little bee

so excited

2010-04-15T14:45:00.002-05:00

English Country Dancing lessons at my church for four Sundays,

starting the 25th. How great is that?!

The best dance I learned in Scotland:

what's in a name?

2010-03-26T08:42:00.005-05:00

Groom Sold Separately

I don't really know anything about this website...
just happened across it the other day.

But really??

What an unfortunate name.

bottled water

2010-03-23T07:54:00.001-05:00

From the same folks who brought us "The Story of Stuff," we now have "The Story of Bottled Water."

What I love about Annie Leonard is that she makes these concepts so accessible. Sit back and enjoy! Once you're done, send the link on and share the message. This is important stuff--don't keep it to yourself...

wedding goodness

2010-03-17T07:11:00.004-05:00

I'm in love with my wedding. No big deal. This has been the most fun, practically stress-free thing I've ever done. A lot of that, I'm sure, is due to my wonderful partner and his involvement and encouragement. It doesn't take us long to get on the same wavelength, and he trusts my aesthetics. Another huge part is our families and all their support, even if we sound a little crazy. And last but not least, the utterly inspiring people who are talking about weddings and marriages out in blogland.

Some of it may have to do with the fact that in comparison, trying to graduate from college, finish my thesis, and figure out where we're going to live and how I'm going to find a job is WAY more stressful...

But, here's one reason why our wedding is amazing:

My older sister, who I love so dearly, is over in Japan--an unfortunate side-effect of being married to someone in the Air Force. Well, fortunate in a lot of ways, but it sucks because I never see her. She lives in a pretty rural area close to a lot of beaches where she explores with her dog, Kona.

And these are some of what she collects on the beach. Bottles for my wedding! They're going to be clustered on the indoor tables with a few stems from my future MIL's garden in each. And they're going to look amazing. I'm also pretty pumped, because they will be perfect decoration in our home for years to come. And that may be the best part about wedding decorations. (You can bet I'm saving the bunting for future garden parties, once I actually have a garden. The munting will be perfect for a little boy's birthday party--for everyone who is not me and B, munting is man-bunting, or bunting made from old plaid flannel shirts, and it will be decorating the beer canoe, among other things.)

ladybugs

2010-03-16T17:31:00.004-05:00

5D and EX1 Lady Bug Swarm from Michael Ramsey on Vimeo.

This is amazing footage of one of my favorite occurrences. Brooks and I woke up a massive nest of ladybugs in the Sangre de Cristo mountains last summer. We had climbed up the now-defunct ski slopes at Hermit Basin to watch the sunrise, and uncovered these marvelous little creatures at the aspen cross. Slowly, they began moving, crawling on top of each other and up blades of tall grass, only to drop off the ends like heavy dew. We were covered--hands, legs, arms. They especially loved my knee-high wool socks. This short clip brings back that memory fresh as ever, though this swarm is a little more impressive, and the baby is just too cute.

the introduction to my thesis (essentially)

2010-03-08T01:08:00.005-06:00

This is the (first draft) intro to half of my Honors Interdisciplinary Studies senior thesis. It's titled "Natural Building in a Community Context," and it assumes that the ideas presented are fairly new to the readers (this will be more evident in the subsequent sections). The other half of my thesis is a natural building project that I am developing as a member of the Courtyard and Columbarium Guild at my local Episcopal church.

I held a young girl’s hands high above her as she wildly stomped and danced her way through a heap of clay, sand, and straw. She shook her braided head back and forth, the plastic beads clacking out percussion as her feet made tiny dents in the earthen pile. She smiled up at me, closed her gleaming eyes, and kept dancing. I tried to ease her off the tarp—other kids wanted a turn—but she just didn’t want to let go, to stop. Later, I was teaching a boy the subtle techniques of cob hurling and pounding. He asked me if he could put his name into the bench we were building. I told him that yes, he could press his name into the red cob, and that we would need to add more of the earthen mixture over it, but his name and his fingerprints would always be inside the bench. He formed his name with more care and deliberation than I had ever witnessed in a signature.

