Mary with Garden

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

2012-01-05T12:02:00.002-05:00

Happy 2012! I hope your holidays were blessed and filled with warm memories. We spent lots of lovely time with our family, ate at some cosy restaurants; Pines of Rome, Founding Farmers, zpizza, Nando's Peri-Peri, cooked up a storm and conquered the gluten-free, egg-free cookie challenge.

Now that we are back home with our sweet tooth heavily engaged from sampling all that delicious food, I have developed a killer breakfast to tide me over.

Organic Oatmeal with fresh strawberries and raspberry glaze

This is a bowl full of delicious goodness, healthy and low on sugar. This is what I put into the oatmeal before I pop it into the microwave:

Oatmeal with 3 non-dairy delights

Starting out with 1/2 cup of whole grain oatmeal, not the quick-cook variety, I add 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1/2 cup of oat milk. Sometimes I change it up and substitute the oat milk with unsweetened coconut milk. The oat milk has a definite oaten flavor and adds extra protein to your oatmeal. The almond milk and the coconut milk have TWICE the calcium of cow's milk. So 1 cup will get you 45% of your daily requirement.

I pop this mix into the microwave for 2 minutes and then let it sit so the grain can absorb the liquids. While that is cooking, slice up 1/4 cup of fresh strawberries, then measure 1 Tablespoons of sugar-free raspberry preserves into a microwavable bowl. If you want to sub frozen strawberries, add these into the bowl then top with raspberry preserves. 30 seconds or less in the microwave to melt the jam is all you need.

Top the oatmeal with the fruit then pour over the strawberries the hot jam. Oh, this is sooo delicious! If you are a chocolate lover, mix in some sugar-free chocolate chips into the oatmeal before you top with fruit and jam.

Nutrition panels beginning on left, unsweetened coconut milk, oat milk, unsweetened vanilla almond milk all for 8 oz. serving size

Total breakdown of this bowl of oatmeal:

Protein total w/oat milk 6 grams; w/unsweetened coconut milk 5 grams
Carbohydrate total w/oat milk 47 grams; w/unsweetened coconut milk 35 grams
Sugar w/oat milk 9 grams; w/unsweetened coconut milk less than 1 gram
Calories w/oat milk 250; w/unsweetened coconut milk 200

Which leaves me room to add 2 patties of turkey sausage for an additional 110 calories and 11 grams of protein for a grand total of 360 calories and 17 grams of protein. I top this off with 2 cups of Awake tea and I can go for hours! Sweet tooth satisfied, tummy full, bones fed, and diet on track...awesome way to start the day.

Moving on and Naked Garlic

2011-12-08T15:10:00.001-05:00

So glad I got all of that frustration from having to change our diet out of my system! Having to make major changes was getting the best of me and I needed to vent. Having gotten that out of the way has opened the door to creativity. I love that when that happens! It has also brought me back to one of my loves which is cooking. I have a whole new place to go now with this allergy issue.

MY GOAL: Find recipes for food that are healthy, allergy free and delicious without having to completely let go of our traditions.

On the way, I have learned a new trick that is just too good to keep to myself. This will be especially great for all of you who love garlic because this tip will make using garlic a snap.

STEP ONE:

Take a large bud of garlic and place it on a hard surface, like your counter top. Set it root side down.

STEP TWO:

Take a large stainless steel bowl and SMASH it down on the garlic. This is no time to be timid. Wail away!

You should see all the buds separate out from the full clove.

STEP THREE: Put all the cloves of garlic into the stainless steel bowl.

STEP FOUR: Cover the bowl with a smaller bowl that acts as a lid.

STEP FIVE: Holding the small bowl on top of the large bowl, pick them up and SHAKE!! Up and down vigorously for a minute or so.

What you will see when you take off the bowl lid is that the garlic cloves jump out of their papery covers.

Why is this cool? BECAUSE YOU NEVER HAVE TO PEEL ONE AGAIN!

Keep removing the cloves as they shed their coverings and repeat the shaking until all the cloves are naked.

Now you have a full bud of denuded garlic cloves ready for that delicious recipe you have in mind. Here's one that I just made. Enjoy!

When Life throws you lemons....

2011-11-29T13:21:00.001-05:00

When Life throws you lemons, you become tart!

And I am. Acidic, with a wish for a sunny yellow disposition and leaning towards growing in a different climate. Cryptic? Let me decipher.

This month, my life has changed is a dramatic way. Do I look different? No. Am I moving? No. Am I okay? Yep. Challenged? A definite big yep. Here's what's up. My husband has just learned that he has food allergies. Really, this is BIG. We have to eliminate wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, corn and pork products from our diet. Let me expand on what that means:

No bakery items made with gluten, eggs, corn and dairy. EQUALS= Rice bread
No cold cereals, no granola, no oatmeal. EQUALS=Rice Krispies
No sausage, processed deli meats, no hot dogs, brats, cured meats. EQUALS=Turkey sausage
NO ICE CREAM. EQUALS=Hell
NO CHOCOLATE. EQUALS=Same
No tortillas, chips, trail mix, popcorn. EQUALS=Puffed rice potato thingys without cheese.
No Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, deli sandwiches, beer, pizza, or anything else eaten out at a restaurant. EQUALS=Rice. See a pattern here?

I warned you that I was acidic. What I have figured out is that we have to eat a vegan diet without being vegan and none of the perks of being a vegan whatever those are....vegan buddies? Because we can't survive on only beans for protein and will be eating meat. SIGH.

