In-The-Least-Things Give-away!

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10

I do not know what has possessed me, but I’m having my very first ever Contrary Goddess’ Life on the Farm give away!

You know, we’ve been living the life for years now. And there are thousands of steps in it. I remember the first loaf of bread we made up here. It wasn’t a first ever loaf of bread for either of us but it was the first ever loaf with the idea that we’d just make most of our own bread from now on. We made it not for any ideological reasons but because we were only two people (and a baby) at the time and we didn’t have a freezer, so if we bought any quantity of bread at a time, it might mold before we could finish it. But we were a long way from town. We didn’t go often. We like bread.

And what we did was we got a bread machine. And eventually that evolved, and morphed, and changed, and went back and forth a few times, and in fact I still have a bread machine that I use semi-regularly (although the current one has never actually baked a single loaf), and we're still making most of our own bread.

When we started the garden, we dug four beds. When we started the orchard, we planted four trees. When we started the house, well, that was a l-o-n-g process.

So, everything in the whole is a process. However, it isn’t a process in which every little thing counts. Every little thing counts only if it is on a path that is both sustainable and that speaks to your soul and allows your heart to sing. Every little thing actually counts against you if the little thing is really excuse to not do something else, something harder. And it isn’t anything that has to be hard -- you don’t have to make it some BIG thing, some labeled thing, something to have chats about, create online communities to support. It is just living your life, but living it honorably and morally and with good judgment. If it is too hard, you are probably doing something wrong.

But there are things, often enough tiny things, that are part of the process, part of the movement in the direction of choice. What I am giving away are two of these things.

I used to love using dish sponges to wash dishes, clean counters, etc. Nevermind all the stuff about them harboring bacteria, that’s what I liked to use. Such a small thing, so I kept using them. Until their price went up and my cash went down. I don’t even know how it happened exactly, that first one. I’m sure it had to do with my mother-in-law and I think she just mentioned that she liked them because you could bleach them. I believe I had the yarn already, had already reminded myself of how to crochet. I remember doing the first one, following the pattern that was on the yarn, and it was too big to ever get rung out and way too complicated. We simplified and shrank them and experimented with what stitching qualities made them last longer. Eventually our daughter added them to her repertoire -- she’s quite the needlewoman. She not only usually keeps me supplied but she has sold them. Crocheted dish rags. I like them small and easy to manipulate and plain and tight.

Ah, but then the problem was the scrubbies, which had come on the back of some of the dish sponges. The commercial Teflon-type ones get grossly dirty. The curly ones get snagged and unravel. Eventually we came across the idea of using an old onion or potato net bag, cutting it to strips, and crocheting it into a round scrubby. Works like a charm and comes clean and last forever.

These are small things, but they are things we use every.single.day. They are useful as well as decorative. They involve some amount of recycling, some DIY, some non-consumerism.

And I am giving one of each away. Proudly made by my daughter.

Here’s what you have to do to win them: Share something that has been to your life like these have to mine, something that others might emulate. It can be tiny or big. If it has a funny story you probably have a better chance of winning since that decision is purely subjective. I have no idea what it might be for you, what has furthered you, what has helped your boat to float. But I hope you will play.

Play in the comments section, or if you think it is too long or you want to include a photo or something, play on your blog with a link in the comments of this post. I’d rather you not e-mail me because the whole point if for it to be public, to be shared, to be inspiration or at least amusement.

I am going to leave this open until for the duration of February. Please feel free to spread the word and invite your friends to play too.