It's Easy Being Green

Its hard to believe we have wiped out the first month of the new year already. I’m still thinking about goals for 2012 so that should give you some idea of how much I truly care about the whole new year, new you crap. That’s why this year, I’m celebrating Losar, the Tibetan New Year’s celebration beginning on February 22nd and lasting a paltry 15 days. It seems the Tibetans really know how to get their new year started right!

Stateside, I’m convinced the New Years’ holiday is nothing more than a ploy by champagne companies to put themselves back in the black. It is truly one of the only times people buy champagne in any noticeable amount. Aside from that, folks just seem to be looking for the next opportunity to get smashed and an excuse to “start over for the next year”.

I’ve never been a fan of the holiday, except that year in high school my parents let me hit a few swigs off the bottle of Moet Chandon White Star that my dad picked up. It led to us carousing in the street with some roudy neighbors and an eventual flyby of the ghetto bird (a.k.a. the local police helicopter). The crew even spotlighted us, searching for the local ruffians setting off the illegal fireworks another street over but I digress.

That lack of enthusiasm for New Year’s has led me to blow over the holiday and and instead spend some time reflecting on what I would like to accomplish in the coming year. That’s why, based on the timing, I’ll celebrate with the Tibetans this year. Happy Losar!

I certainly have goals for 2012 but definitely not resolutions. I don’t resolve myself to anything. Instead I create goals and work toward them. It doesn’t set you up to fail quite like resolutions do.

My goals for 2012 are pretty simplistic:

- Learn to make kombucha

- Preserve more food for winter months

- Increase garden harvest for seasonal eating

- Ace growing and harvesting squash

- Read at least one book per month (mainly talking about novels here)

- Build 2 pieces of furniture and a toy for each girl

- Buy a fuel efficient hybrid or electric vehicle

- Brew more beer or try to make a wine or mead

- Take a REAL family vacation, even if for only a weekend getaway

- Get those six pack abs and bulk up my arms and chest

Okay, so the last goal is a bit narcissistic and different from the rest but its something I’ve wanted to do for myself for a long time. I’ve let the business of work and kids be my lame ass excuse on that one but now that has to go by the wayside. We’ll see how many goals I can achieve over the next 11 months, or shall I say 12, since I’m now going to run on the Tibetan calendar. Here’s to wishing you and yours a very Happy Losar!

How about you? Did you formulate some goals for 2012? What do you hope to accomplish to better your life, your impact on the environment or live more sustainably? Share by posting a comment below.

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Now that we’re in full-fledged toddler mode around the Half-Acre Homestead, it’s exciting to step up the Christmas game a few notches. Like a cranky body snatcher sneaking in overnight, the terrible terrible twos have taken over my Darling Daughter’s little body. It’s been enough to send my Homestead Hottie and me up the crazy wall, wondering on an almost minute by minute basis what creature has possessed that sweet  pixie-faced little redhead of ours.

This Christmas we thought what better of a way to reinforce good behaviors then to join the Elf on a Shelf craze. We’ve heard good reports from hundreds of other parents who swear by this little elf’s ability to keep everyone good little girls and boys during the month of December. We balked at the $29 price tag of that little creepy looking elf and instead opted to go with the cheaper, cuter and oh yeah “original”, Christopher Popinkins. Darling Daughter Everly has gotten into the daily search for our friendly elf and boy, that gets to be a challenge to find a new place to pose the little snooper.

Imagine my surprise when I found out Jill over at baby rabies is putting on an Inappropriate Elf Contest. The idea: pose your elf in an inappropriate way yet keep it PG-13. So many ideas immediately went out the window with that rule but one still remained. There must be at least one elf that gets a little too merry some night, right? If you think the picture below is bad, you should see what Talina caught him doing before he finally passed out. After all, there’s a lot of pressure for one little elf to handle this time of year!

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We’re getting a crisp taste of fall here at the Half-Acre Homestead. We swung from the century mark down to about 60-degrees and all within a few hours this past weekend. We’re now donning light jackets to sneak out and take our evening stroll through the garden and I definitely am having to zip up when I go out and make the nightly rounds with our crazy menagerie of animals outside.

Despite feeling extremely sick to her stomach for reasons we'd later understand, my Homestead Hottie climbed right in to apple picking.

