Good People Should Not Die Young (ESPECIALLY)

Open Letter To The Entity Taking My Friends And Family From My Life:

Too young.

Too young.

Too young.

I am still sitting in the reality of losing one of the most kind, loving, friendly, funny and GOOD friend just days ago.

Collapsed at work.  Autopsy has not confirmed (to his family’s satisfaction) what exactly happened.

I’m sad to a point that I want to boil.  No, I’m not sad, I’m mad.  I’m pissed and angry and wish I could change what has happened.  I also feel helpless.

Today (or was it last night…life blurs when you have three camps every day and see the same 100+ people every day at different times of the day) I was jaw jacking with a person I have opened my deepest feelings to.  WHY is this happening?  I can barely handle losing so many people.  WHY!?  

I find myself staring out the window while my husband drives wondering WHAT IS THE POINT.  Why are we here wandering this earth?  What is the reason we drag ourselves through muck and pain? Why are there people that are total evil mother fluckers that should die but the GOOD ONES go first?

A lot of people have a faith in their lives.  That is not how I was raised and maybe it is why I feel so much ANGER with no one to point it at when someone good passes away.  

Take the asshole mother fluckers to the next place!!  

LEAVE MY GOOD FRIENDS AND GOOD FAMILY MEMBERS ALONE!!

I believe that my friend Dave is still near me, near his family as a spirit floating around wishing he could change what has happened.  Things happened in perfect order with Dave.  He was a planner and do’er.  He ran 100 mile races AS A HOBBY.  His diet was healthy.  He gave to so many that needed.  He took care of more (and I’m sure we’ll find out who else and what else as the days roll by).

My dear friend Mary passed away way too young.  I wrote a post about her.  I think of her every single day and the stern advice she gave me.  It is partly why I feel so willing to get rid of everything I own to leap into our new life. 

My step-daughter Amanda passed away at 17 years old.  17.  It is unexplainable how this could possibly be OK.  It’s unfair and I will not change my mind.

My mom.  I NEED MY MOM!!!!!!!  Mom’s need to be around until their kids are old farts.  They need to experience the love and life their kids will work hard to give them.  They deserve it.  There is NO WAY anyone could change my mind on this.

I’m not going to continue.  

Just know:  I think it is completely UNFAIR and CRUEL to everyone to take the good people in my life.  

There are plenty of awful people that don’t care a hoot about anyone but themselves that should go to a new place.

Rest in PEACE Dave Liston.   June 15th, 2017.

I don’t know where you are but my wish is that you are in a good place where you are being cared for and doted on.  Where there are all of the dogs that have passed on.  Where there are plenty of trails for you to run on.  Where there are a few spreadsheets too (because I think you actually loved working and doing what you did because you were damn good at it).
Rest In PEACE Katie Jenks.  July 5th, 2017. 

How Many Pairs Of Underwear?

I had no idea how much to pack on our new adventure.  

In a forum about RV Travel and Working I posted that question (explicitly for clothing) and the replies didn’t really help at all.  A few people work FULL TIME JOBS and need business suits, there was one gal that mentioned she prioritized bikinis and then there were the people that had just two of everything.

This advice, in our circumstances, was useless!

First off we had to plan for Mammoth Lakes which has been under snow, 9,000 feet elevation and outdoor work that would require a uniform plus appropriate foot gear (BOOTS).  Our jobs, as we anticipate, will require 3 hours of outdoor work every day.  We are 5 miles from a laundry mat and I bought a minimalist washing machine just to make sure I had fresh underwear at all times!  I’ve got my priorities.

Going to Mammoth Lakes is not immediate (our start date continues to move around because it is still snowing there and our site isn’t ready to go yet with the full hook up we are going to have at Lake George).  We have one month of boot camp to deliver which require an entirely different type of apparel!

And what if I get asked out on a date?!  I have to have “pretty clothes” right?!

Can’t forget about a girl’s morning and evening routine.  Hair, skin, make-up…blah blah blah.  I knew this would be a difficult area going from a full vanity spread to “who knows what”.   A year ago I began paring down that part of my life.  Now I use nearly zero make-up (mascara, blush and one eye shadow).   I plan on zero make up when we get rolling across the planet.

