December Plant Update

I was surprised that December was a great month for plant observations. While it was happening, it didn’t feel like it. December ran the gambit on weather, saw the other side of the country, saw dying plants and blossoming.

A little bit of snow.

A little bit of snow.

A lot of snow!

A lot of snow!

A very nice blue sky.

A very nice blue sky.

I love these orange and vermillion berries in the winter! Such a pop of color!

I love these orange and vermillion berries in the winter! Such a pop of color!

Squirrel friend.

Squirrel friend.

Tom, not quite comfortable.

Tom, not quite comfortable.

Our hibiscus bloomed. Twice!

Our hibiscus bloomed. Twice!

Tis the season, and Asbury Park was decked out in December.

Tis the season, and Asbury Park was decked out in December.

And decked at home. (not mine, tho.)

And decked at home. (not mine, tho.)

A visitor to Asbury Park we came across.

A visitor to Asbury Park we came across.

An interlude in Arazona.

An interlude in Arazona.

Fuzzy little jojoba.

Fuzzy little jojoba.

Cutest leaves ever.

Cutest leaves ever.

Back in town and hanging with the locals

Back in town and hanging with the locals

Everything lavender.

Everything lavender.

More winter berries.

More winter berries.

Hello sir!

Hello sir!

Sometimes you just need to hang out in the green.

Sometimes you just need to hang out in the green.

December was a great mix of plants and animals. It was really nice to take a break from east coast winter and go somewhere warm and green. As a quick fix, visiting a green house does the trick. But I plan to take more winter trips to warmer climbs in the future.

What is December like where you live? What were the plants that stood out to you?

December in Review

Another year’s end! December was a busy month; holidays and seeing loved ones, unexpected illnesses, supporting friends, staying cozy and working hard.

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The beginning of the month saw the only snow of late 2019 so we stayed inside and hunkered down.

But not for long. A trip to warmer climes was made shortly into the month. Visit friend and helping them was a theme this month.

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The rest of the month was more mild and #watchercats and #myfavoritetrucksofasburypark were out and about, as were we. We tried to walk and explore near home a little in Dec. New spots were found.

We worked a lot, dreamed some dreams and tried to set ourselves up for the new year, new decade, ahead. Kick starting creativity was a priority.

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It’s hard to believe travel took me half way across the country this month, but that’s the thing about a year, you never can tell. What does January and 2020 have in store?

Zero Waste Travel Review 2019: Nashville, Pheonix

It’s been a lovely year for travel. We like to travel but we can’t always find the time. We have demanding jobs and cats. This means we don’t always get to stay as long as we would like to. This makes it hard to take the time to assess the city and it’s zero waste features and possibilities. But even a few days can give you an idea of how it is to travel zero waste. Here are my impressions of the 2 of the 4 major cities we visited this year.

There is a mix of old school spots, like the Nashville Biscuit House, and new more sustainable options in TN.

There is a mix of old school spots, like the Nashville Biscuit House, and new more sustainable options in TN.

Nashville, TN
I’ve visited Nashville a few times previously but as we have family there, we usually stick close to home. This trip we got to visit with family and friends, but also ventured out a little more. There was a lot of plastic bags, styrofoam and plastic take out containers. Single use plastics and plastic packaging seems to be the rule with very little exception. When we went to restaurants of cafe, there was always disposable napkins. It was super hard to find vegetarian, let a long vegan options, but We did hear of a few new vegan places to try next time we are in town. A few places we visited had more eco friendly options and we saw a few places that let you use your own cup, or didn’t offer straws unless asked. We did happen upon a great zero waste shop, The Good Fill. And there were other signs of getting clued into a more sustainable lifestyle. Many people did carry their own grocery bags! There is a light rail that people can take in to the city center, but the entire time we were there I never saw it moving, let along in use. Driving is the main form of transportation and traffic was thick most of the time we were there.

Nashville seems to be a city on the edge of a possible sustainable revolution. But for now, the downside of waste seems to be catching up to other major cities, especially where to go containers, public transport, low cost zero waste alternatives, and normalizing non plastic options are concerned.

