National Prescription Drug Takeback Event: April 30, 2011

Sorry for the late notice on this. Tomorrow, Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10am to 2pm, the DEA is hosting a national prescription drug takeback day. Search for a collection site near you. It's best to dispose of prescription drugs this way, instead of flushing them down the pot. Marine lifeforms have enough problems without adding substance abuse to the mix!

Green remodeling: reuse, recycling and time capsules

On Monday morning, our kitchen remodel kicked off. And yesterday, the porta-potty was delivered. So that makes it official!

It seems like we've been discussing kitchen stuff now since the invention of dirt. So many things to think about and decide. Then try to figure out if the decisions will even work in our space. Then how much they will cost. And the $64,000 question: What exactly does 'green' mean, anyway? I will say, it's a lot harder to keep true to green ideals than I thought it would be. It seems like this thing is going to cost about $4.6 billion. So don't even talk to me about FSC lumber. La, la, la, la, la! I can't hear you!

So far, we have our good ol' friend craigslist to thank, and the hard work of my husband in photographing, measuring and emailing back and forth to find new homes for some of our old stuff. I'm pleased to say that almost all of our old oak cabinets found new homes. Only two smallish (formerly over the fridge and micro) cabinets failed to make a love connection with any of our interested parties. The door and screen that used to be a delivery/service entrance was sold to a nice woman who will build it into a greenhouse she is working on. Our old kitchen faucet (but not the sink!) was bought. And some extra cabinet pulls were bought. Yay, reuse! While we did not hire a 'deconstruction service', our contractor was great about taking things out carefully for reuse. We will be re-installing our dishwasher (which is temporarily living in our garage). Our old range and micro were just too sad to try to resell, but we're told they will be recycled for the metal parts. Our old fridge is serving in our garage right now, and will be hauled off and recycled by Energy Trust once the new (much more energy efficient) one comes.

A few interesting finds:

Sugar Corn Pops cereal box. The kids found this utterly amazing and hilarious.


The demo crew also found the top of an old bentwood cane:


We finally got to see inside the painted shut delivery box that was on the outside of our house, by the delivery door. Our guess is that it was either for dairy or ice. We had been hoping there'd be some gold bouillon inside. No luck. Just a lot of dust.

For now, we are noodling over what we might put into a time capsule of our own, and seal up into the new walls. Any suggestions?

Happy Earth Day!

It's Earth Day. Do your best to be green. Today and every day. Thank you for all that you do.

Taking a bag of recyclables out for a walk

I don't normally take a bag of non-curbside recyclables out for a walk, but this morning, and yesterday, I did. Why? Our school is hosting a recyclable plastics collection (in partnership with the friendly rangers at Tryon Creek State Park) as part of our Earth Week festivities. Walking with bags of plastic films and rigid plastics to school is about as low-carbon impact as it gets. The rangers have generously offered to truck everything our school collects to Far West Fibers at the end of the week. Pretty cool deal, if you ask me. If it's a success, our school may host more of these collections on a regular basis next school year.

Sorry to say I don't have a picture of me and the kids walking with our plastics. It would have been a great photo op. But of course, being my own papparazzo, I had my hands full. Except for when my neighbor carried my bag for a while after my arms started cramping up. Whoever says chivalry is dead, doesn't live in my 'hood.

How does your school observe Earth Day, or Earth Week (as we call it)?

A hopeful outlook

It's been almost five months since my family up and moved from Portland to Columbus, Ohio, and while it hasn't been an easy transition, I am feeling hopeful. Things are looking up. We just bought a house and will move out of this small rental in a couple of weeks. Plus, spring has sprung! The robins and the cardinals are singing a happy tune, the squirrels are mating like rabbits, and those rainy skies will clear one of these days (I'm talking to you, Portland.) A few things I'm looking forward to:

Mowing the lawn. This is a new concept for us, since our Portland yard was mostly on a slope, and our bit of patchy grass could be cut with an electric weed wacker. Now we have an expanse of lawn to upkeep (and, sadly, the front-yard vegetable gardening movement hasn't yet reached central Ohio). Enter the Toro E-Cycler battery-powered mower. It's quiet, it mulches, it recharges overnight. A mower we can feel OK about.

Tomatoes. On one side of our new garage I noticed some tomato cages still standing from last summer. I wonder...I hope...will this be the summer I successfully grow a proper beefsteak? Oh please, oh please, oh please!

Composting. We haven't composted our food scraps since moving here, and I feel awful about it and can totally, completely sympathize with other renters (as well as condo and apartment dwellers) who don't have that option. Before we left Portland I bought an Earth Machine, and I can't wait to get it set up in our new yard. Welcome worms!

Walking and biking. We're in the flatlands now! One of the reasons we picked our neighborhood was its proximity to the library (4 blocks), grocery store (8 blocks), schools and community pool (8 blocks) and the network of sidewalks and quiet streets that can lead us to these hubs. I'm in the market for some grocery bag panniers for my bike!

What's on your to-do list for these warmer days ahead? Clothesline hanging? Gardening? Preserving? Spring clutter-busting? It all sounds good, doesn't it? 

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: Season 2 starts tonight!

Are you planning to tune in? It's on ABC at 8pm (7pm Central). If you watch this snippet from Jon Stewart's Daily Show, one thing's clear: it's not going to be a repeat from the first season. I'm watching.

 

The Daily Show - Jamie Oliver
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

 

To garden, or not to garden. That is the question...

It feels like there is way too much going on in my life right now, and to be honest, I was totally planning to cop out on the veggie garden. Nevermind that it's smack-dab in the middle of the front yard, and people might notice a big blank muddy spot. Well, at least in summer it could well become a big blank dry spot. Right now it feels like the rain is never going to stop. So, I was thinking flowers. Snapdragons. Sunflowers. Zinnia. Cosmos. Love-in-a-mist. Happy, happy, joy, joy.

Then my oldest came home with a cabbage start the other day. And she gave me the big, sad puppy dogs eyes after I avoided planting it for a good solid week. So it begins. Now I'm thinking about peas again. Even thought we almost never eat them! Yet there is something so beautiful about pea tendrils, and how they climb. Planting in the spring is an act of faith. A sign of hope. Plus I have really high hopes for Heather's gardening endeavors this year. She needs to make that hot, humid Midwestern summer work for her!


As for us, maybe some peas and that cabbage. The rest will be flowers. And eggshells, to keep the danged slugs at bay.