Environmentally Friendly Dating

Competitive Sprouting

2010-10-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Green thumb competition sprouts romantic teasing. In some areas, health foodies feel the time warp to the pre-living foods boom that brought alfalfa, clover and other sprouts to the neighborhood supermarket. My honey and I decided our only recourse would be growing our own. Sounded more like work than play before we visited the bulk foods store and spent like crazy for alfalfa, millet and mung beans.

The Materials
seeds; water; sealable sprouting containers like jars or boxes in glass, plastic or acrylic; tea strainer and cloth scraps

The Method
Place one teaspoon alfalfa seeds in sprouting container and cover with at least an inch or two of water. Let sit overnight to open the seed casing for germination. In the morning drain using the tea strainer or cloth scraps. Let the seeds drain for a few minutes and then place in the sprouting container and seal. Place in a warm spot or an area with natural light. I used the kitchen window in the sun. My honey chose the fireplace mantle in the living room. Rinse the seeds and then the sprouts each morning and evening.

The Competition
We took advantage of the variables. Separate containers. Sprouting location. How dry to keep the seeds. Cover options. Whether to add a dry cloth for a sprouting bed. Music genre to play. Gently rolled or shaken up. Talking to the plants. Up to a point science controls the outcome, then experience and art take over.

"You've grown a mass of unruly snakes."

Yes, mine looks like a luscious pile of tangled sprouts. My honey grew an orderly patch of white stems with bright green tips. I couldn't think of a good comeback line and chose to avoid a cliche like 'they all taste the same'.

The Benefits
What started as a little competition may turn into an all out foodie war, but the best part is both sides win. According to Dr. Gillian McKeith in Living Food for Health, sprouts provide plenty of antioxidant vitamins, enzymes, trace minerals, chlorophyll and fiber.

THE END

Is that Love in the Air Contagious?

2010-02-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day people and especially marketing professionals focus on LOVE. Often thought to be an exclusive holiday for couples, it is a wonderful time to visit family and friends.

I purchased a pack of recycled paper Valentines, though I could have made my own from scraps of craft paper and fabric. I splurged on good quality chocolate. To be more eco-friendly give local treats.

My honey and I made a list of people who weren't as likely to be remembered on Valentine's Day and set out with our goodies and cards. Everyone we visited gave us surprised smiles and had a romantic story to share with us. Their reminiscences made us feel more romantic too and glad we'd taken the time. Sharing love sparks more love. And isn't that what life is all about?

THE END

“My Green Goddess”

2010-01-26T12:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not one of those ladies who gets up an hour early to style my hair and apply makeup to look perfect. I insist on natural beauty, without trying to look commercial perfect, but I love to feel pampered. Seeing me in various stages of spa treatments is nothing new. While preparing for our evening out, I wandered upstairs to apply a honey, aloe and avocado mask to my face, neck and décolletage. I thought nothing of wandering back downstairs.

My honey didn't look up from reading a technology magazine and proceeded to read me highlights from a research article. Our eyes met as usual in private couple's communication for passing non-verbal messages. Conversation stopped mid-sentence.

“My green goddess.” After tasting the mask my honey asked, “How long do you have to leave it on?”

I'm sure I blinked at the question and maintained silence because I thought it might have been shock or disapproval. I shouldn't have worried.

“You couldn't look bad if you tried. Just I'm already dressed and I'd hate to wear my appetizer all evening.” Aww, romance lives and breathes due to humor.

THE END

Romantic Use of Time

2010-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

My honey and I tried an experiment to determine how much time we spend together or doing things for each other because we often hear one complaint from people. “We’d be able to have romance if it wasn’t for children, jobs etc.” True enough sometimes I think we take for granted some of the things we do like daily chores as benefiting our selves and others too.

Here’s how our typical day breaks down.
My honey – 51.8% of time with me or for me, 25% chores and work
Me – 40.6% time with my honey, 16.1% cooking, 37.5% working

Our times don’t add up to 100% because of incidentals like grooming, exercise, email, taking breaks and personal time. Surprise! My honey spent more time for my benefit than I though. We each recorded three intentional hugs throughout the day, multiple quick kisses and numerous ‘thank yous” We also eat our meals together. Despite varying schedules day to day we appreciate every moment we spend together and we discovered even though we have tasks and outside responsibilities the majority of our time is spent on our relationship. Even work can be considered for us because we both enjoy the results.

Try keeping a record and you might be surprised as we were how many romantic or necessary things we do for each other.

THE END

Amateur Trackers We Are

2010-01-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

Winter is the best time to develop tracking skills because snow creates almost forensic-quality imprints. After studying several guides on identifying animals and behavior by their tracks, we set out on a warm sunny day (if 26 degrees F is considered warm). We started with the exercise path before heading deeper into our urban wilds. Don’t laugh we worked on guessing gender and size of the Homo sapiens who’d been there before us and Canis lupus familiaris (dog) was also easy. Our observational skills and the guide also helped us identify squirrel, rabbit and fox.

We were fooled though the next weekend when we planned an outdoor adventure with another couple. We had reservations at an outdoor lodge and the blizzard conditions weren’t stopping us. With the guys in the front bucket seats and the gals in the backseat we drove along the major highway at about 25mph. Headed into the snowstorm we thought the big flakes became mesmerizing picked up by the headlights in the dark.

My honey saw tracks. “It might be a moose.”

The guys kept lookout eager to see a moose up close. “I see it,” one of them yelled.

“Yeah, if moose wear parkas and running shoes.” Us urban trackers should have picked up on the first sign. We passed an abandoned car on the side of the road about half a mile back.

Grab a guide, learn some signs and get out in nature with someone you care about. Happy tracking.

THE END

Endings and Beginnings

2009-12-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

Every day offers new possibilities. For my honey and I 2010 begins where 2009 leaves off. Does this justify a celebration? Of course, especially for romantic reasons.

Who we’ve met – humans as social beings enjoy connections with others to share ideas and enjoy camaraderie. Our acquaintances expanded from attending a wedding, reaching out to new neighbors and regular visits to the public library.

What we’ve done – we share our accomplishments. We’re both looking to the future and everything we’ve done individually or as a couple is a joint effort. This year publications increased and I’m especially proud of inclusion in Cern Zoo (and it's top secret which story is mine until next year - perhaps you can guess).

Where we want to go – we prefer to not make resolutions though we do set goals. Our romantic destinations for the coming year include a moonlight picnic by the lake, toad hollow to learn more about ecosystems and human effect on them, to the top of a mountain (any mountain) and at least one public lecture.

How we plan to get there – laugh a lot. Rocky patches become less tragic when we take them less seriously. We enjoy collecting humorous anecdotes and share our memories. This year we’ve added to our “inside jokes” with a heart to heart with a monkey, the draw of our magnetic personalities to draw others to us at concerts and going up a tree and out on the limb

Why we choose to go forward together – Our commitment to each other is our absolute and to that end we make time together a priority. As situations arise we adapt physically and philosophically. May you take advantage of many opportunities in the coming year and joy in the ability to share them with someone you love. Join us as we find new dating possibilities that are environmentally friendly. Thank you for spending this past year with us.

THE END

Season of Gifts – Family and Friends

2009-12-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

A commitment to sustainable lifestyle doesn’t mean eschewing all things commercial during the holiday season. My honey and I aren’t lavish givers, though we do enjoy a little shopping as eco-elves. Shopping during the holidays makes a beautiful date especially if you love being around other people like I do. Choosing gifts is harder and we’ve come up with a few guidelines we use.

Know the recipient – make gifts personal and don’t bother giving something that will be returned for a refund. If the recipient loves hot chocolate how about two mugs, a jar of organic, rainforest friendly or fair trade chocolate mix and maybe a comfy blanket or quilt. We also love to give trees for planting and books.

Hand-knit socks – so, knowing how to knit is a must, but choosing the wool yarn from small, local producers and spending time making the socks adds something special to the gift. And the socks seem extra warm and cozy

A craft – artists and crafters can create one-of-a-kind gifts for family and friends. Some artists hesitate to give this type of gift afraid it makes them look cheap. Have no fear, this gift becomes ever more precious throughout the years. I painted a picture for my wall of a waterfall; my grandmother loved it so I gave it to her. She kept it through two moves one to assisted living and then to the nursing home. The painting is now back on my wall and is more precious because my grandmother loved it so much.

Tickets – entertainment is expensive and providing tickets for two and offering to baby sit if the couple has children allows for a needed evening out for them and an evening of fun with borrowed children for you.

Fill a need – if someone you know really needs a set of dishes, a kitchen table or to have windows washed, go ahead and grant the wish. For bigger items check out thrift stores and second hand to find one that can be refurbished. For recipients of fixed incomes consider, slippers, warm sweaters and sweatshirts, lap blankets or a few good books on tape (if they have something to play them on). Don’t be afraid to re-gift or buy used and let the recipient know of was to pass them on if they are interested.

Gift Bags – Fill a reusable canvas shopping bag with non-perishable food, favorite snacks, a bottle of wine or sparkling cider or perhaps eco-friendly soap, lotion and massage oil as well as spa tools. Be creative as you show that living environmentally friendly can be a pleasure

THE END

A Season of Gifts – Couples

2009-12-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

Preparing for the winter holidays means thinking about gifts, whether to give or not and what to give. My honey and I have an agreement; no stocking stuffers or impersonal gifts for each other. This means less stress on the budget and no gift returns. (SIGH! – that’s relief) we don’t have to move mountains of wrapping paper, figure out what to do with non-recyclable packaging, hunt up packages of batteries or head to the store for additional rechargeables. Any gifts given are truly wanted though usually not a surprise.

We found a way to kept the holiday excitement and spirit while banishing stress with Sweetie Days. We wrote 30 personal requests on the back of repurposed paper and placed them in two bowls. Each evening (choose your own interval two/per weekend ‘til New Years, or one every night for eight or twelve days) we draw a slip of paper and fulfill the request. Below are some of our favorite suggestions to inspire your holiday fun.

Pose for a couple’s portrait with me.
Snowball Fight (we didn’t have snow when we drew this request and used rolled up socks instead)
Neck massage
Light Candles and Share your favorite memory
Write me a poem
Dance with me to ‘our’ song
Bake cookies
Give me Seven Minutes in Heaven
Take a walk with me
Lap dance for me (PS – a great resource is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Exotic and Pole Dancing by Wendy Reardon)
Tickle me and make me laugh

Talk about giving – fulfilling a wish for the one you love and having a wish granted in return is a romantic way to spend the season. And it’s a great idea for sparking relationships any time of the year.

THE END

To Woo or Not to Woo

2009-11-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

"I need to be wooed."

My honey is a stickler for details. "But you're already caught."

Not the average evening starts with the dictionary and discussion of wooing. The traditional meaning as my honey pointed out is to seek someone's affection with a goal toward marriage.

"Hmm I see the point, but I'll make a second. Relationships need to be nurtured and wooing is one means."

Can I give tried and true a twist?

Every good tradition can benefit from new experiences and knowledge. We've made some environmentally-friendly suggestions, however you know your sweetie better than anyone so go ahead and personalize.

Flowers - how about an organic bouquet, picking a posy in the garden, edible bouquets made with fruit, plant a tree together

Chocolates or candy - consider fair trade, organic and minimally processed chocolate, regional favorites (whoopie pies, moon pies, fried dough, funnel cakes etc.), kettle corn is a tasty sweet too (to make your own add a little sugar to buttered popcorn and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon or another favorite flavoring. I add vanilla to melted butter)

Love notes - written on garden path stones, printed in chalk-substitute on the sidewalk, set to music and sung to your sweetie

Steal a kiss - sneak up behind your sweetie during chores, in a private arbor or after climbing to the top of a mountain.

Dinner - skip the restaurant and go on a picnic or if you aren't normally the one who cooks and cleans surprise your sweetie with a meal on the table even if it's takeout.

Laughter - my honey used the word 'woo' as the basis for the sound a train makes, the sound a rider on a bucking horse makes, as a howl at the moon and finally as in 'woo baby, I'm exhausted'.

THE END

Bedtime Story for Two

2009-11-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

We’re caught in the in-between season, a tease of warmth during the day, temperatures sliding below freezing at night and the occasional unexpected but not unusual snowstorm. My honey and I have become a touch more judicious about our dating activities. Ok, so it’s me; I want to stay warm and nothing feels quite as cozy as smooth sheets, soft pillow and handmade quilts.

Add an energy conserving bedside lamp and a good thriller and we’re good for over an hour. Reading is yet another reason we are compatible, I love to read aloud and my honey loves to listen to my voice. I get practice modulating for public speaking and my honey loves the variations.

“When there’s dialogue and your accent changes from Irish to French to Russian I feel like I’m right there.”

Here I give kudos to the writer we both agree writes a great novel. My honey said, “I wonder if Jack Higgins writes in accent.”

I have to say with respect of a fellow writer, “I’m awed by how real the dialogue is written; it just begs to be read correctly.”

My honey and I are also in the habit of reading snippets to each other when we each are reading to ourselves. Try sharing a good book, a magazine or even the news.

THE END

Wriggler Wranglers

2009-11-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Our outdoor vermicomposting system utilizes worms to break down our vegetarian scraps. Over the summer they doubled in population with extra food from family and neighbors. With winter approaching we made a date to build an indoor worm farm. We had two large Styrofoam shipping coolers someone discarded in our yard and we kept because we figured we could use them for something.

My honey drilled holes in the bottom and sides, cut leftover screening and prepped the boxes with wood shavings, newspaper and sandy soil (we’ve heard crushed eggshells work too for helping the worms’ digestion). I went to the backyard composter to round up worms. Seriously it takes about one pound of worms to process two pounds of table scraps in a week and one pound of worms is about 1000 of the little red wrigglers. We measured our weekly waste and planned accordingly.

One evening after we had the worms settled my honey actually said, “I’m saving these pieces of pizza crust for the worms.”

Neither one of us can tell of Fred/Frieda (worms are hermaphrodites) or Keshia/Ken is the one who is on top waiting for the freshest serving, but the soil for our gardening is beautifully aerated, moist and loaded with nutrients. Doesn’t organic soil sound almost mouthwatering? Weird.

THE END

Four Wheeling the Logging Roads

2009-10-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

As a sport perhaps Four Wheeling (also called off-roading) is less likely to be rated an eco-friendly activity. Depends on perspective and those participants attempting to improve the sport. My honey and I chose an eight-mile jaunt on logging roads to look at the forestry and check out the flora and fauna.

The area was clear-cut and then reforested. Clear cutting doesn’t have to be viewed as a bad activity. Especially when the goal is sustainability. All the usable lumber can be used and the slash allowed to decompose for soil enrichment. The diseased trees and dense undergrowth with broken branches and litter was taken care of.

