The Wonder of Worms

...o start your own worm bin: If you don’t have a worm bin, spring is a great time to start one! My stance is that anyone can keep a bin. If you eat, you can keep a bin. They don’t have to cost much. They fit anywhere. You could keep one in a dorm room or a studio apartment. You can keep one under the kitchen sink. Basically, if you have some place you could put a cat box, you can keep worms. That said, worm bins are considerably less stinky than cat...

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Big List of Earth-Friendly (homemade, compostable, recyclable, no-plastic) Holiday Decorations

...can be so loud and jangly and rushed. Just stepping back and spending some time admiring the geometry of a pine cone or the cleverness of an acorn helps cleanse the mind of all that noise. Seasons come and go. Holidays come and go. Ornaments which reflect the seasons should come and go, too. The fact that they don’t last, that they have to be savored in the correct season, is what makes them special. Also, this kind of decorating also saves on sto...

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The Theme of a Great Garden

...nd the use of California native plants. The garden feels as if exists in a time before humans. It got me wondering how thematics would play out in a more modest home landscape. Perhaps, when it comes time to design a garden it would be useful to toss around a few abstract words and ideas to help unify the design vocabulary of the garden. Picking a theme or several related themes could make it easier when it comes to making plant and hardscpaping c...

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Kelly’s Goals for 2014

...he water, looking like a oddly leggy, chubby seal in my wetsuit.) The last time I was super-fit was when Erik and I took the Sierra Club’s Wilderness Training Course. We had to climb many mountains and do challenging winter outings involving heavy backpacks and snow shoes. I trained hard for the climbs, in morbid fear of collapsing midway up the mountain and having to be medivac’d out by helicopter. Paranoid, yes, but it worked like a charm. I had...

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An Early Resolution

...ter, “Well, at least they’re paper.” Denial is a beautiful thing! But it’s time to face facts. They’re just as bad as the bottles. Thus the resolution: no more disposable cups personally, and I also vow to help groups/organizations I belong to wean themselves from disposables, even if that means me doing a lot of dishes in random bathroom sinks. Oh yes, I’m going to be that person. One hopeful note: in researching I discovered that use of personal...

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