After one week into a Buy Nothing challenge, Buy Nothing feels virtuous to me. This past week has been difficult mainly due to the cold, grey, windy, wet weather, as well as other external factors. Typically late winter leads me to thoughts of escapism, sailboat to the Carribean, thru-hiking, homestead in the desert, an apartment in southern Spain, etc. The usual thoughts that run through one's mind while watching a blizzard out the window. These thoughts lead to planning out the escape, listing the gear needed, budgeting the start up expense, the month to month needs, how to move everything to the desired location. These thoughts tend to repeat themselves like horses passing on a spinning carousel until a madness sets in.
In this first week, Buy Nothing has been a relief in many ways.
I do not need to research purchases. I do not need to compare prices at various outlets. I do not need to find the most durable, reliable and cost effective purchase. I do not need to make sure what I buy will fit and work in the project I am using it in. I do not need to look at my available cash and decide which purchase is the most strategic use of cash at the moment. I do not have to prioritize projects from a budgeting perspective.
The things that I do buy (food, necessary household items, medicine) are below my available budget so I have no concerns regarding running low in my bank account.
I look at my income and budget, and imagine that at the end of the month I will be able to invest the surplus. This makes me happy in a way that feels like I have done the right thing. I feel an inner glow from the thought that I will be able to earn income from this investment in the future.
By separating myself from the world of commerce and advertising, I reduce the thought chaos and am able to enjoy a more calm, simple and relaxed day, each day.
My focus on things to do to spend my time:
Walking daily is a goal, although this week has been difficult from a weather perspective. I don't want to get a cold from walking in cold, wet, windy weather.
Due to the weather, I spend a large amount of time on the screen. More time than I would like, but due to the weather I accept it. Some of my screen time is done for useful purposes and to learn, although some is just timewasting.
I have been going through my gear, reorganizing, repacking and optimizing my pack. I don't need any new gear, for me it is a matter of minimizing the number of things I need.
I work on projects in my workshop for short periods of time due to the cold. I am making progress on a number of projects. The biggest task ahead of me is spring cleaning the shop when the weather warms up.
Despite Buying Nothing, I still have plenty of things I could be doing that I have not even started yet.
After the first week of Buying Nothing, I feel that it has a calming, steadying effect on my thoughts. It gives me a feeling of virtue and somehow separates me from the chaos of the marketplace.
I still would like to shake the dust of Babylon off of my shoes while leaving and not looking back, but I feel like I am on the right path and have separated myself from some of the hypocrisy and corruption.
No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
202503
Transition to Activity
Once again I am trying to build a strategy to overcome my own laziness. As the weather warms up, I am changing from a winter routine to a summer routine. My goal is to reduce/eliminate screentime between 10am and 6pm. I try to wake up with the sun, which is getting earlier and earlier. I try to get myself ready to go outside by breakfasting and showering earlier than in winter. I also try to walk earlier in the day. As the weather improves I will walk more.
Balcony Power Startup
I started my balcony power system. I am using my solar charging station that I built for my ebike, which is 200 Watts of solar. I added a microinverter to send the power from solar panel into my house electric system when I am not charging my ebike. In mid-March, I see about 750 Watt-hours per day, which is about $0.08 per day of electricity at the metered rate. It does not sound like much, but the microinverter cost $40 and based on 8 cents a day, it will be paid off in 500 sunny days, a 72% annual return on investment. Not too bad, a better return than my other investments. I probably should include the cost of the solar panel, but I bought that for another purpose so my investment return calculation is based on recovering the cost of the microinverter. All I have to do is set the solar panel in the sun and leave it plugged in.
Buy Nothing Month
I successfully completed a no buy month. My purchases were a pack of toothbrushes, a part to repair a leaking faucet and light bulbs. The amount of recycling/trash is reduced during a no buy month, but I am making up for it with the volume of recycling/trash from spring cleaning. Buy Nothing provides a relief from all the project ideas that I come up with and think I should start immediately by buying supplies and materials. Just say no and relax.
