Then And Now

Pilgrims to Rome, 1935:

And now:

Here you can see a bigger version (not sure if the image above is copyrighted, but if it is, and I remove it, you can always use the link).

Granted, may be they were too stiff in those days, but surely our society has become too casual?

A World Without Working Women

I keep hearing that it's impossible to restrict female labour in modern industrialised society. Granted, some professions, like midwives, have always been typically female. Yet, as the photo above taken at a trade auction in Amsterdam proves, a world where few women worked existed, and not so long ago.

I'm not arguing here whether it's good or bad, just stating a fact that it's possible. Northern Europe in the 1930s was pretty much industrialised and yet, it was still largely a man's world. Love it or hate it, but it existed...

Vacations Pictures

Some of them. A bit late, but better late than never:)

Side By Side

There is actually a German band called D Artagnan:) Seriously. Couldn't find anything about them on Wiki, but here is one of their videos:

The Importance Of Having A Clean House

I keep hearing stories about people whose houses are incredibly messy, like the dishes are left unwashed for long periods of time, dirty clothes and wet towels are thrown on the floor and stay there for weeks, dogs are allowed to do their thing in the back yard and it's never cleaned, this sort of thing.

A filthy house can be a sign of mental problems, such as depression, or addictions, such as drug abuse, but more often than not its owners are just incredibly lazy. The point is, however, that a messy and filthy home can constitute health hazard and if small children live in it, it could even be a reason for CPS to interfere, like in this story. It's not just bad housekeeping, it's considered "neglect", whether we like it or not.

If you do a Google search, you'll find plenty of articles discussing health problems which can arise from not cleaning regularly. Granted, most of them include ads of cleaning companies, yet though they are advertising, they are largely correct. If dust is not removed regularly and bed linens are left unchanged for longer than 2 weeks, it can trigger allergies and asthma attacks, dirty kitchen and bathroom lead to spreading of harmful bacteria, messy cupboards will attract pests etc etc. I guess those are facts most people will agree about.

Yet, a house can be relatively clean and still cluttered to the max, which is both a fire and health hazard as well, so it should be regularly decluttered. Now the problem is that doing all this stuff on a regular basis takes time, and that is something which modern two income households often lack. Also, modern people often vaguely associate cleaning (and cooking,  but that's a story for another time) with patriarchal Stone Age cavemen and some even appear proud to never engage in something so reactionary, which is, of course, ridiculous considering all the info on the connection between a clean house and good health, including mental health.

Folks nowadays won't hesitate to spend exorbitant sums on eating out and vacations but would never think of hiring a cleaning company which could be a solution for busy dual income couples. If money's really tight and still they both have to work, they should divide chores as best they could and try to do them more or less regularly.

Unfortunately, there are women who call themselves housewives whose houses are messy as well. I know it can be overwhelming at times, and feels like fighting a losing battle, yet the benefits you reap are worth it. Here is a good article on this very topic:

If your house is a mess, so is your life

I'd like to add a few words about schedules. On the internet, you can find all sorts of free housekeeping advice, some of it from Christian homemaking sites, some from commercial cleaning companies or TV persons like Martha Stewart. A lot of it is good and helpful, yet sometimes it can lead a homemaker, especially a beginner, into another extreme: doing too much. There are such things as priorities and common sense. Since homemaking has been out of fashion for quite some time, some of this advice comes from old manuals which suggest rigorous dusting schedules and ironing socks and underwear. If you try to follow it to the letter, you risk getting so overwhelmed you'll be tempted to skip dusting altogether for the next thirty years.

Personally I find Darla's schedule a good common sense one and easy to adjust to one's personal needs. It'll also leave you with enough free time to enjoy life. If you have any tips or suggestions, feel free to express them in comments section!

How To Trigger A Feminist

It's really easy since they get triggered by the most inane things, like someone making a sandwich for her husband:

WHEN young Sydney mother Maddie asked her closed Facebook group of 26,186 mothers for some tasty alternatives to sandwiches for her husband’s lunches, she wasn’t expecting the backlash.

“I would love to hear what other mums make their hubbies for lunch and snacks throughout the work day,” she posted on Tuesday. “We are getting over sandwiches.”

You would think she’d asked for a hemlock recipe, judging by the torrent of scolding which erupted.
She was nothing but a “slave” and a “1950s housewife”.
She was “weird” and no one in their right mind or a “pink fit” would do something so demeaning as make their husband lunch. Let alone snacks.

