Lazy W Marie

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

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Summer 2011 Goals Recap

   Since this weekend we officially welcomed Fall 2011, I decided to grab a few minutes to review the goals and best intentions I set forth for myself at the onset of Summer 2011 and see how well things went.  

   Even before walking through the list and analyzing things, though, I feel like it was a pretty good season, all things considered.  Filled with lots of hard work and invigoration, tempered with romance, friendship, and a renewed spiritual appetite.  Yep.  I groove this summer.

   Okay.
   Item #1, Sun Protection:  Yes, I was in the sun a lot this summer, and in fact it was kind of hard for any breathing, moving person to avoid the hot sun in Oklahoma considering our freaky heat wave, but I was a good girl and wore SPF 15, 30, 45, and sometimes even 50.  Every day.  Even though it gave me weird skin.  And even hats and sunglasses.  Not a single dad-gum pink or red sunburn, and that says a lot for someone who falls asleep reading outside.  Regularly.  Success.  10/10 points
   Item #2, Carpe Diem:  Every week was different from the others.  Every day within those weeks was different from its peers.  I have to look back on my calendar, our extensive photo files, or this blog to really absorb all that happened between the end of May and right now, so I know that the summer was filled with variety.  And I am deliciously free of that horrible feeling of frustration that a person gets when the flow has not been went with, so Diems were most likely definitely Carpeied.  10/10 points

Here is our gorgeous youngest nephew visiting the farm in late June.
This was exactly his first taste in his whole life of watermelon.
Look at his clear blue eyes, gazing at nothing while he studies this new flavor.
His smooth pink skin, absorbing every vitamin from that sweet, crispy, mushy fruit.
Please note that Nephew, too, grooves sun protection.
Or at least his awesome mom does.
The glorious, mysterious tasting moment could not have been planned, 
and I am so grateful to have been there when it happened.
Carpe Diem.

   Item #3, Contact with My Chickens, Sans Pressure or Bitterness:  I could have done much better here.  I am deeply happy and grateful for every minute we shared in the flesh, over the phone, and electronically (texting with your teens is an unexpected pleasure).  I was able to reign in my plaguing questions and maternal expectations, leaving room (I think) for easier conversation and affectionate moments.  That much I can definitely celebrate.  And I have a stack of crafty mementos and a long list of memories from this summer with each of the girls that can fuel Handsome and me for a long time with out them.  I can only hope they feel as good or better.
   Where I could have done better (much better) was with gifts and spontaneity.  I know, I know, that sounds shallow on one hand, but it’s not.  Something quiet and persistent is reminding me that it’s just part of the teenager’s language, especially when we’re not under the same roof for those daily shows of love to pervade the atmosphere.
   I need to learn how to overcome my fear of buying the wrong styles or sizes, etc, and just try.  If the gifts are wrong, then at least I have tried.  More importantly, at least they know I have tried.  If anyone has experience in this weird arena, it is one area of life where I am happy to listen to suggestions.
   Perhaps the best news here is that my bitterness is beginning to fade.  A renewed spiritual appetite is bringing to the surface lots of forgotten lessons, old wisdom, and timeless strength.  I feel hope.  5//10 points

   Item #4, Family Not Taken for Granted:  I am broken hearted and ashamed to admit that I allowed the summer stay too busy and too farm-centered to go visiting far-flung family as much as I would have liked.  There were a few “reasons,” of course. but in the hot light of honesty they boil down to excuses.  And compared to the intense love I feel for those I didn’t see enough, the reasons and excuses are pitiful.  I hope to make up for this in the coming cooler months.  Cozy up our hearts with treasured family members.  Cozy up theirs with appreciation for their love and patience.   1/10 points.

My results for Item #3 and Item #4 have me singing 
that Harry Chapin song, Cat’s in the Cradle.

   Item #5, Entertain Lushly Without Gaining Weight:  Umm, more or less…  I stayed the course.  I did not make any progress, which is weird considering how much time I spend on the elliptical machine and doing Pilates videos, but the farm was full full full of friends and loved ones nearly every week and weekend throughout the summer.  This means lots and lots and lots of amazing recipes and then indulgent leftovers for lunch several times a week.  Plus I kind of temporarily got myself hooked on heavy cream in my coffee instead of milk, so to end summer on a strong and healthy note is more than a small success.  9/10 points


From left to right, a fraction of one party’s spread:
Melissa’s Coconut-Lime Cake 
(under the plastic dome in this shot, which is a pity because it is BEAUTIFUL)
Tabbouleh Salad (addictive) and Tina’s Mexican Casserole (WOW).

