Pandemic Pantry - A Trip to the Supermarket Has a Whole New Vibe

I love supermarkets. I’m a supermarket tourist. I love to visit them, see new ones, go to them when I’m traveling, or seek out interesting ones near me. We used to hit the supermarket 2-5 times per week. Whenever we were thinking of something, wanted to get out of the house, needed an item or two, we would head to the grocery, sometimes stopping at a more local shop in between. We did this bc we liked it and bc we could.

But visiting the supermarket has become a whole new experience in the time of covid 19. It’s become something we must all plan for as we make our Pandemic Panty. Here are some tips for your next visit!

Plan what day you want to shop and stick to it!
There are several benefits to plan what day and when you will take a trip to the supermarket. While we are social distancing, it’s best to leave the house only when absolutely necessary. By planning your day to shop, you will know when you have to go out and you can plan other chores around that day (post office, pet store, etc…). You will also have a better idea how much food you have left in the house. If you plan to go shopping and stick to that day, you may find yourself getting creative in the last meals before your trip and this is a good thing! Another good reason to plan your day to shop and stick to it is that you can coordinate what days/times are the least bananas at your grocery, or will be the most productive for you. With all the restrictions placed on times to shop (senior hours, long lines, early closing hours, restocking or sanitizing days, etc…), being strategic so you are sure to get everything you need and not get overwhelmed is key.

Make a thorough list.
We talked all about that in our last pandemic pantry post.
Remember it’s very important to only buy what you need and avoid hoarding.

Be prepared.
Once you have you list, make sure you have your cloth bags, for produce and groceries. Make sure you have your mask and gloves (if you use them). Come equip with a sanitizer for before and after. get everything you need together before your trip, so you are not scrambling around at the last minute or feeling flustered. The vibe at most groceries is now super tense, we want to eliminate this in ourselves as much as possible. You know when your shopping trip will be, so gather your gear early.

Stick to your guns.
Many groceries now require certain items and disallow others. You can bring reusable bags, but you must bag you own groceries (no big deal, you were prob doing that already). Some require masks and gloves, make sure to wear your own reusables, to avoid waste. Many supermarkets have done away with their bulk sections, so you might have to get creative. The important thing is that you are still thinking about how to shop the most sustainable and zero waste under the current circumstances. This will def require some extra work, but putting aside our own convenience is still a big part of this endeavor. It’s easy in this time to give into thinking, why does it matter? But it matters more now than ever, and what we demand as consumers now, could change the face of consumption after the pandemic.

Do the best you can.
The above being said, it has become harder to be sustainable in this time so, as always, we must start where we are and do what we can. Can’t wear your own gloves? Take the disposable but make sure they get thrown away properly. Can’t bring your own produce bags? Use the groceries paper bags (often where the bakery items are). Can’t find items in bulk? choose the same item with cardboard packaging or has the least amount of plastic. Can’t use cloth bags at check out? Ask for paper so they can be recycled. This is a useful time to think about all the easy swaps to be made. resourcefulness is a huge part of sustainability.

Stay calm.
or as we like to say at MCQ, Don’t Panic. This is going to be a frustraiting visit to the supermarket. They may not have what you need. They might only have it in plastic. They might be crowded. People might be rude. It’s hard to tell what people are saying, thinking and feeling when everyone is covered up and apprehensive. Remember to communicate clearly, smile, take your time, and don’t panic.

With these tips in mind, you are sure to have a successful shopping trip. Do you have any ideas or experiences to share?

Loafing Down Long Island

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I can’t remember exactly how I found Loafing Down Long Island by Charles Hanson Towne. Maybe I was searching for books about walking? Or books similar to The Great Gatsby? I do remember buying this book online and then setting it aside for a few years.

I remember looking for and buying this book online, but it’s one of the strangest printings I’ve every seen. The text is set differently on almost every page, clearly copied from an older test, but no care was taken to make each page match up. The cover is also of a strange dry itchy sort of plastic coating that is the first I’ve ever come across. The feeling is extremely unpleasantly dry to me, but once I got into the book, I forgot all about it.

Follow Towne on a Summer jaunt from one end of Long Island, NY, to the other. Even in 1921, or there abouts when this book was published, Long Island was a popular Summer destination. But Townes astonishes and amazing his friends and aquiantences by going on his Summer adventure on foot!

The moment I opened this book, I knew it was a book for me. The first few lines read as follows: “When I speak of the difficulties of walking, I do not refer to the infirmities of age, to flat feet…Not at all. I mean that it is hard indeed in these rushing times to go afoot…without being considered eccentric.” A problem I can relate to today, I thought immediately! I love to travel by foot, it is one of my favorite modes of transport and a favorite past time, so I was right away hooked. People always look at me askance when I turn down a ride in a car, or end up somewhere wet, from a sudden rain storm, or choose to take a longer route so that the walk is extended. Towne, considered the quintessential New Yorker of his time, writes like a cross between F Scott Fitzgerald, PG Wodehouse, with a little bit of Bill Bryson. He is free with his opinions, and can be a bit judgemental, but Loafing reads like a diary, including thoughts, conversations, ideas, and songs or poems. But it’s also a bit of a guide book: Towne points out areas of interest, shares history and suggests sights to visit. It’s clear that he has a deep love for NY in general and Manhattan specifically. The way he write reminds me of so many things I love about Brooklyn and other areas of Long Island and how special a place it is. I would highly recommend this book for those who also love NYC and Long Island, those who like travel tales, fans of F Scott Fitzgerald, or those who really like to walk.

Do you like to read books about activities? Walking, hiking, sailing, etc… What book like this have you read?

