We left Los Angeles, and I must say, as a child I really had no idea why we were taking such a journey, but I embraced it with enthusiasm, an enthusiasm I still have today for new adventures.  Pan Am gave us these great little square carry-on bags and each of us had our own stash of ‘things to do’ on the plane. We had a flight from LA to Hawaii and a layover there of several days so that we could explore.

As our plane circled the little island of Samoa I can remember Mom and Dad being very worried that it didn’t have enough room to land.  From the air we could see that the runway ended with an abrupt drop-off into the sea, and from our birds-eye view it looked very short indeed.  Mom gripped the edge of her seat in fright and we all wondered if our adventure would be over before it started.  I was too young to really be afraid but when I look at the photos now I’m certain I’d need a bag to throw up in if I flew there today.  As we landed at Pago Pago (pronounced pahngo-pahngo just to set the record straight) and disembarked onto the tarmac, we were first struck by the humidity, and secondly by all the friendly people waiting for us with lei’s and flowers.  Tired, hot, and completely overdressed in our ‘palange’ finest (palange is the Samoan word for anybody who isn’t Samoan) we were met by the man who was to be Dad’s vice-principal at Leone High School and we drove to what was to be our home for the next two years.  Little did we know that we were literally driving from one runway to another as our little compound of houses was built on the old air force runway from the second World War. Known then as Leone Airfield, it was a secondary strip to the larger Tafuna Airfield, which is today the International Airport. Nine months were spent constructing the runway, which may have the distinction of seeing the least use of any in the Pacific!  Only two planes ever landed there.

As we approached the house we were all a little dumbfounded.  It only had two walls.  It was a long narrow rectangle with cinder blocks on each end.  The long sides were covered with screens that had canvas ‘sails’ that you raised by pulling them up by a rope and tying them to a wooden rail down below for privacy or to keep the rain out.  You could see straight through all five houses.  There was no carpeting, and all the closets were open as anything enclosed mildewed quickly.  There was, however, a front and back door, rather sturdy as compared to all else, but they were painted a lovely aqua sort of blue and looked pleasant enough.  It was furnished with furniture that had seats woven of coconut jute, a few mats on the floor that were made from the palm fronds.  Out the back screens we saw nothing but dense jungle with the heads of tall palm trees looming at us from above.  We could hear the roar of the ocean somewhere beyond the tangle of palms, breadfruit trees, vines, flowers, and papaya. 

What we didn’t know at the time was that we weren’t the only occupants living within those two walls.

The glass on the boards.

As with all artists you learn the intricacies of your medium if you want to be as outstanding as you can.  Blending paint, brush technique, color, texture, and style are all part and parcel of being creative.  An artist will continue to progress and perfect as they grow and challenge themselves.  The same is true with glass.  As different light changes the

quality of a painting so it goes with glass to an even greater degree.  Glass has two major qualities – how it reflects with and without light behind it, which drastically alters the ‘picture’ at any given moment.  In varying lesser degrees the quality or brightness of the light shining through it will also change the colors, reflection and intensity of the glass.

Most don’t realize that as an artist is building a window they have no light behind the glass.  Although it’s held to the light before cutting to ensure quality, color and effect, it’s not until the window is completed that the artist can see the consequence and end product of their efforts.  An experienced glass artist will intuitively know exactly how the light will travel through the color, opacity and density of the glass. 

Here are a few photos of a window I recently created for a charitable auction.  As you can see, as the window sits incomplete on the workbench the colors and texture of the glass are completely different than when the light shines through.  It’s always a great surprise to the glass artist when that window is complete, so different from a painting or the shape of pottery where the steps toward ‘finished’ are seen along the way and the end product is a known entity.  Notice the difference in the mountains and the haircoat of the elk in particular.

The Kit Faragher Foundation: The Faraghers are exceptional people, wonderful friends and started this foundation in honor of Kit Faragher, whose life was lost in the disaster of 911.  As with the completion of a stained glass window you never know how the light will shine through and illuminate the world when your life is complete.  For more information about the scholarships this organization provides and to donate you can follow this link: http://www.kitfaragherfoundation.org/

Before!

The obvious impact of plastic on our environment is landfills piling up with plastic bags and containers.  When scientists test the degradation process of objects they most often measure the carbon dioxide resulting from organic matter consuming that object.  Plastic has only been around for the past fifty years or so and there is no definitive answer as to how long it takes to break down, but suffice it to say that when they test plastic the microorganisms release zero amounts of carbon dioxide, in other words, it doesn’t break down.  The logical conclusion is that it will be around for the next 500 years or so.

