Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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how I’ll spend the last few weeks of winter

Well, friends, the groundhog did not see his shadow this weekend, and his prediction for an early spring coordinates perfectly with all of the almanac’s long range forecasting as well as with all of the gardening sties I follow, and their guesses for our last likely frost date. Here in Oklahoma, we can feel pretty confident about seeing above average temperatures for the rest of February and possibly a true spring by mid March. That’s just a few weeks away!! I don’t know about you, but the older I get the shorter that seems. Now is the time to focus and get to work. And I could not be happier about this.

This is how I will spend the next few (or several) weeks:

  • Reading. Every winter I like to brush up on a few favorite books. Barbara Kingsolver’s localvore memoir, Animal Vegetable Miracle, my friend Dee’s instruction book,  the lighthearted classic by Dick Raymond Joy of Gardening,  and this year, also, some various paperbacks. The internet is brimming with great resources, too.  I found a woman in Arkansas (same Zone 7 as me) who has the most luscious You Tube channel called, “Roots and Refuge.” I want my brain and my imagination filled to bursting!
Barbara Kingsolver’s perennial classic “Animal Vegetable Miracle”
The 20-30 Something Garden Guide by Dee Nash

This was my Grandpa’s personal copy, which he gifted me when we moved to the farm, which I have read and underlined now one thousand times.
One of the best overall plant resources you can find, very detailed.
Long time Oklahoma gardeners will recognize the author’s name.
  • Hardscapes & Prep Work: These are the weeks to finish repairs to arbors and raised beds, though thankfully those tasks are minimal this year. My general leaf-and-debris cleanup is about two-thirds done now, too, which puts me ahead of my usual game. And while I promised my husband, “No new gardens,” I did ask for some trellises, ha! And he lovingly obliged. This weekend we bought several used cattle panels and erected tall, arched trellis shapes between the three pairs of raised beds, and I am so excited!! One of the spots needs some adjusting, but overall they are ready to grow stuff. This simple change has basically doubled our vegetable space.
The beds here are cleaned and tilled under, amended with all kinds of good magic,
and now made extra spacious with the addition of these huge arched trellises!
  • Planning & Scheming: My 2019 growing lists and earliest seed orders have been done for a while, and in fact I have several trays of seedlings growing nicely already; but there is still some exact garden bed planning to do. I want a clear picture in my mind of which veggies will go where, decide how to do some crop rotation, do some strategizing about squash bugs, and generally know how much of flower beds need filling (especially the big New Orleans shade garden and three flower trough containers). This will all help me spend money wisely when the nurseries and hardware stores lure me in with their oceans of color. Overall, just some critical thinking and getting clear about my wishes and our needs.

This was a the long flower trough, few years ago. I loved the bold colors at first,
then they were overtaken (in a good way) by the center grass. Lesson learned!
This little flower bed might be filled with all gomphrena and marigolds this year!!
  • Plan to Prune & Plant: I have lots of question marks in my brain about some of our trees and when they need pruning, so I’ll read up on that. Also the roses?! And I have a short list of new shrubs and fruit trees that might get added to the collection this year, but I want to shop around first. I have a little slice of time to do that. (Do you have any thoughts on cherry trees in Oklahoma?)
  • Compost: This ongoing project has been progressing nicely for months now, and it’s finally time to put it to good use. As I have an hour here and there I will cart the finished stuff uphill to all the readied beds then continue flipping, refilling, and flipping again the three large compost bins. Each stage of decomposition has its own personality, I swear. My husband (via his friend Brandon, thanks Brandon!) recently gifted me with a brand new red wheelbarrow, boasting ergonomic handles (I can’t even believe what a difference this makes), so I get really excited to do any jobs that require using it. Regarding compost: If you have even just a little space, I highly recommend building a permanent composting area for your gardens. It has been one of my most valued farm improvements, ever in the history of my gardening adventure, ever. If you don’t have this much space, but you still want the benefits of compost, options abound. Let me know if you’d like a post on this topic!

