Merry Christine

After a couple of weeks of strange depression, I am finally coming out of my hole. I had to categorize everything in order to figure out why I could not function in my normal standard. One of the subjects that was making me crazy was my lack of desire to drink coffee, and MOST of us know that is an important part of a morning.

Months ago I got rid of my countertop espresso maker. After around 12 years of making espresso in a Starbucks machine, it was going nowhere with me. Instead I started using my stovetop European Espresso maker. I only use light roast, for it has the most caffeine. Still, it was bothering me. I have tried every coffee locally you can buy, and even the light roast has a bitter taste somewhere as it passes your tongue. As far as dark roast, besides the fact it has less caffeine, to me, it is like eating a charred steak, YUK!!! HATE IT!!

When in New York, the first place we hit was the grocery store to put food in the apartment. I forgot that every grocery store has a European section. When I glanced up at the cofffee’s, a stong surge of nostalgia hit me when I saw the Dallmayr coffee. Of course I immediately grabbed it. Sure enough, the next morning I made that coffee and it was like a wisp of clouds flowing past my tongue…..Oh what a wonder! At last! Heavenly coffee. Needless to say I looked forward to every morning.

After coming home I was back in my droll state every morning. Going for days without a cup of coffee, for I don’t believe one should suffer to get a morning kick, I started searching for the lightest roasts I could find of ANY brand. FINALLY a light bulb went off in my head and I went online and found a site that is nothing but European coffees. I not only bought the ones I know and like, but purchased any of the lightest roasts they had. Mostly from Austria and Germany.

When that package hit my doorstep the first thing I did was rip it open and make a spot of coffee. ALAS!!! smooth, light, no bitterness, and no lingering aftertaste! Seriously, there are no coffee’s like this here in the great Northwest. Amazing, considering it is a self proclamed coffee capital of the ………..U.S., I guess.

It made ponder, I must be out of my mind not to enjoy the way we roast our beans here. The NW takes such amazing pride in thier incredible coffee, and just about everyone that lives here is completely addicted to coffee. You walk into a Starbucks and they go out of thier way to make you feel inferior if you cannot request your coffee with the proper descriptions.

I have never understood what the deal is with the super dark, over roasted beans. All I can say is, as American as I am, I wish someone here knew how to make the coffee as well as the good old Europeans. Until then, I will be ordering all of my coffee online.

As I sit here with a wonderful breeze passing though my shop, with the blazing sun shinning outside, I no longer question anything, especially the word fate.  From the hysteria of my work, to people who actually mean something to me, it has all been in my space in a cluster for the past 5 or 6 weeks. 

I first get a visit from my darling close friend, Dina, whom is one person I can totally trust my life with, and in fact has saved my ass a number of time, and really does take care of me.

Dina

This is one of my favorite pictures of Dina. She came up for the weekend to work on a special project with me.  When figure first started she was one of the top 5 Pro figure competitors in the industry.  Alas, she had a lot on her plate and business was more important.  She never looses her amazing physique and is constantly hounded for photo sessions.  Photographers that would not even touch a figure competitor.Then a friend, Sheila Bleck came for a whole week.  I have been making her suits for bodybuilding since she won her first suit at the Emerald Cup back in 2000.  She finally deservedly got her pro card at Nationals in 2008, took 2009 off, comes into the NY Pro, takes second, missing the win by ONE point, but got into the Olympia.  So I just figured she could chill while I worked.  NOT!  She was too much fun.  We got along great, like the same stuff so we did everything from TRYING to rollerskate, taught her to shoot weapons, and put her on my horse.The night I dropped her off at the airport, I went to Auburn, a town right by Seatac, and hand delivered a suit to a client of mine named Colleen Kulp.  Her husband is from here so they were here on family business so I got to put her suit on, and set the hooks myself.  I love it when I can be in charge of putting the hooks on and doing hands on explaining of how to wear the suits.  Along with her very kind husband Jeff, she had a TOY Australian Sheppard named Jessse.  I think I found a little dog I would consider owning.  What a funny, crazy DAWG!. As I was leaving Colleen gave me a beautiful statue of a Stallion from Herself, Kate, and Amanda.  I was extremely humbled by the gesture.

