The joy of being a woman in her 30s…… April 30, 2008

I’ve been thinking a good deal about turning 31 these past few days. And then of course I had to read an article in Marie Claire by a woman who is freaking out about being in her 30s now. And then I think to myself, “should I be freaking out?”. I’m not, but should I? And how am I doing for someone who is now in her 30s? Am I healthy enough? Have I taken good enough care of myself? Should I worry about wrinkles? These are the thoughts I just entertained about 10 minutes ago. And now I’m cursing myself for ever picking that damn beauty magazine off the shelf and purchasing it. I don’t worry about things of this nature! Not usually anyways. Oh sure, I have my moments. I think any woman dating a guy 6 years younger than her has similar “moments”. These moments include noticing the wrinkles on my forehead and poking at my wobbly bits.  But when I really think about it, I’m pretty damn healthy and I continue to make changes and habits in my life that will continue to ensure this. I use coconut oil on my face at night, for coconut oil is a natural anti-bacterial, ant-microbial. And then I use apricot kernel oil on my face in the morning, for it’s natural anti-aging properties. (I have my lovely Victorea to thank for this ritual.) I get compliments on my complexion all the time, so I must be doing something right. So I guess I’ll just continue to NOT worry about it, unlike some women. I’ll continue to drink my Kombucha and slather on the coconut oil. I suppose breaking out the yoga mat more than once a month would be beneficial as well. Taking the dog for more walks would be good as well. Okay, so I don’t really care for exercise, much to my chagrin. I think about it every day, mind you. Too bad that doesn’t have the same benefits as actually doing it! I do though, I think about it EVERY damn day of my life. The voice in my head usually goes something like this: “Tomorrow I will exercise! I will! I will get out my trampoline and do at least 15 minutes! And then I will do some crunches!”. Tomorrow comes and nothing of the sort happens. And then the “tomorrow” conversation takes place once again in my head. And the vicious cycle continues. Is there a pill that one can take, perhaps, that will create a desire to exercise? If there is anyone out there who knows of such a thing, you know where to find me. Alas, I do not think such a thing has been invented yet. The battle rages on. 

 

In other news…….. my poor cat has lost his voice. Where it has gone we have no clue. Oscar has always had more of a grunt than an actual meow, mind you, but now he opens his mouth in a meowing motion, but nothings comes out but something that resembles more of a burp than a meow or even a grunt. We were worried at first, but he seems fine. He’s eating fine, even his purr is louder than ever. He’s always eating crap he’s not supposed to, so I’m wondering if he just ate something that damaged his vocal cords. Who knows. Usually he is a smart kitty….. he must have had a moment of stupidity. Gus, my other kitty is usually the stupid one. I call him my retarded child. He fell out of a 7 story window when he was 6 months old and LIVED! Of course he’s never quite been the same since. He does annoying things now like meowing like he’s being murdered to come into the house through the front door only to run to the back door meowing like he’s being murdered to get out again. Is it because he’s too lazy to walk AROUND the house? Or perhaps it’s because he comes in and forgets what he came in for? It’s a mystery. We still love him, even though he drools a lot and stares at the sofa for long periods of time. 

The boys have been with me through a lot in my life. 2 Marriages. 2 divorces. They have snuggled me to sleep many nights as I cried in heartbreak. They are my family. My furry little friends. One of whom is now a bit of a mute little friend. He never was much of a talker. He always left that up to Gus. 

Tomorrow I’m going to bust out that yoga mat, yes I am. Or at least dust it off.

Tomato, tomato….. April 27, 2008

Re-plant tomato plants: check. Re-plant basil plants: check check. Hmmm….. do I really need 8 tomato plants? Well now, probably not. If they all survive, don’t you think they would make the nicest little gifts? “Here, I grew this lovely and delightful tomato plant for you. Go in peace and be well fed!”. 

 

My sunday is almost over. I have repotted plants and mowed my lawns. I have made the bread for the next couple of days, which will probably be eaten very quickly by Mr. Daniel. And now I’m sitting here with my lover watching “Sweeny Todd”, which I knew was a musical, but really! It’s all singing this and singing that. I have to admit it’s a bit of a dark comedy, which of course I always like. Minus the singing, obviously. 

 

On a much darker note…… I don’t understand things in this world sometimes. I just read online today about a 73 year old man who locked his daughter up for 24 years in a cellar in Austria and fathered 7 children with her. What the hell???? How????? Why???? I do not understand people and the nature of evil that they are capable of. Apparently 3 of the children were living with the father and the wife, who allegedly did not know what was taking place below her home. Again, I say, what the hell? How is THAT possible? The other 3 children saw the light of day for the first time after they were discovered. I cannot even fathom the psychological damage to those poor children, or to that 42 year old woman who has been a prisoner by her own father for the majority of her life. To read the story yourself and join me in the head shaking and the morning the loss of innocence: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/28/austria.internationalcrime?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Birthday girl!

