previous posts on the carbon foot print of laundry, click on the laundry label below.

Yuri Gagarin & Me

2011-04-11T15:38:00.000-04:00

This was the news the day I was born! Some people get fireworks to announce their birth; the Soviets launched a rocket with a human inside to mark my arrival on earth. :) Notice one of the headlines: To keep up, the US must run like hell.

So what has this got to do with resilience? Basically, if, in my lifetime, we could send people into space so that we could look down on earth and as a result of competition put a man on the moon, then we have the utter genius to make the earth healthy... and us along with it.

My daughter asked me if I have any angst about turning 50. Interestingly, I don't. I would love to turn back time and start this project earlier -- but 20-20 hindsight is rather over-rated.

So, instead, I will continue to do what I can to leave this world a better place for my unborn grandchildren (Kale and Sage, Parsley and Granola) and my great- grandchildren (Rosemary and Thyme).

I also plan to have fun!!! I want a repeat of last night -- my family around the table chatting, laughing and sharing. Lots of repeats. And a table with a well-worn leaf. Wouldn't it be cool to see a headline when Kale is born:

Mankind Shut Down Last Dirty Power Plant

Stapleless

2011-04-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

At Christmas, I mused about reducing a little carbon footprint at work without preaching. Little voluntary changes are easy to influence.

I teach adults. So at the beginning of the term, I showed my students the stapleless stapler and the paper clips. I told them that staples use resources to produce and then get tossed. I told the students that I would really appreciate it if they could avoid staples. If there is a document that they plan on using for the next ten years or handing down to their grandchildren, then maybe a traditional staple is a good idea. It was up to them what they chose to do.

People love new toys. Everyone tried my stapleless stapler. We discovered it is not very good for stacks of paper, but then again, usually traditional staples don't work as well for stacks.

I only mentioned it once. If someone asked for a stapler, I handed them mine, not the traditional one that is also available.

Three months later, I received 17 assignments. Only 5 staples!!!!!! Everyone else used file folders,different sized paper clips, plastic sleeves, and in one case -- a small binder.

Funny how some odd things make me happy. I am doing a happy dance, looking at all this marking I have to do -- and I am in such a good mood because of the lack of staples!! Will the five stapled assignments be penalized? Absolutely not -- everyone is at a different stage of transition.

Pirating Hydro!!!

2011-03-29T19:16:00.000-04:00

Tonight, I made soup. As soon as I put it on, I realized I needed to make yogourt, so I might as well get the milk warming. Then, I had a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. The soup pot is also the bottom of the double boiler. I put the insert on top of the pot of soup, and warmed the milk using the heat from the simmering soup. I felt like I was stealing energy -- I was a pirate in my own kitchen!!!!!

Go Me!!!!

Now that I am thinking about energy, I find the creativity mounting.

Yogourt Recipe without a Yogourt Maker!

2011-03-27T09:41:00.001-04:00

I have had lots of questions on how we make yogourt. So, here goes!

Time: About 5 minutes of work and 15 minutes of hanging around. Then, walk away for 12 hours. I usually make this right after dinner. I can do it while doing dishes or getting the lunches ready. Before bed, I check the hot thing. Then, by breakfast it is ready!

Equipment Needed

I try to make sure that all "stuff" can serve more than one purpose. You do NOT need a yogourt maker to make yogourt! All you need is something to keep it warm, a container and the ingredients.

1. Insulation. Something to keep the yogourt insulated while it grows. We use a soft insulated lunch bag that can also be used for picnics when we aren't making yogourt. Previously we have used a larger cooler when our hot thing was a hot water bottle. A nice thick towel is also good.

2. A hot thing. A magic bag that is heated in the microwave -- that feels good when you have a sore neck, too! You can also use a hot water bottle or a hot-cold pack you get in the drug store. On a really hot day, you don't need anything. Some people just put their containers on the top of the fridge with a towel over the yogourt pot. The heat from the fridge is enough.

3. Double Boiler. I have learned that the milk reacts differently in the microwave, making the yogourt runnier and not as tasty. Invest in a double boiler and you will use it for LOTS of recipes and not have a crusty pot to clean up. Double boilers are not cheap, so look for one second hand. You can improvise by having a small pot in a big pot, but it is not as stable and a proper double boiler.