Overall, I think Nashville is a city to watch out for. Right now, it’s not anything too special where zero waste is concerned but it’s poised to turn an important corner. I feel like Nashville could use more zero waster citizens and tourist to keep it’s progress moving.

Being in the middle of the desert makes Phoenix unique.

Being in the middle of the desert makes Phoenix unique.

Phoenix, AZ
This is probably the city I have visited the most out of all my travels this year. I’m always surprised by Phoenix. When I think of it, it is a waste land, a desert of similar looking houses and chain stores. But on this visit I took note on how many indy businesses there were, how many vegan options there were, as well as grocery shops with bulk sections and other low key resources for zero wasters. Disposable plastic is still the norm, but I saw many people carrying their own grocery bags, bringing their reusable cups and being more conscious about sustainable options. Phoenix is water conscious and so they are used to taking care of precious things, if they can make the mental leap to also care for reusables, it would go a long way. No one seemed to mind me bringing my own to go container, or to go cup but it was still an oddity. Hiking and out door activities are common there, so people are health conscious which can easily translate to being heath conscious for the planet. Driving is the only transport as far as I could tell, and traffic in the city can be pretty sticky. I was visiting and helping friends on this trip, so I didn’t do too much exploring, but I’m excited for the next visit to suss out more sustainable options and seeing how one can to be more zero waste in Arizona.

A downside of Phoenix zero waste is definitely awareness and communication. I saw resources in Phoenix that I had never seen before, like person who shreds documents and recycles the waste (he even reused any plastic bags that were brought in!) but generally no one is talking about reducing waste. Asking for “no straw” was still a novelty as was asking for other small things to reduce waste in restaurants or shops. People didn’t know how to react and were confused a lot of the time. A way to combat this would be for all those wanting to reduce waste and promote a low impact lifestyle to speak out more and make those conversations a more normal activity.

Overall, I think Phoenix has come a long way but has a longer road ahead.

These two cities had frustrating aspects for someone who wants to reduce their waste, forgo plastic and lead a more low impact life. But they also had exciting possibilities. I’ll be interested to revisit these cities and watch the progress that is made.

It was fun to think back to my travels this year and how they relate to zero waste. Each time I returned home, I was happy to be back in my comfort zone with my waste consumption but it also made me thnk of the changes I still need to work on and how my own city could improve.

Did you travel in 2019 with zero waste in mind? What were your observations?

Zero Waste Travel Review 2019: New Orleans and Denver

It’s been a lovely year for travel. We like to travel but we can’t always find the time. We have demanding jobs and demanding cats. This means we don’t always get to stay as long as we would like to when we do get to travel. It is some times hard to take the time to assess a city and it’s zero waste features and possibilities. But even a few days can give you an idea of how it is to travel zero waste. Here are my impressions of two of the four major cities we visited this year.

Jackson Square in the French Quarter on a cloudy day.

Jackson Square in the French Quarter on a cloudy day.

New Orleans, LA
NOLA is pretty much an anything goes kind of city. So it’s easy to ask for things in your own cup or bag, no one looks at you funny for bringing your own utensils or to go containers. There’s tons of cafes, restaurants, and shops that are easy to eat-in so as not to create waste. New Orleans is pretty environmentally conscious due to it’s precarious nature and history. When I was there in February, I noticed some places with paper straws, paper packaging, and other signs of awareness. There are a few places I have read about that are specifically geared towards zero waste, but I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting them. Hey! Cafe (where environmental activist and zero waster Rob Greenfield visited in 2017) and the New Orleans Food Co-op are definitely on my list for my next visit. There is a broad network of trolleys and buses, but it’s also easy to get around on foot as a visitor. I love New Orleans and think that it is definitely in my top ten cities that I would gladly move to.

Washington Square in The Marigny section of NOLA.

Washington Square in The Marigny section of NOLA.

The downside of NOLA waste would definitely be the souvenirs, beads, and decoration waste mostly associated with Mardi Gras.

