Escape from Suburbia update

Well, hello there. We're back. 

My unexpected hiatus from this place began with an event that suddenly forced us to spend a lot of time in Cleveland: the property management company found a tenant for our house there.

That meant we really had to move, finally.  All the careful staging and stuff just resting there until we could find a place for it had to be cleared out.

We did it. Sold a lot of unneeded furniture and stuff via Craigslist and a three-day moving sale. Donated tons more to Goodwill, Easter Seals, and the Salvation Army. Even placed a few items on the front lawn with a "FREE" sign and they disappeared as they were supposed to.

A plant-loving neighbor took in "Gorgo," my so-huge-it-has-its-own-zipcode tree philodendron which has occupied front and center in the 12-foot bow window for about 15 years. Gorgo was like family, but she practically needs a room of her own, and I could use a couple more of those myself in this little house. So she needed to be rehomed. I know she will be well cared for.

The tenant was okay with us leaving the dining room set and piano (two items too large to rehome on such short notice)  in the house for him to use for the next 24 months. And voila! Our home of 23 years is now a rental property. It feels weird, but the monthly income is appealing.

We picked the hottest days of the year for moving (heat index was 110 as we loaded up the last of the boxes and mopped the floors and wrung ourselves out), but we survived. Now, our garage here is chock full and the thinning out process continues...but at a more leisurely pace. Our house is still too small, but this photo of a skinny house in Warsaw, designed as a writer's straitjacket retreat,  made me feel like I'm living large by comparison.

In the midst of the chaos, we had visits from both of our kids, which was crazy fun.  Our new outdoor living space was very much appreciated. I was craving that "dinners on the patio" ambience, and we made it reality.

We finally got to do some of the things with our grandson that we've been wanting to do--picnics and the beach and his first boat ride and kite flying and a trip to Peterson's candy store.

My garden is getting daily attention again. I have a new blank canvas (pile of dirt) in front of the garden shed, and Mike's nursery has 25% off on all trees, shrubs, and perennials, and $10 roses this week! Since I have so much color in the front garden, I'm considering an all-white border in this space. We'll see.

Looks like another rainy day today. It's very welcome, after the extended hot and dry spell. I'll be unpacking some boxes and rearranging my space. This is home now.

We have a patio

The pavers are in place, though we still have a few details to finish. We also have a crushed stone pathway between the patio and the garage deck, so it is now possible to make the trip from back door to garage without feet touching mud. Yay!

Our neighbor Ronnie got into the act by mowing our lawn for us while we were busy spreading  gravel.We are lucky to have such good neighbors.

We still have a lot of dirt that needs to be moved around (so much that I'm thinking about offering to make raised beds for my neighbors on both sides) and planting beds to be designed.  Today it's cool and cloudy, a good day for working outside, once I reach the optimal level of caffeination

Then, this evening's event:  a $5 Tasting Party at Labyrinth.  From 5-9 pm, $5 buys you samples from their newly introduced yummy dinner menu. This is THE place in town for vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Even if you're not a vegetarian or vegan, it's just very delicious food. The coffee is good too. Smoothies are a specialty too.  Live evening entertainment is often part of the deal.  This is the kind of homegrown business establishment we love to support.

This week in my world

Summer officially arrived this week and with it came the first installment of garden fresh goodies from our CSA. I have discovered that garlic scapes thrown into the food processer with walnuts, olive oil and a little bit of parmesan,  make delicious pesto.

It's also strawberry picking time, but the uncooperative weather these past couple of days has thwarted our plans. No worries, we'll get to it. I love having my homemade strawberry jam in the middle of winter.

We made another dash to Cleveland this week to tend to the garden at our still-not-sold house there. These are such frustrating times in the real estate market. It's not as if we're peddling some derelict property--it's a nice, spacious, mid-century suburban family-size home, safe neighborhood, all the major updating done, freshly painted in neutral colors, and the price considerably reduced from our original starting point.  STILL NOT ONE OFFER.  Maybe if a tree fell on it, it would be more attractive to prospective buyers in this market. 


