New Stove, Fridge, a work in progress

Since I moved in, I have struggled with the ever-running fridge and a stove which burners were hot or cold and not inbetween and an oven that really couldn't calibrate the temp.

 I did well with it, trying my best to cook on top.  I love to cook.  Heck baked potatoes would take 1-1/2 hrs at 350F? 

My neighbor, Jules and I have discussed at length various solutions to our kitchens.  She has the same one but just the opposite layout.  She even tried to get a new fridge awhile ago, but ran into broken delivery promises.

A couple of weeks ago, a P.C. Richard & Son opened down the street.  She's on the ball!  Bless this woman as she goes about checking prices and models and styles, etc.  She then makes an expedition to the new store, physically inspects the goods and buys.  I recieved a phone call to come on over after the install.  I was so impressed.  What a difference it made to our older style kitchens.  She's so kind that she gave me a copy of her receipt. 

I'm no fool - so I go down the next day and buy the same ones.  What is missing?  Did you guess the new range hood?  If you did, it's not missing, it is just not installed.  Later this week, the electrician will be stoping by to install the new microwave/hood and do a bunch of other small electrical repairs.

Wow - the kitchen looks so much better.  I'm considering changing out the counter tops for something updated and add the same material to the wall between the cabinets and counter.  While it isn't my dream kitchen, my electric bill will decrease, it feels newer, my cake baking won't be so challenged and I'll live with it for a few more years.

Earth Day 2010

Yes it is - EARTH DAY - once again. Though each day is Earth Day, hopefully we all take a moment to rejuvenate our awareness of how each day we live on our planet will affect our planet. So to begin with - see this video,,,,,
Where were you 40 years ago when we first celebrated Earth Day?  I was in high school and we helped pick up litter in the parks. Since then, I've done my best at being a greener inhabitant of Mother Earth. I've taken part in work crews to clean up roadways, clean up parks, and other types of events to encourage awareness that our planet is a place we need to take care of.

What makes me a bit discouraged at times, is why are those spaces not still clean? Don't we get it? Are we not aware of how to keep our space clean?

So many questions - So here are some answers.

First and foremost - YOU make the difference in your environment.

Let's talkTrash - if each household in the US (approximately 115 million households as projected by the US Census) could eliminate one bag of trash a month either by recyclying it or by not buying products with so much waste, that would calculate to be  inexcess of 1.3 million tons of trash not going to the land fills or being recycled into other products.

Recycling - Our town will be changing from the blue buckets to in-line recycling. There is a chance the people of the town could increase recycling and reduce trash. Just one ton less trash would save the taxpayers over $71. Not big enough $$s for you? When there is hundreds of thousands of tons a year - the $$s really add up.

Lights - turn them off and try those Energy Savers CFLs. Lowering your electric usaged not only saves you $$s it saves resources for all of us.  At first I didn't like them as I didn't feel they were bright enough. So for places that I need better/brighter light, like over my desk or my lace pillow, I have one bright light instead of the whole room.  Open your shades, wash the screens over the windows, it is amazing how much more light can enter an room.

There are hundreds of ideas you can do if you sit back and determine how YOU will impact our Earth.  YOU can make the difference.

Tomatos - What to do?

Ok - this year I got out there early - before Memorial day - and planted a heirloom plum variety and a grape variety. I covered them at night when it was a bit too chilly. Watered them as they needed it and then........... mother nature delivered rain, rain and more rain. It's rained ever since up until about two weeks ago. Whatever flowers and leaves were on the plants were washed away.

As I write this, I have just pulled the planter out of it's spot and dumped the vine and put it away for the winter. This is a sad state of tomato affairs. I do remember being in grade school and being able to swipe a ripe tomato out of the garden and take it with me to school. Not this year.

Not all was lost as I did get some fruit. The grape variety put out three, I enjoyed two and a critter came for the third one and the plum plant put out one (can you believe that!) that never ripened and some critter took it!

I must say it is a tough summer for many of us that enjoy the home grown tomato off their own vine. I hope your garden has done better!


ps - just wait till next year - I'm going to come up with some type of comtraption that will keep the floods from taking my tomato plants and probably drive my condo board crazy.

Paper or Cotton?

My vote is for Cotton!

I keep a pretty green home and operate in a green way. It stems back to the late 60s and 70s when I was in the environmental club in high school. Then of course it continues with my common sense and bottom line approach to life. Did your mom often say "waste not, want not"? For me, that was mom, grandmoms,dad and grandpa's, teachers and all those adults that helped shape me in those tender young years.

Facts - Paper towels were invented by Arthur Scott in 1907 because of a mishap in a delivery of paper. Today 3,000 tons, that's 6 million pounds, of paper towels are used by 90% of US households EACH DAY. Make this easier - based on the number of households in the US, average weight per roll, it equates to about 8 rolls a week. A roll of paper towels costs somewhere between 80cents to $1.40. A cotton cloth towel costs somewhere between 49cents and $2 unless you need the designer kind. The later can be used over and over, while the former is a one time use.

Fast forward - when the nieces and nephew spent time here last month, we went through a learning process. First of all, I don't own any paper napkins - you must use cloth napkins. Not that kids use, or think of using napkins, it's better than using your sleeve or forearm. Cloth napkins work better and don't cost me anything.

Then there was the struggle to grab for the paper towels. In my home it takes probably two-three months to go through the roll in the kitchen and almost a year for the roll in the laundry. I'm not a fan of paper, though it has it purpose and as I write this blog I can't think of a reason? I have a stack of cloth towels for the kitchen. I bought batches at chain discount stores over the years. Then my niece was talking, using her hands(it's a family thing) she knocked over a full glass of drink, twice mind you. I grabbed several cloth towels and we mopped it up. The towels were rinsed, set to dry, and then were washed on laundry day. Each day or so, I take out fresh ones and retire the soiled ones to the laundry. Simple enough.

My environmental friends can add on to the amount of trees to be saved, water, electricity and poluntants that would not be emmitted we we all lessened the use of paper towels. What about you? Paper or Cotton? Make a difference, save a few bucks, it only takes one more person to continue to make a difference for all of us.