Apparently, ‘green’ must be the new ‘cheap’

http://www.limaohio.com/articles/save_33219___article.html/don_cheap.html

David Trinko: Apparently, ‘green’ must be the new ‘cheap’

She left her bedroom light on again, along with the TV in there. It was time to talk about doing the right thing.

I brought our 7-year-old daughter back to her room and told her how important it was to turn things off when we're done with them. It's a valuable lesson she shouldn't ever forget, I said.

"Is it so we can save the planet, Daddy?" she asked.

I pondered for a second before responding, "It's so I can save a few bucks."

I'm cheap. Some people might prefer other terms, such as thrifty, frugal or fiscally responsible. But I don't mind admitting I'm just plain cheap.

My daughter's comments opened my eyes, though. I'm also green, that popular buzz-word for everything environmentally friendly.

It's not that I'm a tree-hugger or anything. The most contact I make with trees is bumping my head on branches when I mow the lawn. I'm not opposed to nature's beauty and scenic rivers or anything, either.

When I reuse a bag from the grocery store to bring my lunch to work, it's to save money, not cut back on my carbon footprint.

When I turn the water on and off when I'm brushing my teeth, it's to cut the water bill down.

When I recycle bottles and cans, it's because my town picks them up for free, so the trash doesn't count against my bag limit.

There's a simplistic beauty in it all: Doing right by the environment also does right by my wallet.

I've recycled newspapers for as long as I can remember. It's not motivated by fear that carbon dioxide will run rampant if we don't save a few trees. It's driven by knowing newsprint prices go down when there's more recycled paper available. It's a purely selfish act, really, knowing my wage is more secure when we don't spend as much on paper.

I'm able to satisfy both my cheapness and my laziness when I replace old-style light bulbs with energy efficient ones. For the price and their lifespan, I'd have to spend more on regular bulbs. Then there's the bonuses of saving money on my electric bills and spending less time on ladders.

We certainly don't have a money tree in the backyard - a fact I've made painfully aware to my daughters. If we did, it would help reduce smog and air pollution.

Until someone gives me some seeds for this type of tree, I'll continue my cheap ways. If it helps save the planet, it's a win-win. I'll happily save some green along the way.

How family holiday traditions get their start

http://www.limaohio.com/articles/displays_32449___article.html/display_one.html

David Trinko: How family holiday traditions get their start

It started like any great family holiday tradition should. No one wanted to do it but Mom, and everyone was going to go. Most of all, we were going to enjoy it, whether we liked it or not.

With that in mind, the family packed into the minivan, or "The Weekender" as I like to call it, for a tour of the various Christmas lights displays near our home.

It reminded me of trips we took as kids, as Mom and Dad packed the seven of us into the ugly green van. We'd drive around nicer neighborhoods in nearby places, pointing out the fabulous and not-so-fabulous displays people placed in their yards.

No one seemed particularly excited about those trips at first. By the end of the trip, everyone felt a little more connected as a family. Some of us even dared to consider it fun.

We ran into those same issues with our own clan. If it weren't for the draw of "Bee Movie" on DVD, I'm not sure anyone would've piled into the back of The Weekender. And I convinced myself it was a worthy journalistic experience, snapping pictures and writing down addresses for our Christmas lights map on LimaOhio.com.

There's something special about seeing the elaborate displays some people put out in their yards to signify their fondness for this time of year.

Everyone has a favorite type. My wife loves the grand but simple displays, which honor the belief that less is more without actually using less. Our 7-year-old likes over-the-top displays with plenty of motion. And our 1-year-old and newborn girls like anything that won't wake them up.

As for me, I like tacky. I like over-the-top, spent-10-hours-setting-it-up, running-a-$1,000-electricity-bill displays.

It's probably personal envy. I don't have the patience or the creativity to really put up an impressive display. That, and the influence of Mrs. Trinko, explains our simple garland with white lights on our porch roof.

The 7-year-old really fought having fun on this trip, though. We wiggled along country roads with only kilowatt-fueled stars to guide us. When we found a nifty spot, we looked back at her and asked what she thought. She'd look down from her movie and tell us each display was "OK."

But the longer we drove around, the more enthusiastic that "OK" sounded. She even looked excited when we found one country display that certainly must double as a landing strip during December. By the time we headed home, she pointed out cool displays before we noticed them.

As we pulled into our driveway, I heard her shrill voice pop up from the back of the van.

"I think I like this one the best," she said.

Looking at our home and its modest display, I couldn't help but smile. Truly, our display was the best she saw. After all, it was ours, and it was home.

Then I realized she was talking about our neighbor's multicolored spectacle.

And so starts another holiday tradition: Dad assuming we're having a sentimental moment then realizing he misunderstood.

Oh my goodness! A blog entry that isn't a column

It's shocking, I know, but I'm actually writing a blog entry that didn't first appear in The Lima News as my once-a-month column.
I'm finding myself with a couple days away from work, and I'm finding life at home by myself to be peaceful... for the first three hours. Then it turns boring.
It's hard to put too much effort into anything online right now, as the real-life crises of home are a distraction. It's like watching the "next week" reel at the end of an old Batman cartoon:
- Will Lissie do her math homework without a major meltdown?
- Will Jill get through the night without punching someone? [KAPOW!]
- Can Anna possibly remain happy for more than 45 minutes at a time?
Find out this and more next week...