(Middle-Age) Adventures In Poverty

2014-01-02T17:57:00.002-05:00

It's 2014!!!!
Another year has come and gone.....

My road has taken another unexpected turn......

My boys and I moved in with another family right before Christmas. I was in an unhealthy relationship that was taking its toll on me. So here I go again......only now I am 41, almost 42. I realize the older I get the harder life becomes.

The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare in Disguise?

2013-10-27T10:17:00.004-04:00

The Hollow Crown is a story of family, politics and power. The film tells the tale of the rise and fall of three Kings and how their destiny shaped our history. Richard II is a self-indulgent, vain man who rules with little regard for his people’s welfare. Richard II is overthrown by his cousin Bolingbroke who ascends the throne as Henry IV. Henry IV’s reign is scarred by his own guilt over Richard’s death, civil war, and the fear that his son Hal is a total deadbeat. When Hal comes to the throne as Henry V he is left to bury the ghosts of his father’s past while dealing with his own demons.

The BBC The Hollow Crown adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V concentrates too much on Henry as king and excludes some of the comical moments to maintain focus on the seriousness of war. The production has a high profile cast and wonderful cinematography with beautiful landscapes, however the dedication to Shakespeare is lacking. Henry V is a history play and attention must be on the war. Still we need to remember what makes Shakespeare so great; he infuses comedy into everything from love to war. That comedy is what allows us to relax so we are unprepared for the shock Shakespeare has in store for us.

The final series of the B.B.C’s Hollow Crown season begins at the end showing Henry V with the death of its protagonist. Henry is dead with his loved ones around him as Chorus transports the audience back in time presenting the newly crowned king. Despite his youth Henry has clearly shed his irresponsible ways and matured to cope with his new responsibilities. This adaptation does not focus just on the brave heroics of the king, but rather the demands and necessity of a good leader and war. Unfortunately this message is not delivered well. Hollow Crown Henry V was a disappointment which did not nearly reach the standard of its predecessors. There is not much competition for filmed Richard IIs or Henry IVs, but to follow in the footsteps of not only Laurence Olivier, but also Kenneth Branagh's 1989 film is daunting task.

It was not the play that was the problem- it has political intrigue, romance, heroism, battle scenes, acts of courage and emotional poignancy to make a first rate Drama, but very little comic relief. There have been wonderful adaptations of it in the past, most notably Kenneth Branagh's 1989 version. However, the casting, quality of acting and editing of the BBC The Hollow Crown version created a disjointed and rather dry adaptation. Many of the characters seemed to have lacked depth, and simply delivered their lines without sounding like their heart was really in it. There was little feeling or emotion in this version as there is in Branagh's. A deeper seriousness is felt in the three preceding plays of The Hollow Crown. Although a real disappointment was Falstaff who for the most part simply seemed not funny. He sounded like an unhinged old man talking to himself when he delivered the soliloquies that were meant to give insights into his character. His mumbled speech lacked definition to give his message the boisterous and comical delivery that Shakespeare intended. Simon Beale as Falstaff was nowhere near as entertaining as Shakespeare portrayed him. Even the famous Crispin's Day speech (`We Few we happy few') did not feel at all moving or inspiring, and the humorous scenes and interludes failed to deliver any comic relief. The famous speeches are not delivered to the masses Henry goes to France, he is addressing only a few individuals. While this creates sincerity when presenting a king that is not governed by his passions or prone to great shows of theatrics. Instead, Henry remains largely composed throughout the play. Henry does not react to the Dauphin’s tennis ball taunt with rage, but responds in a soft voice, suggesting a king who is in control of his emotions. In contrast, Dauphin’s anger when faced with the English messenger signals his own immaturity. The brutalities of war are shown but glorification or patriotism is downplayed heavily. The adaptation concentrates sharply on Henry as a king avoiding attention on the lower characters and plots not essential to the play. The comic moments are subdued adding to the seriousness and reality of war. The Welsh captain Fluellen taking great pride in the discipline of the army is not mocked he is admired. Henry does not take the opportunity to play a harmless trick after the victory either. Instead he takes it upon himself to present the glove of the solider he quarreled with the previous night. Despite the scenes of slaughtered bodies strewn across muddy fields once the battle has ended, Henry( although thankful) does not take any glory from the victory. The action moves on swiftly to Henry wooing Katherine in search of a resolution to prolong the peace. While the cruel murder of Falstaff’s boy does not occur he does witness murder up close symbolizing the loss of innocence that war incites. This epitomizes the message of kingship at the heart of this adaptation Henry V’s story is not of the underdog’s victory. It is a journey from rebellious youth to responsible maturity.

The filmmakers cut out a number of scenes and passages: including the Southampton Plot when three nobles were discovered to have planned to kill King Henry before he left for France. This scene was arguably important in its depiction of Henry's character development as it shows he was capable of making tough and even painful decisions to protect his kingdom and the harsh reality for kings as well as showing that there was opposition to him. Henry's two brothers Humphrey Duke of Gloucester and John Duke of Bedford (formerly John of Lancaster in Henry IV) are absent from this version for unknown reasons. Though Bedford's absence can be historically justified because he was not at Agincourt, his brother Gloucester was.
Despite his sibling's absence Henry is still heard to say 'we are in God's hand brother' after treating with the French herald, a line originally delivered in response to Gloucester's stating he hoped that the French would not come upon the English too soon, when his brother is not even there. Instead the Duke of York, a minor character with only a few lines in the original play replaces them in a prominent role, constantly appearing as something like the King's 'right hand man' and sometimes seemingly being given other characters' lines or roles, undoubtedly to stress the importance of the role of King. It was the King's uncle the Duke of Exeter that Pistol asked Llewellyn to intercede with to stop Bardolph being hanged in the original play and for some reason in this version York is the one who is responsible for this. Finally events surrounding the killing of the prisoners at Agincourt (which was cut out of Branagh's version) did not seem to be well portrayed. It is shown that Henry feared the French would regroup and make a fresh attack so then Henry gives the order to kill the prisoners, but all we see are three French knights riding by not enough to pose a threat. The whole scene is doubtful especially when Henry refers to the French knights still riding over the field when only he and a few English soldiers are visible.

The beginning and final scene of The Hollow Crown featuring Henry's funeral seemed to help to round off the story and give the audience a sense of finality as well as letting them know what happened to Henry. Chorus' closing speech recounting the loss of France and demise of the Lancastrian dynasty gave the ending a poignantly tragic note but not enough make up for the deficiencies of the rest of the play. You search in vain for the fun and fury through a play spoken in Franglais (French and English words) and expect boisterous good humor as the tale of Hal-turned-Harry's rise to king only to be strewn along a king/war focused adaptation that omits the humor and lacks the character delivery of comic relief so valuable to Shakespeare’s plays.

http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/hollow-crown-henry-v-bbc-two?page=0,1

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00s90hz/episodes/guide

By Stacy Tyo ENG 640: Shakespeare Spring 2013

Tough Choices for Farmers Weather in the Strawberry Fields

2013-10-27T10:13:00.001-04:00

Tough Choices for Farmers

Weather in the Strawberry Fields

Stacy Tyo

Granite State ECO 512

September 2013

The weather affects people every day in their daily plans and in safety. One area that weather plays big a role that is not typically considered is in food supplies. Consumers go to the store and get what they want so easily. The prices fluctuate and if some consumers really want a product they purchase it regardless of price. Other consumers will forgo an item if it reaches a certain price. Thought is generally not given to what a producer must endure before they can supply consumers with a product. Two recent articles touched on the battle strawberry farmers had this past season when the weather conditions were in-line for optimal growth of the fruit.

Perfect weather conditions forced strawberry growers in Queensland Australia to destroy more crops than they harvested. Instead of a steady growth of strawberries all season long the farmers received their entire crop at one time. This unwanted occurrence placed the farmers in a difficult position. Over 200 strawberry farmers with literally millions of strawberry plants producing all at once meant a flood of the market. Farmers struggled with the decision to plow under a majority of their crop in order to get what was fresh to the market on time. In addition farmers attempted to plant new strawberries to balance out the rest of the season. This risky move requires a lot from Mother Nature as far as the remainder of the strawberry season is concerned. Combine this with other variables such as new competition in the market and the fact that farmers could only stand by and watch the prices drop drastically. Not only can the weather conspire to control the “end price” for the grower but supermarket chains decide the growers’ profits by the price they pay. This occurrence resulted in the 2013 strawberry season recording a 30 year low for berry prices.

