This is me.
This is my blog.
...This is also a little awkward. I hope you'll forgive my blogging inadequacy, but as a pair of conical boobs once said, I'm like a virgin when it comes to matters such as these. So, here we go;
Hi, I'm Vermin. At least my friends and family call me Vermin. Since we're friends (my condolences), I hope you'll do the same.
In a nut shell I'm a minimalist-in-the-making, and that is what this blog is essentially about. I live on a little community/farm in the hills of rainy Oregon. Following my fall out from a seven year marriage, I found I was struggling to make ends meet on a near minimum wage job, trying to pay rent on a house that was full of useless crap I simply didn't need. The accumulation of stress and worry lead me to the only logical conclusion...
I'd be better off living in a tent.
So, a couple garage sales, several Goodwill donation runs, and a craigslist ad later I managed to land myself a nice little spot on a place called Turning Earth Farms. It was a chilly, rainy day when my dog and I, along with what was left of my belongings, arrived. It was the first of November, and even though the rain was unrelenting as I pitched up my new home, I couldn't shake the feelings of exhilaration and relief. Dabbing up the lakes of water from the floor of my tent felt dream like; void of reality. I could hardly believe my life was changing so drastically in such a short period of time. I was awash in an endless sea of potential, and, admittedly, I wasn't quite sure I knew where I was going. I liked that. A lot.
Seven months on and I've slowly downsized my material wares even more. I survived my first winter in my tent thanks to my trusty sleeping bag and some quality fleece long-Johns. I replaced my cot with a queen sized mattress so my dog and I could sleep together under the warmth of the blankets during the coldest parts of winter. With no heater to warm the air, the mornings glistened magically in the light of my oil lamp when ice crystals coated the walls of the tent. It was beautiful! That is, until I had to get out of bed for work at 4:00 am. When the cold snaps broke, my tent flooded during the long stretches of Oregon rain that are typical throughout the winter months. Thus far I've had numerous bugs crawl into bed with me, I've mastered the art of urinating into a small metal pot, I've had the worst outbreak of poison oak in my life, I've wrangled many yellow jackets from my living quarters...
And I've never felt happier.
If fresh air was water, I'd be drowning every day in it. With my current job working at an apiary, I get the privilege of working outside then coming home to my little place in the world whose walls are so thin as to breathe enough for the both of us. Stepping through my torn tent flap door, I feel as though I'm centering into myself. Objectively it's nothing special, my tent. The only thing it has going for it is its simplicity.
But simplicity has become my way. My way to peace, to happiness...To contentment...and fulfillment.
And that's why I started this blog. I want to share The Ways of Simplicity with anyone who may be wondering what life can be like if you make it less. Less about material wealth, less about consumption, less about trying to get more - and make it more about simply living.
Don't get me wrong, I have a ways to go. I will be setting up a tipi this summer as my more permanent dwelling (because fire is a nice luxury to help endure the winter months). The project is in it's infancy, but I have what I need to get started. I've begun laying the ground work with the help of my trusty mutt, Boo, as well as help from the lovely folks here on Turning Earth Farms. I also have the tipi itself waiting for preparation before it's erected. I'll be posting updates on that as it goes along, so bare with me while I figure out this whole blogging thing.
I hope to offer a place, both here and on the farm for folks from all around to come and learn from my experiences, as well as share their own. Perhaps we'll share a cup of tea around the fire.
With that, here's to being. Plain and simple. This is Minimal Me.
. . .