SHOCKING BUT TRUE: I still don’t own a flat-screen TV. Not because I don’t want one. It’s just that every time I walk into my local Costco there are newer, better and cheaper models. So I wait. But I confess, I never really thought about the energy efficiency of my televisions. Until now.

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I don’t live in California, but if it’s true that as goes California, so goes the nation, then energy efficiency of our big screens is something I am going to be paying more attention to. Large flat-screen TVs — combined with their associated DVRs, DVD players, cable or satellite boxes, gaming consoles and other various and sundry peripherals — now consume 10 percent of all household electricity in the Golden State. Although California has the lowest state-wide per-capita energy consumption levels in the country, that’s still a hefty chunk.

The California Energy Commission is proposing mandated energy efficiency standards for flat-screen televisions up to 58 inches, increasing energy efficiency up to 33 percent beginning in 2011, and increasing to 50-percent reduction in energy consumption beginning in 2013. These new standards will simply be mandating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy’s Energy Star ratings, which are currently voluntary across the country.

The California Energy Commission has an FAQ on their website explaining the basics of the program, including a downloadable list of TVs on the market as of September 2009 that meet their proposed 2011 standards.

Now I’m glad I haven’t yet bought one of these babies. I’ll be taking that list on my next trip to Costco, and may finally bite the bullet, secure in the knowledge that it’s as green as it can be, at least for now.

“Contrasted with all these and other city existence characteristics are the permanence and productivity of land; the self-reliance of the man himself … ”

— From “Five Acres and Independence,” M.G. Kains, © 1935

WHEN WE ADDED TWO ACRES to our existing acre recently we officially became a “micro-farm.” With that, we expanded both pleasure and rain-or-shine commitment to our alpacas and garden, and became part of a national trend.

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Though mid-sized farms diminished, there was a gain of 53,503 new farms under 9 acres from 2002 to 2007, according to the 2007 U.S. Agriculture census. As Taylor Reid writes in “Trends in the Growth of Small Farms ­— And Hope for the Future,” former Ag secretary Earl Butz may have told farmers to “get big, or get out,” but the new trend is “be small, but be smart.”

If you are thinking about moving to a small farm or plowing a large suburban tract, don’t give a lot of thought to getting rich or even to spontaneous vacations. But do consider this:

• There is immense pleasure in being responsible for the care of animals and being a daily part of the outdoors — good weather and bad.
• The self-reliance for women comes in several flavors:
  • Yes, I can build that fence, tote that bale, soothe that worried cria (alpaca baby).
  • Yes, I do know what’s in the soil that nurtured those potatoes and I know it’s all natural because I shoveled it into the compost pile myself!
  • No, I don’t need to go to the store today to buy lettuce that traveled 1,500 miles.

Find out more at Beginning Farmers or the Tiny Farm Blog. And if you want to know more about the fun of our alpacas, please visit Barnstorm Farm.

FOUND OBJECTS, BUILDING ELEMENTS AND “JUNK” (as some dub it) are art in the eye of this beholder. Over 20-plus years, my hubby and I have amassed an odd collection of “art” that we lovingly move from home to home, re-imagine in new ways for display, and treasure as much as any framed painting or photo from a gallery.

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Piles of old metal locker baskets and industrial grates. Limbs of a mature tree felled by the wind. Consider these types of objects as high-impact art that’s affordable (often even free), nearly indestructible (critical if you have energetic kids like me) and decidedly different.

Where to “shop”

Keep an eye out for treasures being kicked to the curb. One of my favorite pieces was scored as hubby and I randomly drove by a house getting cleared out for sale. They were tossing a vintage bus sign for a long-shuttered ice cream parlor we’d both loved as kids.

Hit your local recycling center, dump or building-salvage warehouse to see what treasures you can score there. And don’t forget flea markets and tag sales where, often, the back tables have a crusty old collection of tools and random bits that offer great lines and graphic appeal when looked at in a new light.

Materials to watch for

In our house, metals and cement are a big favorite. If you love sparkle, seek out glass and mirrors that, even when flawed, hold great allure. Wood is another cheap option, bringing a bit of nature or a touch of the industrial into your decor, depending on what you’ve unearthed.

