Use It, Don't Lose It

When I'm at the cabin, I think more about how I can re-use things. It's good for the environment, but it's also a handy thing to do. Our cabin is a 25 minute boat ride up the lake. Everything headed there has to be loaded into the truck, unloaded at the marina, carried down the dock, hauled up the lake in the boat, and then carried into the cabin. Anything that needs to be discarded must make the same trip in reverse. Consequently, we compost, recycle and re-use as much as we can.

Last week I shared how I am using rehydrated peat pellets to start my seeds this year. They are working fine, but they tend to dry out quickly. The day after I planted my seeds we had pancakes for breakfast and finished a bottle of pancake syrup. When I started to throw it in the trash (that has to be taken back down the lake), I wondered if I could find a new purpose for the bottle. It just struck me that it might make a good watering bottle for my peat pellets, and it does. The bottle has one of those pop-up caps. One squeeze puts just the right amount of water on each peat pellet to keep it moist for the day. It couldn't be better. Now I can use it, not lose it.

Do you have any suggestions for repurposing household items? I would love to hear your handy hints. -- Margy