The week days stay full, and my husband and I both love staying busy on the weekends, so I am thankful for our ever-increasing daylight hours and the mild weather forecast. With plenty of focus and a little luck, the farm will be spic and span and bursting with fresh color by Easter weekend (April 21st this year). We will probably be harvesting salads and strawberries by then, too, and maybe hatching baby chicks! If I am very, very spoiled rotten by the Universe, then late April will see baby tomato vines and pepper plants taking shape here and there. I predict, yes. Yes to that miracle and much, much more.

Okay, happy seed starting, friends! Happy garden planning and soil flipping. Happy daydreaming about warmer days and the smell of basil and the sound of cicadas. Seize your days. Know that they are fleeting. Accept each one as a beautiful gift.

“One kind word can warm
three winter months.”
~Japanese Proverb
XOXOXOXO

friday 5 x 5 at the farm

Farm life has been pretty great this week. All things considered, including some frigid January weather and long days of complex work for Handsome, things are clicking right along. We have landed at another weekend satisfied and happy. And definitely ready for some R & R.

For this Friday, I offer you five lists of five items each: Photos I missed, excellent meals enjoyed, scriptures that have lit my heart right up, links to other articles and podcasts, and some personal wishes I have been feeling. Let’s go.

Photos I Missed

  • While cleaning out a raised bed and turning over the soil with my spade, I unearthed (quite literally) a tangle of baby snakes. They were average, harmless garden snakes, but it spiked my heart rate anyway. No photo.
  • Every sunrise here is gorgeous, but Thursday’s was exceptional. I was outside early, doing morning chores without my phone and missed documenting moment after moment of the kaleidoscope color show. Everywhere I walked on the farm, the eastern sky, and even the western basin that caught its glow, stopped me in my tracks. Just dazzling! The sky maintained its splendor for so long that eventually I sprinted back to the house to text my husband, “I love you so much, please find an east facing window as soon as possible.” He did, and he quickly replied with a photo he took, daybreak over the Oklahoma Capitol complex. It was a particularly heavy day of Commishing for him, so I was really happy he took that brief moment to enjoy some beauty. When nature shows off like that it’s so easy to see that God is in control of everything.
  • Klaus continues to be the wold’s leader in both jumping hay bales and collecting unwilling black cats, though I have no photos this week to prove it.
  • This might have happened last week, but it would have made a great photo had my phone been in my pocket: I was entering the brick chicken coop and caught sight of something in my vertical peripheral. Barbie Chicken was sitting on the door frame directly above me, inside the building, looking upside down at me with that very specific poultry sneer. We made eye contact and she blinked several times before I could look away. It was awkward. I still think something else was going on at that moment. But we will never know.
  • I had a few really great runs this week, and while a post-run selfie is not out of the question in my life, none have happened in a while. Just know that day after day, I come home from a workout in a much better mood than when I left. And how amazing it is to be able to work up a good sweat in sub-freezing temps! Photographic evidence or not, running is occasionally pretty magical.

Great Meals

  • I ate a phenomenal Gyro salad at an OKC restaurant. I mean SO GOOD. I was stuffed and happy. Delicious.
  • Lunchtime wraps with some kind of deli meat, a pile of spinach, and a little cheese, pan-grilled dry in either a Lavash or St. Joseph’s pita bread.
  • Savory, veggie-heavy, eggy oats for the win. Forever and always.
  • Soup! I keep making myself small batches of protein-heavy, veggie-loaded soups, and my belly has been very happy about that. The more celery and mushrooms the better, and yes to turkey-black bean chili over a big green salad.
  • Protein smoothies with a little “PB Fit” spooned into them at the end, instead of actual nuts. It’s pretty good. I saw this idea on Instagram and was skeptical at first, but it hits that craving without the avalanche of chopped walnuts or sugary trail mix, ha.

