Hot Tubs, Moldy Towels and The Birth House

Posted by Melissa Baumgart

A Weekend Away.
I had the pleasure of going to the Oregon Coast this past weekend.  Our dear friends (and GLWT reader number uno) hosted us at their beach house just south of Astoria, OR.  I loved every minute of it, from driving through the old town where the Goonies was filmed, the windy walk down to witness the mighty Pacific Ocean, the sauna, the breakfast of seasonal frittata and dinner of dungeness crab to catching up in front of the fire after the kids were tucked in bed.  So, no, I did not do any water aerobics this past weekend.  Not unless you count raising my glass while relaxing in the hot tub as a form of excersize.


My Pool is Closed.
It's a bummer, Green Lake's Evans Pool is closed for two weeks.  I am hugely disappointed, since that was my favorite place for water aerobics in Seattle.  I just don't know if I'll find another spot that fills me up, emotionally and physically, like that one.  If you know of one, I am all ears.  And in case you weren't aware, I prefer my water aerobics in the deep end with lots of old people.

Project Simplify is on.

I don't even use half of this stuff.

Last week, Amy started a challenge that has to do with organizing.  Amy found a blog, Simple Mom, and she does a decluttering/organizing project every March.  She sets up guidelines and helps you to focus on one "hot spot" in need of attention in your home every week.  When I first read Amy's post, I cringed.  Organizing and cleaning used to be my thing, until kids.  I suppose I still do OK in the category, but for me, with these things, it's like I either do it really well or I throw in the towel.  Consider my towel thrown, so long ago, it's probably in some cluttered recess of my closet growing the mold that is giving me allergies and my leg rash.  Now when I hear about other people "organizing" my ego takes it as a personal blow.  Like someone just plastered my old moldy towel on the cover of US magazine next to Snooki's baby bump.  


My weekend away was spent with a friend of mine that excels in the organizing and cleaning categories of life.  Every closet or drawer I opened was a new challenge.  How do I feel good about my personal flaws in the face of perfection?  Well, believe me, it is hard for a Virgo woman.  Hell, it might be hard for any woman, if they are being honest.  It wasn't until I got home that it really hit me, when I was faced with all the clutter and disorganization and mess of my own space.  I walked through my door with a smile on my face from all the fun, and quickly discovered an uncomfortable chip on my shoulder, longing for the neat and orderly me of yesteryear.

The wretched container cupboard. 

Instead of wallowing in my imperfections, I decided to move through my cringing and right on into Project Simplify.  It feels like less of a To-Do list for me, and more like some kind of intense exposure therapy.  Let's just hope it goes better than my trip to the mountainside.  Although, I wouldn't rule out a few tears being shed.

This week is going to be spent tackling the kitchen.  I love cooking, so this is an area I spend a lot of time in.  I figure it is a good place to start.  I have agreed to three things for the week:

1. Cleaning out my fridge and freezer.  This means getting rid of things I don't use, no matter how healthy and good they are for me.  If I don't use them, they are doing no good.
2. Organizing my containers, plastic and otherwise.  This cupboard is out of control.  I can get it all tidy in the afternoon, and by nightfall it is a complete mess.  I am going to also find a way to keep it tidy.  My recent purchase of a Martha Stewart magazine on organizing says, "Staying organized is an ongoing process; if something isn't working well for you, change the process until it is."  That is my goal for this cupboard.
3. Making a meal plan and sticking to it.  I used to do this and it always felt so good.  Knowing that all the fresh, healthy food in my fridge is going to be used and not found rotten two weeks later is always a good feeling.    

Reading more.

I have continued to read, since last month sparked my love for reading.  I am not reading at the same pace as last month, but I am working through a 400+ page book, The Birth House by Ami McKay.  It takes place in the early 1900's and is about a woman that apprentice's with an old granny midwife and has to cope with medical technologies like twilight sleep being offered to the women of her rural town.  She has to walk the delicate line between being a good wife in the context of the culture she was raised in, and following her calling, which is serving women, not her husband's needs.

I am really enjoying it and I feel a strong sense of reading the right book at the right time.

Until next time.  And please, consider checking out a water aerobics class near you.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
-Melissa

Sneak Peek With My Homeskillet

Posted by Amy Baranski

Yes I am very excited about Urban Homesteading month. I am exploding with ideas. This time around we took two sets of photos for our monthly blog photo. In the same vein as Melissa's last post, I wanted to share a sneak peek. There will be more in September when we refresh the blog. For now, enjoy:




Staying on Track

Like Melissa said, we are still in hiking and backpacking month. My shoulder burns are healing well though. I've been using a homeopathic calendula cream, which has been soothing. My blister on my right heel is still a little bit of an issue so I've been rocking the flip-flops.

We are looking at going to Mount Rainier tomorrow, which will require a rental vehicle to tote everyone up. I have to look into that today. And even though August is running out I think we should try Mt. Si sometime in September, since it's such an accessible climb.

