Get Real’s Neighborhood

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I'm spending the rest of the day in my pajamas, don't tell anyone I'm home! We overdid it yesterday, painting the house and raking leaves. 20 bags worth from our meager acreage.

Then I jogged at the Lake this morning. Cold but lovely anyway. I ran into 7 teenagers trying to harass an animal and I had to talk with them. I'll elaborate tomorrow. Sigh.

People never guess that I'm a huge supporter of free will. Wiccans say do whatever you like, as long as it causes no harm. Yet animals are so often used as entertainment for bored children I guess tormenting them is now seen as perfectly acceptable.

Oh well, have some snacks! (Not sure what that is in the picture but it looks yummy).

Smoothie

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We visited the Berkshires this weekend, it was lovely. We grabbed some lattes, looked for hiking clothes and ate at a small-town pub after.  The region is more mountainous and forested than our region, the Valley.

We drove past an incredible home. It was white with silver shutters, and it was traditional yet semi-modern. I wish I knew the name of house styles so I could have identified it.  

We have a creative artist neighbor who does sidewalk chalk art every day. One guy calls it "The Gallery" because we all see her fabulous drawings when we walk to the breakfast place on weekends. I'm looking forward to having more artistic space on our new property.

People in the Berkshires live a much more cozy lifestyle, the forests are right outside their windows, along with the rushing river and mountains. Fireplaces and faux-fur hiking boots in mudrooms are the norm.

I found a cool example of a modern home, south-facing windows, in Natural-Home Magazine. It's a Zen Ranch Colorado Straw Bale Home. I'd love a place like this!

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We shopped for hiking boots this weekend, I overheard the funniest conversation. A woman and her mom were trying on some clothes, lamented that the sizes were all wrong.

"These clothes aren't made for American women. (Looks at label) See? 'Made in India'. Women over there are made differently. That's why all our jobs are gone, because the were all sent over there".

I had to laugh. Haven't we gotten a grip on a global economy yet? When will we get with the program? Other countries have a prospering population, universal health care. Other nations are united to solve climate change issues. Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands allow gay marriage.

There's an exceptional article in the Boston Globe this week called Why Fundamentalism will fail.

In Christianity, the fastest-growing wing of the church is the Pentecostal/Charismatic wave...accounting for one in every four Christians. One writer has called them “main street mystics.” Among Muslims, it is the gentle but ecstatic Sufi version that is growing fastest, not the suicide bomber cults. All these movements...represent a fatal threat to fundamentalism.

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I'm encouraged to hear this. Because while the far right-wing may be making a lot of noise, they are clearly in the minority. They've even caused some Republicans to switch parties - and I'm a huge supporter of the Working Party. 

I don't think it's about being the loudest, I do think it's about forming communities.  

With raspberry too

As we all know, real change takes time. News reports are saying today that the single-payer health care plan is off the table. The real news is, it's a very hot topic. It has energy. Thousands of grassroots organizations and nurses are supporting the idea.

Bernie Sanders is introductiong S703 to Healh Care Reform.

Please write to the White House and support Universal Health Care for the 37 to 47 million Americans without insurance. It will save us money! And tell them we want the bill delayed if it doesn't have one.

Hot drinks

I'm still trying to minimize our posessions. Even my email box was horribly clogged. I had 124 emails on my private account. Most of them were from nonprofits. During grad school I did a newsletter signup frenzy. I must have been lonely or something!

I unsubscribed to almost all of them. Wow! What a difference. Our house is also filled with things we can't seem to say no to. Gifts from family, my mom sends me boxes of junk.

Last night I made a list of things I want vs things I need.

Need: Clothing, food, shelter. Medicine and cleaning products. Safety items (phone, flashlight)

That doesn't sound like a lot until you remember that clothing alone is shoes, shirts, fall coats, winter coats, boots, gloves, jogging clothes, agh!

Want: Art and supplies, amenities, furniture, books, cat toys, modest decor, some electronics. Girly things.

That is still a lot of stuff, and it doesn't even include sentimental things. Very hard to choose. On a somewhat unrelated note, I love this clothing site called Prana. They make great yoga clothes and they are partnered with Conservation Alliance, a wonderful nonprofit.

And they don't brag about stuff. I love that.

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Green-tea-shaded

Going to my favorite semi-local market today. Finding products that aren't wasteful gives me a raging migraine. Companies brag about all sorts of things that are weak or completely meaningless. Like "made from sustainable materials". Says who? Oh yeah, the company who makes the product.

Fortunately, the Federal Trade Commission has finally decided to step in. ABC news had a good story on the matter. As they point out in the story, a few good labels exist already. Terrachoice mentions Ecologo and Green Seal.

Here's a quick and dirty eco-guide:

** Items that will be tossed in days or weeks are wasteful, period. The "biodegradeable" label is not regulated by law. Packaging should be minimal.

**Plastic is evil. The end. Try glass or metal.

**As our beloved Alton Brown says, we don't like Unitaskers. If you buy a glass bottle of milk, or whatever, think of ways you can Reuse the item. Put candies in it as a Christmas gift. That way you'll also avoid gift wrap for the holiday.

**Paper can be biodegradeable, but habitat loss and deforestation are, in my opinion, the most serious environmental problem these days. Buy used furniture, use a cloth bag. Be happy and dance.  

Which looks cooler, a Dunkin Donuts styrofoam cup, or these?

Smoothie

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Had a lovely 1st of November walk in town last night. I had a latte to go in a reuseable mug that was black cat themed and on sale Post-Halloween. Folks were outdoors chatting. Ladies were in their pretty Fall jackets and long skirts.

I'm sort of in grad-school limbo, job searching. But I'm still super busy somehow. I'm in kind of a strange frantic mode. So I enjoy my town visits. Our area is unashamedly liberal. The bookstores have bumperstickers about goddesses and yoga, growing local and Earth conservation. And grassroots organizations.

I strolled around the local bookstore. I need a datebook and I have a list of fiction books to buy. Along with our other new-home features I think I'm going to need a study with tons of bookshelves. I have stacks of journals and sketchbooks.

I'm experimenting with other forms of art and I'm using stuff around the house like buttons. I might start a scrapbook. J thinks I should begin a comic strip. That sure would give me an excuse to spend a fortune at the local art supply store. I should go back to the cafe / bookstore and ponder all this.

I wish all you guys could join me! :)

Empty journals