The "green" movement and warning-I'm a bit moody, lol

Not long ago, our cable company got a new channel, all supporting this big "green" movement that's become so trendy. Yes I said it, TRENDY. It's the new "in" thing to do, and watching this channel proves it. I've watched a few different programs, and they're all basically the same. One shows people building "green" homes that are so far beyond any real budget, it's rediculous. Another follows people around, goes through their garbage and looks at their appliances. A few CFL bulbs, a recycle bin, maybe a dual flush toilet, and a $3000 washing machine and taaaaaaaaa daaaaaaaaa, they're "green". The best one yet is a cooking show that uses the ingredients all from an overpriced health food store. I watched ONE good program on a couple who built a home out in the middle of nowhere and planned to be self suffiecint.....well.....that lasted one episode. This channel is a joke to anyone that doesn't live outside LA or San Francisco. The most these programs EVER show is how to save a few bucks on a utility bill. They all go solar to some extent or another, but still keep all the same frivilous gadgets, gizmos, electronics, and appliances they had before. The only difference is their electric bill, and the hundreds of thousands they owe to contractors.........................
So here is my question. Where is the channel or programs for the rest of us? Where is the backyard chicken special? Where is the vegetable gardening program? (one that doesn't involve anal-retentive "master" gardeners who test the soil more often than a $%^! fish tank) Where are the rest of the shows on living simpler, making your own clothes, raising animals, preparedness, canning, hunting (and not the "oh boy I got a 12 point, what a trophy" kind of mentality), and all the other things that we all do? We won't see 'em. Simply because people that give these channels the ratings are the kind that wouldn't do such things. What?? Get dirty? Get up at 5am to feed chickens? Grow my own vegetables? I'll miss my favorite rerun of Seinfeld!! They wouldnt watch a show on choosing the right breed of chicken, but by god run something on electric cars and they are all over it. Imagine the droves of electric cars running to the mall and Starbucks, all of them smiling from ear to ear over how "green" they are........ We're solar now! Lets go ahead and get that 60" plasma tv that costs more than the neighbors car! Yea!.........it's pitiful.
I looked all over for a feedback section of this channel's website, but of course there isn't one. Maybe I should just start my own channel and make my own programs....Appliance Intervention, episode 1, pilot-Susy is a 38 year old wife and mother of 3, and she is addicted to the microwave and frozen food. I sit down with the family and tell them of dreamy things like fresh cooked food and things that aren't wrapped in plastic. Suzy walks into the room see's the people, and asks whats going on......................you get the picture, lol.

Loud stereo and cleaning "stuff"

I got home early today thanks to the weather. I had an inspection with the county fire inspector from 9-11 am, and planned on pre-testing more of the building, but it's just too cold. Part of the attic piping also feeds the walk up canopy, and it's exposed to the weather. It's only 23 degrees outside, and I didn't want to chance frozen pipe. Other jobs are an hour or more away, so rather than drive an hour to work 2 then drive back, I just came home.

Since no one is here, I put in a cd and now have Black Sabbath blaring through the house. ( Dio era-live bootleg from SwedenRock!) I don't get to blast my music often, so I'm taking full advantage of the time I have. I already did last nights dishes, took out the recycle, and scraps to the composter. I checked the chickens while I was out, and came in with 5 eggs.....'adda girls!

Yesterday I got out an hour early and didn't quite feel like going home. I decided to stop at the big Goodwill store since it was only 5 minutes from the job I was gone. I'm an admitted Goodwill/thrift store/yard sale/flea market junkie, I just can't resist. I looked around the household goods, books, and clothing, and found nothing I wanted. I went into the area with furniture and bigger items, and spotted a few bicycles. I've been thinking about one for quite a while. I miss riding a bike. I rode on a regular basis up until my late 20's when I married the first time, and it sure won't hurt me now. I gotta face it, I'm a tad outta shape. Sure, I work with heavy pipe all day, and spend hours climbing ladders and around attics, but it's not the same. When I met Lisa, I was at 185 pounds, now I fluxuate between 215-225. I love her cooking and baking, but it's slowly catching up. I figure a bike would do the trick, plus it's a good way to make short errands. Anyway.......this Murray mountain bike was priced at $10. I looked it over, and it wasn't bad at all. It was dirty, a bit rusty, the tires were low, and the deraillers were out of adjustment. It's been 15 years or so, but I can handle that. I bought it and brought it home. A few minutes with an old tire pump, and the tires held fine. A bit of scrubbing and some steel wool, and it cleaned up great. The derailler adjustment only took a minute, and the brakes just needed tightening. I'm happy with my decision to get it, and I'm excited to get behind the handlebars again....just not in 23 degree weather, lol. Over the rest of the winter, I'll pick up a rack for the back, and fit it with probably a milk carton for errand runs. I'll have to pick up a pair of shoes to ride with, since I realized that I don't own anything but boots, but that's easy enough. (eww shoes) It does need that "Chris" touch though.........I'm thinking black wheels and camo on the frame, hahaha. Ok.......am I REALLY turning into one of those "green" people???????? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! Naaaa with this beard, I'll look like one of those rare Summit county amish outcasts, lol.

