farm food

Yesterday we took a trip out to our beautiful CSA farm for their member appreciation day. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the gathering was more intimate and thought generating than I expected. We first gathered in a circle with the farmers and apprentices. Everyone shared something about their favorite vegetables or favorite farm living experiences. The apprentices talked about the camaraderie found in communal living and shared hard work.

Then we ate a feast prepared mainly with farm crops. Eggplant, tomato and polenta casserole, oat veggie fritters, lentil salad, green salad, beet salad, apple crisp made with "feral" apple trees, brownies...it was nice to eat and talk apprentices and with other members, some of whom have belonged to the farm since the beginning almost 20 years ago.

Finally, after brushing away yellow jackets and petting a few dogs, we took a farm tour. I met Richard the carrot tumbler and stood in the hot onion-curing greenhouse. The weather could not have been more gorgeous, with golden autumn sun and bright blue sky overhead. Some people diverged for the zendo tour held at the same time, in the big field behind the apprentice barn.

One woman told me that with the shorter days, they are often picking lettuce for an hour in early dawn light before the sun rises. It's cold in the mountain valley and their fingers get chilled.

This morning I woke up to rain. As I sautéed some beet greens with an egg for breakfast, I thought about those beautiful farmers, already picking in the rainy morning gloom so that I could eat this fresh food grown from the earth. They do have tractors, but they do most everything by hand. Planting, sowing, endless weeding, hoeing, harvesting, picking, sorting, washing, packing. Nourishing the land they work on and all the people they feed.

inspiration

Inspiration tends to come in waves for me. Right now, I'm feeling re-motivated to strive toward a lower-footprint lifestyle. For the environment, for peace of mind, for my family's financial "bottom line", for the kids' future...there are endless reasons abstract and concrete, selfish and altruistic.

Here are three blogs whose archives yield a wealth of ideas and inspiration.

http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/

http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/

http://notbuyinganything.blogspot.com/

This week's mini-mission: Eat all the fresh locally-grown, organic vegetables in my fridge before they become food for the chickens.

We belong to a wonderful CSA, a farm-share. The boys think it sounds conceited when I say my farm, but I think of it that way, and I don't think the farmers would mind. It is a beautiful spot tucked into the Coast Range about 45 minutes from town. Once a week, they deliver boxes of veggies picked that morning to drop-off sites on members' front porches.

Every week we pick up a gorgeous box packed with vegetables, which we carry home in cloth bags and eat for the week. However, the things that are "easy" or that we would tend to buy anyway (like carrots, salads, and spinach) go quickly, which vegetables we are not quite as crazy about or less sure how to cook tend to linger (think fennel root, spicy radishes, and eggplant).

Minou's solution to our Thursday bounty of produce is to make soup, and it is a good one. However, some things just don't lend themselves to it (again, fennel root, spicy radishes, eggplant...)

I can't let this bounty go to waste. I'll let you know how it goes.

What is inspiring you these days?

simple saturday

My weeks feel so busy. When the weekend comes, I am happy to be at home. I try to schedule as little as possible out and about, while remaining open to possibilities.

Saturday morning is also typically when Minou & I clean the house, an activity that I don't necessarily enjoy but which yields a wonderful simple pleasure: order and peacefulness. I can think more clearly and feel calmer when the house is clean and organized.

Lately the slow drift of "stuff" has accumulated to the point that piles are noticeable...in the entry, laundry, books and papers. That's my cue that besides putting things away, it may be time to look at those piles and triage the non-essentials right out of the house to create more space and room to breathe.

What are you doing this Saturday?

frugal friday

Here's my frugalista act for the day: repurposing tights. It's that kind of weather now, and when I dug out my old black tights I noticed that two of the three pairs had runs and large holes in the toes. Pity.

New tights are not a huge expense, but it's frustrating how quickly they run and there are no stores near my home that sell this sort of clothing staple item (maybe pantyhose at the drugstore, but no thanks).

On my way out the door, I happened to notice the small pile of G2's ballet items that I had been planning to donate to his former dance school now that he isn't taking classes. And in the pile were...two pairs of Capezio tights. One was a little worn around the knees and the feet had been cut out. The other was slightly larger and almost new.

