Daily Question

How will I spend my free time today?

Well, since my free time is somewhat limited I would have to say that I'm not 100% sure how I will spend that time as I am still at work while I type this. My free time this morning - yes I had free time this morning, waking up early allows that perk - was spent drinking coffee and then going for a run. Aaah, how I like to run early in the morning!

I am guessing that I'll spend some time in the garden tonight. I have a couple of things that I could do while the weather is still decent. I might have to start using some protective coverings for my not so cool weather tolerating plants. So garden time - YAAAAY

We'll also catch up on the YouTube videos that we follow which is always fun.

Then...TO BED!

Would You Rather...

Travel the US and see the sights by RV or by Plane.

Super easy - I would want to go via RV! I'm not a fan of flying so RV life would be my life if I were to want to see the sights around the US. That would have been a fun thing to do when we did our driving trip to Moab, UT. If we had more time during that trip I would have wanted to drive to Zion National Park and possibly visit the Grand Canyon. Oh well.

Maybe one day when I'm no longer interested in staying in one place we'll hit the road. Until then I'll just live vicariously through other people who find great pleasure in travelling by RV. I know more than anyone would ever guess.

Would You Rather...

Eat Pizza or Ice Cream as the only food for eternity?

Well this is fairly easy. I'm not a fan of ice cream and I LOVE pizza...well, I like it a lot.

Pizza is great because you can turn all sorts of bready and sometimes not bready things into pizza. Pizza toppings can be as simple as plain cheese to pepperoni & olive to thai inspired toppings. Home made...take out or at a local pizza place. Makes no difference to me. Just as long as there are leftovers!

I can eat pizza anytime of the day...I like to grab a cold slice of pizza for breakfast if we have it after a morning run. I like it when there are a couple of slices in my lunch bag too.

Yup - PIZZA!

Would You Rather...

Watch the big game at home or live in the stadium?

Well, since we are gearing up for football season I would definitely want to watch any game live in a stadium any day. However, we live approximately 160 miles from CenturyLink Field we settle to watch at home. Home would be the home of our friends who live a couple of miles from us. There are 5 of us that come together to watch games and we have dubbed ourselves the "Season Ticket Holders." We each have our spot where we sit from week to week.Now, the problem is that 4 of us meet for small group on Sunday nights and sometimes the games are in the evening - I don't know how we are going to swing our game watching this season.

Which is more important? Bible Study or Football?

The original Season Ticket Holders

Would You Rather...

Go into the past and meet your ancestors 

or

Go into the future and meet your great-great grandchildren.

I'm gonna have to say go into my past and meet my ancestors for very specific reasons. I was adopted as a baby. All I know is that my parents were students in Seattle and were Philippino/Taiwanese. It would be nice to know if there are any medical things that I should be aware of - although being a brain tumor survivor makes every other disease/condition kind of pale in comparison. Who do I take after...which of my parents features are the most prominent? Did they even stay together? If they did do I have brothers or sisters? 

So many questions, BUT I'm at an age now that those questions don't really matter or relavant for that matter.

How Much Is A Gallon Of Milk?

That is an interesting question for this last day of August, but okay. I really don't know how much a gallon of milk costs because we buy good milk from a "local" dairy that is available at the newest grocery store to hit our area.

We have been buying Twin Brook Creamery milk which is located in Lynden, WA as far north as you can get from where we live in Clark County, WA.

I have never really been a milk drinker. The taste of what I am used to is just not so great. The first time I saw this milk at Chuck's it took a while before we started buying just plain ol' milk as I was buying the pint bottles of chocolate milk. Even the chocolate milk is the best I have had...EVER! It's not sweet, but very chocolatey. Not terrible rich either, just very, very tasty!

When you find milk in a bottle - buy it! You will not regret it.

What New TV Show Do You Refuse To Watch?

We don't really watch TV - so I don't even know what is new. However, I can say that I refuse to watch the Bachelor or the Bachelorette...both stupid TV show. Choosing a spouse from a group of men/women over a period of weeks is not realistic.

I can't even begin to say how much I don't like these two shows. 

That's it - I'm done.

What Would You Like To Learn More About?

Well, there's a question!

Chickens, permaculture, homesteading, bee keeping, fall gardening...CSA's, farm stands, market gardening...

and on and on and on.

To help me along this endeavor I got The Market Gardener by Jean Martin Fortier and Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. I watch Justin Rhodes of Abundant Permaculture for inspiration and am in the process of experimenting with how things grow, when they grow best and whether plant starts or starting from seed is best. I want to learn how to extend the garden season and hope to get some seeds started in the next few days, weeks and the next month. All of this effort to feel satisfied with knowing where our food is coming from, that it is being grown without funky stuff and to know that there won't be waste - that's where the chickens come in handy.

I am not going into this expecting to be rich. What I want is to be tired at the end of the day because I'm doing more good for the earth and my potential customers.

This dream has been long in coming and I am ready.

Ready for a change.

Ready to make a difference.

What Can You Learn From Today?

Well, it's a Friday. So, I'm not sure what I can learn from today.

Friday here at the fire station is pretty quiet. More than half of the staff on the admin side of the building are off. With fewer people at work, there are fewer phone calls, fewer visits etc.

