It's Easy Being Green

I’m glad to say we’re safe and sound following the major ice storm that just ripped through the Midwest this past week.  It’s been a stressful time and that’s why I haven’t popped much up onto the blog in a few days.

We were some of the lucky few that have had power all the way through this event.  The night of the storm, our power went out for a few minutes while transformers and power lines blew all around us.  We laid awake in bed thinking that was the last we’d see of the power for a few days but luckily it came back on a short time later.  People living just around the corner though are a different story and down in Madisonville, KY it looks like a warzone.

This event has proven once again that people need to take steps to prepare themselves for the worst.  It seems like as much as this message is pounded into people’s brains, a majority of them choose to ignore it or believe an event like this will never happen to them.  The lines of people trying to cue up after the storm and get gas for generators, cars and heaters is just proof that people choose to deal with the event after it happens and panic in the process.

I got to thinking that we’re not as prepared as we should be.  We have  large cache of food staples stored in the basement and probably have enough to last us a month or maybe more if we rationed it well.  I have several large 5 or 6 gallon jugs for water but don’t have them filled up at the moment.  While I don’t let my pet’s food supply completely dwindle down before buying more, I probably couldn’t provide for them for an extended period of time if we were stuck somewhere.

I got to thinking about generators too because we don’t have a generator.  But then I remembered about our motorhome.  It has a propane stove, oven and fridge and it has a gas powered generator.  That made me feel better since we basically have a rolling disaster kit should another problem strike.

I know I want to take even more steps to make sure I can provide for myself and my family should luxuries like electricity disappear for a few days or even weeks.  What steps have you taken for yourself and your family?  Please share with us by posting a comment below.

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If you’re like me, by this time of the year you start itching to get out of winter.  As much as I love it I also can’t wait to warm up into Spring and get back outside into the yard and the garden.  It’s a time of the year that signals plenty of produce and fresh food in the months to come.  By the time January rolls around, I anxiously await all 50 of the gardening and seed catalogs that pile into our doorside mailbox.  I’ll spend hours planning, plotting and circling seeds I want to order out of every catalog.

Before you buy enough seed to start a small farming operation though, you should carefully consider your garden plans and how much you really need to order.  First pick out the size and space that your garden will take up.  Some vegetables, like Globe Artichoke, can grow up to 4 feet tall and spread just about as wide.  Carrots however don’t take up much room because they grow down.  Make sure to pay attention to the growing requirements listed in the catalog because they’ll help you plot out the growing space.

Also, pay attention to the days it takes the vegetable to get to maturity.  When we lived in Flagstaff, Arizona, our growing season was extremely short.  It lasted just about 90 days which for most vegetables isn’t enough time to come to harvest.  We always had to pick vegetables that required short growing times.  In Indiana though, we’re now looking at a growing season that’s double that at 180 days.  That opens the door to more and more varieties of things to grow.

Lastly, don’t buy seeds for vegetables you know your family doesn’t like or doesn’t typically eat.  If only one person enjoy radishes you probably shouldn’t plant an entire section of your vegetable garden just dedicated to them.

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Here in Evansville, Indiana, recycling seems to be somewhat antiquated.  Compared to the system we had in Flagstaff, Arizona, there are even fewer things the recycling program here will accept.  To make matters worse, they only provide you with one small bin to put all your stuff into.  I quickly made friends with the man who runs our curbside pickup (which by the way, only happens every two weeks and is a huge drawback for big time recyclers like us) because I watched him have to sort out every category of item and place them in specific bins at the curb.  I thought that just seemed a terrible waste of time for him and decided we would sort our own items into separate containers.  Using old plastic storage bins, we now have four containers we place curbside.

My Crude Recycling Setup

Yesterday, I completed a week’s worth of sorting duties on the back porch and was amazed at how much we actually recycle.  Each week, we generally only produce one or two bags of garbage thanks to composting the organics and sorting out the recyclables.  My  neighbors aren’t so diligent though and that’s when I ran across something they should watch.

A Canadian filmmaker has released a new project that is all about our waste: the trash you put in that container to be picked up and hauled away.  Andrew Nisker shot his documentary using the McDonald family.  The family of five were asked to collect every piece of trash they generated over three months and keep it in their garage.  What was generated three months later is said to be an eye-opener.

Garbage: The Revolution Starts at Home runs 76 minutes and explores the waste generated by the family as well as where the materials came from to generate the waste and where they will go in the end.  The film shows how we act with our garbage has a profound impact on our surrounding environment.  To learn more about the film or to order a copy, head over to their website by clicking the link above.  I think it’s worth a look-see and can’t wait to watch the film.

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As many of you know, I’ve been offline for the better part of two months now.  We had a big move from our home in Arizona to our new home in Indiana.  The preparation for an 1800 mile long move is huge and so is the anticipation.  It took us one week to make the trek in our vintage motorhome and we arrived in southern Indiana safe and sound.  We were a little worse for the wear but nothing that won’t fade with a little time.  Over the last month or so, we’ve really begun to settle down and get used to our new surroundings.  Apparently the move did us some good as we’re now expecting our first child!  We’re both very excited and have already started planning to add another life to our family of two.  My wife is really excited too.

Well, my resolve has been to get “Back in the Blog”.  I know I’ve neglected my section of this poor blogosphere and am jumping back into it.  I hope all is well and that you will look forward to some new posts this week, including a shocking sight that hasn’t left me since our drive across the Midwest.  Stay tuned!

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