August 27th is nearly a month ago now. That was the fabulous, out of the blue, will you marry me? day! I haven't had (and still don't have) the time to write about it blog style. I do, however, have an e-mail version of the details that I can redact (no names, remember?) for the purposes of this little 'ol rather neglected blog.
"Hello, hello!
Ok, so please forgive my delinquency with these details. I have never seen the inside of a courtroom more than I have in the last two weeks, so life has been a bit crazy on top of my wonderful news. I have another hearing in the morning in fact, but it doesn't help my preparation that all I want to do right now is hunker down with my Real Simple Weddings (bought my first ever wedding mag but haven't had a chance to read it yet!), dream up guest lists, plan bands and meals and shnazzy save the dates, stare at my ring finger and snuggle up on the couch with TT - oh, and call and e-mail and shriek a bit with all of my friends!
Anyway, I can at least e-mail the proposal story before I get back to preparing to argue summary judgment. Here goes...:
I was supposed to get home from work last Thursday night and be preparing for a day off on Friday for party planning and sleep. TT knew that. In reality, I arrived home at 5:30 pm on Thursday having just learned that not only would I be in trial all day Friday, but I would be doing my first direct examination of witnesses in front of a jury (had been second chair for my Dad most of the week) AND that it would be a hurricane on Saturday when we had 50+ people a keg and a band arriving! So I toe tapped in my lawyer suit in the messy garage about how we had to feed the horses, get groceries, go to the store, and basically do a million things in no time at all. TT sweetly ventured "don't you want to go for a walk?" To which I replied "We don't have TIME for a WALK!" So...I changed into barn clothes and we both wandered out to feed the horses (by the way - it happened to be one of those stunning end of summer evenings - warm, clear, golden green).
I took one of the horses, Chippy, out from the barn down to his overnight turnout at the riding ring. As I shut the gate, TT yelled from the top of the hill by the barn "Hey Farm Girl!" "What?!" I replied. Then with an ear to ear grin and arms stretched wide he yelled out (from 20 yards away...) "WILL YOU MARRY ME?!" Baffled, I said "What?! Now? Of course. Really?" He called down "then put it on!" Since I was holding a horse halter I shouted back up to him "Put WHAT on?" "Look at the tractor" says TT as he starts approaching. Yes, the tractor - ha! I looked to my left and saw a bottle of champagne, two flutes, and an open ring box sitting on the old silver Ford tractor that has been sitting on the farm since I moved in because the old neighbor to whom it belongs forgot about it. TT came down, put it on, we giggled and drank and hugged and laughed...and then we finished feeding the horses on a perfect end of summer night! Simply perfect.
The rest of the evening involved the rest of the bottle of bubbles, what calls we could make, a trip to tell my parents in person followed by a celebratory dinner out, and then we came home and I read depositions in bed to prepare for 8am trial (and 5:30am horse feedign to get to trial by 8!). We managed somehow to plan our whole wild weekend party AND fully clean the garage to make room for a band in a hurricane on Friday night and Saturday morning. Our quick partnership and teamwork a definite good omen for bigger party plans to come:)
Tomorrow marks a week of being engaged (I still pinch myself) and on Friday morning we are finally taking off for 4 blissful days up north. 4 days of no horses and no law to do all of those things I've been wanting to do (that I mentioned before) - and I'll try to make phone calls, too!
Will share details as I have them - but looking like Sep 18th up north somewhere at this point!
Much love,
Farm Girl
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
more blips on the radar
I heard a story on NPR about a guy publishing a book which shrinks great works of literature into "tweet" length sentences. 160 characters (or somewhere in that ballpark). I think, sadly, that my blog will need to be that. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but it is also born of necessity for this busy farm girl! So...once again...things about which I want to write SOME DAY:
- Lou's beverage barn. The characters. The despair. The out of place counter top fit for a chic ski bar, but with very different liquor crossing its surface. The bottle return boy reading his customers by the bottles they return. For us: diet coke, poland spring products, microbrews, wine, and an occasional bottle of Tequila. For the man next to us: Miller high life and tab. Strangely thin interloper "Did you know Sam Adams Utopia is the strongest beer in the WORLD? It's like drinking 2 bottles of wine!" Completely busted witch woman "WHAT!? I ain't hear you. WHAT?!"
- I dreamed some idioms. Long dream short: loose horses, inability to get out the door because all I could find in my parents mudroom were two LEFT shoes, discovered nomadic conservative cattle herding women setting up camp at my house, this group turned into the conservative mormon clan from Big Love and I discovered they had let my horses loose when trying to put their cows in my pastures, they multiplied, and when I told them it was time to go, the mean leader literally BURIED HIS HEAD IN THE SAND. Dream interpreter, anybody!??!
- Madre for Governor.
- Summer camp. 90 degrees in a state not built for it. Productivity. Very limited chances to "just be." Trials. Boys clubs of lawyers and judges. Weddings. Busy. Busy. Busy. Busy.
AND...I am a now a bonafide horse trader.
The end. Goodnight!
Farm Girl
-
- Lou's beverage barn. The characters. The despair. The out of place counter top fit for a chic ski bar, but with very different liquor crossing its surface. The bottle return boy reading his customers by the bottles they return. For us: diet coke, poland spring products, microbrews, wine, and an occasional bottle of Tequila. For the man next to us: Miller high life and tab. Strangely thin interloper "Did you know Sam Adams Utopia is the strongest beer in the WORLD? It's like drinking 2 bottles of wine!" Completely busted witch woman "WHAT!? I ain't hear you. WHAT?!"
- I dreamed some idioms. Long dream short: loose horses, inability to get out the door because all I could find in my parents mudroom were two LEFT shoes, discovered nomadic conservative cattle herding women setting up camp at my house, this group turned into the conservative mormon clan from Big Love and I discovered they had let my horses loose when trying to put their cows in my pastures, they multiplied, and when I told them it was time to go, the mean leader literally BURIED HIS HEAD IN THE SAND. Dream interpreter, anybody!??!
- Madre for Governor.
- Summer camp. 90 degrees in a state not built for it. Productivity. Very limited chances to "just be." Trials. Boys clubs of lawyers and judges. Weddings. Busy. Busy. Busy. Busy.
AND...I am a now a bonafide horse trader.
The end. Goodnight!
Farm Girl
-
Friday, August 7, 2009
pobrecito
We said goodbye to Poser last night. He is posted on here as my "legal cat." He was my dude kitty. The fat tiger. My very favorite of our brady bunch of cat families collection. The only one I didn't mind sleeping on our bed. And for some reason, he decided to nap on the road last night. Dearest TT stepped out to look at the almost full moon and saw the car come around the bend. Yuck. Maybe I shouldn't have favorites. Or boy tiger kitties. They don't seem to make it very long. Rest in peace little fat kitty, Poser. Maybe you'll meet John Hughes.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
three photosss of sssummer
My dog. My river. This is really my life. Whoa.
Our garden grows in spite of us.
My walk-trotters take on at their very first show! C'est ca adorable!
another month has disappeared!
I didn't look at the last post, I only noticed that it was from June 17th. Today is July 21st (I think). I didn't mean to miss that much time. I knew it felt tremendous to sit down tonight with solitude and a moment to catch up though. A month of built up tales to tell.
This is how I am sitting right now - on my avocado green couch with my feet propped up on my avocado and cream ZEBRA print ottoman with tall green fields and some rich purple globe thistle in a cool quiet rain out each of the four windows in front of me, the Mason Jennings station on Pandora consistently impressing me song after song, a glass of water between my calves to battle a cold and dehydration, and my lower back throbbing up to my head reminding me that, oh yes, I did break the darned thing (my sacrum) only 2 short months ago and now I'm teaching a whole bunch of 10 hour days (on my feet) mixed in with riding horses and averaging 6 hours of sleep a night. PHEW. That run on sentence is like my run on life.
Legal work...in a couple of battles. Got a client into a drug court program. She lapsed on night one and spent the weekend in jail because of it. She had been in jail for several months before that. Long enough to teach me the following beauty tips from the cell: it is possible to thread your eyebrows with the threads ripped from your uniform; it is possible to make a tampon out of a maxi pad (ew); and apparently jolly ranchers mixed with HOT water will serve as a substitute for hair gel in a pinch. Did I already write about that in a blog post? Maybe. It deserves repeating.
