Dancing blood within my veins,
Cast off all that now restrains,
Pulsing petals, waxing open

Thrum and thrust, pink, white and green,
Now be felt and now be seen
Lightening brightening in my hands
As it’s felt in me, so in the land!

For union felt like a rising tide
May love and power in us reside
For the marriage of the green ones and the land
Heart and soul be hand and hand!

I can’t believe I’ve been gone this long! I have been here and there, but most of the time without an Internet connection so writing has been a bit hard for me. Anyone know of a good wireless provider?

So far things are going well. I have been as far west as Wyoming and south to Nebraska, but they seem to keep me pretty close to home, just very busy running every which way. I have saw a lot of different things on my travels and I am keeping a diary. One thing that really sticks in my mind is that I had another semi truck flip over do to heavy winds right in front of me, making my stomach flip like nobodies business a few weeks ago. But the most enjoyable has been all the wonderful animals I have saw– a lot of deer, antelope, fox, and a coyote. Oh, and i almost hit 3 cows at 3 o’clock in the morning last week while in North Dakota! Talk about a way to wake a person right up! No coffee can do that!

On the home front things have been different to say the least. Husband has not been happy that I have been gone, and it has put a strain on us to say the least. BUT, he is helping out around the house like he has NEVER done before. Washing clothes and putting them away, scrubbing the floors, vacuuming, and taking care of the animals… I should bite my tongue here but I am having a hard time with it all because he NEVER did this before and it seems so foreign and maybe a bit fake…But I will take all the help I can get, no matter what the reason!

 So, I have been trying to keep up with everyone out there in the blog world. I hope everyone is doing well! We tilled the garden yesterday in hopes of planting taters today but the wind has kept us out of the dirt for now.

 Take care for now!

I haven’t had too much time to do much of anything as of late, but Dianne Sylvan issued this challenge on her blog and since we always seem to make more out of what we don’t like abut our bodies than what we do like, I think this is very important! Heres’s what she had to say…

All right, it’s your turn.  Go forth and make a list of ten things you love about your body, inside or out.  If you love the little mole on your elbow that’s shaped like Missouri, or the way your eyes crinkle, or your mastectomy scars, or your right pinkie finger, say so.  We spend too much time talking about what is wrong with our bodies, what we hate, what we wish we could change–let’s talk about things we love.  Your body will thank you for it.

Okay, so here I go– -

1 - I love my mouth. My parents paid dearly for my straight teeth way back when and I am so happy they did. When I smile everyone knows how happy I am, or if I am up to something…Not that that’s always a good thing. When I am not happy, they also know just what kind of mood I am in. I guess my mouth is a window into me, who I am, and how I am.

2 - I love my skin and the tattoos that cover it. I take care of my skin with organic products that I usually make myself. My mother is in her 50’s and when we are together we have been thought to be sisters. I hope to look that wonderful when I get there. Some of my tats are 18 years old, and still so cool…

3 - I love the scars on my knees. I could never be a model, but they show the character of ME, who I am, and all the fun I have had growing up. I was always a tomboy, so my knees show the falls from my horses, bicycles, and dirt bikes to name a few. They keep me young or bring me back to my youth I guess…

4 - I love my gut. Not the soft outer place that I would love to disappear, but the place deep inside me. It has been a work in progress for 35 years, but I’ve learned to trust my gut instinct; because it never lets me down. About a person, a situation, or a choice I’m about to make. I truly have learned to listen to my body over the years and it just keeps getting better.

5 - I love my eyes. They go right along with my my mouth, as far as showing how I am feeling along with all that I have seen over the years.

6 - I love my brain! Where would I be without it? Enough said.

7 - I love my hips. They are very curvy and give me a sexy, woman’s figure. 

8 - I love my strength. Even though I don’t do any strength training, my body is generally pretty strong. I can pick up things, carry things, move things. My body always does what I ask it to for the most part, and for that I should be more grateful. As temples go, this one feels like it’s built to last, but perhaps a bit of worshipping wouldn’t hurt.

9 - I love my calves. They are strong, sleek and sexy.

10 - I love my heart. It is strong and it keeps me alive. Despite how badly it has been hurt, how badly it aches sometimes, my heart still allows me to love with every fiber.

Now, it’s your turn.

It’s funny how life can change in a blink of an eye. One minute your pushing soap at anyone and everyone who will look, listen, and sniff. The next your packing up a peterbilt with your name on the door and pulling out of the yard for destinations unknown.

OK, so I haven’t left yet. I will Monday morning and I’ll only be gone a night or two at a time, but reality is starting to kick me in the ass, and husbands too. I have [finally] been offered a wage by him to stay home and take care of things like book keeping for his business, our animals, and most importantly husband. Too bad it’s too late, because I would have stayed.

The other thing that is bothering me is being away from my farm, my horse, chickens, cats, and garden. I love it here, and although I am excited to be making some really good money, I am sad. Husband thinks it’s going to be easy for me to get in and ride away into the sunset. Like I have no ties to this place, our life, and this farm. Fat chance is all I can say. 

Yesterday I went out and bought 5 hungry man meals, and I can’t tell you how guilty I felt. I cook every meal we have in this house, always have. I have been making a few meals that husband can take out of the freezer, but knowing him he will take the easy way out and either not eat or pop a hungry man into the oven. I am having a real hard time thinking I “should” be here to take care of things.

My bedroom with a view

Another thing I’m going to do is take care of myself. I want to do this as cheaply & sustainably as possible. I have a nice sized electric cooler so that I can bring food with me so I do not have to eat out. I have a 5 gallon water jug I’ll be taking with so I don’t have to buy bottled water and I will be able to have my tea in the morning, and today I’m cooking up some rice to bring with and harvesting the last of my lettuce for a couple of salads.

Sometimes I just love memes. I love the randomness of the topics and really it makes me think. So, I found this meme over here and since I have a ton of books that I can not live without I figured this was the perfect meme for ME! Join in if you would like!

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people. (I won’t tag anyone, but if you want to do it leave me a note so I can check out your book.)

The closest book’s page 123 is The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, and although it has been one of the hardest books for me to read, it has been well worth it, even though it will scare the shit out of you when you look down at the plate of food in front of you at your next meal! 

We think of grass as soft and hospitable stuff, but once it’s been dried in the sun and shredded by machines- once it’s become hay- grass is sharp enough to draw blood and dusty enough to thicken lungs. I was covered in chaf, my forearms tattooed red with its pinpricks.

The others- Joel Salatin, whose farm this was; his grown son, Daniel; and two helpers- had gone off to the barn for something, leaving me with a welcome moment in the pasture to gather myself before we cranked up the baler again.

Above is 4 of my hens taking advantage of the warm sunshine, even thought it only reached 28 degrees today. The two in front, taking a buddy bath are my oldest- Henny Penny on the left and Talker on the right.

This picture is what I see on a daily basis when I open the front door. Two legged visitors looking for a hand out and they rarely take “no” for an answer! Sir Jack is wishing he could go out and tackle the hens, as he does on occasion. Really I think in chicken language they just might be antagonizing him. When he does get out of the house, he thinks he’s “big man” until one of the hens pecks him in the forehead, usually leaving a lump and/or blood. Then he high tails it back to the front door begging to get in. Funny though, he seems to forget they get the best of him every single time…

The name of the game for Photo Friday is Fuzzy. There is nothing like the muzzle of my girl to make my day. The smell, the warmth, the softness, the smell…. Mmmm…Horse!

-19 degrees below last Wednesday

Bus crash 10 miles from home killing 4 kids

Dirt on what’s left of the snow.

I just like the formations in the snow I guess

Me and my New Truck