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!

All mixed up!

Its Saturday, right? Or is it? When you do the same thing, day in, day out, its hard to know just what day it is. Saturdays are usually reserved for some kind of getting out, maybe working on the yard, washing the car, puttering around with chores. But for me, I worked. Again. Overtime adds up quickly, and the money is nice in the pocket (for as long as it stays there! haha) but at some point, you need to see something different than the backend of my BigBox store.

As I set my alarm and crawl into bed, its another work day tomorrow. Special projects interrupt the regular schedule I have set, and that means working extra hard in a short period of time tomorrow to get it done so I can have some down time for laundry and grocery shopping.

The only light at the end of the tunnel::::::::::::: com'on PAYDAY! heheheh

HUG$ to everyone!

Long days

Yesterday, work and people made it one of those "kiss my ass" kind of days. Today, work made it the kind of day where all I want to do when I come home is curl up in my flannel blankie and maybe some warm soup ... I'm getting too old for working 12 hour days, then going back and doing it again the next day. Especially when its hard physical labor.

My BigBox store is closing a smaller store in town, and part of my job today was taking things off shelves and boxing it up to transfer it to my store. Halfway through the shift, we had to switch and box up dairy and refrigerated products ... brrrrrrrr. Thankfully, someone else boxed up the frozen!! By the end of the day, I was absolutely tuckered, worn to the bone.

Sadly, this happened at a time when my folks are in town, so it means giving up several hours of time with them. I wasn't given a choice if I wanted to participate, I was "assigned". So I'm thankful I have parents who understand. Love you both! With any luck at all, it won't take long to finish my day tomorrow so I'll have time with them before they leave Sunday morning.

long day HUGS to everyone!

Climbing Mountains (poetry)

She was just going out for a walk
when she saw a mountain.
From the bottom, it didn't
look so hard to climb.

She found it was slow going,
some days barely making any
progress at all; on others,
a few steps backwards.

She cried a thousand tears
and smiled a million smiles
on her journey up the mountain.

No matter how hard, how far,
or how fast she climbed,
she never reached the top.

Many days there were distractions
to keep her from noticing
she wasn't getting any closer
to the top.

Everything she thought was real
became illusion. Another morning,
waking up alone again,
its time to face the day.

Knowing she will never reach
the top of her mountain
she can't let it go, but it
slips away piece by piece,
leaving her heart on that mountain.

©L.Danielson.Poetry

Red Letter Day

Today was one of those red letter kind of days.
Ok, I worked, but that wasn't part of it, hahaha.

On Oct 30th, it will be two years since I saw my house for the very first time. When I did one of the walk-thru's before deciding on it, my folks were here and walked with me. They haven't been back to town since then. But this week, they are here. And today, my aunt, and my parents, were here to help me do a few things around the house. Dad and my kid hung a swedish plate rack on the wall. I have wanted it up for years, but waited til Dad was here, cuz he helped me design parts of it.

My mom and aunt helped me in the backyard, we potted 16 plants, a few of them are in the backyard, and they look great! Will add a pic soon.

It was so nice of them to come over and help with these projects; i like knowing their hands worked on my house. With our hands we shape and sculpt changes, leaving a little of our own energy behind. For me, that will always be with me: knowing they helped work on my own little house.

Red Letter Day HUGS to everyone!

Continuity in relationships

When it comes to relationships, how do you determine how much effort you put into solving a problem? I've always figured I should do as much as I can until I can't do any more, that way I know down the road that I can say I tried as much as I could. But ... is there a time format to use? such as one month of effort for every year you've been together? Or maybe it depends on the issue causing the problem in the first place?

When trust is broken.... how do you fix it? I keep thinking back to the movie Sex and the City. Miranda and Steve have a problem: He slept with someone else. It was just one time, it was just sex, and he confessed, and is sorry. But she's concerned about the broken trust. They go to see a counselor... and they bring up a few interesting points. Miranda talks about the cheating, how he broke a vow. And he says "But what about the other vows?"

