Finding Solutions to a Unsolvable Problem

This morning, I woke up, as usual, at 4:30 am.  I got out of bed, did my morning hygiene routine, let the old tom out (he's the only of the three kitties who own me that likes to go outside), started the coffee water to boiling, prepped the French press for a new pot, and plugged in the iron.  Then, I fed the cats and dogs (after tom came back inside), added the now boiled water to the French press, and ironed Deus Ex Machina's work clothes.

At some point during that routine, I started thinking about Medieval life (my brain works in mysterious ways - I don't question), and I thought how I would love if some English peasant were able to time travel to now, and I could host him/her in my home. I wonder what he/she would say about my house.

It's modest by modern standards.  The average house size nationwide is just over 2000 sq ft and in my state is 1680 sq ft.  Mine is smaller by almost 200 sq ft than the state average, but it's adequate for my needs (and some days more than I can manage to keep clean (!)).  

The average dwelling in the Middle Ages was between 600 and 1500 sq ft.  So, I guess my house isn't so big and luxurious by Medieval standards.

But I do have an actual roof (as opposed to a thatched roof), indoor plumbing (including hot and cold water on tap), glass windows (that let in the light but keep out the critters and the weather, and help to keep the temperature more comfortable), and plush, comfortable furniture throughout.  Not to mention electricity for cooking, refrigeration, and lighting.  

I wonder what someone from the Middle Ages would make of my house.  I think the biggest surprise, for them, would be to note that my house is "mine!"  It's not "owned" by a Lord (unless we count the mortgage that is owned by the bank ... hmm??!).

Of course, then, I sat down to have coffee with Deus Ex Machina (which would probably be a luxury for a Medieval peasant, especially with the teaspoon of sugar per cup I add) and read the news, and there were two back-to-back articles.

The first was dealing with the growing issue of homelessness - worldwide - but especially here in the US.  As of 2022, there were over half a million people who are defined as being homeless in the US, and per the article I read, the number is growing.  The article cited the main reason for homelessness was a lack of "affordable" housing.  That is, in most places, the cost of renting a place to live exceeds the ability for a too large portion of our population to pay for housing.  

In his book, Tell Them Who I Am, anthropologist, Elliot Liebow attempted to shed some light on the homeless issue among a group of women who lived in a homeless shelter.  His book was published in 1993.  Thirty years ago.  

What have we done as a society, to understand and fix the issue in the last thirty years?  Of course, according to this source, homelessness was an issue for the English pauper, too, with 20% of their population being homeless.  So, what have we done, EVER, as a culture, to stem the tide of those living without a proverbial pot-to-piss-in?

If the growing homelessness trend is any indication, the answer is not much.

The second article was about a lawsuit filed by property owners in New York City to lift the "draconian" laws that often favor the tenants over the landlords.  There are almost as many homeless people living in NYC as there are people living in Portland, Maine.  If those landlords are successful, how many more tens of thousands of people will be forced out of their apartments and end up sleeping in a tent (if they're lucky enough to have a tent) in Central Park (until someone comes along and forces them out)?

In a neighboring city, those wishing to build housing units (including hotels) are required to include a certain number of "affordable" housing units or they can opt to pay a fee.  The city is flush with old buildings that were once working factories, and many entrepreneurial minded individuals have bought the old mill buildings with the intention of creating high-end apartments (condos) and luxury hotels.  Too many are opting to pay the fee rather than include affordable housing units in their plans. 

I am all for rehabbing old buildings, for sure.  I just wish there could be a happy medium between revitalizing a depressed, old mill town and pricing the long-term residents out of their homes.  I wish the pendulum could stop in the middle.  

I have always been keenly aware of the homeless issue.  There was a time in my life that, by definition, I was homeless, but I was exceedingly fortunate to have a place to stay that was safe and stable.  That is to say, I have never had to sleep "rough", I have never had to live in my car, and I have never needed to take refuge in a homeless shelter.

I have been blessed in my life, and I am grateful, every day, for the abundance I have been gifted.

Working in a place where the public is not just welcome, but encouraged, I have become more intuned to the homeless issue.  Everyone knows there are homeless people in big cities, like Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Portland, Maine, but who could even imagine that in my little resort town, there are people who sleep under awnings and on park benches, and spend their days in the cool, quiet of the public library for a lack of anywhere else to go?  

It's heartbreaking.  

I don't know how to fix the issue.  I don't even know who to call when I am asked for help, because in too many places, like my town, there are very limited resources and services for the homeless population.  

I guess all that to say, as a society, we need a better way of doing something than just throwing money at it, and I don't know what the answer is (I suspect there is no one-size-fits-all solution), but I'm open to suggestions.

What can we do, as individuals?

Vivacious Vittles - a Workshop

 When I started working part-time at the library, one of the things my boss wanted me to do was to organize some classes for our community with a focus on sustainability.  She knows all about my books, my blog and my lifestyle choices, and so she was super excited about the prospect of having me do *something*.

At the beginning of June, I started a four week series called "Vivacious Vittles" in which participants learned to grow food in containers.  Small containers, actually.

I live in a resort town.  The average-sized lot is less than a 10th of an acre with many folks having even less land than that.  There are a lot of condos, where there is no land, and if they're lucky, residents might have a balcony or a front porch, where they can have a few pots of flowers or the like.

We also have a larger than average elderly population.  For whatever reason, this town is a haven for retired folks, and there are a number of 55+ communities.  As a demographic, people who live in 55+ communities are often on a fixed income, which means that being able to grow a little food is a good thing, even if it's just some lettuce in a bowl and some beans in hanging planter.

And that's exactly what we did. 

The first class was planting lettuce in bowls. Yes, actual bowls.  I found some serving bowls in bright colors at the dollar store.  For the class, the participants poked drainage holes, then filled the bowls with soil. They were each given two bowls.  In one bowl, they planted lettuce starts and in the second bowl they planted seeds.

The second class was hanging planters with beans and peas.  We planted pea plants, because it was late in the season and added scarlet runner beans around the edges.  By the time the beans are flowering,  they will have harvested and eaten the peas.  

The third class was growing sprouts in a jar.  

The last class was planting herbs in a self-watering planter made from an old wine bottle.

Everyone had a lot of fun, and everyone took home both their plants and the knowledge that growing food doesn't have to require a piece of land or even a yard.  They can do a lot with just a few containers and a sunny spot.