4. A yogourt container -- a glass or steel container with a lid that seals.

Ingredients
1 litre of milk You decide what kind of milk. Skim, whole, organic, pasteurized, homogenized... it all works. The BEST is organic non-homogenized. Pasteurized means the milk is heated to kill bacteria. Homogenized doesn't mean whole milk. It means something has been done so that the milk doesn't separate into milk and cream.

Non-instant skim milk powder. You can get this at any healthfoood or bulk store. It really does make a difference if you use the instant or non-instant. Non-instant needs to be briefly cooked. How much powder to put in depends on how you like it. You must put in at least two heaping tablespoons. K loves really thick yogourt, so I put in about a third of a cup -- sometimes more.

1 pkg yogourt starter. You can get this at the health food store in their freezer. Experiment with holding back half a cup of a good batch of homemade yogourt to use as your starter for the next batch of yogourt. I find that I can often alternate: one batch with the packaged starter and then the following batch with yogourt.

Instructions:

1. Set up the double boiler with water in the bottom pan. Get it heating

2. Add 1 litre of milk and non-instant skim milk powder. Whisk well. The non-instant skim milk will cook enough in step three, so no need to pre-cook it.

3. Watch the milk. It will heat fairly quickly, but you do NOT want it to boil as this will kill some of the good bacteria you want. As soon as it gets hot -- you can stick your finger in and it is hot but won't scald you -- pour the milk into your yogourt container.

4. Let the milk cool until it is warm enough for a 10-year old to make hot chocolate with. I stick my finger in it. If it feels just a little warmer than body temperature, it is ready to go.

5. Add either one envelope of starter or one cup of previously made yogourt. Mix well.

Friends didn't have a transportable container like my bowl with lid, so they used mason jars! I love it!

6. Heat up your hot thing. I make it owy hot, as a child would say. Although I use a magic bag heated in the microwave, below shows a hot water bottle being filled with the water from the bottom of the double boiler -- a great way to save a little energy!

7. Put the hot thing in the bottom of your bag. Put a tea towel on top of the hot thing.

Hot Magic Bag in an insulated soft lunch cooler.

8. Put a lid on your container and put it on top of the tea towel.

9. Zip up the bag or wrap up your container in a thick, cozy towel.

10. Wait patiently. Sometimes I reheat the hot thing after about five hours or before I go to bed.

11. Check after 12 hours. If it looks the way you like it, pop it in the fridge or start eating. If it is not thick enough, heat up your hot thing and let it sit a bit longer.

12. Enjoy!

Potluck Challenges

2011-03-25T11:17:00.000-04:00

I found myself reminding myself to be patient. I have been pretty good at being respectful of everyone's stage of transition -- including the stage of not knowing anything about it. I do my absolute best not to preach, but I am happy to talk about it once the questions come.

Lately, Peter and I have been throwing monthly parties. Part of developing community resilience is fostering relationships by having fun together!

We make the parties pot luck and it is real luck of the pot. No coordinating. Everyone brings something and presto, the table is full!

Peter has made pots of chili and I have timed homemade bread to come out of the oven at the start of the party. We have LOTS of cloth napkins and cutlery. There are enough dishes and glasses for all.   Peter and Kat figured out how to make snack bowls out of old vinyl records! Since the parties all seem to be music themed, somehow this all just works.

The need for patience comes as people come in the door with food. It is in plastic bags, plastic unrecyclable clam shells, on styrofoam trays or individually wrapped and double-wrapped.

My heart sinks, thinking about garbage day.  One evening of potluck creates more landfill waste than two weeks as a family. I remind myself that although the garbage can has our street number on it, we are not responsible for the waste. Then, I wonder if that is a cop-out.

I have been thinking about the options.

A:  Tell guests to take their garbage home with them. Well, I am not going to do that as it is just plain rude!   It is also completely opposed to my own policy of respecting that everyone is at different stages. All our guests likely recycle as much as possible and use lots of reuseable shopping bags. That is a huge change from a decade ago and needs to be recognized as progress. Also, the waste is going to the landfill whether it is from my bin or somebody else's. It would feel like I am more concerned about

B: Ask people to bring zero waste. This is imposing because it is actually hard to do this when you have never done it before.

C: Ask people to avoid bringing plastic clam shells. This might be easier... just a small step that would lower my landfill garbage.

D: Do nothing and let people come to their own decisions. A possibility -- but it is happening in my home and I feel responsible for whatever goes to the landfill or recycling -- whether I bought it or not.

E: Stop having parties. (Ok, so I actually laughed out loud as I wrote this one, because parties and the people we invite are just way too much fun!)

