Well, overall, this week has had a negative tone to it. At least for me, anyway. So I want to use this post to lighten things up. Hopefully, it will bring a smile to someone else's face, too...should someone accidentally stumble upon this during their search for Dr. Livingstone, I presume.
A friend on Facebook (more of a "six-degrees-of-separation" sort of friend) posted a commented that the move to minimalism requires 100 material items or less. I'm assuming minimalism is a bit more strict about this number than supermarket lines where you may be able to get away with more. Of course I began to wonder if I could create a list of 100 things that I "couldn't live without" and if so, what those items would be. Hmmm....let's see:
1) Clothes* (my friend stated that she was counting clothes as one item, so I think it's okay)
2) Bed, as in mattress and frame
3) Bed pillow
4) Bed pillow
5) Bible
6) Laptop
7) Printer
8) Digital Camera
9) MP3 Player
10)Lamp
11 - 13) 3 Plates
14 - 16) 3 Cups
17 - 19) 3 Knives
20 - 22) 3 Spoons
23 - 25) 3 Forks
26) Frying pan
27) Small pot
28) Large pot
29) Spatula
30) Wooden spoon
31) Potholder
32) Potholder
33) Washer
34) Dryer
35) Refrigerator (with freezer)
36) Table
37) Chair
38) Recliner/couch/oversized chair/overstuffed chair [basically a more comfortable seat]
39) Jewelry box (and the contents...hehehe...)
40) Quilt
41) CD player/radio
42) Dresser
43) Mirror
Okay, this is my first draft at a list, off the top of my head. It's an interesting exercise because sometimes I think "well, I can count those as one item" when they aren't, or thinking "I HAVE to have that" when I really don't. Case in point: the dishes. Potentially I could reduce the dishes and silverware to a setting for one person, but I thought it'd be better to do dishes only once a day instead of three.
Of course, I have not even thought about books, music and DVDs. I am sure selecting certain items of those would put me over the limit. In reality though, those items can all be borrowed or rented, and do not have to be "owned." I'm sure my list - and my approach to making it - contradict principles of minimalism but it is refreshing to realize that I don't need what I think I need. Unfortunately, it also does not make me want things less, but maybe it's a transitional philosophy and you only reach minimalist nirvana when you stop wanting, and even start rejecting possessions.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Day 3 of New Me
So I did my 45 minutes of walking on the treadmill (yay) and I even worked outside for three hours helping my mom plant bulbs along the rock wall. It was harder than I thought it would be...hauling soil gave me a bit more of a workout than I had anticipated.
Overall, I've had a pretty productive day, so now I am winding down with writing, a little room cleaning and finally - reading. I've started about five books but I'm focused on Farm Tractors: The History of the Tractor by Richard Pripps. It reads pretty well, and I like the format. Photos are also great. I've started two other books on antique tractors. One is a schizophrenic trivia book (different types of facts on every page) and the other goes through manufacturers in alphabetical order, which is great if you already have a good chronological foundation of tractor manufacturers. Therefore, I've decided to finish up my current book before moving on to finish the other two.
In addition, I haven't finished The Year of Living Biblically, which is a great book, but I just haven't been committed to it. I do plan to finish it this month, though. That leads me to one final comment on today: I desperately need to write down my daily goals and chart my progress and success in keeping with those goals. At the end of the month, I can give myself a proper evaluation, and then I'll blog about it!
Overall, I've had a pretty productive day, so now I am winding down with writing, a little room cleaning and finally - reading. I've started about five books but I'm focused on Farm Tractors: The History of the Tractor by Richard Pripps. It reads pretty well, and I like the format. Photos are also great. I've started two other books on antique tractors. One is a schizophrenic trivia book (different types of facts on every page) and the other goes through manufacturers in alphabetical order, which is great if you already have a good chronological foundation of tractor manufacturers. Therefore, I've decided to finish up my current book before moving on to finish the other two.
