love,
jane + julia
we are blessed to have this loveliness right outside our door. october light, you get me every time!
love, jane + julia
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spend time…not money.
chase the moon explore nature take a long wandering walk stop at a new trailhead look at the bugs eat cookies outside ride bikes read under the trees…or in a tree stretch camp out in the backyard watch hawks soar eat lunch by the lake soak in the sunset play cards count butterflies tell your funniest stories go barefoot roast marshmallows turn up the tunes and dance wild breathe deeply live fully this post is one of a series originating here. did you watch the eclipse sunday night? we were amazed that we could actually see it happen so spectacularly on the super moon. i was also amazed that so many of our neighbors came out to see it as well! neighbors we'd never talked to before were united by a common sight. as i stood there in awe, i thought of how this moon could be seen around the world…from luxury hotels to refugee camps, people could look up and see the same thing we were seeing. the next morning, i found that these pictures from so many different vantage points echoed those thoughts from the night before. one earth with a common focus.
and then...this post brought me to the global goals and the challenge to work and pray…as one world standing together with one focus…rights and equality for all humans as citizens of one precious earth. here are the global goals:
here's my plan: use the global goals as a prayer list (i'm excited to have a reminder and focus) have conversations with my tribe and those outside of it pray together educate myself (global goals is full of great links) focus on each area and determine what action i can take to tackle it sounds like a lot of fun! love, jane rides on winding roads
windows rolled down grass in your hair bees buzzing shadows dancing tastes we dream of all year long love, j+j+j jane: sometimes there is a good reason for 3 of the same band's t-shirts…so the whole tribe can wear one at the same time…or because it's your favorite band of all time…in this case, both good reasons. :) jo: simple life makes for intensely wonderful experiences. dancing with twenty one pilots makes for a perfect night. we're happy to be alive.
what are you enjoying these days? love, jo + jane our adventure has come full circle, and we are back home again. we had a great time visiting, catching up, exploring, relaxing, and reading. i honestly did not miss a single thing the entire week (except maybe a bug-free environment). i wanted to make a few notes about how the "minimal" packing worked out, so here goes… essentials: we used every single thing on the essential list except for bandaids and umbrellas (phew!). i would definitely pack those again…just in case. we were expecting rain, but it never came. if you camp, you know how blessed that makes you feel! the mosquitos were ferocious in one camp spot…we all have plenty of itches to remember them by. clothing: i am so happy about how this worked out! i knew i could probably leave one dress at home, and that held true. i never wore my olive button-down shirt or the long sleeved t-shirt i packed at the last minute, being afraid of cold nights in the tent. i bought a zip-up sweatshirt, because i didn't have one…and i am happy that i did. if i had the same nine day trip to do again, this would be my clothing packing list: -caftan -black tee dress -grey light cardigan -constellation tank -olive shorts -black tee -light jeans -toms -flip-flops -athletic shoes + 2 pairs socks -leggings + long tank = pi's (the hood on the sweatshirt was great for keeping warm at night) -5 underwear + bra -swimsuit + hat -towel -zip-up sweatshirt -jacket food:
we were with family for the first half of the trip, so we ate with them. during the camping part of our trip, we ate out a couple times. we also went to grocery stores, buying just what we needed for that meal and buying some bananas for breakfast each supper time (to eat with the granola bars we brought from home). we didn't even use our towel/placemats. my mom couldn't believe we didn't have a can opener for the can she tried to pack for us. i didn't have the heart to tell her we didn't even pack silverware! :) we used our paring knife to cut shared sandwiches in half and also for vegetables. we only camped four nights, so this approach worked for us this time. i'm glad to know that there would have been room for my bin (i just wasn't sure, since we'd never taken this car camping before). we love finding local food along the way! it is cherry season, so we stopped and bought these cherries from the family that grew them. they were also selling the most delicious cherry ice-cream sandwiches ever! yum! one of the encouraging things we noticed were recycling bins in the campgrounds! we were able to save any recyclables and sort them out there. fantastic! and the prius? plenty of space- really. we didn't even have to pack that carefully. it was great to wake up that last morning in the tent, with a long drive ahead of us, and be gone in 20 minutes! i just have to say again that i didn't miss a thing! we were truly four happy campers! wishing you happy trails, jane my usual system for eating on the road involves a plastic bin packed with 4 enamel bowls, 4 spoons, 4 forks, dishcloth, kitchen towel, dish soap, knife with cover, small cutting board, can opener, salt + pepper, and a few zip locks…in addition to all the small items that we are taking (like clothesline and pins, flashlight, bugspray, sunscreen, itch cream, bandaids, meds., lighter, wipes, shower gel/shampoo, and toothpaste). it all fits in that one bin. the great thing about the bin is that it holds everything together, but when we need to wash our dishes…we remove the stuff and use the bin to wash dishes in. we also have a very small cooler that we've taken in the past.