Mad Cat Capsule | Spring 2020 (April, May June)

Here we are at the 4th Spring that I have made a Capsule Wardrobe. When I write it down like that, it doesn’t seem too long, but think about it, that means I’ve made 16 Capsules. Making a capsule each season is something I look forward to, and I don’t think, until I have pared down my clothes to only have 1 small wardrobe, that I’ll ever go back to a conventional closet. Spring is always a special marker for me, bc it was the first season that I ever started a capsule.

This Spring will be a weird one. We’ve had an early Spring here on the East Coast of USA (thanks groundhog!) but the weather was still rainy and grey in the beginning of April. I was all set to go thru absolutely all my clothes in the beginning of March, picking items to wear to work, wear out and about and wear at home, since those are the places that I mostly am.

Or was. Once we got our stay at home order, my idea for this capsule changed. I didn’t feel that I needed to go thru everything before the month my capsule started. I also didn’t feel the need to have my capsule complete and set my the beginging of the spring season. I’ve been slowly swapping out items, seeing what I’m drawn to wearing, and what makes me feel great now that I’m spending my time differently than I thought I would be.

One of the main ideas of having a capsule is having a complete wardope that makes it easy to get ready every day. Having a limited amount of items that all go together make it very easy to not think too hard about what one is going to wear every day. To choose these items, I go by season and weather, by where I plan to be and what I plan to be doing, and how I’m feeling at the time of making the Capsule (this might effect color and style choice). taking into consideration I might be out of work and isolating (with my husband, of course, ) for a while (perhaps the whole capsule?), here’s what I’ve come up with:

8 pants - Grey wool slacks (thrifted and vintage), green holey jeans (thrifted), everlane blue (ethical, sustainable), everlane button grey (ethical, sustainable), blue linen sailor (thrifted, vintage), tan pleated (thifted, vintage), engineer (thrifted), mens levis (thrifted).

4 dresses - grey sweatshirt (10+ years), burnout (hand me down), silver eileen fisher (thrifted, ethical , sustainable), blue denim (thrifted).

2 skirts - black tea length (8+ years), black leather (thrifted, vintage).

10 sweaters - Cropped mock neck (thrifted), confetti (thrifted), grey wool (thrifted), black and white (8+ years), black holey (5+ years), anchors (thrifted), teal (5+ years), grey cardigan (vintage, hand me down), green cardigan (vintage, hand me down), cashmere (thrifted).

5 long sleeved tops - striped henley (10+ years), blue button down (hand me down), grey lace sweatshirt (thrifted), cropped with elbow patch (clothing swap), grey waffle (8+ years),

3 tops - sheer patterned (thrifted), cropped floral (thrifted), grey waffle (8+ years).

9 t shirts - ford crop (vintage, thrifted), pachyderm (local artist, 8+ years), pizza! (work shirt, local, 4+ years), green v neck (ethical, 10+years), green crew (ethical, 10+ years), grey crew (ethical, 10+ years), minutemen (10+ years), spiritualized (band t, 10+ years, artist), happy bday sandwiches (homemade by a stanger, thrifted).

3 tanks - grey (10+ years), black crop (10+ years), TBD.

4 shoes - floran vans, flops (ethical, recycled), velcro vans (3+ years), blue/black vans (thrifted).

So this season’s capsule sits right around 50 pieces, not including outerwear, or incidentals (maybe I want to wear some boots, but prob not). Spring is a tough month already, bc one never knows what the weather will be, but factoring in the wild changes in the world, it’s almost impossible to tell what will be most used. I tried to go with a lot of my favorite items for this capsule, but also comfort was key. Sweaters, easy pants, loose dresses are all in the capsule. This Spring I also have an honorable mentions pile. This is something I have never done. It consists of clothes that I wear, but are not really in my capsule, or items that might go in it.

Honorable mention pile - Velvet skirt. This is a short skirt, and I don’t know if I’ll get to use it (hand me down). Floral top. This one needs some modifications for me to wear it. Will I do them in time for this capsule? (vintage, thrifted). Going out PJs. These are 3+ years old, and they are just sweats, but presentable enough to wear to the grocery. Grey slacks. I’m not sure I need these, but if I take to wearing them, I might swap something out of the above capsule (vintage, thrifted). Garden pants. My pants for gardening (thrifted). Silver sweater. I love this very moth eaten sweater, but not sure I’ll wear it for this capsule (10+ years).

What will you be doing over the next three months? Maybe your Spring wardrobe is all loungewear, since you know you’ll be staying home, maybe you are still working and only need professional clothes…

Whatever the case may be, a Capsule Wardrobe can keep you prepared. Are you making one this season?

Zero Waste Recipe: Super Simple Vegan Tomato Sauce

For most of my life I ate tomato sauce out of a jar. Right from the store, into a pot, onto the pasta. Every once in a while my parents would make a special sauce from scratch or canned tomatoes. I ate scratch sauces in restaurants of course. One day a few years ago, I was eating a store bought sauce at home and it suddenly was horrible to me. I couldn’t imagine ever eating a prefab sauce ever again.

This recipe still uses canned tomatoes, but it’s a huge step up from jarred tomato sauce, so easy to make, and can be modified to anyones taste. I’ll never go back!

Ingredients:
1 large can tomato puree
2-3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
olive oil
salt, pepper, sugar to taste

Equipment:
knife
cutting board
pot
spoon

Fine chop garlic. Chop onions as fine as you would like, I usually do mine in a large dice. Add oils, garlic and onion to the pan over low to medium heat. Cook until the onions and garlic are soft and translucient. I try never to burn mine but if those are flavors that you like, go ahead. Add tomato puree and cook for a few minutes to warm tomatoes thru. Add sugar, salt and pepper. I add about a teaspoon of salt and pepper, and and two tablespoons of sugar. Sometimes I add less sugar, it just depends what mood I’m in. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 -50 min depending on how thick you like your sauce. Serve over pasta, use for pizza, use in rice, or anything else you like tomato sauce on.

