So I started reading this blog called The Minimalists.
Two young urban men writing about how to live minimally.
A concept I not only endorse, but strive to achieve.
Not successfully, but striving nonetheless.
Here's the thing.
Simple living and living simply are oxymorons,
when you live in the country.
Why?
There's nothing minimal about simple living.
And it's mostly about storage. Or, the lack of it.
And pets.
And pet hair.
And wood stoves.
And dust.
And trying to survive.
Did I mention buying flour, sugar, pet food and cat litter in bulk -- cramps one's miminalist aspirations?
It does.
And then there's the
25-pound box of peanuts-in-the-shell,
1960s olive green couch and chair covered-in-plastic,
humongous ortho dog bed
1960s olive green couch and chair covered-in-plastic,
humongous ortho dog bed
in my living room.
The dining-room table (also in the living room)?
It's a mini-tableau of our current life.
Unused wine glasses from my son's (October) 28th birthday,
trapping supply catalogs,
outgoing mail,
grocery store ads,
various ashtrays,
my eyeglasses,
the hub's Stetson hat,
a huge bottle of Red Devil Tabasco sauce,
several Nikon camera lenses,
the ever-present list of things to do today.
If I dare to put one of these items away,
it's Gospel that I will be looking for it the following day,
and unable to locate it.
So it stays.
It just makes good sense.
---
So what's the punch line?
Although I love the idea of a minimalist life;
it ain't gonna happen.
Not now.
Not ever.
Besides,
what could two city boys (the same age as my sons)
possibly know about
living the simple life
in eastern Nebraska?
Something gets lost in the translation -- but I did buy the book and I will be reading it.
Because there is always hope.
: : :
PS: This post was drafted BEFORE my Verizon Internet Data Account advised me
I was OUT OF DATA FOR THE MONTH.
Thus, there will be no Rural Thursday or YSB this week,
or any weeks following.
I just can't afford it.
*sob*
Such is life.
I'll survive.
A new chapter, my friends.
: : :
Just Write.
PS: This post was drafted BEFORE my Verizon Internet Data Account advised me
I was OUT OF DATA FOR THE MONTH.
Thus, there will be no Rural Thursday or YSB this week,
or any weeks following.
I just can't afford it.
*sob*
Such is life.
I'll survive.
A new chapter, my friends.
: : :
Just Write.
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Nancy, this is a post well done. I am always amused at those who preach the living simply, minimalist lifestyle because, to date, I've never known any of them who lived without sidewalks. IOW, urban.
ReplyDeleteI'm too consumed with simply living to worry about a clutter free home and all white makes me anxious. Could it be because I've been in a snow storm and know what a whiteout is truly like? All white means an absence of life to me; not good.
A man with old skills wins my vote, and my heart, any day of the week.
And all of this, dear Nancy, is why there are, almost, never any pictures of the inside of my house on my blog. -grin-
I loved that book. My heart just goes out to Mrs. Lincoln.
ReplyDeletesimple urban living = almost impossible, too many temptations!
ReplyDeleteBlog about life and travelling
Blog about cooking
simple urban living = almost impossible, too many temptations!
ReplyDeleteBlog about life and travelling
Blog about cooking
Oy, I am with you on this one. I try to not just have stuff, but some how my stuff has a modicum of meaning so I cannot ever get rid of it, without a massive guilt trip!
ReplyDeleteoh, I'll miss your daily wisdom and sense of humour. we have unlimited internet and it's cheaper! xxo see you soon dear friend..
ReplyDeleteYou have such a great sense of humor! I have a feeling I will reach my free max space soon. I plan to move to Wordpress...
ReplyDeleteHugs from Ohio,
I.
Living simply in the country does take on a whole new meaning! I guess it's good that simple living can have a different meaning to everyone and can be adapted to each person/families needs.
ReplyDeleteMy take on simple living for now is striving to streamline everything i.e., fewer credit cards, accounts, etc. (resulting in less paperwork to deal with or file), less stuff in my house that I never use or don't need, and so on. I still have to buy many items in bulk because we're so far from any decent stores. But, for me, buying the items that I use most in bulk is simpler than having to run to the store every time I turn around!
Sorry about the data usage thing. Right now I have DSL through my phone company but soon I will be investigating and trying to understand the world of air cards, data usage, etc. so that I will still have access to the Internet and that, I'm afraid, will NOT be so simple, ha!
