Define 365!

I'm starting a project tomorrow. Project Define 365. Where you take a photo each day and post it to Flickr (similar to project 365 except you write something about the photo). The photo shouldn't be "the best photo of the day", but it might be more how you feel, what you see, a snapshot into your life. I place to then use the apple tool to create a book for 2011 that is the small descriptions and photos at the end of 2011.

Anyone else out there care to join the fun?

2nd Egg.

In the middle of this snow storm there was another egg! Yep. The same chicken gave birth to another egg which is twice the size of the first egg.


Here is Kevin in her roost as she gets ready to lay the egg. I shouldn't have bothered her - but she was too cute!


Mike ate her egg for breakfast. There were 2 yolks in it, which I guess happens when they are first laying.

Oh My God - First Egg

Today one of the Domineques seemed off. She sat in the
roost and wouldn't come down for snacks. Turns out it was because she was busy laying her first egg! Kevin Kim Jong laid the first egg folks!

Christmas Eve Turkey Carving

Christmas Eve Turkey Carving
Originally uploaded by RocketGirl*

We set up the camera to take timelaps photos every 2 seconds. This is what happened.

Ten on Tuesday - New Years Edition

Carol's brilliant idea for today is 10 Intentions for the New Year. I, like many others, have to say that I do love the non-resolution based 2011 theme. I never do resolutions. If I tell myself I can't or shouldn't do something, then I just do it. Because I've set a rule. So, intentions are really what I like. Here are my 10.

1. Write every day. I had over a month of writing every day and I found it so therapeutic. I'm not sure I'll use the 750 tool all the time, because I love writing in paper journals, but I will write every day.

2. My Project Define 365. Where you take a photo each day and post it to Flickr (similar to project 365 except you write something about the photo). The photo shouldn't be "the best photo of the day", but it might be more how you feel, what you see, a snapshot into your life. I place to then use the apple tool to create a book for 2011 that is the small descriptions and photos at the end of 2011.

3. Listen better. I listen when people are talking. But if my mind is somewhere else I don't really remember what they said. I read every email that comes in. But, if my mind is somewhere else I don't really remember what they said. I believe that I've become less of a good listener than I care to be. I will listen better!

4. Project 333. I will not be doing 33 total articles of clothing for 3 months, but my own version. I'm working on minimizing my footprint by minimizing my unneeded items. All of this going back to the concept of living well with what you have instead of better through more. Of course while out shopping yesterday I looked at new pants and shoes and socks and asked myself, "How many bags did you just give to charity? Do you need this stuff?" The answer is no.

5. I want to bike more to work. In 2009 I biked about 1/8 of the year. It was a great workout and I like not driving. 2010 was a hard year to get biking in so I'd like to get more in this year.

6. Buying less food. I know this might seem like a strange thing to work on, but we normally have a stocked pantry. Our fridge and freezer normally have loads of options for things that we can cook at the drop of a hat. This is nice - but leads to buying more and more instead of just using what you have. We will buy less food and do more refrigerator reviews (which I love because we invent dishes based on what we have in the fridge at the time).

7. Practice more yoga. I feel so much better when I'm doing yoga. I don't think I need to do it every day. As a matter of fact I've been trying to do it every day for the past year and you can see on the side of the blog how that is going. But, I need to get in more practices. Home practice is great but since I stopped leading I don't have the schedule I would like. So, I'm going to sign up for a class or two.

8. Giving more. I don't mean money or things, but time, ideas and presence. I think that just being present even when typing an email makes a big difference. Giving a bit more of who you are to the people around you can impact them and you.

9. I want to redesign the backyard to be more chicken friendly. This includes reading up on what is chicken friendly, designing it, and then putting it into place. I know that if I just wait Mike will come up with all kinds of ideas - but I want to do it. I want to figure it out and follow through.

10. Eat less processed food. This past year I read ingredients labels more. Do you know that even "organic" good for you bread has like 10 ingredients in it? When I make bread at home it has really 5 ingredients. What the hell are they putting into everything? This year we will strive to eat things that have 8 or few ingredients. And if there are things that aren't even real foods - I'm not putting it into my mouth.

What are your thoughts for 2011? Changing anything? Working on anything??

Christmas Day Hike.

The holidays have been fantastic. We went for a hike on Christmas day and got to see some lovely stuff. Happy Holidays all!

I got a new camera to replace the camera that broke in Korea and here are some of the shots I took!

Merry Christmas.

