Erika... with a K...

"A Clean, Fresh Towel Every Time" ???

2010-04-17T23:01:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've written a public rant, but this one has been driving me crazy since I first saw the ad.

The ad starts out with a split view of a small, white washcloth on one side, and a blue (plastic looking) box with white towels that pop out of the bottom on the other. When I first saw the blue box, I immediately was reminded of the plastic or stainless steel ones that you see in public restrooms. The commercial continues with various people wiping their hands on either the tiny washcloth or a "clean fresh towel." As time goes on, the tiny washcloth starts to yellow, and then a rather large, wet-mouthed dog grabs the tiny, now yellowish, washcloth. A small child replaces the washcloth in a wad, then an adult appears to blow his/her nose in it and replaces it on the bar. Several other people are drying their hands (fingers) on the rag, and nearly as many people are taking a disposable towel from the blue box. The female narrator announces, "Your hands are only as clean as the towel you use to dry them. So, why use the same towel over and over, instead of a clean fresh one every time?" Following the announcement, the full name of the product is advertised.

I have issues with this ad/product on SO many levels. For one, most people use a hand towel (more than twice the size of the "towel" they had on the rack in the commercial) to dry their hands. Also, most people I know don't let their towel get yellow and scummy, they WASH IT with the rest of their laundry. Oh, and unless I'm living in an alternate world, there's a bit of an economic crisis going on - people don't have as much money to spend on worthless stuff. To top it off, at least in my area, a lot of people are starting to "go green;" which certainly doesn't include disposable hand towels. Those creative folks trying to sell those polluting, wasteful, useless, disposable towels also figured out another way to show you how nasty it is to use an ACTUAL towel - when they split the screen, the side with the actual (albeit TINY) towel was off-white and put right next to the sterile, chemically-bleached, white wall with the shiny blue box.

To make matters worse, you can go to the company's website and teach your small children the "drying song."

My hands are gonna be clean

When I wash and I dry with mommy and sing

This song that's exactly two clean hands long

Warm water and soap and bubbles that shine

A Kleenex (R) Hand Towel that's mine all mine

And a song that's exactly two clean hands long

No yucky old towel's gonna ruin my day

I dry my hands the Kleenex (R) towel way

So if you're a fan of clean hands too

Roll up your sleeves and I'll sing with you.

I listen for a bit (you can go here and listen for yourself), and follow the (delayed) bouncy ball on the lyrics on the screen, and I'm fairly impressed... then line five comes in - Okay, it's advertising the product, whatever. What makes my blood boil is line seven - "No yucky old towel's gonna ruin my day," really, a HAND TOWEL has the ability to RUIN YOUR DAY? Let's get real folks. If it is that "yucky" anyway, how 'bout getting a clean one from the linen closet and tossing that "yucky" one in the hamper.

One final thought; if you're using your actual hand towel (as opposed to this new, disposable hand towel) to dry your hands exclusively, shouldn't it STAY clean, since you're ACTUALLY CLEANING your hands before you touch it? Now, that person in the commerical that put the towel up to his/her nose/face, that's not what hand towels are for - use a hanky or "facial tissue."

Check the ad out on youtube.

Am I just an overzealous eco-freak, or did this particular company miss the mark this time 'round?

Independence Days, Year 3, Week 6

2010-04-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

1. Plant something – Waiting for last weeks' plantings to come up... which I think are coming up today (that crackin' ground look)... then I'll plant more...

2. Harvest something - Harvested some of the green onions that keep growing,continued to take cuttings of herbs, lettuce....

3. Preserve something – does it count if I freeze 1/2 the cookie dough, or is that want not?

4. Waste Not– not doin' so well this week...

5. Want Not – my 4th NiCe clothes rack - now I can put up 2 or 3 loads at once,inside! Found it at a swap meet, along with some storage jars and other bits...

6. Build Community Food Systems – Continued patronizing local creamery/dairy... Sprouts are finally up for friends, anyone in the area need some onion sets... I have a few, um, extra....... (who will need garlic in the fall, 'cause I might just have some extra then too... hehe)

7. Eat the Food – last fall's garlic sauteed in Golden Glen butter (well, my butter, from their heavy cream) then frozen peppers and peas from last year... add in cooked pasta (from pantry) and a dollop of heavy cream and some herbs... mmm kinda addicting. Not nearly as good w/olive oil and soy milk. :-/

Independence Days, Year 3, Week 5... trying to get back on track

2010-04-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

1. Plant something – Carrots, beets, rutabagas, radishes, peas, herbs, herbs, herbs.

2. Harvest something - Harvested some of the green onions that keep growing, since I never pulled up the onion.... Continued to take cuttings of herbs. AND (!) my first lettuce harvest this year!!!

3. Preserve something – I've been working on herbal medicine from some fresh/dried things; it's not really preserving something, but learning how to preserve things when I grow them... For me, it's a step in the right direction.

4. Waste Not– Compost turns into garden produce right...

5. Want Not – Um, refer to last post?

6. Build Community Food Systems – Not much.

7. Eat the Food – who doesn't like garlic, onions, and herbs?! Oh, and ate leftovers, stuff from the freezer...

Independence Days, Year 3, Week 4... a bit late

2010-04-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

A few days late... but I've been sick... that's not against the rules, right?

1. Plant something – Transplanted like crazy: peppers (3 types), tomatoes (2 types), basil, squash/melons (2 types), onions, um, well, it felt like transplanting craziness...

2. Harvest something - Harvested some of the green onions that keep growing, since I never pulled up the onion.... Continued to take cuttings of herbs.

4. Waste Not– Compost turns into garden produce right... Took a bunch of the jersey knit cotton (e.g. tee-shirt) scraps from the scrap/small pieces bin and turned them into hankies in just enough time... ugh....

5. Want Not – Decided to buy bulk used towels for messy projects - mainly dog-related. Found a bag that had the right color sticker - 7 rag towels for $2.50 plus tax, and frankly, two of those towels are in better condition that some of our shower towels... Made a concentrated effort to eat leftovers EVERY DAY for most of the week (until the sickness came over). Went a little wild with the 50% off organic lite coconut milk sale... what can I say, we love curry.

6. Build Community Food Systems – Continued working with hubby to come up with ways to convince in-laws to allow chickens at their place... We have a corner lot, they have an acre. We have a ferocious dog, they have a docile cat. We're in city limits, they're county... For now, we continue buying and bartering for truly free-range eggs from a co-worker of B's that are NUMMY!

7. Eat the Food – who doesn't like garlic, onions, and herbs?! Oh, and ate leftovers, stuff from the freezer,

Independence Days, Year 3, Week 3

2010-03-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

1. Plant something – I was gone for four and a half days, and just didn't get this far...

2. Harvest something - Harvested some of the green onions that keep growing, since I never pulled up the onion.... Continued to take cuttings of herbs.

4. Waste Not– Compost turns into garden produce right... organized sewing scraps into categories - for stuffing only, smaller than a piece of paper, less than a yard, and started projects. I've been purposing to go to craigslist, freecycle, and thrift stores before thinking, I could go to store XYZ to get ABC item.

5. Want Not – more organizing sewing stuff - keeps me from over-buying things, and gives me the ability to fix things instead of buying new(ish).

6. Build Community Food Systems – ...

7. Eat the Food – who doesn't like garlic, onions, and herbs?!

A Must Read...

2010-03-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is EWW....

Read this.

Independence Days, Year 3, Week 2

2010-03-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

1. Plant something – Peanuts, onion sets, acorn squash, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower...

2. Harvest something - Harvested some of the green onions that keep growing, since I never pulled up the onion.... Continued to take cuttings of herbs. Learned that kale that's bolted tastes AWFUL!

4. Waste Not– Compost turns into garden produce right... we cleaned out the fridge and tossed a lot that seems to get lost... I think if I ever have the chance to design a fridge, it'll be much more shallow, maybe a deep spot in the bottom for big dishes, but mainly shallow - so everything can be seen and accessed easily...

5. Want Not – organizing sewing stuff - keeps me from over-buying things, and gives me the ability to fix things instead of buying new(ish).

6. Build Community Food Systems – Started acorn squash in greenhouse for someone.

7. Eat the Food – who doesn't like garlic, onions, and herbs?!

Independence Days, Year 3... A.K.A. Erika Tries the Blogging Commitment Thing!

2010-03-06T17:47:00.001-08:00

I'm gonna cheat... Starting off on the wrong foot... I know... but I'm just going to start where I am now, seeing as I haven't mastered the year-round thing yet.

1. Plant something – Lettuce (leaf and romaine), cucumbers, 2 kinds of squash, 2 kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of peppers (I think... maybe just one), celery, celeriac, cilantro (it will never make it to seed 'round here for coriander... we'll be lucky to save seed this year!), Egyptian walking onions (purchased as starts), and aloe.

2. Harvest something - Made Mung Bean sprouts... does that count? Harvested some of the green onions that keep growing, since I never pulled up the onion.... Continued to take cuttings of herbs.

4. Waste Not– Realized it's time to plant last year's potatoes, we've eaten all the ones that haven't sprouted. We started buying food less often, planning meals, and prepping food in bigger chunks - avoiding our biggest pitfall - going out 'cause it'll take too long to cook. Roasted garlic that was starting to sprout.

5. Want Not – Brought in a truckload of soil for my herb/kitchen garden, hubby built a fence to keep Jessi-Lou out of said garden, hubby built a cold-frame out of scrap wood and an old window we got from freecycle... and hinges from the re-store, I'm sure there's more...

6. Build Community Food Systems – I'm always talking with folks about local food... haven't done much more, other than make some connections for future bartering...

7. Eat the Food – Roasted garlic, freezer meals, etc. Made some NUMMY garlic with home grown herbs and garlic with flour grown and milled in-state... I really need to work on a good fluffy bread recipe... mine are always crunchier than crunchy on the outside, and not very fluffy...

Facebook, Cars, and SNOW!!!!