During this Buy Nothing month, every time I had a purchase impulse, I wrote down what I wanted/needed to buy and did not buy it. At the end of the month, I went through the list of items and decided whether or not I really needed the item, and why not. Some reasons: "Found another solution." "Did not really need this item." "Looked through my stuff and found I already had the item." "Would be nice, but not really needed." "I can work around that problem." "That was a silly idea." Looking at my list of about 20 purchase impulses, the two items that I may buy at the end of the month are a pair of shoes and a spare inner tube for my bike.
I did not experience any reduction in quality of life during the Buy Nothing month. There was a slight twinge of disappointment when I found some item that I liked and told myself "no, don't buy it". After a while I started to get a certain satisfaction in researching products and selecting the product that best suited my needs at the best price. I wrote down the item on my list of purchase impulses, and that completed my work. I had found the ideal item and documented it. I did not need to purchase the item to achieve that satisfaction.
I do not plan to continue with the Buy Nothing challenge next month, but I will limit my purchases. I will write down what I want to buy and wait for some time before purchasing anything. Maybe wait till the end of the month and then go through the list with a critical eye.
Barefoot in Barefoot Shoes
I tried walking barefoot in barefoot shoes with no socks and no insoles, walking directly on the sole of the shoe. I walked about 2 miles a day in an urban setting mostly on pavement, in cold weather, while carrying a 20 lb pack. After a few days of walking, I injured my foot, bruising the bottom of my foot, which took about 3 days to recover from. I walked for a few weeks more and then one day I sprained my achilles tendon, which took weeks to recover from. I have now added padded insoles to my barefoot shoes and may switch to trail runners. I am now walking short distances again, carrying a 20 lb pack, in barefoot shoes with padded insoles. I am still limping a bit in recovery mode.
Wizard Fuel
I modified the recipe for my powdered food drink:
5 parts oat flour
2 parts dried coconut milk
1 part whey protein (chocolate)
1 part date sugar
1 part cacao
Add water and shake to make a chocolate drink.
I am not trying to live off of Wizard Fuel alone, I also eat fruit, nuts, kippers and an evening meal of various foods. I modified the old recipe from a few months ago to balance out the calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein in the mix. If one were to eat the 2000 calories (the USDA recommended amount), one would get approximately 100% USDA recommended amount each of carbs, fat and protein. I have not tried to optimize the micronutrients because I don't know enough about nutrition to do that, and also because I am skeptical of a 100% complete diet food without fresh fruit and greens.
You can find many recipes for complete food here: https://www.completefoods.co/diy/recipes . Some of the recipes claim to provide daily nutrition for under $3 per day. For me Wizard Fuel is just a breakfast food that is easy to prepare. It is not cheap, I use organic ingredients, I estimate that the 2,000 calorie daily nutrition cost would be about $5 to $7 a day. My one cup of powder breakfast is about $1. It is the nutritional equivalent of eating a bowl of oatmeal with a handful of dates and a glass of coconut milk with cacao and whey protein.
Spring clean up
I am going through my workshop storage bins, looking for things to throw away and trying to consolidate and organize the things I want to keep. It helps in knowing what I have and where to find the things I need. Making good progress. This is a never ending process.
Declutter
I threw away two laptops and a bunch of electrical stuff. I organized my home office paperwork and filed away months of various bills and receipts. My important paperwork is organized and stored in a safe place.
Recumbent Trike Ebike
I completed my recumbent trike ebike and find it fun to ride through the city. I have pannier bags and can use it for shopping. I charge it on my solar charging station, so it is fun to imagine getting rid of my cars and just using the ebike on solar power. This project is done, although I think about adding a solar panel canopy to the trike, and building a bicycle camping trailer. But these are things I don't want to spend money on at the moment. They also create a need for a place to store them, which causes other problems.
From an ERE perspective, the advantages of a solar ebike over a car are: 1. No registration required. 2. No road tax or insurance. 3. No fuel cost. 4. Street legal for on-road driving and legal on some bike paths. 6. No air pollution. The advantage of a car over an ebike are that it is protected from weather, it is faster and can drive longer distances. In my climate, I can't easily use the ebike for almost half the year due to snow and ice.
Compared to a pedal bike, the pedal bike is superior except that the ebike is faster. The truth is that I could have just used my pedal bike with panniers and not spent the time and money to build an ebike. But, now that I have finished building the ebike, it is fun to ride and I am proud that I built it.
