New Year

2019 has arrived.

 Since we are empty nesters, the New Year crept into our house quietly, except for the firework ringing outside. In our town, we can shoot off fireworks on New Years, so it tends to be a bit noisy.

I am not much of a cold weather person, so the past month has been focused inward and to my home surrounding. We are working on taking off wallpaper that was in the house when we moved in YEARS ago. I have never loved that wallpaper, so the fact that it has taken TWELVE years to finally get that crap off the walls is a bit sad. But I have been focusing on getting the house in order finally and off loading a bunch of physical stuff that leads to a clogged flow in this house. I tend to be a bit of a pack rat, so I have been pretty careful about bringing stuff in. It never leaves if it makes it inside the front door.

Or at least that was the way it has been in the past. I have been pretty good about not shopping online lately. That has always been a huge downfall for me. But I have had to focus on the fact that it has lead to a pretty disorganized and overstuffed home. Now when I find the urge to buy, I ask myself three questions:

1. Can I borrow it? 
Books are a huge love of mine, but I have made myself search the library database lately to see if I can borrow the book either through the local library or inter library loan. If I borrow the book more than a couple time, then I will purchase it because I obviously use it. But for every book I buy. I am trying to instill a "one in, two out" policy. I haven't been doing it very long, so only time will tell. I can tweak it as needed.

2. Will I have to feed it, clean it or maintain it in a way that requires me time than I should dedicate to it? 

This one is pretty simple. I am not going to bring in any more high maintenance things into my house.

3. Is it even something that will last ?

I am making a conscious effort to buy quality items that can last a while and be repaired. I have been surprised at the fact that so little of what I buy can be repaired or has planned obsolescence built into its design. That is a matter of a company making the decision to make cheap and easily used up products instead of using good materials and quality workmanship. Unfortunately, that is also in response to consumer demands. American LOVE their cheap, short lifespan crap that clogs the dumps and is killing us. How much do I want to add to that. This has actually been more of a challenge than I had originally thought it would be. I have to admit that I am prone to look at price first and whether it is well made and repairable last. But I am getting better about that.

4. Is it multiple use--can it serve several functions or several owners? 

I try to find things that I can use in different ways. I also look at thrift stores more often. Most of my REALLY expensive brand name stainless steel cookware has come from thrift stores. I recently got two saucepans WITH LIDS for $3 a piece. I got online to see how much it would cost to buy new-- and they were $80 EACH. Seriously. For $6 and some change for tax, I got $160 saucepans. I love cooking in stainless steel. I have found all kinds of cookware for pennies on the dollar compared to new. Not to mention utensils and other things. It really doesn't make much sense to buy new for me unless it is something I really haven't been able to find. I have been contemplating buying madeline cookie pans lately since I LOVE madelines, but hate paying $3 for a cookie at an eatery. I know they are easy to make. And while there is probably not reason the couldn't be made in a muffin tin, I really like the traditional shell design. Now I am trying to find them and also making sure it is something I will use more than a couple times a year. I am still going back and forth with that discussion in my head, so we shall see. I would love to find the pans at a thrift shop like I found my pasta machine. It was brand new and unused, in the box for $10 instead a $99. On the flip side of that is thinking about whether the construction of an item I am going to purchase will be something I can pass on to a new owner once I am no longer using it.

5. Can I make it? Can I grow it?
 
I know that not everyone will have access to materials or skills to make what they want, but I have been pretty fortunate to have a membership in a makers space that has an active ceramics area and a woodshop. I have been making a lot of bowls, pans, platters, cups etc for my house lately.
 I have also used this skill to donate bowls to charity soup events.

Once the cold is not longer banging on the door outside, I plan to make some garden ornaments and structures for my backyard. I am focusing on getting the overgrown and neglected backyard under control this year too. Growing my own veggies makes more sense lately in light of all the e.coli scares we have had with commercially grown salad greens. It also makes the carbon footprint smaller when I just step outside instead of drive to a store or farmers market. Now If I can only make sure it is dog proof. I have one dog that consistently kills my plants. More on that later.

It is immensely satisfying to eat or drink out of something that has been made by me or another person. I can't wait to actually eat the greens I have grown on a plate made by me or someone I know. I have picked up some seeds for various veggies and flowers at one of the local greenhouses here and I am finding a lot of contentment in settling in for the night with a seed catalogue. I am focusing on growing rare and heirloom veggies so I can save the seeds and share. So many great varieties of fruits, veggies and flowers have fallen out of favor and are on the brink of disappearing, which would be a shame. I am trying beets for the first time also. We will have to see how that works. I am not a big fan of the actual beets, but I did find a beet jam recipe that looks promising and I heard they are great pickled. That said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE beet greens. They are hard to find, so I will grow my own. Tomatoes, carrots, squash and watermelon seeds are also sitting in my seed box, so I only have a few other seeds to buy and all there is to do is start fencing off areas from the dogs and get the raised beds built. Unfortunately, stooping over to garden is something I just cannot do, so raised beds will be the only option. A good compost pile will also be built. Still figuring that out.

I am trying to lesson my consumerism impact and my carbon footprint in 2019. I have been focusing on getting the bridgework started, so now I am trying to implement my plans to simplify and condense in order to be able to really focus on the gratitude of my blessings.

Thanks for stopping by and spending a little of your time reading my blog. I would love to hear what you are planning in your life for 2019.