2009-12-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

Facebook:
So, you can tell when I jumped on the facebook wagon... it's kinda addicting... ugh. I'd love to be a bit more verbose than the "status updates" allow, so we'll see what happens.

Cars:
Within 12 hours, BOTH of the headlights on my car went out, the drivers' side windshield wiper cracked and leaves a streak, and the weather changed to the point where I needed to put my studs on.

Snow:
WOOHOO! I'm so excited to see snow again! I hope it's not like last year, but it'll be nice to wake up to a winter wonderland!

--Erika

End of Summer Stew

2009-09-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 small-medium coarsely chopped onions
4 cloves coarsely chopped garlic
2 or 3 handfuls coarsely chopped carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli
9-12 smallish tomatoes, quartered (or halved if too small)
12-16 small potatoes, quartered or equivalent larger potatoes in bite-size pieces (I don't peel my potatoes)
4 tomatillos, quartered
fresh herbs: basil, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary (all rubbed and chopped)
salt and pepper
olive oil
chicken (or meat of your choice... for those carnivores) butterfly cut/very thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Splash olive oil in dutch oven, place in oven and heat to 375.
2. Saute olives and garlic (until onions are clear) in olive oil in a large skillet.
3. Add tomatoes and tomatillos to onions and garlic, saute for a bit.
4. Add carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes, saute a bit more.
5. Transfer goodies in skillet to dutch oven, cover, and return to oven.
6. Turn skillet down to medium, toss in some more olive oil. When oil is hot, add a dash of herbs under each piece of chicken, dash on top as well.
7. Careful not to overcook, as meat should be very thinly sliced.
8. Remove veggies from oven when potatoes are tender to fork.
9. Plate veggies, fan thin slices of meat on top with garnish of nasturtium or fresh herbs, ladle stewed tomato (from dutch oven) lightly over each serving.

Sorry no pictures... it was too good to wait!

--Erika

Saturday

2009-07-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

B, my aunt K, and I went for a drive (and to check out antique shops). Along the way we got lost (surprised?), and ended up on this LONG, straight, dead-end road that had signs that said "burial" on either side every few yards - between the palm trees - and when we looked carefully, we could see the mongooses at the bases of the trees.

I commented to my step-sister, K, that only tourists take pictures of common house pests...

The kids spend most of the day in the pool. At the beginning of the week the twins, J and K, wouldn't go near it. Now they're begging their cousin, E, to swim with them.

Saturday

2009-07-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to post pictures last night, as my step-dad and I were in the ER with my mom. She's having another one of her "episodes," probably some bug she picked up in Mexico... a year ago... that they haven't found yet; I liked the doc she had - he actually listened to her and didn't JUST snow her with drugs (don't let that fool you - he did snow her with drugs, but he actually tried to fix the problem!). Anyway... she's sleeping now... not sure how she's doing, no one wants to disturb her to ask, step-dad just keeps the meds flowing...

Friday

2009-07-24T19:25:00.001-07:00

Friday started with a trip to the farmer's market

Then we went to see the first church built in Hawaii, where Joe set off the car alarm... while illegally parked.... and couldn't get it turned off...

While we were at the farmer's market, my mom had a barefoot massage by an eighty-three year-old man...

More of the farmer's market offerings... all from the Big Island...

Thursday

2009-07-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Only tourists snap pictures of hibiscus flowers at the Starbucks Drive Thru...

I met these two cute hogs... from a distance... they grunted at me and then ran off...

Between these and Donkey Crossing signs, there's quite a few critters crossing the road... Maybe we should stop them and ask them why they're crossing....

B checking out the neighborhood produce stand: bananas, pineapple, limes, guava, papaya, mango, etc. Yeah... that's a mild sunburn you see on his shoulder...

Round and Round we go...

2009-07-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

We stopped at the Punalu'u Bake Shop - the southernmost bakery in the US. The guava bread is FANTASTIC!

My Grandma at the Black Sand Beach

The black sand in Brian's hand - it's much more coarse than regular sand - created by hot lava hitting the cold sea water and shattering.

Notice the contrast between the stark lava field and the green hills beyond.

Our trip to the volcano was, um, interesting. Between the sign below, and the rain...

Brian got out of the car and turned for a picture - less than 30 seconds - look how wet he got!
This is the visitor center at the volcano - and the waterfall coming off the roof
Just for my father-in-law....

More Pictures from Hawaii...

2009-07-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Open the picture below - the tree on the left is guava, the middle is avocado, and the right is mango...

Wild chickens in a parking lot...
Just for my mother-in-law....

The view from a scenic point overlooking miles of interconnected lava tubes...

Coffee

2009-07-21T20:16:00.001-07:00

Today, we went to Kona Joe's Coffee. The owner acquired and began the farm in 1995, and began with a unique technique to growing coffee - he uses trellises, just like in vineyards. He has patented his trellises, but his coffee trees produce approximately 33% more coffee per tree each year, and the coffee cherries get more sun, and ripen so much better than traditional growing techniques. The following picture is from the roasting plant, looking over a field of trellised coffee trees.

Coffee trees less than a month from the beginning of harvest season

Nearly ripe coffee cherries
Another view of Kona Joe's Coffee trees
More to come...

--Erika

More Pictures from the House...

2009-07-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

Plumeria

Palm Date Tree

Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise and Palm

Aloha!

2009-07-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

This morning's photos are of the house we are staying at, mainly the front grounds and the fauna. There are quite a few wild animals that come to the house; we've had cats, "cardinal" birds, chickens, cockroaches, dragonflies, all manner of bugs, and, of course, geckos. There are reports that wild turkeys will come in the house if you leave the screens (see first two pictures below) open. Click on any of the pictures to have them shown full size. The following photo was taken from the plantation style front porch, looking toward the ocean (the blue behind the foliage toward the middle of the picture... behind the pool).

The following is a picture of the entrance to the house. Next, a view from the living room, looking through the screens to the porch - you can see the columns at the edge of the porch.

Pineapple, anyone?

More later... either this evening or tomorrow morning...

--Erika

Naked Dog Update

2009-07-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

So, we've figured out what Jessi-Lou is allergic to - mosquitoes! I slathered her up pretty well on the 4th, but she still got bit once on the head, which turned into an ugly spot. She then got bit again on the side (we actually killed the bugger that got her... while it was on her...), and it's been bothering her for a few days. Her hair is growing back in nicely, but she still looks somewhat pathetic.

Independence Days.... um.... yeah... I've transplanted more peppers and tomatoes, but need to transplant more... and we ate the first ripe tomato yesterday at dinner. Jessi actually pulled it off a plant and it ripened in the window, but it still counts (and it was still better than the store-bought one we used with it). There are two more tomatoes turning reddish - one will be ready in a few days, the other one might be a week or so. We also used quite a bit of parsley for goodies over the weekend of the 4th. One of these days, I'll catch up and write the actual post to go with this...

--Erika

Photo Updates

2009-06-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

First, things growing...
These eggplant (Thai Yellow Eggplant) were transplanted last week and have really taken off...
From top to bottom - Royal Purple Basil, King of the North Peppers, Ilini Star Tomatoes, and a tomato I have forgotten the name of (it's yellow).

Beautiful, sweet smelling, no longer in bloom - lilac...
One of my MIL's favorite - columbine

Then, my poor, pathetic-looking, fur-less dog... the following picture is not for the faint of heart... We thought she had one 'hot spot' on her side, and a few on the side of her face. The vet started with where we thought there were spots, and just had to keep going. Any thoughts as to what allergy she has (as the vet has determined that her issues are an allergic reaction) would be greatly appreciated!

--Erika

Independence Day #4, 5, and 6... Bad Erika...

2009-06-07T17:26:00.001-07:00

1. Plant something: transplanted tomatoes, dragon peppers, jalapenos, and a curry plant. Round two of potatoes, soybeans, and arugala, round one of mung beans. See #7, Work on local food systems for more!

2. Harvest something: green onions, parsley, mint/oregano for drying, arugala, amaranth leaves, rosemary, lavender, thyme, basil, strawberries (MMMMM… note to self, plant MORE, MORE, MORE)

3. Preserve something: My first batch of Kombucha is coming right along… I’ve got a VERY thin layer of SCOBY forming! Still working on vanilla extract. First round of herbs hanging to dry.

4. Preparation and Storage: took Sharon’s questions from the other day and started answering them, explaining my goals, motivations, and dreams is really helpful; not to mention having a plan is the first step in getting it done! Working on Breakfast from storage. B found a great deal on bell peppers, so we chopped and froze them.

5. Cook something/Eat the Food: Had the last jar of cherry jam – it was really good, this coming from someone who doesn’t really like cherries! Found a great recipe (sorta) from the B’ham coop for using quinoa, carrots, and parsley. Batch cooking – beans, spaghetti sauce, rice, oats, etc. baked bread with freshly cut herbs…

6. Manage your reserves: Used some of the frozen produce in the freezer to make room for more/get it outta there… started dating everything that gets opened to get an idea on how much we use (especially on condiments like shoyu and katsup)

7. Work on local food systems: Planted plants that were destined for the compost (overgrown/not okay for sale) – nasturtiums, peas, two kinds of beans, etc. Planted peas, bush beans, and parsley with kiddos from the apartment complex I volunteer with – discussed basic techniques of cultivation w/them. Discussed other cultivation techniques with adults working on the project (e.g. Broccoli gets big – needs more than 4 inches of space…). Prepared area for bean-tipis, if more kiddos would have come to plant (only 3 out of 15-20 came!), the bean-tipis would have been in. Does it count if Grandma gave me jam – she’s not local, but I went down there, and it was local to her! Local milk (MMM, Golden Glen Creamery!) Pork chops, tomatoes and radishes from the Farmer’s Market, Oh, and we get eggs from B’s co-worker (OMG, I’ll forgo eggs before eating store-bought again!), lettuce from locally supplied (and locally owned) produce stand.

