The Demise of the Healthy Blogger

Not the actual blogger.  Or said blogger's health.  Just the blog about it.

Maybe I could have titled this post The Healthy Blogger Bites the Dust.  (Biting dust is probably low-cal and maybe even an appetite supressant.  I doubt that it's healthy though--might have some trace minerals but I'm guessing no vitamins.)

Pardon me while I have a silly attack.

I just deleted my other blog since I hadn't posted to it since November and I have this moderate sense of relief--enough for some silly. (That would be my voice performing a sad version of opera.)

FYI, I didn't delete it because I've given up.  I'm still working more health into daily life with a little help from No More Holidays (thank heavens) for a while and a giant boost from The Big Guy who can tweak my exercises so they're more effective and also who bullied me into keeping a Food Journal for a week. 

Thank you for your attention.  We now return you to our regular health-free programming.

Sneak Peeks

I have lots of projects in the process of Becoming.

Clockwise from the upper left: 

• Kharma (do dogs qualify as projects?);
• R-Y-E  (Would it help if I told you I also have another M and an E still to be painted?) and a wooden candlestick awaiting more paint; 
• new hammock fabric; 
• future valance in laundry room; 
• and newly painted robin's eggs (previously tan speckled).

Not shown:  a How-To post on How I Paint My Signs (it turns out I have some good tips) as well as one on Editing in Picasa.

The best part is when several projects get finished almost simultaneously and you feel like You've Really Accomplished Something!

Progressively,

My Guideposts - Week56

Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.

~Hafiz

Inspired by birdsong in the snow,

Throwing Caution To The Winds

I finally brought myself into the new millenium and signed up for Facebook. Reluctantly and with reservations, but I did it.

Big scaredy cat risk taker, I know! 

 Now I have to figure out how to actually use Facebook.  I'd rather be buying more velvet and working on new curtains (two separate projects) than struggling with a new technology that doesn't look particularly user-friendly at first go.  Actually I'd vacuum, dust and mop the floors by hand than begin the navigation process.  Go ahead, tell me that it's easy and I'll love it.  I could use the reassurance.

Thinking positively,

Dream On

The guest bath in the cottage isn't our highest priority; heck, it's not even on the to-do list! Maybe that's why it was so easy to assemble an inspiration board for it. (When there's no budgetary constraints, the sky's the limit!)  Do you do the same thing?  Daydream about a project that won't come into being for another decade?

Perhaps the vinyl and underlayment that's peeling up and buckling due to an over-exuberant boy shower a few years back has subconsciously influenced my brain.  Whatever the reason, I'm currently inundated with visions of clawfoot tubs, hexagonal tiles, a marble countertop and porcelain accessories.  Also beadboard and a skylight (as long as I'm daydreaming I might as well go for broke and invent the bath of my dreams).

I call it "Country Vintage Charm."  I originally thought it could be "Classic Vintage Elegance" until I laughed so hard at myself I almost got a mouthful of Sleepytime tea all over the keyboard.

This bath will be the place where dogs fresh from a muddy pasture will be bathed and blow-dried, paintbrushes and glue guns will reside occasionally and brightly-colored rugs and shower curtains will flourish.

I seriously doubt that anyone will use elegance to describe anything I dream up EVER! And that's okay--I may be a dreamer but I'm also a country girl at heart who loves gingham, cheery colors and critters with dirty paws.

Blissfully,

Linking up with Show and Tell at My Romantic Home.

I Love To Surf

California girl, and all that.

Truthfully,  I'm more at home in the mountains (no matter how snow-covered) than on the beach (no matter how warm and sunny), but I do love to surf--web-surf that is. You can find the most inspiring, dream-inducing sites.


Like these Tiny Texas Houses.   This company believes small is beautiful!  These beauties are crafted with recycled wood, reused metal, upcycled cast-iron sinks and (clawfoot!) tubs and customized beautifully.  Want to live off the grid?  Have a/c?  Go solar?  Love to cook on an induction stove?  This customer-pleasing company can do.

These homes appeal to my inner ranch-girl, my bent for all things vintage, and the part of me that wants to save the earth.

Oh yeah, and the fact that housework in one of these little gems would be soooo easy and quick doesn't hurt either. They range from 10 by 10 up to a whopping 12 by 28.

It would be like playing in a stinking-cute dollhouse! They almost make me want to move to Texas just to live in one.

Almost.

Riffing on the tiny theme--I love teardrop trailers. Huell Howser's California Gold had a program on them a few years back.  They were popular in the 40's and 50's.  They're polar opposites to RVs.  I drool everytime we pass one sales lot in Auburn next to I-80.

Teardrops have a bitty camp-style kitchen in back.  This one comes complete with a spice rack and built-in "fridge" and plenty of pizazz.

