2011 Ends!

Hello! and Happy New Year! Yes, its that time, a new year, a new beginning. It's also an even numbered year. If you look back on your own history, do you see a trend? I moved into my new house in jan 2010. I moved to arizona in 2008. I left my ex in 2004. I marred that same ex in 2000. I moved to Ohio in 1998, Quite the major life events in even years. Were they bad? no, not a one of them. So... what's up for this year? Right now, no plans in the works, but my heart hopes for just one thing...

It's been quite the week, very busy at work, which is typical and expected, but no less difficult in how much needs to be accomplished each day. I keep wondering if the intensity at work is causing the dreams/nightmares I've had this week. This last one, I had moved into an antique house, full of lovely antique furniture, big rooms, wood floors. The unfortunate part? I'd moved in with an ex. lol where is my head at??

It's 10:44 pm and I'll probably not make midnight - no one to stay up for... err... with. (oops slip of the finger... lol) My wish is that this new year brings each of you great things, happy moments and special memories!

HUGS to everyone!!

Holiday Reflections

It's a a very chilly morning here in the Valley of the Sun.. only 35.. and I'm snuggled under the covers, not wanting to get up. One of the more difficult things about Christmas being on a weekend is that I've had the whole weekend off. Which can be a nice thing, but when you're a working girl, that means weekends are normally spent doing the usual chores that need to get done in order to get through another work week.

I decided to reflect on things - or maybe things decided for me. I'm not a people person, and when I'm busy with a normal week, sans holidays and such, it works for me. I'm bombarded with people all day long at work; when I get home and have a few hours to myself, the last thing I want is more people. Granted, those would be people of my own choosing, not forced upon me. But that's for another day. It's just more difficult during the Holidays to endure solitude. Well meaning folks ask "What are you doing for Christmas?" and if you don't have a ready made comeback, or dare to tell them the truth, they look at you with pity or sadness. Don't feel bad for me, please. This is of my own choosing!

Being a Sunday, I will probably do my laundry for the week, and clean the house a bit. Perhaps work on some photography, and if I'm lucky -- and it warms up -- spend some time reading a good book in the warm desert sunshine.

I hope all of you enjoy your Holidays, spend time with family or loved ones, those who mean the most to you. Joyeux Noel!

Z`observations

What a stressed out week this has been. As I made my rounds, did my job, and generally got through all the hubbub of the week, I observed the following:

My son talks to himself. In the rigors of getting packed to spend Christmas with his sister and Dad, he was making a checklist out loud of the things he was sure to need. Cash. Wallet. ID. Phone. Charger. I chuckled to myself, because I know where he gets this from!!! hahaha

I worked with my Elvis today. Appears he went to see MI-3 and was impressed that the star, Tom Cruise, chose to wear the same frames, same glasses that he wears. Sadly, he doesn't look like Tom, for certain. *grin* Elvis also reminds me of the gal I used to have working for me; she loved to test every kind of perfume that came through my section. Seems Elvis has the same passion. Some days, I feel like I come home smelling like a $2 hooker. hahaha

Christmas Holiday time, and as I drove home in the twilight, I noticed that so many of the palm trees around here are decorated for the holidays... true, they're not Christmas trees, but they're what's here, and look cute all decorated up. And with times as hard as they are, people seem to be turning to other things for a little cheer .... and have decorated homes with lights. They're always so much fun to to see!

My eyes are tired, and sore, but tends to happen with the Christmas blues, and all the excitement of the season. The lack of sleep puts the emotions on edge, and it doesn't take much to set it off. :/ Some days, being a girl sux! (Ok, enough said, not gonna head down that path right now.)

Found the following quote to share with you:

Believe in love.
Believe in magic.
Hell, believe in Santa Clause.
Believe in others.
Believe in yourself.
Believe in your dreams.
If you don't, who will?

~Jon Bon Jovi

Silent Night

Ever have "one of those days" turn into "one of those weeks" ?? I'm betting you have; we all have at one time or another. I'm ready for December, crabby shoppers, impatient drivers, and tense co-workers, all to be over. Hurry up , January!

On the other hand, I am an avid music collector -- I love to browse youtube for some of the old songs that no one hears any more. How many remember SchoolHouse Rock? I love those little ditty's: "Conjunction Junction, what's your function?" and "I am a bill..." Ahh the Saturday morning memories that brings back. Or the Statler Brothers, "Christmas to Me". Go have a listen, browse a few tunes, see what you come up with! But the truly great find was a fav artist, Tom Waits, singing "Silent Night". His deep gravelly whiskey soaked voice makes the song have an emotion in it that some singers just don't find.

Silent Night, Holy Night.....
......Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

May your holidays be blessed! HUGS!

Dreams

They say dreams come true.
And while some do,
others don't.
and still others never will.

Trimmin' Trees

While the holidays are here, and most people spend time trimming their Christmas tree, today's tree trimming was of a different kind. When I bought my house, in the backyard is a palm tree that probably hasn't been taken care of years. It was my intention to have this "skirt" trimmed off long ago, but I never had the heart to take away what had become a bird 'sanctuary' of sorts. But I finally made a call, hired a local landscape company to come over and take care of it. Of course, it was my thought that it would be sometime during the week.... instead Tim called me and said "I can be there in an hour." Wow! service :)

They arrived with tools and ladders in hand, and began the process of removing all of this. However, it was much to thick to handle from the outside; they needed the climber to get up there. When he arrived with his special rope and spiked shoes, he shimmied up the tree with chainsaw flung over his shoulder, and began cutting a wide swath around the bottom of the skirt, turning it from 'knee length' to 'mini skirt' in short order!

It was quite the process to see this done, its amazing how much stays up in a palm tree, even after it dies. He told me it probably hadn't been trimmed in 6 years or so.

Desk Set

Last night, I crawled into bed and turned this movie on. When it comes to old movies, this is a classic. Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star in this romantic comedy about an office staff being replaced by a computer. Katherine's character has been in love with Mike for years. And he's the kind who assumes she will always be there for him. When he drops in unexpectedly, he finds her entertaining another man (Tracy) in her apartment! "We've known each other for what, six years?" he asks her. "Seven," she replies back. They exchange a few lines about their relationship, and he says "I'll see you tomorrow. Come to think of it, I won't, I'll be in Chicago." He kisses her cheek and heads back to his own busy portion of life.

During the company Christmas party, there's champagne and tipsy girls. With bottle of champagne in hand, Bunny waves it and says "This is for laughs..... and I've had a couple of laughs already!"

