Zen Me Out!

“The greatest meditation is a mind that let’s go.”  ~unknown~

 

Yes, today I am in a state of Zen.  I feel calm.  I feel light.  I mean spirituality light because after  dealing with the freaking gas pumps  yesterday, at this sad excuse for a gas station I gain 2 pounds from eating the ice cream I needed to calm me down!  Ok, ok ! Sorry about that…I’m back to my happy place now.

  It is a good morning…It started with me finding the perfect outfit ,that fits, in the back of my closet  to wear to my brother-in-laws wedding.  I was so hating the thought of  trying on outfits because I haven’t bought a dress in years!  I told Rusty I was just going to the wedding naked and he said it was fine with him .  Bahahaha!  I am a jeans, hoodie and cap type of girl. Give me a pair of flip-flops any day and I’m happy!  So yea! when I found the outfit and it fit, my day was made.

  I also have the office to myself  for most of the day!  I have my spa music cranked up, the heat on high …..SON OF A BITCH!  While sitting here blogging you guys, I was enjoying a bowl of fruit topped with yogurt and just flicked berries and goo all over me!  Stupid plastic spoon! OMG!  When did I spill coffee on me? Where did these stains come from?… Ok, breathe… breathe…Zen….Zen.  It’s all good you klutz!…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..    Ok the calm me is back after trying to wash the berry juice out of my shirt.  It just turned into a camp shirt.

  You know, most of the time I  am usually a very calm and laid back person but as you have read in the past couple of blogs it does not always stay that way.  Yesterday ,I was to that point again of calling Mark Twain’s Guest House and reserving a room   just to get away from all the” me, me, me’s”  in my life and get me a good breath of calmness.  I cherish the moments I had sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine and a little background music, watching the mighty Mississippi flow by.  I was a very peaceful weekend.  I now understand why Mr. Twain wrote so much about it in his stories .  I am afraid that my family and friends do not understand why I do the things I do now but I am letting the me I always wanted to be finally come out.  She has been locked up since I hit puberty.  I am releasing the creative me out in ways I never have before.  Have always had a little fear of people finding me  strange if I was myself but I like strange.  I am not a teenager anymore so why should I care what my peers think.  If they love me they will love me for who I am.   If you are curious just ask. You don’t have to understand me…..just love  and support me.  

Namaste-

A New Year…A Toast to New Beginnings!

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
~ Dr. Seuss

  Welcome 2011!

  I have made my goals for the year and have already started working towards them.  I stopped making resolutions, I like goals better.  I did fulfill most of them last year and rolled the ones I didn’t into this year.  I hope everyone sets at least one goal.   You can do it!  It just takes motivation.

  We spent another great week at the camp over the holidays.  The day after Christmas we loaded up the boat and headed to the river.  It was really cold that day but we were desperate to get there.  It was so cold that when we were suiting up for the boat ride we saw snow flurries!  There was one other guy at the boat landing suiting up for his ride & to go hunting.  He said that we all were crazy or just really wanted to be on the river.  Rusty said that we were both.  Well I had on layers.  Long johns, jeans, heavy hooded sweat shirt, skull cap, 2 pairs of gloves, insulated socks, insulated boots……then I shimmyed myself into a green insulated suit.  On top of that a thick life vest.  I looked like the love child of the Michelin man and the jolly green giant! Short, round,  green and fat!  When I walked I heard the tune “Omph pa omph pa……” in my head.  I had to roll into the boat but I was warm!  As soon as we got to the camp we unloaded everything and Rusty built a fire in the heater.  We did not go back outside till the next morning.

  It was a very relaxing  week.  My plan was to enjoy it and not to work.  The first day and night was quite, just the two of us.  Then camp buddies started stopping by.  They worked on my  atv .  Someone broke the handle for the brakes and I told them I never use it.  The four guys standing there all said “We know, you only know how to use the accelerator.”  Were they implying that I drive too fast?  

  We cooked a great New Years eve dinner.  Sat around the fire and watched the fireworks in the distant.  At 12:10 am the rain came again but we have a fireplace under our shed so we stayed nice and dry.

I didn’t have a lot to take pictures till the day we were leaving.  Everything is so dead in the winter that you just can’t get many good shots.  I did take a picture of the damages the beavers are doing to the willow trees.  It looks like the spikes in one of those pit traps.  When we were packing to leave Rusty came upstairs to tell me that he couldn’t tell which but either a beaver or otter was on the bank by the water.  So I grabbed my camera and trotted off to the bank. Where I was at I could see through my lens that it was two otters. 

