I’ve long been an animal lover and friend of the furry. There are many out there who also consider themselves animal lovers, when said animal is tempting their palate on the famous migration route from mouth to tummy. Now, you may be thinking that this resolution is going to be about becoming a vegetarian. Well not quite. It is really a resolution to lower your carbon footprint. It’s just that it will be lowered by lowering your meat consumption. One of the simplest (and freest) ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to stop eating meat, particularly red meat, which includes Porky. However, cows are by far the biggest culprit. Underneath their cute swishy tails lurk about 5 car exhausts, and they are set to full power, eeking out a gas that has been shown to be 25% more potent that what pours out cars…I’m talking about methane (Source: IPPCC’s Third Assessment Report). A 2006 report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions while all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. Today there are an estimated 1.3 billion cattle in the world (that’s about the population of China or about the population of North America and Europe…combined!). Just one (uno, un, een, eins, jeden) cow produces 65 pounds of methane gas-filled excrement per day (24 hours; 1,440 minutes; 86,400 seconds). For those averse to math, 1.3 billion cows produce 84.5 billion pounds of feces in a single day, which is over 30 trillion pounds of bullshit in one year (yummy). That’s a hell of a lot of organic compost reeking havoc on our environment. Not to mention how totally inefficient cow meat is. Think of how many acres are grazed by cattle. Imagine those same acres are planted with grains and vegetables. The amount of food that would be generated through plants vs. cows is astronomical (I couldn’t find an exact figure like in the example about methane above, but astronomical sounds pretty scientific, huh?)
So this year, I challenge you to reduce your red meat consumption by at least 50%. For me this will mean only 1 meatball when I visit my Nonina and about a half a Philly Cheesesteak (I rarely eat meat if you couldn’t tell). Then take your gas guzzling car on a nice, long, guilt free drive through the countryside (and maybe run over a couple cows for good measure).
No, I’m not suggesting that your resolution should be to become a mom or pop this year, but that you should support one (the great news is that it doesn’t have to be your own). Buy shopping locally at Mom and Pop Shops you are able to get the products you need with a side of warm fuzzies. Here are 7 reasons to shop local.
1.It keeps dollars in our economy. Money is good. 2. It creates local jobs. Jobs are good and pretty important in maintaining a good quality of life. Plus, if more people have jobs, they will require less services which means less taxes. 3. It helps fund local government. Working for the local government this pleases me…please shop local, I need a raise! 4. It supports area non-profits. Who wouldn’t want this? 5. It helps the environment. See above. 6. It invests in entrepreneurship. I like the idea of rewarding creative, hard working people with my money. 7. It makes your town/city/village a destination, so that others will flock from afar to spend their non-local money J
I’m a big believer in small steps for big changes. So I’m not proposing that everyone must vow to buy everything they ever need/want from local retailers. Instead I suggest that each person choose one item and make a commitment (it’s like a resolution but with teeth) to only buy that item locally or choose one local store to support. For me, I’m going to buy all my yarn (and I buy a lot of yarn) from local Charlottesville yarn stores this year. Who will you support?
Ah the New Year. In the perpetual kickball game that is life, New Years is like coming up to kick all over again. Perhaps it is a chance to redeem yourself from previous shortcomings or a chance to once again shine and punt the ball over the fence. Either way, most people step up to the plate with some sort of resolve (I will not suck) just as most people step into the new year with a mantra of determination (I will not suck). But not sucking is easier said than done; how do we not suck at life? It is a question many of us strive to answer. Over the next few posts, I will share five New Year resolutions that will put you on the path to not sucking. Not being perfect myself (surprising I know), I will even include what I plan to do to reach each resolution.
Just in time for the holiday gorge fest is this 'fat map' from Huffington Post. It shows calorie consumption per capita or in other words, where people are over eating and where people aren't even eating at all. No surprise really that third world and developing countries are those whose citizens are most likely to starve. Of course if forgoing a second helping of mashed potatoes will not magically allow an African child to eat them, but I think it is worth a reminder about our own consumption habits and how they may affect the world. If this Thanksgiving we served one less dish at dinner and took the money we saved to invest in a feed the world program imagine the impact we could have.
