Category Archives: Random Thoughts

>Seven Ways I’m not "Green Enough" – and why it’s okay

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>I have a talent recognized by me coworkers; I can rationalize almost anything. This skill comes in handy when applying for grant money or writing persuasive papers. In the real world, rationalizing helps balance wishes with reality. I wish I could be more eco-conscious, but when all is said and done, I’m pretty darn good. Here are my confessions, along with the rationale for each weakness.

1. I don’t own a clothesline.

Family members have seasonal allergies, so hanging clothes in the pollen-filled breeze is a bad idea. Sleeping in sheets dried outside will trigger sneezing and wheezing at the least, hives at worst.

2. I use commercial laundry detergent and dishwasher soap, too.
Time is money and money is time, so making and experimenting with DIY soaps isn’t practical. I do use anti-static dryer balls instead of fabric softener in all loads but delicate. The Balls don’t work as well with sweaters.

3. I drive a minivan.

We still need to move La Petite back and forth to college a few more times, and the minivan is also the only vehicle (short of a full sized van) that will hold Amigo’s recumbent 3-wheeler. This is a need, not a want. My elderly minivan (a 1998 Pontiac Transport-Montana) would have qualified in the recent Cash for Clunkers rebate. I didn’t do it. The new, and smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles are great in concept, but I don’t think the program would have rewarded me for trading one minivan in for another, not to mention the challenge of making car payments and tuition at the same time.

4. Chuck (the husband with the cool shoes) buys bottled water, and I don’t stop him.

This is a convenience issue. He needs to be able to grab a bottle and go, taking it with him on the job. Amigo and I solve this by filling our reusable bottles at the school’s water fountains (bubblers, in the local vernacular). Chuck doesn’t. Oh, well, it’s a balance.

5. I use paper coffee filters.

I compost them. ‘Nuff said.

6. I don’t compost year-round.

This is a weather/ climate problem. I’ve noticed that scraps placed in the bin in October or November will still be whole and recognizable in late March or April when it’s time to spread the compost and till the garden plot. It’s simply too cold here in the Northern Realms for the process to happen naturally. The bin itself is in the back of the yard, difficult to get to in the snowy Wisconsin winters. I’m working on this dilemma; I’ve placed the new composter where I can reach it in midwinter, and I plan to let the big bin sit for an additional year. Eventually, I’ll be letting one sit and decompose while I fill the other, and then switch.


7. We don’t use cloth bags at the grocery store – well, not all the time.

Amigo and Chuck do the grocery shopping and do it well. They prefer not to be bogged down in details like bringing bags to the store. When it’s just me, I re-use the paper bags they bring home. If we’re just stopping in for a few things, we use the cloth bags I keep in a convenient place at home or in the car’s glove box. It’s a start, and we’re getting better. We hardly ever get “new” plastic bags in the house any more. Again (see #4) it’s about balance.

So on we go, along the long and winding road of getting greener each day. It’s discouraging sometimes, when spreading the word feels like trying to teach kids to work on their math without talking (if you know the secret, I’m listening). But as my eco-colleague says over at the Green Phone Booth, feeling overwhelmed doesn’t have to mean becoming immobile.

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>Random thoughts on browsing the newspaper

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>A small feature in the state section notes that homeowners are using less water. The Public Service Commission found that we residential Wisconsinites are using 7% less water than we used to use. Maybe the rain barrel craze is helping with that number.

In the National section: For those without a job, Labor Day is just another day in the struggle. For laid off teachers and school paraprofessionals, it’s a reminder that the school year is starting without them. It’s not that they’re not necessary; the fact is that budgets are too tight to hire enough staff to fully meet student needs.

The editorial cartoon by Joe Heller reminded me of what I heard on NPR the other day: the H1N1 cases we know are just the tip of the iceberg.

Preparedness is a balancing act. I’m stocking the freezer and the medicine cabinet, washing my hands frequently, and in general taking all the precautions I can to prevent H1N1 from devastating my family. I’ll be prepared, but I’m not going to worry outright until it happens close to home.

One commentary writer put the Obama speech in perspective with a satirical column asking “How dare Obama urge kids to succeed?” Really, folks. How did this planned short speech take on such conspiratorial tones? It’s not a campaign, it’s not a dramatic town meeting on health care reform. Whether your family supports President Obama or not, it’s time to respect the office if not the man. Let’s teach our children to listen and think and interpret what they hear rather than to plug their ears and shut out the elected leader of the free world.