The area was then reforested, the trees are fast growing, placed in neat rows and kept thinned to make forest management easier. Nature’s chance to begin anew and it didn’t take long for the native grasses and shrubs to reseed and take advantage of the rejuvenated soil and extra sunlight.

Preservation is fine to a point. Technology is fine to a point. Instead of seeking to win an argument or compromise, we as humans need to think about our impact on the environment and those around us and then be free to make the most workable decisions instead of relying on emotions.

To get you own information in your area:
1. go to the source instead of accepting regurgitated information
2. consider short-tem and long-term goals
3. forgo philosophical trends in favor of strategic action

For additional resources and information check out the Forest Stewardship Council.
THE END

Need Warmth, Make Soup

2009-10-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a go-to food or food pairing for comfort during tough moments. My food is the sandwich, hot or cold, sweet or savory, delicate for tea or hearty for tailgating. And sandwiches are wonderful during a storm, just in case we loose all means of cooking. The great things about the sandwich are versatility and portability. I can take it anywhere, use it for sustenance for any activity and leftovers make tasty filling. Mmm Hmm, mashed potatoes and sweet potato slices are good on pumpernickel bread with a touch of brown mustard.

I use sandwiches for dates too, on our last Friday evening stay-in date though when the temperature were expected to drop below freezing and the weather forecaster threatened snow for that evening all week, I made a slow-cooker stew. I started with 1 stalk celery, two carrots, 1 potato, ½ cup turnip, 1 cup cabbage, ½ cup cracked or bulgur wheat and enough water to make my 2.5-quart Crock Pot two-thirds full. I let the soup cook on high for four hours and added all the leftovers from the fridge (ok, so I need to be judicious not to let the slow-cooker overflow). I let the soup cook on high for another hour or two and then served it up with crusty bread.

The soup gave us a pre-romance glow. I’m experimenting on truing some leftovers into a sandwich filling. If that doesn’t work out, what better accompaniment for soup than sandwiches? May you always have warm toes, full bellies and wonderful evenings of romance.

THE END

Shuffle, Forfeit and Dare

2009-10-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

Popularity of televised high stakes card games allows for vicarious enjoyment of betting and winning. Perhaps not the greenest activity with a new deck used for each hand, but some casinos donate used decks to nursing home and there is recycling.

On a more personal level, my honey and I are using a 20-year-old deck of cards to enjoy card games combining skill, competition and winning. Numerous books written on the subject of card games provide standard rules of play. When playing as a couple, we negotiate and agree on rules before a game.

This last time we chose draw poker with the wild card determined by the non-dealer cutting the deck. Winner of each hand could claim a forfeit (truth answer, a kiss or touch and articles of clothing were fair game). Winner’s choice of pleasures or titillations. My honey insisted on a handicap to keep eyeglasses; seeing seems so important to a visual game.

If you are like us, winning is about more than who gets there first. Grab a deck of cards, (an old kid’s game works), a book of rules and imagination. Staying in for a chilly evening could be the most environmentally and romantically friendly activity of all.

The END

Small Town Rainy Night

2009-09-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

A warm rain pelted shimmering silver drops visible under the streetlights. The grass on the back down to the brook turned into one big speed slide. We weren’t the first or the only ones whoopin’ and hollerin’ as we ran barefoot on the grass, flopped down and slid into the creek.

Being up to mischief is more fun in a group. Nobody had time for the musty stuff. Adrenalin brought out the rush of exhilaration; we were having too much fun for either fight or flight.

When the rain stopped, we headed home. Hair plastered to our heads, shirts and extra skin layer, arms wrapped around each other. Spontaneity just felt good. Next time you have an opportunity, act on a whim. Nothing is more important that living and loving.

THE END

Starry Night. Does it matter If we get the constellations right?

2009-09-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

A cool night, a sleeping bag spread on the grass and the two of us cuddled together looking at the stars. We’ve always heard the maxim once you know the rules you may break them. A pure scientist would strongly suggest using a map of the constellations.

“There’s the north star. I’d always use it to guide me to you.” Aww, I’m a sucker for my honey’s mushiness.

A romantic knows to take advantage of the aphrodisiac power of being able to reshape the symbols and make up a constellation for her lover. I managed to connect enough bright starts to create a heart, borrowed from Cassiopeia, Ursa Major and Orion.

“There is mine for you, enamorat.” From that moment on we will search the sky for our constellation. “You’ll always know I love you and it’s written in the stars. Along with the memory of one cool night, a sleeping bag and the two of us.”

THE END

Work, Talk and Share

2009-09-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

My honey and I had a discussion about 'values'. We share a commitment to making choices with positive impact on the environment and came to a few conclusions.

We will make plans in advance - nothing like a degree of preparedness

We are willing to be inconvenienced for our values - we are willing to pay more up-front money and wait a few days if our Energy Star refrigerator fails for our new refrigerator choice.

We will continue our daily reading instead of mindlessly watching television - confession we haven't replaced our last one yet, but it's only been three months and we are enjoying the quiet.

We will make a priority of spending time together when we aren't working - at least one hour of quality time every day. (Hey, reading aloud to each other in bed counts). Yes we realize everyone has different lifestyles and responsibilities and for those working parents check out a few ideas here the ideas are great for singles too.

We commit to working to share our lifestyle with others. For the next 6 weeks we will be participating in Harvest like migrant farm workers, we'll let you know what we discover. And we hope your work is satisfying and life-affirming to you as well. Americans - "Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!"

THE END

Narrated Walking Tours

2009-08-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Discover history and natural science of an area on narrated walking tours. My honey and I borrowed an MP3 player from the library pre loaded with narrative tracks. Some cities have downloadable files to transfer to a personal MP3 player.

While I love guided tours, some guides are more entertaining and knowledgeable than others. I prefer the MP3 tours for being comprehensive, entertaining and the best part flexible (just try fast-forwarding a guide). My honey loves architecture and we enjoyed the tour of homes, businesses and public art. We lingered in some places and hustled through generic offerings.

The familiar often hides secret spots; a native sees pubic art and artifacts every day making the experience mundane. New construction may obscure what once was prominent. Landmarks and unfamiliar locations are best enjoyed on foot at a walking pace. The simple act of walking slows us down enough to read markers and signs, observe people and window-shop.

THE END

Swing My Way

2009-08-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

“I’m dressed, my hair is done and I have on lipstick.” I let my honey know I was ready for our date.

My honey’s turn to come up with an idea usually results in spontaneous decisions. “I have a silly idea for something to do this afternoon.” I didn’t bother to ask ‘what?’ and my honey continued. “We could go to the park and swing.”

Ahh! An activity reminiscent of simpler pleasures. “Let’s go.”

The swings seemed to be hanging around hoping for someone to come along. The empty park indicated kids, teens and adults prefer motors and virtual games. To prove my supposition, six ATVs roared into the park from a path and the riders milled around for a few moments to stretch and have a drink.

My honey and I sat on the swings. We flirted. Then we determined who could swing the highest. I won. We synchronized our swinging. We tried everything we learned as kids, including the twist. My honey spun me around and wound the chains tight then let me go. I spun fast and then faster while the swing tried to return to the proper position. And when I was a touch lightheaded, we shared a tender almost first-crush kiss. No wonder young people think they know so much about dating; as we grow older we forget simple pleasures.

THE END

Hey, where’s my Rubber Ducky?

2009-08-18T07:49:00.001-07:00

Be on the lookout for small-town festivals. Instead of being just a mile short of Mayberry as might be expected, these festivals are worth the time if for nothing more than community camaraderie. I picked up a flyer at the library for a festival a few towns away and my honey thought the idea sounded enjoyable. Of course we recycled the flyer and worked errands into the jaunt to maximize fuel.

The live band in the park was wonderful, maybe not arena ready still really great. The jokes among friends and the off-the-cuff performance by calling people up on stage for special performances of monologues, humor and folksy songs made the experience special in a way not possible with extensive planning. We felt like we were invited into someone’s living room for a jam session.

With slices of pie and waffles with toppings people ate their fill. Main Street closed down for the two days and the residents took advantage of the no-car zone to play games, have impromptu concerts and used the opportunity to get their party on.

Eco-friendly is nothing without the feeling of communing and the nice thing everyone’s welcome. For one afternoon, night or weekend you could adopt a small town and make it yours. You never know, you might be like us and find a place where they race bathtub toys down the river and catch them in a net to determine the winner.

THE END

Curtain Call

2009-08-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Innovative craftspeople use scraps of fabric for quilts and other projects. My honey suggested window dressing for the naked kitchen windows. My quilting aunt decided to take a summer off from projects. When a friend of a friend of hers cleared out a home for a nursing home move and gave her the bags of fabric, my aunt thought the purple fabrics looked like me and passed them on again.

The date portion of the enterprise happened in two settings. One Sunday afternoon, my hone and I examined, read and judged our favorites designs from books checked out of the library. Creating the pattern from a picture fell to me (playing to my strength). Supervision and assistance went to my honey.

The decision making spilled over from afternoon into late evening. We debated environmental control, trapping heat and opening the curtains wide for solar heating and lighting before we decided on the design. The fabric scraps provided an additional challenge, instead of solid panels I had to piece them together in such a way that it appeared intentional.

Then we spend a morning snipping, sewing and adding blows. With only time and skill with no purchase of new fabric or supplies and keeping waste to a very minimum, we hung designer pieces of window art. Good news. Even though I have design experience, anyone can make curtains with a pattern. Go ahead and look at the books at the library, there are even pattern books in the sewing section.

THE END

Cattails, Hazelnuts and Berries, Oh My

2009-08-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

My honey invited me to spend an afternoon where the wild things grow. Wild crafting is part of our hunter-gatherer heritage. However, each state’s rules should be followed and permission obtained from the landowners. We hiked near the stream until we found a berry patch and picked our share. Signs indicated either deer or bear had been there before us, still we found plenty of ripe raspberries, picked a couple cupfuls and left many for the next visitor.

The mosquitoes and black flies must hang out beside patches that lure in humans. I had enough bites to indicate they also enjoyed a feast.

The reward of foraging is the sensation that food we work for just tastes better. My honey ate as many just picked berries as those to take home. I just picked to take home. During our walk we discovered a bog with an abundance of cattails and a few hazelnut bushes with the pods just turning from brown to green. “We’ll let them ripen and come back in a week.”

THE END

Soaking up the Environment

2009-07-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Any activity becomes romantic when you haul your love interest along with you. The weather finally cleared and my honey accompanied me for the bog walk. Bogs are amazing biomes; wet all the time and teeming with life. Unfortunately for the bog that day the life included us.

I took one step off the path; my boot sank into whatever spongy earth lived under the moss. When I started to fall I shared the pleasure by clutching my honey’s belt loop. Arms flailing my honey still managed to maneuver me onto the bottom for cushioning.

Shhhthwap! Aah! The bog welcomed us.

I lay very still arms and legs outstretched pretending we’d landed on a waterbed. The day was perfect at 82 degrees Fahrenheit and 56% humidity. What wasn’t wet before soon soaked up murky water. When the six, eight, three-thousand-legged creature slithered across my neck, I was done dreaming and went straight to screaming. My honey smothered a few of my favorite words. “Holy Sugar and Flying Buttress.”

My elbow sank when I tried to rise and I fought for control like a sailor on a capsizing raft. My honey flailed in the opposite directions and we banged head then used them for leverage along with a rotting log for support we maneuvered like a limping crab back onto the path.

We stared at each other. Awed and turned on because of the exertion. We’d shot past wet t-shirt contests and mud wrestling. We were covered in bog guts and wrapped together sloppy kissing when we heard the “Ahem.” Shouldn’t clichéd throat clearing be banned?

The naturalist gave us the stern principal look. “We must stay on the marked trail to preserve the bog.”

I know he was more offended by the display of affection and his affectation of authority brought out my sass. “Looks like the bog proved it knows how to defend itself.

THE END

Fight Productively

2009-07-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Fight Productively

I’ve heard some couples say, “We never fight.” I’d be surprised if two people always agree and I wonder if one person doesn’t just give in to avoid conflict. My honey ad I fight on occasion, when emotions run high and we both feel like our lives depend on the outcome. I’m stubborn and I like to win. My honey considers a problem and becomes enamored with a single solution. It’s is a surprise we don’t fight more often.

I wanted to go on an informative bog walk and my honey wasn’t as interested and probably performed a rain dance on the front lawn because it rained all week and was raining that morning.

I don’t mind playing in the rain; my honey prefers to huddle indoors during a storm. I dressed and got read to leave. My honey hung back. “We might catch a cold.” Scientists do have evidence that getting wet and cold makes us susceptible to illness.

“I can make my grandmother’s ginger, honey and lemon tea to get better quicker.”

My honey ripped into my jugular. “If you had the good sense to stay inside, you wouldn’t need a remedy. The bog will still be there when the sun comes out.”

I’m stubborn, but I’m not stupid. I heard the perhaps accidental concession. My honey would go on the bog walk on a nice day. “You’re on, the very next nice day.” So far it’s rained for at least two weeks. HMMMM.

THE END

Getting Involved in the Community

2009-07-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Most of our ‘romantic dates’ are spontaneous. My honey suggested a day, when we would make a commitment to a specific time and destination. My honey pays attention to our local government and knew a zoning change was proposed for our neighborhood and thought I might like to attend.

We had a real date, a real time. The purpose though seemed more civic than romantic. The public hearing portion allowed us to state our support for the zoning change. After discussion, the council voted to pass the change.

While my honey and I relaxed and shared a yogurt, our discussion prompted my thoughts on why our date was romantic. All the elements necessary for a solid relationship played out in moments. State the issue, get input, discuss the issued and make a decision. The most important element is for one person has the floor to state his/her position.

THE END

Pawnshop Experiment

2009-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Looking to get rid of some things and make a few dollars? Pawnshops purchase items, but don’t expect a reasonable price for what an item is worth. The dealer looks the item up at an online auction site to see 1) how the item is selling and 2) the lowest price no matter what the brand. Their offer – approximately one-third to one-half of the lowest price found. Advantages to seller – quick money and to get rid of an item immediately.

My honey and I took my violin to pawn shops as an experiment. We weren’t really intending to sell the violin just use it for research. First stop – violin appraisal and was quoted a value of $300. At the music store specializing in the purchase of used instruments the owner refused the instrument due to lack of interest except at the beginning of a school year. At the pawnshops we visited I was offered $25, $15, and $10. At these same shops we checked prices for digital cameras and discovered selling prices approximately 10% below retail.

Final thought – as a way to receive a few dollars, the pawnshop would work. Donations to non-profits are a potential source of tax credits if a person itemizes taxes. If you’d just like to keep the item from becoming trash, give it to someone who will appreciate it by using Freecycle.com in your area.