I had to get closer & a better angle!  So I scoped out the territory and saw where I needed to be.   I  then trekked of through the dead brush, over rotten trees, crossed muddy logs to the perfect spot.  Then I squatted low adjusted the lens and …. HOLY PINK & PURPLE COW THEY WERE FREAKING HUGE!  I pictured otters like the cute little fellows that float on their backs opening clams, not freaking sea lions!  Ok.. they are on the opposite bank now lets get some pictures.  Aww one of them is going for a swim.  click click click  … Damn their freaking big!  Aww he’s sticking his head out of the water looking around, so cute. click click click…  Uh, he just saw me. click click click… oh shit he’s swimming closer, look at those teeth..click click …. Oh crap there is no way in hell I can run through the rain forest I can through to get here in these heavy ass insulated boots …click… ok time to go really fast!!!  I get back to the camp and I tell Rusty that it was two otters and they are freaking huge.  He tells me if I go to the side of the river they are on I could get on the bank above them and take a really good picture.  “Their huge..”   “They won’t hurt you.”  “Their huge..”  ” Here take this stick and tap them with it if they come near you…..”  out of my mouth, ” Their huge..” In my head, “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FREAKING MIND! WHO DO I LOOK LIKE? STEVE IRWIN?!!”  So I take the stick turn to walk of and I hear “Nice knowing you.” with a giggle.  I’ll giggle his ass and place the stick there while I’m at it!  Well I get to the other side, and walk about 20 yards into the woods.  I stopped looked around and said the hell with this.  There was a patch of thorns that only a Transformer could get thru.  Besides I don’t feel like getting my face chewed off!   The shots I got are good enough for me!

  Well we get the get the river taxi loaded up and head to the boat to unload it.  I decided to go back to the camp with Rusty to drop off the atv & trailer off so I can walk back with him and my camera in hopes of seeing more wildlife.  The ride on the way back to the camp I am sitting on back of the trailer and something falls off. I holler at Rusty but he doesn’t hear me.  HMMM we are not going that fast so I will just jump off and get it.  Never jump off a moving trailer and try to plant both feet in the sand.  It does not work.  First my heels hit the sand , then my butt and my feet went up in the air.  It was no “Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon .”   More like a “Drunk Monkey, Kungfu Panda.”   I tried to get up before Rusty saw me but it was too late.  He had already turned around stopped and asked me,” What the hell was that?”  I was laughing so hard by that time because I could visualize it in slow motion.  I asked him it he felt the trailer move and he said that he heard a “Thump”  and turned around just as my feet was going up in the air.  On our walk back we  had to stop to look at the strange tracks and booty marks.  Damn insulated boots!

My Holiday Adventure.

“The past is always present in Natchez, Mississippi.” –John Tiong Chunghoo

 

 

 

What a great place to spend a birthday weekend!  I traveled alone and enjoyed every minute of it!

This was the view from my room in the Mark Twain Guest House.  The guest house is located above the Under The Hill Saloon, where in the 18oo’s  renegades, whores and cut throats liked to hang out.  Yep ,my kind of place.  When finding the guest house online there was an insert that if you were looking for a quite place to stay on the weekend this was not it because the bar was open till 2 am and the band played till 1 am.  And boy did they!  I got to my room about 6:00pm friday night, popped the cork on a bottle of wine , sat on the balcony, where I took the picture, and just enjoyed the view.  I still didn’t hear a band by 8:00 so I decided to hit the sack early to get and early start of site seeing.  About 9:30 I was bounced out of my bed with the sound of a bass guitar and the beating of drums.  What the hell!  So I got dressed and joined the party. I met the greatest group of people.  The band was great!

  I got up around 6:30 the next morning, found a nice little place for breakfast the headed to the Longwood Plantation.  If you are not familiar with it, Longwood is the largest octagon house in the U.S.  The construction of it started before the civil war and only the basement was finished for the family to live in .  The basement was 10,000 sq feet.  The house total is over 30,000 sq feet.  It was never finished, which made for a very interesting story.

  If it looks familiar the house was used in a few episodes of “True Blood” and was the vampire kings home.

It sits on 91 acres and the fall colors were gorgeous!

  I then took my travels to the Natchez Cemetery where I wanted to  play with my new camera and get some good shots.  OMG! The place was so freaking big that once I drove in there I couldn’t find my way out.  And who the hell  was I going to ask for directions .  I was sooo relieved to see the front gate! So I headed into town where I had lunch and hit some of the shops.  I walked around a block and right in the middle of Main Street was a 50 foot christmas tree! Ok maybe it was a 30 ft, I don’t know but it was huge!  Cars were driving around it.  I made it back to my room where I stopped at the saloon for a beer and good company.  I got   a nap till about 6:oo, got dress for dinner, I only had to walk 2 blocks to enjoy dinner on the river then back to the saloon till 2 am.  Became buddies with the band and Mr. JD, the bartender made sure I was taken care of.  Mr. JD is about 4’10”, has a big white mustache, wears a shamrock green derby and looks a little like leprechaun. He has been working there for 33 years.   This place is a cast of charters!  I hated to leave the next morning.  I will be back for sure!

