a thought on friendships?

“I do not wish to treat friendships daintily, but with the roughest courage. When they are real, they are not glass threads or frost-work, but the solidest thing we know.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), poet, philosopher, writer

have you ever been completely wrong about someone you thought was a good and true friend? please share your stories and your thoughts...we can get through this together...


best,
napa farmhouse1885

have you read good dog. stay?

the book written by anna quindlen? i heard about this book last year ago..wanted to read it..but kept putting if off. i knew the subject matter was the author's experience with losing her dog and i just was not ready for the emotional reaction i knew i would have. i have told you before..many times..how much i love mosey. my question for today is...how much do you love your dog? (or pet if you have another kind of animal)
i always assumed that i would love my dog..but i never knew just how much...i must admit..i have become one of those dog people!!?? i talk about mose as if he is my son...i worry about him..obsess about real and imagined illnesses. i was talking to a friend the other day..she also is a dog lover...and we both admitted that we even hesitate to go on vacations when our dogs cannot go with us...we miss them too much. have i really gone over the edge? (mose is now a 115 lb golden and at least i never dress him up!!)
anyway, i saw the book Good Dog. Stay. in the library last week and checked it out...last night was the perfect night for me to read the book...i have had a bit of a rough patch the past few months..a beloved relative passed away, my family is still grieving, and..someone that i thought was a good and true friend was just using me and this has hurt me deeply. i figured it was time to let out some emotions, read the book..and have a good cry. the section when the dog needs to be put down will get to you...tough to read..and i did have my emotional good cry... but the author ends the book with observations of what she learned from her dog and i found this passage very inspirational..
"and that's what i learned from watching beau over his lifetime: to roll with the punches (if not in carrion), to take things as they come, to measure myself not in terms of the past or the future but of the present, to raise my nose in the air from time to time and, at least metaphorically, holler, "i smell bacon". i'm not what i once was, and neither, by the end, was he........sometimes an old dog teaches you new tricks"

as the commercial says.."dogs rule" please add your comments regarding your thoughts and stories of the love you have for your dogs...pictures too...

best,

napa farmhouse 1885

do you like living in a small town?

now if you live in a city..or in the suburbs of a city, the question is do you dream of living in a small town? there is such a romantic notion of what small town living is all about. i grew up in the suburbs of los angeles and then lived in downtown san francisco for 15 years. growing up in the suburbs of los angeles in the 60's and 70's was a pretty mixed bag of experiences. on one hand, my parents were good friends with many of our neighbors and most weekends were spent having dinner at each other's homes, barbecues in the summer and spending vacations together at the beach or local mountains.... pretty normal sounding, right?...on the other hand, being so near to los angeles meant the academy awards telecast was (still is) as big an event as the super bowl..and everyone there wants to be in show business..if not a star...for some people everything revolves around this dream and show business is the business...i remember one time when i was just beginning my career i was touring retail stores with corporate executives from new york. we were stuck in traffic on the 405 freeway because the police had shut down a 5 mile stretch . there were news crews and media helicopters everywhere... later we found out that this was breaking news on all tv/radio channels which interrupted regularly scheduled programming for most of the day. why you ask?....well, larry hagman (remember him..j.r. ewing from the dallas t.v. show??) was in the hospital and they were airlifting a liver for him for a transplant...major news in southern california.... the n.y executives were flabbergasted that this was considered a major, day long news story...at the time i did not even think it was unusual...scary...

