I’ve recently become obsessed with knitted, knotted and voluptuous necklaces like this organic cotton piece by Necklush. Sustainable designer, Lara Miller, recently turned me on to the line and I love what they’re doing joining scarf and necklace into the happy marriage that is…the snecklace.

Necklush is a really fun wardrobe staple that can be manipulated in so many ways: you can twist it, knot it, pull strands out and wrap it or wear it like a scarf or belt.

Go to the site to see the different lengths, thicknesses and colors you can purchase – when not participating in today’s giveaway for a dusty blue with brown printed one. You will want more.

Celebrating their one year anniversary on Etsy this year, we salute Brooklyn designers Troy and Stephano, the designers of Necklush, for their fabric ingenuity and savvy street vibe they’ve given us for the past 52 weeks. We expect another year of creativity from you two, so don’t disappoint.

In the meantime, may the power of the Necklush move you to leave a comment below to enter to win. For official rules and all that jazz, click here.

Life is good. We’re eating healthier, exercising more and we remember to bring our reusable bags to the grocery store. But do you feel as if something is missing? Do you ever wake in the middle of the night, wondering what final piece of the green puzzle will make your life complete? Well, I do. And the puzzle piece I’m looking for is an organic deodorant…that actually stinkin’ works.

I’m sure many of you are aware of the dangers of regular deodorant – that it contains aluminum chloride and aluminum chlorohydrate to stop you from sweating. Of course, no one likes to sweat, but sweating is how our bodies process food, expel toxins and regulate temperature. Blocking this bodily function isn’t a good idea. Plus, aluminum has been established as a neurotoxin and has been shown to adversely affect the blood-brain barrier, cause DNA damage and have adverse gene effects.

But hey, as long as no one sees you sweat!

My point is that you want to keep your deodorant natural and organic. As with all organic deodorants, you might sweat a bit more than you’re used to, but you won’t smell. And one more tip – deodorant sprays work far better than sticks.

Now let’s get down to business – the Good, the Less than Good and the Yes, It Really Does Work of organic deodorants! The following list includes all organic or natural deodorants that I tested over an extended period of time, in hot Los Angeles temperatures and even on a trip to Las Vegas.

The Holy Grail: Grapefruit and Geranium Deodorant Spray by Avalon Organics

(Note: According to Avalon Organics, the direct link is not yet available because this product is new to the market, but it’s coming!). This is the best of the best, and I’m anticipating a long relationship with this spray. It smells fruity and pleasant. I kept reapplying it  just to experience a mini aromatherapy session. And most importantly, it works. I wore one application for a day and night, and didn’t notice any body odor (my boyfriend didn’t, either). It’s certified organic and made with various citrus peel oils. It contains no parabens, aluminum or other synthetic ingredients.

The Close Runner Up: Jasmine and Grapefruit Organic Deodorant by Erbaviva

When I can’t find my Avalon Organics, I reach for this spray. As above, it contains grapefruit extracts which help eliminate the odor-causing bacteria. It really does smell good, like something you’d find in the middle of a spa. It also works really well, though you may want to keep it on hand for touch ups. It’s made with certified organic ingredients like grapefruit peel oil, cedar wood oil and jasmine oil.

The Perfume Impersonator: Wild Rose Deodorant Spray by Weleda

This spray is most like a perfume, with a fun, floral rose scent. The first application lasted for a few hours, though I found myself sniffing for a second application earlier than the aforementioned products. The floral scent goes on strong, but it mellows with time. If you like an old-style, cool perfume-y scent, you’ll like this spray. This UK product is made with natural essential rose oils and fragrances.

The Old Standard: E Plus High C Natural Roll-On Deodorant by Aubrey Organics

I have used this product for years – pre-spray, it was the closest I got to a working natural deodorant. It has more of a traditional scent, with hints of baby powder. It works, but doesn’t last as long as the sprays. However, Aubrey makes a Calendula Blossom spray that keeps the protection going longer than the roll-on. Both are made with natural and organic ingredients like rose water, coconut cream and organic aloe vera.