It is Christmas morning here in the POTKU household and I just want to wish everyone a very happy day. I hope that all of your wishes come true today!

Advent Holidays.

We do an advent calender in our house and Mike gave me this crazy tree that grows crystals in just a few hours. This is a timelaps video of it growing.

Happy Holidays!

Cold Chickens?

With all the weather we've had the chickens have been a bit on the cool side. But, they seem to be getting through it okay. Yesterday they roamed the back yard and even walked through snow to get to some of their favorite patches of weeds. I think they will make it through this cold spell just fine!

Starting today we are off for holiday break. Happy holidays everyone!

2011 Minimalist Approach.

If you remember a while back I posted about living well versus better. The difference between buying bigger and instead living with what you have and enjoying the "wellness" of it. I've been working on this for the past year and find that I ask the question of, "Do I need this or could I do with less and give extra money to charity." Which is a great feeling. But, this past October a buddy of mine, Bev, told me about Project 333. Project 333 started in October and ends December 31. You cut down your wardrobe to only 33 items for 3 months. These 33 items include jewelry, shoes, outerwear, and all clothing (except pajamas or underwear). I thought about doing this in October, but after the fire I was feeling a longing for my clothing. But, now that the new year is upon us I'm feeling the need to scale down and minimize my life. I've decided to try the 333 but with my own little twist. I'll keep you posted as January draws near.

Ten on Tuesday

This weeks Ten on Tuesday is 10 Last Minute Gift Ideas. I've been thinking about this since reading other peoples and trying to come up with my list.
1. Try to never have to give a last minute gift!
2. Cookies or bread
3. Gift card to itunes or something like that.
4. Funny handmade card.
5. Liqueur.
6. Coupons for things
7. Never anything knit because the pressure would be too great.
8. Something out of the gift box (I keep a box of things we find in other countries that I'm not sure exactly who to give them to just yet).
9. FUDGE - is there anything wrong with fudge?
10. A joke. Looking up a funny joke and putting it on a card.

There you go. What are your last minute gift ideas?

Winter Wonderland.

We finally got a nice big snow storm. The lab was closed on Friday and it was a cloudy, stormy, glorious time! I of course couldn't sleep in during the snow day, but instead got up and worried about what to do about the Kevins. Snow had drifted into their coop and they appeared to be cold. I finally decided that putting down a nice layer of fresh dry bedding would be the best. This seemed to make them feel a lot better, although now we are talking about putting in a heat lamp that is temperature controlled.

Call It Holiday Time - Reverb10

We are finally getting some snow. I'm so excited. I'm still working on my reverb10 entries. Here is the latest.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

In 2010 I have become more active on Ravelry and with Twitter. I always thought Twitter was just for quick statements about ones self, but I now see that there is a community of people from all over the world that are nice, friendly and caring. On Ravelry I've started a few groups and have met and befriended people who I now call dear friends. I'm not sure for 2011. We'll have to see what the new year holds. Maybe Flickr?

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

I'm a very outgoing person and have the ability to create conversations where maybe one doesn't exist. Just this past week at a Christmas party there was a post-doc who was standing off by himself eating alone. I just walked up to him and started chatting. Sometime I think people can find it a bit abrasive but it is just how I am. I'm not sure I know anyone else that feels this need to make everyone feel a part of a community.

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

While living in the ghetto this past summer we had a wine tasting party. The small apartment was filled with all of our friends and some family. The wines were interesting and they were paired with foods. In particular I remember a luscious red that we paired with ginger snap cookies. The combination was incredible. The small kitchen was so full that you couldn't move. The temperature was well over 90 degrees and we were all dripping with sweat as we moved from wine to wine. The party was incredible because of the diversity of the people and the conversations. As we opened the 14 bottle I remember smiling and thinking that no evening could be better.

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Wisest decision? This is a hard question. I don't normally think about the choices I make after I make them. I normally just make them and go, seems like an easier way to live. So far I could say that getting chickens has been a great decision. They are calming, fun and more relaxing than you would think.

December 11 – 11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

11 things I don't need. Wow, what a good question. #1. Negativity. I think that there is just too much negativity at work. In 2011 I will try to only see positive aspects of co-workers. #2. Sweets at work. I'm a stress eater. If I have something due or I'm really under the gun I will eat chocolate. I need a healthier approach to stress. I'll try stretching instead of eating in 2011. #3. More stuff. I really don't need more stuff. As a matter of fact I need a lot less. I'm going to do 333 and also try to decrease our household carbon-footprint. #4. High maintenance friends. I have a few and I think I will just be unavailable this year. #5. Wasted Evenings. After a hard day I normally just want to put my feet up and sit on the couch. In 2011 I'll work to make the most of each evening. I can't find 11 - so my five will have to do.

