Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Things Your Grandmother Knew

A man builds a fine house; and now he has a master, and a task for life: he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, the rest of his days. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've been trying to read "How to Sew a Button and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew" by Erin Bried, but have discovered that either I'm far more self-sufficient than most (please tell me you all know how to make pancakes from scratch and roast a chicken?) or she's putting an awful lot of filler in the book. Of course, at the beginning of the book she states that one of the reasons she's opted to write the book is because she bought Swiss Chard from the store to use in a pie instead of rhubarb ... so maybe the fact that I know how to sew a button onto my clothes or how to iron a shirt is unusual.

Yes, there are some things in the book that I didn't know, but for the most part it's all repeat information for me. Darn.

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As expected in Pillar Place, Alpha went on walkabout yesterday. Last evening he was clinging to the side of the box, not moving, which would probably indicate that he was ready to purge and really get serious about becoming a butterfly.

DD found one more pillar to add to the group, so now we have Nu. She really REALLY wants to have one named Xi, so she's diligently hunting for more, despite the fact we really don't have the room for them... and don't get me started about monarchs (although for those, I use individual Gladware containers with air holes poked in them, so can stack them for space).

Butterfly wrangling ain't for the faint of heart. But for those who want to do it, there are lots of sites telling your how like this one: Glorious-Butterfly.com

The most fascinating thing I've seen on these "raise a pillar" sites are how to find swallowtail EGGS. Not as easy as monarch eggs ... but I think we'll give it a try.

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Yesterday flew by so fast it barely felt like it even happened. Two of my "helpers" at the LASR/WC/Aurora site - my reviews editor and my admin asst - were both gone to the Lori Foster gathering over the weekend, and the editor was flying home yesterday, so I've been doing triple duty the past few days. Between that, and trying to get school wrapped up for DD (she still has a couple more weeks, much to her dismay) things were absolutely crazy.

In the "good news" column, though, we got DD's assessment test results back and she was in the 95th percentile with all of her ratings in the "above average" range. YAY.

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You Are Having an Awesome Day



You feel grounded and stable in your life. There is not a lot of change going on.

You are a peaceful person. You have the ability to deal with life's problems as they unfold.

You are prioritizing your individuality right now. You have your own stuff to work on.

Deep down you crave comfort. You want what's familiar and guaranteed to sooth you.



Pretty much....

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8 comments:

groovyoldlady said...

I love reading your butterfly adventures. :-) Mulletman has agreed that we can harvest milkweed seeds from several neighboring fields and plant them in the backyard by the woods. Of course, he's always thrilled at the prospect of less mowing. So hopefully we'll be able to draw in some monarchs next summer.

Dru said...

Yes, I can make pancakes, cakes from scratch and roast a chicken.

I hope DD gets her wish of naming a pillar Xi.

Congrats on DD's rating assessment in her class.

re quiz: same as you and it is accurate.

Have a good Tuesday.

Judy said...

My HUSBAND can make pancakes from scratch, roast a chicken, sew his buttons on, and iron his shirts (in fact, he does all of his own ironing). And, when I read him the part about buying Swiss Chard he asked, "Isn't that kinda like spinach?"

lol

MomJane said...

Yep this is pretty accurate.

You Are Having a Good Day
You feel a bit overwhelmed by the changes doing on in your life right now. You don't have a good anchor.

You are a peaceful person. You have the ability to deal with life's problems as they unfold.

You are prioritizing your family life right now. As usual, family comes first for you.

Deep down you crave comfort. You want what's familiar and guaranteed to sooth you.

Tori Lennox said...

You Are Having a Good Day
You feel like you are moving forward in your life, but you can handle the changes that are happening.

You are a flexible person. You tend to take life as it comes.

You are prioritizing love right now. Whether you've just fallen for someone or are renewing a spark, you are all about the romance.

Deep down you crave freedom. You feel at peace when you are able to do what you want.


Works for me! :)

Brandy said...

We are wrapping up schoolwork as well. Starting end of the year tests this week. Fun.
Good news on your Daughters assessment test!

You Are Having a Good Day
You feel like you are moving forward in your life, but you can handle the changes that are happening.
You are a flexible person. You tend to take life as it comes.
You are prioritizing your family life right now. As usual, family comes first for you.
Deep down you crave comfort. You want what's familiar and guaranteed to sooth you.

Sounds spot on. *G*

I hope you're having an excellent day!

Maria Zannini said...

You have to understand that the average person in the western world is not that knowledgeable about how 'grandma' used to do things.

Every generation forgets a little bit more.

You are one of the lucky few who chose to remember.

Ceri Hebert said...

I do know how to roast a chicken (though don't ask me to kill or pluck one) and I always always make my pancakes from scratch (recipe from my very old cookbook). Nothing like homemade pancakes with maple syrup!