Had to go try to collect money from some very flustered gay men who owe my firm a bundle thanks to a judgment from a year ago. Apparently, they have no money now (who does?), but in the process of learning that I did get keys thrown at me, asked if I ever read the paper, told that Bill Clinton was mad at my "daddykins" (seriously?) and essentially had an out of body experience while watching this couple bicker as though I wasn't in the room, " xxx (name deleted) xxx, STOP acting that way. This is not her fault. She is doing her job and being delightful. Seriously, quit it. I told you to BEHAVE today. Here, take your pill. I'm so sorry." It was tremendous. I think of all of it, my favorite response was "I'm glad you think we're butch enough for dirtbikes!" when I asked the question about the possibility of recreational vehicles. As I put it to my dad, I felt like I had been thrown under a rainbow colored bus.
My back hurts. Ow.
But I'm simply so quiet and happy and ALONE right now. The first time I've actually been alone in ages I think. Not something I usually crave, but something I certainly appreciate on occasion. The camp kids are all home for the night, the horses are in bed, no social engagements, and the lovely TT is off tossing a frisbee with my big bro in their summer league. I can catch up on e-mails to old friends. I can watch a girly movie. I can skip dinner or eat just mozarella and tomatoes. I can read a trashy novel. For two hours anyway....but really it isn't the fact that I'm alone that means I could do these things - TT wouldn't mind - it is the fact that I was in the house at 5:30 and my body is screaming at me to simply slow down for the night...and I'm listening!! That is rare. That is wonderful. If I don't consolidate my student loans soon (i.e. two weeks ago) I'm going to have collections agencies after me, but what is one more night?
The farm is bursting with horses, riders, gardeners. Ladies camps, kids camps, summer peeps for lessons, horse shows with a big crew. All good. All working towards a $7000.00 hay bill and continuing payments on my two star lesson horses. But despite my lack of good record keeping (receipts all in an envelope waiting to be recorded and analyzed!) it does seem to be coming in just enough to go back out again. Best line of summer so far: "What color is your pony?" "Oh, he's a jalapeno." The pony is actually a palomino.
We have a river. 10 minutes hiking down the fields, ford a mucky stream, cross some RR tracks, and slide down a bank. Then you've arrived. Serene river with warm water and a river to swim to. The other day down there with tevas, sports bra, undies, beer, bf, and golden retriever I felt down right cruncy. Granoooola. Should have bathed in patchuoli. But I didn't. Just dipped in the river and then snapped photos on my blackberry which really snapped me right out of that hippy moment.
We have peas coming - lots of them. And sunflowers and pumpkins. Lettuce is current. And some wacky early broccoli. Looks like broccolini.
I'm losing it. The focus. Really need to do bookkeeping for the farm, for myself with TT, for the student loan (sharks). Don't have energy. Day starts early tomorrow again. Camp 9-4. Extra lessons 4-6. Good friend visiting starting around noon. Farrier coming to show horses around 2. Buckle up and hold on...it just keeps flying away.
Oh, and one more thought. We went to the municipal pool today for a couple of pm hours during camp. It is a GREAT pool. There are 2 water slides. It costs $1. It was full of kids and fat people. Fat women with tats. And high heel wedge cork sandles. Ick. Which brings me to my 30 by 30. Has NOT been going so hot since I broke myself 2 months ago and the horses hit their summer peak. Haven't had time to keep track and haven't had well body to workout. AND...TT and I love the ice cream store next door, doh. But I think that this week will jump start given my lack of time for food and my enormous expenditure of energy just standing and teaching tha tmany hours. I'm losing my voice...maybe could lose some pounds along with it.
The rest of the summer weekends are full of horse shows, baby showers, and weddings, oh my. We will have one weekend home at the farm - maybe two. We may get to hit one island overnight concert. Last week saw some glorious summer days and sneak aways (to a beach, a day of fishing, and a wooded lake) so it isn't all work and no play...just mostly:) Good thing I love my work so much it feels like play.
I'm not even going to read this. Just post it. Editing be damned. This is stream of my semi-consciousness.
I LOVE MASON JENNINGS! and michael franti!
This is how I am sitting right now - on my avocado green couch with my feet propped up on my avocado and cream ZEBRA print ottoman with tall green fields and some rich purple globe thistle in a cool quiet rain out each of the four windows in front of me, the Mason Jennings station on Pandora consistently impressing me song after song, a glass of water between my calves to battle a cold and dehydration, and my lower back throbbing up to my head reminding me that, oh yes, I did break the darned thing (my sacrum) only 2 short months ago and now I'm teaching a whole bunch of 10 hour days (on my feet) mixed in with riding horses and averaging 6 hours of sleep a night. PHEW. That run on sentence is like my run on life.
Legal work...in a couple of battles. Got a client into a drug court program. She lapsed on night one and spent the weekend in jail because of it. She had been in jail for several months before that. Long enough to teach me the following beauty tips from the cell: it is possible to thread your eyebrows with the threads ripped from your uniform; it is possible to make a tampon out of a maxi pad (ew); and apparently jolly ranchers mixed with HOT water will serve as a substitute for hair gel in a pinch. Did I already write about that in a blog post? Maybe. It deserves repeating.
Had to go try to collect money from some very flustered gay men who owe my firm a bundle thanks to a judgment from a year ago. Apparently, they have no money now (who does?), but in the process of learning that I did get keys thrown at me, asked if I ever read the paper, told that Bill Clinton was mad at my "daddykins" (seriously?) and essentially had an out of body experience while watching this couple bicker as though I wasn't in the room, " xxx (name deleted) xxx, STOP acting that way. This is not her fault. She is doing her job and being delightful. Seriously, quit it. I told you to BEHAVE today. Here, take your pill. I'm so sorry." It was tremendous. I think of all of it, my favorite response was "I'm glad you think we're butch enough for dirtbikes!" when I asked the question about the possibility of recreational vehicles. As I put it to my dad, I felt like I had been thrown under a rainbow colored bus.
My back hurts. Ow.
But I'm simply so quiet and happy and ALONE right now. The first time I've actually been alone in ages I think. Not something I usually crave, but something I certainly appreciate on occasion. The camp kids are all home for the night, the horses are in bed, no social engagements, and the lovely TT is off tossing a frisbee with my big bro in their summer league. I can catch up on e-mails to old friends. I can watch a girly movie. I can skip dinner or eat just mozarella and tomatoes. I can read a trashy novel. For two hours anyway....but really it isn't the fact that I'm alone that means I could do these things - TT wouldn't mind - it is the fact that I was in the house at 5:30 and my body is screaming at me to simply slow down for the night...and I'm listening!! That is rare. That is wonderful. If I don't consolidate my student loans soon (i.e. two weeks ago) I'm going to have collections agencies after me, but what is one more night?
The farm is bursting with horses, riders, gardeners. Ladies camps, kids camps, summer peeps for lessons, horse shows with a big crew. All good. All working towards a $7000.00 hay bill and continuing payments on my two star lesson horses. But despite my lack of good record keeping (receipts all in an envelope waiting to be recorded and analyzed!) it does seem to be coming in just enough to go back out again. Best line of summer so far: "What color is your pony?" "Oh, he's a jalapeno." The pony is actually a palomino.
We have a river. 10 minutes hiking down the fields, ford a mucky stream, cross some RR tracks, and slide down a bank. Then you've arrived. Serene river with warm water and a river to swim to. The other day down there with tevas, sports bra, undies, beer, bf, and golden retriever I felt down right cruncy. Granoooola. Should have bathed in patchuoli. But I didn't. Just dipped in the river and then snapped photos on my blackberry which really snapped me right out of that hippy moment.
We have peas coming - lots of them. And sunflowers and pumpkins. Lettuce is current. And some wacky early broccoli. Looks like broccolini.
I'm losing it. The focus. Really need to do bookkeeping for the farm, for myself with TT, for the student loan (sharks). Don't have energy. Day starts early tomorrow again. Camp 9-4. Extra lessons 4-6. Good friend visiting starting around noon. Farrier coming to show horses around 2. Buckle up and hold on...it just keeps flying away.