The farmers are producing strawberries which are a product. The farmers are selling their strawberries to supermarkets for money. The supply or quantity producers sell in 2013 varied greatly from last year due a supply shifter in this case: the all at once arrival of the crop. The supply curve can be seen when comparing each year quantities and timing of the strawberry harvest. In 2013 the supply schedule was not spread out as evenly as it had been in previous years. In the past consumers were able to purchase limited fresh berries each week at relatively the same- ( higher than 2013) but steady prices. Supermarkets accommodated the flood of strawberries. However with the abundance of potentially rotting fruit the prices went down. PED was apparent by the consumer’s response to the lower prices, again the delicacy of the product made any chance of profit to the farmers small. The farmers did what they could to supply consumers with a product. The farmers knew that they could not pay the labor with the money that they would make by selling an over abundance of their product at one time. Essentially the farmers would pay labor for 5 times as long to harvest 5 times as much fruit and sell the fruit for 5 times less money. The example of PES did not favor the producers. The farmer’s response to the price change was disappointing to the farmers who supply the produce and a benefit to the consumers who purchased the fruit at a 30 year low. Here is also an example of how the delicacy of a product affects the law of supply. When the fruit was priced higher in previous years the quantity was steady. Again when the fruit prices were lower the supply was higher, which breaks the law of supply. Perishables must fall into an exception category and possibly have a different set of laws of economics? In the case of the strawberry farmer producing more at one time means less profit.

Elizabeth Marx, September 16, 2013 Bumper Crop not so Sweet as Growers Destroy Berries

Queensland Ink- The Currier Mail http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx

Sandra Godwin, September 11, 2013 Strawberry Glut Hits Prices

Weekly Times http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2013/09/11/582541_horticulture.html

Whitcher Road renovation

2013-10-27T10:03:00.001-04:00

If and when this house is torn down by any person now living or anyone yet to be born this little card is to say that I hope you don’t have the fun, trouble expense and experiences I had when I built (it). I bought this land, cleared the woods, dug cellar, erected this little home for my children to live in. I wonder if they will ever appreciate the fact.

I am not a carpenter, being a painter by trade. Building this by what little I know. So don’t make to much fun of my work. I have 3 children living now.

Alice Mae Jennings Age 12

Robert Donald 8

Richard Arthur 7

Pearl Jennings 30 my wife

I wonder what things will come until this card is found, in this country.

This card is left by the builder and owner P. G. “Buster” Jennings 1938

The card was found during a bedroom/bathroom renovation in September 2013

75 years later

Women of The American Revolution

2013-10-27T10:01:00.002-04:00

During the revolution women led a very different life than females today. The role of a women began the day she was born. Girls were almost always educated at home with the emphasis on being raised to be good wives and mothers. Female literacy was valued for; religious instruction-the Bible, for reading information regarding household affairs, for providing children with basic education, and that was it. Any property and earnings of a married woman belonged to her husband. A husband was legally entitled to hire out his wife for work and collect all of her wages. A man had the legal right to beat on his wife and children. But not permanently disable or kill them. Women did not have the right to leave their husbands. The husband however could place ads in newspapers if they ran away. Divorce was almost non-existent. When divorces were granted the father almost always got custody of the children. Husbands and wives incapable of living peacefully together sometimes mutually agreed upon separate live sometimes living in different households. It was considered completely inappropriate for a woman to address men publicly, like in a speech or sermon.

The women counted on the men in their lives for survival, whether they were fathers, brothers or husbands. During the war the women were expected to take on roles beyond their means. Thousands of women served in the Continental army during the War for Independence as: nurses, cooks, washer women, ammunition runners and water carriers (see pic above). It is not truly known how many women fired artillery or were even in combat positions. During the revolution women found that they were valuable outside the home and many gained a new perspective on life and more importantly they gained confidence that led to change for all women.

Stacy

21st Century Agriculture Robots on the Farm

2013-10-27T09:59:00.002-04:00

21^st Century Agriculture

Robots on the Farm

Granite State ECO 512

Farmers are enlisting the help of robots to take the place of human laborers on the farm.Technology is a part of our everyday life. Most of us have a smart phone that can tell us anything we want to know at a push of a button. Robots are already in some of our homes, like the Roomba, can vacuum or mop our floors by themselves and are priced within reach. Manufacturing has been utilizing technology to save on production and productivity costs for decades. Humans have been pushing buttons and guiding large computer programmed machinery for quite some time. Manufacturing jobs require only a few employees instead of the many that were needed before technology was available. Now, in the 21^st century, technology is taking a big step into farms and onto our kitchen tables.

Farmers are turning to robots to remedy labor shortages and decrease production costs. With rising productivity costs robots could be the answer. A study of lettuce picking Ag-Bots proved that one robot can do the work of 20 farm workers. The Ag-Bot could potentially, “ provide relief from recent labour shortages, lessen the unknowns of immigration reform, even reduce costs, increase quality and yield a more consistent product” (Gosia Wozniacka and Terence Chea, 2013). This new trend would drastically change the labor productivity in the favor of the farmer’s wallet. Ag-Bots are being offered with a 12-24 month payback period (Sander Olsen and Joe Jones, 2011) which is a productivity cost that has piqued the interest of many farmers. Robots, unlike human farm workers, obviously do not require; paychecks, work breaks or insurances. However regular maintenance is required and the Ag-Bots are still being tweaked for their inattentiveness to ripeness and the careful selection process of the produce to be harvested. The Ag-Bots may offer an edge to farmers as the farmers are always on a schedule that revolves around timing- ripening and harvesting. Here production in the short run is constant in farming. The window for harvest is crucial to the per worker production function, the workers must be efficient and work quickly and accurately or the produce will spoil and the farmers receive no money yet they still must pay the farm workers. Whereas the robots require no pay and are able to manage the short run demand of the ripening process. Again caution is given to the robots disadvantages, they are: somewhat clumsy and are yet to differentiate ripe produce from unripe or spoiled produce. Some produce is highly sensitive to bruising which is not ideal for the consumer at the point of purchase.

While this trend could be beneficial for current farmers, new emerging farmers may not have the training or experience to start the business with robots. This could create a barrier to entry. Robots on the farm could be the edge some big competitive farmers have been waiting for. Here is their chance to offer fresh produce quickly to the masses. The labor productivity costs after the initial pay off could mean lower prices and an oligopoly where the farmers with a robotic edge determine the prices of produce. The potential lower prices could put some farmers out of business.

The benefits of Robots on the farm will outweigh the initial disadvantages in profits on paper (Sander Olsen and Joe Jones, 2011). However the ethical debate looms regarding job loss and the effect on the economy. From a business standpoint all the arrows seem to point to an increased profit for the farm owner. It is probably inevitable, the 21^st century may see robots in more unlikely places than the farm field.

Gosia Wozniacka and Terence Chea, 2013, Agricultural robots could revolutionize fresh market fruit, veggie production, ease labour woes

The Associated Press The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION Retrieved from: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/agricultural-robots-could-revolutionize-fresh-market-fruit-veggie-production-ease-labour-woes-215479201.html

Sander Olsen and Joe Jones, 2011, A discussion: Robots could transform agricultural industry Retrieved from: http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/12/robots-could-transform-agriculture.html

Carved In Stone Book Review

2013-10-27T09:56:00.000-04:00

Carved in Stone

The Artistry of Early New England Gravestones

There is something eerily stimulating about thumbing through, Carved in Stone (Gilson, T.E. & Gilson, W., 2012, University Press of New England) the book of photos of New England gravestones by Thomas E. Gilson, with an essay on their history and style by William Gilson. The Gilson brothers were born and raised in Connecticut. Thomas Gilson taught photography in Vermont for 17 years. What started as a curious hobby of T. Gilson turned out to be a compilation of early colonial American history in photographs. In his book Gilson shows us colonial American sculpture in its earliest form. The stories the pictures tell share not only the hardships and fears of colonial times but also hope and accomplishments. The essay written by William Gilson shares a common desire to understand not only the messages and symbols carved into the stones but also pay tribute to the artwork of the carvers.

As a society we are squeamish when discussing death, yet we sentimentalize death with depictions of angels, soft light and our idea of heaven. The men and women of 17th and 18^th century New England viewed death with a fear that is seen on their gravestones. Skeletons, teeth-baring devils and skulls with eerie eye sockets tell of uncertainty and dread about what really lies beyond this mortal soil. Interestingly they did not waste any space on their gravestones with such euphemisms as “passed away” or “gone” as we see on later and present day stones.

