My grandmothers were wise, wild women and left me a legacy of "isms" that I've learned the hard way to ignore at my peril. When you become a grandmother it is your duty and your right to dispense "isms". Here are some words to the wise, and you tell me if they aren't the smartest ideas on the planet today.
1. Never leave your purse unattended. That also goes for anything important to you. If your dollars or cell phone go missing don't say you weren't warned.
2. ALWAYS keep your keys with you. Don't leave them in the car or the house because your kids or grandkids could lock you out, and that is the LEAST of your worries. The only time you should not keep your keys with you is if you are body surfing at Daytona Beach. My dad could explain that one to you. The worst mistake you can make is to leave kids and keys in a car. You could lose everything. I don't leave kids unattended. At gas stations or the post office, they go with.
3. Never give anybody your last dollar (re: bill collectors)
4. When the bill collectors approach, don't pay until you see the whites of their eyes!
5. No money leaves this house!
6. Stash your cash and ditch your trash.
7. Don't build your house in the swamp. This could apply to fault lines and the path of tornadoes, too.
8. If the kids are quiet you'd better investigate. Flour, sugar, syrup, and cake mix dampens noise.
9. Travel light through life, things are not important, people are.
Hey, what can I say? They each raised four children, who raised children, who raised children, who are raising children. Great grandma can't be wrong. I hope I get to see my grandchildren raise children one day.
Showing posts with label Simplicity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simplicity. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
New Life
The new life is really still the old life only now I'm living quietly and will much less need for material possessions. Mavis and I will still enjoy tracking down bargains to help Brain raise four active boys so we aren't suffering. My wish list is filled only with the plan for buying a good used van to travel and live out of. Most of what I have left is suitable for a mobile life, with easy to transport items.
Check out the pictures of my peaceful room in the tiny trailer I'm sharing with Mavis. I love the warm, rich tones of the old-fashioned wood paneling from the 60's. All of the furniture, bed, bedding, curtains, material, lights, wiring, and appliances were purchased for under $70 in total. The bed is a queensized blow up bed, padded with two comforters for a more bed-like feel. A white student desk and matching set of drawers is covered with a suede look cloth for a quarter, topped with a hutch to make it look more organized. The entertainment center consists of a $5 color tv plus a vcr for $10. A couple of dark pieces of material were used to cover the table with a wood board on top in the alcove. The curtain over the table hides some storage and a large combination printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine. The laptop is wireless, and is handy now when I travel in the area, for staying connected and for writing and creating. I use an inverter to keep the laptop charged while mobile. Yes, that's a dremel on the top shelf of the hutch which I use for making jewelry. It's great for burring, buffing, and drilling. There is a book on edible plants, a big nalgene bottle of water, and a stapler. Generally, I keep most items out of view unless I'm using them
The three light fixture is perfect for making jewelry on the parsons table next to it. I also use the parsons table to set up a light box and take pictures of items I sell on Ebay. It may seem close to the bed, but I use the bed to sit while I'm creating. I can see the entertainment center from that position so I don't have to miss any part of my favorite soap operas (tic). The little table to the right is an end table for the bed plus it is the perfect place to display my jewelry making parts and findings in a pretty set of organizers I got from Jo-Annes s while ago. They are a nice touch because they represent my passion to create jewelry and make me happy to see them. I'll often relax on my bed at night and pick through the parts to come up with ideas for the next day's work. The black shelves are right outside the door, in the hallway. I display things that I enjoy there, plus books I'm currently reading.
Check out the pictures of my peaceful room in the tiny trailer I'm sharing with Mavis. I love the warm, rich tones of the old-fashioned wood paneling from the 60's. All of the furniture, bed, bedding, curtains, material, lights, wiring, and appliances were purchased for under $70 in total. The bed is a queensized blow up bed, padded with two comforters for a more bed-like feel. A white student desk and matching set of drawers is covered with a suede look cloth for a quarter, topped with a hutch to make it look more organized. The entertainment center consists of a $5 color tv plus a vcr for $10. A couple of dark pieces of material were used to cover the table with a wood board on top in the alcove. The curtain over the table hides some storage and a large combination printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine. The laptop is wireless, and is handy now when I travel in the area, for staying connected and for writing and creating. I use an inverter to keep the laptop charged while mobile. Yes, that's a dremel on the top shelf of the hutch which I use for making jewelry. It's great for burring, buffing, and drilling. There is a book on edible plants, a big nalgene bottle of water, and a stapler. Generally, I keep most items out of view unless I'm using them
The three light fixture is perfect for making jewelry on the parsons table next to it. I also use the parsons table to set up a light box and take pictures of items I sell on Ebay. It may seem close to the bed, but I use the bed to sit while I'm creating. I can see the entertainment center from that position so I don't have to miss any part of my favorite soap operas (tic). The little table to the right is an end table for the bed plus it is the perfect place to display my jewelry making parts and findings in a pretty set of organizers I got from Jo-Annes s while ago. They are a nice touch because they represent my passion to create jewelry and make me happy to see them. I'll often relax on my bed at night and pick through the parts to come up with ideas for the next day's work. The black shelves are right outside the door, in the hallway. I display things that I enjoy there, plus books I'm currently reading.