Shiela and I THOUGHT we could skate!!

Now it is time for cramwork  I had one week to get 7 suits ready for the NY Pro/Team Universe this coming weekend.  That also included 4th of July.  Took the 4th off for great fireworks, thanks to my buddy Jeff Harrison.  Back to work the next day (my 50th birthday), where my dear Shannon sat here with me and finished the suits. THAT is what I have been up to……next blawg I promise I will get more entertaining.

Captain Dave an I just got back from beautiful Manhattan.  We stayed in Midtown on the east side, near 30 Rock.  An absolutely GREAT place to take someone who has not seen the city before.  Extremely safe and pretty damned quiet.  Well, on our block anyway.  I treked him from Wall St. to Spanish Harlem.  Covered half of Central Park.  He now knows the subway system.  And even knows how to work the sidewalks.  I have not been back to the city for 17 years and it was like I never left.  The girls are wearing the same kind of clothing!  Ballet flats with ruffled mini skirts.  The only thing different is….NO shoulder pads…THANK GAWD!!  Went to all of my suppliers, fabric, crystal, trimming, …makes a huge difference when you can talk to the people and physically see and touch the things vs. just buying online.  LOTS of new colors of fabric and even MORE crystals on thier way. 

I spent time with my friends back there.  Susan Kaslowe, my longest girlfriend, Mike Cherry, whom I have known longer than Susan and used to work with him at Dean Witter in the 5 World Trade Center.  Mimi Bowman drove down from upstate.  Davana Medina Dente, with her gorgeous daughter Davella.  

Then we drove out to Stoneybrook L.I. to spend time with my baby sister Julianne for her graduation.  We all went out to The Hamptons, where my dearest friend Frank Bickley closed his pet store to drive us around all day showing my family East Hampton, Amaganset, and Montauk.  He took me to an old favorite, The Farmers Market in Amaganset where I had some nostalic of favorites from there that they still make after all these years, strawberry rhubarb pie, banana bread, and a new favorite, chocolate coffee cake!  The land out there is so beautiful it is impossible to describe. 

My baby sis, Julianne had a beautiful graduation.  She is now officially out of college and on her way to the Navy in Virginia.  I am so proud to be her sister.   I can’t wait to hear from her after her first month in the military!  OGHT to be interesting.

We ended the eight days by heading back into the city, where we hooked up with William and Emily, who were also there for Juliannes graduation and had lunch with them at the 30 Rock courtyard restaurant. Took them into St. Patricks Cathedral, where a wedding was about to take place.  How crazy and exciting it would be to have your wedding there, on a SATURDAY!  They have to clear all the tourists out right before, and then coming out to get to your limo, dodging all the tourists.  Crazy.

I have to say this about New York,……..  Truly the most friendly place to be.  There is an energy there that eminates like nno other place.  You can be anything you want to be and there is no one that will try to prevent you from being.  It is what it is.  You can wake up at 2AM and walk outside and find something to do within blocks of your residence.  There is infinity of information, all you have to do is a bit of research on where to go to find what you are searching for. 

One thing Capt. Dave noticed is how few fat people were on the streets.  That is because everyone there has to walk to get to where they are going.  You are walking to the bus, walking to the subway, walking along the streets to catch a cab, walking up and down stairs….   We will be returning next year.  The year after, and after that, and so on, and so on……………….

So I will be brief, for I am so short of time, lately. 

I took a flying launch off of Magnum, the Thoroughbred in mid flight jumping over the trenches up back.  How you ask?  Well….in a dressage saddle.  NOT suppose to jump in them.  My intentions were not to jump but have a nice ride up back and on the way home I just couldn’t control myself and let him go.  Well, so did I.  Off that saddle into mid are and landed elbow, shoulder, hip.  NO………of course I am not hurt!  Just pains me no one was there to enjoy the cartoon. 

Got my side saddle for Tankus.  What an amazing saddle!  Made in 1925, treeless, for a draft or warmblood, or SOMETHING big, Gawd only knows back then.  It is stamped Champion and Wilton, By Appointment to his Majesty, the King.  Whatever that means.  I am intriqued and have no idea, for Champion and Wilton is no more.    Anyway, I put it on him every time I get back from our ride to get use to it.  I am not comfortable enough to ride up back and over the trenches, but getting better..

