But what is this economy thing? Often, it’s talked about in terms of GNP, which is the total dollar value of final goods and services. We’re told this number is supposed to be big. In grade school, I remember hearing about the GNP of different nations. Ours was great. For other countries, we laughed at their little numbers.

In what way does this system measure the health of a nation? Since GNP only looks at things that have a monetary value, it seems possible that it risks measuring the non-health of a nation. The truth is that many of the things that indicate a quality of life, a richness and fullness of life, and a reflection of basic values simply cannot be measured by money. On the other hand, illness – both mental, physical, and spiritual – can be measured financially.

I found this post in my drafts. Apparently, I never posted it. It’s 5 months later now, and I’m well settled into my new home at The Wallow. What has happened and what has yet to come? Here’s the draft I wrote back in August:

“I won’t be moving to my new house in Tennessee until October. So much waiting! I’m reading up on bees and pigs in the meantime, as well as prepping for Burning Man and Alchemy, which happen between now and then. There’s lots to do, but I’m spending a lot of time daydreaming away, too.”

Ever since moving into The Wallow, I’ve been noticing the little details of nature more often. Are there more spiders in this house? More birds in this yard? More bugs in this grass? Maybe. Or maybe I’m just paying more attention to these kinds of details. In any case, I am happy to be settled into a place where I notice the growth of life all around me.

In the past few days, we have set up most of the rooms in our home, Joshua has tilled three garden beds and built a work bench, I’ve begun building a crafting table, Joshua mowed and we both raked up the grass to become hay for later, we worked on hoeing the weeds off the brick walkways, we ran cable for internet, we’ve grilled out several nights, we sit on our front porch swing and enjoy the view, we’ve met some neighbors, and so many other random bits of this and that.

Next summer when we have cucumbers emerging from our garden, I hope to make pickles! I simply love pickles and can’t wait to get into creating them myself. Here’s a comic from cartoonist Lucy Knisley that is a fun, inspiring instructional on pickle-making.

I’ve been working on planning my garden for next year. Now that we’ve closed on the Knoxville house, I expect to have lots more room to do up a garden proper. Or get in way over my head. Either way, I’ll be smiling.

Like any good geek, I started with a spreadsheet.

I simply love the idea of composting. You mean I can take my trash and turn it into something highly useful? Awesome!