Today was a no-car day around here. I know urbanites have those regularly, but out here, living rurally, it is more of a challenge to create those. Literally, it's been nearly an entire month since we've had a no-car day, and this is likely the only one for another 3+ weeks. Yes, you read that right. Literally, about one no-car day every 3-4 *weeks*. One in 20 days I do not get in the car.
I realize, in our peak oil and climate chaos times, how ridiculous this reads, and how, post-peak-oil, I will look back and realize how utterly unsustainable this lifestyle is.
Something has to change.
I spent a good deal thinking about it today, while reading Depletion and Abundance out on the deck in the beautiful sunshine, 'neath the cloudless blue sky, with the rustling of the alder leaves and the waves crashing ashore the background sounds... I realized how things will simply have to change.
Less structured classes for the children and myself.
Growing more of our own food.
A restructuring of how we use energy in our lives...
I have more thoughts floating around about it all, but for now, the children want to read E is for Environment, a kids' book where the illustrations have these huge heads on little bodies and my children think that's hilarious. Not to mention the increasing awareness of environmental issues. I guess that's just a pleasant aside. ;)
31 July 2011
30 July 2011
meh.
Hi. How's life? I'm good. I suppose things are actually really great. I'm just not feeling really super full of life and joyous at the moment. Oh, it's nothing, really. Nothing more than everyday worries, nothing that is worth worrying about. (or is it?)
I stayed up way too late this week reading our book club book (even though book club's not for a few weeks, lol). It was called The Help. I can't remember the author. It was an amazing read. 500+ pages and I read it in one night.
I taught 3 tai chi classes last week (well, 4 in the past 8 days). But I missed my own class. It can be hard to balance - life, I mean. I only went to the farm one day this week (again; that's two weeks in a row I've only been once). I *like* to go twice a week, but I'm finding that my days are pretty full. And both tai chi and the farm are volunteer, and I have other responsibilities I'm trying to make time for as well.
I weeded the herb garden out this morning, most of it, anyway. Cut the comfrey way back, the lemon balm, the lovage, the oregano. Planted the lemon verbena, rosemary, catnip, tarragon, and (Miranda) hydrangea I'd picked up a little while ago. Watered everything. The other garden needs some lovin', too.
Oh, the bear was trapped and relocated from this area. I'm not sure if they actually did relocate the bear or if they killed it. I really don't know. One night (not sure if I mentioned this) it actually was scratching at the side of my neighbour's mobile home (a big tin can, someone called it). It's much quieter in the neighbourhood without the bear's daily escapades.
It's about 19 degrees outside (68 F); was 23 in town (76 F). It's slightly windy at our place, and being on the open ocean, it's a cool breeze as always, making it feel slightly cooler than what the thermometer says. Only during a real heat wave does it truly feel hot at our house, otherwise it's just comfortably breezy.
I'm having a really difficult time making healthy lifestyle choices these days - especially in regards to food and exercise. I feel like I'm sabotaging myself, and it's dreadful. I don't like it, and yet repeatedly I find myself making poor choices. I look at pictures from 2 summers ago and I get a pang of regret at what's happened since. I know I feel better with daily exercise and when eating more mindfully. *sigh* I'm feeling particularly crummy in this moment because of a poor food choice I made this afternoon. I'm hoping I won't be forced to repeat this lesson time and time again. :(
I'm reading Depletion and Abundance: life on the new home front (or, one woman's solutions to finding abundance for your family while coming to terms with peak oil, climate change, and hard times.) by Sharon Astyk. It's really interesting. She talks about the last century, how gender roles have changed, how we devalue domestic work, and about options for the future. Really, really interesting.
Generally, though, and you may have already picked up on this, I'm feeling pretty meh. Just in a bit of a funk. Not taking care of myself properly and I'm feeling it. I'm aware that's what's going on and I'm wishing I would snap out of it and just start caring again. I feel like my life is not in the best state of balance right now... struggling a little to balance the housework, yardwork, gardening, child-raising, family time, volunteering with tai chi and the farm, financially, oh, just everything. It's all feeling rather precarious sometimes. A little off-kilter.
Ask me next week. I'm sure this'll blow over. ;D
I stayed up way too late this week reading our book club book (even though book club's not for a few weeks, lol). It was called The Help. I can't remember the author. It was an amazing read. 500+ pages and I read it in one night.
