I have noticed a very interesting psychological phenomenon at work. Whenever I end up having to spend money on a necessity (like say, replacing the washing machine) a very interesting set of emotions tends to get set off in my little brain. I think it goes something like this:

"If spending… Read full post »

If you've been following my blog, you've probably figured out that the past month or so has been sort of crummy for me. I won't re-hash all of the details, but since I'm starting to gain some perspective on things, I thought I'd post some of the lessons this little "month… Read full post »

I spent the day finishing up the task of clearing out the dead pea plants so I can plant the fall spinach. It's sort of a meditative job as it takes a keen eye to spot the dried pods amongst the dead pea vines.

At one point as I was meticulously… Read full post »

The days are growing shorter now... I can feel it. I spent the day clearing out the dead pea plants, gathering dried pods and peas for next year's crop. It's time for the fall planting. I guess the circle keeps on turning.

Usually these sorts annual traditions… Read full post »

After reading about the dangers of phthalates, and my recent bout with hives, which seemed to be triggered by shampoo, I went through my closets and cleared out all soaps, shampoos and cleaning products that contained any artificial colors or fragrances.

I proudly declared to a friend that from here… Read full post »

A dear friend of mine recently reminded me of this little story, so I figured I'd share...

This happened about 15 years ago, when I was still deeply immersed in the singer-songwriter thing. One evening, I was hanging out with a group of my music buddies. We were sharing songs,…

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OK... so after deciding that doing laundry (especially anything bigger than a shirt) by hand is really not a viable long-term solution if I want to retain any semblence of sanity, I returned to the 1968 Kenmore. It was apparently pissed off that I had neglected it for several… Read full post »

It would appear that I have seriously pissed off the gods somehow. Anybody got any spare virgins I can toss into the volcano?

Today sucked. I got stung by another wasp… make that by another 2 wasps! This after I already spent over a hundred bucks to have the nest destroyed and “wasp repellent” sprayed all around the house. Not a happy camper!

So, I figure something must be attracting them to me.… Read full post »

You know the old saying “Be careful what you ask for because you may get it?” Well, I believe that I have proved it correct!

As my rag rug was progressing, I started to realize that I was going to need more rags than I currently possessed. Undaunted, I put a… Read full post »

OK folks, you know me. I believe in living in harmony with nature, I hate toxic poison, I like to live and let live. But all things have their limit, and I have reached mine. Meet Mr. Yellow jacket:

These guys showed… Read full post »

Well folks, it’s official. I am obsessed!

I’ve wanted to make a rag rug for many years. We have absolutely horrid avocado green shag carpeting from the neolithic era. I’ve wanted to rip the stuff out for years, because there are oak floors underneath, but we will need area/…

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I went to the store today. We’re nearing the end of the cat food and so I decided to “make the rounds” and buy all of the heavy stuff that can’t easily be transported on bicycle. What an exercise in frustration.

I got to the pet food store… Read full post »

 

 

I just finished reading the book Slow Death by Rubber Duck. The Secret Danger of Everyday Things By Rick Smith & Bruce Lourie, and I must say it was quite an eye-opening read! And even though the information was so distressing that it sort of made me want to/…

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I was just reading a post by Beth Terry on Fake Plastic Fish about choices, and it really struck a chord. The question is, do all of the choices offered by the Giant Marketing Machine really make us any happier, or do they just overwhelm us and cause an ocean of/… Read full post »

I am so jazzed after another wonderful evening at the Denver Handmade Homemade Market Club (HaHo for short). This time I actually decided to be a “vendor”. I’m not sure that you can technically be called a “vendor” when you’re really not selling anything though. I/… Read full post »

 The Villa Italia Shopping Mall.

It was the crown jewel of the 1970’s suburban shopping experience, and the center of the known universe as far as I was concerned. The Villa Italia was the biggest mall between Chicago and California. It boasted faux marble floors, planters with fak/…

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I just stumbled upon this story of a man who has turned his suburban backyard into a fully functional organic farm. I’m totally inspired! I felt so empowered today when 2 out of three meals came mostly from my garden (spinach salad for lunch and snow pea stir fry… Read full post »

Six months ago (well, actually six months and about 10 days ago) I embarked on a challenge to try to create less than 100 gallons of trash throughout the entire year. For the first two parts of this little adventure click here and here. So here’s the updated photo of my… Read full post »

Since we seem to be enjoying “August in June” this year, lawn watering season is in full force here in the Mile High city. So in my doomed efforts not to have the worst lawn on the block yet again this year, I set out to do my homeowner duty and… Read full post »

I just returned from an absolutely fabulous evening at the newly established Denver Handmade Homemade Market Club. Like an idiot, I forgot to bring my camera… I even thought about it on the way out the door and then thought “/… Read full post »

Well, it’s June 4 and it’s over 90 degrees in the shade again. This is the 4^th 90 degree plus day that we’ve had so far this season and it’s troubling to say the least. I really thought I’d be writing this post sometime in July,/… Read full post »

 

I just finished reading In Defense of Food – An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan and found it to be a delightful read. I highly recommend it!

 

I expected this book to be full of useful information – which it was, and to get me fired up about redoubling… Read full post »

A number of years ago, a co-worker of mine came back from a vacation on the beaches of Mexico, filled with stories of how he and his friends had cooked up an incredible variety of delectable sounding meals in a solar oven. Solar oven?! I’d… Read full post »

I wasn’t sure what theme to choose for today’s blog post.

At first I thought I’d write about FreeCycle, and the wonderful new bike rack and baskets that I just got and attached to my bike. I just think it’s totally amazing how FreeCycle works! I got something that I really,… Read full post »