Online Petitions and Me

I don’t sign online petitions anymore. I didn’t sign very often in the first place, but it just seemed… too easy. Too easy to do, too easy to share, too easy to forward. Frankly, most online petitions are simply too easy to make a real impact on any issue of real importance.

And now, with people worldwide misled by Netflix signing in droves to request a pardon for a murderer.

I’ll keep this short, folks. Steven Avery murdered a young woman named Teresa Halbach. He lured her to his home, raped her, killed her, and even invited his nephew to watch and join in.

The evidence was clear. Making a Murderer disregarded a great number of facts  The producers of the one-sided series created their own reality, one that did not coincide with the reality of the investigation and trial. All appeals for both the killer and his nephew have been exhausted. The courts have reviewed the records in detail and stated that the jury was right; the man was guilty as charged.

Here’s what hurts. The murder took place not far from our city. We watched this unfold as it happened. We saw the missing person reports. Chuck was part of the media team that covered the trial. I had nightmares then and they’re starting again because La Petite is, like Halbach was, a professional photographer.

Those who sign petitions and comment online without the facts are making a major mistake. This murderer doesn’t need a pardon. He doesn’t need a new trial. He needs to serve his time – and even that can never atone for what he did.

 

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Why January is a difficult month

January tends to be difficult around the house because:

  • We’re cleaning up Christmas, a wonderful season.
  • There’s an emotional letdown after Christmas, too.
  • I start putting away my holiday music collection.
  • We’re cleaning. A lot. And I hate cleaning.
  • It’s cold outside, and I just want to stay inside and stay warm.
  • Regular everyday activities mean exposure to the cold.
    • Filling up with gas.
    • Stopping at the convenience store for coffee.
    • Driving through the ATM.
    • Driving through the coffee shop.
    • Can coffee count twice?
  • I want the Packers to win and Chuck – well, playoffs mean something else to the guy who works for a Green Bay television station.

January is tough at school/work because:

  • Going back to school means adjusting to waking up early again.
  • My office is in an old, drafty building. Brrr.
  • The parking lot fills up fast, and the overflow is a block away. Brrr again.
  • January means wrapping up first semester and prepping second semester at the same time.
  • Students I’ve pushed and pulled and nagged to get caught up in their work suddenly panic.
  • The stretch from Winter Break to Spring Break is the longest and brings forth the worst student behavior.
  • Head Count Day #2! In the virtual school world, we have alternate ways of counting and verifying our students.

January feels difficult because:

  • In two of the past five years, I’ve had a medical leave of absence in January.
  • Every January, I get this irrational fear that I won’t make it through the month without a sick leave.
  • When January comes around again, I flash back to the year of my Great Depression and the year of my Hysterectomy.
  • As the year turns, I remember all I’ve accomplished – and all that I haven’t.

Okay, January, I’m ready. My grade book is waiting, and I know how to attack it. I’m (relatively) health. I have warm sweaters and fingerless gloves in my desk drawer. La Petite gave me a (gorgeous) neck warmer to go with my warm wool coat.

 

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Slow Cooking Streak at the O.K. Chorale

I didn’t cook in my slow cooker every day for a full year, but I did use it a lot leading up to and following Christmas. Tuesday saw bean soup with ham for supper. Thursday we had a classic – crock pot chili. Saturday night’s supper had a side dish of acorn squash cooked in the medium slow cooker. Sunday morning I experimented with overnight oatmeal, and Monday I tried out a breakfast bake for supper.

No wonder I’ve worn out almost every slow cooker I’ve owned.

The first lost the outer shell, the housing that provides heating element. One of its three feet broke off. After we threw away the broken parts, I tried planting herbs or flowers in the crock itself, but we couldn’t put holes in it for drainage (those crocks are tough).

My second slow cooker lost not a foot, but a handle. I managed to use it very carefully for a little while, but eventually the outside was so worn I couldn’t even repair it with super glue. This slow cooker bit the dust as well. Confession: the blue crock from this one is still in the basement. It’s so pretty, I feel certain there will be a way to reuse it.

The replacement for those two is still cooking – it made chili Christmas Eve. It’s wearing out, though, from the inside this time. I estimate I use either the large 6 quart crock or its 4 quart counterpart at least once a week. During tomato season, I can have several going all at once to simmer the fresh tomatoes down into a thick and delicious sauce.

I’m considering Project Slow Cooker as a 2016 project. I own five (six, if you count the little dipper) in different sizes because we use them often in our busy lives. Once a week is normal. An increase to two or three times a week would be realistic. Aha, I think I’ve found a New Year’s resolution that is an attainable goal!

Look for highlights of Project Slow Cooker here at Compost Happens. Now, readers. Do you take on new projects as the calendar changes to a new year? Share your inspiration in the comments.

