September 11th is a date that every American knows and remembers. This date is one like the day Kennedy was shot, where people remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the devastating news.
This day is our modern day ‘date which will live in infamy’, as President Roosevelt said in his speech following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. September 11th, as December 7th, is a date that will always be with us. Pearl Harbor had 2,403 deaths and 1,178 wounded. These numbers pale in comparison to the nearly 3,000 killed and 6,000 wounded on September 11th .
What a date to start ‘A Wonderfully Wacky Week’ with, an article about daily celebrations, from the average to the zany. Many lessons were learned September 11th, lessons personal, political and national. One of the lessons that we should take from this is to celebrate life. Remember those that died and honor their memories. Yet, celebrate life, it’s the only one we’ve got!
The dates for the rest of the week seem trivial compared with September 11th. But in the spirit of finding something to celebrate each day, here they are.
September 12: This day in 1966 a new television show premièred, The Monkees. It started as a television show about a rock band … and they became a popular band. Download a few songs to help celebrate. Some of you still may have one of their records laying around in a pile of unlistened-to-anymore vinyl. Whip out some love beads. Pull out the leather fringed vest from the back of your closet. Sing along as you eat dinner …. ‘Hey, hey, we’re the Monkeess’ …. ‘I’m a believer’ …. ‘Take the last train to Clarksville’ … Am I dating myself here?
September 13: Happy Birthday Roald Dahl! Celebrate this author’s birthday with birthday candles in a peach and a chocolate bar. Read (or re-read) one of his books. James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are my two favorites. The man may be gone, but his legacy continues. (see his website for details, www.roalddahl.com)
September 14: The Golden Girls premièred in 1985. Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty captivated the nation until the final episode in 1992. Betty White, the only survivor of the four ladies, is still going strong. Celebrate tonight with a bowl of popcorn and a Golden Girls DVD.
September 15: In 1971, motivated by their vision of a green and peaceful world, a small team of activists set sail from Vancouver, Canada in an old fishing boat. These activists, the founders of Greenpeace, believed a few individuals could make a difference. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Greenpeace. Participate in a green activity in your community that you believe in. Write a letter. Get involved. See www.greenpeac.org/USA/en to see more about Greenpeace and ways you can help.
September 16: The Wo-Zha-Wa Days Festival begins today in Wisconsin Dells, WI. Only the flea market and arts and crafts run today with a run on Saturday and a Parade on Sunday. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been to a Wo-Zha-Wa Parade and I’m intrigued! Curious about the name, I discovered that Wo-Zha-Wa is a Ho-Chunk (or Winnebago) Native American phase meaning ‘to have fun’. You won’t see me in Wisconsin for the festival, at least not this year, but that doesn’t mean that we all can’t have our own little ‘Wo-Zha-Wa’ Day! What things can you do in your family today to have fun and add a little festivity to your life?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Yard Sale Treasures
Little did I know how stopping at a yard sale would alter my life several years later.
It was a typical, sunny Southern California day (around 2005 or 2006). It was a Friday and I was off of work. I’d driven out to a friend’s condo in Palm Springs for a few hours. While leaving town that afternoon, I saw a sign staked at the edge of the street. Giant black letters proclaimed “YARD SALE” with an arrow pointing left.
Hmmmmm, I wondered. I wonder if yard sales in Palm Springs are any different than the ones at home. I quickly turned down the side street and stopped to browse the graveled front yard, littered with tables and “good deals” covering most of the yard area. I walked around, covering the area without spending too much time. Videos for $2 each, stacks of paperback books, tires, the usual miscellaneous assortment of unwanted items.
Then … I spotted the table with bedding, towels and such. I honestly don’t remember what else was there because I spied a laundry basket with quilted fabrics in it. I looked closer and it appeared to be several quilt tops in the basket, pieced but never completed into quilts. There were some quilt squares nestled in amongst the quilt tops, some Sunbonnet Sues and Overall Bills. They appeared to be older fabrics. There wasn’t a price on the basket or on the individual pieces.
Over the prior few years I’d acquired a few old quilts at antique stores. A very few, because I usually couldn’t afford them, they were typically priced way out of my budget. Hoping that I could afford to purchase at least one of the quilt tops, I approached the lady that appeared to be in charge of the yard sale.
