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Theresa Blackburn
MY BIG FAT LIFE

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My birth mom was in town last week. She travelled with her husband from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba in a 1995 Dodge Intrepid towing a 30-year-old camper trailer. They both wanted to see this part of the country.

I am adopted and 13 years ago found my birth mom.

We finally met three years ago, and this year was the first time we really got to spend some time together.

61-year-old Lauri Klyne and her husband, Leonard, 71, are two of the most resourceful people I know.

They are people of little material means, but are richer than many.

For the trip they packed their backseat full of parts for the car, parts for the trailer, and enough tools to fix anything that breaks.

They've camped all through Ontario, Quebec and will continue on - excited to see Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. They love yard sales, a good deal, and homecooking. And I love them for loving the simple things in life.

I grew up in a family that was relatively resourceful - my parents were able to add on pieces to their home, could do trimwork around the house and always did their own painting.

My grandfather could fix anything that had a motor, and my grandmother could make a gourmet meal out of a piece of bread and a cup of soup, but there was always the understanding that if we couldn't do something, there was always enough money to go and get something done.

That isn't always the case for the Klynes - and that lack of money has turned them into two very educated people when it comes to making dollars stretch and creating something out of nothing.

If the world crashed tomorrow and there were no computers, no electricity, no way of getting something done with money, I'd want to make sure my birth mom and her husband were nearby.

Throughout their visit they talked about fixing things on their property - a hobby farm with an older house.

Lauri talks with ease about fixing cars, fences, installing their own water supply - a thing called a 'sand point,' and fixing beams in the house.

She makes almost all of the Christmas presents they give out, and she always tries to think of something unique for each of their grandchildren every year. Lauri and Leonard rarely complain and have the ability to appreciate everything, see the good in all, and know the value of a penny/a dollar/a paycheque.

When they go places, they see the sights, take pictures, and enjoy the scenery.

There is no need for a fancy hotel room or an expensive meal to make them happy. They enjoy each other's company and the places they've come to visit ... as is ... no frills.

They're happy with bringing back postcards for friends, with some secondhand buys from roadside yard sales.

A few balls of yarn bought in St. Andrews will turn into Leonard's "New Brunswick socks."

I don't think the word 'resourceful' serves my birth mom and her husband well enough.

Nothing ever goes to waste, and waste, sometimes creates wealth, or at least serves as parts for their car. Most of the parts they are carrying on this trip come from an old car someone else thought was junk.

And while I look like my birth mom, have the same kinds of interests as her (she reads ferociously, writes a column for a weekly paper and loves good conversation - a kind way of saying we both have the gift of gab!), I wish I were more like her when it comes to resourcefulness.

Sometimes I think it was easier to be resourceful when I had less money.

When I had my first job, and a low-paying one at that, I, to an extent, lived this way. Yard sale finds were how I furnished my first apartment.

A secondhand shop was where I found cool discontinued wallpaper for my first house. I learned how to create 'wall art' from reading magazine articles I found at the dentist office, and we grew a few of our own vegetables in the backyard.

Sometimes it feels like I'm 'copping' out when I go and get someone to do what I could do ... other times, it feels like so much work to go hunting through flea markets and yard sales for something I need.

But then again, a few weeks back I found the perfect lamp for my daughter's room at a yard sale for five bucks. I couldn't get over how great that felt.

Sometimes I think my birth mom gets a lot more out of life than I do ... recycling makes you a happier person, getting a great deal and not spending a lot of money feels good, and enjoying a trip with your husband without fancy hotel rooms and expensive restaurants can really bring you closer together.

Lauri is knitting Leonard's "New Brunswick socks" as I write this - and smiling while she works ...

***

Theresa Blackburn is a wife, mother and New Brunswick Community College instructor who lives and diets in Woodstock. You can email her at theresa@mybigfatlife.ca, or join her group, Big Fat Life, on Facebook.