“Your husband is a grown up and you’re not his mother”, wrote one member of the North Shore Mums Facebook group.
“My husband can make his own damn lunch.”
“I make my husband the same thing he makes me. Nothing!!”
“Stuff that, hubby is a grown man. I already do his laundry and keep his children alive.”
“Our advice is to stop making his lunches.”
“My role is childcare during working hours and that’s it.”
“He’s lucky if I decide to make dinner some nights”.
“I was married for twenty years and my favourite packed lunch for my husband was called a Get it Yourself with a side order of I’m not your mother.”
“Nope, I didn’t sign up for that at the altar. But in the spirit of being helpful… pickled onion stuffed in mandarins.”

The attitudes above kinda help bring MGTOW in proper perspective, don't you think so? Read the whole article over here:

When making a sandwich is a crime against feminism

Modern Hobbits, Pt. 2

This is a quite interesting docu even though after watching it for the second time and reading comments I realised that the guy featured in it has a place to stay in town, where his wife and kids live. Still, it's fun to watch and can be used as a reminder that a simpler life is possible:

Fall Fashions 2018

The pattern I used for my skirt comes from this magazine:

It's German and the only name it has is Leuke Snelle Naaimode (Nice Quick Sewing Fashion:)

 

As you can see, it offers quite a few dress patterns. I'm planning to try the one on cover, since it's second easiest one; and if I ever feel sure of myself, may be, I'll try the one in the middle. Like the coat on the left, too:

What Would You Sacrifice For Your Career?

Many women would sacrifice spending time with their husbands and children, it appears, but the two mentioned in this Guardian article went well beyond and above the call of economic duty and sacrificed their lives for it:

Miwa Sado, who worked at the broadcaster’s headquarters in Tokyo, logged 159 hours of overtime and took only two days off in the month leading up to her death from heart failure in July 2013...

Matsuri Takahashi was 24 when she killed herself in April 2015. Labour standards officials ruled that her death had been caused by stress brought on by long working hours. Takahashi had been working more than a 100 hours’ overtime in the months before her death.
Weeks before she died on Christmas Day 2015, she posted on social media: “I want to die.” Another message read: “I’m physically and mentally shattered.”

It used to be that men joked about dying at work, now there are women doing it. Young women at that. Well, it's Japan so may be, they had no choice. Luckily, we still do...

A New Skirt

I've decided to try my hand at sewing again, after a rather long break, here is the result:

The pattern was very simple, yet I had problems with size again. The finished skirt was way too big and hanging like a sack of potatoes so I had to make it smaller which took me another day. At least, if I try another of their patterns I know now which size to choose:)

Obesity Kills!

Another proof of it in a new CDC report:

An unhealthy diet may affect more than just your waistband, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ‘Vital Signs’ report shows. In a press release on Tuesday, the CDC stated that 40 percent of all U.S. cancer diagnoses can now be linked to overweight and obesity...
 
Out of all cancer diagnoses, nearly 55 percent of female cases and 24 percent of male cases were linked to overweight and obesity. These cases statistically affect older adults, mostly between the ages of 50 and 74-years-old.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has identified specific types of cancers that are related to obesity and overweight: meningioma, multiple myeloma, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, and cancers of the thyroid, post-menopausal breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus, colon and rectum (colorectal)...

Read the whole article here. 

My Sourdough Bread Adventures, Part 2

This Monday, I've made a second try, the result is above:)

I was asked why I keep my starter in the fridge, the reason is that I went away for a week and that's the recommendation they give on one of the websites I linked to. Anyway, staying in the fridge didn't cause my starter any harm, quite the opposite - it was much more bubbly and smelled more sour, if you know what I mean:)

This time I simplified the process as follows: I didn't make any leaven, just put the starter in a clean container, fed it and let stand at the room temperature for a day. The I used the half of it for my next loaf, the rest went into the fridge again.

I loosely followed the instructions by Clever carrot and added olive oil, but less flour than he called for. I also only used normal wheat flour, a mixture of white and whole grain. I let the dough rise overnight and it rose quite well, but after I shaped the loaf it deflated and stayed pretty much deflated even after an hour or so when I put it in the oven. I have come to the conclusion that next time, I'll let it rise until it doubles or close to it.

As a result, even though I find that my second loaf tastes much better than my first one, it's still quite stodgy inside:

I also discovered that it tastes much better the day it was baked  than afterwards and doesn't keep that well. Also, Housewife Outdoors, thanks for the baking tip, I baked it on a tray this time with some water in a bowl for moisture. It's much more convenient (and less dangerous:) to bake it like this!

Las Vegas Shooting

R.I.P. Las Vegas