The Black Tower

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

I have several copies of The Black Tower by PD James. They mostly came from book sales, as I recall. At the point in April when I read this book I was on a roll of reading! I read this book in less than 24 hours, something I haven’t done since I was young.

On the day that Detective Dalgleish is told he doesn’t have cancer after all, he makes a serious decision to quite the police force and change his life. But first he must visit a friend who has written for help.

James’ writing is so effortlessly inviting, so smoothly enticing, I’m always surprised at how easily I’m sucked in to each book. Especially since the plot of the last three I’ve read are basically exactly the same. In this book, a small isolated town near the sea is rocked by death and suicide. But were either of them natural? Although I have read other books by James with this basic plot, this one was unique bc she had put the seed of doubt in the mind of her main protagonist. It was interesting to read about a detective actively trying to discourage his detective nature. It’s an interesting literary device to have a hero so torn over his role in the proceedings. If you’ve read any of PD James’ other novels, I would suggest this one as an interesting balance But one that still contains all of her amazing talents for writing and engaging the reader. This book has it’s fair share of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. I would highly recommend The Black Tower for those who are already fans of Detective Dalgleish, those who love detective novels with strong male leads, people who like suspense, and those who like mysteries set in small communities.

Have you read any of the Adam Dalgleish books? Do you read them in order? Or as I do, when they come your way?

Fast Fashion, Slow Fashion, Ethical Fashion, Sustainable Fashion, Second Hand

In this series I explain terms used in the low impact movement, lifestyle terms, and other verbiage that I use on my blog and in my daily life. Simply, in case they are new to readers. In some cases, I have done some research on them, but these definitions are mostly what I understand them to be and how I use them.

Last month, we talked about capsule wardrobes and and some terms surrounding that idea. There are many reasons to keep a capsule wardrobe but one of the biggest reasons in the horrible impact the fashion industry has on the environment and our global community. Here are the explanation of some important terms to know as I understand them.

Fast Fashion
Most simply put, Fast Fashion is the business of making clothing as cheaply and quickly as possible to keep up with changing trends.
But the byproduct of fast fashion takes a horrendous toll on the planet and the global population. Sweatshops, inhumane conditions, slave labor, child imprisonment, millions of tons of wasted water, millions of tons of garbage in landfills, mircoplastics, air pollution from incineration, animal cruelty, land dispute, clear cropping, pollution of water, air and land, use of pesticides, are only some, not even all, of the terrible outcome of fast fashion. Almost all fashion brands use some or all of these methods but a general rule is the bigger, less expensive, more widely available clothing is going to be the worse for fast fashion’s damaging practices. A few brands to avoid at all costs are Forever Twenty One, H&M, Target, Walmart, Zara, Primark, to name only a few.

Slow Fashion
Slow Fashion is the reaction to the devastation Fast Fashion has created and a movement to return to better quality made, ethically produced, clothing and a return to personal style without the need to follow trends. Slow fashion suggests buying few items, that are better made and made in humane ways, and take better care of them throughout their lifespan to be able to have them longer and enjoy them more.

Ethical Fashion
By using the term Ethical Fashion, a brand is letting consumers know that the clothing was made under ethical conditions. This usually indicates that there were not sweat shop conditions and there were fair wages for workers used when creating these clothes. It may also indicate that no animals were harmed but to be sure, check that a brand is also vegan. It may also mean the clothing was made sustainably. Each company’s use of these terms is different so make sure to research the companies you buy from carefully.

Sustainable Fashion
This can fall under Ethical clothing or Slow Fashion but brands that specifically advertise that they are Sustainable use practices to reduce their impact on the world and environment. This can encompass less water usage, less pollutants released into the environment, better working conditions, use of renewable resources and more.

Second Hand
Second Hand clothing is clothing that people donate to thrift shops, churches, vintage shops, or other places that people can buy them. Second hand clothing is usually inexpensive, off season, and pre worn. Some say second hand clothing is the most sustainable and ethical bc it is reusing of clothes that others have gotten rid of. This is a very budget friendly way to shop, good if you like to try new things or new trends, and helps clothing get a longer life before ending up in landfill or incinerator. But as a whole society we must change the way we shop, stop buying fast fashion, stop allowing it to be made, in order to really solve the problem.

Did you find these terms helpful? If you want more info on these or ant terms we have explored please leave your questions in the comments!

6 More Month Of Zero Waste

For more then the last 12 months, we have been on a journey to become more Zero Waste in our everyday lives. Big changes start with each and everyone of us, so breaking down each step into a month long challange and breaking down the over all chanllages into 6 months periods, makes change easy and simple.