Every year I always want to put up a Christmas tree, but something always comes up and the fact that I'm not at my house on Christmas morning makes the whole thing seem moot. This year Shane and I will be spending Christmas in Florida (nothing like Santa and sandals) with my Nanny and Poppy. That added with the fact that we just moved and really don't think throwing garland on stacks of boxes will be that festive. Next year though, will be our first Christmas as a married couple and damn right we will have a tree!
These cute little ornaments from anthropologie are enough to tempt me to at least get a Charlie Brown reject this year, but at $12 a pop, I think I'll just wait til they go on sale and January and stash them away for next year.
When I moved in, Shane had four old chairs that really should have been put out of their misery two decades ago. One has since been burned in our ritual furniture sacrifice due to Shane using it as a door stop...outside (can you say mold!). The other three have been hidden away in unused rooms in our house. A project I've slowly been working on in the family room is setting up my own sewing/craft station. I decided that a cute and happy sewing/craft table chair would be the perfect first step, and what better to use than le ugli chair?
I painted it blue (clearly) to match a repainted blue bookshelf of the same color I already had in there. The pattern is a bit busy, but for some reason I've been drawn to busyness in the family room, perhaps because it is such a large space. Regardless this fabric just seemed very happy but relatively neutral at the same time. This fabric will surface again in another project that I've been working on.
Ah is there anything better than a young mind. So thirsty for knowledge and easily malleable to the persuasion of their superiors. And what better to fill those naive young minds with then historic preservation. That's right, it's time for next generation indoctrination!
As I child, I know how much I loved going to museums and exploring old houses and structures, longing to learn all of their secrets and inner workings. As an adult, I can not wait until I have kids of my own and can teach them about all the wonders that the built environment has to offer and the complete joy they can experience uncovering the past (though if psychology has taught me anything, my kids will become suburbanites that love modern art...they will quickly be shunned and written out of my will :) ). Walking around downtown, I can't help but think how fun it will be to have architectural scavenger hunts...i.e. how many Doric columns can we find? (If there were any doubts about my complete dorkitude, I think the last sentence will squash them).
Apparently however, I am not the only one. I've come across a couple great websites that are great (and fun) tools for teaching historic preservation and appreciation for the built environment and history in general. St. Louis Historic Preservation has a great site on teaching different kinds of building materials and even features a fun quiz (I am ashamed to say that I did pretty horribly...clearly my current realm of grants and affordable housing has weakened my mind!). The History Channel, as part of its Save our History campaign, has some great lesson plans too (for those of you who prefer a more structured brain washing). You have to register to access the plans; I just said I was a home-schooler. I'm sure there are plenty of other great sites out there, so if you come across any please share. In the mean time, if you happen to come across a child be sure to tell them that all the cool kids know what rusticated limestone means and that the real reason it rains is because God is crying because somewhere an old barn just fell down.
Today is the first day of school for Charlottesville and Albermarle. Except when I get stuck behind a school bus that goes 20 under the speed limit and stops at every other driveway picking up the lazy little brats, I like seeing the school kids in the morning. Sometimes they wave to me and I'll wave back and make them feel special. Sometimes they are standing at the end of driveways I never really noticed were even there. Sometimes I purposely drive into puddles to splash them.
This morning, because I was running late, the younger kids had already been picked up and the high schoolers were out waiting for the bus. Of the 20 plus kids I saw this morning, about half of them didn't have backpacks. I couldn't believe it. I realize it's the first day of school, so there probably won't be homework, but really? You're going to start the year completely unprepared. No notebooks? No pens? No calculator? Nothing?!?! I mean could you honestly try any harder not to care about school. Short of not showing up at all? Why even bother. I doubt any of the kids I saw are geniuses that can absorb all they are taught through osmosis. How do you expect to do well without even the most basic of supplies? Forget about doing well, how do expect to do decent? I was just dumbfounded and saddened at the future of humanity. Perhaps tomorrow I'll throw notebooks at them in the hopes they use them!
