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    T Tuesday: another two weeks edition

    September 28, 2020 - By 

    It appears that this is how things may be for a while…slow to update…such is life these days. Time keeps ticking away and I’m finding less and less time to be creative. So many fall projects to tackle before its too late.

    I’m scrounging for canning lids as I keep getting more green beans. What do you think of my carrots? LOL  I had to pull them up because the squirrels were trying to do it for me.

    I also have a couple other canning projects I’d like to try but I either need more regular lids or more wide mouth jars…neither of which I can find anywhere.

    I did can some bloody Mary mix and somewhat appropriate sized containers.  It is a homemade, never be able to reproduce since I didn’t measure anything, type of mix. Hopefully its not the best ever. (Please excuse the poor photography and chaotic pantry.)

    School is going well. We all seem to be finding a rhythm…although I really should not have said that since I’m likely jinxing myself.

    One crafty thing that I actually completed during the past week was this paper garland. Our resource room is tiny…white cinder block walls with 6 doors but no windows…I can’t even make that up. It was originally a storage space of band instruments almost half a century ago.

    I really want to dress it up a bit without spending money since we certainly don’t have a budget. I’m hoping that between the 4 of us that current use the space throughout the day, we can make it a like happier. Brighter. A place the kids actually want to come for extra help without being distracted or over-stimulated.

    Last week, (I think…it’s a blur) we had some really interesting sunrise and sunsets. A high veil of smoke gave the sky a sort of post-apocalyptic look.

    I’ve been suffering with a sore hip or sciatica this past week. Its so frustrating! Hurts to do anything for any length of time. Whether its sitting, standing, walking or laying…it all hurts. I’m sure it came about from my abrupt change in activity when I returned to work. I’d been used to walking 2-3 miles most mornings then puttering around the house and garden. Being barefoot on soft surfaces. Nothing like life now. More sitting, hard floors, shoes, standing, leaning over. When I spell it all out like that, it makes complete sense but it doesn’t make the pain any less.

    I did get out for a walk Sunday morning. The trees are so beautiful. There was a slight crisp in the air. I love this time of year. Jeans and hoodies…my perfect outfit.

    I’ve made a few more masks as well. I decided when this is all over I’m going to cut apart all the masks I’ve made and make a COVID quilt.

    I have done a bit of art journaling as well….this is a current WIP. Of course this was what I should have been doing…but since I cleaned up my space it just had to be done.

    As many of you know my art space is in the laundry/utility room. My crafty chaos tends to overflow my actual space and I end up putting things on the washer and drier.

    But look…they are clean. Unfortunately there is a really lame reason for my sudden cleanup. The rubber gasket that keeps the water from leaking out the door of my front load washer ripped. Mr. G ordered a new gasket but the washing machine has to be taken half apart of replace the it. While waiting for that part Mr. G came across a video showing a potential hack to “rebuild the gasket with roofing sealant. We are giving it a go since…if it fails…we are right back where we started. I’ll update you next week as it takes a couple days of cure time.

    I’m so thankful that he is able to tackle these projects. In the meantime, I had to clean and make a trip to the laundromat.

    It’s certainly not perfect but trust me…much better. I tend to end up creating in a one foot square space. So dumb but I can’t seem to break myself of the habit.

    This is also madness. All of the scrap papers I had laying about. Ok truth be told…half of this was in the bin to start but seriously. I have a problem.

    T stands for Tuesday
    What are you doing today?
  • Around home - Art - Blog - Creativity - Outdoors - Photography

    T Tuesday: August acceleration edition

    August 18, 2020 - By 

    I feel as if time rapidly accelerates when we flip the calendar to August.  I haven’t gotten a thing posted for two weeks…even though I have been doing a little creating.

    Here’s a little snippet of something I will post later today hopefully.

    I know its awful to tease like that but sometimes I just can’t help myself.

    I replanted my garden with a few things and three of the four items are growing nicely.

    Green beans, snap peas and zucchini. I also have a volunteer tomato plant in the corner of the garden. I decided to leave it and see if it gets big enough to produce any fruit before the frost hits. I planted some carrot seeds in the deck box garden but they never sprouted. I think it got too hot for them. Oh well.

    Speaking of carrots….this was a volunteer that I pulled from a pot of nasturtiums.

    The faux watering can has a false bottom about 4 inches down so that’s why the carrot is so stumpy.

    Marvin and I were enjoying a bit of sunshine yesterday. It was simply gorgeous. Low humidity, beautiful temperature…just a perfect day. While keeping one eye on Marvin, I noticed seed pods on the nasturtiums. You know me…had to save the seeds.

    I’m super excited about this…likely more excited than one should be about seeds. I just have to let them dry. Ideally letting them dry on the plant is best but evidently you can also pick them off at this stage. These just fell off into my hand when I touched the plant. Time will tell if they are viable seeds. I also read that you can lacto-ferment these to make sort of a caper. In other artciles I read that the plant is very edible. The leaves have a pepper, mustard flavor and the flowers can be eaten raw or made into tea. Who knew?!?! I’m not one for eating flowers but I may try some leaves on a sandwich.