December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

I also feel most integrated with my body while rock climbing or biking. Rock climbing because each move is thought out and might push my physical form past what I normally can do. Biking because I love the fast feeling of the world outside me and I have to be on my toes to remember that there are cars everywhere. I love the burning in my lungs when it is cold out and I peddle fast and hard.

Vanity.

A good friend had a post about vanity and posting photos. Taking 20 photos to get one that is perfect. I started thinking about this and realized I do the same thing. I will only post pretty photos. Perfect photos. Photos that are exactly what I want the world to see. I decided to share a B or C photo with you. For no other reason that I think most of you know who I am and know just as everyone else, you have good photo days and bad photo days.

Cool Error Message.

While on one of my favorite sites I got this error message. Wow. They know how to make an error message that I actually like seeing.

Ten on Tuesday

Today’s Ten on Tuesday, provided by the always cool Carol,is 10 Things On Your To-Do List.

My To-Do List isn't too bad this year. But, here is what I currently have.
1. Track one missing package.
2. Clean up for charity giveaway stuff (my craft room is a mess).
3. Bake cookies
4. Finish holiday notes
5. Get stuff for Christmas dinner
6. Give out the rest of work gifts
7. Finish up a hat I'm doing as a gift
8. Stocking stuffers
9. Journal all the things I'm thankful for this year.
10. Mega Snow Dance!!!

What is on your list?

Happy Holidays.

I love the holiday season and nothing is better than smelling holiday flowers. I love planting the bulbs and getting them to bloom just in time for Christmas. The twinkle of holiday lights, the smell of cookies and the overbearing odor of paperwhites - that is the holiday to me!

The Cats

They love to be a ham for the camera.

The Kevins.

My how the little girls have grown. This weekend I've let them roam outside without any real supervision. They seem to be okay. Doing well and not flying into the neighbors yards.

Reverb10

There is a great site for getting ready for the new year that posts a question or thought each day and you write to it. It is called rever10. Here is what I've done so far!

December 1 - One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

2010's word would have to be FIRE. I know that to most people having a house fire might seem like something about stuff. But, for us the house fire was about change. It brought into perspective the things that are important. What we really care about, and really how little things mean. It made us both think that we can do without a lot and we can and will focus on living a simpler life. I always turn back to the difference of living well versus better. Better meaning more things and well meaning with the things you have but enjoying everything in its turn. I hope that the world fire drops from our vocabulary as we move into 2011. I hope that 2011's word is growth. I hope that we can look back on 2010 and realize all the things we have accomplished, what we have learned and how we have changed.

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

To write I have to focus. I have to sit at the computer or with pen and paper and have nothing else going on. No music. No tv. No talking. Really no noise. It is as if I need a little bubble for my creative juices to come out. I must eliminate distractions if I am to write.

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

I could easily pick the moment I entered out house to find it filled with soot and smoke - but that wouldn't been when I felt most alive or something that brings the strongest positive emotion. When we got off the train in the small college town in South Korea and Mike jumped onto a bus. I was standing there. No maps, no idea of where anything was and no way to communicate with anyone. I had no idea what direction to walk or even where to find the simplest of things. I felt my nerve ending prick. My hair felt heavy even though I could see my breath. It was cold out. My stomach felt upset with nerves and I thought, "How will I ever find my way around." I decided to pick a direction and start walking. I picked the exact opposite direction from where I needed to be. I found this out once I finally ran into a person and spoke with her about where the city center was. The smell of fast food, Korean style, was over powering to my nervous stomach. I thought for a moment I might be sick. But, it passed. Once I had a general direction I just started walking. What was nerves turned into excitement and happiness. Finding what you are looking for without having your hand held is so liberating.

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

Wonder is something that as I child I had a ton of and I'm not sure it has ever gone away. I let the world around me surprise me. The kindness of strangers, neighbors, blogger buddies. The love of my spouse. I let wonder be something that is cherished and never abandoned. When it rains here in the high mountains of the Southwest I go up to our ski hill, which is forested, and run on the trails. I do it because of wonder. The smells of the damp ground. The mushrooms emerging from under leafs. I take it all in and let it wash over me with it drizzly hand. I've been told that I act like a child sometimes and I will always take it as a complement. Wonder at the world around you!