The wall behind the bed could use some work. If I'm energetic I may find a nice cloth cover to staple up and make it look nicer. I really don't feel the need to remove the wallpaper to prep and paint, or anything like that. If we are still here in a few months, I'll think about it. We are possibly moving into a slightly larger trailer with two bedrooms that each have their own bathroom. That would be ideal. For now, this is fine. We are both neat and orderly in our habits.
I hung a bright green sheet in the hallway to provide an extension of the room that holds in my AC while giving both of us more privacy. The doors are sliders and they are fine but I thought this would benefit the feng shui. I should have posted a picture of the wonderful built-in closet and drawers. It's like living in an RV. I love it!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Letting Go
This morning Mavis was awakened around noon by the UPS driver delivering the DSL modem and filters. I was awakened by the smell of her toast burning, so we managed to meet with our cups of coffee in the common area. We watched most of "All My Children", our favorite soap opera. We talked about the process both of us have gone through to let go of the idea that we have to spring out of bed exhausted and attend to a never-ending series of tasks and worry about everything we say or do and the repercussions all day long. Egads! Did we ever really live that way? The life of a single mother is just like that. You are the last to be hired, the first to be let go at work, while statistically being the most reliable employee an employer can acquire. You are beholden to everybody, your kids, your hex, your family, social services, your employers, your landlord, and even the neighbors. I managed it by becoming successful enough to get a secluded house in the burbs, while she gave the boys to her husband and said "good luck to you, my friend." He was retired from the Army and had the time and income to deal with very energetic and conniving pre-teens, while she worked two jobs to get on her feet. We have been through the wringer. I'm so glad I turned my back on the madness, and even forgive myself for sleeping past noon today.
Around 3:00 am last night I was still awake, mainly because I slept until 11:00 am yesterday. I just turned out the lights and rolled over, and proceeded to fantasize a survival scenario until I fell asleep. Now I'm ready to incorporate the fantasy in my book. But first I need to make some jewelry to fill Ebay orders that came in overnight. My little room here in the tiny trailer is very comfortable, but there are a few more things I'd like to acquire to make it more organized. So I'll finish the jewelry and go on some liesurely errands. In fact, I'd like to go play trivia, so I need to look up some places in the area. It's time I make this place my home for awhile. I figure on settling here until my new grandchild is born, and just working as little as possible as I take day trips in the area. First it needs to cool down. It's hot outside!
My expenses now are less than $500 a month, really less. I include $225 for shelter, electric, cable, and DSL, $36 for a life insurance policy, $60 for full coverage on my hoopty car (which is paid for and well-maintained), $70 a month for auto maintenance and fuel, $100 for food, and a little bit for toiletries. That is easily made in a week of selling on Ebay, and all the rest of my income goes into savings for my van and van dwelling plans. Of course I spend more than $500, but that is when I have made extra by selling things I no longer need. I sold a PC software game that I no longer use and am using the $26 I made on that to find materials to block off my alcove to look like an armoire or built-in closet with curtains. It's all about the feng shui of hiding the electronics and the clutter. I like clean lines and bare surfaces. Pictures are coming soon! Oh, and all the materials will either stay while I'm traveling or can be incorporated in my van, one day.
Around 3:00 am last night I was still awake, mainly because I slept until 11:00 am yesterday. I just turned out the lights and rolled over, and proceeded to fantasize a survival scenario until I fell asleep. Now I'm ready to incorporate the fantasy in my book. But first I need to make some jewelry to fill Ebay orders that came in overnight. My little room here in the tiny trailer is very comfortable, but there are a few more things I'd like to acquire to make it more organized. So I'll finish the jewelry and go on some liesurely errands. In fact, I'd like to go play trivia, so I need to look up some places in the area. It's time I make this place my home for awhile. I figure on settling here until my new grandchild is born, and just working as little as possible as I take day trips in the area. First it needs to cool down. It's hot outside!
My expenses now are less than $500 a month, really less. I include $225 for shelter, electric, cable, and DSL, $36 for a life insurance policy, $60 for full coverage on my hoopty car (which is paid for and well-maintained), $70 a month for auto maintenance and fuel, $100 for food, and a little bit for toiletries. That is easily made in a week of selling on Ebay, and all the rest of my income goes into savings for my van and van dwelling plans. Of course I spend more than $500, but that is when I have made extra by selling things I no longer need. I sold a PC software game that I no longer use and am using the $26 I made on that to find materials to block off my alcove to look like an armoire or built-in closet with curtains. It's all about the feng shui of hiding the electronics and the clutter. I like clean lines and bare surfaces. Pictures are coming soon! Oh, and all the materials will either stay while I'm traveling or can be incorporated in my van, one day.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Being
Today was spent merely "being", so I'm officially a Human Being and not a Human Doing anymore. It took a lot of self-searching to change into a Human Being because a Human Doing is very much addicted to being busy and I am really good at busy. Is is very hard to give that up and merely "be". It is all falling into place in my mind regarding a van dweller's life because in my spirit I am already there. It must be the ultra-lightweight backpacker in me, as I schemed and plotted to reduce my base pack. I had to go through the steps where I realized that I can truly survive with what I can carry on my back. Obviously, I'm going to be a Human Doing again, but hopefully this time it will happen because I want it to, not because I feel that is the only way to survive.