now i live in napa, a town with a population of 71,000. not tiny..but pretty small..and, because of the emphasis on agriculture...lots of open space and vineyards....has a rural feeling (at least to me) and this is what i dreamed of when longing to live in a small town. i know the people who live on my street...and this never happened in san francisco...and i consider my neighbors across the street good friends. unlike the suburbs....where all get-togethers happen in backyards..and you do not talk to people you do not know...in my neighborhood we all have front porches... front porches are one of my favorite things...we sit on the porch and neighbors, visitors and tourists (due to the many b&b's in the neighborhood) walk by all day..they stop and say hello, play with mose and just "visit"... a true sense of belonging..the daily newspaper emphasises local events, local businesses and local politics (more on that in another post). i can easily walk to main street to eat, shop, have a coffee, have my hair cut etc..and most people here are just nice..no other word for it..there is loads of passion and discourse between the long time napa residents who tend to resist rapid change here and the more recent arrivals that are more accepting of "progress" and growth. community meetings are quite lively..but you get the sense that everyone really cares. my hope is that the open dialogue and opportunities to vocalize opinions will lead to effective solutions.

i went to the market the other day..ran into two friends...stopped and chatted..a totally new experience running into people i know in the grocery store..never happened in san francisco..never ran into anyone i knew there...could always feel pretty anonymous...not here. as i was leaving the store i ran into another friend..the president of the board of directors for habitat for humanity. we discussed a few board issues and covered off a couple outstanding items. he also moved to napa within the past few years..and he emailed me later saying how cool it was to live in a place small enough to run into friends, colleagues and neighbors while out doing errands, walking the dog or going out to eat. i realized that i too really enjoy living in a place where a sense of belonging is a way of life...i really love it here. (although i still cannot miss an academy award telecast)

please share your stories of small town living (or suburbs living, or city living) in the comments section of this post. as always, i love your stories..

best,
napa farmhouse1885

can you live in town and be a farmgirl?

i love reading magazines...all types really, but especially the ones geared towards food, cooking, home design and gardening. i have received gourmet and bon appetit for 25 years, am a charter martha stewart living subscriber, think food and wine is brilliant...and the laundry list continues with cottage living and organic gardening. i read these magazines and then either recycle or donate and decided last year that going forward i would only sign up for the on-line versions of any new magazines as a way to be a bit more green..will think about this option as my current subscriptions come due.

i am making one exception to this idea. two years ago i was in a bookstore and discovered a magazine totally different from anything i had ever seen. the magazine was printed on beautiful paper stock that just felt amazing..i know, kinda weird to say but if you felt it you would know what i mean....terrific photography and..best of all..NO advertisements! the magazine is called mary janes farm and the issue i bought is their special recipe issue. i had never heard of this magazine before but after thumbing through a couple of pages i was addicted. i learned that there is actually a mary jane..her name is mary jane butters, she lives on a farm in moscow idaho, she believes passionately in promoting an organic lifestyle, she has written books, sells organic products via a website and she has legions of fans..called farmgirls..that have formed farmgirl chapters all over the world.

deborah needleman, house & garden editor at large, says:"maryjanesfarm is charming and well done — hugely appealing. it is homey, and smart and interesting ... part martha stewart living, part oprah magazine, part organic style, part nation, part ladies home journal ... full of tips, ideas, and information."

the magazine i bought was filled with recipes using fresh, organic ingredients, loads of stories about living on a farm..or just dreaming about it...and listings of the food and other products she sells on her website. i was hooked from the start...ordered a bunch of products, read her website and even ordered her book. i am a big fan of this woman and her brand. now, my farmhouse is in the middle of town and i do not have a lot of property..yet i still feel connected to the simple, beautiful, organic farmlife she writes about. her definition of farmgirl? "farmgirl is a condition of the heart", mary jane butters .
i encourage you to check out her website at http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/. i intend to share many of her ideas, recipes and her organic philosophy on this blog. for other farmgirls reading my blog..please share your thoughts about what farmgirls are all about in the comments section of this post. for now, i want to share one recipe: mary janes farm organic bakeover

mary janes farm sells a product called budget mix..kinda like an organic, really good for you, really good tasting bisquick. ingredients: organic unbleached wheat flour, Barron Flour Mill Baking Powder (aluminum/gluten-free, made w/non-GMO organic rice starch), sea salt and baking soda. vegan

