Typical Tuesday

So today is a fairly typical Tuesday. No big plans. No sightseeing today. No jaunt to the coast to hang out with family. No beach time. No eating out. Nothing too exciting. Just a typical day in a typical week. Just a normal work day. Just life.

As usual I got up early to write my 500 words before letting myself get distracted by the internet. As usual Bob got up and got ready for work. We had a typical breakfast of sausages and frozen waffles because we like those things. We wondered out loud whether we might want to add some additional selections to our typical breakfast menu options. Is it possible that we are tired of waffles one day and eggs and hash browns the next? Hey, we bought some cereal the other day so we'll be okay.

As usual Bob left for work and I did my normal morning routines: wash the dishes, clean the place up, walk a mile or so, take a shower. Sometimes the "normal" routine includes going into town to do laundry, to fill a propane tank, to get more fresh water, supplies or groceries. Sometimes I get my morning chores done before Bob gets home for lunch. Sometimes.

The afternoon involves more of our normal work - whatever that means. Often I wonder what exactly I have accomplished with my day. Yep, that sure sounds like real life! I've never been good at explaining my work to people - particularly at times when I'm not "gainfully employed." I often struggle with measuring my worth by my accomplishments. I have heard all the reminders that "being" matters more than doing. If only I could figure out what that looks like. But never mind that. My typical afternoon may involve time on my current WIP (work in progress) whether that is a writing project or research or some other ongoing task. Obviously I don't have my usual "sorting and pitching" tasks staring me in the face like I did at home because I did not bring those bins and boxes with me. However, there still seems to be sorting and pitching to do. Indeed vigilant de-cluttering is imperative when living in such small quarters.

Meanwhile a typical work day for Bob might mean trimming trees or repairing a golf cart or keeping the vintage trucks running. Those are the hours he works each week to earn our campsite. When he gets home from that job, he might take a power nap before starting in on office work or photo editing or some other project.

A typical Tuesday may or may not include sitting in the sun or maybe a bike ride for Bob - although that might sound too strenuous after running the chain saw all day - so it can wait for his day off.

A typical day for me also includes taking time to intentionally study Spanish. When we arrived here and discovered we are surrounded by Spanish, I decided to be intentional in my efforts to improve my fluency. A friend recommended a great app for my phone which leads me through the day's challenges. A small step, but at least a step.

I'm not sure we have such a thing as a typical week although lately Bob works Sunday noon to Thursday noon so Friday and Saturday become his weekend. By the way, he does get to do one of those touristy adventures this Friday - going out to the Channel Islands with the kids. Nope, I'm not going on that adventure - preferring to stay on solid ground.

But back to our typical day...

What to make for supper? We could warm up the leftover fried rice and chicken from last night. Or maybe we'll stir-fry something tonight. That used to be a typical practice for us at home and I don't think we've done that here yet. Maybe it's time.

And when our work is done or we run out of energy we'll settle in for a typical evening of reading and listening to music or watching a movie. But first I'll go check the mailbox because I think it's a movie night; in fact, maybe it's "Gravity" - the Oscar-nominated new release starring Sandra Bullock. Thank you, Netflix!

Yes, it is a typical Tuesday. A pretty normal day. A good day. I like my life. I am feeling grateful for my new normal. For good days. A good life. A good place to live and work. This place where we sleep and eat and breathe. Where we live and move and have our being. I do appreciate that we can live in sunny California... Except... Whoa! It's not sunny today! It's cloudy and downright chilly. Wait a minute! That is not typical. In fact, it might be the first day in our two months here to not see the sun.

Okay; I guess this is not a typical Tuesday after all.

Oh, well. The sun will come out tomorrow. I'm pretty sure.
 

Risk and adventure: the rebuttal from me

My husband is an adventurer and I am not. He recently posted about risk and adventure and now I get a chance to give my perspective on the topic.

"I'm the cautious one. I am not a risk-taker. I am careful and fearful by nature. I like comfort and convenience, safety and security and stability. I like predictability and routine. I like knowing where things are and what is going to happen. I prefer having the schedule in my hand as well as a map that shows exactly where we are and where we are going. ..."

Read my side of the story here, my take on the risk/reward ratio.
 

A touch of patriotism

Remember when the Berlin wall came down? Remember being glued to our television sets watching the footage of East German young people scrambling to the top of that symbol of division and disunity while others worked with chisels and hammers to chip away at it? Remember the astonishing sight of guards standing by as spectators watching throngs of people stream through the gates?

I often heard people refer the fall of the Berlin wall as an event that is burned on our collective memory. But I don't remember that. I did not have those scenes in my memory bank because I didn't see that footage.

We were living overseas in November 1989 without television or radio. My husband was a teacher, I was the librarian and our kids were students in an English school in the Dominican Republic. We didn't feel isolated because we did have regular communication with friends and family back home, but somehow we had not heard anything about the fall of the Iron Curtain. It wasn't until several weeks later when the Time magazine arrived on my desk featuring one of the iconic Berlin Wall photos on the front cover. Rather shocking to see how the world had changed so drastically.

Today I had an opportunity to fill in some of the gaps in my memory of world history. We visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The first thing we saw (and photographed) was a piece of the Berlin Wall. I began to pay attention. Sure enough, there were video clips of the famous speech "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" as well as footage of the amazing days when the wall did indeed come down. I learned a lot today - about how some of the pieces fit together leading up to that phenomenon.

All through the museum, there were other fun and educational things. Highlights for me included being able to visit the Oval Office and to walk through Air Force One. Oh, and I finally got to learn how in the world those teleprompter things work. That was kinda' cool.

It was a good day. An educational day. A patriotic day. A day of gratitude for freedom.

It did not need to be a day about politics. After the assassination attempt as the surgeon was about to remove the bullet from his brain, President Reagan quipped that he hoped the doctor was a Republican. The doctor quietly replied, "We are all Republicans today, Mr. President."

I like seeing people come together in compassion and hope and good-will. I am grateful to live in a world where that still happens. And I am inspired to do what I can to improve the chances of it happening more often.

On a mission

Over at Bob's travel page I wrote of our day at Old Mission Santa Barbara.
...

Much of the California coastline is dotted with charming old missions that stand as monuments to the religious and cultural history of this region when it was still part of Mexico. One of the more beautiful and more famous ones, Old Mission Santa Barbara, is wonderfully restored and maintained.

I was enamored by the uneven tile floor full of dips and smooth worn edges, but still shiny as can be. Meanwhile, Bob was fascinated with architectural details like the awesome arches, magnificent doors, quaint windows, and walls that were more than three feet thick –  photographic opportunities galore.

* Read entire article here...

* See lots more pictures at Where the Robert Meets the Road

Thankful Thursday: perfect weather and more

Walked out of el lavandero and noticed how thankful I was feeling. It should be a Thankful Thursday. Hey, it is Thursday! So there ya' go! It is just such a wonderfully beautiful day. Too warm to sit out in the sun for more than an hour, but just right for less than that. Perfect for driving home between the orange groves with the windows down. I notice once again the wonderfully pungent odor in the air. Hubby points out that many of the trees have clusters of fresh blossoms even while still loaded down with nearly ripe bright orange fruit. How strange that seems to us Michigan kids!