Scriptures in Synchronocity

  • II Corinthians 3:17 liberty in the spirit of God
  • Romans 12: 2 transformed by the renewing of our minds
  • John 16:33 be of good cheer, God has overcome the world
  • Psalm 51: 12 joy of salvation and a free spirit
  • Romans 8: 31 spirit of God has set us free

Input!! So nourishing!

  • Oprah’s interview with Larry Dossey, author of The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. Thanks for this nudge, Brittany!
  • Run4PR podcast, especially the interview with Coach Meghan, who talks about ups and downs and the importance of not just hard work but also passion. Loved it so much. Her advice applies to runners at every skill level.
  • My friend Dee wrote all about her garden dreams. Ahh so lovely!
  • There is a Netflix series called The Paleo Way which is pretty great. The host interviews one special farmer over and over, and if I every write down that farmer’s name I think my whole life might change for the better. Find it! Help me out!
  • Hungry Runner Girl wrote about eating disorders and a healthy body image while raising daughters. Man. Lots of wisdom coming from a young mom.

Personal Wishes

  • To realize some running goals. Even if they are long term.
  • To create and maintain more space in my life, from my body to our home and calendar. And then to put that space to really exceptional use. I keep forgetting to tell you about the paintbrush metaphor!!
  • For the growing season to start!! Springtime countdown will start soon!
  • For renewed closeness with Joc. I miss her a lot and have been dreaming heavily again.
  • For some private breakthroughs in the hearts and circumstances of a few men in my life.

What is a highlight from your week? I would love to hear. And I wish you the most restful, most restorative, happiest weekend possible. Handsome and I get to spend our next few days with a mix between extended family, just each other, and a small group that has become our “church,” sort of. Life is beautiful, and I am so thankful.

“No one is eating anyone else.”
~Dee Nash
XOXOXO

bandwagons

Are you as much of a sucker for a good bandwagon as I am? From diet and fitness to personality quizzes and flower farming trends, and for sure let’s include great Netflix specials, I am happily susceptible to what’s popular. I generally love how social media can serve up an array of tantalizing ideas, because I love newness and exploration. Sometimes the tidal waves of trends is too much, of course, but man. The good bandwagons are so fun! A short list of my current obsessions:

  • Konmari “tidying up” series on Netflix. I like the show itself as well as the projects it inspires. I do it one room at a time, though, instead of using her categories method. I’m “Sparking Joy” and editing my belongings like a mad woman. My closet looks almost as sparse as my hotel room looks during a week-long trip; and our empty drawers and shelves around the house are beginning to match the filled ones. It’s nice to have space.
  • Lately I’m very into studying endurance sports fueled by a primal diet.  Not quite Keto, not necessarily Whole 30, but maybe somewhat fat-adapted, IDK. My husband is on his third week of a Keto experiment, and it has been eye opening. I am not interested in living that way long term, not for myself, but it offers lots of food for thought. (Ha.)
  • Doshas. So interesting! Please, somebody start learning about this too so I have someone to discuss it with me!
  • Actually my ears perk up at the mention of all things Ayurveda, and there’s plenty of that circling us lately.
  • Yep still crushing on yoga, but with all due respect, NOT Adrienne’s current series. I like her older stuff much better, as well as so many videos by Tara Stiles. Also, I just listened to a great podcast interview on Strength Running (Fitzgerald) with Sage Rountree, all about the complementary relationship between a running program and a good, periodized yoga practice. Love it.
  • On board with all things hygge. (I knooowww this is especially cliche, but in my defense I have been obsessed with this aesthetic since reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo several summers ago, and now finally I see it working in wintertime.) And white lights and houseplants have always and forever been in every home I have made. It just has a Nordic vernacular now.
  • Being outside in awful weather. I take it as a challenge lately. A per so many gorgeous examples out in the world, I think hibernation is generally overrated. Admittedly, though, our wind this week did sour my mood considerably. I love the cold but loathe the wind.
  • Bob Goff books (almost done with Everybody Always). Our recent efforts to have some church time with dear friends is so well supported by this material.
  • How many different ways can we eat eggs, kale, almonds or peanuts, and chicken? And broccoli? And how many salad combinations are there in life? Wait, is a bandwagon, or is it just me?
?
  • How long can I run on empty? (Meant literally, not as a euphemism for being stressed or spent, I want to know how many crisp and strong-effort miles I can actually run in a carb-fasted state. So far it’s 13.) Carb-fasted cardio is a very hot topic. Fat as fuel, ok? As long as you refuel afterwards.
  • Flower Farming I swear, no “new” garden beds this year, haha, but how can I better use what we have already built? It’s a thing! Great, fluffy oceans of color, could they be even more fun than edibles? Maybe!
  • Simpler living, if not minimalism, at least a de-cluttered and travel-ready-but-very-cozy-and-authentic lifestyle.
  • The word artisnal. Ok, again, this is not a bandwagon yet but I’m working on that.
  • Lists. Clearly.
  • Also, intentions over resolutions. My word for 2019 is “cultivate.”

