Eat Pray Love

2011 is a very interesting year for me. It began as I sat in front of the lovely fire of the woodstove at the farm, and contemplated the coming year. I made my traditional posters for the year, and as I review my little "treasure maps" I find that I have already accomplished a lot. I am traveling a lot. To California I went in January and February to do some accounting for a friend, and an association. March and April, I roomed at Cindy's and studied my music diligently for our Beatle's concert April 30. Way cool.

May 7, I picked up and went to Oklahoma to help Linda my sister-in-law by helping to care for her Mom. Staying in Oklahoma was a spiritual experience for me. I got to read and research for my websites, and it was powerful. I was so involved in my writing, that I was sort of oblivious to the 108+ degrees for almost 90 days. We laughed and laughed. I begin to accept that all of us are aging, and there's a sort of peace about that.

Linda met me with a huge cake. Something I couldn't pass up, and wouldn't you know it, I have been eating and eating and eating ever since. I can really relate to that scene where Julia Roberts is laying on the floor wrestling to get her jean on.

And we ate out and ate out, and ate out. Oi-veh!

Leaving Oklahoma on August 30, I went to Minneapolis, where I had 12 days of intense gatherings with friends. I had left so abruptly three years ago, that I didn't have good closure, so I just met with people 3-4 people a day, and sometimes more. It was a great time for me. I practiced setting my intention almost every day, and had really heart connecting times, and resolution - at least within myself.

Off to Burlington Vermont, I went to see my son. Darling sons. Darling daughters. It is so wonderful to see each of them happy in their lives, being successful, and liking their lives. I don't think either of them understand the need of a mother to see them, hold them close, and touch them, and say you are so gorgeous, you're OK. Ahhhhh,,,,,.........

And tomorrow I leave to go to Orlando, where I will stay a few days with a favorite aunt and uncle. Next Monday My cousin Wanda picks me up in Leesburg, and we will head out to LaBelle, and then to Naples, where we lived until we were out of school. She talked me into going to Florida for our 45th high school reunion.

So of course I have put on almost 20 pounds in the last four months. Oh, well. And I have almost worn out the clothes I took on this trip-which were mostly casual.

In Feb during my California stay, I read Eat, Pray, Love. It is a fabulous book. One you want to savor. Here is Burlington I am reading her next book called Committed. I figure this year is one in which I am doing an inner and outer journey similar to hers. I am eating a lot, praying a lot, and loving a lot. Only, please God, let's also include a partner into this picture cause I wouldn't mind the sex and companionship.

Figured I have moved my stuff about 15 times in the last three years. Maybe the road trip may finally conclude sometime soon. Had some wonderful adventures this summer, Savoring the abodes of other cool people. I stayed a an incredible cabin in the woods, a lovely apartment surrounded by gardens in Portland, a villa right on the edge of its own small rain forest, and a wonderful chalet on a lake. There's a beautiful picture of the lake on my facebook.

Been having a wonderful palship with a man. I'm finally ready I think to settle in somewhere, claim a town, and have a brilliant relationship with a partner. I like the northwest. I have found ways to live incredibly well on little or no money.

Currently living with Deb and Dan for the month of November while I have a part time job as an office manager. I'm trading pet sitting for rent. Suits us all fine.

Amber's back in school fulltime, and moving this weekend from the farm where she has been for more than a year. She's happy and blossoming as a person.

My son is doing well, but I miss him. Haven't seen him for 3 years. Too long to go!


Had a lovely reunion with my pal Marsha while I was in Portland. She and I ate so much and had so many glasses of wine, that I have only now begun to shed those pound. Here we are having traveled up the gorge to a lovely place for lunch.

Have joined a choir, which is the highlight of each week. This season we are singing a Celtic repetoire, including several song in Gaelic.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving with my Portland friends. And I'm beginning to dream of settling in.

New Career?

Susan, a friend, has gone to France, and I am in Portland living in her apartment and housesitting her three dogs, Mama, Papa, and Baby. I have a best friend who lives in Gresham, a suburb of Portland, and we celebrated my birthday together. We are old pals from back at Unity Church in Minneapolis.

Cindy really wants me to return to living on the farm. Debbie and Dan, my Snohomish friends with whom I stayed last summer, told me they selfishly want me to live with them, so I can petsit and they can travel.

Another friend named Michelle will be going to France in September. So I will be pet sitting and housesitting for her. She has a lovely wooded lot on a creek close to Bellingham.

