Posts filed under 'Eco Babe'
Hello folks! It’s sunny and lovely here in the South San Francisco Bay of Callifornia, and I was so glad to get my newest Carhartts order in. New socks and shorts and shirts for work, and, maybe funnest of all, finally, a Carhartts catalog for women!
Somebody, somewhere, thinks that everyone who works in the oudoor industries and natural resource protection is a hulking 6 foot tall guy with a big grin. But it’s not true. I’m only 5′1″! And every day, in all kinds of weather, I push and pull, pitchfork and shovel, operate power equipment, spend lots of time weeding on my knees. Hard work. My fantasy commercial has me standing on top of one of our ginormous piles of weeds in our dump truck, tossing my hair and saying “My Carhartts are size 4 petite but my job sure isn’t!”
Here’s one of the many letters I’ve written to a major work clothing distributor:
Dear Humongous Company X -
With my recent purchase of work pants, you sent me a Carhartts catalog. This is a 117 page booklet of clothing for men and boys, replete with lots of photos of big tough looking guys modeling. The sizes would not fit me, and the clothing is not cut for me. Do you live in some strange world where women don’t work in physical jobs? It’s not the world I live in, nor the one where I will spend my money. The participants in today’s outdoor world of work are diverse in size as well as color, gender, and social background. The companies who don’t keep up with this are not only insulting those of us who deserve goods to meet our needs, they are losing money and valuable customers.
Sincerely,
Me
Now, I don’t flatter myself that this letter is the reason why Carhartts is expanding its offerings for women, but it is SO nice that they are; tough clothes, reasonably priced, cut exactly right. So, for those of us who sweat and shove and kneel and chainsaw and hustle on the job, cheers!
- Eco Babe
PS - I’m looking for a good pair of work boots; not too hot or heavy, waterproof, no mesh to allow weed seed and thistles through, cushy enough to climb hills all day, and tough enough to keep out rattlesnakes and ticks. And, of course, they have to be a women’s size 6. Any ideas? Post them to comments. Thanks!
July 23rd, 2008
Eco Babe snapped this out on the preserve yesterday. Superb.
-P
March 27th, 2008
iGearList welcomes our new blog writer and co-conspirator, “Eco Babe”, a.k.a. WeedBabe (ah, don’t get the wrong idea…she’s an ecologist! She pulls weeds for a living!) Without further adieu, I bring you her first column!
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Springtime brings a whole host of loveliness to look at and enjoy. Migratory birds are arriving and beginning to nest. One of my favorites is the red-winged blackbird, whose distinctive up-toned trill (think RRRRRRR in Spanish) calls the ear with its happy sound. These birds live in polygynous colonies called leks, with one male protecting up to 15 females. However, the ladies know what’s going on, because up to 50% of the eggs laid in a particular male’s territory may not belong to him. Visit this great site from Cornell for more information about the Red Winged Blackbird and other feathery friends.
For those of you slogging trail, Spring’s first wildflowers have sprung! Look for the distinctive curved necks and tiny yellow flowers of Fiddlenecks, the glossy leaves and purple flowers of Houndstongue, and perhaps, if you are lucky, the bright orange, satiny sheen of the California poppy. Visit this California Academy of Science website for tons of great information on wildflowers you can enjoy.
While you recreate and train, notice the world around you and enjoy its beauty. If you’re thinking about something fun to do on a weekend, remember that restoring habitat and removing invasive plants isn’t just good for the earth, it’s great excercise, too!
- Eco Babe
March 11th, 2008
“will a 1990 oldsmobile cutlass ciera make it across country”
So, occasionally I take a peek and see how people came to iGearList. What words did they search by when they found us? This search term has got to take the cake: “will a 1990 oldsmobile cutlass ciera make it across country”.
To the person who was searching for the answer, I have it for you: Y-E-S. Unless you have something against velour, cruise control, and boat-like handling characteristics, you can just let that baby fly.
I used to use my “cutty” as an ORV (Off Road Vehicle). Her clearance was not bad at all, and the heavy engine set upon those narrow tires combined with the front wheel drive created good traction in the snow.
Anyways, enough of this Oldsmobile shenanigan, and you won’t have to suffer it again - I sold the cutty, and I do have a new writer coming on board for the blog. Yes, to add to our ultra runner (Gear Queen), our cyclist (LuLu) and our paddler (that’s me), we’ll now have an ecologist (Eco Babe). Look for posts about plants, birds and outdoor gear for folks who work in natural places. Her first post is coming this week!
Stay tuned!
- P
March 4th, 2008