Observations of a Farmgirl:
My brother narrowly escaped great harm, or worse yet death last night when the tire on his truck blew......and he lost control and traveled upwards of 200 feet in the opposite lane. Thankfully there was no oncoming traffic because it was about 1 a.m. God is ALWAYS watching us......and we know that HE had his eyes on Rob earlier in the day....because the alternator on his truch broke...so much so that the bolt holding it to the engine broke. As fate would have it, it took many hours to get the broken bolt out and the alternator fixed. Had the alternator not broken he would have been on a busy road......that is usually filled with speeding semi's when the tire blew. Had it blown earlier in the day.....he would have met oncoming traffic and the results would have been devastataing.
I have always been a firm believer that things happen for a reason......I also believe that there are no coincidences. Today just confirms my beliefs.
Thank you God for watching after us. We need you ........ and you are always there.
Affirmations of a Farmgirl:
Whoever possesses God in their being, has him in a divine manner, and he shines out to them in all things; for them all things taste of God and in all things it is God's image that they see.
Meister Eckhart
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Garlic Breath???
Observations of a Farmgirl:
Okay, call me CRAZY, but honestly, I don't find garlic on ones breath offensive. I think "media hype" is what is offensive. I mean, we eat it with wild abandon, we put it in many, many dishes, we spread it on bread and toast it, we buy it fresh, dried, and mixed in to our other spices and flavorings.
Garlic is a very HEALTHY food. It's good for us!!!
The hype is wanting to sell us breath mints, gum, mouthwash....and whatever else they can. And.........I'M NOT BUYING IT!!!
Of course...."morning breath" is another story, and I do appreciate a little freshening up. I practice regular dental hygiene.......but I'm not gonna freak because I have GARLIC on my breath....nor will I freak if someone close to me has eaten a hearty, garlicy meal.
Bon appetite!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl:
Shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous. If men would steadily observe realities only, and not allow themselves to be deluded, life ... would be like a fairy tale and the Arabian Nights' Entertainments.
Henry David Thoreau
Okay, call me CRAZY, but honestly, I don't find garlic on ones breath offensive. I think "media hype" is what is offensive. I mean, we eat it with wild abandon, we put it in many, many dishes, we spread it on bread and toast it, we buy it fresh, dried, and mixed in to our other spices and flavorings.
Garlic is a very HEALTHY food. It's good for us!!!
The hype is wanting to sell us breath mints, gum, mouthwash....and whatever else they can. And.........I'M NOT BUYING IT!!!
Of course...."morning breath" is another story, and I do appreciate a little freshening up. I practice regular dental hygiene.......but I'm not gonna freak because I have GARLIC on my breath....nor will I freak if someone close to me has eaten a hearty, garlicy meal.
Bon appetite!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl:
Shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous. If men would steadily observe realities only, and not allow themselves to be deluded, life ... would be like a fairy tale and the Arabian Nights' Entertainments.
Henry David Thoreau
Monday, February 9, 2009
Has Spring sprung???
Observations of a Farmgirl:
I had a fleeting moment of inner panic when I realized that Spring just might be right around the corner. I haven't lost "that" weight yet...and that means another Summer of the "I'm sooooo fat and I can't quit sweating blues". Okay, I have been working on it....and in my defense, I have lost a few pounds, but I'm nowhere near where I should be. It was so warm yesterday that I actually wore a pair of capris (the glare that my white legs produced is the possible topic for another post)....and then this morning the weatherman said that conditions might be right for a few tornadoes. As I take my daily walks I have been noticing that the azaleas are blooming....and there are buds on all the trees. Oh, and yeah.......I haven't gotten around to raking up all the leaves that cover my front yard.