I would love to know which of these bandwagons you are currently loving, or what other ones I have not yet found. I think popularity gets a bad rap sometimes, and I’m happy to soak up the advantages of social media and the internet to find the coolest, healthiest stuff. It’s a great reason to be so tightly knitted to the outside world.

Okay, over and out. I have some horses and chickens to feed before settling onto the treadmill for a while. Because, Oklahoma wind. Happy Saturday!!

“Even if you’re on the right track,
You’ll get run over if you just sit there.”:
~Will Rogers
XOXOXOXO

remnants, wabi sabi, fractals, & resolutions

This past weekend, everywhere I explored were fun little remnants of the holidays and of our recent winter storm. At public parks and in residential neighborhoods I saw half-toppled snowmen, dirty around the edges and facing more down and to the side than forward. (The snow around them mostly disappeared, these icy statues felt so optimistic. Very Oklahoman of them.) Brightly colored nylon cartoon inflatables, deflated for the season, hung over porch rails to dry. A few gates still boasted over sized evergreen wreaths with red velvet bows, but not many. We are well past Christmas now and facing Oklahoma’s own funny version of late winter.

After nine consecutive action-packed weeks (all wildly happy and rewarding and also exhausting in the best ways), I almost didn’t know how to approach a truly open weekend. Our work was caught up (except for a few days’ laundry, to allow the septic tank leach field to dry out a little), and we had nothing planned. Not one thing in stone.

On Saturday, I ran my miles in Choctaw then Handsome and I had lunch out together and did some exploring. We watched movies at night and slept like babies.

On Sunday we knocked out an errand to Tulsa and stopped at a few small town playgrounds on the way home. Klaus joined us for the drive and experienced his first merry-go-round, ha. He was very protective. I had to muscle myself into relaxation, though.


Three cheers for old-school public parks!

I can’t stop thinking of something.

My friend Kelley France (the Mathematician and Artist) recently recommended the book Wabi-Sabi Hospitality. I previewed it on Amazon and was immediately smitten. That sent me into a pleasant rabbit hole about wabi-sabi as a general aesthetic (not to be confused with general anesthesia ok), the Japanese acceptance of transience and imperfection. The most delicious takeaway for me so far is this:

Imperfection is a form of freedom.

This has helped me relax and breathe deeply this week. And it has braided together in fascinating ways with my morning devotions. I keep receiving these messages and scriptures about peacefulness, trust, leaning into my own shortcomings, letting God’s strength meet my weakness, keeping an open heart, finding His purposes instead of asserting my own, and more. Lots of guidance about surrendering control a little bit.

I had already chosen “cultivate” as my word of the year, and this helps. It helps me to remember that I can deepen and enrich both relationships and life experiences by accepting my limitations and imperfections, and by inviting God to meet me with His grace and power.

I will inevitably fail in the coming year, and I will get derailed by outside forces while pursuing goals and dreams. But breathing space and light and grace into every effort is a lot better than the dark, angry alternatives.

