Clothesline Sentiment

One of the primary complaints that I've heard against clotheslines is that they take time.  It takes time to  drag the wet clothes outside, and then hang them up.  It takes time while you wait for them to dry and then it takes time to take them down again.  I'll admit that this was one of my primary concerns when I decided to build my line was that it would take up too much of my time to use it.  I can happily say though that my clothes line doesn't take time, in fact it gives me time.

It gives me time to be outside.  Time to enjoy the summer breeze and the sun.  I'll stand barefoot on my warm patio as I put up my clothes and listen to the sounds of the birds and to the other humans that live around me.  I have the time to admire my garden, despite the fact that there a couple a weeds amid my lettuce and squash.  I can be proud of the fact that I built the clothesline with my own hands and that it actually works.  It gives me time to slow down and enjoy the world that I'm living in.  To be thankful for what I have, a strong body, a passionate mind and an unconquerable soul.  It give me time to think of what ever I want to because there is nothing else that I need to think about.  It gives me time to simply be.

Simple.  All the poetics that I could think about now, sitting in my backyard with my garden, my clothesline and my too long grass have nothing on that simple world.  Simple.  All the apps and the gadgets in the world can't give a person the sense of peace they can find when they go for a simpler life, a slower life.  Don't get me wrong, I work with technology for a living and I think it's great.  But nothing beats slowing down, and taking it all in.

I must keep searching for this simple life, it seems to have all I need.  I hope you find it too.

The Unfortunate Tomato and the Fortuitous Leak

I hope you'll forgive me for my lack of food waste photo.  The only casualty this week was a quarter of a little tomato that I had been saving for a nachos meal and which was unceremoniously dumped without even a photo for posterity.  I knew I was gambling with the poor vegetable's (or is it a fruit?) longevity when I decided to save it for a meal later in the week.  I lost the bet and the poor thing is now happily decomposing in my green bin.

Poor thing was leaking right by the handle.  

Since it would be downright rude of me to leave you completely photo-less (for an entire week no less!) may I introduce you to the water shut-off valve for my house's exterior water supply.  It has faithfully served my house for the last 23 years with seemingly no attention, let alone recognition.  As such it gave up the ghost this spring when I tried to turn it on and sprung a leak.  At this point I became very grateful for two things.  First the world wide web which gave me a good idea what was wrong with my shut-off valve.  (Seriously pop "leaky shut-off valve" into a search engine and you'll get about 110,000 hits.)  The second is the fact that I have an absolutely wonderful and handy Grandfather who was willing to stop by my house one afternoon and help me out.  As a result I now know how to fix a leaky shut-off valve for less than it would cost for a plumber to pull into my driveway.

In the true spirit of that old parable "give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats forever" the true value of having handy relatives is not that they will stop by your house to fix your problems, but that they will teach you to fix the problems yourself.  In a society where we chose to specialize in what we learn we frequently don't take advantage of the knowledge that the previous generation can pass along to us.  However, if you want to grow you independence and keep some money in you pocket I strongly suggest that you start learning.

The Third Option

I love being a nurse, but of course with any profession there are the parts of it that are unpleasant.  I'm not even talking about the blood, gore and other bodily fluids, those don't bother me in the least.  (Actually I'm right up there with most nurses in that I can talk excitedly with other nurses, over lunch, on subjects that make most non-nurses retch.)  What I hate about being a nurse is having to chose between two equally bad options with out having a third option.  The proverbial rock and hard place scenario.

Do we not treat the patient or give them a medication that might do as much harm as good?  How do we respect a patients autonomy and watch them die from a treatable disease?  There is no easy answer. I know that all nurses have faced this type of scenario, as have many other professions who work with the sick and the vulnerable.  I'm sure that all of us have at one time or another wished that we could change the rules of the game, slipped in an ace, or conjured a third option from thin air.

I've started my PRIDE training in order to become a foster parent and have spent some time thinking about the similar situations that Children's aid social workers are faced with.  Should they split up a sibling group or try and keep them together even though that might mean losing a foster family who can't take the demands and leave?  Do you leave a child in a neglectful situation or do you bring them into care knowing that they will end up being baby sat in a motel room for weeks because there is no one who will take them?