There are always two sides to an issue, and each needs to be understanding of the other's point of view. Communication solves a lot of it. When trust is involved, one must be open to the trust again, while the other person earns it. I look at my parents, my aunt, my sister, friends I've known, and they've all been married a long time. And even if I don't know about issues they might have had, you have to stand back and admire the fact that they're still together. That kind of continuity is something I've longed for all my life.

What happened with Miranda and Steve you ask? The counselor orders them apart, no talking, for two weeks while they contemplate a life together again versus a lifetime apart. They set a date and time to meet if they want to try again. If they decide to work on the marriage, they each have to put the incident in the past and move on. And that's what they decided -- to meet and try again. (I love happy endings!)

One of these days, I hope to have my own happy ending... don't we all?

hugs to everyone

Gullible

Why are we gullible when it comes to certain topics?
Especially love.

Does it have to do with our sense of being worthy?

Are we willing to accept the unacceptable
because its better than nothing at all?

People told me over and over ....
and I kept saying no, its worth it.

But belief in someone, or something
doesn't always make it so.

Cow`Girls are IN

Yee Haw Cow`Gal! Today was shopping day.... took the granddaughter to the mall, which is never my fav place to go in the first place. Or even the second place. haha. But wandering through a store, my daughter spied something she thought "looks like you, mom". Its a brown suede vest with sheep sheer on the inside, and is so very soft. Along with that, a dark sage green sheer blouse with cute trim on it. (ok, enough of the fashionista stuff...) But, it does look cute on, and with my cowgirl boots.... I'm all set!

It's been quite the weekend here. My folks in town for support for my aunt, who lost her husband of 54 years. He passed away on his birthday, and its been devastating for that family. For all of us; he was the kind of guy who was a friend to everyone he met.

The good parts, and the bad, is now all the remembrances, hearing stories, telling stories, and sadly, realizing that I don't and won't ever have the kind of continuity these two had. And the family stories from my cousins.... and I know what characteristics are important in a man, in a family. Because of my history, I've always felt the odd man out, never fitting in because I ... couldn't, didn't stay married. And now, being single, my world is much different than the rest of theirs. It makes a few things, a few conversations, feel very awkward. But it makes me aware that my single life and activities aren't all that I want from life. I want someone to share the rest of my days with me; someone who feels about me the way I know my uncle felt about my aunt Margie, the way my cousin feels about his wife -- and isn't afraid of showing the world.

Is that too much to ask for, or expect?

HUGS to everyone

fish out of water

its 5am Saturday morning. My work schedule makes sure my body wakes up at this time every day, even my days off. *sigh* Which can sometimes be a pain in the butt. Like today. I'm so tired, wrung out even, and yet here I am awake. Family is in town, and that means I get the joy of seeing my granddaughter. And the not so much joy of sleeping with her.

Have you ever seen a fish out of water? Maybe a fisherman lays it on the dock after he pulls the hook out, and the poor thing lays there, flopping around this way and that, as if it's trying to bellyflop its way back into the water? Well, that's how my granddaughter sleep.... all arms and legs akimbo, flopping around this way and that. You never know when there's going to be a sharp elbow or knobby knee sticking you in the back, the hip, the leg. I was sound asleep when whooommp ... she's laying full across me! And I lay here thinking... was I like that as a kid? I don't think so.

When I was growing up, my mom made me a quilt. The squares were all pieces of dresses she had made for me and my sister, or for herself, which was so nice. But the inside of the quilt was old blankets, not this lightweight batting stuff they have in them nowadays, but heavyweight blankets. I remember when I was ready to move out, and get a bigger bed of course, I couldn't take that with me. So I asked that she make me another blanket that was heavy like that. Why? There was a huge comfort, I believe, in having a heavy blanket on me, and now I'm wondering, did that keep me pressed into the bed and there was less flopping around when I was my granddaughter's age? haha, just a thought, but maybe there's something to it, who knows.

ahh, the ponderings and rememberances...