I tried very hard to appear nonchalant and almost bored. “How much do you want for the quilt tops?” I asked, knowing I had $20 in my wallet and could run to an ATM to get another $20. Higher than that, I’d be out of luck.
“Well, they’re pretty old,” she answered. (Duh! I thought to myself. Why do you think I want one so much? But I wisely kept my thoughts to myself.) “Twenty dollars,” she added.
“For each one?” I asked, trying to quickly decide which one I wanted most.
“For all of them.”
Poker face intact, I calmly said, “I’ll take them.” Inside I was jumping up and down, almost doing cartwheels as I strolled to the car (trying very hard not to run) to get the twenty dollars for my new treasures. Handing her the money, I started to take them all out of the laundry basket and she said, “Take the basket too.”
I think I said thank you. I’m sure I did, but I was almost delirious and trying so hard not to show my delight so she wouldn’t snatch the basket back and raise the price. I sat the basket in the back seat and drove away as fast as I could without attracting any Palm Springs police officer’s attention.
Arriving home an hour and a half later, I proudly carried my yard sales treasures inside. Lifting each piece out, one at a time, revealed that I now had three pieced and unquilted quilt tops, along with a set of thirty Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Bill quilt squares.
Each of the squares had a name stitched on it, except for three. The piece de resistance was one square that was stitched with ‘To Doris, From Mother, 1934’. I was ecstatic!
Any of the quilt tops, by itself, was worth far more than the twenty dollars I paid for the entire lot. Two were machine stitched and just blocks, no particular pattern. One top, my favorite of the three, was completely hand stitched. It consists of little tiny hexagons making up a pattern similar to ‘Grandmothers Flower Garden’, except the usual circle of hexagons had one additional hexagon on each side, creating a diamond type design.
The wheels in my brain started turning. If the quilt squares had names on them, and 1934 on one of the squares … then somewhere, some place in 1934 all of these names were connected in some way, maybe not all to each other, but at least to Doris and Mother.
Making a list of all of the names on the squares, I added notes for each. Which ones had matching fabrics, same surnames, similar stitching. On many I made the note ‘very young or very old’, due to the quality of the stitching. I sat down at the computer several times, putting various combinations of names in the search engine, trying to discover a common denominator among some of the names.
I didn’t find any answers. Their secret was to remain hidden for several more years.
I moved from California. The squares, along with the quilt tops and my other antique quilts were packed up for the move. They stayed packed away for three years.
And then …..
The secrets start to emerge. How? What secrets do the squares start to tell? Come back later in the week to find out what happens next.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
It's a Green Thing: Solar Cooking
“A summer’s sun is worth the having,” claims a French proverb. Solar cooks world wide appreciate the sun, be it summer’s or winter’s sun.
What’s the big deal about using a solar cooker? There are many benefits. Perhaps the greatest benefit, at least here in the United States, is that one can cook without consuming any electricity or natural gas. But during these hot, sweltering days of summer, the added benefit of cooking without heating up the kitchen or house perhaps overweighs the advantage of no energy consumption. According to the Arizona Solar Center (www.azsolarcenter.com), “For every dollar spent on indoor cooking fuel, electricity costing about $.50 is required to cool and dehumidify an air conditioned home. Solar cookers not only use no electricity or natural gas, but they don’t heat-up the house.”
Other advantages are that solar cookers are smoke-free, the moderate cooking temperatures preserve the nutrients of the food, they are easy to use, food doesn’t require stirring and many units are portable and easy to transport.
Commercial models range from $65 for camping sizes up to $300 for more sophisticated versions. Many homemade plans are available and costs run from negligible up to $100, depending on the materials you use and what you have available around the house.
If purchasing a commercial cooker, check the temperature range that the unit will reach. Most cook in the moderate (200 degree) range. These are great for cooking through the day. Set your cooker out before you go to work and come home and dinner is hot and ready for an easy meal. For baking or for faster cooking, you’ll need a model that reaches 300-400 degrees.
My first cooker, a homemade model, wasn’t very successful. I followed the directions: insulated the plywood frame with newspaper, painted the exterior black, lined the interior with foil. However, trying to be frugal (aka cheap), I used the glass tops from two coffee tables that had outlived their usefulness. What DIDN’T dawn on me was that the glass was tinted … as in ‘not letting all the sunshine into the cooker’. Temperatures inside would barely reach 200 degrees, and that was on a good day.
