A couple of nights ago, our power went out.
Normally, this would be no big deal. But we happen to be in the middle of a monstrous heat wave, and even though it was only an hour before midnight when the power cut out, the house was still oppressively hot, and outside was not much better.
But, it turned out to be a great time. We called the power company to report the outage, went to CVS to pick up some cold drinks, and then came back and sat on our front step with our upstairs neighbors, our next-door neighbors, and another neighbor from down the street who we had never met before.
We stayed out there for nearly three hours waiting for the power to come back on, dripping with sweat, choked with heat, but having a great time. We met several of our neighbors who we'd never spoken with before, because as soon as everyone's fans and window air conditioners went off (none of the houses in our area have central air), it was too hot to keep sleeping and they all took to their porches and sidewalks.
I remember spending a lot of summer nights outside on porches when I was a kid, or hanging out in basements, garages, and even under bushes to keep cool. Sometimes I sort of regret having air conditioning because it tempts us so strongly to stay inside all the time instead of getting out, getting used to the heat, and slowing down a little bit.
Would you ever consider getting rid of air conditioning in the summer?
Oak Park Hates Veggies
My post today is not about cooking, crafting, or sewing (although I've been up to all of those things lately!)
No. Instead, I'd like to tell you about a unique little blog I found. You see, the city of Oak Park, MI is prosecuting a woman there for growing organic vegetables in her front lawn. She claims that she isn't violating city code--they claim that she is, and that it is illegal for her to grow food on her own property where others can see it.
I encourage you to read her blog, do some research on your own, and draw your own conclusions. And if, as I hope, you draw the same conclusions that I did, I also encourage you to join me in contacting the city of Oak Park* to make sure they know that we find it unacceptable to punish a law-abiding citizen for making healthy choices on behalf of her family.
* in a polite and non-threatening way, of course!
No. Instead, I'd like to tell you about a unique little blog I found. You see, the city of Oak Park, MI is prosecuting a woman there for growing organic vegetables in her front lawn. She claims that she isn't violating city code--they claim that she is, and that it is illegal for her to grow food on her own property where others can see it.
I encourage you to read her blog, do some research on your own, and draw your own conclusions. And if, as I hope, you draw the same conclusions that I did, I also encourage you to join me in contacting the city of Oak Park* to make sure they know that we find it unacceptable to punish a law-abiding citizen for making healthy choices on behalf of her family.
* in a polite and non-threatening way, of course!
Menu Planner
I really like to have meals planned out advance, even if it's just something like "chicken on this day, beef on that day," et cetera.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw this awesome menu planner tutorial. I included both the first one I found, at our perfectly imperfect life, and the one that inspired that, at Thirty Handmade Days.
As you can see, the menu planner (made of a decorated cork board) uses clips for each day so that meals can be rearranged on a weekly basis. It features envelopes for recipe cards and to hold a selection of meal choices to be pinned up.
I think this is such a cool idea, especially if you can find a cork board secondhand where it often costs only a couple of dollars. And, of course, there's no end to the styles or colors you can use. The only limit is your imagination and your materials.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw this awesome menu planner tutorial. I included both the first one I found, at our perfectly imperfect life, and the one that inspired that, at Thirty Handmade Days.
As you can see, the menu planner (made of a decorated cork board) uses clips for each day so that meals can be rearranged on a weekly basis. It features envelopes for recipe cards and to hold a selection of meal choices to be pinned up.
I think this is such a cool idea, especially if you can find a cork board secondhand where it often costs only a couple of dollars. And, of course, there's no end to the styles or colors you can use. The only limit is your imagination and your materials.
Recipe: Peach Custard Pie
As it so often seems to happen around here, this recipe was so delicious that we gobbled it down before I remembered to take a pretty picture of the result. I did, however, find a pretty picture of fresh peaches!
And hey, the lack of a picture of the pie has got to be a good recommendation for it, right?
And hey, the lack of a picture of the pie has got to be a good recommendation for it, right?
Why Keep Eating Poison?
GMO crops, conventionally grown corn and soybeans chief among them, can be found in a huge proportion of our foods these days. It's one of the big reasons that Mr. Scrimp and I changed our eating habits. We became convinced that we were eating foods that had been contaminated with poison.
A report at the Huffington Post now tells me that we were right, and I only wish we had run away screaming from conventionally grown food even sooner. You see, those GMO crops have been modified to be resistant to the weed killer RoundUp. They get sprayed with it again and again throughout the growing season. It cuts down weeds and increases crop production.
It also causes birth defects in mammals, and that has been kept secret from the public for quite a long time now.
