Dragging myself out of the sickroom at last, I was confronted with the dreadful knowledge my home now needed to be purified after my long bout with the death flu. While fire and napalm were my first choices “For those days you wanna make sure its REALLY clean”, the Prime Geek had a slight issue with us firebombing the nest. Something about insurance not covering high explosives, I believe. Luckily, I had kept to two rooms – bedroom and bathroom – so the actual mucking out would be less then I had originally feared.
Whenever I face a large cleaning task I call my mom. She has been running a home cleaning service for well over 15 years (as well as indulging in a bit of personal OCD in our home for far longer), so she is the obvious choice to consult when there is a Herculean task to perform... and you're short of a river to divert. After the usual warnings of not overexerting myself, admonitions over getting ill in the first place and a few offers of soup delivery, we got down to brass tacks and figured out how to return my nest to it old safe self. (IE, slightly messy – but not infectious.)
1- Contain. Anything and everything I touched got tossed into two piles. The first we'll call “Stuff to Chuck.” Kleenex, cans, Popsicle sticks, death bed confessions, etc. All this was shoved into grocery bags, tied up, and tossed into the garbage. Sorry, not even gonna TRY to recycle any of this stuff. The folks who sort through it at the center have enough to deal with WITHOUT my germs swarming them. The rest was laundry bound.
2- Just this once, I've relaxed my hot water ban in the laundry room. Anything on the bed (most importantly my pillow) or worn directly on my person got dumped in the hottest water our old heater can manage, along with half a bottle of peroxide, some laundry soap, and a cup of vinegar. What... you thought I'd crack and use bleach? Sorry, I have cats that are already “special”. The thought of them after a nice bleach tea makes me shudder. Towels and anything that had been laying around in the sickroom got cold water as usual, but I went ahead and used the vinegar and peroxide treatment on these items as well.
3- Spray and Sanitize. Okay, okay. The first few days had the Prime Geek spraying anything I might have touched with Lysol -toilet seats, door knobs, the works. But sanity has returned to us both and the cleanup is running along fine with the far more friendly disinfectant recipe my mother gave me.* At first, it was just all the hard surfaces... but as paranoia began to set it, the soft surfaces got hit as well. At the moment my bedroom smells a bit like a chip shop from all the vinegar, but I at least feel safer.** Don't forget to clean that trashcan next to the bed, the light fixture you kept reaching for, and that handful of pencils your used to pen your dying declarations with.***. Spray it, wipe it, set it out to dry.
4- Somehow, whenever I get sick, the side of my bed becomes infested with every book, magazine, small electronic, crossword puzzle in the house. In short, when I get ill, I cocoon like a caterpillar on a bright spring morning. Time to straighten that out. Even my books get the spray treatment... at least the covers get misted and wiped down. (I try and use enough self restraint to keep my really GOOD hardbacks away from sick hands so I can spare them this trauma. Doesn't always work, but I try.) Magazines get tossed into the recycling if I can bear to part with them.
5- Lastly? New everything. Clean sheets pulled out, the mattress cover gets changed, plump those pillows you had in the washer. Pull the dryer sheet out from between the blankets, fluff up your stuffed animals and set them back on their perches. New liners, pads of papers, heck... make sure you have a clean glass next to your bed if you are the parched type.
Over the top? Maybe. But there is no way I want whatever crawled into my system and died there to come back. Puking til you black out is NOT this nerd's idea of fun. (Must be why I skipped all the keggers in college.)
Bit by bit, I'm using up my old cleaning products (cause frankly, I have no idea how to dispose of corrosive and caustic items safely... and I can't bring myself to just chuck full bottles into the bin) and replacing them with more environmentally friendly options. When I ran out of Windex, in came the grapefruit Method cleaner (Target's new line of green products). When the Tilex spritzed its last, I picked up some 7 Generation cleaner. But while I am finding some excellent products out there for green cleaning... they all have the same downfall. While they may be a green substitute for the harsh chemicals of yesteryear, they cost a heck of a lot more green as well. To that end I have discovered a wonderful new book with a load of ideas I'm taking to heart...
But that's for tomorrow. This nerdling is off to crawl back under her cool clean sheets for a bit.