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

This year I let go of a great amount of fear. I would never admit it to the outside world openly. But, there has always been a bit of honest that I keep to myself. I am outgoing, straightforward and maybe even a bit abrasive. But, there are a few things about me that I hold in tight because of fear. Fear that I can't move forward with them. Fear that I'll be judged. I decided this past year to just let go and move on. The feeling of acceptance has been overwhelming. I now feel like my path, my road is on track.

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

The last thing I made was a neck warmer for a dear friend. I enjoy making things with my hands. Working with fibers and fabrics. I'm a very tactile person and the feel of even paper or pen on paper will either inspire me to create or block me completely. I have been making some wonderful progress on cleaning out my stash of fabrics and yarn this year. I hope to continue it into 2011.

Ten on Tuesday

This weeks Ten on Tuesday is perfect for this time of year, 10 Favorite Holiday Shows. Here is my list.
1. Love Actually. I love the cast, the story line and all of the players. Great movie even with the whole holiday aspect.

2. The Ref. There is something about the upset, crazy family activities that just reminds me of my family and makes me love watching it.

3. Elf. It is so funny and uplifting. I could watch it over and over.

4. Home Alone. An oldy but goody. The kid is so cute.

5. Christmas Vacation. FUNNY!

6. The Grinch. The movie version. I like to sing along and adore Cindy LuWho.

7. The Grinch. Cartoon. Reminds me of my childhood.

8. Christmas Story. I was the kid who licked frost and got my mouth stuck to a pole.

9. Scrooged. The one with Bill Murry.

10. Nightmare Before Christmas. I'm a big fan of this dark cartoon crossover between Halloween and Christmas.

All of these movies I have on DVD and like to watch them while I'm wrapping gifts and drinking hot cider!

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Twitter :: Tweet


2. Facebook :: Yuck


3. MySpace :: Blows


4. Friend :: ly Knitter


5. Subscribe :: Magazines


6. Conflict :: FIGHT


7. Ignore :: Listen


8. Drama :: Queen


9. Hide :: Away


10. List :: For Sale

More Free Association.

Cycle Weeekend.

We spent the weekend in Deming for a track weekend. It wasn't a race, but this made it more fun than normal. There was a banquet on Saturday night, which was great because we got to see a lot of friend (that we really haven't seen much this year). We normally go to Deming about once a month, but haven't been down since June. I got some fabulous runs in, the sun sets were amazing and the time with friends was irreplaceable.!

Finally Chairs.

We finally replaced the burnt dinning room chairs this week. This means that we have replaced most of the large ticket items that were destroyed from the house fire. I'm sure that parties and holidays can now be handled at our house again - since we have a place for people to sit.

ROK Shorts

During my trip to Korea I decided to write things I call shorts. They had to be shorter than one page in my journal and just something from that day. I only got a few of them done on the trip but they were fun. You can read for yourself.

November 14. Tiny
Body parts fell asleep as the gas from the noodle soup built. The touch down was smooth but there was a foot race to the bus. My left foot nearly melted as we traversed the long, uneven bridge. Are my Starburst liquid? There are TVs everywhere. In the bus, the lady in front of me is holding one, the car that just passed us has one in the dash. Off the buss I freeze. It is cold and my thick jacket is packed. The hotel is trimmed in gold. Our room has a view, thick carpet and soft towels. Outside each corner has a stall selling something. Fruit or bread or dumplings. The lines of youth make me want to stop. The tight street, where we end up eating, is near sun bright. The tanks of live fish seem un-phased by the glimmer. Our tummies are full of beer, rice wine and shojo before we start to sing. Why has this newly Christian country edited Anarchy in the UK? Who is offended by "I am the anti-Christ?" Not I. Get pissed. Destroy.

November 15. Zippy
The cycles are highly modified. Bars and pads and trailers. They zip in and out of traffic, moving too quickly. Near the Dongdae-Mun Market there is an intersection. Motorcycles covered in rust with tall heavy loads weave in and out through the hordes of people. The mingling of scents from the street cooks is an assault on your nasal passage. you step, check, look left and then right. Hop into the road and with the surging mass of people and machines you move. An insane game of Frogger where you can't tell when the next cycle will come flying at you. Intense, insane and madly liberating.

