Sheltering at home in these unprecedented times is bringing us some unexpected benefits. My husband and I are fortunate enough to still be working (I am working from home; Tom is driving people to medical appointments, so he's still out in public and exposed). That means although we are mostly home, we're also mostly busy. However, his Krav Maga classes, which took him out of the house four times a week, are now on hold, so he has some weekend time he doesn't usually have.

We moved to western Massachusetts a few years ago, to an area with a lot of ponds, lakes, and trails. Despite our giving lip service to "exploring the area," we hadn't really done much in the way of getting out into all the nature that abounds around us.

A few weekends ago, we started setting aside one weekend morning as our exploratory time. We've now visited some waterfalls (our favorite) and discovered other woodland hikes. We're enjoying getting out in fresh air. We've found a good balance in the areas we've explored—with easy trails for me and enough rocks and hills for Tom's self-challenges—and are starting to get to know the beautiful area we moved to. 

We don't live in a heavily populated area, but there are usually some people out on the trails. I especially enjoy seeing families with older children who wouldn't ordinarily have had this special time together, with soccer and dance practice, friends, and video games all competing for those little slices of weekend time. And the dogs! They look like they are in heaven, with their cherished family members, out in the world of trees, water, and awesome smells.

With all that we can't do at this time and the worries of illness looming, it's easy to feel a bit down about this Great Pause. But you too may find some unexpected benefits in your life that could only have come when everything else stopped for a time in the spring of 2020.

Here's a video my husband took of one of the places we visited: Bear's Den in New Salem, MA.

We've finally got our seeds started for the season. This is our third year with our waist-high garden carts and it seems that things are a little more relaxed this year. (Or it might be that with Tom's new job, I'm left to my own devices to set the schedule for when things get done, which is more likely the case!)

What we call "the growing closet" in our second bedroom is home to lots of happy seedlings. The lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers are the showiest of the group so far and it's time to transplant a few of the big guys to their own pots. We have several empty spots where the seeds didn't germinate, so we'll try seeding those spots again in April. It's been about five weeks since we planted this group, so anything that hasn't sprouted by now isn't going to.

Tom rigged up a a clever adjustable grow light that is working well in its second season. As the seedlings grow taller, he shortens the chain attached to the light to make more head room, while still giving all the seedlings plenty of light. 

It's a good thing we're empty-nesters. I don't think either of our kids would have opted to share a closet with a bunch of little seedlings, no matter how delicious their vegetables will be this summer.

​So we're learning from our mistakes and putting in fewer plants so each plant gets more sun and we are looking for better yields from fewer plants. We're also spilling out into the backyard because we wanted to grow potatoes again and didn't have the room in the garden carts.

​We also planted Music Garlic from High Mowing Organic Seeds last fall, a new crop for us this year. Due to the number of cloves that came in the package, we have more than one garden cart devoted just to garlic. Looks like we'll be singing garlic's praises all summer long!

​I am trying to be more mindful of what I eat, knowing that many animals suffer all around the world as a result of my conveniences. The planet also suffers from deforestation and loss of habitats and biodiversity in the name of agriculture. It's an ongoing research project and I'm still making my way through the decisions that will be right for me and others.

​As part of starting plant-based diet again last fall, I'm tasting some varieties of plant-based milks. Almond milk - yes. Soy milk - yes. Flax milk - blecchh. There are a few other varieties to try, including pea, hemp, oat, and macadamia nut. I never realized there is added sugar in a lot of these products as well as thickeners, so I need to read the labels too. It also depends who you ask. PETA's article was very favorable towards plant-based milk; Rodale's Organic Life article was more balanced, but didn't take into account the deleterious consequences of the dairy industry.

I came across an article today, "The Value of Minimalism," that reminded me of the many benefits we've experienced by downsizing and simplifying our lives. We are fortunate to have had the choices to change our lifestyle in a way that many people do not.

In 2015, we sold our 2,500-square-foot house on almost four acres of land and our two cars and left our jobs to move into a 100-square-foot camper, storing what little was left in a 5 x 10 storage unit. After traveling across the country through the summer and fall, we returned to New England that winter and rented a furnished 600-square-foot cabin. When we bought another house the following spring, we went much smaller in size and acreage than our previous house – about 900 square feet and a 1/2 acre, half of which is wooded and undeveloped. We also bought one 18-year-old car that we now share. We have much, much less stuff than we did before and we don't miss the things that we gave away or sold. At this time in our lives, as empty-nesters seeking a work/life balance that's right for us, we have less stress and more free time. There's less to clean, less to mow, less to maintain, less to repair.

​Our biggest problem so far? When one glass breaks in a two-glass household (as happened this week), our glass inventory is suddenly cut in half! I guess it's time for a visit to the local thrift store to restock. But I'm still calling the glass half-full.

He walked around what my Tom calls the "experimental pile" of compost, where random plant compost accumulates when he wants to see what happens to it. 

Maybe we'll see a rafter (yes, that's the right word – I looked it up!) of turkeys next spring, if love blossoms over the winter.

#sustainablegreenlife #nature #wildlife