Poor Marianne. We let the Dashwoods out of the run to cruise the garden this morning. After a couple of hours I asked Bookman if he had seen Marianne wandering around at all. No, he hadn’t seen her either. He put on his coat and boots and went to check things out. We hadn’t realized it was a little breezy and the run door had blown closed with Marianne inside and the others outside. Don’t feel too badly for Marianne though because she got most of the purple cabbage we had hung up all to herself. Nonetheless, she had to complain and followed Bookman all the way back to the house just to make sure he knew the accidental solitary confinement was not appreciated even if there was cabbage for company.
Paper pot making continues. Seed starting begins the weekend of the 18th and 19th with peppers. We also got the save the date card in the mail for the big plant sale we attend every year in May. It’s surprising how a simple postcard with a date on it gets me all charged up. I’ve begun a list of plants I am interested in, mostly for the chicken garden at the moment. Once spring arrives and I can figure out if anything survived on the coop green roof, then I can start planning that space too. Such fun. I love this time of year when I can imagine all sorts of garden schemes but don’t yet have to do any of the work or face up to any failures.
Bookman and I stepped outside our comfort zone Wednesday night. The Transition Longfellow group had their first book group meeting of the year and we went. The book is called Making Home by Sharon Astyk and we will take the whole year to read and discuss it. It’s basically a book about transition — creating a resilient family/community, food security, energy saving, financial security — that kind of thing. It’s about problem-solving and settling in place instead of running away.
We didn’t have the book before the meeting but that was ok, the meeting information said we didn’t have to. The reason why became clear soon after the meeting got started. The hour and a half was spent reading the first chapter out loud. There ended up being about 15 – 20 people at the meeting and four or five people volunteered to read. At first I was really grumpy about this. I can read the book myself, why are we wasting time like this? But then as I looked around at everyone listening, nodding their heads, smiling, marking in copies of their own books, laughing out loud at funny parts, sharing this time and this experience, creating community, it dawned on me that this is part of what transition is all about. I relaxed, lost my hurry and grumpiness and really enjoyed the evening. Bookman did too.
The group meets twice a month (every other week). The first meeting is to read the chapter, the second meeting is for discussion. Our first meeting was at the wonderful Moon Palace Books our discussion meeting is next door to the bookshop at Peace Coffee. People were friendly and welcoming and not everyone knew each other so Bookman and I were not the only newbies. We bought a copy of the book for ourselves from Moon Palace and I will be reading the chapter myself and marking it up for the discussion.
When we got in the car afterwards to go home (once it warms up we will be cycling to meetings) I remarked to Bookman that it was kind of an older crowd. What did you expect, he asked? I thought there would be a wider age range, you know, thirty-something and up instead of mostly well into middle-age and older. Then Bookman says to me, well at least half the people in this car right now are over fifty.
Thankfully Bookman is a good sport and we had a laugh about it. It’s not like I am that far from fifty myself, I am going to be 49 in April, but I don’t feel that old and I forget just what my age is most of the time knowing vaguely that I am forty-something but unable to pin it down until forced to stop and think about it. I am fortunate that way; to be healthy, strong and active, which makes it easy for me to forget that others around my age are not as lucky.
I am happy to have this group to look forward to going to now especially since this last week Congress repealed a regulation restricting coal companies from dumping mining waste into lakes and streams. This is supposed to make coal mining easier and cheaper. What it does is shift the cost of mining to all the people living downstream, the ones whose rivers and wells will now be polluted and which they will have to pay to clean up. This is how “cheap energy” is created.
Our current energy infrastructure makes it impossible to boycott the coal industry but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. We can. Each of us can change our habits and reduce our energy usage to make coal not as profitable. We can ask our electric companies to obtain more energy from renewable sources like wind and solar. And, of course, we can contact congress and put them on the spot, ask why they care more about coal company profits than the health and well-being of the people who live near mines. Make ‘em squirm, let them know you are watching and know what they are up to.
That is awful about them being allowed to dump in lakes and streams.