Overall, I think being zero waste in NOLA is pretty easy, as long as you stay conscious and avoid the really touristy things, like to go beverages in plastic cups, drive throughs and all the plastic trinkets. You can walk or take trolleys to explore the city. And feel comfortable that asking for no plastic is not the weirdest thing anyone has seen all day.

A vista near Buffalo Bill’s tomb outside of Denver.

A vista near Buffalo Bill’s tomb outside of Denver.

Denver, CO
From what I had heard about the hippy dippy nature of Colorado (and I guess my preconceptions about all the pot smoking) I thought Denver would be very progressive. A “hippy” city. I was quite surprised with my observations. One of the first places that we went to get a bite to eat was billed as a veg and eco friendly. It seemed to be neither and didn’t herald a prosperous start. throughout our 3 day trip, I saw a lot of plastic, lots of straws, a lot a disposables. Some restaurants we visited, like Uncle Ramen, did have higher standards. Uncle uses disposable chopsticks and napkins but also makes sure these all go to composting. There were quite a few farm to table restaurants, used book shops, thrift and vintage shops that we found and really enjoyed. No one seemed to mind when I asked for things in my own cup and it was clear that water was a necessity in the hight elevation. We saw lot of reusable water bottles. Being a very health conscious and outdoorsy place, I’m sure there are a lot of resources for those activities, but we didn’t find them on this first visit. The main transport seemed to be driving but there was a light rail that went to the airport and the heart of the city.

The downside of Denver Waste seemed to be that it’s a very large and spread out city. It didn’t seem possibe to travel easily by public transport and walking was impossible. With that and the seemingly lack of awareness, it made it hard to feel comfortably zero waste. Many places still presented purchased items in plastic bags and the city streets had a lot of litter.

The Chatsfield Reservoir south of Denver.

The Chatsfield Reservoir south of Denver.

Overall, Denver felt like a big dirty city to me. I felt that I mostly had to go out of my way for zero waste options. That is how it is in much of my day to day experience is, to be fair. But it surprised me bc of my preconceived notions about CO. After visiting Denver once, I would really like to see more, get a better feel for it and visit some of the surrounding cities that are supposedly more progressive (CO Springs, Boulder…etc…). But upon first visit it didn’t strike me as a place I could ever see myself living.

I definitely have a bias where these two cities are involved, as I LOVE New Orleans and already feel comfortable there. I did the minute I got there on my first visit. So it would be helpful to hear from my readers! Have you visited these cities? What were your thoughts on them from a zero waster or generally traveller?

We visited two other cities this year, stay tuned for the reviews on those places!

What My Capsule Wardrobe Has Taught Me About My Personal Style

I’ve been keeping a capsule wardrobe for about 10 seasons now . I don’t see anything that would make me stop keeping one. I can see a point in the future where I have pared down my clothes to the extent where I only have one capsule that encompasses everything I need. At the moment, I have way too many clothes for that.

There are many aspects of capsuling that I enjoy, but one that I have found the most helpful is how much it has taught me about my own style and the direction I want it to grow in. Here are some things that I have learned.

Plain and simple - I’m attracted to ruffles, to baubles, to puff sleeves, embellishments, fringe. I’ve probably bought clothing with these accents at some point, but I’ve hardly ever worn them. I find the clothes I like most are those that are simple, plain and easy to wear.

Well worn and loved - Once I started going thru all my clothes every few month, I saw how many of my clothes had holes, rips, bleach stains, or were thread bare. Many might want to get rid of these, but I found they were some of my favorites. I love when clothes tell the talle of how well they have been worn and loved.

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Monochrome - I love to wear all the same color. Picking out all different hues of all the same color is something that seems to often happen when I’m getting dressed. Keeping a capsule wardrobe often means paring down your clothes to only the colors that you love and that go with everything. That often means you have a lot of the same colors no matter what the season.

Pattern mixing - I love wear like colors together but I also love patterns. And mixing them up is my favorite! I love the unexpectedness of this style. It adds some boldness to my otherwise tame wardrobe. Any pattern will so, but vintage and thrifted finds are usually my style.