November 16. Really?
We went to Mike's work banquet dinner. It was at a place called Bolgogi Brothers, otherwise known as bbq beef. All of the people at the meeting went. Na Young, a young thin lady I had met before, was there and freaked out when we walked through the door. She was not told I was in town. We sat with her and another gentleman who was very surprised when Mike called me honey. The guy wondered if we were newly weds. Why are we so friendly and lovey. Na Young is in an arranged marriage and only sees her husband once a week. They live in different towns. The guy said that American reality and talk shows are how he thought all Americans are. All night he commented and was shocked. "Why so nice? Why so in love?" I can't say other than - it is love.

November 17. Nukes.
When the old men kept giving me complements my face burn with the blush of their attention. When they asked me to nuke North Korea I knew the conversation was over.

The squid in the tank makes me sad. I want to set him free. There are sad gray squid on the bottom of the tank. This lively purple guy will become sad and gray before he dies. It guts me.

The smells and flavors are so strong. If you live here what does the smell do to you? Why does it turn my stomach.

November 18. Luck
What is luck? Is it real? If you rub the tummy of a Buddha over and over will your life change? Will karma step in? Praying helps with luck? The Japanese happy cat? Everywhere you go people believe different things. I love that the diversity exists. I would hate a world where only one idea lived on. It also seems like people turn to luck or faith when things are hard or tough. I've always wondered about this. Why don't you speak of luck or faith or karma when things are perfect and good? Happy times are lost because we dwell on misery. Look at the news. Talk to a relative, "Uncle Fred is sick. Aunt Mary hurts." Why not, "Uncle Fred is enjoying his garden. Aunt Mary laughs all day." Where did we go wrong? B+ all the time and see what happens.

Holiday Time.

Here is our 2010 Christmas tree. I started setting it up on Thanksgiving and finished today.

Can you see what the kitties love about the tree? Yep ... they spend all day long under it. I think they are building a nest.


I love this time of year. The food is delicious, the lights sparkle and the cool weather is great for hot tubing.

Ten on Tuesday

This weeks Ten on Tuesday from lovely Carol is 10 Things You Love About Thanksgiving.

1. FOOD! I know everyone must say this, but growing up my father's big day to shine in cooking was Thanksgiving. I only hope that I've learned a number of his tricks.
2. The smells. It seems that everything, even starting early smells so incredible. Right now my kitchen smells of sage and by Thursday it will be roasting turkey, pie, potatoes, cinnamon .....
3. Family. Even though this year I will miss my family - I do love a nice loud busy house full of people.
4. The post dinner comma. There isn't any other day during the year where I feel like passing out after eating.
5. Christmas decorating. Yep. Thanksgiving is a doorway to the holidays. As soon as Thanksgiving is over - the decorations go up!
6. Thinking of all the things I'm thankful for. Thanksgiving makes me stop and think. Remember people, places and just what sort of life I'm blessed to have.
7. The cats go crazy on Thanksgiving. Our smallest cat is a turkey freak. I adore watching her freak out and run around the house screaming for turkey.
8. Mike is always home for Thanksgiving. He has never missed one (and with his busy work travel schedule this is saying a lot). I love to spend the day with him.
9. Leftovers. I create all kinds of new and interesting dishes based on all the leftovers. Last years was a bake that had everything from dinner, cheese and green chili.
10. Winter comes. It seems like in New Mexico winter doesn't really show up until Thanksgiving weekend. This weekends lows are suppose to be 7 degrees. Ah ... winter!

What do you love about Thanksgiving?

Seoul Update.

I know, I was MIA there for the rest of my trip. Just too much going on. I will be posting however little shorts from each day I was in Korea. Overall it was an amazing trip and actually the best trip overseas I've ever taken. I have some fun stories and some crazy stories. Including an old man saying, "Can you nuke North Korea." Yep. I've uploaded all of the photos, which you can see on Flickr. Here is just a taste of the trip. More to come once I get through my shorts/journal and notes.

Seoul Day 1.

Yesterday was our first full day in South Korea. Our first night we ate out at a cook at your own table place and then sang karaoke until the wee hours of the morning. Yesterday I mapped out locations I want to visit and we went to a tradition market - which was a blast and creepy at the same time. There were too many live animals for me and the smells were a bit overwhelming ... but interesting all the same. It is cold here and I'm hoping it warms up a bit.

Reading ...

I've been reading a number of books that have been on my list for a long time. What is interesting is that they start off so slow and I've had a hard time getting into them. But once I get part way into them I'm hooked. I'm not sure what is going on with them. Normally I start a book and can't put it down. It is possible that this new phenomena is because these are books that I've wanted to read for a while and might not be my standard crap vampire chick-lit books. For whatever reason I'm really enjoying these new novels!

