Wordless Wednesday: I’m in Love with my Vine

The difference between last week and this week on the third year of my Clematis Vine – so lovely!

Why Traditional Foods?

A few weeks ago I was asked by someone, “Why are you interested in doing things that are different from what everyone else is doing?” in terms of going back to traditional foods.

I can honestly say that I became interested in eating healthier with my first pregnancy about 8 years ago.  Of course, I wanted to have the healthiest pregnancy and baby on the planet!  But, I also knew that eating fast food, boxed food, and food with pesticides and chemicals sprayed on them (no matter how safe we are assured they are) was inconsistent with my upbringing.

I began to see the foods I grew up on, were not the foods we now bought in the stores.  We were not homesteaders or “naturalists,” but farmers who saw the value and worthwhileness of growing a garden to nourish our families.  And by value, I mean not only the nutritional value, but the economic value.  Growing up in rural Nebraska, it was a given that my parents would feed their own family as much as possible.

In my adult years when the word “organic” first came to play in marketing of foods, it seemed odd to me.  I grew up trusting my food sources and I began to see that I was naïve to do so now.  We are told so many chemicals and additives are “safe,” but I felt that was inconsistent with my own good common sense that I should not be consuming these on a regular basis.  I wish I could say at all, but it is just not always possible where I live.  Sometimes, I have to live with something undesirable on the label.

Grass-fed Raw Milk, Organic Potatoes, Organic Cauliflower, Organic Pastured Soy-Free Eggs, Lentils, Beans, Quinoa, Nitrate & Antibiotic Free Bacon, Organic Salted Butter and Dried Apricots. 

What is frivolous about these foods I ask? And why do I have to ask for them to be free of so many things?

In my world (in the middle of industrial ag land), words like organic and all-natural are frivolous marketing catch-phrases.  My father, who was a hog farmer for most of my life will be the first to tell you, “Pork has always been all-natural.”  Which would be true, if we didn’t pump them full of antibiotics. 

This is the type of food that people buy when they have a lot of time and money on their hands.  Neither of which I possess.  Food for “health nuts” or “crazy liberals.”  I’m not even all that hung up on having all organic and all-natural foods.  While the USDA organic seal used to be one of the ways to guarantee that foods did not contain GMO’s, it’s no longer the case if the ingredients themselves contain GMO’s.

Traditional Foods with a short list of ingredients that I know, understand and can pronounce are what I’m after.  They support what I believe is the sustainable way of life we have supported here until about 30 years ago when people were led to believe that bigger was better in farming.  Yes, eating more traditionally does require me to cook often and more than others, but not more than I did when I was living at home and in charge of meals for my three brothers.

And yes, the food sometimes does cost more, because it costs more to produce.  But, my medical bills are low.  My children haven’t had the need to see a physician in over a year.  We have not taken prescription drugs in our home in two years.  I also now know how to treat a variety of ailments with nourishing foods, herbs and spices used in cooking.  Not because I refuse treatment, but because our immunities are high from nutrient dense foods. 

I may not have the healthiest babies on the planet, but I can tell that what we are doing certainly is best for us.  So, if that is different from “doing what everyone else is doing,” I’m totally ok with it.

Also shared on:

Real Food Wednesdays

Mamavation Monday

How have you recently stepped up to support someone in your life?

This is the question that I am supposed to blog about and answer today for this week’s Mamavation Monday post.  But, I find I have an ongoing dilemma with this topic.  Remember those Little Miss Sunshine books?

I loved them by the way.  Devoured them in fact.

But, I’m likening myself to her crabby friend that no one wants to talk about.

Little Miss Stepper Upper. 

Is there a project that needs to be done?  Who else will do it?  Who else will do it well?  If I don’t help, who will?

Oh, for pity’s sake.  I have trouble balancing philanthropy, parenthood, a career and everything else in between.

My name is Sandra.  Which comes from the Greek name Alexandra.  Which means, “Helper and defender of all mankind.”

Apparently, I take this to heart.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t rescue every lost little puppy or kitty.  But, if it has to do with being civically involved with a project I am on board with, I am in and I know I am relied upon to do so. 

I am now beginning to learn the art of saying no, less I will be an ineffective parent, friend, daughter, neighbor, individual.  My life is in transition and I rarely know what’s best in terms of nurturing myself.  But, I am finding that people do understand and other people know how to do this “saying no” thing!