These "electronic brains" are replacing everyone; however, it doesn't go as planned. A few mishaps and the information that comes out is only as good as the humans who enter the data. When Mike comes waltzing back to see Bunny, carrying a beautiful box of roses, their conversation is interrupted by Tracy. There's a question that the computer needs to answer: "Should Bunny marry Mike?" The answer comes back "No." Of course, this movie has the proverbial happy ending.

And I cried myself to sleep.

Twists 'n Turns

One of the twists and turns of every day life are the little things that happen in a day. Today was one of those days where it was busy, stressful and chaotic at work. It was the last day to pick up layaway orders in my BigBox Store, and it was a madhouse the entire day. Orders couldn't be found, and people were stressing over it. *big breath* ok folks, no big deal, lets just take care of the customers! Yeah. I couldn't wait to get out of there!!

When I finally left, after an hour's overtime even, I was in my car, it was silent -- and the peace of no one speaking was terrific! An added bonus: it was sunny and 70 degrees. Definitely cheered me up --- until on the way home, I picked something up in my tire. I thought (or assumed) it was just a large rock stuck in the tread, but nope. It was something firmly lodged up in there. Now, I've known for a while I would need new tires; I've had my car 2 years, and put a few miles on it. I was hoping to make it for a little while longer. Lucky for me, I drove back to a different BigBox store location, and was able to get right in, and just as I predicted, they didn't want to repair it. So, after some looking around, he had two tires left that were part of the big Thanksgiving sale. 2 new tires, $160 all installed and ready to zip down the road :) Of course, the down side: I ended up back at the BigBox place for an extra hour on a day when I truly didn't want to be part of the crowds!!!!!
Some days, you just never know :)

HUGS to everyone!

don't ask, don't tell

The worst thing you can do is tell me a lie. One lie leads to another. But eventually, the lies that create a "house of cards" tends to crumble at some point. And that hurt is worse than anything else, at least for me.

I have had my shares of lies over the years. Two different marriages to men who cheat, and then tell all the lies that go with the cover-up have taken their toll on my trust and faith in males. While I still try and maintain my faith and trust in people, its not as strong as it used to be. I've been working on it, but it takes an effort, for sure.

While its easy to think about and take the path that involves the whole "whoa is me why did they all cheat on me what's wrong with me" train of thought, the point for today are lies. I guess the biggest question, and the reason for the title, is if you don't ask, and they don't tell, is it a lie? Is omitting information a lie? Or avoiding a topic altogether? Or the answer of "not now" without further explanation, without a reason why its not now? Or is a lie the giving of false information, hence nothing given, nothing lied about? dictionary.com defines lie as: a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth. With that definition in mind, omissions are not really lies. However, Wikipedia adds this under Lying by Omission: a lie by omission occurs when an important fact is left out in order to foster a misconception. Lying by omission includes failures to correct pre-existing misconceptions.

With those definitions in mind, its all about finding balance. And boundaries. Limits even. And maybe a little boldness in asking questions, even if one isn't going to like the answer. Someone who avoids talking about an issue, a problem, a question asked of them, usually has some reason, something they don't want others to know. But dammit, when that's the case, a female's logic and reasoning goes over the top, and imagines all sorts of things. Maybe he has horns growing out of his head, or an extra toe on each foot, his sister is married to his ex wife's brother, his mother is really his aunt...................... well, you get the idea.

confuzzled

Is confuzzled a word? Not according to Webster, but the Urban dictionary says its : a combination of being confused and puzzled, not knowing what the fuck is goin on. So my vote is in: I think that's a great word! Not to be mixed up, however, as in Con-Fuzzled - the convention of fuzzy furry ..... well. Let's not go there!!

When I get to feeling confuzzled about things going on (or not going on) in my life, I tend to ... avoid. Sometimes its just easier to let the feelings pass than it is to try and figure them out, or worse, to try and do anything about them. In that way, I spent the day doing busy work and chores. I decorated my Christmas tree, I dived through the boxes of decorations I've accumulated over the years. I played with my new camera, I got my laundry caught up for the week, cleaned the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. Whew. Now its time to sit down and get caught up with *me* again. There's a pot of stew simmering on the stove for dinner, and it smells delicious! The sun is just beginning to sink in the sky, and I'm ready to start the work week over again. (Ugh, though. Some time off would be awesome!)

Back to being confuzzled. Or not. I started this post on Saturday, but found it difficult to continue with my thought. So now its Tuesday, and usually I get a good morning message on my phone from his yahoo messenge, or something within the day. Today, nothing. Which made me worry, of course. But even still, if there's something.... The confuzzling part ... if love and trust go hand in hand, what's the reason for not making it a real txt, phone to phone?

Ahh the little pieces of a confuzzled puzzle.

When? Quando? När?

What is it about the word WHEN ? (In English, Italian or Swedish, its still the same word!)

Everyone wants to know when something is going to happen, or when it already happened. We're awfully concerned with time. I know for myself, its more important to know when now, because lets face it, my number of when's are growing shorter every day!

I have a "when" thing in my own head, and I keep wondering... 'when?' ??
In all honesty, I've had to quit asking when.
Because time marches on, without a when on the horizon.

Sometimes, I think about "when" as a light at the end of the tunnel ... you might see it in the distance, but even though its going to take a while to get there, you at least know it will! In my own "quando" scenario, there's no light yet. And I guess its time I asked myself: without a "when" in my future, am I really living? I'd have to admit to myself that I'm not living as fully as I should. With a little bit of research, I came up with the same thing they say about happiness. It's not a goal, it won't happen after *this* or after *that*, we can't wait until some unreachable goal is reached before we find our happiness, before we have our 'when'.

This is life.
All we have is today. Now.
There may not be a tomorrow.
Don't live with regrets.

confuzzled

Is confuzzled a word? Not according to Webster, but the Urban dictionary says its : a combination of being confused and puzzled, not knowing what the fuck is goin on. So my vote is in: I think that's a great word! Not to be mixed up, however, as in Con-Fuzzled - the convention of fuzzy furry ..... well. Let's not go there!!

When I get to feeling confuzzled about things going on (or not going on) in my life, I tend to ... avoid. Sometimes its just easier to let the feelings pass than it is to try and figure them out, or worse, to try and do anything about them. In that way, I spent the day doing busy work and chores. I decorated my Christmas tree, I dived through the boxes of decorations I've accumulated over the years. I played with my new camera, I got my laundry caught up for the week, cleaned the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. Whew. Now its time to sit down and get caught up with *me* again. There's a pot of stew simmering on the stove for dinner, and it smells delicious! The sun is just beginning to sink in the sky, and I'm ready to start the work week over again. (Ugh, though. Some time off would be awesome!)

