Unfinished Story

What is it about ice cream that tastes so good, so comforting, when you're feeling blue? Bordeaux Cherry Cordial by Blue Bunny has been my fav for over a year now.  I don't allow myself to indulge very often ... but sometimes you just have to!! 

It's 10pm, and I'm sitting here on a Friday night, watching season 4 of Friends, (yes, with a bowl of ice cream!) with too much thinking going on.  I'm... I need to come to a decision, change is coming, time to turn the page. Maybe if I tell it like a story....

Once upon a time... oh heck, it was eight years ago, and I moved on, starting  a new life.  One of the things I did was get back on to the computer in order to rebuild my self esteem and become social with peers again.  That's where I met "Theophilus", and we hit it off, talking and sharing.  We moved through different topics and experiences over time.  Lots of time.  To this day, we're still friends.

Somewhere along the line, I had some feelings for this man; they grew as our friendship grew, but nothing ever came of it; I kept my feelings to myself.  We talked online on a regular basis.  Still do. Every day.  About a year ago, I sucked it down, and told him how I was feeling, and he did too.

But I can't finish this story.  

Because that's where it's stalled out.

I'm supposed to be logical, not emotional,
in order to make good decisions.
But if I set the emotions aside.... 
there's no if. 
I can't get past the emotions. 

"The heart has it's reasons 

that reason does not know."

Not a Good Girl!

Did that title grab your attention?  *chuckles*  Well, I'm not a very good girl.  Maybe I should say I'm not a very girly girl.  I'm not much of a shopper.  Going to the mall?  Just isn't my thing to do when there's nothing to do.  Don't get me wrong, when I was in  my 20s .....  once a week wasn't enough!  In fact, for a while, it was our 'thing' to head to the mall for dinner in the food court -- everyone got to pick what they wanted from wherever and momma didn't have to cook 8 different meals!  After eating, we'd wander around, look at things.  But I lost interest in looking at things - maybe because I knew I couldn't afford them.  Or maybe it was because I already had enough things, and didn't need to add any more.  I know, we all need an upgrade now and again.  And yes, I'm pokey on that as well. 

This morning, however, I needed to return a pair of shoes I bought on a catalog order.  I've never had trouble with a pair of New Balance shoes before, but this pair hurt my feet on the very first day.  And at $50, I wasn't willing to "get by" with them til I wore them out.  After doing my return, I wandered into the clothing section -- mostly the clearance section -- and found some work pants (khaki required!) and decided to try them on.  Yep, I'm down two sizes and BOY! was I excited!  hahaha.  Granted, when you purchase things from a real "label" they tend to fit better than some of the other, uh, walmart type clothing.  So, 2 pair of khakis and a new pair of jeans... Yay!  

Then I headed down to the shoes ... and found a pair of New Balance that felt better, so I'm trying them.  They'll be work shoes.  And found another pair of very lightweight running shoes.... that feel like I'm walking on heaven.  They're Addidas, and I've never been a fan of their shoes before, mostly because they didn't feel as if they fit well.   When you lose weight, do your feet shrink?  I believe they do ;)  Can't wait to get to the gym to try them out!  24-hour fitness in the morning, anyone?  *grin*

Kitchen Paint

With a couple days off work, I decided to try out a color in my kitchen.  I follow a blog called "moon to moon" , and she wrote 

"Be bold. Don't be afraid of color."   

And my kitchen, being that its 25 years old and mostly pressboard type units attached to walls....  well, its never going to look .... what would be the word, fashionable?  elegant?  pretty?  They're plain, and the layout isn't inspiring, merely functional.  Which is ok, I'm not complaining, because it works.  But its boring!

So... I decided to use "flaming red hot" as an accent color....  the cabinets themselves will be an earth tone tan, as is most of the decor in the southwest. 

It's an interesting combination, but painting red isn't easy! It tends to leave streaks, so extra coats required to get an even tone. But that's ok, all good things take time and patience!  

Lift a glass of cheer, for its Friday!

