The Joy Of Life Skills

I was really blessed this week. I was given two dozen fresh farm eggs by my daughter's friend. To me fresh eggs are like gold dust. You really can't beat them (well you can, but....) The yolks are so golden that they look orange not yellow and they taste amazing. For most of the year I just use regular eggs from the grocery store, but once the farmer's market comes to town, I'm usually on the look out for farm fresh eggs. As you can imagine, I was over the moon to receive such a wonderful gift so unexpectedly, especially during these hard times.

In the spirit of bon hommie, I decided to return the favour and included two extra loaves in my weekly bread baking session, which my daughter presented to her friend later that day. Not only did it feel great to have produced our own food, but to have shared it 'in the old way' was really quite special.

Being able to create my own food and sew or knit my own clothes were skills that I learned growing up - they were considered 'life skills.' What a shame these abilities have become so derided in recent years. I have been considered very old-fashioned because I can make jam, can fresh produce, bake pastries and cakes, sew curtains and pillow slips, make prom dresses, mow lawns, double dig borders, paint walls, put up shelves and sex rabbits (don't ask!!)

It's the same with knitting. People still think of knitting as something 'old' women do when they can't do anything else. Well, hello! There's nothing old about me, neither in my physical body or my state of mind. I just happen to strongly believe that skills like these should be preserved and passed on, for the good of us all. This old Chinese proverb captures it very well:

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."