* Simplicity itself. To disinfect just about any hard surface use 1 cup of vinegar mixed in a spray bottle with 10-15 drops of either lavender, tea tree, or eucalyptus essential oil. Shake like crazy and spray. Safe for everyone, and works as well as the expensive chemical crap.
** What can I say. I prefer early chip shop to late plague.
*** I may have read too many historical novels as a child. When in the grips of illness I tend to imagine myself a pale, wan, brave heroine resigning herself nobly to her grave. This fact may one day be used in commitment hearings. We'll see.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Well, THAT was unpleasant.
Thanks to all the well-wishers out there that sent emails querying about my possible demise. Nope, the Nerd isn't dead yet... although there were a few days she fervently wished to be. I have to say, in the span of my life thus far, this last bout of flu might rank as possibly the most unpleasant experience of my life. I'm including car accidents, walking pneumonia on my wedding night, a few rounds in the hospital, and a chronic illness in that assessment. However, not all was lost during my bout with Satan's own germ warriors, no no. In the moments where the desire to die would wash back allowing me to briefly see the shore of wellness in the distance I did manage to stick to my green guns and come up with
Natural Nerd's Top Five Ways to Be Green... While Being Green!*
1- Keep it contained. Now is not the time to wander folks. Figure out what room you wish to temporarily die in and stick to it. When it is all over and you have the job of cleaning up afterwards, you don't want to be disinfecting the whole dratted house. Spreading your plague isn't nice, it isn't fair. Give your roommates a chance to save themselves and stay away. (Although I think the Geek making me ring a bell was a bit much.) Get YOUR pillow, YOUR blanket, and stay away form everyone elses. At the end of this, you want to make sure you have gathered everything up you have touched so it can be washed. Forgetting something that later reinfects you might just cause you to lose the will to live. Access to a bathroom is required... unless you are willing to do what I did in...
2- Think outside of the box. Yes. You have a bathroom. Nothing says you have to use it. While on one hand all those hard slick surfaces are easy to wipe down with bleach (napalm, high explosives, whatever gets the place clean), all those hard surfaces mean harder places to thunk yourself upon when you fall to your knees and pray for the sweet release of death. You're already sick, avoiding a concussion is a good thing. I ultimately decided our camp toilet was my new best friend. Sits even with the height of the bed for ease of puking, and nary a strain to roll over and use when your backside decides it wants its turn to join in the fun. Gross? Yes. Handy? You betcha. This also means every scrap of your illness can be safely contained and tossed.
3- While I don't expect you to go shopping in your weakened condition, plan ahead for the next time and purchase a few sippy cups. Yes, I mean those cups kids use with the spout to suck from. The sheer amount of liquid you need to ingest to try and maintain some sort of fluid balance in your body is astonishing (dried brains are no ones friend.) and trying to drink from a regular glass is just gonna get you wet. Tons of soda cans = environmental badness. Sippy cups mean one glass to disinfect, one glass to keep track of, and hey – in true moments of weakness you can still drink without raising your head above your pillow.
4- Without question, when we're sick we reach for the tissues. Time to break that habit. For that next bout of sickness, invest in making yourself a nice BIG stack of handkerchiefs. Not only are you going to save loads of paper, your nose will thank you. On one hand, yes. The thought of a pile of snotty clothes to wash isn't a pleasant one (which is why I follow the “shove it into a grocery bag – hey look! They DO have a use in the home!- and tie it off for later” mentality. Once I'm better I can just dump them all into the washer without touching them and disinfect from a safe distance.) but in the long run you'll thank yourself. Having those stray little germ bombs floating around your home is never a good idea. And let's not kid ourselves... we all know that we'll miss a few in the cleanup and come face to face with them a month later. At that point... is it yours? His? A guests? Ewwwwwww. If they are homemade, you'll know how many to look for and can track down the stragglers. Flannel cotton is cheap -I can often get it on sale for as little as $2 a yard – and that makes a TON of handkerchiefs. Its also easy to clean afterwards. Plain is fine, or you can always get fancy. If the thought of seeing cartoon cats will momentarily cheer you up while in the grips of the flu – go for it. If you're of a more vindictive nature... perhaps picking up your favorite teams rival fabric. Nothing like blowing your nose on Michigan state symbols when you hail from Ohio. (Or vice versa. Gotta be safe here... big brother married a gal from Michigan. We try to ignore that in our family, everyone has flaws they cannot help.)
