Mother Earth
my permi love
As UUs, we as a group are deeply concerned about our environment and the love we provide to it. Of course personally, I’m no different! Through my love of our environment, and in finding some roots, I’ve started a new blog, permie love, to follow me in my quest for supporting the permaculture movement while developing and growing my personal patch of six acres lent to me by Mother Earth.
permie love will give regular “love tips,” or small steps that each of us can take in everyday life to support and sustain the environment, while also following me along my quest to become a Purdue Master Gardener.
I also plan to begin inventories of my surroundings in picture form. Wildlife, native and introduced fauna inventories, and even practical suggestions and projects for reducing waste and using the land to support humans in an Earth friendly ecosystem.
So please go visit the new site and give me some permie love!
Footprint for Mother Earth
It’s been an insane season for thunderstorms in the Ohio Valley Region this year. Forget that, I mean thunderstorms, drought and tornadoes the last few years. Oh, wait, the last ten years? Okay, we all have to admit that the earth has been rumbling and turning in her dreams and the blankets above are being tossed upon us in all kinds of fanciful ways. So is this Mother Earth just going through some hot flashes? Or the global warming of scientist’s screams?
As a non-scientist looking in from the outside, and after reviewing the data, watching many documentaries (which one must translate into non-partisan language to absorb), and adding just a touch of good old common sense, I have to go with it’s both!
Based on what I’ve been able to understand, this is a true cycling of the earth. Something that has happened in the past and is happening again. But, also based on what I’ve learned, this process is being pushed, prodded and uber-energized by man-made desecration of our sacred home.
Because of this, I have personally taken to lessening my own impact on the earth’s resources. Living in our small recreational vehicle, our footprint is less in size than most dwellings. While parked at a campground with full hook-ups we do the little things, like using less water by turning off the already regulated shower head when not needed and by only heating the water on-demand. (Even with the mini, and by using my Jeep for local driving, we use less gas when on the road than most workers that commute by car.) We limit our electricity by unplugging items not in use and by keeping our thermostat at about 78 degrees in summer, and when on the road, by limiting our small generator use to 4-5 hours a day maximum. I’ve also planted a mini traveling garden with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and mint for tea, and even in our tiniest of space, we still make room to separate out our recyclables.
Knowing that I won’t live in my RV forever, I’ve been giving a serious look into tiny houses and our society’s re-look at the viability and resourcefulness of shotgun style homes. I also give merit to large homes where funds and the building resources are sunk and the home either already has intelligent choices towards energy conservation or has easy adaptability to the like.
So think about it. What are you doing today? What simple little thing can you change right now? What are you doing to save our Mother Earth?
via Footprint for Mother Earth
Shared from my opinion blog: www.dustybakeradamson.com
Christmas in our mini
It seems impossible to believe that Christmas is nearly here. Our space is small and we’ve done what little we could to decorate our tiny 2′ tall Norfolk Island Pine that sits on our dinette table. (Our only table!) No huge light strands or outside decorations because we’ve nowhere to store them once the season is over. The tree is live: good for Mother Earth and good for our space as it will make a beautiful present to a friend once we are ready to leave on New Year’s Day. Austin has a stocking hanging from one of the overhead cabinet knobs and our Christmas cards are taped to the refrigerator.
What’s really difficult is gift giving when living in a small space. Every item purchased must be very carefully thought out. Where will it be stored when moving so that it doesn’t learn how to fly? Is there space for it to be used? Does it require electricity or to plug in to the TV? Will it actually get used enough to consider a place for it in our tiny, 168 square foot home?
It’s a true test of necessity and desire. The fine balance between what you have to make space for and what you, for no true reason, can’t live without. Items like laptops and Legos, what is our top priority? What do we move or eliminate to make room for the new?
Luckily the grandparents sent gift cards this year. Always difficult when you receive something that has to be returned, re-gifted or left in a storage room. Of course, our ‘house’ is in a storage room, a POD full of furniture, treasured items, and things we can live without but truly want back one day when we once again move into a sticks-and-bricks home.
But for now we’re enjoying the freedom of not being attached to so many things. There’s a box full of presents in the camper ‘basement’ storage, and tomorrow night I’ll clear the dinette to make room for their delivery. Once unwrapped, unboxed, and the games are removed from their sleeves, they will take very little from our space, but despite their size, they are guaranteed to make a little boy a very happy one come Christmas morning!
traveling tUUsome 