outside my comfort zone

First things first. Thank you to all my readers, friends and random folk alike. Able-Bodied Boy (aka Manuel) has passed along all your encouragement and love, and I was shocked to hear so many random acquaintances and friends of friends of friends have been following along. Glad to see the blog has reached outside it's own "comfort zone"... certainly not a bad thing :) Thank you. Your kind words mean so much, and hearing how it's inspired you to try new things and act a little more sustainably makes me that much more eager to share my own journey.

And that leads to a couple of weekends ago. You know, that very weekend when you may have been talking about me around a fire with Able-Bodied Boy? Well, I was way outside my comfort zone.

I was getting sweaty out in the heat, growing things.

I may have mentioned my loathing of all things hot and humid.  And my lack of a green thumb. So yeah, combine those two and it made for an interesting weekend.

April is a great month for pruning and mulching and planting. Which is why I did it in mid-May. Yeah, procrastination abounds in my world. But at least I bought a mess of bulbs and tubers, planned a new garden or two, ordered a ton of mulch, and promptly watch Able-Bodied Boy drive away leaving me to do it all. HA! That's what I get... :)

So, in true Able-Bodied fashion, I forgot some of the BEFORE pictures. So you'll just have to imagine a jungle with trees. Literally. A jungle. With TREES. For any garden lacking a before shot.

AFTER: The Front Bushes. These two bushes were man-high and making the front walk nearly impassable. The bushes lost 60% of their weight, and all the weeds and trees in the rest of the bed were replaced by mulch.

The goodies from Van Bourgondien. I love they include a Garden Guide that tells you how/when to plant and care for all of the plants they sell.

BEFORE: The Mini Garden. Now housing weeds and the panels from an old fire pit.

MIDPOINT: The Mini Garden. Weeded! Pretty soon we will build a raised bed for some Cote d'Azur Pinks.

BEFORE: The Back Garden. All weeds and vines and wretchedness.

MID-POINT: The Back Garden. I tilled the clay-bound soil for an hour. Yay no more weeds!

AFTER: The Back Garden. I planted Windflowers and mulched the bed. Later, gas lines were being installed and they dug up half the bed :(

Random hanging basket and my spider plants recovering from a winter of abuse.

AFTER: The Lily Garden. Weeded and mulched!

AFTER: The Bulb Garden. Weeded, mulched and Periwinkle roots planted

And the best for last.... the blackberries are berrying!!! We should have a FABULOUS crop of them starting in July.

Some of the thousands of blackberries :)

What do you have growing?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

have you been counting?

This officially marks the 100th post of Able-Bodied Girl, and I couldn't have made it this far without your support and readership.

Thanks for being there through funny times, and serious times...  Through weight loss struggles and triumphs... For being interested in worms, and chickens, and tolerating all the personal hygiene tales...

Thanks for taking an interest in the Urban Homesteading movement...

And for trying those Roasted Thai Lamb Shanks (YUM!)...

Thanks go to Jill of Lost and Not Found for writing a love letter to us all...

And to the cast of characters in my life: Able-Bodied Boy, the Able-Bodied Family, the Barnhenge's, Purple Monkey, Beth - Girl Explorer, and countless commenters who have amused and supported me.

In the coming year, I hope you'll join me as I expand the Clean Hippie list and continue trying to be a better me (and lose those 30 damn pounds!).

And so you don't get bored, you may note I've changed up the design a bit. Everyone needs a bit of change now and then, eh?


Any changes or topics you'd like me to tackle?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

happy. new. year.

Well, I finally have time to post, seeing as I stuck in the hospital, recovering from an apondectomy on New Years Eve.

Anyway, stellar end to 2011, here in a hospital bed at 4:30am. The thing is though, I'm not sad or upset about it. Granted, it was a little hard sending Able-Bodied Boy off to the big party of friends (I told him to), but overall, I'm happy, and it has been a great year.

2010 was the suck of suck. I won't explain why, but I have alluded to big changes that took place that made me believe that 2011 would be great, and it has been. In a lot of way, but mainly it's been great in my head, heart, and spirit. My level of gratitude on an immediate basis has gone skyhigh, and it's been lovely to watch my personal growth this year, mostly in my headspace.

With your encouragement, I blogged. It helped me expend creative juices, reviving my love of creative writing. It also gave me an outlet to express and codify and clarify many of the beliefs I have about motivation, choices, and our relationships with our selves, loved ones, and world around us. That has been huge for me, and I appreciate all the kind words and feedback about the things I've had to say. I know my blogging rate slowed down, but you all stayed around and that encourages me to continue in 2012.