8. Reduce Waste: Acquired more jugs to use as planters… used paper bags from work that just held ground coffee once for produce, used my tumbler or didn’t get a drink @ work, **Gross alert** Jessi-Lou threw up the other day, and instead of using paper towels for the whole mess and the carpet cleaning, we just used them for the really icky parts, and then used rags (well washed afterwards, and sun-bleached) for the rest. **end Gross alert**

9. Learned a skill: still (slowly) working on Spanish... Learned three ways to eat radishes, learned to cook pork chops, and I am learning to treat “hot spots” without chemicals (and without Bag Balm).

My new category: 10. To Learn or Do or Find/Purchase List:
In no particular order and certainly never finished: Lehman’s (or similar) hand-wash agitator, get shoes repaired, find old tire parts to attempt to craft own shoes from, seek out affordable, sustainable diet for Jessi-Marie Wigglesnort…

Independence Day #3

2009-05-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

1. Plant something: corn, green beans x2, black beans, Lena Cisco’s Bird Egg beans, spinach, lettuce, radishes, amaranth, transplanted tomatoes, basil, cauliflower, broccoli

2. Harvest something: oregano, rosemary, green onions, sage, mint, parsley

3. Preserve something: Started my first batch of Kombucha… does that count? Still working on vanilla extract.

4. Preparation and Storage: Labeled pantry, decided on a few other organization things that need to get done…

5. Cook something/Eat the Food: husband and I decided that our jam next year would be much more fruit and much less sugar (after eating several kinds of jam on our sandwiches this week)

6. Manage your reserves: Used some of the older grains I had hiding in my ucky pantry…

7. Work on local food systems: talked to FIL about using old bean seed (he and MIL have bean seed from 2003) for the garden the kids I work with are planting, made a point to purchase local produce this week, and remember the name of the farm when we ate.

8. Reduce Waste: remembered bags for shopping, took reusable tumblers, finally brought H2O bottles from house to car… adopted some milk jugs that would have been just recycled… now they’ll help grow food!

9. Learned a skill: still (slowly) working on Spanish, talked with community member who is trying to learn English, made a plan to work together once a week. I don’t know if its learned… but we tried planting pole beans with corn… no squash with it… but we’ll see what I can accomplish with my powers of persuasion, muah ha ha!!!!

Lost Generation

2009-05-15T10:40:00.001-07:00

Random Link of the week... finally

2009-05-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

I have a bottle of vodka working its magic on some vanilla beans (2/3 of the way to vanilla extract!), but here are 12 more ways to use potato liquor.

Independence Days #2

2009-05-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

1. Plant something: thyme, transplanted tomatoes

2. Harvest something: oregano, rosemary, green onions, sage

3. Preserve something: nothing new, working on vanilla extract.

4. Preparation and Storage: Organized pantry, purchased bins to aid in organizing pantry and other areas, found small plastic containers (think smaller than pill bottles) for storing small seeds in over the winter, came up with new way to transplant tomatoes (don’t know if it will work or not – take a gallon milk jug, rinsed out, and cut out about 1/3 of the opening, down to where the side straightens out, then across – so about half of the side is exposed. Poke holes in the bottom, fill with soil, add plant. Water through the handle to get straight to the roots!), cleaned out glass near-gallon jars for water storage…

5. Cook something/Eat the Food: baked bread (from old beer and fresh herbs!), baked banana bread/muffins from super-sale (and freegan) bananas, tried Jerusalem Artichokes (will try a few more times before I give my opinion), made beans again...

6. Manage your reserves: Cleaning out the pantry definitely helped with managing reserves, found flour and rice that needs used before we start with the newer stuff!

7. Work on local food systems: We tried to go to the Farmer’s Market, I swore the website said the first Saturday in May was the start date, but apparently, it’s the last Saturday in May. We also went to the Master Gardener’s Plant sale and picked up some very lovely plants! Talked with kids who weren’t there last week about the garden that was planted, and we checked on our seeds – the flowers my group planted are up (marigolds and others), we sampled the spearmint that is attempting to take over the bed, and talked about where food comes from (Doritos are from corn, etc.)

8. Reduce Waste: remembered bags for shopping, purchased a reusable tumbler for B’s iced mochas, hopefully he will be able to keep track of and clean it!

9. Learned a skill: still (slowly) working on Spanish. Learned and practiced making tortillas on our new (wooden – very cute!) tortilla press!

Independence Day #1

2009-05-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are new to the Independence Days Challenge, check it out here. Below are descriptions from Sharon's blog from last year, beneath each category is my current response.

1. Plant something. Obviously, those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere and having spring are doing this anyway. But the idea that you should plant all week and all year is a good reminder to those of us who sometimes don’t get our fall gardens or our succession plantings done regularly. Remember, that beet you harvested left a space - maybe for the next one to get bigger, but maybe for a bit of arugula or a fall crop of peas, or a cover crop to enrich the soil. Independence is the bounty of a single seed that creates an abundance of zucchini, and enough seeds to plant your own garden and your neighbor’s.

Plant something: Cucumber and melons (under cover), kale, arugla (sp), soy beans, beets, carrots, parsnips, transplanted (in greenhouse) tomatoes, eggplant, peppers (hot and sweet), already had planted (so I remember what all I’ve got going) potatoes, garlic, shallots, lentils (they are up!!!), peas, dill, herbs, and I’m sure I’m missing some…

2. Harvest something. From the very first nettles and dandelions to the last leeks and parsnips I drag out of the frozen ground, harvest something from the garden or the wild every day you can. I can’t think of a better way to be aware of the bounty around you to realize that there’s something - even if it is dandelions for tea or wild garlic for a salad - to be had every single day. Independence is really appreciating and using the bounty that we have.

Harvest something: green onions, oregano

3. Preserve something. Sometimes this will be a big project, but it doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t take long to slice a couple of tomatoes and set them on a screen in the sun, or to hang up a bunch of sage for winter. And it adds up fast. The time you spend now is time you don’t have to spend hauling to the store and cooking later. Independence is eating our own, and cutting the ties we have to agribusiness.

Preserve something: nothing new, working on vanilla extract.

4. Prep something. Hit a yard sale and pick up an extra blanket. Purchase some extra legumes and oatmeal. Sort out and inventory your pantry. Make a list of tools you need. Find a way to give what you don’t need to someone who does. Fix your bike. Fill that old soda bottle with water with a couple of drops of bleach in it. Plan for next year’s edible landscaping. Make back-road directions to your place and send it to family in case they ever need to come to you - or make ‘em for yourself for where you might have to go. Clean, mend, declutter, learn a new skill. Independence is being ready for whatever comes.

Preparation and Storage: “tested” car kit - made necessary additions, need to return it to the car… I’ll do that when I’m done here. Worked on menu planning/determining how much of what to plant, didn’t get far.

5. Cook something. Try and new recipe, or an old one with a new ingredient. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with all that stuff you are growing or making. So experiment now. Can you make a whole meal in your solar oven? How are stir-fried pea shoots? Stuffed squash blossoms? Wild morels in pasta? Independence is being able to eat and enjoy what is given to us. AND 6. Manage your reserves. Check those apples and take out the ones starting to go bad and make sauce with it. Label those cans. Clean out the freezer. Ration the pickles, so you’ll have enough to last to next season. Use up those lentils before you take the next ones out of the bag. Find some use for that can of whatever it is that’s been in the pantry forever. Sort out what you can donate, and give it to the food pantry. Make sure the squash are holding out. Independence means not wasting the bounty we have.

Eat the Food - made beans (vice opening a can of ‘em), cleaned out the fridge, insisted on leftovers versus cooking again, made “Jordan Surprise,” a family dish with a very precise recipe: use what’s in the fridge/pantry that needs used, and make it taste halfway decent. Got water to over 180 degrees in less than one hour in solar oven.

7. Work on local food systems. This could be as simple as buying something you don’t grow or make from a local grower, or finding a new local source. It could be as complex as starting a coop or a farmer’s market, creating a CSA or a bulk store. You might give seeds or plants or divisions to a neighbor, or solicit donations for your food pantry. Maybe you’ll start a guerilla garden or help a homeschool coop incubate some chicks. Maybe you’ll invite people over to your garden, or your neighbors in for a homegrown meal, or sing the praises of your local CSA. Maybe you can get your town to plant fruit or nut producing street trees or get a manual water pump or a garden put in at your local school. Whatever it is, our Independence days come when our neighbors and the people we love are food secure too.

Build Community Food Systems - Planted edible flowers and vegetables with local kids in raised beds at their apartment complex, we discussed how plants grow, what’s important for growth, and why we should grow even just a few of our own. This is an ongoing project I’m working on, a community garden (and one set of raised beds) run by the kiddos (K-10) that live in the apartment complexes (that are specifically for families who earn a significant part of their income from “migrant” labor), if anyone has any ideas, links, or suggestions, please let me know (comment on my blog… wherever you feel inclined)…

8. Reduce Waste

Reduce Waste: researched how to compost citrus (slowly, small amount at a time, or wait until they are rotten) and set aside a specific place for citrus composting (we found a 3lb. bag of organic lemons for $1 at a local bargain store)

9. Learned a skill:

See previous comment about composting citrus peels/rinds.

More Plant Pics

2009-04-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Broccoli

Strawberries

And my new clothesline!

Spring in the Greenhouse

2009-04-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the peas aren't exactly IN the greenhouse, but aren't they pretty?! Now, to keep the bunnies (and a certain black dog) away!

The herb corner - two kinds of lavender (the second kind is not in the picture), oregano, sage, rosemary, parsley (2nd year... kinda sad looking, but doing well!) and mint!

--Erika

Cooking With Clara

2009-02-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

B and I just finished a FANTASTIC lunch - egg drop soup. Not only was it fast, delicious, and simple, but it was also very inexpensive. I made it after watching Clara's cooking videos on You Tube. The only change I made to her egg drop soup was the addition of frozen mixed vegetables and a few less eggs!

Now THAT is a soup I could eat daily!

