Granny's Parlour

Something different this way comes at Granny’s Parlour. Many now familiar faces return to this Blog every week. Over time, some of you have contacted Granny to make a suggestion or two. Sometimes it is Sharyn Dimmick, of The Kale Chronicles, who kindly points out a stray typo with her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that makes me laugh at my mistakes instead of feeling embarrassed about them (thank you Sharyn). This is a good example of the camaraderie that exists in this blogosphere.

One suggestion that stands out pertains to the other segments on this Blog besides the regular articles. “I love the Frugal gardening and kitchen tips,” says one reader, but how come I do not receive an email when you post a new one?” This is just the way these blogs are set up, of course, but the question has come up often enough that I have decided to let go of the extra pages and incorporate the segments in the body of the Blog instead.

In a way this feels as though someone walked by my yard every day and kindly pointed out, “Why did you plant those flowers so far from your garden?” Thus, The Frugal Kitchen, The Frugal Yard & Garden, Artfully Repurposed and Random Eats & Sweets will be short and vibrant little blooms I include in the main body of this Blog; shorter, dynamic articles to spice up the week.

I would like to extend an invitation to you, our readers. I think this virtual garden of ideas can be a rich and vibrant environment if it grows from seeds we share. For this reason, I would like to encourage you to share your frugal kitchen, yard and garden tips as well as recipes.

You can do so right now by clicking on the Seed Packet. Also, for your convenience, I have created a “Share Your Garden” page, where you will find a contact form to use for this purpose. I will select entries randomly, alternating between garden, food and kitchen and give due credit and links so you may grow your garden of readers in the process.

There is so much wisdom and humor in the nick of time, just when you need it most, in the many Blogs I have discovered here over the past several months. By the same token, there is so much to read that it is nearly impossible to catch everything. The one trick, the one little bit of advice that in a few words changes everything, the simple joy one experiences when reading a few words that awaken fond memories. There is something truly unique about cooking, transforming the harvest, gardening, harvesting, canning and homesteading at any level; from the many acres of abundant crops to the container garden.

We dig directly into life the moment we talk about any of these. The garden, the kitchen, everywhere sustenance begins serves as metaphor for everything else. You know this. It is while gardening that you find meaning to your life and relationships; it is while cooking that you suddenly understand how to resolve a conflict. And in the case of Bloggers and writers, it is while writing and reading that we make sense of our world. This is our garden.

Click on the seed packet to “Share Your Garden.”