tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52678829878289176622024-03-13T20:59:26.439-07:00Gypsy TourA chronicle of the process of getting rid of most of my "stuff". I'll let go of five things a day for a year in preparation for being homeless. I aspire to live the life of a nomad for a while. Who knows? I may never have an address again.Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.comBlogger242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-50207534987367234082011-02-09T23:20:00.000-08:002011-02-09T23:20:55.951-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty EightDanger! Peligro! Warning! I'm not the same of blogger that I used to be. Or something like that. In being true to myself I must admit that I'm sort of morphing the rules by which I blog. A few months ago life threw a few curve balls tha<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">t made it damn near impossible to show up here every day with something to say and a pile of stuff to get rid of. So I did my best to scramble and make up for it, "paying back" the blog with items I missed, etc.; I even felt some guilt for good measure. Then more recently life threw some <i>fast</i> balls and things really got away from me for a while. This time I didn't feel the guilt, I just said, "Psh, the blog is the <i>last</i> thing I can focus on right now." And so it goes. It reminds me of something a friend recently said, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">The funny thing about evil thoughts is you let yourself have one and the next thing you know, you've had six or seven." So too it is with letting a good habit </span></span>slide. It is so easy to fall off the wagon and getting back on can sometimes involve clawing and being dragged in the dirt for a bit. Realizing this makes me question the concept of sticking to things as a show of character. I really don't like to be dragged behind the wagon.<br />
<br />
I remember when my oldest son was about seven he was going to karate classes. At first he really liked it. His white belt got traded for a yellow one. The colors kept changing and he memorized the forms and then one day he announced he didn't like karate anymore and didn't want to go back. I could relate. My entire life I've had a pattern of becoming interested in something and then after I understood it or got really good at it I would become bored and want to move on to something else that interested me. Evidently my son had the same idea about karate. So I lobbied in his favor against his father who thought that the right thing to do was to <i>make </i>him go to karate, to not let him quit something, to help him realize you have to stick things out even when they cease to be fun. Buck up and all that. In the end I won and he quit going to karate. I felt like I had done the right thing and at the time my son was grateful. Now fast forward fifteen years. My son and I are talking and he says, "You know something I'm really disappointed about? I wish you wouldn't have let me quit karate." So who knows? If it had turned out differently would he have said, "I wish you wouldn't have made me keep going to karate after I said I didn't like it anymore"? Sometimes we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3d1BpH6Z8kbjAwI5EFRy0kcHmZhtQigNYqkZOmh2uDgcix00farurbmow506WCymE4Ci94NyaBTLrQzSozfnJ4CKlK8owCKbHMOwR2nQgX6QwqZYTZW0MAwkx9GU-3XcRWH7nmQXvZ0/s1600/karate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3d1BpH6Z8kbjAwI5EFRy0kcHmZhtQigNYqkZOmh2uDgcix00farurbmow506WCymE4Ci94NyaBTLrQzSozfnJ4CKlK8owCKbHMOwR2nQgX6QwqZYTZW0MAwkx9GU-3XcRWH7nmQXvZ0/s1600/karate.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The point is, if I may attempt to make one here, that for me this journey through the crazy maze we call life is all about figuring out what works for us and doing more of that. Maybe it isn't about all or nothing. Maybe you can do some and be ok. Instead of blogging every single day for a year I've decided that I'll blog until I have a year's worth of entries, a full 365. If I need to take a day off because I'm out of town or overwhelmed then I take a day off. Fair enough? It works for me. No guilt. I'm driving twelve hours Friday to go see my daughter perform in a play at her university. Then I'm driving home and will be back at work by mid day Monday. I will not be blogging Friday-Sunday. I will not feel guilty. Maybe we should have offered to our son that he take two weeks off from karate and then checked in to see how he felt about it.<br />
<br />
Today's five items are all from a basket of clothing that I found stashed in the laundry room that I've been ignoring for a very long time:<br />
<br />
1. T, this one's for you: A diaphanous black blouse with ridiculous ruffles on it<br />
2. A pile of nine socks whose mates are long gone - I can't make myself wear mismatched socks, I've tried<br />
3. A green and white button down shirt that I used to really like and now look at and intensely dislike. Go figure.<br />
4. A pair of blue rayon drawstring pants<br />
5. The little clay model of a gypsy wagon that I made...didn't run out well and it is just collecting dust<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.goddessesforjordan.com/" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Goddesses for Jordan</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julie_picarello/5423277258/" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Jordan's Hope</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></span></div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-69006499862563773852011-02-08T22:00:00.000-08:002011-02-08T22:00:24.205-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty Seven<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I have a friend who served as my original inspiration for clearing my house of all the unneeded, unused and unloved things. In the sixteen or so years I've known her she has reorganized her house from top to bottom many times. Or maybe she has just been doing it one time and it has taken years and years, hard to say. However, today she told me that by the weekend she should be finished! So, congratulations to you my friend. I know how much effort you've put into this. So, how did she finally do it? Whose system did she use? She has been responsible for inspiring me to purchase a slew of books about organizing over the years. Here's how my typical thought process worked for years:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. Become inspired by actions of others.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. Figure out what I can buy that will make me as successful as they are.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. Buy the book, cd, dvd or whatever.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. Thumb through the book, listen to the first ten minutes of the cd to 'get a feel for it'.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. Leave it out on top of a pile of things that needs clearing for inspiration.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">6. Forget about it until I get to that particular pile, at which point I....</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">7. Put it away having decided it wasn't a very good system for me. (After all, if it didn't DO the work for me then it wasn't going to get done.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So as I sit here and look around me at a space cleared of clutter with a very neat pile of just completed work ready to be put away in a space perfectly organized and sized for the purpose, I realize that I've come pretty close to finishing. I still have plenty of blog items, that isn't what I mean. Lot's to still get rid of. What I know that I've done is that I've learned what works for me. My friend made the comment that she had finally figured out how she uses things and how she works. That, my readers, is key. I have learned that I work best by breaking down tasks that don't excite me into very little bites. Now the finish line is only a matter of time because there isn't a doubt in my mind that I will do it. I have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to doing things that I don't enjoy. When I am working on something that I love I will do it for hours on end. I remember when I was building my landscape that I'd go outside in the morning after a cup of coffee and the first time I'd look up and notice the time it would be 2:00 in the afternoon and I'd be outside in sweaty pajamas. Implementing the timer system I've described before keeps me from sitting and working until my back seizes up but I will often work for 10 or 12 hours because I love what I do. Same with an art project....incredible stamina there as well.