My Beautiful Garden!

So far I've weeded and put up a net canopy and gate. We planted two bushes: raspberry and blueberry. I hope they grow!! The amazing thing is, most of this stuff was found. Some of it in that very spot, such as a pick tool, zip ties and rocks (to prop all the stakes up and keep the gate and net securely in the ground). Other things that were 'found' were all those wooden slats (from the broken part of the patio) the 2x4, the broom handles and the wooden rod (on left), the gate and the ribbons. We bought the net last year and the seeds and plants were bought as well. We also bought gloves and borrowed a cultivator (human-powered). That's it! I hope to plant in a week or two! I'm excited to see what grows! :)

The New New Addition to the Green List!

Compost!!!

Compost bin.

Compost bin.


Compost bin.

Compost bin!


We are starting a garden. These are my professional rock removers.

Here you can see the garden, complete with gnomes, in the background. All the way to the left in front of the fence is a pile of rocks. We are planning to go to that bush on the right. There are already some flowers there. Can you tell how far I weeded up to this picture? Lol. I did some more work on it after going to Home Depot. We really have to get started on planting NOW. I bought a few seeds such as tomato, cucumber, string beans, watermelon, radish, and lettuce. I also bought a sprigs that are supposed to grow into a raspberry and blueberry bush! We'll see how it goes! I hope I have enough room. If not, we'll skip some seeds this year. I'll try to post updates if anything grows! Wish us luck! :)

The Dilemma of Forever

I, like most parents since the 1960's or so, like to capture moments of my babies life on film. You really can forget about the little changes that happen over time; even in a few short months one picture brings back memories you didn't know you'd forgotten. Their daily funny antics can be shown to family members who are far away. It seems to be such an amazing gift to be able to do this in modern times. But I wonder if it is not without trade offs.

The main thing that worries me in this digital age is that by jumping for the camera we might miss what is actually there. I feel this way with vacations too. Sure, we are there and can split our time, but having to stop to aim and shoot seems to take away that in-the-moment feeling for the fact that sometimes, we vacate to get away from all our daily technology. Some times we just want to be and feel.

This world is too image conscious. So even when you do take those pictures, and you are in them, you have to wonder how you look. Even if you don't care in the moment, which I think is sometimes just hidden away in the backs of our minds, we might care afterwards. Its not so much for the fact that we always have to look amazing, but because we want the image to portray the sentiment that was there when it was immortalized. And more often than not, the picture can come out looking cold or badly shot because real life isn't a portrait studio with perfect lighting. When we try to worry about getting the best shot during a 'moment' it is precisely the time that we trade off the moment for the picture, or we then try to recreate it artificially to look better than the real thing felt or looked at the time. Or sometimes, we miss the moment totally, in person and with the camera, when we run to grab the means to capture it. It doesn't always happen this way, but it does often enough that it makes you stop a bit.

Lately, Lyla has been super attached and lying on my chest very often, at night before bed, in the middle of the night or in the morning. Even though it can be a huge task for me to deal with so often, it is still sweet. I've thought of trying to take pictures of it, but I think its better to just enjoy it. I'm not about to give up my camera either, but some things just won't be in the family slide show. Thankfully, we have enough that is.

A quick tip.

When cutting your veggies, take the bits you would normally throw out, such as carrot tops, scallion bottoms, and these


And put them in a ziplock in the freezer.


You can then use these to make a soup broth for free without having to waste any new veggies! Just strain and chuck* the bits when you're done!


You can keep the broth in the freezer too, in a container you were going to have to throw away! Look at you, being so green! :) (This one actually has the left over "marinade" from my zucchinis. Its garlic, olive oil and spices, but the zucchinis give off some water too so you can totally use it as/with a broth!)


*A quick edit: Just strain and compost the bits when you are done! :)

Africa, you sustain me!

I've been meaning to write about this for a little while now, but I'm always SUPER tired in the AM. Well now its 3 o'clock so here it is, my obsession, Mombasa Coffee.

Add one or two cinnamon sticks, 3 cardamom pods, and about 4-5 cloves into a pot. DON'T BUY THESE AT A REGULAR STORE! They are a rip off. Get them at your local Indian market, where the people are way nicer anyway. The cinnamon is usually the strongest, even though I love the flavor, I add one most of the time.

Add water. Its a good idea to add more than you need, because it cooks down A LOT. I never have enough. Turn it on to boiling but then reduce it so it doesn't get too burnt or evaporated.


It takes a little time, so meanwhile, prepare your French Press. :) I got mine (FINA-FLIPPING-LY!) for $15 at a local supermarket. Nice.


Let it get nice and dark. Mmmm dark. ;)


Then I strain it through a mesh strainer. You can also make it by adding the coffee to the stove and cooking it just a bit longer, BUT I've heard that you really shouldn't make coffee with boiling water because it can burn it. Personally, it was really delicious when I made it that way, but little grains always came past the strainer anyway, and I also like to keep the seeds for another use. This way it doesn't mix with the coffee grounds and I can keep the seeds for another time.


Wait some more. The longer the stronger. I like it strong but I love the spice flavor so its a bit of a trade off. :\


Press slowly (so close!!!!)


Pour and enjoy!! I like mine with a bit of milk. :) Pure happiness!!



On another note, I got my ONE shirt, did you??

You better remember this face, it will lead the Revolution!!

Well you should. I also get a little flack for supporting international organizations, and besides the fact that I think that's dumb and rude, I want to clear up a few things.

1.) This country will never be 'fixed enough' for people to be ready to export aid. We'll always have something to fix so in the meantime, these dying people are not going to wait.

2.) I support local orgs PLENTY. As a matter of fact, I benefit from them. If you want me to knit scarves for the local homeless vets, you got it. So don't tell me not to send some malaria nets or meds overseas either.

3.) As with previous said orgs, people run those and support those, including me. But I care about THIS and I'm going to support THIS! I got shit for doing my global change project on discrimination of Gypsies/Roma and one girl said "Well, they do steal and no body likes them and this isn't as important as all the other things everyone else is doing, etc etc"...exactly my point bitch, thanks for proving it.

4.) As poor as the people here are, they are not THIS poor. Even the homeless here have shelters (as shitty as they are) and water from a local bathroom sink (trust me, many all over the world DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER!! A grimy sink would be heaven.) Hell, I'm richer than, what? 50% of the world? And in case you all don't know, we are unemployed. I'm not trying to bitch either, I am a very grateful person. But they say the poor are more generous than the rich. You got that right.

I would love to do more for this organization and the other ones I am a part of, other than just clicking petitions. While I think (hope) that helps, I hope I can really start doing more soon.


Lol.

It only borders on obsession...

I've known about this brand, Bear Naked, for about a month now. Flippin' yum.

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These take foreevvvvvvverr to upload!