I have also had an amazing year at work. I don't often speak of my employer, for obvious public-blog-legal-issues reasons, but I have to say that I love my workplace. Lots of changes to my immediate work group this year, including my own position/promotion, and any kinks in the changes have seemed to work themselves out. My employer has afforded me a ton of professional growth this year, and I am extremely grateful for that and the overall wonderful treatment of their employees. The commute still sucks, but that's not their fault :)

My relationship with my family continues to grow stronger. It's amazing how we get over those tumultuous early years of teenage drama and sibling rivalry. My sister-in-law mentioned that she couldnt imagine Able-Bodied Brother and I not getting along. On one hand, OOOHHH the stories... on the other hand, he is truly one of my favorite people on the planet and I'm starting to tear up here thinking about how cool he is and how fun it is to, every time we get together, bond more and more. Gah he's awesome!
Same with my parents. Dad and I were always close, but that relationship is more and more tangible every time I see him or speak to him. And after fighting it most of my teenage years, I am finally grateful for all of the ways in which I am my mother's daughter (Reppucci, you bastard!). I am so happy to see them fulfilled and loving their retired life - though I ought to call it semi-retired since they both now have jobs and are far busier than ever!

Able-Bodied Boy treats me like a queen and I ask myself every day what I ever did in my life to deserve his love and devotion. Our opposing perspectives on just about everything had been something I struggled with but have seriously begun to embrace and value. He has taught me so much about patience and acceptance, and has truly made me a better human being.

One of the awesomest things to happen this year has been new friends. My skydiving buddies from last year, who were virtual strangers at the time - having only met them once at a comping event - have turned out to be the most supportive girlfriends and I am so grateful to have found people I can relate to. Able-Bodied Boy and I have also become friends with our neighbors! Seriously, the walk-down-the-street-for-dinner sort of thing. The drop-by-and-check-on-my-animals thing. The I-don't-hate-living-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-quite-as-much thing. It has been an amzing few months getting to know them and Able-Bodied Boy and I look forward to that growing relationship. Neighbor-friends... amazing!

So, what shall the New Year bring? Well, for one, it better bring me some damn solid foods soon! I don't thing I'm going to have resolutions, per se. The 30lb goal was, well, too high a bar and, while I think I did pretty well at most of it, I know I'm far less ambitious that I wish I was.
>>More food preservation. Always a struggle due to Able-Bodied Boy's 3-week departure mid-summer, but he has some things he wants and we WILL work together for all of our canning goals (right dear??).
>>More cycling. Finding the in-the-moment motivation to get into the cycling clothes and on the road is sometimes tough, but man, I do love getting out there. As long as no one plans to get married that weekend, I'm definitely trying for the 75m Bike To The Bay this year, maybe even the 100m. No clue how many miles I put in last year, but I think I'll track this year and see if I can reach the 1000 mile mark.
>>More organization. I can be very type-A, and I can find plenty of outlets for that in the home.
>>More friends. I can't wait to spend more time with friends, new and old, this year. Especially if they agree to play some of the fun games Boy got me for my birthday and Christmas this year :)

And here's what I'm looking forward to in 2012...
>>More sushi days! January is booked. February guest list is being finalized. And I'm hoping to lure more friends that we don't see often enough with my fabulous sushi. (Sounds like a blog post to me:))
>>Bridesmaid! My dear childhood friend is getting married, and I've been honored to be asked to be in her wedding party. We met in first grade as neighbors, have kept in touch ever since, and now enjoy annual camping trips together with our significant others. Can't wait to spend her day with her in the Poconos!
>>Work! Ok, I know that sounds wierd. But I have so many exciting (self-imposed) goals for myself in 2012, and I just can't wait to get to it all!
>>Blogging! I think I need to schedule it into my week, which is pretty feasible. I just need to git'er'dun. So much more I want to share with you!
>>Solid foods! For the love of god, I'm starving....

What are you looking forward to this year? What made 2011 good/bad and what would you like to see change?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

more news briefs: added reader convenience and the weigh in

Me again, with brief bullet points, again...

If you turn your attention to the right-hand column there ------------->
you'll see "Emailable" with a text box and Submit button. Enter your email address and receive a notification of new posts! Infinitely more convenient that catching my FB/GTalk links, if that's how you've been keeping up. I'll be moving the box down below after a few weeks, so sign up now before you forget! Blogger's summary:

The Follow by Email gadget provides blog authors a simple way for their readers to subscribe to the latest hot-off-the-press updates, which are delivered directly to the reader’s inbox. When new blog content is published, all subscribed readers will receive a daily email notification of the new published posts, which includes a copy of the new content as well as links back to the actual posts.