Back to being confuzzled. Let's face it, girls, men are just confuzzling as all get out. They seem to have their own reasons, their own ways and reason it all out in their own funny ways as to how it should be. At least, in their minds. I think that as women, we have trouble understanding it. Not the process or the reasoning, maybe its more that men, in general, don't talk about how they got from point A to point B -- they're just happy to have made the trip. Us gals, we like to talk about how we got there, why we went one way and not the other, and maybe even counted flowers along the way, just because they were there!

Some of you men may be chuckling right about now, and thinking that women are just as confuzzling as we think you are. We definitely think about things in different ways, even when we end up in the same place after the end of the trip getting there.

By now you're wondering "Is there a point to this diatribe?" Yes. It's still about being confused. It's still about trying to figure out what's what. And it's still about loving someone in a way that doesn't fit the mold that the world has set. And within that, needing to find my way in the maze of this thing that is a relationship. The most difficult part is being female, and wanting-- or needing -- to talk it out with someone who understands. But unless you've experienced this type of relationship, its very difficult to understand all the little reasons and intricacies ....

So far, I know two distinct things:
I love him, he's my best friend.
And my day doesn't feel complete if we don't touch base for some conversation.
And backgammon. :)

Tangled!

Why is love such a tangle? It seems to me that while some moments may seem clear, full of clarity, there are so many others that are all tangled, jumbled, and at times, hard to decipher. Of course, there's the "good" kind of tangled as well -- tangled in sheets, for example :)

Love is never easy. Women and men think differently about it; musicians sing about it, poets write about it, but in general, people live it. But it seems everyone has their own version of it. What works for some, doesn't work for others. I believe I am the same way: I have a version that works for me, and doesn't seem to fit in with the world's version in some ways. Not to bore you with details, I just draw that conclusion because I'm not male, but I don't think like many of my female acquaintances either. I guess I'm out of the stereotypical range. Which can be good. But I digress.

I love him. I have never met him, but I love him just the same. (In previous blogs, I have referred to him as Prof) We have had a long friendship of words. But that is the extent of it. I know that by standards, most people's or the media, our relationship isn't normal. I've tried explanations to a work friend, but the answers and feedback I get are all about how the world assumes a relationship ought to progress, so none of the advice suits the situation. I guess that's the best way to put it.

I'm sure someone in a psychiatric field would tell me that I should be putting myself first, to love myself enough to stop what they might call 'destructive behavior' (in its worst case scenario type language) or to stop 'enabling' (in the lovely jargon they use from time to time). Maybe another label they might put on it would be "co-dependent", as we are both ... hmmm... habitual in our want and need to chat with each other on a daily basis.

You're probably asking all kinds of 'why' questions, or maybe wondering how this all came about. damn. now I lost my train of thought. But mostly, your own questions will follow the usual paths of how things "should be". Believe me when I say that I've tried to break the habit, to ease back; I've tried to reason with myself, find other things, try real dating. Surely there are nice men out there. Somewhere. But damned if I know where. And when I chance coming across one who might be interested enough, and interesting enough .... eh. Just not interested.

I've come across many men whom I love, have loved, still love -- not with passion, more with the kind that says I care enough about you to want the best for you every day. But back to my original point: no matter our take on love, and its many different aspects, to each his own. We all have different needs and reasons for feeling like we do. And that includes love.... Why we love. How we love. Who we love. I will always love you, Prof.

changes in attitude

Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes,
nothing remains quite the same,
with all of our running and all of our cunning,
if we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane

That's the chorus of one of Jimmy Buffet's songs. As I sit here in my bed, pondering this line, I can't help but wonder what's next for me? I started this blog without a direction, and kept the personal stuff on the minimal side. But what good is it if I can't use it for some of the personal stuff as well? I was asked tonight about some of the things going on, and its like there's all these thoughts in my head, and no one to tell them to, no where to go with them.

Is life too complex to break it down into bits and pieces, to put logic to things that seem to have no logic? I like to think I'm more logical than the next gal. Or maybe that I'm not as emotional as the gal next to me. Or maybe its more that I hide the emotional, not letting it rule my life, letting it make my decisions. Or at least, influence my decisions.

So. what does a gal do when there's a dilemma, and its complicated? Pick it apart and try for some logic? Who's logic, which logic, the world's logic? Again, more complications. But I'm definitely at some kind of crossroads, and trying to find my way, muddle through this thing called 'my life'.

What's the bottom line? I guess that would be wondering where to draw the line. Or for that matter, wondering where the line is. *sigh* Talk about a mixed up, tangled up mess in my head. Today's question: Is the suggestion of watching old movies a distraction?

Hell-i-days err Holidays!

Errr, I mean, Holidays (I think). It's that time of year that most people who work any kind of retail must begin to hate with a passion, if they've been at it for any length of time. It means year after year of stresses and way too much to do; it means that vacation plans aren't something we can look forward to; the thought of shopping is.... well, let's not even think about that! And it means that it takes a great deal of effort to make the one day away from our retail environment have any kind of meaning.

This is my 11th Hell-i-day season in retail, and while it was easier during the first few years, or maybe it was the excitement, or maybe retail has changed that much over time. Years ago, when something was on special for customers, we opened one of the items up, put it on display; because I worked in household goods, it meant I got to be creative with how I displayed that item, perhaps creatively putting out a place setting of a set of dishes. Ahh the fun days!!

Lately, I've noticed more and more its just put it on a shelf, hope it sells really fast, so you can just put out something different on the shelf, no display, no creativity, no creating a look, a theme, giving a store some personality. Of course, personality takes time, and time is money, and that's what retail is based on .... money. The bottom line. Pretty sad, in this woman's opinion.

