9:50am Writing Practice/ 36° Boise
Yesterday I joined James at the gym at 10am and skipped writing. I'll do it again Wednesday morning and perhaps that will become the routine twice a week --- I can live with that. I had a piece of toast and my vitamins before I went and then an egg sandwich on dill rye when I got back at noon. It's good to shake up the schedule sometimes and adding more exercise to the plan is always a good idea.
James and I are back friends again after a three month break. I'm so relieved and happy! We talk talk talked yesterday and walked and peddled and stretched. He's a perfect work-out pal! He told me the latest with Bryce. At one point he was saying how Bryce never listens, he only talks, that he'll ask a long, involved, deep question and not give him, James, a chance to answer it before taking off on another long question. My observation was that Bryce isn't ready for answers yet, he's just now beginning to explore the questions. That struck James as a profound insight and hopefully will help him understand a little better about where Bryce is coming from as he, Bryce, continues to mature. I said that I thought Bryce's maturity was delayed because of the religion he was raised in, he was never taught to question or observe except from a very limited perspective; now he gets to open up and blossom out and who knows where that expanded thinking will take him? He's still in the beginning stages of becoming who he really is after being molded into a clay puppet all his life. The good news is, I feel confident that James will be OK no matter what happens with Bryce! I won't go into details about that but I'll say that I feel very good about his continued life should Bryce leave him. And that's all I'll say about that.
After working on it for three full days, the calendar is finished and ordered. I got a good deal through Snapfish, I just hope the quality is good. I ordered 60 because I got 70% off yesterday for Cyber Monday. But then the shipping fees were horrible so it's a good thing I got such a good deal. The actual cost per calendar this year is $9.04 each, shipping and all. Not bad! Add the envelope for a buck and that brings them to $10.10 each. To mail one First Class is $3.78, bringing the total to 13.88 each. I'm selling them for $24 each, two for $44, three for $66. My net for one is $10.12, for two is $9.56, for three is $10.70. That should work out fine for all concerned.
I still have plenty to do to get ready to mail calendars when they arrive next week. I have to write the enclosure letter for this year's photos, I have to message everyone who ordered already and give them payment instructions and I need to contact everyone who ordered last year but not yet this year and ask if they want one or more. I'm keeping some for gifts so I really only have 54 or so to sell. I'm going to try not to reorder any and keep it simple and organized.
And then I have to design Ray's zoo book. I'll start creating the photo file for that today. And I'm going to create a book for Jodie using the photos I took at her mother's place a few days after she died, titled, The Dobble Ranch: The Way She Left It. Maybe I'll take some more shots this Friday when I drive to Baker. I'd like to get a shot of the entry to the ranch I've got photos of Jodie and David talking by the horses. It should be a neat book to have. I hope she likes it, it will be her gift this year instead of a calendar.
That reminds me ... I called on Thanksgiving Day to wish them a nice holiday and Keith answered. Jodie wasn't home and Keith filled me in on how bad their life really is, or at least how bad his life is. He says he's just a ranch hand to her, that's all. He was very bitter. He was going to spend the day with his mother in town while Jodie joined her sisters and her own family in Durkee at Jonette's. I listened and said many times, I'm so sorry to hear that. I had nothing else to offer. Sounds to me like their marriage is over, like it will limp along until he decides to leave. I don't think Jodie cares one way or the other. His whiny ways has done her in. Frankly, I couldn't take it either but it makes me sad for them. They started their lives together with high hopes and then it all went downhill from there. Jodie needs a man more like Uncle PeeWee, a tough, strong, self-motivated ranch man, only with a soft heart. Is there such a person? Probably not outside of Hollywood .... I'll stand by to be supportive of whatever happens. Dang. First Nickie and Kurt got divorced and now maybe Jodie and Keith will split up. Dang.
Well, it's time for breakfast and then back to creation mode with photos and books. I'll do Ray's book first, then Jodie's. I have an idea to make photo books with my Practice Happiness photos but that will require a more advanced level of writing. I'll get the other things finished first and then see what wants to be done next.
Good job today!
