Community Blogging

Hey! Look what I found in my inbox after posting my November Riot numbers. Myshell of Color Your World Pink left a nice comment on my last post along with a Community Blogger Award. She says, “this award seeks to celebrate those people “who reach out and make the blogger community a better one”.

I’m grateful for her compliment.

Riot in November

June-July-August-September-October-November have all come and gone.  We have made huge strides in lowering our environmental impact.   Six months of rethinking decisions has made most of these areas habits by now.  We continue to examine the way we do things.

Tomorrow is December 1.  Tomorrow is also the day we go  car shopping.  We’ll buy used and we don’t have a huge budget for this vehicle.  It will however completely distort next month’s consumer goods category.   Oh well, life will continue to throw challenges our way and we will continue to take them in stride.

Here is a new chart from the Riot’s website for this month.

R4A Calculator summary:
| Transport: 10% | Elec: 6% | H&C: 1% | Trash: 4% | Water: 30% | Goods: 10% | Food: 40% local, 46% dry, 14% wet |

Coming later today a summary of our first six months of the Riot!

Kim

Consumer Goods

I had such great plans for this post. I was going to announce that I was turning “No Shopping Day” into “No Shopping Month.” It was going to be grand.

Then came yesterday. I wrecked my son’s truck. I went off the road and hit a telephone pole. I am fine. The truck is not. It was going to cost more than the truck is worth (It was 24 years old and had many miles on it) to fix and even then it would have been questionable.

So now we need to replace his vehicle. There goes the budget. There goes the 90% Riot consumer good budget. There goes my perfect 25+ year driving record.

Kim

Chile’s Great Post

Chile over at Chile Chews has a must read post today.  She has detailed the job of putting food on the table.  I am amazed at her thoroughness.

Kim

I’m back

I went on an unexpected holiday thanks to our internet service provider.  No internet for 3 days does not make Kim a happy camper.

In my absence something happened.  I get quiet and my readership goes WAY up.  Hello to you all.  Where are you coming from?  Have a look around and chat a bit.

Another great thing happened:  my sister left a comment on my site.  Say hello to KGH.   I have another sister KAH.

Still another great thing:  Evan is back.   Everybody wave to Evan.

I’ll be back with a real post after I read a ton of email.

Kim

Buy nothing day

I’m in. How about you?

Tracking Numbers

There has been much discussion on our Riot group about how we track our numbers. I want to be above-board, clear and honest in our accounting. So here is the method we use, what our numbers mean, and how we are doing.

This post is written using the numbers from October 1-31. I am entering all the numbers for November into my fabulous spreadsheet (Thank you CK!) and will have those ready to report on November 30!

From the Riot Rules:

1. Gasoline.
Average American: usage is 500 gallons PER PERSON, PER YEAR.
90% reduction: would be 50 gallons PER PERSON, PER YEAR.

• We have 4 members of our family. Therefore we get 200 gallons a year. However, since I stated at the very beginning of our participation that I couldn’t include my husband’s commute, we only allotted our family 100 gallons. We divided those gallons out over the year and call that our gasoline allotment.
• We have currently used 28 of those 100 gallons. We will continue to use gasoline at a fairly steady rate. Therefore on the one year anniversary of our participation (We were in at the very beginning!) our gasoline total will be 100 gallons or 10% of the American average.
• Therefore our current 90% Reduction figure is 2.8% and rising.

2. Electricity.
Average US usage: is 11,000 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR, or about 900 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD PER MONTH.
90% reduction: would mean using 1,100 PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR or 90 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD PER MONTH

• We are currently holding steady at 300 or less kwh/month. That is 30% of the American average.
• However we asked the Riot group and it was agreed that methane (from a landfill) is a clean energy source. Therefore we are allowed a 4 to 1 payback. So our 300 per month is counted as 75. I just say 10%.
• We are striving to lower our usage to 10% without the green credits. Right now we use about 6 kwh/weekday and 10 kwh/weekend day.

3. Heating and Cooking

• Natural Gas: American average 750 gallons/year. 90% Reduction would be 75 gallons. We don’t use any natural gas. So our number here is 0%.
• Propane: American average 1000 therms. 90% reduction would be 100 gallons. We switched from an electric range to a propane camp stove. Thus far we have used 2.5 therms in 5 months. It is very efficient. This might drop a little over the winter as we use our wood stove to heat water and reheat leftovers.
• Wood: “Locally and sustainably harvested, and either using deadwood, trees that to come down anyway, coppiced or harvested by someone who replaces every lost tree.” This is deemed carbon neutral, and you can use an unlimited supply.” We heat with an efficient wood stove. We use only dead or down wood. In an effort to be above-board we have been counting the gasoline and oil that we use for the chainsaw in this category.
• Our current percentage is 0.4% for the year. It will continue to rise as we use propane for cooking. We will not be using anymore gasoline for wood cutting this year.
• Our anticipated yearly percentage in this category is 3% of the American average.

