Surviving the Suburbs

It Was a Maple Syrup Sunday ... But That's Not Nearly As Sweet As It Sounds

2012-01-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

We haven't had much of a winter around here. There were a couple of snowstorms, but nothing significant. In fact, the last snowstorm we had, dumped so little snow on us that we didn't even bother to shovel, and I think I've only shoveled twice - total - the whole winter ... which just.never.happens. I kept thinking (for two months, now :) that, perhaps, this was just a teaser, and that winter

Film on Schooling in America in the Twenty-first Century - RaceToNowhere

2012-01-28T06:09:00.000-08:00

Whatever anyone thinks about my ideas for changing (and perhaps improving) our school system, the fact is that what we have is not only not working (especially financially), but there seems to be a very large body of evidence that it's hurting our children. And it's not my research, and it's not my interpretation of things I've read, and it's not John Taylor Gatto's website, which has an

The New School: Visions of a Future in Education

2012-01-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

My idea of virtual school went over like a lead balloon - to borrow a favorite cliche. While it would save a significant amount of money, were it implemented correctly, there is a huge concern that there would be this throng of unsupervised children, and goodness knows we can't have that - although I suspect that it would be far less of a problem than those who've left comments believe it to be.

Pulling Schools into the Twenty-First Century May Mean Redefining the Term "School"

2012-01-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

* * When I published my most recent post, I knew that I would come under fire. My stance on education is not a popular one. I'm not anti-school. I just think our school "system" is broken and needs a serious overhaul. But for the record my ideas do not stem from some elitist ideals – like the fabled let them eat cake. In my time, I have been a poor working mother trying to support my family

Having Our Cake ... and Baking It At Home

2012-01-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

In the news recently was an uproar regarding some comments made by Maine Governor Paul LePage. Apparently, he has warned the Legislature that, if they do not present him with a reasonable budget, he will close schools on May 1. He stated that it was either cut the school year or cut the funds designated for social services. Now, I'm not supporting or defending LePage. He's said some pretty

Putting Those Decorative Pillows to Work

2012-01-23T05:23:00.000-08:00

Some time ago, John Michael Greer was writing a series of blog posts about a movement he termed "Green Wizardry." The point of the series of posts was to illustrate the fact that with some very simple life-style changes the average person could drastically lower personal (and, subsequently, cultural) dependence on money and "cheap" non-renewable energy. A lot of the things he suggested, my

Old Mother Meets New "Mother"

2012-01-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Deus Ex Machina went to a mushroom cultivation class with his mom this weekend. He brought home a surprise for me. Guess what's brewing in our kitchen now ... :).

Is White-Out a Tool of Oppression?

2012-01-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Without words, without writing and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity. Hermann Hesse Some of you may have noticed that a few popular websites were blacked out yesterday. It was, actually, a minor annoyance for me, when I was doing some research and the websites I wanted to access were blacked out. I suppose that was the point, though, to show us what

Food and Music ... Does It Get Any Better?

2012-01-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago, I asked Deus Ex Machina if he could move a couple of chickens that had frozen *to* the freezer (defrosting is a good thing - I should do it more often). When he did, we discovered two roasts and a couple of steaks. One was a beef roast that was turned into a Yankee pot roast, slow cooked in the crock pot for a day and a half (yum!) with enough left over for two lunches and a

When We ASSume ...

2012-01-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

Interspersed with the rosy news stories about how the economy is improving, the recession is over, and the stock market is on the rebound, more and more often are stories that contradict any glowing reports about how great things are. As is pointed out in this article I read this morning, things are not so wonderful for a lot more people than is usually reported, and the numbers of down-and-out

Making the New Man

2012-01-13T05:36:00.000-08:00

The reality is that most of us won't ever have to learn if we could survive entirely without any modern amenities. And what I mean is that most of us will have, at least, a shelter, and the sheer volume of manufactured clothing (at least in this country) will keep us clothed - even if the world turns upside-down. There is plenty of the flotsam and jetsam of the modern world to keep us housed,

Question Du Jour

2012-01-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I have a routine. Deus Ex Machina hops out of bed at some ungodly early hour - I swear a rooster wouldn't be up that early. Anyway, he gets out of bed, and then, I get to actually spread out AND have some covers, so I snuggle into the spot he vacated and get all comfortable and warm and just about when I start to snore softly, he wakes me up. So, I, grudgingly, get out of bed

Fun with Laundry in the Winter

2012-01-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm a geek, but I happen to think frozen jeans fresh off the line from outside are hilarious!