So, this week, I am learning how to step up to me. 

Cutting Through the Clutter and Not Using a Sharp Tongue to do so.

I’m having one of those weeks that feels like I took one or two steps forward and then a million steps back. I find myself so very impatient to put epiphanies to work for me. Sometimes I fail to realize it all takes time and I lose patience not only with time, myself, but with other humans.

Usually when I am on my best behavior, I can be well-spoken and "talk nice." Years of classical voice training has given me the ability to project my voice, but I can control myself in the right circumstances.

But, put me in a frustrating situation where I feel like I am having to explain myself, defend myself, explain something over and over again to someone or any situation where my patience is being tested, my mouth takes over and says all those things that seem to just spill out. It's not pretty.

And it’s usually those that you love most that you lash out at the easiest, eh?

Even those who don’t know me to spew words from my mouth this way, have all witnessed just a taste of that fiery person, if only in jest or as a joke.

So, what is that reaction exactly?

After it all happens and I smooth it all over, avoid it completely, feel vindicated or we all have a good laugh (read: Me fake laughing in embarrassment), I feel rotten. I ruminate,“I shouldn’t have said that."

Recently, I had an encounter with an intuitive type who didn’t really know me. She asked me, “Do you have a sharp tongue?” (I found out later that she had pictured me with a knife in my mouth.)

I wanted to crawl under a rock. I was told to evaluate that. After thinking on it:

• I have decided that it's what I use to put people in their place when I can see they have mistaken me for a weak or weak-minded person. (Who cares, right?)
  
• It’s what I use against those I no longer have patience for. Usually, if I perceive them to not be listening immediately after asking a question. (Come on, is it not an unspoken conversational etiquette that you actually listen and participate? Otherwise, why bother?)
  
• I use it when I am at my limit and I am actually angry for stretching myself too thin. (Nothing to do with you, I'm just a bear who really wants to be sweet.)

This is when the world becomes the enemy.

I know the exact reactions my sharp tongue elicits. It can be damaging to relationships.

Even the publicly known sharp tongues on reality TV – we all laugh and feel sorry for the recipients. No one wants to be talked to that way. No one truly respects a person who goes off like that, even though they might take care to avoid eliciting those responses.

It appears very childish to those watching it, quite honestly. And that is exactly how it feels, like I am throwing a temper tantrum.

This was a good exercise. I was told to “soften my mouth to speak more like an angel.” And boy, this is a challenge.

Baby steps.

Wordless Wednesday: From My Yard

 

This is the 3rd year of my beloved Clematis Vine – it looks pretty gorgeous!

Traditional Foods: Making Cream Cheese

In an effort to find more creative uses for my raw milk supply when we’ve been away and don’t get it all drank up before it’s time to pick up our next order, I decided to try to make my own cream cheese based upon the Nourishing Traditions recipe for Cream Cheese & Whey. 

I couldn’t be happier with the results!  I love that it is something like the Beef Broth and the Chicken Stock I’ve written about, a nutrient dense food.  I don’t have an option for buying anything close to the product I can make in my home.  It does take time, but it’s not labor intensive.  More checking on it occasionally and moving it.

The first step is to allow your milk to sour in a closed jar for 1-4 days.  (I use raw grass-fed milk.)  The photo below is about 15 hours in and you can see it starting to separate.  I did let it continue. 

{Warning: do NOT let it go past 4 days.  I made this mistake on my 2nd batch and it is TOO long.}

I have to admit, I was scared to open that jar on the 4th day.  I was sure it was going to be one of my most feared scents in the world – rotten milk.  But, it was fine, it didn’t have much of a scent at all.  Mostly likely due to the fact that it’s not “grocery store” milk.

You then drain the jar into a cheese-cloth lined bowl and let it set for 1-2 hours.  You’ll see some of the whey begin to seep through the cheese cloth at that point. 

The next step (which I failed to photograph) is to tie the cheese cloth up and secure it to a wooden spoon handle and hang it over a bowl, dish or pitcher for another couple of hours and let gravity finish its course.  Once that’s finished, you can cut it open and place your cream cheese in a covered glass dish or jar and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.  I ended up with right about a cup for a quart jar filled about 3/4 full.

And if you’re wondering about the yellow-ish colors - these are carotenes that are found in grass-fed milk, an added bonus! 

