Buy Seeds Like Wine

I have a confession. I feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of plant varieties available to grow. After reading the descriptions of the fourteen kinds of bush beans in one catalog, I just can't bring myself to read about more in another catalog. Every paragraph promises 'great tasting' and 'easy growing', so how's a girl to finalize seed selection?

I turn to my time-tested choosing method, one I also employ when choosing of a bottle of wine among a thousand great possibilities. I pick a pretty label or name.

If there is a variety with the name 'Rachel', 'Lillian', or 'Alexander', it's in. If the description makes me feel warm and fuzzy, I buy. If the illustration harkens a look I want to achieve, I put it in the cart.

True seed-savers are probably rolling their eyes at me. It's true - the 'buy what looks good' method does mean I pass by seeds that might be better suited to my needs or environment than the funky-named varieties that draw me in.

But there is a silver lining, or silver seed coat, if you will: my resulting garden (like my wine stash) is full of diversity. Every year, seeds from new pretty packets make their way into soil. What grows well and produces great fruit, vegetables, and flowers is saved and replanted the next year alongside new attractive varieties.

Biodiversity is important to the culture of a garden. Planting a variety of crops maintains vital nutrients in the soil. In a monoculture field, pollinators will find food for only one or two weeks and then be forced to move on while pollinators provide their plant-mating service for many months in a diverse garden. Pests cannot easily establish themselves where they cannot rely on the same nesting or egg-laying spots season after season.

Perhaps even more critically, biodiversity is necessary for the survival of our food system. Adaptive Seeds, one of the sources of this year's seed splurges, report that "according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, we have lost 75% [of agricultural biodiversity] since 1900 and continue to lose 2% every year." In the short term, humans suffer when monoculture crops fail due to weather. In the long term, we are losing seed diversity that could contribute to breakthroughs in medicine, increased individual health, and foods that adapt to climate change.

Not to mention that I find a field filled with dozens of kinds of plants beautiful. Biodiverse gardens have vegetables flowering spring through autumn and leaves of every color. The visual interest of a bed full of varying plant heights will always beat a lawn in my book. I'm not the only one who things biodiversity is beautiful - the UN declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, prompting ABC, photographer David Liittschwager, and others to wax poetic about the gorgeousness of great variety.

You might be delighted but a bit overwhelmed by seed catalogs this time of year, just like me. If so, I suggest pouring a glass or red or white and pick what appeals to your aesthetics. Your garden will be better for the introduction of new varieties.

Handmade Gifts On A Snow Day

Our Christmas wasn't white but the sky dumped a fine layer of sleet and five inches of snow on the homestead today. We decided not to take the travel risk and drive seventy miles to my aunt's house for a handmade gift exchange and dinner. Instead, we took a snow day.

We let the chickens out to exercise before the heaviest snow fell. They don't seem to mind the cold stuff on the ground but when visibility lessens they run for the coop.

Alex and I shoveled the ice from part of the driveway. Our lengthy drive allows us some privacy but we're realizing that our responsibility to clear it is a bit of a downside. And we're wishing that just one of the three garage bays was organized enough so the car wouldn't be out in this weather. Soon we will get around to unpacking the garage.

Inside, we are enjoying generous gifts from our family. Alex received this clever army guy bowl from one of my sisters and the handmade leather bolas from another. I unwrapped this painstakingly painted birdhouse by Lil.

We also received a dedicated meat grinder, Le Crueset (our first!), books, toys, earrings, food, drinks, and more. Lil's big present was a trip to Disneyland in early January! We'll be accompanying Alex on a business trip and make a trip to the mouse while we're there.

We're discussing where to hang our new handmade artwork. I crafted the bacon and eggs piece from remnant wood in our garage and egg tempra from the yolk of a backyard chicken egg and Alex's home made charcoal. My sister made the Ohio nail art - she says it's not nearly as time consuming as it looks.

While we miss extended family, this day to decompress and enjoy each other was most welcome. How were your holidays?

