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Greetings!
Great, Green, Glorious Grand Parenting!
This newsletter is all about fun. I have to write about the joys of sharing our nature experiences with my grandchildren, Madison, age 10 and Liam, age 6. We have been up at our cabin for 5 days and to see nature through their eyes has truly been a great, green, sustainable, "memories for a lifetime" gift. So please humor me as I share some of our excursions, and if you have not already, I invite you to consider making your own with your loved ones.
The setting: There is nothing more precious than time spent being fully present with those you love without the distractions of TV, iPods, video games, cell phones - you name it. Being able to do that in a log cabin, surrounded by forest, at 8200 feet, with a rolling stream within walking distance does not hurt.
Here are some of our top, most fun activities as voted on by the gang of four: Building a bird's nest - we have spent hours building just the perfect bird's nest. Gathering pine needles, twigs, moss, grass and leaves takes hyper focus for a 6 year old. And every morning we check the nest for eggs. Wish I had it on a YouTube video when Liam found one (okay, so Grandma helped a little but it has created magic and magical conversations about birds and eggs and caring for something) He covers it at night!
Walks in the forest - we haven't had this much rain in years and the wildflowers abound! Looking at them, identifying them, and yes, even picking some because there are so many, brings delight to Grandma's face when the "surprise" is presented after a long walk with Grandpa. And little ones see everything - the bugs, the butterflies, the birds, the WORMS! They jump up and down over a hummingbird or a blue heron wading in the stream. They are excited - about nature and about being outdoors.
Building a fort - am I really doing this at 60? It takes hours of gathering and planning and building and we are not close to completion. Madison is a planner and very thorough so I find myself following her direction because she has a better picture of how to accomplish our mission than I do! We are all outside, all getting dirty, all laughing and having a blast. And asking ourselves, what would we do without Grandpa?
Feeding the birds (and as a by-product, the raccoons) - You can make fun out of any activity and we do. It's a ritual. Get the bird food, fill the bird feeders and then sit and watch "the nature channel" perfectly named by Madison. We keep a bird book handy, give names to the chipmunks and squirrels that help themselves to the bird food, and laugh out loud when the Alpha male squirrel chases everyone away.
Forging the stream - this one is harder to describe. The water is high because of all the rain. So imagine really cold rushing water, a fearless 6 year old, an adventurous 10 year old both in their underwear splashing, trying to catch fish with a butterfly net, looking for fish eggs, asking if we can have any fish they catch for dinner (eeewww) and all of us getting totally soaking wet and cold amid peals of laughter. Thankfully, no fish were caught. Good memories indeed.
And what vacation would be complete without a S'mores story? Monday night we were joined by our friends, Joe, Mary, Rachel (12) and Nick (9). We built a fire outside and the great S'mores event began. No - not very green. No organic graham crackers and regular old Hershey bars but sometimes, you just gotta have fun! We decided S'mores are fun but none of us really like them. What we did love was the time spent around the fire, the kids sneaking away to scare us and the overall love and laughter.
Today's schedule of events: finishing the fort, more stream walking, learning to identify the differences between elk, antelope and deer, and baking Aunt Cherie's wacky chocolate cake. The kids LOVE being involved with the cooking - no matter what we are preparing. Counting my blessings - every second.
Thanks for indulging Mrs. Green the Grandma. Here is to your family memories - no matter where that paradise may be for you!
P.S. Mr. Green and I are both grateful to our parents for planting the "nature" seeds in the first place.
Who is Your Greenest of Them All?
John Smith - The Arizona Green Plumber! We offer our congratulations to John and to all the people who were nominated as candidates for the Mrs. Green's World website contest. The Mrs. Green team was thrilled that we received over 950 votes in total. Holly Hutchison, organic gardener extraordinaire, took second place, and in third place, Tony Vaccaro from Brooklyn Pizza. Thanks to everyone for making this contest a fun and successful event. And thanks to Legendary World for being a great partner in this effort. Stay tuned for the next fun contest. We hope you will love it!
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Did You Know?