Maybe this is less about me losing weight and raking leaves, and more about me procrastinating. Maybe my motto should be..."Why do it TODAY when I can do it TOMORROW????" Or at the very least......."Why do it NOW when I can wait to the last minute and get it done?????" What's up with that?? I haven't always been like that...in fact it has only snuck up on me in the past 6 or 8 months. I want to blame it on the "M" word....and surely I can blame the sweating on it, but I'm not so sure about the rest. Okay, okay....maybe the sluggishness and the sloooooooooooow weight loss.......and now that I think of it, my waning interest in raking leaves and generally doing things that I normally like to do.
Okay........so it's NOT SPRING and it might not even be procrastination. It's the joy sucking, sweat producing, mood altering , I think I'll eat a BOX of CHOCOLATE, no wait, I think I'm gonna CRY, Mother of all "M's"............MENOPAUSE.
..................aaahhhhh, Life is Good!!!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl:
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ...a church ...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ...we are in charge of our attitudes.
Charles Swindoll
I had a fleeting moment of inner panic when I realized that Spring just might be right around the corner. I haven't lost "that" weight yet...and that means another Summer of the "I'm sooooo fat and I can't quit sweating blues". Okay, I have been working on it....and in my defense, I have lost a few pounds, but I'm nowhere near where I should be. It was so warm yesterday that I actually wore a pair of capris (the glare that my white legs produced is the possible topic for another post)....and then this morning the weatherman said that conditions might be right for a few tornadoes. As I take my daily walks I have been noticing that the azaleas are blooming....and there are buds on all the trees. Oh, and yeah.......I haven't gotten around to raking up all the leaves that cover my front yard.
Maybe this is less about me losing weight and raking leaves, and more about me procrastinating. Maybe my motto should be..."Why do it TODAY when I can do it TOMORROW????" Or at the very least......."Why do it NOW when I can wait to the last minute and get it done?????" What's up with that?? I haven't always been like that...in fact it has only snuck up on me in the past 6 or 8 months. I want to blame it on the "M" word....and surely I can blame the sweating on it, but I'm not so sure about the rest. Okay, okay....maybe the sluggishness and the sloooooooooooow weight loss.......and now that I think of it, my waning interest in raking leaves and generally doing things that I normally like to do.
Okay........so it's NOT SPRING and it might not even be procrastination. It's the joy sucking, sweat producing, mood altering , I think I'll eat a BOX of CHOCOLATE, no wait, I think I'm gonna CRY, Mother of all "M's"............MENOPAUSE.
..................aaahhhhh, Life is Good!!!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl:
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ...a church ...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ...we are in charge of our attitudes.
Charles Swindoll
Thursday, February 5, 2009
I'm Back......
Observations of a Farmgirl.....
Okay, okay, okay.....
It's been a while, or maybe more than an while, but in my defense I have to say that I am actually surprised that I managed to post 4 blogs when I started this last year. I have always had good intentions of keeping a journal....and on several occasions have actaully started one with the first entry being a promise to be faithful to my journal keeping. About a month ago I found a "journal" that I started quite a few years ago....I was cleaning out a cubby in my closet....anyway, the first entry was indeed "the promise". I think that there were 3 depressing entrys made within a week of starting.........and then the 4th entry was almost 4 years later. Damn, I'm good!!!!!!
As I sit here and ponder my reluctance to write about myself, my thoughts, my life, I realize that I don't want to go back and read it. I am more a "living in the moment" type of person. The significance of any moment in my life is really only important to ME......as each person has a different view of things. The more mature I get....notice I did not say "the older I get".....I realize that the past is just that...........PAST. No matter what we do or how we feel, or how much we hope, we cannot change the past. It is done. Now I feel like I have to add that there's not a lot I would change even given the chance.
That being said....here are a few things I would change.
I would have NEVER started smoking. What a nasty habit!!!!!
I would have started exercising sooner.
I would have embraced my fairness...and freckles.
Now that I have that out of my system.........here's the deal... I will try again to be the blogger I KNOW I am. I know I have "things" to share. I know I am funny, sensitive, thoughtful...........and darn it....people like me.
Now it's off to the shower.....and a Dr. appointment.
Ciao!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl.....
"It's choice.....not chance, that determines your destiny."
