And with that, we’re done with the last full week of May. The days absolutely aren’t normal, but they seem to be moving along at a much faster clip now.
On a whim, we took a day trip out to Sequim over the weekend. Really, the fact that we could decide impulsively to take a ferry the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and get on the first boat shows how different life is now (as opposed to last year…)
It was so fun to leave the area, even for just a little while. We had to stay in our cars during the ferry ride and very little was open, but I was able to get a two pound bag of my favorite coffee beans. We have definitely missed the Peninsula and are hoping for some camping later this summer away from any crowds. In the meantime, though, it was definitely a break in the routine and the biggest adventure we’ve been on for some time.
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Friday’s Frugal Five
1. I’ve been hang drying our laundry every day it hasn’t been raining, which is quite a few lately. The kiddo helps me as well, and I think I may be on to convincing him that it’s the best chore there is.
Our clothes last longer when they take fewer trips through the dryer, and our utility bill (and resource use) is lower as well. Definitely an ecofrugal chore.
2. We’ve managed to keep our furnace off since we turned it off a couple weeks ago. It’s gotten down to 61-62 degrees some mornings, but the husband didn’t complain and we were able to keep it off through the dip.
The temperatures have warmed up again into the seventies for the high, so we’re back to opening the windows in the evenings to cool the house down. While we need to heat or cool the house much of the year, I really appreciate the period of time where we don’t have to do either.
3. My siblings bought us a compost tumbler last Christmas and we finally set it up a couple months ago. And now we’ve started using it.
The bulk of our compost still goes out to the street for pick up to deter rats and other pests, I’m looking forward to creating a portion of what we’ll need to amend the garden soil in the future. I’m a big newbie when it comes to composting, so we shall see how it goes. I’ve gotten so used to not needing to read up on gardening these days, but perhaps it’s time to read up a little on composting.
4. The kiddo got full days with his grandmas this week! We are still social distancing with them, but we were able to set up to have outside days with them while I worked.
It might not be the same as pre-COVID days, but it felt so good that he was able to get days with them more similar to what they used to. With kindergarten coming up this fall, it feels so unfair that the pandemic has stolen the last few months they have with him before school starts and the routine changes.
5. A couple of our neighbors a bit down from our street organized a food truck to set up in front of their houses for dinner one night this week. They sent out a note to our Facebook groups as well as through text chains down the neighboring streets, and we (along with quite a few other neighbors) showed up to buy dinner from them.
The food was delicious, it was great to say hello to some neighbors we don’t see as frequently, and I’m hopeful that the food truck did well enough to come again. Our local restaurants are struggling, and it would be awesome if we could welcome food trucks to our neighborhood through this process.
Exercise Update
We went for a long, slow walk through rainy trails on Memorial Day. Tuesday I went for a twenty minute jog, but I’m still being cautious with my heel and not going for longer than that.
I’ve continued on my daily yoga streak, and the husband even joined me for one day. He’s unconvinced he’ll join me every day, but it’s fun to mix it up and have him practice with me every once and a while. Otherwise, there was plenty of time on walks and in the garden throughout the week.
What did your Memorial Day look like this year?
Your pictures make me want to see the Pacific NW even more than I’ve already wanted. I’m long overdue for a trip out there to explore. I’m glad you were able to enjoy Sequim – I’ve never heard of it, but it looks stunning!
That’s sad your son is losing these last few months with his grandmothers, but at least he has both nearby and they’re both still willing to see him through social distancing.
I’m a hang dryer for the most part too. 😉
I mean, the PNW is pretty fabulous. Let me know before you head out so I can give tips / hopefully meet up in person!
Yay! I will! I was hoping to try this fall, but who knows? Thank you!
i really wanted to try that same composter due to our rat issue but i’m not sure we’ll ever take the plunge. memorial day was spent resting for us after a 12 hour drive home.
Yeah, I wonder if keeping it off the ground would help here.
I thought the same about rats and pests but was told to not worry so much. We know pretty much put everything in our backyard compost this year and is going really well. I don’t put cooked food waste (we usually have none) and we don’t have meat scraps etc which should still go to curbside organics. I also shovel a small cover of dirt on top of my fresh kitchen waste. I am also adding all my healthy garden cuttings and root vegetable tops etc in. I’ll see how it goes and what I learn this year.
Reminder, when you get a chance eat at Nourish Sequim, you won’t regret it.
Thought about that recommendation again while we were there! Hopefully soon.
I love the PNW though I live at the opposite end of the country. Love the ability you have to get on the trails right behind your house and the lake in Soquim is so pretty (never been). Is it a glacial lake? Suppose I could research myself.
I have a compost pile in my backyard, really an enclosure of chicken wire, where we dump all veggie scraps, spent plants, grass clippings etc. Never had any issues with rats in it. I don’t even work it, my chickens do that. Made a wonderful compost a year ago, and it seems it needs 2 years to be done and usable and to build a new one of meaningful size. Have a good week.
Sequim is actually on Puget sound! So ocean.
My husband was worried about the mice from the field next to us coming to our ground-sitting compost bin, then luring in other, larger, critters. That hasn’t been the case at all, and we add a great deal to it nearly every day as working hard to get half of every plate veg-filled.
Our dryer died mid-winter and it took us about a month to get it back working, so clothes were hung and dried on racks, but I was disappointed to not really see much of a reduction in our elec bill (heat is gas, not elec, so no bump from that). I was anticipating a major change 🙂 Oh well, onward and forward. Lows here have been in the mid-50s and it’s been so nice sleeping with the bedroom windows open. The 90s are coming soon, so the chilly mornings have been a treat during my “hot flash season” ugh. Wish i’d known about the Diva cup years ago to save so much money back in the day…
We talked about going to Orcas Island this summer, but I think it’ll be tabled another year… it’s been on my list forever, it seems.
Orcas is actually in phase 2 now, so not impossible to visit (if you feel comfortable).