Tonights the night!

Tonight is the night I wait for all winter! I am starting my vegetable seeds! I really love this task every year. To me, its the first sign of spring and a real test of what the growing year is going to be like. Some years I do well, others I do not.

The last couple years I have done this way too early. This year I gave myself some extra weeks. Its been 50 degrees several times here this month and I think we are in for an early spring. Every year my technique gets a little better. Last year I had full size plants on my hands and no room before the weather was ready for the little guys. I lost a bunch. Hopefully, this year plays out better.

I have learned a few rules. I don't start corn inside, that goes straight to the ground in the spring. Beans as well. We really don't eat tomatoes, so I don't waste the space, I just buy a flat from the farmers union. I have some good goals for this growing season. I am doing a large corn crop in a seperate garden, on my sisters side of the lot. Hopefully, I will do well on the cucumbers this year so I can can pickles. (last year the excessive rain killed my whole crop). Watermelon ALMOST made it last year and the rain killed them too, so hopefully we have some success this year. I will try my best to get some photos on this darn blog soon!

Heres the full plan for 2010:
Fruits-

• highbush blueberries (already planted)
• Rraspberries (already planted)
• groundcover strawberries (new this year)
• shortvine watermelon

Vegetables-

• tomatoes
• bush green beans
• salad & pickling cucumbers
• carrots
• rhubarb (already planted)
• corn
• pumpkins
• hot peppers
• bell peppers

Herbs-

• dill
• basil
• oregano
• chives
• mint & spearmint

somedays I want to be rich...and warm....

We are truly in the throws of winter now and boy is our wallet feeling it. We have very low funds, very low temps and we are very low on wood. We figure we have enough left to get us through another 6 weeks. Who knows, maybe the groundhog will be right and spring will start in exactly 6 weeks!! huh!

My husbands job has been touch and go and last week he only worked 3 days. But, then came some good news (well, for us). Just when we thought he was officially out of a job, the company (a family owned business) had a internal falling out of sorts and several of the crew have chosen to leave. After we had a long talk, he came to a very wise decision to be "switzerland" in all of this (staying neutral) and just ride the storm out. Upon hearing this, his boss was very happy that he stayed out of the whole mess and just wanted to work. So, now he is back to work (40 hrs this week- first time since thanksgiving!) and things are going well. They even meet at a new location, so we car pool to work everyday! We have saved atleast $50 in gas this week!! Yeah for us! My husband deserves a big kudos for sticking with it!

So, not only are we saving money on gas, but its really motivated us to keep going on the savings. I see on other blogs everyone else seems very motivated to do this as well. Some people have reffered to it as a "money diet". This is a great idea! So here's our successes for the week:

• hung all laundry by the woodstove this week. 4 loads, no dryer!
• tonight is community dinner night (we try to do this once a week). We go to a friends to eat or they come to our house and we share the expense of the meal. Its cheap and cuts down on the energy used to cook, if your not the host. Plus, its fun to visit!
• We have car pooled all week long- $50 in savings so far this week! Its an hour commute each way, so thats big!
• We've kept the woodstove going all week long. We've trained my sister to go over on her days off to load the stove mid afternoon. Its been 5 degrees out just about everyday, so this has been a big help. Today she will load it twice for us while we are out at our friends for dinner.
• I did a great job comparing grocery deals this week. We even found a new local store with great dry food deals, so we've been stocking up there. I stopped going to the co-op. While it was a really neat store, the prices were not a bargain. I just cant afford organic bulk coffee. sorry.

This is in addition to all the other things we normally do. My next plan is to reduce the lights we use. More candles!

Until next time.....

Another day, another snow storm.

So, last nights commute home in our little blizzard wasnt as bad as I anticipated. Once I made it back to the house, the work began though. While husband snowblowed our driveway, my sisters driveway, the path between us and the paths to the woodpile and shed, I hauled in firewood and got a fire going. Once that was settled I started supper. Chicken Parm with homemade bisquits and salad. Within an hour or so we were snuggled in and could relax.

This morning we woke up to the sound of the plow truck. Yes, more snow! 4"-7" due to fall today. So, tonight will be a repeat showing, commute in snow, home to clean up driveways and start the wood stove back up. But what for dinner?

All this snow, has me thinking spring. And its only Jan- we have a long way to go here in Maine! But I like to make a firm game plan on what our garden will look like this year and I start my seedlings in march, so I will begin my shopping soon. I've been reading other blogs and everyone seems on the same page as me. Trying to keep grocery bills low and looking for money any way we can.
Until next time....

oh wait! Its happening again!

I woke up this morning to.......what was supposed to be a dusting of snow.....and there was 10" on the ground and more coming down! What a shock, more white stuff! These kind of monday morning surprises make me want to bury myself under the covers, so I did. About an hour later, I realized I had to go to work today, afterall its monday and they kinda expect me to be there, so I drug myself out of bed, got ready and grugingly made my way outside to dig out my car. My husband left for work 2 hrs prior, so all the snow removal he had done needed to be redone. I should have just got up at my normal time, my laziness doesnt pay. I went back inside and realized the fire was out. We were not prepared for this... no wood in the house. I said screw it and left the house nice and cold.