Literally, the next day I saw two articles that seemed to be written just for me!

16 Ways to Use Your Whey - You end up with A LOT of whey as a by-product of making the cheese.  I’m looking forward to using some of these suggestions, especially in my hair, watering my outdoor plants and making lemonade!

Flavored Cream Cheese – She also offers an alternate way to make a cultured cream cheese, which I have not tried, and two recipes for making flavored cream cheese spreads.  I can’t wait to make both of these – simple, easy & delicious!  The spreads would be tasty with crackers, raw veggies & fruits, as a baked potato topping or oatmeal stir-in...guess I better go cut some chives!

This post was also shared on Traditional Tuesdays , Real Food Wednesday and Fresh Bites Friday

Mamavation Monday: Simple is Better

 

Last week was so crazy, I couldn’t even spare the time to find to write a piece for Mamavation Monday.  That made me feel miserable.  For weeks I felt obsessed with getting results, disappointed by my lack thereof and, finally took a step back, vowing to go back to only stepping on the scale one a month because I had better results when I was less focused on weight and more focused on living healthy.

This week, I have made a promise to myself to continue to not take on too much.  If I don’t have the time to spare to do the things I really love or want to do, then what is the point of living really?  I’m not a punch the time clock girl and I understand doing what must be done to survive when I must, but I have to have a level of enjoyment or satisfaction in the day to day. 

My calendar, so far, is staying pretty clear of the overwhelming zone.  And it brings a smile to face to be able to have time to walk, to be face to face with my kids doing anything, to schedule writing time, to feel like I have enough time for work, and to be able to feel like I am doing a good job with everything.  A half-asser I am not.  Still working on the perfectionism thing, one day at a time.

So, I’m giving myself a big pat on the back for taking a big step back, so I can make better steps forward by organizing my time.  Taking pressure off makes Sandra happy!  I also competed in my second 5k a couple of weeks ago.  (And I use the term competed loosely.)  My first was just last month.  I didn’t have the opportunities to train as hard as I did for the first, but my time was the same! 

Another wonderful thing about this 5k is that my three cousins and aunt did it with me.  They were here in Nebraska visiting and we traveled down to the race together and made it a fun outing.  It just so happened that the race was on a winery and a wine tasting was included in our registration, so that was great motivation!  It was also genius on the part of the winery – a bunch of thirsty runners all headed in to get their free wine afterwards!  We don’t get to see one another often, so it was a great way to spend quality time together, doing something fun, drinking some wine and actually, the proceeds went to a great cause funding education for children in Haiti.  I’m really glad we took the opportunity to do that together and my other aunt and husband came down to cheer us on at the finish line.  That really encouraged me to just run it in! 

Simple is better.  A better way to actually have time to enjoy life!

This post is sponsored by Joggermom and I’m writing this to be entered into a yoga mat giveaway hosted by Mamavation.

How life has changed since I had my Kitty Kat Cup: 1977 vs. Today

People that know me well, KNOW this is my Kitty Kat Cup.  I have been drinking out of it since I was a toddler.  I’m pretty sure it had a sippy cup lid at one point.  I love it and it’s still the right size for me, plus it has a cool coffee mug handle that is not pictured. (I thought it more important to feature Kitty’s face.)  They don’t make cups like this anymore.

This cup has truly stood the test of time.  How have things changed while Kitty Kat Cup and I have been together?  What was life in the U.S. like then?  I thought it would be interesting to research this:

	1977	2011
President	Jimmy Carter	Barack Obama
Population	220,239,425	over 310 million
Life Expectancy	73.3 Years	77 years
Federal Spending	$409.22 billion	$2,080 billion
Federal Debt	$706.4 billion	$1,294 billion
Unemployment	7.7%	9%
Cost of a new home	$54,200.00	$177,000
Cost of a new car	$6,000	$16,800
Median Household Income	$13,572.00	$64,200.00
Cost of a postage stamp	$0.13	$0.44
Cost of a gallon of gas	$0.62	$3.80
Cost of a dozen eggs	$0.82	$1.19
Cost of a gallon of milk	$1.68	$2.99
Popular Boys Names	Michael Jason Christopher	Mason Liam Jacob
Popular Girls Names	Jennifer Melissa Amy	Emma Sophia Olivia
Popular TV Shows	LaVerne & Shirley Happy Days Three’s Company	American Idol Glee Big Bang Theory
Popular Songs	Rich Girl New Kid in Town Blinded by the Light	Rolling the Deep E.T.  Just Can’t Get Enough
Popular Movies	Star Wars Rocky Smokey & the Bandit	The Hangover 2 Pirates of the Caribbean 4 Fast Five
Popular Books	The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough Roots – Alex Haley	The Help – Kathryn Stockett Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
Women’s Hair Styles	Feathered (think Charlie’s Angels), dying was cutting edge, page boy, afros	Shorter hairstyles, extensions, hair pieces, lots of color, natural hair (afros)
Men’s Hair Styles	Long hair tucked behind ears, bangs on forehead, afros	Piecy, “Front Waves,” square, natural hair (afros)

