I think that I've discovered the source of the feelings I've been having lately; wouldn't you know it but there is a name for it!
'post-petroleum stress disorder' (aka Peak Oil Blues) and here I thought that I was just acting out my squirrel nature - anxiously find a tree/nest and stock it well :) At least I know that my response to all that is happening atm is within a 'normal range'.
Well to calm myself down a bit I am in the process of drawing up a list of what I need to focus on in the next six months. Have I ever mentioned that I am really big on making lists when I hit panic mode? To see it all there in black and white means that I can focus my energies productivly instead of being as scattered as I have been for the last couple of months. So here we go;
April - Dec 2009 Goals
Plant an edible tree every week found a huge kensington mango at a local nursery this morning for $29! It is now in a huge pot in my backyard
Get a water tank installed Just need to figure out where the hell to put it!
Look into getting a sun lizard
Get two garden planters from here
Build up the fertility of the soil at Wits End. I had a look at the soil under my straw mulch this morning and it is still so sandy. Time to really get moving on this as the soil is the key to my future growing needs.
Get chickens. Yeah, I know I said that they would be happening for Xmas but they just didn't happen :( This will also help with my soil fertility - think of all that lovely poo!
Eliminate grass from the back yard. There is still way too much grass there and after seeing the article in Notebook this month (thank you so much to Julie from towards sustainability for bringing this to my attention!) I am all inspired again.
The above are what is in my first little circle of things to do. In the next larger circle I have something equally important; keep connecting with like minded souls. Just as soil fertility is vital to my plants future, networks of friends walking the same path is vital to my communities future.
Some of you in WA are lurkers on my blog, please just drop me a line in the comments section and maybe come along and meet the evil plant buying alliance at the next WA seed swappers meet!
Now to the giveaway: Leave a comment if you would like to go into the draw to win one of two regifting gifts :)
Gift one: April's edition of Notebook which I only bought to read for the article :)
Gift two: Choosing Eden - the book Molly gifted to me and now I would like to pass it on again
5 comments:
7 Responses to “What are your immediate goals for the next six months? and a giveaway!”
1.Stewart Says:
March 19th, 2009 at 6:46 pm e
Hi, I’m in.
2.nathalie Says:
March 19th, 2009 at 8:35 pm e
Post-petroleum stress disorder??!!!!! ;D!
I’d love to be in this one Crone - and I think it’s wonderful you’re being as proactive as usual. You’re good at the networking thing too which I admire. I LOVE meeting all the people I do, but then feel awful about the fact that I don’t have enough time to catch up with them regularly - as you know from my absences the last 2 times from the EPBA meeting. I am making a huge effort to be at the next one.
Please count me in for either gift. They both sound great.
3.Karen Says:
March 19th, 2009 at 9:40 pm e
I’m taking things one goal at a time, otherwise I get all sidetracked and never finish anything! I need to finish & plant up the wicking beds before I even think of anything else.
Don’t worry about putting me in for the draw - I feel guilty enough that I haven’t yet passed on the book I also won. And when I come westward ho!, make sure there’s an honorary spot at the EBPA table for me
Can I suggest you create a ‘Goals’ page, and update us on how you’re going with each of them, so we can celebrate your achievements with you?
4.naturewitch Says:
March 20th, 2009 at 4:06 am e
Hey Crone
I’ve been having similar thoughts about setting short-medium term goals and kind of have a list in my head, but need to put it down on paper.
The sun lizard things look realy interesting! Wonder how well they’d work in Canberra?
Don’t put me in the draw; after all, I’ve just received a great book from you
5.Barbara Says:
March 20th, 2009 at 10:30 am e
Put me in! The local library has Choosing Eden but it
always seems to be out. I’d interested to know if you
get a sun lizard - we looked into it as a way of
cooling the house since we got rid of our air conditioner
but we’ve since put a lot of solar panels on our roof
so I don’t know where it would fit (our house is a
funny shape). They supposedly work very well in
Adelaide so I assume they’d be equally effective in
Perth.
6.Em Says:
March 20th, 2009 at 3:18 pm e
Love the look of the Sun Lizard, thanks for the link! Surrounding yourself with supportive community is a biggie isn’t it?
our goals for the next 6 months are
- install grid-feed PV (paid the deposit, waiting on the rebate now…)
- renovate our kitchen/food prep and storage area (haven’t begun quotes yet, they scare me)
- keep planting fruit trees (and reducing lawn area)
- expand the trading we do with friends (olives, milk, fruit in; veges, olives, cheese out)
- structure in my volunteer work so the garden doesn’t suffer
- install driplines to water most of the food forest areas so that I can keep it going when I start paid work again
- (tentative) start a local seed-trading-sustainable-food-garden catchup
dixiebelle Says:
March 21st, 2009 at 6:32 am e
Just wanted to say it is good to see you all positive again, and motivated… you are inspiring to alot of us out there, like the calm, confident air hostess when the plane is hitting tubulence! Keep smiling and serving drinks, baby!
I've tried to suggest, in
this post, that it is a mistake to label the emotions you are going through in "diagnostic" terms. If a parent dies, and you are crying, do you have "bereavement disorder?" No, you are crying because your parent died. We don't have to pathologize your emotions. They are perfectly appropriate given the situation you are confronted with. The exception, of course, is if you are motivated to direct all of these folks into therapy with you to treat them for this grieving "disorder."
Instead, I argue, as the psychologist who runs Peak Oil Blues, that a person, such as yourself, can feel anxious, upset, depressed, or what have you, and these can be perfectly appropriate reactions to what you are facing--just the end of a lifestyle you've grown accustomed to. It's a process that one goes through, it is full of unpleasant emotions, and takes about two years before a person starts to get a grip on what they are facing and starts to feel more level in their emotional reactions. But it isn't a "disorder." It's a life challenge.
The setting of goals is an excellent strategy for dealing with the hopeless or helpless feelings that so often accompany the dawning of Peak Oil awareness. Here's my 6 month list:
(1) Continue with the plan to get out of business debt.
(2) Work on refining the current gardens we've put in. Don't add any more!
(3) Plant another apple tree
(4) Trellis the berry bushes
(5) Buy the wood-burning fireplace insert
(6) Ramp up my community project I started last year: "Take the Lead, Plant More Seed," which distributes excess produce throughout the community, and links it with the new effort to supply the local food pantry with fresh vegetables all season long.
(7) Get an act down singing with my husband while he plays the accordion! (Doom does not live by work alone!)
Post a Comment