Fair Day

I am getting a bit tired of the local fairs-- same rides, same overpriced bad-for-you food, but Iver sure loves them, so on Saturday, we headed to Ferndale for the Humboldt County Fair.

Pictures with Smokey the bear (California has sure had our share of forest fires this year)

 

Binoculars from a goody bag

(backwards and upside-down but in style!)

The barnyard animals are always a hit!

"It's a zebra, not a sheep!" - Iver

Being cold after our treats

In the bleachers watching a parrot show!

 

Environmental Stewardship

I have been pretty environmentally-conscious for as long as I can remember (I think I wrote one of my college essays about being obsessive about scrap-paper-recycling, and somehow I wasn't deemed too quirky to be accepted :)). Kelvin and I and currently live in a very (literally) green area of the country, and we have become even more environmentally conscious and committed to reducing waste since being married and being here, particularly with a baby on the way.  Not only do a lot of the things we do reduce waste, but they also really save money. Here are some ways you, too can jump on board!

1. Drive an energy-efficient car 
We usually drive my hybrid Prius when we need to go on any substantial road trips, as it gets great gas mileage on the highway.  While it's not an "electric" car like my Dad's Chevy Volt (which he charges nightly for a few cents and for which he hasn't had to fill the reserve gas tank for almost a year!), it works well for us.

the plugged- in volt outside my parents' house last month

We also save greatly on gas (which is very pricey in our area due to its location) by living close (Kelvin - less than a mile, me- about 3-4 miles) to our primary workplaces.   Biking to work (for K, at least; I have to get on a highway) would make great sense (I biked the few miles to UC Davis all throughout residency and didn't own a parking permit), although our weather here in Humboldt makes that a somewhat tenuous option.

2. Don't waste food
I have always been a good rescuer (hence the name of this blog-- I will eat bananas way past their normal consumption date).  I have gradually and successfully converted Kelvin, too, to be a good eater of leftovers. He won't make the same extreme effort as I do to make sure everything gets finished in days or weeks, but, depending on the meal, is pretty game and cooperative to eat leftovers for lunches and some dinners so that I don't have to cook daily (I hate to cook, BTW).  He makes fun of my "rabbit meals" of random leftovers, but it works.  We also eat out very little, except when on vacation, and also try to buy locally and what is in season at the store.

We do have a compost tumbler bin off our back porch where our kitchen scraps go, which makes me feel like we are reducing landfill waste. While I have never been successful at getting anything to grow (see my black thumb) on which to dump my compost, I love the idea of growing your own veggies/herbs if you have garden space and the aptitude.

3.  Use reusable, not disposable items.
Like many, we are very insistent on using our reusable shopping bags for any trips to the store (we have heavy duty ones from Trader Joes and a huge blue bag from Ikea which is usually big enough to hold all of our groceries from our trips).   If we forget our bags in the car when we enter the store, we go back to retrieve them.

I totally support the idea that stores charge/tax customers for the use of disposable (plastic) bags for their purchases. I HATE plastic shopping bags, which always seem to multiply in your house regardless of how infrequently you get them.  We also like to use Chico reusable veggie/fruit bags for our produce, to save on those other small plastic clear bags. We sometimes need to use some clear produce bags, but we reuse them in our fridge or on subsequent grocery trips, or use them for Pepper's poop on our walks.

 

We have started using and reusing cloth napkins for our meals at home, which we just need to launder these every week or two, and have started to save greatly on paper towel usage.

My mom found awesome high-quality and classy-appearing plastic Costco dinner plates for parties, which are completely reusable and which we will try to get the next time we plan on having a large get-together.

We have registered for several brands of cloth diapers and, at this point, plan to do as much cloth diapering for baby (including cloth wipes) as we can sanely handle. While the use of water to launder them bothers me, they really are MUCH better for the environment (I read somewhere that one diaper may stay in a landfill for up to 500 years before decomposing, and the average child produces about 5,000 disposable diapers before potty training).  We will also save a ton of money on diapers over a child's (or children's) lifetime.

