Ponderings of Theodore--the Early Years

The Joys of Winter

by Theodore

Snowflakes falling onto the ground,

Into your yard without a sound.

When you wake up, they will

Cover the ground to your window sill.

Break out the shovels, winter has come.

Clouds have just blocked out the sun.

Backbreaking labor, isn't this fun?

It's snowing again before you're done.

Scrape the ice off your car

Then start cursing when it won't go far.

Lose your key and get locked outside,

Winter time, it's so divine.
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Theo's thoughts on winter when he was nine.

January No-Low Spend Wrap Up

This January I decided to follow Carla in her No-Low Spend month. The idea was to cut out all unnecessary spending.

Did we have a low spend month? Well, no. Did we feel comfortable with our spending? Well, yes. The first day of January started with unexpected events and the whole month seemed to follow suit. This included a lot of eating out while traveling and hotel bills. It also included a visit to a museum for a much needed mental health break. Each one of these expenditures was considered carefully and was decided to be necessary.

Ward mentioned that he thought that the low-spend month was a success and wanted to extend it into February. I think that's a good idea. We aren't big spenders anyway, but this may keep us from the extra purchases that we don't need like cheese curls. (Love those things.) Or maybe it won't. But it will least it will make me stop and think before I put that bag of the ever-so-light, crunchy, tasty, yellow balls of fat and salt on the counter on the counter to buy. :)

Thankful Sunday--February 2, 2014

I am thankful for our local parks.

Although we didn't see any geese on our hike, these prints showed us the path they like to take out of the lake.

I am thankful for the great set of parks we have here. Ward and I enjoyed a hike yesterday at one of them taking advantage of the warm weather we were having (49°F).  Another snow storm is predicted for tonight so we especially enjoyed the interlude when the sun was on our backs and our mittens were in our pockets.

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Jan. 31, 2014

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions. 

This Week's Food Waste

I had a couple of slices of bread mold this week before we got to them. This loaf came out of the freezer with a soggy top which I guess means that it was predestined to mold sooner or later. Fortunately, this was later so that the whole loaf didn't go bad.

This Week's True Food Confessions

It was a good week with all of our meals eaten at home. Let's see, what did we have? Last weekend, Wally introduced us to the whole wheat gnocchi he found at Aldi's and is now quite fond of. The leftover sauce from the gnocchi meal turned into Poor Man's Lasagne in another one. That is when I took a slice of bread (different that the one you see above), a slice of cheese, and then covered those with marinara sauce. Zap for a minute and it's done. And for Ward who wanted a bigger serving, I made a double-decker. Super Easy and pretty tasty. We also had fish, pizza, steak, a spinach quiche and assorted vegetables.

However, the standout of the week was the mac and cheese made in the slow cooker. I was first introduced to this idea by Lois at Living Simply Free. She does it quite often and doesn't measure her ingredients any more. I sort of did the same thing. I read several recipes and then just used what I had on hand. It was very easy and turned out great. We will definitely be doing this again.

I'm not sure why the week was so successful, but leftovers are playing a large roll in everything.
Until next time...

P.S. I forgot to mention that we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast one morning. A friend made the yeast dough for us and I completed the task. Boy, were they a treat. Thanks, friend.

Our Thinker's Courage

Theo was an interesting child. He was always thinking and seemed to be several steps ahead of most people especially his parents. He loved to read. But most of all, he loved to think. To analyze. To take ideas to their logical conclusion. To learn. To think.

But so you don't get the wrong idea, he was also a very active child. Hyperkinetic was the word one doctor used for him. He loved to experiment. That might mean cracking a dozen eggs on the floor at age two to see how they would blend with a pot of chili or filling his room with an entire spider web of yarn. That might also mean taking his toys apart to see how they worked but never putting them back together. Why bother, he told me many years later. He had already seen what was inside and didn't need to know anymore. And he never slept. Most people agreed. He was amazing and also a handful. Most people would have rather heard stories about him than try to keep up with him.

As I said, Theo was an interesting child. Everyone, parents, grandparents,and teachers had great plans for him. He would go to college, get at least a doctorate degree and come up with some great invention or business. The sky was the limit.

So he started college. He changed majors a few times and settled on Financial Economics. That was a topic far from my interests, but he and Ward would have great debates on the merits of different economic policies on the financial health of the world. Some classes interested him and some didn't. So college went along and had it's ups and downs. However, everyone still agreed that he was a great thinker. That was why we were shocked when he came to us in his final year of college and said that he was dropping out to become a clock and watch maker.

We had the typical parental reaction. A what? What are you thinking? Just finish the degree and then you can do something else. I was thinking about the plans everyone secretly had for him. Our thinker wants to work with his hands? Maybe Wally who was always tinkering and building things, but not Theo who rarely built things. But our thinker had thought it through. This was not a whim. For a while, he hadn't liked college or his major and when he started to interview for jobs, he knew that was it. He would not be happy in his field.

So our thinker thought about what kind of job he wanted. What kind of working conditions he desired. How much money he wanted to make and what kind of lifestyle he wanted to live. Then he researched to find a job that would satisfy those needs that there would always be a demand for. And he came up with clock and watch repair. He told us about his plans the day before he had an interview at the clock school. He started a week later and has never looked back. This all happened a year ago and he has totally embraced his new profession and is happier than he's ever been.

So I could say a lot of things here about following your passion or marching to the beat of your own drummer. But mostly I want to say that I admire my son for the courage he had to change the course of his life despite the unknowns. I also admire him for listening to what he really wanted and needed and not to what others wanted for him. Those are things I don't do easily. I hope that I can remember Theo's example then and again and make my life fit better who I really am.

Is change hard for you or are you excited when you try something different?