I was just watching a news segment on a group out of San Fransisco who call themselves "The Compact." The essence of the group is to bring awareness to over-consumption. We are all guilty of it. I started to think about it and consider how the whole world goes crazy at Christmastime especially. Folks are still paying for long forgotten Christmas gifts in the following September. So, about this group...they make an "agreement" among themselves not to purchase anything NEW for one year. Does that sound difficult? I think I could do it. I didn't hear them say you couldn't use Ebay! The group uses thrift stores for the most part and consider everything they purchase before heading to the till. I do have one question..."nothing new." What does that cover? I am guessing tangibles and "stuff." I didn't hear any discussion about food items and how they are purchased. I know there is quite a bit of waste that goes on there as well.
Wayne, Buddy and I had a meeting with an amazing gentleman on Friday. I was taking lots of notes during the meeting. The bottom line theme conveyed by our wise mentor was "simplicity." That word covers a lot of territory in terms of how we live our lives in "today's world." In fact, a quote I wrote from the gentleman reads: "Simplicity is the key-boil down everything to be as simple as possible."
Everything...that's a lot to boil down!
I think I could do the thrift store thing easily enough. I've always been a bargain hunter in general. There's something to the "thrill of the hunt." I love books...and perhaps this sounds like a terrible thing to do, but I go to Books-A-Million, purchase myself a nice cup of coffee and walk the store jotting down titles and authors of books I find interesting. I come home and hit Ebay. Many times, I can find a used book or one with a remainder mark for literally cents on the dollar. For example, I have an old fashioned remedy book that Jakob was interested in. At Books-A-Million, it was close to $30 and tax. I had bought my copy on Ebay. So, when Jake expressed an interest, I did a search. I bought the book (NEW) for 99 cents and 4.00 Priority Mail shipping. I had 5 bucks in a great book and gave a great gift.
I love electronics. Always have...always will. But, I have to say that even in that department, I look for bargains. We use MacIntosh computers around here and they don't come cheap. However, in the past couple of years, I have been able to locate great computers at great prices. In fact, last Christmas, Wayne and Frieda went on a hunt and found a "new" couple of months old MacBook Pro from a college student who needed the cash more than the computer. The student got his cash, Wayne and Frieda got a great deal on a basically unused laptop and well, Annie was DEEEELIGHTED, thrilled and totally surprised!
If we are not all ripped out of the frame on instant gratification, we can make decisions that are less costly and the "wait" gives us time to be sure that the purchase is something we REALLY want or REALLY have to have.
I feel confident that Marah has grasped the concept of patience in purchases. She understands that if you have $50 and you stretch it far enough you can get a ton of things, rather than a half a pair of jeans from the mall! To my knowledge, she seldom, if ever "mall shops" and like her mom, she enjoys a trip to Big Lots or a great thrift store as much as any good bargain shopper. I really don't remember when I went to a mall last! And I'm really not bothered by that fact. I do know a couple of Christmases ago, Marah and I went to a mall to seek out Santa Claus. Not to give him a list, mind you. We just wanted our picture made with the jolly ol' elf! So, that wasn't "mall shopping" per se. Does Ebay count as a mall?
I know that I feel good about purchases when I consider them, look at all the options available and don't allow too many impulse buys. Most of the time, Marshall's or T.J. Maxx or shops like those are the only places I make large purchases. Those stores aren't near where we live and sometimes we stock up on seasonal clothing, shoes, or toiletries if we need them. That's not often, however.
Hearing the segment on "The Compact" just after the wonderful business meeting we had yesterday has led me to consider my own habits. Determining what items are considered "needs" versus "wants" doesn't have to be difficult. Finding a balance between the two is key in learning to "simplify."
In closing this post, I'll add...Simplifying your life sometimes isn't easy, and in itself may not seem simple! It is, however, worth a good hard look and giving a listen to the wisdom of those have much more life experience than me. I am so grateful for the time that this mentor took with Wayne, Buddy and me to offer insight on HOW to simplify business and indeed LIFE! His calming wisdom gave us all lots to consider. If "simplicity" is the key to everything, then I'm anxious to see just what that key unlocks for our future. I'll keep you posted on how simple the simplifying process works out for us! Just thinking about the word "simple" makes the process feel easier already!

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(Has it really been NINE DAYS since I posted a blog?)
Well, I guess I need to start this blog with an apology of sorts. It was called to my attention this evening that I hadn't posted in NINE, yes, NINE days! I had a great big laugh at that and was totally flattered at the email I received pointing out this little faux paux. You can see the email for yourselves and we'll all have a big laugh together.
Shelia Sammons, of Mocksville, NC has now earned the moniker "WATCHDOG" for me! And I appreciate that so much! I didn't know I was missed!
Here's a little sample of Shelia's email: (and it was in a BIG font! She meant bid'ness!)

