Our washing machine is out of commission again. I'm washing things by hand + taking advantage of the dry heat to dry our dripping clothing outside. I'm only two days in, but I'm choosing to enjoy the laundry in its altered state for the time being. This task comes with a little space to think + here are a few of the thoughts that have surfaced:

• keeping up with this task is more important than ever + having less clothing to begin with prompts washing more regularly which keeps the pile (+ the task) from getting to large + overwhelming
• choose to wear clothing that will serve me through all the tasks of the day + night, since I'd like to wash as little as possible
• what can I wear more than once even on these hot days?
• the merits of certain fabrics: linen can be shaken out + worn again..it dries faster too
• seeing how much water it takes...how many times can I reuse this water? 
• the electricity used as opposed to time spent with my thoughts
• each person can do their own laundry (+ connect with all of the above too)  :) (I usually combine everyone's clothing, because it helps me have full loads often enough.)

We considered just purchasing a new washing machine (since we've already had to have this one fixed three times in ten years), but we're going to try to have it fixed again before giving up the ghost. Our space is not big enough for any conventional washer now available(!), so concessions will have to be made when we do purchase a new machine. We will have to go with one of three options:

• a more expensive, European machine
• a smaller capacity stackable set
• doing away the dryer 

We only use the dryer for towels + sheets, and we now have towels that might hang dry well enough. We only have one set of sheets for each bed, so they do need to dry in between sleeps. If it's only sheets that require a dryer, maybe going without a dryer is more of an option now than ever. The house I grew up in had clotheslines strung back and forth across an entire room in the basement...hmm...

I appreciate having a mindset that allows me to feel that there are options, when confronted with decisions like these. I appreciate feeling that there is space to learn from not having things I have come to see as "necessary". It's nice to be reminded that I don't need to wait to experiment either. I can experiment without waiting until something breaks. I could experiment with not using the car for a weekend...not using instagram for a month...or not complaining for a day. These limitations can actually expand possibility... weird isn't it?  :)

Love,
Jane

I have an infinite number of reasons to be happy

We're inching toward a little kitchen shake up around here, and I'm thinking through ways to reorganize what we have into the space we will have. We're letting some cupboards go in favor of wide open spaces + light. I'm not worried about having too little space, but I am having to rethink some things.

A few things I'm shaking up ::

• kitchen items only :: paperwork + art supplies + tools are moving to other parts of the house...at least for now. I have kept a small drawer each of paperwork + art supplies and a small bin of tools that I use often closer at hand in the kitchen. At the moment, I'm thinking of keeping exclusively food related things in the kitchen which opens up some space taken up by other things.
• a whole drawer for empty jars :: I've always dreamed of it.  :) We cycle through jars that hold all sorts of things like produce, pantry items, leftovers, cold brew, sun tea, home made pickles + salsa. This drawer can keep plenty of jars at the ready.
• utilizing the drawer under the oven :: For some reason, this drawer always freaked me out a little. I know that it is a broiler on some ovens, and I just never knew if it was going to wreck things stored there. I finally did a little research on the exact oven I have + gained some shelf space by storing my skillet + baking sheets there.
• getting clear on a few systems :: this will help me know that I have enough storage, enough food + help with grocery shopping too (more to come on this one)

A few things I'm shaking out ::

• a big bag full of jars + lids :: My new method of putting up tomatoes freed up a bunch of jars. I'm going to take this to our CSA farm to see if the farmers, shareholders or some of the market vendors would like them. I'm resting in faith that I kept "enough".   :)
• paperwork :: We took this opportunity to sort through our paperwork once again + to recycle what is no longer needed (shredding what's necessary along the way).

​
Love,
Jane

Last year was a bit different. My time + focus were not so free for our garden, so I decided to be gentle with myself and not stress over tomato plants gone wild + tomatoes unpicked. When one of us picked a bowl full of tomatoes, I didn't process them like I had in years past (after we ate all we wanted). I rinsed them, threw them into a few freezer bags I've had for years + froze them. I wasn't sure they would be any good to eat, but it was the best I could do, and I simply wasn't going to feel guilty about any of it.

One cold day, when the time for fresh tomatoes had passed, I took some of those frozen tomatoes out of the freezer. I put them on a baking sheet with some sliced red onions + rolled them all in a bit of olive oil. They baked until they browned a bit + then we tossed them with pasta, parmesan cheese, salt + pepper flakes. They tasted so flavorful...like little caramelized orbs of sunshine + summer. I prized every single one of those frozen tomatoes...so glad I'd made the tiniest of efforts.

So...guess what? This is the way I am preserving tomatoes from now on. I cut the larger ones into pieces before throwing them into those same freezer bags. These tomatoes can be blended + made into pasta sauce, curry, soup, shepherd's pie, taco casserole or any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes...but I gotta say that the baking sheet method is my favorite way to eat them. Yippee! Simplicity!

Love,
Jane

P.S. Full disclosure: I whizzed this (pictured) gathering of goodness up in the blender with some onion, salt + a peeled lime to make the most delicious salsa (devoured immediately)! 

I'm not sure anyone else does this, but I find myself starting with the pants when thinking through my wardrobe. A few good pants just seem to allow the rest of a simple wardrobe to come together easily. I've been thinking about autumn, and I keep coming back to soft, faded jeans, white canvas pants + black jeans. 

The right cut, weight + fit of each of these pairs nicely with my preferred tees, oversized pullovers, button-ups + sweatshirts. I like monochromatic pairings + mixed pairings too. That allows for quite a few different outfits to emerge across the seasons with a few pieces.

In thinking of the season ahead, I've made everything an option. When I think of these tried + true combinations, however, it feels like a calming exhale. That's it. These pieces feel like me...still.

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
​Jane

Listening to :: these lovely words on wonder + curiosity

Reading :: these transporting words on "balled melon as a snack"

This week I noticed the hem on a pair of my shorts had come loose + frayed. As I bent down to pick up my shoes on the way out the door, my partner noticed my underwear peeking through a gash in the back of my jeans. The same day, as he put his shorts, he noticed that the crotch was torn out. 

Two weeks ago, I thought maybe I had gum on the bottom of my shoe + found that the tread had cracked + peeled away under the ball of my foot. This morning my partner noticed that the coffee press plunger was broken (again). 

This seemed like an odd pile up of things needing repair and attention all at once. I started thinking about faulty materials and design decisions...and while there may be some of that at play...in almost all of these cases, wear and tear is the main culprit. The jeans + shoes have been worn every day for a year and a half. His shorts were worn daily for most of the warmer days of the past year.

We didn't experience as much wear + tear in our wardrobes when we had more clothing. Things didn't get worn as often when we had more choice. When things did need repair, it was easier to let them go because we were probably tired of them + we had other things to wear instead. 

Today I mended my shorts + put them on to wear for the day. The jeans + his shorts are mended well enough to wear after work...and duct tape has held my shoes together well enough to wear for the past two weeks. 

I see all of this as part of my experiments with what is enough. I do like seeing my things through this part of their life span. It's a chance to push through some conventional thinking + see reality...to reimagine + experiment in different ways...to live into connection with people + planet...to shift + grow.
 
Love,
Jane

I love a good road trip...watching the sky + landscape change...taking turns choosing songs...stopping for the occasional gas station snack. There is time to daydream...imagine...think. It's amazing how much ground we can cover in one day...how much the climate can change...how different the grasses + trees + soils can be as we move from one part of this gorgeous country to another.

The world seems so much bigger + I feel so much more connected to all of it. 

Love,
​Jane