The adventure begins

So this happened this week:

That is a box of peeps. Peeping away as I drive them home from the post office.

I now officially own chickens. I’ve been excited about it for a while, and I still am. What I wasn’t expecting was the associated level of anxiety. I’ve been worried about everything. Now I always worry about everything, so it’s really nothing new, but the quantity of things I was anxious about is just stupid. I had dreams about the quantity we got. In one it was eight, in another it was three. In one they were all dead.

The first night, when we set up the box and put the heating mat under it, set to the appropriate temperature, I kept having visions of cooked chicks. I wanted to get up and look, but didn’t want to wake my husband.

Now that we’ve had them for a few days most of the anxiety has dissipated. Looking forward to getting the coop assembled and them being big enough to go outside.

Parsimonious

Since I am now out of work I’ve been trying to cut spending. First I decided that I would turn in our aluminum cans in. Then I thought, better yet, stop drinking soda. Soda serves no purpose at all. It doesn’t nourish us. It’s often actively bad for us. It uses a lot of environmental resources to no good purpose at all. The best thing it does is taste good. On that point I haven’t been able to give it up entirely. I’ved cut back some. Sometimes. It’s a work in progress. Maybe I could try having one every other day, then every third day? I’m starting to think they put something in it to make it addictive. In my case it’s probably the caffeine.

Saving is good, but not always easy. Car repairs and dental bills and other unavoidable expenses. Then this Sunday our washing machine broke. It’s broken before, but the Wonderful Spouse was able to get it going again. This time it was just no go. We talked about getting new ones, but the thought of spending the money to get them just made me cringe. Maybe we could get it fixed?

So I went to the manufacturer’s web site. Entered the model and serial numbers and the problem we were having and scheduled a service call. The guy showed up on time and in less than hour it was fixed. At a cost I could deal with.

I’m starting to understand how people can get compulsive about saving money. It’s very satisfying. Especially if you have something you’re saving for, in this case, “The Farm.”

It would have been a whole other storey had it been the refrigerator. I would have had a new one delivered by now. Ours leaks onto the floor from someplace and the door below the icemaker is rusting through from the inside.

Looking forward

Though this year has been full of difficulties. Continues to be full of difficulties; I’m filled with hope about the future.

I’ve always thought that I would stay tied to this area. Live here forever. With the loss of Dad and Mom-in-law, the ties have grown weaker. I can see leaving the area, something I never gave any thought.

And suddenly we have a plan for the future. A real plan about something I’d like to do.

And I so want to do this.

Mostly just want not to live in such a high population density area.

Then I’d like to live with more than just concrete, asphalt, cars shops, people, people, people and more people.

Someplace with trees and shrubs and birds and lizards and anything except people.

I’ve lived in this area all my life and the population in this area has tripled over my life time.

I’d just like to live someplace where there aren’t a hundred people per square inch.

I was surprised when Wonderful Spouse said yes. I continue to be happy with that. I’ve never really had a clear view of something that I really wanted. Cared enough to plan for. This I want. More than anything. This I am willing to work for.

I’ve been reviewing our regular bills and searching for ways to cut them. Got the cable bill cut by a third, but haven’t been able get the car insurance down. Still looking into other areas where we could save.

I think I finally found something that will actually motivate me to bring my lunch more often. I keep trying to make myself and it keeps not happening. Mostly because it’s the only time of day I get to leave my desk and I like getting outside at some point during the day. And bringing lunch one day a week is better than no days a week.

The Farm

I mentioned it to the Wonderful Spouse a few weeks ago and to my great surprise he said OK.

We both have our reasons; some of them we share.

I think that the human population has reached a size that’s getting very difficult to support. I think there’s a big bad coming. I don’t know when and I don’t know what, but it’s coming. Any kind of disaster could interrupt food, water and energy supplies. Being in a large population center could mean starvation or worse.

The whole tea party thing scares me, too. They want to deny gays rights. They want to burn books. They’re just a few steps away from witch burning. As an atheist, I think I probably fall under their definition of witch.

I’d like to be able to produce my own food. If you really want to know what’s in your food, grow it yourself. I do what I can now, which is mostly tomatoes and herbs. I’d like to do something more substantive.

Living in densely populated Orange County has kind of burned me out. I’d like to live someplace where quiet happens sometimes. It’s never quiet where I live. I can always hear cars on the highway and freeway. I can usually hear the neighbors screaming or crying or laughing. I can smell the garbage trucks going by. I’d like to live someplace where there’s room for something besides more people.

I still can’t believe the Spouse is OK with the idea, but he’s said so more than once. Now comes research and planning. Although I know no one’s experience will be exactly the same I’m reading. Hit by a Farm is the first on the list.