The pictures that say more than a million words...

What a difference gluten free living has made!! I'd like to share my "mystery illness" photo with you, for anyone who might think gluten intolerance only manifests in digestive issues. I felt and looked like a different person with swollen eye lids and sockets, and the rash making my nose swell. I was loosing clumps of hair. I was covered in a flaky rash, had swollen joints, peripheral neuropathy, mood swings, vision issues, cognitive decline, EXTREME fatigue, and was dealing with a big weight gain due to medications and not being able to move. I was using a walker and found simple tasks such as the dishes... took all day. I was terrified and constantly anxious because I was pretty sure I'd be dead by now.

I don't know how to edit photos, so YES, this is real

Our Simplicity Plan Part 6: Choose your own destiny.

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”E. BURKE

Destiny. des-tin-e
n pl -nies
1. the future destined for a person or thing; fate; fortune; lot
2. the predetermined or inevitable course of events
3. (Philosophy) the ultimate power or agency that predetermines the course of events
[from Old French destinee, from destiner to destine]


I like to think of destiny as a series of choices, that lead to an inevitable course of events. I feel that life is a sum of all parts, and in flux, constantly changing as we and are perceptions do. Making changes that count, move you closer to your goals in life be they simplicity, clutter control, green living, a new habit or to let go of another, a new career, love, or weight loss. We need to set the course in motion though. We need to not just say, but do. Not just plan, but to help make those plans happen.

I was once a professional caterer. I did it on my own, then had a partner. The woman had no catering experience but was a party planner. She was great at planning...but doing the work to bring the plan together escaped her. "That's what staff is for." Honey, there is no staff in a 2 person business. You both wear all 'the hats' from the party planning to the trash guy. Life is like that, too. We wear all the hats. We must make the plan happen, with effort. We can plan the perfect life down to the wedding details, future children, and neighborhood. We can spend a lifetime waiting for that sparkly ring and the Guy. But, if we don't ourselves, put the plan in action by getting out and meeting 100 different men, you'll never find your Guy (or girl). Doesn't matter if you buy the dress and have your future real estate agent on call. YOU still must set the stage for destiny to occur.

In a series of choices and resulting events over the past 38.10 years, I have become who I am. I am turning 40 next year. The final half of life is going to be different. I am going to walk and talk even more boldly. I am going to make some more waves. Be heard AND seen. I have spent half a lifetime saying "I should have done..." "I could have done it this way." "Maybe." "Someday." "When we...?" "Then." "I wish I..." NO MORE. I am choosing to live out loud and in the PRESENT MOMENT. The Now...this gift of the present. In this moment, I seek balance and simplicity. I just know this is the direction of my destiny. I can't explain how I know this, that this is what I need to be doing; focusing my energy on further physical, emotional, and spiritual growth rather than accumulating stuff and belongings. I feel I am about to crest a mountain peak and before me stands all of the different paths and destinies... possibilities. Breathing in and asking my true self what I want for the first time, without a child to consider (The Kid is an adult), the deepest feeling that keeps crashing in waves in my heart and mind is that,  I seek a streamlined life that has unlimited room for joy and my path to it is simplicity.

Choose what resonates in you, and only you. Make small changes in the ways in which you are comfortable. A little discomfort is good for the mind, body, and soul too. It makes your thinking sharp and focused, and opens you up to possibilities you have never had room to imagine before. And, yes. I am a freaky hippy that frequently uses words such as choice, path, destiny, and energy in my every day life. I am fully me and I have been for most of my life. I don't see that changing. You may not be me and that's awesome because it means you are YOU!! We are making changes and doing things that matter to us. Do what matters to YOU. Make changes at your own speed. If all you do this month is start to ask yourself about your shopping habits, or change 2 light-bulbs over to CF and hang up a plant...you've made progress! You can not buy a new lifestyle at Whole Foods. It has to happen in your own way and in your own time.

