This article first appeared in ADDitude Magazine online.

I have a trunk full of reusable grocery bags. They make me feel so environmentally conscious. Until I get to the check out line and remember that they are … still in the trunk of my car.

Why can’t I remember to bring them IN to the store? (Oh yeah. ADD). Once, when there was no one in line behind me, I actually excused myself and ran outside to get them. Of course, by the time I returned, six people were glaring at me, waiting impatiently to check out. Won’t do that again.

But what’s the point of having reusable bags if I don’t, eh, USE them?

A good friend of mine unwittingly solved my ADD-ish problem with her Christmas gift last year. She gave me a ChicoBag. I love these little critters!

ChicoBags are fat little bundles that expand to full size grocery bags. Made of polyester, these mighty little sacks can hold up to 25 pounds of groceries (the larger size holds 40 pounds!).

Each one has a self-fabric storage sack sewn into the bottom seam (so ADD folks like me never lose it). And best of all, the ChicoBag has a carabiner (hook) so it attaches to your purse, belt loop, notebook, shopping list, you name it! I love the bright colors, too. Some of the newest ChicoBags are made of 99% recycled materials – even better for the environment!

I bought several more at the ChicoBag website for $5 each. What a bargain! And if you buy five, the company throws in the sixth one for free.

I attached three ChicoBags to my purse on an unused key ring. I know I look a bit like a pack animal with my pink, purple and green bags, but hey – I’m using them! Sometimes, I even use them at the hardware store or department store, too.

 It’s a perfect ADD tool:

A.  There are no parts to lose
B.  The little hook lets me take it with me everywhere
C.  Comes in bright colors so it doesn’t get lost in my piles
D.  It’s cheap and good quality

I just love it when something works for me and my ADD.

I love it even more when it also helps the environment.

Viva Green ADDiva!

I’m a renewed fan of aluminum foil. Lots of reasons:

1. It molds to anything and stays put.

2. It survives being roasted or frozen

3. It’s reusable.

4. It recycles when it’s finally worn out from crinkling and recrinkling.

Yep. The aluminum foil package at my house has moved front and center in my wraps drawer. And it’s gonna stay there. I used to feel wasteful for using thin sheets of metal, but now I know better than to use them ONCE.

And I’ve known, but forget (in this world that still worships throw-away) that it’s a lot better to recycle at home than it is to put it at the road to let someone else recycle.

That’s about it for now. I just need to get this stuff down before I forget. And this is a big one.

Green hugs

Linda

This article first appeared in ADDitude Magazine online.

I lost my what???

I haven’t killed any grapevines this year… yet.

Actually, the two vines that survived Japanese beetles, grape fungus and complete neglect look pretty good. Probably because I did my duty and pruned them in February (the actual recommended month for pruning – a triumph for any ADD adult!). And I threw a bunch of well-composted fertilizer (aka chicken poop) around the roots. Voila! They were happy little vines.

In June, I noticed several small clumps of hard green nubbins that supposedly would ripen into luscious grapes. Not in my garden; for five years, they have shriveled and fallen to the ground. Or the birds and squirrels have eaten them. I’ve never tasted a single grape from my “vineyard.”

Several weeks later, the darned things got plump. Then they started changing color. My gosh; grapes were actually being born! Every day I checked on them; I shooed away the hungry beetles and hung a little bird netting over them.

Did you know that grapes don’t ripen all at the same time? Within the same bunch there were several deep purple grapes ready to eat, a few more grapes that barely blushed pink and a majority of stubborn green grapes that refused to ripen. When was I supposed to harvest? When all of them turned purple? When a few were still green? I was baffled.

I had my answer the day some of those early bloomers burst their skins and went flat and droopy.  Oops.  No matter what color, those grapes were coming with me! Carefully, I snipped off the three little bundles (at most 30 or 40 grapes).

I dared not risk bruising my precious cargo in a wicker basket. Instead, I carefully turned up the hem of my T-shirt to form a pocket (think apron pocket) and nestled the grapes against my waist. I patted them gently to make sure they stayed safe, then closed the garden gate and headed for the air-conditioned house.

I went straight to the kitchen, stood over the counter and flipped open my shirt. No grapes! Not a one! They’d fallen out! Panicked, I retraced my steps; surely red and green grapes would be easy to find. No grapes were seen. I went back to the house, more slowly, eyes scanning the green grass. Could birds or squirrels have grabbed them so quickly? Curses on them!

Tears were beginning to gather behind my eyelids. Five years of battling birds and bugs and I had LOST the first harvest? I tried to think like Sesame Street and “take a walk backwards in my mind.”  Where had I gone? What had I done? I’d snipped the grapes, put them in my shirt, went to the house…ah! I’d closed the other garden gate!

And there they were, a little smashed (apparently I’d stepped on a few of them), but mostly intact. I made silent apologies to the birds and squirrels after my undeserved condemnation.

Then it hit me: I had actually lost my grapes! On the way from the garden to my house, I had LOST my grapes! I had to ask: is that like losing your marbles?

Do you lose your marbles and then lose your grapes? Or does losing your grapes MAKE you lose your marbles? Is there ADD medication you can take for losing your grapes?

I was still giggling as I composed the survivor grapes into a sad little still life and took pictures for posterity. I might never harvest grapes again. But if I do, with god as my witness: “I’ll never lose my grapes again!” 

Not sure I can say the same about losing my marbles
 

Spring gardening is the perfect antidote for ADD women. Look at the possibilities:

1. There is always something new coming up  – sprouts, flowers, seed pods…

2. You can make a huge mess and nobody cares because you're SUPPOSED to get dirty when you garden (cool, huh?)

3. Planting is really satisfying – plopping those seeds in the ground and waiting a week or so to see the new life pop through (even cooler!)

4. It's an OUTDOOR event; research shows that people are happier when they are outdoors around green leafy things, like trees and plants.

5. It's good exercise; ADHD improves with exercise. Read John Ratey's book "Spark" and you'll see what I mean.

6. Most important of all, gardening is good for the soul. It literally GROUNDS you. Sinking your fingers into the damp earth reconnects you to the earth and that, in turn, reconnects you to YOU.

Even if you're not a gardener (yet) and  think you have a brown thumb, try planting a few petunias or radishes. You might be surprised at the results.

Then write and tell me all about it….I love hearing about your experiences!

Hugs,

Linda

When my ADD has me running in circles, trying to find the beginning or the end or even a middle, there is nothing quite so grounding – literally – than getting out to my garden and thrusting my fingers into the sun-warmed soil. This week, it’s time to plant fall crops – broccoli and cauliflower.

Those precious little transplant leaves, quivering with possibility, ready to flourish with only a small push from me….pretty heady stuff for a farmer’s-daughter-turned organic-gardener like me.

Read the rest of this entry »

I juggle a lot of "stuff" in my life – projects, relationships, households, pets, clients, travel and much more. So when I added the "go green" thing to my life, it was just about the straw that pushed me over the edge. Almost. Read the rest of this entry »