I found it interesting as the list goes on to see how infiltrated by constant information and options we have become in just the past few years!  Constant media, constant news, constant information.  Choosing just 3 songs and 3 television shows was difficult.  But, I tried to stick to radio and network television as would have been the medium in the 70’s. We have SO many options for streaming audio/video on the internet, downloading capabilities of television shows, music and movies, rather than tuning into a particular station at a particular time or having to go to a theatre to see a movie even!  We still like the fantastical and “real life” comedies in movies.  We just get to download them and have many more opportunities to see them.

It’s interesting to note that in literature we are still fascinated by time pieces.  As evidenced by The Help (set in the 1950’s) and Water for Elephants (set during the Great Depression).  Relatedly, we have a turn to sophisticated names like Emma, Sophia & Olivia, rather than Melissa, Jennifer & Amy.  Our mothers saw us growing up being care-free, trendy individualists.  I envisioned a strong, independent free thinker, firm in her roots & convictions woman when I chose Olive for my own daughter.

With all of the scientific advancements we’ve had, I’m surprised to learn that life expectancy is only four more years.  We do lag behind there in the U.S.  We work the longest hours, the most stressful jobs, we have little vacation or family time that is paid time off, we take the most medications, have the least preventative care and we work the latest into life.  

I believe that the 70’s were when our foods began to change.  We have so many food options, laden with things that we can't pronounce and contribute to poor health!  I remember going to the store with my mother and we had two options for milk, maybe one or two for eggs.  Now there are so many options at the store and I opt out of commercially produced milk, eggs, and meat.  So, I buy mine directly from a farm. And make what I can myself so I know that my food is safe.

Prior to being downsized from my corporate job, I made well the median household income, which is incredibly comfortable living in the Midwest.  At one point, I was making 20% of that and forced back to a rural area so I could afford to live.  I’m living much more comfortably now, but I don’t dare move again.  The job market is much more volatile than 1977 where you graduated high school, started the job you would most likely work for the rest of your life and if you were lucky, you went to college.  A stark contrast to 2011, where new college graduates cannot often find work to cover their student loan debt and are competing with those in the market who’ve been displaced by outsourcing, layoffs and bankrupt companies.

I sort of long for the simplicity of the days of my Kitty Kat Cup, plus who could resist that fashion, the music and their movies?  But, I know the times seemed complex then, just as they do now.  

What surprises you about the comparison chart?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Do You Celebrate Life?

After finding out last night that a former “tub mate”/co-worker passed away. It is really on my mind. 

We weren’t close, but we stayed in touch.  He and I had exchanged emails a couple of months back.  He was a musician, and he had updated me on some of his new projects and recording.  He was really good, had worked really hard and was getting some street cred.  He was one of those “good people” that even though we didn’t have a lot in common, when you share a small cubicle space with a pregnant woman (me), you tend to get to know one another, whether you want to or not.  I could just tell, that even though his life was hard, he could see his dreams becoming a reality and he had a beautiful spirit.

The kicker is that he was thirty-ish years old and he had a heart attack.

I thought about how he had mentioned in our last correspondence about some dizzy spells he was having.  I had shared about my experience with that and how I had treated it.  I also thought about how quickly things can change in an instant.

I feel if we don’t take pause in these circumstances when they happen in life, we aren’t learning anything during this human experience. 

I have faced a lot of death in my 30-something years.  Some of it has to do with being from a small town – you simply have more connections to people, but also the fact that I hail from extremely large Catholic clans.  Even as a child, I tried to find meaning in every death I’ve encountered.  I tend to carry those people with me in remembrance and call on them to watch over me when I am struggling with something I think they’d understand.

