Well, this is awkward. I’ve been trying to write a post for the past two days, but the words are just not coming. I guess I don’t actually want to write about canning alternatives — that was my plan when I posted on Monday, and I should have sketched out a post then, because wow, whatever was in my head has now completely leaked out.

(Writer’s block is interesting, by the way, because you can totally write, it’s just all crap.)

(Oh, incidentally, V, I haven’t forgotten you, I just haven’t heard from the extension office agent about your canning question. I am ON IT and we will get it figured out!)

So what do I want to write about?

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I’m kind of bummed because this Saturday is a repair cafe in a neighboring town, and I’m really curious about that. But we have other plans so I can’t go. I’ve heard of these and think they’re a great idea: You bring in something that is broken and any parts that might be needed to fix it, and then volunteers take a crack at it. I mean, how cool is that? The press release said you can bring anything from clothes in need of mending to TVs and small appliances (toasters, I guess?). We don’t actually have anything in need of repair that I could fit in the car (hey, anyone want to come fix my dishwasher? The top rack spinner thing won’t spin), but people can just go and hang out and drink coffee and, like, be backseat fixers. I think it sounds totally intriguing and kind of fun. And very zero wastey-y. Maybe there will be another one before my year is up here and I can go report.

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My favorite mother-in-law loves me.

Eric just got back from playing racquetball (I’m writing this Thursday evening) and handed me a small box. I’ve got a present for you, he said, and inside is a compact of brown eyeshadow from my favorite mother-in-law. She said it was free and she wasn’t going to use it, he added, and oh boy oh boy, I will totally use that! I think it counts as a zero waste alternative because the compact is already in the waste stream and I’m just, like, saving it from the landfill. Plus I can reuse the container — it’s got a nice mirror and someday will hold homemade lip balm and be someone’s birthday present. (Or whatevs.) Thanks, Joni! You’re awesome.

Also: There’s a decision I won’t have to make for a while longer — the whole “What Do I Do About Homemade Eyeshadow” ordeal, as the powdered stuff I made just flakes into my eyes and causes me a lot of discomfort. Powder in your eyes isn’t as fun as you’d think it’d be.

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Johanna is three weeks into the new school year and has already broken her pencil sharpener. It was one of the items we were able to reuse from last year, and as they make these things as cheaply and crappily as possible, I wasn’t surprised when she made that particular announcement. Great, I thought, one more thing for the list, but then I found her rattling around the Box of Awesome (aka where we keep our leftover school supplies) for a replacement. The one in the box was also broken, apparently (uh, why was it in the box, then?), but I was proud of her anyway for going the reusable route first instead of just assuming we’d need to buy one (yeah, like I did, guilty as charged).

So hey, if I know you in real life and you have a pencil sharpener with shavings holder (don’t look at me, that’s what’s required) that you don’t want anymore, hit me up. I will happily buy it from you.

And if that heartfelt plea doesn’t work, then I’ll look in our stationary store. They carry a lot of loose, unpackaged office supplies … of better quality than, let’s say, The Store That Must Not Be Named. (Starts with a W, ends in a “mart,” that’s the only hint I’m prepared to give.)

See? I learned something from our mostly failed attempt at zero waste school supplies.

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Plums, just waiting to be dried, as seen this weekend. This is what I thought I was going to write about, but it turns out I didn’t want to.

Speaking of my darling youngest child, she’s on a robotics team this fall, and, as we literally have to feed her every hour on the hour (she’s growing again), when one of the moms mentioned bringing snacks next time, I was like, sign me up for a shift!

And then walked back to the car thinking, dang it, what in the world can I bring that’s zero waste?

But! You guys, there’s literally SO MUCH STUFF. The more I thought about it, the more confident I felt in pulling this off: small apples (farm stand), carrot slices (farm stand or loose in the store), cherry tomatoes (farm stand), pears (farm stand) … dried fruit (I can do that myself with farm stand produce), homemade granola bars (I was doing a bit of research today, you don’t even have to bake those things!), homemade muffins (farm stand and store), bulk snack mix / crackers / nuts / granola (store) … that’s just as far as I’ve gotten on my mental list. If there’s something I haven’t mentioned, leave a comment! I can’t be the only parent faced with this dilemma.

Oh, PS, I realize that not everyone is able to bring homemade items to school events. I will definitely ask before I start up the ol’ KitchenAide. I’ve been pretty lucky on that front, though, the most memorable being homemade St. Lucia’s Buns for Jo’s kindergarten class — her birthday being St. Lucia’s Day. 🙂

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Well, that was fun. Sorry it wasn’t a real post, but this weekend I plan to sleep a lot so Monday I will be back, fresh and hopefully with a lot of words that actually make sense when strung together.

The end!

Next up: Let’s all just be surprised.