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Goals, goals, goals and resolutions.

My school-related goals get set in August, as the agrarian calendar puts the school year in place. The arrival of the New Year, the number change in the ones place, is a whole different animal.

Goals with gimmicks are most likely to catch the attention of readers in the blogosphere. Remember A Year of Slow Cooking? A blogger decided to use her slow cooker every day for a full year. I use mine a lot, but 365 continuous days would be unrealistic. The standard weight loss and nutrition goals always suggest themselves. Household chores – clean more often, clean more thoroughly – those go on the “should” list. Gardening chores – aren’t chores, really. Garden goals are enjoyable. Some of those plans get set in the fall, too. I planted onion and garlic bulbs in October. With this odd El Nino winter, who knows what will happen?

But back to goals.

We have a saying in our family: Progress in Baby Steps. To make progress on any goal, small steps are the way to go. Take my garden and canning hobbies for examples. I started growing tomatoes and a few other plants I’d bought as seedlings in the spring. The plot got bigger, and I expanded into growing a few plants from seed. One year I started tomato and pepper plants from seed – and the rest is history. But if I’d started a large plot totally from seed in the first years, it’s likely I’d have gotten poor results. Canning, too. That first batch of raspberry jam in Green Girl’s kitchen certainly was the “gateway drug” to putting up more and more. We haven’t bought commercially made jam, salsa, or pickles in years.

In that light, no big goals for January 1st. I might set short term goals and attempt short term projects. I’ll blog some of those, in particular if those short term goals are successful and lead to long term results.

Readers, what are your plans for New Year’s Goals and Resolutions?

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The Wrapping Battle – the prequel

A big box store ran an ad in the Sunday inserts: Buy $20 worth of merchandise and get a $5 store gift card! I almost bought it – er, bought into it. Then I read the ad again. To get the $5 store credit on a gift card, I would have needed to buy $20 worth of gift wrapping material. What?!? Friends, if you’re spending $20 on gift wrap, you’re spending too much. When it comes to wrapping paper, a green philosophy is also frugal.

Now that the den floor has been cleared, the tissue has been stored, and the boxes are stacked awaiting their turn at recycling, let’s look at my other attempts to minimize the use of commercial wrapping paper.

Wrapping Tip: Look for opportunities to reuse.

Wrapping Tip: Look for opportunities to reuse.

The large bag is festive on its own; I brought home supper in it last week. The red and white and fun tissues are all reused. The only part of the wrapping that was purchased new? The curling ribbon holding the tag (made from last year’s holiday cards).

Box decked with bag

Box decked with bag

I covered the Popcorn Factory logo with a seasonal logo cut out of a paper grocery bag.

Center: wine bag repurposed

Center: wine bag repurposed

Another wine bag - repurposed with grocery bag cutouts

Another wine bag – repurposed with grocery bag cutouts

another wine bag, sitting beside a reused bucket

another wine bag, sitting beside a reused bucket

I could buy a large quantity of bows, curling ribbon, or maybe clear tape. It would take an awful lot to reach the $20 minimum. I think I’ll stick to my green and frugal wrapping habits. Readers, what’s your preference? Do you reuse and reduce, or do you go for the trappings and trimmings of wrapping?

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The Wrapping Battle

I keep trying. Wrapping paper, to me, resembles a single use plastic bag. That is, wrapping paper is a waste of money and creates massive amounts of trash destined for landfills. Almost none of it is recycled or recyclable. Very little can be burned in a fireplace due to the chemical content. Unless it comes from a thrift store or the dollar aisle, wrapping paper is not cost effective, either.

My family disagrees. This year, they took pleasure in making a mess of any wrapping paper they could. Their goal: prevent mom from saving big sheets of paper for reuse.

the chaos after opening gifts

the chaos after opening gifts

Well, I did what I could.

garbage, below salvaged tissue for reuse, above

garbage, below
salvaged tissue for reuse, above

Given the sizable stacks of gifts, I can’t feel too bad. The stack of reusable tissue is almost as big as the bag destined for the garbage bin. I also managed to set aside this collection.

cute box filled with gift bags

cute box filled with gift bags

Despite the family’s efforts to undermine my green goals, I managed to save more than we threw away. And that, my bloggy friends, is itself a gift.

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‘Tis the Wrapping Season again

Ah, yes. It’s time to remind myself (as if I needed the reminder) of my personal rule: No New Wrapping Papers. I give in on ribbons, invisible tape, and a few other basics. But as for wrapping paper, I dig in my heels.

