'The Good Life'

There is an old saying: "start as you wish to continue."

If that's the case, things could be looking pretty bleak for the month of December. Despite my excitement of joining up with reverb'12, I have been finding it hard to get anywhere near the computer this week.

Oh, these December days are busy!

... and hot!

I am reminded of the kind words from Kat about reverb'12 - "be gentle" and then there are my own words from my last post, "December will not be perfect." So I'll do what I can, when I can.

As I have gone about my day, I have been constantly thinking of the daily prompts for reverb'12. It's good to think for a while, to ponder. I find that I have found a deeper meaning to the questions by doing this. Pondering, thinking, reminiscing, soul searching, evaluating, realising.

Reverb'12 Question 2: What was your most significant expenditure in 2012?

(It doesn't have to be necessarily the biggest expenditure, just the one with the most impact.
What difference has it made to your life?)



Of course, it is a book. 

'A Greener Life' is the book that has changed, not only my thinking, but the direction of my life and the path I want it to take for the future. I first discovered it in a coffee shop back in 2011. My daughter and I ate here for both breakfast and lunch on a day we spent in Toowoomba. 

Often my daughters slow eating can get a little frustrating, but on this day, I was grateful for it. With time on my side, I poured over every page and picture in this book. At this time in my life, my thoughts had only recently returned to my dream of owning a little hobby farm. After discovering this book, I was gone! There would be no turning back. All of my old ideas and dreams were re kindled. Here is was, contained in a beautiful photographed book for our times (yes, I do like books with pretty pictures) All of the inspiration and practical advise that I needed was within reach.

Growing your own food, looking after the soil, companion planting, herb gardens and herbal remedies, wild food and how to get it, livestock: cows, pigs, sheep, goats, poultry and game, preparing a bird for the pot, bee keeping, fish farming, domestic animal care, pests, candle making, soap making, weaving, felting, dying with natural dyes, knitting, quilting, mending, making butter, making cheese, baking bread, smoking, potting, and drying food, brewing, wine making, preserving, natural paints, alternative energy and homemade green cleaners.

This is how I wanted to live my life. OK, I realise that all of this is not going to happen. I know for a fact, that I am never going to buy a sheep, shear it, spin the wool and knit a jumper from it. But isn't nice to know that I could, if I really wanted to. In reality, I hope to end up with plenty of space for the kids to run around, a vegetable garden and a chicken coup. Then I can take on want I really want from there. I would be in a different place in my life. To buy a little hobby farm, adjustments and compromises would need to be made. So maybe some bees, maybe a few pigs, but maybe I will need to go to work full time instead. That is the future, I can dream and wish and hope for something, but I can not foresee the future.

This book is not a one stop shop of information. I am saying that this was the book that significantly changed things for me. It prompted me to pull a pile of self sufficiency books from my bookshelves and borrow similar kinds of books from the library. I joined a permaculture group and made more preserves than ever before.

At the start of this year, I was poking about on Book Depository and found a hardcover copy of this book for just $12.00! I bought it immediately and it sits either by my bed or on the coffee table for inspiration.

While we are on the subject of significant books. There are a few more that I read during 2012 that made quite an impact. Rhonda's wonderful book "Down to Earth" was a gift from a very special someone. And the other three were from the library (so not an expenditure) - "The Radical Homemaker" ,"Simplicity Parenting" and "Depletion and Abundance" All of these books have adjusted my way of looking at things and all of them, including "The Greener Life" came into my life at exactly the right time.

 What are you reading right now?

What books have made a dramatic impact on your life?

What was your most significant expenditure in 2012?