 

  The rest of the week was spent at the camp.  The moon was incredible!  It lit up the whole place.  What a week! I even cooked thanksgiving dinner on the grill.  Thanksgiving day Rusty went to set out some fishing lines while I cooked.  While everything was cooking I decided to take my little 3 wheeler and head off down the river bed to see if Rusty had made it back yet.  He hadn’t so I went back to check on everything. About an hour later I was bored so I took off again.  About 3/4 of the way my atv started veering off to the right, and came to a stop leaning in the sand.  Crap, a flat!  I looked back at my right tire but there was no tire, no wheel, no nothing!  What the____?!? I looked back and about 20 feet back, in the middle of the dry river bed was my tire!  I got off and checked it out but what was I going to do. So I started walking back to the camp because I left my cell phone there and hoped I made it to my phone before Rusty got back.  I called Rusty and told him where my atv was and not to worry that I was fine.  He asked me what happened and I couldn’t help but to start laughing when I told him.  I don’t know how I did it but when I was walking I found the washer and the nut that held the wheel on.  So it was fixed and I was back to jumping hills again!  Now I am known for riding the wheels of my lil red bike!

I love an adventure!

Cabin by the lake.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I’m back from a wonderful long weekend.  We rented a cabin for our 25th anniversary.  We caught some fish and did a lot of relaxing.   Our cabin had a nice dock that lead to a gazebos which sat on the lake. The water was crystal clear and there was enough grass in the water for the fish to swim in and out of.  It was as if we were looking down into an aquarium.  I sat out there a lot watching the clouds, enjoying the cool breeze and just letting my mind clear of everything else going on in the world. 

I really needed that.  I have been getting so angry about the oil spill.  The oil company and the government have killed our marshes.  There should be no waiting on the corp of engineers.  Action should have been taken! I am going to stop here because I will just get myself worked up again.  It is just breaking my heart.

   Fishing with Rusty was fun.  We were having a contest to see who caught the most.  I lost by 2.  I am not very good at setting the hook.  Some of mine were only 3 inches long but as long as we got  it in the boat it counted.  Rusty is the winner for catching the smallest fish.

   Sushi!  Don’t worry,  everything was catch and release!  That baby needs to grow.

  We mostly fly fished and I didn’t hook Rusty, not once!  I love fly fishing!  Would like to do that kind of fishing in Alaska some day.

  Friday morning, to my surprise, Rusty woke me up before 6:00am to go fishing.  I have no problem getting up early but if you want to have a conversation with me you better wait an hour or two.  I am so uncoordinated that early in the morning.  Rusty laughed at me when I got the line going the wrong way and my arm went around the back of my head to pass the rod to my other hand so I could get out of that mess.  He asked me if I was doing a new kind of yoga, “fishing yoga”?  I am glad I was there for his entertainment.  Good thing I had the camera!

  Well the weekend was enjoyable and I am looking forward to doing it again.

Have a great week!

The Wonderful Signs of Spring!

  We had such a long cold winter this year.  The snow was pretty and made some great  pictures , but spring finally got here.  The the weather is great, the flowers have bloomed and the bees are buzzing.  We are happy to see some this year.  We have been cutting around the clover so they will hang around the yard to help pollinate the garden. I don’t think enough people are educated on the importance of bees.  One came in the building at work one day and the girl up front was screaming “Kill it”.   I had to explain to her why they are so important to the earth.  I thought they taught that in school.  If they are then the kids aren’t listening.  Well unfortunately I killed one  yesterday.  Yes, I’m a bee killer!  I was out enjoying the cool weather and abundant sunshine.  I was letting to grass tickle my feet when I thought I stepped on a thorn, untill it started throbbing!   I saw the bee, then found the stinger lodged under my big toe.  I went inside to get a credit card because I heard not to squeeze the poison sack.  The credit card didn’t work. So I grabbed a knife.  No , I didn’t cut myself but, it worked better then the credit card. 

   This wasn’t the first time I got stung on the bottom of my foot and every time it has been my big toe.  I always pulled it out with my fingers but I wanted to do it right this time.  I took a  benadryl, soaked it in some warm salt water & propped it up.  By the time I went to bed all looked well.  This morning…..it was red, swollen & I couldn’t put my tennis shoes on.  Read online that it’s better to go ahead and pull the stinger out quick then to walk around looking for a credit card!  Go figure ! I deserved it for ending the life of one of nature’s most important employee. 

   So while you are out enjoying the lovely spring weather watch out for our friends the Bees.  They are the hardest little workers on earth.

