~~ Happy Halloween!! ~~

Fairy Diddy

The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed.
--Sebastien R. N. Chamfort

A few good pumpkins

So.......

• 220 bags of treats with toys ready
• inflatables are inflated
• Jack-o-lanterns are jacked
• ooky spooky lights are on
• checked out the neighbors animated graveyard--WAY cool (and just a block up--good for Halloweeny business, dontchaknow
• SPARE treats just in case....yaneverknow....
• witchy hat. Where's the witchy hat?!
• horns, pitchfork ....... where's the witchy hat?! oy....
• special treat ready for Bug!
• trip to punkin patch.....MORE punkins!

<-- going!!!!!

Now there's three.....

Fairy Reminder

Self-talk is powerful and will prepare us to meet whatever lies ahead today. Self-talk is like prayer and quiets our fears, making it possible to give our full attention to the events transpiring. Self-talk, when positive, cultivates a healthy self-image, one that offers security, even in the face of disaster. We all carry on a dialogue with ourselves much of the time. Taking charge of the messages - making sure they enhance our personal well being - is an option always available to us.

*happily humming*

There's a third one in the making.

He was just 'warming up'.

*shrugs*

If some is good.....MORE is better! :-)

Oh...and Mr. Ghostie isn't done--he's got 'stuff' to be painted on don'tchaknow.
No, I don't know--but if he's having fun......wooooohoooooooo!!!!

Yes I'm going to get a knife and start hacking

....NOT like someone-who-won't-be-mentioned....yup--currently researching jack-o-lantern faces, arranging tools and considering the size of the punkin, the thickness of the punkin, AND the size of the pattern he'll need to make.

Pattern?

PATTERN?!

Knife.

Punkin.

Bowl.

BIG spoon.

GO!!!!!!

*sigh*

Are ya READY yet?!

"Not quite--I'm still deciding......"

*drumming fingers*

Day's Break

TFTD

To assume what other people are thinking or feeling without asking them is to invite misunderstanding. Just as disastrous is to assume other people know what we want or need without our telling them. Many potentially good friendships and marriages perish because of our false assumptions and our lack of honest communication.

Do we assume others can't live without us or wouldn't know what to think or feel unless we told them? Do we take for granted that "silence means assent"? Do we assume others don't have time for us, or don't care about us, if they don't call or go out of their way to talk to us? Do we think others can read our minds without our ever opening our mouths?

Since we can only assume the same limited or distorted thoughts of others that we have of ourselves, we each need to take the initiative to ask probing questions and give honest responses in our relationships.

It's FRIDAY!! Woohooo.

I'm not even going to talk about the last three days.

It'd be good if I didn't.

Tomorrow is a new day--which is a good thing.
I'll invent things to do, not that I have to.......

I have a list!

1. Dead plants from repeated frosts need introduced to the yard waste container.
2. Not-so-dead-plants need introduced to the yard waste container.
3. *humming taps* Patio swing pieces need hauled inside. *sigh*
4. Laundry! Oh, yes......the gift that keeps giving!
5. Bathroom. O M G How DOES that happen?!
6. Avoid Bathroom.....
7. Stovetop....... Hold on--I didn't create the mess!
8. Hand the degreaser to he-who-created-the-mess and STOVETOP!
9. Rake leaves......better yet haul out the leaf-sucker-uppy-thingie! :-) WHILE he-who-created-the-mess does STOVETOP.
10. Pet Studley. :-)

Triad

Pssstt......hey lady.......

Today's Fairy Thought

I know better than to not trust God. But sometimes, I forget that.

When we are in the midst of an experience, it is easy to forget that there is a Plan. Sometimes, all we can see is today.

If we were to watch a weaver sewing a tapestry for only a few moments, and focused on only a small piece of the work, it would not look beautiful. It would look like a few peculiar threads randomly placed. How often we use that same, limited perspective to look at our life - especially when we are going through a difficult time.

We can learn to have perspective when we are going through those confusing, difficult learning times. When we are being pelted by events that make us feel, think, and question, we are in the midst of learning something important.