Turn the Page

I was doing some research, and came across this phrase.  

And I kind of like it.

Turn the page. 

Being an avid reader, I likened it to reading a book.  You have to turn the page to get to the next part, the next phase, the next story.  And the quotes I found related to that, as well.  There's a song "turn the page" by Bob Seger, mostly about life on the road as a singer, but I think he relates well to turning the page to the next day, week or month.

Sometimes there are situations that require us to .... Turn the Page.  Meaning we need to do something different in order to get past our current situation, to step into the next phase, and sometimes to just plain shake things up!

When was the last time you turned the page?  We do it on a daily basis in little ways that we may not even realize.  You may turn a page by taking a different route home from work, or giving an extra smile to the guy behind the checkout counter, or by extricating yourself from some kind of relationship that isn't working.  

Maybe its the time of year; a friend of mine says I always seem to make changes when spring rolls into summer.  But I'm feeling changes coming: whatever those changes are, some are by me, some are by chance.  

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, 

but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
~ Maria Robinson

 “Sometimes it's the smallest decisions 

that can change your life forever.”  

~Keri Russell

 

Turn the page.

Dark Side of the Moon

Dark Side of the Moon is Pink Floyd's most successful album, released in 1973.  I was just entering my high school years back then.  I remember sitting and listening to this for hours, over and over.  I had this on 8-track, and it played in a continual loop. 

This album deals with issues of insecurity, insanity, death, and war. Small amounts of interviews done with various crew members are intertwined within it and is rumored to correspond with The Wizard of Oz. This is the 11th Best Selling Album in the world, 15 times platinum.

The final words sung on the song, and indeed the album, directs the listener, "and everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon."  Roger Waters explained the meaning of these words as well as the entire song by asserting, 

"I don't see it as a riddle.  The album uses the sun and the moon as symbols; the light and the dark; the good and the bad; the life force as opposed to the death force.  I think it's a very simple statement saying that all the good things life can offer are there for use to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our natures prevents us from seizing them.  The song addresses the listener and says that if you, the listener, are affected by that force, and if that force is a worry to you, well I feel exactly the same to.  The line "I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" is me speaking to the listener, saying "I know you have these bad feelings and impulses because I do too, and one of the ways I can make direct contact with you is to share with you the fact that I feel bad sometimes."

If you haven't listened in a while, give it a spin .... 

if you're old like me, it will bring back some good memories :)

Anniversary

Was sitting here, talking with a friend, and realized this was an anniversary weekend of sorts for me.  In 2004, this is the weekend I moved out, left my ex, my step children, and started over.  Again.  I look back on that time as mixed blessings.  Moving to Ohio was a big step for me, a good growth period.  It was also a very good thing for my children and their education.  And I loved and adored my stepchildren -- still do! 

In the past eight years now, so many good things have happened in my life.  After moving, I transferred to a different BigBox store, and made many good friends there.  I was able to get by, get through, and move on to different phases in my life.  On a trip west to see my aunt and my folks, when I arrived in Mesa, AZ, I knew this was where I needed to transfer to.  Who knew then that it would take a year, that when the pieces fell together, they fell perfectly.  And a new journey started.

After moving to the Valley of the Sun, I knew I'd found home.  Life hasn't been without trials, but we move through them and keep going.  It took two years, and I finally had enough saved to purchase my own home.  And I couldn't be happier here!  Its small, cozy, and not enough maintenance required to drive a person crazy during off hours.

They say change is good.  

I couldn't agree more.  

But change is also a very scary thing.  

Sometimes we need to take little steps; 

sometimes we need to take gigantic steps. 

 Either way,  keep moving forward.  

If it doesn't work out, 

we can always turn around. 

Crossroads

Sometimes being at a crossroads is very obvious; and sometimes its obscure.  So when you reach it, how do you know for sure the importance it will have on your life?  

We all reach different crossroads throughout our days, our weeks, our lives.  Each one of them leads a different path; sometimes with changes we can't undo; hopefully always for the better, but that wouldn't be real life.  Some crossroads are painful decisions, and the results aren't always a good thing.  Or maybe its that it turns out its not what we wanted for our life.  

