Browsing category: Simple Living

Where Did the Summer Months Go?

We’ve been busy. We spent several weeks cleaning up the incredible mess that the road crew left after their unwelcome tree-cutting and trimming rampage early this spring.

Sloshing Our Way Through Summer

We find ourselves with an unexpected problem this year.

Yes, We Do Know It’s There

If you’d been driving past our house at the right time last night, you could have almost reached out your car window and shaken hands… with the bear that was trampling down the tall stand of day lilies and ferns at the edge of the road.

What True Frugality Is… and What It Is Not

Have you ever noticed how many of the same people who are trying to promote a simple lifestyle make frugality into a negative concept…

The Apple Trees in Our Meadow… Heirloom or Wild?

There are apple trees in our meadow… fourteen large trees spaced out in a long uneven row that runs almost the entire length of the meadow. There were apple trees here when we bought this land, and I can remember picking apples from these trees when I was a child…

The Biggest Obstacle to a Simpler, Truly Fulfilling Life

“From your experience, what would you say is the biggest obstacle that people have to living a simpler, truly fulfilling life?” A reader asked me this question a few days ago, and I think my answer would have to be one word… “inertia…”

A Sitting Duck and a Noisy FedEx Delivery

We had a few minutes of minor excitement here yesterday morning when the FedEx delivery person bent down to leave a package, suddenly jumped back and screamed.

Except For Those Two Times When We Dug Up Something Else…

I am fairly certain that we have never dug a hole of any size here on this property without encountering at least one boulder-sized rock. It’s a given… we dig a hole, we dig up rocks. Except for those two times when we dug up something else…

Learning To Slow Down

The stress of always being in a hurry drains your spirit, distracts your mind, and prevents you from focusing on what is really important. It fools you into wasting time in areas that don’t reflect your values or your goals.

Hanging Bags of Water… Do They Really Keep Flies Away?

In a book I was reading recently, one of the main characters was hosting an outdoor party… and his preparations for this party included matter-of-factly filling clear plastic bags with water and hanging them from low tree branches.