Windmill Musings

Today is our final day in Oregon. My grandmother, who I call Mimi, and I will make the 7 hour trek home (for me 8 hr and 15 minute trek) tomorrow as soon as we're ready. But today is a brunch with most of our family who lives here (a few are away this week or can't make it). Its such a great thing to have a family come together for you just so they can visit you. This family has always done that. I wish all my families did.  No I mean they really ALL get together. My other families, maybe a few people - not the whole family build a bbq, a brunch, a lunch and aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, etc, all get together for a few hours. I so love this about my mom's mom's family. It is awesome! I also feel like I don't deserve it either - my grandma does but not always me - mr. guilt strikes again! But I am always, always so appreciative of it. So much thankfulness from your girl right here. I have had a very good vacation. Starting on my own, I really needed the al

THIS MAY BE A SPOILER ALERT FOR WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS, READ NEXT THREE PARAGRAPHS WITH CAUTION. I woke up this morning to the drama of Simone Biles taking herself out of the team Olympics due to mental health issues. Wow, what a reminder that the most excellent of athletes needs to take care of themselves. They are just like us - and yet we put them in a league of their own, on an infinite pedestal. We celebrate those who seem to not crumble under the pressure - they are superior athletes, superior human beings so they should never "crumble," right? WRONG!!! I watched the news story on NBC as they interviewed former Olympians and US teammates, Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez. Part of the The Final Five, their words were full of wisdom, in albeit different ways. Aly, and I know not much about her, definitely is of the fighter mentality - and called into question the monetary desire and decision-making body of US Gymnastics to not better prepare the team for what they knew to

Adulting is hard. Recently, I had to admit to myself that I'm sensitive. I had thought that I was a strong, independent woman but I'm realizing that though that may be true in some ways, it's also true that I'm a sensitive person. I may hide it most days but there are things that hurt my little heart and soul. Today, its grieving a few old friendships. Friendships that I thought were stronger but with distance and time has grown, well, distant. I know that as excited as I would be to connect or see them or celebrate milestones in lives, that I'm not seen as the same anymore. I still will see them as pivotal people in my life, special people, special friends but I don't believe anymore that its reciprocated, and I'm not wishing for it to be anymore...and that's a good thing. As an adult, you learn that relationships, friendships, grow, change, and sometimes in such different ways that it grows away from each other. It's nothing to cry about; but I do

I live in pain everyday. Yes, you heard that right. Pain. I won't say where it is - some of my closest friends and family know what it is - but it is a body part. This issue with said body part in my condition can only be fixed by surgery. I've been to two specialists over my life about it (one in IN, and one in CA) and they said the same thing, "This needs surgery. The corrective devices won't work for yours. They will get more painful, or you can live with it as long as you can handle it." I, of course, have chosen to "handle it" and it's just become a part of my life. It's been mind over matter for over 15 years. What has helped me deal with the daily - and nightly - pain is how many people, good friends I know that have so many more painful afflictions from fibromyalgia, to lyme disease, to multiple sclerosis. My body part is a small one and not as life-altering as theirs. Or is it? The pain has been bad lately, and the area affected the most

I think I've already said it plenty of times but....I'm going on vacation next week! Woo Hoo! It says nothing about my job - just that it is a good time to be taking a break. There are a lot of things that I have to keep close to my vest because I'm still in deciding mode. However, just know that 2022 will be a year of many changes for me....GOOD changes! Thank you, God! So very, very thankful. I know those changes won't come without some challenges, struggles, hardships, but its all part of the process - and I'm ready for it! ALL of them. I recently made a few decisions and though I don't want to spread myself thin, I need to pursue them. I've gotten the words internally, too, that tell me that I will be able to balance it - so through God finally speaking to me (He'd been silent for quiet awhile) I know that I will be ok. But there are still some big decisions to be made so until I can decide those things, I'm keeping all of my future projects clos

I'm sitting drinking a Sangria at P & V winery in Morgan Hill. It's a great little winery, kinda secluded, but very cute. The wines are pretty good.  But really y'all, this is my thing. Sitting outside enjoying beautiful weather with a glass of wine - or in this case, Sangria, and just enjoying myself. I can meet people or sit on my own and be perfectly happy, at peace and content.  This is my thing. I really need to be home doing household chores. At this point of my life, however, I need to enjoy each day to the fullest. After church, I didn't want to be home (and I really need to do laundry!!!), at all. So I came down here, and am thoroughly enjoying myself.  Relaxing and self-care is important, and knowing what that is for you is super important. This is mine. These are my people. At least for this point in my life. It could change, but right now, this is my thing. I pray you know what your thing is and you enjoy it when you can.  We truly live one life. Be resp