Another mistake; I used a cast iron dutch oven instead of glass or black aluminum pans. Needing long cooking times coupled with cooking in cast iron caused every dish to taste virtually the same, with a heavy iron flavor!
Solar Cookers International claim that two billion people worldwide rely on wood and charcoal for cooking fuel, with many needing to travel long distances to gather dwindling resources. Solar cookers provide an easy cooking method, conserving natural resources in poverty stricken nations. The cookers also can be used to pasteurize water, sanitize dishes and utensils, and disinfect medical supplies.
Following the Haiti earthquake, Solar Cookers International (solarcookers.org) received donations that allowed them to train and equip displaced families with 400 Cookits, pots and water pasteurization units.
Many solar energy centers hold annual events showcasing solar cookers, demonstrating cooking and holding cooking contests. The Arizona Solar Center hosts an annual Solar Cookoff and Expo in Bisbee, Arizona. In 2007, I attended and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I wandered around the Bisbee Farmers Market, seeng solar cookers set up and scattered throughout the park, simmering away amid music and drums and the buzz of pleasant conversation of like-minded peoples.
This pollution free, energy saving, heat reducing cooking method isn’t new. It’s certainly a trend whose time has arrived. It’s eco-living one step at a time. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a green thing.
What’s the big deal about using a solar cooker? There are many benefits. Perhaps the greatest benefit, at least here in the United States, is that one can cook without consuming any electricity or natural gas. But during these hot, sweltering days of summer, the added benefit of cooking without heating up the kitchen or house perhaps overweighs the advantage of no energy consumption. According to the Arizona Solar Center (www.azsolarcenter.com), “For every dollar spent on indoor cooking fuel, electricity costing about $.50 is required to cool and dehumidify an air conditioned home. Solar cookers not only use no electricity or natural gas, but they don’t heat-up the house.”
Other advantages are that solar cookers are smoke-free, the moderate cooking temperatures preserve the nutrients of the food, they are easy to use, food doesn’t require stirring and many units are portable and easy to transport.
Commercial models range from $65 for camping sizes up to $300 for more sophisticated versions. Many homemade plans are available and costs run from negligible up to $100, depending on the materials you use and what you have available around the house.
If purchasing a commercial cooker, check the temperature range that the unit will reach. Most cook in the moderate (200 degree) range. These are great for cooking through the day. Set your cooker out before you go to work and come home and dinner is hot and ready for an easy meal. For baking or for faster cooking, you’ll need a model that reaches 300-400 degrees.
My first cooker, a homemade model, wasn’t very successful. I followed the directions: insulated the plywood frame with newspaper, painted the exterior black, lined the interior with foil. However, trying to be frugal (aka cheap), I used the glass tops from two coffee tables that had outlived their usefulness. What DIDN’T dawn on me was that the glass was tinted … as in ‘not letting all the sunshine into the cooker’. Temperatures inside would barely reach 200 degrees, and that was on a good day.
Another mistake; I used a cast iron dutch oven instead of glass or black aluminum pans. Needing long cooking times coupled with cooking in cast iron caused every dish to taste virtually the same, with a heavy iron flavor!
Solar Cookers International claim that two billion people worldwide rely on wood and charcoal for cooking fuel, with many needing to travel long distances to gather dwindling resources. Solar cookers provide an easy cooking method, conserving natural resources in poverty stricken nations. The cookers also can be used to pasteurize water, sanitize dishes and utensils, and disinfect medical supplies.
Following the Haiti earthquake, Solar Cookers International (solarcookers.org) received donations that allowed them to train and equip displaced families with 400 Cookits, pots and water pasteurization units.
Many solar energy centers hold annual events showcasing solar cookers, demonstrating cooking and holding cooking contests. The Arizona Solar Center hosts an annual Solar Cookoff and Expo in Bisbee, Arizona. In 2007, I attended and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I wandered around the Bisbee Farmers Market, seeng solar cookers set up and scattered throughout the park, simmering away amid music and drums and the buzz of pleasant conversation of like-minded peoples.
This pollution free, energy saving, heat reducing cooking method isn’t new. It’s certainly a trend whose time has arrived. It’s eco-living one step at a time. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a green thing.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Flying through San Francisco
A quick trip to San Francisco- the City by the Bay … Although not technically my first trip to the city, since the first trip through I never stepped foot on San Francisco soil, I have to consider this my first trip there.
