Our 13th Anniversary: Love doesn't cost a thing

Eugenio Zampighi - Elderly couple reading (before 1930)

Can the ocean keep from rushing to the shore?  

It's Impossible.

If I had you, Could I ever want for more?  

It's impossible. 

                           

-PERRY COMO

Mr. Peasant and I just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. Typically, I wouldn't write about such a sappy date, but it's been a pretty terrible year filled with losing three family members and Mr. Peasant's ongoing leg recovery. I am compelled to rejoice over today. Not many people have loved a man through three huge changes. When I married Mr. Peasant, he was an atheist. Then, through the Lord's goodness, he converted to a Roman Catholic. Lastly he suffered a traumatic brain injury 7 years ago. He is still recovering from that. I have loved three different versions of him. I always tell him that I'll take him any way I can get him. 

I never know what this blog will end up being 20 years from now. I want whoever finds this to know this blog is about two people who married after only knowing each other 3 months in a notary's living room and the union was con-validated in an empty church 9 months later. We made our vows surrounded by the priest, my sisters and my mother with no dress and a small gold band from JC Penney's and a bouquet from the Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Our frugality started by wanting to buy a house. The habits formed over 10 years and the house we own today has been an ark to help us survive through Mr. Peasant's disability. 

It is a simple promise said without truly believing the sicker, poorer, or worse will ever come to be. Most of the time people leave when one of these tragedies pop up. We have been handed all three bad things, and I would marry him all over again. He is the reason I don't need much. He is the reason I fight so strongly for living small, saving, and not being materialistic because shit happens. We can live happily on ramen noodles and love. I don't need a new car, a house remodel, birthday dinners out, gifts around the tree, travel and pampering. I just need him. And knowing this and having his love makes it incredibly easy to navigate a tiny life. So if anyone wants to know who we are, we are the Noble Peasants. Our story is a love story; Mr. Peasant,The Lord and I.  

The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. 

He hath set me in a place of pasture. 

He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: 

He hath converted my soul. 

He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name's sake. 

For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. 

Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.

Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. 

Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!

And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. 

And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

                                   PSALM 22   DOUAY-RHEIMS

Eugène Laermans - Old Couple - 1925

Mrs. Peasant's 10 Small Things for a Cozy Summer at Home

Summer Evening, 1886.  Frederick Childe

People Say Nothing is Impossible but I Do Nothing all the Time. 

-WINNIE THE POOH

It is hot and humid here in South Carolina. Summer is here, and Mr. Peasant is still recovering from his leg injury. This injury has forced me into an accidental, four month long, no buy challenge. I still go to the grocery store a few times each month. I've watched the weeks go by and have calmed down all my urges to go shopping at the thrift store or garden center. I have made do with what we have here at home. This post isn't about swimming at the beach or the joys of a vacation in the mountains. I'm tired of feeling influenced by women showing off their incredible flower gardens, beautiful homes, and expensive dresses. I'll be basic and show what a simple person does for summer smiles. Most of these things don't involve spending and shopping. This post is about tiny ways you can have a simple cozy summer. I don't think summer gets the attention it deserves. And when we do talk about summer it's always linked with trips, travel, busyness, and events. I think summer has a low key vibe that doesn't cost anything. Here are some ways I'm enjoying summer without spending money or going anywhere. 

1. FLOWERS FROM MY YARD

Every spring I long to go to the garden centers to buy some beautiful plants and mulch. Every year, we never make it to the garden center. A brain injury really makes small tasks way harder to accomplish. So, I have had to enjoy the flowers in the yard. Big shout out to DAY LILIES. The downside is the flowers only last one day. I cut off stems with three buds on them and I get a few days of flowers. I grabbed some Nasturtium seeds at the Food Lion produce section kiosk, and they are so lovely. And, of course, we have the very neglected and beautiful gladiolus. 

Knock out roses and Veronica (Speedwell). I love purple and red together.

2. PRISM LIGHT CATCHER RAINBOWS 

I finally found a place to hang my light catchers. The sun hits the prisms around 5:00 pm which is perfect. I'll be cooking dinner, and the prism covers the kitchen in rainbows. I also watched Pollyanna last year, so the prisms have even more meaning to me. If you have never seen Pollyanna, you must. Summer would be a great time to watch it.