Over the last year or so we have:
given up fast fashion
grown our own food
thought more about how we move in the world
rethought what we give to others
made over our spaces
changed our diets

Each 6 month block we try to take the challenge further, push ourselves more, and strive harder to become better. As we are all adjusting to how we cater our lifestyles to a new way of living, as we think about the aftermath and what we can do next, we might need to take some time to settle in. In May, let’s reflect and reset and get ready to pursue our Zero Waste Journey with purposeful mindfulness.

Once we’ve had a little time to rest and reflect, here’s what the rest of the year will look like:
June - Say NO, Say Yes
PLASTIC FREE JULY
August - carry no disposables
September - back to school/educate
October - beach clean
November - Hidden plastic
December - Repair before you replace

Feel free to follow along for the next 6 months (7 if you count Plastic Free July) or look back at the other monthly challenges.

Our 6 More Months to Zero Waste Journey began in early 2019:
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 2019 - Zero Waste Kit
We created a zero waste kit to help us be more zero waste in our day to day life.
December 2019- No Gifts
We took Dec to give no gifts and get no gifts.
January 2020 - Clothing and Fast Fashion
This month we explored what fast fashion is, and how we can stop buying it forever.
February 2020- Use Mass Transit
The shortest month seemed like a good time to explore alternatives to driving our cars.
March 2020 - 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 2020- Grow Your Own Food
April marks the start of spring in the continental USA, and when we can start growing food easily. But there are many ways and time to grow your some of own food.

Last Chance to See

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

I couldn’t remember if I had ever read Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine all the way through: Now I have. I’ve had this copy which I’ve, ahem, borrowed, ahem, from The New School of Monmouth County’s library for many years.

Acclaimed sci-fi comedy writer Douglas Adams had long been interested in conservation but when he met up with Mark Carwardine, things really got cooking. Together, with various guides, BBC photogs and producers, as well as a host of random characters, they travel the world in search of rare and endangered animals. They even find a few.

Once I had completed this book, I realized I had read it before and I realized why I probably couldn’t remember having done so. This book is depressing.
Here’s some history about me and Douglas Adams; I’m obsessed with him. I have been since I was a kid. I listen to his voice almost every night and have done so for as long as I can remember. That’s pretty weird. But Adams shaped a lot of who I am and still does. Reading (or I guess, rereading) Last Chance to See, I was struck by his humor, but also his pessimism and his perseverance. Mostly remembering his comedic work, I didn’t really think that that is how the tone of this book would be. In Last Chance, Adams travels to amazing places, sees amazing animals, and meets amazing people doing amazing work, but all the stories end the same, with doubt and uncertainty. And the crazy thing is, reading this book 31 (!!!) years later, the story is still the same. Recently the kakapo parrot, which Adams got to visit at essentially the beginning of their preservation, is still holding on by a thread. And that’s one of the best cases.
Despite it’s depressing nature, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in conservation, animal studies, environmentalism, or those who want to learn about the human impact on the world. This book holds up amazing well, bc so much of the information is still relevant on all these subjects. I would also recommend this book for Douglas Adams fans.

Do you enjoy books on nature or environmental issues?

Lady Celestina's Book Reading Method

My friend, Lady Celestina, reads a lot of books. When I asked them how they did it, they let me in on thier special method. It’s quite simple, really, but I was excited to try it, especialy bc I have more time to read than in many years. After using this method since the end of March, I can say that this totally works! I’ve read 8 books in about 7 weeks as of writing this.

Lady Celestina’s method has more to do with commitment and a mindset change than it does with an elaborate trick.

Simply, take the total number of pages of your book, divide by the number of days in which you want to read it (7 is suggested), and read that amount each night rounding up to the nearest chapter or page break.

Super easy, right? But if you stick with it, it gives you the right motivation to get thru books super quickly while being attentive and engaged. My previous problem was that I would read only a few paragraphs or pages at a time. I thought any reading was better than none. Reading so little never gave me enough to sink my teeth into. I was easily distracted, and would put the book down right away. Once I was on to The Lady’s trick, once I committed to trying it and using it, it allowed me to really get into each session and often times I would read more than the allotted number of pages. Having a method to rely on, I found it easier to put away distractions. I would highly recommend Lady Celestina’s Method for anyone trying to read more productively!

Do you have any tricks for reading?

Weird Zero Waste Things That I Do - Food and Drink Edition

There’s a series of youtube videos going around the zero waste world where people in the lifestyle reveal all the weird and sometimes disturbing ZW habits that they have. I have quite a few habits that fall into this category, but I’ve narrowed them down. Here are a few weird things involving food and drink I do in the name of zero waste.

Eat expired food
I’ve been shocking instagram during quarantine bc I’ve been proudly displaying that I’m eating up items in my pantry that are past their sell by date. Remember, these dates are rarely when food will spoil, only when manufacturers want to have them sold and restocked by. Read them carefully. “Sell by” is for the store more than the consumer, “best by” might mean the product might not be as fresh after the dates listed. There is still a need to be careful when eating expired food. Always inspect it and make sure it hasn’t gone off, there are no bugs, or that the can hasn’t gone rusty.

