Lazy W Marie

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

You are here: Home / Archives for daily life

Senses Inventory, Friday Joy

   Happy Friday afternoon my beautiful friends! What a week. Yes, I say that a lot. But I always mean it.

   What. A. Week.

   What a month.

   What a year.

   What a life!

   As we tip-toe toward the quick little recess we call a weekend, I have exactly enough time and energy for a Senses Inventory…


My youngest daughter and I saw this at the OKC Arts Fest again last week.
Every year she and I contribute to this cool community art display,
nothing more than shreds of fabric tied to some PVC structures.
And this year I am bringing the inspiration home. 
The veggie garden arbor is getting dolled up!
All visitors this summer are invited to play!

See: A pair of cardinals dancing in the air above the bird feeder. Stacks of folded clean laundry in the living room. A mason jar filled with browned but still pretty clippings from the forest. A flat of newly purchased herbs and marigolds on the table next to me. My unfinished Don Quixote. (Book club dinner is in two hours, yikes!) Shiny yellow ceramic dish shaped like cabbage leaves. Abundant, if cool, sunshine. Thick, soft green grass outside the kitchen door. One inviting chaise lounge and one shredded by a recent conflict with the buffalo.

Hear: Pacino grooming his papery feathers, blowing me parrot kisses, and clucking softly. The periodic click of the oven and hum of the refrigerator. Pickup truck driving past the farm. Wind. So much wind.

Smell: Clean laundry, pecan shortbread cookies, soapy water, coffee, roasting red grapes, seven different fresh herbs and their damp soil (I love that fragrance!), and my own perfume. Calvin Klein One today.

Touch: This beloved keyboard. My smooth cotton apron. A pair of wire-rimmed sunglasses that keep getting tangled up in my hair.

Taste: Perfect coffee. Really, really perfect coffee. The kind made with a French Press and hot cream. So good. Also, traces of olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary, plus toasted pecans and butter shortbread, all from sampling two recipes as I cooked this afternoon. Lipstick.

Think: About my daughters. Their hearts, their memories, their futures. About my parents. About the balance between living life and earning a living. About self worth and how complicated and fluctuating that concept is for me. About how I need about a month of nothing else to do so I can catch up on all of the incredible writers close to me.

Feel: Inspired. Calm. Stronger than I did this time a year ago, that’s for sure. Itching to run again. Excited for our book club dinner tonight, but also sad because we have recently lost members. Lucky. I feel so dang lucky in life.

The raised beds are growing our earliest crops like magic!!
Even the tropicals are faring well in this super weird May weather.

   What’s up with you? Was your work week overall pretty amazing? Do you have beauty surrounding you and love inspiring you? Do you have thoughts worth thinking rattling around in your head?

   Life isn’t perfect, but it certainly is full of wonder and grace. Be sure to feed that wolf, the good one, as the Native American legend goes, not the evil one.

Happy Weekending Everyone!
Thank you so much for stopping in at the digital Lazy W.
xoxoxoxo

 

 

What?

   Hey you guys. How was your day? I spent the better part of my afternoon enjoying the effervescence of a fifth grade classroom.  I am not gonna lie. It was a lot of fun. The kids were all just so happy! Happy to finally be done with standardized testing. Happy to have outdoor recess. Happy to have storms and tornadoes to talk about. Happy to have a sub. They were just plain happy, and I soaked it up. They made me laugh. A lot.

  During a not very quiet wait in the hallway between lunch recess and gym, these pre-adolescent angels and jesters lavished me with their humor and tricks. I heard a small, beautiful little girl break into a gritty British accent. I asked if she could do Australian, and she put anotha’ shrimp on th’ barbe. Another girl showcased her dance moves. Not too shabby. A little boy with a voice four times as big as his stature announced his deep love for all things military and saluted me feverishly. Then a little boy, bearing the expression of true curiosity and wrenching thought, asked me something along the lines of…

  “Hey how do you say that word, that goes W-H-A-T?”

   My reply:

   “Oh, it’s WREATH like a Christmas wreath.” Smile.

   Blank stares.

   “Like you hang on your front door at Christmastime. Wreath.”

   The class got really, really quiet. Everyone was watching, and I no longer felt like the adult in the room. Err, hallway..

