Comments on: Follow your dreams.

By: Miss Ash

Miss Ash — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:22:43 +0000

I love you, and many times I wish I had grown up with you as a mother. <3

By: kompostela

kompostela — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:30:50 +0000

Your story impressed me so much! I’m so happy to have you as a friend!

By: Tinkingbell

Tinkingbell — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:07:45 +0000

What a courageous thing you did and are doing!
I admit to not being as brave as you, but am trying to be less of a consumer (except where yarn is concerned) and making less waste and recycling more – great post!

By: river

river — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:10:13 +0000

We have a drinking water fountain in the mall where I work. Not many people use it for drinking though because many of us have seen the street people (homeless) using the little catch basin under the tap to wash their feet and faces in. I have a few water bottles with those sippy tops for drinking from, but I buy water in 10 litre casks and refill my bottles from that everyday. The bottles are rinsed along with the dishes and the tops are soaked in the steradent along with my denture. They usually last about a year like this before they start to taste funny and I buy a couple of new bottles.

By: Joyce-Anne

Joyce-Anne — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:47:45 +0000

Growing up in the suburbs of New York City, we lived in a neighborhood of the “haves” and the “have nots”. We were a family of six and often did not have what others had. Growing up like that gave me a respect of money. My husband and I pay off the credit cards monthly. If we can’t afford something, we DON’T buy it. Unlike others of our generation, we wait and save for it.

Good luck with the city council-I hope you get your water fountains.

By: frogpondsrock

frogpondsrock — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:39:30 +0000

@Sharon and Achelois. the simple answer is to stop buying bottled water, bottles of fizz etc. I buy heaps of bottled water. If I am out and run out of water I will buy another bottle. *sigh* I am going to stop buying water now.

When I was a child there were drinking water fountains everywhere. Now the only place to get water is in the public toilets. And the water in town is so heavily chlorinated it tastes like shit.On the floor of my car there are 7 empty plastic drink bottles.

On Monday I am going to ring up the Hobart city council and ask about drinking water fountains in the city. I am buying a stainless steel water bottle on Wednesday.

By: Achelois

Achelois — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:18:11 +0000

@ Sharon – good question re the bottle tops. What to do?

By: Fe

Fe — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:29:58 +0000

I grew up in a “conservative” environment, but have parents who are non-judgemental and who have friends from all walks of life.

My favourite family friends lived a self-sustaining lifestyle with a little art gallery on their property.

I always had the impression that my parents envied their strong convictions and lifestyle.

Good on you for LIVING your convictions. Not enough of us are brave enough to do the same.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:56:22 +0000

I think you should be applauded for your life choices. Wish I’d had your courage but I couldn’t cope with living that close to nature and minus my mod cons! I’ve always been a city girl and the past couple of years have been our first taste of country life. I do my best to try the green route with as much as possible. I’m a great one for making and/or mending things and recycle/reuse wherever I can and most of my cooking is done from scratch using seasonal local ingredients as much as possible.

I do have a serious question though – what the bloody hell can we do with those damned plastic bottle tops? The bottles themselves go into the recycling bin but the lids go into the rubbish destined for the tip and now, sadly, we know where they go from there. So any ideas anyone?

By: Achelois

Achelois — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:26:13 +0000

I was the hippy chick and spent a while living in a commune but didn’t have the bravery to follow my dream as you did. We didn’t however join the crowds and follow the masses into credit card and debt galore. Preferring a simpler lifestyle – My kids are also strong willed and I shunned the ‘disney’ pj’s never minded recycled clothes. I haven’t been as green as I should have been. I am told my eldest (girl) was bullied at school for not having the latest ‘in’ thing. Other kids now grown tell me they loved coming to ‘our’ place because I didn’t mind mess etc. Some mums were snooty and wouldn’t let their darlings round to play, so daughter never really felt ‘in’ with the ‘in’ crowd. At times my eldest tells me she was embarrassed by her home but no longer.

Sometimes though in truth my guilty pleasure would be some brand spanking new appliances – and classy new stuff particularly flooring! So I am not entirely as true to the cause as I should be but I am honest and we don’t live under a mountain of debt for which I am grateful, not because we are wealthy I may add but because we do not buy stuff we cannot afford. My current beef is people who live beyond their means but don’t get me started on that one.

I should be greener and your blog helps me try much harder with this. Your imagery via the photo’s and ceramics is a stark reminder of the selfishness of the human race.

@ Veronica – it made sense to me.