Recycled iron owl made in India, sold at Ten Thousand Villages.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Wednesday Hodgepodge: Sauerkraut and Marshmallow Bananas
1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.
I've written about my mother's parents before, here and here. The biggest thing was that they were always there. They were a dependable, constant, steady presence. That doesn't mean they couldn't come up with surprises ("we're renting out our house for the winter and going to Florida this year"), but their there-ness never changed, even through hard things. A lot of things remind me of them, including the bags of marshmallow bananas at the discount store.
2. What's an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?
My dolls, including a Crissy I got for my birthday when I was six. I should have taken better care of her over the years, but she and some other toys were put into a storage area that was abused by a family cat, and let's just say that almost everything in there had to be put to the curb. That was years ago, and I didn't expect to have another Crissy...then Lydia, the Squirreling formerly known as Dollygirl, was given her own vintage Crissy, and I had fun reconstructing some 1970's clothes for her.
3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.
The whole deal. We're on the fifteenth floor.
4. Do you like sour candies? Which of the 'sour' foods listed below would you say is your favorite?
grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats
Have you ever eaten a kumquat? What's your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?
Sauerkraut is a staple around here. We go back and forth between the fine-cut Bavarian style and a coarser Polish type. They're both good.
Lemons? Lemonade. Buttermilk? Pancakes. The rest are good too.
But I haven't eaten a kumquat in years.
Sauerkraut is a staple around here. We go back and forth between the fine-cut Bavarian style and a coarser Polish type. They're both good.
Lemons? Lemonade. Buttermilk? Pancakes. The rest are good too.
But I haven't eaten a kumquat in years.
5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it's going so far.
Fifteen or less?
One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve fourteen fifteen home. (I didn't have to cheat there because we don't have a thirteenth floor.)
Linked from The Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Thrifting with Mama Squirrel
Do you know the verse in Ecclesiastes 11 that says to cast your bread on the waters, and that after many days you will find it again? It's a strange metaphor with different possible contexts (including sowing seeds), but what it implies is a releasing, a non-clutching attitude towards whatever it is. And there's a promise that in the letting go, there will someday be a return.
I think that happened today, somewhat. I have been slowly collecting a bag of thrift store donations ever since we moved, and today I added a few more things I'd been holding onto. A maxi dress, because I'm not as tall as I think I am. An extra pair of pants. A set of salad spoons I kept thinking we'd use but we didn't. A shirt I bought last year but which always felt like someone else's. With storage at a premium here, there's no room for things that I just wish I used. Giving them away means admitting, somewhat, that I make mistakes on things. Well, of course I do. But cutting them loose means the final farewell. No more chance to redeem those particular less-than-brilliant moments.
So off we went, dropped off our bagful of donations, and had a look around the store. Our looking is somewhat limited these days: we don't need more furniture. We don't need a waffle maker or a coffee pot. We don't need toys or children's books.
I do need fall shoes, so I looked at all those, but didn't see anything workable. I browsed through the dresses (nothing) and skirts (nothing). In what used to be the dollar-deal section, now renamed 75% Off, I found one long-sleeved pink top I liked.
Okay, one nice find is a good enough return for a short trip. I headed towards the checkouts, back through the "boutique" of women's clothes. And that's where I found it, hanging with some sweaters in the middle of everything. A DKNY Cozy sweater, the real thing, in like-new condition. It even fits.
It was totally worth giving up the salad spoons.
So off we went, dropped off our bagful of donations, and had a look around the store. Our looking is somewhat limited these days: we don't need more furniture. We don't need a waffle maker or a coffee pot. We don't need toys or children's books.
I do need fall shoes, so I looked at all those, but didn't see anything workable. I browsed through the dresses (nothing) and skirts (nothing). In what used to be the dollar-deal section, now renamed 75% Off, I found one long-sleeved pink top I liked.
How can I explain why this is so good? Let's just say...it's a useful piece of clothing that's fun to play around with. I had a couple of previously-thrifted imitation versions, but one was too tight and the other developed nasty holes in all the wrong places. Yay, I get to try again!
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Less. More. The right to fry onions.
What more can be said about more vs. less stuff?
I remember a vintage Mad Magazine parody of home renovations, where weekend handyman projects involved turning an extra bathroom into a messy closet, and a knotty pine rec room into an attractive cement-walled basement. Perhaps satires of minimalism (if they don't already exist) will feature trendoids Upsizing, knocking around in Giant Over-sized Houses.
Some people object to the term "minimalism," preferring "intentional" or "conscious" over a word suggesting a cold, unreal sort of asceticism. Others object to hyper-romantic notions that small is necessarily better. Sometimes a family's needs change. A couple I saw in a video had lived in a tiny house for a year, but decided to give it up when they had a baby. They wanted to give her some floor space for crawling and toddling.
One writer complained that cooking caramelized onions for three hours in a tiny apartment created an indelible reek in everything she owned, including her bra. Comments on that story were largely unsympathetic, tending mostly towards "so don't cook onions for three hours." She did make the important point, though, that small-space living isn't always glamourous or fun, and it isn't for everyone.
For those who make a deliberate, conscious choice to live smaller, or with fewer possessions or clothes, does the romance rub off faster than the smell of the onions?
Or is the secret more in adapting? We live in a generous-sized apartment, with an eat-in kitchen and enough floor space for several (hypothetical) crawling babies. I probably wouldn't cook caramelized onions here, although we have baked cabbage rolls without too much olfactory distress. (To be honest, I didn't caramelize onions in our house either.) But we don't let garbage or laundry sit around too long, we wipe down damp things, and we clean the guinea pig's cage fairly often. We do have a kitchen vent fan, and a pretty good cross-draft when the balcony door is open, but why push your luck?
And in the end, we're not talking about onions at all, are we? We're talking about the things we feel entitled to do and have, never mind the consequences to us or those around us. Or to human beings half a world away who pick our coffee beans and sew our t-shirts.
Hey, where did that come from?