--Erika

Crunchy's Challenge

2009-01-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

Results of Buy Nothing Day

2008-11-28T21:31:00.000-08:00

I admit it, I made a purchase today. I don't necessarily consider it something that I would "ban" for "Buy Nothing Day," but, obviously, I did buy SOMETHING, so I didn't buy "nothing." What, exactly, did I buy? A "for here half-decaf grande americano" and a "for here grande soy light abuelita mocha." B and I went to Ristretto this afternoon, enjoyed our coffee, talked, read, I knitted and tried to finish a killer sodoku puzzle. It's a local business that serves local and organic products, it's very close to our house, and what I purchased was, technically, food.

--Erika

Football and Acorn Squash

2008-11-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

Reason number 43, "Why Erika NEEDS a Root Cellar:" B and I decided to move our squash (acorn, sugar pumpkin, and zucchini) to another location in our house (where our current "cellar" is... more like our current place to store things that should be stored in a cellar). We ended up tossing some fantastically large acorn squash across our living/dining room... Seriously, some of the squash were bigger than footballs! The two pictured below, with a U.S. quarter, spent another 4 weeks on the vine!

--Erika

New Header and Making Butter

2008-11-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

I was getting kinda frustrated, seeing a big sunflower as my blog's header, given that it's November... so the new header is the chicken coop at my grandmother's place. :-)

So, on to making butter. I use a mason jar with a "recycled" lid (a.k.a. a lid that's already been used for canning) and heavy cream from Gold en Glen Creamery (Bow, WA) or Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy (Lynden, WA). A pint of cream fits well in a quart jar, since you need plenty of room for agitation.
Next step... SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE.... Your next product will be whipping cream (if you want to stop here, you should add vanilla extract and sugar before you shake).
Keep shaking... and you will feel the butter and buttermilk separate.I didn't continue taking pictures, 'cause my hands were messy... and I really do try to keep my camera clean... but drain the buttermilk and rinse the cheese in cool water until it runs clear, then do it some more. Salt it if you want, and store in the fridge. :-)

--Erika

Buy Nothing Day

2008-11-20T23:26:00.000-08:00

Check out here for more information.

--Erika

Animal Rights... a response to Crunchy Chicken...

2008-11-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

In response to Crunchy Chicken's "The Future of Fur" post:

I grew up on a mink farm. We raised mink for pelts. I think that, for the most part, fur is an acceptable FUNCTIONAL part of a wardrobe (note, that says functional, not fashionable). I would hope that the animals that end up covering us would be raised as they would have been if they were born wild. I also think that folks that try to "convince" you to quit wearing fur by spray-painting it (happened to a relative), dousing you in flour, "blood," or simply call you names need to learn more effective ways of changing the minds of others.

That said, if my family were still farming, I might not be as okay with it as I was.

Our mink were very healthy (they were more important to my grandpa than his own well being), fed a diet that did resemble what they might eat in the wild, just not in the same form (it was mixed/ground up), they had the opportunity to socialize with their neighbors, but often attacked each other (then screens were put up immediately) - mink are not social animals, and the only hand humans had in their breeding was making sure a male and female were together at the right time. When pelting time came, experienced adults (and a few of their willing kids) worked together at our farm to get through the process. **warning, moderately graphic** When the technology came about, a carbon monoxide tank was attached to a large box and mink were added one at a time, and before that, their necks were broken quickly, by hand - by my grandpa's or my dad's hands, both men sincerely cared for the animals and hated the thought of their suffering. **end of graphic section**

Growing up in that environment, helping with pelting, vaccinating, feeding, etc., I learned about animal husbandry, science, ethics, the cycle of life, and about dealing with "enemies." I would never trade my experience in childhood for anything else.

When my grandfather was told he had to have major surgery, he decided to sell half of his mink - his breeding stock, and pelt the rest in the upcoming season. An animal rights group came out a few months later, set thousands of mink "free," poured fuel along our entire fence line, and tried to start it all on fire (thus "freeing" the mink into a flaming ring). Our dog scared them away, and my family and our friends spent a week rounding up the mink that were "freed," finding hundreds had actually been killed (they have never learned to eat in the wild - and there was no food source for them, since they were fenced in to prevent any loose animals from being killed on nearby roads, of from decimating the local wildlife populations). The animal rights organization claimed victory in December of that year - saying that their act caused us to go out of business.

So, what do I think about wearing fur? I don't wear fur because I don't want to risk being spray painted, floured, covered in "blood," or attacked by anyone. My shoes are leather and we have some leather in our furniture. I'm glad that we have the option, but I would much rather wear fur/leather that comes from "happy" animals than from miserable, stressed animals.

--Erika

Writing...

2008-11-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

Beware, what follows is a rant.

When you decide that you want to publish something on the world wide web, please, please, please ensure the following:
1. You have used appropriate English grammar when writing in English - this includes capitalization, punctuation, appropriate tenses, adjectives for nouns, adverbs for verbs, etc.
2. You spell words correctly and only use appropriate abbreviations (see below)
3. You read what you wrote before you publish it
4. During your re-read, you catch and fix any errors you find
5. Do not disable commenting if you are just tired of hearing about how poor your writing is - FIX IT!

Appropriate Abbreviations
1. Anything found in the dictionary
2. Internet shorthand - e.g. LOL (laughing out loud), POS (parents over shoulder), BRB (be right back), BTW (by the way)etc.
3. Note that errors in spelling are NOT abbreviations: "cuz" should only be used when writing a quote of how your cousin greeted you - "My cousin, Joe, walked up and said, 'Hey, cuz, howzit goin'?'" "Ur" is a city in Iraq, not any form of "you are." "Im" is a giant in Norse Mythology - not any way to say "I am." "B4" is a vitamin, adenine, not the way we tell someone that something happened prior to something else. I could continue with the examples, but I'm just making myself mad.

I am a horrible speller, and if I can learn to use spellcheck (hint - firefox has it as a part of its browser functions!) and a dictionary, you can too!

--Erika

Pay Attention

2008-10-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you take pictures of your dog, with the flash on, without realizing that it's set on night time mode...
That would be Jessi, eating peanut butter...

--Erika

About Baking Bread

2008-10-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

I've been told many things about baking and cooking by some wonderful people throughout my life. What I have always considered to be the "cardinal rule of the kitchen" was repeated many times by both my grandmothers, my aunt (a WONDERFUL cook and baker), and several others: "When you bake, follow the recipe, especially with breads and cakes; when you cook, follow the recipe of your tongue."

Well, I baked some bread tonight. You read correctly - I BAKED some bread. Without a recipe. I didn't even measure what I used. I won't ever have this exact same loaf again. I broke the cardinal rule of the kitchen - I didn't follow, let alone use, a recipe.

So, what do you think happened? I made a flop, it didn't rise and came out of the oven looking like a pancake and slightly softer than a slab of concrete? I made a horrible tasting, foul textured, pathetic looking loaf of inedible wheat product? No. It's the best freaking loaf of bread I've ever made.

So, here's what I did:

I decided I wanted to make some bread, but didn't find a recipe in one of my three bread books that I wanted to use, so I decided to wing it.
I dumped some yeast in my favorite bowl (it's ever-so-lightly tinted green, it has a dime sized chip in the rim, but it's dishwasher safe, it's got character, and it's glass...).
Then I put some water in the microwave.
I found our emptiest container of honey (apricot... mmmm.....), stirred it, and mixed a dollop of it in with the yeast. I then grumbled about being stupid and using the spoon to mix - now I can't lick the spoon. Phooey.
I stuck my finger in the nuked water - too hot, so I poured it back and forth with a bit of cool water in a glass... stuck my finger in again... not bad...
Dropped in some water, stirred, more water, more stirring... maybe a splash more water....
After a few minutes, I wasn't seeing many bubbles (perhaps it is because our house hovers around 60 degrees, perhaps the water wasn't warm enough), so I added some (re-nuked) hot water. Nice bubbles...
I added a bit of gluten flour and a bunch of whole wheat flour to my sifter and sifted it into the pretty bowl. Mix, mix, mix.
Kneaded forever. Kept adding flour to sticky dough.
Oiled pretty bowl... made dough into a pretty circle-y shape to set in pretty bowl.
Made sure that dough was covered in oil (put in top side first, then flip)
Let it rise for a while... I literally have NO idea how long. It was a little more than doubled.
I then realized I'd forgotten to add salt and flax seeds to the dough... so I kneaded them into the risen, oily dough. Kept kneading....
Let it rise again... and yet again, no idea how long that took.
Realized I was planning on using a loaf pan, I punched down the dough and made it fit in my pretty, little, oiled, glass loaf pan.
Let the dough rise again. You really expect me to have looked at a clock? No go... sorry.
Turned oven onto 350 ('cause that's what it comes on to when you hit "bake").
A few minutes later, I put the loaf in and left it for a while...
When it started smelling really good, I looked at it... it was a pretty color, so I stuck a chopstick in the middle - no sticky dough...
All done!
Removed from pan, sliced, ate, blogged, forgot about using subjects in sentences, etc.

There you have it. My best, favorite, yummiest bread non-recipe.

Enjoy.

--Erika

Cleaning

2008-10-12T16:56:00.001-07:00

So, Crunchy Chicken recently posted a piece about combating mold; just last night, I was at work debating: Do I use the nasty chemical cleaner and wash my hands well after, OR do I use a pair of disposable, plastic gloves (that fall apart w/use of cleaner) or two to do the job? What do you think? Take the poll, leave a comment, and check out the nifty options for combating mold that Crunchy et al. are talking about.

--Erika

Apples

2008-09-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, B and I brought back apples from my grandma's trees. We filled a bushel basket and about half of a VERY large bag (we're guessing 1/2 a bushel). Today, I made the 1/2 bushel into 7 pints of each apple juice and apple sauce, with enough apple sauce left over for B and I to both have a bowl full! There's also six half-pints and one quarter-pint of apple chutney in the water bath right now (I just guessed that I'd need a double batch to minimally fill the canner - the recipe I used did not give a yield). Tomorrow should be full of apple butter, apple pie filling, and more apple sauce.

