Friday, January 23, 2009
Multi-Species
My cat looks like a sheep. I'm serious. She looks like a sheep. I used to think she looked like an owl until I saw a picture of some sheep at Happily Housepoor's post here. Look at the sheep in this picture. She seriously reminds me of my cat.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Green Meme #3
Guidelines:1) Link to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)
2) Link back to whoever tagged you. (no need to wait to be tagged!)
3) Include meme number
4) Include these guidelines in your post
5) Tag 3 other green bloggers.
Green Meme #3
- Are you keeping your temperature (heating/cooling) systems on low? If you have radiators are they fitted with thermostats?
Yeah. We keep the thermostat on about 68. I don't even have my heater on ever now that it's stopped snowing and we're into that part of the winter where it feels like warm even though it's January. - If yes to the above, what do you to keep warm/cool without resorting to turning up those numbers? Just open a window.
- Do you turn your fridge temperature down when it has less items in it? No. We keep it down a little, though.
- Do you unplug unused small appliances? Yes. We keep them in the cupboard and only plug them in when we use them. Except the blender.
- Do you switch off rather than leave on standby; TV/computer/DVD player/etc? Yes, we do. The computer plugs into a switch we turn off but the TV and DVD player just plug into the wall. And the keyboard.
- Do you own (or will you purchase in the future) energy-efficient (star-rated) home appliances? All our appliances are brand new. I don't think we'll be buying anything new soon.
- Do you have any green goals/hopes for the next few months? Not really. I've got other goals that take precedence.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Damsels in Distress
So yesterday afternoon I was over at my friend's house playing DDR and her boyfriend called about 3pm. Well she was worried because he never calls during the day, only at night and, furthermore, he was supposedly quail hunting with his dad. She tried to call him back, but she couldn't get a hold of him. Three and a half hours later, he called back. He and his dad were stuck in the mud about fifteen miles away from us, he said. So she, the worried girlfriend got her dad to start up their big diesel four-door truck to go rescue the Damsels in Distress. I, the country girl who loves adventure, decided to come along (plus my I didn't wanna go home, although my sister did). We packed two ginormous chains and two shovels and set off with 40 miles worth of gas in the tank. Fifteen miles in, no boyfriend and his dad. Twenty miles in, no boyfriend and his dad. I used my cell phone (which was going dead) to ask him for more details. They're on road number five. Okay. So we're on the right track. Twenty-five miles in, and it's too late to go back and go into town for more gas.
Thirty five miles in, we found boyfriend and dad. They were on a hill eating jerky and sitting around a fire they'd made (that's country people for you!). We nearly got stuck ourselves on the way in. They'd never made it to where they were going to hunt. When we stopped where their truck was stuck, boyfriend came barreling down the hillside worried we're not going to recognize the truck just because it's his dad's, not his. It was dark, like eleven o'clock at night at this point. We attached the chains (and the cable boyfriend and dad had) between the lil truck and our big one. We got in the big truck and boyfriend got in the little truck. We started dragging. We were up on the side where it wasn't so muddy and were pulling from that direction. We slid into the mud pit. Boyfriend got out of truck and said that the keys weren't in the truck like he thought and so he went to go get them from his dad.
Boyfriend got keys and his dad came down. They got in the little truck and we dragged them out. We had them go in front of us in case they got stuck again. They started off down the road going twice as fast as we did coming up and we followed behind them. No one got stuck because it's so late that the roads have frozen over and so it's all good. We ran out of gas ten miles from home (twenty from the nearest town). Boyfriend and his dad came back to rescue us, in turn. Friend called her first cousin once removed (who is eighteen) and asked him if he had any diesel fuel. My phone had been dying this whole time and chose right then to bite the dust. So then she switched over to boyfriend's phone which was also dying but had more juice (probably because it's newer).
A round of phone calls were made and in the end boyfriend's dad and friend's dad decided to go into town in the little truck and buy gas. Boyfriend, friend and I sat in the truck and listened to an iPod that's plugged into the iTrip. We talked about random stuff and then a medium white truck came up the road. There was a misunderstanding and two men from friend's house thought that they were supposed to come rescue us and came bearing gas. They put the gas in the truck and showed boyfriend (who was sitting in the driver's seat) how to prime the gears or whatever it's called so that it wouldn't mess up after being all empty.
Boyfriend drove the big truck down the road with medium truck behind us. Then came little truck towards us with people's dads inside with more gas. We all pulled off to the side and everyone got out and stood around in silence. Then we all got back into our various trucks to head home. Boyfriend and dad in little white truck, followed by friend, friend's dad, and I in big white truck, with two men in medium white truck bringing up the rear.