5- If it is possible...... GET THE FREAKEN FLU SHOT!!!!!!! Sadly, my nerdly tuckus is highly allergic to eggs, therefore I cannot get the shot. That being said... I don't care if you don't like needles (if my 5 year old niece can handle it without a whimper, I don't wanna hear you whine.), don't care if you don't think its necessary. Get it for the people around you, get it so you're family doesn't have to draw straws over taking care of you. Get it just so you don't have to risk (the weak of stomach may wish to jump to the end here) projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea. At the same time. Simultaneously. At once. Together. This is not a drill.... trust me. Get the shot. Not getting sick in the first place is the greenest idea of all.
Tomorrow? My five step plan for erasing my home from the plague lists. Until them? I have some slightly flat soda to drink and a container of turkey noodle soup from my mother to thaw.
*Ya'll should have figured out by now that if I am corny and overly dramtic at my physical best... it's gonna get a LOT worse when sick. At least I haven't sunk to puns. Yet.
Natural Nerd's Top Five Ways to Be Green... While Being Green!*
1- Keep it contained. Now is not the time to wander folks. Figure out what room you wish to temporarily die in and stick to it. When it is all over and you have the job of cleaning up afterwards, you don't want to be disinfecting the whole dratted house. Spreading your plague isn't nice, it isn't fair. Give your roommates a chance to save themselves and stay away. (Although I think the Geek making me ring a bell was a bit much.) Get YOUR pillow, YOUR blanket, and stay away form everyone elses. At the end of this, you want to make sure you have gathered everything up you have touched so it can be washed. Forgetting something that later reinfects you might just cause you to lose the will to live. Access to a bathroom is required... unless you are willing to do what I did in...
2- Think outside of the box. Yes. You have a bathroom. Nothing says you have to use it. While on one hand all those hard slick surfaces are easy to wipe down with bleach (napalm, high explosives, whatever gets the place clean), all those hard surfaces mean harder places to thunk yourself upon when you fall to your knees and pray for the sweet release of death. You're already sick, avoiding a concussion is a good thing. I ultimately decided our camp toilet was my new best friend. Sits even with the height of the bed for ease of puking, and nary a strain to roll over and use when your backside decides it wants its turn to join in the fun. Gross? Yes. Handy? You betcha. This also means every scrap of your illness can be safely contained and tossed.
3- While I don't expect you to go shopping in your weakened condition, plan ahead for the next time and purchase a few sippy cups. Yes, I mean those cups kids use with the spout to suck from. The sheer amount of liquid you need to ingest to try and maintain some sort of fluid balance in your body is astonishing (dried brains are no ones friend.) and trying to drink from a regular glass is just gonna get you wet. Tons of soda cans = environmental badness. Sippy cups mean one glass to disinfect, one glass to keep track of, and hey – in true moments of weakness you can still drink without raising your head above your pillow.
4- Without question, when we're sick we reach for the tissues. Time to break that habit. For that next bout of sickness, invest in making yourself a nice BIG stack of handkerchiefs. Not only are you going to save loads of paper, your nose will thank you. On one hand, yes. The thought of a pile of snotty clothes to wash isn't a pleasant one (which is why I follow the “shove it into a grocery bag – hey look! They DO have a use in the home!- and tie it off for later” mentality. Once I'm better I can just dump them all into the washer without touching them and disinfect from a safe distance.) but in the long run you'll thank yourself. Having those stray little germ bombs floating around your home is never a good idea. And let's not kid ourselves... we all know that we'll miss a few in the cleanup and come face to face with them a month later. At that point... is it yours? His? A guests? Ewwwwwww. If they are homemade, you'll know how many to look for and can track down the stragglers. Flannel cotton is cheap -I can often get it on sale for as little as $2 a yard – and that makes a TON of handkerchiefs. Its also easy to clean afterwards. Plain is fine, or you can always get fancy. If the thought of seeing cartoon cats will momentarily cheer you up while in the grips of the flu – go for it. If you're of a more vindictive nature... perhaps picking up your favorite teams rival fabric. Nothing like blowing your nose on Michigan state symbols when you hail from Ohio. (Or vice versa. Gotta be safe here... big brother married a gal from Michigan. We try to ignore that in our family, everyone has flaws they cannot help.)