A few notes:
- I know sugar in tomato sauce is controversial, but I like it.
- Add any herbs you like as well. I try to keep a few frozen herbs/oil ice cubes from summer and like to add these occasionally. Fresh or dried herbs work great, too. Chili flakes would also be good, I’m sure.
- I prefer my sauce to be smooth, so I use tomato puree, but if you like chunks/seeds you could use diced or whole tomatoes.
- The better the canned tomatoes you use, the better the sauce will be. Same goes for olive oil.
- This recipe usually yields about 3 meals for us, depending on how we use it. We generally get two pasta meals from it, maybe three, and then I use the last little bit when making rice or lentils (I just add sauce right to the cooking water).

Using loose veg, canned tomatoes, and oil and spices in metal or glass make this a very zero waste friendly recipe. Refill the spices from a bulk section, refill the oil if possible, and reuse the can (good for seedlings if you poke a few holes in the bottom), or recycle it, to be even more zero waste.

I’ve seen other easy tomato sauce recipes; one interesting one used only tomatoes, salt and butter. Do you have a go to sauce recipe?

Something New: Writing Down My Dreams

When I moved to Brooklyn, I got a myspace. Some of my favorite things to do was post band photos, write poetry and to keep a dream journal there. Over the years, I’ve written down dreams in other places as well. I like to text them to any friends that might have made an appearance or that would find significance in them. So writing down my dreams isn’t really something new.

But getting the time to sleep well and remember my dreams and be able to write them down at my leisure is something I haven’t had in a very long time. It feels new.

Once I start writing down my dreams, I find it easier to continue to do it. It’s interesting to see how oyur brain is proseessing over night. I like to see what themes reoccur. I analyze my dreams a bit, but I don’t over think them. I simply enjoy writing them down and sharing them.

Have you ever kept a dream journal?

Zero Waste | Trash Sorting - This is Not an Audit

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more  accurate description of my evolving lifestyle. 

Ok, this kind of IS a trash audit. 

But now, while you’re staying home, is the perfect time to assess what trash you are creating and how to reduce it! We did a trash audit in our 6 More Months of Zero Waste series more than a year ago. Even if you were following along back then, it’s a good time to see how far you’ve come!

An audit sounds so serious. I picture sitting in the middle of a pile of garbage, sifting thru it, to see what’s in there. I prefer the idea of trash sorting. I find this to be more sustainable kind of audit. My advice is to take 3-4 bags, preferably paper, depending on what you want to sort, and replace your normal trash method with these. Label the bags if you like, or just remember which is which. Labeling might be helpful, especially if you are not the only one who throws items away in your household. Set a time limit for your sort. Maybe a week, if that’s how long it take for you to throw out the trash. Maybe a month to get a better idea of your trash habits.

Normally, I have 5 bags or places that I sort garbage into. One bag is for recycling (luckily, we don’t have to sort our recycling into categories. We put glass, plastic, metal and paper together). One bag for general trash (items that go into landfill. This is plastic that doesn’t get recycled, cat waste, human waste, and other items that don’t fit into any other spot. This area is where we generate the least waste). Compost is another area (this is where we put all food waste to be taken out to the compost pile). We keep one bag for plastic film recycling, which we drop off to our local grocery as our city doesn’t recycle it curbside (we try to reduce this as much as possible, but we still have cheese wrappers, bread bags and chip bags). Lastly I put aside plastic items like milk cartons, yogurt cups, and other items that can get a second life at the private alternative school where my mom works (they use cups for paints, create models from milk cartons and other “junk”).
Having this many avenues for waste, when I do an audit, I don’t have too much more to sort. When I audit, I like to make another space to see what plastic I’m throwing away, I like to track how much cat waste we generate. I also like to see how much of each recyclable items we have. I divide the recycling into categories; plastic, (the least), glass, and metal (the most).

If you’ve never sorted your trash before start with the basics. Let’s assume you already recycle (if you don’t, get started!) so you’re starting with two trash bins. Think about the areas you want to reduce. Here is a few good things to identify:

Sort your recycling into categories to see how much disposable plastic you’re using.
Start composting all food waste (except for meat).
Put plastic that can’t be easily recycled in a separate bin.
Pick a non sustainable item to track, like paper towels, and see how much you’re using.

Once you’ve seen how and what you throw away, here might be some next steps:

Try to cut back on disposable plastics in your recycling and trash.
Take you compost to a local farmers market, or start a compost in your backyard.
See what plastic garbage that you could love without buying or find alternatives (instead of buying tortillas, maybe make them at home?).
Try using an sustainable alternative to generate less waste (like rags instead of paper towels).

Write down your findings or leave them in the comments. What did you learn? Where were you able to reduce? What did this exercise teach you about your waste consumption?

My Favorite Books | Going Places

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

Recently Treehugger posted an article about some of their writer’s favorite books about travel or different parts of the world. Since we are all sequestered in our homes (hopefully!! Stay Home!) for a while, I thought this was a great idea. If you are like me, you’re taking this time to read more and recommendations for books are always good! Here are my favorite books about travel and domestic or foreign lands.

Travels with Charley by John Steinback
Steinback wrote books that are about America. In 1960, he decided that he hadn’t actually seen America in a long time. He sets off with his dog, Charley, and his modified camper truck, Rocinante, to see the country again.
One of my favorite books of all time. If you like Steinbeck’s writing style, this travelogue is the real life version of his novels, and you will love it. One of my favorite things about traveling in America, being American, is that every place you go is both exactly the same, and totally different to, where you are from. It’s amazing to see that that tis has been true for many years.

Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene
When Henry Pulling, drab and conventional, meets his estranged Aunt Augusta, he doesn’t expect his world to be turned upside down. But being drawn to his mysterious and outrageous aunt, this is exactly what happens.
I haven’t read this one in a long time, maybe it’s time to revisit. Written in 1969 this is an imaginary jaunt in Europe and beyond from a master of overseas observation, Graham Greene.

