Hooray!

Ah,yes, the beginning of another long weekend. I am so looking forward to this. First, my to do list: CLEAN THE HOUSE. Not that it's a pig sty or anything, just that after oh, say, 5 minutes or so, the animals seem to make a new mess for me to clean up. So I think I will clean the carpets really well, and get some garbage out of the basement. And clean the patio. Sucks, because until Spring, I really cant do much in the yard and gardens. And we need to plant some grass, since there is so much mud around here all of a sudden. But a gal can dream cant she?

Speaking of dreams, I had one about Ron Perlman last night. Nothing spectacular, but I was interviewing him and he was being really nice. I love happy dreams.

I was talking with a bailiff at work today, he told me he has voodoo dolls and they really work. I asked where he got them and he told me he made them himself. Creepy. Hope he doesnt have one of me. But this can be an interesting conversation some day when work is not busy.I love weird things and crazy stuff.

Am reading The Four Agreements again. It is quite a good book, written very simply - almost like a childrens book, and very easy to read and comprehend. Makes sense to me. It is really hard to practice though because of the influence of the outside world. We are constantly surrounded by people trying to drag us into the crap heap and it is hard to avoid. Ah, well. Part of the journey.

Does anyone have any good books they can recommend? I am looking for some good reading, be it Fiction or non fiction.

Tis getting late and I think I will retire for the evening. Now that I have my laptop, I hope to blog more often. The days have been so incredibly busy and there has been so much to do lately, but I hope to get lots done. Mainly keep the house in order and get my grocery and meal lists organized and work on my spiritual development, and work on my physical fitness.

So, goodnight blog, Sweet dreams.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's hoping that everyone is having a truly joyful holiday.

This has been a really wonderful long weekend. Chip has been working so hard on the laundry room and I feel so guilty that he has spent most of the weekend in the basement trying to make a nice place for me. And truly, I appreciate him so much. He is the most wonderful man in the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And by the way, this post is coming from my new Christmas present - a laptop! I have been saving for one for a while and Chip said to get one as a gift from him. It takes some getting used to and there is so much to learn, but I am really enjoying it.

Saturday was such a beautiful day, sunny, breezy and 60 degrees. If every day could be like that, wouldn't this be a wonderful place? Ah, but life is wonderful anyway.

Mom and dad came over for dinner tonight and thank goodness I poured myself a rum and coke before they got here and another after they arrived. My mom made some derogatory comment about something and I just poured a big swig of Southern Comfort into my coke and said " well, in a few minutes it wont matter". It seemed so funny at the time. Ah, the things we must endure sometimes in the name of family. And last night the kids came over and Annie was such a sweetheart. She settled down pretty quickly and was all cuddly with Syd and Mason and she was such a cutie. Ah, maybe Brandy is in there somewhere after all.

Well, its getting late and I am really worn out. Family makes you insane and exhausted.

Hope that Santa was good to you all and also that everyone honors the true reason for this holiday. Love Peace Joy and Happiness to all !

Great Day

Yesterday was such a wonderful day. It was close to 60 degrees and the sun was out and it felt more like Spring than the first day of Winter. Chip worked on th plumbing in the laundry room all day to get the washer and new sink in order and today I should be able to do laundry! YAY! It is one of those things that you really dont know how much you appreciate it until you dont have a working washer. So I will be doing laundry all day.

Yesterday I spent the whole day cleaning. The patio is clean, the sidewalk is clean and hosed off, and I pulled all the furniture away from the walls and vacuumed and dusted and wiped down the walls and baseboards. And I spent a good bit of time cleaning out the barn (turd tossing).

So really not much more to report. Still have some cleaning to do and must go to the grocery for some things, but it is a great feeling to not have to rush. Prudy is coming over tomorrow and my mom and dad are coming over on Tuesday, so I get to entertain two days in a row. But it will be a short week and another long weekend coming up so that is somehing to look forward to.

There was an article in a magazine that said that bloggers are all narcissistic, and when you think of it , I do write mostly about myself and my personal thoughts. But, hey, this is my diary of sorts and it is my record of things to remember. It is kind of nice to go back to past posts and see how I have evolved as a person in just the short time I have been blogging. It lets you know that we are continually growing and evolving. And its better than a self help book or expensive therapy. And I do get the occasional comment and an opportunity to meet other bloggers and make friends. I have met some people through blogging who have really touched my life.

Chip just came in and commented on my blogging. Perfect timing, dear. He said it is strange to write the miniscule details of my life, but he guesses that that is what most people are doing. And he also reminded me that we do not live the normal life as most people know it. Most of you dont have all this mud and poop and crazy animals doing crazy things. This is my way of keeping sane. Though really I do believe that I am a bit insane. Just joking.

I have kind of dropped off the Ron Perlman thing lately. There hasn't been anything exciting on ebay, and his new movies haven't been released yet. In The Name Of The King will be out in a couple of weeks and I am hoping it will come out here so we can see it at the theatre. Of course I still dream of meeting him, but am afraid that after that, what then? Its as much about the journey as the destination.