Have you ever tried shopping in the grocery store for gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, egg-free food? You end up, if you are lucky, at this tiny little section where on the shelves you see tiny packages with big prices. After you read thousands of words on labels no bigger than your thumb, you end up with 1 item that you can buy. And you buy that one item even if you have no clue what it really is because you NEED to take something home.

And recipes on the internet? There's a minefield. You end up at gluten-free princess where flavor has taken a backseat to the hunting and gathering of obscure ingredients you can only find in stores if you live in metro California. And, I don't. Even as I go through the metamorphosis of change, that would be a huge stretch of my imagination. So, for right now? I blog!

Bake Sale Madness

2011-10-10T11:11:00.000-04:00

This past week was our community's Harvest Homecoming, a big fall festival with a parade, music on the river, rides for the kids and of course all of that festival food you wait all year to eat. The go-to yummies are the chicken and dumplings, ribs and pork chops, homemade glazed doughnuts and Amish made ice cream turned with a belt driven hit-and-miss engine. The crowds are shoulder-to-shoulder and the lines wrap around the block to purchase these delectable, mouth-watering treats.

All of this gets me in the mood to bake, so when my church decided to host a bake sale in tandem with the festivities, I was at the ready wire whisk in hand. Here's what I made:

Caramel Apple Bread

Pumpkin Pie Muffins with Marshmallow Butter Creme Filling

Mojito Cupcakes

Cher Bowlies CuppyCakes

Recipe for Caramel Apple Bread

-2 small boxes of instant sugar-free butterscotch pudding

-1 large Granny Smith apple with peel, diced into 1/4" cubes

-1 1/3 cup buttermilk

-1/2 cup dark brown sugar

-2 teaspoons cinnamon

-1 teaspoon ginger powder

-1 pinch of salt

-3 cup whole grain flour ( I used whole wheat)

-1 Tablespoon baking powder

-2 teaspoons baking soda

-1 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider

-2/3 cup sugar-free caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cube apple, measuring about 2 cups, toss with 2-3 T. of pudding mix. Set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together the pudding mixes and the buttermilk. This will be very thick.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour.
Add dry ingredients to pudding mixture a little at a time, alternating with apple juice and blend well after each addition.
Fold in the apples.
Bake in a greased bundt pan or small loaf pans. Time for large bundt pan will be 45-50 minutes. The small loaves will take only 20. Test with toothpick to make sure the bread is done.
Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
Cool completely. When cool, drizzle caramel syrup on the top. You should get 12 mini-loaves or 12 slices from bundt.

And you are reading correctly, there are no eggs in this recipe. The pudding mix has enough emulsifiers to hold it all together. Because of the same pudding you don't need oil. And in each serving there is only 12 grams of sugar! You could substitute oat flour for the whole wheat if you want to and you would have a more nutty flavor.

Because I wanted to have a more intense caramel flavor, I used French Vanilla instant pudding mixes and added 1/4 teaspoon of super concentrated butterscotch flavoring. You can buy the super concentrated flavorings at a cake decorating store.

Happy baking!

I'm crappy at clipping coupons but 5 changes saves me $500+

2011-08-19T14:20:00.002-04:00

Here is the update on my goal of getting our home to be more energy efficient....yeah, I know some of you are "yawn, yawn, yawn." But everyone likes to save money and if you make the changes YOU get to put a little more $$$ in your pocket. Nod your head and say YEAH!

I tracked our gas and electric expenses for 13 months.

Here's the cool part if you all haven't done that . Your energy providers do it automatically for you and all you have to do is log into their websites to find your account and view your records.

We switched out lights to CFLs, unplugged anything on autopilot as far as appliances, stereo, tvs when we weren't using them..
Turned down thermostat at night in winter; turned off a/c during the daytime in summer when it was bearable to do so.
No lights left behind.
Bubble wrapped skylights and basement windows.
Vented the dryer into basement in winter, outdoors for summer.

I went to an energy audit site and filled in the information about our energy use.

My audit shows that our home is using less energy than the average home that is the same size. I feel pretty good about that as our home was built in 1934! And the audit shows me where we can make some improvements that can save us more energy and more $$$. There are a couple we can implement right away for a low investment and yield a high return. YIPPEE!

Our average use of natural gas therms is less than 100 therms a month and electric is less than 1100 kilowatt hours a month. My goal is to lower electricity and gas use by 10%. So far we have lowered electricity use by 7%. With gas I need to track another winter before I can know if that has improved.

So roughly figuring our electricity expense at $0.1091 per kWh, we have saved $255.33 in electricity costs January through June or about $42.54 a month on average. Over a year, that's $510. BONUS!

Actually these changes were pretty painless to make and low in cost. Some were actually free, just a change in habit. I like the results and will keep going after that 10% goal. Hmmm, makes me feel good knowing we are doing something. I bet you can do it, too!

Still the same ole Bag

2011-05-10T14:16:00.003-04:00

Hey, I am back at the blog.

My last post had so much good information about Rocking The Cradle genius I wanted to leave it up for awhile. Much has been happening on the projects that I started at the first of the year. I have information that I will be sharing on blogs to come. This blog however is dedicated to SHOPPING BAGS.

Let me ask you, "Have you made the switch?"

Do you not only own, but USE your canvas shopping bags? Or are you like me, remember them when you are in the check out line? Why is it important anyway? It's just a little bit of plastic and I will recycle it. These are the ideas that pop into my head. Then I found this great video that gave me a song to replace that tape loop. Thought I would share it with you.