Because just as small spaces have inconvenient, less fun limitations, other intentional-conscious-minimalist decisions have their downsides too. If you buy expensive fair-trade organic coffee, you're probably going to drink less of it. If you wear 33 clothing items for three months, you may be fed up with your two or three pairs of shoes long before the season is over.
But you are getting less caffeine, and saving money on shoes. And saving time and energy spent figuring out which shoes to wear. And maybe putting money back into a people-helping coffee business, or the local store that sells it. Does that give you new resolve to stick with it?
You make the choice, you make a change, or at worst, you accept the situation you're in and try to find its good points. Maybe the tiny place where you can't fry onions is allowing you to live in a great city for awhile. Or letting you live on a smaller income. Or keeping you from having to own a lawn mower and a snow blower. Maybe you have a bigger place, but having a tiny wardrobe or less stuff will allow you to share a smaller room and closet with your husband, and open up a bedroom for a parent, adult offspring, or friend to move in. (My grandparents did that for my aunt and uncle, and their toddler. Years later, the same aunt and uncle used their own basement as a granny flat for my grandparents.)
It's not about the adjectives. It's not about the fun-honeymoon side or the later second-thoughts side of choices. Everything may have advantages and disadvantages. So don't let either the fads or the critics blow away your decisions.
I remember a vintage Mad Magazine parody of home renovations, where weekend handyman projects involved turning an extra bathroom into a messy closet, and a knotty pine rec room into an attractive cement-walled basement. Perhaps satires of minimalism (if they don't already exist) will feature trendoids Upsizing, knocking around in Giant Over-sized Houses.
Some people object to the term "minimalism," preferring "intentional" or "conscious" over a word suggesting a cold, unreal sort of asceticism. Others object to hyper-romantic notions that small is necessarily better. Sometimes a family's needs change. A couple I saw in a video had lived in a tiny house for a year, but decided to give it up when they had a baby. They wanted to give her some floor space for crawling and toddling.
One writer complained that cooking caramelized onions for three hours in a tiny apartment created an indelible reek in everything she owned, including her bra. Comments on that story were largely unsympathetic, tending mostly towards "so don't cook onions for three hours." She did make the important point, though, that small-space living isn't always glamourous or fun, and it isn't for everyone.
For those who make a deliberate, conscious choice to live smaller, or with fewer possessions or clothes, does the romance rub off faster than the smell of the onions?
Or is the secret more in adapting? We live in a generous-sized apartment, with an eat-in kitchen and enough floor space for several (hypothetical) crawling babies. I probably wouldn't cook caramelized onions here, although we have baked cabbage rolls without too much olfactory distress. (To be honest, I didn't caramelize onions in our house either.) But we don't let garbage or laundry sit around too long, we wipe down damp things, and we clean the guinea pig's cage fairly often. We do have a kitchen vent fan, and a pretty good cross-draft when the balcony door is open, but why push your luck?
And in the end, we're not talking about onions at all, are we? We're talking about the things we feel entitled to do and have, never mind the consequences to us or those around us. Or to human beings half a world away who pick our coffee beans and sew our t-shirts.
Hey, where did that come from?
Because just as small spaces have inconvenient, less fun limitations, other intentional-conscious-minimalist decisions have their downsides too. If you buy expensive fair-trade organic coffee, you're probably going to drink less of it. If you wear 33 clothing items for three months, you may be fed up with your two or three pairs of shoes long before the season is over.
But you are getting less caffeine, and saving money on shoes. And saving time and energy spent figuring out which shoes to wear. And maybe putting money back into a people-helping coffee business, or the local store that sells it. Does that give you new resolve to stick with it?
You make the choice, you make a change, or at worst, you accept the situation you're in and try to find its good points. Maybe the tiny place where you can't fry onions is allowing you to live in a great city for awhile. Or letting you live on a smaller income. Or keeping you from having to own a lawn mower and a snow blower. Maybe you have a bigger place, but having a tiny wardrobe or less stuff will allow you to share a smaller room and closet with your husband, and open up a bedroom for a parent, adult offspring, or friend to move in. (My grandparents did that for my aunt and uncle, and their toddler. Years later, the same aunt and uncle used their own basement as a granny flat for my grandparents.)
It's not about the adjectives. It's not about the fun-honeymoon side or the later second-thoughts side of choices. Everything may have advantages and disadvantages. So don't let either the fads or the critics blow away your decisions.
Thursday, July 06, 2017
Frugal Finds and Fixes: When summer kicks in
The Big Picture: Mr. Fixit is our Treehouse money watcher. His report is that moving to this apartment was a good financial choice. Our electric bill is lower, the water bill is included in the rent, and we don't have to plan for a new furnace.
This and that: Half price flower baskets from Walmart. We bought two for the balcony.
The dining table can also be a workbench.
Food, not always very frugal but staying even: We have less money "invested" in food now, because we have less storage space for it. On the negative side, I would say that, as a smaller family with members who have various eating habits, we waste more food than we did when five people all ate the same dinner at the same time. (A big pot of soup is not always practical.) We still try to eat up leftovers for lunch, and we try to pick out the on-sale thing if possible.
Media and entertainment: Radio, library DVD's, and whatever incarnation of television Mr. Fixit is trying out. That's been mostly Netflix for the last while. I find it funny when one of my moved-out daughters says, "I just watched an old movie on Netflix," and it's the same one we watched. Which isn't really a coincidence, since I guess everyone out there gets the same new additions.
Critter entertainment: Muffin has been cavorting with shapes folded out of newspaper. He likes the old paper cup/paper hat thing (the same shape I was using to line the compost pail), because he can a) hide under it b) walk across the floor under it and think that nobody can see him, and c) chew a hole in the side and peek out when he gets bored with that.
Thrifting and yardsaling:
One local church always has a rummage sale on Canada Day, and we usually go. This year I paid a total of fifty cents for two things: a package of tiny candles (hard to find!) for our Christmas angel-chimes decoration, and a game in a tin called Shut the Box. It was missing its dice, but that was no problem.
The only trouble with the candle for the angel chimes is that I can't quite remember if they made the cut when we downsized and packed to move. We had a big pile of "maybes," and I'm not sure if the chime went into the bins or to the thrift store (possibly for lack of candles). I'm not hauling out the bins to check, so I guess we'll find out at Christmas.
