No photo this time–I just didn’t feel like hauling out the camera.  Just a tally and a commentary: The last two weeks’ tally for the two of us amounts to 3 lb., 1 oz. of plastic waste. The good news is that very little of that is single use plastic.  The weight is probably inflated, too, since we tossed out several empty bags of dog food.  We buy our dog food in bulk, and the bags are mostly paper, but... Read more

Part 3 of 3. (Part 1 is here, and Part 2 is here.)  The most dramatic illustration of experiencing a stop, and what came of it, is the experience I had on September 11, 2001, the experience that made me a Quaker.  But I’ve written about that before, and it is so woven in with the story of how I grew a peace testimony that I think I’ll set that aside for a moment, and travel just a little further back... Read more

I inevitably cry at small town parades.  I don’t think anyone should mistake love of country for love of all decisions of its government or as a boast of all of its actions throughout history.  I don’t think anyone should mistake love of country for blind patriotism or jingoism.  There is so much more to a country–to any country–than a military or a flag.  There are its people, its landscape, and its unique history, of joy and idealism and hypocrisy... Read more

There’s a blogger named Colin Beavan who calls himself the “No Impact Man.” He’s become slightly famous in environmentalist circles, with a book and even a movie about him. The blurb for the movie asks, “Can you save the planet without driving your family crazy?” That is one of the things Cat worried about when she started our “plastic fast.” She never demanded that I join in, and I’m not doing it to the extreme degree she is, but I... Read more

Part 2 of 3. (Part 1 is here.)  What does it mean to listen to a god?  What does it mean to say gods or spirits talk to us? Well, for the most part, it’s subtle even when it’s life-changing, and it’s nothing someone with a good, hard case of skepticism couldn’t explain away without even trying.  Which would be a shame, because listening to and speaking with the world of Spirit is a source of so much meaning and wisdom... Read more

Lots of plastic, even for two people for two weeks: this tally comes to 2 pounds, 2 oz.  Which works out to be about 27 pounds of plastic for each of us at the end of a year at this rate; still well below the American average. Which is disconcerting, actually. One comment about this double-week’s plastic waste:While we’re still dealing with a certain amount of old single-use plastic, there’s some new stuff, too–largely from fast food buys when one... Read more

The backs of my hands and the insides of my arms up way past the elbow are currently rough to the touch.  Look closely, and you can see the faint red cross-hatching left from my forays into a patch of black raspberries behind our new-to-us house. I keep finding myself running my hands lightly over my raspberry scars.  It may sound odd, but they’re a source of no small satisfaction to me.  They don’t hurt much, and they remind me... Read more

Part 1 of 3. (Part 2 is here.)  Every now and then, I try talking about my peace testimony to others who do not share my sense of how our political values are rooted in our spiritual lives.  Some have visions of God or gods who are far away and unconcerned with human life; others do not believe that the world of religion is relevant to ordinary life; many do not believe in any sort of God or Spirit or spiritual... Read more

OK, more like Peter’s actually. Peter is the real catsup fan in the house.  I like it on the really skinny, bad-for-you kind of french fries that I shouldn’t be eating anyway, but Peter likes it on lots of things. And we ran out of our last pre-plastic fast bottle a week before last–just at the start of cookout season.  What fun is a portobello burger with no catsup?  Alas, I am no longer able to find it locally in... Read more