5- If it is possible...... GET THE FREAKEN FLU SHOT!!!!!!! Sadly, my nerdly tuckus is highly allergic to eggs, therefore I cannot get the shot. That being said... I don't care if you don't like needles (if my 5 year old niece can handle it without a whimper, I don't wanna hear you whine.), don't care if you don't think its necessary. Get it for the people around you, get it so you're family doesn't have to draw straws over taking care of you. Get it just so you don't have to risk (the weak of stomach may wish to jump to the end here) projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea. At the same time. Simultaneously. At once. Together. This is not a drill.... trust me. Get the shot. Not getting sick in the first place is the greenest idea of all.
Tomorrow? My five step plan for erasing my home from the plague lists. Until them? I have some slightly flat soda to drink and a container of turkey noodle soup from my mother to thaw.
*Ya'll should have figured out by now that if I am corny and overly dramtic at my physical best... it's gonna get a LOT worse when sick. At least I haven't sunk to puns. Yet.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
As the Bowl Flushes
It seems the bullet train through Hades has chosen to enforce a new 24-hour layover in Tartarus before allowing anyone to exit the ride.
Hopefully, tomorrow I can post without fear of be-fouling my laptop with substances best left unmentioned.
(You know, when I said I wanted to be more green... I didn't mean in complexion.)
Hopefully, tomorrow I can post without fear of be-fouling my laptop with substances best left unmentioned.
(You know, when I said I wanted to be more green... I didn't mean in complexion.)
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Yurph.
Well, I'm posting this kinda early today for a couple of reasons. One... the review is getting pushed to tomorrow as I in the midst of being very very completely sick and the thought of concentrating my thoughts and writing abilities on a food substance is not... a wise idea. The second reason? Basically, I'm burning time as the dimension door that has opened up in my lower intestine is determining whether or not it is going to make the trip back home to order more soul destroying bile to dump on me. Not quite at the point where I feel safe trying to go back to sleep, but hopeful that simple physics are on my side at last. As of right now, I do believe my brain has dried out (there is a weird rattling sound when I blow my nose, leading me to believe it has shriveled) and last time I looked down my toe nails have visibly retracted into my body. I've eaten twice in three days... there can't possibly be anything left to exit.
Right?
(Whimper)
I'm actually pretty fortunate really. The whole concept of a 24 or 48 hour flu is foreign to me. I usually get the 3 or 4 hour bullet train through the rougher side of hell as my body powers through whatever is preying upon it, then its a day or so of being weaker then a newborn kitten. No all day ordeals of hoping to die as you get wracked by a few million germs. Heck, I'm even pretty self-sufficient when I get sick. Enough warning is given to set up the trashcan next to the bed (with liner), insure there is a plentiful amount of toilet paper in the bathroom, and to place my order for coke to wait outside the door. The laptop gets shoved somewhere safe and a bottle of fizzy water waits patiently on the window sill next to the bed. I don't want checked on, I hate being fussed over (it usually just makes the headache worse), and I even have time to make sure my hair is tied back for minimum ick factor in the cleanup after.
These... are all very good things. For something else I have learned this night. The Prime Geek, while he loves me... is not a great nurse. Sympathy puking and a firm “If you love me, don't ever ask me to throw that away again.” when handed a sealed trash liner holding what appeared to be my 4th grade lunch.
The next time I get sick, I'm sure he'll handle it better.
Actually, I'm sure he'll hire someone nice to handle it better while he waits it out in a hotel room.
Blargh.
Right?
