No Impact

Some thoughts, post documentary

Just finished watching _No Impact Man_ and feeling motivated toward some new actions. I've been wanting a bicycle for awhile and this documentary really got the 2 wheeled action juice flowing. Even though it's stifling hot in Phoenix right now, there is a great chunk of the year that I could be riding to a shoot on a bike or whizzing over to the Gilbert Farmer's Market Saturday mornings. The terrain is pretty flat so I could get a sweet little cruiser and a little cart for the kids and I am already tickled with the adventures I imagine we'd have.

Speaking of the farmer's market, I know we can do a better job so I'm going to recommit to eating locally and reducing waste. We'll bring our cloth bags and take only what we'll need for the week and use it all (composting what can be composted). For financial purposes, we have made a choice to eat out less so I've been spending more time in the kitchen creating dishes we can all look forward to and truly enjoy. Feeding the family good foods is nourishing on so many levels. As soon as we're all seated at the table, the youngest always says, "Mom, I'm ready to play grateful." Then we each say what we're grateful for and describe the best part of our day. It's awesome to hear the kids' lists and if the meal is particularly appetizing, food gets its own spotlight for a minute. The game I play in the kitchen has two steps. I try to create an aroma that invites my family to look forward to dinner then I work very hard to deliver on their expectations. If even I'm satisfied, that's a major bonus!

Speaking of composting, it's soon time to turn ours and while I made a tumble drum, it isn't a perfect seal so it's a little dirtier to turn the compost than I envisioned. It's time to get the fall garden going. We'll use containers again but I will do a better job shading them/monitoring their exposure to sunlight. The summer harvest was weakened by the tremendous heat we've had. I didn't have the shade umbrellas this year so some of the plants suffered. This fall, we plan to plant radish, squash, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, spinach and of course, herbs.

I'd like to be a less proficient consumer. I don't know yet how to make this happen. I recently created a list of things I wanted for myself in my life and buying more wasn't on it. The theme of the list was "become a lover" and some of the targets were fun & games, adventure, growth and community. I've taken action in quite a few ways, taking on learning some new games for the kids, seeking out opportunities for adventure and finding peace in meeting people where they are. I'm weak though. Despite articulating my values, I still find myself succumbing to the allure of retail therapy and the temptation of a good sale.

Trash is an obstacle for us. Even though the bin is hardly even 1/4 full on trash days, I feel like we should be producing far less as a family of 4. I tend to cook more than enough but fail to properly store it for future consumption so uneaten food is a problem area . If Bill doesn't take it all for work, me and the girls will rarely eat leftovers - mainly because I don't like to. So I can freeze leftovers for a smorgasbord night, make only enough for the current meal or get over my hang-up with leftovers. Another way I am going to try and reduce waste is by buying products with less packaging. I haven't bought from the bulk bins in a long time but I think I might need to make much more of an effort now.

I love it when I am exposed to something that prompts action. _No Impact Man_ was both entertaining and invigorating and while not without social critique (which I won't make here), it really was motivating.

No Thoreau

So this past week, "I went to the woods" but not "because I wished to live deliberately." I am, generally speaking, not a fan of the woods. While the proliferation of life is natural and interesting, I find all of it a bit aggressive and much too haphazard. I also have, what some might deem irrational, fears of people lying in wait to attack. Wild, angry animals whose home I'm intruding upon I'm not keen on but they don't scare me as much as what kind of folks might choose to be lurking among them. Bottom line: there are simply too many places to hide in the woods. A visit now and then, during the day, can be quite nice. Nights spent in the middle of it, not so much.

This was to be a post describing my "barn" or that which is in the way of the moon and while I'm not starting with what I'd intended, this week's stay in the woods proved fruitful for this occasion. We weren't "roughing it" by any stretch but I was beyond my comfort zone in more ways than one. I don't camp, mainly because canopy, tarp or whatever as the only barrier between me and the world while I sleep is unthinkable. We actually stayed in a cabin which was much like a modern home save for the lack of cell service. We stayed on a ranch so we had neighbors and weren't near as isolated as I feared we might be. I didn't choose to stay at this place, my in-laws were in town and had access to the space and invited us to join them.

The ranch is located near Payson which is about 100 miles outside of the valley. The drive up through is lovely, filled with gorgeous rocks and impressive saguaros. The cacti were so great in number that they appeared like soldiers marching up parts of the mountains.

We packed last minute Monday and arrived before sunset. With 2 small kids, 1 of whom was becoming quite sick, there were all kinds of bags and gear that filled our vehicle. Since we were driving and had no weight limit to restrict us, I thought it important to be prepared enough to prevent even a modicum of panic. Of course I brought too much but it wasn't bad to have too much this time.

Here's what I learned about my quest to see the moon from my stay at the cabin:

The cabin was equipped with standard American living essentials and anything that wasn't there that we thought we needed/wanted, we did without or we improvised. I think I can do without a lot of things but it is this act of improvising that I find so valuable and really want to incorporate more of in my life.

While I carried a bin of paperwork, there were few ways to be "productive." Our days revolved around jaunts into nature, conversation, and meals. In fact, I might estimate that the bulk of our time was spent preparing a meal, eating it and cleaning up after it. Between the children and their developing illness, there was little dedicated true leisure or reading or writing time. The presence of television was somewhat of a novelty (as we watch our programming online at home) but the bombardment of commercials disrupted any enjoyment we might have sought (although the "Topsy - Turvy Planter" was a motivating DIY idea).

Here are what I consider some of the solid take-aways from this past trip for my current journey, many of which are affirmations of observations past:

Kids don't need toys or games. Books, paper, pen/pencil/crayons and an energetic, creativity, willing companion can provide hours of entertainment.

Matching sets of items make things visually plain and therefore easier to prepare and execute certain tasks.

Walks *are* a productive way to spend time.

Reading aloud should incorporate books all members of the family are interested in hearing.

More attention should be paid to the act of "breaking bread" and all hands should be involved somehow in the prep and clean up.

We may return someday to consciously pursue leisure time of reading and writing but for now, as with all relatively challenging experiences, this one was for learning. From now on, of things, I'll try to remember to ask myself: "Will this do at the cabin?

Next post should focus more on my barn of today.