Yesterday was a good cheat day. Actually I had a couple of them. I was helping out at Filomena's with the open house and I was overwhelmed with holiday spirit and ate some of the baked goods everyone had made. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn't really even feel much guilt either. It's the holidays. I'm not a pioneer or a survivalist or a prepper. The goals I have of being food secure, I have set for myself. I can brake my own rules.
I admit I sometimes am living in the past. I live in this old house with all this old stuff with these old souls. I feel like I have to preserve these things to not let history disappear. I drive by old houses and they've been stripped of their history with their vinyl siding and plastic windows and drywall. It hurts my heart to think of the families that lived in those old houses and how hard they worked to make that house as pretty as it once was. The details.
Things seem to come so easily to people now. Everything people buy now is thrown away when it bores them. Then they go buy more. That's why they love those dollar stores, I think.
Part of this food preparedness thing I've been trying to accomplish stems from the feeling I have that I lived through the depression. Of course I was born in 1974 and wasn't even close to living in that time period, but somehow, I have a connection to it. It could be the stories I've heard, the times we're living in now, or my old soul, but I feel driven to having that feeling of being prepared for things to come. To be able to survive through it.
Even though this year may not be so successful, I feel like I'm on the right track. Next year will be another summer and I can plant more. I am going to focus on perennial plants that will just keep on producing for the rest of my life. This fall I planted some new trees. Another apple tree, a pear and a peach tree. I'll plant more in the spring. A lot of fruit trees do better if there are several of the same species for pollination. This is an investment in the future though because it could take 3 to 5 years for me to see any fruit. But fruit is kind of expensive. And it's better if you grow your own. It's worth the wait.
Blueberries are a shrub. Anyone can grow blueberries in a small yard. Just rip out those high maintenance shrubs that you get nothing from, and plant some food. They flower in the spring. Then you get berries.
As it gets colder and I sit in front of the woodstove more, I get antsy to start looking at seed catalogs for next season. This is my favorite winter pastime. Of course, I always get over zealous and buy way too many seeds than I'll ever plant, it's still really fun. Planning my "victory garden".
Until tomorrow then. Go find yourself an adventure.