Methow.

Methow has decided that she loves the sofa in the den. I can't imagine not having the sofa now and on the weekends I find her just asleep all over it. What do your pets do on the weekend? Do they know it is weekend too?

Ten on Tuesday

A fellow blogger, Carol, always has a Ten on Tuesday that she posts. This Tuesday is 10 Dream Vacations. I love to travel and I love vacations so this one is perfect.

1. Nepal. I've always wanted to go. Always.
2. Egypt. It has been on my list since I was 9 years old.
3. New England. I've never been and since a house that my great great great great great great great Grandfather built is in CT and is still standing as a historical site - I'd like to see it.
4. Biking tour of Ireland. I've wanted to see it from bike and drink at pubs.
5. Peru. Mostly to see Machu Piccu. But, there is something about Peru that calls to me.
6. Yoga retreat to India. Yep. I'd love to see all that India has to offer and do it while relaxing in the lotus position.
7. Thailand. My favorite food on the planet is Thai food. I think I'd like to bike and travel by train around Thailand and then spend some time on small islands.
8. Greece. All of Greece. The blue trimmed buildings, the sea, the boats and sand. No other beach type place has ever called to me. Greece does.
9. Finally I'd like to redo Darwin's trip to the Galapagos Islands. I'd like to take journals and write about everything I see. Document it as if I was Darwin.
10. Outer-space. Yep. I would go if I could. I'd like to walk on the moon or see Mars. Beam me up Scotty!

There you go. My ten top vacations!

Birthday Weekend.

It was Ty's 7th birthday this weekend. We got together and created a master piece of a cake. It is a blast decorating cakes with the nephews. They always have ideas of what they want and creating something that is perfect is nothing but fun!

New Pillows.

After our house fire, we were asked by Karin's twin sister if we needed anything. Our pillows were destroyed, as were there sofas, so she made us new pillows. They are amazing. Perfect. Stunning. I have to say that they are the best construction and the fabric is perfect. Thanks Lisa!

Weekend With Friends.

Good friends of ours came into town this weekend. We had brunch with them in Santa Fe and it was fantastic to catch up with old friends. Why does it seem so hard to catch up with friends as you get older?

Make Me Laugh Wednesday.

October 31st In Our House.

Halloween is a great time of year. I love pumpkins, roasting pumpkin seeds (this year I did curry flavored) and of course dressing up. Here is a taste of our Halloween this year.

Boots!!!

I ordered this bright purple suede boots. I know - I don't need boots ... But they fit perfect and feel great to wear. I might sleep with them on tonight!

As The Garden Dies.

The garden is dying back and I've been spending the weekends cleaning it out. I came across this gem though. Yep. A watermelon that is still holding on. This little guy was packed with seeds and the chickens loved him. Next year maybe I should try growing one earlier?

Wood Collecting.

With a wood burning stove it means that in fall there is a lot of "Where do we get wood this year." Do we collect wood? Buy wood? This year we got a free pass to a bunch of wood from Bandalier National Park. It was a fun day of collecting, but now it has to be cut and split. Ouch.

Happy Halloween

Kevin's Eating
Originally uploaded by RocketGirl*

Here are the Kevin's eating a large cricket. This cricket made the mistake of landing in my hair and being in the kitchen. Hence the chickens get a little snack. Yesterday they finally found the grass. I can't wait to get a video of racing chickens.

What A Week!

Well you might be wondering where I have been this week. It has been a crazy week for sure. Last Friday I found out I had strep throat. I got medication and spent the majority of the weekend on the sofa relaxing. I flew to Washington DC on Monday morning. Got there late. Tuesday I had to brief a bunch of people at NNSA. Was there until late. Then flew home on Wednesday. While I was in DC Mike was holding down the fort and found that when the construction people re-built our spare bathroom they screwed up the pipping to the tub and it has been leaking water since July. The drywall in our bedroom is ruined and we aren't sure about the hardwood floor. He had to deal with the plumber and the contractor who is responsible. Meanwhile sick Moab is on antibiotics and is doing much better. We think she might be fixed. Fingers crossed! I went to work yesterday to a mass of email and voice mail and things to respond to - and now I have today off. I'm still trying to relax and get through all my medication for this cough. Hopefully this next week I can get more blogging in!

Los Alamos

It isn't often you see our little town in the comics - but when you do!