A Simple Summer

The summer season, for the hubby and I, begins with our arrival at the Colorado cabin. It's still winter on the high Spanish Peaks, our view from the front porch. Yesterday evening the hail peppered the deck and the temperature this sunny morning was 41 degrees. Everything is so green and the purple sage is already blooming beautifully.

We have been escaping the Texas heat and coming to the little green cabin for over ten years now. I have

to say that it was probably the beginning of us realizing that we could live a much smaller and simpler life and be completely happy. The cabin is a little less than 1,000 square feet. It has everything we need, including a second "potty" and small guest bedroom. After staying here for 4 or 5 months at a time, it dawned on us that we never missed a bigger house or a busier life.

So, during the past few years, back at home in Texas, we have downsized from 5 acres and a nearly 3,000 sq. feet home---to a house in town that was about half the size---to a travel trailer and then this past year to our Tiny House in the rv campground on the bay of a large lake.

There are some obvious but great advantages to downsizing your life:

             FINANCES---Whether you are older and retired or younger and moving toward that day, you can live smaller.  If you aren't maintaining, paying taxes and all that is involved in owning a big house, you have much more of your funds for the things you enjoy. We are lucky to have two houses in beautiful places for cost less than many spend for one home.

             PEACE of MIND---Trust me, your grown children, grand-children and friends are much more independent of you than you might think.  If you don't have the big house where everything happens and everyone stays, you can still have your relationship with all of those you love. With cell phones, text, e-mails and all the easy communications these days, we stay in very close touch with our family and friends. They enjoy visiting us in our smaller houses. When we are near to our family, we all appreciate each other and treasure our times together.

Moving to a tiny house or living in a far away location, even part time, is not the right thing for everyone. You must search your own heart. There are multitudes of ways to make your life a little simpler and smaller.  If your mind is closed though, on this or any other change in your life, you are possibly missing some of the most special times of living.

Ever Changing Life

Living/kitchen area of our new Tiny House

In my many years on this earth, one of the big things I've learned is that life is always changing. That is an absolute.

Over the last five years or more, my interest and passion has been in the writing of eleven novels and in the prepper self sustaining philosophy. I loved writing the books in the apocalyptic dystopian genre and still am amazed that folks read them. I also have not weakened on my belief that we live in a dangerous and unpredictable world. Many events, both manmade and nature made could happen to our complicated world and I very much am of the mind that everyone should have some preparations for catastrophe.

While I haven't lost my interest in these two basic things, life does move along and if a person doesn't have the desire or ability to adapt to those changes, I personally think it is a very detrimental to our physical health. It is most certainly damaging to our mental strength and peace of mind to not be open to new things in our lives. If you are open, change and moving on to new endeavors is probably the single most revitalizing thing that can happen to you.

It's not that far from the prepping and I certainly just could not quit writing, so my new passion will be the subject of my ramblings for now.  That new interest is living smaller in this big world and simplifying my life. I will be writing about the downsizing that my hubby and I have accomplished over the last two years on this blog site. Hopefully, I will be able to share some of the good and bad and pass along some lessons learned to anyone that is interested in streamlining their life in this big busy world. Looking forward to new horizons.  JO

Ain't it the Truth...or is it?

Yep, I'm still alive folks and not so unusual---I'm very frustrated. Where in the wide world is the truth?  There is so much information out there and it is so available. Indeed, it is pushed in our face constantly! You would think that meant we could always find out the truth. That's far from true. We are being drowned in untruths, half-truths and flat out lies.  All dressed up, stretched out and presented as irrefutable facts.  How can we possibly dig through all this stinky poop and find one little chunk of truth?

The hubby (my favorite old philosopher, by the way) says "The truth is always somewhere in the middle" and  "Somebody's lying!".   Now those words are reality. 

The scandale du jour is Bill O'Reilly.  He is being completely crucified in the media. Does he deserve it?  Is he a raving sexist pervert?  I, like most folks, would love to know the truth.  I am sorry, but several women who received millions of dollars just don't prove his guilt to me.  There are plenty of cases of sexual abuse, rape, sexual harassment and other injustices that are very legitimate. I don't deny for a moment that it is possible for a male in a position of power or authority to place a woman an impossible situation.

HOW-EV-ER---I am very weary of females who are supposed to be strong and empowered, whining and bitching because a jerk of a male said something nasty to her or inappropriately touched her. Really?  What happened to a slap, a kick to the cohones.  Whatever happened to a loud voice that says NO, says don't you ever talk to me like that again or don't you ever come near me again? We are not talking about physical attacks here, we are talking about the big Taboo of our time---someone offended me.  And the thing that really makes me angry and question these injured ladies is why do millions of dollars make it better?  I've been around a long time and  I've had nasty minded and mouthed men say disrespectful things to me. I think quite a bit of myself, but never in all my nearly 70 years has someone said something that I thought big bucks would fix.

I so wish that I knew the truth. Like so many hyped and spinning stories these days, it's practically impossible to get to it.  I do know that the politically correct, over sensitive and sue for money crazy atmosphere that we live in, is part of the reason that Donald Trump is now our president.  The freedom of speech and all of our rights can't exist if the rule becomes no one can ever say anything that is offensive to another person. Of course, this is just one old gal's opinion.

Where's The Middle Ground?

I don't understand what has happened to the middle ground these days.  Where is the point of compromise, the place where people of diverse opinions find a safe area?

I have always said that I'm the Queen of the middle. I'm not the worst and I'm not the best, not the ugliest and not the most beautiful, not the unluckiest but catch a bit of luck some times...and so on. I've always been fairly comfortable, if not sitting on the fence, at least approaching it and peering across.

I admit to becoming much more set and stubborn in my beliefs and thoughts in my aging years. Still, I'm willing to acknowledge and try to see that MY way might not always be the only right way.  There's not a whole lot of that attitude out there in our America, it seems.  There is division and anger and when any advantage is gained by a particular faction, they grab it and bash the other side over the head with it. 

While I did not fully embrace the idea of Donald J. Trump as our new president, I did whole heartedly believe that we needed a change, we needed to back off from the direction the country was heading and take a good look at some of the drastic changes that had been occurring over many years. I am appalled at the destructive, nasty and divisive behavior of those that were unhappy with the election results.  But, I'm also appalled that many of those on the side of victory act as if they now force their ideas into others.  Why is it so hard for people to understand that in order for ALL to have rights, each will have to come give some?

On social media, there is a constant  If you agree...If you want this or that, then share, say yes, like.  That is a perfectly acceptable statement of, I believe this, do you? But, folks two wrongs don't make a right.   One question was "should Jesus be back in our schools?"   Are you kidding me? NO...religion should not be in the public schools. NO religion.  Discipline, accountability, patriotism...many things should be back in our schools.  Religious beliefs are a personal choice and the freedom to have your beliefs is guaranteed.  You are not to impose those beliefs on others or teach them as part of education.  

I am disappointed that the very people who complain of their rights being infringed on, are suddenly perfectly willing to stomp on the right of others.  To me, winning this election meant a hope that through our laws we could affect change in some of the illogical and extreme evolution that has been altering our culture, some of the over the top political correctness, some of the carelessness with our borders and security, some of the entitled minded attitudes.  I never thought that my own personal beliefs, even if held by a majority would become the superior rule of the land.