The only cost that I foresee from a solar ebike are maintenance items such as tires, brake pads, chain, spokes and perhaps electric drive items. The electric wheel kit cost under $200, so it can be replaced at a reasonable cost if defective. The battery will eventually lose power but I am hoping for years of service. The ebike has a range of 25 miles, a maxiumum speed of 35 mph and costs about $0.10 to charge with a plug in charger. I charge using a homemade solar charging station so the charging cost is zero, as long as the charging station continues to work.
Drama-free
My goal over this summer is to live a simple, drama free life. There may not be anything interesting to report, so I may not post any monthly updates. If something interesting does happen, I will check in. I have a feeling that in order to reach a state of stress-free relaxation, I will have to reduce media consumption, and may do a media fast.
Transition to Activity
Once again I am trying to build a strategy to overcome my own laziness. As the weather warms up, I am changing from a winter routine to a summer routine. My goal is to reduce/eliminate screentime between 10am and 6pm. I try to wake up with the sun, which is getting earlier and earlier. I try to get myself ready to go outside by breakfasting and showering earlier than in winter. I also try to walk earlier in the day. As the weather improves I will walk more.
Balcony Power Startup
I started my balcony power system. I am using my solar charging station that I built for my ebike, which is 200 Watts of solar. I added a microinverter to send the power from solar panel into my house electric system when I am not charging my ebike. In mid-March, I see about 750 Watt-hours per day, which is about $0.08 per day of electricity at the metered rate. It does not sound like much, but the microinverter cost $40 and based on 8 cents a day, it will be paid off in 500 sunny days, a 72% annual return on investment. Not too bad, a better return than my other investments. I probably should include the cost of the solar panel, but I bought that for another purpose so my investment return calculation is based on recovering the cost of the microinverter. All I have to do is set the solar panel in the sun and leave it plugged in.
Buy Nothing Month
I successfully completed a no buy month. My purchases were a pack of toothbrushes, a part to repair a leaking faucet and light bulbs. The amount of recycling/trash is reduced during a no buy month, but I am making up for it with the volume of recycling/trash from spring cleaning. Buy Nothing provides a relief from all the project ideas that I come up with and think I should start immediately by buying supplies and materials. Just say no and relax.
During this Buy Nothing month, every time I had a purchase impulse, I wrote down what I wanted/needed to buy and did not buy it. At the end of the month, I went through the list of items and decided whether or not I really needed the item, and why not. Some reasons: "Found another solution." "Did not really need this item." "Looked through my stuff and found I already had the item." "Would be nice, but not really needed." "I can work around that problem." "That was a silly idea." Looking at my list of about 20 purchase impulses, the two items that I may buy at the end of the month are a pair of shoes and a spare inner tube for my bike.
I did not experience any reduction in quality of life during the Buy Nothing month. There was a slight twinge of disappointment when I found some item that I liked and told myself "no, don't buy it". After a while I started to get a certain satisfaction in researching products and selecting the product that best suited my needs at the best price. I wrote down the item on my list of purchase impulses, and that completed my work. I had found the ideal item and documented it. I did not need to purchase the item to achieve that satisfaction.
I do not plan to continue with the Buy Nothing challenge next month, but I will limit my purchases. I will write down what I want to buy and wait for some time before purchasing anything. Maybe wait till the end of the month and then go through the list with a critical eye.
Barefoot in Barefoot Shoes
I tried walking barefoot in barefoot shoes with no socks and no insoles, walking directly on the sole of the shoe. I walked about 2 miles a day in an urban setting mostly on pavement, in cold weather, while carrying a 20 lb pack. After a few days of walking, I injured my foot, bruising the bottom of my foot, which took about 3 days to recover from. I walked for a few weeks more and then one day I sprained my achilles tendon, which took weeks to recover from. I have now added padded insoles to my barefoot shoes and may switch to trail runners. I am now walking short distances again, carrying a 20 lb pack, in barefoot shoes with padded insoles. I am still limping a bit in recovery mode.
Wizard Fuel
I modified the recipe for my powdered food drink:
5 parts oat flour
2 parts dried coconut milk
1 part whey protein (chocolate)
1 part date sugar
1 part cacao
Add water and shake to make a chocolate drink.
