There are a lot of bleak assessments of the world we live in right now as far as the economy goes. Everyone is in trouble, from Europe to America, and even the Chinese, despite their money hording. The ones that have not really kicked up much of a fuss that I have heard of is the Russians, which I suppose is because financial disaster is business as usual for them!
Despite the impending doom that is certainly forecast for the coming 365 days, and despite the gloom that will ensue, I am optimistic that our family has learned to live within its means and we are learning to make more of what we have got! On Friday I was shown how to make Mozzarella cheese! I have an article ready for editing which I will post on The Prospering Peasant so you too can make your own cheese! I have to thank Anne Hall Brown, our Bountiful Baskets coordinator for showing us how to do this! It is a fairly simple process with exciting results, and when we have learned to make the cheese to taste by adding spices and the like to it, I think we will add even more value to an already valuable skill. Thanks Anne!
We have a healthy chicken flock, and turkeys and pheasants. We have horses too! We pay no house payments or rent to speak of, and the bills are pretty manageable. The only area where I find myself wanting is for people to act as customers to my photo business! I really could use some profits there! I am crap at marketing! I’d love to see some orders fulfilled there, or someone in front of the camera posing for their portraits! That could generate us enough income to help get us through a rough patch that is coming in our budget! Yes, we have a budget, and can tell you exactly how far in the red we will be going, and on what dates, and why! When it’s all said and done, we could use a couple of hundred bucks to get things moving and out of the red!
Now, this is not a complaint! I feel very lucky to have what I do have, and to have the family I have got! We live in a nice place, with great neighbors, and lots of personal space. We have not got a lot of personal possessions dragging us down with maintenance costs, and we have not got a lot of wants that are unfulfilled because we know better! I would like to get my KitchenAid mixer to make working in the kitchen easier and more fun. I’d also love to have a little buggy to pull behind one of the horses. But apart from that, all I want is photographic customers! Get me the one, and I will sort out the others! If those are the only wants I have, then there is not much to complain about!
So, I write this as an assessment of where we are. We are not rich, yet we are very wealthy! And with every new skill we learn, and new friend we make, we are wealthier still! So my assessment at this point of time is optimistic! Facing the gloom of an impending recession, that is a pretty good place to be, and I hope that a month from now, it is even better!