Wrapping paper is:

  • rarely recycled
  • even more rarely recyclable
  • not suitable for fireplaces
  • wasteful (as in it fills the garbage bin)
  • a waste of money

I am lenient on the  re-use of gift bags – key word, re-use. I stuff the aforementioned bags with reused and reusable tissue. Sometimes we even decorate a plain bag with small scraps of re-purposed wrapping paper.

Keep sending the old fashioned snail mail holiday cards! Besides enjoying them, we reuse many cards as gift tags. I cut circles out of cards to make decorative tops for canned goods (pickles and jams, especially).

My family still gives me a hard time when I carefully unwrap big packages in order to re-use portions of the paper. That doesn’t stop me from doing it.

I ran into a dilemma yesterday. What about buying wrapping paper at a thrift store? Well, that kind of purchase doesn’t waste as much money, and the purchase price often goes toward a good cause. However, gift wrap purchased elsewhere is still rarely recycled or recyclable, and still not suitable for fireplaces. It’ll still fill the garbage bin, too. I decided not to buy it.

Readers, can you help me expand on the environmentally sound wrapping wisdom? Comment if you can.

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Scary Credentials

Chuck has a collection of lanyards and credentials from special events he’s attended for his job. He is often the one pulling cords, making sure the satellite uplink will work, and in general, preventing chaos. Sometimes his special events are Packer games at Lambeau Field, golf tournaments at Whistling Straits, or political campaign events. In 2012, the security folks for both parties knew him by name.

In the theme of Halloween, he came home with a scary credential.for an upcoming event.

My gardening glove is masquerading as a paperweight.

My gardening glove is masquerading as a paperweight.

Can you read it? He’s working at the November Republican Debate. Scary? My reaction was a shudder and a very loud “Ew!”

It’s sure to be a shiver and shudder type of event. Frankly, I’d rather watch Jeopardy. At least the contestants on Jeopardy demonstrate common sense and intelligence.

And I’d better stop right there. Readers, would you work an event like this if you had the chance? Or would you run, screaming, in the other direction? If you had a choice, that is.

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I try. Really. I try.

We have a small football pool at work. We call it “Wings” because when all is done, we’ll go out together for wings, and the winner will not have to pay. So far, I’m only in the running for the longest losing streak.

It’s a good thing I’m doing better in the home picks. The irony here is that I’m tied for the lead with (wait for it) the rabbit. The rabbit “picks” based on the team name – the mascot, mainly. Bunny prefers teams with names/mascots that are friendly to (you guessed it) rabbits. Packers play the Vikings? Packers, of course. Seahawks play the 49ers? San Francisco. Falcons play the Eagles? That one is difficult. No rabbit in her right mind would like an eagle or a falcon. For that matter, no rabbit would truly enjoy NFL football. So what is my pet rabbit doing in the family football pool? Never mind. Don’t ask.

I spent time on this beautiful day with no Packer game tending to the fall garden chores. Took down tie strips from the tomatoes, pulled up tomato and pepper plants, stashed the tomato support poles next to the storage shed. Tripped over a board, skinned one knee, and now the other knee and ankle are throbbing. Took ibuprofen. Held ice pack on joints.

To top it all off, laundry is still thundering through its cycles. I managed to combine everything into four loads, and I enlisted Amigo in helping move loads from washer to dryer. With his help, I might actually be done by the time he throws his own laundry in on Monday.

Time to look forward. To really prep for Monday, I should check my emails and grade tests and quizzes online. Should. I’ll give it my best effort, though. I try. You know I really try.

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Observations from a fall day in 2006

Here’s what I said on an autumn day nine years ago. Photo credit goes to La Petite. She was already talented with a camera back then.

Things I can do now until the cold weather strikes:
*Clean the bunny litter boxes outside with the hose
*Take small amounts of easily digestible compost out to the bin
*Shake rugs out on the deck in my stocking feet
*Take out garbage and recycling without a coat or jacket
*Rake leaves (a simple pleasure)

I can’t:
*Harvest from the garden, the last frost did it in
*Sit out on the backyard swing, it’s just a bit too cold to enjoy
*Leave the windows open, because the heat is on

But I can enjoy:
*Coffee or tea or hot spiced apple cider in a favorite mug
*A wood fire blazing in the fireplace
*NFL or college football on television
*leaves falling outside as I read a book in the cozy, warm den

Know what, readers? Not much has changed. I now compost through the winter with a second bin closer to the house. I still carry the bunny boxes outside, and after I empty them in the compost or in the garden, I rinse them with water from the rain barrels instead of using the hose. It’s windy enough today that I don’t feel the need to rake leaves, but I don’t mind the chore. I pile the leaves, like the biodegradable litter, on top of the raised beds. No wonder my tomatoes grow so tall!

Readers, how about you? Do your fall chores stay the same each year? Or differ greatly?

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