Drink old coffee and tea
I know a lot of people who save their leftover coffee or tea for an iced version so this isn’t that weird, but it’s my normal practice to make extra of both of these and leave them in a jar on the counter to be heated (or not) and drunk at my leisure. As long as there is no milk in them, they last for a day or more no problem. If I have put something in them like milk, honey, etc… I pop them in the fridge.

Drink flat sparkling water
We drink a lot of seltzer in cans in our houes, and similarly to coffee or tea, we don’t always finish each can. Rather than wasting what’s left, I collect the cans the next day and drink them flat.

Wash plastic bags and cheese wrappers
When I’m doing the dishes, I am often washing cheese wrappers, the plastic film tops of food containers, plastic bags, etc… Where most people will just throw these ways, and some zero wasters are lucky enough to have eliminated them from their consumption, I have to do the best I can. I take all my plastic film to be recycled, and to be recycled, they must be clean and dry.

Do you practice any of these ZW habits? What weird things do you do all in the name of reducing your waste? Leave your weird habits in the comments.

Also, here are a few of the videos I’ve seen if you are interested.
Sedona Christina
Blue Ollis
Gittemary Johanson

The Problem with Wanting Too Much is Having Too Much

I really want to buy new underwear. New fresh, cotton, ethically made, sustainable underwear. I would love to get rid of basically all my old ones and buy all new.

I would love to go on the internet and buy every little thing I want, like artisen jewelry, zero waste skin care, a comfy tye died sweatshirt, all the jeans, even more of the records. And now that most of us are spending basically all our time at home, this is even more tempting.

There are several reasons why I don’t do that but what they all boil down to is that we should do now what we want for the future. People’s greed and shortsightedness definitely played a part in getting us into our current situation and certain people are taking advantage of the situation in which we now live. It’s up to us as individuals to think more carefully and mindfully about our decisions and how they impact the world, especially while we have the time to make really informed, thoughtful, decisions. While the whole world is forced to move a little slower, let’s move slower within ourselves.

I am now even more mindful of my space, and what I want from it. Our spaces are directly related to ourselves. We’ve all heard the expression “cluttered home, cluttered mind” and we know that for the vast majority of us this is true. I see that in my own life, even more clearly while I’m spending so much time at home. I won’t be becoming a minimalist, but I’m working on ways to decide what is most important in my space. People who are busy buying instead of thinking might come out of this time of covid 19 with more stuff but feeling less safe and whole and “decluttered” in their homes and minds. The problem with being taught to want so much is you will end up having too much.

One of the biggest changes zero wasters and minimalists have to make is the mindset shift from what society has taught us (bigger is better, more is never enough, buy stuff to feel better), to what we know to be true (simple is satisfying and we have a responsibility to ourselves, our world and our community to be better then before, self reflection is healthy). Now that you have a minute, take that time to think about what you want to survive from this time and how to best achieve that in your mind, life and the world.

Zero Waste Recipe: Vegan Sourdough Pancakes

I have been eating so. many. pancakes.

I’m not mad tho. It’s been a log time since I had such a hankering for them and now that I have extra starter, they are even better! It took me a little while to develop this scratch pancake recipe, but it’s simple with only 10 ingredients, and so tasty with a little sourdough tang!

You may have noticed from other recipes that I hate to measure. And you would be right. I don’t truly measure this recipe when I make it at home. Here I have provided measurements for a small batch of pancakes. Feel free to scale up or down.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup starter (fed or discard)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tb sugar
2 tb oil (I like olive)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 baking powder
Pinch salt
Nutmeg
Oil for cooking

Equipment:
Medium mixing bowl
Fork
Measuring cups
Measuring Spoons
Frying pan
Spatula

Add starter, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and oil in a medium bowl and whisk with fork to combine. The batter will be very thick. Mix in milk, a little at a time, until you have the desired consistency. Make sure to mix well and get out any lumps and clumps (you can sift in dry ingredients if you wish but this is one too many steps for my taste). I like my pancakes to be thin so my batter is pretty runny. Heat frying pan and add cooking oil (I use a canola oil/olive oil mix). Once hot, pour in batter and cook like normal pancakes. Heat each pancake all the way through on one side until many bubbles form in center of pancake, then flip. Each pancake should be golden brown in the center and slightly crispy on the edges. This recipe makes about 8 small cakes or 4 large ones. Serve with butter, vegan butter, syrup, jam, etc… and enjoy!

