Breakthrough - the name of my latest quilt

I tend to quilt for a variety of reasons.  However, in January of 2015, 19 months ago, I decided to do a block of the month quilt.  The company sends you the pattern on the first month and then monthly for 10 months you received a packet in the mail with the next month's fabric and more detailed instructions.  I was really good the first few months, or so I thought.  I finished the big part of the block, but there is piecing around each of those big blocks and I decided to wait until finishing future blocks to finish the small piecing.  This was going to be a huge challenge since I would have to be more precise than I normally am, and I would be learning a lot of new patterns, and the color arrangements would be a challenge.

In retrospect this was a big mistake but not really.  In the middle of the 10 months, life got ahead of us as we sold a house, downsized by 2/3 of our material goods, bought a condo, had a wedding, went to another wedding, had 5 English visitors, blah, blah, blah.  Life got ahead of us.

Of the 10 blocks, last December 4-9 were finished, but there were those pesky first 3 blocks unfinished.  I literally did not roll out my sewing machine from December until last week.  I was incredibly stuck on this project to the point where I could not even fathom working on another easier project.  It wasn't that I don't have a stash of fabric, or ideas of what I want to work on next.  Every time I opened the closet where my rolling sewing cart is, and thought about figuring out how to proceed I was flummoxed.  I probably tried 3-4 times to actually figure out how to proceed by laying out those pesky 3 first blocks.  Nada

Last week in a flash of "Oh heck how hard can this be just start somewhere and proceed, and BTW, it does not have to be perfect.  No one knows how the quilt is supposed to look in the end and when has that every bothered you anyway?"

At the same time I am working through some past trauma which is painful and predictable.  As I worked through some of the pesky issues of the quilt blocks, new insights about my past popped open.  One quilt block at a time I started placing them on the floor and sewing them together, and squinting and observing how I liked the layout.  A few times as I said "Close enough!" it felt good to move on.  A few times I looked and said "No way" and out came the seam ripper.

A few days of this with the quilt laid out on the floor, I am very close to the end of those pesky 3 blocks.  There is one section that remains in disarray.  I may have to settle on good enough for that section or I may put the quilt away again to approach at a later time. There is no deadline for this quilt, just like there is not a deadline for when I have to finish this examination of past traumas.

I can say that on both accounts, the unfinished quilt and dealing with the trauma, I feel so much better than one week ago.  As my brother George says "You have to go through it rather than walk around it!"  Literally I have to walk through the middle of the quilt laid out occupying one big area of our condo.

This is it - Thich Nhat Hanh

This quote was one of those we saw on Saturday at ABC carpeting in NYC. The exhibit was of calligraphy that Thich Nhat Hanh made of some of his quotes. In a corner of this huge busy store was a sanctuary of altars surrounding quotes hung on the wall. It was very simple and quiet. Our visit to the ABC Thich Nhat Hanh exhibit was initiated by Karen, who three of us visited for our third annual Star Island Girls weekend.

Each of us focused on a particular quote and the one I latched onto was "This is it". It is another way of saying live in the moment. We repeated it to each other in the remaining time together, at opportune times. It is very freeing and soothing to hear and say.

I have a few books written by him and will definitely open them soon after I get back from this weekend. Since he was in Boston this weekend, I missed him locally but maybe will make an effort to see him soon and at the very least open those books.

What I love is that meditation and stopping to absorb the impact of quotes like this are nearly mainstream. ABC had a lot of floor space dedicated to this exhibit, right off of the first floor! In the busyness of NYC we spent 30 minutes in quiet reflection and absorption. We were moved by whichever one struck us at that moment and on that day.

Mine for now is "This is it". It says it all for me today.
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Karen who we visited, reflecting.

Don't go to the noise, let it come to you

A few weeks ago, during a yoga class, there was a screaming baby just outside for the entire 90 minutes. I complained to the YMCA, and they made efforts to resolve the issue.

