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Big Decisions

9:23 PM - May. 1, 2007 - Wild Thoughts {2} - Add to the Wildness

Given the volatile situation at my husband's workplace - long story, not a super-wonderful sweetheart of a company - we made a decision not to continue with our home renovations.

We talked about it a lot, and decided that if his job is still livable after July (contract negotiations), or in a year from now, then we'll continue with our plans - when we're debt free. Right now, there's no telling how the summer may go.

And we're so close. By God's grace alone, our debt load is a tenth of what most of the other employees' is. We can't claim a lot of wisdom and prudence - we've lived to our paycheque, and we've enjoyed it. It's been nice not to worry about how much the groceries cost or whether we can afford the $5 to rent a movie. God provided us with 25 acres for $25,000. He provided us with a really great used F-350 truck for nearly half what they were going for at the time. He provided us with a tractor and tillage equipment. Our job, then, is not to take that for granted so much.

What we did, originally, was consolidate our bank loans and mortgage, plus apply for an extension to cover the cost of the very-necessary renos. Let me just say right now, we did not roll any credit card debt into our mortgage, nor would I ever recommend someone jeopardize their home equity in that way unless the only other option was bankruptcy.

The reason I'm being so emphatic about this is because we've watched others do the "rotating credit card" trick to try and keep ahead of a debt load they can't manage (paying off each card with another and never getting free of it). It's even worse when it becomes part of your mortgage payment, because the debt becomes invisible, and it's far too easy to start over with the cards again. We try to avoid the credit card, and when we do use it, we pay it off, at a sacrifice if necessary. If there's one thing in the financial world that's the devil's handiwork, it's easy credit.

So, here's our long-term hopeful plan:

1) Become actual homeowners.

2) Save every penny, if we must, to purchase a listeroid electrical generator. These things are more common in India. It's a generator that can run on biodiesel and is capable of powering your house, if you don't run the furnace and hang your laundry to dry. Its cost, here in Canada, would amount to a year and a half of electrical bills. To run a place like ours, which is a farm, we would need two - but they would still pay for themselves within three years.

3) Become more proficient and efficient, starting this year, at storing and canning our own food - including the purchase of some beef cattle, and maybe some chickens.

4) Whatever we must do to provide for our family, we'll try to extend it into a product or service to the local community - that's the whole deal with our market garden. We'd be putting in the time anyway, but doing it for others helps to provide for our financial costs.

...And that's about it. Our major expenses are fuel (which we're solving through biodiesel production, hopefully year-round as of this coming winter), electricity and food. These are all necessities, but that doesn't mean we can't change the amount spent on them. I hope that thought encourages someone out there.

I guess it's my version of a libertarian philosophy.... A person should be free to do what they feel is best for their family. In North America's culture of debt - and it really is inevitable, given housing costs, never mind everything else - we become enslaved to our jobs in order to achieve basic survival. When that survival becomes a reality, there are a host of other voices out there telling us what else we "need."

But when a man's conscience gets bent out of shape by his employment situation, he's trapped. A man needs to be free to serve his God, not just his debt load. It could be as simple as wanting to be more available to church and community, instead of being at an employer's constant beck and call. Or it could be as dire as the employer's business or workplace ethics.

Whatever the reason, there's a lot of motivation out there for working actively towards debt reduction, even if elimination isn't an immediate possibility.

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Addendum: Spazzerific's euphonium arrangement is up at Faith Roots as of tonight.

The Boots Get Bogged Down

10:48 PM - Apr. 23, 2007 - Wild Thoughts {1} - Add to the Wildness

Boot camp was closer to chaos today again. I've, er, been a little busy today. Sleeping and grogging around, for one. I don't sleep well when Dave's on night shifts. Especially when he phones me and says, "Yeah, my employer is the single biggest polluter in North America. Turns out they spilled 91 tons of benzene, which is cancer-causing, at Corpus Christi, and instead of reporting it and cleaning it up they tried to cover it up. Oh, and, they own George W. Bush."

The guys at work had found a whole website full of reliable, verified reports about the company which bought the manufacturing plant last summer. This company is an aggressive enough violator that the Premier of our province (premier is like the governor of a state) is upset. It takes quite a bit for anything outside the City of Winnipeg perimeter to get the attention of our current New Democratic government. Of course, it could just be election talk, since one was just called.

Anyhoo.... Today was spent getting some things lined up for something that might actually benefit humanity rather than poisoning it. In our schooling time, I broke down the process of long multiplication for my older two, though I know I'm going to have to do it again. In my personal time, I've been hoping to build a portfolio as a freelance editor, and am looking for 10 good-quality projects (self-pub or whatever) to do for no pay, just to have some references. I've made some possible progress on that in the last week.

I went out and planted seeds in the potting shed, and we did our first real bit of garden work for the year. I can't believe how happy I am in my garden. I don't know why, but it's so peaceful to me to be there. I guess maybe it's part of how God made humanity.

Dave ran to town to get a jerry-can of fuel, and somehow mysteriously came back with a new barbecue. It's okay.... It's okay.... It was really, genuinely on a crazy sale, and he says it's his one "purchase" purchase with our tax refund. The rest will pay down our debts and feed our family.

We had our first cookout/eat-out of the year, with even a bonfire and marshmallow roast. It was a sweet, relaxing evening. Sometimes I wonder if it's really okay to enjoy my life so much, when so many things are wrong with the world. But then I think, it's like a bird singing in a rainstorm. There's no discernible reason for it, but it sure stands out against the darkness. God sees my joy, and He's well-pleased.

Spring Boot Camp Continues

4:01 PM - Apr. 21, 2007 - Wild Thoughts {1} - Add to the Wildness

Day 4.

Wake up 15 minutes before alarm goes off, to the tune of the 5-year-old bawling in the hallway about his full bladder instead of walking into the bathroom and going potty. Tell kid to go potty. Turn off alarm. Go back to sleep.

Get wakened 10 minutes later by the arrival of Breakneck off night shift. The Man is nicely showered, and due to a snarky, ignorantly-worded midnight email expressing all of Woman's frustrations over the last many months, has arrived prepared to do battle to save his marriage from any and all little foxes.

Sex life: Fixed. Lines of communication: Repaired. Husband's armour: Bright and shiny. Snooze in husband's arms while he falls asleep, knowing that the Bratties will find and devour the breakfast he set out for them on his way in.

Wake up a couple of hours later, to discover that the girls have spontaneously cleaned up from breakfast. Reinstate the Boot Camp Schedule, and threaten the Spazz with the established consequences for the sulking fit he attempts.

Lunchtime: Late. Dishes were dawdled over, rye bread and granola were made (granola recipe is here). Coffee was had with The Man, who expressed a large amount of grace at the winter-molasses-like situation.

Post-lunch, laundry was dawdled over. Dave left for his next night shift after another snooze, and then I kicked the kids outside. The silence is astounding in contrast to the trumpet/trombone practice that was going on right before that.

I'm hearing good things from the Bratties. "I'll go outside after I make my bed, Mommy." "Hey, Banana Brain, we're on offertory next weekend, we better practice. And I better work on my essay tonight."

Happy weekend to us. And everyone else - here are some Saturday specials:

The kids sang again, this time in two languages, at Faith Roots.

Another of my late Granddad's paintings is on display at the homestead.

Those of you who are aviation buffs will enjoy following Cincinnati university student Jason Pawlak's adventures in getting licensed. And some of his other stuff too, like his adventures with Homeless Herbert.

If you like reading, writing, funny and warm-spirited people, and a gracious sense of pride in one's ethnic heritage, check out author Camy Tang. She also has book giveaways like, all the time, dudes.

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