In the news

A few co-workers took a lunch time trip to the new dollar-type store that opened near work. I declined the invite to accompany, partly because I do very little shopping other than groceries. (This was the first “R” that I adopted years ago – “Reduce”. If I don’t really need anything, then why go shopping?) But mostly because my opinion of the products they carry isn’t very high.

I question the manufacturing process that produced all the plastic doodads, the wages paid to the workers who made them, the fuel to deliver them to stores in the US, and the landfills that they will live in forever. Or worse, the toxins released into the air when they are incinerated.

Coincidentally, this article about the dangers of lead and cadmium in cheap jewelry at Dollar Stores appeared in yesterday’s Burlington Free Press online. The trinkets are marketed for children (young girls) who would be susceptible to the carcinogenic effects of lead and cadmium. These items were tested and found to be many multiple times over the acceptable limit. It boggles my mind to think that any company CEO could willingly produce things that are known to be dangerous for children, or that these products will eventually sit in landfills, leaching out toxins for decades to come.

Thankfully, the Attorney General’s office is diligent about this, but it is sad that they should have to be. And I wonder how many items get through for each one that is found.

Updates

I think it's time for some progress updates on what's going on in my neck of the 'burbs:

One Small Change Challenge: I’ve continued with my January change, reduced beef intake and using legumes and grains for protein exchanges. My February change continues to go well. I’m making approximately 2 ½ cups of concentrate at a time and looking for a larger container to make bigger batches.

The Better List: Guitar lesson # 3 tonight. Doing well.

Painting the condo: Originally planned for December, but started in late January. Bedroom and living/dining room complete. Kitchen and bath to be done before March.

Packing and weeding out: Going well. Made several trips to Goodwill last month with extra “stuff”. Freecycled my rowing machine (boy, was that popular!) Almost done packing the non-essentials for everyday living.

Gym: Still only once per week, trying to go 2x/week to get ready for bike season.

Reading: That’s my next post!

Through a different pair of eyes

MyStory had some very interesting thoughts in her latest post about what we would do if we knew we were facing our own ending. When we are full of the business of life it is difficult to imagine. Have we crossed all our T's and dotted our I's? Have we done, or even attempted, everything that we really desire? Or are we behaving as we are expected, disregarding our own ambitions? Would we happily leave others behind, knowing that we have passed on all our love and life energy to them?

I am now looking at this very subject from the other side, since a phone call this week cut me to the core. One of my dearest friends in Vermont was rushed to the hospital. Skipping the complicated details, she is now waiting for biopsy results. Even though she is twenty years my elder, I did not expect this news or the foreboding that it carries. In my mind she would still have the coffee pot on when I move back to VT. Realistically, even if the results are good, her general health is not.

Now the clock has chimed the eleventh hour. Have I done and said all I should for her? Have I given at least as much as I received, in terms of friendship and help? Will I be regretful of neglect? This woman was a key person in my life at one of my "low" spots, encouraging strength and honor, and guiding by questioning.

I will be away next weekend. We will have a three day weekend from work and I must take advantage of this coincidence to visit my family and a friend.

In awe

For at least six months I’ve been driving past this billboard. Usually, they change the sign every month or so, but it is very noticeable when something that is expected to change – doesn’t.

I had heard of this professor in the news a few years ago. How he was diagnosed with cancer and had a very short time left. How he gave his “Last Lecture” at the college where he worked. Then I filed that piece of information in the back of my mind.

Last week I stopped over at Dewin’s blog to catch up on her postings. Imagine my eyes opening wide as I read her review of The Last Lecture written by Randy Pausch. Okay. With her recommendation I decided that this is a book that I had to read.

From the first pages the simple, straightforward honesty kept my interest and made it difficult to put the book down. Prof. Pausch details his life, in particular his childhood dreams and ambitions. But his message is how to encourage and enable your children (and others) to reach their dreams. His simple guidelines are so admirable.

He did not want sympathy, but only to tell the world about his happiness in life. By doing so, he gave us a “gift” of these guidelines that we can use to improve our lives and the lives of others.

When I looked inside the cover I saw how many times the book has been checked out of the library. It felt good to know that his message is still reaching so many people.

Grandma knew

My condo has a nice, thick wall-to-wall carpet in the large living/dining room combo and in the spacious bedroom. It was brand spankin' new when I bought the unit. (Wood floors would have been nice, but the carpeting keeps it warmer in winter.) Since I don't track in dirt (shoes come off at the door) it stays kinda clean, although my sewing machine tends to drop thread pieces and there may be a crumb or two around the table. I still can't figure out who's been doing that.....