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Moral of the story? Don't buy the book.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here are today's five items:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. Muffin tin I keep thinking I'm going to use to sort art supplies - not gonna happen.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. Blue vase with red flowers on it. I've basically settled on three vases that I LOVE and the rest go.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. Baseball</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. Baseball bat</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. Another racquetball racket lurking at the back of the "sport" closet. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.goddessesforjordan.com/" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Goddesses for Jordan</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julie_picarello/5423277258/" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Jordan's Hope</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></i></span></i></span></div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-85126330071477213542011-02-07T23:23:00.000-08:002011-02-07T23:23:06.642-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty SixToday, February 7th, was my mother's birthday. So, this one's for you, Mom. <br />
<br />
My mother was a very interesting woman. I've never met anyone like her. She was born in 1933 during the Great Depression in Phoenix. Her childhood was spent bouncing around different places in Arizona, southern California and Nevada. She was truly from the old West. The stories she told about her childhood fascinated me. I was born in 1960 and grew up during the social and sexual revolutions of the times; our experiences could not have been any more disparate. I bought myself a VW bug when I was sixteen, she rode a burro to high school and married and gave birth at sixteen. She actually told me of "turf wars" between the teenagers of Goldfield and Tonopah, Nevada over the ownership rights to the wild burros that roam that part of the desert among the eerie Joshua trees. (I have often wondered what a rumble over burros looked like.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVxFW7WVD7qAY9uLXdHETA1JFPqjjgAjLcxq0YT9CcxidH1a_-vg6zdPhKvC5hgLjbWIVI0j4wDDc44tBbSTLMc1rNNIyRAPqMARagvWzhcgKbocF3SYiKyIKdk7iHpjXLQfT_Y7Hg_s/s1600/burros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVxFW7WVD7qAY9uLXdHETA1JFPqjjgAjLcxq0YT9CcxidH1a_-vg6zdPhKvC5hgLjbWIVI0j4wDDc44tBbSTLMc1rNNIyRAPqMARagvWzhcgKbocF3SYiKyIKdk7iHpjXLQfT_Y7Hg_s/s1600/burros.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giddyup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>While we were very different in many ways, I credit her for teaching me some really important things, including about the amassing of personal possessions. I've heard and read many stories of people from the depression era being incredibly frugal and tending towards being unable to throw anything away in case it would be of use later. My mom didn't have those kinds of issues. She traveled pretty lightly, valuing the ability to be flexible perhaps above all else. In an instant she would reinvent herself, her life, her environment. We moved a lot and often without much notice (not because we were on the lam or anything - she just didn't think kids needed to be kept apprised of things; it was before kids had psyches). Leisurely consideration of what to keep and what to let go of didn't really happen most moves. We moved once in a green horse trailer hooked up behind a U-Haul van. Two kids with Mom in the truck and the rest of the brood in with a couple of cousins in a station wagon driven by our aunt. The point of this is that my mother embodied the belief that if you didn't need it or love it then you should leave it behind. Honestly, I was around 15 before I realized I had friends whose parents had been married to each other their whole lives and some had lived in the same house since they were born! It had never occurred to me that there was another way to be which is a credit to my mother. <div><br />
</div><div>Later, I decided that the Ozzie and Harriet style of life I had discovered must be better and I was determined to give it a try. As a result I hung on to things and relationships beyond the point when they were no longer needed or loved. All of that is what I'm working now to keep letting go of, little by little. Mom, Happy Birthday. You were right about a lot of things.</div><div><br />
</div><div>These have lost their usefulness for me:</div><div>1. A racquetball racket</div><div>2. Another racquetball racket</div><div>3. Yep, yet another one. Oddly, a couple of these were well worn and I don't even remember anyone every playing racquetball.</div><div>4. A yellow baseball with a smiley face on it</div><div>5. A 6' piece of wooden rope molding</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.goddessesforjordan.com/" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Goddesses for Jordan</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julie_picarello/5423277258/" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Jordan's Hope</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></span></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-10921600027789527222011-02-06T22:07:00.000-08:002011-02-06T22:07:51.654-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty Five<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Back in the Saddle</b></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This is totally off topic, nothing about letting go of extraneous stuff - check back tomorrow for a return to the normal blog format.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm officially coming out of limbo. (Dare I make the obvious rhyme? Kimbo's no longer in limbo?) I've been away from blogging as my daughter has been ill and was hospitalized for twenty six days in January. Then the wheels fell off in many other aspects of my life at the same time while the workload increased significantly at work. I have to admit that even though I am a woman who has always been capable and strong, resilient and confident, that recent events have shaken me up. My spirit has been considerably rumpled, faith in my own instincts shattered and my glass-half-full attitude in danger. A common joke I've made is that I have to concentrate really hard to keep my little dingy afloat but that I always manage to do it; lately the dingy seemed to be taking on water. Then a good friend who also doubles as a wise therapist told me that one thing she knows about me for sure is that I have a lot of people who love me and it may be time for me to admit to myself and others that I need some help. I thought that over and it reminded me of my mother, who was quite generous in many ways, saying it was important to allow people to help you when they offer. It took me years to understand the meaning of that fully but I did finally come to understand it. Even so, it has never been easy for me to <i>ask</i> for help. So I made a leap of faith and took a baby step forward by saying "yes" when a girlfriend offered to come help me for a weekend. So much got done and we laughed and it was joyous and it was healing and it didn't leave me feeling pathetic for having asked (much to my surprise). So I tried again and said "yes" to the next friends who offered to help. Instead of feeling weaker, I felt stronger. We shared a dinner and laughed (I'm getting that laughter is key here) and again I felt a bit stronger, a bit more able to face all the things on my plate. I miraculously got things done. Lunch with a friend reminded me of the value of nourishing myself well in times of stress, a sister's visit cleared all the blog items piling up in the house and got my place shining which provided me a profound kind of comfort, another friend listened to my idea for a website and helped get it up and running almost instantaneously (<a href="http://www.goddessesforjordan.com/">Goddesses for Jordan</a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">), </span></i>a dear friend who is an artist stepped forward and made a generous offer of one of her art pieces (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julie_picarello/5423277258/">Jordan's Hope</a>), etc. etc. etc.