Take That Fear and Shove It

Fear sucks.

When I was younger, I was much more, though not completely, unafraid. I wasn't afraid to wear weird, second-hand clothes. My best friend and I used to comb thrift shops and see what we could score on our babysitting budget incomes. I rebelled against waste, people who tested on animals, and those who tried to tell me what to do. I had my senior pictures taken at Sears, refused to buy a gaudy class ring, and found my prom dress for $20 at a discount Macy's. We even went to the mall for pizza as our pre-prom dinner my senior year. I painted my car purple and didn't get drunk at high school parties. I was a vegetarian when it was weird to be a vegetarian. I left home at 18 and headed South, and didn't wait for the door to shut behind me I was in such a hurry. I've never liked cola--A true rebel, you get the idea.

Somewhere along the road though, my passion and anger, and desire to make things different turned into fear. Fear of "what other people might think". Fear of saying something wrong or offending someone or doing something stupid. Fear of calling attention to myself. Fear of not knowing what to do in "uncontrolled" circumstances. Sometimes it seems like the more comfortable we are in our lives, the harder it is to stand up.

So right now, I'm working on a list. This is a list of things I'm afraid of, that I really, really want to do. (And no, bungee jumping isn't on there.) Eventually, I want to create a "Fear-Less Challenge" and I encourage YOU to join me.

In the meantime, I'm going to go pull my swimsuit out of the closet for my first-ever swimming lesson. Now that's scary!

Waste No Food Challenge

I just came across a great blog, by Katy. She has issued a "Waste no Food Challenge" which I quickly signed up for. The rules are simple: Don't waste any food for a 30-day period. I started yesterday when I polished off all my Taco Bell dinner instead of throwing the remains in the trash. I haven't had any TB in a loooong time and just when I thought I wouldn't be able to finish, I convinced my husband to eat the last piece of cheese quesadilla.

Despite my best intentions, we are a household of food wasters. (Dear Mother-in-Law, if you are reading this, please cover your eyes.) I have been seriously considering purchasing a small apartment sized fridge so I can keep better track of our food and leftovers. Did any of you see the Freegan-inspired Oprah? This cute couple was so inspiring. They dumpster dive even though they make plenty of money and they aren't ashamed of their less-than-traditional food foraging habits one bit.

Anyway, back to the food challenge. We are a household of two and I'm embarassed by how much food ends up spoiling in our fridge. And condiments? We had about 40 bottles when we did a "deep clean" on the fridge yesterday.

I try to console myself by the fact that we at least compost 90% of the food waste. But when I see the mushy vegetables in the compost bucket and the bits of meat going into the trash, I also see something else. Dollars. For every bit of food we waste, that's part of our grocery money going into the garbage.

How about you? Are you a food waster or a food user-upper? What are some of the common foods that find their way into your trash or compost?

Do you want to join Katy's Waste-No-Food challenge? Head over to her blog and sign up. Please?I need some moral support!

Winner of This Week's Stupid Points

Well, I've found a ringer for this week's Stupid Points prize. This group is planning a "Carbon Belch" day in which they will use as much carbon as possible. On June 12th, the people who've pledged, will make a point to rebel against us annoying environmentalists. From their website: "Grassfire.org wants people to waste as much energy as possible on June 12 by "hosting a barbecue, going for a drive, watching television, leaving a few lights on, or even smoking a few cigars."

Just when I thought people couldn't be any dumber, they surprise me.

Regardless of what people think of global warming, I don't understand this mindset. The whole "You're trying to trick me and force me to give up my God-given right to use oil and ruin the planet" mindset. Even if you DON'T believe in global warming (which is hard to believe with all the facts and data out there supporting it), what is the harm in using clean energy? Why are solar and wind power seen as less than? Why would recycling be a bad thing?

I believe it's because some people are lazy and don't want to change. Why recycle when you can throw stuff out? Why try to make things better when you have all you need? Forget the people in the rest of the world who are feeling the effects of our greediness. Never mind the animals losing their habit or becoming extinct. Forget about the people laboring in sweatshops to give us name brand clothes. It's all about ME. ME. ME.

