Found this draft piece unpublished, today, April 21, 2024! Yes, I was in an interview with Bishop Naumann and he off handedly asked if I ever thought of going on a mission. I told him that if he 'saw' that for me, I must need to go. He told me to pray about it for myself...I was recently divorced in between jobs, and everything was right for it to happen. "You probably would like to go to Hawaii? Right?". "Well, no, I was kinda thinking Spanish speaking, Macchu Picchu!"
Later, after putting in my application, Stake President Anderson told me that his comment on my application was that I'm adventurous!! Whaat? I don't wanna be sent to Africa!! But the call came that I was to go to the Missouri, Independence Mission. I was to live in the small town of Hiawatha, in Kansas, which was a part of that mission. A few months later the mission was split, and the Kansas, Wichita Mission was formed. I didn't need to move from Hiawatha. And the rest is history.
This is my brain--not on drugs. I don't seem to need them, not even caffeine, to get me through. And YES, I DO SLEEP between 6-8 hours a night, and sometimes 10. In project mode, I sleep less. You know how some people are morning folks, and others are late nighters? I am BOTH!! But right around 2 or 3 in the afternoon I rest for a bit. Kinda like Spanish siesta time for me, and afterwards I'm raring to go again--into the night.
It was a late night/early morning of an airport run and we picked Kawailani up at the airport (her flight had been delayed), got something to eat at Denny's (not my fave, but at 1a.m. there aren't many choices) and the mango smoothie was awesome!
The day had began pretty nice--cool and sunshiny, appropriate for the task at hand, which is, to deer and rabbit proof the garden before it's time to plant veggies!! I started inside, transplanting baby bok choy from seed starting blocks into larger red plastic cups (I washed them from last year's planting, where I had used a wood burner to melt drain holes in the bottoms). Found a nice raised bed organic soil at Walmart and had picked up 8 bags of a cubic foot each. I like the texture and color. I haven't had really great luck before this, with garden soil--some have so many wood chips and fibrous stuff.
I dunno what you spend on seeds, I try not to go overboard but I did plant a lot of bok choy seeds, and separated them out, cutting them down to a single seedling per block, after planting 2 seeds in each block (well, as much as I could focus and keep track of while singing along to Hawaiian music--I missed a block and a couple of blocks had 3 seeds that emerged!). Further thinning happened and I wondered if these cast offs could be used as micro greens?
Now I have 45 of them in the red cups. And I only had one grow light set up and now I have 3 trays of seedlings. I put them out in the sunlit porch for a few hours and they perked up, making me joyful that they survived my transplanting. I had laid a few out checking for strong stems and roots. They were pretty leggy so I planted them pretty deep inside the cups. Voila!! They shared the grow light as I rotated them for 12 hours and today I'll get the other grow lights from storage.
Out on the ladder while trying to wire extensions to the t-posts and then attach the 10 foot deer netting was a true fiasco for one person, and the weather changed to chilly and the wind started up, growing stronger and stronger and eventually into a strong windstorm. Of course, since I'm solar light and energy powered, as the sky clouded over and the chill began, I put things away and headed indoors to clear up the sewing room, turning it into Kawailani's space as she returns home for spring break.
I'm looking around just now, trying to decide what today will be like, so far I've looked at my finances and arranged my budget, wondering to transfer some savings over to fix some things--like I spent some on garden soil and grow bags and metal raised beds, had some urgent car things taken care of, and think that my emergency fund needs a deposit.
Do I feel like Thai coconut curry? Should I work on one of the quilt projects-I need to place it near the couch for when I watch TV and maybe switch the French program into English so I don't need to read the subtitles, and I can work on the quilt at the same time. Should I leave home and run errands, nope, save gas, put that onto Tuesday when I have a doctor appointment. I could get at that fence again, but today is Sabbath and I don't like to spend money or work hard on a Sunday. It's also when I stop in on the grandkids with a project, dinner item or treats. There's a horse painting, and some hand building of clay but I don't need another unfinished thing on myself. I could spend a few minutes decluttering a thing or two. I'm choosing peace...TV and quilting.