In this pause we take to reflect on a tragic moment or a painful loss, I come away with three things consistently: celebrate life, enjoy those that you love, and work on your dreams today.

RIP “Kenny” aka J-Rock.

Traditional Foods: Beef Bone Broth

I became interested in making a Beef Bone Broth after I tackled making a nourishing chicken stock a couple of times.  After pondering it a bit and looking through recipe sites, an article appeared in my inbox from Traditional Foods: Easy, Fuss-Free.  Amanda Rose, the author of Rebuild from Depression, posted a video series called “12 Days Of Gelatin-Rich Broth.”  Seeing the nutritious gelatin coming from her pot sent me off to purchase about 2 1/2 lbs of Beef Soup Bones. If you do not have a local source for grass-fed beef bones, you can also purchase them for direct delivery from Grass-fed Traditions. In addition to the rich nutrients and minerals derived from the bones, gelatin may be a remedy to a host of digestive and malnutrition-related conditions.  (She raves about using Bison bones, too!  She says THESE BONES are some of the best!)

I drizzled a bit of unrefined coconut oil on the bottom of the pan to coat and settled my bones in the bottom.  I then drizzled a bit more oil over the top of the bones, used some salt and pepper, turmeric, sliced garlic clove and basil.  I added some carrots in the fridge that needed to be used up and a bit of celery, reserving the celery tops for the crock pot.

I covered the pan with foil and roasted on 450 F for about 30 minutes.  After removing from the oven, the roasted bones, veggies and sliced up celery tops went into a crockpot on low heat.  Add just enough water to cover the bones, 2 T of Apple Cider Vinegar or Raw Coconut Water Vinegar (draws minerals out of bones) and cook on low for about 24 hours.

Then I removed the bones, veggies and any meat that cooked off the bones and pour the liquid through a strainer.
 

While the remainder of the liquid was straining, I put the bones, veggies and meat back into the crock pot.  Covered with water and added 2 T of vinegar again to start the 2nd batch.  I also added what was left in the strainer.  In 24 hours, I will have my 2nd batch.  In the meantime, my 1st batch is cooling (or you can use it right away!) to go into a small container or freezer bag.

I’m sharing this on Cooking Traditional Foods: Traditional Tuesdays, Real Food Wednesdays., and Simple Lives Thursday.

Note: if you click on any of my ingredient links above and make your first-time purchase, you'll automatically receive a FREE copy of the Virgin Coconut Oil Book and I will receive a voucher!

Filling Nutritional Knowledge Gaps: Mamavation Monday

 

High fat, low carb, low-fat, high carb, grapefruit diet, vegetarian diet, pescatarian, omnivore, locavore, high raw vegan, detox diet, paleo, primal… and now they’ve re-evaluated the food pyramid to further misconceptions about what is really a nutritious diet. 

It’s enough to make your head spin.  What’s a fad, what’s real?  I think many of us that are trying to make modifications for a healthy lifestyle can get a little overwhelmed and stuck in a sea of knowledge confusion!

For some, it’s about results.  Seeing others have success and results are usually good indicators of what does or doesn’t work.  The frustrating thing is sometimes quick results mean the minute you discontinue the latest fad diet, the pounds quickly reappear. 

I’ve been on my health journey for going on 3 years now.  I’ve had good successes, met exercise goals that I never thought I would meet, struggled, overcame, stalled out and basically run the gamut, but I have learned more than I expected.  I don’t feel like there are any hard and fast rules, and when asked this week, “What gaps in your nutrition knowledge do you want to fill?'” I took pause. 

For me, I want it to be more instinctive.  Doing what feels right to me and FOR me.  What I’ve learned about the human body thus far in my journey, is that everyone’s body chemistry and biological make up is so highly individualized.  I constantly feel like I am trying to “crack the code” because when I’ve been persistent and done so in the past, it’s “clicked.”  I keep coming back to this one core rule, however: The closer to Nature the better. 

So, not only have I overhauled my eating principles and my pantry, I’ve tried to take my body back to as natural of a state as I could.  That meant getting rid of medications, and an IUD, too.  The only unnatural things that remain are a dental crown and a few tattoos.  Now that I am back to where I feel is the most natural state for my body, I feel like I have a clean slate.  But, where do I go from here?  Here is the gap I’d like to fill:  I would like to know my EXACT nutritional needs, not a one-size-fits-all approach or the latest fad.  What does MY body really need?

