September is here! Soon the weather will begin to cool as fall favorites continue to roll out. Now, I like pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavors as much as the next person, but my go-to (and very underrated) favorites have to be apple and apple spice. Fresh, sweet taste of apples paired with warm, earthy spices like cinnamon and clove, creates the perfect backdrop for many autumnal comfort foods: Apple pies, baked oatmeal, cookies, dried apples, warm apple cider…The combinations and recipes are endless.
I realize that we’re about half-way through the month. Things have been busy here. Full-time work, plus full-time carer doesn’t leave much time for room. Even the weekends are busy. Since we live with others who are not considerate when it comes to timing, certain things (i.e. laundry) cannot be done in my free time. My day starts at 6am and goes until about 1am the next day. Unfortunately, I have neglected this blog, and appreciate those of you who are still here.
As another Plastic-Free July comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the past weeks. Week 3 started off with food and drinks being bought. It’s rude to refuse a kind gesture (of course there are always exceptions), and luckily just about everything is recyclable in my area. Week 4 closed with some plastic packaging from an online grocery order, a couple of straws, and a couple of drink lids.
This week I went to the Japanese market. Of course everything is wrapped in some sort of plastic, which is very convenient for people on-the-go. However, it’s a huge issue when you live relatively waste-free. Luckily, for me, our area recycles all types of plastics that can then be reused instead of tossed (well, as long as people keep at it). Needless to say, this week I accumulated far more plastic than I had planned. Note to self: Don’t deviate from the list. I’m also counting the individual wrappers. After all, they too, are plastic.
Since July 1st was on a Thursday, I’m counting the end of this week as the end of Week 1. Unfortunately, I forgot all about it, and had already purchased food for delivery. Where I live, we are fortunate to be able to recycle most of our plastic waste. For the sake of transparency, I will discuss the items that can be recycled, along with that can only go to landfill. What won’t be included is medical waste and anything that was purchased prior to the start of Plastic-Free July.
Summer is here! The weather has gone from the low 70s to 90+. Okay, it’s not surprising given that we are located in California. I normally look forward to spending time at the beach, cleaning up the trash and honing my photography skills. With the way things are shaping up, this summer will very much be the same as last year, spent mostly indoors, with the exception of grocery shopping. The being said, there are loads of things we can do in our own backyard.
This one is going to be very short. Anyone who knows me knows that I love the beach. It feels like home away from home, and I want to do what I can to protect it. Unfortunately I won’t be participating in any beach events this year, but I’ll start up again once it’s safe to do so. This year, World Ocean Day (formerly World Oceans Day) is Tuesday, June 8th. We need the ocean to survive. Ocean currents help to regulate the climate, move warm and cold water, and so much more (NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021).
So far, I really love Buy Nothing. So many things go to landfill, and for what? In theory, we could keep passing things around until there is really no life left in them: Tables, lamps, chairs, dishes, etc. Buy Nothing groups allow people to donate and help those in their community. I have donated items that I will no longer use/no longer need. Honestly, I would rather it go to someone than to possibly get tossed in the sorting process at a donation center. People have asked for things, like appliances and furniture, and people have gifted when they could. It’s a lovely thing to see people gifting, and to see things not go to landfill. There are several groups, and if one has not been started in your area, you can create one. Be sure to gift safely. Now, more than ever, we need to be diligent in sanitization procedures.
I had kept FFF because, truth be told, it’s fun getting a package in the mail. Is it the most sustainable thing to do? No. But it provided me with a little bit of joy once a quarter. Unfortunately, the boxes have gone downhill. This season, Annual Members were able to choose everything in their box, which I liked. There is a lot of plastic, in terms of product packaging. It’s frustrating because these are all products that work well with my skin. Anything I ended up not using was gifted in my local Buy Nothing group. I’m not sure if the same applied Seasonal Members, but most things sold out right away. I’d been wanting to try PMD’s face cleaner, but realized I have more devices than I could possibly use, so I opted for the towel. I chose things I needed, or would genuinely use, like the sunscreen and ceramic bowls. Unlike previous boxes, there was way less plastic in my box this go around. I can’t help but feel like FFF is going the route of greenwashing with their more “eco-friendly” packaging and product options. There were add-ons that are “sustainable” but, as with many other cases, there is no evidence to back up those claims. Anyway, I’m getting on a tangent.
Today is a beautiful, overcast, cool, windy day. The fog has rolled in a bit, and we can’t see the mountains, that we typically can, from the backyard. Most people prefer bright, sunny weather. While I prefer the heat, I’m a much bigger fan of overcast days than those that are sunny. Today is the kind of day that makes me want to be outside from sun-up to sun-down. Instead, it turned out to be a lazy Sunday.
Darphynia's Diary 
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