Category: Mind and Spirit
Spirituality, moods, feelings, and thinking free to live free.
Second annual Frugal March begins. Last March, I set a goal of spending no more than $500 all month. A couple unexpected expenses came up, which I cheated and put on credit. But not counting those, I slid in roughly at goal. Last summer, car payments entered the picture. They’re lowish as vehicle payments go, but … ugh. Between those and almost constant construction expenses, large or small, a $500 month seems long ago, far away, and downright impossible. I’ve been blessed by angels since then, though, and gotten through both car and construction with the help of friends. Now…
It’s been, I think, three weeks since I moved into the new bedroom. Going on a month, maybe. I love that room. I love it not only because it means the end to major structural work. Not only because the house is so much cozier now with all those airleaks filled (and there were many). I love it not only because it has that giant, accidental closet. Those are good, practical reasons. But there’s another dimension. I love it because it’s serene. It’s dark and quiet. I never hear my neighbor going to work at 3:45 in his big Dodge…
I sat down to draw something yesterday and found all my art muscles rusty. Once again. Early last year I was beginning to hit my stride and determined (with a lot of help from my friends) to keep up with drawing and painting this time. But I allowed a nine-month home-improvement binge to distract me. Yesterday, with big projects done and construction chaos cleared, I determined to sit down to the art table again. When I did, though, my work was stiff and clunky and my attitude worse. So. Help me out here, if you’re inclined. Point me to some…
I mentioned to a friend that I could do with a few days silent retreat. He came right back with a link to the St. Nilus Skete. And I said, “Um. Wow. But um. No freakin’ way!” A skete is a religious community midway between a monastery and a hermitage. Monks or nuns (nuns, in the case of St. Nilus), largely live and work solo, avoiding the communal perils of cenobitic life. But they gather for religious observances and meals to avoid the emotional and intellectual perils of pure solitude. Far as I know there are only a handful of…
It’s funny. You guys probably came here originally for lib-anarchism, Attitude, practical talk, and good rants. Maybe you stayed for Mad DIY construction projects. But this week I’m talking to you about stuffed sheepdogs and porch swings. Are you still here? Might as well get the porch swing out of the way, then go say something Meaningful afterward. I’ve been wanting a porch swing for years. Coveting a porch swing. But I thought I’d never get one. I couldn’t justify the cost of buying new. But I had very specific requirements — all having to do with the NorthWET climate.…