WOOHOO!

Guess who's guest-blogging over at Country Lifestyle Magazine this week? Yours Truly! Check it out. Many thanks to editorial coordinator Pamela Price for inviting me. Pamela is also author of the blog Red, White and Grew, which helped launch the Victory Garden Revival. Isn't the blogosphere grand?

OH YEAH! Don't forget to leave a comment, or send me an email (see About Me in sidebar) if you wish to be included in this Sunday's prize drawing.

EATING HUMBLE PIE

John and I have always been such good savers that I've become rather cocky over the years about our future security. The recent trauma in the financial world has me wondering though, just how secure are we, really?

Many of the blogs I read are concerned with living more simple, green and frugal lives. Some believe that it's simply the right thing to do, while others fear we may have no choice in the matter before long. They believe the American Dream of a house for every family, and a bedroom, bathroom, car, computer, TV, DVD and i-phone for every child, is about to blow up in our faces. If and when this happens, we may have to rethink our definition of a reasonable life.

There may come a time when the sharing of one's residence with extended family, and sharing the work of keeping food on the table, will once again be the norm, rather than the exception. People may need to take in boarders, in order to save their homes from foreclosure. We will probably have to forget about replacing everything that breaks or tears with something brand new, and learn again how to mend or repair things. I can learn to knit, sew, garden, cook, can, build or barter - no problem! In fact, none of these things would really bother me in the least, as long as we still owned the roof over our heads and the land beneath our feet. Call it pride, vanity, greed, or whatever, there's just no denying it - I would absolutely frickin' hate having to move in with a relative, live by their rules, let someone else call the shots, all the while trying to remain ever so humble and properly grateful. In fact, God is probably smirking as I write this, thinking "Aha! I know just what to do, when I'm ready to teach this girl a lesson in humility."

In the meantime, I'm thinking maybe I need to consult with John, to make sure that a portion of our savings - at least enough to pay off our mortgage and several year's worth of taxes, is in a secure place that can't disappear overnight. I may not like whatever else comes our way, but I think I can handle it, and I can only pray that, if my friends or relatives needed to come stay here with us, I would always remember to treat them with love and respect, just they way I would hope to be treated, were I ever in their shoes.

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment, or send an e-mail to becky(dot)lane(at)vownet(dot)net, if you would like to be included in this week's prize-drawing. The deadline is whenever I crawl into bed this Sunday night.

P.P.S. Many thanks to www.tvrage.com for the above image.

A PICTURE'S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

One of the bloggers I visit is taking a break from writing. Instead, for an entire month she will simply post 3 photos per day, 1 snapshot each for morning, noon and night, to represent what was going on in her life on that particular day. No words at all? Get real! I could never hold in my words for an entire month - I'd explode! But it might be fun to try it occasionally, maybe for a day, or maybe just a portion of a day, or... oh, forget it! Who am I kidding?

DOH! (with head-slap)

It just occurred to me that some of you are missing out on the give-aways because you don't have a google account, or whatever, and can't leave comments! If that is the case, just send me an email at becky(dot)lane(at)vownet(dot)net, and I will drop your name in the hat.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS BOYS AND GIRLS?

NO! Not Howdy Doody time, Book-Give-Away time! And, this one's a real jewel.

Although I didn't know it then, it was probably while reading this priceless gem that the whole "Seasonality" concept began to swirl around in my head. Around 1990, most of this country was drowning in a grey sea of monotony, and we were grasping at anything (usually our credit cards) that could make us feel alive. We went to the same boring jobs, day in, day out. We ate the same tasteless food, day in, day out. Then we came home, collapsed in our Lazy Boys, and watched the same boring TV shows, day in, day out. It was only in reading this book that I came to realize, it didn't have to be that way, and I began to imagine a different path for myself.

So, leave a comment here, any time between now and Sunday midnight, and you too will have a chance to win this lovely book (and perhaps a little something lavenderish as well - so apropos). Better yet, increase your odds - leave one comment per day. Bon Chance!

ON THE AGENDA

Click To Enlarge

HOW TO EARN BIG BUCKS

I got an e-mail from daughter Lex a few days ago. Up until recently, she's always been the one in the background at work - the one sourcing all the materials, doing all the drawings, putting together the presentations, etc. In fact, she got a call while she was here, asking her to change her flight and come back to San Diego a few days early. Her boss had a presentation coming up, and since she is not a computer person, she needed Lex to hurry back and pull it together for her. Now it seems she has finally decided that it's time to push our little Lexie out of the nest. She asked Lex to start going along on presentations with her, and has decided to start training her to manage design projects alone, so she herself can spend more time in Australia with her new fiancee.

Alexis is ecstatic...and scared spitless. She wrote "Why does responsibility have to be so scary? Why can't it just be fun and exciting?" Well babe, that's what the word "responsible" means, isn't it? It lets everyone know who's to blame, if anything goes wrong! Remember how, when you were growing up, I had the habit of periodically announcing "OK kids, today you learned important-life-lesson #1!" Well, here's another one for you, regarding how the pay scale works in a capitalistic society. I used to give your dad a lot of grief when he'd come home and collapse into his lounge chair at the end of the day. "Hey! What's your problem?" I'd ask. "I'm the one who spent the day out in the blazing heat, hauling around pottery and statues!" "It's mental fatigue, dear," he would reply. "Mental fatigue!" Though I usually blew raspberries in response, I knew he was telling the truth, and that there was a good reason why he has always been able to make more in one hour than I can make in a week.

Here in America, we do not reward people for hard physical labor. We do not even reward those who risk their lives, such as firefighters and soldiers. No, we only reward those who risk the lives of others. Those who are "responsible" for determining the fates of families, corporations, cities, and even countries. That's who gets the big bucks. Well, them and the guys who are entertaining enough to make the others forget all about their responsibilities every now and then.

Anyway, I just want you to know dear, that Dad and I have every faith that you will rise to the occasion, whatever comes your way. And look at the bright side. No matter how tough the decisions you are faced with, just keep telling yourself "At least I'm not in Obama's shoes!"

P.S. Many thanks to www.mediabistro.com for the above image.