Beyond the new toy, we're making some changes around here. Since it's just the 2 of us now,and the only visitors are the kids and Bill, we're cutting down the kitchen cupboards. There is no reason for 12 or so dinner plates and bowls, and 20+ glasses and coffee cups. With things condensed, we can open more space for food storage,which we are quickly running out of. The pantry between the kitchen and living room is stuffed. I made a closet in the hall into another pantry, and it's stuffed with home canned goods, as well as some store bought canned and boxed items. We're storing bulk items downstairs, anything in large buckets or boxes, but need that room for others. I'm doing the same thing with bath towels and washcloths,again no need for 12+ of each with just 2 of us. With all the extra dishes and towels, it also makes it easy to skip doing dishes or laundry and just use more. Of course, then it takes longer to do those dishes or laundry, so thats where we want to stop. Less stuff=less clutter=more room for things we actually need the room for, it makes sense to me. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac remember the old George Carlin bit on "stuff"??? lol) We'll apply the same theory to bedding and clothes. Anything beyond what we need, or anything we haven't worn in the past year will be going to Goodwill. Gotta make room for better stuff!!! hahaha

This weekend

We made our Lehmans trip as planned on Saturday, just a bit later than expected. We forgot to go to the bank on Friday to cash in some change for the Christmas Cheese Fund, and had a package to get out in the mail. We got there later than we wanted, but we made it and had a great time as always. I had Lisa pick out her own Christmas present there, and she ended up getting herself a soap making kit. http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=46&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=soap+making I got myself a book on tanning hides and furs, and as always, a few small kitchen gadgets. I did my usual drool n' dream walk through their room full of Alladin lamps..........oooohh I'll have one of those someday! MY strange affection for oil lamps just won't go away, and the house shows it. There are 5 larger ones and 2 medium sized ones in the living room, 2 small ones in the bathroom, 2 small ones in our bedroom, and 2 medium and 1 large one in here, plus the hanging cottage lamp and 6 different oil lanterns. It's become an addiction! lol We ran into Divahick and Farmergeek and had a nice (but short) conversation. They were already done and ready to head out.....(Farmergeek-I know what the fat man is bringing you! LOL)
When we left, I spotted an antique store I had never seen before, so we made a quick U turn and went back. I love places like this. It's not the "fancy-schmancy" antique store full of valuables and things that cost more than I make in a week. It's more like a yard sale/flea market atmosphere with all kinds of different things. It almost appears like the place you take things leftover from a yard/barn sale. I loved it!!!!! Lisa didn't find anything she really wanted to get, but I was in heaven. I picked up a second safety razor, but this one is different in it uses the single sided razors. They had a Rolls Safety Razor there too, and I think I'll be heading back for it next weekend. I've heard a lot about them, and people I know that use them sware they do just as good as a straight razor. http://www.geocities.com/safetyrazors/Rolls_Page.htm I saw a few pipes I wanted to get, but I resisted temptation and didn't get a single one. Over the past 3 weeks or so, I've taken to smoking a pipe at home in the evenings, and am actually smoking a pipe now filled with cherry cavendish. A post on BWH got me thinking, and I realized I had my dads old pipes sitting here collecting dust, as well as 1 or 2 that were Lisa's fathers. I love the smell of a pipe, and somehow it's relaxing and strangly soothing over just firing up a camel. I think I can get used to this..............

Now let me explain an earlier comment...."The Christmas Cheese Fund". For some reason, every year since we've been at this house, Lisa has ordered a big cheese sampler from a catalog at Christmas. They always come with all kinds of cheeses, crackers, trail bologna's, beef sticks, etc. We never ate all of it. Some of the flavors were just bizarre and nasty. I think one last year was garlic/lemon/bacon.....WTF? So.......we decided to do our own this year. We saved change for a short time for a "cheese fund" and went with $60 to spend. Of course, the ONLY place for us to go was Schisslers Cheese House, just north of Lehmans. If anyone ever gets to visit Kidron, I highly reccomend this place!! We walked out with all kinds of various cheese, totalling 12 pounds (give or take) and only went $2 over the budget. I imagine that was due to my small road bag of assorted cheese & beef sticks, and bottle of birch beer. Hey, it's a 45 minute drive home! I could have starved!!!!!

We got home around 3:30, I took an unplanned nap on the couch, and Lisa started her bake-a-thon, and didn't stop till 9:30 when we sat down to watch a movie that Bill brought over. Of course, I'm overstuffed on oatmeal scotchies, peanut butter cookies, and buckeyes.....I didn't get to be 6'3" and 225 by eating salads! LOL

I'd checked the chickens as soon as we got home, and had one brown egg. Before Bill got over at 8, I checked again-nothing....wierd. This morning I overslept (thanks to Bill leaving at 2am) and didn't get out to the animals till almost 10am. After feeding and watering the rabbits and birds, I found 3 eggs already. All still warm, so they hadn't been there long. I went to the garage around noon to get something, and checked again while I was there....there were 2 more. I went out a last time at 4, and taaadaaaa-2 more! Wow, these girls are making up for lost time. So, the total for the day was 7. Not bad for 7 out of 10 birds! 3 were green, 3 brown and large, and then that one little cute brown banty egg. They look so tiny compared to the others! It's a good thing Lisa is in baking mode!