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helwenWell, we're finally moved to the farm, for the most part. We're out of the house at any rate.... some things are under a former neighbor's car port, so that we could get out of the property more quickly. Computer network is mostly set up now, some furniture has been put where it belongs, and a few boxes unpacked. Many, many more to go.
We slept in this morning, which was much needed. Haven't slept in for months... The previous night we got in seven hours, which was also much needed. Night before that, 2-1/2 hours, and the night before that, Roselynde would start howling in the hallway about once an hour.
Good thing we finally got some rest too, since muscles really don't recover very well without it.
The Cat Clan were able to come in at the 11th hour to help with moving things into the truck. A few hours Thursday evening, and again Friday morning. There were a number of things we should have done differently, but neither of us has ever handled this large a move, so we both underestimated what was involved. Don't think I've been in that much prolonged pain in my life, and I've been involved in some pretty intense projects over the years. Got to the point that 600mg of ibuprofen was only good enough to take the edge off... a little.
I didn't include the above paragraph in search of pity or commiseration, btw. Persistence and determination can be wonderful assets -- you need to them to pursue great projects like yards of woven fabric, writing a book, creating works of art, building a house, etc. They can get you through really tough times, be it the seemingly endless project of moving out of a house, living through years of unemployment, raising a family on your own, and more.
But it can also make you stupid. I literally pushed myself beyond my limits, because we underestimated what was involved in this project. At 22 it wasn't a big deal. At 44, I can still survive that. But my father died just a few months short of turning 62, because he pushed beyond his limits for too long.
So here I am, looking at boxes of stuff, and wondering what I should keep, how much decorating to do, how much time and energy to give to each endeavor. I have a lot of beautiful things, but the more I put out, the more cleaning I'll have. But I'm not sure I want to get rid of most of it either. Fortunately, I have the luxury of being able to store things out of the way, here on the farm -- so, I'll try to make the apartment homey and attractive, but as minimally as I can stand. And then we'll see if that's how we want to live long-term -- if yes, we'll find new homes for the things we aren't keeping. I don't buy much in the way of decorative art these days, and when I do, it's from local artisans.
One of the reasons I agreed to moving to Ashfield is that the air is better here. I have asthma, so that's kind of important. Another is that we can grow more food here, and it's easier to buy other foods locally. This is farming country, with local access to wool, raw milk, yogurt, eggs, grass-fed animals, and veggies that we aren't growing ourselves. During the growing season there's a farmer's market in town.
Up here, I might live longer than my dad did. That's one of the things I'm turning my determination and persistence towards. Country living isn't for everyone, but it's too easy for me to get involved in too many things, so I'm hoping that not being in a city, and getting more involved in projects around the farm, I'll at the least be involved in projects that are better for my health because they'll require me to get off my butt and move!
Plus, the view tends to distract me now and again, so I take a break to watch the wind and sun on the maple outside the window to the west (the PC's in the office now) or check out the foliage on the hillside to the north. And of course the same is true anywhere in or out of the farm house. We're privileged to live here, surrounded by beauty.
That's why cities have parks and some neighborhoods have large trees lining the streets; so people can go back into nature for a little while and relax.
***
Sharon Astyk has some good posts over on her blog, Casaubon's Book. A funny but good one here: We're Going to Need More Pie
I don't have enough room in the kitchen to bake a pie yet, but I will... and next year, I'd like to grow more veggies, so that maybe we can help contribute to availability of local foods.
And Sharon has a rather serious article here: 100% Emission Reduction. I think she missed something on this one, unless I'm reading something incorrectly. The 100% emission reduction is based on 2006 emission figures, and we've increased emissions just in the past 6 months. But I suppose it's close enough...
I'm not overly concerned with arguments over climate change or when-is-peak-oil or whatever. I don't care who's to 'blame'. None of that matters.
Fossil fuels are finite, regardless of whether they run out in 10 years or 100 years and should be used more wisely than currently -- including more wisely than I'm using them. Whatever is causing the weather patterns to change, they are definitely changing, and the proof is all around us, in the fields and on the hillsides. Park planners are already adjusting to this fact in many places, including NYC, looking at bringing in plants that can survive a warmer climate. Asthma is on the increase everywhere, from multiple causes, but I think I can safely label this increase as being directly or indirectly caused by various types of pollution.
Well, regardless, we just have to do the best we can in our lives. When I joined the SCA 26 years ago, we had a saying about sites that we rented for events, "Always leave a site cleaner than you found it." I think that ought to apply to everything, not just to event sites.
Of course, I'm not quite ready to hang up my email account and my LJ, but I am trying to spend less time online. And we aren't giving up the car yet, although we'll continue to try to use it as little as possible. And we still watch tv, though not as much as we used to.... All of which leaves me more time for all the other things I do... including working on creating a cleaner planet.
We slept in this morning, which was much needed. Haven't slept in for months... The previous night we got in seven hours, which was also much needed. Night before that, 2-1/2 hours, and the night before that, Roselynde would start howling in the hallway about once an hour.
Good thing we finally got some rest too, since muscles really don't recover very well without it.
