Comments mjgoeglein has made

  • Just had to say that I get a great deal of pleasure out of hanging our clothes on the line. There is something very satisfying about hanging up the damp sheets and shirts, on a sunny day, while rejoicing that we live in a neighborhood where the community association could care less about regulating people's laundry choices (or paint choices, gardening preferences, etc.) Since childhood, when I would run around in the sheets on the line in the backyard, I have been convinced that nothing smells better than freshly line-dried sheets at the end of a long day. I typically dry one load of towels, undies and socks in the dryer and the rest outside. I've got some super-sensitive eczema-afflicted skin in the household, and it is easier for me to keep the peace with some dryer-softened towels. No softener sheets--just vinegar in the rinse water. Now that winter is coming, I am trying to rig an indoor line that can be raised up to the ceiling to get it out of the way (we chose a small house and space is hard to come by!) Anyone have any suggestions? I have seen a few in old-timey catalogs but haven't yet been convinced that I can't just make something with dowel rods and pulleys....On A surprising sneak peek at the clothesline revolution posted 1 week, 1 day ago 33 Responses

  • First thought:  Wow.  A world without brothers and sisters.  Imagine that future conversation:  "Mommy, what does this word 'brother' mean?"  "Well, honey, back before we ruined the planet and had to live in this tunnel and eat roaches...."  (and before you population-control fans start sharpening your knives, please note that I didn't make a moral judgement about the existence of siblings--k?)

    More to the point, underlying the population argument is the concept of consumption.  I recently had my eyes opened to the reality that it isn't "third world" cultures who routinely have huge families that are ultimately the problem; it is "first world" consumption habits.  What is the ratio again?  One US citizen consumes the equivalent of 30 citizens in India during the course of a year?  The math here is pretty obvious. While huge families are, in the long view, unsustainable, it surely behooves us in the West to take a deep breath and look at our navels before we start casting stones.

    Imagine being the woman in the culture where her worth is established by the number of offspring she has, in order to insure that someone will care for her in old age and keep the family afloat in the meantime (i.e., high childhood death rate, no government support or retirement plan, no female education, family planning, or option to have a career).  Now imagine that one of us Western, resource hogging folk come to her village and explain that she needs to stop having so many kids so that we can continue to use the world's resources at the rate to which we have become accustomed.

    How about we a) start educating and empowering women, since that is the only way to shift a culture from viewing children as economic windfalls to economic liabilities and b) make damn sure we fix ourselves before we look elsewhere.

    Just a thought.  I agree that there are way too many of us, but I also think that this issue, like so many others is a minefield and has many many different aspects to be examined.  It is so important to try to grasp the big picture!

    On Ask Umbra on big families posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago 48 Responses

  • Ok, so I have a question:  will this film (and/or the standard winter window stuff) affect my houseplants?  I know from starting seeds, that plants need "full spectrum" light for optimal growth; if I am blocking out the UV rays, is this a problem?  I've always wondered...anybody know?

    On Ask Umbra on low-e window films posted 4 months ago 4 Responses

  • love the word

    and before everyone jumps in to argue raw milk, etc:  zealot is such a great word.  thanks for using it.  

    actually, thanks for all of your exuberant vocabulary.  we word geeks appreciate it (almost as much as a tall glass of ice-cold....)On Umbra on incendiary topics posted 8 months, 4 weeks ago 4 Responses

  • great article!

    Just wanted to chime in with my thanks for this article, and to second (third? fourth?) the idea that "not having enough time" is usually  more a matter of lacking experience or creativity.  I grew up watching and helping my mother masterfully run her kitchen:  we ate great food, we had healthy diets, and I swear she NEVER threw out spoiled food like I do, so she had some leftovers-magic as well.

    I agree with Lindi, above...as a 31 yr old that cooks, I feel like something of an oddity.  However, the satisfaction that I get out of taking a few simple ingredients, combining them, and creating a yummy meal is better in every way than the guilt I feel after stuffing my face with fast food.  There are a bunch of cookbooks out there geared toward quick, easy meals...and devoting a Sunday afternoon to recipes that heat up well later seems to me to be an investment.  Making big batches of soups, stews, etc., and then freezing some creates just about the easiest meals imaginable...a quick grilled cheese while you defrost the soup in the microwave!    

    Baking bread is probably my favorite thing to do in the kitchen, and although the total time needed is several hours, at least two of those hours are free time while the bread is rising and baking.  And nothing smells as good!!On How I beat KFC's 'family meal' challenge posted 1 year ago 46 Responses

  • first time canning!

    After several years of freezing pesto and tomato sauce (and running out of room in my freezer!) I finally tried canning this year.  It was such a great day--I had three generations of women in my family plus a few interested friends all packed into my kitchen, and we ripped right through the local farm-stand tomatoes and the ones from my yard.  Everyone went home with a jar, and every time I look in my pantry I grin.