Some recycling facts:

In recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics.
Plastics in the U.S. are made primarily (70 percent) from domestic natural gas.
Plastic bags and product wraps (known collectively as “plastic film”) are commonly recycled at the many collection programs offered through major grocery stores.
Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.
Only 27 % of plastic is recycled each year.
Small plastic bags made up about 9 percent of the debris found along various U.S. coasts in a five-year study.
Plastic bags photodegrade, meaning they slowly break down into smaller and smaller bits that can contaminate soils and waterways.

There you have it. Get on to the switch. Hum a little song as you pick up those canvas bags before you head out the door, "Take your canvas bags, la de de dah"

You're so cool!

What Goes Around Comes Around

2011-02-17T12:53:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about sustainability for awhile and if you read my Old as Dirt post, you know that what goes around comes around.

Well, here are a couple of guys who think that sustainability is boring. Let me introduce William McDonough and Michael Braungart.

Yup, they ask "If I asked you how your relationship was with your boyfriend would you answer, Sustainable? If you did, I would feel sorry for you."

Boy, what the heck are they talking about? you might be thinking. I did. Turns out, they believe that everything that is made in the world should go back into growing something else. Not just a bin of recyclables that go out on the curb, but EVERYTHING.

And people are doing this, with their help.

And not the people you would think. People like the Ford Motor Company

Rouge River Plant

People's Republic of China

Liuzhou Rooftop Gardens

Nike

Humara Cl

They call this WASTE = FOOD.

Yeah, these guys are pretty much rocking the Cradle.

Don't You love it when things you do make a difference?

2011-02-09T17:21:00.002-05:00

Back when I started throwing pebbles around, I wanted to make a little impact on energy consumption. I told you I would keep you informed about the development of turning off those things I don't use instead of leaving them in stand by status. Here's the first month's update.

Now, look at the usage in the last month:

This is a bit skewed as December isn't a typical month because we had lots of company for 10 days. But, right now I am liking what I am seeing! Will keep monitoring and see what sort of savings there will be.

Pebble #1

So you can give it a whirl yourself, because it is a pretty painless change and I have noticed that I am a bit more conscious of uses of electricity because I want this to be a success. That has a factor I am sure. Awww, the toss of a small pebble....

Happy Birthday! We are all as old as dirt!

2011-02-02T14:36:00.001-05:00

Let me just extend birthday wishes to everyone because today, and everyday, we are all as old as dirt!
Bet you thought that was just an expression that came out of some novel written by one of the Southern writers, like Tennessee Williams or Eudora Welty.

But guess what? Everything that we are physically has been recycled since the beginning of life on the Earth. All the minerals, nutrients and water that is part of these lovely bodies and brains that we have, has been recycled from somewhere else. No new water has entered our life systems, no newly manufactured calories, no breaking- news diet supplement because it ALL HAS BEEN RECYCLED!

I could have some components of Cleopatra in my system for all I know, even parts of Mount Kilimanjaro. My body and your body has elements that have traveled from all corners of the world to arrive to their destination in your system. That is pretty amazing and amazingly intimate.

We share more in common with one another and the environment than we don't. Whatever actions that we take in how we use things or treat things, sooner or later is going to affect us or our descendants right where we live INSIDE OUR BODIES.

Old school science video

How do I know this? Because everything on Earth is in a closed system. The only things that interact with the Earth that is renewed is sunlight and wind. That is it. Nothing else. Zip, Zap,batta bing. All the components of life are shared through multiple systems of recycling. I could open a new kind of thrift store where I sale you yourself because we are the ultimate recycled organism.

So, (and I gotta go here) when you take out the garbage you are looking at parts of you down the road. When we see dirty rivers we are seeing parts of us in 6 months! When we see mountaintop removal leeching high concentrations of spew into the soil and air, that could be in that spinach, chicken, avocado, almond salad we love so much for lunch. It is a powerful mirror to look into.

Just sayin'....

I want to have clean living, too!

2011-01-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't it be great if you could manufacture in your own living space the energy that you need to do all the things you need to do each day? Capturing those little bits of light into computers, microwaves, ovens, washers and dryers, pumpkin night lights and whatever tickles your fancy. Like the fairy godmother in Cinderella with her wand that could light her way, I would like to have that possibility to channel energy for use. I would invest in a neighborhood energy source, rather than building some huge energy producer miles away that has to run miles of high voltage wires.

But, I don't know enough yet to make it happen. I am looking forward to understanding that for myself and my home. Here is what I do know. You have to take first steps for everything. So, I am putting that in place by trying to understand how to undo bad habits that I have gotten into over the years. And I guess that is how you get there. First steps, from the homepower magazine is seeing:

The Big Picture
Energy efficiency is always the most affordable and environmentally sound place to start when approaching renewable energy. By doing something as simple as swapping out incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescents, you can decrease the number of PV modules needed to power your lighting by up to 75 percent. This principle applies to all choices you make as you use energy. Focusing on the demand side first will always be your best bet.
Think through your renewable energy choices carefully, evaluating where best to spend your money. Look at your energy appetite and needs, your site, and the resources available to you. As you move towards less and less reliance on nonrenewable energy, you´ll be gaining some independence from the utility companies, reducing your monthly bills, and minimizing the impact our energy use has on the environment.

Pebble 3: We will change all the light bulbs in the house with the compact fluorescent bulbs.

Note on Pebble 2: I love the electric warmth in our bed. You should give it a try!

Brrrr...I hate to be cold.