We are living boldly. Redefining our priorities to include the things that feel right to us, and sometimes, only us. How 'crazy' of an idea is that? Not doing things for other's expectations? Not using paper towels is a choice, as is using them. A kitchen does not need to smell of Lysol or bleach to be clean, no matter what your Mom thinks. Baking soda cleans and deodorizes carpets without the chemical fragrance sprinkle. Won't think of trying cloth feminine pads? OK. Just eliminate products with plastic applicators this year. It's OK, to do it your way. This is your life. Just be sure to do something, someday, to reduce your impact here. Standing up for your convictions in life... is another way to stand up for YOU.

For us, cultivating a deep spiritual practice, growing our own food, playing and laughing, and being active in matters of social justice and community makes us feel good and whole...without a gym, drug, or dollar spent. So does music. Seeking out live music is a good thing for all involved. Find YOUR JOY. Take a dance class. Paint. Find a boxing Fight Club. Learn how to knit. Serve food at the homeless shelter. Foster a litter of kittens. Learn to play an instrument. Garden, grow a spider plant, or turn your trash back in to earth. My closest cousin, left a white collar job in her late 20's to become a make up artist. It takes courage to find joy. I never really thought about it in that way. Most of us are programed to find the wrongs in life...not the rights or the joy. I realized many of us humans are still seeking school programed approval and raising our hands to speak. There is no wrong or right way to live...only the way you choose to. The only grade you will will receive as an adult, is a feeling of satisfaction in your life.

As my dear Michael Franti says,  It's is never too late to start over. And over, and over...until you get it 'right' for you. There is no greater external marker of internal growth than the ability to laugh at yourself and adapt to an ever changing environment.

There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself.  It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that someone else pulls. Howard Thurman.


This is actually by a band called Fried Funk and is off of Acid Jazz, Volume #5; Living in the land of hi fi. Find joy, indeed.

A Monday Message...

Never too late  --  Michael Franti and Spearhead

Our Simplicity Plan, Part 5: Kermit was wrong.

Don't get me wrong. I do love me some Kermit. His rendition of Rainbow Connection is one of my favorite songs. What I have learned in over 20 years of bright green living, is that it's actually, with thought and planning, easier to be green than you think. The way I like to think of it as a paint pallet with every shade of green available to us all. Depending on your individual reality, circumstances, and living arrangement, you can be anywhere from pale celery just beginning to make changes green, to deep forest tree protecting green. They are all beautiful colors and all OK. It's about forward motion to lessen our personal impact on this one planet we share, increasing the sustainability of your future, and to allow room for simplicity in your life.

What do being green and living in simplicity have in common? Good question. When you live simply within your means and de-cluttler your life; you shop less, eat more local foods, use less chemicals on/in both your body and living space, use less packaging, create less trash, and are way more apt to reuse, repair, and recycle more, so you are deepening your hue of green just by the way you live. The more simply you live the more aware you become of excess both in your life and around you, and making green changes becomes second nature. And honestly, you do not have to smell like patchouli or wear Birkenstocks to be an eco- conscious person. You can be who YOU are already. Me? I'm me already.

I live green and have been eco- conscious for most of my life. I am both Native American and real old Celtic (ok, so I am prone to worshiping trees). My spirituality includes caring for the earth to the best of my ability. I have been a gardener for most of my life, and another part of my connection to nature comes from a childhood of wandering the woods of central MA and picking wild foods and herbs. I have been studying herbs since I was 16 and now... 23 years of studies, apprenticeships, field work in 4 bio-regions, and a lifetime of wild-crafting later, I will STILL not acknowledge myself as an Herbalist. I am no way a medical practitioner nor do I play one. I simply create herbal products according to requests by well informed people. The Guy, responds to herbs and homeopathic very well and so does the dog. I respond to herbs and supplements very well, but only a few homepathic remedies. The Kid, does well with flower essences. I make everything but the homepathics. To me, this my life, not a trend. If I can't make it, then and only then, will I buy it.

