by Jane Dwinell and Dana Dwinell-Yardley

Check out this New York Times business section article on how (at least some) Americans in this down economy are moving away from "conspicuous consumption" and — wow, really? — finding that they're happier that way. It's worth a read.

Lesson of the day: frugality and sustainability equals not hairshirt discomfort or self-righteousness, but happy people. Huzzah.

by Jane Dwinell

The great Liberty Street Yard Sale is now over for 2010. This fabulous Montpelier institution provides bargains and a chance to meet and greet your neighbors. Nearly every house has goods for sale, and the street becomes a serious traffic jam about 10 o'clock. It seems like everyone has too much stuff they don't need (yet could really use some of those items their neighbors don't want: the trash-to-treasure paradox of the yard sale!).

by Jane Dwinell

Every weekday morning around 10, a middle-aged man in a late-model gray sedan pulls up and parks across the street from my house. He walks to the mini-mart on the corner and buys a large coffee or soda ($1.40). When he returns to his car, he pops the trunk, takes out a navy blue windbreaker and black baseball cap, puts them on (no matter the weather), lights a cigarette, and stands by his trunk smoking and drinking. Some mornings he takes a half a sandwich out of a cooler in the trunk and eats it along with his beverage. He stays about 10 or 15 minutes, takes off his windbreaker and hat, stows them in the trunk, and drives off.

by Jane Dwinell and Dana Dwinell-Yardley

A lovely poem aired a few days ago on NPR's Writer's Almanac addresses consumerism, stuff, want, and need quite eloquently. Check it out!

by Jane Dwinell

Recently on NPR's All Things Considered, a story was aired about osteoporosis and osteopenia, two conditions related to bone density. It focused on women who had been diagnosed with osteopenia — a possible precursor to the more serious osteoporosis — who were taking an expensive and not-without-side-effects medication that might — and I repeat: might — prevent osteoporosis. These women had been frightened by thoughts of broken hips and endless years of frailty and nursing homes by their doctors, and encouraged (after extensive and expensive testing) to take the medication, just in case it should prevent this "horror."

I was outraged. More than that, I wanted to throw things at the radio and scream from the rooftops, "No wonder our health care system is in trouble! Will everyone please wise up!?!?"

by Dana Dwinell-Yardley

Do you know where you are? Do you know where you're going? Do you know how to get there?

These are good questions, often asked when examining one's life goals or larger purpose. But today I'm asking them in the most literal, physical sense: do you know where you are, right now? If you wanted to go somewhere else — somewhere you hadn't been before, perhaps — how would you figure out which way to go?

Okay, now turn off your electronic devices and answer again.

by Jane Dwinell

I just picked and ate my first radish. Really. No, I'm not that good at all-season gardening in Vermont — though I have managed to have fresh greens eight months of the year with a little work, the right weather, and cold frames. I'm in New Orleans, where I am starting anew on another urban homestead. (This blog is still local, don't worry: Common Sense's other half, my daughter Dana, is staying in Vermont.)

by Dana Dwinell-Yardley

I'm blogging from Salt Lake City, Utah — here for the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. What does a religious gathering have to do with the movement for Vermont independence? Well, Friday night I heard a sermon that every activist, every hardworking do-gooder, everyone who's ever bemoaned the craziness of their schedule or the weight of their responsibilities — and that just about covers all of us — should hear.

by Jane Dwinell

It's been interesting to have been in the media spotlight the past few months. Because of our involvement with the Your Money or Your Life program and the issuance of the new and revised version of the book, we
have been interviewed locally (in Seven Days) and nationally (in AARP Bulletin). With such interviews come responses — something I did not expect. All but one have been positive, with many people asking more questions about our unique way of life.

by Dana Dwinell-Yardley

It's nearly May, and us Vermonters of the Frozen North are suddenly thawing nicely. Last week's 80 degree weather saw the streets of Montpelier bustling with people relaxing, talking, coming out of hibernation and greeting the sun. There are Cate Farm seedlings at the co-op. There are Frisbee throwers and kite flyers on the State House lawn.