In any case, I have a little pack of candles for a quarter. And a game that we played several times over the weekend.
Thrifted grey blazer for the fall. Less than ten dollars, unless you add in the wound to my pride by the cashier. (I'm not a senior citizen yet).
Denim-blue cotton top, same trip.
Like-new grey corduroy pants for fall. Best find of the week at $2.
This and that: Half price flower baskets from Walmart. We bought two for the balcony.
Books finished in the first half of 2017: Minimalism and Ecumenism
This year's January-June reading was neatly divided in half: "We'd like to move" and "We're moving." Pile of online mysteries = anxiety because things weren't happening fast enough. Pile of downsizing and simplifying books = looking for HELP when things started to happen faster than we'd thought.
You might think, from this list, that I never look at Charlotte Mason's books, much less the Bible or certain other things that I go back to a lot. I do; it's just that I don't find myself coming to the last page of those very often, so they don't end up on a GoodReads list (where I've been tracking books).
Christian Thought and Faith; Philosophy
Freedom of Simplicity
Foster, Richard J.
The Spirit of the Disciplines : Understanding How God Changes Lives
Willard, Dallas
The Pilgrim's Progress (re-read)
Bunyan, John
C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason
Reppert, Victor
Restoring Beauty: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the Writings of C.S. Lewis
Markos, Louis
The Ecumenism of Beauty
Verdon, Timothy
Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation
Pieper, Josef
The Arts and the Christian Imagination: Essays on Art, Literature, and Aesthetics
Kilby, Clyde S.
Mere Motherhood: Morning times, nursery rhymes, and my journey toward sanctification
Rollins, Cindy
The Power Of Generosity
Toycen, Dave
Minimalism, Organizing, and Lifestyle
Shelter for the Spirit: How to Make Your Home a Haven in a Hectic World
Moran, Victoria
This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
Warnick, Melody
Simple Matters: Living with Less and Ending Up with More
Boyle, Erin
Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste
Johnson, Bea
The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
Becker, Joshua
Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life
Blanke, Gail
Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman (re-read)
Ortlund, Anne
Gift from the Sea (re-read)
Lindbergh, Anne Morrow
Things to Wear
The Wardrobe Wakeup: Your Guide to Looking Fabulous at Any Age
Johnson, Lois Joy
How to Get Dressed: A Costume Designer's Secrets for Making Your Clothes Look, Fit, and Feel Amazing
Freer, Alison
Magnifeco: Your Head-to-Toe Guide to Ethical Fashion and Non-toxic Beauty
Black, Kate
Homemaking, Food, and Decorating
The Gentle Art of Hospitality: Warm Touches of Welcome and Grace
Ellis, Alda
Making Home: Adapting Our Homes and Our Lives to Settle in Place
Astyk, Sharon
Private Places
Wilson, Judith
Downsizing Your Home with Style
Ward, Lauri
New Cottage Style: A Sunset Design Guide
Survival Food Handbook
Groene, Janet
Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two
Hensperger, Beth
History
A History of England
Arnold-Forster, H.O.
Romances and Mysteries
Fletchers End
Stevenson, D.E.
Vittoria Cottage (Drumberley Book 1)
Stevenson, D.E.
The Yellow Room
Rinehart, Mary Roberts
Brat Farrar
Tey, Josephine
A Shilling for Candles (Inspector Alan Grant, #2)
Tey, Josephine
The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3)
Tey, Josephine
To Love and Be Wise (Inspector Alan Grant, #4)
Tey, Josephine
Dead Man's Folly
Christie, Agatha
Other Stories
An Old Fashioned Girl
Alcott, Louisa May
The Spartan Twins
Perkins, Lucy Fitch
(I'm not sure how they ended up in there.)
The Dean's Watch
Goudge, Elizabeth
Wise Blood
O'Connor, Flannery
Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1)
Willis, Connie
Blackout (All Clear, #1)
Willis, Connie
All Clear (All Clear, #2)
Willis, Connie
Poetry
The Sighting (Wheaton Literary Series)
Shaw, Luci
Books about Books
Books for Living
Schwalbe, Will
You might think, from this list, that I never look at Charlotte Mason's books, much less the Bible or certain other things that I go back to a lot. I do; it's just that I don't find myself coming to the last page of those very often, so they don't end up on a GoodReads list (where I've been tracking books).
Christian Thought and Faith; Philosophy
Freedom of Simplicity
Foster, Richard J.
The Spirit of the Disciplines : Understanding How God Changes Lives
Willard, Dallas
The Pilgrim's Progress (re-read)
Bunyan, John
C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason
Reppert, Victor
Restoring Beauty: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the Writings of C.S. Lewis
Markos, Louis
The Ecumenism of Beauty
Verdon, Timothy
Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation
Pieper, Josef
The Arts and the Christian Imagination: Essays on Art, Literature, and Aesthetics
Kilby, Clyde S.
Mere Motherhood: Morning times, nursery rhymes, and my journey toward sanctification
Rollins, Cindy
The Power Of Generosity
Toycen, Dave
Minimalism, Organizing, and Lifestyle
Shelter for the Spirit: How to Make Your Home a Haven in a Hectic World
Moran, Victoria
This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
Warnick, Melody
Simple Matters: Living with Less and Ending Up with More
Boyle, Erin
Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste
Johnson, Bea
The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
Becker, Joshua
Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life
Blanke, Gail
Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman (re-read)
Ortlund, Anne
Gift from the Sea (re-read)
Lindbergh, Anne Morrow
Things to Wear
The Wardrobe Wakeup: Your Guide to Looking Fabulous at Any Age
Johnson, Lois Joy
How to Get Dressed: A Costume Designer's Secrets for Making Your Clothes Look, Fit, and Feel Amazing
Freer, Alison
Magnifeco: Your Head-to-Toe Guide to Ethical Fashion and Non-toxic Beauty
Black, Kate
Homemaking, Food, and Decorating
The Gentle Art of Hospitality: Warm Touches of Welcome and Grace
Ellis, Alda
Making Home: Adapting Our Homes and Our Lives to Settle in Place
Astyk, Sharon
Private Places
Wilson, Judith
Downsizing Your Home with Style
Ward, Lauri
New Cottage Style: A Sunset Design Guide
Survival Food Handbook
Groene, Janet
Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two
Hensperger, Beth
History
A History of England
Arnold-Forster, H.O.
