"Intention"

Intention.

My word of the year for 2021.

I have never chosen a word of the year before. I have seen it done, but never felt moved to do it myself. 

But 2020 taught us all a lot. I turned 50, and through all we went through in 2020, I realized that over half of my life is gone. I have rushed through the first 50 years. So now it is time to slow down. 

And to live with intention. 

So what exactly does that mean?

To me, it means living with balance, doing things that bring me joy. 

So then what brings me joy? 

I spent some time this new year's weekend thinking about what actually brings me joy. 

Spending time outside - walking, snow shoeing, gardening, campfires, bird watching. 

Photography - love taking and sharing my photos

Culinary - love all things culinary, from enjoying amazing food and drink, to trying new recipes and techniques. I am most happy when cooking and baking for others. And I love setting a pretty plate/table, even if it is for one. 

Reading

My winter stack!

Music

Splurged on a ton of vintage vinyl to take us through 2021.

Coffee

Cozy socks, afghans, and shawls. 

This is what I have come up with. I am sure the list will continue to grow. I have spent this first weekend of 2021 focusing on these things. My goal now is to continue for the rest of this trip around the sun!

A peek at my morning on the ranch.

 I so love our little ranch. And as an empty nester, I love the time that I have to truly embrace all that this beautiful place has. 

This morning I was up at 4:43, so not only did I get to see the sunrise, I got to enjoy the many morning visitors. 

Enjoy this peek into a late summer morning at #tinroofrustedranch. 

Life check 2020

So I am pretty sure you all will agree that 2020 has been a helluva ride. Like being on a rickety old wooden roller coaster in the dark, constantly feeling as if the whole thing will come crashing down, and you can't see the end. 

My 2020 has been like many of yours, full of disappointment, frustration, sadness, and questions. Cancelled graduations, absent funerals, moving my daughter's wedding, missed birthday parties, and the lack of social interaction that I thrive on was all missing.

Hopefully you have also seen some upside to this crazy year. Having been partially furloughed, I found myself with so much time at home this spring. My love of gardening flourished, and my yard and gardens look amazing. We finished some home projects. I went outside my box and created a 50 by 50 list Covid style to do before my 50th birthday, which happened during quarantine (that is a whole blog initself). We took time to write letters, to FaceTime friends, and to call "just to check in."

So among the challenges, we have found some victories, right?

Now we find ourselves almost to September. I, for one, thought we would be back to normal. But instead we find ourselves a nation divided. Struggling with racism, political divide, and pandemic challenges, we find ourselves intolerant of each other, having lost our sense of empathy. We see our cities in chaos, being looted and destroyed. We see people being killed and futures taken away. I see friends no longer friends. Unable to agree to disagree, unable to accept and embrace our differences, and unable to live side by side as humans. 

I, for one, am not ok with this. We are better than this. Human beings are capable of so much more. I refuse to listen to people giving up to this new normal.  I refuse to let this angry, negative society change my love for people. Call me naive, but I truly feel that people are inherently good. The evil that has divided us does not need to win. We can take it back. We can spread love instead of hate. We can help each other, and lift each other up instead of tearing each other down.  

Let's continue to build on those victories of 2020. Let's put our differences aside and try to make this place we live a better place. Instead of spewing hate, and nasty messages on social media, let's bring it back to what it can be, a place to share our lives, and celebrate them. Remember quarantine, when we rediscovered board games, and puzzles, and family time? We need to get back there.

Take time to enjoy nature if it is available to you. Take time to enjoy your friends and family. Take time, as they say, to smell the roses. If you look, really look,  this world has so much to offer. And if we focus on the positive, maybe we can make a difference. 

So I challenge all of us. As we approach the last trimester of this year we call 2020, let us all try to be the change. No matter how small. It all adds up. #bethechange

Don't let 2020 win.

Life at #tinroofrustedranch 6 months in.

So we have named our new home Tin Roof Rusted Ranch. It's a long and very "us" story.

When my hubby and I first moved in together, we did the ceremonial combining of our lives. We are VERY different people. About as opposite as they come. He rides motorcycles, four wheelers, and snowmobiles, and listens to hard classic rock. I play the violin and love art and literature.

But you know what they say.... OPPOSITES ATTRACT.

But as opposite as we are, when we combined our music libraries, there was one CD we both had. That's right. Among his ACDC and Metallica, there was one little CD. And that CD's twin was hidden among my Mozart, and Mannheim Steamroller and James Taylor.

The B52's Cosmic Thing.
Seriously.

How we both had that CD, I have no idea. But 25 years later, we still giggle about it.

When we bought the new place, our new homestead, we knew we wanted to name it. When we went out west a couple years ago we loved reading all of the names on the ranch. So we needed a name. And nothing seemed right.

And then one day he texted me.

"tin roof rusted ranch"

I replied "YES" and the rest is history.