Any suggestions?????

How to Start Your Transition

2011-03-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

On Monday, J and I did a presentation on food transition for Transition Ottawa. There were about 20 people who came! Since I was without a voice, J did most of the presentation with me croaking out a few tidbits.

J did a wonderful job (in my humble, completely biased opinion). She focused on the story of how the family became interested in transition and what the ground rules were. We wanted to live in such a way that would foster community, a healthier environment and a more connected family. It was wonderful to see J, 19, talk about how she was afraid of where the world was going until we started our transition project together. Just taking action empowered her and gave her optimism. She also talked about how working together has resulted in a much happier dynamic between her and Peter, her dad.

The people who came seemed interested in the process. Some had started the transition, others were mulling. I think everyone took different things away from the evening. A few people were very interested in making yogourt (so look for a post later this week on my perfected recipe) or cottage cheese. Some wanted to know about bread making.

The best question was about where to start with transition. Our answer: find something you already know how to do and make it a habit. For me, it was yogourt. I had made it and bread a lot when we were first married, so it wasn't difficult for me to relearn and then make it a habit. The other part of the answer is to take it slowly. Change one thing at a time and don't feel pressured to do everything. Finally, be completely respectful of where everyone is or isn't in transition -- including yourself.

I was really glad that we led this event because I got to see what people were most interested in. It will likely influence some of my posts. For example, since yogourt garnered such interest, I will be grabbing the camera and showing how to make it this weekend and posting the process.

Is there anything you would like to know about? Just comment below!

Rant: Walk-in Clinics Provide Prescriptions, Not Healthcare!

2011-03-20T11:27:00.000-04:00

I went to the walk-in clinic today since my throat is not getting any better and wondered if this was bacterial, not viral. I have to say, I am completely unimpressed with walk-in clinics.

When I arrived, there were 13 people ahead of me. 45 minutes later, I walked out with prescription in hand. I was annoyed.

Most people would be thrilled that this was not a 2-hour wait. However, wait for what is the question!

The doctor told me I had a virus. So far, so good. Then, he noticed I was clearing my throat, so he suggested a prescription for a nasal spray. I told him that I use the netipot. He smiled, told me it was fine, but use the spray afterwards. Apparently, the spray is a steroid.

He gave me the prescription and left.

Amazing! No instructions to go to bed, gargle, take lots of clear fluids. Basically, no real health "care". I looked at the prescription and shook my head. Because it is the only prescription that can be prescribed for a virus, no point in telling me anything else, I guess. The post nasal drip is not bothering me. It isn't stopping me from sleeping (which is when the healing happens).

I walked in the door and croaked to the family that the need for resilience regarding health was not coming -- it is here already. I just exposed myself to a whole lot of viruses waiting to be told I had a virus. In fact, I am sure I got this waiting in the same clinic with K a couple of weeks ago. I was offered a drug that I didn't need and not offered the advice someone with a virus would need.

So, I am now going to completely ignore the doctor's advice. I am going back to bed... after I gargle and drink some nice warm tea.

The only problem I have is that I am about to finish my book and there is nothing in the house I haven't read.

Slow Cure: Nursing Myself

2011-03-19T11:32:00.000-04:00

This is the sickest winter this family has ever had. Nothing terminal -- just really really nasty viruses!

Now, I am down with a horrible sore throat. It started on Monday and by Friday it was bad. Although I have done lots of thinking about transition and putting my health in my hands first, this morning, I seriously considered going to a clinic because I was feeling so horrible and wanted someone to wave a magic wand. Egad, this is like a kid wanting Mummy to kiss it better.

I know that this is either a virus or an infection. No strep symptoms, other than pain. If I go to the clinic and it is a virus, I will lose valuable time getting better because there is nothing they can do. I know the cure for a throat virus is sleep, salt water gargling and fluids. So, I have decided to postpone the trip to the clinic. I will spend all day today in bed, with fluids, hourly gargles, eucalyptus oil drinks for pain, and a novel.

If I get worse or am no better by tomorrow, I will reconsider going to the doctor to see if this is an infection. Personal responsibility for health doesn't mean we never go to the doctor. Our society chose to have universal health care, but in order for our health care system to be resilient, we have to use the system more efficiently, not more often. By focusing on prevention and learning to take care of the minor illnesses, we free the health care professionals up for more serious cases.