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One of the reasons that I started a capsule wardrobe was bc I felt that I had no personal style. But in doing so I found that I had merely lost touch with my style and was able to easily get back on track. One reason to keep a capsule wardrobe is to make it easier to get dressed each day knowing that everything you have fits in with your personal style. I was happy to reconnect with my style and feel confident that all my capsules will make me feel that way.

I highly recommend a capsule wardrobe if you’re feeling like you’ve lost your style, or are not sure what it is.

What are some of the elements of your style? If you have a capsule, how has it helped you identify your style?



MightyFix From Mighty Nest Subscription Review

Disclaimer: My product reviews are completely unsponsored and unsolicited. The opinions are my own from my own experiences. 

I found out about MightyNest and thier MightyFix through Reading My Tea Leaves When we first moved to Asbury Park. I don’t usually go in for subscriptions but this one caught my attention as it was based totally on sustainable items, fairly inexpensive, could be cancelled at any time. I also liked that you could choose exactly when and how often your package arrives. I signed up for the subscription box right away, but I really enjoyed that you could add anything from the site on to your delivery for free.

The first box arrived and had Bees Wrap! Bees Wrap, although not vegan, is a great alternative to plastic wrap! This was a perfect introdcutory items to send, I thought! Small, easy to use, but with big impact. The subscription also came with a recipe card. I ordered some walnut sponges with my order. The whole parcel was sustainably packed and plastic free.

I kept MightyFix for a little over a year and received so many useful items. Some of them I use consistently in everyday life. Here are some of the items that came in my mighty nest.

Bees Wrap
Cleaning towels
Felt dryer balls
Grocery produce bags
Fillable scrub brush
Compact cross shoulder bag
Silicon can toppers
Glass and silicon portion containers
Swedish "paper" towels
Bug Spray
Coconut lotion
Citrus deodorant cream 

Almost everything that I received was of a greater value than I paid each month. Almost all the items contained no plastic. The only exceptions were the beauty and body products. Each order came with a recipe and info card, and I often used my monthly subscription to add on sustainable orders from the main site.
After about about a year, I decided that I was getting too many items and using too few of them. I could have slowed the deliveries, chosen what I wanted to get in each delivery, or taken a break, but I chose to stop getting MightyFix.

I really enjoyed MightyFix and I think it was a great service for me at a time when I was learning about more sustainable and low waste items. I was able to get a package each month that I could use and learn from. After the year, I was getting items that were becoming redundant. I had also come to the point in my zero waste journey when I need far less things, not any more things even if they were inspiring.

I would highly recommend this subscription service. MightyFix would be good for those starting out on their sustainable journey, or a great transition to a more responsible version for those that love subscription boxes. One of the nicest features is that the subscriber can choose what they want to get, if they have a goal in mind. MightyFix would make a great gift, especially those new to a low impact lifestyle.

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I would also highly recommend Might Nest as a place to shop for a wide variety of sustainable items for house, home, body, baby and pet. I get my compostable sponges, zero waste power laundry detergent and many other useful items here.

Have you tried MightyFix or Mighty Nest? What do you think? Do you know of any other sustainable subscription services?

Death in Holy Orders

One of my goals in 2019 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I picked up this copy of Death in Holy Orders by PD James at the book sale of the Allentown, NJ, Library.

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Inspector Daleglish is surprised when a rich and powerful man asks him to look into a death that was ruled an accident. But when he discovers that it took place at a remote seminary school that he himself visited as a child, he takes the unexpected opportunity. Even more surprising is that reinvestigating on death leads to many more.

I would say that PD James is one of my favorite authors but I think that this is actually only the 4th book I’ve read. When I started reading this book, it seemed so familiar to me, I thought I might have read it already and forgotten. I had to search around after a chapter or two as it was driving me nuts. I realized that there was a TV version I might have seen, but I also noticed that the were many similar plot points to another PD James book I had read, The Lighthouse. I pressed on once I figured that out, whether I saw the mini series or not, I couldn’t remember what happened.
Although I would call this book a murder mystery, it’s more a book about meeting characters and seeing how they interact. Each person involved is a fleshed out and explored enough to give you a sense of how each impacts the other. Since Daleglish is one of James’ main detectives, each book also has insight into his life. This book explored his background and upbringing, as well as his early love life.
I love James’ style of writing and I find it totally captivating. I liked that this book was set in a religious college although that was just a small aspect of this book. It was a very interesting setting: a tight knit community revolved around morality, now involved in the tumult of murder.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries, calm and serious detectives, books about small towns.

