Tag Archives: it’s the economy

>Tomato, tomahto, and tomato supports

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>The newest dilemma in the new garden area is this: how shall I support the tomatoes? The old cages are no longer suitable. Last time I used them we had a tomato jungle: the plants grew so tall they fell over the sides of the cages, and then the wire cages broke through the stems. They were getting close to six feet tall, and the conical cages were only 48 inches in height.

Last year I planted tomatoes in the wrong place and too close together. They didn’t get enough sun, and they fought each other for space and water and nutrients from the soil. We didn’t get hit with the blight, but it was not a good year for tomatoes.

I’ve ruled out the wire cages. I’m using the old trellises to support the peas. Now what? I did a search (on swagbucks, check the link in the right sidebar), and found several options.

Tomato ladders. There’s a neighbor who uses these, and I like the looks of the product. They’re strong, they’re thick, and they’re coated steel (no vine breakage!). But I’d need ten at least, and at a cost of $50 for a package of three… deep breath.
Tomato towers. This is also expensive. Could we make our own? Do I have time? Does Chuck have time? I found something similar in a local hardware for $5 apiece.
Tomato Spirals. Now these look intriguing. At $35 for a set of five, this is more affordable. I can use the t-shirt tie-ups from last year if I need them.
Here’s a combination of two philosophies: the tomato spiral cage. Again, expensive to purchase outright.

Now the challenge: finding and buying these. I’d much rather buy locally. I’ve checked two hardware stores, a garden specialty store, and two big box stores with garden sections. So far, no luck. At least, no luck that I’d consider affordable. If I spend too much, we’re approaching the $64 Tomato mark, and that’s just not reasonable. I know most of these products would last for years, but I still need to make the initial investment now.

There are two stores left on my list, and then I might give in and order online – or create something entirely different.

Ideas, gardener friends? Suggestions? I’m listening.

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>Boycott BP – or not?

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>Should I boycott BP on the basis of the massive disaster in the Gulf of Mexico?

It’s harder than it sounds. I’ve had a BP credit card for years – decades, really. It’s a great convenience to travel with a gas card. I know where the BP stations are along my usual routes, including the drive to and from La Petite’s college town. Pay at the pump, use the rest rooms, and then get back on the road quickly and efficiently.

But now that BP is responsible for a terrible environmental disaster, should I cut up this card, cancel the account, and then shop for gas elsewhere? Or not?

I’m leaning toward not. It’s not about convenience; I can use my MasterCard or my Visa at any gas station or pay cash, too. In fact, this decision is less about me and more about impact. Boycotts are all about economic impact: hitting a company in its wallet, where it hurts the most.

If I decide to boycott BP stations in my town and my state, the company itself won’t even feel a blip on its dollar sign radar. The people who would suffer from a boycott would be the franchisees, those who own the local and regional stations and convenience stores. Those local people suffer when the economy worsens. Any resentment I harbor toward BP is not with local station owners. I don’t want them to suffer.

It’s not the locals who caused this massive disaster and let it grow, failing to cap the flow at every turn. It’s not the station owners who found themselves scrambling to find solutions after the fact rather than planning ahead and installing real, functional solutions to their rigs in case of emergencies.

It’s not the locals who failed, who lost my trust.

A personal boycott will not hit the people at the top. They won’t even feel a tickle. In fact, even a nationwide boycott by concerned environmentalists wouldn’t have a significant impact on the decision-makers at BP.

If my goal is to make an impact, I would do better to lower my dependence on oil over all. It’s time to drive less and use fewer petroleum products such as plastics. If I’m planning a long trip, I can offset my fuel use by leaving the car in the garage for several days in advance. I can consider a hybrid or electric vehicle when we replace Chuck’s Saturn or my minivan. I can walk, use a bicycle, or take public transportation. My personal impact will still be small, but the inspiration could spread.

What do you think, readers? How can you lower your petroleum use, cutting your contribution to our society’s oil dependence? How can I?

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>Is this the New Normal?

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>Economic woes.
Recession.
Depression.
Downturn.

Call it what you will, but it means jobs lost. Eliminated. Cut.
Incomes diminished, destroyed,
Homes lost, combined, foreclosed.

If the economy begins a recovery, even at the rate of generating 200,00 jobs a month, it will still take more than three years to return to where we were just one year ago (source: Time).

