Tapestries and Menus

This post involves some mixed metaphors, which I hope you will excuse. Where I live in Ontario, there has been some debate in the local newspaper about the carbon tax. Some writers are in favour, while others oppose it. One writer wanted to share a novel thought: planting trees would have a greater benefit than stopping the use of carbon-producing fuels.

It's true that trees and plants are an effective creation care strategy and that they absorb excess carbon from our environment. However, pitting different strategies against each other will not help as much as using all strategies in tandem.

There's much wisdom in the following quote from science writer Kristy Hamilton's book Nature's Wild Ideas:

"It's become increasingly apparent that solving our world's water woes will require a tapestry of solutions." 

The underlined words could just as easily be replaced with climate woes.

In that spirit, I would like to offer some threads for this tapestry, threads you could choose to add to your repertoire once, once a week, or more frequently.

Menu #1 involves practices to embrace.

 Menu #2 involves practices to fast from or refrain from doing. Again, you decide on the frequency.

Lessons from Privation

When I think of "fasting", I usually go beyond the literal definition of abstaining from food. Fasting can be applied to a host of activities that we may choose to give up for a period of time and for a specific purpose. But what about fasts that we did not choose? This post reflects on some of the enforced fasts shared by a large number of people. I don't want to minimize the trauma associated with many people's  experience of these events. 

September 11-14, 2001

After the horrific terrorist attacks that took place at three sites in the United States, all commercial flights were grounded until September 14th. People were grounded, and some were displaced far from their homes or original destinations.

I lived outside of a small town at that time, yet it was close enough to a main highway to hear traffic when we had the windows open at night. During those few days, the skies were so different. We did not hear jets overhead; we did not see the distinct contrails that were so familiar. One person close to me determined not to go on another airplane flight after this event, not simply out of fear but because the assumptions about travelling by air had been rocked.

August 14-15, 2003

A two-day electricity blackout that affected 50 million people in North America was another event that rocked my sense of what's expected and normal. So many things we rely on for daily life presume that the plugs in the wall will provide the power. 

The most essential thing at that time was making sure what was in the freezer did not spoil. Where I lived had a backup generator because it was connected to a farm, so we approached friends without this advantage and stored their frozen goods in our chest freezer until the power came back on.

Those two days were nothing compared to the enforced fast of electricity experienced by Quebec residents in January 1998. Frigid and dark winter conditions were endured by some folks for almost a month, due to the extensive infrastructure damage. The church I belonged to filled a van with baked goods and bread to send to one of the affected areas.

March, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the whole world to stay at home. There was still electricity, but air travel was halted and schools and churches closed their doors. Essential workers took extraordinary risks to care for the vulnerable, while those who could work from home used digital technologies to connect remotely. Social and family connections were limited to one's own household.

Because these lockdowns lasted for weeks and months, those who lived through them emerged with a different sense of normal. We all missed out on many things that brought us joy, but the youngest ones may have missed the most.

As I write this reflection, I'm reminded that I experienced many privileges during the events I listed. But they did affect me. I don't assume that everything I want or expect is going to materialize. When something is not available in the store today due to "supply chain" issues, I try to take it in stride and make due with the abundant number of things that are available.

My grandparents lived through foreign occupation, but they did not become bitter. I want to be guided by gratitude and generosity, not by resentment and accumulation.

Getting to Know the Trees

 

One of the legacies my father has left me is a knowledge of trees. He was neither an arborist nor a lumberjack nor a craftsman who worked extensively with wood. Rather, he was a farmer alert to the beauty around him in the natural world. When I was a young child, he started to teach me the unique traits of different trees as we walked along roads and trails, wherever we might be. I marvel at the diversity within the "mixed forest" ecosystem in which I live, where evergreens and deciduous trees live side by side.

I no longer live in a rural area, and I notice that students raised in the city have very limited vocabularies when it comes to trees. They know "bark" and "tree" and "pine cone" and "Christmas tree." Why might it be valuable to know the trees by name? 

When we see human beings just as "people" in general, we don't feel related to them much. Yet, those we've met and gotten to know by name are the ones we begin to care about and pay attention to. In the same way, knowing a birch, a spruce, a mulberry bush, and an oak focuses our attention on a particular tree as a thing of beauty. Each one brings something glorious into our lives--the story of Indigenous people and the ways they turned birches into canoes, the awareness that spruce wood is used in pianos and violins, the mulberries we can pick and sample in July, and the vast oak that provides shade from a blazing sun.

Some new trees I've gotten to know this summer are known either as the service berry or the Saskatoon berry or the June berry. They can be found as bushes or trees that grow to about three times the height of a human. They have a special place in Indigenous culture, as highlighted in this article by Robin Wall Kimmerer.  I noticed the berries on one of my neighbourhood walks; these trees had been planted by the city on the boulevards of a subdivision built perhaps 30 years ago. 

Other than the birds, nobody else seems to be interested in them. Now that I know the service berry, I pay attention to it and am grateful for it in a more specific way than just "Thank you, God, for making the trees." In my suburban setting, my walks and bike rides are enriched by knowing the trees I pass by, one at a time.

RROP: Reducing Reliance on Plastic

Over the past year I have taken some steps to reduce my plastic consumption.  For each of these items, I had not previously realize the cumulative effect of using plastic in this way or about alternatives.  Perhaps one of these will be new to you as well.

Toothbrush

   Dentists recommend you change your toothbrush every three months.  That means each year I would personally send four chunks of plastic to the landfill that will never decompose.  In my lifetime so far, I have probably "consumed" 200 toothbrushes, plus those I have purchased for my husband and children.  Some toothbrushes do linger in my home as cleaning aids for hard to reach places!

   I discovered last year that there are toothbrushes with bristles made of plant products and a handle made of bamboo.  Even though they are sturdy, they will eventually decompose or safely be burned.  Yes, they cost more.  No, they don't come in flashy colours.  But they have given me the courage to say, "No, thank you" when the dentist offered me a complimentary toothbrush at my last visit.  I still need an alternative to dental floss...[1]

Straw

   I don't use straws often at home and haven't purchased a box of them in years.  When we go out for a meal, the server is likely to add a straw to a soft drink or chocolate milk.  That has changed in some establishments lately, and it alerted me to the problem of plastic drinking straws and the litter they cause world wide.