So what happens when you reach one of those crossroads?  If you're lucky, you have options.  You can research, or take your time deciding.  But some crossroads aren't that way, with a "now or never" decision to be made.  

So do you? or don't you?

Some equate crossroads with a chance to do something different, or to make a difference in a life.  They think "take a chance, make something happen".  And others take so long thinking about it, they miss the chance. 

Yes. I'm at my own crossroads right now.  And the ponder is this:  do I take a chance, and make something happen?  If I do, and it doesn't, it changes things the outcome of things.  But if I do, and it does, it changes the outcome of things.  Wow.  So changes either way.  But doing nothing, and not taking a chance means things stay the same, status quo for who knows how much longer.  

Would you be the one to choose taking a chance? 

“Stand at the crossroads if you will, 

but if you'll not choose, 

I'll move on without you”

~Jacqueline Carey

A Good day!

Today... was a red letter day!  At the gym, I hopped on the scale, and yes... it finally happened... I finally reached the point where the big weight on the scale was shifted down a notch.  Which means my weight loss has reached more than 25 pounds!  It put me in such a good mood, I worked out that much harder.... and managed to shave 30 seconds off my 3 mile mark.  3 miles in 47:30.   w00t!!

Yes, I know, I shouldn't measure my success by the scale.  But it matters. And I try to think I balance it with other good things, like increasing the weights I life, the amount of time I can hold a plank, or how far I've come in my overall physical shape.  :)

empty on the inside

empty on the inside


Making plans for one
isn't as much fun
as making plans for two.
it just leaves you feeling
empty on the inside

Making life sound busy
and wonderful with words
is all a big lie
when you feel
empty on the inside.

Things come and go
relationships slip away
sometimes change forever
making you feel
empty on the inside

empty and hollow with
gut wrenching aches
eating is a comfort
but doesn't fill the
empty on the inside

Brave thoughts are
futile without
execution

when you feel
empty on the inside.


life goes on its merry way

and sometimes its best to
hide it all
when you feel
empty on the inside.

©LDPoetry2012

Rhetorical Question re: Men

Why do men think a bigger hammer, or hitting it harder, is the answer???

I have a cedar chest.  Back in my day we called it a hope chest.  It was a graduation gift, and something I could put things into for my future home.  (yeah, it was a 70s thing!).  and on the bottom, it has little metal nubs to help it glide across carpeted floors when you need to move it.  Needless to say, the metal leaves marks on my tile floors here in the Valley of the Sun, so I wanted to replace them with little plastic ones.  Of course, my son's helping me.  And I hand him the little glide and my small hammer.  He starts hammering, but the small head of the hammer, and his hard hitting makes the nail bend.   So the solution?  Get a bigger hammer and hit it harder when he goes to drive the next one in.  

The poor plastic glide didn't survive.

So it's off to the hardware store to get another set of plastic glides.

Which I will hammer in myself.

With my little hammer.

And softer touch.

*smirk*

Kitchen Changes

After living in my house for more than two years, I am finally at a point where I want, and need, to decide about the kitchen cabinets.  The baseboards and kitchen are the two things that didn't get painted before I moved in, and lately have begun to paint around the baseboards.   Funny how you don't realize how many there are until you are down on your hands and knees, getting them painted!

My kitchen is L-shaped, and yes, somewhat boring and awkward in its placement, so the color scheme can't be too far off the rest of the look of the house.  The open ceiling plan means the rooms need to flow together, as there are no good breaking points for paint colors to stop and start.  It's taken me forever to find an idea on how I want to do this.  And after hours and hours of perusing the internet, I think I've finally stumbled on to a plan.

As you can see in this picture, 
the lower cabinets are darker 
than the upper cabinets. 
I like that a lot.






Here's my kitchen as it looked before I moved in... the main back wall is now a creamy beige.  (Isn't it funny how it looks so much bigger before all your stuff is there??)

