It ain't easy bein' green

Most everyone who knows me knows I have a little tinge of green haired tree hugging freak in me. I don't know where it comes from honestly. I'm a staunch right winger on most issues. I drive a foreign car. I don't recycle anything but aluminum cans and I REALLY don't do that.   I give them to my housekeeper and SHE recycles them. I am a meat eater. I give my kids too much sugar and yes, (gasp here) I am not convinced there is any real threat from global warming and even if there was, I'm not sure there's anything we can do about it. Oh, and I've never even been close to Berkeley!

So, even though I have no clue why I have an "eco-affliction", I know I've always had it and it's here to stay. Part of it is having an agriculture degree, and being raised on the land. But, I think a bigger part of it is that I worry about my own children and the world we are leaving them. The more I read, the worse it gets. I heard a scientist talking on a BBC show the other day and it caught my ear. The premise of the talk was that "organic ain't where it's at".  The scientist, Dr. Tim Lang, insists that although organic farming is a valiant endeavor, FOOD MILES is the kicker. More could be done to alleviate environmental concerns by buying local food rather than focusing on buying organic food from across the continent. Interesting.

However, my concern over food production in this country has less to do with the environment and more to do with sustainability and survival. When fossil fuels begin to dwindle and we can no longer afford to import our food, and no one here remembers how to grow their own, what WILL we do? This is a problem that should be dealt with now- not later. This is why I part ways with my republican friends over Drill Baby Drill. Why prolong the agony? Why push this problem on down to your grandchildren? The problem with fossil fuels isn't going away. It should be addressed, not passed off to future generations. Personally, I have made it a point to pay attention when my daddy plants his garden, and I want the girls to pay attention to how food is grown, where it comes from, and how to prepare it.  If we wait on the government, it will be too little too late. If we act individually, it will be too little, but if we act as a community focused on providing each other with wholesome, local food when possible, it just might make a difference.

I recently joined a facebook group called "Liberate your lawn! Grow food not grass!". I say this as my sprinklers water my azaleas outside, but the idea does fascinate me and when I have more time, I'm going to GROW not MOW! I did recently talk my husband out of spending 600 dollars on Zoysia seed for our front yard. Seriously, who needs that? We live on a dirt road in a pine thicket in a beautiful house that we literally carved out of the bush.  I love the "wildness" of this place. If I wanted Zoysia, I'd have stayed on a golf course. Pine needles, crabgrass, and sand make a great front yard in my opinion- at least till I have the time to grow peppers and tomatoes out there.

With THAT being said, my husband has had a wild hair for several years now to raise his own honeybees for organic raw honey. Raw honey has many more medicinal effects than pasteurized, strained honey. Many allergists believe that taking daily doses of locally grown honey can solve 90% of all the seasonal allergy issues we endure every spring because the local pollen, mold, etc. that makes us all miserable is found in the honey and your body will build up an immunity. Fascinating.  Anyway,  I guess there are far worse things for men to spend their time doing, so I'll humor him on this one.  And I thought I was the eco-nut! We already have homegrown organic eggs. Now raw honey. We're regular hippies around here these days but I couldn't be happier about it.  A little slice of heaven is what it is.

Update

It's spring around here and we have been busier than a one armed paper hanger as my papa used to say!  The girls really have enjoyed the warmer weather. My Addie, although quite rough and tumble, prefers to wear skirts and dresses, and she also loves to go bare legged. She has been so excited to be able to wear a dress with no tights to school this week.  

Ali Grace has continued to progress with her riding lessons. She has always had a hard time maintaining her focus and concentration and I really think her riding lessons are helping. She gets frustrated sometimes and I have to remind her that if this were easy, everyone would do it. She loves her horse, Treasure. Treasure is a very small mare that was picked on by the other mares in the group and so we had to move her because she was losing weight and constantly being bitten by the other horses. This horse LOVES Ali. I guess they are kindred spirits. Ali has never mentioned being picked on or anything, but she often laments the fact that she's the tiniest kid in her class. I guess she knows how Treasure feels. Treasure will come to her when she walks in the gate and follow her all over the pasture until Ali decides to leave. We all find it quite comical.  Her teacher emailed me this week and told me how proud she was of Ali Grace. She said Ali finished her benchmark tests in the allotted time and exceeded the standard on the test. We were VERY worried about her concentration and her ability to finish in time. Whew!

My cousin Julie had her first baby this week. Her name is Anneli and she is just beautiful. I am so happy for she and her husband Goran. That poor girl has more Hokie clothing than the law allows I'm sure, but I found a burp cloth this week that said "I drool maroon and orange" and I had to have it.  So so cute!


