I Will Not Complain

 Well, maybe I will. 

The last few years I have not had to use the a/c. This year has not been too bad until this week. The temperatures have not been too bad 30-32C. It is the humidity that is getting us down. It is making it feel like 40C.  To add insult to injury, all the fruit is ready at once. Strawberries - done. Didn’t even last a week. Hapsiks - done. Did not even get one. Saskatoons - almost done. I am on a waiting list but it’s not looking good. Raspberries are almost done. Was not expecting those till August. Mind you in this heat who feels like canning - not me. Secretly, I think I am just getting lazy in my old age.

Every day I plan out my day. It never goes as planned. In my youth with a husband that worked roughly 125 hours per week, with three kids plus daycare kids, I had a large garden plot, went out foraging, did all the usual household stuff plus the yard stuff and still had energy to pick, can and freeze. We had a well stocked cupboard. Even after I quite daycare and worked full time, I still did it all. I am not tooting my own horn. I did what was needed. My poor husband would come through the door, sit on the step to take his work boots off, then fall asleep. I was happy as a clam doing my part. 

Now it is just me. I don’t eat very much.  The Millwright’s wife does all their canning and freezing. SWMBO does enough for her and some elderly neighbours. The Golfer eats at work. At home he lives on peanut butter and banana sandwiches. The Grad does intermittent fasting so she eats later in the day. She has a discount so buys groceries from work. The boys live with mom during the week. They have a fully stocked pantry and they both cook. When at dad’s, they get SHWMBO to take them shopping for groceries they will/can cook. Oldest grandson a.k.a All things Airport eats at work or at his moms. Life is way different for me. I still get the urge to plant, pick, can, freeze, dehydrate etc but there is no sense to build up a huge pantry. It does mean that I purchase what I eat on sale and my small pantry is full so I can make whatever I feel like. I have to keep in mind that a family size meal cooked is easily 7 or 8 meals frozen for later meals.  Now I can relate to how my mom could say she was sick of cooking.  I do on occasion get the need to cook up a lot, but that need goes away fast once I think of all the work, the cleanup and where to store everything. 

I am thankful for blogs that I read which keep me on the straight and narrow of a frugal lifestyle. 

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Blessings

Jean