Someone reading my blog e-mailed to ask for my Ebay information in order to see my jewelry. I wish I could oblige, but from a privacy and safety standpoint it is better that I keep my business life separate from my on-line journal. I've been trying to e-mail that message back to the inquirer, but my internet connection keeps saying that my e-mail server is not available. The bottom line is that my Ebay customers might not approve if they knew I was traveling, while my writings may generate interest that could potentially jeopardize my income. So, I advise anyone who posts a blog to keep their privacy and safety in mind. Even my picture is one where I cleaned up nicely, but at work you wouldn't recognize me because I scrape my wild, wild hair back and wear librarian glasses and dress very conservatively. Unless I clean up like that again, you wouldn't recognize me from my picture. As a woman alone in the world I have to take my personal safety seriously. In any case, I have posted recent pictures of my jewelry, and will post other pieces as the mood strikes me.
What I would like to leave with any reader is the idea that they too could develop a business that could sustain them in an alternative lifestyle. I may not be making the kind of money I once did as a consultant, but I practice one important thing that I've learned. Do something you love to do, and do the least amount of work you can get away with to make your passion into something that earns income. I am careful, I don't invest much, and I spend frugally. When I make jewelry I am remaking beautiful pieces from discarded items I find at thrift stores, yard sales, dumpster diving, and flea markets. I reuse everything that I can. My friend Mavis is getting a charm bracelet that is made entirely of her departed mother's trinkets and costume jewelry that she normally wouldn't wear. I'll post a picture of that when we are done adding to it. It is a bracelet that can be worn or displayed as art. See? I'm passionate about it, I love to do it, and it incorporates my desire to recycle and live frugally. It also takes my mind of a dreadful accident case and the legal shenanigans that go along with it.
As my mission in life, it is my intent to pass along the message of simplicity. A single cup on a table that is otherwise empty is more beautiful than a hundred things lining a shelf. A bed with a single blanket is more peaceful than a room decorated by a designer. A blog where I can get it down to a paragraph a day is the desired goal. But, hey! I'm practicing! Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will my new life be built in less time than it will take for me to thunk it all out on my keyboard.
>^;^<
Someone reading my blog e-mailed to ask for my Ebay information in order to see my jewelry. I wish I could oblige, but from a privacy and safety standpoint it is better that I keep my business life separate from my on-line journal. I've been trying to e-mail that message back to the inquirer, but my internet connection keeps saying that my e-mail server is not available. The bottom line is that my Ebay customers might not approve if they knew I was traveling, while my writings may generate interest that could potentially jeopardize my income. So, I advise anyone who posts a blog to keep their privacy and safety in mind. Even my picture is one where I cleaned up nicely, but at work you wouldn't recognize me because I scrape my wild, wild hair back and wear librarian glasses and dress very conservatively. Unless I clean up like that again, you wouldn't recognize me from my picture. As a woman alone in the world I have to take my personal safety seriously. In any case, I have posted recent pictures of my jewelry, and will post other pieces as the mood strikes me.
What I would like to leave with any reader is the idea that they too could develop a business that could sustain them in an alternative lifestyle. I may not be making the kind of money I once did as a consultant, but I practice one important thing that I've learned. Do something you love to do, and do the least amount of work you can get away with to make your passion into something that earns income. I am careful, I don't invest much, and I spend frugally. When I make jewelry I am remaking beautiful pieces from discarded items I find at thrift stores, yard sales, dumpster diving, and flea markets. I reuse everything that I can. My friend Mavis is getting a charm bracelet that is made entirely of her departed mother's trinkets and costume jewelry that she normally wouldn't wear. I'll post a picture of that when we are done adding to it. It is a bracelet that can be worn or displayed as art. See? I'm passionate about it, I love to do it, and it incorporates my desire to recycle and live frugally. It also takes my mind of a dreadful accident case and the legal shenanigans that go along with it.
As my mission in life, it is my intent to pass along the message of simplicity. A single cup on a table that is otherwise empty is more beautiful than a hundred things lining a shelf. A bed with a single blanket is more peaceful than a room decorated by a designer. A blog where I can get it down to a paragraph a day is the desired goal. But, hey! I'm practicing! Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will my new life be built in less time than it will take for me to thunk it all out on my keyboard.
>^;^<
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