An End Of Summer Lesson: Plant Something Beautiful Among The Disasters

Fausto Zonaro: Young Girl Carrying a Pumpkin 1889

You can learn a lot of things from the flowers.

 — Alice in Wonderland

I hesitated making this post. I wondered whether it was important enough to share. It's a very small update. But I decided I want to share my life even when it's small. Our summer garden was a huge failure. No watermelons. No cucumbers. No sweet potatoes. No eggplants. No zinnias. Only three squash. All the heirloom tomatoes quickly yellowed, died and produced nothing. We were in heaven over the 20 tomato sandwiches we ate this summer (all Early Girl tomatoes.) The four Sunshine Blue blueberry bushes we planted 4 years ago are now gloriously productive. We harvested so many blueberries.

My view of Rudbeckia blooming from the back of our yard.

Mr. Peasant has been suffering an IT band injury, and I have been suffering a shoulder injury due to trying to get the heavy lifting tasks done.  Both of us have been sidelined, and the yard and garden show it. The backyard is covered in tall grass like a highway strip in August. Every time I'd stare out my back door, I was confronted with our failures and inability to tend to our property. The property we prayed and saved for now made me feel overwhelmed.  

But something really amazing and small happened. Two years ago, I dug up a piece of a rudbeckia from the front yard. I planted it near the walking track and forgot about it. This year the plant grew almost 5 feet high! And then, one October day I peaked out the back door window and saw 50 bright mustard yellow flowers. It was incredible. 

Here is the point I want to share. Once that rudbeckia plant bloomed, my view changed.  I'd peak out the back door, and all I saw were those happy yellow flowers swaying in the breeze. It might as well been a Christmas tree with how it lit up the whole yard. I never noticed our awful yard after that rudbeckia bloomed. I only noticed the huge beautiful flowers. 

All the flower seeds I planted in the ground in spring were quickly gobbled up by rabbits. I planted a new bed in August. I didn't think anything would grow so late in the season. I planted the new bed with chocolate cherry tomatoes, an early girl tomato cutting I rooted, candy roasters, basil and zinnia seeds. We got 3 more tomatoes and a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes. Everything in the bed failed except the Zinnias. I've gathered vases full of colorful flowers all month. I'm so glad I sowed more flower seeds. It was the best Zinnia harvest I've ever had. 

Planted 3 tiny clearance mums under each tree of the allee.

Plant the flower seeds late, find a spot for a dying mum from the clearance rack, divide a perennial for next year, and plant a bulb for Spring.  Plant beautiful things in the middle of the disaster. One lovely thing can lift up your soul and your heart. One candle can light up a room full of darkness. Bake some oatmeal cookies, play a happy song, and put a vase of flowers on your sticky kitchen table. We will always have the weeds with us. Remember to plant the good. Remember to plant a beautiful thing. 

I set the Lord always in my sight:

for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved.

Therefore my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced: 

moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope.

PSALM 15:8  DRA

Mr. Peasant's Quick And Dirty Guide To Radio Prepping

President's Fireside Chat, 1930s Aimee Schweig

I talk about weird stuff. What I do only works at night, only on the radio.

ART BELL

The Peasants miss Art Bell. He was the pioneer in paranormal talk radio. Art confessed to being bored with politics, so he went after topics that he found interesting. Combine that with a radio in a dark room late at night, and you have a source for cheap but thrilling entertainment. They still play old Art Bell episodes on the radio. The man had a gift. He also had a love for radio being a ham radio operator.

I love radio as well. Radio is my top choice for information and entertainment. Some years ago, Mrs. Peasant tasked me with researching the use of radios for prepping. I had all these visions of complicated ham radios, walkie talkies, scanners, and expensive shortwave radios. When I was done with my research, I concluded that these were the only radios you need for prepping:

1. An AM/FM/WX radio

2. A CB radio

That's it. I can give all the details why I settled on just these two radios, but I did all of that research to spare you having to read all of that. Just buy these two radios if you don't already own them and move on with your prepping.

Charlie Lingar and his son listen to their battery radio. 1945, Four Mile, Bell County, Kentucky

The AM/FM/WX radio should have a ferrite rod antenna built in. Sony has been good with this as well as C.Crane and Sangean. You want quality AM reception, and you want to listen at night when you can get many more stations than you will ever hear on the shortwave bands. You also want the weather band because weather info is the top priority for any prepper. This one radio will keep you informed. I use my radio daily just for ordinary times.