Great photos by the way!
Living simple, as I find out, can be always silly.
ReplyDeleteAnd is simple silly.
I totally get what you're saying here and I believe when a door closes another one always opens.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nancy
ReplyDeleteThis is so true and I have come to terms with this too.
Vanessa
Oh Nancy; DARN YOU VERIZON!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMinimalist are usually people who have not lived long enough to accumulate and appreciate the sentiments around their stuff:) That is my story and I am sticking to it.
I would love to be a minimalist as it would require less cleaning, right?
I have lived to long to change now I have no idea how I would choose which memories to throw out, and which to keep. Stocking up in the country is indeed important.
This being said I am going over to read their blog I am intrigued and actually admire the concept. HUGS Nancy. B
IF I actually had signal the whole time, I would be so over my "month" by the 15th.
ReplyDeleteYour table sounds like my buffet AND table.
At least you have the book to read while you are waiting for the 1st!
forced into minimalist blogging by verizon. :)
ReplyDeleteWoof! Woof! We can totally relate. Mom reads that blog too. Living in the country is so different. For us its only temporary but love the experience. Oh too bad on Rural Thursday. Our post is already set for tomorrow. Sending you Lots of Golden LOVE. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar
ReplyDeleteGreat Post ....... I can so relate to the dust, pet hair, and then there is the constant supply of manure to compost. No matter how minimal you try to live the mailman keeps filling the mailbox with a ton of paper that I don't want, don't need and have to pay to get rid of, I could heat my house if there were no so many no burn days this time of year due to air quality. I keep saying I will go thru mail later and it keeps piling up. Everytime I clean the table off I can't find what I need either. Take care.
ReplyDeleteYour writing style is so engaging. Sorry that Verizon is being such a (insert vile word here). Sucks. For us, too. Hope you get what you need out of the book.
ReplyDeleteI can so sympathize with this. Minimalist is not always practical. Sorry to hear about Verizon. That too is always a bit more difficult out in the nowhere regions. I finally switched to unlimited, or I'd be so out of data.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of living simply...but not going to happen here either. Our dining room table is never clean...since it is just the two of us most of the time we eat in the living room a lot.
ReplyDeleteEverywhere you look, there is a precious pile of junk...I tell my husband life would be so much simpler if I didn't like to sew/quilt.
I could go on and on...
I can totally relate to this post, Nancy. Not because I live on a farm, but I live in a small house with not enough storage space. If I put things away, they seem to get lost in a black hole and I hate having to search and search for them.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear Rural Thursday and Your Sunday Best are going away.
For me simple living now is I am retired and do not have to worry about the hustle and bustle of it all I can take my time and live as I please in our farm house in a country valley village , as of next year I will be living off of our land with my veggie garden . I was raised on a farm and also had lived in the city when I was younger and believe me country living for me is simple , nature peace and quiet and beauty all around for me to enjoy I do what I want when I want no more time frames just simply live life as I please puttering in my gardens in the summers, enjoying our pets and my photography that's simple living for me ! I am sorry to hear you will no longer be with us in blog land I do hope you take care and have a good day !
ReplyDeleteSorry about your internet usage. Hope it resets soon. And I hope you find some really rewarding and fulfilling activities to fill the time :-)
ReplyDeleteI never really thought of it this way, but I totally agree. Our version of minimalism was moving to a smaller house and only keeping the decorations and furniture that we absolutely loved. But we do keep a lot of supplies and tools in the garage needed for "living simply" and doing a lot of things ourselves. It's a catch 22!
ReplyDeleteI just decided that I appreciate my local wireless internet service even more! $40 a month. And my smart phone with Verizon -- so far, I've stayed within my data package, although I got a cryptic message from Verizon last weekend that I had used 50% of my data and the month's end was just 3 days away. Not sure what that meant. Will miss both Rural Thursday and YSB, but I didn't have anything "rural"
ReplyDeleteto share, having been at the beach for 5 days! Next month, Nancy!
I actually think minimilast living would be easier in the city. You wouldn't have to have and store "stuff" because you could always just run out and get what you need. To me, rural living is living simply and REALLY living!
ReplyDeleteI will miss RT and YSB Nancy. I will look forward to seeing your posts whenever you can!! :)
It's very hard to be a minimalist when you save everything!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the data.
