Another day, another snow storm. This certainly feels like the slowest spring ever. I wonder if we will even have spring this year; it may leap from winter straight into summer heat.
My thyroid issues are still making life difficult. Visible evidence is all the household chores that don't get done when I'm focusing all available energy to keeping up with work. Last night we were over at my parent's farm for dinner and it was so relaxing to be in a CLEAN house. :)
Monday, April 22, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Regressing
We thought the snow was gone...we were wrong.
There is a flock of disgruntled sparrows and starlings in the trees since I locked them out of the chicken coop. My hens won't go outside in this anyway so the freeloaders are barred from entering.
The snow and ice are a bit disheartening after it was looking like spring, but we were very lucky. Just 45 miles to the south, the storm put down a heavy layer of ice causing power lines, poles and trees to come crashing down. Over 44,000 customers were without power at one time and the electric companies are still scrambling to get them all running again. One friend described their situation without heat or cooking as 'the only thing we can still do is flush the toilet.
I hope that this experience motivates more people to prepare for emergencies. I'm afraid most will just clean up and consider it a one-off situation. Speaking of preparing: I've ordered 3 cords of firewood for next winter and my parents are getting 1 also. Even though it will still need to be split, my son is thrilled that it's being delivered and he won't have to load, haul and unload all of it.
There is a flock of disgruntled sparrows and starlings in the trees since I locked them out of the chicken coop. My hens won't go outside in this anyway so the freeloaders are barred from entering.
The snow and ice are a bit disheartening after it was looking like spring, but we were very lucky. Just 45 miles to the south, the storm put down a heavy layer of ice causing power lines, poles and trees to come crashing down. Over 44,000 customers were without power at one time and the electric companies are still scrambling to get them all running again. One friend described their situation without heat or cooking as 'the only thing we can still do is flush the toilet.
I hope that this experience motivates more people to prepare for emergencies. I'm afraid most will just clean up and consider it a one-off situation. Speaking of preparing: I've ordered 3 cords of firewood for next winter and my parents are getting 1 also. Even though it will still need to be split, my son is thrilled that it's being delivered and he won't have to load, haul and unload all of it.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Non-GMO shopping
I stopped at the grocery store today to pick up an assortment of organic, non-GMO items. We didn't need anything; this is basically a taste test to see what we like.
We tried Annie's brand macaroni and cheese for lunch. Not bad; perhaps most impressive was that my son thought it was okay! The most noticeable difference to me was the lack of bright orange food coloring used by Kraft.
I used The Non-GMO Project site to source verified brands:
http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/
I'm not certain about the Full Circle brand. I thought I saw it on the list but was wrong. I have sent them an email asking about GMO in their products.
So, the adventure begins...
We tried Annie's brand macaroni and cheese for lunch. Not bad; perhaps most impressive was that my son thought it was okay! The most noticeable difference to me was the lack of bright orange food coloring used by Kraft.
I used The Non-GMO Project site to source verified brands:
http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/
I'm not certain about the Full Circle brand. I thought I saw it on the list but was wrong. I have sent them an email asking about GMO in their products.
So, the adventure begins...
Making the switch to non-GMO
I have to admit that looking up lists of GMO foods at 3:30 a.m. is not conducive to getting back to sleep. On the other hand, it did give me the final kick needed to turn into a real hippy and start buying organic. I suspect this is going to entail a large increase in my grocery budget and the sacrifice of some old favorites. Is there a substitute for Miracle Whip? I hope the organic ketchup tastes good.
Happily, my Wheetabix is on the good list; sadly, Cheerios isn't. I already buy organic milk, so that isn't an adjustment to make. Kraft macaroni and cheese has always been a staple in our house. I hope one of the organic brands is comparable.
Oh boy, another challenge!
Happily, my Wheetabix is on the good list; sadly, Cheerios isn't. I already buy organic milk, so that isn't an adjustment to make. Kraft macaroni and cheese has always been a staple in our house. I hope one of the organic brands is comparable.
Oh boy, another challenge!
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