Is the Hummer dead (yet)? 'Bring on the grease car'

   I admit that I roll my eyes--hard!--when I spot a Hummer on the road, as I did last week. I wonder what the owners of those things think when they pull up behind me and gaze out at my ‘Love Mother Earth’ bumper sticker as they chug through a gallon of gas just driving across town and back.

   Or maybe they can’t even spot it, since they’re so high up. So upon hearing recently that the Hummer/China fell through, I feel hopeful to be finally closing the books on this particular chapter of conspicuous consumption and seeming narcissism, and moving toward more awareness of sustainability and eco-consciousness.

   With that in mind I am cultivating my ‘drive as little as possible’ mindset. You’ve heard it before—walk or bike when and where you can combine errands to cut down on mileage, and take steps to improve your cars efficiency.

   (I know that Noblesville isn’t a very walker or biker friendly area, but, hopefully, change via more walk and bike paths is coming though).

  What I would really like is a car run on waste vegetable oil (www.greasecar.com). I wonder if anyone around here has one? 

(edit--there is!  My friend Heather read this in the Current and emailed me that her cousin, Jack, has a converted Mercedes Benz, which he calls the veggie car.  Jack lives on the west side of Indy.  Yay, Jack!)

(another edit--there's another one!  I got this email from ChrisF. today "My co-worker reads your column in the newspaper and told me you wondered if anyone ever really got a veggie car to work. Your answer is yes. I've been doing it for over 5 years. I've built custom conversion kits for 3 vehicles. We currently have 2 VO vehicles: 1999 Mercedes E300 (150mpg city) & 2001 Ford Excursion (85mpg city). During this time I've burned over 7000 gallons of VO instead of diesel fuel. I've pulled travel trailers as far a Maine without stopping for fuel. It's a wonderful life."  Wow and Yay, Chris!  That's impressive!)
  
   Back to the Hummer.

   I’ve been vaguely aware of the former Fishers Hummer dealer Quonset hut-like showroom that was built within the last five years and has now been sitting empty for quite some time. What will become of it? My thought was that it would be awesome to repurpose it as a garden center with the Quonset hut part being a greenhouse…except for the fact that, being built like a Quonset hut, the south side is shaded. Darn!

   One thing is for sure, there are many like me that will be happy to see fewer Hummers out on these flat, paved Hamilton County roads.

Baby, you wear it well

My friend Joni and I met up at the Children’s Museum recently and loved seeing all the babies that were being ‘worn’ by their moms or dads. Yes, it’s called babywearing and it’s an ancient practice that’s making a comeback (like co-sleeping and breastfeeding), and for good reason.

I’ve worn all my babies in all kinds of carriers, from slings to wraps to mei tais to a Snugli (I don’t recommend the Snugli). I’ve given out the name of what I’m wearing to interested mothers (hotsling! Moby wrap!) and directions for how to find tying techniques (youtube!). So it’s always exciting to me to see other babywearers,

So why babywearing? What are the benefits? Plenty.

Babywearing kept my baby right where they needed to be—next to me (or my husband). It only made sense—what baby would want to be sitting in an carseat when they could benefit from being wrapped up next to their favorite person in the world?

I could keep the carseat where it belonged—in the car. I don’t think parents could enjoy hobbling around with a carseat, it looks highly uncomfortable

It saved my back. And my arms. Carrying a heavy baby for any length of time is pretty tiring. When I wear my baby, that problem is solved. Using a quality baby carrier will distribute weight across your back, making it very comfortable to wear.

It’s hands free. Especially with having other children, I need my hands for hand holding. Being able to run or at least pick up the pace to chase an errant child is important. And having hands free to cook or do whatever else I need to do is a sanity saver.

See my blog for links. Spread the babywearing love!

Wrap carriers:
Moby Wrap
Sleepy Wrap

Backpack Style carriers:
Ergo
Beco

Slings:
Hotslings
New Native

Carriers listed on etsy:
Mei tai (pronounced May-tie)
sling
wraps

These are only a few of the many!