Plastic leaches chemicals into our food, our landfills and our water.  The risk is even greater when that plastic is exposed to heat or extreme cold. For reasons explained in the last blog ‘Eliminating Plastic Wrap and Tin Foil – Is It A Health Issue?‘ plastic is a danger to our health.  According to an article by David Bielo in Scientific American, BPA is being found in almost every urine sample they have collected over the past year suggesting a constant exposure to the chemical. Heat is the biggest culprit when BPA leaches out of our plastic and into our food. One scientist that contributed to the article had this to say:

“… such containers should never be microwaved, used to store heated liquids or foods, or washed in hot water (either by hand or in much hotter dishwashers). “These are fantastic products and they work well … [but] based on my knowledge of the scientific data, there is reason for caution,” Belcher says. “I have made a decision for myself not to use them.”

In my opinion if the scientists are eliminating plastic from their lives based on the data then I should too.  So I tackle the easiest part first.  How do I get rid of the plastic in my cabinets and replace it with glass or stainless steel?  The glass part was easy; I went to a few big box stores and purchased varying brands of glass containers.  I emptied the cabinet of the offending plastic and found that I didn’t really need half as many containers as I had in there.  The cupboard looks bare in comparison.  As you can see by the photo I did keep a few plastic containers but I don’t intend to use them for food.  They do come in handy for organizing desk drawers, office supplies, crafts, etc.

I still have the problem of products that come from the grocery store packaged in plastic.  That issue will be more time consuming to solve and will require more research on my part.  But for now, I’ve taken one more step towards living sustainably which has benefits to both the earth and to myself.

In this new quest for sustainability I decided to try to cut way back on my use of ‘covers’ for leftover foods.  It seems, like most of us, I was in the habit of tearing off a piece of plastic or foil to cover things that go in the fridge.

I remember my grandmother having reusable plastic with elastic on it that she would wash after use and put in the drawer.  But plastic is rife with PBA (bisephenol A) and if you’re anything like I am, you haven’t a clue what that is or what it does.  Here is the short non-scientific explanation: PBA is used primarily to produce plastics and is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body’s own hormones and may lead to negative health effects.  Canada declared PBA a toxic substance in 2010.  Long story short, this PBA leaches into our food when we use plastic in the freezer, microwave or refrigerator.  The USA has established ‘safety’ levels of PBA, but in my opinion anything that can have a negative effect on my overall health doesn’t have a safe level, especially with the history of cancer in my family.

So, being that just about EVERYTHING we use is made from one sort of plastic or another including the keyboard upon which I type this blog, just where do I start?  My logical point of beginning was in the food I ingest, which goes directly into my system.  My use of plastic is so extensive it’s difficult to know what to cut out first.  So I began with the easiest; plastic wrap and tin foil. Tin foil isn’t quite so toxic but is a waste of resources and energy so I include it here.

Researching for days I discovered a wonderful little company that makes cloth covers for bowls that are lined with a PBA free vinyl.  They look a bit like a shower cap, and are made with bright and beautiful fabrics.  I got in contact with Ever Sew Clevcr – http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=278407965547305&id=114133755308061&ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment#!/EverSewClever - based out of Paso Robles, CA and ordered three different sizes.  They arrived within a week and were skillfully crafted.  I immediately threw them in with a load of wash to see how well they held up, no problem there.  I let them air dry although it does state you can put them in the dryer at a low temp.  So I used one of them that evening to cover leftover pasta, which has a tendency to dry out in the fridge.  The next day the food looked great and the cover had done it’s job well, with no PBA’s leaching into the food – at least from above.  It then occurred to me that the bowl I used was plastic also.  FAIL!  It’s clearly evident that I have lots of rethinking to do!  The money spent on plastic wraps and foils can accumulate to approximately $50 per year or more.  The cost of three covers is $20 and will more than pay for itself with years of use, less waste of energy and resources to produce plastic wrap, but for me the health benefits of eliminating a big source of PBA’s is the most compelling reason of all, not to mention I don’t have to buy those products any longer.

If you want to get in touch with Jamie at Ever Sew Clever her Facebook link is included above, and her store on Etsy is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/eversewclever.  She has many other products that I will be testing in the future.  Hooray for people like Jamie who are making an effort to help us maintain our sustainability.