But I only plug in my vacuum about every six weeks. Two years ago I found one of these in a Goodwill for six dollars, and it works great. I use it as often as is necessary. I don't have to empty or replace a bag, and it doesn't need electricity.

I remember, as a waitress, using a small carpet sweeper to clean up after the lunch rush was over and how well it would pick up the mess from under the tables. So I snatched this helper when I saw it in the shop.

As I get older I see how our parents and grandparents did okay without all the technofuss and bother that we accept as normal today. They kept busy, productive, and lived contented lives. And gosh!, they didn't have to go to the gym to get their workout, which is where I just came from. Please excuse me, I've got to shower and get ready for work.

Have a great Tuesday, no matter what Punxsutawney Phil says! :)

This was too easy!

I'm enjoying my second cup of coffee this morning. It took literally seconds to make. And it was in the fridge since yesterday.

This experiment is for my February One Small Change challenge, to waste less electricity used for making coffee in the mornings. I tend to leave the coffeemaker on for an hour or more while I get my caffeinated fix. I found several articles, advertisements, and even forums about cold-brewed coffee and decided to give it a try.

From what I have read online, the acid and oils in coffee beans are released with heat. In an article over at MSNBC Seattle's Best and Starbuck's were both tested for pH - the lower the pH, the higher the acid. Seattle (which cold-brews their coffee for iced drinks) had a 6.31 pH of while Starbuck's (which heat-brews theirs) was 5.48. Also, it is the oils which go *rancid*, and give that off-taste after sitting too long. So cold-brewing should lessen that, too.

So yesterday morning, after I finished my second cup of Capresso brewed coffee, I took out a canning jar and some inexpensive but acceptable coffee. I put one and one-half cups water in the jar.

Added one-third cup coffee.

Gave a gentle stir, just enough to get the grounds wet. And put it in the fridge.

After twelve hours I strained the grounds using a filter set in a strainer, and put it back in the chiller for the night. (The aroma was tempting, but I decided to wait until morning....)

This morning I mixed equal parts coffee mixture and water and nuked it. Really, takes no time at all.

AND, I think it has a richer, more pleasing flavor. For an inexpensive coffee, it put the coffee shop stuff on notice!

I've got enough for tomorrow morning, too. Now I'll have to experiment with larger quantities so I'll only have to prepare it once a week. Folks who wrote in the forums stated that their mix would keep up to two weeks.

7 things

Many thanks to Maria from "My full time life", for nominating me for the Kreativ Blogger award. She has a very busy and happy life and is always upbeat, even after nature re-arranges things!

I need to disclose seven things about myself that you may not have known. Wow, I've been so honest here that I feel you know all about me already....

1 - In my 40's I took some college courses. Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Economics, Access - Excel - Word. Got A's. Stopped going. I felt that it would take too long to get a degree at one course per semester. I was already working two jobs and couldn't do it any faster.

2 - Do I regret it? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I don't like to sit still and can't picture myself in a suit behind a desk, or staying up working on a computer at 11:30 at night. I didn't want the headaches or the agita. No use looking back now. I'm pretty much satisfied.

3 - I most often spend Friday nights and Saturdays with my 90 year old mother, who recently suffered a bad fall from standing on a kitchen stepstool, trying to reach the cabinet over the fridge. She is where I get my streak of independence. Only in recent years have I come to appreciate how strong she was all her life. She never wanted much but if there was something she did want, she would make it happen. (Thus, our trip to Ireland when I was in high school.)

4 - In high school I wore my hair long with those two thin braids from the center part, hippie style. I also had one of those India-inspired dresses with the tiny mirrors embroidered on the front.

5 - After keeping my hair short for the past few decades, I am letting the layers grow out. When it gets long enough to put in those two thin braids again, I'll post a picture….maybe... I might have to look through Goodwill for a mirror dress :)

6 - I haven't gone to a movie theater since I took my grandchildren to see the Incredibles. Folks at work can’t understand why I don’t know the actors they mention. But then, they don't know who William Powell was, or Charles Laughton, or.....

7 – I’m trying to get my life in order, sort things out, and live a peaceful existence.





Now I am to nominate others for this award. Please don't consider me as wimping out but I feel that every blogger I have met is creative. I am inspired by all the blogs I read as I trip the 'net fantastic. If you so choose, please post seven things about yourself that you have not posted before. I'd enjoy reading your list, too!