goddess of thrift

Lessons I Learned from the Snake in My Kitchen . . .

There is a small gap where the kitchen ceiling should meet the wall, but since the area hasn't yet gotten new drywall, it's my guess that's where the snake got into our kitchen.  When I walked down the steps Friday and saw it slide across the floor and behind the refrigerator, I quickly decided that the only thing worse than knowing that a snake is in your house is knowing that a snake is somewhere in your house, but having no idea where.  Based on this realization, I concluded that, like it or not, I had to remove the snake.

Before you think that I am some kind of machismo-frontier woman who considers snake-rustling part of an average day, allow me to knock that idea dead to the ground.  I had been on my way downstairs to put on makeup so I could leave to run errands, and when I saw the snake, I realized that  (a) it was over four feet long (measurement courtesy of the 12" vinyl tile squares on my kitchen floor), (b) my dog, cowering in the next room, was having no impact on the snake's presence by barking, and (c) Holy Cr-p!  I was the only human being within shouting distance, a fact made clear when my initial scream upon seeing the snake was met by little more than the sound of sparrows thinking.

So, what lessons did I learn in my adventure with the snake, and how in the heck do they apply to thrift, or for that matter, anything else in life?  Allow me to share a few thoughts:

Lesson 1:  You can do amazing things when it really matters.  During my initial efforts to try to herd the snake outside through the kitchen door, I moved the refrigerator, stove and two free-standing cabinets into the middle of the room.  By myself.  And I ain't so big.  That type of resolve -- which you have also -- transfers to the ability to meet personal or financial goals, change habits or take risks.

Lesson 2:  Fear is part of life, but it doesn't have to limit action.  While I knew that the snake wasn't poisonous, and therefore wasn't life-threatening, deep down I would have rather not needed to deal with it at all.  I was pretty sure, however, that staying on the steps, shrieking, wasn't going to magically repel a snake.  In the same way, the need to curtail spending, tackle debt, loose weight or overcome procrastination, no matter how difficult it may appear, has to be addressed head-on, regardless of our fears.

Lesson 3:  At times you need to call in reinforcements.  After nearly an hour of ineffective snake-sweeping and appliance dancing, it was obvious that I needed help.  Fortunately, my son was on his way home from work and agreed to assist me with serpent-containment-and-dispatchment.  The Bible puts it this way:  "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure."  (Proverbs 11:14  NIV)  Whatever the challenge, there is wisdom in knowing when to ask for help.

Lesson 4:  You can't kill a snake halfway . . . or, you have to see the job through to the end.  While I corralled the snake with brooms and my son attacked it repeatedly with a shovel, we were both amazed at how long it fought before it finally succumbed.  In the same way, you have to be tenacious as long as your circumstances require.  Or, in other words, you have to persevere longer than your snake.

I am sure that there are many other lessons I could list, such as the importance of finishing a drywall job, or the argument for keeping a mongoose in your attic, although I realize that these might not be as widely applicable.  I also realize that there are spiritual parallels which could be drawn, but perhaps I'll save those for a future post.  In any case, whatever the obstacles are that you are trying to overcome in your life, it is my hope for you that, in the end, you'll always beat the snake.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2010

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On Doing a Lot with a Little . . .

"Kind words do not cost much.  Yet they accomplish much."

--Blaise Pascal

Thrift and Losing My Tomatoes

No, this is not a metaphor like "losing my marbles", although in my case, it is quite possible that evidence could be found to prove significant marble loss.  The tomatoes I refer to are the plants growing in my garden, and they're not looking good.  In fact, I think they may be dying.

In my twenty-plus years of gardening, I haven't lost a tomato plant.  Yes, I've had my ripe tomatoes stolen by neighborhood boys or marauding squirrels, but I've never had a plant die.  Those in my current garden, which are disturbingly wilted, may change that.  My father thinks they may be affected by the extreme heat, and my husband thinks the roots may be rotting from too much rain.  And, while I really do try to avoid excessive drama in my life, I have to admit that the other day I was upset at the thought of losing my tomatoes.

