Lazy W Marie

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

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This Time Last Year…

This week Mama Kat wonders what we were blogging about this time last year. Hhhmmm… You’ll never guess…

 

heart in soil

 

In April 2013 I was writing pretty much the same things I would be writing now, if I were talking time to write lately.

The Lazy W had just adopted Seraphine and we were waiting for a llama to be born. And I was still in my thirties. I’m no longer in my thirties, but once again we are waiting for a baby!

 

Note: This was before Dulcinea came along, so Romulus still allowed the horses a reasonable proximity to his woman. This peaceful coexistence was short lived, though.
Note: This was before Dulcinea came along, so Romulus still allowed the horses a reasonable proximity to his woman. This peaceful coexistence was short-lived, though.

 

I was super enthusiastic about helping some legislation pass in Oklahoma that made it easier for local beekeepers to share and sell their product. It did pass, by the way! And I realized that once in a while I could write something useful, something practical. I was happy to see that writing could become something even more than catharsis.

 

bees on frame corner

 

That month, just like now, I was planting early veggies and bemoaning the transient Oklahoma weather. We had a whopper of a storm season, to put it mildly.

In that month I reviewed books like Khalil Gibran, Typee, and Don Quixote.  I did lots of outdoor reading, before our buffalo had destroyed those two awesome loungers. D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-D, you guys.

 

 

quix read chairs

 

I was random as usual and loved me some cowbell. Back then I was still subbing younger kids once in a while, not yet aware of how greatly I would prefer the junior high kids and their much earlier schedule. In defense of little kids, though, they do write more love notes.

 

 

mrs marie tag

The Boston Marathon was bombed, and of course we all were reeling from the horrific losses. I had little to say except an encouragement to increase our joy. Only light drives out darkness. Still believe that.

choose light

And, finally, just like I did this year (until recently), I had a big ol’ juicy case of nerves over the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. 2013 was my first half and I was pretty much a basket case. But you know what? It was amazing! I had such a blast; the run itself  was easier than I expected; and I was hooked on big, fun, meaningful races, particularly this one. Forever. A few days after that event I wrote about how it all had improved my outlook on life. Because I am cheesy like that.

run tank funny

Still cheesy.

So there ya go! That’s about what was going on at the digital Lazy W one year ago. Not too terribly different from what’s happening here now. What’s new (or not new) in your corner of paradise?

XOXOXOXO

Mama Kat's weekly link up is full of fun blogs, check it out!
http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/2014/04/things-that-make-me-happy/

silly things that happened at the track

I drove to Midwest City today and went for my final “long” run before the marathon. WHICH IS IN ELEVEN DAYS. It was a beautiful afternoon… Warm, dazzlingly bright sunshine combed through with soft, cool breezes. Sleepy ducks and geese everywhere. Very few people on the track and only non-obnoxious golfers at the golf course. Beautiful day. Drop dead gorgeous. A handful of noteworthy things happened.

I got a sunburn on my mouth. All the way around but mostly on the top edge of my upper lip. It smarts, and it is making my nightly cup of piping hot chamomile tea a bit tricky. I blame last night’s Blood Moon. What’s up with that, Blood Moon??

A super adorable boxer puppy semi-attacked me. He was on a leash (a really long, too long leash) held not tightly by his human who could not have outweighed him by more than like a pound. She was dealing with her cell phone and beanie cap, giving nonchalant attention to her boxer’s energy. I literally jumped sideways like Russell Westbrook in order to avoid him. I was also trying to speak nicely to him to make friends, but because of my ear buds on max volume my voice was on max volume and I ended up sort of screaming at the dog. This scared the petite woman to death, and she gave me a look that really hurt my feelings. An older gentleman watching from a distance shook his head in disapproval, and because of the not-at-all-safe-for-radio lyrics playing in my ears I couldn’t tell if he disapproved of her inattention or the dog’s aggressiveness or my filthy running songs. Not that I was singing those lyrics; I wasn’t. I was screaming WELL HELLO THERE CUTIE!! But it all made me feel suddenly very self-conscious. I sulked away like I had been scolded for something instead of semi-attacked by a cute boxer, and when I realized the injustice (THE INJUSTICE!!) I sprinted. I ran like the wind for half a mile.