That's me, my reality. Basic steps to start with?

A. A single compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb. We received a rebate from our electric company for drastically reducing our electric usage over the past year. Every socket in and on the house has one, and I have not changed a bulb in over a year. Not the heavy use on off bulbs like the hall light or bathroom. Not even the on from 7pm-7am porch light. I also am diligent, being the night owl of the house, to shut off all indoor lights, and being sure the non essential small appliances are unplugged. That leaves a porch light, a 'fridge, and a charging phone and computer. It's made a drastic difference.


B. Green household and personal needs do not have to cost allot of money. I make a basic first aid salve out of antimicrobial desert herbs, an arthritis/fibro soak, cough syrups and throat drops, lip balms, lotions of all sorts, talc free dusting and foot powders, flu remedies, soap, face scrubs and pectin fruit peel masks. There are so many basic needs that can be met in a more simple and green way. I've read about 100 household uses for vinegar alone. I've shared my laundry detergent recipe, and soon there will be more natural beauty and green household care posts. The money saved by the small initial investments for supplies is countless. You lessen your need to depend on the store for a cut or scrape, and the box and tube the Neosporin comes in. There is also an amazing feeling of accomplishment that comes over you when you see and use your handy work. I've refilled that laundry jug 2x so far with my detergent. Every time I open that bucket lid, I smile.

C. C is for compost. Before we got the Wonder Dog, we used to say we compost anything that can't run away. And we did. Everything not meat or oil based, from coffee ground, to tea bags, egg shells, young coconut shells, nut shells, every last bit of produce waste, and every weed free piece of yard waste. The dog likes to eat trash...because he's a dog. We have had to eliminate the egg shell because they make him gag, and the onion or garlic bits because they can make him really sick. I save all of my onion and garlic bits in my stock bag in my freezer, and grind up the egg shells to feed my hibiscus and houseplants. It's important to me to know our food waste is being returned to the earth, not gift wrapped in plastic and trapped for eternity.


While I was sick and not gardening, we slacked on the compost. 4 bags of garbage were leaving this house (of 3-4 people at the time) per week. We are back to worm farming, 2 people, and ONE garbage bag per week. Self contained kits are extremely useful for the novice composter. You just put some yard and produce waste in it daily and tumble it everyday until you have rich composted material. Here in the desert, I use an open round cage of chicken wire. The sun really accelerates the decomposing of plant matter. I need to spray it with a hose 2x weekly to be sure there is enough moisture. People not in Zone 9, probably won't need to do so as often. When we move, I am buying a bag of worms and worm casting to 'seed' my new pile. (And yes, I will be bringing any fully composted material with me as well as a truck load of my (finally perfected) desert garden soil)


I understand that some people just do not have the space or garden to do this. One alternative option is to contact your local community garden and ask if you can dump your compost bucket there. Another, if you live near a farmed area, is to ask local farmers (or petting zoos or rescues) to accept your produce waste for their compost or as animal food. We have a potbellied pig rescue here that loves broken melons, wilted produce, or spotty apples to be dropped off. Some progressive cities are starting compost pick up on trash day. Help make that a reality everywhere by spreading awareness that we ALL need to do something progressive with our food waste.


D. I am rabid supporter of Farmer's Markets, Community Supported Agriculture,  and Co-op's. Local food supports local people! It allows you higher quality food that is produced within 50-100 miles of your house, is fresher, has little packaging, and requires less fuel to bring it to you. Co-op's often offer a large bulk food and household needs departments. I can refill my gallon of castile soap for less money than a new gallon AND reuse the same gallon for years. The same honey jar over and over. The same Bragg's bottle, the same olive oil can. I've been reusing the same containers to refill my grain, seed, nuts, and herb jars for at least 2 years. An old bread bag works great too. And this leads me to...


