Busy Busy Busy

After getting up late and thus experiencing a hectic morning of rushing around so I could get to the gym and get home to get other things accomplished, I feel a little better now. I almost didn't go to the gym, but in order to feel better after all of the running this morning and to have the energy to make it through the remainder of our day, I needed to go run for 25 minutes and lift some weights. I know that doesn't sound logical, but if you spend time at the gym you understand what I mean. It is AMAZING how much more centered and energetic I feel after running for two miles. I've pushed my time down to a twelve minute mile (I started at 15) and I feel good about that, even though a twelve minute mile is still considered to be kind of slow, according to a girl friend of mine who runs marathons. No matter. It's good for me! My next task is to do some paperwork for the business, then I'm taking Little One out to the garden shop at Home Depot so we can try to grow some "egg heads" with cress seeds. We saw a fun project on the Noggin channel and decided to try it out. She can paint faces on the eggs, then we'll grow the cress inside. While we're there I will pick up some soil for our garden. The recent rains have washed away all of the good, rich soil we had for our vegetable garden and I don't think the sandy stuff that is left over has much in the way of nutrients for growing plants. So far, the plants have yielded a hot pepper and a still growing bell pepper. We're going the organic route, which means that occasionally I have to go out and brush the bugs off the plants. Thankfully, we have a very small garden, otherwise I'd need to begin research on organic pest repellants. At some point, I hope that will be necessary but for now we have a humble "city garden"; enough to make our tiny back yard area pretty and green and welcoming to the occasional butterfly (even though we don't have butterfly plants back there yet). I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. We're going to hang out with a good friend on Sunday who is moving to Georgia. Everyone is leaving!!!!!!

Tuesday

I've kept a safe distance from my computer over the past couple of days, save for checking my email. It is amazing how much extra time I seem to possess when I don't spend time blogging and surfing the internet. That said, I have realized that I need to spend more time away from my computer screen. I enjoy the computer; as a stay at home Mom it affords me an opportunity to catch glimpses of the outside world during this period of my life when sometimes I feel so sequestered. I will continue to blog and to puruse the internet world, but I think that I need to do so with greater discipline, which is something I so rarely seem to have in any area of my life.

On another note, the weather here has already taken a turn for HOT, and spring has not even kissed the ground yet. Of course, here in Florida winter is not a season that cloaks the earth in white and paints our windows with designs of crystal. Still, the temperatures don't usually reach the high 80's in February, and these days, when global warming seems to be so real in this southern part of the U.S., I like to eke out every bit of winter possible. Soon the humidity will lower over us like a shroud, making even the action of breathing cause to sweat profusely. The air conditioner in my little car will work feverishly to cool us, but the only relief to be had will be in running to the refuges of the mall or the supermarket. Our home is even hot in the summer; to keep the air low enough to make the place comfortable all season long is to court bankruptcy.

For today, there are errands to be run and then possibly a trip to a local park for Little One. Yesterday we did a St. Patrick's Day craft, making a shamrock mobile which is hanging above our kitchen table. She was so proud to show it to N when he stomped in from work last night; it makes me so happy when she greets him at the door with such gusto. I think that he must truly feel loved, having two women rushing to tackle him upon hearing the key in the lock!!!

A Very Quick Post

Since I should be at a meeting right now, I'm going to keep today's post quick. Lately, I've been pondering the merits of a vegetarian diet again. Everyone who knows me well is accustomed to my fluctuations back and forth between a vegetarian diet and that of an omnivore. Usually, I manage to hold out sans meat for a few weeks before caving in to my carniverous cravings. Yesterday I read an article about possible meat contamination that made me think twice about the safety of our meat supply. The peice noted the issue of cruelty to animals as if such a thing only happened once in awhile. Anyone who reads PETA's website, or any website dedicated to the humane treatment of animals is well acquainted with the knowledge that animal cruelty is a part of everyday life in the world of animals being raised for circulation into our food supply. This, and not the issue of whether or not people were meant to eat other animals or whether it's healthy for us to do so has always been my main reason for abstaining from meat products. Animals who are not completely healthy, who can't walk on their own to the slaughterhouse, are killed every day for the purpose of being fed to American consumers. My goal here is not to tell anyone they shouldn't eat meat. To do so would be just a tad bit hypocrytical on my part. I did find this peice which I read today (not the original article mentioned above but still a good read) interesting and thought maybe someone else might want to read it. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080221/ap_on_re_us/slaughterhouse_abuse;_ylt=AlDRn5ognnFddvL4FDCyRIlH2ocA

Here is another good one: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/02/beef_recall_res_1.php

and another: http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_cows.asp

Okay, getting off the soapbox now and heading to my meeting.