How to display

Consider dramatic statements, with “art” given a place of honor in uncluttered spaces. Repetition of a shape brings a restful continuity to a collection of wheels displayed graphically against a blank wall. Use tiny cup hooks to hang baskets on another wall, or hang one from the ceiling under a bare bulb fixture: instant chandelier. Look down and out, look up and in. Use large pieces to pull focus to the top of a cupboard or the far corner of a room.

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOUR TWEEN HAS LEARNED the art of good manners — whether it’s keeping elbows off the dinner table or courteously addressing adults — there comes yet another form of etiquette that needs to be conquered.

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Call it Textiquette: the art of texting without being rude to those around you.

Since recently becoming a 3-out-of– person texting family (Santa surprised our 10-year-old daughter with a cell phone!), we now communicate via texting more than ever before.

At this age, our daughter has only a few contacts, and most are family members. So while we don’t yet worry about whom she is communicating with, we already see how texting could become a distraction.

Textiquette is like any other learned behavior, so we figure it’s best to establish rules from the beginning so we don’t have to change habits later.

There are a handful of no-brainer basic rules that every tween, teen and even adults should follow:

• Never text while driving (or doing any activity that requires your full attention, like riding a bike or skateboarding).
• Never text where it’s not allowed — in class, in church or synagogue, or in other obvious public settings.
• And never, ever text inappropriate pictures or messages.

In teaching our daughter when it is — and when it’s not — appropriate to text, we’ve realized that many adults (ourselves, included) could stand to brush up on their Textiquette. Consider:

Keep text messages short and to the point. If it lasts longer than a few minutes, use your phone for a real conversation.

Don’t text another person when you are in the company of someone else. It’s just rude.  If you must take the text, politely excuse yourself from the room.

Don’t use texting as a forum to gossip or say mean things about other people. Tweens should understand how texting can impact others — and how they are ultimately responsible for what they text.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE DELUSIONS is that I can squeeze in “one more thing” before I head to my next appointment. The result is invariably a squeeze on me.

I have a calendar. I have a sense of how long it takes to get from here to there. However, my Outlook reminder must set off a chemical reaction in my brain. I am compelled to do one more thing before I go.

Instead of sanity, I brew the “perfect stress storm” that results in sacrificing access to my best thinking, increasing tension and setting myself up for low self-esteem.

Since I’m racing to finish something, I get tense. I always underestimate the time it takes just to gather up the materials needed, put on my coat, check the location, find the book I was going to return to the library and walk to my car.

Now I’m relying on the highly unlikely alignment of the planets with traffic and a convenient parking place in order to be on time. I stop breathing. My thoughts are racing, and — usually — are filled with apologies and self-recrimination.

I arrive at my destination flustered, frustrated and frantic, not the the way I want to experience life. If I want to be centered, creative and enjoying the moment, there is a solution: Resist the temptation to add one more item to the list.

I DON’T REMEMBER THE PRECISE SOURCES of these two stretching techniques. Around the time I realized that they help increase my flexibility every time I use them, I had been receiving treatments from a physical therapist, getting adjustments from a chiropractor and doing a little yoga. So I think of them as a blend of those (and probably more).

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Regardless of their source, they’ve been amazingly helpful not only for me but also for friends who’ve tried them.

Here’s how I do them, usually in this order:

Breathe and relax

1. Get into a position that stretches whatever muscle is tight.
2. Relax.
3. Breathe in so deeply that you feel the skin around tight area expand.
4. Breathe out and relax, allowing the stretch to go a bit further.
5. Repeat two to five times.

Resist in the opposite direction

This is a little tricky to describe, so I’ll use a shoulder/triceps stretch (see photo) as an example.

1. Raise your left arm above your head, and bend the elbow so the palm is facing your back.
2. Use your right hand to gentle press your elbow back (so your palm moves slightly down your back).
3. Now press the elbow forward into your right palm, to the count of 5.
4. Relax and allow the stretch in Step 2 to lengthen.
5. Repeat two to five times.

This works with almost every stretch, once you figure out how to provide that resistance in the opposite direction.

With both techniques, I find I can stretch a little farther each time I do them. If you try them, let me know if you feel that, too.

SOMETIMES I THINK THE POWERS THAT BE are going to kick me out of Seattle and exile me to the Yukon for not being an avid gardener. With a black thumb and an interest in just about anything but gardening, it’s no wonder that I thought composting was some mysterious cultish ritual — and not one I wanted to delve too far into. I remember a friend once telling me about her worm bin. I listened politely, thinking that this was more information about worms than I ever wanted to know.

