Panorama shot of the sunrise that we enjoyed from
the top of Old Rag Mountain's first peak.

time to breathe 

the holidays required of us to "engage with the world"

we are blessed with a big family

blessed with togetherness 

but our minds and souls needed rest

we needed quiet

and that required of us to "be away from the world"

we sought fresh air, open spaces and closeness with the earth

we found these, and much more, among the Shenandoah mountains

everything gave us time to breathe - 

the foggy trails

the mist covered rocks

the glistening tree bark

the squishy mud beneath our feet

the sound of rain falling on our tent and the forest around us throughout the night

and then there was that magical sunrise

as it came up over the horizon

and we stood on top of Old Rag Mountain

I realized that everything that breathes, moves and is alive was focused on that light.

Happy breathing!

~Modern Akhmatova

Seeking something and finding it in nature

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." Robert Burroughs

A cycle of manifestation

A seeing

From what I can remember

my spirit began as a flower

Innocent and blooming toward the sun and sky

Eventually I dried up

I fell off and tumbled down

The moist and dark soil took me

I went ever deeper

Not realizing I was becoming a seedling

A world of extremes

a fight to see the sun again

a fight against the darkness

But nature held and nurtured me

and eventually my spirit grew strong enough

I broke through and looked up

The sun shone and I was smiling

up, up, up I yearned

Back to the canopies and the heights I had experienced in my youth

The sun continued to shine

the rain fell, and night and day appeared

At some point

I realized

I now had roots

Looking up, growing

I stopped fighting

I accepted and embraced 

the present conditions

Never ceasing to look up

Except now I see something different

I see the wonder of all that's around me

I feel the stability of my roots

I feel the growth  of my spirit -

into a tree trunk I become...

~Modern Akhmatova

Biking with little kids

Yesterday was a treasure of a day

So many beautiful memories made

We hung out, drank coffee, cooked, ate, biked, wrestled on the living room floor, and laughed

It was a treasure of a day.

....................................................................................................

Two kids and two adults,

Two on bikes and two in a bike trailer.

We rode on sidewalks, neighborhood roads and local bike paths.

All along the way, the kids screamed and giggled,

Over a bump, they'd say "Bump, Bump!"

Down a hill, they'd howl with joy as the wind ruffled their hair.

But their favorite of all was going through the tunnels.

It is then that their euphoria reached its peak.

It is then that we all joined in a chorus, screaming and shouting;

Giving voice to the wind, speed and wonder of the BICYCLE.

Two adults and two kids,

The joy, camaraderie and love exchanged,

All because we went on a BIKE RIDE.

Following are bits and pieces of a conversation my youngest niece and I had during this bike ride. We speak Serbian, so that's why I included that version before translating it into English.

1. "Dobar ti je ovaj sport, Tamara." / "This is a good sport, Tamara." - my niece
2. "A jel ti ides svuda sa ovim biciklom?" / "Do you go everywhere with this bicycle?" - my niece. "Da."/"Yes." - me. Tisina/Silence from my nience. :) 
3. "Tamara, moram da kazem Tati da je ovo brze od auta." / "Tamara, I have to tell dad that this is [biking] faster than the car." - my niece. "Pa da, to je zato sto osecas vetar po glavi." / "Well yes, that's because you feel the wind in your hair." - me. "Da, kao kad su svi prozori otvoreni u kolima." / "Yes, just like when all the windows are wide open in the car." - my niece. 

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF NATURE

"The future will belong to the nature-smart - those individuals, families, businesses, and political  leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need." - Richard Louv 

"Everyone is entitled to a home where the sun, the starts, open fields, giant trees, and smiling flowers are free to teach an undisturbed lesson of life." - the great Chicago landscape planner, Jens Jensen 

I just finished reading Richard Louv's book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (2005). Despite the title, the insights presented in the book apply to all of us, children and adults alike. Louv uses research from various fields, such as neuroscience, ecology, biology, psychology, sociology, and urban planning, to explain the invaluable connection between our well-being and nature in all its complexity.

Someone recently asked me "What is one of the main points of the book that stuck with you?" This book does a great job of empowering the reader to do something to contribute to the creation of a more green, healthier and sustainable society for ourselves and future generations. It made me realize that over the last century, we, humans, have encouraged and developed a society that is separate from nature. Our schools, housing, businesses, and entertainment/leisure areas have been built as concrete jungles with little to no concern for access to nature. An important driver of this is the car industry that benefits from sprawl, disconnection, and the "busyness syndrome." While it may seem like there is no turning back, I'm even more optimistic about our capacity to live healthier and more sustainable lives as a result of reading this book. Why? Because the same way we created this concrete jungle society over the last century, we now have the knowledge and capacity to create a a different kind of lifestyle for ourselves - one that is in harmony with the natural world that sustains our spirits, minds and bodies. 