Also, I did my weigh-in this morning and alannariva was right... I shouldn't have been such a Debbie downer.  I have lost 2 pounds since the last weigh-in!!! Go me!

Posts of substance will be coming soon, I promise :)


Did you sign up for email notifications yet?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl



ps. how about now?

  

making sustainable choices a bit easier

Let me face it, I am not a leader. I am very solidly a supporter, a follower, a hop-on-the-bandwagon sort of girl. That's not to say that I'm mindless about it. But when I set my sights on something that I believe or want to accomplish, I don't do so of an independent mind. I want others to guide my way. Maybe it's fear of failure, or I could very well be mindless and not know it :)

But I do know that life is better knowing that there are others like me out there, and goals are easier to accomplish when you follow the beaten path of knowledge and advice.

So why did I try giving up shampoo? Why do I use aloe? Why do I can foods, prefer homemade bread, dream of having chickens, turn down the heat in the winter, use a cup of water while brushing my teeth, compost with worms, try to use baking soda and vinegar instead of chemicals? Why didn't those choices feel like a great leap of faith into the unknown world of sustainable living?

I do because I read about these things all the time. My Google Reader is full of Crunchy Chickens and Chile Chews and Cage Free Family and a ton of other blogs that don't start with C. I read daily about their lives, their choices, and how it all works together. I have a few friends who live in sustainable ways, and I see it being done, taste the fruits of their labors. It is not an unknown world. It is as familiar as your mother's kitchen.

And it all becomes the norm. The way things can be. Or should be. Or will be when we have the opportunity.

I have no green thumb, as I'm sure I've mentioned. But I read their posts and have conversations about seed collecting and seed growing and transplanting and cold frames and greenhouses and harvests and pests and fertilizer and compost and plant food... and I start to get a better sense of the process. And maybe I kill a few less plants because of it. Or I ask my dumb questions. Or I try a simple project based on something someone else did, or linked to.

That being said, here's a bit of a blog roll for you, in case the sustainable concepts I talk about appeal to you, but you don't know where to start. Just read. Not religiously. Not mindlessly. Not every word of every post. But maybe something here or there will seem feasible, or will catch your eye, or you'll just hear so much about it that you can't dream of life any other way...


MOSTLY ENGAGING: Blogs like these are great, because you can decide based on the subject if it's relevant/interesting to you. And if it is, you're sure to learn something!  Lots of tips, recipes, and information summaries in an engaging format.
One Green Generation: Melinda's got a great thing going here, with tips, reviews, and giveaways. Very informative!
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-Op: About a dozen bloggers whose co-op blog provides tips, insights and resources for the budding homesteader.
Crunchy Chicken: Live Crunchy. Love Crunchy. She is the mother hen. Living an urban homestead life, finishing a book on toxins, and giving away all sorts of fabulous stuff. She's just awesome.
The Green Phone Booth: Another co-op blog with information and commentary on green living. A nice mix of topics and types of posts.
Living the Frugal Life: Kate provides a fabulous mix of window-into-the-life and recipes and tips and reviews, AND she lives in my region of the world!
Rowdy Kittens: A simple living blog. Mostly tips-based.
The Greenists: A green-living tips blog. Giveaways too!
Tiny Choices: Mostly tips, but also has some interesting essays and "Eco-News Friday" news summaries.
Toward Sustainability: Julie's blog, straight from Australia, about trying to leave a better planet for her kids. Gardening and choices in consumerism. In both the Engaging and Windows sections.
Two Frog Home: A window-into-the-life of Kathie's simplicity: gardening and canning and the like. Also with recipes, a Friday summary of good things she's read, and some giveaways. In both the Engaging and Windows sections.


MOSTLY ESSAYS/COMMENTARY/RANTS: These types of blogs give you the "why" of what makes all this relevant. Some get a little long/tedious, others are more engaging, but all will give you a bit more voice for your own thoughts.
Arduous Blog: Ruchi's commentary on living an "eco-balanced life".
My Plastic Free Life *formerly known as Fake Plastic Fish: I haven't quite wrapped my brain around how to live a plastic free life, but Beth's got a lot to say about it and I read for those pearly tips that may help me make a step in that direction.
Green Couple: They don't post very often, but they mostly post on energy reduction in their lives and similar topics.
Surviving the Middle Class Crash: Barbara's premise and politics are quite a bit beyond what I am ready to believe, but her tips and information are very useful so I politely ignore the apocalyptic depression stuff.