When we finally got home, everyone was asleep except my lil sis (thank goodness, I hate my evil stepfather and my mom just refuses to accept it). I told lil sis all about our adventure, told her she missed out and went to bed.
Thirty five miles in, we found boyfriend and dad. They were on a hill eating jerky and sitting around a fire they'd made (that's country people for you!). We nearly got stuck ourselves on the way in. They'd never made it to where they were going to hunt. When we stopped where their truck was stuck, boyfriend came barreling down the hillside worried we're not going to recognize the truck just because it's his dad's, not his. It was dark, like eleven o'clock at night at this point. We attached the chains (and the cable boyfriend and dad had) between the lil truck and our big one. We got in the big truck and boyfriend got in the little truck. We started dragging. We were up on the side where it wasn't so muddy and were pulling from that direction. We slid into the mud pit. Boyfriend got out of truck and said that the keys weren't in the truck like he thought and so he went to go get them from his dad.
Boyfriend got keys and his dad came down. They got in the little truck and we dragged them out. We had them go in front of us in case they got stuck again. They started off down the road going twice as fast as we did coming up and we followed behind them. No one got stuck because it's so late that the roads have frozen over and so it's all good. We ran out of gas ten miles from home (twenty from the nearest town). Boyfriend and his dad came back to rescue us, in turn. Friend called her first cousin once removed (who is eighteen) and asked him if he had any diesel fuel. My phone had been dying this whole time and chose right then to bite the dust. So then she switched over to boyfriend's phone which was also dying but had more juice (probably because it's newer).
A round of phone calls were made and in the end boyfriend's dad and friend's dad decided to go into town in the little truck and buy gas. Boyfriend, friend and I sat in the truck and listened to an iPod that's plugged into the iTrip. We talked about random stuff and then a medium white truck came up the road. There was a misunderstanding and two men from friend's house thought that they were supposed to come rescue us and came bearing gas. They put the gas in the truck and showed boyfriend (who was sitting in the driver's seat) how to prime the gears or whatever it's called so that it wouldn't mess up after being all empty.
Boyfriend drove the big truck down the road with medium truck behind us. Then came little truck towards us with people's dads inside with more gas. We all pulled off to the side and everyone got out and stood around in silence. Then we all got back into our various trucks to head home. Boyfriend and dad in little white truck, followed by friend, friend's dad, and I in big white truck, with two men in medium white truck bringing up the rear.
When we finally got home, everyone was asleep except my lil sis (thank goodness, I hate my evil stepfather and my mom just refuses to accept it). I told lil sis all about our adventure, told her she missed out and went to bed.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Something Useful
I figure I may as well post something useful. To start, maybe I'll talk about chickens. When I was little (before my mom left my dad, but after we moved out to Spear Ranch), our neightbors had chickens. One day we had no food because my dad did not do things like give my mom money to buy food. So my mother begged a chicken off of them. They were kind enough to oblige and even to butcher it (the killing part).
Then my mom dipped it in boiling water to get rid of the feathers. I remember all this clearly, regardless of the part where I was between the ages of two and six. It's after that where I can't remember what we did next. I know the feathers were removed and put in a plastic grocery bag because either my older sister or my mom (I can't remember which) was going to do something with them. Of course they just went in the bag and put under the counter. There they stayed until they smelled so awful that they had to be thrown out.
The feet went to my best friend's cousins (her Grandpa was the one who gave us the chicken). The bird was gutted and who knows what we did with them because I can't remember. I remember removing the gullet and my mom sliced it open and showed us the beans, rice, dog food, etc that was inside (the birds were free range and so ate all sorts of things). And then we had some food.
When I was little (after my mom left my dad, but before we moved anywhere else), my dad had chickens of his own which someone hatched out for him. I don't remember the man's name, but he had a ginormous incubator (one of those commercial ones that looks like a refrigerator) in the back of his store (not a feed store, it was called "Treasures and Trinkets" and it sold all sorts of little 'treasures' and trinkets--like the name says). The chickens were Araucanas which are my dad's favorite birds, I think. He kept them in a little coop with his pigeons.
When I was about twelve, my dad took me and my little brother and sister to Mesa, AZ for a pageant. And there we stopped at a feed store and bought some chicks (Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks). We kept them in Motel 6's tub. My mother was pissed because we had nowhere for them to live. When they got old enough to be outside, my dad built a little coop which we kept in the only fenced part of the yard, and let them run around. My mom had someone butcher two of them and we processed them. I got mad at her because they were our chickens and she decided to eat two of them without asking our permission. We kept my dog out in their yard on a chain and stake. One night we let my dog run loose to work off extra energy and someone shot him and he died. Soon after, something ate all the chickens.