this year we have a smaller vehicle, so i'm trying to streamline as much as i possibly can in the hopes that we can fit what we really need! the bin isn't coming this time. my strategy for this year's system is to use a couple kitchen towels to eat off of…like furoshiki placemats. we don't really like to have to do dishes on the road, so avoild them if possible anyway. we won't be camping for too long, so i think we'll be able to just eat things that don't need utensils or real plates. it can be annoying to keep a cooler stocked with ice anyway, so we'll do without that also. we'll probably shop each day to keep things from spoiling. here are the type of meals i see us eating: breakfast: granola bar + fruit lunch: bread + cheese + cucumber or red pepper or salami + fruit treat: ice cream supper: same as lunch or hotdogs + chips + s'mores other add-ins: bulk items we find along the way, cookies, nuts, carrots + lots of water in our water bottles + coffee will be necessary for one of us daily :) + we will probably eat out a couple of times i'll let you know how it all works out! love, jane our tribe is getting ready to go camping in a prius. i've written about packing our essential camping items, and now i'm thinking about personal packing. in order to keep our packed items as compact as possible, we are packing our clothing and personal items in baggu bags. i will pack a couple extra empty bags…one for dirty laundry and one for groceries. as items switch bags, the bags expand and compress to fit exactly what is inside. here is what i plan to pack: caftan black tank dress black tee dress grey cardigan olive button down constellation tank black tee olive shorts light jeans flip-flops, toms, athletic shoes, socks x2 hat, swimsuit (we are going to the beach!) microfiber towel underwear 1 jacket/coat (it's going to be in the 50s F at night) pi's: leggings + tunic tank (+ long underwear)(+ all of the above layers)(+ maybe a wool hat- there may be a story about me tying my hair under my chin to keep my ears warmer) toothbrush, razor, conditioner, comb, deoderant, tiny hairspray?, hair-ties, bobbypins water bottle camera + charger (with a roomy memory card) phone + charger 1-2 book(s) + notebook, pen (no computers!) i'm excited about only taking 11 main pieces for the 9 days we will be gone! i drew out my outfits, especially for the days that i wanted to look a bit better when seeing family and friends. that made me feel like i'd have enough and be happy wearing what i have in those situations. my eleven main pieces include: 3 dresses (that also look cute with jeans), 2 layers, 2 tops, a pair of shorts, jeans, toms and flip flops. i could probably do with less.
i usually plan to do laundry on longer trips, since this allows us to take half the amount of clothing. last year, we stayed at a airbnb where they offered to take our laundry to a laundromat. we left it out in a bag in the morning…and there was a bag of folded, clean laundry when we returned that evening. it saved us from spending one of our days in the laundromat. this year, i think we'll be ok without doing laundry. camping in durango, co last summer was cold! we ended up buying winter coats at the rei scratch and dent sale in los angeles and wearing them in our sleeping bags in big sur and yosemite. this year, we are going to try to be a bit more prepared. my minimalist side does not like to use up so much packing space on coats, but it is necessary! we bought a stuff sack to put our coats in…to compress them as much as possible. i hope it all fits!! love, jane trips have been the catalyst for many a minimalist transformation. the realization that one can be comfortable and happy with nothing more than what fits into a backpack is incredibly liberating and mind expanding. i am hoping to apply this principle in reverse as we prepare for four nights of camping…with our family of four…in a prius (after spending a few nights with family). last year's camping trip was done in our now defunct 1999 honda-crv which was not huge but had more space to pack than this car.
first, i have to be sure that the camping supplies fit. we need our tent, air mattresses and sleeping bags. this is the first round of "necessities"…sleeping, eating and a few comfort items. tent, tarp, rug tiny broom and dust pan (same one we use in the house) garbage bag (to put the tent and tarp in, if we have to pack it up wet) 2 air mattresses (with pumps charged) 4 sleeping bags 4 small pillows 4 small chairs beach sheet (full size sheet) (doubles as table cloth) clothesline + 10 clothespins flashlight (with new batteries) bug spray, sunscreen, itch cream bandaids, neosporin-to-go matches (in waterproof container) marshmallow sticks wipes?? (we have some left-over from babysitting) advil, allergy pills toothpaste, shower gel/shampoo in one (shared by everyone) a couple old kitchen towels (to eat off of) knife with cover frisbee, card game(s)?? umbrellas things we are not taking this time, but did on our last trip (in this category): plastic bin 4 enamel bowls 4 spoons, 4 forks (our regular ones from home) washcloth, dish towel, dish soap small cutting board salt + pepper can opener a few ziploc bags small cooler laundry detergent personal packing list is up next. it always gives us a sort of embarrassed/proud laugh to wedge ourselves in between the huge rv's with our humble accommodations. i'm so glad to not have the burden of taking care of all that equipment and to not have to pay for the gas to haul those beasts around…that feels great until it starts to rain or the temperatures dip below 50 degrees…but, oh well, we are camping! :) love, jane the point of sharing this idea here was to inspire you to make your own summer fun. for parents: older kids might need a few different ideas, although the beach, pool and sprinkler don't have age limits. this can be a great way to get a taste of what they are listening to at the moment, and you get to share what makes you dance too.
have everyone in your tribe- be that family and/or friends- make their own playlist, or compile them into one big festival playlist. then settle in with some special treats and enjoy your homemade festival with bare feet and a couch. if you'd like a listen to our tribe festival, you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjZqI2hQqsbpZMO0yT4wFHh0mYPiVt0Q6 the planning and the final event were laid-back fun. we plan on doing another in july with a little bit different vibe. it will be fun to look back at these and see what we were into at this point in time. what are you doing for summer fun? love, j + j + j |
on a journey toward zero-waste, simplicity, + compassion :: daring to choose fair one choice at a time
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