HUGS to everyone

Friday Morning

It's a gorgeous morning here in the Valley of the Sun -- the kind of day for lovers to walk hand in hand at the park, or take a hike up Camelback Mountain. There's not a cloud in the sky, a slight breeze, and it promises to be a beautifully sunny day.

So why is it that our moods can take a day like today and make it seem bleak, dreary, the kind where you just say "nu uh" and curl up in bed with an old movie and forget the world and all that's going on around you?

the best thing I can say about today is ... I'm not at work - a much needed day off before heading into the holiday season, its right around the corner. ugh.

the next best thing is that family is in town... and no matter how .... out of my routine it gets, I love having them here :)

Another positive for the week: I dropped 4 lbs. Maybe its only temporary, maybe not. I have changed up my vitamin supplements, and taking my temp every day. Its slowing increasing again, which means metabolism is up. I'm crossing my fingers.

I'm trying to find all the positives, and not look at the negatives. It's been a truly rough week, and looking at the positives helps. Or its a way to fool myself into thinking things are going to be ok. And they will be. with time.

this thing called love

taken down the pictures
taken down the notes
room is eerily sterile
no visible reminders

the ache is deeper
than ever imagined
more than hurt feelings
its like missing a huge
chunk of myself

does the ache
ever go away?
will there be
happiness again?
or am i doomed to
forever regret
this thing called love?

Family

Family means everything. It doesn't mean just those we're related to by birth, but those we love, too. We always want the best for them, and stand by them through every -- the good and the bad.

This week for me has been 'the bad'. A few things said, a misunderstanding, and it has me taking a good hard look at how things are, how I thought things might be, and trying to decipher the real truth that usually falls somewhere in the middle of the extremes. Do expectations that resonate deep within us have an effect on how we relate to people we love?

This week for me has been 'the good', too. My folks just arrived in town, they haven't been here in two years, this will be the first time they've seen my new home, and I'm excited about that. It's always good to see my family. But they have come here for a bad reason, my mother's sister's husband died suddenly of a massive heart attack (RIP Uncle Jim .. we miss you!).

Why is it when one or two things go topsy turvy,
the rest of life feels like that as well?

HhuUGgsS to everyone

Words, Phrases, Quotes

I am a collector of quotes. There are so many good quotes by different people out there. You can find one, or more, on any topic your mind can come up with.

What is it about quotes and phrases that strike a chord with us? Maybe it awakens an ideal we had at one time in our life, or makes us contemplate our future. Or puts a smile on our face. Or makes us think about something in a different light than we've looked at it before.

One thing I'm learning is that they don' t have the same meaning for one person as they do for another. Reasonable to assume that's the case because we've all grown up in different times, places, experiences. Maybe its the fact that we enjoy hearing someone else's viewpoint.

But sometimes we have people in our lives who use a phrase to us over and over, and that makes us feel like we're special to them. Until you hear them saying it to someone else. Does it lose all its meaning then? That's the question I've had all day in my mind. And yes, that's how I took it, as well. But is that my own fault for assuming? Another one of those things that goes 'round and 'round, with no easy answers. Hopefully, the answers you sought today were easier!

HUGS to everyone!

Missed blogging

It's 4am, and that's always the worst time of day for me,as if all my worries that accumulated the day before pile up and it feels like they form a blanket that just lays on top of me, holding me down. holding me back? Or maybe the worst of thoughts just tend to surface this time of morning. Or maybe I've just made it a habit that won't go away now. Who knows for sure.

So my 4am thought today is: What do you do when the timing between two people shifts, becomes a little off. Is there something that can be done? or is it more a thing where you just wait it out, because it will shift again?

I'm beginning to dislike internal debates such as this. ugh. There are never easy answers when people are involved.

