Veggie Garden 2010

Introducing the Veggie Garden, 2010 Edition! New and improved in almost every way: well-tilled soil, nutrient-rich compost, stepping stones, and 50% bigger than the 2009 edition!

Papa McKenna took the trip from NH to spend Memorial Day weekend with Roger and me, working in the garden. We raked, and tilled, and dug rocks (including the stepping stones and that massive corner post) and added wonderful compost and then raked and tilled some more.

The plants and seeds went in the following weekend, and there are already some green sprouts poking up in the lettuce section!

From left: lettuce, spinach, carrots, cucumbers (under the trellis) peppers, tomatoes. Coming soon: potato planter.

We also set up the compost bin! I've had a kitchen compost bin for years, and I always just haul it to CSWD to dump it. But finally my own garden will be able to benefit from all my lovely coffee grounds, wilted lettuce, and apple cores!

Of course, the Veggie Garden 2010 Edition has the latest in home garden security. To protect from digging critters (cats, etc) I stake down a section of chicken wire flat on the ground. The plants grow right up through it, and weeds can be plucked, but it's dig-proof!

Ready? Now I'm going to tell you my secret weapon. For general pest repellent that's chemical-free and pet friendly, use crushed red pepper. Just sprinkle it on top of and around the garden. Ground red pepper works too, but it's harder to see where you've applied it. Just be sure to reapply after heavy wind/rain!

After a full day of hard work prepping my garden on Saturday, Papa McKenna & I were thrilled to have Sunday breakfast at Handy's and then cheer on our friends in the Vermont City Marathon! My porch is the best seat in town.

Wrapping it up with style, Part 2

This year I set the foundation for what I hope will become a new holiday tradition for our family: using fabric gift bags in place of wrapping paper.

A couple years ago, my Nana graciously gifted me her stash of holiday fabric, as well as a large quantity of rick-rack in several colors. She wails every time she hears I'm using it for bags - "Bags! I spent so long carefully picking out and coordinating those fabrics! $8 a yard! And you're making BAGS!" Yep, I sure am! Thanks Nana!

I set myself to work designing a simple, functional, present-able bag. And I sewed with rick-rack for the first time! It's tricky at first, but by the 2nd (or 3rd) bag, I had the hang of it.

The first batch went to my mom's siblings. I knew the size of the specific presents, but I made them big enough to be functional for many things in the future. I don't have any pictures of those because as soon as I completed them I boxed them up and mailed them to Mom to use!

After that, I made one for my friend and her family, big enough to hold all of their gifts. By the time I got to my own family, I was making custom bags for each present I was wrapping. These won't be as universally useful in the future, but good things come in small packages!

My hope is that next Christmas we will reuse these bags by sending them back and forth among our family. (Pridmore Family, are you reading this??) My mom doesn't think people will part with them, though. Perhaps I will have to add a few more into the system next year!

Spread the love, simply

One of the most simple gift ideas that I so often forget? Plants!

I have a very enthusiastic aloe plant on my sunny kitchen window sill that has been split, re-potted, and shared many times as a farewell gift, housewarming, thank-you, etc. Houseplants have all kinds of benefits, and aloe is great to keep in the kitchen for burns. It benefits my plant too, which has a habit of growing too big for its pot.

You can go fancy, purchasing a new pot or painting a custom container for it, or more casual if the recipient is a bit of a green thumb and able to re-pot it themselves. It only took a short time for me to re-pot a piece for my roommate's darling girlfriend, and it even looks sufficiently festive with the bright green spikes and red bow!

Resolutions 2009: A work in progress

Resolution #1: Arrive at work on time
This is simple enough - or should be, considering I only live two blocks away.

Resolution #2: Purchase and consume food responsibly
My inner bargain hunter LOVES buying larger-size packages at the grocery - just look at that unit price!! However, as much as I love a deal, I HATE waste. There's no savings in buying food to throw away.

Resolution #3: Lose weight
A classic, needs no explanation

Resolution #4: Put money in savings each month
Thanks to my mortgage, my savings have taken a serious hit. Now that I have a signed lease with a tenant and no more car payments, it's time to start rebuilding. AND, since January is a 3-paycheck month, this one gets a boost to start the year!

Resolution #5: Keep my house clean and clutter-free
Over the holiday weekend, I cashed in my gift certificates to The Organizer and The Handyman (Mom and Dad), and my place looks AMAZING!! Now I just need to keep it that way...

Resolution #6: Update my blog regularly
I love writing my blog. Lately I guess I've been busy with other things, and I'd really like to get into a regular groove of updating.

