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!

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. 

"Winds in the East"

"Winds in the East storm comin’ in somethin’s a brewin’ about to begin.” This lyric is sung by Dick van Dyke, in Mary Poppins, as he is taking the children back to their home. These lyrics while at surface level might just seem catchy for a rainy day… actually, signify a change or shift in what’s happening for the Bank’s family. England’s Easterly winds come wet and cold weather perfect for staying inside, bringing change. Which provides Mary Poppins and her umbrella a perfect entrance to begin changing the household. This quote sung by Dick van Dyke has an underlying message to the children, is that you don’t have to be wealthy and rich to be happy. He is happy with the simple things of life. This message is furthered by the bird lady, who sings words simple and few collecting tuppence a bag for the birds. Hauntingly, beautiful, this movie is artistically a wonder. With that, “Let’s go fly a kite!”

The Angelus

The Angelus

They prayed 

For plentiful crops.

Their heads bent 

During prayer.

Pray for the poor departed

And the lost.

The Angelus 

Rung from the steeple top. 

Reverent mournful

We, now, bow our heads

For the departed.

Pain and It's Place

Pain is life. Pain is the beginning and the ending, the trials and tribulations. Pain has a place and a time. It is not loved but it gives a person perspective. One's pain is only a sliver of this world's problems. It is hard to gauge pain on a worldly level but the pain has made only made us stronger. And maybe the world is getting stronger through the pain.
My grandfather, a Korean war vet, walked with persistence and vigor through this world to his last days. He suffered the pain that made him into the courageous and heroic man he was. I can only imagine how much pain he had, not only throughout his numbed body that had been bitten by frost bite but all the emotional pain, that could drive anyone crazy with anguish and grief. How anyone could suffer that much pain and come out being a stronger individual is beside me. I cannot fathom how our military heroes suffer so much pain and fight to protect a nation that they may never see again. I can only say thank you to all those brave soldiers that risk the pain for a better world.
Pain is a piece of you and a piece of me. Pain comes from creation and destruction.
Emily Dickinson wrote several poems on pain and loneliness of which she suffered. Emily lived in Amherst, MA. She wrote over 1,170 poems while she lived almost none of which she published. After her death, her younger sister submitted many of the poems. One of Emily's most notorious poems details pain, "After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes." This poem is about suffering and death. "The feets wooden way" is indicative of a wooden casket. "Like a stone," in reference to a headstone.
Pain is a constant companion for many of us. But we were all made to withstand its fatal blows and come out a stronger individual. We were all created to withstand pain.
You can't outrun pain it will always catch you in your tracks... when you least expect it. So be strong.
Que sera, sera.

Today is the Day the Lord has Made and we Will Invoice

Today is the Day the Lord has Made and we Will Invoice. Do you find yourself in the daily office grind? Or maybe at a factory or warehouse inside all day?


A vocation is not simply a calling to religious life but something that spans much deeper.
What is your career calling?


Huge question, right?

Wowzer, and a big one at that. Just about as big as that catfish we pulled from the river!

So a job. A career. A vocation.

Have you discerned your calling? Assessing what you can do, what you like to do and most importantly after prayer and reflection, what you feel called to do.

A wise Catholic friend of mine once gave me some solid prayer advice when I was deciding on a college. He said, in order to pray, initially, we must give thanks for the things we have and the graces God has blessed us with then pray for our intention.
Intentions can be anything! Remember God is infinite and Almighty.
Then humbly thank him for his time and all he's given you.


So back to our invoice situation.

Getting another job especially in this economy is tricky. The hard truth is, sometimes, there aren't a lot of jobs in your area.
And you aren't able to move due to finances.

So the reader decides I am stuck.

Well, are you?
Have you explored at home jobs?

Some popular ones are:

1. Call representatives

2. Website Designer/Graphic- you can try this at Canva.com

3. Travel Agents

4. Freelance writer: blogger.com, wordpress.com, PoetrySoup.com- start-up is fast and free.

5. Write for magazines: Finance, Business, Collectible, Urban Farming, Country Living: Go to the human resources page of your favorite magazine or newspaper and look at the job board there.

6. Sell books on Amazon using either an individual or professional account. 

7. Start a YouTube channel


8. Open an Etsy store


9. Start a farmers market stand:
And sell literally anything. Bags, recycled coin purses, paintings, pie and other baked goods, first check with your local city rules on this.
Meats, cheeses and dairy products generally require licenses. But specialty crafts are great ways to make a little loot!
Start a garden and sell your fresh vegetables, fruits or herbs to your neighbors or at the farmers market.

10. Volunteer
You can volunteer literally anywhere, your local library, rest home; for specialized programs check out websites like: Volunteermatch.org, Catholicvolunteernetwork.org, idealist.org. These may include stipend, medical insurance, transportation, loan deferment etc.