Romances and Mysteries
Fletchers End
Stevenson, D.E.
Vittoria Cottage (Drumberley Book 1)
Stevenson, D.E.
The Yellow Room
Rinehart, Mary Roberts
Brat Farrar
Tey, Josephine
A Shilling for Candles (Inspector Alan Grant, #2)
Tey, Josephine
The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3)
Tey, Josephine
To Love and Be Wise (Inspector Alan Grant, #4)
Tey, Josephine
Dead Man's Folly
Christie, Agatha
Other Stories
An Old Fashioned Girl
Alcott, Louisa May
The Spartan Twins
Perkins, Lucy Fitch
(I'm not sure how they ended up in there.)
The Dean's Watch
Goudge, Elizabeth
Wise Blood
O'Connor, Flannery
Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1)
Willis, Connie
Blackout (All Clear, #1)
Willis, Connie
All Clear (All Clear, #2)
Willis, Connie
Poetry
The Sighting (Wheaton Literary Series)
Shaw, Luci
Books about Books
Books for Living
Schwalbe, Will
Wednesday, July 05, 2017
Wednesday Hodgepodge: Liberty and Laundry
From our Hodgepodge Hostess: "Happy July 4th Hodgepodgers! And if you're joining in from outside the US of A, then happy Tuesday! Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then jump back here tomorrow to share answers with all your friends and neighbors."
1. When and where were the best fireworks you've ever seen? Speaking of fireworks...do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and/do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?
The best fireworks I ever saw were two years ago, in Toronto, at the end of the Pan-Am Games. The second-best were a few nights ago, for Canada's 150th Birthday, from our multiple-stories-up balcony. We could see fireworks all over the city, near and far, from little backyard displays to the mega-blastoff from the downtown city hall. There were fireworks here on Victoria Day too, but not like this.
OK. Hot buttons. How about just a mildly warm button? I got asked a couple of days ago if I wanted a senior's discount at a Salvation Army thrift store. Minimum age sixty. (Mr. Fixit's reaction: "I would have taken it." Thanks, sweetie.)
2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?
I was invited to a backyard reunion last month, but we got rained out; I'm hoping to make the rain date later this month.
3. What does freedom mean to you?
Freedom of thought, if it actually exists. Charlotte Mason said that we are not perfectly free to think or say exactly what we like, though, because our duties of love and justice override "freedom." Mrs. Lynde may be proud of speaking her mind, but if others have to pick up the broken pieces behind her, that's not freedom, it's encroachment. Committing to love someone or to treat them with respect means back-burnering your own freedoms: the freedom to be pushy, rude, mean, or negligent. Recognizing an authority means not exercising any right you have to act entirely on your own. Still, you have the liberty to make those choices.
4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month...what annoys you most about people's cell phone habits?
I don't have a phone, so I'm not a good one to judge.
Probably the obvious things, like having loud conversations in public places.
5. What's your current summer anthem?
Not an anthem, but an earworm: Mr. Fixit is re-watching as many episodes of Hogan's Heroes as he can find (between all the other things he does), so that theme song has been playing nonstop.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Lydia is still looking for a summer job. It's not easy being a teenager and trying to slot yourself into employment, especially when it's only for a few weeks. The first summer job I had was at seventeen, when I was hired as a kitchen helper AND laundress at a summer camp for adults with special needs. The AND there was a big problem; multitasking between those two jobs would have kerfuffled anyone, much less a teenager trying to please the directors, the cook, the other kitchen staff, the counselors, and the middle-aged guest who was afraid to allow his prized rock-band t-shirt off his back and out of his sight. His intuition was probably justified, because every time I got a load of laundry in, I was called back to the kitchen to chop onions or wash more dishes. The unwashed and unsorted camper laundry got piled up so high that they finally gave up and let every cabin do its own for the rest of the summer. I did get the rock-band shirt back to its owner, so I wasn't a complete laundry failure.
Linked from The Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.
1. When and where were the best fireworks you've ever seen? Speaking of fireworks...do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and/do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?
The best fireworks I ever saw were two years ago, in Toronto, at the end of the Pan-Am Games. The second-best were a few nights ago, for Canada's 150th Birthday, from our multiple-stories-up balcony. We could see fireworks all over the city, near and far, from little backyard displays to the mega-blastoff from the downtown city hall. There were fireworks here on Victoria Day too, but not like this.
OK. Hot buttons. How about just a mildly warm button? I got asked a couple of days ago if I wanted a senior's discount at a Salvation Army thrift store. Minimum age sixty. (Mr. Fixit's reaction: "I would have taken it." Thanks, sweetie.)
2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?
I was invited to a backyard reunion last month, but we got rained out; I'm hoping to make the rain date later this month.
3. What does freedom mean to you?
Freedom of thought, if it actually exists. Charlotte Mason said that we are not perfectly free to think or say exactly what we like, though, because our duties of love and justice override "freedom." Mrs. Lynde may be proud of speaking her mind, but if others have to pick up the broken pieces behind her, that's not freedom, it's encroachment. Committing to love someone or to treat them with respect means back-burnering your own freedoms: the freedom to be pushy, rude, mean, or negligent. Recognizing an authority means not exercising any right you have to act entirely on your own. Still, you have the liberty to make those choices.
4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month...what annoys you most about people's cell phone habits?
I don't have a phone, so I'm not a good one to judge.
Probably the obvious things, like having loud conversations in public places.