What I wanted this morning was a pill to make me all better faster so I could work and play. It is the medical equivalent to fast food. Convenient. Just as slow food is better in the long run, so is the slow cure (resting) -- something we stopped doing when the ads started showing us people going to work sick, but with all the symptoms masked.

Ok, I have convinced myself by writing that I really should be in bed and not on the computer. ;)

Checklist:
P.D. James novel and reading glasses.
Thermos of mint tea.
Salt water.
Pillows.
Dog.
Eucalyptus oil.

Environmental Disasters and Personal Responsibility

2011-03-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

Watching the news of the devastating earthquake, tsunami and potential nuclear meltdown in Japan, my heart aches for the people of Japan. Any one of those disasters is too much to handle.

Watching to see if the melt down happens, I have been thinking a lot about why nuclear plants exist. The demand for energy to power our lifestyles is so high, we need to keep building power plants. I keep hearing that nuclear energy is clean and safe. When I ask "compared to what", I hear compared to coal-fired and hydro production. All three have environmental and human impacts. With hydro, it is the upfront impact of flooding. With coal-fired, we see the after waste of emissions. With nuclear, we say it is clean because we hide the waste -- nuclear power only becomes dirty when there is an accident. The waste is there and it is not clean. We have only had nuclear waste for a few decades. We have had two... perhaps soon three -- accidents that have impacted the world. What happens two hundred years from now? How much MORE nuclear waste will we have? How much more land will be flooded? How many more coal particles will be made available for us to breathe in?

Our current economy is built on increasing consumption, not reducing it. So how many more power-driven disposable gadgets will be created, not to improve our lives, but to fuel an extractive economy, including the need for more power plants?

I personally feel that the Japanese are not responsible for the pending nuclear disaster. They built the plant to very high standards and are doing everything in their power, including asking for help from the world, to solve the problem. The responsibility lies with all of us who have ever used electricity irresponsibly. I count myself in that group. I have left lights on, fallen in love with gadgets, heated a cheese sandwich in the oven...

The generation that built these plants and the concurrent lifestyle could not fathom their impact. The generations alive right now, do understand the impact.

In the transition movement, "powering down" is one of the skills to becoming resilient. A great number of individuals and families are powering down. This doesn't mean bowing out of society and living like hermits. It means slowly phasing out unnecessary electrical and gas consumption by developing new habits and finding carbon neutral or negative power sources.

I have already blogged about how we shaved 1000 kilowatt hours off our two month electrical bill. Now, I am inspired by the situation in Japan to power down even more. I haven't got my super-hero cape in the mail yet, so I can't stop the melt down. However, I can reduce my own demand so that our own plants don't have to supply me with more energy than I need. I can also take the Bullfrog Power idea back to the family to see if we are ready to be part of the demand for green energy.

I will be attending the following discussion -- if you are in the national capital, I hope to see you there!

Powering Down - Scott McKenzie

Monday March 28, 7:30 – 9:15 pm
Ecclesiax Sanctuary, 2 Monk St, Glebe

In the lead up to the climate change conference in Copenhagen, we heard a lot about reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, but do you know what that would mean for you? This presentation explains how this would impact your lifestyle as well as show you that is possible to put together a 20 year plan to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by 80% without waiting for governments to take action! ($5 donation.)

Mindful Shopping

2011-03-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

I was at a craft store, looking for a good storage box for K's sewing stuff. I found one that had drawers for dividers and a top box on it that looked great. Then, I asked myself some mindful shopping questions.

1. Q: Can I hand this down to my grandchildren?
   A: No. The plastic is cheap so it will be grotty or chipped or unusable 30 years from now. The hinges will likely break and be difficult to repair.

2. Q: Do I know that this was produced in a company where human rights are respected?
   A: No. I found the Made in China label. I have no idea if the company upheld human rights.

3. Q: Was much oil used in the manufacture and shipping of the product?
   A: It is plastic and shipped from China, so YES.

4. Q: If this ends up in the landfill, will it eventually feed the earth or poison it?
   A: Poison it.

I looked at the price, not the ticket price, but the price of this to the world and my aged grandkids. K and her family deserved better.

I think I will look out for a steel toolbox in the garage sales. They are sturdier and the answers to my questions will be more favourable to a world where social and environmental justice become the priority. And... I am betting the financial cost will be less!

Earlier that day, I was in a consignment shop, looking for a new-to-me top. I have two synthetic tops that I have not worn all winter. I want to send them off for donation, but it means replacing them with something of better quality. I found a gorgeous silk and cashmere black knit top that felt wonderful on.