Because this book is a treasure trove of research and insights, here are some other illustrative quotes/excerpts from the book organized into the following topic areas:  

1. Nature-deficit disorder
2. Call to action
3. Benefits of nature
4. Local and urban development (solution and problem)

Source

NATURE-DEFICIT DISORDER

• I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are. - a 4th-grader in San Diego (opening pages)

• Today's young people are, as we've seen, growing up in America's third frontier. This frontier has yet to completely form, but we do know the general characteristics. Among them: detachment from the source of food, the virtual disappearance of the farm family, the end of biological absolutes, an ambivalent new relationship between humans and other animals, new suburbs shrinking open space, and so on. In this time of quickening change, could we enable another frontier to be born - ahead of schedule? - page 230

CALL TO ACTION

• Those children and young people who now hunger to find a cause worth a lifetime commitment could become the architects and designers and political force of the fourth frontier, connecting their own children and future generations to nature - and delight. - page 280

• Passion does not arrive on videotape or on a CD;passion is personal. Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered indicator species: child in nature. - page 158

• "This is what connects us, this is what connects humanity, this is what we have in common. It's not the Internet,  it's the oceans."  - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. page 198

• "We're part of nature, and ultimately we're predatory animals and we have a role in nature, and if we separate ourselves from that, we're separating ourselves from our history, from the things that tie us together." - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. page 198

• We can conserve energy and tread more lightly on the Earth while we expand our culture's capacity for joy. - page 280

This excerpt from page 271 describes my partner's and my aspirations and mission during our lifetime: 

• A sane civilization "would have more parks and fewer shopping malls; more small farms and fewer agribusinesses; more prosperous small towns and smaller cities; more solar collectors and fewer strip mines; more  bicycle trails and fewer freeways; more trains and fewer cars more celebration and less hurry..." Utopia? No, says Orr. "We have tried utopia and can no longer afford it." He calls for a movement of "hundreds of thousands of young people equipped with the vision, moral stamina, and intellectual depth necessary to rebuild neighborhoods, towns, and communities around the planet. The kind of education presently available will not help much. They will need to be students of their places and competent to become, in Wes Jackson's words, 'native to their places.'" - page 271

BENEFITS OF NATURE

• To increase your child's safety, encourage more time outdoors, in nature. Natural play strengthens children's self-confidence and arouses their senses - their awareness of the world and all that moves in it, seen and unseen. - page 184

• Nature introduces children to the idea -- to the knowing -- that they are not alone in this world, and that realities and dimensions exist alongside their own. - page 290 

• A sense of wonder and joy in nature should be at the very center of ecological literacy. - page 221

• Quite simply, when we deny our children nature, we deny them beauty. - bottom of page 186

• ...the elements that have always united humankind: driving rain, hard wind, warm sun, forests deep and dark - and the awe and amazement that our Earth inspires, especially during our formative years. - page 224

• In our bones we need the natural curves of hills, the scent of chaparral, the whisper of pines, the possibility of wildness. We require these patches of nature for our mental health and our spiritual resilience. Future generations, regardless of whatever recreation or sport is in vogue, will need nature all the more. - page 256 

• ...to be spiritual is to be constantly amazed..."our goal should be to live life in radical amazement." - page 285-6

• "To trace the history of a river or a raindrop, as John Muir would have done, is also to trace the history of the soul, the history of the mind descending and arising in the body. In both, we constantly seek and stumble on divinity..." - Gretel Ehrlich (page 285)

• Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University...proposed seven different intelligences in children and adults, including linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence. More recently, he added naturalist intelligence ("nature smart") to his list." - bottom of page 201

LOCAL AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

• "They paved paradise/ And put up a parking lot." - Joni Mitchell; Then they tore down the parking lot/And raised up a paradise. - page 264

The Solution

• We are no longer talking about retreating to rural communes, but, rather, about building technologically and ethically sophisticated human-scale population centers that, by their very design, reconnect both children and adults to nature. - page 270

• ...such settlements [new green towns], to be truly green, should be connected to employment centers by transportation mechanisms beyond just the automobile---eventually even beyond autos with hybrid engines. No single community design will suffice; numerous, simultaneous approaches will be required, including green-urban infill, green towns,  increased public transport options, and greater use  of telecommuting and teleconferencing. - page 279

