Dinner guest(s) tonight: Mr. Eric Clapton, who brought his dear friend, Robert Johnson.  Thank you, Eric.

I tried to do a couple of things new today.  I wanted to paint you a picture of the horizons stretching 360 degrees around My Little House in the Desert.  I started at due north (give or take...) and walked around my house several times, trying to memorize some specific landmarks to help describe what it's like to just sit here on my patio...

Just sit...

Just sit.  And watch to sky, the mountains the sun, the shadows, the stillness of a beautiful desert afternoon. The wind decided that this Saturday was as good as any other day to take a day off.  Good for him/her. It was eerily still.  I had one of those goosebump-inducing moments like one I may have shared not too long after I moved into My Little House in the Desert, literally (shout out!) one year ago:

I was sitting out front (facing pretty much due south), watching the incredible purples and pinks move across the sky, when I heard what sounded like a duck.  (No, we don't have ducks out here...)  I turned to see two healthy looking ravens flying low and letting out a few verbal cues...  As they banked over the southwest corner of My Little House in the Desert, I heard that distinctive - nay, I should say I felt it! - whoosh, whoosh, whoosh as they glided by...

Whoosh...        Whoosh...             Whoosh...              

So cool.

So freaking cool.

So, I'll come back to the canvas and paint that picture for you momentarily, but I want to move on to the second new thing I tried to do today.  As I sat out front, I tried to be really, really still, to really focus on the here and now... To just let it all soak in...  I succeeded - for a brief few moments, at least - in just being. Just in the moment.

Tomorrow, I'm going to attend a yoga class for the first time.  I look forward to that.  I'm also going to add meditation to my routine.  I am ecstatic to say that my blood pressure readings have been incredible...  I have cut back on my meds and I continue to record readings around 120 over 70.  Routinely.  My resting heart rate is usually around 52-56.  I feel GREAT!!!!!

Tonight, I juiced.  Let's see:

Cucumber
Broccoli
Kale
Carrots
Beets
Strawberries
Ginger (accidental overdose - threw in the remainder instead of the knuckle I'd cut off...)  [Editor's note: Perhaps we shouldn't use the words 'accidental' and 'knuckle cut off' within such close proximity?]

So, where was I?  FEELING GREAT!!!  That's where I was - and am!

Today was a good, productive, day.  I made a nice breakfast (shout out to the Hoser!), I watched the Syracuse basketball team beat Miami, and the game was quite entertaining.  I watched a little golf from Torrey Pines.  {Side note: One of my best golfing days ever was playing Steele Canyon in the morning, then Torrey Pines North in the afternoon...  Good times!}

After that, I decided I'd go check the mail.  There was nothing of any consequence there, but at least the 4 mile round trip was invigorating.  (Shout out to Mrs. Bearden - I would have spelled 'invigorating' with an 'e' - would I have lost the spelling contest????)

- We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog for a rant.  Please stand by:

I need to hook up the wireless router that I bought myself at Christmas.  There is a fire crackling in the other room, and I'm in here with you, blogging.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I like you guys and all; but I could be enjoying this AND a nice, warm fire concurrently...

Hence-with, a to-do list for tomorrow:

1. Attend yoga.
2. Finish grades for my students and submit paperwork to my boss.
3. Set up router - see, it made number three on the list!!
4. Sort laundry (yes, some activities are more exciting than others... I get it!)
5. Clean off kitchen table
6. Do dishes
7. Blog
8. Get ready for big test on Monday.

I think I'm going to go enjoy the moment with my fire...  I just got a flick from Netflix, and I'm gonna check it out.  

Tomorrow's blog to-do list:

1. Describe the horizons surrounding My Little House in the Desert
2. Talk A LOT MORE about the big text on Monday - yes, it has my attention.

Tonight's closing is brought to you by Zaire:

"You were BY FAR my favorite teacher this year. I loved being in your class, you were always sooo funny, entertaining, kind, and FULL of energy.  I loved the way that you ran the classroom, and even though I was one of only three other juniors in the class, you always treated everybody as equals, and as if we were adults and not just students..."

Getting up, wiping away tears...  Thank you, Zaire; THANK YOU, everyone...

Keep reading.  I'm bound to come up with something good sometime!