The CB radio is for communicating with friends, neighbors, and family in the event that the phones go down. This happens. There are millions of CB radios out there. and you can still buy them at truck stops and Walmart and Amazon. You don't need a license, and they are stone simple to operate. There are better radios except very few own them or possess the licenses to operate them. You don't need them. Most of your communication needs will be trying to locate a gas station that still has the pumps working. The truckers that still have CB radios in their rigs are good for that sort of information.

Anyone who tells you that you need more equipment than this is trying to sell you equipment. Buying this stuff may boost your confidence, but it really just drains your wallet. Save your money by keeping it simple.

Thank you for reading!

Radio on the Great Northern Railway 1925

In Praise Of The Humble Chef Boyardee Pizza Maker Kit

Pica's Pizzeria, 1940s. Frank Pica, Sr. outside his pizzeria in Philadelphia. Credits

When the Son of God came into the world... 

he gave power to become children of God (Jn 1:2). 

This spirit of childhood consists of simplicity, docility, purity, 

and contempt for worldly riches and grandeur.

                 - ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE

This is a public service announcement. I had never heard of the Chef Boyardee Pizza kit until a few months ago. After reading the reviews on Amazon, I've learned that it has a cult following from people who have eaten it since the 70s. I think this pizza is a hidden gem for homebodies and simple eaters. I was so surprised to learn that Chef Boyardee was actually a real person and a famous Italian chef. But what really shocked me is that the five dollar, dusty, red box of Traditional Chef Boyardee Pizza kit was truly delicious! You can find it on the bottom shelf in the section with the pizza sauce and packaged Boboli type pizza crusts. I've seen it at Food Lion, Walmart, IGA, and even Amazon (way too expensive.)

WARNING: Please note that

1. This kit IS NOT VEGAN. The traditional crust mix and sauce both contain dairy. 

2. I do not have sophisticated tastes. My 10 rating is probably your 6.  I think this pizza is better than any frozen pizza and much cheaper. It is more like a school lunch room pizza with a biscuit type crust that browns well. I would rather have it than a pizza from Little Caesars.   

The best part about this pizza mix is that it comes together very easily and is fool proof. It is cheaper and easier to store than boxes of frozen pizza. The pizza kit makes two pizzas. It is shelf stable. As long as you have Kraft Mozzarella cheese (the suggested brand to use) and some veggies (canned mushrooms, black olives, green peppers, and onions) you can have a hot delicious pizza at home in less than an hour. For people who live out in the country who don't want to drive to town or pay for pizza delivery, Chef Boyardee is the answer. I really hope you buy a box with a two liter of root beer and stick it in your pantry. Next time you want to have a pizza night, it's right there.

Here are some tips on how Mr. Peasant prepares the pizza. He dusts the dough and rolling pin with extra flour. He rolls out the crust thin on a greased pan. He puts on extra sauce. The biscuit crust absorbs a lot of the sauce. He spreads the sauce and the cheese right to the edges creating delicious browned edges. He sprinkles a layer of bottom cheese. Then he puts on the toppings and sprinkles more cheese on top. We have the oven set for 390 degrees, and it cooks brown and bubbly in 17 minutes. He also cuts the pizza party style into squares. 

I had no idea this pizza kit even existed, and I just had to share! God bless you and thanks for reading.

Mrs. Peasant's Spooktactular Halloween

Unknown French Master: Allegory of the Vanity of Earthly Things 1630

Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori

Time Flies, Remember Death

It's officially October. I am so excited to share our simple Halloween plans. I use the Fly Lady holiday planner (see page 9) to help me plan for each holiday. I try to keep our traditions super easy. Here are our Halloween must haves. 

 1. TREATS

Since Mr. Peasant is plant based, we don't eat a lot of regular candy. I am making rice crispy treats with Dandie vegan marshmallows, and this vegan peanut butter cups recipe which tastes exactly like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I didn't use the coconut oil and just froze them. 

Used a Dayquil cup to cut the rolled out peanut butter mixture into circles.

I just spread the chocolate on one side and then kept them in the freezer.