P.S. I just realized that my comment spam filter was marking all comments as spam. I approved about a week's worth of real comments this afternoon. There could be more that the filter deleted before I could approve them and if this happened to your comment I sincerely apologize. I do appreciate discussion and will be more attentive to the spam filter from here on out!

Switch to Wind Energy with No Windmill and No Hassle?! Sign Me Up!

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of speaking about my vision for a net-zero homestead (more about that soon) at a 'Make the Switch' fundraiser for Green Energy Ohio. I expected to be a little nervous, speak too quickly, visit with like-minded folks, and enjoy Cafe Bella's fascinating small-space edible gardening. I didn't expect to find out that people who want to support alternative energy can do so within their current AEP electric service. Even better, the switch usually saves money! The deal is that AEP offers customers a choice of providers. You are probably well aware of this if you are an AEP customer because these providers send mail constantly encouraging you to switch. Most of them are competing on price alone. A few providers are competing on values - they provide energy by wind instead of coal.

I believe in renewable energy and was excited to know that our household can choose wind with no windmill on our property or difficulty beyond paying the regular electric bill.

How can our electric be powered by wind? Of course the actual electrons coming into my house will likely still be generated by coal. But choosing 100% wind means that our provider (AEP Energy 100% Wind) buys green energy credits from a wind farm versus buying energy from a fossil fuel power plant. As more people choose 100% wind, more green energy credits will be purchased and the wind farms will grow. Enough demand will support building wind farms nearer to home and eventually the juice coming to our house will be from wind.

The good folks at Go Sustainable! Energy brought this revelation to light. Greg, one of their green energy gurus, explains further:

"In AEP-Ohio territory, you have four primary components of your bill: Generation, Transmission, Distribution, and Service charge. Due to de-regulation, when you switch your provider the only effect on your bill is that your generation and transmission charges are removed from the AEP-Ohio portion of the bill and are relocated to your new provider. If you do the calculations, which I have done a few hundred times in my career, the "price to compare" number on your bill is the combination of your generation and transmission charges, divided by the number if kWh you consumed that time period.  Thus, if you switch to someone providing renewables or someone providing coal, you just replace that number with the number that they're offering.

It's a simple switch, and a powerful market signal to the utility providers that there are more customers who want to purchase all renewable energy, which in turn will cause more large wind farms to be built."

Most consumers who haven't already made a choice for an alternative provider will save money by switching. Greg, quoted above, dropped his rate from 7.55 cents/kWh to all wind at 7.19 cents/kWh.

Alas, our household was one of the very small percentage for whom switching to wind costs a little more. Our existing variable rate is 6.9 cents/kWh and the all wind rate is 7.19 cents/kWh. At our annual consumption, this increase will total around $30 for the year, a pittance to pay to support renewable energy.

Want to switch or compare? Here's what you do:

1) Check out electric provider options on Apples to Apples via PUCO.

2) Select your service provider, AEP for most Central Ohioans.

3) Scroll through the choices. If it makes sense to you, choose 100% wind operated by Ohio AEP Energy.

4) Fill out your name, address, and Service Delivery Identifier - listed on your bill under current charges.

5) Select 'I agree' to terms and conditions, type your signature, and click 'submit'. Easy peasy.

 I would love to see demand increase for non-polluting, non-fracking electric providers. Will you join me?

Develop Nature Fluency - Leave No Child Inside

In the push for reading and math fluency, children in America are missing an important part of growing up: nature fluency. Nature-deficit disorder, as some call it, is implicated in the obesity epidemic, rise of electronic media consumption, decline of ocean and atmospheric health, and general disconnect with the world beyond humans. What's the solution to all the deficiencies? A re-education in nature.

Nature fluency is witnessing the cycles of nature, being able to name creatures by the seasons, and appreciating our place in the natural world. It can't be taught inside. It must be experienced outdoors.

Today is No Child Left Inside Day. If you have a child, take them outside. If you don't, spend some time in nature yourself and encourage others to do the same. While you are outside, keep in mind the following pillars of nature fluency.

