Greening Our Home

Last Roll; Greening Our Home
Originally uploaded by Madeline & Ryosuke

This was the last roll! No more paper towels for us. My sister inspired me to conserve by not using paper towels. She has a stack of soft wash cloths that she uses throughout the week and washes on the weekend.

On the topic of conserving our paper products. A Belle once told me about someone she roomed with who only used one square of toilet paper per visit to the w.c. I'm not there yet but we are using recycled tp now.

Go West, er, South, Young Man!

Just as we're talking about what Shreveport has to offer, this article comes out! The description of our hometown on page 2 is really pathetic. Come on, now...

Queen Rania of Jordan

An inspiring article from BBC News led me to Queen Rania's YouTube page this morning where she has shared a series of videos, encouraging dialogue with viewers, in an attempt to increase awareness of Arab culture and dispel stereotypes. She is an amazingly accomplished and beautiful woman and I feel certain her efforts have and will make an impact. The videos are pretty short, so check them out if you have a chance.

Durham Love Yourself

I thought I would respond to M Belle's post with my own post instead of a lengthy comment, as I've often pondered about some of the slogans Durham - hands down the red-headed step child of the Triangle - has tossed around. A lot of folks our age are sporting hip t-shirts and bumper stickers that say "Durham Love Yourself." While I appreciate their wanting folks to rally around the city, I can't get over the fact that it assumes Durham doesn't love itself already! To me, it feeds into the stereotype that we are an inferior town and takes it a step further: even our own residents need a reminder to appreciate it! (To illustrate how profound these stereotypes are in this area, C Beau's classmates, most hailing from nearby Raleigh, upon learning he lives in Durham, have been known to say, "Scary!" or "I'm sorry!")

A more official slogan that Durham uses from time to time to focus on its revitalization and development is "Light Up Durham." Only a city with tobacco inextricably tied to its history like Durham could get away with a phrase like that in this health-crazed era! (I think the tobacco company sponsors really mean, "Light Up, Durham!")

As for Shreveport's campaign, I actually don't mind the "Other Side" slogan and don't automatically assume it means it's inferior. I mean, clearly it is not the most well-known area of Louisiana. Were I unfamiliar with Louisiana, I might think, "Hmm... I didn't realize there was an-other side? What do they have to offer?" Kind of like "the other white meat" - it draws attention to the fact that you may be overlooking a really incredible thing. (Not that I like pork or chicken either, ha!)

I am totally with you on the cultural description - I don't see it fiting Shreveport at all. So what does Shreveport have to offer? I think a tourist would be hard pressed to identify the Cajun heritage in Shreveport (for that, I'd go to the OTHER, other side: Lafayette!). And since when does anyone ever want to be associated with East Texas? I think Shreveport would be much better off keeping its distance! I do think the cowboy spirit can evoke very positive things - the American entrepreneur, outlaw, rebellious spirit. Just leave "East Texas" out of it!!! Shreveport to me means lots of different things that won't resonate with tourists, but for tourism purposes, a beautiful, classic Southern city, a "sportsman's paradise," casinos, a "family friendly" Mardi Gras, and now the film industry all come to mind.

One of our summer interns - a girl who has no connections to the South - just told me today that she and her fiance are considering Shreveport as a place to start their careers and lives together after graduation. Her fiance is interested in TV production. I found myself telling her all about the wonderful things Shreveport has to offer, many of which I've learned through M Belle's recent posts. Just the fact that someone like her would consider Shreveport as a destination shows that something is working!

The Red-Headed Step-Child

What image does "Louisiana's Other Side" conjure for you guys? It's the theme of an active marketing campaign promoting our native area right now.
Louisianasotherside.com explains the title this way: " Louisiana’s other side is a term we use to describe our location in the state and our unique combination of Louisiana Cajun culture and East Texas cowboy heritage." The location part, I get, but the cultural aspect, I feel the term doesn't offer that at all. For me, the "other side" of something refers to a lesser half or the inferior area. Is that just my negative thinking creeping in? Okay, guilty, I don't have a better suggestion. Maybe it could be based on our glittery LA hayride days when Elvis and Johnny Cash and many others performed live here. Or maybe it could be based on our wealth of museums and universities. I'm not sure what would attract tourists to Northern Louisiana. Beautiful gardens? What is North Louisiana culture all about? It's kind of three parts East Texas and one part Southern LA, or even less of the latter.

Icebox: Pie & Compost

A customer brought Pat a huge case of fresh strawberries last week. They smelled like absolute heaven and despite a hectic schedule, I HAD to do something delicious with them. In hopes of recreating Strawn's amazing strawberry pie, I found a recipe online for it & gave it a try. I used a shortbread crust. It wasn't exactly Strawn's incarnate but it was still tasty...