2. DECORATIONS

I use a capsule style decorating philosophy. I use items that are easy to put up, easy to take down, easy to store, and extra happy. Our decorations total 15 items, and they can fit into a shoe box. I also have three pumpkins wrapped in grocery bags. It only took me 5 minutes to decorate for Halloween. Here are our minimal Halloween decorations. I think the mantel is bursting with joy. 

Halloween Capsule Decorations. Only 15 items but big impact.

Mantel before decorations. 

I use a thrift store polyester curtain that I cut into a mantle scarf and doilies

Topped the lace runner with a plaid scarf. Halloween decor up in 5 mins.

3. THINGS TO DO/ THINGS TO WATCH

We will be watching spooky movies on the four Friday nights in October. 

--Ghostbusters 1 and 2. 

--The Batman Animated TV Series ( a few episodes each Friday). 

We always watch the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Special on Halloween night.

Here are some of my favorite spooky movie suggestions and links to the most terrifying radio episodes I've ever heard. (Perfect to listen to in bed with the lights off. If you dare!)

👻👻👻 SCARIEST TRUE STORY RADIO SHOWS 

Woman dies and goes to hell

Exorcist Priest Malachi Martin

Bob Cranmer's Haunted House

🎃🎃🎃 MY FAVORITE SPOOKY MOVIES

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Coraline

The Haunted (The true story of a Catholic family in a demon possessed house) 

Garfield's Halloween Adventure

Return to Oz 

Unico In the Island of Magic 1983

4. NEW TRADITIONS YOU MAY LIKE TO TRY

--For a fun Halloween night dinner, I bought a box of vegan corn dogs on sale.  

--I want to try a new chili recipe. This one is a copy cat recipe from The Natures Table Restaurant in the mall food court. Do you remember that place in the 90s? This one is a Cincinnati Style Chili with chocolate in it. I'll put all the ingredients on a Halloween grocery shopping list. 

--Create a prayer plan. As a Catholic, Halloween will always be the eve of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. I like to remember our loved ones throughout October. I write a list of relatives and friends that have passed, so we can offer up our nightly rosaries for them throughout the month of October. 

5. THINGS THAT YOUR FAMILY DOESN'T LIKE TO DO. (It is better to know now and be able to discuss it than to suffer and everyone be miserable.)

We decided last year to stop handing out candy after the third small child fell on our property. The parents were not watching them, and they ran across our sloped front lawn. The last little girl couldn't have been more than 4 and faceplanted in the grass. We decided it wasn't fun anymore. We put the pumpkins on the mantel and enjoy a cozy Halloween indoors now. 

I hope this post inspires you to take a few moments to quickly jot down your simple plan for October. Thank you so much for stopping by and God bless you!

And when this mortal hath put on immortality, 

then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 

Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy victory? 

O death, where is thy sting?

 Now the sting of death is sin: 

and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory 

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable; 

always abounding in the work of the Lord, 

knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:54  DRA

Memento Mori still life with musical instruments, books, sheet music, skeleton, skull and armour
Carstian Luyckx 1650

Mr. Peasant On The Franciscan Spirit Of Voluntary Poverty

Francis of Assisi, 1590. Annibale Carracci 

My dear and beloved Brother, the treasure of blessed poverty is so very precious and divine that we are not worthy to possess it in our vile bodies. For poverty is that heavenly virtue by which all earthy and transitory things are trodden under foot, and by which every obstacle is removed from the soul so that it may freely enter into union with the eternal Lord God. It is also the virtue which makes the soul, while still here on earth, converse with the angels in Heaven. It is she who accompanied Christ on the Cross, was buried with Christ in the Tomb, and with Christ was raised and ascended into Heaven, for even in this life she gives to souls who love her the ability to fly to Heaven, and she alone guards the armor of true humility and charity.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

I do not know the number of Franciscan religious orders in the Roman Catholic Church. Though they all agree on the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the differences are in the particulars. How poor should one be? Can you own books or a second pair of sandals?

I care more about the spirit of poverty than any hard definition of what that should look like. For me, voluntary poverty means dispensing with unnecessary things and worldly vanities. It means holding my possessions with a loose grasp. It means knowing the truth that money doesn't buy happiness.

