Tuesday, October 31, 2017

A Boo-tiful Morning

This morning was a boo!-tiful morning!
Happy Halloween to all my viewers.



It was a great morning to make skinny pumpkin spice lattes for my family, which I found on Pinterest from Inspired Table. They have a lot of great recipes including roasted pumpkin seeds and lemon blueberry layer cake. PASS ME A PIECE!!


Actually not now--fitness plans… urgh-- As my mom says, “Short-term sacrifice long-term gain.”


I woke this morning to the creaking of a door, I guess that happens in old houses; shifting houses… Darn creaks!


But I am so happy that the door creaked because it awoke me and I was ready to continue my new fitness journey. Same as always squat, squat, crunch, crunch... .no we’re not talking about cereal :).


This morning it was 27°. Another great day for training and making skinny pumpkin pie lattes... Haha, DIY-ing fun. My family greatly enjoyed the lattes too! Admittedly, I was a bit frightened when I heard something moving in the brush near our porch. I think it was just a cat, probably black…


The morning was so still and the wind hadn’t flinched one twig. A black masquerade opened my morning. As nature’s dance began, an owl hooted from a nearby branch. The darkness is chilly and somewhat spooky, great for a Halloween day.



Speaking of Halloween. Tonight I will be volunteering at the Halloween hayrack ride and soup dinner in the Great Land of OZ… Haha, my hometown is pretty amazing, and I have been called Dorothy one too many times.



It’s the small things that bring people together with laughter, costumes, and lots of hot chocolate that make Halloween such a great time!  





Fitness day #3, Thank goodness for that creaking door!




Monday, October 30, 2017

My Sunday Full of Purpose

Sundays are days of much-needed rest in a farmers household. Most Sundays begin with sleeping in past the old rooster crow! Aaah, those glorious days of sleeping till 8:00 😊.

Urggh... chickens, my detest of chickens will be discussed later... (clenching my teeth)

 On the farm, it's usually bright on Sundays with the sun glistening over the long shadows cast by the oak trees. This Sunday was different though. The sun was late but I wasn't.

This is later in the day





I woke to the long drawn call of a coyote harking to the black sky above.



Somewhat disgruntled at this rude awakening I awoke to a still sleeping house. It was a different kind of day though. 

A day full of integrity and a new found awakening to achieve what others said I couldn't. I dressed in my workout clothes and two hoodies, yes, I could still see little puffs of my breath as I did pushups and planks. 

The quiet night that surrounded me provided a thoughtful workout that filled me with motivation and a sense of purpose.



A workout in a still cold night with the wild cries of coyotes surrounding me. I was awake to this new life of fitness and doing what others thought I couldn't achieve, it was a splendid triumph of my own self-doubt. Self-doubt that said I couldn't be fit or have a purpose to make a dime and that I was someone who had missed the ship for the beginning of life.



Which had happened. Most of my friends are in colleges spread far and wide or following jobs far away. They were all making their own beginnings

This was just my beginning slow, steady and plagued with many boundaries.

I am too creatively distracted for my own good. I like having breakfast for lunch, reciting 19th-century poetry on a whim, listening to classics #Audible and getting to know new people.  

I've had lots of dreams over my life and never really any sure path until I read a book that changed my life. 

"Living Forward" is a book written by Micheal Hyatt, that truly set me on a different course and way of thinking about my life purpose. I am thoroughly enjoying it's helpful and thoughtful analysis on setting life goals and creating a plan to stop drifting and get the life you want. For this I commend Hyatt as I'm sure others have read and been changed by this, well, to say it simply, life-changing book. 

This quiet morning that was like black velvet I completed the chapter on writing your eulogy. Cheery stuff, I know, just kidding. Really though, writing your eulogy really puts your life in perspective. It provides a whole new kind of clarity that strengthens the reader's endeavors for this life. 

It's a challenge in this life to determine what our drive is and why we're here. It's a challenge to find happiness. Our own little niches of artistry that keep us from day-to-day madness. Yes, the kind that Lewis Carroll talks about in the quote from Alice and Wonderland as the Cheshire cat tells Alice, "We're all mad here." 

This quote by Carroll is truly a thought-provoking which I will explicate in an upcoming b log post. 


But for now, back to the velvety night and coyotes...

My phone was I'm sure very chilly, as the temperature upon my waking was a balmy 27°, just kidding not balmy at all!

As my dad jokingly says when it gets really cold, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about mosquitoes!" Point taken, thanks dad for elevating the conversation 😄.

After completing this workout, I moved onto a neurological kind of workout. I recently downloaded this dandy little app on my phone called Vocabulary Builder and being quite a word buff, let me tell you I am a huge fan! One of my recent favorite words being "Euphoria- extreme joy or Jovial- happy." I must say these words complete my personality.


Two other curious and unexpected things happened this morning.