The Pioneer: Deodorant Crystal by Naturally Fresh

Back when natural deodorants were new to the market, deodorants crystals were at the forefront. This company first discovered the crystal while in Thailand, where the process of wetting a crystal and rubbing it under your arm has a long tradition of killing odor-causing bacteria. There’s a spray and a roll-on, and apparently the spray is the number one recommended product by oncologists, allergists and dermatologists.

But does it work? Happily, it does. A friend of mine often uses the crystal in conjunction with other natural deodorants. One word of caution though – you need to wet it before applying, which can prove a little messy.

The Experience: Geranium Lime Pit Putty by Bubble & Bee Organic

This is a new concept that literally involves putty for your pits.  It has a great lime-y, fresh and clean-smelling scent.  You apply it with your fingers, which is a little odd.  It turns to power, which is cool.  But if you start sweating, you will be running for the sprays.

The Good Stick: Clear Enzyme Deodorant Stick by Alba Botanica

Like I said, sticks in general don’t seem to work as well as the sprays.  But many do offer decent protection. This one from Alba Botanica offers a fresh scent and a decent run of it.  It has antibacterial properties from coriander and lichen and certified organic aloe vera.  It is also 100% vegetarian!

The Fruit on a Stick: Mandarin Orange and Patchouli Deodorant by Nature’s Gate

This is another fruity scent that proves much more pleasant than anything you’ll find at the supermarket. It lasts for a bit, but then you will have to follow up. The ingredients for this product are grown on a family-owned farm in California with a water source derived from the winter rains and snow pack of the Sierra Nevadas. It is paraben-free and naturally contains no aluminum.

The Nice Scent But… Naturally Fresh Deodorant Stick for Men by JASON Pure, Natural and Organic

I wanted to like this product because JASON products are generally outstanding. And upon opening the deodorant, I found it has a light, green tea scent that goes on smooth.  But a mere hour after applying it, I found myself reaching for the sprays.

Yes, I know it’s for men – so I had my boyfriend try it out, and he agrees. It’s certified organic and is enriched with lavender oil, Vitamin E, shea butter and certified organic corn starch.

The Reason No One Thinks Natural Deodorants Work: Unscented Deodorant Stick from Tom’s of Maine

This deodorant from Tom’s of Maine works well – if you sit motionless in a chair and under an air conditioner all day.

Image: TheAlienessGiselaGiardino

Sure, you’re forced to take down the ghosts and fuzzy spiders (news flash: your neighbors are pissed if you haven’t done so), but some of the seasonal elements we put up to get in the mood  should endure until the end of the year, if not beyond.

Here is my list of favorite affordable decorative displays for the festive and frugal in all of us.

1. Lanterns

Rice paper lanterns bobbing outside (with solar lights) or in your rooms make a huge, happy statement. I love the cylinder shapes with Asian motifs like the ones found at My Green Party Goods, $3.50 each.  Keep out of wind and rain and purchase eco options.

2. Mini Pumpkins

Don’t toss these babies out with the bad Halloween candy. They transition to the Thanksgiving table (orange+pumpkin) and even co-mingle happily pomegranates and pepper berries for winter holiday merrymaking. You can buy organic by the case at Baldor, if you haven’t already succumbed to the adorable guys at the farmers’ market.

3. Bowls of shells

It’s likely you have amassed these already. Gather them in a pretty bowl for the coffee table, scatter on the table, line them on the mantle. Shells – often used to evoke romantic, seaside summer lazing – work just as well in fall and winter. I like combing the beach for sand dollars and tossing them into my mix.

4. Strung Cards

I string three rows of natural wire along my dining room wall to hang beautiful cards from the high holidays and my daughter’s October Bat Mitzvah to Halloween, Thanksgiving and winter holiday greetings. Just pick up some clamps and you’re in business. Guests love them and cards are so cool, why toss them out?