9" bakeover recipe
preheat oven to 425 degrees. cut 3T. butter (i actually use extra virgin olive oil..your choice) into scant 1 1/2 cups budget mix. Add 1/2 cup water or milk. form a ball and roll out a 9" crust (for an 11" bakeover, double the recipe) place on top of 4 cups sliced fresh vegetables (preferably organic) sauteed briefly (3 min) in 1 T. butter or extra virgin olive oil in 9" non-stick oven-proof skillet. bake 20 minutes. turn contents of skillet upside down on plate and serve.

i have made this recipe hundreds of times with whatever vegetable i have on hand..sometimes add cheese..sometimes beans.. and it is always a hit. even easier..mary janes farm also sells different kinds of bread mixes that can be used in place of the budget mix


• Organic Black Bean Corn Bread

• Organic Buttermilk Biscuits

• Organic Chili Batter Bread

• Organic Corn Bread

• Organic Focaccia Bread

• Organic Garlic Pesto Fry Bread

• Organic Shepherd's Pan Bread



all for now..but much more on mary janes farm in future posts.

best,
napafarmhouse1885

what is habitat for humanity?

remember when i told you that one of my goals in retirement was to spend more time "giving back"? i spent 3 years serving on the board of directors for a non-profit based in san francisco..but with the work a million hours/travel constantly thing, i really did not get to spend much time actually volunteering..i just attended board meetings. once i left the corporate life i vowed to combine the two..serving on boards for non-profits and actually volunteering. my former company encouraged..actually expected..their executives to join non-profit boards. they felt it was the right thing to do and set a good example for the other associates. the chairman of the board for my company gave me some terrific advice. he said if i wanted to do something that felt good..volunteer. if i wanted to do something that would really help a non-profit succeed in the long term..join their board..and then give it your all..just as if it was your corporate day job..they needed a team of people with the ability to provide governance and fiscal oversight..just like a for-profit company.

well i wanted to do both..volunteer and witness what giving back was all about..and join a board to offer some of my 25+ yrs of management and leadership experience. i hit the jackpot with habitat for humanity. everyone has heard of this organization...mostly people think of jimmy carter...but i find that many people are unclear as to what we provide. habitat's mission is to eliminate substandard, poverty housing worldwide. their motto is to provide a hand up not a handout. the basic premise is this...habitat works in partnership with a prospective homeowner. we build the home..through mostly volunteer labor, donated materials and monies raised through constant fundraising activities..and sell it for below market rates with an interest free loan. we hold orientation meetings for interested prospective homeowners and explain the program. we create a pool of eligible families..select the most eligible and begin the build. so the first question you probably have is..what constitutes eligibility? well, the family must prove 3 things..need, ability to pay and willingness to partner. need= income below upper income limit..usually 50-80% of median income for the city/town and currently living in substandard housing, ability to pay=must be able to pay the monthly mortgage..remember, the home is sold below market rate with a no interest loan and be able to make a $500 down payment, willingness to partner= each family must put in 500 sweat equity hours actually helping to build their home, help with habitat activities and attend homeowner classes.

let me tell you something..when these families become homeowners..magic happens! the excitement, pride, hard work and dedication that goes into the homes cannot be easily described. people change..lives change...homeownership..a dream for all..is actually achieved. without exception..the families talk about giving back..they volunteer for future habitat home builds..they maintain their homes in such a way that they are usually the pride of the neighborhood.

for me, giving back is best when long term change happens. i thoroughly acknowledge the importance of helping with immediate needs..i.e. feeding the homeless and the poor..and give to these charities whenever possible. but this seems to be a bit of a band-aid cause change does not happen. i like to work to find solutions to eliminate the need for a charity and to me habitat is not a charity..it is a solution. remember the hand-up not hand-out motto? how can we create models for charity organizations similar to habitat's? if you have ideas..or volunteer/serve on boards and want to share their missions, please post a response or send me an email..i answer every one.