   “The W is silent you guys.”  I am partially deaf, or so my husband says. And, in my defense, often in a classroom I have to write my name on a white board or something and repeat it several times before the kids remember it. The whole Christmas wreath trick usually works wonders, except that he was’t asking about my name.

   “No.” He was shaking his head a little now, “how do you say that word that you spell W-H-A-T.” He was really enunciating now, stressing every syllable as if his life, or maybe mine, depended on it.

   “Wait, what?” I was so painfully confused. Then I got it. My gosh.

   The class exploded into appreciative laughter and I was actually relieved because I had no clue how else I could possibly explain to them the pronunciation of my last name.

   Once we were back in the safe cocoon of the classroom, perhaps out of sheer pity, but also with a hefty dash of affection, the little girl with a thousand foreign accents gave me this:

   Sh seemed to be saying that from now on, using my first name was the way to go.

   Then, at the end of the day, a cherry on the ice cream, a riddle:

   “Hey Mrs. Reed why did Tigger look in the potty?” 

   I’m gonna let you guys come up with that answer on your own. If you know the answer, or if you have a fifth grader nearby to tell it to you, please share in the comments.

I Love Kids. The End.
What?
xoxoxoxo

Get Stung with Me

   This is honey bee weather, you guys. The days are warm. The breezes are mild. And everything seems to be in bloom. Every single day these past couple of weeks we find our fuzzy little winged princesses foraging in the box woods and fruit trees, and as of yesterday they have even discovered purple clover. Do you know how exciting it is that we have so many bees alive and thriving after last autumn’s wax moth decimation? Well it’s very exciting. That’s what it is.

   I have several hive-related tasks to compete this month and might even be adding more bees, and I am so excited to tell you about all of it. But for now, an invitation…

I also have some deliciously good news about this pretty girl…

   This weekend is the statewide spring conference for the Oklahoma Beekeepers’ Association. Honey lovers from all across our great state will gather to discuss best practices and lessons learned, the weather, and some changes in cottage law legislation no doubt. We will also get to hear guest speaker Reyah Carlson, an experienced apitherapist. Check out her blog right here. She is the featured speaker and will be giving talks about, in her own words:

“the health benefits from all honeybee produced substances.. raw honey, pollen, royal jelly, propolis and venom from the sting. I will also be demonstrating sting technique and application.”

   Did you catch that last part? She will be stinging people. With bees. On purpose. I am planning to volunteer, because I don’t know when to say no. Family legend has it that my great-grandpa Papa Joe Neiberding, who was a locally famous beekeeper, stung himself deliberately as a cure for his arthritis.

   I kid you not. I am Arthur-free but still looking forward to being reminded of how a bee sting feels.

   So even if you have little interest in raising bees yourself (although you should consider it), please come to the Cleveland County Fairgrounds tomorrow morning and watch me get stung. I don’t mind if you laugh when I cry, so long as you bring me a cookie or chocolate covered almond or something as a comfort.

  Okay, gotta go. Handsome is on his way home and we have two wonderful friends coming over for dinner tonight. I hope you have fun plans for this gorgeous March weekend! Thank you so much for stopping in at the digital W.


“When you shoot an arrow of truth, 
dip its point in honey.”
~Arab Proverb
xoxoxoxo

Grateful for my Tuesday

   Because of the time change this past weekend, Hot Tub Summit now begins while the sky is still blacker than black. Even the birds are sill silent at this new hour. Today Handsome and I crept outside with two mugs of perfect coffee and let the scalding hot, bromine scented water deliver us gently from Monday to Tuesday. We watched the brilliant stars fade into a denim blue morning sky. And we spoke softly about our plans for the day. I felt my ribs ache pleasantly because my heart is so full right now. I think he mistook my quietness for something else.

   Life is really good right now, friends. We are not without stress or hurt, for sure, and plenty of important questions remain unanswered. But we also are not without pleasure, hope, friends and family who love us, or purpose. Every day is packed with opportunity and energy.

   Today, while my dutiful and talented guy is toiling passionately beneath florescent lights, balancing industry needs with consumer demands, making difficult and delicate management decisions, and bearing the brunt of ugly and irrational political agendas, I will be holding down this happy fort. Today I get to play in the dirt, soak up the sun, and embrace our silly animals. I get to clean our castle, play chef in the kitchen, and go for a long run. The blessings of my unique lifestyle are not lost on me. And I hope my husband knows how much I appreciate all of this.