In addition, I haven't finished The Year of Living Biblically, which is a great book, but I just haven't been committed to it. I do plan to finish it this month, though. That leads me to one final comment on today: I desperately need to write down my daily goals and chart my progress and success in keeping with those goals. At the end of the month, I can give myself a proper evaluation, and then I'll blog about it!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
November = New Me
So I am starting off November with new goals and some enthusiasm to go with them. Besides blogging daily/regularly (three days in a row is a good start), I'm also exercising daily and tracking what I eat. Hopefully I will be a much healthier person by the end of the month.
I have another goal involving writing, which is basically to do more of it. Seriously, if I am going to write a book, I need to get on it. I don't know how much longer I will be "blessed" with the amount of time I have to dedicate to it. I have no regrets about the past eight or nine months, but I don't want to look back and think, yeah, I really wasted some time there.
Today's exercise was just a brief 10 minutes as part of my 10 minute exercise challenge with SparkPeople.com, but it was an interesting 10 minutes. It was part of the "Dance Yourself Thin!" DVD and weight belt set I purchased a few months ago. I opted not to use the belt for my first workout. I thought it would be more important to focus on the basic moves. Although, it probably didn't matter too much because I could barely keep up, and I was so not in sync with the exercises. I just kept telling myself, though, that Tae-Bo used to do the same thing to me until I finally found my groove several workouts into it. So here's hoping I make progress in the next week or so on my coordination.
I have another goal involving writing, which is basically to do more of it. Seriously, if I am going to write a book, I need to get on it. I don't know how much longer I will be "blessed" with the amount of time I have to dedicate to it. I have no regrets about the past eight or nine months, but I don't want to look back and think, yeah, I really wasted some time there.
Today's exercise was just a brief 10 minutes as part of my 10 minute exercise challenge with SparkPeople.com, but it was an interesting 10 minutes. It was part of the "Dance Yourself Thin!" DVD and weight belt set I purchased a few months ago. I opted not to use the belt for my first workout. I thought it would be more important to focus on the basic moves. Although, it probably didn't matter too much because I could barely keep up, and I was so not in sync with the exercises. I just kept telling myself, though, that Tae-Bo used to do the same thing to me until I finally found my groove several workouts into it. So here's hoping I make progress in the next week or so on my coordination.
Monday, November 1, 2010
What is love?
"Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots." ~Author unknown, as printed in The Hoosier Farmer
The above quote reminds me of many farm wives, but most especially my friend's mom, Debby, who just lost her husband of 32 years to a heart attack. Debby and Cliff were best friends and would remind each other daily of this, as well as their love for one another. Like every couple, I am sure their share of bad times, but the love Debby had and still has for Cliff emanates from her very being. On one level, it is reassuring to see that such a love can and does exist, but on another, it is heartbreaking to know the depths of Debby's pain.
The last several days have reminded me that life is short and we should make sure our loved ones know they are loved. Furthermore, speaking with Debby made me realize it is possible to love and be loved for the duration of a marriage - no matter how long that marriage may last. Although I wonder if love is like an hourglass and every couple has a different amount of sand. Sometimes the sand doesn't last nearly as long as it's expected, for one reason or another.
The above quote reminds me of many farm wives, but most especially my friend's mom, Debby, who just lost her husband of 32 years to a heart attack. Debby and Cliff were best friends and would remind each other daily of this, as well as their love for one another. Like every couple, I am sure their share of bad times, but the love Debby had and still has for Cliff emanates from her very being. On one level, it is reassuring to see that such a love can and does exist, but on another, it is heartbreaking to know the depths of Debby's pain.
The last several days have reminded me that life is short and we should make sure our loved ones know they are loved. Furthermore, speaking with Debby made me realize it is possible to love and be loved for the duration of a marriage - no matter how long that marriage may last. Although I wonder if love is like an hourglass and every couple has a different amount of sand. Sometimes the sand doesn't last nearly as long as it's expected, for one reason or another.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Fryeburg Fair In Eleven Quotes
I had a lot of great moments at Maine's Blue Ribbon Classic this year, and it's impossible to capture them all, but I used some of my favorite quotes to sum up my experiences. And yeah, they are pretty much all of Lane-origin because that's who I was hanging out with all week. Besides, they give you great quotes when you're around them for five minutes (Cassie had a whopper of one but it's not fit for publication).
