Thank you so much for all your kind and thoughtful comments on the money post.  My dear friend Kyce has a terrific post currently about living with less, so be sure to hop over and read that as well.  And please do share your own inspirations with us below.

Like Kyce, I must admit that living simply comes naturally to me in some ways.  I love many traditional crafts and skills and handwork, and I get a big kick out of decluttering our house (or a friends house!).  Even so, when my husband and I bought a home five years ago, it was quickly filled with junk.  Some wonderful, meaningful things, but mostly junk.  Many family members gave us furniture and home goods, which was a blessing, and we also lost three grandmothers in a row, and inherited some of their possessions.   At first, it was really exciting to have so much, but it quickly became oppressive.  Our house was impossible to clean, there were rooms I couldn’t even go into, and I began to dream of living in a tiny, 900 sq foot home.  I realized that in order to fit us into a tiny home, I would have to get rid of a lot of stuff, and so I got started, even though we weren’t even actively looking for a different house.

Over the past five years, I’ve given away over half of our belongings.  I’ve sold a few big things, but mostly I’ve taken loads to the thrift stores.  I started with the most obvious things – broken items, things we had never used, clothes that didn’t fit.  For me, there was definitely a feeling of moving  through layers – I would clear away one layer of stuff, and reveal another layer beneath (sometimes treasures that we had forgotten about, or just couldn’t appreciate because there was so much other junk).  It was harder to give away gifts, or items from family, but as our home became less cluttered and more beautiful, it became easier to see what belonged.  Did we find it beautiful?  Was it useful?  Did it hold too much symbolism, like Ben’s father’s flute, to part with?

This simple practice transformed our house, which sometimes felt like a not-very-clean hotel, into somewhere we wanted to be.  Rather than feeling deprived of all that stuff, we feel enlivened by having a home we can truly enjoy.

Along with giving away so much, we became extremely picky about what we allowed to come into our home.  I’m no saint, and I’ve certainly continued to make purchases I regret – but when I do, I don’t hold on to them just because it’s painful to admit that I made a mistake!  (This is a big one, by the way, it’s amazing how many things we keep that we don’t really want, just because getting rid of them means admitting to ourselves that they don’t work.)  We try to be very conscious about our buying – do we actually need it?  (Usually the answer is no.)  Where will it go in our house?  Could we borrow one instead?  Was it made by a real person, paid fairly for their work?  What resources were used to create it?

When I think I want something, I often try waiting for a few weeks or months, and then see if I still want it.  This simple tool is very powerful – what seems so urgent to us at one time may feel very different when we give it some space.  When we do need to buy something, we try very, very hard to buy it from real people – small, independent companies using ecological, fair practices.  Where we buy our goods is a habit, and it takes time to change our habits. When we first wanted to stop buying from chain stores, it was hard.  We had to really think, where else could I get this?  For clothes, it’s usually the thrift store, or trying to sew it myself.  Some items, like wool long johns and underwear, we do buy new, so we buy them from good companies.  For books, we went from frequent book buyers to avid users of inter-library loan and sparse book purchasers.  For our daughter, we buy 95% of her clothes from the used kids stores, and many of her toys have come from there as well.  We have bought some new toy/play items because we don’t want plastic toys, and wooden toys are really hard to find secondhand.

It may seem strange to talk about simplifying the clutter in our homes as a means to combat climate change, but I believe that we are bombarded by junk in our homes, it can be hard to make other changes.  Clutter is sticky – it invites more clutter, and it is a time suck because we spend a lot of time looking for lost items (or buying things we already have but can’t find).  When we don’t find our homes beautiful, peaceful, it can be hard to engage in the work of a more beautiful, more peaceful world.  I believe we make a huge impact with our buying choices (and Mamas, you make most of the buying choices in your household – remember that!)  Monetarily speaking, even though we choose to spend more on some items, like shoes made by real people, or organic cotton clothing, overall we spend far far less than the average American.

I want to talk next about some of the “big” things we’ve chosen to live without.  Please share with us in the comments about your own experiences with clutter and giving things away!

Decluttering resources:

Flylady (I actually find her website totally overwhelming, I read her book instead: Sink Reflections)

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne (a fantastic book all around, with a great section on decluttering)

No Impact Man, by Colin Beaven (his blog and book both have some interesting reads on consuming less and getting rid of junk)

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (a really good book, with a  section on decluttering and buying less)

Prepped new beds in the hoophouse for winter crops (salad greens, kale, carrots, beets).  Ella dipped her feet into a little pond that formed in the back yard, tried on Ben’s respirator (he wore it while spreading the wood ash, chicken manure, and lime) and then hopped on the broadfork for some “rides.” An excellent day.

