Laundry

One of my enterprises which I had begun this spring is to pay off my debts as soon as possible. This is no easy feat even for a college graduate with a good job. Since raising one's income proves to be a rather difficult accomplishment any way you slice it, reducing expenses is a more feasible way to go. My dear friend MaryClare pointed out that it would be much more cost effective to make my own laundry detergent, which I could hardly believe. I only use a small container ever other month, but when I calculated it out, I spend about 5$ each time, and that is 30 dollars per year on laundrey soap. I spent a total of 12 dollars on supplies to make enough laundry detergent for 100 gallons! At my current rate, that is enough for at least 10 years conservatively. Instead of spending approximately at least $300 in that amount of time, I shall have spent 12! and it can be scented however I like! The recipe that MaryClare uses is the one the now famous Duggar family used, and it can be found here.

An Old Fashioned Girl and Work

Everybody loves an old fashioned girl, that is unless she's a prude. She is generally regarded with honor if the term is applied brightly. I flatter myself that I could be considered an old fashioned girl myself. Why? Well, if I cannot talk with a person face-to-face I would rather write letters than email or even phone someone. My favorite mode of travel is by train, or maybe by car, something that is slow enough to take in all of the country between stops. Therefore, planes are not agreeable to this "old fashioned" world view. Furthermore, there are usually too many people in airports. Washing dishes is much more fun that a dishwasher, which doesn't save much time in the long run. You can hang out with your family, discuss things, and get it all done in record time. Then there is no accidental forgetting to run it and having no spoon at breakfast...in which case you have to wash the thing all the same. Raking leaves provides much more exercise and joy than blowing 'em around. Besides, one doesn't use any gasoline or electricity.

All the benefits are not on the side of being conservative. For example, sweeping is great for your arms but horrid for your back, and it took me an entire hour to sweep the grass out of the gutter in front of the yard. Most folks just use a blower and have done with it, or one of those lawn vacuums. Nevertheless, those blowers do joggle one's joints and contribute to premature deafness. Also, while I was sweeping up, I was able to talk with my Daddy while he worked on the car. Time savers which pollute the nice quiet world with noise often interrupt our ability to converse, to talk with each other, and to just spend quality time. It was pretty nice, spending time with Daddy, cause with 6 younger siblings at home and a talkative mother, I hardly ever get to talk with Daddy.

I would encourage everyone out there to take some time and do it the old way. Otherwise, use your time saved by modern conveniences to spend with family and friends as opposed to getting more modern conveniences.

Intro to summer

Well, I'm home in Virginia for the summer now, so perhaps I'll have a chance to update things here more often. I'm working at the home for disabled children again, which is a very nice place and the work is fairly easy, but it's quite draining, emotionally and physically. By God's grace, the hours allow me to attend daily Mass. It is amazing what the Holy Sacrament of the Altar empowers and imparts in those who attend. Gee, I mean, the gospel today "those who partake of this bread remain in me and I in them." really makes a body feel like he's never totally divorced from the mercy and love of God, no matter how far he fall.

We had a strong gale last week, complete with wind gusts and hail. We came out alright, though several of my sisters and brothers did end up going around the neighborhood and helped our neighbors chop up fallen trees. The firewood gained from this experience has been masterfully crafted into a fort out back, approximately 3 feet in height with about 24 sq feet of space by the boyscouts and cubscouts of the family. It would be regarded with awe by any young lad interested in the fine things in life: namely nature and battles. The land finally looks like we take care of it, and the garden has been once again reclaimed from the invading yard. Squash, tomatoes, and peppers are off to a good start this year, and will hopefully remain healthy and blight-less for the remainder of the season.

Seven of us went out the strawberry field last week to continue the annual tradition and picked for about 90 minutes. Surprisingly, strawberry crops are actually a main attraction in this large city. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I learned that we had acquired no less than 77 1/2 pounds, all of which had to be paid for. Scraping together all of our money, and Mom's, we paid for it. I'm thinking we should hire ourselves out to some farmer or other. I mean, that's like 700 pounds/day!

And, as always, dialup clogs the phone line, so this post must end now. A very merry summer and a happy feast of the Holy Eucharist to you all!

The Garden Song

(Sung, first two stanzas as refrain, and each two after as one verse. Or at least, that's how the Clancy Brothers sing it =))
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground.

Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumblin' down

Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
Cause the time is close at hand

Rain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in natures chain
Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land

Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care

Old crow watchin' hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there

Homesteading in the city?

Yeah. Apparently, it can be done. It might take some imagination, but where there is a will, there is definitely a way =). Found an excellent article about homesteading. Actually, the whole site is great, but in case you just have time for the article, and you are living in the city and longing for the country (like me), here's the link.

How to Progress towards the Homesteading Lifestyle while Living in the City
By Meg Lund
http://home-n-stead.com/homestead/homesteadingarticles/homesteading_in_city.html

The website is on my list at the right.