Oh, and one more thought. We went to the municipal pool today for a couple of pm hours during camp. It is a GREAT pool. There are 2 water slides. It costs $1. It was full of kids and fat people. Fat women with tats. And high heel wedge cork sandles. Ick. Which brings me to my 30 by 30. Has NOT been going so hot since I broke myself 2 months ago and the horses hit their summer peak. Haven't had time to keep track and haven't had well body to workout. AND...TT and I love the ice cream store next door, doh. But I think that this week will jump start given my lack of time for food and my enormous expenditure of energy just standing and teaching tha tmany hours. I'm losing my voice...maybe could lose some pounds along with it.
The rest of the summer weekends are full of horse shows, baby showers, and weddings, oh my. We will have one weekend home at the farm - maybe two. We may get to hit one island overnight concert. Last week saw some glorious summer days and sneak aways (to a beach, a day of fishing, and a wooded lake) so it isn't all work and no play...just mostly:) Good thing I love my work so much it feels like play.
I'm not even going to read this. Just post it. Editing be damned. This is stream of my semi-consciousness.
I LOVE MASON JENNINGS! and michael franti!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
List of things to "get back to"
Things I need to come back to and write about some day:
1. My fractured sacrum.
2. My river sanctuary.
3. Eagles and chickadees.
4. Naughty Ponies
5. Boarding Contracts
6. The price of hay
7. Hoe-ing Rows
8. Bass Fishing
9. Family Politics - in every sense of both words
10. Facebook changing the order of "who knows what and when" which can cause unintentional emotional train wrecks.
11. Loving Maine.
12. Being in love, in Maine.
skip this number b/c the kid at the feed store won't load that number of bags of shavings in the truck
14. 50th birthdays
15. "sometimes, the place shapes you."
Tonight though, I am drained. Running below empty with a carousel of client meetings (law and horse), a messy (hairy!) house, a horse show to prepare for, and a slew of social obligations most of which I know I will bail on, but have not found it in me yet to just say no to because I'd love to say yes. I over plan because I want to do it all, and sometimes I can.
G'night.
Farm Girl
1. My fractured sacrum.
2. My river sanctuary.
3. Eagles and chickadees.
4. Naughty Ponies
5. Boarding Contracts
6. The price of hay
7. Hoe-ing Rows
8. Bass Fishing
9. Family Politics - in every sense of both words
10. Facebook changing the order of "who knows what and when" which can cause unintentional emotional train wrecks.
11. Loving Maine.
12. Being in love, in Maine.
skip this number b/c the kid at the feed store won't load that number of bags of shavings in the truck
14. 50th birthdays
15. "sometimes, the place shapes you."
Tonight though, I am drained. Running below empty with a carousel of client meetings (law and horse), a messy (hairy!) house, a horse show to prepare for, and a slew of social obligations most of which I know I will bail on, but have not found it in me yet to just say no to because I'd love to say yes. I over plan because I want to do it all, and sometimes I can.
G'night.
Farm Girl
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Lick 'em while you got 'em
You know the old adage, "Don't go to the grocery store when you're hungry?" I think the same should apply to "Don't go to PetCo when you're riddled with guilt!" I dropped off the man-dog for his big day this morning and sat with him as the cocktail kicked in and his happy wiggle slowly turned into a drunken wobble. By this afternoon, HE will be...gender neutral. It has to happen, and there are many times when I've thought how much I'd look forward to this day a) when he is humping the cat b) when he is humping his dog bed c)...you get the idea..., but then I think about how cruel and unusual that thought process is! "Dog humps things and is annoying...can't wait to remove his balls!" In any case, he will be rid of his jewels and I will lavish upon him the heaps of unncessary toys, flips, and booty, including an engraved name tag as though today he became a real man ("do you want the $7 or the $9, ma'am?" "ohhh...I'll take the $9" guilty guilty guilty) I just purchased for no real reason at PetCo.
In other news, we've got SALAD! Last night marked the first night of greens from our very own garden. We have arugula coming out our ears, and I LOVE it! Today, I purchased some supplies for what I feel may be a summer of bountiful roughage - plastic baggies for sharing the leaf love, and, wonder-of-wonders, a salad spinner. I never really saw a reason for them before until the leaves came in from the outside complete with dirt, and I'm pretty sure I saw the cat mistaking the garden for a litter box....
AND! The 30 by 30 has finally started, and it has started because I am keeping the log of everything consumed like I threatened to do months ago. Amazing, really, as I am not being accountable to anybody but myself, but knowing that each thing I consume will be going IN WRITING makes me stop and think. That and some recent photos of which I was not too fond. Half a week in and 2.5 pounds down. Summer of roughage indeed.
Abbot loses his balls. I lose my bulge. We all are more content with the world at the end of the day.
TIME TO DO LEGAL WORK. And did I mention there are TEN HORSES AT HOME NOW?! I wish I had time to truly document this entire experience. Tomorrow morning at 8 am there will be 10 well-intentioned retirees showing up to plant the food pantry garden (including TT's mother), so I've decided to clean the house and bake scones and muffins tonight, finish with horse chores early, and not go to the law office tomorrow. I'll just be a regular June Cleaver and then get down in the dirt with them. If only I could win the lottery and donate my time all the time...
ACK - really...must...get...to...work.
Hasta later!
Farm Girl
In other news, we've got SALAD! Last night marked the first night of greens from our very own garden. We have arugula coming out our ears, and I LOVE it! Today, I purchased some supplies for what I feel may be a summer of bountiful roughage - plastic baggies for sharing the leaf love, and, wonder-of-wonders, a salad spinner. I never really saw a reason for them before until the leaves came in from the outside complete with dirt, and I'm pretty sure I saw the cat mistaking the garden for a litter box....
AND! The 30 by 30 has finally started, and it has started because I am keeping the log of everything consumed like I threatened to do months ago. Amazing, really, as I am not being accountable to anybody but myself, but knowing that each thing I consume will be going IN WRITING makes me stop and think. That and some recent photos of which I was not too fond. Half a week in and 2.5 pounds down. Summer of roughage indeed.
Abbot loses his balls. I lose my bulge. We all are more content with the world at the end of the day.
TIME TO DO LEGAL WORK. And did I mention there are TEN HORSES AT HOME NOW?! I wish I had time to truly document this entire experience. Tomorrow morning at 8 am there will be 10 well-intentioned retirees showing up to plant the food pantry garden (including TT's mother), so I've decided to clean the house and bake scones and muffins tonight, finish with horse chores early, and not go to the law office tomorrow. I'll just be a regular June Cleaver and then get down in the dirt with them. If only I could win the lottery and donate my time all the time...
ACK - really...must...get...to...work.
Hasta later!
Farm Girl
Sunday, May 31, 2009
six weeks later...
Six weeks in the land of farm-law-life and a whole lot can happen! If anybody was actually following along on this thing, I imagine I've lost them. That's one of the things that can happen. There have also been birthday celebrations, trips to the emergency room after unplanned dismounts, a burgeoning horse population at the farm (yep, we're up to TEN, folks!), gym memberships left unused due to lingering injury and pain, new legal clients, new riding clients (and the wisdom to know the difference!), a completed RIDING ring with lovely footing, and...what the name of this blog is all about, some travel - to Texas for a lovely getaway and reunion all wrapped into one (remind me to write someday about "The Night of the 3 Boyfriends" - the first night ever spent at a social function with my bf, my ex-bf, and my ex's bf! Hm. What a world.).
Sooo...the trouble with my journal keeping habits (cum-blogging-technique) is that unless I am really up to date and in the moment, I spend all of this time explaining what I have not recorded and jotting half sentence notes for memory jogging at some unspecificed "later date." And tonight is no exception as I am pleasantly exhausted from an entire weekend of riding, teaching, tilling, grilling, and garden planning.
I staged an aerial attack on dandelions with a ho yesterday which ended with a score of Farmgirl 2, Dandelions 1. Although I did successfully rip out their deep, clinging roots, they also left me with a fiery blister on the thumb. Our gardening efforts are comical, but earnest. There was a moment this weekend when I literally googled "how to plant carrots" before diligently filling in the chart I created including such things as "depth of seeds," "width between rows," "thinning technique," and "harvesting." I never claimed to know what I was doing, but that has never stopped me before either! Apparently I'm just oh-so-trendy as well - cover feature on last Sunday's NYTimes told tales of college students seeking out summer internships on organic farms for no pay and life in a yurt. Hm. I'm sure I can fashion one of those, and I can throw in the bonus of horses for inspiration!