2011-01-21T13:29:00.002-05:00

Ask anyone who has lived with me knows, I.hate.cold I can pinpoint a draft in a room faster than it takes to sit down in a chair. I hate drafts and the cold. I call myself the original draft dodger haha. I know the nerd in me is silly.
Anyway, I hate coldness. And that can be a challenge when you live somewhere when the weather can look like this:

Where I don't want to be

Not really, but when it is winter it sometimes feels a lot like this if you are sensitive to cold. So here's the point. I want to actually make it colder in my house. It will be a challenge to live with that. Here's my new pebble. If you missed my first pebble posting check it out here.

Tonight we will turn down the thermostat in the house and use an electric mattress pad to keep us warm instead.

Okay, I have said this out loud so now it is official. I'll keep you posted (literally, tee hee!).

I have decided to stop sitting on my hands.

2011-01-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

Happy new year to everyone! Today, that seems very apparent to me because I have made a decision to commit to something. I guess you could call it a new year's resolution, but I know this one has been percolating for awhile and today seemed to be the day to move forward.

I started this blog more or less to keep family posted about what I was up to. And what I have discovered is that I want to spend a year talking more about being a good steward of the world, the people and our resources. These issues are ongoing so it is a timeless topic. For me, I have found myself moving more and more into a direction of care and protection of it.

I have made a few goals that I am going to inform you about on this blog.

Find ways to support more local businesses.
Use less energy and support sustainability in my own small way.
Educate myself on the science of environment and sustainability.
Work to make life easier on those who are limited in resources.
Make my home and land surrounding it less demanding on natural resources and limit toxicity.

I am gong to make some changes to make my use of things frugal. I want to control what I can and I know that if we all do things in small ways they have a rippling effect.

I call these small changes pebbles. Here's my first...

Today, I am going to turn off all computers, appliances, stereos, TVs that I am not using. I will track the difference in my bill and see how much this changes my usage.

There is the start. I am excited to share with you how this goes. Maybe you will have so ideas to send along to me that I can add. Here we go into a new year!

Adventure begins with Advent

2010-11-30T13:55:00.004-05:00

The seasons are changing where I live. Less sunshine, lots of rain, leaves on the ground, bare trees. It is that time of year as we move into the winter solstice. Days are shorter and the night is longer. Life in the neighborhood is quieter as people move indoors to enjoy the warmth of their homes. Some of the neighbors have done up their houses with Christmas lights which do sparkle the night time.

But, I can't help feeling that we rush past this time of year where we transition from fall to winter. I love Christmas lights and decorating, don't get me wrong. But something in me likes the quiet that comes with this transitional time. In my faith, we call it Advent. And I like to savor it.

Here's why:

I love walking outside at dusk and smelling smoke from the wood burning fireplaces in homes along the neighborhood.
I love the silhouettes of people through brightly lit windows.
Color changes in the landscape from bright autumn hues into earthy browns, golds, grays, dark greens.
Waiting for Christmas with excitement instead of having it now.
Savoring time instead of rushing through it.
Cozying indoors reading or watching something on tv.
Lighting candles one by one as the weeks go by towards Christmas, preparing for something new.
Anticipating the smell of evergreen that will fill the house.
Thinking about the people I will see together at the holiday with expectation.
Making memories now, today.

In the Advent of Change, it states

There is a freedom and beauty in this time of year to shed old skins, start fresh with new journeys and to return back, with childhood wonderment, to a place of memory and nostalgia of what holiday seasons and preparations can be.

I hope everyone has filled their bellies and laughed with the ones they loved this Thanksgiving season and that everyone has something they are shedding and something new they are on the precipice of beginning. Take time to sit in your own advent of change right now. What is the arrival of something important you are waiting for, the new project, new adventure, new journey you might be about to begin?

Yeah, that says it for me...opening one door at a time.

So for your enjoyment I have included web based advent calendars that will lead to some new adventures for you (and me). Enjoy the newness of beginnings with me. Find one that fits your interest and let's enjoy Advent.

Traditional Advent Calendar

WordPress Engineer Advent Calendar

Papa Bear's Advent Calendar

Rooney Design Advent Game

The Cat Who Laughed

* Christmas Baking with Susiej

This is updated to 2010 and lots of recipes for all baking levels.

Phone App Advent Calendar

Make your own

Happy Advent(ure)!

90%

2010-09-09T12:11:00.000-04:00

I heard something yesterday that I found amazing as a statistic. Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. 90%? I found that fact knocked me off my feet. I started to think of all the places that I would like to be and the out of doors ranks pretty high on my list. Gardening, walking, sitting on the deck, sun basking, sipping coffee at an outdoor area, etc.

So, I did some research and discovered that there are health hazards associated with this fact. It seems that indoor air pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors and that this has been translating to increased health problems. Okay, I am sure that obesity is also linked to this fact, though that wasn't listed as a direct illness.

What does 90% translate into? If you are awake 16 hours a day and sleep 8 hours then that equals Fifty-seven and 1/4 minutes of every hour that we are awake, we spend indoors including the weekend. OMG doesn't that seem way out of proportion to what we would like to be doing? We have beautiful parks to go to, neighborhoods to walk in, neighbors to talk to , flowers to smell, dogs and children to play with, sights to see, hikes to take. I know that this is something you all have probably heard, but when I was a child I was outside as much as I possibly could be. In the summer we lived outdoors, and only came inside when we had to.

I've decided to reclaim my minutes. I am going to make a conscious effort to get the heck out of the indoors. I am going to add time to what I currently do outside. When I go shopping, I will park farther away from stores so I spend more time outdoors. I will air out my house everyday. I will sit outdoors to work on my laptop when I can. I will take my breaks outside and walk. I will add a stroll into my week that is just for pleasure. I will try to make changes where I can to get outside for recreation. Art fairs, riverfront music, etc.

