Its freezing right now. Freezing for August that is. Today's high doesn't even reach 70. My hands are cold. My toes are cold. Right now its barely 60. My question is why on earth are we having Fall in August? We had two weeks of super hot weather. Now within about the last month I think its only reached 80 about 4 times. I'm really not digging this. Makes me wonder how cold its going to be when its really fall. One nice thing (and perhaps the ONLY nice thing) is that it has been perfect weather for running.
Speaking of running, this morning I signed up for my first half marathon. I've been working on training for it. Yesterday I ran 9 miles. That's the furthest I have run. It was a wonderful feeling, except my leg felt like jelly when I was finished. That wasn't wonderful. Not at all. Surprisingly enough, I'm really not sore at all today. My legs are a little tired, but I don't think I'll have any trouble heading back out for another training run tomorrow. I have about 6 more weeks left of training before the big day. I'm excited. I'm apprehensive. I'm nervous. I'm....fearfully excited. Fearful? I can't hardly imagine running another 4 miles on top of what I did yesterday all in one go. Excited? I'll have a super nifty silver medal and cool tech shirt for my pains. Literal pains. I'm not expecting being able to walk by the time I cross the finish line. Oh the things we do for medals (er, accomplishments)
Yesterday was a day full of accomplishments. After work, I ran 9 miles, then we ate dinner, then we got to work..23 chickens. one pot of hot water... Lots of feathers involved. Needless to say there are now 3 freezers full of home grown chickens waiting to be cooked and enjoyed. It was long messy work. But so worth it once we have a nice roast chicken, especially nice because we raised them. they had REAL free range. Not the nasty mess of chickens packed into a yard with 100s of others and squished together in tiny cages. Our chickens led a nice happy life with us. Plenty to eat, plenty of room, a yard to roam. And I now know how to successfully pluck chickens.It may sound morbid, but I surely do look forward to a tasty chicken dinner .
By this time next week we will be fearfully void of feathered and 4 legged creatures. Its the county fair. Two of the pigs will be leaving us. 6 of our 9 ducks will be leaving us. We already got rid of 14 of our chickens (we just having some young laying hens left, the other 9 chickens we took care of yesterday belonged to my married sister and neighbors). The Rabbit will be temporarily gone. It'll be strange not seeing a flock of white chickens foraging around outside, and a flock of ducks wondering in one large group all over the place, following us around whenever we are outside.
There shall be no post next week due to the fair, but there may be an abundance of pictures the week after!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
I Believe in Plaid
You know how Audrey Hepburn said she believes in pink? I believe in plaid. I love plaid. I wear plaid all the time. I'm wearing plaid right now. Plaid goes with just about anything. The same plaid shirt can make you look hip, country, or stylish.You can wear plaid with skinny jeans. You can wear plaid with old jeans. You can wear plaid with tennis shoes, flip flops or boots. Plaid is suitable for all moods. You can wear plaid when you are cold. You can wear plaid when you are warm. You can wear plaid in the barn. You can wear plaid to a restaurant. Its just so wearable. I have a closet full of plaid. Purple, yellow, blue, pink, brown, green, red. Its my go to article of clothing. I wore plaid chasing the pigs out of a ditch when they escaped on monday. I wore plaid at church on Sunday. I wore plaid at a concert last week. I'm wearing plaid now at a coffee shop.I wear plaids usually over a t- shirt. Sometimes on its own. nearly always with jeans, sometimes with pajamas. I just love plaid. I got two new plaid shirts at a second-hand store last week. I love new(ish) plaid. It open up so many new options. I love wearing plaid with old comfy jeans. It practically makes it feel like I'm wearing pajamas all day when I do. Its my comfort clothing. I've worn it everyday this week.I'll probably wear it the rest of the week too. Plaid is cool. Plaid is chill. Plaid is nifty. Plaid is wonderful. Plaid is me.