   One of the summer dates my husband and I went on last year involved walking to a diner about a kilometre from home and each having a milk shake.  We brought our own reusable straws, which were sturdy plastic and had been part of a teacher gift: a large sturdy plastic cup, lid and straw.  However, since then I have purchased a bamboo straw that will serve me better. A cloth carrying case in the store seemed a bit overpriced, so I'll have to improvise to keep my purse sanitary.

Food wrap

Cotton food wrap

   I've never been a plastic wrap user.  Over the past twenty-one years, I may have bought one small box of it that dispenses from a cardboard tube. I have found other ways to cover food and leftovers, including reusing a bread bag to put around the container and removing air before adding a twist tie or Tupperware® with a sealed lid.

   When I found out about beeswax infused cotton to use as a cover or wrap for leftover food, I purchased a few of them and have been pleased with the results.  They are washable in cold water, so as not to melt off the wax.  After they lose their clinging power (I've had mine over a year and they are still fine), you can cut them into small pieces and put them in the compost/green bin

Shampoo

Partly used shampoo bar on wooden soap dish

   For the past six months, I have completely switched over to washing my hair with a shampoo bar instead of a liquid shampoo.  Even though most shampoo bottles are recyclable and I do recycle any piece of plastic with a recycling symbol on it, I'd rather not add plastic to the environment when there is an alternative.  I first became aware of shampoo bars by receiving one as a gift.

   Today, when we think of soap it is highly specialized.  Dish soap, laundry soap, hand soap and hair soap are not interchangeable, but in the past (and even in many places around the world), soap in the form of a cake or bar was used to wash clothes, hands, hair and floors.  Using a shampoo bar also enables me to support a local producer of soap and care products!

[1] Footnote in 2024. There is a Canadian made product made of corn silk that works just as well as dental floss. The product name is FLOSSPOT Gold. It comes in a reusable and refillable stainless steel dispenser!

Helping hands amid car troubles

   Last month, the minivan pictured at the right had to be sent to a place of no return--the scrap yard.  For 15 years it had been our family's single and reliable vehicle, but things began to change this fall.
   First, our garage alerted us to the fact that the frame and the body were no longer connected.  There was a serious risk that our engine could suddenly drop down, so we prepared ourselves for the inevitability of a repair estimate that would be too high and thus cause us to give up on the vehicle entirely.  To our surprise, there was a local business that did this exact repair for about $600.  During the days when we didn't feel safe driving it and while it was being repaired, kind friends of ours lent us their minivan.  That allowed me to accompany my daughter on an overnight camping trip with her environmental science class.  We are grateful.
   About ten days after the repair job, we planned to drive two hours to my husband's hometown so that we could attend a family funeral for an uncle the next morning.  On our way, we planned to stop in a nearby city and visit a member of our church who had been hospitalized there for some time.  As we neared the hospital, the van stalled without warning.  After restarting it a couple of times and limping to the hospital parking lot, we parked and the engine quit again, this time for good.  We decided to go into the hospital and visit with our acquaintance and see if things would be better when we returned to the parking lot.  We had a nice chat with her, and then went out to check on the vehicle.  Again, it would not start.  Not having a cell phone at the time, we were glad that the hospital had a pay phone in its foyer so that we could call a tow truck.  The friendly gentleman and his 9th grade son were there shortly to pick us up with enough space for the three passengers we had been traveling with.  The tow of 25 kilometres was only $120.  It was raining, so after dropping the minivan at our garage, the driver offered to bring us to our front door as well.
   During this incident, we discussed together how grateful we were that we had not headed straight for the 4-lane highway to get to my husband's home town that night.  If the minivan had quit abruptly there, we could have been hit by high speed traffic around us.  Even if we could have safely moved onto the shoulder, we would have had cars speeding past us and been at the mercy of the nearest tow truck who noticed us in distress. 
   The crank shaft sensor was the culprit for the stalling engine, and it was quickly fixed at a minimal cost.  We were hopeful that the vehicle would have a good stretch of health before the next repair, but it was not to be.  About a week later, it stranded us again in the early evening.  In this case, a friend was driving on the same road, in the opposite direction.  She noticed our distinct vehicle with its four-way flashers on and recognized my husband by his height.  She turned around and then followed us as we sputtered to a side street, where the engine completely quit. When we realized she was there behind us, we were so grateful to get a ride home, from which we could call a tow truck.
   This time, we finally saw what objectivity would have probably seen much sooner.  This vehicle was becoming a money pit, and it was time to say "Good bye" to it.
   The same couple who loaned us their minivan in October, allowed us to borrow another of their vehicles for one more week until our purchase of a Toyota compact car was finalized.  In the midst of all the car troubles, we knew that God was caring for us through circumstances and people.

A Different Perspective on Hydro Bills

   In the province where I live, the public is complaining about ever increasing hydro rates.  The government has promised to reduce rates by 25% to help consumers deal with this rising cost.
   Not many decades ago, electricity companies were encouraging people to buy appliances and maximize their use of electricity.  Note the ad to the right dated circa 1932.