5. What's your current summer anthem?
Not an anthem, but an earworm: Mr. Fixit is re-watching as many episodes of Hogan's Heroes as he can find (between all the other things he does), so that theme song has been playing nonstop.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Lydia is still looking for a summer job. It's not easy being a teenager and trying to slot yourself into employment, especially when it's only for a few weeks. The first summer job I had was at seventeen, when I was hired as a kitchen helper AND laundress at a summer camp for adults with special needs. The AND there was a big problem; multitasking between those two jobs would have kerfuffled anyone, much less a teenager trying to please the directors, the cook, the other kitchen staff, the counselors, and the middle-aged guest who was afraid to allow his prized rock-band t-shirt off his back and out of his sight. His intuition was probably justified, because every time I got a load of laundry in, I was called back to the kitchen to chop onions or wash more dishes. The unwashed and unsorted camper laundry got piled up so high that they finally gave up and let every cabin do its own for the rest of the summer. I did get the rock-band shirt back to its owner, so I wasn't a complete laundry failure.
Linked from The Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.
Tuesday, July 04, 2017
That's the way it always goes
I realized that my online-library copy of Organize Tomorrow Today expires tomorrow. So I'm reading it today.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Made in Canada.
I am made in Canada. Like this old phonograph record, that came with a bilingual board game we were given at school in sixth grade. It was an optimistic, everybody's-friends collection of songs.
This weekend is the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Not everyone is delighted about that. According to certain voices of those inhabiting the northern part of this continent, my ancestors were land-robbers, murderers, and worse.
It's very confusing. I don't think that my Scottish-immigrant milling relatives thought of themselves as robber barons. Or my German-industrialist forebears who fled nineteenth-century unrest in Europe, and helped found the town of Hespeler. Or the other Scottish relatives who farmed in the bush and sang Psalms in little log and stone churches.
I don't think that's what my several-greats-grandfather was thinking about when he hauled his family up here from Pennsylvania.
Were they all wrong?
Because of them, and other bridge-builders and teachers and farmers and storytellers and members of Parliament, I am made in Canada. I have a Canadian passport, and a Canadian university degree. I have Canadian art on the walls (including a recent print by a Serbian-Canadian painter). I listen to Gordon Lightfoot and Oscar Peterson. I was a Girl Guide with a maple leaf Citizenship badge. I saw Karen Kain dance in 1972, and I met Jean Chretien in 1988. I watched Polka Dot Door, Readalong, and CUCUMBER (not to mention Tiny Talent Time and Uncle Bobby). I wore snowsuits big enough for three children, and skated after school (badly). I eat Smarties and butter tarts. I think paper money should be all different colours.
Canada is my home. Happy 150th birthday to my country.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
From the archives : A woeful feeling
First posted June 2007.
"I have a woeful feeling, as if the double O of doom were sticking in my throat." ~~ James Thurber
From [an] ongoing discussion about Big Words (of course some people would call it just blog chatter, since we're all supposed to be non-professionals not entitled to consider these things):
The Deputy Headmistress weighs in again on all of this, and mentions a high-ranking clergyman who says (in big words) that he would like to simplify church language for the rest of us.
The DHM's reference to "yucky" refers to a motherly deception she once tried to keep one of her offspring from asking for the pop she was drinking. (She is very, very sorry now and will never do it again.) It reminds me of some friends of ours who used to give their toddler plain yogurt while they were eating ice cream. It worked--until he got old enough to notice that there was a difference! (And it NEVER worked when the younger ones came along.)
And goodness knows I do like yogurt myself--I have some yogging on the heating pad as we speak. But speaking strictly in terms of "something somebody else has that's better than what you've been given"--is it possible that we've been gradually slipped more and more yogurt in place of the Vanilla Chocolate Chip that might give us ideas about Mocha Almond Fudge or even White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle?
Like our toddler friend (who's now an almost Goliath-sized teenager), demand your semantic rights as loudly as you can, and be a voice for the vocabulary-impaired.
The Deputy Headmistress weighs in again on all of this, and mentions a high-ranking clergyman who says (in big words) that he would like to simplify church language for the rest of us.
"Why is he allowed words the rest of us aren't? Is it because they taste yucky, so we won't like them anyway?"Ah! I love it, it makes so much sense. Not that any of us believe in a conspiracy to limit our language or turn us all into Alphas, Betas...Epsilons...
The DHM's reference to "yucky" refers to a motherly deception she once tried to keep one of her offspring from asking for the pop she was drinking. (She is very, very sorry now and will never do it again.) It reminds me of some friends of ours who used to give their toddler plain yogurt while they were eating ice cream. It worked--until he got old enough to notice that there was a difference! (And it NEVER worked when the younger ones came along.)
And goodness knows I do like yogurt myself--I have some yogging on the heating pad as we speak. But speaking strictly in terms of "something somebody else has that's better than what you've been given"--is it possible that we've been gradually slipped more and more yogurt in place of the Vanilla Chocolate Chip that might give us ideas about Mocha Almond Fudge or even White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle?
Like our toddler friend (who's now an almost Goliath-sized teenager), demand your semantic rights as loudly as you can, and be a voice for the vocabulary-impaired.
"Black showed his teeth and made a restless gesture. 'Taking a single letter from the alphabet,' he said, 'should make life simpler.'
"'I don't see why. Take the F from life and you have lie. It's adding a letter to simple that makes it simpler. Taking a letter from hoarder makes it harder.'"--James Thurber, The Wonderful O
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Frugal finds and fixes: thrifted dress
Yesterday Lydia and I went to the Large Chain For-Profit Resale Store, the one I usually avoid because the clothes are a bit overpriced, and because I prefer to support the non-profit shops. The one advantage to this store is its size: if you know you want shoes, shorts, whatever, they have lots to choose from. In fact, it's so big that they have "summer dresses" sorted from just "dresses." While Lydia was looking at t-shirts, I had a look through "dresses." This is what I found.
It was marked as XL on the label, and size 17/18 on the store tag, which sounds huge for me. But I was looking at the dress itself, not the label, and it seemed about the same size as my other dresses. I was looking at the colour (grey-blue or blue-grey, you choose), and the fabric texture (a medium-weight knit). I was looking at the neckline, and the way the fabric draped, and the banded bottom that would make it easy to change lengths.
And it did fit, pretty much.
But it's better with a belt.