5. Photo Displays

I’ve mounted many photo walls for clients and friends, which is affordable art for the home and a way to display treasured memories from the year. Of course, assorting eco frames on various tables throughout the house works well, too (school photos, Halloween shots, other fun scenes).

6. Foliage

Harvest leaves, twigs and pine cones and branch out in your earthy styling of tables, entryways and other venues that smack of fall color. I like how Arenamontanus gathered a grouping for a desk.

7. Candles

Beeswax candles come in all shapes and sizes and really set the mood for seasonal statements. Mix ‘em and match ‘em, turn off the lights and turn on the tunes. For a great assortment visit 1000 Markets.

8. Recycled Cloth Coasters

Like these vintage treasures from Etsy, turn your excess fabric into coasters with easy sewing for delightful results. When do you put them away? Never.

9. Table coverage

Roll out the organic runners and roll out the fun, kids. This sumptuous moss design from Amenity can take you through the seasons and inspire unique styling. I use them to dress up many surfaces from the dining table to the buffet and entry way.

10. Vintage Dishes

This peach glass from Step Toes is a lovely example of the menagerie of collectibles you can break out to display and use for serving, from favorite heirloom porcelain to tea pots and even plates hung for display. This is where you canhave blast and save on that styling budget.

Organic, textural and highly ornamental, cabbage is an ideal crop to plant in your garden during those fall and winter months when falling leaves can be the only color abundant in the garden.

Planting rows of the cabbage was a great solution for my own raised veggie bed (below), which is very challenging to maintain this time of year. I long for pumpkins but we never seem to get them going in time.

A garden designer friend suggested the purple, low-water use option of the Cruciferea family (from the same family as cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collards and Brussels Sprouts) as a way to fill in the blank bed.

I love how they look, rather modern and clean as a design feature, plus, they actually like living in my San Francisco yard (not one has complained about the morning fog).

As a cool season crop with color that can be enhanced by cold weather, they can tolerate chillier temperatures of nearly 32 degrees, according to Vegetable Garden Suite 101. You can keep them as a lovely design feature, or cook them in a variety of dishes, from savory soups to simple steamed side dishes and  wonderful, healthy slaws.

Still, many prefer ornamental cabbage and kale as low water use plants rather than food, finding other members of the family of plants are much more tasty as food crops.

Apparently, the cabbage originated as a wild crop along the Mediterranean and Western Europe where it was used medicinally, and was one of the first Cruciferea crops to be domesticated some 2,000 years ago. Part of the popularity is the fact ornamental varieties need virtually no maintenance.

There are many sites for buying the flowering cabbage seeds, including Park Seed and  Neseed, or you can find them at a local nursery that deals in organic plants.

Park Seed recommends starting the seeds indoors and covering them very lightly before transplanting when the leaves begin to shoot.  The color evolves around 3 1/2 months from sowing to form a rosette of colorful leaves with cream rose, pink and purple shades, 10 inches high and 12 inches wide. To dig up hints and growing rich and ruffly cabbage as borders or in containers, visit Garden Blaze.

Tell them Peter Rabbit sent you!

Main Image: Raelene G

Image One: Luanne Bradley

Image Two: Garden Blaze

Mmmm. CANDY! Just smell the bowl full of those darling, little bars of CANDY. Just look at those chewy bites of CANDY!

Now, walk away. That’s right. Walk away and no one will get hurt.

Halloween is really one of the hardest nights to stay disciplined, to focus on staying healthy and stick to your local, organic fare and not endorse one night a year when it’s okay for kids to rot their teeth and poison their bodies with sugar and trans fats.

We get hundreds of visitors to our suburban-esque San Francisco hood and once the bell starts ringing, it tends to get frenetic. You can’t spend the evening just bobbing for organic apples but you can make some changes in your holiday routine.