New Life for Old Soles

2012-01-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

In the winter of 2009, Big Little Sister was gifted a pair of the suede boots that were all the rage then (and are, at least up here, still relatively popular shoe-wear). I got to looking at her boots one day, and I thought, "I bet I can fit those." So, I tried them on, and I could. After the initial surprise of realizing that my young teen wore the same size shoe as I wear, I decided two

Book Review of Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs

2012-01-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what a hard-core-survivalist-doomer would think of the Pollyanna future depicted/suggested in Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs: The Thrivalist's Guide to Life Without Oil? Wonder no more. Steve Vose, The Rabid Outdoorsman, read the book and has written and published a review on his blog. Thanks, Steve :).

Gazing into the Crystal Ball ... or Was That a Magic 8 Ball?

2012-01-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

I love when news articles talk about the "end of the recession" or how the economy is "improving." And, then, I flip to the next page (or turn to a different publication), and I find an article in which Robert Prince, co-chief investment officer at Bridgewater, the world's biggest hedge fund firm, is quoted as saying that he and his managers are preparing for at least a decade of slow growth and

Self-sufficiency is Freedom

2011-12-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

I watched Derrick Jensen's talk on his book Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization. It was fascinating. In the talk, he outlines the basic premises of his book, and he discusses why he discusses each of these things. He says he bashes everyone, every convention, every ideal, every idealogy - nothing is sacred, really, except the land on which we live. He said that one hasn't truly lived

Twelve Days of Prepping - Round Up

2011-12-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is really hard for me. I have a hard time reconciling my anti-consumerist ideals with the expectation that many of those in my life have that they will receive a gift from me. In the past, I have often made gifts, but some of my home-made gifts were received with a rather disappointed expression. I don't expect gushing appreciation, but some acknowledgement of the time and

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day Twelve

2011-12-24T19:15:00.000-08:00

On the twelfth day of Prepping, my Prepper gave to me, ... games and toys to play with; ... pins and sewing needles; ... thermal underwear; ... a spice rack full of flavor; ... hand-tools for the kitchen; ... Forager's cooking kit; ... a Diva for the ladies; ...canning jars with rings; ... a cast iron skillet; ... a French coffee press; ... black turtle beans; ... and a sapling apple tree.

Twelve Days of Prepping - Day Eleven

2011-12-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

On the eleventh day of Prepping, my Prepper gave to me, ... pins and sewing needles; ... thermal underwear; ... a spice rack full of flavor; ... hand-tools for the kitchen; ... Forager's cooking kit; ... a Diva for the ladies; ...canning jars with rings; ... a cast iron skillet; ... a French coffee press; ... black turtle beans; ... and a sapling apple tree. Every year, for many years now,

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day Ten

2011-12-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

On the tenth day of Prepping, my Prepper gave to me, ...thermal underwear ... a spice rack full of flavor; ... hand-tools for the kitchen; ... Forager's cooking kit; ... a Diva for the ladies; ...canning jars with rings; ... a cast iron skillet; ... a French coffee press; ... black turtle beans; ... and a sapling apple tree. It's been a really warm winter here in Maine. Like today. The

Twelve Days of Prepping - Day Nine

2011-12-20T07:03:00.000-08:00

On the eighth day of Prepping, my Prepper gave to me, ... a spice rack full of flavor; ... hand-tools for the kitchen; ... Forager's cooking kit; ... a Diva for the ladies; ...canning jars with rings; ... a cast iron skillet; ... a French coffee press; ... black turtle beans; ... and a sapling apple tree. Our Pop-culture is full of end-of-the-world stories for everything from a viral

Twelve Days of Prepping - Day Eight

2011-12-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

On the eighth day of Prepping, my Prepper gave to me, ... hand-tools for the kitchen; ... Forager's cooking kit; ... a Diva for the ladies; ...canning jars with rings; ... a cast iron skillet; ... a French coffee press; ... black turtle beans; ... and a sapling apple tree. The other day I was, kind of, on the periphery of a conversation, mostly just listening. The subject was opening cans,

Twelve Days of Prepping - Day Seven

2011-12-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

On the seventh day of Prepping, my Prepper gave to me, ... Forager's cooking kit; ... a Diva for the ladies; ...canning jars with rings; ... a cast iron skillet; ... a French coffee press; ... black turtle beans; ... and a sapling apple tree. I was reading this article today with the headline Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low income. The article cites a lot of numbers, including one

Twelve Days of Prepping - Day Six

2011-12-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

On the sixth day of Prepping, my Prepper gave to me, ... a Diva for the ladies ...canning jars with rings; ... a cast iron skillet; ... a French coffee press; ... black turtle beans; ... and a sapling apple tree. This whole post is likely to be TMI for some of you, and that's fine, but like all bodily functions, which, in our uber polite society, we don't like to discuss, somethings happen