I taught 3 tai chi classes last week (well, 4 in the past 8 days). But I missed my own class. It can be hard to balance - life, I mean. I only went to the farm one day this week (again; that's two weeks in a row I've only been once). I *like* to go twice a week, but I'm finding that my days are pretty full. And both tai chi and the farm are volunteer, and I have other responsibilities I'm trying to make time for as well.
I weeded the herb garden out this morning, most of it, anyway. Cut the comfrey way back, the lemon balm, the lovage, the oregano. Planted the lemon verbena, rosemary, catnip, tarragon, and (Miranda) hydrangea I'd picked up a little while ago. Watered everything. The other garden needs some lovin', too.
Oh, the bear was trapped and relocated from this area. I'm not sure if they actually did relocate the bear or if they killed it. I really don't know. One night (not sure if I mentioned this) it actually was scratching at the side of my neighbour's mobile home (a big tin can, someone called it). It's much quieter in the neighbourhood without the bear's daily escapades.
It's about 19 degrees outside (68 F); was 23 in town (76 F). It's slightly windy at our place, and being on the open ocean, it's a cool breeze as always, making it feel slightly cooler than what the thermometer says. Only during a real heat wave does it truly feel hot at our house, otherwise it's just comfortably breezy.
I'm having a really difficult time making healthy lifestyle choices these days - especially in regards to food and exercise. I feel like I'm sabotaging myself, and it's dreadful. I don't like it, and yet repeatedly I find myself making poor choices. I look at pictures from 2 summers ago and I get a pang of regret at what's happened since. I know I feel better with daily exercise and when eating more mindfully. *sigh* I'm feeling particularly crummy in this moment because of a poor food choice I made this afternoon. I'm hoping I won't be forced to repeat this lesson time and time again. :(
I'm reading Depletion and Abundance: life on the new home front (or, one woman's solutions to finding abundance for your family while coming to terms with peak oil, climate change, and hard times.) by Sharon Astyk. It's really interesting. She talks about the last century, how gender roles have changed, how we devalue domestic work, and about options for the future. Really, really interesting.
Generally, though, and you may have already picked up on this, I'm feeling pretty meh. Just in a bit of a funk. Not taking care of myself properly and I'm feeling it. I'm aware that's what's going on and I'm wishing I would snap out of it and just start caring again. I feel like my life is not in the best state of balance right now... struggling a little to balance the housework, yardwork, gardening, child-raising, family time, volunteering with tai chi and the farm, financially, oh, just everything. It's all feeling rather precarious sometimes. A little off-kilter.
Ask me next week. I'm sure this'll blow over. ;D
22 July 2011
Oops. I just deleted what I'd written already.
Anyways, my eyesight's been doing weird things this week, with one eye having this 'ghosting' thing going on - where a word is superimposed one character to the left. So it's kinda like double vision but not two separate images appear, they're superimposed. It was really bad yesterday in that one eye; uncomfortable to drive. Today I went to the opthamologist who said my eye's been spasming and it's nothing serious. THANK GOODNESS.
No news with the bear. Not captured, but we do have a live trap sitting 50 ft from our front door, which is more than slightly unnerving. I don't want to have the kids play on the trampoline or in the yard generally until this whole thing is resolved. Our neighbour's chicken coop was completely destroyed and all but one chicken killed. It was back at our coop yesterday morning but hasn't had any success getting in... two things: one, I sprayed some WD40 around the outside of their enclosure (no, not env friendly but it was cheaper than a $300 electric fence) and two, I've had the radio on inside their coop 24/7 playing NPR, and who knew bears didn't like NPR?!
Nothing else newsworthy around here. Raspberries are in full force these days. YAY! And I think the sun is here for a few days! Double YAY!
Anyways, my eyesight's been doing weird things this week, with one eye having this 'ghosting' thing going on - where a word is superimposed one character to the left. So it's kinda like double vision but not two separate images appear, they're superimposed. It was really bad yesterday in that one eye; uncomfortable to drive. Today I went to the opthamologist who said my eye's been spasming and it's nothing serious. THANK GOODNESS.
No news with the bear. Not captured, but we do have a live trap sitting 50 ft from our front door, which is more than slightly unnerving. I don't want to have the kids play on the trampoline or in the yard generally until this whole thing is resolved. Our neighbour's chicken coop was completely destroyed and all but one chicken killed. It was back at our coop yesterday morning but hasn't had any success getting in... two things: one, I sprayed some WD40 around the outside of their enclosure (no, not env friendly but it was cheaper than a $300 electric fence) and two, I've had the radio on inside their coop 24/7 playing NPR, and who knew bears didn't like NPR?!
