My Mother's Dishpan

My Mother's Dishpan - Oh, how I disliked that dishpan of cold water, having to stick my hand into it in order to pick up the dish to put it into the dishwasher. I've always equated dishpans with camping, irregardless of the fact that my mother, to this day, keeps a dishpan in her sink, and -- I've learned this well, at least -- always rinses her dishes before putting them into the dishwasher.

As little as I like to cook, or clean really, my idea of a clean kitchen comes from having nicely cleared counters and a nice clean, empty sink. Having a dishpan would always mean there was something still in the sink. Not a chance. Same way I've always felt about a dishdrainer. (Somehow, it was always okay to have a pile of dishes drying on the counter on a dishtowel though!)

A few months ago, it finally occurred to me that the smaller half of my double sink would be a great place to dry my handdishes, right in the sink, and then right into the cupboards, which has been working great; saves lots of dishtowels as well. But of course when pouring water down the drain, from boiled eggs, pasta, etc, I'd still get twinges of the "I know there's a better way to do this." Occasionally, I could pour the water right into the watering can I've kept by the sink, but not for "food-y" water -- I mean, after all, if I then have to start washing my watering cans... Well, you get the picture!

So it occurred to me recently that yes, there really was a point to having that dishpan in the sink. And I went to Target and bought a white one for less than $2.00, and I get a chuckle every time I approach my sink now, knowing my mother knew this all along...

The Grocer's Son

What a lovely morning, spent making holiday decorations whilst watching The Grocer's Son, the award-winning independent film directed by Eric Guirado, starring Nicolas Cazale as Antoine, a young man returning reluctantly to his family in the French countryside of Provence, to help out with the family grocer business when his father's taken ill. (See http://www.filmmovement.com/ for more award-winning independent and foreign films.)

This is the beautifully filmed story of a young person's growth and maturation, discovering what's important to him in life - in this case, humanity, relationships, the glorious French countryside, and a simpler life - and learning to set aside the pains and scars from the past in order to allow himself an honest and honorable present and a future.

With yearning, I move on to the rest of my day.

Dug the poop portals

Dug the poop portals -- Voila! What did that take me? Probably 5 minutes, as the ground was pretty soft, plus 2 or 3 minutes in the garage, looking for suitable lids. Already scooped in one, so Lizzie has officially REDUCED HER CARBON PAWPRINT !!

The Poop on Carbon Pawprints

Well, I've been checking into pet poop, specifically the doggie kind, since climbing out of the car after an all-day drive back from the Thanksgiving holiday.


There are enough opinions on the internet to match anyone's inclination, which works for me. While some sites recommend no poop burial at all (interestingly, they advocate landfills for the plastic-bag encased goodies!), I predominantly found sites explaining best poop burial practices, all different. The holes ranged from 3' x 3', with a homemade cover, to burying an entire plastic trashcan, with the bottom cut out, and using that lid, to several much smaller versions, the smallest of which was probably 8" deep.

Naturally, I think it makes sense to consider the size of the dog, so I'm leaning towards digging maybe 2 smaller holes - probably 8" x 8" or so, and maybe 10" to 12" deep. They recommend an accumulation of about 4" of pet waste, sprinkled with some fireplace ash for carbon, to help break it down, and then covering it all back up with soil. I'm thinking two holes, because it was 65 degrees out today, and will hopefully be something close to that tomorrow, and so I won't be too late to do a little digging before the ground freezes, and then I (and my ecologically-friendly puppy, Lizzie) will be all set for the winter. In March, I can dig a another hole or two -- What good fortune that Lizzie's on the smaller size!

So here's to my dog's smaller carbon pawprint, beginning tomorrow.

December - Stepping Stone to 2010...

Wow! This is going to be a very quick month, but VERY necessary. I'm hoping to start the worm composting in the kitchen, and begin some vegetables under cover for a head start in March when Maryland starts warming up again; my best spinach to date was overwintered as little sprouts. Then there's the little pet poop issue - SO GLAD I'm starting this learning process with a SMALL dog! (Thank goodness for small blessings!) - So I need to dig some holes in the back yard, cover them with a stepping stone or two, and then assign a designated trowel to pet poop duty. I suppose I should do a little research though, just to see what I might not have thought of yet.

But first of all, the worms... I think I've chosen the worm composter to order (but can't order today as I'm out of town, and besides (who knew?) it's Don't Buy Anything day. And then I need the red wrigglers - 2,000 - and to get them happy and acclimated so they can begin the composting process as the year turns.

It's exciting, though daunting, to think of all I could learn this year, and then manage to fit into my already time-challenged schedule, all in an effort to drastically reduce my carbon footprint - Oh, and there's that too - I really need to determine the footprint as exactingly as possible, so that I can track the progress. I am figuring my biggest reduction would be to learn to eat predominantly fruits and vegetables, mostly local, and then to put out LITTLE TO NO TRASH in the upcoming year. (What am I going to do with all that holiday packaging?!)

Wish me luck!