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now, instead of a little leaky dingy being tossed in the waves I feel myself being buoyed along the sleek, smooth surface of the water in a fine hand-crafted boat with many oars in the water. It is a very nice feeling. I am filled with gratitude for the generous outpouring of love and support from people who are coming forward to help. In permaculture, we design to develop "functional connections" between elements in a system and this profound practice, like all of permaculture design, has once again been demonstrated to work in all aspects of life. So I gratefully accept the help and sing a song of hope with a new twinkle in my eye. In writing this it has occurred to me that this post is in fact <i>not</i> off topic. One of the ways to simplify life is to accept and understand that we are not independent but fiercely interdependent. While letting go of the 10 extra vases we've accumulated under the kitchen sink perhaps we would be wise to let go of independence altogether. We are all connected.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This, sent to the blog by the friend who came and spent a weekend with me filing in my office a while back, is worth repeating here. I am blessed to have a life filled with people who embody the spirit of this:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">"I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there can be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">~William Penn</span></span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I promise to pay it forward. ♥</span></span></i></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></i></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here are today's five items:<br />
1. A pair of kid's craft scissors</span></span></i></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A stack of magazines (taking them with me to the dentist tomorrow for donation to the waiting room)</span></span></i></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. <u>Basic Beadwork</u></span></span></i></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A red clothes basket</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. An IGI t-shirt </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></span></i></span></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-52625168953087180392011-01-19T00:36:00.002-08:002011-01-19T00:36:54.534-08:00LimboCan't give this entry a day number because I'm not making any forward progress. This is just to say the blog is not a forgotten project, just one that had to be set aside for a little bit....I'll be back!<br />
<br />
Be well.Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-17941633042493722032011-01-15T22:36:00.000-08:002011-01-15T22:36:13.501-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty Four<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Slip slidin' away.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The effects of stress on the body have been well documented. Heretofore, however, I doubt that the effects of stress on clutter clearing have been properly studied and documented. I'm wondering if the government has a grant or endowment (really like that word) program available that would enable me to be paid to study it. I'd do it for a sensible sum, something in the low six figures would be enough I think. I'd have to pay my contributors probably but they work cheap. I have four children, three siblings with families, a cat in heat and a raw meat eating dog with gas to help keep my stress level up allowing me to test whether or not clutter can still be cleared under trying circumstances.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In a matter of days I'll run out of low hanging fruit aka the big pile of things cleared but not yet listed. Then I'll really be put to the test. ;-)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For tonight, I've got it made:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A pair of gray sweat pants with goofy pockets that for some reason remind me of high school in the 70s.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A plain black ball cap. I can't remember anyone in this house ever wearing ball caps yet I've come across dozens.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A pair of black suede shoes.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A hot pink bra. The kind with the really well formed cups. My sisters refer to them as "nut cups" as you could serve cocktail peanuts out of them at a party if you were short on bowls.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A dog leash.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-59516382778904817162011-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:002011-01-14T21:52:46.738-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty ThreeToday just a little piece of eye candy. When the sun rises over the Virginia Range and bathes the valley in light it is always beautiful. However, every now and then the light has a certain golden quality to it that is exceptionally breathtaking. I was up getting my day going at sunrise a couple of days ago and witnessed that special amber light and took this picture. It is all I have to offer up tonight, no anecdotes, no items.<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp2het4X6PpudI0olJRhD7uTDbEt_5eFSvW0hlXUffarr9rvT14eJjTJwMz9rpQSWzcLNisfd21-RUPK23x0FkLjsSe9memAj1trK7jDDefqGNtry7TnFXHSzm_y1nTgFamG2I-bUhlA/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp2het4X6PpudI0olJRhD7uTDbEt_5eFSvW0hlXUffarr9rvT14eJjTJwMz9rpQSWzcLNisfd21-RUPK23x0FkLjsSe9memAj1trK7jDDefqGNtry7TnFXHSzm_y1nTgFamG2I-bUhlA/s640/013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-31883164500100742992011-01-13T23:33:00.000-08:002011-01-13T23:33:41.699-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty Two<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Poor little Pluto isn't a planet anymore and I'm suddenly a Sagittarius!?? Well F*CK that. Can't they leave anything alone? Now I know how those who were afraid to get too close to the edge of the flat world lest they'd fall off felt. The vast majority of people who are important to me in my life (but not related to me) have been Sagittarians and I have always admired them tremendously and known that the reason I was drawn to them was because I was a CAPRICORN and <i>not</i> a Sagittarian. I'm a goat putting one foot in front of the other again and again, remember? Don't<i> </i>even <i>try</i> to sell me on their being Ophiuchus-ians or whatever. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>Jeez, Is there no end to the challenges?</i><b> </b>I am already up to my ass in alligators! <b>;-)</b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">But seriously.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycCPkTzrR9YVk65Luu7oDK-y7pUY9NICz_tva_O7t57NeQO7LCngRN-oY5BO4X8aM2p_WQWWNPDeAM5tAHiKuKWEN8vBgLQmw6H6-_cxKwPZ5A5-1IlMwkjUKgI7DT-UtaMRr1NAqLr0/s1600/AmericanAlligators001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycCPkTzrR9YVk65Luu7oDK-y7pUY9NICz_tva_O7t57NeQO7LCngRN-oY5BO4X8aM2p_WQWWNPDeAM5tAHiKuKWEN8vBgLQmw6H6-_cxKwPZ5A5-1IlMwkjUKgI7DT-UtaMRr1NAqLr0/s320/AmericanAlligators001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Here are the five items for today.