Duty Over Aesthetic: Heatwave Paper Curtains

Young Woman Relaxing, 1894. Francesc Masriera 

See the curtains hangin' in the window

In the evening on a Friday night

A little light a-shinin' through the window

Lets me know everything's all right

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

- SEALS AND CROFTS

There is a heatwave coming this week to South Carolina. The forecast is for highs in the 100s! This scares me mostly because of our electric bill. Our summer electric bills are already the highest bills of the year, and we already keep our thermostat at 78 degrees. I haven't been able to thrift any black out curtains. I've made do with curtains I could find cheaply and using cardboard boxes in my windows to block out more light. For all my beautiful home friends, you may want to look away. I am not going to win any awards for my interior design. What is more important is covering my windows with something to cool the house down and save money. We will not let money or the perfect be the enemy of a temporary better. Perhaps with the money we save over the summer, we can buy some nice blackout curtains. 

You will need the following:

Any paper products you have laying around. Paper grocery bags, newspapers, card stock. Tin foil or light pieces of fabric would work great too. I am using the light weight brown paper strips they use to pack Amazon packages. 

Broken down cardboard boxes.

A roll of brown craft paper or old wrapping paper.

Clear tape.

Clothes Pins.

The goal is to cover our windows with stuff we have laying around. Use whatever you have. We always save boxes and papers for gardening projects.  I sandwiched cardboard boxes in-between the glass pane and my curtains. The cardboard sits on the window ledges. Sometimes, you can stuff the cardboard in the windowsill snugly. Other times, the cardboard is a little wobbly, but the cardboard stays up good enough leaning in. Even if you can only do a couple windows, DO IT. Even if you don't have enough materials to cover your entire window, just cover as much as you can. Anything you cover will block the light and will help.

In the living room windows, I have cardboard boxes balancing on the bottom window ledges and held up by the curtains. I added layers of Amazon packing paper to cover more of the windows. I attached the paper with clothes pins to the existing curtains. I also placed a long piece from a brown craft paper roll on two windows in the dining room. I secured the craft paper to the top of the curtains with two clothes pins. I also used two clothes pins at bottom corners of the paper to weigh the paper down. It ends up being a paper roller shade. The roll fit perfectly width wise and I just cut to fit the length.

Dining room before with just cardboard boxes in the windowsills.

After, craft paper roll "shades" to sides and extra paper top middle window

Brown craft paper roll "shade", used on left and right side windows.

Before, with only cardboard in the windowsill.

After adding Amazon packing paper, two sheets to the top.

The packing paper wasn't always perfect. I just taped together a big piece.

Put packing paper in the side of the door window. I just taped it in poorly.

This has helped tremendously. I have upped our thermostat to 79 degrees from 78.  Even with the increase, it feels so much cooler in the house. I had a long list of reasons why I couldn't do the project. I didn't have the right black out curtains, I couldn't afford the correct and lovely ones. We have 14 large windows and they want 30 dollars a set on Amazon. Maybe I could DIY the curtains one day? I didn't have the blackout fabric figured out yet and I wasn't going to figure out the perfect solution by Monday. My mind went round and round over this. Finally, I thought, what if I just used what I had at home for free and it wasn't lovely? What if it was more important to cool the house and help our a/c unit not work itself to death? What if saving our money from going down the drain is just as lovely? 

Is there a project that you've been putting off because you can't do it aesthetically pleasing or just right? Maybe there is a creative way you can move forward on it imperfectly and with things you already have. I hope this helps change your mindset. A practical solution today beats a perfect solution tomorrow. Being industrious is better than being pretty.  I am so glad I didn't wait to black out the windows until I could find the right curtains. Ladies, throw some trash up in your windows and stay cool and save three hundred dollars this summer. Thank you so much for stopping by and God bless you. 

Better is the poor man that provideth for himself, 

than he that is glorious and wanteth bread.