Did you know that Shaffer Dry Cleaning has been "perc" free since 1998? "Perc" (which has a really long official name - perchloroethylene) is a commonly used solvent that is not only extremely toxic but there is compelling evidence that it is a carcinogen. Did you know that you can bring all of your hangers to Shaffers for recycling? Did you know that all of their locations are drop off centers for Big Brothers and Big Sisters clothing donations? Did you know that on the Shaffer Dry Cleaning website, there are some great articles in the "environment" section about the different types of processes used in dry cleaning and the pros and cons about each of them? And did you know that "Bake" and Patricia might strangle Mrs. Green if I wrote about ALL of the charity events they support including Angel Charity for Children's annual Bags, Baubles and Ball Gowns event? Because at the end of the day, I know they just want to do the right thing. And now you know. |
Upcoming Shows
 8/7Melanie Lenart - author, environmental scientist & award winning journalist. People describe Melanie's book, Life in the Hothouse: How a Living Planet Survives Climate Change, as a book for the general reader that demystifies the science behind climate change. Her book makes the comparison between humans producing sweat to cool off on a hot summer day to the planet producing hurricanes, floods, wetlands and forests to cool its self off. Makes sense to me. Her book is one full of hope provided we, as humans, help the Earth with those natural defense systems. Sounds like a great match for Mrs. Green and the makings of a great, informative show. There may even be a special guest calling in to join Melanie - Randy Olson - producer of the movie: Sizzle  8/14
Eco-Healthy Design - Robin Wilson. Robin is the author of The Kennedy Green House which just reached #1 on Amazon.com's Best Home Makeover list. Robin Wilson is a nationally known eco-friendly and healthy home interior designer focused on sustainable, reusable, recyclable and non-toxic options from the 'foundation to the furniture'. Robin will share with us how she worked to transform the Kennedy home working with a team of people from the architectural plans to the selection of eco-friendly building materials and power sources to the retooling of the house with health promoting EVERYTHING! Robin will also give us some information and tips on how these changes can be implemented by any homeowner - from a complete renovation to simple, affordable replacements of common household items. We will all learn something to help us in our going green journey. And did I mention that she has been regularly featured in the news (CBS, ABC, PBS, NBC) and NOW on Mrs. Green?  8/21Robert Glennon, author of Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It. I have heard Robert speak on two different occasions and have read his book. After you listen to what he has to say, the research he has done and the facts he presents us with, I doubt you will ever feel the same about water again. Robert's official title is Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy. It sounds impressive and Robert will impress you even more. His book really is both frightening and wickedly funny. Be ready to hear some of Robert's shocking stories of extravagance and waste that are sucking the nation dry. Get ready with your questions. Robert has the answers.  8/28
Lon Huber & Mark Sholin - University of Arizona: Spotlight on Sustainability. This show will be a hoot! Mark and Lon are two young men that give me hope for the future and I guarantee you will feel the same way. They don't see problems, they don't see us "running out" - they see innovation, creativity and change. They invent "things" and solutions. They want to solve our nation's dependency on foreign oil. They are smart, intelligent and fun to be around. At this point I am not even sure everything we will talk about but I promise you a fun, action packed, thought provoking show covering topics we all care about!  9/4
The Best of Mrs. Green - Mrs. Green will be living green this weekend and we will be broadcasting a best of Mrs. Green show. If you have one in mind that you missed but would like to hear, please let your voice be heard!
9/11
The Future of Print for the Small Business Owner - Stevie Mack, owner of CRIZMAC and John Smith, owner of Arizona Litho - with guest host Scott Caddow from Legendary World! Going green/greener can present tremendous challenges to the small business owner who is committed to more sustainable practices. How do you convert your advertizing from a proven, snail mail, catalog format to a greener, web-based one without losing business? How do you move a printing business, with all its inherent chemical processes, to a more sustainable model through the use of carbon offsets, like wind power, and active charitable programs that contribute to the general well being of the community? Stevie and John are two business owners with challenges, solutions and commitment to change. I will be listening to this show! |
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Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream's All Green Talk Radio Show
Please remember to tune in to Mrs. Green Goes Mainstream every Saturday at 12:05 p.m. PST on NEWSTALK 790 KNST AM or live, streaming on the internet at www.790knst.com.
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Mrs. Green welcomes your comments and feedback: [email protected]
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