While we made space for these beds, we pruned our tomato jungle and I have lots of green tomatoes now.  Luckily, I was wanting to try the recipes for canning Green Tomato Soup and Green Tomato Relish, both from the book Putting Up (thanks Mom!).

Let’s just dive right in, shall we?  Let’s talk about money.  I’ve been thinking and praying a lot about these next posts.  Ben reminded me of something wonderful, which is what I definitely want to start with – that we are given so many gifts.  It is so easy for all of us (myself included!) to focus on what we don’t have, what we haven’t accomplished, what our children or spouse or friends don’t do.  But the truth, the solid everyday truth is that we have been given tremendous gifts.  We wake up each morning to a rising sun, we have wonderful people in our lives, when seeds are planted, they grow into food.  I think this is where we begin – we begin with the tremendous gifts that we are all given, and the understanding that we are also given the work of trying to protect those gifts.

What I most want to say about money (or really, about spending money) is to say that each time we spend money we make a choice.  On the one hand, this is obvious, but it’s also easy to forget.  We’re hungry, so we buy some food, we think that when we buy a shirt we’re just buying a shirt.  The truth is that when we give our money to someone else, we are telling them Yes.  Yes, I like what you do and I want you to keep doing it.  Yes, I think you deserve this money.  Yes, I want you to make more of these.

If we don’t stop to understand who we’re giving our money to, we will find ourselves saying Yes to a lot of things we would never claim to want to say yes to.  And yet we do it every day.  We buy gas for our cars and we say Yes to climate change.  We buy food grown with chemicals and harvested by mistreated workers (some of them children) and flown halfway around the world, and we say Yes to destroying soil and water, Yes to abusing our brothers and sisters, Yes to extravagantly wasting fuel and again, Yes to climate change.

I am not suggesting that we all stop buying everything.  Many of you have read my Buy Less Stuff post (it’s one of the most read on this blog), so you know that I do believe in buying less, but most importantly of all, I believe in being very careful about what we do buy.  I don’t think it’s hard to see that we live in a country that uses and controls a tremendous amount of the world’s resources.  And frighteningly enough, our policies and laws do not reflect the good of humanity, or the will of the people, they reflect the desires of large corporations (and their desire is to make money, no matter the true cost).

Lobbyists spent $3.5 billion in 2010 “honoring” members of Congress.  Do any of us believe this money is given “free” of expectations?  When time and again laws and regulations are made (or not made) that clearly go against common sense and health?

We may not feel that we have the power to change our entire political system, but we absolutely have the power to refuse to give them our money. When you stop to think about it, you wouldn’t give money to the Mafia.  So why give it to companies who use their money in the same way – to bend laws to their own whims?  Remember that giving money does not just mean what we buy – it also means what companies you choose to invest in.  We have, each of us, the choice not to make the majority of our purchases from mega-companies.  It can be a hard habit to break, but it can be done, and while I don’t claim do be perfect or a saint, I can truthfully say that our family participates as little as we can in giving money to companies we don’t share values with, and we work hard all the time to find more ways to improve that.

Phew – ok, I think that’s enough for one day!  I’m going to talk about ways to help create positive change next time in two ways  – some of them will cost you nothing, and some of them will cost you, at least in the short term.  Also, I do plan to intersperse these heavy posts with some “regular” posts, lol.  Thanks for listening and discussing, friends.  Also, please read Ben’s post today at www.wheatberry.org about his trip to the Tar Sands protest, and what each of us can do.

Some good resources for what companies to avoid:

(Note: one thing that can be really tricky is that huge corporations own tons of smaller “labels” so it can be hard to know what big company you’re really buying from.  Honestly, I think the best policy is to strive to buy used items or items from small, independent companies.)

15 Worst Companies for the Planet

“Most Wanted” Human Rights Violators

Green Shopping Guide (list of green companies, mostly clothing)

Climate Counts Company Scorecard

Updated to add:  This is pretty shockingly low, but please add your voice: Tell Oprah: Denounce the dirty tar sands lies broadcast on your network — it’s outrageous to suggest that exploiting Canadian tar sands oil will empower women in the Middle East. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

It’s that time of year, friends.  School is beginning, the air is turning crisp.  In Judaism, the New Year is quickly approaching, and with it comes the task of reviewing the past year – asking forgiveness for the times we have “missed the mark,” and vowing to be a better person in the year to come (Kyce has an excellent post about this here).  In the Christian tradition, it’s time for Michaelmas, time to tell the story of St. George and the Dragon, and to think about our own inner dragons – what in us is destructive and needs to be dealt with?