Dont judge me yet! bad posture, reigns to high...SHUT UP!

I will get back to some physical fitness talk.    Like I have said before, I jog and pump iron as consistent as brushing my teeth.  But when it comes to the extra cardio, I get bored like anyone else.  For the past few weeks I have had a lot of orders to fill, so not going to gym, I use my stepmill, and use the free weights here.  I finally have time to go to the gym, and when I got there I decided to use this Nordic Track.  I needed some sort of challenge and it is the only machine that I have not used, or, at least not used in the past twenty something years.  Soooooo….I get on this thing, strap myself in, figure level 4 since I am an amateur, 60 mins, and start……Uh, about 3 minutes into it, I stop, clear, and reprogram at 60 minutes, level ONE.  I gotta say, that kicked – my – ass!  It does not matter how fit you think you are, if you haven’t used it, you are sure to have your ass kicked.  The funny part about this is, I bought a beautiful Ishmash, Russian Biathlon rifle two years ago with every intention of getting into cross country skiing so that I could enter a local amateur Biathlon.  I live one hour away from Steven’s Pass, which has a cross country course.  However I have conveniently always been too busy, for the beginning of the year my order file is FULL, plus the horses.  Well, I am humbled, and thrilled, and I will use that damned thing everytime I go to my Granite Gold’s, and my goal is to get to at least level 6 in two months, for 60 minutes.  Then MAYBE I will not be afraid to get that cross country ski package.  And keep shooting. 

NOT – Finished.  Here’s the best one.  I have three different breeds of horses to ride, and just about every type of saddle one can imagine, for I see it the same way a car enthusiast would purchase various cars.  For the ride.   Every type except a side saddle.  So I started doing some research, bought many books, for I know this is not something you can just jump on and go.  Surprised, all that know me???  NO, I am not THAT crazy!  I have five different books and went online and bought a cheap side saddle made in Pakistan.  When I got it, I realized this will only fit my skinny withered Thoroughbred Magnum.  Fine.  Then even reading the books the girth totally confused me.  So I researched some more online.  Found www.sidesaddle.com .   Of course they have consignment side saddles, so I clicked on.  There, before my eyes was a draft horse side saddle.  Yea, I bought it.  The best part was the lady, Linda, filled me with a plethera of information.  So I will be getting that saddle, a Champion and Wilton, extremely rare saddle….THIS COMING WEEK!!  So today, I decide it is time to suck up and put the Pakistan side saddle on Magnum………….Oh boy…..humble, humble, humble, …HUMBLE TWICE IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!!  I have never felt insecure on a horses back.  We walked around a bit and he was just as nervous as I was.  As soon as I got my legs into the position Linda told me to, my gracilus and adductor muscles were fried in less than two minutes!  I was comfortable with my balance, but my inner thighs were in agony.  Hehe….Then to boot, Magnum decided to freak out and I know it was because of the new girth and the next thing I knew I was in the barn in one of the stalls!  Okay, I get some credit because I DID NOT FALL OFF!  The whole entire incident I was trying to figure out HOW to fall off.   So after I got Magnum to calm down, we came back out of the stall, out of the barn, and walked around a bit more, just so he knew it was all good.  He and I will both learn slowly and again, like the Nordik Track, I will conquer this, oh, I say in a few weeks.  On top of that, I am SURE the Champion and Wilton, on Sir Tankus will be  much easier to learn on. 

Mark my words, by June for sure, I will be riding up back in the woods side saddle.

LIFE KISSES US ON BOTH CHEEKS DAY AND MORN,

BUT LAUGHS AT OUR DEEDS EVE AND DAWN.

A while back, I was out on my front porch and I looked over yonder.  There was a strange, beautiful black dog at the far end of my front yard.  I quietly told him to go home, for I did not want my Lucy and Lola to see him.  He barked a couple of times and ran off.  Periodically, he would return and I would watch him.  Each time he would come further into my yard.  I still did not want him to get use to the place, for one, I did not want to have to clean his shit off my lawn. 

