I shoulda said before -- I am on a bit of a holiday -- well, sort of my dream holiday. I am in search of big things! Maybe you have seen or heard of them -- towns in Canada tend to build a 'symbol' for the town, usually something odd... A giant hockey stick in Duncan BC, a giant perogy in Glenmore, AB, a giant goose, and others that I can't think of right now. I am off to discover them -- except the giant hockey stick, because I did see it years ago when I lived on Vancouver Island, so I don't need to do that again, but going east from Abbotsford, there are alot more of them!
And quilt shops, I must make a list of them -- along the towns on the Yellowhead Highway as that is the east bound route I plan -- and thrift shops, with no particular items in mind, I will hopefully not find too many treasures as the car is only a bitty one...
So, when I return, sometime in September I will get back to regular posts and perhaps have some pictures of giant things to show you...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Those Pesky Zippers
So, Here's the problem... The zippers on pouches, lined or unlined just don't sit straight -- at least for me. The pink one (the first picture) the end or is it the beginning of the zipper sort of scrunches into the seam -- this is an unlined bag and the inside seams of the zipper flip up sorta, and look very unfinished when open. I think perhaps, that top stitching along the zipper might help with that, though I have not taken that step as yet, so cannot be quite sure....
Now this second picture is lined bag and the zipper is hidden between the layers, it looks somewhat better, but I am still not really satisfied with this method because as you can see, the beginning of the zipper, still sort of flops open and has a bulge on the lining fabric. Maybe it is just me being fussy, but really, is there a trick to putting zippers into this type of small bag??? HELP if you can!
A Drive in the Country
To be able to get in the car in the middle of the "working" week and go for a drive is an amazing luxury. For only the cost of the gas and the time, one has a wonderful summer memory!
The Fraser Valley, just about 70 kms east of Vancouver, BC is a wonderment of farmland, both animals and plants. On a little side road in what is called Glen Valley we stopped the car to "talk" to these horses -- the cows were not at all interested in any sort of conversation -- they were busy munching bits of whatever it is that cows munch on. The Pinto there was quite happy to stop his foraging and listen to every word we said -- he did not talk back or even ask for a 'present' -- he just stood and made every effort to appear interested. One hates to leave anyone who listens so attentively! Too many times I have had the experience of someone wandering away while I am in mid-sentence! How humiliating!
Now, today, I am going back to a struggle in my sewing room. I am trying to get a zipper on the top of a small bag -- but I am not happy with the zipper sort of bulges at beginning and end. Is there a secret to installing a zipper on a bag so that the 'seams' don't bulge and look not quite finished properly? I have looked through some tutorials on-line but they all are the same -- do we have to settle for that raggedy finish? Help! if you can give me an answer!
What I have learned today: I'll let you know later if I ever figure out the zipper thing....
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Insurance
This past week, I have been reading about and making some comments on Myrna Giesbrect's Blog ( http://blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com/ ) about insurance coverage on one's possessions, from the sewing room stash, to life and health insurance. Myrna and I have widely different view points on insurance, and at this point I do suspect that the main difference is somewhat in the way we were raised and the views that our parents gave to us...
Sometimes I feel so very old fashioned, more like my parents generation than even my own generation. The idea of possessions having any importance in my life beyond helping to support my life in its basic requirements is and has always been a guilty feeling...
If there are four people in my family, what is the purpose of having 12 place setting set of dishes, or even less understandable to me, why would a family of four need 2 or 3 or even four sets of dishes? As my sons grew up and out, over the years between the two of them they probably had 6 bikes of varying sizes -- every one, well except one, were bought second hand -- in all their growing up years they never "lost" or had stolen a bike -- why? cause no other kid really wanted second-hand junk! But, if they did not get second hand junk they would have had NO Junk at all.
Now this is where the idea of insurance enters in the picture. Insurance is a very nice idea, that is if it is affordable to you. To me and my family it was not. I and my hubby both come from parents who pretty much discouraged education. The hue and cry in my house was, as soon as it is legal for you to work, GET A JOB! I like many others started working part time when I was 13 years old. I started as a babysitter at 25 cents and hour: when I was 15, i got a job at a independant shop that was situated on the banks of the Red River near Lockport, Manitoba. The shop's main business was selling bait to fishermen. The shop also sold tackle for that same thing, fishing and snack goodies -- It was open 24 hours a day from the Victoria Day weekend until Thanksgiving weekend (about May 24 to Oct 10) I worked every week from 7pm on Friday afternoon until 7pm on Sunday -- I slept in the store -- rather dozed and jumped up at 2am to answer the door and sell some scruffy guy a bag of potato chips, a coke and a box of live crayfish or a can of worms or a container of frozen salted minnows... I got paid $25 every two weeks! Anyway, suffice to say, that because of WORK, I did not get to college and business courses until I was 35 years old. That is a whole nother subject -- education -- but I wanted to touch on it because it has a huge bearing on insurance simply because family income is tremendously affected with lack of income and lack of income means that all life is affected by what is needed NOW. The future is not much considered other than to save up for a few weeks just to buy a new pair of shoes! The loss of a bus pass is/was disaster! A small garden in summer was absolutely necessary! It was not a garden to make you feel good about eating locally to help with the enviromental crisis...
