Covered the broccoli for the expected cold wet night tonight.

A beauty on a grey day.

Its time to think about spring.

Now that I have almost two acres and neighbors that want to farm together, its time to start thinking about spring planting. We have a roll of plastic, pvc, and I can probably acquire some bales of straw. I should go get my boots and carharts on and brave the 23 degree weather. If I'm really good, I'll also post pictures of what I've done today.

Bumble Buzz

What's more fun then a new toy? Instead of heading to the store, I looked around my house and out of the yarn stash came a bee. The art of Amigurumi - crocheted animal toys is perfect for babies and young children.

Bumble Buzz started out as the base for a Medusa monster toy, but I threw out the instructions and it morphed into a bumble bee. I can't give exact instructions for him, but I crocheted the body, knitted the wings and sewed them on. I decreased for the neck and then increased again for the head. As I got to the end I sewed on the eyes antennas and created a loop for it to hang off a mobile. I stuffed it all with pillow stuffing from a pillow that is too full. What a great baby toy and kitty loves it too.

Cloth Diapering

I know I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on a new project, he is 4 months old now! Yes, I had a son and it has been a wonderful experience. Since we are trying desperately to keep up with day to day things, we have encountered a slow learning curve when it comes the cloth diapering. I feel rotten each time I toss a disposable away, knowing it will still be there when my son's great grand children are born.

So, we are trying again with cloth diapers. This time I've armored myself with knowledge, goals, and a commitment of help from my partner.

All I want for Christmas:

Santa - If you are listening, all I want for Christmas is a three compartment compost bin! This is a part of living sustainably in the urban Ohio that I am missing. The beauty of three compartments is the ability to use compost at different stages of decomposition. Check out this design at a fellow composter's blogspot:

Black Friday

Now that we are once again entering the holiday season we must face the duality of sustainability and commercialism. As we are tempted by advertisements and amazing deals, we must constantly remind ourselves of our values and consider environmentally friendly vs. convenient. It is a constant battle to protect our ideals through scrutinizing each product

In appreciation of the local shops, I will be visiting places in Ashland and Medina County. Favorites are the Parsley Pot, Gleaner Antique Shop, Days of Yore, Hemlock Cottage and Root Candles.Remember to prioritize locally produced and cleanly produced items.

Happy Local and Sustainable Shopping!