You can find me at FGHart.com

It's not that I don't love my oasis, because I do. It's still my favorite place to pause, putting everything else on the back burner. Whether I'm sitting in a lounge chair or lounging in the pool, sipping water, wine or gin, whether I'm bent over a troublesome set of grass roots buried deep beneath the soil and mulch of a flower bed, or whether I'm dining at the bar (outdoor kitchen), this is our own slice of paradise. A staycation getaway always waiting for me, just outside my back door. In fact, I can see the western edge from where I sit now, at my writing desk.

Rather than gardens with plants that need tending, my aspirations of writer-dom require me to focus on platform and presence and networks that need attention in order to bloom and grow. Damn. However, this blog will not necessarily die on the vine (as alluded to in this post), but, perhaps instead, this will be my secret garden. A respite for all of the thoughts and images that whirl and shake, eager to be released on the unsuspecting world.

Before and After: a room make over

Before: For the last few years this room has been a catch-all for kid toys. A lot of emotion was kept hidden behind the closed door and the in the dresser drawers. When daughter #2 moved out we painted the black and red walls a nice neutral color and gave the room a fresh start. Then daughter #1 and our grandson stayed a while. When they left, well...let's just say "it was hard." So the room has been a place for the occasional visitor but not much more than that.

With the pressure of a pending visit from a Faith Alive team, I felt compelled to do something about the room.

After: The visitors will be here Friday. I'm reframing the circus pictures (shown leaning against the wall in the first "before" photo) but I'm holding out for Hobby Lobby's half-price sale of their frames. Somebody should tell me it's worth the $50 to finish the room by Friday. Until then, this is how it's looking:
New sheers ($62). New lamps (set of 3 = $70). New "used" bedside table ($25).

I'm going to put a bigger plant in front of the window (above).

And maybe a chair or something in front of the plug (above).

Art will definitely help. That and a mirror. And maybe a floor vase with some feather grass or some such.

Although I'm not finished, at least I don't mind have company!

Before and After: a room make over

Before, this room has been a catch-all for kid toys. A lot of emotion was kept hidden behind the closed door and the in the dresser drawers. When daughter #2 moved out we painted the black and red walls a nice neutral color and gave the room a fresh start. Then daughter #1 and our grandson stayed a while. When they left, well...let's just say "it was hard." So the room has been a place for the occasional visitor but not much more than that.

With the pressure of a pending visit from a Faith Alive team, I felt compelled to do something about the room.

The visitors will be here Friday. I'm reframing the circus pictures but I'm holding out for Hobby Lobby's half-price sale of their frames. Somebody should tell me it's worth the $50 to finish the room by Friday. Until then, this is how it's looking.


I'm going to put a bigger plant in front of the window (above).

And maybe a chair or something in front of the plug (above).

Art will definitely help. That and a mirror. And maybe a floor vase with some feather grass or some such.

Although I'm not finished, at least I don't mind have company!

Practice, practice, practice...and the benefits of regular exercise

If you've followed my exercise saga you know that last year I transitioned from Richard Simmons to Wii Fit Plus to power-walking/jogging/running and ultimately to the P90X workout regimen. Then, in September, an injury and subsequent tumble off the exercise-wagon gave me a bad case of couchpotatoitis. Travel and holidays and conflicting demands on my time, as well as a reluctance to dive back into the P90X all-out time commitment, contributed to my putting off any serious renewal of an exercise routine.

This year, my workout efforts are stumbling along in fits and starts; an hour here, 30 minutes there. As part of my 3 Words for 2011 and my goals defined for this year I decided that 4 hours per week should be sufficient to move me toward my fitness goals and to maintain some balance in my life. This week (the last week in January) is the first time I've met the 4-hour goal.

I know P90X is a great way to get in shape (such as the notable P90X devotee in congress that a friend highlighted for me). I know I was making fabulous progress toward my goals when I was exercising an hour to an hour and a half every day and strictly adhering to the P90X routine, but the trade-offs were high. I sacrificed the time available for reading & writing and that's not acceptable. But sitting around on an expanding tush isn't acceptable either.

Just as November's novel-writing effort required tremendous determination to push through the resistance of inertia brought on by a long spell of not writing, getting back into the swing of writing & exercising and having the discipline to set my own routine for reading, writing and using the P90X workouts is requiring determination. But I am not giving up. I will stick with my goals and commitments. I will practice discipline and I will benefit.

Viva Las Vegas!

I started out embedding photos, then decided to go for the gusto in true Vegas style. Here's a video montage of sights and sites from our four-day stay in Las Vegas.