(Whimper)
I'm actually pretty fortunate really. The whole concept of a 24 or 48 hour flu is foreign to me. I usually get the 3 or 4 hour bullet train through the rougher side of hell as my body powers through whatever is preying upon it, then its a day or so of being weaker then a newborn kitten. No all day ordeals of hoping to die as you get wracked by a few million germs. Heck, I'm even pretty self-sufficient when I get sick. Enough warning is given to set up the trashcan next to the bed (with liner), insure there is a plentiful amount of toilet paper in the bathroom, and to place my order for coke to wait outside the door. The laptop gets shoved somewhere safe and a bottle of fizzy water waits patiently on the window sill next to the bed. I don't want checked on, I hate being fussed over (it usually just makes the headache worse), and I even have time to make sure my hair is tied back for minimum ick factor in the cleanup after.
These... are all very good things. For something else I have learned this night. The Prime Geek, while he loves me... is not a great nurse. Sympathy puking and a firm “If you love me, don't ever ask me to throw that away again.” when handed a sealed trash liner holding what appeared to be my 4th grade lunch.
The next time I get sick, I'm sure he'll handle it better.
Actually, I'm sure he'll hire someone nice to handle it better while he waits it out in a hotel room.
Blargh.
Monday, January 7, 2008
New Year's Addendum
I had made plans to start the week off on a slightly different footing, but Kethry (check out her site over in the side bar- Urbania to Stoneheads... well worth the read) made a good point in the comments from my list and I instead have decided to address those and move my plans for today to tomorrow. (Might have a small amount to do with both the Prime Geek and myself battling a stomach bug at the moment... I am incredibly grateful my father finished the install on our bathroom. A flushie is a vital piece of modern life.)
When I stated that one of the goals for the year was to put up as much food as I can, I should have gone on to say we will be tip-toeing into multiple aspects of the make it at home world as well. Yogurt is first up on the block, although I'll be finishing off what is currently lingering in the fridge first. But once the cartons are gone (properly recycled, of course) I'm going to give this ancient art of spoiling dairy a shot. The PG and I are planning to follow in food Guru Alton Brown's step and rig up a makeshift yogurt maker at first. If all goes well, and we like it better then the store bought stuff it will be one of the first items to remove from the grocery list. I may even be temped to buy one of those nifty gadgets that lets you make 8 individual servings at a time. (the fewer times you can cut into yogurt the better, unless you really like yogurt flavored soup.)
Brewing at home? Already to start production in fact. I bought the Prime Geek a mead kit for his birthday (thus establishing me in the eyes of many of his male friends as the coolest wife ever.) and h hopes to start putting a couple of bottle down each month. Me? I may just try my hand at a few cordials, as there are fewer things that can cool a heated brain faster then an iced spritzer of blueberry cordial and seltzer. Although Kethry's mention of ginger beer does make my mind buzz a bit in planning.
Breadmaking? Already done... I just have to get better at keeping up on it. We suffer from two issues in the maintaining the staff of life in the house. One is the common one which seems to strike most bread bakers. We tend to not eat a few slices as we do with the store bought fluff... instead the smell of fresh bread baking drags us back to our cave nerd roots and we end up devouring it in a single sitting. The second is easier to handle, it just will require I use some (gulp) discipline and start my dough off before I head to bed. The spirit is there... but the flesh tends to get scattered. Looks like I have some sign making in my future.
The only thing I think I will be giving a pass to is butter making. With milk prices on the rise (I've seen it on sale as low as $2.88 a gallon at our neighborhood drive-through liquor store with spikes up to $5.99 at the grocery. Toss in the price for organic is often as high as a soul shuddering $8.99) we tend to only buy milk to drink. I buy butter only rarely... and freeze it whenever it goes on sale. At the moment, I tend to cook with olive oil most of the time. Perhaps when we sell our home and get to move out into the country I'll take a look at this again.
Any advice, suggestions, or info is happily taken. I'm enough of a nerd to confess a certain joy in studying. Weird, I know... but what's a nerd to do?
Tomorrow? The first Naturally Nerds product review.