I must say this topic is hot in our home right now.  Going to the Tar Sands protest was both invigorating for Ben, and also deeply saddening.  We have both made working with local food systems to protect the Earth our life’s work, but it sometimes feels like a tiny flame in the darkness.  Sometimes I feel that we can’t do more without compromising the integrity of our own family life, and sometimes I feel that we must work to help others change everything now, or else our family (and yours) has no future.

Usually, we try to lead by example, by beauty, by letting people taste how delicious organic local food is, and feel how good it is to be connected to their farmer and community.  We try not to beat people over the heads with scary statistics and ultimatums, but I can’t help but feel that we have been using too delicate a touch.  So I hope you’ll join me this week in talking about some sticky subjects.  I know that many of you are working hard already, and have such good hearts.  My hope is that I can share what we have learned on our own journey, that we can create a conversation together here about what more we can do, how we can help each other push further, into a future we want to live in together.

Here’s Ben in front of the White House (pre-arrest):  http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarsandsaction/6109205865/in/photostream/ and here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarsandsaction/6109204889/in/photostream

(photos by Josh Lopez).  There are also lots of other amazing photos in the Tar Sands photostream.

I’m sure he’ll share some of his experience when he gets back.  He (and 242 other people today) protested, got arrested, got out, and will be on his way home soon.  Thank you so much to all of you for your kind words and support – it meant a lot to both of us to have so many of you behind us.  This was the biggest act of civil disobedience this century (wow!) and we’re so proud to have been part of it.  Saddened that it was needed, but proud, too.

For our friends  in Canada, there’s info on similar actions here: OttawaAction.ca

And for my US friends and global friends, there’s info about the next steps here: www.tarsandsaction.org/next-steps

And don’t forget about Moving Planet on Sept 24th, a chance for all of us to raise up our voices for the Earth.  I’m afraid we’re going to have to get a lot louder if we want to be heard.

In peace,

Adrie

There have been a lot of posts floating through my mind this past week, but this is probably the only one I’ll write, because it’s the one that really matters.  On Thursday, my husband is driving from our home in MA to Washington D.C. , to get arrested trying to stop the XL Keystone Tar Sands Pipeline.  As we’ve prepared for this, it’s been truly frightening how few people even know this is happening.  522 protesters so far have been arrested, including organizer Bill McKibben.  So what is it?  Why would my husband abandon farm, bakery, and pregnant wife and four year old daughter for four days and drive so far to get handcuffed, to join the largest act of civil disobedience in climate action history?

He’s going because he loves us.  Because as NASA’s top scientist Dr. James Hansen put it, building this pipeline will be “Game Over” for climate change.  The tar sands are a “carbon bomb” and if we open them up to try and extract oil (which will take more energy to release then we’ll get from them), we will release all of that carbon into atmosphere.  All of the work that conscientious individuals and nations have done to try and reduce carbon emissions will be worthless.  Rapidly rising sea levels, chaotic weather, failed food crops and starvation are not the legacy that we are passing down to our daughter.  And taking four days out of our “normal” life to say so is not a big sacrifice.

The good news about this disgusting project, which would take oil from Canada’s tar sands and pump it all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, is that because the project will cross the US-Canada border, President Obama has to give his approval to the project.  This doesn’t go through Congress – Obama alone has the power to stop it.  And that’s why protesters are gathering to demand that he stop this abomination, which is equal to genocide on a planet-wide scale.

As Rose Marie Berger, a peace activist said, “the point was not to get arrested. The point was to make of our lives a living witness. To make it clear that climate change has gone too far and we are no longer going to stand idly by while our sisters, brothers, and home planet are torn apart by oil companies.”  It is so easy to be trapped into thinking that our actions are too small to matter.  I believe, though, that all of our actions have more impact than we will ever know – even if they don’t make the exact change at the exact time that we are hoping, all of our actions create an impact.  We are all living witnesses, the question is, of what?  Greed, excess, and an inability to see past today’s comforts and “stability”?  Or a dedication to helping all living beings, a belief that we are all one, a love of service and simplicity?

So.  Join me, at the very least, in sending prayers and thanks to the 2,000 people who are going to D.C. to exercise their right to peaceful protest.  Call the White House today 202-456-1111 and tell them you want President Obama to say no to the Keystone Pipeline.  Go to 350.org to learn more, and go to tarsandsaction to join them – there’s a large rally on Sept 3, the final day of protests.