Gardening is one of my ongoing strategies to minimize my grocery bill, in order to free up money for "things that matter".  The prospect of losing a crop as normally prolific as tomatoes, therefore, could have a significant impact on my spending.  But . . . wait a minute.  Just what do I mean by "significant"?

In a typical season, I freeze several dozen pints of tomatoes for winter cooking.  I also often make homemade tomato salsa, in addition to using numerous fruits in salads and fresh sauces.  My cost in grocery dollars to replace such a loss could easily be well over $100.

This realization was quickly followed by another:  the fact that losing the entire crop would have little or no impact on my family's food supply.  Even at a less-than-average household income (for the U.S.) we have enough surplus in our budget that we can lose a vegetable crop and still lack for nothing.

In a world where almost 50% of the population lives on less than $2.50 U.S./day, and a full 80% lives on less than $10.00 U.S./day (www.globalissues.org), what is of little consequence for me to lose would prove to be a devastating loss to someone who has no other resource to procure food.

So, will I still do everything I can to save my tomato plants?  Of course I will.  Will I be indifferent if those plants still die?  Of course not.  But live or die, I will be thankful that I am blessed with such abundance that regardless of what happens to the plants in my garden, my family and I will not go hungry.  That knowledge increases my desire to keep on doing all the thrifty things I can, to free up dollars to share with someone, somewhere, who doesn't have the money to buy tomatoes.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

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On the Means to Go Far in Life . . .

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life, you will have been all of these."

--George Washington Carver

Herb Seasoned Rice

This rice makes a nice side dish to serve with chicken, fish or other meats.  Remember to use the longer cooking time if you use brown rice.  Make sure you don't remove the lid to peek anytime during cooking!

Combine in medium saucepan:

1-3/4  c  water

1 c  uncooked rice  (white or brown)

1/4  c  finely chopped scallion, green tops included

2  t  No-MSG chicken broth powder

1/2  t  salt

1/4  t  dried basil

1/4  t  dried thyme

1/4  t  garlic powder

dash  cayenne pepper

Stir ingredients just to combine, cover pan, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes for white rice and 40 minutes for brown rice.  Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.  Fluff with fork and serve.  Makes 3 -- 4 cups.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Wash Your Dishes with Insecticide!

Now, before you think I clean my dirty plates and cups with a little shot of Raid, hear me out.  Long before my grandmother had access to "green" and "organic" insecticides, she would deal with pests in the garden by drowning them in dishwater.  The leftover soapy water from hand-washing dishes is great to kill aphids and other garden pests (although it doesn't seem to be effective in repelling cats, unless you are really fast.)  By sloshing it gently on her plants, Grandma dealt with bugs on her flowers, simply utilizing a by-product of housework.  Smart lady!

More tenacious insects, such as Japanese beetles, can be hand-picked and drowned in a jar of dishwater.  I typically wear my rubber cleaning gloves for this task, since I am not particularly fond of handling a large quantity of insects, but the gloves are optional.  Either way, the soap in the water suffocates the insects, whereas plain water might not.

(In case you think drowning insects in soapy water is "cruel", I want you to know that I have forewarned all bugs crossing into my garden by posting small, charming "No Trespassing" signs at insect height around the garden's perimeter.  I cannot, however, take responsibility for any insect's lack of literacy.)

Obviously, the soap film will degrade with rain or watering and will need to be re-applied occasionally.  If you use a large quantity of dish soap, be sure to dilute the soapy solution with enough water to avoid burning your plants.  A small squirt of liquid soap in a dishpan of water should be sufficient.  I typically wash vegetables when they come in from the garden anyway, but you will want to be sure to rinse everything you harvest to avoid a soapy taste on your salad.

Since dishwater, just like any other insect treatment, is indiscriminate, I only apply it when I notice an infestation of insect pests to limit damage to beneficial insects.  That way, while every leaf and flower in my garden may not be perfect, it will still be safe for praying mantises and butterflies.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

On Personal Gain and Success . . .

"All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don't discover why.  Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself.  It's what you do for others."

