POSITIVELY PRACTICAL

I try to be both:  positive and practical.  But as with everything else, I end up being negatively positive and impractically practical.  I may have Groat's disease:  "a fictional neurological disorder marked by hyperactivity!"  I have the old "to-a-fault, ad nauseam, ad infinitum, overzealous, steadying-the-ark, over-the-top syndrome!"  No...not trying to be perfect.  In this world perfection is just not acceptable.  (TAMN was perfect and look what happened to her!)  Just sayin'...it's a weakness!  I have to try to FIX things.  (After all, I am the oldest child in the family!)  Expressing faults openly seems to be the current trend for validation.  We all feel better if we find out we are not the only ones with defects.  Besides, unless we give others a chance to criticize or complain about us, how will we ever be able to communicate?  Facebook would go bankrupt!

Sorry....back to enthusiasm for my curious customs.  I do get a lot of heads tilted and looks askance for my quirkiness, especially around The Manor.  For example, I just couldn't contend with the contention on which is better:  wooden cutting boards or plastic cutting boards?  So I threw them both out and now cut everything on cheap paper plates then throw them away when I am done, germs and all!  For years I couldn't keep a cleaning cloth in my kitchen without it stinking up the whole house, so now I just throw the offending cloth into the dishwasher every day with the dishes!  Problem solved!  Now, take the dilemma of what to do with the myriad of flower arrangements received from my fans.  They don't last very long if I keep them on my kitchen table but if I set them outside my French doors overnight, especially in a cool rain, I can still enjoy looking at them through the glass and they last for weeks!  (I am seeing some head tilting here, but I am pushing on.)

For years I have wanted to "waste not, want not" and try my hand at composting but there always seemed to be some obstacle--until this year.  I learned about vermiculture:  Worm composting!  I bought two pounds of the little red wigglers, learned how to make a cheap worm bin, stuck in some bedding and started feeding them with scraps from my kitchen.  I am proud to report that I have now reaped the fruits of their labor:  healthy, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, rich brown earthy worm castings for my garden!  (I think I am seeing more askanced looks!)

Hey, this is really not a disease!  It is positively practical!!!