Compost Happens

The frugal and green teacher: reading edition

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Another sign of a frugal and green teacher: books procured through Paperbackswap.com. Our grade's theme is trains, so I entered "trains" in the search box and clicked "children's" for genre. I ordered ten books, all good quality literature, at a variety of reading levels. My students love them. This is a rare day; most of the time, these books are in someone's desk.

The USA Pop-up books, however, were in the Target dollar aisle a few years ago. I bought five. Hmmm... I see four in the picture. One is in a desk somewhere, and I'm sure the kiddo is enjoying reading it!

Tune in next week for the next episode of The Frugal and Green Teacher, NaBloPoMo edition!

Typical autumn weekend chores, reality show style

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:40:00 +0000

Director: Ah, a beautiful autumn day.

Assistant: Who's that guy on the swing? What's he doing in the shot?

Daisy: That's Chuck. He lives here. I married him twenty-five years ago.

Assistant: Oh. Well, I'm going to check the weather forecast so we can plan the rest of the week.

Director: That's a lot of leaves. Shouldn't you have something powerful like a leaf blower?

Chuck: Who needs a leaf blower? Picks up rake and tarp, clears lawn in record time.

Director: Get the shot from a number of angles; watch out for shadows. It's really sunny. Is November always like this in Wisconsin?

Chuck and Daisy: laughter

Director: Make a note: when we edit this, show the before and after. Hey, wait a minute. What did you do with the leaves? Burn them?

Chuck and Daisy, to each other: Shake heads.

Daisy: It's like this. Most residents rake their leaves into the streets. City crews will pick them up, take dump trucks full of leaves to the brush dump, and pile them up to decompose there and become mulch. City folk can bring their own buckets in the spring to pick up free mulch.

But me? I spread a blanket - a thick blanket - of leaves on the garden. It'll insulate the soil and decompose into its own fertile mulch right here in my own yard.

Chuck, aside to director: Yes, she's a science teacher. She's channeling her inner Ms. Frizzle right now. Want to see where the rest of the leaves went?
Director: What's the picnic table doing upside down?

Chuck: It's weighing down the leaves and the cardboard barrier until the snows come. That's the new tomato garden. It's easier to set it up now than to dig and rototill the growing grass in the spring.

Assistant, running up to director: Did you see how much open space there is in the backyard? We could stage a weather balloon launch here!

Chuck and Daisy, shaking heads again: Let's sit on the swing. They might take a while to consider this one.

Upcycling

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Reducing, recycling, reusing, repurposing, and - upcycling? What's with this new trendy green term?
Reducing: buying less, buying products with less packaging, planning ahead for making less waste.
Recycling: returning something to a plant that will make it into the same product or something similar, such as aluminum cans.
Reusing: 'Nuff said. Use it again. And again. And again.
Repurposing: finding a new use for a product. Chuck brings home Chinese food, Daisy turns the foil dish into a small baking pan. A store receipt becomes a bookmark. Old t-shirts get torn into strips to hold tomato plants to their supports. You get the picture.

So how is upcycling different? Upcycling takes repurposing to a new level. An object gets repurposed with an attitude, so to speak. One famous example is the old television turned into an aquarium. Not everyone can take upcycling that far, but think accessible. Think possibilities. Glasses from the thrift store can turn into candles for teacher gifts (mine was cinnamon, very pretty!). A pretty t-shirt gains a ruffled skirt and becomes a little girl dress (I bought one from a crafter and La Petite, then age 5, loved it). I'd place my rain barrels in this category, too; two fewer big plastic barrels in the landfill, used for a very eco-friendly purpose.

I don't sew well enough to quilt, or some of Chuck's and Amigo's favorite t-shirts might become quilts or throw pillows instead of rags or tomato supports. I think the old-socks turned white-board erasers is more of a repurposing; it's not a step up in the world for the sock, although it does make it more colorful. How about the polka dot chair project? I don't think that qualifies as upcycling; the chairs are still chairs, just cuter than they were at first.

So, dear readers, add to the list.

What does it take for repurposing to become upcycling? Does the coffee can full of pencils count, or is it more of a simple repurpose?
What have you upcycled - or seen and admired as an example of upcycling?
No, I don't consider Brett Favre in a Purple uniform to be an example of upcycling. That's an example of - never mind.

We've only just begun to prepare for spring gardening!

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:34:00 +0000

The killing frost came. I harvested the last beans, tomatoes, peppers, and parsley. I pulled down the bean vines, yanked out the pepper and tomato plants, set aside the wire cages for spring. The second rain barrel is emptied and up-ended; I'll use the main one for one last soaking, then open its drain and turn it, too.