It's going to be a very long day at work, I hope all of you have a better day than I'm anticipating.

4am HUGS to everyone

Arranging Furniture

I looked on the 'net.... wondering "Why do women rearrange furniture?" There weren't any good answers, the best I found was "sometimes people just need a change - and rearranging furniture helps." Eh. I was hoping for something profound. or humorous. both perhaps??

I'm chuckling at myself, though, because..... well, first, I don't have much in the way of living room furniture. When I bought my house, I couldn't decide on a couch, then I got used to not having one, so I've put off buying one. Which brings me to the second part of the chuckle. With no living room furniture to rearrange .... well, a gal needs something!!! And I've finally hit on a solution!!

When I moved in, my backyard was nothing but plain dirt (ok, sun baked adobe clay) and some rock, a patio and a palm tree that is so tall, it doesn't shade my yard in any way. *laughs* I tried growing a few plants around, but .. the extreme heat of the summer tends to kill off most things. So I tried putting a few things in pots, being able to move them around to the shade during the heat of the summer. Well, over the course of the last few months, I've accumulated more pots, and more plants. After work today, I was out in my yard, puttering away, and realized: Damn! I'm rearranging pots! Just like it was furniture *grin*

Hey! A gal's gotta have something that changes! hehehehe

Rearranging HUGS to everyone!

Rays of Sunshine

It's a gorgeous day here in the Valley of the Sun. 11am and I'm nearly done with my weekend chores, and am sitting on my lawnchair, grabbing some rays. And thinking about the sun. Its a marvelous thing, lighting our days, warming the earth. Without it, plants wouldn't grow, we'd always be in the dark. I love the slow warmth of being in it -- yes, even in the heat of brutal summers here. Being out in the sun is like recharging batteries.

Jonathan Edwards sings "Sunshine go away today, don't feel much like dancing." And yeah, I think that's what the sun does, it refuels us, makes us feel like dancing, lightens our load, gives us joy even.

Being in the sunshine boosts your vitamin D, and helps with a whole host of other important things as well. Think about how good you feel after you've had a little sunshine. And no, the sun coming in your window as you drive home from work doesn't count! Sunshine helps your immune system, boosts your metabolism and helps you sleep better. I'm sure if you take a minute to google, you'll find all kinds of reasons to get your 20 minutes of sunshine a day :)

Sunny HUGS to everyone!

But friendship is precious,
not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life,
and thanks to a benevolent arrangement
the greater part of life is sunshine.
~Thomas Jefferson

What's Your Inspiration?

Each one of us has things, and people, who inspire us every day. Great people inspire us because we all want to achieve greatness in our lives. Most great people are ordinary people who have set a goal and did what it took to get there. Most of us don't go that extra step to get there, but we can still appreciate those who make us take notice, and inspire us, every day.

Recently, someone told me I have beautiful hands. (I don't see it that way, I have huge hard working scarred up hands...) but those few words make me take notice, and care for my hands, a little extra lotion after a shower maybe, just from that little extra inspiration.

Sometimes finding things that inspire us to get a task done .. is no easy task. When I'm faced with a mountain of laundry, old 70's tunes inspire me to get moving, get going, get it done. When there's a pile of mail (with bills) to be gone through, something classical or new age, like Yanni, gets the task going. And, of course, 80's rock when I'm at the gym. Music is a great motivator and inspiration. Thank you to all the great musicians over the years... "you rock" !! (hehehe)

It's my belief that the best inspiration we can have, though, are the people in our lives. They give us feedback, they teach us, they help us, they laugh and cry with us. Which, in turn, makes us be good inspirations to others in our lives as well. To the many people who have come and gone in my life, to the ones currently in my life, and the ones who are still in my future: Thank you all for being a great inspiration to me!

Of course, the bigger challenge: Who will you inspire today?