The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky
This non fiction follows the history of oysters and how we eat them. Told from the perspective of New York through history, this is a good reminder about how everything is connected.
This isn’t a travel book, but it is a facsinating look at the Manhattan estuary and it’s history. When I want to read a book about a place, I often come back to reading about places I love.

What are your favorite books about travel or set in wonderful places that you can travel to with the book? I would love to read more books about places taht I love, while I know I can’t travel there. I’m always looking for books about or set in Brooklyn, New Orleans, Bermuda and many more places. Where is your favorite setting for books?

If you have some favorite books on this subject leave them in the comments!

Bullet Journal Check In | April - A Very Big Content Calendar

I have been keeping a content calendar and blog log for a long time now. Mine is a modified version on Femmehead’s version which I think she got from someone else.

I like to have a content calendar where I can plan what blogs I want to write and post, but also a log of the actual posts I have made. For me, that looks something like this:

I title this page with the month and then Content Calendar and Blog Log. You don’t have to title your pages, but I find it helpful when I go thru my BuJo each day. On the left most side I put the dates and days of the month. The next few columns are my content calendar. Here I put what I intend to blog on which day. Then, I have 4 areas that I check off as I complete the blog. The eyeball symbol which signifies that I have had the idea and done some of the research for this post, even if it’s just thinking about what I want to write. Next, I check off that I have written the blog, next that I have taken the photos. Finally, I have a check for when I post the blog. Once I’ve posted the blog, I write in my blog log, what the blog was on the correct date. There is a little “C” column here for if this post gets commented on. I check each blog off on my regular series list as I complete it, if it is part of a regular series, and mark what date it was published. This might seem like this system has a few redundencies, and it does! But this is the method that I’ve found works best for me!

In my latest Bullet Journal, I have been tracking all my blog drafts this way as well. When ever I have an idea for a blog, I find the best thing to do is make a blog draft right away so I don’t forget what I want to write about. Sometimes I just put the title to remind me of what I want to write later. Sometimes I write a few lines, sometimes many lines. I end of having a lot of unfinished drafts, and many barely started drafts. I find it hard to scroll thru these and confusing to remember how far I got on every draft.

I made my Very Big Content Calendar and Blog Log in the back of the book, upside down and started from the back. This serves two purposes for me. One is that I have to consiously look at it to fill it out and theat means I’m really thinking about each blog. Two is that I won’t get it confused when with other BuJo content when I get to that section of my book.

When I need inspiration or when I have filled out some on a blog or two, I go back thru my Very Big list and cross things off. Sometimes I decide that a blog idea isn’t going to work, or I’ve rewritten it in another post, or it’s a duplicate. In that case, I put a slash thru the entire blog note and delete it from my drafts.

One modification I will make to both logs is to add an edited check box to my list of things that need to get done before I publish. I have noticed that many of my blogs would benefit from an editor’s eye.

How do you keep track of your drafts?

6 More Months of Zero Waste: Grow Your Own Food in April

Man oh man, when I decided that our last month of this installment of 6 More Months of Zero Waste (the series where we tackle problems in our everyday lives to become more sustainable, more practical, use less plastic and create less waste) I had no idea I would hit it so on the nose.

In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to live and create the world we want. When we all emerge from quarantine, the world may be a very different place than when we left it. And it may not be for the better. It is clear that our convictions to reduce waste, reduce plastic consumption, lower our impact on our fragile world, take care of ourselves, others, animals, and do more good than harm, are well founded and completely necessary. But everyone may not see it like that. To have the world we want when this is over, we need to continue to create the world we want now.

Growing your own food may seem, and indeed sounds, daunting. But I am not suggesting that you grow enough to feed your family of four (at least not to start!). Growing just a bit of fresh mint or chives to brighten your meal can be revolutionary. To have a bit of fresh veggies might be a welcome change over long weeks in isolation. And there is nothing quite like a home grown tomato. Growing a garden will be a very important skill to have and it’s a great way to mindfully connect where our food comes from and how we get it. There is a way that just about anyone, any where can do this. How much you grow will depend on your situation. But here are a few easy starter and more advanced garden projects you could try:

Grow an herb
Herbs are super easy to grow, and can be grown inside or with very limited space. Seeds can be bought at many local shops. Often grocery shops, bodegas, hardware shops, and other mom and pops often have seeds in the spring time. Some also have seedlings. You can also buy seeds online at many places. Buy a pot and dirt at those places, or just use what you have (a yogurt cup and the park?).

Regrow a scallion
There are many tutorials online on how to take a scallion end, lettuce butts, sprouted onions or potatoes. But the basic idea is, put your scraps in water and light and they will grow.

Make a pot garden
If you have more time and space, plant a few herbs or veg in pots on your fire escape, porch, or backyard.

Make a raised bed
Have even more time and space? Make or buy a raised bed. This is like a mini farm! They are easy to make, and produce more food.

Join a community garden
If you have no space, but you have time, a community garden might work for you. Many places have gardens you can join. Usually you don’t get your own plot right away, but you can help in the garden and reap some of the benefits. This is a great way to find a gardening community and learn from others.

Make a community garden
Can’t find a community garden to join? Maybe you need to make one! Making a public community garden is an advanced step, so more research is required. But maybe you can make a private garden one with a friend or two. Use a back yard or front yard and share the work and the proceeds.

Make a food forest
If you can put a few beds in your yard, maybe you can plant the whole yard! Food forests are giant full yard gardens or spaces where everything works together. Rob Greenfield has a lot of tips for this. Again, this is an advanced step but perhaps something to work towards.