Developing Nature Fluency

Learn To Be Outside - This sounds like an easy one, right? Just walk out the back door. It can be as simple as that, but observing a few rules about nature makes the experience better for other people and the environment. Namely:

• Respect property lines and trails
• Take only pictures, not rock, plant, or shell souvenirs
• Keep it quiet - other people who might be silently observing wildlife
• Learn what is edible and inedible - and only eat with permission
• Respect wildlife and give them space if a trail crosses their path

Observe, Name, and Record - Develop a working vocabulary of the things around you to better describe what you see and track changes from year to year, place to place.

• Watch for what interests you - rocks, flowers, trees, birds, insects, or weather
• Learn the common and scientific names of what you see
• Use a field guide or walk with nature enthusiasts to confirm identifications
• Consider keeping a field log that tracks date, weather, location, and species seen
• Note the season changes in light of your preferred creatures

Appreciate - When confronted with the vast wildness that is observable even in city parks, humans begin to see that we are not alone. Our choices have consequences on the environment. We belong in the circle of life. Sometimes it's nice to appreciate nature with action:

• Become a member of a society that protects species or land, such as Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy or Duck Hunters Unlimited
• Participate in a clean-up hosted by a local park or watershed group
• Make a drawing, song, or story about what you see in nature
• Advocate for nature education in your schools and community
• Make spending time in nature part of your family routine
• Find ways to include outdoor play and exercise every day

How will you observe No Child Left Indoors day? Alex and Lil will be pressing cider while I am milking a cow on the Ohio dairy tour.

Wool Carding, Dying, Felting and Weaving {Homestead Studio Recap}

For the last three Mondays, Lil and I explored wool with five children aged five and up and several adults. In a new class format I'm calling Homestead Studio, we use what we know and wonder about to guide open-ended exploration. Books help fill in the stories we can't experience in an hour-long session.

Week One: Washing & Carding

During our first meeting, we met our wool: raw Navajo-Churro fleece from Cota Farms. The fiber was primarily white with some dark sections. Touching the raw wool left our hands softened (and a little smelly) from the lanolin.

To remove the ample dirt (poop) and plant material, we washed the wool. Cleaning wool is tricky - too much agitation and you'll end up with felt instead of fiber. We soaked the dirty wool in warm water with Dawn soap inside a mesh bag. An amazing amount of soiled material streamed from the wool into the water. After a long soak, we moved the mesh bag to a bucket of warm clear water for a rinse. Then we removed from the bag and let it dry in the sun.

Next, we picked remaining plant material out of the clean dry fibers. We aligned the fibers with carding combs. Using the combs was difficult for some of the children because it requires coordination and a fair amount of strength.

We ended the class with a walk through the neighborhood looking for pokeweed. At home, I made dye from the pokeberry fruits.

The picture book for the day was Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool. The kids loved this silly cartoon-illustrated story of a farmer who makes knitted sweaters for his sheep.

Week Two: Felting

I presented pokeberry scarlet, natural black, and natural white wool for felting during our second session. Each participant had a small plastic container filled with warm water and a little soap. They wet and rubbed a small piece of white wool to create a mat or ball, adding wool to make the piece larger. Some chose to add color details on outer layers; some felted around plastic balls to later cut open for bowls.

After everyone had some experience felting, I offered bars of locally-made soap. When a bar is covered with felt, the wool provides pleasing color, an exfoliating texture, and an easy way to grip the slippery soap. Participants of every age enjoyed felting.

Weaving the Rainbow concluded our felting day. Soft, detailed watercolor illustrations tell the story of an artist using dyed wool to weave and felt a landscape wall hanging in this book.

Week Three: Weaving

Finally we made our way closer to a sweater, what most kids said they wanted to make at the beginning of the Studio series. We made fabric from wool.

Lil showed the others how to finger knit. This required too much coordination for some of the group but others completed a small rectangle of knitted fabric.