When I talked to my teacher about it, she explained an attitude and technique that is wonderful, and that I have used several times since.

Briefly it is, rather than "going" to the noise, let it come to you, and then figure out what to do with it. When there are noises during yoga now, I have tried this and it really works. I don't want to go out and tell them to be quiet anymore, I just move on.

This is a big one! When Murg/Rod snores now, I imagine that the sounds are like a wave flowing over me, and I fall asleep rather than get irritated. Ask him! I have not poked him to stop snoring in 3 weeks.

Yesterday during our business meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association, a group of church members put up flags so their members could find the seats and so they could all sit together. The flags were in my direct line of sight to the stage. Should I move? Should I ask them to lower them? Instead they became a frame for me to look through, and assuming positive intent, I was no longer irritated with these perfect strangers.

I obviously won't catch myself and reframe my attitude every time, but so far this is working for me. Don't go to the noise, let it come to you!

Made in China - I am being silly and I know it

Ok, don't ask me what prompted this latest challenge. It could be our green sanctuary efforts at church. It could be that later this month, I am attending General Assembly in Charlotte NC, along with thousands of other Unitarian Universalists. It could be that I like a challenge, and maybe felt that I have not challenged myself enough lately. It could be that I was headed to Vermont, which has some great efforts at locally made and locally run businesses.

It started last Thursday when I went into Home Goods and tried to find something NOT "Made in China". It was nearly impossible. I went next door to TJ Maxx and had the same experience.

Just now I needed some home goods. Need is a strong word  since I realized during the shopping excursion, I can live without them. I was looking for coasters for under the couch legs so I can move it easier to hoover under it, a round rubber disc to cover the drain in the sink so I can use the sink as my mop bucket, Aleve for my inflamed tendon in my thumb and trash bags. The only one I could buy at "Bed, Bath and Beyond" NOT Made in China, was Aleve. It was made in Germany by Bayer. Even the trash bags are Made in China. Almost all the kitchen and bath items are made by OXO.

I went next door to Trader Joes and they don't carry trash bags. The clerk said they carry them next door to which I replied "They are made in china though".

At Coniston this weekend, I tried to buy a can opener because our one Made in China, broke. The one I got for $1.19 did not work so I returned it. I finally got one at an antique store, Made in the USA.

It must have been gradual but I wonder when we stopped making things domestically as a country?

My beloved pointed out that I might not be able to stick with this challenge (ever the optimist, NOT), and his attitude is that we even out the economy by buying from China. I mostly object to using fossil fuels to ship all of these products from China, or to ship food across the country for that matter.  I also am terrified about the economic situation between us and China.  Fear based on media blips, and lack of knowledge mostly.
The challenge is doomed for failure, but I am going to try. The couch may not have the coasters, and I might find a rubber disc at a yard sale that was made in the USA. Market Basket has trash bags made in the USA so they got my business tonight on my shopping excursion. 

Try this challenge yourself, and let me know the results!

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Another blog about Yoga

With the rejoining of the YMCA, I am exploring the yoga teachers there to see which ones I like. I went last night and Marilyn was teaching the class. I have been to her classes before when I was attending the Y faithfully. By 7 minutes into the class she was still waxing philosophically with a man who asked "if this is a non violent practice, why do we have swords and warrior positions?"

I started to get very irritated that she was not starting the "class" on time. I could feel my blood pressure rising. I caught myself and realized that this was the class and that not all teachers will be the same. Marilyn is the one I learned when i attended her class before, to move between poses with a mindful deliberate movement, which was a huge gift.

One thing I have learned through my practice is to focus on the space contained by my mat, and not worry about the others around me. When I am gazing, I keep my gaze within the boundaries of my orange rectangle. This helps me not worry what what others are thinking about my pose, and outside the rectangle, it helps me not be judged by others.

I thought when the class started slowly last night that it would not be a challenge, but the way my muscles feel this morning, in the end I got a good workout. My learning is that no motion, and holding a pose quietly, and being very still, is actually a lot of work.