So Friday was my birthday. I have reached the ripe old age of 31. Yay. I have to admit, I am thoroughly enjoying my 30s. I have had women tell me “just wait to you hit your 30s”….. I was doubtful. They were right. My 20s were shit. I’m in such a better place now. Everything is better. I feel better. I have better health. I’m less stressed out, perhaps because I am wiser, who knows. Daniel took me for a nice day in Seattle and a lovely dinner at Maximilien, a fabulous French restaurant in the market. Man, do I love french food. It’s in my blood, I suppose, being french canadian by heritage and all.  So happy birthday to me…..I’m a year wiser.(That’s us on the ferry to Seattle.) I love dating a man confident enough to wear pink. He’s quite the stylish guy actually. (My gay friends say he’s the gayest straight man they know.) Lucky me… I have my very own fashion consultant. Which CAN, mind you, be slightly annoying at times. He’s very blunt when it comes to giving his opinion. Sometimes I take his advice…. and sometimes I ignore it. 😉 I have my own sense of style that I have to be true to, after all. I have to say it’s nice to have a man who doesn’t mind going shoe shopping with me. 

 

Enough about the terribly sexy man I live with. Let’s talk chickens, shall we? Now this is the first time I have ever raised chickens. I have no clue what the hell I’m doing really. Daniel HAS raised chickens growing up, so thank god for that. I would like to take this moment to comment on how QUICKLY they grow. Holy moses, batman!!! I go in to check on them every day and wonder in amazement on how they have grown since the prior day! They are little chicken weeds!!! Let me now introduce them to you. This is Eva Gardner, affectionately named after one of Colette’s former chickens I had the privilege of knowing when she was alive. She’s the red-head of the family, the sassy pants of the bunch, a Rhode Island Red. She’s loud and bossy and stubborn as all get out. Then we have Francoise Hardy, AKA Franfran. She’s the middle child of the clan. Not really pushy or bossy. She just goes with the flow. She’s a Gold Laced Wyandotte and will be lovely when she gets older. And then we have Greta Garbo, my baby. She’s the runt of the bunch, a Silver Laced Wyandotte. She is the one that has bonded with me the most. She loves to perch on my hand and talk to me. She’s the curious one, extremely observant, the one most likely to get out of the cage. The smartest of the 3. I feel bad having a favorite, I feel like a bad mommy. But she’s the baby, and alas, my total favorite. Oh dear. Now these pictures were taken when I first got them, when they were small and cute and chirpy. Now they are bigger and louder and smellier and poopier. (Just like real children.) They are just about to go through chicken puberty, their awkward period. It’s hilarious to watch them morph into chicken teenagers. It makes me realize that I have to build the coop and run sooner than I had previously expected. Hmmmmmm.This is a common sight here at my humble little home. Me “chatting” with Greta. She’ll just sit there and fluff up, perched contentedly, listening intently. Yes, I hate to break it to all you, but chickens have quite the little personalities. If they are hand raised, that is, and socialized. Daniel laughs at me, because I keep the radio on in the shop for them, tuned in to KING FM. That’s right, they are going to be well socialized, classical loving, sassy pants’d chickens. Their favorite CD, I’ve so far gathered, is the soundtrack to Amelie. They get very very quiet and fall asleep to it. I know, laugh at me all you want. I’m a dork. Colette understands what I’m talking about, don’t you, Colette?? So there, now you’ve met the girls.

Another reason for me to rejoice…. my garden is starting to show signs of life. The snow didn’t kill my little seeds! YAY! Now I just have to get Danny Boy to finish dumping dirt into the other bed so that I can finish the planting. So far I have onions, asparagus, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, and cabbage planted. Next I have to plant the Scarlet Runner green beans, squash, cucumbers, and zuccini, and anything else I may come up with last minute. There’s a few things I have to get seeds for that are important in french cooking, such as leeks.  But there you have it, the planted bed. All labeled and everything. I was so very proud of myself, I didn’t have the money at the time to purchase lumber to build the beds, so I posted an add on Craigslist requesting any used lumber that someone might have, explaining what I was going to use it for. I received an email from a lady the next day saying they had to take out the raised beds and would I like the boards. Hell yes! I love recycling stuff. It makes me feel so environmentally conscious. 🙂 With the 4 boards they gave me, I was able to have Daniel saw them down and build 2 beds with them. FOR FREE. Anytime, you are looking for anything, post on Craigslist. I do it all the time! I have found a guy through it that I’m going to get recycled lumber for the upcoming chicken coop as well. It’s not free, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than a hardware store. And there would be another adventure for Daniel and me. Another thing we are going to do by the seat of our pants. Build a coop. I have plans that I got on Ebay though, and they seem fairly simple. We shall have to see.  I also have raspberry plants along the garden fence there. I plan on laying down plastic in between the beds and throwing some gravel or wood chips for paths. I have been dreaming about this garden ever since I’ve lived here, and finally it is coming to fruition! I finally have to energy to actually put my dreams into action. There are few things more fulfilling than being able to harvest your own fresh vegetables and fruit. There will be a good deal of canning and freezing taking place this summer, that is for sure. I must take my leave now, for I have my tomato starts that I simply MUST replant before the dog knocks them over one more time. I love sundays. It’s my day to whatever I choose. *contented sigh*