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1. A vanilla scented candle (if you love me, never send me a cheap scented candle as a token of that love)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2. A set of nail art pens</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">3. A compact mirror</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">4. My beloved Sweet Pea pajama pants (sorry BJ, you can't borrow them again)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">5. A very cheap quality stock pot</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></i></span></i></span></span></span>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-15957316304378911772011-01-12T23:59:00.000-08:002011-01-13T00:03:13.350-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty One<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Warning: Blog reading may be habit forming</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Or not. I noticed something strange this week. I skipped doing my blog entries for a couple of days and realized that after two days I was ready to just declare that this had run its natural course albeit not the course I set out to follow. That little angel who wears the black satin dress and too much eyeliner living on one shoulder was whispering in my ear that it just didn't matter in the least if I didn't finish this blog project. After all, she pointed out, I have said all along that the blog is just to keep me going on the clearing and I am so good at it now that I'll surely keep clearing even if I don't blog. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What I noticed is that even when the little angel who wears white satin and tulle and rhinestones whispered that following through with things is something I admire in others and strive for in myself that it was much easier to ignore her than her naughty counterpart. It actually took a comment jokingly made from an external angel that more or less shamed me into getting back on track yesterday. (Thank you, Angel Misty) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This got me thinking about habits in general so I did a little research. "They" say it takes about three weeks to form a habit. Anyone who has ever gone on a diet may acknowledge the truth in that. After you get going on a new habit it seems fairly easy but it does take a while to get to that point. Conversely, and this is what dawned on me today, it is soooo much easier to develop a bad habit than a good one. Same with breaking a good habit you've worked hard to develop. Get off course for a couple of days and it can be a very long climb back. There seems to be a switch inside that is either flipped to on or off. When mine is flipped on it is fairly easy to shut it off but once off it is much more difficult to flip it back on. Am I the only one?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75un0j0lKMEXIDyZzxZCQMiPVq4xhk4lKMZV6cdIUjX3omzc82RTQX6baQUE2N9mcrkHt83lkolqWHK85hDATw6DCBusrsBWqW93C3ecJdOzCr2W7L5v0TynPm-zvU-AULoBxY3892EA/s1600/good+angel+bad+angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75un0j0lKMEXIDyZzxZCQMiPVq4xhk4lKMZV6cdIUjX3omzc82RTQX6baQUE2N9mcrkHt83lkolqWHK85hDATw6DCBusrsBWqW93C3ecJdOzCr2W7L5v0TynPm-zvU-AULoBxY3892EA/s1600/good+angel+bad+angel.jpg" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These five things are leaving today:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A clear acrylic document frame</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. Another just like #1</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. And a third. I bought these years ago with some good intentions that never panned out. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A calculator</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A big bag of scented lotions and cremes and body butters - the kind that hurt my head because of all the artificial fragrances in them. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-72634278715278279432011-01-11T22:52:00.000-08:002011-01-11T22:52:35.407-08:00Day Two Hundred Thirty<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes life gets messy. One minute you're on top of your game and you're making everything you do look easy and the next you're a Chinese acrobat in a private circus with 22 plates spinning atop two foot long dowels. Some plates are bound to break, and this week it was the plate labeled "blog". Was feeling totally justified to just set this project aside until I was accused by a friend (jokingly) of being a slacker. Somehow I always rise to a challenge. And that is what this entire endeavor has really been about, rising to what seemed to be an overwhelming challenge to me when I started. Getting rid of all the extraneous stuff that had landed in my life and my house over the past 20-ish years felt like a task whose only solution involved a twenty yard dumpster. Now, I'm practically a professional incrementalist. Soon I'll be building a gypsy wagon, starting an aquaponics project, helping open a restaurant, making a hugelkultur bed in the front yard and continuing "project parenthood" all at the same time. How? By putting one foot in front of another and doing that over and over and over. So listing the next five things to get rid of while I have a kid in the hospital and am squeezing (pun intended for those of you who get it) work in to all the cracks in my day is simple enough, right?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpMABKHD8FBWOV_lcQSMpXB_iNwDknm8nQj9PkgnpHfrOo7Dp70skoAyJtUSYVdbsd3X3r0JflHwIWPTii2U3vZilpezlLoTe5VrnWuWAOw8FbRXSXzxkW4ThWhOazyeSjDWqhFx-a14/s1600/plate+jubbler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpMABKHD8FBWOV_lcQSMpXB_iNwDknm8nQj9PkgnpHfrOo7Dp70skoAyJtUSYVdbsd3X3r0JflHwIWPTii2U3vZilpezlLoTe5VrnWuWAOw8FbRXSXzxkW4ThWhOazyeSjDWqhFx-a14/s1600/plate+jubbler.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These five things are outta here:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A backgammon set (I have a nice one I'll keep because I think gypsies play backgammon)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A pair of fuzzy hot pink pajama pants with peace signs on them</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. Red polar fleece pullover</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A set of sheet garters</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. Two standard size pillowcases</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-65470569210259066692011-01-08T23:41:00.000-08:002011-01-08T23:41:40.890-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty NineKeepin' it real.<br />
<br />
In real life there are days when even the most intrepid among us just can't muster up the wherewithal to get the job done. I have followed the beautifully simple Toltec wisdom embodied in the Four Agreements for years. They are my guiding principles and they have enriched my life beyond measure. So today I invoke agreement #4 which, while entreating us to do our best, also leaves room for recognition that on different days our best will hit different marks. Today the best I can do is share that with you. Be well. I'll be back when I can.Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-43368423291803256692011-01-07T23:26:00.000-08:002011-01-07T23:26:33.857-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty Eight<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fog in the desert is a strange and somewhat wondrous phenomenon. To wake up and look out at the opaque air and see the trees with their whitened branches through the fog is quite beautiful. Every morning there are about 100 quail in the chicken yard cleaning up any tiny bits of chicken feed that were left to them. This morning the sight of them taking flight against the white sky was stunning. I am enjoying it except for the little problem of being COLD. I've been cold for a month, I just can't warm up. It has forced me to look for warm clothing and in the process, guess what? I have found things I can get rid of. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today's five are all winter items:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A blue cable knit sweater that I really like but it has a sizable stain on it and I'm letting it go</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. An Army jacket</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A tweed blazer</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A hand knit sweater I bought in Greece. It is all wool and itches like hell. I've never worn it but have kept it because I have an emotional attachment because of the happy memory of being in Greece with my grandmother. I'm losing the sweater and keeping the memory.