Then one day I came home from the gym and as I drove up the driveway, I interrupted him sleeping on my front lawn in the sun.  He took off when he saw me, but I sort of felt bad, for he was so relaxed until I came home.  It turns out he lives across the road in a little white house that is in a center island between my road and the road that runs along the lake.  Not much of a yard and no fencing.  So now I was feeling like he needed my space to feel free and relaxed. 

As I drove past his house one day I saw a girl in the front yard so I stopped and asked his name.  It was Oliver.  I let her know he was crossing the road and it could be deadly someday with the traffic going by.  He continued coming over.  But now I know his name.  Finally the inevitable happened.  Lola saw him.  Now I have both Lucy and Lola following him to the edge of the property.  My girls are smart enough not to go to the road.  One of the mornings he came up I gave him a milk bone.  Another day he came up when I was ready to take one of my horses up back and he went with me!  Now I am liking him VERY much!  Another morning he comes up early enough to run with us.  So here I am running with 5 dogs and he is just the best mannered boy.  My girls and my moms puppy are terrorizing him and he is just as happy as can be to let  them do so. 

It has come to the point where he comes almost every day.  Walks right into my office, eats the dog food in the bowl demands his Denta Bone, Milkbone, and Chicken strip, takes naps with my dogs, like he is one of mine.  He is beautiful, black, shiny, muscular, and so sweet AND he loves to run up back with me.  I enjoy him soooo much and one thing I have learned from the past is, I will enjoy the time he is here, feed him and treat him well, and never get to know his other side.  If the family that owns him doesn’t give a crap where he goes when he is let out the door, then it is not my place to let them know.  And if I did, who knows, they might chew my ass out for even letting him into my space (Been there before).  But the way I look at it is, my dogs would NEVER leave my place because they KNOW where their home is and how much love there is here.  Any dog that strays, is looking for attention because it is not given in thier own home.

Made me realize that goes the same for some humans out there too, and I have known some in the past….

Oliver

Local hitchikers

Whale hanging out for a while by the boat

Typical work day for these guys

Captain Dave and his catch!

Ice flows. This makes it difficult to find the crab pots

This ice builds up from fog and spray from the ocean. They have to beat it off with baseball bats.Local hitchikers

Well, my husband, Dave,  just had his birthday on the 7th.  He spends his birthdays the same way every year, in the middle of the Bearing Sea.  He is the captain of a crab boat.  This is the time of year they catch Opilio, better known as Snow Crab.  This is the fishing that the show Deadliest Catch refers to.  However, he also fishes for Cod this time of year also.  He has been up there since December 26th, and most likely won’t be home until the beginning of April.  Being an artist, and an over active person, the time actually fly’s by for me.  I am the PERFECT fisherman’s wife.  I love being by myself because I can always complete my agendas. 

Back to Dave.  I know without a doubt the reason our relationship is so solid is because I have the highest respect for him. I love him, but I know the respect for one another is just as important for a healthy relationship.  When he is home, he takes care of our domestic chores, AS WELL as my mothers.  She lives on the property next to us so he has duel “honey do’s”

Anyway, I wanted to put some pictures up of what it is like where he works.  As a captain, he not only has to find the catch, but he is responsible for the lives of his crew.  He is the medic, when there are injuries, and the babysitter when they start to loose it being out there for so long.  He has to know every engine and motor that runs the vessel.  He has to know all the computerized units in his wheel house.  The unique thing about my husband is that he knows more than most captains up there because he is humble enough to learn new things, meaning he would have to put himself at the bottom of a totem pole with humble ability.  And he does just that.

So this blog is a tribute to my husband.  For if it was not for him and the work that he does, I would not be able to do what I do.   So all you girls need to know that!

That is what my life is. 

I have never had any fondness for the French, and Karl Lagerfeld is one designer that just scares me.  However, I happened across a low budget documentary on him last night, and I found, well, I really enjoyed hearing his opinion on everything.  He is very strange, extremely creative, and his creativity he credits to loving his time alone.  Cool Froggy.

Speaking of Frenchie frogs………I sure love my horse.  Turns out he likes champagne.  So I bought him his own champagne glass.  (I think I have mentioned before his breed comes from La Perche, France.)  He always surprises me with something new.  We are back home now and I cannot express how thankful I am for the lessons.  We are both better for it.  I must say, he AND I are definitely an outdoor duo.  Weather not being an issue.  We can handle it all.   I might add more pictures of Tankus here when Janelle sends over the ones she took.

