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An Early Resolution
Last night I wrote a rant against disposable coffee cups, aka to-go cups. I didn’t post it this morning because I didn’t feel good about it. It was too negative, and worse, I was projecting. My rant...
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The recyclable/compostable Christmas tree
I must confess: Erik and I are Scrooges. Ask anyone who knows us and they will tell you our Christmas spirit is measured in negative numbers. There are a lot of reasons for this, but those are beside...
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How to add sparkle to your natural decorations: sugaring
In my last post, about our mostly all-natural Christmas tree, I mentioned that some of the ornaments are sugared leaves and berries. Sugaring is a really easy, simple way to bring a little bling to...
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Picture Sunday: Light Buckets
We saw this nice lighting solution the other night @ Document Coffee Bar, where we went to see our friend Elon’s fantastic photos of questionable topiary. They create the perfect indoor ambiance for...
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Who Killed the Non-Electric Toaster?
I don’t regret my unsuccessful attempt this Sunday to fix our broken toaster. It made me remember designer Thomas Thwaites’ attempt to build a toaster from scratch and how well that project showed the...
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029 Toasters, a Pledge and a Compostable Christmas
On the holiday edition of the Root Simple Podcast, Kelly and I discuss non-electric toasters, Kelly takes a pledge and we conclude with a conversation about compostable Christmas decor. During the...
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Behold the bodkin
There’s nothing as pleasing as using the right tool for a job. Take the bodkin. First, isn’t bodkin a fantastic word? It’s so…medieval-y. And it feels good in the mouth. I checked the OED on it, and...
View ArticleEverything Must Go: Tidying Up at the Root Simple Compound
We live in a small house (900 sq feet) which was built in 1920. The upshot of this is lots of charm but very little storage space. Folks back in the 20’s simply didn’t have as much stuff as we do now,...
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Everything Must Go Part II: Books
Will I ever read this Baudrillard scroll? Kelly’s summary of the methods of Japanese tidying guru Marie Kondo seems to have struck a nerve both on our blog and in Facebook. Some people find Kondo’s...
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Everything Must Go Part 3: Clothing
Cats love the chaos of cleaning In this post we continue the tale of our tidying up using the KonMari Method discussed in this post. Clothing is the first category Marie Kondo (KonMari) recommends for...
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Everything Must Go Part 4: How to Fold Your Clothes
Welcome back to the continuing saga of our de-cluttering initiative, inspired by The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by the tidying consultant Marie Kondo (aka KonMari–her method is called the...
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More Thoughts on Thinning the Library
The books on our shelf we want you to see. Kelly’s series of posts on the KonMari tidying method and my post on thinning out the our books, have thrown an ugly spotlight on the inner hoarder in all of...
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Abandonded Christmas trees: the sad sights of January
The last of the Christmas trees are appearing on sidewalks and curbs. When I look at these, all I see is organic matter crying out to return to the earth. These trees don’t want to go to the landfill,...
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Everything Must Go Part 5: The nitty gritty
A reader asked to see unvarnished “before” photos of our place, so I took a few pics which will illustrate this post. Above is a zone we’ve not attacked yet–the dreaded hall cupboard. Note the VHS tape...
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034 Decluttering
On episode 34 Kelly and Erik discuss their experience decluttering the house using the methods of Marie Kondo. During the discussion we mention: Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families...
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An indispensible urban tool: the titanium spork
One of my best allies in my effort to cut down on my use of disposables is a titanium spork. It’s strong, pleasant to use, and weighs virtually nothing. I bought it many years ago in preparation for...
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Ghee for the skin
Baby Krishna stealing ghee Ghee, a form of clarified butter, is a well known cooking fat. What is less known in the West is that it is also used for skin care and as medicine in Ayurveda. In fact,...
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De-Cluttering for DIYers, Homesteaders, Artists, Preppers, etc.
Interior of a Laboratory with an Alchemist, David Teniers the Younger, 1610-1690, Eddleman Collection, CHF, Philadelphia We are a special people and we need special exemptions, yes? Our posts on...
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De-Cluttering the Garden
At the risk of becoming a de-cluttering blog, I’ve got to point out that there’s a place for de-cluttering in the garden. I know, because I’m the gardening equivalent of a hoarder. I cling to plants...
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Project Update: The Carbonator
A year ago on Valentine’s Day, Erik gave me a homebrew carbonator so that we could sparkle our own water at home. It’s a wonderfully industrial looking item, and sturdy as all heck. I’m pleased to say...
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