Simple changes

Today I plugged in a few appliances that pull a phantom load into a power bar. Now, when I'm out or going to sleep, I can turn them all off with the flick of a switch.

Simple changes

I've started keeping a bucket in the shower. When I shower, it collects extra water, which I then use to water my plants.

Unexpected gifts

Recently, I've had a bunch of things come into my life from other people. Mostly these things have come from my mom, but some have also come from a temporary houseguest who was moving away.

When I got all this stuff I'll asmit that I was a bit frustrated, if not a teensy bit annoyed. I've been trying really hard to get rid of clutter and unnecessary stuff, and all of a sudden I had almost half of the stuff I'd gotten rid of on my last big Goodwill run. Now, admittedly there's a lot of stuff in there that I can't or won't use, ranging from old magazines to gravy mix to chemical cleaners. But, once I relaxed a bit, I took a look and found a few things that I'm actually grateful to have now, and that I think can be put to good use.

- a water jug - more cold water stored, plus an increased chance that I'll drink more water

- a wire shopping basket - excellent for the back of my bike, and means that I can take the basket in and pick up just what I can carry

- a tea set - I find drinking tea rather calming and, while this isn't technically necessary, having a tea set is a nice luxury, especially when sharing with other people

- loads of plant pots - not all will be useful, I don't think, but there are some nice big ones that I hope to use for a bigger and better container garden on the patio this summer

- cutting boards - I broke mine recently, and multiples are nice to have for chopping

- board games - mom gave me whatever they had left, and while I orginally wasn't all that excited for them to come and live with me, it now strikes me that some more free, low-energy entertainment is a good thing to have around

- decorative towels - I dislike decorative towels and have enough towels for regular use, but I had a few sewing projects in mind that I needed terrycloth for, and now I have the materials to complete them, which is rather nice

- reusable bags - I might just have enough of these already, but I could gift them to friends or otherwise make use of them

- basic foods - I need to look over things to see whether they're still useful, but spices, flour, sugar, tea, and other bits and pieces have now come my way, and if I can put them to use, I will

I guess it's all in how you look at things. I was ready to pitch everything in one fell swoop just to get it out of here, but giving it a few days to think about and ponder was really useful. Some of it may make its way out the door yet, depending on whether I can fit it in or not, but I appreciate having (and not having to buy) a few more things that will be useful for me and for the life that I'm gradually setting up for myself here. Now, if only someone would send a nice grain mill my way...

Independence Days update

There are two new categories to Independence Days, so I'm going to add them here as an addendum to my last update.

Reduce waste: stopped putting my eggshells out with the garbage in favour of saving them to put in my potting soil; knitting and sewing mesh produce bags for the grocery store; made my first cloth pad, with more to come.

Regenerated: still trying to work out getting a composter inside, but falling short on the worms - hopfully this week; donated to the food bank; made another donation to the local Goodwill; spent a little money also at the Goodwill.

More to do on these (and the other) categories, but it feels good to have something to put down.

Fear is okay

With the current economic news, and the Canadian political system in limbo, and the general raft of terrible things happening the world over, I know a lot of people who are getting, if not scared, then at least more nervous about what's going on and, worse yet, what could happen.

But fear (and nervousness, I suppose) aren't necessarily bad things, especially if they lead people to action. But that's the issue with fear - it tends to be paralysing, and prevents rather than drives action.

I can't presume to know what people need or want to do. Heck, I'm just figuring most of this out for myself. When I'm not feeling like I'm fumbling my way along, I tend to feel like I'm navel gaving as I focus on my own life more than I have in awhile. But I know that other people are starting to feel like this and are getting overwhelmed and scared by everything that they feel needs to be done.

The issue with being overwhelmed is that it makes things difficult to start. We try to figure out where to start, what to do and, even more debilitating, how to do it all right now. But none of these things tends to work all that well, and certainly not the last one. So, what do we do to get past this when things are falling apart right now?

Just start.

There's certainly something to be said for planning. I have a binder that I use for planning - thoughts, lists, ideas, and whatever else I think of. But rather than spending time planning and figuring and prioritising, just start something. Even if it's small. Even if you think it won't make a big difference. Just start. Starting breaks the cycle of not doing anything. Starting is empowering. Starting allows you to feel as though you're moving forward, and that's a huge thing when everything seems uncertain. Buy some extra food on your next shopping trip - rice and beans are excellent, as are a lot of canned foods. If you're out and about, pick up a few extra basics - mending supplies, rechargeable batteries, a flashlight, blankets, anything that might be useful. Check out your local thrift store. Head to the library and do some research on raising chickens, learning to knit, or how to preserve food. Go to a local peak oil or post carbon meeting, or make a visit to your local CSA farm or food co-op and meet like-minded people.

If even this is too much for you, start a list. Or, start a few lists. While I think it's better to just do something, planning things out is still a step in the right direction. What do you want for your life? What do you already have going for you? What do you need to feel more secure? How can you get those things?

This seems to be a time when it's easy to be fearful. Fear is scary, but it can also be useful if its used as a motivator. So rather than just sitting there, start something. What's the worst that could happen?

Words from the wise

“I listen with attention to the judgement of all men; but so far as I can remember, I have followed none but my own.”

- Michel de Montaigne

A story of my stuff

I often feel like I have too much stuff. I think I've written about this before, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all that's in my apartment. Certainly it's been commented on - often by me, very frequently by my parents, and even sometimes by my boyfriend and friends (most of whom are grad students and so move around a lot and try not to keep too many things.)

I've always had a fair amount of stuff. I have a lot of interests, and stuff seems to come along with that. But lately I've been finding that I'm acquiring more stuff not for interests or hobbies, but because it allows me to feel safe. Some of this is very practical - a grinder means I can make bread, and extra food means I can eat. Some of this might be less so - extra jeans means I'm less likely to run out, but I still suspect that I have too many pairs to truly be necessary.

As much as possible, I've been trying to pick up things that I need. This is a pretty significant change in my shopping habits and, to a degree, to my spending. I'm spending more, and more often than I have in awhile now (although, admittedly, most of this spending is still fairly minimal, since it's mostly been at the thrift store.) Over the past few months I've bought cast iron pots and pans, books, wool, blankets, sweaters, extra knitting needles, a mattress, canning supplies, a grinder, a washboard, sewing supplies, a flashlight, a hand-crank radio, and food. Still on my list are rechargeable batteries (preferably with a solar charger), a hand-crank blender, a grain mill, and a whole slew of other things.

The thing I'm having trouble with is this. I just keep buying stuff. And, really, it does help me feel more secure, and certainly more secure than the things I was buying before I was Peak Oil aware. Even with my apartment more full than it was before, I don't feel as overwhelmed in terms of space. But I don't like buying things, and I don't like buying things for feelings of security. While I wasn't completely blasé about the things I had before, I wasn't all that attached to them, and it wasn't a huge deal if something broke. But now, I feel like these things are important to me, and that increases theirvalue - they keep me warm, fed, and healthy, and for that I value them quite highly. Which also makes the threat of their loss more dire and more overwhelming in a totally different way than volume did.

So, I'm trying to think more about skills and relationships that I can develop. Skills and relationships that will both protect me and allow me to be useful to people without just relying on my stuff. It's difficult - sometimes I feel like I just want to hole up in here with the locks on the doors and the hatches battened down. But that's not the best approach, and I need to move beyond it. This is one of my biggest challenges - to forge community and find ways to get beyong this stuff.