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A long trench coat looking thing with a herringbone pattern. I notice I have a lot of tweed, herringbone and paisley. I also notice that I'm giving it all away!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></span>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-65258554943504061282011-01-06T23:42:00.000-08:002011-01-06T23:42:53.236-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty Seven<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Living under my roof now are my 17 year old son and my 19 year old daughter with her 21 year old fiance. They were living on their own but times are tough and they've moved home to amass their fortune so they can get married in September and move out again. So now you know the history and here's the point; they've gone from a two bedroom apartment into one bedroom in my house so they've been inspired by my progress and are regular readers of my blog. I asked them recently if they have any insights to share about what it has meant for them to get rid of so many of their things. Their answer is that it feels good to not be weighed down by too many things but that some items that the knew they didn't need or even love were very hard to let go of because of the emotional connection they had with them. It reminded me of a tip I got early on that I've been meaning to share. When you're confronted by this dilemma, get out your camera. Take a picture or two or three of the item you're going to let go of but want to remember well. Then, don't let it get buried in a digital picture file. Go ahead and have a print made of the best picture and put it somewhere that you'll come across occasionally; tucked inside a reference book, taped to the inside of the medicine cabinet door, somewhere like that. Every time you come across the photo you'll be reminded of the item. This technique, surprisingly, will make you think more often about the item than if you actually have it lying around on top of a coffee table or nightstand. Eventually it will be cemented enough in your mind that even without the photograph a reference book or a medicine cabinet will remind you of it forever. Voila!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today's five items:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. Ballet Slippers</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. Purple Flip Flops</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. Black Converse</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. Red Flip Flops</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. Brown Flip Flops</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-36448692620749470982011-01-05T22:47:00.000-08:002011-01-05T22:47:01.904-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty Six<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ode to the Shoe Tree</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ok, not really an ode but I want to pay homage to the largest shoe tree in the world. It lived not far from here, about 70 miles from Reno on Highway 50, The Loneliest Road in America. It is along 50 that I travel to get to my property in Central Nevada where I plan to eventually build myself a little house. I have made this trip dozens of times and will make it hundreds more. I searched for the right piece of land for years. One day I took one of my daughters and a friend of mine from the south who hadn't seen much of Nevada out to look at more parcels. When you travel through that part of the state you see many interesting things; there is Sand Hill which looks like it belongs in the Sahara and always has people who appear as tiny as ants in the distance playing on the hill in their dune buggies. When I drive by the Big R Ranch, Farm and Home Supply store in Fallon my heart goes pitter pat at the site of the stock tanks and fencing panels in the outdoor yard. There are the alkali flats where people gather black rocks and spell out messages along the side of the road. There is the mysterious sign that reads "Naval Centroid Facility" pointing to a stretch of barren desert. That sign always reminds me of a dear friend who died a couple of years ago. Once when traveling that road together he said, "I am just suspicious of anything that ends in 'oid'. It can't be good." The sign brings him to mind and a smile to my face every time; we had such a good time on that trip. Then there is the Shoe Tree. On the day I found the property of my dreams I was busy explaining about the Shoe Tree to my friend when he shouted, "LOOOOOK!!" He had actually spotted a big horn sheep on a rocky outcropping just before the Shoe Tree. We were both very excited. We had to stop at the tree just to catch our breath from seeing the magnificent animal with the huge curling horns. My daughter had brought a pair of shoes to sacrifice and she lobbed them way into the sky where they caught on a branch and we watched them swing from side to side until they came to rest, at peace in their new home. The cottonwood was old, had been standing there while countless people passed by, some stopping for the momentary protection from the desert sun that it provided and in later years, to marvel at the thousands of shoes against the impossibly blue Nevada sky.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Shoes decorated every branch, some signed, some with wheels, some with spike heels and impossibly thin straps. Legend has it that the first shoes were thrown into the tree in the 80s by an angry groom on a wedding night to keep a new bride from walking off. Hard to say if that is true or not but the image is striking. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Last week someone took a chainsaw and felled this glorious tree, splaying the old limbs and the cargo of shoes out across the snow-covered ground. I don't know why. It doesn't really matter. There are some things about people that I'll never understand. I grieve for the loss of the tree. Just as the Navy sign makes me smile, that clearing and tree stump beside the road will make me forlorn each time I pass it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUqFqFJpjNYNQxLxSuAcv4BtyYPRmmFF-Xn2iaZw_8gntplU805PdTu5NBOd_OYw1cz_sBvjVRCKQc-AHAyTFseFDZBxwwUAqgF-o_Qx1_Qm5g8DdO4_1CFtjqhe4PJOi_N5pESkef-E/s1600/Shoe+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUqFqFJpjNYNQxLxSuAcv4BtyYPRmmFF-Xn2iaZw_8gntplU805PdTu5NBOd_OYw1cz_sBvjVRCKQc-AHAyTFseFDZBxwwUAqgF-o_Qx1_Qm5g8DdO4_1CFtjqhe4PJOi_N5pESkef-E/s320/Shoe+Tree.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Shoe Tree</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today's five items are, appropriately, all shoes:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A pair of running shoes</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A pair of slippers with knitted legging attached</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A pair of blue flip flops</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A pair of boots </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A pair of high heels made from herringbone patterned cloth</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-60467997003555926432011-01-04T21:45:00.000-08:002011-01-04T21:45:18.447-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty Five<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today I read a couple of interesting things. One site provided the table below and claims it is from a "secret insurance industry document". It contends that the older you are when you retire the shorter your life will be. Now, I have a lot of contempt for the insurance industry but if there is one thing I'm willing to concede they're well schooled at it is life span. The study, done on Boeing employees, purportedly shows that for every year you work past the age of 55 you end up living two years less. So I poked around a little to see if there have been other studies that support this finding. After all, I hope to retire relatively young, by 52 at the very latest. What I found instead was a study showing exactly the opposite; that those retiring at 62, 63 or 64 die younger than those who continue to work to age 65 or older. Guess who authored <i>that</i> study? The social security agency. They'd love it if we all waited until age 70 to retire! Statistics are interesting and fun and so very easy to manipulate. Everywhere I look I see proof again and again that the only thing that is real is perspective. It just all depends on how you look at things, doesn't it? I am a glass half full person. Therefore, the younger I retire, the longer I'll live!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, retire young : die early or retire young : live longer, whichever it is I'm going for it. I've been building up the gypsy wagon fund little by little and will need to revisit ordering the trailer chassis soon. While I excel at getting rid of old pencil sharpeners and corkscrews, I need to kick it into a higher gear and try to sell a few of the valuable items I have to help generate funds. This 27 degree weather isn't very conducive to doing things like marketing trucks though. It can't stay cold forever, can it?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