Looking for a break from the daily routine with our toddler and newborn, Homestead Hottie and I decided we wanted to get out and enjoy one of the fall activities we’ve come to really enjoy: picking apples. The first year we moved here we went to a u-pick apple orchard located in the middle of town. It was the staple of many family traditions in the area. We pulled up into the dusty parking pad to find three children and a horse hanging out in a small plywood shelter. After paying our money we were handed our two picking bags and off we went.

At some point during this excursion, walking up and down row upon row of this apple orchard, we came to the conclusion Homestead Hottie was pregnant with our first Darling Daughter. She looked greener and greener around the gills with each passing moment and at one point thought she was going to pass out. Needless to say, this apple picking excursion was the beginning of our realization we were headed down the path to parenthood. Memories were made and so was a lot of applesauce.

Instead of climbing, I took aim at the tops of the apple trees with one very handing wooden stick and would catch my results as they fell.

Fast forward three years and we’ve been super stoked to see our friend Joe Engelbrecht working on getting his fourth generation orchard up and running. While we couldn’t u-pick at his orchard last year, we bought plenty and plenty of apples from his farm store and turned them into preserved apple slices and several canning jars full of apple butter. In my opinion, they are some quintessential treats of fall.

This year, Joe’s u-pick orchard is up and running and we didn’t hesitate to jump in the first weekend we could. We know the longer you wait in the season to pick, the harder it is to find some good quality fruit so we didn’t want to drag our feet. After purchasing our picking bags at Joe’s store (he was charging $1 per pound and you got to decide between 5 or 10 pound bags), we were given directions on how to access the gravel trail meandering through adjacent corn fields and to the orchard laid out nicely on the slope above the store.

Pulling up to the rustic red barn marking the entrance to the orchard, you could begin reading the signs marking each row of apple trees. Much to Homestead Hottie’s excitement were a row or two of Jonagold apples. These are her favorite “everyday” eating apples and a variety our family chiropractor turned us onto when he discovered Talina didn’t like the texture or taste of most apples.

The orchard was overloaded with apples when we paid a visit with plenty still in our Darling Daughter's reach.

We quickly filled up a 5-pound bag of Jonagold apples after walking just one or two trees deep down the row. I wanted to get a mixed bag of a few of the other varieties Joe has to offer including Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Braeburn. These three varieties aren’t quite at their peak of ripeness yet but I’m sure several days on the counter will help them get there.

Everly had a blast sprinting from tree to tree and gazing at the trees, overloaded with one of her favorite fruits to snack on. She even had a few apples that were within her short reach that she was able to pick and this made her quite proud. In fact, one of those apples didn’t even make it into the bag but instead landed firmly in her mouth. It was her picking fuel and the ultimate test of the quality of Joe’s apple crop. Everly definitely approved because aside from a shared bite or two, she downed that thing. Baby Adalyn slept the entire time we off-roaded her stroller up and down the orchard rows so she must have been enjoying herself too.

If you’re looking for a fun family activity to do one of these fall weekends, I would definitely recommend heading to Joe Engelbrecth’s Fourth Generation Orchard to pick some fresh apples. Not only are you supporting a local farmer by doing so, you’re supporting a unique local business. Joe and his wife are carving a very unique niche for themselves in the Evansville area and hopefully will find further prosperity here in the future. Happy picking!

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Our society seems ripe with abandonement. Apparantly many individuals believe that when the going gets tough, get rid of it. Because of that thinking, we see abandonement just about everywhere we go in America. It could be that Sears refridgerator dumped out of the back of a pickup truck in an empty lot. It might be the junked Toyota Corrola pushed over the edge of a canyon, coming to rest in the middle of a stream. It could also be the fluffy persian cat, silently dumped in the middle of the night behind the tv station. Or, in the saddest of circumstances, it’s the infant left on the front steps of the local fire station. While my most recent run-in with abandonement is worth a chuckle, it’s kind of sad at the same time.I took the recycleables out to the recycling dumpster this afternoon when I was greeted by the most unusual “freebie”. Left by the side of the dumpster stood an indoor palm tree…a houseplant. This palm tree had certainly seen better days. I’m not one to let any abandoned object, sitting beside the dumpster, go unnoticed. So, I went in for a closer look. The tall spindly palm tree was tied to itself. Five shoots came out from the soil. Two of those shoots had perfect green leaves on top of them. Another shoot had a brand new leaf, ready to unfurl and spring forth with new life. The other two were as brown as cowhide and crispy. The palm was sitting in a rather large terra cotta pot, complete with a terra cotta drip tray. The pot looked as if a mere sneeze would turn it to dust. Lines of calcium stained the rim and sides of the clay. Another spot almost seemed to ooze blood, like the damn thing had been shot at in one last fit of rage between the plant and it’s owner. The soil was covered with dead leaves…like the thought never occured to simply throw them out.