THE END

Cruisin’ through Town

2009-07-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Since Henry Ford produced the opportunity for everyone to travel with the Model T Americans have associated freedom with driving. My honey comes fro a small town where the vehicle is a status symbol. In the early evening a common habit was cruising’ through town to be seen and to see who was out. They would stop in the parking lot at one end of town and gals might hop from car to car to gossip. The guys would say hello and talk about being the best defined by speed, horsepower and class.

Every graduating class of seniors gathered at that same parking lot on the last day of school and cruise to the high school at the other end of town. The community supports the rite of passage, a police escort leads the way, horns honk, flags fly. People line up along the way to cheer for them; a small-town send off into the world. Even my honey’s hometown has changed. We’ve cruised through town a couple of times, but only to run errands. Cruisin’ exists in memory. The price of gasoline makes people conserve. The latest fad is fitness and now we meet people on the exercise paths and trails. We still talk about speed and power, but it relates to marathon training and muscles.

THE END

Violin Lesson from My Playmate

2009-07-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

My honey’s a musician, a gift inherited from a self-taught organ-violin-guitar-accordion playing father. My music teacher in college accused me of being tone-deaf and requested I not sing. My honey says, “thankfully I don’t have to hear your voice very often.” On occasion the mood strikes and I try to sing, mostly very old advertising jingles. My honey’s beautiful voice drowns my ‘cat clawing a lady’s eyes out squeak.

I have longed to play the violin and my honey finally agreed to listen, coach and teach me to play. For Sunday afternoon pleasure I received a request. “Play me a song.”

Fair enough. I’d learned all the notes, learned proper finger (I love music lexicon!) and relied on the already mastered skill of reading sheet music. With thirty minutes practice I managed a passable ‘Frere Jacques’. I have a future of many hours of practice before we will harmonize, as long as I don’t sing we are in accord.

THE END

No Longer Reason to Dread Vacation Slides

2009-06-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

Many of us think of a plausible escape when it comes to friends’ vacation videos, but we’ve found a way to make the event romantic. My honey embraced the digital age and likes to convert some pictures from youth and early adulthood. Our solution is a round robin of five-minute PowerPoint presentations. We choose a theme (sometimes romance, sometimes adventure, etc) then create presentations to compete for creativity, best story and other awards.

Instead of popcorn, we set out hors d’oeuvres. My honey sits in a recliner and I sit on the floor. Romance among friends usually remains sweet, shoulder massage, a quick tickle of the soft spot behind my ear and a nuzzle of lips against my hair. Out of respect for each presenter we ask questions after each presentation. Our friends have become eager to share their good times. We’ve all gained some inside information about destinations, like being there except we don’t get our hair wet or windblown. We can each enjoy vacations and then bring our friends on the virtual tour to be easier on the environment.

THE END

The End of My Rope

2009-06-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

“We can be on a date in two separate locations.”

Hmm. I wasn’t sure I agreed with my honey when he made this suggestion. I thought a date meant being together, doing something together. TOGETHER. What possible ecologically friendly activity could he have in mind that we could do together except in two separate locations? I imagined phone romance, telepathic connection, two cans on a string for whispering come-hithers.

“You’re the one with experience as a roofer.” He meant a rooftop destination without wine and hors d’oeuvres. At least we’d have a view of the city.

He wanted me to out on the dormer three stories above ground and patch a hole created by a tree branch. I was definitely up for the job. Because of the height thing, he worried about my safety and insisted on the harness. He sat by the chimney to keep an eye on me. That’s testing trust, willing to believe he and the harness would catch me.

THE END

Rock the Walls

2009-06-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Musicians collect admirers. Perhaps they have a unique attractive force. Perhaps something is just enough different about them to give off a special signal. My honey is a musician; however, I didn’t know that when we met. And his job kept him from spending a lot of time with his music since we’ve been together. His collection of instruments sat in a corner of the bedroom.

During our travels across country he picked up his guitar. Now I understand why musicians evoke awe – the song writing. A musician will put feelings, emotions, truth into a son they he doesn’t even hint about in conversation. While I worked on a project, I ignored my honey until he plugged in the amp and serenaded me. My perception of romance changed. Better than a concert crushed by people, I knew his words were just for me.

This magic can be accessed by anyone by writing love letters, poetry and songs. Take time to share romantic thoughts with someone you care about and enjoy the reward.

Card from Anonymous Lover

2009-06-19T07:17:00.001-07:00

Finding the right words may require someone else to write them. Greeting cards have become the easy way to meet that need; like being a patron of a love poet. Of course the intent is for the giver to sign the card. What would happen if people didn’t? Would we just not realize who gave us the card?

My honey found a blank card in a bedside stand, no envelope. He read the card and handed it to me. “Someone’s sentimental, but the words go for me too.”

I read the card. Romantic thoughts of joy over shared time and the desire to know him/her better. We dreamed up possible circumstances of the ‘other’ couple who shared the card and tucked it back in for the next finder. We felt honored for the glimpse into other romances.

Recycled cards provide just as much romance. One couple mentioned to us they save every card they receive and when the mood or occasion calls for a card, they rummage through to pick the right one to put out for the other person.
THE END

All We Need

2009-06-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

The past three weeks, my honey and I traveled a distance of 2400 miles, visited 12 states and met many amazing individuals. What we learned along the way is – people need one thing, LOVE. With that one emotion in its many forms from romantic to friendship and to worship, we as humans find ways to muddle through survival and thriving.

Communication is essential to understanding each other. Often simple misunderstandings cause arguments to escalate and damage our private feelings of well-being. Both men and women are guilty of believing myths related to relationships. 10 Things Women Wish Men Knew and 10 Things Men Wish Women Knew provide a little insight into the secrets and desires of both genders. Once a romantic connection is made, nurturing the relationships means being open to various viewpoints and trying new things.

The End

Beep. We’ve Found Metal

2009-05-28T09:09:00.001-07:00

We caught the treasure hunting bug from a friend who had collected civil War shell casings and other miscellaneous finds. The metal detector was a gift four years ago and my honey has never used it. We decided to test our luck maybe finding odd change at the community park.

We set out once we figured out the settings and set it for neutral, the ground. I carried the trowel for digging and my honey wielded the detector.

“Shouldn’t this be longer? I’m all hunched over.”

We spend three minutes finding and adjusting the telescoping rod.

Beep. Beep. I was excited. Treasure waited. The towel sank into the soft earth. I scooped up a bottle cap. Granted the cap was old, corroded and filled with dirt, but not the kind of treasure I expected.

In six-inch swaths we worked. My honey ran the detector over the bleachers just to test the sensitivity. Thirty minutes and we found three bottle caps, two pop tops and a random length of wire. We turned off the detector and walked back. My honey found $0.11 in the parking lot without even trying. Like other treasure hunters we aren’t giving up.

THE END

Half-Naked Hiking

2009-05-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Ever feel the need to use romance as a form of protest?

We were protesting conformity when we went hiking on a Wednesday afternoon in bathing suits. Those serious hikers we met wearing their boots, khakis, bush hats and frame packs for a day hike looked askance at us. The two women in the group sneered at my bikini. “The sun is hot, you’ll get burned.”

I’m just snippety enough to suggest jealousy. On occasion I enjoy exposing extensive portions of my skin for the sake of good ol’ fashioned reckless sun worship. When I’m in just such a mood, I tend to not follow along with the unspoken rules created by enthusiasts of a sport.

I’m certainly not pretending I eschew the use of proper precautions like sunscreen, instead I believe sometimes the view even in majestic nature is infinitely better when not fully clothed. I dare to suggest with the right partner, the right time and the right choice of trail, hiking in a bathing suit (yup better with a skimpy bikini) is romantic. Our choice of trail was described in the brochure as ‘steep, strenuous, exposed with little shade’.

Park rangers and other safety professionals offer support and advice to make sure hikers stay safe whatever the choice of hike. We are responsible and carry enough water, wear sunscreen, take along a change of clothing and some food. My honey and I live by an additional caveat; life and love are serious, sometimes we make an effort to be silly and spontaneous. Even so, we know our bodies’ limits while enjoying pleasure of skin and flesh.

THE END

Kissing Bridges

2009-05-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

The bridge curved above the rapids of the rafting park. Water gurgled against rocks and over the dam. Rain splattered against my midnight blue umbrella and sparkled in the aura around glowing lamps. Night curtained LoDo with a black velvet backdrop for the frenetic colors and sounds created by the energy from the trendy bars in the art’s district.

Parking fills early and the simplest way to navigate in the area is by public transport or a stroll. We had made our way along the sidewalks and paths to the bridge through the park (before the 11pm curfew) headed home. A group of teens practiced acrobatic jumps and scurrying on the rocks.

I’d only once before felt a similar romantic moment. We stood still. I felt transported to Paris in a warm drizzle and pulled the umbrella a little closer for privacy. Nature beckoned. My honey was with me. I offered an invitation. My honey kissed me long, tender, matched the mood.

Always be ready to take the time when a random moment just becomes a romantic moment.

THE END

Classifying an Enviro-Friendly Date

2009-05-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

My honey and I have been asked one question on a semi-frequent basis. “How do you decide what is an eco-friendly date?” Our answer is simple; we have four parameters we judge.

What would make IT romantic? – Sometimes just chatting about the experience is enough of a connection, but we like to share the experience, maybe hold hands, get a chance to say ‘I love you’, sneak a smooch and just know we can reach out and touch if we like.

In the many shades of green, is IT sustainable or can IT be made more environmentally friendly? While I prefer non-motorized, high action sports and events, my honey enjoys horsepower of the non-four-legged kind. We compromise because awareness and innovation are great companions in all aspects of life. To eschew all pleasures for a cause leads to frigid (yes we mean cold) fundamentalism. Happy people spawn invention and creative thought. We would encourage anyone to enjoy any sport as long as you consider the impact and think of possible ways to make it better for the future.

Will IT be something to hold our interest over time? Will we do IT more than once? This might qualify as a two-for in our parameters. We have tried activities that aren’t for us with rented equipment, just to see if we might like the activity. We consider this the best way to start something new instead of buying all the latest gear and then deciding we’d made a poor investment. Most often we try out a sport or activity and then we try to scrounge the equipment. If that fails, we purchase used at yard sales or second-hand stores. Since my honey is an experimenter he loves to design, repair and retrofit (the hobby feeds the romance).

Is IT able to be enjoyed by individuals with different skill levels and abilities? Activities we enjoy in our twenties should be adaptable for our sunshine years. We believe grit leads to gratification and we want a lifetime of romance and activities in agreement with our ideals.

No matter what an individual’s commitment to being environmentally conscious, activities can be adapted for romance and to be environmentally friendly. If you are passionate about an activity, find a way to share it with someone you care about and impress that person with your concern for the future too. Happy dating.

The End

Ideas for Hybrid Love and Environmentally Conscious Dates

2009-05-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

This list of ideas ranges from personal heart thumping to the ooh-aah feeling invoked by social responsibility. Not only should these ideas pump the heart but satisfy the green conscience. For those who prefer a real thrill of adrenaline rush maybe the additive effect of doing multiple of these activities at the same time will suffice or convince your date to accompany you on a challenge.

Kissing and snuggling – no matter where done, the thrill entices and the environment unharmed

Massage – find a favorite massage oil (almond is my personal favorite) and let the fingers soothe

Reading aloud to each other – the choice of reading material leads to romance unknown (for a decadent daily treat try reading in bed for a few minutes each night)

Kissing Tag and Scavenger Hunts – games recalled from youth can be updated with romantic and environmental themes

Cooking Together or Picnicking – who can resist the urge to feed the need for romance

Hiking and walking – for all skill levels from a nature path in the city or to the summit of a Fourteener in the Rockies

Tastings (Cheese, Wine, Olive Oil) – feed the mind, feed the palate, share your thoughts

Cleaning or Shared Chores – so maybe duties and responsibilities aren’t inherently romantic, but having someone to share them with and make it a game or race does make the chores easier.

Canoeing – in solitary, with paddles and silence enough to hear the ripple of the water when a fish splashes

Photography – whether you want to be the model or try your hand at nature photography, bone up on the basics by reading a photography magazine. Some people earn extra income from photos.

Tours - Maybe visiting an organic farm or touring a factory. Might even include adventure or green vacation packages or guided sports, the activity level is easy to personalize.

Shared Learning – geared to personal interests whether you’d like to learn more about renewable energy or take a yoga class. Learning together means sharing thoughts aloud and having something to talk about later.

Volunteering – have you always wanted to participate in trail maintenance or clean up (my favorite site is Volunteer.gov – many of these opportunities are longer duration)

THE END

Tubin’ the Creek

2009-05-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Romance must float in particles on the air during the spring. Couples hold hands, kiss in the park and wrap arms around each other for a stroll. The balmy 78° F degrees on a lazy Friday afternoon in May beckoned the adventurous romantics to the creek. Even with the icy water we followed other up the path to the landing to splash our tubes in the river. Thanks to spring runoff the water level rose several inches and swifter water created whitewater for a challenge

We shared the creek with kayakers enjoying the rapids while we made our lazy float downstream. Saying the water was ‘refreshing’ understated how much I needed to warm up in the sun afterward. Hot tea on a warm day didn’t go amiss either. My honey and I dried off in the sun and perched our collapsible loveseat on the bank. From this vantage point we could watch others revel in the urge to splash triggered by spring.

Tubing the creek in itself is eco-friendly, but is the tube? Most are made from either PVC (vinyl) or Neoprene both from petroleum products. I found mine at a used-goods store perhaps keeping it from a landfill. In my teens, I had first dibs on the inner tubes from tractor tires to patch up and use for water sports. We figured this was eco-friendly because we were reusing. Each person must make the decision.

THE END

Crash without a Video Camera

2009-05-05T10:08:00.001-07:00

Alternative commuting in one of my favorite exercises; I can run my errands and stay fit. My honey encourages using the bicycle but only tolerates my decision to inline-skate six miles. I understand the concern I might get hurt. We headed to the library on the exercise path. My honey rode the bike and I skated along. We matched for speed and made it a scenic jaunt. We saw rabbits, Canadian geese, stopped at the waterfall, shared a bottle of water in a grove.

The path wound along the creek and into the mountains. I brought running shoes for the possibility the path might become too steep. We were fine until the trip home. I over-rated my skate’s ability to handle speed. The way to minimize getting hurt is to fall correctly.

I fell, rolled and quickly sat up to assess damage. I’m sure the event would have looked amusing on a video. My honey turned back and rode to me to make sure I didn’t need emergency assistance. I wear protective gear and sustained only road rash on my leg, arm and side. Without the wrist guard I might have broken the wrist. And wouldn’t you know when we got to the rest stop, the park rangers asked if we’d be willing to fill out a survey about our experiences in the park that day.

THE END

A Visit to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)

2009-05-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

The visitors’ center at NREL South Table Mountain Facility in Golden, CO is an excellent starting point for an introduction to renewable energy. Research at this facility has won numerous scientific awards. The interactive exhibits and models provide easily understandable application of principles.