• Future development should: 1) Conform to topography; 2) Use places for what they are naturally most fit; 3) Conserve, develop, and utilize all natural resources, aesthetic as well as commercial; 4) Aim to secure beauty by organic arrangements rather than by mere embellishment or adornment. - page 260

• Every school district in America should be associated with one or more wildlife-and-childhood preserves in the region. - page 227 

• ...with natural corridors for wildlife extending deep into urban territory and urban psyche, creating an entirely different environment in which children would grow up and adults could grow old - where the nature deficit is replaced by natural abundance. - page 241

The Problem

• The cumulative impact of over development, multiplying park rules, well-meaning (and usually necessary) environmental regulations, building regulations, community covenants, and fear of litigation sends a chilling message to our children that their free-range play is unwelcome, that organized sports on manicured playing fields is the only officially sanctioned form of outdoor recreation. - top of page 31

• Today, 47 million Americans live in homes ruled by condominiums, cooperative, and homeowners' associations, according to the Community Associations Institute. The number  of community associations burgeoned from 10,000 in 1970 to 231,000 today [2005]. These associations impose rules on adults and children (if children are allowed in them at all), ranging from mildly intrusive to draconian. - bottom of page 28 

• By any measure, the destruction of nature caused by hunting pales in comparison to the destruction of habitat by urban sprawl and pollution. Remove hunting and fishing from human activity, and we lose many of the voters and organizations that now work against the destruction of woods, fields and watersheds. - page 192

Happy reconnecting with nature! 

~Modern Akhmatova 

First local BIKEPACKING adventure

“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.” 

― Frank Herbert, Dune

Standing on a bridge in Patapsco Valley State Park
in MD during our bikepacking trip

Two weeks ago we went on our first bikepacking trip. It was a spontaneous decision inspired by our desire to get out of the concrete jungle we live in  and into a more serene and green environment. We've always enjoyed camping and find that sleeping in the woods, even if just for one night, does something for the mind, body and soul like no other activity that we've tried. However, neither one of us had ever combined camping with biking before, and so this was our time to experiment! Furthermore, and perhaps  more telling, is that we plan to do a two-week bikepacking trip this October, and we needed to see what we were getting ourselves into :)! I'm happy to report that it was a fantastic trip, though not without its ups and downs (literally and figuratively). 

Here are a few things to consider as you plan your bikepacking trip: 

• WHAT IS MY/OUR VISION FOR THIS TRIP? 

Our priority was to leave our home on bikes and return on bikes. In other words, that we wouldn't need our car to get anywhere. The other big priority was to sleep in the woods. Then we also had a few other wishes, like seeing or exploring something new. We settled on riding through the Patapsco Valley State Park and downtown Ellicott City in Maryland. 

• HOW MUCH MONEY DO I/WE WANT TO SPEND? 

We actually didn't end up spending anything on this trip, mainly because we didn't buy any new gear (and didn't eat out during the trip like we had planned). In addition to wanting a simple, easy, and rejuvenating trip, we didn't want to spend too much money on it. This is one of the great things about bikepacking. Once you have a good bike and some basic gear (emergency kit, rack, basket, small backpacks, packable sleeping bag and tent) it's super cheap to go on short bikepacking trips. 

• HOW MUCH TIME DO I/WE HAVE?

We only had the weekend for this trip, and other things to take care of during that time. So we wanted something that would rejuvenate us, but not take up the entire weekend.

• HOW FAR DO I/WE WANT TO BIKE? 

The above points will narrow down your options, though there are other things to consider, like availability of safe routes, parks, and camping grounds near you.  When my partner was researching routes he discovered that there weren't that many campground options for us within a reasonable biking distance (given our time constraints) that also provided us with safe roads to bike on and nice scenery along the way. We ended up riding 40 miles round trip. This was a good distance and not too hard for people like us who don't ride long distances on a regular basis. The one catch was elevation! Parts of our route were grueling for me, though my partner thought all of it was great! :) At times I felt like it was more of a workout than a leisurely bike ride that I was hoping for, but in the end it was SO worth it. Key takeaway: When your partner or someone else is planning the route, make sure you know what they have in store for you, so you can adjust or completely get rid of your expectations ahead of time. 

• WHAT GEAR DO I/WE NEED?  