Jean Nidetch
Okay, okay, okay.....
It's been a while, or maybe more than an while, but in my defense I have to say that I am actually surprised that I managed to post 4 blogs when I started this last year. I have always had good intentions of keeping a journal....and on several occasions have actaully started one with the first entry being a promise to be faithful to my journal keeping. About a month ago I found a "journal" that I started quite a few years ago....I was cleaning out a cubby in my closet....anyway, the first entry was indeed "the promise". I think that there were 3 depressing entrys made within a week of starting.........and then the 4th entry was almost 4 years later. Damn, I'm good!!!!!!
As I sit here and ponder my reluctance to write about myself, my thoughts, my life, I realize that I don't want to go back and read it. I am more a "living in the moment" type of person. The significance of any moment in my life is really only important to ME......as each person has a different view of things. The more mature I get....notice I did not say "the older I get".....I realize that the past is just that...........PAST. No matter what we do or how we feel, or how much we hope, we cannot change the past. It is done. Now I feel like I have to add that there's not a lot I would change even given the chance.
That being said....here are a few things I would change.
I would have NEVER started smoking. What a nasty habit!!!!!
I would have started exercising sooner.
I would have embraced my fairness...and freckles.
Now that I have that out of my system.........here's the deal... I will try again to be the blogger I KNOW I am. I know I have "things" to share. I know I am funny, sensitive, thoughtful...........and darn it....people like me.
Now it's off to the shower.....and a Dr. appointment.
Ciao!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl.....
"It's choice.....not chance, that determines your destiny."
Jean Nidetch
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Getting to the point.....
Observations of a Farmgirl.....
Just when I get to the point of frustration about one thing or another, I'm always hit with the truth that I really am a very blessed person.There's not enough space on this blog site for me to write down all the reasons and ways I am blessed, and if there were, I'd be typing for a very long time.I would have to say that one of the biggest ways I am blessed is that I can still feel the cold floor underneath my feet when I wake up in the morning. Breaking ones neck usually results in the inability to feel that cold floor.....but I am blessed because I DID break my neck, and I am still able to feel it.
Just when I get to the point when I think it's the right time to start that diet, there's a twinkie just waiting to be eaten. Of course the "twinkie" is just a euphemism for all those taunting treats that seem to be everywhere. I KNOW that it's time to diet. I KNOW that shedding some of the excess weight will do wonders for my back. I KNOW that my self esteem will climb as the weight plummets. I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW!!! I have all the intellectual tools to make a diet work.....yet I fall for a "Twinkie."
Just when I get to the point where I have said all that I can say without coming off as either stupid or a know it all......I open my mouth and utter one last thing. Why?? I have stayed in the conversation to the point where it is....."uh,uhhh", "ya, haaa", "is not"....."is too". Why do we do that??? My brain knows it's enough...and on many, many occasions has told my mouth..."okay, that's enough"....."don't say anything more"........"no, no, don't say that." And guess what..............the mouth wins. Why?????
Just when I get to the point that I have made my point......
(If any of you out there know WHY....please let me know).
Affirmations of a Farmgirl....
Change your thoughts and change your world.
Norman Vincent Peale
Just when I get to the point of frustration about one thing or another, I'm always hit with the truth that I really am a very blessed person.There's not enough space on this blog site for me to write down all the reasons and ways I am blessed, and if there were, I'd be typing for a very long time.I would have to say that one of the biggest ways I am blessed is that I can still feel the cold floor underneath my feet when I wake up in the morning. Breaking ones neck usually results in the inability to feel that cold floor.....but I am blessed because I DID break my neck, and I am still able to feel it.
Just when I get to the point when I think it's the right time to start that diet, there's a twinkie just waiting to be eaten. Of course the "twinkie" is just a euphemism for all those taunting treats that seem to be everywhere. I KNOW that it's time to diet. I KNOW that shedding some of the excess weight will do wonders for my back. I KNOW that my self esteem will climb as the weight plummets. I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW!!! I have all the intellectual tools to make a diet work.....yet I fall for a "Twinkie."