The Chatelaine's Keys and Casaubon's Book: Sharon's two blogs are quite well-known in the eco-blogging world. Keys is going to give you a bit more practical stuff, while Book is a bit more global/political. In either case, the posts get a bit long. Tough to read at times, but there are gems in there - especially when she gets funny :)

Little Blog in the Big Woods: A grandfather's ranting from off-grid life. Pretty interesting stuff :)

Powering Down: Aaron's politics are also a bit beyond what I believe, but he's got some great information and advice. His recent neighborhood farming post really struck me as amazing.

MOSTLY WINDOWS-INTO-THE-LIFE: Most of these blogs are just homesteaders writing on whatever is relevant at the moment. The thoughts aren't always organized, but it gives you a sense of the choices and challenges that go along with their lifestyle.
Chile Chews: Chile is a homesteader in Arizona, experienced in off-grid living, but currently living on the grid. She's probably five steps ahead of me on a homesteading-knowledge scale of 0-5.
New to Farm Life: Just my sort of fairy tale: they gave it all up for farm life. They haz goats!
Frugal Homesteads...Not Just For Hippies Anymore: Another family homestead, posting about daily life. Mostly a window-into-the-life, but lots of great tips and insights in there. Recipes too!
Adventures in Urban Sustainability: Australian-based, mostly a window-into-the-life but some great insights and showcases of the lifestyle.
My Fair Share: Brian lives in Australia and is part of the Fair Share International group. Interesting to see how he integrates their goals into his life.
Throwback at Trapper Creek: A window-into-the-life with recipes and photos galore. Which is sometimes bad because she has Australian Shepherds and I want to steal them :)
Two Frog Home: A window-into-the-life of Kathie's simplicity: gardening and canning and the like. Also with recipes, a Friday summary of good things she's read, and some giveaways. In both the Engaging and Windows sections.
Toward Sustainability: Julie's blog, straight from Australia, about trying to leave a better planet for her kids. Gardening and choices in consumerism. In both the Engaging and Windows sections.


OTHER:
Farm to Philly: A lot of great news and event information about classes and projects going on in the Philadelphia area. It's how we learned about the PASA chicken class. And they have a lot of great links to locally-grown food sources, if you live in the area.
Cage Free Family: Follow along as this wonderful little family lives their dreams and gets down to the things that really matter.
Contemplating Change: Willow lives in southern England, has a beautiful garden, and posts the most peaceful nature photos. It's a nice change of pace from some of the other blogs.




What else do you recommend in the eco- simple- homestead- garden- living blogosphere?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

i wanna be an urban homesteader!

It's Urban Homesteaders Blog like a Pirate Day!! If you haven't heard about this issue, read Crunchy Chicken's post (and the comments, which tell more of the story) about the Dervaes family trademarking the widely-used term Urban Homesteading. I am constantly reading the blogs of urban homesteaders and I am in awe of all they do. In honor of the day and in taking up the issue with my heroes, I'm reposting my i wanna be a farmer post with some Urban Homesteading changes/twists!

Do you have one of those completely unrealistic visions for yourself? A dream beyond dreams that seems so easy and yet completely unattainable?

I want to be an Urban Homesteader. Hiding the smell of manure, sweating in the garden, finding attractive rain barrels, worrying about city regulations while trying to raise chickens, fighting with the neighbors, making due. Oh it's all so romantic in my mind.

I read about it. Daily. A myriad of bloggers. I regularly read gardening and farming and urban homesteading books. I research composting and starting seeds and naturally taking care of pests and plant diseases and how-tos for everything under the farmers sun and moon. And all I've concluded is that I need some hands-on instruction. Live-in instruction, really, over the course of many many seasons. And a lot more time.

I think I could live very happily on an Urban Homestead, in the midst of all the culture and excitement of a city while coming home to fresh eggs and garden. Ha! Not at all realistic, but that's what dreams are for, eh?

I read Chile Chews and Casaubon's Book and Adventures in Urban Sustainability and APLS and arduous blog and Cage Free Family and Community for a Sustainable Future and Contemplating Change and Living the Frugal Life and The Green Phone Booth and Throwback at Trapper Creek and Tiny Choices and Towards Sustainability and Two Frog Home and so many other blogs that inspire me to want to do all these things, and show me that it is indeed possible.

Maybe one day, slowly but surely, I'll find a happy medium between my black thumb in the rural farmland and the vibrancy of a rural life surrounded by city life. But the progress is so slow, if at all, that I think this might just have to stay in the 'dream' category.

Are you an Urban Homesteader?

Much Love,

Able-Bodied Girl