3. BOX FANS

The sound of fans blasting is the ultimate summer vibe. Hang your laundry in front of the fan, and it cools the room. Hang your sweaty clothes and scarfs to dry after working in the yard.

4.  BLUEBERRIES

One of the first things we did when we bought our house is plant 4 Sunshine Blue Blueberries (13.00 dollars each at Lowes.) At the time, I had to push through the pain of spending 50 dollars on them. Four years later, I am glad I bought them. They are finally pumping out serious amounts of berries. I think I've picked a gallon so far. I have them right next to the tomato plants. Their stories are night and day. I have started the tomato seeds in March, hardened them off, pruned them, and caged them. I check daily for bugs and disease. Even with all that babying, half of my tomato plants look yellow and terrible!  As I picked from the bounty of my entirely neglected blueberry bushes, all I could think of is that I need to plant more! If you live in the South get some blueberries growing today. They are so easy.

I love the color of my thrifted vintage avocado green colander with the blue.

5. MUSIC

This is some of the music I am listening to as we stay home. There are lots of local oldies radio and 80's on my kitchen boombox. I try to keep the music upbeat and sweet.

Frank Sinatra Easy Does It Album This album is so sweet and lovely for summer.

 Van Morrison Moon Dance Album This and the Motown below are great cleaning and cooking music.

 Motown Sound AccuRadio  Great Motown oldies Radio Station

1.FM Love Classics online radio box This one is SO SO good. It's just like an easy listening radio station from the 90's with artists like Phil Collins, Gloria Estefan, and Debbie Gibson. We are talking about hearing songs like "Eternal Flame" and "More than Words."

6. USING UP EVERYTHING 

Since I am not going to the store often, I have been forced to really dig deep into my pantry and freezer.  I am pulling out all sorts of goodies and not so good things. I am really enjoying using things up as a form of decluttering. I am pulling out frozen blocks of fruit and making smoothies. I am using up frozen bread, and almost empty bags of vegetables. I am using up cans of pumpkin from fall and just plain throwing out the bad stuff. Here is the truth. You don't know it's bad until you go through the freeze pile. Some of it was junk after being thawed and refrozen during a power outage. Here is another truth. Eating the stuff you already bought is being a good steward of your money. For frozen fruits and veggies, rinse off the ice first. That gets rid of that bad freezer taste.  

I've also used up a face mask gift from Christmas. I finished a jar of lotion I didn't like by keeping it on my nightstand and putting it on my hands nightly. I used up some cleaners that are not my favorite. I've been drinking more hot tea in hopes of going through my stash. 

7. GARDENING POORLY

I also bought zinnia and cosmo seeds from Food Lion. I dumped the two packs into the ground and watched many pop up. Slowly, I realized the 100 zinnia sprouts were being eaten by rabbits. I know. I love rabbits so much. But they completely killed my flowers. So I picked up some plastic forks at the grocery store for a dollar. They are working. I have to guard my 3 surviving zinnias. The tomato leaves look terrible from the downpour of rain we've been getting. The lawn is 2 feet high. I spent 15 minutes pulling thorny brambles from the front of the house. I am gardening poorly. But we do have North Georgia Candy Roaster Squash coming in and blueberries. The summer garden is the lottery, and you are going to lose a lot. But you can only win if you play. 

8. PROPAGATION CUTTINGS

Cuttings in the window show the vibrant green of the vitamin bottles. 

It is almost July, and I have not gone to the Garden Center. I decided to try making my own plants through propagation. Surprisingly, in theory, a lot of my plants can be propagated through cuttings in water. What the heck, I have nothing but time. I have hydrangeas, mums, salvia, knock out rose and even a few tomato cuttings in water. The tomato cuttings are a plan B back up if the tomato plants succumb to disease. 

I really like using the emerald green plastic vitamin bottles for root cuttings in the window. I love the way the light makes the colors pop. I think brown vitamin bottles would be pretty too. 

