Container Gardening

I am so excited! I have tiny tomatoes growing! I am a successful container gardener!!

Flowers

I'm having a blast this spring and thought I'd share a couple pretty pictures.

This was taken at Zion National Park.

This one is from my parents' front yard.

I wish I had some pictures of the flowering trees I've seen around town. Just breath taking!

My Balcony Clothesline

I'm an apartment dweller and was recently aware of a huge con of this. No clothesline! And no where to put one. I'm stuck using the dryer (bad for the environment and my checking account) or hanging my wet duds from chairs. While I have done both methods, I was determined to have a clothesline. And when you put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything, right? Or perhaps when you have a father who is a genius at building things.

I do have a private balcony that would be perfect for drying clothes - if only I could construct something to hang them on. Originally, I visualized a balcony clothesline contrived out of PVC, but was steered towards reusing old lumber provided by my dear old dad.

I (with a lot help of my dad) constructed it in just one day. It works by clamping the railing of my balcony. No holes or screws drilled into any rented property!!

Check out the pictures and let me know what you think! 

There is a board on the other side that acts as a clamp.

And it's just high enough so that the screen door can open!

And now my clothes dry blissfully (and cheaply) in the warm sun. Life is good.

Life Changes

I'm embracing voluntary simplicity and going green!!

First, living simply. It all started with the book Affluenza. I read it once in high school and had the urge to read it again. The authors bring to light how shackled to consumerism Americans really are. How we buy, buy, buy and are still never happy or satisfied. After that, the dam broke loose.

I read all sorts of books on decluttering and living simply. It was like an addiction. I decluttered my apartment and vowed to live simply. Reading those books let me to other topics such as sustainability and earth-friendly living. I was hooked. There are so many books, articles and blogs about these topics! I devoured all I could. Currently, I'm reading Walden.

So, what steps have I taken?

• I decluttered. Big time. I went through my closet and gave away bags of clothes, make up, hair stuff and other miscellaneous stuff that we all seem to accumulate. Then I moved on to the kitchen. I sold some items on Craigslist and gave away what was left. Then I went through my desk and my files - I recycled a lot of old papers!!
• I bought organic food.  Not much, just apples and carrots, but it's a start!
• I built a balcony clothesline. When it gets warmer, I'm going to dry my clothes outside. I'm so excited for this because I never thought I could have a clothesline since I'm living in an apartment. 
• I read and journal more.  And I Facebook a lot less. I actually use a timer when I'm surfing the web. Seriously.
• I doubled my recycling efforts. I even considered making a compost bucket to recycle my food waste. But unfortunately, it turned out to be more work than it is worth. When I have my own yard, I'll definitely start my compost pile. 
• I am making a huge effort to eat less fast food.  One idea I've discovered that helps is writing out our weekly menu, then going grocery shopping for just what we need that week. This is only the second week and it has been wonderful. We have everything we need and we know what we're going to eat each night. Genius!
• I've started biking to work. It's four miles to work, eight miles round trip. I've only biked four days in the past couple weeks because the weather has been cold and/or rainy. But I'm looking forward to the warmer temps!
• I clean my hair naturally.  I use baking soda and water to wash and apple cider vinegar to condition. It's too soon for me to say how well it's working, but I'm optimistic. 

Okay, so these are some of the big things I've been doing. But really, it's a mental change too. Especially living simply. You can declutter and not buy more stuff but then what? You need to know what you are all about! I'm on my way; I'll keep you posted.