The moments like these, when the connections between us are forged, are essential. Sustainability is not just about carbon dioxide; it’s about life and community. We can thrive without solar panels, but we cannot thrive without happiness and without each other. Shelter is a fundamental human need, and all over the world and the country, people are re-imagining what shelter means and how we go about providing it. What if, at its very core, our shelter supported the health and happiness of all life and every community?

We might not live, work, and play in buildings built from components shipped half-way around the world and full of untested toxins, like the large amounts of Chinese drywall installed in U.S. homes during a post-hurricane housing boom in 2006 that caused constant headaches and nosebleeds for inhabitants, as well as corrosion of metal appliances, plumbing, and wiring (Wayne, 2008). Through our purchasing decisions and lifestyle choices, we also might not subject other communities to the environmental degradation and health risks posed by manufacturing such products. As illustrated by Annie Leonard’s popular video, “The Story of Stuff,” we live in a system that creates distance between the things we buy and the consequences of those purchases. This distance is both geographic and economic, as products or their components are often mined and manufactured in impoverished areas of the world, and as the true costs of these products—including habitat destruction, or healthcare costs related to pollution—are rarely reflected on the price tag (Priggen & Fox, 2005).

The breadth of this distance in American society is best exemplified by our industrial agriculture. Our meat is raised on factory farms and reaches us neatly packaged in layers of plastic. Heavily fertilized fields of corn and soybeans provide filler for our processed foods as their runoff creates dead-zones in the ocean—such as the 6,000 to 7,000 square mile area in the Gulf of Mexico where lack of oxygen in the water stifles all life (Bruckner, 2008). Salt-heavy processed foods rack up hidden expenses, as well. New research reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates that reducing American salt consumption by ten percent would reduce healthcare costs by $32 million per year (Dyess, 2010). And after we’ve eaten all of these packaged foods, our trash is driven to landfills, where we don’t have to see it, but it does not disappear. In addition to living in a system where we are blind to the interconnected nature of life on a finite planet, we have also cut ties with the knowledge to tend to our own needs.

We live in a society of experts. We rely on doctors to fix our bodies, on professors to teach our minds, on contractors to build our houses. In Mexico, as in other areas of the world, there is a difference between a peasant and a farmer. Peasants provide for their own basic needs, while farmers grow products for the market. Peasants grow their food; farmers buy groceries. Peasants build their homes; farmers buy houses. Peasants gather medicinal herbs and treat their medical emergencies; farmers buy medical insurance. Farmers are part of a system that insists they drive to market, pay taxes, buy seeds, use machinery, and maybe even send their children to agricultural college. Peasants spend their time satisfying their own needs, while farmers spend time making money so that they can pay others to satisfy their needs. In these terms, practically all of us in the United States are in the same situation as the farmers (Evans, Smith, & Smiley, 2002). Reliance on a community is not inherently negative, unless that reliance becomes dependence on unsustainable systems that compromise our abilities to respond and adapt to changing circumstances. For example, as a nation, we are dependent on the conventional building industry, even though it has long outlived its usefulness in our communities. We’re locked in to buildings that are expensive to build and maintain, both financially and environmentally, because our abilities to adapt to the circumstances have been compromised by restrictive regulation and financial systems.

