I was watching a documentary on Amish teenagers recently, and something that one of them said really struck me. It was about how hard it was to be in a horse-drawn buggy and to see cars zipping past them so quickly, going fast from one place to the next.
My first reaction was, "How lucky the person in the buggy is."
Right now, I don't have a car, and I rely on public transportation to get from point A to point B when my own legs can't take me there for whatever reason. Public transportation costs money, and so I can only take it when I have a bus pass or when I have spare change.
This means that my outings are usually carefully planned to kill as many birds with as few stones, so to speak. While some days it might just be nice to go to the library to get a new book to read, and then worry about nothing else, I have to consider whether or not I can do that on my bus pass. Would it be easier to wait a week and get a new book then, and while I'm at it I can pick up a few groceries and give the rent cheque to the landlord? Or would it be better to do that in three trips?
If a car, I could get quickly to as many places as I want, but what would I do when I got there?
I noticed that when it became harder for me to go places, even by bus, my trips became more carefully planned, and I wasted less over all. In times past, I would buy groceries with the intent of eating them, but sometimes I just wouldn't get around to it before the apples turned spotty or the milk went off. But it was okay, I could just hop on the bus and go buy some more.
Now, I consider things more carefully, waste less, and enjoy the trip more, because I have to go a little more slowly and don't have steady access to a convenience that a lot of people take for granted. I think that perhaps when we start to take one thing in our lives for granted, it becomes easier to start taking the things connected to it for granted. I take the bus to get food, therefore I take for granted my easy access to food. When you give yourself a little challenge, a little struggle, you appreciate the gain all the more.
I've noticed that too when it comes to cooking. I used to eat plenty of microwave dinners, plastic food in plastic trays that got zapped to be heated. They filled me up somewhat, but didn't leave me satisfied, not really. But if I cook a meal, take my time with the preparation and let myself enjoy the act of working for it, the final meal tastes so much better and is more of a satisfying experience.
There are times when convenience stops being quite so convenient.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tonight.
Tonight, I heard that somebody I used to work with died. Complications from a struggle with H1N1, his obituary said. He was only two years older than I am.
It's strange, but part of me feels like I should be feeling worse. I didn't know the man very well, but I did know him. A year ago, we worked together. He sat a few seats down from me. He was a funny man. A little weird, but funny. I know he was fired for carving his name into a filing cabinet. I know he was overweight and that walking up and down two flights of stairs numerous times, five days a week, was helping him shed pounds like crazy. I knew he liked computers.
But we went our seperate ways when he left the company, and I didn't think much of him until today, when I found out about his death.
His passing didn't leave a big hole in my life, but it left holes in somebody's life, and that's something to be considered. He wasn't a perfect person -- nobody is! -- but he is no less worthy of remembering, and no less worthy of being mourned.
Tonight, I send out prayers of healing and comfort to his family, and a wish that his soul goes speedily to the afterlife of his choosing.
It's strange, but part of me feels like I should be feeling worse. I didn't know the man very well, but I did know him. A year ago, we worked together. He sat a few seats down from me. He was a funny man. A little weird, but funny. I know he was fired for carving his name into a filing cabinet. I know he was overweight and that walking up and down two flights of stairs numerous times, five days a week, was helping him shed pounds like crazy. I knew he liked computers.
But we went our seperate ways when he left the company, and I didn't think much of him until today, when I found out about his death.
His passing didn't leave a big hole in my life, but it left holes in somebody's life, and that's something to be considered. He wasn't a perfect person -- nobody is! -- but he is no less worthy of remembering, and no less worthy of being mourned.
Tonight, I send out prayers of healing and comfort to his family, and a wish that his soul goes speedily to the afterlife of his choosing.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Turkey soup? No, more like turkey porridge.
Cooking is a learning experience. Even when you know how to do something, there's always room for improvement, experimentation, and finding new ways of doing things that will perhaps work better next time.