4. Garbage
the average American generates about 4.5 lbs of garbage PER PERSON, PER DAY.
A 90% reduction would be .45 lbs of garbage PER PERSON, PER DAY.

• Again, we have 4 people in our family so we could have 1.8 pounds of garbage per day. However we average just a wee bit less than 1 pound per day. And we have been keeping this steady since August.
• Therefore our monthly percentage is 5% and we don’t anticipate any increase.

5. Water.
The Average American uses 100 Gallons of water PER PERSON, PER DAY.
A 90% reduction would mean 10 gallons PER PERSON, PER DAY.

• We have 4 family members, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 12 chickens, 3 rabbits, 3 goats and 3 sheep. We figured 10 gallons/person, 1 gallon for the dogs and cat, 3 gallons for chickens, 1 gallon for rabbits, 6 gallons for goats and sheep. That gives us 51 gallons per day to use.
• Currently we use about 155 gallons per day. That puts us at 30% for our daily average. I normally track this by month and then just divide by the number of days in that month.
• We have plans for rain water harvesting which should eliminate the animal water needs. It should lower the house numbers by providing washing up water and laundry water. We’ll continue to need municipal supplied water for drinking until we replace our roofing materials.

6. Consumer Goods.
The average American spends 10K PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR on consumer goods
90% Reduction would be 1k per year.

• New goods are 100% of their purchase price, used goods are 10%, used from Goodwill and church sales are free. Other stipulations within the group include: 50% if local, 50% if for long-term sustainable efforts, 50% for educational books.
• We used the allotment method for this category. We get $80 per month and an extra $40 for Christmas gifts.
• We have currently spent $450 (using the categories above) and so we are at 4.5%. It will continue to rise as the year goes on. As long as we stick to our allotment we should come in at 10% for the year.

7. Food.
Local should be 70% of diet
Bulk allotted 25% of diet
non-local/Processed 5%

• I had a tremendously difficult time tracking this category. So in the end I decided to count servings as our way of figuring percentages.
• We eat 46% local or homegrown, 46% bulk and organic, and 8% comes from the supermarket. It isn’t quite what the Riot calls for, but we are taking steps to grow even more food on the homestead next year

So my Riot signature looks like this:

Kim at Hedges Happenings

90% Reduction: Gasoline (2.8% and rising), Electricity (10% and steady), Heating and Cooking (0.4% and rising), Garbage (5% and steady), Water (30% and steady), Consumer Goods (4.5% and rising), and Food (46/46/

Heating

You know that you are obsessed when nearly every waking thought revolves around one thing.  I have been walking around my house for two days with digital thermometers checking the temperature in every room at different times of the day.

I can now report that the living room (where the wood stove is located) fluctuates between 62-79 degrees.  My bedroom 62-72.  The kitchen 62-72.  Project room without a fan to circulate the air 60-72, with a fan 62-72, the kid’s rooms 59-69 without the fan to circulate the air, with the fan 59-73 (although MA’s is always colder than HM’s).

What have I learned from all this?  Umm . . . I’m not sure.  I definitely learned that I am preoccupied/obsessed with the temperature of our home.  I learned that the fan placed at the top of a doorway will help pull hot air into far side of the house.  I learned that with an overnight low of 30 our house stays warm without anyone getting up at night to feed the fire as long as a BIG log is put in about 9:15.

We are headed out later today to buy dark colored ceramic tiles to put under south facing windows.  I am hoping that will help stabilize the temperature in HM’s room and the project room.  I still need to find ways to stabilize the temperature in MA’s north facing room.

Question:  What would happen if I warmed dark tiles by the stove in the evening and then put them in MA’s room or under sinks?  Would that help keep his room slightly warmer?  Would that be helpful when the temperatures are low enough to worry about pipes?

Kim

Thankfulness

I woke up one morning and realized (to my horror) that I was not a very thankful person.  I hadn’t really thought about it.  It is so easy to expect things to be good.  But I am surrounded by goodness that I often don’t deserve.  So I began to record one thing each day that I was thankful for.   You know what?  I have a lot to be thankful for.

So in honor of Tia here is my thankful list for today.

• A family that loves me despite myself
• New friends that challenge me (Bryan, Evan, Chile, Sharon and Miranda — in other words see my blogroll)
• Old friends who comfort me, laugh at me and with me, forgive me, and pray for me
•  A very soft wool blanket to snuggle down with while reading Lord Peter Wimsey stories (Dorothy Sayers wrote these detective stories and I LOVE them.)
• Rooibos cocomint tea by a warm fire

Whose next?