SOURCE: BIOBAGUSA.COM

Like many cities and counties across North America, the City of Seattle now offers municipal composting of food waste (in addition to yard waste). I signed up immediately. After all, the best services are those things you really, really don’t want to do yourself. While it sounded good on paper, how was I actually going to collect the food waste and get it from the kitchen to the curb?

After looking for an inexpensive, yet attractive container, I bypassed the $40 official Compost Bins for a $15 Bain Marie with a matching lid from a local restaurant supply store. But I still had to take it down, dump it and clean out all the stuff that stuck to the sides of the container. Yuck.

Enter BioBags. Not the sexiest thing on the planet (although they are Italian), but the best thing since sliced bread as far as I’m concerned. Completely biodegradable and compostable, I use them as liners in the Bain Marie and take the bags down to the mobile compost bin that goes out weekly with the trash. Seriously, sometimes being green is hard work.

SEEMS THAT ONCE I’VE MANAGED to get to all of my daily, weekly and monthly tasks, it’s time to start all over again. That’s how it goes for many of us. Try as we might to fit it all in, there will be things left undone.

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Often the tasks that are not finished are usually the ones that can fall to the bottom of the “to-do” list anyway. These are things that, while wonderful to have completed, might not impact the success of running your day-to-day life.

For me, that task is cleaning out my car. I love my car, I need my car and I do my best to take care of it. It gets its regular maintenance in a somewhat timely manner, but it’s not always the cleanest, most organized space I have.

My point? It’s OK. Learning to prioritize your list and focusing on what’s important is what matters most.

I’ve heard it’s best to have no more than seven items on a daily to-do list. I think that’s a good number. But plan to have one or more of your daily tasks left unfinished. It’s more important to have some wiggle room throughout your day than to over-schedule and over-do. The things that are important to you, like your family, some time for yourself or an impromptu lunch invite are the things that make your days meaningful and memorable.

One idea for setting up your daily list is to give your tasks a numbering system, starting with the one that is the most time-sensitive to accomplish. Or start with your easiest task at the top of your list and work your way to the toughest. That way you will accomplish something right from the start.

Remember; it’s not how much you accomplish, it’s how well you’ve accomplished it.

WHETHER FOR FASHION, FUNCTION OR FATIGUE, many women opt for shoes that aren’t in the high-heel category. What are the cutest, coolest and comfiest options out there in the no- and low- heel category? Skip the sciatic pain, move more during the day or just look really chic by trying these on for size:

• Fashion’s leaders have been embracing haberdashery of late with its men’s-style oxfords and vintage aesthetic. Worn with narrow pants or leggings (yes, leggings, just use them like tights and remember to cover your bum and thighs with a tunic, dress, long top or coat), a comfy, narrow oxford upgrades your sensible shoe to “au courant” status.
• Look around: More and more, sporty tennies are being donned outside the studio or gym. Old-school sneakers with a cropped pant leg look breezy, while a pantsuit gets smart with a pair of Vans. A pair of all black, second skin casual shoes are a versatile pair to pack for travel and to wear every day.
• Face it, gals, even though they’re cheap and easy fall-backs, flip flops are due to be phased out. This spring and summer look like you’ve given your look some forethought and opt for a sandal with more support and snazz. Cheap and easy holds a certain allure for you? Then shop discount stores like Old Navy for some guilt-free options that will elevate your look a few steps up from those flip-flop-wearing high-school girls.

WHAT TO DO WITH THAT LEFTOVER ROASTED CHICKEN wasting away in the back of the fridge? Elevate it to an amazing chicken-salad sandwich. Here’s one full of crunchy fresh fennel, sweet golden raisins and toasted pine nuts. Definitely a sandwich that can be a dinner.

© ANGIE NORWOOD BROWNE

Chicken and Fennel Salad Sandwich
Serves 4

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 fennel bulb
2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 large baguette
1 bunch watercress

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon and salt and pepper. Chop 2 tablespoons of the fennel fronds and stir into the mayonnaise. Coarsely chop the bulb of the fennel until you have 2/3 cup. Add to the mayonnaise along with the chicken, pine nuts and raisins. Cut the baguette into 4 pieces and line with the watercress. Top with the chicken salad and serve.