now, i started this post talking about volunteering vs. serving on a board of directors. i do both with habitat. there are millions of stories..really fun and heartwarming regarding volunteering..cause this is where a bunch of volunteers actually build a house...and stories a bit like the dilbert comic strip regarding board work...these are people that you mostly love..sometimes want to kill..and unlike for-profit companies..can't fire!!! many, many, many of my posts will be about these stories.

i also look forward to sharing stories of habitat families with you. these people are truly amazing. for additional information about habitat for humanity please check out our website. this is the site for the solano-napa affiliate..my affiliate.

http://www.solanonapahabitat.org/index.html

best,
napa farmhouse 1885™

why organic?

when i was a kid my sisters and i would spend a lot of time at my grandparents' house. they lived about 30 minutes from our house and we would stay there when my parents would go out on weekends, or once in a while when they would go on a vacation..just the two of them. my grandparents also started a tradition with my sisters and myself that still is one of my favorite all time memories. during the summer each of us would get to spend one week alone at my grandparents..my mom's two brothers and sister still lived there so the week was spent hanging out with them too..imagine..one week that was totally focused on our favorite things..my aunt would take us to the beach..one uncle miniature golf..other uncle..the movies... and my grandmother would prepare our favorite foods all week. i am the oldest so i always got to go first. my mom would drop me off, i would spend my week..then she would pick me up and drop off my sister susan. one week later she would pick up susan and drop off my youngest sister, kathi. each time one of us had to leave we would sob all the way home..really made my mom feel good don't you think??...but those weeks were so special..so focused on us..simple times but oh..so happy. the love i had (have) for my grandparents can never be duplicated by anyone or anything else.

my grandmother was a terrific cook and the type that would go to the market everyday for fresh food. i never remember anything in her freezer but ice cream and ice. she cooked big meals... but somehow always knew how to make enough to ensure everyone could eat their fill..but not so much as to have leftovers. she used to buy fresh produce daily at a small open air produce stand..she called it the fruit stand...and we used to love going with her during those summer weeks. she knew the proprietor quite well..she would taste everything before she selected her daily items..and always made sure we tasted too. this was the late 60's and 70's so the proliferation of farmer's markets and organic produce had not yet begun.

i think this is what started my lifelong love of terrific tasting ingredients. i believe quality ingredients are an investment. an investment in your health, in really good tasting food, in supporting small farmers and in the earth. i looked up the word investment and the definition is either "an amount of money invested in something for the purpose of making a profit" or "something, e.g. a contribution of something such as time, energy or effort to an activity, project or undertaking, in the expectation of a benefit". i think both definitions apply to the concept of investing in quality ingredients. sure, they can be quite pricey..but they make all the difference in cooking. in future posts, i plan to discuss farmer's markets, buying local, quality ingredients and the push towards organic everything. this is a passion for me..as well as a way of life..and i would love to begin a dialogue with you all to get your points of view on these subjects. for now i want to share two items. i shop a number of times per week..not everyday like my grandmother but close. i am lucky to live in the napa valley where fresh produce is abundant year round. we have a farmer's market twice a week and last week i began receiving a once a week delivery of organic produce. this is the coolest idea.... my neighbor discovered a local farm that specializes in this practice. they prepare boxes of produce straight from their farm and other, local farms. they deliver the boxes to a home in your neighborhood and you pick up. we decided to go in together and split each box...enough for a couple of meals..but not so much that the produce spoils...perfect timing to still allow my twice weekly visit to the farmer's market..one of my favorite activities.


when the first box arrived, it was full of different types of greens..spinach, red chard, young broccoli, rapini etc, along with spring onions and citrus fruits (it is february after all). my neighbor took one look and said.."o.k., i grew up in a home where vegetables came out of a can or the freezer. what do i do with this? can you help me?" now, i think i mentioned that i adore cooking, so i packed up a good selection of extra virgin olive oils, sea salts, good vinegars, fresh pepper and spent the day at her house sauteing, steaming and roasting vegetables..all very simple easy techniques made special by the quality of the ingredients. she loved everything and later said that her family raved about each dish. success!! another convert to organic produce and quality ingredients.