We use reusable glasses whenever we can. I bring a tea/coffee thermos to places (like the hospital) that may have paper or disposable cups, and try to refill cool drink containers out of larger bottles rather than using single-serve juices or sodas.

I have convinced Kelvin that buying bottled water is a waste of money and resources (yay for regular tap water, or, for guests, water through a Brita filter).

We buy bulk handsoap to refill our different dispensers, rather than getting a new small bottle each time we need more!

I use refillable razors.


4. Get more out of your product
There is lots of waste that comes with buying new products and new dispensers. I now routinely re-use teabags, as I usually get get at least 2 cups of plenty-strongly-flavored tea out of each bag.

We have two Cuisipro foamers which allow you to use about 75% less handsoap than from the regular soap-dispensers.

We plan to and try to use all electronics "until they die" rather than upgrading to newer products -- this includes our two cars, iPad (yes, the new one may be out but the old one works just fine!), TVs, etc. 

We try to upcycle things. Now, I am not a seamstress or a huge "do-it-yourself"-type person due to very limited time, so I can't really make old shrunken sweaters into iPad cases or anything, but I love the idea of upcycled products. I have a great seatbelt bag that K got me for my birthday a couple of years ago.

I have started saving old spray bottles and lotion pump bottles for homemade solutions and sprays, as well as jars for baby food in the future. I am going to attempt to make some homemade baby wipe solution and creams using essential oils, coconut oil, and castile soap.

5. Why buy new?
I have always been a thrifty shopper. I generally see very little reason to buy anything non-electronic or non-hygiene related (i.e. toiletries) new. With the exception of the clothes my MIL got for me and my dress for my sister's wedding, my maternity wardrobe has come from a variety of thrift shops since I see little point in buying new items that will have short lifespans.  Craigslist has become my best friend for baby things, which are often extremely gently used due to their limited time of use. While I am definitely a bibliophile, I can't recall the last time I purchased a new book. My book sources are (in order); ***the public library, used book stores where books are on the sidewalk (when they are $2 or less-- in which I consider reading and then recycling, to another used store or the library, as a "rental" of the book), Amazon marketplace (and only when I can't find it at the library) or on kindle/Nook, where at least I feel like I'm creating less paper/tree waste.  I love the e-books for travel.

6. Less is more
We try not to buy *extra things* but rather would spend our money on experiences and travel.  As above, I don't hang on to many books, but, once done reading them, try to pass them on to friends, used bookstores, or back to the public library. We are trying to be baby-gear minimalists. I recently went through and cleaned out our closets to cut down on our general clutter, which I think should be done at least once or twice every year, and was able to resell many items (ipod accessories, printers, a palm pilot, some pet items) on Craigslist and even ebay, and donate many other things. It's great to borrow, not buy, things, if possible.

7.    Turn trash into treasure
For things I couldn't or didn't feel like would sell, I decided to post items on Freecycle, a yahoo-based group where you can post things-you'd-like-to-get-rid-of in your local community so that someone that may find use of the item can pick it up. I've passed on items like an old phone, posters, and kitchen pans to a grateful recipient.  This saves items from ending up at the dump, and provides someone else the opportunity to give them a second life.

Happy recycling!!!

My Civic Duty

Last Monday, I had to report for jury duty.

I'm not sure how often other people get summoned for jury duty. 
Number of times I've been summoned in my life prior to moving to Humboldt County: 0
Number of times I've been summoned in the last two years since moving to Humboldt County: 3

Perhaps the frequency of my being summoned has to do with our (small) population pool in this rural area. Perhaps I have gotten summoned more because I have signed so many "medical deferrals" for jury duty for my patients that they have even a more limited pool of county residents!

I'm not sure what most people think when they get a jury summons. I worry about inconveniencing patients from either cancelling/blocking clinic (and reopening it last-minute) or having to rearrange call. It's really quite hard on my staff and colleagues and feels like a hassle.

When I have been summoned in the past, I accepted once (then called the requisite phone recording the night before and was not needed), and deferred once due to being out of town. I was summoned again in August, and this time actually had to report last Monday!