I am having fun being a gypsy and tasting new towns and locations. My sister took me to Victoria, in Canada for my birthday. Love going on the ferry. This first picture is of me and my sister Susan.

Housesitting

While "jim" and Dave are in Scandinavia and then on to Romania as a part of the Chorus Tour, I am staying at their 'cottage' in the woods. Lovely place.

There's a cute bridge from the parking area over to the front door. These plants in the front are foxglove - which are all in bloom now.

jim and Dave built their home about 20 years ago after looking for a long time for property that faced south.


It's quite cozy. They have lettuce and spinach growing on their deck outside. The only downside to this sweet place is that we have been living through a monsoon this last month, and the lawn grew unbelievably high. Yesterday, I finally got it all cut down again.

I have another house sitting gig to get formalized, probably in late July through August 20. Debbie and Dan want me to come back to live with them, so that I can pet sit, while they begin trying out what it would be like to travel together after Kasie goes to college.

I don't know what I am going to do. I had a real yen to be a gypsy, and I certainly have enjoyed it. I do not enjoy the thought of finding a full time job to support a lifestyle of having a home and all the maintenance that goes with it. I'm living an alternative lifestyle and I like it. We will just have to see what will happen after summer. Living in the question. Living in the unknowing asks me to trust the universe, trust myself, and trust Source. I think I will practice the thing called trust. It calls to me.

Spring and Sprong

Hi folks. I have been living at a permaculture farm (a what?) for the last nine months. It was quite wonderful in many ways. Also quite rustic. No warm water, no shower, the toilet was self composting - and in another building. That was interesting when it was nighttime or when it was raining. But I am all the more hardy (smirk). Permaculture is a way of farming that looks at the relationships between the land, the plants, the animals, and the people, and all things that are involved in growing - weather, soil, water, etc. It was quite lovely to be woken up in the morning by the rooster, and create beautiful gardens this spring. So many incredible flowers and a whole fruit forests. Pretty cool.

I have this week, began a housesitting gig back down the river not too far away. It's a beautiful open cabin, with lots of windows and beautiful wooden floors. I find myself dancing in my stocking feet listening to the great jazz and swing music. My friends have gone to Europe for two months, and wanted me to stay and watch their home. It is very quiet, tucked into the woods.

Had a parttime job doing census taking which is coming to a close this week. Lots of changes in my life. It was quite interesting to knock on doors, and meet the people behind them.

Sprong is a writer that has interesting questions about spirituality.

I have a brother who loves to answer the phone "it's great here in paradise. How is it there in your part of paradise?" Spring here was magnificent. Hope all is well in your part of the world.

Amber came for Thanksgiving, and my sister came and spent Christmas with me. She was blown away by new very short hair cut!

My health is doing well. So different from last summer. Yahoo!

My caretaking job is quite interesting. Have harvested fruit, fed the pig his evening meal, herded chickens back into their pen, done some light weeding, some housecleanning, canning, career counseling, job consulting, been a companion, interior designer, and other fun and interesting activities.

We have quite a close knit community on this farm, and look out for each other. You would think that living on a farm might be isolating. Not! 3 families on this property. Cindy's daughter said to me just before they left for their Christmas vacation "What would we do without you, Anna?" Cindy's daughters are delightful. Cindy and I have become quite good pals. She is thrilled to have the support.

My living facilities are quite rustic, but I quite love where I live. It is cozy, cute, and getting alone time might be one of my bigger challenges! Here is Cindy doing some gardening right outside my kitchen window. You can see other pictures of my place in the next blog dated Dec 16.

While the essence of me has not changed. Many behaviors and ways of looking at the world have changed. I can't imagine having let myself be adopted by families in the past, but now is quite normal. All it took was getting ill, losing income, letting go of pride, and accepting the generosity of others.

I'll be going back to work in January. I am well enough to do that. I'm looking forward to the exciting developments of 2010. My your new year be blessed with new illuminations, and may you be refreshed spirit, body and soul.

Christmas 2009

Remember when I used to do Christmas letters? My last entry was about Christmas 2008, and now it is Chrismas 2009. It was an extraordinary year. It's just that some of it was unpleasant. I feel as though my life is undergoing a major wonderful quantum leap forward. (This picture to the right was taken by my sister the day after my birthday Jul 30 - do I look like I was only out of the hospital 12 days?)

Photographs are included to give you a visual sense of my life. I went to my sister Susan's town for a birthday celebration. then there are some photos of where I live now.