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>Before and After: the school poster story

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>Step one: I took all the posters out of the drawers, spread them out, sorted the collection. What a mess! To top it all off, I didn’t have anything that illustrated the theme for this year: trains, the Fourth Grade Express.
I attacked it the way I attacked the dearth of science posters a few years ago: with clip art and the overhead projector. Decidedly low tech, but also low or no cost, it worked for me. Luckily, my artistic daughter and my husband’s knowledge of trains provided the needed boost to make these posters come alive. Here’s the rough draft of the “Read” poster.

Here’s the big view of three posters above my students’ lockers.

Here is the final product of the “Read” poster. La Petite decorated the city, added a sunrise, and made all three passengers reading during their commute.


What would I do without family? No, don’t answer that. Family members who willingly help with a school project are truly priceless.

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>Daily Goals in Lists of Threes

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>The Daily Three philosophy fits nicely into my Action goal for 2009. This process limits planning to a managable amount. The to-do-list stays short, provides focus.

It’s quite simple. Several plurk buddies have picked up the habit of announcing a list of three goals each morning. As they accomplish each goal on the list, they post the news on plurk. Here are a few examples from my lists of three.

3 goals: grocery shopping, go to bookstore, thoroughly check garden for ripe peas!

This list came up right after vacation. I’d been gone for a week, the refrigerator resembled Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, and the garden had grown quite a bit in my absence. The bookstore run: well, I never need an excuse for a bookstore visit. Really.

3 goals: post office, harvest lettuce, catch up on Time Magazines.

Post office is often on my list because I list books through Paperbackswap.com. On this particular day, I had six books to mail. Lettuce is on the list for bunnies and people; salad with supper tonight, bunny food at bedtime. I cut it back to the roots and it grows again. Time Magazine: I like to catch up before the news is old, but even so, I will get a little more depth on the stories I read in the newspaper or saw on CNN.

Setting goals is also useful when I’m feeling lazy, but can’t afford to waste the day. Here’s a recent set:

1- plan decent supper 2 – go to school 3 – start laundry.

I specified goals for working in my classroom, too: basic hallway decor, posters, science kits. I want the room to look good, look welcoming in case kids wander through the hallways early. When the room appears ready, I can focus on actual planning and preparation.

One of the best elements of the Three Goal plan is the focus, the prioritizing. There’s much more to do in a day than these three items, but this reduces the overwhelming feeling of “There’s too much to accomplish! I can’t get it done!” Checking off each major item brings a great feeling of accomplishment. When the main three are completed, anything else feels like a bonus.

Now: off to school to get a little more work done toward Open House tomorrow night!!

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>The various moods around town

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>A thriving locally owned business encouraged re-use of 6 pack holders and suggested the purchase of a local product. If you’re wondering what a “yokel” is, no, it’s not a Yooper, it’s a kind of beer by the New Glarus brewing company….

…the same company that brews Fat Squirrel and Spotted Cow.
Later on, we saw this sign of the times; empty store, business closed, sign gone.


This vacant storefront was only a block away from the Spotted Cow Crossing.


But later, this truck turned off the highway in front of my minivan: a student driver in the professional truck driver program at the local technical college. Someone, somehow, is training for a new career.

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>More garden mysteries

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>What is this? Is it an herb finally coming up or a weed that flew in on the wind?

It’s small; it sneaks in between the basil and the thyme plants. Does anyone recognize it? I’m a relative beginner with herbs, so go ahead. I can handle the truth.

Then there are these orbs, the not-zucchini squash. They look more pumpkin-like each day, but they’re white. I didn’t plant white pumpkins. In fact, I didn’t plant pumpkins at all! Ideas? The stems resemble pumpkins more than any other squash.

And finally, last but never least, how does the zucchini sneak up on me like this? I thought I was done harvesting in this corner. More zucchini bread on the way!

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>Grilling vegetables and mysteries solved

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>I picked up this tool at a grill specialty store. It’s a grill “basket” for vegetables. It has slots in the base to let the air (heat) circulate; the veggies cover those in this picture. We drizzled olive oil and a little garlic in the bottom, then sliced the vegetables thin and placed them in the basket. I had zucchini squash, three kinds of bell peppers, onions, and red potatoes. Anything else? The basket was really too full, but somehow, it worked. The herbs on top (oregano, thyme, basil) gave the veggies just enough spice to complement the smoky flavor.