Nothing else newsworthy around here. Raspberries are in full force these days. YAY! And I think the sun is here for a few days! Double YAY!
19 July 2011
Bear!
Yesterday was a busy day. I got lots of chores and stuff done and worked at the farm for 4 hrs. I had the afternoon to myself at home and weedeated the yard and watered all the gardens and plants...
Then at 9 p.m. the chickens, who had all been going into their coop nicely, all were fluttering around the pen. hmmmm... something was obviously nearby. So I go out the back door in my pjs and pair of sandals and take five steps towards their pen when I see what appears to be a very large black Shepherd dog IN their pen! EEKS! It took a complete, very slow second for me to realize that was no dog! That was a massive BEAR! OMG! I yelled "BEAR" very loudly (our neighbour was in her yard, heard me and promptly went to put her horse in for the night) and ran to get our "trumpet" (one of those things you take to football games to blow through and make noise?!). I blew it loudly twice at the bear (who was still in the pen) and it finally ran off into the acre of forest (between me & the neighbour with the horse).
At 7 a.m. this morning, the chickens, who were all locked snugly into their coop, had a commotion going. I ran to the upstairs window and realized the bear must be back so the dog and I ran out the back door and the dog ran after the bear. I went to the coop to inspect and it's ripped a hole in the side of the coop. Quick headcount and yes, one of our White Leghorns are gone.
I called the Conservation Office and spoke to a CO and he is going to bring a live bear trap out tomorrow probably. In the meantime, I have some repairs to do.
p.s. not that it's related at all, but it's interesting (and kinda funny) nonetheless: two nights ago I dreamt that there were tall trees on 236 st falling down, the ones between Glen Bahr's place & Colleen Kennedy's, on that side of the street, and people who had been picking blackberries under them came running out (it was a secret blackberry patch and I thought to myself, wow, now I don't need GPS coordinates, now I know where all the berries are!). It was bizarre. Anyways yesterday I was walking the neighbour's dog through the forest around here and was looking at the tall tall trees, and suddenly had a flashback to the dream with the huge trees snapping and falling. Bizarre. Oh, and the trees in my dream did NOT make any sound when they fell. ;)
Last night I dreamt that my legs were very hairy and I'd shaved my calves, but then looking down at them in my dream, I'd done a really patchy job at best. It was just funny. Don't read into that one. :P
Then at 9 p.m. the chickens, who had all been going into their coop nicely, all were fluttering around the pen. hmmmm... something was obviously nearby. So I go out the back door in my pjs and pair of sandals and take five steps towards their pen when I see what appears to be a very large black Shepherd dog IN their pen! EEKS! It took a complete, very slow second for me to realize that was no dog! That was a massive BEAR! OMG! I yelled "BEAR" very loudly (our neighbour was in her yard, heard me and promptly went to put her horse in for the night) and ran to get our "trumpet" (one of those things you take to football games to blow through and make noise?!). I blew it loudly twice at the bear (who was still in the pen) and it finally ran off into the acre of forest (between me & the neighbour with the horse).
At 7 a.m. this morning, the chickens, who were all locked snugly into their coop, had a commotion going. I ran to the upstairs window and realized the bear must be back so the dog and I ran out the back door and the dog ran after the bear. I went to the coop to inspect and it's ripped a hole in the side of the coop. Quick headcount and yes, one of our White Leghorns are gone.
I called the Conservation Office and spoke to a CO and he is going to bring a live bear trap out tomorrow probably. In the meantime, I have some repairs to do.
p.s. not that it's related at all, but it's interesting (and kinda funny) nonetheless: two nights ago I dreamt that there were tall trees on 236 st falling down, the ones between Glen Bahr's place & Colleen Kennedy's, on that side of the street, and people who had been picking blackberries under them came running out (it was a secret blackberry patch and I thought to myself, wow, now I don't need GPS coordinates, now I know where all the berries are!). It was bizarre. Anyways yesterday I was walking the neighbour's dog through the forest around here and was looking at the tall tall trees, and suddenly had a flashback to the dream with the huge trees snapping and falling. Bizarre. Oh, and the trees in my dream did NOT make any sound when they fell. ;)
Last night I dreamt that my legs were very hairy and I'd shaved my calves, but then looking down at them in my dream, I'd done a really patchy job at best. It was just funny. Don't read into that one. :P
18 July 2011
The introvert gets social
I had such a busy weekend, socially speaking. Saturday morning I went to the tai chi bbq at the beach. 30ish people were there, doing tai chi in the wet sand, in the misty fog. It was BEEEEEEAUTIFUL. Some beautiful pictures were taken. We were there probably 4 hrs.