Yesterday contained one such example for me. I decided to make turkey soup from the leftover turkey bones from my Yule supper. Not a hard thing to do. Throw the bones and skin in a pot, cover with water, put the pot on the stove, and let it bubble away for about four hours or so. That part worked out just fine, and left the kitchen wonderfully warm. (The kitchen is in the back area of the apartment, which isn't connected to the heating vents, so it's always cold in there in the winter.)
After fishing out the bones and skin and fat, it was time to put in the rest of the meat and the chopped vegetables. I was running low on variety for veggies, so in went carrots and potatoes only. Enough to be filling, but I admit I would have liked to add turnip and onion too, if we'd had any, and Rachel suggested peas also. But we make do with what we have.
After that had been cooking for a while, Rachel asked if I'd put any rice in the soup. I said I hadn't, but it was a good idea. So back to the kitchen I go to add some rice to the mix. I didn't know how much to add, mind, and I seem to have this interesting tendency to add more rice than there needs to be.
Yesterday was no different.
When when the rice had fully cooked, it had absorbed almost every bit of the broth in the pot! What I was left with wasn't so much a turkey and vegetable soup so much as a rice porridge with turkey and vegetables in it! Not quite what I'd had in mind!
But it tasted fine just the same, and that's the important thing so far as I'm concerned. It was also much more filling than soup on its own likely would have been, so I'm definitely not complaining at that!
I have another turkey carcass in the freezer from my mother's Christmas dinner, and when I use that to make another batch of soup (which will be as soon as I get some more containers, since all of our Tupperware ones are now filled with turkey porridge), I'll use considerably less rice. Perhaps no rice at all! And I'll make sure to get turnip and onion and peas to go in the mix.
Even when I don't quite get it right, I'm learning something, and to be honest I'm enjoying myself while I'm doing so. Sometimes I fret over having spent too much time in the day not doing "productive" things. If I've cooked something, I feel better later, since I spent time making things for Rachel and I to eat. If you can't call that productive, I don't know what you can!
Yesterday contained one such example for me. I decided to make turkey soup from the leftover turkey bones from my Yule supper. Not a hard thing to do. Throw the bones and skin in a pot, cover with water, put the pot on the stove, and let it bubble away for about four hours or so. That part worked out just fine, and left the kitchen wonderfully warm. (The kitchen is in the back area of the apartment, which isn't connected to the heating vents, so it's always cold in there in the winter.)
After fishing out the bones and skin and fat, it was time to put in the rest of the meat and the chopped vegetables. I was running low on variety for veggies, so in went carrots and potatoes only. Enough to be filling, but I admit I would have liked to add turnip and onion too, if we'd had any, and Rachel suggested peas also. But we make do with what we have.
After that had been cooking for a while, Rachel asked if I'd put any rice in the soup. I said I hadn't, but it was a good idea. So back to the kitchen I go to add some rice to the mix. I didn't know how much to add, mind, and I seem to have this interesting tendency to add more rice than there needs to be.
Yesterday was no different.
When when the rice had fully cooked, it had absorbed almost every bit of the broth in the pot! What I was left with wasn't so much a turkey and vegetable soup so much as a rice porridge with turkey and vegetables in it! Not quite what I'd had in mind!
But it tasted fine just the same, and that's the important thing so far as I'm concerned. It was also much more filling than soup on its own likely would have been, so I'm definitely not complaining at that!
I have another turkey carcass in the freezer from my mother's Christmas dinner, and when I use that to make another batch of soup (which will be as soon as I get some more containers, since all of our Tupperware ones are now filled with turkey porridge), I'll use considerably less rice. Perhaps no rice at all! And I'll make sure to get turnip and onion and peas to go in the mix.
Even when I don't quite get it right, I'm learning something, and to be honest I'm enjoying myself while I'm doing so. Sometimes I fret over having spent too much time in the day not doing "productive" things. If I've cooked something, I feel better later, since I spent time making things for Rachel and I to eat. If you can't call that productive, I don't know what you can!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Planning for next year already?
I know I am. Except for the people who give gifts for New Year, the gifting season has pretty much ended, and one of the first thoughts on my mind is what I'm going to do for next year.