   Item #6, Tenth Wedding Anniversary:  It was amazing.  Just lovely, both in terms of worldly adventure and emotional, intimate celebration.  Handsome and I have weathered a lot of storms in our time as a couple, some of our own making and others definitely not, and I expect there will be many more in the future.  That’s life.  But this milestone anniversary was one for the record books, and I was ready for our trip early.  EARLY.  I had the house clean, my bags packed, my phone calls made, and my hair washed and combed BEFORE time to go.  I was even wearing deodorant.  He nearly fainted from the shock.  10/10 points



You are so welcome, groom of mine, 
for beckoning that Mariachi band over to our seaside table
and then urging you with my eyebrows to tip him 
generously for their anniversary serenade,
knowing you had no small bills in your wallet.
And knowing how much you loathe Mariachi bands.
I love you so.


   Item #7, Writing Regularly:  If you are a writer of anything and you too feel the physical need to write, then you can identify with the cleansing sensation you enjoy when you abide that craving.  You can also appreciate the clogginess that comes from NOT writing.  I am happy to report that this summer I spent more time churning out words than I have in years.  The funny thing is that by writing I felt motvated to do everything else in life better and more passionately.  My mind was more alert; I had better ideas (some would call them GENIUS), and I could focus and spend time more joyfully,  having already satisfied that weird itch.  10/10 points

   Item #8, Farm Contributions:  This one is tricky to evaluate, but I am going to go with ” marginal success” because of one very particular afternoon in July when Handsome got down-to-brass-tacks-confetti-worthy A-N-G-R-Y at me for lifting a truck bed full of horse grain into the feed bins.  It is NOT a difficult job; it sounds a lot harder than it actually is.  But let’s just say that I could have done that one job and no other work all summer long and he STILL would have been chagrined.  9/10 points


For the record, Chunk-Hi and I are the only farm residents 
who fully appreciate the random joy of confetti.
It’s always a party, but it’s a quiet party.
Just the two of us, crusted in paper bits and enjoying life.

   Item #9, Not Cheating at Book Club:  Despite the fact that last-page glimpsing is a healthy life practice, I did not cheat and pre-read the end of any of our books.  Not even once.  I read them all in the normal front-to-back fashion, with the excepotion of The Shack, which I didn’t finish at all.  
   The day of that particular Book Club discussion dinner, I was trying to skim and cram in the remaining pages as the ladies were arriving, setting out their beautiful sweets and savories and colorful bottled drinks.  But the material proved to be too rocky for me then.  Oh well.  Book Club is fantastic, and I am so glad to have these women and this practice in my life right now!  More on that soon!  8/10 points



   Item #10, Self Loathing:  UGH.  It’s been a learning curve.  My life is amazing.  Truly.  Even the hardest parts are brimming with learning opportunities, mercy, and happy surprises.  I do not deserve all of these blessings, but I am working on making the most of it all and trying not to mess everything up.  Wish me some luck.  10/10 points

   So, overall, I am 82% to goal for Summer 2011.  
Funny, because my heart feels a lot better 
than just eighty-two percent full.  
xoxoxoxoxo

