About Me
An American food and travel writer, a reformed shopper, now living a rural, "slow" non-consumerism life in the south of France with her French husband and daughter. Poorer than dirt, but living like kings from the riches of the earth.

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What is A Slow Year?
August 2007-August 2008 we did not purchase anything. Only food and that was severely limited to the farmers markets and the organic co-op store. This year, we are doing an all-out No Shopping School Year: September 1st thru June 15th, we will not buy anything, not even food. We will use what abundance we have: what we preserved this summer, our garden, foraging, bartering, trading, living off what mother nature gives us.

Why am I doing this?
I embarked on this slow life after seeing the waste from two peoples lives cut short. My husband's family halved in one month and we were left to sort through their closets, sell the car, and shake our heads at the material “stuff” that lived on longer than his grandmother’s precious words and his father's new lease on life as a first time grandfather.

I realized further that we needed to do some soul searching and rid ourselves of material obligations. In fact, now after a successful year of not shopping, we will probably make it part of our lives instead of just a stunt year. This year we will cut out food shopping as well and rely on foraging, what organic food we have in the freezer, fishing, our CSA basket and what we can grow in containers on our small patio.

I am having fun with it, discovering so much about myself and our planet along the way and hopefully inspiring my close circle of friends and readers to do the same. We are happier, more content with what we have and cherish each other and what nature give us without the constraints of money in our lives.

Also, I feel more grounded and in touch with "mamie" who lived through some tough times and I am discovering her world and past generations traditions along the way. I feel very blessed to have stumbled upon this through the slow year.


Photos
www.flickr.com
These Days in French Life's photos More of These Days in French Life's photos

A Slow Year Posts
40 ways to start a Slow Life
A Slow Year Flickr
My Non-Consummation Proclamation
Cat Food
Grocery List
What I Can Do
Re-Valuation sans Money
Saturday Links
Wind Power
On The Road
Time of the Month
No Toilet Paper!
Tute: Baby Legwarmers
Tute: Baby Slippers
Tute: Baby Cloth Diapers
Where to Start a Slow Year
Is that really Organic?
Laundry Soap
Homemade Toothpaste
No Poo (hair washing)
Why Am I Doing A Slow Year?
Why does everything break?
For our Health
We dont use toilet paper

Kiva - loans that change lives

Saturday, February 18, 2006
Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) Whatcha lookin' At Cat
These two boys are sick in bed together today. Both have tummy aches, unrelated I think...Lucky got into something bad, so he is not eating and he had the chills last night. Today, I gave him some little bites of raw hamburger (I'm having a big dinner party tonight) and he has kept them down now for one hour so there is hope. He puked 3 times last night, poor little guy. Benji just feels like puking, chills and all.

Gansta' Lucky lost his coller in about 10 mintes when he went outside. We are pretty sure that he sold it for cat nip on the black market. Or else the other cats made him give it to them so that he could join the cat gang that meets by the trash can at midnight...which he meows at the door to go to...I told him that if he is too sick to go to school, then he is too sick to go out and play with his friends.

  posted at Saturday, February 18, 2006
  9 comments



9 Comments:
At 2/18/2006 1:07 PM, Blogger Chloe said...

i just found your blog and like it very much. warm wishes for those 2 sick boys there.

 
At 2/19/2006 9:39 AM, Blogger misschrisc said...

Hmmm...I wonder how much cat nip he got for it? It's a pretty nice one with the little heart medallion. And what kind of neighborhood do you live in anyway with this sort of stuff going on!!?

 
At 2/19/2006 10:31 AM, Blogger Saron said...

Lucky is getting so big!Him and Ms. Niko would make such a cute couple.

Hope your dinner party was a success and that both of your boys are feeling better.

 
At 2/19/2006 1:45 PM, Blogger Clare Eats said...

Kiri had a stomach bug last weekend too, poor Lucky.

 
At 2/19/2006 4:20 PM, Blogger linda said...

Poor Lucky, I hope both your boys get better.

 
At 2/19/2006 5:56 PM, Blogger Kross-Eyed Kitty said...

What a big beautiful cat! Love his heart medallion, very cute.
I do hope that both of your boys are feeling better again soon.
Nice blog btw...here via Clare's

 
At 2/19/2006 6:36 PM, Blogger it's only fuel said...

I hear that heart medallion collars are going for more than catnip on the streets...you should really keep an eye on your boy for harder stuff....like weeds!

I hope your boys get better:)

 
At 2/19/2006 6:38 PM, Blogger Riana said...

LOL, Fuel! I just ordered another medalion (smaller this time so that the other ferals don't make fun of him) and as a back up I am getting a black one with silver fish bones!!!

Both boys are feeling better and eating...thanks for all your well wishes!

 
At 2/20/2006 4:56 AM, Blogger b'gina said...

Lucky does look like a serious gansa kat there. Hope both your fellas are all well again.

 

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I got wish number 4
meme myself
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A Slow Year
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Why Travel to France


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