A bit early to be planning so far ahead? Piffle! I, like many other people, have this unfortunate habit of leaving my handmade stuff to the last minute. Evidenced this year by the fact that I didn't get to make everything I wanted for people, and have had to informed a couple that their present will be a little bit late. So starting to plan early may not be such a bad idea.
Especially because I'm been branching out more in terms of what I make. I got a beading loom for Yule, so beaded bookmarks or bracelets are certainly on the table. I've been experimenting with small amounts of weaving lately, and have recently found instructions on how to fingerweave belts.
There are my usual Celtic knotwork embroidered bookmarks to pass around or to trade for other crafts that I can't come by so easily, also, the way I did this year to get Rachel some personalized stationery.
I'm all for making cookies and fudge and other little edible treats, too. This year I want to try making jam, so it could well be that small containers of homemade jam or jelly will find their way into gift bags for friends and family.
Handmade gift bags, of course. I wrap my presents in fabric these days, and let recipients know that if they can't think of a use for it then I'll gladly take it back and use it again myself, but they're welcome to keep it if they're the crafty types. Most, I've found, keep it anyway, even if they likely won't use it. So I think homemade giftbags will be the way of things next year, since a bag can be reused in all sorts of ways, and adds another layer to the gifts.
Does anybody else start planning and making ideas for next year's holidays right after the current holiday ends? For those who do, do you still fall into my trap and forget until it's too late to do and to give everything you wanted?
A bit early to be planning so far ahead? Piffle! I, like many other people, have this unfortunate habit of leaving my handmade stuff to the last minute. Evidenced this year by the fact that I didn't get to make everything I wanted for people, and have had to informed a couple that their present will be a little bit late. So starting to plan early may not be such a bad idea.
Especially because I'm been branching out more in terms of what I make. I got a beading loom for Yule, so beaded bookmarks or bracelets are certainly on the table. I've been experimenting with small amounts of weaving lately, and have recently found instructions on how to fingerweave belts.
There are my usual Celtic knotwork embroidered bookmarks to pass around or to trade for other crafts that I can't come by so easily, also, the way I did this year to get Rachel some personalized stationery.
I'm all for making cookies and fudge and other little edible treats, too. This year I want to try making jam, so it could well be that small containers of homemade jam or jelly will find their way into gift bags for friends and family.
Handmade gift bags, of course. I wrap my presents in fabric these days, and let recipients know that if they can't think of a use for it then I'll gladly take it back and use it again myself, but they're welcome to keep it if they're the crafty types. Most, I've found, keep it anyway, even if they likely won't use it. So I think homemade giftbags will be the way of things next year, since a bag can be reused in all sorts of ways, and adds another layer to the gifts.
Does anybody else start planning and making ideas for next year's holidays right after the current holiday ends? For those who do, do you still fall into my trap and forget until it's too late to do and to give everything you wanted?
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A Christmas eve alone.
Not that I mind spending Christmas eve alone. Given that I don't celebrate Christmas in a religious, or even really secular way, today and tomorrow are pretty much like any other days of the year to me. I've already had my festivities, and I don't need two.
That being said, mind, I am going to my mother's apartment tomorrow for a turkey dinner and some good old-fashioned together time, the kind I haven't enjoyed in probably the better part of a decade now.
But I must admit, I am a bit lonely. Rachel has gone to spend the night with her parents, a tradition in her family so that everyone can be there bright and early on Christmas morning. I was invited to go along too, but really, I've never been fond of crowds, and with Rachel's brother and his growing family coming along too, things would likely have been a bit too much for me to find enjoyable.
I wouldn't mind being alone so much, if I wasn't so very bored right now! I wanted to do some cooking, but the yeast is dead so I can't bake any bread, and the pot I was going to make turkey soup stock in has some sort of horrible grease in it that resists scrubbing, so that idea's out for now. I might end up removing that grease tonight, but likely by then it will be too late to make the stock before I get tired and go to bed.