News in the world of me. April 23, 2008

So I don’t work for the ‘Bucks anymore. They canned my ass after 8 years of blood, sweat, and tears. But it really did work out for the best really. I now work at a locally owned restaurant, which I enjoy immensely. I still get to work with the public, but with a fraction of the stress. Of course I don’t make quite the money I was when I was working 40 hours a week, but not too far off. And then when you think about all the money I’m saving. I’m no longer commuting…. hi, have you SEEN the price of gas lately? Yeah. And then there’s all the time I have now to invest in things such as baking my own bread, growing my own food, cooking and preparing healthy meals instead of going out to eat all the time because I was too tired and wore out to do anything else. Which in turn makes me healthier in general. Hey guess what? That saves me money too! Tons of drugs and doctor visits are rather spendy. I have found that it really is a fact that when you eat healthy organic foods you feel better and are all around healthier. I no longer have my migraines that I have suffered with for years. My day consists of getting up around 9 or 10, making a cup of tea, making breakfast, and hanging out with my boyfriend. No more getting up before the ass crack of dawn, stumbling in to work to caffeinate the population of Poulsbo. Lordy, I’m so much happier. 

So for those of you who don’t know, this is my sweet man, Daniel, boyfriend of a year now. The main reason I am almost out of debt. He’s good with money. I am NOT. (Hence the debt.) I now come home with my tips and hand them over happily to him. I have so much more in my life due to him. (Plus, he’s a tasty morsel.) He makes me laugh, he keeps me sane, he challenges me. My dog ADORES him, which can be obnoxious at times, but I deal with it. 😉 I have come to terms with the fact that I have an alpha male in the household now. He takes good care of us all really.

 

I also have another business venture that I have embarked on. Passion Parties. That’s right. I sell sex toys. It’s more than just sex toys, of course. I like to think I am in the business of helping women ENHANCE their relationships. ‘Cause lets face it, the first thing to go usually in a relationship is the sex. My business name is “A Girl’s Delight”. So if you would like to have a party or would like me to send you a catalog, just give me a jingle. 

Yet another business venture I am currently embarking on…… catering a wedding. Have I COMPLETELY lost my mind? Quite possibly, yes. My pal Brittany and I are catering a wedding this summer of a friend of ours. Its only cocktails and appetizers, thankfully, but it’s still a mite scary. But of course we don’t ADMIT that we are scared. Oh NO….. we are WOMEN. Yes. We are. We can handle ANYTHING. We CAN fit 10 bags of dirt and 2 Adirondak chairs into the back of a Toyota Corolla! We CAN bake our own bread and grow our own gardens and cater this wedding, damn it! Or course we’ve never done these things before now and have absolutely no clue what we are doing, but we are fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants kind of gals. We can do anything if we put our minds to it. Plus, we both love food…. we KNOW food. (Never mind the fact that she is a vegetarian and I am NOT. We manage to find food in common.) So when Colleen was bemoaning the fact that catering for a wedding is ridiculously expensive, I came up with the hair-brained scheme that we could possibly do it for much cheaper! And so was the birth of a new side business. Could turn out to be brilliant, maybe not, but whatever the outcome I know Brittie and I will have a hoot and holler time doing it. We have dubbed our little venture “Salt & Pepper” and if we plan on doing more in the future, if all works out like we want it to, it will include not only unique catering but also in-home parties. I’m already designing the advertising magnets that will go on the side of my VW Van, the sole mode of transportation for this meals on wheels duo. I will post more details of our adventure soon.                                                                                      

So there you have a basic update of my life, the short version of course. But then, that’s what this blog is going to be for. Recording all the other insane details and shenanegans that I plan on getting myself into. For the moment, I have tomato starts that need replanting and laundry to do and a house to clean and chickens to feed. 🙂

My simple, happy life…. April 22, 2008

Hello friends! So I am getting tired of MySpace and would like to move on to something I can share with more of my friend population. We live in such a busy society,  and I don’t seem to keep in touch with as many of my long time friends as I would like, so this is another way we can keep tabs on each other! As well as a great way for me to post pictures and daily postings of my ongoing adventures through chicken raising, gardening, cooking and baking, and the other various other antics I manage to come up with on a regular basis. It’s obviously still in it’s early stages of infancy, but keep checking back for updates in the next few weeks, as well as pictures of the newest family members, etc. Love you guys!!