Only, it's not.

Organic Chicks Rock!

First, can I just ask. . . how cute are these chicks? My sister Aimee is going to wet herself if she reads this post. She knows I'm obsessed with these chicks. I've been talking about them since they arrived on Friday, but come on! How adorable are these little fluff balls?

You may think (incorrectly) that all they do is sleep. This is not the case. It's funny though, how quickly they all simultaneously DO fall asleep. They will be peeping and pecking away in their box and then suddenly-silence. I'll look down and there will be fuzzy little bodies in a heap somewhere. Usually one or more of them is sleeping with their whole body, or at least a head or foot in the food dish.

They are quite curious and not sure what I am yet (A giant?). One of my smallest Brahma's did hop into my hand yesterday and then ran straight up my arm and perched on my shoulder. I decided to name her Tinkerbell as she's little and curious and the most friendly of the bunch. So far we have three of the six named: Tinkerbell, Jasmine (hubby picked this one) and Butters. Four of the flock are my mother's and will be going to her house when they're a little bigger. I'll miss them.

Free to buy a lot of crap we don't need

I would like to get this made into a bumper sticker. Stuff is starting to consume us. We want it. We "need" it. We feel it's our God-given right to have it. We're Americans damn it, and we're free to buy what we want.

The problem is, we aren't. Being able to do something doesn't make it right. Buying every little thing our heart desires isn't helping anyone. Not even ourselves.

I was out for my morning walk when I noticed a large dumpster behind our town office building. It was not one of the regular sized dumpsters, but a big, fat, jumbo-sized one. It was filled to overflowing with stuff. Scattered all around it was more stuff. Cabinets, a chair, a stereo, an electric fireplace, tables, and more. Take a wild guess where it was all headed. If you guessed "the local landfill" you're right!

I came home and called the town office who put me in touch with the guy in charge. Long story short: There is a dumpster this full or even more full every year after the annual Fireman's Auction on Memorial Day. My suggestions of having a "free sale" or people to come pick up useable items was met with a look of disinterest and a "yeah, whatever."

One of the men there preparing to take the furniture to the landfill commiserated with me. "Some of it could be recycled. Or there might be people in the area without much money who could use it."

Yeah.

But here's another thought. There might be crazy people like me who actually LIKE used things! There is a whole mentality here in my little county that "only poor people" would want "used" stuff.

If you are as fed up with America's obsession with stuff as I am, you have to watch Annie Leonard's free online video, "The Story of Stuff". This 20 minutes just might change your life. If nothing else it will give you a broader picture of where stuff comes from and where it ends up.

"You Hoo, Mary Jane!"

*photo from www.maryjanesfarm.com

Are you a farmgirl?

Here are some things to look for:

1) Do you like aprons and collect them, even if you never remember to put one on while cooking?

2) Do you like animals? More specifically, do you like chickens? Ducks? Goats? Cows and horses?

3) When a new neighbor moves in, do you immediately wonder what you can bake to welcome them to the neighborhood?

4) Do you like to get grubby working outside, but also like to set a pretty table with a fresh-from-the-laundry-line tablecloth?

5) Do you like "keeping things simple" and enjoying life at it's own speed instead on speed dial?

If you answered "yes" to three or more of these questions, you are probably a farmgirl.

Find out more about farmgirls, what they do, how they do it and what they love at Mary Jane's Farm. Who's Mary Jane?

Just the queen of all things farmgirl!

Just for fun

I've missed my blog and I'm feeling guilty that I've let it go so long without tending to it. It's a little like a forlorn garden, all weedy and depressed looking.

At least I have a good excuse for leaving it behind in the dust!

Last fall, I decided to quit my day job and follow my *dream career* of writing on a full-time basis. It's been one big adventure from January (when I quit) to now. Exciting, scary, and most of all, a big, fat learning experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

But now I'm finally starting to feel like a normal human again, not just a typing fanatic, sweating over my bills and sending out so many query letters that my eyes are permanently crossed.

It's time to revive my beloved blog and help spread some "green"!