I'd be knitting right now, but I've been doing so much of that lately that the tips of my fingers are starting to feel numb! Let it never be said that I don't do a lot of knitting! Fortunately I'm almost 3/4 of the way done the squares for the blanket, and then all that remains will be sewing them up. I do wish I could have finished it before the holidays really started, but the intended recipients don't seem to mind getting it a little late, thankfully.
Maybe I'll make myself a nice cup of herbal tea, to coothe my numb fingers and bring a little bit of energy back into myself. There's no sense in moping around when I could be doing something productive, after all.
A Merry Christmas, to whomever celebrates it!
That being said, mind, I am going to my mother's apartment tomorrow for a turkey dinner and some good old-fashioned together time, the kind I haven't enjoyed in probably the better part of a decade now.
But I must admit, I am a bit lonely. Rachel has gone to spend the night with her parents, a tradition in her family so that everyone can be there bright and early on Christmas morning. I was invited to go along too, but really, I've never been fond of crowds, and with Rachel's brother and his growing family coming along too, things would likely have been a bit too much for me to find enjoyable.
I wouldn't mind being alone so much, if I wasn't so very bored right now! I wanted to do some cooking, but the yeast is dead so I can't bake any bread, and the pot I was going to make turkey soup stock in has some sort of horrible grease in it that resists scrubbing, so that idea's out for now. I might end up removing that grease tonight, but likely by then it will be too late to make the stock before I get tired and go to bed.
I'd be knitting right now, but I've been doing so much of that lately that the tips of my fingers are starting to feel numb! Let it never be said that I don't do a lot of knitting! Fortunately I'm almost 3/4 of the way done the squares for the blanket, and then all that remains will be sewing them up. I do wish I could have finished it before the holidays really started, but the intended recipients don't seem to mind getting it a little late, thankfully.
Maybe I'll make myself a nice cup of herbal tea, to coothe my numb fingers and bring a little bit of energy back into myself. There's no sense in moping around when I could be doing something productive, after all.
A Merry Christmas, to whomever celebrates it!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Kitchen experimentation!
Yesterday I experimented with some leftovers and made a rather tasty turkey hash. It's simple to make, and is pretty yummy too. So I figured I'd post a recipe here, for any readers who want it and just in case some day I forget it.
Turkey hash
Serving for 1 person
1 potato
leftover pieces of turkey
Butter or margarine
Water
Tasty spices
1. Peel the potato, then dice it, lots of little pieces.
2. Take some leftover little scraps of turkey, about a small handful, and rip it or cut it up into small pieces too. White or dark meat, whichever you prefer. (I used a mix of both.)
3. Heat a frying pan on medium heat, and add a teaspoon of butter or margarine to the pan. Cooking spray may work well too, but I find using butter or margarine adds a little extra flavour.
4. When it's hot enough, put the potato-and-turkey mix into the pan.
5. When the mix starts to stick to the bottom of the pan a little, pour a little bit of water in, about enough to make it a millimetre or two high.
6. Keep mixing the mixture around with a spatula, so that it doesn't burn or stick. Do this until all (or at least most) of the liquid is gone.
7. Add your spices. I used Lowry's Seasoning Salt and a dash of No-Salt Herb and Garlic seasoning. Mix this all into the potatoes and turkey.
8. Put on a plate and eat!
Quick and easy. The cooking takes less than 10 minutes. Really, dicing the potatoes took longer to do, and the meal was well worth it. I have enough leftover potato that I think I'll make myself another serving for lunch!
Turkey hash
Serving for 1 person
1. Peel the potato, then dice it, lots of little pieces.
2. Take some leftover little scraps of turkey, about a small handful, and rip it or cut it up into small pieces too. White or dark meat, whichever you prefer. (I used a mix of both.)
3. Heat a frying pan on medium heat, and add a teaspoon of butter or margarine to the pan. Cooking spray may work well too, but I find using butter or margarine adds a little extra flavour.