please share your stories regarding cooking, food shopping and recipes..many of my future posts will focus on these topics.

for now..this is the website for the farm that i discussed. http://www.riverdogfarm.com/veggiebox.html

they only deliver in the san francisco bay area..but if you live in this area please check it out..the produce is amazing. for the rest of you, i encourage you to seek out local farmers. buying local, organic ingredients is really good for you, for the farmer and for the planet.



best,

napafarmhouse1885

what is homeward bound?

o.k. so now you know how much i love my dog. i really wanted to experience raising a puppy and mose allowed me to fulfill this dream...loads of training, loads of time, loads of work and i loved every minute..well almost every minute. (also, to be fair, i was working a lot and peter spent every day with him..i had nights and weekend duty when i was not traveling) i hope mose is with us for a long, long time but..when the time comes for another dog..and i will always have a dog..cannot imagine life without one...i will opt for a rescue dog. call me naive, but i never really realized until recently that people were cruel to dogs..that people adopted dogs..got tired of the work and then just abandoned them. that people hurt dogs on purpose..that people actually enjoyed watching dogs fight each other to their deaths. i do not know anyone who does this..who are these horrible people?? how can they be human beings? and yes, i can and will pass judgement...people who hurt other people and/or animals have no souls...all pets are terrific and i adored my cat but there is something about a dog. mose looks at me with those massive, expressive brown eyes and i melt every time.

i discovered a fantastic golden retriever rescue non-profit called homeward bound. they are located in northern california and they believe in the importance of rescuing all goldens..old, sick, disabled as well as young and healthy. they never turn away a dog and never, ever put the dog down unless they absolutely have to for health reasons. this is their mission statement:

Homeward Bound's Mission
Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc. is a non-profit volunteer organization with the mission of securing safe, loving homes for displaced or homeless Golden Retrievers. We receive Golden Retrievers from owners who can no longer care for them because of changing circumstances in their lives. We maintain close working relationships with animal shelters in Sacramento, Sutter, Placer, El Dorado and surrounding counties to ensure that Goldens are relinquished to us prior to being euthanized. We also rescue Golden Retrievers found wandering the streets or reported to us by concerned neighbors. We rescue Goldens of all ages, and even mixed Goldens on occasion.Each rescued Golden immediately receives a thorough exam at one of our participating veterinary hospitals. All of our Goldens will be spayed or neutered before an adoption can occur, and all shots are brought up to date and each Golden is tested for heartworm. We rescue the sick and injured Goldens as well as the healthy ones. Some of these Goldens will have significant health issues and it is our responsibility to provide them with expert veterinary care prior to offering them for adoption.Homeward Bound is not affiliated with any breed club. Consequently, we will be able to rescue Golden "mixes" when special circumstances arise. We have the capability to rescue a Golden even though it may not be carrying AKC papers in its luggage.

check out their website at http://www.homewardboundgoldens.org/ there is a section of stories about the dogs currently up for adoption. i challenge you to read their stories without crying..i never can...

there are many of these type of rescue organizations throughout the country for all types of breeds. i encourage you to support them and to speak out for animal rights..no human has the right or authority to inflict pain or suffering on any animal.
thank you,
napafarmhouse1885™

"live a green life of style"™

first photo is mose at 8 weeks. second photo is mose today..he spends loads of time looking out the kitchen window. people constantly stop and take this photo...mose is famous!!