  Yesterday I received my hydro bill and took a closer look at it. Even though the so-called price relief has not yet taken effect, our monthly bill was just $60.94.  To put this cost in perspective, I divided it by the 30 days of an average month and discovered it costs just about $2 a day to have the privilege of lights, furnace fan, and powered appliances and gadgets. When I consider that five people benefit from these things, the cost per person per day is only 40 cents!  Part of my reason for being pleased with my hydro bill is that I'm grateful for electricity.  I don't simply take it for granted or call access to electricity my right.  I've visited a country where the power supply routinely fails and where schools and households need to have their own diesel generators to function at an optimal level.
   Maybe you're wondering how we spend so little on electricity each month.  Here are some of our tips:

• After we received a SMART meter outside our home, we did a family experiment.  Using the digital reading of how much electricity is being used in real time, we tested the amount of kilowatts used by various appliances, one by one.  It was enlightening.  A floor fan used far less electricity than the air conditioner; the water heater when powered up used the most.
• We have a natural gas furnace, so the only electrical cost associated with heating is the furnace fan.  My husband has programmed our thermostat according to the time of use rates for the winter season.  Between 7 am and 11 am and again between 5 pm and 7 pm, the time of use rates are at their peak, so those are also the times when our thermostat is set the lowest.  It's almost unavoidable for us to not be cooking between 5 pm and 7 pm, so the heat from the oven and stove help warm our living space and we are seldom aware that the temperature is lower.
• Our water heater runs only at night between 7 pm and 7 am on weekdays; we turn off the breaker switch each morning and reset it each evening, but we do not run out of hot water during the day.  On the weekends when time of use rates are at their lowest level, we keep the water heater on all day.
• We live in a semi-detached house, so there is less square footage to be heated and/or cooled.
• In summer we use fans instead of an air conditioner unless there have been 3 days of high humidity in a row.
• If we are baking or cooking smaller items, we use a toaster oven rather than our large oven.
• We wash dishes by hand.
• Our flooring is mostly hard wood, so a vacuum cleaner is used less often than a broom or dry mop.
• Our family hobbies include occasional movie watching and wood working, but not gaming or sitting in a hot tub.
• We expect everyone in the house to wear an outfit more than once before it is put in the laundry, unless it was somehow soiled.  Towels are used for a whole week, and bed sheets are changed twice a month.
• Laundry is done after 7 pm, but we have no clothes dryer.  We hang clothing from lines in the basement every other day so that humidity levels do not get too high.  In spring, summer and fall, we hang clothes outside to dry.
• Our light fixtures contain fluorescent bulbs, but when multiple bulbs are expected in a lamp, we unscrew at least one of them.  How bright does it really have to be in the bathroom?
• We have one refrigerator, deliberately the smallest that would meet our needs, and one chest freezer.
• We power down our computer at night and hibernate it when it is not being actively used.
• We use a power bar to turn off our television and DVD player.

I'd be interested in any ways you have reduced your electricity consumption.

Twenty year old things

   Last fall my husband and I celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary.  One of the slightly odd things we did when we got together with our children for the occasion was to go around the table one by one and try to name wedding gifts we had received.  When we couldn't think of any more, we checked the back of our wedding guest book, which listed them all.
   It got me thinking about the things we received as wedding gifts that we still use almost daily. They have stood the test of time, though you may notice some items have required minor repairs by my handyman husband.  If you are married, I wonder which of your wedding gifts you still have and use. How often do you think of the people who gave them to you?  Through these pictures, I reflect on the kindness of others to us twenty years ago and treasure the reason we all came together to celebrate: our marriage.

 


  A number of our wedding guests blessed us with cash.  We pooled this together to purchase 8 oak dining chairs, which remain sturdy and useful. They were crafted by Mennonites.

    Daily cooking with pots and pans is mostly done with the 7 piece set of Lagostina cookware given at a wedding shower by the neighbors in the rural area where I grew up.  The smallest saucepan and the Dutch oven have both needed handles to be reattached, but they continue to serve us well.

  The kitchen knife to the right was given to us by cousin Frank, who passed away last December.  We remember his kindness and struggles whenever we chop celery, peppers or onions.

  Two uncles from the Netherlands brought a group gift from nine aunts and uncles plus some cousins.  It was a full set of Sola flatware.  We were told upon receiving it: "Don't save it for special occasions; make this your 'everyday' silverware."

  This is just one sample of framed needlework we received.  The roses signify the business my husband used to be part of with his family.  The neighbor of my husband's parents made this carefully stitched picture, which now outlives her.

A plate decorated with stamps was one of the other hand-made gifts we received from my husband's nieces and nephews at a wedding shower.  My mother-in-law had previously invited these children to her home to make gifts for us.  This one-of-a-kind serving plate is a nice conversation piece when serving squares or cookies to guests.





   At first we were afraid to use this pottery milk pitcher, which holds milk that comes in bags.*  What if it breaks, we thought.  Even though it has been used while three young children could have been careless with it, it doesn't have one chip in it.



*In Ontario, Canada milk can be bought in cartons, jugs or bags.  Bags come in sets of 3, totaling 4 litres, and is usually the best buy.

A Trailer of Blessing

 

Vintage photo of "the Trailer"

When I was growing up I never associated a trailer with poverty or with camping.  My grandparents lived in a mobile home/trailer from the time my parents got married in 1969 until my grandmother moved into a nursing home in the late 1990's.  It was parked on a secluded lot just under a kilometer from my childhood home.
   When we went there on Sundays after church it felt like a cozy home.  In some ways it even seemed luxurious. Nobody else in my rural neighborhood had an air conditioner like they had in the trailer! The kitchen had a propane stove, an almond refrigerator and a dining table. The living room was carpeted and held a couch, a rocking chair, two armchairs and an old shortwave radio. There was a spare room with a single bed, a three piece bathroom, my grandparents' bedroom and a little shed attached to the side for the chest freezer and assorted tools. My grandmother kept it tidy, and there were fun things we could do there as kids: coloring books, a few picture books and sitting with the adults.
   How my grandparents came to live in the trailer I learned later.  You see, the house where I grew up used to be their house.  When my parents got engaged, my grandparents were willing to sell the house to them.  However, my grandfather had another idea that was less appealing.  He wanted to put a mobile home for himself and his wife along the end of their lane way!  My grandfather had a controlling personality, and he also felt a measure of responsibility towards my dad who had some challenges managing stress.  He was going to have difficulty letting his son be an independent adult.
   Fortunately, one of my uncles saw the problems inherent in having in-laws living so close to a young couples starting out.  He did some research about the 100 acre farm in hopes of finding a different corner to locate the mobile home.  He discovered that part of the 100 acre farm became separated from the rest of the parcel when the township changed the path of the road decades before because the original steep incline was a winter hazard.  Historically, this little slice of a lot belonged to the farm's holdings.  It became the perfect spot for my grandparents' trailer home.
   The relationship between my mom and her in-laws was strong.  Visits were common.  It was the perfect distance for a walk with the baby carriage when my sister and I were born.  It was the perfect outing for us when we were 10 and 11 years old and my mom needed some time to herself.  "Why don't you walk to Oma's house and pick her some wildflowers along the way?" she would suggest. Once when our house was full of overseas guests, I slept in her guest room for three weeks and biked back to the farm in the morning for breakfast.
   When I drive past trailer parks, I don't think to myself that the people who live there are underprivileged.  My grandparents were always content with the space they had, and they took good care of it.  When I go camping and see similar trailers serving as summer homes, I can imagine them being year-round homes.
   After my grandfather passed away and my grandmother moved to nursing care, the trailer continued to serve others.  A local pastor used the space for a retreat.  A single man made it his home for a period of time.  Today, the trailer is unoccupied and the roof has rusted through.  It has lost its former glory.  But I still think of the blessing that trailer was to my relatives and how its location served my parents by giving them space to start a life of their own.