But lately, what makes the Hell-i-day bearable is spending time with people you love; making time for being creative on your own; finding a way to stay sane during the most insane time of year. For me, that means exploring new ways to take pictures, new forms of painting, definitely some reading of favorite authors, and watching classic movies. Last night, my bestest friend and I watched a double feature of Doris Day: Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back. I think those have to be my all time favorite movies, I love the elegance she has about her, even when she's crying her eyes out. *smiles*

Now that my kids are grown, every year I tell myself I'm not going to put up a tree. Or decorate. I did put a wreath on my door already. Working in retail, I always wait until a sale to pickup things I need, but this year, I just had to have a wreath that came out .... mostly pine cones with a few red berries mixed in. The flowery kind, or the evergreen kind, all look a little out of place here in the Valley of the Sun. This one is perfect for me :) But ... here it is, a Saturday away from work, and I'm going to get up, dig out the tree, put a big pot of home made stew on to simmer, throw "Christmas Vacation" into the DVD player, and dig out the box of ornaments. And attempt to create a feel of Christmas, even if its only for a few short days.

May you have
the gladness of Christmas which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas which is peace;
The heart of Christmas which is love.
~Ada V. Hendricks

Anniversary!

Two years ago today, I became part of the "American Dream " and purchased my own home. It's not the best, the biggest, but its perfect -- for me. :) I feel as if I'm one of the lucky ones, able to do this on my BigBox store salary. Many of you have heard it before, but I always said in my 20s, 30s, and 40s, that I would own my own house by the time I'm 50. I turned 50 in July, bought it in December, two years ago!

Just a couple before/after pictures for comparison:

It's become a haven, a project, a home. And while I know there are many more things to be done, I look forward to every little project that I begin (and sometimes don't finish for a long time!! hahahahha)

HUGS to everyone!

All I want.....

Christmas is the time when there's a big emphasis on what people want. They sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." or "All I want for Christmas is you." But is the holiday all about the things we're going to get?? Or the things we buy for others this time of year?

With each passing year, I find it harder and harder to get into the Christmas spirit. When we're young, of course, its time spent with parents and traditions. We marry and have young ones of our own and we try to carry on some of the old traditions along with making new ones. Of course, there's always the buying of gifts, but it seems the things we do together are the more important things that are remembered later in life.

This year, I'm 52 years young, and alone. My job means I work so many hours during the holidays that finding time for the real things gets harder as I get older, and all I wish is for the holidays to be over. It becomes very difficult to get in the holiday spirit when all you want for Christmas is to have the time, and to spend that time with family and loved ones.

But if I could have just one wish........
it would be a real live hug.

Enjoy your holidays, everyone! Don't get caught up in the frenzy; make time for the people who are important to you.... including yourself!

HUGS to everyone!

Time (And Elvis!)

Time: Our most precious commodity in this crazy busy thing we call life. Welcome to my "hell-i-day" season. This is the first two days in a row I've had off since the start of October. And it was my hope, my plan, to get caught up on the things that get pushed out of the way when life is so busy. I'm sure you can relate .. you come home from tired from work, and rather than spending the hour or two it takes to get something done completely, you do the bare minimums to keep the household running until you have more time. Take vacuuming for instance. Sure, zip the vacuum around on the places where everyone walks, but you don't take the time to move the chairs, vacuum the baseboards, that sort of thing. Everything gets a quick wipe down and you're ready to fall into bed, relax with a book, catching up with friends, or (say it isn't so!) zoning in front of the TV. 

 Even the best intentions, the best plans, can get side tracked with one little phone call. My daughter was taken ill and went to the ER on Friday, so of course I had to drive down and make sure for myself that she was ok. The drive down was uneventful, and I got a few really good pix of the sunrise. I left early enough that I could also catch my granddaughter's soccer game (Smurfettes lost, 1-3), but its so much fun to watch!! The drive back was a little rough -- it rained hard, the wind blew hard, and visibility in some places was down to half mile or so. I really hate driving behind trucks, all that water spitting up off their tires and onto my windshield! But it did me good to check on my daughter for myself. Now I'm just crossing my fingers for her doctor appointment on Monday that all goes well..... :) 

 Last Sunday when I worked, my BigBox store was having a Santa for pictures with the kids. And I didn't know it, but they were taking my Elvis for the position! This thought had me laughing my ass off, try and picture it with me: Jolly Old Santa in his typical red suit, white beard, black boots, wide black belt. We all know that picture. But Elvis needs his glasses, of course. Large white angular ultra modern frames, with transition lenses that always look as if he's wearing sunglasses .... (even in the deep dark recesses of the claims cage!) and sporting his tennis shoes with the neon blue soles. If I hadn't had to hang around for another two hours after my shift ended to see it, I would have gotten a picture... because a picture paints a thousand words! Suffice it to say .... "Whoa!" hahahaha 

 A slice of the craziness in my so called life. I'm wishing all of you a wonderful Holiday season, whatever that is for you. Use your time wisely -- you will never have this moment back!

HUGS to everyone!!

Flowers

I am not a hot-house flower
who needs to be tended
several times a day.

I am more like a cactus
standing tall and proud
needing sun and water
to continue to grow.

Without water or sun
I can exist on my own.
for a time.

but signs of distress
begin to appear
after a time of neglect.

And that's how it is
with your love.

©L.Danielson.Poetry 2011

Today's Thought

Trust and honesty go hand in hand
in all aspects of life
but even more so in a relationship

there isn't one without the other
and when one part is missing....

is it time to let go and move on?

I matter !

At some point,

I have to say,

to believe,

that I am worthy,

that I am important,

that my feelings matter.

I MATTER!!

Letting Go

Ever had a sense that something you thought is.... isn't?
Or that something you thought would
or could happen... never does?

i have a lot of patience
and tend to see things in different ways.
i try not to live my life
by the world's standards,
but by my own.
most of the choices i make are uniquely my own.
sadly, expectations we have now are more learned than anything else
and the media, authority figures and friends have a lot of input into
just what we expect in certain things.

take relationships.
what we know of them,
how we feel about them,
is something we've learned over the years,
based on a lot of input from other sources than just ourselves.

When I look back on my life,
being married three times already,
i like to think that i've had my turn
and i don't need to have another man in my life.
while that's true about 75% of the time
a part of me wants
to have someone in my life,
a companion,
someone to share
the little things,
small joys,
little triumphs,
and the sorrows
that happens as well.

i had an image in my head
about sharing my life with someone
i regard as very special to me.
but when do you let go of a dream
that never moves from "square one"?

Lately, the image in my mind,
isn't as clear as it once was.

And there's a great deal of sadness
in letting go.

Wearin' Hats

How many different hats do us women wear in a lifetime? Plenty, for sure. Wife, Mom, Housekeeper, Referee, Cook, Lover, Social Secretary.... its no wonder our lives are confusing. Not only do we wear a lot of different hats, we need to be able to switch them in an instant, depending on what's going on around us.

