Am I Insane?

Okay, tell me if I'm nuts but there was an expensive insert from a car manufacturer in a bi-weekly mag I receive. They seemed to be trying to convince me that there was a way for me, if I purchased one of their "green" cars, to help the environment. Of course, likely 99.9% of the planet could not afford to purchase one of these cars, including myself. Once I got past the formula blah blah blah of "efficiency" and "technology", I found they had provided a few tips which, apart from buying their product, would help us make the world a better place.
I'll share a few choice ones with you ...
- stop the delivery of your phone book to reduce waste in dumps
- don't take the ATM receipt
- share the popcorn at the movies instead of buying your own

Of course they forgot a few radical ideas which also might work, like taking public transit, or car-pooling. Why not go to the extreme and suggest walking or cycling to work.
Now, as Lucy's Mom says, oh my stars and garters, how stupid do they think we are? Call me crazy, but I have this funny feeling that they might be believing their own P.R.

Lin and Frank's Garden

My folks, Robin and I spent a magical afternoon at the home of our friends Lin and Frank. Apart from a succulent meal of homemade everything (hummus and guacamole with crackers, open-faced sandwiches of homemade mayo, special crispy fried onion, cheese etc., on long slices on pumpkin-seed bread, crisp green salad with Lin's poppyseed dressing, warm from the oven butter tarts) we also had our coffee in the shade of their beautiful trees in their garden. Along with a magical path under the pine tree (watch out for the bear), there is an extensive collection of hostas,
including a miniature variety. An exceptional day, warmed by the company of wonderful friends and family; a special moment when everything was perfect (and delicious).

The Renewable Energy Handbook and our Energy Retrofit Master Plan (E.R.M.P.)

The Renewable Energy Handbook by Canadian William H Kemp (you can hear an interview with him on The Watt) is, by far, the most user-friendly, comprehensive guide to living sustainably that I've been able to locate. It's also helped us in being realistic about what we can hope to achieve, considering we are neither rich or contractors. Our list so far is ...

1) Reduce our present energy consumption
2) Replace existing windows and the large front window (French doors opening onto porch?)
3) Low flush toilet (and taller)
4) Replace hot water tank with a hot-water-on-demand, tankless heater (gas or electric)
5) PV solar panels with battery storage
6) Back-up power (wind turbine, bio-diesel)
7) Grey-water system (like using shower water to flush the toilet)
8) Fireplace as a heat source (I'm leaning towards Pellet fueled).

We are presently consuming at least 484 kmh per month, or 16 kwh daily. We'd have to reduce that by half to even begin. Time to get to work.

Our wee house

We were so lucky to find the house that fit our lives perfectly. We had spent too many hours looking at houses that were too big or had too many rooms; most had too many stairs. Ours is small, on one level and the previous owners had lived in the house very gently. All the doors are intact, the wood floor is warm and beautiful; everything is looking exactly the way a house built in 1950 should. Now that we're settled, we begun to draft a "to do" list; a list we're having difficulty prioritizing. Oddly enough, none of the top 12 or so are cosmetic; all are about efficiency. Living in a small house is part of the desire to minimize our impact on the planet, not living in more space than we need, not using more than our share of resources. Our end goal (perhaps largely my end goal) would be to live largely off the grid, supplying our own power and being ultra-conservative with our water, food, trash. Our "to do" list has become a challenge, not only financially, but also because the world seems determined to convince us to live large and loud, to spend more than we make, and to consume like there is no end. Well, we're going to live as small and cleanly as we can, and will hopefully enjoy the process.

The house, the church, and the flowers

These are some of Robin's earlier works; the house was inspired, I believe, by one of our trips to the east coast, likely PEI. The churches and crofts were on the Lossiemouth Harbour in Scotland where our friend Rita took us for lunch. I had the best mac & cheese, and a cup of tea, in a converted fish-monger's warehouse, while watching the fishing fleet go about their business.

