September 2011

After a long hot, dry summer we have had a couple of cooler mornings now. A taste of things to come. A teaser of inspiration for the garden. I am starting seed flats of greens. Kale, collards and lettuce. I plan on doing one large bed of a varieties of kale as that is my favorite, and purported to be the most nutritious of greens. And hardy too. Rethinking my ever expanding gardens and incorporating more flowers. Native butterfly plants like milkweed and salvia. In June, the kids and I moved into the main house in our community. Much bigger than our previous houses, we all have our own bedrooms now, just in time for Jr. High. My children graduated elementary school in June, my daughter as 'valedictorian' with all A's, all year. My son with mostly As and some Bs sprinkled throughout. They continue to amaze me. The new house suits us incredibly well. Situated right next to the gardens, I imagine that at some point the gardens will wrap all the way around our home. Having a more spacious (but still small) kitchen is just dreamy. I especially love the windows that look out onto what will one day soon be planted with fruit trees. Currently relatively untouched, and full of wildflowers, the hummingbirds are a treat most every morning. And in the kitchen, I have been juicing and incorporating more raw foods into my diet and I feel great. I have lost weight (too many egg breakfasts!), my skin looks healthier and I have more energy. With the children becoming slightly more independent I am beginning to look for work outside the community. Though I still adore living here, as property manager, I find sometimes its quite a challenge living in a neighborhood where one is currently pissing off most of the tenants in a variety of ways. Raising rents, late fees, cleaning up after your dog (Im talking inside the house folks!). Ahh.. I have a few friends that want to hire me for various assistant jobs. And yet, one of the strongest suggestions I have received from friends is marketing myself. Assistance and coaching in simplifying, gardening and holistic living. Sharing what I have learned over the past 3-5 years of this journey. I feel like I am ready. I have been through many transitions and phases of paring down and simplifying. My life, though far from perfect, is calmer, healthier and more grounded than ever before. I continue to see the brilliance in simplifying. I continue to pare down and let go. My house, though already streamlined, can always use further purging. Thus I sell or donate the unnecessary. And i reap the rewards. $400 on ebay last week. And in the midst of back to school, major transitions, packing antiques to ship, community discord, garden, romance and chickens, I let my house go. And what strikes me the most is though my floors may be covered in forest dirt and the dust sparkles like diamonds in the afternoon sun, its manageable. 2200 square feet (yes, you read that right) can be manageable when its is not cluttered. And the laundry piles on the floor can even be acceptable when people come to tour my house, because thats how I roll. And as enticing as laundry may be (not!), there are flowers to be planted. Sweet potatoes to propagate in galvanized tin buckets, looking lovely on my porch. Truly, I would much rather ride with my best pal to the zoo for a truckload of poo for the gardens. There are a million and one fun things to do when you are not tied to your stuff. Or you can just sit. I leave you with some catch up photos, and I hope this finds you well and wonderful.