So, I was raised to view insurance as an unnecessary expense. Why pay for something that may never happen? Why spend money that was more needed to use on food or sneakers for school or even to give my family a treat to a movie now and then. No insurance other than that required by law (auto insurance) was never considered to be something that we could 'invest' in.
Now, I do understand that basically that is what insurance is, an investment. But it was an investment that was not affordable. And, luckily I never had to wish I had insurance. Well, except for auto insurance but that was a losing investment -- having spent say an average of 800 dollars every year for 40 years, that investment covered the cost of a side swipe on my car -- 3000 dollars to repair 10 times over -- the auto insurance company is making a huge profit on my driving record!
I do not want to think about what the actual or even the replacement value of my possessions are -- today I do have house and auto insurance but not life insurance -- no company will give me insurance because of my health history and chronic conditions anyway...
When it comes right down to it, possessions are the least important things in my life. Many years ago, my son at age three, chipped an ceramic ornament at his fraternal grandmother's house. She railed and ranted and yelled and cried -- AT A THREE YEAR OLD -- it frightened him ever after being at her home -- even when he became an adult he never went to see his grandmother unless it was with his own parents... Since that day -- I made up in my mind that NOTHING, NOT A Thing, NOT anything at all, could ever have more importance that the people around me -- why do I need insurance on JUST A NOTHER THING...
When I want or need something, I will purchase it, but as soon as it is mine, I consider it valueless except for the need that it fills. To me, it really doesn't have any monetary value. When I am finished with an item, it goes to the second hand store or is recycled or repurposed. It is rare that I re-sell anything, but on occasion it happens.
What I learned today: I am getting so picky and fussy about things, even the angle that my chair sits in relation to where the TV is, or where my yarn box is, or even where the side table drawer pulls out! Age is becoming the age of critisism...
Sometimes I feel so very old fashioned, more like my parents generation than even my own generation. The idea of possessions having any importance in my life beyond helping to support my life in its basic requirements is and has always been a guilty feeling...
If there are four people in my family, what is the purpose of having 12 place setting set of dishes, or even less understandable to me, why would a family of four need 2 or 3 or even four sets of dishes? As my sons grew up and out, over the years between the two of them they probably had 6 bikes of varying sizes -- every one, well except one, were bought second hand -- in all their growing up years they never "lost" or had stolen a bike -- why? cause no other kid really wanted second-hand junk! But, if they did not get second hand junk they would have had NO Junk at all.
Now this is where the idea of insurance enters in the picture. Insurance is a very nice idea, that is if it is affordable to you. To me and my family it was not. I and my hubby both come from parents who pretty much discouraged education. The hue and cry in my house was, as soon as it is legal for you to work, GET A JOB! I like many others started working part time when I was 13 years old. I started as a babysitter at 25 cents and hour: when I was 15, i got a job at a independant shop that was situated on the banks of the Red River near Lockport, Manitoba. The shop's main business was selling bait to fishermen. The shop also sold tackle for that same thing, fishing and snack goodies -- It was open 24 hours a day from the Victoria Day weekend until Thanksgiving weekend (about May 24 to Oct 10) I worked every week from 7pm on Friday afternoon until 7pm on Sunday -- I slept in the store -- rather dozed and jumped up at 2am to answer the door and sell some scruffy guy a bag of potato chips, a coke and a box of live crayfish or a can of worms or a container of frozen salted minnows... I got paid $25 every two weeks! Anyway, suffice to say, that because of WORK, I did not get to college and business courses until I was 35 years old. That is a whole nother subject -- education -- but I wanted to touch on it because it has a huge bearing on insurance simply because family income is tremendously affected with lack of income and lack of income means that all life is affected by what is needed NOW. The future is not much considered other than to save up for a few weeks just to buy a new pair of shoes! The loss of a bus pass is/was disaster! A small garden in summer was absolutely necessary! It was not a garden to make you feel good about eating locally to help with the enviromental crisis...
So, I was raised to view insurance as an unnecessary expense. Why pay for something that may never happen? Why spend money that was more needed to use on food or sneakers for school or even to give my family a treat to a movie now and then. No insurance other than that required by law (auto insurance) was never considered to be something that we could 'invest' in.
Now, I do understand that basically that is what insurance is, an investment. But it was an investment that was not affordable. And, luckily I never had to wish I had insurance. Well, except for auto insurance but that was a losing investment -- having spent say an average of 800 dollars every year for 40 years, that investment covered the cost of a side swipe on my car -- 3000 dollars to repair 10 times over -- the auto insurance company is making a huge profit on my driving record!