Our visit was educational, but romance is what individuals add to an experience. My honey and I made our experience a real date by talking about each exhibit and discussing what take-back-to-our-lives messages we learned. Whenever an exhibit was hands-on, we took turns and then pitted our brains against each other’s for the quiz at the end. We admit the questions could be answered by attentive elementary school students. We each got one wrong, because we over-thought our answers. We returned to the exhibits to make sure we understood.

Romance is more than snuggles and love; it’s shared experience and learning new things together too. For a similar experience in any area, check local listings for companies specializing in renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen, biomass, ocean and hydropower). Ask if the company offers tours or workshops. Remember options through the electrical energy supplier as well.

THE END

Pilgrimage to Red Rocks

2009-05-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Mention Red Rocks to most musicians and they’ll conjure a dream of playing at the outdoor amphitheater in Morrison, CO. The acoustics make the venue a natural for music and in the early part of the last century the then owner brought opera singers to the natural setting to perform.

During the 1920s as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps projects, the infrastructure was built by young men who were required to sent home most of their wages to support their families. Before that the area was sacred to the Native Americans and to go into pre-written history at Dinosaur Ridge and view where dinosaurs left tracks and fossils as evidence of having lived in the area.

I felt a chill of entering a sacred place when we drove up the hill and through the arch carved into the rock. We went to the visitors’ center first and enjoyed the video on the history and concerts at Red Rocks. Then we explored the amphitheater. My honey stood on the stage and sang a love song for me while other visitors exercise running the steps or the benches.

In deference to the part of us that requires frequent exercise, we hiked the 1.4mile Trading Post Trail (sometimes it felt like a longer distance). The hike was easy with minimal challenging sections; stone steps made the steep climbs easier and we were careful of loose gravel on stone surfaces. Along the trail we saw evidence of restoration efforts where the trail has been changed to protect the soil and native plants. At one point we shared the trail with two rabbits.

Remember no matter how short the hike, be a responsible hiker and dress appropriately, carry drinking water and stay on marked trails or in areas intended for recreation.

THE END

Sustainability is Sexy

2009-04-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Upscale and luxury “green” products and services are available along with the ability to purchase carbon offset credits. This makes reduce-reuse-recycle-repurpose seem retro at best and lowly to the point of being mediocre. My honey and I try to consume less and be efficient with use of resources. To this end we make knowledge, awareness and action sexy. Going to a Green Festival or even may be a reasonable enviro-friendly activity for a date, so is picnicking in the backyard on what’s fresh in our garden.

There was a time in the early part of the 20th century when the automobile meant freedom. Having access to a vehicle mean wider travels, driving somewhere scenic for a picnic became a routine Sunday afternoon event for many and car camping was considered a vacation. Times change and “green’ has become a marketing buzzword for increased consumerism. Add a hybrid or alterative fuel SUV/RV, some organic food and a few carbon offsets we can call driving 100 miles to a resort for recreation and partying an environmentally friendly activity. Sure, the idea feels sexy, but what about giving back and leaving smaller carbon footprints?

Sexy can be a solid relationship based on respect and shared values. And such a relationship requires effort. A couple can have it all. Lavish living might seem sexy and make headlines; true sexiness comes through soul-deep intimacy with each other and the environment and that can remain out of the headlines.

THE END

Choice Forces Conservation

2009-04-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

While traveling in our RV instead of always stopping at places to hook up to water, electric and sewer, we dry camp. We save money and think of environmental concerns. Our unit is self-contained and made for this specific purpose. Our RV has all the comforts of upholstered sofas, full kitchen and bathroom and a king size bed along with the basics of heat, lights and indoor plumbing.

Along with comfort though, the storage tanks for propane, fresh water, gray water (used bath and sink water) and black water (sewer) have limited capacity. We take extra care to monitor or use and stay in campgrounds once every week to empty, refill and do laundry.

The benefit we enjoy is the variety of backyards in the mountains, near lakes and rivers, in forests and in RV parks within city limits for the urban vibe enjoyed mostly by loft/high-end apartment dwellers.

A better awareness of how our choices affect the environment helps us be more careful. Critical effort breaks the use-withou-consequences mentality.

THE END

Recycling in the Round

2009-04-21T09:18:00.001-07:00

“Let’s do all the errands in one trip.” My honey is a stickler for conservation of effort. If the vehicle leaves the driveway it better be because we have too much stuff to carry or the distance is too far to be feasible by walking or biking (about 12 miles – a decent workout).

Every stop is planned for maximum efficiency. We are good if one parking stop hits the can recycler, the bank, the grocery story and the library. Since we read for fun and research, we have many heavy tomes traveling back and forth.

At the second stop, I crammed the used printer cartridges into my purse and grabbed the six-year-old cell phones I’d discovered under the bed. I walked across the partaking lot the size of a corn field; really this development was a former cornfield. I made my deliveries and wandered to the farm supply store to meet my honey.

We packed everything in our canvas bags and headed home. Two stops, eight errands. I talked myself out of an impulse purchase of a frozen latté. As a reward my hone made me a double chocolate with vanilla soy milk when we got home.

THE END

Celebrating Cozy Moments

2009-04-18T09:23:00.001-07:00

Sometimes romance doesn’t require planning or effort. Heavy rain cancelled outdoor plans. We rejoiced because the Rocky Mountains needed the precipitation to stave off drought for the southwest, which relies on the Colorado River for water.

I’d planned ahead by stocking the refrigerator and pantry in case a blizzard snowed us in and prevented deliveries. We grilled eggplant, zucchini and red peppers on the patio. Rain pounded a musical beat on the metal roof. A chill breeze came up and we bundled into hats, mittens and thermal jackets. Listening to nature was enough while we snuggled on the loveseat.

The End

Responsible Pet Stewardship

2009-04-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Outdoor exercise is a major part of my day; therefore I meet a lot of animals both domestic and wild. Hardly ever does one of them follow me home three miles. I tried to send the dog home and he persisted running beside me as if he belonged. My honey thought we should call animal control since the dog didn’t have a collar.

I hesitated; the policy in our county isn’t to keep animals for more than 48 hours. “Maybe we can find the owner.”

“With this size population he could be from anywhere.”

I agreed with him in principle and still called dispatch. The first question – “Is the dog loose or contained.”

I figured I had implied I had the situation under control. “He’s inside my fenced yard.”

“I’ll send an officer.”

Since this wasn’t an emergency I didn’t expect prompt response. We gave the dog a bowl and water and sat with him to help him relax.

In ten minutes one officer arrived and sat across the street waiting for backup. Then they both approached. “Don’t you want to keep the dog?”

“Of course I do, he’s a sweetheart, but I can’t.”

“If we take the dog, it’ll be put to sleep in 48 hours, maybe before the owner gets a chance to look for it.”

“So what are our options?”

“You can keep the dog long enough to try to find the owners and then you can take the dog to a Dumb Friends League shelter where it’ll have a chance to find a home.”

No question about my choice. The police thanked us and left. “We know where to come if the owner reports it missing.”

Great, anther date night interrupted by life, my philosophy remains to enjoy our time together regardless. After our grilled veggie sandwich meal, we went to the area where I’d first seen the dog trying to catch up to me and started asking people who were out in their yards if they recognized him.

Finally success, the neighbor pointed to a house. “He belongs two doors over.”

“His owner asked, “Where is the collar?”

“He didn’t have one on.”
“For how long?”

Hmm. Apparently they didn’t miss him. Then she looked at the fence and saw the collar dangling from a post. “Oh, it’s right over there.

End of story, dog home safe. My honey and I spent the evening talking. Society is part of animal stewardship. Please be aware of options including RFID (radio frequency identification inserted under the skin). Know the laws in your city and county. Donate to rescue and no-kill organizations.

The End

Hunting the Edible Easter Eggs

2009-04-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ritual makes celebrations personal. Every year I paint Easter eggs (and for other holidays too) with a companion. I had an eco-idea this year – food grade pain on hardboiled eggs my hone could later use of stuffed eggs and potato salad. Bonus we had a three-for activity; decorate the eggs together, hide the eggs for each other to seek, eat the evidence and compost the shells.

For paint I mixed 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons water into a paste and for color on a palette mixed food coloring or dyes made from fruits and herbs a spoon at a time. We used brushes and a regular dinner plate and the clean up was easy.

Warning: this product doesn’t paint like a regular pain; it splotches some and doesn’t spread well. All my eggs were patterned on fabric, the styles of tie-dye, paisley and polka dots. My honey painted reminiscent of grass, mosaic broken glass and a football.

The eggs dried quickly because we painted them while they were still hot. We could immediately use them to hide and I grew frustrated if my hone hid them too well. We refrigerated the eggs promptly after play using proper food safety.

Conquering the Mountain of Recycled Asphalt Product (R.A.P)

2009-04-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

What happens when date night must be sacrificed for a home improvement project? I arrived home to find a mountain of R.A.P. (sometimes known as conbit) blocking the driveway. We’d chosen the recycled product for cost effectiveness, durability and as a viable environmentally-friendly surfacing.

Instead of going out, we attacked the project with shovels, rake and wheelbarrow. The original plan was work together, fill the wheelbarrow, dump the material in the fresh spot and rake it flat. It worked for three loads and then I banged my honey’s shovel with mine. The vibration rattled me like a cartoon character.

We settled on playing to our strengths. I filled the wheelbarrow. My honey wheeled it to the new site and dumped it. My hone raked the pile into a flat surface. I retrieved the wheelbarrow and filled it again. We worked much faster this way and still enjoyed moments for a quick kiss or hug. And the intentional five minute breaks to enjoy sips of a cold beverage. Physical labor is thirsty work and sweetened ice tea with mint really refreshed though there is flexibility to choose a favorite beverage.

We planned to work until the project was done. Thank goodness for streetlights, because we worked until almost midnight. I figured romance was definitely out while I limped into the house. Not so. After a quick shower my honey massaged my sore muscles with lavender and mint oil and of course I willingly reciprocated.

Next time you have a home improvement project, prepare a picnic, plenty of cold drinks and a plan to work together. A real connection happens when two people get dirty, sweaty and can still manage a hug and a smile.

THE END

Scavenger Hunt

2009-04-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

My honey and I picked up a brochure listing the outdoor sculptures in Golden, CO. The brochure made it really easy by showing the locations on a map. They were located around the downtown area and in easy walking distance. As we visited each one we marked ti off on the map and at each one told each other something we appreciated about the other person connected to the sculpture.

The hardest one to relate something romantic to was the swimming fish. I tried too hard to think of something romantic and this is all I came up with. “From among so many thank you for choosing me.”

My honey has a sense of humor. “I’m glad you’re a great cook.”

Every day provides opportunities to express love, some of these days remind us that love can be taken for granted if we don’t put in effort. While we enjoyed this as a romantic activity, scavenger hunts are great for families and groups too. I saw one team playing with a list and using a camera phone to prove they’d been to each spot.

In your area, check with the chamber or commerce for landmark maps and information. Or pick up brochures listing a sampling of things to do and places to go. These are great for a location scavenger hunt or do a little research on the internet and create your own list of things you’d like to see/experience.

THE END

Last Conga in a Snow Labyrinth

2009-03-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

I love blizzards because they turn my thoughts to romance, most often of the go out and play variety. To walk the labyrinth is considered a form of meditation. The temporary nature of snow adds an extra element of mystery to the labyrinth, a connection to nature and the fundamental ecological concept of leaving nothing but footprints.

We set down the pattern and worked with two shovels to scoop away the snow and reveal green grass pathways inside a heart shape. Yeah! Yeah! A little romantic clinch never made a person more than gag.

We played a game of Foxes and Bunnies remembered from childhood. The fox can only take inner paths and the bunny can only take the perimeter. The fox tries to catch the bunny where the two paths cross. The object of the game is for the bunny to not get caught. I preferred the opposite objective and when I was caught, we waltzed for a moment, and then I took off on a bunny hop and was grabbed at the waist to turn it into a conga instead. My right foot stuck in a 13-inch snow drift at one of the turns and down we went.
“Your cheeks are all pink and so are your lips. Kissable.” And there it was the spark of spontaneous romance.

I never knew a labyrinth could inspire so many future memories. The day after the blizzard the sun came out to melt away the evidence.

THE END

Nothing Trivial about Getting to Know Each Other

2009-03-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

My honey and I thought we knew each other pretty well until we made up a trivia game for our last date. Our thirteen questions ended up with the potential for various answers and raised ideas to discuss. We learned things we’d never known about the other person.

You might be surprised, as we were about how we answered some questions. Our gut instinct and our final answers didn’t always coincide. The harder we thought, the more complicated we made the answers.

“What are the rules?” My honey knows I like to change rules as I go along.

“In this case we have no set rules.”

“How do we win?” My honey is almost as competitive as I am.

“We both win, nobody finishes first and nobody walks away unsatisfied.” I thought he was being too serious and needed to inject some humor. He laughed and accepted a piece of scrap paper to write down his answers. Then we each took turns guessing how the other person answered the questions.

For inspiration, you are welcome to try our questions or adapt the questions for topics you’d like to share. After all this is a personal game. If you prefer, dig out the boxing gloves to punish wrong answers or if you prefer reward correct answers with a kiss.

Two favorite outdoor activities?
Would you rather do a job you love, a job that pays the most or a job that makes a difference?
Accomplishment most proud of?
Book and/or movie means the most to you?
Chore you absolutely hate?
What kind of enviro-friendly vehicle would you like to own?
What is the first eco-activity you remember doing?
Three favorite foods?
Favorite enviro-crusader or role model?
What would you do on an ideal vacation?
What home improvement project takes priority?
Other than intimacy, what is your favorite activity with your significant other?
What is your favorite kind of bread?

THE END

Made Over in the Click of a Magic Mouse

2009-03-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

Wanting to look attractive to a significant other is part of the relationship package. I’ve often stood in front of a mirror; changed clothes four times, put my hair up and then combed it back down. What if I could experiment with a new look and get my honey’s opinion without a potentially devastating haircut or purchasing accessories?
We had the opportunity to find out using a tool on mylifetime.com. We cuddled up together, shared the computer and made changes to my uploaded photo. In three clicks my hair became spiky and green. Well why not add a tiara, eyeglasses and a tattoo? We played around with all of the changes I’d dare only in the virtual world.

“I crown thee princess of the Green Coolies.”

Even though we sat side by side, my honey sent me a text message picture of a dozen virtual roses via cell phone. I chose an MP3 song to dedicate to us.

After the initial fun we managed to be serious and picked out a potential new hairstyle and compared the before and after images.

When the fun ended, I needed to escape the virtual and experience something real, a real kiss and a real cuddle. Later I'll make the real visit to the salon for my new ‘do’. Then I plan to try on all the dresses in my closet, choose my highest heels and then when I’m satisfied, I'll twirl in front of my honey.

