I’m sure you’ve all noticed that prices at the pump are rising once again. Yes, it’s getting into the summer months. Yes, more people will be traveling. But is that an excuse for the oil companies to jack up their prices again? I guess in their minds it is. And they feel they can get away with it because we’ll all pay whatever the price is. But should we? Do we really need to? Let’s think back to two years ago when the cost soared to $4.00 per gallon. My guess is that most of us cut back. We had to. And if you think back, you realize that it wasn’t all that bad. We all do a lot of unnecessary driving. Too much. We tend to not combine trips out. If we feel the need to run to the store for just one or two little things, we hop in our cars and do it. Never mind that that is half a gallon of gas. No big deal. But how many times do we do that a week? What is it costing our pockets and our environment?

Maybe, just maybe, if we all start acting as though gas costs $4/gallon again and cut back, the oil companies will not be able raise it back up there. They’ll get the message that they cannot do that just because they can and get away with it. We need to send some strong, clear messages that we are aware of what they are doing, that we do not have to demand all that gas, that we care about the cost to the environment, and that we are not going to continuously play into their greedy hands.

I have had to take our oldest son to school the past few days, due to certain circumstances, but usually, all our children ride the bus. I must say that I am totally taken aback, flabbergasted, and appalled by just how many parents drive their kids to school each day, when there are buses available to everyone. I do not understand this phenomenon. And I know it is not just his school; it goes for elementary, middle and high schools.  If you drive past any of the public schools at drop off or pick up times, you will see lines of cars. There has to be 300 or more cars dropping off students at his school each morning and there is a student population of about 900. That is 1/3 of the students being car riders. This seems to me a complete and total waste of fossil fuel, time, energy and money, not to mention the damage it is doing to the environment! All these cars driving to and from their homes to the schools and back again, idling in lines, wasting gas, polluting the air. Somebody please explain this to me. We are fortunate enough that our public schools provide our children with reliable transportation each and every day and still this many people do not use it? What is the thought process here? I can see once in a while, when there are extenuating circumstances, that there would be a need to transport your child by car, but 99% of the time, why not take advantage of what is offered? Please. Rethink your habits. Consider what this habit is costing us all in so many ways.

Can you tell I’ve been hit with Spring Fever??????

Here are some fool proof instructions for planting potatoes. Hope this helps some of you.

Cut into pieces w/1-2 eyes each. All to dry and the cuts to callus over for a few days before planting. Sow pieces 18” apart and 3-4” deep with eyes up, in rows spaced 2 ½ feet apart. When plants are 5-6” tall, fill them up with soil to prevent exposure to light that will turn them green and inedible. Add a generous layer (10-12”) of straw or marsh hay to insulate the soil & keep the potatoes cool & moist. Keep them well watered, weed free & monitor for insect & disease problems.

For highest yields and best storage, potatoes should not be dug until two weeks after the vines are dead.

We need to be conscious this time of year of how deeply commercialization of this season has prevaded our society and we need to try to steer away from some of it and make the holidays more of what they should be. A time for being together, for sharing and for loving. And that does not have to mean breaking the bank or hurting our planet. Here are some ideas that I hope help us all.

Keep it simple. One thoughtful gift means much more than a pile of wrapped packages of unwanted gifts. Draw names or share the cost of a gift with a relative or friend.

Make your own gifts: knit, sew, paint, crochet, bake or make recycled art.

Look for gifts that are: durable; not overly packaged; reusable; energy efficient; recyclable; and not made from tropical woos like teak, rosewood or mahogany.

Look for gifts that are made of natural components, like sustainable harvested woods, natural fiber, or glass.

When choosing toys for children, choose items that won’t impact their health.

Purchase gifts from local vendors or that were locally made.

Give a membership or donate in the name of friend to an organization they feel strongly about.

Give a gift certificate of your time for babysitting, housecleaning, meal preparation, pet sitting.

Help someone start a garden. Give them seed and tools. Help plant, weed and water.

Plant a tree in someone’s name.

Create a recipe book from your favorite collection.

Create a photo book or make a calendar for the coming year using your own photos.

For Children

Box of dress up clothes

Makings for hand puppets

Homemade bird feeder kit.

Teach a child knitting or some other favorite craft of yours. (This will last a lifetime!)

Write and illustrate a story with the child as the main character.

Create a photo album of the year with photos of the child doing fun things.

1. Turn off lights, computers, printers, monitors and other electronic devices, unplugging them from the wall when leaving your office or home for the holiday.

2. To reduce waste, only buy what you need or expect to consume, especially foods for snacks or meals.

3. When shopping, choose products that do not have unnecessary or complicated mixed material packaging which can make recycling difficult.

4. Use decorations that can be reused or go for the natural look with popcorn, pine cones, evergreen branches, holly and leftover ribbons.

5. For your lighting needs, try LED lighting. LED lamps are rated for 50,000 hours of use or more while standard incandescent lights typically only last for 2,000 hours.

6. When choosing your Christmas tree, why not go for a potted tree that can then be planted outside after the holidays? If you can’t do this, remember to recycle your tree after Christmas.

7. Reuse or make your own wrapping paper from newspapers, fabric scraps, magazines, reusable tins or paper bags. Try making gift tags from old Christmas cards. Save boxes, tissue and paper for other special ocassions throughout the year.

8. As you share the holidays with family and friends, be sure to use a digital camera for those special moments, and send the photos you love by email.

9. Instead of sending out paper holiday newsletters or greeting cards, send electronic ecards. If mailing is your only option, use 100% recycled greeting cards.

10. Buy local: The ingredients for the average U.S. meal have traveled 1,200 miles by the time they reach the plate. All of this travel requires petroleum for transport and for refrigeration. Buying locally grown food is better for the environment, and it usually tastes much better too. Choosing food that isn’t flown in from a tropical climate also saves energy and has a lower impact on climate change. When you shop at farmers’ markets, you directly support small family farmers, and choosing organic food reduces the use of toxic pesticides.