January and February were the toughest months for me, because I got so scared about money when the economy just seized up. I had lots of interviews for work, but the world of employers were afraid to make a commitment. Found a wonderful place I wanted to work, they loved me, but were too afraid of what unknown shifts the economy would take, so chose not to hire anyone.

So I worried and fretted, found two short-term positions, worked hard, made a difference - a big difference, and then got sick.

In June, Amber, Debbie, and another of Amber's friends came over, packed up our apartment (of which we took most all the furniture and big stuff on to Goodwill - to not have storage costs). Debbie stored our personal belongings in her garage.

I am recovering from a flareup of ulcerative colitis - that eventually ended up with me being admitted into the hospital on an emergency in July. I had become severely dehydrated. So little fluid in my body that my poor heart was working so hard that it scared my doctor badly, so little oxygen in my blood that my mind had lost lots of ability to discern and even recognize that I was severely and critically ill. I tend to be strong and healthy most of the time, and I just never had been this ill. It turns out that I have been dangerously ill for some time.

After a week in the hospital, I was a different person. I lost most of my hair. The scariest part of this for me was that I got dangerously ill, and couldn't tell. Who knew that low oxygen levels in the body severely curtail one's thinking and discerning capacity? I knew I couldn't think well, and that it was hard to talk and write, but I just didn't know how dangerously ill I was.

The hospital experience was so powerful, because I received extraordinary care. Turns out this hospital is one of the top 10 in the country, and they have a miraculous team of people who really rally together to work with critically ill patients, get the job done, be very optimistic and upbeat. It gave to me to see such a powerful, hopeful system.

It may sound pretty awful, and in ways it was. Yet in another most powerful way, this has been a quantum leap time for me. My hope in humanity has been renewed. My ability to try to control my life and future was reduced to nothing, so pride has fallen away, and I am receiving these incredible gifts from the universe through none of my personal efforts.

During the month of May, Amber made the connection that she came out here to make. She has become a working student of a person who is a fabulous trainer, has five unbelievable horses that have competed at spectacular levels and Amber gets to ride and receive training for free. . Lisa (Amber's boss) has a ranch in Couer d' Alene Idaho, and moved all the horses back there after the show season in early August. Amber moved with them. I was invited along but chose to remain in state.

In September, my new friend Debbie helped me move to an alternative farm about a half hour north of Mount Vernon. It's rustic, charming, challenging, and soothing. I have a loft over the community room, and trade out doing different activities - including being a caretaker for the property - for my room. This is a photo of the community building, my loft is at the top.


The farm is one using the practices of sustainability and permaculture. Primarily we grow fruit and vegetables. On the property we have developed a community. We look out for each other, give each other rides, gather round a night time fire, watch the stars, commiserate on the weather, celebrate the sun breaks, give each other hugs, hold hands when Maria was taken to the hospital for a perforated colon, marvel at the resiliency and the miracle of the human body, when now she is home and recuperating very well. I walk out to the self-composting toilet, and see Maria and Chris sitting outside on their backstairs with their morning coffee. Baxter comes running to greet me with his toy frog in his mouth. This is the view out my front door.

Pickles the Pig loves to chase the chickens and they are all great friends. Whenever I go out to my car, Pickles comes out of her house to say hello. I've watched her grown from little to very big. Rocky the rooster was very henpecked for a long while, until Chris began letting all the chickens out to do some free range. Then Rocky puffed up and shepherded his brood of five rhode island red chickens and became very proud.

Cindy who owns the farm has invited me into her family and friends. I've gone to her church, a canning party where I met some other women who sing in a chorus. They invited me, and I had a blast singing away Sept through our concert in December. It was so cool. The chorus has lots of activists in it, and sings lots of peace songs.

I love the singing. My heart just lilts with joy.

This photo is taken from the deck off the sun room in the building in which I live.

I am so grateful to be alive, and since I just brushed by death a little bit, the gratitude and feeling of aliveness makes me sing inside.

As the illness subsided, and the wide-eyed demeanor of getting a whiff of eternity has become more subdued, I am not as electric with aliveness, but I want to continue celebrating and cherishing aliveness.

Amber has left the nest, is doing very well in another state, has just received a promotion in the non-profit agency where she is working parttime, and she loves her life. It was a shock to both she and I to part so quickly, but it is a gift to us both. I am finding out who I am other than being a parent and a providor.

This road trip has branched out to being a discovery channel. It continues to be an adventure.