I really don't mind aging, I mean except for the aches and pains and less and less mobility. I really don't like other things, though. I chose to be married at 20 and proceeded to have a family with 5 children. When things got tough I took in some childcare and sold crafts and lollipops. I gardened and crafted and tried not to put too much of a strain on our otherwise single income family. I served in many volunteer capacities with children and youth in the community and church. I didn't start working outside of the home until the youngest was in school, and I worked in the school system in order to not pay for childcare, and to be available for the kids and their activities, and to have the same vacations, breaks and holidays.
Fast forward, I mean speedy fast forward--now I'm retired from the school system, because being in the 7th decade of my life, I didn't feel capable mentally and physically to continue on. So, because I worked for many years in jobs that were 6 or 6 and a half hours a day and 185 school days a year, my retirement is not a sizable one.
I didn't plan to be a all by me onesies in my later years with a somewhat meager retirement. Because I chose to build a new house at age 68 or so, I also have a new mortgage, not that the old mortgage would be paid off in my lifetime, but, just because, maybe I had a dream. I built affordably. I could probably find a rental for under $1500 a month, a small studio apartment or something.
Because I didn't plan for retirement, I didn't look into more education for a higher paying job, because I didn't choose a career, well, to be honest, I chose a little bit of time and freedom to be available when people, family and friends needed help mostly for running errands, light yard work, cleaning up and helping to organize other households.
As the economy goes, it becomes harder and harder to make ends meet and aside from that, on the medical insurance side of things, I am possible living at the poverty level. Possibly. On less than $3000 a month.
BUT, because I chose Motherhood, and it took a village to raise those fine people, the village has come to my aid. The barn home is large enough to house more than myself. I have been able to house a family of 7 for a year while they built their house. They helped me tremendously in so many ways, not just in supplementing my income. I grew to love and adore each of them individually. I watched as the parents orchestrated a life at my place, making accommodations for 5 kids and organizing them to help with housekeeping and yard chores and homeschooling. I cannot help but feel the blessings I received from Heaven because of them. I am so grateful.
And now my grand daughter will live here for a few months while her husband is deployed to the Middle East. We expect the first great grandchild to be arriving in just a couple of weeks.
I welcome also to have another roomie as my daughter pulls things together as both her girls are treading life on their own. I'm hoping that she finds peace here as a pit stop to whatever else is in store for her future.
I'm navigating through retirement and looking closely at things I will need. Medicare and supplemental insurances are not enough. I have increased my debt due to macular degeneration and double cataract surgeries. I probably need to have medical care for other things like allergies, bad air quality and whatever else may be hampering my breathing. My voice is thready at times and there is a wretched coughing that ensues when I exert myself physically or consume spicy or crumbly foods. PITS!!
In spite of recent things, I would not change any of the choices I have made throughout the years. I find joy in every day. I know there will always be changes and research and opportunities to serve and to be served. I know that God Blesses my life exponentially and that everything will be okay...I have a few very good years of life ahead, and I'm thankful that I chose Motherhood.
Not that anyone is following me right now, but I'm thinking I can learn new old things! Maybe I can learn how to blog again, and import pictures from my phone or google photos? Worth a try.
Anyhow, the sun keeps blazing through the kitchen window and I spend a lotta time in this spot near the sink. I tried this set up and 2 things are wrong. Number one, the sun filters through the fabric and the yeah in the papaya tree just looks Bad. Number two, I don't like the painting, and I guess there's a third thing: it makes the kitchen to dark! Possible solutions? 1-work on the painting so the leaves look like papaya leaves 2-line the fabric 3- make this into a shade that rolls up when I want the light and scenic view from the window.
I found my blog of old and am trying to remember and navigate...so this post may seem to be like--about nothing, but that's what most of my stuff is. Just rabbit holes of my mind! And google photos take awhile to get from my phone to my MacBook! There must be a solution of some sort.