    The salsa verde recipe looks like the perfect answer to the poblano peppers and green tomatoes languishing in the remnants of my garden.  Thanks!On How to make a meal from your market basket posted 1 year ago 6 Responses

  • anyone react negatively to the crystal?

    I've been working at finding a "natural" deoderant for several years.  I thought I'd solved the problem when I bought and tried and loved a crystal stick.  After several months of using it, however, I developed a very painful, irritated patch of skin in my armpit--and after some experimentation, the only source of the problem had to be the crystal. I do shave my pits, so I've wondered since if the irritation might have been a combination of a tiny cut AND the crystal.  I let myself heal and tried it again a while later and broke out again.  Anyone have a similar experience?

    I still have the crystal...maybe it is time to try it again.  Lately I've been alternating between Burt's Bees (I know, I know, not the best choice anymore) and an unscented Ban roll-on that scored high on the EWG site (they don't rate alum badly, apparently). I like the Burt's Bees because it immediately masks any odor, whether I put it on first thing or when already stinky.

    Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice on the crystal--I was very bummed when I couldn't use it anymore, because it was by far the best.On Making a stink about green(ish) deodorants posted 1 year, 3 months ago 36 Responses

  • believe it or not

    I faced this dilemma several years ago when my mother asked if I wanted a coat that had been my grandmother's.  Grandma was eccentric at best, and --brace yourself-- the coat was gorilla fur.  
    Now, I am against any sort of fur, and every little bunny is just as important as any other animal, etc., but there is something incredibly creepy and disgusting about killing a gorilla and making a jacket out of it.  With that said, I was living/freezing in Minnesota at the time and if it had only been fake fur, the coat was really funky and cool....
    I wish I knew what Mom did with it. The thing was like a train wreck--so horrifying that you couldn't help staring at it...I'm not even sure that converting it into a teddy bear would have been anything but gruesome! On Umbra on (inherited) fur coats posted 1 year, 10 months ago 60 Responses

  • feral cats...and my cats....

    The feral cat program in my city does establish colonies, etc., but the other main purpose as I understand it is to catch and "fix" all of the cats--the long term goal is to reduce/eliminate the whole feral cat problem.  I'm not sure what better solution there is for these animals; I know that many are too wild to be pets and killing them--well, cats didn't ask to be domesticated and made into environmentally un-sound world citizens.  Right?

    With that said, my two kitties are pretty darn happy with their indoor life.  My home has a screened-in front porch, and they adore it--so much so that a screened porch will be a non-negotiable housing factor if/when I move elsewhere.  I have birdfeeders within their view and need to add a window perch indoors for them this winter.  

    Also, play with them!  One much-loved toy I don't even have to participate in:  it clamps to the top of a interior door and dangles down on a bungee cord.  I have fallen asleep many nights listening to the BOING! of that toy being caught, stretched out, and then let go.

    I've been a bird lover and a bird watcher my whole life.  I have watched helplessly as a neighbor's cat endlessly stalked the winged visitors to my yard.  They finally, thankfully, moved (to an area with busy streets.  Ironically, the cat is now very accustomed to his indoor-only life.)

    If you really feel you are cheating your cat out of its deserved outdoor existence, I have seen outdoor screened "rooms" for sale on pet websites.  Or check out the following link for interesting examples of homemade projects:

    http://www.pets-haven.com/outdoor_cat_environments.htm
    On Umbra on cats and birds posted 2 years ago 72 Responses

  • what about bluing for whites?

    I recently bought some bluing at a grocery store as a bleach alternative for laundry (safe for whites and colors).  

    Does anyone know of any reason NOT to use bluing?  The website for the particular brand that I bought says that it is environmentally friendly, but that doesn't always mean anything, as we all know.  On Umbra on household help and homemade cleansers posted 2 years, 1 month ago 14 Responses

  • Bird Feeding

    I grew up in the country on a property surrounded by woods, with a creek, blueberry bushes, fruit trees, etc.  We always had a birdfeeder, and I clearly remember the fun of searching our bird books to identify someone new visiting our feeder, or lying in front of the record player with my mother, playing an bird call record and trying to identify the new owl hoot she had heard the night before.  Until I put out my own feeder a few years ago, I had no idea how much of that early naturalism had stuck with me, and I have been so excited to see so many familiar friends alive and well in the middle of a city.

    I make a substantial effort to live as lightly, sustainably, and responsibly as I can, which means constantly re-evaluating my choices as I learn new things.  I definitely agree with planting native plants, and I am ashamed to admit that I have never thought about looking for organic feed--and will from now on.  However, I think it is important to point out the invaluable gift that I was given as a child:  by virtue of our birdfeeder I was encouraged to watch and wonder at the beauty and importance of nature for nature's sake and was allowed an exciting, up-close view.  Watching all of the vivid personalities at work in the bird world is not only captivating but accessible to people in urban areas.  Personally, I find it hard to quantify the value of engendering that spark of interest in and love of nature in a child, friend, or family member.On Umbra on feeding birds posted 2 years, 4 months ago 19 Responses