That first trip, about five or six years ago was a jaunt through the city following an intensive three-day training in San Ramon. I left San Ramon at noon Saturday after a four-hour test on the training I’d just received. I was exhausted and when I got to San Fran that afternoon the traffic … the people … the hills …. It was overwhelming and I left the city heaving a huge sigh of relief.
This trip was different. It didn’t have the stresses of the earlier trip. I didn’t begin the journey with sensory overload. The trip was just too short!
Lisa & I flew in for two shorts days last month. Our friends in the San Francisco Ghost Society held a great paranormal conference at the Queen Anne Hotel. We were able to fit in a few adventures while there, but not nearly all we wanted.
We need to go back …..
--I didn’t have the time to see my friend Barbara, who lives two hours north of the city. There just wasn’t enough time. I would have loved to have seen her and catch up. I haven’t seen Barbara since she and her husband moved from southern California four or five years ago. Her 5th book is due out shortly and I’m proud to see what she’s accomplished as an author. (Check out her web page at www.drsinor.com)
--We missed Tommy’s Haunted Haight Walking Tour (http://www.hauntedhaight.com)
--We missed Shonna and Jay’s Historical Walking Tour (http://www.victorianwalk.com)
--We didn’t get to Alcatraz
--We didn’t get to Pier 39 to see the sea lions
--We didn’t get to the Presidio
The conference, held by Tommy, Shonna, Tony, Sharon and Anne, was outstanding. The superb organization showed in all aspects. It was good to spend some time visiting with our San Francisco ghosthunter friends.
The speaker lineup at the conference was great, including the ghost society members mentioned above and some out of area speakers. I finally got to meet Janice Oberding. I’ve heard so many good things about her and found them all to be true. She is a sweetheart. I can’t wait to read one of her new books, Goldfield: its history and hauntings, which we purchased while there. Janice was excited about having had the opportunity to tour Alcatraz at night with the TAPS team. (http://www.hauntednevada.com)
The Queen Anne Hotel, where the conference was held, was wonderful. Four floors of Victorian architecture and décor filled this historic hotel. The staff is superior. They were a delight to meet and they did everything possible to make our stay pleasurable. I highly recommend this top-notch establishment to anyone visiting San Francisco. (www.queenanne.com)
While in San Francisco, we enjoyed a bit of geocaching. We dropped off a travel bug we found in Texas at a cache at Alta Plaza in Pacific Heights, near the hotel. The large park in the middle of a bustling city was an enjoyable stop before heading to the tourist destination of Ghirardelli Square at Fisherman’s Wharf. After purchasing far too much Ghirardelli chocolate, we enjoyed strolling through several of the merchants, including Lola of North Beach and One of a Kind. One of a Kind (www.oneofakindsf.com) features stunning woodwork artistry by Bruce Abbott and other wood artisans. I could have spent THOUSANDS of dollars in there! (IF I had it, which I didn’t, so I didn’t.) Lisa did buy me a beautiful small vase, handcrafted out of seven different woods which I adore. The artistry displayed in the store is amazing and I had to drag myself out of there.
Saturday morning, before the conference started, we spent a few hours walking the neighborhood around the hotel. I enjoyed it immensely! We walked down Fillmore Street, enjoying the shops and the architecture. Breakfast at Bittersweet, a local coffee shop, echoed the flavor of the eclectic neighborhood. I enjoyed a ginger-pear muffin and a chai hot chocolate. Both were delicious and I came home with a bag of their chai tea and their mocha mix so I can enjoy some of it here in Texas.
The walk back to the hotel brought us through Japantown, although most was still closed at that time. The history of this area is phenomenal. One narrow, long little lot held a city pocketpark, which was quite a surprise. For such a small lot, it held an amazing variety of foliage and flowers. Paths through the little park were perfect for dog-walkers and pedestrians alike.
Before we knew it, a rainy Sunday afternoon was upon us and it was time to come back home. Too much traveling to do in this life. Now just to get to working and saving up some pennies for more trips, LOTS and LOTS of pennies!
That first trip, about five or six years ago was a jaunt through the city following an intensive three-day training in San Ramon. I left San Ramon at noon Saturday after a four-hour test on the training I’d just received. I was exhausted and when I got to San Fran that afternoon the traffic … the people … the hills …. It was overwhelming and I left the city heaving a huge sigh of relief.