Just when I get to the point where I have said all that I can say without coming off as either stupid or a know it all......I open my mouth and utter one last thing. Why?? I have stayed in the conversation to the point where it is....."uh,uhhh", "ya, haaa", "is not"....."is too". Why do we do that??? My brain knows it's enough...and on many, many occasions has told my mouth..."okay, that's enough"....."don't say anything more"........"no, no, don't say that." And guess what..............the mouth wins. Why?????
Just when I get to the point that I have made my point......
(If any of you out there know WHY....please let me know).
Affirmations of a Farmgirl....
Change your thoughts and change your world.
Norman Vincent Peale
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The wonder of it all...
Observations of a Farmgirl:
We go for a nature walk almost daily....me and the kid. She's two and a half.... I'm 54 years and 5 months. I carry a "walking stick"...which is really a cane, not because I'm feeble, but because the sidewalks in our neighborhood are warped from the roots of giant oak trees. She carries a walking stick because she thinks it's cool...and because I carry one. We also take a basket with a long handle so we have a place to put our treasures. I wasn't aware of all the treasures that are out there...until me and the kid started taking walks. By the end of our walk we would both have pockets full of leaves, acorns, rocks.....and a few unidentifiable objects. Thus the basket.....now we have a place for all our treasures. It also comes in handy when we want to take our shoes off for "just a minute"....so we can walk through a fresh puddle left by our most recent rain shower. I am constantly in awe of her wonder of everyday things that most of us adults take for granted.... never giving a second thought to. A speck on the sidewalk so tiny that I can hardly see it....much less make out what it is, can keep her attention for what I perceive as hours. She picks it up and rolls it around and around in her little hand....as she mutters something like...."wow'...or my favorite...."holy moly" and wonders out loud what it is. It's usually a pod of some sort. Acorns are a favorite...and if the "cap" is attached, she'll work vigorously until she removes it...and then works just as hard to put it back on. They ALWAYS go in the basket!
Magnolia leaves have become a favorite lately....but we have yet to find a magnolia blossom on the ground. We have a rule that we can't pick it....unless it's a little wild daisy......so we are waiting for one of those magnificent magnolia blossoms to fall. We can stand under a magnolia tree for hours...(or so it seems) looking up and spotting all the blossoms....and wishing out loud that one would fall right then and there. I hope that it happens........us standing there under the tree and a big beautiful blossom gently floats down and lands at her feet.
Holy Moly!!!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl:
Nothing happens........but first a dream.
Carl Sandburg
We go for a nature walk almost daily....me and the kid. She's two and a half.... I'm 54 years and 5 months. I carry a "walking stick"...which is really a cane, not because I'm feeble, but because the sidewalks in our neighborhood are warped from the roots of giant oak trees. She carries a walking stick because she thinks it's cool...and because I carry one. We also take a basket with a long handle so we have a place to put our treasures. I wasn't aware of all the treasures that are out there...until me and the kid started taking walks. By the end of our walk we would both have pockets full of leaves, acorns, rocks.....and a few unidentifiable objects. Thus the basket.....now we have a place for all our treasures. It also comes in handy when we want to take our shoes off for "just a minute"....so we can walk through a fresh puddle left by our most recent rain shower. I am constantly in awe of her wonder of everyday things that most of us adults take for granted.... never giving a second thought to. A speck on the sidewalk so tiny that I can hardly see it....much less make out what it is, can keep her attention for what I perceive as hours. She picks it up and rolls it around and around in her little hand....as she mutters something like...."wow'...or my favorite...."holy moly" and wonders out loud what it is. It's usually a pod of some sort. Acorns are a favorite...and if the "cap" is attached, she'll work vigorously until she removes it...and then works just as hard to put it back on. They ALWAYS go in the basket!