--Danny Thomas

Thrift and the Cost of Our Words

The definition of "thrift" I find most fitting is from Answers.com:  "Wise economy in the management of money and other resources."  It doesn't carry with it some of the negative connotations of other definitions; those which sound miserly, hoarding or selfish.  Who wouldn't want to employ "wise economy" in the use of all of their resources?

While thrift in the use of money has been part of my life for a long time, lately I've been thinking about how it applies to my other resources.  I've realized that a commodity I'm rarely at a loss for is words.  Lots of words.  I've also realized that, when it comes to how I spend my words, "wise economy" is often absent from the equation.

We've all made purchases -- expenditures -- which were wise acquisitions.  Often they were things or experiences which enhanced our lives or the lives of others.  In much the same way, our words can bring joy, encouragement, hope and laughter to those around us.  Those are rarely the words we regret having spoken, and in fact, we ourselves come away from those verbal transactions feeling that our lives have been enriched.

We've also made purchases we have later regretted.  (One that readily comes to my mind is a black minivan -- but, that's another story.)  Our unwise purchases often cost us much, much more, in the long run, than we initially expected.  Not only are the costs financial, but we sometimes encounter relational costs as well, as a consequence of our mis-spending.  In those situations, the damage can take a long time to repair.

I wish I could say that all of my words have always been "wise economy", but I am often far from thrifty in my use of them.  Much like the dollars I can't 'un-spend', the words of criticism, judgment and complaint I have spoken are a part of my verbal legacy.  Those I regret most are both words that have wounded others, and those which have allowed pride, and not humility, to grow in my heart.

The good news is that, although I may never be able to take back the words I have spent poorly, I have the opportunity -- and so do you -- to make wiser word choices in the future.  In the same way that each of us can turn around our financial situations by making more careful choices, we can choose to be more deliberate in the future when it comes to how we spend our words.  Knowing this gives me hope that, when all is said and done, (yes, I actually went there,) I will have many more verbal assets than liabilities.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us:  "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."  (Matthew 7:1 NIV)  My dear mother-in-law used to say it this way:  "There's so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it doesn't behoove any of us to talk about the rest of us."  Her example of wise verbal economy was amazing.  In the years I knew her, I never heard her speak badly of anyone, or to anyone.

So, if any of us lacks wisdom in the use of our words, let us "ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it [wisdom} will be given to him."  (James 1:5  NIV)  Let us make the commitment to spend our words and all of our resources with wisdom, to the glory of God who gives us breath to speak.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All material in this blog is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Lemon Iced Tea

If your herb garden includes Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis), you'll find this an easy and refreshing iced herb tea for summer.  Lemon Balm is easy to grow, so if you haven't tried it, now is a great time to add it to your garden.

Gather, wash and crush:

1 c  fresh lemon balm leaves

Add to:

6  c  boiling water

Remove water and lemon balm from heat, cover and steep for 15 minutes.

Strain lemon balm from tea and add:

2  T  lemon juice  (adds a touch of "brightness" to the drink)

1/2 - 2/3  c  honey (or other sweetener)

Stir tea until thoroughly blended, chill, and serve over ice.  Makes 48 ounces.

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

On the Veracity of Economic Forecasting . . .

"An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today."

--Lawrence J. Peter

Summer Thrift Tip

If you park your car outside in the summer, you know how much heat can build up inside your car.  While I haven't yet found a way to package that heat to store it for winter use, I have found a way to make it somewhat productive:  use your car as a dehydrator.

Dry herbs, thinly sliced fruits and vegetables, and flowers for making potpourri by placing the items on a paper-towel lined cookie sheet or fine-mesh wire rack on the seat of your closed car.  By using the heat which naturally occurs there, you can preserve some of the abundance of your garden.  Drying times will vary, of course, depending on the outside temperature, outdoor humidity level and moisture content in the items you are drying.

One cautionary note:  the fragrance of the herbs, fruits, vegetables or flowers you are drying may remain in your car for a while.  This might be great if you are drying basil or rose petals, but not so good if you are drying cabbage!

-- Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

On an Investment with Guaranteed Returns . . .