Funny story about getting rid of things. I mostly list things here that I'm donating and only occasionally do I mention the things I just throw away. Last week I threw away two pairs of shoes. I tend to buy two pairs of really good shoes a year and then I wear them until they just about fall off my feet. I had an old pair of Birkenstocks I had kept just for stepping into to go out and check the mail or feed the chickens but that were way too worn to actually wear. I put them in the garbage last week and two days later saw my son sitting concentration on something intently. I walked over to see him labeling the shoes, "Reese's Birkenstocks Do Not Throw Away" with a sharpie. He was thrilled to "score". One man's trash....<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMx9oeUZGhY9uJnY_tLAp4UNWCflyg5dG4XwMV0qh34FVtMsA1bRxhUFEAUZw5FF01mA6MdAKTfQW5-5MC5BniiK8lti9DDFWod-5JX_Pshf0Tj7UZh6-V5VvbColFQ4IDcTnanATq40/s1600/work-life-expectancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMx9oeUZGhY9uJnY_tLAp4UNWCflyg5dG4XwMV0qh34FVtMsA1bRxhUFEAUZw5FF01mA6MdAKTfQW5-5MC5BniiK8lti9DDFWod-5JX_Pshf0Tj7UZh6-V5VvbColFQ4IDcTnanATq40/s320/work-life-expectancy.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today's five items on their way out of my house are:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A pair of black shoes</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A Holly Near CD, <u>And Still We Sing</u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A CD called <u>The Artainment Experience</u> that contains wild, colorful, moving graphics like a computerized lava lamp</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. An Acoustic Alchemy CD, <u>Reference Point</u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A hot pink bra</span></div><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-35016197516916430212011-01-03T23:58:00.000-08:002011-01-04T00:03:28.116-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty Four<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hate to admit it but I'm still working. I know it is midnight and I need to do a blog entry but, honestly, I have a little more work to do before I go to sleep so no time for it!! I have my items, though. Here's to stockpiling. :-)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Thee five go today:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. An old cell phone</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. Another old cell phone</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. An eyeglass case</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A night light</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A brown and lime green halter top. Honestly...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-47772002062041778352011-01-02T22:46:00.000-08:002011-01-02T22:46:36.049-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty Three<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There are some real benefits to getting more organized and letting go of excess stuff. As I look around for more things to get rid of I often end up organizing a certain area; the top of the clothes dryer, a drawer, etc. In doing so I typically find something I haven't seen in a long time. I found a set of little cutters for clay a while ago and they inspired me to try using them for a carving technique that has resulted in a set of the coolest little birds and hearts ever. Had I not cleaned out my art supplies I would not have come across them while in an artistic mood. It is all just like magic. Here's a picture of a little sculpture I did:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRZ_iG_LkWQQymGOlX4rbERt9CVmY0WJEA4gZvP0F7yA6b1NpQ3U18rIBTiN4ufvpyvg_PWWBYjhjYCumwzDufkfm-nI_pIPYQH5GWe9vlD6cLxr1WGOr2BNKx6Pn1rS7AQejQl7bZfw/s1600/BJs+Bird.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRZ_iG_LkWQQymGOlX4rbERt9CVmY0WJEA4gZvP0F7yA6b1NpQ3U18rIBTiN4ufvpyvg_PWWBYjhjYCumwzDufkfm-nI_pIPYQH5GWe9vlD6cLxr1WGOr2BNKx6Pn1rS7AQejQl7bZfw/s320/BJs+Bird.JPG" width="184" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These go on the pile today:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A little teddy bear</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. One of those cheesy Staples "easy" buttons</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A package of Crayon "Twistables"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. Little wind up toy</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. One of those pin thingies where there are hundreds of pins in a box and it retains the shape of whatever you press into it....have no idea what you really call them!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i></div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-36180728185027150962011-01-01T23:50:00.000-08:002011-01-01T23:50:49.074-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty Two<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Happy New Year! So I was kidding, I am <i>not</i> in fact going to wax philosophical. Suffice it to say that out of all the holidays, my favorites (in order) are Thanksgiving, New Year's, and the Fourth of July. The first because I love to cook for an appreciative audience and everyone is always very happy to sit and dine and linger over a meal on Thanksgiving. The eat and run thing we experience so many days isn't as inspiring for me in the kitchen. The other two have fireworks! I adore those big colorful splashes across the sky. For years I went downtown Reno with my grandmother. In the old days (love saying that but we are going back 20 years now so I think it actually qualifies), the casinos handed out many very nice party favors, we'd be wearing cool hats or tiaras, the funny glasses made in the shape of the new year's number, carrying noisemakers and a drink. We'd mill about in the crowd awaiting the big moment and then play slot machines and drink and talk for hours afterwards. My grandmother was one of the best friends I've had in my life. She was a woman who was always up for an adventure, rarely said no to any question that began with, "Do you want to....?" and she adored me. Of course she loved all of her grandkids but she had a way of making me feel like she and I had some special bond. It was a gift she had because I'm not alone in feeling like that. So here's to grandmothers and new years and fireworks.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Resolutions anyone? An acquaintance had a posting on their Facebook page encouraging everyone to do away with resolutions and just be happy with themselves the way they are. I say phooey to that. One of the best things about us humans in my opinion is our ability to begin anew over and over. Yes, I agree with the intent of the message; accepting ourselves as we are is a worthwhile goal. However, if there is something about yourself that you would like to change then jump in and do it. Isn't it nice that we can strive to ever be better people? So I resolve to continue to free myself from excess in all its forms and to nurture and guard carefully those things that are most precious to me: the relationships with the people I love. May 2011 bring you all things good.