Clearing Spaces

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In preparation for a move, we have been clearing spaces. First, I have been going through things and deciding what is no longer necessary. It is not always easy to get rid of things, but it becomes necessary over time.

It took us two days to clear and clean the garage at my sisters, upstairs and down. There was a lot to be done, but we managed to finish everything as we all worked together: My sister and I, my daughter Zowie and Sheila’s two sons. All of the work has paid off, and I now have a place for the belongings that I will bring with me, as well as an office area to work in and a place for all of my gardening stuff.

The current project here at the trailer is going through all of Skye’s stuff, and packing what she will bring up to Fort Kent. She will be picking all of this stuff up this week. She will also be bringing her cat up there with her. I will miss Zander, but he will be fine with Skye.

So this means that I will be bringing just 5 cats with me when I move.

Shannon

Sending Stuff Away

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I am very much enjoying the act of giving away my belongings. Is this normal, LOL? I have no idea. Over the weekend I asked my sister if she wanted a sofa and chair that I will no longer be using. She seemed pleased with the offer and accepted.

I am awaiting a nice day so that I can place a playpen and some baby blankets by the road with a big free sign. I will also place a couple of printers, old fans and a shelf out there. By letting these items go, I am freeing up space.

At some point here, I will be bringing a bunch of items that I have placed in boxes and bags to a thrift shop… not sure which one yet. I do not need them.

There are a few things I hope to be able to sell.

Shannon

Related articles

• 10 Simple Ways to Green Your Freelance Business: Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Organizers (howtolivethefreelancelife.wordpress.com)

Earth Day for the Homesteader

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In general, homesteaders are already treading lightly on the Earth. We do many things on a daily basis that are considered earth friendly. If you have not already begun these projects, you might start with (at least) one of these activities today.

1. Plan a vegetable or herb garden. Use compost when starting the garden, and seeds that are organic. Consider heirloom varieties whenever possible. Reuse containers from last year. Refurbish old raised beds.
2. Expand your composting system, adding another bin. It is helpful to have at least a three bin system. You will also want to be sure that you are composting manure from animals such as cows and rabbits. Kitchen scraps will also work nicely.
3. Use torn and stained clothing to make rag rugs, rather than throwing them out.
4. Make a quilt from old clothing.
5. Plant some trees on your homestead. I suggest orchard trees such as apples.
6. Use wood scraps to build a bird house.
7. Spend time cleaning up the yard.
8. Make your own, non-toxic cleaners. Use them to begin your spring cleaning efforts.
9. Make some reusable shopping bags.

In what ways are you celebrating the Earth today?

Just Sharing

Hello! Just wanted to share my The Green Mom column articles with you.

• Winter Herb Garden
• Healthier Cat Care
• A Greener Cleaning Guide
• Transportation Choices
• Family Gardening for Better Health

Happy Reading!

Shannon

Hooray for Water!

LOL! Yes, I do love having running water again. It is wonderful. I saved a lot of water in the month that I had none, of course. I would like to share with you some of the things that I learned that I am still doing:

• I was only able to shower and one load of laundry per week at my mothers. I had to take sponge baths the rest of the week, washing my incredibly long and thick hair in a bucket. It is way too difficult to get soap out of my hair this way, and I would have flaky scalp issues because I couldn’t do it. I started just giving my head a good water rinsing every couple of days. NOW: If there is nothing pressing,  and it is not too hot, I will shower only every other day now. This will continue to save me money on my water bill.
• I had to wash my clothes out by hand every few days, leaving big stuff to do at my mothers. I had to learn to wear things more than once. NOW: The most important items to wash out after every use are underclothing. Unless you stain an article of clothing or you are very sweaty, you should be able to wear other things twice. This will continue to save me money on my water bill.
• Flushing the toilet takes a lot of water. I had already cut back on the amount of times that we flushed during the day, as well as added the filled soda bottle of water to the tank. While I had no water, I could only flush the toilet once or twice a day, and had to clean the bowl each time.  I had to do this with the dirty water from dishes, laundry, bathing and other cleaning tasks. NOW: I still use the cleaning water to flush the toilet. This will continue to save me money on my water bill.
• I used the cooking water to feed the plants, and (NOW) I am still doing this. This will continue to save me money on my water bill.
• I had to fill a bucket with rain water to aid in flushing the toilet. (NOW) I will be using that water in my gardening needs like I always have. This will continue to save me money on my water bill.

Shannon

Family Guide to Going Green 2009

The Family Guide to Going Green 2009 is a great resource for any household. I think that, by nature, homesteader live pretty green lives already, but I wanted to share the guide with everyone anyway.

I, personally, found the guide very useful. I am already do some things in the guide, and my daughter and I will be incorporating more things into our daily lives as well.

For instance, here is what we have already done:

1. Zowie now has a less toxic water bottle for Upward Bound this summer.
2. We reuse old towels, dishcloths, etc., as rags.
3. I have cleared the cupboard of all plastic containers, replacing them with glass jars with metal/glass lids.
4. We have switched out the light bulbs.
5. We grow some of our own food.
6. We are eating more fruits and vegetables.
7. We are purchasing more organic/all natural foods and other products.
8. We have a compost bin.
9. We uses canvas shopping bags.
10. We dry clothes outside.
11. We use only cold water to wash clothing.

There are likely other things that we do as well.

What greening efforts are your family working on incorporating into your daily lives? Feel free to post about them in the comments.

Shannon