Greenhouse!!! May 7, 2009
Slowly but surely it is coming together. The frame was just delivered. Now I just have to get it put together.
Greenhouse April 21, 2009
I’m Getting A Greenhouse! I’m excited!
It’s been high on my want list for a number of years. A few years ago I had a large pantry built. That had been at the top of my list. Now I can start my own starts and have fresh veggies all year long. Talk about eating local 
I’ve started preparing the ground for it’s arrival. Here is a photo.
I’ll put up more as the greenhouse progresses. Stayed tuned!
Being vegan April 18, 2009
Check out this cool blog about being a vegan.
http://epicuriousvegn.blogspot.com/
Candle Making March 9, 2009
I burn a lot of candles during the winter months. They help me on those dark gloomy days when the sun seems to set almost as soon as it rises. I keep one or two in each room. They bring light and joy into my life, and help me make it till spring.
They do get expensive though. I finally followed up on an idea I had years ago. I had burned a large scented candle, and when it was burned out, there was a lot of was left. There was more wax left than had burned. I put it in a bag, and added more wax from burned out candles till the bag was full. I had been saving the little jars some candles come in, and had cleaned them out.
All I needed was some wicks. I had bought some and also some soy wax last month, so I was all set. First I turned the oven on to 200 degrees, and set the empty glass jars on a cookie tray in the oven. This was to warm up the jars, so they don’t shatter when I pour in the hot wax. I cleaned out a tin can and bent a pour sprout into it with my hands. I then heated a couple of inches of water in a pan, filled the tin can with the chucks of leftover wax and set the can in the boiling water. When the wax melted I removed the heated jars from the oven, set a wick in the middle and very carefully poured the hot wax in. I set them back in the oven for about a half an hour, and wha-laa- I have candles. They cost me .10 cents each for the wicks.
I then made some soy candles in the same manner. While they look very pretty, disappointingly they do not burn at all well.
Does anyone know a way to make soy candles that will burn well?
In the meantime, I will keep collecting the candle scraps and making more of my ten cent canldes.
Satisfaction, Longevity & the Enviorment February 26, 2009
Check out this link I just found.
happyplanetindex.org
Here you can check out a map of 178 nations and see where everyone stands.
It’s a pretty cool site.
February 10, 2009
Feels like spring is in the air. I can’t see if it’s starting to look like spring outside, because my windows are so dirty. Time for one of my least favorite chores-window washing. Darn.
I use a mix of vinegar and water-about 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. I bought a squeegee a few years ago. After I wipe down the window panes with that, I dry them with some wadded up newspaper. They shine after that.
I would rather have someone else to this job, but since no one has shown up at my door volunteering to do it, I guess I better go get my ladder.
Humm, maybe I should re-read Tom Sawyer.
Measure Your Carbon Footprint. February 1, 2009
Check out this cool site I found.
I took this test and measured pretty low, but want it reduce it still more.
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/
Earthworms and Compost January 24, 2009
My neighbor gave me a composting suggestion I’m wondering if anyone has tried, or heard of. Her idea is to keep a small lidded container under your kitchen sink. Put in a bit of soil and some earthworms. Make sure some air can get in. Add your compost as you go. She thinks that the worms would eat all the compost right away, and you would be left with some wonderful fertilizer ready to go. My neighbor and her husband are full time truckers, so are not home long enough to try it.
This sounds like it might work. Has anyone ever tried it, or know of anyone who has? I’d like to hear about it.
January Thoughts January 11, 2009
Wow. It’s already the second week of the new year. The middle of winter. The time of cold and snuggling in with a good book. To enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I opened my first jar of canned tomatoes from my pantry and made some vegan cream of tomato soup, and some corn bread last night.
When I pick up that jar and look at the fat red rounds of tomato’s packed into it, I remember summer. The bright heat and long days. The feel and smell of a fresh picked tomato. It’s a bit of summer packed in glass.
Last summer I bought 3 lugs of tomato’s ( 1 lug of tomatoes is about 30 pounds.) from an organic farm a few miles down the road. My son and I spent a few afternoons putting them up. It was hot work, but now I have a winter’s worth of local organic tomatoes that cost very little, lining a shelf in my pantry. Such a nice sight. I use them to make soup, of course and different sauces, like enchilada and marinara. I add them to beans soups, and whatever else I think of. Does anyone else have any great recipes they use for canned tomatoes?
I even have a few herbs growing in my window this year. Some chives, basil and some thyme. It’s nice to clip fresh herbs to add to my meals.
I’m reading a book that was a Christmas gift from my son. A fantasy called Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe. It’s a great escape.
I’m also looking at gardening catalogs that are appearing in my mailbox. Oh yes, that’s right. Winter will come to an end. But right now, I’m enjoying this quiet time. This time to make simmer soups on the stove and read a good book.