It's the best of both world's--I could have fun cooking in the wilderness and my sweetie could still sleep in his own bed.  Our interior wouldn't be this bland calm though.

The possibilities of customizing the exteriors makes me hyperventilate just a bit.  A woody on the outside with a retro fifties interior (think beach party meets FiestaWare).

Is this cowgirl trailer for sale? I just happen to have the perfect cowgirl pillowcase for it.

A cowgirl teardrop with some gingham curtains and cowhide accents would look cute. And my sweetie would look so much better standing outside than this bearded dude.  No offense meant, bearded dude.

It's so fun to dream!

I dream practical too.  I'm surfing for a new kitchen faucet:  long, tall, polished chrome.

If someone could wave a magic wand, I have a bathroom in need of a makeover.  I'd be happy to surf for black and white hexagonal tiles, a clawfoot tub,  and chrome and porcelain fixtures--luxuriously vintage elegance-- if someone would like to finance me!

I'd settle for a kitchen faucet that doesn't get me wet every time I turn it on though!

Back to real life: rising bread dough, dinner dishes that need loading into the dishwasher, checking out the weather report while pumping a bit of iron and remembering to set the alarm for tomorrow morning.

Dreamily,

My Guideposts - Week55

It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, but it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

 ~Agnes Repellier

 

Evaluating, 

Wintery Reprise

The West was the nation's banana belt during the last storms which hit from the Land of Enchantment east through the Great Plains and way Back East.  Last weekend I raked up bushels and bushels and bushels of leaves left over from autumn in my shirt sleeves.

This weekend graced me with a snow shovel and mittens. No need to look for my skate key quite yet.

 

However, twenty inches of snow is no match for a day filled with High Sierra sunshine.

 

Because sun and blue skies are What We Do Here.

 

Shhhh.  It's our little secret.  It makes for great icicles and dry streets.

My sweet violets were undeterred by the storm.

 

The mini-daffodils and iris know what's coming...snow can't fool plants or gardeners.

 

March and April are just around the corner. It's time to search out signs of spring--birdsong, longer days, swelling buds.  And be patient while Ol' Man Winter gives us some moisture to nurture new life.

Holding on,

Hitting the Easy Button

I'm in comment heaven!

Imagine that--after being frustrated for a month by my sporadic ability to comment--all I had to do was enable third-party cookies on Firefox. I can comment on blogs again, folks. Whoopie! I sure realized how important two-way communication was to me, big time. Not only was I frustrated by not being able to contribute my two cents, I felt like I was letting all you blog friends down with my inadvertent silence.

The How-To:  I Googled "enabling third-party cookies" and followed the easy-peasy lemon-squeezy directions.  Then I scrolled down through the cookies that were already on my computer and sure enough, blogs that I've been able to comment on were listed, blogs that have stymied me weren't.  I'll be experimenting with making my privacy settings just a tad pickier and see what I think; for now I'm living dangerously and accepting cookies from one and all.  Yum, yum.

Obviously, the peace and quiet is over--pogonip is back with plenty to say!

*******

Forgive me for scaring you with my chicken escape episode (she said with a grin), but I knew I told a better story that way. Admit it--if I'd started out telling you it was a false alarm, it wouldn't have been nearly as interesting!  Plus a bit of adrenaline coursing through the system burns five times as many calories for up to an hour afterwards!  (I just made that little scientific factoid up.  Wishful thinking.)  Too bad, it would've been helpful given the amount of chocolate floating around post-Valentines Day!
 
Au revoir from les poulets and moi,

Four Missing Bombshells

The winter winds have been gusting at speeds higher than I'd like--the kinds of speeds that usually feature a Weather Channel reporter with a churning ocean and tortured palm trees in the background.  Plenty powerful as they raced down the backside of the Sierra to blow three fence boards off the gate to our chicken run.  Fence boards with at least four nails and sometimes a screw holding them on.

Yep, I came home for lunch and discovered a wide-open run and nary a chicken to be seen either in the run or anywhere around their usual haunts in the backyard.  Two wind-blown dogs, but no Bombshells.

I immediately began envisioning the girls achieving flight with the assistance of the winds and making an unscheduled departure for points east, necessitating wanted posters around the neighborhood and lost chicken appeals on craigslist.

Oh, the thoughts that raced through my mind:

Would whoever found them know how sweet they were as chicks?

Would anyone appreciate the difference between CaroleAmelia and Rita? Between Sophia and Norma Jean?

 

Would they even end up together?

It's strange how an emergency situation can disconnect my actions from my brain.  I found myself inside the empty run for no good reason, looking inside an apparently deserted coop.  A coop that they normally avoid unless darkness or the arrival of an egg is imminent. 