I do not want to think about what the actual or even the replacement value of my possessions are -- today I do have house and auto insurance but not life insurance -- no company will give me insurance because of my health history and chronic conditions anyway...
When it comes right down to it, possessions are the least important things in my life. Many years ago, my son at age three, chipped an ceramic ornament at his fraternal grandmother's house. She railed and ranted and yelled and cried -- AT A THREE YEAR OLD -- it frightened him ever after being at her home -- even when he became an adult he never went to see his grandmother unless it was with his own parents... Since that day -- I made up in my mind that NOTHING, NOT A Thing, NOT anything at all, could ever have more importance that the people around me -- why do I need insurance on JUST A NOTHER THING...
When I want or need something, I will purchase it, but as soon as it is mine, I consider it valueless except for the need that it fills. To me, it really doesn't have any monetary value. When I am finished with an item, it goes to the second hand store or is recycled or repurposed. It is rare that I re-sell anything, but on occasion it happens.
What I learned today: I am getting so picky and fussy about things, even the angle that my chair sits in relation to where the TV is, or where my yarn box is, or even where the side table drawer pulls out! Age is becoming the age of critisism...
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Gratuitous Cat Photo and what I made today...
May as well start off with a picture of my cats -- we recently bought a couple of new recliners and it seems now we bought them for the cats. Fossie on the left is our old lady, approaching 12 in October and Archie on the right is an inbred (his mother is his sister) (not my doing!) siamese who is just turned 3 years old on July 1. The only time they lay together is to share the new recliner -- Archie sleeps on top of me all night and Fossie prowls about the house chasing the ghosts...
Now to a more serious subject -- ORGANIZATION. We have too much stuff, we keep getting more stuff -- I really try, believe me, I really try hard not to bring useless stuff into the house, but in todays world, even having the basics means you have too much stuff...
I made an organizer basket for all the bathroom stuff, that seems to always be falling off the shelf by the sink (the room is one of those half bath type set ups where it is just a toilet and sink -- but it is the room that most gets used for washing up and doing the teethes things, so it has alot of those small odd bits in that room. The organizer is a plastic tub that deli potato salad came it, about the same size as a 907 gr margarine tub except a bit deeper, so things stand up just a bit better...
What I Learned today: there is actually a punctuation mark that combines the "?" and the "!" -- except I forgot what it is called...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Famous Fashion Designer -- only in my head...
Many years ago, many more that the book cover below might suggest, I made doll clothes for everyone under the age of 15 in my neighbourhood. Seems I was the only kid within miles who could sew -- sort of... I thought I was pretty good at making clothes for dolls, I made my own patterns and had a booklet that I kept of favourites -- my friend Sharon down the road loved barbie dolls in wedding dresses and I probably made 10 of them for her! Another little girl, her name was Adele, a grown up name I thought, liked her baby doll dressed in fluffy dresses and pinafores, like Alice in Wonderland, a bit like the doll on the cover of the book, below. I don't know what happened to my own homemade book of patterns and when I "grew up" like about 16 years old, I stopped making clothes for the girls in the area. It began to seem like alot of work for 25 cents, even when the "customer" provided the fabrics (often one of their dad's old shirts!)
I discovered this book, Dolls' Clothes Pattern Book at one of the local second hand stores for $3.00 and snapped it up. Not that I want to start making all sorts of doll clothes, or even that I am particularly interested in creating doll clothes as a hobby, BUT, I have four neices, Kaydee, Lucy, Greta and Scarlette, aged 7 to 3. You know the kind of little girls in that perfect age where dolls are a big part of their lives. So being the great aunt that I am, I have started to make a collection of clothes for their dolls -- starting with the many barbies...
I discovered this book, Dolls' Clothes Pattern Book at one of the local second hand stores for $3.00 and snapped it up. Not that I want to start making all sorts of doll clothes, or even that I am particularly interested in creating doll clothes as a hobby, BUT, I have four neices, Kaydee, Lucy, Greta and Scarlette, aged 7 to 3. You know the kind of little girls in that perfect age where dolls are a big part of their lives. So being the great aunt that I am, I have started to make a collection of clothes for their dolls -- starting with the many barbies...
What I learned today: Even if something works well, sometimes it makes life and creativeness more interesting to explore "options"...
Sunday, August 2, 2009
computer glitches and a funny thing happened while walking in the mall...
I woulda posted a few things in the past week or so, but the new computer -- with Windows Vista, encountered a glitch -- so it was with the techie guy -- now supposedly it is cured and I am back online writing about odd things...
So today, hubby and myself went to the food court at the mall for a bite to eat -- yes we eat at junk food joints -- not too often, but often enough so that when we go, the lady at Thaiway remembers me! so obviously we go too often -- which may actually be only once each month, but maybe she has a good memory!