Meanwhile, it's fall, when the vegetable gardener's mind turns to -- spring! We're preparing a new plot for tomatoes. Last year, the tomatoes grew too big for their spot, outgrew the wire tomato cages, leading to broken stems and shading the pepper plants behind. I moved them, and found another not-so-good season. No tomato blight here, thank goodness, but I planted them too close together and they didn't have enough sun to really flourish. Solution: Prepare a new plot in a sunny location for the tomatoes. Decision: start it now.

This is the layered, no till, often called "lasagna" approach. The lowest layer is either newspaper or cardboard. I had boxes galore, so I flattened them and spread them out. The area is bordered by boards from an old deck; they'll hold down the boxes for now and designate the sides in the spring. If I decide on a different edging, it'll be simple; just pick them up!

Layer two: grass clippings, mulch in progress. I'll add a little more each weekend until it (gulp) snows. As I carried this organic material from the brush pile, last weekend's nasty chest cold reared its ugly bronchial head and I had to go inside. The first layer is enough; we can add leaves and more when we get time.

The decision next spring: To till or not to till? I'll look it over, see how the soil weathered the winter, and decide then.

Ode to Bubba the Singing Fish

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:36:00 +0000

(refrain)

Bubba; the singing catfish, fit to be fried,
Your outrageous talk leaves us fit to be tied.
Bubba, oh Bubba, you're still quite a dish,
Hangin' out on the wall like a filet-o-fish.

(background guitar vamp)

Bubba's been fishnapped, with no ransom that could rescue him from the clutches of La Petite, who couldn't stand hearing "Bad to the Bone" any more and hid Bubba high up in a closet. Unfortunately, her brother grew, and grew, and became tall enough to search the highest shelves of his closet and find his old friend, Bubba!!

Repeat refrain.

(background guitar vamp)
Bubba's been eaten, too. Chewed up by a sneaky rabbit who liked the taste of vinyl, soft rubbery material, and found this funny looking fish to be the perfect material for gnawing. Bubba's tail is down to nothing, but its hard plastic base still tries to wave when he says, "Hey, drop me a line sometime!" The head? There's not much left. Maybe he needs to join the scarecrow in singing "If I only had a brain!"
(guitar improvises a short lick from Wizard of Oz tune)

Repeat refrain.

(background guitar vamp)
Bubba, the survivor fish, has been thrown across the room in frustration. Darn thing goes off when we're not ready for it; sometimes even the television blinking will set him off to announce "I'm bustin' outta here tonight; you with me?" Bubba, the adults in the house would be happy to oblige. Garbage night, perhaps? You're too big to flush down the toilet like a requiem for a pet goldfish.

Bubba, oh Bubba, ne'er to be fried
We'd go on without you; believe me, we've tried.
Bubba, oh Bubba, your history's long
And storied, I'll say, as I finish this song.

A Bridge Party

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:39:00 +0000

This was the view in front of us.

Behind us, the river.

Amigo applauded the band when the ceremony was done.

Then we visited Chuck, hard at work keeping the news of the Bridge Grand Opening on the air.

Doesn't the inside of this truck remind you of the cockpit in the movie Airplane?

And finally, we walked the length of the bridge (before traffic was allowed!) to get us back home. Home, for a warm drink and a snack.

The bridge is open to traffic now; maybe soon I'll drive across the brand new span!

Apples and Banana and Dump Cake - Oh, My!

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:42:00 +0000

I was making supper on a school night: planned-over brats from the weekend grill, a can of beans, and whatever fruit was handy.
Boring.
A big bowl of ripe almost-becoming-soft apples sat on the table. One lone ripe banana sat on the counter.

You guessed it. I baked. Here's the result.

Apple Dump Cake Plus

Fill the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with thin-sliced apples (about 4 cups) and banana.
Top with 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened and sliced.
Dump over this one bag of basic yellow cake mix. I keep a store-brand box of yellow cake and white cake in case this kind of situation arises.
Top with another 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened and sliced.
Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cool -- a little -- and then serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

P.S. I also added 1 cup of frozen blueberries from last July. They added color and a little fun. If I did this with apples again, I might add a dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg. Come to think of it, cranberries might be a nice combination, too.

The frugal and green teacher

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

A sign of a teacher both frugal and green: provisioning, using repurposed and reused materials.

From left to right: coffee cans for 'found' writing utensils, wire basket (second hand) filled with notebook pages donated by last year's class as they cleaned up in June, box of re-usable paper with one blank side (extra worksheets, memos, newletters), and junk mail envelopes (under the chunk of our state rock, red granite) for field trip slips and lunch money.

My students take to this like ducks to water. They even "play school" with some of the old worksheets! That box helps me empty my old files with much less guilt because there is much less waste. Those with messy desks often jump for the wire basket rather than dig into what resembles an archeology site.