“How do I look?” Part of the fun is asking the question with only one answer.

“Sweetheart, you look great in anything.”

THE END

Personal Pinups

2009-02-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

A date doesn't require a destination and any activity is appropriate as long as we are being attentive to each other.

I'm a fan of the 1940s-style pinups. These pictures depicted healthy women with pink cheeks and glowing eyes who were comfortable with fun and sensuality. They became an inspiration or motivation for military men to make it through the war and return home.

The idea of posing for such a photo excited me and inspired my honey and I to choose clothing from what I already own. My honey found a camisole I've kept for years. A big plus to an environmentally friendly lifestyle with healthy eating and regular exercise means I can still wear clothes I wore twenty years ago.

My honey chose a location and adjusted the settings on our digital camera. Posing in front of the camera made me feel like a model. I moved with each click of the camera frame after frame. I love the digital camera over film because we can delete the pictures we don't like without having to print even an index print first.

My honey isn't as picky as a photo editor and loved all the pictures. "You look beautiful." Of course he's prejudiced.

I chose my favorite in wallet size. My pinup will not grace the side of a bomber or hang on the walls of many garages, but it reflects the essence of a pinup with extras. We share dreams, ideals and a vision for the future.

I'm his girl and a sassy picture to look at when he's not with me is additional incentive to hurry home.

THE END

Skate Park Moments

2009-02-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the popularity of sports on wheels, cities have added skate parks to the public domain. These parks aren't just for skateboarders and the youth. Depending on the time of day the park might be the refuge of just one skater. As a skater I’ve evolved from skating on ice on frozen ponds during the winter to indoor roller rinks and then to the outdoors on roads and trails. Sometimes I even have the skate park to myself.

Skates come in a variety of shapes and styles specialized for the intended use. When I first started ballroom style dancing on skates I took lessons at the rink. My skates were the standard roller-skates also called quads and remain my preference for dancing. When I go to the skate park I put on my inline skates with the softer wheels to make the road ride less bumpy. I love switching from speed skating to get to the park to the jumps, spins and invariably a few falls.

My honey first skated on hockey skates and prefers speed. Our two styles can be compatible, but certainly doesn’t make us suitable dancing partners on wheels. We enjoy the park separately. He skates the perimeter and revels in the speed of the concrete surface. Sometimes he just sits and watches me. Other times we skip the park and race.

On our last skate date he told me something he’d never mentioned before. I was practicing a new move and he beckoned me to him.

“One time before we met I was picking someone up at the rink and I saw you skating with a partner. I thought ‘wow, she’s really good.”

I don’t recall being that great. I suppose like beauty that judgment is relative to the observer. I keep practicing and every week I improve. The skating isn’t what brought us together, but it is something we can share.

THE END

Since Beverage Containers Don't Self-Destruct

2009-02-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

The aluminum can was created for beverages at the Coors brewery in Golden, CO in 1959. The reason for the change was careless discarding of steel and tin beverage cans causing environmental problems. The company also instituted recycling of the aluminum can.

We live in an enjoy and ditch society where taking a moment to even think about the destiny of a can is inconvenient. My honey and I perhaps think too much and simple observation resulted in this question begging for action leading to an answer. “How many beverage cans could we pick up on the three-mile loop I usually use for my daily run?”

We took our bikes and two bags determined to crush the cans to take up less space. We underestimated the number of can we would find. The two bags were full before we made it halfway and we’d only done one side of the road. We made a trip home to dump the bags and go back out again.

Some people in cars glared at us when they passed us. Picking up cans or trash along the roads seems to be equivalent of dumpster diving. Trust me; we weren’t in this for the money. Our recycler pays twenty cents per pound for aluminum. It was higher but the economy hit recyclers too. We ended up with 233 cans and earned $1.40 for the scrap aluminum. We wondered if we would have found fewer cans if we lived in a state that charged a can deposit. At five cents per can we would have collected $11.65.

I’m curious though. Drinking and driving is illegal. So why did we find a majority of beer cans?

THE END

Swapping Chores

2009-02-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

My idea of spending quality time with my honey doesn’t include chores. However, making chores fun is a better idea that procrastinating or complaining. We made the challenge entertaining. I’m not one to avoid things I don’t understand or haven’t experienced. According to social conditioning household chore have long been feminine domain and the outdoor chores fall into the masculine realm.

What would happen if we switched roles? I was concerned a few appliances might be harmed during the completion of this challenge, so we decided to work together. Turns out my honey adapted better than I did. Household duties don’t necessarily require high level skills just the ability to become inured to tedium

Changing the oil in the vehicle would be easy with practice and if I knew what I was doing. My honey offered to talk me through the procedure and became the inadvertent director of a comedy production. I thought it was grunt work to carry the mat to absorb spills and placed it under the vehicle along with the drip pan to catch the used oil. He handed me a rag to facilitate cleanup and I slid under the vehicle on my back just like a professional.

“Turn the plug slowly and then remove it quick and get out of the way.”

I didn’t follow that direction quite right. Oil spurted and ran down my arm. I dropped the plug and it fell into the drip pan. I had to fish it out and wipe it off to put it back once the oil drained.
My hair fell into my eyes and I swiped it away and gave myself two black sun-glare blocking marks under my eyes.

With the plug back in place, I crawled out with the used oil and smeared rag. I had to stand on a stool to be able to reach to pour in the new oil. Then I checked the dipstick to make sure it was at the right level. Success. My honey walked me through checking the other fluids and tire pressure and where to put the oil to go to the recycler.

Learning new things can be fun. I’m not sure about the motor oil facial and hair treatment but my accomplishment left me refreshed and ready to learn more about “outdoor” chores.

THE END

Parlor Games

2009-02-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Appreciating diversion and entertainment is subjective. While some couples prefer technological age games, others enjoy the simple joy of parlor games with the unique flavor of being one-time-experience word and category games and twenty questions.

My honey and I enjoy playing parlor games because we can play them anywhere. We might start with a simple alphabet category game like naming companies starting with each letter with one point awarded by forfeit if the other person can’t think of an item for the letter and an extra point earned if the player can fill the gap.

Instead of rules engraved on paper, the rules can be negotiated for each occasion and if one person (me for instance) changes the rules in the middle nobody can wave a paper in my face accusing me of failing to follow the rules or cheating.

My second favorite thing about parlor games is not abusing natural resources except through breathing and thinking and really those should be included in just being alive. My favorite thing about playing parlor games is learning new things about my partner. Because the game can be adapted to reveal fantasies, increase knowledge and sometimes as way to showcase previously unrevealed hobbies. My honey knows history better than I do and I’m a history buff.

Romance is only what a couple is willing to make of it. Go ahead try turning off the television, computer, cell phones, music and lights. Light some candles and your imagination. Which one of you will be the first to admit you’ve run out of nicknames for body parts? Put your gray matter to work and the ol’ ticker just might speed up too.

THE END

Brewery Tour

2009-02-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

My honey wanted to share an experience from his past with me and suggested a brewery tour. He called the guest relations number for the information and made plans for us to tour one early afternoon. I’d been on two factory tours in my life, one to a pulp and paper mill and the other to a food processing plant. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The self-guided audio tour wasn’t working that day and the tour guide said they were giving tours old-style and told us how much she and the other guides were enjoying giving the tour again. We learned the ingredients for making beer, saw the process that takes time and patience. My favorite part was learning about their recycling procedures, water treatment and energy production and use. At the end of the tour we were able to try samples. I was impressed by the complexity of the process for a drink that has been a staple beverage worldwide for centuries.

Want to tour a factory? Choose your favorite product or one you would like to learn more about. Call the guest relations number or visit the website for tour information. Some companies may charge a nominal fee though most tours are free because the manufacturers benefit from showcasing their products. My honey enjoyed the samples and company history so much he chose to switch brands and I can vouch for the flavor of the non-alcoholic beer.

Manufacturers are pleased to present their environmentally conscious procedures and future plans to produce their products. Learning together is a good activity for couples or families especially on vacation/holiday.

THE END

Artistic Visions

2009-01-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

While there is always the option of browsing through art museums and galleries, supporting local children can make for an interesting afternoon. Our library hosted a gallery showing of elementary students' art projects.

My honey and I wandered separately around the exhibit and paused to admire and study our favorites. On our second trip around the exhibit we held hands and pointed out what we liked about our favorites. The contrast in our favorite styles allowed us to develop and understanding of how we view the world and new insight on how we experience our relationship.

While my honey was draw to those pictures closer to realism, I enjoyed the pieces showcasing the raw talent of younger artists not yet schooled in the design principles of perspective and shading. Perhaps critics would be unappreciative of these works, but an art patron is not required to satisfy others. Enjoying a piece of art is truly subjective and we should each trust personal instincts.

If you'd like to follow in our footsteps, the experience can be replicated often for free anywhere. Contact local schools to ask if they host exhibits or student work open to the public. Other possibilities are science fairs, writing competitions, band and theater group presentation. Be prepared to pay a minimal fee for some public performances to help support the arts programs in our schools.

THE END

Casserole Worthy of Romance

2009-01-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Casseroles have always been a comfort food even in times of bounty. They might have a reputation for being a plain food and not worthy of cuisine status, but most cultures boast at least one very popular casserole dish. The French enjoy cassoulet a rich stew with beans, vegetables and sausage. The Greeks, Mexicans and Italians have similar layered meat and tomato dishes; moussaka is made with eggplant, enchiladas use tortillas and lasagna has several layers of filling and noodles. Asian stir-fries or stews are served over rice to make a modified version of the casserole.

Sunday afternoons of my childhood were reserved for visiting. Often a variety of aunts, uncles and cousins gathered at my grandmother’s home for dinner. After grace, we waited patiently to pass our plates to Grammy and she would use a huge metal spoon to cut into a hot casserole and give us a big serving. We sopped up every drop of the juices with a thick slice of homemade bread. We always had plenty of filling food and through the years developed a craving for her casseroles.

I have modified my cooking to my grandmother’s skills. Her recipes were adapted to make do and those recipes have been passed down through the family. One casserole she called Seven-course-dinner consisted of seven basic ingredients, potatoes, rice, onion, green pepper, hamburger, tomato and bacon layered and baked until the bacon on top was crisp and the vegetables tender. This satisfying casserole stretches the more expensive ingredients. Though I’ve adopted a meatless diet, I still make this casserole with substitutions. When I create my own casseroles, I maintain the tradition and include at least seven ingredients.

This morning my honey and I raided the refrigerator and pantry for leftovers and other ingredients. We layered everything in the slow-cooker and added tomato juice. Then we kneaded the bread dough and formed loaves. Today is the day we spend time together twice, once to prepare and then later to share the results.

THE END

Patchwork Day

2009-01-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

A cold breeze and a wet snow made me want to stay indoors for comfort instead of venturing outside. My honey suggested reading a book together or watching a movie if I was also avoiding chores. Then I grew restless needing something interesting to do. Instead my honey pointed out the trim on my favorite towel had shrunk, the edges frayed and a threadbare spot in the cloth.

I don’t like admitting a favorite item is worn out, but he had a brilliant idea. Instead of just turning the towel into rags we could resurrect it as a bath rug. He cut away the damage and then measured the new size. We cut triangles from scrapped advertising for patterns.

Then I raided my scrap fabric to find favorite colors and cut them out. We each designed one side and then I sewed the pieces together and attached them to each side of the towel. Our project took up most of the snowy afternoon and we found a new purpose for my favorite towel as a warm cuddly cushion for damp feet after a warm shower. With two different patterns in two different colors we can flip the mat to suit our moods.

To follow our lead, check out sewing books at your local library.

THE END

Couples Tennis

2009-01-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Tennis might seem to be a sport of the elite athlete or the club member. I played tennis during my high school years and then only on occasion. The quick bursts of speed and stretching movements give a great workout. I wanted to add tennis to my workouts as a cross-training activity I could do with my honey.

A trip to the charity-run thrift store yielded two rackets at one dollar each. I dug through boxes in the shed to find the can of tennis balls left over from fifteen years ago. Tennis didn’t appear to be a bad investment so far and would be environmentally friendly with used equipment. Where to play? We found two public courts maintained by the city. Our best times to play were early on the weekends and at lunchtime during the week.

We followed all the rules of the championship game except we didn’t keep score. We figured we’d both win with a great workout. Now we understand why championship games have ball retrievers. Until we practice to the point of perfection at volleying our best exercise might be chasing the ball.

THE END

Dinner and a Documentary

2009-01-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Lentils, onions, carrots and peppers simmered all afternoon and then I added tomato paste for my version of Lentil Sloppies to be served on homemade wholegrain rolls. My slow cooker was a gift from my honey. I think he considered it an investment in future dinners. We eschewed the dining table and curled up in front of the television with our comfort good to watch a science program on the future of trash.

Researchers are thinking creatively and about long-term goals to solve the current problems associated with waste including hazardous substances. The ideal goal would be to rethink practices to reduce the amount of trash created and to find less ecologically toxic practices for manufacturing.

To envision a future without trash might defy ingrained notions of a throw away society. I believe if it can be dreamed, it can be done. Convincing regulators and the public may be the challenge. All require an investment in the future and the ability to think over a longer term. I find it romantic that my honey uses this type of forward thinking when it comes to giving me gifts.

THE END

Starting the New Year off Right

2009-01-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

Resolutions are great as long as follow through is the next step. I live by this superstition; whatever is set in motion on the first will be a driving force throughout the year. I make my New Year’s Day special instead of the eve.

I gave my honey the honor of choosing our meal. He picked homemade pizza because it’s his favorite. I made a four-way, four-person thick crust pan pizza. Four people mean four different favorite toppings. While I prepped, I made extra dough for bread too. That’s starting the year off with a promise of warm bread throughout the year and nothing is more cheering to come home to than fresh bread after an adventure.

Being an avid adventurer my other task was choosing my itinerary for the upcoming year. While I worked on that, my honey who prefers to tinker and design read science magazines for new project ideas. We alternated reading interesting blurbs to each other and connected for inspiration.

Our celebration of the New Year was less about resolutions of what we’d like to accomplish and more about brainstorming possibilities. After all nothing can be accomplished without first having a spark and then following through with a plan.

Here’s to fresh starts and enjoying pizza the way you want it and sometimes tasting something new.

THE END

Flight of the ‘Rangs

2008-12-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

We needed a wide open space to test the boomerangs we designed and built. Perhaps we were a bit optimistic about the flight capabilities, but nevertheless we chose the park and took my dog with us for a walk.

The spot we chose for flight test was in the center where we figured we could throw in two different directions, one into the slight breeze and the other one in the same direction as the wind current.

My three-winged piñata, as I christened the milk jug, yogurt container, paper-mâché boomerang, performed as I expected. It sailed great, didn’t return and hurt if it hit anyone. If I’d filled it with treats my dog would have had a good reason to sink her teeth into it. It made for a great game for as long as she wanted to fetch.