--Erika

Read Me

2008-09-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

Plastic Ocean: Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic... Are We, by Susan Casey

--Erika

New Header

2008-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

So, the picture above (the giant sunflower), is my miracle sunflower. I pulled this guy out and threw him (or her) on the compost pile. A week later, it was growing, so I planted it, not expecting it to live. It was the first to bloom, and looks just as great as the others growing alongside it.

--Erika

That Darling Dog

2008-09-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Jessi Marie Wigglesnort Queen III is a royal pain in the arse sometimes. For example, the neighbors are fixing up the outside of their house (new siding, replacing windows, painting, etc.). Apparently, Ms. JMWQIII doesn't agree with their choice of hired hands, so she barks. And barks. And barks. What's worse - one of the "hired hands" is one of our other neighbors. I'm trying to teach her to only bark when someone is of a real threat (a.k.a. in our yard, trying to get into our yard, not just someone in the neighbor's yard...), but that's not working out too well.

Ms. JMWQIII is currently serving time in her crate for barking... for the fifth time today - and she's only been up since 9:45! (less than 3 hours!) I guess I should go let her out and see if she's figured out that barking at the painter = "go home" (her command to go into her crate) and no play time.

Darling... adorable... Jessi.

Baking Bread and Blogging

2008-08-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

While my bread is rising, I thought I'd blog a bit... but I'm a little nervous. My bread has risen quite a bit and it's only been twenty five minutes (of an hour):
An update of the final product is forthcoming.

Update: The bread fell just before going into the oven, and, therefore, a picture will not be posted. :-)

--Erika

Zucchini Relish

2008-08-27T23:45:00.000-07:00

My first iMovie on my mac! It's me, making zucchini relish. The video looks pretty good on DVD format, but when formatted for the web, it's hard to read the subtitles (if you can make the display bigger, you can make them out). Another warning, this is just how I make zucchini relish - use a tested and USDA approved method for your home canning. The recipe I used came from The Zucchini Cookbook by Paula Simmons.

Happy Canning...

--Erika

The End of Things...

2008-08-06T21:25:00.001-07:00

Things that have ended for me in the last two months (in no particular order):
1. The post-bac elementary education program - I was sick the last day :-( but it's over! I'm done, my teaching certificate will be in the mail when grades are in for the quarter!
2. My grandfather passed away on 25 June. Read his obituary here. What a horrible disease, Alzheimer's, the thought of it actually makes me angry. There was so much more to his life than what he suffered through in the last several years.
3. If #1 is true, I'm officially unemployed. (Yes, Dad, I'm looking for a job.)
4. Again, if #1 is true, I'm done with a gnarly commute. Riding the bus and carpooling certainly had their benefits, but I'd much rather not have to do either (translation - I want to walk or bike to work - meaning work needs to be closer!)
5. My physical addiction to coffee. Yes, this has a lot to do with #1, however, since I was sick on the last day of school, and my last coffee was the day before - Wednesday, by Friday, I was going through serious withdrawals (I talk like I was on something other than caffeine...). Poor B. He put up with so much of my sniveling! 'I have a headache, but I can't take anything!' 'I'm hungry, but I don't want to eat,' 'Don't touch me; will you rub my shoulders; leave me alone; I need a hug...' What a trooper.
6. The one I've been putting off - the end of my excuses for not blogging.

Caffeine Addict...

2008-07-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

(The click count for this: 269 clicks in 30 seconds - nearly nine clicks per second!)

Independence Day News...

2008-07-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

Not that there is anything special about my news today... it's just news. Headline: the MacBook I've been jonesing for, for months finally materialized today! In other news: THREE DAY WEEKEND!!! Booring middle story: The most pressing homework I have for this weekend is to draw something with the theme of "Zebra and Shoes" for my art class... Sad news: For those that haven't heard yet, my grandfather passed away last week. Closing news: Jessi Marie is becoming a pansy. She's never been afraid of thunder or fireworks, and last night, I had to give her "pet rescue remedy" 'cause of the thunder and fireworks. Note: do NOT give Mrs. Wigglesnort the full dose of "pet rescue remedy" unless you are prepared to CARRY her everywhere - I've never seen a drunk dog, but watching her last night... makes it nary a stretch to imagine one.

--Erika

P.S. I've been waiting to say this: made on a mac

:-)

Procrastination

2008-06-09T23:21:00.001-07:00

For those of you that don't know me... I'm a procrastinator by nature, and sometimes it gets the best of me. I've been putting off blogging again because I had other things to do... like sleep, feed the dog, laugh at the videos of my kiddos, drink coffee, slam my finger in a car door and keep the screaming tirade that follows G-rated, and many other things.

So, why now, you ask? I'm sitting in a dungeon with four other souls, all of us staring at the large, bright screens that fill the mac lab on campus. Carrie and I are working on a video for our kiddos... but we can only work one at a time. But, Erika, you have so many other things you could be doing, other than blogging right now! Yes, dear reader, you're right - but what uses less of my brain, cleaning out my notebook and organizing it, or typing a scattered and potentially embarrassing blog post?

Well, just so the whole two of you that read my blog are clear, I will try to continue posting on a regular basis. My definition of regular: more frequent than I wash my hair, less frequent than I change my underwear (HA, it rhymes!).

This, dear readers, is why you don't blog at 11:28 pm.

--Erika

P.S. The Giant Crack Bird was back this weekend!

Erika's OTHER Random Link of the Week

2008-03-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Crunchy Chicken's latest project. Check it out!

Link of the week...

2008-03-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is a great place to find local food!

I've just finished reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. Mr. Pollan defines several items that make up what we should eat. Food, as it turns out, isn't quite the same as it used to be (duh!), so he makes the suggestion to eat only things your great-grandmother would recognize as "food." He expands on this by defining where you might find this in a grocery store (outside rim versus the inner isles), and then expanding to mention that maybe, just maybe, instead of including a middle man, we should just go see the farmer to get our food.

This is where Erika's Random Link of the Week comes in. Local Harvest, in their own words, "...allows consumers all over the country to search for local farmers' markets, community supported agriculture farms, U-pick farms and farm stands, and to view an extensive listing for each market or farm that matches their search criteria." The only problem I've had with the website, isn't really even with the website. It's the fact that some of the farms haven't updated their information. My goal, this week, is to find a few, local, CSAs.

Happy surfing.

--Erika

Earth Hour 2008

2008-03-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday 29 March 2008
8:00 to 9:00 PM

Who: EVERYONE
What: Turn off your lights (better yet, also turn off the TV, computer, radio, etc., unplug appliances, turn off the heat/AC, stay out of your car, etc.)
When: See above
Where: EVERYWHERE
Why: A symbolic stand against global warming
More info? Check it out here.

Dusting Off All the Cobwebs!

2008-03-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

So, I'm back... I'm not too sure where I went, but nonetheless, I'm back.

Here's this week's link of the week... and hopefully it can stand for the ones I've missed.

--Erika

A very late... or early... Link of the week.......

2008-02-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Anyone ever wonder why some people have problems with air fresheners???

'nuf said. (Here's the link to the actual study. This is where I first saw this report.)

--Erika

Link ob da week.......

2008-02-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

Track the flu from your very own couch.

Bad Erika Blogger... Three Links and No REAL Posts!

2008-02-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

It SNOWED on my birthday! Yea for me! Granted, I had to drive in it more than play in it, but I did get to dance in it and catch snowflakes on my tongue!

I'm really at a loss as to what else to say. My life currently revolves around homework, preparing for classes, quelling my urge to bake/experiment/otherwise mess up the kitchen, and sleep. In other news, I really need to get some more plain yogurt for Jessi Marie, or have B get it - it REALLY helps with, um... puppy gas. One spoonful every time she is fed makes a HUGE difference in the nastiness of the odor she emits. I think it might reduce the quantity, but I won't make any crazy claims here.

I think that'll do it for now.

--Erika

Link of the Week

2008-02-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

Not having a whole lot of time... here's this week's link of the week.

--Erika

Link o' LAST Week..........

2008-01-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

I know I have this link in my blogroll, but I can't help but add it to my link of the week list as well. Sharon is very articulate... I envy her writing skills.

I'm totally not supposed to be doing this right now; I'm in class. :-)

--Erika

Link of the Week

2008-01-20T23:51:00.000-08:00

Do you trust the government? I don't.

Certain folks say I'm becoming militant. I disagree. How do you act when your health and safety is in question? Okay, maybe I agree - I am becoming militant, but I think it's healthy. :-)

On a brighter note, Mrs. Wigglesnort got to play with Mr. Baby K (Kalani) this weekend, and both of them are passed out under my feet as I type this.

--Erika

Spoiled or Neglected Puppy?

2008-01-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

I'll try to be nice about this, but there's really no way around it. The Friday evening conversation went something very much like this:
E: "B, Are you going to Costco this weekend?"
B: "Hadn't planned on it."
E: "Mrs. Wigglesnort needs food."
B: "I'll get there sometime this week."
E: "She won't make it beyond Monday's dinner."
B: "YEAH, fine, I'll get her food, now leave me alone."
E: "I can go tomorrow on the way home from my test."
B: "NO.... I'll get it."
E: "Are you sure?"
B: "What did I say? I'll get her food, okay!"
E: "Thanks, remember she needs it by Monday night."
B: "Got it."

Fast forward to Monday night (tonight):
E: "Did you go to Costco?"
B: "WHY would I have gone to Costco?"
E: "To get Jessi food. She doesn't have enough for breakfast."
B: "Why didn't you tell me?"
E: "I did. You said you'd get it."
B: "You're imagining things. Give her some lunch meat or something."
E: "Where is it?"
B: "IN THE FRIDGE, where else would you put it?"
E: "I don't know, I don't eat it."
B: "This fridge is way too full, you should clean it out."
E: "Are you going to remember to get Jessi some dog food tomorrow? She doesn't even have enough for dinner tonight."
B: "Yeah, whatever." (walks away)

So... this is what Jessi had for dinner tonight:So, what do you think, spoiled or neglected?