Rainy Day Bliss

   We woke up this morning to particularly dark skies and the low, exciting growl of thunder.  Having left the windows open all night, in fact all week, to enjoy the lower temperatures, we also woke up to the sweet, clean fragrance of rain.
   I don’t know about you, but to me rain mixed with perfectly fresh (thanks to a timer), quite strong coffee is one of the most magnificent aroma combinations in the world.  Next to Handsome’s cologne mixed with his sweat, obviously.
   Normally by the time we’re releasing chickens and geese from their nighttime pen for breakfast foraging, the sun is pressing above the eastern pasture, sending a kaleidoscope of pink, orange, and gold through the trees.  This morning it was stubbornly gray and purple, almost black in places.  Very little light was reflecting off of anything, so errant bolts of lightning had the privilege of showing us how low the clouds really were.  Only one other time this summer did we see the Oklahoma sky like this.  
   It has been a long, hot, dry season, certainly one for the record books.  But, like all things do, this too is passing.  And today I enjoyed every moment.
   For the first forty minutes of my work day, even the roosters stayed asleep.  The rain was so heavy that all of the large animals found refuge beneath a shelter, lulled back into dreaming by the heavy atmosphere.  I had a hard time moving quickly myself, the combination of color, fragrance, and natural music was so intoxicating.
   I indulged in a quiet half hour or so of Bible study and reading, caught up on some excellent writing and reflections by friends, and polished off the morning coffee.  I noticed by then that the cold rain was still falling consistently, but the light outside was changing.  Roosters finally began crowing, oblivious to how far past dawn they were, and the buffalo answered with his rib-rattling baritone chuffs.  Then one by one the horses joined the chorus, and within minutes the farm was wide awake.  The geese were screaming, honking for freedom.  The crows reminded me to decorate for autumn.  The cats were mewing at the kitchen door, making themselves skinny beneath the eaves to stay as dry as possible.
   Anytime the scenery of life changes so dramatically, especially if I know it is a temporary change, I feel a deep seated urgency to do something different myself.  To soak up the details of the day and expend my energy in a way that is equally special.  It always feels like a built in holiday, an invitation from the universe to indulge in a departure from routine and refresh myself.  
   So today I stripped the curtains off of our windows and washed them.  I scrubbed the windows, walls, artwork, and moldings, with that lusciously scented Murphy’s soap oil, and traded summer’s green ivy and sea shells for gourds, acorns, and pine cones.  I realize I am way behind the curve on this stuff, ladies, but I had a hard time doing anything fallish while still wearing shorts and tank tops to work outside.  Today was perfect for the switch.  Today was the first day I reached for a sweatshirt to feed and hay the animals.  And it felt divine.

   The rain had rinsed the wild sunflowers free of ants, so after feeding was done I cut a bouquet for indoors and narrowly escaped attack from a thick, fuzzy bumble bee.  Why he wanted to land on the flower I had just cut when upwards of three hundred were still available, unprotected, is beyond me.  But everything worked out alright.
   Mid morning, the horses celebrated the shift in weather in their standard fashion, by stampeding.  Daphne started it, as is usual.  She is the only mare here and pretty much sets the tone for the boys’ lives, including Chunk-Hi the buffalo.  She dug down low to the ground, ran and kicked and bucked, splashing through the wet pasture and splattering mud all over her velvety black underbelly.  Then Chanta, her field mate, started running, and he really puts on a show.  He can kick higher and with more power than any horse I have ever seen.  And he has a way of looking like the happiest creature alive while he does it.  The front fielders, Dusty and Chunk, ran too, though with a little less urgency because they were fairly enrapt with the show being put on across the gravel driveway.

Chunk-Hi sporting a muddy beard and a flattop 
as he dries off in the afternoon sun.

   The commotion sent the geese fly-running in a panic down to the pond, and Clark the turkey sort of hopped away into the barn.  He needed the shelter anyway.  Sometimes he forgets how to navigate three-wire fences, and the rain was making things extra difficult for him this morning.  Better he hangs out with the cats.

After the unusual morning, 
Mia was even more affectionate than normal.
I did not know this was possible.
xoxoxo

   Speaking of the pond, this hours-long downpour has already made a visible difference there.  We are still several feet low, of course, and will be for a long time if the dry forecast is correct, but today we are grateful.      The runoff is watering the middle field for us, and the pond is not only higher but prettier.  The dead algae is dispersing and clearing up already.
   And a dry but cool forecast is better than a dry and blazing hot forecast, so we’ll continue to count our blessings.  Maybe we’ll get enough precipitation for our own pastures to lush up a bit and for nearby farmers to cut hay once more before winter.  That would be a blessing to every variety of household in Oklahoma.

The Second Chance tomato garden 
is making good use of the rain.

   How likely is it that today’s rain brought with it a dose of optimism?  Or is the word faith?  Maybe that is just the anatomy of relief, that what plagued us so heavily a moment ago, in this case the heat and the extreme dryness of everything, is suddenly and gently washed away.  The world as we knew it yesterday is no longer how we see it today, and our tense, worrying muscles can begin to relax.

   Maybe this is a sign of good things to come.  

