Not much to post. No new pictures.
Plugging away at work as it is the end of the month.
On the home front...
We settled the issue with Betty and the police. The neighbor dropped the charge, thankfully!
We are emptying our storage unit in order to save some money. We are organizing the house/garage for a yard sale some time this fall. I will be donating the $ to a charity. I haven't decided yet...maybe I will split it btwn a local organization and Katie's fund.
June tore up the rug under our kitchen table and scratched the paint on the legs while we were gone one day for two hours. When will she get over this?
Laura is doing well and is turning in a written (strange) interview form today for The Hunger Coalition. I am crossing my fingers that she gets a call for round 2.
Willie has had a successful week+ at his new job.
Best Bud
Oh and here is a picture of bad (barking) girl Betty, I'm watching her for my boss for three weeks. She's had a run in with the law already, apparently not her first. I don't even want to get started on that! No pictures of Cash, she didn't get to go to the beach. As some of you know, she doesn't love other dogs. Also, she does not like her picture taken...too good for that.
Michael
I can't stop thinking about them.
Take the time and read:
http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/2009/08/friends-and-family-and-stalkers-just.html
You don't have to be religious to read this blog! I grew up a Christian going to Congregational churches but I am by no means religious.
I am simply entralled by this story.
I read an entry from Katie's blog today, in tears at my desk.
I went on a run.
All I could think about was those kids.
What can I do? How can I help?
I need to make a difference in this world. I have to.
I'm not content living in my house, working my job, hanging out with my friends/family.
I need to do something. I want to help someone.
I need to think about this more.
I don't have a lot of money, in fact with a recent layoff in our house- we have less.
Can I save? Can I raise funds?
Part of me wants to fly to Uganda and help out. How I could get there, my job, Willie...all the logistics don't work. But my heart aches for those poor children and for Katie.
I know she is doing what she believes is her calling but she has sacrificed more for these children than I have ever sacrified for anything ever.
What were you doing when you were 20? I know what I was doing and I wasn't adopting 13 (and now 14) children.
What are you doing at 30? Probably having your own healthy children.
My heart aches.
I feel helpless but completely inspired.
I will keep you posted. I've got to figure this out.
I heart MF
Michael Franti was AWESOME last night!
Laura & I did our usual Boise shopping trip- Target & Costco then headed over to the Botanical Garden for the show. We had a nice picnic and then danced & sang two rows back from the stage. Highlight for me- MF's moonwalk & a little Billy Jean tribute. He did hug me after the show but he is so nice, he hugged and shook hands and talked with everyone!
Britt
Britt I hope you are reading this.
Just wanted to say how great you are!
Check out Britt's blog over to the right, www.runnerbelleats.blogspot.com
Reasons why I love Britt:
*She is smart, pretty, witty, fit and honest
*She volunteers and is very community minded (Harvest Day 5K coming up!)
*She is a kick a*s runner
*She is a wife- cooks, cleans, organizes, tackles home projects with no regard!
Thanks Britt for always inspiring me!
I miss Dover, Main St., Portsmouth, the ocean and even LM!
Notes from Uganda
NO SCURVY HERE
Our fruit trees are having one this summer. The apricots did not work out this year. The apples keep falling off the trees. But the plums (4 varieties) and pears are off the charts! What's our secret? Well, um...our sprinklers were accidentally off for 3 weeks. I seriously think that is the magic formula, I can't really explain it. We really cannot keep up with all this fruit. We ask people to come over and take some. Whatever we don't get off the tree ends up on the ground and in Cash's mouth (this is a new thing this year) or in the compost. We are doing a BIG yard pruning this year, with the help of a professional. We want to make sure these trees stay healthy and keep producing yummy, bite-size fruit! Warning- don't eat too much!
The Big Hitch
Stanley
I was fortunate enough to go up north for a much needed hike and a camping trip a few weeks ago. It was nice to spend time in the outdoors with good food & friends. I thought I would post some pix.
Mountain Lake
Iris' big camping debut
Our campsite
Sawtooth LakeBabies
My girlfriends have babies on the brain. I WISH I was there to celebrate in all this excitement.
Alex's Visit
Here's a couple of pictures from Alex's visit. She is turning into a fine young woman. Willie likes to say 'Alex is my favorite sister', he's teasing the Golden Child/GC (aka Laura) of course! Hey Dad, if you actually read my blog- I know I have a cROokEd smile...I know!
BTW- The three of us have Mom's cherry red nose in that picture. I love it! Laura tells me I am turning into Mom. Mom- if you are reading this, it is a compliment. Sort of...just kidding!
Waste Not
Still wasting ziploc bags when I am at work. I forget to save and rinse to reuse! I'm hoping to get better about that. I wonder how long that silly ziploc bags stays in the landfill for (10-20 years)? I will have to look that up.
I read this sign at a trailhead last week:
How long will litter last?
Cigarette butts ------------------------ 1-5 years
Aluminum Cans and caps ----------------- 500 years
Glass Bottles -------------------------- 1,000 years
Plastic Bags --------------------------- 10-20 years
Plastic Coated Paper ------------------- 5 years
Plastic Film Containers ---------------- 20-30 years
Nylon Fabric --------------------------- 30-40 years
Leather -------------------------------- up to 50 years
Wool Socks ----------------------------- 1-5 years
Orange and Banana peels ---------------- up to 2 years
Tin Cans ------------------------------- 50 years
Plastic six-pac holders ---------------- 100 years
Plastic bottles and styrofoam ---------- Indefinitely
Composting
We have a bin left from the previous owners. Time to put it to use. I peeked inside and there is a pumpkin and grass clippings from 3 years ago. Looks like I need to get some help...