Maybe you want to reclaim your minutes, too. Got any ideas?

Page Two: Old windows

2010-07-09T14:29:00.000-04:00

Today, I am working my way into the living room of my darling old lady and am concentrating on windows. One of the best architectural features, I think, of older homes. Mine are of many varieties. I have double hung windows in large and small, the casement type, the sliding type, skylights and mutton and mullions style in some of these. Mutton and mullions are the traditional window style that comes to mind when I think of the older home. I have 2 large ones and 2 small ones.

The biggest problem with m & ms are that they build up moisture where the m & m meet and soon loose all their varnish. In fact, the woodwork in an old home is one of the striking features that does take a lot of wear and tear over the years. And, as a new home owner you have to decide which camp you are in. The paint over the woodwork camp, the restore the woodwork camp or ignore the woodwork camp. Since some of that decision making was done for us by previous owners, we have a little of all three. And here is where you will probably think that I am going very crazy, because I like the look of the old crawling varnish. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not in favor of the neglect camp at all. But, I am too lazy to do the woodstripping (and too asthmatic). I think some of the painting on woodwork can look very nice. But, when it comes to lettling the old girl show her age, a few wrinkles here and there aren't unattractive.

So, I have decided to do what would have been done to the woodwork years ago when it was new. I purchased some floor wax in a dark stain to match the woodwork and I am coating the old wood with it. Here is the product that I found at my local hardware store.

I figure since it has been around longer than my home it will be okay to try it out and see if it will do the job of protecting my woodwork and pleasing my aesthtic whim. First, I lightly sanded the wood to remove all the loose pieces of varnish. You have to be very gentle with the sandpaper as the wood is very dry. Then I applied the paste wax with a foam brush and I will let it dry overnight. It is so humid here that I want to give it a good chance to work. It has a dark stain to it and is a petroleum based product. I couldn't take too much of the fumes without opening a door or window. But I think the experiment is worth it. I have set up my power drill with a buffing foam ball and will buff the heck out of it tomorrow.

The left side is without wax and the right side is with.

So, with patience maybe tomorrow my windows will look rejuvenated without a total face lift.

Page One: Whipping an old house into shape

2010-07-08T13:03:00.000-04:00

Taking a few minutes from the tasks at hand to let you know my progress in getting settled. As I said earlier, we have just moved to the Ohio River Valley into a 1934 Spanish revival. We are the fifth owners of this home and have taken on making it ours. I don't know if you understand those of us who like older homes. Sometimes, I curse and swear in trying to understand it myself. Older home ownership is the ultimate recycling experience...you take what you get and try to keep as much as you possible can to maintain the dignity of the older architecture. Which can mean you either pay someone to do this or you do it yourself.

DIY is a siren song to those of us who like projects. The plethora of ideas of what you can do with such a home is part of its charm. I guess you can call it a muse. You walk through the rooms and imagine how you can make the most of each space and if you are like me the ideas become overwhelming. So, having owned an older home before I prepared myself with a project notebook to record ideas for each room. This way I can hold on to those fleeting thoughts and ideas that come to me in the middle of doing something totally unrelated and then I can sleep at night because I have tucked those thoughts away in a safe place.

Yesterday, I tackled what would seem a very simple project of cleaning the front solarium. This is the main entrance to our home, and I adhere to the Mount Vernon plan of setting up the rooms. That method is starting a the front door, clean and work your way around the house until you make a full circle and arrive back at the front door. It is a good method which keeps me from tethering off onto multiple things that require attention. I always know where I am. But, I let sneak into my head the idea that this would be simple to do. Never, NEVER, when working on an old home assume that each project will be simple. You will drive yourself mad and be found by kind folks out wandering the streets.

I started at the top of the room and worked my way down to the floor. Also a good idea when you are cleaning as the dirt and dust follows the way of gravity and will end up back on a clean floor if you begin there. I started with applying lemon oil to the wood paneling, window sills, skylights and ceiling. I amazed myself by making this job easier as I used a foam brush to do the first application. I did a section at a time which I let sit while I went off to putter on other things. I wiped down the previous section each time before I went on to applying oil to the next. So, it took me 2 days to finish the room entirely. Not because it was a large room, but because it was beastly hot.

Then, I tackled the windows and remaining walls. I had to do some paint scraping around the door and windows which my single edge razor blade handled like a pro. Next up...the floor. Quarry tile flooring is durable and when sealed, very easy to maintain. My quarry tile had not been sealed, so had a lot of ground in dirt. It took all afternoon to scrub and rinse the floor. I wanted to use a cleaner for this tile. I tried a number of options, dish soap, vinegar, spray cleaner, all worked so so. The best cleaner by far was baking soda dry, scrubbed with a wet scrub brush. This lifted so much of the stains and ground in dirt. Whoopee!!

Here are two picture of my results:

Now, I am off to pat myself on the back and enjoy a large glass of ice tea. More to come...

New kids on the block

2010-07-06T14:03:00.001-04:00

G'day to you all! I am writing from our new location in the Ohio River Valley. We have just settled into our lovely old 1934 Spanish revival bungalow on land that was first surveyed and recorded in 1786. This land was surveyed and set by boundaries that used trees and a creek as the landmarks. Native trees at the time were maples, white ash, sweet gum beeches, sugar trees and dogwoods.

Sweet gum beech

White ash

I am not sure what tree is being referenced as the sugar tree, as it is specified as not a sweet gum beech. On our property we have a black walnut, a dogwood, a white ash, a crape myrtle, an ornamental crabapple and a rose of sharon.