When "Cheap" Makes me Cringe

   Most of the time I am able to convince myself that I am not a contributor to the world economy and its materialistic values.  Because I purchase almost all my clothing second-hand, I can say I am one step removed from the fashion industry and the exploitation of textile workers overseas.  Since I do not own a hand-held electronic device that is designed to become obsolete in a short period of time, I can tell myself that the way electronics are made and distributed is not my issue.  Except that in the past 30 days, I realized that I am an unwilling contributor to the world economy that wants everything cheap.

Exhibit A: Computer Modem

   The modem we had been using for our DSL internet connection stopped working last month.  Our internet provider was willing to mail us one for $75 plus $10 shipping, but we thought we would check local stores instead.  My husband found a modem for less than $30 before taxes.  What a great deal, I thought for a moment. But then I began to feel bad.  How could this bundle of electronics cost so little?   The shipping cost, the labour cost for the manufacture, the labour cost for the vendor, the labour cost for the person who unloads the shipping container and the profit margin all add up to $27 and change?  Something is wrong here.

   I thought back to when I first moved to this community and there was so much buzz about the Blackberry Company.  People were eager to work for this technology company, except those on the assembly line working 12 hour shifts actually assembling the phones.  Wherever there is greed, there is also injustice [1].

Exhibit B: Undergarments

   One of the clothing items I do not buy second hand is obvious.  When shopping for more of these last weekend, I found myself questioning their source.  Product of China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia.  When I look at the seams, stitches and elastic, I wonder how hard it is to make a pair of underwear.  With the right equipment, workers might be able to finish a pair in a few minutes.  But what kind of conditions do they work in?  Do they get breaks?  Is there a boss who keeps demanding a higher work quota?  I don't know the answers, but I remember when the garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed three years ago.  Some companies may try to distance themselves from unjust labour practices, but I cannot grasp how the price of some types of clothing is less now than it was 30 years ago. 

   If I go to the big name stores, there are no options for buying Canadian or American made undies.  I caved in this time, but next time I will do whatever it takes to buy fair trade underwear, even if they cost $17 a pair.  

I'm just one person.  I can't change the world system, but I can strive to make more ethical purchases. And I can share my angst when I am unsuccessful.

[1] The link between idolatry (greed is just one idol) and injustice is a main theme of Andy Crouch's book Playing God. 

Prosperity Defined

   I'm taking a brief recess from my series "The 'Imagine' Reality Check" to deal with another topic: prosperity.

   My husband and I recently transferred all our banking to a credit union.  This cooperative financial institution has a "Prosperity Project."  In order to engage its members, each branch has been inviting people to write on a round piece of card stock what prosperity means to them.  Some of the definitions I can remember were:

Being rich                                                        Being mortgage-free sooner; retire before age 65

        Being healthy                                Enjoying children and grandchildren

   This week I picked up the Sharpie and wrote a definition of my own:

Prosperity is being able to pay my bills and having enough to share with those in need.

   Please allow me to unpack why, for me, prosperity involves these twin aspects.

1)  Being able to pay my bills

When I can pay my bills, I am living within my means.  I make purchases not according to what I want or according to what my neighbors have.  Instead, I buy things I need at the rate I can afford them.  If that means choosing second-hand items rather than brand new ones, that is part of prosperity.  Prosperity does not go into consumer debt.  Living within my means reduces my stress level because I'm not afraid of bills arriving that I cannot pay.  Unless I will be able to pay the full balance of my credit card on the due date, I do not use it.

   When my income increases, I have the option of continuing with that original standard of living. Living beneath my means can lead to even greater prosperity as I see it in the second half of my definition.

2) Having enough to share with those in need

How can a person feel prosperous if he or she is only grasping for material things for him or herself? I feel prosperous when I can give some of my income off the top for God's work in the world--that feeds the hungry, shelters the homeless, brings good news to the oppressed, and prevents abuses of many kinds.  I feel even more prosperous when, at the end of the month, there is more good that can be accomplished with what has come into my possession.  Prosperity is entrusted to us so that it can be shared.

I'd love to hear your comments about this definition of prosperity.  Does any of it resonate with you?

A Happy Meal: a story for kids who are camping

Have hidden in a plastic container: a slice of bread with a thin layer of butter or margarine on top

Have you ever had a Happy Meal®? What was in your Happy Meal®?  Why did it make you happy?

Now, imagine if I promised to give you a "Happy Sandwich."  What would need to be on it for you to be happy about it?  Maybe you would like a thick layer of mayonnaise followed by slices of cheese and strips of bacon.  Another person would prefer a fried egg with salt and pepper, and still another would be happiest with peanut butter and blueberry jam.

Would you like to see the happy sandwich that I made/brought with me?  (Open up the container and show the children.) What do you think?  Would it make you happy?  Why would I even call it a Happy Sandwich?

