Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

I've been reading a lot lately about ways to save the earth like using your car less often, buying local food, recycling, and all that "crunchy granola" stuff. I'm a big fan of it, but the truth is that I usually end up being lazy and driving my car to the supermarket to get some food that's been shipped halfway around the world. Since moving here, however, we've been working hard to make some lifestyle changes that I hope will benefit the environment. The main reason we've been doing them is because we're poor, but I hope the good karma from earth-friendly living will help us out in the long run.

First of all, we've started drying our clothes on a clothesline instead of in the dryer. The weather here is hot and sunny, and we have to pay one dollar per load of laundry, so the choice was simple. Plus we have a little patio on the back of our apartment that's just right for clothes drying. I'm still trying to decide if I want to pay for drying my undies in the dryer; part of me feels uncomfortable about hanging them out for everyone to stare at when they walk by.

I've also fallen in love with the farmer's market here. We are right in the middle of farmland, so it's an obvious choice. Most of the produce is pretty cheap and I've managed to stay in budget while still enjoying some tasty things. I'd love to have more money to buy stuff like artisan olive oil or handcrafted tortillas, but for now I'm happy with fresh-picked grapes and cucumbers. (The grapes actually aren't a great deal, since they're $2.00 a pound, but their taste is fabulous.) The pictures here are from the 20 pound box of peaches I bought the other day. I stopped by a farm stand a few miles down the road and noticed that they had peaches for a dollar a pound. I asked the lady there if she would sell me a box and she looked at me like I was crazy. But she still did it and she only charged me seventeen dollars. They were beautiful peaches too--perfectly ripe and golden yellow on the inside. Now we have seven quarts of frozen peaches and eight jars of cinnamon-peach jam for the winter. Assuming they last that long. They could be gone by October.

Also this afternoon we finally got around to fixing up my bike. It's been unrideable for several years due to severe neglect, but while I was taking a nap this afternoon Mr. Fob cleaned it up for me. I need to have someone figure out why I can only ride in a few gears, but it is rideable now. This evening we took a bike ride as a family on one of the fabulous bike trails they have here. This morning I took my car to run errands and got a parking ticket for staying in one space too long downtown (and I'm still mad at myself because I was in the bank and should have moved my car to the bank parking lot), so I think that from now on I will be riding my bike down to the farmer's market instead. I just need to get a basket.

These kinds of changes really do require a lot of work. I spent several hours Wednesday night literally slaving over a hot stove making jam. Then I spent several hours on Thursday night peeling and slicing peaches and packing them with sugar into bags. My butt hurts from riding my bike, and if I were to take a car I could enjoy air conditioning and avoid helmet hair. Clothes dried outside sure smell good, but they also turn out crunchy. The nice thing is, however, that the hard work has benefits. I think riding a bike will help get me in shape without having to go to the gym, and I'm hoping we can cut our gas usage to one tank a month. And I'm really going to appreciate those peaches knowing how much work I put into them. Plus now I can have all kinds of liberal superiority and nothing beats that. I can my own jam and ride my bike to school. That must make me a better person, right?