After I dressed in leggings and a snappy bright turquoise and white striped little sweater that really just was perfect for the day, I made scrambled eggs and homemade espresso,. Sometimes, I think outfits are just suited for certain days. 

 I made my espresso in a little antique teapot. looking contraption that had a metal straw and a coffee chamber/ filter. I'm not entirely sure what it was called but it made a fine brew of coffee. 

With this brilliant early start, I was so happy to accomplish so much more in my day!
So for good books, early mornings and life goals I will raise my coffee mug!

For this, I am grateful for that mangy coyote that woke me up before the sun. 

Saturday, October 28, 2017

College-- Maybe not a Destination?

Term paper due in 6 hours. Analysis of story due in 6 hours. Statistic sheet due in 6 hours... Oh my goodness, is no one else exasperated with their college career choice? For me, this is too much. I feel like its kind of a bottling effect. Too many deadlines. Too short of time to get things done. What can a creative mind do to fill her time and earn a living? 

Well, after a little grieving over my grade and my decision to drop a course, I decided to do a little research. So, after a quick search, my browser revealed a long list of careers that do not require ANY college degree. 

Wow, could you believe it? Profitable careers that don't require that horrible college algebra or that nerve pinching class you just can't pass? 

Yes, it's true. Because some of us are just not interested in the stress that college provides.

Here is a list of jobs for people who don't have degrees:

Appliance Repairer
Paralegal Assistant
Computer Service Technician
Electrician
Blogger... my obvious go to
Respiratory Therapist
Web Developer
UX Designer
Veterinary Technician
Personal Care Aide
Medical Assistant
Respiratory therapist
Insurance Sales Agent
MRI Technologist
Medical Secretary
Medical Records Technician
Computer Support Specialist
Optician
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

There ya have it, folks, a whole list of careers you can do without a college degree. 
C'est la vie!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Coffee, Standing in the Way of Happiness?


Did you know that nearly 50% of American adults drink coffee every day? Praised by the media and daily drinkers, coffee has a high-ranking place in the American diet. Harvard studies show that coffee is high in natural polyphenols, which are micronutrients that have been linked with preventing cancer, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. According to, mensfitness.com, coffee also works as an antidepressant and spikes your Adrenaline levels.


Is this a bad thing? Not entirely.


While this news is all fine and dandy, coffee, on the flip side, has its negatives.


Coffee is a drug.
Yes, that’s right an addictive drug. Just this year Caffeine dependence was labeled as a new mental illness.


Do you ever get a headache around 9:00 AM? Do you have trouble sleeping? Increased heart rate?
Did you know that all of these symptoms can be attributed to drinking your morning cups of Joe?


According to MayoClinic, high consumption of boiled coffee (boiled or espresso) has been associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. Two or more cups of coffee can increase your risk of heart disease in people with a specific- and fairly common- genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body.


So, next time you’re reaching to switch on the coffee pot, consider drinking milk or juice instead which offers nutrients and vitamins not found in coffee.


I hope I have enlightened caffeine drinkers with this insightful article.


Cheers!



Traveling


Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Slushies, sticky fingers, and pumpkins

The bus pulled in
Children scurried into a line.
The teachers check for sleeping children on the bus.
Spot, the cat curls herself on the wooden bench outside.
Suspecting nothing.

A flurry of activity soon conspires.
My hand stretches out the window with a little plastic tray.
Full of sticky cider slushies.
That dribble down children's mouths.

They watch intently as pumpkins are dropped one by one
Into a tank of water.
"They float!", A child exclaims.
Awed by this natural phenomenon the children begin whispering in shock. 

Teachers come and go to the window 
Picking up tray after tray of slushies.
Towels, napkins pumpkins, jelly
The cat has found refuge among the empty boxes.

As the bus pulls away I feel a sense of success. 
Cider slushies aren't so sticky after all.







The Wind and Whistle Operator

The wind swept through the bricks.
It swept up my stairs.
Beneath my closed door, it whispered its cold call.
Like an operator
An operator of wind and whistle
That scoot under my door and through my window.

It's cold outside
Cold enough to ice skate, no
The pumpkins look like giant crystallized candies.
The cow bucket had a sheet of frosty ice.
A Rain gage is no measure in times like these.

The sun sheepishly peaks through the clouds
On this bitterly cold morning.
Like a tardy student quietly coming into a classroom.
The sky is baby blue like freshly pulled taffy.
Straight from the candy creators.

The night wind sweeps its thanks through the trees.
Like a silently kept night vigil. 










Friday, October 6, 2017

A Season's Bows

The Snow on the mountain bows its head to my step as I wander through their hills. Dew clings to the lambs ear that huddles next to the ground as if it were trying to cuddle with its despondent lover. Puddles deck the muddy ground and a fresh rain drips from the grasses swaying figures. A red gnarled feed trough lies in the pasture holding today's rain. My mint and grey shoes snap twigs and Reizen the petrified grasses. The hills are quiet and the clouds float on like impregnated elephants.