So after having our bite to eat we took a walk around the Mall, not to shop but to get me a bit of exercise. We noticed a new kiosk in the centre courtyard area that had sunglasses for $15 any pair and since hubby had recently managed to break his and was using mine, I stopped and picked out a pair for him -- he liked them. Then I asked the girl if she had the night low glare type shades and she did, so I got hubby a pair of those too. With tax, $35 bucks.... Then I told my hubby to pay for them and he said "I thought you were buying them for me?" and I answered, "No cause he was the one with the paycheck, not me. And besides if his wife saw the new sunglasses she might wonder how he got them." Then the poor clerk stepped right into the trap!
She said "Oh, you two look like a long married couple!" And I answered "Ha, I am just the girlfriend" ahahahaha,
I sure am funny some days!
What I learned today: I sure do like talking to people I don't know -- you can say anything about anybody at anytime and they will believe you!
So today, hubby and myself went to the food court at the mall for a bite to eat -- yes we eat at junk food joints -- not too often, but often enough so that when we go, the lady at Thaiway remembers me! so obviously we go too often -- which may actually be only once each month, but maybe she has a good memory!
So after having our bite to eat we took a walk around the Mall, not to shop but to get me a bit of exercise. We noticed a new kiosk in the centre courtyard area that had sunglasses for $15 any pair and since hubby had recently managed to break his and was using mine, I stopped and picked out a pair for him -- he liked them. Then I asked the girl if she had the night low glare type shades and she did, so I got hubby a pair of those too. With tax, $35 bucks.... Then I told my hubby to pay for them and he said "I thought you were buying them for me?" and I answered, "No cause he was the one with the paycheck, not me. And besides if his wife saw the new sunglasses she might wonder how he got them." Then the poor clerk stepped right into the trap!
She said "Oh, you two look like a long married couple!" And I answered "Ha, I am just the girlfriend" ahahahaha,
I sure am funny some days!
What I learned today: I sure do like talking to people I don't know -- you can say anything about anybody at anytime and they will believe you!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
When Kids become Smarter than...
So today, I sent my son an email telling him I hadn't got the parcel he said he was sending me...
He said he hadn't sent it yet.
He forgot to ask my address.
Shows how often he sends stuff, eh?
Well, then I sent him my address, but I asked him how he would find me if he didn't know my address if he drove here.
His prompt reply was. You go to Safeway every week but I bet you don't know what their address is...
I may have to change this blog title to Neil being Snippy...
But then my reply back, was that at least I was still (and always be) smarter than his father, even though it looks like my kid was now smarter, or snippier than me...
He said he hadn't sent it yet.
He forgot to ask my address.
Shows how often he sends stuff, eh?
Well, then I sent him my address, but I asked him how he would find me if he didn't know my address if he drove here.
His prompt reply was. You go to Safeway every week but I bet you don't know what their address is...
I may have to change this blog title to Neil being Snippy...
But then my reply back, was that at least I was still (and always be) smarter than his father, even though it looks like my kid was now smarter, or snippier than me...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Too Much Stuff and Sewing in it ANYWAY!
How desperate one becomes when it seems to be impossible to sew! I took or maybe the word is THREW some of the stuff from my fallen down shelves into a pile, made space to roll on my chair between the sewing maching and the ironing board and did some SEWING..
.
First what some many call mindless sewing -- though it is something I saw on another blog at least a year ago, and a member of my quilt guild brought an example she tried out. Sewing together dozens of pieces of the strips of selvege that gets cut off the fabric yardage. I sewed my strips onto some non fusible light interfacing that I had in one of those shoeboxes of stuff that fell down with the shelves -- that was handy, it was a box that was right at the top of the pile!
It takes a long time to sew those strips together, so once I figured I understood the concept and could see how my fabric selvedges looked, lined up all together in one piece, I stopped. The piece of fabric that I created from those bits, was enough to make a journal cover... I have a thing for those blank books in the dollar stores, this one turned out quite nice, I thought so anyway. Now, another thing to give or keep, depending on need at the time...
.
First what some many call mindless sewing -- though it is something I saw on another blog at least a year ago, and a member of my quilt guild brought an example she tried out. Sewing together dozens of pieces of the strips of selvege that gets cut off the fabric yardage. I sewed my strips onto some non fusible light interfacing that I had in one of those shoeboxes of stuff that fell down with the shelves -- that was handy, it was a box that was right at the top of the pile!
It takes a long time to sew those strips together, so once I figured I understood the concept and could see how my fabric selvedges looked, lined up all together in one piece, I stopped. The piece of fabric that I created from those bits, was enough to make a journal cover... I have a thing for those blank books in the dollar stores, this one turned out quite nice, I thought so anyway. Now, another thing to give or keep, depending on need at the time...
Now having not quite managed to wear out my sewing urge, I decided that perhaps I could use a new cosmetic bag -- I don't even wear make-up (never did like the feel of foundation and powder) but my "cosmetic bag" will hold some asprins and toothpaste and brush and other little necesessities when we go on our little 2 or 3 day adventures around BC or perhaps slightly further adventures into the rolling hills of Alberta.