This is the name my grandmother gave to a plain slice of bread that had only margarine on it.  My grandmother is in heaven now, but when she was a little girl this kind of sandwich was what she ate for breakfast AND supper everyday because her parents did not have a lot of money.  She called it a Happy Sandwich because she was happy with what she had.  At least she had something to eat instead of nothing.

Another word for being happy with what you have is being "content" or "satisfied."  It is the difference between saying "Thank you" to God instead of complaining "Do I have to eat THAT?"  It is the difference between saying "Thank you" to God for your clothes instead of complaining "All my friends have nicer things than I do."

When my grandmother was older, she had times when he had wonderful things on her bread.  She was a little bit like Paul in the Bible, who said in Philippians 4:12-13:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."

Being happy with what you have is also something we can learn when we are camping.  At home we have a bathroom nearby, but when we are camping we have to walk a long way to use the bathroom. Also the bathroom at home is usually much cleaner than the one at a park. At home we are not bothered much when it rains, but when we are camping it means our tent might get soaked or we are stuck inside our camper.  In our homes we have so much stuff, but when we are camping we only have the basics with us.  When we are camping and we are happy with what we have, then we will be extra thankful when we go home and appreciate those blessings even more.

It should not matter if we have a little or a lot; Jesus is with us no matter what.

A "Real" House

   A few years ago a colleague of mine said something that has stayed in my mind for a long time. She said that she was moving to a smaller nearby town because there she could buy a "real" house for less money than if she remained in the city.  What she meant by this was that it would be a detached, stand-alone house, not a townhouse or a semi-detached one.  More than likely, a "real" house would also include a garage, large yard and two living rooms.
   According to all those criteria, I do not live in a "real" house.  But for me, a house is much more than its desirability in the real estate market of Southwestern Ontario, Canada.
   I have my own set of criteria about what makes a house "real."  Note that, according to the following points, a real house can be a rental or an apartment.

• A "real" house has people in it who are genuine and down to earth. Such a house is not a showpiece on its street.  It is lived in, with not every shoe or book in its proper place.  Its kitchen may not be large, but it is a place where people cook real food.  It has a table where people eat together or play face-to-face games together.  It may not have a playroom or rec room, but it has shared spaces open to children of all ages.  It has enough storage space for the family's belongings so that no rented storage is needed.  
• A "real" house makes room for guests.  It has an extra bunk on a bunk bed for a friend to sleep over.  It has an extendable table.  It has a spare bedroom that can accommodate a family member who is just passing through or an acquaintance who becomes a boarder.  When guests are welcomed, the house is fulfilling its purpose of giving shelter to those who need it and warmth in the spirit of Jesus Christ.  Flowing from a real house are interesting memories of time spent with people who are different than we are.
• A "real" house is one where its occupants are contented.  When it was chosen to rent or buy, thought went into its location with respect to school, church and other amenities.  It is not constantly being remodeled to achieve greater re-sale value.  It is well-maintained and comfortable, but those who live there are not continually planning their next move.  Its occupants know that in many other places in the world, houses are much more modest in size and decor.

   Even with no garage, a small yard, a single living room dominated by a piano, I'm grateful for my "real" house.  I'm looking forward to sharing this house with M, a young woman fleeing Iraq via Syria.  When she arrives on July 6th, it is my prayer that as a family we can provide her not only with shelter but a place of comfort in a large and strange country.

Food Salvage Tips

   We all want to save money on groceries.  We compare prices and then stock up when things are on sale.  But how much food is thrown out at your house?  By minimizing food waste, you are also saving money.
   This week in my fridge, a bag of milk [1] turned sour before I even opened it, but I did not throw it out.  I also over-baked a batch of brownies without burning them, but I did not throw them out either. Here are the things I do to salvage a variety of foods that others might throw out:

• Sour milk can be used in baked goods that ask for buttermilk.  I made a batch of buttermilk pancakes that my children were eager to eat for breakfast or take to school.  The remainder of the sour milk I put in labelled containers in the freezer for another day.
• Over-baked brownies or other baked goods that are not burnt but dried out can be revived by placing 1-2 slices of fresh bread (heels work well) with them and then wrapping it all in a plastic bag for half a day.  The bread will give its moisture to the baked goods. [2]
• Yogurt past the date will still be fine to eat even two weeks beyond "best before."  If there is liquid on top, simply stir before serving.
• Dried out bread (heels included) can be fed to the birds, but you can also dry them out completely in a slow oven to make bread crumbs.  Or cut dried out bread into cubes to make your own croutons or a topping for oven-baked casseroles. Another option is to place the bread in the microwave for a short time with a slice of cheese until it melts.  Eat immediately.  Dried bread is perfect for French toast because fresh bread tends to get too soggy.

• Wilted celery and the top leaves can be added to soups.  If you want to consume the celery raw, immerse in ice water for about an hour, and it will become firm again.
• Small amounts of leftover cooked chicken can be cut finely.  Add mayonnaise and relish to taste for a delicious sandwich topping.
• Bruised apples or pears can be peeled and sliced to remove the bruises.  Then boil in a small amount of water until soft.  Drain and add sugar and cinnamon for home-made chunky applesauce.  If you prefer it smooth, put it in the blender.
• Bananas with brown marks on the skin might still be fine inside.  If they are not, mash and make into banana muffins.  About three mashed bananas make about one cup; they can be frozen for future use.
• Leftovers can be taken in lunches the next day.  They can often be incorporated in the next day's dinner.  For example, leftover cooked vegetables can be pureed and added to the next day's spaghetti sauce. 
• Egg whites leftover from a recipe that calls for only egg yolks can be beaten until stiff and then added to cake or waffle batter.  The end product will be lighter and higher.
• Egg yolks leftover from a recipe that calls for only egg whites can be stored in the fridge with a little water to cover.  They can be added to a batch of scrambled eggs, fried rice, breads, cakes, cookies, or sauces. [3]

[1] If you live outside of Ontario, Canada, just imagine a one litre or one quart bottle or carton of milk.
[2] My mom's tip.
[3] The tips for extra eggs come from page 163 of the More with Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre, 1977.

