Back to basics

My hope is to have one plant yield something edible. I do not have a green thumb but I am trying to make friends with plant life. I am doing my best to get back to basics and learn some old fashioned mad skills. The more stuff we strip away and the less we depend on things and the more we want to depend on ourselves. It's really an issue of control and ownership of our life. These baby cucumber seedlings represent a new beginning for us, a return to our roots and a lesson to our children.  They are a metaphor for our new beginning. The more I learn about how to keep these delicate little seeds alive and growing the more I appreciate how vulnerable our minds and bodies are to our environment. I feel at times as though I am weaning myself off of a hand-feed, preprogrammed materialistic lifestyle. I feel closer to home than I have before. Not in my space but in my head.

Once upon a deck

We've been so blessed to have such a mild winter and beautiful spring. One thing for sure is that we will be using our deck as an outdoor living space this summer. We splurged a little with some patio lanterns and a very small deck heater on clearance. We even build an old fashion tree swing for the kids. The outdoor space, although small, has proven invaluable. Luckily we have lovely neighbours through the back gate and our kids can share adventures across the yards.
As sunny as things are it has not been nearly as fruitful or progressive as we had hoped. Our gains are minimal so far. We are behind schedule on our debt free plan but we are learning patience and perseverance and maintaining hope. I know we are not the only family with unexpected expenses derailing our dreams. We are just grateful for so much of what we have gained and staying the course on our way to success.

Need for Clean

Another interesting requirement for those of you who are considering a downsize. Spring cleaning actually needs to happen, meaning you can not just shove things in boxes anymore and store them in the garage. Spring has come and our usually daily assessment of "too many things" has been growing. We are not just cleaning away the winter but we are about to tackle another massive purge. It disturbs me a little at how much can go. I can attribute 80% of it to the kids growth. Clothes are too small and they are outgrowing some of their toys. Regardless, there is no room to sweep it under the rug. Accumulation becomes quickly evident and must be dealt with swiftly. It's nice because we are reminded to control our spending as we begin to donate another load of stuff.