Have you read any books set in religious backgrounds and settings? Or any books set in a unique community?

Mad Cat Garden | November

November saw the winding down and cleaning up of the garden. We did very little in it this month. But we are also making plans for plans for the new year!

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It’s getting to be winter here, the blueberry bushes have all gone red, but there is still time to hang out in the yard with Tom.

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We pulled up all the large bushes in both the front and back beds. Tomatoes, poblano peppers, greens and radishes, all got pulled out and went in the compost. It’s sad to see all the beds looking so bare, but it’s also exciting to think of all the things we will plant in spring.

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Our herbs in pots are mostly dead and dry. Last year I had intended to collect the seeds, but never did. Hopefully I will actually get to it this year.

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The cat nip and mint are still hanging on. We took some herbs and other plants inside for the winter.

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The milk weed is just about done for the season but held out for the very last momemnt of warm weather.

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At the end of November we had a visitor that also solved an ongoing yard mystery. Early one morning we saw a very large perrigrine falcon hanging out by the bluebs. We had actually seen this same bird (I think) before a few years ago. Today, he sat for a while but swooped quickly after a sparrow!! We have often founds small clusters of feathers from some eaten bird in the yard, but we never knew who was doing the eating. Mystery solved. I’m not sure if the falcon got a meal this morning.

I was hoping our last garden meal would have been more spectacular, but in truth the last thing we ate out of the garden in Nov was some radishes in a ramen bowl!

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How is your garden this month?

2019 Goals | November Recap and December Goals

Wow, November went so fast! I feel like a did a really good at checking back to my goals over the month, making sure taht I was keeping them in mind. But time went so fast, I feel like I barely had a chance to work on them. That being said, I feel accomplished in my goals this month.

Reach out to friends
There’s quite a few that I want to make sure to say hello to and check in with this month.
I didn’t reach out to as many people as I wanted to, but I feel good that I tried to connect to friends this month.

Be direct
This is a weird one, but I feel like it goes this the first. I want to make sure to be direct and forthcoming with people this month. Gossip may not be the exact right word, but being direct doesn’t quite cover it.
I was mindful of this goals this month, but I could keep improving on it.

Give calendar blocking another try
I want to see if this productivity/organization method can help me in my day to day.
This goal was really more for my work days and I did use calendar blocking there. This method is helping me stay on track and I think in the long term will help me achieve my goals at work. But it is something that will take more than a month to become incorporated fully into my routines.

Cook at home -A LOT. Eat out LESS.
I think this one speaks for it’s self.
I feel really great about how much we ate at home this month. Especially compared to last month. I want to continue this for next month and into the new year as well, but I feel like we are now in a good routine and do not need to include it in my goals.

Creative challenges
I need some challenges to keep me on my toes creatively. My plan is to look for these methods this month, and hopefully put some in play.
This was probably the goal that was the least worked on. I didn’t take much time to fully sit down and think about artistic challenges. Some ideas did come my way, but I felt like I was least mindful about this goal.

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Now on to December! The last month of the year and I want to make it all about making habits for 2020.

Make 10k steps every day!
Walking is something that I know helps me improve my depression, maintain my weight, and keeps me active and limber especially in cold weather.

Post to insta every day (hopefully twice a day!)
I only posted 12 times in November - sad! I like to be able to look back and see more of each month.

Create an image every day
This a challenge that my husband set for us. Let’s see if this can kickstart some creativity in our house.

10 min meditate, stretch, exercise
I know even only 10 minute a day of these routines will help me a lot this month.

Be mindful and plan for the coming year
I want to use this month to reflect on 2019, and plan for 2020.

What are you plans for December? Do you use this time to gear up on making routines, or take it easy until the new year?