Some notes:
- I feed my discard starter a little each day so for me these pancakes are pretty active. I really enjoy the flavor but sometimes the sourness needs a little getting used to.
- Use whatever flour you would like to change these pancakes to taste. Rye, buckwheat, or wholewheat all sound good.
- Change up the spices. I love nutmeg, but cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger would all work, I’m sure.
- I like my pancakes on the flatter, chewier side, so I usually cut down the amount of baking soda, but if you prefer a more fluffy pancake up it instead.
- These are sweet pancakes, but probably could be made savory by omitting the sugar, changing the spices and toppings.

These pancakes are a great way to use discard starter which helps with food waste. Using bulk flour or flour that came in paper, oil in glass, and spices in bulk cardboard, or glass, all help with waste. Use your homemade non dairy milk if you have it!

How do you like your pancakes? Fluffy or chewy? Sweet or savory? If you try this recipe, leave a comment below!

Mad Cat Garden | April 2020

Spring is here and the garden is booming. OK, well not booming yet, but it feels like it after so many months of dormancy. We are making plans for even more beds, and the layout of the garden changes almost weekly right now. Always giving up a bit more grassy space to more food making space. Adding some touches here and there to make the garden functional but also beautiful. We feel incredibly lucky that we have the space and now time to make more of an effort in the garden.

Tom has always like to go out in the back yard, but he likes it now that the weather is warmer. He even went after a squirrel or two in April. Quite the feat for an old man of 16 years. We watch him closely, and he never put the animal at risk.

For most of April just about all the blueberry bushes had not only leaves but many bell shaped flowers on them as well. The are still filling out, but bees and bugs have started visiting regularly.

We’ve seen a lot of early azaleas in the neighborhood, but ours have only shown the slightest movement all through the beginning of April.

Our raspberry bushes are taking off this year! We didn’t cut them back, but we have seen a lot of growth and new plants shooting up. We have cauliflower, radishes, carrots and one potato in this bed by the raspberries.

Our lettuce bed took a bit of a beating from squirrels who were having a grand salad, but by the end of April, everything was back on track. We planted peas in beds and in pots, and by the end of the month we had some tomatoes in these beds as well. A lot of what we plant is still trial and error. We gathered buckets and have been trying to start things from seeds in some.

This shelf came with the house and was downstairs unused for years, so my husband modified it this month to be a new bed. We will purchase a few yards of dirt from a local landscaper to fill it and all the others we have planned.

Our friend gifted us a rain barrel she wasn’t using at the end of last year and we finally got it up and working. It collects water from the gutters and we repurpose our Dr Bronners and vinegar jugs to carry water. When the barrel is full or when we know it will rain, we fill all the jugs to make room for more rain.

Not too much happened in the front beds. The mint and catnip are starting to really take off. Other than that, they are waiting to get tomatoes and more veg.

Seeds are still growing up in our guest room. My husband is diligently taking them outside to harden off on nice days.

So many things changed in April from the beginning and the end, perhaps the most of any garden report. Is it the same for you?

My Favorite Books | Get Ready for the Apocolypse

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

It was fun to recommend a few of my favorite books last month and I thought the apocalypse was a an appropriate theme for this month’s round up!

Bunny Modern by David Bowman
In the not too distant future, electricity has been wiped out by the Millennial Blackout. This makes childbearing and much more out of wack. Nanny’s take drugs to do their jobs, shrines to the current are everywhere, and one child actor has psuedo-psychic powers.
I love this book. Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again even though I have probably read it a dozen times before. I don’t know where found this book, but I still have my original beloved copy.
While researching this blog, I was sad to find out that David Bowman passed away in 2012. One novel was released posthumously, so I’ll have to get my hands on that. It made me want to check on some of my other favorite living authors and make sure they are OK.

Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Told from isolation after Ice Nine, a deadly compound discovered by the father of the atom bomb, destroys the world, Cat’s Cradle is a unique look at the apocalypse and it’s aftermath.
I have’t read this book in a while and it might be time to reread it. As I recall it has all the compelling writing and irreverence of Vonnegut’s best works with a more forward sci fi nature. I highly recommend this as a jumping off point for those who have never read him, or those who have only read Slaughterhouse Five.

World War Z by Max Brooks
Written as an oral history 20 years after the Zombie War started, we see how the war was started and how people are recovering in different parts of the world.
I’m shocked that during this pandemic more people aren’t talking about zombies in general and about this book in particular. What I really liked about this book was that it was more about how the world would recover from a global eco political pandemic than about monsters. Here’s an excerpt from the Wikipedia plot recap: “The United States does little to prepare because of its overconfidence in its ability to suppress any threat, and the desire to not cause a panic during an election year. Although special forces teams contain initial small-scale domestic outbreaks, a widespread effort never starts: the US is deprived of political will by "brushfire wars", and a widely distributed and marketed placebovaccine, Phalanx, creates a false sense of security.” Seems like the perfect time to read this book.

