This last year has brought a lot of change. Including many things influenced by our new "West Coast Green Hippie" lifestyle. Here are 7 things that we have switched to over the past year that save money and the planet.
1. High efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs in every socket. They are expensive to buy (thanks Mom and Dad), but I have yet to replace one in over 5 years, and I just replaced the last regular bulb in the house last week.
2. Lower thermostat. So no air conditioning = no energy use, no freon, no money spent! They also run these ads here "Blankets. Good for snuggling. Turn down your thermostat this winter." Yeah, we are doing it.
3. Re-usable bags. I am proud to say that I now only use re-usable cloth bags at the grocery store AND the mall! It took a lot of courage to take the bag to the mall and say "Can I just put that in here?" I especially love that I use my Xstrata Copper Mining bag for this. The irony of it kills me. Saves money on contraptions to store plastic bags in - no more bag hutch for us - and many stores charge extra for bags. And I mean no more plastic bags - ever - we use washable plastic containers for lunch, and my last (smallest size) roll of Saran Wrap lasted 13 months.
4. Bake bread. Yes, the bread machine is a gift from heaven. I figure we spend about $1.50 per loaf, which lasts for a week of lunches for two. So yummy, so lacking in preservatives, saves in lots of ways. One unexpected saving is that it makes the house smell fabulous - saves on candles!
5. Mass transit. Although we drive to work (carpool), we use the electric train and the bus almost all other times. Fun. Most days. We can't stand suburban sprawl anymore.
6. No more Coke. Yes, we gave up drinking sodas. It started out as not having them at lunch, and we don't even buy 2L bottles anymore. No more cans, no more cost, fewer inches around my waste... We also re-use the same water bottles for lunch everyday. This has made a huge reduction in our waste stream.
7. Recycle and compost. Aunt Dolly reminded me - we do recycle! We have to separate paper from everything else, but that is it. We also compost everything possible, including some things that probably shouldn't go in. But, oh well, the environment has to figure out a degradation pathway sometime for this stuff. This means we've down-sized our trash can, and we only have to take it out once a week. This might sound disturbing, but when you don't throw any food scraps in, it never smells.
October 07, 2009
September 10, 2009
Hedgehog dog drama
Oh my gosh the dog! A constant source of amusement and anxiety. Hedgehog Dog is very skittish after hearing loud noises - something related to our scarring him by taking him to 4th of July fireworks just after adopting him. Something fell over on the deck upstairs Monday night while he was on the porch below and caused him to run off the deck, then scamper back inside. His eating dinner ended up like this (below) with him fearful after every mouthful.
A similar noise late last Wednesday night had him peering at a grape vine that grows near our back door. And lo and behold! there was a raccoon climbing the grape vine! It even made it up to the neighbor's deck! Hedgehog Dog and I waited inside for it to climb down, and when it did, it saw Hedgehog Dog through the glass door, puffed up, and hissed at us. Hedgehog Dog was utterly still for once, almost like a cat about to pounce. Then the 'coon ran away, and Hedgehog Dog was keen to go outside (for once). A few minutes later the bush rattled again, and a baby raccoon climbed out (ok, it was like a teenager, big, but not big enough). I was "eeking" and Hedgehog Dog was scrabbling and another raccoon climbed down! Three! Hedgehog Guy is trying not to be terrified that they will gang up and eat Hedgehog Dog.
A similar noise late last Wednesday night had him peering at a grape vine that grows near our back door. And lo and behold! there was a raccoon climbing the grape vine! It even made it up to the neighbor's deck! Hedgehog Dog and I waited inside for it to climb down, and when it did, it saw Hedgehog Dog through the glass door, puffed up, and hissed at us. Hedgehog Dog was utterly still for once, almost like a cat about to pounce. Then the 'coon ran away, and Hedgehog Dog was keen to go outside (for once). A few minutes later the bush rattled again, and a baby raccoon climbed out (ok, it was like a teenager, big, but not big enough). I was "eeking" and Hedgehog Dog was scrabbling and another raccoon climbed down! Three! Hedgehog Guy is trying not to be terrified that they will gang up and eat Hedgehog Dog.
August 30, 2009
Hedgehog goings on
Few posts for the last couple of weeks means we have been busy! Sort of.
Two Fridays ago Hedgehog Guy went sea kayaking with his lab group out at Deep Cove. He spent something like 6 hours on the water in a two-man kayak with his boss, which earns anyone a pat on the back. He had been dreading the last-minute planned trip, but ended up having a great time. The lunch of steak and wine certainly helped. He was most impressed with the hand-held bilge pump, which could be used as a water rocket to spray other boats, and the seals which looked like large lumps sleeping on the docks. That night he crashed after drinking a glass of really great Pinot Blanc (come visit and you can try it!) while watching Nausicaa.
