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Posts Tagged With: 101 in 1001

Occupy Denver

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Anisa

Saturday night I went down to the capital building to the Occupy Denver protest.  Denver is one of over 1500 cities showing solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York.

Saturday afternoon there was a march on the state capital.  4000-5000 people joined together to march down 16th street.  I couldn’t get down there in time for the march, but I went with Cora and Manuel, my mom’s husband, to join the few hundred remaining protesters around 6:00pm.

I’ve never been to anything like this.  The Occupy Wall Street movement is a peaceful protest, but the Denver police department and Colorado state patrol lined the streets in full riot gear.

As we walked down Broadway from Colfax, the citizens started moving into the street, chanting “Police are the 99 percent!” and the police line backed up.  I got chills.  I was almost moved to tears, and I wished I had my camera ready to get that on video.

We spent some time walking around among the protesters.  We got a lot of warnings to “get that baby out of here, before they gas us.”  One guy warned us that we were taking her into a “really volatile area.”  I have to admit, after the third or fourth such warning, I was a bit intimidated.

Manuel shot a few videos with his phone and in one, you could hear a citizen shouting, “They have automatic weapons.  Why do they need automatic weapons?”  I was glad to be there and also nervous.  I wonder just how far we are entrenched in this bizarre culture of fear. In reality, it really was pretty calm.

Rick and my mom were watching the news reports, and the police began making arrests.  Around 6:30 we saw two people getting arrested for “blocking traffic.”  Odd since the police were the ones in the streets, and the street was completely shut down anyway.  The citizens stayed on the sidewalks and in the park for the most part.  And after reading a few news stories I realized just how much is sensationalized.

The whole time we were there, we didn’t hear any people shouting “shame” at the police.  We did however hear chants and shouts of “Protect the kitchen!” when the protestors gathered around the food tent, linking arms, to keep it from being trampled to the ground.  And chants of “Peaceful. Peaceful.” as the police formed lines and advanced on the group in the park.

We stayed until about 7:30pm when we saw several more police vehicles show up followed by a couple of ambulances.  The police had formed lines, seven or eight officers deep and started advancing on the crowd.  As Manuel and I walked back to the car, I stopped and asked an officer on the fringe of things why they were in such heavy gear and out in such force for a peaceful protest (hey, I figured they wouldn’t arrest or pepper spray a lady with a baby strapped to her).  The officers were polite, and explained their position (you know, being prepared, just in case, and all that).  Of course they are just doing their jobs.

I realize that attending a protest for just an hour and  a half, and leaving when things start to get heated totally makes me the diet soda of protesters.  But it was more than nothing, and I plan to go back in the very near future without Cora.  I still won’t be able to stay – she is breastfeeding and I can only be away for so long.  But I plan to keep showing my support in little bites and chunks as I can.

There are probably a lot of people like me that might want to stand up, but for some reason they can’t be at the protest (or like me, have little kids and may not want them in such a charged environment).  Here are a few simple things that anyone can do to help, without attending a rally:

  • Close your bank account with a large bank and open an account with your local credit union instead.
  • Buy local or handmade items for all your holiday gifts, or better yet, make gifts yourself using locally sourced materials.
  • Buy your food at a farmers market instead of from big corporations.
  • Make your own food at home instead of going out or buying it in a box (granola is just oatmeal, honey, oil and nuts baked in the oven – this is a great alternative to cereal).
  • Gardeners, buy non-GMO seeds from seed companies not owned by Monsanto.  Here is a decent list of which are safe and which to avoid.
  • Sign a petition online or in person.
  • Donate supplies to your local Occupation.
  • Donate money to the cause.
  • Spread the word.  Facebook, Twitter, email, telephone, blogging, whatever!
  • Pay in cash!  Credit only helps serve big banks.

I also realized that a lot of people still don’t understand what Occupy Wall Street is all about.  And why would I be posting this on my homesteading blog?  Food Democracy Now posted that,

4 firms control 84% of beef packing, 66% of pork production and 1 company (Monsanto) controls more than 93% of soybeans and 80% of corn grown in the U.S.

Occupy Wall Street will affect us all.  Here are a few good articles that might help in understanding what the Occupation is all about:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-keith-ellison/occupy-wall-streets-real-_b_1009368.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10?op=1

http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/the-most-important-thing-in-the-world?utm_source=wkly20111014&utm_medium=yesemail&utm_campaign=mrKlein

Or simply…

Now is the time.  Spread the word.

