That's why it's called evolving...

So we bought our land--not exactly where we had planned--but, it fits us right now. (We've learned to live our lives with a less rigid long-term plan.) It's in the Midwest, but in a beautiful organic/progessive community that has more to offer than we ever hoped for.

The rain and water situation are plentiful (my husband's biggest concern). The land is perfect for off-grid living (passive solar, growing food, etc.) and the closs-knit community brings a sense of peace and a great deal of knowledge.

This came as a huge help when we got out of our car the 2nd weekend there and were swarmed by biting gnats!! They seemed oblivious to the all-natural, home-made bug spray that kept them at arms' distance last time. It was beyond annoying--torterous some might say. Luckily, the perrenial friendly and knowledgeable staff at the local co-op had just the remedy--vanilla extract! Yep-we slathered that cookie-dough smell all over & it worked!! Not a single bite--even after sweating and working 9 hours/day in the woods. Aahh--the little things in life...

It made clearing dead trees and cutting Tarzan-like grapevines almost fun! Honestly, it is exciting to see the land transform everytime we're there...the dream is beginning to manifest.

Raw Diet

So I've been playing around with eating "high" raw for over a year now and am finally having success staying with it. I realized that I wasn't viewing it as an adventure in health, but as another form of deprivation. Have fun with it, right? OK--here's one of my fun ways of incorporating a healthy lifestyle with my other guilty pleasures. (I stole this one from Kris Carr of Crazy Sexy Cancer and Crazy Sexy Life. http://www.crazysexycancer.com/.)

Well, it's not quite the ale during the playoffs that I'm used to--but, no hangover with a green juice. Made the fact that the Saints and Colts were "one and done", not as painful.

Cob--are you seriously building your home from corn?...

Uh, no. Cob is basically sand, straw, clay, and H2O. Comes from the Earth; goes right back into Her. It's a simple concept, but a lot of hard work. The best part is it's friendly to Mother Earth and all her visitors

The cool part is designing your house to fit your personality and lifestyle--this includes adding your own art work to the walls or sculpting a built-in couch. Plus, the gratification from building your home with your own 2 hands is an incredible feeling. I got a small glimpse of that elation from our workshop, but can only begin to imagine what it must be like to live everyday in that home! Check out my favorite natural building websites and blog for more info.

Ahh--here's another lifestyle question we get constantly..."Vegan--but, you eat fish, right?" Uh, no. No animals or their by-products. And, yes, fish are animals. "But, were do you get your protein?" Nuts, seeds, beans, green leafy veggies, and hemp. (We also don't wear wool, silk, or leather.) It's actually really exciting to push yourself outside the cardboard food box--amazing what Gaia supplies naturally!

Now I haven't got any raw questions lately. Maybe because people around here still aren't that into the concept. But, I'll be sure to keep you posted as they come. In the meantime, here's a great forum for a number of holistic/wellness issues. It was started by Kris Carr author of Crazy Sexy Cancer and her new book, Crazy Sexy Diet. Must reads for EVERYONE!! Sorry, didn't mean to get so adamant about it...

http://crazysexylife.com/

You think I'm a Vata?...

Well, anyone who knows anything about Ayurveda can tell by my 2 year time lapse that I am a Vata dosha--all in one minute; totally on to something else the next. At least as it applies to my posts.

Anyway--we're still here in the Midwest. Going to put the house up for sale in the spring (again) and smudge, meditate, and stare at vision boards until I go crossed eyed. I get it--everything happens for a reason and in perfect order, but, seriously, doesn't the Universe realize that I am American and a Generation X'er--immediate gratification, baby.

However, as a great philosopher has said, "there is no try. only do or do not". We're doing. (The philosopher, by the way, is the immortal, Yoda.)

In the meantime, the husband has been hard at work and research on natural home building and off-grid living.

Have I mentioned that he made a wind turbine and solar panel? Yes, they're in the garage--

townhouse associations...ugh

My latest and greatest research--raw food living...will be posting more on this tasty little morsel. (so clever)

Here's a pic (above) from a 10 day cob workshop that we attended in Oregon. (Officially the longest I've ever had to relieve myself in an open toilet in the rain forest. Better view than a magazine, though)

The Start of a New Adventure

I've come to the conclusion that--yes--I'm addicted to change. Not that it's a bad thing. Just something that is helping me make better decisions. My husband, Steve, is too--he's not to quite the extreme that I am. (We do need at least one stable body around here.)

After going vegan a few years ago, our purpose in life began to transform. (No worries--all you meat eaters can go on reading--we try not to preach.) We've always considered ourselves to be repsonsible inhabitants of this earth. But, we've evolved from "lighly green" to "deep green". We've realized that we want to be much more than visitors here. We feel a deep desire to be guardians to Mother Earth--to respect and honor the planet and all her residents.

So we eventually came to the conclusion that building our own off-grid cob home would be the best way "to live the dream". Now here is where the adventure begins...finding land (oh and the small detail of selling our townhouse) and beginning the homesteading process.

Our desire is to live out west--preferably in the Colorado Rockies--where wildlife and outdoor living are a given. We're looking for at least an acre of land and ideally would like to collect our own water, provide our own energy with wind and solar, and grow our own organic veggies/fruits in a year round green house. Did I mention that we're building the house with our own 4 hands--clay, sand, and straw?

This should make Bill and Ted look like amateurs....stay tuned....