July!!!

Throughout the month of July I wrote down some notes about what I should write here. Here’s what I wrote:

Taking Back the Rainbow
What do you think? Here in Minneapolis we had the third largest Pride Festival in the country. Tyler and I choose to stay in that day, we could maybe see it getting a little out of hand and a little uncomfortable. We were treated to the Pride Fest fireworks from our front porch, though. This all led to Tyler and I talking about the rainbow! Its upsetting and ironic and, in a way, totally expected.. that a sign of God’s covenant is now used in such a way..
[I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13]

Plastics
I’ve learned a lot about plastic in the past month. I’ve always known that plastic isn’t really our best option and can be harmful, but my knowledge didn’t extend past that. Provoked by conversation at work Tyler and I now avoid as much plastic as possible. We store food in ceramic and glass, if possible. We only drink out of glass (I had to retire Tyler’s long preferred plastic MN cup). We try to use more wooden cooking utensils than plastic, as much as we can manage without being too crazy about it. It’s tough to do without plastic in such a plastic world. Each plastic (different number) is extremely different but most have potential negative effects, such as increased risk of miscarriage and developmental delays and increased risks of certain cancers. Things we’d love to avoid if it’s in our control.

High Fructose Corn Syrup
Another negative things we see almost everyday is High Fructose Corn Syrup. Tyler and I watched a documentary about corn a few months ago. I think we were both surprised and disgusted. You should research it for yourself. Honestly I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the United States uses significantly more HFCS than most countries (most don’t use it at all) and we have the largest obesity problem. I was also upset to notice that products advertised as All Natural often contain HFCS. Around the house and in the store we’ve noticed that the #1 or #2 ingredient in things such as maple syrup, jelly, mayo, juic, and more is HFCS. Eww. I’ll stick with sugar.

A Skirt
I finally used the fabric that I brought home from Uganda the first time. I made a skirt! It’s not perfect, but for being my first creation since home economics in 7th grade, I think its pretty great. And I think all I made in 7th grade was an apron and a srcunchie. Now I’m working on a button down shirt which is going to be a bit more difficult.


4th of July
We stayed in Minneapolis for the 4th of July and went downtown to watch the fireworks over the Stone Arch Bridge. We found a spot in the prairie grass on a hill by the Guthrie Theatre overlooking some of the mill ruins, the bridge, and the river. It was a really pretty spot and the fireworks were so big and so close.
Tyler and I sat around on our blanket waiting for the crowds to clear when we noticed two men uphill from us lighting bottle rockets and throwing them up into the sky. It was getting a little scary when they started shooting down towards people. Tyler and I stood up and were getting ready to leave when a bottle rocket shot right into Tyler’s leg! We ran up the hill to confront the men, along with some others, but they were not really cooperating or being kind. After they left Tyler wanted to follow them to make sure they left the area. I guess they noticed us so they took off their t-shirts and tried to run away. I ended up calling the police since the men were acting so weird about the situation and eventually Tyler lost them.
Unfortunately his pants sustained a burn hole but other than that Tyler was just fine.

New Finches
For Christmas Tyler got me two zebra finches but we never actually got them. We spent some time looking for finches that we liked and waited for summer weather. We brought two home and soon after the ladybird got sick. We took her back to the pet store where she passed away. The next day we brought home a new ladybird and were happy to see that she got along with the other. About a week later our remaining original bird got sick and passed away as well! Now all we have is our second lady, named Sug. We’re going to give it some time before we bring in another one, just in case she gets sick, too. It’s been tough…

Two more "topics" coming soooooon....