In other news, my friend Tammy mentioned in her blog recently that if we Americans want manufacturing jobs to return to this country, we have to do more to support companies who pay American workers on American soil. I whole heartedly agree with this idea. It is only an extension of my locavore belief. Imagine the fuel and energy used to transport cheaply made tee shirts from China all the way to the United States.  I have mentioned before that I love buying handmade items, just because of their originality and also because an American woman made them in her American home - albeit on a Japanese sewing machine. BUT, I feel like that's what this country has to get back to in order to survive tough times. We need to provide for each other. Is there something YOU do well, that you could trade someone else for goods or services?  My dad does a lot of bartering with other people and has found it quite profitable and beneficial to both parties involved. We depend far too much on other countries to provide our necessities. Americans need to do more to provide their own food and clothing. I personally love farmer's markets in the spring and summer and I WISH I had Tammy's sewing ability. But, alas I do not, so I must stick with what I know. She has Family and Consumer Science degree and I have an Agriculture degree. I wonder if she'd trade some sewing for some cucumbers, tomatoes and squash!  LOL  :)  Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

I can DISH it out!

My husband can attest to the fact that I am a china freak. I'm not talking about egg rolls and wontons. I'm talking Lenox and Wedgwood! I don't know why really. I think I inherited it from my mom. Anyway, when I got married my china pattern was Lenox McKinley. If you've never seen it, they used it on the West Wing when the show aired. 

I loved it, and I remember the day I picked it out at Seawright's Jewelers on the square in Hartwell. But after some time I realized that the pattern was SO uber-formal that I never used it and when I did I was too busy making sure no one whacked one of the little pearl droplets off the plates to enjoy using it! The pattern was beautiful but definitely not me. I sold it on ebay to a very grateful woman who'd long admired the pattern but could not afford it. Win win. I love it when that happens.

After that, I went pure tee crazy. I now have 8 place settings of Lenox Winter Greetings (both the formal and everyday settings), Lenox Summer Greetings, various fiesta wear pieces, a Vera Wang set of chargers, a beautiful set of British china given to me by my husband's aunt Betty, a set of Pineapple by American Atellier, Friendly Village by Johnson Brothers, and many many more. I am bad about getting all sorts of pieces from different patterns. I LOVE the canisters from the Lenox Butler's Pantry. I don't have the place settings but I do have the canisters. I love the shapes of bowls and I am picky about the way a plate feels in your hands, so it's not all about looks. I will usually order one piece and keep it for awhile before I buy the entire setting just to see if it fits in with the madness around here. I don't know why I have this affliction, but I browse china patterns like other people browse for clothes or cars or something. 

     

Next weekend I'm taking my Summer Greetings to set a spring table for my mother in law's spring gala at her church. I'm going to use it with a natural wicker charger. Here it is:

 

Actually this is the oriole plate and you should know that I have every bird variety Lenox makes. I am aware of my affliction and no one needs to point that out. I love to mix and match dessert plates and chargers from different patterns. I'm currently drooling over an Oneida Earthenware pattern called "Wine Country". But, since we're trying to shore up our savings account, I am refraining for now. My birthday is in June. Maybe I can wait till then!  

I mostly browse amazon and ross simons for good china deals, although I've found some great buys on select pieces at smartbargains,com and overstock.com  If you are looking for flatware, ross-simons is second to none. You can get some GREAT deals on stainless there. I have both Oneida Kenwood and Golden Kenwood. I like both of them, and so I haven't bought any other since I've married. But hey- that could be a whole new addiction for someone else out there!  

Tomorrow, I'm being sequestered in order to churn out a chunk of my dissertation. Have a great weekend everyone. Enjoy it for me!

Grape Expectations

Recently I've written a couple blogs related to my locavore habit. More than a few folks have asked me about it. Even though my husband calls me a closet tree hugger, I assure you I am not. I do not recycle. I did not use cloth diapers. I do not drink wheat juice. I do what I can though! I am however in my own way, concerned with the sustainability of our current agricultural practices. Our population is exploding and in order to meet this demand for food, we spray more chemicals, mow down more forest land, and pollute more rivers and streams. Imagine if ALL of us grew just a LITTLE bit of what we consumed, or if we bought it from a farmer down the road rather than having it shipped here from China. What a difference that would make!  Fewer lung paralyzing fumes on the road, fewer pesticides running into streams, MORE nutrition for our own children.  We haven't bought eggs ONCE since Pete built the poultry palace out back! It's a win win situation. Anyway, with that being said, we have planted grapevines this past weekend! Well, let me clear that up. PETE planted grapevines this weekend. Anyone who knows my husband knows he does NOTHING half way. Oh nooooo.... we have the kind of grape vine trellises they probably have in the Loire Valley of France. We have grapevine trellises that will sustain wine grapes! They really do look nice in the side yard!

We planted Cowart and Triumph varieties of muscadine grapes today.  Cowart grapes are reddish colored and are great for both table grapes as well as wine making. Triumph varieties have a greenish bronze tinge to them and make huge bunches of table type grapes. Both are low maintenance varieties and are suitable for all zones in Georgia.  Both are self pollinating as well. If you choose a grape variety make sure they either self pollinate or if you get female cultivars, you need at least one self pollinator for 4 female plants.   Pete built a three row trellis for the grapes, simply because I want it to serve as sort of a living fence. Many commercial growers only use one row. 

