You need what you have got

columbine flower

During the good times, people tell you that you need to put cash away for three months living if you lose your job. During bad times like now, some will tell you that you need the cash to live for two years.

A lot of people also ask how much money they need to retire. My answer is that you need what you have got. If you’ve got a lot you still need more. If you’ve got a little, you still live. We make do what we’ve got.

The purpose is to achieve balance of your mental state. You need to worry some about your finances. But once a while, you should let go and release the burden.

Photo: a columbine flower from the garden with a few asparagus leaves makes a nice cut flower with no extra cost.

c-cassia

Is there anybody out there?

Sitting by the ocean in Newfoundland

After three months in China, prices of all the essentials here in Montreal have gone up at least 25%. My old bottle of soy source from Chinatown has a price tag of $3.99 and now I pay $4.99, which is a 25% increase. The bitter melon tea went from $3.99 to $5.99, which is a 50% increase. A package of salmon at Costco went from $15.99 to $19.99, another 25% increase. The first two items I could not do without; I will continue to buy them. The salmon, however, not only the price has gone up, a 4% saline was injected into them. In addition, they were labeled Atlantic salmon from Chile. How is it possible? Chile is on the Pacific ocean, unless Google map is wrong (Ha Ha).

Is this quantitative easing (government printing money) at work already? Then how come all the data are showing we do not have inflation?

Is it only me who are noticing this?

Simple Pleasure

Canadian duck on the St-Lawrence River

“Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasure, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing. You will find the boat easier to pull then, and it will not be so liable to upset, and it will not matter so much if it does upset; good, plain merchandise will stand water.”
Jerome K Jerome "Three Men in a Boat"

One of the simple pleasures we enjoy lately is the amazing walk we do along the St-Lawrence River in Verdun in the evening. It is only 5 minutes walk from our home. If it is not raining, we are out walking. We go about 3 km towards west along the lower path right next to the river and take the bike path on the higher ground to come back. In the midway back, we drink some tape water that comes out of a stone. It takes us about 1 ½ hours for the round trip. In addition to doing it as a physical exercise, we also enjoy the scenery. Everything is green now. The air feels fresh and crisp. You almost do not hear any city noise on the lower path.

To be, or not to be an idler

my small garden with a creek

"Every man is, or hopes to be, an idler."
Samuel Johnson "Selected Essays (Penguin Classics)"

That being said, I myself am always struggling to have a balance of wanting to be an idler, and not getting bored. Beading and Gardening for me are the perfect tools to achieving that goal. Whenever boredom sets in, I either play with beads or do gardening. Beading takes more focus, so it is better form of meditation. However, once a piece of jewelry is finished, it is final. You can no longer add or take away components, unless you cut it up and start all over again. A garden is never finished in a sense. There are always weeds you have to dig up, plants becoming way too invasive that you need to control or those that have grown too big you have to divide them. Of course, there are other creatures that live in your garden that you have to think about how to control them so they do not do too much harm to your plants. On days when there is nothing for you to do, you can still observe the progress of things growing and enjoy the flowers. We made a tiny creek in our garden so it is absolutely amazing to hear the sound of the water running while enjoying the sun.

Playing with beads (c-cassia.com) brings me in a little bit of income. Gardening so far only costs money. Now, if only I can grow my own vegetables that will offset the expense. Our garden is very small (see the picture). Temporally, it is not feasible to grow vegetables yet (only because I do not want to sacrifice the flower garden). We are constantly thinking of a way so that we can have a bigger garden.