In other news, we seem to be winning the war on laundry. Temporarily.
As for the state of the world, some comic insight, or a more enjoyable post than this. Apologies. Ask me next time I'm on here having had fewer glasses of wine and more time to think. At least I'm back on now. Maybe some in the moment posting will result. Until next time. ~Farm Girl (just back from travels!)
Sooo...the trouble with my journal keeping habits (cum-blogging-technique) is that unless I am really up to date and in the moment, I spend all of this time explaining what I have not recorded and jotting half sentence notes for memory jogging at some unspecificed "later date." And tonight is no exception as I am pleasantly exhausted from an entire weekend of riding, teaching, tilling, grilling, and garden planning.
I staged an aerial attack on dandelions with a ho yesterday which ended with a score of Farmgirl 2, Dandelions 1. Although I did successfully rip out their deep, clinging roots, they also left me with a fiery blister on the thumb. Our gardening efforts are comical, but earnest. There was a moment this weekend when I literally googled "how to plant carrots" before diligently filling in the chart I created including such things as "depth of seeds," "width between rows," "thinning technique," and "harvesting." I never claimed to know what I was doing, but that has never stopped me before either! Apparently I'm just oh-so-trendy as well - cover feature on last Sunday's NYTimes told tales of college students seeking out summer internships on organic farms for no pay and life in a yurt. Hm. I'm sure I can fashion one of those, and I can throw in the bonus of horses for inspiration!
In other news, we seem to be winning the war on laundry. Temporarily.
As for the state of the world, some comic insight, or a more enjoyable post than this. Apologies. Ask me next time I'm on here having had fewer glasses of wine and more time to think. At least I'm back on now. Maybe some in the moment posting will result. Until next time. ~Farm Girl (just back from travels!)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Move over Legal Eagle, I have a Legal Cat
"Civil Practice, putting people (and kitties) to sleep since 1976."
Lucky Ducky.
I am a lucky, lucky girl. This week of sunshine has me breathing deeply and opening my eyes wide to all that fills my life. I had to stop and pinch myself when I got home from work the other evening and looked out the back door to blue skies over pastures full of horses, my "Barbie's dream barn", the garden plot waiting to be planted, and my handsome boyfriend playing fetch with my textbook good looking and goofy golden retriever. (I know, I know, feel free to vomit in your mouth a little or send me hate vibes...it's just so perfect...I can't help it!) Rewind tape, when did all of this happen?! I don't know, but I'm going with it. Top down, grill fired up, legal work under control, and I'm picking up a brand new pony tomorrow! Life. Is. Beautiful.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
You know your room is a mess when...
...you completely lose your phone in it after having hung up said phone not more than 5 minutes before commencing the search! I had to g-chat a friend to call the silly thing just so I could unearth it from beneath two comforters.
However, I think it is fair to say that my room is frequently messiest when my life is the most fun and full. And that, my friends, it is! A friend once told me that she thought an overly tidy house was a symptom of much larger problems. I'm going to take solace in her opinion.
Looking forward to early evening and into the night riding, grooming, tack room cleaning, rock picking, rock path building, bush-hogging, tilling, and grilling most every night this week. Can you tell the sun has come out? Also that my court dates have thinned for a bit. And yes, "bush-hogging" is now something that is on my to-do list. Who would have thunk it?! I generally rock over sized shades and some sort of skirt on the tractor though.
Never a dull moment.
Farm Girl
However, I think it is fair to say that my room is frequently messiest when my life is the most fun and full. And that, my friends, it is! A friend once told me that she thought an overly tidy house was a symptom of much larger problems. I'm going to take solace in her opinion.
Looking forward to early evening and into the night riding, grooming, tack room cleaning, rock picking, rock path building, bush-hogging, tilling, and grilling most every night this week. Can you tell the sun has come out? Also that my court dates have thinned for a bit. And yes, "bush-hogging" is now something that is on my to-do list. Who would have thunk it?! I generally rock over sized shades and some sort of skirt on the tractor though.
Never a dull moment.
Farm Girl
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Non-sequiters.
My horse has a black eye this morning. Ok, so it is just swollen, but it looks like he got into an equine boxing match. The vet is on her way. I get to work from home. And by work, I mean catch up on bills and budgeting, make a shopping list for my spring horse supplies, catch up on e-mails over two pots of coffee, and THEN start to work. I also will miss the lunchtime "weighted workout" that was to follow up "cardio core 'n more." Oh fee.
It is nearly impossible to have enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I have set out to do. I am still doing all of it. I'm learning to live with that.
I had a very challenging day at work yesterday with a minor panic attack, an embarrassing moment on th phone with opposing counsel, conflicting advice from respected attorney friends, and in the end agreed once more with where I'd started (thank you, dear Dad, oh sage and respected attorney, judge, father, friend). Now I have to determine how to support this position in a learned and persuasive way. It is a good mental challenge. I enjoy it. It also makes me enjoy all the more the most basic of tasks that are required of me every morning and every night like clockwork. Feeding, watering, cleaning stalls, and putting each horse where he or she belongs for the day or night. Simple tasks. Concrete results. Routine. I don't know how I would practice law without this grounding. I don't know how I would spend a life with horses without the challenge of a brain-y profession. For this balance, I sacrifice sanity. And yet I also gain it. Hm.
I also sacrifice a clean and tidy house and car! Oh well. Life is too short...
Looking forward to a family birthday party, the "Bowling Ball!", a horse and supply buying trip to NH, egg dyeing, and Easter all in this one little upcoming weekend. Work and mud be damned for a day or two!
It is nearly impossible to have enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I have set out to do. I am still doing all of it. I'm learning to live with that.
I had a very challenging day at work yesterday with a minor panic attack, an embarrassing moment on th phone with opposing counsel, conflicting advice from respected attorney friends, and in the end agreed once more with where I'd started (thank you, dear Dad, oh sage and respected attorney, judge, father, friend). Now I have to determine how to support this position in a learned and persuasive way. It is a good mental challenge. I enjoy it. It also makes me enjoy all the more the most basic of tasks that are required of me every morning and every night like clockwork. Feeding, watering, cleaning stalls, and putting each horse where he or she belongs for the day or night. Simple tasks. Concrete results. Routine. I don't know how I would practice law without this grounding. I don't know how I would spend a life with horses without the challenge of a brain-y profession. For this balance, I sacrifice sanity. And yet I also gain it. Hm.
I also sacrifice a clean and tidy house and car! Oh well. Life is too short...
Looking forward to a family birthday party, the "Bowling Ball!", a horse and supply buying trip to NH, egg dyeing, and Easter all in this one little upcoming weekend. Work and mud be damned for a day or two!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Ouch.
After a lot of talk, excuses, and other well-honed avoidance techniques, I bit the bullet and joined the gym. My mother, who through diligent attendance at weight watchers is rapidly approaching smaller sizes than her youngest daughter, helped foot the bill for three months plus an 8 week group personal training class. "Beach Body Blast" it's called. I e-mailed the front desk at the office that I would be leaving for 1.5 hours for lunchtime workouts at least twice a week for awhile. In my world that is huge...I put it on the calendar. It will happen.
I roped a friend into joining it with me. She says that she isn't fishing for a beach body, just a wedding body. I said that I'm not fishing for either, just the one that I had the last time I fit into my favorite jeans! She also warned me that this group trainer is particularly "enthusiastic" about fitness. Ruh-roh.
In an effort to prepare ourselves for this couch-to-boot-camp-drill-sargent world that we just PAID to join for 8 weeks, we hit up the regular group class today. It was messy. Cardio, Core, 'N More. I think I provided the "'N More." Pretty sure I got out-squatted and over-lunged by Grandma Moses in the second row, and my friend and I both caught some sideways looks for even showing up as newcomers given the small amount of coveted space for giant steps, balls, weights, and other instruments of torture. Wouldn't it be nice if I were more like my puppy or my horses in that the less I exercised, the more energy I built up? So that when I got to the class after not having gone for ages I just couldn't contain my pent up joy at getting to exercise and took a few wild spins around the room (tail up & farting if I'm like the horses) just for kicks before settling into the squat routine? Alas, such is not the case.