The early settlers of New England lived in a place and time where death was always present. Disease and violence were present on a daily basis. They feared hell and the eternal damnation of their souls. It is no wonder that so many of their gravestones reflected the anxiety of living in a harsh, unpredictable world. “O! [Relentless] Death” is an inscription on one gravestone shown in the book (Gilson, 2012 pp110), and it reads like a cry of despair. Still not all the gravestones are so gloomy or the depictions on them as grim. Although the Puritans’ held stern ideas against human weakness and sin there was hope that a more glorious and generous world that awaited them after death. Many Puritan gravestones show a “Death Head” or a carved face or skull with wings on either side of the head. This symbol states the soul is ascending to heaven, and the occupant was a believer in heaven.

Eventually, as Puritanism waned in the early 18th century, the Death's Head imagery faded and new carvings of cherubs (symbolizing a child) and then later to urns with weeping willows over them, representing the mourning of the loss of life. Some of the headstones show rising suns(Gilson, 2012 pp 22,81), their light presumably shining on the dead; angel faces that are neither male nor female but still sweet and childlike (Gilson, 2012 pp 34,35) and crude faces that look like the stone heads of Easter Island(Gilson, 2012 pp112). In one remarkable carving(Gilson, 2012 pp 44), a young woman wearing her hair down on her shoulders, not pinned up or hidden behind a cap, holds a flower. Even carved in stone she radiates with life. In a period of; crude medical treatments, chronic wasting diseases, short life expectancies and a high mortality rate the promise of an after-life without pain or suffering must have seemed like true salvation. Some of the carvings are not as sophisticated, they have had a rough life different from the modern, polished headstones. These were tough and judgmental people who fought for survival and their gravestones reflect their unbending spirit.

Thomas Gilson’s black and white photographs are elegant and show unexpected and humorous details in the carvings and the texts written on the gravestones. William Gilson’s text is nostalgic and thoughtful. Thomas’ photography and William’s essay about gravestones offers an unexpected journey into the spiritual and mental state of colonial American people. While both pay tribute to the craftsman who created these story-telling sculptures by compiling this book they also feed a curiosity for death that is as timeless as death itself.

Puritans: A Time of Change

2013-10-27T09:51:00.004-04:00

Puritans

A Time of Change

HIST 602 Midterm

Stacy Tyo

Oct 2013

The Puritan beliefs were one of many religious based prompts of the American Revolution and a turning point for the change in Puritan ideals. The Puritans firm old fashioned beliefs in hard work and self denial (Goodbeer, 2005) made them unapproachable to many as the turmoil of the times weighed on the colonists. The Puritan belief was dwindling by the mid 1600s. Many things contributed to this: a life filled with strict by-the-bible living, and constant sessions of self doubt of their worthiness to their God. The deaths of Puritan leaders, political isolation from other members of their church in England, and the rise of business were also factors. This put a strain on the community as a whole and finally led to the end of Puritan beliefs in New England. Many colonists maintained a longing for a fuller sense of freedom from and the Puritans passiveness for retaliation against England and their handling of the witch trials did not appeal to the colonists over time. The Puritans added fuel to a fire that was already burning. The American Revolution was grouped in a series of events that led to a significant break in the Puritan heritage.

Puritans were people determined to change the church. To do this the Puritans believed they must eliminate long standing church practices such as bowing at the name of Jesus and making the sign of the cross at a baptism. They did away with celebrating Christmas and Easter (Carp, Defiance of the Patriots). They also believed that clergy should have an extensive education and be able to marry (Gaustad, 2005). Puritans felt that Bishops were not Pastors and extradition from the church should be based on spiritual grounds not politics (Gaustad, 2005). Puritans were also Calvinists (believed in predestination) and especially attracted England’s economically depressed people.

The Puritans left England seeking to make changes freely and recruit followers. After many hardships during their first few years in the colonies the Puritan survivors finally became successful. Starting in 1630 John Winthrop led thirty thousand Puritans to settle in the Massachusetts Bay Colony which later became Boston (Gaustad, 2005). Winthrop and most of the other Puritans had experienced a religious conversion. With their conversion they were able to become church members, vote, and own property. Their form of government had elected leaders such as Winthrop who made decisions with the advice of magistrates and the clergy. The Puritan system of congregational church government did lead way to democracy in political government. Although among the Puritans it was understood that the entire purpose of government was to enforce God’s laws. People who disobeyed the authority of the Puritan clergy in Massachusetts Bay were subject to punishments such as; fines, floggings, banishment and death.

By 1660 Puritans were seeing a continuing decline of commitment within the congregations. Many of the people emigrating from England were not joining churches. Boston and many other communities were becoming more secular and the people were more materialistic. Puritan leaders were able to hold the reigns of peace steady until the English crown was no longer worn by a Puritan. One of the biggest blows to long standing church members was the decision to revoke the Massachusetts Bay Charter which put all land being held by the colonists under the control of the King (http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h572.html). In 1686 the King appointed a royal governor of Massachusetts. This angered the Puritans because the newly appointed governor authorized religious toleration for all Protestant churches, including the hated Quakers, not just the Puritan congregational churches (Carp, 2010). The governor brought with him Anglican clergy and many members of the Church of England. The loss of the Charter and the arrival of a new governor, they had not elected, brought Puritan control of the region to an end. In 1689 when news arrived of a new King of England, the Puritan leaders arrested the governor and sent him to England where he was released. For a short time it appeared that the leadership was again in the hands of the Puritans. Although it was not long before another royal governor would arrive in New England and the Puritans were again weakening in strength and numbers.

There was yet another episode in the downfall of the Puritan way and that was the witchcraft trials and executions in the summer of 1692 (Goodbeer, 2005). Throughout the history of the colony there had regularly been accusations of witchcraft but these cases were usually handled quietly and effectively. Life for the Puritans was a struggle between God and Satan. This belief made Puritans conscious of supernatural forces in their everyday lives. If a thunderbolt struck a church it was interpreted as a sign from the devil. If diseases killed the Indians this was seen as the will of God (Goodbeer, 2005). The Puritan clergy did not discourage this belief in the presence of Satan and evil spirits because they were influenced by the supernatural. Satan was believed to function by taking possession of individuals. Once that had happened they were called witches. Witches supposedly tormented and weakened the good intentions of the faithful. Puritan leaders attempted get rid of witchcraft at its very first signs but were not always successful. The Salem witchcraft trials were put in place to properly punish people for using witchcraft (Goodbeer, 2005). These trials were the result of unsettled social and religious conditions in Massachusetts as the colony was rapidly evolving. During the Salem witchcraft trials most of those accused as witches were property owning women (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm). The Salem “witch hunt” in 1692 was opposed by the more responsible members of the clergy. Even with some opposition if they failed to drive Satan out of an alleged witch the witch was hanged. The clergy would conduct an investigation and then usually send the accused to be examined by another minister in another parish. During this time the accusers often reconsidered their accusations that often came from personal or financial conflicts. With a small number of exceptions charges were usually dropped. In the case witchcraft in Salem the conflicts among neighbors and families, economic and political disputes, anxiety among the young people, gender conflicts, and a growing class division with the clergy and leading figures on one side and the poor on the other all fed into the drama. The many problems of the previous two decades made for an uneasy atmosphere that generated fear and paranoia. During the Salem witch trials magistrates had excluded the clergy who had always handled witchcraft charges from participating in the investigation. In the three years that followed families of the victims sued officials and won their cases and nearly all soon recognized what a catastrophe had occurred (Goodbeer, 2005). Several public officials made public apologies. But by 1695, there was little left of the Puritan society.

The American Revolution was a pot readying to boil over. There were many factors in the break from the Puritan heritage in addition to the American Revolution. The Puritans left England only to find more hardships in the New World. While they had their glory days they were short lived. The many events the Puritans endured; changing of rule in England, opposition to their core beliefs, the witch trials and finally the power of the ever changing New World overtook the Puritans. Although they were ready to fight they were forced to abandon much of their heritage.

Bibliography

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h572.html

Carp, B. (2010). Defiance of the Patriots. Yale University Press.

Gaustad, E. (2005). Roger Williams. New York: Oxford Press.

Goodbeer, R. (2005). Escaping Salem. New York: Oxford University Press.

....almost September

2013-08-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

Here it is...Labor Day weekened starts in a matter of hours. I find myself preparing to send off my two young sons (ages 8-12) to school. My four college courses start in 11days, I am working only Wednesdays and feeling like I am not going to be busy enough.....

