Still plugging along! Ohio got slammed with snow a week ago. I tell myself we'll appreciate spring that much more, but it looks like spring will be 3 days in May and then we'll slide into summer.

Editing the novel is alot harder than writing it in the first place. Distractions abound. Look at this - I haven't blogged in four months but choose to do this instead of edit. Cleaned bathrooms also. I'm thinking noveling is a fine way to get everything else done. LOL!

1. I did the National Novel Writing Month challenge and wrote a 50k novel in 30 days
2. I continue to find a deeper connection to Spirit
3. Life is flowing and I flow with it
4. Being concious about my words and actions gives me more time for myself, not less
5. The hand I extend in compassion also extends to myself
6. my basset hound is the most spoiled creature on earth
7. Love is answer

ok! It's your turn!

I've been remiss again about writing.

New projects have turned my part time job into a nearly full-time activity. I see this as an opportunity to examine and set boundaries, something I've had problems with in the past. On the gardening side, I've spoken to a couple garden clubs which was a lot of fun for me - I hope they got something good out of it too!

In the immediate future - November 1 - I'm going to participate in National Novel Writing Month and write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I figure this will indeed test my ability to set and keep boundaries.

So we were over at my sister-in-laws last Sunday and they were telling us about friends who had invested in miniature cows - Herefords - for their retirement.

So of course I thought this was a) a joke b) hilarious!

Seriously - (they told us) they bought 2 cows for breeding and they are queens. I asked if they were named RuPaul? No - they are just really spoiled.  So they want to breed these two, but due to the blood lines, they have to order frozen sperm.

see where this is going?

Because they want a small herd.

HAHAHAHH

Only I got the pun - but it went down hill from there.

My sister-in-law and her husband went over to see them, and the  owner called the cows to the barn - faking them out for food - but as soon as they spotted Jane and her husband, they bolted to the other side of the pasture.

Now this sounds like a lot of work for a retirement plan.

It gets better.

When I asked Jane what people do with these critters - keep them as pets (i'm thinking pygmy goat, mini horse, here) she said they are actually beef cattle. Well, that's a tough one because they seem like pets. Part of The Retirement Plan is to birth a male calf and then sell ITS sperm to other lucky owners.

See note above about "alot of work."

I began to wonder about the mechanics about getting the frozen material and storage, then um, "using" it and then I briefly thought about the reverse process - of selling and shipping.
Luckily, Jane pours a tall glass of Chardonnay and I just got the giggles about the whole thing.

She started to tell me about the couple who started an Emu herd, hoping to cash in on the culinary merits of that bird, but said "it didn't fly"

HAHAHAHAH

only I was getting the puns, but that's ok - when they're flowing like that, I say let 'er rip.

I am promised a trip to see the cash cows. more updates later.

I would not believe this but DH Googled "porch sitting" and sure enough!

This is actually a lost art that John and I've revived this summer. Well, it helped that we actually bought porch furniture - we had a fabulous hammock on the front porch for years, but it was so large no one else could enjoy the space.

We have one of those great 1920's homes with a large front porch and it looks across to a yard graced with Oak, maple and fir trees. We've taken to having morning coffee out there, watching the sunrise and listening to the birdsong.

There's no better mediation spot or way to start your morning.

Aerosmith the basset hound has his own cushion, and watches the morning traffic, which is not too extensive till school starts. I can see people smiling at him as they drive by. I think he has his own posse. My co-worker who passes by each morning gets a kick out of him. Coffee and Aerosmith - now for everyone on the street.

We've taken to life in the slow lane and area maximizing it - the porch has allowed us to watch the squirrels in the trees, monitor the neighbors (heh!) and make wise politcal comments to each other. In some ways we feel we're connecting with the spirit of the builders and that by-gone age of baseball on the radio, sunday walks and lemonade in the summer.

Oh, and the hammock? it's in the back between two maple trees that we transplanted as saplings, and under the shade of another oak tree.

Well the writing discipline has fallen dreadfull amiss! On a brighter note, the spiritual journey continues and for now at least, I feel I'm able to integrate what I've learned.

For a long time, it's been like clutching sand and seeing things slip through my fingers. I'd read or experience something and then it seemed no matter how hard I tried, I'd forget the lesson or nosedive into a drama.

Lately I've been able to stand back and watch patterns - if I'm able, I release them, if not, I know another opportunity will present itself. I'm feeling more in the flow and enjoying the ride.

The summer in northeast Ohio has been like the ones I remember from childhood - clear nights, most days hot but not humid. I spend a couple random afternoons in the backyard hammock, in the shade of the neighbor's oak tree, watching the clouds. Pretty idyllic.

If we are One
Then my living room has no walls
Wherever you are
I am
My room is incomplete without you

My universe is incomplete
Without you.

We
Are One.

I am disappointed in the new spiritual retreat because with one exception, the group meditations turned into a "visualize the success" of the center.

With specific architectural features, colors and design.

Then share your "marvelous" visions with the group.

I felt like faucet - turn it on for specific reason, turn it off.

It felt really forced, and I checked cautiously with a couple friends, the ones that told me about the place, and the friend I had encouraged to attend, and we reached that same conclusions - that  we're not going back.

Which is not to say that there aren't kind, well-intentioned people there. I just felt "herded" in specific directions and recognized I wasn't comfortable with it. That's a big lesson for me - to honor my feelings.

It's a slight bummer because after practicing (or seeking) my spiritual path alone for awhile, I really looked forward to coming together with others who were like-minded - open, non-judgemental, etc.

My friends and I have meditated together, when our lives allowed that group time, and certainly we will again. But we're disappointed this did not work out.

I know there's a reason for this - and I don't need to know the reason, just need to "keep on" doing what is working for me.

There hasn't been alot a spiritual or even alternative thought/healing programs anywhere near where I live. It seemed like a bit of a black hole. Programs would be put on in Pittsburgh or Indianapolis, but not in Ohio. I think Columbus had an annual event, but I always had to work the weekend it was presented.

So i was totally surprised when an old estate didn't get bulldozed and developed into a subdivision, and instead became a retreat area with meditation and spiritual/alternaive healing presentations.

Yay for manifestation!

I missed the meditation last week because it was my anniversary, but a friend told me it was very well attended and a good guided meditation, so it's on my calendar for this Wednesday. It's a small start, but aren't they all?

I enjoy my solitary spiritual practice, but I am grateful for the opportunity to hookup with like-minded souls and 'be' together.

um. Been a little inconsistent with writing, I see.

Actually, since March i've felt an energy and spiritual shift. The energy could well be due to finally reaching Spring in Ohio. The spiritual one seems to be part of the journey.

Overall I feel a sense of peace - or maybe I should say that beneath the outside chaos or confusion, I can feel a river of peace. ok so sometimes it's a trickle but that's fine. I know it's there and that's a big step for me.