Four Feet, Two Sandals

Yesterday in church, our gospel lesson and sermon text were from Matthew 6:24-34. It is from the Sermon on the Mount and is the section on what I consider "simplicity". The passage talks about "You cannot serve both God and money." which is part of verse 24. It also has a long section on not worrying. If you would like to read the Bible passage in its entirety, you can simply click on this link: Matthew 6:24-34 NIV. This link takes you to the Bible Gateway site. The nice thing is you can click on several different translations. So if NIV is not your favorite then simply find the one you usually use.

Our Pastor was gone yesterday so a lay person gave the sermon. In his sermon, he shared a very touching children's book called Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammad and illustrated by Doug Chayka. It is a story of two girls in a refugee camp who both get one sandal of a pair when the relief workers come to drop off used clothing. They eventually find each other and decide to share the sandals. This is a wonderful story and one that teaches a lot about simplicity. I would definitely recommend you reading it to your children. There are teachers guides available on the author's website as well as more about the book. Here is a link to it: Four Feet, Two Sandals .

Yesterday, reinforced in me the importance of continuing to live a more simpler life. We have a long way to go here but yesterday reinforced how important it is for us to continue in this journey.

Gas Prices

Last night, my daughter became very upset when the focus of the newscast she was watching on ""increased gas prices" was not how to be more economical but how horrible it is that we are not buying more gas guzzling large vehicles. It is fun to watch her mature into a wonderful young lady with strong beliefs and.I have to agree with her. Our answer to higher gas prices is complaints but it never seems to mean much long term gain in our battle against our gluttony for cheap oil and gas.

Here in the United States, we have fought many wars and have supported many iffy governments because of our dependency on oil. First, I believe very strongly in supporting our troops who sacrifice their lives for our country but I do think we need to look at what we are sacrificing in order to have cheap fuel. During the Gulf Oil Spill this summer, I heard a statistic that really bothered me from a national security standpoint. We use almost 25% of the world's oil but yet we only control 6% of the world's oil. To me, that is a very scary figure knowing that oil comes from many countries who are located in volatile areas (like Libya, the Middle East and Venezuela) and benefit non-democratic governments. Now, I know all of our oil does nto come from these places but a good percentage does.

First, we need to look at our individual consumption. I did a few articles on hypermiling a while back. You can search my blog for them. They had some great ideas on how to increase your MPG by adjusting your driving techniques. Most of all, we need to realize as a nation and a world that the oil and natural gas reserves will nto last forever. We need to look at how much that gallon of gas is really costing us. 

CPR

This morning, several people from our church including my husband, oldest daughter and I took the recertification class for CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation). Our church has a kid safe policy and therefore needs to have an adult who is currently certified in CPR at each event involving children or youth at our church. It was time for the two year recertification process for many of us so our church as a whole sponsored a class today. I have stressed to our daughter, Mary, how important it is to know CPR. You never know when you will need to use it and you do not want to stand helplessly by while someone you know and love is laying there dying.

Initial certification involves a longer time period but once you are certified you can learn how to do CPR as well as how to rescue someone who is choking. A few hours every two years is not asking for much time commitment. There is not an age requirement to learn CPR but participants must be able to demonstrate all the skills and pass with at least an 80% the written test. Mary took her first CPR course at the age of 11 when she went to the babysitter training offered by the American Red Cross.

I would encourage you to either find an initial certification program through your local Red Cross Chapter if you have never had a class in it. If you are certified in CPR but it has expired, find a recertification class and take it. You never know whose life you may save.  

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

We have been traveling to Cleveland regularly for about 5 years now for appointments at Cleveland Clinic for Makenzie. We try to find some fun things to do while we are there each time so it is a little more fun for Makenzie and all of us. This time, one of the things that we did was to go check out Cuyahoga Valley National Park just outside of Cleveland. It is a beautifully preserved valley that surrounds the Cuyahoga River and part of the old Erie Canal. There are hiking and biking trails, skiing during the winter, a train as well as a living farm interpretation area that is open during the summer.

