We haven't posted about it much because the process isn't very photogenic, but we've been spending an hour or two every day packing and preparing for our move. Eleven years' accumulation of stuff was pretty daunting, but we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In some ways, I had it easier than Mark. I started sorting before the floodplain dried up enough to drive on, so I was able to make some pretty draconian decisions. I'd pick up an item, imagine carrying it half a mile through the swamp...and decide that there was very little that I actually wanted to take with me after all.

Once the Kubota was back on the job, I lowered my standards a bit. Had I used the item in the last year? If not, that meant it needed a new home.

All of that said, I have a feeling that when I finally unbox some of these sacred possessions a month or so from now, I'll find I didn't miss them in the interim. In which case, I'll expunge a bit more. I always forget how light I feel when I have fewer possessions weighing me down!

Want more in-depth information? Browse through our books.

Or explore more posts by date or by subject.

About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



Want to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed, or simply check the box beside "email replies to me" while writing your comment.

Powered by Branchable Wiki Hosting.