Going Green...Been Green...Saving Green !!!

"Prosper ! Reproduce ! Fill Earth ! Take Charge ! Be responsible..." Genesis 1 The Message

As a teenager and then young adult of the 70's, I have been intrigued with the current trend to "go green." While I have not yet hugged a tree, I can't bring myself to throw away an aluminum can or trash my compost scraps!!
In the early years of my marriage I was very green ( in more ways than one !!) ; I never bought paper napkins or paper towel. I must admit though, I was busy trying to stretch my green, not save the planet.
I've been thinking about the green practices I have. They include:

• hanging my clothes on the clothesline
• saving aluminum cans
• composting my kitchen scraps
• recycling my used printer ink cartridges
• drinking water from my faucet
• rarely using paper plates or plastic cups

I'm open to some new ideas...so pass them on...I especially like the ones that save my green !!!

Ramblings VII: My Summer "Vacation"

Remember when on the first day of school your assignment was to write about your summer vacation? School has started and I was thinking about what I did with my time. As I looked over the summer, it made me think of a quilt...it is not much to look at square by square, but all of the pieces together create an interesting pattern. So here are the squares of my summer:



The Roney Reunion--in the south, what is summer without a family reunion ? We have been celebrating with my mother's family for over 30 years...the 4th Sunday in June at Lake Eufaula. The food is great, come on up, we won't know if you belong or not !!! The threat of rain had thinned the crowd considerably before I got pictures .

We have done lots and lots and lots of swimming....

I created a rock garden to cover an unsightly well. Still need to plant...another of my many works in progress ( I love that phrase, it is so much nicer than unfinished !!)


Tomato gravy and biscuits: a staple of the south.

I was involved in a wonderful Bible Study on the Song of Solomon. We had the privilege of having the author of the study join us for a week of intense reflection. This was a highlight of the summer !!

More swimming, with friends and family, young and old.

Priceless !!

They say that a picture is "worth a thousand words". It is a good thing because this event left me speechless !!! Yes, this is me, Mama and Daddy having a pedicure...and...it was their idea !!

The Big Girl "Spend the Night" Party

Jane standing L- R Nancy, Trib, Ann, Susan

July has been jam packed. One of the highlights was a "spend the night" party at Lake Eufaula with "the cousins". The cousins are a group of the Roneys that have grown up together. We have shared our lives...the good and the bad...and while time and responsibilities take us apart, we always gravitate back to each other. When we do, we pick up where we left off and share one another's lives. These are the "girls" that have known me forever.

We had a great time talking and laughing. We remembered the good times and touched briefly on the hard and sad times. We had numerous conversations composed of " sentence stems" as we tried to remember names, dates, and particular situations !!! ( Oh you know...uh...uh..I cannot think of her name !!!)
We caught up on each others lives, spouses, and children. We talked recipes, the price of gas, and politics. (By the way, I read in this morning's paper that Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain have discovered the power of pearls as statement accessory pieces...where have they been !!)
We swam....ate...and drank....all on our own schedule !!
We enjoyed each other for the girls we were and the women we are. We left the next morning, each to their own agenda, making plans for another get away just for us cousins.

Ramblings VI: "Where Does the Day Go ?"

I have so-o-o enjoyed my blogging experiences, but find that while I am constantly generating ideas for the blog...I can't find the time to sit down at the computer and create !!!
I was encouraged to see that I am not alone, as I scanned some of my "favs" it was easy to see that July is vacation month !! I am a retired person, working a part time job. My job only makes demands of me during the school year...so I asked myself ( as my working friends ask me ) what do I do with my time?
With today as the pivotal point, I am looking back a week and forward a week and here is where I've been and where I'm headed:

• Enjoyed a big girl slumber party with the cousins


• Spent a few hours each day last week with the author of our summer Bible Study plus enjoyed a talk by Betsey on Thursday night


• Helped my friend Kerri "fluff" her new house


• Cooked a real supper four nights


• Bought groceries


• Taught my Weight Watcher group


• Baked teacakes for the Thursday night get together


• Walked and ran--one hour each day, alone and with my walking buddy Victoria


• Washed multiple loads of clothes ( which I also hung out and folded)


• Hurt my knee ( don't know how; but three days of RICE cured me !!)


• Cleaned my house ( included bathrooms, sheet changes, and floor moppings)


• Worked toward establishing my early, first thing in the morning ,Bible reading and quiet time


• Helped my former student and friend Bert, as he is working toward a dietary certification from Auburn


• Visited with both my sisters in law by phone and Erin "in person" and on the phone


• Ran to the high school to get information for a student to take to a prospective employer


• Watered my outside plants


• Swam with the senior citizens ( that would be Mama and Daddy)


• Helped Ryan get ready for school, dish him out a snack after school, answer his million questions about family members, Lisa ( his caregiver friend), Buddy ( the dog), church, and Billy Gaither ( his favorite preacher)--then get him ready for bed


• Had a root canal


• Enjoyed backed to back episodes of my new ( I think) favorite show The Office...which is where I am headed now

WHEW---no wonder I am behind on the blogging !! But school is about to start and with it comes routine, so I should be posting regularly. That is until life gets in my way again !

Family Beach Trip--2008

The Owens' have a long history with the beach...from the earliest day and overnight trips to Panama City...to long weekends and even a week spent at Seascape Resort in Destin...to our most recent adventure at Blue Mountain Beach. While the "make-up" of the group has changed to include in-laws and granchildren, the traditions remain the same.

We eat ( the menu always includes tomato sandwiches, seafood, and pizza), we sleep ( the sleeping arangements always include an inflatible mattress), we play ( in the water and some on the golf course), and most of all we laugh, reflect, and remember. We have a great time...being together !!!

TRUNK

As a general rule, I am a rather traditional and conservative person. Or, I thought I was ! Thank goodness...reconnecting with my high school friend Jim, and having the honor and delight of helping him ( in very small ways) as he is establishing a series of "art to wear" shows peeled under my traditional layers and let the light back in to my somewhat funky side !!! I have enjoyed every minute of TRUNK, of renewing old friendships and establishing new ones. Not long ago, Jim entertained the help and the help loved it !!