Hello to Spring! What a relief... Somehow, with the warmer weather and that income-tax return comes a renewed enthusiasm for activities...and shopping!
I believe the warmer weather ends the period of deeper contemplation that sets in during the winter. It's time to get busy with projects.
I've restarted my conversational French program, and I just re-finished lesson 7 today. I will keep encouraging myself by imagining that one day we're going to be French tourists! In fact, Michael has been talking about sending me to lease a room for a whole month--all on my own! (Not sure he's that keen on France, but of course it would be hard for him to take that much time off.) The thought of being alone in a foreign country is surely good motivation to learn the language, isn't it?
Michael and I set out some early pea seeds yesterday. We have had absolutely no success in past years with our gardening efforts, which have without any doubt had an environmentally negative impact, given the supplies, fuel, and water used. We apparently are gardening optimists, though, as we envisioned our new productive pea crop with enthusiasm!
Funny, no one really eats peas that much here. I think I could sneak them in some Indian dishes, though...
Perhaps part of our optimism has to do with the fact that we are getting a few eggs now from our two Australorp pullets. Chloe, the Faverolle, is still not producing, and she's our biggest eater. She's pushing our good graces! It's fun, though, to gather eggs, usually at least one, daily.
Michael's been particularly busy with fixing things all over the house and yard. He repaired a massage cushion with a blown fuse last night. This morning, I felt enthused and connected when I heard about a Fixer's Cooperative via Grist magazine (on-line), and I am inspired with this idea.
In fact, I think you sort of need to be inspired by the idea in order to appreciate the joys of repairing and reusing. We live in such a disposable society. What an amazing reality we have, that we buy drinks and meals in plastic containers that are thrown away after ONE use!
Thus, when it comes to stuff that takes real effort and actually can be replaced fairly inexpensively, it takes a certain desire to conserve in order to put forth that effort.
Not that everyone knows how to replace and sodder on new fuses, as with the massage cushion!
My espresso maker, though, is a good example of a simple fix. When I first used it, my machine became 'plugged up' as I had not rinsed and vented the frothing tube while I still had steam in the machine. I was highly inclined to throw the machine away, as it was inexpensive and I didn't want to waste Michael's time on it. However, he spent a bit of time clearing the tube (with a long acupuncture needle!), and it started functioning again. I actually managed to plug it up at least two more times before I began remembering to vent and rinse the tube at the appropriate point. Anyhow, I would have replaced the machine at least once, and I may not have a machine now, if Michael had not put the effort into it.
What's the point? I think that we can see things as transitory and disposable in our society of cheap, instant goods. Just because they are cheap does not mean they should be treated as though they are worthless, though, in point of fact, that is often how we perceive them.
Clothes are treated the same way. Fiona has a pair of fuzzy boots we call her 'muk-luks'. Perhaps that's actually a word, but I'm not familiar with it. These boots cost only $20 or so, and when a seam came apart on the side, I fully intended to dispose of them. However, Fiona loved the boots and kept wearing them, and she wanted to keep them, so I sewed the thick material together and she is still wearing them all the time. I was relieved today to see that she put on her regular school shoes instead, what with the warmer weather and all!
Somehow, after repairing an item, I somehow have increased affection for it. I put some of my own energy into it, or Michael does, with successful results. Now, when Fiona wears her boots or I use my espresso maker, I feel attached to a certain extent, as though we have a connection with those items. I feel the same way about clothes I have mended and even about the eggs we gather.
I'm not really arguing for the immediate economic benefits of repairing and re-using, as time and materials may be worth more than the monetary value of the items themselves. I can make some argument for the long-term monetary benefits, given the savings to be had when a satisfied little girl does not ask for repeated unsatisfactory boot replacements, when her brother learns to fix and adapt toys, when the mom doesn't resort back to Starbucks mochas several times per week! In the long run, I believe we do generally save gas and time and a little bit of money by repairing items. We also develop a deeper appreciation for those items and their functions, and perhaps we take greater care with them and our other goods in the future, when we take some ownership regarding their maintenance and don't simply regard all as disposable.
As superficial as these small items may sound in the scheme of things, I do wonder how damaging it is to view so many things as disposable. Does it affect our view of our friends? Does it affect our view of our families? Does it contribute to the high rates of divorce?
Hmm, that's a pretty major tangent. Fact is that sometimes broken things and/or relationships do need to be discarded. However, perhaps they only need to be tweaked sometimes. And, after tweaking, perhaps we'll appreciate them even more.
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