Now, when this society of distance and expert-dependence collides with climate change, faltering community, financial crisis, and rising energy costs, we, as individuals and communities, are often left feeling utterly disempowered to instigate change. Beth Terry (2008), a plastic-free blogger and activist, posted a list of eight reasons why personal changes do indeed matter:

Conclusion 1: Personal change matters because when we realize our intimate connection to and impact on the rest of life on the planet, we simply cannot continue to live in a way that causes needless harm. We have no choice but to change…

Conclusion 2: Personal changes are important for our own health and the health of those we love…

Conclusion 3: Personal changes allow us to vote with our wallets and support small, alternative businesses that are doing the right thing…

Conclusion 4: Personal changes help us develop our own ingenuity and creativity and teach us how to be more self-sufficient…

Conclusion 5: Personal changes help us to examine our lives and evaluate what is helpful to our physical and spiritual well being and what is not…

Conclusion 6: Personal changes help us to see the limits to personal change. These limits represent the places where we need to put our energies in asking companies to change…

Conclusion 7: Personal changes help us to realize that personal change is not enough. We see that as hard as we work to green our own lives, the problem is systemic. We must work to change the system. But until we make our own personal changes, we may not have enough investment in the outcome to push for the bigger steps that are necessary…

Conclusion 8: Personal changes set an example for others to follow and to realize that life can be different.

While the challenges and tasks can seem insurmountable, every push toward a more sustainable future helps. From Terry’s successful campaign to prompt Brita to recycle their filters to her monthly tally of all the plastic that she has acquired (roughly 4% of the average U.S. household for 2009), she is an excellent example of what one voice, backed by a supportive community, can do.

Where does natural building fit into this discussion? Natural building is a practical, applicable tool of self and community empowerment. It is a viable, even preferable, alternative to the current practices of the conventional building industry. Natural building is a path to healthy, sustainable communities. To understand the manner in which natural building answers the specific concerns and challenges of our time, we must more fully explore the relevant subjects—energy descent, sustainability, and community.

Bruckner, M. (2008, Oct. 6). The Gulf of Mexico dead zone. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/

Dyess, D. (2010, March 4). Salt limitations on processed foods could save lives. Health News. Retrieved from http://www.healthnews.com/nutrition-diet/salt-limitations-on-processed-food-could-save-lives-4126.html

Evans, Ianto, Michael G. Smith, and Linda Smiley. (2002). The hand sculpted house: A practical and philosophical guide to building a cob cottage. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company

Priggen, E. (Producer), & Fox, L. (Director). (2005). The story of stuff. [Short film]. United States: Free Range Studios. Retrieved from http://www.storyofstuff.com

Terry, B. (2008, May 7). 8 Reasons why personal changes matter. Message posted to http://fakeplasticfish.com/2010/01/8-reasons-why-personal-changes-matter/

Wayne, L. (2009, Oct. 7). Thousands of U.S. homeowners blame Chinese drywall for ills. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/ business/08drywall.html?pagewanted=1&em

love this

2010-03-03T13:53:00.000-06:00

go bake this. now.

2010-02-05T12:27:00.004-06:00

So, I posted a basic recipe
for shortbread cookies a while back.

I'm here to amend it slightly.

Preheat your oven to about 375 degrees F.

For a batch of two dozen,
mix together:

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
a couple pinches salt

Blend in 1 cup butter,
and whatever excitement you prefer.

a handful of chocolate chips
a couple heaping spoonfuls of caramel
etc.

Shape the dough into small balls with your palms
(they should feel oily/buttery, otherwise they'll be too dry)
and give them a criss-cross pattern with fork tines.

I just pulled my first-ever
salted caramel shortbread
out of the oven.

I only wish I had sea salt to
garnish the tops...

everyone could use a shouthaus

2009-11-17T09:42:00.003-06:00

My dear friends from the
Natural Building Apprenticeship
at the Ecovillage Training Center
nestled deep in a little hollow at
The Farm, Summertown, TN...

built this:

It's the Shouthaus,
for all your showring/outhouse needs.

There are two composting toilets
(one to use while the other does the composting thing)
and two solar showers
(with a back-up heater for the winter).

It's timber-framed with walls made of such things as
wattle and daub
light-clay straw
and
wood chip slip (a new one on me).

And you can go here to
read all about it
and see more pictures!

the questions that tie it all together

2009-11-13T11:19:00.004-06:00

Brooks and I discussed this the other day,
with maybe a smidge more detail than Grover...

