Come check out our eco friendly plates and tableware @The Whole Leaf Co.

YogaforCynics’s last blog post..Rain, Conflict, and Green Tea

Your grandfather sounds very much like my paternal grandfather. He also gardened until he passed on, tomatoes were his main crop, and he recycled absolutely everything. I remember unrolling balls of twine and cutting pieces of it off and handing them to him so he could tie up peas onto trellises.

Although both of my parents were raised to garden and recycle they were not much inclined towards it but I was different. I loved digging and was the best weeder for miles around. I have always found the experience of digging, seeding, weeding and watching plants grow to be an uplifting and deeply satisfying experience. We were a large family and my responsibilities were nannying the youngest ones, gardening, feeding livestock and poultry and collecting eggs.

Unlike those who were raised in cities and who had no second thoughts about leaving lights on in every room in the house, in the bush cabins I was raised in oil for lamps was precious and so were candles. We were not on the power grid until I was 10 years old. In late evenings we would turn on the electric lights so we could finish the never ending mending, ironing, knitting and finally – write or read for an hour or so. before going to bed.

Moving to the city was a terrible experience fro my family as we had no ability to produce our own food and we were frequently hungry. The abject poverty we experienced there will never leave my memory and prompted me never to live again in a place where I cannot grow some of my own food.

I suppose you could say that in many ways I have been preparing for this depression all my life, and like you I can credit my grandparents for equipping me.

Before I sign off I want to tell you two things. Firstly, I appreciate your wonderful way with words. Secondly, I value the friendship that is growing between us. Let’s water it liberally with laughter and expose it to lots of sun shine.

Namaste

timethief’s last blog post..The Beauty Pageant Disease

It’s a sad fact that with all the grandiose posturing now going on around the new “green economy” that people don’t just stop and think how easy it is to make a difference without the need for complicated carbon trading schemes and the like.

I’ll just keep washing clothes in cold water and hanging them up to dry thanks!

Angela’s last blog post..The curse of the shoes.

She still plants garden vegetables, rides her bicycle every day in the summer and goes cross country skiing in the summer. She has given back far more than she has taken from this earth–and is a great role model for anyone. I’m lucky to have her as my mom and I hope that she lives a good long time still.

Thanks for the morning smile!

Melinda

Melinda’s last blog post..Personal Responsibility