I must admit I often think people are much older than me then I realise that I must be older than they are! I’m 57 but feel about 37. On Granny’s 90th birthday I asked her how it felt to be 90 and she said she felt exactly the same inside as she did when she was 19. I found that quite worrying considering how restricted her life had become!
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pining, I am glad to know it isn’t just me who forgets their age! I like your Granny! Though it must be hard for her feeling 19 inside and 90 on the outside. Age is a weird thing, I have friends my age and younger who complain all the time about feeling old and they never forget what number birthday they are on. I wonder what it is that keeps some of us feeling young inside and others not so much?
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i live in TVA dominated land and in a town with coal-fired paper mill. we have a history in these mountains of fighting for our rights, re: coal mining (lots of great protest songs) and on other things (logging, preserving wilderness, etc). unfortunately i fear that the politics are so slippery that this time around no stand will be taken.
anyway. i love the chickens’ names and their adventures!
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erica, slippery is unfortunately right this time around. I am finding it rather odd that none of the environmental groups I get emails from regularly have mentioned the repeal of the regulation. I am hoping it is because there is something else going on with it that I’m not aware of. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Glad you enjoy my chicken’s names and their adventures!
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I love the concept of reading aloud and I can very much understand how that concept helps in becoming part of the community! I know about the age thing – at 34 I feel far more useful and confident than my 24 years self! It is a good thing to be healthy and active and as long as your mind and body functions well, well then age is truly a number! The coal dumping is horrible and I agree with Erica (call me a cynic) that not one politician anywhere will stick up for it!
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cirtnecce, Bookman and I used to read aloud to each other a lot when we were first married and we both enjoyed it. Reading with a large group reminded me of story time at school when I was a kid. I have some friends in their 30s and they complain to me regularly that they are old and I look at them, roll my eyes, remind them that I am over a decade older and they don;t hear me complaining. Then they start making excuses. I swear my eyes are going roll right out my head one of these days! I’ve been really surprised and worried that I have not heard much at all in environmental circles about the repeal of the regulation. It seems to have slipped right by without any comment.
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That book reading experience sounds like it is something that I would also enjoy. Had you not described it as you did, I would have also initially thought that reading out loud would have been dull.
I agree about those coal regulations. In our current political climate, conservation seems like the most effective option.
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Brian Joseph, once the lightbulb went on it turned out to be an enjoyable experience. Next month I plan on bringing a project along to keep my hands busy while I listen.
Coal regulations and Trumps whole energy plan is worrisome.
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Getting ready for spring already? How I admire you, Stefanie! After a couple weeks of warmer weather we’re back to winter again, -22C this morning. But later this week we’ll get back up to O and plus. Hats off to u too to find the time for a book group of ‘older’ folks. Maybe they don’t think about their age much either. I find after I’ve passed a certain age, I basically ignore my age, and just do whatever I still need to do. 🙂
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Arti, spring will get here eventually and it always happens faster than I expect it too. Your morning temperature was probably not very welcome after all the warmer weather. Nice that it won’t be lasting too long though. You’re right, they might not think about their age either. It could be a whole group of young people in middle-aged bodies! 🙂
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Exactly. I always try to think like that. 🙂
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Stefanie, I just don’t have a good sunny spot in my house for seedlings! It’s a shame. But it gets warm enough here to put out seeds in the ground on the early side.
I get what you mean about age – I don’t feel much different inside from who I was at 30 now that I’m almost 40. I bet it will only intensity as I get older, that feeling of not feeling my age.
This coal waste in streams thing is just terrible. I hope we can get through the next two years till midterms.
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Laila, I don’t have a very sunny spot either and have spent years moving seed trays from window to window but this year I have grow lights! (Home Depot only $26 for a light) I am really looking forward to what I hope will be a huge difference for me and the seedlings!
Heh, yeah I mean I know I’m not 20 anymore but most of the time it doesn’t register. Though I admit after a late night or a super hard workout it takes longer to recover than it used to 🙂
yes! I am looking forward to midterm elections like I never have before!