4. When it's hot enough, put the potato-and-turkey mix into the pan.
5. When the mix starts to stick to the bottom of the pan a little, pour a little bit of water in, about enough to make it a millimetre or two high.
6. Keep mixing the mixture around with a spatula, so that it doesn't burn or stick. Do this until all (or at least most) of the liquid is gone.
7. Add your spices. I used Lowry's Seasoning Salt and a dash of No-Salt Herb and Garlic seasoning. Mix this all into the potatoes and turkey.
8. Put on a plate and eat!
Quick and easy. The cooking takes less than 10 minutes. Really, dicing the potatoes took longer to do, and the meal was well worth it. I have enough leftover potato that I think I'll make myself another serving for lunch!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Freebies and samples and giveaways, oh my!
Progressive Pioneer is giving people the chance to win a set of essential oils! 9 oils, $150 value, and a chance to try them out for free. Can't complain about that!
This is one of the things I've come to love about reading frugal/simple living blogs. People are all about giveaways, chances to try things out for free, passing on the good word. And not just passing on the word that large companies are offering free samples, either. I've seen a lot of blogs that have giveaways for crafts, foods, all kinds of things that are made by the blogger themselves. There seems to be a big "share and share alike" attitude running through, making a community out of people who haven't ever met each other but who all have similar goals.
It's a very encouraging feeling.
I'm definitely a fan of getting things for free, even if those things are small. Free-Samples.ca is pretty decent, sending me email newsletters with links to offers and free sample giveaways. FreeSamplesCanada.net and SamplesGalore.ca aren't bad either. Even if the samples are small, every little bit helps. Whether it's a single-use pouch of moisturizing cream or a box of hot chocolate mix, if it's something I'll use I'll sign up and send away for it. This habit I learned from my parents, who stocked a fair number of treats and other niceties we wouldn't normally buy, all through free samples.
I'm also a member of Swagbucks, which I have come to love. In a nutshell, it's a search engine, almost as good as Google.com, that gives you a chance to win points whenever you search for something. You save up the points and enchange them for prizes. You can get anything from magazine subscriptions to giftcards, and even get $5 deposited right into your PayPal account! For any referrals you get under your account name, the site will also match point for point what those people earn, up to 100 points. Not too shabby a way to get rewarded just for searching stuff online!
And every link on here except for the Swagbucks link is not going to benefit me by some referral bonus. I'm passing along these links for the benefit of people (especially Canadians) who want to take advantage of a few free offers.
Do you have any freebie sites that you recommend?
This is one of the things I've come to love about reading frugal/simple living blogs. People are all about giveaways, chances to try things out for free, passing on the good word. And not just passing on the word that large companies are offering free samples, either. I've seen a lot of blogs that have giveaways for crafts, foods, all kinds of things that are made by the blogger themselves. There seems to be a big "share and share alike" attitude running through, making a community out of people who haven't ever met each other but who all have similar goals.
It's a very encouraging feeling.
I'm definitely a fan of getting things for free, even if those things are small. Free-Samples.ca is pretty decent, sending me email newsletters with links to offers and free sample giveaways. FreeSamplesCanada.net and SamplesGalore.ca aren't bad either. Even if the samples are small, every little bit helps. Whether it's a single-use pouch of moisturizing cream or a box of hot chocolate mix, if it's something I'll use I'll sign up and send away for it. This habit I learned from my parents, who stocked a fair number of treats and other niceties we wouldn't normally buy, all through free samples.
I'm also a member of Swagbucks, which I have come to love. In a nutshell, it's a search engine, almost as good as Google.com, that gives you a chance to win points whenever you search for something. You save up the points and enchange them for prizes. You can get anything from magazine subscriptions to giftcards, and even get $5 deposited right into your PayPal account! For any referrals you get under your account name, the site will also match point for point what those people earn, up to 100 points. Not too shabby a way to get rewarded just for searching stuff online!
And every link on here except for the Swagbucks link is not going to benefit me by some referral bonus. I'm passing along these links for the benefit of people (especially Canadians) who want to take advantage of a few free offers.