We can trust that something valuable is being worked out in us - even when things are difficult, even when we cannot get our bearings. Insight and clarity do not come until we have mastered our lesson.

Quilt Barn #38

Fairy Reading for Today

Do not allow yesterday's garbage to influence your experience today. Do not allow your fears about tomorrow's garbage to steal the goodness that is available to you right now. Each time you fall into the past or jump into the future you miss what is going on right now. Right now you have the opportunity to create a fresh new start. The only things that come into your stream of thought are those things which you are ready to release or receive. Release the past! Receive your good now! Trust that when you reach tomorrow, there will be nothing but good waiting for you.

Until today, you may have been recycling garbage in your mind creating and re-creating experiences that you no longer need to have. Just for today, stop collecting trash. Stop looking for it. Stop dragging it around.

Quiet Corner

QOTW

What's one of the craziest, most impulsive things you've ever done?



Right!!

From the roof of a three story building, dropping myself backwards over the edge into a dumping box filled with paper wrapping/shipping waste........ Twice.

I'm not entirely sure it was 'impulsive', given it was back to back.


I AM entirely sure it was STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID.

Fairy Reminder

If all the best-laid plans go wrong, maybe we are meant to learn that such important things aren't so important, after all.

If the skies are custard pies waiting to plop down on our hopeful faces, maybe it is best to accept the gift, count it a blessing, and lick our chops.

How have my failures been successes in disguise?

This morning's light

I sneak out......

....on occasion I leave earlier for work than need be.

And I take off for places nearby.

This morning it was the stone bridge for a moment of peace and quiet before the insanities began.

It worked.

I was feeling pretty centered.

And then I went into the office. LOL

Nahhhh....it was a good day. A busy day. A productive day.

I'm pretending not to borrow troubles/worry about who's about to become my new supervisor.

I'm not known for my 'ease of supervision'.

But maybe it's time to work that into my reputation.

Seriously.
Maybe it's time I work on changing just how unwilling I make myself appear to the world around me.....especially given I am a whole lot more willing than I've allowed myself TO look.

*sigh*

That 'letting it look how it is' stuff has never come easy for me.

Let it look AS loving, AS willing, AS determined......k.....the 'determined' bit is easier than the other two.

*shudder"

And 'cooperative'.

OMG

COOPERATIVE and WILLING?

Seriously.....I wanna aspire to look like THAT?!

Where's the fun in it?!

Quiet Visitor

TFTD

Deep within our being is a place of peace, joy and knowing.

It is a place called love.

We are not taught to live from that place for ourselves.

We are taught to shower it on others.

We do for others what we will not do for ourselves.

We give to others what we think we do not deserve.

We turn to others for the very feeling that comes from the self.

We are love from the core of our being. It is the energy by which we were born.

We breathe love.

Why can't we learn to love ourselves the same way we love others?

If we can live from our being of love, we can't help but attract more of what we are.

Love is what we are.

When we know that and live through it, we can live "in love" with ourselves.

Hidden Prezzie

I excused myself Saturday to go to the dam.....and ended up crossing the highway to take a county road turned gravel, turned to a well hidden state wildlife management park.

I say well hidden cuz it's 20 years undiscovered by ME. Talk about a prezzie! I was excited--and a bit bummed. Pretty convinced I shouldn't even TRY that level 'B' road with my little car....so I didn't. But BOY did it look promising and BOY was it gorgeous back there....

Yesterday I promised--PROMISED multiple times that I wouldn't take off for parts unknown and head back there.

"Someone got killed in Oregon simply going for a walk at the park--shot by a hunter."
"You promise--no returning. We'll go another day."

Musta made him nervous that I promised....even though it's off-season. LOL
The heck of it is, I meant it! Seriously.....I was into transferring summer clothes for winter clothes when he returned, 15 minutes after he left to go to a 'doings' an hour away.

Yup--got in the Jeep....crossed the highway....down the gravel road......to the 'well kept secret' park.
There were two places of entry......he chose the first against my advisement.