Here are the colors I'm leaning towards right now.  The darker tan on the bottom, the lighter on top.  The red is an accent color that may or may not fit in to the scheme, depending on how it looks after the cabinets are painted.  there are some very small half inch trim boards across the top of my cabinets that may look good with that red trim across it....  Gotta love experimenting!

 

 Thoughts?  Ideas?  Opinions?

Changes

This morning, the word 'change' is on my mind.  I woke up and things felt different today.  Usually my first thought on the weekends is to wonder what's going on with people I know from the internet; and so I log on and check email, messages, etc.  Lately, while I still pop on and check those things, I'm not as interested in hanging around, chatting with folks who drift on.  That's how I know things with me are changing.  Which made me look up a few quotes about "change"::

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

People are always telling me that change is good.  

But all that means is that something you didn't want to happen has happened. 

 ~Meg Ryan

 

There is only one way to happiness, 

and that is to cease worrying things 

which are beyond the power of our will. 

~Epictetus

“When you love someone, it's never over.... 

You move on, because you have to, but you bring him in your heart.”  

~Elizabeth Chandler

There are the basic changes in life; you grow up, move out on your own, or school ends and you get your first job.   A new job.  A career change.  Start a family.  Buy a house.  Move across town, or across the country.  Health issues.  Family issues.  Love begins.  Love ends.  Every day, there are all kinds of changes in our lives.  Some of them big ones. Some of them little ones.  Some of them we see coming, some we choose, and some are thrust upon us for reasons we can't figure out at all.  And yet, we're expected to move with the changes.  It's certainly easier to accept changes that we embrace, or want.  But its the other changes, the ones that happen without expecting them, that make it harder to keep moving on.

And yet, somehow we do just that. 

We survive changes, we adapt and adjust.

Sometimes it hurts. 

Sometimes we cry.

Sometimes we're happy with them.

As for me, and the changes I feel coming .... I know I will have good days, not so good days, and better days.  There will be moments where I wish the world would stop, and just as many moments where I wish it would just hurry along into the next phase.  Reminds me of a country song:  "If you're going through hell, keep on moving, if you're scared, don't show it..... You might get out, before the devil even knows you're there."   

When it comes to change, whether its one we choose, or one thrust upon us, don't give up, don't give in, push through to the other side.  It may turn out to be the best change, once you look back on it.

Dont let it ....

Don't let it go to your head.  I've heard that phrase a hundred or more times.  And no matter how many times you said it, I ignored it, and it happened any how.  I let what you said to me mean something other than what it really meant for you.  Being female plays into that... men and women think differently.  Doesn't change the fact that I did it, in spite of being told otherwise.

But no more.

What's said doesn't mean what's being said unless its followed up by an action that follows through on what's being said.  And that, my friend, doesn't happen.  At least, not often.  There are only two times when something said was followed through with an action.  Both of them were packages sent:  in one, a movie, and a quote that I felt had a great deal of meaning.  So much so, that I framed it and hung it on my wall.  The other was the netbook.  Hastily shoved in a box and sent.  without a note. 

But nope.  Don't let it go to my head.  

Hey, no worries.  Doesn't happen any longer.

And for me, it's a very sad thing.

It means I've lost my hope. and a dream.

A Walk

 

My original thought last night was to get up before the birds because the sunrise is at 5:20am.  With a stressful week behind me, I ended up sleeping in.  So instead, I took a walk in the park this morning.  And played with the mini movie mode again.  

What do you see 

when you go out 

to the park?

(I found when I got home that its hard to hold still and capture something that's moving.  And that capturing things that aren't moving is verrrry boring!  so here's my eleven seconds:)

I recorded a bunny, but it just sat there.  I ended up recording the ground as I walked (silly me!) Now I just need to learn some editing skills.  I had another piece to include, but forgot that when you turn the camera sideways, you can't always fix a video the same way you can fix regular stills.  It's a learning process.  Aren't you lucky, you get to follow along? *grin*

Buckhorn Motel

 


When Mesa pioneers Ted and Alice Sliger discovered a hot spring on their desert property in 1939, they decided to build a motel that offered mineral water baths.  




