Musings

Comment posted today in reply to blogs by Rosa Contreras regarding the company, Threads for Thought (Sustainable Apparel)... 08/14/2011 - Tracy J. Collier Thank you, Ms. Contreras, for looking into Threads for Thought. I recently purchased two of their shirts on sale at Whole Foods in Boulder, CO . I was thrilled to find such nice, organic cotton shirts with NRDC endorsement. Just this morning, as I was putting on one of them, I noticed the “Made in Pakistan” label and became concerned. After some “Googling” I came across your blog post. I’m glad to know that someone else is thinking about global impact issues that go beyond materials to worker conditions. Thank you for researching Threads for Thought and posting your findings. I agree that it does sound like they’re doing what they can to use sustainable products and protect against human trafficking. This is good news.

Wanting to quickly boil water for tea and not owning a tea kettle, I decided to post an ad on Freecycle . For those of you who aren't familiar, Freecycle is a "network" where people list things they Want or have to Offer to others - free of charge. My add went like this: Wanted: Hot pot or electric kettle in working condition Looking for a hot pot or electric kettle in working condition for heating water for tea. Thanks! Shortly after it went up I had two responses, one of which was for a brand new hot pot, still in the box. I was thrilled! I exchanged a few emails with the person making the offer - we'll call her Betty - and in one of them she explained that she could not leave it on the porch (which is often customary wtih Freecyclers) because she lived in a "bad neighborhood." I wasn't concerned. I had lived previously in LA, New York, and Cleveland -working and volunteering as a social worker. I've been to "bad neighborhoo

I like ice cream. A lot! And if it's in the house, it will call to me. "Tracy . . . come here....I'm just hanging out in the freezer. Grab a spoon. Treat yourself to a few bites. You deserve it." A few bites turns into a few more bites and before I know it, the container is empty. Most frequently the ice cream in question is a pint of Ben & Jerry's - either Vanilla Carmel Fudge or Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream . Eating like this, of course, is not healthy to do on a daily - or even weekly - basis. And so I've developed rules for Ice Cream Management. Rule #1: Don't buy ice cream. Rule #2: If you do buy ice cream, eat it all right away so that it's gone and no longer able to tempt you. Yes - there are only two rules but they work. Very well. In fact, I follow these same two rules for Annie's Mac-n-Cheese . And Kozy Shack chocolate pudding . And.... *photo: I Splurged on Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream by Heather W

Sharing this passage because it is a direct reflection of how I strive to live my life every day. Perhaps it will mean something to you, perhaps it will inspire you to live your life this way as well, if your aren't doing so already. --- Direct quote from the book Offerings: Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day   by Olivier & Danielle Follmi. 21 May  You cannot live sheltered forever without ever being exposed, and at the same time be a spiritual adventurer. Be audacious. Be crazy in your own way, with that madness in the eyes of man that is wisdom in the eyes of God. Take risks, search and search again, search everywhere, in every way, do not let a single opportunity or chance that life offers pass you by, and do not be petty and mean, trying to drive a hard bargain. Arnaud Desjardins

Today is my first day of school. Not ever, of course, but it’s been 14 years since my last degree – a master’s in social work from Case Western Reserve University. And today, I return to school to start work on another master’s degree, this time in teaching at the University of Northern Colorado . A lot is different this time around! All of my previous schooling was during my late teens and early twenties. I am now in my late 30s (I’ll leave the math as to my exact age up to you). Disclaimer: I will be in class with others ranging in age from mid-20s to 50s. So it’s really not as bad as it could be. But that doesn’t’ mean I’m not nervous. In fact, I’ve never been nervous about school until now. Will I make friends? Will others know more than me? Will I be challenged? All of my previous schooling took place without the assistance of caffeine. Coffee drinks were just gathering momentum when I was in grad school and while I would have an occasional café mocha or latte, it was rare. Now,

So for Christmas this past year I asked - and received (much thanks to my family) - the Jessica Seinfeld Cookbooks . And tonight I begin my journey with them by trying out the recipe for Lo Mein in the one titled, Double Delicious (p. 83). It begins with a sweet potato, or yam. Pureed. Well, I've never pureed a sweet potato, but thankfully, the cookbook explains just exactly how to do that (p. 191). I chose to cut my sweet potato (in my case, an Organic Garnet Yam, bought at King Soopers ) into quarters, lengthwise. *Note: LEAVE THE PEEL ON! Put it in a pot, cover with water, and boil until soft - much like when boiling  potatoes for mashing. Once it passed the it's-so-soft-it's-falling-off-the-fork test, I drained in a colander. Next step was to scoop out the sweetness. *Careful! It's hot, and therefore, hard to hold! I scooped the sweetness into a bowl, and then put into the food processor to puree (thank you, Anita, for the donation a couple years back of