In Joy Emporium: ~~~Gratitude~~~ My Body

I have mentioned before in this blog that I am not very much into machines. I would rather push and pull as much as I can by hand. I am grateful my DH is very mechanical and enjoys doing tractor work for me. I even push this small tractor cart around by hand then fill it up and push it if I can or wait until the next available tractor drive by.

There is one machine that I do love to use, it is this weed whacker...

This is the tool I use to make and maintain my trails. It has a brush blade attachment that will go through anything an inch or less. I use it for what I call "better gardening with weed whacking". I keep the edges of the gardens trimmed and whiz through cover crops. I am the maestro with the weed whacker and do the delicate cutting around baby trees. I have the more hours on this thing than DH. The guys at the Stihl shop keep asking my DH to have me come in sometime. They want to meet the woman who puts so many hours on this thing.

This brings me to today's gratitude~~~ My Body. I am a woman in her mid 50's, I am just shy of 5'8"...guess that is tall but, I am the shortest in my family. Like so many American Woman (& other countries where we have more to worry about than survival) I think I carry more pounds than I should. I will admit I should loses some weight for better health but, I will also admit to some vanity as well. But, when I snapped this selfie of me in my weed whacking helmet I realized that I really liked the way I look! In this photo!! Yes, sweaty & dirty...but happy! I am grateful for my body that allows me to run this machine and do 4 tanks of fuel without a rest. I am able to carry a 50 pound bag of duck food without mechanical help. I grow these big gardens pretty much on my own. Okay, I am sore some days...like yesterday when I found early blight in my summer potatoes and had to pull them after a day crunched over weeding. With a rest and a stretchy swim I am fit and ready to go again today. My body is just right for me and my life. So to my big, beautiful, healthy, body that carries my soul through this wonder FULL life---I thank-you!

LOVE this SONG ~ especially for the highlighted lyrics!

Folding Chair

Regina Spektor

Come and open up your folding chair next to me
My feet are buried in the sand and there's a breeze
There's a shadow you can't see my eyes
And the sea is just a wetter version of the skies

Let's get a silver bullet trailer
And have a baby boy
I'll safety pin his clothes all cool
And you'll graffiti all his toys
I got a perfect body
But sometimes I forget
I got a perfect body
Cause my eyelashes catch my sweat
Oh
Oh

Now I've been sitting on this abandoned beach for years
Waiting for the salty water to cover up my ears
But every time the tide comes in to take me home
I get scared and I'm just sitting here alone
Dreaming of the dolphin song

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh Oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Maybe one day you will understand
That I want nothing from you
But to sweetly hold your hand
Til that day just please don't be so down
Don't make frowns
You silly clown

Just, come and open up your folding chair next to me
My feet are buried in the sand and there's a breeze
There's a shadow you can't see my eyes
And the sea is just a wetter version of the skies

There's a shadow you can't see my eyes
There's a shadow you can't see my eyes
Ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-eyes
Ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-eyes