Why Mose??

so i told you in an earlier post that i lived with my husband and massive dog. the husband's name is peter..the dog's name is mose. (or mo, mosey,posey etc.)..how come people make up weird nicknames for their pets?? mose is a 115 pound golden retriever..who knew they could get that big..he is not fat just massive!!

anyway, we live on a corner lot across the street from the napa river in napa, ca.. there are a number of bed and breakfasts in my neighborhood and everyone has a dog. our street is well traveled with people walking, biking, jogging and many have their dogs with them. our house has a front and side yard and is completely fenced with the obligatory white picket fence...i told you it was an victorian farmhouse right? mose is the mayor of the neighborhood. he is the happiest dog who ever lived and loves people more than anything..even more than treats which is saying something. strangers are always petting him through the fence and..because they look at his tags..all know his name. he is way more popular than peter or myself. all day long i hear people exclaiming "MOSE!!!" as he leaps through the air with joy. because of this i am constantly asked how he got the name mose..which of course as you start to get to know me..leads to a story..here goes..



peter and i have been married for 25 years... freaks me out everytime i say that..not because of the marriage..very happy thank you very much...but because i am actually old enough to be married that long. anyway, we got a cat..her name was lucky... the month we got married..she was terrific..more on that in another post... and lived to age 20. when she died my husband and i mourned for months and we decided we could not get another cat..felt too disloyal. i had always wanted a dog but our lifestyle..my constant travel, peter's work hours and the fact that at the time we lived in a flat in san francisco...made it impossible. when lucky died we decided to give it a try..peter was consulting and working from home so we thought we could make it work. who knew that 6 months later we would buy our napa farmhouse..we didn't...... we researched dogs that would be best suited for our environment..the only non-negotiable was that we both loved big dogs. all the research showed that goldens were best suited for us..and they were already my favorite breed. we wanted a puppy (one time only) and found a number of breeders in the bay area. i phoned one guy who said he had 6 week old puppies..3 females and one male. we had decided to get a female thinking they would be smaller and calmer..better for a flat with a small shared yard. we both love music..especially the blues..and decided to name our puppy lucinda... after the musician lucinda williams..and call her lucy for short. we decided to drive out to visit this breeder just to check it out as we completed our research...now if you knew my husband you would know that he is not the lecturer type..but in this case the1 hour drive to the breeder was interminable. peter lectured me the entire time saying over and over that we were just looking..not to fall in love with the first puppy i saw...we needed to set up our house first..etc..over and over and over. i truly was still in research mode so the constant chattering took it's toll. we pulled up in front of the breeder's home where he had a big open air pen in the doorway. three adorable goldens were standing up looking at us..the cutest thing i had ever seen..or so i thought. we parked and started walking up the driveway. all of a sudden..over the backs of the three female puppies..appeared another golden..this one with a massive head and massive paws. this was the male..his body was about the size of his 3 sisters..but oh that head..those paws... peter took one look, glanced at me and said. "let's take that one"..all remnants of lecture gone. i must admit..this truly was the cutest thing i had seen and i, too..fell instantly in love.



well we did get that one..the breeder told us he would be big..probably 90 pounds. at 4 1/2 years of age he is 115 lbs without an ounce of fat so who knows how big he will get?

so.. at long last.. the name thing. lucinda was obviously out so we needed something new..something male. the breeder would not let us take him home for another week so we went home, looked through our cd collection and tried to find a blondish blues singer that we liked. settled on mose allison which seemed appropriate. and mose it is....



much more on mose in future posts.

best,

napafarmhouse1885

why napafarmhouse1885?

2.16.08

ok..the obvious first question is why napafarmhouse1885? the easy, simple and obvious answer is that i live in napa, california in an old victorian farmhouse. the more detailed answer has more to do with living my dream life than anything else. i grew up in southern california in a perfectly nice brand new "rancher" in the suburbs. looking back, i had a really good childhood..two parents..dad worked, mom stay-at-home mom who loved being a wife/mom more than anything else. the kind of mom who baked fresh cookies/cakes for after school and cooked a home cooked dinner every night...led the campfire girl troops, p.t.a...you get it..that kind of mom. the kind of dad who worked really hard, but was always there nights, weekends, father-daughter teas, help with home work...made us chocolate milk at night as a treat and suffered through family vacations with my mom, me, 2 sisters and, since each of us could invite a friend, 3 additional girls in a station wagon driving to beach towns throughout california for camping trips. who does that...6 girls and my mom in the car with my best friend and i in the very back blasting led zeppelin on a portable tape deck???

