of leaves and mulch

This past Saturday dawned cool and crisp (and wind-free) and soon I was lured outdoors to do some impromptu leaf-raking. Nothing crazy mind you, just cleaning up around the edges and tucking the garden beds in for the winter under a layer of leaves. Besides, I had work to do inside and I needed to get back to it! Well, one thing lead to another: the sun (finally) rose above the trees, the temperature (quickly) rose above 60 degrees, and I was finding more and more leaves to rake!

Eventually, I had a good pile going and needed to move them from point A (lawn) to point B (garden) with the most bang for my buck (as in: one fell swoop). That's when I spied the kiddie pool... Why not? I had yet to use it for its intended purpose (fill with water, splash around), although it did get used as a giant wash tub this summer (more about that here)... Let's see if it could pull its weight (heehee) during the fall season!

Wow! That thing holds a lot of leaves! At first I tried to pick it up and carry it (dumb), and then push it with the rake (somewhat smarter), and finally I drilled a hole in the rim and threaded a piece of rope through it so I could drag it (brilliant!). It worked great, and 2 more trips to the garden with leaves and that project was complete.

However, there was no way I was going back indoors on a day that was more like a flashback of late August, so I needed to find more leaves to transport... And I found them in great quantity on the vast expanse of nothingness that is my leach field! It abuts the edge of the woods and was covered in a thick layer of leaves and pine needles. Wet, heavy leaves and pine needles. Directly downhill from their uphill destination... And that's when I spied it... my seldom used gas lawn mower... Why not?

 So with visions of finely shredded leaf mulch being (effortlessly) spewed uphill and ever closer to their final resting place (my compost corral), and my father's voice in my head saying "You really shouldn't mow when it's wet", I (inserted ear plugs) and then cranked that sucker up!!!

OK, so it wasn't entirely effortless... but the results were spectacular:

And as soon as Frankenstorm has passed, 

I will go to the beach and collect seaweed to top the pile off with!

Piper the Safety Orange Dog stands guard over our pile 'o garden gold!

paper or plastic?

Earth Day is is right around the corner and I know there are millions of earth-lings out there just sitting around wondering "What can I do to help save this planet?". While I'm not certain that what I am about  to suggest will single-handedly halt the destruction of our home turf, I think it is a small step in the right direction. Alright, here it is... (I know you're gonna love it)... B.Y.O.B. Yes, that's right. Where ever you go, just B.Y.O.B.! To the thrift shop. To the library. To the grocery store. It'll be fun! It will make you feel sooo GOOD! And everyone will think you are just SO cool, and they'll want to B.Y.O.B. too!
What is that you say? How can public drunkenness help save the Earth? My, my, Silly Rabbit. Is that what you thought I was suggesting? Well, put down the bottle of Cuervo and listen up:
What I am proposing is that you Bring Your Own Bag!
Where ever you go where you might be offered a shiny new bag to carry home your latest finds, respond (righteously), "No thank you, I brought my own!" And it doesn't have to be some fancy-shmancy, logo-laden, hemp one either (which was probably imported from China anyway).

Here are some suggestions:

• used onion bags (the mesh ones) are wicked strong and you can easily add handles to them- just weave or tie some fabric, rope, whatever, through the mesh.
• pillow cases- if you are the least bit crafty you can turn one into a neat tote by cutting off the upper 1/3 (open end), cut in two, fold length-wise to form two handles and sew onto the remaining 2/3 of case. Embellish with paint, stamping, pockets.
• recycled grain/flour bags- Especially a nice sturdy paper bag. Like this one. 100% handmade by me in my tiny one-woman-studio in the Maine woods.
• or if you're pressed for time and sewing skills, just grab a handful of the THOUSANDS that your mother has accumulated over the past, oh, I don't know... two weeks! (Mum, are you listening???) Stash them in your car and you can B.Y.O.B where ever you go!

Yeah, but will this small act really help? You bet! Reusing a bag meant for just one use has a BIG impact:

• a reused paper or plastic bag needs only be used 11 times to have a (drastically) lower impact than 11 new bags (kinda obvious, huh?)
• when 1 ton of paper or plastic bags are reused, more than 27 cubic feet of landfill space is saved (less obvious)
• in Downeast Maine alone, one less grocery bag per person would reduce waste by.. well, a WHOLE BUNCH! (friggin' awesome...)
  

And finally, in answer to the age old query "Paper or Plastic?" Consider this...
Paper is easier to recycle, accepted at most recycling centers and just better looking than plastic!
But really, the fact is: The difference between paper and plastic recycling is tiny compared with reusing those same bags.

So Happy Earth Day! And please reuse responsibly.