What are your favorite post apocalyptic books?

Something New: Sourdough Starter

Here’s a controversial statement. I want to make a sourdough starter but I don’t want to make bread.

I might have gone thru a brief period where I thought making bread was cool (don’t get me wrong it IS cool), but working at a restaurant that makes great bread, I’d decided to put my efforts elsewhere. I have amazing bread professionals around me to make the bread.

But since my work was closed for about 5 weeks, I finally broke down and got started making starter.
It wasn’t lack of bread that convinced me. Some friends have been kind enough to gift me bread, and we have been buying it on grocery trips. It was seeing all the other things you could make with the starter.

Pancakes, biscuits, flat bread, pita, crackers! So many items that one would otherwise have to buy in plastic can be made at home more easily with a sourdough starter!

So start a starter I did, it’s been a few weeks now and going well! I used King Arthur Flour’s sourdough starter recipe, which is simple and easy. I particularly like it bc it doesn’t require a scale. I’m not much of a measure-er let alone going to scale things out. I also have only been feeding my starter once a day. It’s cool enough in my house, and I’ve only been making a small amount to reduce waste, so this has been working for me.

Have you made a sourdough starter? If so, share your thoughts and tips in the comments! Have you made bread, or are you focusing on the lesser uses of your mix?

I’m excited to share more about my starter and much more about the recipes I use it for!

April Plant Update

Oh my goodness, being home and taking a walk everyday coupled with the fact that we had an early spring in March, made this April one heck of a month for plant observations. I literally had hundreds of photos to go through.

A carpet of magnolia petals.

A blurry yard bouquet.

Sun thru daffodils.

What kind of pine is this? I love the adorable cones!

Our Japanese maple just waking up for the year.

So many early azaleas!

Our monstera much prefers this spot to where it used to be.

This was some perfect morning golden hour light.

A very good holly tree.

I’ve been taking stump portraits.

Cannot resist cherry blossoms. Ever.

Lake views.

I have to crop these bushes, but at the moment they are bright and beautiful.

We’re trying to tame this grandma rose bush to go a different direction.

Love this neighbor’s cacti.

What is this ground cover? it is magical.

Perfectly rain soaked tulip.

The lilacs have been early, but i’m always happy to see them!

Apple blossoms?

We had some kale that bolted. When we put it in the compost bin, it flowered!!

I could have added so many more photos to this post! What were your plant observations in April?

2020 Goals | April Recap and May Goals

I would have thought that an entire month of quaretining would have gone by slowly. Not because there was nothing to do (I’m a firm believer that people who are boared are not paying attention), but bc I finally got to live the slow life style I’ve been craving. But April flew by and left me only wanting more time and more of the same. Although this month I thought I would have plenty of time to achieve all the monthly goals I set, the month still got a way from me in that department.

Learn some and do some yoga
I’ve been putting this off, but now’s the perfect time to make some progress.
This was my most ambicious goal and the one I totally failed. I should have known.

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!
I did do some art this month, not a ton, and I didn’t completely finish some of the things I wanted to, but progress was made. I’ll call this a partial win.

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

Be mindful of the garden
I’m not a stellar gardener. I’d like to learn to be better at it.
I’d say I did ok with this goal.

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.
Eh, not much was done on this goal, but I was more mindful of it.

On to May:

Do not over work/take your days-off off.
Having not to go to work for six weeks, was some of the most relaxing and rewarding time of my adult life. I want to make sure I carry some of that feeling over while my work schedule is still sparse.

Remember all your goals/the things you liked about lockdown/isolation.
I really want to make sure that I keep up with habits and routines I had over those six weeks. It was a good lesson in what’s important and what needs to remain priority.

Keep sourdough starter alive.
I’m doing so far so good on a once daily feeding.

Walk every day.
Gotta keep it up.

Tackle one big project.
In the beginning of April I had high hopes to get some projects done. This month, I want to make sure to do at least one of them.

What are your May goals?

Victory Gardens

One of our new favorite things to do on our nightly walks is to spot all the victory gardens cropping up everywhere. We always liked to see when and what and where people were planting but it has taken on a new meaning and a new sense of pride. I’m always happy to see people turning to a new avenue of sustainability even if it’s one that’s actually ancient.

I have a chip on my shoulder about beds in front yards, I love them!!

The bucket method.

All strawbs lining both sides of the drive.

Such a great use of limited space!

Very elaborate set up!

Simple and using reclaimed materials.

All you need is a little space. Sometimes just a very little space.

Have you started you victory Garden yet? Have you seen them cropping up where you live?

Six Feet Under

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

I’m sure I picked up Six Feet Under by Dorothy Simpson bc it has this tagline: Murder Most British. How could I resist?