My honey’s more traditional style boomerang had wider wings, a longer wing span and the cardboard made it more rigid. On his first throw, the ‘ran soared out, made a turn and then flopped to the ground.

“That was probably a fluke, the wind caught it.” He obviously wanted a no-arguments win.

He threw in the same direction as the wind and had the same result except this time the ‘rang soared out, made the turn and came back part way before landing gracefully.

I hugged him. Yes I’m a good sport. “Your design is the clear winner for boomerang qualities.”

We took turns throwing our designs and the dog played along too. We had to call an end to the sport when my boomerang stuck up in a tree and his bent. My honey thought of design modifications. I’m betting we’ll repeat this date many times. My honey caught the design and boomerang throwing bug.

THE END

Building a Boomerang

2008-12-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

Our design date was a challenge to make a boomerang that will fly from scrap and trash. Having fund and environmental awareness can happily coexist especially when we can use items that often become trash for our projects.

My honey remarked, “This project would be easier if I could carve mine out of wood.” He made a good point and echoed some of the arguments against cleaning up our collective industrial act. Rethinking how we do things when old ways work efficiently takes time, effort and often money.

We vowed our project would only require our time and effort to have fun. We spread our materials across the living room floor: milk jugs, newspapers, pie tins, twigs and other assorted junk. Even though we were pretending this wasn’t a competition, we both knew we wanted to create a boomerang that would fly and return to us. Yes we want to win and therefore didn’t work together just observed and made occasional comments.

He worked on a design with layers of cardboard and plastic that looked like a traditional boomerang. My design is based on three blades that I hope will fly like a helicopter. We agreed I excelled at creative use of materials including a milk jug, yogurt cups, shiny-paper advertisements and a flour-water paste.

However I’m not sure my contraption will even fly; it ended up looking like a piñata, perhaps because I painted it purple with left-over paint. I expect extra kudos for using the paint because theoretically we should use up paint rather than discarding. I do have hope. I’ve watched videos of people playing with piñatas. They usually fly well and make a great weapon just like the boomerang was originally used.

What I like best about this type of date is that it happens in segments with extra time spent together. Tomorrow - the test flight.

THE END

Mwah to the World

2008-12-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

We’re making our Romance Wish list for how to spend the winter holidays. Our list of priorities includes time together, to make only tiny environmental footprints and to spread the joy of romance.

My perfect holiday means indulging in favorite foods, cuddling beside my honey to read a book, running at least three miles and then working together on a project. In spite of the commercial appeal of giving and receiving true joy comes from simple pleasures and having someone to share them with.

Our romantic theme for this holiday season is renewal. Instead of continuing with routine, we plan to evaluate home and lifestyle to find sustainable opportunities for change and excitement. For us this means learning new skills. We are compatible because we have diverse and complementary interests that intersect at our love of learning.

Our gift to our readers is sharing a list of ideas related to education and knowledge we hope you can use to enhance your own romantic moments.

Take a class together

Tour a factory, museum or public visitor center related to renewable energy, waste reclamation and resource conservation. Feel free to borrow our list or make your own based on your priorities and interests

Learn to skills to enhance personal and career goals – computer programming, public speaking, fundraising, graphic design, dancing, acting and comedy

Private Think Tank. Tackle a problem together to find a novel solution. Our first project is more fun than life-changing, we plan to scour our belongings and trash then use only those materials to design and build at least two boomerangs.

May you all have more joy and romance in your lives in the coming year!

THE END

To Tree or Not to Tree

2008-12-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

For those celebrating Noel, Yule or Christmas, the trimmed tree is considered an integral part of the celebration. I remember tromping through the snow to help choose and evergreen. My dad set it up on the three-legged stand with water trough. The family gathered to decorate it with treasured ornaments.

Often these trees end up in a landfill though environmentally friendly options exist including having a real tree recycled into mulch, buy a faux tree made of metal, plastic or man-made materials, going without a tree, substituting a facsimile wall hanging with a tree pattern or putting a living tree in a planter and then transplanting it later in the yard.

My honey and I chose a living tree this year because the branches will provide shelter for the winter birds in our yard. For our date, we went to choose the tree. Our options were fir, spruce, cedar, pine and sequoia. The choice depended on the destination. We finally settled on a spruce and we decided to not even set it up in the house for the holidays.

Just because tradition dictates putting gifts under the tree doesn’t mean either the gifts or the tree are absolutes. My honey thought the tree was enough of a gift because we would get joy from it all year. We’ll be able to watch our tree grow along with our relationship and we will enjoy the birds’ antics. The birds will celebrate the season in style because we also brought home twenty-five pounds of birdseed.

THE END

Good Deed Leads to Decadent Treats

2008-12-13T11:42:00.001-08:00

Local ordinances in most urban areas dictate sidewalks must be free of snow within 24 hours after a snowstorm. Local papers post regular notices reminding people of this responsibility. On my street some people choose to ignore the duty, others are unable to fulfill the obligation because of health reasons.

I decided if I can do the job with my shovel, I’m being environmentally friendly and saving the several elderly and disabled people on my street from possibly being ticketed. Shoveling down one sidewalk to the stop sign and them making the return trip on the other side of the street doesn’t take long. Bonus, my fitness factor improves and as a side-effect improves romance too.

Being a good neighbor doesn’t count as a romantic activity, well it might for some, but I’m only interested in romance with my honey. I asked him to join me. Who knew competition was just what we needed as a pre-date warm-up.

“Race you to the end of the block.” He issued the challenge.

I had my shovel poised and made the first scoop before agreeing. “You’re on.”

Half way down the street one neighbor wandered over to me. “Why are you shoveling everyone’s sidewalk?”

“Not everyone is able to, but I am so why not?”

“That’s good of you.”

While he stopped me to chat, my honey was getting ahead. “Look, I’m not trying to be rude but we’re racing and I’d like to win.”

The older man chuckled and let me go. “Give him a run for the prize.”

“You bet.” My short break gave me an energy burst and I flung snow faster than before.

That neighbor let some other neighbors know what that freaky-exercise-fanatic enviro-health nut neighbor was up to now. Not often do dates become spectator sports except on my street. Neighbors came out with shoves to pitch in and some just cheered us on.

With just two more front yards to clear, we were in a dead heat. I put my shovel point at an angle and ran to the end of the street with now flying like from a snowplow and then turned around to run back in the other direction.

My sidewalk was clean and maybe I must barely edged ahead. My honey hugged me. We would have been happy with the ‘thank yous’ but one of the neighbors offered tea and sweets. Always a good reason to share some time with others.

THE END

You Tingle My Toes

2008-12-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

My honey detests the term metrosexual, but enjoys pedicures. Especially if that massage is based on reflexology to hit the pressure points associated with healing or fitness of various organs of the body.

I’m glad neither of us have ticklish feet because at the end of a work week nothing is quite as relaxing. Even though I’ve spend a day at the spa for rejuvenation with a friend and we had a good time side by side in the massage chairs at the spa. I wasn’t sure if giving each other a foot massage would classify as a date.

I have to give a qualified yes. This can be a great romantic activity as long as both partners give and receive. Our shared version of the pedicure and massage started with a nice warm foot soak, massage with scented oils and reflexology by using a foot chart from a self-help book I checked out from the library.

Instead of one of us getting the works first followed by the other, we shared a tub of steaming water, perfect for playing footsies. Then we took turns with the massages. The floor of the den worked great with towels to protect from drips, the fireplace on to keep us toasty warm and lots of pillows to prop us into the perfect position for having our feet rubbed at the same time.

We fended the evening with mint lemonade and some spa type food. I made chipotle hummus to be served with cucumber rounds and miso soup. He made a grilled vegetable Panini ahead of time and let the flavors meld until we were ready. Life just felt a little fresher and truly combined relaxing and energizing.

THE END

I Like My Photography with Passion

2008-12-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

My digital camera means I don’t have to print or even save photos I don’t like when I’m editing. When I extol the virtues of my more environmentally friendly choice, my honey’s eyes glaze and his head tilts to the side. My honey doesn’t share my love of photography though on occasion he uses the camera function on his cell phone to preserve a memory. He supports my passion though and one morning he offered to act as guide and site locator for a nature photo shoot.

When we arrived at the fairgrounds/recreation area just before dawn, the moon stood out in white contrast against an inky backdrop peppered with stars. I took a couple shots and we headed off on the path winding around the edge of the golf course. He pointed out the fishing ponds and the people fly fishing in colorful gear. It would have made a nice contrast picture but it wasn’t the nature I sought.

The sun rose while we walked. Canadian geese landed in the pond. He pointed out mud puddles reflecting the sunrise and trees. As the light grew brighter, wild flowers painted the hills in shades of pink, yellow and purple. I found plenty of elements to photograph except for a perfect shot of the ponds. While I wandered beside a swampy area snapping pictures of bugs, he scouted other trails.

“Hey babe, you have to see this.” He beckoned me deeper along a path into a canopy of trees.

I expected a beautiful view. Instead he held my hand while we crossed a natural bridge over the inlet of a stream to the other side where a willow created a green bower. He pulled me in under the branches, held me close and kissed me. The dilemma with photography is finding a way to capture the magic of that moment in an image.

THE END

We Woke up to a Snowy Day

2008-12-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Nature provides some naturally fun toys. Fluffy flakes and mild temperatures create perfect sticky snow conditions for building snow sculptures. Bundled up in thermal outerwear with gloves and hats my honey and I ventured out into the snow to play instead of getting straight to work.

My first attempt to roll a ball resulted in some clumping, but not enough accumulation to make a snowman. The snow wasn't yet damp enough to pack well. Time for some old-fashioned ingenuity. I flopped flat on my back and swung my arms and legs back and forth to create the indentation of a snow angel. Then I raided the kitchen for blows and molds to create snow blocks and a squirt bottle with water to help with the stickiness.

We piled blocks one on top of the other like laying masonry and the still falling snow was more wet to make an ideal mortar. My honey formed a small fort and I stacked the snow almost four feet tall to make a tomten (a Scandinavian elf that helps with chores and has a special affinity for animals). I used a garden trowel to carve the pointy hat, facial features including a beard and carved one arm raided to wave Hello. We neither helped each other or competed.

"Can you pass me the big bowl?"

"May I use the trowel?"

We worked side-by-side in companionship. He finished first and went indoors to make cocoa. I used the extra time to make a snow puppy to keep the tomten company. My honey came back outside, wrapped his arms around me and rubbed our noses together in what people call an Eskimo kiss. He charmed me to catch me off-guard long enough to rub a handful of snow in my face. Oh my, I wasn't taking that without a snowball fight.

Once thoroughly soaked and starting to chill we went inside to change into something warm and dry and sip the cocoa he made with cinnamon. Aren't the best dates really just a good excuse to cuddle anyway?

THE END

To Be Thankful Together

2008-12-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Oh the dilemma, with our families living over a thousand miles away we had to deal with travel questions. Should I spend the money to travel to my parents for a long weekend? Does Thanksgiving or any holiday require visiting family? Will we do any permanent damage to relationships by choosing to spend the holiday the way we want? Are the additional emissions from travel worth the trip?

Admittedly every decision doesn’t justify pulling out the environmentally friendly argument, but for many of us it is part of the equation. My honey made the best argument for staying home. “Being thankful can be done with any kind of family, eve one created just for the occasion.”

Together we mulled over the traditions while we enjoyed mugs of hot cider and decided to pick and choose for our special holiday. I refused to cook a turkey; traditions don’t mean I have to stop being a vegetarian. My menu was stuffed seitan roast, sautéed potatoes O’Brien, curried cabbage and apples, lemony garlic green beans and cranberry sauce. Fort the table full of pies too, I made dark chocolate molasses brownies to be served a la mode as guests preferred.

Our family became those friend we share many things with and new acquaintances who could use a new family for the holiday. We didn’t forget our relatives with phone calls to let them know we care. We dreaded hearing criticism and the ultimate question. “When are you coming home?” Instead they just told us they missed us.

Cuddled up after the holiday we discussed the odd thing about holidays; that delicate balance of family politics. Family expects blood relations to trump a date, lover or friends. Instead of releasing everyone to enjoy the day as they wish, tradition seems to dictate following outmoded social rules, traveling farther than prudent, eating more than it healthy of foods that aren’t necessarily favorites and pretending to be thankful for thing that aren’t a part of our daily lives just to make others happy.

We agreed. There is nothing inherently wrong with tradition unless for the sake of custom we sacrifice ideals and goals we care about. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to spend time with someone who shares similar values.

THE END

Lawn Bowling Tournament

2008-11-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

My honey’s favorite pastime is lawn blowing. In some cultures this is a social event. The men like to drink, joke and participate in good natured odds making; they enjoy the camaraderie while the wives or girlfriends watch, chat and sometimes participate.

Before I played, as a date I rated it low on the scale of spending time with someone I care about. Turns out I was wrong. A social date is similar to interval training; I enjoyed short spurts of heart thumping romance when he put his arms around me to demonstrate the perfect technique for throwing the ball or when his eyes sought mine to give me a silent message.

He teased me into a game, his skill against my beginners’ luck. I have just one rule, he can’t be so condescending to just let me win. No matter how frustrated I become to work for it or it’s just not exciting. His friends joined the action by saying I would win and trying to break his concentration. I didn’t have anything to prove except that I could become a worthy opponent.

He tossed out the ball-bearing sized ball and I stepped to the line holding a yellow grapefruit-sized ball. I tossed it trying to get it to land as close to the smaller ball as possible. The trick is to use physics to an advantage, minimize rolling and maximize friction. I landed eight inches away. Good, but not great.

He needed to land closer or hit my ball or the smaller ball way. He tossed a green ball and it rolled to snuggle up to the target. Since his throw would be the last in the round, he had the advantage. My chance was to move his ball away from the target. My aim was good and his ball rolled off the court and mine stayed near the target. His turn; he had no choice except getting rid of my ball. Smack. My ball flew off the court.

His friends congratulated him. I couldn’t resist a jab. “Maybe if it wasn’t ladies first I would have won.” I issued the challenge, he accepted. During the game, I learned how to use two balls for strategy because that’s how he won again.

He left me no choice. I had to cheat. By distracting him I won one round. Not to be outdone all the women joined in. A sustainable relationship benefits from the village and a little (ahem) friendly competition can be quite romantic.

THE END

Sharing a Date with Nursing Home Residents

2008-11-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hailing from a military lineage of service to this country, I enjoy spending time with veterans. When we go to a nursing home, my honey plays the guitar and sings some of the residents’ favorite songs; I encourage the residents to talk about their lives and I listen. These men and women reminisce and share stories. One gentleman adopted me for almost an hour. He’d ask me questions about my love and compare places we’ve been to find similarities.

