Someday....Sunday, September 14, 2008

Reclaiming is such a better word than recycling...it implies rescuing, saving. Giving it a new purpose maybe. It may not be very American of me in our consumer-based society, but I believe in self sufficiency, Mother Earth do-it-yourself entrepreneural style living. There is something so satisfying about the natural cycle of things: ground is fed with compost to produce vitamin rich food, which feeds our body, and the refuse goes back into the compost pile to feed the next crop. Renewable, sustainable living.

I no longer struggle to live that dream of '5 acres and independence', but my urban lifestyle can accommodate other facets of reclaiming. When I moved into this house, I brought only my bed and mattress, my refridgerator, my wonderful under-the-cabinet microwave [bought on sale for when i would have a cabinet to put it under...in the meantime it was stolen], and my quilting/art supplies. The rest was provided from people's cast-offs found while cruising the streets on garbage day and from making what i need from materials on hand.

I find it so creative and infinitely more satisfying than hitting the local Target or Walmart store. Even the colors I choose to paint my home are from the "oops" shelf of the local Home Depot...I buy whatever they have that hits me knowing I'll use it 'someday'.

here is a picture of my living room: the mirror, picture, cabinets, wire candlestand, rug, all the decorative objects on the shelf and floor, even the rug itself as well as the paint all came from the treelawns of Cleveland...the only things i bought new were the lamp and the Italian wicker chair. Even the panes of glass leaning against the wall are cast-offs waiting to be turned into water fountains...