366: no impact week, days four + five

Image: from Redwoods Sapling Trio on Organic Bouquet

A little while back, I wrote of how my grandmother has been spending time in a nursing home environment for rehabilitation for her hip, which she broke in three places after a tumble from an examining table at the doctor's office. Tonight I began a little something for her, a get-well gift I hope to be done with before I leave her home over Thanksgiving break, but I've been thinking about the act of sending someone flowers--in celebration, in sympathy, in best wishes. I found this website: Organic Bouquet. It's so beautiful I snuck one of their images to put on my blog, a thing I don't do so very often; I also am in love with the idea of the Yule Tree to Be and there's blood orange and olive and rosemary--what better way to express your sentiments? The bouquets are organically grown and sustainable and look gorgeous and full. And wreaths! I am in love with the six herb wreath and the simplicity of the rosemary is nice too (minus the calla).

Day 4: Food! I've begun to slowly transfer more regular shopping to Simple Abundance, our local health foods store, which carries organic and local options as well as plenty of holistic healing options. For my new recipe this Wednesday, I picked up over half the ingredients on my list and purchased my free range turkey that I will cook for our Thanksgiving feast. I hope to make Simple Abundance a weekly stop, especially for Ryan's meats. We usually buy Lorentz, which is located twenty minutes away and mentioned in Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma in a positive light, but our local grocery store seems to have stopped carrying their products. We were purchasing wine for book club and I weighed the options: organic versus local? We wound up picking local as it fits better with what I'm serving.

Some websites that have helped me in the past with local eating:
- Finding a CSA at Local Harvest
- 100 mile diet and 100 foot diet
- freedom gardens

Day 5: Energy. Oh, all of our energy-sucking computers. I have put some lights on timers, particularly since I hate going upstairs in the dark. If I go to bed at a regular hour, I know the timer will click off the lamp a few minutes after me, which is a relief on two levels. We've gotten good about the heat and air conditioning, mainly because Ryan likes to save money--the temperature is constantly kept either too low or too high for comfort, which results in our learning to dress properly and in winter, pile on the blankets and wear fuzzy slippers. We've also recently gotten an HE washer and dryer (last winter?) and love it, using less detergent and energy as we clean.

My biggest energy suck will always be in transportation and I thank Emily for pointing out the fact that I cannot compare myself to those in different circumstances. I simply don't live near work, won't sell this house to move to the Twin Cities, and when I'm done with my graduate degree, plan to go by the date as opposed to the mileage when it comes to oil changes. For now, I do what I can within my comfort zone. I'm afraid if we go outside our comfort zone, we might burn out, become bitter, start shopping at Wal-Mart and eating fast food because we crave that convenience we are lacking in our everyday lives. And me? I'd rather not burn out. I'd rather continue to make small adjustments so everyday becomes greener without frustration or exhaustion.