 


The Buckhorn Mineral Baths opened in 1939, drawing those with arthritis and kindred ailments to their hot springs, famous for odorless water infused with potassium, silica, magnesium and iron. 




 

An old style motel with individual kitchenettes and covered carports were added later.

Ted and Alice Sliger ran the place. 

Ted was a taxidermist and sportsman, 

and the lodge gradually filled with trophies.

Alice Sliger still lived on the grounds and managed things at age 96, but soon decided that she couldn't keep the baths open. The healthful water still runs through motel taps.  (Alice Sliger died on Nov. 9, 2010, at the age of 103)

(Can't you just imagine having your own cottage, then walking over to take a dip in a natural hot springs mineral bath in the "ladies" side?  The "gents" door was on the other side.)






The Cactus League first started more than 50 years ago. And for 25 of those years, the New York (later San Francisco) Giants roomed at the Buckhorn Mineral Baths, a classic roadside stop in Mesa. Their manager, Leo Durocher, loved the place. A silver tray presented by the 1952 team still rests in the museum. From 1947 to 1972, with such famous players as Willie Mays and Ty Cobb, made the Buckhorn their winter home.





The mineral baths were closed in 1999.  The Buckhorn is a unique part of the history of Mesa.  As of today, it was closed up pretty tight, and a cyclone fence surrounds part of the gardens.  As it is with "progress", I fear this place won't be here much longer.  That would be a shame.  (more pictures here )

It's all YOU!

“Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. 

Only you can be responsible for that. 

If you can't love and respect yourself

no one else will be able to make that happen. 

Accept who you are - completely; 

- the good and the bad -

- and make changes as YOU see fit - 

not because you think someone else wants you to be different.”
 ~Stacey Charter

 

A quote I found that reiterates what I was trying to say the other day.  We can't keep seeking approval from others in order to feel good about ourselves, or in order to be happy.

I'm going to be 53 years old soon.  

I've been married three times; and divorced three times. 

It's time for me to stop believing in fairy tales.  

Life - the way it is right now -  is how it's going to be.

Accept what is, and stop wishing for something that isn't. 

If or when I want something better, then its up to me to make it happen.   

And lately, I've been thinking that what I need to make happen

is something other than waiting for life.  

I should be working on my photography every hour I'm not at work.

Because that brings me the greatest joys.

And isn't that what life is for?  being happy?

Just sayin' .....

Sliiides!

I'm back to working on my major project I started a year ago.  (I seem to make progress in chunks).  I decided to take on scanning my parents' slides from the 60-80s.  I started out enthusiastic, and got the first 15 reels done.  Each reel comprises of 100 slides.  There's a total of 27 reels.  lol  But.  One at a time.  Little by little, and they're getting done.  On a good weekend, I can do a reel in one day.  I have a spiffy scanner that lets me load 4 slides, then use their software to auto correct the slides as it sees fit while its scanning them!  Which means it takes longer to scan each on, but.  I don't have to make corrections after they're scanned either.

Right now, we're up to around 1973/1974.  And its a real pleasure looking back over old times and remembering..... and wondering "Who's that?"  and "Where were we again?"  hahaha

 That's Mom, holding our dog, Buffy, sliding in the snow!

Camping in Yellowstone National Park, 

this is Old Faithful spouting off

I put these on a DVD and share them with my siblings and parents, so we can sit and watch them at leisure, without dragging out the slide projector, finding the screen, etc etc.  Memories and Family.  Good times!

Approval

So we're on the phone,

and there's an abrupt "I gotta go..."  *click*

Oh sure, later there's an apology phone call.

Why do some (if not most) women put up with that kind of thing?

Why do we allow it, as if we need these kind of men in our lives?

Why are we seemingly desperate for a man's approval?

Some would argue that it has to do with our upbringing, or unresolved 'dad issues'.

