Back on the Grid

We're Back! Power was restored in the middle of the night and praise the energy gods, we can flush our toilets. Really, that was the hardest thing. I have 4 boys and a husband. ICK. Glad that's over. However, it's funny how quickly things go right back to normal... Air conditioners are humming (not mine, I am trying to stay off air as part of Chile's Challenge), windows are closed up and neighbors that socialized in driveways chatting about the storm, the power and the damage are all back to work and back to hectic, suburban lives.


I certainly was not as prepared as I should have been. We needed more drinking water, we have cut out all bottled water, tea and drinks as part of our reduction of plastics and glass, so we were a little short there. We needed more batteries, more flashlights and better candles. Maybe I just need to hone my survival skills, I am hoping the scorched mark on the bathroom wall will fade or just become a unique interior design feature.



Though, we actually fared pretty well and learned some things too. We were fine without TV, video games and electric powered toys. We took more walks, we ate outside, we found pizza within walking distance. We actually enjoyed the candlelight, went to bed earlier and got up with the sun. My boys slept in a big pile on the living room floor - apparently the thought of no power unnerved them enough to want to be a little closer to their parents and to each other.



So, I might make a few changes to be better prepared. Stock up on some gallons of water, buy a couple of better flashlights and maybe a few more batteries. Keep 5 gallons of gas on hand for the generator. Do I want to live off the grid? No. Can I use less of the grid and still be pretty happy and content. Yes. My fear is that we are going to have to ready ourselves to be less dependent on electricity, running water and natural gas. Might cold showers, greywater flushing and bed times that coincide with the rising and setting of the sun be part of our imminent future? Probably, and I better be prepared for it. The next time there is an eco-throwdown challenge and I think, Nah... who wants to live without electricity, maybe I might think twice and try to tackle it. It might be good training for the future!

Unexpected Eco-Throwdown

Maybe I should have been a little more diligent with Crunchy's Eco Throwdown Challenge. Maybe I would have learned something useful. Maybe I could have been more prepared. Should-a, Would-a, Could-a.

Why? Because I am smack in the middle of an Eco Throwdown like no other. On Sunday, while we were spending time on the lake, we were hit with an unexpected severe storm unlike any thing we have seen before. The weather was hot and humid, maybe a touch overcast, but not foreboding, so we packed up the boys, some snacks and headed out to the cove to anchor and swim with friends. Out of the blue a Sheriff's boat patrolling the area instructs everyone to pull anchor and head for home, a severe storm was on the way. No kidding...

Let's just say our boat, at full throttle, could not outrun the tornadic winds, torrential rain and wall of hail we watched, with wide eyes, as it chased us down the lake. We made it back to the boat hoist, with maybe a single second to spare. However, while being pounded with rain, the winds were strong enough to move 6000 pounds of boat, canopy and metal hoist 8 feet away from our dock, with us still inside. We are incredibly lucky the entire operation didn't tip over and spill us out into the water and dumping the boat right on top of the pile. A small break in the storm allowed us to jump into the water and run 100 feet through the water, then up our hill and into the basement.

Only to find out - we have no power. While we were standing there, sopping wet and listening to the tornado sirens - we didn't know our eco throwdown was just beginning. It's now almost 3 days later. We still have no power. They say maybe by Friday. That's 3 MORE days. We are using lakewater to flush our toilets and a generator to power our fridge, freezer and basic electronics. Yes, computers count, my husband and I both work out of a home office. We have no stove, our grill ran out of propane yesterday. We have no showers, we go to our gym to clean up and use the facilities. Extension cords wind their way though our house as if the reptile house at the zoo opened it's doors into our kitchen. It's hot in here, our kids are crabby and patience is running thin.

Is this an eco throwdown? Maybe. We are getting a sneak peek into what our lives might be like without electricity. Global warming, climate confusion, typhoons, monsoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, melting ice caps, disappearing ozone layers and crazy, stormy weather. Each year, the storms get worse, the power stays out a little longer and the weather gets hotter. Is this our fault? Can we fix it? Or is this the warm up stretch for how we will be living life in a few years? I hope not, living without electricity is hard. Really, really hard. And, I wasn't prepared. More on our eco throwdown survival skills tomorrow. - Right now, I have to go put gas in the generator.

One Local Summer Lunch

It's still early here in Michigan for eating local. Not that you can't do it, because you can - it's just a little short on the fresh fruit and veggie angle. So, this week's feature is just a quick (and very messy!) snapshot of my lunch on Tuesday. All 4 boys were at school, my husband had a lunch meeting, so I had the house to myself! So, not only was this a local lunch, but it was a calm and quiet lunch. Here is what I made:

Eggs - East River Organics
Butter - Calders
Jam - Cherry Republic - Cherry Peach
Bread - Westwind Milling
Cheese - Gouda from Grassfields

Do I get bonus points in that every item on my plate is from my home state?? OK, so I made it through this week, now that the weather is warm, bring on the fruites and veggies please!