But anyway, dear blog, my mood is so much better since Friday. Here all last week I was depressed and unhappy, feeling out of control, and now things seem to be falling into place again. This is why I blog. To remind myself that even in the darkness, the light is on its way. And I found a dime yesterday, which I choose to believe is a sign from my angels that they are thinking about me.

So I hope that you all are having a wonderful Holiday season, full of love and joy.

Ho Ho Ho

This has been a really crazy week let me tell you. First I have to say that today was the best day of the week at work and I came home feeling very positive about my job again and then Chip got home from his company Christmas party with lots of surprises for me. See, my washing machine pooped out on us 3 weeks ago and believe me it was total chaos for me, who likes to have everything in order and under control. The first week I took the laundry to my moms, but that was really stressful. The second week we went to the laundromat which was yucky when you are used to having your own laundry room and equipment and then you have to sit in this cold dirty building with a bunch of strangers and look at each others underwear going in and out of the washers. Then last night I just filled the bathtub with hot water and Tide and washed the clothes in there, and that was more work than I had anticipated. But today, ladies and gentlemen, the part came. This would be the second part we ordered, to the tune of $165.00. The first part was $141.00 and did not fix the problem so we had to hold our breath that this one would work. Well, I am getting ahead of myself because I didnt know about the part coming and had just got home and checked my email to see if Karen had mailed me and then Chip got home so I went to see how his day went. He was dragging a big box into the basement and when he saw me he said that it was my Christmas present. It was a nice stationary tub. Ours is really old and nasty and rusted and it leaked so he just up and bought a new one. Plus it has a storage cabinet with it so I have extra storage ( a plus for an obsessive organizer ) . So I was already really happy and then he told me that the part had come in and then told me that he had installed it and THE WASHER NOW WORKS !!!! Yay!! I am so delighted. And thats not all... He also brought home a ham, a box of candy, and a bonus check!! Merry Christmas! And here all week I had been feeling like the world hated me. My husband is the greatest!

So all week work has been stressful and its been hard for me. The girls are acting funny and like they dissapprove of my methods for customer service. Hey, I AM a certified customer service specialist, thank you very much. But one of my coworkers ( who shall not be named) kept shaking her head and "tsk-tsking" me when I was helping a man on the phone who was being extremely friendly and was thanking me for all my help and wishing me a Merry Christmas. And of course I was so pleased that he was so appreciative and it made me feel valuable and then she had to go and tell me that I am TOO helpful. She acted really put off that I was trying so hard to help and like she was mad at me. So my feelings were really hurt and after two days of this I was in tears. So I did what any smart and desperate woman would do, I called Karen. And my wonderful Karen took the time to hear me out and let me "cry on her shoulder" over the phone and pep talked me back to sanity. I felt much better after that.

Its scary to say, but in the short time I have known her, Karen has become the best friend I have ever had. The scary part is being afraid that she doesnt feel the same way. And even though we dont see each other every day like we used to, we email nearly every day and I try to give her a call every so often at work and I hope we can get together a lot and scrapbook and ride the horses. But we clicked so well and so fast. I have never felt this way about a friend before. I have read books where women talk about their friends and wondered, "how can that possibly be? How can they be so close?" but Karen and I talk about everything. Stuff that I thought only my weird mind could conjure, you know, poop and stuff.

And today, J was back and stayed in the office with us and it was just me and A and her. I am using just initials because J is highly paranoid of the internet and out of respect for her feelings I will not identify her. But most all of the people I delt with were nice and friendly and a bunch of them complimented me on how helpful I was. (So there, co workers! ) And I just felt so much better. Plus I did some new things on my own today and I felt like I had come into my own, gotten my sea legs so to speak. Yeah, I am learning and I can do it. J even said that I am her after court work "pro". That made me smile too.

Well, its getting late so I must go and relax a bit. It has been a truly wonderful day and I am feeling high and happy and content. I cant wait to get my laundry room all cleaned up. By the way, today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Rejoice!

Blessings to all, and safe and happy holidays. We are all connected. Share the love.

Wonna Those Weeks

This week seemed to last forever! Thank goodness the calves loaded up nicely and we got them out of here. We have had snow and nasty weather for the last three days and it is supposed to continue raining thru the weekend. Work went from truly frustrating to thoroughly satisfying. First, I havent been trained in much yet because it has been so busy and J. has so many other things to do. Besides, there has been plenty of after court work for me to process, so at least I am working hard and getting stuff done. Chip keeps reminding me that it is not my fault that I cant do everything just yet and to be patient. I am still pulling my share of the weight. And today I was able to answer lots of questions and get lots done, so I feel really good.

Its late and I am tired and have laundry to fold. Had to go to my parents house to do the wash since my wash machine pooped out on me. Hopefully the parts will come soon.

So, I think I am going to take my aching back and rest a bit before bedtime. I am really excited because Karen and I are going shopping this weekend. I cant wait. It has been two months since I have seen her and I am really looking forward to it. I hope she is excited to see me too.

Well, Blessings to you all.

Friendship

From The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you to come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay".
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
for what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.