That Saturday we took a trip to the dentist to have our cavities filled. Not exactly fun, but since this is Canada, it was free! Well, we do pay $50 a month for insurance, but still.
That evening, after our mouths had thawed out and we regained the use of our tongues, we played Wii with a couple friends. Hedgehog Guy, Jessica, and Dany make a great rockband. Note that I did not mention myself because my tone deafness makes me the worst singer on the planet, my inability to keep a beat makes me a terrible drummer, and my guitar skills haven't progressed beyond "Easy" mode.
Sunday we took the brand new Canada Line Skytrain downtown for some shopping. Hedgehog Guy got a hat, and I finally found some shoes for Megan's wedding. Yippee! I even got to layout in my bathing suit on the porch that afternoon and try to become one shade of off-white instead of two (again for the wedding, I have a terrible farmer's tan and watchband line).
This week was largely work oriented. My boss is out of town so I became the go-to question person. I mostly just nodded my head up, down, left, or right. It was fun. No major crises.
This weekend has involved leaving the house less. We finally got a new bedspread (really just a duvet cover for the old one) and picked up my latest cross-stitch from the framers. Last night we went to a friends birthday party and gorged on chocolate cake. Today I am thinking the dog park...
Two Fridays ago Hedgehog Guy went sea kayaking with his lab group out at Deep Cove. He spent something like 6 hours on the water in a two-man kayak with his boss, which earns anyone a pat on the back. He had been dreading the last-minute planned trip, but ended up having a great time. The lunch of steak and wine certainly helped. He was most impressed with the hand-held bilge pump, which could be used as a water rocket to spray other boats, and the seals which looked like large lumps sleeping on the docks. That night he crashed after drinking a glass of really great Pinot Blanc (come visit and you can try it!) while watching Nausicaa.
That Saturday we took a trip to the dentist to have our cavities filled. Not exactly fun, but since this is Canada, it was free! Well, we do pay $50 a month for insurance, but still.
That evening, after our mouths had thawed out and we regained the use of our tongues, we played Wii with a couple friends. Hedgehog Guy, Jessica, and Dany make a great rockband. Note that I did not mention myself because my tone deafness makes me the worst singer on the planet, my inability to keep a beat makes me a terrible drummer, and my guitar skills haven't progressed beyond "Easy" mode.
Sunday we took the brand new Canada Line Skytrain downtown for some shopping. Hedgehog Guy got a hat, and I finally found some shoes for Megan's wedding. Yippee! I even got to layout in my bathing suit on the porch that afternoon and try to become one shade of off-white instead of two (again for the wedding, I have a terrible farmer's tan and watchband line).
This week was largely work oriented. My boss is out of town so I became the go-to question person. I mostly just nodded my head up, down, left, or right. It was fun. No major crises.
This weekend has involved leaving the house less. We finally got a new bedspread (really just a duvet cover for the old one) and picked up my latest cross-stitch from the framers. Last night we went to a friends birthday party and gorged on chocolate cake. Today I am thinking the dog park...
August 19, 2009
August 18, 2009
August 06, 2009
Gusling
Our dog is crazy. Hedgehog Guy says he was acting for the camera, but, honestly, being chased around the house is his FAVORITE game. He gets so excited that he wipes out on the floor and constantly hurts his shoulders. So we try not to play too much or too often. He was pretty cute last night, even hopping onto the couch to grab a toy he preferred (dolphin vs. barrel). This was the first evening since the heat wave that he's been wanting to play so...
August 04, 2009
Grandma's 90th Birthday
Happy Birthday Grandma!
I spent this past weekend visiting my family to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. Most of her family of 2 kids, 4 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren were around High Pines resort on Bad Medicine Lake in northern Minnesota for the big party on Sunday afternoon. We had a
n open house at my parent's newly finished lake cabin to help Grandma celebrate along with about 70 of her friends. She had a fabulous time. Below is a video of Grandma talking about first coming up to the lake in 1947. The sound is very quiet in the video, so turn up your speakers. Sorry, I didn't take too many videos during the party - none of Grandma with her sister or myself!
I spent this past weekend visiting my family to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. Most of her family of 2 kids, 4 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren were around High Pines resort on Bad Medicine Lake in northern Minnesota for the big party on Sunday afternoon. We had a
n open house at my parent's newly finished lake cabin to help Grandma celebrate along with about 70 of her friends. She had a fabulous time. Below is a video of Grandma talking about first coming up to the lake in 1947. The sound is very quiet in the video, so turn up your speakers. Sorry, I didn't take too many videos during the party - none of Grandma with her sister or myself!
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