I was already on the journey towards minimalism and simple living before my conversion to Catholicism. After my conversion, I embraced the Franciscan mindset. This may be because of Mother Angelica and Padre Pio. I am very attracted to the humility and simplicity of the Franciscan orders. This is the tau cross I wear daily:

The cross reminds me to be humble, modest, and non-materialistic in my life. Before I buy anything, I ask myself if it is necessary. This practice means I buy very little. I use the acronym FCST (forecast) to clarify what I think is necessary:

F-Food

C-Clothing

S-Shelter

T-Transportation

Beyond these four things, I need very little. Then, I distinguish between present needs and future needs. I save for future needs. If you live this way, you will find yourself deprived of nothing needful while saving a lot of money in the process. It also allows you to be generous and charitable to the truly needy.

For everyone else in the world, they live in pursuit of the 2 P's--Pleasures and Possessions. They believe in error that these things bring happiness. Consequently, they spend to the limit. They can't save money because it makes their hands itch. Unspent money represents an opportunity cost where they left happiness on the table. Their greatest fear is that someone else will spend that money and gain the happiness that rightfully belongs to them. The result is that these people have neither money for their needs nor happiness.

Voluntary poverty helps you escape this sick and self-destructive mindset. You hold material things in their proper place. People who know me laugh at my peculiar habits, and I laugh, too. I remember sending a picture to my friends, but they couldn't stop laughing at my flip phone that was caught in the reflection of the rear view mirror on the passenger side of the car. I don't need a smartphone, so I don't own one. They "need" these smartphones that virtually no one needed before 2007. The irony is that most people have no clue that I still use a flip phone.

Most "needs" come from some need for compliance with the herd. Voluntary poverty liberates me from these false needs. I have never kept up with the Joneses, and the Jones family has never envied the Peasants. They look at us with a mix of disbelief and horror. Because we are not spendy, they imagine us as miserable people.

Ludovico Carracci: The Vision of Saint Francis of Assisi. 1583

True happiness comes from knowing God and living by His commandments. I think of Saint Francis as a supremely happy man. When I meet Franciscans, they strike me as happy people. Look to the examples of Mother Angelica and Padre Pio. Those were happy folks.

I see the worldly folks as supremely unhappy. This is especially true when they can't pay their bills. In pursuing their wants, they cannot even meet their needs. God has provided, and they have squandered.

I tell Mrs. Peasant that my gift from God has not been a material thing but my indifference to material things. There will always be a material dimension and considerations for life in this world, but it should never come at the expense of the spiritual dimension and considerations. One day, I will be deprived of everything I own when I go to my particular judgment. I pray that I am rich in the spiritual sense when that day comes.

Thank you for reading! Saint Francis, pray for us. 

Anton van Dyck - Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy, 1627.

Stop Share Cropping: Owning for Little People

The Cotton Pickers, 1876. Winslow Homer

You have sown much, and harvested little. 
You eat, but you never have enough; 
You drink, but you never have your fill. 
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. 
And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

HAGGAI 1:6

I thought I lived in the South my entire life. But then I moved to South Carolina. I was surprised at how hard it was to assimilate.  How could a 9 hour drive north create such a drastic culture shock? I studied this area as if it was Pluto, and it is. It has it's own culture, dances, food, language, history, class structure, and niceties.

It has a feeling--a very old, settled, stale, shadowy, secretive feeling like a mold that you never knew was breeding quietly inside your walls or a crime scene covered in two feet of dust. You can feel that you are walking on top of tragedies-- dead Native American bodies, dead soldiers' bodies, dead slave bodies, and long lines of dead sociopaths that have streets named after them. The entire place is certainly haunted.

Original caption: "Home of Negro sharecropper near Marshall, Texas" 1939

But I'll stop and get to the point. While researching, I found an old book at our library with these horrifying imagines of poor farming people in shacks. It wasn't slavery, but it  wasn't freedom either. It was called "share cropping," and it was horrible. Here is an excerpt from PBS's Slavery by Another Name site:

"Sharecropping is a system where the landlord/planter allows a tenant to use the land in exchange for a share of the crop. This encouraged tenants to work to produce the biggest harvest that they could, and ensured they would remain tied to the land and unlikely to leave for other opportunities. In the South, after the Civil War, many black families rented land from white owners and raised cash crops such as cotton, tobacco, and rice. In many cases, the landlords or nearby merchants would lease equipment to the renters, and offer seed, fertilizer, food, and other items on credit until the harvest season. At that time, the tenant and landlord or merchant would settle up, figuring out who owed whom and how much

High interest rates, unpredictable harvests, and unscrupulous landlords and merchants often kept tenant farm families severely indebted, requiring the debt to be carried over until the next year or the next. Laws favoring landowners made it difficult or even illegal for sharecroppers to sell their crops to others besides their landlord, or prevented sharecroppers from moving if they were indebted to their landlord.

