Green Living

I know it's just a buzzword but really, who among us hasn't felt the need to "go green." We all do what we can I suppose, but many of us are somewhat limited as to what is feasible for us. I'm not going to be living in a yurt off the grid anytime soon, and I don't have the money to convert my car over to biodeisel, but I do what I can. We live in a small house, drive somewhat fuel efficient cars, buy locally grown/made products and garden organically. But the one thing I really love is our compost pile. Yes, I love compost. There is nothing better than knowing that all of our garbage is not going to a landfill, it is going back to the earth.

In fact, G. often uses it as an excuse not to finish his peanut butter sandwich. He throws it in the compost bucket saying, "It's okay, Mom, I'm helping the earth." Now, that's not quite what I had in mind, but still...


Here is a not so good picture of our compost pile(s). We use a two pile method - we throw our greens and browns onto one pile while the other one sits and decomposes. I turn them every few weeks, and when the pile that is not active looks fairly ready, I sift it and take out the big things (like corn cobs) and throw them onto the active pile.


Pretty soon I have a lovely pile of compost to add to the garden. I don't pay too much attention to the amount of greens vs. browns, but if it seems a bit smelly I add more browns or some dirt to help it along.




Knowing that our garbage adds to the beauty of our garden is very satisfying.


This website seems to have some good information about how to start and maintain a compost pile.

There are many more things I am also trying to change. Juice boxes and individually packaged snacks are big no-no's for me now. I try to make as many snacks for the kids as I can because even if I buy the "organic" snacks, the trash still ends up in a landfill. And I am one of the freaks who brings their cloth bags to the grocery store - I even bring them to Target and Ocean State Job Lot.

So if you haven't tried composting, give it a try - it's a lot easier than you think!

Blueberry Picking

While our thoughts may have turned to applepicking, we still managed to pick bucketfuls of huge, ripe blueberries last week. If you are ever in the Monadnock area, you have to go to Monadnock Berries, an unbelievably gorgeous location for huge sweet berries. My friend had told me about this place and I figured it was just like any other place, but I was proven wrong (not an unusual occurrence....) At any rate, we journeyed up to Troy, NH, a mere 25 minutes from here, and enjoyed a gorgeous morning of picking. We brought lunches and ate at the picnic tables while the kids enjoyed playing in the sandboxes.

The view of Mt. Monadnock


Starting out...



G. finds something to climb on...


Showing off the bounty...


So I have pounds and pounds of luscious blueberries in my freezer, and we have been enjoying blueberry everything. One of our favorites has been lemon-blueberry bread. I substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for the white flour and throw in a bit of ground flaxseed, just to make myself feel better about the pound of butter and sugar in it, but I made four mini-loaves last night and they are almost gone!So now we will move onto apples and pumpkins, but we are sure to return next year for more blueberries!

The Sheepy & Sally Show

This is what Ron and the kids did while I was out yesterday.

Happy Birthday, Carmella!

It's official! C. has turned 7 years old. When she was four, she used to think that she could do anything if only she were seven. "When I'm seven, I'll be able to chew gum. When I'm seven, I'll be able to watch Scooby-Doo." And she definitely can! Not only does she chew gum (occasionally), but she reads, rides her bike, makes her breakfast and looks at the world through new eyes.

So to celebrate on her special day, we met her aunt and cousins at a famous American eatery, TGIFriday's. The one thing I knew she wanted was to go to a restaurant and have them sing "Happy Birthday" to her and bring her a fancy dessert. So of course I accomodated that desire and found myself smack dab in the middle of the suburban American version of "eating out."

Now lest I come across like a snob, let me admit right now that I am a snob. We rarely eat out, and on those rare occasions we try for some ethnic cuisine or upscale pizzeria. But here we find ourselves on a Friday night, fighting for position at the hostess table, adding our names to the list of hungry families needing their mass-produced meals. It was somewhat frightening really, but that was nothing compared to the food.

Applebees, Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, Uno's, Olive Garden - did it really matter where we ate? Who was handling our food? Where did it come from? E.coli was a definite possibility. The food arrives, dripping in fat and grease and overly salty sauces. I look around and the place is packed - every single table filled with parents and children and (being the judgemental jerk that I am) I can't help but think that there are a lot of people who eat here a lot. And then I think - it's no wonder the palate of America is ruined. The fat and salt has completely wiped out my taste buds - how do people eat in these places more than once in a lifetime? It's so grotesque.

But it was worth it! To see C.'s face as the waiters clapped and sang for her on her special day made me so happy. What a sweet girl - to be so young and innocent that a little thing like going to a restaurant can make you so happy. I take back everything I said. I love American chain restaurant food! I love it! I love it!



The most beautiful girl in the world with her ice cream sundae.


Can't forget about the cherry!


Forgive me my snobbery, but I can't help it. It took two days of nothing but berries and raw veggies to feel human again. And I can't help but feel queasy that we might have to do it again next year. Do you think C. would be happy with a mango lassi from an Indian restaurant?