When I stated that one of the goals for the year was to put up as much food as I can, I should have gone on to say we will be tip-toeing into multiple aspects of the make it at home world as well. Yogurt is first up on the block, although I'll be finishing off what is currently lingering in the fridge first. But once the cartons are gone (properly recycled, of course) I'm going to give this ancient art of spoiling dairy a shot. The PG and I are planning to follow in food Guru Alton Brown's step and rig up a makeshift yogurt maker at first. If all goes well, and we like it better then the store bought stuff it will be one of the first items to remove from the grocery list. I may even be temped to buy one of those nifty gadgets that lets you make 8 individual servings at a time. (the fewer times you can cut into yogurt the better, unless you really like yogurt flavored soup.)
Brewing at home? Already to start production in fact. I bought the Prime Geek a mead kit for his birthday (thus establishing me in the eyes of many of his male friends as the coolest wife ever.) and h hopes to start putting a couple of bottle down each month. Me? I may just try my hand at a few cordials, as there are fewer things that can cool a heated brain faster then an iced spritzer of blueberry cordial and seltzer. Although Kethry's mention of ginger beer does make my mind buzz a bit in planning.
Breadmaking? Already done... I just have to get better at keeping up on it. We suffer from two issues in the maintaining the staff of life in the house. One is the common one which seems to strike most bread bakers. We tend to not eat a few slices as we do with the store bought fluff... instead the smell of fresh bread baking drags us back to our cave nerd roots and we end up devouring it in a single sitting. The second is easier to handle, it just will require I use some (gulp) discipline and start my dough off before I head to bed. The spirit is there... but the flesh tends to get scattered. Looks like I have some sign making in my future.
The only thing I think I will be giving a pass to is butter making. With milk prices on the rise (I've seen it on sale as low as $2.88 a gallon at our neighborhood drive-through liquor store with spikes up to $5.99 at the grocery. Toss in the price for organic is often as high as a soul shuddering $8.99) we tend to only buy milk to drink. I buy butter only rarely... and freeze it whenever it goes on sale. At the moment, I tend to cook with olive oil most of the time. Perhaps when we sell our home and get to move out into the country I'll take a look at this again.
Any advice, suggestions, or info is happily taken. I'm enough of a nerd to confess a certain joy in studying. Weird, I know... but what's a nerd to do?
Tomorrow? The first Naturally Nerds product review.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Drumroll Please
Now, I personally have quite a list of resolutions this year. I also have a rather good track record with my resolutions. So far, in the last 20 years of making them, I have a little better then a 75% record of meeting my goals. This might have more to do with the fact my resolutions tend towards the highly attainable and desperately desired more then the guilty conscious driven “I really want a few weeks of feeling virtuous before falling back into my old ways” resolutions that seem to be the fad. If it makes the list, its because I have already started the planning to make it work. Seems a bit of a cheat... but what the heck. Most of those resolutions aren't going to make it onto the site as they are of the personal variety but I do have plans/resolutions for the site, so I figure it counts.
With no further ado....
New Years Resolutions for 2008 for Naturally Nerds and my reach for the Green
1) As of Monday, Naturally Nerds is becoming a 6 days a week updated blog. Some of the new features that will be appearing are environmentally friendly (and those that join the evil-doers list) product reviews, reuse/remake projects for around the house to skip that trip to the store, and a once a week guest spot from the Prime Geek covering some of the tec-tricks the greening geek can embrace.
2) This year the Prime Geek and myself are trying a rather ambitious project or two. The first is garden-centric. We'll be planning and planting 4 separate gardens -backyard, container, a larger one in the back of his families land, and finally we're stepping into the world of hydroponics. All in our attempts to reach
3) A biggie for us at the Nerdly Nest – with all the concerns and terror pieces in the news regarding the dangers inherent in our food supply, we are going to be attempting to grow at least 50% (or more) of our veggies. Anything we can't buy will be sourced locally and put up for the winter. We'll be canning, freezing, and drying as much as we can to reach our goal in
4) By the end of the fall, I want to be in a position of only having to purchase fresh items (milk, eggs, etc), meats, non-local items (oil, spices, etc) and grains. Hopefully I can slash my grocery budget by at least half of the $45 we spend a week now. We'll see how that goes.