Yellow Rain Coat
I haven't seen anyone wear a bright yellow raincoat in years. A girl just walked into Starbucks wearing one. With a bowler hat. And those big glasses that are so widely associated with being "hip'' and what not. Inwardly I chucked to myself. Outwardly I smiled. Its the little things. I think I need a bright yellow raincoat.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Nothing in particular
There is a meeting going on at the table next to me between the manager at Starbucks and a shift supervisor trainee. I can hear all the dirt. Its...interesting. I probably shouldn't be hearing all this. I should turn my volume up on Pandora. But...
For the most part it isn't bad. its just a few little stories. I really like this Starbucks. All the people are super nice. The store manager looks like Doris Day. All the employees seem to get along great. All making for a nice friendly atmosphere. My one complaint would be that the music they play can get annoying. Hence the headphones and Pandora radio.
But on the whole, I love this particular store. I see the regulars here. I rarely get my name misspelled or wrong on my cups anymore. I like it.
Once when I was here there were two Russians sitting behind me. I felt like I was in Ukraine (Ukrainian and Russian languages are very similar)
Another time I had a nice chat with the artist who sits by the door. Other times I've had chats with the Barista's. Its very comfortable here.
Plus, I just got an email informing me that I am a gold card member for another year. Thats always nice. Only 7 more stars till my next free drink.
Today is a wonderful change from last weeks unbearable heat. Its not even 70 degrees out right now. Its gorgeous running weather, unfortunately though I am unable to go run. My Wednesdays are 10 hour days generally. starting around 10:30-11:00 AM and not ending till 8:30-9:00 PM.
But tomorrow is another day of this cooler weather and I should be able to get out then.
Yesterday I went out for a run but less than 20 minutes into it I had to call home for a ride due to a thunderstorm that came in. So I had to finish up my workout on the elliptical and exercise bike. Extremely boring, but at least I did it, which is all that counts.
For the most part it isn't bad. its just a few little stories. I really like this Starbucks. All the people are super nice. The store manager looks like Doris Day. All the employees seem to get along great. All making for a nice friendly atmosphere. My one complaint would be that the music they play can get annoying. Hence the headphones and Pandora radio.
But on the whole, I love this particular store. I see the regulars here. I rarely get my name misspelled or wrong on my cups anymore. I like it.
Once when I was here there were two Russians sitting behind me. I felt like I was in Ukraine (Ukrainian and Russian languages are very similar)
Another time I had a nice chat with the artist who sits by the door. Other times I've had chats with the Barista's. Its very comfortable here.
Plus, I just got an email informing me that I am a gold card member for another year. Thats always nice. Only 7 more stars till my next free drink.
Today is a wonderful change from last weeks unbearable heat. Its not even 70 degrees out right now. Its gorgeous running weather, unfortunately though I am unable to go run. My Wednesdays are 10 hour days generally. starting around 10:30-11:00 AM and not ending till 8:30-9:00 PM.
But tomorrow is another day of this cooler weather and I should be able to get out then.
Yesterday I went out for a run but less than 20 minutes into it I had to call home for a ride due to a thunderstorm that came in. So I had to finish up my workout on the elliptical and exercise bike. Extremely boring, but at least I did it, which is all that counts.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Not my day...
Once again, technology defeats me. I mean seriously, how hard is it to install an app on your phone to run a compatible program on your computer? I've deleted, re-installed, and repeated on both my computer and my phone. A program that once worked great. A program that is supposed to be linked between my phone and my computer, but refuses to link. I've done everything I can think of to do. So I decided it was time to give my mental faculties a much needed break and get my mind on something else. Like blogging. But of course the first thing I think of to blog is my extreme irritation with technology. Figures.
So in order to remove my mind to more pleasant things...
1. We have discovered our two new buckeye "hens" are roosters. Lot of good that does us.
2.Its insufferably hot out.
3. Nothing is worse than old mosquito bites reacting to the heat and making you itch like mad. Why did mosquitoes have to be saved from the flood?
4.Its insufferably humid out
5. My car is acting up again. If its not one thing its another.
6.We are now back full circle because I can't get my lack of computer program abilities off my mind.