Kim

Time makes you bolder, even children get older

I’m getting older.  I suppose we all do.   “Time makes you bolder, even children get older.” (Fleetwood Mac — Landslide)

I will be having a birthday pretty soon.   It isn’t a decade changing birthday — just a normal somewhere between 40 and 50 birthday.  Birthdays always seem to bring a time of personal inspection.   You know what they say, ” you will be the same person you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet.”   

I’ve been looking over my book list, my posts, my day planner, and my prayer journal.  There are some significant changes that have been playing out in my life over the past year.  Some have been stressful, some have refined my personality, and some have been just plain fun.

To recap:

• Our son is now working a man’s job earning a man’s pay.
• Our daughter will be graduating this coming Spring.
• My husband is getting older too.  (He may not notice, but he’s getting a little thin up top.  I know because I cut his hair.)
• My most beloved German Shepherd died last September.  I still miss him.  I still cry.  I still cannot walk over the plot of earth where we buried him.
• I have gone through a period of ill health, seemed to recover only to relapse.  I now seem to be truly in recovery mode and I am so thankful.
• I have been learning to be more thankful.
• I am learning to be more mindful of the impact of my choices.
• So far this year I have read 79 books and am on track to read my Bible through in a year.
• I am still trying to memorize the last section of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.   I think it gets harder and harder to memorize as I get older.
• I learned to complete (and enjoy) Sodoku puzzles.
• I have learned (well, OK–I am learning) to embrace the ministry of “the older woman.”  I am finding the most important part of this is listening and then praying.  Lots of praying.
• I am learning the world needs mercy and grace not a lecture.

By the grace of God I am who I am.

A Riotous Day

Sharon (Casaubon’s Book) thought it would be fun for the Rioters to describe their day. What is life like when your trying to reduce 90%? Surprisingly boring!

So here is a look at life at the Hedges Homestead.

5:00 am — buzz, buzz, buzz. Argh, it is the battery operated alarm clock giving CK his reminder that today is a work day. He ignores it until it becomes very annoying. CK or MA open the flue and add wood to the stove. They get their breakfast and tea, put lunches together and head out the door by 6:30. They drive together to their jobs.

 

6:15: HM and I try to stagger out of bed. It usually takes about 15 minutes for my brain to catch up with my body. It’s time to take medicine, wash faces (homemade soap), brush teeth (homemade toothpaste), and use the mineral stone. While I’m in the bathroom I do a quick spray down with vinegar or diluted Dr. Bronner’s and wipe the sink, toilet and door knobs. Empty the gray water bucket under the sink. I don’t want to have an overflow again. It isn’t a pleasant thing when the bucket runneth over. Back to the bedroom where the bed has been airing. Tidy up the bedroom and check to see if there are any emails that can’t wait.

 

7:00: First things first — check the electric meter, write the number down, and ponder how to lower it today. Into the kitchen. Time for OJ, hot tea or hot cocoa (water heated in electric tea kettle/ or on wood stove top), and toast or pancakes with fruit. The leftover hot water goes into the basin for washing dishes. Oh yes, don’t forget to feed and water the dogs.

 

7:30 Time to take the dog out for a walk. We usually go 2 miles. Once home HM takes care of the chickens, rabbits, goats, and sheep while I tidy up. By 8:30 she is working on school work, I am finishing up any housework, and then I sit down for Bible reading. As the laundry finishes washing we hang up the clothes, check the animals water, and then begin opening up curtains. Let the sunshine in . . .

 

12:30 : Time for lunch. Usually we have leftovers warmed up in the toaster oven or on top of the wood stove. After that it is back to tidying up the kitchen (again). We take the dog for another 2 mile walk and then settle in for either work or quiet time. In the spring/summer/early fall this time is taken up with gardening, harvesting, or preserving. The rest of the year we sew, do crafts, use the computer, and read.

 

5:00: MA: comes home, takes his dog out, cleans his room, puts away his laundry, and has his computer time. HM feeds and waters the animals, cleans the barn stalls if they need it. I’m busy with dinner prep, running grocery list update, and a final check of email. Then the dog goes out for a 1 mile walk.

 

7:00: CK’s home and it is time to eat, final kitchen clean up, family time (movie, game, walk in yard, talk, listen to a book on tape, sit around and watch each other use the computer), dogs out one final time, and quick check of animals. Wash the TC and hang behind the wood stove to dry for tomorrow. Close the curtains to keep the cold out.

 

9:00: Bed time. KM and CK Spanish lesson. Put large log in stove and restrict air flow into the stove. This keeps us cozy until about 5 am. Lights out at 9:30.