We started our day by dropping by the south end visitor center in Beaver Mills. Beaver Mills is an old settlement where many of the Keel Boats were made for the Canals during the early 1800's. The visitor center has a small interpretation area that talks about the history as well as how they were made. The north end visitor center that we had stopped at one other time talks about the Erie Canal and how it was built. They are both worth a short stop to see. We spent some time talking to the ranger who told us about all the wonderful activities they have at the park. They also have many hiking trails there. 



We decided to do two things in the short time we had available. We first went to Brandywine Falls and walked down to the overlook to view them. It was so pretty there. They had fresh snow on the ground and the sun was brightly shining. Makenzie really enjoyed our "walk in the woods". We then followed River Road and Canal Road the length of about half of the park. It was pretty to see. 

We enjoyed our day there and took some pictures. If you are in the Cleveland or Akron area it is definitely worth your time to drop by and see this unique area that lies so close to a major metropolitan area. Here is a link to the park's home page. Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We will be returning there in the future as our time allows. 

Cleveland Clinic

We have spent the past few days in Cleveland for my youngest daughter's twice yearly visit with her doctors up there.Did not have any internet access this time. It was not all doctor's visits though. We spent some time exploring Cuyahoga National Park and taking some nice snow pictures. It is an amazing place. It is a national park within a short distance of Cleveland and Akron, Ohio but you would not know it while you were in the park. Pretty neat place. We also explored some other parts of the Cleveland area as we had time. I will share some pictures later and will post more later.  

Yard Maintenance

My husband and I spent the weekend working on getting the tree debris under control here. We moved all the large stumps beside the fence and out of our direct walking path. I raked up all the sticks and most of the saw dust. Tore a tarp to pieces trying to carry the sawdust. Who knew it could be so heavy? We put in some more fence stakes so we could stack the big pieces to dry for our fire pit we have outside.

The next step was to finish pruning the big trees left in the yard. We have one tree with branches way too low so each year we have been gently nudging it backward. We then cut down our two small apple trees which succumbed to woolly aphids last year and where we are going to put our two new cherry trees.

The last thing on the agenda was the two girls and I raked up the rest of the leaves. We have an oak tree so it does not lose its leaves until the end of winter. I then used the garden rake to scratch up the bare areas and planted some grass seed. We are supposed to have several days of rain so hopefully we can get some started.

It was good to get a lot done over the weekend and before the rain started but have a long way to go.  

Homemade Yogurt

I have been on a quest to learn how to make homemade yogurt. We eat a lot of it here and not only is it expensive but I don't like all the plastic carton waste we generate from it. My friend introduced me to this crock-pot recipe. I tried it two times in a small crock-pot I had without success. Then I realized it was not warming up very well so I tried it in my regular crock-pot. Yesterday morning, I was so excited to wake up to homemade yogurt. I was finally successful.

This recipe comes from a blog titled 365 days of crock-pot meals.

1/2 gallon whole milk
1/2 cup active cultured plain yogurt

1) Pour milk into crockpot and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
2) Next, turn crock-pot off and unplug it without opening lid for 3 hours.
3) After 3 hours, take out 2 cups of warm milk and whisk yogurt into it. Add it back to milk in crockpot and stir into rest of milk until combined.
4) Put lid back onto crock-pot. Wrap in heavy towels. Let set overnight or for at least 8 hours.
5) After letting set, open lid and enjoy your yogurt.
6) Refrigerate and keep for up to 10 days. Make sure you reserve 1/2 cup to make your next batch.

To serve, mix with fresh fruit or other favorite topping. Also, makes a great substitute sour cream.

Although I have not tried it yet, the blog said that you can use lower fat milk by adding 1 packet unflavored gelatin into yogurt when you add yogurt starter to milk. It said other people have had some success with whisking in powdered milk instead of the gelatin at this point. I am going to try this soon.

Happy yogurt making!

Fruit Trees

I have spent some time the past couple of days perusing the nursery catalogs and internet. We have decided to replace the maple tree we had to cut down with apple trees. We love apples and eat tons of them as well as applesauce. Looks like the winners are going to be Fuji and Grannysmith. They both store well and have versatile uses. Now, it is time to figure out where to get the trees and whether to get semi-dwarf or standard size trees.