E. Bring your own shopping bags, every time! I have finally learned to leave my cloth bags in my car so I have NO excuses left. If I by some odd chance forget the bags in the laundry or I have walked, I ask for a box for my groceries. The cashier may look at me funny sometimes, but oh well. This is MY commitment. The box then gets broken down and placed in the recycling within 10 minutes of my bringing it home. It helps remind me I don't want to support a disposable lifestyle and to stay focused on my goals.


F. Set a goal to reduce your use and purchase of paper coffee cups, small water bottles, to-go containers, and other disposable lifestyle products. Some stores, like Whole Food's, now offer degradable corn based containers and picnic ware. Go for it. And don't be shy about bring your own containers with you to work or even a casual dinner out for the left-overs. I started doing this 2 years ago and I've never once been made to feel silly. People always say, "What a good idea!", not, "No, you stinky tree hugger." We buy distilled drinking water in bulk and have a myriad of water vessels of all shapes and sizes. If we run out of water and have to buy a liter to last till I get more, I feel bad. I'm just trained to use a reusable container. I don't like to drink hot drinks out of plastic and refused a reusable coffee mug until I bought a steel lined mug. There's no plastic seasoned bean beverage and no paper or plastic cup if it's my latte treat day.


G. G, could stand for garden and I hope it does for whomever has a strip of earth they can plant seeds in. For ANYONE, though, G, CAN at least stand for GROW. Caring for plants of any kind has many benefits. Your simple houseplant cleans the air your breathe in your house. They also like your music and energy. We've seen Frank Zappa make the ferns sway and the garden responds to my husband's morning watering chatter. If you can grow a tomato plant on a window ledge in NYC, then you are part of the cycle of the Seasons. That simple plant makes people feel more grounded and in rhythm with the natural world. Once the rhythm starts, it becomes a way of life. You feel part of the greater picture. You anticipate the Seasonal changes in diet and exercise. You start thinking about plants all over the world and how important they are to us. I don't want to get too Avatar, but...we really are connected to the natural world around us. Once you see and feel the connection...it gets really easy to be green all the time.


H. H, is for HUMAN. I have a paper towel addiction. It comes from following years of sanitary codes in a life of kitchen work. Crumbled balls of paper towels follow my path. The Kid, is taking my holder and the rest of my rolls from me in the spirit of intervention. (I own cloth feminine products but have 6 rolls of paper towels?) I cut up a huge king size flannel sheet into dozens of absorbent, cotton, reusable kitchen rags and everyday table napkins. The 12 most evenly cut will be set aside to sew to lace scraps I've been collecting for a special set of holiday napkins (using my textile addiction purge to halt my paper towel addiction is smart, I think). By using a neutral yet colorful cloth, they will work with any holiday table. With king sheet sets costing hundreds of dollars, why would I cut one? Do we have a king bed? No. Not since 2004. I am choosing to change what I know I need to. My destiny lies in my own hands, as do my choices.

Summary: Being green and eco conscious is PART of living simply. With some basic steps to start with, anyone, everyone, can make a small difference. Those small, individual differences add up to big changes. You may have to work at it, or it may come more naturally to you. It may be weird at first and you may meet some resistance from people that don't understand. I realized the most vocal opposition came from those less informed in general. They'd rather shoot down the ideas rather than admit they don't get it. Remember this is you life, your choice, your destiny. Make changes at your own pace, for your own reasons. Part 6: Choose your own destiny.

The Kid And The Adobe.

The Kid and I spent the day at the new place cleaning. I brought a few personal things to start making it feel like ours and she set them up in the temporary spots. It made her feel like she was adding her energy to the new place. There will be more pictures soon, but for those of you that haven't seen an adobe, this window shot should help. It is a molded mud house. The walls are 3 feet thick and everything is softly rounded. It's awesome and feels alive.