“This post is sponsored by Omron Healthcare and I’m writing this to be entered into a Omron Go Smart Pedometer giveaway hosted by Mamavation .”

Tough Being a Woman

As I was pondering this week’s Tough Being a Woman post, I thought about how we are often tough on one another as women, and most often ourselves. 

There is pressure to have perfect relationships, perfect kids, healthiest kids, being a flawless cook who does it with ease, the model mother who never loses her cool, a family who doesn’t watch too much TV, children who participate in more educational activities, a beautiful home that is the envy of others with a perfectly manicured lawn, the ability to “balance it all” plus working full-time! The list goes on and on depending on who you are, and what matters to you, but women today face these daunting tasks and more.

As a child, and as I remember, most mothers were still in the home, with the exception of nurses, teachers and the occasional librarian. (There were more, but you get the jist.) But, also at that time, most of the mothers my mom’s age totally saw those women burning those bras and wanted to join right in. They hated the controlled lifestyle of the woman in the home of the June Cleaver’s of their mothers’ generations and couldn’t wait to be their own women, too. 

Fast forward to the late 1980’s, my mother’s famous quote, “Women’s lib didn’t do us any favors, now we have two jobs.” I saw frazzled moms still trying to do what they did at home before, plus working full-time. I saw dads roles not change a whole lot yet at that time. They would still just come home from work asking, “What’s for dinner?” like normal and, hopefully, ducking in time as to not get hit in the head by a flying frying pan. (For the record: This is my imagined response to my father asking MY mother this question. She always waited until he was out of the room to throw anything. Ha!) 

Today, with my generation as a woman, I see a return to simpler things. And I tell you, I buy right into it. I find the simpler things in life refreshing from the hectic, fast-paced corporate world I used to dwell in. While I still work in a world like that, like many work-at-home-moms, I work in the corporate world full-time from an office in my home. I find myself saying, “I have the best of both worlds.” I can be June Cleaver in between things and then return to my computer to social media it up. But, it is still a balance, which I am finding, is an illusion anyway. There is no work-life balance! 

I find myself taking on more and overwhelming myself with responsibilities and activities because I do work at home, but not allowing myself enough of a cushion of time even though I do have a lot of flexibility. Just today, as my children are visiting their Nana for a week, I had an appointment and I found it odd that I didn’t get up from my desk and, literally run right out the door to be late for said appointment. I was actually sitting on my porch enjoying a cup of coffee, realizing I had gotten to a perfect stopping point at work to allow myself 45 minutes to get ready and leave in time to be 15 minutes early to an appointment. 

If the kids were here, I would have had the distraction of them, while trying to compensate for that by cramming in just a few more minutes of work, all the while completely frustrated with the fact that I am getting short with them and feeling guilty that I just couldn’t give them the time they need or that I’m frustrated with them or whatever. 

How do I measure up compared to other women? As women, I think we tend to compare ourselves in beauty and in our roles (i.e. mothers, significant others). I have carried a large sense of shame over my marriage these last few years. While it was failing and having to admit it had failed. For me, it had all sorts of implications of me not being good enough in some way. Not a good enough wife, not smart enough to find the right guy, how it affected the children, not having a great guy like so & so does, I’m selfish and don’t love my kids if I cheat them out of the model family – in short, not measuring up in some way or feeling like I’m good enough. All sorts of irrational thoughts...

Finally, I’ve had enough. Sometimes people create a dynamic that can only fail in order for them to both grow and learn. Sometimes, I will use the microwave to warm up a canned meal for my kids. Sometimes, we will go through the McDonald’s drive through. Sometimes, I will let my kids watch TV all day while I work. Sometimes, I have to pick and choose my battles as a woman. You can do it all, maybe you can. But, I’ll go crazy trying, so I’m going to work on finding my authentic self, being true to it, loving my kids, still loving my job and giving myself a break once in a while.  I’m the only one who thinks I should be “perfect,” but I think I’ve always used the wrong measures of success.  I might already be just perfect, I just need to learn how to appreciate it.

Wordless Wednesday

This was such a cool find.  A shore of Shale rock.