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Monday, April 20, 2015

SWEET BRIAR COTTAGE JOURNAL: PREPARATIONS

Hello dear friends! Hope you all are doing well, this April morning! We've had "hang the clothes outside" weather at last!  For us, that's a celebratory day.
We have hot water!   After a long week without it, can't tell you how thrilling it is to turn the knob and have hot water come out of the tap.  We were hit by a power surge, even though we had a surge protector on our furnace and it was designed to shut down if there was a power surge. Fried all the wires.  Just goes to show you that there are no guarantees in plumbing or in life.  At least this week provided us with some valuable lessons on preparedness.

What We Learned From A Week Without Hot Water

Well, the first and very obvious thing you learn is that hot water is pretty important!  When you have to boil your water for every dish you wash and are washing your face and hands with ice cold water you can learn to conserve on it quite a bit.  Now, as much as I abhor paper plates, I will keep a supply in my pantry for emergencies.  You'll want to keep some one-pot meals, such as soups and those meals prepared with boiling water in your pantry.  Believe me,  boiling water doesn't stay hot for very long, so you want to be able to wash up dishes quickly.  Therefore, dirty as few as you can.  So this year, as I can, I will also be thinking about canning up more meals-in-a-jar type meals.

Sponge baths are OK, but there is nothing compared to a nice long shower or a soak in a tub.  So this garage sailing  season,  I'll look for a tub that's big enough to sit in, for bathing.  You know, the kind you wash your dog in?   Imagine if there was a solar flare of EMP that they all are predicting.  How long would you want to go with out a bath?  Now I know, my limit is about one week, before I really start to feel itchy.  You can always resort to the old "dry shampoo" method of washing your hair in between baths if you have oily hair.  My girlfriends and I used to do this when we didn't have time to wash and dry our long 70s hair before a big date.  Just sprinkle some baby or talcum powder on your the top of your head, in the areas where it is oily.  Then comb  out the powder, using a comb with a piece of terry cloth (cut from an old washcloth or towel) fitted over the teeth of the comb.

Clothes can be washed in cold water.  I don't think it does as nice of a job, but when pinch comes to a shove it works.  Try to conserve on dirtying your clothes.  There's a reason why everyone wore aprons and pinafores in the olden days.  It's a lot easier to wash an apron, then an entire set of clothes.

OTHER THOUGHTS ON PREPPING

I think it is a good idea for families to every once in a while, turn off all the electrical devices, shut down the furnace or air conditioner and experience a weekend without any modern conveniences.  Just a weekend will show you areas you need to work on.  Do you have a way to prepare food and keep it?  How  can you keep warm or cool?  Do you have enough food?  Can you get water?  What are you going to do to amuse yourselves?  Fortunately for us, we live in an area where high winds take out our electricity periodically, so we have had some good  "tests", like the week in the middle of winter when we were without after an ice storm.  I've learned that while it's nice to have a fridge stocked with sandwich makings, that will not last long without electricity.  You need longer storage food.  And that food better be things you like.  Although it's possible to live on beans and rice, would you want to?   I think it's better to choose a few meals that your family likes and stock up on those ingredients, such as; tuna casserole, spaghetti, bean burritos, pancakes, etc.  Just buy what you can afford, stocking up when there's a sale or you have a few extra pennies. 

GARDENING

Gardening is another  thrifty way to stock up.  We started our garden this week, planting our lettuce, beets, peas, spinach and onions.  People often tell us that they would love to have a garden, but don't know where to start.  I always tell them to start small.  Find a sunny spot in you yard.  Remove the grass from a 3 foot by 2 foot area.  Dig down a foot or two and turn the soil.  If the soil looks sandy, buy a bag of peat and dig that in.  If you have a lot of clay, buy some sand and dig that in.  Now rake over your little plot and get it all nice a smooth.  Buy a package of lettuce seeds and plant them in a row.  Buy some tomato plants and stick them on both ends. Maybe an herb plant or two, also  Make sure you monitor your plants and water them when the soil is dry, which you can tell by sticking your finger in the soil.  Every couple of days, check to see if any weeds are coming up and pull them.  By the end of summer you should have a nice salad garden.  Once you've had success with this little garden, add on a couple of more feet to your plot. And so on.  Eventually you can become an urban homesteader.  Really gardening is not rocket science!