For at least a couple of hours today, I get to finish work 
on the new herb bed right outside my kitchen window.
The Lazy W will soon be overrun with perennial herbs, annuals, 
medicinal flowers, and everything else under the Oklahoma sun.
Our honeybees already seem to know what pollen-ish feast
is being planned for this curvy boxwood corner.

   I have lots of birthday weekend stories to share with you wonderful people, as well as one final installment of Unsolicited Advice. But this swell of gratitude could not wait. I wish everyone had someone to care for them as much as he cares for me.

   If you’re a Commish friend and you see this today, please be extra good to Handsome for me. Know that he is even better than you already believe he is.

I Love You Sir.
xoxoxoxo

Unsolicited Birthday Advice, Part Two

   You fine folks have been really gracious about my little advice-giving project. I appreciate that so much! Because it seems like no matter how many people I invite to offer me their birthday advice, hardly anyone ever asks for mine! Harrumph. And I have made sooooo many mistakes, you’d think people would be dying to know what I’ve learned.

   You’d think.

   And so, today, a second installment of…

Unsolicited Birthday Advice 

#15. Karma is Real. Call it karma, call it the Golden Rule, or just say “what goes around comes around,” deep in my bones I know it’s more than just an old saying. This life has some truly reflective properties as well as a tendency to operate in circles.

One of our sweet, brand new foals, summer of 2010, 
catching his own reflection in a glass shop door.
He’s too young here to understand that what he sends out into the universe, 
he will eventually collect again.
But he does see that he is a handsome little devil.
And that’s a pretty good start.

   I read The Secret last year, with a mix of caution and curiosity, and realized it’s just the same Christian principles of reaping and sowing, only articulated in more direct absolutes. It also promotes the notion that every action begins with a thought, something I have always felt to be true. In other words, choose your thoughts carefully.
   Maybe give this book a shot. In the mean time, friends, I think it’s pretty safe to remind you that your life will reflect back to you what you exude, more or less, for better or worse, sooner or later. Let that guide your path a bit. And know that, like this foal, you were created with great natural beauty. Go ahead and be a little fascinated with yourself and with each other.

#16. Speaking of modern, cash-cow self-help books, treat yourself to Love Languages. It’s short and easy to read, and it is available everywhere. I think Love Languages offers a great view of how different we all are but also how understandable. We don’t have to be content with not “getting” each other, whether our spouses, our friends, or children. Read this book and just experiment with the ideas you find. See if treating a loved one in a slightly different way (a way prescribed for his personality, not yours) makes him behave any differently toward you. See if a cooling relationship can be warmed with a fresh approach. Learn each other’s hearts and enjoy the adventure of nurturing.

#17. In fact, read so very many books! Read a variety of books, until you fall desperately on a style that you crave. Then read the heck out of that style. Then challenge yourself to read different styles. Then join a book club. Or start one.

My Beloved Dinner Club With a Reading Problem, most of us…

   Read a lot when you can and nibble little things when you’re short on time, and build up to reading a spectrum of authors and genres. Surprise yourself. This habit works special, mysterious muscles in your brain and unearths glittering treasure in your soul.
   Don’t think you’re a reader? I feel like the key to falling in love with reading is discovering the perfect physical setting for you. For me, it’s a clean, quiet, comfortable place with my feet either propped up or curled beneath me and something yummy to drink, either hot chocolate or icy cold Diet Coke. It’s best if all of my work is done and my phone is far, far away. Throw in either some dramatic weather or a sun worth bathing in… and I am in bibliophile heaven.

#18. Take Care of Your Body. Girls, ladies, young women, daughters, sisters, friends, it is so important to care for your body inside and out, from head to toe. Your health and vitality, even your beauty, underscore everything else you do in life. Don’t be shamed into thinking that it’s all vanity, as long as you don’t stop your efforts at vanity. Let your healthy and beauty be servants, not masters. (Thank you for that phrase, Edie! xoxo) Eat right, exercise, exfoliate and moisturize! Pay attention to changes and take charge of your own well being. Enjoy your femininity just because you can. And the earlier you start the better, because a woman’s appearance evolves every couple of years. Young ladies, pay attention. This is not a lesson you want to wait thirty nine years to learn.
   
