Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Rotund Turkey


Well, this 2012 Thanksgiving we decided to drive up to the Carolina mountains. My mother in law has become a prepper/survivalist. They've built their house to be so self efficient, even their poop waste gets composted. The last time we were there, the small, one bedroom house wasn't ready. This time, not only were they pretty settled in, they have goats for milk, rabbits for breeding AND eating, ducks, beehives, and the cutest Austrailian shepherds ever! 
Her garden/land has been so fruitful, she's been kept super busy canning and dehydrating everything. Meanwhile, the five of us, stayed in the grandparents old 3 bedroom house down below. So everyday, we'd trek up and down the mountain. Which wasn't so bad, if it weren't so cold and the huge amounts of leaves that made it slippery and also his the fallen trees, stumps, rocks. Especially in the dark. Don't wear running sneakers either, they don't help.
Thanksgiving morning, I wasn't expecting a traditional thanksgiving meal. My mother in law always told me she never cooked. And explained that was why her kitchen was so spotless.
Well much to my surprise, there sat a beautiful roasted turkey, the green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberries etc.
Apparently she's been cooking! 
Staying up there the last 3-4 days was so nice. It was living minimally. I'll call it no frills living. Because by the 2nd or 3rd day, you really didn't care if your hair was brushed because no one saw you nor cared.
We visited another small town close by called Forest City. We thought it was a tree lighting. It was a Xmas lighting of their downtown area. These people were really nice. But huge. Huge as in, extremely large. Like, I can't believe they have clothing that big huge. Which reminds me. We stopped by their local Walmart, 30min drive from where we were. It is already an incredible place to people watch down in Florida. But man oh man....I spied a guy that was built like that main character of the storybook "Where The Wild Things Are". His hair was long and shaggy, he was tall, large and sloppy looking as can be. He had a mom too. I felt like a supermodel! But in all honesty, any place that's not a big city, an Asian chick like me is always sure to stick out like a sore thumb. Sometimes I feel like a circus freak. People like my white husband will never get it. He can be thrown into anyplace in the US and never feel awkward. Put me in a mountain, or in small Florida city. Very uncomfortable. But when I spot a Chinese restaurant I feel better. Until I see that they are FOBs. Then I'm ashamed.
After the long silent drive home due to a stupid argument. We made it home. There's nothing like being home. Taking a long hot shower with wondrous water pressure. I scrubbed my hair with a grin and washed my privates like I was a 1 year old in an old diaper.  
What I wanted most? To literally dive into my bed and melt into my mattress as my cozy blankets and pillows envelope me in my fabric softener scent.
How spoiled are we? In North Carolina, the beds we slept on felt like cardboard and being used to a king sized bed, their little full sized bed felt like I was sleeping in a matchbox.
Now, I look around as I settle back in civilization, I want to change how I live. We truly are spoiled and wasteful. So I ordered a rainwater barrel, bought that countertop Composter I've been eyeballing for a month. Shutting off lights more often, making sure things end up in the recycle bin, be wary of packaging and reuse.
Unfortunately, the way I make a living contradicts what I want and believe in. I'm a nail technician. So much water used for manicures, pedicures, electricity used for esthetics, the paper/plastic wrappers for sterilizing, the countless empty water bottles that go into the trash. The chemicals.

Ugh. 


So this year, I'm thankful for realizing how wasteful not efficient I am.