It was an interesting process. "BRING A BOOK," I was told (which was fine by me!). At 815 on Monday, I reported to the County Court House in Eureka and sat with a bunch of prospective jurors as the (volunteer) staff told us to fill out our jury cards and hang tight. They offered us water and coffee. We watched a short video on jury service in which many citizens attested to the fact that being on a jury was a great experience, making them feel of good service to their country and giving them more faith in our judicial system.  About an hour later or so, the staff let us know that we were being considered for a trial which was expected to last up to 4-5 days, after which we were asked to complete a "hardship" form if this length was to present problems for us (um... yes! I can't just take a week off work!).

Then, another hour later (about three hours after reporting and being prepared and even a bit intrigued to serve as a juror!), we were informed that the "case was resolved" and all of us were immediately dismissed!

It was a bit of a wasted morning from my clinic's perspective. I rather enjoyed a relaxing morning, reading my novel instead of being stressed out by back-to-back-to-back patients, inbox management and charting, but I didn't actually get on a jury which I do think (if a short case) would be a good experience. Apparently for reporting in person, I do get "credit," though.... so it's supposed to be at least 12 months until I can get summoned again. We'll see if the government sticks to that!

Below is the text of an amusing article by Joel Stein that I read last week in Time magazine that was very timely given my experience above!

Adventures in Jury Selection - Joel Stein

I'd be so good at judging my peers. Yet I can't seem to get myself picked for a jury.

Far too little is asked of me in return for being an American. Sure, I could join the military, work for the government or stop using complicated accounting tricks to avoid taxes, but I'm the kind of guy who prefers to be forced. So I get excited whenever I get a jury-duty letter. Not only is it an opportunity to do my part for a legal system I believe in, but also, after a career of writing columns, it would be nice to finally have my opinion matter. 

Yet I've never even gotten close to making it onto a jury. A few weeks ago, I once again sat in an L.A. criminal-court building all day, hoping to be assigned to a trial. Then, just an hour away from being once again sent home, I heard my name called. I ran down the hall like it was The Price Is Right.
The first thing the Honorable Craig Richman told me and my hundred competitors was that our trial was going to take a little longer than average, since he likes to make it fun. Judge Richman, I could tell, really knew how to read a room. He asked Deputy Velasco, who is short, to stand up even though he already was standing; he told us not to leave our belongings behind since this was a criminal court, which meant there were criminals around. It was the material of a man who had a legally captive audience.

The next day, I was randomly labeled juror No. 5 and proudly took my seat in the jury box. Then Judge Richman asked if anyone had a reason they could not serve on this jury. People had incredibly elaborate excuses about how busy they were with their jobs or their kids, and for some reason, Judge Richman never said, "Oh, you're right, that does sound far more important than figuring out if someone tried to kill another person."

Judge Richman then asked us each if we were able to avoid making assumptions about the defendant, who was also in the room, based on the enormous tattoo covering his face. I told him I certainly could. But by the 20th time he asked a potential juror, I started to wonder if, compared with the non--face tattooed, the face tattooed are more likely to make poor decisions. After all, these are people who walked into a tattoo parlor and said, "I think this design will go well with my face."

Next, we were asked our occupation, our family members' occupations, if we were tight with any cops and if anyone close to us had ever perpetrated or suffered from a violent crime. I was shocked to find out that a quarter of my fellow potential jurors had experienced horrifying violence: a husband murdered, an ex-husband in prison for murder, a sister killed by a gang member, a woman whose suburban home was broken into and had knives left on her bed as a warning. One guy had so much drama in his life that an hour after he was asked, he raised his hand to tell the judge he'd forgotten to mention that his brother got arrested for having marijuana in his car, did three years in a Texas jail and got deported on the day of his release. When a man stepped on my sunglasses as we left for lunch break, I didn't get angry at him, not because his brother and two cousins had been murdered but because he knew that I knew that.

I made it to Day Three without a single question being fired at me by either attorney. With only half the room remaining, I was feeling great about my chances, when, out of nowhere, I was sent home by the prosecutor. Which verified all my fears: I am too soft, too weak and too liberal to convict even a potential murderer. I stood up and yelled, "What did I do? I was well behaved!" I left the courtroom and mimed "I'll call you" to the prosecutor.