Introducing 31 Days of Proverbs 31

   A group of eight well established and supremely inspirational bloggers is embarking on a thirty-one day surge of focused writing, each selecting her own topic for the month of October.  For every single day next month, including weekends, each woman will offer up a blog post related to her topic of choice.  Lots of the writing topics are domestically focused, and I am very excited.  I am looking forward to 31 days of organizing, 31 days of entertaining, 31 days of fitness, etc.
   October is such a great time to actively switch gears and delve into a fresh perspective, a different routine, a new season.  I am super excited.  Super Duper.  Excited.  Ready for inspiration and specifics.  Thirsty for input.  Ravenous for stimuli and encouragement.  Sometimes hearing how one person finds success is all it takes to finally dive into something new and challenging yourself.

   Another yummy gimmick!  I am powerless to resist.

   SOOOO in addition to normal writing I am going to participate in this.  Write about what, you ask?  The Bible book of Proverbs 31 has been speaking to me for years, sometimes more clearly and purposefully than others, and I need the refreshment.  I am also in the midst of a calmer Bible study with friends right now, so this feels just perfect.

  And hello?  31 days?  
Proverbs Chapter 31?  
Kind of a no brainer.
I feel like it was meant to be.
.  So this October I will try to explore this book more deeply than before.  I will try to offer some history, common interpretations, daily life applications,  questions, artwork, etc.  
   
   Previewing some of the other planned writing bonanzas, the month of October can potentially drench us in ideas and inspiration for the coming winter and help us focus on lots of worthwhile topics.  
Happy Autumn Everyone!
I would not upset of you wished me luck.
xoxoxo

   


Cobra Dream Comes True Early

   We dream many dreams in life.  Some of them are based on relationships or legacy; others revolve around ambitions; and still others are aimed at material acquisitions.  The dreamer feels the dream first; then he decides what is worth his continued dreaming.  Finally, he decides whether and how to go about making his dreams come true.
   Since he was a little boy, Handsome has been a car guy.  He developed an appreciation for all sorts of motorized vehicles and established his opinions on aesthetics and mechanics at a pretty early age.  Looking back over the years on his constantly rotating collection of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and watercraft, you can see his life change and witness his personality evolve.  You can see him experiment with style, rebel against authority, protect young children, go lunching with white collar colleagues, flirt with speed and danger, bond with his dad, and even fall in love.
   If you know him personally then you know I am not exaggerating one bit to say that his car collection represents much more than transportation; it is satisfaction on many levels and self expression in the truest sense for him.
   Though many of his selections have come and gone, keeping that “visiting” spot in the garage pretty warm and filled with mystery, a couple of cars will always hold a place in his heart.
    One of them is the Shelby Cobra.
    He started loving this car in 1981 when he was six years old.  His specific memory of a date perked up my ears.  I asked him, “What happened?  Was it a significant event?  Where were you?  What was the weather like that day?  Were you hungry?”
    He said, “I saw one.”  Simple as that, I suppose.  Love at first sight.
    Someone gave Handsome a poster early in his Cobra love affair, and it hangs today in his car shop, barely tattered considering its age.
   He had a toy car model that represented his ultimate Cobra package:  Blue, white rally stripes, white pipes, single roll bar.  He keeps it in his office.
Here is a painting our oldest daughter made for him when she was about ten years old.  
That was almost six years ago, before we lived here at the farm, 
before Handsome’s career took such an unexpected and incredible turn, 
before a lot of family changes frankly.
She captured the blue paint, white rally stripes, and single roll bar.
It was a spontaneous work of love and gift for him, and we will treasure it forever.
Side note:  At that age, her dream car was a pick up truck, painted sparkly purple.
   He never expected to own it until after retirement.  But thanks to a slightly depressed car market, incredible long term financial discipline, and very, very, very patient searching, my dream guy was able to buy his dream car a bit early.
One of the truly beautiful cars we considered and ultimately declined.
 
   When we shopped, we shopped for a long time and looked at a wide variety of cars all across the region, understanding that the unexpected and limited opportunity to buy might limit the colors available, motors, etc.  He considered a yellow paint job, an aqua blue one, and a black body with red pinstripes.  All of those cars were gorgeous and any of them might have been fine, but none of them was his dream.
    Fate intervened.
Unloading the Cobra was almost surreal that night.
 