Eat pure and leave the biotechs and chemicals on the store shelf

**I received this from Michael DePape of Botanical Interests.  This has helped clarify GMO and I want to be sure to present accurate info:  "To be fair to our competition and to prevent panic in home gardeners, as far as we know, there isn't any GMO seed in the garden seed trade. The companies that produce genetically modified seed are producing it for the big-ag farmers who have to sign extensive contracts and legalese and pay a lot of money to use the GMO seed. Home gardeners are just not (so far) the market for this type of product.

Gardeners and consumers of all kinds should be more concerned about the food that they are purchasing in the grocery store. There is no law to require labeling of foods that contain GMO products. So, chances are, you may be purchasing cereal, fresh corn, corn tortillas, soy products, and all sorts of processed foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.
(For more info., visit the Center for Food Safety http://truefoodnow.org/shoppers-guide/.)


The best thing you can do to vote with your dollars and for your own peace of mind is to grow your own food and purchase certified organic products. (Organic products cannot contain GMO ingredients.)"




A friend and I got together last week to do some heirloom variety seed sharing, as we’re getting ready to do start seeds indoors. Mindi, who I met via this column (hi, Mindi!) is an avid gardener like me and we are both committed to growing non-GMO, heirloom variety fruits and vegetables organically.

GMO stands for genetically modified organisms and are achieved through genetic engineering, leading to potential biological risks and scenarios yet unknown. Many of the seed packets you can purchase in the big box stores (unless marked ‘Heirloom’) may be genetically modified. I seek out the heirlooms. Not only do they have such interesting names, such as these tomato varieties:‘Aunt Ruby's German Green’ or ‘Green Zebra’, but they also taste amazing.

There are many reasons why I love heirlooms, and I’m committed to doubling my garden this year and growing more varieties. I refuse to support the huge biotech conglomerates that are producing all of these GM crops/seeds, and these same companies produce highly toxic pesticides (you couldn’t pay me to use Round-Up anywhere near my yard or my children. I wouldn’t use it anywhere far either). Thankfully, lots of seed companies have taken the ‘safe seeds’ pledge—the pledge to not include any seed from these biotechs in their stock.

Botanical Interests is one. I purchased their seeds from Allisonville Nursery—it felt great to support a local business and also a seed company that has taken the safe seeds pledge.

So, I’m voting with my dollars and leaving the biotechs and the chemicals on the store shelf, hoping and wishing they would go away. It’s so good to dig in the earth chemical free and eat good, pure food. See my blog for a list of seed companies safe from biotech ties. Happy Organic Gardening!

Read more from the Organic Consumers Association here.


Here is the list of safe seed companies:

Abundant Life Seeds
Amishland Seeds
Annapolis Valley Heritage Seed Company canada
Baker Creek Seed Co.
Berlin Seeds - they don't have a website. Atleast I didn't find one.
Botanical Interests
Bountiful Gardens
Diane's Flower Seeds (she has veggies now, too)
Fedco Seed Co. - phasing out seminis seeds.
Garden City Seeds
Heirloom Acres Seeds -I've heard from several people thier seed germination is poor and so is thier customer service.
Heirlooms Evermore Seeds
Heirloom Seeds
High Mowing Seeds
Horizon Herbs
Irish-Eyes
Kitchen Garden Seeds
Lake Valley Seeds
Livingston Seeds
Local Harvest
Mountain Rose Herbs
Natural Gardening Company
New Hope Seed Company
Organica Seed
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Pinetree Garden Seeds
Renee's Garden
Richters Herbs
Sand Hill Preservation Center
Seed Saver's Exchange
Seeds of Change
Southern Exposure
Territorial Seed Company Tiny Seeds
Tomato Fest
Trees of Antiquity
Underwood Garden Seeds
Uprising Seeds
Victory Seeds
Wildseed Farms
Wood Prairie Farm

Links to these companies websites is here.