I tried and lo and behold, they worked. What is amazing is that they stretch, keep their shape (no sagging), and are very comfortable after 2-3 days of wearing straight. Keep in mind, these were purchased for a young teen boy who was less than 5 feet tall and weighed under 100 pounds. They are being worn by his mom, who is over half a foot taller and 50 pounds heavier.

On second thought, I decided to keep his ballet shoes too (they fit).

hump day

I have a coworker who likes to tease on Wednesdays, "What day is it? C'mon, you know what day it is...". At first I had no idea what the joke was about. There are many benefits to not having a TV.

Today is that midweek hump for us Monday-Friday folks.

And here is something I like to do any day of the week: walk to work.

2.5 miles, not too close and not too far.

On the way to work, striding along late: picked up by my friend & coworker and made it on time.

On the way home, stopped at the library for returns and reserve pick-ups, and had a great conversation all the way home (I held off until last spring on getting a cell phone, but it does have its benefits).

How was your hump day?

fabulous fall

It's here. Today was one of those interesting weather days we get in the Pacific Northwest. I managed to walk to work before the rain hit, then looked up periodically through the day to see pouring rain and puddles on the roof, then blue skies with puffy white clouds, then sideways rain sending yellow leaves scattering, then golden sunlight with deep gray thunderheads looming in the west. So changeable.

Here are some things making this fall fabulous:

• A very good friend coming to visit next week... I can't wait to see her and spend time together
• Minou making waffles for desserts
• Family dinners with laughter, sharing a few stories, and no sniping
• Camaraderie, friendship, and learning with the fabulous nurses I work with
• Wearing knee boots and tights daily
• The amazing, caring, dedicated, and intelligent teen boys I'm privileged to mother
• My husband's patience with my shorter-day grouchy moods
• Jogging again, ever so gentle a start
• Minou's healing (kidney stones are the worst)
•  Hot soup, hot tea, and especially hot coffee
• Lunch dates and walks with my mom
• The gift of Guinness for Andrew's Day
• A trip to the art store with Minou and G2
• Starting a sketchbook: one a day
• Possibilities for G1: too soon to mention 
• No homework (unless it's self-imposed)
• Downpours while warm and cozy indoors
• CSA boxes full of fall vegetables
• A big brown dog with soft ears at my feet
• A good high school start for G2
• We're getting a new oven and can bake again

And that's all for tonight. What are three fabulous things in your life this fall?

Mono no aware

I remember a term from long-ago Japanese art history classes: mono-no-aware. It means "the pathos of things", and conveys a sense of the ephemeral nature of the world.

It is the term for what I feel at this point in the fall. Rain comes down and leaves with it. Darkness leaves later in the morning and comes more quickly in the evening. The season has changed.

A reflective time...

What are you looking forward to?

What do you think about the most?

What are your worries?

What are the small pleasures of each day?

With who can you share your thoughts and dreams?

Update

Wow!
Hello. I have been gone from this space for longer than I intended.
I've been a little busy...

with this! Hooray!

Now, a new opportunity for reflection, for health, for family time, friends, and most of all,
for POSSIBILITIES.
What's going to fill this space? What's going to inhabit the hours that were filled with homework?
Do my sweet boys still remember who their Mama is?
We shall see.
To anyone who has been a part of this journey with me,
Thank You.

simple saturday update

Oh Saturdays...I love Saturdays.

I especially love Saturdays when I don't have homework assignments to complete hanging over my head, which is currently the case. Instead of bursting out with exuberant, Superpower energy to clean the messy house, weed the messy garden, get some good long runs in, and read a big stack of library books, however...

I feel gentle, slow, sleepy, and vague. It is nice to really have down time. I've been reading a little here and there, walking the dogs, making waffles, and sitting around with p'tit minou un, talking about our pets. It's a rare pleasure to spend some time with him alone. I am feeling very antisocial, which Minou assured me is normal when one works full-time and interacts with a lot of people on a daily basis (is this true?)

What else to report? Two garden beds weeded and snap peas, chard, kale, and lettuce planted.
I'm starting basil (for pesto) and Principe Borghese tomato seeds (for drying) in the indoor greenhouse.