PROVERBS 12:11 DOUAY-RHEIMS

Interior with a woman at the window. 1880. Christian Clausen

5 Things Mr. Peasant Is Keeping Alive In 2025

The Trapper's Camp. 1861. Albert Bierstadt

Use it or lose it is a cliche because it’s true.

JULIAN COPE

Modern life has brought us many good things like washing machines, automobiles, television sets, and the internet. The downside is that modern life also eradicates many good things that we should not lose. We are in an age where the intelligent ones among us realize that new solutions breed new problems. I think many problems were solved with old solutions that are still good. Here are five things I am using in order to not lose them.

1. Radio

AM radio has been in the cross hairs ever since FM became a thing. AM was saved by the likes of Art Bell and Rush Limbaugh, but those guys are gone now. No one has yet to fully fill their shoes. Regardless, I still listen to my AM radio along with my FM stations. Because of AM radio, I can listen to many radio stations from across the country when the sun goes down. I like that.

The tech powers would prefer that I get my audio content through a streaming app with a paid subscription. They already want to do this with television content. I refuse to do this. Long live radio!

The Important Letter, 1858. Pieter Willem Sebes 

2. Snail mail

Mrs. Peasant puts a lot of effort into her Christmas card campaign each year. Likewise, I have taken to writing letters instead of sending emails to people. For some reason, people appreciate that effort more than an email, text, phone call, or Facebook emoji. We also prefer to pay our bills through the mail. We do not trust auto pay options.

3. Paying with checks and cash

Our culture is primed and ready to take the mark of the Beast when that time comes. We use electronic payment for some things, but we use checks and cash equally as much. We agree with Catherine Austin Fitts that we need to keep those options alive for the sake of freedom. Once they control the money, they control you. You can prevent this with cash and checks.

4. Cursive handwriting

I was disappointed to learn that today's schoolchildren do not know how to write in cursive or read cursive handwriting. How do they sign a check? I forgot. They just swipe the mark of the Beast for that. Regardless, I write exclusively in cursive now when it comes to my personal letters. I write legibly enough that my script can be read by someone who is literate. From what I have heard, AI cannot read cursive handwriting. That's a good enough reason to keep cursive alive.

5. Using a flip phone

I am famous for the flip phone thing. I never upgraded to a smartphone mainly because I like devices with physical buttons. I cannot pledge that I will never buy a smartphone because they may force the issue. But I will hold out for as long as I can. Fortunately, I am not alone on this issue. The age of chronic tech distraction needs to come to an end.

That's it for my five things I am keeping alive in 2025. I can drive a stick shift, but I don't want to do that. I read physical books, but they have never been on the endangered species list. I gave up vinyl records in the 1980s and prefer CDs and cassettes. I am also hanging on to my DVDs and the DVD player. Get back with me at the end of the decade to see where things stand then.

Thank you for reading!

Campfire, 1888 Winslow Homer

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

Mr. Peasant On Sunshine And Slobber

H. A. Brendekilde 1896 Spring. A young couple rowing a boat on Odense

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.

CHARLES SCHULZ

I heard someone say that if we could translate the birds chirping we would find that they were all screaming for sex. That makes sense to me because I notice the birds chirping mostly in the spring when birds and bunny rabbits are looking to make more birds and bunny rabbits. Nature is obsessed with reproduction.

Spring is naturally a romantic time when flowers bloom. These lovely weeds with their multicolor petals set the tone and the mood especially in the hovel of the Noble Peasants. Mrs. Peasant grows and collects these flowers all season long. Tomatoes and sweet potatoes may or may not grow, but there will always be zinnias and daffodils in the kitchen window.

Women love flowers. This is because flowers represent love. And love leads to slobber. Pick some flowers for your wife, and she will repay you with kissy lips wet with slobber. This is kinda gross, but I have managed to put up with it. There's a rumor floating around that I like it. Mr. Peasant will neither confirm nor deny the rumors. He just knows he has a weakness for putting a dimpled smile on her lovely face.