The prosecutor wouldn't talk to me, possibly because my miming was more suggestive than I intended. So I called Philip K. Anthony, CEO of DecisionQuest, a national trial-consulting firm. He told me that because I live in Holly-wood and work in the media, I am indeed too soft, weak and liberal to ever get picked for a criminal case, though he thought I might be good for other cases. "If you got called on an intellectual-property case, both sides could potentially say, 'We need people who can analyze data and be precise. This guy is perfect,'" Anthony said. In other words, I'm such a nerd that I can judge only other nerds.

Tossing me didn't help just the prosecution but also justice itself. Because while a jury that included a few educated English speakers might sound great, Anthony told me, it's more important to have a homogeneous jury that will debate instead of being led by one person's opinion. That's why I got thrown out at the same time as four other potential jurors with white collar jobs. Who, I must admit, were not a jury of peers for the face tattooed. Or people who don't watch Mad Men.

I don't know what the jury decided, but I'm sure they made a better decision than I would have. Because I'm not jury material. Or Army material. Or government material. They really should raise my taxes.

A Gem of a Gem Show

After a busy 10 days straight of call and a million meetings, I was thankful to have a day off on a lovely fall Saturday. Kelvin and I checked out the annual Gem and Mineral Show at the Eureka Fairgrounds.  I definitely was a rock nerd in my younger years. I remember that I loved collecting fools' gold and rose quartz nuggets from national parks (not sure where those are now), and one year I even got my own "rock tumbler" as a Christmas gift.

The fair was great! The (Christmas) shopping opportunities abounded.

  

Agate wind chimes... 

There were a number of displays- including petrified wood, dinosaur eggs, and an amazing "Dinner of Rocks."

 

 Check out this "dinner table"

Wish you could see all the plates close up!

Yay for gems, rocks, and other minerals :) Check it out if you live locally (or come visit us next year-- I'd love to go back!)!

Kinetic Sculpture Race

 winner Melvin

(photos from the North Coast Journal site)

While K and I were in Oregon last weekend, we missed Humboldt County's renowned "Kinetic Sculpture Race," a three-day, 42-mile race over both land and water.

For this annual event held over Memorial Day weekend, artists create all-terrain, human-powered vehicles which have to ride on land through miles of Manila Dune sand, then through the water of Humboldt Bay, then another stretch of land to end in Ferndale.

Spectators can follow along on bikes for much of it. We are sorry we missed it (not to compete, but to watch!), but hope to catch it another year!

Can you guess my favorite color?

I came home from Italy with this bag...


... and after I'd filled it, with my wallet (red), iphone (red case), and kindle (red cover), I realized that I like red more than I realized!


(snap from 7-2-11)

2011 in Pictorial Review (Part 2 - Humboldt)

The second half of 2011 was spent adjusting to our new life in Humboldt County.

SEPTEMBER
Getting settled
Painting that awful green room!


Exploring Humboldt Trails and Treasures
Fern Canyon


Patrick's Point SP


Kelvin's birthday lobster (Moonstone Grill)




OCTOBER
Danny & Chamreun drove 12 hours each way for some darn good oysters!


NOVEMBER
Serena, Brad, and Shabu see the Redwoods


The start of my thirties!


"Home" to OC for Thanksgiving!


And, finally, December:

Christmas in Ashland...


... and a new family member, Pepper...


It was a fabulous year, and we are excited to see what 2012 will bring!

Not in Humboldt anymore, Toto?

One really has to count one's blessings when we have had the following unexpected surprises recently:




1. NOTHING but sun for about a week!
Humboldt County's weather is much like that of the Pacific Northwest-- cool, coastal, with some summer/fall sun, but overall wet/drizzly winters. We have had some really (I guess, having lived in MN, I should say "really" [i.e down to 30!]) cold nights, with a higher electric bill, frost on our grass and car-scraping to do ("That's a nice [effective] scraper!" commented Kelvin, who used to use either water and/or a credit card in So Cal to get ice of the windshield in the rare instance it was there); however, as a result, we have had a string of about 5 bright, sunny, beautiful days! And it doesn't look like it's letting up anytime soon. It has been so wonderful to experience this little sun reprieve from "normal" winter weather :) While I wisely purchased (and used several times, already) new rainboots, I am hoping I can keep them in the closet for a while.

