December 14, 2004
Greeting Cards
I sure want more than "greetings" from the people I really care about! And I want to connect with them more than I can with a hasty signature at the bottom of a card. The waste of exchanging holiday cards bothers me, but it is the one time of year that we reach out to a lot of people who aren't a regular part of our lives, and that's a good thing.
This year, as my live changes in the course of starting a new publishing business, I have a yen for paper and pen and the time to remember just why I'm staying in touch . . . time to tell certain special people that I care, and catch them up a little on what's really going on in my life.
Here's my plan for the hectic holidays of 2004: I'm going to write real letters to a dozen distant friends, old-fashioned letters with an enclosure or two, an article they might enjoy, or a copy of an old photo. Then I'm going to email another dozen people I've lost touch with. This is going to be my season of renewing connections, and for that I don't need a box of greeting cards.
(By the way, aren't e-greeting cards the worst idea ever?)
Posted by Karen Christensen at 06:47 AM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2004
Witches' Knickers
I've been in Florida visiting my father-in-law. It's a good thing to get a look at what's Green (or not) in another part of the United States (Florida's an interesting case, too: a "red" state with a large "blue" population, at least in winter). I saw a "Pesticide-Free Park" sign, which I've never come across before, and a huge "Organic" sign in the supermarket. It was a wooden sign (or wood look-alike rustic) and hung at the front of the store above an alcove of packaged foods. We saw it only after checking out! (Talk about a half-hearted effort by Publix.)
And the checkout people wanted to pack every single item in a separate plastic bag. I know that paper bags aren't a benign choice, but hadn't realized just what a global problem plastic carrier bags had become till I read an article in New Scientist called "Battle of the bag" (11 September 2004) which explained that the mobility of plastic bags makes them far more dangerous than they might otherwise be. They're called "'witches' knickers' in Ireland, 'white pollution' in China." Estimates are that we use 150 bags per person each year - a million a minute!
It's a surprisingly hard habit to kick, I find, as I endlessly remind my husband to take bags with him to the supermarket. But it's easy to say 'no' to them, as I did even at the airport on the way home yesterday.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 05:38 AM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2004
Winter Composting
I realized too late that we hadn't dug a hole for the solar compost bin I ordered in June. If there's a thaw, I'll have Tom get out the pickaxe, but it's more likely that we'll have to get by with the regular bins again this year. We trek out in the snow to throw the kitchen scraps into the bin (the challenge is keep a route clear) and when spring comes it'll all thaw and begin the fermenting process that turns it into the soft dark compost we use. Compost chez Christensen is always coarse because I insist on throwing in odd sticks and branches and even old blue jeans (everything rots except the thread!). But the garden soil's getting better and better, and even in December we're eating beautiful mustard greens and arugula, and picking parsley and other herbs.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 06:28 AM | Comments (0)
Snuggle Up
Winter's here, and it's cold in the Berkshires. We have a big Victorian house and the only reason our oil bills are fairly low is that we keep it so damned cold.
When we first got an adjustable thermostat (something I definitely recommend) I set the temperature to 60°F day and night, which is what I recommended in my first book. Then I set it to drop to 55° at night.
Somehow the settings got messed up this year so we're at 55° all the time. Though the kids complained a little, no one has realized that the setting is different from last year. I've decided to keep my mouth shut (and put on another sweater!). Our supply of soft woolly blankets is crucial. I bought eight inexpensive yoga blankets from Fishcrane and we use them all the time, while watching TV, reading, and even sitting at the computer. This is definitely scrooge mothering, but we're all healthy, we're saving money, and we're being Green, too. And we have plenty of reason to snuggle up!
Posted by Karen Christensen at 06:15 AM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2004
Water, water
"Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink."
That's what the Ancient Mariner said, and that's what many people will say in years to come, as we finally tune in to the fact that fresh sweet water is a precious natural resource. 2003 was the International Year of Fresh Water, and it's well worth Googling "fresh water" to read about just what the issues are. And at home it's easy to make a difference: just turn that tap off, take a shorter shower, fix drips, and water your garden in the evening or very early in the morning.
Year of Fresh Water
Posted by Karen Christensen at 06:00 AM | Comments (0)