Do you have any freebie sites that you recommend?
Monday, December 21, 2009
Blessed Yule.
The day that has the fewest hours of daylight in a year. For months I look forward to Yule. I celebrate it much the same way that people celebrate Christmas. I get together with friends and family, have a good home-cooked meal, exchange presents, and have a grand old time.
We celebrated Yule yesterday, Rachel and I. We went to a friend's house, where we were kindly given use of the kitchen to prepare the meal. It was the first time I cooked a turkey pretty much by myself, and it was quite an experience. Laura, our host, gave me pointers, for which I'm very grateful, and also taught me a good recipe for sausage stuffing which I plan to use again as soon as I get some sausage and something to stuff it all into!
I've also got the skin and bones from the turkey in the freezer, and I expect we'll be eating soup for many days now. Over half the meat came home with us, too, which I'm going to try to stretch as far as possible. I may ve going to my mother's place on Christmas for another turkey dinner, but there's no harm in making food stretch while I have it. It saves money and cuts down on waste, and those are going to be increasingly important themes in my life.
We also have a tradition of acquiring some sort of Yule log. Not a real log, since we can't exactly light it on fire and keep it going for many days of festivities, but we have our symbolism. In years past, it's been an ice cream log cake, with candles. This year it was a small homemade carrot cake with candles stuck in. I think the Yule log might be my favourite tradition, really. The meal is always good, but I look forward to seeing the log so much. Not eating it, but just seeing it.
I recieved some wonderful gifts, too. A kit with wax for crafting, and a bead loom. The loom needs a little tweaking, since the grooves aren't deep enough to keep the threads from popping out every time I breathe, and the instructions are far from clear, but once I figure it out I expect that I'll be making plenty of beaded bracelets and the like!
All tied in with this is the knowledge that this is a season of death, of hibernation, and of privation. It's the start of a hard time, both in the past and for us today. Cold winds, snow, ice, and with me having no job at the moment and money running a little thin, it isn't exactly a happy situation.
But through all that is the knowledge that despite it all, we had enough to pull together to have a good meal and to be with friends. Even in the darkness, there's plenty of light, and the days are only going to get longer and brighter from here. It was a heartening thought.
May all your days be brighter from here on out, too!
We celebrated Yule yesterday, Rachel and I. We went to a friend's house, where we were kindly given use of the kitchen to prepare the meal. It was the first time I cooked a turkey pretty much by myself, and it was quite an experience. Laura, our host, gave me pointers, for which I'm very grateful, and also taught me a good recipe for sausage stuffing which I plan to use again as soon as I get some sausage and something to stuff it all into!
I've also got the skin and bones from the turkey in the freezer, and I expect we'll be eating soup for many days now. Over half the meat came home with us, too, which I'm going to try to stretch as far as possible. I may ve going to my mother's place on Christmas for another turkey dinner, but there's no harm in making food stretch while I have it. It saves money and cuts down on waste, and those are going to be increasingly important themes in my life.
We also have a tradition of acquiring some sort of Yule log. Not a real log, since we can't exactly light it on fire and keep it going for many days of festivities, but we have our symbolism. In years past, it's been an ice cream log cake, with candles. This year it was a small homemade carrot cake with candles stuck in. I think the Yule log might be my favourite tradition, really. The meal is always good, but I look forward to seeing the log so much. Not eating it, but just seeing it.
I recieved some wonderful gifts, too. A kit with wax for crafting, and a bead loom. The loom needs a little tweaking, since the grooves aren't deep enough to keep the threads from popping out every time I breathe, and the instructions are far from clear, but once I figure it out I expect that I'll be making plenty of beaded bracelets and the like!
All tied in with this is the knowledge that this is a season of death, of hibernation, and of privation. It's the start of a hard time, both in the past and for us today. Cold winds, snow, ice, and with me having no job at the moment and money running a little thin, it isn't exactly a happy situation.