Here are some good tips for staying focused for a  healthier Halloween:

1. Plan ahead pumpkin head!

Eat a really big, healthy dinner around 5 p.m. Give your kids a good dinner, too. Usually they’re too excited to eat, so just threaten them: No green stuff, no brown stuff. Growing up, we always had chili dogs on Halloween, but no one will eat that anymore. A veggie pizza is yummy and filling, and toss a massive salad for yourself and your friends. And don’t forget, many good foods stem from the pumpkins you carve, i.e. delicious and beneficial dried seeds, soups and desserts. Pumpkin is one of the super foods!

2. Pluck fruits of the vine, Frankenstein

Here’s something novel. Buy healthy treats to give away so if you have a few it won’t hurt: Organic fruit snacks, like the new ones from Amy’s,  Fair Trade organic dark chocolate squares, Z-bars. Don’t get carried away and give out toothbrushes, though. Everybody hates neighbors who give out toothbrushes. They deserve to get tee-peed.

3. Keep a Healthy Stash, Monster Mash

Keep a healthy, beat-the-blues treat aside for yourself, such as an organic dark chocolate bar, a bowl of fresh fruit or popcorn. I don’t know who made up the rule that giving away candy means you can’t snack on healthy treats throughout the night. Popcorn is high in fiber and I like to season mine with a bit of Cayenne pepper. Look out!

4. Slurp to your heart’s desire, thirsty vampire

Drink tons of water all night (from your reusable bottle, of course). Keep a water bottle by the front door, and keep sipping. Staying hydrated is a surefire way to keep up your energy throughout this high energy night, and to keep yourself from eating unhealthy foods that will just make you feel lousy in the morning  – you know, that Halloween hangover.

5. Sit on the porch and stay present

This is a great night to interact with neighbors, neighbors we are usually isolated from during the busy work week. Pull up a chair on the front steps with your bowl of healthy giveaways and haunt your old friends. It’s good for the spirit!

Top image: Doug88888

Image One: Organic Authority

It’s not your grandmother’s wine box!

This 3-liter tube contains a premium, rich and structured California Cab – the first release by winemaker Barry Gnekow, who went looking for a way to drink outside the box and to entertain without the waste.

“My goal was to produce the equivalent of a $25 bottle of wine that could be delivered to the consumer at under $10 per bottle,” he says.

At $40 a tube, The FOUR Cabernet scores many eco points. It eliminates expensive traditional glass-and-cork packaging, cutting wine bottle landfill waste by 85%. The vino package is 100% recyclable and the label is produced by windpower. The cardboard tubes weigh 20% less than glass and can be transported using less gas.

And it’s not just the package that defies the throw-away mentality. The wine, itself, also endures until all 24 glasses are poured.

“The great thing is that it holds about four bottles worth and stays fresh up to 4 weeks after opening,” explains James Robinson of WineStyles, a retail wine store and tasting club in San Francisco. “Often with red wine, people toss out what they don’t drink after a day or two, because it goes bad.”

Robinson poured me a taste out of the spout, and I found it to be delicious, medium-bodied, plummy and lightly oaked, even on its last legs, about two weeks opened.

The wine maker also promises to deliver white wine in a tube, including Chardonnays, at some point this year.

“When you watch the commercials you can tell they’re made of cheap stuff,” says my astute oldest daughter about the fleece blanket sensation known as the Snuggie™. “The people wearing them are just so cheesy, like the man in the leopard one who says he’s so glad he found a fun designer print that suits his personality.”

Snuggie consumers proudly wear the Made-in-China label on their sleeves, not considering the synthetic polyester fabric they’re breathing in all the while they’re adjusting their thermostats in the thin, robe-like throws. I find they leave me as cold as those stinky, plastic sealed airline blankets gifted to us on flights.

I’m not the only one with a chilly view of the blankets. There’s the YouTube ad that parodies by Snuggie™ haters, such as one done in the mockumentary format of The Office in which an employer forces her people to wear the wraps at work, despite their protests. A piece in Time shares one young man’s review: “It’s a bathrobe. That is really long. That you wear backwards.”

So far, five million and counting have bought into the ads depicting gray-haired ladies knitting on the sofa, moms reading on the sofa, great aunts chatting away on the phone on the sofa. One thing is clear: Folks just don’t get off that sofa when they’re folded into a Snuggie. Call it a straight jacket for polluted planet!

