The Mennobrarian

Simply living

12:52, Saturday, November 17, 2007 .. Posted in Homemaking .. 2 comments .. Link

As noted in my previous post, our home is small. Sometimes it feels
like merely a grain of sand in the midst of the expanse of fields around it,

now sprouting green shoots of winter wheat that our dogs find irresistible.This forces us to make constant decisions as far as storage, space,what we can accumulate, and how much. For me, this has not been too much of an adjustment. Previous to our marriage, I lived with my Mother, and my belongings lived in one room with one decent sized closet. A few items were stored away in basements of friends and family.

Growing up on his parent's farm, there was an outbuilding for everything. If there was no room in the outbuilding, you could simply build another one. Or drop in an industrial storage container. The possibilities, and

the space, were endless.

We have good naturedly learned to adapt to our small quarters which
forces us to evaluate the uses and potential needs for every item that comes
into our home. We cannot indulge in the bulk foods phenomena, as we have no room to store large packages of sugar, flour, paper products, or items that
are a real bargain if you buy them in packs of twelve. We have no stock for
our pantry, and indeed, we have no pantry. Maybe someday we can build one,
though I can't imagine where it would end up being located. I have
not yet done any canning in our new home, and I dread the prospect. Not
because I do not enjoy canning, but because it is so difficult to imagine where
we would store all the jars.

Stockpiles of fabric? No way. Scrap book paraphernalia? If it doesn't
fit in the drawer, it needs to be glued into something right now.

It is also difficult to indulge in collecting items we enjoy. For me,
it is beautiful linens and dishes. For both of us, it is books. People always
seem to imagine that as a librarian, I must own a lot of books. Actually, the reverse is true because I am able to borrow so many things I want to
read without having to buy them. Still, as a reader, I am not immune to
the allure of used book sales. Although many of our books have been sold on
the internet or gifted to the library, it seems new ones always take their
place. When a package arrives with new books for my husband, I usually

demand to know, before the box is even opened, where he is going to store
it. It is a joke of course, but we do seriously consider where an item will
end up being stored and how much of an actual need the item is, before bringing it home. If it is a tool or gardening implement, we often check to see if we can borrow one from my husband's family before running out
to buy it.

In some ways this works out well, as I enjoy the look of a neat, uncluttered home with everything in its place. I do acknowledge that
this is also much easier to do when you do not have the challenge of small children.

Only time will tell if we will be doing more with less, or just
getting by with less, but it does make for simple living.