Abandonement: A houseplant tossed out of the very house it tried to pump oxygen into. It’s not as if the damn thing has given up the ghost, not wanting to grow or participate in life. No. This palm has two good fronds and another on the way! But why bother cut the dead and decay from this horrible plant? I’m just going to place it gently by the dumpster and walk away, hoping someone will save this tragic thing.

And so, I waited until darkness fell around the dumpster and his leafy mate. I skulked through the parking lot, almost fearing for the harsh reaction of the neighbors. The neighbors who would recoil at the thought of picking up someone’s abandoned house plant. With the crumbling pot firmly in my arms, I carried the poor palm back to our front step. Bathed in the porchlight, I knew yet another abandoned object had come to our home to stay. A stay that will breathe new life in the abandoned potted palm. At the same time, I feel sorry for the poor sap that just gives up on their houseplant.

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You’ve seen the mug. Some probably have the t-shirt. You know the ones I’m talking about, screen-printed with the phrase World’s Greatest Dad. It’s so subjective, how could one argue with such a special title. Maybe that Dad is the World’s Greatest for one person but not necessarily another

There is no other place to analyze and compare the styles of fatherhood closer than on TV. Throughout the decades we’ve been able to watch the role of dads change along with societal expectations and the progression has been interesting to watch. Gone are the days of Ward C leaver being served breakfast by his wife before he departs for his 9 to 5, only to return again for a cocktail, dinner and a brief fatherly anecdote on some life lesson mom has been dealing with all day. Finally, to have his slippers and robe fetched before turning in for the night. It seemed to work for Wally and the Beave but is it the best way to father?

Strangely, one TV dad I think has influenced my style a bit is Herman Munster. Yes, the guy does stick out like a sore thumb (something I try to battle on a daily basis) but he has a level of fatherly empathy that I applaud.

Herman, played by the great Fred Gwynne, was always there to coach his son Eddy and daughter Marilyn through life’s ups and downs with a measure of grace. Respecting his children for the individuals they were (werewolf or not), Herman provided love and guidance with the perfect mix of humor to keep things from getting overly awkward. Besides, I think humor is such a great way to keep a connection with your children and reveal that you don’t always have to be quite so serious.

My Darling Daughter is still young (barely turning two) and with another girl on the way, I consider myself fairly new at this ultimate life test called being a dad.  Only time will tell if I’m the World’s Greatest Dad for these girls. I hope with all of my heart to show them all the love, empathy, guidance, fun and humor one  man can have with his wife and kids.

So who do you think was the World’s Greatest Dad on TV? The guys over at Man of the House have a bracket going on right now, pitting TV dads against each other. They’re in a showdown as people vote for their favorite until one will be named World’s Greatest TV Dad for Father’s Day this year (June 19th).

After taking a look at the field, I’m placing my bet on Phil Dunphy (Modern Family) and Charles Ingalls (Little House on the Praire). Phil is just a goofball with a big heart, two qualities I hope come through in my parenting. Charles, aside from the obvious quality of being able to support his family by living off the land, was able to handle the rough and tumble frontier life but still be an even-keeled and tremendously loving father. Take your pick and register a vote for your favorite TV dads!

- I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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I really enjoy living in a place where you can feel connected to nature and the natural environment that surrounds you.  Last night, while coming into the village where we live I got to see the local herd of elk grazing on grass around midnight.  I stopped the car probably about 10 feet away from them.  They looked at me and continued munching their evening meal.  I just watched for a few minutes before coming up the hill to the house.  It was a very relaxing and peaceful sight to watch.