My little cosmetic bag is about 8" deep by 7" wide, I want to find some sort of 'pull' to attach to the zipper, yet.
What I learned today: Try never to deny your urges, they just get stronger...
My cousin sent me a link to Fly Lady (you heard of her, right?) because she thinks it will help me to organize my sewing room.... Hmm, not sure how having a clean sink will help me with the caved in closet shelves, but thank-you anyway. Maybe I will be nice to my husband, and show him how nice a sink looks when it shines -- will he take the hint and shine the sink? Bets?
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Sewing Room
Aw-well...
I was going to write today all about How I became a (famous) fashion designer --- in fact I thought about it for a day and a half and pretty much had it all layed out in my mind... BUT. I went into my sewing room this morning and.... I wish you could see .... but I forgot to take a picture...
Suffice to say that the shelving unit in the closet collapsed. Three shelves, about 6 ft wide came crashing down, fabric, button boxes, shoe boxes with lace, embroidery threads, beads, a couple of baskets of odd bits of weird stuff. Fabric just does not slide off a shelf and remain in the folds that it was in on the shelf. Fat Quarters, in little neat rolls in baskets, fall WillyNilly every which way, unroll and somehow get between the folds of a 10 meter length of backing for another quilt. It was just plain luck that the plastic boxes with beads did not open on impact and create even more disorder! One small button box did have its lid pop off and of course that was the box of buttons -- all the smallest white ones...
Now, all my current stash is kept in open plastic baskets ( that I bought from a store closing and the baskets were used for soap and small toiletries displays) so, of course most of the fabric fell in jumbles and I wonder how some of the reds which were on the far right of the middle shelf, ended up between some of the blacks that were placed in the middle of the top shelf...
Anyway, the really interesting thing about this is I have no idea when this great catastrophe occured! Was it in the middle of the night, was it while I ate breakfast outside on our deck in the back yard, or maybe it happened when I took a quick run to get some cucumber, green pepper and tomato to make a Greek Salad? Hmmm? Or maybe it came down in slow motion making a special effort to create havoc in silence. This whole thing falls into the category of " when a tree falls in the forest and no one is there does it make any sound?"
I have spent about 3 -2 hour stretches repacking, resorting, and piling baskets and things on the floor -- have to wait while I can get a new or maybe stronger shelf system back into the closet. The shelves that came down have held the weight for about 3 years, so that long, you would think it would last forever -- I guess not, eh?
Mind you, now, I seem have gone off on a tangent, actually somewhat thankful of this event -- I think I am going to rearrange the whole room. Yeah! I guess I have gone a bit whacky again so I suspect that my alotted sewing time will be occupied with rearranging time.
EXCEPT, the weather channel is predicting a heat wave here -- the sewing room is the sunniest room in the house and quite often the warmest. Difficult to work in if you are lifting and sorting, so this may take longer than I want it to...
Will have to tell the story about the fashion design in a day or two -- once I wrap my head around sewing instead of organizing sewing stuff...
What I Learned Today - if you want an assistant to help pick up stuff, don't yell at him -- he might go off in a huff, put on headphones and ignore you...
But if you can believe this -- I actually enjoyed the whole day!
I was going to write today all about How I became a (famous) fashion designer --- in fact I thought about it for a day and a half and pretty much had it all layed out in my mind... BUT. I went into my sewing room this morning and.... I wish you could see .... but I forgot to take a picture...
Suffice to say that the shelving unit in the closet collapsed. Three shelves, about 6 ft wide came crashing down, fabric, button boxes, shoe boxes with lace, embroidery threads, beads, a couple of baskets of odd bits of weird stuff. Fabric just does not slide off a shelf and remain in the folds that it was in on the shelf. Fat Quarters, in little neat rolls in baskets, fall WillyNilly every which way, unroll and somehow get between the folds of a 10 meter length of backing for another quilt. It was just plain luck that the plastic boxes with beads did not open on impact and create even more disorder! One small button box did have its lid pop off and of course that was the box of buttons -- all the smallest white ones...
Now, all my current stash is kept in open plastic baskets ( that I bought from a store closing and the baskets were used for soap and small toiletries displays) so, of course most of the fabric fell in jumbles and I wonder how some of the reds which were on the far right of the middle shelf, ended up between some of the blacks that were placed in the middle of the top shelf...
Anyway, the really interesting thing about this is I have no idea when this great catastrophe occured! Was it in the middle of the night, was it while I ate breakfast outside on our deck in the back yard, or maybe it happened when I took a quick run to get some cucumber, green pepper and tomato to make a Greek Salad? Hmmm? Or maybe it came down in slow motion making a special effort to create havoc in silence. This whole thing falls into the category of " when a tree falls in the forest and no one is there does it make any sound?"
I have spent about 3 -2 hour stretches repacking, resorting, and piling baskets and things on the floor -- have to wait while I can get a new or maybe stronger shelf system back into the closet. The shelves that came down have held the weight for about 3 years, so that long, you would think it would last forever -- I guess not, eh?