5) To help us reach that goal we need more compost and better soil. The little composter we made was a start, but this nerd will be expanding her decaying deeds and upping her rubbish reuse. How? I'm eyeing the plans for a little farm of my own, just me and my couple of hundred wormy friends. Toss in a few more composter plans... and we'll have soil good enough to eat from, if not off.
6) I'm reinstating a goal from last year. No new clothing purchases for the next year for this nerd. The only exceptions will be underwear and shoes. Anything that is needed will be either made or sourced out at thrift shops. Heck, I'm a seamstress. This one should be cake.
7) Both the PG and myself need to get better at our trash output. To this end we are aiming for the goal of only placing our trash bin (the large green jobbie handed out by the city) once a month. The recycling bin can be used weekly, but we need to cut down on our waste. We have several plans in the works to reach this... we'll see how we do.
8) I have a confession to make... the whole complete avoidance of plastic grocery bags? Hasn't worked out so well. I still seem to have them copulating like spring fever fueled bunnies in my cupboards. For every time I bring my own... there is a time where when my back is turned the well meaning high schooler double bags me “just to be safe”. To that end, I have four new net knit bags on my needles, and a new fervor filling my soul. No more looking away, no more being quiet when I get ignored the first bag. A plastic bag avoiding banshee I will be!
9) Now this... this is a scary one for this nerd. A few years ago my well meaning husband bought me a scooter. A nice little green frog of a ride (seriously folks. Its bright green and the headlight configuration looks like Kermit!) and I have dragged my feet about getting my motorcycle license. I had my permit, but I let it lapse... something to do with the first time I rode it I rolled it. Right in front of a minivan. Yeah. Not fun. But it requires only a few gallons in the tank every OTHER week, so the responsible thing to do is use it around town for my errands. The small fact we are down to one vehicle at the time also plays a small part in this.
10) I love to give presents. I get this from my mother. Christmas and birthdays, weddings and “just cause”. I usually have to buy two or three times, as I always crack and give the first gift LONG before the day. This year? If I give it, its gonna be handmade or a book. That's it. Nothing else. Sorry. Hope you like it, cause it can't be exchanged. Here's hoping people are fine with this one.
Got any other suggestions for me? There are quite a few other plans in the works, but these are most of the big goals I'm aiming to hit. How are YOU planning on greening up your year?
With no further ado....
New Years Resolutions for 2008 for Naturally Nerds and my reach for the Green
1) As of Monday, Naturally Nerds is becoming a 6 days a week updated blog. Some of the new features that will be appearing are environmentally friendly (and those that join the evil-doers list) product reviews, reuse/remake projects for around the house to skip that trip to the store, and a once a week guest spot from the Prime Geek covering some of the tec-tricks the greening geek can embrace.
2) This year the Prime Geek and myself are trying a rather ambitious project or two. The first is garden-centric. We'll be planning and planting 4 separate gardens -backyard, container, a larger one in the back of his families land, and finally we're stepping into the world of hydroponics. All in our attempts to reach
3) A biggie for us at the Nerdly Nest – with all the concerns and terror pieces in the news regarding the dangers inherent in our food supply, we are going to be attempting to grow at least 50% (or more) of our veggies. Anything we can't buy will be sourced locally and put up for the winter. We'll be canning, freezing, and drying as much as we can to reach our goal in
4) By the end of the fall, I want to be in a position of only having to purchase fresh items (milk, eggs, etc), meats, non-local items (oil, spices, etc) and grains. Hopefully I can slash my grocery budget by at least half of the $45 we spend a week now. We'll see how that goes.
5) To help us reach that goal we need more compost and better soil. The little composter we made was a start, but this nerd will be expanding her decaying deeds and upping her rubbish reuse. How? I'm eyeing the plans for a little farm of my own, just me and my couple of hundred wormy friends. Toss in a few more composter plans... and we'll have soil good enough to eat from, if not off.
6) I'm reinstating a goal from last year. No new clothing purchases for the next year for this nerd. The only exceptions will be underwear and shoes. Anything that is needed will be either made or sourced out at thrift shops. Heck, I'm a seamstress. This one should be cake.
7) Both the PG and myself need to get better at our trash output. To this end we are aiming for the goal of only placing our trash bin (the large green jobbie handed out by the city) once a month. The recycling bin can be used weekly, but we need to cut down on our waste. We have several plans in the works to reach this... we'll see how we do.