That's all for now! There may be more to come, plus the highlights of 2008, and what I'm most looking forward to in 2009.

Home Improvement: Programmable Thermostat

Last Saturday, I installed my new programmable thermostat!!

The directions were VERY detailed, and broke it into steps Roger could have followed. It was a bigger project than I realized, due mainly not to the actual installation, but what had been installed in the past.

The footprint of the new one is TOTALLY different from the footprint of the old one, which is again different than the one before that! The result is screw holes that needed to be filled, and a lovely paint line that needs to be sanded and repainted.

Luckily, I'm a girl who believes in having the right tool for every job, so I actually had a tube of spackle in my toolbox. Pink spackle, no less. So with little fuss, I was able to patch the holes and continue on with the project at hand. (The sanding/painting are for another day)

I picked a location that covered as much of the old mess as possible, and screwed it to the wall. The new thermostat came with little stickers to label the correct post of each wire for reattachment, and it was relatively easy to attach them.

And that was it! I put in the batteries, popped the facepiece on, and programmed the times and temperatures.

Mon-Fri get a separate schedule from Sat/Sun, and there are four dayparts: morning, day, evening, and night. Since my weekday schedule is pretty locked down thanks to the Little Sir, it was no problem to program. However, weekends are not so easy. On Saturdays I'll usually be at the mountain, but Sundays I'll be home. I think what I'll do is set it to my Saturday schedule, and then "override" the programming on Sundays.

A very worthwhile investment, and an interesting home improvement project!

My favorite little alternative heat source

Localvore SCORE!!

Last night I attended the housewarming party for my friends Cliff, Becca, and Zach! They're renting a beautiful house in Grand Isle with a long sweeping front lawn and private beach access. The living room has a cathedral ceiling, and Cliff's room has its own deck.

The party was a strictly fancy-pants event - fancy wine, fancy food, fancy clothes, and fancy guests! Johan, Joshua, and Adam were up from NH, Dougie and Steph from southern VT, as well as local favorites Gwen and Billy. There was even fancy music a little later in the evening, provided by the house string quintet.

This was a particularly exciting event for me, because I hosted Becca, Cliff, and puppy Apollo in my second bedroom for the week before their lease started, and I knew how anxious they had been to move in. I happily brought a housewarming gift, as well - I re-potted one of my aloe plants for Cliff after he had admired it during his stay.

Upon arrival at the party, Cliff and Becca proudly presented me with a present of my own - a beautiful bottle of Sunshine Vodka!! The week they were with me was the first of September, so I was taking my Eat Local Challenge. We went out for drinks on their last night with me, and I opted for water due to the lack of local spirits available. Locally produced in Stowe, VT by Green Mountain Distillers, here's what their website has to say about Sunshine Vodka:

Vermont’s premiere organic spirit is quadruple distilled from 100% certified organic grain and pure Vermont spring water. Sunshine production begins with the highest quality grain supplied by our family, farmer owned co-op. All grain is Certified Organic and GMO free by Oregon Tilth. Sunshine Vodka is created using small batch fermentation and proprietary distillation processes that result in a spirit of the very highest quality. Our small staff selects the grain, distills the spirit and markets the finished product nationwide. This close integration of field to process to product gives Green Mountain Distillers an unparalleled level of integrity.

Hooray for localvorism, wonderful friends, and another fun night in my green party dress!

Time to WINTERIZE!

It's starting to get pretty chilly in Vermont, which means it's time to get ready for the long, cold winter ahead. Efficiency Vermont has put together a list of top ten tips for saving energy this winter. Several of these, like plugging the leaks around my front door, are on my to-do list. I'm also planning to get a programmable thermostat! I'll use this list as a guide and post on my progress.

1. Make Your Home More Efficient. Efficiency Vermont-approved Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractors can perform an energy audit on your home and install the recommended improvements, such as air sealing and insulation. Find a contractor and learn about financing options at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance. Low-income Vermonters can get similar services for free - learn more at www.helpforvt.org.
2. Lower the Thermostat. Each degree a thermostat is turned down (around the clock) in the winter equates to a cost savings of roughly three percent on your energy bill. Turning a thermostat back from 72º to 65º for eight hours a day can save as much as 10 percent on annual heating and cooling costs. Try lowering the thermostat when nobody is home, or just before going to bed. Programmable thermostats can help to manage your home’s temperature by consistently changing the setting whenever you want—even if you are asleep or at work. I'm pretty stingy when it comes to heat (hence my large collection of hoodies!), and Roger's a great little space heater. I also plan to install a programmable thermostat this winter.
   