A SOW"S EAR OUT OF A SILK PURSE

Above is a picture of an apron I made this weekend out of a jean skirt.  I had just purchased the skirt this weekend from our local thrift shop and I adored it.  It fit perfectly, was comfy and had these nice big pockets.  Unfortunately, I only had it for a few hours, when I decided to make a very unladylike maneuver.  Well, I zigged by my skirt zagged and it tore right up the center seam!  It struck in my craw that I hadn't gotten my two dollar's worth, then I spotted an article in the latest Cappers magazine while perusing the magazines at the Tractor Supply Store about making an apron from old jeans.  So that's what I did.  Not the loveliest, but it is nice and sturdy  And those big pockets will be just the thing for holding seed packets when gardening.  So that is how I made a sow's ear out of a silk purse!

DON'T BUY IT, MAKE IT  - RECIPE FROM THE PANTRY

It is a tradition in our house to have a formal sit-down meal complete with dessert on Sundays.  The rest of the week, we might have a fly-by the- seat-of-our -pants meal, where the silverware gets place anywhere within reach and the food is scooped out of the pot and onto the dishes, but on Sunday, we take care in setting the table properly, use our fancy serving dishes, and take time to converse.   Even when times are hard, we find a way to make something for dessert.  Old-fashioned chocolate cornstarch pudding is thrifty and wholesome and if you serve it in fancy glasses it can look rather elegant.

Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding

In a medium sized heavy saucepan, combine:

2/3 C. sugar
1/4 C. cornstarch
3 tbsp. cocoa
pinch of salt

Gradually stir in 3 cups milk.  Over  medium heat, bring to a boil.  Stirring constantly for about 1 minute or until pudding starts to thicken.  Take from heat.

Stir in 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Refrigerate.

THRIFTY THINGS WE DID THIS WEEK

Aside from the usual things of eating from the pantry and hanging our laundry outside, we:

Started our garden.

Made a pair of booties from some thrifted yarn.

Turned our heat completely off for the summer.

Made an apron from a recycled skirt.

Repaired our lawnmower ourselves.

Cut our electricity usage by unplugging all our electricals in the evening.

Well that's it for this week!  Hope to see you here next week, God willing and the creek don't rise!

Jane

26 comments:

  1. How wonderful ...you have hot water! Growing up in Cartagena, Colombia, our electricity was always a bit iffy, so we learned to live with oil lamps and wash our clothes by boiling water on the stove.

    It did teach me to be prepare for any situation :0)

    Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom Jane...

    blessings,

    mari

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    1. Well that's a wonderful lesson, Mari! I think we Americans are rather naive in believing that we will never have to go through any hardships. This power surge may very well have been from a solar flare. The day it happened was the day they were most active. The plumber said he had to replace several thermostats that day also. Can you imagine if this would have happened in a large city? It pays to prepare!

      Jane

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  2. dear jane,
    hot water is really important !!! I love your washing line. your apron is a dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    last week we have had chocolate pudding,too. but i made my chocolate pudding without butter.
    have a nice week,
    love and hugs regina

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    1. I know this sounds really strange, Regina, but one of the things that drew me to this house was the clothesline. Good old sturdy steel posts set in cement. It's not going anywhere! I suppose you don't need the butter in the pudding. Just there to give it a bit of shine. You have a nice week too!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  3. Hi Jane. I just realized I was eating chocolate pudding as I read your post. ha..I have made it before with cornstarch (today I had jello brand, the type you cook...I really don't like instant). I just planted some veggie seeds this morning. Your laundry on the line looks so nice (and I bet smells so fresh) and your apron is very nice. I am so conditioned to wearing an apron that I don't feel comfortable without one! I've ruined clothes in the past when I was younger and didn't wear aprons. (sorry you ruined your skirt...but the apron is really nice). We lost power once for more than a day and I had to talk down my husband from going to a hotel. I feel home, sweet, home no matter what! Andrea

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    1. I always wear aprons too Andrea! Last summer some people stopped by our house and wanted to know about our garden. I didn't realize it but I had my apron, my usual long skirt and my hair up in a bun. The gal gave me such a look! Like I had stepped out of some re-enactment scene or something. It didn't help that I was in the middle of canning and had to excuse myself to tend to it. Anyway, after they got over their shock of our "quaintness" they became very good friends.

      Your husband sounds like my sister. she called me all upset because their electricity was out and was in such a panic. She wanted to go to a hotel too. I advised her to get a book, put her feet up and go to bed early.

      What type of veggies are you growing? I don't know why we are planting beets but the description promised that they don't have an earthy flavor. We will see!

      Hugs
      Jane

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    2. My husband reads on a kindle or ipad so he would have nothing to read even...ha.
      I planted peas, cucumbers, and green beans. Also, sunflower and morning glories. I am waiting for my pepper and tomato plants to be delivered from Burpee company. Those are the only plants I don't use seeds for. Oh, forgot, I did plant strawberries from root plants. A few weeks ago I planted cilantro, lettuce and spinach, which are popping up. I have no signs of my asparagus yet (this would be my 3rd year for them) so I am a bit worried. Soon I will pick up flower plants, but our future weather still looks cold at night!