I am notoriously horrible about finish projects that I start (I can't help it I'm a Gemini!). Late this spring I started working on redoing our guest bathroom. I always liked blue bathrooms so I picked a bright light sky blue. The molding and cabinet had been this ugly orangey wood that I really don't like that much (all the cabinets in our house are the same! It has grown on me in the kitchen luckily.), so painting the cabinets and molding was a must. I wanted it to be white, but Shane really didn't want white, so we decided on a soft creme. My overall inspiration were four postcards that I picked up from Yverdon, France. Overall, I'm so happy with how it turned out. The bright blue is still a bit of a shock when I go in there, but it is a very happy place to pass some time :) Eventually I'd like to replace the door knobs to be a bronze, get a new shower curtain, and get a nice black or dark wood toilet cabinet to store guest towels. My next plan of action is to organize and get the family room situated, and then move my way down the house: laundry room, hallway, finsih the living room, the kitchen, master bath and then master bedroom. The guest bedroom is pretty much done; I'm not planning on painting in there. The library and the office are the two rooms I'm going to be putting off because they are too scary and involve too much of Shane related stuff. Knowing me this will probably not all get done in the next few years that we plan on staying in the house :) but one can hope!
The guest bath before. An off-white pinky walls with ugly wood trim and cabinet.
A couple afters...the gold door knobs won't last long!
These were the postcards that served as my inspiration for the room. It's my bright, sunny, lakeside French retreat!
Molly's Bday was over two months ago, but I just found some pics of her birthday on one of our cameras. We gave her a bone filled with peanut butter, and I think Shane and I enjoyed teasing/watching her eat it more than she enjoyed eating it!
Luckily, before getting in my car and driving away I noticed JC napping under my car. The scary thing is he's so lazy he doesn't always when the engine starts!
Back in May, I applied for a seat on Albemarle County's Historic Preservation Committee. I had been feeling a bit disconnected from the pres world since I've been so engrossed in planning, affordable housing, and grants since grad school and work, so I was looking for a way to get back to my historic roots. Not at all to sound vain, but seeing as I was more than qualified (live beating heart and more than a fleeting interest in preservation) I was appointed to the Committee! I attended my first meeting yesterday. I admittedly was apprehensive about adding another government meeting to my plate, but this is for personal pleasure. It did take some getting used to though, I kept feeling like I should be taking minutes and did cringe when staff was asked to gather data before I remembered that for this committee, I am not staff. The main discussion for the evening was demolition, specifically how to know when they happen in rural areas, and how to record them before they are gone. I was mostly quiet, just hearing about the issue and trying to get a feel for the other members (ok, ok...I was silently judging the other members). Next month we're going to form subcommittee to tackle different issues and actions needed. I'll be sure to provide updates!
This Wednesday, I gave myself an early B-day present…I bought a house! Well technically, I’ve already been living in the house and paying half the mortgage for a while now, but only recently has it become ‘mine.’ Shane and I refinanced his mortgage to a better rate, and in doing so my name was added to both the deed and the loan. I am now part of the elite class of land owning gentry! I’ve honestly felt that this was my home for almost two years, and have been working hard since that time to decorate and have it reflect both my and Shane’s personality. The greatest thing that I have gotten out of this is the sense of security that this is mine and no one can take it or make me leave. Except Shane that is, but if he tries I’m taking half of it with me!!
In the paper today I saw an ad looking for cocaine and crack addicts as well as alcoholics to take part in a study of a new medicine that may reduce cravings for these drugs. I wonder about the logic of treating a drug addiction with drugs...
Certainly if a person was to stop using drugs long enough for counseling and life style changes to take affect, this new drug could be helpful. But what happens when the user stops taking the drug?
So in an effort to promote good hygiene and prevent swine flu (don't get me started!), the City has posted directions (with visuals) in all the bathrooms on how to wash your hands and even how to use alcohol based sanitizers. I'm sorry, if you don't know how to wash your hands (though I have noticed that a lot of people actually don't...they just put the soap on dry hands and not pre-moistened hands) and especially if you can't figure out how to use a sanitizing, than I think you deserve to get swine flu!
How do you tell a blind person what blind means? Or a deaf person what it means to be deaf? I was working with a blind individual this morning and it got me thinking. Blind people know that they can't see. But how can they know what 'see' means, and by extension, how can they know what it means to not see?
Other ponderings I've had regarding these populaitons...
What are deaf people's thoughts like? When I think, my thoughts are in my voice, kinda of like I can hear myself in my head. Do deaf people see themselves signing when they think?
Do our brains process colors and such the same way? I've been taught that this is red. Maybe you have been taught that what is blue to me is red to you. We both know the sky is blue, but maybe we all see blue differently. We would never know this either unless we were somehow able to process things and see things the way each other's brains do.
Molly and JC fighting over who gets to be king of the gravel pile. (yes I have a huge gravel mountain in my backyard...somehow these things just happen when you live with Shane!)