3. Plug Up Air Leaks. Focus on plugging air leaks in the attic, where warm air escapes, and in the basement, where cold air enters the home. If you’re handy, use expanding foam to seal larger holes and caulk to seal small gaps. You can also save more by adding insulation in the attic. There’s more information on air sealing and insulating at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeheating. Or find a professional to help at www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance. One trick for finding leaks is to use a lit stick of incense - the drafts will disturb the smoke!
   
4. Heat Only Space You Use. Close off unneeded rooms, but ensure water pipes have adequate insulation or heat and don't freeze.
5. Let the Sun Shine In. Open the window shades on the south and west side of the house during the day to maximize the warmth of the sun, and close them at night. I've got two great south-facing windows, and I'm researching the most energy-efficient blinds to invest in.
   
6. Fix Drafty Windows and Doors. Caulk around window frames and use weather stripping and door sweeps on doors. Properly adjusted window-sash locks will ensure that windows are properly shut. Use storm windows and put up interior window plastic, available in kits at hardware stores. I need to get some weather stripping - there's a leak at the top of my front door!
   
7. Clean Up. Keep the area near registers, radiators, air returns and baseboards clear and dust-free. Vacuum or dust radiators and baseboards often and be sure they’re not blocked by furniture and carpets. Heat needs to circulate to reach all areas of the house, especially with a forced-air system. I kept this in mind when I was first arranging my furniture. I do have some cleaning to do in the spare room before the heat starts flowing though.
   
8. Close Dampers When You're Not Using The Fireplace. An open fireplace damper pulls warm air (air you’ve paid to heat) from the house, even when there is no fire. And, if possible, avoid or reduce the use of traditional masonry fireplaces, which tend to be much less efficient than other heating devices.
9. Tune Up Your Equipment. If your heating or hot water equipment has not been serviced recently, make sure it is cleaned and adjusted to operate as efficiently and safely as possible. I want to look into putting a layer of insulation around my hot water heater, but I don't know how to tell if I need it or not.
   
10. Save Electricity. Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulbs. For information about which bulbs work best where and how much you can save, visit http://www.newbulbintown.com/. When purchasing new appliances, be sure to select models with the ENERGY STAR. Small appliances and home office equipment use power even when they're “off”. Plug TVs, VCRs, fax machines, computers, printers, etc. into a power strip and just turn them off. I have started replacing all of the MANY bulbs in my new house with CFLs. I'm also looking into dimmable CFLs, since the bedrooms and living room fixtures need them. All of my entertainment equipment (TV, DVD player, computer) are plugged into a power strip that I flip off every morning before work.
    

Localvore Smoothie!

Localvore Smoothie
-Vermont Co-op Milk
-Butterworks Farm plain organic yogurt
-Frozen local raspberries
-Honey

Delicious!

I originally meant this to be a recipe post, but quickly hit a roadblock: I never make it the same way twice! Plus "glob" and "some" aren't really helpful measurements. I start with the milk and frozen berries, and once that's a bright pink, I add yogurt until it's the right consistency. The last thing is the honey, otherwise it sinks to the bottom of the blender. Enjoy!

Eat Local Challenge!

Once again this year, I'm taking the Eat Local Challenge for the month of September. I've pledged to eat only food produced within 100 miles of home for the whole month. I'll keep you posted on my trials and tribulations throughout the challenge!

Green Drinks 7/29

Last night Alex and I attended the monthly gathering Green Drinks at the Skinny Pancake. Held all over the world, Green Drinks is a social/networking evening for environmentally-minded people to have a beer, meet new people, and connect with friends. The Burlington event is held at the Skinny Pancake on the last Tuesday of the month starting at 530pm. A local green company hosts, meaning they pay for the first $100 in drinks and circulate through the crowd spreading their good word.

At first we stuck together exclusively, finding it too daunting to invite ourselves into one of the many already-in-progress conversations surrounding us on the patio. We chatted about KSV's own green group, and the upcoming commuter challenge. But then a familiar face caught my eye, and soon enough we were having our own lively and animated conversation with Ellen Shapiro, owner of the Champlain edition of the publication Green Living. I had worked with her frequently at a time when we both worked for different companies, and she was happy to hear of my career move and satisfaction with my current position. I told her a bit about KSV's green group, and she happily offered to run any press releases we have on the efforts and changes we're making.

This month's sponsor was Green Cab VT, a taxi service with a fleet of bio-diesel, hybrid, and electric cars. Alex pointed out that our company has a designated cab service for getting to and from the airport, and it might be possible to switch to Green Cab. I was able to sit down with owner Charlie Herrick, who gladly told me about vouchers KSV could buy - a possible solution for emergency rides home in our upcoming commuter challenge.

