Making Lemonade?

If you're like me, nowadays you almost hate to turn on the news. There's so much that puts me in a depressed state so quickly....And I'm determined to keep my mood as upbeat as humanly possible. Things are downright scary: unrest all over, war, struggle, toys recalled, fuel prices rising, the market see-sawing, the dollar losing strength against foreign currencies, oil spills, global warming, the demise of the polar bear?

Still, it's all got me to thinking of the old "saw" that I grew up with (as I had a Depression Era Mom) - "Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without!" My mom was the ultimate tightwad...by virtue of necessity.

I especially got to thinking in those terms today...I'd done laundry and washed this lovely acrylic blanket (I do like these, because as someone with fibromyalgia, they're so warm and so lightweight - anything heavy actually HURTS!). It's soft, it's warm...but it makes me completely crazy. The ribbon trim frays every single time I wash it and the fraying comes off in long nylon threads. JUST TRY to break them! You can't without cutting yourself. So today, when this one came out of the dryer, I spent awhile cutting off the threads. But what was worse, the ribbon had completely detached itself on one side. So...in true "tightwad" behavior, I mended!
Does ANYONE do this sort of thing anymore?

And that got me to thinking of finally organizing all my recycling - which is now in the back of my Forester waiting for the trip chaining I've been trying to do religiously, for more than a year.

I didn't take a photo of the recycling. *wink*

Mom also taught me to make lemonade. Especially when you're being handed lemons. Lemonade isn't just something inexpensive to drink. It makes me smile. It reminds me of the good things...

And I guess that's what we need to be doing more of right now. The good, simple things...
:)