When You Can't Afford to Give

   This time of year is associated with giving.  Giving gifts to your friends and family has become an integral part of Christmas celebrations.  Charities appeal to donors to consider the needs of the less fortunate, and rightly so.  But what if a person finds him or herself in a position of being unable to give?

   This question presupposes that giving is a matter of material things.  We think that if you are poor, you can't give, but this is so wrong.  Giving has so many forms that are accessible to people of all ages and economic situations.  In fact, much can be learned from the way in which people in so-called "poor" countries give generously.

   This month I challenged myself and my family to do an intentional act of giving each day.  Most of these do not require having a bi-weekly or monthly salary.  Giving begins in the heart.  When the heart practices giving even when money is tight, that heart will be ready to give to an even greater extent when circumstances turn around.

   Check out some of the ideas we came up with:

• Do a chore at home that is not really your job.  Do not draw attention to it.
• Think about a duplicate of something you own and find a way to give your extra one to someone who has none.  (Inspired by John the Baptist's advice in Luke 3:11.)
• Find something in your closet that you have not worn or used for 6 months or more and give it to a centre that ministers to newcomers.
• Re-gift something that you've received but do not use.
• Gather all the change in your house.  Put it in a pretty box and then leave it on the doorstep of a neighbour, who you think could use it.
• Create a coupon offering to use a talent or ability and give it to someone else.
• Give a little more than usual to the Sunday offering.  Think about the people who are benefiting from the offering and pray for them.
• Spend the equivalent of what you spend on milk (or some other thing you always need in the house) on non-perishable food and donate to a food bank.
• Give a compliment to someone you meet.
• Call a family member or friend on the telephone who you have not seen in a while.  Listen to how their day was.  If it is a local call on your land line, it is free.
• You have probably "stolen" a pen from a public space at least once in your life.  Plan to deliberately leave a pen somewhere that people are likely to need one.
• Give away an orange.
• Give a thank you note to someone who does a thankless job.
• When you prepare a snack today, make a second one to give to a co-worker, classmate or family member.
• Give part of your lunch break to pray for or with someone.
• Lend a helping hand by carrying something for someone or opening a door for someone.
• Write an encouraging Bible verse on a small card and leave it somewhere for a person to find.
• Offer someone a ride or give someone a bus ticket.
• Pick up two pieces of trash you see lying around indoors or outdoors and put them in the right place.
• Lend a book you've enjoyed to someone else, and don't expect to get it back.
• Give time to someone by playing a game or listening to a song together.
• Scrape someone else's windshield or shovel someone else's driveway.
• Give a music CD you've enjoyed to another person you think might also enjoy it.
• Drop off a small care package for a person who has to work on Christmas Day (hospital, nursing home, public works)
• Leave a box of tissues in a place where people outside of your family might need them.
• Make a hygiene kit or two for someone in need.  Bring it to a local community centre for distribution.
• Give away any partial gift cards you have.
• Give a mug with a surprise inside to someone in your neighbourhood.
• Invite someone over for lunch, dinner or dessert.
• Make something (a card, baked goods, or a craft) and give it to someone.
• Take a picture and send it to someone electronically or in the mail.

If you have other ideas about how to give, I'd love to hear them.

Dessert for Breakfast

   An episode of the audio drama "Adventures in Odyssey" contains the funny incident in which a man has been locked out of his own house because of an argument with his wife.  He seeks shelter next door and is welcomed inside by a family in a flurry of activity, trying to leave for church on time for a change.  The mother of the family offers this visitor breakfast with the stipulation that he help himself to whatever he might like.  Unfortunately for the family, this man decides to cut a piece of cheesecake as a topping for a bowl of cereal before she can utter, "Except the cheesecake."
   We instinctively know that desserts, rich in sugar and fat, are not the best way to start the day. What we eat for breakfast ought to be more healthy.  If we are honest, we would also say that sugary and fat-laden desserts are not the best way to end the day either.
   That's why 90% of the time the things I serve for dessert would also be acceptable for my family to eat for breakfast, if there are leftovers.  Here is my "Top Ten" list of dessert-breakfast crossover foods:

• home made muffins with fruit (applesauce, blueberries, bananas or cranberries)
• yogurt with fruit
• yogurt with granola
• pudding
• fruit salad
• oatmeal cookies
• brownies made with black beans and whole wheat flour
• apple crisp
• yogurt and fruit smoothie
• home made applesauce

Would you ever eat leftover dessert for breakfast?

 
 

Product Assessments

   While I try to prepare most of my food from scratch, there are some things that are not realistic to produce in a home kitchen.  I'd like to share three prepared food products that make sense to me and end with a bit of a rant about one product that makes no sense.

Product Endorsements

    1) This relatively new product combines peanut butter with chocolate.  I will admit that one of my favourite combinations on two slices of bread is one side peanut butter and one side chocolate/hazelnut spread.  Two problems I was having with the most popular chocolate/hazelnut spread were that it was imported from Italy and that it contained palm oil, a type of oil that causes much harm to people and the natural environment as it is extracted from oil palm trees.  The good news about Kraft "Peanut Butter with Chocolate" is that it is free of palm oil and is made right here in Canada.  Its sugar and saturated fat content is about half that of the leading chocolate/hazelnut spread and it has twice the fibre.  I do not always have this product in the house, but when I do I feel good about eating it.

   2) For breakfast I'm inclined to eat oatmeal porridge prepared with pieces of dried apricot, as my husband has perfected the recipe over the years, but when I want a dry cereal only two of them meet my standards.  One is Post Shredded Wheat, original version, because of its short ingredient list--just Canadian whole grain wheat.  Most cereals are so sugar coated and artificial tasting, in my opinion. Surprisingly, the Post cereal company started out in the 1890's by manufacturing hand-operated machines they hoped to sell for household use. Only later did they begin to market their shredded wheat biscuit as a ready-made product to sell in stay-fresh packages. [1]

3)   The second type of dry cereal that qualifies as nutritious and worthwhile is Weetabix.  It used to be imported from Great Britain until it began to be produced in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada several decades ago.  Its short ingredient list (four items) and its judicious use of organic cane syrup are in its favour.  Furthermore, it sources its wheat from within 50 kilometres of its plant and thus shows a commitment to sustainable practices.

