Back from Vacation

Whew!  We are back from vacation and I have been so busy with my chores and tasks I need another vacation to recover!  We had a great time and met some great people. 

Cholla cactus

I mentioned in a past post about how fun it is visit small town museums and meet interesting volunteers at these museums.  We had a wonderful visit with a lady named Betty at the Kenton museum in the Oklahoma panhandle.  I was impressed that the town had a population of 19 and yet they had a very nice museum.  We had a nice visit with Betty.  She let me take some cholla cactus pieces with me to plant at home.  This cactus is used to make walking canes.  When the old cactus branches die the people who make the canes saturate them inside and out with honey and let the ants clean them up.  Once they are stripped they make canes with them. 

I met another interesting lady when we camped at Bell Cow Lake in Chandler, Oklahoma.  We camped in the horse camp area and she was a member of a women's horse riding club.  She said their club was unique because they had no officers and no membership dues.  They just get together to share their love of horses and horse back riding.  It was interesting to see all the portable corrals for the horses and the combination horsetrailer/campers there were.  As I like to say, I learn something new almost everyday!

When we were preparing to leave the Black Mesa State Park I came across a tarantula when I took our trash to the dumpster.  I watched it cross the grass and onto the blacktop pavement where I was standing.  To my astonishment, the little critter started walking towards me.  I backed up and moved over and it still walked toward me.  I finally moved further away from it's sight and it went on to the grass on the other side of the road.  Now who knows about tarantulas and can tell me why this little guy saw me and walked towards me?  I was amazed at it's intelligence!

Finally, I will mention the precious baby donkey we saw when we left the Black Mesa park.  She was among a small herd of donkeys on the side of the road.  My husband stopped the car and I took pictures from the window.  It was so precious, but what was even more precious was the way it's mother protected her baby.  I love seeing God's wonderful work in nature.  He taught us all to protect our family, be interested in our surroundings and to love one another.

Precious baby and her mother at the Black Mesa State Park

Have a wonderful and blessed day my dear friends.

Soap Box Granny

Going on Vacation

WooHoo!!!!  Going on vacation, gonna see the grandgirls and be a regular old tourist.

As I mentioned yesterday, we are going on vacation.  My husband decided to leave tonight instead of tomorrow.  I will not be able to post on my blog unless we come across some free wyfi because we don't subscribe to a service.

Anyway, we plan on camping at Belle Cow Lake in Chandler tonight.  Then we'll head out west tomorrow and will spend tomorrow night in Guymon in the Oklahoma Panhandle.  Finally, we'll shoot for Colorado Springs on Sunday.  We'll spend a few days there and on the way home we are going to spend a couple of days at the Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma.

I love being a tourist.  It is so much fun to go somewhere where no one knows you.  It is like a clean slate.   You are a total stranger to the store workers, the resturant wait staff and the tourist traps.  Sometimes I like to pretend I'm someone I'm not.  I am a top secret spy who is undercover as a crazy lady on vacation.  My mission is to find the most expensive souvenirs out there and report back to the government how all the tourists are helping our national budget!  I have many other make-believe characters which I will share with you another time.  I don't want to give away all my secrets.

Here is our home sweet home for the next nine days.  It's amazing how much stuff I can get in this little thing.  At least that's what my husband says.  I don't know what he means, it already has a kitchen sink!

Well, I'd better go now.  Since my husband moved our departure date up a day, I need to finish packing and get some other stuff done.  I will try to keep in touch as much as possible and of course you know I will take tons of pictures. 



Honk if you see us on the road.  We will be in the white explorer pulling the white camper.

Pray for our safety on the road dear friends.  God is our light and our path.

SBG


 

Multi-Tasking or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

I was feeling pretty good this morning as I was flitting around doing my chores thinking "I've still got it, I can still multi-task".  When I got up this morning I immediately stripped my bed and threw the sheets in the washer.  Then I had some hot tea, checked out my facebook page, made a few comments and I did some banking online.  Once all that was done I threw the sheets in the dryer.  (They are king-sized sheets so they don't fit on my little umbrella style clothesline).  I'm telling you this because I feel guilty about that.

Clothes on the line

I put a load of whites in the washer, picked some okra and eggplant from the garden and made myself some breakfast.  Then I forgot about the laundry and watched a recording of The Next Chopped Champions.  Once that was over I cleaned up my dishes, blanched some fresh broccoli and remembered I had laundry.  At the back of my mind was doing my blog today and wondering what I was going to write about.  Then I promptly forgot about that as I took my white load outside to hand on the clothesline.  Yea!  I like the way the sun bleaches out the whites and makes them look, uh, whiter!  When I finished that I washed out the dog's outside water dish and watered some plants on the patio. 

After all that I forgot what I needed to do next.  Oh yeah, I put some color clothes in the washer, then I looked at the blanched broccoli and shook off some of the excess water to get it ready to freeze.  Then I remembered about my blog.  Then I forgot.  Then I remembered.  So, here I am.

