I was watching the Last American Cowboy last night – love that show – and realized that I should be living that life.  As a child, my happiest memories were of my Aunt & Uncle’s cow/calf operation in northern Minnesota.  I can remember working cows in the summer, finding calves in snowbanks in the spring, and working from sunup to sundown alongside them – and never being happier (except maybe that one summer i sunburned my back and arms so badly i couldn’t move.)

I think that ship has sailed tho – as much as i love horses and cows and goats and chickens – my city-boy husband is not a fan.  I try to convince myself he’s not a fan because he’s never lived the life, but I’m pretty sure 5am cow feeding before the ‘day job’ is something he’s not going to sign up for.

I thought about a chicken coop – but chickens attract snakes around here – I’m not a fan.  And the neighbors will not be happy about cows in the back yard.

Maybe I’ll just get a horse, the dogs have a really big back yard, maybe they’ll share it?

Probably not……..

This is a trek – nothing short of an hour down and an hour back – we found good deals so i guess that makes it worth it – but I really would like to see this podunk area have something besides target and a craptastic mall to its name

#thatisall

Not making any promises – I’m going to try to share something meaningful to someone on the planet at least once a day – even if its a stupid picture from my favorite site- peopleofwalmart.com

Here’s a fave from icanhascheezburger.com with an excuse for not blogging:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

My workplace is frustrating – but not to the point that I’m ready to chuck it all in.  I mean – for the right deal – who knows, But right now – I’m happy with what I’m doing and where I’m going.

The kids are kids – and hubby is a hubby – joys and frustrations every day – but that’s pretty normal from what I’ve seen.

So why am I restless?  I feel like there’s an adventure around the corner that I’m missing out on.  Is it because I was married with children so young?  Did i miss out on some grand adventure by starting my life earlier than my friends have?  I figure my kids will be out of the house before I’m 50 – so i’ll have money, comfort and time to find that grand thing that piques my interest then.

In the mean time – how do you cope?  I’m going through the motions – but i’m not really living.  Wow that sounds like some corny movie line – but I sort of relate.  I watch movies and want to be the adventurer or the love interest…I read books and dont want them to end – and then I’m sad when they do. 

I could try harder to find a hobby and stop living my life by the glow of a screen.  I’ve searched for that thing that makes me complete – yoga, writing, shopping, exercise (yuk), reading, cooking – which I LOVE – but with cooking comes eating – and that leads to a whole other set of problems (i think I mentioned how much of a weight watchers flunkie I am.)

I just read through this post – and I think I used the words “I” and “My” about a hundred times.  Maybe that’s my problem – am I selfish?  I coordinate and contribute to charity – I am available for my friends and family whenever they need me – but maybe that’s not enough.

I need to work on my motives maybe.  My pet charity is the Heifter Project.  They give livestock to people who are starving in 3rd world countries.  They teach them to care for the animal(s) and as a condition they need to pass on the first offspring to someone else in the village….a way to pay it forward….maybe I could do more.

Mine is a life that is a work in progress - That must be what life is – a work in progress?

I’m not going to say what party I support – although it will be quite eveident by the end.  I believe it’s my job to exercise my right to vote – to stand up for what I believe in as it applies to me.  It is not my job to argue or foist my political views on someone else.  Their circumstance may be completely different than mine and that’s what influences their vote.  That’s not to say I dont think some people have idiotic reasons for voting the way they do – from skin color to “because that’s what my parents did” — all dumb.  Form your own opinions and exercise your brain, people.

12-years ago tonight – I was 8 months pregnant, miserable, poor, and living in a 10×49 trailer house (ok it was probably a camper.)  I worked, my husband worked – but the valley where we live didn’t provide a ton of “affordable housing” opportunities we could live with making $7 & $13 dollars an  hour.  We had insurance through my job (which we lost when I had the baby because of a pre-existing condition – we tried to switch but who the heck can afford COBRA on $13 an hr?) but were still very scared trying to figure out where we were going to come up with the money to pay the hospital and our heating bills through the winter.

