More changes!

We've decided to go ahead and add some square footage to our house by raising the roof to create an attic that can later be finished into upstairs living space. And now, in preparation for the assault,  I am having to undo the (slight)  illusion of  order I've managed to create here, taking pictures off the walls and securing other breakables. I am resigning myself to life in a construction zone for the next several weeks and convincing myself that the end result will be worth the mess and inconvenience.

It occurs to me that I have gone several years now without being able to settle into a natural rhythm and routine, and I am hoping that something like that will finally happen when the crew packs up their ladders and leaves.

The house is currently fragrant with apples. I have shazammed (with the aid of my handy dandy corer/peeler/slicer gadget) our backyard bounty into applesauce, apple pie filling, apple pies, apple crisp, and dried apple rings. There's still plenty more of the fruit on the trees, but we would have to call in the fire department with their hook and ladder truck in order to reach them. Guess we'll leave those for the wildlife when they eventually fall.

Speaking of pies, this week we met the guy who, with his wife, owns Portage Pie.  They're up in Westfield, but they're a locally owned business that makes and sells yummy pies using only locally grown fruit, so they deserve a shout out, as well as your patronage if you happen to be in the area.

We expect to be spending more of our days hanging out in local coffee shops and other businesses while the work on our house proceeds. When the weather is nice, we'll also be out on the greenways, which is one of the top reasons for living in this county.

News you can use!

I'm working on those goals I said I'd be writing. At some point I will share them. It's humbling to realize what a novice I remain.

In the meantime, I've added a link (in the right hand column over there) to an upcoming event that is definitely worth a road trip to Buffalo.  Daemen College will be hosting the 8th Annual World on Your Plate Conference October 14-15.  Clicking on the graphic over there will take you to their website for more info, and you can register online (although pre-registration is not necessary).  Some of the workshops and speakers look outstanding, but I am especially excited about the screening and discussion of The Economics of Happiness and keynote speaker Judy Wicks, co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). 

So now it's apple time here. The Busti Apple Festival is this weekend, and we've harvested a couple of baskets full from our own trees (it doesn't get much more local than that!), which I'll be turning into applesauce and pie filling today.  We had planned a trip out to the farm to help dig up potatoes, but it looks like the weather has other ideas today.

Random thought: I've decided to start thinking of dandelions as food. I will even share recipes.

A year goes by

I've been away visiting the Massachusetts branch of the family tree and getting great advice from my three-year-old grandson on how to hide myself and keep safe from prowling lions and dinosaurs.

But we're back home now, and I wanted to take a look at where we are, a year after I started this blog, on our journey towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

The good news is that we're moving in the right direction. But I'm glad that we have the luxury of time. Recent events (tropical storms that cause damage far from the tropics) have highlighted vulnerabilities in infrastructure we (perilously) depend on. But our typical response is to slap on a few bandaids and get right back to business as usual. Till the next time. I'll say it again: we (myself included) should all be better prepared for emergencies that can cut off our electricity, our access to fresh water and food, medical care,  shelter from the elements. We can't assume that FEMA, State Farm, or Superman will be there for us.
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But, in seeking to find or build a sustainable community, we're looking for something beyond a disaster kit to see us through the next emergency. And there will be emergencies. Climate change, rising energy costs, and incompetent governments guarantee it.

So how far have we come towards our goal of positioning ourselves, our family, friends and neighbors to weather the storms and protect our common security?

NOT FAR ENOUGH.  To begin with, we've defined the goal in the most nebulous of terms. So, its time to clarify what exactly it is we're trying to do and come up with a task list for measuring our progress.

In a very general sense, we're moving along by downsizing our home and our stuff, thereby using less energy, creating less waste, recycling more, and driving less. We've located some local food sources (including growing some of our own) and local businesses and made them part of our habits. We're getting to know our neighbors and others in the greater community who share some of our concerns.

So, what if a cluster of storms or a major solar flare took out the power grid tomorrow? Oh man, would there be trouble.

Time to start writing those goals.