Before we jump headlong into wedding planning,
we're answering these questions:

1. What is a wedding?

2. What makes a wedding?

3. What is marriage?

4. What makes a marriage?

5. How do we create a wedding that honors marriage?

it's these moments that matter

2009-11-12T11:11:00.003-06:00

I'm engaged!

My friend, Lauren, convinced me that
we were going on a friend date to the corn maze.
Fun, right?

Well, we pulled into the parking lot,
and she said,
"So, this isn't a friend date. I'm not going with you."

She armed me with a hug, a map, and a route
to the top of the B,
and off I tromped into the maze!

After some wandering and a little bit of confusion,
I found Brooks.

He led me to a picnic, complete with
brie, olives, and wheat thins.
Yummy and oh so classy!

He brought out a guitar and sang to me
a medley of songs that have been
important to us throughout our relationship.

Starting with this one:

Question - Old 97's

I cried.

While he was singing, a puppy came
bounding out of the maze,
jumped into my lap,
and cuddled with me for a while
before running off again.
It was too freakin cute.

Brooks finished and sat down next to me.
He showed me the guitar,
given to him by his father,
and all the images he carved into it for us.

The Scottish flag, for the one country
where we've traveled together.

The Episcopal Shield mirrored by the
window in the chapel at Camp Mitchell,
where we will be married next summer.

Don Quixote, his role model.

A daisy.

12-27-07
The day we started our relationship.

He asked me to carve
11-08-09.

When I was done, he said,
"Becca, you know what's great about our relationship?
I can ask you to do something,
and you just do it, without even asking why."

He laughed.
"Do you know why today is special?"

Of course I did,
but of course I couldn't speak.

He got on a knee,
opened a box his mother had made
to display my great-grandmother's ring,
and asked,
"Will you marry me?"

"Yes, I will."

the first step

2009-11-11T11:33:00.001-06:00

this is what I want my day to look like

2009-11-03T10:16:00.002-06:00

I want this illustration in my life.

Camilla Engman rocks. But everyone knows that already.

single ladies

2009-10-23T13:32:00.001-05:00

perfection.

1:2:4

2009-10-13T17:34:00.000-05:00

This is one of the
most important ratios
ever.

1:2:4

sugar:butter:flour

+ a pinch of salt
and
+ a dash of vanilla
or
+ a bit of lemon zest

or any number of things...
fresh lavender ground into the sugar, maybe?
chocolate chips, even.

I've used both powdered sugar and regular,
and they both work out just fine.

I've heard you can replace 1/4 c. of flour
(if you're using 2 c. total)
with cornstarch for an even greater
melt-in-your-mouth effect.

My next variation:
with goat's milk butter.

yumm... shortbread.

The real question:

Why did we wait until
our last week in Scotland
to make it ourselves?

you always remember the first love

2009-10-12T12:18:00.002-05:00

A Low Impact Woodland Home

This work of art was one of the first
natural building homes
that I fell in love with.

The organic forms... rounded corners...
it just looks like a dream.

Here are the plans:

*all images from the website linked above

a little bit domestic

2009-10-11T14:29:00.002-05:00

This one is on it's way to the
Ecovillage Training Center
at The Farm.

I spent my summer
in those beautiful Tennessee hills.

the boy who harnessed the wind

2009-10-09T14:02:00.004-05:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

William Kamkwamba

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Ron Paul Interview

(seen on arduous)

looking back at the stars

2009-10-08T16:44:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of starred items in my
Google Reader.

I'll be going through them
bit by bit
to remind myself what's there.

Here are some
yummy-looking foods
(that I have not cooked/baked yet).

easy weekend pancakes from vegan yum yum

I'll have to compare these to the vegan recipe
I hodge-podged together this summer...
there are a few interesting differences.

another from vegan yum yum:
pan fried tofu, kale, and stir fried noodles

I try not to eat too much soy these days,
but that's some pretty good lookin' tofu.

earl grey white chocolate chunk muffins
from eat me, delicious

Looks like woah.