Hardworking, honest, family loving, and empethetic, Detective Thanet sometimes wonders if he’s in the wrong career. But he is a fine detective and when the murder of a seemingly insignifigant and mousy house cleaner with a vile and overbaring mother is broght to his attention, he will do everything in his power to solve it. Even if that means uncovering a whole twon of secrets and some shortcomings of his own.

I have the feeling that I got this book at a by the bag book sale, but I can’t remember when or where. This is the second in the series and like I said, I know I picked it for the tagline. I had never heard of the author before, but it seems she had 15 novels in her Inspector Thanet series. Why this novel is called Six feet Under, words which are never uttered in the book, and have no baring on the story, is a mystery to me (haha). It seems that in 1982, this might have seemed a thrilling and enticing name for a mystery novel. I love dry British cop shows and novels and if someone made a handbook on how to create them, it might be this book. Tough, brilliant, loving, rye, and firm lead detective? Check. Eager, green but determined, not all put together but trying his best, young sargent? Check. Secretive, cloistered, looks perfect from the outside but everyone has their own agenda and allgeince, country village. Got it. Gruesome murder of a seemingly innocuous occupant. Killed it (her). So if you like those things, this is the book for you. It wasn’t the greatest mystery novel I’ve every read, and I wouldn’t seek out more of Dorothy Simpson novels but if I found one randomly again, I would pick it up. I would recommend this book for those who like novels set in small English towns, cop mystery novels, or anyone interested in comparing this to other books of it’s ilk.

Had you heard of this author before? Are you a fan of British Detective novels?

Things I Still Buy in Plastic and How I Plan to Stop

Deciding to embark on a zero waste lifestyle is something that takes a lot of time. You can’t go zero waste and plastic free over night. It would be amazing if you could choose to go zero waste and suddenly generate no waste, but we must start where we are and do what we can. Although I have replaced, over time, a lot of the items that are sold in plastic packaging, there are still some things that I need to work on.

One of the hardest parts of going zero waste is not beating yourself up for still generating waste. Most people who start down this path do so bc they are passionate and dedicated. Zero waste is not something people fall in to lightly. Or if they do, it probably won’t stick. But something that people don’t often talk about is the guilt and anxiety that zero wasters face over many daily decisions. One way to reduce that feeling is to think about the items you still buy in plastic, or that create waste and make a plan for how to change. Here are some of mine.

Sour cream, rice milk, bread, tortillas, yogurt
A lot of the items I still buy that create waste are in the kitchen. For many of those listed above, my plan is to learn to make my own or source alternatives. I’m not saying that I’ll never buy another loaf of martins potato bread (that stuff is delicious!), but by making my own bread or buying from a local bakery on a regular basis, I can buy less in plastic.

Coffee
I love to support my local roastery, and I love their coffee. But they use plastic lined bags. Before lockdown I was building up my nerve to ask for the beans in my own container. Now I’ll have to come up with another plan, or wait it out.

Dr Bronners soap
I use this soap for many cleaning tasks around the house. I already buy the largest container I can which lasts me many months. I would love to find somewhere that sells this soap in bulk, so I can refill these large containers.

These are just a few items off the top of my head, but practicing isolation and changing the way we shop has given me plenty of time to think about how and where I will shop for replacement items, make my own, or utilize local venders/farmers markets for these and many more items. These changes will not be instantaneous, and may not be easy. Thinking about the future and how I can change my behavior, even if it will be less convenient to me, helps me not feel so anxious when I see that loaf of bread in a plastic bag. I know that I am making steps to change for the better in the future.

What steps are you taking to reduce your waste and your anxiety about waste?

Let's All Kill Constance

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

I might have gotten Let’s All Kill Constance by Ray Bradbury on a stoop, or at a library sale, or off a shelf in a coffee shop. I can’t remember. But I’m sure I picked it up bc of the author and I know I’ve had it for many years.

“It was a dark and stormy night….” The audacity of using this as the opening line isn’t taken lightly by the narrator, an author himself. When the storm blows in an old flame and a murder mystery, it’s our narrator’s duty to investigate.

I realize that I have never read any Ray Bradbury besides Farenheit 451, which is an amazing book (one I should probably reread soon). I have a few of his books in my to-be-read pile, the Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, but this is the first I’ve actually taken the time to read. I must say it’s not what I expected. Bradbury writes in a very stylized manner for this book, which is almost all in conversation. Set in 1960s California, every character has an individual dialect, but all speak in a halting, in-the-know manner that can be sometimes hard to follow. Since this is not a straight forward mystery and is a bit confusing in plot, the language makes it even more so. The chapters are extremely short, which, while they make you feel accomplished (I’ve read 6 chapters today! even though that’s only about 20 pages), makes the story even more broken up. The vagueness of story, constant switching of internal and external monologue and dialog, half expressed thoughts in both, and the strange speech patterns make this read a bit of a jumbled mess. The book’s saving grace is probably that it’s short and quick. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this book, but it’s not one I’ll think too much on or ever pick up again, I think. Sometimes an avant garde style of writing will grab the reader, entice them into a different world, but I found this book too confusing to really dwell on. That being said, I would recommend this book for those who like quick mysteries, odd writing styles, Ray Bradbury novels, or books set in California.