I didn't even mind having to pay the slightly-more-than-usual Large Chain price, because it's the sort of dress I'd even buy new if I could find one new. Except I don't usually. So that made me a very happy thrifter.
And it did fit, pretty much.
But it's better with a belt.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
When you choose less space: it's not all that exciting, and that's okay
Note to potential downsizers: if you've been in one space for awhile, you may be used to certain things a certain way, and you're not sure you're up for a change. Additionally, photos of tiny houses and articles on apartment websites can make you feel like there must be a rare Zen art to finding cute ways to stash things. Figuring out how to cleverly store the laundry soap in a no-storage laundry closet can be as stressful as moving itself.
But it doesn't have to be that hard.
But it doesn't have to be that hard.
This is our so-easy-I-forgot-to-think-of-that laundry soap storage: on top of the washer. Nobody's going to photograph it for Buzzfeed or Pinterest. It was just the obvious place to put the detergent bottle.
This is the only real storage we have in the bathroom that Mr. Fixit and I use, which is also the main bathroom: there's a very shallow medicine cabinet, and the space under the sink, which holds two plastic dishpans, which hold anything we'd rather not leave out. You can buy all kinds of shelf things for bathrooms, but we don't have room for them. And this is the point: we don't have that much to store in the bathroom anyway, so it works out.
This is our totally unexciting entrance closet. It has an old Stack-a-Shelf unit for shoes. It has coats. It has a few things on a shelf, and a basket for paper recycling.
Are you seeing a pattern here?
We are not in love with having to organize and store stuff. I do not say that out of lack of sympathy for those who are honestly crushed for space. And we do have a very nice storage room slash pantry, which a lot of other apartments we looked at did not have. Without that, we'd have a whole lot more hooks on the wall, vacuum cleaner in the coat closet, etc. etc. So you might think I just don't know what small and cramped is, or I've forgotten what life is like with little children, and you could be right. (I did live in a studio apartment before I got married. It was usually a mess.)
This is the best advice I can give from a couple of middle-aged Squirrels (and Squirreling), who have gone from smallest to small to pretty good-sized, and back to small again: if at all possible, have a little less stuff than you think you have room to store. Then you will probably find you have a spot for it, or at least that you don't have to go out of your way to devise storage for it. Ten of something requires a special shelf or box; one or two, you can slip in or under something else, or store in the empty space on the washing machine. If you can live with the one or two, you have solved the problem.
Zen not required.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Shiny happy rainbow
Seen from our balcony. The funny part was, we could hear people on other balconies also oohing and aahing and calling each other to come out and look. Rainbows make people neighbourly?
Saturday, June 17, 2017
I bought a craft magazine
Better Homes and Gardens Make It Yourself, Spring/Summer 2017
I picked up a new BHG craft magazine, and decided to make the most of it. The price was (C)$7.99 plus tax, so if I can find 16 different ways to use this issue, then I figure fifty cents an idea is a good bargain. Helpful tips and cool products count too.
1. Cover idea: "Grown-Up Craft Camp." That's awesome! Why don't we do that at church? How about a Charlotte Mason moms' handicraft / nature day? Everybody knows somebody who could take this idea and make it the most fun ever.
2. Cover promotion: "A Free Cross-Stitch Pattern Every Month." I can't see myself downloading the August flipflop pattern, but the June jam jar is nice. Related thoughts: I am just an occasional stitcher, so small and simple projects are best.
3. For the book list: Care Packages, by Michelle Mackintosh. Related thoughts: maybe some of the craft ideas would be nice in a care package or a gift basket.
4. For those of us noted for our black thumbs: several ways to produce artistic-looking fake houseplants from materials such as crepe paper and river rocks. Here's one of the designer's websites.
5. I especially liked the rock cacti idea. Here's the original tutorial on Salt and Pepper Mom.
6. Handmade books, using Coptic stitching for binding. (I've seen this called Japanese stitching too.) Similar instructions.
7. Another crafty stuff book to look for: Connect with Nature, by Anna Carlile.
8. This would be fun for a tea party: turning small red paper honeycomb balls (the poofy things for parties) into strawberry shapes, just by recutting the paper backing shape (the part you stick together) and adding a green top.
9. A good site for me and my "evil sewing machine": BHG's how to sew site. [link broken]
10. "I could do that": 1/2-inch diameter rope, hot-glued in a spiral to a cardboard circle. What it's for: party placemats, especially if you can find colourful rope. Sounds like a good way to use up a stash of ancient macrame leftovers. (These can't be washed, so they're for one-time events or at least for non-messy parties. Or you could reserve them for centrepieces.)
11. Maybe for that grown-up craft party: white cotton napkins, dyed in ombre patterns. (Think Easter eggs.) Related thoughts: not everything hand-dyed has to be bright and tie-dyed. Especially if you're using natural dyes, you can come up with softer-coloured options.
12. I like the photograph of a living-room table holding large fern fronds in a glass vase. Mr. Fixit is fragrance-sensitive, so in addition to the houseplants we don't have, we also keep cut flowers to a minimum. But some green leafy stuff would be okay.
13. Another photo I liked: jars filled with felt "canned" peaches, cucumbers, and tomatoes, which I assumed were needle-felted or something complicated like that. Actually they are simple shapes with a bit of added embroidery. What makes them look not-like-kids'-crafts is that you use wool felt, the "real" stuff, not the synthetic version from the chain store craft aisle. Also, I think, the appeal is in the grouping. Not one tomato slice, but seven. Not just tomatoes, but peaches and cucumbers. It's the same with the handmade cacti: one is okay, but a small grouping of different types makes it less random and more interesting.
14. Again, sometimes it's how you put things together. Case in point: a party table with rope placemats under the plates, and hand-dyed napkins on the plates, and stand-up placecards on top of those. Plus paper flowers and a handmade banner. For a special party, even just a rope-placemats kind of occasion, turn the celebration dial up full blast. It doesn't have to cost much.
15. There's an almost-hidden bonus in that party photograph: a purchased table runner with a white stencilled lace pattern on each end. Not hard to do that. I can imagine using the same fabric-paint technique on a thrifted tablecloth, or a fabric remnant.