If families with little or no income become the norm rather than the exception — imagine the possibilities.

One symptom of poverty is lack of telephone service. Families turn to prepaid phones, turn them on only when needed, and neglect to give the new phone number to the school. You can guess the next piece: teachers and principals try to contact the family and reach only disconnected phone numbers. Student is sick: no luck. Student is in trouble and needs support from family: no luck. Student is suspended and needs to be removed from school: well, that happens, too. If more and more families have trouble paying for phones, landline or cell, what happens to the children then?

Another symptom of poverty is hunger. If widespread unemployment is the new normal, then the number of families needing free breakfast and lunch will increase. Who will fund this increase? The money has to come from somewhere.

I haven’t even mentioned shelter. Families double up, moving often, when they have no money. Kids lose sense of stability; not knowing where they’ll be after school, much less the weekend. We make referrals to agencies that can help, but even those agencies have limited funds.

Then there’s the instability that affects behavior. The child who feels angry at the world may lash out at the kid in the next seat on the school bus. The angry child gets disciplined, perhaps suspended from the bus. How does that child get to school now? Parents may or may not own a vehicle. If they do, it is not likely to be maintained well. Without money, what happens?

Is this the new normal? Joblessness, homelessness, hunger? If so, what’s next?

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>How many bloggers does it take to change a bulb?

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>This time of year, I’m watching the daffodils and tulips come up and marveling at the way a simple bulb can put forth new growth every year.

The bulbs I’m testing now, however, are the electric kind, not the organic. They are, however, more environmentally friendly than past light bulbs and more user-friendly than early CFLs. I’m reading by the light of a Sylvania halogen Supersaver Light Bulb.

Unlike early energy-saving bulbs, this light bulb resembles the typical lamp bulb and fits nicely in a lamp. It’s bright enough to illuminate my book while using much less energy. It turns on immediately, without the warm-up or flicker of energy-saving bulbs of the distant past. In short, it works. The halogen supersaver bulb uses 43 watts, but provides as much light as a standard incandescent 60 watt bulb.

One strong point in favor of this Sylvania halogen supersaver light bulb is this: it contains no mercury. When it’s done (after 1000 hours of light, according to the package), I can dispose of it easily with no worries about contamination or toxic waste.

In the headline grabbing storm of other legislation (i.e. Health Insurance Reform!), even my eco-conscious readers may have lost sight of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) which will phase out the traditional incandescent light bulb over the next four years in favor more efficient lighting products. The timing of Sylvania’s halogen Supersaver bulb will help consumers replace their older energy-hogging light bulbs with the new style sooner rather than later.

So far, it’s a winner. This bulb looks good, fits my lamp, and provides enough light for me to read my books and see the keyboard of my laptop. It uses less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, and it promises to last a long, long time.

If only it grew flowers, too. I guess I’ll leave that to the tulip and daffodil bulbs.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of SYLVANIA and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review (two light bulbs). In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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>Advocacy in the Blogging World

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It’s a great world, the Blogosphere. People of all walks of life, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, can blog their concerns.

And the Powers That Be? They’d better listen.

Illinois legislators, listen up — if you can. Deaf Mom tells you why hearing aids should be covered and why they’re more important than (are you ready for this?) Viagra. I’ll second her motion; without my hearing aids, I wouldn’t be teaching. Thanks to my hearing aids, I’m earning a living, paying taxes, stimulating the economy, and staying politically active.

New York Times, you have officially alienated women who blog. Punditmom has one of the best responses to the article “Honey, don’t bother Mommy; I’m too busy building my brand.” I might have thought the article neutral had the author left out the condescending remarks. Describing a blog network presenter as having the “good-natured sass of a sorority social chairwoman” and suggesting that “… you, too, might get 28,549 views of your tutu-making tutorial!” Get real, NYT. I don’t post tutu-making tutorials. Rain barrels, maybe. So – what’s your point?

MOMocrats (Raising the next generation of blue) always have something valuable and current posted: Here’s a post discussing the status of women and the way that status affects a country’s peace, security, and prosperity.

Meanwhile, my inbox includes communication from Organizing for America (OFA) reminding me that it’s time to make phone calls and send emails to remind our representatives to get rolling on health insurance reform. My OFA neighbor asks:

“Could you also let your readers know that they need to pick up the phone and call their member of congress to vote “yes” for reform? There are members of Congress whose votes are movable if they hear from enough of us. If callers leave a message, they need to leave their name and address, so the member of Congress can verify that the caller is a constituent. There could be a vote in the House of Representatives before the week is out.”

