My blog friends are publishing pictures of pink tree blossoms and of flowers in all the colors of the rainbow. This is the view from my desk chair today:
Yes, that’s fresh snow on our balcony. And it’s still drifting down.
I thought I’d post this just in case anyone is still wondering why I’d rather move away from Minnesota.
TTYL,
Linda
ps. Yes, we still have the flu but the symptoms are finally decreasing so there’s hope yet that we will live. 🙂
Minimalism is love.
Love what you own.
Love what you do.
Love the people in your life.
Love who you have become.
If you don’t love it, why is it in your life?
TTYL,
Linda
One of my blog friends has just published the funniest book I have ever read. If you are up for a hilarious romp, please, go to http://manateefritters.com/current-ebooks-for-sale/. But, don’t try to drink anything while reading it unless you are willing to clean up the keyboard you just spewed your drink across.
TTYL,
Linda
Child of a Self-Made Man
by Linda Sand
Sam is a self-made man. His father died when he was a child. Sam delivered newspapers and gave the money to his mother. He mowed lawns and raked leaves and gave the money to his mother. He collected old pop bottles and redeemed them and gave the money to his mother. His mother took the money Sam earned then gave ten percent of it back to Sam. She took Sam to the bank, where she helped him open a savings account to hold his ten percent. Every week she also gave ten percent of Sam’s earnings to the church, explaining to Sam that there were people who needed that money more than they did.
One day Sam heard that Tom, who did the deliveries for the local drug store, was going away to college. Sam went to the drug store and asked Mr. Bailey for Tom’s job. Mr. Bailey said he would like to hire Sam but the delivery boy needed a bike and Sam did not have a bike. Sam asked Mr. Bailey to hold the job for him for one day. Then Sam went to Tom and asked if Tom was planning to take his bike to college. When Tom said, “No,” Sam asked if he could buy the bike. So, Tom set a price, Sam withdrew the money from his savings account, and Sam became the proud owner of a good, used bike. Sam also got the job delivering for the drug store.
When it came time for Sam, himself, to go to college, he withdrew money from his savings account to pay tuition then sold his bike to the new delivery boy.
When Sam and Susie decided to get married, Sam withdrew enough money from his savings account to make the down payment on the house Susie liked.
Yes, Sam was a self-made man. He had learned the value of working for his money. He had learned he could trust himself. He had learned that saving for something he wanted was worth doing. He had learned that sharing what he had with others made him feel good.
So when Steve was born, Sam was glad to share everything he had with his son. When Steve wanted a bike, Sam bought one for him. When Steve wanted to get an after school job to save for college, Sam assured him there was already plenty of money in his college fund and encouraged him to join a sports team instead. When Steve and Nancy decided to marry, Sam bought them a house for a wedding present.
But, Steve was not doing so well. He could not seem to keep a job. He made promises but failed to keep them. He always seemed to be over his budget and needing a short-term loan. He took out a mortgage on the house then had trouble making the payments.
You see Sam gave everything he had to Steve. Except the knowledge of the value of working for his money. And the knowledge that Steve could trust himself. And the knowledge that saving for something he wanted was worth doing. And that sharing what you have with others feels good.
It is hard to be the child of a self-made man.
Those of you who are part of my generation may remember Dump Cake where you just opened cans and boxes, dumped their contents into a cake pan, and baked it. No fuss; no muss.
Since it is painful for me to stand more than a couple minutes, I’ve been experimenting doing that with meats in my crock pot.
I usually start with about three pounds of meat because that fits well in my pot and makes a comfortable number of servings.
Then I dump in whatever other ingredients I’m using and let it cook, usually four to six hours on low. Use a meat thermometer to check.
When it’s done Dave and I portion out the meat in chunks, diced bits, or shreds into single serve containers then stir whatever is still in the pot and add it to the containers.
I often eat the first serving warm, stick a couple in the fridge to eat soon, and put the remaining containers in the freezer for later.
Here’s some of my combos starting with one from the dump cake era:
Beef roast, one packet dried onion soup mix, one can cream of mushroom soup.
Pork roast, one can crushed pineapple, ground ginger.
Skinless boneless chicken, one jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, one can drained artichoke hearts.
I’ve now realized that I can take recipes that have multiple ingredients and reduce them to their basics to make them easier to assemble. And I can buy pre-peeled/chopped fruits and veggies to reduce prep requirements. So, I’ll be increasing my list as I figure these out. I’m looking forward to trying pork roast with pre-sliced apples and cinnamon. In the meantime, we’ve just made the chicken one above and it is delicious!
TTYL,
Linda