16. But I cannot ever see myself being desperate enough to cover a flower vase with cut-off plastic spoons.
17. Bonus way to use the magazine: pass the issue on to a crafty friend who's been under the weather.
I picked up a new BHG craft magazine, and decided to make the most of it. The price was (C)$7.99 plus tax, so if I can find 16 different ways to use this issue, then I figure fifty cents an idea is a good bargain. Helpful tips and cool products count too.
1. Cover idea: "Grown-Up Craft Camp." That's awesome! Why don't we do that at church? How about a Charlotte Mason moms' handicraft / nature day? Everybody knows somebody who could take this idea and make it the most fun ever.
2. Cover promotion: "A Free Cross-Stitch Pattern Every Month." I can't see myself downloading the August flipflop pattern, but the June jam jar is nice. Related thoughts: I am just an occasional stitcher, so small and simple projects are best.
3. For the book list: Care Packages, by Michelle Mackintosh. Related thoughts: maybe some of the craft ideas would be nice in a care package or a gift basket.
4. For those of us noted for our black thumbs: several ways to produce artistic-looking fake houseplants from materials such as crepe paper and river rocks. Here's one of the designer's websites.
5. I especially liked the rock cacti idea. Here's the original tutorial on Salt and Pepper Mom.
7. Another crafty stuff book to look for: Connect with Nature, by Anna Carlile.
8. This would be fun for a tea party: turning small red paper honeycomb balls (the poofy things for parties) into strawberry shapes, just by recutting the paper backing shape (the part you stick together) and adding a green top.
9. A good site for me and my "evil sewing machine": BHG's how to sew site. [link broken]
10. "I could do that": 1/2-inch diameter rope, hot-glued in a spiral to a cardboard circle. What it's for: party placemats, especially if you can find colourful rope. Sounds like a good way to use up a stash of ancient macrame leftovers. (These can't be washed, so they're for one-time events or at least for non-messy parties. Or you could reserve them for centrepieces.)
11. Maybe for that grown-up craft party: white cotton napkins, dyed in ombre patterns. (Think Easter eggs.) Related thoughts: not everything hand-dyed has to be bright and tie-dyed. Especially if you're using natural dyes, you can come up with softer-coloured options.
12. I like the photograph of a living-room table holding large fern fronds in a glass vase. Mr. Fixit is fragrance-sensitive, so in addition to the houseplants we don't have, we also keep cut flowers to a minimum. But some green leafy stuff would be okay.
13. Another photo I liked: jars filled with felt "canned" peaches, cucumbers, and tomatoes, which I assumed were needle-felted or something complicated like that. Actually they are simple shapes with a bit of added embroidery. What makes them look not-like-kids'-crafts is that you use wool felt, the "real" stuff, not the synthetic version from the chain store craft aisle. Also, I think, the appeal is in the grouping. Not one tomato slice, but seven. Not just tomatoes, but peaches and cucumbers. It's the same with the handmade cacti: one is okay, but a small grouping of different types makes it less random and more interesting.
14. Again, sometimes it's how you put things together. Case in point: a party table with rope placemats under the plates, and hand-dyed napkins on the plates, and stand-up placecards on top of those. Plus paper flowers and a handmade banner. For a special party, even just a rope-placemats kind of occasion, turn the celebration dial up full blast. It doesn't have to cost much.
15. There's an almost-hidden bonus in that party photograph: a purchased table runner with a white stencilled lace pattern on each end. Not hard to do that. I can imagine using the same fabric-paint technique on a thrifted tablecloth, or a fabric remnant.
16. But I cannot ever see myself being desperate enough to cover a flower vase with cut-off plastic spoons.
17. Bonus way to use the magazine: pass the issue on to a crafty friend who's been under the weather.
Friday, June 16, 2017
Found antiquing: books, teapot (and giant teddy bears)
Mr. Fixit and I heard about an antiques place off of our beaten track. We took a ride out there earlier this week. It turned out to be mostly old furniture: interesting, but not really what we were after.
But I did find this teapot, something just for fun.
They had a few books, at very low prices because I think they deal more in big stuff.
What are the mystery books?
The Royal Road to Romance, and The Call of England by H.V. Morton, that intrepid motor adventurer.
When I took my things to the front, the only one behind the counter was a giant teddy bear. I wasn't sure he was completely trustworthy, so I waited for a human helper. A man appeared, counted things up and said "ten dollars." While I was getting the money out, he asked if I had the time, because the power had been out. I said my husband had a phone with the time, so they started talking. I handed him the ten dollars, and he said, "So, it's ten fifty." I started fishing for more quarters, but then I realized he meant the time, not the total.
Now that we're all straightened out...
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Wednesday Hodgepodge: Your flag, my flag
I have never been to any of those places. I did go to Walt Disney World during the Bicentennial.
(There is some extreme political incorrectness in "America on Parade": you've been warned.)
2. Red flag or white flag? Which have you encountered most recently? Explain.
I take it you don't mean the Maple Leaf on the Canadian flag?
3. Are you a stay in the car listen to the end of a song kind of person? What kind of person is that?
Someone who likes to see things through to the finish, not leave loose ends? Or just someone who's compulsive about listening to the ends of songs?
Do I stay in the car listening to the ends of songs? I don't listen to songs in the car, so I can't say. I remember a couple of times when I was much younger, asking my mom to drive around the block again so we could hear the rest of the latest top 40 song on the radio. But that was before you could easily click the button and listen to anything you wanted, when you wanted it.
4. What are some of the traits or qualities you think a good dad possesses? In other words, what makes a good dad? What's an expression you associate with your father?
To answer the last question first, "that's a lulu." If it's not a lulu, it might be a humdinger.
Finding the balance between protecting kids and letting them try their wings is something all good dads have to figure out.
My kids would also assume that any good dad should know how to hook up a stereo.
5. What's one rule you always disagreed with while growing up? Is that rule somehow still part of your adult life? Is that a good or bad thing?