Seed companies to avoid:


Audubon Workshop
Breck's Bulbs
Burpee
Cook's Garden
Dege Garden Center
E & R Seed Co
Earl May Seed
Flower of the Month Club
Gardens Alive
Garden Trends
Germania Seed Co
HPS
Johnny's Seeds--they get 4% of their stock from Seminis-I would feel comfortable buying from them.  see here
Jungs
Lindenberg Seeds
McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers
Mountain Valley Seed
Nichol’s
Osborne
Park Seed
Park Bulbs
Park's Countryside Garden
R.H. Shumway
Rocky Mountain Seed Co
Roots and Rhizomes
Rupp
Seeds for the World
Seymour's Selected Seeds
Snow
Spring Hill Nurseries
Stokes
T&T Seeds
The Vermont Bean Seed Company
Tomato Growers Supply
Totally Tomato
Vermont Bean Seed Co.
Wayside Gardens
Willhite Seed Co.

She's no dirty hippie-type; makes her own deodorant to prove it

I don’t know of many ways to spend free time that are more fun than getting together with friends to talk and eat and make something earthy and useful. I’m way into do-it-yourself type things--I like to sew and bake and grow a garden and all that. I’ve found that usually the people that like to do these sorts of things are also the type that would like to make their own body care concoctions. Such as deodorant.
Yes, deodorant. Recently, I threw an ‘I’m not a dirty hippie’ party and myself and ten other women made our own deodorant. A novel idea, isn’t it? Who has ever heard of such a thing? Some of my friends jokingly call me a ‘revolutionary’, I guess because I’m drawn to the unusual, interesting paths of adventure, and this was one such thing!

We had fun choosing our scents and adding them to the really easy recipe (See my blog). Each guest took home a jar that will last for months probably, with no wasteful stick containers to go into the landfill like with conventional deodorant products. There are also no harmful ingredients (like aluminum or parabens--yuck), plus this homemade deodorant really works!

Sipping some Indiana brewed beer and sampling homemade cupcakes and cookies and oh, flipping through the beautiful Seeds of Change seed catalog that my gardening friend brought to share and the laughing and talking, it was perfect. We had such a great time that we decided to make this a monthly event, getting together each month to make something different and useful. I love it. If you have friends that might enjoy something like this, I encourage you to host your own ‘I’m not a dirty hippie’ party (see my blog for ideas). Enjoy and tell me about it!

Find the deodorant recipe here.

See this post for a great little book.

'I'm not a Dirty Hippie' party ideas/tips:
::You can choose one or two items to make.  It might be good to make up a batch ahead of time if you've never made it and have time.  Choose something fairly simple.
::Assemble labels and jars for the concoctions, be sure to have enough containers for everyone, as well as ingredients to make the recipe(s).  Northstar is an excellent source for ingredients, essential oils, etc., as well as jars.  You can also recycle baby food jars or anything you have on hand.
::Ask each guest to bring a snack food to make it easy on you and fun to see what people bring. 
::Ask for a one dollar (or more--depends on what you make) donation to cover your costs of ingredients and jars, etc. 
::You can ask guests to bring their own containers, too.  Or essential oils if you don't have any.  You could create a 'community pool' of ingredients and oils for making different items.  It might also be good to collect measuring cups/spoons/other implements to use exclusively for concoction making.  Thrift stores are great for this.
::Consider making this a monthly gathering and do something different each time.  The possibilities are endless!  Plus it's great for not only gathering as women, but making something useful.
::Encourage friends to invite friends.  The more the merrier, plus you'll meet new women.
::Use real dishes and cloth napkins and recycle all you can to be Earth friendly, of course!
::enjoy!!

This 'wild woman' looking for others to join her pack

I think I have made a brief mention this book before here, Women Who Run With the Wolves, but it deserves a column of its own. At the beginning of the year I wrote about creating the life I want and being a wild woman. I got that term from this book. I vow to live closer to the wild this year and to connect with other women seeking that same life. Here is an excerpt from the book that is profoundly moving for me (and trust me, there are many more, as my incredibly highlighted copy can attest).