Tune in next week for The Frugal and Green Teacher, NaBloPoMo edition.

Just Another Saturday - or not.

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:34:00 +0000

It was almost a typical Saturday.
The to-do list read as usual:
Laundry
Correct papers
Clean kitchen
Clean bunny cage

Added to the list yesterday:
Prepare Halloween candy for trick or treaters
Set up pumpkin, light candle
Start fire in fireplace
Rake leaves off sidewalk so trick or treaters can find their way

Here's the Ta-Dah! list:
Laundry (dull, boring, but necessary chore, got done in between everything else)
Correct papers: lots of them! (Science, spelling, language arts, and more science: more than usual due to make-up work in the latest wave of H1N1 in my school building)
Clean kitchen, and re-do it after supper (and wonder why I manage to want to run the dishwasher when there's a load of laundry in, every time)
Clean bunny cage (Why does she get so anxious when I'm taking away her dirty box? I replace it with a clean one right away. She doesn't have to wait.)
Rake leaves: done, but only in the front yard and only enough to clear the sidewalk. It was so windy that raking is almost pointless, like shoveling 2 inches of snow when there's a dozen more coming. (Did I say snow? I didn't mean to even think of snow. Not yet. You didn't hear that.)
Prepare Halloween candy; I tested one of each kind to make sure they were all fresh. It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.
I set up the pumpkin, but it was too windy to light the candle. Next year, we're getting the battery operated tea lights.
Start fire: while I was out replenishing the candy supply, Hubs started a fire. Sort of. Eventually. It was kind of like this.
1. Open damper.
2. Set up wood.
3. Set up firestarters in form of old Braille paper or cardboard.
4. Light fire.
5. Realize damper was left open after last fire, and now it's closed.
6. Open damper.
7. Take down smoke alarms.
8. Turn on ceiling fan, open windows a crack, turn off heat.
9. Blow on fire; get it started, finally, for real.
10. Wait patiently for house to clear of smoke.
11. Sample new supply of Halloween candy to make sure it's suitable for late trick or treaters.
12. Settle down on couch in den - Ah. Saturday night. Life is good.

Now the to-do list begins for Sunday. That, folks, totally revolves around the Big Game that kicks off at 3:15 at Lambeau Field.

Scary is all in how you see it.

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Amigo wants his pumpkin carved with a Green Bay Packer G. Is that scary? Only if you're a perfectionist and in charge of carving.

Scary is: Chuck has to work all weekend, and we have a very full week ahead. One reason he has to work all weekend is this:

Now that's scary.

Dreams, strange though they might be

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:56:00 +0000

I wasn't sleeping well. I'd call it more of a series of naps between coughing fits. But during those naps, a collection of dreams floated into my subconscious.

We were traveling. Traveling where, I wasn't sure, and eventually it turned out we were out of this world. Seriously. The other travelers were in human form, acted like Earthlings, spoke American English, but called another planet home, too.

We (Chuck, La Petite, Amigo and I) were staying in a small rental cottage on stilts. Flood plain, perhaps? I don't know. I remember searching for a clean pair of track pants because my jeans were all dirty, and having to climb a second ladder/ staircase to get at our extra luggage. I kept digging and digging and, in true dream form, never found the clean clothes I needed. My sleepy mind kept repeating "And I need a shower, too!" as I rummaged through the bags.

Another group of (interplanetary) travelers pulled up to the cabin on stilts and told us they were in dire straits. Their cottage had been flooded by the storm and they needed a room so they could rest and get on their way. We moved our cases (of dirty clothes, apparently) and let them have the storage room for the night. They were suitably grateful for our willingness to assist, and the group leaders (parents?) sat up with us for a while to describe their ordeal.

I don't remember the details of the experience; that dream sequence must have been interrupted by the rude awakening of another coughing jag. My sleepy impression is one of a Katrina-type hurricane, but maybe it was an asteroid shower.

As both groups (my family and the galactic folk) packed up the next morning, I once again dug through the luggage for the mythical pair of clean pants. We tried to exchange addresses with our new friends (email and snail mail) and then gave up, realizing that the postal service and Internet wouldn't be able to figure out the ins and outs of the inter-planetary delivery. In the back of my head the little voice continued to rant "But I still need to shower!!"

Note: I put on my pajamas on this dream-filled night at 7:00 PM. After a tiring week of teaching, meeting with parents for conferences, and fighting off a cold and cough, I needed to go to bed immediately. Mid-day Saturday, I was still in my pajamas and had no energy to start the weekend laundry. Maybe the nagging voice in my dreams was telling me that the steam from a hot shower could help me fight off the nasty bug or at least ease the symptoms. Or maybe, just maybe, all was just a product of an overtired and overwhelmed subconscious.

Get my kicks on Route 66?

