Pioneer Trek II

Well, Allan and I did it again--we participated in our second pioneer trek as a ma and pa. We got matched up with really great kids, and every one of us came through it just fine. Here are some photos courtesy of our Trek Photographer Eric Morgensen. Note that we walked to our bus pickup place along the Seattle waterfront. Tourists were taking photos!

Here's an article about it published in the Bainbridge Island newspaper. http://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/266939401.html

One Hundred Things

Allan and I have been talking for the last year or two about downsizing, meaning finding a way to live in less space with fewer things. In order to do something like this, we need to get rid of some of our many possessions now. So, once again, I am getting rid of 100 things.

As you know, I have done this before. In fact, I have done it several times. But, since I have done it several times, it's time to cut just a little bit deeper. And I now have the perfect excuse: the Toppenish House, or TopHouse, as we refer to it. TopHouse has a modest kitchen, 2 small bedrooms, and a finished attic containing 2 rooms. There is very little storage space, meaning we will have to either not store so many things or create more storage. I prefer the “not store so many things” option. Plus, this means when it's time to move we won't have as much to move. Win-win!

I will keep a running list of the number and type of things I am getting rid of, so stay tuned. 

How about you? Do you have a plan for de-cluttering? Or do you have the luxury of plenty of room and storage space? How do you manage your possessions, your hobby materials, your clothing and linens, your tools and kitchen things? 
[Here they are, my 100 Things: 5 shirts; 1 pr capris; 2 jeans; 2 sweaters; 1 blouse; 1 formal dress; 2 cookbooks; 1 sign (total: 15) 1 shirt, 1 pants, 1 pkg decorative baggies, 2 bottles, box, stack papers, bubble wrap, another stack papers, 5 egg cartons, 3 trinkets, bag of shopping bags, 2 shirts, 6 books, door handle, 12 jars, banana box (total 55) ferry schedule, stack of papers, 4 boxes, fencing, 4 hankies/rags, 8 underclothing, toaster, cd, 6 bottles, cosmetics container, act fluoride rinse exp date 2004 (really!), 3 more egg cartons, first aid container, 2 expired ointments, stethoscope, 2 coats, snowsuit, almond crumbs, plastic bin, air pump, kitty litter scooper, banana box, 4 magazines. Over 100 things in 8 days (July 2-July 10)!]

Home for the Future

Over the winter Allan and I visited his mother in Toppenish, WA in Yakima County. She lives in a tiny city, right on the edge of town, practically across the street from some farmland. Right now the air is fragrant with mint! (It's generally fragrant with something, and mint is a real pleasure compared to fertilizer.)

The house next door came up for sale because the previous resident, Alma, passed away at 98 years old. I suggested we buy it and rent it to a family until we're ready to retire in 9 or so years. So we did! It is just the thing we had been hoping to do here on the west side of the Cascades, but haven't been able to. This way we'll be nearby if his mother needs us, but not in her home or she in ours. Unlike my humungous extended family, Allan's family is quite small and the support for Grandma is limited. 

The sale was final on June 17, and we went over, cleaned it up, and rented it. Our craigslist ad drew about 20 calls in the first 3 hours, so we took it down at around noon. There aren't enough rentals in Toppenish for the people who need homes. We are feeling very blessed. 

My Re-Usable Net Bags

One of my goals for this year is to not collect an entire closet full of plastic bags. It's not that I am the greenest person in the world, though I sometimes consider how my activities impact our environment. Mainly, in an effort to simplify my life, I realize that digging all the plastic bags that get shoved in our little broom closet, and hauling them to the recycle bin at my local Safeway or WalMart is a ridiculous use of my time.

I have a number of reusable cotton (or other) bags, which I am not reliable at bringing to the market when I shop. They have been in good use so far this year since they are now hanging by the front door, an easy grab on the way to wherever. An even better idea is to have a few stored in the car for those times I decide to shop without consulting my front entryway. Oh, well.

My biggest pet peeve since adopting the no-more-baggies-in-the-house attitude is what to put the produce in at the grocery. I saw some lovely homemade bags like these on a blog (down-to-earth) and wondered how they would work. Since I didn't have netting in the house, I simply made a mental note.

A couple weeks later I stumbled upon a baggie (ouch!) of netting scraps at St. Vinnie's for 75 cents. They made 9 of these great net baggies, and they were totally easy to whip together. They hold plenty of weight, including tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, and oranges. I stuffed those not in use into my purse, and found that I did not have to accept a bag from Lowe's when I purchased a bunch of hardware--and it was pretty heavy for the little bag I used.

I am tickled with this latest project. Cheap, recycled, reusable. What more could I ask?