"Kindness is never wasted.  If it has no effect on the recipient, at least it benefits the bestower."

--S. H. Simmons

Wild Blackberry Cobbler

Wild blackberries begin to ripen in June in our area.  Since the berries don't all ripen at once, you can store them in the freezer until you have enough for this recipe.  If that happens to occur by Father's Day, this cobbler makes a wonderful addition to any Father's Day brunch, and is also great for dessert!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously butter a 9" x 13" cake pan and set aside.

Mix together in a bowl:

1/2  c  unbleached white flour

1/2  c  whole wheat flour

1/2  c  white sugar

1/2  c  brown sugar

2  t  baking powder

1  t  ground cinnamon

1/2  t  salt

Add to dry ingredients and stir until just blended:

1  c  milk

Pour batter in buttered pan.  Top evenly with:

3 -- 4  c  washed wild blackberries  (or substitute store-purchased berries)

Bake cobbler 25 -- 35 minutes until golden brown and set in center.  Cool slightly before serving.  Delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream!  Makes 12 servings.

-- Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Pasta with Wild Spinach

(Please refer to my post dated 6/3/10 for information about wild spinach, and be certain to make positive identification.)  This basic recipe can be used with whatever fresh vegetables you have in the garden or from the grocery.  Before cooking, wash and spin dry 4 cups of wild spinach (or other green).

Cook according to package directions and drain:

1/2  lb.  pasta of your choice (semolina or whole wheat rotini is my preference)

Cover pasta to keep it warm.  In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, melt together:

2  T  butter

2  T  olive oil or canola oil

Saute in skillet for just one minute:

4  c  wild spinach, rinsed, dried and coarsely shredded (or whatever greens you substitute)

Remove spinach from pan to a bowl, and saute in skillet for 2 minutes:

2  cloves  minced garlic

1/4 c  sliced scallions, green tops included

Add to skillet and stir to combine:

cooked pasta

sauteed wild spinach

Remove from heat and serve topped with lots of grated parmesan cheese.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Serves 4.

--Susan Rodebush  © 2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Thrift and the Garden -- Of Wild Spinach and Blackberries . . .

Admittedly, I am no gourmet chef, although I do a reasonable job of cooking for my family.  I do enjoy watching "Gourmet Adventures with Ruth" on Public Television, however, and often encounter recipes there which I can modify with less expensive ingredients.  A recently aired episode about Blackberry Farm in Tennessee really captured my interest, because one of the dishes they served their guests was Sauteed Wild Spinach.

Why, you ask?  (I'm pretty sure I heard that from someone!)  Because I was 90% certain that Wild Spinach was growing wild in my own garden . . . and what could be more exciting than harvesting food I didn't have to plant?  (Okay, maybe in your world there are lots of things more exciting than that, but, "free" is a big deal in my world!)

My only hesitation about harvesting this "wild green" from the garden was that I wanted to make absolutely sure I had positively identified the plant before I ate it.  I wasn't really interested in having my epitaph read:  "Here lies that crazy lady who died eating weeds".  But most of the photos in my wild plant books were inadequate for proper identification.

To the rescue, however, came my friend with his I-Phone.  He went on line, found a photo of wild spinach, held it next to the plant, and Voila!  Positive Identification!  We both then sampled leaves from the plant and agreed that, by golly, they do taste like spinach!

The leaves and stems of Wild Spinach, also called "Lamb's Quarters" or "Goosefoot'", are best when the plants are young -- less than a foot tall -- and can be used any way you would use fresh garden spinach or swiss chard.  Once you make positive identification of the plant, you will probably notice it growing in lots of different places.

Since childhood, I have always loved to pick wild blackberries, and am now thrilled to have them growing on our property.  When they ripen, I gather as many as I can, and the patches I cannot reach leave many berries behind for the birds.

There are obviously many other wild foods which are good to eat, but I have found few as easy to harvest and prepare as the Wild Spinach and Wild Blackberries which add to the abundance of our garden.  As my husband and I frequently say, "Free is the best price of all!"

--Susan Rodebush  ©  2010

All materials in this blog are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission.