Sunday, February 1, 2009

Onward and Upward...



Well, I left this blog for a time, but the prodigal daughter has returned, this time with a bit more focus and determination. My blogging sabbatical was well spent, however, as I had the good fortune to read and enjoy the word paintings of so many other bloggers. That led to an inspiration to return to my own keyboard paintbrush with a commitment to contribute to this enormous, artistic canvas. Enough blathering...onward and upward! (Alice Ora Traver, "Gramma," 1941)


The title of my blog sums up what I would like my personality to reflect. Being raised by my grandparents and mainly shaped by the hand of a woman born around the turn of the century, the first lesson I learned was practicality in everything. This blog, therefore, has that focus. There's not enough practicality in these throw-away times. People spend more than they make, throw away things that still have life, and cave to excesses far beyond our forefathers. Don't get me wrong. I'm not the saint on the soapbox. This is for me, too. Me, the excessive spender, the throw-it-away-and-get-a-new-one gal, the just-one-more-what's-it-gonna-hurt gal...I could go on and on.
So here is my contribution to what I hope is a growing trend: to do more for ourselves instead of relying on our government to supply for us. Here's to American ingenuity that says, "I can fix that...I can make that...I can learn that!" And here's to a change in our level of frugality. As my gramma used to say, "Wear it out, use it up, make it do, or do without!