Sitting in class listening to a similarly hard scenario that had recently occurred, and then in the days after all I could think of was "there should have been a third option."  There should have been a third option because we live in a country with abundant wealth.  There should have been a third option because I believe that I live in a country full of warm and caring people.  When it comes to kids who need protection there should always be a third option.

So I am becoming the third option.  I can't be the third option all of the time, or even most of the time.  But, by becoming a foster parent I will be the third option some of the time.  Mahatma Gandhi once said "You must be the change that you wish to see in the world."  Maybe, just maybe in being the third option myself I will help to create more third options.

The Apparent Oddity

It would appear, ladies and gentlemen, that I am an oddity.  While I wait for various members of my family to stop their fit of giggles at that somewhat obvious statement I should explain to the rest of the world that I know I am odd in a number of different ways.

-By the age of 13 I had already decided to put an end to war, child poverty and the waiting list of children open for adoption (not necessarily in that order) all in time for my early retirement.

-I'd rather read that do almost anything else.

-I'll gleefully dive into the strangest experiments, in the kitchen, in wood working, gardening, homesteading and home repair, which for me are an endless source of entertainment.

-If you gave me a million dollars I'd probably end up giving most of it away (or sticking it in investments and giving away the interest)

-Oh and if you told me that I should wear more respectable clothes I'd probably collapse with laughter and then go on my merry way.

I know I'm odd, yet the other day some one's remark as to my normal routine threw me off guard.  I was at the bank to deposit my bi-weekly tutoring check and when the teller asked if I wanted to cash it or deposit it I told her to deposit it to my checking account.  She then made the comment that she noticed that I never cashed my checks, and that that was odd.  Thrown off by the fact that she both remembered me and my banking habits as well as the fact that this was an apparently an odd thing to do I answered along the lines of.  "Well I don't really spend cash."  To which she sagely nodded and said "You're right, it's easier to spend with a debit card."  Slightly confused as to why she thought I would spend the check that I had deposited I thanked her, wished her a good day and left.

Is it the norm to immediately cash and spend all money that comes into one's possession?  I hadn't though so, but maybe she's right, maybe I am the odd one of the bunch.  The truth is the reason I tutor for money is to help pay off my mortgage sooner, so the checks I get go directly into the savings account earmarked for mortgage payments.  (Currently saving up for the third of four $15,200 payments that I plan on making on the anniversary of my mortgage.)  Otherwise I'd be tutoring for free.

Have a question?  I'd love to hear it!

The Waste-less week and the inconvenient root vegetable

I've done it again, yet another waste-less week (hence no pretty picture).  Once a month or so I like to eat my fridge bare and restock.  So things are looking pretty spartan in my fridge.  This cycle greatly reduces the chances of me accumulating ingredients in my fridge that get forgotten about.

Unfortunately I currently have a inconvenient root vegetable, namely parsley root, sitting in my vegetable drawer.  Originally it was bought for an experimental recipe that ended up being no good, leaving me with a bunch of leftover parsley root that need to be used up.  Unfortunately I know of no recipes that contain parsley root.

On the other hand I do know how to use Google.  So it looks like I'm in for some Parsley Root Soup this weekend, I hope it turns out better than my last kitchen experiment.  (Usually I average one successful experiment for every three tried, so I'm giving this one 50/50 odds.)

On the subject to soup . . . I've become rather fond of soups since going (casual) vegetarian.  There are so many out there, and there are loads of ways to slip some plant based protein in.  Some of my current favourites are:

-Pea soup (split peas provide the protein)
-Lentil soup (lentils are the protein, though you could throw these into any vegetable based soup with out changing the flavour much)
-Squash soup (no protein in the soup, but goes well with cheese and crackers)
-Salmon Chowder (a little rich so I don't make this too often, but it's a great way to fill up fast)
-Tomato soup with lentils (lentils for protein, though I still haven't found a good from scratch recipe)

I'm itching to learn how to make mushroom soup from scratch, maybe I'll have time in the next couple weeks.  Might not even have to add an extra protein source because most mushroom soups have milk as a base.  So many recipes, so little time . . .

