Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners from Gaiam

I was recently contacted by Gaiam and agreed to review some of their Yoga DVDs. I wanted to give them a good tryout and enlisted the aid of a friend of mine. She wanted to try yoga and I thought Rodney Yee’s Yoga for Beginners would be a great place for her to start. I’ve not been doing yoga for very long myself and we’ve both enjoyed these morning workouts.

Rodney Yee was a professional ballet dancer who later studied Iyengar yoga. He travels nationally and internationally to teach workshops, teacher trainings and retreats. Rodney has been designing and performing in Gaiam programs for over 10 years. We found his instruction very easy to follow and his transitions smooth.

This DVD, shot on beautiful Molokai, Hawaii, includes two workouts, one 20-minute morning “energizing” workout led by Rodney Yee and designed to get you going in the morning and a 15-minute evening “rejuvenation” workout led by Colleen Saidman and designed to help relax you at the end of the day. My friend and I alternated between the two workouts, doing one each morning for four mornings in a row. Each workout offers you the choice of full-instruction, pose-only instruction, which excludes hints and reminders about your posture and breathing or inspirational instruction, which in addition to pose cues includes thought provoking reminders about the connection between yoga and the spirit of the world around us.

My friend and I used the full-instruction option and completely enjoyed both of the workouts. As with any new workout, the first run through is a little awkward while you figure out the flow of the poses. In each case this awkwardness was minimal and, by the second day we both felt smooth and comfortable with the transitions.

The DVD also includes a 40-minute pose guide which walks you through each pose at some length, helping you perfect your form. We chose not to work through the pose guide as I wanted to review the DVD in a timely manner but I think the pose guide, which allows you to pick and choose the poses you want to review, is an invaluable tool and I was glad to see it included.

I think Rodney Yee’s Yoga for Beginners is an excellent jumping-off point for anyone wanting to dip their toe in the world of yoga. The poses are basic and won’t scare anyone off while at the same time they will leave you feeling like you had a good workout. The names “energizing” and “rejuvenation” are apt as that’s exactly how you will feel when you are through! Even if you are a more advanced yoga student, these short workouts are great for grounding and meditation when you don’t have much time and need a little pick-me-up!

Next week I will be reviewing Rodney Yee’s A.M Yoga for Your Week. Can’t wait to get started on that one!

Would You Like to Buy My Home in Beautiful Alpine, Texas?

Now that I’m leaving I’m finally unveiling exactly where that little “rural West Texas town” to which I so often refer is actually located. Beautiful Alpine, Texas, nestled in the Davis Mountains in the Big Bend area of Texas, has been my beloved home for 31 years and, although I’m looking forward to my big adventure, I truly am sorry to leave this quiet little town of about 6,000 friendly people. Alpine is home to Sul Ross State University, plenty of real working cowboys and lots of big open country. We’re thirty miles from Marfa, Texas, the town memorialized in the movie Giant and made famous and fashionable by minimalist artist Donald Judd, home to about 2,500 people, approximately half of whom are artists from somewhere else. We’re twenty-five miles from Fort Davis, Texas, home to McDonald Observatory, which is located here because of our dark skies; we take light pollution very seriously around here!

Are you packing your bags yet? Can you tell I love my town? I also love my home and want to finally share it with you! Self-indulgent it most certainly is but I hope you’ll pardon me and enjoy this little peek into my real life! If not, better skip this post! When I get to Virginia I’ll have to go back to anonymously referring to my little rural southwest Virginia town!

My house was built in approximately 1925 and originally occupied five city lots. Thankfully for me who has to cut the grass, it now only occupies 1½!



Isn’t it cute?! The upstairs balcony is off my master bedroom and is completely screened by those trees. It is very private. I can go out there in the evening with a cocktail and I think it has got to be the most peaceful place on earth! It’s like being in a treehouse.



Here’s my side yard with my new raised beds with their deer deterrent cages. This building contains an efficiency apartment and a one car garage in the front and a large shop and some storage rooms in the back. I have a tenant in the apartment who takes care of everything for me when I am out of town. I’m really going to miss her!