We've switched over to hoping for a good tenant on a 12-month lease and have given up on the idea of expanding This Little House anytime soon. Instead, we're taking on mini-projects, one at a time, to improve our quality of life. Things like a new ceiling fan in the bedroom, and a new toilet--one of those high-efficiency models that can flush a bucket of golf balls (were we so inclined) to replace the ancient water-waster that came with the place when we bought it. 

Bring on the pigs!

We're planning to lay pavers for a new patio in time for the kids' 4th of July visit, but this week's frequent downpours have turned the site into a mud-wrestling pit and slowed our progress.  The forecast for this week is hopeful, however...


With regard to my veggie garden, so far so good! I will definitely have more raised beds next year, since this one has required so little effort.

The rain seems to have stopped (there was still a fine drizzle coming down when I took the dog for his morning walk), but it remains cool, dreary, and muddy, which tends to kill all ambition.  Time for a mocha and a good book!

Random stuff

Yesterday's unseasonably cool weather kept me indoors for most of the day, googling photos of backyard landscapes in search of inspiration for our own ongoing projects. The big goal--to create an outdoor living and gardening space minus lawn mowing and MUD.  The first step is complete: Tom finishing the decking between the garage and garden shed, so no more mud there!  We still have a long way to go, however, and a lot of dirt to move around. We should be able to manage a halfway civilized space for July 4th, when the grandson and his parents will be here.

I did go out twice yesterday to walk the dog,  which led to this recurring random thought...we clean up after our pet, is it really too much to expect others to do the same?  Especially those who walk very LARGE dogs and leave landmines right in the walkway. You can buy biodegradable bags for this very purpose. Picking up dog poop isn't one of my most favorite activities either, but it's one of the responsibilities of pet ownership.

I was reading about the Kansas City Chiefs player they're calling a hero for diving into a swimming pool at a party to save a friend's young child who had gone under. Which reminded me that my daughter Erin, at the age of 12 or thereabouts, did the very same thing at a Girl Scout "splash party" when one of my 6-yr-old Brownies strayed into too-deep water while the lifeguard was zoned out. The news didn't go out worldwide over wire services, but Erin was a hero too, one of the everyday unsung kind who do the right thing every day.

If you looked at the photo of my Baffin rose last week and thought "Big deal," you probably didn't notice all the tiny buds. It looks like this now.

The safflower bird seed with hot peppers--which songbirds like-- that I buy to keep the squirrels, deer, and "bully birds" from hogging it all has attracted... pigeons.  Who knew they like hot, spicy food!  They look like 747's coming in for a landing on the feeder.

Today is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, which means it's time to mow the lawn.   Namaste.

Summertime

The summer season is unofficially here. The traffic has noticeably increased on Fairmount Ave. and in Wegman's and the liquor store. Welcome tourists!

At the same time, we've moved almost instantly from cold and rainy to hot and steamy. What comes next is anybody's guess as "global weirding" continues. The record breaking storms and tornadoes that seem to be part of the the "new normal" have me wondering if we really want to add a second story to our little house. A storm cellar sounds like a better idea.  Moot, since we're still dealing with our two house problem and major renovations are delayed. We're working on small projects instead, to improve our outdoor living space.

                                                                            
Some parts of the perennial garden were drowned out this spring. I've been working through the drainage issues and replacing some plants, including the two butterfly bushes.

My William Baffin rose, on the other hand, is ecstatically happy, and the other roses will soon follow.

The peonies are looking their best ever.

Activity choices have exploded.  Chautauqua in June-- a countywide learning festival of classes in everything from gardening to sailing,  painting to yoga, wine pairing to birding--is currently in progress.

The farmers markets are opening for business.

The festivals are starting with the Celoron Ribfest & Classic Car Show, happening now, and a Strawberry Festival  this weekend at the Merritt Estate Winery in Forestville.

There are golf tournaments and sailboat races and dirt track auto racing.

 The very popular annual Book Sale at Prendergast Library is this weekend.

The Riverwalk Summer Concert Series is beginning--free concerts on the lawn (bring your own chair or blanket) every Wednesday evening from 6:30 - 8:30 in Riverwalk Park.
 