Broccoli for freezing

Is this multi-tasking or ADD I ask myself?   I still have many other chores to do.  Then I remember my days of being a professional in an office (yes, I did have a life where I wore suits and worked in an office) and I learned how to prioritize my work.  However, it seems silly when you are a housewife, farm girl  or whatever it is one calls herself who doesn't work outside the home to label my work.  I am my own boss and frankly I think I'll stick to my ADD way of approaching my tasks.  It's fun.

Now, let's see what I need to do next.  Clean the cat litter boxes, clean our bathroom, finish the laundry, freeze the broccoli, get the camper ready for our vacation on Saturday.  Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, we are going on vacation on Saturday.  My husband and I are taking our camper and heading to Colorado Springs, but more on that in tomorrow's post.  Now what was I talking about?

I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with a new surprise around every corner.  God loves you.

SBG

The plants are looking ragged.

A Few Things I Love and Hate

This morning while trying to read my facebook, e-mail messages and getting ready to post my blog, my computer started getting all postal on me and then froze up.  I hate this.  Which gave me my topic for today.  I love that!

Computers - Gotta love 'em.  My computer gets me connected to many things I wouldn't know how to live without anymore.  This blog is an example.  It has opened up a new creative outlet for me.  I use my computer to pay bills.  I love that because it saves on stamps, checks and paper waste.  I use it to look up businesses, directions, phone numbers or hours of operation.  I use it for research, to subscribe to magazines, for my facebook and many more things.  I love to look up places of interest when we travel.  It is a very handy tool to have until, that is, it does not work properly.  Then I hate the stupid thing and want to throw it out the window.  I have to take a deep breath and after I have calmed down, I e-mail my brother.  That makes me feel better.

Cars - Now who doesn't love their car?  They come in so many shapes and sizes that there is one for every kind of person.  You have your sedan, convertibles, SUVs, mini-vans, pick-up trucks, vans, hybrids and much more.  They get us to work, shopping, visiting, appointments and vacations.  I get in my car, buckle up and turn the ignition with faith that it is going to start.  I love that!  But when it won't start, well, you know, I hate the stupid thing!

Electricity - OK, now who doesn't like electricity.  Everyday we wake up and see the electric clock.  We walk into the bathroom and flip the switch.  We go to the refrigerator, have coffee, cook breakfast in the microwave oven, watch the news, look at the computer and so much more.  It is all rote movements day in and day out.  I love that.  Then the day comes that the power is out.  You can't do anything.  In our home, we don't even have water because we have a well that uses an electric pump.  When we don't have power then I hate the stupid thing!

I could go on and on about my love/hate relationships, but I think you get my point.  I love my modern day conveniences. I love that I live in a country that we have access to these things.  It's just when they don't work that I realize how dependent I've become on them.  I think that's what makes me mad.  I am forced to do something else that doesn't involve them like, maybe, take a walk, read a book by candle light or, God forbid, actually have a conversation with my husband! 

Have a great day everyone.  God be with you.

SBG

Listening to the Quiet

Yesterday I was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office waiting for my mother.  It was a very nice waiting room.  One of those clean and spacious ones with nice furniture, a large flat screen television and two very large salt water fish tanks.  For about an hour there was only about a total of eight people as they came and went.  Everyone quietly waited for their turn to see their doctor.  I read a book and would occasionally look up at the fish tanks and get a nice tranquil feeling.  Then came a young girl with an older woman, maybe her grandmother who broke the pleasant atmosphere by talking loudly on her cell phone.  Thankfully I didn't have to listen to her too long because my mother was done with her appointment shortly after she arrived.

This made me think of one of my favorite things to do.  Listen to the quiet.  Even though the waiting room wasn't totally quiet, the television was at a volume that did not invade your senses with unwanted and unpleasant sounds.  I was comfortable and enjoyed the down time this environment gave me.  I noticed the quiet.

We are surrounded everyday with noises.  It is embedded into our lives and our senses.  For most of us our day starts with a blaring alarm clock.  Then we watch the morning news, get in our cars and listen to the radios and go on with our day.  We'll hear people talking, shouting, laughing and crying.  We'll hear emergency sirens, construction work, airplanes, all the while not registering that we are hearing these things.  This is because are used to them.

This is my favorite part.  As I have aged I find that I have some hearing damage and loss.  I'm sure it is the result of being exposed to loud noises and loud music in my younger days.  Why is this my favorite part you ask?  Because it makes me take notice.  When I want to hear something I've missed it makes me stop and pay closer attention to it.   It makes me slow down.

When I am outside working in my gardens I hear the birds and the other critters who are talking madly with each other.  Sometimes some of them are downright loud!  When I am in a group of people who are talking at the same time I have to focus on one conversation.  This forces me to be an active listener and give that person my undivided attention.  It makes me enjoy the moment.

How many times have you told someone something and within a few minutes they ask you the question to what you just told them?   I think that is because we fill our days with so much multi-tasking that we have forgotten how to concentrate on one thing at a time.   Our brains are used to listening to the radio or television while working on the computer, doing a task and holding down a conversation at the same time.  This forces our brain to pick one thing to register to keep us sane!