Why, oh why have I not made these yet?

peanut butter cookies
from the smitten kitchen.

*Images are all from their respective blogs.

hello?

2009-10-08T08:09:00.000-05:00

Such a classy lady.

For you, Kay.

this is what simple means

2009-10-07T09:46:00.004-05:00

More photos from Erraid...

muck boots in the sunrise

Emerson, Paul, the momma cows, and the brand new babies

Rachel looking up wild edibles

Toni, Mattie, and Paul
returning from the Narrows with our mussels

Jonna in the magic grove on Mull

1945

2009-10-06T09:07:00.003-05:00

In bed with a fever on a
very gray day.

But, this is amazing:

Ukraine's Got Talent 2009 Winner

draw me the world, sketch me the sea

2009-10-05T21:46:00.003-05:00

Bespoke Press has a giveaway.
A really, really good one.

Oh, how I wish I could
hang all of these prints on my
bare dorm walls...

(see all 10--a $650 value--at the link above)

oh, what do you do with a drunken sailor?

2009-10-05T19:35:00.002-05:00

For a lovely lady in Nantucket.

on the edge of the world

2009-10-01T16:44:00.007-05:00

the wishing stone

lighthouse builders lived here originally
(rhubarb patch in the foreground)

fence post

a cute slug

lighthouse observatory in the lower right
iona in the distance

from the old observatory

whale bones

sunset over the atlantic

Erraid is a small (one mile square) tidal island
off of Mull, Scotland.

kansas city

2009-10-01T10:37:00.001-05:00

Georgia O'Keefe, Amy Butler, Rand McNally:

ps--This movie looked pretty intense from the previews.
I'm wondering how it was...

What is your favorite made-for-tv movie?

not so little

2009-09-30T13:41:00.003-05:00

is for
becca.

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische

my book

2009-09-30T08:58:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed by now
that I tend to scan things.
My camera is broken.

This is a book I made of things from
my trip to Scotland:
pictures, poetry, etc.

I'll share some of it from time to time.

wake up

2009-09-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

This December. Copenhagen. It's a big deal.

the time comes

2009-09-28T07:33:00.000-05:00

another postcard:

Love you, Kate.

it's like sherbet

2009-09-25T15:13:00.005-05:00

My boyfriend's grandmother is
getting married tomorrow.

Somehow,
the only thing I can find to wear
is a 50's-esque black shirt dress.

I need color.

The solution:

Rip off old gross blue fabric from
a plastic headband.
Make a little doo-dad from
ribbons and buttons.
Attach to fun fabric from an
old Express shirt.
Use spray adhesive to attach fabric
to the headband.

Instant fun
for zero dollars!

common sense is good sense

2009-09-24T11:57:00.006-05:00

this girl rocks:

Especially when she shares exciting information about how
slowing down
can save fuel and
make roads safer for everyone.

for example:

"The chance of a pedestrian
being seriously injured or killed
if struck by a car is 45% if the car is traveling at 30 mph
but only 5% at 20 mph"

I might just start driving 20mph
despite the speed limit.

They only have minimums on the highway, right?

where the wild things are

2009-09-24T10:51:00.004-05:00

Oh So Beautiful Paper put up a wonderful collection of
"Where the Wild Things Are"
inspired art.

Can't wait to see the movie.

an old book

2009-09-24T07:27:00.004-05:00

Copyright MCMXXXXIX, MCMLI, MCMLV, by
WESTERN PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.
Printed in U.S.A.

I love the faded seafoam and fleur de lis.

Huck and Jim waiting out a storm.

be convinced

2009-09-23T20:06:00.006-05:00

This is the first of many
(hopefully, but at least eight)
postcards I'll collage to send off to friends.

My favorite part is the text in the lower right hand corner:
"See it! Hear it! Be convinced!"

This one's for you, Toni.