P.S. Krøyer - Roses. Marie Krøyer seated in the deckchair in the garden by Mrs Bendsen's house 1893

Sitting on the back step and holding hands while watching birds is also known to happen. The Peasant backyard is a wild kingdom of activity. The war between the robins and the mockngbirds never ends. We root for the robins because mockingbirds are the thugs of the bird world. I like to watch the bumblebees bumble their way from flower to flower.

As the sunshine increases, it will get hotter. Mr. Peasant has lizard blood, so he acclimates to the heat which makes him feel better. Mrs. Peasant has bunny blood and turns red and miserable. She prefers the winter to the sunshine. Winter is Mr. Peasant's kryptonite.

For a handful of days in the spring and fall, we have pleasantly cool temperatures. You have to take those days when you can get them. They are gone before you can check the thermometer. Those are good days for hand holding and slobber. Make them count.

Gentle Reader, I hope this post finds you in pleasant times and pleasant weather and pleasant company. Thank you for reading.

Luigi Monteverde Ertappt 1888, Caught

The No Effort Spring Cutting Garden: Flowers that Don't Need You

Herbert Wilson Foster, 1846–1929

Ain't nobody got time for that.

MS. SWEET BROWN

To be honest, I haven't been very enthusiastic about the garden.  All my hopes of planning the perfect vegetable garden stopped when Mr. Peasant injured his IT band. My garden dreaming was derailed by life which is exactly how life goes. I still did my have to do's. This would be the minimums. I started my tomato, pepper, and eggplant seeds indoors. I also started some sweet potato slips. 

I've been labeling, watering, and planning. Some seeds sprouted and others were duds. The past few months, God has given me comfort through flowers coming up in the yard. These are flowers that I have done NOTHING to help grow. NO watering, NO planning. Life indoors has been colored gray by Mr. Peasant's painful recovery that seems never ending. Having beautiful flowers indoors has brought joy to both Mr. Peasant and I. Best of all, I didn't have to do anything. These are literally no work, no hassle flowers. So, for all the regular ladies out there who love the dreamy English country cutting gardens but don't have the energy or the hired gardener, there is hope. I have been cutting spring flowers from the yard, and I didn't do anything. Here is a love note to the cutting flowers that don't need you--daffodils, azaleas, and irises. With an honorable mention to purple salvia as a great filler. Our purple saliva has been blooming since March here in South Carolina (zone 8).  

Walter Grane, 1902 From the book Flora's Feast

DAFFODILS

First week in March, the very first flower to come out was the small 'Tete-a-Tete' Daffodils, and then the Slim Whitman.

First week in April, we have the Yellow Cheerfulness Daffodil. The Cheerfulness Daffodil is my first scented daffodil. I didn't know what to expect. These smell light and green exactly like walking into a florist shop. They are not sweet smelling but have a little note of spice. The smell is not strong. so I have to put my nose right in there.

AZALEAS

These came with the house, I don't know the names. I never thought of Azaleas as cut flowers before this year. I actually was considering removing the bushes because I thought trimming them after bloom was too much work. I never trim them properly, and they still always bloom. I love them. They last 5 days in the vase. Cut a small branch off and watch it slowly unfold into blooms. It's like a firework show. One bloom will fall and another will open. It's lovely. And the leaves round out the bouquet perfectly, so that one cutting feels complete. I even like just one azalea flower in the bathroom.

IRISES

These came with the house. I do not know the name. Our iris is a show stopper. The coloring is a homage to God's attention to detail and beauty. These are elegant. The color shimmers, and they have a smell similar to a Stargazer Lilly. I don't do anything to help them outside. She just has a will to live. 

I hope this inspires you to consider adding some easy no work flowers for cutting and enjoying. I think loveliness doesn't have to be so hard. I always appreciate you stopping by. Thank you for reading and God bless you. 

Consider How the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin.

Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor 

was dressed like one of these. 