One resource I have found invaluable the past couple of years as we have been planting fruit is the local extension site. If you live here in the USA you will find yours by googling the county and state you live in plus the words extension service. Our state extension service actually has testing areas where they try different varieties of fruits as well as other crops. They then post the recommendations based on what grows the best for them. I have had better success with my fruits since I have started planting their recommended varieties.

We have decided to plant apple trees because we can still get the shade while producing fruit for our family. This is known as edible landscaping. It is unbelievable how much food you can produce for yourself while still having pretty landscaping. For trees, it is a matter of thinking fruit and nut bearing trees versus regular shade trees for your yard. Although there are many varieties of nut trees that can produce wonderful shade for your yard, we have chosen apple trees instead. Mary and I both have tree nut allergies.

We are hoping to order trees in March sometime and get them planted so they benefit from the great spring rains we have around here. I will let you know how it is going.

Tree Pruning

Here in Kentucky the best time to prune trees is during the month of February. (You can check with your local extension office for the best time in your area. Usually, the time is at the end of winter before the leaves start budding out.) Pruning is an important part of tree maintenance. It helps shape the tree plus can prevent disease. Yesterday, I started the task here. We were having an unseasonable warm day even for here in Kentucky.  This is the procedure that I use here at our house.

First, I look at the tree shape as a whole. Does it need to go up higher from the ground? Does the tree have a good general shape or are there branches that are out of the general shape of the tree? These are the first branches that I remove.

Next, I look for branches that are touching or crossing over each other (or have the potential to do that). Touching branches are a good place for disease to harbor since it does not provide for good air circulation. I then cut out branches to solve these problem areas.

The last thing I look for are "suckers", small little branches coming out of base of tree trunk or growing straight up. These need to be trimmed because they do not support the tree in its manufacture of nutrients.

Some general principles.

1) Cut tree branch using sharp never dull clippers and pruning saws.
2) Cut at collar of branch (thick part of branch next to tree). These areas have natural enzymes to help tree heal itself from the cut. Closer in from collar will damage branch attached to it. Further out leaves raw, dead wood that is prime for termites and disease. If you have cut it at the correct place, you will see what looks like a "donut hole" the following year where it was trimmed. This is the tree naturally healing itself.
3) High branches should be left for people who know what they are doing. You should not have to prune too much though if you have trimmed tree from little on up.
4) Do not prune more than 25% of a tree in a season. It causes too much stress on the tree and decreases its disease resistance.

Start on some of your smaller trees and work up to bigger trees  Most people can do simple pruning as long as they follow the correct techniques. Happy pruning!  

Tree Removal

We have a large maple tree that has stood at the back corner of our house providing us with wonderful shade during the summer. This past Sunday, we had to finally take it down. We do not cut down trees lightly here at this house. We love them and have a nice, shaded yard. We get very upset with people who cut down trees because they have to rake leaves or acorns or whatever nuisance they think the tree is causing.

Unfortunately, this beautiful maple tree had become stressed and then diseased. It was a threat to our home and neighbor's home. It became stressed during a horrible ice storm we had several years ago. The final blow though came when we had hurricane force winds two years ago and a large part of the tree (about 1/3 of it) blew down. After that, it was a matter of time. We had a professional arborist come out and look at it but there was nothing that they could do to save it. When we took it down, the whole inside of the trunk was hollow and the tree would have fallen with the right stress. 

Because it was between two homes, the cost to have it professionally removed was beyond our means. Luckily, we have a friend who has taken trees down several times before because he works on a horse farm. He and his wife came over Sunday afternoon and between them and Chuck, Mary and I we were able to take the whole thing down. We now, have a large pile of brush and logs laying in our yard where this once majestic tree used to be. We will be planting a new tree back this spring but it will take many years before it provides us the beautiful shade that this tree once did.  

I have included a couple of pictures from taking down the tree on Sunday. 