Who gives a shit what the holy grail is

posted by Melissa

Supplies for the Quest

I watched 180˚ South for the third night in a row and finally finished it.  In the end, they show the main character and these two guys about 70 years old each, climbing up a mountain in Patagonia.  To me, it is unbelievable.  No, that word doesn't even do it justice, let me check my thesaurus.  It was an astounding and staggering feat.  They were using crampons over steep pitches of snow and ice, climbing up rocks with only their hands supporting them...and all of this with nothing but the near vertical drops leading to the thousands of feet below.

For me, more than their mind-blowing accomplishment of reaching the top, was their love for the outdoors.  It was about the quest, just being out there.  The main character, Jeff, initially heads there to climb Mount Corcovado.  At 200 feet from the summit, he is unsuccessful due to the conditions of the mountain.  While he is understandably disappointed, Yvon (one of the older guys) says of the experience:  "So it's kind of like the quest for the holy grail, well you know, who gives a shit about what the holy grail is, it's the quest that's important. The transformation is within yourself, that's what's important."

They talk a few times about the transformation that is just waiting out there for you, out in the wilderness.  Maybe that is what initially drew me to choosing this month.  Remember my "moss moment?"   Amy reminded me of it yesterday as we were driving all over Seattle getting our last minute supplies for the trip. I do crave transformation in my life.  And I have found that in the past through nature, a sort of transcending of the everyday.

We humans in the city are so busy running here and there, and by now even that is cliché.  "Like chickens with our heads cut off."  Everyone is so busy.  And for what?  So you can have that fancy new Coach purse ($798.00)?  So you can have 10 pairs of Smartwool socks ($15.00 ea.) and maybe a Smartwool shirt ($85.00) while you're at it?  At least the Smartwool will keep you warm while you are transforming through some transcendental experience in the backcountry.

A movie like 180° South brings me back to my days of idealism.  The days where I ate strictly organic, no processed foods, no sugar, bought hardly anything new.  Or hell, there were the days of only having a backpack and what would fit into it.  We didn't even have a tent, but we weren't backcountry, more in the trees of the on-ramp to the highway kinda campers.

And now here I am, living in one of the wealthiest cities, raising three kids, and all the while getting swept up into thinking, "Hey, wouldn't that purse look nice swung over my shoulder?"

Today, I ponder who I am.  What we are all doing here?  Why we all become so self-centered that we hog all the resources.  For our pleasure.  The movie shows beautiful areas of Chile being exploited with dams and paper mills, so that cities hundreds of miles away and reap the benefits.  I find that stomach turning.  And yet here I sit, in my city, in front of my computer all day long.  Shit, I think I might have at least 5 lights on in my house as I type.  I don't need one of them at this moment.

What to do?

Maybe the woods will soothe my worried mind more than I thought.  I am feeling more open to that.  I may not reach any major peak, but perhaps Yvon is right, it is in the quest that I'll find the transformation within myself.

Thanks for listening...
Melissa

Warning: Risk of severe injury ahead

Posted by Amy Baranski

I adore hiking and backpacking; aside from swimming they are my all-time favorite forms of exercise. While these two activities are not new to me I'm excited about this month. Practically speaking, backpacking and hiking prove difficult to attempt on a regular basis as I don't own a car (and never have). I wish there was a shuttle or carpool service for people who want to escape the city and go hiking. And it should be called My Sherpa. (Internet searching to commence shortly.)

Other than transportation, time also becomes an obstacle. Finding a suitable trail and ensuring I have the correct map and the essential gear to go hiking seem to require lots of time. As my mother-in-law says: "work expands to the time allotted." So perhaps I should approach this as speed-hiking month!

Given my other life priorities for this month it's likely I'll hike only twice, maybe three times. This weekend will hopefully result as one of those times. I'm renting a car and driving to Oregon to celebrate one of my mother's milestone birthdays. I'm considering hiking the the Columbia River Gorge, a childhood haunt, on Sunday or stopping off at Mount Saint Helen's, or Paradise on Mount Rainer. Not sure yet. Either way it will only be hiking, and not backpacking. Although I could weight a bag and carry it, just for fun.

Permit Zone Map Provided by recreation.gov.

In two weekends we (Melissa, Jamie, Bob and I) head out to The Enchantments. While we did not pull the Core Enchantments permit we are permitted to camp in the 8 mile/Lake Caroline Zone. (The new permit reservation system was very confusing).

I've been to Leavenworth, but I've never done the Enchantments. I so am thrilled to be in that wilderness area. In fact, my husband and I have decided, weather and conditions permitting, to attempt to summit Mount Cashmere. If completed, this will be my highest summit. My two records are 4,167 feet and 6,102 feet. We talked to the ranger the other day and Windy Pass is clear, which is somewhere around 7,200 feet. Cashmere peaks at 8,501 feet elevation. Seems like I go up by 2,000 feet elevation each time. So in 2-4 years I'll take on Rainier (more on that later).

From what I can tell, the rating for Cashmere ranks at technically moderate. Does this mean I need a helmet and rope? Geez I hope not. From a post on Summit.org it sounds like if you have good route finding skills the scramble is mostly Class 2 with some Class 3 sections. Which, according to the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is defined as:

"Steeper scrambling with increased exposure and a greater chance of severe injury, but falls are not always fatal."

Just don't fall.