Three successful blood draws last week on generous coworkers. If you know anyone trying to master venipuncture skills and you don't pass out at the sight of a needle, it is an incredibly appreciated gesture to allow them to practice on you.

The boys began their spring break, and the pressure of time feels temporarily lifted from our household. Even though I am not technically on vacation with them, since I will still be going to work, I don't have to do any evening coursework (for another week). I can't describe the pleasure I have been getting from going to bed early this last week. Reading to p'tit minou deux and then turning out the lights at 9 p.m.

We still have about 1/4 of the original tank of gas from the beginning of this month. Whoo-hoo! My goal is to leave the car in the driveway and walk or bike until April 1st when the kids go back to school.

And on the financial front...A fantastic error in calculations meant that instead of being $500 short of tuition this month, I was actually 2K in the black! How do I create so much stress for myself?! (answer: by not checking the number of credits I will be registering for in advance). I directed it all to the mortgage. I have been going back in forth in my mind about whether it's better to keep paying down the mortgage principal more quickly or find some other investment opportunity (index funds?). I've decided to stay the course and stick with the safer path for now.

How about you? What have your last weeks been like?

simple saturday update

Tonight we will be changing our clocks to... Spring Forward!

I hope this doesn't mean cycling to work in the dark...but I am so looking forward to the longer evening hours of light. And they will be just in time for some evening gardening sessions, as I am almost, almost done with this term! And will soon have a two-week break before entering into the time-warp of the Integrated Practicum next term, a lot to tackle while working full time.

That sounded more complainy than I intended. It will be a lot of work, yet manageable, and it's so exciting to be this close to the end of the nursing program tunnel. All the past years of working hard and juggling multiple responsilities have given me the confidence to know that I can accomplish this.

Moving on: it has been an interesting week.

Highlights:

• One of the best things: I received a package from a very special friend (she knows who she is) that was full of such thoughtful items, the kind that bring a little sparkle and luxury to the day. Among them were a beautiful vegetarian cookbook that I am looking forward to using (Plenty), some very me clothing pieces that I have worn daily since getting the package, some dark chocolate that quickly disappeared...and a lovely note.

             I have to admit, I feel a little shy, knowing now that she has been reading this blog.

• Sunny days. Blue sky. Warming soil. Birdsong. The scent of daphne. Lunchtime walks by the river (actually, along the same paths I used to walk with my friend many years ago. I walk by our old apartment, as funky as ever and now painted bright marigold yellow).

• Projects and papers drawing to a close. Thank. Goodness.

• Housekeeping. I think the last big session was on my last academic break, around the time that we painted in December. It was time.

Iffiness:

• I cut my hair, and didn't know when to stop. It started with a trim, then a little more, then a little more. It is now a 20's style bob (A-line in the back, like Christopher Robin). I don't think it is very flattering. But the good thing is that it will grow.

• I am not having much success with blood draws. I think the anxiety from not being successful carries into the next try. I just know that I can be really good at this with enough practice. I enjoy skills that require manual dexterity and "feel". I only have a few co-workers who don't mind being guinea pigs, though (a surprising number of nurses are anxious about being on the receiving end of a needle). They're patient, but I'm not sure how often they'll let me poke them before they get tired of it.

• Another nurse, a friend, has decided to move on at work. I have learned a lot from her, really enjoy working with her, and will miss her calm, wise presence greatly. This also leaves my program extremely understaffed. What should be a four or five nurse team will be down to two. And I'm inexperienced, not yet trained in several areas. Why this mass exodus, you may ask? Well. Let's chalk it up to interesting interpersonal dynamics.

 What about you? How was your week?

march money challenge

This month I find myself facing a financial challenge.

I've been keeping our monthly margin at the razor's edge of the emergency cushion, after accounting for regular expenses and saving, because of paying down that pesky and pestilent mortgage!
(OK, deep calming breath).

In January I set aside a nice chunk of change for my final term of nursing school tuition, and it's been patiently waiting for its turn to transfer as I've been feverishly scouring academic databases and writing papers and performance improvement projects. But due to some additional final-term fees, and one additional credit hour, I'm  $500 short of the total (due the first week of April).

So here's my March money challenge:
Cut spending this month enough to make up the $500 difference!
....and still have something left to contribute to the mortgage principal in April (even if just a few dollars).