Driver's License

Our oldest daughter, Mary, passed her driving test this morning. We now have another licensed driver in the house. I have looked forward to this day immensely. I am tired of trying to balance her busy schedule and driving her places around Makenzie's busy therapy times. Now, that she has her license though, I am finding it hard to let her drive that first time by herself. The thought of letting her drive away without one of us in the car is hard for me. I know it is just another one of those independence steps that she has to make. Don't worry, I will let her do it soon but there will probably be a little tear in my eye as she drives away the first time. Watching your little baby grow up into a mature young lady is a great thing to watch and enjoy but sometimes it is also very hard.

Talent Show

Every year, our church hosts a dinner followed by a talent show. Several years ago, it started out as a few people showing off their talents-some funny and some serious.It has turned into an annual event that is our best attended event of the year. People look forward to it both performers and audience. It is a great way to have fun and just enjoy each other. I will some include some pictures a little later.  

Reseeding Grass

Our lawn and many others in this area have taken a beating the past few years. We have had severe periods of drought followed by periods of too much rain. Our backyard used to be a lot of weeds but even they have not survived the weather. Our backyard has turned into a mud pit over the winter. I will have to do something about it.

The best time to reseed and refurbish your grass in our area is late fall. I tried last year but we were in the middle of a serious drought so my attempts were not successful. I am going to have to do it this spring. I was just reading the newsletter I receive from our county extension service. It recommends planting grass seed between Valentine's Day (February 14) and early April. It also said the earlier the better. Although last year, we had a drought during the spring, weather here in Kentucky tends to be very wet during the spring months.

Looks like next week I will be busy planting grass seed. The forecast looks nice for trying. Hopefully, my schedule will agree with it. Even though I do well with garden plants for some reason grass planting has never gone well for me. I will have to let you know how my planting goes this spring. 

World Malaria Problem

Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria. Every year there are over 500 million malaria cases and over 1 million deaths. The even sadder fact is that malaria is a mostly preventable and treatable disease. Caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes, the symptoms of malaria usually appear 10-15 days after a bite. They include fever, headache, vomiting, and without treatment, death.


Malaria disproportionately affects the poor. 58% of malaria deaths occur in the poorest 20% of the world's population. It is especially a problem in Africa where one in every 5 childhood deaths is due to this disease. In countries with large rates of malaria, it causes an average loss of 1.3% of annual economic growth. Malaria makes people too sick to work and go to school. It traps already economic challenged families and communities even more in a downward spiral of poverty. To make matters worse, the parasite has started to develop resistance to medications used to treat it.

There is hope though. The World Health Organization is working with humanitarian organizations to eradicate malaria through education, better access to medical care, and prevention. Nothing But Nets is a grassroots program with the mission of getting life saving nets to those who cannot afford them. Since most malaria bites happen between the hours of 10 PM and 4 AM, a simple insecticidal net that is placed over the bed can reduce transmission of this parasite by as much as 90%. Unfortunately, the cost of $10 for each net is out of the reach of the poverty-stricken people who need them most.

For a simple donation of $10, you can buy a net. If you would like to learn more about the world malaria problem or buy a net, here are some links to websites that have great information on the subject. 

Nothing But Nets
Lutheran World Relief
 
World Health Organization
 

Contentment

My parents gave me many long lasting gifts but one of the biggest ones is the gift of contentment. They taught me from a very early age that "things" were not what made for happiness. I always felt loved by them and we always had plenty to eat, clothes and toys to play with as we grew up. The one thing we did not have most of the time though was the latest, greatest gadget. Occasionally, I would lament not having something but it would only be for a brief time period. The stage would pass and I realized that I would not have played with it after the initial fascination wore off.

I am trying to pass that value on to my children. The other day my daughter, Mary, made me very proud while we were talking. She said to me, "I used to be jealous of some of the other kids and the new in fashion clothes they had when I was young. I realized later though how fortunate I was to even have so many clothes according to many people in the world. I have clothes to last me a week without having to wash anything. Many people only have one or two outfits. I realize now how blessed I am." People are always amazed at her Christmas list because they are mostly practical things and not extravagant. She has few wants and is content with what she has in her life. I hope she will continue on this path. We are still working on Makenzie. She is more strong-willed and "wants" things all the time and is not always grateful for what she does have. We are still working on it though.