Nevertheless, I did it! I'm one foot forward now. And now I'm lightheaded and wobbly armed as I type this post and prepare to dig in to three or four more hours of legal work. I get to write a "Motion to Quash"! And also a reply motion where I'm engaged in a verbal battle with the opposing counsel which I thoroughly enjoy. I'm also supposed to write some interrogatories, serve some disclosure subpoenas, make an insurance claim on behalf of an estate, write a contract, AND tighten up a DE-401. One step at a time, and that's just at the office!
When I get home I have to take care of 13 horses (my 7 and the neighbor's 6) and write a grant for the garden food pantry project. I'm supposed to drive to the bowling championships an hour south and hit the after party as well, but I don't see that happening. At least I'm learning to cut a FEW corners here and there.
Speaking of cutting...before I go I need to let you all know that I may have successfully cut the budget proposed for finishing my riding ring by 2/3rds today!! After a 1.5 hour meeting with a couple of contractors and mi padre and a phone call to the engineer, I think I opened their eyes to miraculous possibilities for a fraction the price. Included in my estimate (yes, the one at 1/3 the cost of the original and thus within reach!) is even an immediate solution to mud-stopping-riding woes in the form of a small amount of sand poured on top of scraped off topsoil in my small paddock. I could be up and on and teaching again in a week. And after my ass-busting workout today, I'll have some empathy with my out of shape ponies....
I roped a friend into joining it with me. She says that she isn't fishing for a beach body, just a wedding body. I said that I'm not fishing for either, just the one that I had the last time I fit into my favorite jeans! She also warned me that this group trainer is particularly "enthusiastic" about fitness. Ruh-roh.
In an effort to prepare ourselves for this couch-to-boot-camp-drill-sargent world that we just PAID to join for 8 weeks, we hit up the regular group class today. It was messy. Cardio, Core, 'N More. I think I provided the "'N More." Pretty sure I got out-squatted and over-lunged by Grandma Moses in the second row, and my friend and I both caught some sideways looks for even showing up as newcomers given the small amount of coveted space for giant steps, balls, weights, and other instruments of torture. Wouldn't it be nice if I were more like my puppy or my horses in that the less I exercised, the more energy I built up? So that when I got to the class after not having gone for ages I just couldn't contain my pent up joy at getting to exercise and took a few wild spins around the room (tail up & farting if I'm like the horses) just for kicks before settling into the squat routine? Alas, such is not the case.
Nevertheless, I did it! I'm one foot forward now. And now I'm lightheaded and wobbly armed as I type this post and prepare to dig in to three or four more hours of legal work. I get to write a "Motion to Quash"! And also a reply motion where I'm engaged in a verbal battle with the opposing counsel which I thoroughly enjoy. I'm also supposed to write some interrogatories, serve some disclosure subpoenas, make an insurance claim on behalf of an estate, write a contract, AND tighten up a DE-401. One step at a time, and that's just at the office!
When I get home I have to take care of 13 horses (my 7 and the neighbor's 6) and write a grant for the garden food pantry project. I'm supposed to drive to the bowling championships an hour south and hit the after party as well, but I don't see that happening. At least I'm learning to cut a FEW corners here and there.
Speaking of cutting...before I go I need to let you all know that I may have successfully cut the budget proposed for finishing my riding ring by 2/3rds today!! After a 1.5 hour meeting with a couple of contractors and mi padre and a phone call to the engineer, I think I opened their eyes to miraculous possibilities for a fraction the price. Included in my estimate (yes, the one at 1/3 the cost of the original and thus within reach!) is even an immediate solution to mud-stopping-riding woes in the form of a small amount of sand poured on top of scraped off topsoil in my small paddock. I could be up and on and teaching again in a week. And after my ass-busting workout today, I'll have some empathy with my out of shape ponies....
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Back at it!
Like my efforts at slimming down, it may appear at first glance that the writing of this blog (and thus chronicling of life adventures for future book -- hello, the Obamas just made $2 million on their books in a year - doesn't farm life in Maine sound as exciting as international, messiah-esque, mega-stardom?!) has hit an early wall. But it has not. Oh no, it has only just begun.
The past couple of weeks have been AUTO PILOT weeks. Weeks chock full of legal adventure. Five court dates in five different subject matters. Can anybody say learning curve? My favorite comment I think was "Oh...farm girl is a SEXY lawyer." Remember my goal to live on farm avec les high heels that still saw the light of day?! They also see the inside of the court room.
Weekends full start to finish with some serious farm work - thank you to all involved in the big-day-of-moving-hay about which I will try to write about more later - and riding lessons, a lot of water redirection and mud removal, and a three day adventure to the great north woods playing hostess, chef, and tour guide to eight good friends at the family compound in a fundraising effort to keep the family compound in the family! PHEW.
Finally, finally, I am gazing forward to a weekend of spring cleaning and life catch-up 2009. A whopper of a 2 page detailed list going room by room in the house, in detail in the barn, spilling into the garage, incorporating my car, and winding up with my bookkeeping has just been posted on the kitchen wall. Even though I have not completed anything on it, knowing that I have a chance to tackle it this weekend already has me at ease a bit. That and it is oh-so-sunshiney out, bowling playoffs are tonight, and APRIL IS TOMORROW. Breathe easy because it is all starting to gel.
On the 30 by 30 side of things. Even though the idea of one more list in my life makes me shudder, that's the route I'm going to go - writing down everything that I eat. That and jogging no matter if I'm already spread thin as far as time goes with legal work, barn work, and squeezing in a ride here or there. Must...take...this...seriously. Particularly because though the ultimate goal requires only 2lbs down a month, I'm shooting for more like 10 to 15 by the end of May for my final 20's birthday, a big southern wedding, river tubing with friends, and a spring dress debut. Then I can slowly do the rest. And if it is 35 by 30...that wouldn't be a bad thing!
The past couple of weeks have been AUTO PILOT weeks. Weeks chock full of legal adventure. Five court dates in five different subject matters. Can anybody say learning curve? My favorite comment I think was "Oh...farm girl is a SEXY lawyer." Remember my goal to live on farm avec les high heels that still saw the light of day?! They also see the inside of the court room.
Weekends full start to finish with some serious farm work - thank you to all involved in the big-day-of-moving-hay about which I will try to write about more later - and riding lessons, a lot of water redirection and mud removal, and a three day adventure to the great north woods playing hostess, chef, and tour guide to eight good friends at the family compound in a fundraising effort to keep the family compound in the family! PHEW.
Finally, finally, I am gazing forward to a weekend of spring cleaning and life catch-up 2009. A whopper of a 2 page detailed list going room by room in the house, in detail in the barn, spilling into the garage, incorporating my car, and winding up with my bookkeeping has just been posted on the kitchen wall. Even though I have not completed anything on it, knowing that I have a chance to tackle it this weekend already has me at ease a bit. That and it is oh-so-sunshiney out, bowling playoffs are tonight, and APRIL IS TOMORROW. Breathe easy because it is all starting to gel.
On the 30 by 30 side of things. Even though the idea of one more list in my life makes me shudder, that's the route I'm going to go - writing down everything that I eat. That and jogging no matter if I'm already spread thin as far as time goes with legal work, barn work, and squeezing in a ride here or there. Must...take...this...seriously. Particularly because though the ultimate goal requires only 2lbs down a month, I'm shooting for more like 10 to 15 by the end of May for my final 20's birthday, a big southern wedding, river tubing with friends, and a spring dress debut. Then I can slowly do the rest. And if it is 35 by 30...that wouldn't be a bad thing!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Mud and Hair
I love the spring for many reasons. Daylight savings time marks the official start of spring. More light = more energy and more time in the day = more horse time = happy Farm Girl! I can now depart the law office at a normal end-of-the-work-a-day hour, get home to feed the herd, and still have time to go for a ride, go for a jog, or both! It is, in a word, divine.
Not that I will actually ride and/or jog every day, but knowing that I could if I choose to is half the battle. And I do plan to try. Among my infinite list of headache inducing list of things to plan, calendar, and accomplish includes not only getting myself fit for a spring 5k and a summer 10k (remember this is the 30 by 30 blog, too); I also have the somewhat daunting task of getting and keeping 7 horses at least passably fit after a long, cold winter. Bring on the (paying!) students and riding friends who come out of the woodwork as the mercury rises like frisbee tossers on college quads. I'm going to need all the help I can get.
