Nature & Animals Win

I’m torn between making this blog a blog about family, relationships, love and those sorts of ruminations and making it a blog about gardening, snails and other cute animals. I’m not interested in having this blog be my diary, but I’m interested in doing some carefully crafted writing. However, as I’ve started writing, I’ve been getting more and more interested in what has come to the surface.

The list of categories at the bottom of my blog show topics that are very important to me, give or take a few items. That’s neat to see, because I didn’t really choose them. My writing sort of chose them for me. I assumed I’d be talking about family, love & friends … in that order … but, so far, that hasn’t really been the case. I’m not saying that family, love and friendship won’t pop in every now and then or that those topics won’t ever dominate … they likely will. But, for now, other random stuff that I love is coming to the surface … and that’s been a nice surprise.

Taco Meetings & Sally

My friend and I are looking into taking on some new clients together.    We got together the other week to talk business and, for lunch, she took me to my first taco truck.  The tacos were delicious.  We’ll be meeting again this week and plan to hit the taco truck once more. Naturally, the meetings are now entitled, “Taco Meetings.”  It’s been great to be my own boss these past few months, but it’s even cooler to work with someone that you choose to work with versus having someone else choose for you.  I feel like this whole self-employed thing is starting to come together into something real.  The independence feels great.  The flexibility is awesome.  Creating your own client relationships versus having a relationship by way of your employer is very empowering.

I feel like one of those women you read about in the Title Nine catalog who have 30 different hobbies, run own their own business and still manage to hold it all together…and look great.  Imagine a picture of a sprite 28 year old brunette, tanned, trim, wearing pastel-colored active-wear and riding a baby blue bike with a shit-eating grin on her face.  The caption below would read:

Sally’s greatest passion is saving the declining purple dolphin population in Bali but her day-to-day consists of miraculously balancing her home-grown graphic design business (all proceeds go to charity) while patiently caring for her 17 children, ranging in age from 2-12 years old.  By the way, she designed and constructed the bike she’s riding in this picture!  Go Sally!   

Hey, don’t get my wrong:  I’m no Sally.  I do have my own business, though, and 1 out of 30 is good enough for me, Sally!  Perhaps I should see if Title Nine will do a photo shoot of me … not on my bike, but on my couch.  My active pose could consist of me, surfing the web … a half-eaten bowl of Mac ‘n’ Cheese in the background?  Eh?

Please Take Me Here Now

“You Feel Life More…”

I was out in the backyard gardening (something I’m doing a lot more of these days) and ran into my neighbor (not a rare occurrence).  She is an avid gardener with a particular affinity toward succulents.  She asked me if I was taking the day off.  I was surprised that I had not yet told her about my departure from my job and all the wackiness that surrounded it.  I brought her up to date and she asked me how I was feeling about my new lifestyle.  I told her that I loved it.  She was right there with me in understanding how much I loved it.  She immediately said, “Yeah, you feel life more.”  I speechlessly nodded.  There is no better way to explain it.  I imagine it’s how retirement feels…but I’m 30 years early.

This feeling has got to be different from retirement, though, because sometimes I don’t feel entitled to this break — and that makes it all the more enjoyable. It’s like I’ve been skipping school for 2 months.  My dad helps keep this feeling alive simply with the tone of his voice.  He knows I’ll be fine, but he’s my dad.  But many times I do feel entitled to this break, however, and know that this lifestyle could actually be my reality.  I’m not talking about never working again, but working for myself.  I’ve scratched the surface by getting a few new clients but I still feel “unemployed” since I work so little and “feel life“ so darn much!

For the Snails

What a lovely day for gardening.  Slightly cool and the air seemed clean.

My job today was to clear out the tall invasive weeds in our little front yard.  Every time I clear it (like twice a year) I’m surprised at all the life I find.  There are these whacky little slithery brown lizards with 4 stubby arms to help it along.*  There are many snails and a few slugs here and there.  There are all different shades of spiders and other nondescript pinpoint-sized bugs.  I get happy knowing they all live there because I am, in a way, providing that space for them.  It’s a chunk of our property that’s alive and I’m letting it stay that way…for most of the year…until I weed.

Today I did a preliminary pull that was nice and gentle. I’d pulled and then left the pile on the ground for a few minutes, hoping all the creatures would scamper away to a safe place.  I would then place the pile in the compost bin and feel bad for any trapped creatures.  I actually didn’t do an intense clean-up today just so the snails and brown lizards would have time to scurry. I haven’t yet raked and eradicated all greenery.  That will happen tomorrow. That means they only have tonight to relocate!

While weeding and encountering many-a-snail, I became very curious about them.  When they exit their shells do they stay out of them forever?  Do they hide their shell in a place that they can later remember by doing their little slime-trail thing?  Do they steal other snail’s shells?  Do they ever regret leaving their shell?  What makes them leave?  How do they feel about me?  Is the baby snail screwed if separated from mama snail?  How do snails benefit the environment?  Who is their biggest predator?  I’d like to get the answer to all of these questions.  I’ll make it my little project for the next few weeks:  Project Snail.

*i later found out the stubby lizard was a salamander.  

Sweet Sharks

As I’ve previously boasted, I’m going to Maui with my boyfriend soon.  He recently sent me an unnecessary article about shark attacks in Maui.  I wasn’t happy about it, but somehow found the strength to respond humorously…with this video.  Ahhhh, Maui.  Just saying it makes it all better.                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suwrQdJu_44