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Almost Thanksgiving and Moving to Mexico
10:31am Writing Practice 39° Boise
I've been hand-writing my journals the last few months. I finished setting up my office in the back bedroom and it's so warm and cozy, I love going back there but here's the thing: I still love to sit in the chair in the living room to write. I lean back here in my chair and just take off, the words flow out of me and I can easily tap into the inner worlds where the writing comes from. Not to say that anything important comes out --- but whatever it is, it's real and it's me and that's what primes my pumps each day. My laptop has been stationed in the back office and I go in there after my morning writing out here and I pull up Facebook and do that for a bit, connect with people outside my head (or so it feels) and then I make breakfast and that's usually that. However, I can feel the need for writing practice while typing, for sure. I feel rusty and I'm tripping over words and having to stumble along here. I can sure tell I haven't typed anything much for a few months. It's not that hard to unplug the laptop and bring it in here. I have an extra power cord and when I'm done, I can unplug it and take it right back in there.
But for today, I'm going to leave it here. I have the 2017 Practice Happiness calendar to design and I'm behind. The last two were assembled right here in this chair and after struggling to do it in the back office and now running out of time, I've caved and brought the laptop out to design the thing here. I've selected photos, got a list of 19 subjects to work with and have found quotes for 4 of them. Now all I need to do it continue with the quotes and then begin to put the practices with the photos in Picasa. Then I can get it all going on Snapfish.
My plan had been to have then finished and ordeedr by last week but I designed a bunch of watercolor note cards instead. Almost 100 of them. Sheesh. I could not tear myself away! The idea with them was to market them to realtors and I had a lunch date scheduled with Burma for Thursday last week and wanted to show her. And then I took some to Gigi's shop on Sunday. And then I met another realtor yesterday and showed her and she actually bought some. But then I rescued her open house sign from my garbage, where it had been placed on Saturday at some point. She was very grateful to get it back and that's probably why she bought the cards ... as a sort of reward. Oh well, they're getting out there and that's the important part. The cards are beautiful and I can print them fast and sell them cheap. How fun is that?!
Thanksgiving Day after tomorrow and I thought it was going to be a long, lonely day but now I'm cooking a turkey dinner and Pam and Janna are coming over. Stephanie might come too. I ran out to Walmart to buy a boneless turkey breast roast and a box of stuffing, although I should have bought 2 boxes. And I need more gravy mix. And a can of cranberry sauce. I like the jelly kind in a can (which just shows what kind of upbringing I had) but I wonder if I could find a recipes for using fresh or frozen cranberries? I wonder if I want to bother?
Stephanie just texted that she probably can't come, she has high school friends in town and wants to see them. I get it, she's young, we're a bunch of crones and we don't even drink.
So the menu is:
Off I go to get my breakfast and work on the calendar for the rest of the day. I cancelled plans for tomorrow so that I can work on it and get it finished, so now I have a wide open two days to get it done. Yaaaay!
I've been hand-writing my journals the last few months. I finished setting up my office in the back bedroom and it's so warm and cozy, I love going back there but here's the thing: I still love to sit in the chair in the living room to write. I lean back here in my chair and just take off, the words flow out of me and I can easily tap into the inner worlds where the writing comes from. Not to say that anything important comes out --- but whatever it is, it's real and it's me and that's what primes my pumps each day. My laptop has been stationed in the back office and I go in there after my morning writing out here and I pull up Facebook and do that for a bit, connect with people outside my head (or so it feels) and then I make breakfast and that's usually that. However, I can feel the need for writing practice while typing, for sure. I feel rusty and I'm tripping over words and having to stumble along here. I can sure tell I haven't typed anything much for a few months. It's not that hard to unplug the laptop and bring it in here. I have an extra power cord and when I'm done, I can unplug it and take it right back in there.
But for today, I'm going to leave it here. I have the 2017 Practice Happiness calendar to design and I'm behind. The last two were assembled right here in this chair and after struggling to do it in the back office and now running out of time, I've caved and brought the laptop out to design the thing here. I've selected photos, got a list of 19 subjects to work with and have found quotes for 4 of them. Now all I need to do it continue with the quotes and then begin to put the practices with the photos in Picasa. Then I can get it all going on Snapfish.
My plan had been to have then finished and ordeedr by last week but I designed a bunch of watercolor note cards instead. Almost 100 of them. Sheesh. I could not tear myself away! The idea with them was to market them to realtors and I had a lunch date scheduled with Burma for Thursday last week and wanted to show her. And then I took some to Gigi's shop on Sunday. And then I met another realtor yesterday and showed her and she actually bought some. But then I rescued her open house sign from my garbage, where it had been placed on Saturday at some point. She was very grateful to get it back and that's probably why she bought the cards ... as a sort of reward. Oh well, they're getting out there and that's the important part. The cards are beautiful and I can print them fast and sell them cheap. How fun is that?!