Oh, the title of this blog. I completely skipped those two topics. In short, those are the two things that I hate about spring. And I'm already beginning to live in small piles of both. I'm not much of a cleaner, but I think I'll develop a new passion fighting the dirt and mud that make their way into my home on a daily basis and the air thick with the fuzz of the shedding beasties that fill my life. Or else I'll just succumb to it. No, no, that is simply not an option. I maintain that I can be the farm girl who has a generally clean house and a closet full of stilettos that DO still see the light of day!
Back to work. I'm kind of swamped with it this week. I guess that's a good thing.
Not that I will actually ride and/or jog every day, but knowing that I could if I choose to is half the battle. And I do plan to try. Among my infinite list of headache inducing list of things to plan, calendar, and accomplish includes not only getting myself fit for a spring 5k and a summer 10k (remember this is the 30 by 30 blog, too); I also have the somewhat daunting task of getting and keeping 7 horses at least passably fit after a long, cold winter. Bring on the (paying!) students and riding friends who come out of the woodwork as the mercury rises like frisbee tossers on college quads. I'm going to need all the help I can get.
Oh, the title of this blog. I completely skipped those two topics. In short, those are the two things that I hate about spring. And I'm already beginning to live in small piles of both. I'm not much of a cleaner, but I think I'll develop a new passion fighting the dirt and mud that make their way into my home on a daily basis and the air thick with the fuzz of the shedding beasties that fill my life. Or else I'll just succumb to it. No, no, that is simply not an option. I maintain that I can be the farm girl who has a generally clean house and a closet full of stilettos that DO still see the light of day!
Back to work. I'm kind of swamped with it this week. I guess that's a good thing.
Monday, March 9, 2009
just a thought
Purchasing a "fish value meal: $3.99" as advertised at Burger King seems like an incredibly bad idea.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The "Request for help" series - #1
I'm finally crawling out of my cold medicine coma which is great, but it also means I have to play catchup in every area of my life - and Blog does not earn top billing. For now, I'll just copy and paste an e-mail that went out today. It's the first in a series because I'm sure there will be others to follow!
"Uh oh - an e-mail from Farm Girl to a random group of friends. What is the common thread?! All of you have at one time or another mentioned that you might like to get your "farm help" on! There will be other opportunities throughout the course of this adventure (trail clearing, jump building, greenhouse repairing, wood chopping, chicken coup building, etc), but here is the deal of the moment.
Saturday March 14th. 1 p.m. HAY TOSSING AND STACKING!
7 horses burn through a lot of hay. About 7 bales a day to be exact. Phew. I'm running loooow at the farm right now, but I've got several hundred bales ready and waiting a mile down the road in my parents barn. In an effort to get it all moved over and keep the ponies fed for a few more months, I'd like to try and get it done in a day instead of 20 bales at a time like we have been doing. We have a truck and a trailer and we can make a bunch of trips, but more hands make lighter work - and it makes it fun!
What do you get out of the deal? Well, besides bigger biceps and the good tired feeling of having done something rugged, I will also provide beer (after the hay tossing!), a mean Bolognese over fettucine, and I'll tack up a few of the horses for adult pony rides for whomever is interested. If it's nice enough, maybe a bonfire?!
Anybody wishing to stay the night can do so (we'll squeeze!) and we can hit up a nearby town if the spirit moves us.
This is really only a 2 or 3 hour job if we have 6 or 8 people on deck I'd say.
Thoughts? (including - Farm Girl, you are completely crazy!)
Thanks,
Farm Girl
"Uh oh - an e-mail from Farm Girl to a random group of friends. What is the common thread?! All of you have at one time or another mentioned that you might like to get your "farm help" on! There will be other opportunities throughout the course of this adventure (trail clearing, jump building, greenhouse repairing, wood chopping, chicken coup building, etc), but here is the deal of the moment.
Saturday March 14th. 1 p.m. HAY TOSSING AND STACKING!
7 horses burn through a lot of hay. About 7 bales a day to be exact. Phew. I'm running loooow at the farm right now, but I've got several hundred bales ready and waiting a mile down the road in my parents barn. In an effort to get it all moved over and keep the ponies fed for a few more months, I'd like to try and get it done in a day instead of 20 bales at a time like we have been doing. We have a truck and a trailer and we can make a bunch of trips, but more hands make lighter work - and it makes it fun!
What do you get out of the deal? Well, besides bigger biceps and the good tired feeling of having done something rugged, I will also provide beer (after the hay tossing!), a mean Bolognese over fettucine, and I'll tack up a few of the horses for adult pony rides for whomever is interested. If it's nice enough, maybe a bonfire?!
Anybody wishing to stay the night can do so (we'll squeeze!) and we can hit up a nearby town if the spirit moves us.
This is really only a 2 or 3 hour job if we have 6 or 8 people on deck I'd say.
Thoughts? (including - Farm Girl, you are completely crazy!)
Thanks,
Farm Girl
Monday, March 2, 2009
the sickness
I love my nieces and nephews. Apparently, however, I have not been spending enough time around them because I have zero resistance to their bugs. Bad immune system! Good snow day! I have been awake for a maximum of two hours in a row today. Thank goodness for a snow day that literally closed the law firm - a first! - and a lovely TT to brave the neverending piles of whiteness to feed the herd for me. Today would be the day Papi decided to poop in his feed bin.
Things that happened this weekend that would be fun to write about if I weren't too out of it for much more typing. 1) Our first two foreclosure auctions. Nothing purchased, but so much learned. And what a fun fit for me to tag along, I get to satisfy both the voyeuristic AND competitive shopping parts of myself! 2) The State Swim Meet. Not really that exciting, but really poorly planned. Thankfully my family is just pushy enough that we did get to see niece number two shave some seconds off her freestyle. 3) The garden group. I had them over for dinner. There is much to share here, but I simply can't do it at the moment. The whole time they were here I was fighting this fast approaching fever and fighting with all my aversion-to-meetings-that-drag-and-have-no-ending might to bring it to a close with clear takeaways. I think I succeeded.
That's it. Must. Return. To. Green. Couch. (and catch up on more cesar milan and every movie on HBO which I only get for the next few months)
Things that happened this weekend that would be fun to write about if I weren't too out of it for much more typing. 1) Our first two foreclosure auctions. Nothing purchased, but so much learned. And what a fun fit for me to tag along, I get to satisfy both the voyeuristic AND competitive shopping parts of myself! 2) The State Swim Meet. Not really that exciting, but really poorly planned. Thankfully my family is just pushy enough that we did get to see niece number two shave some seconds off her freestyle. 3) The garden group. I had them over for dinner. There is much to share here, but I simply can't do it at the moment. The whole time they were here I was fighting this fast approaching fever and fighting with all my aversion-to-meetings-that-drag-and-have-no-ending might to bring it to a close with clear takeaways. I think I succeeded.
That's it. Must. Return. To. Green. Couch. (and catch up on more cesar milan and every movie on HBO which I only get for the next few months)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Lent
I'm not exactly a regular church-goer, but I do hit the major holidays and think about things bigger than myself and in connection to the broader universe on occasion. I often say I worship at the "church of summer in Maine." Either way, I am giving things up for Lent. Mostly because I think it is probably a good practice to deprive myself of something every so often and think about my place in the world each time I miss what I've given up. I might get laughed off the stage if most of my friends heard me say "it is probably a good practice to deprive myself every so often." Laugh away, kids.
I'm giving up the following:
1. Eating candy from the jar on our legal secretary's desk. This is something I do on just about a daily basis. Go visit my Dad in the main office, walk by S's desk, snag one or two or three hershey's kisses. Repeat. Putting a stop to this habit cold turkey will aid in my 30 by 30 quest and each time I reach for that jar out of habit and stop myself, I'll give a little thanks for all that I've got.
2. Complaining about having four cats. I have two kittens. Two adorable, "free" kittens for whom yesterday I just shelled out $247.00 to make them both gender neutral. There goes that plane ticket to Texas I needed for a wedding in May! (more on weddings in a future post. I have been to 9 in 18 months. I have 4 more that I know of between now and September!) In any case, TT also has two cats. When he moved in, I said originally said no to the extra cats. They stayed with his mom for awhile. But she got tired of them, having 3 of her own, and I am not going to be responsible for making TT lose his pets for good. So, like the Brady Bunch of cat families, we got two more. Now there are four felines running around the farm house often making me question whether or not I am officially a creepy cat lady which in turn makes me somewhat furious because if I am aware of the fact that having 4 cats makes me a creepy cat lady, and I am often not fond of having 4 cats, than I am not a creepy cat lady! Le sigh. They are really all quite lovely. They are affectionate. They don't destroy the furniture. Individually, I'm a big fan. It is when they make their presence known all at once that I start to make noises. Annoyed noises to TT. Which really isn't entirely fair because I did accept them all. So now after this long vent in writing, I am going to make the Lenten season effort of shutting my trap on the subject. Maybe if I stop lambasting their existence, I'll accept the little buggers and embrace the whole cat lady thing.
