Too cold. Too wet. Too windy.

Most of my items are books and videotapes.

I sold most of the stuff I put out on the driveway and made $75 in about 4 hours!!!

I still have a tonne of books (although I sold at least half of the ones I put out), and my brother suggested taking them over to the Book Nook and trade 2 for 1. I sold the old microwave, the old lawn mower, the bed frame and a bunch of "clutter" items. My junk became someone else's treasure.

Money in my pocket!

Now comes the reorganization of the closets (2), the kitchen and the garage since there is space.

After a trip, the house smells unpleasantly from being closed up. It's not musty-dusty basement smell but it makes me wrinkle my nose. I have the windows in the basement open and the whole house fan going to bring fresh air to the basement. I made a rosemary infusion and mopped down the tile floor in the basement. I'll change the furnace filter as well. I'll also wipe down the refridgerator interior with a bit of vinegar.

The neighborhood garage sale is September 6. I've been waiting over a year to be home during the weekend of the sale. I have started to move all the garage sale clutter out of the basement. I'll go through each of the closets to get everything possible out.

I'm rededicating the sun room. It's been a long time since I've refocused and used the room for its intended purpose.

I am reading the essays by Wendell Berry from whom Michael Pollan based his books. Considering myself a scholar, I prefer source material not derivations. I've finished Pollan's In Defense of Food and Omnivore's Dilemma. It reaffirms my nutritional choices to eat a mostly plant based diet, from my garden or local, and grass-fed, free-range, pastured animals when I do choose meat or animal products.

I have a big week planned in the garden as I make it ready for the fall plantings including composting. I still want to make a tumbler rather than use the pyramids. If I can get organized enough, I would be able to offer the pyramids at the neighborhood sale in 2 weeks.

I am fat girl again. I yo-yo up and down 20 pounds. I experience the joint aches and pains (feet, knees, lower back) from carrying so much weight. The doctor recommends I lose at least 50 pounds (if not 70 total) and offers me pills but a pill will not give me the desire to go to the gym. A pill will not keep me from going out for a great meal and wine with my friends. A pill will not prevent me from sitting on my ass all day at work. A pill will not curb my alcohol consumption or meat consumption while I travel. A pill will not give me desire to change my habits. It seems inconceivable to me since I consider my lifestyle to be healthy: I hike. I eat fruits and veggies. I do not eat fast food. I do not drink soda pop. My sugar consumption is low. STOP!!!!

HAMMER TIME!

BREATHE!

I've been consciously redefining my lifestyle for the last year or so. I've learned alot from my LJ friends who are traveling similar roads.

I've decluttered my office, my home, my personal habits and my mind. I've realized that my job, in which I get paid to do what I love, is not the sole defining factor of who I am. I understand that my workaholic routine is not healthy - professional, personally, and spiritually. I'm practicing a more sustainable lifestyle by honoring the Earth, conserving energy and resources, eating locally, being fiscally responsible, treating all people with respect and dignity, and consistently avoided conspicuous consumerism. It took many years and is still ongoing. I have all the time in the world!

Thank you! I am satisfied with all that I have!

I recently found this excerpt from Clay at the Growing Lifewhich I thought expressed my current position.


Abundance 2.0
Abundance 2.0 is sustainable abundance. It’s fair-trade abundance. It’s the kind of abundance that doesn’t produce megalomaniacs.

Abundance 2.0 means that you live a radically authentic life, be radically true to yourself, get paid for being you, quit the things you need to quit, and still have enough materials possessions to be happy and make your family happy. Abundance 2.0 is what happens when your life is so great that the private jet just isn’t necessary.

Note: I’m not advocating asceticism, or saying that you need to deny yourself all material possessions and live a celibate life in the woods. Furthermore, I entirely embrace the notion that you might make millions as a side-effect of living a beautiful and authentic life. I’m cool with that. I do, however, believe that when you’ve come alive, you’ll be fine with . . .

The Beautiful Bare Minimum

When you know what time it is, when you’ve come alive, when you’ve found that goal that galvanizes you (or it’s found you), then that private jet probably won’t matter so much. When you’ve found something that’s truly important, the sacrifices just won’t seem like sacrifices. The truth is that we can have a couple of nice things, like a sweet computer or a new car, and still live on very little (if necessary) if we ditch cable and don’t eat out all the time, and stop paying $5 per beer when we go out with friends. We can deal. In fact we can more than deal… we can live beautifully.


full post at http://thegrowinglife.com/2008/04/the-cult-of-abundance-goal-auto-immune-disorder-abundance-20/

Work yesterday was fabulous. I cleaned and organized the lab and my office. My tech, R, does a majority of the hands on work in the lab and for the past 5 years I have been tolerating the clutter, trash, and general disorganization in the lab because it is "his" work space. No longer. It stresses me out and it, let's face it, looks bad. The lab is "my" lab and I bear ultimate responsibility for what goes on in it. My office is lcoated at the back of the bay so people have to walk through the lab to get to me. There is also a safety issue as well as quality control. Instead of dumping on R on Monday and taking out my frustration on him (even obliquely), I simply spent 4 hours on Friday and cleaned, organized, labeled, washed glassware, and put things away. I made a list of things for him to do that I wasn't able to do like sample inventory etc. I also talked with da boss about research and that was neat. Friday was the day we weren't running around with six thousand other things to do so we could sit and talk without interuption.

