Today, I was driving my Mom home and I couldn't help but notice the piles of black plastic bags on the curbs. Every third or fourth house on the street had a pile of at least ten big bags. Recently, our local garbage and recycling service sent out a pick up schedule for leaf litter. Instructions were clear, you put your leaves in garbage bags on the curb and they will pick them up on a specific day.
Last year I learned that I can use leaves that fall in my yard and driveway to mulch my garden, but I only have one tree. This fall we tilled our oldest compost into our backyard garden bed and were planning on buying soil amendments in spring from my local forest products source. I was even considering buying straw to cover my beds until I was ready to plant.
Driving by those piles of bags, destined for the local leaf dump, I couldn't help but see big neon "FREE" signs blinking above them. I stopped and threw three big wet bags of leaf mulch into the back of my Jeep. When I got home it took five minutes to cover last years small garden bed in a rich blanket of leaves. Easy, Quick, and Free!
Tonight I decided to research my free stuff a little better, I found these two wonderful pieces:
ScientificAmerican.com
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talk-pulling-for-the-planet-using-herbicides
EcosystemGardening.com
http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/life-in-the-leaf-litter-dont-throw-a-good-thing-away.html
It's been about a week since my computer refused to turn on. Today I picked up my early Christmas present, a new laptop. It took the rest of the day to set up my recovery discs, and install my programs. It's almost midnight but I'm finally back! I've spent the last week using my Samsung "Moment" smart phone to keep up with Face-Book and email. I can't say it's been rough, since there are plenty of people who live without computers and clothes dryers. Oh, did I mention my dryer broke down the morning I was supposed to go spend money on my laptop. Through the miracle of good credit, I was able to "afford" my very first, brand new, washer and dryer. I was riding high when I drove to Best Buy with just enough money left to grab a good deal on my computer.
This is the perfect moment to say, I am eternally grateful to my husband who has been working long weeks and long hours so that we can afford to live in comfort. Just two years ago we were trying to stay warm in a 1975, 50 foot mobile home. It was almost five years that our first home together was homeless. We have worked hard, come a long way, and appreciate every square inch of our property. Even if it is just a house, and things that keep breaking, it's ours.
What does this have to do with 'Living Well, Responsibly'? Well, I did go for the high efficiency, more expensive washer and dryer. I needed a good laptop so that I could to network, research, and blog, in the comfort of my home with my lovely daughter. I never would have been able to do that without the good credit I earned from always paying my bills on time and keeping my credit card balance reasonable. When you are responsible with what you have and work hard, you can have the freedom to make choices that lessen your negative impact and maximize your positive impact.
Thanks Netflix for making so many documentaries available. Especially those that pull the wool off of our eyes, or at least give us some questions to ask. Most recently I watched a movie called "Food Matters" http://www.foodmatters.tv/ . Basically the information I've gleaned is that eating many raw foods is essential to healthy living, but that much of our farmed soil is nutrient poor and, therefore, so is the majority of easily available produce. There is a woman named Charlotte Gerson http://www.gerson.org/ who has been mentioned in many films about eating healthy. Her father developed a nutrition therapy program that helps people recover from illness and may even cure cancer! I have yet to research the best ways to supplement the minerals we can't get from our foods anymore, but here are a few; multi-vitamins (I use Rainbow Light http://www.rainbowlight.com/), special mineral water (we recently found a drink called "TRC" that we are trying http://www.trccorp.com/products.html ), buy organic whenever possible (http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods), and of course supplementing your soil and growing your own food (compost and mulch, organic is best ! http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg323 ).
Back on point. Netflix has been a wonderful source for alternative perspectives ( http://www.netflix.com/ ). We love watching documentaries. Keep in mind that you should always consider your source, several documentaries may claim completely different facts. The internet has the same problem. Ask questions, open your eyes, and do what is right for you and your family.
Welcome To My Blog!!! This is my first blog, and my first message. My mission: to share with the world my humble, no nonsense, insights about how I try to live well, while being a responsible citizen of my community and our planet. I hope to provide valuable information and research tools, along with fun anecdotes about my life and family. Subjects may range from product reviews and recipes, to what my daughter made from playdoh while I was typing. I have many questions about how to really live well and be a responsible participant in the world scheme. I intend to find answers and share my perspective as well as my resources, so that my readers can make informed choices. Maybe someday I'll go viral and save the world.
