I never expected to be one...my lifestyle just sort of evolved this way. To the small organic farmers, it's the norm. To the outside world, it's craziness.
Here are some examples:
1. We save water. That's right...sometimes we don't flush. And sometimes I don't shower...for like a week.
2. When I do shower, I use this natural shampoo and I'm not even sure it really cleans my hair. It doesn't lather, my hair is still a little greasy afterwards...but being a hippie, I just go with the flow. Besides deterring certain people, grease also seems to deter rats nests, aka hair knots, aka no need to put a brush through my hair. Simple!
3. As a jobless hippie, I also tend to wear the same clothes day after day. Typically my pajamas...but occasionally I'll rotate with my farming clothes. You know you're special if you see me in jeans or a skirt.
4. Butter is like gold in this house. We have every kind of vegetable in every cool corner of the house, and homemade bread...so of course our bodies crave some fat with all of that! Big tins of olive oil are out within a few weeks as well. You're probably wondering if that's healthy for us farmers. Yes! Fat is healthy, and so is salt. Sea salt. Bring it on!
5. No chemicals. Vinegar and baking soda are the best cleaners of 'em all. And some elbow grease.
6. No deodorant. I used to think this was crazy and smelly, until I read about harmful ingredients...and the first one listed on Tom's (infamous 'natural') deodorant was one of the most toxic ingredients: propylene glycol. In the off-chance I have an interview or care to impress people, I have a homemade concoction of baking soda, coconut oil, and shea butter.
7. Lots of bikes. My car has been parked in the same spot for months. As a former city-kid, I'm not much of a fan of driving and reparking, so I put the Schwinns to use. And when I have to haul stuff to/from the farm, I'm sure I look crazy with a backpack of stuff, trying to balance the load on my bike.
8. Lots of books. I loved reading until those weird teenage years when you've outgrown the young adult books but the adult books look SO BORING. Small text, no pictures, no drama, adult stuff, lots of pages. But now, it's a whole new kind of love. There is so much to learn in these inches of pages. If I continue to be poor and jobless, all I need would be a library card to learn how to be stable again, if not a millionaire doctor.
9. Lots of living spiders. One huge spider in particular has become our pet, after we caught him on our dining room window, tossed him outside, only to have him reappear in the same window. He adds to his web each day and it almost covers the entire window. We're really not sure how he is so big since we don't have many bugs in the house, but perhaps he is to thank for that!
10. Hankies and water glasses. Living at a higher elevation (not altitude...that's for airplanes!), your headaches will dictate if you consume enough water or not. And with the ever changing temps here, especially cold early mornings, our noses run wild. Kleenex just does not hold up, or feel as soft.
And I'm sure there are plenty more...
Here are some examples:
1. We save water. That's right...sometimes we don't flush. And sometimes I don't shower...for like a week.
2. When I do shower, I use this natural shampoo and I'm not even sure it really cleans my hair. It doesn't lather, my hair is still a little greasy afterwards...but being a hippie, I just go with the flow. Besides deterring certain people, grease also seems to deter rats nests, aka hair knots, aka no need to put a brush through my hair. Simple!
3. As a jobless hippie, I also tend to wear the same clothes day after day. Typically my pajamas...but occasionally I'll rotate with my farming clothes. You know you're special if you see me in jeans or a skirt.
4. Butter is like gold in this house. We have every kind of vegetable in every cool corner of the house, and homemade bread...so of course our bodies crave some fat with all of that! Big tins of olive oil are out within a few weeks as well. You're probably wondering if that's healthy for us farmers. Yes! Fat is healthy, and so is salt. Sea salt. Bring it on!
5. No chemicals. Vinegar and baking soda are the best cleaners of 'em all. And some elbow grease.
6. No deodorant. I used to think this was crazy and smelly, until I read about harmful ingredients...and the first one listed on Tom's (infamous 'natural') deodorant was one of the most toxic ingredients: propylene glycol. In the off-chance I have an interview or care to impress people, I have a homemade concoction of baking soda, coconut oil, and shea butter.
7. Lots of bikes. My car has been parked in the same spot for months. As a former city-kid, I'm not much of a fan of driving and reparking, so I put the Schwinns to use. And when I have to haul stuff to/from the farm, I'm sure I look crazy with a backpack of stuff, trying to balance the load on my bike.
8. Lots of books. I loved reading until those weird teenage years when you've outgrown the young adult books but the adult books look SO BORING. Small text, no pictures, no drama, adult stuff, lots of pages. But now, it's a whole new kind of love. There is so much to learn in these inches of pages. If I continue to be poor and jobless, all I need would be a library card to learn how to be stable again, if not a millionaire doctor.
9. Lots of living spiders. One huge spider in particular has become our pet, after we caught him on our dining room window, tossed him outside, only to have him reappear in the same window. He adds to his web each day and it almost covers the entire window. We're really not sure how he is so big since we don't have many bugs in the house, but perhaps he is to thank for that!
10. Hankies and water glasses. Living at a higher elevation (not altitude...that's for airplanes!), your headaches will dictate if you consume enough water or not. And with the ever changing temps here, especially cold early mornings, our noses run wild. Kleenex just does not hold up, or feel as soft.
And I'm sure there are plenty more...
