can we sin now?

That is the question that Hannah asked me this morning after we had a conversation about why I was home and what I was planning on doing today. Included on the list was a trip to Costco.

Costco was the epitome of "sin" for me over Lent. Everything in big, bulky packaging and individually wrapped. There are few exceptions there, like mangos, but for the most part it was not a place to be ventured into.

So, when Hannah heard that I was going to Costco today, her first question was, "can we sin now?" because she wanted me to buy string cheese.

Can we sin now?

dumping my "sin" box

I emptied my "sin box" yesterday. It was mostly filled with microwave popcorn wrappers.

Most of the items in the box where items of convenience. I could have made popcorn myself and it would have produced less waste, but I chose to do it the easy way knowing that there was a place for me to put my sin; a place where my sin would be eradicated on Easter morning as I dumped into the trash can. The connection between my "sin box" and the resurrection are clear... I trust you them to make them yourselves.

But this morning after Easter I am pondering how many times we turn our backs on things that we know we should do out of convenience or inconvenience...

how many times do we not give to those who ask because we don't want to stop and take the time?
how many times do we buy things heavily wrapped in plastic because we don't want to take the time to make them ourselves?
how many times do we simply go through the drive thru because we didn't make time to prepare something beforehand?


Sins of convenience are about taking the easy way. My journey of no trash this Lent has made me aware that there are many other alternatives to the simple way. Some of these ways I will continue...

like bringing my own cloth napkin/silverware to restaurants
using my metal straw
composting
not putting my english muffins on a paper towel in the morning, but using a plate
using my cloth bags at the store

Some things I won't continue...
like shaking my hands dry when I forget to bring a towel with me into the public bathroom


This endeavor has made more aware of packaging and waste, it has made more aware of freshness of food and has made me enjoy cooking (kinda). I have appreciated the challenge of Lent this year. It has made me aware and thoughtful about my witness and how we care for creation. I hope that you, too, found your journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter to be one that challenged you and prepared you to celebrate Easter morning.

It's time for me to eat my Girl Scout Cookies now. They have been waiting for me. :)

only a few short weeks until Easter...composting, trash, recycling and dog potty humor

I am sharing these photos even though I am sure that I am doing this wrong, despite my research. Notice no picture of the inside of the composting bin.

Composting. It seems like dumping old food and some lawn stuff in a bin every now and then would create nothing but extra steps. That's a good thing.

I trust it will one day do its magic.

It has also created addition leg work and well arm work and back work for Jim because you see

Scout loves the compost bin. She has dug and dug until she has made her way under the wall and into the delicious rotting food. I mean she will snatch contents left in toilet for an afternoon snack. Gross.

Nothing says no licking my face ever again like catching that one. Then you just hope that it doesn't make your dog sick. That's the salt in the wound.
Just don't yell, hey--that looks familiar. Yuck.

Anyway, dogs aren't known for their delicate palates.

So, Jim nailed some boards around the base and this has kept the dog out for 3 whole days now. It's a record. Here are some pictures of her today trying to get to the onions, bananas, and coffee grounds.

So I did Jim a real solid today and took out the trash and the recycling bin. I thought that you would want  to see the difference. I may completely underestimate your interest in my life, but I am not known for my under sharing. 

 Inside of the black garbage bag is the one bag that I collected from the house--the white kitchen bag was less than half full. There was some other stuff in the black bag in the garage--wondering if it is more than one week.  But as I type this, I realize that I should have emptied the white bag into the black. Oops. 

But the recycling container is pretty close to full.

Now, I realize that my goal was to not produce trash. so why am I showing you trash? 

That trash comes from those other people who live in this house with me. 

No one say, let he who is without sin...

My trash goes in my sin box. 

and I haven't had to get a new one or a bigger one yet. 

so, there.

The rest of the family has produced a little trash, but it is far less than it was and we are all constantly aware of the products that we buy, what we bring home and figuring out how to reuse it or recycle it.  

don't bother looking for the wine bottles...

day 28...dude, I totally get the Amish now

Amish butter.
Yes, please, Jesus.

They sell it at Harry's (Whole Foods) and when I saw it last week, I was so excited to see this beautiful log of dairy goodness. It costs $10, but come on...It's a log of butter!

                                                                 I mean look at it!

Not only is this beautiful log of butter delicious, but it is far easier to deal with one wrapper at the end of the consumption instead of lots of little wrappers that might equal the same size, but with one large waxed wrapper I can reuse it for other things. So, yeah, Amish butter. 

Jim laughed at me. But, come on. You see the awesomeness, right? 

Second, I was thinking about community. Maybe, because I was putting some butter in the butter bell and the Amish certainly live in community, like the Jews (in particular Orthodox). Both religious groups live isolated from the world for several reasons. 

It is far easier to live a life set apart if you are with people who are also trying to live a life set apart. 

It is far easier to keep your difficult Lenten journey moving in the right direction when you are with people who are supporting you. 

So, today I give thanks to those that work with me and not against me...

... like the restaurants that let me use my own cup

... like my friends that pick restaurants that don't make it hard for me to make good environmental choices

... like people who bring me tasty treats in recyclable containers and clearly mark it so that I don't have to stand there and wonder what I am going to do with the container.

Thanks for the tasty food and earthly friendly container! 

I will post about composting on my next blog!