Goodwill to Women

Move over, 12 days of Christmas. I've got 12 days to pack! When I realized today we can almost check the 10-day forecast for our cruise, it was time to find my swimsuit.

That's never any fun any time of the year, but I'm sure there'll be quite a variety of bodies on this ship. My oldest R sister and travel partner suggested I bring 2 suits so I don't have to put a wet suit on if it doesn't dry between dips in the on-board pool and in the turquoise waters of Aruba or the waterfalls of St. Lucia or... you get the picture. Putting my itinerary in one document today definitely got me in the mood!

I only one found one suit so I ordered one online, which is always a gamble, but I can suffer through a wet suit if the new one is not built for my version of a beach body.

In the meantime, though, I did fill up 4 bags for Goodwill. This time Goodwill toward the women's section. Oh there's plenty more where that came from, but like I said yesterday, I gotta space out all my vacation fun. The trips to the recycling center (where the line indicated it must be a national holiday to recycle Christmas gift boxes) and Goodwill were enough for one day.

Tomorrow I do actually have to go to the office to get a few things done. It should be OK to leave hubby unsupervised. And the weather will be decent so he should be fine.

Speaking of weather... the 10-day forecast is mostly lows of 70s and highs in the low to mid-80s. Where I'm going anyway. 

In my mind, Christmas is way over and we R ready to cruise!

Goodwill to a Few Anyway

I let the spirit of Christmas carry through today since it was our "Christmas observed" day off. I specifically focused on the "Peace on Earth, goodwill..." part.

In other words, I tackled the basement for a while and hauled 4 boxes of the kids' clothes to Goodwill. Don't worry, they set them aside awhile ago as clothes to either sell or donate. I decided today I don't need them gathering dust until garage-sale season so I let them go. 

If you know me, you know it's a big deal for me to let go. And not think "Ooh this is worth XYZ" or "I could sell that and get something good for it." 

Nope. Not today, my peace on Earth was decluttering and spreading it to Goodwill.

My other big accomplishment was breaking down a ton of boxes. A ton of "I should save this – this is a good box" boxes. Am I the only one?

I must pile them up all year thinking I can use them to wrap presents at Christmas. Since 90% of our gift-giving was cash or direct-shipped, I didn't need the boxes anyway. Since I did the Goodwill run today, I'll do the recycling center run tomorrow. Gotta space things out. I can't have all my vacation fun on the first day.

Hope you're enjoying some peace in your corner of the Earth, too!

Four Score and 10 Years Ago

Four score (that's 20 years each) and 10 years ago, my mom came into this world. If you don't know Gettysburg Address type math, that's 90 years! She was born on Good Friday in 1932 so she was special from the get-go.

Tomorrow we'll go Up North to celebrate with her and lots of family. The picture above is from her cake we had in Arizona. It took her 3 tries to get those 9 candles blown out. Apparently claims that us Hedberg ladies are full of hot air have been debunked. Thanks, Mom.

I really can't image what life was like as a child of the Great Depression. But of course the Internet has factoids to help us make a comparison from then to now...

List of 1932 news events and fun facts:

• US unemployment reaches 24% with many living in cars and shanty towns.
• Amelia Earhart completes the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a woman.
• The Bonus Army marches on Washington D.C.
• Charles Lindbergh son is kidnapped.
• BBC first TV Programming
• The big movies included Shanghai Express, The Sign of the Cross and The Kid From Spain
• US life expectancy: Males: 61.0 years, Females: 63.5 years

Cost of Living 1932

• Average cost of new house: $6,510.
• Average wages per year: $1,650.
• Average monthly rent: $18 per month.
• Cost of a gallon of gas: 10 cents.
• A loaf of bread: 7 cents.
• A pound of hamburger meat: 10 cents.
• Sugar 25-pound sack: $1.25.
• New car average price: $610.

Wow, huh? That price of gas almost makes me want to go back in time. But when you see the unemployment rate and know that people were living in the cars and struggling in many ways, then I'd prefer to stay put. Not that I have any connections to a time machine!

I guess it made Mom a stronger person. Also explains why she kept everything and reused everything possible. We are a wasteful society these days. Everything is disposable. Except the extra "stuff" a lot of us hang onto. You know... we children of the children of the Depression, and all that.

I'm thrilled the life expectancy has extended quite a bit since then, too. Males went from 61 years to 78 years and females went from 63.5 years to 82.2 years. Whoa, my 90-year-old mother is beating the odds. Hope that's hereditary. 

Happy 9 decades, Mom!

Bag Lady

It's Earth Week! I wouldn't label myself a tree hugger, but I do like to do kind things for the planet. I even gave up AquaNet – albeit briefly – in the '80s to save the ozone. Today, I just recycle. All. The. Time.

In my mother's day, she re-used everything from Cool Whip containers (who doesn't?) to bread bags (great winter boot liners) and Ziploc baggies (whatever the cheaper generic version was). It was all fine and good until a person crosses the fine line between frugal and hoarder.