White flowering dogwood

Rose of Sharon

Crape myrtle

The creek is now gone, but close by is a street named after it.

This neighborhood is filled with homes that were built in the same time period; many in the arts and crafts prairie style. The best part is that people love their old homes and maintain them well. Many of our neighbors are gardeners with yards filled with flowers. We've already had offers of plant sharings, so will have to decide what we have to share back.

One thing we do have lots of right now are boxes! And, I best attend to emptying a few more today. Goal for today...have a functioning kitchen.

reticent blogger returns

2010-06-02T19:33:00.000-04:00

For the longest time, I have been lost. Not into LOST, but into other things that have to do with school. I have reenrolled in college for another degree, and I have been totally immersed in what I am doing. I am studying e-business. Which I know the next question will be...what is that? E-business is everything you would do that involves business done electronically. Primarily, that means using the web.

I have been hanging out with my peers who are a bunch of pretty darn smart people. I have been looking inside computers and having labs on HTML, DOS and WEP. People who deal with IT love acronyms. Learn this language if you want to throw around some weight talking about computer stuff.

I have found that there is so much for me to learn, that the more I learn, the more there is to learn. Goes on and on in this field. Everything I learned this year will be outdated soon. If you think that there is a feeling of humility in this field that would be a definite.

But it is fascinating to me. And I suppose that is what drives to me to do this. If I knew at the beginning that I would be studying business and not graphic design, I may have balked at the idea. But now, I like it. And I like that everyone uses it, so the possibilities of who you will work with is endless. Pretty cool, huh?

I like knowing how things work, so it is that everyday I find out something new. Today I learned about EDI, CRM, FAQs, SQL. I told you, know what the letters stand for. (It is coded because some of it is just darn silly.) Check into this interface, pardner.

Yeah, and we get atta girls for spending time surfing the web...I know, you can't believe it. I love that.

"Get your jig on"

2010-03-14T19:56:00.002-04:00

Happiest of Saint Patrick's

to Everyone...

I hope that all of those who are "Irish" at heart are getting prepared to honor the lovely sainted Patrick on Wednesday, March 17th. Before you get your clan together to share a blessing and a cup to the saint himself, take this test to see how much you get your "Irish" up this feast day.

How Irish are you?

SOPHIA LAWHEAD

A&E Co-Editor

LEWIS AND CLARK

Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, a celebration of all things Irish. As the saying goes, everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s Day, but is this really a responsibility that you are ready to shoulder? Check your Irish levels with this simple test:

How Irish Are You?: A St. Patrick’s Day Quiz

Chose A, B or C

A.Your last name starts with a Mc

B.Your last name starts with an O

C.Your last name is unpronounceable.

Your favorite foods are:

A.Lucky Charms

B.Corned beef and cabbage

C.Bitter tears and aching guilt

In your family:

A.You have more than one sibling

B.You have more than three siblings

C.You have more than twenty-six siblings

You and your friends get into fisticuffs:

A.Rarely

B.Only when they steal your Tech-Deck

C.You are fighting someone right now.

You dream of attending:

A.Harvard

B.Notre Dame

C.The FIFA World Cup

Soccer is:

A.Stupid

B.Fun to play when the TV breaks

C.Life

Do you believe in Leprechauns?

A.Not really

B.You saw one in the park once

C.You are a Leprechaun

Irish Spring commercials make you:

A.Change the channel

B.Laugh and pipe a little tune

C.Long for the homeland

When someone says the word “green,” what first comes into your mind?

A.Jungle rot

B.Money

C.Clover

It’s Prom and you’re out on the dance floor. What moves are you busting?

A.A little bit of iPod dancing

B.Some buck-nasty freak moves

C.You’re leading the place in a rousing jig

You’re up late watching TV. What’s on?

A.Law and Order Reruns

B.Conan O’Brien

C.Highlander

Admit it, you’re mad crushing on:

A.Johnny Depp

B.James McAvoy

C.Michael Flatley, The Lord of the Dance

A hottie in your math class gives you the eye. Your re- sponse is:

A.A note asking him/her on a date, with the option to check yes or no

B.Reciting him/her a James Joyce love poem

C.Hiring a squad of bagpipers to play him/her “My Heart Will Go On.”

Mostly A’s

You are in danger of being pinched to death this St. Patrick’s day if you don’t get a little more Irish in you. Try dancing with rainbows in wide fields of clover.

Mostly B’s

Your levels are hovering right around Kelly green, but you aren’t really Irishing to your full potential. A little red hair dye and some painted-on freckles can really add that extra touch, and come March 17, no one will think to challenge your Celtic pride.

Mostly C’s

Blarney stones and trouser cuffs! You have a level of Irishness that could rival St. Patrick himself. The Irish of Olde will watch on with pride as you lead the St. Patrick’s Day parade through the streets of downtown dressed only in a top hat and a flag of Ireland.

And to get into the general chat:

Em This is the word Irish folk use when pausing to think. It takes the place of the "um" and "uh" that Americans prefer. This two-letter word alone will radically alter your perceived Irishness if you can learn to use it pervasively and unconsciously. This is perhaps the single most commonly used expression in speech, so with this one change alone, you can drastically alter your accent.

Cheers This word is obviously a drinking toast, but more importantly, it is an-all purpose aloha-like tool. You can use it to thank people, to greet them, and to say goodbye. Work it in liberally.

Lad Any male, though usually one of whom you're fond; when pluralized, it can be used to describe a group of males and females.