Our dogs are pretty much free range (due in large part to my arch nemesis "The 6' privacy fence from hell") so our whole neighborhood is like one big dog park. Usually they all hang out two doors down from us (God only knows what scraps they use to keep them their, I seriously think JC wishes they would adopt him sometimes...), but the other day they decided to play in our yard. Most likely JC invited them over, and Molly preceded to attack them the moment they came into her territory (though it should be noted that the entire solar system is Molly's territory)
Since Christmas, I have been extremely busy with lots of different projects, as well as general balancing of work, home, and life.A lot of these projects (ok most) have been self inflicted and mostly enjoyable, but time consuming and a bit overwhelming all the same. So for the next few blogs I will focus on them (as well as the antics of my furry social life).
Both my sister and Shane's sister are expecting baby girls at the end of the month that will probably be born within a week of each other, so January and February were spent making baby blankets like crazy in preparation for baby showers held earlier this month. Normally, I crochet baby blankets, but this time I decided to try my hand at something I've always wanted to do: quilting. After lots of research and poring over countless patterns, I decided that a split rail fence done in alternating directions would be a good beginner's pattern to try. I like the stair like quality the finished quilt has. In hindsight, I wish I had documented the process more, but with such a tight time frame, I was more concerned with just getting the quilts done! I decided to do Tina's first. For one, her fabric was not going to be as expensive as Jonelle's, so if I made a fatal mistake, it would be more affordable to fix. And also, not that Jonelle is in any way a critic, but I think she would be much more likely to notice any mistakes (and believe me, having never made a quilt in my life there were plenty of mistakes in both...if nothing else, at least by the time I start making baby blankets for myself, I would have worked out a lot of beginners' mistakes in my nieces' ;) )
After having two boys, who are nothing but testosterone and then some, I know that my sister is more than ready for a princess. Even my niece's chosen name, Brielle Marie, has a soft and feminine quality to it. As such, I wanted soft, girly fabric that had a timeless quality to it. I found some very pretty florals in an 'English Rose Garden' theme and matched it with a pale green with a cream lace pattern. I didn't want it to be too babyish, so that the blanket could be used as the comforter on a toddler bed and then as a throw later on.
Where the inspiration for Tina/Brielle's blanket was 'dainty little girl with a hint (or most likely an obvious dose) of diva,' for Jonelle's blanket I wanted 'proud to be a unique trendsetter, but with a comforting gentleness.' This is how I imagine Jonelle's daughter, Reagan Mackenzie, will be. Jonelle strives to live as organically as possible, especially where the baby is concerned, and I knew that bedding items were non-negotiable for her. So for her blanket I used organic fabric (though I could not find organic batting that was less than $150, I used all natural non-bleached cotton instead which was some of the softest stuff I've ever felt, I almost felt like it was a sin to cover it with fabric. If it is in my future to be suffocated, all I can ask is that my killer does it with that batting because what a gloriously snuggly way to go... I also used non-organic thread and binding, but I'm hoping that the damage it causes Reagan will not be too lasting :) ) Because I used organic fabric, and because a hardworking public servant only earns so much, I was a bit limited in my pattern options. Really, the pattern was a pretty easy choice: solid. I knew the baby's colors in the nursery were blue and purple, but unfortunately, I could not find those colors is soft, muted baby tones. Instead, I had to use deep purple and an awesomely loud shade of blue. To balance them out, I chose the third color to be the softest yellow I could find. The end result was a blanket, a little bit brighter than I would want for a baby blanket, but I have to admit that I love the way it came out.
As I was piecing both the quilts together, I could really 'feel' both of the mom's personalities in them. Perhaps it was because making something for someone else, you constantly have that person on your mind, so it is almost like you capture that person's essence into what it is you are making. While the blankets are of course intended for Brielle and Reagan, I can't help but feel like they will both be their mother's daughters. I'm very excited to meet both of my niece's and see the girls and women they grow into. Who knows, perhaps in a few short years I will be making them the quilts they really want, an indy punk quilt for Brielle and an uber feminine flower orgy filled with pink for Reagan.
Not to mention how totally inefficient cow meat is. Think of how many acres are grazed by cattle. Imagine those same acres are planted with grains and vegetables. The amount of food that would be generated through plants vs. cows is astronomical (I couldn’t find an exact figure like in the example about methane above, but astronomical sounds pretty scientific, huh?)
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