Allstar Products Group, Inc., the maker of the blanket, set up a Facebook Fan page and attracted 5,000 users in addition to an official online fan club site. That’s a lot of fleece.

Among the enthusiastic takers is my 10-year-old daughter, who went behind her green-leaning parents to ask a relative to buy her one for her birthday in the original royal blue.

She’s a big infomercial hound, my youngest, often repeating lines from the ads when we are out buying necessities for the house. “Mom, you should get the Ped Egg because it’s like having a professional spa treatment right in your own home,” she advises.

She had a fever over the weekend and taking away that Snuggie was harder than wrestling a cheese stick away from my pug. Pugs have little teeth, but they’ll take you down over cheese, and so will Lauren over a cheesy blanket.

“My friend Simon had one and I thought it would be warm for camp because I sleep right near the window,” says my daughter. “I also like it when I’m sick cause it makes me feel all snuggie.”

We don’t buy polyester bedding and we don’t want our kid dragging around a toxic security blanket. Yet burning it could create a micro Valdez. Which begs the question, how do you safely dispose of Mr. Snuggie™?

Because of the questionable chemicals in the fiber, I find it ironic how American Allstar Group’s publicity machine has tied in “the country’s favorite blanket with sleeves” with one of the country’s most pernicious diseases – breast cancer.

In May, they introduced the limited edition pink blanket for breast cancer. The company says it will donate $50,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation on behalf of the product.

I suppose the irony is that many of the questions posed to researchers at Cancer.Org relate to the link between toxins in textiles and breast cancer. One reader was wondering about her mother who had he worked at a chain of stores in which she cut cloth materials containing the kind of junk that is used to produce my daughter’s favorite throw.

If the Snuggie is such a mega hit and has made tons of dough for Allstar, why hasn’t an organic textile company made their own version of a healthy fleece blanket with sleeves?

“The Snuggie is a safe product, as it is approved and certified by all relevant industry standards,” I’m told by Anne Flynn, Director of Marketing at Allstar. “Snuggie is currently in the process of evaluating other materials, including natural, eco-friendly options, to meet consumer needs.”

Until we meet the eco Snuggie, the only newly unveiled additions introduced for the coming winter are styles for kids, dogs, a more plush version of the current design, and black and purple tie-dye fashions for the holidays.

I did find a few greener options, such as a Bear Adventure Warm Me Up made of recycled synthetics from Blankets and More (being introduced November 1st), and a cozy kimono for the preemie baby. There’s also the 85% recycled materials Peekaru, shown above (top left), for mom and baby.

Otherwise, the market is wide open for a healthier blanket with sleeves. My friends at Chia better get right on it!

This is the latest installment in Luanne’s column, Life in the Green Lane.

Images: Bread and Sham, All Left Turns, SFGate, MomLogic, Snuggie™ Fan Club

What’s not to love about lip balm? In fact, a girl’s love affair with lip balm often starts very young. You were probably given a clear Chap Stick to soothe your dry lips, and naturally you pretended it was bright red lipstick.

Regardless, you got used to the feeling of soft, moisturized lips.

Cut to a couple decades later, and you’re frantically flipping through your organic cotton clutch for the lip balm you know is in there…somewhere. No one likes dry lips. Of course, we can technically live with dry lips, but who wants that?

Chap Stick was invented by Dr. C. D. Fleet, who decided that petroleum jelly would be the best short-term fix for dry lips. But petroleum doesn’t absorb into the skin, so it prevents the skin from breathing and makes your lips more chapped in the long run.

But not to worry! There’s a whole wide world of natural and organic lip balms out there, and we recently applied our lips to the best of them.

Here’s a look at our favorites, styled by category. It’s like a high school yearbook for lip balms! (They grow up so fast, don’t they?)

