Simple living

[Pie]

I've never collected rainwater, believing it could become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Time to re-think my concerns! Thanks, guys!

[MossRose]

Beachy - I'm a fan of Leo Babauta's blog. I love that he "uncopyrighted" all of his work and released it into the public domain. Yet he still manages to make enough money to live his beautiful, simple life. That was a true leap of faith. Just another example that letting go of things brings its own rewards. Thanks for sharing the link.

[MossRose]

herbs.jpgrosemary.jpg

I am uploading a couple of photos. This is a first (thank you, Sam!!). I don't have any photos of the microgreens yet - I'm still waiting on those. But will upload pics when they are ready. For now, this is my humble indoor herb garden. Just a bunch of pots on a windowsill. I use them daily, so the poor things can't grow. But I am so excited because my rosemary is blooming. I see that as a good omen. Good night to you all. Enjoy the weekend.

[abcowboy]

on your 6 month milestone today Moss!

[patrice]

Fantastic Moss Rose,
Just great!,
X
Pat

[Pie]

Well done, Moss! :goodjob:

[BeachGirly]

MR - wowsa!

Way to go on your 6 months. Thank you for your input and thoughts here. You were one of the first to reach out and welcome me when I joined. We are talking about natural supplements and more holistic ways to do this quit. And now you have started this great thread, where we can all learn a little new each day that will make us feel more connected to life, nature, and our true beings. Thank you.

Enjoy your day, celebrate your progress. You should be very proud.

BeachGirly

[MossRose]

Oh my - I just saw these posts. Thank you!! It's been a very good day. I just spent an enjoyable night with my son. He came by for dinner and we had quite a few laughs. I am so proud of him.

I can't believe how different my life is today versus six months ago. Sobriety is finally my new normal and I am forever grateful to all of you. Life is good. xx

[Rusty]

:victorious:mossy, congratulations
on 6 months af!!!!:sohappy::yay::goodjob:

[NoSugar]

Moss,

Of all the people I've had the privilege to get to know on MWO, your transformation has been the most profound and such a joy to witness. If we were to dig up your old posts and reread them, I doubt any of us would believe that they were written by the same woman who now embraces her life and is eagerly planning her future. I'm so glad to have met you and look forward to when we have the chance to get together.

I so admire what you have done. With much love and respect, NS

[Samstone]

Good for you Mossy!!!

[lifechange]

I'm late for the party!! Congratulations on 6 months AF, Moss! You've worked hard for it and I'm so happy for you. And this is a great thread.. :heartbeat:

[MossRose]

Friends, I am overwhelmed at your kindness and support. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for all of you. NS - a special shout out to you, because if you hadn't picked up the phone and talked some sense into me six months ago, I have no clue what would have happened. But I'm positive it wouldn't have been pleasant. Instead, I'm here talking about simple living. Thank you all.

Now, I have another question for everyone. I grew up in the city - lovely Detroit - so while I learned some invaluable life lessons (haha), I am ignorant when it comes to preserving food. So please forgive my city slicker roots for showing, but I have some very elementary questions for you all. My main goal is to quit wasting food, something I never had to worry about when my sons were teenagers and still living at home. Now, no matter how hard I try, it happens. So, I took Cowboy's advice and bought a hand-held vacuum sealer. It's great. Since I live alone, a large unit wasn't necessary, but this little baby works great. I'm freezing more produce, and it's keeping down the waste. I have no room for a compost pile, so that's not an option. I'm also interested in eating organic, tasty food all winter long, without relying on the grocery store. Carbon footprint, and all that...

My question is - what is the best way to preserve food, mainly fruits and vegetables. I always freeze meat. I have read everything I can get my hands on about canning. It looks slightly scary, but I think I can learn how to do it right. But the amounts called for in the recipes are always overwhelming. I couldn't eat that much food. So I found a couple sites on small batch preserving and thought that looked ideal. (Why Small Batch Canning is Awesome) Until a coworker told me that small batch canning is a waste of time and "dangerous" since I don't know what I'm doing and I should just freeze food. He also told me it was the "superior" way to do it and the food would taste better. He sounded pretty sure of himself. The sites dealing with canning do make it sound like there's no wiggle room. Make a mistake and die. LOL. But then I thought about power failures, which we do get from time to time, and then canning sounded like a good option again.

Now I'm confused. Any suggestions? I'm planning my garden now, and want to make sure that what I grow, I can preserve. Is canning really that difficult? My grandma, who was raised on a farm before being transplanted to Michigan, canned everything. I sure wish she was still here to guide me. Or do I invest in a freezer?

Sorry for the long post, but I am so looking forward to your thoughts on this. I don't want to spend more money than necessary, in order to save money - if that makes sense.

[NoSugar]

I'll be eager for the answers, too, Moss - I've got nuthin' to contribute here.

I'm bored so maybe we should chat again :hug:.

[SoberSoul]

Moss Rose, my sincerest congratulations on your six months milestone. That is a heck of an achievement and I am honoured to have been witness to most of your journey. I am thrilled with the thread you started it and I will be treating it like a blog and referring to it as I set up my thrifty, green, minimalist home. Paring down was a necessary and liberating experience when we were gypsies this summer living in a small caravan while our home was being built and with your help, I want to take it a step further. I am all eyes and so happy this thread has been continued. Eager for the answers to the questions posed here.

xoxo