January 1, 2023 · 6:59 am

2023 Ready or Not!

I struggled the last week or so trying to decide if I wanted to make resolutions, pick a one-word focus, or just throw my hands up and say, “come what may.” I considered the 23 in the 2023 Gretchen Rubin challenge and figured 23 goals were too many. Then I thought maybe picking three goals, but that seemed like too few. 

I eventually settled on a one-word focus. In 2023, my focus is COMPLETION. 

So what does that entail? Well, I have found myself starting projects and getting distracted with side projects and never getting the original projects finished. So I’d like to COMPLETE them. I get a thrill from project completion, and I’d like to fill my year with those little thrills. 

I want to focus on three aspects: writing, building and exercising. Here’s the breakdown.

I currently have 13 (yes, 13!!!!) WIP (works in progress). If I complete even half of those, I’ll feel all sorts of tingles. I’m setting myself up for a writing challenge over on ceflores.com this year instead of a reading challenge. 

The next aspect is my son’s house. I’d like to complete everything that requires brickwork/cement. That includes the rooftop accessway and redoing the patio by the pool since we used those bricks in another project. Additionally, I’d like to complete the pool project. That means getting a solar panel and batteries to run the pump in an effort to dissuade the frogs from spawning. 

And finally, fitness. Although I’m not going to be “fit at fifty” since that’s just 3 months away, nor have I obtained those Victorian babe arms I so want, I do want to complete my exercise routine every day. I know that I might have another 30-40 years left, and I want to stay as mobile as possible. To that end, I’ve got to keep moving now. And it’s not even like I’m doing hours of workouts–it’s less than 30 minutes (plus 5-8 dog walks) and so completing it every day won’t be onerous.

So what do you have planned for 2023?

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New Year’s is the perfect time to start journaling! Click on the image below to get yours!

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December 31, 2022 · 7:46 am

2022 There I Go!

Well, I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped in 2022, but I did have the intention, which was my one-word focus for the year. Here’s a recap and what did and didn’t happen. 

It was my intention to be fit at fifty. Sadly, I do not have Victorian babe arms yet. However, I did do pretty well with regular exercise, and I can now wear pants that were too tight during the pandemic years, even some that were too tight before that. I’ve still got a few months until I’m fifty, and while I won’t be buff, I am feeling healthier. 

It was my intention to complete an herbal book and course for women’s wellness. I published Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico Volume 3: Native and Naturalized Plant Use in May. The women’s wellness course has morphed into a second volume of The Mexican Apothecary but isn’t ready for release yet. I’m also working on Herb Book Volume 4, which should be finished in 2023. 

It was my intention to build a pool and finish the commercial space on my son’s lot. The pool project did get done, but it will need to be revamped in 2023 to include a pump to filter the water. A frog or two decided it was a perfect place to spawn, and we had tadpoles and algae and stuff that we’ll need to clear out before we use it again. The second floor was completed on my son’s lot, although the house isn’t ready for habitation just yet. 

It was my intention to complete two collaborative projects in 2022. I actually did three collaborative projects this year. The first was with Kimberlee Thorne. Our course for ex-pats didn’t bring any money in, so I’ll have to rethink continuing that project. Then I partnered up with both Ultimate Bundles and Infostack with my writing courses. Neither was financially lucrative, and I won’t be participating next year. And the children’s book series with Claudia Guzes is in the works. Look for the first book to be released in early 2023. 

It was not my intention to find another primary source of income, but that’s what happened in March when the company I worked for transferred their contracts to China. It took way longer than I would have liked to find another job. Currently, I’m working four jobs, and it’s still not cutting the mustard, but something is better than nothing. 

It was not my intention to adopt another pet either, but Bruce Goodboy came into our lives. We are above and beyond pet capacity, so hopefully, any new animals in 2023 can be rehomed somewhere other than our house, but we’ll see. 

Overall, I’d have to say that 2022 wasn’t the easiest year I’ve had, but I managed to muddle through living more intentionally. I have a few days yet to think about my goals and intentions for 2023 and will be spending some time daydreaming about the possibilities open for me in the new year. How did your year go?

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December 30, 2022 · 7:02 am

Big Mama Steps Up

Big Mama, despite her enormous girth, only gave birth to a singleton. Interestingly, the little guy looked EXACTLY like Brown Mama’s boy twin. (The girl has a white “toupee.”) Big Mama is extremely overprotective of him. Cocoa, who barks at everything, has made himself a mortal enemy here. How DARE he bark at her lamb???

Things were going well for about a week when suddenly Brown Mama died. The small flock was out foraging just on the other road and left unattended for about 15 minutes tops. When my son when to check on everyone, he found Brown Mama keeled over and swollen to twice her normal size. We think it was bloat that killed her. She might have eaten a poisonous plant, or the kid visiting with his parents on a nearby lot might have given her a handful of corn, or even the few kernels my husband doles out to everyone in the morning might have caused it. 

So then we had two orphans that weren’t old enough to get all their nutrients by foraging. They refused to be bottle-fed by Papa Chivo (my husband), and we despaired of their future. 

Thankfully, Big Mama decided to adopt the twins about three days after their mama’s demise. She’s a hefty sheep and seemed to have more than enough milk for her own and the two twins. The urgency has passed now that everyone can forage, although we are keeping a close eye on everyone since the rash of poisonings. It wouldn’t do for the lambs to lick something that could kill them.  

Other cloven-hoofed news: Fuzzy Mama still hasn’t given birth, nor has Jolina, although both are mighty uncomfortably pregnant. The other nameless goat miscarried, and my husband sold her. 

Then the Questgiver has been sent along to another realm to carry on his important tasks, whatever they may be. My husband didn’t like the way his testicles hung. Something about how that trait would be passed on to daughters and their udders would be uneven. I’m not sure that’s true, but I have no say on which animals stay and which go. 

I’d really like for him to stop with the animals. They aren’t getting the care they need here anymore, and the outdoor area is riddled with fleas making everyone miserable. Be that as it may…

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More Mexican homesteading stories can be found in the Animal Antics South of the Border Series. Now available on Amazon!

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