Approximately two-thirds of all sharecroppers were white, and one third were black. Though both groups were at the bottom of the social ladder, sharecroppers began to organize for better working rights, and the integrated Southern Tenant Farmers Union began to gain power in the 1930s. The Great Depression, mechanization, and other factors lead sharecropping to fade away in the 1940s."

How can we battle economic exploitation and debt servitude?  By owning the means of production. What "machines" can little people afford?

-Popcorn Air popper vs microwavable bags

Presto Air Popper 30.00 at JC Penneys. We bought it many years ago.

-Water filter and reusable Klean Kanteens  vs bottled water

-Good lawn mower vs lawn service

-Nice coffee maker/ espresso maker vs Starbucks

-Making a Chef Boyardee Pizza at home vs pizza delivery

-A used piece of exercise equipment in your house vs gym membership

-A simple set up of hand weights, bands, free YouTube Bob and Brad videos vs phyiscal therapy copays. 

-Hair clippers vs buying hair cuts for men or pets

-Dying your hair at home and painting your own nails vs the salon

-Sewing machine vs. buying curtains and paying for alterations

-Capsule maker and buying bulk herbs to make supplements vs. store bought supplements

-A bread machine, an ice cream maker, a deep freezer, a juicer, a dehydrator, a blender.

-Physical media books, CDs and DVDs vs, subscriptions, movie threaters and streaming services

-Saving up an emergency fund and paying for repairs vs home warranty insurance

-Fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetable seed and flowers.

A very bad summer for yard flowers, still a lovely bouquet with scraps.

-Any information you can learn and reference books you can own.

-Copycat recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes.

-Skills like how to prepare your own taxes and fix broken things.

Have a running list of things you need and look at thrift stores or garage sales. It will take longer to save up the money and find one used. But it is worth it.  Stop paying to use others equipment and get your own. Even if it is used, save up and buy it outright. For years, we dreamed of a time we could stop paying rent and own a home. We couldn't wait to stop paying to wash our clothes at the laundromat and own a washer and dryer. Remember, you can own the little things while waiting and saving up for the big things. Lord give us the patience.

I highly recommend watching the documentary Slavery by Another Name here on forced labor in the South. We were blown away by this one.

A POSTSCRIPT FROM MR. PEASANT: One of the insidious ways that sharecroppers were trapped was through indebtedness to the plantation store. The croppers would buy things from the plantation store on credit, but they never managed to pay off those debts. When they died, most of their possessions would be repossessed even though they had paid for them multiple times. Later, factories would have their company stores with the same terms of purchase and repayment. Today, working people and even middle class folks sell their souls to rent to own places and credit card companies. Financing options exist for virtually everything you care to buy today, and stupid people never see the chains of debt they are fashioning for themselves. Debt is the illusion of ownership, but it is the trap of slavery.

Wife and children of a sharecropper in Washington County, Arkansas. 1935

You load sixteen tons, what do you get?

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD, "Sixteen Tons"

I got myself a Cadillac

But I can't afford the gasoline

AC/DC, "Down Payment Blues"

Mr. Peasant On Blue Collar Versus Redneck

Georges de La Tour. St. Joseph, the Carpenter. 1642.

Before we use any power tools, let's take a moment to talk about shop safety. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all the safety rules that come with your power tools. Knowing how to use your power tools properly will greatly reduce the risk of personal injury. And remember this: there is no more important safety rule than to wear these — safety glasses.

NORM ABRAM

The Gentle Reader may remember the master carpenter Norm Abram from his work on This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop. The words above are Abram's most famous quotation. Beyond that, he didn't say much. Yet, the man is a hero to a generation of men who grew up watching his shows on PBS. Norm Abram was the epitome of the blue collar man with his quiet dignity and devotion to his trade. He is a man worth emulating.

The blue collar man gets confused with that other working class fellow known as the redneck. The stereotype of the redneck is well known. He is white, Southern with an accent, ill mannered, poorly groomed, chews tobacco, drinks cheap beer, and spends his weekends getting drunk, fighting, and getting locked up. Jeff Foxworthy can give you more humorous traits concerning the redneck.

