How far is "too far"?

There is a discussion going on the the 90%Reduction list about what "going too far" means, how people's perceptions of what is too far out there have changed since starting the projects, etc. It really quite interesting seeing what people on that list view as "extreme" behavior or what they used to view that way but now accept as normal and necessary.

My perceptions and actions have changed a lot in the past year, in regards to a lot of aspects of my day-to-day life. Dietary changes are the first ones that come to mind; E2L is an obvious extreme to most people, as is veganism (or nearly) in general or any dietary change that requires severly limiting or eliminating the foods everyone takes for granted as "normal," i.e. white sugar, dairy, processed starches, etc. But its normal fo me now...not that I don't miss the junk and not that I don't occasionally indulge in it, but on a daily basis the way I eat is far different from most people in this country in many ways.

But the impact of 90% Reduction project and the ideas of the voluntary simplicity movement, permaculture, and peak oil have changed me even more. Things that I thought I'd never do, or that never occured to me to do, or never occured to me not to do, are everyday now. Using graywater for toliet flushing and plant watering, vermicomposting (not up and running yet but will be onc we move), urban-scale "farming", biking 12-15 miles in one day, putting up food for winter, farmer's markets, line drying clothes, using baking soda/vinegar for hair washing and toothbrushing, trashing picking/dumpster diving...plus a million other little changes. I don't see any of these as too much, though I know a lot of people would. And then there are the things I'd never have thought of or that I may have thought about but totally dismissed a years ago; cloth toliet paper, going fridgeless, going carless, going tvless, composting toliets, living "off the grid"...all those things are possibilites, not things that we have implemented yet, but that are theoretically in the future, whether we want them to be or not. And yeah, I stil think of them as "extreme," but the reality is, "extreme" is most likely going to become "necessary" within my lifetime and definatly within my children's lifetimes unless something changes dramatically.

I have this voice inside my head telling me what is and is not socially acceptable. It sounds a lot like my Aunt Janice, actually, who always seems to know what the definition of acceptable behavior, dress, etc is and is never afraid to voice her opinion. And I'll do something or, more often, admit to doing something, and I'll think of what Jan would say if she say me doing it or if I told her about it...and I have to stop and tell myself that what she would think doesn't matter. I'm doing what I think is right, what works for me, and I (and Katie) am the only one that has to live with the direct consequences. But the long term consequences? I much rather use a little graywater now, or grow enough in my own garden to survive through the winter, or refuse to buy produce shipped across the world, or bike everywhere and suffer a little social ridicule or at least be thought of as "strange" and know that, in the future, the little bit I've managed to reduce my footprint maybe made a tiny difference in slowing the destructive spiral humans are spinning down.

I don't really know what I consider "too far" anymore...the more I read, the more I try, the more that becomes part of my everyday life, the more reasonable all the "extreme ideas" sound to me. They may not be feasible in my life right now or I might not be quite ready to take those steps, but they don't sound too far out there. I'd like to hope that I'm able to do whatever is necessary when it comes right down to it...its just a matter of acquiring the knowledge and skills to d it.

stuff, stuff and more stuff

And I'm back (because thereare just thousands of you anxiously awaiting another blog, I'm sure). Sorry for the unplanned hiatus...i've been here, reading blogs, but rarely commenting. Things have been a bit crazy...see, we've been househunting..and housefinding, I guess. We found a house in Syracuse that we both fell in love with. Its cute, its in a decent neighborhood, its in our price range and it has a yard, both front and back, conducive to planting. It needs work, not a lot, but some...a new furnace (it has a gravity-heat octopus, probably original to the house, aka, 1910...), some rewiring in the basement, insulation in the attic, a little bit of roof work (though the roof is in general solid) and a few odds and ends. but yeah, in a year or so, its going to be a really nice house. The previous owners put in obviously a lot of money into the kitchen and living room, but didn't do basic things like fix a leak in the roof and replace the ancient furnace...priorities, people, seriously! But it is still a good deal and a solid purchase according to everyone we've talked to. Of course, there is mortgage drama and lots of waiting and worrying and stressing about the repairs but we're getting there.

That, in combination with a few trips, a general summer-induced laziness involving cooking anything creative and a focus on the 90% project and house planning, has made me feel a bit blah about blogging. I'm going to try to keep up though, at least once a month. I'll just have to post elaborate gardening plans when I get antsy in the middle of winter...