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Categories: 101 in 1001, Community, Recommended Reading, what not | Tags: , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The New 101 in 1001

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Anisa

Not sure if you noticed, but Friday I posted a new 101 things in 1001 days list on my right sidebar.  The list is not complete yet.  It can be really hard to think of 101 things that you want to do/change/be.  The list is 68 items strong at this point.  And so far, I really like what I have on there.

If you’re new to the 101 in 1001 project/idea, here are the details.  But in short, you have 1001 days (just under three years) to complete 101 items of your choosing.

This time around, I made some new categories… I stole some directly from Annie (she’s so genius, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?).  My particular favorite is “Stewardship.”  I want to be a good steward of the things God has given me… the earth, my body, our money/finances.  I also realized that changing some of the category names (from “Rick” to “Blessing Rick” or from “Relationships” to “Community” for example) really helped me think of different types of goals for those categories.

This list is a lot more measurable than my last list was too.  For example I set goals that repeat from year to year, but this way I can keep better track and still feel success each year that the 1001 days covers.

I still have some items to add, hence that first goal again, and some things carried over from the last list.  But here it is…

Beginning February 25, 2011

Spirituality/Self Improvement
1. Finish the list.
2. Find and attend a church regularly.
3. Pray daily with Rick.
4. Pray daily with my children.
5. Stop saying “like.”
6. Use kind words.

Stewardship
7. Twice yearly cleanings at the dentist.
8. Get braces.
9. Go outside everyday.
10. Take the supplements that I need.
11. Have ZERO credit card debt by December 31, 2011.
12. Pay off Rick’s student loans.
13. Save 3 months emergency fund.
14. Tackle my mending basket. Make this a habit.
15. Set a budget for eating out and stick to it.
16. No eating fast food.
17. Make an inventory of the food in the freezer.
18. Plan meals for 40 weeks in one year.
19. Track how much food we buy from the grocery store.
20. Reduce the amount of food we buy from the store by 20%

Blessing Rick
21. Monthly dates.
22. Hunt an elk.
23. Schedule hunting time during waterfowl season so Rick can go without feeling badly.
24. Get a headboard for our bed.
25. Get a new mattress for our bed.
26. Take a vacation to Yellowstone.
27. Take a cooking class together.

Blessing Our Children
28. Try home schooling: commit to the 2011-2012 school year for Henry’s kindergarten.
29. Enroll Henry in 4-H Cloverbuds, and volunteer to be a leader.
30. Make two twin size quilts (one each for Henry & Emmett).
31. Knit a blanket for the newbie.
32. Build a snowman with Henry.
33. Plan a picnic date with Henry.
34. Have dates with each kiddo.

Blessing Our Home
35. Complete my 20-Week Organization Challenge.
36. Don’t leave my kitchen messy before going to bed.
37. Paint the kitchen cabinets.
38. Tile the kitchen back splash.
39. Purge stuff Winter 2011.
40. Purge stuff Spring/Winter 2012.
41. Purge stuff Spring 2013.
42. Turn the basement “junk room” into a useful space.

The Homestead
43. Grow a ginormous pumpkin.
44. Raise bees and harvest honey.
45. Get a picnic table for the back yard.
46. Install the patio in the back yard.
47. Install a privacy fence along the driveway.
48. Grow enough food in 2012 to forgo the farm share.
49. Process our own chickens.
50. Find/make a place to grow asparagus.

Creativity
51. Buy a string bass.
52. Join and play in an orchestra.
53. Get my scrapbooks up to date.
54. Write my book.
55. Write/blog weekly.

Community
56. Start a monthly potluck circle.
57. Have friends over for dinner once a month.
58. Send care packages to loved ones – 6 in 2011.
59. Send care packages to loved ones – 6 in 2012.
60. Send care packages to loved ones – 6 in 2013.

Educating Others
61. Hold five CBE class series’ in 2011.
62. Hold six CBE series’ in 2012.
63. Hold six CBE series’ in 2013.
64. Put together sustainability class series curriculum.
65. Hold a sustainability class.

Other
66. Build a bat house.
67. Copy my dad’s journal for my sister.
68. Raise a steer for beef.

Deadline: November 22, 2013

If you want to make your own 101 in 1001 list, you can find your deadline date here. And if you do it, make sure to let me know (leave me a comment and a link!).

Categories: 101 in 1001 | Tags: | 5 Comments

1001 Days – A Glimpse of 2.75 Years!

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Anisa

Wow. Nearly one thousand and one days ago I posted a list of goals.  101 goals.  That was May 30, 2008.  Here it is, February 2011.  Of the 101 things (well, 94 after last year’s revisions), I have crossed off 40 of them.  And, I am ok with this.