Lastly, the subject of shoes (or foot ware in general) is a huge part of this too.  We need so many different types of shoes and that’s frustrating.

I took three closets, three open bins and nine actual dresser drawers down to two giant bins.


MY INVENTORY

What I currently own and what I started with.

40 short sleeve t-shirts for work to 10.

15 short sleeve t-shirts not for work to 10.

24 work trousers (pants, skorts, shorts) to 8.

12 sports bras to 6.

40 pairs of underwear (all sorts for all sports and activities) to 20.

20 regular bras to 6.

12 jeans down to 2 (sadly I donated my FAVORITE pair…I’m sick to my stomach about that because we all know how hard it is to find that one pair you want to wear everywhere).

10 sweaters down to 3.

8 sweatshirts down to 2.

50 pair of shoes to 10 (including new boots I had to get for “work” at Lake George).

20 dresses (all occasions) to 3…back up to 4 because I need one for a funeral.

4,000 pairs of socks to 12, including boot socks.

On one hand I feel fantastic about giving away so much.  The other side is the fact of not knowing what is on he horizon. I know I can solve my problems with a quick stop at a mall or even better a thrift store.

So much of my apparel sat untouched for months in the closets, drawers and bins.  I even had dresses that were over 20 years old with the tags on them still. Crazy.

Stuff is too easy to collect! 

The start to my process was not coming home with anything new!  I realized every single day we leave our homes and return WITH MORE STUFF.  The worst are the “just in case” items.  They oftentimes never leave their packaging OR how about the bulk purchases?  We had, no kidding, 8 Windex bottles and 6 (I’m not exaggerating) bottles of H.E. laundry detergent.  I wish I’d taken a photo.

That’s all for today!

Amanda’s Bench

Morgan Shoemaker doing a perfect head stand at Amanda’s Bench in 2017

There is a bench at the Hummingbird and Rocky Peak trail  intersection that my husband put there in honor of our daughter Amanda Shoemaker. 
The bench that was there was falling apart and he asked the Santa Monica Conservancy if he could repair it. From scratch. 
He ordered special wood and sanded, carved and finished it. 
Then we asked for help getting it up the trail and so many people joined in. There were more people than needed but it was more about being part of this really special event.  It was heart warming to be surrounding by so many people wanting to help.

We put something special beneath the bench at the last second.  Next time you hike up, take a peek.  

Now that we are leaving Simi Valley to begin our next adventure we have asked a special person to keep the bench up.  It means they have to visit it off and on to check on how weathered it has become.

We lost Amanda in 2009.  April 28th. 

Her gravesite is Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth.   I don’t know the exact way to tell you where she is resting.  When you pass through the gates you carry on straight over a speed bump.  About 300 yards past the speed bump is a road.  Amanda’s grave marker is in the next field on your left (west side).  There is a bench made of stone and it is above that toward the one tree. Everthing in that area was brand new when Amanda was laid to rest. 

During cooler months we come and sit to think about life and Amanda.  

Every Christmas we decorate too.  

Shitter’s Broken

Randy “under the hood”.

Living at Stayton Acres has been a dream for us. Not only have I learned how to wash a horse, we have had a slow and much needed education in RV life and how things can go wrong.
After a very rocky start to our “RV Career” we grew to expect that we would be fixing problems every single trip and that pushed us to plan ahead on our time and finances. It has been TRUE. Something has gone awry every single trip! Now we anticipate it and it isn’t painful or frustrating.

This is our 5th day here in Santa Rosa California.  

It’s a farm along with a citrus and avocado grove. Missy asked us today, “Have you gone out to pick your breakfast yet?” It’s nuts and awesome and we are so grateful. Last night I felt like we were in a dream.

A little hiccup happened on Day 2.  

We are hooked up (dry camping) to power and water. We have access to a full bathroom and shower just a few yards away.

 Shower’s in the Lorax are completely cool but full blast plumbing and long hair are just dreamy.

