Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day 2009!

Each year millions of people celebrate Earth Day. It is a time to learn more about our impact on the environment and ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Ideally, we all take what we learn, implement it, and practice it through the entire year as well as spread the word to help someone else do the same. Our family tries to live by the 3Rs and this year, we are working on replacing all our light bulbs to CFLs (compact florescent lamp or light bulb). To help everyone else do the same, I have found a cool widget to calculate your energy cost savings by switching to CFLs. Scroll to the bottom of this page to try it out and then start changing those bulbs! Pretty hard to resist once you see how much you can save.

In the same vein, as a writer for Xomba I have created a “Xomba Writers and Readers Group” aka “Xombies” on “One Billion Bulbs”. Through the “Energy Trek Initiative”, the web site is striving to track how many people are changing to CFL’s and the energy savings impact on the environment. Their goal is to reach one billion bulbs changed in the world. They are currently at about 160K recorded bulb changes.

I know we have many environmentally conscious members at Xomba. We not only write about the topic regularly but we do so electronically, saving 1000’s of trees and paper waste each year. Hopefully, most of us are writing and reading by the light of a CFL too! Let’s join together and show everyone how many bulbs have been changed by the Xombie community. Record the bulbs you have already changed and the bulbs you change from today forward. Celebrate Earth Day everyday!


You do not need to be a member of Xomba to join this One Billion Bulbs group but would like it to encompass the community of readers on Xomba as well as authors.

Visit the Xomba Writers and Readers Group page
http://onebillionbulbs.com/Group/Xombies



One Billion Bulbs Xomba Writers and Readers Bulbs Change Statistics




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Or Visit My Profile and Writing on Xomba

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The First Dandelion Has Bloomed – I am So Excited !!

I hear many of you groaning at the thought of the Dandelions invading your lawn but not me! I am dancing with excitement! You probably think I am a little crazy gushing over a “weed”. However, what is a weed other than an unwanted plant growing in an unwanted location? News flash – I have these delicate looking flowers exactly where I want them. Matter of fact, I wish I had a bigger lawn with MORE dandelions taking root in the chemical-free habitat.

Okay, I will explain my insanity. Dandelion greens, roots, and flowers are edible and are a FREE food source in your yard! The leaves add a nice variety and zip to any salad. Many people like them cooked liked spinach or collard greens. Raw or cooked, they are high in vitamins and minerals and have little or no fat and cholesterol.
Nutritional Information of Raw Dandelion Greens
Nutritional Information of Cooked Dandelion Greens

I have not tried the root yet but a google search will lead you to sites describing many medicinal properties and recipes. The blossoms also have medicinal properties and contain vitamins.

Several years ago, I made Dandelion Wine which is a white wine made with the blossoms. I had never made wine before. It was a fun and tasty experience. Here is the Dandelion Wine Recipe if you would like to try it.

I recently saw a recipe for Dandelion Jelly posted by a wonderful writer, Gail Martin, on eHow. Gail writes about how things were done in “the old days” and a pioneer ancestor in her family passed down this recipe for Dandelion Jelly. The blossoms are used to make the jelly and I decided I absolutely have to try it this year! That is why I was so excited to see the first dandelion blooming in my yard today.

I have also seen some other recipes and I hope I will have enough Dandelions to try those too! There is something intriguing about the idea of Dandelion Cookies or Cream of Dandelion Soup. Comfort food from a weed?

So this year, why not let your Dandelions grow? Save money on weed killers and your food bill. Take advantage of the health benefits. Oh, and stop by my blog to share your Dandelion experiences or recipes.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

My Persistent Hyacinths

We moved into our existing home about 20 years ago in January. The Hyacinths that popped up near our doorstep as the first sign of Spring were like a surprise house warming gift. Every year I anxiously watch for them to peek up through the soil to convince me that Spring is just around the corner. Every year they make me pause in amazement that they come up at all! I do not know which previous owner planted them but they could be 50 years old or more.

They emerge to greet the first mild weather, only to be assaulted by cold and snow several times before the warm days stay long enough for them to bloom. After their flowers and foliage are gone, we forget they are there and are constantly stomped on as we access the nearby water faucet all Summer and I never think to fertilize them.





I cannot explain how they survive so much abuse and neglect. There are many mysteries of life in nature and I believe that my persistent Hyacinths must be one of them.

Where Does the Time Go?

Seems like Christmas was just here and now Easter has come and gone. It does not seem possible. Perhaps it has something to do with all the snow and cold we have still been getting in April. I am more than ready for Spring weather!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and other holidays you might celebrate at this time of year. If your family received Easter cards, consider creating magnetic bookmarks with them. I wrote instructions at Christmas but Easter cards are also fantastic with beautiful religious scenes, crosses or cute little bunnies and chicks.

See how easy the bookmarks are to make with these instructions.