A person doesn’t need to approve o war to respect veterans. To simply forget or disregard the time and effort expended in serving our country is to diminish a part of who a person is. Not to be outdone, one of the ladies at my table said she never served in the military but she helped with morale during WWII. With a teasing twinkle in her eye she told me, “I’m in a wheelchair today because I would go to the dances and dance until the music ended just to remind the boys to come home.” Then she danced to celebrate the end of the war.

Veterans need to feel special and not just on one or two days of remembrance during the year. Some would rather forget things they’ve experienced. Some brag about mischief perpetrated and voice pride at having been in a certain place during a historic moment. Most are humble when thanked for service to country.

On the way home, my honey and I extended our joy by swapping stories to relive the visit. Friends and foes are all humans caught on opposing sides of ideology. When the conflict is over, each person deserves the opportunity to tell his or her story and to be listened to and respected.

THE END

For the Love of a Peacock Round-up

2008-11-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Animal shelters and sanctuaries run under not-for-profit status face issues beyond just surviving budget crises caused by relying on donations; they may not be able to afford enough staff to meet work needs. Animals require a lot of daily care: fresh bedding, stalls or habitats cleaned, regular feeding, exercise and health/medical care. Being short staffed doesn’t leave a lot of extra time for fence and structure repair, filling potholes in roads and servicing equipment.

We chose to volunteer at a small local shelter one weekend. Our chores for the day allowed us to work side-by-side. Hot dusty work is always easier with companionship. Unfortunately I’m always the true story behind a joke. One of the pigs saw me as a novice to break in or just bruise if possible.

When I carried the bucket to fill his water dish into his stall, he crowed me against the wood slats and held me there before easing away just far enough for me to feel safe. He ran toward the water dish, so I thought Buddy was just eager for a drink. Nope. He rushed me, caught my left leg and knocked me over. Slosh. Water covered me from visor cap to muddy jeans. My honey laughed until buddy turned toward him.

Four o’clock in the afternoon came way too quickly for the owners. “Would you mind staying a few more minutes? If all of us work together, we should be able to move the peacocks to their new pen.”

These peacocks did not walk docile in single file to their new digs. Two strutted with fans spread wide as models showing off the latest fashion, forward and then turned to go backstage in the first pen. AHHH! The other two took off in opposite directions and needed to be chased down and encouraged to return by flapping towels. With two people in charge of the gates we still left it open and let one escape back into the yard. Forty-five minutes later, ten people managed to her four peacocks into their new pen.

We ended up sweaty, grimy and exhausted and we loved it. That was just one day. The owners do similar chores every day and still must find time for administrative and fundraising duties. They need volunteers. To help, call local shelters and sanctuaries to ask about volunteer opportunities or to donate money or supplies. They need help year round so put your money or time to back up your values.

THE END

Concert in the Park

2008-11-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

Parks were once a convivial place where people could meet, chat, buy trinkets and enjoy food. A festive occasion with music, kids running around dancing and the family pets sniffing around for abandoned morsels. Concerts in the park revive community spirit to rival the medieval square is sponsored by the cultural districts and other sponsors with. Some are more organized than others with more festivities and some focus on just just the concert.

This means bringing blankets, pillows, lawn chairs, a picnic lunch, perhaps a flying disk or ball to keep the kids and dogs busy and a crank-up flashlight to add magic to the darkness. People arrive early to stake out their territory by placing a blanket on the ground or lawn chairs and relying on the honor system to ensure the claimed space is saved for the concert.

On the last Friday in August, the climax and last breath of the concerts in the park season, one couple arrived with beach chairs, a table and a cooler filled with wine, cheese, crackers and fruit. A man set up a stand and strung a double hammock with pillows. My honey and I brought our folding loveseat and an extra large quilt.

I made a vegan Panini sandwich with almond spread, fresh tomatoes and basil, sautéed squash, onions and eggplant. To drink I put my mint limonada (think fresh squeezed limeade or a mojito sans alcohol) in a thermos. With cloth napkins and glass tumblers we could have been dining at a fine restaurant if that restaurant surrounded each table with live entertainment.

So maybe it wasn’t stare-into-each-others’-eyes and absorb glowing love romance; it was better with vibrant energy, the approval of the community and a chance to huddle (I mean snuggle) together under the quilt when the temperature dropped as soon as the sun slid behind the rocky crags presiding over the park. He put his arm around me. Romance benefits from a community for nurturing.

THE END

How Much Can We Adapt

2008-11-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

To find a little culture and a lot of nature, we went to the Saguaro National Park to the west of Tucson to view the petroglyphs and pictographs left by earlier inhabitants. We followed the deeply rutted unpaved dirt track in our tiny 4-WD to find the parking are where we could park and take the short hike on the designated trail to Signal Hill to view the pictures.

We took many pictures of the swirls, animal stick figures, wheels and other patterns either carved into the rock or painted on. The white contrasted the brown of the stone. We planned ahead to arrive early enough in the day to avoid the worst of the heat. People around us complained how hot the desert was and about the lack of shade.

The desert is all about contrasts; searing days, frigid nights, minimal water and still thriving and abundant life. Taking lessons from desert dwellers could be a good lesson in adaptability. Instead of forcing a natural habitat to us as humans, we need to learn the techniques for adapting to our environment. We must conserve resources, know survival techniques for making the most of water and food and to modify our activity to appropriate times of the day.

Climate change is seen in the history of the desert southwest which has at various times been a lush natural and agricultural oasis with plentiful water. Native people flourished and when conditions became tougher with climate changes they abandoned the area to those who could adapt.

THE END

Etiquette for Striking Out a Date

2008-11-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

A friendly game of softball remains a great pastime and is environmentally friendly. We called friends for a five gal-five guy just enough to field the bases, a pitcher and a catcher for a Friday evening multiple date. We might have learned the sport in elementary school or earlier, but all of us were out of practice; most of us hadn’t played for at least five years and some as many as fifteen or twenty years.

We dug our old gloves from storage, rounded up a couple of bats (not one of has had a lucky bat or cared about weight, length or balance) and two scuffed regulation size softballs. Dare we play gals against guys? You bet.

My honey pitched for his team and when it was my turn to bat he motioned for his team to move closer. No way had he expected me to hit a homer. I admit I’d have bet against me even getting a hit. His first pitch was slow and gentle. “Strike One!”

He gave me every chance to hit an easy ball, but the timing threw me off. “Just pitch as if I were a guy.”

He held the bridge of his nose. My guess is he was considering the wisdom of striking me out. He made up his mind; this would only be the second strike anyway. He threw a fast ball; he’d never played softball only baseball. I swung and nicked it, a foul ball popped up in the air backwards and hit the backboard. The catcher missed it. I wasn’t out, just “Strike Two!”

I didn’t care about statistics, I’d at least connected bat to ball. He pitched and I hit the ball just hard enough toward left field to run and touch safe on first base. We played until we called the game because of darkness. The guys won bragging rights. Like any other game there was some good game butt slapping and a stolen kiss or two. We love old-fashioned dating because we had fun without damaging our budget or the environment.

THE END

If it Tastes like Olive Oil

2008-11-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

I love presentations because of the element of interaction impossible to duplicate by a recorded show. While my honey and I are not always in agreement about topics, we respect each other enough to attempt to learn about each other's interests. My hobby and one of my former careers is cooking/recipe developer. Since he prefers to have me cook and might even be a little intimidated by the kitchen, he held my hand for protection when we walked into the library conference room for an olive oil presentation and tasting.

Arriving early is essential to ensuring a good seat. I like the first or second rows. People crowded in around us, some couples, some family and a few groups of friends on an outing. The temperature in the room rose and I got comfortable by taking off my cardigan. The presenter started right away.

She gave an outline of her talk and told us at what point she would answer questions. We learned about the types of olives, producing regions and climates where olives thrive, harvesting and processing to ensure a fruity tasting oil or blending to make a standardized product. She covered health benefits and how to choose an olive oil based on personal taste.

We learned facts and anecdotes we hadn't known. Most of the audience was impatient for the tasting portion when we would sample six different oils from various countries and two balsamic vinegars. The moment she invited people to taste, a rush to get in line resulted in a couple of overturned chairs, trampled feet and many hands grabbing for bread cubes. Some people would hold up the bottle and exclaim about the attributes we had just learned.

My honey and I held back and chatted. We weren't in any hurry because three of the companies had provided sample sizes we could take home (in glass bottles for easy recycling). Our turn came just as the bread was running out. We each got three large cubes we broke into smaller chunks to dip in the different oils and experience the flavor variations. The old saying that two people who spend a lot of time together develop similar tastes is correct. We chose the same olive oil as our favorite. That evening for dinner, we had fine quality olive oil samples to drizzle on our salads.

THE END

Love in the Falling Leaves

2008-10-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Those trees that provide shade during summer give free material for compost in the autumn. Unfortunately, my trees are unable to place the leaves in the right spot.

Leaf raking might not sound like much of a date, but if it must be done I intend to have fun doing it. My honey prepared the rakes and wheelbarrow. My dog wandered across the law and collected leaves in her fur. I put mulled cider in the slow cooker and made pumpkin scones.

The sun was warm, no wind blew, the temperature held at a balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The pile of leaves grew on the front lawn until it was so large I was tempted to jump in like a kid. I contemplated whether it would seem immature and silly. Absolutely not; enjoying life as it comes is essential.

I fell backward and wiggled my arms to burrow deeper. My dog joined in by jumping on top of me, yipping and then licking my face. More leaves flew to cover us. My honey scooped them into the air and let them fall. The dog jumped out and tried to catch the leaves. Even with time out for fun, the leaves ended up in the compost pile and we took time to relax.

My honey proposed a toast with a cup of warm cider. "To fertile imaginations and the soil that gives them life."

I never would have guessed raking leaves could be so romantic. My new appreciation for trees goes beyond their contribution to cleaner air, shade, windbreak and all those attributes that make planting more good for the environment. Trees are a living metaphor for growing love.

THE END

Browsing Leads to Future Fun

2008-10-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

The outdoor sports supply stores of my youth were very different from what can be found now. Back then I tagged along with my parents to pick up hiking essentials. My recent visit to the REI flagship store along the Platte River in Denver was an awesome experience. My honey and I went there to plan our activities and find out what is available to update our gear.

We walked into the store and saw the Pinnacle, the freestanding climbing wall. The climbing wall looks like the cliffs along the Front Range. Once my honey managed to pull me away from watching the climbers, I enjoyed looking at all the new products for hiking. Technology has made gear lighter in weight and more efficient. The wall designated for foods for hiking amazed me. These aren't the old rations; I even found a vegan/vegetarian line of products available.

My honey wanted to look at the ski equipment and winter gear. We thought that just having some of these products would make survival enjoyable. I especially liked discovering that we could get topographical maps printed on demand for the specific area we wanted to hike.

I haven't been on any long back country hikes for a while. I'd like to think I'm up to the challenge after some practice day and overnight hikes. And I love the on purpose getting lost to find my way out through orienteering. I'm going to enjoy these even more with a partner I love if the excitement generated by our planning is any indication.

We also enjoyed finding labels that showed a company was at least working on being environmentally friendly. We found numerous options including clothing made from recycled soda bottles, a commitment to reduced paper tag labeling and companies committed to self-recycling products if I manage to wear them out. We found organic treats for my dog and a recyclable chew toy.

Now I've always thought that hikers and other active-outdoor-sports enthusiast hold a greater respect for the environment though I have seen some evidence to the contrary. The books and gear designed for the pack-it-in-pack-it-out create minimal impact lifestyle groups make me proud to have been raised a granola-head. I'm going to enjoy introducing my honey to my favorite sport of hiking and I'm looking forward to having him share skiing with me.

THE END

Alternative Transport: Biker Friendly?

2008-10-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Getting to a date or appointment using alternative transportation requires commitment, daring and in some areas a rebellious soul willing to put life and limb in peril for defying the automobile culture. Biking to work, biking to a date, biking doesn't use fossil fuel or create carbon emissions. I love my bike and used it as my chief transportation during graduate school for my 6-mile-one-way commute.

Tucson, Arizona has bike lanes and is a very positive environment for bikers. Unfortunately I'm not in Tucson any longer. I am geographically challenged for biking because I live thirty miles from a big city and nine miles from a small city. I don't bike every day, but even in cold weather I make an effort to use my bicycle as much as possible.

Even when the law demands sharing the road with bikers, automobile drivers see bikes as a nuisance. I advocate that bikers must obey the laws of the road - stop at stop signs, obey traffic lights and drive defensively.

I recently used my bike to meet for a presentation on organic olive oil. When I was putting on my helmet and preparing to leave, a man walked up to me. "You do know the price of fuel is dropping so you don't have to bike to save money."

As if the cost of fuel makes it OK to use more fossil fuel. I didn't feel like having to defend my right to choose to bike though. "As long as I bike I'm healthier and the size of my clothing doesn't go up." So, maybe I didn't play fair by verbally assaulting his spare tire, but sometimes well-meaning advice just makes me rebel more.

Biking is a viable option for alternative transportation. Until our culture relies less on automobiles though, anyone making the choice will either find the need to defend the choice, ignore the critics or get out there and promote biking as excellent alternative transportation.

THE END

Friends with Meal Benefits

2008-10-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

A creative solution for preparing casseroles and not ending up having to eat the same dish every night for a week is to share with others. For the price of a casserole or two, I get a variety of different meals for the week.

We started with four people to gain at least four days worth of meals. Each person must bring a casserole that will serve four to six people, meaning couples are welcome as long as they bring two dishes. Every participant is also responsible for providing their single-serve containers or packing multiple meals back in the one casserole dish. To enhance the fun, we've tried this with desserts too.

The host can ensure that meals meet standards (vegetarian or tweaked to accommodate allergies). Each person should bring the recipe or at least a list of all ingredients. One way to coordinate this is to have each person choose two options and then email to all participants and let them vote on preference and provide information on food allergies.

Everyone comes to the host location with a casserole ready to bake or one already made. Some people prefer to do the cooking on-site and have friends act as sous chefs. At the party, the host has snacks or meals to offer. Spending time with friends, having fun and celebrating food are the highlight of the evening. When I dig out a meal during the week I have two benefits, reminiscing about time with people I care about and enjoying a meal I just had to warm up.

THE END

Help thy Neighbors Prepare for Winter

2008-10-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Nostalgia for the good old days is double-edged; on one side I get that warm help-your-neighbor glow and from the other side I get that icy strained-muscle-rather-stay-in-bed ache. I'd read about barn raisings and quilting bees. I believe in the ideal of neighbors joining together to finish a project is what this county should still stand for, though this past weekend strained my zeal.

I was volunteered to split and stack firewood. Notice the passive voice; this was not an active decision by me. I'm all for using firewood for heating in a responsible manner because wood is a renewable resource and with improving technology is becoming cleaner burning. The reason for the firewood project involved clean up of dead trees from pine beetle infestation. The trees came from my friend's lot in the mountains.

