It's like something's clicked.....

I can't remember where I read it...probably Green Bean Dreams...about the radical frickin' concept of placing a bucket under the faucet when you turn on the shower, so that you're not wasting the water while you're waiting for it to warm so you can turn on the overhead. Out of all the gallons of water that get pissed away in an average shower, easily the first gallon + comes from just letting it run so you don't freeze or blister yourself initially. Then you water the plants, wash the dishes, or stick it in your greywater vessel (which I'm acquiring this weekend from the house). I read this yesterday, and something clicked in my head, and the recycling ideas finally gained meaning; and I realized other things too, like how I HAVE to start bringing my own bags into the grocery store, and how not planting because I'm afraid the cat will eat it is a copout. So what if the cat eats it? At least I'll have made the effort (and fed someone). And the bag thing...I always forget the blasted things in the car and think, oh well, at least I'll recycle the plastic bags. Not the friggin' point! I'm so over the level of waste in our lives.

So when I saw the Independence Days thing at the right, I knew I had to at least give it a try. I'm going to try the Growing Challenge too, since they go kind of hand in hand. Between helping Mom deal with the house and our limited space at the apartment (don't really have porch access yet, they won't give us a straight answer on when the screens will go in), it's going to be interesting...can't plant anything that necessarily needs serious light or pollination. But it's sure going to be a blast figuring it out and seeing what I can accomplish. I originally purchased 2 packs of veggie seeds (lettuce and something else) and 2 packets of herbs; I'll look those over tonight and see if I want to try them or shop for something else. Ideally, I want to try my hand at green beans, even though they'll prove labor-intensive given our space issues. Since I'm going to be planting on Sunday, I think I'll try to aim for Monday posts on my new "garden." Sometime on the weekends, I'll report on the Independence Days progress, since the bulk of my preserving/managing will occur then. I'm so psyched to get started!

P.S. Camping causes weight loss! My pants all fit again! Woohoo!