Category: Life in general

Categories
Life in general

Community

There’s a community I belong to, one you can’t find on a map.

It’s here, it’s there… it’s everywhere, whenever we want to stop in.

I wrote about my love of this community when I got home from BlogHer this past July, although I never did go into detail as I promised.  Even if I had carved out time to do just that, I never would have done it justice.

My blogging and twitter community – our community – is more than just “internet people”.  It’s more than just laughter and fun, it’s more than just a place to trade ideas and thoughts.

It’s a family.

A family of people who care – who extend friendship beyond the general chit chat with a neighbor at the grocery store.

We laugh together.  We rant together.  We parent together.  We cry together. 

When the unthinkable happens, we grieve together.

We waited and hoped and prayed together last week, when Anissa Mayhew, one of the most amazing women I have ever had the pleasure of calling a friend, suffered a massive stroke. 

There are a million adjectives that could aptly describe Anissa.  She’s funny and thoughtful, raunchy and classy, goofy and deep, honest and strong, fiercely loyal and open minded.

Her love moves mountains.

And that’s why I know she’ll continue to get better.  Because she’s Anissa, and she just has to.

Anissa, girl.  I can’t wait to see your beautiful smile.  Wake up soon, will ya?  We miss you.

~You can find updates from Anissa’s husband Peter here, and find information on how you can help Anissa’s family here.~

Categories
Blog Carnivals Blogging Business Life in general Ranch Life

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

Living on a ranch, my family has a fairly unique perspective on climate change.

We are able to see the effects global warming has on our crops and animals, and we try to accommodate those changes on a day to day basis.  In turn, we are also able to combat climate change in ways that go beyond that of the average American. 

Here are some steps my family has taken, or continues to take, to reduce our carbon footprint.

In and on our home:

* A large solar paneling system
* Energy Star appliances, electronics, windows, doors, heating and air units
* Sky lights
* Aluminum-lined roof sheeting
* Insulated walls built with 2×6’s rather than 2×4’s
* Environmentally friendly cleaning supplies
* Ceiling fans
* CFL light bulbs

On our ranch:

* A garden full of our favorite fruits and veggies
* Feeding scrap food to our chickens
* Composting our chicken’s waste to create natural fertilizer for our garden
* Discing our fields to reduce fire hazard and improve soil quality
* A gray-water irrigation system for our pasture
* Pasture and hay feeding our cattle
* Feeding our lawn and tree trimmings to our livestock
* Keeping a worm farm, and feeding it with coffee grounds
* Using a drip irrigation system for our garden, lawn and trees
* Trading goods with neighbors and friends

In our general lives:

* Always purchasing a living Christmas tree, and planting it after the holidays
* Reusable cloth tote bags for shopping
* Recycling
* Fuel-efficient vehicles
* Carpooling whenever possible
* Sharing magazine subscriptions with friends and family
* Donating and purchasing used clothing, furniture, toys, etc.
* Shopping locally whenever possible, including farmer’s markets

Our ranch isn’t fully sustainable year-round, but for most months of the year, we could easily live without stepping foot off of our own property.  We hope, eventually, to be completely sustainable and eliminate our family’s carbon footprint altogether.

I’d love to hear how you’re fighting climate change! 

Go here for some amazing suggestions.  And go here to find out more about Blog Action Day 09!

Categories
Life in general

Older

It’s my birthday!  I’m officially another year older. 

Thirty-two, in case anyone was going to congratulate me on looking so young for forty.  I’m saving you from having to put your foot in your mouth.  My gift to you, on my birthday.

To celebrate my big day, I got a yeast infection.  Yay, me!

I’m not all that surprised, since I’ve been on antibiotics for 12 days now.  It was only a matter of time before something started to fester.

The good news is, after almost 6 weeks of coughing up gunk, my lungs are finally starting to feel clear.

*hack* *cough* *inhaler puff* *ahem*

There’s nothing like a hacking cough and an itchy crotch to make you feel younger on your birthday!

You should try it sometime.

No, really.

Last night my family and best-good friends came over for some home cookin’ and peanut butter brownies.  Maura, I’m sorry.  I didn’t save you any.

Today, my wonderful husband is taking me to a wine and beer festival and then to dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant. 

The weather is 85 degrees with a cool breeze.  Perfect.

When asked what I wanted for my birthday this year, I was at a complete loss.  I couldn’t think of a single thing.  I have all I need, and everything I want. 

Who could ask for more than that?

* For those of you who have emailed, commented and/or DM’d me recently, I am not intentionally ignoring you!  I promise I will respond soon.  I’m just lame and hacking up green stuff. *

Categories
Life in general Motherhood and Pregnancy

Wake Up One Day…

One day, you’re dreaming the dream.

You’re in college, with your entire future ahead of you.  You and your best friend talk about one day living in a scarcely decorated studio apartment in The City, working for some big corporation and eating sushi and escargot.  The world is your oyster, and damn it tastes good.

Before you know it, you’re living the dream.

Married, driving an SUV, 2.5 kids (the .5 being your niece, whose mom is in prison for who the hell knows how long), dogs, cats, mortgage payments.  You know the drill.

Meanwhile, your best friend has moved to New York City, doing all the things you stayed up all night talking about.  You’re so damn happy for her, but a little part of you, the part with all the rebellious piercings, feels left behind. 

Life is so vanilla bean good and sweet and everything you never knew you wanted.

And then, another day comes along and you’re filling out forms for your kid’s school and suddenly you catch yourself thinking that joining the PTO might be fun, and you realize that maybe you need a tattoo.

Or possibly, maybe, your husband could teach you to drive his motorcycle.

Something, anything, to make you feel like the girl who someday planned to take a big city by storm.

And then, your baby girl climbs into your lap and snuggles into your chest.  She tells you, in her cute little toddler voice, that she loves you.  Her hair smells like fruit fresh from the vine.  Her chubby fingers caress your neck and as you kiss her cheek, you realize: there is no comparison to this life.

It may not be what you dreamed of.  You may not be taking anything but piles of laundry by storm.

But oh, what a life it is.

And anyway, your best friend would always welcome a visit.

Categories
Life in general Marriage

So Where the Hell is my Ring?

Part 1 of this story is ~Here~

I had just carelessly tossed what I thought was something disgusting, only to be told it contained a diamond ring.  For me.

The moonlight, which had seemed so romantic only a moment before, now seemed ridiculously inadequate for combing miles of beach for something small and, well, sand covered.

To his credit, Jeremy only let me search for a minute or five two before telling me he was kidding about the ring.  Long enough for him to have a good chuckle, but not long enough for me to lose my fracking mind.

I begged him to promise me he wasn’t just saying that to make me feel better, but I couldn’t be sure.

Especially when, at breakfast the following morning, our friend told us he’d heard of someone finding a diamond ring on the beach with one of those treasure-finding metal detectors.

“It’s too bad you never even got to see it,” Jeremy said solemnly before winking at me and assuring me, again, that they were just kidding.

With each passing day, I thought more about that gooshy ball, trying to remember whether or not I’d felt something hard inside of it.  If Jeremy had the ring, he wouldn’t continue to make me wait, would he? 

Finally, after a few more moonlit strolls along the beach, Jeremy got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.  He claims he said more than that, but I couldn’t tell you for sure. 

I was too busy looking at my beautiful, hand-engraved engagement ring.

I’m fairly certain that if I had thrown it away, he would have given me one made out of seaweed.