tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22247128060566758202019-11-24T03:15:39.990-08:00Don't "just" survive ... THRIVE!Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.comBlogger1247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-61609495191750829872019-11-11T14:50:00.004-08:002019-11-11T14:57:39.268-08:00

It's fascinating to me when, what seem completely independent, aspects of my life converge. Deus Ex Machina and I are historical fiction fanatics.  We really enjoy television series that have a historical basis.  We were huge fans of the historical dramas Vikings and The Last Kingdom (based on Bernard Cromwell's book series).  What's fun, for me, is to research the actual events/persons depicted

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-39939367037134517502019-11-05T06:14:00.001-08:002019-11-05T06:14:50.339-08:00

I like to stand in a crane position, with my right foot on my left thigh, balancing on that single left foot.  It's a stretch, too, and it feels good.  I like long stretches, like those performed in Yoga.  When I'm feeling particularly bound-up, I do the Sun Salutation.  I have good balance and flexibility, especially for a woman who is over half a century old.  For those of you who don't know,

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-5708021557343553052019-11-04T12:40:00.001-08:002019-11-05T05:19:39.167-08:00

We have been having some really wicked weather here in Maine over the past couple of weeks.  A Nor'Easter knocked out power for a lot of the folks living near the coast, including my job.  I got to work from home for the first time since I started working outside the home almost two years ago.  It was an interesting day. It also knocked out power to the local grocery store where we've been

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-16215750301513485572019-09-22T14:34:00.000-07:002019-09-22T14:34:08.199-07:00

The last few weekends were spent working wood for our winter heat.  We had some delivered by a local firewood purveyor.  Some was from coppiced wood that a local tree firm had cut and gave to us last year, because they didn't have anywhere to dispose of it.  It was in varying lengths and widths, and our task was to cut it to length and then split and stack it.  I have a new chainsaw I got to try

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-50024900567489239262019-04-28T13:08:00.002-07:002019-04-28T13:08:43.052-07:00

It happens to the best of us.  We go to the Winter Farm Store and buy a bunch of onions, and then, a couple of months later, we realize the onions have started to sprout.  Despair not!  This can actually be a good thing. A while back I read this book.  It was doomer fiction.  The protagonists in the story, knowing how fragile our lifestyles and infrastructure are, took steps to insulate

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-37281202820092769582019-04-21T10:39:00.000-07:002019-04-21T10:39:03.715-07:00

I made my way out to the garden this morning.  It's cloudy, but warm.  Oh, so warm!  I'm still, mostly, in winter mode here.  We still have wood in the house for a fire, because the house still gets chilly enough that we need one - or want one.  Either way, the cold still seeps in, and I am surprised, on days like today, when I walk outside and my sweater is too much. Tomorrow, I may need that

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-25711769421263638092019-03-31T10:14:00.000-07:002019-03-31T10:14:08.587-07:00

A few years ago, I asked Deus Ex Machina to purchase this book for me.  It was written by a friend of ours from the homeschool community.  She and her husband moved from their urban rental into a big farmhouse on a nice piece of acreage in more rural Maine.  I was a little envious, but very happy for them. My friend had a blog on which she shared her family's adventures - both before and after

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-52982846874836260022019-03-28T09:03:00.001-07:002019-03-28T09:03:14.167-07:00

As part of my ongoing series about living large in a small house, today's topic is about having storage with furniture that also serves another function. My living room is tiny.  It's very long and narrow, and the space is actually two rooms.  It's 9' wide, and the two rooms combined are around 30' long with the wood stove right in the middle and a door on either end.  I love the space,

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-64978598781723595282019-03-25T05:32:00.000-07:002019-03-25T05:35:28.160-07:00

Many years ago, I was interviewed by a young man for a film he was doing for a school project. At the end of the interview, as he was preparing to leave, we gave him a half pint of our maple syrup - just boiled that day, during our interview.  He was thrilled by the gift, stating, that as a Texan, maple syrup was better than gold. I'd never, much, thought about the dollar value of some of the

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-38261340856039141432019-03-23T10:54:00.002-07:002019-03-23T10:54:44.810-07:00

I clicked on a headline today.  The article was in response to the current decluttering craze prompted by Netflix's new series starring the lovely Marie Kondo (no, in fact, I have not watched it).  The author suggested that, while downsizing our clutter is a very good idea, getting rid of books is probably a very bad idea.  It was a good article, and I agreed with all of it.  Books are just

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-86013415402916883522019-03-20T13:31:00.000-07:002019-03-20T13:31:00.680-07:00

I was just thinking about my grandma's house the other day.  Grandma lived in an honest-to-goodness homestead.  I loved visiting her when I was a kid, because she always had some sort of animal (pigs, horses, cows, chickens), and there were always lots of dogs and cats.  There were a million things for this kid from the suburbs to do at Grandma's house.   She didn't have a fancy-smancy

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-92145808603844018162019-03-18T06:08:00.001-07:002019-03-18T06:08:27.471-07:00

In general, I'm not fond of baking.  I love to cook, but baking has always been one of those tasks that just seems to take so much time and energy. I mean, there's the whole "softened butter" thing, that requires a lot more planning than I usually want to attempt.  Or the sifted flour that means I need more clutter in my kitchen.  Or the strange ingredients, like cream of tartar.  I mean,

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-9277873677868315252019-03-16T12:22:00.002-07:002019-03-16T12:22:48.592-07:00

