Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

Wanda's Diary Entries

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Ann Williams, our office manager at Simple Living, is a woman endowed with many fine qualities. She’s smart, perceptive, generous, curious, conservative, frugal, and endowed with common sense. A decade my senior, she effectively dismantles the argument that we middle-aged folks are at a disadvantage in the computer age. She has never encountered a computer problem she doesn’t tackle head on. “You just go in there and try things,” she explains. That’s how she learned computers in the first place.

The more I find out about Ann and her husband, Bill, the more impressed I am with their breadth of experience, and of the many things they do to live simply and sustainabily. On their farm outside of town, they keep a small vineyard and Bill makes wine; they mill their own cornmeal. The other day, when I mentioned that I was writing an article about a remarkable outfit in Raleigh that saves small homes from the wrecking ball and turns them into affordable housing, Ann allowed as how she and Bill had done that themselves once back when they lived in Florida; they moved a home, fixed it up and turned it into a rental unit.

So it’s not surprising that Ann’s response to the blues is direct and uncomplicated.

“I tell my daughter that when you’re depressed, the way out is to clean your house.”

I wasn’t depressed today, but lately I’ve been avoiding problem spots in my kitchen that could stand a bit of elbow grease. So this afternoon, after church, instead of indulging in my favored daily swim, I rolled up my sleeves and went to work. While listening to a fascinating NPR program on near-death experiences, I removed everything from the shelf above the pantry that houses cleaning supplies. I dusted, organized and took stock. I moved paint and light bulbs to the basement and was able to arrange the rest into neat rows. Cloth rags were folded; plastic bags compressed into a cardboard box. I even found some extra room for platters and a bottle of scotch.

The refrigerator came next. After moving its perishable contents to the counters, I took out the glass shelves along with drawers, washing them in sudsy water; I wiped down the walls with vinegar and water. Organizing the contents is the fun part. Still, I wonder, how do I always manage to have two of the same thing open? Twin jars of mayo, pasta sauces, and grated parmesan cheese dispensers. I found some sliced Swiss cheese that had to go (alas!), as well as some apples that were beyond resuscitation and have now met their maker in my backyard compost pit. After restoring my kitchen to a place that would make Betty Crocker proud, I tackled a brand-new dish, chicken mole, using a recipe on bag of chocolate pasta that has been lingering in my pantry for the better part of a year. Or two.

As I presented the dinner tonight to my mother and son, I was sure that Ann Williams was with us in spirit. My afternoon’s efforts had me grinning from ear to ear. If you can’t afford therapy, try cleaning out your kitchen. Who knows — you may even find the makings of dinner itself!