--Erika

Erika's Random Link of the Week

2008-01-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

This week we have a departure from green links. This week's link is to a VERY COOL teaching resource for Language Arts! Ever wonder where the apostrophe goes? Ever wonder what kind of grammar you "learned" but forgot? Just check here!

-Erika

Just for You!

2008-01-09T00:16:00.000-08:00

I have always been petrified of ending up with crazy-psycho-nut case-in-laws. I was more nervous meeting B's parents than I was meeting him (a very long story) - just because of my fear of said in-laws. For all I knew, his mom could be like Jane Fonda in Monster in Law. Or his dad could be just plain nuts - the should-be-strapped-down-to-a-table-&-have-electroshock-therapy kind of NUTS. Thankfully, my in-laws aren't crazy. They do some weird things, but no where near the "crazy-psycho-nut case-in-laws" I'm afraid of.

One of the things they do that I find extremely odd (which really isn't THAT odd), is that their visits to cemeteries are more frequent than my bi-monthly water bill. My mother-in-law and I have frequent "discussions" about how disgusting and creepy I find their little habit to be - I think she really enjoys watching me squirm at the thought of cemeteries at night. I really mean NO disrespect to those whom they are visiting (or anyone else), but I just find frequent visits to cemeteries pretty creepy. Don't even get me started on my reaction when my in-laws told B and me that they had purchased cemetery plots for themselves already.

I just had to laugh when I came across this post over at Crunchy Chicken's place. Well said!

--Erika

P.S. This post is dedicated to my mother-in-law :-) (For those of you wondering why - I refer you back to the second sentence in the second paragraph above...)

So, B and I Watched An Inconvenient Truth...

2008-01-05T22:56:00.001-08:00

I have always loved driving manual transmission vehicles. I don't really know why. I do know that they tend to have slightly better fuel economy. What I recently learned here, is that my manual transmission vehicle (versus the same car, but with an automatic transmission) reduces my CO2 output TEN PERCENT! TEN PERCENT! If I switched to a Prius, my CO2 output would decrease by 41%!!!!

So, Erika's Random Link of the Week is this. It's the companion site to An Inconvenient Truth. I will admit something... For a guy with a lousy, no-good, make-me-want-to-wash-my-hands-in-bleach handshake, Al Gore presents a pretty water-tight case.

Check out my "Ya' Gotta Watch This" section. I have never been as disgusted as I was watching the link to a certain animal rights organization's video about where meat comes from. Unfortunately, the same story is corroborated in several other places. On a happy note... Places like this treat their animals appropriately and sell very nummy milk, cheese, and butter!

--Erika

Eat...

2008-01-03T04:23:00.000-08:00

I have been spending a lot of time thinking, learning, practicing, and otherwise contemplating the process of eating. Let me clarify; I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, he talks about where our food really comes from, and what processes it goes through before we unconsciously chow down. I've been thinking about what I choose to eat (my anti-resolution-resolution is no more high fructose corn syrup (or high maltose corn syrup for that matter) in anything I purchase), where it comes from, how it's produced, what I do that takes a plant from the ground into my mouth, etc. Tonight, I came upon an amazing and articulate post over at Casaubon's Book. She really articulated the thoughts I have on cooking, I am certainly not one of those people who would go hungry if I were given dried beans and no instructions, and I am definitely adventurous when it comes to making substitutions, but I'm not nearly as fluent in "food" as she discusses (and is). Quit reading my blog, and go read hers!

--Erika

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Last night, we watched "New Years at the Needle..." I believe Seattle will be the laughing stock of the world until "we" can redeem ourselves with a spectacular fireworks display. Check out the article and video at KING5.

I'm not sure if it's writer's block, or if I'm just not inspired; but whatever it is, it's going away... Coming up will be posts including my reading list, thoughts on New Years' Resolutions, and of course, more "Random Link of the Week" websites to peruse!

--Erika

Link of the Week

2007-12-30T23:36:00.000-08:00

Click here.

'nuf said.

-Erika

Erika's Random Link of the Week (sorry it's late)

2007-12-27T01:10:00.000-08:00

Persistent Vegetarian State

NO, it's not a mental disorder... it's a great site with some nummy recipes (and, as B would call it, some "propaganda" thrown in on the side).

I'm still recovering from holiday madness... check back in a few days...

--Erika

Erika's Random Link of the Week II

2007-12-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

I really struggled finding this week's link. I've decided on this site. I personally like things like their "How to hack a toilet for free water" and the comments/debates that follow. B was taken by this lovely parlor trick.

I've just been instructed to go do something else so he can look at this week's Random Link of the Week!

--Erika

Shopping...

2007-12-15T23:59:00.000-08:00

So B and I started and finished our shopping for Christmas today. I'm proud that we're done, and most of the things we got for folks didn't make me cringe. B commented that some people would be SO fun to buy for - the folks who love the tacky decorations all over - but we don't really know anyone like that. Good thing too, 'cause that would make me cringe.

Princess Goopy Eye (A.K.A. Mrs. Wigglesnort) appeared to have had a problem remaining on her four paws today. She nudged me when she came in the door when we got home. I looked down on my leg where she had plowed into me and saw a large brownish splotch. It wasn't the same color as the mud she gets into, so I was immediately suspicious. One sniff confirmed it - I'd been poopified! YUCK! I was just glad it was B's turn to bathe her. On a side note, she smells REALLY good now!

I also did some math tonight. Did you know that for every minute I am in class next quarter (440 minutes per day, 2 days per week, 2 of those days are holidays, which makes 17 days) My tuition works out to 55 cents PER MINUTE?! I want to know where it all goes! (Try it - $4,101 for the quarter)

On to happier things... I've updated my wish list... again! Maybe I'll go work on that some more before I go to bed...

--Erika

Finals Week, etc.

2007-12-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Finals week for Fall 2007 is here... ACK. I have a big project for my science class that was half done, then I decided to change the topic yesterday. All I have left to do are add some goals and make it look pretty! I think (hope), everything else is pretty much done.

As for Mrs. Wigglesnort, her new nickname, Princess Goopeyeye, is starting to fit once more. It's not nearly as bad as before Dr. C. flushed out her eyes, but it's certainly not normal. She doesn't seem to mind. She's been busy chewing off the box that B and his dad built to cover a faucet (they knew she'd eat up the Styrofoam kind), chewing up anything else we leave out in HER backyard. After the storm (the one that flooded most of the South Sound), the weather guys said it was not windy, and about twenty minutes later, her kennel blew over. She seems to think this is great - we can't put her up!

In other news, the Christmas Tree is up. It's a pre-lit tree, which basically is a sales ploy. "We've already put the lights on here, so you don't have to!" That really means that they've put green wires on a green tree and marked them with green print on green paper to tell you where they go. So far, only the bottom 1/5 of the tree is lit.

That's a lot of writing. Time for a *new* feature!!! Erika's Random Link of the Week! This week's link is in tribute to all those people who think "OH, CRAP, Erika's a vegetarian psychopath, isn't she!" Granted, I'm not a vegan, but this blog is worth the recognition. "What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway" is this week's Random Link of the Week! It features pictures and recipes of daily eats of a couple of vegans!

Maybe my link of the week will turn into something more frequent, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

--Erika

Giant Crack Bird

2007-12-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

So, B keeps on telling everyone that there's a giant bird on crack (known by the name of Giant Crack Bird) that comes to squak in our tree. Nobody other than B has ever seen it.
Until today. It came to our tree this morning! We've decided, based on this article and my dad's description, that it's probably a raven. I'm still calling it Giant Crack Bird. Oh, turn up your sound!

Here's the second video. A crow comes to join GCB, but you can't really tell the size difference on the video.:

... and a pic of Giant Crack Bird:

Enough on GCB.

B's wish list will be posted here soon. :-)

--Erika

Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

I actually left the house this weekend... I really didn't want to, I hate fighting traffic and seeing people go crazy over consumerism. If I was up to speed on things, I would have posted something about "Buy Nothing Day" before Thanksgiving. My redemption in this is that I went to a coffee shop (Ristretto Cafe) to do homework. If you get a chance to try their Abuleta Mocha - you've gotta! It's more than delicious!

I wish I had something else to say right now. I bet you'll never hear that from me again!

--Erika

Did Someone Forget To Take Their Daily Common Sense Today?!?!

2007-11-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

I know I complain about my coffee a LOT, but come on people:
I was running late this morning, so I hit the green mermaid's drive through (mmm... pumpkin spice latte...). At the ordering post, I engaged in the scripted greeting "I'm great; how are you?" The I placed my order: "I have my own cup, it's a 16 ounce."
"Okay, so what would you like in your personal grande cup?"
"A triple, soy, pumpkin spice latte, no whip."
"So that's a personal triple grande, soy, pumpkin spice latte with no whipped cream, right?"
"That's it."
"OK, with your personal cup discount, your total is (I don't remember), I'll take your cup at the window."
So I pulled up to the window and gave the blond girl in the green apron my cup. I watched as she poured a beverage from a paper cup (lined with non-recyclable plastic!) into my cup. At the end of the pour, the lovely pumpkin spice dribbled out, which she stopped pouring. At this point, my poor cup was full past the brim - surface tension was all that was keeping the substance together. The girl comes to the window, leans out, and hands me the over-full drink, spilling it down my arm.
"That's not really a grande cup, because I just poured a grande in it and it don't fit!"
With that, she turned around and shut the window behind her. I was frantically trying to get her attention, I just wanted a bar rag or something to clean up the 160 degree soy milk running down my arm. She finally sees me and grabs a GYNORMOUS handful of napkins, pushes aside a bar mop and shoves them on my arm, spilling more coffee on me. At this point, I grab a napkin, clean off my arm, grab the lid to my cup, and screw it on, spilling more coffee. I wiped it off and handed the sopping mass of napkins back to the giggling blond in the window.

