Home Economics for rainy days, floods and natural disasters

To be honest, I really don’t know what a modern home ec person does nowadays, as opposed to when I was in school (and our school didn’t have a home ec program). I do know that I wish I knew every time something goes past its expiration or I have to dispose of something safely. I look those sorts of things up, of course, and I have this wonderful book about keeping house, called
Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, by Cheryl Mendelsohn. This blog post, though, is the first I’ve seen that links Home Economics to community preparedness. That should be a no-brainer but I see now that I have a whole new area to explore 🙂

Dr Jay Deagon's HomeEcConnect

Words written and photographs taken by Jay Deagon @HomeEcConnect

For those of you who do not know me personally, I live in South-East Queensland, Australia. For the past few days we have had extensive flooding down majority of the east coast of Australia. Thankfully, me and my family are all safe and no damage has been done (except for our washing line which was bent by a very large tree branch). I am truly grateful; however, many other families and communities have not been so lucky. At this point, I would like to extend a big thank you to all of the emergency workers, electricity workers and our police departments for their efforts in rescues and clean up.

I believe that this natural disaster, and all natural disasters around the world in the past few years, are a timely reminder about the importance of Home Economics knowledge and education. For example:

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Bacon, Grape, and Broccoli Salad (Whole30 Compliant)

I am really not into the whole paleo thing but sometimes I see recipes like this and I have to try them anyway because they just look soooo good. File this under Totally Unrelated to my avocation but it’s a good reblog 😉
Thanks for sharing, Chiodo80!

The Keto Foodie

You know how some things just taste amazing together, even when they don’t necessarily seem like they would?  This is one of those things…at least to me.  Don’t get me wrong–there’s nothing in here that I immediately think, “ew, that won’t go with everything else.”  It’s the texture of raw broccoli that doesn’t seem like it should go.  To be fair, I don’t like raw broccoli because of the texture and how it always gets stuck in my teeth.  Anyway, don’t think about trees growing in your mouth–think about how this is going to be DELICIOUS!

A word about two of the ingredients: first, mayo.  If you are still eating store-bought mayo, STOP IT!  You really should be making your own, and it takes less than 10 minutes.  One of the blogs I frequent, Nom Nom Paleo, has a great tutorial if you’ve never made it.  You can use either…

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Needs more chiles

I don’t know what happens when the cooler weather sets in. Perhaps there’s ursine blood in me, so I have to start preparing for hibernation. Whatever causes it, I have this need to bake things and cook junk food. OK, it’s not all junk food and I still owe my VOSTie, Shara, the recipe for the beef curry I made over the holidays last year.

This is one of my favorite workday breakfasts: 2 fried eggs on toast with cream cheese, bacon, and green chile. The joy of telecommuting SHOULD be the ability to do this but, alas, remote work realistically means longer hours at the desk and I’m happy for the coffee and “output” most days. Thank goodness for ZoneBars.

The chile is 505 chile, which comes in jars but also in these handy dandy individual packets. I used only half a packet on each sandwich, but drained could use the whole thing.

These packets are awesome for traveling outside of New Mexico and are fondly referred to in our house as “emergency chile”.

Local encounters 7/20/2013

I have mentioned Hillside Market and its cafe in one of my Stuff in the News posts and hadn’t gotten around to blogging about it. Yesterday, I was catching up on some social media stuff in what I refer to as “my office” there.

Alcove at Hillside Market

Regina Ress happened in for her shift as barista in the café, when I was in yesterday.

Regina Ress at Oasis Café

If you haven’t met Regina, you ought to (all the ladies over there are wonderful, though). She is a storyteller from Lower Manhattan and here in Santa Fe. She does storytelling events at Hillside and has a CD of stories available there (or online), as well. She was also kind enough to mention me in a blog post the other day, and came over to tell me about it. Fun to see VOSTing mentioned in a totally out of the ordinary context:

Our “children’s corner” has morphed into a comfortable table-for-two semi-private space. As I write this, a woman who volunteers coordinating information for firefighters is bent over her laptop in there, working with teams dealing with the many wild fires in the region.  She said to me that the café is a real “refuge.”

It is true – the café is a refuge. It’s pretty quiet, with an indoor fountain and a lovely courtyard outside.

Courtyard at Hillside Market

If you live in the Santa Fe area or are passing through for a visit, it’s a great place to stop and have a cup of coffee (regular or snobby available) and do some shopping for items by local artists. Pretty much all the stuff you see in the pictures is for sale. There’s also a greenhouse, where they are going to grow local food and Oasis Café is soon to be Vista Café with restaurant food.

Also be sure to check out the events calendar, that has yoga classes, writing workshops, and other happenings. And they don’t mind if you just hang out and have coffee. This place actually WANTS to be a community hub. This is what the 285 corridor needs. I’m rooting for them. I hope you will, too!