I asked my mindful shopping questions. Since it was second-hand, it was not going to the landfill. I will either be able to hand this down to my grandkids OR it will nourish the earth as it breaks down in the compost. Since it was in a consignment store, it had been transported from someone's local closet! Financially, it cost me $11. Environmentally, it cost nothing.

Hydro Consumption Drops AGAIN!!!!!

2011-03-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

WHOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Just looked at the billing period ending at the end of January. We had cut the previous bill by 800kwh over two months. We shaved an additional 220kwh off the last bill!!!!

Candles, power bars, turning lights off -- they all really do work!

Oh man oh man... I think I am going to be able to justify that solar oven at this rate!

Family Transition Negotiations

2011-02-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

I am at the mulling stage of a year of no new stuff, blatantly borrowing the concept from Amber at Unstuffed.

As an individual, this would be a lot easier. I could think about it for a couple of weeks and jump right into it. However, for a family, 3 or 4 individuals who have different comfort zones, different interests and different ideas, this means negotiation and understanding. This could get out of hand and become a battle of wills which would completely undermine our success.

There is no attitude of ALL OR NOTHING! Something is sustainable, extremes are not. Also, the moment guilt factors into transition, the project becomes a burden.

I talked to Peter about what I would like to do for a year -- buy no new stuff. I really don't expect everyone to jump on the bandwagon, but there are grey areas when it comes to stuff. If I decide not to buy new stuff and then the family needs something like a cutting board, then Peter will go out and buy it. This wouldn't be cheating, but it would be something new for me, too -- which defeats the purpose.

As individuals, we already do a pretty good job of living lightly by buying mindfully. We love garage sales, second-hand stores and online sites such as Kijiji and Used Ottawa. The majority of Peter's collection of vinyl records was sourced at garage sales. He was upset when a used clothing shop close to us went out of business. Our best cooking stuff came from the Great Glebe Garage Sale. I just want to see if we can take our mindful shopping to the next level. I think this becomes less a skill and more of a mindset.

Peter played devil's advocate during our discussion. He wants new cycling shorts since the ones he bought three years ago are falling apart. We talked about bike parts and music (because he and K are regulars at Compact Music). I kept coming back to my point that with his own personal consumption, he and K can make their own boundaries and I will in no way guilt anyone for buying new. I was asking him if he could be on board with me for household family stuff.

Then, before he could answer, I told him that I just wanted him to mull from now to my birthday in April. On my 50th, I plan to start my own personal year of no new stuff. New experiences, yes. New stuff, no. :)

K appears a little uncomfortable with the concept. Although she loves second-hand stuff, she is not ready to go nothing-new just yet. She is also worried that I am going to go toilet-paper free and begged me not to go there until she moves out. Interestingly, she is worried what people will think when they come to visit. This surprised me that my most eco-hippy-alternative kid felt this way, but I guess she has her limits. I didn't promise anything beyond her having nothing to worry about just yet. K also commented that I wanted a solar oven for my birthday. I just grinned and said that the nothing-new-to-me stage wasn't set to begin until AFTER my birthday. Sly, I am sly!

Different comfort levels for all. As I said, the nothing-new stage is simply in the mulling stage.

Mindful Television

2011-02-27T14:49:00.000-05:00

Television is not evil. It doesn't undermine community. It doesn't destroy families.

It is mindless habits that are destructive.

Whenever I go into a home, I find it interesting to see how the family room is set up. The majority of homes centre all the furniture around the television. Eyes front. Some families have it on in the background. The problem is that it isn't in the background. I can't have a tv on in a room and not have my eyes gravitate towards it.

21 years ago, when Peter and I moved into our first home, our dear friends came once the truck left and helped us arrange the living room. We talked about how we wanted to use the room. Music and conversation. So, Isabelle and I arranged the sectional into loveseats facing each other. Peter and Terry carefully positioned speakers for optimal listening.

The television was placed in one of the extra bedrooms (we were kidless at the time).

When I was a kid, we watched television mindfully. We'd take out the TV Guide and read up on all the shows and highlight which ones we wanted to watch. The television would go on two minutes before the show because the tube had to warm up. Then, we would all pile onto the sofa and watch the show in total silence. It never occurred to me to talk during a show. We were attentively listening and watching. During commercials, we'd predict what would happen next or take care of personal needs. As soon as the show came back on, there would be shouts from the tv room to let us know we were late!

