When I was a kid, the bag boy in the grocery store always grabbed a paper bag and shook it hard to open it up. He would set it on a little board at the end of the grocery check out stand and fill it with whatever groceries my mom had just bought. If we were in the A & P, there might be a coffee grinder at the end of the conveyer belt where your Eight O'clock coffee was ground. (what a great smell that was!)
Today the general rule of thumb is for the checkout girl or bag boy (at Kroger) to grab a flimsy plastic bag and start to fill it with whatever comes off the conveyer belt. Occasionally they will ask if you prefer paper or plastic, but that has really become a thing of the past.
When I'm choosing things for my home or personal use, I almost always choose natural products over plastic. Wood or paper or fiber or leather. I have wondered if it was this early attachment to paper grocery bags that makes me so inclined toward the natural.
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| Study in contrasts! |
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It has occurred to me lately, especially in light of recent violence in the news, that we are
far from home as a country and really, the world at large. We not only seem bent on violence and selfishness, but we are determined to find our end, it seems. We have no "big picture" any more. People seem to exist to find momentary pleasure and satisfaction, but with no thought of the repercussions of our choices. The ripple effect, if you will.
So, as I do every year, I am contemplating what kind of New Year's resolutions
I want to take on. I really love this time of year, because it means I get all kinds of do-overs. Lots of chances to try-again; lots of opportunities to
make things better.
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| Spindle spun wool |
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With that in mind, the phrase "off the grid" has been hanging around in my thoughts. I'm not advocating anything weird or anti-social. In fact, just the opposite. I want to find Center. I want to go back to a more simple point of view and make real true strides at what is really, truly important and valuable. What really makes a difference in the world. And of course, I can only start with Me. No one else. But maybe my ripple effect will be positive. I hope.
So far the list of resolutions is pretty vague, apart from some home improvements and one reading goal and one knitting goal. They may not even be fully ready to start on for another week, but I'm okay with that. Until then, I finally got this book and I've been completely immersed in it. Oh, and I started a hat for my daughter. A hat that should have been made by Christmas! Sorry Betsy!
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| Respect the Spindle! |
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