I have told this story before, but here goes. At my very first school, we were marched down to the school library once a week and told to choose a book. The books were arranged by height: first grade books on the bottom shelves, and so on up to fifth or sixth grade. The first day of library time, I spurned the picture books on the bottom, and climbed my little jumpered self up to a higher literary plane, only to be hauled back down again by the book police, I mean librarian. To her credit, it did turn out okay, even after she ratted me out to the teacher, because on later visits she would pick out special books I might like. But why just for me? Maybe other first-graders would have liked to choose from those books too. The very bad idea of books labelled only for this or that grade or age stuck with me forever, and when I had my own kids, I tried not to say "you are too young or too old." That is why we had four-year-olds talking about "deadly faints" and "gallant ships," and listening to that famous composition "Tchaikovsky's Cannibal."
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Another little transition about to happen here: Lydia is in her last week of tenth grade (except for exams), and she is hoping to hear back about a summer job. The hazy days of summer await us.
Linķed from The Grand Old Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.
Monday, June 12, 2017
From the archives: Most Families Today
First posted May, 2005. Yes, we were house-hunting since the blog started.
Yesterday Mama Squirrel and Mr. Fixit went to an open house at a nearby nest. The real estate agent pointed out the small breakfast bar in the kitchen/dining area, and said that he thought it could be made even longer, because, you know, in most families these days that’s where the kids eat, and the table is just for “formal meals.”
Today a financial-advice show came on the radio during lunch time, and again Mama Squirrel heard the phrase, “most families today.” As in, most families today need a second income. Most families today have a mini-van or an SUV. Most families today have a mini-van or an SUV with a backseat filled with fast-food wrappers. Most families today don’t eat dinner together. Mama Squirrel was so annoyed that she clicked off the radio without waiting to find out which “most families today” cliche was up for discussion. She paced around the kitchen with her furry tail bristling indignantly (as the squirrelings calmly ate their hot dogs), muttering, “Most families today! I’m so sick of hearing that! And how come whatever most families are doing, isn’t what we want to do?”
P.S. Mama Squirrel asked Ponytails to finish the sentence "Most families today..." Ponytails answered "homeschool."
Yesterday Mama Squirrel and Mr. Fixit went to an open house at a nearby nest. The real estate agent pointed out the small breakfast bar in the kitchen/dining area, and said that he thought it could be made even longer, because, you know, in most families these days that’s where the kids eat, and the table is just for “formal meals.”
Today a financial-advice show came on the radio during lunch time, and again Mama Squirrel heard the phrase, “most families today.” As in, most families today need a second income. Most families today have a mini-van or an SUV. Most families today have a mini-van or an SUV with a backseat filled with fast-food wrappers. Most families today don’t eat dinner together. Mama Squirrel was so annoyed that she clicked off the radio without waiting to find out which “most families today” cliche was up for discussion. She paced around the kitchen with her furry tail bristling indignantly (as the squirrelings calmly ate their hot dogs), muttering, “Most families today! I’m so sick of hearing that! And how come whatever most families are doing, isn’t what we want to do?”
P.S. Mama Squirrel asked Ponytails to finish the sentence "Most families today..." Ponytails answered "homeschool."
Summer clothes update
Friday, June 09, 2017
When you choose less space: Kitchen cupboards
Do you remember my post about plotting out our new kitchen by putting dishes and pans on rectangles of newspaper?
Well, quite a lot of that worked well, and knowing where things would go was extremely helpful on moving day, when I just wanted to unpack boxes as fast as possible and with no awkward surprises. Because we had early access to the apartment, we were even able to change the heights of a few shelves ahead of the move (had to have somewhere to put the blender and cereal boxes).
Once we got settled, there were a few things that got changed. You never know exactly how things will fit until you've lived with them a bit.
Well, quite a lot of that worked well, and knowing where things would go was extremely helpful on moving day, when I just wanted to unpack boxes as fast as possible and with no awkward surprises. Because we had early access to the apartment, we were even able to change the heights of a few shelves ahead of the move (had to have somewhere to put the blender and cereal boxes).
Once we got settled, there were a few things that got changed. You never know exactly how things will fit until you've lived with them a bit.
There is room in the dish cupboard for fifteen mugs, six glasses, four cereal bowls, and so on. (Too many mugs for three people, but we are fond of them.) I bought a wire rack to prop up small plates and two extra bowls. The red Pyrex belonged to Mr. Fixit's grandmother.
Casseroles, serving bowls, plastic things, and a tray of vitamins and stuff, in a cupboard over the sink. Usually the small Crockpot lives up there too, but it has dinner in it right now.
Baking things, mostly, in a cupboard over the counter. I sometimes use the glass mixer bowls for serving food.
The blender and cereal cupboard, over the stove. There's also a cupboard over the fridge, but it's awkward to access so there's not much in there...the extra muffin tins, things like that.
Bread, tea/coffee, and some small things up top in a basket.
Under the counter: pots and pans (we've used the same set since we were married), storage containers, mixing bowls, and a few staple foods. There is one other lower cupboard for cleaning supplies and garbage bags.
Drawer #1: cutlery and serving spoons. The divider boxes were yard-saled.
Drawer #2: tools
Drawer #3: seasonings. There is a Drawer #4 where Lydia keeps lunchbox foods and a set of mini cutlery. She also has a basket on the fridge for water bottles and her lunch bag.
That's it, mostly. Most of the pantry food is in the storage room, and so are two large pots, the popcorn popper, and the coffee percolator. Dish towels are in a rack on the counter, and the hot pads and oven mitts are in a basket. The wooden spoons and spatulas are in vintage wooden canisters on the counter (I've already posted a photo of those).
So this doesn't look very minimalist? No, it wouldn't all fit into a Tiny House kitchen. If we'd ended up with a smaller kitchen, we would have had to pare down the trifle bowl, the rolling pin, and the coffee mugs. If we were more eco-conscious, we would have swapped all the plastics for mason jars, and have gone off cold cereal completely. I'm sure there are lots more valid criticisms people might have.
But this is our space. This is where we are at. We brought what we found most useful, and let a lot of other things go.
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