8) I have a confession to make... the whole complete avoidance of plastic grocery bags? Hasn't worked out so well. I still seem to have them copulating like spring fever fueled bunnies in my cupboards. For every time I bring my own... there is a time where when my back is turned the well meaning high schooler double bags me “just to be safe”. To that end, I have four new net knit bags on my needles, and a new fervor filling my soul. No more looking away, no more being quiet when I get ignored the first bag. A plastic bag avoiding banshee I will be!
9) Now this... this is a scary one for this nerd. A few years ago my well meaning husband bought me a scooter. A nice little green frog of a ride (seriously folks. Its bright green and the headlight configuration looks like Kermit!) and I have dragged my feet about getting my motorcycle license. I had my permit, but I let it lapse... something to do with the first time I rode it I rolled it. Right in front of a minivan. Yeah. Not fun. But it requires only a few gallons in the tank every OTHER week, so the responsible thing to do is use it around town for my errands. The small fact we are down to one vehicle at the time also plays a small part in this.
10) I love to give presents. I get this from my mother. Christmas and birthdays, weddings and “just cause”. I usually have to buy two or three times, as I always crack and give the first gift LONG before the day. This year? If I give it, its gonna be handmade or a book. That's it. Nothing else. Sorry. Hope you like it, cause it can't be exchanged. Here's hoping people are fine with this one.
Got any other suggestions for me? There are quite a few other plans in the works, but these are most of the big goals I'm aiming to hit. How are YOU planning on greening up your year?
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year.... A Tad Bit Late
Welcome to 2008. Please wipe your feet before straying too far into the new year, as its far too early to muck it up already. Now, a few of you sent me some email showing concern over the lack of posting for the last two days... the thoughts seeming to be that the Prime Geek and myself must have really tied one on at the stroke of midnight to delay postings two days.
Sad to say, but I do believe we are getting old. No wild parties boogieing down the moments to the New Year, no excessive drinking, no orgies. (Drat.) A glass of champagne each, a kiss... and asleep by 12:45. Yup, we rocked the New Year in with Dick Clark1, four anxious cats – our city, like many, set of fireworks. Now... our cats need Xanax. What's a nerd to do? - a roaring fire, and each other. Not too exciting, I'll confess. But last New Year's was an stomach churning, last minute prepping, wedding planning monster – so calm and cuddles was a nice step up.
No, the delay can be laid at the feet of bathroom reconstruction (we have ONE flushie. So when it is out of commission we are given the options of : gas stations, neighbors, parents 2 miles away, the tree in the back yard – ALL the Prime Geek – or our camp toilet placed in the office.), wood management, and the Prime Geek being STILL sick.2
However – the bathroom is in working order3 (photos to come Saturday), wood has been obtained and stacked, and the Prime Geek is at work (therefore not my problem at the moment.). The delay has allowed me to work a bit more on my resolutions and plans, and we should be back up and running free now.
I'm excited. How Nerdy is that? I understand that the celebration of the New Year on January 1st is actually pretty arbitrary. A day on a calendar shouldn't mean a total upheaval. But.... allow me my fun. I think some of the plans are gonna cause others to embrace their nerdly side.
The big reveal in the morning. I have to go stoke the fire... its all of 8° here.
1On one hand, God bless the man. On the other? It was more then a tad bit painful to watch the “eternal teenager” struggle so. Sorta the skeleton at the feast type of thing.
2Torn between concern, annoyance at refusals to go to the doctor, and dashed hopes of.... married activity. Ahhh, the joys of marriage no one mentions before you exchange vows.
3Not finished, there is still a back corner to tile. But the toilet flushes, there is a working sink, and I can take a bath. Happiness is a flushing toilet and a hot soak.
2Torn between concern, annoyance at refusals to go to the doctor, and dashed hopes of.... married activity. Ahhh, the joys of marriage no one mentions before you exchange vows.
3Not finished, there is still a back corner to tile. But the toilet flushes, there is a working sink, and I can take a bath. Happiness is a flushing toilet and a hot soak.
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