This blog may be incomplete when my writing time this morning is over. I give myself an hour to write every morning, if I choose to write. So this is it this morning. 9:30-10:30 a.m. If unfinished, I'll find time to update it later. I have had a slight obsession with visiting wineries. Well, maybe its a big obsession. Today, I decided (since I'm asked all the time now by a few friends and family members) to just list the wineries I've been to. They will not be in any order, except for the term "GO" in parenthesis by some of them. It doesn't mean not to go to the others; it means that I had such a great experience, or their wines were excellent, and probably it mostly means that the experience AND wine were great.  Second, I'll give you my take on the sip method for wine tasting. There are clear opinions on how a wine should be sipped and even a little acronym/backronym-like wording for it. I can't truly remember what to call when you use the letters of

Two weeks from today exactly, I'll be headed to Oregon with my grandmother to visit some of her family for part of my vacation. I haven't spent time with them like this truly since my mom, grandmother and I loaded up in my 1972 Mercury Cougar and moved me to Indiana to go to college - that was late July 1996, 25 years ago. Though we'll only get about 2 1/2 to 3 days to visit, it is more than overdue. I'm truly looking forward to it. But it wasn't my original plan. I really wanted a week to go anywhere with a beach, a spa, all-inclusive. Though I've been "lucky" to enjoy 3 day weekends for the past year or so, it's not the same as going on vacation. When I was in Shaver Lake at a family's cabin the week after Christmas, I was working virtually. Now, don't think I didn't appreciate the opportunity to work from such a beautiful place from a generous offer - but I was still working at the part of the day and night that you want to go out an

Yesterday was a very packed day without meaning to be. But there were five hours that just really were important to my life as a person.  Sunday, July 11, 1-1:30 p.m.  My plans were to meet a friend at Opa! in Morgan Hill for lunch. Unfortunately, they were called away to work and let me know the moment I sat in my car to leave. I was honestly very tired and contemplated going back inside and just resting a few hours before meeting another friend in Gilroy at 4 p.m....but I was actually too lazy to do that so I started my car and headed that way, realizing that what I really needed was a quiet day away from TV's being on and a dog going in and out of the house because she likes the sun but her owners don't like her to like the sun. On the way down I realized there was a winery that I hadn't tried yet and since I had called earlier knew that they were not busy today. Ro guided me straight there.  1:30-3:30 p.m. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Lightpost Winery is a li

Today begins the last of the four day weeks we've had since we first returned from the pandemic closing us down. We started at three days - well, about 2 1/2 days - and have slowly gained more days. Monday, July 12th we go to half day Mondays. Technically, it will be 4 1/2 days for awhile but a full five day work week is just around the corner.  It hasn't been easy but its been cathartic, too. Three day weekends are awesome. You feel like you have time to do your weekly chores AND have down time/fun time. When your business suffers from something so freaky though, having to go to a three day weekend is not always good for business. It is however good for your mental health if you've been overly stressed, whether you know it/knew it or not.  In the past year, this is what has happened in my neck of the woods (brutal honesty here, with vagueness to keep peoples privacy): Both studios shut down for 2 1/2 months completely. Learning that my job/business is considered non-essent

 Today is Independence Day 2021. 245 years ago the founders of our country made the official break from England. I was born in the year 1976, 200 years after this day. By extension, I have always felt very patriotic. In fact, unless I was born on July 4, instead of March 20th, I don't think I could get any more patriotic.  I thoroughly enjoy this holiday. Not just what it stands for but because for one day, it seems that all of our differences as Americans melts away for 24 hours. We somehow are calm on this day, even if we don't agree with each other. Of course, there are the crazies (who is keeping me inside this year instead of at my brothers) and those who really do too much of the "go all out" vibe. Be we are together it seems to celebrate this monumental moment in our country's history on this day every year. In the past, its meant throwing a big bbq at my parents house in the country for all my friends, perfecting my bbq chicken recipe and grilling, and gri