9. DOING NOTHING

We have also spent a lot of time doing nothing. Mr. Peasant works on a word find puzzle every night. The topic was celery. Ha! Doesn't get more exciting than this folks. We are reading books we already have, decluttering, identifying bugs in the yard, catching up with family on the phone, and making a Sunday peach cobbler. This peach cobbler is not with fresh farm stand peaches or peaches from your back yard. These are peaches from an old dusty can that was about to expire. The cobbler was delicious.  

10. SITTING ON A STOOP 

Lastly, it's nice to just watch things on a stoop. I like to watch the mockingbirds beat up other birds. I like to watch the doves and the robins. I like to watch the butterflies, the planes flying above, the clouds or the flowers moving with the breeze. I like to hold hands with Mr. Peasant and just watch the yard. 

I hope you are enjoying your summer without spending a dime. I hope it's lovely, small, and imperfect. I want to de-influence us from all the grandiose vanities and expensive vacations society tries to push on us. Enjoying the sweetness of summer does not cost us anything. You don't have to go anywhere. Thank you for stopping by and may God bless you. Please pray for Mr. Peasant's healing. 

Do what we can, summer will have its flies: 

if we walk in the woods, we must feed mosquitos: 

if we go a-fishing, we must expect a wet coat.

                                                                                       -RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Summer Sunlight, 1894. Louis Paul Dessart

Mr. Peasant On The Power Of Thrift

Farmer with Pumpkin, 1890 Charles Frederick Naegele

Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character.

CALVIN COOLIDGE

I stopped having money problems in my twenties. I didn't win the lottery or get a high paying job or an inheritance. I stopped going to school and settled into working for a living. From then on, I never lacked the money for what I needed in life. The underlying lesson is that I didn't need to pay for the education that was available for free at my local public library.

Once you understand how little this world has to offer, you end up saving a great deal of money. I knew this from an early age. Little boys grow up getting toy cars, boats, and BB guns. Little girls grow up getting doll houses and toy horses. Naturally, they end up wanting the real things as adults. What did I get growing up? I got a shovel and a lawnmower. I am actually grateful for this because it taught me that the real pleasures in life come from work and not from things. This is why I prefer tools to toys.

Hard work is the first element of the thrift equation. I recommend making hard work your sport and hobby. This saves you money you would blow on toys. It saves you money by doing things yourself. And, it makes you money when you work for a wage. And, if you can unlearn some bad programming, you find that work is fun. I find it more fun than flipping a Jeep over in the back country on the weekends.

Men get bored. With work, that boredom gets channeled into productive things while saving money on booze, toys, and spendy women. This is why hard work is essential to thrift because the greatest enemy of thrift is boredom. You won't be bored if you have work to do.

The second element of the thrift equation is simple living. Keep your needs few and your pleasures simple. I have the unearned reputation of not being much fun and being some kind of Puritan. The reality is that I don't think you need a Jeep, a bass boat, and a set of golf clubs to enjoy life. Looking at the rust and dust on those items in the many garages I have visited, I think many people will agree with me. These people buy the illusion of happiness and enjoyment instead of the real thing.

Happiness in this world is kinetic. This means that true pleasure comes from doing things and not owning things. You figure this out when you see an old fisherman fishing from a bridge with nothing more than a cane pole and a plastic bucket. Meanwhile, guys are slaving to make the payments on boats they don't have the time to use.

The Simple Life. Thomas McEwan, 1914

My simple pleasures are reading books, listening to music, watching a movie or TV show, and writing blog posts. Except for the blog posts, these are the same pleasures I enjoyed as a teenager in the 1980s. My lifestyle inflation has been virtually zero, and I am old enough to say that it will remain this way.

Hard work and simple living are what thrift is all about. Mrs. Peasant takes care of the coupons and the thrift store shopping. Mr. Peasant tries to not be a hole in the bucket of our finances. My ability to work has been greatly diminished due to injury, but I do what I can with what I have where I am at. God provides. The Peasants strive to be good stewards of what God has provided.

I think we live a relatively happy and peaceful life. I know that the wisest way to live is not in maximizing pleasure but in avoiding pain. I don't need a cruise or a second honeymoon. I just need to remain secure just like I am right now which is not being homeless or destitute. Thrift is what makes this possible.

Thank you for reading!

Peasants Proceeding to Their Work, 1924 Václav Brožík