Snow Dishes, or Frugal Luxuries

Among the books I brought home from the library last week was Frugal Luxuries: Simple Pleasures to Enhance Your Life and Comfort Your Soul by Tracy McBride. I had been attracted to it by the words "frugal" as we try to decrease our monthly discretionary spending (yep, we're the consumers ruining the economy by cutting back our spending even though technically we don't have to yet, i.e. Mama is still employed, but we think we would be reckless not to), as well as "simple" because I'm inspired by but not quite a dedicated follower of the simple living movement and "soul" because I'm a good spiritual path-seeking UU.

I skimmed the book, which isn't quite a manifesto for simple living. McBride is very interested in stuff, just not new stuff; she likes old, used, recycled, reclaimed, and inexpensive stuff. Simple living, as I understand it, is usually a rejection of materialism, not a way to find stuff easily and cheaply. That said, I did like some of McBride's ideas, mainly the ones about adding art and beauty back into our lives with special touches. For her, this means a cut-glass pitcher of water with lemon slices on the table at every meal. I had to stop to think what it meant to me. I don't usually spend much time on pretty or special touches. "Pretty" and "special" tend to be breakable and I have not one but two little bull calves in my china shop. But as Mama and I go through the basement and discard things (which is why I'm not even going to link to Motherlode's article on the baseball cards; no sense giving Mama any more reasons for keeping stuff around!), I realize that I have lots of things that I have been saving. For a rainy day, for when the kids were older, for a special occasion. But with McBride in mind, I figured there was no time like the present.

So, when it snowed last time, I went downstairs and brought up a set of dishes from who knows where or whom that are decorated with wintery designs like snowflakes and ice skates. I served our traditional snow snack of hot chocolate and popcorn in the oversized mugs and dessert plates, explaining to Bud and Sis that these were our new "snow dishes." At the time, I wasn't sure they thought it was special to have a set of dishes just for snowy days, but today when it snowed Bud immediately requested the "snow dishes," even remembering who in the family got which wintery design. I guess the only downside to the success of McBride's suggestion is that now there will be less stuff to throw out of the basement!