Now, many people don't watch shows, they watch tv. They have no idea what is on, but turn the machine on and start surfing. Basically, there is no entertainment -- it is simply a time-filler. I watched a movie with another family a few months ago. We decided what to watch and then the television went on and so did the chatter. I either must be old or completely unskilled in multi-tasking, because I didn't know whether we were having a conversation or watching a movie. In the end, I gave up trying to focus on the movie.

I got to thinking about this last night when J came over to watch a movie with us. We moved the loveseats into a V-shape, set the laptop up on the coffee table, repositioned the sound system speakers, and made sure everyone had drinks and warm blankets. The candles were on. The lights were off. It took about 20 minutes to get set up. Then, we sat and watched. In silence. (Ok, so we had to gripe at the kids to put away the phones.) As we watched the trailers, we took note of the ones we were interested in watching in the future. Then, we all focused on a really good movie, taking an intermission part way through.

Peter had walked over to Glebe video on Friday evening and talked to the incredibly knowledgeable staff. He brought back two films for the weekend. Mao's Last Dancer was one of them. By going to a local, independent shop, we are supporting a local business, getting some exercise and actually having more selection than if we downloaded from the cable provider. When we watched at our friends' place, the cable provider only offered the movies that would make money. There didn't appear to be foreign films, documentaries, old films, or local films.

We selected and watched mindfully and had a really nice evening! Other weekends we have played games, listened to music, argued about the state of the world, had fondues... so watching a really enjoyable film together was not destructive to the family unit. It was fun and relaxing.

Workload Streamlines!

2011-02-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, I read Cheaper by the Dozen -- the book, not the movie. It is a true story about a family whose father's career centred around making work routines more efficient. He was a funny guy who really threw out pre-conceived notions and tried really whacky changes. Usually, they worked.

So, taking a leaf out of his book, so to speak, I have learned how to streamline food making without losing the nutrition, the taste or creating waste.

The other night at 8:30 pm, I did a double-take. I had made dinner, yogourt, cottage cheese and bread dough -- and here's the kicker -- I wasn't dropping from exhaustion.

Both yogourt and cottage cheese require the use of the double boiler. So, rather than reheating cold water twice, I did them in succession. I got the milk heated for the yogourt, decanted it and used the same pot and water to made the cottage cheese. While the milk was heating, I threw together the no-knead rye bread dough and got it rising. The yogourt, cottage cheese and bread need to be cosy to grow, so the whole production was covered with a towel, the heat from everything kinda acted like lovers under a thick duvet -- they kept each other warm.

Before I went to bed, I tossed the dough into bread pans and covered them in the fridge. The next morning, I got up early to put them in the oven, taking advantage of low-peak hydro times. Peter had steaming hot molasses-rye bread for breakfast. I had the best cottage cheese to date and the yogourt was ready for K's snack.

Really truly, the more I do something, the less thinking and effort it takes. When I can combine it with something else, I end up freeing up my time later. Last summer, I remember deliberately NOT adding a new transition task to my repertoire because I had started a lot and wanted it to stick. I was afraid of becoming overwhelmed with the work and quitting. It worked! I got really good at a few things and actually made them habits.

Although I am mulling over the next series of changes, for the next month or so, I will simply reinforce the habits that are still rather wishy-washy.

Related posts: My first attempt at cottage cheese. I really thought it was a lot of work!

Family Day

2011-02-21T09:59:00.000-05:00

Living lightly and living fun takes a little bit of rethinking. The past couple of generations have moved the fun into activities that require cars, electronics, little skill and less community.

When the family voted the television off our island a few years ago, we walked around in a daze for a week or so and then found other things to do. Unfortunately, the computer was a replacement, but with only one computer in the house, it wasn't too bad. Everyone needed it for work or studying. I noticed the kids using Facebook as a means of organizing picnics, sledding parties, bike rides and sew jams.

Today, being Family Day, we would have liked to have done something outside, but K is down with mono. So, we are staying indoors. I just bought two new games: The Settlers of Catan and Earthopoly. J is coming over and we will play games, listen to music and have fondu. Nobody suggested we go to the movies because that wouldn't be the family having fun TOGETHER, but only having fun alone in the same room. I enjoy movies, but I am happier that we are playing games that have us interacting with each other.

