Whiteley Creek Homestead

I want one…

I grew up on a 160-acre farm ten miles southeast of Brainerd… surrounded by other large farms. We had a "party line" where several neighbors shared the same phone line. To make a call, you gingerly removed the phone off the wall hook so as not to disturb someone in case it was in use. After waiting patiently and checking intermittently to see if the line was free, you could then place a call. If you were snoopy, you remained on the line barely breathing and listened in. Think about how many phone lines, towers, and cables… not to mention phones… that we have today. Convenient… but necessary? I'm not so sure.

From Martha Stewart's Blueprint Magazine, I acquired a list of "100 Reasons to Get Rid of It". Now and again, I will share some web sites from that list that I think stand out… ones that will assist us all in simplifying our lives by reducing the stuff that clutters it up because… "People burn 55 minutes a day looking for things, 80% of what we own we never use", and this one hurts… "1.4 million Americans suffer from chronic hoarding and clutter"… I do love a good yard sale, thrift shop, and antique store. Well, I say let's commit ourselves to decluttering to "reduce housework by 40%", because…  "Less is more." -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -Leonardo da Vinci