2.


If you recall, Humboldt County has about the most expensive gas in California (and probably is a contender for the priciest in nation) at around $4.00/gallon on average. You can actually check relative national gas prices here. In any case, in the past week, it has dropped to $3.85/gallon, which had me doing near-cartwheels on my way to fill up my tank, to bide us time until we next get to Willits (about 3 hours south of here, and our normal fill-up spot on the way to the Bay area or Sacramento).

Yay for these small, but significant winter blessings!

Did you know...?

... that you can get books on Kindle from the library?!
I really like my Kindle, which Kelvin got me last Christmas. My very tech-savvy Dad was able to load a ton of free books (some classics, some mysteries, some contemporary literature) onto it last Christmas, which I will probably never make it through. The Kindle is really great for travel-- I am never unhappy or bored if I know I won't run out of reading material. However, I am a big library patron and I love reading (newer) books and books for free. Before we moved, I had requested (don't laugh, Vanessa or others) the latest Nicholas Sparks' book (Safe Haven) in an e-format from the Sacramento library, and I just got an e-mail that it became available this week! I had never downloaded any book, much less a library electronic-book, onto the device, but it was successful! I am not sure how it all really works-- I was supposed to download it within a 72-hour window from the SacLibrary site, and then supposedly have access to "read it" for up to 21 days (I am not sure what happens then, though... it may just disappear from the Kindle). How cool is this??? I am pretty certain that Humboldt libraries don't offer this same technology, but it is my hope that they could be headed there... But I wouldn't really recommend this book as one of Sparks' best (Stick with The Notebook).

.... that you can grind coffee at the supermarket?
I do not have a coffee grinder. I am not a coffee addict nor connoisseur (you can tell I am not a coffee snob because I recently purchased coffee bags... [tea bags, but coffee-flavored], because they were 50% off at Safeway and faster than brewing coffee for one [Kelvin is not a coffee drinker]). I gladly accept ground coffee as a gift and do use my coffee maker once per week, but I have never been able to grind the coffee that I'd previously received. I noticed, the few times we'd been to Costco, that they have a complimentary grinder; however, I have never once actually remembered to bring the coffee to grind. And Costco is all the way in Eureka (a looong 20 min drive [we are so spoiled]).

Nevertheless, this week I noticed that Safeway has a coffee grinder! DUH! I'm blindly in love with Costco and so I guess I didn't even think that there would be other locations that may offer the same coffee-service, but there you have it. Despite this observation, I still forgot to bring my coffee to grind the last time I shopped at Safeway, but I will re-attempt the grinding mission this week... Maybe I should just leave the coffee (now, probably 2 years old!) in my car as a reminder...

.... that Bowling scoring is not rocket science?


Kelvin started a clinic bowling league; the different clinic sites have put together teams to compete every Thursday for the next 10 weeks. I am not a big bowler. I am not a good bowler. Nevertheless, being married to Kelvin (did you know he has his own shoes?!) made it pretty clear that I was going to be an active participant. I was secretly hoping that I'd get called to do a delivery yesterday so I could miss bowling (despite being up the whole previous night with a laboring pt), but I didn't get so lucky. Some of the other players really looked like they'd played lots of games in their lifetimes...

I did learn how to score bowling, though. This little alley in Fieldbrook doesn't even have a computerized scoring system... so we were on our own. I knew some bowling terms, but knew absolutely NOTHING about scoring until yesterday. Luckily, Kelvin, our team's leader, taught me how to tally up the scores which, while initially was totally confusing, is actually quite logical. I learned a new skill this week! And check out the scores.... I even topped him in round #2!




Team "Tekkies"-- Elise, Kelly, Kelvin, me



Did you learn anything new this week?