I share these thoughts with you to get you thinking. How is your contentment level? Are you always looking at what the next big purchase will be or are you happy with what you have? How are your children's attitudes? Do you spend a lot of time in the "if only's"? One video that our church plays is called Rich by Rob Bell. You will be amazed how "rich" you really are compared to the rest of the world. I watch it when I start feeling sorry for myself or have a case of the "wants". Here is the link to it. Rob Bell-Rich. Take some time to watch this video. It will truly bless you.

Household Water Conservation

Here are some tips for conserving water around the home. Hope some of these come in handy for you. If you have other ideas, please comment. I am always looking for more ways to conserve water around our home.

1) Wash only full loads of laundry. Use the shortest cycle possible. I have been doing this for a while and have not found a load yet that would not get clean in short cycle.
2) Use the smallest pan possible to boil items on the stove. Let water cool afterwards and use it to water plants.
3) When rinsing fruits and vegetables, put a small amount of water in the sink and use that to clean them.
4) Lawns, flower beds and gardens only need to be watered once weekly. They do better being watered thoroughly versus several short bursts of water. They need 1 inch of water weekly. This can be measured by putting small containers around area you are watering. See how long it takes to fill them up to 1 inch. Use this amount of time to water each time. Use soaker hoses versus sprinklers if possible. If you use sprinklers, make sure you are not watering sidewalks, driveways, etc. Make sure the water is hitting what needs to be watered.   
5) Use native plants and grass in your landscaping. They do not usually need regular watering even during periods of drought.

Hope these hints start you thinking about water conservation in your home. This is one of those neat sustainable living things that is good for the environment but also saves you money.   

Handwashing Dishes vs, Dishwasher

Activities in the kitchen can use a lot of water. The biggest debate these days is handwashing versus dishwasher for getting those dishes clean. I have seen statistics for either one being the more efficient means of water usage. Personally, I think this is a choice each person has to make for themselves and how well it works for them. I will discuss each one separately with specific water and energy conservation ideas for each. By the way, it does save water to use paper plates but it does not save the resources used to make and ship the plates (paper plates would be my husbands solution for water conservation :)).  

Let's start with hand washing dishes. This works best if you put soapy water in one sink and rinse water in the second sink (versus running faucet each time to rinse). Gather the runoff water with a container as you are waiting for the water to heat up. Use this to later water plants. Use the least amount of water in each sink to get the job done. Make sure to use a dishwashing soap that is environmentally friendly.

The dishwasher can be a big water waster if you "clean" dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Use a scraper to get excess food off of plate and dishes before putting in washer,. Make sure you run only full loads Only use pots and pans setting for dirtiest dishes. This setting uses more water and energy to run. Turn off drying cycle. /During winter, open dishwasher when done washing and let humidity and heat help warm up kitchen. During summer months, let the dishwasher cool off before opening. Most dishwasher detergents still contain phosphates which are bad for the local water sources. Use a detergent without phosphates or make the one listed in a previous post. It will save you money and is easy to make and use.

Here, at our house, we use a combination of both methods. We wash most of our dishes in dishwasher, We do, however. wash bigger pieces by hand. These we just put a little water in the biggest piece and wash the few dishes that way. Take a moment to think about how you wash your dishes today, it may save you some money and the environment some energy usage.  

Red River Gorge

About an hour from our house is the Red River Gorge area. It has many natural arches and pretty scenery. It is our favorite local place to hike. Yesterday, that is where Chuck, Mary and I went for the day. We decided to take the Hidden Arch Trail along with the Koomer Ridge Trail. They were both beautiful. Here are some of my favorite pictures from yesterday.