That is why I believe we should practice listening to the quiet at least once a day.  To do this just sit down somewhere away from a lot of people and noise.  You don't have to be totally alone, just be in a fairly quiet place.  Then concentrate on the quiet.  Listen to the nothing in the air.  What do your hear?  I hear calmness.  What do you see in your mind's eye in the quiet?  I see peace.  What do you feel in your quiet spirit?  I feel God.

Now, you might hear and see and feel totally different things than I do.  That's the beauty of it.  Try it.  Try to do this every day.  Listen to the quiet.  It will do your heart and soul a world of good.

Peace be with you my dear friends.

SBG

Friends

Good morning my dear friends.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I had a special weekend because I spent some time on Saturday with a friend I have known many years but do not see very often. This gave me the idea to write today about friends.

Notice I addressed you all as my dear friends.  Some of you know me and some of you have never met me.  At least I hope there are people out there I don't know who is reading my eractic, yet heartfelt musings!  Friends, as we all know, come into our lives many different ways.  I was raised in the military so I did not spend all my life in one place attending school with a consistent group of people.  I've made friends and I've lost friends.

Let's talk about the many different kinds of friendships people form.

Best buddies for life friends - These are people who have probably known each other since their childhood.  As they grew up they shared life milestones together and nothing or no one is going to get between their special friendship.  They see each other regularly whether it's just the two of them or with other friends and family.  They share vacations, special occasions and holidays.  They are closer than many relatives.

Part of the Gang friends - These are friends who hang around together in a group.  They share special events together such as weekend gatherings, family celebrations or parties.  They support each other as a group.  There is a core group that remains consistent but they welcome other people who will come and go.

Casual Friendships - I think these are the most common among friendships.  These are people we know from work, church, our children's activities and groups or organizations we participate in.  We form these friendships because of a common bond.  These are people we don't spend special occasions with.  We only see them when we are sharing an event that brings us together.

Lifelong Friends - I'm including this category because these kinds of friends pretty much fall into all the categories I've mentioned but you don't see them very often.  These are the friends you've made along your life's journey.  They've had an impact on who you are today whether it be negative or positive.  You spent a lot of time when them once, sharing good times and bad times and experiencing emotional ups and downs with them.  Then for some reason, as happens in life, we change and they change.  We move in different directions and take different paths but they remain a friend you will always remember.

I am fortunate to have all these kinds of friends.  I do not have a best buddies kind of girlfriend, but I have a best buddy friend in my husbad.  I couldn't be more blessed than to have a husband who shares his life with me.   I have group friends who get together occasionally for fun activities.  I also have casual friends through my church and I enjoy getting together with them when we have activities and on Sundays when we get together to praise our best friend Jesus Christ.

Lastly, I have a lifelong friend.  She is the lady I got together with on Saturday.  We shared a rocky but ongoing friendship for many years until we went took separate paths.  Last week she was on my mind and I called her.  We decided to get together to reminensce and catch up.  It was a great time.  I value this kind of friendship.  This is why I call it this type of friendship "lifelong" because as we mature and change, we realize the impact some people had on who we are today.  They influenced who we are today and they remain friends for life.

As Will Rogers said, "I've never met a stranger I never liked".   I enjoy meeting new people and making new friends.  Thus another good reason to have a blog!

Good day, dear friends.   God loves you and wants to be your best friend, too.

SPG

Let's Exercise, OK?

Friends, let me tell you I am tired today.  I have been sitting here for the last few minutes trying to think of something to say and all I could think about is how I'd like to stretch out in my recliner and take a nap!   I started walking with my friend again last Friday.  We walk three miles at 7 a.m. and I guess today it has caught up with me!

That's why I named this post, "Let's Exercise, OK"?  I've mentioned before that it is common knowledge that exercise and a proper diet is how to stay fit.  However, I can do the proper diet and I can do the exercise, but for some weird reason I don't want to do them simultaneously.  Sound quirky?  I think I've been invaded by a little space alien who wants my body to have extra fat so he can study our world while residing comfortably in my body.  I have drawn an example of what I think he might look like.  I have not figured out what planet he comes from yet, I just need to figure out a way to get rid of him.  Notice I call it a 'him' because I'm sure it can't be a woman.  I don't care where you come from, a woman is not going to cause another woman to carry around extra fat and be lazy at the same time.

So, anyway, I really enjoy my walks with my friend.  It doesn't feel like exercising because we keep each other company.  But a funny thing happens us if one of us can't make it.  Neither one of us walks.  I'm pretty sure it's the alien.  He can't get to me when I am not alone, but when I am, his power is too great for me to resist. 

Anyway, what's happens is when I exercise he convinces me I need to eat more by making me feel hungryand when I don't exercise he tells me it's allright to eat as little as I want as long it is delicious, high fat and flavorful food like cheese or ice-cream.   I am going to show him.  I am going to exercise and eat healthy from now on.  At least for today.

I'm still tired, but I have chores to do.  Then maybe I'll make a nice cup of hot lemon balm tea, stretch out in my recliner and watch cooking shows on TV. 

Have a wonderful weekend my friends.  God Bless you and your loved ones today and always.

SBG