The Kid, showcasing her window decorating with our family's Quan Yin. Even in her grubby post oven cleaning-floor scrubbing mode, you can clearly see her fun energy she carries with her everywhere. She's working towards a degree in mental health and I have had the pleasure of watching her in action with clients. She is simply amazing and in the perfect field for her heart and mind. She and her girlfriend, will be adopting our elderly cat when we move. She told me today that she's buying a stroller for him. I laughed... but she made it pretty clear that by giving my beloved cat to them, I was indeed making the best possible choice for the cat's final years of life. He's referred to as, "Little old man baby" now. They have a cat bed for him. This Kid, cracks me up and makes me proud. She's my joy and living proof I made a good person.

So that's The Kid and a preview of our little mud house. Onward.

May The Four Winds Blow You Safely Home

My friend Azstrel is quite possibly one of the most genuine human beings I have met and he has the best laugh, ever. We were coworkers at a natural food store; he ran the organic produce department, I, the supplement department. We're about the same age, had similar heavy metal teen memories, and sick senses of humor. We just clicked and I enjoyed working with him. We stopped working at the store at the same time and he and his girlfriend moved to Hawaii. In the year or so he's been back, we got back in touch on FB and have just continued a casual friendship. I enjoy his energy, positivity, and forward thinking.

He and his (now) fiance, Kristen (also sweet and genuine), are setting off on a grand adventure. They converted a van into a livable space and they are blogging their way around the country for a year with their (yep, also sweet) dog, in search of all of the beauty and wonder in America. I had fun and was honored to make tortillas for their potluck Bon Voyage party, and to meet their families and friends. I've met few other couples that live in love with each other yet still retain their own sense of self, individual intentions, and purpose. They make you feel good just being near them. While I will miss their presence here, I am excited and very happy for them. You can follow their travels too www.vanvagabonds.com  I recommend checking out their website, reading what they have to say, listening to their v-blogs, and knowing that they are who they are, fully. They walk their talk. Their love is a dance. They are beautiful.

It seems there is a wave of people changing their own realities and exploring simplistic living. I know that while the economy has something to with it, in all honesty, my friends, and my husband and I...were ready to go for it anyway. We were making plans, they were making plans. Their ability to manifest their version of a simplistic reality, was very encouraging. Like us, they made a spontaneous decision that proved to be more of a calling. They seem to be asking the same questions The Guy and I are wrestling with. Who are we? What means most to us? What do we really need to be happy? What and where is home? Who can we be if we open ourselves to the wonder of the Four Winds? Who else is out on this voyage to our own future? That there is no time better than right now. Waiting for when or then, is not how they or we, want to spend the the future. We want to be present, in the gift of NOW.

Our reality is dictating that we move sooner than we had planned. Though I'm not sure how it's going to happen, I'm taking it all as a sign we are headed in the right direction. Life feels accelerated. Days are screaming by, the garden is producing right on time, I've cleaned and de-cluttered, and the yard is almost ready for our friend's goats to come mow it down for us. The Kid, is processing the loss of her teenage home and ground control center. I knew her initial reaction was going to be painful, and it was. She has since openly offered to help in any way possible, to make this happen for us. At the potluck, when I shared the news of the move, I was given the contact name for the person who helps run the organic community garden and events in the new neighborhood. In yet another serendipitous 'road sign' that The Four Winds are blowing us towards our future...he's our new neighbor.

Our Simplicity Plan Part 4: Useful Quantities VS Bulk Purchases

There's really no eloquent way to say this. If it rots before you eat it or just simply creates more clutter...then it may be a bulk purchase. By bulk, I mean by the case, multiple pounds, commercial or oversized amounts; not by the ounce or pound in your bulk food section at the grocery store. Cases of toilet paper, 20 pound jars of peanut butter, 36 cans of soup, 5000 BandAids...that sort of thing. Co-op's, Amazon, Costco, BJ's, and Sam's...oh my!