Inspirational HUGS to everyone!

confusion

when confusion abounds

and life throws you

c u r v e b a l l s

making things

happen takes

time

effort

determination

and a strong will

some days i just don't

have that strength within

me to make it happen

maybe tomorrow


©L.Danielson.Poetry

All Knotted Up

Ever felt like your hands were tied?
Like there was nothing you could do in a situation?
What do you do when that happens?

I started this blog on 8/21, and never posted it. But the same still holds true this week: I feel all knotted up. Might be time to look at finding a place to get a massage. Here's where more of it continued:

I was looking through old blogs and came across one I'd written in 2008 about the power of human touch; how a man at work with an innocent touch reminded me back then that I wasn't truly alone, and that things would be ok. (He had come up behind me and started a good shoulder massage, and I felt like he could do that for the rest of the day! hehehe) Although Ted has moved on to another work place in Ohio, I now look forward to a morning hug from Marco, a gentle soul of a man willing to share a hug every day.

My reasoning for thinking about all of this stems from yep, living alone, this is year number seven now. Is that a magical number for some of you? It usually isn't for me, but I'm hopeful! I've never felt more knotted up before, and a part of that is ... well, of my own doing. And now that I've done did what I done, when something comes up, there's no one to talk about it with. It's a unique situation and needs a unique solution, one I don't see coming. And, well, then there's the part about being a girl. Sometimes what we need is just a place to share, not necessarily a place where a problem is presented, and solution found. That seems to be more of a guy way of solving things. And being a unique situation, I'm finding that there's not a lot of people who understand it in the first place, which makes them a difficult sounding board.

Since its a threefold kind of problem, it doesn't have a solution, or a resolution, for right now. So in the meantime, I'm left all knotted up. I was told ... "I think sometimes you get it all wrapped up so tight in you, you have a hard time uncoiling." Hmm, I seem to think that's true, with some topics, some issues. Sometimes finding a solution that works for you, can only come from yourself.

Thanks for reading this! HUGS!

Think Pink!

No, not Pink Panther, and not the singer Pink! either --- October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Everywhere you look, there's pink! Many places are going pink to help awareness. At my Big.Box store, there are a lot of products that are available in pink right now. Even the Georgia Aquarium is celebrating NBCAM by lighting up in pink the entire month of October! Yesterday, I was at the dentist, and he wore pink gloves! The last Saturday of the month, by company is one of the sponsors for the local breast cancer walk, and I'll be walking. This year, I'm walking for "my breast friend, Julie", who found out a couple months ago that she has breast cancer. (one step... one day... repeat. Love you, Julie!)

Because of Julie, I knew I needed to set up my appointment for my annual mammogram, and I had that done today. *huge smile* Very important, ladies, to get "the girls" checked!! (yeah, I know, its not the most comfortable thing in the world, but well worth it - early detection is the key!) If you have questions about breast cancer, or want more information, here is the link for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - they have a lot of links to pages with lots of good information.

Watch for a post at the end of the month; I'll blog, and should have pictures as well, of the local walk.

Think Pink! HUGS to everyone!

Pillow Talk

To me, nothing is more romantic than Doris Day and Rock Hudson, and Pillow Talk is my favorite movie they did together. The sparks, the romance of this movie strikes a chord in me, hopefully in most of us. There is an undercurrent of attraction between them as they fight out their differences, but the guy gets the girl in the end.

What makes a movie feel so romantic? For me, its the little things, the subtle things. Sure, the overall story is great, but its the long looks written into the story, the soft touch of a hand on an arm, and of course, some of the speeches. After they meet, he calls her on the phone later that night to tell her he'd been thinking of her: "I get a warm feelin' bein' near you ma'am; like being 'round a pot bellied stove on a frosty morning." Now what reasonable gal wouldn't like to know she lights his fire? hehehe

But when it comes to men and romance, no one says it better than her maid, Alma.
Alma says: "He must be pretty special, if you'd break a date for him."
Jan says: "He is."
Alma: "Don't just stand there, go get him!"
"6 foot six inches of opportunity doesn't come along every day"
"Takes only one sip of wine to tell if it's a good bottle"
Jan: "Oh, this is a good bottle."
Alma: "Well, what are you waiting for? Drink up!"