LUKE 12:27

Francesco Saverio Altamura, Young Lady with Boquet of Flowers 1891

Mr. Peasant On Suffering

Karl Julius von Leypold - Wanderer in the storm 1835

If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.

SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

Epicurus is the philosopher of the quiet life. Despite all associations with the philosophy of hedonism, Epicurus argued and demonstrated that the most tranquil life you can have is a quiet life in your garden. For Epicurus, hedonism was not a matter of increasing pleasure but reducing pain and suffering. His lifestyle demonstrated that you didn't need a lot of money to find this pain reduction.

Much of what Epicurus taught can be found in the proverbs of the Old Testament, the sage advice of Saint Paul in the New Testament to live a quiet life, and in the example of the hidden life of Jesus and the Holy Family. The simple life is the best life and the most pleasant life. It should be our aim in this life.

The downside of all of this is that a pain free life is impossible. You can reduce suffering by the elimination of needless things. But you can never escape suffering in this life. It will find you despite your best efforts.

Suffering came to Epicurus at the end of his life. The philosopher developed a painful kidney stone that ended up killing him. The man died in agony. Despite his best efforts, pain and suffering found Epicurus.

Roman Catholics know that suffering is an essential part of life especially the life of a saint. We should strive to live in peace and tranquility, but we should never be surprised when we encounter adversity and suffering in this life. This is very important when considering the domestic utopia of the quiet life.

You cannot make heaven on earth. What you can achieve is an oasis of rest in the harsh desert of this world of tears. If we cannot have the hedonism of endless pleasures, we certainly should not have the masochism of endless suffering. At the end of the day, we must take the good with the bad. We must enjoy life without attachment, and we must endure life without despair. These are good lessons to remember in this season of Lent.

I hope this post finds you in a pleasant spot in life. Thank you for reading.

Christ in the Wilderness, Ivan Kramskoy 1872

Mr. Peasant On His Homemade Pocket Notebooks

Writing to Father, Eastman Johnson 1863

Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter. And lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.

JACK LONDON

When I go on my walks, I carry a homemade notebook in my pocket. This homemade notebook is custom made to fit my front shirt pocket. It is more square than rectangular. I am unable to find anything like it on the market, and those store bought notebooks are expensive. They are so pricey that they hit my perfectionism nerve and make me not want to write in them. I don't want to mess them up with my scribblings. A homemade notebook made from junk paper liberates me to think and scribble.

There are two ways to make a homemade notebook--modified and from scratch.

1. Modified

A modified notebook is when I am gifted something like Field Notes or a similar equivalent. I never buy these things for myself because I think they cost too much. I like these notebooks because they are the right thickness and don't have a spiral wire at the top of the book. Their only deficiency is they are too long for my shirt pocket. My solution is to cut them in half turning one regular notebook into two pocket notebooks. This butchery also slays that perfectionism problem I have with scribbling into a pristine store bought notebook.

2. From scratch

A scratch notebook is when I take junk paper harvested from junk mail and other places and collect them into a pad. I make durable covers from things like my old paper calendars or covers of the Magnificat. I cut these materials to the right dimensions for my pocket and staple them together. I don't make them overly thick or else they will come apart. I find that three staples do the trick.

Pencil is the preferred writing instrument for the pocket notebook because ink tends to run and stain especially if there is sweat and precipitation. I also keep the last pages blank in case I need to hand on information to a third party. I write down the info and tear it out for them.

I mostly write down ideas that come to me as I walk. These are usually blog post ideas. I have had ideas on my walks, but I lost them because I had no way to write them down. I told myself that I would remember them and write them down after my walk. That didn't happen. Now, I stop and take out the pocket notebook to capture the idea in the moment. It has done wonders for my creativity. This post began as an idea jotted down in my pocket notebook.

Gentle Reader, I hope that you found inspiration to make your own homemade notebooks or simply to carry one at all times in your pocket. You never know when ideas will come to you. Thank you for reading.

An Old Man Writing a Book by Candlelight, Godfried Schalacken 1663