Good-bye Green Waste
Apr. 6th, 2011 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
botiasLuxury is mine for a mere $3.42 per month. My garbage service dropped off a big green wheeled container which I may fill with as much weeds and branches and plant trimmings as my little heart desires. I am ridiculously pleased with this. I feel I should compost it all myself, but I'm almost giddy at the idea of just chucking things in the spacious bin and sending them off for someone else to do it. I've already filled it to the brim. Spring is clearly arrived, yet I am impatient. A couple of days ago I dug up the clump of tubers that belongs to my fave dahlia. I can always pretend that this was so that I can divide the clump and have more, because that's exactly what I did, but the real truth is that I finally just had to go into the ground after it to see what sort of progress it was making.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go all carpe diem on the Annie's Annuals Spring party. It makes a lot more sense just to order from them, but I'm excited about going on a road trip. I just hope it doesn't hail!
On Sunday, I had to pick up a tub from a town up the coast. Sure, all the towns here are coastal, but this town is coastal in the sense that tourists go there for its charming coastyness; it's the zip code of 90% of our doctors and dentists, and the view from the house where the tub had been delivered was spectacular. Perched right on the coastal bluff, it appeared as though we were floating over the ocean watching the surf crash against the rocks. I had loaded up all the kids with the idea of going for a hike and eating at the seaside cafe, and as we drove away from the house with the dramatic, crashy view, 10yo pointed out that even if we had a view like that, we would almost certainly begin to take it for granted. Wise words for a 10yo, but I think I would be willing to take a chance on becoming bored by such a vista.
Goodies in the mail for me. The 'sequel' to Three Cups of Tea for one.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
empresspatti recommended Half the Sky to me, and I must second the recommendation. It was a powerful book, much better written than Three Cups of Tea whose message and story had to carry its sometimes awkward prose. I highly recommend both. The only little thing that niggled me is that the authors of HtS would condemn genital cutting of females (which some studies show reduces transmission of the AIDS virus) and immediately turn around and advocate it for men (based on equally shaky science) and also boys (which I cannot be more certain is completely unethical). It was fascinating how cultural attitudes toward female genital mutilation in its native lands are exactly the same as common American attitudes toward our own fave exercise in genital remodeling.
Compared to rural Pakistani kids, the neighborhood kids are comparatively healthy and well fed, but still I feel for them. As soon as he made friends with 8yo, John kept trying to come in the house. For a while I was chasing him out every 10 minutes. Even if we knew him well enough, he smelled so strongly of excrement that I could discover that he had gotten into the house again by scent alone. As a former tormented kid who did not wear a diaper to school, I had to wonder what school must be like for him. At first I thought John must be on some sort of home study, but now I've learned that he is supposed to be in school, but ditches most days and wanders around the neighborhood. 8yo was oblivious to all these nuances, even the smell, which may have been a nice change for John. At least John's parents care enough to try and track him down once in a while, but I wonder what life is like at home as well. Robert, across the street, lives in a house in foreclosure that's been on the market for many moons and that has had the water shut off due to lack of payment. 8yo says he sees the adults filling containers with water from neighbors' hose taps, including ours. 8yo says he doesn't like it when strangers come in our yard, but I told him we'd probably better let it be. On the upside, I saw the little boy formerly of next door that I called the social services about. It looks like he is living with his mother now instead, and I hope it's going well for him. She always did seem to have a smile for him, even if she was rarely seen.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go all carpe diem on the Annie's Annuals Spring party. It makes a lot more sense just to order from them, but I'm excited about going on a road trip. I just hope it doesn't hail!
On Sunday, I had to pick up a tub from a town up the coast. Sure, all the towns here are coastal, but this town is coastal in the sense that tourists go there for its charming coastyness; it's the zip code of 90% of our doctors and dentists, and the view from the house where the tub had been delivered was spectacular. Perched right on the coastal bluff, it appeared as though we were floating over the ocean watching the surf crash against the rocks. I had loaded up all the kids with the idea of going for a hike and eating at the seaside cafe, and as we drove away from the house with the dramatic, crashy view, 10yo pointed out that even if we had a view like that, we would almost certainly begin to take it for granted. Wise words for a 10yo, but I think I would be willing to take a chance on becoming bored by such a vista.
Goodies in the mail for me. The 'sequel' to Three Cups of Tea for one.
empresspatti recommended Half the Sky to me, and I must second the recommendation. It was a powerful book, much better written than Three Cups of Tea whose message and story had to carry its sometimes awkward prose. I highly recommend both. The only little thing that niggled me is that the authors of HtS would condemn genital cutting of females (which some studies show reduces transmission of the AIDS virus) and immediately turn around and advocate it for men (based on equally shaky science) and also boys (which I cannot be more certain is completely unethical). It was fascinating how cultural attitudes toward female genital mutilation in its native lands are exactly the same as common American attitudes toward our own fave exercise in genital remodeling. Compared to rural Pakistani kids, the neighborhood kids are comparatively healthy and well fed, but still I feel for them. As soon as he made friends with 8yo, John kept trying to come in the house. For a while I was chasing him out every 10 minutes. Even if we knew him well enough, he smelled so strongly of excrement that I could discover that he had gotten into the house again by scent alone. As a former tormented kid who did not wear a diaper to school, I had to wonder what school must be like for him. At first I thought John must be on some sort of home study, but now I've learned that he is supposed to be in school, but ditches most days and wanders around the neighborhood. 8yo was oblivious to all these nuances, even the smell, which may have been a nice change for John. At least John's parents care enough to try and track him down once in a while, but I wonder what life is like at home as well. Robert, across the street, lives in a house in foreclosure that's been on the market for many moons and that has had the water shut off due to lack of payment. 8yo says he sees the adults filling containers with water from neighbors' hose taps, including ours. 8yo says he doesn't like it when strangers come in our yard, but I told him we'd probably better let it be. On the upside, I saw the little boy formerly of next door that I called the social services about. It looks like he is living with his mother now instead, and I hope it's going well for him. She always did seem to have a smile for him, even if she was rarely seen.
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no subject
Date: 2011-04-07 08:58 am (UTC)I feel you re: yardwaste bin. I have one too; and it's wonderful. Of course they only pick it up occasionally and I always loose track of when it's yardwaste day. Still, big bin filled with branches and weeds!
I worry about kids I see at work. I've been doing this for a while, and every now and then I see a child I knew from work (usually NICU former preemies) show up in the paper as "Saturday's child" or whatever the local paper is calling children in foster care and up for adoption. It breaks my heart!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-07 05:23 pm (UTC)Yes. :(
no subject
Date: 2011-04-07 01:58 pm (UTC)So I was wondering if you have ordered from this catalog and if they are reliable ? If not do you have any favorite catalogs you do use, or sites you would recommend for some low cost roses or dwarf green apple trees ? I know you planeted a small orchard last year. Thanks you for help.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-07 05:21 pm (UTC)http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/237/
I would patronize a local nursery that's been in business for awhile, or find a reputable on-line nursery that is familiar with your climate. You might want to check out Dave Wilson (http://www.davewilson.com/) for info about trees, also Raintree (http://www.raintreenursery.com/) for fruiting plants, and it's hard to go wrong with Annie's Annuals (http://www.anniesannuals.com/default1.asp). Roses can be nice, but if you are looking for a barrier hedge, you might research a flowering shrub that will provide food and shelter for birds and other wildlife.