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLWi1D2p_1xKr1TD9Omc3KmL2VCIqyaioTT21SILzJ8SzRq_0ll1yBKMnXczyKMd5SnSwMpinSOFrsMWmbngEn5mk57u41vmeO2KzPKqar4MU-qXu-almQOSds5cOpH2TeAYcXXwJM8I/s1600/2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLWi1D2p_1xKr1TD9Omc3KmL2VCIqyaioTT21SILzJ8SzRq_0ll1yBKMnXczyKMd5SnSwMpinSOFrsMWmbngEn5mk57u41vmeO2KzPKqar4MU-qXu-almQOSds5cOpH2TeAYcXXwJM8I/s320/2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">On today's chopping block:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. An alarm clock</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A CD zip up case</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A bell like you see on the front desk of hotels in movies. Kinda hate to let this go, very hand when you're sick in a big house. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A 5" tall Darth Vader figureine that makes the funny breathing sound when you press the button on his belly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A small beaded bracelet</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-90538481053765957362010-12-31T21:25:00.000-08:002010-12-31T21:25:25.460-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty One<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">New Year's Eve <i>already?</i> I have been so looking forward to 2011 that I can hardly believe that it is finally here. It all goes so fast, doesn't it? I'm going to go watch the ball drop. Tomorrow I'll wax philosophic about the new year and resolutions. Have fun and be safe out there! Thanks for being here in 2010.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here are the last items on the chopping block for 2010:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A Mr. Bill doll (Oh no!!) ((sorry, couldn't resist))</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. <u>Superman Returns</u> <i>novelization by Marv Wolfman</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. <u>A Tree Grows in Brookly</u> <i>by Betty Smith </i>unabridged version read by Anna Fields on CD</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A hand mirror</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A bracelet with small pink stones</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-6926739172318355172010-12-30T22:41:00.000-08:002010-12-30T22:41:06.719-08:00Day Two Hundred Twenty<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh! The weather outside is frightful. Going down to 10 degrees tonight, I hope the chickens huddle up close to one another. Me? I'm gonna sleep with a big furry German Shepherd (and no, not a hairy guy who wears lederhosen and tends sheep). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am unusually sleepy and not the least bit inspired. I really am going to go crawl into bed with my dog, it makes us both very happy. My sister stayed over a few months ago and I gave her my bed and took the couch. Each night my dog waits for me to come to bed and then I invite her up for a snuggle and when asked, she gets down and sleeps on her dog bed. Well, I forgot to mention this routine to my sister and the dog got tired of waiting to be invited up and took it upon herself to launch into the middle of the bed with my sister in it. I heard about that for a long time. Good night all.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These five items are outta here:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A Slinky, the real metal kind</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. <u>The Odyssey</u> <i>by Homer </i>on 11 CDs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A wooden Corona cigar box</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A tape measure (another thing that I seem to have accumulated an extraordinary number of)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. <u>The Giver</u> <i>by Lois Lowry</i></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-36905939572990861622010-12-29T23:54:00.000-08:002010-12-29T23:54:41.912-08:00Day Two Hundred Nineteen<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today I read that 70% of the U.S. economy is fueled by consumers. One article said 72%. It is similar in Great Britain and contrasted by 10% in India and Russia and 12% in China. It is the reason the government encourages Americans to shop, if we stop then the economy will stall in a big way. The other way to keep it going is to raise prices on things that everyone buys, like fuel and food. Seems like a crazy merry go round to me. Yet it poses an interesting question to imagine a way out, a way to step off the carousel. Take my plan for instance; in order for me to implement it I have to sell a home for hundreds of thousands of dollars to some savvy (and lucky) consumer. Then I have to spend money on a vehicle (with a V8 and a kick ass tow package) to haul my little gypsy wagon around. All along my travels I won't be spending money on housing (34% of what Americans spend their paychecks on) but will definitely consume fuel and tires and food. I'll have to keep paying for insurance as well, on the vehicle, the trailer, my life, my health, my teeth, my vision. (I have a lot to say about the cost of medical insurance and how the government cherry picks scientific studies to support its own need for us to continue consuming medical care at unprecedented rates but I'll save that for another day). I'll need a telephone and an internet connection for my laptop (if I am to share about my adventure). Makes me feel like it isn't such a big deal to do what I plan on. I realize that my friends who left for the Possibility Alliance in Missouri where they don't use fossil fuels in any form, no vehicles, no electricity, etc. are the ones who have really stepped off the carousel. Yet, I'm not the least bit interested in choosing to live without fossil fuels or electricity or the internet any more than I'm willing to limit my possessions to 50 or 100. I have plenty of friends who aren't the least bit interested in decreasing the amount they consume and honestly admit they love to spend money. (And if you are a big consumer but you focus mainly on ecologically responsible, organic, fair trade, etc. items does it really make a difference or is that all just some sort of justification for over consuming?) Hey, I like to spend money as much as the next guy, I'm just not as interested in trading my life energy for it as I am in spending it on other pursuits. If I <i>had</i> a lot of money in the form of a sweet trust fund or stock dividends who knows what I'd do, that would provide a totally different perspective. I have always equated money with work because that is the only way I've ever gotten any. I suppose it is all a matter of degrees and that what is the most important aspect for me is the intention to spread joy and live more lightly, to be free for a while from the chattel of normal American life. My goal is to design a life that requires way less money so I can spend way less time trying to earn it and way <i>more</i> time on the things I love to do in the company of the people I love. Those things I'll accomplish. Where I'll come out on the other side is anybody's guess.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tonight's five items into the big red bin are:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A silicone mold for making ice cubes in the shape of puzzle pieces (ask me if there has ever been a single ice cube made in the silly thing...go ahead and ask me)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. Another on in the shape of little bottles</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. An "emergency" charger for your iPod. (Really? An iPod <i>emergency</i>?) This is new in an unopened package.