gretta has launched her own blog!

crunchy corner.

 check it out.

:-)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

july 2009, @ "a bit of earth"

nelson's visit from london 

I have tried every way I know how, to embed a You-Tube video onto my blog. 

To no avail. You'll just have to follow this link to see.

My brother, Nelson, is Production Designer for this film.

As his older sister, I am feeling some unabashed pride.

new projects and old and a fun link

new projects...

1.) a gift in progress...above.

2.) and i've made a few more sachets filled with 

needles from our balsams up in vt.

3.) i was delighted be be asked to serve on

 the board of trustees at wooster school.

i attended my first meeting on saturday, 

and i look forward to doing this good work.

you may remember the quilt i made last spring

  for the wooster auction.

old projects...

1.) gretta's quilt, with no thanks to my bothersome assistant.

peter is going out for parent's weekend at knox next weekend, 

so once again, i have a deadline to help me along.

2.) the muttons are off the needles. just in time for chilly mornings!

a fun link...

ages ago, when i was a newly-wed, 

i met a dear friend, gail, and her family.

her youngest, in elementary school,

named lindsey, just sparkled.

(our lindsey carries a bit of that sparkle around, too.)

years passed, we stayed in and out of touch.

now lindsey has published a book, titled 

Greening Your Family. 

and i invite you to check out her blog.

back to the sewing machine!

   

staying connected to young adult children

We had a cord of wood delivered here in CT. In the old days, our kids would work at stacking it for us, to earn spending money. Stewart did such an artist's job with the wood, that friends would hire him to stack theirs! Batman and I are missing those helping hands right now, as we go out and stack, bit by bit.

Some of you may remember the days back in Illinois, when we all cleaned the house together on Saturday mornings, and then the kids would trek off to buy GUM, for Gum Day. The only day in the week they were allowed such treats. They looked like Jersey cows for the rest of the day! 

We always had a chore wheel (adapted from summer camp), that rotated every week. I wish now I had saved one.

This nostalgia was inevitable, right? Ya, well, those were the golden years in the Reed family, when we all lived and loved under one roof.

So, what are we doing now, to stay connected? Sunday night conference calls, that's what. We all manage to check in on our week. All the while, the trains that chug past Gretta's dorm room window (out in Illinois), blast their whistles.

And we just started a family blog, where we post pictures, movie and book recommendations, recipes and who knows what else.  (Sorry, it's a private blog). I got the idea, because I am NOT Facebook friends with my kids, but I wanted a way to be in touch with them that was a step up from e-mail. Only up for a few days, the blog has already fulfilled its mission.

And yesterday, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by our daughter, Hannah, a senior (!!!) at Earlham College.  She is working with Len Clark and some students on a research project on consensus, funded by a Ford-Knight Grant. She was asking me about how Peter and I used consensus in raising our family. Although we did not actually use consensus in the formal Quaker way, we did use an inclusive process of decision making in our family. I was reminded that it took so much time and patience, and sometimes I wondered if it was worth it...but I think it's in part, why we are so blessed today. 

And now I am off to my sewingroom/studio, for some secret sewing and more work on Gretta's quilt. I am so excited to be heading off to a knitting class tonight!  

P.S. Thanks for your comments and emails about my "giving up" post. I am fine...it was a private, difficult but healthy decision for me. Sometimes trying to live a good life is not easy, and I don't think that should be glossed over. I appreciate your kind thoughts.

renewed

the rains have stopped and everything is fresh again.

the slanting sunlight, the clear air.

how can i not be inspired?

Be not simply good; be good for something.

-Henry David Thoreau

it's a a rare day...

...when I finally give up on something. But today, after looking at a situation from many different angles, with an open heart and mind, with dedication, love and endless agonizing...I have finally said, 

"E-N-O-U-G-H".  

I just need to set this sad situation down by the side of the road in my journey and walk away. Sigh.

I am blessed that my life is full in so many other ways, I know I will be OK. I still have my church in the woods.

And I know that sometimes letting go of one thing makes room for other things...

there's a green buzz in my ear

Gretta's guest post, Dottie Angel's challenge-of-the-utmost-kind and the Buy Sustainably Challenge have converged to remind me...AGAIN... that making small changes and developing new habits can have an impact on the health of this fragile planet. I'm trying to BE AWARE of my own actions more often. Not quite ready to take on Dottie Angels tough challenge, but she has me thinking about things...

I buy in bulk when I can, keeping unnecessary packaging out of landfill. I use the backs of envelopes to make grocery lists, and when I'm done with them, I toss them into the recycling bin. I use the backs of used paper, torn in half and collected on a clip board, for other lists/phone messages. I use a mechanical pencil, with refillable leads. And here's another one of our cloth napkins, circa 1999, still in use today.
We use unbleached coffee filters (in VT we use a French Press to avoid paper all together) and unbleached waxed paper, too, and we wash, drip dry and reuse veggie bags. I'm trying to move away from using tea bags and am buying more tea in bulk. The only time we use paper towels is to drain nitrate-free bacon that comes through our doors for special treats. I even pay attention to what kind of TP I buy. Earth friendly cleaning products, and lots of vinegar and baking soda and lemon juice, too. 

Then there's the programmable thermostat, drying racks and clothesline and mending I've written about before. Eating locally grown food whenever possible, and eating mostly plant-based foods helps, and has health benefits, too. 

So, that's all nice, but...what now?

Here's my list of personal challenges I am embarking on this fall. If I share them here, I can't goof around, right?

• Batman and I are challenging/supporting  one another to lose 10 pounds each by Dec. 15th. To eat lower on the food chain and get fitter. (Our own version of healthcare reform).
• As a family, we have pledged to make our own holiday gifts, or buy handmade from folks we know/meet at artists' fairs. Homemade music, food, clothing, gifts...all are celebrated. We did this last year and it was one of the best holidays ever. 
• I will begin to divest this house of it's STUFF, sorting for recycling, giving away, Goodwill, repurposing, and as a last resort, trash.
• Now that we are empty nesters, I would love to rethink the space we have here in CT. Create new areas and get a few trouble spots ORGANIZED. Because I think that staying organized conserves time and energy and counts towards greenness!
• As we freshen things up, we will try to make green choices in the materials we use. Like wall paint that doesn't off gas and flooring that is sustainable (I can't WAIT to get rid of old carpet that was in the house when we bought it!).
  

OK, I'm thinking that's enough for now.

PHEW!

How about you, do any of you have the strength of spirit to join Dottie Angel's challenge? I know brave Pomona already has!