Shall we peek inside?



Here’s my living room. It actually looks kind of crowded in this picture but it isn’t really. You also can’t see the great exposed box beams in the ceiling. I love to light a fire in my fireplace in the winter for that perfect cozy atmosphere.



You go through this little hallway to get to the dining room. Just to the right in the hallway is the door to the basement, which I affectionately refer to as Subterrania, an unusual feature in West Texas. To the left is a neat little built in cupboard where I keep all my crystal and stemware. Once into the dining room, to the left is a large downstairs bedroom with an attached powder room. This is the room I was hoping to rent, which, although light filled, is pretty empty.



Back out and passing through the dining room you come to my cute kitchen where I test all my SimplyForties recipes!

Originally this built-in cabinet housed an ironing board. All the mod cons for the 1920’s housewife! Now it’s lined with shelves and is where I keep my spices. Past the kitchen there is a small mudroom, which has a pantry and a broom closet.

I think you’ve seen my backyard before. I’ve posted about my portable chicken run and how I have so much work to do! It really is a sanctuary for me. There is a pergola area out there where I frequently entertain in the summertime. The ex-BF and I built that as one of our projects.

We’ve had a lot of rain lately and, unlike when this picture was taken, the grass is very green out there!

Let’s go back inside and peek upstairs!

See the stairs tucked back there on the left? I like how they go up a little and then turn and are kind of hidden behind that wall.

Upstairs there are two bedrooms and a full bath. I treat the whole upstairs as a master suite, with one room arranged as a bedroom and the other arranged as a sitting room/office. I spend 80% of my time up there. It’s a perfect arrangement for me and why I thought I could rent out the lower room with little impact on my privacy.

See the left behind pug asleep on the couch? That’s where he spends most of his time. As long as I'm revealing all my secrets, his real name is Rage. Remember, a teenage boy named him!

Here’s the door to that great, private second storey balcony, which is in my master bedroom. That blue scarf is from a friend's trip to Mongolia, where it represents the blue sky. I like having it there for cloudy days.

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I see is the blue sky and the trees outside my balcony door. The pictures over my bed are blown up photographs from a trip I took to France a few years ago. Now that’s some frugal decorating! Here’s the other side of this big, bright, sunny room:

That big desk (it’s really a dining room table) is across the hall in the sitting room now and I have some bookcases in its place.

That’s about it! Do you feel like a voyeur? I’m glad I got to show you my home, which I love so much! Now it’s memorialized for me and I can come back and look at it any time I want! If you love it too and want to move to my perfect little town, drop me a line and let’s talk!

Okay, back to my regularly scheduled blog! The next post will be about another alternative living arrangement. Shell cabins, a sort of contemporary catalog house, are a great way to get an inexpensive home. One of my friends has one and graciously allowed me a look inside. That’s up next!

Big Changes: A New Life

The most amazing thing has happened since I wrote my article about losing my major client. I applied for and have accepted a position as a caretaker on a small farm in southwest Virginia. After 31 years I’ll be selling up and moving out! I plan to be on the farm in a month. I have so much to do that my head is spinning right now but I’m excited.

A couple in Denver recently bought the farm but are planning to stay put for a year. They wanted someone to look after things, assist with some tasks and just basically inhabit their house to keep it from falling apart. My initial idea was to rent my house here in Texas for whatever length of time I was gone. Since then I’ve decided to sell up. I realized that, by selling my house and most of my things, I can go to Virginia debt free, possession free and commitment free. That’s a strong lure! When my time at the farm is up, I’ll be able to go where I choose. It’s a very exciting prospect!

Back in January I wrote about my goals for 2009. On that list I included being debt free and significantly reducing the number of my possessions. It looks like I’ll meet those goals, though not in any way I could have anticipated. I’ve been ready for a big change in my life for a few years now and have been putting it out there. The universe has responded in a major way!