I made the hour commute, which today was extended by an extra half hour, cursing the snow all the way there. No one was on the roads today (smart people stay home in this shit) and I counted 15 plow trucks on my way in. Driving in Maine in the winter is an art form. One I mastered long ago, but despise nonetheless.

I get to work, obviously the last one in for the day (my timely counterparts cars are now all covered in 2 hours worth of snow) and stomp into work strutting my Maine girl winter gear. Scarf wrapped around face, hood up, gloves on, big old boots, parka, holding a bag of lunch, purse, shoes and a coffee. It was a sight. I make my way to my cubicle and organize myself to begin my day. Its now 10:15. I should have been here and ready to go at 8. I take my seat and glance out the window. Still snowing. Here comes my boss. "what are you doing here.........you should have stayed home. The roads are bad!" He says. Fucking great.

I should have stayed in bed.

Now its 12:30 (I'm here, I might as well stay) and I am nervous already about the drive at 5:00. Its still snowing. There has to be 12-14" out there now. Maybe I will just sleep here. I have enough winter clothes with me to make a nice bed under my desk.

Why do I live in Maine again?!

aaahh... winter in Maine!

Woke up to a cold one this morning! I thought I had the woodstove dampered down enough last night, but we woke up at 6am to a very cold house. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard the furnace click on. (We have maybe 1/8 of a tank of oil left which we are trying to preserve for the 2-3 hr time span between the stove going out and us getting home from work). I ran down stairs, still half asleep with just my robe and no slippers on to find a empty, and I mean not a coal in it, woodstove. It was 55 degrees in the main area of the house (where the woodstove is located) and -4 degrees outside!! So, our day started with husband splitting kindling in his pjs and coat and me crumbling up newspapers in my freezing barefeet. I took an extra long hot shower to warm back up. By the time I left for work at 7 the house was up to 65 degrees. I am sure tonight we will have to repeat the whole process- surely it being this cold out the stove will not have kept in warm the 11 hrs we have been away at work.

When I started thinking about leaving work, I also started thinking about dinner (as I mentioned in the last post, trying to save some $$) and what I could make tonight that we have in the house. Due to the extreamly brisk weather outside, I think we need something hearty. I've decided tonights menu will be country ribs, roasted potatoes & carrots, corn and homemade bisquits. I might even bake some brownies for dessert!

This time of year can be a little long in New England. Our Winters, especailly here in Maine, can be mind numbingly cold. And its cold for so long. Its only January and I am ready for spring!!

high gear

Sometimes I find, because "easier" ways are available to me, that I have moments, days, weeks, where I slip and forget my mission is to be more sustainable- more efficent. This weekend I was lazy and 3 out of the 4 of my loads of laundry found their way into the dryer. I didnt cook on the woodstove once (I used the electric range instead) and I even turned the oven on for baked potatoes only (I never do that!). I really really need to kick it in to high gear!

Money is tighter than it has ever been and as a result I think my behavior is a way of acting out. I need to keep focused and remember how much money some of these practices saves us. My husband has been horribly depressed about the lack of funds, which (just stating a fact, no finger pointing) have been due to his lack of work. Its just the way the construction industry is right now. So, every penny really does count.

We have been doing really well on somethings. I thought we were low on firewood until I went out to the firewood shed last night and discovered we still have enought to get us through march if we are frugal with it. I have made some awesome meals this week and we have done a great job making meals with what we have on hand and not buying other items or eating out. We've done a nice job on reusing items from around the house and making due with what we have. But I still think I am slipping.

So, I am going to set some weekly reminders or "goals" for myself.
This week-
I will bring my lunch everyday.
I will brainstorm some ideas to make / find some more money.
I will watch our electricity comsumption.

Wish me luck, I may need it.

daily happenings....

Its funny how winter changes the daily activities and chores to keep the "compound" going. In a way its almost easier, because we really have to do alot of work to do outside unless we have had a snowstorm or are going to have one. Snow removal is always fun! With 2 driveways and then a path between the houses, the new snowblower my sister purchased this year has been a vast improvement over shoveling in years past.

Drying laundry is my biggest gripe of winter time. I love having the woodstove for heat and to cook meals, but drying laundry inside doesnt come out the same as on the line outside. I try not to use the dryer whenever possible (pretty much only in the rainy spring time) to save on our electric bill and energy in general. Lugging wood is also kinda a downer, but a neccisary evil.

Lately money has been very very tight, so everyday I find myself trying to think of more and more ways we can cut costs or find money. I am always hunting the internet for different ideas other people may have. I have the grocery thing down to a science and I don't think we could save any more money on the heating of our home. The house is winterized to the till and we can't change how much wood we burn really. Gas for the cars never really changes, we have to drive to work. And we never spend money on luxury items like vacations or new clothing (unless we have too). Any ideas, feel free to share!