Rant

   One product that makes no sense to me is one I see regularly in student lunch boxes AND classroom trash bins.  Fruit in squeeze pouches smacks of over-packaging and waste.  The lids, when removed, are a choking hazard for young children and it's questionable whether they can be recycled at all.  A percentage of the contents of the squeeze package can never be eaten because it adheres to the sides of the package or the eater is lazy about emptying the pouch.  In the quest for designing "healthy" fast food snacks that do not need a spoon to eat, we have compromised too much.

[1] This information came from the following website http://postfoods.ca/our-brands/post-shredded-wheat/our-story/

Gaining Perspective

   When something new comes into our lives, our self-talk helps us to either cope well or cope poorly. Change is inevitable, but even changes we perceive to be positive, such as the job promotion, getting married, or purchasing a house bring with them a level of stress, according to psychologists. How much more so when change is deemed to be an intrusion to a well-ordered life.
   For myself, I have consciously sought a broad perspective when examining change in my life. Here are two examples I'd like to share:

First teaching job

   After I graduated from teacher's college in 1994, I was offered a job at a brand new school with an enrollment of just 27 students.  Knowing that one-room schools had been the norm in my dad's generation made me relieved that my assigned classroom would consist of only four grades, from Grade 5 to Grade 8.  Other people had done this, including one of my uncles.  He actually taught Grades 4-8 in one classroom for a number of years, so I decided to spend a few days with his class before school let out that June.  I gleaned classroom management tips to help me with a tough assignment for even a veteran teacher.  By the time school actually started that fall, class assignments shifted so that I had only Grade 6, 7 & 8.  About one month into the school year, the board of directors, which consisted of parents at this privately funded school, recognized the need for one of the teachers to take on the role of principal.  Yes, I was still a rookie teacher, but I was single and energetic and felt this was something God had called me to do.  At least a few people who heard what I was doing frowned upon it.  Because I chose to see my situation as being within the realm of things that ordinary people have dealt with, I was able to cope. (I don't mean to say it was sustainable because after getting married it really was too much for me, and I resigned at the end of the third school year.)

Short Notice   

   One time when I was on the "Welcome and Hospitality" Committee at a former church, I was given a couple days notice to find hosts for over a dozen choir members from India.  Through an oversight the pastor forgot to share this information with me until that late hour.  First, I was overwhelmed with the task.  The group was also expecting a catered dinner at the church when they arrived in the evening.

   I took a step back and broke the task down.  I began to focus on the needs of the people coming on this choir tour and found a way to create three sleeping spaces in my own house.  I called people from my committee, who I felt would be open to hospitality, and persisted beyond that list when some said they could not do it because they did not have enough notice.  I thought of the early church which provided hospitality so freely because hotels and inns had a reputation for immorality.  

   After I had made all the sleeping arrangements, I thought about which busy women would answer the call to cook a meal for those they considered strangers.  I looked in my More With Less Cookbook and found two simple stew recipes (one vegetarian) that I could double and make at home.  I informed the contact person that the choir should come to my residence instead of the church for dinner.  When I think about it now, it turned out to be such a blessing to be able to serve a meal to these people, even though all the bowls did not match.  I heard them perform later that night and was incredibly moved to help them in what I began to see was just a small way.

Questions that give me Perspective amid Change

• How did people in Bible times deal with similar circumstances?
• How do/did people manage (without a car, without mattresses, without a washing machine) in other places and times?
• Where can I find support to help me?  How can I rely on God?
• How can I find something positive in this situation?
• How can I become more understanding of the struggles of others through this situation?
• Is this a "first world problem"? (from the title of Craig Kielburger's pocket size book, Your Grandma Follows You on Twitter and other First World Problems We're Lucky to Have.) 

Food Bank Diet for Two, Part 2: Menus and Lessons

The food bank diet my husband and I followed  started with supper on a Tuesday and ended with lunch on a Saturday.  Unless otherwise indicated, the food listed was for EACH person. These were the meals we ate:

Day One
Supper: Potato and Sweet potato (canned) puree with a sausage patty per person.  Small amount of sauteed green onion & broccoli.  Plain lettuce leaves.  Drinkable yogurt.

Day Two
Breakfast: An orange cut in wedges and (shared) 1.5 cups oatmeal boiled in diluted canned coconut milk with brown sugar

Lunch:  Two hamburger buns with cheese, lettuce and sliced meat, an apple, 1/2 cup yogurt

Snack: 2-3 Lemon creme cookies; glass of orange juice

Supper: Mushroom soup deluxe, containing boiled broccoli and sliced lunch meat; 1/2 raw red pepper; leftover potato puree fried as a pancake.
Dessert: Vanilla yogurt smoothie with a whole orange (very pulpy!)

Day Three
Breakfast: Drinkable yogurt; Two sliced of toast with a fried egg

Lunch & Snack: repeat of Day Two except with an orange instead of an apple

Supper: Sausage Patty; Scalloped potatoes with green onion and cheese.  1/2 raw red pepper and plain lettuce leaves.
Dessert:  Strawberry yogurt

Day Four
Breakfast: Oven pancake (thinly sliced apple covered by batter of 3/4 cup milk, 2/3 cup flour, 2 eggs baked 20 minutes in a 400 F oven)

Lunch: Repeat of Day Two except no fruit; lettuce, meat and cheese on 2 slices of bread instead of buns.

