T is for Traypooling

We've been slowly trying to change some of our "habits" at the Mount to include ones that are more environmentally friendly and others that are healthier for us. To those ends we now use cloth napkins instead of paper, have more raw vegetables on our salad bar including spinach, our gravies are not as thick, our cooked veggies are crunchier and sans cream sauce, we have wheat rolls, breads and pasta as an alternative and we're still composting a little and recycling plastics, glass, newspapers, cardboard, cans and paper---a lot.

In the last week we've added three new things: we're trying new hot paper cups that really hold the heat but enable you to hold them. Two of our sisters discovered them last summer on vacation and brought one home--saves doubling up. Of course, we should use mugs all the time, but....we're getting better! Automatic laundry soap dispensers will soon be a part of all of our laundry rooms---another great savings, both environmentally and economically. And finally, in order to help with what is often quite a congestion in our dining room (our dinner crowds can vary from 45 to 100+) we're beginning to combine trays of dirty dishes right at the table so that all six diners don't have to line up at the dish room, three can take in all the dishes for the table. One sister dubbed it "traypooling'!