The energetic and committed owner is also looking to expand his offerings to include local courier services to Burlington. Since they don't have to pay the ever-increasing costs of gasoline, Green Cab will be a cheaper option. Sometimes, it IS easy being green!

Portions reposted on the KSV Blog Unplanned

Recommended Reading

I don't remember how I first stumbled onto the Diggin Food blog, but I love it! The lofted veggie garden entry is what first drew me in, and I stayed because it's all good stuff. Makes me want to turn the whole yard into a vegetable garden.

Sunblock safety concerns

Summer's here and we all want to avoid sunburn and of course skin cancer. So just slather on sunscreen before you head outside, right?

Well, not just any sunscreen. With no mandatory, comprehensive sunscreen standards in place, products vary widely in safety and effectiveness. And did you know that SPF ratings only cover UVB rays, which cause burns, but not UVA rays, which raise skin cancer risk?

After 30 years of debate, the government has failed to set mandatory sunscreen safety standards. Companies are free to make their own decisions on everything from advertising claims to product quality. FDA now stands in direct violation of a Congressional mandate requiring the agency to finalize sunscreen safety standards by May '06, flouting not only Congress but also consumers, who are reliant on sunscreen to protect their health.

Search EWG's sunscreen safety database to find out what's safest and most effective for you and your family. This database is the result of 18 months of research, and they found that 4 out of 5 of 952 sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns - leading brands were the worst offenders! Find out what's safest and most effective for you, then go have fun in the sun!

Perks...

Well I guess I can't claim this job has NO perks. Last Wednesday I took the afternoon and hiked Mount Mansfield with my rep from Backpacker Magazine! We had the PERFECT day for it. Rascal is an excellent hiker, even if he doesn't like posing for pictures.

Ain't no sunshine

So, my garden is proving to be an interesting experience this summer. It was great fun to paint the boxes with Dad, and plant them on Mother's Day with both my parents. I love being able to see the boxes from my window, but the porch is proving to be an unsuitable place to sustain a garden.

Although the lettuce started sprouting up within two weeks, it has not lived up to that early promise. I guess I really don't have enough sun for it. The leaves aren't any bigger than those in the picture. I had to cut more than half a dozen to have lettuce on my burger!! A salad is pretty much out of the question. (But look at the cute little tags I painted!)

The pepper plant certainly looks healthy enough, which is deceiving. Don't be fooled!! It has lots of blossoms on it, that's true. But as soon as the flower falls off and the actual fruit starts growing in behind it, the whole thing FALLS OFF THE PLANT. It's happened three times already!! This does not bode well for my overall pepper harvest. All of the forks in the branches are turning black, which seems like a bad color for plants to be. Are there any pepper plant diseases I should know about??

The tomato plants are compensating for the lack of sun by growing three feet tall so they can reach the sun, which makes me think they're as determined as I am for them to actually amount to something. There are several clusters of tomatoes on the plant, and a lot of blossoms near the top. The plants (even though they're staked) blew over in the storms last week, so I tied them to the porch railing. Heh, just TRY to blow over now, stupid plants!! Good thing I have all that ribbon!

The carrots were planted in rows, but are all sprouting up in a big clusterfuck, and again don't seem to be growing very big. I've tried thinning them, but I don't know if it helped much. I guess I need to get more aggressive with them. The chives and tarragon are doing great, but of course how much of those can you really use at one time?

The cucumbers may end up being the stars of the garden!! I planted a row all along the back of one of the boxes, with a trellis behind them to climb, which they are doing quite happily. Now I just need to find some recipes that use cucumbers...pasta salads, anyone?

Lou's Bicycle

When the Burlington snow melted and the bike lanes were once again clear and visible, I decided it was time to try biking to work. I had even stronger motivation when my beloved little car had to go in for some work overnight. It took a little prodding (Ithaca beer), but Dougy reattached the front tire he had for some reason removed while my bike was housed in the guys' garage over the winter, and I was on my way! The rest is history...

There are lots of sites touting the many benefits of biking. Why do I do it? The most immediate benefit I get is improved mood. Biking to work is such a better start to the day than driving. It definitely takes a little more work (packing business clothes to change into, leaving early enough to be changed in time for morning production meetings), but that is more than outweighed by the boost it provides. There's also the smug satisfaction of it all...but I digress!

Second, there's that whole "environmentalist" thing. As you know, I love counting things, so I've kept track of how many miles of driving I've avoided. To date, I have biked 126.5 miles I would have otherwise had to drive. Each mile biked keeps about 3.75lbs of pollutants out of the atmosphere. That means I've avoided 474.38 POUNDS of air pollution.