Then, last year, someone was getting rid of their chickens and even though we'd told them we didn't want them, they brought them over anyway. Long story short, I spent several hundred dollars on their fenced yard as well as feeders and waterers and they were all very sick and slowly dying off one by one (I told my mom I didn't want hand-me-down chickens for that very reason), so I gave them to my dad. All the birds died over there instead. And I didn't get the feeders or waterers back because my dad and his evil fiancee broke up (and her birds were kept at her house). Sad thing was, those were the only chickens we had that I even liked.
In the future, I plan to have chickens, but not until I'm on my own and can make the decisions and buy the birds from a hatchery, etc...
Then my mom dipped it in boiling water to get rid of the feathers. I remember all this clearly, regardless of the part where I was between the ages of two and six. It's after that where I can't remember what we did next. I know the feathers were removed and put in a plastic grocery bag because either my older sister or my mom (I can't remember which) was going to do something with them. Of course they just went in the bag and put under the counter. There they stayed until they smelled so awful that they had to be thrown out.
The feet went to my best friend's cousins (her Grandpa was the one who gave us the chicken). The bird was gutted and who knows what we did with them because I can't remember. I remember removing the gullet and my mom sliced it open and showed us the beans, rice, dog food, etc that was inside (the birds were free range and so ate all sorts of things). And then we had some food.
When I was little (after my mom left my dad, but before we moved anywhere else), my dad had chickens of his own which someone hatched out for him. I don't remember the man's name, but he had a ginormous incubator (one of those commercial ones that looks like a refrigerator) in the back of his store (not a feed store, it was called "Treasures and Trinkets" and it sold all sorts of little 'treasures' and trinkets--like the name says). The chickens were Araucanas which are my dad's favorite birds, I think. He kept them in a little coop with his pigeons.
When I was about twelve, my dad took me and my little brother and sister to Mesa, AZ for a pageant. And there we stopped at a feed store and bought some chicks (Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks). We kept them in Motel 6's tub. My mother was pissed because we had nowhere for them to live. When they got old enough to be outside, my dad built a little coop which we kept in the only fenced part of the yard, and let them run around. My mom had someone butcher two of them and we processed them. I got mad at her because they were our chickens and she decided to eat two of them without asking our permission. We kept my dog out in their yard on a chain and stake. One night we let my dog run loose to work off extra energy and someone shot him and he died. Soon after, something ate all the chickens.
Then, last year, someone was getting rid of their chickens and even though we'd told them we didn't want them, they brought them over anyway. Long story short, I spent several hundred dollars on their fenced yard as well as feeders and waterers and they were all very sick and slowly dying off one by one (I told my mom I didn't want hand-me-down chickens for that very reason), so I gave them to my dad. All the birds died over there instead. And I didn't get the feeders or waterers back because my dad and his evil fiancee broke up (and her birds were kept at her house). Sad thing was, those were the only chickens we had that I even liked.
In the future, I plan to have chickens, but not until I'm on my own and can make the decisions and buy the birds from a hatchery, etc...
Talk About Snow!
We really have been getting a lot of snow. Way more than we normally do at this time of year. Yesterday we got four inches of snow and then we got three more inches last night. The thing about this area, though, is that after it finishes snowing, most of it melts away within a couple days. Usually by the end of the week, the only signs it even snowed are the mudholes we call our roads and a little bit in the shade and on the north sides of people's houses. Anyways, so it's already melting away. I took more pictures and made another slideshow (I just know you've been looking forward to it, JK. Don't be alarmed, this one is only seventeen pictures, instead of thirty something).
Monday, December 15, 2008
More Snow!
It had snowed a ton more today! I guess the Deity who rules over nature read my last post in which I said we didn't get serious snows because there's fully four inches out there and it's still snowing! One of the loser local schools let school out. Honestly! Four inches and the school closes down? WT*? Whatever. So I took a bunch more pics and made a slideshow at Slide to put on here so you don't have to scroll through a ginormous post (I have thirty-seven thirty six pictures in the slideshow). The song is one I really like called "Song for a Winter's Night" by Sarah McLachlan.
Note: I originally had a song as part of the slideshow. Sadly, I find it annoying when a song starts playing without permission when I visit a page, so I have edited the post so that it's the exact same slideshow, but with no music to annoy (even if the song is still really good...).