Or us today – tree hugger or hoarder.

I know I cross that line. All the time. But then gather up whatever I have overstock of – usually plastic grocery bags – and take them to the appropriate recycling place.

My latest stockpile seems to be paper bags about the size above that are sturdy and have a handle and... I know I can use them somehow. But I haven't. And as long as I keep supporting small businesses (usually my source for these perfect-sized containers), I won't run out permanently.

But they're such nice bags. I mean no stains or rips. 

I'll give them up if one of you could use them. I mean there's not a ton of them, only like a half dozen or maybe 20. Let me know. I want them to go to a good home.

And don't lie to me and say you can use them only to take them and put these perfectly good bags in recycling. You don't want to see this bag lady cross the fine line.

On Earth Week and every week – take good care of our home.

Fall Back or Behind?

I can't really blame the time change for a reason to fall behind in my autumn chores. We did have that extra hour last weekend, after all. But I do blame an overbooked schedule, including juggling events and projects.

A few days ago, I downloaded an app that helped me create the ultra to-do list on my phone. Things I would love to get done this week if at all possible. Parts are a little ambitious but knowing our Saturday and Sunday are mostly open gave me hope.

First order of business was getting rid of a few things to recycling. Got to finally drop off the burnt-popcorn microwave and our now broken and out-of-date treadmill. The guys took care of that while I hit the hot tub.

Not to relax in it, but to drain the rest of the water, clean it and refill it for winter. After laboring over that a few hours, when I went to fill it up, it hit a certain level and water started leaking everywhere. So apparently it cracked over the winter. So now we'll have to probably pay someone to take that useless appliance off our hands, too! Plus, that's 3 hours of my day I'll never get back. Grrr.

To actually accomplish something, I did my Saturday sweeping, dusting and vacuuming chores. Then actually started in on my office / Scrap Cave. That will take a least another day so hopefully tomorrow will be it – unless my Vikings are actually on TV here or I get caught up in some other project from my app list.

Had to take the evening off to attend a wedding reception for Travis, the son of the Carter's 1st-6th grade babysitter. Lots of people there and even a few we knew. Since it was at The Ridges, Carter was doing dishes from it, and hoped to stop out and say congrats to the happy couple anyway.

We didn't even stay long enough to dance. I accidentally gave hubby my miserable cough and cold. So know he's prepping for the week from hell!

I'm prepping to actually make my minutes count tomorrow! Wish us both luck.

What on Earth?

It's been said – by those who care – that "every day is Earth Day." It should be.

As an R Person (one of 8 in my family), I like the R words "Recycle" and "Reuse." And I try to make them action words in my life. There was a time, though, I didn't care.

Who did?

When I watch a TV show like Mad Men, set in the '60s, I am reminded of this. On one episode, a family had a picnic and when it was time to go, they shook off the blanket, let the paper plates land where they may, and walked to the car without looking back. Maybe an exaggeration. But maybe not.

If you are a walker or runner or take the dog around the block, you know once the snow melts, the ditches yield evidence that people are still tossing trash out their car windows. Cigarette butts, fast food wrappers and beer cans seem to be the popular choices I note.

Just because there is not a "do not litter" sign, doesn't mean we should. Would you go to someone's house and dump trash on their floor? Then why do it to Mother Earth's home?

I acknowledge I am not the best role model. I used enough AquaNet in the '80s to enlarge the hole in the ozone. When I have opted to car pool or walk somewhere, it has been to save on gas money, not to save the planet from air pollution. I don't necessarily save all those Cool Whip containers to practice "reuse," it is just my hoarding genes causing me to litter in my own cupboards!

Still, we do recycle everything we can from paper to plastic. I feel guilty if I am somewhere and there is no recycling option for my empty can or bottle. But am I guilty of not doing enough to save the planet or guilty of putting us in this position in the first place?

We may mock the "old-fashioned" way of living – cloth diapers and clotheslines – but when we became a disposable society, we created a mess of disposable items that can be thrown away but not disappear. Out of sight, out of mind?

That's why I like the quote above that we are borrowing the planet from our children. They will need it longer than we will. What can we do to give it to them in good condition?

Remember: It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature... She has ways of getting back at us. Case in point...

Brrrr... Happy @#@$% Earth Day from Mr. Deck Chair!

Coffee Break

If you ever wonder why I am so productive when I work from home, this is my setup...

Or it would be if I wasn't so afraid of needles! It comes close to the truth, though. I can drink a lot of coffee without thinking. It has two advantages: One, I am alert. Two, my micro-bladder requires many trips to the bathroom so I get steps on my pedometer, too!

Today, since Carter stayed at a friend's last night and the neighbor did not need a ride to practice either, I was able to roll out of bed, grab that coffee and get to work. Since there were no judgmental teenagers around, I didn't have to shower until right before noon when I had to go pick those two up!