In hindsight – we had no business having a baby.  It’s not like we planned it – but those were the cards we were dealt and we played them.

12 years LATER I’m sitting in the house we own – 2700 very nice square feet on a 1/2 acre of real estate.  My kids are well fed, well clothed and we take a couple vacations a year.  Here’s where the “political” comes into play – NOBODY handed it to us.  We worked our asses off.  We started a few businesses, ate ground beef a LOT, relied on hunting and fishing to feed us sometimes and sometimes had no meat.  We invested, scrimped, saved, started, failed, and succeeded…without any government official saying “here’s some money because you’re poor.” 

In our valley – if you dont have 5+ kids with more on the way – you’re not going to qualify for assistance.  When we lived in that shitty trailer hosue with a newborn baby and no health insurance – I wanted help buying formula and a damn jar of peanut butter – the government said we made TOO MUCH….are you kidding me? $13 an hour was too much in 1996?  I dont think so.

I earned every damn thing i have, and I dont think ANYONE has the right to take from me to give to someone else who has the VERY SAME opportunities I had to succeed.  Nobody helped us, when our car broke down – we got it fixed or got a ride.  We went to work every day even if it meant getting up 3 hours earlier to catch the bus.

“Redistribution” of wealth is bullshit.  As small business owners – do you know what is going to happen if our business taxes are raised?  We’re going to charge people more to paint their houses.  We’re going to get rid of our highest paid employees and hire some with less experience, at lower wages.  We’re not rolling in dough – but we’re not hurting – and we got here by ourselves.  For those of you who don’t believe in trickle down economics let me paint you a picture.

Corporate tax rates are raised, our paint supplier raises his prices to compensate.  Our cost of doing business has been raised, we have to cut costs (read SPENDING) to stay in business.  We buy less paint and supplies – so the paint manufacturer has to cut jobs.  We keep the cars we have instead of trading them in – Detroit cuts more jobs because people arent buying cars.  We (and the employees we cut) spend less per week on groceries – so the grocery stores cut jobs, as do the grocery suppliers.  Who is hurt in the raising of the corporate taxes?

• The auto worker
• The grocery store clerk
• the vegetable farmer
• the vegetable picker

Wait a minute – arent those people the ones this “wealth” was supposed to be “redistributed” to?  Didn’t raising corporate taxes just make the problem worse?

Businesses don’t survive by absorbing increased costs – they pass them on…don’t delude yourself into thinking raising taxes on people who make $250k a year or more is going to redistribute wealth…its going to grow poverty and unemployment.  This country gives everyone the SAME OPPORTUNITIES – those that take advantage – work hard, use their brains and fight succeed – those who wait for endless handouts….they fail.

Many people dont know this – but I worked for McDonalds all through high school.  We would to fundrasiers for ROnald McDOnald House then – and although I’ve left the smell of greazy french fries behind – RMH is one of my favorite causes.  Did you know there are more than 265 Ronald McDonald Houses in 30 countries and regions?

I was lucky enough to attend the  IMCharityParty at SES San Jose in August – and they’re expanding and having two more before the end of the year (maybe another at SES Chicago? hint hint.)  The opportunity to give means you’re doing something kind for your fellow inhabitant of this earth – and there’s always a chance you’ll need that help, too. 

IMCharityParty is happening at SMX East in NY next week.  This means for a donation you can attend the party and drink some free drinks – and feel good about doing it for once   but GUess what?

You dont have to attend to donate.

Thus enters the interweb, wherin I can be philanthropic and feel good about myself while sitting in my bunny slippers in the living room.  This means you dont have to “go out of your way” to find a stamp, go to the post office or mailbox, you just sit down w/ your credit or debit card – OR YOUR PAYPAL account and do some good for Ronald McDonald House.

There will also be an IMCharityParty at ScarySEO in Florida the end of this month.  I’m trying to donate at every single event – although I can only attend a minority of them.  Id love to see a IM Charity Party at Pubcon also – Id rather give money to charity than a casino (although id probably do both ).

So stop being a stingy bastard and donate already.