I'm sorry. I really don't want to complain. This is just one of those afternoons. I'm frustrated.
On another note, at least it really can't get much hotter than it already is. And there are no tornado warnings or flooding like last week. There was a story on the news about how an Amish farmer had 1000 acres of corn leveled because of the high winds, tornadoes etc. Its sad. And one little boy did drown in the flooding last week. But there were also stories of people being rescued.
I just saw a story about two teenage boys who rescued a little girl who was being kidnapped by chasing a car down on their bikes that had had the abductor and little girl in it. There is still goodness in the world. Praise God those boys kept at it.Who knows what might have happened to that little girl.
It is nice to know that I am not the only person in the world, that despite my feelings of negativity and frustrations, and lack of abilities with frustrating technology, God is still working. Working in people's lives, working on my lack of patience, working on hearts and minds, working through people to rescue people. I guess when I think about all that, this day isn't quite so bad as I thought.
So in order to remove my mind to more pleasant things...
1. We have discovered our two new buckeye "hens" are roosters. Lot of good that does us.
2.Its insufferably hot out.
3. Nothing is worse than old mosquito bites reacting to the heat and making you itch like mad. Why did mosquitoes have to be saved from the flood?
4.Its insufferably humid out
5. My car is acting up again. If its not one thing its another.
6.We are now back full circle because I can't get my lack of computer program abilities off my mind.
I'm sorry. I really don't want to complain. This is just one of those afternoons. I'm frustrated.
On another note, at least it really can't get much hotter than it already is. And there are no tornado warnings or flooding like last week. There was a story on the news about how an Amish farmer had 1000 acres of corn leveled because of the high winds, tornadoes etc. Its sad. And one little boy did drown in the flooding last week. But there were also stories of people being rescued.
I just saw a story about two teenage boys who rescued a little girl who was being kidnapped by chasing a car down on their bikes that had had the abductor and little girl in it. There is still goodness in the world. Praise God those boys kept at it.Who knows what might have happened to that little girl.
It is nice to know that I am not the only person in the world, that despite my feelings of negativity and frustrations, and lack of abilities with frustrating technology, God is still working. Working in people's lives, working on my lack of patience, working on hearts and minds, working through people to rescue people. I guess when I think about all that, this day isn't quite so bad as I thought.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Last Night
Last night I ate an unfortunate amount of Gingerbread. And I don't regret it one bit.
Last night I did 35 minutes on the eliptical in the basement. It was boring.
Last night I read in bed until my sister decided it was time to sleep.
Last night there was thunderstorm after thunderstorm. It was noisy yet comforting. I like storms.
Last night a single fly managed to nearly drive me insane.
Last night I woke up sweating because it was so humid.
Last night not much really happened out of the ordinary. a quiet evening at home after a long work day.
Its always nice to come home after a tiring day. It was very hot, I was grateful to spend most of my time at work in air conditioning.There were those 3 hours I spent cleaning out a humid garage during the heat of the day. That was no fun. We finally finished a 17,000 sq.ft. house that we were working on since last monday. It. Was. Huge. and ridiculous. only 4 people lived there. two of them were only 10 years old. Thats over 4,000 sq ft per person. over 3 miles of sq feet total. I don't understand the logic behind it, but to each their own I guess. All I know is if I never step inside another 17,000 sq ft house I don't care. I've had my fill of them.
I remember when I was younger I thought living in a huge house would be so awesome. Granted there were 12 people under 1 roof of a house not meant for 12 people to live in. It was pretty cramped. But now that I'm older and can see all the work that goes into owning that large of a house...I'm cured of ever wanting to live in a mansion. To me its not worth it.
I kind of felt like the Beverly Hillbillies stepping into that house for the first time. Out of place. A little small-town country girl stepping into the land of the outrageously wealthy. Of course in my case I'm not outrageously wealthy. Perhaps outrageously poor. Being a house cleaner and youth director doesn't make you very rich. I bet a single chandelier in that house cost more than I make in a month. To me it seems wasteful, when I see where all that money could have gone to use. I see it every week, at church. I see it every year in whatever country I happen to be in. However, Im not a materialistic person at all. I cringe at spending $20 for jeans. I wait for sales and shop at Marshall's. And Walmart.