    Since my last post I also found out what the fall will bring for our family. J goes back to campus for a mix of online and in person classes. Mini-me will be taking her college course online from home and choir through the high school…also online at this point. I will be starting the year in hybrid learning…meaning I will be at school 4 days a week. Monday-Tuesday group “A” kids and Thursday- Friday group “B” kids. Wednesday is all distance learning. I have very mixed feelings about this. I want to be in the classroom but I’m also afraid to be there. I can’t see how I can possibly do my job in person maintaining a 6 foot distance.

    Today has me knocking super boring and lame items off my to-do list.  Phone calls, dentist appt, etc. Not one of my favorite days. I wish we could roll back the clock to last year this time…Mini-me and I were in Yellowstone!!

    Oh well…time marches on…

    T stands for Tuesday
    What are you doing today.
  • Around home - Blog

    Earth Day reflection

    April 22, 2020 - By 

    Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22nd since 1970… half a century now. For all the gains we’ve made in technology and knowledge of the impact that we are having on the environment, we are far from friendly to our Earth. In fact, we have become even bigger consumers. A throwaway society.

    I feel as if every day should be Earth Day and I know I am not alone in thinking this way. I try to be environmentally conscious but I know there are so many ways that I could do better. We often take the easy way. One thing I do know is that since returning to the workforce I am finding myself lacking in effort I used to put forth. Of course I could make a ton of excuses to justify my lack of effort…especially time constraints. But lets get real folks…if everyone makes excuses for things they don’t do…then nothing gets done.

    Earth-friendly isn’t always pretty

    Doing things the old fashioned way isn’t necessarily glamorous. Sometimes it’s downright ugly. But that doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do even when it doesn’t fit into our pin-able, post-able social media driven society. Not that social media can’t help in our efforts and teach us methods of doing things we might think are out of our reach and definitely outside our comfort zone.

    There are plenty of trash to treasure, DIY projects out there. Again I’m not talking about the glamorous ones that are more new product than the original. Take something headed for the trash or even curbside and repurpose it. Look at items through a different eye. It may not be suitable for its original intention any more but that doesn’t mean it can’t still serve a purpose. Old boots become planters, bicycle wheels become a trellis or even garden art.

    Clothing and textiles

    The clothing and textile industry is even more unfriendly to the Earth than I realized with 15 million tons of textiles hitting the landfill every year. One pair of jeans uses 2000 gals. of water to produce from field to store. Those are crazy numbers!!!

    So what can we do about it… Instead of buying new for everything, try shopping at second-hand stores and rummage sales. Give and accept hand-me-downs from friends. Set up a clothing exchange party. Shop our friend’s closet for items to borrow.

    Mending clothes is also an option. Darning socks, adding trim to cover a worn cuff or length to children’s clothes, visible mending with a sashiko method or slow stitching. This can add character and life to your clothes.

    I could go on and on telling you in great detail things you already know about being kind to Mother Earth. Instead here is a little list of reminders that might jog your memory with boring you into submission. I think often we get bored too easily and need things laid out simply.

    T Tuesday late June garden edition

    Gardening

    • Seed saving
    • Composting
    • Trading plants and seeds with others
    • CSA (Community supported agriculture)

    Reusable bags

    • Many areas have outlawed plastic bags (due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic this has been repealed in many areas due to risk of contamination)
    • Keep a stash of bags in your vehicle or near your door
    • Purchase at the store or make your own

    Less packaging

    • Buying in bulk
    • Choosing products that are refillable
    • Minimal packaging

    Programmable Thermostat

    • Adjust the temperature in your home while you away
    • Keep it lower in the winter and warmer in the summer. You can always adjust the amount of clothing you wear.

    Other ideas

    • Borrowing or sharing items that are only used a couple times a year
    • Passing down used children’s toys, clothing and accessories.
    • Fixing broken appliances…many times it’s a cheap fix especially if the appliance is old.
    • Doing without…what a novel concept these days

    Making changes

    If every person made a few small changes in their mindset…heck even one small change and stuck with it…the impact could be profound. Every single day should be Earth Day if we plan to have anything left for future generations.
    I am fascinated by the global changes that have happened so quickly during the current COVID-19 crisis due to people and nations in quarantine, factories shut down and the vast majority of people in the US under stay-at-home orders in their respective states. The canals in Venice are clear, fish can be seen swimming through them and even just today I saw a news report of a jellyfish. Air quality is getting better with less industry and less vehicles clogging the roadways each day. Check out this article from the Billings Gazette about how the world is changing with people staying home.
    There are countless other ways to make a difference that I haven’t even thought of or touched upon here today. In previous years, I have shared my Earth Day celebration and attempts at living eco-friendly. You can see those here if you had missed them,
    Please let me know one way you are honoring Earth day, every day.