RECESSION OR DEPRESSION?

"It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job, it's a depression when you lose yours." - Harry S. Truman

Many folks around me seem to be in a downward slump. Business has slowed, jobs are scarce, and we've all had to tightened our belts. These tough economic times require us to question by which yardstick we measure our personal net worth, and therefore our happiness. As we're forced to scale down our expectations of how we define "la dolce vita", or the sweet life, we're reminded again that true wealth can't be gauged by material possessions. It's no longer the case of "keeping up with the Joneses" but how to "keep your head above water" with the continuous onslaught not only to our shrinking bank balances, but to our spirits as well. We're thrown around, and sucked under a tidal wave of mounting debts, trying to keep one foot firmly planted even as we're violently thrown by an invisible undertow. When we're choking on the gritty taste of disappointment, what we need is a good heaping spoonful of optimism. It's easy to wallow in depression when you're being hit from all angles, when nothing seems to be going your way, and you're floundering on a precipice with no net to catch you. Like a dark, menacing shadow money worries steal the joy of living. They stalk us in the day, and steal our sleep at night. But I think this is a good time to redefine our values, taking stock of what we already have, and reshuffling priorities as we distinguish wants from needs. I'm always amazed by how little we can get by on, how often we can just "make do", and how living simply is life's own reward. Like all things, money ebbs and flows but true wealth comes from the security of knowing we have our health, our family, and our friends.

(Ph: Lyubomir Bukov)

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

MAKE-DO PIE

Vinegar pie is an heirloom dessert. In pioneer times, when fruit and other supplies were depleted women were forced to be innovative with their pies. During the Great Depression, vinegar pie became a staple in many homes. While the name is a bit suspect, it's actually a good, easy pie to make. And the flavor mimics a lemon pie. There are many versions of the pie, but this recipe is the most "bare bones" one.

Vinegar Pie

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 (8-inch) unbaked pie shell

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vinegar, and vanilla.
2. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.