Humanize the Earth!

template stuck-o

I can make a few more tweaks, but my biggest problem is how to make the sidebar exactly the width I’d like (180px) while allowing the main column to be as wide as a particular user’s screen allows. Right now it’s set up for the main column to be a percentage and the sidebar takes the rest. It’s too darn wide on my screen. Maybe yours too? I’ll have to wait until another day. I’m off to bed

template moving along

I’m sure this would be a lot easier if I planned it out with pencil and paper rather than just messing around with it. But it is where it is. It still needs work, but seems better than the broken version I had before I started today.

new tempate in process

Still working on things. It’s so hot. I’m so sleeping. Napping now. Will work more on this later. Sorry for any inconvienence.

new template

Since I couldn’t figure out how to fix my old template, I’ve started with a new one. If you’re reading this soon after it’s posted, you’ll find the sidebar doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’ll be customizing it this afternoon and hope to have something passable finished by this evening.

Urban Compost in Chicago

When I bought my compost bin a couple of years back (was it 2 or 3 years? 2, I think), I searched and searched for good information about how to actually make compost. Some municipalities had really good websites and even programs where you could get cheap compost bins. Chicago was not among them.

Until now.

The Chicago Home Composting Program kicked off with a bang today at the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (who know there was such a school?), where Chicago residents could get a home compost bin for only $25. Sarah and I picked up two for the Hub Housing Cooperative (rules allowed 1 per residence and we got one each) at the Conservatory.

I always knew the Conservatory was a really cool place, with lots of knowledge about growing all sorts of things. In fact, I had planned to see them about native species. But who know all the other cool programs and growing they’re doing?

They have a demonstration garden that’s a standard city lot-size 25 feet by 125 ft, I think, where they’re growing lots and lots of wonderful things to eat and some ornamental stuff as well. They have gardeners available to answer questions 12 hours per week (Tu, Th and Sat) and have tons of great programs, such as: Summer Mainteance and Planting Fall Crops, Herbal Gifts from the Garden, Troubleshooting the Organic Garden, Fall Season Extension, Seed Saving in the Garden, Cover Crops and much, much more.

And to get back to composting, the Chicago Home Composting site from the University of Illinois Extension has tons of resources on how to compost, how to build a bin, worm composting, classes and much more.

Totally awesome! Check it out.

Categories: Chicago, compost, urban, gardening, organic, native, species, housing, cooperative

US Postal Service doesn’t want my business

I was supposed to be in Zambia this week, but I had a really bad rash and the doctor wouldn’t let me go. I’m fine now, but it’s too late. So I had my travel insurance claim form with it’s doctor’s form and the ticket all ready to mail back to my travel agent in Canada. I tried to find prices online first, but didn’t get much of anywhere. I couldn’t tell which of the products would get me what I needed, tracking. This is one set of documents that absolutely cannot get lost, given what the ticket cost me.

When I finally got to the front of the line at the post office, I asked the clerk how I can send something to Canada with tracking. She said it can’t be done. She offered me “return receipt.” I asked her what happens if they don’t sign, if it gets lost. She said we could “trace” it. I asked what that meant and she said that I knew what it meant. Trace is to search. I said what if it can’t be found? She said why are focusing on the negative. I said because if it’s lost, I’m out $2000 (it’s more than that, actually). I told her I was pretty sure UPS and FedEx would be able to track this for me so was there any way she could do it or should I go see them? She looked up Global Guaranteed but claimed that doesn’t work with Canada.

So I sent it UPS for about $15.

Ted’s Cole Slaw

For years I’ve been getting Angelic Organics veggies and every year, there’s tons of cabbage I don’t know what to do with. Today I made cole slaw for the first time and it’s pretty darn good, methinks. Here’s what I put in it:

• cabbage, lots of it
• pineapple, fresh
• cucumber
• apple, gala
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• honey
• salt

Could also use black pepper, if you like that sort of thing. I also might try it with grated beets. Yum!

Categories: cabbage, Chicago, recipe, coleslaw

Compost Bins cheap for Chicago residents

Chicago Home Composting Program One Day Only Compost Bin Sale

Cost: Only $25 for Chicago Residents (normally $80)

Chicago residents can purchase a top quality home composting bin for only $25, thanks to the new Chicago Home Composting Program supported by a Mayor Daley Neighborhood Recycling Grant. This is a 70% discount off the normal price.

Here’s the best part: For more information, call the Rotline at (773) 265-9587.

Categories: compost, Chicago

need composting help

I have two backyard compost containers. One had a bunch of sawdust added to it by some workers at my place. It was awfully dusty in there so I watered it and mixed well. It was still dusty so more water and more mixing. Ever since, it smells pretty bad, like there’s not enough oxygen in there. My theory is that it now has too much brown and needs more green. My friend Sarah thinks it needs more brown. I’d love to hear your compost stories and an answer, if you have one. Thanks!

problem with my template

I week or two ago I took the completed dropcash box off my sidebar and seem to have messed up my template in the process. For some reason the top post is taking up the entire main column until the end of the sidebar. That’s why all that space is blank below the main post. I’m trying to fix it now. Anyone have any suggestions?

Update: I can’t figure it out. I’m going to bed.