If you’re in western MA and you want to join Ben, send us an email (wheatberryma @ gmail.com).  And even if you can’t go, send him your love, and tell him thank you.

Today, I am deeply honored to have a guest post at Carrie’s fantastic space, The Parenting Passageway. Carrie invited several mothers to talk about growing into motherhood, and all of the stories shared have been so interesting and lovely. Enjoy!

My plan for the year is sketched out, and I thought I’d share it here, to inspire any of you who are working on your own planning, or even those of you who are not homeschoolers but still might take some ideas from it.  A few quick notes – my daughter is only 4, so these themes are mostly centered around nature and the seasons, and the work on our farm and home that we’re doing anyway.  When I say the theme of the week is bees, for instance, we’re not doing a scientific study of how bees work together in a hive and fly, we’re just doing some cooking with honey, reading books that have bees in them, and doing some bee crafts.  Our story that week might (or might not) have bees in it (I’m trying to memorize stories to tell aloud, but I’m telling most of them for at least two weeks.)  So, I hope that makes sense – the themes help ground me in choosing stories, books, songs or verses, and crafts.  Hoping this is helpful to some of you, and feel free to ask questions.

September

Harvest

Dragons/Michaelmas

Leaves

Apples/Rosh Hashannah

October

Corn

Squirrels & Nuts

Sukkot

Pumpkins

November

Root Children Going to Sleep

Martinmas

Mice

Thanksgiving

Birds

December

Stars

Jack Frost

Hannukah

Solstice & Christmas

January

Bears

Snow

Sheep

Foxes

February

Candlemas/St. Brigid’s Day

Tu B’Shevat

Valentine’s

Rainbows

March

Maple Sugaring

Bunnies

Root Babies Waking Up

Spring Flowers

April

Passover/Spring Cleaning

Chicks & Ducklings

Mud/Garden

Horses

May

May Day

Cats

Wind

Butterflies

Wool

June

Lambs/Planting Seeds

Strawberries

Sun/Solstice

Fireflies

And there you have it, folks!  Hope this is helpful to some of you.  Blessings on your weekend.

Shekinah, grant me
this grace: let these hands
shape dough once more,
let me be the one to light
the morning fire, to stir the pot of soup
with the big silver ladle.
Let me seek the blessings
you have hidden all around us
in plain sight.
Let me bend down once more
to lift the snowy cover
and grasp the crisp lettuce
heads, let me feel that cold
shock, saying You
are alive – now kneel down
and give thanks.

(c) Adrie Lester 2011

There is so much to love in late summer.  Right now, it’s actually chilly and pouring – we lit a fire in the woodstove today so that the laundry would dry, but that was fun, too!

It’s interesting to look back on previous years at tomato time, and to see how it always seems equal parts satisfying and overwhelming.

Right now, we seem to be spending most of our day in the kitchen.  I’m so grateful to be eating and cooking again, and my cooking philosophy these days seems to be, Cooking something?  Why not fill every burner on the stove and bake something in the oven while you’re at it?  A little ridiculous, and also awesome.  In the past two days, we’ve made these herbal coughdrops, oatmeal bread (recipe from the Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book), canned tomatoes, moussaka, apricot-blueberry crisp, Amanda’s Carrot-Tomato Soup, pumpkin-hazelnut biscuits, and more canned tomatoes.  Somehow I seem to have hardly made a dent in the tomato crop.  A good problem to have, I know.  Especially this winter, when with a brand new little baby it will be even more incredible than usual to open a jar of tomatoes, heat it in the saucepan, and declare, “Dinner’s done!”  Yes indeedy.

We’re also beginning to ease into our homeschooling rhythm for the year.  Our supplies have arrived (mostly from the wonderful Meadowsweet Naturals, thank you Pamela & family) and my plans are made through May.  I’m re-reading Simplicity Parenting, rising early in the mornings, and generally feeling more at peace than I have in quite a while.  Today, Ella and I took a walk in the pouring rain and it was lovely.  We saw wild hops ready to harvest, and elderberries just starting to turn.  She’s asking when the snow will come, and cracking herself up into hysteric giggles.  I’m loving this incredible four year old, who spends most of her day in make believe, who can cut tomatoes with a sharp knife, and so often wants to help.  This girl who says to me one night as she is falling asleep, “Mama, I wish we were at Lake Wyola.  (pause)  When will I die?”  Which pretty much sums up how most of us spend our thoughts if we are not careful, doesn’t it?  Wishing we were somewhere else, and wondering how long it will all last.

Right now, we are ready for the crisp fall to arrive, but also savoring these days of melons and peaches and blooming flowers.  I hope you are, too, friends.