The water hose is hooked up well. We turned off the pump because it isn’t needed. We discovered today that our pump regulator plug is defective. 

At 3:45am (we wake up early enough to get the pets all handled and have some coffee) Randy walked into our 2 x 2 foot restroom only to find it had flooded!

“Shit! I think Zoey peed in the bathroom!”

This woke me up to “Paying Attention” sleepy level. “Do you need me to help you?”

“No, just tell me where the junk towels are.”

“The top linen closet, on the right side at the bottom of the stack of towels.” We saved ONE large junk towel to wash the dogs with and donated the other twenty we had collected over the decade at Monticello House.  

I hear rummaging around and held my breath to listen for the sound of the towel being pulled out. It never came.

“Do you mind if I use the white towel? Can’t find the junk towel.”

SIDEBAR: Over the last decade we have had a bit of a crisis with me caring too much about what a towel is used for. I do not dig cross contaminated towels. The face towels must not EVER be used for bodies and never EVER use a cleaning rag to wash dishes. If I find you used my dish drying towel for anything OTHER THAN drying a clean freshly washed dish I will lose my mind. I just cannot get full buy off by my husband to stop doing it. When I am drying a dish and a brown hair appears I now show him immediately. It’s useless though.

“Go ahead” I say and wait for him to ask me to help do something to remedy the situation.

He doesn’t so I snuggle deeper into my covers and pillow.  

10 minutes later (and I am supposed to be up by now but I’m not) he tells me the pump is leaking, again.

This is the second time it has happened and we have to figure it out.

He turns off the pump, the water is swabbed up and he turns off the water at the main house then takes off to camp. I stay home to write (which was the plan) and now keep an eye on the water situation. That was 4:40am.

At 8:30am he returns with a plan to drive to Conejo RV and talk to Mike.    

Mike is, by far, one of the greatest RV repair men ever. His advice is direct and there is a line out the door of people getting his help, repairs and/or modifications to their rigs.  

Shurflo gave us excellent service.
After a quick breakfast and attempts to contact CoachNet, the manufacturer of the Water Pump as well as Forest River (our RV manufacturer) he sets off into town.

Not even an hour later he returns with the conclusion that our pump is defective!

We have two options: tow it to Upland to the RV Spa where we purchased it to have it serviced or buy a pump for about $150 and replace it.  

Our experience at The RV Spa was not that great and we’re pretty darn sure they could care less that we’re having any difficulties. For the record: I would not recommend a new RV’er use them for ANYTHING. They are all about getting the rig off the lot and you assuming the responsibilities. No friendly check up, no inquiring about how things are going…NOTHING. They also try to sell you things you really, honestly, sincerely do not need (like warranties). We got a different shower head and toilet based off of their scare tactics. We did NOT buy their warranty after taking the time to fully read every single word out loud to each other.

He chose to buy a new pump and replace it. It was critical that he record how to take it apart and put it back together and he set the space up fully to work.  

The pump manufacturer was awesome too. They are sending us a brand new pump, no charge!

We’ll post the video of the process just in case you happen to need help on this topic.

So, the shitter technically wasn’t broken directly and everything is going to be OK.

We are SO thankful to be at Stayton Acres and learning a lot about how to survive in this beautiful bread box we call HOME now.

10-4 Loud And Clear. 10-10.

Chiquita Banana Walkie Talkie
Yep, they’re bananas AND walkie-talkies.
I love walkie-talkie stuff.  My sister and I had Chiquita Banana Walkie Talkies and inbetween building forts of our mom’s sheets in the livingroom we would run around the neighborhood testing their range (which was about 10 feet).

1985 was when I was stuffed in a Greyhound bus and taken from the secret Scientology International Base with WAY MORE PEOPLE THAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON BOARD to help fight for RELIGIOUS FREEDOM in Portland Oregon.