Time Management

Time management is somewhat of a sticky subject for me.  In some ways I'm a pro.  I never fell behind on a project at work and when teaching swim lessons I never felt pressured that my student's weren't going to pass because we hadn't hit all the subjects yet.  In those cases it was easy.  I prioritized, figured how much needed to be done in what amount of time and got things done as planned.

When it comes to personal time management on the other hand I'm not so good.  I went into last weekend with a 22 item to do list, some of which would take 2+ hours to complete.  Seven of the twenty-two went undone.

Obviously I wasn't idle.  That said, some of the important paperwork oriented house work got neglected, some of which has been successfully side stepped for over a month.  While I can work my tail off for a weekend I can still walk away feeling like I'm behind on my work.  As far as I can tell this is a combination of two things.

1) Difficulty prioritizing in the personal domain
2) Biting off more than I can chew

I guess the first one isn't too hard to figure out.  Who doesn't chose to work on the fun projects first?  What I need is a way to get the not so fun jobs to stay on the top of the list instead of perpetually sinking to the bottom of the list.  My strategy, which at this point is entirely untested, is to have 2 to do lists running.  One will be for things that keep the basics of my life running.  Paperwork, co-ordinating my Master's, finances, and basic house hold chores will fall into this category.  One of these items must be done every day.

The other to do list will hold most everything else.  House projects that are fun rather than necessary, my writing (both on this blog and fiction), baking, gardening, and crafts will all fall under this to do list.  My goal will to be to do a part of this list every other day.

As for the second problem that is always a bit more complex.  I detest being idle and any appreciable amount of down time will inevitably have me searching for a new commitment.  As it stands I can firmly say that for the moment I will take on no more new projects until my current projects are done.  That includes no new crafts until all three current crafts are done, no new around the house projects until the current five are done (unless they are necessary to keep the house standing), and no more students for tutoring.

On top of that I believe that it is time to let a couple of things reduce their prominence in my life.  Most notably I won't be taking any more students to tutor once my student lets off for the summer and won't be looking to pick back up with her in the fall.  This blog has shifted to, and will continue as, an every other day event.  (Not that I'll stop writing to you, it's fun and makes me work on an area of my life that would otherwise go neglected.  That said I am dropping it from a 8 hour a week commitment to 4 hours a week.)  Add to that I am looking forward to having my brother's wedding present done so that I don't have my crafts of a schedule.

I am looking for other areas in my life which can be cut back without too much suffering, especially once I start my Master's in September.  I have always been able to swallow what I have bitten off, though it has not always been without difficulty.  However, I am coming to realize (at my advanced age of 23) that if I want to accomplish a lot in the areas that are important to me I can not fill my time with a hundred different types of commitments.  At the same time, I need to have a healthy balance of work and recreation; science, literature, and art; hobbies; and the fun of being a handy woman.

Any advice for a novice at time management?

Pay Day June 2013

So my monthly pay check is in for a total of $3,598.39

Housing 40% - $1,439.35

Mortgage - $646.62

House Maintenance - $315.00

Housing Taxes - $182.50

House Insurance - $72.00

Utilities – $223.23

Total – $1,439.35

Savings 10% - $359.83 – All going to my RRSP

Debt 10% - $359.83

Transportation 15% - $539.75

Bus Pass – $68.25

Train - $0

Other - $0

Car Savings – $471.50

Total - $539.75

Life 25% - $899.63

Emergency Savings - $240.10

Travel - $175

Food - $160

Cell – $30

Internet - $50

Health Insurance – $23.52

Clothes - $10

Gifts - $10

Misc - $20

Big Ticket Item - $100

Entertainment - $10

Social/Sports - $5

Financial Planning - $5

Slush – $55.01

Total - $899.63

On top of my regular paycheck in May I brought in $165 from tutoring and $400 from renting one of my rooms.  Property Taxes are due this month and I have $1,057.62 set aside from regular monthly savings.  I expect that the bill will be a tad more than that, but I have $264.70 in my Slush Fund, which should more than cover any difference.