Stuff in the news 7/20/2013 – Social Good

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

• I haven’t yet followed the orgs in this list but the StayClassy philanthropy blog has put together a nice list of accounts for organizations that support persons with disabilities
• In a similar vein, there’s another reference I found that has Apps (and Maps) to End Sexual Violence
• I’ve just put the book being reviewed here on my Amazon wishlist:  Social Change Anytime Everywhere – Book Review. It looks like it will be really useful for non-profit communications work.
• If you’re working in the social good arena, you may be doing good works, but are you protecting yourself by having policies in place for yourself, as well as for your clients? Just Googling “social media policy” can yield some great stuff but I just ran across this today, so you might want to check it out: immediate future Launches a Step by Step Guide to Creating a Social Media Policy to Protect Company Reputations
• Most of us in the SMEM and social good world know this but Twitter does far more good than bad
• Well, this is interesting… while kids are fleeing Facebook in droves, this Study Finds Joining Your Teens On Facebook, Twitter Improves Relationship
• Mashable’s Social Good Summit is going international with meetups!  Social Good Summit Meetups Planned in 20+ Countries

What Dreams Are Made Of

Learn more about cheese at Deschutes Public Library

Know cheese at DPLS http://tinyurl.com/lzt76on

Stuff in the news 6/28/2013 – New Mexico

Ghost Ranch, Abiqui, NM – Image by M. Reddy-Hjelmfelt http://theredelm.com/

• You may not realize just how bad this drought is… Santa Fe now joins the list of towns in New Mexico that are running out of water. Local reservoirs are only at 33% capacity and after McNichols and McClure are tapped out, they’ll have to go to underground aquifers. Pray for rain, guys, and pray hard.
• Extreme drought is also in its third year in Magdalena, where the water is trickling back but only trickling enough to re-open town for now.
• In other liquid news, there’s a fight brewing over an arrest made in Tucumcari for an open container of near beer in a vehicle. 5-year legal fight over O’Doul’s beer
• Have you noticed a lot of people here that have Michigan ties? I wonder if the load officers at CUANM do. The New Mexico Credit Union Assn. of New Mexico teamed up with a Troy, MI firm to release a mobile arcade game called Kirby’s Catch and Save, that features a kangaroo that catches coins in its pocket.
• The Legal Tender in Lamy is re-opened this week. You can see a video from opening night here. To start out, they will only be open for dinner, Thursday through Saturday. Happy hour goes from 3-5pm and dinner goes from 6-9pm. Here’s the info:
  

  HOURS & RESERVATIONS

  Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  3:00 PM to 9:00 PM Happy Hour Served: 3:00 P – 5:00 P
  Dinner Served: 5:00 P to 8:00 P
  Reservations Requested Call: 505.466.1650
  email: info@TheLegalTender.com
• According to the US Department of Energy, “Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos) is at some risk of seismic events and susceptible to forest fires, including those started by lightning.  Since 2000, there have been two major forest fires that threatened Los Alamos.Although Los Alamos had made progress in upgrading existing nuclear facilities, concerns remained regarding the mitigation of risks related to natural disasters.  Specifically, we found seismic issues affecting the Plutonium Facility that remain to be addressed.  Additionally, we found that fire protection and prevention vulnerabilities in Area G Waste Storage and Disposal Facility (Area G) continue to exist.  Further, we found that several known risks exist with compensatory measures implemented in Area G that may lessen their efficacy in mitigating natural disasters.  Los Alamos’ processes and procedures have not always been fully effective in ensuring that hazards, including natural disasters, are fully analyzed and effectively mitigated. ”
  If it weren’t the Energy Department, one would find this piece of news to be alarmist, not just alarming. But it is from the government agency and more than a bit frightening.
• The Hepatitis A outbreak, blamed on Townsend Farms Organic Anti-oxidant Blend, has now affected 122 people, including 5 here in New Mexico.

Stuff in the news 6/24/2013 – New Mexico

Ghost Ranch, Abiqui, NM – Image by M. Reddy-Hjelmfelt http://theredelm.com/

• New Mexico now ranks 50th in child well-being, nationwide. Given that, I feel a need to clarify that there are 50 states and New Mexico is last.  New Mexico Drops to 50 in Nation for Child Well-being
• Reminder – the Santa Fe National Forest is closed, as of today, due to wildfire danger. KOB has a good list of what’s open and what’s closed across New Mexico. Be aware and be safe!
• Waking Times has an interesting article about the resurgence of Native foods, with a good portion of it focused on New Mexico pueblos’ efforts. Included is a reference to Declaration of Seed Sovereignty, which came out of Tesuque Pueblo’s Sustainable Food and Seed Sovereignty Symposium. Reference:  Putting the Culture Back in Agriculture: Reviving Native Food and Farming Traditions
• Check out the KASA video from New Mexico Magazine. You might want to pop out to the newsstand and pick up the July issue. Sounds yummy!

