Really crisp out this morning. I hate that winter is coming, but fall can be an amazing season. I sat out on my deck this morning wishing I could catch the sights and sounds in a time capsule. We live in a year round cottage on a tiny lake. This morning the fog over the lake was so thick I couldn't see the blazing maples on the other side, but the fog stopped abruptly ten yards from shore and the canopy above me was neon bright orange and yellow, with a cornflower blue sky peeking through. Suspended in the grayness that was sky and lake was a bright white circle, looking more like a full moon than the sun that was promising to overtake the day. I could hear loud drips of frost falling through the trees, and then the call of loons saying goodbye to their night. Geese called as they flew south, knowing more about the coming season than we ever can. I could hardly bring myself to leave the deck and come back inside to reality. Hello, autumn! Stay around for a bit.
The night freezes made me glad I got my salvageable plants inside. When the threat of frost comes I can't yet say goodbye to my still lovely flowers. Because of bunnies, chipmunks and deer, I mostly confine my gardening to containers, so this time of year I bring some in and continue to enjoy them. Over the years I have found that some I can enjoy all year. I have fuchsia and begonias in hanging planters that are at least three years old. I just keep them on an unused counter and water them through the winter. If they look sad I cut them back, sometimes way back. Beginning in March I feed them a bit and make sure they get outside for the day when weather allows. Then they go out for the summer, big, healthy and beautiful. They are impressive and I have saved a lot by not buying new plants each season. I got an unusual geranium for Mother's Day that I will try to save this year, too. I also have a poinsettia that summers outside. I will cut that down soon and put it in a cool dark room until November. It will be lovely by Christmas and gets bigger every year. It makes me happy to see these plants survive year to year rather than joining the compost heap.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Yes I Did
Time for Yes I did Friday with all my revelations from the week - things I did this week that I might not otherwise tell anyone about!
Yes I did get just a bit misty when my husband said at dinner "I was just thinking this afternoon that everytime you cook for me, it's like you are giving me a gift." He's not usually that gooey.
Yes I did make banana bread and cookies for him that night. And Yes I did eat way too many of his cookies.
Yes I did set up a twitter account to try to help our dying business, then spend a whole day trying to fix a problem with it before I read on OHiH that Twitter was down. No I will not tweet everytime I put cilantro in my avocado dip.
Yes I did take an entire day off from working to hang out with my best friend, and yes I did regret it (almost) when I had to choose between catching up on work and catching up on OHiH. Work lost.
Somehow I got in an argument with my son about Jon and Kate. Even though I really don't care. But did I act like I did? Oh, yeah.
I went an entire week without cleaning anything other than the bare minimum in the kitchen. And it shows.
Yes I did read an entire very short novel in just one evening just because it was set in the small town I grew up in.
I got a facebook invite from someone I did not know. Who would accept that? Yes, I did. And it ended up being an old friend from high school.
Got a call from my daughter's security company to see if her husband was allowed to be in the house because they received a tamper code and only Mr. G was there and he did not have the security code??? Yes, I called the house to check it out. It's all good. Just male genetic forgetfulness.
Yes I did spend way too much time reading blogs this week.
Yes I did get just a bit misty when my husband said at dinner "I was just thinking this afternoon that everytime you cook for me, it's like you are giving me a gift." He's not usually that gooey.
Yes I did make banana bread and cookies for him that night. And Yes I did eat way too many of his cookies.
Yes I did set up a twitter account to try to help our dying business, then spend a whole day trying to fix a problem with it before I read on OHiH that Twitter was down. No I will not tweet everytime I put cilantro in my avocado dip.
Yes I did take an entire day off from working to hang out with my best friend, and yes I did regret it (almost) when I had to choose between catching up on work and catching up on OHiH. Work lost.
Somehow I got in an argument with my son about Jon and Kate. Even though I really don't care. But did I act like I did? Oh, yeah.
I went an entire week without cleaning anything other than the bare minimum in the kitchen. And it shows.
Yes I did read an entire very short novel in just one evening just because it was set in the small town I grew up in.
I got a facebook invite from someone I did not know. Who would accept that? Yes, I did. And it ended up being an old friend from high school.
Got a call from my daughter's security company to see if her husband was allowed to be in the house because they received a tamper code and only Mr. G was there and he did not have the security code??? Yes, I called the house to check it out. It's all good. Just male genetic forgetfulness.
Yes I did spend way too much time reading blogs this week.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
I've Got The Greatest Friend!
I have a really great friend. We have the same hobbies, laugh at the same things, even share a birthday. Our childhoods and backgrounds are similar, though our politics are different enough that we just don't discuss it. We have similar aches and pains, and similar insomnia. When we go out to eat together, we invariably decide on the same thing even if we don't talk about it. Steak cooked to the same doneness, the same salad dressing, everything. And even better, our husbands are very good friends so we get to spend lots of time together.
Best part. Best friends own a timeshare. There is no way we could justify spending money on a real vacation this year, but our dear friends have invited us to spend a week with them in February in ORLANDO where it will be warm and sunny. This is the third time they have included us, and the second time at this particular resort. We will share a two bedroom unit with a full kitchen and a living room. The pool area has maybe three pools and four whirlpools all hidden among palms and other vegetation. The common area calls to mind a southern plantation with a shady wrap around porch.