C'mere Literally, "come here," but it is really just an opening expression that means, "listen" or even just "hey." So if you ever want to get someone's attention, or to begin almost any sentence, bust this out. C'mere, do you follow?

Right This is another all-purpose expression of determination or clarification. "Right, is that a gin & tonic for you and a pint for your friend?" or "Right, you'll be coming home with me then?" If you don't open with "c'mere," this is your other option.

Fag A cigarette. This is an important one, be sure to get it right.

Gather

2010-02-06T11:50:00.002-05:00

I like restaurants. I like to try new food, see how a restaurant space is put together, enjoy the eating and the people watching. Eating is pretty high on the list. Tied with cooking and then anticipating the eating. I am sure you can relate.

So, when I was out in the Bay area and visiting the David Brower Center, there was an added bonus of getting a sneak peek of a new restaurant space being put together. This one is called : Gather.

OOps..I think I pulled up something in my future design folder, let me dig around some more in my computer files....

Here we go...GATHER

This space is pretty interesting if you are like me and enjoy seeing new ideas of interior design. I like big open areas with lots of natural light. That is Gather's strength, at least one of them. What we are looking at is the bar area of the restaurant. Light, airy natural wood, simple and clean lines. Everything here in this space was also planned with another principle in mind..REUSE. For instance, the bar top is recycled wood. And the bar lights, if you look close enough you will see that they are reused vodka bottles.

Let's move around and see what else is going on in this space.....

Here is the main space of the Gather restaurant, looking out onto a side street of Berkley where it lives. Simple with natural light. Check out the "art" on the walls...they are showcasing home canned food. The main lights are fishing nets. This is a shot of 1/5 of the total floor space. The windows wrap around the entire space and the outside perimeter of the dining area is window seating.

Opposite wall of the dining area is the kitchen, open to the dining space. More showcasing of home canned food and a menu that utilizes local ingredients and specializes in vegan and vegetarian cuisine as well as a full menu.

Details make the difference...the wrap around window seating is covered with custom leather, that is actually recycled leather belts sewn together.

The wood table tops are made from recycled wood from a water tower.

Supporting local artists, Gather commissions revolving installations. Here is a wall mural that is in the bar area.

Gather supplied the materials for the mural, also.

Back to the Earth is a wall mural created by Nicole Silapere made from the packing materials from Gather's chair shipment. All ongoing art pieces are to be made from the wastestream of Gather. Recycled garbage made into art works.

Putting that all together...

Food? I didn't get to try it ...but here are some offerings...

Sharing their dream, the folks at Gather have put together a space that is inviting and challenging. And my connection? It is in the building where my daughter, Lili works. Hmmm, isn't it time for a little something?

Country Girl in the City

2010-01-24T22:35:00.004-05:00

I have a daughter, Lili, who likes being out-of-doors. She

likes to climb rocks, camp out, go hiking, build campfires and hang out with people who drive trucks and wear boots. Not
so unusual and pretty common if you live in the country. You would probably expect that. But, my daughter doesn't live in the country. Actually, she lives in the East Bay area of the San Francisco metropolitan area. She works in Berkley in a brand new office building. Here is Lili in her office at work. She has great artwork on her wall by Sarah, who is one of Lili's small friends. Sarah knows how dedicated Lili is to her job, so she captured that in this drawing. Clap, Clap for Sarah!

Lili looks pretty busy here, but not busy enough to not take the time to show you around where she works, because it is pretty cool. Okay, take it away....

Here is the street view of the David Brower Building in downtown Berkley. This building was planned to reuse materials in its construction without sacrificing aesthetics. The concrete of the building is composed of a high degree of slag. It has received an award for this process.

The doors are steps up from the street and ae set off by the natural wood used and beautiful metal crafted handles.

Before you go in, if you have a bicycle that you have ridden to work you can lock it up here on the porch of the building. The bicycle storage is available for all the people of the building. The metal work of the slats is a design element that is seen throughout the building outdoor areas.

The patio areas in the back of the building have planters made of stone that were brought in and put together to appear as natural as possible maintaining the shape of the stones. The outdoor areas are protected from the wind with the barriers that are made from the same design of metal slats. There are two patios on the upper and lower floors. There is a great view of the hills of the university from the upper patio.

The lower patio space is utilized by the Gather restaurant. Gather is an organic and green restaurant in style and specializes in local food.

The other natural resource that is being saved to use at the building is the rain water which is filtered for use in the restrooms on the first floor. This is the retrieval system on the upper patio. This patio shares the space with a public housing building behind it. The planning of the space allows for a large open area for the two buildings to share as a viewshed. The spaces are partitioned by another use of the metal slat work in a privacy fence.

Lili shows the areas that were important in David Brower's work.

Location of world projects that are under the David Brower umbrella are shown on the map. Here is the main lobby of Lili's work at the Earth Island Institute. So the country girl has made it her work to be a part of the efforts to keep the beautiful places of the world.

Earth Island Institute

Another marywithgarden blog

Augmented Reality

2010-01-16T12:38:00.001-05:00

This is the most amazing innovation in technology! If you have ever wanted life to be simpler and move away from sitting in front of tech machines to do your work, communications, etc. here is an innovation that will be available very soon at a cost of $300. Especially developed to be interactive with you as you go about your life and not tied to the indoors.....

Location of my new blog

Back Home

2009-12-31T12:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, I've neglected to blog. I have lots of reasons, all of them good. I've missed it I have to admit. I've been traveling, also. I went to the East Coast and the West Coast and the Midwest. Now, I am back home. And, like all of us, I am glad to be home. There is just something about this landscape that is pretty darn hard to beat. Yes, I saw some lovely oceanscapes. I have been with some of the best people in the world, my family and their friends. We have shared lovely holiday meals and events. I have walked cities and small towns.