The key difference between a blue collar man and the redneck is volume. The blue collar man is quiet and lets his work do the talking. The redneck is loud and shows his ass. Everything else is commentary.

Unfortunately, misidentification between the blue collar man and the redneck is common much like the confusion between the benign bull snake and the venomous rattlesnake. A man who works for a living is not automatically a redneck even if he drives a pickup truck and listens to country music. Do not make this mistake.

Paul Chocarne-Moreau. The Cunning Thief, 1931.

The redneck is a feral creature. He is angry at the world that holds him in disdain. Wounded pride creates an insularity in the redneck and a willingness to throw insults and punches at the slightest provocation. The redneck loves to be loud which is why he plays his music at 11, has a loud and lifted pickup truck, and wears a Confederate flag emblem on his hat or T-shirt. There is nothing quiet or dignified about a redneck. His aim is obnoxiousness.

No one thinks Norm Abram is a redneck even though he wears work boots and probably drives a pickup truck. It helps to be from New England, but I know Southerners who are virtually the same as Norm. They even wear plaid and safety glasses.

It is important for working class men to exemplify that quiet dignity you see in someone like Saint Joseph. Like Norm Abrams, Joseph didn't say much. He let his work do the talking.

The working class comprises the bulk of the world's population, and they deserve a certain honor for quietly toiling each day to make the world a tolerable place in which to live. No one should ever feel ashamed in working for their living. They should feel peace and tranquility in their status and labor because they are honest people.

Remember, rednecks are loud. Blue collar men are quiet. Thank you for reading!

Mrs. Peasant's Manifesto: Finding Joy in Small Things

Spring, 1864. William McTaggart

What shall I render to the Lord, 

for all the things he hath rendered unto me?

PSALM 115:12  DOUAY-RHEIMS

I find joy in small things. It is very easy for me to do. Mr. Peasant asked me to write about finding joy in small things. I told him I would try. I haven't really thought about it. I do notice that I can find joy easily and some people can't. So, I'll try to share my view. 

In my childhood movie memories, there are two types of people, Annie and Veruca Salt. Veruca Salt was an awful, spoiled, demanding, ungrateful girl. And, back then, nobody wanted to be like her. Her famous line was "I want it now." Annie was a smiling saint that was given very little. That made an impression on me. How could the rich, spoiled girl that got anything and everything she ever wanted be so ungrateful and miserable? And how could sweet little Annie who didn't even have a family be so hopeful? 

Little Orphan Annie, August 5, 1924. Harold Gray

 

Another example would be The Princess who could feel the irritation of a single pea under 20 mattresses versus Cinderella who feels gratitude in spite of her low circumstances.

Edmund Dulac The Princess and the Pea, 1911.

Cinderella, 1930. Otto Kubel

I think there were some big things I wanted in life. I was like everyone else. Thankfully I never got any of them. I never had the chance to get whisked away by the world, accomplishments, or career. I never had  money, so I never could find much joy in it. I've told myself no so many times. I have had to deny myself most of my wants. And even the needs weren't easy to cover.  So, when a good thing came my way, I was sure grateful for it. And I hold on to thankfulness forever. I never forget each kindness or gift. You get better at denying yourself the longer time goes. Eventually, you feel uncomfortable with fancy stuff. 

The richest men in the world today are not religious. They have all the bounty, the money, the best clothes, food, comforts, and all their hearts desire. And none of them love the Lord.  None of them are grateful to Him. Then, I see very poor people from Africa. They do love the Lord. I think you can become desensitized to goodness. 

From the ages 18 to 42, I have had to wash my clothes at the laundromat. It gets really old lugging sacks of dirty clothes from the apartment to your car, getting quarters from your bank, sharing appliances with questionable people, and being trapped there for 2 hours. I have even had my clothes stolen at the laundromat. When we bought our house, I bought a basic washer and a used dryer. It was one of the happiest days of my life. We have been here for 4 years now. Every time I start a load of wash I say "Thank you Jesus." I am so happy even though it's the 300th load. My gratitude remains. My joy remains. I know people who have always washed their clothes at home who do not thank the Lord for the convenience. After 24 years of shady laundromats, I praise God for every load. Gratitude fills my heart with joy. I recall hard or sad times easily and remind myself of God's goodness.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: 

and let all that is within me bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, 

and never forget all he hath done for thee.

