The Way We Travel... (Part 1 - Washington D.C.)

The family and I just got back from a 10 day vacation to the States. We drove to Washington D.C. and spent a weekend before driving to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for seven days. Each part of our tour was inspiring in its own way and we now rank this vacation as one of our best ever (second only to Prince Edward Island which will always remain our absolute favourite - it was our first family vacation in 2007 and it was absolutely amazing for so many reasons).

As a Canadian I did not hold Washington D.C. as one of those places "I have to visit". I figured we'd go when the opportunity presented but besides the Smithsonian museums I doubted there would be much interest for us "foreigners". I was wrong. Two days was simply not enough time. While there we visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and walked the length of the National Mall surrounded by scores of American tourists, scout groups, and loads of tourists (some of whom looked like well-off elite, others gangs of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts). There is something about America's capitol that draws together and inspires people from all walks of life. The diversity was very evident as we walked the pavement.

I stood under the massive stone that makes up the Martin Luther King Memorial, his likeness carved beautifully into the stone and I was inspired by the sheer number of tourists, mostly African Americans. We were literally the only Caucasians there and I could not figure out why.  I wish I could have told the scores of tourists haunting the Lincoln Memorial that just across the way was another inspiring memorial that held just as much significance for their nation. My son stood in the spot where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have A Dream" speech, over looking the reflecting pool and Washington Monument. I do not exaggerate when I say Americans sure know how to build impressive monuments that inspire a nation.

In the end two days was not enough. We did not even get to see the White House. There just was not enough time. After much debate about which museums we had to see, we went to The Natural History Museum and the Air & Space museum. My favourite exhibit in the Natural History Museum was the Human Origins exhibit and I really enjoyed the Wright Bros exhibit at the Air & Space museum. We left Washington D.C. with a promise to return, the next time for a week, where were could freely explore every nook and cranny at a more relaxed pace.

My next post will talk about our stint in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Me on a diet

No, I'm not actually on a diet, just changed my diet. You may remember a few posts ago where I explained my new raw food kick. It's been nearly two months now and I have to say I am feeling pretty good about myself. I have more energy than every before. I sleep better. I perform household tasks with more interest. I have never felt so good, so energetic, so alive.



I have pretty much been able to avoid wheat, a stance which has morphed into avoiding gluten. Sugar as well, though this is harder to avoid for a chocoholic like me. The hardest part of my dietary change is visiting others. I never know what is going to be available to eat and it's been a challenge to remember to bring my own sustenance. For instance, I went to a child's birthday party recently and heard the dinner was to be take out pizza. Red flags went off in my brain. I knew if I ate the pizza, even a single slice that I would be passed out on the couch either sleeping or in complete agony with my stomach rolling and turning. I was able to run out and grab a store prepared salad but I felt awkward, different, maybe even a bit like a "difficult person". No one wants to be difficult. I certainly don't but I also don't want to keep gaining weight like I have been or be in constant agony because of wheat.



After learning I had lost 11 lbs a friend asked what I eat because from her stance wheat is in everything. And she's right... well almost everything.



I have a smoothie for breakfast most mornings and have been known to whip one up and take it with me in a travel mug if I need to be out the door in a hurry. These smoothies are pure energy with four servings of fruit and sometimes yogurt. I don't drink coffee, or tea. Ever. I had cereal once a few weeks ago to try to break up my routine which had turned into a rut and I will never do that again. My stomach does not like it and my blood sugar gets all goofy so I learned my lesson quick. I guess I had been so use to the pain and discomfort when I eat wheat every day that now that I am off wheat I can really notice how my body responds.



For lunch I will have a baked potato, or leftovers from the night before. I am always snacking on carrots, grapes, cheese, milk as the day goes on that some days I don't eat a lunch. For dinner we'll have burgers (no bun for me) and a salad, or rice pasta with salad. I can have shepard's pie, chicken ceasar salad, chicken and rice etc. With the cold weather coming we will have more soups and chilies. After dinner I might have ice cream, or popcorn, or rice cakes or fruit.



That's pretty much it. I try to walk or do some physical activity in the garden every day. Now that I feel like I have my energy back it is easy for me to accomplish my task lists whereas before it felt like I had lead in my feet. I can't express to you the difference I have felt. I no longer feel lethargic or sleepy. I feel good for the first time in years. Next I want to lower my consumption of meat but in the meantime I am content with changing one aspect of my diet, that way I don't overwhelm myself with too much change.

For What It's Worth

Sometimes a little goal writing is just what the therapist ordered...in this case my Realtor. At least it's what she would order if I told her why I am having such a hard time committing to buying a house. I have been in a period of transition this past summer. A time when everything I thought I knew, cared about and dreamed up started to morph and change and mutate into completely different and highly unexpected things.

A year ago I would have told you very clearly about my dream to homestead, to live completely 100 per cent off the land, with a small herd of sheep, a thousand miles away from everyone and anyone. A year ago I could dream anything I wanted because dreams are just dreams. My reality is completely different.

I have decided to write down my priorities in order of importance so that I may better understand my life path and where I should go from here.

What Matters Most

1. Financial Independence. I want to owe as little money as possible. Neither borrower nor lender be. No credit cards, no loans, only the most minimal borrowing required to secure a solid home investment with the quickest possible payment schedule. This will require some frugal finesse of course but I am up for the challenge.

2. My Passion. I have a passion for creative writing that has taken a backseat for many years. I have dabbled and flirted a bit with the idea of being a writer, a real novelist who actually finishes a book to near perfection and gets it published. There is a fire inside me that truly must be fed. I can not deny this part of me any longer.