Besides learning an important skill, and having something fresh to eat, gardening can have many other benefits. Getting outside a bit, bringing the outside in, caring for (guarding?) something alive, metal health and exercising, etc… Are just a few benefits of raising plants Treehugger wrote an article about it recently.

Whether you start small or go for gardening in a big way, this is something everyone should be doing now. Do you garden? Are you finding it an even more important skill now? Share your tips and tricks or experiences in the comments!

We’ve come to the end of another 6 More Months of Zero Waste! Catch up with what we’ve done previously here:

In 2019 we started a monthly journey towards a more zero waste lifestyle. Each month you can follow along. Here is what we have done so far:

January 2019 - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February 2019- Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March 2019- Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April 2019- Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May 2019- Meatless Monday
One of the best ways to improve the environment is to stop eating factory farmed meat and industrial fish. Small steps lead to big change so this month we gave up meat (or dairy or fish) for at least one day.
June 2019- No Bottled Water
We gave up bottled water as an avenue to give up more disposable plastic in Plastic Free July.
July 2019 - Plastic Free July!
Go plastic free this month!

In late 2019, we continued our journey to becoming more zero waste. The current list has changed a little since the beginning. See the list below to follow our progress:
November - Zero Waste Kit
We created a zero waste kit to help us be more zero waste in our day to day life.
December - No Gifts
We took Dec to give no gifts and get no gifts.
January - Clothing and Fast Fashion
This month we explored what fast fashion is, and how we can stop buying it forever.
February - Use Mass Transit
The shortest month seemed like a good time to explore alternatives to driving our cars.
March- Bathroom Make-over
You’ve swapped out a few items to more sustainable choices around the house. It’s time to tackle a full room.
April - Grow Your Own Food

Mad Cat Garden | March 2020

A lot went on in the garden in March. The early Spring was definitely showing. We did a lot of work in the garden, but nature was really doing the harder tasks.

The blueberries are all budding out to various degrees. We have 7 bushes now and they vary from early fruit bearers to late. Our first group, now several years old, are looking fantastic now. The middle group, looking a bit ratty. The last group, only a year or so old, look so so. It’s early to tell what they will all end up like and since we’ve long forgotten which plant is which, we just have to wait for fruit.

We started seeds inside this month with varying success. Some are still working in the dirt, other popped up seedlings right away! We have limited space inside suitable for seed starting, so we are planning on doing it in waves. Right now, based on what seeds sprouted, we will have a good pea crop!

We also have our small jackfruit forrest in increasingly larger pots. We are excited for it to be warm enough for them to go outside on a more regular basis. In March, we took them out for sun sun on warm days.

Outside, we took some time to clean flower beds, divide and repot some of our decorative plants, checking on what’s growing in the herb pots, and turn and refresh the veggie beds.

There were a few items that we left in certain beds. We have an orange sage plant that is going strong and we basically just leave alone. Our spinach from last year is still producing (don’t mind the arugula spike). We want to leave it and see how it goes. We also transplanted an overgrown kitchen onion that has been in a bed since last Summer.

Next, we got to planting! We love to support local farm markets by buying their baby veg. Right before we went into lock down, we made sure to buy up some items as we weren’t sure if farm markets would be open. As of writing this, the farm markets and farms are considered essential so we look forward to braving out for more plants in April. Hooray!

We planted about 1 and 1/2 beds with the veg we bought, leaving room for tomatoes, peppers, and our seeds once they were ready to plant. We also planted some veg in pots to see how they would fair. We planted one bed with all herbs as well. In the past, we have kept our herbs in pots, but are hoping to get a longer season from them this year, so are trying them out in beds.

One thing we love to do on our daily walks is keep an eye out for other gardens in the neighborhood. Look at these beautiful raised beds in Loch Arbor! Checking out our fellow gardeners is great for inspiration. We also love to see who has their gardens in the front yard, as we get some side eye for keeping beds in the front. We are very much of the food not lawns mentality, tho, so we don’t mind having to explain that.

The last few days of March were spent tending to our new plants in the garden and seedlings in the house. It’s been rainy and grey, so we are hoping they all get enough sun to grow big and strong!

What was your garden like in March?

Mad Cat Quilts | Pandemic Pantry - Planning is Key

Having to self quarantine is interesting. I miss things I expected to miss, like going to restaurants and bars and going to work, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss being able to thrift whenever I want and go to the grocery 2-5 times per week. On the other hand, having an unprecedented amount of time to be home, pet cats, take long walks, and cook and eat great homemade food has been pretty wonderful.

Like many (hopefully everyone by this point), we’ve been trying to drastically limit how often we go out in to the world. We have dropped from going to the grocery whenever we please to going once every week or more if we can get away with fewer trips. This means that we have had to change a lot about how we shop. We used to buy things multiple times a week whenever we thought we might need something. Now we have to really plan what we need and what we will get. We also have to figure out how to do that.

The first thing I did before our first big shopping trip was to make a list of everything we already had. I didn’t write every single items down, but I did write down a lot and everything I thought was going to be relevant. While I was taking this inventory, I also jotted down a list of meals that we usually eat, as a reminder to myself, a list of items that we needed to eat asap and dishes they might be good in, and a list of a few recipes that I want to try in the future.

Having all these lists in front of me helped tremendously when I wrote a very detailed shopping list. I actually remembered to take the shopping list with me when we went on our first trip! Having the items and the list of meals made remembering what I was buying and why I was buying what I did very easy. I reused the same paper, with a new list for the next week’s shop.

For the second shop, I also took a new inventory that was more thorough than the first. We ended up eating a few of the things between making the list and going shopping. I just crossed those off. Our second shop was bigger and even more thorough than the first and I anticipate a longer time between shops, which is a goal. From the first shop to the second was 8 days. We will see how long between second and third. I plan on making another inventory a day or two before we go.