Portland Religious Crusade 1985
My actual pin from the Religious Freedom Crusade in 1985.
We marched the streets chanting. We slept on the floor of the Portland Organization (Church) in hallways.  The senior executives stayed in fancy hotels.  I was chosen to be a Communicator for Nancy Pomerantz.  In ENGLISH, I was her PERSONAL ASSISTANT.  It meant I got to have AN ACTUAL WALKIE TALKIE and communicate over it in ACTUAL HAM RADIO LANGUAGE.  Granted, this was for a few weeks of my life but I will always remember what 10-4, ‘what’s your 20’ and 10-10 mean.

I’ve got to share that whole experience in another blog post.

The point of this blog post is to share feelings about people in my life.

To anyone that knows me reading this post I can sincerely tell you that I feel for you exactly what you feel for me.  Actually, DOUBLE my feelings for you.

This goes all the way back to the day I was born.

I have learned so much in the last 10 years.  As I wrap up my 40’s I have to say that this point has become crystal clear.

No matter how old you are or when you came into my life I can see clearer now than ever before.  That is very grounding and makes me feel good.

Forget “Facebook Friends” and “Likes” and the “Followers”.  That is superficial bs in my opinion.  You know who your friends are by that energy you get  and hopefully you give it back double.

Think about the people around you and what they give you.  Don’t second-guess or question it – it is for real!

Mark and Jaydee speak
Time for a speech. Tough.
Last night was a special night for me. I’ve never experienced something like I did.  It was overwhelming and heartfelt.   I want to thank our friends that wanted to celebrate and send us off onto our next adventure.  I’m reading the notes and I admit I’m crying.  I know exactly what I am going to have as a giant void in my life when we lift off and that part just sucks.

It’s not a complete 10-10 just yet. 🙂

But that day is coming soon and I’ll be in touch with my 20.

Check out this CRAZY delicious cake made by Lizzy Whitlock.  Without a doubt she is a young woman to keep an eye on – I can’t wait till she opens up her own business.  Thank you Lizzy!!

Happy Trails by Lizzy Whitlock
Incredible cake. The USA! Made by Lizzy Whitlock.
I will put more photos on my blog as they come rolling in.  I didn’t take ONE photo last night which is a miracle.  What a night packed with so much LOVE.  Ugh my heart!

 

 

Southwest Red Potato Quinoa Stew

IMG_0480Southwest Red Potato Quinoa Stew
PRINT PDF Southwest Red Potato Quinoa Stew.pages

Servings: 8

This stew is hearty and flavorful.  I love to make HOT (spicy) foods for Randy and this one got two thumbs up from him in the flavor department.

We at it with corn chips but you could have corn bread with it instead (I just ran out of time to bake it).

Ingredients:
1T EVOO
6 garlic bulbs, crushed
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 carrots, diced to bite size
5 cups of red potatoes, diced to bite size
1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup broccolini, chopped
4 cups kale, chopped well
5T of Southwest Spice Seasoning*
Water (to just over the vegetables, for me it was 6 cups)

Prepare all of your ingredients BEFORE you turn on InstantPot.

Put InstantPot on to SAUTE mode.
Add EVOO.
Add garlic, let simmer in hot oils for 30 seconds.
Add onion and mix well allowing it to soften (about 1 minute).

Put InstantPot WARM mode.
Add carrots and repeat onion handling (1 minute stirring).
Add celery, stir for 30 seconds.
Add broccolini, stir for 30 secs.
Add spices, stir well.
Add kale (no need to stir).
Add quinoa (flatten and press it down).
Add potatoes, press down – no need to stir).
Fill water above (like 2 centimeters max) the potatoes.

Place cover securely on top.
Put steam release into CLOSED mode.

Set MANUAL MODE to HIGH and 15 minutes.

Do not force the pot to open!  Allow the pressure to reduce on its own.  If you must “help” it along, use oven mitts when you OPEN the release valve.  
SOUTHWEST SPICE SEASONING
I adapted these from Emeril’s – place all of these in a container you can shake or stir.   If you have these herbs FRESH I’d highly recommend you use them instead of the dry spice from a jar.
2T HOT chili powder
2T ground cumin
1T smoked paprika
1t black pepper
1t coriander
1t cayenne pepper
1T salt
1T dried oregano