I'm grateful I've never been wealthy. I'm grateful that I've had hard work. My favorite job was working on a farm. I spent some time as dental receptionist. I spent most of my time bored stiff. I did lots of babysitting, helped with the homeschooling of some boys I babysat. Now I clean houses and am a youth director. I don't get paid for the youth directing, so I'm grateful to have the cleaning job. I prefer manual labor to a desk job any day. I remember when I worked for the dental office I'd come home exhausted. But It was the kind of exhaustion that came from being bored. With the job I have now, and when I worked at the farm, I'd come home exhausted and knew it was because I'd just put in hours of manual labor. Its a good feeling.
Last night I did 35 minutes on the eliptical in the basement. It was boring.
Last night I read in bed until my sister decided it was time to sleep.
Last night there was thunderstorm after thunderstorm. It was noisy yet comforting. I like storms.
Last night a single fly managed to nearly drive me insane.
Last night I woke up sweating because it was so humid.
Last night not much really happened out of the ordinary. a quiet evening at home after a long work day.
Its always nice to come home after a tiring day. It was very hot, I was grateful to spend most of my time at work in air conditioning.There were those 3 hours I spent cleaning out a humid garage during the heat of the day. That was no fun. We finally finished a 17,000 sq.ft. house that we were working on since last monday. It. Was. Huge. and ridiculous. only 4 people lived there. two of them were only 10 years old. Thats over 4,000 sq ft per person. over 3 miles of sq feet total. I don't understand the logic behind it, but to each their own I guess. All I know is if I never step inside another 17,000 sq ft house I don't care. I've had my fill of them.
I remember when I was younger I thought living in a huge house would be so awesome. Granted there were 12 people under 1 roof of a house not meant for 12 people to live in. It was pretty cramped. But now that I'm older and can see all the work that goes into owning that large of a house...I'm cured of ever wanting to live in a mansion. To me its not worth it.
I kind of felt like the Beverly Hillbillies stepping into that house for the first time. Out of place. A little small-town country girl stepping into the land of the outrageously wealthy. Of course in my case I'm not outrageously wealthy. Perhaps outrageously poor. Being a house cleaner and youth director doesn't make you very rich. I bet a single chandelier in that house cost more than I make in a month. To me it seems wasteful, when I see where all that money could have gone to use. I see it every week, at church. I see it every year in whatever country I happen to be in. However, Im not a materialistic person at all. I cringe at spending $20 for jeans. I wait for sales and shop at Marshall's. And Walmart.
I'm grateful I've never been wealthy. I'm grateful that I've had hard work. My favorite job was working on a farm. I spent some time as dental receptionist. I spent most of my time bored stiff. I did lots of babysitting, helped with the homeschooling of some boys I babysat. Now I clean houses and am a youth director. I don't get paid for the youth directing, so I'm grateful to have the cleaning job. I prefer manual labor to a desk job any day. I remember when I worked for the dental office I'd come home exhausted. But It was the kind of exhaustion that came from being bored. With the job I have now, and when I worked at the farm, I'd come home exhausted and knew it was because I'd just put in hours of manual labor. Its a good feeling.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Bucket List
I was thinking about Bucket lists the other day. a list of things that I want to have accomplished by the time I die. Some things are things that will most likely happen anyway, some things are just random fancies that I would love to do someday. Some are highly unlikely to ever come about, but its my bucket list, and I can dream about it if I want.
I could write a detailed itemized list, but that would just be boring. I figured I might share a few of the things I hope to one day instead. Some I have mentioned before. For instances you have probably guessed that book writing, conference speaking and traveling are the top items on my bucket list. So no need to expound on them.