Me trying to make friends with the dog.
Me trying to make friends with the dog.

 

I saw a ghost. I’m not kidding. Approaching this particular concrete bridge which make my feet feel so weird when they strike, I saw a tiny, slight little elderly woman focused like a diamond-tipped laser beam (is that a thing?) on pushing her walker. She was smaller than a third grader and bundled up in a coat, scarf, boots, gloves, a hat, and ear muffs. Her bluish white hair exploded in ringlets from beneath the binding of her hat. Her eyes were clear but she never made eye contact with me. She was just. So. Focused. We passed each other, and about ten paces later I stopped to look around and see if she had a caretaker nearby. I had not seen where she came from or anything! Do you know who I saw when I looked around? No one. Not even her. She had vanished you guys, and there were no hiding places. Ghost.

I nearly choked from disgusting thick nastiness right there on the track. Handsome had bought me a handful of energy gel choices for experimenting with before the race, and I did so today. Results: I really like Gatorade chews and maybe those little sports beans Carrie shared with me a while back. The most famous of the three, though? “GU?” Oh sweet granola, that was disgusting. Remember the movie Matrix? It was like slurping the thick, sticky, cloudy stuff Keanu Reeves swims in while trapped in that pod. You cannot swallow the stuff properly; you can only hope it slides stubbornly down your throat before you stop breathing. And it tasted like pretend raspberries. Or some kind of pretend berries. Unpleasant. I gagged and cried tears, it was so bad.

So that was my afternoon! Eighteen miles and these four interesting events later, I didn’t even curl up into a fetal position like last time. Afterwards I hobbled through Walmart for cat food and grocery essentials and didn’t even care that I was mostly leaning forward on the buggy like some kind of lazy teenager.

Do hard things, but don’t yell at strange dogs.
XOXOXOXO

 

Red Bud Season

There’s a paved road near our farm where the red bud trees stand tall on both sides, intermingling with live oaks, maples, sand plums, and cedars. They are all so old and strong that they interlace their branches over the road almost enough to form a true canopy. The red buds are blooming right now, that shade of purplish pink that is all at once both hot and cool. If you are lucky enough to drive this road early in the morning, then you get to see the eastern sunlight slicing through those flowering branches in great, shimmering planes of color. Everything is washed pastel for a while, even the asphalt, and it is all so beautiful you can almost forget about thickening traffic patterns and urban sprawl. This beauty is intense, and it is equally fleeting. Soon the tissue explosions will give way to green leaves, a new season of beauty in its own right.

 

Oklahoma state tree, the red bud.
Oklahoma state tree, the red bud.

 

No matter how many plans I make, they seem to change; and the new plans tend to be even better than what I had in mind. No matter how much I celebrate the details and beauty of life, I am constantly surprised by how good life can be. Nearly every day something has been happening here to prove to me that not only are things “for the best;” but they are amazing. Brief seasons of beauty surprise us, nourish us, then bow out gracefully for the next act.

Early yesterday morning, after driving through the pastel tunnel near our farm,  I had the chance to see my youngest daughter twirl around and squeal tenderly, celebrating her plans for prom this weekend. I got to see the glow in her young cheeks and the sparkle in her pretty brown eyes, and I got to feel the simplicity and warmth of her hugs. She is as much a young woman now as she has ever been my little girl, and it is the most amazing feeling to see this transformation. I am so thankful for it.

Later in the day I went downtown with Handsome and his sweet Dad to visit the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum. I had never been in all these years, and visiting with these men who are so special to me was an unforgettable experience. I had been scraping hard lately to maintain my attitude for the upcoming marathon, and yesterday changed everything. After internalizing what the first responders endured, I now want to run this race more than ever. If they can to do that work for nineteen days straight, then I can certainly run for four hours to honor them.

