They (the behavior scientist folks and the head doctors) say that you should make your resolutions and goals public. That way when your colleges at work find you passed out in a large birthday cake intended for your boss with a fork in one hand and a spoon in the other, or when you're at the grocery store and you run into a friend and fellow eco-foodie and you have a package of pesticide injected, partially hydrogenated, hormonally imbalanced processed cheese food product in your cart, they can call your ass out on it.New Year's resolution number one: THOU SHALL USE AS FEW PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS AS POSSIBLE. So, if you happen to see me walking out of the drugstore with one of those too-little-to-even-reuse white plastic baggies clutched in my hands, tackle me and force me to eat asphalt until I remember that I publicly swore to cut back on my plastic bag consumption. Feel like joining me in my madness? Visit www.pledgebank.com/Nobags to add your pledge. Make sure you let me know so we can use you to
You can get cloth bags anywhere, if you don't already have something laying about the house already. Think backpacks, mismatched pillowcases, those canvas bags from L.L. Bean that everyone but me has. (Hint, hint.) Ryan and I did purchase some
The weather here in Williamsburg has been fickle thanks to the freaky tropical jet stream. One day its almost 80 and the next we don't top 38. We haven't turned the heat on yet (except for trips - the kitties have trouble working the wood stove) and now its almost a challenge. Can we make it through the rest of the winter using only the wood stove and the space heater in the bedroom? Tune in and find out. Or just call us in three weeks; if we don't answer we're away from the house, screening your call, or we've gone the way of the little match girl.
The warmer weather has been good to our colder weather crops. Back in October we thought it might be a cool to put in some crusifers to see how they'd do. Well, I'm happy to report that the cabbages, brussels sprouts, and broccoli are thriving. I must admit, we cheated and bought seedlings from Lowes. But still, we're growing stuff and its JANUARY! (Shut up Al Gore, and let me enjoy my delusion that I might actually be a decent gardener.)
Its also time for us to start picking out plants and seeds to buy this February. Last year I made this overly elaborate spreadsheet that calculated the cost of each order including discounts and shipping rates. It even referenced the items on the businesses' websites so we could double check each plant and make sure we got the best deal possible. It was a thing of beauty. Tweak one order and the whole sheet slammed into action; recalculating how much we were going to spend and where, warning of duplicate entries and when we maxed out our budget. Then one rainy Saturday night last February Ryan and I, plant starved and half way through the second bottle of red wine, thought it would be a good idea to put in our orders. And thus the spreadsheet was defeated. The poor thing never stood a chance. We didn't blow our budget, I don't think you could get us drunk enough to do that, at least not when it comes to plants. (We, however, have officially banned ourselves from ever going into a bookstore after having so much as tablespoon of cough syrup.)
Which brings us to my second New Year's resolution: THOU SHALT NOT DRINK AND ORDER PLANTS NOR SEEDS OVER THE INTERNET. This year our order should be smaller then last, since we have all sortsa seeds left over. To make sure we stick to this resolution we'll publish a list of what we plan on ordering and from where before we put the order in, then we'll publish a list of what we actually ordered and from where.
I have some other resolutions, like: THOU SHALL CURE YOUR STUFF-IN-MOUTH DISEASE AND GO TO THE GYM AT LEAST THREE TIMES A WEEK. or THOU SHALL TRY TO SPEND LESS TIME IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION and please STOP FEELING EMBARRASSED WHEN YOU TAKE TRASH FROM WORK HOME.
Yes, I take trash from work home, and it's no longer just shredded paper. I've been taking the paper from the mail room home since I started our worm bin. Word got out and now people bring me stuff from their home shredders. Actually I really like the fact that people are getting into the idea that I can use shredded paper for a multitude of tasks including worm bedding. Its a great way to open up conversations about ways we can stop putting so much crap into landfills without getting preachy. (Nothin' worse then a preachy hippie.) This past week I pushed the bar even further and asked if I could take the leftovers from a catered luncheon home to feed my chickens. (It was left over lettuce.) That was yesterday. Today I have three small plastic bags full of pickles, stale bread, lettuce, olives, and some cheese. (Don't tackle me yet! I rinse out the bags and reuse them, and there really is no other way to transport the food home.) I'm walking a fine line between feeling embarrassed and feeling good that all this food won't end up in the trash. But mostly I'm a bit embarrassed.
For all the hippie that I am, I still wear suits to work. I have calluses from my high heals, and I NEVER leave the house with out makeup on. I paint my fingernails, and even though I tell everyone that it's to cover up the dirt that's always under them, secretly I think its pretty. I blow dry my hair, chew with my mouth closed, always know which fork to use (thanks Mom!), and how to make polite conversation with almost anyone. I am a liberal who's trying to pass as a conservative. I am an eccentric who discuses herself (not well) as a wall flower. Perhaps it's good that Ryan and I aren't that dogmatic about our lifestyle. I don't flip out when we eat ramen noodles, the kind that come in (gasp) styrofoam, for dinner. I don't worry that the nightlight in the bathroom is always on or that my pets eat commercial pet food. Good commercial pet food, but commercial pet food none the less.
That's my real resolution this year. To continue this crazy journey of psudo-homesteding without getting caught up in the ideologies. To remember that my life is mine to enjoy, and if it's not fun it better pay the mortgage.
-Gretchen