Moving day was hard work and I went to bed that night with a plan to get up early, sit at the table under the picture window and watch the sun come up over those mountains.  The dogs and I snuggled in next to an open window with fresh, cool mountain air, and the silence that only a small community can offer.  So imagine my surprise when I was awakened the next morning to a rapid, loud, incessant tap, tap, tap, tap.  The dogs went berserk and flew down the stairs in a mad panic to the front door, barking as if a cougar was on the porch (the cougar came along a few months later, but we can cover that story another time).  I reluctantly shrugged my robe over my shoulders and went down the stairs, shushing the dogs.  I don’t know why I try to shush the dogs.  Jack Russell’s have an entire repertoire of words and phrases they understand but ‘shushing’ does not translate into their language.

I listened carefully.  No tapping.  So I went about making my tea and looking out the wonderful kitchen window at the view.  Suddenly, there it was again! Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, this time in earnest.  It was coming from the living area.  I quickly went around the corner and looked.  Nothing!  But the Jacks were going nuts barking at the window.  This window is two stories up so I knew a neighbor wasn’t being friendly! I sat and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  No tapping.  So I got to work and went about unpacking and settling in to the new space.

The next morning, the same thing happened.  Tapping, barking, and pandemonium.  Only this time I wasn’t curious, just irritated.  Was it to be this way EVERY morning?  And what the heck was that noise? 

“TAPS is generally played at funerals,” I grumbled, “and if this keeps up there just might be one.”  The dogs ignored me.  The cat quietly slipped under the bed.

This time it didn’t take long.  As I watched the face of a giant woodpecker appeared in the window and tap, tap, tap, tap in a rapid, gunfire succession!  Then he was gone!  I went to the window, plastered my nose to the glass and peered around to the siding.  There he was.  This was no cute little Downy Woodpecker or even Woody Woodpecker.  This was a woodpeckerasaurus!  He was HUGE.  By my estimation at least 11″ long.  It was if he didn’t see me. Suddenly we were nose to nose and he was pounding on my window again.  The dogs lost all semblance of sanity and were up on the table throwing themselves at the glass.  The offending pecker flew away – no you didn’t imagine the emphasis on the word pecker.  I went outside and looked up.  It was a sheer flat face of a building three stories up.  I couldn’t reach the window with a broom, the window itself didn’t open, and I didn’t yet have a hose.

The next morning I was prepared with my cup of tea, the dogs locked into the front bedroom and my appraiser camera.  The bird appeared right on time and the tapping began.  I zoomed in to get a good shot.  A few minutes on the computer and he was identified.  It was a Lewis’s Woodpecker and a ‘species of concern’ in Montana. 

“Well that doesn’t surprise me!” I said out loud to myself.  “I want to kill the little pecker myself!”

To make a long story shorter, this went on for most of the spring and half the summer.  Seems the bird was seeing his own reflection and protecting his territory.  Because he was a species of concern I couldn’t do a thing about it.  He actually expanded his tap time into the afternoons also.  It’s become a standard joke with a friend of mine.  Every time she’s out taking photos of birds she keeps her eye out for woodpeckers and if she’s lucky enough to snap a shot, sends it to me.  That stupid bird irritated me for nearly two years, suffice it to say I have no fondness in my heart for woodpeckers.

So what on earth precipitated this sudden decision to move to American Samoa?  I could see relocating to a different state, perhaps closer to our relatives.  But an island in the South Pacific most people have never heard of and almost imperceptible on the map?  My siblings and I can only speculate at this point.  It was a question avoided by my parents when queried, except to say they felt like they needed an adventure.  So when the government accepted Dad’s application for High School Principal combined with setting up the media education program in Samoa we pulled up stakes, packed the two large wooden crates of belongings that we were allowed, hopped a helicopter to the International Airport in Los Angeles, and away we went. 

For months before the move we kids kept hearing exotic words like Pago Pago, Nu’uuli, and Tutuila Island.  Books began to appear on the coffee table and I could hear my parents talking well into the night about what to take, what to save, and what to get rid of.  Dad did his usual massive collection and organization of materials and information, started making copious notes about Samoa and copied every article he could find.  I’m lucky to have the notebooks he kept with every scrap of information he compiled and all in his hand-written scribbles that were difficult to decipher when my eyesight was younger, much less today!

Our crates wouldn’t arrive for months after we set foot in this jungle adventure so we needed to be prepared with sheets, towels, pillows, clothes….and yet, as they packed we had no idea what was appropriate.  I wish I had the list they received from the government.  I’ve searched dad’s inventory of paperwork time and again and haven’t found it.  I remember it being worn and dog-eared from being reviewed over and over again.  But seriously, no list in the world could have prepared us for what followed when we stepped off that Pan Am flight, and set foot on the runway of Pago Pago International Airport, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an island approximately the size of San Francisco and so covered by volcanic mountains and jungle that three-quarters of it was uninhabitable.