After that I bought our groceries for the week and was thankful all over again that we are able to eat so well. I felt deeply grateful for our health, too. The farm was happy and silly when Handsome and I both got home in the afternoon, and we enjoyed the baby chicks for a long time. I cooked dinner and shrugged off little projects I thought were so important, instead spending the evening with my husband, my best friend. I had horrible nightmares overnight, but he woke me up and held me close.

I don’t know what I’m trying to say here except that Love drenched every minute of yesterday, just as it does every day if we will only notice. The red buds are blooming and life is good.

 

XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

Pulling Magic

Happy Weekend!! We have been so busy this past week, as usual I suppose, and are once again landed safely and happily at a little break. This weekend the sun is shining aggressively in Oklahoma, warming up the well soaked soil and brightening all of our moods. This fine Saturday morning Handsome has volunteered to drive to the feed store and also do the chores so I can strike out for a long run, then together we have some fun Saturday outings planned. It’s already a good day.

Right now for book club I am reading something that just inspires deep conversation about every other page. I can’t wait to review the book for you, but in the mean time, a quote and a question…

 

pulling magic out of thin air... Quote from White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Pulling beauty out of thin air… Quote from White Oleander by Janet Fitch. What is your theater?

 

I am so enamored by this idea, of wanting magic and pulling beauty out of thin air. And of understanding the theater each of us chooses. And to me this is most satisfying kind of beauty, not what can be purchased or acquired… but rather… drawn out. Imagined and manifested. Beauty we interpret and make real by wanting and then enjoying it, that’s the best kind. This passage from White Oleander is actually talking about sex and how men and women relate to each other, but the premise still applies.

Here is some of the beauty we have been pulling out of thin air here lately… Our theaters are colorful and loving.

 

chalk doodles

Spontaneous pastels and pencil art with my friend Marci and her little beauty Juliana. I keep the ones they made with my name nearby and love these friends earnestly from a distance every time I glance at their art.

cookies granola

A really delicious cookie recipe that stuck to the pan and crumbled when I scraped them off. So it all became a really delicious granola recipe. Also, so many kale recipes lately…

painted mailbox art

We bought a new heavy rubber mailbox and Handsome surprised me by drenching it in color! Magic out of thin air for sure. Even with me squealing and laughing and kissing his face, he has no idea how happy this made me.

jax big boys

Jaxson, our great-nephew, asked to give the big boys some extra food the other evening. He worked so hard with his Kindergarten muscles and my full sized hay rake collecting two full green bucketfuls. He dumped it, laughed when the buff tried to steal the bucket again, then sat and watched them, talking to me forever about dental care.

SPROUTS

My herb garden is slowly greening up with sprouts and seedlings. Last year’s bail, oregano, and morning glories seem to have reseeded themselves. Maybe even more than that. Snow peas are up. Bulbs are up. Transplanted shrubs are sturdier than ever. This is my chosen theater, my personal space form which to pull magic from thin air, And I love it. It feeds me in every way.

milani red shoes chickie

Milanni, our great-niece, reluctantly touching a baby chick. I have no words for her preciousness.

Every single days offers us hundreds, maybe thousands, of opportunities to pull magic from thin air. It’s all about what are hearts and minds are set to receive, what we look for and are willing to create in our lives.

I gotta run now, literally. But I already feel more magic thrumming its way to our home and to yours. Expect amazing things. Look for the bright moments. Be ready for miracles big and small, because life is teeming with them.

 

Beauty awakens the soul to act.

~Dante Alighieri

XOXOXOXO

 

 

To me, the best

Random Sunday Evening Blog Update

   Whoa. I haven’t written since LAST Sunday? Whew. It has been quite a week here. Lots of normal busyness, a hefty dose of traditional and nontraditional holiday activity, some returning health and vitality (and the attendant long runs outdoors) and some brand new stressful surprises too. You know, totally perfect normal life stuff. How have YOU been?