-PSALM 102:1 DOUAY-RHEIMS

Drawing, Girl on a Swing, 1879 Winslow Homer

Years ago, I read this profound blog post that has stuck with me. I read it after I lost my job, and we were down to one income. She states that we (women) should try to live on whatever our husbands bring home however small or large because God has provided for you with that amount. She said you may not like what He provided you with, but HE HAS PROVIDED FOR YOU. It is our job to take that money and make the most with it. 

It stuck with me because God is good. You may have wanted this and got that. But we should want what God gives us. We should praise Him and acknowledge it as a blessing. We choose to be grateful to the Lord. Veruca Salt would never be satisfied. I choose to be satisfied. You can choose to be satisfied. I choose to be grateful. I want to honor God in His goodness. I want to tell everyone all the good things God has done for me whether it be a beautiful day outside or a delicious meal or a green light. I try to always remind myself of God's goodness. That is how I find joy in small things. 

O Lord, for I am thy servant: 

I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid. 

Thou hast broken my bonds:

I will sacrifice to thee the sacrifice of praise, 

and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

PSALM 115:16  DOUAY-RHEIMS

Drawing, Girl on a Swing, 1879 Winslow Homer

Mr. Peasant On Homesteading Versus Backyard Gardening

An Old Man's Garden, Mary Dignam. Painted before 1938

Sow the seeds of victory! Plant and raise your own vegetables.

VICTORY GARDEN POSTER

One of the things you learn from watching YouTube videos is that there are many make believe preppers and homesteaders on that platform. The biggest myth they perpetuate is that they make a living by homesteading when the reality is that they make a living from YouTube earnings. Now that YouTube is cutting back on those earnings, I expect to see these fakers start to vanish.

Prior to 2018, I was drinking the Kool-Aid along with everyone else. I dreamed of owning my own homestead with a minimum of 12 acres of land, but I would take 40 acres if I could get it. Those were mighty big ambitions, but I was chomping at the bit to get after it. Then, I had the accident that damaged my brain, took my eyesight, and took my energy. I got back my eyesight, but I never got back my energy. God took a baseball bat to my homesteading ambitions. I am actually grateful for that. People need a dose of humility, and that includes myself.

Victory Gardens for Family and Country, Frequent watering of the Victory Garden is Necessary. 1943

Mrs. Peasant pointed out to me long before my accident that injury, illness, and old age were the Achilles heel of the modern homestead. What do you do when you get sick? What do you do when you get cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, or MS? What do you do when you are old and tired? Being a man, I put these considerations completely out of my mind. My attitude then was to go big or go home.

Post-accident, I learned the virtues of the humble backyard garden. You don't need 12 acres of land for this or a tractor. There are videos on YouTube of people in their 80s and 90s working their small plots. Those old people have more energy than me. Mrs. Peasant is the primary gardener in our household. That's OK because the backyard garden expands and contracts relative to needs and resources. I am very happy that we chose this modest path. We went small.

A Citizen Working on Sunday Morning in his Victory Garden. Oswego, NY 1943

I won't say that homesteading is stupid. What I will say is that I don't think homesteaders think it out fully. The reality is that a homestead takes a large investment of time, money, and energy. I have tried to wrap my brain around the economics of homesteading, and I don't get it. For instance, I don't understand how raising chickens saves money on your grocery bill when you have to buy feed for those hens. The same goes for goats, sheep, hogs, and cattle. You basically have to buy groceries to feed to your groceries.

I do not eat meat, dairy, and eggs. Consequently, I don't need to raise animals for me to eat. The backyard garden is for the organic vegetables that cost a fortune in the grocery store. The non-organic vegetables are not as tasty or nutritious as the produce from our garden. Combined with the exercise that we get, the backyard garden has been a winner for us.

I know people who supplement their gardens with meat from hunting and fishing. I can understand the economics of that. These people will kill some deer that will provide a year's worth of meat. They fish the rest of the time. Except for equipment and a hunting/fishing license, this is free food. Plus, hunting and fishing are fun. I think this makes more sense than having livestock you have to feed on a daily basis. I am not into hunting and fishing because of my plant based diet, but I appreciate those who do hunt and fish.

