I might not remember this exactly, because I haven’t tuned in to hear Oprah talk about anything in many years. It was one of her “etiquette” shows, I think, all about what’s polite and what’s rude, the things you should never do. Re-gifting—passing along a gift you didn’t want to someone else—was on the listContinue reading “Post 24: Oprah Was Wrong”
Tag Archives: sustainable living
23. Shirts from Shower Curtains
Guest Contributor: Barbara Rose I met Barbara Rose when she started teaching permaculture classes here in Tucson, and a friend signed up. My friend loved it, so the following year I made sure to get in. I didn’t know it then, but Barbara was more than our teacher—she essentially helped bring permaculture forward into Tucson’s consciousness, after readingContinue reading “23. Shirts from Shower Curtains”
22. Ribbons Are Forever
This is what one of the curling ribbons I tossed in a compost bin looked like after more than a year of composting. Not much happened. Parts of it lost their color and attracted some dirt, but otherwise there’s no sign at all of decomposition. The ribbon had defied the bacteria and other natural forces,Continue reading “22. Ribbons Are Forever”
21. Motherlode: Free Gifts from Our Mother Earth
This is not a normal gift guide, where you see something you like in an ad and run out to buy it. Actually it’s a gift guide that might empower you to avoid doing that. I always feel sad when I hear about people who max out their credit cards, going into debt and evenContinue reading “21. Motherlode: Free Gifts from Our Mother Earth”
20. It All Comes Out in the Wash Water
There’s a scene from the movie El Norte that’s still with me 35 years after I first saw it. Actually, there are two other scenes I remember as well: the one where the father’s severed head is swaying in the breeze, and the one where Rosa and Enrique are crawling through a tunnel and areContinue reading “20. It All Comes Out in the Wash Water”
18. Henpecked
Someone recently suggested that I write about our chickens. I thanked them for the idea. After all, I wrote three posts about building the coop, and nothing on the occupants. But what did they have to do with new stuff sucking? Obviously, if we’re getting eggs from them, we can avoid buying egg cartons. ThatContinue reading “18. Henpecked”
15. It’s Only Natural
I couldn’t click the mouse anymore. My arm hurt too much. There was nothing I could do but try switching to my left hand. It was awkward at first. But it wasn’t like I was trying to write with the left hand—just click. Soon I was clicking along. And my right arm was having aContinue reading “15. It’s Only Natural”
13. Why I Write This #@!$% Blog
I have to spend fifteen to twenty hours at the computer instead of being outside, feeling happy and healthy. I don’t get paid. I’m involved in the horrible world of internet popularity frenzy—“likes,” subscriptions, self-promotion. I’m no good at any of this. But I do have a rationale, of sorts. This: In recent years I’veContinue reading “13. Why I Write This #@!$% Blog”
7. How I Got This Way
A few weeks ago, my lovely friend Tina said something that triggered my earliest memory and made me laugh hard. She was telling me about the new cartop tent she was about to buy. What? I responded in disbelief. You can buy a tent, now, for the top of your car? (Obviously, this would beContinue reading “7. How I Got This Way”
New Stuff Sucks 