Giant Magnolia-type blossums and white dasies - summertime!. Since our move to St. Thomas, we always seem to have fresh flowers in the house; our wonderful neighbours on the East and West, Laura and Lorraine, keep us well stocked with bouquets from their gardens. We also have our weekly supply of Orchard Hill flowers that we pick when we collect our produce.

Emily escapes the big smoke

Our friend Emily, who is a magnificent embroiderer, pried herself away from daughter and hubby and hoped on ViaRail to spend a few days with us. We haven't seen her since we moved away a few months ago and she was a welcome sight. After catching-up on our deck and a brief night's sleep we rose to watch the birds bickering over their breakfast seed in our feeders while eating our omelette and planning the days adventures. We started the day walking along the Talbot Trail (part of the Trans Canada Trail) to City Coffee and the Library, before heading to the Beanery for some lunch (yumm). Emily gave us two lovely gifts; a hand-embroidered button for each of us - I got a kitten face and Neil got his favourite little blue briefs. Her studio in the Distillery District in Toronto is heaven for anyone who loves embroidery - we have some of her napkins and rings, a pillow and one of her incredible stitched forest "paintings". We've been fortunate to give many friends her baby gift-sets and lavender sachets. Thanks Em!

Orchard Hill Farm

We belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) which means we are sort of share holders in the harvest of a specific farm. Our farm is a magical, Eden-like place called Orchard Hill Farm and our "dividends" are our weekly supplies of organic produce.
Our pick-up day is every Saturday so we eat particularly well over the weekends.

It's an amazing feeling being so connected to your food that you know exactly what field it's being picked from and, if your lucky, you may have been the one picking it! I know harvesting your own crops isn't everyone's idea of down-time but it's surprisingly calming and we look forward to our few hours of work-share. Potatoes, broccoli, herbs, sunflowers, melon, lettuce, onions, heirloom tomotoes, corn and peppers were todays bounty.

Robin's Studio

Robin's studio - all the mod-cons, and looking out the window
We see bees buzzing around the flowers and sometimes can
hear the rain on the leaves. It was a quick adjustment from life
in Toronto for me, and Robin's studio is twice as big as it was.

Inspiration

When we were in Scotland a few years ago, we took roll after roll of pictures, many only subtly differing from the previous shot. We were overwhelmed by the scenery and speed at which the weather changed, often watching clouds moving across the sky through the camera view-finder. The trip was a long overdue visit to country of Robin's birth, a response to his DNA calling him back, and the trip provided a wealth of inspiration and images for his paintings. Wonderful, powerful memories. This is our photo of The Kyles of Bute, outside of Tighnabruaich (sometime home of Robert Carlyle) taken while on a wonderful, magical road trip with Robin's rellies Margaret and David (and their charming, Harry Potter obsessed daughters Naomi and Sapphire).

Robin's paintings at Southern Accent Restaurant

Robin was a part of the Toronto hospitality industry for years, from Hazelton Lanes, to the Rosedale Diner, to Southern Accent Restaurant. He has a million stories, particularily from his many, many years at Southern Accent Restaurant. Taking Patti Labelle into the kitchen to meet the chef because Patti loved the Blackened Chicken liver; spending a day with Maya Angelou as she hosted a wrap party; Shirley MacLean; Johnny Depp; Louise Lasser with Rita Coolidge, Cloris Leachman, Gregory Hines ... so many exciting times, tons of fun and great food!

Robin preps for a show

Robin is prepping for a group show which is fast approaching; it'll be his first show in Port Stanley as part of the The 9th Annual Port Stanley Artists Tour September 25 and 26 and his first big, official showing since we moved in May. He's been working on some new landscapes, experimenting with mottled colours and a slightly different palette. These are some of his older works which I think are still pretty strong.

Day One

Well, I'm learning to blog as I go along, much the same way we
learned how to live our lives, and that worked our pretty well.

And so we begin ...