I don’t really have anything to say right now.  I am way too crammed with work.  So with that, training, working with Tankus, keeping the property up, I have not had an oportunity to ponder much.

However, I DID get pulled out of my house by my darling Adam and his girl Janelle.  They took me to see Avatar.  It is the one movie that every human being needs to see.  I hope, and bet it gets every academy award it has been nominated.   Wow, wow, wow, wow

Uh…..Oh yea, here, I wrote this down a week or so ago watching  William Shatners “Raw Nerve” interviewing Larry Flynt.  Apparently he was close to Jimmy Carters sister who is an Evangelical.  So Mr. Shatners asks him how his experience with religion went.  He took a deep breath and said “All religious people are bipolar.  All they need is a little lithium and they will be fine.”

Don’t get all roughed up on me, I believe in God.  I just thought that was funny.  Maybe true.

Watching one of the political programs last week, this guy tells the story of ; Two guys are about to be attacked by a bear. Once guy is throwing on his shoes. The other guy says “Why are you putting on your shoes? You can’t outrun a bear!!” He says “I’m not trying to outrun the bear, I am trying to outrun you!!”

My Farrier/friend, Lane Penry FINALLY talked me into taking my Tankus to his stable. He offered to pick him up with his horse trailer and let him stay over night so I could ride him for two days in an indoor arena. That was two weeks ago. …… He is still there. WE have been in training. The trainer is Kim Beckman. She is an equine trainer that is truest to her craft. She will feed and care for her horses before herself. I have never seen such a large group of happier horses. All have incredible characters. So not only do I have Tankus there, but I took my mom’s Appy gelding there to be, as I call it, “defragged”. I will leave it at that. He has been there less than a week so far and already is a better, happier horse.

So now I am learning a whole new way of riding. All I have ever known is how to go up back in the woods and stay on, which, give me credit I am damn good at. But now we have to apply control, me AND Tankus. And now, I am teaching myself new ways of resistance training, based on the stress of my muscles being used.

We are learning the English style in the arena. Kim is getting us set up to apply jumping (we are looking to do a fox hunt in the fall). Just as Tankus (Tankopotomus is the name he has aquired at the stable) is learning to use the muscles in his body, I am doing the same. The saddle is small. The position of the feet are heels down, toes out and up. The stirrups are short. I have to keep my calves (leg) against his body at all times (applying isometrics). When he is trotting, I am posting. In fitness terms, you could call them mini sissy squats (isokinetics). I know I am in proper position when the vastis medialis is burning like hell. My torso, the majority of the time is in the contraction position of a pully row.

At the gym, I modified my wide stance Smith Machine squats. I have taken two inch thick weight plates, posititioned them under the balls of my feet, creating a deeper range of movement. Then, a close stance squat to put stress on the vastis lateralis, along with leg extensions with the focus on the vastis lateralis, to be sure the vastis medialis does not overpower the thigh, which would eventually induce knee problems.

I will discuss more excersises I am working with in future blogs.

Now……..gotta throw this in here … my grrrrlfriend Shannon has come to the stable for lessons! I got Shannon to take lessons from Kim and it is awesome having her there. She has had two lessons so far and HOPEFULLY, she will get the hang of it enough that she can come ride with me up in the woods some day………I can imagine it now, me, Shannon, Kim, my mum, and lots of wine in the saddle bags! If there is anyone local here that wants to try a hand at a lesson, she is $45.00 for an hour lesson. That is with one of her awesome horses, saddled and ready to go. Her contact info is Horseshoe Lane Stables & KB Performance Horses, 425-876-4912, kmbckmn@aol.com. The stable is in my town, Snohomish.