This trip was different. It didn’t have the stresses of the earlier trip. I didn’t begin the journey with sensory overload. The trip was just too short!
Lisa & I flew in for two shorts days last month. Our friends in the San Francisco Ghost Society held a great paranormal conference at the Queen Anne Hotel. We were able to fit in a few adventures while there, but not nearly all we wanted.
We need to go back …..
--I didn’t have the time to see my friend Barbara, who lives two hours north of the city. There just wasn’t enough time. I would have loved to have seen her and catch up. I haven’t seen Barbara since she and her husband moved from southern California four or five years ago. Her 5th book is due out shortly and I’m proud to see what she’s accomplished as an author. (Check out her web page at www.drsinor.com)
--We missed Tommy’s Haunted Haight Walking Tour (http://www.hauntedhaight.com)
--We missed Shonna and Jay’s Historical Walking Tour (http://www.victorianwalk.com)
--We didn’t get to Alcatraz
--We didn’t get to Pier 39 to see the sea lions
--We didn’t get to the Presidio
The conference, held by Tommy, Shonna, Tony, Sharon and Anne, was outstanding. The superb organization showed in all aspects. It was good to spend some time visiting with our San Francisco ghosthunter friends.
The speaker lineup at the conference was great, including the ghost society members mentioned above and some out of area speakers. I finally got to meet Janice Oberding. I’ve heard so many good things about her and found them all to be true. She is a sweetheart. I can’t wait to read one of her new books, Goldfield: its history and hauntings, which we purchased while there. Janice was excited about having had the opportunity to tour Alcatraz at night with the TAPS team. (http://www.hauntednevada.com)
The Queen Anne Hotel, where the conference was held, was wonderful. Four floors of Victorian architecture and décor filled this historic hotel. The staff is superior. They were a delight to meet and they did everything possible to make our stay pleasurable. I highly recommend this top-notch establishment to anyone visiting San Francisco. (www.queenanne.com)
While in San Francisco, we enjoyed a bit of geocaching. We dropped off a travel bug we found in Texas at a cache at Alta Plaza in Pacific Heights, near the hotel. The large park in the middle of a bustling city was an enjoyable stop before heading to the tourist destination of Ghirardelli Square at Fisherman’s Wharf. After purchasing far too much Ghirardelli chocolate, we enjoyed strolling through several of the merchants, including Lola of North Beach and One of a Kind. One of a Kind (www.oneofakindsf.com) features stunning woodwork artistry by Bruce Abbott and other wood artisans. I could have spent THOUSANDS of dollars in there! (IF I had it, which I didn’t, so I didn’t.) Lisa did buy me a beautiful small vase, handcrafted out of seven different woods which I adore. The artistry displayed in the store is amazing and I had to drag myself out of there.
Saturday morning, before the conference started, we spent a few hours walking the neighborhood around the hotel. I enjoyed it immensely! We walked down Fillmore Street, enjoying the shops and the architecture. Breakfast at Bittersweet, a local coffee shop, echoed the flavor of the eclectic neighborhood. I enjoyed a ginger-pear muffin and a chai hot chocolate. Both were delicious and I came home with a bag of their chai tea and their mocha mix so I can enjoy some of it here in Texas.
The walk back to the hotel brought us through Japantown, although most was still closed at that time. The history of this area is phenomenal. One narrow, long little lot held a city pocketpark, which was quite a surprise. For such a small lot, it held an amazing variety of foliage and flowers. Paths through the little park were perfect for dog-walkers and pedestrians alike.
Before we knew it, a rainy Sunday afternoon was upon us and it was time to come back home. Too much traveling to do in this life. Now just to get to working and saving up some pennies for more trips, LOTS and LOTS of pennies!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Garden Junction: Printed in The Justin Texan March 1, 2010
Hello Justin! Welcome to Garden Junction, a new Justin Texan feature.
I’m Trisha Faye. I’m a transplanted Texan, from Southern California. I’ve gardened for most of the past twenty-five years. When the boys were young, I barely had time to tend the roses and landscaping plants. Occasional, very occasional, beds of tomato and bell pepper plants were transformed into homemade spaghetti sauce. About fifteen years ago I began exploring the wondrous world of herbs; for culinary use, fragrance, landscaping, herbal decorations and crafts and natural dyes.
