goaties!!!

yum. my shorts were purple and are now brown from who knows what, and i reek of goat shit. BUT! i know that when i walk out of the kitchen and into the barn i will be greeted with big fluffy wagging tails thumping the ground and the sight of momma goats and baby goats cuddling and nuzzling.

i am currently taking a hiatus from climbing and traveling and working on a goat farm. it has been something that i have wanted to do for quite some time now and was not planning until this winter... but an opportunity i could not pass up came and i snatched it. what do we do here on the farm? well, we wake up and drink coffee of course. it's important to start the day off calm, peaceful, and satiating any addictions we might have. in my case it's coffee. then it's off the feed the pigs, feed the bucks, feed the babies, and feed the preggos and new mommas. finally 8 am rolls around and it's time to do the fun and frustrating task of separating the mommas and the babies so that we can proceed to milk milk milk! the babes are crafty little squirmy things that like to run away from you when you want to catch them but love to nibble on your hair, clothes, skin etc... when you just stand there. so after a few hrs of milking it's time to eat again. we eat a lot on this farm. it's part of staying energized, healthy and happy... and i'm beginning to realize that it is those three things that are vital to sending positive vibes in all directions.

anyways, enough mundane prose describing day to day activities. it's much better to experience interactively :)

everyday i think about how much i learn about myself, others, goats, farming, etc... it can be as simple as discovering the healing powers of pinyon trees or as eye opening as the task of cracking open walnut shells. it is when one must sit patiently to separate the shell from the meat of a walnut that one finds appreciation, at least i did. i wanted to put walnuts in with my dinner, out here stuff doesnt come packaged and ready to eat. if you want walnuts you shell them. if you want tortillas you get out the flour and heat up a pan. if you want eggs you go to the barn and put yourself in a chickens shoe and think: "now if i were a chicken hiding eggs where would i put them?" if you want cabbage or tomatoes you grow them. the list goes on... this fact of life out here also makes you work slower and think a bit more about what you are doing. sitting patiently and quietly shelling walnuts is not only going to provide delicious things to put in your mouth but it provides an opportunity to be meditative. you are forced to sit quietly (or not) and let your mind wander wherever it wishes. that is the beauty of it all. the simplicity kills me at how lovely everything symbiotically works! it's a win win in the most beneficial way!

...and at the end of the day i crawl into bed and i am thankful, happy, contently tired, stinky, and smiling... for my dreams have already become taken over by goats!

where am i?

finally, an update! well first off, i no longer live in bishop and i no longer work. so i can scratch that off the subtitle in my blog title.

i also no longer have a place i call home. however, i have been able to call various places my home in the past few months. first, the dirt parking lot of moe's valley in st. george utah... then on the side of the road near weird creepy oil rig pumpy things at joe's valley... and finally creek pasture campground in indian creek. creek pasture was home for a while, enough time to move into and out of three different campsites. Also enough time to get psyched on the creek and finally bored of the creek, "over it" so to speak. well, at least for this season. my body couldn't take it anymore and alas motivation was very low, so where did i end up as soon as i packed up my sandy life? colorado of course. just a few miles to the east and i'm spending quality time with my sunshine monkey (sunny sawyer).

no, unfortunately i did not get to do any climbing. rain and snow were quite bountiful. but i did get my fill of life in the big bad extreeemeee! city of boulder, co. and after about 24 hours i was again "over it." i'll have to give boulder a second chance (come july) but this particular trip was focused on checking out the climbing scene, going shopping at whole foods (i wandered the place for at least two hours) and talking about life in my car with sunny as (ironically) snow and clouds covered us. finally, after my fill of urbanism i left to gleefully and swiftly enter the midwest. culture shock? yes. uncomfortable staring at my asian-ness and caifornia plates? yes. quality time spent with kenyon? yes.

a whole month came and went and so did kenyon, to south africa that is. i considered going but quickly remembered that i initially left bishop to savor solitude and explore THIS country. at times i regret this decision but it is one that i made and can not change. i found a goat farm in new mexico and instantly clicked with the owner of the farm. the interaction and prospect of opportunity presented itself so well i could not pass up the offer... and most importantly i had something to focus on! i had been missing that so dearly and to know that i am actually doing something that i had hoped for when i planned this trip is very gratifying. simply said... milking these goats, eating their bounty and living amongst their junipers will be great. GREAT!

it smells of rain and as i turn around in the coffee shop to look out the window i see glistening streets and rain gently falling. (there goes my plans of evening bouldering). instead i guess i will run. read. eat and sleep. stretch and if it rains hard enough take a shower.

a few paragraphs later i remember that i was supposed to write in my blog about loneliness. i sat amongst some deliciously smelling pine trees this morning and mused about my loneliness and solitude, and out of my fingers came a pretty insightful essay. i guess i will copy it out another day. a few more days of being alone should add a bit more meat to my thoughts. and so i conclude... peace love and happiness to all!

ramblings from a sudden bout of insomnia

it's 1:30am and i am struck with the inability to let my mind rest and sleep.

i can contently say that life has been treating me well as of late. there are no complaints or regrets. it has been less difficult, lately, for me to embrace the ups and downs of every day. i feel like i am swiftly going through the motions of whatever it takes to make it through my last two months in bishop on a positive note. bottom line- i want to get strong. strong in will, strong in heart, strong in body, and strong in mind. new years resolution?... decade resolution?... general life resolution?... gain strength.

today my heart wrenched for a friend. the kind that says: "i ate a papaya so good it made me want to cry." that's the kind of friend i need. the kind i value. the kind i miss.

i want to send out positive vibes and good lovin' so here goes... have peace. have life. and have love.

forward ever backward never

What a way to live. It’s ironic and quite contradictory to write about how I miss all that was familiar and all that was comfortable and then to turn around and face the idea of “forward ever backward never.” It seems as though I swirl through emotions as fleetingly as the days pass me by. And that’s the thing, the days are passing me by and the last thing I want to feel is regret. Regret for something I didn’t say or consider. Regret for something I didn't think or do. SO! We can rely on the fundamental idea that the only thing you can do—to keep sane—is to move forward and learn… rather than sulk from failures of the past. Soak up knowledge from first hand experience, the best source. Reflect in a positive fashion, revel in music that inspires feeling and thought, walk into the night, strive towards something genuinely worth reaching. Embrace and nurture loving friendships. I know that everything will be okay because right now I am smiling. I am smiling for Hope. Opportunity. Ease of mind. The Future. The Unknown.

missing the familiar

smoking cloves and wandering the streets of davis
baby giraffe and mamma tiger
ARC rockwall
late night AM/PM nacho runs
fluffy doughnuts at 5AM
berry nut trail mix, dried bananas, and made to order sandwiches from the food co-op
pooka and jackson
cube shaped bean bags at danny, alex and alejo's
"whatever it takes!"
"i'll be there" karaoke
mistle toe kisses
"slow dancing in a burning room" and "bitter pill"
moulin rouge sing a longs
sybill
long walks at night with my boo
amtrak ride home
12+ hrs marathons at PJ the library nook
early morning swimming with my beaver and monkey
coffee house coffee, baked goods and oatmeal
biking
delta venus mexican hot chocolate
pink night at little prague
meeting at the fountain
wednesday night yoga and frozen yogurt
drake drive
24hr room
fort-a-palooza
sleeping on the quad
cafe roma
crepeville potatoes
farmers market
tomato harvest
... and best of all sitting under a bus stop with the soul friend and POURING rain on us