I told my girlfriends this weekend and there were some tears but everyone is happy for me and a little jealous. Their first question was, “What airport do we fly into when we come visit?”. My family is thrilled. I’ll be equidistance between my two sisters and one of my brothers; one in Maryland and two in Georgia. My other brother, who is a trucker, makes regular runs to the vicinity. It’s been 31 years since I lived near family and I’m looking forward to regular weekends with them.

I’ve got a lot of calls to make today. I’ve decided to contact some estate sales people and have them come in and liquidate for me. I live in a two-storey, three bedroom home and I plan to take what fits in a 5x8 trailer and sell everything else. I have a couple of family pieces that I’ll take as well as my power, sewing and gardening tools and some kitchen things, including my beloved pots and pans. A few personal items will fill out the trailer and that’s it!

I initially planned to take my chickens but have realized that it makes better sense to sell them and get new ones up there. The farm owners are urban homesteaders too and are happy for me to have chickens, build a coop, plant a garden, all the things I love. I’m picturing bee keeping, some serious composting, maybe even a couple of milk goats. Who knows?! I will be taking the left behind pug and maybe my worms. I suspect they’ll be no trouble on the journey!

I need to call the realtor, get new shocks on my car, go by the U-haul place, the list seems endless! I plan to look for offsite paralegal work once I get up there. Roanoke, Virginia, and Winston-Salem, N.C., are close enough and I’m sure are full of lawyers. Once I’m debt free I’ll be able to live very inexpensively. I’ve been yearning to live a more simple life for a long time and this will be my chance to give it a try.

I’m scared, I’m overwhelmed by the amount I need to do, but mostly I’m exhilarated! I wish I could just pack a bag, get in my car and start driving but of course that’s not realistic. So, I’ll make my calls, liquidate my life and then hit the road. One of my sisters is flying out to help and will make the journey with me.

I’ll be blogging about the process and my new life. Wish me luck and join me here on my road back to simplicity!

Beet, Carrot and Feta Salad

This recipe appears in the Make It From Scratch carnival at It's Frugal Being Green. If you came from the carnival, welcome!

Here's another delicious summer salad. One of my sisters, who gave me this recipe, told me that this salad changed her from being a lifelong beet hater to a true beet lover! Give it a try and see if it will do the same for you!



Serves 4 INGREDIENTS:

· 2 medium large raw beets, peeled
· 4-5 medium carrots, peeled
· 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, well drained
· feta cheese for garnish (approx. 1 - 1 1/2 cups total)
· 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
· juice of half an orange (or 3-4 Tbs orange juice)
· 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
· 1 tsp dried dill (or 2 Tbs fresh chopped dill)
· 1 minced clove garlic
· black pepper to taste
· salt to taste (go light because of the saltiness of the feta cheese)

PROCEDURE:

Get started by making the dressing in a mixing bowl, that is large enough to eventually make the salad in, by combining about 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil with the juice of half of a fresh squeezed orange, 2-3 Tbs of balsamic vinegar, about 1 tsp of dried dill, a good crack of fresh ground black pepper and 1 minced clove of garlic and whisk it up.

Next, use a peeler to peel a couple of medium sized beets over the sink and then use a box grater to grate those raw beets right into the bowl with the dressing. Then grate an equal amount of peeled carrots over the top of that.

Be super careful with your fingers as you're grating the vegetables or, if you wanted to, you could use a food processor with a shredder attachment instead.

Next, add 1 well drained 15-ounce can of chickpeas and toss everything around to coat.

All that is left is to check it for seasoning, maybe add a little more orange juice or dill and maybe a pinch of salt but, be careful with the salt because the feta cheese we're finishing with is pretty salty itself. Finish each individual serving with a little crumbled feta cheese over the top.

I've got some big news coming tomorrow. Be sure and check back!

Almost Fell Off the Frugal Wagon!

This article appears in the Carnival of Money Stories at Consumer Boomer. If you came from the carnival, welcome!

Sometimes we think we’ve totally shed our old consumer lifestyle and emerged as a truly frugal, consciously living person. We know we’re so integrated in this new lifestyle that, even if we won the lottery we wouldn’t go back to our old spending ways. We’re comfortably smug as we watch the Joneses keep struggling. Then something happens and our old self rears its ugly head and lets us know that we have to stay focused!