And lately, I've been thinking a lot about the hats I've worn in the past. And now that my kids are grown, and I'm single, there aren't as many hats to be wearing at the moment. Do I miss them? No way! Well, ok, in some ways I do. With so many hats, a woman feels needed, for sure.

But when we move into the "golden years" (ack, I'm not that old yet!!!!!!!), we have a tendency to look back, to wonder about the hats we used to wear, and what hats will be ours now? and into the future?? One of the things I've noticed, or maybe its wondered, about myself is related to the hats I've worn, and seem to still be wearing. Most of you know I've been married and divorced three times. And yes, every now and then there's an occasion to hear about an ex, and I can't help but think to myself: "I had a hand in making him into the man he is now." No, I'm not trying to be a braggart and think that I took a lump of coal and turned him into a diamond! (lol) But I like to think that each is a better man for having known me. If nothing else, each of them learned a few good things from me, I'm sure. But ... the point I'm trying to make, or to reason out in my head, is that maybe that's a role meant for me: to bolster up, to encourage, to help men grow into who they're supposed to be.

Recently, I came into contact with someone across country who also works for a BigBox store. He hasn't been happy in his position, and hasn't been able to grow or move beyond the slot his store put him in. Rather than try to sway the minds that already seem made up, I encouraged him to try another store. And just recently, it happened; he'll be transferring to a new store, hopefully with better people who are willing to see his talents.

There are other men I've come in contact with as well - who didn't turn into husbands, but still seemed to gain from being friends. Mind you, its not a one way street, I gain just as much, I'm quite certain.

Anyways, just me, pondering on the roles I've had, the roles I am currently in, and the roles of my future and whatever it holds. Whatever hats you're wearing, don't grumble too much... you may miss them when they're gone!

hatty HUGS to everyone!

One Drop

a tear fell today
trickled down my cheek
and washed away a little pain
one drop at a time

like rains that caress
and shape the mountains,
a tear shapes and eases my hurt
one drop at a time

a tear fell today
sliding slowly down my face
and takes a small piece of hope
one drop at a time

like streams that trickle
moving rock down mountainsides
pieces of hope tumble away
one drop at a time

i know there will come a day
when pain is gone, hope returns
and my tears slow down
one drop at a time

©L.Danielson.Poetry

Elvis and Cap'n Jack!

I took a couple nights off from blogging, because my entire world lately has been all about the BigBox -- holidays and such. Ugh. So just a few things to update you on. First... I've spent all week training "Elvis" in my department, and its been quietly amusing for me. So far, he's wore a different pair of glasses and different pair of shoes every day. I was SO tempted to try for a picture -- but I didn't want him to be able to confirm just how odd I can be! *snickers*

But today was an even bigger laugh..... This morning, he came in as usual, wearing jeans, tee (and accessories of course!). Lunch time came around, and he left for his hour. When he came back??? He was wearing shorts!! Along with his glasses and shoes of course! and grey socks. When I walked in and saw it, I had to bite my tongue very hard to keep from laughing! Of course, I shared with Helen, my gal pal at work. Another one of the gals, when she noticed this, snuck over and whispered to me "I thought he was wearing his boxers when I saw him!" We laughed together over that!!

This evening after work, I popped into Lowe's, our local hardware store, picked up a few needed whatnots and then looked over the plant selection, picked up three bushes and a couple more cactus. I'm a sucker for them when they give them names like Lolita, or Red Headed Irishman. *grin* Hopefully, they'll have time to grow, get established before we get any frost type weather.

Yesterday, I brought Johnny Depp home with me!! He had to sit in the backseat of my car, however, as his dagger was jabbing me as I tried to drive! In my BigBox store, we had a lifesize cutout of Johnny as Captain Jack... quite detailed picture, so I got to bring him home. *grin* It was the funniest thing to tell my mother I was bringing Johnny Depp home --- "WHO?" hahahaha

Life's pretty good, and why wouldn't it be?
I'm a pirate, after all!!

Hope everyone has had a really great week,
and is looking forward to the holidays!

HUGS to everyone!

Lady in Waiting

For Christmas, my daughter got me this vintage victorian style dress form. And my first thought was "what will I do with this?" Its SO cute , and it totally suits me and my bedroom decor. I ended up putting it right near my bathroom mirror, and now I use it as my jewelry storage. Every day, I get to pick and choose from pieces of jewelry that are right at my fingertips -- no digging through some dish on the dresser. Instead, things are hanging right there, ready to try on with my latest outfit. (OK, maybe its overkill to try and match jewelry to my work uniform!) But I have all this neat stuff to wear, and never wore it often enough -- I didn't want it to get ruined at work. But why have it if I'm not going to enjoy it???

Life is too short not to enjoy some of the nice things we have. Rather than saving them up for some special occasion (that may or may not happen), why not enjoy them every single day?

A Good Day

Today was one of those really good days, and I'm not sure why or what made it so good. Could it be the change in my vitamins? Perhaps. It'd be nice to think those were actually doing me some good!

Work went well, went quick, and I accomplished a lot. Those are usually the good kind of days for me; after work I took a nap for an hour, then got up and got very busy working on my house as well, catching up on all those chores that when you're tired you say "I'll do later...." and later... well, it gets pushed back more and more sometimes. I also got loads of paperwork done as well, and gosh, now I'm lost as to what to do next! I guess relax and read a little bit, that'd be fine with me!

For those of you wondering how to have your own good day, I found this tidbit here:

1. Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
2. Look at the sunny side of everything.
3. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.
4. Be as enthusiastic about success of others as you are about your own.
5. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
6. Give everyone a smile.
7. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.

~Christian D Larsen

With that being said.... I hope your tomorrow is a good one!

Good Day HUGS to everyone!

Dream Catcher

Yesterday I was doing a little shopping, and found a set of jangle bracelets for myself, five for $5 - couldn't pass them up! I also found a dream catcher. I've been eying them off and on for some time now, but most seemed to be colored - perhaps to match bedroom color schemes - but to me they didn't look like they should. When I saw this one, I just had to have it.

Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams both good and bad. The dream catcher when hung over or near your bed swinging freely in the air, catches the dreams as they flow by. The good dreams know how to pass through the dream catcher, slipping through the outer holes and slide down the soft feathers so gently that many times the sleeper does not know that he/she is dreaming. The bad dreams not knowing the way get tangled in the dream catcher and perish with the first light of the new day.