Mind you, now, I seem have gone off on a tangent, actually somewhat thankful of this event -- I think I am going to rearrange the whole room. Yeah! I guess I have gone a bit whacky again so I suspect that my alotted sewing time will be occupied with rearranging time.
EXCEPT, the weather channel is predicting a heat wave here -- the sewing room is the sunniest room in the house and quite often the warmest. Difficult to work in if you are lifting and sorting, so this may take longer than I want it to...
Will have to tell the story about the fashion design in a day or two -- once I wrap my head around sewing instead of organizing sewing stuff...
What I Learned Today - if you want an assistant to help pick up stuff, don't yell at him -- he might go off in a huff, put on headphones and ignore you...
But if you can believe this -- I actually enjoyed the whole day!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Ecology Friendly?
My own political take on this subject...
Exactly, what is ecology friendly? Like practically every human fad or popular idea, it is different things to different people.
For me, being kind to the world around me, mostly means to RECYCLE. Now this is not a new thing in my life -- recycling, reusing, and repurposing has been part of my life since I was a child. It comes naturally. My mother taught me that composting was the first rule of being a family home cook. We had a huge garden and although the soil was fertile, all the potato peelings, the carrot tops and other non edible parts of the vegetables that we grew, always went straight back into the garden plot.
My mother, had the same pots and pans and cooking utensils, the same dishes and glasses for most of the time that I knew her -- even when the glasses in the cupboard became diminished because of breakage, the new glasses were not bought new -- she spent 5 cents and bought a glass or two from a second hand store. Things lasted longer -- or maybe the replacement cost of something was just too high, so we looked after things and they had long useful lives.
My dad, like many family men, went to work each day -- then he came home and did things around the house - he might fix the cord on the toaster, he might go out and help weed the garden. My dad never worked overtime -- maybe he was lucky but his day started at 7am and ended at 3:30pm, he was often home from work before me and my brothers were home from school. He did his own oil changes on his car -- and he knew that used oil damaged the soil and even the water table, so he never dumped the used car oil on the ground -- though I do not know where or what was done with it, I do know it didn't get dumped. This was WAY back in the 1950's and 60's and 70's.
There were so many things that were just part of our daily life, that these 'practices' were carried on as I became an adult. Now, in the past few years, there are tv and various types of print ads telling us to be kind to our planet, and suggesting ways that we can do that. Taking back the plastic bottles to be recycled or even in some cases finding ways to reuse those bottles for oneself... Now when I was a child, one of the things that we did for ENTERTAINMENT was to go bottle hunting. In those days, all the bottles were glass, pop bottles and beer bottles paid 2 cents when taken in to the store or to the (few and far between) bottle return depot. Sometimes in summer the family would pile into the car and my dad would drive us out to a section of highway (this is probably not safe today) and he would park the car into a pullout -- we would climb out of the car and walk along the now dry ditches looking for bottles thrown from car windows -- how disappointing to find a bottle that was cracked or broken! We could earn a dollar or two on an afternoon walk like that. Even when we were children, it amazed us that people would throw money out the window (literally) like that. Later as a teenager, I came to realize that throwing beer bottles out the car window also meant that someone was probably driving drunk!
Now today, no one except the man or woman living on the street or who is in dire financial trouble goes bottle hunting. It is obvious that bottle recycling remains a good source of cash, even if it is not walking along rural highways to find them but opening and often climbing into the big garbage bins outside of apartments or businesses. I am still amazed at how much people simply throw away of the money they earned by working -- I recently found a great deal on 35 -500ml size spring water for $2.99, except here in BC there is a ecology charge on bottles and of course the return deposit charge, so 5 cents a bottle for the return deposit and then the ecology charge -- it made the cost more than the actualy water cost -- i paid $6 plus! At least by returning those 35 bottles some of the money came back to me to be used again toward food or other necessary purchases... Doesn't seem like much? Well, since bottle return is a major part of my household recycling, in six weeks of saving those bottles, and other return for deposit containers, we usually get back between 20 and 30 dollars! We feel like that is worth the effort for the return.
I certainly am not begging you or anyone else to start making the little effort to save not only some money but also to help save the planet -- because, if no one put those bottles into the bins, the people who go out to collect them and who very much need that bit of extra income, would not have it... Though, if you throw your bottles and other items in the garbage, you could be kind and put a dozen of those bottles in the plastic grocery bag that you originally brought them home in to make it easier for the bottle collectors (notice I have tried all through this story to not say dumpster diver? aw but now I have!)
I have concentrated on bottle return here because it is the simplest and most obvious way to start thinking along the lines of saving the earth.