Minimalism just isn't in my vocabularly. Saying that I don't think I do simple living or live simply. Hhhhmm
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could ever live that way as much as I would like. Won't be happening here either.
ReplyDeleteFrugal, that noun fits our lifestyle best... we still buy and consume, just not more than we need and trying to get the best deal in town (sans Walmart)... so sorry about the data cliff, I can't imagine how hard that is for you... xo {{hugs}}
ReplyDeletesorry about the Net Nancy.....I like my stuff too much...no one else would...there is nothing worth anything to anyone else...but special memories to me...
ReplyDeleteMinimalist? Don't think that's possible when one has a farm... but semi-organized & arranging one's living/working space to have a good "flow"? Definitely do-able.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your data plan making you scale back the blogging. I don't often comment, but I do love seeing how you've honed your blogging skills... kudos!
I know I will probably never be able to make the transition to minimalist, or at least not until I am on death's door. But I am trying to simplify my life. I suppose simple is one of those relative terms, like cold and far. Compared to what? :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad about Rural Thursday but understand the money concept since "simply living" and/or "rural living" often equals not a lot of cash :) I think most urbanites don't realize how much stuff is necessary to run even the smallest of rural farms. I could never live in the city. Country life rocks!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the shot of the crows in the tree tops. They are crows, right? They're out in full force this year in our area and are huge in size!
I stopped saying goodbye. Too often it is weighed down with sadness for one reason or another.
ReplyDeleteSo I'll just say... see ya later young lady.
Catching up on your posts ....read that you liked eckart tolle...if you read his two books The Power of Now and A New Earth it will change your life I believe...it did mine...and I hardly ever say that about books like that. p.s...my husband traps also...
ReplyDeletewell pooh, rt is one of my favorites! i'm laughing at what texwis said :D ....i'll have to go check out the blog, i could learn a thing or two! great pictures as always :)
ReplyDeletei think that you can cut back and simplify things...but to actually live a simple life...whatever that means is probably really really difficult. Perhaps they meant laid back?
ReplyDeleteI am a minimalist and live in the country (though I am England). I don't do the all white thing and it is different to the city boys style but I am still a minimalist by their definition
ReplyDeleteHi there Nancy! I'm sorry to hear that Rural Thursday Blog Hop & Your Sunday Best is finishing up. I have enjoyed linking my 10 Rural Thursday posts and a few Sunday Best posts with you. I thoroughly enjoy our rural trips being that I'm a city dweller. But you need to do what's best for you. I'll still be dropping by to visit anyway :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images! I am so sorry to see those Memes go!!!
ReplyDeleteI try to find a place for everything but it seems the bedroom is the hardest and I am always reorganizing.....then can't find something I need. Maddening.
ReplyDeleteIt must be the time of year...I just bought two Mother Earth Living magazines and I'm forever trying to purge Stuff from my home. I keep thinking that if I were single, I would have a neat, clean, and organized home, but I don't think I really want to purge my hubby...I just need to convince Him to part with Stuff. Somedays I dream of dumpsters ;-D
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteExcellent piece!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so sorry to hear the news about the memes! I have enjoyed participating and visiting other blogs. Thank you for hosting Nancy and I'm sure we'll connect in the future.
ReplyDeleteNancy, I can so relate to your description of the "simple" life! I was just thinking how, despite my large kitchen, I could use another one for all the "simplicity" projects.
ReplyDeleteI'll miss your Thursday and Sunday specials, but kudos to you for knowing when it's time for a change! Best wishes...
Marie at Rural Living Today
I love The Minimalists and their blog, but I also live out on a farm and have to drive 30 minutes just to get to a grocery store. I don't think Minimalism has to be taken to an extreme because I sure couldn't just live with a white button down shirt and a Mac, but I think their reasoning behind the movement makes sense. When my dad passed away recently, I realized, the most important thing in the world is people. Material possessions hold no real value.
ReplyDeleteI chose to start purging all of my belongings that weren't needs and it did feel so freeing, to not be tied to them anymore. The point is to be able to focus on more important things in life, like helping others and being there for friends and family, instead of working 60 hr weeks to purchase material items or own a big house.
I think if we just purge what holds us down, we are doing good. We don't have to paint our walls white to do that. :-)
Oh, I would just be so happy if I could get around to really really cleaning out my kitchen cabinets (spices & cookbooks) and straightening out my desk area. That's as minimal as I think I can get, for now at least.
ReplyDelete