Spending some time at home today. I'm not sure I'm actually going to get dressed. I'm jamming to Buddha Lounge and B*Tribe5. It's good music for (re)organizing the closets; two of which need serious attention. I have a bag of big clothes for goodwill - nothing spectacular but I do have one business pantsuit that I'm holding for the dress-for-success program. I went down another size although the scale says I haven't lost any weight. In cleaning out the office closet, there is a lot of "clutter" that I should get rid of but I haven't sufficiently dealt with the emotional issues tied to the clutter. I might just box everything up and label it "garage sale" for the spring. I can deal with it then, when I might get some $$ out of it. Last time (years ago) I participated in the neighborhood garage sale, I reaped about $250 from my junk.

I'm reading several books right now. One is on control theory and, IMHO, it makes zen philosophy more workable. I think I may have found my bridge. I just finished rich dad, poor dad and agree with the premise but I'm not sure I want that type of lifestyle or maybe I don't want to bother with the type of effort it would require to have that lifestyle. traceroo is reading it so I'm hoping to have a book discussion with her. I am working through a series of historical fiction on Boudicca told from the brit side. I'm also reading the lion of st mark a book on 15th century Venetian society - also historical fiction.

One thing I noticed is that, at work I am performing intense intellectual effort dealing with a new project and that, for some reason, has stoked my poetry writing. I know that the left/right brain theory on thinking/feeling/creativity is an artificial if useful description so its quite interesting to see the product of a creative mind - left or right or neither or both.

I have some leftover pumpkin bake (my answer to pumpkin pie) and a nice pot of mexican fair trade coffee. I'll probably go for a walk at Forest Park later this afternoon and then curl up with some chai tea for the evening.

In my mail:

1. for only $9.20 per 1/2 pound plus $5.95 shipping, we'll send you some great coffee
   
2. doctors without borders sent a world map and a plea for money
   
3. bank statement
   
4. pay stub
   
5. 6 credit card offers
   
6. credit card bill
   
7. college & grad school transcripts (why do I need these? ask.)
   
8. DHHS (OSHA) health screening results (ask, and I'll chat)
   
9. invitation to brother's december wedding
   
10. Kroger grocery store upscale circular
    

Hold on to your hats, folks!

I hired a man to fix the bathroom from hell, the blindingly white bathroom, the main bathroom, the sickly gold bathroom, or the incredibly small bathroom, i.e. whatever you want to call it. For just under $1000 (parts & labor), he will remove the toilet & sink, fix the wall under the sink cabinet, smooth out the walls for painting, paint, rip out the vinyl flooring & replace with tile, and install a new low flow toilet and pedestal sink with all hardware. The contractor comes well recommended from my friends at CAT.

This work won't take place until I get back from PDX when I have time to pick out my design/style/features for the bathroom.

I feel really good about it. He's not even charging me to fix what I screwed up when I tried to do it myself. Note to self: stick to basic home repair.

Renovating the main bathroom (thus having the money) was on the dream list compiled in December 2006. In November, I'll report on those sacred, profane, and mundane things which I can check off the dream list.

Walked the labyrinth this morning. A nice walking meditation.

Sprucing up the domicile as Sister K is visiting. Taking a quick look in each closet and straightening things up.  Maybe I'll have a garage sale; will have to see what's available; or just goodwill it. I apparently have a thing for boxes. Broke down another 6 for recycling. Clean the fridge.

I made a list of all the unfinished projects (yes, including the gold bathroom) with an eye to some project management. I think I have reached the point where I will find a handyman and pay for the projects to be finished, but it will take some planning and creative financing.

The critters got into the garage and mangled the bird seed bags so uncluttering the garage has taken on new priority as I can't have squirrels, chipmunks and birds hanging out INSIDE the garage.

The wineries (Furrow El Paso, Kickapoo Edwards, and Mackinaw) have a booth at the Riverfront Farmers Market. There's nothing like a taste of wine in the morning. I picked up a mixed grape wine (Diana's Blessing) that will be perfect for wine spritzers in the sultry summer evening.

I purchased red & green leaf lettuce and kale for $1 a head. That is an incredible price - and it's organic. One of the farmers also had hothouse tomatoes. Radishes.

The county sheriffs were there with their horses. I met Sophie - she of the brown eyes and soft mouth. I love horses.

On tap for this weekend: library, fixing a couple antique tables (if possible), laundry, sitting on the patio, laying out the super soaker hose, planting bulbs, boxing up some clutter from the garage, & enjoying life.

The garage has more room, but still not enough room to store the infernal combustion engine mower, the grill, cushions and my car comfortably. I broke down all the boxes for recycling, hung all the tools, ladders & lawn chairs, put all the chemicals onto the shelves, and reboxed some books. Apparently there are three boxes of books I forgot about that have been there since I moved in 5 years ago. I'll work on it through the week.

Teenagers! [[insert laughter here]]

Mowed the lawn. Put up some planters. Planted lilies - the ones the rabbits and squirrels hadn't ravished. Ravished. Hmmmm!

Dealing with my emotional issues about the clutter in my garage. I made a list and decided to do at least 3 of the 12 items listed. Baby steps. As fate would have it, I am traveling on the weekend of the neighborhood garage sale so I need another plan to sell my "good stuff" or maybe I'll freecycle it since I need the space in the garage.

I want to go to open mic at the Aesthetic Underground to listen to and read some poetry.

Spent some time with joad77 this weekend while feri_hearted was at the Grove. Riverplex. Sauna. Coffee. Poetry. It's a different dynamic. I miss feri_hearted though.