Sorry.  I don't have any real answers.  But I do it too.  I constantly seek a man's approval.  And what for??  Yes.  He enjoys my company.  Or does he?  Maybe I'm a "filler" for those empty hours between dinner and bedtime.  Definitely not for some sort of 'casual sex fling' being there's no effort to meet, nor any of 'those' late night *ahem* phone calls. 

I found this on Google:  "The approval you really need to find is from yourself and this can only begin once you stop searching for approval in others and take the time to heal yourself."  Pleasing others is like sex: When we do it because we really want to, it's a wonderfully life-affirming way to strengthen a relationship, but when it's motivated by obligation, powerlessness, or calculated advantage, it's the very definition of degrading.

When I left my ex husband, it took me a while to realize what, and how much, of this kind of behavior I allowed, and how much self respect I lost because of it.  It took a nice man with good intentions to make me see that I don't have to be that way.  He thought I needed a reminder, a talisman as it were, that I would know on a daily basis that I am a Goddess.  That's how I came to wear a thumb ring.   It's visible, I feel lost without it. And knowing its there helps me remember ...... And yet I allowed that phone call apology.  Shame on me!  Still have more growing to do.

Always remember the Goddess that you are! 

The only approval you need to seek is your own!

Don't take being treated bad or disrespectful, or the excuses that come later.

Good Ol' Days!

Sometimes as grownups, we forget that the stories of our youth can sometimes amaze and amuse the young people in our lives.   A couple weeks ago, my son and I were driving in the car ... I'm not sure whether a song came on the radio, or we saw something that made me remember this story.....

I was about 15, going on 16, and had recently begun dating a boy named Steve.  As it is with teens, we wanted to be together as much as possible.  And my folks finally succumbed to some wheedling about letting him come along on a family camping trip to Tuolumne River (yeah, I had to Google it - its outside Yellowstone Park area).  Being summer, it was hot, and we drifted around on inner tubes on the river; very refreshing and relaxing.  

We also had a two man inflatable boat along.  And since we'd seen a few of these heading down river, Steve got an idea that we should do it too.  We asked a few of the people, and they said they put in at a bridge a couple miles up the road and just drifted downstream.  Sounds easy, fun even!  So Dad loads us up along with the boat and drives us to the drop-off place.  Setting the boat in the water, Steve and I hopped in, each grabbing an oar and begin to paddle our way to the middle of the river.  Once there, we discover this is a rather slow moving river, so we needed to paddle just to keep moving.

At first, all's fun.  We paddle along, looking at the scenery.  But after a a length of time (I'm guessing 20 or 30 minutes into our trek), the scenery looks the same all the way.  Lots of meadow grasses, rolling hills and a slow moving river.  I think we would have made better time walking and carrying the boat back than we did paddling our way down river.  But we were kids, and had to prove ourselves and our decision to the adults who thought we were crazy, right?

About halfway into our trek, we come across "the rapids" part of the river.  Yes, it actually got faster at one point.  But it was more like a narrow creek.  We paddled and "rode out the wild waves" -- well, ok, we glided along at a better pace than the slow river had been, but it wasn't a pace that would set your heart racing!  It was a very short ride, and when we got to the end, we decided to carry the boat back to the start and ride it again!  As we meandered along the bank of the river, boat and oars in hand, just to our left, there was a cow grazing in the grass.  Almost looking as if he were wondering what these crazy teens were up to! 

After we raced through those rapids again, it was back cruising down the lazy river (I know there's a song to that effect...!!!)  We finally arrived at the portion of the river near our campground.  What was supposed to be only a couple hours, turned into an all day trek and we'd nearly missed dinner!! 