Ummm.....this is the hunting area, Mr.-'someone-got-shot-in-Oregon-by-a-hunter'.

"Off season, you said."

Yeah, well.....I mighta lied....

"You were going to go--weren't you?"

"Ohhhhhh......look! How pretty is THAT?!"

And down the dirt, rutted road we went in the Jeep.
And down......and down some more. I was holding my breath, hoping stuck didn't happen....

We're talking rutted and scary--himself didn't think so but he drove tanks in the military. I reminded him this was a JEEP.

"Exactly. No point in having one if you're just going to use it to get groceries."
And so down we went....and down.....
HOLY moly......to this bitty valley with a wee stream where the eagles were hangin'.

"Did you see the sign with all the bullet holes........"

Nope--missed it. Too busy watching the eagle and wandering along the bitty stream.

"Up? Keep going?"

Yes, please....I think...
And then up.

Oh my gosh......it was gorgeous.
And it was treacherous.

And gorgeous.

And then we got to the end, turned around and went down......and down, crossed the wee bridge...and then up and up and up again and out. And then to the second park road and down again.
We landed at the river. And we watched a family of eagles doing what eagles do.....soar. The juveniles were playful and talkative. I think I sat on that beached tree trunk for an hour or so, just BEING while he wandered about the shoreline.

It was a lovely adventure.
And shame on the hunters who left a box of Winchester shells on the ground.
And shame on me for not reading the sign that I took a photo of when we returned to the valley from the first park road.
Seriously took the photo and didn't READ THE DARN SIGN.

Ummmmmmm.......yeah.....
I think he read it. I'm pretty sure he read it and ignored it, Mr. 'Someone-got- shot-by-a-hunter-in-Oregon'
We were in a Jeep dontchaknow--

Apparently it doesn't apply to Jeeps.

Breath-holding Beauty

Fairy Thought

Why worry?

If you have learned anything by now it is that worry serves no purpose.

Yet, you do it any way.

Why?

You sit around frantic.

You run around frazzled.

You make yourself sick.

You have all but pulled your hair out, and for what?

If your worrying could have made things better, you wouldn't have anything to worry about.

What would you do with all of that free time?

How about trusting that all the things you have been worrying about will not change for all the worry in the world.

How about dropping all the worry and picking up a little trust.

(Oh no! There you go worrying about whether or not you have enough trust to trust. Get A Grip!)

Chompin' and Pukin'....

Reading for the Day

We have so much in life to be thankful for.

We walk, talk, see, hear, think and breathe -- usually without effort.

Why do we spend so much time dwelling on what we can't do, don't have and what is going wrong?

We can instantly recall the negative experiences, people and circumstances without recognizing we have the ability to walk away, get away or make a change.

Perhaps we have too many options from which to choose.

Or it could be we simply like to complain.

Maybe if we spent just a little time saying "thank you" for what we do have, we won't have so much time to dwell on what we lack.

Gratitude, praise and thanksgiving activate the divine laws of abundance.

When the universe can see we are conscious of and grateful for what we have, it is activated to shower us with more.

Even when it seems that the well is drying up, we can affirm, "I can hardly wait to see the good that will come out of this."

So it's Saturday.....

And there are no plans.

I like 'no plans' kinda days. Well, mostly no plans. I looked at the patio with the leaves and dead flowers and considered plans. Only that involves lugging pots to different places and dealing with a naked patio.
Ummm......pass.

Okay--maybe not 'pass'.....but in moderation. Maybe just a few pots emptied and moved.

Dead plants are great decorations for Halloween dontchaknow.

(that's my story and I'm stickin' to it......)

And there are ucky windows.

And leaves.

And 'stuff' that speaks to spring/summertime that need moved outta the yard.

Okay.

THIS is starting to sound like work.

No workie!

NO workie!!

Play.....with a bit of nothingness and rest tossed in.

And maybe a trip to the river or the pond or the antiquey store for a wander about.

Oh.