Not busy enough?? Why does that sound so silly? So why am I panicking?

No poet here

2012-08-04T10:25:00.002-04:00

hear the mountains cry
longing for days gone by
regret and sorrow
for what is missed
--------------------------------------------
change and progress have replaced
the quiet calm of the highland space
hate for change is the pain
future is the only gain
longing for days gone by
respect is lost...
forgotten
why?

What exactly is 40 like?

2012-08-04T10:20:00.000-04:00

What exactly is 40 like?

I have asked this question for five years...

...I have received answers like;
-no different from 30
-everything goes downhill
-40 will be whatever you make it to be
-you will feel the same, but you will look different

Well...so far they are all right... some days I feel 30..some days I feel 12!

Many of my days being 40 have been complete disasters..no different from the 39 years leading up to turning 40.

On strong good days I still can make my day turn out the way I want it to, my attitude is what makes all the difference.

Sure I look different on the outside...in some ways I think I look better than I ever have.

My answer to the question; What exactly is 40 like?

When you are 40 your confidence level is elevated to a place where, when aligned with a positive attitude, you will feel great from the inside and that will show on the outside..... younger people will wonder what you are up to. Older people will smile and secretly whisper "welcome, this is the most fulfilling time in your life."

Thanks For Stopping by.........

2011-05-04T13:58:00.000-04:00

Hi Facebook friends and others......
Blogging is easy. I was a novice computer operator using dial up when I started this blog years ago. I encourage you to start your own blog (send me a link please) and share your thoughts, ideas, hobby, recipes and so on.

But first....read on.......................

Bloggin' From The Camp House

2011-03-29T13:43:00.000-04:00

I charged up my laptop only to discover I am at 87% battery. This is the first time a laptop computer has been to camp. There is an unwritten rule of no electronics at camp…..but I am a blogger so therefore I must blog

Things are cooking at camp. Literally, with both woodstoves running the temperature is almost 80 degrees!
Here I am out in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire! During the winter months camp is only accessible with snowshoes or a track runner. Maybe a snow machine if the snow is just right. Good thing we have access to all three. There is no electricity, or running water at camp. We use a gas refrigerator and stove. Gaslights allow for late night board games. An old wood cook stove and a barrel-type stove provide plenty of heat. Camp is small, consisting of 2 rooms on as many floors. A counter separates the kitchen area from the dining/living/sleeping area. The three built in seating quarters double as beds. Upstairs, if you can manage yourself up the 30 degree ladder, houses a oversized king bed, table, chair, dresser and a chamber pot complete with a remarkably comfy wood seat. Most of the time when nature calls we trek out the side door 20 feet or so to the outhouse. It is a nice little two seater with a urinal. Three people could actually use the outhouse at one time. To my knowledge that has never happened. When my daughter comes to camp she insists someone (me) goes with her to the privy and if I am going out there I may as well use my time wisely. The seats are back to back so the designer had some modesty in mind. The surroundings at camp are just as pleasant inside as they are outside. The interior is mostly wood with a few areas of roughly spackled white walls. There are 4 entry doors each one hand made with a unique wood pattern. Windows cover most of the wall surface. Twenty windows grace the main floor plus three more windows in the doors. An unusual porthole window offers a peek to the outdoors on the west side. The upstairs has a rather unusually large round window with six petal shape windows surrounding the inner circle. The detail in the window trim work is exquisite. Not including the previously mentioned window, the upstairs boasts as many windows as the main floor.

We arrived on a Wednesday and will depart two days later on Friday. These few days at camp will consist of; walking the loop that the boys make with the snowmobile, sledding, snowmobiling, knitting, reading and deep conversation that only seems to happen at camp. I have often thought that camp is so very relaxing it lends itself nicely to helping one find a deeper connection with themselves. My family talks a lot. We enjoy debates and discussion, even a good healthy argument now and then. However our “camp talks” are different, they are deeper. When we are at home it seems as thought there is always something waiting that needs to be done. Those thoughts of impending tasks take up space in our heads and don’t allow for the level of clarity required to have a thoughtful conversation as a family. Even if only one of us is distracted the conversation loses it’s focus. At camp there is hardly ever anything that has to be done by a certain time. In the evening with the supper mess all around us we sit and talk and talk, as if we haven’t seen each other in years. Camp talk is interesting and stimulating and one of the many features I look forward to when coming to camp.

As you sit by the woodstove and look west the mountains of Vermont fill the skyline. Winter offers the best view in my opinion. Every day the view changes. Spots on the mountainside that were bare become covered with snow or the reverse happens as the snow melts and white covered areas slowly become bare. At night the few homes on the hillside light up. Over the past ten years I have noticed more lights on the hillside and bigger bare spots as people move north and build their homes. Camp is roughly ten minutes from town and only a mile or so from a small store but it feels like you’re a hundred miles from anyone when you are here. As I look out the window a see the homes miles away I realize that the secret must be out. I imagine within the next ten years the view will be littered with new construction. As long as we don’t get any close abutters if that happens we might consider another move to a camp further up North. Although that would mean a Canadian citizenship.

Times They Are A Changin’............ Still

2011-03-29T13:32:00.001-04:00

a passage from my Memoirs ....if I , in fact, had Memoirs

As I get older I see the past more clearly. Throughout grade school and into my teen years I enjoyed a self centered life style. I listened to the music I chose, hung out with a hand picked group of friends, I watched the movies I selected and so on. Most of my young life I made the majority of my everyday decisions. Sure my parents decided what was for supper most days and the education system planned the majority of my weekdays. But still I controlled my social life and my free time.

In my house there was not set chores. My Mother kept an immaculate house. She collected primitive antiques that were strategically placed throughout our home. She was a work-from-home Mom and enjoyed decorating. I guess she enjoyed cleaning too. Aside from cleaning the small half bath that I used I cannot recall ever cleaning any other part of the house. Occasionally I would tidy my bedroom and I may have vacuumed my room annually, but seriously that was it. If the wood box was empty you would be asked to fill it. When the eggs needed to be collected you were told to collect them. I honestly cannot recall having any set chores or real responsibilities as a child and teen.

My biggest dilemma was deciding what to do with my time. I did not have any real hobbies or interest that consumed my free time. Exposure to hobbies and interest was minimal in the late seventies and early eighties. Basically I saw my Mother; work her flower garden, create craft gifts and decorations, bake and preserve food, play cards and endlessly rearrange all the furnishings in our home. My Mother’s list is now part of my adult life. Although as a young girl I did not find any of her hobbies remotely interesting. Instead I would play by myself or occasionally with my neighbor. As a pre-teen I spent countless hours listening to music and reading. Television viewing was limited to three channels, two of which were very fuzzy. Outdoor time was also kept to a minimum for no other reason than nobody in my family spent a lot of time outdoors.

While I found many play activities engaging I never experienced any real fun until I discovered boys. My first encounter was Michael Jackson- yes, the singer, songwriter, dancer Michael Jackson. I listened to his music and longed for the feelings he expressed in his music. I never missed an episode of The Dukes of Hazard and imagined Bo Duke was my boyfriend and I could almost feel the exhilaration of my imaginary relationship. As a 11-13 year-old my character was in a peak stage for formation and I was filling it with Michael Jackson and Bo Duke. My body was changing and I was aware that boys looked at me with interest.

Remember all the free time, well as a tween a majority of my free time is “alone” free time. I didn’t need a sitter which I very seldom ever had and I was now old enough to stay home alone. Can you see a problem brewing here?

If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times! Send your 0-10 year-olds to a sitter and live it up, or work and squirrel away the money, BUT once your child hits age 11 and through age 18 STAY HOME and STAY AWARE! This is when your child needs you the most.

My Mother was home and I was a really good quiet kid who had a lot of free time. So when I was old enough my parents gave me all kinds of freedom. The problem is that I had accidentally subliminally altered my character through music and TV. Not just Michael Jackson and Bo Duke my music collection expanded and my tape deck ran non-stop. TV shows that I watched included Dallas and Falcon Crest. What I was putting in my head mutated into something very unhealthy. I had no real responsibilities at home therefore I felt I could do whatever I wanted. I had nothing to lose. Why not? I always did what I wanted and nothing ever happened. So off I went to junior high and met up with a new group of friends and well, continued to do as I please. And if there was a boy involved that made it all the more exciting…no matter who the boy was. I had the power! Well my grades were bad, really bad. I failed seventh grade and went to summer school and guess what? I met another boy, older, nicer, even cute! Summer school wasn’t a punishment, it was an opportunity.