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:21:00 +0000

Amigo enjoys road trips. He can't see the changing scenery or play the alphabet game on billboards, but he enjoys the travel nevertheless.

We've talked in an abstract way about taking a Route 66 vacation some summer. "Why?" you might ask. "Why Not?" we reply.

The highway itself has been largely replaced by interstates, but some of the blue highways and small towns near the old Mother Road still exist. It's the towns, the scenery, the ambiance, the history that attract us.

Family trips usually revolve around a purpose or an ulterior motive. Our visit to Nova Scotia was aimed at following Chuck's family history, filling in more of his research on the Lockeport branch of his family tree. Getting there by way of the Cat Ferry was a bonus. Amigo and I were along for the ride, taking our bikes around town and walking on the beach while Chuck waded through the archives of the historical societies.

Last July's trip was a celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary. We chose the destination (Seattle) and method of travel (Amtrak Empire Builder) for fun this time, but also to include life interests. Chuck is a train lover; I'm a coffee addict and a green machine. Amtrak to Pike Place Market? The Perfect Couple.

So why Route 66? Americana. History. People.

We met some wonderful and unique people on the Empire Builder.

A young woman traveling the U.S. by train, filling her time by singing and playing ukulele in her roomette.
A couple from Fargo, one a retired teacher and one a school librarian, who deepened our understanding of the landscape around the tracks while we shared a breakfast table.
A family from Norway - mom, dad, and baby - heading to Minneapolis/ St. Paul to catch a flight home to Oslo. He had just finished his schooling in Chicago, and they were enjoying the scenery one last time before taking to the skies. Friendly baby, friendly couple, we had fascinating conversation over our dining car encounter.

Interstate highways are designed to get people where they're going quickly, directly, with as few stops as possible. The stops on a back road would be more like our Funday Friday adventures when Amigo and I choose a local restaurant or diner for lunch. Diners. Local family restaurants. We run into people we know and people we don't, but we always enjoy the encounters - and the foods. On a long trip, we'd rather sample local and regional fare when it's available, rather than the omnipresent McDrive-Thru.

For now, it's not a plan. It's more of a vague "maybe someday" kind of thought. I think we'll get our kicks on Route 66, someday, eventually. Of course, I'll blog the experience if and when it happens.

Can foods really fight flu?

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:32:00 +0000

One of my favorite eco-friendly sites, Mother Nature Network, posted Ten Flu-fighting Foods. I wondered if their research would have much in common with our recent wellness newsletter.

Mushrooms - selenium and beta glucan, check.
Garlic - it's not just for repelling vampires anymore. Check.
Salmon, especially wild caught - well, we try. Fresh water salmon does live in Lake Michigan; we could make a trip to Wisconsin's eastern coast to find a good supplier.
Tea: black, white, or green. I crave tea when I'm feeling lousy; my body's way of sending me a message, perhaps.
Probiotics such as those found in yogurt: Chuck and Amigo eat yogurt regularly. My intake could use a boost.
Dark chocolate!! That Reese's Dark peanut butter cup isn't just for PMS anymore.
Oysters? I'll pass. I'll have to get my zinc from a vitamin tablet. Delicious though they may be, they're expensive and hard to find in my northern Midwest homeland.
Almonds specifically, nuts in general. Check.
Strawberries. Well, by the time they're shipped here and displayed on grocery shelves, the amount of vitamin C is negligible. I'll plan to freeze more next summer. For now, I'll see if the local apples have enough vitamins and minerals to help me out.
Sweet potatoes? I love them. My family? Not so much. That's okay; more beta-carotene for me.

No matter what dietary changes we pursue in the quest for health, I'm still going to follow the main precautions. Wash hands, drink fluids, keep sanitizing common areas in my classroom like computers, doorknobs, etc.

Reality show: in which I actually cook on Monday

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Director: It must be more complicated than this. Shopping? Meal Planning? Oh, wait, we did that already.
Daisy: I was sick all weekend! Flat out on the couch, alternating coughing fits with naps and sipping fluids of all kinds. Shop? The family was lucky I didn't just call for pizza.
Assistant (lifting top of crock pot): Mm, this smells good.
Director: Don't wreck the shot!
Daisy: Why are all these people in my tiny kitchen? Let me baste this bird or one of you will have to do it yourself!
Director and assistant exit, but stay nearby, just around corner.
Assistant: Okay, let's put the recipe on the air. And what's in the rice mix.
Daisy: It's leftover sweet corn cut off the cob, red peppers Chuck roasted on the grill last night, and a splash of smoky Chipotle Tabasco sauce, in boil-in-bag Success brown rice.
Assistant: Call Producer: potential sponsor alert!
Director: Or not.