Here is a story about the history of the Dream Catcher, which I found on the web courtesy of DreamCatcher.org

Long ago when the word was sound, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and searcher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life, how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.

But, Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, in each time of life there are many forces, some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you. So these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony of Nature. While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.

When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will filter your good ideas and the bad ones will be trapped and will not pass.

This is the dream catcher

I hung over my bed....

and it must have worked,

I had a really good dream last night :)

dreamy HUGS to everyone!

Choices

“If you limit your choices
only to what seems possible or reasonable,
you disconnect yourself
from what you truly want,
and all that is left is compromise.”

~Robert Fritz

Just a short quote today, its been a long week; time is flying by and yet, there are moments when it feels as if its all standing still. I hope your week was better than mine was.

tired HUGS to everyone!

One of those days!

Ever have one of those days
where you get to the end of your day
and feel like you've run out of things to say??

Today feels like one of those days.

What was supposed to be a light work day
turned out to be one of the harder working
days than ever! The kind where every time
you turn around
someone
is bringing more
for you to do.

And I thought I'd get to leave early today. HA!

Here's hoping that the rest of the week is a downhill slide from here!

HUGS to everyone!

Lingerie

Just a short thought today, as I slipped into a nightgown after my evening shower, and found myself thinking about the ones I have tucked inside a drawer. I confess, I have a penchant for lingerie: nighties, silky robes, bras and panties, stockings, even fuzzy slippers!

Lingerie can be a woman's best friend! There is nothing like the feeling you get when you're dressed the best --- underneath your clothes!!! When you slip into a pair of panties that make you feel extra sensual, it shows on the outside (and I bet makes people wonder what your secret is!!) Wearing the correct things underneath our clothes doesn't always have to be the practical or utilitarian type any longer. So many undergarments are both sexy and useful. And even five pounds can make a difference in how a bra, or those scanty panties, fit. Even if your budget doesn't allow for a drawer full of matching sensual sets, there's always room for one or two sets for those special occasions - or when your spirit needs a lift!

Without even realizing it, are you wearing next to your skin, which protects your heart and your soul, garments that make you feel less than gorgeous? If so, I think it's time to go shopping!

scanty HUGS to everyone!

Silence is Golden

“Silence, I discover,

is something

you can actually hear.”
― Haruki Murakami,

Kafka on the Shore

Silence is a source

of great strength.

~Lao Tzu

After a long day at work,I enjoy coming home and relaxing in my rocking chair, watching the world go by outside my window, the only sound is the creaking noise my old chair makes as I rock back and forth, letting the silence surround and soothe me.

There are quite a few quotes about silence:

Silence is Golden

silence is golden, duct tape is silver

A man is known by the silence he keeps

Silence is like a river of grace
inviting us to leap unafraid into its beckoning depths.

But no matter what your favorite quote about silence is, there's just nothing like a little silence, and solitude, in order that we may stop and listen to our own thoughts. In a conversation with a friend, he said "everything in nature has a pulse, and it's something we need to feel". I think we all need to slow down, to stop and stay quiet for a while, enjoy the silence, and listen to the pulse of nature around us.

silent, soothing HUGS to everyone!

howling coyotes

Sunday is the usual day for chores - and that includes grocery shopping. Never my favorite chore, for sure, as I'm not much of a shopper. I'm more the kind who has 'the basics' memorized for a location, and can shop -- zip, zip, zip -- up and down all the aisles and be done in 20 minutes. But most times, I take my son with me, and sometimes we shop - the real kind of shopping, where you look at new things, old things, clearance things.

Today, for some reason, I felt like I should go check out the cactus in my BigBox store. Which I don't normally do on a grocery trip, cuz dirt and food doesn't mix so well! But. I went out among the fall flowers and saw this concrete coyote and thought, man, I just gotta HAVE THAT! *hehehe* Took it to the register to check the price, it had an original sticker of $32 on it. But it was the last one, and they thought it had been marked down at one time. So, she suggested $10, so I took it!! reallllly fast. Some days, you just can't pass up a bargain!

When I got home, I had my son put it on the fence for me,
I wanted an awesome picture of it!
Now I'll have to give him a name - any suggestions?
he can guard my yard for me!

... I wonder if he'll keep neighborhood cats out??

HUGS to everyone!!

R&R Saturday

Today was the first Saturday, the first weekend day in fact, in a very long time where I didn't have to get up for any reason, nothing planned, nothing necessary on the agenda. It was really nice to be able to lounge around, read a book, play a little computer game or two, read some more, all the while huddled under the covers on a chilly fall morning. (well, chilly by desert standards!)

Then 8am arrived, and I knew it was time to get up. *hahaha* I'm an early morning riser, so lounging til 8, that's an extra 3 hours!! I can't say that I overdid myself regarding the usual weekend chores. We had a storm roll through last night, chilled us off, left us with some rain, and cleaning the yard when its still wet and muddy just wasn't going to be on my list.

So I decided to try a new photo editing program, Gimp. Like it fairly well; and thanks to my best friend, learned a lot about layering things, which is only one of the many many features it has. Plus its free :) Check out what I was able to do with my photo:

gotta love the before and after shots of something :)

Here's hoping that no matter what was on your agenda for today, that you enjoyed yourself, and found time to get some of your own well needed R&R as well!

HUGS to everyone!

Pocket Change

The weather turned cool here in the Valley of the Sun, and early this morning I slipped into a jacket, stuck my hand in the pocket and found treasure! It's always a nice surprise when you wear a fav pair of pants, or a coat that's been put away for a while and come up with some kind of pocket change!

Today, however, it wasn't pocket change, but a seashell collected at the beach in June when I visited with my granddaughter. I folded my fingers around it, closed my eyes, and imagined I was standing at the ocean's edge again, the soft rippling foam at my feet, the roar of the waves as they rolled in, every now and then, a seagull's cry in the distance.

Sometimes, its the little things, the little moments in time that give us the greatest pleasure when we look back at them. Have you checked your pockets today?

HUGS to everyone!

51 Days and Counting

There's a hint of magic......

.....when Christmas is in the air.

If you've been to any stores lately, you know that Holiday decorations are up already. They were experimenting with holiday songs in my BigBox store today -- and I'm so happy there isn't a speaker near where I work!! Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays, but ... 8 hours a day from now til then? Just a little overkill, if you ask me.

Today after work, I happened to see this wreath, and bought it. Here in the Valley of the Sun, an evergreen garland with poinsettia's on it looks a little out of place. This one seemed to suit me just fine -- not too fooo fooo or fussy :)

HUGS to everyone!