"Terror kicks in on the third night....Going through the Great March Blackout, I knew the country would be forever different now that we know just how fragile our infrastructure really is ...."  - Victor Drax, Caracas Chronicles What's happening in Caracas, in particular, and in Venezuela, in general, is every Prepper's fantasy ... maybe fantasy isn't the best word.  It is, however, every

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-57794362838771781932019-03-13T10:31:00.001-07:002019-03-13T10:31:29.497-07:00

I know I've probably talked about my tiny kitchen before. When we found the listing for our house - way back in the 1990s - it was listed as having an "eat-in" kitchen.  The folks who were renting the house did, indeed, have a table in the kitchen area.  It was a cute, little pub-style table with a couple of stools.  Technically, one could have a meal there. Their refrigerator was next to the

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-36296154740897869972019-03-01T14:15:00.002-08:002019-03-01T14:19:23.617-08:00

When Deus Ex Machina and I met, we were both enlisted soldiers living in the barracks.  His barracks room was about as bare as a living space can be.  He had the essentials - a place to sleep with enough bedding to be comfortable, a place to store his clothes and gear, a desk with a computer, a stereo for music, and a television.  There were no knick-knacks, no shelves of books or CDs, no

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-26910766042442200342019-02-25T15:57:00.001-08:002019-02-25T15:57:18.775-08:00

The average size of house being built today is 2700 sq ft.  My house is around 1500 sq ft.  By today's standards, I live in a small house - just over half the size of average.  The problem, though, isn't that my house is small.  It's that there are very few closets (two), no basement, no attic space, no garage, and no storage shed outside in the yard.  Pretty much, every thing I own is out in

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-40424388691889727402019-01-29T21:11:00.000-08:002019-01-29T21:11:53.492-08:00

When I heard about the Polar Vortex, my first thought was to post some comments about staying warm, but I was pretty sure that I'd covered the topic on my blog in the past.  There have been numerous occasions when Deus Ex Machina and I have had to stay warm in our house when there was no electricity, and over the years, we've developed the infrastructure that allows us to not worry when the

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-58087236914934075842019-01-13T15:53:00.000-08:002019-01-13T15:53:00.861-08:00

There is, apparently, a new television show starring author and home organizing expert, Marie Kondo.  For those who don't know, Marie Kondo wrote a book a few years ago called "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and then, she authored a bunch of follow-up books to that one, including an illustrated version called, "The Life Changing Manga of Tidying Up." Six years after the publication of

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-26273958782312856482018-12-28T14:47:00.000-08:002018-12-28T14:47:53.210-08:00

Tilda ran along the creek bank behind her grandmother. Oma was carrying two five-gallon buckets, each only half full. It was easier that way, she said. Her back wasn't getting any younger.   That smile.  Oma had the best smile. Her whole face seemed to catch a sparkle when she smiled, like the sun blazing through a break in the clouds on a dreary, gray day. Tilda lived for that smile.

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-7541568390784538382018-12-28T13:30:00.000-08:002018-12-28T13:30:05.617-08:00

A couple of years ago I bought a new pair of boots.  I'd spent a lot of time looking for the perfect pair, and these were as close to perfect as I was going to get without designing and making my own. Last year, I wore them every day of the winter, and I grew to love these sweet, little boots.  They were super comfortable, soft leather uppers with a rubber sole that didn't have me slipping and

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-20382933802518904872018-10-12T14:23:00.000-07:002018-10-12T14:23:27.441-07:00

Deus Ex Machina came home from work the other day and asked me if I'd heard of Industry 4.0.   I hadn't.   According to Google, Industry 4.0 is a name given to the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, cloud computing and cognitive computing. Industry 4.0 is commonly referred to as the fourth 

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-69932624467261744762018-09-26T13:59:00.001-07:002018-09-26T13:59:10.737-07:00

I was a stay-at-home Mom for twenty years.  During that time, I was fortunate to be able to also run a home-based business, serve as a volunteer with several non-profits (and even sat on a couple of Boards), write two books, and build a homestead.   I didn't save any money, though, and by "save" money, what I mean is to put cash in an investment account for retirement.  I have always joked that

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-50650912396219570102018-09-12T14:45:00.001-07:002018-09-12T14:45:21.476-07:00

Bad weather is becoming our new normal.  An article published by a government emergency management agency stated just exactly what most of us, preppers, have been warning for years.  In an emergency situation, we can't count on someone else to take care of us.  We need to be ready to weather the storm and its aftermath without waiting for help.  Help may not come, or it may take the help a lot

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-48122586141686968682018-09-06T15:11:00.000-07:002018-09-06T15:11:43.352-07:00

This summer, Deus Ex Machina and I traveled up to Baxter State Park with Big Little Sister and a group of her friends.  We've made this same drive for the last three years in a row.  In 2016, I dropped off Deus Ex Machina and Big Little Sister at the Abol Bridge entrance to the Appalachian Trail.  In 2017, Deus Ex Machina met Big Little Sister and Matches at Abol Camp Ground and the three

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2224712806056675820.post-83431187935763563682018-09-02T12:31:00.000-07:002018-09-02T12:31:17.321-07:00

A friend told me that a friend of hers, who is not on Facebook, but who was a reader of this blog was concerned, because I hadn't posted much recently. There are reasons - of course ;). In January this year, for the first time in two decades, I started working at a job outside my home.  I am the office manager of a local community theater, and yes, it is as cool as it sounds.  I wasn't

Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com8