I have long believed I was born about 65 years too late. I love all things 1930's-40's. I love the old movies from then. I love the fact that the country put hard work at the top of there priority list (now a days it seems that the priority is to make money doing as little as possible) It was a time when people banded together when a nation was at war to help eachother. It was a time when dancing was a great past time, and it was real dancing. Not this disgusting wiggling commonly referred to as "dancing" nowadays. It required talent to dance then. Everyone knew how to dance. Thats why learning the Charleston is number 7 on my bucket list. To be able to dance it like Ginger Rogers would be my preference. Impossible, I know, but its my bucket list. I can dream it up however I want.
To be able to dance the jitterbug, jive, etc ranks up there with number 7 too. That would be so cool. If you know of any good instructional videos, do let me know of them. You can help me make trusty number 7 a reality.
I've always wanted to live on a farm. One day I hope to live on one. Not large, but to raise pigs, chickens and dairy cows. Of course this wouldn't take place till after I had done my traveling circuit, but its still one thing I'd love to do. I've always wanted to have milk cows. Thats why number 4 on my list is to own a Jersey milk cow named Sybil.
Sometimes I think I need about 4 lifetimes to accomplish everything I want to do. Back to the 1940's, I love the idea of having a Diner with a soda counter. Mixing up cool alcohol-free beverages, serving up ice cream, serving breakfast and lunches. I think I could be a pretty good short-order cook. Item number 9: own a 1940's style soda counter Diner complete with a Juke box that played only popular 1940's songs. I think I would open it up for some Charleston dancing on the weekends. I of course will be able to dance like Ginger Rogers in this fantasy, and would be a wonderful Charleston teacher, and we would have Charleston competitions on a regular basis. I would win them all. Because I'd be able to dance like Ginger Rogers.
I think that that is enough bucket list items for now. Hopefully one day Ill be able to achieve them all. Hopefully I have many years left to accomplish them. Whats your bucket list look like?
I could write a detailed itemized list, but that would just be boring. I figured I might share a few of the things I hope to one day instead. Some I have mentioned before. For instances you have probably guessed that book writing, conference speaking and traveling are the top items on my bucket list. So no need to expound on them.
I have long believed I was born about 65 years too late. I love all things 1930's-40's. I love the old movies from then. I love the fact that the country put hard work at the top of there priority list (now a days it seems that the priority is to make money doing as little as possible) It was a time when people banded together when a nation was at war to help eachother. It was a time when dancing was a great past time, and it was real dancing. Not this disgusting wiggling commonly referred to as "dancing" nowadays. It required talent to dance then. Everyone knew how to dance. Thats why learning the Charleston is number 7 on my bucket list. To be able to dance it like Ginger Rogers would be my preference. Impossible, I know, but its my bucket list. I can dream it up however I want.
To be able to dance the jitterbug, jive, etc ranks up there with number 7 too. That would be so cool. If you know of any good instructional videos, do let me know of them. You can help me make trusty number 7 a reality.
I've always wanted to live on a farm. One day I hope to live on one. Not large, but to raise pigs, chickens and dairy cows. Of course this wouldn't take place till after I had done my traveling circuit, but its still one thing I'd love to do. I've always wanted to have milk cows. Thats why number 4 on my list is to own a Jersey milk cow named Sybil.
Sometimes I think I need about 4 lifetimes to accomplish everything I want to do. Back to the 1940's, I love the idea of having a Diner with a soda counter. Mixing up cool alcohol-free beverages, serving up ice cream, serving breakfast and lunches. I think I could be a pretty good short-order cook. Item number 9: own a 1940's style soda counter Diner complete with a Juke box that played only popular 1940's songs. I think I would open it up for some Charleston dancing on the weekends. I of course will be able to dance like Ginger Rogers in this fantasy, and would be a wonderful Charleston teacher, and we would have Charleston competitions on a regular basis. I would win them all. Because I'd be able to dance like Ginger Rogers.
I think that that is enough bucket list items for now. Hopefully one day Ill be able to achieve them all. Hopefully I have many years left to accomplish them. Whats your bucket list look like?
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