I started yoga just about 4 years ago. When I started many of the poses were a challenge, and some I could not do, or I did them reluctantly. Those are some of my favorite now. Yes, I resist change, but then adopt it eagerly. As I settle into a routine and figure out what teachers to go to regularly for my yoga practice, Marilyn and her style will be included, but 12 hours ago, at the beginning of her class, this was not the case. What happened?

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Unique Signs - and the messages they send

We have a hardware store 1 mile away from our house down Woburn Street.  We always call it "the store at the end of the street".  On my way to the YMCA this morning this sign caught my eye.  I actually remembered to stop on my way back to take this picture.  I love this picture on many levels.

• It is handmade.  
• This is an independent store and we give them our business whenever we can, as opposed to a big box chain store.  
• It catches your eye as you drive along, and it so simple.  
• We need to take of each other, including the birds.  

This store has a few of these signs which are seasonal, and I just love the way it rests on the two ladders. This sign with the bright yellow bird is a harbinger of spring and given this winter we need many harbingers and reminders, and we need to support local businesses and take care of each other.  This personal sign is a reminder of that.

Slips, trips and falls

Our bike path has been cleared by a private contractor this winter. paid for by the "Friends of the Lexington Bikeways". It is so wonderful to be able to walk especially with the winter we have had.  Unfortunately a half dozen times this winter I have been a mall walker because of the outside conditions.
When I worked in a manufacturing plant at Polaroid, safety was very important since there was dangerous equipment all around.  One motto we had for safety training was "Watch for Slips, trips and falls!"  A slip or a trip was a warning that something was not safe and often happened before a fall.  If you paid attention to a slip, it might prevent a more severe incident like a fall.  In fact, we reported all slips, trips and falls to rectify an unsafe condition.
 
I think about this a lot and especially when I am walking on the bike path.  Today, while in a trance/zone as I powered along, I slid gently on a patch of ice.  It was a nice warning to slip rather than fall. My zone however, was interrupted and my full attention was on my feet, and where they were planted.  I thought about all the near misses on the ice this winter, and I also thought about the people I know who have really hurt themselves falling.

I was much more alert after that quick slide, but still would rather be out on a beautiful sunny day on the bike path, than in the mall.

Working in the middle column

During my review two weeks ago my manager help me connect some dots that before were just that, dots hanging out in space.

2 months ago we had a career discussion where I shared my strengths from a profile from strength finder. Here is a picture of my strengths.





We had a great conversation in May and an even better one two weeks ago during my year end review.

Today, during our 1-1 we revisited the review by way of "What did I learn during the review and what will I commit to for this year?"

There are very few people who can hold up the mirror for me the way she does. It is a gift for both of us that she can be honest with me AND I can be open to hear, process and modify my behavior.

The essence of our conversation was the balance of work between strategic HR work and tactical HR work. My natural inclination is the strategic. That is the way I think and is confirmed by strengths in the strength finder. I often seen things as binary so I was dividing the work into two buckets and did not see that they were connected. In fact I bragged that on my white board the blue pen indicated strategic and the red was tactical. I further bragged that I glanced at the board to make sure that I was working enough in the strategic.

My manager's insight, and observation, which she helped me to understand by physically connecting the dots is that the HR Business Partner work is not one or the other. She actually listed the strategic in a column, the tactical in another and in the middle of these two she drew some circular scribbles to indicate that this is where the work is. That is the middle column work and is where we should be working. Her challenge for me into figure out how to operate and work there.

In the past two weeks I have felt myself irritated with the tactical UNTIL I can catch myself and reframe my mindset and approach. After a few of times catching myself I actually believe that working in the middle column is "the work". I don't get as irritated and I have started to enjoy my whole job. This does not mean that I don't slip back and get irritated. Behavior change is hard but I have been able to reframe my approach most of the time.

