Hey there!
Not a whole lot is better to a frugally minded person than FREE! Lol.
In this post, I want to share some things that possibly you haven’t given much thought to.
I’ve pretty much been a scrounger all my life. As a kid, my older sister and I scavenged for small pets, bringing home minnows and small painted turtles, or rescuing baby birds that fell from the nest.
Of course, I’ve picked up shells at the beach, etc. Artsy-looking driftwood and twigs also hold interest. In my childhood, we gathered pine cones and sweetgum burrs to paint red or white at Christmastime.
And, you know, I love rummaging in thrift stores!!!
Lol. In a “past life,” I could very well have been a hunter-gatherer! 😀 Lol.
Gathering found objects is best done while getting out on foot. It gives a different perspective on life, and affords oneself the opportunity of an “up-close-and-personal view” of things. 🙂
A good brisk walk is also a good way to clear your mind and think of lovely things you see along the way.
Not only is it very good exercise, but nothing is better for depression than physical exertion. I think it releases endorphins or something. It just makes everything seem better and tends to put a silver lining on dark clouds, giving hope.
My dear Jerry, who is now abiding in Heaven – whom I miss so much, was a meditator. I never was able to get into that.
But, he told me that one form of meditating is to “be in the now,” meaning, paying attention to what is going on around you as you live it.
Too many of us, myself included, allow our minds to brood over unpleasant memories or worries, instead of using our senses to take in the beauty of the world around us.
So, in that meaning, I meditate as I walk.
Admittedly, I’m a sporadic exerciser. Lol. But, lately, I’ve enjoyed jaunts around nearby neighborhoods.
As to the “up-close-and-personal” remark: Along the way, I take pleasure in the flowers blooming in people’s yards, and simply viewing their lovely yards and houses.
I love birds and animals, so, spying these graceful creatures and/or listening to birds is such a pleasure for me. I also speak to animals: kitties in yards, or squirrels eyeing me from the vertical perch of a tree trunk – even little lizards and butterflies that visit me. 🙂
But, also, you get to eye what people are throwing away! Lol. 😀
Yesterday, I passed a yard where I had admired their attractive beds of peace lilies under their spreading oak, only to see that these beautiful plants had been uprooted and put out for the trash!!
I walked the big circle, coming back by this house. The lady who owns it was out, and I told her that I was thinking of coming back for her discarded lilies. She was very agreeable and almost apologetic.
Rolling her eyes, she explained that her daughter said her parents’ yard needed a more “manicured” look.
Well, these lovelies are now under MY tree!
Today, I have two pretty pots of asparagus ferns, compliments of that same yard’s trash pile.
Continuing along the gardening lines, I have started composting, but not the traditional way.
For years, I’ve kept a bag in my freezer door dedicated to biodegradable refuse, i.e. fruit and vegetable waste, mainly. I found this prevents odors and gnats from invading the trashcan. I would keep it frozen until the morning of the trash pick up.
I still freeze produce waste until I’m ready to discard it, but, now, I dispose of it on my plants:
I allow the stuff to thaw, and put it in the blender with water. Then, I pour it around my outside plants as fertilizer on the roots.
Blending it speeds up the break-down process, and because I don’t generate much, I haven’t noticed any smell. You could also dig a hole next to the plant, pour it in, and cover it.
Another thing I thought I’d share:
I’ve been enjoying sweet, juicy peaches from Georgia this summer.
As I have again become more in tune with found objects, I thought, Why toss the peach pits? I could do something creative with them!
So… instead of tossing them into the trash, I toss them out the back door onto the patio for the ants to clean them for me!
Lol. When I do a project with these nice, clean peach pits, I’ll letcha know! 😀
O, yeh. One more thing:
An easy, quick way to press and dry flowers is to make your own diy flower press.
Just use:
- cardboard from a cereal box, etc.,
- paper napkins
- toilet paper next to the flowers to absorb moisture
Either turn the flower face down – as in the case of a daisy-like flower, or lay it on its side. In the case of woody stems, I trim off the stem close to the flower and press it face down.
Lay it between two layers each of napkin and toilet paper, with the TP being right next to the flowers, then between two sheets of cardboard.
After adjusting the petals to press well, hold the cardboard pieces together and place it carefully in the microwave, putting a heavy casserole dish on top. I mash it down to help flatten the flowers.
These tiny fern fronds dried well, too.
“Cook” in 20-second intervals. Check each time.
You want it dry and paper-like, but not burned.
These are all very small. I want to try pressing roses, too.
Some little flowers I tried were too wet and gooey, and didn’t work.
Lol. Just one more quicky:
I had trouble with my salad rotting in the bags they come in. So…
To keep salad fresh, before you put it in the fridge, put it in a big bowl, lay a paper towel over it and cover the bowl with foil.
Browse the site by clicking an image below…
