Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Speaking of Gardening and Beautiful Things


WM just found out that she has some new dietary issues. They mostly revolve around cutting out dairy (totally do-able save for an occasional pizza). But...there seems to be some issue with in-season fruit and some additive/preservative that is bad for her (and no doubt, all of us, I bet). If she eats in-season fruit, her doctor advised her to go with locally grown.
This is interesting to me because my house has just attempted to go with locally grown produce as much as possible. I've not done so well with it yet, but that's a big damn adjustment...and I'm working on it. Now I have more of an idea what I am doing and it should go more smoothly. My goal, is to someday grow all of my own produce (and as I'm trying to buy 11 acres here soon, I think I can do it). In my little suburban lot, I can't totally sustain myself in the produce department. But I think I am making a good damn start.
I'd like to introduce Cherokee Purple (its an heirloom larger sized tomato...each of these bad boys is at least the size of soft ball and mostly meat, few seeds).
Wait until you see the Georgia Stripe....

Monday, September 1, 2008

Welcome

And here we are at blog attempt number 2. I was not particularly careful about keeping myself anonymous in my lst one. My job, and the way the blogosphere and interwebs make the world so small made me a little panicky about that blog. Which leads me to ask that my dear IRL friends to not use my name or my nickname on this blog. Please use my more formal name of Err… (that story will soon follow, I’m sure). I reserve the right to delete comments that reveal my secret identity. Don’t be taking off my glasses, folks….

A new blog also feels appropriate at this time. I’ve begun a new chapter in my life. I began the old one during a time of chaos, worry, and difficulty. Since leaving that stress behind, I’ve turned over a new leaf. Well, maybe not so much of a new leaf, maybe I’ve just found the old one. And I’m holding tightly to it.

I’ve never had a high tolerance for bullshit. Anyone who knows me… knows that. It defines me. It’s as much a part of me as my inability to spell or use proper punctuation. The last adventure in my life, however, left me feeling very much like the little Hobbit boys in the Lord of the Rings series (my dear, sweet heavens….has TB (the boy) really rubbed off that much on me and left me such a damn geek….?) As I began my adventure, I was excited, but after the first bit of excitement with the ugly nasties, I was rethinking my decision to follow the old gnarled wizard. By the time we got to Mordor, I was stuck and left to finish victoriously or jump the hell into the fire. I’m happy to say I saved the world (or my little part of it) with my ass just a little bit crispy and well done. But I made the decision to return to the peace of The Shire. And I’m never leaving with a giant white man in a robe again.

My entire life philosophy is wrapped up in making my life as peaceful and simple and healthy as possible. I have a job that I love. It pays me well enough and leaves me enough time to be well rounded and balanced about my other activities. I put my entire heart into it, but do not sweat the things I cannot change. Every day I will be the best Err I can be, I will LIVE (hi sister #2) as hard as I can, I will be as good to my body, my loved ones, and my world as I can. I’ll fix what I can to the best of my abilities. But I refuse to worry about it. Worry is for more important things. I’m working hard to make my world as plain brown wrapper as possible. I’ve been working hard to treat my life, my activities, my relationships and my time like a garden that has been neglected for a while. I’ve amended soil, pruned, and lovingly tended to the beautiful things (hi, beautiful things). And I have weeded with a vengeance and a tiller anything that gets in the way of my beautiful things staying beautiful things.

I thought about weeding out my blogging. Was this something I wanted to spend precious time on? My previous blog, for many reasons seemed like a big dammed thistle plant. So I put on my dragon gloves and pulled that sucker out.

Yesterday made me revisit this thought.

I spent the day with my parents. Helping them with WM (wonder mama)’s business. We spend a good day and wound up with a Sanford and Son looking red pick up. We took a side trip to the little town where my grandparents are from. Fun call to TB yielded the line, “naw. I ain’t nowhere near home…I’m in a graveyard in (insert underground RR town here).” We solved a little family mystery there. Just a little one. But in a family full of so many secrets and so much disconnect, it felt like a triumph. And I didn’t want to forget it. I was reminded of the importance of a blog yesterday. And while I don’t know that this story will be recorded here, there will be others that I don’t want the years to steal.
And so, welcome to Dr. Err’s house. You don’t need to take off your shoes… the dog is nice…would you like something to eat?