Through all this my parents didn’t have a clue what was going on. Lying was easy because I had been so good that they believed everything I said, they never checked my stories. I literally had no conscience. I couldn’t see how anything I was doing could possibly hurt anyone else. I was having fun, how could anything go wrong. I also had no morals, values or an iota of good character. I basically turned into an actress in order to do what I wanted to do.

Fast forward 25 years. I now understand clearly what happened to me. It wasn’t my parents fault and it wasn’t my fault. Times were changing quickly when I was growing up. The home computer was being introduced, information was being shared more efficiently than ever before and music and TV was beginning it’s search for shock value. Morals, values and respectable character were on their way out. Society was teetering on the edge of right and wrong, pushing all the limits like never before.

My parents didn’t have a chance, they couldn’t see it coming. The impending doom of a need it now, will do anything for it world. What we call in instant society today. I see it and I hope you do to. I have been a parent for 22 years now, with my first child born when I was a teen. As a parent of 11-18 year-olds we need to stay on top of everything. Music, for example, leaves a strong impression on children and teens. In our house we listen to mostly classical music, we always have so it doesn’t seem weird to the kids. Whether we are in the car or the house radio we keep it fairly consistent. The two youngest boys (6 and 10) both play the violin and the older son also plays piano. Occasionally we put on some Johnny Cash or similar artists and we discuss the stories that were put to song. We talk about what we like about the sounds and how they make us feel. We stress the importance of what sounds we put into our heads and how those sounds can change how we feel if we let them. We remind them that ultimately they are in control of their feelings and their actions. I was exposed to music on the school bus and by my school friends. We home-school so we have eliminated most of the outside factors of impressionable music. Our ten year-old has asked for an MP3 player and we have casually declined stating the ear buds are not good for his still developing ear drums. Fact or not it will buy us some time. When the time comes we will listen to the music before they buy it and brings it into our home. We have laid a firm foundation pertaining to music so they clearly know what is acceptable and what is not.

Television has been fairly easy for us as we choose not to have cable or a TV that gets any channels. We can watch movies which we enjoy doing every other month or so. We go to a neighbor to watch the Super Bowl and every year my husband and I are more shocked than the year before when we see the commercials. Go Daddy seems to at the top of the list for innuendo and promiscuity. The amount of ads that contain violence or pure lack of moral judgment and restraint are plentiful. This past year I cannot recall one decent ad. I secretly wish my neighbor would mute the TV during the commercials, or better yet turn the thing off! But then I would have nothing to offer during all the Super Bowl ad conversations that seem to linger on for weeks.

One hobby or interest we share as a family is reading. Our family reads, reads, reads. Books that my ten year-old reads I read and sometimes my mother-in-law will also read. We all have at least one book going at any given time. Books create easy discussions and lend themselves to healthy debates about morals and values as well as practicing restraint. However books also require some necessary preview before children of certain ages read them. I’ll admit I have never banned a book, but there have been some that made me uneasy. My daughter read romance novels in a day when she was 13. Adult romance novels……but we talked about them and I made it clear that the books were fiction, written for entertainment and not to be taken seriously. She still reads adult romance novels, sometimes a book a day, she is almost 23, been married for two years and is expecting her first baby this summer. In addition to reading our family hobbies include; snowmobiling, hiking, crafting, entertaining, drawing, skiing, bike riding, camping and farming. Most of which we do together as a family when our daily chores are done. Get some hobbies and get with your kids! You can be the major influence in your child's formation....not TV, not music, not society YOU!

We DID it!! and so CAN YOU!!!

2010-07-30T07:41:00.001-04:00

We reached our goal of being debt free in ten years.
Both myself and my husband had college loan debt (totaling over $25,000.00)when we met. Neither one of us had a credit card when we first met but we were swept away by the convincing mailings for low or no interest cards so we got a few (4). And before we knew it we were in (close to 6 figures) debt! 9 years ago we both worked 2 jobs and never seemed to put a dent in our debt. We were working hard making money and we knew how to spend it, we even saved a little. But what we didn't know was how to MANAGE our money. So we stayed in debt and our debt got bigger and bigger. Sleepless night and high stress prompted us to change. Finally we had enough and "the plan" was born. We made a budget and a savings plan. We projected where we wanted to be financially by 2010. A long ways away from where we were in 2002. It seemed impossible but our desire to work less and spend time as a family far outweighed our desire to hold a big mortgage on a high maintenance home and expensive automobiles. So we stayed as focused as we could. Expenses we didn't anticipated came up often seemingly sabotaging our plans, we would get mad and discouraged. One of us would want to throw in the towel and give up and the other one would remain persistent and positive.
It felt as if we started over at least 20 times over the past 8+ years. Most of the time I felt hopeless and impoverished. Then someone would come along and have a much worse story than mine to tell. A good friend filed for bankruptcy, another friend lost her young daughter tragically and other very upsetting stories. So then we would count our blessings and pass the blame on to the society we live in for making us want big expensive things. The temptation is everywhere TV, radio, billboards, mailings, catalogs, friends, neighbors and family members all tempting us to want more, need more. Having more would mean one would have to work more and be away from your family more. Hmmmmm.... that would mean also my family would have more time to be influenced by society to want and have more " things ". See the cycle here?
So we swam against the tide and we did it! We hold only a small land mortgage and we have enough cash to put a hefty down payment on a nice, low maintenance house. We have a 2006 car that is paid for, no college loans, credit cards and no unsecured debt! Mr BusyMomatHome works full time and I am a homemaker and a homeschooling Mom. We sleep great at night and I do not worry about money. I get a certain amount of cash each week for gas, groceries and other things and that is all I spend. The rest of the paycheck goes into the bank and when we want to buy something we have the money and pay cash.
Debt Free living was HARD to do, we made a lot of mistakes and we went without a lot to get to this point. Now we feel like we can have and do whatever we want, the only difference is we pay cash and we really think and plan every expenditure. In return we feel really good about every cent that leaves us. Spending cash and obtaining control over your own money is quite liberating !

Read This Book!!! Get it FREE from your library...of corse.

2010-07-26T09:45:00.000-04:00

Below is a book reveiw that pertains to living within your means and shopping locally.

Small Is Possible

Life in a Local Economy

By Lyle Estill

Copyright 2008

ISBN 978-0-86571-603-2

320 ESTILL (Abbott Library Sunapee, NH)

Questions:

1- What is the book about ? Essentially what question is the book asking and answering?

2- How does the author attempt to convince/lead you?

3- Entertainment factor?

4-Bonus positives?

5- Bonus negatives?

6- Overall Rating (5 Star scale)

* = 20% good 80% waste of time

** = 40% good 60% waste of time

*** = 60% good 40% waste of time

You get it…and ½ * = 10*

Choosing this book only involved scanning the non-fiction shelves at the Abbott Library for something to read. The words Local Economy on the spine of the book got me first, second was the size of the book. At 227 pages this soft cover text looked like an easy read.

Is local self-reliance possible? Lyle Estill says “yes.” According to the author the process however can be cumbersome and may require you to move to Chatham County South Carolina. In addition to pulling up your roots obtainment of this almost utopian society of self-sustainment involves family money, immersing yourself with like-minded people, endless talent and skill or the means to hire a lot of people with endless talent and skill. Oh, and you need to be a likable, smooth talker with a plentiful knowledge of civics. With this checklist in hand you are now ready to become self-sustaining.

OR…. You can take only what you need from this book, which is what I did. Lyle touches briefly on economic re-development, feeding, housing, fueling, financing, educating, healing, entertaining, and governing OURSELVES.

Lyle begins the story with personal information about life in his town. He quickly winds you through the curvy roads of his life to bring you to his present day in a local economy. Chatham County has a number of co-ops, and a lot of arts and culture. The towns are sparsely dotted with general stores, mom and pop shops, antique stores and the like with a majority owned by a local person that the author has some tellable tale of friendship with. The main local industry he tells about is biodiesel, because Lyle is The Lyle Estill, Biodiesel Guru.