"There's no law that says you have to think." - Amie Lane
Amie and I had a full appreciation for this sentiment after doing multiple runs to the box trailer located outside one of the gates. Really, people, shooting the breeze while a truck idles behind you on the road? Or not moving AT ALL when a truck is approaching you?
"Mmmm...pancakes and bacon sound really good right now." - Sarah (Lane) Rowe
This was one of the text messages I received shortly before I woke up on Saturday morning......three hours late. By itself, that's kind of a big oops but I also overslept two hours the previous Sunday. What can I say? When I oversleep, I do it right. So, I got up when our personal chef Momma Ann was bringing up breakfast for the crew.
"My knee is as tender as your eyeball." - Mike Lane
About three weeks prior to Fryeburg, Mike had a Nancy Kerrigan experience with an Angus. She belted his left knee - which was already his "bad knee" - once, knocking him down and then kicked him again in the same knee as he was getting up. That one took him out completely, setting his lower leg off about seven inches to the left. Mike chose not to go to the hospital until the following week, and then did nothing until my mother hauled him over to Bridgton where he was diagnosed with pulled ligaments, torn tendon, chipped bone and sacs of blood in his knee (or something like that). Impressively, he managed to keep his brace on, and occasionally used crutches. This also took him completely out of commission until it was time to show Lovely. She won the Futurity, her class, and was named Reserve Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn.
"Did you roll out of bed or get kicked out of bed this morning?" - Big Jeff Davis
This was the Tuesday morning greeting I received from Jeff as I took grain to Sarah in the milking parlor. It's an appropriate quote for Fryeburg Fair - who hasn't had a morning like this? - but I didn't fully understand why Jeff said it until Sarah said to me later...
"You do look different without your glasses...you look like you had a big drunk last night." - Sarah (Lane) Rowe
Tuesday morning I wasn't able to find my glasses at 4 am, and for a brief while, I walked around without them. My eyesight wasn't bad but I was having a rough go of it, and tended to be bitchy. Same thing on Thursday, when I went without glasses again.
"Bill Woodis punched Alex in the mouth." - Amie Lane
There is no truth to this statement. Alex got punched, but not by Bill. It was, however, the original version I heard, and I liked it best. It was also the first thing I heard from Amie after the Supreme Champion party on Thursday night, and just goes to show that you do miss out on a lot when you go to bed early.
"You don't bring new underwear to Fryeburg." - Kevin Clock
I'm intentionally leaving this one out of context because I think it's funnier that way. Kevin did admit that it's okay to bring new underwear if you're "kinda single."
"We are going to have a 'situation.' "- Mike Lane
"Situation" was the word of the week. In this case, it means the shit is going to hit the fan. Our "almost-situations" revolved around feed tubs being flung down about an hour after our cows laid down, lights being turned off over the cows, people asking about the Jerseys, people in the road pissing off Amie, Amie nearly running over Jolene Gushee, and Sarah and Amie almost having a few "sister situations". Of course, there were actual situations at the Supreme Champ party, but in Barn 3, the closest real situation we had was the Great Radio War of 2010.
"Jess, why are you so wet?" - Amie Lane
Speaking of situations, Amie was trying to get herself into one when she asked me about my wet clothing on Friday morning. Amie conveniently had to do laundry immediately after milking while Sarah and I worked on washing the cows and fixing the pack. The laundry took Amie about two hours to do, so we were just about done washing when she returned. I thought Amie was having a really, really blonde moment when she asked, but I still wanted to literally pop her in the face. I mumbled some sort of reply in an attempt to not sound bitchy, but Amie later admitted she knew exactly what she was doing. Yeah, it's funny now....
"For a second there, I thought we were at the Fireman's Muster." - Martin Lane
Speaking of being wet, there was a Diet Pepsi incident. While visiting with Martin and Becky Lane, I knocked my bottle off the top of the showbox where it hit the ground...and subsequently covered Becky in a spray of soda, even though I tried to close the cover as quickly and as tightly as I could. It was impressive how it shot out of the bottle like water out of a fire hose, thus Martin's quick comment was spot on.
