Ruth was a waste not want not type girl. She saved a lot of things and wasted few. She repurposed objects and made the old new. She had a knack for it. We visited hundreds of craft shows and more often than not, she said, “I can make that.” Sometimes she did. Sometimes she didn’t.
I have loads of bubble wrap, Christmas wrapping, and tissue paper. She had at least one drawer full in each house. We have recycled Christmas boxes dating back to the years all three kids lived at home. They save a lot of time wrapping and writing gift cards. I used a couple this year for David and his crew. I’m still stumbling upon the treasures she saved in Florida. There will be tons more when I get back to Michigan in May.
The kids and I will be going through a dozen tubs of Christmas decorations Ruth saved. She’s got a ton of special tree ornaments and several collectible Santa Claus dolls stored for safe keeping. There’s a good chance you’ll see some on E-bay this summer.
Every time we moved from Florida to Michigan, or Michigan to Florida, she took several items from the refrigerator and put them in the freezer. Her process ensured the food would still be good when we returned six months later. Open cans of coffee, cartons of milk, strawberries, blueberries, whole bananas, and pineapple chunks all found their way to the freezer. She thought a full freezer ran more economically. We saved food and money through her frugal efforts.
When I arrived in Florida last November, I stumbled upon two saved treasures. There was a large container of homemade spaghetti with meat sauce and a small one with handcrafted applesauce. The container of spaghetti was large, so she must have squirreled it away shortly after making it. We probably were invited out for dinner on the night she made it. Rather than waste a good time with friends, she saved it for another day.
The applesauce looked like it had been made with two or three apples. Rather than have them go to waste when we headed north, she made the sauce and froze it for the following fall. She just didn’t make it back down to share with me.
I let the treasures stay frozen until last week. I ate a few bites of the applesauce each day for several days. I consumed the spaghetti in the same fashion. I ate both sparingly, as I knew when they were gone, a small part of her would disappear as well.
It’s the simple things I miss most.