In a board game, the players sit around the table so we can see each other. We look into each other's eyes when trying to make strategic moves. We grin and wink at each other and see our opponent or ally's face when a spectacular move is made. In a video game, the focus is the screen; players only see each other's faces when the screen is off.

With the music on, there is talk about the music and in our family, it often becomes a singalong. The fondu makes the meal truly communal. Again, we will be around the table, cooking together. Because it is so slow, it provides an atmosphere conducive to conversation... and if we lose a piece of food in the pot, we have to kiss someone.

Tonight's dessert is a fruit cobbler made with only fruits we canned ourselves plus a local apple: cherries, peaches, apples, blueberries.

Since everyone is still asleep and the cobbler is about to come out of the oven, I think I will take the dog for a walk.

Happy Family Day -- every day!

The Breadbox -- Alternative to Plastic Bags

2011-02-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

Click here for the Sanctus Mundo site.

I love Sanctus Mundo products. They are $%?&*@ expensive, but man oh man, are they GREAT!

I got a lunch set of the round ones for each family member five months ago. I put the bill in front of everyone's eyes and made it clear that they were only getting ONE set. Any piece goes missing and the loser pays for it. On the flip side, when the girls move out (and one has), they can take their sets. These containers are so well made, that I am pretty sure they will last a couple of decades.

For months, I had been eyeing the large rectangular one you see above. It was over $60.00, which is why it took me so long to get it. I had been wrapping homemade bread in linen, but it kept drying out. This box would make a great breadbox because of its size and the fact that it seals. Finally, last week, I took a mortgage out on my last child and bought one. It is GREAT! The bread stayed really fresh and more than just the one loaf fits. I was able to slip some bagels into it and a few slices of the last loaf.

So, now I want 10. I won't get ten, but I am planning to put some cash aside for another one. I usually make two loaves of bread at a time. Also, I was wondering about these tins for freezing the harvest. According to the site, this is what they were designed for! Because they are rectangular, they will fit well in the freezer.

Once the harvest starts, I will look at the special bank account I have going to see if I can invest in two containers this summer: one for corn, one for green beans. I found I didn't like canned corn or beans, but the frozen versions were great.

It would never have occurred to me to spend that much on plastic because I have never found a plastic that I felt I could hand down to the next generation -- the plastic always gets grotty or broken. If this box is well maintained, however, I can see me bequeathing it to the grandkids when they grow up. (I don't have grandkids, so you can tell I really think these will last.)

Tea Cups -- Undersize Me!

2011-02-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

K, our sixteen-year-old transitioner, loves tea. Because of sensitivities to caffeine, she has become the tea guru at home. K goes out to local tea shops, trying different teas. She tells me that different blends appeal to her at different times of the day and even different seasons. I realized that I am stuck in my five decades of British tea drinking habits. I drink orange pekoe and then really go wild with my mint tea in the afternoons.

K is way ahead of me. For Christmas, we bought her a tea ball and her sister got her a lovely china tea cup, saucer and plate from Value Village. The brewing and drinking of tea seems to be becoming a reassuring ritual for K.

The other day, K made tea for me. I have been so used to huge mugs of hot drinks that for some really strange reason, I was surprised to see only a couple of ounces of hot liquid in my tiny teacup... tiny compared to my mugs.

I enjoyed the tea as much as if it had been a big cup... perhaps more so because it didn't have a chance to get cold. Then, I thought about how expensive K's teas were compared to Loblaws Family Pack. I thought about how quickly I went through my homegrown mint. Then, K gave me the speech:

Mum, it is the companies who sell tea and coffee and hot chocolate that promote the perceived need for huge mugs, including travel mugs. If you drank less, you would pay less and they would make less. Do you NEED a huge cup of tea?

I have a really pretty travel mug. I took K's teacup and filled it with water. Then, I dumped the water into my mug. It took three of her cups to fill my mug.

I could save 60% off the cost of tea and coffee, by using teacups. Or... I could afford to stop getting the Family Tea Pack and go haunt K's local teashops.

K also reduces her carbon tea footprint by only boiling enough water for the number of cups she is making. ... And she nags us if we fill the kettle to the brim.

So, K has modeled tea drinking for me. Gotta love the family sharing of transition knowledge. It makes it fun!

Financing Food

2011-02-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

In our first summer of growing and preserving food, starting the CSA, and replacing the plastic, we spent a LOT of money. We bought canning equipment, jars, glass containers, and local food in season to preserve. It really added up quickly. A huge basket of blueberries is about $90, for example.