“To live as closely as possible to the numinous wild a woman must do more head tossing, more brimming, have more sniffling intuition, more creative life, more 'get down dirty,' more solitude, more women's company, more natural life, more fire, more spirit, more cooking of words and ideas. She must do more recognition of sorority, more seeding, more root stock-keeping, more kindness to men, more neighborhood revolution, more poetry, more painting of fables and facts, longer reaches into the wild feminine.”

Yes, this book is amazing and has value for every woman. Have you read it? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Through the myths and stories retold in this book and the commentary and deep insights offered by the author, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, I think you’ll find this book speaks deeply to your soul. I would also love to form a Women Who Run With the Wolves ‘pack’ (if you will) and meet monthly to discuss parts of this book and to talk about our path and how to reclaim our wildish selves, “that place where there is time and freedom to be, wander, wonder, write, sing, create, and not be afraid”. So, who’s with me?

Roots: historical novels with Indiana ties

If you’re an avid reader, maybe you too have a book list—a list of books that you have read and loved, as well as books you want to read. I have plenty of books on my ‘to read’ to keep me occupied for probably a couple years, but I have recently added a couple more. It’s all the better if they combine and intertwine factual history with fiction, leaving the reader with a greater sense of place, awareness of and appreciation for the events, places and players in history. Here is a list of three acclaimed novels: Stardust by Noblesville author Kurt Meyer, The Massacre at Fall Creek by Jessamyn West, and Follow the River by Indiana resident James Alexander Thom.

Stardust is set right here in Noblesville and is a compelling story of love and loss. Once you read this book, you will be drawn to walking around ‘Old Town’ Noblesville like never before—compelled to seek out homes and commercial buildings featured in the book, as well as noticing (perhaps for the first time) the magnificent buildings that Noblesville once had that were torn down in the name of ‘progress.’

The Massacre at Fall Creek takes place around Pendleton in 1824 and is the account of the capture, trial and execution of five white men for the murder of nine peaceful Native Americans. There is a marker denoting the spot near where the massacre occurred on State Road 38 E, near Markleville (east of Pendleton).

Follow the River depicts the kidnapping of Mary Ingles from a Virginia settlement by Shawnee Indians in 1755 and details her escape from captivity and one thousand mile journey to return to her people.

I haven’t read the last two books yet but they’re next. All three books are available at the library.

Don't brush this idea asides: subscribe, recycle

    A couple of weeks ago I wrote about recycling and all the items you can toss in the bin. So if you’re anything like me, when it comes to tossing your toothbrush you wonder if that too can be recycled.
    It can. Preserve Products makes stylish, eco-friendly products from 100% recycled plastic. All products are made in the USA, and there is a mail-in recycling program for those whose communities don’t recycle #5 plastics and for Brita water filters (more on that later).
    Preserve launched in 1997 with the Toothbrush. I actually remember this—I saw a blurb about it in the paper (it was Recycline then) and as I clipped it out, I felt a kinship with this guy, Eric Hudson and his commitment to making a positive impact.
    Fast forward to now, and this company now makes kitchen, tableware and personal care products (BPA free).
    Check out the razor handles. Women, if you’ve ever stood in the razor aisle trying to settle on a razor that doesn’t completely annoy your aesthetic sensibilities, you have Citrus Yellow, Sky Blue, Pear Green and more to choose from. The handles are powered by yogurt cups. ™ I love it.
    Back to the toothbrush. The toothbrushes are offered individually, or you can purchase a toothbrush subscription and receive a new toothbrush to your door four times a year for $11.00. Sweet! Then just toss your old one in your recycling bin, or you can download a postage paid envelope from the company and mail yours in to Preserve if your community doesn’t recycle #5.
    Now for the Brita Filters. See the website for a ‘how to’, and the filters can be either mailed in or dropped off at Preserve Gimme 5 bins, located at Whole Foods in Carmel and in Indy according to the website.