Party Like a Country Girl

 

I haven’t written for quite awhile. (23 days according to WordPress) I’ve been a bit distracted with harvest time activities like canning, freezing and dehydrating all of my garden’s bounty.  It’s what all of my planning, dreaming and sceaming has lead up to.  So with the help of my always willing husband, we have canned pasta sauce and salsa out the whazoo.  We’ve also frozen peppers, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash, and green beans after my pressure canner blew a gasket.  We’ve canned red beets and even our own V-8 juice.  We’ve made dehydrated apple chips, peppers and cherry tomatoes.  It’s been a whirlwind of food preservation that would impress any canning connoisseur, or terrify any normal person.

 

I don’t know what’s gotten into me this year.  Maybe its the great music I’ve been listening to while working in the kitchen.  I sing and dance the day away while working.  Believe me, its not pretty (I have no Rhythm), but it sure is fun.

I was telling my son that I think I actually bruised my heel while canning the other day.  He chuckled and said “Well, some people talk about their sports injuries but you get injured while canning.  That’s some hard core canning.”  That cracks me up.  I have been chuckling about that ever since.

I always have Pandora playing in my kitchen. I love all sorts of genres but by far old country is my favorite. From Jones and Loretta to Dolly, the Judd’s, & K.T. Oslin.  I sing along with all of them, but last night I actually got to sing “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” with Sammy Kershaw, “Pickup Man” with Joe Diffey and “Love, Me” WITH Collin Raye at the county fair!  It was so awesome!!  They didn’t know I was there of course, but for the sake of argument let’s just say I gave the performance of my career. (Baaghaahaha!!). It really was an amazing concert though.  I think it was one of my favorites for sure.

Traveling home, I couldn’t help but think about the choices I’ve made in life.  By far, the choice to live a simple country life has been so fulfilling and rewarding.  To strive for contentment, humility and wisdom has brought far more rewards than I could’ve ever imagined. (Please note I said strive.  I have not arrived)

I learned a long time ago that people don’t really want or care about your advice. Most people want to just do what they are comfortable doing, but never really make any changes in anything.  Then they complain and whine and …..well, you know. But since you’re here reading this, let me offer up this one little piece of advice.

 

Love with all that’s in you.

Give all you’ve got.

Laugh at yourself.

And live a simple life.

It’s the only way to party like a country girl.

Do What You Love

I love giving things (and people) a whole new makeover.  I am a hairdresser after all.  It’s kind of in my nature.  It thrills me to no end to find something like these wash tubs and turn them into a beautiful planter.

…or totally remodeling a room in our house.

…or turning eggs and rhubarb into a delicious dessert!

But my most rewarding activities are the ones that bring a smile to someone else’s face.  When someone sits down in my chair and says “I need something new” my heart skips a beat.  I love sectioning out that hair and slowly, piece by piece, seeing a new style take shape. I love seeing the anticipation and sometimes worry in the client’s face as that first piece of hair falls to the floor, and seeing the delight in their eyes as I add the finishing touches to their brand new style.

Now remember, I live in “Small Town America.”  I’m not doing runway models or prepping someone for their next big movie.  I get the privilege of making that overworked real estate agent or retired mayor feel refreshed again.  I get the opportunity to spend time with the elderly widow that looks forward to our conversations as much as having her hair done.  I get to participate in baby’s first haircut with the excited new parents.  I get to help that teenage girl get ready for her first day in high school.  These are all priceless moments and on a typical day this may all take place before lunch.

I am truly blessed to spend my days in the company of the most amazing people.

To those of you reading this…

I encourage you to do what you love.  The rewards are truly priceless.

 

Life Love and Cauliflower

Standing in the garden today, I thought my cauliflower looked ready to pick.  I’ve never grown cauliflower before so I googled when to harvest. To my amazement, every post I found said you can’t grow cauliflower in PA.  Apparently, you need to have cool temps,(around 60 F).  I’m so glad I didn’t research cauliflower before I planted it!

I’m kind of a “just wing it” type of person.  Sometimes this works out great, like my cauliflower.  Sometimes, not so much.  You either choose to learn by your own experiences, or by someone else’s.

Having just admitted this, I must take a moment to apologize to my mother.  (Sorry Mom)  When I was a teenager she tried and tried to give me good advice, but there were some things I just needed to learn on my own.   I remember one “heated” discussion, I looked my worried mother right in the eye and said to her, “I need to experience this for myself!”

Now I find myself in the same situation with one of my own children.  (You know who you are.)  I lose sleep, worrying about her, as I’m sure my mother did worrying about me.  The thing is, she is an amazing, intelligent, hard working, wonderful young woman.  When she makes decisions that seem irrational and crazy,  I can’t help but hope that if she can’t learn from others, she will learn from each of life’s experiences that come her way.  And just like her mother, she will one day discover, that the secret to a happy, successful life isn’t about what you can learn on your own, but that you LEARN.  Learn from every source and subject you can absorb.  Seek out the wisdom of others, but never be too afraid to venture out on your own.  Sometimes you find heartache…Sometimes you find sweet, sweet success.

And sometimes you find cauliflower!

Real Love, Even if it looks like this?

I have been with my husband  Josh, since we were 16 years old.  We have been married 21 years.  He likes to refer to me as his “first wife” just to see the look of confusion on people’s face.  Sometimes I think we are so much in sync I don’t know where one begins and the other one ends, and of course there are those times that I have to laugh at how different we are.

A couple weeks ago, we were at a local flea market, (you know, searching for treasures we didn’t  know we couldn’t live without).  I happened to notice an old tractor seat that had been welded to a metal post.  I thought it was adorable and mentioned that it would look great sitting in a flower bed.  Josh chuckled at me and I couldn’t help but laugh.  “I know, I know” I said.  “Our house might look like Peewee Herman’s house if I didn’t have you to balance me out.”   He quickly reminded me that if he didn’t have me, he would have an entire yard of cement!  We both laughed at the pictures we had painted of our lives without each other, and then cringed at the thought of not having the other by our side.

It hasn’t always been so wonderful.  We had years of growing up to do before we realized how blessed we were to have each other. (But that is a topic for another day.)  Here is a quick look into the life of one crazy lady and one amazing man who loves her anyway.

…And to my husband…thank you for loving my quirks, my silliness, and my crazy ideas.  Let’s go have some fun!

 

 

 

Red Beets and Relaxation

I Love Red beets!!  It’s true.  Growing up, I was a very snoopy child.  I remember my  mother actually threatening to take me to the hospital where they would feed me with needles if I…

Source: Red Beets and Relaxation