Clearing the clutter/ Developing a Philosophy and Goals

 It's a new idea for me to try and live more simply as much as I can. It is an idea that has been around a while but people are starting to think about ways to do this. People are starting to wonder at the debt that they are suddenly in, and are starting to notice all the time and effort they put in to try and store, maintain and get rid of all of their things.Some people are starting to wonder what is important in life and what isn't. I know I have. Here are four things that worked for me.

1. I decided to take "control" and to own up to living in a "consumer oriented culture" where my main choices seem to revolve around what I buy. To get rid of old ideas that occasionally still pop up in my mind like... " I worked ..., I deserve "stuff" for it." I now counter  ask myself....  " How do those thoughts enter my thinking process?" "Where do these thoughts come from? What messages have I received?" Can I become more aware of my attachment to physical things and learn to let go?

2. Having a philosophy that includes the hope that we can all learn to live more sustainably by living more simply has helped me to establish a personal philosophy that requires a commitment on my part.
3. Looking at different blog posts and other informational sites on the internet helped. I could see what other people are doing. How they are "living with less." I also talked to people who were interested in this subject and asked them questions. A friend of mine who is a minimalist, said that he believes that everything needs to have a function. I decided that for me, I also like aesthetics.

4. I made a goal that I would get rid of at least one whole room of my house and live in two rooms. I now have a large eat in kitchen which now serves four functions, a work space, a craft table, an entertaining area with a couch for guests and as a functional kitchen. The couch is across from the table, to the right of the picture so that people can talk to each other while sitting at the table or on the couch. I also have a goal to get rid of all of the stuff from the former living room area.

Wild Bird Feeding/ What works for me

One can get simple or complex when feeding the wild birds. I have been feeding them for about fifteen years now. I'm a renter so I have fed them at various locations around the Hudson Valley in NY. It gets cold here in the winter so I usually start feeding the birds around November to let them get used to where the feeder is located.

Starting out I just look around my yard to find a suitable space. This takes some thought because I want to be able to get to the feeder in the snow, and I'll have to shovel a path. I also want to think about the needs of the birds. I don't usually put the feeder too close to the house because the birds make kind of a mess near and under the feeder. Birds as well as rodents and other animals may be attracted to this ground seed. I also think about where the birds might feel less threatened so I look for some trees and shrubs nearby so birds will feel safer. They often take "turns" at the feeders and smaller birds seem to feel safer with some cover nearby.

Squirrels can be a problem at feeders so when I buy a feeder look for one that is "relatively squirrel proof. I say relatively because squirrels are pretty smart. Some times one can put kind of a baffle above if hanging a feeder, or below a feeder that the squirrels can't climb over for a feeder on  a post. I used to try and put out separate food for the squirrels but it just seemed to attract more squirrels. They eat what falls to the ground anyway.


 In the past I have found or used different bird feeding stations.   One can always add on later. Birds prefer to eat in different ways. When I have more than one feeder, or feeding station, I like to space these  feeding stations somewhat apart from each other as they can get quite crowded with birds and sometimes there is competition over the seed. Buying a feeder is not as simple as the sellers would like one to think, one must consider a lot of factors.. Drainage can be a problem in many platform feeders for instance. Ease of use is important for me. In the winter I'm usually standing on a crate freezing and trying to put food in the feeder. It has got to be simple to operate. I found I had to do a lot of research on feeders.


 I  mix my own bird seed which I find is cheaper than what one can find mixed in the grocery store. I have found if one gets one or two types of sunflower seeds, and millet this alone will attract a number of song birds and smaller birds. The striped sunflower and the black sunflower I mix together with the white millet for the platform type feeder, or for my regular tube type feeder. These have attracted chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, mourning doves, cardinals, sparrows etc. Thistle or niger seed also attracts finches and other interesting birds but needs it's own special type feeder for this purpose.  Suet in wire mesh cages helps provide some substance to woodpeckers and more.  Mixes with added cracked corn to the bird feeding mix, I find just attracts loud noisy bigger birds and other "corn eaters".

 I find that it sometimes  takes a while maybe two weeks or so before the birds really seem to be into "finding my feeder", so I ignore the urge to move it without giving the feeder location time to register,

I stop feeding the birds when the ground thaws and spring has arrived. I find birds are pretty smart. This way they are only dependent on my feeder during the coldest months when they really  need the energy boost.