And I’ve discovered that I weigh even more than previously feared.  I had some stuff frozen and cut off at the dermatologist’s office the other day (SOOOOO glad to be back in Dr. Schaefer’s expert care!) and borrowed hubby’s around-the-house lounge pants so that my clothing wouldn’t rub on the wound on my hip too much.  FRIGHTENING moment!!!!!!!!!!!!  They weren’t really that baggy!  Well, maybe that was the straw the broke the camels back – or maybe it was all this EXTRA FAT I’m carrying around.  But on Tuesday, I started running. We take the dogs for a walk after work every day, and for the second part of our outing, I ran/jogged all the way around the tax office.  I was a little sore, but really felt good afterwards.  Yesterday, I was even looking forward to it after work!  I ran from the just past the insurance buildings to the tax office and then made two laps of running down and walking back from the street to the storage units across the field.  Then we walked the dogs a little farther and I made two more laps running all the way down and back.  Finally we walked the dogs another loop around the insurance buildings to cool down.  Haven’t lost any weight yet…     I’ll try to post more often and will hopefully have some progress to share.

On a sad note, our cat Sassy, the namesake for my blog and crafts is very, very ill.  She’s 14 years old and I guess it’s just her time.  Tuesday she was camped out on our bed, which she never does, and she barely leaves it to go to the bathroom.  She hasn’t eaten since Monday, her fur is dull and her eyes are cloudy.  Hubby and I have both told her it’s okay to let go, but she’s always been a saucy dame and she’s still hanging in.  But you can tell she’s very sick.  We have an appointment with the vet tomorrow morning to help her go and then we’ll bury her at the farm in the orchard.  She’s been a part of our family since she was 6 weeks old.  She was born in December 1996.  She started out as the kitten of a wild barn cat.  She’s a native Texan and has also lived in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada and Colorado Springs, Colorado.  She’s a pretty good little traveler in a U-Haul and has seen some country for a little wisp of a kitty!  Rest in peace my little torti!  I will always love you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The house sits on 1/3 of an acre of land, so there is room for a garden, our dogs, and eventually a wood workshop.  And lots of trees for habitat for squirrels, deer, and lots and lots of birds!  I guess most would find us rather dull and geeky…we are two homebodies by nature who love nothing more than putzing around our house and yard making things grow and building stuff.  It’s very exciting to think we’ll have a real home again and our own little piece of Texas soil.  Now don’t get me wrong, anywhere we are together is home, because the two of us (and our furry babies) are what are truly important.  But we have sorely missed being able to dig in the dirt and make things come to life and what project progress and transform something old into something new and wonderful – all with the work of our own four (collective) hands!

Keeping our fingers crossed there is a move in our future very soon…

I remember back to my little manufactured house that I bought when my son’s dad and I divorced.  The yard was tiny and it wasn’t fenced or anything, but I had some small planting beds around the house.  There is something so satisfying about working the soil with your hands and creating a small spot of beauty and life with simple flowers.

The more we hear about tainted foods and horrific factory conditions where our foods are produced, especially meats, the more we long to return to a more simple way of living.  That pull is getting stronger and stronger.  Living off the land is by no means easy!  In fact, we have none of the tenacity that our ancestors had.  They only ate what they grew.  They put up foods to get them through the entire year.  They made their own clothes.  They worked from dawn to dusk.  They were self-sufficient.  They were dependable.  They were amazing.  I want to be that amazing. 

The older I get, the more I long for a little piece of land of our own - to own a small part of the earth.  My husband and I love growing things…although he is light years ahead of me in knowledge and skill in that area.   We have a plan developing to get us back to the land.  For now, I’ll need to be satisfied with visiting the family farm just north of here.  And reading and learning everything I can about the skills I want to put into practice. 

I read a book recently that talked about the misconception that we have to have lots of stuff and all the modern conveniences to have a good life.  That somehow, we’ve decided that we are settling for less by taking a step back to a more simple way of life.  I don’t long for an easy life…just a more simple one.  One that actually raises our standard of living because it’s so fulfilling.

Maybe it’s just because things are so chaotic right now.  I am SO GRATEFUL my hubby and I are back under one roof.  Our apartment, however, was fine with half of our house stuff in it.  The other half has turned it upside down.  I’m almost embarrassed by the amount of stuff we have – especially food.  We have so much food!  But then again, we cook (well, most of the time), we bake, we’ve been learning how to can foods, we have a bread maker, we eat whole grains and whole foods.  All of these wonder habits require you to have lots of supplies.  We had to add a big shelf to our dining area just to try to store some of it.  And there are still about six boxes stacked to the side of that can’t get unpacked because there’s no room.  Does anyone else keep that much food on hand?   I don’t even want people coming over to our apartment now because I just don’t want to hear any comments about how much stuff we have!!!!