This inventory/sticking to a list method is very different from how I normally shop. Perhaps you always shop like this. Using this method allowed me to buy everything I needed but not over buy or buy duplicates. Here is my advice in easy steps:

1) Take a thorough inventory - write down everything you already have. Take note of meals you want to create, items that need to be used up, and things you want to learn to make. Remember the goal is not to hoard items, just to get you through a week or more of nutritional and pleasurable eating.

2) Write down a list of meals you can make/want to make with what’s in your inventory - You could plan it out by day and meal, or just write down the meals you normally like to eat or can make. I prefer to be spontanious, so I’ll often write meals that overlap and I can choose from when the time comes.

3) Make a shopping list based on what you still need - Think about getting thru a week or more but be careful not to over buy! We have to be even more concerned about food waste at this time. Waste not, want not.

4) Don’t forget your list! - And you reusable bags! Many groceries are not excepting refillable packaging or have done away with bulk items (in my area, at least). I do understand that these are hard places to ensure cleanliness. There is some debate about cloth bags, but most places will let you bring and use your reusable bags, as long as you bag your own groceries.

Now you are ready to brave the grocery! Good luck!

2020 Monthly Goals | March Recap and April Goals

The world changed a lot from the beginning of March to the end of March. I mostly have remained unphased, besides being suddenly unemployed, and having a completely different and new routine. Many of my plans for March were no longer possible. Here were my goals and how I did.

Eat vegan once a week
I’ve tried this one before, but it’s something I have to more purposefully move towards.
So, I wasn’t able to eat one full day each week as vegan, but I have been eating a lot more purely vegan meals. There are days where the only non vegan thing I eat is a bit of butter. I count this as a partial check for goals completed.

Schedule two docs
I have to take my health more seriously and I need to do those things that I really don’t want to do and continually put off. Baby steps.
Wellllll, here’s where the world started to get in my way as far as my March goals go. I had wanted to find a therapist, a dentist, visit my doc, etc…. I didn’t get any of those goals going. BUT I was able to get an appointment for Tom for a new oncologyst. So I’m counting this as a partial check off.

Schedule two trips
This balances out the above, but If I don’t plan to schedule trips, I don’t take them. I have a lot of ideas where I want to go and have narrow it down and book them up. My short list includes NOLA, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Bermuda, Beacon NY…
And this was a no.

Go to Brooklyn
I’ve been saying I would go back for a visit since November 2019, it’s time to actually go.
Also, NO.

Write two letters
As soon as I thought of this goal, I received a letter in the mail and I knew I had made a good choice.
I wrote 1 letter!

Things are looking a lot different in April than I thought they would at the beginning of March. Keeping that in mind, here are my goals for April:

Learn some and do some yoga
I’ve been putting this off, but now’s the perfect time to make some progress.

Finish some art and illustration
I’ve been enjoying @carsonellis ‘s daily quarantine art prompts and #transmundanetuesdays but haven’t actually done any yet. I want to finish my cross stitch. Many more projects I can think of!

Read 3 books
I’m really trying to get off the computer and the phone and do more of the things I love.

Be mindful of the garden
I’m not a stellar gardener. I’d like to learn to be better at it.

Continue to improve my health
Eating well, cooking, finding new low waste alternatives, and home remedies are key at this time and I want to continue this journey in a purposeful way.

This seems like a goals list that fits with my priorities and mindset for this month.

What are your goals for April?

Break Shot: My First 21 Years

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

Audible gave me Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor for free. How did they know I’m a James Taylor fan?!

Although I’ve listened to James Taylor basically all my life (my mother is a fan), I didn’t really know much about his life. I knew some of the big points, like that he was a heroin addict, and that he was married to Carly Simon, that he had a cameo on The Simpsons, and that I loved his music, but that was basically it.

James Taylor came up with the title for his first autobiography while walking in the woods. He thought the idea of the first move in any game of pool, the break shot, was a perfect metaphore for his early life. The move that got everything else started.

The first thing that struck me about this book was the reading. I cannot believe how awkward a reader JT is! Stiff and mechanical, not at all conversational like he is in his concerts. This audio book reading is interjected with music and singing which can be distracting. Once I got over the reading style, or lack there of, and could focus a little more on the story, I like that his writing style is very conversational. In this book JT goes thru his life from early childhood in chronological order, pretty much. Talking about one thing will remind him of another story from years later and he will interject with that later memory recalled. But he always finds a smooth and easy way to bring you back to the present moment in the time line. Telling his childhood in time order, but sometimes installing moments from the past, and more often the future, makes this very interesting to listen to. His early life torn between the North East Coast and South Carolina, his struggles with depression and drugs, his fall to heroin addiction, and his climb to making his first record with the Beatles is all recorded in Break Shot. I might not have picked this book up on my own, so I was pleased to have gotten it unexpectedly and I will be waiting for the next era of James Taylor’s life to be written down. I would highly recommend this book for readers who like books set in New England, readers who are interested in mental hospital stories, those who like easy autobiographies, and all James Taylor fans.

Have you read any autobiographies lately?

March Plant Update

March was amazing for flowers, plants, greenery, buds, seedlings, critters, colors and getting out and about. Thank goodness that groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year, bc I think we all needed the early Spring. I know I did. It is always astonishing to me that just seeing the blooming magnolias makes me SO. MUCH. HAPPIER.

Here they are.

Whoever was the genious that planted this sidewalk bump out in AsBury Park with hundreds of daffodils?

Loved this color combo this month. In Sea Girt.

And in Asbury Park…

…twice.

These chicks and hens are from my former landlady in BK. This year I finally decided to divide them as she used to do.

We haven’t done the big houseplant replant, replenishing of soil yet, but these few needed new pots ASAP.

Happy by the window.

Houseplant tableau in greens.

New monstra leaf.

Less new, but still good.

A day with the birds.

