Ch Ch Ch Changing

The above is a photograph I took recently of a barn on my uncle's property. Things have changed a bit there since my childhood. No longer is this barn surrounded by cows and horses grazing contentedly on green pastures. No longer are the lofts stuffed with hay or the tack room lined with saddles. But as some things in our lives change some part of them always stays the same. For me I will always love the aroma of hay and leather and they still have the power to transport me to another world full of adventures.

Some of my friends think I've been doing some changing myself although I don't really see it. I think the difference is I have always been this person on "the inside" and now have begun to live it "externally". I think you call that being more authentic. All those thoughts, ideas, "voices" I'm now letting out to make their way in the world and the I cant's are diminishing. One of the sources of letting those "voices" out has been through blogging. I am not writing much on this blog these days but this marks that blogosphere milestone of being my 100th post. The whole writing thing came after suggestions from a few friends and then my husband telling me to write it down so I did. I wrote my first post on August 26, 2008, which I guess means I have also just had an anniversary of sorts although at first it was a private journal only. This did help sort some thoughts, but then a few months later I read my first blog, yes I had never even read a blog before. Shortly after that I went public and began to read and write more. I have found this form of opening up and sharing with others therapeutic and probably the anonymity of it all made it easier. I now don't have so many voices in my head bouncing around and running into each other, arguing and debating life. I have gotten out this year and done many of the things I only thought of before and have so much yet to do. So to all of you out there in blogland I say thank you for inspiring and motivating me, for sharing your time and listening to my voice.

Life's a Beach

It can be quite odd when your office is at the beach, on an island actually. I have a schedule and wear clothes, many times feeling a bit overdressed, while everyone around me is on "island time" and walking about in basically their underwear. I'm sure these people wouldn't be caught dead walking onto their porch at home in their actual underwear yet here they walk or bike around town in even less. Since we are becoming more populated by year rounders I do see more people in the stores actually dressed now but there are still those walking around in nothing more than butt skimming sheer cover ups and I have in the past walked by girls in bikini's in the grocery aisle. The oddest thing is that no one finds this odd and most don't give it a second thought. What would it be like where you live to pass someone walking around in their underwear pushing a shopping cart while going about their daily chores? On the plus side our business attire is shorts and sandals or loafers. It is strange here to see someone in a tie and do they still make hose, not sure if they even sell those torture devises around here. If you are spotted wearing anything like that you are immediately outed as a salesperson in town for the day. On occassion we feel a need or desire to dress up so we may break out the khaki's.

Alien in the Garden

In my studies of permaculture this summer I have learned a lot of interesting things and a few I wish I could wipe from my memory. I am mostly speaking of the interplay between the many little creatures that crawl, hop, and buzz all around us. It is like something out of a horror movie, in fact one is believed to have inspired the movie Alien and it began a showing in my garden last night. I am speaking of the wasp vs. the caterpillar and to keep from creeping myself out with the details (hint - the 1st movie showing how the Alien is incubated and then "born") you can read more here if you are so inclined. Also I did not take a picture, in fact I do not want to go back, and definitely don't wish to record one here for eternity so here is a link to what it looks like right now. The interesting part though is the plants role in this, who knew a plant could send out an SOS. By the way, if you can't tell by his gruesome actions, the wasp is the beneficial one and for the healthiest garden you have to sometimes just walk away. I am learning that in order for nature to be in balance the best thing I can do is stay out of it's way.


I didn't take a picture of the poor little worm but wanted to show you the canteloupe the horses planted, yes that's my manure compost pile. This isn't the first garden they have attempted to grow, once they gave me back some beautiful watermelon plants, that is until the deer ate them. Who says gardening has to be so complicated, just enjoy a cool watermelon on a sunny day, give what's left to the equine, and then let nature do all the work :). This is an aged pile so if I can beat the deer it should be safe to transplant it and see what happens.

Update: Well I was too late, when I checked after work today the canteloupe was gone roots an all. They probably chowed it down last night, hope it was enjoyed.

Tattoo

Tattoo's have come up in conversation a bit lately so I thought I would explore the topic here. Feelings about tattoo's can be controversial so I hope no one takes offense one way or the other from this post. While some people view it as the body being used as a canvas for a work of art, others see it as defilement. That word did come up in a conversation about tattoo's recently so what exactly does it mean. The definition of defilement is to make filthy or dirty or to make unclean or unfit for ceremonial use; desecrate: defile a temple. Hmmm, I always thought tattoo's were a part of ceremony in many cultures, a way of marking landmarks in one's life. I personally do not have a tattoo (yet anyway), but many of my family members and friends do. In most cases I see their tattoo's as a visual narration of their life or either as an outward expression of an inward journey. I gain much insight into who they are from hearing the stories, meanings, and their feelings behind each one. To me they are a form of expression, kind of a pictorial freedom of speech. If you have a tattoo, or even imagine what you would get if you had one (that'd be me), I would love to hear your story.

The visual pictorial above is of my step-sister's story. The circle on her back is her birth sign representing the day she was born and the tree, a work in progress, symbolizes the tree of life. The art work is of an actual Live Oak tree that has special meaning for her. (Getting off topic, but adding to the uniqueness of Live Oak trees, you can see my feelings about them from what I have written before here.) Getting back to the image, you can also see my favorite, her sons baby handprint. She has now added her second sons handprint as he was just about to be born when this photograph was taken.