  Patriotic Pig Roast

• The Legal Tender in Lamy is re-opening this week. To start out, they will only be open for dinner, Thursday through Saturday. Happy hour goes from 3-5pm and dinner goes from 6-9pm. Here’s the info:
  

  HOURS & RESERVATIONS

  Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  3:00 PM to 9:00 PMHappy Hour Served: 3:00 P – 5:00 P
  Dinner Served: 5:00 P to 8:00 P
  Reservations RequestedCall: 505.466.1650
  email: info@TheLegalTender.com
• I’ve heard this weather referred to as a new dustbowl many times. I don’t think it’s quite that yet but it surely is a drought and something about which we should be concerned. So, I will probably cross-post these sorts of things here and in the Wildfire entries, as necessary. 8 Images to Understand the Drought in the Southwest
• Check out historical photos of places around New Mexico – or even upload some of your own – at WhatWasThere.com. This idea came from Ann Arbor, MI and you can look virtually travel to places around the globe. Lots of fun.

Stuff in the news 6/21/2013 – New Mexico

Ghost Ranch, Abiqui, NM – Image by M. Reddy-Hjelmfelt http://theredelm.com/

• Santa Fe Opera House was named one of the world’s best opera houses by Four Seasons Resorts. No surprise to any of us here but nice to see: Where Is the World’s Best Opera House?
• Apparently, the Opera isn’t enough to keep people living here. “Not only does Albuquerque lead the nation in losing jobs, it’s also one of the leaders when it comes to losing people, as in people moving away. It’s a double whammy haunting the state’s deeply troubled economy.” It’s more than job loss, though – people are even leaving to retire.  Record number of people moving away from Albuquerque.
• New Mexico ranked number 8 in the top ten solar states, based on solar incentives; utility policies; interconnection; and net metering. Interesting that 4 of the top 5 were all eastern ones. Didn’t see that coming.
• OK, so putting this in the New Mexico post is a bit of a stretch but the question was posed to Outside by someone in Santa Fe and I’m sitting in Hillside Market Cafe again, so there ya go. Q: How much caffeine is too much? 
• Megafires seem to be expected in NM. “Scientists studying a prolonged and severe drought in the southwestern U.S. say that extensive damage done to trees in that region portends what lies in store as other forests worldwide face rising temperatures, diminished rainfall, and devastating fires.” — Megadrought in U.S. Southwest: A Bad Omen for Forests Globally (Hat tip Jim O’Donnell)
• If you never got over to The Legal Tender in Lamy before it closed (I’ve blogged about it here), another chance is coming: Judge gives Legal Tender green light to reopen. Is it too much to hope that Santa Fe Southern Railway makes a comeback, as well?

Stuff in the news 6/21/2013 – Science

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

• “Though it might not fit with New Age dolphin lore, the reality is that dolphins, even those born in captivity, are wild. There’s absolutely no evidence to support the burgeoning practice of dolphin-assisted therapy. Here’s why dolphins are not healers — and why this practice needs to stop.”:  No, dolphins are not your ‘therapists.’ So just stop it.
• Hey! Bill Nye the Science Guy has come to your mobile device. How awesome is that?

  Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

• From  U of M – Ann Arbor New Service: “Some people feel so “creeped out” that they would decline an organ or blood that came from a murderer or thief, according to a new University of Michigan study.In addition, they express concern that their personality or behavior may change to become more like that of the donor, as a result of the donation.”  For some, it matters who’s donating an organ, blood
• You might want to take that next animal crossing sign just a little more seriously… “In spite of considerable human development, the southeastern United States region could provide some of the Western Hemisphere’s more heavily used thoroughfares for mammals, birds and amphibians on their way to cooler environments in a warming world, according to new research led by the University of Washington.” Detour Ahead: Cities, Farms Reroute Animals Seeking Cooler Climes
• Do you really want to know what your cat thinks? Will Translation Devices Soon Allow Us To Talk With Animals? 
• The Natural Resources Defense Council has launched a tool to let you check what impact climate change may have on you, by zip code.
• “An entire Maya city full of pyramids and palatial complexes has been discovered in a remote jungle in southeastern Mexico, archaeologists report.” Ruins of Maya City Discovered in Remote Jungle
• Summer officially begins this week as the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year. For Americans, summer will begin either on Thursday or Friday—depending on which time zone you live in.

  That’s because the timing of the summer solstice depends on when the sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator, and that varies from year to year.

  This year’s summer solstice falls on Friday, June 21, at 1:04 a.m. ET, but it will start on Thursday night for places in North America west of the Central Time Zone.  Read more about Solstice at National Geographic

• Fruits and Veggies Are Alive, Can Defend Against Herbivores. A new study finds that produce can be “trained” to specific circadian cycles, boosting their natural defenses against pests. And, in related news…