One side of a sunset….

… and the other.

Evening walks with Magritte light.

We had plenty of cold and rainy days in March, plenty of grey days. But the warmer weather and brighter skies made up for all of them. What a pleasure that long walks are not only allowed but encouraged while self isolating (as long as they are on your own or with your partner/person/child/parent/etc… only!). What a pleasure that it is Spring here.

Are you observing Spring where you live?

March in Review

Wow March…. OK.

1) Loveliest foot stool ever? 2) Last golden hour from the boardwalk for the foreseeable future. 3) Vitamin C. 4) friends in high places.

1) Pandemic pancakes. 2) New friend named Blue. 3) Getting things accomplished. 4) Not the first ice cream of Summer, but getting close.

1) White watcher. 2) Blue by you. 3) Shop keep. 4) THE Big Boy.

Clearly March was not how anyone was expecting. Although there was much fear, worry, anxiety, and uncertainness, it was not a bad month for us here. We are thankful for our home, our health, our connection to friends and family, the health of those friends and family, our time together and our time with our cats.

We hope, you all, dear readers, are doing well, and staying safe.

The world is changing rapidly and it is hard to tell what each day will bring. Here is April and we will see what we shall see.

My Favorite Thrift Finds of 2019

For several months now, I’ve been wanting to make a favorite thrift finds of 2019 post. When I thought back to what my favorites were, I could only come up with two things. I thrifted far more than two things last year, of course. I could think of many things, but they weren’t my favorite, not the most practical or useful, not items I used often and with relish. So I decided to stop wracking my brain for more items. Two is enough.

Mini thermos
I thrifted this late in the year, I can remember bc it was when a friend was staying with us. I had never seen such a small thermos! It seemed like such a useful object. And it has been! It keeps things warm for hours and is perfect for one serving. We mostly use it for oatmeal, but it’s great for warm beverages too!

Red sketch book
I thrifted this at the Goodwill near my mom’s house (the ones where some pugs were stollen a few years back). This is a really high quality sketch book with nice thick pages. I’ve been using it this year for my monthly goals and for just playing with paints and markers.

And there you have it. The two thrifted items that really stand out to me from 2019. Both simple, utilitarian, and beautiful.

What were your favorite thrift finds of 2019?

Zero Waste Recipe: Creamy Vegan Veg Soup

Here is another great recipe for using up veg that might be on the turn. Take those wilty leeks, those potatoes growing eyes, those limp celery stalks and turn them into a rich and delicious soup.

The soup I’ve made here is a Creamy Leek and Celery Soup. But you can use any veg you have languising in the fridge or pantry. Potatoes are a must to make it thick and creamy.

Ingredients:
(I’ve put the amounts I used here, but feel free to scale up or down. This made 4 good sized portions which we ate over 2 nights)
2 potatoes
2 leeks
5 stalks celery
2-3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 tablespoon vegan veggie boullion
2 Bay Leaves
Water
Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment:
Soup pot
Cutting board
Knife
Spoon
blender

Fine chop garlic and chop celery. Peel and chop potatoes. Slice leeks and wash thoroughly. I soak mine in a bowl of cool water to let the dirt float out, drain, rinse and repeat until no dirt or sand remains. Add garlic and leeks to put with olive oil and cook until fragrant and wilted. Add celery and cook until tender. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, water to cover and bouillon and bring to a boil. Make sure to stir the bouillon in well to make sure it is totally incorporated. Boil until potatoes are fork tender and then reduce heat to simmer until veg practically falls apart when poked. For this soup, it was about an hour. Let cool before blending in a blender. This time I let it cool for several hours and reheated, but you can wait as little as 20 min as long as you can safely blend it. Blend the entire soup in batches if desired. I always reserve some of the chunky veg as I prefer my soups with a little bite. Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve.

A few notes:
- Make this soup ahead and store then blend. Or do like I did and blend and then store. This soup lasts up to a week in an air tight container. I’m sure it can also be frozen, but I’ve never tried it. It never lasted that long!
- Serve with crusty bread, crackers, add more veg in, as an appetizer, or as the main meal.
- Add whatever spices you might like to change this soup up. Pepper flakes might be nice, warming spices, french herbs. All sound good. Personally I think the bay leaves are key to making this taste fantastic.
- Remember that the bouillion is salty! Add salt with that in mind.
- This soup would also be delicious with sour cream and cheese on top if you are not vegan. But it doesn’t need it!

Using up old vegetables makes this a great zero waste recipe. Using bouillion in a glass jar and spices and oil in glass or bulk are good zero waste options. Always make sure to buy your veg not packaged in plastic.

I love this soup bc it’s so simple, quick and delicious. I also believe all soups should be both creamy and toothsome and this fits the bill. What are some of your go to soup recipes?

My Homeschooling History, Part One

Homeschooling is somthing I haven’t talked too much about in this space. Maybe bc I don’t too often talk about my history, or maybe bc I am an adult now and I don’t have kids myself. Homeschooling and education in general, but alternative education specifically, has always been a big part of my life.

Both my parents were educators. Or at least intended to be. They met while in teaching college. I have an older brother who has a different father (also a teacher) than myself. My brother went to public school all his life, something I think my mother regretted. I was homeschooled until I was 8 and a half. My father had given up his educational career when I was still an infant, but remained an intellectual. My mother worked mostly as a stay at home mom for much of my childhood, sometimes working part time when she was able. She also did a lot of non paid work, like running a group for mothers with young children. When I was 6 or 7 my mother worked at a farm stand and I would often go to work with her. A formative experience for me.

