Movie Night
Originally uploaded by jjzach
We had a movie night outside with the neighbors recently complete with a large tv, kettle corn, lawn chairs, bug spray and Austin Powers.
Here are some sites devoted to the art of throwing an outdoor movie night party:
I don’t actually remember to bring my reusable bags into the store all the time and my curbside recycling doesn’t accept plastic bags. Many sources have told me that your local supermarket will accept and recycle bags made of type 2 and type 4 plastic. Today I finally remembered to take a bunch of plastic bags to my local Stop and Shop and found a handy bin in the area where you recycle bottles. The website eHow had a bunch of tips for recycling plastic bags. Also, PlasticBagRecycling.org has a list of drop-off centers and Earth 911 lets you search by zip code (which also allows you to search for other recycle items). There are also trash cans at the Container Store and OXO that allow you to reuse plastic bags, but the downside is that the plastic bag does not get recycled.
2 Pink Geraniums
2 White Geraniums
2 Dusty Millers
1 Purple Verbena
= a pretty combo that doesn’t need to be watered 5 times a day. I’m especially happy with the Carpet Blue Verbena in the center. It has grown quite long and has some pretty purple flowers.
We finally set up the worm bin that I mentioned in a previous post last week. We got our red wigglers online from a place called Planet Natural. You Grow Girl suggests that you make sure you ask for the worms by their scientific name (Eisenia foetida) to be sure you have the right kind of worm since these worms go by many different names. I made my first Rock You slideshow to show the process:
| View Show | Create Your Own
Other notes: We put our bin inside a laundry basket this catches any liquid that might come out of the holes in the bottom and allows us to move it easily if necessary.
Helpful resources:
Composting with Worms Article, Martha Stewart Living, March 2007
The Worm Book, by Loren Nancarrow and Janet Hogan Taylor
You Grow Girl, by Gayla Trail
We saw An Incovenient Truth last night and we were inspired to start to change the world one worm at a time. The March 2007 Issue of Martha Stewart Living had some great information about how to Compost with Worms. We currently have a Compost Solution, but are going to take a trip to the Arlington, MA Bait and Tackle shop to get started with some Red Wigglers. Here is the Martha Stewart info via Tree Hugger. The article has easy to follow pictures and a nice trouble shooting chart. Unfortunately it is not available on the Martha Stewart website so I will be sure to take careful notes when we make our own vermiculture bin.
Other helpful resources:
Worm Woman
Worms Eat my Garbage, by Mary Appelhof
Worm Solutions
You Grow Girl
Speaking of worms, pictured below is what could be the biggest earth worm on earth. We saw it last week with our own eyes while in Ecuador. I bet he could eat a lot of our trash!
I have been trying to be more environmentally conscious when choosing cleaning products. Trader Joes and Whole Foods have many options for just about anything. There are also many cleaners that you can make yourself. A recent shower drain clog went on a little too long because we resisted buying the toxic Draino. I found a solution on Green Home Living that worked.
Drain Opener
Dissolve 1 cup baking soda and one cup vinegar in boiling water and pour down the drain. Continue to flush with hot tap water until the clog breaks.
They also have a lot of useful information about which Eco Friendly products actually work.
Update: Here is a slightly different solution via Not Martha via Apartment Therapy.
We are finally using the kitchen full time again, although there are still some bits and pieces to complete. More pics of the progress and the kitchen warming parties.
So far, I am loving our American Craftsman garden window and all my plants are thriving. It gives a great amount of light from above and keeps some moisture in the window.
I’ve lost track of how many weeks it has been.
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