new traditions

it's been awhile since i've posted, but as we approach the season of rebirth, i feel inspired, and i guess it is a good time to begin again.  this is a great time of year, when everyone gets in the giving spirit, but it's always felt a bit fictitious to me, a bit suspicious, a bit random.  i mean, even if you're christian, & you're ostensibly celebrating the birth of jesus christ, it has been shown that in all likelihood, his birth was not on december 25, and perhaps not in this month, or even in this season.  i figure that this holiday was created to give the economy a little end-of-year stimulation.  i believe most of the other american holidays were created for a similar reason, and thus, i have always felt a there is a lack of connection on these holidays with anything much more than consumerism.  the associated sentiments are nice, but i don't really need an excuse to show love or gratitude to those close to me.  and i certainly don't need to stress about how much i can afford to spend and who i need to get presents for.  what about random acts of kindness?  it was different when i was a teenager and my dad would just hand me the credit card to shop for our family and friends, and i didn't really have to think about the bill on the other side.  as an adult faced with the reality of living check to check, the whole scenario didn't quite make sense.  so for years, i simply declined to participate. 

well, of course, when you have children, that's a bit harder to do.  we've struggled with how to deal with this. we talk about what's really worth celebrating at this time of year, and have avoided stressing out and spending frivolously just 'because' that's what other folks do at this time of year.  at the same time, we don't want to be scrooges, and we do want to take advantage of extra time spent together during this time.  and of course, giving and receiving gifts is fun.

so this year, we're starting a new tradition.  rebirth & the return of light - solstice to new years'.  we will recognize the solstice in some way - perhaps a nice dinner or a small party.  it may not be on the solstice since that's a monday, not sure yet.  solstice is worth celebrating because it signals the beginning of winter - a time of rest & renewal for all life - when everything goes dormant & prepares to spring forth in the warmer weather.  this is a time that's great for hibernating indoors, going for invigorating walks through the woods when your favorite spots look so different, having warm tea, and snuggling together by the fire.  even more cause for celebration is the fact that  little by little,  daylight returns & the days begin to get longer. 

then, to continue the celebration, in honor of reflection & renewal, we look forward to another year together as a family, & we will show our love for one another through gift-giving on new years' eve.  that way, we get more time to make gifts if we like during winter break when everything slows down, and shop for gifts after christmas, when everything's on sale.  then everyone can get a little more of what they want, & we can spend a little less.  brilliant, right?

the other component is the tree.  it is sad to me how many large, beautiful trees are cut down every year just to be enjoyed for a couple weeks in someone's home, then to be discarded onto the curb for trash pickup.  (i'm not bashing you if you do this, but just think about it...) we plan to buy & decorate a live tree, which we can keep  inside until spring if we like, and then plant it in our yard.  we can enjoy it year-round, and watch it grow (for as long as we live here), and let it serve as a reminder of the fun times we had in 2009.

we'll see how it goes this year, and maybe this will be our family tradition for years to come.  whatever you do, think about what it really means to you.  and if you're able, donate something to those in need, in whatever way that makes sense to you.  i am donating a bit of the money i would spend elsewhere during the holiday season to charities that support  causes that touch my heart.  more on that in another post...

happy holidays everyone!

(the image above was taken at alexandria's annual scottish christmas parade in 2006.  the gentleman was a bagpiper and epitome of what i think the real santa would look like.  © artis mooney 2006)

conserving water & saving energy

water and electricity are not limitless resources. i'd like to share a few tips for conservation that i try to practice, in my home, and wherever i go. these may be things you do already, or maybe you'll get some fresh ideas here.

first of all, as my family and i fantasize about living off-grid at some point, i try to behave (as much of the time as i can remember) as though our main supply of water comes only from rooftop collection and use of greywater (this is a wiki link on it, but if you research, you can find out much more about it). if you behave as though that water coming through the taps, and into your toilets, washing machines and hoses is limitless, it's easy to just let it run at leisure, thus wasting a lot of water. so, if you can, start there, really thinking about the fact that this water does not magically appear at your house, but comes from somewhere, going through a lengthy, energy-consuming process before it arrives at your house usable (and theoretically potable).

then, there are some other simple things you can do that will greatly reduce your water consumption, and probably your utility and electric bills as well.

• never let the water run just to run. turn it on only when you are actually using it to clean something or yourself.
• lever-type faucet handles, as opposed to knobs, help greatly with this endeavor, as you can bump it on or off with your wrist in the middle of tasks. (of course, those automatic hand-activated ones are more convenient, except they're expensive, and they use electricity.)
• when washing dishes - give the dirties a quick rinse-down. if you've got something that's particularly dirty, put a little water in the bottom of it, then turn the water off, and use that water to give it a good scrub rather than just running water over it while you try to remove the caked-on food. soap up several items, then turn the water back on and give those a quick rinse. keep in mind, you don't have to have the water on full blast. keep the water flow as light as you can while still accomplishing your task. rinse silverwares a handful at a time instead of one piece at a time. then, water off, soap up some more, water on, rinse quickly, etc.
  
