The news today on all major news networks is about Swine Flu and the cases confirmed in Mexico, Texas, California and now possibly Kansas.
This has some nastiness potential, but it seems all government agencies including the CDC and WHO are doing all the right things for social containment. World Health Organization has declared the Swine Flu Epidemic and International Public Health Emergency which gives them the personnel and resources to follow, track and support the local agencies.
For information on how to respond and recognize symptoms, review the sites above. Now is a good time to top off any over the counter medications to support a flu like illness and check expiration dates on medicines. Make sure you have current medications for diarrhea, fever reducing medication, and rehydration solutions. Have on hand Pedialyte or similar such as Gatorade diluted with water to support an illness of stomach flu symptoms. If you are out at the store, make sure you have some easy to store foods requiring little or no preparation such as soups, juices and teas.
Finally, make sure you keep good disinfectants on hand and remember to wash hands often, keep surfaces clean, and cough or sneeze into tissues that are disposed of properly. Watch your local news for updates and take the time to talk about Pandemic preparedness with your family since it is on the news anyway.
Follow recent events using these resources:
Use the HealthMap to track events for last 30 days.
Subscribe to the RSS feed for news from the World Health Organization.
We spent this past weekend in our soon-to-be home, a 35’ Class A motorhome. It seems fitting for an Earth Day post as we learned how small our impact and footprint will be on the environment. Here are some of the things we noted:
Storage and recycling becomes necessity with limited space. You can’t buy much and bring it home, since there is not an extra closet or space for storage.
Water consumption is lower, a 6 gallon water heater shortens the morning shower!
Grey water is separate and can be captured for use in a garden or for plants. We will be growing container vegetables and herbs.
Electricity is controlled by a 30 amp plug at the utility pole. If you have too many appliances on at once, you blow your circuit breaker.
Heating and cooling a smaller space is more efficient.
Natural air and ventilation help maintain climate control. We used open ventilation, screen doors, and fans much more to control buildup of humidity and condensation in the smaller space.
All of these things led to a much greater awareness of recycling trash (no room for a big kitchen garbage can), using items only as needed, and understanding the space and environment we were connected to. The outside and inside began to blur and we were much more connected all weekend. It wasn’t camping, we were quite comfortable. But it was full-time living with nature and raised our awareness of activities for our best interests.
We made our commitment in February and I think I realize new benefits and new challenges each week. You see, we are moving. To an RV, motorhome, motorcoach, Class A rig or tiny, tiny home on wheels. It goes by many names, but so far… .the best seems to be - small footprint.
The journey officially begins in May after we finish renovating our 1998 Fleetwood Bounder. We will move into our RV and live in it “full-timing.” Not necessarily traveling, but mostly parked at RV sites in our metro area. Weekends will be spent in town or at our land where we will work on developing a weekend getaway in the country.
After months of research and test drives, we purchased the RV last month from Best PreOwned RV and have started some basic updates and renovations. The 35’ gas powered RV has been mechanically checked and the onboard living appliances tested. We just replaced the carpet with new flooring, but didn’t quite get the chance to make sure the new wood was as earth friendly as possible before installation. It may come out someday and be recycled for something more sustainable, but we will work with what we have for now. We have ordered no V.O.C. paint from the helpful staff at www.newliving.net and are currently deciding on countertop and tankless water heater options. One of our goals is to decrease our footprint, be more earth friendly and responsible towards our self and our neighbors. So far, pretty good. Anticipation is building!
The biggest challenge is rightsizing, but we are finding it easier than expected. So far, quite a few large pieces of furniture have been placed in new homes through Craigslist and we continue to sort smaller items for upcoming garage sales and charitable donations. Some objects definitely hold memories attached, but letting some of those go for new adventures and travels seems like a fair trade when we wrestle with it a few days. The steadily reducing clutter is keeping us focused. Our new life will cause some choices, but we are looking forward to it and the lessons along the way.
How does this fit on the Ready Queen’s blog? We are planning on this providing us with options. Options to be more financially secure, live a responsible life, develop a second homesite outside of Houston for weather related emergencies and allow us to focus on simple living. Not the answer for everyone, but one we find is right and rightsized.
I am reading a great book about Rightsizing by Ciji Ware. The full title is “Rightsizing Your Life - Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most.” Like many people cautiously watching the economy, I am looking around at all the Things (Stuff) I have and trying to decide if I need it or not. It seems the answer is more often - not. But, how do I decide a logical vs. an emotional argument.
Next, when I realize I may not need something, how do I get rid of it? Most items won’t ever bring back the full monetary value needed to obtain them. Most of our possessions depreciate and are valuable only to us. So when we need to let go of them, through Craigslist, eBay or purely through a charitable donation, we can’t justify the loss of value. So, we keep our stuff. It is an emotional decision really. Logically, we typically spend more money paying for the interest on, repair of, or larger home to store the things we hardly ever use. Kind of a never ending cycle of work hard to get more things and keep the things we have.
If a decision is finally reached to let go of an item, then is it a donation or a possible financial gain? The real value may not come in the resale of the item, but in the reduced clutter, gained space and reduced cost of upkeep or storage. Inherent costs associated with an item continue to build while it’s value may decline. Selling at a loss, may be a perfectly acceptable gain for the long run. It’s also perfectly okay to keep sentimental things, but understanding the why and associated cost are important. One of the exercises I have found from another blog involves a suitcase test. If you could only pack one suitcase and had to leave everything behind, what would you take? Do you really need everything else? It is harsh, and not a good barometer for everyday living. But, the Suitcase Test does make you appreciate even more what you have and realize how much we don’t need some of our cherished items.
One of the tips I found embarrassingly effective from the book Rightsizing was to justify keeping unused items verbally. If you can say it out loud, and convince someone else why you need the expensive dress that no longer fits, then keep it. But in the verbalizing, you may find you can’t even convince yourself. If not, consider other options.
As most families and individuals are scaling back on their purchase of things, or may be considering Rightsizing to a more comfortable and attainable size of life, check out local resources to make your living space sized to your needs. It can be a slow process, but take one room, one closet, or even one drawer at a time and begin to value the things you really enjoy and need. Enjoy what you keep, and enjoy letting go of the rest.
An open Letter from Michael Pollan on the coming food crisis and why it may be one of the most important challenges for the next presidency. It has not been a topic of the current campaigns, but the newly elected president will decide important policy regarding our food supply.
Organic gardening and producing your own food is quite a new movement. The United States has become an importer of food. We now import more than we produce. The cost of this will eventually be passed on to the everyday consumer.
I am working on the small backyard and raised bed garden to help supplement my families food. We enjoy the local farmer’s markets and have decided we want a bit more control over what goes in our own bodies.
This video from the Dervaes family is amazing, they raise over 6,000 pounds of food a year on about 1/10th of an acre of land. Wow.
Hurricane Ike just off the coast of Texas. We lost power about 30 minutes after this screen photo, and are still without power ten days later. When power returns, what worked and what didn’t. The short answer is we are doing okay, no physical damage and only downed trees and limbs on the fence and yard. House is in good shape and we are learning very much about camping in our own modern house.
Good Morning America featured a story today on grocery buying clubs. Great concept over the big box stores. Families combine together to purchase in bulk, have it delivered (save on gas) and then distribute among themselves for greatest cost savings. This idea works great for long term staples, but they don’t provide fresh produce or vegetables.