I am not trying to live off of Wizard Fuel alone, I also eat fruit, nuts, kippers and an evening meal of various foods. I modified the old recipe from a few months ago to balance out the calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein in the mix. If one were to eat the 2000 calories (the USDA recommended amount), one would get approximately 100% USDA recommended amount each of carbs, fat and protein. I have not tried to optimize the micronutrients because I don't know enough about nutrition to do that, and also because I am skeptical of a 100% complete diet food without fresh fruit and greens.
You can find many recipes for complete food here: https://www.completefoods.co/diy/recipes . Some of the recipes claim to provide daily nutrition for under $3 per day. For me Wizard Fuel is just a breakfast food that is easy to prepare. It is not cheap, I use organic ingredients, I estimate that the 2,000 calorie daily nutrition cost would be about $5 to $7 a day. My one cup of powder breakfast is about $1. It is the nutritional equivalent of eating a bowl of oatmeal with a handful of dates and a glass of coconut milk with cacao and whey protein.
Spring clean up
I am going through my workshop storage bins, looking for things to throw away and trying to consolidate and organize the things I want to keep. It helps in knowing what I have and where to find the things I need. Making good progress. This is a never ending process.
Declutter
I threw away two laptops and a bunch of electrical stuff. I organized my home office paperwork and filed away months of various bills and receipts. My important paperwork is organized and stored in a safe place.
Recumbent Trike Ebike
I completed my recumbent trike ebike and find it fun to ride through the city. I have pannier bags and can use it for shopping. I charge it on my solar charging station, so it is fun to imagine getting rid of my cars and just using the ebike on solar power. This project is done, although I think about adding a solar panel canopy to the trike, and building a bicycle camping trailer. But these are things I don't want to spend money on at the moment. They also create a need for a place to store them, which causes other problems.
From an ERE perspective, the advantages of a solar ebike over a car are: 1. No registration required. 2. No road tax or insurance. 3. No fuel cost. 4. Street legal for on-road driving and legal on some bike paths. 6. No air pollution. The advantage of a car over an ebike are that it is protected from weather, it is faster and can drive longer distances. In my climate, I can't easily use the ebike for almost half the year due to snow and ice.
Compared to a pedal bike, the pedal bike is superior except that the ebike is faster. The truth is that I could have just used my pedal bike with panniers and not spent the time and money to build an ebike. But, now that I have finished building the ebike, it is fun to ride and I am proud that I built it.
The only cost that I foresee from a solar ebike are maintenance items such as tires, brake pads, chain, spokes and perhaps electric drive items. The electric wheel kit cost under $200, so it can be replaced at a reasonable cost if defective. The battery will eventually lose power but I am hoping for years of service. The ebike has a range of 25 miles, a maxiumum speed of 35 mph and costs about $0.10 to charge with a plug in charger. I charge using a homemade solar charging station so the charging cost is zero, as long as the charging station continues to work.
Drama-free
My goal over this summer is to live a simple, drama free life. There may not be anything interesting to report, so I may not post any monthly updates. If something interesting does happen, I will check in. I have a feeling that in order to reach a state of stress-free relaxation, I will have to reduce media consumption, and may do a media fast.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
Living the Cat Life
As rational apes, we humans tend to get caught up in our own thoughts, building abstract rules around our behavior and our minds are lost in thought, always planning for the future. Religious beliefs, psychological theories and moral principles become mental cages which deny our mammalian needs. Our minds worry about the future even when the present is quite pleasant.
We can take a good example from our fellow mammal, the cat. When it comes to Be Here Now, felis catus is an expert dweller in the moment.
How to live the cat life:
Bask in the warmth of a heater.
Stretch until everything feels just right.
Cuddle with another cat friend and purr.
Groom and preen one's self and cat friends. Hygiene and self-care are important and time should be taken as needed for one's personal care. Caring for cat friends is a valuable way to spend one's time.
Sleep in the warmth of the sun.
Beg for attention, be persistant and don't give up without a good back scratching.
When things get too loud, disappear into a quiet hiding place.
Cats notice when cat friends need a cuddle.
If a cat could speak, it would ask for backrubs and chin scratches. We can speak, so ask for what you need.