3. Natural living. I want to live close the nature. I want to see birds at my windows and flowers in my garden. I want to eat from my backyard, literally and figuratively. I want to eat local when possible and preserve my harvest. I want to learn all I can about cooking with the seasons and extending the growing season.

4. Family and Friends. Realistically family is my absolute number one, without question. However that seems more a of given. I am a woman who is greatly dedicated to my family. Friends however is something I want to encourage more of. I want to have people over. Develop close friendships. I want to create roots in my community and begin to feel like I belong here instead of thinking it's a way station until we get to where we are really headed. This is integral to creating a home.

5. Green Living. I want to lessen my foot print. I want to make environmental choices because it's the right thing to do. I want to consume less, grow more and really examine my needs as opposed to wants.

What Matters Least (...to me anyways)

1. Raising Animals. I no longer desire to keep animals. The benefit of raising animals for meat is greatly outweighed by the cost to house, feed and care for their upkeep. It is far more efficient for me to pay an expert, local farmer for his/her expertise because that is their job, livelihood and most likely their passion.

2. Growing Absolutely Everything. In this day and age, this is not necessary. Technology has made it so that individually we need not toil independently but work collectively. I can trade my skills for money which I can use in turn to pay another person for their skills. This is where self-sufficiency gets taken off my list of goals.

3. Rural Homesteading. I have decided I don't want to homestead in the traditional sense. Urban homesteading, if it really qualifies as that (which I highly doubt) is much more my style whether I live in the country or not, I am not seeking a self sufficient farm.

This process of looking for a house, holding hard and fast to dreams that no longer hold a flame in me, has been very much a learning experience. I have learned that by letting go of certain dreams and moving on towards others is very liberating. Buying a home is a huge step but it's one that I never thought would teach me so much.

Now would someone please tell me which house I should buy so I can get this show on the road? If only it were that easy.

Under the Microscope

If you follow Rhonda's blog at Down to Earth, you would have read her most recent post about taking her as she is. She talked about criticism that often comes when we write blogs. How opening up our homes and hearts to share this journey with others can end up with our hands wrapped. It's happened to me and it can be very jarring.

I have been loosing my stamina lately with this blog and with simple and green living in general. I feel I am under close scrutiny, that my opinions and actions are under close watch by those eager to point out any inconsistencies.

I started the process toward a simpler way of life a few years ago. Since then my ideas have grown and then tapered off a bit depending on certain outcomes and life circumstances. I think given that the process is a journey and not a fixed destination, there is no finishing line and that my goals in homesteading and green living will be in constant flux. However more than once I have I been on the receiving end of reprimands for my seemingly lack luster efforts. Some purists are more than happy to point out my flaws with the way I define homesteading or living an environmentally conscious life. Because of this, more than once have I thought of closing the blog and walking away from the blogging community.

Because I don't have a farm (nor do I see myself obtaining one in the future) I am seen as a wanna be, a pretender, and psuedo homesteader but one that should not be taken seriously. Sometimes I am able to laugh off these comments but other times not so much. We all approach our homes in different ways. We all do our best for the situations we find ourselves in. No one is perfect, nor should we expect them to be.

I try my best but it is discouraging when my best does not seem good enough. When my efforts bring about negative comments instead of encouraging ones. On one hand I am glad to see, after reading Rhonda's post, that I am not alone in feeling somewhat dejected but on the other I am disappointed that those people expecting perfection are so quick to point out where others fall short. It shouldn't be that way. Shouldn't we be ever encouraging and truly supportive of any efforts? I have never claimed to be an expert. I have never said I have it all figured out.

When I decided to live simply, if I had looked at all the changes needed and expected them to be made at once I would never have started this journey. I would have been too discouraged to even begin and what a shame that would have been. Some parts of the journey move fast and furious while others are slow and calculated. Others still are not moving at all. In the end, I need to move at my own pace, changing the things I can while accepting the things I can't.

Inner Mean Girl Cleanse

Well, this is exciting! Has there ever been a time your life when the thing you needed most just seemed to drop right into your lap? There was a time when I was freshly living on my own, nearly penniless and desperately needing a pair of pants since all two pairs at home were threadbare. I remember needing pants yet also needing as much of my hard earned money for food. It was a tough decision to make but figured if I spent $8 on a pair of pants at the thrift store I could figure out a cheaper menu for those two weeks until pay day. I found a pair in my size, nearly new, for $8 no less, and took them home. I put them on the next day and put my hands in the pockets to see how they felt and pulled out a folded $20 bill. I was speechless. Like pennies from heaven, this overlooked donation was my blessing. What I needed at that moment fell right into my lap.



Flash forward 12 years later and enter the Inner Mean Girl Cleanse, something I desperately need at this very moment. As a woman, I am terribly hard on myself. I feel like I am fumbling through life, multitasking every minute and yet never accomplishing everything I would like. I berate myself for my faults. I chide my inability to do more. I get down on myself because Jane can do this and Jacklyn can do that. I am constantly comparing myself and putting myself down in the process without even realizing it. I am in open combat with my inner mean girl and never knew the chick existed.

This summer, I have been in a process of reclaiming my life, my health and my center and yet I still struggle daily with all the things that I am 'suppose' to be doing. I tell myself I shouldn't be on the treadmill when the dishes need to be done. I get anxious after buying non-local foods, or realize how much packaging a product had once I get it home. My garden stands weed-filled and neglected while I toil away inside getting ready for another school year. In the end, all the pressures amount to one big giant mass of guilt, aka my mean girl masquerading around reminding me of how much I fall short of my goals.

I need respite but rather than give up gardening, simplicity, homesteading and homeschooling I need to find a way to deal with the guilt, the pressure and the expectations. I need permission to do my best and be happy with that. The only way I am going to accomplish that is by banishing my inner mean girl.