We have a code word now of the "middle column work".

We both agreed that my review was a very intense conversation. This may sound trite but I believe that feedback is a gift. Taking it to the next level of rewiring my mindset and reframing my work will be hard work but well worth the effort. I am beginning to like working in the middle column.

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I understand better how Software Engineers organize their work now

I returned Sunday from 4 days of immersion into quilting at VQF (google it) and a mind full of ideas for my next quilts.  Some many ideas, so little free time and a fabric stash that will long outlive me.  BTW, if you want me to leave my fabric/yarn stash to you when I die, drop me a line.

Last night, after work and golf, I have great intentions to sit down at my machine and finish one of the projects from one of the 3 classes I took at VQF.  I looked at the 5 unfinished projects and was paralyzed.  Which one could I put 15 minutes into and move along?  Was the right thread in the machine for any of them? Are there any deliverables that I have for any of them?

A concept that we have talked a lot about at work is how much time software engineers spend actually coding.  Their ideal span of time for coding is 4 hour blocks, and our management schedule is 1 hour meetings.  So, if they get in to work at 9am, and see a 10am meeting, they are reluctant to get started because it might not be the right block of time. 

That is how I felt last night.  I needed at least an hour to get to work on something, and being the lark that I am 10pm at night is not the right hour to sit down with a sharp rotary cutter and scissors and a sharp machine needle.  Accidents happen when you are tired around sharp instruments.  SO, I did nothing on the projects and tried to organize my fabric stash so that when I am ready, I can grab the right fabric. 

Maybe tonight I can find a 1 hour block of time.  I entertained getting up at 5am to put an hour in this morning, and actually almost did get up and do that.  My excitement for finishing those projects and starting up some new ones might actually get me up at 5am one of these mornings.  For now, I am admiring my unfinished projects, and planning my new ones and strategizing to find 1 hour blocks to sew.

Further California observations

Since I was on the red eye last night I had some time to waste so after finding a cute yarn shop in Los Altos I got on 280 instead of 101. I usually travel on 101 since it is the most convenient but 280 is amazingly beautiful and uncrowded at rush hour. In fact I am not sure why I would travel 101 again unless I am time bound. 280 travels among the hills and you see very little towns whereas on 101 you never leave a city from the SFO airport to Mountain View.

When I left 280 to go down to Burlingame I drove on some amazing curvy steep roads. The speed limit was 10 miles per hour in some places. California has had rain lately so there were some DPW signs covering grates that said FLOODED. Formal signs they put out when the road is less than perfect. How civil? We could have used those in the North East. There were also sand bag stations with huge piles of sand. Never seen this in the northeast.

Final observation, in Burlingame there is an ordinance that you cannot post a For Sale sign in a car. Huh? There has to be a story behind this one unless I read the sign wrong.

Traveling is such fun to see the differences and to question why they are different.

Not an observation but I finally had dinner at an In-and-Out Burger. Google it if you don't know about this chain. I was impressed by the kid cutting up potatoes for French fries or rather the machine he was using to cut them up and they were delicious and the hamburger was OK. Hamburger and fries cost me 3.82 so it was a good deal but I am not sure I would hurry back. This could be because of my tendency toward veggies lately.

OK final final observation. Restaurant in CA employees do not wear gloves while preparing food, not even the ones who collect money and then get your fries ready. Has Boston gotten hyper sensitive on this issue or are our health departments stricter?


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Very Interesting - Grand Challenge Summit today at Wellsley

Today I attended this Grand Challenge Summit at Wellesley, sponsored by Wellesley, Olin and Babson. I was invited because Intuit has hired interns from Olin for the last 3 summers. I had not done my homework prior to the summit, as to what the 14 Grand Challenges are, and will be doing that reading in the next few days.

What was clear, very early on, is that there were a lot of academics attending. There were also quite a few students from the three schools, and a few industry folks like myself. I have some friends who work in colleges and universities and I have had discussions with them about the culture of academia. It is very different from any culture that I have worked in before.