Then we went to friends' birthday parties (a joint party for a 2 yr old & a 3 yr old) and had a great time. There were several families we knew there and the company was great and everything, but I started to feel really... kinda well, overwhelmed by my introverted self being out in community like that all day. I was feeling the need to just be alone, be at home. Not in a bad way, just in a... wow, this is so unlike me way.
Sunday I went to another hs'ing family's place - they've just moved here from the mainland and bought (get this) 130 acres! They were having a work party as they're building an addition (a home office) onto the back of their garage. It's clay slip infill and basically you coat the wood chips completely with liquid clay slip and then tamp it into a wall form. It's a natural building technique. I was loving it. 10 adults and I knew none; I was having to introduce myself and be social but at the same time just loving and so passionate about what we were doing! Still, after an hour and a half, my cuticules and nails were TRASHED from the wood chips and clay mix. They were actually BLEEDING. yikes!
After lunch there I cleaned up and headed to a tai chi demo at the local park where the local orchestra was having a free outdoor concert. So while people arrived we did tai chi to some canned orchestra music playing over the speakers at this absolutely gorgeous park that overlooks the water. And it was a beautiful experience. I'm so glad we got to do that.
So I had a busy weekend, socially. Today I spent 4 hrs at the farm (my fingertips are so sore from yesterday and then weeding and transplanting today!). I have the luxury of an afternoon alone.
That being said, there is much I should be doing: cleaning up the house (mostly picking up toys), walking the neighbour's dog who we're looking after for a couple days, finishing a certain magazine article that's embarassingly past its deadline, gardening and yardwork, getting this month's raw food order together. Lots to do and the sun is now shining so I'd better get on with it.
One thing one of the natural builder guys said yesterday at lunch is that you'll only ever be as (fill in the blank: successful (however you define that), happy, healthy, whatever) as the 5 people you spend most of your time with. That's a powerful thought. Think for a moment about the 5 closest people you spend your time with. Are they heading places in life that you want to be headed? Because it's totally true. You're creating, through your association with these people, your own life. And if they're not living a life you'd want to live, you need to make some changes for yourself.
NAMASTE'
Then we went to friends' birthday parties (a joint party for a 2 yr old & a 3 yr old) and had a great time. There were several families we knew there and the company was great and everything, but I started to feel really... kinda well, overwhelmed by my introverted self being out in community like that all day. I was feeling the need to just be alone, be at home. Not in a bad way, just in a... wow, this is so unlike me way.
Sunday I went to another hs'ing family's place - they've just moved here from the mainland and bought (get this) 130 acres! They were having a work party as they're building an addition (a home office) onto the back of their garage. It's clay slip infill and basically you coat the wood chips completely with liquid clay slip and then tamp it into a wall form. It's a natural building technique. I was loving it. 10 adults and I knew none; I was having to introduce myself and be social but at the same time just loving and so passionate about what we were doing! Still, after an hour and a half, my cuticules and nails were TRASHED from the wood chips and clay mix. They were actually BLEEDING. yikes!
After lunch there I cleaned up and headed to a tai chi demo at the local park where the local orchestra was having a free outdoor concert. So while people arrived we did tai chi to some canned orchestra music playing over the speakers at this absolutely gorgeous park that overlooks the water. And it was a beautiful experience. I'm so glad we got to do that.
So I had a busy weekend, socially. Today I spent 4 hrs at the farm (my fingertips are so sore from yesterday and then weeding and transplanting today!). I have the luxury of an afternoon alone.
That being said, there is much I should be doing: cleaning up the house (mostly picking up toys), walking the neighbour's dog who we're looking after for a couple days, finishing a certain magazine article that's embarassingly past its deadline, gardening and yardwork, getting this month's raw food order together. Lots to do and the sun is now shining so I'd better get on with it.
One thing one of the natural builder guys said yesterday at lunch is that you'll only ever be as (fill in the blank: successful (however you define that), happy, healthy, whatever) as the 5 people you spend most of your time with. That's a powerful thought. Think for a moment about the 5 closest people you spend your time with. Are they heading places in life that you want to be headed? Because it's totally true. You're creating, through your association with these people, your own life. And if they're not living a life you'd want to live, you need to make some changes for yourself.