Because we wanted to something easy and simple over a weekend, it didn't require too much gear. We did have to do some research ahead of time, figure out what we already had for gear, and finally, experiment putting the gear we had on our existing bikes. Once you have a good bike and some basic gear (emergency kit, rack, basket, small backpacks, packable sleeping bag and tent) it's super cheap to go on short bikepacking trips. Luckily, we had all of this basic gear already, so we didn't actually need to buy anything for this trip. However, for our two-week bikepacking trip we have bought some additional gear, but that will be part of a future post. 

• WHAT DO I/WE WANT TO EAT AND DRINK?

If you want to keep things simple, plan ahead and see where you can stop to eat along your bike route. Make sure that the place will either have spacious outdoor seating or bike racks to store your bikes during your meal. You should also bring some light snacks with you, like granola or nuts and fruit that isn't too heavy or bulky. Obviously, water is essential, so plan to bring enough (rule of thumb: 3 liters or 1 gallon/person/day) or research places where you can refill during your trip. 

We planned to get to Ellicott City (16 or so miles into the trip) just in time for dinner. I had been there many times before (by car) with friends and enjoyed delicious food. BEWARE however, that biking into Ellicott City on a weekend during dinner time is a NIGHTMARE and there aren't any bike racks in the downtown area to lock your bike to!  As we arrived into the city, we realized pretty quickly that the traffic was horrendous and that the downtown area should really be a PEDESTRIAN-ONLY zone. It felt a lot like Georgetown in Washington, DC during rush hour or on a weekend; just plain noisy and super congested.  Furthermore, there were no bike racks to lock our bikes to, no outdoor eating areas, and no take-out as far as we could tell. Therefore, we continued on our merry way toward the campground, with four apples we had brought from home. Our dinner: two apples. Our breakfast: two apples. Once we got home, we ate 2 pizzas :)! 

• WHAT IS THE WEATHER GOING TO BE LIKE?

This might need to go to the top rather than the bottom of this list, since this is critical. We monitored the weather throughout the week and because we wanted to keep things simple, and it was a very short trip, we didn't really have to start packing until the day of when we planed to leave, so this wasn't too much of an issue for us. Plus, it's summer time, so the weather isn't really that much of an issue like it is in the winter. 

Happy bikepacking adventures!

Modern Akhmatova

Useful resource:
http://www.bikepacking.com/bikepacking-101/ 

WE MADE TOOTHPASTE :)

From L to R: Homemade toothpaste in a jar; baking soda; 100% natural coconut oil in a jar; measuring spoons; and spearmint essential oil.

Well, we finally did it! We made our own toothpaste this evening. I'm super excited to see how this goes. We are going to start using it tonight, so I'll post about the brushing experience in a few weeks.

A couple of things to consider...

• RECIPE: I used Trash is for Tossers recipe by Lauren Singer. She does a great job of explaining how to make your own toothpaste in this video. It only takes three ingredients - baking soda, coconut oil, and essential oil - and no more than a few minutes to make! 
• Another recipe that I haven't tried, but looks just as easy and I'm sure is just as good, can be found on Bea Johnson's Zero Waste Home blog.
• Alternatively, you could just use baking soda and water!
• YOUR HEALTH: Here is a good overview of why baking soda is a safe alternative to traditional toothpaste for brushing teeth.
• THE PLANET: Toothpaste comes in 2-3 layers of unnecessary packaging that isn't reusable and obviously creates a lot of waste. Even the toothpaste at health stores like MOM's or Whole Foods comes in at least 2 layers of packaging. 
• On the other hand, you can purchase both baking soda and coconut oil in bulk. Most baking soda comes in paper containers, and both coconut oil and essential oil can be found in glass containers. Furthermore, all of these ingredients can be re-purposed for other uses, and an empty coconut jar can be reused to store your next batch of toothpaste!
• YOUR WALLET: I first have to see how long this first batch of toothpaste is going to last us to determine the exact cost savings. In the meantime, here are some numbers to consider:
• Toothpaste prices can range anywhere from $3 to $7 on average for a standard 7.8 oz size. If you're like us and you brush your teeth at least 2x/per day and sometimes more, then a standard tube of toothpaste for two people will last about a month. Thus, the total cost of toothpaste per year comes out to anywhere from $36 to $84. 
• A typical price for 1lb of baking soda is about $1. This makes for approx. 32 tablespoons of toothpaste!
• Coconut oil prices vary, but you can easily find a 16oz jar for under $9.
• We bought .5 fl oz of essential oil for $5.49. 

Happy DIY toothpaste making! 
Modern Akhmatova

MENSTRUAL CUP REVOLUTION!