Note: I originally had a song as part of the slideshow. Sadly, I find it annoying when a song starts playing without permission when I visit a page, so I have edited the post so that it's the exact same slideshow, but with no music to annoy (even if the song is still really good...).
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Green Meme #2
No one tagged me, but I like to do these Memes so, yeahGuidelines:
1) Link to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)
2) Link back to whoever tagged you. (no need to wait to be tagged!)
3) Include meme number
4) Include these guidelines in your post
5) Tag 3 other green bloggers.
Green Meme #2
1. Do you use baking soda toothpaste or baking soda shampoo? If not, would you consider it?
My mother uses those. I have tried toothpaste from Arm & Hammer that had baking soda in it, and I really like it, but I am not super-interested in baking soda toothpaste because of flavor (I know, I'm spoiled, LOL). Someday I will try baking soda shampoo. But not until I can get over the part where I like my hair to smell like
2. Do you make any home cleaning products?
My mom mixes ammonia with water for disinfectant purposes. Does that count?
3. What is your top green issue at the moment?
Garbage reduction. We use a lot of single-use items and I really don't like how much we contribute to the local landfill.
4. Given unlimited cash, what is on your fantasy green wishlist?
Solar/wind power!!!
5. Have you implemented any new green act/behaviour/product this month?
I've been keeping the heater off a lot.
Okay, I tag A Homesteading Neophyte, Dancing in a Field of Tansy and Homesteading the Back Forty.
It Snowed, Yay!
It snowed! The first snow of the year was October 11th. Way early. The second snow was December 9th. And it snowed again last night! These are all pictures that I took this morning after everyone else left for church. Our house:
Across the street:
The part of the yard above the septic tank:
The view to the east from the porch:
The view to the west from the porch:
Usually we don't get any serious snows (as in: several inches) before January so it's not much of a surprise that none of this season's snows have been more than maybe an inch. *pouts* I love snow. No one else around here (except my seminary teacher who used to live in Montana and Minnesota) even really likes the snow at all, it seems. I know my mom and a friend's grandfather absolutely hate it. Grrrr....
Tommy (the--neutered--Tomcat):
Lickerish (my sister named her after the candy, but spelled it phonetically because she's weird):
Lady (rescued from some people who were just going to dump her out in the middle of nowhere...grrrr...I hate it when people do that!):
Anggi (as in short for Angela/Angel....another victim of my sister's strange spellings):
All in all today was okay, except my mom has been preaching religion at me again. *covers ears* La la la!!! I can't hear you!
Across the street:
The part of the yard above the septic tank:
The view to the east from the porch:
The view to the west from the porch:
Usually we don't get any serious snows (as in: several inches) before January so it's not much of a surprise that none of this season's snows have been more than maybe an inch. *pouts* I love snow. No one else around here (except my seminary teacher who used to live in Montana and Minnesota) even really likes the snow at all, it seems. I know my mom and a friend's grandfather absolutely hate it. Grrrr....
Tommy (the--neutered--Tomcat):
Lickerish (my sister named her after the candy, but spelled it phonetically because she's weird):
Lady (rescued from some people who were just going to dump her out in the middle of nowhere...grrrr...I hate it when people do that!):
Anggi (as in short for Angela/Angel....another victim of my sister's strange spellings):
All in all today was okay, except my mom has been preaching religion at me again. *covers ears* La la la!!! I can't hear you!
Parade of Lights
Friday night my seminary class was in the parade of lights in a nearby town. We had a red, horse drawn wagon-thing pulled by Shetland mules:
The wagon and mules belong to my seminary teacher and her husband. He was Santa Claus. She was Mrs. Claus. My sister and a friend were Christmas trees, and the rest of us were Santa's elves. For my costume, I wore a long sleeved red shirt with a dark green sweater over it. The sweater's sleeves were shorter than the red shirt's sleeves, so the red shirt showed and it looked awesome. Then I wore a green hat with red fringe, a green collar, black leggings, and brown boots with white fake fur trim.
The wagon and mules belong to my seminary teacher and her husband. He was Santa Claus. She was Mrs. Claus. My sister and a friend were Christmas trees, and the rest of us were Santa's elves. For my costume, I wore a long sleeved red shirt with a dark green sweater over it. The sweater's sleeves were shorter than the red shirt's sleeves, so the red shirt showed and it looked awesome. Then I wore a green hat with red fringe, a green collar, black leggings, and brown boots with white fake fur trim.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Story of Stuff
So I'm reading through all of Cauldron Ridge's blog entries from day one in order to get caught up and all that, and in this post, she links to a video about our doomed consumer society called The Story of Stuff. (Cauldron Ridge got it from Mommy Mommy Land's blog, who got it from someone else's blog, blah blah blah!!!)