We will drive down together, spend a few days with my mother-in-law (who loves our dear friends), and head to Orlando. We will take day trips while there. We love a state park near Crystal River, and the Space Coast. We will likely spend a day playing in the sand on Daytona Beach. We will play cards, take walks, tease each other and laugh a lot. The guys will drink maybe a little too much beer and we will laugh at them. We will cook easy meals in our little kitchen and pack ourselves lunches to go. And we will build memories to help the four of us get through the rest of the Michigan winter.
Thank you, dear friends.
Best part. Best friends own a timeshare. There is no way we could justify spending money on a real vacation this year, but our dear friends have invited us to spend a week with them in February in ORLANDO where it will be warm and sunny. This is the third time they have included us, and the second time at this particular resort. We will share a two bedroom unit with a full kitchen and a living room. The pool area has maybe three pools and four whirlpools all hidden among palms and other vegetation. The common area calls to mind a southern plantation with a shady wrap around porch.
We will drive down together, spend a few days with my mother-in-law (who loves our dear friends), and head to Orlando. We will take day trips while there. We love a state park near Crystal River, and the Space Coast. We will likely spend a day playing in the sand on Daytona Beach. We will play cards, take walks, tease each other and laugh a lot. The guys will drink maybe a little too much beer and we will laugh at them. We will cook easy meals in our little kitchen and pack ourselves lunches to go. And we will build memories to help the four of us get through the rest of the Michigan winter.
Thank you, dear friends.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Is Cheap Genetic?
I don't know if I inherited it or just learned it, but my frugality came straight from Mom. She grew up in WWII Germany. At the end of the war she worked as a translator and secretary for the U.S. Army. A year later she was a war bride living in Chicago with a new baby. A year after that she was a pregnant widow with a one year old. She learned to be a master of frugality.
When I think back on my childhood some of my best, and funniest memories relate to her frugality. Just yesterday I was making an apple pie and I remembered that Mom would never waste food. Even the peels and cores of the pie apples went in a pot of boiling water with a bit of cinnamon and sugar. When the scraps were cooked to oblivion Mom strained the "apple tea" into cups and my sister and I sat with her, sipping the concoction, talking about our day, smelling the pie in the oven. Good memories!
Mom always made our Halloween costumes. And they were always the best. She made them from nothing - old sheets that she dyed, drapes and outgrown clothes re purposed, scraps from clothing she had made. She was a magician with her stash of fabrics.
Sometimes I think she went overboard a bit. I was at a friend's house when I was about 9 years old. We were making canned chicken noodle soup. I was about to add the second can of water when my friend stopped me - "There's only supposed to be one can of water." I had to read the directions before I believed her because Mom always used two cans of water, and often served the soup with a mayo sandwich. No reason to waste money on lunch meat if the bread and mayo filled us up!
As cheap as she was Mom always found money for the things that really mattered to us - books at Christmas, one new stylish outfit each school year (bought on sale of course), Girl Scout dues and money for field trips. And she had money to give away, too. She never passed a bell ringer at Christmas, and always helped neighbors in need. In later years she started a toy drive at the hospital where she worked and shook down all those doctors for some pretty good donations.
And she gave of herself, too. Girl Scout leader, school volunteer, general good citizen. I think the important thing about her was that she did know what was important, and that left my sister and I knowing we truly were not poor. Just Frugal!
When I think back on my childhood some of my best, and funniest memories relate to her frugality. Just yesterday I was making an apple pie and I remembered that Mom would never waste food. Even the peels and cores of the pie apples went in a pot of boiling water with a bit of cinnamon and sugar. When the scraps were cooked to oblivion Mom strained the "apple tea" into cups and my sister and I sat with her, sipping the concoction, talking about our day, smelling the pie in the oven. Good memories!
Mom always made our Halloween costumes. And they were always the best. She made them from nothing - old sheets that she dyed, drapes and outgrown clothes re purposed, scraps from clothing she had made. She was a magician with her stash of fabrics.
Sometimes I think she went overboard a bit. I was at a friend's house when I was about 9 years old. We were making canned chicken noodle soup. I was about to add the second can of water when my friend stopped me - "There's only supposed to be one can of water." I had to read the directions before I believed her because Mom always used two cans of water, and often served the soup with a mayo sandwich. No reason to waste money on lunch meat if the bread and mayo filled us up!
As cheap as she was Mom always found money for the things that really mattered to us - books at Christmas, one new stylish outfit each school year (bought on sale of course), Girl Scout dues and money for field trips. And she had money to give away, too. She never passed a bell ringer at Christmas, and always helped neighbors in need. In later years she started a toy drive at the hospital where she worked and shook down all those doctors for some pretty good donations.
And she gave of herself, too. Girl Scout leader, school volunteer, general good citizen. I think the important thing about her was that she did know what was important, and that left my sister and I knowing we truly were not poor. Just Frugal!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Cash Back
Bill paying day. Have to celebrate those months when everything is paid and there's no red ink.