But back to reality, not "show." This chicken was adapted from a concept from Stephanie's Crockpot 365 project. I was recovering from a bug, not full strength yet, I knew teaching would probably exhaust me, but I still wanted to serve a decent meal. Keeping our nutrition up is one way I can help boost our immune systems in times of craziness and stress. Sometimes it's the only variable I can control! I mixed up the spices, threw the chicken in the pot (gently), and let it cook on low all day. When I got home, I basted it once or twice, but it was quite moist already. The meat, in fact, fell off the bones when I attempted to pull the carcass out of the crock pot.

Crock Pot Whole Chicken

Remove innards. Cook if desired (I don't).
Stuff chicken with 1/4 onion.
Mix spices in a bowl; rub or sprinkle over entire chicken. If I'd felt up to it, I would have used fresh herbs. I still have a few growing in the living room, mainly oregano and thyme. The basil didn't like the transition from the deck to the house.
Place chicken breast side down in crock pot.
Cook on low all day or on high for -- I don't know, I didn't try it that way. That will have to be another show.

Spices:
2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black or white pepper

Enjoy! We did.

I entered this recipe (not the "show") in Success Rice's Feed 4 for $10 Recipe contest. It may or may not be a winner, but I'll enjoy reading and downloading the others!

You, too, could become a Ray of Hoe. Or at least a typo.

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:17:00 +0000

I read this typo in the boss' weekly memo, and instead of automatically making it seem right, my brain started changing it around.
In the midst of an inspirational saying, she suggested we teachers might

“...become a ray of hoe in the life of a child.”

A ray of hoe? A row of hay? A hoe or a shovel? Or are we calling a spade a spade? A rake, perhaps? No, let’s just Leaf well enough alone.

Or maybe we should talk balloons. In the latest non-story, a local news report called the escaped balloon sans-child a "man-made" balloon. Um, wait a minute. Have you seen any balloons occurring naturally these days? I haven't grown any in my garden, I know that much. If one came up, I'd probably be waiting for it to flower like my broccoli did.

I’ve got to stop working on Sundays. It makes me overtired, overstressed, and ridiculously punchy. All that and a Packers game, too -- enough excitement for the weekend already.

Could be worse: at least it's not H1N1

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:58:00 +0000

The table at my side holds tissues, the television remote control (off), my current pleasure reading choice (Knit Two by Kate Jacobs), and three, count 'em, three beverages.

Yes, I'm feeling under the weather. But it could be worse!

My class has been almost holding the record for most kids absent for the past few weeks. I thought missing 5 kids was a lot until the day I had 8 out and one more left by 9:30. My attendance sheet sounded like a laundry list of flu-like symptoms: Fever & cough, fever, fever, fever & cough, fever and headache, fever... you get the picture. In between cleaning like crazy (wiping down the computer lab with antibacterial wipes, among other chores) I've established a file of make-up work and another file (color coded in red because I use it so often) of homework lists for families able to pick them up. The workload has been increased, and I've had to modify instruction considerably to allow for reteaching as kids get back.

Meanwhile, I opened a fortune cookie that told me, "Good health will be yours for a long time!" While laughing out loud, I realized it could be worse. I'm sick on a weekend! Yes, that's a pain in its own way, but it means I don't have to call in sick or prepare sub plans. If I really had influenza, I'd be planning on a sub for a week, minimum. Most of the kids who have been sick have missed five days of school or more.

Chuck and Amigo are visiting La Petite for her college homecoming. We knew I'd be too busy to enjoy the festivities after a week of parent-teacher conferences, so I planned to stay home. That worked out well; I slept on the couch last night to prop up my aching, coughing chest. Between coughing jags, I napped. Really, it could be worse: I didn't worry about waking anyone except the rabbit, and she (like a cat) never suffers from insomnia. She'll catch up on her little furry beauty sleep.

So today I rest, stretched out on the couch with my laptop for a friend, beverages and comfort foods by my side. The cough is under control, only breaking out now and then, and I can nap all I wish while the Boys in the family are gone.

Seriously, it could be much worse.

Twitter vs. Plurk

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:35:00 +0000

I'm the last holdout in my family - the last one without a Facebook page. I just feel like I don't need it. Of course, I don't need Twitter or Plurk, either, and I'm still on both of those.

What's the difference? And why, you might ask, am I on these sites to begin with?

Conversation. I keep up with friends, both virtual and real-life, on both sites. Some provide interesting and informative (and fun) links to news articles and blogs. I've posted my own links on Twitter now and then to bring in a few more interested readers.

Twitter reminds me of the old chat rooms. There are several lines of conversation going on at once. Following a single topic isn't always easy. Twitter posters respond to a single question: What are you doing? Well, that's the intent.