From the Southern Idaho Solid Waste website:
What Can I Put in My Compost?
Kitchen scraps such as coffee grounds, eggshells and fruit and vegetable scraps; grass clippings; hay or straw; leaves (dry or fresh); manure (NO pet feces!); untreated wood chips or sawdust; shredded paper (newspaper, cardboard, etc.); wood ashes; garden trimmings (NO weeds that have gone to seed)
Where Should My Compost Bin or Pile be Located?
The bin or pile should be located in a convenient place so you don't have to haul materials or compost a long distance. It should not be placed next to the house or garden shed, because moisture from the compost may damage the walls or foundation. It is best to choose a location out of direct sunlight so that the compost stays moist.
My Compost is Attracting Flies/Rodents/Dogs: What Should I Do?
Make sure all food scraps are buried in the center of the pile, and cover the pile with a layer of dry, brown material to mask odors.
What Materials Should Not Be Composted?
Stay away from pet feces (which can carry diseases), fatty foods or products like butter or mayonnaise (which won't decompose easily), and meat scraps (which can attract pests). You should also be careful when composting weeds--any seeds can germinate in the garden when you use the finished compost. In addition, if your lawn has been treated with a long-lasting (one application lasts the whole season) herbicide like clopyralid, you should not compost the grass clippings--the pesticide does not break down and can kill any plants treated with the finished compost.
My Bin Smells Bad: What Should I Do?
This is probably due to too much green material in the pile. Try adding some dry brown material to the pile, mix the pile well to aerate, and cover the pile with a fresh layer of dry brown materials.
Where Can I Get Rid of My Heavier Yard Trimmings (shrub and tree trimmings, etc.)?
Clean branches can be taken to your local SISW transfer station. See the Wood Waste Recycling page for more information.
Is it OK to Put Fresh Grass Clippings in My Compost Pile?
Yes. The large amounts of nitrogen and moisture in grass clippings will help speed up the composting process, but be careful to mix in some brown materials to keep the grass from becoming a smelly, slimy mess.
Can I Add Something to Speed Up the Composting Process?
The best way to speed up the composting process is to make sure you have a good ratio of green and brown materials, to keep the pile adequately moist, and to turn the pile frequently. Commercially available compost additives don't contribute any magic to the process--usually they're just a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer that will help heat up the pile if you don't have enough green material in the mix.
The lawn and kitchen scraps you put in the compost pile generally contain all the microbes you need to get composting started. The best source of composting "bugs" is finished compost or a shovelful of garden soil.
Will Compost From Walnuts "Burn" My Garden?
Ah, the infamous "Walnut Wilt" question. The key here is what type of walnut tree you have. Black walnut trees produce a substance called juglone that is found in the buds, hulls, roots, leaves, bark and stem tissue of the tree. This substance helps make these trees great survivors in nature, but when composted, can stunt the growth of certain other plants to which the finished compost is applied. Other walnut trees do not produce juglone, so you don't have to worry about compost made from them.
As a rule of thumb, black walnut leaves are not a problem if they make up no more than 1/3 of the raw materials in a compost pile. This is because the leaves have a lesser amount of juglone and decompose rapidly. Black walnut hulls, on the other hand, contain a higher concentration of juglone and do not decompose very quickly, so they should only be added to the compost pile sparingly, if at all.
Incidentally, the plants that are most sensitive to juglone include apple, asparagus, azalea, birch, blueberry, cabbage, ornamental cherry, chrysanthemum, crabapple, eggplant, lilac, linden, saucer magnolia, narcissus, pear, peony, pepper, petunia, pine, potentilla, rhododendron, and tomato. Wood and bark chips, shredded leaves or sawdust from black walnut trees should not be used to mulch these plants.
Experiment
I am not a totally green person. Nor am I always conscience about the environment and my personal impact. I do think a lot about waste. I think we (Americans) create so much waste. Some prime example in my life include-office paper, coffee cups & sleeves, plastic grocery bags, boxes/shipping materials (from online orders), yard clippings & fruit, coffee grinds, junk mail/newspapers and the list goes on. There are some very obvious ways I can make changes. My plan is to start right this second!
You buy something, you throw it away and it no longer exists. I'm going to use my blog over the next few months to put myself of the chopping block. I'm not sure how all of this will unfold but let's start here...
Breakfast waste- paper cup/lid, 2 napkins, reprinted 30 overdue invoices to mail to customers.
Breakfast save- recycled newspaper, folded to reuse brown paper bag from take-out, plastic container w/ lid for leftovers, coffee sleeve (I can get at least a week out of this thing!).
If you do something spectacular to cut down on your waste consumption. Let me know! If you have tips, ideas or you are doing a similar experiment please comment.
In football news...
Tedy Bruschi retires from the Patriots. He played in the NFL for 13 years, never for another team. His loyalty and leadership to the Pats will not be forgotten.
Boise State beat the Oregon Ducks last night 19-8 on the Smurf Turf. Go Broncos!
Michael Vick will be eligible to play week 3 of the regular season. Boo- 2 thumbs down.
