Tuesday, March 4, 2008

As the days grow longer...

...so does my to do list!
I finally got out and did some gardening this past weekend and It was so healing to dig in the dirt and plant seeds for future harvest. I started a bunch of new rose bushes, Cecil Brunners, so I can have them completely surround my home! They are my favorite roses and a good climber to provide more privacy to my yard.
Other things I've put off until Someday include:
~ roofing the "Bird" house... Burdocks shelter
~ divide my African Violets (Please let me know if you want one, cuz I already have too many!)
~ put up the second greenhouse
~ rent a tiller and dig up a real veggie bed
~ burn last years brush ummm, after I dig out my overgrown fire pit
oh yeah, and I need to clean out & organize the green house so there is more room for plants, less for scrap lumber.

I'm sure there is more to come. What are some of your projects?
To Spring! Laura

Saturday, February 16, 2008

ixna the plastic

The last time I recycled I was agast at how many plastic water bottles I had accumulated. I LOVE bubblie water and rarely drink the flat stuff. How could I give up the plastic and still get my water??? I made a commitment to find out.
I investigated soda siphons at Cash & Carry (our resturant supply store) and found out that they are expensive and most folks didn't feel like the water was carbonated enough. Half flat water is not appealing so I looked further.
I finally found Soda Club!
I received my new machine yesterday and I must say I am soooooo excited. I can make it as bubblie as I like! This product rocks!!
Laura

From the soda club website: http://www.sodaclubusa.com/default.htm

Drink to the Earth
Americans drink more than 55 billion liters of soda and seltzer each year. That's almost 200 liters — about 600 cans! — for every adult and child in the United States. And, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, that adds 10 1/2 cubic feet of packaging per American — over 3 billion cubic feet! — in our landfills and recycling facilities every year.
With a Soda-Club home soda maker, you'll enjoy freshly made, great tasting seltzer and soda in just seconds ... and you'll be helping our environment by drastically reducing waste from store-bought cans and bottles. And with no batteries or electricity, you can use your soda maker in your kitchen, outdoors on your patio or deck, or on your boat or RV.
Reduces Packaging: Reusable Bottles and Concentrated Sodamix
- No bottles or cans to recycle or throw away- Saves thousands of containers for a family of four in a year- Carbonating bottles last for three years - Highly concentrated sodamix minimizes packaging
A family of four could slash their home soft-drink-related packaging usage by over 90%, simply by using a Soda-Club soda maker. That's a whole lot of cans and bottles that won't end up polluting our environment. Soda-Club's plastic carbonating bottles are reusable for up to three years, and Penguin glass carbonating carafes will last even longer than that with proper care. A typical American will toss away over 1500 aluminum cans (and/or hundreds of plastic 2-liter bottles) over three years — while a Soda-Club owner will use just one or two reusable carbonating bottles or carafes that come with the home soda maker.
Soda-Club's highly concentrated sodamix syrups also dramatically reduce waste. A single bottle of sodamix will make 12 liters of soda, the equivalent of 34 cans or six 2-liter bottles. Choose from over 25 regular, diet and caffeine-free flavors including Cola, Root Beer, Lemon-Lime and fruit combos like Cranberry-Raspberry, Apple-Peach and Pink Grapefruit. Take a sip, enjoy ... and feel good that you're helping the environment.
Saves Energy: No Electricity, No Batteries, No Transport Miles- No batteries or electricity- Reduces energy used to manufacture bottles and cans- Reduces gas and pollution from shipping packaged beverages- Eliminates pollution from batteries
Operating without batteries or electricity, Soda-Club home soda makers are highly energy-efficient small appliances. Appliances that work without electricity improve the environment by cutting down on the emissions generated by electrical plants, giving us cleaner air and ground water.
By operating completely on power supplied by the compressed air in the carbonator — an easily renewable fuel source — Soda-Club does not contribute to environmental pollution made by batteries. Empty carbonators are returned to Soda-Club to be cleaned, inspected and refilled with CO2 drawn naturally from the air. Carbonators are reusable as long as they remain in good condition.
Storebought soda and sparking water travels hundreds of miles from the bottling plant to the store shelf, usually in trucks that get fewer than 10 miles to the gallon. Instead, Soda-Club uses the water that's already in your home, saving literally tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Letting go

Letting go of things can be liberating for some and terrifying for others.
We often cling to objects from our past as reminders of who we once were. In doing so we sometimes forget that today we are a composite of every experience we've ever had. A by product of everyword we've spoken and every word that has been spoken to us. We are carved into individuals by each experience. When we come to realize that memories are not stored in objects, it makes letting those objects go easier.
I have found that when I let items go, such as all the rocks I've collected for years that I set free last month, I feel a sense of peace and forward movement in my energy... liberation from the confines of the past and greeting to the possiblilities of a future free of that energy.