Turns out chickens aren't exactly dumb clucks.  All four ladies were inside, happily and cozily ensconced in mounds of straw, protected from the wicked winds.

Giant sigh of relief.  And an immediate grab for a girl's best friend.  Yes, power tools to the rescue!  An electric drill along with a pocketful of longer screws and a Phillips bit securely reattached the boards and I was able to return to work on time knowing that the Bombshells world was once more a safe place.

The winds can gust and blow as much as they want (they are), the daytime temperatures can drop forty degrees in the next day or so (predicted), the skies can change from deep blue to snow-filled clouds (probable),  and Old Man Winter can reappear--my chicky-chiquitas and I are ready.  I feel like I'm not a total failure as a chicken mama after all.

Although my original abilities at coop building and chicken enclosures might be somewhat in doubt.

Grateful for a happy ending,

As You Wish

Happy Valentine's Day!

My wish for you today is a day inspired by The Princess Bride, Shakespeare in Love, Romeo and Juliet, Casablanca, Dirty Dancing, Aladdin, French Kiss--well, you get the picture.

Love.  True Love.

Whether it's from that special person in your life that makes your heart sing or whether it's from that other special person that greets you in the mirror each morning--doesn't matter. Today is our day to celebrate l'amour.

Love yourself.  Love the people around you.  Let yourself be loved.

You don't have to be rich to love, but love makes each of us rich.

With love to all you wonderful friends out there,

My Guideposts - Week54

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.

~Mother Teresa

Simple.  Sweet.  Silly.  Profound.

And perfect for Random Acts of Kindness Week.

Thought Full,

My Guideposts - Week53

 I think true love is never blind,

But rather brings an added light,

An inner vision quick to find

The beauties hid from common sight.

~Phoebe Cary

Heart and Flowers

This ivory and barn-red heart has bugged me for years.

 

But I love it muchly now!

 

Guess what my inspiration was?

 

Tis the trop jolie bijou of my porch now!

 

The Muse is favoring me with her inspiration presently and I can do no wrong, so I'm off to create before she deserts me for another.

But first I'm joining the most colorful lady I know for her Motivated Monday (and I'm so glad I have something to share over at Be Colorful).  I'm also joining Just A Girl (am I the only one who just discovered this talented lady?) for her Show and Tell.
I loved show and tell in kindergarten and I never outgrew it!

Creatively,

My Word

I always look back on the successes and failures of the Old Year and then set goals (rather than make resolutions) for the New Year. I'd never had a yearly theme though and I thought it was pretty interesting to discover what "word" for 2011 other bloggers chose for themselves. None of those reverberated in that inner place that tells me when something is right so I've happily muddled through January wordless. (Better make that "word-free" since my guys can tell you wordless I'm not!)

Well, one of this year's goals was to start walking again; I've been really bad about it but I actually had the time to take the Kharma dog and get outside this weekend. The trails were mushy instead of icy, so they were out. I could quickly tell that my usual hilly hike would be more than my post-holiday lassitude could handle, so I chose an easy route. Hey, I figured that a brisk walk on a flat surface was going to burn more calories than sitting on the sofa watching Season 3 of The Tudors would!

Once I actually got myself outside, the misty rain/snow wasn't at all annoying and I began enjoying moving some unused muscles and breathing deeply while Kharma investigated all the new scents in the neighborhood. I discoverd a previously unnoticed cottage with a green door that was the exact right shade I've been envisioning (third home on the left from the trail). I practiced some heelwork with my best girl since I had the forethought to store lots of treats in my pocket. There were ponds with unusual ducks and trees filled with shy little birds, all unfamiliar migrants that made me wish for my Audubon Western Birds and my mini-binoculars. Kharma enjoyed meeting new dog friends out for a walk and gloried in out-racing a speedy hunting dog in the pasture.

I came home pleasantly pooped, with hat hair and a muddy dog. I also brought home something I wasn't looking for. A word floated down into my hands, one perfect for 2011. You know how the world seems washed clean after a rain? And how energetic and vocal the birds are in spring? How everything seems filled with newness and possibilities? While I was surrounded by all that nerve-tingling delight, the word "fresh" popped into my mind and I realized that, while fresh described our day, it also epitomized what I needed from this year: freshness, a fresh start.

Other phrases began popping into my mind. Fresh outlook. Fresh snow. Fresh veggies. Fresh eggs. Fresh fruit. Fresh air. Fresh breath. Fresh paint. Fresh laundry. Fresh water.  Fresh flowers. See? This word has possibilities!

Down with outworn habits and useless complaints and poor-me groans and all the muck that I realize has been smothering any forward progress.

Fresh! It's a touchstone inspiring me to rediscover what makes me happy.

Fresh! It's my clarion call to change and reinvent.

Fresh! It's my new motto.