Citizen Working on Sunday morning in his Victory Garden Oswego, NY 1943

I don't think you need a homestead to feed yourself and your family. Unfortunately, this does not provide enough content for the YouTube audience. I also don't buy into the self-sufficiency myth. If you have to buy feed and fuel for a homestead, you are not self-sufficient. I also think it is a good idea to hang onto that day job even if your YouTube earnings are large. YouTube has proven itself to be an unreliable source of income.

I would urge the Gentle Reader to consider being just a backyard gardener. I think you will find it a better and more economical fit for you and your family. I suggest taking advice and tips from the long tradition of victory gardens from the old days when people supplemented their rations with what they grew and canned at home. These people didn't have 12 acres to plant. Yet, they had a surplus of vegetables from their modest plots. If they could do it, you can do it, too.

Thank you for reading!

Dig for Victory, Peter Fraser between 1939-46

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Taking care of chickens?

http://bethunecatholic.blogspot.com/2025/06/taking-care-of-chickens.html

The Importance of Celebrating Fridays and Weekly Treats

Siesta with Wife Hulda in the Hammock, 1885 by Johan Krouthen

I Hate Mondays. 

          -GARFIELD

13 years ago, Mr. Peasant and I were married. The fall of that year, we went on a vacation to a little cabin in the North Carolina mountains. It was the one and only typical vacation we ever went on. On this trip, we decided that we wanted to start saving for our own little cabin. Spoiler, we never got a cabin in the scenic mountains. We did save up and got a little house in our small town ten years later. All this to say we cut out vacations completely to save up for a house. We eventually realized that we wanted a life we didn't need to take a vacation from living. We wanted a quiet life. 

In lieu of trips, we do treats instead and lots of them. These are not once a year cruises or credit card fueled weekend get aways. We want our treats weekly. I think most people would be a lot happier and richer if they ritualized their joys into scheduled weekly treats. You can look forward to these treats. Frequency matters. A two thousand dollar cruise once a year or a 700 dollar beach getaway weekend is still one moment in the year. I say spend small amounts every week on little treats and celebrate Fridays or Saturday nights. You can make an Aunt Bea Sunday meal or pancakes to add something special for the Lord's Day. 

If you are at a loss for ideas, try to jog your memory of times past. It wasn't too long ago when small treats were the norm and travels were a very rare occasion. A big trip or cruise would be for a huge celebration like a 25th wedding anniversary. When I was a kid there was an excitement over Friday pizza nights. The radio station echoed the friday celebration of the end of the week by playing "I don't wanna work I wanna play on the drums all day" song. Ice cream, air popped popcorn, or potato chips and a night of watching SNL would be something to savor together. 

Five teenage girls with ice cream cones, Gainesville, Georgia, 1952

The truth is you can have a lot of treats throughout the year for a fraction of the cost of a big blow out treat once a year. Let's say every week you spend 25.00 on treats. That would be only $1,300.00 a year! We are very frugal so we keep our treats simple, at home, and spend almost nothing. But you could go bigger with a movie at the drive in, a dinner out, a pint of ice cream, a fancy coffee at Dunkin' Donuts, a frozen pizza tv night, buying a magazine to read in bed, baking a sweet every Sunday or cooking tacos on Tuesdays. Whatever you do, make it easy to repeat financially and planning wise. Set it and forget it so you can look forward to something special every week. 

Mr. Peasant and I have movie night on Fridays. We pick out the movie early in the week, so we can get super excited by Friday. I play the local 80s radio station and get excited for the night. We make popcorn and watch the movie with battery candle lights in the living room.  Saturdays, we watch a Perry Mason TV show episode. We don't eat sugar much, but on Sundays I'll make a frugal sweet treat to enjoy. These little treats are weekly rituals that refresh our hearts. Life is hard. And it's easier to enjoy small frequent child-like joys than to plan and pay for that one week dream vacation. Keep your treats simple, inexpensive, uncomplicated, planned and frequent. Ultimately, what we really want is time together with our loved ones. Spending quality moments together doesn't have to be expensive and only once a year. Start scheduling treats now.      

This is the day which the Lord hath made: 

let us be glad and rejoice therein.

-PSALM 117:24 DOUAY-RHEIMS

The Reagans eating on TV trays in the White House, 1981