Green Footprint

Today I decided to be more conscientious about how I can decrease waste in our lives. I get too many catalogs, magazines, flyers and such in the mail. Then, I have piles of them sitting around because I think I have to at least give them a look before I toss them. But life gets in the way, you know? So today, I started. The first thing I picked from the pile is a 23 page flyer from Trader Joe's, a fine place to shop.

Not seeing an 800 number to call, I went to their website. I found no place to opt out of the flyer. But, found a contact us location where I could fill in a form, which I did so. My heart dropped when I realized that I was not receiving these as addressed to me personally... by name. It was addressed to resident. So my chances of having my request fulfilled are close to nil.

This makes me want to rise up, get everyone together and mail them back all their junk mail. Because that is what it is when it is addressed to "Resident"

On the good side: You can keep up with information from Trader Joes by going to their website. Interestingly, they give the viewer the opportunity to choose between seeing a slower side of their site in case you don't have a fast computer or internet service. There is a faster part of their site that you can choose from if you have a faster computer and internet service.

I got an automated email back saying they got my message. Will let you know if I hear back from them in person.

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Just called the 800 number for a catalog I get for some fantastic clothes, but I never buy from them. It's called Territory Ahead. They were really nice when I asked to be removed from the mailing list. I was told I will probably still receive one more mailing after this as they print up their mailing addresses and catalogs ahead of time.

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Now, I am thinking. Do I take these magazines and catalogs to the doctor's office? Or shall I just dump them in my own paper recycling bin?

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I have called Brylane Home and asked to be take off their mailing list. I have purchased a lot of stuff from them. But, why plug up the environment with catalogs. I can go online anytime. There were so many numbers that were offered first to push, but I didn't push any of them because they were for returns and so on, and I knew I would probably just getting a recording. So I waited. Finally one choice was "all other calls", then were a lot more number choices to choose from. Finally, "to speak with a customer service representative press#" and I'm not telling what that number is, because I don't want to confuse the issue. You have to listen and go through all the choices before you get there. It won't work to jump ahead. Once I spoke to a representative it took only a few seconds, and I was warned to wait through a few more mailings before they would be able to stop. In the meantime, while I was sitting there, I decided that all catalogs, no matter how useful they might be to someone else, I will put directly into the recycle bin and let them go off into whatever world they go to. I wonder where that is?

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The person who took my call at Land's End was the first to ask my why I wanted to discontinue receiving my catalogs. I told him I wanted to reduce my carbon footprint, and he proceeded to tell me that Land's End supports that considerably. In fact, so much that they have made major changes in the way they do things right there. For example. In the past workers had copies of the catalogs at their desks to refer to. Now, they only use their computers. Also they changed the set up of the office space and were able to divide it in half, thus using less electricity to light the place. What really thrilled me was when he told me they have a vegetable garden outside!!!

Photo Friday

I was raised in Niagara Falls, New York... the honeymoon city. A definite change of the seasons can be observed, and autumn was my favorite. We used to collect the best specimens close them into a book to flatten and dry them, and slip them into a pot of paraffin wax to preserve them. That way we could have autumn all winter. But, they did make a splendid display when thrown into the fireplace on a cold winter evening. One at a time, of course.

Now I live 3,000 miles away on the coast of California, near the Monterey Bay. Autumn here is a plethora of seasonal incongruities.The lemon tree in my back yard is dripping with fruit. Lemonade anyone?

Due to the lack of sugar maples, oaks and other kinds of deciduous trees that require very low temperatures this time of year, the bright flaming colors of autumn change from a verdant green to brown overnight, sometimes remaining on the bows through winter. Then other trees, like the California Oak and the Red Madrone keep their leaves all year round. the only brightly colored leaves I can observe, are on display in stores. Buy now, before winter gets here! Only 25% off!!!

Palm trees are much more abundant in Southern California, but they still manage to survive further north. They get a little ragged this time of year, but they do not drop their leaves... er, fronds? As the years go by the lowest level of fronds will dry out and lay down upon the trunk. If they are not trimmed. They can get many layers of dead fronds which harbor hosts of birds and their ecosystems. This picture shows a close up of a palm tree with it's fruit, or I should say nuts, as they fall on the ground like acorns and have the same nutty hard appearance as acorns. In the springtime, the tree flowers heavily, but are not noticed unless you look "between the lines".

It doesn't rain all summer long, so things can get pretty dry, fields and hillsides all appear to be a gold velvet if observed from a distance, if you are further inland. However since I am coastal, there is usually sufficient moisture in the fog to keep things a bit greener locally. Still, compared to some coastal areas, we cannot keep our yards or gardens green without watering through the summer unless we have native plants growing. At this time of year I am able to have autumn Japanese chrysanthemums as well as spring bulbs beginning to pop up. Definitely not autumn in New York.

We just had our very first, and early, rain of the season. The fall of 1980 I moved here and was surprised when I went down to the beach the day after a storm.


All the branches and logs that had dried, broken or burned from up in the mountains the summer before had washed down the creeks and rivers ending up out in the ocean and then were washed back to shore.


I expected to see driftwood, but not mountains of it! And I never expected to see the primeval drive of the human need to create something out of it all.


I've seen drawings of the Native Americans who once lived in this region. Their wickiups (homes) strongly resemble the "art" that today's local California natives create.