Anticipation

Anticipating fun and challenge
tomorrow
with planned writer's workshop.

Also anticipating enchiladas tonight.


Chicken green chile enchiladas...
With Raven, Maggie & John
on a cool wet windy night;
no better time.




Where did they all go?!









Thanks Raven & John -
We love it when you cook!
M

Saving Daylight

Daylight Savings Day.
Can someone please explain this whole concept to me?
Yes, in the fall, we "gain" an hour
(to sleep, or stay out later at a bar, or just to think),




But in the spring we simply lose an hour.
Is this concept like "losing weight";
if we lose "it"
does someone else have to "find it"?



And if saving time/losing time
is necessary
(as it probably was during harvesting and planting seasons -
when it was first suggested to assist the agrarian societies
who needed extra light to complete their chores)
is it STILL necessary?



OK I'll drop it.
J says I'm being like Andy Rooney
discussing saving time.

Photos:
Top: Sunset, Argenton Chateau, France, June 2007.
Middle: Sunset, East Moline, Illinois, October 2007.
Bottom: Sunset, Santa Fe, New Mexico, one year ago - today.

M

Apply Within

Applying for a(nother) job -
a new (additional) responsibility -
is on my radar this week.
My two jobs are fine, great, happy and secure
but
a job
writing...
holds a certain interest for me.
Writing
is
just
...
right.




And
as most of you know
I may be a picky eater
but
I love to eat.

Writing about eating
and cooks
and restaurants
and farmers
and traditions
and rediscovering the land
and slow food
and unusual food
and ethnic food
and old recipes...

Seems right
to write.

More later.
M

The Holmes-Rahe Scale

Tired.
Just a whole new level of tired.
Heavy.
Plodding.
Maybe a little stiff, too - but mainly tired.
Feldenkrais training sessions have
never
done this to me,
until today.

A co-student reminded me;
psychologists have studied
"good stress"
and
"bad stress"
and have given a rating system
to those things through our lives
that cause stress.

The Holmes-Rahe Scale

Read each of the events listed below, and check the box next to any event which has occurred in your life in the last two years. There are no right or wrong answers. The aim is just to identify which of these events you have experienced lately.

Life Events Life Crisis Units Death of spouse 100 Divorce 73 Martial separation 65 Jail term 63 Death of close family member 63 Personal injury or illness 53 Marriage 50 Fired at work 47 Marital reconciliation 45 Retirement 45 Change in health of a family member 44 Pregnancy 40 Sex Difficulties 39 Gain of new family member 39 Business readjustment 39 Change in financial state 38 Death of close friend 37 Change to different line of work 36 Change in number of arguments with spouse 35 Mortgage over $100,000 31 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30 Change in responsibilities at work 29

Life Events Life Crisis Units Son or daughter leaving home 29 Trouble with in-laws 29 Outstanding personal achievement 28 Wife begins or stops work 26 Begin or end school 26 Change in living conditions 25 Revision in personal habits 24 Trouble with boss 23 Change in work hours or conditions 20 Change in residence 20 Change in schools 20 Change in recreation 19 Change in church activities 19 Change in social activities 18 Mortgage or loan less than $30,000 17 Change in sleeping habits 16 Change in number of family get-togethers 15 Change in eating habits 15 Vacation 13 Christmas alone 12 Minor violations of the law 11

SO...how did you do?

go to: http://www.geocities.com/beyond_stretched/holmes.htm

for your "fun time" and to get a number calculation.

My goal for the next year
is to lower my "current" number
to a MUCH
lower rating.

And
maybe
to be really tired
at Feldenkrais training,
and be OK with that.

M

Righting Writing

Writing.
What would happen if I tried to write
something
every day
for a week?

What would happen if
I applied for a
writing
job in Santa Fe?

What would happen if I
got
the job?

Can I write every day?

New Mexico Luna

Blurry cat
on floor behind car seat
75 miles per hour
somewhere in Texas...?


East window in her casita.


West window.

Luna seems to have settled in now.
Has not quite figured out
where to sleep
during the day
or at night.

Or, why we do not wish
to be woke up
at 5 a.m.
yet.

Birdfeeders are filled
and she is
enjoying
the views.

M

Cupboards, Down & Dirty, and On The Road...

Notes for moving...


Beware of strange items
lurking in cupboards.



Show proper respect and reverence
for the quick sale of your home,
when placing St. Joseph
in your yard.
(Sorry Charlene...)


And drive like the wind to follow your dreams!
M

Amber Waves

Sunset just prior to Clinton, Oklahoma.
Yes, everything (plus some), fit into our storage cube.
House will be listed by a realtor soon.

Admired amber waves of wild grasses along the roadside
in Kansas and Oklahoma,
and saw 4 armadillos wandering nearby, too!

Home to Santa Fe by tomorrow!
m

But Will It All Fit...?

4:30 a.m. Wakeups...

Too many cupboards in the kitchen.




Luna used to wake us up at 4:30 a.m.
She hops on MY side of the bed
sticks her face close to mine,
and bounces her nose against mine several times...
One hour before I needed to be awake for work.
Now, between jobs, she has acclimated to waking us
at 5:30 for a few days,
at 6:45 one morning,
at 7:30 yesterday...
And today? I got up without a wake-up call.
She's mellowed out to a good-kitty level.




Other around the house changes:

Soon To Travel Home

I am hoping soon
to add photographs
of my hometown
and friends/family,
but have been limited
lately,
with my access
to the internet.

Plans for heading home
(gosh, that sounds nice!)
are going well.

The home we have known
for 20+ years is shaping up
and glowing with new paint,
shiny wood floors,
and some new fixtures.
We will put the
"For Sale"
sign out this weekend,
and hope for a few friends,
and friends-of-friends
to pass through the halls
and admire the home's 1928 style.

Final packing has commenced.
And we are using USPS
to mail some very
unusual
items to friends in far-off places.
-Anna, we hope
you and Adam enjoy
the fencing masks
and foils
in Anchorage!
-Terry & Judy,
I could think of
no better place
for my collection of
flamingos -
than Florida!

Can we pack everything
we need
into a single room?
Or
into a single truck?
Or
into a single pod?

Yes,
I think we can
and will.
M

Countdown

Less than a month to clear out the old
and welcome the new.
Friends, family and strangers,
(we love "Craig's List!)
have gone above and beyond
to help us in our quest
to lighten our load
and simplify our lives
before our permanent move out west.
Thank you everyone!
Our shoulders are feeling the fun
of stripping wallpaper,
washing walls,
packing and carrying boxes,
and our brains are spinning
with the amount of STUFF
we have accumulated over 20+ years.

Anyone needing
more STUFF in their lives
should give us a call - we have plenty left to go!
M & J

Simplify

Simplify...

Simplify:
A classic 1929 two bedroom bungalow with oak floors, fireplace,
built-in bookcases and desk, two-car garage, central A/C,
and all appliances....




Simplify:
All furniture, most kitchen supplies, camping and sports equipment,
electronics, framed art, some tools...90% of what is IN our house needs to go, too!



Dining table/chairs - SOLD

$50 Entertainment center: 54" High, 50" Wide, 19.5" Deep,

with TV area: 24" High x 29" Wide. - Still available!

Couch and coffee table - SOLD

Some stereo equipment... still available

Oak office chair - SOLD

(2) filing cabinets - SOLD

We hope to completely "simplify" before the end of January.



Leave a comment, send an email, or give us a call
if you or someone you know could be a part of our "Simplify 2009".

Thank you - everyone - for your help.

M & J