I know there are readers of the blog who have maintained that Mr. Scrimp and I are overly concerned about GMO foods and conventionally grown vegetables. I hope this makes you reconsider.
A report at the Huffington Post now tells me that we were right, and I only wish we had run away screaming from conventionally grown food even sooner. You see, those GMO crops have been modified to be resistant to the weed killer RoundUp. They get sprayed with it again and again throughout the growing season. It cuts down weeds and increases crop production.
It also causes birth defects in mammals, and that has been kept secret from the public for quite a long time now.
I know there are readers of the blog who have maintained that Mr. Scrimp and I are overly concerned about GMO foods and conventionally grown vegetables. I hope this makes you reconsider.
Mrs. Beeton's Household Management
Have you heard of Mrs. Beeton? In the 19th century, Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management was the Victorian homekeeper's bible.
You can find the entire text online here. It's worth a read, if only for a chuckle over the way things have changed. The book is primarily a cookbook, but also opines at some length about social conventions, visiting, managing servants, and caring for invalids.
I mention it because I read a quote from the aforementioned Mrs. Beeton in which she said, "What moved me, in the first instance, to attempt a work like this, was the discomfort and suffering which I had seen brought upon men and women by household mismanagement. I have always thought that there is no more fruitful source of family discontent than a housewife's badly-cooked dinners and untidy ways."
Obviously the blame for this no longer lies just at the feet of the housewife. But I'm curious to know, readers, do you think that bad dinners and an untidy house are a source of "family discontent"? Domestic stress? Mr. Scrimp and I certainly seem to have a much better time when things are really clean and organized.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
 |
| That is one intense book jacket. |
You can find the entire text online here. It's worth a read, if only for a chuckle over the way things have changed. The book is primarily a cookbook, but also opines at some length about social conventions, visiting, managing servants, and caring for invalids.
I mention it because I read a quote from the aforementioned Mrs. Beeton in which she said, "What moved me, in the first instance, to attempt a work like this, was the discomfort and suffering which I had seen brought upon men and women by household mismanagement. I have always thought that there is no more fruitful source of family discontent than a housewife's badly-cooked dinners and untidy ways."
Obviously the blame for this no longer lies just at the feet of the housewife. But I'm curious to know, readers, do you think that bad dinners and an untidy house are a source of "family discontent"? Domestic stress? Mr. Scrimp and I certainly seem to have a much better time when things are really clean and organized.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Chicago: Whaaaaaaaaat?
The other day, I saw this article about a school in Chicago that has decided to ban all lunches brought from home by students unless the student has an allergy or other excused medical condition. I like that what is basically a total ban is here referred to as "some lunches banned."
I know this is really not the sort of thing I typically write about here, but I am furious to read this! I understand--the school is trying to ensure that kids are eating healthy meals. But they're losing a golden opportunity to be proactive about not only educating their students but the families of those students.
Don't ban lunches from home. Give nutrition classes. At least come up with food that tastes good, as the fallout from the project at the school seems to be a vast number of children simply throwing their food away and going hungry because the food isn't even good.
Require nutrition class. I and many others will back you up. Better yet, teach Home Economics to all high schoolers. Do it for all four years, even. Make damn sure that children graduating today know not only how to plan and prepare nutritious food, but also balance a checkbook, plan a budget, and take care of themselves. By serving bad-tasting food in the name of health, all you're doing is teaching children that healthy food has to taste bad. By requiring students to eat at a cafeteria without the option of bringing food from home--yes. You're stopping some students from eating McDonald's every day for lunch. But you're also teaching the lesson that you aren't responsible for your own diet, health, and welfare.
Is that really a lesson we want to support?
I know this is really not the sort of thing I typically write about here, but I am furious to read this! I understand--the school is trying to ensure that kids are eating healthy meals. But they're losing a golden opportunity to be proactive about not only educating their students but the families of those students.
Don't ban lunches from home. Give nutrition classes. At least come up with food that tastes good, as the fallout from the project at the school seems to be a vast number of children simply throwing their food away and going hungry because the food isn't even good.
Require nutrition class. I and many others will back you up. Better yet, teach Home Economics to all high schoolers. Do it for all four years, even. Make damn sure that children graduating today know not only how to plan and prepare nutritious food, but also balance a checkbook, plan a budget, and take care of themselves. By serving bad-tasting food in the name of health, all you're doing is teaching children that healthy food has to taste bad. By requiring students to eat at a cafeteria without the option of bringing food from home--yes. You're stopping some students from eating McDonald's every day for lunch. But you're also teaching the lesson that you aren't responsible for your own diet, health, and welfare.
Is that really a lesson we want to support?
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