But through all that is the knowledge that despite it all, we had enough to pull together to have a good meal and to be with friends. Even in the darkness, there's plenty of light, and the days are only going to get longer and brighter from here. It was a heartening thought.
May all your days be brighter from here on out, too!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Meat with meaning.
I like meat. I like the taste of it, I like the texture, I like the energy it gives me.
I also know very well where it comes from. This bothers me, as it bothers most people who think of animals as something more than just pretty fuzzy things to look at. I'm aware that the majority of the meat I eat, possibly every single mouthful of it, has been raised in conditions that no human would consent themselves to living in, conditions that are appalling.
For a long time, I've struggled with how to handle this. Liking meat the way I do, I don't entirely want to give it up and become a vegetarian. I envy the people who have the strength to do this, but it's strength I lack, and I'm not 100% sure I could stick to my guns about it anyway, given how I like it. But I've been doing a lot of thinking about it lately, and I've come to a decision that appeases my conscience a little and still allows me to eat meat.
First of all, I, like many other people, have a spiritual side, and believe that animals have souls. Thus when I eat meat, an animal has given its life so that I might gain strength from it. This is something to be thankful for, appreciateive of, and I'm making the vow to show that appreciation by saying a prayer of thanks whenever I eat meat. The animal may never have known sunshine or fresh air, but it was no less a living breathing creature for it, and I'm grateful for what it has given me, albeit unwillingly given.
Second, I am changing the circumstances under which I will allow myself to eat meat. From now on, when I have meat in my diet it will be meat that I worked for. Which means that I spent time preparing it, cooking it, doing actual labour.
In this way I feel like I've done something to earn my meal. I didn't just go to a fast food joint and order a burger. That's meaningless meat. Yes, I worked to earn the money to buy the burger, but what did I do to deserve the life that was given up so that I can have a meal? If I take the time to personally prepare the meat, then I'll have actually done something to remind myself, "Hey, this was one alive, and I should be thankful for it and treat it with care in its preparation."
This will also mean I'll likely end up being more choosy about the meat that I do eat, and will buy meat that will be healthier for me. I'll be thinking about it more, after all.
The grocery store I shop at is slowly getting more organic meat in stock, and I expect I'll end up taking advantage of that. It won't be a perfect solution, but it will be a few steps closer.
Thinking this way, I'll also be less likely to allow myself to waste anything. Why throw away the skin and bones just because I'm not going to ingest them? They can still be used to make stock. The animal's sacrifice can go a little further and provide food for me even longer.
So no more fast food burgers. No more luncheon meat sandwiches. No more sticks of jerky as a snack from the corner store. No more meaningless meat. This isn't going to be easy to live by, but I'll be better for it in the end.
And, I like to think, so will the essence of the animals.
I also know very well where it comes from. This bothers me, as it bothers most people who think of animals as something more than just pretty fuzzy things to look at. I'm aware that the majority of the meat I eat, possibly every single mouthful of it, has been raised in conditions that no human would consent themselves to living in, conditions that are appalling.
For a long time, I've struggled with how to handle this. Liking meat the way I do, I don't entirely want to give it up and become a vegetarian. I envy the people who have the strength to do this, but it's strength I lack, and I'm not 100% sure I could stick to my guns about it anyway, given how I like it. But I've been doing a lot of thinking about it lately, and I've come to a decision that appeases my conscience a little and still allows me to eat meat.
First of all, I, like many other people, have a spiritual side, and believe that animals have souls. Thus when I eat meat, an animal has given its life so that I might gain strength from it. This is something to be thankful for, appreciateive of, and I'm making the vow to show that appreciation by saying a prayer of thanks whenever I eat meat. The animal may never have known sunshine or fresh air, but it was no less a living breathing creature for it, and I'm grateful for what it has given me, albeit unwillingly given.
Second, I am changing the circumstances under which I will allow myself to eat meat. From now on, when I have meat in my diet it will be meat that I worked for. Which means that I spent time preparing it, cooking it, doing actual labour.
