Tag Archives: natural living

Meet Miles The Compost Pile!

I have been feeling a little guilty ever since I put up this post, Naturally Resourceful: Getting Scrappy with Vegetables! I mentioned in that post that I was too time-crunched to have a compost heap even though it would be great for my plants and the environment.

Nothing has changed schedule-wise for me since then.  However, my passion for gardening is now completely unhinged.  (It gets me through the day, people!)   I found I was spending an enormous amount of money on compost which is so riduculous considering I was, guiltily, throwing away things all the time that can be composted.  So, I decided to save money, myself from guilt and, hopefully a little of the environment by starting a compost bin.

I decided to use this garbage pail because it has a lid and I want to keep creatures out of my bin.  I burned holes in the sides:

And the lid:

With a hot glue gun.  I do not endorse this method because melting plastic never seems like a great idea.  However, my cordless drill wasn’t charged (as usual) and I really wanted to get it done.  I waited until I could no longer smell melted plastic and then gave the can a good swabbing before I started to add compost ingredients.

There are so many good resources for what to put in compost and even more importantly, what not to, like Jeff Yeager’s Rotten Luv, I am not going to go into too much detail.  Basically, you want a 2:1 ratio of brown matter to green matter.  I used newspaper shreds for brown matter.  (I figured The NY Times was appropriate for a compost heap named Miles) and for the green matter, I put in coffee grounds, eggshells (No, I didn’t eat the eggs!), plant stems, veggie and fruit peels.

Yum!

I layered the ingredients and gave it a stir.  And that’s it.  I’ll keep adding the ingredients in that 2:1 ratio, and keep stirring it up.  Mostly,  I can just let nature turn it into Black Gold for me.  There are more significant holes in the bottom of the can.  I placed it directly on dirt in the hopes that some worms will find their way in and take up residence, further enriching Miles with their castings.

Why did I name my compost heap?  Jeff Yeager named his Gomer.  I thought it was funny.  So, I decided mine needed to be named too.  So, Miles the Pile was born yesterday May 27, 2017.  I am looking forward to seeing him and my garden grow!

Many blessings,

Cynthia

Naturally Inspirational: Some of My Favorite YouTubers

It’s been a long day.  My neck has been acting up lately. (Teaser: I will be giving up some more arthritis coping tips in another blog post!)  So, I am going to keep this one short and sweet in the interest of not keeping my neck in an unnatural position, staring at the computer.  (The fact that I am currently sitting cross-legged on my bed and eating dinner as I type is besides the point…Good thing my chiropractor isn’t reading this!)  Let’s watch a little YouTube, shall we?

I want to share some other natural living bloggers with you, who also happen to be Vloggers.  I find the following YouTube Channels full of good info. on natural and healthy living.  I hope you do as well:

Sprout and Blossom

Sprout and Blossom is dedicated to to simple living.  Mary Harris is a college professor from New Jersey who is chuck full of tips on green living and holistic health.  Her channel definitely has a minimalist slant but she doesn’t take it to an unimaginable extreme.  Unfortunately, her “How To Zen Your Morning” video no longer appears to be available but she shares a lot of wonderful info. in her other videos

Ashley’s Green Life

Ashley’s Green Life is just as her title describes.  This busy mom of two, wife and kindergarten teacher shares her life and knowledge of green living with her audience.  She brings you everywhere on shopping trips, into the shower to demonstrate her no-poo hair cleaning method and even to her brother’s wedding to show you can enjoy family events while maintaining an organic, vegan, gluten-free diet.  She even demonstrated (in an appropriate way) how to use a squatty potty.  Ashley inspired me to up my chia seed consumption.  I am very grateful to her for that!

Frugal Green Girl

Are you guys sensing a trend in my viewing habits yet?  Frugal Green Girl is a tad more extreme than the previous two Vloggers I have mentioned thus far.  Oh my goodness is she full of great ideas!  “Green Living” has become quite chic over the last few years.  People end up spending a lot of money to be more Eco-conscious.   Frugal Green Girl proves that isn’t necessary with her amazing DIY solutions and money savers!

YouTips4U

I am going to change it up a little with this channel.  YouTips4U still offers some very interesting natural solutions but they are mixed into a potpourri of beauty tips, body language insights, fashion rules, crafts, exercise videos and even car maintenance advice.  This lady shares everything she knows and it works!  She also does some really lovely spoken word meditation videos.  Who knew a Long Island accent could be so calming?

I have a few more but I think that’s enough for today.  I need to put the laptop away and rest my neck.  I hope you check out and enjoy my selections!  Let me know what you think.

Many blessings,

Cynthia

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