My mother was my primary teacher and she kept extensive notebooks on my early education. My learning was mostly experience and project based. I don’t remember too much about homeschooling until I got a little older and we joined a homeschoolers group. From my perspective this group was like-minded hippyish (for lack of a better word) people, like us. I didn’t learn that many homeschoolers are deeply religious until later in life. Some people I remember clearly in the group were a jewish family that invited us to all the celebrations, played music and sang and we would all go to music festivals in their camper together. Another were a “normal” suburban family with a split level home and huge wooded back yard, we would get co-op deliveries dropped off from a big box truck in their driveway to share with the entire group. We had homeschooling neighbors who had raspberry bushes and an above ground pool. We could walk to their house from ours and they had several children but my best friend was the girl my own age. This family moved away to a magical handmade home in the PA woods, complete with wild strawberry fields, a whole tree as support beam for the house, and a cold stream with crayfish on the property. As a group we went seining in the bay, to museums and parks, went apple picking, to nature centers, made crafts, or to educational lectures and events. We visited temples, Native American festivals, churches, musical events, plays and theater, and all sorts of cultural events. We traveled to historic areas nearby when we could. Some of us also attended Nature Camp, which was a local school for all things outdoors and in nature. There we learned to walk quietly in the forest, respect wildlife, sing bird songs, build fires, identify edible plants, observe nature and be part of it without harming it.

I never remember having to solve math problems or learning historic events in a traditional way. We never had “homework” or sat down at a desk at a certain time to learn writing, reading, maths. I would learn practical skills while learning about other things and interests. In my memory this is very self guided, but I’m sure my mother oversaw everything and steered me towards learning the important subjects. We read a lot: stories and fiction, but also art books, comics, non fiction, and informational and educational books. I have many memories of being at libraries, getting read to at night, and learning all sorts of things from books. But I also distinctly remember not being a very competent reader until I was about 8 years old. We created lots and lots of art. Art was a conduit to learn about many many things as well as art itself. We asked a lot of questions. I remember asking my parents questions, our friends, librarians, random strangers. In my education everyone was a teacher and everyone we came in contact with knew something interesting to learn. We had friends who ran restaurants and I would play on the flour sacks, learning about kitchens and making change and waiting tables. At the farm market, I would help my mother bake pies in an industrial oven, make flower arrangements and wreaths, pick and sort corn, listen to Spanish speaking farm workers. My aunt owned a metaphysical shop and I would run the register, help customers and stock shelves. Everyone’s vocation became a teaching moment.

Sometimes we took classes. Ballet, cooking, languages, pottery, and other education taught by someone other than my parents. And sometimes I went to school. I remember going to a kindergarten for a few weeks (in my memory). It was the first time I had seen a computer. It was a bizarre contraption. When I was 8 and a half, I started attending The New School of Monmouth County part time. This would start a relationship with this private alternative school that last to this day.

What was your early education like? What do you remember most? What were lessons you learned? Which of those stuck with you through your life?

Mad Cat Capsule: Nostalgic Clothes

I’ve started pulling from my stockpile of clothes, shopping my storage if you will, to prep for changing over my Winter Capsule Wardrobe to Spring.

Whenever I do this, I end up with a few piles. One to go into my capsule, one to stay in storage, one to donate or get rid of, and one that are clothes that I prob won’t every wear again, but don’t want to part with. Maybe my size has changed and they don’t fit me any more, maybe they are no longer my style.

But these items have a sentimental value to me and I want to have them as keepsakes. I’m not a minimalist, I’m not trying to get rid of all my objects, so it doesn’t bother me to keep a small bin of clothes I love but aren’t useful. I like to look thru this in from time to time like one would a photo album.

My favorite flannel that no longer fits, a dashiki that I could never figure out how to wear but I love, and a dead stock sweater from the 70s that I thrifted when I was a teenager.

One of the main reasons people keep clothes that they no longer wear is bc these items remind them of a time or place, a feeling, or a version of their former selves. Most people in the minimalist, capsule, sustainable wardrobe community would say to let go of these pieces, but I don’t think that’s necessary as long as you keep them in a mindful way.

I dearly loved these studded jeans, one of my first ever purchases from Target when they were a new store.

Keeping hoards of clothing that you don’t want to part with with no thought is not wise. But keeping a select memory box of curated items can be a time capsule. (No pun intended). Just like any other part of your wardrobe and indeed all your possessions, it’s important to go thru these items from time to time, not let them rot in a forgotten box or bin.

Do you keep a fashion time capsule? What are some of the old clothing you can’t bare to part with? Is there a story attached to them?

Magical Herbalism

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I borrowed Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham from my BFF when I visited Arizona in December and I’ve been slowly reading it ever since.

If you are new to practicing magic, or you are a long time witch, this guide is vital for your library. With instructions for creating magical objects and alters, simple spells and detailed info on many many herbs, this book will help you on your way.

Although this is an instruction manual, filled with very practical information about herbs and how they are used in magical practice, this book can be read by all. The style is very simple and easy to read and digest. If you are a magic practitioner you will find the beginner’s guide here, but if you are not a witch at all, this book is still very interesting. One might not choose to make a magic knife with which to perform spells, but the underlying themes of mindfulness, purposefulness, sustainability, and taking great care to never do harm, should be heeded by all. Besides having instructions for spell and magical objects, this book is mostly a guide to picking and using wild and cultivated herbs, flowers and plants. It has a long and thorough list of herbs and plants, their uses in magic, the element they are associated with, if they are edible or not and more. I felt very inspired each time I picked up this book, not so much to practice magic, but to practice cultivation, foraging, preservation, nature knowledge, mindfulness, and slow living. I also like that this was an instruction book not a narrative, which meant it was easy to read while reading other books as well, or in bits and pieces. I do think that this is a beginners guide, but it may contain items or terms that you have never heard of or used. This is the kind of book that sparks you to investigate further. I would highly recommend this book for those interested in magic, practicing witches, gardeners, and plant lovers.

Have you read any instructive books on obscure subjects? What is your favorite?