The Porch Postscript

What exactly does that look like?  I'll be honest, I don't know.  For now possibly just more posting here.  Perhaps writing something to submit somewhere later on.  Feasibly some more short essay-style pieces.  If I'm truly honest, I don't know how long this desire will last. I've craved and reveled in writing since I was young.  I wrote stories on my electric typewriter in Junior High.  Later in High School, I took both a short story and a poetry class, neither of which ended up being what I imagined they would be.  I've submitted a few pieces to short story contests, but that never went anywhere.  Looking back, I'm sure it was because I was writing high school quality work to send into a magazine with adults submitting a much higher level of work to the same competitions. Later in my adult life, when we lived in Missouri, I was part of a writing group for a very short amount of time.  Just as I was starting to get back into writing, I got a much-needed

I can hear my friend Amy calling me a rebel as I write this.  I really can't make myself do anything that  doesn't make my heart sing.  I made is 24 days into a 100-day project.  Let me just point out that I need to stop trying these things.  I NEVER complete any of them.  I didn't complete Inktober a couple of years ago.  I failed at the 30-day color challenge... and now this.  I must stop!  So here they are the last few shots that took us to day 24. Day 21 : Selfie, no makeup, and messy hair. Day 22 : Kitten paw. Day 23 : Lemon Kitty. Day 24 : Dinner.  Eating my stress with mac n cheese and fries with a glass of red wine. The End.

Let's get one thing out in the open, right up front.  I have four children.  No, I did not give birth to them.  No, they are not human.  They are children none the less. We currently have four girls, two dogs and two cats.  We talk to them like they are human and treat them better than some people treat children.  The sleep in our bed, they get on the couch, they make us crazy.  We buy them treats, toys and even clothing when needed.  I worry about them as if they are children when we leave them with a sitter for the weekend. Our youngest has bad manners and is headstrong.  She loves to "taste" everyone who comes to the door.  No biting, just a bit of doggie mouthing and gumming.  She gets very excited when people come and she loves to talk.  She's the Houdini of the group.  Can get out of most anything that she finds confining.  She loves treats, being free and sleeps on her back under our bed at night.  Hedy is a mixed breed rescue dog, part husky, chow and rott

Listening :  I've been listening to a variety of things as of late. The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher Chasing Creative Podcast The Spa Radio channel on Pandora Using the Noisli for white noise Reading :   I'm about halfway through reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin .  I'm trying hard to finish this one, but I'm not sure it's gonna happen.  I could really do without the excerpts that are comments from her blog readers.  There have also been a few spots where I just want to shout - "get to the point already".  I think I can honestly say at the halfway mark, I won't be reading any more of her books.  Her writing style really isn't a good fit for my reading style. Exploring : I'm exploring how my personality type - INFP.  I took the Meyers Briggs test online at 16personalities.com  to learn my type.  Now I'm focused on trying to figure what changes I need to make to fit my type and my life better. Lea

Day 14: I'm a daily journaler, usually at the end when I crawl into bed. Day 15: Feet up and hair down, end of the day. Day 16: Morning view, with green tea and more journaling. Day 17: My favorite pen, goes everywhere my Midori Traveler's Notebook does. Day 18: Indian for lunch. Day 19: Historic brick of tea, from an exhibit at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks, AK. Day 20: Knitting in the car.  Only 80 more days to go!

...and they lived happily ever after.  Okay, but what did that really look like?  The boy gets the girl and they ride off into the sunset, but then what?  No one ever tells you what a truly happy marriage is about.  It's not about the end of the love story in a movie, it's about all the stuff that happens after that sunset.  It's about... Repeating favorite one-liners from movies and songs, all the time. Doing the laundry and never folding it. Cooking, hopefully together like we do in our house.  Cleaning the kitchen and taking out the trash.  Talking about mundane things from your day.  Funny pet names.  Silly grade school humor, including fart jokes.  Riding in the car and not talking for miles. Being comfortable in silence together.  Having someone to travel with.  Adjusting bra straps and sinching up suspenders.  Accepting the clutter and the habits of the one you love.  R

It's really simply amazing the thoughts people think about women who don't have children.  It's also simply amazing how rude other women are about the whole concept.  Now that I'm 40 no one is asking me about having kids anymore, thank heavens, but when I got married at the age of 29 that was a hot topic of conversation.  I used to come home from work at least a few times a week and complain about the constant topic of children.  My husband always said it had to be a female thing. Let's face it, men don't go through the barrage of questions women do.  It all starts with "why don't you have a boyfriend", then you get a boyfriend.  Next, they ask "is there's a wedding in the future", you become engaged.  Next, come the questions about a date for the "big day", finally a date is set and you tie the knot.  Questions don't stop there, they always move on the badgering you about when are you planning to start a family, to