On the side — or the main dish, if you’re a carnivorous type — were beef kabobs. The meal was pretty good. I wish I’d put the vegetables on the grill a little earlier so they could cook longer; they were a little underdone. Maybe if I’d had a lighter layer in the basket they would have cooked through a little better.

The leftovers (there were a lot of leftovers!) became a soup a few days later. Diced up small, tucked into a beef broth in the crockpot for several hours, a few ingredients added for fun (and to empty the vegetable tray), and we had a second meal from the same starters.

Remember the climbing plant? The one I couldn’t identify? The vine I thought resembled beans? It is, indeed, a morning glory. Or two, or three. The wild neighborhood rabbits have not nibbled.

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>Geez, Brett. Purple? The hated Vikings?

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>Let’s look at this issue on both hands.

On one hand, Brett Favre is geriatric by quarterback standards.
On the other hand, a geriatric Favre plays better than some QBs do (or did) in their prime.

On one hand, we’re tired of hearing about him.
On the other hand, his indecisiveness makes for some interesting comic material. Even the governor of Wisconsin promised he wouldn’t “pull a Favre” and change his mind about retirement.

On one hand, he’s still the kid who loves to play a game he’s played most of his life.
On the other hand, he’s Peter Pan: the boy who never grew up. That’s not very attractive for a man pushing 40.

On one hand, his dynamic play inspired people across the country to wear cheesehead hats.
On the other hand, he could buy out the company that makes the Viking hats any time he wishes.

On one hand, he’s a classic. Today’s college freshmen don’t remember an NFL without Favre.
On the other hand, they also grew up with Barney.

So tell me, dear readers, will today’s college freshmen think there are two purple dinosaurs on TV — one in a big costume, the other in a #4 jersey?

And if you haven’t had enough of my Favre-ness, here’s more.

Purple? Say it Ain’t So! (May, 2009)
An Open Letter to a Great Quarterback (August, 2008)
It’s Official (or it was) (March, 2008)

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>Garden mysteries: Who or what is this plant?

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>There’s one in every crowd. The one that marches to a different drummer. The one who leads off in a different direction.

The one who reaches out when all the others bunch together and reach up. When most of the group is producing long, green squash babies, the individualist is making its own decision……

…and making its babies round.

What is this plant, and how did it sneak past my fence?!!

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>Rambling on about the garden goodies and the locavore life

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>I credit my increasing foodie awareness to reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. As I’m planning supper and adding to the grocery list, I’m also thinking, “What do I already have in the house? What can I buy nearby or locally to enhance it?”

My beans are coming along slowly, a handful at a time. I’m not getting enough to cook as a side dish or freeze for later, so I’m just adding a few to each soup or stew I put together. Last night was one of those nights. The minestrone soup started with a little leftover stew diced up smaller, grew with the addition of a single serving of beef vegetable soup that was in the refrigerator. A can of tomatoes (mine aren’t ripe yet), a can of garbanzo beans, a handful of garden beans and the last few garden peas, diced peppers, onion, and the usual herbs – oregano, thyme, and basil made it complete. I brought it to a boil and then let it simmer until the fresh veggies were done, and it was ready to serve. It would have been a better local meal without the cans, but there are limits.

Then came the zucchini project. Four squash sitting on the cutting board just waiting to be of service, ready to be prepped for – well, for something. I peeled them, sliced them to fit in the food processor, then shredded all four. After I decided to bake chocolate zucchini bread (recipe will be posted soon!), I froze the rest. P.S. I snuck a little grated zucchini into the meatloaf, too.

Rhubarb! A few years ago I read that rhubarb was little or no good after July 4th. That summer I frantically harvested all the red rhubarb right after Independence Day, diced it, froze it. Then it kept growing. Yes, friends, the rhubarb came right back up and continued to thrive in its sunny spot next to the garage. I kept harvesting and baking it all the way into apple season. Apple rhubarb crisp tastes fabulous when both are fresh!

These days, I don’t fuss about getting the rhubarb in by July. I do pick it when the plants start getting outrageously large. I have a batch on the counter right now; I’ll dice it in the food processor, then bake something and freeze the rest, just like the zucchini.

Later in the year, maybe even when the snow falls, I’ll be able to bake zucchini bread and rhubarb muffins (whole wheat, of course) and have a taste of summer. All of this tasty pleasure happens because I’ve taken advantage of the locavore philosophy, incorporating more and more of my backyard garden and the local farmers’ market goods into my family’s diets.

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