Lyle was born and raised in Canada and has located himself in South Carolina. He has family money to back him up at every turn, he buys every “little” or “up and coming” local business he comes in contact with. From a internet company to a hydroponics greenhouse Lyle buys all or in-on many local companies and houses them in one grand location near his home. Employees are local and or relocated to town. There is ping pong, volleyball, a garden and fresh air at the work place. Workday leisure is important and napping IS allowed. Lyle takes the reader over a cliff as far as what we think of as a “normal workplace“ and he spends little time convincing us that it works. The proof is apparent in the entirety of the book. He carries the reader briefly through his own thoughts with somewhat of an attention deficit disorder type process. Not entirely bad just a bit of jumping around and a boat load of name dropping that in order to remember who is who requires some note taking from the reader.

The book is entertaining in parts. Lyle has a good sense of humor and inserts laughs in appropriate places with an odd randomness that qualifies as ADD. Classify this book as an informational book? No, I would disagree. Inspirational would be a better word. Inspirational as long as you are not easily discouraged. Not all of us have family money, can up and move, are business minded …and so on…Want to try to change your local economy where you are? This is not really a book to walk you through that process either. The only valuable tid-bit Lyle offers is to encourage people to learn Civics. When people understand local government that is when they become involved in local government, agreed.

I left the finished book with a little bit of readers remorse-and wanting a bit more from the author. I know Lyle holds more of the formula to self- sustaining and local economy than he has shared in this book. Overall I enjoyed the reading as a source of hope and entertainment. In all fairness he has written other books and I will check out his books before I hound him on Facebook.

Casual Reader Rating *** 3 stars. I do like this book, I am glad I read it and I feel I have taken away information that is valuable to my life. 1-2-3-stars. Why not 5 stars, well the fact that in his book Lyle offers some of his services pertaining to his local businesses for free and soon finds himself valuable and making a fair profit in the end is not surprising (under practiced in my world). He just doesn’t expand enough on how the average Jane-or Joe- can put his method of work-for-free, get people involved, become valuable, make people want to pay, then charge a reasonable price -into practice to obtain the general message of his writing which is becoming self-sustaining in a local economy. Lyle needed to offer me more facts and how-to information, he obviously has that knowledge why not share it. By the way Lyle drives a convertible Mercedes and yes it runs on biodeisel but my question, how much of his purchase money stayed local?

One Step Closer

2010-05-18T18:16:00.000-04:00

The goal of self sufficiency gets closer each day. The plan has been to rid ourselves of as many monthly bills as possible. To date we have eliminated all credit cards. I must say it is very liberating to know that we do not have any credit cards. We navigate on a cash only basis. We have one car payment and two cars. The Pacifica has a $9,000.00 payoff and we will pay that off by July 1. Our student loans total $15,000.00 and will also be paid off by July 1.

Remaining large monthly payments will be our mortgage and a land payment. Totaling (with excess paid monthly on both principles) $2,100month $25,200 year

Additional monthly bills :

Gas 40 (480 year)

Oil 20 (240 year)

Electrical 80 (960 year)

Landline phone 30 (360 year)

Music lessons 125 (1500 year)

Camps 20 (240 year)

Museum membership 12.50 (150 year)

Fitness gym 30 (360 year)

Wood FREE main heating and hot water source

Auto gas, ins, maintenance 160 (1920 year)

Groceries 325 (3900 year)

Gifts mostly homemade 60 (720 year)

TOTALS $902.50 month ($10,830.00 year)

GRAND TOTAL $3002.50 month ($36,030.00 year)

If you are wondering how to pay off big bills I can offer you our strategy. First we made a budget based on what we wanted pay off or to SAVE, not the amount of money we made. This is huge. As Americans we are taught to spend according to what we make and what we can obtain through loans. This method of spending is wrong and only puts the consumer in debt and the producer (BIG BOX STORES, AUTO MAKERS, BANKS…..) gets richer. We looked at the car payment and our student loans as the immediate burden. Could we save $24,000.00 in less than a year? The answer was yes, but….we would need to manage our money very closely. We paid our monthly SL and car payments and put our tax return and $1500-$2000 a month away. Some months we put away more money some months less money. The goal was to pay these two bills off in March. We slipped up here and there, we underestimated heating costs and had some unexpected expenses but we didn’t let that get us down. We kept our goal in sight. By July 1 we will have $24,000.00 to pay off those bills.

Why not pay extra each month instead of balloon payments? This is personal choice. We were fueled by watching our money grow. It depends on what gets you fired up. Seeing my husband work so hard and sending all that money out the door each month just didn’t fit us. We needed to see the fruits of our labors. Would we do it that way again? We are hoping we never have monthly loan payments. We do not intend on ever taking out another auto loan. With our surplus income we are planning on making car payments to ourselves and when we reach the dollar amount we need to purchase a car we will take our pillowcase of cash and buy a car. We have already proven to ourselves that we can save.

What is missing? Cell phone…I am blessed in this area, my daughter put me on her plan and she pays the monthly bill. She generously provides me with a cell phone because she knows I would not have a cell phone otherwise. I don’t feel as if I need a cell phone. My parents and grandparents survived without a cell phone - and quite frankly the phone can be a disruptive bother that I can easily do without. Cable and internet? I put cable and internet together because to me they are one of the same. They both provide endless hours of mindless entertainment. Internet and cable both can be used constructively of course. One can search the internet for facts and recipes, read money saving blogs and the like. Cable can be educational and informative. However the ratio of informative viewing on either to the ratio of entertainment viewing is quite low. On average Americans watch 5 hours of television every day- with the bulk of their viewing being mindless entertainment. $130.00 a month for cable and internet! NO thank you. Internet is free at my local library and if I am not feeling social or the library is closed I sit in my car in the parking lot and upload my blog entries and check my e-mail and face book.---For FREE! At first it was a pain but like most things you get used to it and I really enjoy saving money. Besides cable would be a waste of money for us because we do not own a TV.

What about eating out and other frivolous spending? We eat out on average once a month. We are able to do this because I thrift store shop and consign a lot of clothes. Being a stay at home- school at home mom lends itself to saving money. One thrift store allows you to fill a paper bag with items for a $3.00 donation. Many times I find wonderful clothes for myself or family members and occasionally I find a beautiful Banana Republic skirt in pristine condition that is destined for a quick $5.00 in my pocket from the local consignment shop where it will sell for a fast $10.00. I have made my money back plus a $2.00 profit. Find 20-30 items in a month to consign and we have made the $50-$60 needed to go out to dinner without messing with the family budget. I must say that we like eating out but we don’t LOVE eating out. I enjoy cooking and have learned over the years that good home cooking beats restaurant food every time. All of out best meals have been at home. I contribute that to the fact that I do not work outside of the home. I have plenty of time to plan meals, shop for the ingredients and then leisurely prepare the meal.

All in all the way you decide to live your life and spend your money is ultimately your choice. I would caution you though…if your lifestyle reflects your neighbors and your neighbors neighbor and so on…is it really your choice? Or have you essentially conformed to a producer based theory of spending? Rather than a consumer based theory of saving and pay cash as you go?

One last thought… Which sounds better to you?

Pay off your current car loan. Keep your paid off car and continue to make car payments to yourself . In 3 years have enough cash to buy a factory left over or a low mileage used car of your liking. Pay cash and eliminate the interest! Pay cash and really dicker with the salesman and get the car you want at a low price. Walk away with a car you own!! No payments!

Or perpetually make car loan AND INTEREST payments. Pay thousands of dollars more for a car than it is worth. You are lining someone else pocket with your hard earned money………

It’s hard to change - we have been taught this Producer based theory all of our lives…….It is time for the consumer theory of spending our cash (not loaned cash with interest) they way we choose.

All I Want Is ONE uninterrupted shower...........

2010-05-12T13:46:00.000-04:00

I did not take a shower on Mother’s Day. I wasn’t terribly dirty anyway, but I do enjoy a daily shower. Whether it be a quick sprinkle or a long steamy rinse a daily shower is sometimes the only peaceful part of my day.

For the past 22 years I have been ultimately responsible for a young tender child. My youngest is now 5 years old. He is learning, some days quicker than others, how to politely interrupt conversations and activities. However he has not fully grasped the concept of my daily shower time. We have addressed this many times over the years. I have always told my children you may interrupt someone when they are using the bathroom ONLY if there is an emergency. As a family we have reviewed what exactly constitutes an emergency-many times over. Still there is a knock at the bathroom door just as I lather up, my heart momentarily sinks into my big toe as my mind runs wild with every possible gruesome emergency it can produce. My 5 year-old pops his head around the bathroom door and inaudibly mumbles something. I continue to panic and ask him “Is there an emergency!” “no” he replies “it’s just that……” “OUT!” I yell “we will talk when I am out of the bathroom!”. I am cranky now….cranky, cranky, cranky. My peaceful moment for the day has been stolen yet again.

