Chickadee Heartsong

Watching the Chickadees flit about my backyard canopy makes my heart sing. Simple. Happy. Peaceful.

Random Thoughts & Observations

• Sometimes a messy linen closet and eating cereal for dinner mean a happy relationship. Sometimes they just mean a messy linen closet and a cold meal.

• This afternoon a friend convinced me to open a blind outside my corner cubicle to let in more natural light. Shortly after doing so I overheard this in the hallway: "Ya know, that's the first time I see that blind open", to which a second person replied "There is an outside!" I don't know why I never thought of doing that before.

• Jogging goal for this week: 3 x 1-2's (1 minute walking / 2 minutes jogging for a total of 20 minutes).

• Jogging status for this week: one jog down, two to go.

• I'm working on an assignment for which I need to extract essential information from a very detailed process and summarize it on a two-page pamphlet. Today it dawned on me that simplifying is like doing that with my life.

The Story of Stuff

Stuff. Nothing brings it to surface as does packing for a move. With each box I pack my stuff becomes more and more visible in the form of neatly stacked piles of labelled, numbered, inventoried boxes.

I stumbled upon this 20-minute video during one of my weekend blog surfing expeditions. Created by Annie Leonard, it's an overview of stuff from the extraction of raw materials needed to produce it, to its disposal. I found the video entertaining and enlightening.

Coincidentally, Leonard is featured in the Simple Living Network's January-February newsletter (The Story of Stuff). I thought both her works were worth sharing.

Rethinking My Workspace

Yesterday I moved into an office space at work that's smaller, darker and less private than the one I had before. Next week I'm moving into a home office that's about half the size of the one I have now. In both cases I need to simplify considerably just to make my space breathable and workable. It's hard to adjust.

Maybe it's the Universe's way of telling me it's time to switch my focus, nudging me in the right direction by forcing me to rethink and simplify my workspaces. Maybe it's time to cull the old and make room for the new, identify what's important for work and creativity and leave the rest. Or maybe I just have too much stuff.

Whatever it is, the thought of redefining it, although daunting, is refreshing.

Shreds of Life Past

shreds of life past

I've been doing some prep work for my February move to the new digs with D.. I spent the last two weeks sorting and shredding paperwork I've carried with me for way too many years. I dumped receipts from Christmas 2003, relegated bank statements from 1995 to the shred pile, and destroyed 121 ATM slips. It feels good.

Holiday Balance

What is it about the Holidays that makes me want to spend my savings on shiny, sparkly thingamabobs?

It's as if the simple, frugal living practices I strive to keep during the year go out the door as soon as that first red feathered wreath hits the shelf the day after Halloween. The sight of a frosted miniature tree gets me giddy as I picture how urban chic a set of three would look in front of my fireplace. And those replica vintage turquoise ornaments? Oh. My. God.

My Martha factor goes into overdrive at this time of year. It's usually in direct conflict with my voluntary simplicity principles and financial goals and it creates quite the internal conundrum that leaves me temporarily perturbed.

But then I find that balance. The one that keeps me grounded in a financial and material reality that leaves me happy and on track, but allows me to splurge on a special holiday something or two for the sheer pleasure of it.

So my strategy this year? To enjoy the Holiday giddiness but leave those thingamabobs on the shelf until the Holiday balance sets in.

Local Food = Fresh Food

Last night I washed potatoes that were so fresh I could still smell the earth from which they were harvested. I guess that's just one of the perks of buying my food from local sources. Lucky me. :)

Simplify, Simplify

"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify."
- Henry David Thoreau

I finally took the time to flip my calendar page to July and this quote greeted me. I've always been a fan of Thoreau.

Yesterday was a much needed restful, lazy day. I had no plans. I had intentions, but I let them go. D. and I spent a quiet day at his place planning our upcoming vacation and dreaming about the future. Then we ordered pizza, watched Psycho and took Cassie for a walk. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Frugal Fun in the City

It's been a while since my last post; I just didn't have it in me these past few weeks. But I'm back to tell you about some frugal fun happening in the city! If you're watching your pennies, check out these activities ...