I am really excited to post about the impact one change and one simple product has had on my body and mind, our wallets, and our waste footprint over the past few months. It is called the MENSTRUAL CUP.

A few months ago, I think around May, I decided to finally invest in a menstrual cup that I have been reading about on various zero waste blogs (my faves: Trash is for Tossers and Zero Waste Home). In addition, I read blogs by female doctors who've written about this (i.e., Dr. Jen Gunter; Cleveland Clinic) and read many of the comments and questions posted about the Diva Cup on Amazon. My SO also kept encouraging me to try it :).

In the end, it became very clear to me that this product was worth a try. There are a couple different cups out on the market right now, but I ended up going with the Diva Cup, because I could buy it at the local MOM's Organic Market.

So, what is a menstrual cup? It is a cup that catches menstrual fluid. But it is so much more than that! Here are some of the incredible benefits I've experienced first-hand or found out about through online research:

• It is HEALTHIER for you:
• First thing's first, the products are FDA approved. 
• Columbia University/Columbia Health reports that menstrual cups provide reduced risk of toxic shock syndrome or irritation, which may be caused by the bleaching of the absorbent fibers in tampons or the synthetic fibers themselves. Menstrual cups manufacturers make the same claims. 

• It is really, truly, I can't say this enough, more COMFORTABLE: 
• I waited to post about this until I had a chance to try it out for a few months and write from experience. I honestly LOVE IT! As long as it's properly inserted, and this isn't hard to do, it will mold to your body and fit like a glove. I live a pretty active lifestyle - walking, biking, running, rock climbing and swimming throughout the week - and I've never felt a discomfort with the cup during my menstrual cycle. It is really amazing and I can't imagine going back to pads and tampons. 
• And if you don't believe me or need additional proof, the 2011 FLOW study by the National Institutes of Health, which compared the experiences of women using only tampons with women using only menstrual cups over a period of 3 menstrual cycles, showed that "Approximately 91% of women in the menstrual cup group said they would continue to use the cup and recommend it to others."
• Note: There are different sizes of menstrual cups, usually dependent on whether you're pre- or post-childbirth. Therefore, please research all the options to determine which size and brand best suits your values and needs.

• It is EASY TO USE:  
• It's really easy to insert and take out, just make sure to read the manufacturer's instructions that describe which way the cup needs to be inserted and how. Cleaning is fast and easy when you're in a private bathroom. You dump the cup out in the toilet and then you rinse it with warm soapy water, and then reinsert it. Simple as that and no wrapping! 
• The only awkward part comes when you need to clean the cup in a public restroom. I've also done this and it was fine. Basically  you just have to make sure that you clean your hands before going into the bathroom stall. Take the cup out, dump the contents in the toilet, wipe it out with toilet paper, and reinsert it for the rest of the day. 

• It is REUSABLE:  
• It lasts up to 12 hours before you need to empty it out and wash it with warm soapy water. At the end of the cycle it should be cleaned in boiling water. The FDA recommends replacing your cup every 2-3 years, but many of the blogs and comments I've read on Amazon say it can last up to 10 years with proper care. 

• It REDUCES LANDFILL WASTE:
• Lunette estimates that a over 24 billion (yes, that's BILLION) menstrual products are used annually across the globe. Dr. Gunter notes that "In the U.S. alone we dump 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons every year; because tampons are often flushed applicators frequently wash up on beaches. A reusable menstrual cup is clearly a more green alternative."
• Note: So far I've come across three manufacturers: the German and Kenyan Ruby Cup, the Finnish Lunette Natural Cup, the Canadian Diva Cup. All three products are made out of silicone, which requires the use of fossil sources such as petroleum and natural gas to produce. Therefore it isn't 100% sustainable, but it's much less wasteful considering the alternative - billions of pads and tampons being dumped every year.

• It SAVES MONEY:  
• Compare a one-time $25-$40 purchase every few years with a purchase of an average of 13-22 traditional menstrual products/cycle or 169-286 traditional products/year. If we assume that a package of 40 tampons or pads comes out to an average of $7, that will cost you anywhere from $35 to $84 per year. 

So there you have it! To all the ladies out there who are menstruating, I sincerely hope you look into this and maybe even give it a try. :)

Happy waste-free menstruation or moon cycles!
Modern-Akhmatova

How do you know where you belong?

SO and I doing a polar bear swim in Resurrection Bay this past February

We left our hearts in Seward, AK
A bay in a mountainous valley, it calls to us
To be where mountains climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog and rain may chill the air, we don't care

Our love waits there in Seward
Above the blue and windy Resurrection Bay
When we come home to you, Seward
Your quiet wonder will shine for us

~Modern Akhmatova

Note: This poem was inspired by the "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" song.