Anne,
I hate to call this to your attention, but...........ummmmm there has been NO update on your blog in NINE DAYS!
So either you are too busy taking care of Wayne, or you are just keeping us in suspense! Man, are you going to turn into one of those famous authors who baits us, and then makes us wait?????? I have been reduced to re-reading Janet Evanovich books and Anne's blogs! What is this world coming to?
Have a great weekend.
Shelia Sammons

So, I promptly got an email to Mrs. Sammons to thank her profusely for noticing and to let her know that she in fact, gave me a blog topic for this evening. Where will that go? Who the heck knows...I have decided simply "to type."
Shelia did ask about Wayne and how we BOTH are doing....and to answer that...we're both doing fine. Thanks! Wayne, as you have read in previous blogs is a tough guy to keep still. That's been the tough part for me. My nagging is getting old, I'm sure. "You should rest. You've been up for too long. Don't you think your leg is swelling? Do you REALLY think the doctor had in mind for you to just ride around on the bull dozer?" Those have been comments heard recently on the Dumb Bell Ranch. Oh yes, and the ever popular mumble "I swear I think I'm changing my name from Anne to something else." My name resonates frequently as this recovery thing happens for Wayne. If you have kids, you can relate to this...Remember when your child was a toddler and you heard MOOOOOOOM?????? And you ran to see what the crisis might be and you got basically a blank stare as your child tried to think of something to say...and you get "Ahmmmmmm....I love you!" (Yeah! That'll work!) Well, I've been getting a few of those too. I can live with those kinds of calls though. I'm scrambling a lot. I'm trying to think of it as "exercise." That gives me a positive perspective on things. I actually try to convince myself that I'm doing something good for myself after my 30th trip down the hallway to answer a question or something! I've laughed a lot lately. I've been irritated a lot lately and I've been a gammut of things really, as you would expect. It seems that I get just about down the hall and I hear the dreaded two syllable "ANNNIEEEEEEEEEEE"....I've learned to turn around without huffing audibly, though.
The dynamic of a marriage totally changes when one or the other is infirm. The balance is all out of kilter, you lose track of time and space, and life can be a blur. (Hence 9 days since a blog posting!) This whole week, I have been one day off. Marah has an appointment on FRIDAY and basically since TUESDAY, I've been asking her "what time is your appointment tomorrow?" Finally, yesterday, which truly was Wednesday, she called me on it, asking "Mom, why do you keep asking me the same thing over and over?" I laughed because I had no sensible answer for her and I simply said, "I don't know." I'm sure she's picking out a facility to place me in right now as a result of that answer.
Healing is an interesting process for everyone involved. I am sure that the ying and yang of life as you know it gets all out of sorts. The patient and the care taker each have a lot of giving to do and a lot of lip biting. There's a lesson in there somewhere! I know I have gotten on Wayne's nerves beyond his wildest imaginings during this. (Does ANYONE like for someone ELSE to tie their shoes? NOPE! No one can tie your shoes to suit you...EVER!) When you make a burger, do you want anyone else to make it? NOPE! You know how you want it done. For the record, on a burger, Wayne wants mayo on the top AND bottom of the bun. NO CHEESE. Then he also wants mustard on the BOTTOM of the bun, then the burger itself. At that point, he wants lettuce on the burger then tomato and then onion. The ketchup goes on top of the onion. THEN, you can put the top on his monster burger! Oh! And on a hotdog, NEVER, EVER put 2 swipes of mustard. Mustard goes down just one side of the dog. Ahem. WHAT EVER! I have to admit...I did it on purpose the other night. I put two swipes. I confess. I just stood right there and did it. TWO swipes of mustard on my husband's hotdog! Wayne never said a word and so, my attempt at aggravation was lost.
When you or your spouse is infirm, you delve deeply into that "for better for for worse" part. That too is a good thing. I wouldn't have really hid his crutches from him. I was only kidding when I told him that...for the most part.
You can learn a lot about a marriage when two people are totally relying on each other to work together constantly. I have learned a lot about my husband during this time of recovery from his surgery. He IS learning that he has to slow down. He has learned to ask for help when he needs it. He has learned although I don't do things exactly as he would do them, it doesn't mean my way is wrong. I have learned that it means a LOT to Wayne for me to wash his feet and make sure he feels good and clean. I have learned that he appreciates me for the things I do for him and I know it. I have learned that my husband sure does do A LOT around here and for so many other people! I don't know how he manages all the things that he does. I can assure you that I would not normally be in my nightgown at 9:30 at night unloading "five quarter board" (what ever that is!) off a truck to make sure it was on the job first thing in the morning. But, in his normal self, Wayne would have been right there making sure it was all getting done.
I have always respected Wayne's work ethic, his intelligence and his incredible way of being able to figure anything out. During his surgery and recovery, I have learned that Wayne does an incredible balancing act of keeping many, many things going, on task and on time all at once. I think I'd rip my hair out right at the roots if I had to do what he does every day.
He's really good at what he does yet the accident has given him an opportunity to learn to delegate and let go. He is learning to trust that the world will continue to rotate on its axis if he actually does lay on the couch. That's a good thing.
So, where did the nine days go? Whew! I couldn't tell you! But, I know there have been cool evenings that we could sit on the porch and talk, movies watched, lots of web surfing, plans discussed for the farm, phases of those plans and a lot of just lovely times when things were just peaceful, quiet and restorative for Wayne and for me too.
No, he'll never be totally still and I'll never be thrilled with walking up and down the hallway 200 times in one hour, but...we are a good team. We do ying and yang quite well and that works for me. I'm sure if you asked Wayne, he'd agree. (He's on the couch looking at barn plans right now, so even reclined, he is building something in his mind, you can bet on that!)
The donkeys bray, the goats have new little bells so we can hear them tinkling all over the place as they roam around, the doggies to their thing and the kitties do what kitties do. With the exception of Wayne and me adapting to "change," all is normal around here really. We are doing things very differently than usual, but there is enough "normal" to keep us both happy and sane!
I so appreciate those of you who read and enjoy my blog. I appreciate knowing that what I have to say just might resonate with someone else. I simply try to convey "our lives" which I am sure wouldn't be a whole lot different to those of you who read this. Well, maybe ours might be a tiny bit wackier than most, but we also do wacky well and we love sharing it with you!
Shelia, keep an eye on me and if I get out of line again, a nice little THUMP will suffice as a reminder.
I promise it won't be NINE DAYS next time! You can count on that! On that note, if there is something any of you readers what to know about "our crowd," don't mind asking! I'm always open to suggestion and will talk about what ever you'd like to hear. Case in point-- Shelia Sammons! You never know what will turn into a blog topic!

