Life in Full Swing

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

20 years? I'm already disappointed by what I haven't done! I suppose that's typical thinking around the first of the year, but honestly there have been things that have been nagging at me for a while. So, when I came up with my "resolutions" for the year those things played a big part. Without further adieu:
1. exercise at least 3 times a week. how? joined gym/ have gym at the condo... really this isnt that hard. matt and i used to very regular. 
2. spend money wisely. how? no impulse purchases. more or less just maintaining my financial scruples. 
3. grow a veggie garden- how? build self-water raised planter for the deck and plant a few veggies and herbs. also along with this... start composting. 
4. get outside more. ie. more biking, hiking, etc
5. eat less no fast food. how? will power against the nacho cheesy goodness of the crunch wrap supreme. 
6. pick an instrument and start learning it- probably banjo since i actually have that handy- and practice at least 1 hour a week
7. sew at least 2 projects this year. goal: i have a dress i want to make for National's baseball games and I just salvaged 3 chairs from the neighbors trash to repair and reupholster. 
8. blog weekly. (like on saturdays)- might have to set an alarm, but if I'm working on projects and gardening, etc and whatever Matt has going on we should have something to say at least once a week. 
9. study and take GRE.- I've been planning on taking it for 2 years now and haven't. must stop procrastinating. 
All in all I feel that these are pretty achievable. I've had a sewing machine for several years and have made a total of 1.5 projects with it, despite the fact that I have a habit of collecting/ keeping fabric I intend to use on future project. The banjo, much like the piano and guitar, is something I have started and let myself get away with not making time for it. The garden and compost are probably the biggest and most challenging of the resolutions. It's new and I don't know much about either, but I've been reading up a lot. But, like sewing and music, I feel it's a part of my heritage. When I was little I remember my great-grandmother working in her garden and helping her harvest and can. I care about sustainability and personal semi-independence from corporate America, but most importantly I think gardening is fun and the food tastes a heck of a lot better than store bought. The trick for success on this is to plan ahead and to limit myself to a few items to grow. I'm thinking a lettuce mix, tomatoes, and beans or peas. Maybe a meyer lemon shrub or berry bush and some herbs. We buy Costco bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and carrot mix so I don't think it's necessary to grow those. Resisting the urge to build an entire forest on our deck will be hard, but very, very important to the mission. I have other much smaller homegrown projects that I have planned. One is making our own natural laundry detergent. I finally have the ingredients, now I just need to make it. Tonight I made a bottle of static guard spray because with the dryer weather we're getting zapped every time we sit on the couch or pet one of the cats. I also made two more spray bottles with a non-toxic, natural insecticide for the houseplants and one with liquid plant food. It's Miracle Grow for the time being, but once I get fresh compost (in several months) I'll make compost tea instead. I was doing pretty well with the plants until I decided to set them on the balcony and forgot to bring them in overnight and they got mighty chilly. When we got home today and brought in they we looking terrible. I might be down to two plants now: the emerald gem and the scheflera. I think the 3 pathos are done for, but it might come back. Who knows?

 pretty pathetic pathos :'(

 I suppose it's not really "natural" if it has fabric softener... but it is homemade.

-Sam