Cats do not spend any time looking at a phone.
When someone starts using a vacuum cleaner, run away.
Cats don't watch the news.
Climb on top of a friend and find a comfy spot.
Touch noses, lick and kiss every time you meet with cat friends.
Napping is a highly valued activity and well worth the time.
Walk about the neighbohood and greet those you meet.
In bad weather, a cat will hide in a sheltered place and wait.
Cats don't worry about the stock market.
A cat is persistant when it wants attention. If you need loving attention, interrupt your partner from whatever they are doing.
Cats deserve freedom, but sometimes they are limited to being in the house. When a cat sees an open door, it is bold and takes advantage of its opportunity to run outside to freedom. After adventure, a cat knows to come back in time for dinner.
As rational apes, we tend to make our lives complicated. But it is possible to simplify life and live in the moment.
As rational apes, we humans tend to get caught up in our own thoughts, building abstract rules around our behavior and our minds are lost in thought, always planning for the future. Religious beliefs, psychological theories and moral principles become mental cages which deny our mammalian needs. Our minds worry about the future even when the present is quite pleasant.
We can take a good example from our fellow mammal, the cat. When it comes to Be Here Now, felis catus is an expert dweller in the moment.
How to live the cat life:
Bask in the warmth of a heater.
Stretch until everything feels just right.
Cuddle with another cat friend and purr.
Groom and preen one's self and cat friends. Hygiene and self-care are important and time should be taken as needed for one's personal care. Caring for cat friends is a valuable way to spend one's time.
Sleep in the warmth of the sun.
Beg for attention, be persistant and don't give up without a good back scratching.
When things get too loud, disappear into a quiet hiding place.
Cats notice when cat friends need a cuddle.
If a cat could speak, it would ask for backrubs and chin scratches. We can speak, so ask for what you need.
Cats do not spend any time looking at a phone.
When someone starts using a vacuum cleaner, run away.
Cats don't watch the news.
Climb on top of a friend and find a comfy spot.
Touch noses, lick and kiss every time you meet with cat friends.
Napping is a highly valued activity and well worth the time.
Walk about the neighbohood and greet those you meet.
In bad weather, a cat will hide in a sheltered place and wait.
Cats don't worry about the stock market.
A cat is persistant when it wants attention. If you need loving attention, interrupt your partner from whatever they are doing.
Cats deserve freedom, but sometimes they are limited to being in the house. When a cat sees an open door, it is bold and takes advantage of its opportunity to run outside to freedom. After adventure, a cat knows to come back in time for dinner.
As rational apes, we tend to make our lives complicated. But it is possible to simplify life and live in the moment.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
That's lovely, sky.
I was just told this week to be more like a cat (on the climbing wall).
Cat lessons everywhere.
I was just told this week to be more like a cat (on the climbing wall).
Cat lessons everywhere.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
Hmmmm so now I need to start looking at my cat as a wise sage rather than the self-centered demanding but yet wonderful little jerk he is 
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
Cats are assholes.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
I love cats. I would like to reincarnate as one.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
Not me. One life as an asshole is enough.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
Other things cats do:
1) Kill large proportion of songbird population.
2) Scrape female cat with heavily barbed penis during copulation causing her to yowl in a manner likely to be heard throughout neighborhood.
3) Spread disease that infects human brain tissue.
1) Kill large proportion of songbird population.
2) Scrape female cat with heavily barbed penis during copulation causing her to yowl in a manner likely to be heard throughout neighborhood.
3) Spread disease that infects human brain tissue.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
I am doing pretty well and enjoying the weather.
I seem to be stuck at 2 miles of walking (20 lb rucking) before being completely tired out or starting to feel pain in my ankle. My achilles tendon injury is more serious than I originally thought and continues to be a problem. My walking is in part hoping to be able to backpack, but I don't see myself being able to do more than about 5 miles a day, and I would be completely tired after 5 miles. After a few weeks I would probably be able to do the 10 to 20 mile days that are required to get from resupply to resupply while backpacking. I try to be happy with what I am able to do. At least 2 miles a day provides health benefits. I will continue on and try to avoid injury. Short trips can be fun too.