Over the years I have prepared my mind for just such a daily occurrence. Sometimes while showering my mind enters a peaceful bliss and I completely forget there are children on the other side of the door. Only to be yanked back to reality by a young voice asking if he can have a banana! Occasionally I can get all the way through a shower uninterrupted but I have yet to make it all the way through the drying off and dressing process with out someone needing something immediate from me.

Prior to my daily shower I have planned activities for my kids and there has been relentless reminders. I have tried everything I can think of to remedy this situation even the desperate abusing of the time out chair. My child came to the bathroom to ask “When can I get out of time-out?”

The decision was made years ago that I would not shower on my Day, to avoid any signs of Cranky Mommy Syndrome on Mother’s Day. I will continue this practice until my boys finally “get it” and by then my grandchildren will be around to take my children’s place. I can almost hear their sweet voices now “Grammie can I have a banana?”

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2010-05-09T16:13:00.000-04:00

COLUMBUS'S MOTHER: I don't care what you've discovered, Christopher. You could have written.

MICHELANGELO'S MOTHER: Mike, can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?

NAPOLEON'S MOTHER: All right, Napoleon. If you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, then take your hand out of there and prove it.

GOLDILOCKS'S MOTHER: I've got a bill here for a broken chair from the Bear family. Do you know anything about this Goldie?

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S MOTHER: But, Albert, it's your senior picture. Can't you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something...?

THOMAS EDISON'S MOTHER: Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!

HUMPTY DUMPTY'S MOTHER: Humpty, If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? No!

Another Day

2010-03-23T14:29:00.000-04:00

Another day......politics, family crisis.....hope will prevail...it has too, sometimes it is all we have.

Another week, another $75.00

2010-03-21T16:06:00.000-04:00

My family of four - two boys still at home ages 9 and 5- my husband and myself eat very well on a weekly budget of $75.00. In addition to lowering our food bill we also save by meal sharing. One night every other week we eat at our in-laws and on the weeks in between they come to our home for dinner. Basically we trade off, one night a week we eat at their home and the next week one night they eat at our home. This meal share has been fairly consistent for the past 5 years. Meal sharing does save money. On the night that my in-laws are joining us for dinner I cook a little extra and usually there is still leftovers. On the nights we go to their home for dinner I do not have to cook obviously, and I am saving time and gas/electricity. it’s a great way to stay in touch and could be exercised with not only family but with friends as well.

This Weeks Groceries and Menu

Meat

Beef Brisket 5.24
Bacon 3.99
Bnls Breast 3.60
Bnls Breast 3.55

Deli

Turkey Ham 2.67
Provolone 1.64

Produce

Strawberries 2.00
Green Peppers 2.86
GS Apples 2.76
3 Romaine Hearts 2.29
Oranges x4 2.05
5 Cucumbers 1.99
5LB Potatoes 1.99
Tangerines x4 1.91
Celery 1.49
1.95 lb onions 1.29
5.78 lb bananas 2.07
3.51 lb cabbage 1.37

Dairy

1 gal Milk 2.39
Butter 1.99
2 doz eggs 2.58

Grocery

Peanut Butter 2.50
Mint Tea 2.50
Quick Oats 2.00
Pancake Mix 2.00 (1.45 with coupon)
Raisins 2.79
Honey Nut Oats 1.50
5 lb Flour 1.99
Baking Mix 1.99
Syrup 1.69
Powdered sugar 1.59
2 whole wheat bread 2.78
Shrimp Ramen .25
Macaroni .69

TOTAL $75.44

Breakfast

Cereal
Toast
Oatmeal
Eggs
Pancakes

Lunch

PB & J
Ham & Cheese
Egg Salad
Dinner leftovers

Dinner

Corned Beef & Cabbage, Irish soda bread (St. Patrick’s Day is this week)
Bacon wrapped chicken, potatoes, salad
Bacon and carrot quiche (homemade pie crust) Asian cabbage salad
Chicken soup, cucumber salad, homemade bread
Stuffed peppers, leftover Asian cabbage salad
Macaroni, veggies and Parmesan, homemade bread
Left-overs and/or freezer fare ( aka ground beef recipe)

Dessert

Homemade Blueberry pie
No-bake cookies
Sweet bread
Oatmeal-raisen cookies

Snacks

Apples
Bananas
Oranges
Tangerines
Cookies
Carrots
Celery
Pepper Strips

Drinks

Water (we drink a lot of water)
Milk
Tea
Coffee

2010-03-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

Everyone Pitches In

Making most of our meals from scratch is work. When I was employed and out of the house for 9 plus hours a day five days a week it was really, really hard to make a majority of our meals from scratch. I did the best I could but running in the local grocery store and grabbing a hot roasted chicken and microwavable mashed potatoes was so easy. Ordering pizza on a Friday night just seemed like a nice end to the tough work week. Now that I’m home we still have pizza once a week but we stepped up to gourmet pizza. Homemade, thick, cheese-stuffed crust with veggies and bacon or burger. Our homemade pizza is better than any purchased pizza we have ever had. The cost difference is huge. The crust cost only cents to make, .54cents to be exact. Making the crust seemed daunting at first but we figured out how to use our stand mixer or our bread maker to combine the ingredients without the mess.

The sauce, cheese (we buy brick cheese and grate it ourselves) and toppings average $7.00. $8.00 for an extra large, extra cheese, meat and veggie topped, stuffed crust, 12 slice gourmet pizza. Yummm!

Now that I am a stay at home-school at home Mom I do not have any excuse to not feed my family healthy, homemade, and low-cost meals. The difference is that now everyone pitches in. The boys and I are home all day and we can have the dinner prep completed before lunch. All the chopping, peeling, and measuring is completed and ready for the oven. Meal prep is a great opportunity to spend quality time with your family. Math, problem solving, planning and motor skills are just some of the skills that can be developed during this time. The boys are willing participants and I overlook many calamities to keep the mood light and cheerful. We have found that including the boys in the meal preparation they are more agreeable to trying new foods and in eating meals that look nothing like their boxed competitors. My husband is “famous” for his homemade macaroni and cheese. Our oldest child (soon to be 22) still request this meal when she is home. The recipe is baked and uses white sharp cheddar cheese so it looks nothing like the blue box that most kids would eat 3 times a day if they could. When macaroni and cheese is on the menu the boys argue over who will grate the cheese which is usually all grated by noon.

My husband works 40-60 hours a week and still pitches in. On his day off he will cook the main meal or help the boys and I. When we first met I assumed I would always do all of the cooking. I am the wife is that not my job? I have discovered that cooking is no ones job and its every ones job. Confused? Everyone regardless of gender needs to know how to cook. Everyone has different tastes and ideas. When everyone is a part of the process then generally everyone ends up happy. Happy = Good and everyone benefits from that.

Entire Meal for 6 people for less than $10.00

2010-03-18T18:42:00.001-04:00

Entire meal for 6 (with leftovers) for less than $10.00

Serve Irish Soda Bread and Corned Beef and Cabbage together for a delicious St Patrick’s Day meal

Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned Beef Brisket (comes with a seasoning packet)
Cabbage
Beef Broth

Place beef in a Dutch oven and pour in enough water to cover the beef. Bring to a boil uncovered. Then cover and simmer for 3 ½ hours. Drain (save & freeze this liquid in a freezer bag it makes a great soup base later on) place the cabbage with the beef in the Dutch oven pour enough beef stock to fill the pot ½ way and sprinkle the seasoning packet over the cabbage and beef cook covered on low heat for one hour. Place on a deep sided platter with some stock.

I add carrots, potatoes and onion-I know, this makes it New England Boiled Dinner……..but it is still Irish….. And soooo good!

Irish Soda Bread(a-la stacy)

4 Cups Flour
¼ Cup Sugar
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Cold Butter
1 Eggs beaten
1 Cup Buttermilk (or 2 Tbls vinegar added to 1 Cup Milk)
1 Tbls Cinnamon
3 Tbls Ground Flaxseed (I use my coffee grinder)

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients, cut in butter until crumbly. Combine eggs and buttermilk and mix in. I use the stir setting on my stand mixer for all mixing of ingredients. Change the paddle for the dough hook at the end add a bit more flour if the dough seems sticky. Shape into 6 individual mini-loaves. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Double recipe for 9 bigger individual loaves.