I made available two looms: a plastic, craft store version and a homemade cardboard box loom with a cardboard shed. The plastic loom used a long dulled needle to weave and the cardboard box used shuttles. Everyone tried both looms and realized quickly why hand-woven garments are so expensive - we barely created four inches of fabric in the whole class.

A few kids tried branch weaving. We wrapped wool horizontally across a v-shaped tree branch for the warp and used needles to pull yarn through as weft. These came out a little funky but I love the haphazard natural look.

We finished the class with Charlie Needs a Cloak by Tomie de Paola. Young shepherd Charlie shears a fleece, dyes the wool with pokeberries, spins yarn and weaves himself a new coat with a meddling sheep companion.

Join Homestead Studio!

The next Homestead Studio will be Mondays November 12-26 from 2-3 pm at City Folk's Farm Shop. We'll make home goods like cleaners, bath and body products, and candles from all-natural materials and scents. The projects are geared to appeal to children ages five and older and adults alike. Register on the Homestead Studio page.

EcoSummit Wisdom from Edward O. Wilson and Jared Diamond

More than 1200 ecologists and environmentalists from around the world are in Columbus, Ohio right now for EcoSummit 2012. Among presenting research posters, symposia, and workshops, the delegates are treated to philosophical talks by leading ecological thinkers in daily plenary sessions. Yesterday, Pulitzer Prize winners Edward O. Wilson and Jared Diamond began the conference with words about Appalachian biodiversity and lessons from past societies, respectively. Wilson started as an entomologist and is now an international advocate for biodiversity and the connections between science and the humanities; his most provacative book is the popular On Human Nature. Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse, is a physiologist/ornithologist turned wonderer about the reasons societies thrive and fail.

Attendants at the opening plenary filled a ballroom in the Columbus convention center. Wilson and Diamond inspired and encouraged the crowd. These quotes spoke to me:

We're living in a "Star Wars civilization: Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and God-like technology and that is a dangerous combination." -Wilson

"I never could be very dignified, looking at ants. Nevermind, the pleasure was enormous." -Wilson

It's an occupational hazard of ecologists to regard Europeans as evil, natives as particularly innocent. "In fact, people are people, today and in the past." "People have competing interests, people make mistakes." -Diamond

Diamond was asked, Do you anticipate (future societal) collapse? His response started with brief overview of societies currently lacking in organization and government services in Somalia and Haiti. He continued, "(I am) not so much concerned about possible collape of any one country. Now when any place collapses, that has effects of everywhere else." "My gentle bad case is spreading collapses like more Haitis and Somalias. Worst bad case: world collapse all together."

An audience member asked Wilson, What are the three most important things for ecologists to do? He answered: 1) "In preserving land and watersheds that relate to human sustainability, always carry surveys of flora and fauna." 2) "Keep on acquiring land aggressively, I'm talking Texas oil barren aggressively." 3) Form partnership with entrepreneurial entities. "Give them a key role in saving the world."

What words inspire and encourage you?

Silver Spoon Ring {Wordless Wednesday}

The spoon: sterling silver teaspoon that belonged to Alex's grandmother The D: for Davis, her maiden name, my great grandparent's last name, my late grandfather's first name The jeweler: my uncle Mike Tayse The spoon ring: Created Sunday, August 5 in Mike's one-man backyard studio in Painesville Ohio

Aside: Mike is an amazing Ohio certified K-12 art and reading teacher who needs a job. If you know of a school looking for a creative, qualified teacher, please send them to Mike Tayse's resume site.

Powerless & A PSA

Thanks to the derecho that swept through central Ohio, our home has been powerless since 4:30 pm Friday. Powerless is:

• no air conditioning or fans for sleeping in nights with 75 degree low temperatures
• refrigerated foods moved to one relative's house, frozen foods at another's
• retreating to air conditioned spaces in the heat of the day and later for overnights
• taking laundry to your parents' like you are in college again
• rejecting showing requests because there are no lights to show off your house for sale
• making frequent trips home to take care of animals as confused as we are
• trying to complete work for social media clients on an unfamiliar computer
• rationing cell phone battery life
• hearing that 90% of houses will have power restored by Saturday (still four days away!)
• hoping you are not the 10% left behind, but maybe in a group that will be restored sooner
• realizing just how dependent you are on the grid
• being ever more committed to making the next house more energy independent
• still feeling lucky that your home and family are only annoyed and not physically damaged

Needless to say, blogging is not at the top of my list right now. If you miss me, hop over to the guest post I wrote for Dollar Stretcher blog about Homesteading for Savings. Columbus Parent also just published an article about Lil and I and our recipe for real food power bars. And now for something from Alex, a public service announcement for those living in Ohio.

