Simplify Your Life!

After taking a good long look at my current state of disorganization, I have come to realize that if I really want to simplify my diet I may have to take a good long look at the rest of my life.  This past holiday season was my most stressful yet.  I was trying so hard to stick to my local food plan, but just plain ran out of time...for anything.  It wasn't the holiday planning slowing me down...it was the clutter that I can feel closing in on me.  Our attic is full to the brim with who-knows-what.  Really, I have no idea what we have up there...it is being "saved" for that garage sale that never happens.  And the downstairs is just as bad.  I keep collecting more and more "things" to fill up the small space that we call home.  And I just plain don't have the room.  I feel constantly overwhelmed by the sheer number of things around me and I know that there really isn't the time to clean it all up.

Which leads me to the other problem I am having with my goals.  In all the books I read about this great lifestyle of shopping locally, cooking seasonally, and keeping a clean homestead the primary instigator is female, and either childless, unemployed, or both.  I know that it was a good thing for women that the women's lib movement happened...but did it really liberate us?  How many women who work full time (like I do) have the time to cook every meal from scratch from local or homegrown food, keep a clean home, maintain a garden, and maybe do a little sewing on the side?  I would guess not many!  And I envy those women who are able to stay home and care for their children without holding a full time job...but I am not one of those women.  I am the only working member of our family who qualifies for health insurance.  I am unable to even cut back to part time work, because we would then pay unimaginable amounts for basic plans.  So, I spend half my nights away from my family and half my mornings trying to sleep in (since I arrive home from work at 4am) and then go right back to doing it again.

And that leads me to a solution I wasn't even able to consider before.  A new organization in our area just started called The Foodshed Buying Club.  Look for them on the internet or catch up with them on facebook...they have pooled the resources of several local farms and will do the pickup for you!  I have just placed my first order with them and I only have to make one stop on Friday to pick up all the goodies!  Fresh, local meat and dairy heading my way!  Yipee!

Although I have been disheartened by the time it can take to pursue my local and seasonal goals, I am trying to put a plan in place.  First, to find good places that don't require a lot of time to travel to.  Second, to get a plan in place for the upcoming year to store more local produce for longer usage.  And third, to get the rest of my life (house, schedule, and body) simplified.

So, while this blog is still primarily about the food, you can expect it to be peppered with other aspects of the slowing down of the Painter life.

By the way, wish you could have all tasted my fabulous roasted pumpkin soup from last night, roasted right in the shell of a blue Jarrahdale Pumpkin that we picked up at the farmer's market last fall and saved for just the right blustery winter night (the night my husband said "can we cook this thing?  it's really getting in the way!").  :)