Slow Living: September 2013

Well, September has been quite an adventure.

We announced our planned litter, then decided to cancel it for this year, but we are planning the same match up for next year.

We came out relatively unscathed by the Colorado Floods.  We are very grateful that I have a mostly-work-remotely Day Job and exceedingly grateful for the location of our home.

View of our place after the Flood

September installment for the Slow Living Project.

NOURISH: Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch overpackaged, over-processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead. Share favourite links/recipes/tips from the month here.

Hubba still does most of the cooking, but I've been feeling more inspired in this area.  With plenty of root vegetables available at the Farmer's Market now... beets and beans, especially have been on our plates.

PREPARE: Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season. Aim to reduce dependency on store bought items especially those known to contain BPA and other suspect additives. Stocking up on dry goods when prices are low counts too.

We didn't do much for preparations this month, but were happy that our lifestyle means that most of our necessities were in stores when the flood came.

We were not expecting that much water and had a few other things in the works, so we were short on both hay and dog food.

Fortunately we were able to reach town and the Feed Store which got us over the bulk of the road closures and then were able to schedule a hay delivery for last week.

Now that the water has been absorbed, I've been able to begin garden preparations for winter.  Which is good since our first snow is forecasted for later this week.

REDUCE/Reuse/Re-purpose/Repair: Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing. A ladder into a strawberry planter? A sheet into a dress? Share ideas and project links here, allowing others to be inspired.

Hubba has been dealing with a progressive suspension failure on his car for quite a long time.  We had been considering replacing it, because repairing the air suspension correctly would cost more than the car is worth.  However the car as a whole, is in good shape otherwise.  So a little research found us a retrofit package that would replace the air suspension with a more traditional suspension.  Still an expensive proposition but significantly less expensive than a new(er) car.

It took some time to get the parts and work coordinated, but it was completed yesterday!  

GREEN: up our lives. Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.

Not junking our current car for a newer car.

GROW: plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden? Herbs in a pot, sprouts on a windowsill or and entire fruit/vegetable garden -opt for what fits space and time constraints. Don't have a backyard? Ask a friendly neighbour or relative for a small patch of theirs in return for some home grown produce, they may surprise you!

Our Puppy is getting huge.... He's 7 1/2 months old now, and can sit while drinking water from the alpaca's water tank.

CREATE: to fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others. Create something as simple as a handmade gift tag or something as extravagant as a fine knit shawl. Share project details and any new skills learnt here.

There's been some knitting... I'm nearly finished with this shawl.

DISCOVER: Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests. Trawl libraries, second hand shops or local book shops to find titles that fill the need. Share titles/authors of what is being read this month.

ENHANCE: community: Possibilities include supporting local growers and producers, help out at a local school/kindergarten, barter or foodswap, joining a playgroup or forming a walking or craft group. Car pooling where possible and biking/walking instead of driving. Even start up a blog if you haven't already - online communities count too! Or maybe just help out someone trying to cross the street! The rewards for your time are often returned tenfold.

Helped the neighbor with his Hops Harvest

ENJOY: Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment. Share a moment to be remembered from the month here.

I managed a lunch out with a girl friend over the Labor Day Weekend while our Husbands did some guy stuff.  There was also a long overdue dinner with our nephew and a few days at the Farmer's Market and Knit Night.