Creation Care Mom

Not gonna lie. I’m struggling this week to pick a topic. There is so much happening in the world right now, both for good and ill. How do I decide what to talk about? What will resonate with my readers the most?

Do I cover the political angle? How Trump begged big oil for $1 billion dollars for his campaign? How 25 states are suing the EPA over emission reduction rules? How Biden and his Department of Energy are working to speed up transmission infrastructure processes?

Do I focus on the science? The record level CO2 reported this week? That 77% of scientists fear we will reach at LEAST 2.5 degrees Celsius increase? The opening of a new Direct Air Carbon Capture facility in Iceland powered with geothermal energy? Renewables producing 30% of the world’s electricity last year?

Do I talk weather? The flooding in Kenya or Brazil? The intense severe weather in the USA? The heatwaves in Asia?

Or do I tell a story from my own life? About my own little rebellions against the system of consumption? Or my outdoor adventuring son? Or share what I’m reading so that you can dig deeper too?

So what tale do I tell? Where do I begin?

This mental discussion is true most weeks, but this week it seems especially difficult. The headlines are many and diverse. It’s hard to choose what my readers will find most meaningful. I settled on personal this week because it’s been a while since I wrote from my own life. There will always be more time for news.

For most of us its gardening season, how far into the season depends on where you live. My dad in Montana just started planting his cool weather crops while mine have been in the ground for a month or more. Last week, I transplanted my warm season crops, tomatoes, peppers, and melons. Our weather is predicted to be 70s ish for the next 10 days which is great weather for all my crops. Despite limited space, I’ve managed to grow some delicious fruits and veggies over the last few years using a combination of pots, garden towers, and small in ground beds. Every year my knowledge increases and I get better results.

I’ve been composting our food waste for equally as long using old storage tubs that I scavenged from the curb on trash day. This year I upgraded my operation to an official tumble composter because those tubs had fallen apart after years out in the sun and rain. I love composting since I use it for my own garden AND it reduces carbon emissions from my food waste. It also prevents me from having to buy what I can make for free!

The whole act of gardening is a little rebellious. I’ll eat what I grow no matter if its the most “beautiful” produce. I will know exactly what was used on the plants and their soil. I can treat my soil as the living ecosystem it is and regenerate its health rather than deplete it. I’ll nurture it with compost from my food scraps instead of commercial fertilizers. While I’m at it, I get to enjoy the feeling of my hands in the soil and the sun on my skin. I’ll feel the gentle breeze and listen to the birds sing. The garden will nurture my body and my soul and bring me hope.

Another way I’m feeding my independence from the consumer system is through darning my socks. My socks get holes so often and I was running out of ways to repurpose them. So instead I’m learning to patch them. I was lucky to have a friend, Emily, teaching a series of classes on visible mending during the month of March. (Check out her work here!) Though my schedule prevented me from attending all her classes, I was able to make it to the darning loom class. Since then, I’ve used my darning loom to fix several pairs of socks and a few pairs of shorts. It’s nice to keep my hands busy and have a useful item to show for it.

Last Saturday, I attended a women’s craft day at church. This day was specifically designed for women to bring their own craft projects and work on them in the company of other women. A time of fellowship and conversation. I brought my mending. Several ladies asked why. Why bother? Why fix them? Because I can. Because I don’t want to waste the rest of the sock or shorts. Because businesses really don’t need more of my money. Because I can add a splash of beauty. Because it brings me joy. So really why not? Textile waste is such a huge issue, why not do what I can?

So there you have it folks. Tiny ways I’m choosing to live differently, self-sufficiently.