As always with romantic comedy, there are bits and pieces tossed in that make us chuckle our way through the movie. But the underlying theme: Love comes in all shapes and sizes. It comes when you least expect it. Sometimes it happens even when we don't want it to. And it doesn't happen just in the movies -- we just need to recognize it when it sneaks up on us.

If you need a little bit of laughter with your romance, this is as classic as they come. If you've never watched it, give it a try .... It's terrific!

Pillow talkin' HUGS to everyone!

Circus Comes to Town

Hi Readers: It's National Blog Posting Month - that time of year where bloggers are challenged to write something every day. Not an easy task if you're not much of a writer; even for writers it can be a challenge, as we all feel we don't have much a lot to say that might be significant to others.

Today I was watching a rerun of that 1990's show Northern Exposure. It's a personal fav, but the episode (called "Get Real") that got me thinking was when the Circus Comes to Town. Their bus breaks down, and while its being repaired they entertain the folks of Cicely. The town doctor, the intense Dr. Fleischman is studying for an exam, and can't seem to be bothered with all that's going on. Near the end, he finally tosses his book aside and joins in the fun.

Which made me wonder: When was the last time you went to the circus? The kind where you walked around outside the Big Tent, looking at the animals, and the collection of folk who are usually there. You smell the popcorn, the cotton candy, and the straw or hay that's usually on the ground. You might hear the cries of one of them calling out some special side show, or "Get your programs here!"

With ticket in hand, you enter into the Big Tent, looking at the center where all the action will take place. You wonder which act will come up first, how many clowns will you see? The lights dim, and the Master of Ceremony takes center stage under the spot light, crying "Laaaaadies and Gennntlemen..." Your heart pounds; you break out in laughter; you gasp at the awe inspiring sights before you. And you clap, and smile, and clap some more.

And the world stops around you for those moments,
your cares a million miles away,
as you watch the magic before you.
And if only for a little while,
no matter your real age,
you are a child once more.
Oh, look... Here come the clowns!

HUGS to everyone!

Seven Years

Seven years, come and gone

passed in the blink of an eye

it seems as if just yesterday

we were exchanging glances

the roads we each traveled

to this point in time

were very different

and yet every day we find

we have more in common

than we ever expected.

You are my present,

and my future,

the one I hold in my heart.

~©L.Danielson.Poetry

The Art of Flirting

There is nothing that lifts a person's spirits more than some friendly flirting.... an approving glance, a warm smile, an unexpected compliment ... every day in many ways, Life flirts with us. Flirting is the art of the possible; it invites, cajoles, charms and delights both the giver and the receiver.

While the real intent of flirting has gone by the wayside, buried under the heavy handed cliche` of seduction, old fashioned flirting is about making a connection. If it's obvious, its not flirting. It should leave the recipient with a bit of curiosity, a touch of intrigue, and not entirely certain that what just happened really happened.

Flirting isn't about your age, your looks, your weight; it has everything to do with your attitude and your sense of adventure. It is the oldest form of play. On the surface, it appears to require loads of confidence, but really what it takes is a sense of generosity and unself-consciousness. I'm really shy, and reaching toward another person isn't easy for me, but flirting is a way to reach out, make someone feel fabulous! Works like a charm, every time!

So, how do you start your flirting? With eye contact - raise your eyes, look other people in the eye. The eyes are the windows to the soul; let others see into yours, and look into others. You just might surprise yourself! Flirt with the man at the diner, the woman in the video store, a couple shopping together. Add a little laugh, and don't linger too long. Leave them wondering... "Was she flirting with me??"

I challenge you this week to do a little flirting -- and see what comes back!!

Flirty HUGS to everyone!