In a few days we will be visiting the place where Trevor learned to spin, Holden Village, Washington (www.holdenvillage.org). Holden Village is a retreat center in a very remote area of the Cascade Mountains. We moved to Holden in 2008, at the beginning of the recession, with our five-week-old newborn. We had more or less run out of other options, but after moving to Holden we were kicking ourselves for not having done it sooner. Holden is a interdependent, intentional community of volunteers. Trevor worked as the village plumber, and I was the village librarian, and Aubrey was the village baby; but our roles were more complex than that. We also served on dish washing and garbage sorting teams, hauled luggage and food, lead book discussions, participated in talent shows, and filled in for other jobs when there were absences. We were paid a modest stipend, plus our health insurance and pretty much all expenses were covered (room, board, utilities, etc.). We ate well, drank well, enjoyed exceptional company, and were very, very merry. It pretty much changed our lives.
Since leaving Holden, we have made it our goal not to wait until our most desperate moment to do what makes us happy, and to continue making a happy home life our top priority. It’s inspiring to see so many other people choosing to do the same these days. One of the ways we do this is by choosing to buy local food from farms (http://www.localharvest.org/sogn-valley-csa-M34650 ), farmer’s markets (http://www.rochesterdowntownfarmersmarket.org/ ), and small businesses (http://rochesterproduce.com/) or co-ops (http://www.rochestergoodfood.coop/ ). Trevor was hesitant to commit to buying from these sources initially, because he was sure it would be more expensive. But I struck a deal with him. We take out an allotted amount of cash for food at the beginning of the month. We agree to only buying from local sources. We make a meal plan for two weeks at at time, and a grocery list with items needed, and only go shopping for those items. We tried this last month and had $50 left over. Plus, our food tasted better and had more variety, our shopping trips were more enjoyable, and our diet was healthier. We have also started making more things from scratch, like bread, tortillas, re-fried beans, and chili. Trevor says next he wants to try making butter (he read in a book that all you need is cream, a jar, a marble, and 20 minutes) and salsa.
There is an awesome book about the new generation of homemakers, called Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes ( http://radicalhomemakers.com/). On the subject of new economic trends, I also highly recommend What’s Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers (http://www.collaborativeconsumption.com/ ).
We appreciate the responses we got regarding suggested names for the spinning business. We will continue to ponder this and many other of the world’s conundrums while we are on vacation, and get back to you later this month.
Angie Gustafson 