Today, I was out in the the front yard talking to one of our neighbors when all of a sudden, I felt a piercing pain in my right hand.  I immediately looked down to see a wasp planting his rear end  into the palm of my hand.  Sure, it stung and still does nearly an hour later.  But, I just brushed the little guy off and let him go about his day and thought how lucky I was it picked me!  Sometimes it’s just the simple little things that put a smile on my face.

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This week around the Half-Acre Homestead has proven to be just as crazy as any other.  Our main car had some catastrophic engine problems and now sits back out our mechanic’s shop in several pieces.  One of the fuel injectors (something they just so happened to work on a month ago) completely broke off and fell into the engine.  We are waiting to see how he’s going to take care of us, especially since we just dropped $1300 with him to have the fuel injectors fixed and now this huge mess.

Add to that the usual madness that surrounds spring weather here in the Midwest.  We’ve started our yearly battle of cold air taking on warm, moist air and have already had some severe storms because of it.

Tuesday night was no exception.  A strong, wavy line of severe thunderstorms formed out in the plains to our west and barreled into our area, sometimes racing at 90+ miles per hour.  We kept an eye on the wall of tornado watch boxes steadily marching toward us on the National Weather Serivce radar and put our severe weather plan into place.  Without a basement, we must resort to taking shelter in the downstairs bathroom which requires a little bit of prep to make our stay more “comfortable”.  Pillows and blankets make a trip to the dry bathtub more enjoyable.

We knew the situation was serious when windows started getting blown out of homes about 60 miles to our west in Illinois.  Wind gusts were topping 100 miles per hour with the cluster of storms headed right toward us.  About 15 minutes before the line’s arrival time, we woke up our Darling Daughter and locked ourselves in the bathroom.

Several trees around our house were ripped from the ground, some landing on the nearby railroad tracks.

Listening to our emergency radio, we heard the TV station get hit with a tremendous force of wind and hail.  At one point, even meteorologist Jeff Lyons had some worry in his voice and indicated they might have to move to shelter in a moment.  Just about 5 minutes later, the storm finally hit us with a tremendous roar and energy that only Mother Nature at her rarest can dish out.  A cell that was tornado warned was moving right over the top of us.

We emerged from our bathroom storm shelter about 30 minutes later and found we still had a roof, four walls and all of our windows (minus one screen that blew out).  Our neighborhood is newer and pretty much void of any big trees associated with the upper Midwest.  After 2008’s terrorizing ice storm and living beneath three huge trees gripped by the thick frozen coating, we knew trees over the house were trouble.  This lack of big trees proved to pay off for our area, with no real damage to be seen except a neighbors mangled backyard trampoline.

Metal debris from a nearby building was strewn through this soybean field at Kansas & Hwy 57

Driving to work yesterday I got to see what that full force of wind did to our area.  The airport weather station a mile to our south measured a peak wind gust of 76mph during the storm but just to our north, the impact seemed to be much worse.  Trees snapped like twigs were strewn all over the Indiana Southern rail line, on driveways and along the shoulder of Highway-57.  Railroad crossing gates were left bent at 90-degree angles and wrapped around support poles.  A nearby soybean field was littered with house-sized sheets of metal ripped from an industrial building across the street.  Shoe Carnival’s huge distribution center was closed after a portion of the roof was ripped off and tossed into a pile.  A concrete block barn across the street was leveled, pieces of twisted metal left wrapped in electrical wires across the street.

This concrete block barn took a massive hit, leaving a pile of rubble beside Hwy 57

This barn seems to be a total loss. Some corrugated metal roof sections were wrapped around power lines across Hwy 57 from this barn

A bulge can be seen in the middle of the roof at the Shoe Carnival distribution center. Two days later their roof is repaired.

To me, just a weather nut, it looked like the storm cell that hit us was indeed producing at least a weak tornado.  Our area has endured straight line wind events topping 60+ mph before with just some minor tree damage.  This was something completely different.  Luckily no injuries were reported and crews were busy picking up the pieces the very next day.

We’re under the gun again for severe weather on Friday, just enough time for us to catch our breath and do it all over again.  But hey, nature’s yearly temperature clash keeps things interesting as usual around the Half-Acre Homestead.

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