Author Archives: maryjane

Guess what I assisted with last Monday? We didn’t think Maizy was due for another month, but about 6 a.m., while it was still dark outside, I heard her particular brand of moaning, so I went down to the pasture to see what was going on. There on the ground was a dripping wet, just-from-the-womb, SHIVERING baby boy. I laid down a fresh bed of straw in the barn and moved them both inside, Maizy still moaning and licking. I do love my “Jersey Nanny” title.

Names. We need boy names! Any ideas?

Do you have a favorite pair of socks?

Striped or spotted?

Cotton or wool?

Knee-high or nipped at the ankle?

Mine are … all of the above, depending on the season and the pair of boots or shoes I’m wearing.

Let’s face it, a good sock is not only a foot’s best friend, it’s a bit of flair that we can hide under pants …

or flaunt and share.

In my mom’s day and long before that, people were loyal to their socks. It wasn’t so much about fashion as practicality, and it didn’t make sense to throw away a perfectly good pair simply because their heels showed wear.

Alas, mending is becoming a thing of the past, and lots of socks end up in the trash.

But sock startup Nice Laundry is making it their mission to save fuzzy footwear from this sad and eco-unfriendly fate.

Phase One: Nice Laundry’s pedi-preneurs are selling socks. Great socks.

“We started by taking what we loved from one of our favorite $38 pair of socks and then obsessed over every detail: the patterns, material composition, cuff height, and more,” explain co-founders Ricky Choi and Phil Moldavski.

But instead of paying premium prices, you can get six pairs of Nice Laundry socks for $39, or replace your whole sock drawer for under $90.

Photo courtesy of NiceLaundry.com

Phase Two: Ricky and Phil are bent on recycling.

Prepaid return shipping labels come with every order. Send back your old socks and Nice Laundry will recycle them. “A significant percentage will be reused and repurposed,” they say, “while the balance will be converted into recycled fibers.”

Fact: the U.S. wastes some 21 billion pounds of textiles annually.

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Ostracized for decades by Britain’s renowned Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the lowly order of ceramic garden gnomes will at last have its day in the sun.

It seems that gnomes are no longer deemed ignominious by the haughty horticulturalists of London, who once described the little figurines as “distracting” and barred them from participating in the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show.

(Call it a case of caste discrimination against those that were, well, cast.)

At any rate, a gaggle of good-natured gardeners like Jekka McVicar found the prohibition preposterous.

McVicar, a medal-winning horticulturist and unabashed gnome activist, roused a bit of a row when she displayed a dapper little desperado dubbed “Borage” in her 2009 display.

Photo by EddyDD via Wikimedia Commons

Imagine McVicar’s delight when she learned that the statuettes she has long supported will be welcomed as guests of honor at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show in May.

Oh, yes—it’s true!

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