Unstuffed: Summer Living

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Summer Living

I love what this picture says about the life I live now. There is work reflected here, but leisure too. There is evidence of modern conveniences, but also a more simple, resilient lifestyle, chosen intentionally.

In the background the sun oven stands empty, but earlier in the day it boiled potatoes and then cooked rice to perfection. During these long, hot days of summer I can cook two dishes a day, if I plan it right.

I can't remember the last time I used a dryer. Even in the winter and on rainy days, I hang my clothes up inside, but nothing beats the smell of clean clothes fresh off the outside line.

I decided not to go wildcrafting yesterday morning, cleaning, doing laundry and catching up on dishes instead and taking care of the plants I have already harvested. I emptied the dehydrator and got those herbs into jars. I saved this big bunch of nettle for the evening and sat outside after dinner removing the leaves from the stalks. I really enjoy each aspect of handling the plants, and find this one particularly calming and meditative. It's not something you can rush through. There is healing in this, of a kind that you'll never get from a pill.

In my glass was soda water and some of the spruce shoot syrup I made in May. O.k. and there might have been a splash of gin in there too! It's the brand of gin that's made with 10 different botanical ingredients, so the whole thing was basically an herbal preparation. There's healing in that I'm sure. ;)

I also made time for reading. I'm slowly working my way through the Little House Books. I loved the show as a kid, but never read the books. It makes for nice, light reading I don't care what anyone says! (Ahem....that means you ADG.) I had to laugh when a friend of mine saw me reading the book one day and told me that her classmate is reading it too. My friend is 8. Oh well, if a bunch of men in their late '30s can get together to play Dungeons and Dragons every week (Ahem...that means you ADG!) then I can read a children's book about the adventures of Ma and Pa, Mary, Laura and 'Manzo.

Raison d'etre

In 2008 I didn't buy anything new for the whole year. Food and basic toiletries (but not toilet paper) were the obvious exceptions (twice I broke my own rule). Used items were allowed, but I tried really hard to reduce consumption as much as possible.

I finished my year successfully, and along the way learned a lot about how much the world consumes, the waste we produce, sustainability, voluntary simplicity, climate change, peak oil, resource depletion, the water crisis, the food crisis, voting with your dollar, voting with your fork....

Now, I've transformed into a slightly nutty, very passionate, gardening, preserving, DIYing, simple living, nature loving, weed eating, backyard medicine making, urban homesteader, and I still don't use toilet paper!

With the help of the Awesomedudeguy (ADG), I'm continuing my exploration of living lightly and frugally, while increasing my self-sufficiency and resiliency, staying debt free, and preparing for a climate changed, resource depleted world, in uncertain economic times.

My nothing new restriction is lifted, but I continue to be a gentle, local consumer as much as possible.

My hope is that some of the information and resources I post about here will be helpful to others. Thanks so much for stopping by !

Yours in unstuffing,
Amber