Can't you just picture this?  I'm laughing as I remember the crazy stuff we used to do.  Funny how memories of things come and go in our minds.  On this trip, I remember listening to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album on 8-track.  I remember riding my orange 10-speed bicycle.  And I remember getting blisters on my pinkie fingers because of the way I held the handlebars, and I was riding on gravel from camp to the game room and back.   (And since I'm also working on a project of scanning old slides, maybe I"ll run across a pic or two of this trip!  Will post if I find anything)

Hump Day

Wednesdays are a tricky day for me, as its a day of several different culminations of the past 7 days.  At work, its the day my truck gets loaded.  All of the work that was done for the last 7 days gets loaded and taken to our returns center.  Which means that my work area is all cleaned up and ready to start a new week; it always feels weird because its actually the middle of the week.  But that's ok.  I like having it in the middle of the week.  :)

It's also weigh-in day.  Definitely mixed feelings about that -- will it be a good day?  It's always hard to guess.  Work stress and other stresses can really factor in to it.  I was very hopeful about today.  Not because I thought I had done so well.  Last weekend, I was off work for four days, which means lots of different eating "opportunities", if you will.  I didn't overdo it, but its easier to maintain a schedule when it revolves around work.  I was hoping to be down a couple of pounds, as I've been hovering right around that mark on the scale that's a 0 or a 1. and I SOOOOO want to be in the next lower set of numbers.

My gym has the old fashioned mechanical scale like this one, where you move the large weight from number to number, in 20 lb increments.  Then there's the smaller weight that you slide back and forth to get the individual numbers.  Well, losing 2 lbs this week would mean that the larger weight would move to a lesser number! and I'm so looking forward to that.  But alas, while I was down a pound, it wasn't enough to move the larger weight.  Next week!   (Although, I probably could have done it if I'd removed my earrings, my bracelets, and my hair clip .... maybe I'll weigh in tomorrow --- just to see. hahaha)

My workout goal today was 3 miles in 45 minutes -- 

I made my 3 miles in 43.5 minutes... so it was a good Hump day for me!! 

Hope you had yourself a Happy Hump Day!

Experiment #3

I've been continuing with my experiments off and on -- not really sure it's paying off in any way that I was thinking it would.  However, I've always been a people watcher -- just never when they're watching me!!  But today after the gym, I put on  my sundress and combed my hair after my workout.  (Forgot to bring in the big Hollywood Sunglasses to complete the look, however!) 

As I'm walking out, most times, the person(s) at the front desk say goodbye, usually using my name.  Today, there were three people at the desk, and I waggled my fingers in a little wave goodbye, smiled at Michelle, didn't know the other guy who was standing there.  But the best was being able to see the look on Trainer Sean's face .... I could tell it was one of those "Who was that??" looks.  I just smiled, and kept walking :)

Wonder what's in store for tomorrow??

Spring Cleaning

Here in the Valley of the Sun, things are different from anywhere else I've lived.  So today I'm doing my "spring cleaning".  To me, this is more like the fall cleaning one did right before cold temps and snow arrived in Ohio.  Everything cleaned up, washed up, and ready for  'hibernation season'.  Well here in the desert heat, that's our winter.  So everything is washed today: bedding and throw rugs, pillows are fluffed in the dryer.  All the bath towels, kitchen towels.  Only thing left to wash are the sheer curtains in my bedroom.  Why all the housekeeping today?

A dust storm rolled through yesterday afternoon; you can see how dirty the sky is, the trees blowing.  They tend to leave a fine layer of silt on everything, so I had to wipe down the tile floors, and spent the morning in the backyard hosing off patio, outdoor rugs, furniture -- you name it, it got hosed!  



 

But putting it all back into place means it looks nice for the long hot summer.  (Yes, they're predicting temps over 110 this week.... its starting a little early, maybe it won't happen just yet.)



 

When I went out first thing this morning, I found a cactus flower opened up.  And they're such a finicky plant that the blooms only last a day or so.  Which means when you find one, you need to enjoy it! 







 
A little on the warm side at 10am.....
but we desert dwellers don't mind the
early morning temps!

Walk in the Park

I decided to try that video trick for a "one minute vacation" -- in this case, it's a 15 second walk in the park.  Nothing spectacular, some ducks on the pond, a waterfall, and some football player hopefuls doing sprints up the hill.  :)

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, we'll see if this works!

Treasures!