In two weekends, he'd piled enough blocks to make six cords of wood, imagine the floor space of my two-bedroom, one-bath home with living room, kitchen, dining room and sun porch covered with wood one block deep. The odds of my friend burning that much wood in one winter when he already had his winter's wood were unlikely. Therefore, the neighbors benefited.

I spent my weekend filling a wheelbarrow with split pine, dumping it at the new location and stacking it into squared off stacks. These pieces of wood should never match, like putting together a puzzle by dropping the pieces on a table, mashing them a few times with a rolling pin until they made a solid mat and calling the project a success.

My friend said he wouldn't do the project without me because of my stacking ability. Never again should I admit to experience of this sort. The temperature hovered at 40 degrees Fahrenheit all weekend. Basking in performing a good deed doesn't warm quite the same as backing up to a wood stove, but it does build character.

THE END

Silent Bonding or Just a Good Massage

2008-10-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Just because a person is trying to be environmentally friendly and striving to leave only footprints doesn’t mean she must sacrifice all pampering for the sake of the environment. I love the meeting of nature and massage for an eco-friendly date.

One Saturday afternoon, in the dappled shade of an oak beside a pond, my honey and I settled on mats with large cotton towels and blankets for comfort. The warmth made me sleepy. My eyes closed, I didn’t want to miss a moment of the massage though. If I fell asleep I would miss out on the experience. My honey squeezed my hand in silent communication.

While the two massage therapists worked the stress from our muscles, I enjoyed the feel of warm oil and the gentle flow of hands over skin to melt away the stress. The special oil had mint in it and when it was rubbed into my scalp, all my cares disappeared. I breathed easier and inhaled the tangy scent blending with the freshness of the air.

We didn’t speak to keep the moment pure. In touch with our inner feelings and the opportunity to become with nature, just human animals listening to the chirping of the crickets, a lazy sound dependent on air temperature. The buzz of other insects, the plop-swish made by frogs moving into the pond and the tiny dollop-dimple sound of the water skating bugs in preparation for the first glide across the pond.

This was a moment of idyllic quiet before we return to our daily lives. I was surprised that four people could be so silent as to not mar nature by sound. Each person lost in private thoughts and still joined in a special oneness that cannot be duplicated, a unique moment becoming part of the continuum.

THE END

Treasure to be Found in a Book Barn

2008-10-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Of course I wanted to spend a Saturday morning wandering through the stalls of a barn. Especially when the proprietor admitted he didn’t have a clue where to find certain books. I was here by invitation because my date knew I treasured all books. The hard to find and long out of print books are my favorite.

Somewhere in this would-be attic was a treasure waiting to be discovered. The problem was reading every title. I took the ladder to the hayloft and looked down at the stalls. From that height I couldn’t determine which stalls held which subjects.

My date sat in a rocking chair with an oversize book of photographs on his lap and one of those old fashioned viewers he could use to look at special postcards giving the illusion of three-dimensions. He looked up at me and grinned. I waved and blew him a kiss.

From somewhere one golden strand of hay fluttered into my hair and pricked me when I reached up to remove it. Back on the ground floor, I tripped on one of the loose planks and landed on my seat in front of a bookcase. Right there I saw a large brown cover with gold illuminated letters on the cover. The book was a complete works of Shakespeare and had been printed in the first decade of the twentieth century.

This was the treasure I couldn’t bear to put back on the shelf. While I didn’t have competition from other customers for this book, I decided to pay right away. The owner directed me to the back yard where his daughter had a lemonade stand. I bought two cups before joining my date. He’d brought me to the right place and the wrong place. I wanted to bring home every book. I praised the owner for rescuing so many books from becoming trash. I didn’t want to leave.

THE END

Romance Goes Berry Pickin'

2008-10-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sunlight made the dew on the maple leaves glisten when I parked in the shade. The parking lot at the organic pick-your-own farm was filled with fossil fuel gorging SUVs. The strawberries and raspberries were a big draw for parents from the city.

The owner met us at the back door of the barn turned fruit and vegetable stand. She handed us each a cardboard box. "Take as many cartons as you want to fill."

The cardboard box had a famous soup label on it and the cartons were made of pressed paperboard. So far, so good.

She pointed. "you can pick in the farthest three rows for raspberries and we're picking in the strawberry field to the right."

We thanked her and started to walk to the field.

"Wait."

We turned around.

"If you'd like, hop on the haywagon and we'll take you to the field."

The hayrides seemed popular with the kids; all I could think was itchy hay sticking in my hair and to my clothes. Too many memories from childhood. Fortunately my date was up for a walk too and I could avoid the tractor fumes.

While we picked to fill the cartons, we sampled a few berries direct from the vines. Nothing like going right to the source and pesticide free too. Yum! We picked enough berries for me to freeze several containers for winter.

Back at the farm stand, the cashier rang up our purchases. This date cost as much as a vegetarian dinner for two and a movie. We gained scratches from the thorns in the raspberry bushes. I sunburned my nose because the brim of my hat wasn't wide enough. We witnessed city children learning where food comes from and the work involved. Together we learned we share similar values. I have a winter's worth of fresh frozen organic strawberries - can't put a dollar amount on that kind of value. Oh wait, they could, $48.34.

THE END

Light or Dark Coffee

2008-10-02T09:05:00.001-07:00

I need to always be prepared by carrying a reusable mug in my briefcase. An unexpected invitation to go for a cup of coffee meant I entered a whole new world of the ubiquitous coffee shop. Where have I been the past fifteen years that I didn’t even know how to order a cup of coffee?

The barista approached. “What can I get you?”

I had been looking at the menu board and experienced a moment of confusion. “All I really want is a plain cup of coffee.

“Light or dark?” The man took pity on the poor ignorant granola head who hadn’t yet caught up with modern culture.

“Dark!”

“Should I leave room for milk or cream?”

Oh no. I really am odd. “No thanks, just hot, dark and strong.” I was talking about the coffee, really not men. OK, so I like my men the same way. I felt guilty holding the disposable cup, like my environmental friends would set the recycle patrol on me. At least the cup was made of recycled pre-consumer paper.

In theory, I knew about coffee shop culture, philosophers and intelligentsia in Europe throughout the twentieth century met in coffee shops and shared thoughts. The modern coffee shop seems to be taken over by writers using laptops sitting at tables alone. I had hoped for sharing ideas etch and my coffee companion proved to be interesting.

He brought up themes to discuss and the conversation ranged from discussion of careers to business, books and then the dangerous territory of politics. In terms of compatibility I’m not sure if a dark straight-up coffee drinker has much in common with an iced mocha latté with extra whipped cream.

The nice thing about opposites is combining strengths. The one topic we didn’t discuss was the environment. The coffee shop embraced recycling and provided an aura of being good for the environment and supports fair trade practices. Next time I’ll make the experience even better by taking my own cup.

One. Two. Want to Paddle my Canoe?

2008-09-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Water reflected back images of the sky and two people gliding across the surface in a wooden canoe. Early morning silence broken only by loons diving, frogs attempting to mate in the swamp and my date. "Look, there's a moose with a calf wading along the edge."

This was an activity I loved. My parents had taken me canoeing often when I was little. I love the smooth motion, the silent speed and being able to look down into the clear water and feel like I'm flying above a whole different world.

My honey and I could combine adventure with exercise and a picnic. The food had been my idea and I packed two different salads, a loaf of bread and my favorite vegan chocolate tofu cake topped with cherries.

Halfway around the lake, he gestured toward a sand bar. We paddled to it and pulled the canoe out of the water. My quilt was perfect for spreading out the meal. I'm glad I brought a pillow too because I fell asleep from the combination of fresh air, exercise and being sated.

We woke in time to paddle the rest of the way around the lake before dark and enjoy the pinks, reds and purples of the sunset. If not for sharing the late afternoon lake with water skiers, people fishing and the huge party barges filled with revelers, we might have felt like explorers on an expedition of discovery.

THE END

Off the Hook

2008-09-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

An outdoor guy is not necessarily compatible with an environmentally friendly woman. I said yes to the date before I knew I’d be going ice fishing. My first thought was ‘No! No!’ My second thought was, ‘I’ll never be warm again.’ I refused to get a fishing license because I didn't plan to do more than watch.

My date told me to wear layers because by lunchtime it would be pretty warm. He picked me up before daylight on a Sunday morning with a four-wheel-drive pickup towing a snowmobile trailer. We drove forty miles to the lake where he had his fishing shack and parked on the ice. He had to reassure me several times that it was safe.

I sat behind him on the snowmobile to reach the wood building the size of a garden shed with a metal chimney sticking out of the roof. He made four more trips for gear and food before he started a fire in the wood stove. He achieved very little heat in relation to the smoke billowing from the pipe. I refused to stay inside a building that felt more like a meat locker and escaped outdoors where the temperature in the high-teens was a heatwave.

I watched him bait the hooks with smelt. Who knew smaller fish would entice bigger fish - cannibals. This date was a mistake, but he was proud to be introducing me to a great outdoor sport of watching for flags to pop up indicating a fish was on the hook. Nothing all morning. He jumped on the sled to drive a few hundred yard to visit someone at another shack. I was ready to go home and then I learned we'd be there until dark. I was imprisoned on a block of ice hoping to see a flag waving in the air to indicate a pending execution. I don't even eat fish.

Late afternoon a flag waved. He grabbed the line, reeled it in and saw the fish inside the hole. "It's a big one." The fish flicked its tail just right, dislodged the hook and dove deep beneath the ice. My date yelled and thrust his arm deep into the freezing water to try to catch it with his hand. Home please. I followed the fish's lead; off the hook and swimming away.

THE END

Board Games by Candlelight

2008-09-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

We decided to stay in on Sunday night, play a board game and flirt by candlelight (yeah, energy savings and romance). The problem might be the game; I hardly ever follow the rules as written. While this is no surprise to people who know me, strangers wonder how I play games. At the consignment store, I bought a combination checkers, chess and backgammon game for a quarter. Surprise all the pieces were still intact as was the pristine rule book.

My problem with playing games with new people is that I am an overly competitive person who lives by a mantra ‘what good is playing if not to win’. I know better than scare off my honey by playing by the rules as written. I’d end up clobbering him in retaliation for taking one of my game pieces.

What to do? Rewrite the rules of course. In choosing to live my life in as sustainable way as possible, I know about cooperation. So, we started with backgammon; the dice are the luck of the draw and random chance is acceptable. Placement of the pieces according to the rules is fair and equitable. The possibility of hindering the opponent from moving by either blocking the section or removing pieces occupying a space all alone wouldn’t work for me. This mean singles could be treated with disrespect and shoved aside just for being single.

Perhaps as a game strategy the rule would make the game for interesting and increase competition. As an ethic, the rule allows for profiling and discrimination. We threw out the rule along with the rule of no sharing spaces between the two colors. I thought it discouraged companionship and the new rule was sharing if fine as long as total capacity wasn’t exceeded.

We didn’t ruin the game because we nipped my competitive streak before it could turn into a battle. I lost and I cheered his win because it was almost like I had a share in his victory. Since spending time together, sharing and bonding were the goals, we didn’t get bored with the new rules. And we discovered we work together well.

THE END

Down by the River

2008-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

The right enviro-friendly person for me is willing to dress up in shabbiest clothes and brave mosquitoes, sun exposure and other people's garbage. The meet up place for the river clean-up project was right on the exercise path to make it easy for those of us who commute more simply whenever possible.

My date and I were provided a bag designated for recyclables (cans, plastic bottles), a pair of work gloves with no-slip grips and two additional bags for trash. We were assigned a section of the riverbank to work as a team of two to clean up debris and detritus.

The reason we signed on was the opportunity to do something positive for the environment together. And from what we picked up we really did help the miniscule area assigned to us. We found so many beverage containers, we had to flag down the support crew for a second recyclable bag and to ask where to put the scrap metal and automobile tires we found dumped near the dam. The most common item we found though was the plastic shopping bag in various forms from shredded and stuck in flood remnants to filled with sand or just carried on the breeze.

The call for volunteers had encouraged kids' groups and others to join for a wholesome activity or educational experience. I'm all for fostering life long volunteering and starting early with environmental awareness, though we saw a few individuals use the event to walk along the path and point out trash without picking it up. I suspect the post-cleanup pizza party had been the major draw.

My date and I agreed, we signed up to work and that meant ruin-our-already-worn-out-clothing hard labor and make a real difference. Just because we volunteered didn't mean we had a right to slack off. Our reward was the pizza (from a local entrepreneur) and natural soda (served in the can to join the other recyclables). We also had a chance to visit with the staff members of the water reclamation district and learn about what our city was doing to conserve and reuse water.

THE END

Sharing Clean Laundry

2008-09-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

Why should being single mean I couldn't have the marital bonus of efficient laundry; just tossing our clothes together to make a full load? Environmentally friendly doesn't have to be politically correct.

A laundry date shows compatibility and if it doesn't work out at least clean clothes are gained. I've been teased that sharing laundry is too intimate. I figure if a relationship is going to work, might as well not invest too much energy in figuring out if I want my clothes mixed with his on a more permanent basis. The bonus is knowing for future reference he's capable and willing to share laundry duty.

Spare change is a valuable asset and is best reserved for laundry evening. My honey even makes frugality positive. Pride tinges his voice and he stands up a little straighter when he tells me I am a cheap date. For laundry evening, we pool our resources and shared a washer and dryer. I'm willing to provide the biodegradable detergent.

We share our life histories and dreams for the future while we wait for the load to wash and then dry. We could have been more efficient by hanging our clothes to drip dry. And we do now that our laundry date isn't used as an excuse to spend extra time together.

THE END

Pizza of a Woman's Heart

2008-09-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Instead of dinner at a restaurant, homemade pizza is relatively easy to make and frugal. Using locally sourced ingredients and making it vegetarian add to low environmental impact. A man willing to impress me by making this effort in the kitchen won me over.

I admit to a limited history with men who cook. My father occasionally grilled on a hibachi, but never prepared side dishes. I learned I could eat what he made with a side of pre-sliced bread and love it. When I worked as a chef, the owner cooked for his family almost every evening. Knowing that many of the top chefs were men and many of them also were the primary home cooks didn't register. I believed men in general marry to gain a cook.

This man's willingness to serve a single specialty menu to impress me made him special. He wasn't trying to compete with me; sharing was his goal. One shared moment led to more food samplings. We might not be considered fully compatible, but his strengths complement mine and I am willing to share my private kitchen with him.

For him I'd eat cardboard dipped in olive oil (I guess that would be an ultimate recycling activity). Like all his meals, the thoughts both for the environment and for romance counts more than the skill of preparation and I will admit that my taste buds have an affinity for any food he makes because he adds love as his special ingredient. Plus he's willing to clean up when he's done.

The End