Because fabric seems to be MY ELEMENT, I have found great ways to recycle various fabrics, I buy 100% wool skirts or suits and remake them into various things, a scarf, a cushion cover, even quilts (without batting) I use t-shirt's that have faded or somehow gotten too small or more rarely too big, into cut strips that can then be crocheted into any number of things, most often cat mats (my cats do love to have a new napping pad!) or a crochet basket or tote bag or ...
I use my quilting scraps to make more quilts, just with small pieces and more random colours or I give the scraps to other quilters to do the same... I use older clothing pieces to make barbie doll clothes for my 4 nieces -- fabric is one of my favourite recycling chores.
So finally, and the whole point to this is that being a good earth friendly human is not such a new thing, so I wonder why it is so hard to do. I think it really boils down to the fact that we are too rich. You say no? If you have to scrounge for your daily meal you cannot be lazy, just looking for enough bottles to buy yourself a few potatoes or a piece of meat is not the life for a lazy person... I suspect the laziest people are the ones who put compostible material, recycleable bottles, the daily newspaper, the coffee grounds and the broken dishes all in the same bag to put out on the curb to be taken to the landfill, that they are protesting is becoming to full and that the city wants to move not too far from their homes...
thanks for letting me vent...
What I learned today: Those who benefit from the 2010 olympics in Vancouver, BC are generally not those who are paying for the show... My taxes will be paying for the show and I will not even be able to see one event, nor would I earn any money from a olympics created job, they want me to volunteer, tho!
Exactly, what is ecology friendly? Like practically every human fad or popular idea, it is different things to different people.
For me, being kind to the world around me, mostly means to RECYCLE. Now this is not a new thing in my life -- recycling, reusing, and repurposing has been part of my life since I was a child. It comes naturally. My mother taught me that composting was the first rule of being a family home cook. We had a huge garden and although the soil was fertile, all the potato peelings, the carrot tops and other non edible parts of the vegetables that we grew, always went straight back into the garden plot.
My mother, had the same pots and pans and cooking utensils, the same dishes and glasses for most of the time that I knew her -- even when the glasses in the cupboard became diminished because of breakage, the new glasses were not bought new -- she spent 5 cents and bought a glass or two from a second hand store. Things lasted longer -- or maybe the replacement cost of something was just too high, so we looked after things and they had long useful lives.
My dad, like many family men, went to work each day -- then he came home and did things around the house - he might fix the cord on the toaster, he might go out and help weed the garden. My dad never worked overtime -- maybe he was lucky but his day started at 7am and ended at 3:30pm, he was often home from work before me and my brothers were home from school. He did his own oil changes on his car -- and he knew that used oil damaged the soil and even the water table, so he never dumped the used car oil on the ground -- though I do not know where or what was done with it, I do know it didn't get dumped. This was WAY back in the 1950's and 60's and 70's.
There were so many things that were just part of our daily life, that these 'practices' were carried on as I became an adult. Now, in the past few years, there are tv and various types of print ads telling us to be kind to our planet, and suggesting ways that we can do that. Taking back the plastic bottles to be recycled or even in some cases finding ways to reuse those bottles for oneself... Now when I was a child, one of the things that we did for ENTERTAINMENT was to go bottle hunting. In those days, all the bottles were glass, pop bottles and beer bottles paid 2 cents when taken in to the store or to the (few and far between) bottle return depot. Sometimes in summer the family would pile into the car and my dad would drive us out to a section of highway (this is probably not safe today) and he would park the car into a pullout -- we would climb out of the car and walk along the now dry ditches looking for bottles thrown from car windows -- how disappointing to find a bottle that was cracked or broken! We could earn a dollar or two on an afternoon walk like that. Even when we were children, it amazed us that people would throw money out the window (literally) like that. Later as a teenager, I came to realize that throwing beer bottles out the car window also meant that someone was probably driving drunk!
Now today, no one except the man or woman living on the street or who is in dire financial trouble goes bottle hunting. It is obvious that bottle recycling remains a good source of cash, even if it is not walking along rural highways to find them but opening and often climbing into the big garbage bins outside of apartments or businesses. I am still amazed at how much people simply throw away of the money they earned by working -- I recently found a great deal on 35 -500ml size spring water for $2.99, except here in BC there is a ecology charge on bottles and of course the return deposit charge, so 5 cents a bottle for the return deposit and then the ecology charge -- it made the cost more than the actualy water cost -- i paid $6 plus! At least by returning those 35 bottles some of the money came back to me to be used again toward food or other necessary purchases... Doesn't seem like much? Well, since bottle return is a major part of my household recycling, in six weeks of saving those bottles, and other return for deposit containers, we usually get back between 20 and 30 dollars! We feel like that is worth the effort for the return.
I certainly am not begging you or anyone else to start making the little effort to save not only some money but also to help save the planet -- because, if no one put those bottles into the bins, the people who go out to collect them and who very much need that bit of extra income, would not have it... Though, if you throw your bottles and other items in the garbage, you could be kind and put a dozen of those bottles in the plastic grocery bag that you originally brought them home in to make it easier for the bottle collectors (notice I have tried all through this story to not say dumpster diver? aw but now I have!)