“Poppies” by Kelley. It’s a poured oil paint method, and watching it happen is entrancing.

I intend to step back and breathe, a lot. I will try to remember that a perfect plan can also be restrictive. And my freedom has already been purchased for a price. Not only can I relax; I should relax. I should be embracing my liberty and freedom, my flexibility and separateness from man-made structures and plans. And maybe this would help you too?

OSU OKC teaching garden

Fractals. Fractals are swimming in my brain again. The spiraling patterns that seem chaotic and random up close but are orchestrated into beautiful, purposeful masterpieces. Remember, from The Shack? Kelley and I touched briefly on Jackson Pollack, too. Being both an artist by vocation and a mathematician by trade, she had a lot of interest in this. I would love an entire afternoon to explore it all with her. I would trade lots of good things for that conversation.

Which reminds me to expound on another idea: JOMO. The Joy of Missing Out. This is the exact opposite of FOMO (fear of missing out) and suggests an infinite smorgasbord of pleasures. We just have to find those pleasures and values, savor them, magnify them. When I say “we” here, I am talking straight to myself. Reminding myself that life is a very long and ever-heightening Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story, and every single choice I make provides a trade off. The trick is to focus on what we gain, not on what we lose.

Imperfection. Freedom. Liberty. Focus. Patterns in the Big Picture. Choosing Joy. Gratitude.

Oh my gosh, and of course Brene Brown. The Gifts of Imperfection is still on my shelf. I love what this author and speaker as to say on vulnerability, too. Have you read either?

Sometimes in yoga with Tara Stiles, she says something along the lines of “find freedom in the form, in your movement,” and I just love that. Adrienne expresses it with her now very famous catchphrase, “Find What Feels Good.” There can be a depth of grace and freedom in all of our movement, in all of our routines and resolutions, our habits and hobbies and work and relationships.

My gosh yes, our relationships need and thrive on lots of grace.

I don’t think I want to strive for anything that hinges on perfection to be successful or satisfying. Partly because I already know I will never make it; also because I know more concretely than before that my freedom is already purchased, and I don’t want to surrender it.

This feels like great food for thought in January. This seductive month of newness and trailblazing energy.

Yes, let’s do better at lots of good stuff this year.

But let’s also hang onto the good from last year, the momentum we have already built, and the values that are ours forever. Let’s keep our priorities straight and strong. Our well being does not have a deadline. Our physical selves are only part of the story. Having room for improvement in character or goals reveals imperfection, which is a form of freedom. And regarding our true weaknesses? Let’s remember Whose strength meets those perfectly and fully.

I love structure. I thrive on systems and routines. But I can accept some wiggle room, too. It’s healthy and can also be pretty dang fun. I accept it all with an open heart and hope you can too.

Thank you, Kelley, for sharing your gorgeous mind with me.

Happy New Year!!
Happy Goal Setting!!
Happy Living (no matter what day it is)
XOXOXOXO

friday faves: snowy, easy beginning to the new year

Such a soft, gentle first few days of this new year. Here are a few of my favorite moments.

On New Year’s Day we luxuriated in having very little to do. The weather was quiet and wintry, but still dry, perfect for a little post-holiday cocooning, and we took the opportunity to relax. It was a much needed pause after so many busy, hard working, extra celebratory weeks in a row. Aside from a trip to stock up on horse and chicken feed for the month, Handsome and I thoroughly enjoyed having nothing to do and nowhere to go. I didn’t even workout on Tuesday, and it felt great.

Do you use the almanac to plan your garden?

On Tuesday and since, in stolen moments, I have been curled up with the 2019 Farmer’s Almanac. My gardening dreams are brewing again, and this year I plan to follow the moon more diligently than before.