#19. Reduce Household Waste. Learn what kitchen scraps can be composted (not everything), what can be fed to different animals (you might be surprised), what should be recycled or burned, and how many times you can reuse different items. It’s fun to see how long you can go without filling a trash bin for municipal collection. I bet you can go a lot longer than you thought!

I painted this sign back when Paris Hilton was still super popular.
My sweet Momma is apparently the only person who gets this joke.

#20. “Elevate the Ordinary.” Here’s another phrase I can’t claim to have coined, but isn’t it great? It just means to make the everyday stuff of life more lovely than it has to be. Not fussy or complicated, just special, whatever that means to you. My Momma has always kept her counter top sugar in a beautiful cut glass lidded bowl, and now I do the same. Hang artwork in your pantry. Wind your garden hose up into a giant urn instead of laying it on the grass. Play music in your bathroom. No rules here, just an urge to tuck beauty and pleasure in the mundane corners of your world.

#21. Don’t wear a short skirt to get a pedicure, unless you want to. I have my gorgeous cousin Jennifer to thank for this hilarious memory and pearly piece of wisdom. About twenty years after our junior high school makeover party in Florida, she took me for a very grown-up professional pedicure right here in the Red Dirt State. It was a first time experience for me, and I wore the worst possible garment for the occasion.
   I cannot think of a better person to have with me for this fallout, which seems like a terrible word choice suddenly. I love you Jen! And I am happy to share this advice now.

#22. Also, seek out new experiences. Break your own molds. As with books, surprise yourself. I think habits are good and useful, but they can also be trapping. Habits which you are unwilling to escape now and then can make your spirit grow stagnant. Some of my favorite memories are of things Handsome and I have done spontaneously or against the grain. And some of our best friendships have been forged out of passionate adventure-seeking. Dive into life! Don’t waste time being overly shy. It doesn’t really benefit anyone. And yes, this is another thing it took me a long, long time to realize.
   Here is one of my favorite silly quotes, drawn from an actual road sign somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness where the deeply scarred muddy roads can trap vehicles for a long, straight drive:

“Choose your rut carefully. 
You’ll be in it for the next 200 miles.”

   Word.

#23. Delay Pleasure. I realize lots of people say that we should eat dessert first, and I have probably said so myself a few times. But now I’ve changed my mind. These thirty nine years have taught me that over indulgence in anything can ruin the enjoyment. Collecting a reward prematurely, eating food too quickly or too excessively, rushing any good thing, including those of the romantic persuasion… it’s all sabotage. To really enjoy something special, delay it a bit. Deny yourself just a little and push the climax away so you can force your mind and your body into a more complete experience. It’s all about redirecting energy. Contain it, feel it, and use it to your advantage.
   Eat more slowly and in smaller amounts, and not just to lose weight. Do it to taste things more fully. Train yourself to begin your meal even as you are cooking it, and the experience becomes more sensual, more delicious and interesting.
   Let your appetite for all kinds of worldly pleasure build with the power of anticipation. Good things become amazing when you purposefully enjoy them from beginning to end instead of just racing to the finish, to the full stomach or the finish line or the opened gift. Give yourself more complete and nourishing experiences in life, not just a bunch of quick finishes.
   Hang on a sec, this sounds like it might contradict advice #22, but it doesn’t. Seek out new experiences with abandon, but once you are settled on a pleasure, experience it fully. Use your stores of energy for a complete pleasure, not an abbreviated one.

********************

   Okay, I hope some of this is useful to you guys. I have a lot more advice to share, so clear your calendars! ha-ha-ha…
   Right now I am off for a long, rainy Saturday run. I have so much love to digest. I spent most of the day yesterday with my beautiful and affectionate youngest daughter. Then I read a million wonderful birthday messages from truly the BEST people on the planet. Then, after a confusing afternoon of being banished from my own home, Handsome and a thousand of our hilarious, loving friends surprised me with a birthday celebration I will never forget!

   My life is way too good for one silly heart to contain, and now I need to go press these positive vibrations deep into my molecules. Have yourself a fantastic weekend, friends. Thanks for stopping by!

xoxoxoxo