   As usual I have about three thousand great philosophical things I’d like to sit and talk to you about, as well as some easy, fun stuff:

  • I want to tell you all about two books I read this past week or so: Stitched by Anne Lamott and One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Have you also read them? I really need to talk about them. These titles are similar in message but vastly different in voice. I predict few people will groove them both too hard. But I did.  
  • You should totally make the pretzel-crusted salted-caramel brownies I tried from Ruth over at Living Well Spending Less. But do not overbake them or the caramel might pop out your fillings.
  • From now on when I make pie crust, I shall always and forever use half butter and half shortening or lard, instead of all butter. Still delicious and sooooo much flakier! It makes me want to make every pie recipe in the entire universe.
  • A Pinterest board I am curating with a handful of girlfriends, Gratitude and Joy Seeking, is gradually collecting lots of followers, and I am sitting here weighing different things we could do with that. 
  • I am fully, joyfully invested in Christmas right now. Inwardly I have been for a couple of weeks, but now that Thanksgiving has been fulfilled, beautifully I might add, my house and everything else can catch up to the colors, sparkles, and music in my heart. And especially since the Christmas season is a bit shorter this year, I vote for maxing it out with love and joy every single day!
  • Do you know how powerful giving thanks is? Do you have any inkling of what is at your fingertips when you use your imagination to its fullest positive potential? Beauty, miracles, grace, and new life are around every corner, in every dim circumstance, if we apply faith and allow Love to have Its perfect way.
  • Have you walked around outside at night lately? My gosh. Here in Oklahoma, the night skies will take your breath away. Last night we had a bonfire party with friends and family, and for a while about a third of us went on a star-gazing hike.  It felt wonderful. It makes me deliciously dizzy to gaze up like that in a cold, dark field… Then getting still and cozy again by the fire is just perfect.
  • Our llamas are suddenly spoiled rotten, hand-fed creatures. They are all three still cat-like in their willingness to be held and fully cuddled, but lately a person can hardly walk out to the middle field without being surrounded by three fuzzy, begging little divided noses. It makes the buff a little sad. He feels ever so slightly neglected.
  • You mamas out there will understand this… My heart is made light and airy, strong and bright golden, when I get long, loving text messages from my children. I am so thankful for this right now! What a wonderful week. I have a couple of really fun daughter-related details coming soon… So happy!
  • Hey, can we please talk about what to do in the garden this time of year? I am currently experimenting with manure tea for indoor gardening projects, and it just makes me so dang excited for spring. I know. It’s barely winter. CALM DOWN LADY.
  • I am going to work on a required reading list for women like me. Care to contribute ideas?
  • Sewing takes up all of my spare time lately, which is flat out wonderful. If you happen to be in the market for an apron or some such textile-ish item for Christmas gifting, send me a message.
  • It’s that time of year when I drink coffee early every morning, work hard around the farm, run a few miles, take a shower, then drink hot tea every afternoon, before the men drive home from work. I am usually reading or writing during these breaks. What is it about the pre-dawn hour and the pre-dinner hour that make my mind work in this hot beverage kind of way? Do you do this?
  • Have you heard the new Macklemore song? What is your favorite new music lately?
  • Foggy mornings at the farm have given me pause to consider the necessarily slow pace of life right now. More on this later, but just take heart that if you are being urged or forced to live one day at a time… You are not alone. Not at all. It’s totally ok.
   Life is amazing. Mysterious, surprising, terrifying, but amazing. I hope you are swimming in the deep pools of grace with me, exploring the riches of a life lived with open arms and a grateful heart. It is different in all the best ways.
   Talk to you soon! Wishing you a happy, restorative Sunday evening!
“You weren’t born a person of cringe and contraction. 
 You were born as energy, as life, made of the same stuff 
 as stars, blossoms, and breezes.”
 ~Anne Lamott
 Stitched
XOXOXOXO