This is an ongoing list of things I'm creating that in my opinion are essential parts of a healthy peaceful life. By Peaceful I don't mean quiet...I mean without major intrusion into earth's habitat.
Pieces to a successful existence. This is really no particular order. You’ll notice I started with compost...it just happened that way.
1. Compost.
- Your trash doesn’t have to be full of plastic and non-biodigradable materials. Choose wisely and conciously when buying products for use in the home. Many products today are available that will not harm the environment as much as conventional plastis materials.
- Good composting creates a material that is great for growing plants. It is rich in nutrients and it’s creatin rids the landfills of another pile of garbage that doesn’t need to be there.
2. Silence.
- Shut up every once in a while. You’d be surprised, I think, at the number of things you think about when you’re not caught up in your regular routine. You wake up in the morning and immediately start trying to plan the day. Instead of planning...take a few minutes to enjoy a hot cup of coffee (black) and be one with the flow of nature.
3. Creation
- Ultimately I believe we all know how we want to live...what kind of dwelling we want and what we want our home to “do” for us...it’s function. At the very basic levels it keeps us warm and dry and provides us a sense of security from the intrusions of the outisde world, which can sometimes come in with cruel intentions. The important thing to remember is that a dwelling doesn’t have to completely ruin the environment around it to exist. I’m a fan of log homes because they are cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, they last a long time, are less susceptible to the damage of storms, and require a shorter list of meterials to finish. They also tend to use just a little bit LESS wood than traditional stick-frame houses (look it up.) Log homes can be built by hand by the owner to either self-created blue-prints, or blue prints that may already exist (there are thousands.)
- Another part of that dream for me, is having a simple open home. Bedrooms like any other house...but the livingroom, dining area and kitchen I want them all open somewhat to each other to create the feeling that no matter where you are in the home, you are a part of everything that is going on without having to be in that particular area. It brings a sense of community into the home. Somewhere here I have a floor plan or two I created that I will scan and post which are both very different variations of this sort of “community” idea.
4. Food.
- I am by far no expert on the growing and preservation of foods. I have never canned a thing, but I can attest to it’s effectiveness in keeping foods that would otherwise expire, ready for a later date when you would wish to use them.
- Growing food can be done, and it requires very little from you except a little bit of research. Staggering your planting to provide food for a longer period; Watering smartly on a rtegular basis; using good compost and fertilizer; keeping hungry deer out, etc.
- Growing up I was a big fan of the taste of pickled cucumbers (Pickles.). SO many wonderful things can be grown...carrots, celery, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, radishes...the list goes on!
5. Food.
-Wait Ryan, didn’t you just talk about food? well, yes...but I have some other thoughts related to food.
- Meat. When our ancestors were living healthy lives, their food wasn’t processed by some big cooperation that altered the DNA to create larger breasts and grow animals in nasty habitats. They went out into the forest, probably with black powder rifles which were a bitch to shoot with any amount of accuracy, and shot their meat themselves. They field dressed their anmials, dragged them back home, and shared them either with just their family, or with the community as a whole. Most of them ate a very vegetarian based diet, and seldom had food; and they weren’t dying of diabetes and heart disease; they weren’t dying of obesity.
What I’m trying to say is...don’t be so worried with how you;re going to get your meat. A lot of meat is BAD for the human diet. It is hard for our bodies to digest flesh and the proteins in the meat- while very complete- are NOT good proteins for our bodies. they aid in the creating of weird cells in the human body that can actually cause and help breed cancer. You don’t have to believe me but hard factual evidence is all around us, and published in very important books. There is a reason vegans aren’t fat, and it isn’t because they can’t find anything to eat...it’s because those people have leanred not to be gluttons.
- Did you know that Vegetables and Fruits have ALL necessary nutrients in them? They are full of antioxidants. They are full of vitamins and minerals that just don’t taste as good in pill form. The proteins link together and help your body create the kind of substances it can use to become healthy and balanced. and they TASTE good! Don’t like carrots in their regular form? how about steaming them til they’re soft and adding a little bit of sea salt and real natural butter? I don’t necessarily advocate eating a lot of dairy products, but a SMALL amount will be fine. You’re consuming carotene (a powerful antioxidant! Antioxidants essentially help your cells from becoming oxidized-which KILLS cells.), vitamin A and potassium; they contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, thiamine, folic acid, and magnesium. Potassium helps your muscles move, and help your heart beat! Vitamin C helps your immune system become strong and ward of evil cells! All that from a carrot? yep.
Cucumbers! another wonderful fruit. Vitamin A, Niacin Trace, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron Phosphorus, Potassium, ComplexCarbohydrates...Cucumber contains erepsin, an enzyme that helps to digest protein!
- Cherries. A growing body of science reveals tart cherries, enjoyed as either dried, frozen cherries or cherry juice, have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries) vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate. (source: http://www.choosecherries.com/health/main.aspx )
The list goes on. Those are just TWO examples of a plethroa of amazing fruits and vegetables.
e second floor plan I ever toyed with. I understand I'm not the best at drawing perfect lines to scale, but it should be close.
picture. I'm just not sure what I was thinking with the little crossbars. maybe for extra fat people, I don't know. I was thinking a nice little spiral staircase leading up to it... I'm all about those too. they take up a small amount of space and are still functional.
