"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone." Henry David Thoreau, Walden. Possessions don't make us happy! Situations do. Possessions, desire, covetousness, craving, yearning, lust; these forces drive humanity. Somehow each generation of moral thinkers know these things are ultimately wrong and look for something … Continue reading Jobs, Work, and Taking Control of Possessions (an updated ramble)
Thoughts About Minimalism and Survival
Learning a thing or two from the past...Part 1, 21st century Westerners are not the first to minimalize. There's a lot of recent talk about Minimalism as a social movement and this fits well with my personal philosophy and my interests in preindustrial technology and survival. Not long ago, minimalism was mostly associated with artists, … Continue reading Thoughts About Minimalism and Survival
The Golden Rule of a Minimalist Homestead
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Wise words from William Morris. This is the mantra that drives the entire vardo project. I try to keep this in mind for every thing I add and every part I build. Otherwise, isn't it just junk?
There is Enough: Books
What are we seeking in the "Self Help" section of the bookstore? Does it help or is it just something more to purchase and put on the shelf? Here's a good little post from Becomingaminimalist.org.
Letting Go of Accomplishments
This goes against the grain of what so may of us are taught, but it says so much.
Hamlet, A Tale of the Road Less Traveled
A mid-40s couple restores a tiny canned-ham trailer, leaves their mundane careers, and takes off on a journey across the continent. Sounds pretty good to me. When it comes to making enough money to get by, the two have a unique system. “In our ideal setting,” Hutchison explains, “is four months of working somewhere, [or] … Continue reading Hamlet, A Tale of the Road Less Traveled
The Wheel House
A ‘tender, post-apocalyptic love story’... I want to revisit this minimalist performance art piece with you for the weekend. Extremely clever, "acrobatic virtuosity," street performance. https://vimeo.com/109732643 from the Acrojou website: "A tender post-apocalyptic love story..." - Kate Kavanagh, review, The Circus Diaries A gently comic dystopia, set in a different time where everything has a … Continue reading The Wheel House
Life, Destruction, and Incidental Use
"A pine cut down, a dead pine, is no more a pine than a dead human carcass is a man. Can he who has discovered only some of the values of whalebone and whale oil be said to have discovered the true use of the whale? Can he who slays the elephant for his ivory … Continue reading Life, Destruction, and Incidental Use
Possessions
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone." Walden, Henry David Thoreau 1854.
Simplify
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful," William Morris.
Great Minds Think Alike
An old but true sentiment... I just found this guy on Tumblr and hope to see more great updates from him in the near future. Maybe we'll caravan together somewhere down the road. From his blog: "Cappy's Caravan will have 120 and 12v power like a traditional RV with a hybrid RV distribution Panel. Because … Continue reading Great Minds Think Alike
Ultra Minimalists, Part 4 – Modern Minimalism
For the Ultra Minimalists, Part 1, click here. Modern Minimalists Everything I Own: My 288 Things By Joshua Fields Millburn Life Tools & Accessories - 33 items, including my car, guitar, books, hairbrush, toothbrush, etc. Consumables - 5 groups of items, including food, cleaning supplies, hygiene supplies, office supplies and paper goods Kitchen Items - … Continue reading Ultra Minimalists, Part 4 – Modern Minimalism
Ultra Minimalists, Part 3
For the Ultra Minimalists, Part 1, click here. More Historic Minimalists - religious wanderers from the East Wandering Monks part 1 - The Buddhist monks that travel much of the year throughout Asia are about as minimalist as one can reasonably get. Early Buddhist monks were instructed to own, as based on the Pali Canon, … Continue reading Ultra Minimalists, Part 3
Ultra Minimalists, Part 2
For the Ultra Minimalists, Part 1, click here. Some Historic Minimalists - tried and true formulas for survival Roman Legionary - Let's go back to the beginning of the modern military. As militaries go, Rome had a pretty successful run. After their first couple centuries being beaten up by the Celts they certainly learned a … Continue reading Ultra Minimalists, Part 2
Ultra Minimalists, Part 1
Learning a thing or two from the past...Part 1, 21st century americans are not the first to minimalize. This is a lengthy ramble. So long in fact, that I have broken it into several posts to be trickled out over the coming days, weeks, or months. Skip on to the fun stuff if you aren't … Continue reading Ultra Minimalists, Part 1
Simplify
More great thoughts from Henry David Thoreau on simplifying. “I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first … Continue reading Simplify
Minimalism
“I make myself rich by making my wants few.” — Henry David Thoreau For thousands of years, great minds have warned us against the acquisition of "Stuff". The more stuff we have, the more we're obsessed with newer, better, more interesting stuff. For about six or seven years now, I have been eliminating extraneous possessions; … Continue reading Minimalism
Bicycle Powered Micro Vardo
A very interesting vardo build by artist Barry Howard. He created a guest post on Tiny House Talk earlier this summer to discuss his ultra-light, fold-down, micro vardo to tow behind his bike. It provides about 12 square feet (1.1 square meters) which is about the minimum needed for an average size human or two … Continue reading Bicycle Powered Micro Vardo
Tiny Rustic House
It appears to be made of upcycled parts and wood and is said to be made on a refurbished trailer. Found on Tiny House Swoon. It's a kindred spirit for sure. Click on over to see more at the Tiny House Swoon blog.
Ella Jenkins Tiny House
Deek has featured another fine home with some great photos. I particularly like this set as the house doesn't appear to be "staged" but is actually lived in. I can't wait to see more as promised. See the rest of the photos HERE or just cruise the rest of the Relaxshacks site if you have … Continue reading Ella Jenkins Tiny House
Backyard Chickens
I've been lucky as a chicken owner for quite a few years. Very few have been stolen by predators, and we've had very little illness. Right now, with a dozen chickens both old and young, I get between three and six eggs per day with the occasional bonanza of eight. That is, if I can … Continue reading Backyard Chickens
Does This Thingy Add Value…
A new post from the Minimalists. "I don’t own many things. But everything I own adds value to my life. Each of my belongings—my kitchenware, furniture, clothes, car—functions either as a tool or gives some sort of positive aesthetic value to my life. That is, as a minimalist, every possession serves a purpose and/or brings me joy. Over time, … Continue reading Does This Thingy Add Value…
Robin Wood, Traditional Craftsman
Here's another excellent video of Robin Wood, wood turner and traditional craftsman. Visit his website to learn more about this remarkable man and his admirable career choice. As he explains, his job is easy to describe while so many careers are just about impossible to explain what one does and we create fancy titles to … Continue reading Robin Wood, Traditional Craftsman
Lightening my load
About an addiction I didn't even realize I had. It seems that minimalism is the word du jour around the internet these days. Tiny houses, the 100 Thing Challenge, Non-Conformist work strategies, and urban homesteaders are filling blog-space with ideas and adventures outside the old consumerist norm. Many people are looking for something more in … Continue reading Lightening my load