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Today is Sunday. I love Sundays in general and this one has been especially nice. I didn't sleep a lot last night, but for some reason, I woke up feeling ready to go...early even. Wayne was gone by 6:30. This was a big day. He had gone to meet the gentleman who fabricated our staircase for our new home and they would install it. It has been months in the making and we were both so exicted to see something new happen to our house. We started the "house house" last summer. We hope it's our last stop. We have planned and designed it to be, anyway. The staircase is spiral. It is for the front entryway and it is beautiful.
All went well with the installation. The stairs look exactly as we hoped they would...gorgeous. Wayne and Johnny Abbott, the metals fabricator, even appeased me by posing with Geordie Dawg for a "YEE HAH!" picture. We were delighted.
I came inside did a little research, then laundry and a few other household chores. I did them with a good intent. I did them with a gracious heart. "Even in the least of these," I thought to myself as I folded clothing and towels, putting them away. Normally, it's a drudgery. Normally, I really don't like laundry. But, today...Sunday...I folded slowing and carefully and reverently.
Wayne got started on readying the shed for our new additions. This means in plain English that he is readying the goat shed to also accomodate the two burros we just bought. Both are jennets. Some folks call them "Jenny's." That's what I like to say too. Mother and daughter. They are gorgeous! We plan to pick them up on Tuesday. I am so excited.
I spent time with my outside dogs. They are precious and each one jockeys for one-on-one time. They are so warm, loving and accepting of playtime...our time. I swear they can count head pats, hugs, and toussles! It's like they DO keep score! After doggy play time was goat time. They were hungry and being the food source, I'm always very popular with them. What an ego boost. Can that go on a CV? "Popular with goats." Hmm. Will have to think on that one. Geordie and I walked down and he ran ahead. He has assumed the job, at no charge to me, of putting up the goats. It's born into Border Collies...and a beautiful thing to watch. As soon as we got goats, he started his job. He never tires of it. Always shows up, works 7 days a week and loves it. I don't know of any people like that! HA!
Right now, spaghetti cooks for dinner as I type and reflect on this Sunday. Happiness is finding pleasure in the sweetest, simplest things. Happiness isn't always the monumental events of life. Happiness is all around. My home and my family are content. It doesn't get much better than that. An unexpected, but surely welcome "I love you" out of the blue from my husband is sweet and simple. I watched him wipe the sweat from his forehead, as he looked up and smiled as I fed ravenous goats. He is peaceful today too. Not even that we've "talked" about it. A wife just knows. We did talk about the breeze, the cooler weather, and other things. We laughed at the goats as they ate their dinner. Let's just say their manners are not as polished as I'd like them to be.
Today is Sunday. Monday will come soon enough, but for now, I will wring every ounce out of this day that I can. Days like this are wonderful and filled with the sweetest, simplest things, reminding me that I am blessed.

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