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    3. Hmmm.... by now you'd think you'd be seeing some asparagus popping up but it's been such a strange year weatherwise, I'd give it more time. I was looking back on my blog and in past years we had asparagus by now but the ground really hasn't warmed up much yet. I definitely want to plant some sunflowers this year. Last year I didn't and I really missed them.

      Well your husband would have to read the back of the cereal box or labels. When I first moved out here we didn't have any TV, internet or radio. We also hadn't moved any books here yet or craft items. One evening I got so bored I started reading all the labels on the food. I hadn't planned on staying on here, but a mechanical problem came up and I stayed to get it fixed. I also didn't have a car, so whatever I could find to keep myself amused was all I had. It was a long two weeks until my husband picked me back up!

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    4. Yes...true about the asparagus. I am worried but I will be patient. I feel the need to be bored. I think I would have more peace of mind, and I often wish I didn't have a car at home. When we only had one car starting out, life was easier as my husband did little errands for me during the day while he was at work, during lunch. Now I have to handle everything.

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    5. Well if you really feel the need to be bored, Andrea, you should move up here where winters are so long. Cabin fever is a very real thing!

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  4. What a fabulously encouraging post! I've not a gardening bone in my body, but I think I can do that!
    Be blessed, and thanks for talking back at Harvest Lane Cottage!

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    1. You definitely can handle a little beginning garden, Laura! Now, more than ever, with the droughts and all this GMO nonsense, I think it i more important to learn how to grow your own food. I think the problem a lot of novice gardeners have, is that they start with too large of a garden, then get overwhelmed. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk!

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  5. Glad to hear your hot water is back! What a good idea to go without power for a couple of days to see if you are prepared enough. Back when I lived out in the country we had no power once for three days, not terribly long but long enough to get the hang of things, back then I was a much more prepared person as well since I lived farther from town. Now that we live in town we haven't had the power out for years, it would be a good idea to practice! I'm sure we need to update our supplies a bit. :) Love the apron you made, and I have a pudding recipe like that from my grandma, I tried it once years ago, I should try it again! Hope you have a nice week! :)

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    1. Hi April! It's always good to have a dry run.

      Pudding is the nicest way to use up the milk before it goes bad. Hope you are doing well!

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  6. Having done without hot water myself before, I know your joy at having it again. When we have to do without, is when we learn just how great some things are in our lives that we take for granted.

    What a wonderful apron and I know you'll make good use out of it.

    Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Between the two of us, Rainey, we certainly have had our fair share of plumbing problems!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  7. Hard to wash your hair in cold water!! I think I'd just put on a hat!

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    1. Yes, that's a solution too, Karen! Or maybe those scarves like Rhoda used to year on the old Mary Tyler Moore shows? Get some big hoop earrings and become a Bohemian?

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  8. In New England we regularly experienced power outages, mostly in the winter. Having a wood stove or a propane one for cooking and some minimal heat was a necessity. We are really thankful for the big wood range that was already installed in our Amish farmhouse--it even has a reservoir for heating water.
    I have several denim skirts from the charity shop, although jeans are my usual 'uniform'. I have made 2 aprons from jean skirts--both purchased for about 25 cents in a size that was too large. As for wearing the skirts, I've found that longer straight ones don't allow for striding comfortably outdoors or for much bending and working in the garden--that center seam rip will happen every time.

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    1. I have wood stove envy! When I saw your pictures of it, I was thrilled for you. My ideal home would be one big room with a harvest room off to one side with one of those nice big wood ranges.

      I know. Straight skirts are not made for country living. You can't get out of a truck in 'em!

      I don't think my husband would agree that 2 cups is enough! Between him and Jamie it never lasts long. Poor guys are so starved!

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  9. Meant to say that chocolate cornstarch pudding is a favorite here--but we need to cut back on the whipped cream! My recipe uses only 2 cups of milk--more than plenty for two people.

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  10. Snow! Good thing you kept your header picture! Ha! I'd say our weather is a month behind this spring, meaning we have an extra month of cold.

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    1. I know! Probably should change that, huh? Unfortunately, the mud season isn't very pretty!

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  11. Hi there....I found you through Lorraine.....my oh my....it appears you are a fine lady with so many talents.....I'll be here often.

    Jo

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    1. Oh! What a lovely compliment, Jo! Thank you so much! Please do stop in often and I will try to stop by your blog often, also. One can never have too many friends!

      Jane

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  12. ჱ‿

    Bom fim de semana
    com tudo de bom!!!
    Beijinhos.
    ჱ╮
    ه°ჱ~

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