I'll let you know how it goes.

Anyone else up for a March money challenge? What'll it be?

thankful thursday

Today I am feeling so thankful for Minou in my life.
He is travelling for work and I miss him.
I do not always show him enough appreciation for being his wonderful, quirky self.
He is kind, funny, sensitive, tender, principled, passionate, playful, determined,
loving, forgiving, silly, creative...
and basically a soft-hearted solid rock of a good person. A good man.
A total kid at heart. An adult in the day-to-day.
He believes that love is in the details, in what you do.
I am so lucky that we met all those years ago and have grown (up? older?) together.
My sweetie.

frugal february report

The numbers aren't in yet on utilities, but I'm feeling good about frugal february...
I'm posting early since I.will.not. purchase any more food or gas until 3/1.
Let's crunch some numbers, shall we?

January Food: $525
February Food: $300 (wait, what?)

January Gasoline: $ 80
February Gasoline: $41

Wow! I call that progress.
If a little suspicious.

And you know where it's all going.
Straight to the mortgage.
Take that, evil interest!

Tell me about any frugal challenges you've set for yourself.

bike tuesday

Hi there--I'm still here, just working away on some end of term assignments.
We had a brisk, crisp, morning and really beautiful, spring-like afternoon today.
And my bike commute was fantastic both ways.
It seemed impossible, when I was in the phase of not-bike-commuting, to imagine how much I would enjoy it. All I could envision was cold, stress, and inconvenience.

Well, it's not like that at all.
Every time I start biking again after a break from it, I can't believe how good it feels, and I marvel that I manage to forget that fact. The truth is that I really look forward to my commute. I arrive at work feeling invigorated, and arrive home feeling calm (I ride a little faster in the morning).

And worries of inconvenience--pshaw.
I bike in skirts and (water-resistant) knee-high boots, no problem. With pants, I keep a pair of nicer shoes at work and switch them out when I arrive (it rains a lot here). I have gloves (actually Minou's), and one of those cute little black biking caps (from p'tit minou un) that goes under the helmet (this is important, because otherwise my old helmet leaves a big red indentation on my forehead, and everyone at work says "OH MY GOSH, WHAT HAPPENED?" for 20 minutes until it fades).
I also have an over-the-shoulder satchel to carry lunch, papers, a book, etc.

If you don't bike commute yet, give it a try! Start small. Just do it once. You might get hooked.

simple sunday style

I have decided to try going natural.
I am already a pretty natural kind of lady (gal?).
But I'd like to be more so.
Good health and self-care are most beautiful.

I do wear makeup, but not so anyone would notice.
Just a little brown eyeshadow, mascara, and natural lip color (more of a gloss).
I think I'd like to try to do without.

I'm not really sure what "real" color my hair is now--I've been using henna on it since I was 15 years old!
It's been a lot of shades, from aubergine to auburn to bright red to dark brown to a medium brown now.
I used to enjoy mixing the powdered henna colors and waiting for the surprise result.

Henna is a plant-based color that also naturally conditions the hair.
However, it is becoming quite expensive, and it's a lengthy and messy process
(think slathering green mud on your head and leaving it on for several hours!).
I'm getting tired of the quarterly upkeep.

My hair is growing in silver around the temples now...

One of my coworkers has the most beautiful silver hair, looking very stylish.
My mother also has lovely cascading silver hair.
I'm ready to try. I cut off about three inches last night.

Following the recommendations of Mrs. MM (and many others!),
getting a good night's sleep of 8 hours, daily exercise, and healthy food with many fresh fruits and veggies, are among the best (and certainly most frugal) beauty practices.

drama-free

As I rode my bike home yesterday I thought about choices.
I love my job and enjoy my co-workers.
I learn new things every day. I use what I learn to help people.
Basically, I'm very happy at work.

All the staff in my program share responsibilities.
There is quite a lot of camaraderie and teamwork.
There is also a little bit of office politics.

Is this typical? It's not something I'm very familiar with. I'm a little unsure of how to respond.
Communication becomes something that takes careful thinking.
I don't want to over-think, however, because then everything becomes awkward.