One of the comments that a woman from Harvard made to me on the bus ride from Olin to Wellesley was "Professors don't go through any training on education or how to teach." She said it so matter of fact, and I paused a minute before I burst out laughing and started shaking my head. Seriously? Those individuals, who stand up in front of millions of students all over the world, do not have training in training, or training in education. They are rewarded for research and teaching is a means to an end, of getting the research and being able to do the research.

There were lots of statistics about the future that were quoted. The one that stuck with me is that by 2019, 50% of education will be online education. It was pretty funny to watch a room full of academics squirm in their seats when this prediction was quoted. One man refuted this with all kinds of opinion, and I leaned to my colleague and said "A little bit of resistance, maybe, or job nervousness about job security."

There were some great speakers, some great videos of Grand Challenge students projects, some interesting panels including one of the three presidents of the institutions, Linda Wertheimer and Paul Romer.

I came away with a new desire to help with educational reform, after my efforts have been exhausted with health reform. There is a lot of work to be done in this world and it is being done by a lot of smart people.

A half day out of the office, and I was pretty happy to return this afternoon to my cozy office in corporate America, armed with some new thoughts about education, engineering, culture, innovation, collaboration and Grand Challenges.

It is only one floor away

Yesterday at church, the main floor bathroom was occupied so I went downstairs to use that one and as I walked down the stairs, I realized that I had not been downstairs for a while. I used to go every Sunday when I did youth group, but now that I am not involved with RE (Religious Education), I don't go as frequently. I could also sense that I am getting disconnected from the children and youth in the Church by not going "downstairs". I vowed that I could never get disconnected from the youth in the church and become one of those old fogies who complains about them and their behavior.

Intergenerational interaction are a challenge for any group, and especially our church. We try to raise awareness, by intentionally scheduling activities that get the generations to "play" and "work" together. As an aside the Burlington VT UU church has social hour separate for adults and those involved in RE. This seemed really strange when I noticed this because it really separates youth, children and the possible adults relationships they might be developing when a young person runs, and almost knocks down the 101 year old octogenarian, and the "it takes a community" intervention happens by that loving adult, not always their parent or guardian. In the case of Burlington UU, they have 2 services and there is no place to accommodate all the people who want to be social during social hour.

What I thought yesterday is our challenge at work to get the 6th floor and 7th floor to interact, or even the North side 6th floor and South side 6th floor to interact (they are separated by the kitchenette). We schedule lunches, lectures, social events, and we are still inclined to hang with our familiar buddies. We often discuss this at our leadership meetings, that many employees in different Business Units on the site could share work information and end up helping and supporting each other on work projects, because they are working on the same technology.

There has to be a reason to go to the North side of the floor rather than just wandering over, and there has to be a reason to go "downstairs" at Church rather than to use the bathroom. How have you helped groups, who seem so separate, realize the advantage of reaching out across that boundary of a floor or a kitchenette? Do you have a similar story to my floor kitchenette one?

Gratitude - our latest covenant group topic

On Wednesday our covenant group discussed gratitude. Believe it or not, on first blush it is a very upbeat topic but the group was very pensive and quiet and thoughtful for most of the session.

We asked everyone to think about one thing that they are extremey grateful for and mine was "I am grateful that I allow myself to be me." This does not sound very high priestesslike but for me it has been a challenge. One of the downfalls of my Colors, is that I take care of others' needs and often forget to take care of myself. My most recent boss said at my mid-year review "I want you to show more of you. I want you to be you as much as you can." WOW!!! Was I being other than myself? Yes, I was.

Since I am in HR, I have to be guarded at times. I cannot swear like a trooper, tell off color jokes, show favoritism, or be inappropriate at all. This is a constraint. Also, since I guide managers through difficult conversations with their employee, there is also a pocket of people who I have coached through difficult times. What would they think if 5 minutes later I am laughing my head off. OK, what does that matter? Yes, that is the point, what does that matter, BE YOURSELF.