Thanksgiving Day after tomorrow and I thought it was going to be a long, lonely day but now I'm cooking a turkey dinner and Pam and Janna are coming over. Stephanie might come too. I ran out to Walmart to buy a boneless turkey breast roast and a box of stuffing, although I should have bought 2 boxes. And I need more gravy mix. And a can of cranberry sauce. I like the jelly kind in a can (which just shows what kind of upbringing I had) but I wonder if I could find a recipes for using fresh or frozen cranberries? I wonder if I want to bother?
Stephanie just texted that she probably can't come, she has high school friends in town and wants to see them. I get it, she's young, we're a bunch of crones and we don't even drink.
So the menu is:
Boneless Turkey Breast Roast
Stuffing and gravy
Cranberry Relish
Mashed Potatoes
Rolls
Pie
Green Beans in some form
Salad
Pie
I'll provide the top stuff, Pam brings the middle and Janna the last. That should be a fine feast but no sweet potatoes. I wonder if I can live without that bit of sweetness. This meal is already very high in sugar and carbs. I think I'll let it be. Now all I have to do is finish the calendar, get the house spiffed up and vacuumed, go to the store for the extra supplies I need and then I get to spend my day Thursday getting ready for dinner. Maybe I'll get a centerpiece and maybe I'll use the white lace table cloth with my red dishes. It will be so nice to have a small dinner party here.
This makes the third party this year. I had Stephen's birthday bash in March, my Sober Day party in my newly renovated back yard in August and now this dinner. I'm doing well with my willingness to be social in spite of it all. And I'm happy to report an upsurge in good feelings --- I've written all about it in my other pages but I decided to get up and have a life, whatever is left of it, and stop laying around moaning and wailing. I may even move to Mexico!
I have heard of a little town on the north shore of Lake Chapalla south of Guadalajara called Ajijic (Ahi-heek) in the Sierra Madre Mountains. High enough to give the area a temperate climate but south enough for it to never get too cold. And there's all that fresh water! And it's not far from Puerto Vallarta and the ocean vacation play land. Living there would be inexpensive and perhaps a great place to write books, since I would have a housekeeper to take care of me. I'm getting my passport renewed and will fly down there in February or March to check it out and if all goes well, I could actually pack up this house, put it in storage, vet the cats and load us up somehow and hit the road south .... way, way south! Nathan retires in August and I would ask him to go with me to help me get there safe and then fly him back home from Guadalajara, which should be a straight shot from Denver.
I'll rent my house to Stephanie, her lease is up next September, and she'll take ideal care of my sweet home. I'll have to build a carport next spring and make sure all systems are go here so that I don't leave her with any problems. I'll only get minimum rent, just enough to cover expenses, but it will be so worth it to have her here and not have to worry about a thing. Being so far away, it would be so nice to take off and trust, leaving it all in her capable hands. Then whatever debts I take will me I can quickly pay off from there, my living expenses will be to low. I could start out in an apartment and then move into a house if the right situation comes up. I'd like to have a safe place for the cats as well, they wouldn't like to live indoors for the whole time. I might go for a season or for a few years. If I can work there and I like it, I may stay and never come back except to visit. I hear that I have to came back every 6 months in order to renew my visa, which would be fine. I can fly anywhere from that airport in Guadalajara, visit all over the world if I want to. The cats will have to stay behind with a sitter but they should be fine with that.
As I type this all out, I'm imagining a different life and it's fun. Talk about living far from home! I could write that memoir as I'm doing it and tell the stories from the past at the same time. That would give Learning to Live Far From Home an interesting angle that might make all the difference. Yesterday I wrote all the other times I've risked hasty or unlikely moves ...
1) Baker to Portland, 1971
2) Hermiston to Portland, 1977
3) Portland to Hawaii, 1981
4) Portland to Hanford, 1981
4) Hanford to Baker, 2002
5) Baker to Boise, 2003
6) Boise to the happiness tour, 2005
7) San Luis Obispo to Hannibal, MO, 2006
8) Hannibal to Boise, 2007
I have a long and illustrious history of uprooting and taking off at the slightest provocation! I've had 55 addresses in my life since age 5 (before that, I was shuffled around with relatives, I don't think there ever was a "home" to speak of) and I'm not finished yet. I wrote that all out not long ago but I can't remember where I saved it right off the bat. So this latest idea of a new life in Mexico makes perfect sense for my life path, I think I need to do this. The idea of NOT doing it makes me sad and bored ....
Off I go to get my breakfast and work on the calendar for the rest of the day. I cancelled plans for tomorrow so that I can work on it and get it finished, so now I have a wide open two days to get it done. Yaaaay!
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