Kim giving Shannon lessons

I have already started the suits for this year. It is a sad day now with my favorite federation, NPC/IFBB, adding this ridiculous category called “Bikini”. For decades this federation has been about dedication, discipline, diet, hard training. And now, all you have to do is be young, or have young thin skin with big ass fake titties. Even the way they are to present themselves on stage has no standard. Just walk on stage like a bar bitch and you are gooood. So at this point, I might have to pass at making suits of this standard. And besides, any swimwear or sex store has those boy short suits that the judges are enjoying. I don’t make these. Okay, I have TWO girls I am making them for, but that is only because they paid and switched category’s. THEN, no more.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, this is enough babble for now. I am compelled to end this blawg with a few of Kahlil Gibran’s genius words. My literary idol….

“Man’s value is in the few things he creates and not in the many possessions he amasses.”

“We fear death, yet we long for slumber and beautiful dreams.”

“Philosophy began when man ate the produce of the earth and suffered indigestion.”

“I never met a conceited man whom I did not find inwardly embarrassed.”

“Courage, which is the sixth sense, finds the shortest way to triumph.”

AaaaaMEN!

I am soooo looking forward to this new year! 

I was driving to my monthly o-zone colonic this past week and on the radio news comes another report of yet another man shooting up a business, killing 4, then he gets killed, justifiably by the police.  What is going on that all of these MEN, white and black, that feel the need to take a few other peoples lives along with themself!  What happened to just knocking themself off?  Why do they feel the need to make it so damned dramatic?  Pussy Fuckers…..  I really try to keep my language polite on this blog but that is the ONLY thing I can think of when I hear the radio or TV with this news.

And what is the deal with all of the child abductions??  Is this just because of more media coverage, or has this been going on and no one new because of  lack of coverage?  I don’t know, it just seems really strange..

So I guess I will start with a few peaves like I did last year…get them off my chest….

Here’s one my muses will love….WHAT IS UP WITH THIS????

????

Julies suit was barely kooled off from the Olympia,,,,,and THIS shows up at a pro show after the O….

Julies O suit

Please …………don’t EVEN try to say that was YOUR original design whoever you are that made that one…  Poor Jules…………….no originality….we always get copied….I have to accept the fact that times have changed in this industry and people WILL have no pride in being individual.  I know, I know,,,,I need to grow up!

Never been very politically vocal on my blog, but, ….I wish Mr. Barack O’Bama would spend less time being the greatest actor/celebrity, spending an incredible amount of time, traveling all over the country and world making his “momentus” speaches trying to get people to love HIM, not our country, and just stay in his office and do his JOB.   GEESH!! 

Substance abuse.  I tried, really I did, to enjoy a toke or two, make some hard liquor drinks, entertaining the people who like this.  I am not, the type of person that needs these substances to enjoy company or life in general.  Even though I don’t thoroughly understand, I can accept that there are people that need to do this.  What I don’t understand is why I am so tabu, because I DON”T LIKE TO DO IT!!

Annnd……..WHY do people at the gym spend more time cleaning the workout equipment than actually TRAIN on it!!  OMG!!!  I get dizzy with these people walking back and forth to the cleaning agents making sure their bodies don’t get contaminated??……..Is this just my neck of the woods, or does this happen in the other 49???  I love the fact that they will scrub out the seat of a machine with the anti bacterial spray and dirty cloth, then have NO problem walking over and sticking thier faces right in the ol’ community water fountain!

Liars……………..I no longer have any patience whatsoever for liars.  I was watching a movie called “The Return of the Secret Garden” one day, and in one scene where the actress Jane Plowright (not sure if that is the right spelling) says to one of the orphans after she appologized for placing  one lie on top of another to apease, Jane says,  “No need to appologize, a liar lives in a hell of her own making.”.   Wow.  Never thought of that.  I have always felt so offended when lied to, never considering the person doing so has to spend every day making sure the can cover all the lies they have been telling with better lies.

Here’s a shocker to me.  I was discreetly picked on racially last year when I was in Vegas last year by the people I was graced to be in the presence with.  Not just for being white, but being a country hick.  Not that it offended me, really.  But it has left me scratching my head to this day. 

WAH!  WHA!  WAH!  WHA!!!……………

Okay, well, when I run in the morning is when I think of the great ones, but alas, I get back all I can think about is breakfast!  After that, my brain is alllll mushed up….

So I will leave this first blog with a wonderful quote from Ronald Reagan I read off of an equine supply website………..he said;

“There is nothing so good for the inside of a man, than the outside of a horse.”

AMEN!!