I am thinking about starting to use my car again. I would like to drive to walking trails that are in forested areas. Currently I walk doorstep to doorstep, so I revisit the same urban areas over and over. I did not use my car all winter, and the battery was dead, so I got a new one and checked the car out, it is ready to go again.
My prediction/expectation is that we will see very high inflation in the US. Our budget can handle quite a bit of increase, but eventually there could be problems if prices double. Sometimes I think about getting a job or starting a business, but don't really see anything I would want to do in my small town. We will probably just buy less and live even more minimal than we do now. Maybe just "Buy Nothing" for a long, long time. We have an overabundance of stuff that we could live without any additional purchases almost indefinitely (other than consumables, of course).
I am pretty happy with my current screentime use, I have reduced obsessive doomscrolling. I encourage myself to search on subjects of interest (hobby or history related) rather than following feeds. I found that by using an RSS reader, I can follow interesting youtube channels without the youtube feed issues (clickbait, advertising, false information, propaganda). I limit the amount of time I watch video each day, generally not watching video after 10am or before 6 pm. If you can avoid the constant attempts at mind control, the internet has a lot of excellent information and entertainment.
I do occasionally get bored, but now that the weather is good, I can go outside and walk, bike, or work in the workshop, etc. I hope to go on some campervan travels, or travel outside the US, but am somewhat limited by DW's ability and health. My own health and ability are also declining with age.
I succesfully avoided being recruited to run for city council. I am so distant from the community of people now, it is like another universe that I no longer live in. I don't read the local newspaper or follow city business. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be back in the game, and I see many things I could easily and quickly fix. Lots of missed opportunities and some of the same old mistakes that could easily be sidestepped. Most problems at their root are ego problems by people in power. But it is time for younger people to create their world, while I just relax and enjoy the rest of my life. I would like to move away from this city, but DW loves her house and garden, and it is not a bad place to live, just full of old ghosts and ancient battlegrounds for me. I have not found any better place to move to.
I went through all my backpacking gear, organized it and have assembled a 3 season pack and a summer pack. Currently the summer pack is 8 lb base weight and I may be able to reduce that. The 3 season pack would work for a through hike, the summer pack is an ultralight pack. I am not sure to what extent I will actually use the gear, but my hobby has been to maintain a complete pack that is ready to pick up and go.
I am enjoying cold soaked oatmeal with raisins and walnuts for breakfasts. An excellent meal, cheap and easy to prepare. It is remarkable how little one needs to be satisfied.
I went through my clothes again and found another few dozen pieces of clothing to donate. I continue to organize my workshop and have made a lot of space available. After completing my backpacks, I moved a lot of old gear into storage.
My slogan this month has been, "Don't Build, Do." Not that there is anything wrong with building, but I want to take advantage of the weather and do things outside. It was a long winter, now is time to enjoy the weather.
I seem to be stuck at 2 miles of walking (20 lb rucking) before being completely tired out or starting to feel pain in my ankle. My achilles tendon injury is more serious than I originally thought and continues to be a problem. My walking is in part hoping to be able to backpack, but I don't see myself being able to do more than about 5 miles a day, and I would be completely tired after 5 miles. After a few weeks I would probably be able to do the 10 to 20 mile days that are required to get from resupply to resupply while backpacking. I try to be happy with what I am able to do. At least 2 miles a day provides health benefits. I will continue on and try to avoid injury. Short trips can be fun too.
I am thinking about starting to use my car again. I would like to drive to walking trails that are in forested areas. Currently I walk doorstep to doorstep, so I revisit the same urban areas over and over. I did not use my car all winter, and the battery was dead, so I got a new one and checked the car out, it is ready to go again.
My prediction/expectation is that we will see very high inflation in the US. Our budget can handle quite a bit of increase, but eventually there could be problems if prices double. Sometimes I think about getting a job or starting a business, but don't really see anything I would want to do in my small town. We will probably just buy less and live even more minimal than we do now. Maybe just "Buy Nothing" for a long, long time. We have an overabundance of stuff that we could live without any additional purchases almost indefinitely (other than consumables, of course).
