When I was younger, about 30 short years ago, no one in the U.S. had ever heard of 24/7, at least not where I grew up.  I can remember when the grocery stores started opening on holidays and my grandma used to say “DO NOT shop on holidays anywhere, or someday you will be working on the holiday yourself”  Grandma was sure right on that one.

We can barely schedule any family gathering now when someone doesn’t have to work.

Grandma believed very strongly that everyone should be home with their family on a holiday and  Sunday’s too for that matter.  She also knew we would survive Thanksgiving without the whip topping she forgot to put in the grocery cart the day before.  As I write this and remember the holidays I don’t remember what dress I wore, what food we did or didn’t have but I do remember how important family was.  Grandma would always say “turn off the TV when friends and family come,  they are so much more important!”  but that’s a story for another day.

Today let’s think about the price we are paying for 24/7.  The additional energy used to power virtually every store.  Yes I know there is still power on when the store is closed, but every time the outside door opens the climate control system heat or air has to be run harder.  Multiply that number for every store in the U.S.   The lights and computers in most stores NEVER get shut down.  The next time you are shopping at Walmart, look at how many lights are on.  AMAZING!

I would be in favor of returning to having to make it to the store before 10:00p.m.  I think if I don’t have it by then I can most likely make it until 7:00 a.m. without it and maybe that would save enough energy to help save our planet.

I am sure there are people who find it convenient to shop late, so maybe stores should offer 1 or 2 nights a week with extra hours instead of everyday at least until we can get used to a non 24/7 world again.

Maybe we would all take more time for friends and family.

What do you think? Please post your comments.

If you haven’t been to MommyFest before, no worries, it’s a great way to meet other mom bloggers and introduce yourself and your web site.

There will be fun prizes and lots of chat.

Clcik on over to the MommyFest site for details and I’ll see you at the party!

For some reason the birds in my neighborhood also look forward to my hanging gardens.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy hearing the birds sing and watching them frolic around.  They are welcome to seek refuge in any of my dozens of trees, but the hanging gardens on my front porch are not intended to be their home.  Getting the birds to nest in the trees instead of my baskets is about as easy as getting Obama and Clinton to agree on who should be the Democratic presidential nominee.

I was ready to head to the store to buy those foil pin wheels to try, but now that I am focused on being green in my home office I find that thought process follows me around in everything I do.  So I decided to look around and see what I might already have that would work.  I did a little search on the net and found a suggestion of using an old CD.

I think I may have FINALLY found a solution.

First I tried hanging an old CD from the basket and that seem to deter some of the birds, especially the smaller ones, but the large Robin that really wanted the prime real estate got bold enough to fly in. So being determined myself, I decided to the stick 2 CD’s down in the dirt of the basket sort of making a CD tent.  I think that did the trick.

I tried to photograph it above in case you are having the same bird trouble I was.

What a great way to recycle CD’s.  Now the Robin can find a nice spot in a tree and we humans can enjoy the flowers in the basket.

Have a great idea on how to reuse something, please share it.

Take 10 minutes 15 if you can manage,  and look outside.  Really look.  This is the view out my office window.

Appreciate all the beauty that surrounds you.  The greening grass, the trees budding, if you are really lucky maybe you’ll even see some flowers popping thru the soil.

Looking outside on a fresh spring day like today reminds me of why taking the steps to make my home office green are important.

Share your office view with me.

The Mom’s Talk Network website has been quiet since Kelly McCausey assumed ownership back in October 2007, but no more.  Starting today the website will be brimming over with fresh Guest Blogger appearances and a resurrected Mom’s Talk Forum which I will be helping to breathe new life into as a Moderator.  Come on over and say hello today and be entered for a chance to win gifts, free advertising and even a cash prize.  Every blog comment and forum post made on April first will serve as an entry in today’s relaunch drawing  

Look at the Prize List

Have you spotted a Bindi?

Is your city participating?

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Earth Hour Web Site

You can also visit Whole Foods You Tube Page