I'm lucky to live in a city with curbside compost pick-up, so recently, I converted my bottom fridge drawer into my own little compost collection. If your city doesn't pick it up and you have a garden, it makes amazing fertilizer (people buy it!). It's great—Since it stays cold, it doesn't get smelly and I just empty it 1x/week! Between it and our recycling, I'd guess that at least 60% of our waste avoids the landfill. 

Things you might not know can be composted:

any soiled paper products like used coffee cups, napkins and pizza boxes

any food waste like banana peels, egg shells

paper milk cartons (the wax covering is ok!)

Shreveport Recycles! ('bout time)

Shreveport Recycles!
Originally uploaded by Madeline & Ryosuke

The City of Shreveport is instituting a curb-side, single-stream recycling program . We've received our toter but pick-up will not begin until August. Our's is almost full already and that doesn't include cardboard! Single-stream recycling means that you don't separate materials but put them into the toter all together for sorting to happen at the facility. justcurbit.us/main.htm

MBelle circa 1940

Line Drying
Originally uploaded by Madeline & Ryosuke

A Belle's post on Earth Day encouraged us to share our eco-friendly practices and since Ry took a pic of our laundry yesterday I thought that I would share how we love drying our clothes outside on the line. We started doing it in Ohio because my aunt showed me how it makes your sheets feel freshly ironed and your clothes smell great (we use unscented laundry soaps). Now we exclusively dry outside. If it's raining, we don't do laundry. There's also something old fashioned and romantic about it that puts me into my grandmother's shoes when she was our age.

I just read an awesome book on childbirth! No, I'm not pregnant yet but I am currently very curious about childbirth...maybe getting mentally ready for what may happen in a couple of years. I'm also very interested in the alternatives to the epidural/elective cesarean type of hospital childbirth. Ina May Gaskin is an internationally known midwife and author who has helped more than 2,200 mothers and babies through the birth process at her birthing center at The Farm commune in rural Tennessee. I just read one of her books, "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" which I found in the library. It has completely changed my attitude (and scared mentality) about bringing a baby into this world. If you're interested, I suggest the read.

The Visitor

Pat & I grabbed a bubble tea & walked down to the 4-Star theater on Clement St last weekend and saw The Visitor. It was such a rich adventure to watch! I highly recommend it. It reminded me to enrich my life in whatever ways I can seize, how moving images can inspire greatness (vs. the majority of awfulness on tv & some popular movies), and it is a nice non-stereotypical portrait of immigrant lives in the US. I'd almost discourage watching the trailer so you can go on the same surprising journey I did with no expectations. 

M Belle, since it deals with immigration, it got me wondering how difficult it must have been for you & R Beau to deal with all that legal work, especially post 9/11?

Because Barber Shops Are Closed On Mondays

Frustration reached a pinnacle yesterday, and my regrets to Locks of Love, I couldn't wait. Maybe it was the day of cleaning out and repeatedly facing decisions about whether or not to hold on to things of the past, and the desire to shed unneeded stuff that prepped me to take the dive and chop off my ponytail. Either way it feels great and I left enough for a tiny slick back ponytail...perfect.

Shreveport Bikes

These great "Share the Road" signs are going up all over the neighborhood and I see more and more people biking around. We left our bikes in Ohio but are soon to find some here. A popular Shreveport Times journalists and blogger, Alexandyr Kent, is documenting his 2 week experiment of only biking and no car using. I like that he's making a statement but after seeing other experiments like that in the media I've learned that the experimenter rarely makes it sustainable. Like, they save their big Sam's Club run for after the 2 weeks. Or they stocked up big time right before the experiment began. But I guess it's inspiring still.
HBelle and ABelle are bikists! Tell me how you integrate your bike into your life.

Short Hair

I just researched short hairdos and found this picture—isn't it fabulous? There are pages of them here. I have to wait a few more months before I can cut my hair. I'm so close to 10 inches that I think I should wait until my ponytail will be donate-able to Locks of Love.

Why so drastic a cut? I have this new theory (would love some input on it!) that long hair only has one purpose and it is to attract a mate. Sort of like a peacock's feathers or a sports car—a message to potential mates that we're healthy enough to grow long shiny hair. And then there's the theory that cavemen found it useful for dragging his woman back to the cave. In my reality, it is a pain to maintain and annoying to sleep with. 

However, I love being able to tie it back tight out of my face and give serious, astute looking faces from behind the monitor or out the top of my sunglasses. (think robert palmer video) Maybe I can compromise to ensure a good tight tie back is still possible while still eliminating the fuss!