On the other hand, if there were ever any type of emergency/disaster situation, we would be prepared.  We could survive for a while on our “reserves”.  May not be exciting and what you want to eat, but we could eat.  I’d venture to say that most people couldn’t feed themselves for even a day or two because they have nothing ready for an emergency.

Ah well.  At least we do have food to eat and a roof over our heads.  Now if we could just get the pets to quit having accidents in the house…

Six months ago, my husband and I knew beyond and shadow of a doubt that we wanted to move away from Colorado Springs at some point.  It just wasn’t home to us and the city’s ideals and culture clashed with our own.  We’d been looking to the northwest since we’ve been together.  Both of us have always been drawn to that area even before we met.  We even had a scouting trip planned for the summer to check out parts of Montana and eastern Washington state.  At that point, moving back to Texas wasn’t even a blip on our radar screen.

But alas, sometimes we don’t see bends in the road coming – or sometimes they’re more like hairpin turns.  And being laid off from my teaching job felt like being knocked completely off the road!  At first I was angry and upset.  During the first days of spring break I went through bouts of cussing then crying, and sometimes both.  Then I decided to make a list of all the things my life with my husband and our critters is really all about.    No where on that list was my job…of course we have to work to pay our bills and have a roof over our heads.  But my job does not (and should not!!) define who I am.  And to our way of thinking, a job should not be so all-consuming.  It’s what we do to make a living, not who we are.  Granted, it’s nice to enjoy what you do; to have a purpose…but it seems like a very fine line to walk.

It’s always funny when life takes a turn for the unexpected.   If you work at it, you can turn it into something very rewarding.  It may not be what you thought you wanted…but you come to see how much richer your life will be once you’ve worked through all the “stuff”.

So here we are, landing back deep in the heart of TEXAS!  And Austin, specifically, for each of us independently, was the first place we moved as adults because we chose to move here.  And with family in the neighborhood, was there really a question about where home is?  Once we found our footing on our path again, it all made perfect sense to come home.

I got a new set of softball cleats and a new softball bat today. And a ball stand to hit off at practice. I’ve been reading up on practice drills and fast pitch pitching. I’ve been working out almost every day!  I’ve got to be in better shape just in general…but especially if I want to be effective working with the girls and getting our team in shape.

I also started an online Colorado history class this week. It’s been a year since I was a student myself. But I love history, so it should be interesting. Still need 3 hours credit in Western Civ before I can take the Praxis for secondary social studies. That will be a huge test to pass!

I think that’s all for now. I will make an effort to blog more often!
Ciao

Outside, the wonderfully hardly sage is coming back.  Who knew it was so hardy and made such a wonderful bedding/border plant and flower??!!  We tried pulling out plants last year because we thought who on earth needs that much sage?  Basil yes!  But sage?  Well!  This fabulous herb comes back on its own (perennial), produces velvety gray/green leaves and the most beautiful little purple flowers you’ve ever seen.  The flowers attract all kinds of butterflies and bees, which help pollinate all the other flowers, veggies and herbs in the garden.   Sage, we’re sorry, we’ll never dig you up again.  Instead we may use you for an ornamental bedding plant elsewhere in the yard!

My new lavender is on its way!  The big momma in front of the house gets thicker and more beautiful every year.  I love the smell of lavender and have started collecting flowers and seed heads for crafts (although it hurts my feelings a little bit to “scalp” her – but she gives so willingly every year).  So now she’ll have more company.  I dream of a yard landscaped with flowers and herbs that are useful as well as beautiful - an edible/craftable landscape. 

There is something so grounding (pun intended) about working the soil and bringing about new living things.  Gardening brings us just pleasure, not to mention wonderfully fresh foods that don’t get any more organic.  Talk about knowing where your food comes from!  And what fun it is to take fresh veggies to neighbors and co-workers who stare in amazement and exclaim, “You grew this in your yard??”  I would love to get my students more involved in growing things.  I love the slogan “When you garden you grow”!  There is such deep meaning to those simple words.

Well, that’s enough about my new ”babies” for now.  Rest assured (or run now) there will be more to come.