Happy Mom’s Day and Living Green Expo Recap

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there! I hope you got a good breakfast and maybe some flowers out of it. From the time I was little until the last Mother’s Day my Mom was in her house, it was a tradition to buy her plants and put them in pots around her front steps. I love traditions, but it sure is sad when they end.

I went to the Living Green Expo yesterday. There was so much to look at! And lots of people there too, which is encouraging.

I went there, planning on going to a few presentations about gardening, composting, and energy conservation but there were so many things to look at that I never got to the presentations. This actually was okay because the main presentation I wanted to see was by Ellen Sandbeck of LaVerme’s Worms on Worm Composting.

I found the LaVerme’s booth and talked to Ellen about a few of the issues I was having with my worm bin, like the newspapers clumping together. To that one, she responded, “No newspapers!” I guess there is clay in newspaper which is why it clumps up and feels slimy, yet that’s what everyone tells you to use, except Ellen.

Her bin of worms looked so much better than mine and I could have just bought some of her bedding mix from her, but after discussing the whole situation, and fearing that I may have already introduced fruit flies to my existing bin, I ended up buying a whole worm kit from her.

The booklet in itself is priceless. It’s an easy read and very humorous as the authors tell future worm farmers about mistakes encountered in worm composting. It appears foods that are not especially good for us, are not good for worms either. Ellen Sandbeck has a number of other books and information available on her website.

My old worm bin was disassembled when I got home. I pulled out as much of the newspapers as I could, and those guys are now my outdoor worms. I feel so cool having TWO worm compost bins!

The previous homeowners left behind a composting bin that did not work out well because it sits in the shade and the egg shells in there are still completely whole. Ellen said the worms would make that compost bin work properly so I’m giving it a try.

I also saw my dream chickens. I’ve been thinking I can barely make it to work on time now with all the animal care so chickens might just push me over the edge, but the pull towards the cliff is strong…

I also bought an Esse Reusable Bag package that includes 3 grocery bags, 2 produce bags, 1 everyday bag and the tote that the whole thing fits into, which also includes a pocket for coupons. Latte chewed the handle off of one of my reusable bags and the other one, which was biodegradable, biodegraded. The Esse bags are made from recycled plastic bottles and will be stored away from Latte’s teeth.

I picked up tons of information on public transportation (even practiced putting a bike on a bus rack), gardening, landscaping using native plants, cooking, CSA’s, cleaning up the Mississippi River and so on.

I found out about a local magazine that is worth checking out if you live in the area called “Edible Twin Cities” which has information about local foods in restaurants, farmers’ markets, and food events. It also has articles about people involved in delivering those foods – from farmers to chefs.

There was entertainment on stage at the expo also. The dancers in the photos below are from the Mexica (pronounced “me-shee-ka”) tribe; they are more commonly known as the Aztec people.

Java got to try out a new backpack to help with carrying water for her and Latte. She also carried a few groceries on the walk back home.

Today, I’m off to visit Luke and I’m sure another dog walk will follow that. And maybe a bike ride…