I don't know how many people see what I saw in that... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

--Erika

Inferences

2007-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

I really don't remember being taught about inferences, but I now find my self learning how to teach and actually teaching how to make in inference. I was also talking with C and we are both amazed at what our 6th graders can and can not produce! The reports and papers we wrote in 4th and 5th grade appear way too hard for our kiddos, and the 4th grade "non example" of how to format a paper from J's school - we'd LOVE it if our kids would turn that in.

What has happened to expectations for school kids?!?!?

--Erika

B RECYCLES!!

2007-11-04T08:38:00.001-08:00

I've been hounding B to recycle what he can for a l-o-n-g time... and I *just* found out that he regularly pulls aluminium cans out of the trash at work and moves them to the recycle!
YEAH!

--Erika

Time Flies

2007-11-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for my posting two or three times a week. Since my last post I've been deep in mid-terms. I have a mid-term conference next week, but other than that, I think all the midterm projects are behind me. (yeah!) I'll take this time to brag on another great coffee shop!

Ristretto Coffee Lounge is located at the corner of College Way and Martin/Waugh Rd in Mount Vernon - east of Skagit Valley Community College. As of this posting, they're open M-F 5AM 'til 10 PM, Saturday from 6 'til 10, and Sundays 6 'til 8. With FREE WiFi (ask for the encryption code when you order your coffee), great semi-local coffee (49th parallel), and a relaxed environment, it's quickly becoming my second home - a welcome alternative to the green mermaid.

In other news, I've finished reading The Queen's Fool by Philipa Gregory. I've abandoned it a couple times, the beginning of the book makes it out to be in the "trashy-romance-novel" genre, but after getting past the first chapter, I was drawn into this wonderful historical fiction novel about a young Jewish girl who escaped the Spanish Inquisition by fleeing Spain, traveling across Europe, and finding herself in the court of England in the 1550's. Philipa Gregory's writing is inviting and vivid, painting wonderful pictures with each paragraph. Definitely an author I will revisit!

Another finished novel, Autumn Blue, by Karen Harter was wonderful! Autumn Blue is the story of a single mom with a teenage son and two younger girls. Her son finds himself on the wrong side of the law, and she finds herself struggling to see what to do next. The setting really drew me in, trying to decide for myself - where EXACTLY is Ham Bone, WA? This was Karen's second book, and when the time comes, I'll be off to find her first book, Where Mercy Flows!

I'm currently reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Both are marvelous so far. I actually chose to read them based on Crunchy Chicken's "book club."

I'm sure there's more news (I'm sure I need to post about Sequim), but I need to get back to homework!).

"Why the cow?" you ask, well, she's cute. Need I say more?

--Erika

Blog Action Day!!!!!

2007-10-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Link-O-Rama

http://breathingearth.net/ A world map that shows births, deaths, CO2 emissions, all by country and in "real time."

http://sca21.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Sustainable Community Action Wiki TONS of articles, links, etc.

http://imdb.com/keyword/environmental/ Documentary and other film reviews - not just on green flicks

http://www.wecanlivegreen.com/ Links galore on living green and tons of green listings.

http://www.green.tv/ Green TV. Need I say more?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_environmental_issues And you thought the only things crunchy folk cared about were fish, trees, and spotted owls!

HA!

2007-10-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Adorable, wishful photo found on No Impact Man's website:

Maybe I can teach Mrs. Wigglesnort to do that... Especially in light of B and my afternoon activities today - involving shovels and mountains of expensive, but now well processed, Jessi food. Well, I hate to admit it, but that was the highlight of my day. Off to do more... homework. Lovely.

--Erika

Great Coffee Place in Bellingham

2007-10-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

So, I "found" this GREAT, outstanding, wonderful, delicious coffee place in Bellingham last week. It's in downtown, just across from the far end of the bus station (1435 Railroad Ave.), Cafe Adagio. They also serve sandwiches, soups, and salads, but I haven't tried them - although they do look wonderful! There's tons of tables and chairs, a couple book cases full of things to read if you forgot your own, a lovely atmosphere, and to top it off - GREAT coffee - Italian style. Even their bathrooms are noteworthy - very neat and appropriately decorated, and cleaner than the world famous coffee chain's bathrooms.

So, next time you're in Bellingham, and want to have a delicious and beautiful espresso... you know the place!

I'm Obsessed With My DOG!

2007-10-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

This is an unretouched photo (I only rotated it) of Mrs. Wigglesnort.

Enjoy.

--Erika

Jessi Marie Wigglesnort Queen III

2007-09-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

Isn't she adorable!?!?! I know I'm a dork, but I had to share this adorable picture of JMWQIII. She was looking at me, and then she heard the wind blowing through the blinds....

--Erika

Wasting paper

2007-09-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

I know how to change printer margins, and I do it frequently, but I know there are a lot of people out there who just don't know/care how to fit more text on a page. I ran across this petition on another blog (I'll add it to the Blogs I frequent section)... it's an online petition to have Microsoft change their manufacturer default settings to .75" for margins.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/changethemarginsmicrosoft

Happy petitioning!

--Erika

It's Been a While...

2007-09-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

I just got home from the only coffee shop open past 7pm in this town. I only got about half of the homework I planned on getting done, done. [Edited for sanity.]

Okay, I should keep this civil. In other news, B has the last show of the year tomorrow. He spent most of the day today setting up. We also found out that Jessi Marie has been barking non-stop after I leave in the mornings. Poor neighbors.

Alright, back to the unending list of things I need to do... it never seems to get shorter, and because I don't have a "real" job, a certain someone keeps insisting I have time to do their share too. Wow... I thought I could stay civil, guess not.

--Erika

Placement!

2007-09-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Just another picture from my portfolio, just 'cause I can...

For all of you wondering how school's going... I've been placed! I'm in a 6th grade Language Arts classroom. The other two post-bac students were also placed in 6th grade - one in Language Arts (the other "team"), and the other on the same team I'm on, but in the Social Studies class (so we share the same students).

My challenge for myself for this week is to set some realistic and semi-concrete goals for how I want to use technology in "my" classroom. The team I'm on has expressed how thankful they are that they have two "techy" post-bacs in their classrooms, and they would like us to incorporate technology in their classrooms this year.

My first thoughts are iMovies, typing classes (mundane, I know, but some of these kids have NO typing skills), and blogs. I'll update my "realistic and semi-concrete" goals soon... :-)
--Erika

Thursday the 13th...

2007-09-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken back in 2004 while I was hiking at Mt. Baker. It's here simply because I'm having fun with high speed internet!

This was the last day in the fourth teacher's class I've been in at KMS. It would be a very tough decision if subject matter wasn't a factor. However, it will still be a difficult decision even considering there is only one teacher that is teaching science (no math teachers...).

Jessi Marie had to go to the vet today. Poor puppy woke up yesterday with TONS of eye goo, today, I had to hold a wet rag on her eye to help her open it. In addition to getting drugs for her eye, she also got her shots. Poor, Poor Puppy... Did I mention she gave B a hard time when he took her to the vet!? She wouldn't go in the door, didn't make B very happy.

Off to make dinner... joy... Oh, thanks again Mom for highspeed!

--Erika

It's FAST!

2007-09-10T23:10:00.001-07:00

I'm posting this picture just because I can. Previous pictures took more than 20 minutes to upload, this took less than 7 seconds! Thank you mom, for high speed internet!

I called B from the bus station today... and our cable modem came today! I was so excited the whole ride home... I talked to H and we planned on chatting at the "watering" hole at nine tonight... well, let's just say that B and my first experience with high speed was amazing... we were giggling like small children, completely unaware of the time. When H called at 8:58, I felt awful, but then she told me she wasn't there yet either.

Anyway, B and I had SO much fun on youtube.com, I really liked the pit bull video - explaining how pit bulls are what you make of them - if you treat them like any other dog, they'll be as sweet as can be, but if you abuse them and teach them to fight, they'll do just that - respond to abuse by fighting. If you know Mrs. Wigglesnort, you also may see glimpses of her in the pit bull video... something we should watch on the days when we doubt her make up. Anyway... check it out here.

In other news... I just started another book, Autumn Blue by Karen Harter. Heather is letting me borrow her copy (got it tonight). I read the first four pages (out loud), and after the first paragraph, I knew I'd be up all night reading it... I can already see myself standing at the kitchen sink, washing a cereal bowl, looking longingly out the window past the grasses behind the trailer...

I've gotta get back to one/some/all of the following: sleep, shower, book, youtube, homework, etc. :-)

--Erika

And It's Raining... Suprised?

2007-09-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

So, classes start tomorrow for the kids in BSD! Two days down, 180+ to go! I still haven't been assigned a teacher yet, but I'm not too concerned - it'll definitely be a 6th, 7th, or 8th grade class - which is SO much better than K-4! (I'm leaving 5 out, I still haven't formed a complete opinion of fifth graders yet.)

I think Jessi Marie knows that I'm going back to school and that today is just a holiday. She's been ultra cling-y and had a very sad look on her face most of the day. We have a foot stool in between a table and chair in the living room, which happens to be right in front of her "spot" where she sits with her chin on the window sill and looks out. So, today, instead of just going to the other side of the window - Jessi (the adorable 70 pound "lap dog") crawled UNDER the table to get around the stool. Now this table isn't very big - it could easily fit inside her crate or dog house, so you can imagine how bad Jessi wanted to look out *her* window...

I also baked Chocolate Zucchini Bread (see below) today. It isn't overly chocolate-y, which is what I was nervous about when baking such a loaf. The only complaint I have for this one is that it says to wait 20 minutes before removing the bread from the loaf pan - GOOD LUCK. unless you line your pans with parchment paper, removal is much easier said than done. Other than that, it's a wonderful sweet bread - not too crispy outside, still moist inside.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 ounce melted Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
2 t vanilla extract
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 c. grated zucchini

I mixed everything except the flour together, then sifted in the flour and mixed well. The batter seems a little runny, but don't worry! Grease 2 standard loaf pans (see my comment above) and preheat the oven to 355. Pour batter into the loaf pans and bake for an hour (or as needed for the toothpick test). Wait 20 minutes after removing loaves from oven before removing bread from pan.

