When I said I wanted to step back, I didn't mean this far.

We got back from Scott's parents' house Sunday evening and had no hot water. No amount of fiddling with the controls (that is Scott's domain) would fix it. There was just enough warmish water Monday morning for showers.

Scott went to Lowe's and bought the part that he thought was broken on Monday. Apparently it is a different part that is broken. In order to wash my dinner dishes, I had to heat up a pot of water. We called his sister and asked to spend the night so we could shower there.

Right now the plumber that our landlord uses is here trying to fix it.

Plants so far:

German chamomile
Lavender (that I allowed to go to seed last year)
Cat grass
Corn - in a pot - we'll see if this works. According to OSU extension, this variety and this size pot works
Loofah - actually a kind of gourd
Chives
Basil
Oregano
Cilantro
Thyme
Zinnias
Alyssum
Morning glories

I have others in my little greenhouse thing that need to be planted once we get hot water so I can bathe in the evening.

The Cups

My grandparents had two milking cows. My grandpa tested milk for a living prior to retirement and still did a little work down in his basement. I recall being warned many times about the dangers of the acids involved. I had to stay on the complete opposite side of the basement when he had them out lest they burn holes all the way through my clothes.

There was always a large metal milk jug in the refrigerator. Looking back, I'm surprised I didn't spill it. That thing was heavy.

Our choices for a drink with dinner were either milk or water. I don't remember there ever being pop in the house. At dinner we drank out of the coolest cups ever. They were the size of iced tea glasses, but made of metal and each one was a different color. I loved those cups. I was bummed when I didn't grab them before we had the auction after my grandparents died.

A few years ago, I was in Lehman's Hardware with my inlaws and found the cups. My mother in law bought them for me as a Christmas gift. They're a little wider than the originals, but close enough for nostalgia.

Meet My Grandmother

From left: Grandma Opal (not technically my Grandma,
but no one's keeping score), Me, Grandma Doll at what may
have been my 1st birthday party

My grandmother, Ruth Lucille Witwer Doll was born on December 25, 1911 in Black Band, Ohio to Charles and Daisy (Murphy) Witwer. She was the middle child with an older sister, Ida and younger brother, David (Slayton).

She married my grandfather, Harrison Henry Doll on September 13, 1937. They had 3 children, Phyllis, Charles, and Judith. My father was the middle child.

She was what people today would call "green." She grew a huge garden, berry bushes, drank milk from her own cows, canned, stitched her own dresses, laundered with a ringer washer, composted, and employed a spray-free Japanese beetle remover (a coffee can full of kerosene where the beetles met thick, soupy death).

The more I try to lessen my impact on the environment, the more I realize that I'm slowly becoming my grandmother. It's surprising how we step back to move forward.