I have decided that I will not participate in anything resembling gossip.
(It can be tempting--but brings nothing of value to the situation, and can cause damage).
I need to learn to either step away, or say "I don't need or want to know that."
If something affects how I do my job, or there are inappropriate dynamics, I also need to speak up.
That's challenging sometimes.

I spend a lot of my life in the workplace these days. It's an uncomfortable feeling to "watch my back".
I can't quite let my guard down, but I can choose to create the environment I want to work in.
So no engaging in negative behavior or communication, either overtly or covertly.
Put positively, being respectful and courteous to all, recognizing strengths, and assuming positive intent.

I like drama in the movies, in novels. That's enough.

How about you--have you ever had this kind of experience?

frugal february friday update

Transportation:

• rode bike to work 4/4 days! (Monday was a holiday)
• used car once on weekend to take p'tit minou deux shopping (see angst-y post below)
• Minou used the car three times Saturday to make a two mile round trip to the grocery store. Tsk, tsk, tsk. But it was a deliberate choice; we had friends coming for dinner, he was cooking, he valued his time more at that moment. He stated.
• Back bike light is out; need to find the rechargable batteries. Luckily it's light when I leave work.

Food:

• Spent more this week. Cupboards were bare. Decided against a lentil-based diet (though I like them).
• Bought fancy sandwich spreads at Trader Joe's for livening up simple fare (tapenade, roasted pepper & garlic, etc.). Bought some luxury items: veggie ham, parmesan, a bottle of wine (friends for dinner)
• Starting into the new week with a semi-full fridge, will try to just pinch-hit as needed (fruit, veggies, cheese, milk) until March rather than doing my usual weekly shopping.

Utilities

• It got cold again. I haven't turned up the heat but I am feeling it, especially up in our unheated Attic Addition at the top of the house. We have a mountain of comforters and each other to stay warm.
• Still trying to be careful with the water. No baths. Shorter showers, usually.
• Turning off the printer at night (last one up).

Frugal Fun:

• The Ladies have started laying again! We have had an egg a day since Monday. I tricked encouraged them by placing a decoy in their nest, and the days are getting longer.
• Very nice meal with some good friends. Spaghetti, homemade marinara, sauteed tofu, garlic bread, salad, red wine, and ice cream with homemade fudge sauce. 
• p'tit minou deux now wants to go out for frozen yogurt. He argued earnestly in favor (he is very earnest, that one) of supporting the local family-owned business whose yogurt he enjoys. I think we will have  homemade ice cream sundae night at home instead.
• Minou wants to watch the "new" James Bond movie at the dollar theater this evening, which is actually $2 (maybe even $2.50) per person on Friday evenings. We may rent this from Redbox for a dollar instead.

How about you? What frugal adventures did you have this week?

the perfect is the enemy of the good

"Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien"-Voltaire

The perfect is the enemy of the good.
I have to remind myself of this concept constantly.
For me, the significance is the fallacy of all-or-none thinking.

All too often, if I can't (or think I can't) do something to the level or standard I wish for, I give up.
(darn those perfectionistic tendencies!)

Here are some things I am reminding myself of this week:

• it's better to jog 20 minutes a day than not to jog at all
• it's better to drive the car on one errand than to drive the car on three errands
• it's better to say "I'm sorry, I was wrong" after I lost my temper than not to say it
• it's better to clean the dried spaghetti sauce off the stove even if the grease stains won't come off
• it's better to take a 15 minute walk break at work than no walk break
• it's better to spend a little more on fancy groceries than be tempted to eat out
• it's better to do 25 push-ups than no push-ups
• it's better to make sure my children eat fruits and veggies at dinner even if none at lunch
• it's better to complete an educational assignment on time than to make sure it is stellar
• it's better to read just a few pages of a book with p'tit minou deux than not read together that day
• it's better to put $100 extra toward the mortgage than no extra

Can you think of any examples from your life? If so, I'd like to hear them!

weekly food report

This week I tried some new things.

On the weekend, I pulled out the waffle iron and made yeast-leavened waffle, which were delicious--crisp outside, tender inside. They needed to rise for an hour and a half before cooking in the waffle iron.

These were so popular at breakfast that I made them again for a savory dinner, topped with slices of "veggie ham" (a vegetarian meat substitute), sharp cheddar cheese, and runny fried eggs. So good.

