Cathy Starkweather

There's a lot of life around even when it doesn't look like it.  Birds started landing near me after a few minutes.   - For the future, I plan to stick to at least 2 meatless meals a day and to alternate fish with vegetarian,  I will try to stick with short showers.  It would probably be a lot easier if I only took cold showers!  Hmmm.

I was thinking about experiencing some of the magical places here in my state: having 1/4 mile of sandy beach to ourselves at Bear Island, paddling among trees at Merchants Millpond, the boardwalk ending over the water of Lake Phelps with straight trees, silver Spanish moss, clean water, sandy bottom, little silver fish, and nothing else.

The food I've been having is quite enjoyable.  I think we alternate vegetarian and seafood in the future.  I think after the EcoChallenge is over, I will try for 10-minute showers every other day and quick sponge baths in between.  Watched the future of Food episode.  I like the idea of using food to keep the good microbes happy and then they in turn help me.

I voted tonight (EST), and after I got back I looked at the sky.  At first I couldn't see and stars but then I saw three when the cloud cover thinned, and then more and more.  The crickets are calling at different pitches and speeds.  I heard a leaf fall and then something heavier, probably a pine cone.  The trees are black silhouettes against the faint light from a  highway a little ways off.  It's very peaceful.  

Had to undo the 5-minute shower from yesterday since I think I took too long.  Didn't have the timer with me.  Still, I'm back on track for that today.  Will have more Spanish tortilla and veggies tonight.  We do batch cooking once or twice a week.which saves cooking energy and helps prevent food waste.  

Well, I am breaking my own rule of no computers on Sunday by logging on, but I think it's OK if I limit myself to this :)  I am running out of practical things I can do personally to lower CO2; encouraging others may be more effective.  I am reading sections of Cooler Smarter by Seth Shulman.  I was hoping for something I could give family members, but this isn't quite what I wanted .  I'll probably send Low Carbon Diet or something similar.  Still chugging along with the challenges.

We will be having Spanish tortillas tonight which are actually a kind of omelette.  No grains involved in addition to no meat. Heard the mourning doves twittering their alarm again, but they calmed down. 5-minutes (of running water) showers require turning the water on & off several times and soaping up & shampooing in between.  Probably harder in the winter when it's colder.

Doing OK on the challenges.  I have to credit my husband for the creative and delicious vegetarian meals.  Watched the Food Waste episode of Food Forward which addressed edible food that never makes it to market and food scraps from homes and restaurants.  It did not address how to buy and cook in a way that does not generate wasted food.

I watched the Food Justice episode from Food Forward.  One of the places they visited was an HBUC in an urban food desert - no grocery stores.   They converted a football field into a farm so the locals could have access to fresh, healthy food.   I especially liked it given what we've learned about the brain damage caused by football.  They also went to California where Latino emigrants were being helped to work their way toward having their own organic farm and to a similar program for refugees in Dallas.  All those folks knew how to work hard. Afterward I went for a walk in another direction.  Close behind our yard were ashes, beeches, buckeyes (the short kind), loblolly pines, and red maples.  Also, saw a beautiful spiderweb.

I have to keep turning the shower off and on to stick to 5 minutes of running water but that's not hard.  Watched another episode of Food Forward.  Went outside.  The azaleas are in bloom.  They are a variety that may bloom at different times of year.  Not many insects out at the moment.  Plenty of squirrels and birds.  Going outside makes me feel tranquil.