I know a lot of experts advise against using credit cards too much, but for years we have used them for almost everything - including phone, electric, gas, car registration. I pay the credit cards online and all of our utility bills are taken care of. I figure I save at least $10 a month in postage and checks, and the bills are never late because they are automatic. Plus, we end up with over $100 each year in cash back from our card. That's nice extra cash.
My son uses a card that gives points instead of cash back. Last month he was headed to an out of town wedding and got rooms for his family and his inlaws with points. When they checked in the place was booked up so they upgraded them to two suites for the "price" of two rooms.
Two nights, two suites. . . $0.
Credit perks. . . priceless!
I know a lot of experts advise against using credit cards too much, but for years we have used them for almost everything - including phone, electric, gas, car registration. I pay the credit cards online and all of our utility bills are taken care of. I figure I save at least $10 a month in postage and checks, and the bills are never late because they are automatic. Plus, we end up with over $100 each year in cash back from our card. That's nice extra cash.
My son uses a card that gives points instead of cash back. Last month he was headed to an out of town wedding and got rooms for his family and his inlaws with points. When they checked in the place was booked up so they upgraded them to two suites for the "price" of two rooms.
Two nights, two suites. . . $0.
Credit perks. . . priceless!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Yes I Did
Joining in the inaugural OHIH Yes I Did Friday to own up to or even brag about the things I did this week that I might not otherwise tell anyone about!
Yes I did finally start the blog I've been talking about for three years; and yes I did get so excited when I got my first comment that I whooped out loud.
Yes I did clean out the closet my daughter is coming to organize next week as part of her new organizing business. But at least I did let her take the before picture first.
Yes I did find an opened bottle of port from my mom's house that I had forgotten was there. (Mom died in 1992) I thought about putting it in the cupboard, but when I saw chunks I poured it out. Yes I did.
And I did tell said daughter that I didn't mail her birthday gift since we are seeing her Sunday, even though I haven't gotten her anything yet. Yes I did, and I would do it again.
Someone ate the last handful of chocolate chips and then hid the bag under other garbage. Yes I did. Again.
Yes I did ask my son three times about the check I need for payment on his rather sizable loan from us. Did I get it? Yes I did.
Yes I did stay in pj's three straight days because I had no place to go and Yes I did walk out to the mailbox two of those days.
Yes I did finally start the blog I've been talking about for three years; and yes I did get so excited when I got my first comment that I whooped out loud.
Yes I did clean out the closet my daughter is coming to organize next week as part of her new organizing business. But at least I did let her take the before picture first.
Yes I did find an opened bottle of port from my mom's house that I had forgotten was there. (Mom died in 1992) I thought about putting it in the cupboard, but when I saw chunks I poured it out. Yes I did.
And I did tell said daughter that I didn't mail her birthday gift since we are seeing her Sunday, even though I haven't gotten her anything yet. Yes I did, and I would do it again.
Someone ate the last handful of chocolate chips and then hid the bag under other garbage. Yes I did. Again.
Yes I did ask my son three times about the check I need for payment on his rather sizable loan from us. Did I get it? Yes I did.
Yes I did stay in pj's three straight days because I had no place to go and Yes I did walk out to the mailbox two of those days.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Scoring Avocados
When I enter the grocery store, my first stop is usually the cart where the produce guy has put his marked down stuff he's trying to get rid of quickly. Not only do I get great deals, but I feel kind of like a Veggie Tales hero saving the tired stuff from a certain fate.
Last week I wanted guacamole (yes, with lots of cilantro) but the under-ripe avocados were $1.69, and I needed two. My favorite cart held the treasure I was looking for - a bag of 4 perfectly ripe avocados for 99 cents. Score!
This week I was standing before the cart feeling sympathy for the sad selection that was unlikely to be taken home by anyone when the guy pushed up a second tall cart filled top to bottom with peaches and nectarines for 25 cents a pound. Three big bags came home with me and found their way into a big peach crisp and simple nectarine jam. For less than $3. I love a successful produce hunt!
Nectarine or Peach (or berry) Jam
3 cups pared sliced fruit
1 cup sugar
2 T lemon juice
Place everything in a skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook about 8-9 minutes until a teaspoon dropped in a bowl over ice gels in 30 seconds. Store jam in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze to keep longer.
Last week I wanted guacamole (yes, with lots of cilantro) but the under-ripe avocados were $1.69, and I needed two. My favorite cart held the treasure I was looking for - a bag of 4 perfectly ripe avocados for 99 cents. Score!
This week I was standing before the cart feeling sympathy for the sad selection that was unlikely to be taken home by anyone when the guy pushed up a second tall cart filled top to bottom with peaches and nectarines for 25 cents a pound. Three big bags came home with me and found their way into a big peach crisp and simple nectarine jam. For less than $3. I love a successful produce hunt!
Nectarine or Peach (or berry) Jam
3 cups pared sliced fruit
1 cup sugar
2 T lemon juice
Place everything in a skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook about 8-9 minutes until a teaspoon dropped in a bowl over ice gels in 30 seconds. Store jam in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze to keep longer.
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