Living-Deliberately.com

My “homesteading dreams” section was getting hefty enough for me to create a new site for that category, which will let me focus more on that over there and Living Deliberately over here, which transcends one topic.  There is a pup update there too…it’s shadygrovemicrofarmstead.sixredheads.com.

The pathtofreedom folks have a store called the peddler’s wagon…. there is a new image and link in my sidebar that will take you there.

Anyone make jelly? I’m having fits with mine. The jam did okay but the jelly is not setting properly. I know I’m skimping on the sugar….after a year of not buying any white sugar, it feels utterly ludacris to be heaping 7 cups into 6 cups of juice!  I’ve use sure-gel, powdered pectin, and liquid pectin, all to no avail. I read something that said I may have let it take too much time coming to a boil…anyone know?

AS IF I needed any other goading to dream of mac-ownership! Dreaming of technological items is not something I typically do…however… the iphone is just about beyond imagination. Feature after feature led to surprised gasping… how do they DO that? It reminds of me of days in childhood spent in a corner of the living room, behind Daddy’s recliner, with a cardboard box and “inventing” something with powers just because it made sense to me…nevermind if anything could actually do it. Somewhere, somehow, I imagine some creative thinkers threw out “the box” and just said, “what do we want it to do?” rather than “what will current technology let us do?”

The only question the news story didn’t answer for me is, “how durable is that touch screen around small children????”

I sure didn’t! Dr. Dunaway wrote about it on his blog and it indeed hilarious…sigh. Words and the way we use them matter. My word-lovin’ hubby, who is also in the process of beginning his own blog to be released later this week,  is going to love the point this post makes. Warning: set all liquids aside first!

are in the comment section of the ongoing conversation from the other day. I couldn’t decide if I should make it a new post or not and finally went with keeping the dialog in one location. I’m still working out what I think about all that; please forgive if I’m coming across arrogantly.

Fr. Stephen has posted a book review and thoughts that are flowing through the rivulets in my brain this morning, into the grooves of worn thought I’ve dug this week. Of most pressing importance today is getting my eleven year old to the doctor for a physical, a concept and reality that he loathes to the point of unbelievable stubborness. But I think I’ve gotten some interesting fodder to mull in my inbetween moments today.  What do you think?

I *think* I said that right. Translated:

The awful dog is gone.

They took it away this afternoon; they themselves are moving within the week.

More on why I’m learning Spanish here.

Worth taking a peek at.

(pst…that sentence ending in a preposition is a special treat for my friend Tim)

 Someone said this to me this weekend:

” It’s always snarky, to suggest that someone has exasperated you, or that you have to patiently explain to someone something.”

The word “snarky” defined:

“A witty mannerism, personality, or behavior that is a combination of sarcasm and cynicism. Usually accepted as a complimentary term. Snark is sometimes mistaken for a snotty or arrogant attitude.”

So do you agree or disagree? Is it witty, sarcastic, cynical, snotty, or arrogant to try to explain something to someone in a patient manner, when you are beginning to feel exasperated from having had to repeat it due to a lack of mutual understanding?

And if you agree, when is taking a breath in order to keep your composure OR showing any visible sign of fatigue, anything but honesty?

Do you think when one is feeling tired and frustrated in communication that all efforts should stop? Or that it’s okay to acknowledge that sometimes communication can be difficult and pressing on through the fatigue can be a good thing?

If you disagree, can you come up with an example where patient explanations were needed that was NOT done in arrogance, snottiness, cynicism, etc…..

We did it a year ago for money reasons… she did it for time and money. Cutting the expense of cable, dish, or what-have-you is a great way to inject more time into your day and more money into your budget. It’s one more way to take a step back from the herd and think about what we do and why. I’m always a little stunned when I’m reminded that the “great” people of our time, the really accomplished and success stories almost never watch TV at all, let alone as many stations as cable provides. So here’s to you today Sarah at Ordinary Days…may this one be extraordinary!

“When I farted, it smelled like Old Man.”

followed by erupting giggles and dramatic fanning.

Just keepin’ it real folks…

Ever wonder if your sleep position says anything about you? The Body Language Lady is going to analyze this in the coming days. Check it out!

is a category for “what I’m thinking about”. This includes links to subjects I’ve not got a formed opinion about yet, am still learning about, or has my interest-intenae up.

I sense a theme going on this week….

• my friend Beth sent me a beautiful Easter card with an embossed egg on the front. Among the bills and circulars I almost didn’t recognize real “snail” mail with actual handwriting!
• Tim  had this  to say about thank-you notes. My mom is always saying this too.
• The Queen is contemplating less on-line time and more (cough) ironing (bad word at our house!) and those parading monkeys are taking a break too.

Makes me want to go shop for stationary.

Wheaton sat down singing the song from Chip And Dale today and said it was bad to have a red nose.

“Huh?” said I.

“Yeah, the bad one has a red nose. The good one has a black one.”

After more conversation I realized I felt a little thick…I never knew one could tell the two chipmunks apart! Wheaton says it’s the noses, David says it’s the teeth, Celia says it’s their attitudes.

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In other news, the trees on the hills have leaves again and when the wind blows I can hear it once more. There is some pretty little white flower blooming in the lawn and in the side beds that smells like honeysuckle; it closes in the morning and opens in the afternoon like a 4 o’clock, only it’s petaled a bit more like a daisy. Spring is amazing.

Lest anyone have an impression that I am a hard-core crunchy-granola health freak, let me assure you that today I am a crazed redhead in desperate search of some good ole high fructose corn syrup, namely in the form of Sour patch kids, decent jelly beans, or twizllers…all of them my favorite writing fuel. All are currently out of reach to my maddened displeasure, and I feel the day’s creative juice leaking down, down, down my body, into my leg, dripping heavy drops out of my leaky-faucet of a big toe into a puddle on the floor, a little pool of energy the day will demand I get up and leave not too long from now.

For now, I’ll watch this cute video while my mouth waters in search of that acidic tang.