Magnolia leaves have become a favorite lately....but we have yet to find a magnolia blossom on the ground. We have a rule that we can't pick it....unless it's a little wild daisy......so we are waiting for one of those magnificent magnolia blossoms to fall. We can stand under a magnolia tree for hours...(or so it seems) looking up and spotting all the blossoms....and wishing out loud that one would fall right then and there. I hope that it happens........us standing there under the tree and a big beautiful blossom gently floats down and lands at her feet.
Holy Moly!!!
Affirmations of a Farmgirl:
Nothing happens........but first a dream.
Carl Sandburg
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Rain, Rain.....
Observations of a Farmgirl...
It blew in about 1:30 p.m yesterday....and rained and rained and rained. So much so, that our street was full from curb to curb and water was swirling up our driveway about 4 feet. Enough so, that I watched someones 90 gallon garbage can floating south, right down the middle of my street...and actually briefly...fleetingly, brought back memories of tubing down the Salt River. My thoughts were immediately LOCAL...as in the back yard, and all the planting we have done lately. I really expected to look out and see everything in the garden rushing toward the fence in a vortex of water, leaves, dirt and lots and lots of sweetgum balls, but much to my very pleasant surprise...upon peering out the bedroom window, all that was happening was that everything was getting a good watering. Upon that discovery and the happiness in knowing that everything had not been swept away, my thoughts became a bit more GLOBAL and for an instant I felt panic for the poor people in the mid-west who are already under more water than they need. I vowed right then and there...peering out the guest bedroom window, that no matter how much rain we get...and even if I were to lose a few plants, I WOULD NOT COMPLAIN about the rain...EVER,EVER,EVER!!!!! And that vow was revisited this morning as I listened to a poor woman in Iowa crying because EVERYTHING she and her husband had worked for was GONE,GONE,GONE. She didn't even know if her house was still going to be there when the time came to go "home". I wept, but realized my weeping was not going to replace everything that so many have lost. And once again my thoughts take a tangent and I start thinking that with the loss of crops from the rain, food prices will yet again rise...because of the law of supply and demand. And the pitiful part of that is that the poor farmer won't really benefit from the rise ....... he's already been paid pittance for his crops. And then my thoughts once again return to my little garden in my little corner of the world.......and I thank God that my little crop has been spared. And then I promise to share it.
Affirmations of a Farmgirl...
"Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction."
It blew in about 1:30 p.m yesterday....and rained and rained and rained. So much so, that our street was full from curb to curb and water was swirling up our driveway about 4 feet. Enough so, that I watched someones 90 gallon garbage can floating south, right down the middle of my street...and actually briefly...fleetingly, brought back memories of tubing down the Salt River. My thoughts were immediately LOCAL...as in the back yard, and all the planting we have done lately. I really expected to look out and see everything in the garden rushing toward the fence in a vortex of water, leaves, dirt and lots and lots of sweetgum balls, but much to my very pleasant surprise...upon peering out the bedroom window, all that was happening was that everything was getting a good watering. Upon that discovery and the happiness in knowing that everything had not been swept away, my thoughts became a bit more GLOBAL and for an instant I felt panic for the poor people in the mid-west who are already under more water than they need. I vowed right then and there...peering out the guest bedroom window, that no matter how much rain we get...and even if I were to lose a few plants, I WOULD NOT COMPLAIN about the rain...EVER,EVER,EVER!!!!! And that vow was revisited this morning as I listened to a poor woman in Iowa crying because EVERYTHING she and her husband had worked for was GONE,GONE,GONE. She didn't even know if her house was still going to be there when the time came to go "home". I wept, but realized my weeping was not going to replace everything that so many have lost. And once again my thoughts take a tangent and I start thinking that with the loss of crops from the rain, food prices will yet again rise...because of the law of supply and demand. And the pitiful part of that is that the poor farmer won't really benefit from the rise ....... he's already been paid pittance for his crops. And then my thoughts once again return to my little garden in my little corner of the world.......and I thank God that my little crop has been spared. And then I promise to share it.
Affirmations of a Farmgirl...
"Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction."
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