"Screw it...screw it....screw it...screw it...screw it....screw it." - Nicholas Rowe, four-year-old son of Sarah
I absentmindedly said "screw it" in front of Nicholas as we were packing things up on Sunday night. He proceeded to repeat the phrase as many different ways as he could, even after I told him he shouldn't say it. See, even kids get sick of Fryeburg Fair.
"There's no law that says you have to think." - Amie Lane
Amie and I had a full appreciation for this sentiment after doing multiple runs to the box trailer located outside one of the gates. Really, people, shooting the breeze while a truck idles behind you on the road? Or not moving AT ALL when a truck is approaching you?
"Mmmm...pancakes and bacon sound really good right now." - Sarah (Lane) Rowe
This was one of the text messages I received shortly before I woke up on Saturday morning......three hours late. By itself, that's kind of a big oops but I also overslept two hours the previous Sunday. What can I say? When I oversleep, I do it right. So, I got up when our personal chef Momma Ann was bringing up breakfast for the crew.
"My knee is as tender as your eyeball." - Mike Lane
About three weeks prior to Fryeburg, Mike had a Nancy Kerrigan experience with an Angus. She belted his left knee - which was already his "bad knee" - once, knocking him down and then kicked him again in the same knee as he was getting up. That one took him out completely, setting his lower leg off about seven inches to the left. Mike chose not to go to the hospital until the following week, and then did nothing until my mother hauled him over to Bridgton where he was diagnosed with pulled ligaments, torn tendon, chipped bone and sacs of blood in his knee (or something like that). Impressively, he managed to keep his brace on, and occasionally used crutches. This also took him completely out of commission until it was time to show Lovely. She won the Futurity, her class, and was named Reserve Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn.
"Did you roll out of bed or get kicked out of bed this morning?" - Big Jeff Davis
This was the Tuesday morning greeting I received from Jeff as I took grain to Sarah in the milking parlor. It's an appropriate quote for Fryeburg Fair - who hasn't had a morning like this? - but I didn't fully understand why Jeff said it until Sarah said to me later...
"You do look different without your glasses...you look like you had a big drunk last night." - Sarah (Lane) Rowe
Tuesday morning I wasn't able to find my glasses at 4 am, and for a brief while, I walked around without them. My eyesight wasn't bad but I was having a rough go of it, and tended to be bitchy. Same thing on Thursday, when I went without glasses again.
"Bill Woodis punched Alex in the mouth." - Amie Lane
There is no truth to this statement. Alex got punched, but not by Bill. It was, however, the original version I heard, and I liked it best. It was also the first thing I heard from Amie after the Supreme Champion party on Thursday night, and just goes to show that you do miss out on a lot when you go to bed early.
"You don't bring new underwear to Fryeburg." - Kevin Clock
I'm intentionally leaving this one out of context because I think it's funnier that way. Kevin did admit that it's okay to bring new underwear if you're "kinda single."
"We are going to have a 'situation.' "- Mike Lane
"Situation" was the word of the week. In this case, it means the shit is going to hit the fan. Our "almost-situations" revolved around feed tubs being flung down about an hour after our cows laid down, lights being turned off over the cows, people asking about the Jerseys, people in the road pissing off Amie, Amie nearly running over Jolene Gushee, and Sarah and Amie almost having a few "sister situations". Of course, there were actual situations at the Supreme Champ party, but in Barn 3, the closest real situation we had was the Great Radio War of 2010.
"Jess, why are you so wet?" - Amie Lane
Speaking of situations, Amie was trying to get herself into one when she asked me about my wet clothing on Friday morning. Amie conveniently had to do laundry immediately after milking while Sarah and I worked on washing the cows and fixing the pack. The laundry took Amie about two hours to do, so we were just about done washing when she returned. I thought Amie was having a really, really blonde moment when she asked, but I still wanted to literally pop her in the face. I mumbled some sort of reply in an attempt to not sound bitchy, but Amie later admitted she knew exactly what she was doing. Yeah, it's funny now....