My small, postage-stamp sized Southern California yard, filled to the brim with herbs and flowers, was traded in for a North Texas yard. I’m having fun with new vegetables and plants in this larger garden … until our Texas summer heat does me in for the season!
I’ll confess up front that I’m still adapting to gardening in North Texas. And whew, there’s a lot to learn here! My winters in California consisted of having two or three nights a year when I’d have to cover my scented geraniums (pelargonium’s) with sheets to avoid frost damage.
Another “challenge” for me, besides the colder winters, is our delightful fire ants. I’ve been initiated by fire ants very nicely, thank you! Remind me to drench the potatoes growing in the stacked tires before I try to harvest them this year.
I’m an organic gardener and use natural methods for fertilizing and pest control. I regularly compost. I’ve also played with worms, having a small worm bin under my kitchen sink for several years before I moved.
Let’s journey together in this fascinating world of Texas gardening. There’s a lot we can share with each other.
Planting and gardening information
Upcoming local garden events
Information on local garden groups
News and classes from local garden centers
Questions from readers
A few weeks ago I anxiously watched to see if the groundhog saw his shadow. I hoped he wouldn’t. I’m ready for spring.
Mother Nature didn’t see it my way. The groundhog saw his shadow. Two weeks later saw us covered in a blanket of fluffy white snow.
I’ll go re-read the garden magazines. I’ll drool over the seed catalogs. I’ll plan out the new garden. I’ll dream of spring and a new planting season. What’s planned for your garden this year?
Mark your calendars for some upcoming events:
Lavender Ridge Farms in Gainesville re-opens for the year in March. (www.lavenderridgefarms.com)
The Justin Organic Gardening Community tours Elizabeth Anna’s Old World Garden in Fort Worth on March 27th. (http://thejustincommunity.ning.com)
Argyle Acres, in Argyle, holds their annual Iris sale from April 10 to April 25. (www.argyleacres.com)
Keep reading The Justin Texan and we’ll journey the gardens together.
Know about an upcoming gardening event? Have garden news you’d like to share with the community? Email me at texastrishafaye@yahoo.com.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Repurposing
Repurposing – it’s a 21st century word to describe an old concept. It’s funny how updating an old idea with a modern word makes it fashionable and chic. It’s now purposeful and noble.
Taking an item that’s no longer useful and using it for another purpose, instead of throwing it away.
I’m all for it! It fits my lifestyle and beliefs. Repurposing helps reduce, by a little bit anyway, the massive quantities of trash flying to our landfills every day … or worse yet, the trash being dumped into the ocean.
It’s a great idea for everyone, especially those trying to conscientiously live a greener life, a life kinder to our earth. It’s hardly a new concept. I grew up with “repurposing”. Then it was a matter of economy; a necessity to be frugal and wise with the limited family funds.
My dad is the king of repairing with bailing wire and duct tape. If there’s a frugal way to achieve an end result, he knows how. Unfortunately, I was such a wise and all-knowing child – as many of us were in our younger days – I didn’t learn near as much as I could have.
How many readers remember all the wonder uses of empty oatmeal containers? Drums, cars, trains, crayon holders … the possibilities are endless. Remember ‘telephones’ from old cans? Remember Readers Digests turned into Christmas trees?
One of the earliest craft projects with my mom I remember was making trash cans for the bedroom. We got empty ice cream containers from the local ice cream store. We wrapped old magazine pages around my mom’s knitting needles and glued the colorful cylindrical tubes around the container. Ta-Da! We had a creative masterpiece; colorful, useful, and free. (Now that I think of it, my mom was probably happy that it kept us kids busy for several hours.)
About the same time, I remember a Christmas present my sister and I received one year. It was another one of my moms “repurposing” ideas. She took two empty bleach bottles, cut off the top third and punched holes around the cut top. She crocheted through the holes and created the top part of a drawstring purse. Then she added small bottles of hand lotion, emery boards, an orange stick and other things I’ve long since forgotten. It made a nice girly gift for her two daughters. I must have been fond of this particular gift since I remember it over forty years later.
I fondly recall (now) my grandmother turning potato chip bags inside out and using them for gift wrapping. At the time it wasn’t so heart-warming and endearing. I was a young mother and horribly embarrassed. Now, I wish she were here so I could thank her for the memory.