Maybe I should start researching how to get my hobby farm started and maybe doing a farm stand at our house next growing season. Which means I would need to figure out what to grow during the different times of the season...spring, late spring, summer, late summer and so on.

Yeah, well, I have learned that I REALLY want to start up a market garden biz...not just a lesson from today - it's a forever lesson...dream.

What Did The Last Text Message I Received Say?

Yeah, so I communicate via Hangouts with my cousin during the day and that is on my computer at work, so I don't consider it texting.

However, I had a text hanging out there in space...to a neighbor wanting to invite them for dinner in a couple of weeks - yes, I plan ahead. Then nothing. So, I thought that I would just forget about it, but decided to try again and sent another text around lunch time yesterday to Neighbor Robin and waited.

Just after 5:30 I FINALLY received a reply and she had said,

"Literally just got home from Pullman, Derbee's surgery. We should be available, no other plans we are aware of. Would love to join you!"

YAY!

I like that I don't have to talk to anyone on the phone. That would be the introvert in me.

What Did You Win?

Hmmm...what kind of weird question is this?!

Here are things that I don't win:  Any form of the lottery, raffles, auctions/silent auctions, special drawings at an event etc.

What I have won would be a game here and there. If we have a game night with friends I am almost always the "biggest loser!" However there is the occasional win like once a year.

One of our favorites could be Carcassonne. We don't play often enough so I don't always remember the rules. Another one that is in the Top 10 would be Dominoes. We like to play Mexican Train. Again, I don't win very often and manage to get "high score" which means big fat loser score! At least we have fun with our people.

Now, if I am playing an online game such as Words with Friends - I win more often than not which is nice, but not nearly as satisfying as playing a game in real time with real friends sitting around the table.

I'm pretty much okay with not winning - it's not necessarily that important to me. Just as long as a good time was had by all. That's where we all win!

Oh man! I have to do both of these?!

What Did You Have To Wait For Today?

The Doctor.

Just like yesterday - my wait for my doctor was more than 5 minutes. It wasn't like when I used to go to the oncologist and she would be "with me shortly" an hour later sometimes longer - it was still waiting.

I like all of my Vancouver Clinic doctors. They are personable and really take the time to listen and try to help along whatever ailment or problem I am dealing with. So I don't mind the wait.

After I met with the doc I had to wait to leave! I like that we get a summary of the visit before leaving the office. That never happened before. It's so great because I can look back and see what I'm supposed to be doing if I forget which is a plus because I need to be taking a certain medication and I haven't - so I'll have to add that to the pill box this evening!

Our days are filled with a lot of waiting...for so many different things! Sometimes even before getting out of bed I'll be laying there waiting for the alarm - I get tired of waiting so I get up before it goes off. So, the day begins...waiting for coffee to be made, waiting to take a shower...for the laundry to get done...for the people at the local coffee shop to make the coffee (just the way I like it)...and so on and so on.

Check this out...a quick search on Mr. Google Pants:

"Americans spend about 37 billion hours each year waiting in line. Other than waiting in line, the average person spends about 43 days on hold with automated customer service in one lifetime. For those people who take a train or bus, they will spend about 27 days of their lives waiting around on the platform or at the bus stop. Studies show that when people have to wait for a shorter time than expected, they are happier than people who have to wait for a longer time than expected."

Just let that sink in...we as humans wait A LOT! I want to tear this apart a little, but I don't have the energy to do that right now. Besides at this moment I'm waiting to leave for an appointment at the dentist office.

And so on...

What Is The Last Healthy Thing You Did for Yourself?

I guess that would be going for a run first thing yesterday morning.

That's it. Got no more for this space today.

Question of the Day

How Full is Your Fridge?

Since there is just Tom and I we don't have to stock a bunch of any one thing. I would say that we have a full fridge, but not so much that we can't see the back of the inside of the fridge.

This is kind of a weird question to me. I think the real question would be how full is your pantry. Pantry is subjective as we don't have a pantry as people would think of in the new homes that are being built. We use what used to be where the canned foods would be put up (I imagine) in our basement. It's not very deep, not quite a foot, but it's more than 6 feet wide and is full of staples - canned goods, boxed items, extra oils and vinegars, baking items, pasta, beans some rice and other things that just don't fit anywhere else.

When some of the veggies are ready in our garden, we buy even less to put into the fridge. Right now we have bean, cucumbers and potatoes coming on. Earlier this season we had a bunch of leafy items that we will sow again for a fall crop. The Cherry Tomatoes are getting close and we'll have an abundance of those. And in the hoop house are several Roma plants that I hope will produce enough for us to process for storage.

That's about it for the food/fridge situation in our house!

August 20th Question

What was your first full thought this morning?

Honestly, it was that I really wasn't up for a run. Even though I went to the dressing room and pulled out my running clothes and grabbed my shoes and made my way downstairs. My back was hurting a little and it was later than I normally get out of bed so my mind was definitely not wanting to get out.

Now I HAVE to get out for a run tomorrow! Because that is the part of me that says I have to do a weekend run, and it probably should be a little longer than we have been doing in recent weeks.

Here's to running early tomorrow!