Most Likely to Be Tasty
Organic Root Beer Lip Balm by Bubble and Bee
This balm goes on smooth and yes, tastes exactly like root beer. The moisture lasts – a few hours later and my lips were still fully hydrated. (And tasty!). It’s made with organic beeswax, sunflower oil and cocoa butter. The flavoring is Stevia-based and all organic.

Pineapple Quench Lip Balm by Alba Botanica
This delicious lip balm tastes like a pineapple margarita over and over, but without the brain-crushing hangover. It does a great job keeping your lips initially hydrated, however you should keep it hand because the need to reply will arise in an hour or so. It’s made with organic coconut oil and apricot kernel oil.

Most Likely to Last at the Beach
Peppermint Vanilla Liplux SPF 15 by Coola
This light, peppermint-y balm goes on silky smooth, and one application lasts a long time. It has an SPF 15 which explains the slight sun block aftertaste. They also have an SPF 30 version for you serious sun worshippers! It contains certified organic flavors and is paraben free.

Lifeguard’s Choice Weatherproofing Lip Balm by Burt’s Bees
From what I can tell, this product does not contain an SPF but it goes on white and therefore acts like the old-time zinc lotions that reflected sunlight. It has a high menthol taste too, but that’s a good thing. It’s recommended for both “sun and snow” and contains a large amount of Vitamin E.  95.20% natural, this lip balm is made with coconut and sunflower oils.

Most Likely to Replace Your Lipstick
SPF 8 Lip Moisturizer by Juice Beauty
This lip balm offers a fantastic, subtle touch of color – a pretty hint of makeup beats lipstick, any day! However it fells slightly drier than some of the other balms and drags on your lip a bit when being applied. It may not be as silky as some, but the trade-off is color. It contains certified organic oils and natural fruit essences.

Mostly Likely to Make You Hungry
White Chocolate Lip Protector by Terressentials
This lip balm tastes exactly like white chocolate. Yum! It goes on silky smooth and provides excellent hydration, but you’ll need to reapply after a while. The ingredients are simple: certified organic cocoa butter, beeswax, vanilla and coconut oil.

And Finally, for the Best All Around…
Natural Beeswax Lip Balm by J.R. Watkins
This balm has a strong peppermint taste and really hydrates in all its good, silky smoothness. One application lasts a long time. It’s 100% all-natural (not organic) and contains premium beeswax, vitamin E and shea butter.

Organic Lip Treatment by EO Organics
Another outstanding lip balm, this one tastes great, goes on light and silky and leaves your lips hydrated for a really long time. While writing this article, I had all eight lip balms on the table in front of me, and this is the one I kept reaching for. It’s made with certified organic cold-pressed safflower and sweet almond oils, beeswax, vitamin E and more.

Find your favorite and pucker up!

Image: Aleera

Jewish is going greenish.

It’s a phenomenon I like to call Oy-Soy, the marriage of ethical Jewish values with eco alternatives – everything from the artifacts that help color our heritage to a back-to-nature approach to living more sustainably.

I guess it’s all in line with the goals of tikkun olam, the repairing of the world, which we Jews perform in a variety of ways, from donating to our communities with charity and acts of kindness to taking stock in our resources.

Is being green a blessing? Try these out and see:

Recycled Ketubah

The wedding contract, called a Ketubah, often emerges as a gorgeous work of art which couples frame and hang on their walls. This exquisite design on handmade recycled paper features pressed wild flowers and ferns, along with embossed plants for a touch of the early garden. $195.00 from Ahuva (shown above).

Eco-suede and Fair Trade Kippots

For greener coverage, try a golden kippot made of eco suede, the friendly vegan alternative to a suede-leather. These yarmulkes are made of recycled cardboard. $2.50 each from A-Zara. Or, opt for colorful crocheted, fair trade head coverings made by sixty Maya artisans working in the Guatemalan highlands. With the purchase of the woven caps, you are dong a mitzvot by helping women artisans earn a steady income for their families. $16 each at the Globale Exchange Store.

