World Without Oil- Day 3

(This is a fictional account from the fantastic alternative reality game World Without Oil join in! )

It’s fine being ideallic when it’s just you—or even you & a spouse. As anyone will tell you, life gets complicated when kids come along. And I don’t care how ideallic you are, not many parents choose to handwash cloth diapers these days! Most use disposable, some use a diaper service- which is heavy on gas for delivery & pick-up & we won’t even talk about the industrial washers and chemicals used… So, how to cope with the oil shock with 3 young kids—2 of whom have sports, school & activities they’ve committed to and 1 of whom is still in diapers.

First off- we used to do as much walking & biking as we could—but how do you transport 3 children & their gear the 3 miles between various locations? Ah what a tangled web of cushy suburbian routine we had constructed—perfect for piling kids in a suburban or expedition to hop from errand to errand. Life is different—TIME is different when gas is so expensive.

The 6-year-old is ok biking himself for a mile, the 5-year-old is good for .5 miles and of course if we really need to get somewhere, the 2 year-old is still in the bike trailer (Because she is just too little to ride for long without running into bushes). And this is only one-way. As the oil shock hits, we are looking at what we need to do differently. Money is already tight, gas is already expensive, the earth is already choking on our fumes-- could it really get WORSE?

We already had carpools in place, but now we are finding that making it to some kind of practice 30 minutes after school lets out is just not feasible if we're biking. Cushy middle class is getting… different.

We have a built-in network of parents & teachers that live close by who are helpful. Luckily we have already planted our garden—unfortunately, we don’t have anything to HARVEST yet!

Maybe it's time to dig out my guide to edible plants to see what kinds of things we can find growing in our lawn. There are still tangerines on our tree and in a few months, we’ll have some nectarines & lemons. I suppose it won't be the same when we are RELYING on the fruit instead of just periodically grabbing a yummy treat. Same with the veggies. It used to be a novelty to grab a cucumber or two each day… we would even give some away! Now, I can’t wait for when our vine starts seriously PRODUCING this summer! As for meat- cheese- what will we have to start cutting back on?

Maybe this is just what the doctor ordered... more exercise- healthier eating- less meat. I wonder what it would take to keep a goat in our backyard—eating the grass (since we won’t waste gas mowing the lawn) for milk and a chicken or two... city ordinances aside.

I can see life slowing down tremendously and re-focusing on the basics.

I suppose it's time to potty-train the baby & stop being lazy using diapers...

I think we all need baskets on our bikes so it's easier to haul & carry things and so that each of us can carry their own stuff... Perhaps this is just the sense of independence the kids need. The past few days- when the baby was still napping, a parent near the school biked my son home. Maybe it's time to examine our schedule and see what's really feasible based on the new constraints that have been introduced to our family.

If we bike or walk, we need to spend more time there to rest. We could spend more time at school talking to other families & their kids. School is such a safe environment--I know people there- I know the kids- I know we are safe and it's a very close, cooperative community. I can see eating better with packed lunches.

Hmmm- just starting to feel the squeeze... no just starting to perceive it, really, in this cush, middle-class, gourmet-led, middle-class lifestyle.

I worry about my mom in San Diego-- It's hotter there & they've replaced their fruits & veggies with a lot of indigenous foliage and a backyard "habitat" for local wildlife. The good news is that I think their house runs on about 30% alternative fuels between the solar panels & hot water panels and if they cut their consumption, they might be in good shape. Being a prodigious gardener, she will no-doubt do better than I. I take it back-- they should be fine.