 

Kim

Toothpaste

We have been using Xyliwhite flouride-free toothpaste for several years. I love cinnamon flavor and the clean feeling. I usually buy it through my coop. It is so easy, so convenient, and comes with so much packaging. So, in an effort to eliminate even more unnecessary packaging and store-bought goods, Saturday was toothpaste making day.

I found a recipe on-line and a recipe in _How It All Vegan_ and then made up my own. We made peppermint this time. Other varieties I’d like to try are tea tree oil and cinnamon oil. Poor HM was the guinea pig. She had to taste test and tell me what needed to be added. We put the finished product in a squeeze bottle and in a jelly jar. I’ll let you know which we like better after we’ve tried both.

The final product is a little salty and doesn’t taste super-duper. Our teeth feel clean, look clean, and our breath smells good. Now I just need a mouthwash recipe. I was going to post a picture of the toothpaste, but it is white. Pure white!

Our final recipe:

• 9 TBSN baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salk
• 1 1/2 oz glycerin
• 60 drops peppermint oil
• Mix the soda and salt together until all the lumps are gone.
• Add glycerin and stir until “pasty”
• Add oil and keep stirring.

Riot in October–update

We got the water bill on Saturday.  Our recent changes have had more effect than I expected.  We dropped down to 30% of the American average for our family size and animals.  Yippee!  Whoohoo!!

Kim

Time and Temperature

My poor little weather bug icon is getting quite a workout this week. I’ve been tracking the outdoor temperatures and the house temperature.

6:30 Outdoor temps have been 32-37*. Brr!! I have been closing the curtains at night to help hold back the cold. It seems to be working. Our house temps in the morning are about 56*. Chilly, but not cold enough to fire up the wood stove.

At 9:30 the sun is high enough to warm the windows. Outdoor temp is 44*, indoor temp still at 56*. We go around the house and open the east and south curtains.

By 10:30 the house has warmed up to 62* (outdoor temp 54). All the curtains are pulled back now.

At 3:00 we are up to 67* (outdoor temp 60). Shortly after we reach “peak indoor temperature” I start closing the north facing curtains. By 5:00 the east window curtains are pulled shut.

At 8:00 we are down to 65* (outdoor temp 45*). Now it is time to start shutting all the south facing curtains again.

I think in another few weeks we’ll have to add the window quilts to the north windows. I hope to delay putting them in the east windows until the end of November. The south windows have pull back quilts to take advantage of the passive solar.

I’ve been wondering about getting ceramic tile and laying it in front of the south windows to collect more solar heat. I’m not sure how effective it would be. I might buy one box and try it in HM’s room. Her room is always cold in the winter. Has anyone tried this?

Menu for Oct 28-Nov 3

Sunday:

• Breakfast; toast, vegan butter, jam, orange juice, tea or hot cocoa
• Lunch: (company) vegetable lasagna, French bread, salad, iced tea/water/juice
• Dinner: leftovers

Monday:

• Breakfast: toast, vegan butter, jam, orange juice, tea or hot cocoa
• Lunch: leftover chili (turkey, red beans, tomato, red pepper, green pepper, onion)
• Dinner: baked potato, vegan butter, broccoli, and cheese

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: toast, peanut butter, jam, juice, tea or hot cocoa
• Lunch: leftover vegetable lasagna
• Dinner: leftover chili

Wednesday

• Breakfast: apple oatmeal, toast, juice, tea or hot cocoa
• Lunch: peanut butter toast, carrot and celery sticks
• Dinner: white beans with carrot, celery, onion, pimiento, and green beans

Thursday

• Breakfast: egg, toast, juice, tea or hot cocoa
• Lunch: leftover lasgna
• Dinner: cottage fries with carrot and celery sticks

Friday:

• Breakfast: French toast, jam, juice, tea or hot cocoa
• Lunch: leftover lasagna or lentil soup
• Dinner: pizza cheat night

Saturday:

• Breakfast: apple oatmeal, toast, juice, tea or hot cocoa
• Lunch: carrot and celery sticks (early dinner with company)
• Dinner: Turkey enchiladas (turkey, tortillas, onion, green pepper, red pepper, sour cream, cheese)

Supermarket:

• vegan butter
• OJ (and cranberry)
• hot cocoa
• celery
• ground turkey
• cheese
• sour cream

Bulk/organic:

• wheat
• yeast
• tea
• peanut butter
• beans in chili
• tomato sauce in chili and lasagna
• semolina (for pasta)
• lentil soup mix
• oatmeal
• white beans

Local/Homegrown:

• blackberry jam
• strawberry jam
• honey
• zucchini
• carrot
• pimiento
• red pepper
• green pepper
• onion
• turkey
• potato
• broccoli
• apple
• green beans
• eggs