All photos are the personal property of the Stoltz family and are not to be reproduced outside of this article in any form of media.

I began to notice that whenever there was a spill or a minor mishap with the eggbeater I’d rip a paper towel off the roll, clean up the mess, and toss it into the garbage can.  Sometimes I dried my hands with them if I wasn’t thinking.  I used them under vegetables after washing them, under fried bacon to soak up the grease, to wipe off the cutting board, dry the wells of glasses in the dishwasher before I emptied it, and the list continued.

It’s tough when all of society is geared toward convenience.  Every commercial we see on television is all about making our lives easier, faster, and more convenient.  I somehow imagine that the motivation therein is to give us more time to do things more fulfilling.  In my case, however, I find that the time it saves wasting our resources doesn’t particularly motivate me to spend that time in any sort of gratifying activity.  I came to the conclusion that the five minutes of time the use of paper towels saves me in a day does not justify the amount of tree destruction.

In my research about how many trees are used to make paper towels the estimations were quite varied.  One website stated that it takes an entire tree to make one roll, another state two, while others were more reasonable in their estimations.  The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) estimates that if every household in the United States used one less roll of paper towels, we could save 544,000 trees.

So as with the paper napkins, I have switched to using cloth kitchen towels and reusable/washable sponges in the kitchen.  In my long life as an adult I’ve used many kitchen towels, but only recently explored the ones that wear the longest, wash the best, and have the handiest size for many uses.  They also had to be attractive because I just can’t have a bunch of sackcloth hanging around the kitchen.  So I bought towels from different stores, manufacturers, and catalogs, and came to a very good solution.  Despite the trendy and spendy kitchen stores out there that I have frequented in the past, the best towels came from Target.  Their Room Essentials kitchen towels are second to none.  They are 100% cotton, measure 26.5″ x 28″, and retain their wonderful bright colors even after a years worth of washing, and as with the cloth napkins, I throw them in with the towel load adding no more water or detergent use to the overall consumption.  The colors are offered in packets ranging from brights to more muted tans and whites.  I no longer spend money on paper towels which is a bonus to the budget of approximately $16.00 per month or $192.00 per year.  As with this entire project, the goal is to be less dependent on products that suck the money out my pockets, and the secondary bonus is that it’s ecologically sound!

One of the key phrases repeated in almost every single book was “A sustainable household throws away very little and utilizes every aspect of living, including garbage.”  I threw out approximately two garbage bags of trash a week.  So I decided to analyze where most of the garbage was coming from and why. The majority of the waste was generated in the kitchen.

The first thing I noticed was the use of paper napkins.  This seems like such an innocuous product to have, after all, we get them in our fast food bags (unless you have to eat in the car – that’s when they forget to put them in the bag), at restaurants, coffee joints, around ice cream cones, and at our own tables. So my very first step toward solving this problem was to get cloth napkins.

Cloth bandanas make great napkins!

My dishes are Fiesta Ware of many different colors, so the first thing I did was buy some yellow and orange bandana fabric and made six napkins of each color.  I did discover that it’s best to use 100% cotton fabric, this seems to be the most absorbent and wears very well.  I wondered if this was going to add to my water consumption having to now wash napkins, but I just throw them in with the towels or the sheets when I do the laundry and it adds no more water or detergent than I would use otherwise.  Rather than drying them completely I put them in the dryer for about five minutes and then hang them out.  In the winter I hang them over the shower curtain rod in the bathroom.   Many people use linen or a heavier cloth and that works also.

Amazon.com has bandanas of many different colors and patterns and there are several bandana stores on-line that sell them also.  So if you’re not up to sewing your own, there are other options available to you.

I’ve been using cloth napkins for about two years now.  I don’t miss the paper napkins anymore and I don’t miss having to buy them.  In fact, I now prefer the softness of the cloth napkins and they are really no less convenient.   Although a slight investment up front, cloth napkins save trees, are eco-friendly in that they decrease the energy used to manufacture paper ones, and cut down on the trash and waste going into our landfills nationwide.

I really enjoy crafting windows for my friends.  Sandy lives in New Mexico and is an expert quilter.  She also gives much of her time, energy and talent making red, white, and blue quilts for returning veterans. 

It was a great pleasure to create a window just for her, even more fun to receive a photo of where this window hangs in her home..way up in a two-story entryway it shines from both the inside and the outside!

As an artist it’s great fun to experiment with many different styles of windows.  I tend to go for very curvy lines and complicated color patterns. This window was all straight lines with just a few colors, yet I really enjoy the bold effect.