P'tit minou un consumed at least five of the savory waffles, declared the dinner to be enormously inadequate (despite having had a banana, a glass of milk, and a cup of salted peanuts just prior), and proceeded to make himself a giant sandwich after dinner. Teenagers. It's hard to keep them fed to their satisfaction.

I baked a batch of whole-wheat banana-chocolate-chip muffins with the first egg the Ladies have laid in weeks (hurray! here's hoping it's just the beginning of the season!).

I made a giant pot of minestrone soup. It is tomato-based, with sauteed onions, carrots, broccoli, and rainbow chard, orzo pasta, red beans and garbanzo beans, and seasoned with fresh parsley, basil, oregano, lots of garlic, and a little red wine. Simmered for hours so the flavors meld. Very nice for dinners.

I also am planning to make and freeze a batch of burritos that can be pulled out individually or a few at a time for dinner or snacks, with whole pinto beans (cooked them myself), cheddar cheese, black olives, and salsa. We will see how the flavors and textures hold up.

What are you cooking this week?

never be normal

The title of this post is a knockoff of a great one written by Mrs. Money Mustache about how living the frugal life (she would say the Mustachian life) can permanently alter your perception and habits.
She titled her post "You'll never be normal again!"

I took my younger son to the mall yesterday. Why, you ask?
He needed shoes, grey jeans, and long sleeved t-shirts.
Well, he really needed shoes. They do that, those kids, they grow and outgrow things.
The jeans and t-shirts I wouldn't say he really needed.

However, he has decided that grey jeans are the color for him, and so the grey pair now has a giant hole in the knee but he continues to wear them to school. So traditional of me, but it bugs me.
He has blue pairs and black pairs that stay in the closet.
Same with shirts--he has several, but they are either very frayed, too large, or somehow not quite right.

I suggested second-hand shopping--at least twice. But he looked at me earnestly and said, "I've had so many second or third hand clothes in my life, Mama--almost all of my clothes were (p'tit minou un)'s first, and lots of those were someone else's first too."

He is right. And while I know that this is not a bad thing, that wearing hand-me-downs or third-hand clothes does not mean deprivation, I was still swayed--I wanted him to know that he is important to me, that I heard this was important to him, that he meant enough to me that I would swallow my aversion and go to the mall.

And so we did. Yikes. Once we were there, we quickly found jeans, and shoes, and plotted our escape. The smells, the crowds, the lights, the pounding music--it was completely sensory overload for me, and I suspect for p'tit minou deux as well. Because an odd thing happened when we couldn't find any plain, simple, long sleeved t-shirts in either of the two stores we had now been in. Everything had logos, or writing, or branding, and that wasn't what he wanted. Neither did we want to venture any further into that giant place.

He sort of forgot why we had come, and began saying that he didn't really need any more t-shirts (forgetting the weeks of rejecting the ones he has for above reasons or size or conditions). Meanwhile, I went into bossy generalista Mama mode and became very directive, demanding of the young skateboarder/hipster clerk WHY they didn't have PLAIN CHEAP t-shirts and WHERE could someone who HATED the mall find such a thing. Because I was darned if I was going to come back another day after p'tit minou deux remembered that actually he really wanted a t-shirt or two.

Target, the young man told me. Go to Target.
It was in a different mall.
So heck, we were already out and about (driving, I might add)--we drove there too.

I am happy that my son is happy. I want him to have non-ripped and non-frayed clothes to wear to school. I get that he has had almost exclusively hand-me-downs (except for the times his lovely Grammy has taken him shopping), and appreciated having something new for himself. He has the right to have his own opinions about the colors and styles he prefers, and he is usually a very easygoing member of the family who tends not to assert his own wants and needs too strongly (maybe not strongly enough, at times).

However, I feel downright icky. We drove our car at least 15 miles round trip, polluting the air. We bought clothing that was cheap for us because it was likely manufactured by someone in a sweatshop in Nicaragua or Bangladesh. Clothing that he did not really need (except for the shoes). Money spent that is also now not going to melt the mortgage this month.

Did I do the right thing? Am I making too big a deal out of this?

What do you think? Have you had similar dilemmas?