1 year anniversary BY THE NUMBERS

After writing the previous post about our 1 year "down to 1 car" anniversary, I started thinking about the evidence to support the claims I was making, namely that we were now healthier, wealthier, and happier as a result of getting down to one car and having to rely on public transportation, our bikes, bodies, and coordination talents to get around. Since my SO tracks everything related to our financial well being, I realized that I should take advantage of his love of numbers and graphs to try and provide some proof behind my earlier claims. So here is the evidence I could find:

Claim #1: We are HEALTHIER as a result of selling one of our cars and and having to rely on public transportation, our bikes, bodies, and coordination talents to get around.

Supporting evidence:

• We don't have conclusive evidence for this one, because we don't have hard data to support it - i.e. number of doctor's visits or doctor's conclusions about our health before vs after we sold our car. However, we don't really get sick or go to the doctor all that much, and so it isn't hard to keep a general sense of how often this has happened over the last few years. If nothing else, we have continued to feel healthier. Lastly, I know for a fact that my weight has stabilized since we embarked on this low-emissions lifestyle. I eat better, sleep better, feel energized, focused, and a lot more relaxed. 

Claim #2: We are WEALTHIER as a result of selling one of our cars and and having to rely on public transportation, our bikes, bodies, and coordination talents to get around.

Supporting evidence: Here is where my SO's tracking comes into play. 

• The chart above shows our annual car miles and costs over time, basically since we started dating at the beginning of 2012 to today, July 2015. The blue line represents the miles and the red line represents the costs. 
• The steep decline in miles and a less impressive, but still a decline in costs between 2012 and middle of 2013 is due to our moving in together, SO working from home, and living within walking and biking distance of my work. 
• 2014 was less consistent for a number of reasons. First, we moved again, but this time to a much less connected area that was within "car-distance" from all of our family and friends. The increase in miles in the middle of 2014 was due to a long, long-distance trip to NC for a family wedding. Nevertheless, our costs did not increase by a lot and at certain times declined. 
• Lastly, 2015 has been a good year so far. Overall, our car miles and costs continue to decrease. We still live pretty far away from family and friends, so most weekends we're driving at least an hour to see them. That said, we're keeping a very low-emissions lifestyle during the work week!

Claim #3: We are HAPPIER as a result of selling one of our cars and and having to rely on public transportation, our bikes, bodies, and coordination talents to get around.

Supporting evidence:

SO and I biking in WDC.

• We also don't have conclusive evidence to support this claim, because after all who knows how to measure happiness? It's an elusive concept that people still don't know how to quantify, and one that cannot be generalized, since it depends so much on the individual preferences, self-knowledge, etc, etc.
• However, we've been biking A LOT! And everyone knows that we've been displacing the car with the bike, and given a choice, biking is much more fun than driving. The below chart shows the growth of our addiction to biking. :) It's a 12-month sliding window of our biking miles. 

Based on what we know about ourselves, our self-constructed versions of past and present realities, we feel that we are pretty darn happy these days. We are grateful that we have the time and resources to experiment as much as we can in search of a lifestyle that is aligned with our values. And the lifestyle changes, such as going down to 1 car, have brought us even more awareness about our values and inspired us to continue down the road of REDUCING our waste on this precious planet Earth. 

Happy evidence-based analysis!

Modern Akhmatova

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

This month marks the 1 year anniversary since we downsized from 2 cars to 1. I first blogged about this change in the 2 Bikes, 1 Car Couple post. Considering that there are about 1.8 cars per household (source: Governing the States and Localities) in our area, we consider(ed) ourselves ahead of the curve!

Although it was super exciting at first, we found the transition pretty uneventful actually. We didn't have to adjust our habits or plans that much as a result of this change. It did and continues to require some coordination, but the fact that I work from home and my SO works within biking distance makes daily commuting quite simple, easy, and stress-free. If anything, we found ourselves wondering if we needed a car at all. It might be possible to go car-free if we didn't live in suburbia and so far away from our family. Unfortunately, the public and alternative transportation infrastructure between Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia is pretty limited. We even have trouble biking to some of the towns nearby because of the highway jungle that surrounds us.

Either way, I'm happy to report that even in an area that is dominated by cars we've been able to function just fine with only 1 car. If anything, we're benefiting from it. We're healthier, wealthier and happier as individuals and as a couple, because we're living our values and improving our ability to live in harmony with our wonderful planet Earth each and every day.

