2015: The Year of Declutter

I have been absent from this blog for many months now. I migrated most of my attention over to my other blog a while ago, but I certainly didn't mean to leave this blog completely ignored for so long.

I guess I just haven't known what to do with this blog. For a while I was just posting recommendations, first weekly and then monthly. I have been thinking about starting a blog that focuses mainly on simple, clutter free, pared down living. I am not a fan of overconsumption and our obsession with "stuff" (owning it, having it, buying it, hoarding it, always being on the look out for more of it). I am well aware that I have too much stuff, and I have been wanting to simplify for a while now. I figured if I start a blog about it and use it to document my paring down process, then maybe it would encourage me to actually do it. I would be accountable in some way.

The new year was approaching and I wanted to make simplifying my life my new year's resolution (or at least one of them). Starting another blog since I already have two doesn't really agree with the whole simplifying theme, so I decided to just use this blog for that purpose.

Being a seat of the pants kind of guy, I don't exactly have a clear and detailed plan as to how I am going to go about this. It's a journey, a marathon even, and it is one that won't be accomplished in a year's time. Regardless, I am calling this the Year of Declutter. Forthcoming posts on this blog will be updates on my decluttering journey and possibly some tips, links, resources, etc. that fit with this theme. Perhaps you would like to join in this journey and pare down your own life. If so, follow my blog and feel free to comment along the way. Let's be in this together.

As I mentioned, this is not my only blog. I write a blog about all things plant related called Awkward Botany, which has a sister microblog. You can also find me on Twitter. If you like what you find here and/or on my other sites, please share it with your friends. Oh, and consider using #phytocurious when posting about anything planted related, that way I can find it easily and enjoy it as well.

Speaking of things plant related, I have decided that one of my first decluttering tasks will be to organize my box of seeds in preparation for the upcoming spring. How about you?

Happy 2015 everyone! I hope your year is not austere.

2014: A New Direction

You may or may not have been wondering where I have been all year. I'm guessing not. But if you have, here is your answer. I've been focusing full time on my other blog, Awkward Botany. It's a blog all about plants, and it's for everyone - even for people who don't like plants. Why am I spending all of my time over there? Well, frankly it's because I have to learn to focus my energies on one thing in particular. I end up spreading myself too thin otherwise. I can do a dozen things and do them okay, or I can do one thing and do it well. I'm not sure how well I'm doing, but I'm giving it a shot. The problem is that I have lots of other blog ideas (and non-blog ideas), so it's hard to stay focused on just one thing. Regardless, if you want to be in touch (and I hope you do), please point your cursor here and give it a click. You just might like a bit of what there is to read. If not, at least there are some pretty pictures. Oh, and tell your friends, please - that's how movements start. Thanks!

Monthly Recommendations: October 2013

Read

Pie Any Means Necessary: The Biotic Baking Brigade Cookbook - Activists pie-ing people for a cause. Making protest fun again.

Listen

Sandra and Zora Knauf (of Greenwoman Magazine) were interviewed on We Dig Plants, one of the many fine programs on the Heritage Radio Network. Check it out!

See

Autumn is here. Get outside, enjoy the cooler temperatures, and observe the beautiful fall colors. But first, read a little about the science behind why leaves change color in the fall. Just one of the many plant themed posts on my brother blog, Awkward Botany.

Awkward Botany

This isn't my only blog. If you'd like to read more of what I have to say, consider visiting Awkward Botany. It's my blog about plants. I'm a plant nerd and love all things plant related. Awkward Botany is where I express my plant nerd self. Whether you are plant interested, plant curious, or plant ambivalent, I am certain that you will find something of interest here. It's worth checking out.

Raccoon vs. Onions

A little while back, I planted some onion seeds in a plastic salad container. As the onion seeds began to sprout, I placed the container outside by my front door so that the little seedlings could get plenty of sun and eventually be ready to transplant in a yet to be determined location. After they had been outside for a few days, I observed that something had been digging in them. At first it wasn't anything major - just a couple small holes. I assumed it was a squirrel. No big deal. I would just bury the holes back in and go about my day. I wasn't too worried about it because it didn't seem overly intrusive. Then one day I noticed more digging than usual and decided I should do something about it. I found a piece of chicken wire and placed it over the top of the planter. The next morning, to my horror, the digging had advanced to a new extreme. The chicken wire had been shoved aside and what had previously been small, isolated holes had become one giant hole extending across the entire planter. I decided that what I was dealing with wasn't just a playful squirrel but most likely a menacing raccoon (especially since the deed seemed to be occurring at night). Frustrated, I dug out what I could of the onions, transplanted them into a smaller container, and placed them in a safer location, hopefully to never be bothered again. Unfortunately this means that what I had envisioned as a bumper crop of onions in the fall will now just be a meager harvest at best. This time, in the battle of Raccoon vs. Onions, Raccoon wins. Such is the life of a gardener and his constant battle against nature.

 

To read more of my adventures in the plant world, please visit: www.awkwardbotany.com