An Ode To Crunchy

In Tribute to Crunchy:

I am relatively new to the blogging game, but had been a lurker and Crunchy-enthusiast for quite some time before I started my own blog. Rather than write a long, mushy post this tribute to the Crunch-tastic blogger will be a list style celebration.

What I have learned from Crunchy:

Craigslist - Boutique for uber-cool ecofashionistas
Buying Nothing - Actually better than buying anything
Freezin' Your Buns - Means snuggle time
Backyards - Are for booty (not that kind!) but the fruit and veggie variety
Books - Are for reading and discussing with friends
Eco Throwdowns - I don't quite have what it takes yet, but I am getting there!
Eco Hotties - Yes, they do exist
Eating Local - Yes, I have what it takes!

Most importantly, I have learned that Crunchy, in the face of adversity, a major health crisis, kids and exhaustion, still finds ways to challenge herself, her family and the blogging community. Without her wisdom, humor and wit, we would certainly be at a loss. Welcome back, Crunchy! We are glad you are here!

How do you Craigslist?

Do you price it high and bargain? Are you fair, but firm? Or do you just price it to make a few bucks and get rid of it? For me, I try to stick with the fair, but firm option, but sometimes when I just want to see something get the heck outta my basement, I am willing to deal, down and dirty-like.

So far, this month I have listed a bunch of misfits from my basement and sold some furniture items and possibly an old Coke Machine that dates back to the 1960's. My husband has been toting this machine from one house to another with him since college. Granted, it's a pretty cool thing - it still works and actually holds the real glass bottles, in the portion-correct sizes of days gone by. We've never actually used it - not even once. The guy who wants to buy it is coming tonight, but I feel a little guilty selling it. Obviously, my husband liked the darn thing enough to lug it around for the last 18 years, but where do you draw the line between trash and treasure?

Someone who will restore it and use it, or maybe even resell it, would make more sense to me - I am not a keeper of things, but is parting with the memories and college shenanigans (said Coke machine used to hold contraband beers...) too much to ask of my husband? He says he is fine letting it go - probably because he still is holding onto a keg-orator from about the same time period that I wouldn't mind listing in the middle of the night when no one is looking...

So, where do you draw the line at keeping a treasure or parting with trash?

Greening my dogs

This is part of my To-Do List, not that the dogs really care one way or the other. As long as there is kibble in the dish and water in the trough, they are pretty cool and happy. Yesterday, Chile commented that I should just stick a bucket under the sloppy puppy when he drinks, 'cause, you know doggie drool could totally be greywater!

Other than that tip, which I am still thinking of how we could get a rubbermaid trash bin under a 50 lb. dalmatian while he drinks, the 'eco burban dad has come up with our first greener doggie tip of our journey so far. We occasionally let our doggies have a raw hide chew and the ones we had been buying from TJs, not only come from China, but are sold in a small 6-pack. A total waste of carbon emission and packaging, when we can go through 6 in a week.

I ventured into Costco yesterday, mostly because we needed softener salt and I was amazed at all the things I bought before, that I no longer feel like I need or even want any longer. That aside, we checked out the price of rawhide chews. $14.49 for 25 huge chews. The very wise 'eco burban dad offered his skillz with a chop saw to cut one of those huge chews (which come of the good ol' US of A!) into 3 chews. Sold!

10 minutes, a serious looking DeWalt chop saw, a very helpful littlest eco 'burban boy who brought along his own play saw to help and a little rawhide dust later - presto! 75 chews that will last months, from much closer than China, and only 1 plastic bag as waste instead of 12 bags from TJs. And... only a couple of weird stares from neighbors when they saw a dad and his boy using a chop saw to disassemble dog treats! Priceless!

Challenging an addiction

I decided that I have an addiction. Not drugs, alcohol, TV, food, cigarettes. Nope, it's worse than that. I have been trying to get off the paper towels for months now and it's real, real hard. ACK! Doggie barf, where's the paper towels? What, we don't have any? Then I get the shakes and sweats and stuff. Clean dog vomit with a real, actual towel? Well, then what do I do with the towel? ICK, you mean I put it in the washing machine with my clothes? OMG!

So, when Chile decided to host a challenge ridding us of our addictions, I thought this might be the time. See, this is just one last thing that I think I needed help getting over. It's more of a habit, mindset and germ-phobic issue than a need for the towels. And, I really believe that ridding myself of this habit will free me of the constant need to run to the store for "one thing I forgot". I have too many kids, dogs and things to do to be running to the store to buy paper!

Today, I am beating down on this addiction - Zero paper towels used on day 1 of the challenge! And, I wiped up doggie drool, mopped the entire house, cleaned the bathroom and a variety of other household chores that would have had me dragging along an ever-shrinking roll of towels. I have about half of a roll left, and I am hoping that it will last me a long, long time. Ending my addiction, one doggie drool puddle at a time!