I'm giving up the following:
1. Eating candy from the jar on our legal secretary's desk. This is something I do on just about a daily basis. Go visit my Dad in the main office, walk by S's desk, snag one or two or three hershey's kisses. Repeat. Putting a stop to this habit cold turkey will aid in my 30 by 30 quest and each time I reach for that jar out of habit and stop myself, I'll give a little thanks for all that I've got.
2. Complaining about having four cats. I have two kittens. Two adorable, "free" kittens for whom yesterday I just shelled out $247.00 to make them both gender neutral. There goes that plane ticket to Texas I needed for a wedding in May! (more on weddings in a future post. I have been to 9 in 18 months. I have 4 more that I know of between now and September!) In any case, TT also has two cats. When he moved in, I said originally said no to the extra cats. They stayed with his mom for awhile. But she got tired of them, having 3 of her own, and I am not going to be responsible for making TT lose his pets for good. So, like the Brady Bunch of cat families, we got two more. Now there are four felines running around the farm house often making me question whether or not I am officially a creepy cat lady which in turn makes me somewhat furious because if I am aware of the fact that having 4 cats makes me a creepy cat lady, and I am often not fond of having 4 cats, than I am not a creepy cat lady! Le sigh. They are really all quite lovely. They are affectionate. They don't destroy the furniture. Individually, I'm a big fan. It is when they make their presence known all at once that I start to make noises. Annoyed noises to TT. Which really isn't entirely fair because I did accept them all. So now after this long vent in writing, I am going to make the Lenten season effort of shutting my trap on the subject. Maybe if I stop lambasting their existence, I'll accept the little buggers and embrace the whole cat lady thing.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
An evening post full of ramble tamble thoughts
1. Crazy Biz-ness Plan.
The thing about being a small town, general practice lawyer is that I get to see it all. In a few short months I have spoken in Superior Court, briefed the Law Court, re-poed a truck on a cold winter night from the deserted house of a deceased man whose estate I represent, and, most recently, driven to an out of the way roadside pizza joint in an off the grid town to exchange papers with a potential client and notarize his signature. This is good stuff. The sometimes high minded, slightly bizarre, hardly a cubicle, always on your toes kind of stuff. What I realized this morning is that it might be slightly bizarre and a little off kilter not because of the line of work that I chose, but because of the man for whom I work. That man is none other than my father.
My father called up this morning at 8:30 and said, "Do you and TT have time for me to stop by and talk about a business plan?" (TT is my absolutely lovely, patient, and wonderful boyfriend. I'll call him TT because that is how my dad referred to him this morning - his role in this about to be revealed business scheme scheme is to provide the Time and the Talent - oh boy). Dad-o stops by merely 15 minutes later (did I mention that I live a mile away from ye olde padres?) and requests eggs. I am still clad in my incredibly sexy morning barn cleaning sweat suit ensemble- tres chic - and we are out of eggs. "Why don't you have any eggs? You don't keep 'em? You don't eat 'em?" "No, Dad, actually, we eat them often which is why we just ran out." "Oh, well in that case, TT, you get in the car and we'll go get some eggs at my house while Farm Girl gets dressed for work." And with that, before protest or raised eyebrows, they were gone. By the time they returned with two cups full of eggs which TT began to scramble-as-only- a -daughter's-boyfriend-who-lives-with-her-before-marriage can scramble when her father requests scrambled eggs, Dad explained the plan. "Even though we don't really have any money right now (recession and all), we can get enough that I think we should go buy a couple of houses at auction. Then TT can fix them up, sell them, and we'll share the profits. There are a bunch of auctions on Friday and Saturday, I want to move now." Oh boy, in addition to lawyering and farmering, we're about to start flipping that house to boot!
A full work day interrupted by some web-touring of $1,000.00 houses with questionable paint jobs and potentially nonfunctional heating systems later, this plan is likely coming to pass. Even though the one house is on X street and when we asked our secretary at work where X street was she immediately laughed "Troll Hole! Right down by the crackhouse on the corner." Of course - now that she said that a certain windowless tavern popped into mind. That's the one.
Long story short, today is Wednesday. On Friday and Saturday TT and I will very likely be bidding on a very cheap house or three. And that just sort of goes with this wild life I lead. More than likely, it is simply because I'm receptive to odd and fascinating situations that I seem to attract them. That and my family promotes them. Maybe that's why it seems so natural for me to be living this otherwise strange life.
2. My benevolent grandfathers.
The trustees. More on them later, but I met with them today and they re-approved my plans after I resold them. It's amazing what having a "website" will do to convince people you know what you're doing. Ah the marketing game. In any case, they approved the continued funding of the partially finished riding arena without which the horse part of my own crazy biz-ness is sunk. Speaking of sunk, that's what the tractor was last fall. Sunk deep in the mud attempting to create a drainage system for the land on which the ring is to go. Somehow I fear spring won't be better. Mud season sounds more ominous than usual. But there has to be a way to create this ring. I'm going on faith in my benevolent grandpas, the engineer they hired, my tractor driving, gravel laying neighbor, and my stubborn insistence that the boggy part of the land is the only ring worthy space on the farm of large and flat enough proportions. No matter mother nature is against me.
3. "Give-up" pants.
This is a no brainer. In this quest for 30 by 30, I will start by refusing to eat any evening meals in give up pants! A friend jokingly referred to elastic waist pants as just that and sang their praises at the end of a long day - "Just throw on your give up pants and relax." But ooooh how deceptive they can be, and oohhhh what a bad idea. From now on, a simple start to the weight loss kick. Dinner in jeans. (another good chapter title!) Or a work suit or a nice dress so I can feel the potential damage done. No wonder urban ladies are so often more slim. They don't go to chili parties with 17 crock pots and people donning slippers (more on that later - it was lovely, but very much a give up pants kinda party).
THIS is a long bunch of nothing. Unedited. Organic like my to-be-planted-vegetables. And likely just as in need of weeding! The dog-puppy (kind of like man-boy) is chomping his chew flip in an unnaturally loud fashion and it is making me twitch. I must go distract him with other, less unpleasant sounding, things.
Goodnight,
Farm Girl
The thing about being a small town, general practice lawyer is that I get to see it all. In a few short months I have spoken in Superior Court, briefed the Law Court, re-poed a truck on a cold winter night from the deserted house of a deceased man whose estate I represent, and, most recently, driven to an out of the way roadside pizza joint in an off the grid town to exchange papers with a potential client and notarize his signature. This is good stuff. The sometimes high minded, slightly bizarre, hardly a cubicle, always on your toes kind of stuff. What I realized this morning is that it might be slightly bizarre and a little off kilter not because of the line of work that I chose, but because of the man for whom I work. That man is none other than my father.
My father called up this morning at 8:30 and said, "Do you and TT have time for me to stop by and talk about a business plan?" (TT is my absolutely lovely, patient, and wonderful boyfriend. I'll call him TT because that is how my dad referred to him this morning - his role in this about to be revealed business scheme scheme is to provide the Time and the Talent - oh boy). Dad-o stops by merely 15 minutes later (did I mention that I live a mile away from ye olde padres?) and requests eggs. I am still clad in my incredibly sexy morning barn cleaning sweat suit ensemble- tres chic - and we are out of eggs. "Why don't you have any eggs? You don't keep 'em? You don't eat 'em?" "No, Dad, actually, we eat them often which is why we just ran out." "Oh, well in that case, TT, you get in the car and we'll go get some eggs at my house while Farm Girl gets dressed for work." And with that, before protest or raised eyebrows, they were gone. By the time they returned with two cups full of eggs which TT began to scramble-as-only- a -daughter's-boyfriend-who-lives-with-her-before-marriage can scramble when her father requests scrambled eggs, Dad explained the plan. "Even though we don't really have any money right now (recession and all), we can get enough that I think we should go buy a couple of houses at auction. Then TT can fix them up, sell them, and we'll share the profits. There are a bunch of auctions on Friday and Saturday, I want to move now." Oh boy, in addition to lawyering and farmering, we're about to start flipping that house to boot!