The video is insightful and entertaining with plenty of factoids, and isn't boring at all...not once during the twenty minutes, did I consider doing something else with my time. Watch it! It's totally worth it!
I have a little logo you can put on your blog to link to The Story of Stuff. Here it is:
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The video is insightful and entertaining with plenty of factoids, and isn't boring at all...not once during the twenty minutes, did I consider doing something else with my time. Watch it! It's totally worth it!
I have a little logo you can put on your blog to link to The Story of Stuff. Here it is:
CODE:
Friday, December 12, 2008
National Animal Identification System (NAIS)
I have read a lot about this from my fellow bloggers and I have decided to post an entry about it. What is NAIS? Well, it was supposed to help big beef producers sell to more exclusive markets. Too bad some idiots (dare I say 'USDA'?), decided that it should apply to ALL livestock owners. so want us to sign our small farm/homesteading animals up and give them numbers and tags, therefore making them part of a national herd. "All livestock animal movements will be tracked, logged and reported to the government."(NoNAIS) This would be fine for the big mass producing factories who treat their animals in a less-than-humane way. But what about us who own horses and rabbits as pets...or those of us who homestead? We can't afford this type off mass-identification and, furthermore, we don't want big government peering over our shoulders and expecting us to explain our every move. We don't want to have to file a ton of paperwork should--God forbid--a neighbor's dog kill one chicken or even a few. And, did you know, the USDA can come in and exterminate all your animals should they have cause to believe that one of your animals is (or was) sick?
From NoNAIS:
I have two links to NoNAIS you can put on your blog or website to help spread the word about this.
CODE:
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From NoNAIS:
"There are no exceptions - even small farms that sell direct to local consumers will be required to pay the fees and file all the paper work on all their animals. Even horse, llama and other pet owners will be required to participate in NAIS. Homesteaders who raise their own meat and grandma with her one egg hen will also have to register their homes as ‘farm premises’ and obtain a Premise ID, tag all their animals and submit all the paperwork and fees. Absurd? Yes - There are no exceptions under the current NAIS plan. The USDA has slipped this plan in the back door without any legislation. This is going to be very expensive and guess who is going to pay for it in higher food prices… You!"
I have two links to NoNAIS you can put on your blog or website to help spread the word about this.
CODE:
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Green Meme #1
Guidelines:1) Link to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)
2) Link back to whoever tagged you. (no need to wait to be tagged!)
3) Include meme number
4) Include these guidelines in your post
5) Answer questions
6) Tag 3 other green bloggers.
Green Meme #1
1) Name two motivations for being green?
a) Because I care about the earth and hate to see her treated so poorly.
b) I can't think of another.
2) Name 2 eco-UNfriendly items you refuse to give up?
a) At the moment I am unable to give up tampons and related. Eventually, I will use one of those little Diva Cups, but until then. And I have yet to find a good replacement for toilet paper.
b) Until I can find something that will remove hair permanently, I will continue to use razors.
3) Are you at peace with or do you feel guilty about number 2?
I'm okay with a, but b gets me. Still, I would love to find viable replacements.
4) What are you willing to change but feel unable to/stuck with/unsure how to go about it?
I really don't know how to go about getting my family on the boat. I am still a teen, so I don't have any authority in my house, and my mom thinks going "green" is some new age/secret combination/bureaucratic brainwashing.
5) Do you know your carbon footprint for your home? If so, is it larger/smaller than your national average? (http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx)
It's smaller: "0.12 tonnes" according to the site
6) What's eco-frustrating and/or eco-fantastic about where you live?
Frustrating: the dead car lots that are so popular around here as landscaping features. People like to dump their garbage out in the middle of nature. And there's a landfill less than three miles from here.
Fantastic: People grow gardens and orchards.
7) Do you eat local/organic/vegetarian/forage/grow your own?
We buy eggs that are brown, vegetarian fed, with no hormones or antibiotics. And when we buy chicken, we buy the free-range kind. Also, my mom grows herbs and some veggies.
8) What do you personally find the most challenging in being green?
The price and my family! I am very limited financially and my family doesn't get it.
9) Do you have a green confession?
You mean like how although I consider myself "green," I have different ideas about what "green" means?
10) Do you have the support of family and/or friends?
Not really they think that it's all government brainwashing.
Okay, I tag: Tiny Farm Blog, Diamond Cut Life, and Earthwoman
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