Sunday Night Back Home

We had a great time in Orlando, in spite of N's friend not contacting us until Saturday morning. We debated about making the trip, then decided to just go; we figured that if he didn't get in touch with us we could always go to Disney or SeaWorld! As it turned out, F hooked up with a girl at the tradeshow he'd flown down to attend, and we met up with him on Saturday morning. Friday night we stayed at an inexpensive hotel which was also occupied by many of the participants in a rodeo which took place on Saturday night. We really wanted to go to the rodeo but couldn't wait until 7PM on Saturday, so instead we went to a fair that was taking place at the rodeo grounds. Most of the rides were geared toward small children, so my daughter had a great time. We even talked my husband and his friend into taking a ride on the ferris wheel. N has a discomfort with heights that I wasn't familiar with until yesterday; I'm okay with heights as long as I feel like I'm not going to fall. Our daughter loved it! We even got F to come along. Later in the day we visited the Ripley's Believe it Or Not museum, which was a fun time. After eating a late dinner we all crashed; F had to catch a 6AM flight (bummer) so he was out by around 3AM. I finally got out of bed at 8AM; I couldn't take being kicked in the back or smacked in the face by my little one anymore. She tosses and turns ALOT when she sleeps, and for our little family to sleep in one bed usually means my husband and I don't get a quality night of sleep. Needless to say, tonight I will be sleeping VERY soundly.

(ps: picture above is not mine, but should be credited to westjet.com)

Shufflin' Off to Orlando

Later this afternoon we are heading up to Orlando to visit with a childhood friend of my husband's who is down from Louisiana to attend a trade show. Since he'll be in town for a couple of days and will be bored after the show is over we decided to meet him up there and hang out for the day tomorrow. We can stay at his hotel (he reserved a big room) and then head back Sunday morning. We aren't going to Disney this trip; this will be the first time we travel to Orlando for something other than going to Disney World! Our Valentine's Day was good; we were able to score a sitter, which meant that we had about three hours of inturrupted adult time at our favorite Irish restaurant. So nice to have that, in these days when time for intimacy between us is scarce. Before hitting the road north I am going to the library, where two James Lee Burke novels are waiting for me to pick them up. I LOVE this author. I tore through one of his earlier Dave Robicheaux novels in about a week and am looking forward to reading two more. It's rare for me to read fiction, but I need some fiction in my life these days for escape.
Happy weekend!

Rainy Wednesday

I had my gym bag packed and in the car early this morning, but when Little One woke up she had a scratchy, sore throat and a nasty cough, so we're staying home today. The skies are grey and the rain is falling on and off, sometimes in a downpour, sometimes in a drizzle. I like days like this sometimes. Perpetual sunshine has a negative effect on me. I like it, but not every day. My plan today is to go to Whole Foods Market for some good, organic produce to make dinner with tonight, and possibly some sort of natural sore throat remedy that is safe to give my daughter. N has been telling me for the past two nights (she's been courting this cough for a couple of days, but today it is suddenly worse) to give her Dimetapp, but I hate giving her that stuff unless I absolutely feel the need. I feel that organic foods digest more easily and I feel better when I go on "meat detoxification" diets here and there. If not for N, I think I could give it up altogether, but he's a country boy from Louisiana, and he's loathe to give up his steaks. As I type sirens wail in the distance. This rainy weather is useful for causing vehicular accidents; another good reason to stay home for most of it. After our trip to Whole Foods Market we'll come home and do a stained glass project which I bought for us to do together in honor of Imbolc. Brighid (Imbolc is also the feast of Brighid) is the Goddess of metalwork, fire, and mothers, among some other things, and Imbolc is, in part, about the strengthening of the sun in the approaching spring and a festival of light. I thought that, given these factors, stained glass would be appropriate (I bought a kit where we can paint the glass). I hope everyone else out there has a wonderful Wednesday, rain, snow, or whatever comes your way!

Why am I online again?

I sometimes think that there is no one out there who knows how to waste time better than I do, and I hate that fact. There are only a few hours contained within each day; I have so many things I want and need to do, but yet I piddle away the minutes on this little task, and that little chore, and soon it's noontime and soon after that it's 5:00. I've refrained from posting or even visiting my blog sites for a couple of days, since once I log on it seems that I fall into a black hole. Two hours later, I emerge feeling guilty and tired. My daughter is watching tv with N right now, but she's been watching tv for too long now. He isn't feeling well today; some sort of stomach thing that has been making the rounds. Tonight I'm speaking for a friend at a hospital rehab center. I've considered what I will be saying, but also realize that seldom does what I plan to say actually end up being what actually sputters forth from my mouth. Most times, things go well; they can't be too planned, though, or they sound phony, like you're reading from a recovery textbook but have no idea what it truly feels like when you need to be in a program of recovery. Hopefully I don't get nervous and blank out completely. That happens on occasion and it feels extremely awkward.

Back Home

We had a great time camping!!!! Being out in the woods for a couple of days was renewing, even though we didn't do much hiking as I'd hoped we would. Fisheating Creek offers a fairly small campground so the choices of hiking trails close to where we were limited. N went fishing early Saturday morning and then was too tired for much else, although we did visit a friend of his who lives in Venus. His friend wasn't home but his son rode us around their property on a golf cart, where we were followed by hungry black Angus cows. They mooed at us until we rode far enough away for them to lose interest. We enjoyed the company of some very cool people on this trip, which always makes for a good time. Lots of great conversation, quiet woodland nights, campfire, an afternoon boatride up the river. Fantastic! I cajoled our daughter into taking a short walk with me to an amazing cypress stand near our camp. The light filtering through the trees helped to create an area of peace and mystery. That was about as far as I could get her to walk with me; our daughter loves to run around, but she likes to go where she wants to go, and guided tours are rarely withstood.