Plurk's timeline is rather nice. I like knowing how recent a particular post might be, and I really like seeing all the responses to any one post all together. It's so much easier to feel like a part of a true conversation when the chatter is organized in one section.

I'm not a major collector on either site. I've blocked as many Twitter followers as I've followed in return. Sorry, marketer-folk, I'm just not that into you. To me, Twitter is social. Period.

Plurk has Karma. Plurk Karma ratings grow as followers and friends increase in number, but most of all Karma goes up as Plurkers Plurk more and more and other Plurkers respond. The eventual reward with higher Karma is Plurk Nirvana, which comes with a whole new set of emoticons. Emoticons! They're part of the fun of conversing on Plurk. Silly little smileys that convey a thought or feeling, bananas that dance - well, you have to be there.

But Karma, like lengthy lists of Tweet followers, is largely irrelevant. Both sites for me are all about interaction and relaxation. Conversation, chats, back & forth and give & take. Purely frivolous; pure fun. Well, I should consider the PLN, the professional learning teacher network and the discussions we have about teaching and technology...nah. Still fun.

I don't need Facebook. Not yet.

Tuna Salad

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:17:00 +0000

It's not local; tuna do not live in the Fox River or even in the Great Lakes. I do like tuna salad, though, and it's an easy dish to make ahead of time. Serve it on bread, a bed of lettuce, or crackers.

1 6-oz can of tuna (packed in water), drained
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish, well drained
2 Tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion or scallions
2 Tablespoons finely chopped green or red pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

I like to drain the tuna and relish in a colander over the sink while I gather all the rest of the ingredients.

Mix well; store in refrigerator in covered dish. Leftovers? We rarely have them, but they're good for lunches.

Planned Overs

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Freezer diving. Shop-the-Shelves. Pantry raid. Call it what you will: it means cook or bake something with what you already own. My family cooks Planned-Overs.

Like Leftovers, planned-overs are the extra: the chicken breasts thawed on the grill as the fire dies, the double batch of chili in the crockpot with half intended for the freezer, the extra spaghetti without sauce that will become carbonara later in the week.

Planned-overs are frugal, green, and efficient. Starting a few potatoes on the grill (I live in tailgate party country, okay? We honestly cook this way) lets me turn them into bakers or twice-baked in the next day or two. When sweet corn is all over the farmers' market, I cook at least one extra ear each meal. Sliced off the cob, it makes a great addition to any casserole or soup of veggie mix. I've even added corn (along with the perpetual grated zucchini) to chunky tomato sauce. Steaming extra veggies one night to become soup the next saves time and doesn't take any more energy.

Planned-overs. At my house, it's what's for dinner. Enjoy.

Top Ten Ways to Enjoy a Backyard Kitchen Garden

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:13:00 +0000

10. Watch the bean vines grow higher and higher.

9. Sneak a fresh raspberry before the rest of the family sees them.

8. Harvest lettuce and tomato for your BLT while the bacon is cooking.

7. Clip fresh herbs for a sauce or salad, making the kitchen smell great.

6. Freeze spinach and add it to everything.

5. Admire the cute little cauliflower head alongside the blooming broccoli.

4. Have a zucchini give-away contest: the most creative idea wins (Just don't announce that the winner gets all the zucchini).

3. Make a garden vegetable soup in the crockpot; take the leftovers to work and gloat that you grew your own soup.

2. Bake rhubarb muffins - in January, from your frozen stash of rhubarb.

1. Serve fresh food to the family, nutritious and delicious - whether they like it or not!

More tips for flu prevention!

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Fears of pandemic, both legit and overdone, are all over the emails and the newsletters. The latest came from our healthy living advice source: the Lifestyle Enhancement newsletter. Here's the advice, along with my serious and not-so-much responses, of course.

Yogurt for probiotics
We went through a lot of yogurt when Amigo had his tummy troubles. He was eating it every day, sometimes twice a day. He then graduated to chewable acidophilus tablets, or yogurt culture without the yogurt, as the nurse practitioner told him. Now that he's healthy, he eats yogurt a few times a week to regulate his tummy chemistry. I'm eating a little yogurt; that's an area I could increase.

Citrus for Vitamin C
Amigo and I both take daily vitamin C supplements, and I pack fresh fruits in my lunch bag. When winter comes and along with it the music department fruit sale, we order oranges and grapefruit galore. Lately I've been cooking and baking with fruits, and I hope that will increase our vitamin C intake a little bit.

Mushrooms for Beta-glucan
What the heck is beta-glucan? Is it like the Betazoid race on Star Trek? Or is it more like glue in a can? Didn't they call that stuff paste long ago? Mushroom paste. Now there's a concept.

Seafood for selenium.
This category is a little tougher for us Midwesterners. Locavores have to go for Great Lakes fish, not ocean harvests. Freshwater, not saltwater. Do they still provide selenium? And why am I humming Tom Lehrer's "Periodic Table of the Elements" song?