For now, my indoor plants are growing well. The paper whites are still blooming and perfuming the living room. Potted rosemary, Christmas cactus, purple heart, and pothos are part of the fun, too. Sadly, I think mice have eaten my seeds in storage.

thank you Jess xoxoxo

Another book I’m loving this week is How to Be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery. Jessica gifted it to me for Christmas, and it is gorgeous and wholesome. The book jacket, as you can see, is beautiful all by itself. I may end up framing it. She told us that the artwork is what first caught her eye. But the content … Oh my gosh. It’s a thick collection of casual essays about a woman’s lifelong love of and relationships with various animals. Really nice, if occasionally painful to read.

Wednesday was a wonderful mix of good things. I did some housework and fed everyone then grabbed 9-ish easy miles just to shake out my legs. It was the final day of Christmas break for my nieces, so I took them to our Oklahoma City Zoo for a few hours. We also had snacks and hot drinks at McDonald’s afterwards. We were numb from the cold but happy. My heart was so full listening to them, hearing them talk about their favorite animals and school and upcoming sports. They talked about their big brother who is at Basic Training right now. These girls show such sweet affection for each other and are both beautiful and unique. Close in age, but very different people. Though the family at large gathers frequently, I don’t spend enough time alone with the kids, so yesterday was a gift. As all children do, they are growing up quickly. It seems like the more we love them the faster they grow.

Kenzie & Chloe beneath the Asia exhibit prayer cloth walkway, OKC Zoo.

For most of Thursday, Oklahoma was cold and soaked, the front of a true winter storm pouring over us with heavy rain and sleet. But by nightfall we saw thick, clean, heavily textured snow falling in unbelievable curtains of white. Like an ocean of shredded cotton balls being showered on us, and just as quiet and comforting, too. When the sleet had begun, the farm was already saturated from recent rains, so by the time snow arrived, we were still nice and cold so all of it landed and stuck to every surface. Just unbelievably gorgeous. We took a moonlit walk (RUN) to see everything. Klaus lost his mind with happiness.

A little while later we were inside with the fireplace going, sweating every little power flicker honestly, and heard Meh making some bizarre noises. We checked everyone, they were fine. He was just not in the mood for Chanta and Dusty to share his hay that night, so we tromped around rearranging gates until the horses had their own separate, dry shelter with lots of hay to keep their bellies warm. Have you ever heard a llama scream? Ha! I was glad for the chance to see all of this in the dark.

I have also felt very thankful for good quality galoshes, jeans, and gloves to do my chores, ha. And the horses were very thankful that the core of a round bale of hay was provided. I think it must taste better? They get so excited. That unwrapping always makes me crave cinnamon rolls.

night snow, moonglow, & flashlight path

This morning Klaus and I walked around for the first time before daybreak. Then Handsome and I soaked up the first pastel moments of sunrise from the hot tub. Narnia, truly. Such a stunning way to begin a work day.

Yesterday, the pond was a high, glassy, unwelcoming winter mirror. But by this morning, the slush was frozen solid and drifted with pure white snow. After chores, I walked around for an hour holding back tears, it was so beautiful.

Throughout the ice and snowfall, our pines and red cedars have all knelt closer and closer to the ground, soaked to their bones and heavily burdened. We lost some big branches; we almost always do in winter storms. But we never lost power, and the farm smells like fresh pine form all of the torn lumber. And in the bizarre absence of wind we are enjoying, except for the gentle rainfall, everything has been so quiet. I know this word gets used a lot, but everything feels magical. Otherworldly. Those heavy-limbed trees lean forward and in on themselves, creating spacious little ice rooms, natural interior dome shaped shelters with red-orange pine needles for carpets. The warm color of the bark and pine needles on the ground contrasts against the blue-silver landscape and gives the illusion of candle-glow.

I hope your new year has begun in surprisingly beautiful ways. I hope your hard work is being tempered by pleasure. I hope you make meaningful connections on purpose and trust that Love is working on your behalf in a million unseen ways. Thank you for checking in!

“But very quickly they all became grave again:
for, as you know,
there is a kind of happiness and wonder
that makes you serious.
It is too good to waste on jokes.”
~C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
XOXOXO