Can't help it that I love the Appalachian hills...so good to be back nestled into the hills. Winter is it's own season and very dramatic here. And, I have rediscovered something. People here are very simple. What you see is what you get. Of course, not everyone is transparent. But, for the most part, there is an openness here that I was taking for granted. Had to go away for awhile to see it again.

And to hear it...music is a voice of these people.

T-Day Countdown and all the Trimmings

2009-11-25T01:02:00.001-05:00

It'll Take the Snap Out of ... image by persephassa

It is almost here and I have been ssoooo busy getting ready for the over the river and through the woods holiday! And where I live in the Appalachian foothills, it truly is an over the river and through the woods this Grandmama will go. This girl is up late waiting for the pumpkin pies to finish baking and thought I would share some photos of my daughter and I on our marathon of cooking.

We started out 3 days ago and we are just about at the end.

Maya trying out a delicious cranberry before we turn them into candied cranberry sauce.

Here are 3 lbs. of freshly washed button mushrooms before they become cooked in an Italian marinade with fresh tarragon.

And, of course we start baking with the best possible organic ingredients as requested for this year's feast.

Maya whips up a batch of homemade brown and serve rolls, while I peel apples and powder sugar for apple pie and seckel pear pie, fruit fresh from the local farmer's market.

Brown and serve honey wheat rolls are ready to pre-bake and freeze. Over the next few days we finished up by including a homemade cherry pie, baking a large pie pumpkin for 2 pumpkin pies and loaves of pumpkin bread. Mmmm!

We are on our way tomorrow to join the rest of the family for Thanksgiving holiday. Our trek will take us through the mountains of West Virginia and on towards the coast.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving with those whom you love.

And if you think that you would like to do some good works, go to the link below and vote for the charity listed. It feels good to help out. Peace.

If you are a facebook user and you would like to support arts organizations, please go and vote for Lexington Children's Theater to help them to get backing they need.

Changing our Minds

2009-11-12T19:51:00.008-05:00

I am sure that you wish you could have been with us last weekend when we had the opportunity to "Walk the Walk" here in Athens, Ohio in support of mental health. The weather was beautiful, low 70's, and the walk took us through downtown Athens and out to the Ridges. From the Ridges we followed the nature trail that has been developed by area volunteers through the beautiful grounds of the Ridges property.

The Ridges was originally built to be a state of the art hospital for the mentally ill. It was built in 1874 and was one of many mental health institutes that were built after the Civil War. There were tons of soldiers who cam home from the war suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the health community responded by building asylums across the country in the style of Dr. Kirkbride who believed that living in a beautiful setting would help the mentally ill recover.

The building of the Ridges took six years to complete and the grounds occupied more than a 1000 acres. The grounds were developed and landscaped as well, and the Ridges became a place where the citizens of Athens could enjoy the park like setting.

The buildings were constructed of bricks that were made from local materials and were fired on-site. Herman Haerlin, a student of Frederick Law Olmstead (the designer of Central Park), was responsible for the design of the hospital and its grounds. By the early 1900's, orchards and farmland were established at the Ridges, including a dairy barn. These were tended to by hospital residents and employees.

It became an important institution in Athens as the asylum began to house more and more patients. Many of the area were able to supply the Ridges with produce and goods. It became the center for nursing students in training and many of the students lived at the Ridges. There were picnics and dances, boating and painting with familes attending. There were also plays that were performed; church services were held. It was a golden era for the care of the country's mental ill because of the progressive european theories of care that were being followed. Because of this however, it also became a mecca for the elderly who could no longer be cared for by their families. Many were left at the Ridges, as were unruly teens and the homeless. In the early 1900's the patient count jumped from the original 200 to 2000, way over the 544 the facility was designed for. The quality of care diminshed as systems were stretched beyond their capacities. The story repeats itself in mental health care. We swing from one side to the other. Ohio, as recently as 2 years ago, had one of the better systems for treating mental health in the United States. Today, Ohio's mental health stigma, has affected the quality of care and we are back to limited help and a bureaucracy of red tape to get it. Patients are left without the care that improves their situation and families suffer without an understanding of the complexities of these illnesses. One out of every 4 people in the United States are affected by these illnesses. Would this be qualified as a pandemic? Would it get the media cover to turn the direction of treatment priorities?

Today, we see people on the streets who are extremely ill, without medication, without care. These people end up in our jails and worse. We end up paying for bigger jails to be built, with people turning to addictive substances to relieve their symptoms, and more social issues than we can handle. These people become anonymous, the wallpaper of society. Even at the Ridges the cemeteries are filled with graves that have stones that bear only numbers, no names.

It's just a physical disease. It's not uncommon; it's not untreatable.

I wonder, with all of the unmarked graves at the Ridges, if I have an ancestor who suffered after the Civil War and is buried somewhere across the country in a numbered grave like these.

The Athens NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) has assisted some families in reconnecting with their lost family members. I thought about the Civil War soldier who finally received the colors at his graveside this summer as we walked on the borders of these graveyards set high up on the hills overlooking Athens to complete "Walk the Walk". It is a quiet and peaceful place, not scary and not haunted, as some would like others to believe because "crazy" people are buried there. It has a lovely pond, a memorial plaque for a young man whose family lost him to his illness, stone resting "benches" along the winding hike through the trees, bridges, walkways and lots of peace.

And, don't we all want a little bit more of that in our lives?