chic shell sale

January 5th, 2016 § 0 comments § permalink

Getting married means, among other things, you have some new rings to keep track of. What it means for me personally is that I spend approximately half of my time in a light panic that I have lost my wedding bands, and the other half worrying about them getting schmutzy with marine paint.

rangsEnter the Oyster Roast Ring Dish, a Georgia coast handicraft by Plankton Every Day. The shells are sustainably harvested by my dear husband, who schucks (and eats) each oyster by hand, passing it over to me to be cured and transformed into a 24 carat gold ring dish.

Save your rings from solvents and grit, while adorning your boudoir with this elevated sea treasure. Each one is unique and gold content (ie. pricing) varies by piece. See current inventory over in the shop!

how to be alive

January 3rd, 2016 § 0 comments § permalink

I have a few heroes that I keep in mind as I try to get my writing tuned in. One of them is Colin Beavan, of No Impact Man fame. He spent a year trying to live in NYC with “no impact” on the environment, while raising a family and participating in society (not on a commune off the grid). There was a blog, a book, and a documentary. During his research phase, he came to me for a briefing on compost and “zero waste” living. At that time, I was elbow deep in the North Brooklyn Compost Project, and so we stood around my jacuzzi-sized worm bin in Brooklyn’s McCarren Park, parsing the finer points of rotting kitchen scraps.

After a while, he paused and asked me, “What is your spiritual practice?” So we became friends!

Last year, I was happy to receive a call from him while I was elbow deep in a refit of the liveaboard sailboat Tranquility that I share with my husband. I was happy to have an excuse to take a break from whatever itchy job I was doing at that moment, but also because he wanted to talk about the compost project again. It is magical to look back on completed past projects when you are feeling like your current one is rather impossible.

So I crawled into the V-berth and from there, he interviewed me for his new book, How to Be Alive: A Guide to the Kind of Happiness That Helps the World. You see, during his experience as No Impact Man, he encountered some interesting ideas about how caring for yourself and your community (and less about your stuff) actually brings joy into your life. It’s a wonderful notion, and right on time.

HowToBeAlive

And he finished the book! See why he is one of my heroes? It is available now, and can be pre-ordered here. Perhaps you know someone who could benefit from a bit more joy?

sailing the farm

December 18th, 2015 § 4 comments § permalink

This time of year often passes me by in a blur. Travel, cookies, family visits and work all conspire to keep me dazed. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of my life. Then I’m spit out next year.

Lately we are redoubling our efforts to thin out stuff, gift it away, and recommit to our very favorites. My eyeglasses broke and not only did I order the exact same replacements but also stockpiled parts from all the half broken or just plain ugly ones I’m letting go of.

I imagine one possible future for myself, on a remote island setting up an eyeglasses repair shop with my very tiny screwdrivers.

There’s a book called Sailing the Farm that we are in danger of becoming disciples of. It outlines a post-currency lifestyle where goods and services are bartered and it all boils down to how prepared you are. How prepared we are.

All things being coincidental, we very recently met a pair of sailors on a fully handmade wooden boat, with a greenhouse built into the v-berth and a perfect zero waste nutrient cycle on board. We spent a lovely evening poking around their boat and sampling from their pantry, the whole small space full of laughter and music.

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Foredeck greenhouse

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Meta with her mini harp

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Greens taking a breather

I have turned a corner almost fully regarding scarsity. Its now a great joyful game where it was once my greatest fear. Having less and less, but more of what I need, I’m spring-loaded. Lighter and more prepared.

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