 I realize that this article is rather higgledy-piggedly, my apologies. I do hope you gained some quirky, if not useful ideas on finding income with what you have at hand and making a difference in someone's life.

For now folks, toodles!

A Silent Scream

A scream echoed a hundred miles.
Across country roads, dust and cattle.
Across city lights, trains squeak and rattle.
A piece of me I send by mail.
The driver doesn't see me as I hail.
Traffic passes
I'm left alone.

Lights of darkness take me home
To the stars of fury
burning bright
Across that long and endless night.

The lamp flickers off
I must go.

"Be Yourself Everyone Else is Taken"

This quote written by Oscar Wilde is true inspiration for the conformist in most of us. If everyone were to conform to everyone else this life would be no more than many of one person. How boring, am I right? Living life as yourself is so important in today's thriving culture, which is so alive and full of lots of different thoughts and opinions. As if we didn't conform to someone else's thoughts we would be unapproved or downgraded in a sense of honor.
Inspiration is what feeds the human mind to do the unordinary. If you express yourself through the unordinary you can create new life, new ideas, new buzzing thoughts, your future. The world is yours for conquering.

So today, I dare you, be YOURSELF everyone else is taken.

I Write to Discover What I Know

This quote, came from one the better known female Catholic writers of the 20th century, Flannery O'Connor. Some of her more prominent works are, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Revelation and Good Country People. These books reflect the fallen goodness of human nature and reflect on the choices we're given in this life. How Flannery shows the good through an overwhelming amount of bad is amazing. Her work is chalk full of satire and underlying meanings that are both witty and all-knowing. She has been compared to William Blake in her prestige and delivery.

A woman who taught a chicken to walk backwards and later developed her mascot as a peacock. Mary Flannery O'Connor was born in 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. Growing up as an only child she quickly developed a creative mind. When she was six, living at home she experienced her first brush with celebrity status. Her trained chicken broke headlines and she was featured on Pathetic News as "Little Mary O'Connor" with her trained chicken. She later claimed that that was the climax of her life and everything thereafter was anti-climatic. She attended the Women's College of Georgia before going on to receive her master's in fine arts from the Georgia State University. In 1946, after her graduation she was accepted into the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. Their she developed several of her short stories including Wise Blood. This workshop also helped her develop a Southern Gothic style for her writing. As later mentioned her work has a somewhat brutal unrefined finish that relates to Christian realism. She felt moved by the Thomist notion that the world is created by God and her sacramental upbringings. With her morally flawed characters in a Southern grotesque setting she portrayed them as touched by divine grace. She later wrote, "Grace changes us and the change is painful." 
Flannery has been an inspiration to many of my fictional works and the simplicity of her life has contributed to my writing schema. I hope this has been an informative little ditty for you to learn a little about the fantastic Southern author, Flannery O'Connor.

There's a Bat in my House- Carrying the Cross Through Darkness

There's a bat in my house
I'm in the pitch dark.
I can't see
I'm blinded by the sound.
Of to much noise.
Where's my resound?

Baptized in the faith
But found in the dark.
the cross is heavy
Heal me through the mark.
You placed on me
When I was fresh from the womb.
The mark
You rose from the dead
No longer in the tomb.

There's a bat in my house
I'm in the pitch dark.
I can't see
I'm blinded by the sound.
Of to much noise.
Where's my resound?

I'm in the pitch black
lost from you Lord.
Show me your light.
Open the shudders over my eyes.
Remove those bats,
sin I hold.
Curse those demons
I'm already sold.

There's a bat in my house
I'm in the pitch dark.
I can't see
I'm blinded by the sound.
Of to much noise.
Where's my resound?

Sold out to you my virgin
My mother
My queen.
Throne in glory
Beside my Christ the King.

Recognition for the Lost Poet

Writers get so little recognition
for the things written
from their ambition.
Words carefully threaded
into the intricate tapestry
of verse.

Long hours of writers block
oftentimes we curse.

Curse at the pages white and pale as snow,
with passion and vigor they write their converse.
to empty ears
it does no good no one hears
except these inaudible pages.

that glower up at us blankly.

Holding On

Climbing an apple tree
A search for desired fruit.
You've become familiar with the trees weak limbs
And the stronger ones.
Hold on tight.

One slip of your foot
On the rough bark
Could cause you to tumble down
And break, skin yourself or fracture.
So, you should hold on tight.

Yet still you climb
To that glistening rosy fruit.
As you hold on.

Some are fearful when their foot slips.
They grope back down the tree.
Others climb high, fall and then try again. And again. And again.
These are the ones who get the fruit.
And hold on.