• limit hot water use. alot of people use hot water when washing dishes and clothes because they think it's going to better sanitize. i've read that this is a great misconception - the water would have to boiling to kill any additional germs. i have not tested this scientifically, but it makes perfect sense to me. so, i almost always wash the clothes on cold. occasionally, i do wash whites on hot with a cold rinse if i'm bleaching them, but this may even be excessive. i'm not sure that it makes the whites any whiter, but that's what the washing instructions say to do. make sure your laundry loads are full whenever possible. it's a real waste to wash smaller loads. i almost always use cold water when washing dishes. now, i have to admit, when it's freezing outside and quite chilly in the house, i do spoil myself with a little warm water when rinsing dishes. remember, if it's hot water, you're using more energy.
• dishwashers - opt out of high-temp wash and the heated dry cycle. yes, you may have a few spots on your dishes. so what? make sure your dishwasher is totally full when you run it.
• hang a clothesline if at all possible. now, another admission. we don't tend to use the clothesline as much during the winter months. but the rest of the year, we use it for pretty much every load we wash. and it's lovely. there is nothing like crispy line-dried sheets. yes, it takes a bit more of your time, but not that much. and when it's nice and warm out, the laundry dries almost as fast as it would in the machine. it's a really nice ritual and sometimes helps me feel connected to my forebears. i think about the grandmothers and great-grandmothers (grandfathers too hopefully, although this was probably considered "women's work") and on back who not only hung the clothes on the line but also washed them by hand. if you don't have the space for a line, consider a rack to dry at least some of your clothes. you'll still be saving some energy. something is better than nothing.
  
• when brushing your teeth, turn the water off. wet your toothbrush, and turn the water off. brushabrushabrush. then, only when you are ready to rinse, turn the water back on.
• when bathing, take a quick shower most of the time. i think alot of people do this already. i treat myself to an occasional bath, but most of the time i take a shower. you use a lot less water. put the stopper in when you start the shower, and that way you are aware of how much water you are actually using, it's not just unmeasurably going down the drain. plus, your feet get a good soak. try to keep your time down. if you're bathing kids, a hand-held shower head works wonders - you can do a bath-shower mixture. and, call me a dirty hippie if you like, but do you really need to bathe every day? unless you have a job where you get really dirty, it just seems excessive to me. imagine how much water is being used if a family of four is each bathing every single day - that's alot of water. how about every two or three days for adults? the kids - again, unless they're doing something where they're getting really dirty, or they're hitting puberty and starting to produce all kinds of fun smells - isn't once a week enough? even better, if you can get more than one person going at a time, that's awesome. sometimes the kids and i do a family shower. that saves alot of water. even better, adults, hop in with your partner if you have one and have some fun! if you really want to be diligent, get wet, turn water off, soap up, shave, etc., and only turn water on when you are rinsing yourself.
• "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down." if you haven't heard this expression, i'm referring to the toilet. flushing the toilet all the time is one of the biggest wasters of good clean water. some people think this is gross, but really, just keep the lid closed. use a small amount of toilet paper when you wipe, and you can put it in the trashcan instead of the toilet when it's just pee, that way the toilet won't be filling up with paper. now i've noticed around our house that sometimes when different people's pee mixes, it can get particularly smelly. once it starts to really stink, we'll give it a flush. but generally speaking, it's not bad at all. you can save alot of water this way.
  
• get or make a rainwater barrel for watering your plants and garden. you can set this up so it collects the water from your gutters and use it whenever possible. if you look online, you can find tons of companies selling these. we don't have one yet, but it's on my wishlist.
• last, limit your electricity use. go with daylight and candlelight as much as possible. turn lights off when you're not in the room. (my husband is always getting on us about this one.) unplug things when they're not in use - they still draw electricity even if the appliance is off, unless you have them plugged into a power strip which you can turn off. that stops the flow. this one takes a bit more diligence and i'm not always good with it. dress warmly during the winter and try not to keep the heat cranking all the time. in the summer, try to go with fans and windows - open or closed, depending on your sun exposure. experiment. keep a mister (spray bottle) handy in the heat of summer. if you fill it with water and put a few drops of your favorite essential oil in it, a few spritzes are quite refreshing and great for an attitude adjustment.

remember, we are lucky to have the resources we do. there are thousands upon thousands of people living across the globe without running water or electricity, voluntarily or involuntarily. who knows where we are headed? we may hit a point here in the states where these resources become extremely limited, if not unavailable, also. we can prepare ourselves by practicing now, and in the process, perhaps contribute to loss prevention.

that's all for now. if you have any further suggestions or want to share things you practice in your own home, please post them by clicking the comments link below this article.