Stick together, women and men of the blogging world. The mainstream media may disrespect us, but they’ll come around. They’ll have to.

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>Put insurance reform on your to-do list; it’s on mine.

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To-do list for the weekend:

Visit La Petite, pick up bunnies for break while she travels: her March Madness.
Take Amigo to high school basketball game; his March Madness.
Prepare for parent-teacher conferences: my March Madness.
Support my local chapter of OFA (Organizing for America) in the fight for health care and insurance reform.
Scale the mountain we call Family Laundry.
Handle the weekly load of student papers and gradebook updates.

That’s a long list. Why the inserts? Well, someone needs to take care of the bunnies while La Petite is gone. They need daily feeding. Amigo doesn’t drive, so he needs to ride the fan bus or get a ride to the play-off game.

Oh. You meant the OFA insert. Well, dear blog readers, there is strength in numbers. I can accomplish more and make a bigger difference by joining with a group of people with like philosophies. Together, we can have an impact on our elected officials, and in turn make an impact on the laws that govern our land.

On that note, here are a few notes that the Tea Partiers tend to ignore.

-> 8 — that’s the number of people every minute who are denied coverage, charged a higher rate or otherwise discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition.
-> 8 is also the number of lobbyists hired by special interests to influence health reform for every member of Congress in 2009.
-> The status quo isn’t working, and special interests are doing everything in their power to maintain that status quo.

For more information, go to Health Care by the Numbers, where they’ll feature a new number and fact set each day.

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>Health Coverage for all – are you listening, Congress?

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>One of the best posts I’ve read about making health coverage available to all: Erin at Queen of Spain talks about her day in the ER.

I saw a news feature about a new treatment for head lice; it’s safer and greener, a method that suffocates the little bugs rather than kills them. Avoiding pesticides on children’s heads? Good. Bad? It’s only available by prescription. Families I’ve known who’ve been repeatedly re-infected haven’t had health insurance. If payday was recent enough, they’d head to the drugstore for an over-the-counter remedy and hoped it would work. Meanwhile, their kids miss school until all the nits can be stripped using the proverbial fine-toothed comb.

Two kids talking on their way to recess:
Student 1: “Mrs. Teacher, do you know anything about insurance? Like doctors? Doesn’t everyone have that?”
Student 2: “My mom doesn’t. She wants to get a good job so she can go to the doctor when she’s sick.”
Two ten-year-olds bringing health care coverage into their real lives: what’s wrong with this picture? One was a middle-class child, two working parents with good benefits in their jobs. The other was a child of a recent divorce and a tough time financially. Both were hardworking children of hardworking parents. Why should one family have coverage and the other not?

Erin (a.k.a. Queen of Spain) was lucky; she could drive directly to the ER without a second thought.

Remember the signs at the Vancouver Olympics? You know, after the USA surprised Canada’s hockey team by beating them 5-3 in the first round.

Heck, now they have a gold medal, too. When will the U.S. find its gold medal health care? Please don’t tell me that only time will tell; we need it now.

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>Honey, I broke the shredder.

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>I’ve been cleaning and purging the basement shelves, determined not to be a hoarder. Every time I’m waiting for the washer to fill and the detergent to dissolve, I find another basement box and attack it. I’ve managed to find and freshen books that go to school or Goodwill or Paperbackswap.com, clothes that are not suitable for anyone in the house (why did I keep these?) and go to Goodwill, and more. I’ve cleaned shelves, buckets, boxes, and done so thoughtfully. Last weekend I found an old (read: older than Amigo) box of cancelled checks.

The checks were from a savings and loan that no longer exists. It converted to a bank, then merged with another, and by now I’m sure it’s been swallowed so far it’s unrecognizable. The checks date back to the days when people would get their cancelled checks back in the mail: paper checks. Honestly, you youngsters, that’s the way it was.

I looked them over. I recognized our favorite stores for groceries and sundries. The day care centers for the young La Petite and the younger Amigo. I saw the various styles of checks and remembered that we used to take turns choosing the design each time we reordered. Teddy bears, bright colors, trains, coffee motifs, initial monograms – it was like walking through a photo album of our interests many years ago.