A few weeks ago my old refrigerator quit working. I emptied it out, turned it off, let it sit for a day or two and turned it back on. It worked for a few days and then quit again. That’s it, I figured, time to replace it. Not only did I decide that I was going to replace my fridge, I decided to replace all my appliances! They’re all sixteen years old, I reasoned, probably going out soon anyway, why not head that hassle off at the pass and just go ahead and get new ones? Just like that, I was right back where I started a year or so ago, ready and willing to spend money to replace something that still worked, for the sake of sheer convenience and opportunism.

I have another fridge in my shop and had moved all my food out there. I had some trips planned and decided not to do anything until I got back. Just like most other things, buying appliances in rural West Texas is difficult and I wasn’t prepared to deal with it just then. I did some research, made my decisions about what I wanted, and then put the plan on the backburner until a more convenient time.

Subsequent to my refrigerator failure and before I’d acted on my urge to buy all new appliances, I lost my job. Even in the face of this adversity I was still planning to replace the fridge, if not everything else. Basically for the sake of form, I decided I’d better at least call the repairman to come take a look. He visited me this week and, for $116 he fixed my fridge, proclaimed it good for at least another fifteen years and felt there was no reason the other appliances wouldn’t last a good long time too. This guy also sells appliances so no, he wasn’t drumming up future business for himself!

Why, one wonders, was this repairman visiting me a good six weeks after the fridge failed? After I’d spent countless hours picking out new appliances? Why did I think of him last instead of first? I thought I’d beaten that old, unconsciously spending person I used to be into submission a long time ago! It was a good reminder that I’m not quite there yet. Allocated budget for all new, unnecessary appliances - $3,500. Necessary expense - $116. Number of perfectly good appliances going into the landfill - 0. Lesson learned – priceless!

Have you ever lost your focus? Luckily circumstances stepped in to foil my attempts to derail myself. What about you? How far wrong did you go before you got yourself back on track? I got my wake-up call, what about you? What snapped you back? Isn’t it wonderful that we get to fall off the wagon and then are allowed to get back on?!

Japanese Beetle Trap

I just came across this video from Fred at Fred's Fine Fowl. It's an ingenious Japanese Beetle Trap that funnels the beetles right to the chickens! I'm going to have to keep this in mind although I think I'd replace the old shoelaces with something else. Great job Fred!



Do you have any clever ideas or inventions that you have created or adapted for use? I'd love to hear about them!

A bad day on the farm!

(Temporary chicken enclosure that sits down inside one of the raised beds.)

I had a pretty grim day on the urban farm yesterday. I’ve let my chicks spend the night outside for the last two nights in their temporary enclosure and when I came down to check on them yesterday morning, one was dead in the pen, gruesomely missing a leg. I’m sure a raccoon reached in there, grabbed what it could and jerked it out through the poultry netting. This was a very sweet chick and I was pretty down about losing her. I felt especially guilty because I know that poultry netting (chicken wire) is not strong enough and not secure enough for overnight accommodations. I just knew that my chicks were tired of coming in and out and I was tired of chasing them around and forcing them. I knew better and I did it anyway. Poor chick paid the price. Life on any farm, urban or rural, big or small, includes these little vignettes about life and death but you do get attached and I was pretty sad. I completely re-wired the run with ½” hardware cloth, which I should have used from the beginning and now I hope they will be safe. I know I’ll be sleeping with one ear tuned to the yard tonight!


(Seems silly to be so sad over a chicken but this big red and white one is the poor victim.)

I got a plumbing issue figured out and the watering system for the tomatoes resolved. I have fifteen plants in the new bed with the deer-deterrent cage in place. The sides roll up for work and down when I’m through. I’m very happy with the design and so far, no sign of deer destruction! I still need a bit more topsoil to do the second bed but should have that in place soon. It’s late for West Texas but we have a long growing season and, as they say, better late than never!


(Raised beds with deer deterrent cages.)