Green Tea for -- what was that? Oh, she said Catechins.
Cat-a whatsits? I find green tea relaxing on a cold and stressful school day, catechins or no catechins. It doesn't add to my doublechins, either.

Nuts to, er, for Vitamin E
I'm putting nuts in more of my baking. Does that count? It might not be enough. How about Nutella?

Our locavore effort has been helpful in encouraging us to cook from scratch, use fresh ingredients, and feed the family more vegetables and fruit. I think I'll just keep it up and use my neti pot regularly. Oops, TMI. Sorry for that image. Go back to Tom Lehrer. He'll make you laugh, germs or viruses or perfect health.

P.S. Spellcheck didn't like this post. Catechins? Beta-glucan? Acidophilus? Yikes.

One change a Month

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:14:00 +0000

I saw the idea on Over Coffee: the Green Edition. She suggested twelve recommendations, one per month, for a person who wanted to become more eco-conscious but could only handle one change a month.

Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, I stole the idea. Here's my list: one action per month, meant to be additive so that after a year's time green behavior feels natural.

January: Read and learn. Join Paperbackswap.com for trading books. You don't have to stop buying books, but instead of hoarding them, pass them on to another reader through the swap network.

February: Switch to cloth napkins. This was so easy I wondered what took me so long to try it. I buy them on sale, so the investment is minimal. They go in with the rest of the wash, so there's no additional expense for laundry.

March: Dig a garden plot. If you live in the north country like I do, this might be too early. If your ground is still frozen, plant and nurture a few seeds. Herbs grow quickly; try basil and oregano.

April: Start backyard composting. Really. It's simple. Buy an inexpensive compost bin or build one yourself. There's no need for the fancy ones - unless you want something really cute like my new bin!

May: Plant a garden. Vegetables for eating, flowers for pleasure, but keep them local. No imports, please. Vegetables can be so satisfying. There's not much on Earth that can compare to a fresh tomato right off the vine.

June: Shop at a Farm Market or join a CSA. When you pass by the street musicians, drop some spare change in their cases. They offer so much enjoyment when they share their talents.

July: Use your own shopping bag. Keep a small one in your purse or the car's glove box. It's an easy change if you keep the bags handy. As the habit grows, you'll collect fewer and fewer plastic bags. It's worth the (small) effort.

August: Before hitting the school supply sales, check your home. Buy only what you need. This is both economical and eco-conscious.

September: Use a reusable lunch box, including containers and flatware. Build this habit early, and the brown bag will never feel the same.

October: Rake your leaves into a pile over the garden or compost them.

November: Cook local or regional specialties for Thanksgiving. That's easy for me to say: cranberries grow in my state!

December: Give up wrapping paper. It's not recyclable, it's rarely reusable, it contains too many chemicals to be burned in a fireplace. Re-use gift bags or get creative with your wrapping.

Taco Meat: variation on a theme

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:35:00 +0000

I bought the book Eating Well for a Healthy Heart with a goal toward finding more healthy recipes for our family. With my overweightness (is that a word? it is now) and Chuck's (a.k.a. Husband's) high cholesterol, we needed to take action. I take action by buying books and doing research online. So far, so good.

This recipe also had toppings and crispy taco shells. I served it instead as a Make-Your-Own on soft tortilla shells. Here's the meat recipe.

Lean and Spicy Taco Meat from Eating Well, adapted slightly by Daisy

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground chicken or ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped peppers: green, yellow, red, or all three
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes (replace with fresh when in season, of course)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano

Brown ground meats with onion and peppers. Drain and rinse in colander. Return to pan; heat with tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and oregano.

Serve as desired on soft or crispy taco shells with shredded lettuce and shredded cheese. If you prefer a spicier taco, like Chuck & La Petite do, add a few drops of green chili tabasco sauce.

Are your favorite books on the Banned lists?

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:14:00 +0000

I recently dropped out of several committee assignments at school. One committee slot I preserved is the Book Challenge Committee. I get to read and review and defend any book that is challenged by a parent at school. After reading this guest post, I think Josh would be right at home on that committee with me and my colleagues. I'm excited to introduce his guest post on Compost Happens.

Three Books I Couldn’t Put Down And What They Have In Common (or not)
by Josh Hanagarne, World’s Strongest Librarian

I’m constantly getting asked for lists of my favorite books. When I give them, people are often surprised by how scattered the lists are. There’s very little apparent rhyme or reason—it can be hard to draw connections between the books I love.

Let’s try to connect some dots. Here are three books I could not put down.

1. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding

You probably know the story. A large group of children are stranded on an island after a plane crash. They try to govern themselves for a while but it doesn’t go too well. Eventually they splinter into two groups—you could call them the “savages” and the “civilized.”