Nosing through OLD stuff.

k......NOW I'm on the right track! :-)

Prayerful

Fairy Reading

How long are you going to hold on to the things that are not working in your best interests? Things that are not fulfilling? Things that are no longer productive? How long are you going to deny yourself, your feelings and your power in order to live up to the demands and expectations of others? How long are you going to over do, over give, over indulge, trying to convince yourself and others that you are worthy? Perhaps today is as good a day as any other to let go of them and grab onto your Self. Perhaps today is the day that you will find the courage and the strength to stop doing worthwhile things and start being worthy.

Life is not about holding on. Nor is it about pleasing others in order to get by. Life is not about doing what will make others believe you are worthy. Nor is it about denying yourself to make others feel better. Isn't it obvious that life is moving on while you seem to be stuck in a holding pattern? Can you not see that you are carrying so much "stuff", perhaps so many people that you can hardly move, let alone make any progress. In fact, doesn't it seem at times as if you are being left behind, by the very ones you stayed behind to help

Life is about moving through, moving on, growing up, and growing through each and every experience. Life is about examination, elimination and re-creation. Perhaps today is the only day you have to examine your life, to make some adjustments and changes, so that you can take full advantage of the opportunities this day offers. Today sure seems like a good day! If it's not today, what will it take?

QOTW

When was the last time you fell down?

Funny you'd ask that.....

I'm still limping my way through it, tyvm.

I went to the lake.
I thought 'if critters can walk there, so can I'.

I discovered 'critters have FOUR legs--duh?!'.

I landed okay--given that I was on the bank and the incline was steep. I missed the water--this is a good thing.
But I managed to create a limp.

Now, it's not that I don't see deer limping on occasion.

k......I don't ever recall seeing a limping deer, but I'm sure one's crossed my path!

Fine.

Probably not my most brilliant idea.
.

.

.

I just wanna go on record that I've had dumber ideas.

(Yaknow......like the time I thought it was a good plan to climb over the coupling on a train car......cuz I thought it was parked on a 'dead' track.)

Ready for the Pickin'

TFTD

You may not have all the money you want.

You may not live in a fancy house or drive expensive cars.

Maybe you haven't found the right man or woman.

You may have a few extra pounds on your thighs.

This does not mean life is over.

Actually, it may not have begun.

What we must do is live from the inside so the outside will become more fun.

Give what you have in order to get what you need.

Take what you get with an open heart.

Trust God to bring forth the desires of your heart, forgive all people for what you believe they have done.

Begin each day with a prayer of gratitude, love all people for who they are.

Possess no things or persons, speak only of the things that you want.

Life is willing to cooperate with you, but you must know where to start.

Remnants

It ain't so bad......it might even be GOOD.....omg

I've struggled and struggled and fought and kicked and screamed--manipulated and did some dumb things to avoid BEING the administrator that I am.

I rationalize and made it all make sense--to me and to the world around me.

And then someone said "you're an ADMINISTRATOR.....you need to BE an administrator".

I made a feeble attempt at kicking and screaming but truth was I put myself in a corner. All of my best intentions melted down into one truth.......I was manipulating and resisting the change, trying to hold on to what I wanted--or what was familiar.
I could talk the talk, but I refused to walk the walk.

And I took pride in being an administrator who wasn't BEING an administrator.

So pffffffffffftttttttt!

I needed someone to pull on the leash and tell me the gig was up.

I don't GET to be bits of everything.

I'm an administrator.

The end.

Or.......don't BE an administrator.

Choose. Gig's up.

I've kept my hand out of the till for the last month.

I've kept to a schedule of responsibilities that don't include cooking breakfast, don't include scheduling people or 'fixing' scheduling issues.

I've kept to a routine of what I'm accomplishing and when I'm meeting with people and where.

I've showed up for administrative meetings and been responsible in my participation.

I've kept my hand on the central people who are picking up responsibilities I'd excluded them from because they were 'too busy' (yes, another rationalization.....).

And I've......kinda gotten okay with it.

Seriously.

No.

Really.