whoa...where did all of that come from? back to napafarmhouse1885.... anyway, my entire family lived in a 30 mile radius of our house so we constantly got together for every family event possible..we celebrated every birthday, holiday, school event..you name it....my grandparents lived in a wonderful spanish style home built in the 1920's. lots of arches, spanish tile, rooms at different levels..and my favorite part was a room my grandmother called the sunroom in the center of the house. the room had a ceiling made out of large stained glass tiles and was open on 2 sides to the rest of the house. the sun through the stained glass would throw off the coolest colors/light throughout the house. i loved that house. when my grandparents passed away a few years ago my mom and her siblings sold the house. a horribly sad time.

my grandparents house was the catalyst for my life long love of old homes. when my husband and i moved to san francisco 15 years ago for business we bought an old victorian flat in the city. the flat was very cool but needed a lot of work. i quickly learned that the maintenance on an old home is verrrrry different than on a brand new house but i really loved the idea of restoring and protecting beautiful old homes. 4 years ago my husband and i discovered the town of napa. we had visited the napa valley loads of times but, like most people, zipped up hwy 29 and sailed past napa the town. by accident we met a real estate agent who showed us some of the old victorians for sale. we did not see anything we loved but a week later he sent us some additional listings
on line. i opened the email and the first house i saw was my dream house...the house i had imagined since i was a little girl...you know..the house all kids draw..the square with a triangle on top for the roof? this house looked like that with a wrap around porch..picket fence..gazebo. now this is not a big house, but perfect for 2 adults and a big dog. enough room for friends/family. my husband and i had never even talked about buying property in napa..but we loved this house so much we bought it with the premise we would use it as a weekend/vacation house but also rent it out to vacationers looking to experience wine county. hah..that never happened. not only could i never bear the thought of someone else in "my" house..we decided that we needed to chuck it all..sell our san francisco home and move here full time. after 15 years of living in the city this has been a major..but amazing...change.

our farmhouse has been the key to all the recent changes in our life. i look forward to continuing to share my stories with you...

best,
napafarmhouse1885
live a green life of style

now that you are starting to get to know me i should warn you..these posts may sometimes be really long if i get on a roll...as a former boss used to tell me "you will never be accused of being pithy!!"

February 14th, 2008

welcome to my first post. this one will be a bit long so please bear with me. as i stated in my intro, i am almost one year in to a "retired" life. i always seem to use quotes around the word retired because it is hard to believe this has really happened. i spent 30+ years in the specialty apparel retail business and always experienced 60-80 hour work weeks. needless to say i never had the typical home/family life....coming home at night..cooking dinner..eating with the family etc. i rarely was home before 8:00 pm and traveled a minimum of two weeks per month. i worked really hard saving..investing...planning..so that i could retire early and experience a different kind of life. i have been married for 25 years to an amazing man, have a massive, adorable, energetic golden retriever and really wanted to spend lots of time with both of them. my strange realization after this year is that, although i had periods where i really loved my jobs and was quite successful, i never really had the passion for fashion required to truly be satisfied with my career. this year has been one of discovery and, as cliched as it sounds, searching for my bliss.

ok..just realized spell check does not work..kinda in a panic with this as i type faster than my brain processes spelling...will try to correct errors but if a few slip through please forgive me....

i have spent the past year focusing on what i love...family, cooking, recipe development, gardening, non-profit work, etc. so many opportunities have opened up that i am always busy. people constantly ask me so many questions... if i am bored, how i spend my time, how to make this work financially...how to get involved in non-profits, etc that i thought i would start a blog and share my life, my experiences and my journey. i hope to make this a 2 way dialogue with readers so please, if you read my blog, please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions.

all for now,
happy valentine's day!

napafarmhouse1885