The Jamestown Jammers, our professional baseball team (Single A affiliate of the Florida Marlins) will open their 2011 season soon.

Seasonal restaurants and shops have opened their doors.  The Labyrinth is now serving Saturday brunches and has added a dinner menu from 5-9 pm Wed. thru Saturday.

Life is good.

Working towards zero waste

One of the goals I am pursuing is reduction of the amount of garbage we send to the landfill every week.

Living in a place where recycling is mandatory, and where beverage cans and bottles (aluminum, glass, and plastic) can be returned for a deposit has made for a good start. Metal, glass, and plastic food containers are washed and placed in their respective bins. Corrugated cardboard boxes have a bin. Ditto newspapers, junk mail, and magazines.

Another item has been reducing the amount of packaging we bring home, including plastic bags. We have gotten much better about taking our reusable shopping bags to the store with us. The next step is choosing items with minimal, or at least recyclable, packaging.  Best places to accomplish this are the produce department and bulk bins. But you still end up with plastic bags to dispose of, unless you have your own reusable produce bags. I am about to order some as we speak.

Yard waste goes into the compost pile behind the garden shed. This provides fertilizer for the garden. Coffee grounds go straight into the garden. We have not yet developed our composting skills to the point of including kitchen waste--which needs to be done right to avoid scavengers and unpleasant odors. After all, we have neighbors. But the amount of food that we discard is minimal, because of planned use of leftovers.

Some communities are turning to organic waste recycling, which involves large scale composting of  food scraps and yard clippings.  The technologies used not only produce fertilizers, but also biogas that can be used to produce electricity or be processed into compressed natural gas for transportation fuel.

When it comes to discarding non-organic things, the first question that must always be  asked is, "What else can this be used for?"   Unwanted clothing, furniture, housewares can be sold or donated to be used by others.  CFL lightbulbs can be dropped off at Home Depot for recycling. The Salvation Army accepts computer equipment and televisions for recycling. Most things can be broken down into reusable or recyclable parts, and if you don't want to do it, then there are people willing to do it for you. I will be adding a handy recycling resources page for your information. But--STOP! and think before you toss anything into the trash bin.

In a more evolved world, we would stop producing so many easily disposal items and instead create things with regard for their environmentally safe longterm use and reuse, designing "ecologically intelligent" products, industrial systems, buildings, even regional plans--a manifesto laid out in the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. The authors make our recycling efforts sound primitive and shortsighted. But since we are a long way from being the society they envision, we must make do with what we have.

Cycling in Chautauqua County

I have been made aware that May is National Bike Month. This is an actual event sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, about whom I knew nothing (despite being married to a cyclist for 37 years), but the internet is an awesome place for learning new things.

In fact, last week was Bike to Work Week, but I doubt that many folks around here were participating, unless they were wearing water wings. Come to think of it, you just don't see too many people cycling for transportation in Jamestown, ever.  Kids have bikes (and I've seen lots of scooters), and there are the recreational cyclists.

But biking to work, to school, to the store? Not so much. The terrain around here can be a bit challenging, but there are routes that just about anybody can handle.

Rising gasoline prices and greater awareness of the environmental impact of fossil fuel use may be starting to change things.In crunchy, environmentally aware areas of the country like Portland, Oregon, they have bike trains--where kids and their parents participate in a group ride to school one morning a week along a pre-planned route. What a refreshingly healthy idea!

And if handling the hills is an issue, there are electric bikes to give you a little extra zip.  Available in both throttle and pedal assist versions, there are models ranging in price from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The eZip bike pictured retails for $499 and has a real rack-mounted rechargeable battery with a range of 15-20 miles. I have to tell you, this is looking pretty darned good to me.


Holly Loft has 4 basic group rides (depending on your riding ability) every Tuesday at 6 pm. They even have a racing team.  I understand that there are also Saturday 9 am rides that leave from Ryder's Cup coffee in Lakewood, but I don't know anything about the abilities of these riders, so if you're interested, you should probably inquire before you set out.  Just about all of them would leave me in the dust, I'm afraid. Unless I go electric.

Next time: REcycling.