7/22/2016 0 Comments Be Brave, Live on the MoonRalph and I have over the years accumulated and accumulated stuff. Ok not Ralph, that was all me. My wonderful husband wants us to live more simply. I'm getting on board in my mind, but have a ways to go. Right now now we live in a five bedroom house with three dogs, three living rooms and a library. I like stuff and lots of space to put all my stuff. Our stuff. I meant our stuff. Ralph would like to see us get down to essentials only. I do too, but as a classic collector, I haven't had the courage yet to follow through with actions. I'm getting better in only buying things that we use up for example:
Just now realizing that I'll be in for a wild year of transition. Ralph calls 2016 my purge year (of a three year cycle). In 2013, we moved into a two bedroom condo from a five bedroom house and boy did I purge. Somehow though while in the condo we acquired five bedrooms worth of stuff because when we moved into our new house it was instantly full. Like full. We've had to sell couches. I like to think I'm just a master Tetris player. Ralph disagrees and calls me a hoarder. Note: Art is not included in these future life altering changes, collecting art is as necessary as oxygen. Can't wait for you to see my birthday present. I buy the art as a birthday gift to me and Ralph gets it framed as his gift. Christmas, we buy ourselves one gift and each other a book. Works well for us and I'm now noting it keeps the clutter down. Earlier I was reading a blog calls A Small Life where Melonie and her husband George are living full time in an airstream. He is an artist so they have an area for him to work and a great nook for her as well. Check it out and tell me you aren't inspired to life small too! Now keep in mind that pinterest and cool blogs are like black holes and you think you can do that no problem. Pinterest fails are a rampant problem and I'm thinking that a transition to tiny living is a lot harder than it looks. Despite that understanding and clear mindedness, Ralph and I have been talking for awhile about what our plans will be when he retires and what type of lifestyle we want. He is a roamer while I'm a home body I like having a space that is mine. With those two key personality characteristics what would work best for us? A totally rocked out airstream! Cue: Moonage Daydream by Bowie. If you don't know the song stop everything you are doing (even reading this) and hit play below. You are welcome.
Back to living simply in an airstream. Ralph is more than handy, he can fix, build or modify anything. Probably why he makes a living building highly complex things like hydrogen plants. No idea what a hydrogen plant is. When he first told me what he was working on (back in 2011) I thought he meant a helium plant and had a good chuckle thinking about all those oilsands workers talking in super high voices all day long. Whoa sidetrack. I think buying an airstream would be awesome! They are so spacey and sleek and would force me to identify the true essentials. None of this is solidified by the way. Ralph has yet to agree. Wish me luck! I'll play Moonage Dream while I make the pitch. Who can say no to Bowie?!?
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7/15/2016 0 Comments Post-Disaster EvernoteSince the wildfire, I made some monumental changes, I switched from Google Drive to Evernote and I bought a mac (still figuring that one out though)! I love that you can use evernote on every device and that it is seamless. Hubby and I are connected at all times, especially when it comes to the grocery list. Heaven forbid we forget coffee! In addition, Evernote and Scannable have made our insurance claims easy, as we were able to scan every receipt, better yet... the scans are searchable! SAY WHAT?!?! I've been scanning every day (no joke - this is an obsession), went through my entire filing system (which took up every nook and cranny of my jumbo size luggage) that I took with me on my evacuation. Little did I know that I could scan everything and it would be searchable!!! SEARCHABLE! I've brought my paper copies down to absolute necessaries that fit in the smallest of file folders! There are things that just aren't legally binding when scanned, like birth certificates or passports. I'm waiting for the day when we all just have our identities and credit cards embedded in our skin. Then I wouldn't have the opportunity to lose them. As well, my minima-list (home inventory) which was on my google drive is now cross referenced with photos, videos and barcodes of all our appliances and electronics. Got a great tip from the Insurance Bureau of Canada folks - take a video of every room of your house on a regular basis. I wouldn't think to do that at all. Only reason I had a home inventory was because I got on a minimalism kick and wanted to make sure I had less than 100 items of clothes and that I actually knew what was in my kitchen. I also wanted Ralph to understand that while we love Quinn, we don't need to keep every pair of hockey socks he has ever worn. That is hoarding and really gross. |
About me
I grew up in Athabasca, AB and have spent the majority of my life in Northern Alberta or Montreal, PQ. My husband has been in Fort McMurray since the 70s and continues to love this town and all that it has to offer. We are avid outdoor enthusiasts, spending our summer weekends quadding and camping. As Opimian members we thoroughly enjoy wine pairings and tastings and are working on our wine collection. Ralph is a carpenter by trade and has framed more houses in Fort McMurray than I could count and knows the city inside and out. I work all throughout the region from the NWT to Janvier for the tribal council. My passion is doodling and photography which is featured throughout the website (various mediums), writing, Indigenous studies, and learning in general. Categories |