Fair Trade Challah Cover

Bring some exotic Boho flair to your Shabbat table by covering your  organic holiday bread in this handwoven, fiesta blue cloth embellished with a bright colored star and borders. 15″ x 20″. 100% cotton. $38 at Artistor.

Guilt-Free Organic Nosh

Nosh like an eco fresser with the organic bagels from Rudi’s Bakery (multigrain, honey wheat, white and cinnamon raisin); Nancy’s organic cream cheese (thick like you mean it); top with Vital Choice kosher, wild sockeye salmon Nova Lox. Head to your local farmer’s market for the tomato and onion and gorge without guilt!

Organic Kosher Wine

Such a blessing, the organic fruit of the vine, like Hafner Queen Esther Reserve Pinot Noir ‘04, which is produced under the strict supervision of Rabbi A.Y. Schwartz in Vienna. $11.08 for a bottle at Online Kosher Wine. Or open a bottle of  the Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, $29, made of grapes selected from vineyards in California’s Central Coast areas of San Luis Obispo and Edna Valley and the northern coastal areas of Sonoma.

Perhaps it’s the fact the yard is covered with green grass, which is a water no-no in my world, yet a feature imposed by our homeowner association regulations. How we’d love to replace it with artichokes and succulents.

Maybe it’s because my garage is in the back of the house and leads to the backdoor entrance. That sure makes it convenient for unloading backpacks and groceries.

I suppose both of these excuses keep me from perching on the brick steps out front, except once in a blue moon, like on the magical night of Halloween, when hundreds of candy-crazed strangers travel to our “safe” suburban neighborhood to trick-or-treat up and down the tree-lined streets.

Yes, my front yard has practically become a stranger to me, nearly a decade after the baby-rearing years when my girls ran wild with the Bernsteins, the Murphys and the Ritters, the sidewalks their playgrounds for colorful chalk graffiti and clunky, three-wheel vehicles.

It’s kind of eerie how people don’t venture out front anymore.

The children in those other families have gone off to college. They’re the same children that showed up at my front door when my first daughter was born, asking “Can we see the baby, Mrs. Bradley?” Before going away, they had graduated from a variety of private schools in the city. When I was growing up, every kid on my block went to the same public school.

Our pediatrician, who lives in the hood, came over when both daughters were born and delivered hand-knit sweaters she had made for them in her spare time. We no longer go to her house for annual neighborhood Christmas parties. We just see her face when the girls contract a bug, break an arm or crush a finger in a door.

Sure, once in a while, I park at the curb or a soccer mom picks the girls up out front, and I wave to Mrs. Bernstein across the street. But on most days, I shuttle them through the back.

Once inside the back door, my daughters quickly become shut-ins, burdened with hours of homework, entertained after with hours of FarmVille or shows like NCIS. When I was growing up, everyone ran out front after homework, playing ball in the street, climbing trees and doing cartwheels or just shooting the breeze on the curb.

What has changed for me and my family?

Is it having personal computers that lure us into a false sense of “community connection” that actually keeps us from having a real one in our very own neighborhoods? Is it the security issue which gives parents a false sense of panic over children being abducted on their lawns by a stranger? Calming that hysteria is the subject of the eye-opening book, Free Range Kids.

I know it’s not just a city thing because last Friday night, on our way to a friend’s home for dinner, we drove down a thoroughly urban street where parents with toddlers were hanging out on their stoop, the children playing and the dad pouring his wife a glass of red wine.

I felt envious. Here I live in one of the most coveted neighborhoods of San Francisco, and I’m lacking all that I truly desire on a Friday evening: the family outside taking in the sunset, sipping organic wine, moving to the rhythm of a glider, and waving hello to other families doing the same. I guess you could say I need to move to the country. But, then again, think of that couple on their stoop on Divisadero Street.

The concept of the country can and should always be in our minds. It is that concept that keeps neighbor connected with neighbor, every night, not just that one October night when we venture out to the stoop.

This is the latest entry in Luanne Bradley’s column, Life in the Green Lane.

Images: tomask, Luanne Bradley