Hello All, Happy Weekend and Happy Fall!
In recognition of the passage of time and seasons, lets take a moment to admire this pumpkin with a heart on it …
Can you spot the pumpkin I am referring to?
Right there on the bottom row, right side, third pumpkin in. You see it?
Bingo!…a pumpkin with a heart-shaped “blemish” on it’s skin.
An Autumn Miracle, or the work of a garden gnome? Its tough to say…
-
German Gnome, potential windmill squatter and pumpkin artist
Until recently, I believed the heart to be some sort of miracle, like the image of Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich. What else could explain it? Well, then I stumbled upon a book about gnomes which illuminated a new possibility:
Perhaps this was not a “natural occurrence”, the “hand of God”, or “magic”, but instead the clever, whimsical handiwork of a garden gnome who had been living in the windmill on the property.
Gnomes are known to occupy windmills from time to time, and this pumpkin was grown in close proximity to a windmill, the one pictured blow in fact.
So it could very well have been a gnome.
Oh nature.
It is my love of nature that inspires this next topic, please enjoy.
Zero Waste Living
As some of you may know, garbage is an issue close to my heart.
It all started in college. Yep, went to college, fell in love with garbage.
Its taken me a while, but this year I finally made it a goal to adopt a Zero Waste lifestyle. I am inspired by two ladies: Bea Johnson of Zero Waste Home and Lauren Singer of Trash is for Tossers and The Package Free Shop, both women have written extensively on the topic of Zero Waste Living and rely heavily on glamour shots for advertising.
Aside from eliminating plastic utensils and straws (cept the jumbo ones for bubble tea) by switching to Geico…I mean To Go Ware and Simply Straws, I have two recent developments in my Zero Waste game I’d like to share with you in case you were looking for a nudge:
Dental Floss
I bought a fancy dental floss called Dental Lace that is made of silk and comes in a refillable glass container. The idea behind this product is that the natural fibers are better for you to slobber all over and the refillable glass containers reduce the waste associated with plastic dental floss containers. I will continue using the fancy dental floss for these reasons, but will admit the floss breaks easier than what I am used to.
DIY Toothpaste
Most excitingly, and actually the whole reason for this post, is DIY toothpaste. I ran out of toothpaste and decided to make my own to elimiate toothpaste tubes from my waste stream. Using a recipe I found on a zero waste lifestyle blog called Trash is for Tossers, I am quite satisfied with this DIY alternative.
The recipe is simple:
2 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 tablespoon baking soda, Â 10-15 drops mint or other essential oil
Tastes a little salty and does not froth, fluxuates between solid and liquid depending on temperature, but all in all, I’d say this toothpaste works great and is a suitable alternative to packaged toothpase. I put mine in a jar leftover from home-made jam my gramma sent me. Yummmm.
Now, go forth and brush!
xo
KB
P.S. For all you tap dancing enthusiasts out there, some tap dancing education for you: an interview with Brenda Buffalino, tap master, maybe the first lady to popularize ladies tap dancing in flat shoes as opposed to high heels (must fact check for you), founder of the tap school I am attending. Thanks Brenda! Follow link below for interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcWIM6EWw2Y
Junebugbayer 
Gnome man has a no doubt about matters of the heart. Very unique perspective, young one.
LikeLike