I have been accused of being more crunchy than most (I live in LA so I can’t decide how true that is or not, I do own birkenstocks and raise chickens but I’m really in love with my hair dresser and how pretty he makes me feel).

I’m always game to try something that may be a healthier or more sustainable substitute for something else and while her first response to anything is usually “NO”, my wife is shockingly tolerant of these forays into new ways of doing things (ie the remineralizing dirt tooth powder, so far a success, and vinegar/baking soda hair washing, officially listed as a fail) she rarely complains but she drew the line at the bucket substituting the toilet so we could compost our pee. Some things eventually turn out to just be too much work or not sustainable in our life. I’m always on the lookout for things that will support our wellness and lighten our personal carbon footprints. And Cyndi may complain often and loudly, she is a wonderful sport about going along for the ride.

We are far from perfect (I, for one, have a sweet tooth the size of Texas, and don’t even get me started on pie. OMG PIE) and we have a busy life now that we are well enough to function normally, everything is a process, and we are always learning. That being said, I try to be flexible and allow us room to make mistakes and really question if something is sustainable in our daily life. A little extra work doesn’t bother me but it can be a lot like a million drops in a bucket sometimes and quality of life is important.

A young goat jumps over a meadow during warm and sunny weather at Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf in the Austrian province of Salzburg, Monday, April 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

We choose to live in the city. It’s where our friends and family are, our support system of wonderful healers and loving people who have made our experience with a catastrophic illness something manageable. The people, our home and the community we live in is why we are here. I long for acres of land and goats romping in fields amongst flocks of chickens and ducks. That’s just not in the cards right now (though if I can figure out some sort of cheese cave and dairy animal set up I WILL make it happen, I LOVE cheese).

I am also truly concerned about the current California water crisis and how our daily life choices effect our environment. I am spending a lot of time reviewing all the little things we do and how we can at least be less of the problem. It’s hard not to feel powerless in all of this so I am concentrating on manageable bites, things i can do, to make changes that make sense.

Theses pages are all about documenting our experiences, what we think of them, how easy they are or are not and whether or not they are cost effective. I would love to hear from any of you with suggestions for things to try or ways to make things more cost effective. I am a firm believer that a healthy life needs to be affordable. With that in mind we, like many Los Angelinos, have a couple of streams of income, our main one is a home based business that is helping us pursue this lifestyle. The time at home makes a lot of this more manageable but as I go through recipes and project suggestions it will always be with a mind to a busy life full of All The Things.