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A very pretty little angel ornament</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A big (48" square) black fabric with a peace sign silk screened on it</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-90878557884592229422010-12-28T21:37:00.000-08:002010-12-28T21:37:27.226-08:00Day Two Hundred Eighteen<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Two hundred and eighteen days into this, one hundred forty seven to go, 735 more items. For a while I was quite worried that I'd run out of things to get rid of and now I can see myself dumping 25 things a day for the last month while I have the motivation. This daily blogging is lonely business. No matter what else is going on I have got to peek into boxes on the tops of closets or under beds (a goldmine!) or behind the cement mixer in the garage and ponder possessions and whether or not they make the cut for a place in my future or not. Then I have to come here and report it all and reach out into cyberspace where people have a lot of things to do besides ready my little blog. I don't know if you're out there or not anymore but I'm still here, doing what I promised myself I would do. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A storm is raging outside and I'm feeling playful and hornery. There are days when I just want to take the credit cards, hand the house keys to the kids and go. Heck, it would take the bank about a year to foreclose, right? However, I'm not a flighty gal and I know that if I just keep on putting one foot in front of the other then eventually the day will come when one foot will step into a truck with a gypsy wagon hooked up behind it and off I'll go..... </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">On a totally different topic I submit the following for your consideration, there are researchers who hypothesize that wearing a bra increases a woman's chance of breast cancer because the lymph system is blocked by the tight garment. I did a quick Google search and read several pages including Snopes and nothing suggests that it isn't plausible. Interesting, huh? So some advice in a musical format for your listening pleasure:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAF5srxCERpAMzKvkcb9SyRUoNEy-b4woRhkMsGndos3cDdnHgUKsiKEplIZ0OWwtfKnWr8_rYnLOiuXeRw3-0oBDXFWgnQW6dQP4S7sOIMYwXCNnf4-bG9OWKgNCsg7GvQYTHLYIYQo/s1600/braless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAF5srxCERpAMzKvkcb9SyRUoNEy-b4woRhkMsGndos3cDdnHgUKsiKEplIZ0OWwtfKnWr8_rYnLOiuXeRw3-0oBDXFWgnQW6dQP4S7sOIMYwXCNnf4-bG9OWKgNCsg7GvQYTHLYIYQo/s320/braless.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blogumentary.typepad.com/secretfarm/files/bounce_your_boobies.mp3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Bounce Your Boobies</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In the meantime, these things are on their way out:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A cigar box full of stickers and notecards</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A black belt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. Two "Little House on the Prairie" craft books</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. <u>The Book of Mormon</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. An exercise DVD</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-66328418313949580122010-12-27T20:18:00.000-08:002010-12-28T21:00:54.044-08:00Day Two Hundred Seventeen<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today it was necessary for me to work outside the home and in an office. The morning was rushed as I prepared for the day, gathering and organizing the things I would need, plotting the course of necessary errands along the route to the office to save time. After several hours in a space that was too cold for humans with lighting more conducive to relaxing than calculating, I called it a day and left. By that time I was too tired and too hungry to think about coming home to cook so I did the unthinkable - I stopped and bought fast food. Feeling compelled to feed the hordes, I phoned home and asked if anyone wanted anything. $26 later I arrived with a bag of burgers, fries and drinks. As we sat chewing the food that literally stuck in my throat (dang those burger buns are gummy) my daughter commented that she couldn't recall the last time I had bought fast food. It has been ages and I'm sorry to have broken the chain. I thought it sounded good and that it would taste good but it didn't. I want my $26 back. Color me grateful that my daily routine no longer includes that kind of stress. My hat goes off to anyone working full time outside the home who manages to maintain their sanity, a clean home and puts freshly cooked, nutritious meals on the table. Do such people exist? They must....right? I'm staying home tomorrow.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here are today's five items:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A Superman piggy bank (I adore Superman)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A makeup case</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A set of unopened vanilla scented body wash and lotion</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A full unopened bottle of sunscreen (I only use the mineral kind now....the kind that makes me look like a lifeguard)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A 2011 wall calendar</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Don Vardo Plans</span></a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></i></div>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-46275900010845049932010-12-26T21:50:00.000-08:002010-12-26T21:50:02.352-08:00Day Two Hundred Sixteen<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What is it about a day off that invariably inspires me to get things done? It hasn't always been like this. I remember a time when a whole day off with the house to myself would have meant sleeping in and then napping, maybe watching a movie or two. Not any more - for the past couple of years I just keep plugging away at one project after another. Perhaps the difference is that the future seems so close. Yes, yes, I know; the future is now. In many ways that is true, the "baby" will be 18 before I know it and the love birds are planning a wedding and a move to Portland by the end of summer. This house will be an empty nest in no time and without all those muscles to help me I'd darn well better get everything done. That being said, today found me moving ridiculously large pieces of furniture by myself because nobody was around. I just can't help myself, I've rearranged my art studio/office for the third or fourth time trying to get it perfected. I'm hopeful that I can live with this setup for a while. If not, I'll take another day off and do it again in a few months! The feeling of getting things done turns out to be a bit addicting, actually. If at the end of the day I feel like I moved forward, even just one little baby step in the right direction, I am satisfied. If I don't feel like I've gotten anything done to move me closer to my goals I'm a bit disappointed. I'll rest later.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These five items go into the bin tonight:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1. A ziploc bag full of little kooglie eyes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. A spool of elastic gold cord</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3. A little 3 ring binder that holds 3x5 index cards</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. A cellphone case</span><a href="javascript:void(0)">Publish Post</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. A cellphone belt holster</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Quote Challenge</a><a href="http://gypsytour.blogspot.com/2010/09/quote-challenge.html" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;"> </a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: 6px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=662882&c=ib&aff=130241&cl=111736%22%20target=%22ejejcsingle%22" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;">Don Vardo Plans</a></span><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&msa=0&msid=106504835377866950523.00048cc45fa382395452d&ll=37.509726,-96.064453&spn=24.323847,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: #5588aa; text-decoration: none;">Gypsy Tour Map</a></span></i></span></span></span></i>Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5267882987828917662.post-4927044194567898692010-12-25T20:17:00.001-08:002010-12-25T20:17:40.404-08:00Merry ChristmasNo blog entry today; a true, pure, perfect day off. <br />
<br />
Merry Christmas everyone!Kimbohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08932246874858666082noreply@blogger.com0