A lot has changed in this time.  A lot.  Many of the things I posted on my original list were hacked off last year when I took a hard look at what was still important to me.  One of my extra credit goals was to be less materialistic, and that particular goal drove me to eliminate a lot of unnecessary items from the list.

Back in 2008, we only had sweet Henry.  Now our family has grown to include Emmett and a future baby.  I realized that some of my goals we a bit too broad (playing with my kids everyday just wasn’t specific enough) or way out of reach for the given time frame (that Grand Canyon trip, for example).  I had a few too many travel goals on there given our budget and the age of our boys.  I quit one business and started another.

I was surprised, though, by some of the successes.  Some things I thought we’d never afford seemed to appear magically out of thin air (the front loaders, the basement shelves, Henry’s bed, even hiring an accountant).   Ok – just writing that out I’ve realized  how much our amazing neighbor looks like thin air – you’d think he’d read my list, though to my knowledge, he never has.  I’m pretty sure I owe him a BIG thank you note, to say the least.

Overall, I really liked this project.  Looking at it from the beginning, way back in 2008, it seemed like so much time.  But really, I feel like the time has flown by.  I have enjoyed randomly looking over my list (I’ve kept it in my blog sidebar all this time) and realizing I’ve accomplished something that I forgot was even on there.  And the bigger things, like paying off our vehicle, were so gratifying to cross off the list.

Some highlights from the last 1001 days:

  • Our bikes and the bike trailer! – I seriously don’t think I could live without a bike again.  Since we only have one car, the bikes make life so much easier and more fun!
  • Paying off the 4Runner. This has been a financial boon to our family.  It has eased more burdens then we knew it would.
  • Learning to can and make preserves. I had no idea that writing this goal down and accomplishing it would literally change our lives!
  • Visiting my family in Tennessee. This was such a great trip and I (and hopefully Henry) will probably remember it forever.
  • Getting my CAPPA certification complete. I’m proud of myself for following through on this.
  • Being nicer to my mom. My mom and I talk everyday, and we pretty much always have.  But even this month she told me how much nicer I am.  Our relationship is much better for it, and I am very thankful for her.

Some embraced failures:

  • Hiking/snowshoeing more than three times a season. For some reason, three times just seems to be our max right now.  I’m ok with this.
  • Owning land in Colorado. Although it would be nice, in many ways adapting in place has become much more important to us right now.
  • Snorkeling in the ocean. I’m not sure why this ever made the list.  Perhaps it was because I am afraid of the ocean and I thought I should put some fear conquering things on here.  But I’m still afraid, and I really have no desire to snorkel.  People don’t have gills – for a reason.
  • Ride the Silverton/Durango narrow gauge railroad. I actually looked into doing this last summer.  But besides being quite expensive for a long joy ride on a train, the website listed how much coal it takes to make the trip (6 tons per day!).  I just couldn’t justify using so much of a precious natural resource for the fun of saying I’d done it.  And it wasn’t that important to me.  I might reconsider when the kids are older, if they have an interest.  But for now, I’m ok without having done it.
  • Finishing the list. After last year’s revisions, I had a hard time coming up with the last few items on the list.  I was tempted to fill them with fluff (like snorkeling), but I am glad I didn’t.

Some works in progress:

  • Landscaping the back yard. – We built a fence for the chicken yard, and started the layout for the patio.  More to do but, but it’s under way!
  • Hunting an elk. – I have my hunter’s safety card, now I just need a gun and a license!
  • Writing a book. – I have actually started the outline for a book.  We’ll see where this takes me in the near future!
  • Having zero credit card debt. – We paid off one, and have one in the works.
  • Raising bees and making cheese. -  While we built a hive and had a swarm, the swarm left in the fall.  This summer we hope to get a swarm that will stay put so we can harvest honey one day!  As for the cheese – I technically learned how to do it.  I’ve just yet to do it successfully myself.

So all in all, I really liked this project.  And I plan on doing it again.  I’m giving myself until the 25th (my official deadline for the last list) to come up with another 101 things.  In the mean time, you can still see my 101 on the right hand side bar over there.  I definitely learned a few things, like how important making your goals be specific and measurable really is (who knew what they always told us was actually true!).

Have you been doing a 101 in 1001?  How is it going?  Are you enjoying it?

Categories: 101 in 1001 | Tags: , | 5 Comments

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