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Maybe Marianne planned it that way all along but was just grumpy it too you guys so long to figure it out! 😉 Is she the one that is the cabbage fan generally? Those girls of yours are a hoot (or maybe I should say they are a cluck–har har har). Why does winter always feel so long but when you start talking about garden work I think–sheesh, didn’t you Just finish cleaning it up? Nice to know spring is not too far off. Your book club sounds like great fun by the way!
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Danielle, maybe she did! She can be sneaky! They all love cabbage and if given the chance, each of them would keep it all tho herself. Ha! they are a cluck! I get that feeling when I am ordering seeds especially since I usually have seeds I saved from the garden still hanging out and waiting for me to put them in an envelope. The book group is fun, we’ll see how the discussion goes. And the next reading evening in March I will be taking knitting with me!
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What a fun book group. I hope you guys enjoy the upcoming meetings. For some reason I’ve always been the youngest at most of the book groups I’ve belonged to and right now my mystery group is mainly made up of retirees. I love to hear about all the activities they are involved in and I look forward to being an active senior when I get there. I think you will too with all that cycling 🙂
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Iliana, it is a fun group with what seems like a range of knowledge and experience so as we get into the book I am imaging the discussions will be really good! Hard to say what the future holds, but I am definitely planning on being an active senior!
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How could you forget about Marianne! What a way to treat a class act. I can see we may need to send in the Thunderbirds on a rescue mission
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BookerTalk, I know, she let us know just how unhappy she was about it all. She has since forgiven us though 🙂
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Your book group sounds amazing! And Moon Palace and Peace Coffee are two wonderful places, I envy you meeting there — I was just at both of them last Saturday morning. (Earlier that morning I’d eaten a piece of Dove chocolate, with the message inside the wrapper, and it said “Buy both.” Of course I applied that logic to book shopping at Moon Palace. As I’ve told several people this week, when chocolate gives you advice, take it. *smile*)
And I love your comment about the age of the group. From time to time I have to write my age on a form at a doctor’s office or elsewhere, and I’ve found that I have to stop and think, and then spend an extra moment debating with myself: “that number can’t be right… oh. I guess the math is right, even if I don’t feel like it.”
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Lynda, you could totally join the group if you feel so inclined! And never go against the advice of chocolate! I like the way you think 🙂
Yes! I do that with forms too! I am always having to count because I second guess myself — No, that can’t be right, I can’t be that old! When did that happen? LOL
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I’ve felt every bit of my 56 years since October, since I’m using a cane and facing another knee replacement as soon as I can bear to schedule it (not until next winter, unless I get to where I can’t walk without crutches again).
On my recent trip, I did finally get in the water, where I can move well and feel good. I had to ask a perfect stranger for help getting out, but there were plenty of friendly strangers around, so it was worth it.
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Ah Jeanne, I can imagine if I had something to remind me all the time I wouldn’t be able to be so sanguine about my age. You might have to get your other knee replaced? Ugh. I hope you are able to put it off until next winter. Your poor knees!
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What a fascinating idea for a book-group. I hope you share more about it over the year – and I hope you find all the other members congenial, even if they are mostly old!
As for age, I still feel young mentally, and can’t quite believe I’m in my 60s (am I really?) except that the creaks and the grey hair don’t let me forget. There are physical things I wouldn’t do any more, but then again, I was never a very physically adventurous person anyhow. But, I can still bush walk (hike to you), and do yoga (not quite as flexibly as before but not bad either), and dance (when I get the opportunity), and I still feel fit and capable of doing the things I need to do.
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whisperinggums, oh yes! The discussion meeting is Wednesday this week and I plan on reporting on how it went. Everyone seemed really friendly and I believe someone is bringing a “talking stick” as a means to help ensure that everyone gets a chance to contribute. It will be interesting to see how it works!
As for age, the mind is willing but the body might not always agree? My father-in-law is in his 80s and belongs to a senior bowling league. he loves it and has to brag to us about his scores which are really good and better than I’ve ever bowled that’s for sure! I think as long as you can still do things you enjoy age doesn’t matter all that much. If I am ever in your neck of the woods, we are going to go out hiking and dancing! 🙂
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I really look forward to the reports, and particularly to the talking stick.
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