Some Cake...

It has been awhile since I posted any cake photos. Here's a couple new ones.

WE GOT A DOG!

Her name is Nesta. She's 1/4 German Shepherd, 1/4 Great Pyrenees, 1/4 Akita, and 1/4 St. Bernard. Three months old and 35 lbs. Her parents were 120 and 130 lbs. She's going to be a BIG dog.

We weren't planning on getting a dog for a while, but this one seems so perfect for us. She has the most docile and calm temperament for a puppy. She's not nippy or excitable, hasn't barked or growled or made any vocalizations other than a whine on the car trip home. She's a little cautious, but not fearful or aggressive or pushy. I realize that temperaments can change, of course :) She's pretty fun so far.

My cats are not so impressed. Poor Ty and Svenna. Little weasels.

No Impact Challenge

We're trying this on.

http://noimpactproject.org/experiment/

This project is really well designed and user friendly. They ask you to register and participate in surveys and record your progress, but that's it. There's no guilt or 'should's', just suggestions and information to engage, empower, and encourage you to consider your lifestyle and habits and your impact on the planet.

I like the positive spin on change. I think that many people are turned away from more environmentally friendly options because of the pervasive belief that they must do without. The project's How-To Manual contains copious links, advice, and accessible information sources for finding local food, eco-products, low-impact means of travel, etc..

It started today, and so far I'm feeling good about it. Today's tasks were to keep a (cloth) bag with me all day and fill it with all my trash, recyclables, and food waste, and to write a list of items I need to purchase this week. These tasks are meant to make you aware of your consumption habits and get you thinking about waste, packaging, and necessity. I was surprised today to realize how automatic throwing packaging away is for me. I consider myself to be a fairy conscious consumer but I often don't think about an item's packaging at point of purchase. I think I did well, compared to most. Towards the end of the day I was critically examining what I wanted to use to minimize the waste. I'm not worried about our food waste - it goes straight into the compost bin for garden use. As for the list, I only had two items on it: groceries and car parts/repairs (our car's water pump pulley propeller sheared in half. Luckily it happened about 100m from the house so when Ian lost power he was able to push it back into our parking spot). I would like to buy a child's bike seat and helmet soon but that is not a necessity this week.

Anyways, I will TRY to update every day this week. I'm really excited. I think this is just the push I need.