The Cat Clan were able to come in at the 11th hour to help with moving things into the truck. A few hours Thursday evening, and again Friday morning. There were a number of things we should have done differently, but neither of us has ever handled this large a move, so we both underestimated what was involved. Don't think I've been in that much prolonged pain in my life, and I've been involved in some pretty intense projects over the years. Got to the point that 600mg of ibuprofen was only good enough to take the edge off... a little.
I didn't include the above paragraph in search of pity or commiseration, btw. Persistence and determination can be wonderful assets -- you need to them to pursue great projects like yards of woven fabric, writing a book, creating works of art, building a house, etc. They can get you through really tough times, be it the seemingly endless project of moving out of a house, living through years of unemployment, raising a family on your own, and more.
But it can also make you stupid. I literally pushed myself beyond my limits, because we underestimated what was involved in this project. At 22 it wasn't a big deal. At 44, I can still survive that. But my father died just a few months short of turning 62, because he pushed beyond his limits for too long.
So here I am, looking at boxes of stuff, and wondering what I should keep, how much decorating to do, how much time and energy to give to each endeavor. I have a lot of beautiful things, but the more I put out, the more cleaning I'll have. But I'm not sure I want to get rid of most of it either. Fortunately, I have the luxury of being able to store things out of the way, here on the farm -- so, I'll try to make the apartment homey and attractive, but as minimally as I can stand. And then we'll see if that's how we want to live long-term -- if yes, we'll find new homes for the things we aren't keeping. I don't buy much in the way of decorative art these days, and when I do, it's from local artisans.
One of the reasons I agreed to moving to Ashfield is that the air is better here. I have asthma, so that's kind of important. Another is that we can grow more food here, and it's easier to buy other foods locally. This is farming country, with local access to wool, raw milk, yogurt, eggs, grass-fed animals, and veggies that we aren't growing ourselves. During the growing season there's a farmer's market in town.
Up here, I might live longer than my dad did. That's one of the things I'm turning my determination and persistence towards. Country living isn't for everyone, but it's too easy for me to get involved in too many things, so I'm hoping that not being in a city, and getting more involved in projects around the farm, I'll at the least be involved in projects that are better for my health because they'll require me to get off my butt and move!
Plus, the view tends to distract me now and again, so I take a break to watch the wind and sun on the maple outside the window to the west (the PC's in the office now) or check out the foliage on the hillside to the north. And of course the same is true anywhere in or out of the farm house. We're privileged to live here, surrounded by beauty.
That's why cities have parks and some neighborhoods have large trees lining the streets; so people can go back into nature for a little while and relax.
***
Sharon Astyk has some good posts over on her blog, Casaubon's Book. A funny but good one here: We're Going to Need More Pie
I don't have enough room in the kitchen to bake a pie yet, but I will... and next year, I'd like to grow more veggies, so that maybe we can help contribute to availability of local foods.
And Sharon has a rather serious article here: 100% Emission Reduction. I think she missed something on this one, unless I'm reading something incorrectly. The 100% emission reduction is based on 2006 emission figures, and we've increased emissions just in the past 6 months. But I suppose it's close enough...
I'm not overly concerned with arguments over climate change or when-is-peak-oil or whatever. I don't care who's to 'blame'. None of that matters.
Fossil fuels are finite, regardless of whether they run out in 10 years or 100 years and should be used more wisely than currently -- including more wisely than I'm using them. Whatever is causing the weather patterns to change, they are definitely changing, and the proof is all around us, in the fields and on the hillsides. Park planners are already adjusting to this fact in many places, including NYC, looking at bringing in plants that can survive a warmer climate. Asthma is on the increase everywhere, from multiple causes, but I think I can safely label this increase as being directly or indirectly caused by various types of pollution.
Well, regardless, we just have to do the best we can in our lives. When I joined the SCA 26 years ago, we had a saying about sites that we rented for events, "Always leave a site cleaner than you found it." I think that ought to apply to everything, not just to event sites.
Of course, I'm not quite ready to hang up my email account and my LJ, but I am trying to spend less time online. And we aren't giving up the car yet, although we'll continue to try to use it as little as possible. And we still watch tv, though not as much as we used to.... All of which leaves me more time for all the other things I do... including working on creating a cleaner planet.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-15 05:26 pm (UTC)I've got to thank you -- you're the one who's got me thinking about peak oil and climate change and the general necessity of just living differently, and it's really changed how I live. From spending a day canning tomatoes to riding my bike instead of driving to the simple fact that even though my thermometer is pinned at the bottom I put on a sweater instead of turning the heat on, you've made a huge difference.
Thank you.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-15 05:57 pm (UTC)*blush* Thanks... Good to hear you're doing all those great things! You may have read about peak oil/climate change/etc. here, but it was you who made the decision to do more than read about it.
Oh, and having made applesauce in company with other folks, I can say that I want to do the same the next time I'm canning -- so much easier and more fun with company -- maybe next year you can get a friend to help out with the canning. Spread the love :)
no subject
Date: 2007-10-15 06:25 pm (UTC)Now, if we could just keep the dog out of the way...
no subject
Date: 2007-10-15 10:01 pm (UTC)Judicious use of a child gate?
no subject
Date: 2007-10-20 12:34 am (UTC)