NCC's Opera Under the Stars
I may be a bit too late for this one (June 30th is the last night), but it's still worth a mention. How often do you get a chance to enjoy opera with full orchestra for free? And if you've never given opera a try but are curious, what better price is there to experiment?

RCMP Musical Ride Sunset Ceremonies
Also a bit late for this one, but at least you've got two days to catch it. The show runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm tonight and tomorrow, Canada Day.

BOB FM's Movies on the Beach
This is fun. D. and I spent last night curled up under a blanket on the slopes of Westboro Beach, watching Jaws on a inflatable screen with the Ottawa River as a backdrop. It's the drive-in of yore enhanced by an incredible view. The next movie is scheduled for Friday July 13th - you can vote for your choice online. My vote goes to Psycho.

Centretown Movies
Another free movie festival, this time in the core of downtown. Movies are screened in Dundonald Park on Somerset, between Lyon and Bay. Movies coming up include Casablanca, Little Miss Sunshine and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

These are just a few activities I've come across during the past few weeks and they're all free. You can't any more frugal than that!

Ottawa Farmers' Market

In the spirit of exploring local food supplies, I decided to check out the Ottawa Farmers' Market last Sunday. Its Web site promises that "all goods sold by the vendors who participate are produced by those vendors." Works for me.

Armed with an empty daypack, a bottle of water and my camera, I set out on foot on what turned out to be a gorgeous morning and a fulfilling experience.

The market itself was lovely: stalls with fresh asparagus, greens & berries, golden honey, herbs, perennials and preserves. A horse-drawn wagon loaded with families made its way through the parking lot, pulled by what looked like a pair of Clydesdales. The icing on the cake? A man sitting in the middle of it all strumming his guitar, singing Murray McLauchlan's Farmer's Song - a song heard oh so many times in my household, where Dad used to strum & sing it every Sunday morning too.

Although some of the vendors I was hoping to see were absent, I found others. I'd gladly return. Next week I plan to explore Ottawa's Organic Farmers' Market, but that'll be another post.

The Ottawa Farmers' Market is held every Sunday at Lansdowne Park from 8:00am to 3:00pm.

Odds & Ends VI

I haven't been posting much lately. Since my return to work, I've been struggling to find a way to do all that I want to do during evenings and weekends. I'm not sure my expectations are realistic. But I digress ... this post isn't about lack, it's about abundance.

Even if my recent focus has been incorporating my return to work into my life, a lot of other things have been happening around me and I've taken note:

A Running Kudos
Congratulations to Sis and Bro-in-Law who were off to the races last weekend! Sis met her goal by running her first 5km race of the season under 30 minutes and Bro-in-Law performed another Personal Best at marathon #8 (I think - I've lost count) with a chip time of 3:25:19.5. You guys inspire and rock!

Mud Lake: A Nature Lover's Paradise
Sunday morning, D. and I spent over two and half hours exploring the wonders of Mud Lake / Britannia Bay Conservation Area, just east of Britannia beach. What a find! Not only did we spot over 10 types of birds, we saw turtles, an otter, catfish and a snake. Most of the time we couldn't even tell we were in the city. This place is truly a treat for the nature lover's soul.

Simple Living and the Environment
While reading Your Money Or Your Life, a classic book in Simple Living circles, it dawned on me that one of the by-products of Simple Living is often a newfound respect and care for the environment. Perhaps this type of education or rethinking of our lifestyles from the core would have a longer lasting effect than pushing environmental legislation through quickly because it seems to be the "in" thing to do - a way to gain political support? Hm. I'm still thinking this one through, more to come in another post.

Tulips, Tulips, Tulips
I'd forgotten how beautiful the tulips are along the Canal and Dow's Lake. Not only is the Canal flowing again, reminding us that summer is around the corner, the tulips are out in full force. I had the pleasure of walking among them on a gorgeous evening, their beauty enhanced by the experience of gabbing and giggling with a good friend. I highly recommend you do the same if you can.

Hope you enjoyed this version of Odds & Ends. 'Til the next one!