Saving for what?

2010-03-15T13:48:00.003-04:00

Recently I was asked by a reader what I was saving money for? The question struck me a number of ways. The dialogue in my head was random and not precise at all,.

Some thoughts that came to mind were;

1) What do you mean what am I saving for?
2) Big ticket items…what?
3) Why not save just to save?

Then it occurred to me that none of these answers would be sufficient. So I spent some time really thinking. What IS the goal here? Why am I pinching pennies so hard? The conclusion I came to is directly related to a frame of mind my generation, the late-thirty-something’s. The shared mentality of “I work hard! if I want something I am going to have it!” This way of thinking I can clearly relate to however it is not how I think now or at least not in the same way.

Years ago I can recall seeing a Movado Museum Face watch advertised in a magazine. The ad was exquisite and the colors, language and model all really grabbed me in an unusual way. Sometime soon after seeing that ad I saw the very same watch on TV. Although this time someone was wearing the watch on a talk show and a comment was made by the host on the high equality of the watch . The decision was made that someday I would have a Movado Museum Face watch. The kicker is at that point in my life I didn’t even wear or own A watch. Up until then I didn’t really even care to own a watch. Flash forward a few months and I am at the outlets and guess what? There is a Movado store. I beeline for the store and as I entered I swear I could hear the Angels singing. The store was beyond beautiful. Fancy chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, shiny pristine gold and silver accents were everywhere. The salespeople were all perfectly dressed and manicured. The whole experience felt important and exciting. The Museum Face Movado watches were displayed in the store’s most prestige’s location under locked glass. I approached them to find no visible price tag. A salesperson saw me and quickly approached with keys in hand. “ I know just the watch you are looking for,“ he stated cheerily. “You do?” I said skeptically. He pulled out a silver and gold Movado Museum Face watch and handed it to me. My heart was racing and I felt “happier“ than I could ever recall. I was wearing the exact watch “that I was looking for.” We talked a bit and he told me all about the history of Movado, the current BIG sale, the difference between outlet and store buying and so on. Finally after about a half an hour he stated the price. My heart sank at the $3,600.00 price tag. Which he informed me was $1,400.00 off regular retail. I thanked him and said I would talk it over with my husband. I left determined to get that watch! “Heck” I said “I work hard, if I want something I’m going to have it!” Months pass I find myself naturally navigating into jewelry stores. I was internet surfing for Movados -it had become a slight obsession. On a shopping trip to TJ Maxx I gandered at the jewelry counter and there it was! My Movado Museum Face watch ! The same watch I tried on at the Movado outlet in Manchester ,Vermont. I tried not to get too excited because I did recall the $3,600.00 price tag. However I was in TJ Maxx, so I ask the unkempt grumpy lady at the jewelry counter if I may try on the “silver and gold Movado Museum Face watch.” She slammed open the case ( I jumped-it was startling!) and yanked out the watch, hands it to me and-get this- walks away! She left me with a $5,000.00 retail Movado Museum Face watch! I’m slightly distracted by the events that led up to me wearing the watch so it didn’t occur to me to ask the saleslady for the price. I spent about 4 minutes looking the watch before I realized the price tag was hanging off it. Really, it was so shiny and beautiful I couldn’t take my eyes off the watch. I looked, looked again, then I summoned the saleslady to ask if she could read aloud the price on the tag because I was having difficulty with the small print. Reality was that my eyes were tearing with joy and I couldn’t believe the numbers I saw and wanted confirmation. “$369.99” she said. “I’ll take it” I said, before the last syllable left her lips. I wore it home, I wear it everyday and have for the past four plus years.

I paid cash for the watch and the buying experience was much different than it would have been at the fancy Movado store. A couple of things happened that require reflection. The first is that I was sucked in by advertising to make a big ticket purchase on something I hadn‘t ever thought of buying. I really do not know what compelling components the initial ad was comprised of and how it got to me, but it did. Then the successive episodes of seeing the very same watch penetrated my mind, scary, almost like brain washing. I truly felt strongly that I must have the watch. However I did not whip out a credit card at the Movado store when I initially found the “perfect” watch. This is where I differ from most. If I do not have the cash I do not buy. I scrimp and scrape and put money way so when I do find items that I want I can pay cash for them.

From my perspective I try to see more than just the item in front of me when I look at spending. What am I buying? Why am I making this purchase and the overall impact - ie am I helping the local economy? The environment? The impact on the future? Is this setting a good example? And so on. The Movado experience is another story. I was almost completely blinded by advertising. So much so that I longed for a certain watch when I did not even wear a watch. My judgment was effected by advertising. Well, my flag is up and I am hyper aware of selling tactics and I am careful not to fall into this same predicament again….or so I hope. With that said, Andy- I am saving so I can buy what I want, and pay cash of course.

Groceries for a family of four....only $75 a week

2010-03-10T13:17:00.001-05:00

Each week this time of year, usually on a Saturday, I make the 15 mile trek to the grocery store and spend about 40 minutes and $75.00 buying one week worth of groceries and household necessities for my family of four. My two oldest are twenty-one and nineteen and out of the house. That leaves my nine-year old and five-year old to feed, they are both boys and always hungry. I am a stay-at-home school-from-home Mom so I am perfectly able to make our meals and desserts from scratch with is a huge money saver. Although I do not buy whole chicken roasters and cook and separate the meat for meals…I buy the more expensive boneless, skinless chicken breast. The savings would be significant if I would purchase whole roasters but after leaving a 14 year stint as a vegetarian I have trouble with meat still on a bone.

My goal eventually is to food shop only once or twice a month. Living in the northeast the fresh fruit and vegetables can be tricky to keep for weeks at a time so in the winter months it is just not feasible to shop so infrequently. In the summer months home gardens would supply us with our vegetables and we stock up on things like laundry detergent, shampoo, soap and the like with the surplus in our budget. This way when we are buying produce in the colder months we already have a winter supply of non food items stored in the basement and our weekly budget remains the same $75.00.

The following is a random week shopping receipt and menu. Keep in mind when you peruse my menu that I was not totally without food at home and some meal components are from my freezer and/or left over from previous food shopping trips. There is also more suppers than there are days in a week. This is because I like to have some choice already in mind. Many times when I have been inspired I have strayed far from my menu and created wonderful meals all within my $75.00 budget. Another point to make is I live in New Hampshire and food prices do vary geographically. Note there are no fresh tomatoes on my list…it’s March 2010 and the freeze in Florida eliminated the Florida tomato crop and skyrocketed the price of the Mexican tomato crop which I refuse to buy. As a result I plan on researching hydroponic tomatoes growing so I am never in this tomato-less predicament again.

GROCERY RECIEPT

MEAT
80% lean ground beef 18.65 (1.99lb)
Chicken breast 4.49 (2.69lb)
Chicken breast 4.22 (2.69lb)

PRODUCE
Romaine Hearts 2.29
Cucumbers 1.99
6 lbs Mac Apples 3.98
Granny Apples 2.80 (.99lb)
2 lbs carrots .99
2 lbs bananas .97

DAIRY
12 oz Mont. Jack cheese 2.00
12 oz Cheddar 2.00
1 lb Mozzarella 2.99
(all cheese is in a brick/not shredded-that would cost more)
Fr Van creamer 2.99
Whole Milk gal 2.39
1 lb butter 1.99
2 doz Lg white eggs 2.78

GROCERY
2 Chunky PB 5.00
2 Pasta sauce 2.00
3 whole wheat bread 4.50
Strawberry preserves 2.49
Flour 1.99

Total $73.50

MENUS

Breakfast MENU
1) Oatmeal
2) Pancakes -made in bulk in freezer
3) eggs
4) toast

Lunch MENU
1) egg salad sandwich
2) PB & J sandwich
3) supper leftovers

Supper MENU
1) burgers, salad, carrots
2) chicken, cauliflower, cucumber salad
3) spaghetti, meatballs, carrot salad, homemade bread
4) homemade pizza
5) meatloaf, potatoes, brussel sprouts
6) bacon wrapped chicken, cucumber/carrot salad
7) goulash, salad, bread
8) sloppy joes, salad
9) leftover night

SNACKS
1) Apple
2) Banana
3) carrot
4) homemade muffins, cookies, baked goods
*The rule at my house is you never need to ask for a healthy snack you can eat any fruit or any vegetable ant time!

DESSERTS (all homemade)
1) Pie
2) Pudding
3) cake
4) cookies
5) muffins