Saturday morning, and I'm awake extra early today, but that's how it is some times.  After much tossing and turning, I decided to head out to the local park, see what I could come up with -- at the same time, get a daily walk in.  Nothing much in the way of 'eventful' happens that early in the park, however.

When I got home, my son was up, awake, semi alert -- early on a Saturday for him, because its 50% off everything day at Goodwill!   Off we go, looking to find any kind of treasures -- we ended up hitting 3 different Goodwill stores, spent a total of just under $30 and got 24 treasures!  A very good shopping trip!

Can't wait to post pictures of the "after" as we experiment with different techniques.  There's something about using your creative side that makes you feel alive. :)  And if things don't work the way we plan, we're not out a lot of money.

One of the things I found that seems to fit into the whole southwest theme here in the Valley of the Sun is this jug with leather on it.  I'm assuming its deer hide, as there are small places where there are tufts of hair still attached.  The only marking on the bottom is "cy"  and while its not an old piece, it seems to have been made in the old style, and that works for me as well. 

every day

Ahhhh, vacation time.  Because any where, any time away from work is a good thing.

I used to dream of things I'd do with my vacation.  For the last few years, I always imagined myself heading toward the beach, finding a nice hotel, taking pictures along the beach.  But all that was secondary -- the primary goal was to meet someone special.  But I've had to let go of that dream, can no longer imagine my doing that.  And it makes me sad.

its 4am and I'm rambling, I haven't been sleeping well.
just using this to sound off for a minute.

every day i let go a little

words flashing back and forth
a smile, a hug
become fewer,
less often

our time together
reduced to barely
an hour

no talk of a future
using distractions
to maintain connection
and yet to keep distant

the sun will be rising soon
its 4am

i can't sleep,
and yet i can't cry
any longer

i feel an end
creeping up on us

are you feeling it to?
every day that goes by
every week that's behind us
every month, and now
every year
pulls me further and further
and every day i let go a little.
©LDPoetry

Rock Art!

Today's excursion led me to Deer Valley Rock Art Center, where cultures of Arizona left their marks here between 500 and 7,000 years ago.  Rock art is a term used for designs made on rocks or on the earth’s surface.  Petroglyphs are designs made by carving or scratching away the dark layer of rock varnish on a rock’s surface to reveal the lighter rock underneath.  There are no universal explanations that can be applied to all petroglyphs.  Rock art may tell a story, mark a trail, have religious significance, ensure successful hunting or keep track of the seasons.  There are over 1,500 petroglyphs found here at the Center.

That being said, it is very awe-inspiring to stand on grounds that felt steeped in spirituality, knowing that hundreds of years ago, some tribe passed by here, maybe camped for a season, living off the land, and leaving their mark for others to find.  



The Hedgepeth Hills were a place for making rock art, but they were also a source for volcanic rock
which made their manos and metates. Manos are hand held grinding tools used to  crush grains and seeds against the surface of the metate. Metates are
flat, oval-shaped stones used as the grinding surface.



a bit of sunlight peeks through
a crack in the rock.
Look closely in the top left
corner and you will see
some petroglyphs.













No one knows for sure
what each symbol means
but they were important
enough to take the time
to create.






Looking at them,
you wonder what
story they were
trying to tell.










If you ever have a chance
to go look at petroglyphs,
make the time to do it.
I hope you would be as
awed and inspired
as I was.

Nana's Garden

As I was meandering through some downtown neighborhoods, I came across this house on a corner  ..... 

"Welcome to Nana's Garden".  

It was a hodge-podge of different garden things - statuary, fountain, planters of every kind ....  Fun! 

lovely arches lead the way

with a brick path that meanders

side door, 

love that its painted

and the brick partial arch

Statues, 

palms,

chairs 

 and trees

mucho que ver!

 

Seahorse statues

a stone bench

a fountain

a totem even?

wonderful 

treasures

 (maravillosos 

tesoros)

 

love this

old shoe

planter

Even a

classic

white

picket

fence

surrounds

the yard