Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Food for Thought

My dog likes tofu.

I wonder if that's okay.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Stormwater Management

We've been meaning to do this for a couple of years, but we finally got around to installing a rain barrel.

In Chicago, one way to get a rain barrel is to sign up and get your name on a list at the Chicago Center for Green Technology. And then you wait and wait and wait. And then you are notified when you can pick it up. The CCGT provides you with a date, and that's the day you pay your $45 and pick up the reserved rain barrel. We actually tried to get a city rain barrel through the park district before, and that list closed in about 10 minutes. Anyway, yesterday was our pick up day.

And now we have our own hideous bright blue rain barrel. Yay!

I think maybe our daughters should paint it. . . .

Saturday, October 24, 2009

On the Low-Tech Theme

I guess I never considered that a pedicure wouldn't include soaking my feet in a high-powered mini jacuzzi for 15 luxurious minutes or so. . . .

My friend, who booked our reservation, warned us about the spa's different pedicure style - she lowered our expectations, you could say. But when they brought out a huge bowl filled with very hot, scented water poured over smooth stones, I stuck my tired feet in gratefully. I actually found the pedicure to be more peaceful without all that bubbling noise.

And it reminded me of a quiet summer afternoon many years ago, when my young daughters gave me a "pedicure" in our backyard. They gently poured cold water over my feet and then wrapped them in large leaves. Both experiences were very simple, gentle, and kind.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Too Cold to Seal the Deck . . .

. . . but not to mulch.

I haven't been in a gardening mood lately. I've been a little stumped with the whole layout.

Sometimes, when I'm letting the dog out in the morning, I just look at the garden objectively. And there are things I like about it. BUT SO MUCH I DON'T. Then I get a little epiphany - something I could do to make it all work! But as usual, there are other things in life that must come first, and my gardening plans will have to wait 'til next year.

So, today I will mulch. And put the garden out of my mind for a while.