Have you read this book? Have a different take on it than I do? Share your thoughts in the comments.

My Favorite Videos About Productivity

I love to watch Youtube videos about productivity, habits, resets, to keep you on track, different methods of systems and checklists, and meeting your goals, whatever those goals may be. I find by watching a lot of these types of videos, I can pick and choose and create my own views and methods of being productive in both work and life. Here are some of my favorite videos and a great way to get started.

One method that I love to use to increase my productivity and organization and keep my life in order is Bullet Journaling. I have a bunch of posts about my bullet journal you can check out. But the best video to start a bullet journal is the Bullet Journal Set Up by Ryder Carroll.

My favorite youtuber to watch on this subject is MuchelleB. She does a lot of reading on the subject and can distill that info down, so you don’t have to. I enjoy almost all of her videos, but especially like that most of them are short and to the point. I follow, to some extent her method of having a Life Admin Day when I can.

Calendar blocking is a great method for productivity and organization and Any Landino is the queen of calendar blocking. Her style is more commercial and brash than most of the videos I watch, but I enjoy many of her vids.

Who are your favorite productivity gurus? What methods do you find useful to keep your self on track in the day to day? Do you find videos helpful? Share your favorites!

Capsule Wardrobe, Curated Closet, One in One Out

In this series I explain terms used in the low impact movement, lifestyle terms, and other verbiage that I use on my blog and in my daily life. Simply, in case they are new to readers. In some cases, I have done some research on them, but these definitions are mostly what I understand them to be and how I use them.

April is here and I’ve made my 4th spring capsule wardrobe (16 capsules in total). I’m excited for another spring and another year of slow fashion, curating my closet, paring down all my clothes, and keeping a capsule. I talk a lot about these things on this blog and it’s an important part of a mindful, low impact existence. This seems like a good time to define these terms as I understand them.

Capsule Wardrobe
The term capsule wardrobe was first coined in the 1970s, by shop owner, Susie Faux, but it was recently made most popular by Be More With Less and her Project 333.
The basic concept is that you have a wardrobe in 2-4 parts (depending on weather where you live), which you swap out seasaonally. You have a limited amout of clothing in each (and ideally all ethical and sustainable or second hand). People often keep to a color scheme and each piece goes with every other piece. This makes getting dressed simple, non-decisional and pleasant. The underlying factors are items that are versatile, easily picked out, and fit your personal style. A Capsule Wardrobe usually consists of a certain amount of clothing in each season, but what that number is depends on your personal preference. This is the basic concept but how far and deep you want to delve into a Capsule Wardrobes system is up to each person. Some choose to only include their basic everyday clothes, come include shoes, accessories and outer wear, some have special capsules for fancy dress, exercise, lounge, wear, etc… A CW can also help one determine their personal style if they feel like they have none. Buy making a CW each season, you more easily find what you like, what you don’t, what is comfortable and fits well. CW enthusiasts also suggest buying better made and more durable pieces, so that the items last longer, and you are able to enjoy them more. There is an emphasis on repair rather than buying new.

I’m not sure where this iinfo grafic originated, but this is an example of what one possible capsule might look like. Not a very practical one, but…

10 by 10
This phrase refers mainly to the idea of pairing down your Capsule Wardrobe even more on a semi regular basis. By taking 10 items, including shoes, accessories, and outer wear, and wearing only these items for 10 days, we now can stretch the potential or our daily capsule and our creativity. Some Capsule Wardrobe keepers will build a 10 by 10 wardrobe for special events, vacations, etc… some just use one periodically as inspiration and challenge. This concept was made popular by Style Bee (she may also be the inventor).

Curated Closet
Once you have made your capsule wardrobe to your satisfaction, you may end up with just a simple Curated Closet. This means that every item in your wardrobe goes with every other, each are practical, and make you feel good, fit well and are taken care of. A curated closet doesn’t require as much work as a Capsule, bc you only have one, as opposed to several to deal with. Even if you still end up switching items out seasonally, you now know that your wardrobe is complete. Having a simple pleasurable curated closet is one of the goals of a CW. It takes the stress and guess work out of getting dressed each day, the anxiety of having “nothing to wear” or nothing that fits and makes you feel good. It also takes the stress of shopping for items out of your process, bc most Curated Closets simply replace items as they can no longer be worn, but put little or no effort into coming up with new items, or styles to buy.