Supper: 300 grams of pasta with simple cheese sauce and lunch meat (shared).
Dessert: Drinkable yogurt, last cookies

Day Five (at a campground)
Breakfast: 1.5 cups oatmeal boiled in water with brown sugar and the last of the milk (shared)

Snack: One apple (just Harriette)

Lunch: One can beans and sauce, heated with 5 slices bread and butter (shared); Fried potatoes.*
*We cheated a little in this meal.  Our children had some grated cheese from their wraps that they could not finish, so we put it on our fried potatoes.  My husband also ate one of their plain wraps.

Leftover Food:
200 grams of pasta and 3 potatoes

Lessons Learned

• Not including our children in the diet ended up being quite difficult.  They sometimes eyed our food and wanted us to share.  It was more complicated to cook separate menus, but we did both eat scalloped potatoes, which were baked in two different pans to keep us honest with portion sizes.
• For the latter half of the diet, my husband had a nagging low grade hunger.  Both of us missed not having a little something to eat before bedtime.
• Never before had I cooked oatmeal in coconut milk.  I had never made an oven pancake before either. These two recipes turned out to be unexpectedly delicious, but I don't think I will start buying coconut milk regularly.
• When you have a really limited amount of food, you tend to not want to share, even with your children.  I did not like this feeling.
• After each meal, I wanted to lick my plate so that nothing would be wasted.
• For me, it was a fun challenge.  For those who need to rely on a food hamper on a regular basis, the experience is much different.  I was mindful of that reality throughout our days on the food bank diet.

Would you ever consider doing something like this?  It is a good awareness exercise.

Food Bank Diet for Two, Part 1: Contents

During the summer of 2012 my family used the contents of a food hamper meant for five persons to make our meals for several days in a row.  This year, instead of forcing my children to go along with this plan, just my husband and I will take up the challenge of eating what was given out on July 28th, 2014 at the food bank where he works.  Using the list given by my husband, I spent $59.66 to purchase the equivalent of the food hamper today. As we did last time, the only things we will use that are not on the list below are 1) margarine 2) brown sugar and 3) flour.

Shopping List:
5 pounds of potatoes
1 can of condensed soup
2 sweet red peppers
2 small heads of broccoli
1 bunch of green onions
7 navel oranges
4 apples
1 can beans and sauce
1 box of whole wheat pasta (macaroni)
2 tall tubs (650 grams) of yogurt
8-pack of drinkable yogurt
small tub of creamed coconut milk
2.5 kg chicken caccatiore pre-made dinner*
loaf of bread
package of 8 hamburger buns
1 carton (1 L) milk
3 cups rolled oats
600 grams luncheon meat
500 grams turkey sausage patties
Package of lemon cream cookies
1.75 L orange juice
6 eggs
250 grams grated cheese
head of iceberg lettuce
small can of vegetables

*I could not find anything in the store to match this description, so we will do without this item.

First challenge: find out what I can do with creamed coconut milk.  Then, the diet starts tomorrow.

Deceptions of "Time-Saving" and "Money-Saving"

   To promote their product, advertisers know they have the trump card when they can honestly say that a given item will save time, save money, or both.  I wonder about that.  Is time-saving an absolute good?  Is money-saving always desirable?   I'm inclined to say that it all depends what is going to be done with the time saved or the money saved.

How is "Time Saved" Used?

   I recall hearing a survey about ten years ago that shared what women have done with all the time they have saved in their homes through appliances and labour-saving devices.  I listened with bated breath as the announcer gave a preamble describing the survey.  It turns out that this time has been used for two particular categories in women's lives--personal grooming and watching television.  Now, I am not opposed to caring for one's appearance or relaxing through a bit of entertainment via a screen.  However, pampering can be taken to extremes.  Television watching among adults in Canada has remained steady at about four hours per day for the past eight years [1]; I find this to be incredibly high.  When you add all the time adults spend checking their Smart phones, playing individual games on their devices and other screen time, the total is even higher.
   When we save time by using a dishwasher instead of doing dishes by hand, for example, we are inclined to use this time for selfish ends.  Isn't advertising that promotes saving time really promoting selfishness?  But it does not have to be that way.  When we have priorities in our lives that are not selfish, such as spending time with our children, caring for neighbours or members of our communities, volunteerism, we can use the gift of time in a more balanced and godly way.
  

24 Hours per Day

   With the quantification of time through the invention of clocks, we have lost some of the sense of living in the present moment.  Minutes, seconds, even milliseconds are measured with precision so that we feel we have a level of power and ownership over the segments of our day.  In The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis, ironic advice given to a junior devil relates to this:

“You must therefore zealously guard in his mind the curious assumption 'My time is my own'. Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours. Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of this property which he has to make over to him employers, and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties. But what he must never be permitted to doubt is that the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright.”  (page 121)

   

How is "Money Saved" Used?

   I do not have any statistics about how people use money they have supposedly saved, but I have some theories.  There is definitely a segment of the population for whom saving a few dollars here and there keeps them in the black and enables them to simply pay their bills or satisfy their creditors with minimum payments. However, for those who live comfortably, saving money here and there often justifies more spending:  "I saved $3 on that jumbo pack of toilet paper, so now I can splurge on a specialty coffee."  I suspect that the bigger the savings, the bigger the splurge.  It is important to check our motives whenever we get excited about saving money.

   

Reality Check

   In our drive to save time, it is possible to lose sight of the value of doing a particular task. When a person has "nothing to do" through unemployment or the unavailability of education, it is easy for them to get into trouble.  Having something to "do," besides pushing buttons on a machine humanizes us.  We embrace our capacities beyond our fingers and thumbs.  And when we put love into a menial or tedious task, it can become an offering to the Lord.  For example, helping one of my children deliver flyers on a day when the other two cannot gives me an opportunity to see people's front gardens up close, to greet people and to connect with my child.  It all depends on my attitude.

   In our drive to save money, it is possible to lose sight of making sure a person is justly rewarded for labour or goods he has had a hand in producing.  When we save dollars here and there, are we actually robbing some people of their due?  Paying a fair trade price for imported goods needs to become a matter of conscience.

[1]http://www.tvb.ca/page_files/pdf/InfoCentre/TVBasics.pdf, according to the graph on page 13.