I am pretty happy with my current screentime use, I have reduced obsessive doomscrolling. I encourage myself to search on subjects of interest (hobby or history related) rather than following feeds. I found that by using an RSS reader, I can follow interesting youtube channels without the youtube feed issues (clickbait, advertising, false information, propaganda). I limit the amount of time I watch video each day, generally not watching video after 10am or before 6 pm. If you can avoid the constant attempts at mind control, the internet has a lot of excellent information and entertainment.
I do occasionally get bored, but now that the weather is good, I can go outside and walk, bike, or work in the workshop, etc. I hope to go on some campervan travels, or travel outside the US, but am somewhat limited by DW's ability and health. My own health and ability are also declining with age.
I succesfully avoided being recruited to run for city council. I am so distant from the community of people now, it is like another universe that I no longer live in. I don't read the local newspaper or follow city business. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be back in the game, and I see many things I could easily and quickly fix. Lots of missed opportunities and some of the same old mistakes that could easily be sidestepped. Most problems at their root are ego problems by people in power. But it is time for younger people to create their world, while I just relax and enjoy the rest of my life. I would like to move away from this city, but DW loves her house and garden, and it is not a bad place to live, just full of old ghosts and ancient battlegrounds for me. I have not found any better place to move to.
I went through all my backpacking gear, organized it and have assembled a 3 season pack and a summer pack. Currently the summer pack is 8 lb base weight and I may be able to reduce that. The 3 season pack would work for a through hike, the summer pack is an ultralight pack. I am not sure to what extent I will actually use the gear, but my hobby has been to maintain a complete pack that is ready to pick up and go.
I am enjoying cold soaked oatmeal with raisins and walnuts for breakfasts. An excellent meal, cheap and easy to prepare. It is remarkable how little one needs to be satisfied.
I went through my clothes again and found another few dozen pieces of clothing to donate. I continue to organize my workshop and have made a lot of space available. After completing my backpacks, I moved a lot of old gear into storage.
My slogan this month has been, "Don't Build, Do." Not that there is anything wrong with building, but I want to take advantage of the weather and do things outside. It was a long winter, now is time to enjoy the weather.
-
Western Red Cedar
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:15 pm
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
One strategy you could consider for spending more times in the mountains is to identify locations where you can hike in with a pack, set up a basecamp, and have options for different day hikes from your base. My BIL has been doing this for years, and I've slowly moved in that direction to save my body and knees from having to carry a heavy pack up and down multiple mountain passes. It also helps when traveling with larger groups or kids.sky wrote: ↑Wed Apr 30, 2025 10:27 amI seem to be stuck at 2 miles of walking (20 lb rucking) before being completely tired out or starting to feel pain in my ankle. My achilles tendon injury is more serious than I originally thought and continues to be a problem. My walking is in part hoping to be able to backpack, but I don't see myself being able to do more than about 5 miles a day, and I would be completely tired after 5 miles. After a few weeks I would probably be able to do the 10 to 20 mile days that are required to get from resupply to resupply while backpacking. I try to be happy with what I am able to do. At least 2 miles a day provides health benefits. I will continue on and try to avoid injury. Short trips can be fun too.
The longer trails with resupply points are definitely alluring, but don't let the physical requirements of that approach stop you from getting out.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
That is true, most of my hiking tends to be park at a trailhead, walk in, camp, walk out. Still very do-able in my current condition.
Re: No Time Like Right Now - sky's journal
I am now able to ruck (20 lbs) 4 miles with no discomfort. My recovery strategy was to add padded insoles to my shoes, and walk 2 miles with a rest day afterwards. I also used the rocking step method of stepping heel to outer edge of foot to foot pad. It took some time to relearn this after limping for so long. I slowly built up my distance over time.
I find it interesting how the feet heal overnight. After a long walk, I try to sleep as long as possible the next night. When it was colder, I would wear warm socks in bed, which seemed to improve healing.
Now that I know I can do longer distances without damaging my foot, my goal is to walk one hour out and one hour back, which would be between 5 and 6 miles.
I find it interesting how the feet heal overnight. After a long walk, I try to sleep as long as possible the next night. When it was colder, I would wear warm socks in bed, which seemed to improve healing.
Now that I know I can do longer distances without damaging my foot, my goal is to walk one hour out and one hour back, which would be between 5 and 6 miles.