One In, One Out Rule
Many Capsule Wardrobe and Curated Closet methods believe in the idea of the One in, One Out Rule. It sounds just like what it is, which is when one items is brought into your wardrobe, one must be taken out. This way you never accumulate more items than you need.

Are the definitions or these terms as you understand them? Do you have a different definition? Or a question about a related word of phrase? Share in the comments!

My Homeschooling History, Part Two

I was homeschooled until I was eight and a half, and then again later in life. My mother was was my primary teacher, but I feel that everyone I met taught me. Find the first part of my story here. When I was almost nine years old, I started going to school part time.

When I was eight and a half, I remember the age distinctly, my parents decided to try school again. I don’t know why it was so at this time, but I remember that it was very much talked about and I was involved in the decision. For the first 6 months it was on a trial basis. We started only going part time. It might come as no surprise that the school my parents chose was one for alternative education.
The New School of Monmouth County is a private alternative school started by an English woman in the 70s. This year is it’s 50th anniversary! It started out in borrowed spaces until it got it’s current home in Holmdel NJ. There are several well known alternative style school in the US (monessori being one), but The New School is unlike any that I have seen, it’s one-of-a-kind and unique. It is based on the British intergrated day, which follows the idea that all your subjects can be learned in project or theme based work, instead of having set subject classes to go to at certain times. Each year, an over arching theme is chosen. Projects within those themes, as well as work sheets and side projects, are how students get their math, science, history, geography, etc… There are no set classes for these subjests and much of the learning is self guided.
TNS (The New School) is family grouped into three classes, approximately equivilant to K, 1st, 2nd grades in one class. 3rd, 4th, 5th in another, and 6th, 7th, 8th in the last. We call them Little Class, Middle Class, Older Class. These groups are roughly based on age, grade, educational advancement, and emotional advancement. Meaning sometimes a younger child might be in the middle class, sometimes an older child will stay in the little class, and occationally, a student will stay an extra year or two before graduating on to highschool. When I came into TNS, I started in the Middle Class. Each class room in the rambling red school house has no desks, no chalkboard or white board, no school like structure. The rooms do have communal tables, pillows on the floor, lofts, books, games, art supples, “junk” areas, tote trays for students to keep their work in, and other items catered to the age group or area of the school (a science solar room, the library, a music room…). Every morning, after students arrve and put away thier jackets or back packs in the lockers which are scattered through out the buildling, and after they have stored thier lunches in the communal kitchen, each class holds a Book Corner. Book Corners are held twice a day, once in the morning for everyone to touch base and see what they will be working on for the day and once in the afternoon, to recap and look towards the following day. There’s a snack and lunch time each day, which also incorporates some free play time. Sometimes and some days of the week are devoted to outside classes, like phys ed, which maybe a trip to the park, swimming at the Y, or gymnastics. Sometimes there are contained classes like languages, music, or art. But most of each day is spent working on various projects towards the common goal of incorporated learning.
My earliest memories was going to my first ever Gingerbread Night. There are many such events throughout the school year. Here the school gathers to make innovative and creative gingerbread houses, sometimes following the year’s theme. Out of school activities like these, self guided learning, alternative takes on learning, family groups classes, home style breaks, and more are only a few ways that TNS is like homeschooling. It was a fairly natural and smooth transition from one to the other. Getting used to daily interactivity with other students took some getting used to among other aspects of going to school. But I ended up loving most of the school experience and staying until I was old enough to graduate. I credit The New School with furthering my drive to self educate, to learn about many artists, art forms, different cultures and life paths. Having teachers that were smart, interesting, respectful and willing to listen to the students (as they guide us, we help guide them), had a huge impact on me and my education.
Once I moved into the older class, my mother took over teaching the middle class. She had assisted or volenteered before, but when she would no longer be my primary teacher in the school, she took the class on full time and still works there to this day. Being family grouped was not the only way in which family played a role at TNS. The director, and founder’s children also attended, many siblings were encouraged to attend. I could talk a lot more about TNS, how it works and why it works. Since this is a homeschooling history, the most important thing to note is that TNS and homeschooling share a lot of methods and goals and bother were intregal to my educational development. I left The New School at age 14 and went on to a conventional high school but The New School was never far behind me and I would return to it again and again.
I first returned soon after graduation for a Older Class trip to England. I participated and later taught in the Summer Program at TNS. I went on to teach Language, Color Theory, and Modern Art at the school at various times in my life. For many years I would attend school events regularly or be a chaperone on trips or yearly camping excursions. My mother still works there which makes revisiting easy, but I also deeply believe in the mission and method of the school.

Public high school was an entirely different story….

What was your middle school experience? What kind of school did you attend? Are you interested in alternative education? Have you ever researched or visited or attended any alternative education institutes?