   He gritted his teeth, waited, and got exactly the car he wanted.  It matches his model car almost perfectly but also needs just the right amount of tinkering to make it his.  He has big plans for his Cobra, knowing it will be a lifetime investment and treasure.
      So far he has had it for about nine months, 
and we expect to enjoy it together for many decades.
   How I wish the girls could be under his wing for this chapter of their lives!  He has so much to teach and offer, so many lessons and resources, so much talent to share.  Maybe in the future.
One of favorite things at car shows has always been watching 
what keeps the attention of little children too young to be attached 
to commonplace labels or commercial popularity.
I wonder if we have a couple of collectors here.
I just love their faces!
   So to anyone still dreaming of your ultimate car, keep the flame alive.  In the back of your heart, in the margins of your thoughts, remember that dreams come true, even those dreams on wheels. Because once you’ve got that dream car in your garage—the one you waited for, saved for, maybe even manifested from a decades-old model sitting on your shelf—it becomes more than just a machine.

It becomes a part of you, a symbol of patience, personality, and persistence. And like anything meaningful, it deserves real care, not quick fixes or shortcuts. When it’s time to tune the suspension just right, quiet that rattle that wasn’t there last week, or prep for the open road, you want someone who respects the story behind the car as much as the mechanics inside it.

That’s what makes a place like Blue Wrench such a gem—where seasoned hands meet modern tools, and every car, from a beat-up daily driver to a custom-built Cobra, gets treated with the kind of attention that honors both performance and passion. Because some cars are built to last, and others are built to be legends—you just need the right team to keep them running like one.

The Chicken Bowl & Conservation

   Anyone who visits the farm knows that we keep at least one “Chicken Bowl” going in the kitchen at all times.  This is not a bowl OF chicken but rather a bowl FOR the chickens.  
   We have a flock of about twenty-three hens and roosters, plus one turkey, six guinea fowl, and five geese who delight in leftovers of every variety.  They are hungry, baby.  Voracious.  Short and skinny but hollow legs, these birds.  We feed them proper poultry scratch and protein pellets, of course, but in their minds nothing seems to compare to the sweet and savory slop that emerges from the kitchen up to twice a day.  
   This purposeful use of leftover food bits and scraps means that we never have organic matter rotting in the trash can or crowding the fridge.  (Handsome is not a big fan of encore meal appearances, anyway.)  It also means that our yard birds are extremely well fed and also extra responsive to human approach.  The Pavlovian theory is in full effect here, folks.  Just try carrying a bowl anywhere near that little feathery corner of the farm and see how quickly you are surrounded by running, fluttering, screaming birds.  It’s a lot of fun!
   The chickens thank us for the constant feasting by keeping us fully supplied with eggs.  We always have more than we can eat or use and plenty still to share.  They are big, heavy, colorful, densely nutritious eggs.  Sometimes a double-yolker appears, too, which is always cause for a little dance.  I collect up to eleven huevos per day and rarely less than four.  
   Our Chicken Bowl practice is just an example of what lots of people do to maximize the abundance of life.  We are so richly blessed, so steeped in resources, that most of us have more than enough to share something with others and still live very comfortably.  
   This also has me thinking of conservation.  Energy conservation is a big topic in our household because of Handsome’s work with utility companies.  This summer we participated in a sort of experimental program whereby we paid different rates per kilowatt hour based on time of day, grid demand, etc.  We knew ahead of time what the costs would be each day and learned how to tailor our household activities to save energy.
   I haven’t done laundry or used the oven in three months.  It’s my little contribution to the cause.  I’m a giver.
   Anyway, the results have been amazing.  With minor adjustments in our routines and nearly unnoticeable sacrifices in creature comforts, we saved a few hundred dollars in electricity costs!  And this is in one of the hottest summers in Oklahoma history.  The idea has been to use less of the premium energy.  Simple as that.
  • Don’t let anything go to waste; there is a wonderful purpose for everything.
  • Share your blessings with others.
  • Use less of what is not in abundance and enjoy the benefits.

   I am letting all of this serve as my springboard to the coming season of blessings inventory and giving.  
Wishing you abundance where you need it,
discipline where it counts,
and more fresh eggs than there are recipes for quiche.
xoxoxo