sttttttretch

While I do feel sad about the decline of the magazine, I can’t help but admit that I’m pleased that it will eliminate so much paper waste! So many people don’t recycle their magazines when they’re finished. I’ll get my info online. I’ll look at microfiche of old stuff. Of course, Bust still has my heart, as well as Entertainment Weekly, but there you go.
A few blogs I’ve been enjoying lately:

Bad Astronomy - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/
Zen Habits - www.zenhabits.net
Design * Sponge - www.designspongeonline.com

Two are on the Time list for the Best 25. I still read the usual suspects, Dooce, Bossy, Pioneer Woman, etc. But lately I’ve grown sleepy of the blogspeak that they all seem to share. “Gah!” and “Just sayin’” and on and on. I’m sure Heather Armstrong started it but now they all do it and I’ve just, as I’ve said, grown sleepy of it.

In my remodeling, I won’t be using a lot of pictures, or hyperlinks. I’ve got to get back to writing basics and try to utilize my education. I’m stripping the dirty stained flower wallpaper down, and spreading on fresh white paint. If I’m to write the young adult novel I’m meant to, hyperlinking isn’t practice. I’ve just got to write and write until my thumbs fall off.

We’re joining our new Nature Center. Just participated in our second event there, and am so impressed by their staff and volunteers. What a happy mess of people over there, what divine diversity. The have this precious little table in a corner for kids to sit on, and little canvas totes of wooden toys (mushers, moose, grizzlies, owls…they have them for sale in the gift shop. Wish we weren’t poor.). They’re conscious without being annoying and self-promoting about it. They conserve and promote it because it’s the right thing to do, they don’t expect any rewards, they have always done it. This is Alaska. Wish more states and people in them took advantage of that mentality. Every state in the Union is a natural wonderland or WAS a natural wonderland. We’re all on Earth. Jersey is mainly green, that’s why they call it the Garden State. Ohio, while full of industry, yes, is also full of cornfields and picturesque farms, caverns, mountains, hills. Sweet and peaceful state parks butt up next to dairy farms. Fall is beautiful everywhere. You don’t have to be in Boulder or Alaska or Seattle to appreciate the beauty of this world.

We’re planning on sleeping in one of the yurts at the Nature Center this summer. Especially since we sold our tent, oh but our great sleeping bags are still in Ohio! We must scrounge and make the trip, or send some money to have them shipped up here.

It all makes sense in the midst of nothing making sense. Financially we’re a hot mess but we’ve really never been at so much peace with who we are as a family or as individuals as we are right now. The air is clean. Our minds are clean. We have dreams again. Funny how life in a utility (besides lights) payment free four-plex will soothe you. No young yard to mow, no repairs to do. No stress. The space is smaller than we’re used to, and all on one floor. So here we are all together. And guess what? We still like each other’s company.