See … it’s in my genes. I come by these habits honestly.
Repurposing. It was a lifestyle then. Now, after years of increasing mindless consumption and waste, the pendulum is swinging back.
Now we have purses out of gum wrappers, CD covers out of chip bags, playgrounds and streets out of recycled mild cartons. We’re making progress. We still have a long way to go. Sometimes it’s the proverbial ‘one-step forward, three steps back.’
This week, I urge you to look closer at what’s in your hands headed towards the trash can. Is it something that can be used for another purpose? Lots of little things add up. In the long run our pocket books will be happier and the earth a little healthier. It’s a green thing. It’s a lifestyle.
Taking an item that’s no longer useful and using it for another purpose, instead of throwing it away.
I’m all for it! It fits my lifestyle and beliefs. Repurposing helps reduce, by a little bit anyway, the massive quantities of trash flying to our landfills every day … or worse yet, the trash being dumped into the ocean.
It’s a great idea for everyone, especially those trying to conscientiously live a greener life, a life kinder to our earth. It’s hardly a new concept. I grew up with “repurposing”. Then it was a matter of economy; a necessity to be frugal and wise with the limited family funds.
My dad is the king of repairing with bailing wire and duct tape. If there’s a frugal way to achieve an end result, he knows how. Unfortunately, I was such a wise and all-knowing child – as many of us were in our younger days – I didn’t learn near as much as I could have.
How many readers remember all the wonder uses of empty oatmeal containers? Drums, cars, trains, crayon holders … the possibilities are endless. Remember ‘telephones’ from old cans? Remember Readers Digests turned into Christmas trees?
One of the earliest craft projects with my mom I remember was making trash cans for the bedroom. We got empty ice cream containers from the local ice cream store. We wrapped old magazine pages around my mom’s knitting needles and glued the colorful cylindrical tubes around the container. Ta-Da! We had a creative masterpiece; colorful, useful, and free. (Now that I think of it, my mom was probably happy that it kept us kids busy for several hours.)
About the same time, I remember a Christmas present my sister and I received one year. It was another one of my moms “repurposing” ideas. She took two empty bleach bottles, cut off the top third and punched holes around the cut top. She crocheted through the holes and created the top part of a drawstring purse. Then she added small bottles of hand lotion, emery boards, an orange stick and other things I’ve long since forgotten. It made a nice girly gift for her two daughters. I must have been fond of this particular gift since I remember it over forty years later.
I fondly recall (now) my grandmother turning potato chip bags inside out and using them for gift wrapping. At the time it wasn’t so heart-warming and endearing. I was a young mother and horribly embarrassed. Now, I wish she were here so I could thank her for the memory.
See … it’s in my genes. I come by these habits honestly.
Repurposing. It was a lifestyle then. Now, after years of increasing mindless consumption and waste, the pendulum is swinging back.
Now we have purses out of gum wrappers, CD covers out of chip bags, playgrounds and streets out of recycled mild cartons. We’re making progress. We still have a long way to go. Sometimes it’s the proverbial ‘one-step forward, three steps back.’
This week, I urge you to look closer at what’s in your hands headed towards the trash can. Is it something that can be used for another purpose? Lots of little things add up. In the long run our pocket books will be happier and the earth a little healthier. It’s a green thing. It’s a lifestyle.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to all!
In the hustle and bustle of "real life", I've been occupied. Besides the mundane tasks ... such as working at my job, as un-9-to-5 as it is, there's the typical holiday activities such as shopping, creating gifts, packaging, Christmas cards ... much as most people have this time of year.
I have gotten some writing done; submitted a piece for an anthology (haven't heard back on it yet) and just finished an article about Jennifer Farmer for our local paper. I'm also working on some queries for magazine articles for the coming new year.
Wishing everyone happy and peaceful holidays and a new year filled with blessings.
In the hustle and bustle of "real life", I've been occupied. Besides the mundane tasks ... such as working at my job, as un-9-to-5 as it is, there's the typical holiday activities such as shopping, creating gifts, packaging, Christmas cards ... much as most people have this time of year.
I have gotten some writing done; submitted a piece for an anthology (haven't heard back on it yet) and just finished an article about Jennifer Farmer for our local paper. I'm also working on some queries for magazine articles for the coming new year.
Wishing everyone happy and peaceful holidays and a new year filled with blessings.
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