Independence Days update

So much grading and other work to do this week, and as a result, I didn't get as much done here as I wanted to. But, at the same time, there were things accomplished, bit by bit, and I'm enjoying keep of track of where I've been, where I am, and where I want to be.

1. Plant something: not so much here again, although i have ordered seed catalogues for the coming year.

2. Harvest something: again, not so much here, but giving some thought about what I would like to harvest in the future.

3. Preserve something: again, not so much here - busy week, and nothing growing over here - but I'm thinking about what I can do for the coming week here.

4. Store something: mung beans, curry paste, and dried shitakes from the Asian grocery store; sugar, flour, and spices from a friend.

5. Manage Reserves: worked on inventory (slow process, but it's coming); sorting the remains of what my temporary houseguest left with me when she left; further decluttering my apartment to make more room; sorting food into appropriate containers.

6. Cook something new: tried a new pad thai recipe; made red curry soup with veggies and rice noodles; made ginger crinkle cookies from scratch for a party (yum!)

7. Prep something: picked up a not-so-great grain grinder from Goodwill, and I'm working to see if it's very coarse grinding can be improved on at all; also picked up some additional wool from Goodwill (for hand warmers, produce bags, and a patchwork blanket, probably); attached shopping basket to the rack of my favourite bike.

8. Learn a new skill: practicing the guitar and trying to get back my previous abilities; started sewing a bonnet (out of fashion, perhaps, but keeps the sun off and reduces risk of sun stroke).

9. Work on community food security: I kind of sucked here again this week, although I did have a chance to talk to a friend about some of the issues that I'm most concerned with; talked to a colleague about food issues, and asked for a copy of the syllabus for his class that deals with some of these issues; trying to plan how I could introduce these ideas into a class of my own, since this is really important information to be aware of and thinking about.

10. Reduce waste: put in a power bar to turn off appliances and reduce phantom load, especially at night; started collecting extra water in the shower to water plants; picked up paper from recycling bins on campus to use as scrap paper

11. Regenerate: food bank donation; looking into volunteering at the food bank.