I am trying this out at work. I was a lot more animated and playful this week. That is me. A lot more energetic and a lot more laughing came out of this body this week and that is me. I was questioned about how much coffee I had this morning, because the real sally showed up. I was asked what was different.

Get used to it guys and gals, Sarah the 7th generation of them, aka the High Priestess has come out of her shell (OMG, was I in a shell, that has never been the case) rephrased - is trying to be as genuine and authentic as possible without losing her job as a great HR person.

Obviously I am not going to be giggling through a conversation where someone is about to be told they need to find another job, but I will join the playful activity of nerf gun attacks and the very playful activity that occured in the kitchenette this week: first person drew a "plan on a plate" second person "plate on a plan" third person "paper on a plate on a plan" fourth person "napkin on a paper on a plate on a plan".

So, I am grateful that I allow myself to be me, and there is a long list of other things that I am grateful for, every day, every hour, every minute. Stopping to reflect on gratitude was a great topic for us.

Shopping and Black Friday - out of sync

I am sorry to offend anyone but I don't get Black Friday. If I needed a new flat screen TV maybe. The older I get the less I like crowds and the less I actually need to buy. My niece had to be at work at Starbucks at 4am to serve the shoppers and in fact worked Thanksgiving as well. OK, I admit it, I went by a Starbucks on Thanksgiving to get my latte and because of me, those workers had to be there. I could have boycotted Starbucks on Thanksgiving but I really wanted a latte. Gotcha, I am part of the dynamic. In the good 'ole days, retail stores were closed ALL DAY on Thanksgiving.

On NPR yesterday was an interesting article about discounted purchasing. Yes, in the good 'ole days, rarely were things discounted, and I am old enough to remember those days. We have created box stores and Black Friday shopping. Again, I don't want to offend anyone who participated yesterday, since that is their entertainment and choice and maybe need to save money. Even if I wanted or needed something I would have never ventured out yesterday to get it. There are other areas that I am out of sync like downsizing rather than thinking about a McMansion. Less stuff not more stuff.

So, for all those Black Friday shoppers, I hope you scored some great deals and got what you wanted and had a good time.

Gossip - what a topic!

The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls." ~

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (born November 12, 1815)

Gossip was our topic last night in our covenant group. One of the members sent out this quote to share with us after the discussion. It resonated with me and is now my quote of the day.

There were many complexities of this topic and the ones that stuck with me were:

1) there is a subtle or maybe not so subtle difference between sharing information and gossiping and one lens to look at is through is what was the intent. A malicious intent is gossiping

2) Some of us were treated not so nicely in our childhoods by people talking behind our back and spreading rumors (middle school aged kids can be so mean as they sort out the pecking order) and this colors our reaction to whether it is gossip, and therefore hurtful or just sharing of knowledge.

3) I thought this would be a rather shallow topic and once again was surprised by the covenant group process. Take a seemingly shallow topic, put a trusting group of people in a circle, listen to each other, shift and move your thinking based on what you hear and say and after 90 minutes, you know those people better and you know yourself better.

For me, I have developed a little tougher exterior to what might be being said behind my back. I don't view it as gossip but rather that person's perception of me. Their story that they need to tell others. Often it is not about me but about them.

So how do you share information about others without it being perceived as gossiping and hurtful? I think I know gossip when I see it, but will look at it with lenses of intent and insecurity.

Memorial Day 2009

Growing up, I did not really associate Memorial Day with my grandfather, but in the last few years, in a more contemplative mood, I spend a lot of the day thinking about him. He died in WWII, in a plane crash in Alaska, where he served in the Navy Reserve. I never knew him but have heard lots of stories from Mom about him.

Today, I regret that I never knew Grampa Joe. I am so appreciative that he served our country and I feel badly for my Mom that she lost her father at such a young age. It was the last patriotic war, in my mind anyway.

