Where Have I Been?

There's WAY too much social media these days and after last year's 1/2 ton harvest, my on-line socializing and updates went to the simplified Facebook more often than naught. https://www.facebook.com/jill.wiest.3   Blogging is time consuming.  Writing is creative and informative, yes, but also takes a good chunk out of a busy day.  Retirement gave me happiness to be in the garden and exercise as much as my little heart desires.  But living in the moment (the key to happiness), has taken me on a path that puts a smile on my face every day, no matter the situation -- and I'm NOT always in the backyard garden or on a bicycle seat.  Thus, that path didn't include a trail to the blog everyday.  Today, is the first time in months I felt inclined to share on this blog what's going on in retirement life and the backyard.  There have been regular updates on Facebook.  The garden is still a real thing and while everything is pretty much put to sleep for the winter, I'm endeavoring to find out what exactly lurks under the soil.  My curiosity the past couple years of why aren't there any worms in the manure led me down a road to the realization that the horse manure likely contains GMOs from the ingredients in the horse feed (soybeans, grain "products").  Horrified, I'm trying to find a laboratory that will provide an affordable test for glyphosates.  Standard soil and compost testing will NOT give that information (but are quick to tell you what to ADD to your soil - no thanks - my produce is beautiful).  Some folks say the composting process will break down any pesticide residues in the manure.  But studies show that's not the case. I have no worms.   So this quest continues.  Outside of the garden, my aging mother gets attention every day.  I'm grateful for living next door to her and being able to walk down over the hill and help her out with whatever she might need.  She makes me smile -- even when she's in her pessimistic moods. Mothers are special people. Dad's too.  He's 83, but is super-healthy.  My 94-year old mother-in-law passed in the Spring, so hubby and I are in the process of cleaning and doing small maintenance jobs at her home to get it ready to sell.  We're finding ourselves spending a great deal of time there -- but it's fun and I'm enjoying the fix-up projects (I always did like cleaning and making things "pretty").  And of course I'm always moving and exercising doing something.  I took up stand-up paddling in whitewater and spent a bunch of time this summer on the Lehigh River in Eastern Pennsylvania.  I still run, bicycle, mountain bike, lift weights, do yoga, and hike.  I try to mix it up everyday to keep it interesting -- whatever I feel like doing is the rule of thumb.  So there you have it.  Visit me on Facebook.  It may be awhile until I blog again! https://www.facebook.com/jill.wiest.3