Personal Preparation List some accomplished, some not yet

I wrote this list about 6 months ago before the end of 2007. Some of these things I've accompllished some of them I havent. As of this date, 4-27-08, though, I will almost be done with any need for my $45.95 a month storage unit that I've had since my dad died and Mom moved out of the house. there was no furniture but a lot of other things I kept there--pictures, slides, various things Mom collected like all those glass cats my brother gave her! some of my own old toys, many(!) Christmas decorations--why do those accumulate so?! I had to make a decision about everything in there I've touched in the past year or so and it's is quite draining to just make a decision and not reminisce or "think" about the thing in my hands. The last 4 boxes will come home with me in the next 2 weeks.

Still to do or get finished: Have enough food storage for a few months, emergency supplies put together, solar oven to order, new gate, too.

I was planning on retiring after 25 years at my librarian jobs (combined years) anyway but the peak oil, peak climate, peak everything issues came to be part of my motivation. Have been retired 10 months now and it’s very nice but I need to do something to make a little more money coming in.

1. Paid off credit card debt totally from money I got from the lawsuit for a slip and fall that resulted in 2 broken arms in 2005. Arms healed up well and are functioning well.
2. Thinking I should buy some of the solar powered stuff I see advertised at different places. Not solar panels but other kinds of things—solar oven for example?
3. Thinking I should check sewing supplies and get a lighter weight sewing machine, nothing with all the embroidery things in it though!, and sewing again. My old machine is probably functional but it’s very heavy to handle and I don’t have just one place I can leave it up all the time.
4. Learning one Tai chi form from the classes at my yoga studio. Already have several years of hatha yoga skills and taught it for a while.
5. Walking at least 2 miles every day along our canal to lose a few more pounds and increased some physical stamina.
6. Lost enough weight to fit much better into clothes I like that I’ve have for a few years.
7. Learning how to cook more stuff from scratch. I didn’t have time to do much of this when working and in a hot climate in the summer inside cooking sucks totally! Hence, the idea of a solar oven and learn to use it. –Haven’t done this yet.
8. Getting things fixed in the house; like rewiring before copper wire and other goods and services related to it become just too expensive.
9. Changed lots of light bulbs that are the non incandescent kind. These are cooler in this climate anyway. Incandescent lights are terribly hot in the summer in southern Arizona.
10. More careful about turning out lights when I’m not using them. This was annoying when my brother visits and uses more lights than I do; he wasn’t willing to sit in the dark as much as I am.
11. Kept my mother’s cooking utensils, many knitting and crocheting needles and other basic supplies when I had to move her from her apartment to the dementia unit of the assisted housing where she lives now. I know have so many fiber arts supplies it’s overwhelming.
12. Thought about buying more insulation for the house.
13. Some of this process the past year has been observing the use of energy, all the stuff there is in the stores—food and things—and watching prices going up for food and energy. All of this is taking in all the information about some great changes that are coming I know for the latter part of my life and I wonder how much “less” of everything including quality of life is going to be different that my parent’s was.
14. Going to physical therapy for the problems in my two shoulders which the octopod thinks are tendonitis and a couple of bone spurs. With the inflammatory and exercises, hopefully I will get rid of this chronic problem and be able to do the exercises that will keep the bone spurs from getting worse. I’ve got the weights at home for most home exercises. The ones for my two broken elbows worked very well for their purpose.
15. I can’t see trying to grow my own food at this point but I could find a way to keep more food supplies on hand—and more food supplies on hand for my 8-10 cats.
16. Got tote bags to use for grocery stores and other places instead of using plastic bags. I keep them in the car so I’ll use them! Too easy to forget them.
17. Bought some patio chairs at the local St. Vincent De Paul store. Their clothes aren’t much but the chairs and furniture look in very good condition.
18. Don’t need to buy much as far as Christmas goes since it’s my brother and an elderly mother who mostly wants time with us and not stuff; Have a few friends to buy for some small gifts though.
19. I still love all the electronic stuff in the world but my old digital cameras works fine with the new computer. I bought a little more expensive one expecting it will last at least 4-5 years. Old scanner however doesn’t work at all with Vista. No support for it at the HP.com website so I’ve been looking at others. December might be a good month for sales of this kind of thing.
20. Next year, December 2007 right now, more stuff to actually act on. The psychological/emotional stuff is important to consider when facing a “life of less stuff and not every ending expansion”.