The account number would be irrelevant; the account was closed long ago. The address and phone number would be fifteen years outdated as well. But the checks contained our drivers’ license numbers, and I wasn’t sure if there were other identifying numbers handwritten on the memo lines.

That left the shredder. I got through about three years worth of old auto loans and everyday expenses when the shredder shrugged and shuddered and announced with a groan that it was done. I unplugged it and let it rest, thinking maybe the fine appliance was just overheated. Chuck gently tugged scraps from the blades with a needle nose pliers. The shredder works now, but only for a few sheets of paper. Destroying the rest of the checks would take months at this rate.

What to do? We did the only thing left: we lit a fire in the fireplace. Chuck crumpled the checks and added one small pile at a time to the fire. We joked about burning money. We enjoyed the ambiance and watched the Closing Ceremonies while our old money burned.

I can’t imagine the next box from the basement will contain the memories – or the challenges – that this one did. Readers, what have you found when you’ve cleaned and purged? Anything challenging? Interesting? Please share in the comments!

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>It’s not easy being green in February.

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>It’s snowing – still. Again.
I have a cold, a virus that’s making me feel tired and unmotivated and, well, tired.
I just sent home report cards, and now I need to plan ahead to parent-teacher conferences.
And it’s still snowing.

My spring garden looks so impossibly far in the future; all this snow has to melt before I can even consider getting out to turn the soil.

Students are getting grumpy, unwilling to tap into their work ethic (for some, what work ethic?), not happy about having to put on boots and snow pants but whining about staying inside for recess, too.

And the green blogging community’s APLS (Affluent Persons Living Sustainably) Blog Carnival asks bloggers to post about maintaining sustainable living in the middle of winter. My garden is covered by at least two feet of snow, my compost bin is frozen, my attempt at making orange marmalade failed, and I’m supposed to think green? Well, maybe.

Winter is a good time to clear shelves and box up donations for thrift stores. I have two boxes started and will gather more. I have four books in my bag that I’ll mail tomorrow for Paperbackswap.com. We took two boxes of Braille books to the school for the blind last week, expanding their selection and making space in a corner. Cabin fever might not be curable, but making space on the basement shelves or purging the excess from a closet feels productive.

With that in mind, I think I’ll peel another orange, pour another cup of tea with lemon and (local) honey, and rest a little more. When this cold goes away and I feel a little better, I can fill another box with thriftables. When the roads clear, I’ll take the goodies in.

And as the days get longer, minute by minute, maybe some of that motivational energy will carry me through March, too.

“Affluent” does not mean wealthy. In the APLS movement, affluent simply means people of middle class, people who make a decent living and believe in increasing their sustainable living habits. We’re certainly not rich (I’m a public school teacher!), but we are secure and comfortable – long live the middle class!

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The State of the Union in my State of Mind

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“Freedom is a notion sweeping the nation, freedom is a state – – of mind.” — song lyric
“Yes, I’m wise, but it’s wisdom born of pain.” –another song lyric

It was a tough first year for President Obama, one I might call baptism by fire. He inherited a nation in turmoil, an economic collapse, a massive deficit and national debt, and a hurting minority party that wanted nothing less than to see him fail.

President Obama articulately expressed these challenges Wednesday night. He addressed the need for jobs, for employment for all. He talked about health care, despite the controversy attached to the pending bills. He discussed Afghanistan and Iraq and more.

You can read the entire speech here. I don’t need to repeat it verbatim. It was long, but listening to an articulate and personable president made the length more than bearable – it kept my attention. I missed my local OFA State of the Union party in favor of a live chat with the Momocrats as the speech was on.

I found that the Barack Obama we elected, the feisty, energetic, hopeful president, came through best at the end.

“if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town — a supermajority — then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it’s not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let’s show the American people that we can do it together.”

Together. He put the challenge straight to the opposite side of the Congressional aisle. He challenged his naysayers not to beat him, but to join him. By stating clearly that real progress must be bipartisan, President Obama made his agenda clear: No more finger-pointing! Cooperate, cooperate, cooperate.
In parent-teacher talk, it might be “We both want the same thing; we want your child to be successful. Let’s work together.”

And together, we don’t quit. We won’t quit. If the leader of the free world can work with his opposition, the rest of us can learn to work together, too.

Now where did I stash the emails of my senators and congressional rep? Here goes the letter-writing campaign!

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