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Sunday, August 1, 2010

New Photo

The gardens are in bloom and making vegetables.   The house and grounds are really starting to develop.  We continue to put any waste vegetable matter back into the soil and keep decreasing the amount of "lawn" to plant food.


We have both high bush and low bush blue berries planted and we are  looking forward to a little fruit next year.  

We have also set a new challenge this month.  We are only going to buy things that are made in New England.  We have just started and all ready it feels right.  As we continue to try and extricate ourselves from the corporate economy and engage with only local economies it feels like a more sustainable way to live.  In addition we are starting a veggie swap soon.  This is where you can bring your extra vegetables and trade them for ones that you may need.  No need to collect any taxes on this as there is no net income (a carrot for a potato) and  5% of a squash is just the stem.  

I am reading a new book called "Radical Homemakers" by Shannon Hayes.  This is a must read for anyone who is looking to "Reclaim domesticity from a consumer culture".  Now that we are starting to step away from consumerism and can now see back a little I realize how unhealthy it can be.  People are bombarded with advertisements saying they need the latest greatest thing-a-ma-bob and when they cannot get it they are told they are not worthy.  When they do get it, there is good chance it will break or the next latest and greatest will come out.  This is a never ending cycle of want and greed that can be mind boggling and from my experience leads only to depression and feelings of self loathing.  In addition, on every cycle of the wheel the corporations siphon off a few more of a persons money (aka time) getting wealthier every minute.  All hope is not lost as as we transition to a local economy that require less stuff so that we can keep more of our time (aka money) and spend it on raising our children and making those deep social connections that we all need.

Eat local

I am giving a talk at Shelter Institute this Saturday August 7th.  Check their website for details.   


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