Respite

As I have said before, my youngest daughter has special needs. We love her to death but she requires lots of extra care because of her medical condition. Fortunately, we have good friends and family who give us respite at times. Our good friend down in Richmond is a nurse and will take care of Makenzie for us some so we can have an extended break (more than just a couple of hours). This weekend would be one of those times.

Mary, Chuck and I have taken this opportunity to relax and spend some time together. Yesterday, we took it easy, watched a movie, practiced some driving with Mary and just hung out together. Today, we are headed to Red River Gorge to go hiking, just the three of us. I can't remember the last time we have been able to do this. We started hiking with Mary when she was 5 weeks old. When she could toddle, we would let her walk a little bit until she tired and then put her in the backpack after that. She grew up hiking and by the age of five could hike anywhere we could. When she would get really tired, Chuck would put her on his shoulders for a little break. She continues to love to hike.

I'll hopefully have pictures to share later. Looks like it is going to be a pretty day and good weather.  

World Water Supply Statistics

Here are the last of the water supply statistics from the April 2010 National Geographic magazine devoted to the subject of water. These are for the current world water supply.

1) Nearly 70% of world's water fresh water is locked in ice.
2) Most of the rest is in aquifers that we're draining much more quickly than the natural recharge rate.
3) 2/3 of our water is used to grow food.
4) With 83 million more people on earth each year, water demand will keep going up unless we change how we use it.

Some of us are fortunate enough to be near large sources of fresh water but many of us are not. I remember a few years ago our family took a trip out west. We were amazed how much of the rivers had been bled dry by irrigation and rerouting so the population could have water. We each have responsibility to do what we can not only to make sure that all people have access to clean water but to do our best to preserve this precious resource that God has given us.  

Clean Water Statistics

I share the statistics below and the ones in previous posts not to make people feel guilty but to inform people about problems that they may not be aware of that are happening in the world. Before I read the Serve God, Save the Planet book I was unaware of many world issues. I am continuously learning how my behavior here in America can or does affect so many other people in the world who are just struggling to obtain basic food, shelter and water. It also helps me keep on track with my lifestyle changes. Clean water is a major issue for many people in the world. Many world hunger and other such organizations work on clean water issues. By donating your money to them, you can make the world a better place. Here are the statistics offered in the April 2010 National Geographic article on water.

1) 1 out 8 people lacks access to clean water.
2) 3.3 million die from water-related health problems each year.
3) Washing hands with soap can reduce diarrheal disease by 45%.
4) An eradication campaign that includes a simple water filter has cut the number of Guinea Worm cases by 99.9% since 1986.

As I stated during the holiday season, each year we spend 450 billion dollars on Christmas gifts just here in the U.S. It is estimated that it would take 10 billion dollars to provide clean water for all people around the world. There are many other statistics that are similar. Maybe, you could cut down on our water consumption and use the money saved from that each month to donate to a charity that works on providing clean water. You can go to the advent conspiracy site for a list of organizations if you do not know of one. 

World Water Usage

Here are some more facts about water usage from the April 2010 National Geographic magazine issue. These pertain to world wide usage.

1) Americans use about 100 gallons of water at home each day. (Sounds large? Think about clothes washer, dishwashers, showers, baths, watering lawn)
2) Millions of the world's poorest subsist on fewer than 5 gallons per day.
3) 46 % of people on earth don't have water piped to their homes.
4) Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles to get water.
5) In 15 years, 1.8 billion people will live in regions of severe water scarcity.

Water Usage Statistics

Here are some water usage statistics from the April 2010 National Geographic magazine dedicated to the subject of water.

1) In Florida, 3000 gallons are used to water the grass for each golf game played.
2) U.S. swimming pools lose 150 billion gallons to evaporation every year.
3) The weight of China's 3 gorges reservoir will tilt the earth's axis by nearly an inch.
4) The longest water tunnel, supplying New York City, is 85 miles and leaks up to 35 million gallons a day.
5) The Itaipu dam in South America cost $18 billion and took 17 years to build.
6) Dam projects have displaced up to 80 million people worldwide.

These are just a few of the statistics. In another post, I will discuss once more the statistics for people who lack basic clean water.