NAMASTE'
15 July 2011
On my bookshelf
I like hearing about books others are finding interesting, so maybe you, like me, would like to know what I'm reading these days:
- Ecovillages (Jan Martin Bang)
- Living Simply with Children (Marie Sherlock)
- The Simple Feeling of Being (Ken Wilber)
- Less is More (Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska)
- Mom, will this chicken give me man boobs? (Robyn Harding) - how can you *not* pick up a book with a title like that?!? lmao
- Depletion and Abundance (Sharon Astyk)
- A different kind of Luxury: Japanese lessons in simple living and inner abundance (Andy Couterier)
- Let me know when you see a theme here... ;)
- Your Money or your life (Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez)
- E is for Environment: stories to help children care for their world - at home, at school, and at play (Ian James Corlett) - juvenile non fiction that I'm reading aloud with the kids
- Building a Green Community (Ellen Rodger) - also a juvie NF that we're reading together
I think I talked recently about Radical Homemaking: reclaiming domesticity from a consumer culture, which I also recently read. *LOVED* it!!!
09 July 2011
july
july has been pretty warm and sunny...
i tilled the garden at my in-laws and planted beets and a few things in there and took a tractor lesson (the field's not yet plowed however)... hoping to plant a cover crop in the field very soon...
my garden's doing well... both the herb garden and the vegetable garden and raspberries are now on drip irrigation which is making an INCREDIBLE difference to the plants. the lovage is HUGE! and everything is just doing really really well. i planted about 10 strawberry plants in the birdbath (no birds ever used it)...
AND very excitingly, the goji berry plant is flowering!!! most exciting. i'm cautiously optimistic that i might get berries off it.
the raspberries are now ripe (though small) and the blueberries will be another few weeks, i'd guess. salmonberries are ripe in the yard and the huckleberry bush behind the chickens is ripe, but the other huckleberries in the yard aren't quite there yet.
the chickens are all doing well... i think we're going through a mite infestation with them so i sprayed their perches down with neem oil (a miticide) and will treat further if required... they aren't laying so great the past few months - out of 20 hens we're getting an average of between 8 and 12 eggs a day, compared to the 16 or 17 we were getting in early spring.
the farm's great - everything's so productive there! the strawberries are totally in season and it's AWESOME to get to pick 4,000 strawberry plants! carrots, broccoli (sooooooo good) and cabbage, summer squash (pattipan & black ball, among others) and zucchini, lettuces and more... *loving it!*
i'm very behind on housework and all things indoors (including an article i haven't forgotten about). i've got a wonderful farmer's tan going on and am loving spending time outdoors. i'm searching for a supply of blasted rock with which to build the base for the final cob & then plaster on the cob oven. I'm really hoping to get that finished and build a living roof over it before monsoon season hits in october.
that's about it... oh, and check out this and sign the petition if you feel moved to:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_quarry/?vc
i tilled the garden at my in-laws and planted beets and a few things in there and took a tractor lesson (the field's not yet plowed however)... hoping to plant a cover crop in the field very soon...
my garden's doing well... both the herb garden and the vegetable garden and raspberries are now on drip irrigation which is making an INCREDIBLE difference to the plants. the lovage is HUGE! and everything is just doing really really well. i planted about 10 strawberry plants in the birdbath (no birds ever used it)...
AND very excitingly, the goji berry plant is flowering!!! most exciting. i'm cautiously optimistic that i might get berries off it.
the raspberries are now ripe (though small) and the blueberries will be another few weeks, i'd guess. salmonberries are ripe in the yard and the huckleberry bush behind the chickens is ripe, but the other huckleberries in the yard aren't quite there yet.
the chickens are all doing well... i think we're going through a mite infestation with them so i sprayed their perches down with neem oil (a miticide) and will treat further if required... they aren't laying so great the past few months - out of 20 hens we're getting an average of between 8 and 12 eggs a day, compared to the 16 or 17 we were getting in early spring.
the farm's great - everything's so productive there! the strawberries are totally in season and it's AWESOME to get to pick 4,000 strawberry plants! carrots, broccoli (sooooooo good) and cabbage, summer squash (pattipan & black ball, among others) and zucchini, lettuces and more... *loving it!*
i'm very behind on housework and all things indoors (including an article i haven't forgotten about). i've got a wonderful farmer's tan going on and am loving spending time outdoors. i'm searching for a supply of blasted rock with which to build the base for the final cob & then plaster on the cob oven. I'm really hoping to get that finished and build a living roof over it before monsoon season hits in october.
that's about it... oh, and check out this and sign the petition if you feel moved to:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_quarry/?vc
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