At the end of the summer, we found ourselves, for the first time in years, having to borrow on our line of credit. OUCH! Any debt undermines resilience, so we have had to work hard to balance the books.

On the other hand, we have spent very little on food this winter because of last summer's work. Just like Christmas traditionally means a big financial outlay, so does the sowing and reaping of the harvest.

As soon as the 2010 preserving was done and the bucket of honey to get us through the winter was purchased, we opened a special high interest banking account and automatically fed money into it every paycheque. This account will be tapped into over the summer of 2011. It will pay for the allotment, for gardening necessities, and for purchasing food to preserve for the winter, and possibly for a course on foraging. We should have all the equipment and the containers already, so the expenses should be less than last summer.

I think we will adjust how we save next year, though. Next year, we will do the paycheque deductions but then add more during the months where we spend very little on food.

The work is greater in the summer and so are the expenses. The reverse is also true! Winter means more time for recreation and less time (and money) on food procurement.

The Vulture Project

2011-02-11T18:43:00.002-05:00

I firmly believe that the earth is one living organism; we live as part of her, not just on her. All life does. All life has the power to nourish earth, including humanity. Our society has somehow moved away from mutual nourishing and moved towards depleting the planet with our own living and dying.

It is time that we began learning from others who live symbiotically with nature. Our technology allows us to go out into the world and show us the myriad ways we can respectfully nourish all the lifeforms that make up our planet. Films such as David Chernushenko's Powerful show us communities living with clean energy and bike lanes that make some of us drool.

Although I am quite happy to watch films for mindless entertainment on a Friday night, I actually feel grateful to the men and women who have the skills and the passion to document new ideas on sustainable living, old ideas that need revisiting and different ideas from other cultures on living as part of the earth.

Unfortunately, these film makers don't usually have the backing that films such as Pirates of the Caribbean. (And Johnny Depp can make me drool almost as much as the bike lanes shown in Powerful.)

A group of talented independent film makers at Bush Films are working tirelessly to bring us a documentary on a culture living respectfully with vultures... and vice versa. At first, when I heard the concept, I went EWWWWWWWW... because death in our culture is so clean it pollutes and vultures, as cool as they are, don't usually make us coo. It didn't take long for me to realize that I really want to see this story told.

I started reading about the project. One of the film makers is a very close relative of mine.... someone I have seen excel academically, theatrically and personally. Someone who crosses t's and dots i's. Someone who lives incredibly lightly on this earth. Today, I donated to the Vulture Project because I think this is a story worth telling and the story tellers are down-to-earth, talented and qualified folk. Whether you donate or not, I highly recommend you watch the video on their donation page.

So, here I am, asking you to look at the project and either donate or watch the film when it comes out. I am very excited to learn more... oh... and because I donated, they will send me a postcard from Tibet!

Mason Jars -- The Plastic Alternative!

2011-02-09T09:18:00.000-05:00

My Favourite Bernardin Mason Jar Size (125ml)
Great for individual fruit salads and salsas!

I LOVE Mason jars!!!!!!!!! What an inexpensive plastic alternative! They come in different sizes and can last for decades. I got some jars in a garage sale that date back to the 1930s.

Mason jars are made of tempered glass. This means they can handle freezing and heating without shattering. Beware, though -- a jar will shatter if you take it out of the freezer and put it directly in the oven or immerse it in hot water.

Uses for Mason Jars:

Preserving -- jams, jellies, fruit salads, tomatoes, other veggies

Freezing -- Leftovers for lunches, corn, homemade stock. Make sure you leave a good inch from the top because liquid expands when it freezes and can crack the jar.

Cooking -- I bake individual rice pudding in the jars and then just toss 'em in the lunches.

Dry storage -- nuts and stuff.

Homemade salad dressing containers

Storage of shampoo bars, nails, paper clips...

Candle molds -- They make safe candle holders and they throw the light better than a solitary flame.

At the end of March, I will take inventory of my jars. Dented rings and chipped jars will be repurposed away from food storage. I'll buy replacement rings and new rubber lids because rings have to be undented and the rings can only be used once for canning. I always write on the canned lids so that I know they are for non-canning purposes. Finally, I will see what jars need replacing and keep an eye out in the garage sales for only the sizes I need.

We have been noting just what sizes work best for which foods so we manage the canning better for next year. Watch for canning posts in late spring for our findings.

All this to say -- Mason Jars are a definite transition necessity! They replace all sorts of plastic containers.