Doesn’t that sound BORING? Or oxymoronic? Eh, maybe. Kind of like me — boring and oxymorinic most days of the week.
Yesterday was a recovery day, when I did nothing much but read, lie down, eat, read, knit, lie down, rest, nap, eat, and check my email. I needed it. It was good for the body and soul.
Today Mr. Husband is busily preparing for his Jimmy Buffett concert — the one I was also going to until 2 days ago when my sciatica screamed at me. Now, the thought of standing on the lawn for 3-4 hours does not sound like fun. So I’m staying home with the chickadees. 🙁 But we’ve been enjoying nonstop Jimmy tunes for the past week. 48 more hours until I stay home :(.
Laundry on the line — it can be done even when it’s overcast or semi-foggy. The wind will dry your clothes. It is really just a slower process than on a hot sunny day. Very eco.
Tomatoes are still ripening, so I just made some salsa (with our last hot pepper) and have pasta sauce simmering on the stove. The Crock pot has pinto beans cooking ahead for Tuesday’s tostadas. Thinking ahead to what else I can cook, with what’s on hand and fresh in the garden, I’m thinking tomatoes, and also beets. We seem to have an abundance of beets just now. And apples. Fresh homegrown produce = very sustainable. In other words, eco-riffic.
On my front door is a revamped grapevine wreath. I had saved a bunch of hydrangea blooms from our wedding, and last weekend I stuck all the ends of the dried blooms into the wreath. So our front door has a pretty homemade hydrangea wreath on it. Very pretty. And yes, eco.
Simone and I went thrifting last week and scored big-time. Found some fun items for gifties, and also some cute clothes. All are washed, hanging on the line, ready to be rehemmed or ironed. Ironing board at the ready. No dry cleaning. No plastic or chemicals. Just a simple iron, a woden ironing board, a little bit of water (to make steam) and an occasional spritz of starch. Time-consuming — but eco-smart. And actually, better for the clothes as well as the environment.
Cat jumped on my lap: Miss Fabulous FiFi (Ophelia) just landed here, full from her latest meal of homemade catfood. Chicken necks, backs and guts. Cottage cheese, carrots and oats. Salmon oil and kelp. Cooked till everything’s soft and spreadable. Yum. At least for the cats, yum. And guess what? Pretty eco — and better for them than a bunch of corn fillers. FiFi tells me she thinks so by sticking her claws into my knees.
This noon we went across the street to the O Club and scoured the Friends of the Library used book sale. Two of the Grrrls came along, and Mr. Husband, and we walked home with one box and seven bags of books. That was a good $26 spent — and we came home with a couple of hundred books. Simone got 63 just herself. She figures it as 7 cents per book. Mama mia! Gifts, fun reads, how-tos and more. I’m planning to settle down with a couple of piles of books later — after ironing…how eco is it to get used books and divert them fron the Discard pile?
Pretty freaking eco, if you ask me. And reading is one of the most eco hobbies you can have — as long as you’re not buying new pulpy paperbacks that will end up in landfills. Make sure you recycle as much as you can and books are a valuable use of paper. Otherwise, despite my own book-writing ways, books can be a waste of paper. My own opinion, of course. Does anyone *really* need a book about Why Cats Dream or some such? But as I say: Used book sale — taking our own cloth bags — walking and paying cash: ECO? Uh, yeah.
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An interlude just passed where I very eco-mindedly assisted my eco-thinking daughter in making her own dressmaker’s dummy out of an old T-shirt (Goodwill) and some duct tape (she says, thanks, Pa! for the trip to Pagano’s). She put on the T-shirt and I wrapped her in duct tape. It took about 45 minutes and she looked like a mummy–who couldn’t breathe. Then I cut up the back and we pulled her out. Taped it back up, stuffed it with the stuffing from an old pillow, to fill out the contours that exactly match her size…and voila! The Simone-sized dress form.
Alas, the rest of the Fam was out shopping with gift cards at Le Target, and my camera was in the car, so I was unable to document any of the fun. But can you say eco? Can I just pat my girl on the head and say eco-rama!? Like, wow.
And now the fog is rolling back in, and another cat is rubbing at my legs (hi, Delilah) and now in my lap. The chili is in the oven with a cornmeal crust, and green beans from the garden awaiting a rinse and snap and into the pan for a steam bath. Time to go on a bike ride with Mr Husband. Out for a wee spin…whee!