My cousins who serve in Iraq now; I appreciate them and their wounds that will last forever. I appreciate R, J's brother who served in Iraq twice.

I think about the Vietnam Veteran's Wall in DC, one of the most moving monuments.

I have been very contemplative today, about all of this. I am glad we take a day, every year to remember those who served, and to appreciate those currently serving. I used to think that the VFW at the end of our street, would lose membership, but with the Iraq war producing many new veterans every day, I guess not.

Helping - interesting book and interesting concept

I just returned from an ODLG meeting hearing the author Ed Schein talk about his new book, "Helping"

I am too tired right now to fully process most of the thoughts from the book that I just heard about but I definitely want to follow up soon on these thoughts.

Some insights are that asking for help puts you in a ONE DOWN position. Offering help is not always what is needed in a certain situation. Don't offer help unless you know what the helpee needs or wants.

I often offer help, when that is not really what the other person wants. I do this to be helpful and to please. Good intentions, good reasons, but not always well received, or even necessary to offer.

Off to bed now, coz of too many late nights. I am requesting the book from the library and I am sure will have an update once I actually read the book and get into it.

Got me thinking

I follow this person on twitter. One of his latest tweets is to a blog post of his and I want to think more about it. It is one of those, that I think I get, but am not sure. If I post it here then I am more apt to go back and read it.

The way I learn is by talking about and doing new stuff. So I need to talk about this post with others, and do it, I guess. I do know that the more uncomfortable I am, the more apt I am to learn something. Yes, if I look inside, this post makes me uncomfortable. GOOD THING to pay attention to.

Would love comments about the post!!!!!!

Earth Day 2009 - my third major resolution

Today at work we have an Earth Day fair. In fact, I am sitting staffing a table right now on how to make non-toxic household cleaners. I shamelessly borrowed this from FPLEX where M and C have been driving this initiative during social hours and other church events.

My future Daughter in law, M was reading this book over the winter. I got it from the library and took it on our recent trip. TANGENT ALERT, the best time for me to read a book cover to cover is on a long plane ride or a weekend at Coniston.

TANGENT OVER: I did not totally understand why M wanted to plant asparagus but now I do. Up until now, I have pretty much avoided gardening. It is a solo activity and for an MBTI ENFP, there is not much solo in my life. Thanks to M for turning me onto this book. It is a really thought provoking book. Live off the land only with locally grown food for a year. Here come the chickens soon.

So I figure I will start by planting asparagus at Coniston now, and gradually grow a garden up there. The prior owner already had an herb garden, I just need to figure out what is what.

This is my third major GREEN resolution, that I have personally done. The other two are NO PLASTIC BAGS and bring my own coffee mug into coffee shops or to fill with water so NO PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES. Oh, I forgot, we stopped the Boston Globe daily paper, since more often than not it went directly to the recycle bin. I hope I am not personally responsible for the demise of the Boston Globe.

So, in a few years, I will be harvesting asparagus at Coniston, and this year we will have zucchini and tomatoes.

Happy Earth Day everyone!!!!

Mini reunion in Mesquite

This past weekend we traveled to Las Vegas and then drove to Mesquite for a mini reunion, where my cousin and his wife and my aunt and uncle live. Other than a brief severe health scare at the end of the last evening, we have a great time. We are all going to learn the Heimlich maneuver as mandatory training before our next reunion.

I will never be gambler. Slot machines the minute you de-plane and smoke filled casinos are just not my cup of tea.

These are my cup of tea:
Spas, massages, pedicure and Settlers with the cousins
Beautiful majestic countryside and vistas that seem to go on forever with colors
you only see in the West
Wonderful time with family
Sharing stories of growing up in Colorado
Hearing stories I forgot or never knew
Laughing so hard I cannot catch a breath
The smell of rosemary everywhere
Supporting our generation as the prior one faces increasing health issues