In this way I feel like I've done something to earn my meal. I didn't just go to a fast food joint and order a burger. That's meaningless meat. Yes, I worked to earn the money to buy the burger, but what did I do to deserve the life that was given up so that I can have a meal? If I take the time to personally prepare the meat, then I'll have actually done something to remind myself, "Hey, this was one alive, and I should be thankful for it and treat it with care in its preparation."
This will also mean I'll likely end up being more choosy about the meat that I do eat, and will buy meat that will be healthier for me. I'll be thinking about it more, after all.
The grocery store I shop at is slowly getting more organic meat in stock, and I expect I'll end up taking advantage of that. It won't be a perfect solution, but it will be a few steps closer.
Thinking this way, I'll also be less likely to allow myself to waste anything. Why throw away the skin and bones just because I'm not going to ingest them? They can still be used to make stock. The animal's sacrifice can go a little further and provide food for me even longer.
So no more fast food burgers. No more luncheon meat sandwiches. No more sticks of jerky as a snack from the corner store. No more meaningless meat. This isn't going to be easy to live by, but I'll be better for it in the end.
And, I like to think, so will the essence of the animals.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Domestic day.
Since Yule dinner is going to be this Sunday, I have a lot of cleaning up to do today. Dishes need washing, some food needs to be prepared in advance, a kitchen to be rearranged so that it comfortably seats 3 instead of just 2. And all of this (or at least most of it) has to be done by about 6:45 tonight, since that's when Rachel will be home from work and we'll be getting ready to go to a show that my parents bought us tickets for.
Hectic day!
So here I sit with my hair covered with a nice cotton wrap (I'm the flavour of pagan who covers her head, you see, out of respect and rememberance of my deities), trying to decide whether I should wash some dishes and then bake bread and then wash dishes again, or bake bread then wash a large load of dishes. One's more efficient, but it also means I do a lot of dishes in one stretch, which I don't much like doing.
Maybe I'll be good to myself first and have a bit of a snack and drink my tea before I begin. Another 15 minutes probably won't hurt anything, especially considering I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast before I ran out the door for job orientation this morning. I ought to fuel my body before I tackle all this housework.
Not just fuel my body. Take care of my body. For too long now I've let this vessel I call myself turn into something weak and flabby, and I don't like it. Nothing will change it but me, and I'm going to be living in it for the rest of my life, so I really ought to take better care of the thing before it's too late. I already have health problems that stronly affect my life, and I don't want to make things worse for myself if I can help it.
If I have the time today after baking bread, making chicken soup, and cleaning, I think I'll also make some johnnycakes. I've been dying to try them ever since I found a recipe over a year ago, and even if Rachel doesn't like them, I expect I will, so they won't go to waste.
And that's enough blathering from me. Time to drink my tea and get to work!
~ Ria, that happy heathen.
Hectic day!
So here I sit with my hair covered with a nice cotton wrap (I'm the flavour of pagan who covers her head, you see, out of respect and rememberance of my deities), trying to decide whether I should wash some dishes and then bake bread and then wash dishes again, or bake bread then wash a large load of dishes. One's more efficient, but it also means I do a lot of dishes in one stretch, which I don't much like doing.
Maybe I'll be good to myself first and have a bit of a snack and drink my tea before I begin. Another 15 minutes probably won't hurt anything, especially considering I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast before I ran out the door for job orientation this morning. I ought to fuel my body before I tackle all this housework.
Not just fuel my body. Take care of my body. For too long now I've let this vessel I call myself turn into something weak and flabby, and I don't like it. Nothing will change it but me, and I'm going to be living in it for the rest of my life, so I really ought to take better care of the thing before it's too late. I already have health problems that stronly affect my life, and I don't want to make things worse for myself if I can help it.
If I have the time today after baking bread, making chicken soup, and cleaning, I think I'll also make some johnnycakes. I've been dying to try them ever since I found a recipe over a year ago, and even if Rachel doesn't like them, I expect I will, so they won't go to waste.
And that's enough blathering from me. Time to drink my tea and get to work!
~ Ria, that happy heathen.
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