Reflections on a Year of Nature.

Hi!  Long time no write!  Ive been living in the woods for the past year working at a wilderness treatment center for teenage boys.  Reflections:  The frugality and the greenness of it all was great!  Working in four day shifts with two days off and showering and eating 90% of meals there was great for my budget!  I love how the high intensity and deepness of the job made me focus on so many things I would miss outside of camp.
Nature.
The close contact with nature was beautiful.  I saw beautiful little lizards everywhere in the spring. The skies were always heavenly morning and night, and I saw tons of spiders and insects I had never seen before and I could just really connect, and feel that God was a beautiful artist creator who had intricately planned every living thing.   In the crazy aggressiveness and stress of the job I didn't have time to be concerned about normal things, technology, my appearance, what the rest of the world was doing, but I did find that nature was a great escape for me!  If I had just been cursed out or threatened, there was always a lizard or butterfly, beautiful clouds, or playful squirrels to observe and grin at.  I found that the wilderness was therapeutic for the boys as well.  I had many bonding moments with kids, asking questions about animals or plants or just observing.  God walked with me and romanced me through the battlefields of camp!  Hiking up to the shower house at nights(not many of them!) was spooky at first, seeing golden eyes in the woods and hearing rustling of leaves, but those hikes became my time to walk with God.  I imagined him holding my hand, protecting, reassuring and stargazing with me.  There were rarely times where there wasn't a magnificent moon and a spectacular glittering sky that took my breath away. There are certain moments that stand out in my mind.  Being on the canoe trip and observing thousands of red and yellow spiders that literally made me shake because they were so pretty and so scary to me! (Didn't help they were falling on us and crawling in our boats constantly!)  The canoe trip down the Edistoe was remarkable, even at night and even in the swamp areas, they were beautiful!   When I laid down after a hard day in my cot and put the front tent flaps up, it started to sprinkle and the rain was misting into my tent onto my toes!  It felt like God was putting little kisses on them. When I saw squirrels relentlessly playing games everyday with each other!  It was amazing.  I saw a lot of beautiful nature out there and I grew closer connected to God and my soul, I felt more myself breathing so much outside air and soaking in the woods!

I just recently quit this job to do ministry and as I sipped this coffee I wanted to reflect on how good it felt to live outside!  I miss the sun beating down on my skin, the cool breezes, but being as its winter now I am not missing the frozen ears, toes, nose, and fingers, wearing so many layers you can barely move, and washing my hands at a frigid water spigot!  However, I do miss the deep winter sleep I got there in the cold!  unmatchable! I realized through this experience this year that sometimes living simpler and greener is better done... outside. : )

Dumpster Resolutions.

I absolutely cannot believe how fast 2011 snuck up on us!  The worst part is, I remember being shocked when 2000 was quickly approaching.  As I do every year, I have made lists and lists of resolutions for every area and region of my life.  I am a bit of an overachiever, I admit it.  I am going to try to narrow down a few into a "Dumpster Resolutions" List, I have big plans involving dumpsters this year!

Diving

• Dumpster dive more often, dive more food, introduce more people to diving, donate wayy more food to friends, families in need, shelters, etc. 
• Have more dumpster get togethers, dumpster feasts, dumpster goods trades, dumpster goods yard sales, freesales, lots of bartering and trading, continue to be as generous as possible with the dumpster goods!
• be less controlling about what I eat.  I think this is a huge part of diving, we are so controlling about what we eat, but God will provide everything we need, we just have to go get it!
• dont pay for any food ever, regardless of the circumstances, unless it is an absolute emergency and that is pretty much never.  This is America.
• introduce more people to diving whether it be through talking about diving, telling people about it, publicity and media, this blog, or actually taking them!  More importantly, create awareness for WHY we dive.  Awareness of waste, awareness of unnacceptable policies, awareness of hunger and other related issues. 
• Create a bigger more intricate network of dumpster divers, people interested in the concept, people who support, people who can benefit, people I can feed, and people to dive with. 
• Continue to get more creative with my dumpster goods: Santa was generous enough to bring me a blender and dehydrator for Christmas.  Lets start the insanity.  Get better at preserving, composting, sharing, donating, making art, finding household uses, and other creative uses for my amazing and epic finds. 

Randoms

• Get better with my gardening. Kind of a tough time of year, but hey, Im determined.
• Stop playing around with and permanently go through with the "No Poo" regimine.  No more Shampoo and no more conditioner.  Ive been waiting to use up my Shampoo, but I might just use it for bubble bath and officially quit.  But more about No Poo in another post.
• Catch up on all my Green Reading that Im behind on!
• Complete the Gorgeously Green 8step program. More on this later.
• Become More Green.  You can never be too green.
• Take less Baths.  Ive become addicted to baths for years now due to muscle soreness, etc.  It wastes too much water and Ive spoiled myself! 
• Step up my game on dumpster recycling,  meaning rescue more recyclables from the dumpster rather than leaving it behind and letting it take the sad journey to the landfill. 

• ART
• never purchase any art materials, use art materials I have, or can find, or borrow, continue to dive for materials at places that have been fruitful, find new places to dive art materials, continue making art out of trash, and dont throw anything away that can be used for art. which is pretty much anything and everything, which is why Ive been called a hoarder.  but im supremely creative and innovative, so give me a break!
• continue building a network of other artists and freegans who make art, who will make art with me, trade supplies with me, display and love my work, and support me in my artistic efforts.  An artist commune if you will. (Valerie : D )
• Find ways to make money off of my art.  Find ways to donate my art. 

Nows a good time to introduce you to a wonderful friend and artist I met recently through urban ministry, his name is William Pomphrey, he makes beautiful works of art from trash and random discarded items he finds, he makes intricate models of WWII warships. He has great character, and I think God wanted me to meet him.  I was blessed to be able to go to the event on campus of urban ministrys choir.  It was one of the most beautiful nights  my ears ever experieced.  Voices blessed by God.  and this mans hands are blessed by God as well. I definately admire him as an artist!  He had an engineering, artistic, innovative mind, and he was able to sell one of his ships for $5000!  He told me that last time we spoke that the ship he sold was about 4 feet and that he was working on and 8footer that would take him around a year.  I am so proud of him.  Unfortunately, I was unable to locate his article and pictures on the Charlotte Observer site, I think its been moved, but If I find them, I will definately post them!

This is a lot of goals, but they are all things I plan to work on in the future.  I never plan to stop the dumpster indulgence, unless one day there is nothing usable in dumpsters.  But honestly? I dont think that day will ever come. I plan to make gradual progress on this diving journey, and I will keep you updated along the way!! : )


I cant believe how fast everything spread.
Heres the link for if you google my name, charlotte, and dumpster diving. Tons of Hits. : ) Jus spreadin the love around.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=stephanie+braun+charlotte+dumpster+diving&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=