Pete also planted some thornless blackberries and there are blueberry bushes waiting in the pots to be planted on the next beautiful day. I am also hoping to plant a couple pear trees and maybe a plum tree in the orchard area in the side yard.  Can you tell I'm losing my MIND waiting for spring to get here??  Pete insists I have seasonal affective disorder. I tend to agree.  Thanks for all your hard work this weekend!! I love it!!!    Have a great week everyone!

Got Milk?

A few weeks ago my dad mentioned that one of the farmers he knew in our community was going to start bottling and selling milk straight from the farm. This caught my attention because as I've mentioned before, I am really really stoked about the local foods movement. I think it helps sustain the local economy, is generally healthier, and more environmentally responsible.  Dad didn't know much about it but after a little asking around and checking it out I found out some information.


The Frank family has farmed this area for almost 20 years and owns the largest Brown Swiss herd of cattle in the state of Georgia.  According to the local paper,  the Franks built a bottling plant on their dairy and began selling their milk locally last month. There are only three such farm-based bottling plants in Georgia and none in this region.  


When I found very appealing beyond my growing locavore habit, was that the dairy produces top quality milk without the help of rBST, or recombinant bovine somatotropin. rBST is a synthetic hormone which increases milk production in dairy cattle. While I was a student in the college of agriculture at UGA, the use of rBST was a hot topic. While I'm not completely opposed to genetic engineering, I like to have other options available. 


I am also encouraged by the fresh factor! The Franks say that the millk you buy this morning came from the cow YESTERDAY!  I like to know where my food comes from when possible. When you buy milk in the store, it came from all over the country and was pooled at large plants before it came to the grocery store. I'm not at all railing against milk you buy at Kroger. I just think the Frank Farm option is a cool option. They sell straight from the farm as well as in a few local stores.   Of course the price is a little higher at 4 dollars a gallon but I feel good about giving this money straight to the farmer and not to a huge conglomerate like Wal Mart.  The milk is branded as "Southern Swiss" and the only down side?? It's not homogenized...so you have to shake it up or you'll have a big blob of milk fat flop out in your cheerios. Not cool. Definitely not cool. I am planning on getting some chocolate milk this weekend at the farm. Hope it doesn't disappoint!

My fellow finally finished the tea room yellow!

We were cleaning up literally 15 minutes before our weekend company arrived this past weekend, but Pete finished Addie's room!  We like the Tea Room Yellow much better than the Quaker Beige that colors most of the rest of the house. She really likes it. I am so glad I got a good suggestion from a friend (thanks Tammy!) regarding color. I used the same color palette and just chose a slightly different shade. 

In other news, Addie Belle turned five on Monday and we had a wonderful weekend celebrating! Gran and Papa came along with Emma, Sarah, David and Jess. The Mennonite bakery made a wonderful cake and God made BEAUTIFUL weather!

 

Addie also enjoyed a visit from her best friend in the world, Mary Will. Addie sort of pronounces it  "Mer Will" but it's quite endearing.

Sunday was so beautiful, that after church I had to have the horses out.  Peaches is about to wean her colt and she has been acting nutty. She STILL acted nutty Sunday, but after a few suggestions from Ali's riding instructor, I lunged her for a few minutes and the next time I ride I'm going to do that after I saddle but before I ride. We'll see if that works. Her colt is aggravating the stew out of her, jumping on her, biting at her, and he's under her feet ALL the time. She's about to go all MAMA wild on him I'm afraid and I really hope I'm not in the saddle when that happens!  

And lastly, Addie got her hair cut this week. She's been asking for awhile to get it cut and since she's SO tender headed I relented. I'm tired of tears every morning. After she had it cut, I really liked it and so does she!

 Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Tea room yellow almost killed my fellow!

 Since we have family coming in for Addie's birthday this weekend, I've been pestering my husband constantly about getting finished with Addie's room painting!  Poor Addie has been sleeping on the sofa for  over a week because all of her room furnishings are piled on her bed in the middle of the floor. Pete will probably be paying for it tomorrow but he did finish the bedroom and the yellow is really pretty. He didn't get her bathroom or her closet but that's a good rainy day project I guess. Tomorrow I'll be furiously moving her furniture back into place before Addie's cousins, Emma and Sarah arrive.

I bought new Clinique makeup over the weekend and though I used to use Clinique, I'm not sure I like anything  that you can fit 200 dollars worth of in a package not much bigger than a shoebox. I haven't tried it yet. Maybe it will make me look so radiantly young and beautiful that it will be worth it. Something tells me I may be disappointed. :)  Clinique online is really neat though. The online consultants are REALLY good. They don't work commission so I didn't feel pressured to buy things I didn't need. I'll report later on whether the money was well spent or if I'd have been better off just ringing up the local Avon lady.