Ohio Health Scam?

"It was quite by coincidence that I had my own little health care run-in on the day last week when the Supreme Court decision on health care was just about the only thing in the news.  As some of you may recall, I had surgery in April to remove a piece of a metal axe lodged in my thigh.  As with any major medial procedure, the bills and adjustments have been slowly trickling in.  Everything has looked reasonable until we received a very strange bill last week.  The bill was for $406.25 from Ohio Health (Grant/Riverside Labs). The bill stated that Ohio Health had contracted with Patient Financial Services (PFS) to service this bill.

Ohio Health is the normal company that processes my bloodwork taken during my annual physical exam, so at first I wasn't overly concerned.  This year my annual physical came about six weeks before my surgery, which required me to come back to the doctor for an additional pre-admission blood panel. I assumed that this bill was a result of two diagnostic tests being performed in close succession.

Imagine my surprise when I called PFS and discovered that this bill was for services rendered January 25, 2010.  According to the woman I talked to, Ohio Health had audited its billing systems and determined that this balance was outstanding.  I have vague memories of problems with the bloodwork being paid for at that time, but I had contacted my doctor and assumed everything was taken care of as I heard nothing further on the matter.

As it turns out, my doctor's office diligently corrected their error, but Ohio Health never bothered to fix their mistake in the coding for services that were submitted to my insurance company for payment. As could be expected, my insurance denied the claim and Ohio Health was never paid.  Furthermore, my insurance company stated that as more than sixth months had passed since the claim was denied, no appeal would be accepted, and any bills were now my responsibility.  Needless to say, I was more than a little bit upset.

My next step was to call PFS back, and this is were things took a turn for the bizarre. I happened to be connected with the same agent I talked to the first time.  I explained to her what my insurance company said, and she replied instantly and in a most shocking manner.  Without missing a beat, she instantly said, "Ok, we'll simply close out this account for you."  Somewhat in shock, I thanked her and hung up the phone.

After having a few moments to reflect on things, I cam to the conclusion that this must be a gigantic scam.  I have no way of knowing what the relationship is between Ohio Health and PFS, but I would guess they have either contracted them to service debt or outright sold outstanding balances to them for pennies on the dollar.  The strategy here seems to be one of hoping that most people won't question things and will simply pay the amount in question.  Barring that, they likely hope that the insured will be able to convince their insurance companies to pay.  As a final recourse, they simply cancel the bill.

Why do I think that this is the case?  Firstly, no information on the date of service, services rendered or anything else you might expect to see was present on the bill.  Additionally, a third party was managing the collection, not Ohio Health themselves. Finally there is the fact that the entire issue was closed so quickly.  The woman I was speaking with didn't have to consult a supervisor or go through any further steps, but obviously had the authority (and I would guess standing instructions) to simply close the account.

This whole situation strikes me as extremely shady and dishonest on the part of Ohio Health.  They may have contracted with an outside company to do their dirty-work for them, but their name is featured prominently on the bill, and they bear the responsibility for the actions of their contractor.  This entire process is rigged to prey on the fear and uncertainty of people who might not have the savvy to navigate our convoluted health care system.  Honestly, if the amount in question had been smaller, I might have simply opted to pay it instead of wasting my time and arguing the issue.

The lesson seems to be that Ohio Health customers need to be vigilant. I know I will be more cautious than ever about double-checking what companies say I owe." -Alex  

We genuinely hope that you all are safe and we can return to regular activities and writing soon.