There are benefits for some products and some people, but not for all. A deal must be fully useful or able to be safely stored out of the way or it's not a deal at all. Another issue that I'll spend more time on in Part 5, is all the packaging that sometimes come with these things. I know the customer leaves with their stuff in boxes and that's good. What's not good is the carton that holds a box that holds 24 boxes, like some bulk juice boxes and bulk snacks. Some items do reduce wasted packaging, like rice and beans. Buying them in 20lb paper bags and storing them in jars or buckets, eliminates 20 plastic bags per recyclable paper bag.

Some examples...

A. The Kid, is actually an adult and very self sufficient. Her food budget is less than minimal, most of which is spent on quick foods that fit into her schedule or for her open house dinners, where she cooks for up to 20 people on as many dollars. She grew up a semi-veggie but somewhere between leaving home and college kid poverty, she now eats things I would never, can't ever, but, she plans her useful quantities purchases on her limited budget and shops accordingly. 5 lb's of. bulk size bags of cereal, cases of ramen noodles, frozen foods, soups, pre-made turkey burger patties, day old bagels to freeze, reduced 'Manager's Special' meats to grill, produce, and bulk milk deals are what she looks for.  Those are her useful every day needs. Even though she won't admit that she learned to shop like that from me, I'm still proud to watch her turn $40.00 into many meals. She has limited space for dry storage however, so even though she'd love that closet full of toilet paper and canned goods, she likes to keep her clothes in it more. For her, a case of toilet paper would be a bulk purchase, not a useful quantity.

B. The Guy and I, have different needs. While we live in Reality Land and need to buy by the roll, pound, bottle, jar, or can quite often recently, we have figured out that certains things (like toilet paper) in bulk are useful. They save money and time when you only need to buy them once every 6 months. Other useful quantities in our house include: masa, rice noodles, rice, quinoa, beans, distilled water, herbs, olive oil, some flours, yeast, agave nectar, maple syrup, sea salt, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, Frank's Red Hot sauce, coffee beans, organic roasted tomatoes,  Thai coconut milk, green chilies, castile soap, epsom salts, Simple Green, borax, baking soda, baking powder, and vinegars.
These are our basic must have and can live off of needs, our basic pantry. It makes everything else more affordable and appreciated. We will find the room to store them, even if it means storing the case O' T.P. in the storage unit. For us, a 4 gallon milk deal would spoil unless we are making cheese or yogurt. Our freezer needs to hold all of the nuts, some of the grains, and flours here in the desert, so for us, that turkey burger patty deal would be a bulk purchase.

C. A 5 pound bag of spinach decomposes at the same rate as 1 pound bag, as does all other produce, dairy and meat in quanitiy. Even bulk pet foods are not too helpful for us. We found the cats and dog stopped eating the 50lb bags at about -25 to -30 lbs. They want fresh tasting food as much as we do.
Another issue of buying in bulk is when you don't or can't try the product first, and more than once. My first Bob's pizza crust was one of the few edible pizzas I had eaten in months, but, if I had made it again, I would had confirmed I don't like garfava flour...which is odd because I like both beans, as beans. My case of gross pizza crust still lingers in my pantry and I'm going to have to donate it.
I am aware of how lucky I am to live in a holistic minded community and to have access to a dozen or more health food stores. Now, I try the product 3 or more times, then buy my discounted Co-op or Amazon case. I am also aware that our family of two is not at all average (in any way). I understand why large families buy in bulk more than we do...but I've also tripped over my share of boxes of things and stuff in homes and wondered how much of the bulk life...is a possessions or cluttery issue rather than actually about the savings.

Summary: Bulk spending is only helpful if you use ALL of the purchase in a short amount of time or you can safely store it out of the way for months. Useful quantities are the things that you/r (family) can use before they spoil and do not fill your space and life with it's presence. For me, not filling the landfills is as important as not filling my home. I have a deep sense of commitment to care for this planet and the children we are leaving it to. Which leads me to Part 5: Kermit was wrong. It's easy being green.