Happy Mother’s Day

  It’s Friday!  And Mother’s Day weekend!  There will be pounds of BBQ and  mountians of crawfish eaten this weekend in honor of Mother.  I will get up in the morning , take a drive to see my Mom,  spend some time with her & Dad.  Then come back to Hammond to visit more Mom’s, they are not my Mom but I love them like family.  I will end the day  at my brother-in-laws with a pile of crawfish & wishing Rusty’s Mom a Happy Mother’s Day.  Sunday….. Mother’s Day….. I am saving for me.  I’m not a mother as in, giving birth, but I have been called Ma and I try to give motherly advice.  So I think I will have my own mother’s day.   Sleep late, lay in bed with a cup of coffee, maybe work in the yard.  That has become one of my favorite ways to excercise and clear my mind.

  I don’t regret not having children.  I know we would have been really good parents.  Rusty is great with kids , I think it is because he is a big one hisself.  He will tell you right quick that I have spoiled him & he likes it that way.  I think we are both spoiled.  We love all our nieces and nephews, even those that have dubbed us Aunt & Uncle.    I wish I could spend more time with them but  we stay on the go a lot and these days kids have more of a social life than adults.

  Mothers…….you don’t deserve a day.. you deserve a whole month!

So to all  Mothers & future Mothers……  Have a great Mother’s Day weekend!

Momma ,

   Thanks for giving birth to me! I love you!

Happy Ugly Day to Me!

Yep! It’s one of those days. It’s Ugly Day!  That’s the day when having bad hair is not enough.  Oh no….you’ve got Mother Nature here for her monthly laugh, I think Father Nature came up with that one like  Allen Gant came up with the pantyhose! It’s just twisted!  I looked in the mirror & decided it was a “Hat Day”.   I have the completion of a teenage boy going through puberty.  Tried to cover it up with make-up but made it look worse.  Thank goodness the cap shadows some of it.  Well it was time to dress… grabbed a pair of jeans that was on the floor because I knew they were stretched out enough to help with the bloating.  How did they get stretched out?  I not ashamed to say it.. guys do it all the time…ok it’s the 3rd day in a row I am wearing them.  I haven’t been mud wrestling in them and I work with guys …. when do they notice what we wear unless it is showing cleavage.  Grabbed my biggest t-shirt, tennis shoes. Yea!  Looks like I’m ready for that Monster Truck Show instead of work.

  Get to work and feel drained of all engery.  My boss comes in to ask me something and I think I growled because he backed out of my office slowly. One of the guys at work  came in wearing the same t-shirt and a black cap like I was wearing.  That’s not the first time.  It happened on my last “Ugly Day”.   I guess it alright as long as he dosen’t  come in on his “pretty days” dressed in a pink shirt and cute flip flops.

 Now I am sitting at my desk when I close my eye and feels alittle discomfort on my lower lash line.  I look in the mirrior and I now have a pimple coming up on my lash line.  Un-freaking-beliviable!

  Well besides looking like crap today, it hasn’t been too bad.  Had a visit from the hubby.  He did notice my jeans & asked me if they were the ones I had on yesterday.  Crap…busted!  Yes , I had them on ,just yesterday…only yesterday.  He ran a couple of errands for me that I was dreading.  My boss brought me an Oreo Blast.  Yea….I’m going to the gym.   Now I will be adding sweat and body oder to the ugly!  Gotta love me!

Bumps and curves

Just recently I sent out an e-mail to my friends about the bumps and curve of life.  I have friends varying in ages.  The youngest being 21.   I am sort of in the middle, which can be a good thing because I have now learned a lot about menopause.  Right now I am going through, the term I like to use, “Mid Life Celebration.”  My best friend made the mistake of calling it a “Mid life crises,” when I decided to do my first 5K with another friend. It was a few months later when I told her how that made me feel. I knew something “mid-life” was happening but it wasn’t a crises.  She then later called it an awakening.  Yep, that’s it! About 3 years ago I quit eating meat, with the exception of fish and seafood.  I started taking pictures again, which I hadn’t done since high school.  Love digital!  Took a photography class.  I have been in two 5K’s now.  Haven’t ran the entire way, yet.  Love yoga!  Rusty loves me taking yoga.  Flexibility can be the spice in the bedroom girls!   I am starting school in July to study holistic nutrition.  And I am hoping to jump out of a plane, with a parachute and a hot guy strapped to my back soon.  Hey, I’m married, not dead.   Yes I am just beginning my  short-term ,before 50 “bucket list” .   There will be a whole new list at 50.

  So this blog is dedicated to my friends.  As I told them it doesn’t matter how  patient your man has,  they just don’t get it.  And you before 40 girls,  fasten your seatbelts, the bumps & curves are straight ahead.