Pat Bean's blog

Mother Nature gives us so many beautiful sights for free. I should enjoy them more and buy stuff less. — Photo by Pat Bean

          “Often when looking at a mass of things for sale, he would say to himself, ‘How many things I have no need of.’” –Socrates

The Accumulation Mystery

I went to a craft fair the other day, and fell in love with a ceramic garlic grater. My chef friend Jean, who was with me, bought it for me. I protested, but of course was delighted with the gift. And it’s been a delight to use.

Thankfully, it’s smaller than a regular saucer and fits neatly into my utensil drawer. In recent years, I have become increasingly concerned with having a place for everything and everything in its place — and not bringing home stuff.

I thought I was doing a pretty good job abiding by this philosophy until my recent move. In a seven-year period, I went from moving into a small apartment with only the stuff from my 21-foot RV and feeling like I was living in a mansion to the same apartment feeling a bit too small.

I simply don’t know where all the stuff came from.

Once again, when I moved to a slightly bigger apartment back in December, I discovered I had way too much useless stuff. I downsized and vowed I would never again let stuff accumulate. But that I will succeed in my resolution is not something I would bet my life on, perhaps not even a dollar.

Stuff Happens!

Bean Pat: Birding in Mexico https://www.10000birds.com/an-unexpected-yellowthroat.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+10000Birds+%2810%2C000+Birds%29 A

You can read about hikes I took in my late 60s and early 70s in my book: Travels with Maggie, which is available on Amazon

bit of armchair birding. I’ve never seen the black-polled yellowthroat, but the common yellowthroat, found north of the border is one of my favorite birds, as is this blog.

Pat Bean is a retired journalist who lives in Tucson with her canine companion, Scamp. She is a wondering-wanderer, avid reader, enthusiastic birder, Lonely Planet Community Pathfinder, Story Circle Network board member, author of Travels with Maggie available on Amazon, and is always searching for life’s silver lining.