Third there's the money factor. Gas prices are ridiculous. The less I have to fill up, the better. Originally my goal was to bike at least one day a week, but it's turning into a lot more - I biked every day last week! My new goal is to save an entire tank of gas (about 325mi) over the course of the summer.

Finally, there are the personal health benefits. Ski season kept me in pretty good shape all winter, but playing with puppies every other week is no suitable replacement workout plan. I've improved my commute time from 30min to 15, my slow stretches are less slow, hills offer less resistance, and I weave through traffic like a well-balanced pro (haha, that last one is a lie - but I'm better than I used to be).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
My parents' house is 80 miles away in NH. Supposing I travel at an average 10mph, that's an 8-hour ride. Add water/food/bathroom breaks, that's 9-10 hours. Then I'd have to repeat the trip back the following day. Think I can do it??

GOAL: Bike from my house in Burlington to my parents' house in NH

"A Little Better" is a start

Check out this site - www.ALittleBetterGasStation.com

Quite possibly the most fun site I've found in a while. It's a beautifully made marketing site for BP to promote their new-found environmental conscience. Too bad my phone doesn't support their free ringtones. At least I can have their screen savers, and play Gas Mania. Some of the copy gets a little redundant (we GET it, it's a little better!!), but overall, worth a read-through.

Also check out www.TheGreenCurve.com

There's a ton of information on BP's efforts to be more sustainable. They acknowledge the fact that this station (which really exists in Los Angeles at the corner of Olympic and Robertson) is not a miracle answer from the future, it's a station for today that's a little better than the status quo stations. Check out how each part of the station was constructed, keeping "green" in mind (although they ARE still pumping gasoline...). Solar energy, green roof, Low-VOC paint, 60% post-consumed aluminum to construct the sinks, windows made from post-consumer recycled glass. I guess I can concede that until we stop using cars, we might as well have sustainabily-constructed stations.

As well, they present us with "The Green Curve," a sustainability spectrum that we're all on somewhere. There's a quiz you can take, and several categorized lists (Work, Travel, Car, etc) of pointers to live a more sustainable lifestyle. It's really simple stuff, like using a mug at the office instead of a Styrofoam cup, telecommuting, carpooling, etc. Worth a look, if you're wondering where to start!!

Get rid of it!

I have a confession to make. Those of you who know me at all will find this as no surprise.

I love saving stuff.

I have stuff of all kinds that I've saved for YEARS - fabric, ribbon, school notes, clothes, children's games, concert tickets, magazines - this list could go on forever. You get the idea, I'm a packrat. I mean, you just never know when you're going to need that article in SKI Magazine from 3 years ago, or your junior prom gown, am I right? And to be fair, I have actually worn that dress for multiple occasions all through college. However, that's only one of the several formal gowns I have socked away, that I wore and loved for one night, and haven't touched since. And the odds of needing my busted-up old cell phone any time in the future? Pretty slim.

Enter Martha Stewart.

As a media buyer, I get information all the time from publications wanting a piece of our ad budgets. Were you aware that Martha has a whole family of magazine titles under her belt? The list includeds of course the classic Martha Stewart Living, but also body+soul, Weddings Magazine, Everyday Food, and the newest addition, Blueprint. Somehow, I found myself on the Blueprint website. And somehow, I found the magical list, 100 Reasons To Get Rid of It.

Okay Martha, you crafty genius, I'll bite. Can you REALLY provide me with one hundred reasons to get rid of my prized collections and stock piles? Well I'm here to tell you YES. Yes she can.

This list is pretty fantastic. It's broken up into segments of 5-8 reasons/links with categories such as "Because You Have Too Much Stuff" (ouch...so true), "Because Someone Else Needs It" (that old cell phone? I donated it to Women Helping Battered Women here in VT. The dresses? Operation Fairy Dust. Also check out One Warm Coat and Dress for Success for those outgrown clothes), "Because It Will Make Your Life Better" (Around 23% of people pay late fees on bills they cannot find), "Because It's Old/Expired" (I had more bath products than any one person could ever use up, many of which were past their prime), and finally, "Just Because: What's the worst that can happen if you throw it out?"

These days, I love getting rid of stuff. Every time I visit my folks' house, I comb through and pick out more clothes, childhood games, etc to give away. Last week I posted our entire porcelain doll collection on eBay. These are things that are just cluttering up my space! I need to let go, I need to GET RID OF IT!!

Take a look at this list, when you have a second. I bet there are a few things in your closet that you could stand to get rid of, too.