Happy downsizing!
~Modern Akhmatova

THE WONDER OF SLOWING DOWN

"Walk as if you're kissing the earth with your feet." - Thich Nhat Hanh

SO walking with his 95 year old grandma.

It was a beautiful Mother's Day celebration. Our family had gathered at my brother and sister-in-law's house to celebrate the amazing women in our lives - my mom, my sister-in-law and SO's mom, and their 95 year old grandma. We filled the sunny day with delicious home cooked food, drinks, and colorful and fragrant gifts and cards.

Hours before everyone arrived and the festivities began, I remember the distinct joyous feeling of slowness. My SO and I had arrived at our siblings' (they are married, yes, you got it right! :)) house the day before, so we were already at their house the next morning when the preparations for the day were starting. That morning, I decided to make crepes before everyone got up. A little later, the four of us shared a slow breakfast, chatted, and hung out. After cleaning up, I started to cook my special dish for the day and realized I was missing a few ingredients. It wasn't long before I was off on a walk to the store through a quirky Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, running into other neighbors walking because it was still Shabbat.

I love seeing people out and about. Moments like these take me back to my childhood in Belgrade, Serbia, where I walked and ran everywhere my young heart desired. It may seem so simple, walking to the grocery store, but unfortunately this is a rare event in America unless you live in a city. That is why my SO and I are trying very hard to use alternative forms of transportation (a.k.a., everything other than the car - walking, biking, public transportation) whenever and wherever we can, because we realize how important it is to truly connect to the land we live on, to become aware of our surroundings, and hopefully, to run into other people and animals on the way to our destination.

I returned home after my wonderfully slow journey to the store and started to cook again. Shortly thereafter, before I was done, people started to arrive. Usually at this point I'd start stressing out because everything wasn't ready before guests arrived, but this time it felt as if I had embraced this reality ahead of its arrival and everything turned out just fine.

For the rest of the day, we dined, wined, reminisced, and spent quality time together. No one was in a rush or worried about anything, we just shared the moments together as best we could. Everyone was fully present and in it to enjoy themselves in the company of their loved ones.

And then I asked  our 95-yr old grandma if she wanted to go on a walk with me. She enthusiastically agreed and off we went down the canopy covered sidewalks in the early evening sunlight. She told me how much she loved walking and how when she was younger, she shared walks with her mom on a daily basis. She went on to say that people nowadays spend too much time in their cars and that they should walk more. It's healthy, she explained.

As we walked and I listened to her wise words, I smiled within. The day had been perfect on so many levels...It inspired me to embrace "slowing down" in order to be more present with myself, others, and the space that surrounds and nourishes us.

Happy slowing down!
~Modern Akhmatova

Related read: "In Praise of Slowness" by Carl Honore (his TED talk about the book: http://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_praises_slowness?language=en#t-1140814) 

LIFE'S ADVENTURES: LIVING MORE WITH LESS

*Note: this blog post is not by me, Modern Akhmatova, but by my significant other (SO)

SO and I in Fairbanks, AK

The past several months since February have been quite busy with their ups and downs. As my SO posted briefly about, we vacationed in Alaska for two weeks. Then we had to deal with cleaning up the aftermath of our flooded out apartment after we got back from vacation. Shortly thereafter we started looking for a place closer to my work since our lease term was ending. Finally we had to move all of our stuff to our new place.

In Alaska, first we saw the end of a 1000 mile dog race in Fairbanks (the Yukon Quest). We also spent nights searching for the northern lights, took a day trip stopping just shy of the Arctic Circle to see the frozen mighty Yukon river where we had a lunch on the snowy banks. Then we drove down to Anchorage, stopping midday for a day hike in Denali National Park. We briefly saw family in Anchorage and then we were off again, this time to Seward where we stayed in a cabin on the beach, played lots of cards and did some frozen hiking.

Brent Sass on his way to Fairbanks...final leg of the Yukon Quest!

Brent Sass wins the Yukon Quest!

SO and I in front of the University of Alaska Museum of the North...notice the bike behind us! 

Aurora borealis or the northern lights near Fairbanks, AK

Relaxing in natural hot springs

This is where you get your mail when you live in the middle of nowhere.

A road trip through winter wonderland.

Eating lunch on the mighty, but frozen, Yukon River.

Denali National Park and Preserve

SO getting ready to dog sled on his own!

Miller's Landing in Seward, AK...where we stayed while there.