Yup -- alert, productive, showered and getting steps -- sounds like a good day at the office to me.

As a bonus, since today's baseball game was obviously rescheduled, Carter and I took a field trip to cash in cans. This time around, the "Cans for Carter" crusade yielded $13.95 -- and Mr. Can Man rounded it up to an even $14. Whoo-hoo. Who's rich now? I don't even know any more what Carter is saving up for but I do know it's going to take a long time at this rate. It nothing else, he has a little spending cash and doesn't have to bother us for every nickel and dime.

But I bet he will.

He should at least do some chores this week to earn his keep. He has crossed 3 items off the list: I already forgot the first one but I know the second was "cash in cans" and the third was "clean room." Well, he did vacuum it today and it smells good because it was almost 50 degrees and time to let the fresh air in. I'll have to see how it looks tomorrow. That may go back on the list.

Of course, my "coffee break" will be over and I'll be in our real office so no one will be here to enforce it.

Any volunteers to be The Voice for a day??

Label Reading 101

One of Carter's "homework" assignments this week is finding two items (food, personal products, whatever) to bring in for a label-reading project -- "We're checking for nutrition and chemicals and stuff."

I'm not sure I will like where this is going. First he was reading the plastic water bottle "recycling numbers" last night and was ready to throw out our fancy one because it had some number Carter deemed to be dangerous for us.

What if he starts getting nosy and starts looking at my Diet Coke can?? He'll be like, "Mom, do you know what aspartame and phenylalanine (and he'll be able to pronounce it) are doing to you?" I'll be like, "Yes, I know, but it keeps me awake a work."

Not a good answer. Bad mommy.

I will say I do read labels a lot. Seriously, I mostly am looking at the calories and fat content. Doesn't mean I won't buy the product (I mean, some are worth it), but it's good to know what the truly healthy options are out there.

I remember when my dad had just gotten out of the hospital after a heart procedure. He'd also learned he has diabetes. So here I am shopping for healthy food for him and I was shocked when I was reading the labels for "healthy" soup. Ohmigosh, there is so much sodium in one can! Shopping was a quite a challenge, but as usual, you can't go wrong (unless Carter learns differently) with fruits and vegetables.

At our house, we've pretty much cut out salt as much as we can from our diets. I mean it's probably hidden in food, but I don't add it to anything. We're big fans of pepper, though, and other spices that aren't sodium-based. I came across a mention of this one recently in an article.

Cardamom: One of the most popular spices in the world, cardamom is used around the globe in both sweet and savory dishes. For an entirely new taste, try mixing a little bit into your ground coffee!

I think I might try it because the name sounds like "carter-mom" doesn't it? Then it has to be healthy. And sweet, too! But that goes without saying...

Going Green

It's a sad state of affairs when oil prices rise to an all-time high on Earth Day. A good reminder we need to think seriously about where we as a planet are going. And what can we do about it?

We hear so much buzz today about "going green." I guess if there's one good bandwagon to jump on, it's that one. As long as people are willing to adopt the attitude for the long haul. I heard a lot of "green" tips on the radio this morning on the drive in. Everything I've heard before, but sometimes we forget.

Of course, one of the obvious ones is to use less fuel -- either drive less or buy a hybrid vehicle or both. When we work 44 miles away, it's hard to drive any less, but we do ride together and only drive separately when it's absolutely necessary. Our Honda Civic gets good gas mileage but the minivan is another story. It cost 60 bucks to fill it last night and it wasn't even an empty tank. Ouch! We said we should stop on the way home and buy a Prius. But then I'd probably need a second job to afford one. Just more driving!

They mentioned saving water, too, by doing fewer loads of wash, turning off the water when brushing your teeth and flushing a few less times each day. Since Carter often forgets to flush already, we've got that one covered. Plus, when I was growing up, we didn't even have indoor plumbing until I was Carter's age so I have 10 years of water conservation invested already!

It goes without saying we should recycle, recycle, recycle. I feel guilty if I go someplace where they don't recycle and I have to put an aluminum can in the trash. It just doesn't feel right. We do a good job of recycling aluminum, plastic, glass, cardboard and paper at our house. The cardboard/paper effort requires a trip into town to the drop-off site every now and then but it's not really an extra trip if we tie it into a stop at the grocery store, etc.

In Wisconsin, we are particularly proud of Earth Day since its founder -- Sen. Gaylord Nelson -- lived here. It seems strange to think there was a time when it was OK to toss that can or bottle out the window or into the creek and litter. I distinctly remember that TV commercial when I was a kid where the Native American had a tear rolling down his cheek because he was so sad about what we were doing to the Earth. Not littering was a new thing then. So was caring about the environment. And what is this O-zone thing? The most crushing blow as a teenager was learning I probably shouldn't be using that aerosol can of Aqua-Net hairspray. How did we survive?

Think about what you can do to go green so our children and grandchildren have a safe and beautiful place to live. Why not start today?