By the end of the book one group is actually trying to kill the other. Now remember, we’re talking about children here. This is why someone is always trying to remove Lord Of The Flies from library shelves. And I get it, to a point: this is nasty stuff.

And yet, I read this book every year. I’m not interested in the Cold War parallels or the lofty commentary on violence, our primitive instincts, the failure of governments, etc.

So…why? Why do I love it? I just do. I read it every year because I can’t figure out how not to.

2. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Again, this is one I read every single year. If there is a book with more hidden meaning out there, I haven’t found it. Lewis Carroll was a mathematician, a lover of riddles, a playful wordsmith, and a genius. It’s that simple.

It’s fun.

I can flip to any page of this book at any time and find something new. Something that makes me say, “Hmm…” Or that makes me laugh out loud.

I love the art. I love the images. The characters are, for me, the most unforgettable and striking in all of literature.

The Caterpillar with the hookah. The White Rabbit. The Queen of Hearts. The Cheshire Cat. Just thinking about it again makes me smile and also makes my hair stand on end.

Oh, and this book was banned as well, in China. Seems they didn’t take kindly to talking animals. Representing animals as having human traits is a big no-no.

3. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Catch-22 sort of has a story, but that’s not the point at all. The experience of reading it is all that matters. I’ve never been so constantly surprised on every page. Or even in every paragraph. This book took a long time for Heller to write, and it shows in the craftsmanship.

I read it at least once a year because, again—I can’t figure out how not to. Catch-22 makes me feel good. It’s that simple.

It also happens to be the funniest thing I’ve ever read, with the possible exception of A Confederacy Of Dunces. But this is so hard to talk about coherently—I know as many people hate Catch-22 as those who love it. There are people who think it is the least funny thing they’ve ever read.

The story, as it were, is about a group of people during World War II. Seriously, that’s about it. But what a group of people! Catch-22 is satire personified. Every single character is an indictment of some ludicrous aspect of humanity, war, bureaucracy, and language.

The book is occasionally challenged on the grounds of inappropriate language or anti-war sentiment.

What We’ve Learned (or not)

The books I can’t figure out how to put down are usually:

Banned or challenged
More revealing the more I read them
Like a drug. If a book makes me feel good, I want it. I’m a sick man.

Good luck making sense of all this! But seriously, go read these books, for the first time, or just one more time.

Josh Hanagarne

Get Stronger, Get Smarter, Live Better…Every Day

About the Author: Josh Hanagarne is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog with advice about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, kettlebells, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 6’8”, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch. He's bookmarked on my laptop; it's worth your time to visit his blog.

Farm Markets, fundraising, and putting the garden to bed

okaybyme@gmail.com (Daisy) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:57:00 +0000

What's that white stuff? Snow flurries? Already?

The Farmers' Market, two weeks away from closing, was like a ghost town. Only the most dedicated vendors and the die-hard customers (like me) were there. All were decked out in warm outerwear, gloves, hats, the keep-warm collection. It was windy, too. Brrrr. I bought honey crisp apples for lunches, a little sweet corn, peppers in green and (mostly) red. The peppers we've bought from this stand lately are delicious. I'll cook some and freeze a few.

I'm a sucker for a good cause. A polite young Boy Scout asked if I was interested in buying popcorn. Chuck and I are not supposed to eat much popcorn, so we'll probably bring the box to La Petite next time we visit. I'll call it her fall midterms Care Package. Of course I bought it! Did you need to ask? After I finished buying lettuce and carrots (with greens) for the bunny, I passed a local nonprofit cafe and their coffee of the day dragged me by the taste buds through the door and to the counter. White chocolate strawberry, if you must know. That kept me warm while standing in a much-too-long line at the post office.

Actual conversation while tearing down and uprooting dead and dying garden plants:
Me: "I'm getting the last few beans."
Chuck: "Give them to my parents. They love beans, and they just pulled in the driveway."
Me: "I don't have many."
Chuck: "They don't need many."
Me: "I have, like, five beans."
Silence.
We sent them home with fundraiser cookie dough instead.

One anti-static dryer ball is lost. One. They work in a pair, and this pair has last me 6 months already and is still going strong. Now one is lost. One. I felt a twinge of guilt adding fabric softener to the washer. Only a twinge pulled at my eco-heartstrings, however, because after all, I've done largely without fabric softener for six months.

The garden is nearly ready to hibernate, the last harvest is in the sink to be cleaned, laundry is in, Chuck is painting scenery for his model trains, and Amigo is watching college football. Life is good. I think I'll make some cappuccino or hot cocoa and have a cookie from my own stash of fundraiser cookie dough. Shhhhh.