We are loving the place, all of the great things to come. The story has just begun.

Much love from #tinroofrustedranch

stay tuned!

#thebigmove2018

After 23 years in our home, my husband and I are MOVING!

Call it a mid-life crisis if you will (it so is!), but with a new job last fall, a newly empty nest, and now moving, we are ALL upside down!

It is a crazy, emotional, exciting, and scary time. So many changes, so much to do. And so much to look forward to!

The decision to move is not a new one, but it is happening much quicker than we anticipated. But when you find THE ONE, you move on it. And into it. It is becoming a kind of romanticized vision in my head. I look at the pictures, imagine our next stage of life there. I see our family gathering there. I see us entertaining friends. I simply cannot wait.

And then I come back to reality, and the task in front of us. Gardens to be cleaned up and mulched, minor house repairs needed, and of course sorting, purging, and packing 23 years of STUFF. So I am sure there will be many, many more posts as we head into this process. Any suggestions? Happy to listen!!!

So we are in the "use it so we don't have to move it" mode. I am cooking from the pantry and freezer (my own version of Chopped!), and even enjoying different cocktails as we use up odds and ends from the liquor cabinet. Tonight I made my signature King Cake Mule, using up the last of my King Cake Vodka (a good reason to go back to NOLA!)

So here it is on this Friday night - my Cheers to #thebigmove2018

WISH ME LUCK!

the sounds of giving....and of JOY

I work in a volunteer services office. I literally work with 500 people who WANT to be there. Who LOVE what they do, and do so simply TO GIVE BACK. That, in itself, is amazing.

So many days, I am just amazed at the amount of giving this group of people do. They don't think twice about helping. They pick up extra shifts, extra hours. And many give outside of the hospital too. It's just who they are.

So to say the atmosphere in my office is awesome, is somewhat of an understatement. Oh, we have our days, but the bottom line is this - the people I am surrounded by 8 hours a day want nothing more than to give back, and to make the world a better place.

You get it, right?

So this afternoon my boss was gone. It's volunteer appreciation month, and we have treats all month long in the office as a thank you. This afternoon the office was like grand central station.

I had three teens in doing extra hours for us, working to improve one of our service areas. They sat in the back work room sorting magazines, chatting, laughing, and working.

As the afternoon shifts arrived, there was much camaraderie outside my office as they tried cookies (fresh baked - still warm!), and chatted.

I had several parents bring in paperwork, a couple of volunteers dropping off logs, and a child life staff member come in to discuss a new project. It was constant chatter, and people in and out, and all of it filled with excitement, and joy!

As I sat there listening to the hustle and bustle of the office, and the honest-to-goodness JOY coming from these people I am surrounded by, I was taken aback by how unbelievably Blessed I am to be in this stage of my life.

just a number?

One of my favorite parts of the new year is filling out my planner. I am an old-school paper and pen planner. And I love taking time to fill it out each January, putting in vacations, birthdays, holidays, etc. There is something deeply satisfying about laying out your year in advance. This from the woman who plans weekly menus, schedules housekeeping by evening, etc. I am kind of a planner.

So early in January on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I sat down with my planner.

But when I got to a certain day, I stopped.

I guess I wasn't ready. Or in my head, I wasn't there. But there it lay in front of me. Like a flashing
caution light.

Yep. That's me.

This year I turn 48 years old. When I wrote that down, I missed a breath. Honestly. It took me by surprise. I know that sounds like a cliché. But it literally made me miss a breath.

I just don't see my self as 48 years old. In that moment, I felt so old. 48 felt old. I started to think about how much of my life might be left. I thought about all that I still want to do. Had I wasted my life? How was it I was almost a half century old? I started to think about where I was at in life, my family, our home, our kids. I was having a very hard time getting my head around that NUMBER.

And of course it is JUST a number. Some people are old 48, some are young. I am not sure where I fall. I would hope on the young side. I tried letting my hair go gray a year ago, but couldn't do it. I enjoy hanging with my kids, I love hiking and traveling.

But my husband and I also love just staying home. We do early Friday night fish fry dinners with old fashions and  friends. We play cribbage.

So am I a young 48? Or OLD?

I guess seeing that number triggered some "mid life crisis" mentality in me. As I went through the week, and the week that followed, I found myself thinking about that number. Rationalizing. 47 doesn't sound so bad, so why is 48? I have never been bothered by birthdays. Not 30, not 40, not even 45. But for whatever reason, THIS one is getting to me.

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was the 25 year old blushing bride. And now my daughter is almost 26 and thinking about a wedding. It seems like I was just at my ten year high school reunion, and here we are planning our thirtieth...

So I am learning to embrace this number. I am doing more to take care of myself. I say "no" more often. I get enough sleep. I try not to push myself too hard. I take all of life's gifts for what they are - gifts.

So here's a toast. I am raising my glass. To receiving my 48th birthday as a gift. Another year.