We are really enjoying our new home in Belleville and we have welcomed a surprising numberr of guests in this first week of unpacking. We are finding most things we need, bit by bit, box by box, and actually becoming reaquainted with some stuff we didn't know we had. One of our big challenges is finding the wall space for artwork. The manse in Bowmanville was vast and the art expanded to fill it.
We are also making decisions about what choices we will make with mundane things which affect the use of water and energy. We know that our water heater is old and we will likely replace this traditional one with the "demand" type. Instead of a big canister of constantly hot water the demand units are small and produce hot water as it is needed. Friends have one, and while it costs more to rent, their gas bill has dropped significantly. We have one toilet which is low flow and it is on the ground floor. The other two are relatively new, so we are reluctant to replace them even though we would like to go to dual-flush toilets like the one in Bowmanville.
We had to buy all new appliances, including a dryer. It is great, but we are itching to get a clothesline up so we can use less energy. We are already using bulbs which require less electricity.We are certainly hoping that the gas fireplace in our principal room will allow us to keep the heat lower in the rest of the house during the winter and we see that the thermostat is programmable.
\We have figured out where to put a rain barrel and just need to empty it out of all the garage gear we stuffed into it. It is a little crazy-making that our next-door neighbour, a very friendly guy, has a sprinkler system which also waters all of our front lawn. Why water the lawn in a Spring/Summer of steady rain?
Choices, choices, choices. How do we do the little things which allow us to be reponsible citizens and conscientious Christians who care for the world God has brought into being?
Living simply - not as simple as we think!
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