Love Yourself!

"Love is an art,
like music, dance,
or painting pictures.
It thrives on light,
and imagination, and daring.
The heart of the lover
learns wisdom
from a stone,
a song,
a blossom,
a breeze."
~Rainier Maria Rilke

Just a quick posting tonight, sharing a quote I found about love. One of the things I'm learning about love is it's harder to love ourselves than it is to love someone else. We're so accustomed to being taught how to love someone else, that we forget that in order to be loved, we need to love ourselves as well. Sometimes we need to let the world around us go on, while we take a moment to gather our thoughts and get to know our self again. When was the last time you gave yourself a treat, just because you're you? As women, especially women with kids, we're often prone to putting ourselves last, and frankly, if we don't take care of our own needs, will there be enough of us to go around to fulfill the other needs in our life?

Indulge in that sinfully luscious chocolate truffle, have champagne and caviar for breakfast every now and then. Try some favorite tunes, and sing along as if you're the star! Cameron Tuttle suggests:

"Whisper sweet nothings into the air,
then spin around really fast
to catch them in your ear."

What a lovely way to hear those things we need to hear!

Make time for you, love yourself, even if only for a moment today!

Loving HUGS to everyone!

Art, for lack fo a better word

Modern Art? some kind of Zen? Feng Shui?
I'm not sure what category one would put this under.....

Today, after work, I sat in my lounge chair and relaxed while reading a book, sipping a Diet Coke (helps with the stress!). Afterwards, I watered my cacti and puttered around, picking up stray leaves and palm pieces, general tidying up of the yard. In between, I was keeping an eye on the clouds in the sky as the sun set in the west, hoping for a great picture or two. (I got my wish!)

Last thing before heading into the house, I arranged some limbs against one of my walls. The wind tends to blow them down, but its fun to re-arrange them! It comes out different every time, and it can be very soothing to set them, balance them, and make them look interesting, all at the same time. Since the word 'art' seems to encompass all kinds of things, I'm going to call it that too. And pretend there was a little "zen" to it as well, since it made me feel relaxed, and good. *smiles* Give 'art' a try sometime, it might surprise you, too!

Art-sy HUGS to everyone!

Happy Halloween!

An uneventful year in this household -- with grown kids and a granddaughter who lives in another town -- well, its just not the same as when there are young ones in the home. It is, however, a good time for the old ones to feel like young ones... if only for a few hours!

Today was the first time Halloween fell on a working day for me

at my BigBox store. And in good faith, and traditions from my

other stores in the past, I decided to go all out and dress up.
I was a cowgirl - Boots, jeans, belt, navy polo, vest,
lots of silver jewelry, and of course, The Hat. *grins*
Several joked with me: "You can take the gal outta the country,
but you can't take the country outta the gal."
Which is oddly true enough, and as life would have it, it sure didn't
feel much like a "costume" used to make you feel as a kid.
By the way, do you recall your favorite costume as a kid?
I loved wearing a navy uniform back then!

YEE HAW!

But the oddest part for me was that no one else - NO ONE - dressed up for Halloween in my store today. And we had a visit from higher ups touring our store today, as well. And I wondered to myself if they just assumed that I dressed this way every day, since no one else was dressed up??? *chuckles softly* I never mind being the strange one, but today for some reason I noticed it more.

Cowgirl HUGS to everyone!!

The Hat

Memories are a funny thing; so are the things we hold on to because of memories. Today, I took down and cleaned my cowgirl hat. I have a thing for hats, and have many hanging on my wall, but tomorrow, I will be a cowgirl for work, so I needed to dust the ol' cowboy hat off.

And I got to thinking about the day I got that hat. It was the early 80s, a time of Urban Cowboys and such. I worked for a forklift dealership, in the service department, and many of the men were my friends. We'd stop at 4th Street Bowl for drinks after work at least once a week. I was in my very early 20s, and the men seemed to look out for me as if I were a younger sister. One of my favorites was Ed. He was so very handsome, looking a lot like a blonde Kenny Rogers. He was very personable, and fun to be around. After work, he took me to a local western wear store, and we tried on hats. I ended up getting a black hat, that fits my head perfectly. I wore it proudly for years, especially to the bar with "my boys". A few weeks after I got the hat, Ed gave me a band of blue and yellow feathers to put on it. Those disintegrated since then. I added the bandana today. It's been sat on, stomped on, had a beer bath, walks in the rain, the sun, the wind. And it still looks great :)

Ahhh the memories!!
To Ed Cameron, Roger Tauscher, Bill Huckell, Jim Hackler,
you were my special buddies back then,
and I miss our times together!
I hope all of you are doing well, wherever you are!

Ahh, Saturday

Today is my first day off in 13 days .... I'm tuckered, but didn't get to sleep in. It was the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, so up early, and out at Tempe Beach Park for a 3 mile walk with thousands of other people as well. My store is a sponsor, along with other local companies and radio stations. I posted a bunch of pictures here if you want to take a look. I've tried to look online to see how many folks actually attend our local event, but it seems a bit hard to track the numbers, given the openness of the park.

Team Walmart has raised $93,712 (not sure if that's the local number, or national number) and I'm proud to work for a company that supports causes such as this. "The Making Strides event is not a race; it is a celebration of survivorship, an occasion to express hope, and a shared goal to end a disease that threatens the lives of so many people we love. When you raise funds for a Making Strides event, you're helping create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays."

I have to admit, I came home, got a few chores done, then tumbled into bed for a nap -- which lasted two hours! Obviously, I needed the rest. And now?? I feel a few overused muscles letting me know I did something different today! But I'm getting things done around the house that have been set aside while I'm in the middle of this work "debacle". *laughs*

Tired, happy HUGS to everyone!

Elvis???

At my BigBox store, we get all kinds of customers, and employees. I'm sure most of you have seen one of those "people" websites....

In my store, we have a guy ... while I'm not too sure about his .... well, let's leave that one alone. He's about 55 years old, and a couple of years ago, he lost some weight. He looks pretty good for an older guy; and although he walks on his tiptoes, that's not the oddest thing. For some reason, about three months ago, he started collecting glasses. Every day it's a different pair. They're not just sunglasses, they're transition lens glasses, very modern looking, or maybe its more space age looking! I swear, he must have 30 different pairs, and then has regular sunglasses as well. Not only does he wear a different pair every day, all day long inside our store; he changes them when he takes his lunch as well. Is this a new fashion kind of thing??