I also made some great oatmeal raisin cookies too... I'll update with pictures and a recipe in a week or so when B and I FINALLY GET CABLE INTERNET!!! WOOHOO!!! (Thanks, Mom!)

--Erika

Back to School

2007-08-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

My last day of "summer." POOHEY! I've gotta meet K for carpool at six thirty in the morning - about three hours after my usual bed time. It's gonna be a LONG day! We'll have four days with our cooperating teachers, then the kiddos start school next week. I'm half excited and half terrified - the "2nd" graders I had this summer were cruel, so how cruel can 6th, 7th, and 8th graders be!?!?! In other news, Mrs. Wigglesnort is going to have a long day as well - I don't think she's been in her kennel with the door closed at all since summer quarter finished. I guess she'll have to get used to drinking out of a bowl instead of her faucet. HA!

I have about twenty hours of stuff I want to do, and I should be heading to bed in six or seven hours... so I should quit procrastinating and get to work.

What a Weekend!

2007-08-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

What a weekend, indeed! My plans were to go to O'town for a baby shower and come home... but... Friday, I went to school with M and helped set up her classroom, then we BBQ'd and the boys rode their quads at D's. Saturday morning I stopped by A's shower and then rode with G&M to Ocean Park! We came back Sunday, but had a WONDERFUL weekend!

I read somewhere that the definition of a boy is "a noise with dirt on it." Need I say more?

M and C...

Meadow and Nana LOVE the ocean!

--Erika

The Continuing Adventures of Actually Girl and Annoying Boy...

2007-08-21T01:55:00.003-07:00

B, Jessi, and I left Friday, just after four in the afternoon, for Oly. Needless to say, that wasn't my fastest trip down there. Friday night was poker night with Mom and J, Saturday's highlight was the family BBQ - and B's "keg..." Sunday was spent at yet another family BBQ. Welcome home to M and S!

So a little rant for ya'll... I was channel surfing (yet another reason why we should get rid of cable - what a waste of time!), and I happened upon Dr. 90210... some doc was getting rid of the breast tissue of a "female to male" transgendered patient. As the doc was closing his incisions, he said that the patient's nipple was too feminine (camera zooms in, but the image is blurred out), so he was going to take a slice out of it. Before the slice is even completely gone, the blurring goes away! So my question is this (let's just ignore the whole transgender issue for this one), when is a nipple "acceptable" or not? If it's a masculine looking one, it's okay, even though the biology says it's still a girl's nipple? And a girl's nipple is unacceptable because..... Oh, wait, they're a sexual item, so women need to keep them to themselves, especially in stores where skimpy and revealing lingere are sold, eventhough their baby is hungry and wants to be fed. Wait a minute... None of this makes sense?!?! I KNOW (can you taste the sarcasm yet?), We'll fix this one easy - Only SELL girl nipples at sex stores and have MEN breastfeed, that way they won't offend anyone when their little one is hungry in public.

Okay... I'm off my soapbox... HA!

Yesterday's concert...

2007-08-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

So, B and I went to the fair - in Lynden, WA - to see my FAVORITE band, Third Day, yesterday. They were awesome! There was a big tadoo about who was sitting in what row (good grief, can't we all just find a seat and sit?!), but other than that, a wonderful day at the fair!

As we were leaving, we decided to go through the dairy building one more time, hoping to find a nice cow to take a picture of for one of B's co-workers, but we didn't find one. We were about to leave when we passed a large pen where there was a new calf and his momma - and B didn't believe me when I told him the little guy had to have been born while we were in the concert. Another onlooker said he was about an hour old. We stood by and watched him take some first steps and look for momma's milk; which he finally found after trying her neck, legs, and chest.

More later - with pics!

--Erika

How big are two zucchini???

2007-08-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the two I grated and froze made FIFTEEN CUPS! Plus a whole load of seed. I'm going to try saving it for next year and sprouting it before the garden is planted, just incase it doesn't work...

As for other things I'd like to do to become more "green" (I'm starting to not like this term - kind of like "religious" - can't stand that term either). Every time I get in my car, I make sure I'm completely ready to go before I start it; oh, and I'm trying to make sure I take as few trips as possible. I think one big thing that could be classified as "green" is vegetarianism. It takes so many resources to make one pound of meat, and when you look at the differences between one pound of non-meat food versus one pound of meat food, you get more/variety of nutrients, more fiber, etc. and you don't contribute negatively to the environment as you would with the meat - plants don't make massive amounts of waste, and they don't require a secondary crop just to feed them. It's not that I'm against cows or chickens or anyone who eats them, I just think that it's a more environmentally sound choice to eat a (local/organic) vegetarian diet compared to eating a diet that includes meat. There is a whole other arena of organic/free range meat options that I won't even get into - 1. I don't know that much about them and 2. since I'm veg. I really am not in a position to make any sort of decision on it at this point.

Anyway... OOH - THIRD DAY CONCERT TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!

Green? Well, Trying...

2007-08-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

I guess I've always had a tendancy towards becoming green... I was one of those recycle nazis in elementary and middle school. Now, as an ::: gulp ::: adult, I have decided that I really do want to become more green and reduce my carbon footprint.

I've started with some small changes. All clothes are washed in cold water, and I'm currently using "Planet" detergent, and gathering the formulas and guts to make my own. I've also installed a clothesline! OOH, OOH, OOH, there it is in living color! At first B wasn't too keen on having his skivies out for the world to see. Once he realized that our tall fence guarded his unmentionables from neighbor's eyes, he was okay with it.

I also just bought my first bottle of "green" dish soap. We still have about 10 ounces left of the other stuff, but it doesn't work well and it stinks. As for dishwasher soap - we have more than a bucket left before we run out. Hopefully that will last 'till I get a real job.

I'm also trying to warm B up to the idea of using rain barrels. He likes the idea of a less expensive water bill, but his comment went something like "I don't want to have a gigantic blue tub dominating the backyard in all it's ugliness, come on!"

That's going to be it for this installment... I heard somewhere that I'm long winded and need to break it up a bit.

And a Sprint To the Finish...

2007-08-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

So, today I finished two classes - I had a presentation in Special Education, and finished the portfolio for it too. I also turned in the final exam for Psychology, we watched a great movie, "To Be and To Have," and had a great discussion on it. All I have left is to email a resource list to someone, draw a comic strip (wish me luck), and write about why I drew the comic strip.

YEAH!!!!

"Finals" week

2007-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

It's the last week of classes for this summer! YEAH!!!!

Brian spent the weekend with his buds on a road trip of sorts, so I had the house to my self... for the first few hours. Then the noises started, the ones that make you think someone is breaking in, shooting at you, or the house may just fall down. Yeah, I know, I'm pathetic. So, I convinced a friend of mine to come over so the boogey man wouldn't come get me (did I forget about my mean, mean, puppy???).

I did my first "official" lesson today - a read aloud of Big Rain Coming. I have no further comment. :-P

-Erika

What I've been up to...

2007-07-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

So, I've been up to my ears in projects lately, and my student webpage is just one of them... check out some of my new creations at http://myweb.students.wwu.edu/jordone/

-Erika

Projects, Tests, and Quizzes... OH MY!

2007-07-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

What a week. One day I feel completely on top of things, and twenty seconds later, I feel like the world is falling in on me! As wrong as it is, it is nice that everyone else feels the same way.

On our plates for this week: two or three presentations, several projects, two quizzes, and a test. And you wonder why I never email y'all!

Anyone out there want a black dog? She's house trained and can earn her keep by helping with her excavation business. We've run out of tolerance for her excavation business; probably because she keeps mixing up the sites where she's supposed to dig!

Back to class for me!

-Erika

An Inconvenient Truth: Mathematics

2007-07-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, I heard about this video on youtube.com, and I watched it. She has a decent premise; however, I just can't stand the argumentative stance she takes. Now, I know I'm in a very liberal teacher education program, and I'm all immersed in the constructivist approach to teaching math, but who does this lady think she is???

Oh, wait, she already told us, she is a meteorologist. She forecasts the weather. AND she's a TV personality, so she has what experience with children? Oh, didn't catch that. SO, if she thinks she can do a better job teaching math to Washington State's fifth graders, she needs to QUIT HER JOB "forecasting" the weather, go back to school and do what my colleagues and I are doing and THEN try to teach.

Then, let me review this, and after I've taught math. Then maybe I'll invite her to my classroom and see if she can manage to teach children to UNDERSTAND a concept that is foreign to them, such as being a self-righteous, holier-than-thou, uppity woman who thinks she can do every teacher's job better than they can.

Okay, I'm done. I'm not so sure of this whole constructivism thing yet, but from what I've tried, it really is easier, and I'll bet kids that are "fluent" in some of these "Everyday Math" ways of doing math can multiply her 26 times 31 in their head correctly, faster than she can on paper. If I ever did watch channel 13's news, I'd boycott it; but since I don't, I just won't ever switch to it.

I seem to have gotten myself into a profession that everyone thinks they can do, even though they have no qualifications or experience doing so. I don't have a problem with people making suggestions, but when people flat out tell someone in a profession (when they have only their experience in that profession as a recipient [student, patient, etc.] ) that they don't know what they are doing, that's just plain arrogance, and I can't stand it.

--Erika

Turning from the dark side...

2007-07-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd actually begin to PREFER using a mac over a PC. However, since our class started using macs for one of our classes, and I'm actually being "forced" to get used to it, I must admit, macs are growing on me.

Things I find myself looking for on my PC:

volume keys on the number pad

the dock

the open apple key

the "I don't crash" button

microphone

camera

the ability to multitask without needing saluted (see below)

Things I'd miss about a PC:

Right Click!

Boss is coming button (clear screen)

Three fingered salute

extra software

Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, what one are we on?????

slowness all around

So, there you have it - another "die-hard" PC user finally hoping to leave the dark side for a mac!

-Erika

P.S. I can't help but continue to brag about my adorable dog... Here's Jessi Marie trying to "get" the water coming from the hose spray nozzle.