365 Days Of Trash: Black Friday and the Ten Commandments

As I read the following post from Sustainable Dave, I wanted to find a way to give it to everyone I know so that they could also read it. He says everything I've wanted to say about this whole holiday thing.

We have come so far from what Christmas is supposed to be. Well, anyway ... Dave says it better than I can. Here:

365 Days Of Trash: Black Friday and the Ten Commandments

Simply Green

I've been wanting for some time now to simplify our lives. We probably have the average amount of clutter in our home; maybe more than average. Who knows? All I know is that the clutter wastes time.

I just heard about a guy who goes by the name of "Sustainable Dave" here on the Intarwebs. He's on a mission to save his corner of the planet, and right now he's nearing the end of the year that he set aside for "not throwing anything away." He's documented all this at 365 Days of Trash.

Reading his blog today got me to thinking. There are so many things in our world that distract us from what's important, and if I can start to eliminate some of those things, then we can begin to lead a simple life. After reading Dave's blog and watching a couple of his videos, here is what has occurred to me -- nothing earth-shattering, I know, but my thoughts just the same:

* By making my own homemade cleaners, I am not only eliminating the need to visit the store as often, but I am also alleviating the need to pay attention to the ads on TV, the radio and in newspapers and magazines. I can just ignore all that nonsense now because I know that I'm using safe and effective cleaners that I can mix up with a very small arsenal of ingredients. The main things I use are white vinegar, borax, baking soda, Castille soap and some essential oils. I buy these in large enough quantities that I'm set for months of stress-free cleaning. I like to use the recipes from Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan.

* By eliminating the junk mail that comes into our home -- haven't made much headway on this yet, but it's next on my list -- I reduce the time it takes to sort through the mail that clutters up my kitchen counter. I also reduce the time it takes to read through any of these items which advertise things that I didn't know I wanted. This results in a two-fold benefit: I don't feel the temptation to go spend money on the latest and greatest whatever-it-is, and I don't clutter up my house with things I didn't know I needed only to find out that I was right in the first place.

* By reducing the number of paper documents, such as bills & insurance EOBs, I am also reducing the time it takes to file things. Wow. Pretty soon, I won't know what to do with myself!

That's enough for now. It's time for me to haul my kitchen composter out to the big composter in the yard. Does anyone know where I can find worms in November?

Gesto de Amor

So, I just saw this video for the first time tonight ... tissue, please?

Oh yeah, and I knit, too!

Yeah ... I still knit ... occasionally. It seems like I can't get more than a few rows done at one sitting anymore, but that's OK. It's still a good "sit-n-wait" activity!!

I took some photos of two of the things I have on the needles right now.

First up: Twilight socks from 2-at-a-time Socks made with Brown Sheep Wildfoote.

These seem to be taking forever. I just don't have the patience to work on them that long. I need to find a good movie to watch that will take my mind off the fact that I'm knitting on Size 1 needles.

Then there's this mudroom rug that I decided to undertake. I've been looking for a replacement rug everywhere, and I can't find one that is the right size and the right color all at once, so here am I knitting square after square after square ...zzzz... Oh well ... it's mindless; perfect for take-along knitting.

I don't know how I'm going to lay out the squares yet, and I have a solid color (pinkish) to put with it, but here's the four I have completed, and I have the 5th on the needles. These skeins of Bernat Handicrafter cotton are ENORMOUS!! I'm on the 5th square of this color, and I don't think I'm even 1/2-way through the skein.

That's it for now. Nothing mind-boggling going on at the .house, and that's just how we like it!

And who's watching the "watchers?"

So, the FDA is supposed to be watching out for us, right? Why doesn't that make me feel better?

For months now, we've been hearing of the ongoing debate between chemical manufacturers & consumer advocates regarding the safety of Bisphenol A. Just today a number of news items popped up because a study done in England found that human beings with high levels of Bisphenol A in their urine were more likely to have heart disease and diabetes. You can read more specific (and frightening) information in this article.

I got curious about where Bisphenol comes from, so I did a web search, and yeah, this info comes from Wikipedia, but it's a well-documented article.

Here are the components of Bisphenol A and notes about the toxicity of those components:

Acetone (all info is from this article): a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid; used in nail polish removers & paint thinners; may be harmful by inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption, but fatalities only occur with larger quantities. Small amounts of acetone are metabolically produced in the body, mainly from fat. In humans, fasting significantly increases its endogenous production (see ketosis). Acetone can be elevated in diabetes. <---- Uhhhh ... HELLO?!! And, finally: The effects of long-term exposure to acetone are known mostly from animal studies. Kidney, liver, and nerve damage, increased birth defects, and lowered reproduction ability of males (only) occurred in animals exposed long-term. It is not known if these same effects would be exhibited in humans.

Phenol (see this article): a toxic, colourless crystalline solid with a sweet tarry odor, commonly referred to as a "hospital smell." [my emphasis added, btw]

The most interesting (and terrifying) thing about phenol is the little number you find in the blue section of the Fire Protection Agency "Fire Diamond." This section of the Fire Diamond indicates the level of health hazard a chemical poses. The possible values for this section are 0 thru 4, with 0 indicating no risk at all and 4 indicating that a "very short exposure could cause death or major residual injury."

Phenol has a health hazard of "4."

If you want something more to be worried about, go and read the "Uses" section of the phenol article.

I'm not a chemist. Some of the information in the article is over my head, and yeah, I may very well have misinterpreted some of it. But it seems to me that if you combine two toxic things, you will probably end up with another thing that is also toxic. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, please.

Virtual Walk for 12,500

Twelve Thousand Five Hundred.

12,500 / 365 days in the year = 34 and then some.

34 every day.

That's more than an entire classroom full of kindergartners.

Watch this.

You can be a part of the cure. Join Team B.Cured or make a donation.

Tell all your friends. This is important. Please help.

Moving Forward

So, we sent DS off to high school this week. Those of you who know our story know that this is a big deal.

I didn't cry when he got on the bus to go to kindergarten 9 years ago, but when he walked out the front door on Wednesday and headed down the street to the bus stop by himself -- moving a little more slowly than he did the last time -- the tears caught me by surprise.

But it feels right. I feel like he's where he needs to be, and all of the people who have helped us get him there are my heroes. He is confident; he is happy. So, these weren't tears of sadness as I watch him leave us behind; these are tears of triumph as I watch him take on yet another challenge with enthusiasm and determination.

This evening I was catching up on my email, and my sister sent me a link to a video that, coupled with the events of the week, pretty much did me in. It just proves the point that no matter how much you might struggle, there is always someone else who struggles more mightily.

Meet Team Hoyt:

A gem cannot be polished without friction; the child of God cannot be perfected without adversity. | Author Unknown