Today, it was the white pair, and my friend and I chuckled and teased. It's rather amusing to see someone of that age walking around as if he's the latest, greatest Mr. Cool. :)

Elvis is in the building!!!

Blogging Miscellany...

The goal was to blog every day in October - and it's been a stretch for me to keep up with, given the events going on in my world. Work has been crazy busy; because training a person can be so intense, I've put in a LOT of hours this week -- close to 56 -- and everyone knows my BigBox store doesn't allow overtime very often!

But blogging is a fun way to get an idea, a few short topical paragraphs out there to people, just a few random thoughts that cross the brain of a typical middle aged woman. wow -- who ever thought I'd be middle aged? Altho, when I was young, I thought 50s were for OLD people! Now, I'm not sure what I think any more!

Saturday is the local Breast Cancer walk - and my store is a big promoter at this event. We all have matching Tshirts, and will walk as a team. In addition to doing my part as a volunteer for the store, I'll be "walking for my breast friend, Julie". She has stage IV breast cancer, and is nearly done with her set of chemo treatments. I have to admit, she's got great attitude and spunk. If anything gets her through this, that will! Love you, Julie!! :)

Saw this on FB, liked it so well, thought I'd share it here:

Pooh n' Piglet HUGS to everyone!

A Rich History

One of the things I've been working on lately is scanning some old slides from my grandfather's house, making them digital. Most of them are dated in the late 50's, up through the early 70's. It's been a wonderful project to do. He used color slide film (back when most people were still using black and white), so there are a few pictures of me as an infant in color (some of the better photos are posted here)

Most of the pictures I have of me from way back then were black and white, so that was a really pleasant surprise. There were several good vintage pictures among the other people I probably never met; a few pictures of my Mom as a young woman, who fell in love with my Dad back then, old family photos.

I finished scanning them before my parents arrived, and we got to watch the first unedited slide show together, with my parents and my aunt talking about the people in the pictures. And it reminds me that wherever we go in our own lives, it's family that gives us a rich history of who we are, where we came from.

If you have old slides, old photographs you haven't looked at in a long time, I encourage you to drag them out, talk about them with your kids; they'll have a greater appreciation for who you are, what you've been through. It might even explain to them your little quirks they don't understand. :)

Family HUGS to everyone!

PS: I put the finishing touches on the slide show today, and created slide show DVDs, making enough copies for all my cousins. What a fun surprise they'll get in the mail!

This is my Aunt Carol, potato harvest day
love the vintage car with horns, the old truck,
and the outhouse, of course :)

Superstition Mountain

"You stand there, braced. Cloud shadows race
over the buff rock stacks as a projected film,
casting a queasy, mottled ground rash.
The air hisses and it is no local breeze
but the great harsh sweep of wind from the turning of the earth.
The wild country--indigo jags of mountain, grassy plain everlasting,
tumbled stones like fallen cities, the flaring roll of sky
--provokes a spiritual shudder.

It is like a deep note that cannot be heard but is felt,
it is like a claw in the gut...
...Other cultures have camped here a while and disappeared.
Only earth and sky matter.

Only the endlessly repeated flood of morning light.
You begin to see that God does not owe us much beyond that.”
~~Annie Proulx

Superstition Sunset

It's been quite the month here in the Valley of the Sun - between family visiting, work going totally nuts, and just a general feeling of never enough time to do what needs to be done - on the spur of the moment after work, I headed down a street I never drive, and found myself near Superstition Mountains. Just past 4pm, and knowing the sun would be setting in about an hour, plus there were clouds in the sky .... well, that seemed a perfect combination to me so I kept on driving out toward Lost Dutchman Mine State Park.

Passing the entrance (I didn't feel paying the $7 fee for a few snapshots was worth it), I headed to Weaver's Needle Vista Point. I hiked for about half an hour, up and down hills, my eye on Weaver's Needle. It was so very quiet out there, just a soft breeze as the sun drifted down, shining through layers of clouds as it moved. It was peaceful, and fed my soul.

On my way back toward town, there's a small service road to the back of Superstition Mountain that the locals use to hike some of the trails. I got out and wandered around, mostly focused on the setting sun, and hoping it would break through the clouds at the last minute and shine on the mountain before I left.

As I stood there, silence pressing in on me, the light faded to twilight, I stared up at the clouds. They were drifting ever so slowly, but definitely visible. Sounds from the mountain were audible as I stood there, nothing else moving around me. There's a word for what I was hearing: the breeze was soughing through the mountain. It's not often that you can use that word; and the noise it made was .... a little bit eery, as if something from another time and place was still making sounds from within the mountain caverns.

How often do we let sunsets pass us by?
How often do we not pause in our busy-ness and listen for the wind?
When was the last time you stopped, looked and listened
to nature rather than the radio, or the TV?
If its been a while, or you can't remember the last time, then make time to do it again real soon. Life is too short not to pause and realize how small we are, how short our time here on Earth is.

Nature-ful HUGS to everyone!

What Goes Up...

"What goes up... must come down" are the words to a famous song.
And I guess that's true in so many areas of life.
It's amazing how things slip away from us,
and when they do,
when we're sad,
we still have to hold our chin high
and make it through each and every day,
some how,
some way.
Keeping busy with the things
that must get done certainly helps.
Even work lately,
which is sometimes hateful,
is the one thing
that keeps me going
every day.

*sigh*

a Kodak Moment!

And there's never an end to things you see.... if you pay close attention! I've been tired lately, I'll grant you that, which means that it doesn't take much for my sense of humor to be tickled. I was driving home from work yesterday, and stopped at a stoplight. Coming from the other direction, at the front of the "line", there's a black car that looks.... different. Ohh, I see, its a hearse. And my thoughts are sad as I think that someone else lost a loved one.

The light turns green, and the hearse begins it's journey down the street. Other people in cars seemed to pause a moment, let it go on ahead. I glanced at the driver, and expected to see a man in a suit, maybe a hat, but it was a guy in a tshirt with the sleeves cut off, a goattee and smokin' a cigar. I know I frowned at that moment, my eyes never leaving that hearse.

As it passed by me, I broke into loud laughter as I saw the rest of the vehicle. Behind the hearse, he was pulling a small trailer ....... with a coffin on it!! Made me wish my camera had been "at the ready" ... it was definitely a Kodak Moment!

Halloweenie HUGS to everyone!