A full work day interrupted by some web-touring of $1,000.00 houses with questionable paint jobs and potentially nonfunctional heating systems later, this plan is likely coming to pass. Even though the one house is on X street and when we asked our secretary at work where X street was she immediately laughed "Troll Hole! Right down by the crackhouse on the corner." Of course - now that she said that a certain windowless tavern popped into mind. That's the one.
Long story short, today is Wednesday. On Friday and Saturday TT and I will very likely be bidding on a very cheap house or three. And that just sort of goes with this wild life I lead. More than likely, it is simply because I'm receptive to odd and fascinating situations that I seem to attract them. That and my family promotes them. Maybe that's why it seems so natural for me to be living this otherwise strange life.
2. My benevolent grandfathers.
The trustees. More on them later, but I met with them today and they re-approved my plans after I resold them. It's amazing what having a "website" will do to convince people you know what you're doing. Ah the marketing game. In any case, they approved the continued funding of the partially finished riding arena without which the horse part of my own crazy biz-ness is sunk. Speaking of sunk, that's what the tractor was last fall. Sunk deep in the mud attempting to create a drainage system for the land on which the ring is to go. Somehow I fear spring won't be better. Mud season sounds more ominous than usual. But there has to be a way to create this ring. I'm going on faith in my benevolent grandpas, the engineer they hired, my tractor driving, gravel laying neighbor, and my stubborn insistence that the boggy part of the land is the only ring worthy space on the farm of large and flat enough proportions. No matter mother nature is against me.
3. "Give-up" pants.
This is a no brainer. In this quest for 30 by 30, I will start by refusing to eat any evening meals in give up pants! A friend jokingly referred to elastic waist pants as just that and sang their praises at the end of a long day - "Just throw on your give up pants and relax." But ooooh how deceptive they can be, and oohhhh what a bad idea. From now on, a simple start to the weight loss kick. Dinner in jeans. (another good chapter title!) Or a work suit or a nice dress so I can feel the potential damage done. No wonder urban ladies are so often more slim. They don't go to chili parties with 17 crock pots and people donning slippers (more on that later - it was lovely, but very much a give up pants kinda party).
THIS is a long bunch of nothing. Unedited. Organic like my to-be-planted-vegetables. And likely just as in need of weeding! The dog-puppy (kind of like man-boy) is chomping his chew flip in an unnaturally loud fashion and it is making me twitch. I must go distract him with other, less unpleasant sounding, things.
Goodnight,
Farm Girl
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Intro - always my favorite part. Can this be a whole blog of introducing a blog?
Here I am. Live on the web. I'm not publicizing this, so I'm not sure that it will be read. I take comfort in that although eventually I'm hoping it will all be edited and read. This semi-accountability of public-posting-as-I-go is to hold me semi-accountable for writing it down. "It" being life, thoughts, comedy, and the moments that I hope will someday fill a book.
So far, I've been pretty good at coming up with titles. Just titles. The one for this blog is a favorite: "Have Farm, Will Travel." I'm also a huge fan of "Single Girl, Friend of Groom." That one isn't accurate any longer, however, which is good because it can be a chapter title. I mean, I might have time to write enough to fill a pile of chapter titles, but not a whole desk full of possible books. Another chapter possibility that I've carried with me hails straight from Vanity Fair and the clever and devious Becky Sharp who knows exactly "How to Live on Nothing a Year." And how to live well indeed! I've got that one fairly covered. But the most recent idea, that was taken in blogger world, but that seem to tie it all together for the creation at least is this: "30 by 30." I'll explain.
Two weeks ago, February 11th, marked 15 months until my 30th birthday, May 11th, 2010. I do not have a 30 complex, but my historic aversion to arithmetic and slight obsession with planning does lead me to like even numbers and easy math leading up to a concrete goal. Add that to my current puffiness, my recent lack of writing as a practice, and VOILA! 30 by 30 is born. 2 pounds a month in 15 months gets me down 30 pounds by my 30th. 2 chapters a month for 15 months, gets 30 chapters (which will likely then be edited down to 15 again) by the same time. I find this concept delectable. Delicious. How do you say deliiiiight?
So today it begins. FAT TUESDAY. Fat for a lot of reasons. The scale at the lady doctor this morning clocked in at a startling _ _ _! (some privacy even in the blogging world). So maybe it needs to be 35 by 30. Anyway, shouldn't be surprised as just before heading out, I failed to squeeze two sausage thighs into two of my very lovely work suits that I unfortunately had tailored when I went through a major break up and lost a quick twenty. Note to self and the world at large, never get things tailored at an unnaturally thin point in life - no matter how thrilled you are to have whittled yourself to such a size. Wait until it stabilizes.
Fat also because it is the birthday of the ex for whom the massive amount of weight was lost who now happens to be happily living with his exceedingly tall BOYFRIEND and both of them ascribe to the NYC swanky gay man's gym and gin regimen making an ex-GIRLFRIEND gone puffy feel like she might have been a beard after all. Even though I wasn't. Not even a little bit. Hmph.
But otherwise things are grand. I love jumping off points and beginnings, even self-created ones. And this introductory post is just that.
If anybody reads this, I'll introduce the farm and some characters at it in my next post. For now, I'm only just about to start my legal work at approximately 12:53 p.m. Oops. Maybe that is why I haven't blogged before....
Happy Fat Tuesday! Eat, drink, and be merry. Listen to Michael Franti and sing at the top of your lungs. "This track combats genocide! La la la!"
Farm Girl
So far, I've been pretty good at coming up with titles. Just titles. The one for this blog is a favorite: "Have Farm, Will Travel." I'm also a huge fan of "Single Girl, Friend of Groom." That one isn't accurate any longer, however, which is good because it can be a chapter title. I mean, I might have time to write enough to fill a pile of chapter titles, but not a whole desk full of possible books. Another chapter possibility that I've carried with me hails straight from Vanity Fair and the clever and devious Becky Sharp who knows exactly "How to Live on Nothing a Year." And how to live well indeed! I've got that one fairly covered. But the most recent idea, that was taken in blogger world, but that seem to tie it all together for the creation at least is this: "30 by 30." I'll explain.
Two weeks ago, February 11th, marked 15 months until my 30th birthday, May 11th, 2010. I do not have a 30 complex, but my historic aversion to arithmetic and slight obsession with planning does lead me to like even numbers and easy math leading up to a concrete goal. Add that to my current puffiness, my recent lack of writing as a practice, and VOILA! 30 by 30 is born. 2 pounds a month in 15 months gets me down 30 pounds by my 30th. 2 chapters a month for 15 months, gets 30 chapters (which will likely then be edited down to 15 again) by the same time. I find this concept delectable. Delicious. How do you say deliiiiight?
So today it begins. FAT TUESDAY. Fat for a lot of reasons. The scale at the lady doctor this morning clocked in at a startling _ _ _! (some privacy even in the blogging world). So maybe it needs to be 35 by 30. Anyway, shouldn't be surprised as just before heading out, I failed to squeeze two sausage thighs into two of my very lovely work suits that I unfortunately had tailored when I went through a major break up and lost a quick twenty. Note to self and the world at large, never get things tailored at an unnaturally thin point in life - no matter how thrilled you are to have whittled yourself to such a size. Wait until it stabilizes.
Fat also because it is the birthday of the ex for whom the massive amount of weight was lost who now happens to be happily living with his exceedingly tall BOYFRIEND and both of them ascribe to the NYC swanky gay man's gym and gin regimen making an ex-GIRLFRIEND gone puffy feel like she might have been a beard after all. Even though I wasn't. Not even a little bit. Hmph.
But otherwise things are grand. I love jumping off points and beginnings, even self-created ones. And this introductory post is just that.
If anybody reads this, I'll introduce the farm and some characters at it in my next post. For now, I'm only just about to start my legal work at approximately 12:53 p.m. Oops. Maybe that is why I haven't blogged before....
Happy Fat Tuesday! Eat, drink, and be merry. Listen to Michael Franti and sing at the top of your lungs. "This track combats genocide! La la la!"
Farm Girl
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