Keeping it Together

Linda Richardson's Blog from Todi

OK, we already know as much as we can absorb about the economic situation around the world. There's nothing to do but wait and see, so here are some suggestions to pass the time. Maybe they won't work for you, but in Umbria we find them helpful.
1. Don't watch the TV news. If you pick up a newspaper or click on a news web site, go immediately to "Science: Baby Animals Saved from Getting Lost in the Wild."
2. Call up the (formerly) richest, most snobbish person you know and ask her/him to carpool to the supermarket. You'll be surprised.
3. Base one meal a day on popcorn. Sprinkle it with chili pepper and then you'll drink more water which will also fill you up.
4. Take a good look at your outdoor work clothes and see if they can be ironed and worn to church, temple or the supermarket.
5. During the day, do not raise the thermostat above 55 degrees F. Instead, dress in 6, 7 or as many layers as you can squeeze into and dance around the house singing "Saint Louis in the Summertime is Too Damn Hot".
6. Move all your beds into one room and turn up the heat for 30 minutes before you go to bed. Then turn it down again. Do not tell ghost stories.
7. Your warm, furry family pets should sleep with you, including the six new kittens and both their parents (if known).
8. In the office, recycle all documents instead of shredding them. If you change the color of the printing ink you can save bunches of money by using the same paper four times.
9. Join your children in jogging to school. Six miles, one way, is about right for you and your nine-year-old.
10. Consider buying a goat to cut your grass and prune your bushes. Goats eat anything. And you can eat them.