SO and I taking a polar bear swim in Resurrection Bay (Seward, AK).

Alaska was fun, however we had a little thing hanging over our heads the entire trip. Despite having a relatively balmy winter up until the day we left, Maryland was experiencing a cold snap. And thus the first day after we arrived in Alaska, I received a call from our landlord that our apartment had flooded due to a burst pipe, despite our leaving the heat on!
It’s actually pretty funny that this happened, because we are practicing minimalists. Having moved 4 times in the past 3 years, it has certain synergies with our lifestyle. At the beginning of our vacation, as we shouldered our packs for our six-mile hike to the airport, while our apartment was just going out of view behind us, we casually discussed what if we just owned the possessions in our packs. What if we had no burdens of “stuff” and were just free to travel the world? Well I guess we got to ponder on that thought a bit more heavily during our vacation.

I think I took the news better than my SO. Honestly, after the initial reaction of “FUCK!??” I didn’t really mind all that much. These past few years, I’ve really taken to heart that I don’t care about things - at least in a sentimental way. Almost everything in our apartment is replaceable. And for what is not, I believe the memories are enough. Unfortunately SO had some letters from her deceased father that she really cherished, and years of journals she had written going back to when she was a child so she didn’t take the news so well, fearing that these would be ruined and the information lost forever. But except for those items, she also didn’t really mind the potential loss of everything else. We tried to put the news behind us and enjoy our vacation, but little things would remind us now and then of what was waiting when we returned. We tried to stay optimistic about it and I think that paid off in the end.

Things were better than expected when we got back. The landlord had replaced our carpet, and drywall and it was almost livable. Of course everything we owned was piled in giant trash bags in our living room and our kitchen and all the insides of the cabinets were covered with drywall dust so that was a bit traumatic. It took about a week to set things straight and it was stressful at times, but I’m thankful we had as little stuff as we did - it could have been a lot worse. In the end we only lost a few things from water damage (a few rugs and towels) but everything else amazingly came through OK. A few weeks after we got back you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. We did get a bill for damages from our landlord which was a bit annoying since they had initially told us because our heat was on, we would not be held liable, but since we hold renter’s insurance, Geico took care of that for us.

After finding a new place, we again appreciated the art of living with less stuff as we did our moves by ourselves over the course of a week, fitting almost everything we own into just 5 or 6 VW Golf-sized loads (we did borrow our friend with his pickup truck one evening after work to take our composter and mattress -our two biggest items - in one load).

~The Other SO

OFF TO ALASKA

Lost Lake Trail in Seward, AK

Take down the concrete.

Open it all up to the greens, blues and browns...

the skies above and below...

Let us breathe and be in harmony with our cellular relatives.

~Modern Akhmatova

Me walking on Lost Lake Trail in Seward, AK

FUN DIY EXPERIMENT: haircuts

Source

As noted in previous posts, my significant other (SO) and I review our finances (savings and spending breakdown) on a monthly basis. The two main tools we use to track all of this information and make projections into the future are Mint and Google spreadsheets. We discuss many different things during these monthly financial reviews, including ideas for how to save even more. One such idea that came up during our recent annual review is haircuts. 

I have been cutting my own hair for over 5 years now and my SO wanted me to start cutting his hair so that we could save the $100 or so a year that he spends on haircuts and use that money instead toward experiencing things together. As I mentioned before, we don't believe in being cheap, we believe in using our money toward experiences that fulfill us. Furthermore, being creative about how we save our money has the added benefit of having fun together and the thrill of DIY-ness that comes from experimenting with things like this. 

So on Wednesday of last week we decided to finally try it. I found a great video on YouTube on how to cut hair similar to his, watched it twice, took notes and went for it! We didn't really have any appropriate hair cutting tools that are used in the video, but we decided to do it anyway. I used our regular scissors, a simple hair comb, and a tarp to collect the cut hair. When his hair got too dry he'd just dump it under the sink :). 

At first, I was really concerned and unsure of whether I was doing a good job, but I took my time and the longer I did it the more comfortable and fun it became. The one thing that became obvious pretty quickly was that the scissors we had were NOT meant for cutting hair! But that didn't stop us. I managed to cut off about 2 or so inches all around, and in the end, after about 30 minutes, SO had a pretty descent haircut. For all intents and purposes this DIY haircut experiment was a success. 

We'll try to do this again in two months and see how it goes. For now we'll enjoy the fact that his hair looks decent, we saved some money, had fun in the process, and learned something new!

Happy DIY experimenting!

Modern Akhmatova