I have concentrated on bottle return here because it is the simplest and most obvious way to start thinking along the lines of saving the earth.
Because fabric seems to be MY ELEMENT, I have found great ways to recycle various fabrics, I buy 100% wool skirts or suits and remake them into various things, a scarf, a cushion cover, even quilts (without batting) I use t-shirt's that have faded or somehow gotten too small or more rarely too big, into cut strips that can then be crocheted into any number of things, most often cat mats (my cats do love to have a new napping pad!) or a crochet basket or tote bag or ...
I use my quilting scraps to make more quilts, just with small pieces and more random colours or I give the scraps to other quilters to do the same... I use older clothing pieces to make barbie doll clothes for my 4 nieces -- fabric is one of my favourite recycling chores.
So finally, and the whole point to this is that being a good earth friendly human is not such a new thing, so I wonder why it is so hard to do. I think it really boils down to the fact that we are too rich. You say no? If you have to scrounge for your daily meal you cannot be lazy, just looking for enough bottles to buy yourself a few potatoes or a piece of meat is not the life for a lazy person... I suspect the laziest people are the ones who put compostible material, recycleable bottles, the daily newspaper, the coffee grounds and the broken dishes all in the same bag to put out on the curb to be taken to the landfill, that they are protesting is becoming to full and that the city wants to move not too far from their homes...
thanks for letting me vent...
What I learned today: Those who benefit from the 2010 olympics in Vancouver, BC are generally not those who are paying for the show... My taxes will be paying for the show and I will not even be able to see one event, nor would I earn any money from a olympics created job, they want me to volunteer, tho!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Participation
I am a summer person - I love summer and I hide from the snow in winter. So many people I know do their best and greatest work during those cold gloomy months -- but me -- well my best inspiration and my motivation to work, comes just about NOW...I have been ill, since the middle of February, so really I didn't care about creating or fixing or experimenting -- all I cared about was --- well not much. NOW, I am almost back to normal and my first complete project is done and I am on my way to loving my sewing machine and needles and pins and fabrics once more. I finished making a fabric postcard this morning.
The quilt guild I belong to does not meet in summer, but there are a few members who want to keep in touch and make quilts and things, so thanks to Darcey, we have a postcard exchange. This little card evolved over a couple of days, in fact I didn't even know I was making a postcard to begin with! I recently finished crocheting a scarf and hat set (maybe a christmas gift?), and there was a short bit of the yarn left, barely enough to use for anything. The other night at about 2am, I picked up that bit of yarn and created three little "flowers" so that took care of the scrap of yarn -- only about 3 inches left!
The very next morning, I got an email from Darcey telling us the theme for this month's postcard exchange would be green and purple. Again, more scraps, this time a bit of recycled wool -- just enough of the dark green to make half of a 4 x6 postcard.. I added the lighter green recycled wool along with some stitches in bright green rayon thread, a couple of buttons and put all together to send a complete postcard off to my exchange partern in the next few days...
What I learned: I like being part of things...
Ya Gotta Start Somewhere...
So now Miss Snips is no more, but I am still here...
Snippy? Me? Well, I wanted some part of Miss Snips to be reborn in this new story, so I chose that bit about being Snippy, and really, I can be -- and it gets me into trouble -- alot...
Some of the things about this ongoing story is that it will be more personal, so you may be reading about some of my RANTS -- I am rather political so I am going to let my opinions loose on occasion in this blog.
A few years back I wrote a personal blog about my everyday life -- my sister found it and became rather irrate at some of the things I said, so I stopped writing it. But now I am thinking that what I wrote is what I felt and what I wanted to say and since in the past few months my sister has declared herself to be an only child, I don't need to concern myself with what she thinks of what I say or do. Now since I am not concerned about hurting feelings -- I really don't set out to be mean -- but my opinion may not exactly match yours or some other person -- so you should remember that it is just my opinion or my point of view. And not a particularly influential point of view at that! Just mine.
One of my top priorities in life is to constantly be learning. Many years back I read a quote that said something about trying to learn something new EVERYDAY and I do try to do that. Somedays the thing(s) that I may learn may not be so obvious and I may not even notice that I came across a new idea or method or thought, but I do know that even small things influence the way we or maybe just me, live our life. So I am going to try to make a point to take note of something that I learned each time I write this blog.
I do plan to aim this blog at my crafty side mostly, but like I said, I will interject some of my opinons and some of my daily life events, so I am hoping that you can find time and that I can hold your interest so that you will enjoy the words that I set down here.
So. Welcome to my new blog and don't hesitate to leave me a comment now and then...
What I learned: Things change, whether you want them to, or not...
This photo is the beach at Sechelt, BC - we went for a 3 day drive a couple weeks back, and discovered a quiet little world only 4 hours away from out townhouse. We will go back again, there are beaches and parks and little towns yet to discover. . .
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