"For a second there, I thought we were at the Fireman's Muster." - Martin Lane
Speaking of being wet, there was a Diet Pepsi incident. While visiting with Martin and Becky Lane, I knocked my bottle off the top of the showbox where it hit the ground...and subsequently covered Becky in a spray of soda, even though I tried to close the cover as quickly and as tightly as I could. It was impressive how it shot out of the bottle like water out of a fire hose, thus Martin's quick comment was spot on.
"Screw it...screw it....screw it...screw it...screw it....screw it." - Nicholas Rowe, four-year-old son of Sarah
I absentmindedly said "screw it" in front of Nicholas as we were packing things up on Sunday night. He proceeded to repeat the phrase as many different ways as he could, even after I told him he shouldn't say it. See, even kids get sick of Fryeburg Fair.
Friday, September 24, 2010
What I didn't do on my summer vacation
Obviously, blogging. I also didn't get a job, stay with my exercise routine, organize my belongings, create a budget and stick to it, or write on a regular basis.
So what have I been doing the last month and a half? I've been surviving. Between searching for a job, searching for inner (and outer harmony) and searching for motivation for the many things I want to accomplish, I found nothing.
I could write pages about my life right now, but I don't think that's what belongs here. Not right now. It is very raw for a lot of people, and should I write something I may or may not regret, it could potentially create irreparable damage. But in situations like ours, we all make choices that hurt other people whether we intend them to or not.
So the next two weeks are going to be fun weeks. They are supposed to be filled with friends, fun, and future blog entries (let's hope there are future blog entries). I am off to Madison, Wisconsin, for the World Dairy Expo on Monday. I'll return on Thursday and head off to Fryeburg Fair on Friday or Saturday, where I will live for nine days. World Dairy Expo is purely pleasure, and Fryeburg is mostly work. I hope I am ready for both!
So what have I been doing the last month and a half? I've been surviving. Between searching for a job, searching for inner (and outer harmony) and searching for motivation for the many things I want to accomplish, I found nothing.
I could write pages about my life right now, but I don't think that's what belongs here. Not right now. It is very raw for a lot of people, and should I write something I may or may not regret, it could potentially create irreparable damage. But in situations like ours, we all make choices that hurt other people whether we intend them to or not.
So the next two weeks are going to be fun weeks. They are supposed to be filled with friends, fun, and future blog entries (let's hope there are future blog entries). I am off to Madison, Wisconsin, for the World Dairy Expo on Monday. I'll return on Thursday and head off to Fryeburg Fair on Friday or Saturday, where I will live for nine days. World Dairy Expo is purely pleasure, and Fryeburg is mostly work. I hope I am ready for both!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Happy August!
Okay, I took some time off from the blog. I like to think that technically I have still been writing as I've been keeping track of a food journal. Truthfully, though, I've been doing more reading than anything. At least the job applications have been helping me brush up on some of my writing skills. And I did write a few pages one night, and have been organizing thoughts regarding my Great American Novel. So all has not been lost.
As frustrated as I have been with the weight loss progress (holding steady between 25-28 pounds loss...so close to that 30!), I'm not going to beat myself up because I have kept off over 20 pounds for more than two months, so that is huge. As for the Couch to 5K, unfortunately I have not been making headway with that project. I will NOT give up though until I absolutely have to.
Well, I plan to draft our family's educational exhibit tomorrow. I am all fired up to do some agvocating after reading a Huffington Post blog entry about Chinese infants growing breasts. The reactions to it are overwhelmingly negative. I wrote my piece, which may very well have been in vain, but I wrote it. I stood up for agriculture and that's what matters most to me. I encourage my Reader(s) to always do the same.
As frustrated as I have been with the weight loss progress (holding steady between 25-28 pounds loss...so close to that 30!), I'm not going to beat myself up because I have kept off over 20 pounds for more than two months, so that is huge. As for the Couch to 5K, unfortunately I have not been making headway with that project. I will NOT give up though until I absolutely have to.
Well, I plan to draft our family's educational exhibit tomorrow. I am all fired up to do some agvocating after reading a Huffington Post blog entry about Chinese infants growing breasts. The reactions to it are overwhelmingly negative. I wrote my piece, which may very well have been in vain, but I wrote it. I stood up for agriculture and that's what matters most to me. I encourage my Reader(s) to always do the same.
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