Drizzle, drazzle. August 28, 2008

Today was a rainy one.  I love taking pictures of drips & drops, splitters & splatters. (Click here or the photo to see more pictures from today.)  I left the windows open and it got downright chilly in the house – I had to put on a sweatshirt!

Alex & I would like to put in a fence in the backyard for Oscar.  Today a man came over from one of the two base-approved contractors to measure and give me an estimate.  Holy smokes, it’s way more than I thought it’d be!  I’d really like to have the fence for Oscar, but I don’t know if spending more than a thousand dollars to upgrade someone else’s property is something we should do.  If it was our own, permanent home, I’d do it in a heartbeat.  Someone from the other company will be coming on Tuesday to give us his estimate, and then I guess we’ll make a decision.  A thousand dollars… that’s a lot of tour money!

Bible Study is tonight.  I look forward to Thursday evenings all week.  The women are so kind, and it’s so nice to be plugged in to a group with the same values as I have.  I always leave feeling refreshed, connected, and ready to tackle my flaws for another week.  Of all the things I know I’ll miss when we leave, it’s definitely this group of very special women.  I’m trying to not take them for granted now, but instead appreciate every gathering we’re blessed to share!

Glorious end-of-summer. August 27, 2008

Yesterday was the lovliest day we’ve had in a long time, and today is its twin sister.  The sun is happily shining, but not too intensely.  The wind is blowing a soft breeze, making my wind chimes sing.  The grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and everything looks beautiful!  The only disruption is the constant sound of chainsaws – apparently it’s “cut down tree week” here on Andrews.

The tree removal really bothers me.  They’ve taken down about half of the trees in the small woodsy area behind my house.  Yesterday they took the tree in my front yard (granted I was afraid it was going to fall on my car/garage), one down the street, and one across my sideyard.  Today they’ve moved along and are taking all kinds of beautiful old oaks in our neighborhood.  I am dismayed because trees are so good for the earth, and I do so much to try to save them by recycling, etc., and here they are just chopping down tons of them!  I know they’re not paper trees, but still… I am sad.

Positives from yesterday:

• Baked banana bread.  I had a lot of bananas this time so I made two batches – one big loaf for Alex & I, and four small loaves to give away.
• Met a new neighbor (Nikki) and her dog (Ollie).  She’s very nice!  We chatted for a while and made tentative plans to grill out sometime this weekend.
• Made plans with Cody (friend from Iowa) for him & Phil to come over on Saturday evening to grill out & catch up.  It will be great to see them both again!  I haven’t seen Cody since March, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen Phil since June of 2007.  Exciting!!

Today I’m doing laundry – I love the smell of freshly-dried clothes when I’m folding.  I set up the card table in our guest room, and I might even get some scrapbooking done.

Beautiful days inspire me.  Oh, did I mention that the AC is off and the windows are open?  Love.

Take a cold(er) shower. August 24, 2008

Heating water takes a lot of energy! My resolution this week is to take cooler showers. I’ve marked a line in the shower past which I won’t turn the knob. (It’s about half as far as I normally turn it!) Summer is a great time to start doing this, because let’s face it – I tend to take warmer showers in the winter. By December, maybe I’ll be used to the change!

Fifty-two green. August 22, 2008

“It’s not easy being green…” Sorry Kermit, but I’m out to prove you wrong. I’m making an effort to change my habits to be more planet-friendly. It’s been a process, one that began several years ago and seems to have grown exponentially in the past few months. Inspired by a blog I saw called “365 Green,” in which the author records one green change she makes each day, I’m trying “Fifty-two Green.” I hereby resolve to make one green change each week – either for my body or for the planet. I’ll start with a list of green things I already do. You won’t find these in future weeks’ reports – no fair unless it’s an actual change!

• Bring my own cloth bags to the commissary
• Use environmentally-friendly (Seventh Generation) dish washing detergent and household cleaner
• Buy organic dairy products (& various others)
• Use energy-efficient washing machine & dryer; run full loads only
• Buy items with smaller/recyclable packaging
• Recycle all plastic, metal, glass, and paper products
• Turn off air conditioning whenever possible & open windows
• Use organic shampoo, conditioner, & body wash
• Use compact fluorescent bulbs in all fixtures

These are good starts, but I could do a lot more. I’ll post my new week’s resolution every Saturday. Oh, and it’s list I’m adding to – when I make a change, it’s not just for a week. The changes are here to stay. Please feel free to leave comments with ideas for what I can do each week!

Brand spankin’ new. August 22, 2008

I admit it: I’ve got blog envy. I’ve seen many beautiful blogs and they always make me think, Wow, that person really has her life together! Look at how organized she is, how many beautiful things she’s made, how easily she can stay in touch, and how wonderful her photos are! I’ve had enough of clunky blogs that are difficult to customize or require someone to be registered in order to view. So, here is my brand spankin’ new blog. Will it change my life? Probably not. But I’m in one of those moods where I feel like I could change the world, so I figure it’s a pretty good time to change my blog.