I might even kinda like it.

It isn't what I thought--I've not excluded myself from the kiddos and families. I find myself in a different role with them.
A good role.

I mean a really GOOD role.

It ain't so bad.

Seriously.

SERIOUSLY.

It's even kinda.......good.

Years of kicking and screaming and manipulating and conning and rationalizing to avoid something REALLY GOOD.

Duh.

Ya gotta wonder....

Sometimes I don't think people 'get it'.

*shaking head*

I know--it's my job to help 'em get it.

If it's an 'age old problem' and you look around the room to discover who the 'age old people' are, wouldn't that make you stop and go 'humm....'? It made me stop and go "Hmmmmm....I MIGHT be the problem, huh?"

Of course, I'm good at inventory taking.

I'm also good at 'other people's inventory' taking. LOL

Yes, thank you--I think I'd rather take YOUR inventory than mine.

:-/

k......

Best I look at the fingers pointing at me and focus on fixing my piece of the problem.
Maybe it'll be a case of 'monkey see, monkey do'!

Yeah--whadda the odds of that?!

I can hope!

And what's up with handing me a financial statement, holding me accountable for a deficit (I GET THAT PIECE), only to have to go back to the boss and let 'em know several things on the statement just don't make sense--and 'oh, by the way I called the finance department and they told me they're not really actuals....they're their best guess'. 'THEIR BEST GUESS'?!

Oy brother..... Now THAT'S helpful.

Oh wait! Pointing fingers!!!!

Me.

ME.

Focus on ME.

k.....ready, steady, GO!

Junior

Today's Reading

When something is important to you, you take care of it.

You make sure it is protected, nurtured, and that those things required for its maintenance are provided.

Whether it is your child, your home or your vehicle, if you consider the person or entity important, you will do your darndest to see that it is taken care of.

In those cases where you have assigned a value to the thing you consider important, the stakes are even higher.

Is it not true that there have been times when you have denied, jeopardized or put aside your own needs and well-being to provide for those you consider important and valuable?

Most of us do it most of the time, and that is exactly why it seems perfectly normal.

The destruction of self-worth begins the moment we assign a value to something outside of ourselves.

The destruction continues when we accept the responsibility to care for and maintain something that has more value than we do.

Being a parent or spouse is not more important than being a whole, healthy being.

Being a diligent and responsible worker is not more important than being peaceful, loving soul.

Working hard to provide, or take care of material possessions is not more important than taking care of your mind, your body, or your spirit.

Anytime you place a value or importance on anything or anyone that is greater than the importance and value you place on yourself you are engaging in an unconscious form of suicide.

Well then.....that was fun.

Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expects the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you, realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken.

I must say I had difficulty answering the question about what I do when I'm talking with people. My answer wasn't there. :-/

I talk with my hands.

Yes, I talk with my hands.

Oh, g'head and ask.....

The answer is IF I have to sit on my hands, I stumble over my words and have a heck of a time getting said what I'm needing to say.

Yesterday's Artwork

Not 'zackly sidewalk--more like ooky spooky chalkboard paper on the wall.

Oh, but it works when it's blustery and raining! So it's good.
AND you get to draw on the wall! :-D

*plotting*

<-- REAP'ed the rewards

How cool is that.

Now I get to decide just how I'm gonna do what 'earned' me that cool bowl.

We have a local food pantry--I could donate. I have an address to send off a donation to the project.

Decisions decisions.

OH!! This requires a bit of thought and a little creative spark.

I could involve kiddos from the worksite! Ohhhh.... And the church ladies that volunteer with 'em!

<-- working on a plot

Daily Reading

How do you learn how to believe in yourself if you haven't been taught that you are worth believing in? How do you find the words to say to yourself the things you have rarely, if ever, heard about yourself? How do you learn to do for yourself the things you have never been taught you are worthy of having done for you? How do you stop doing what hurts you when you haven't been taught how to do anything else? Well, you just do it! You do it until you believe it! You do it until you feel it! You do it until you can't stop doing it because you know that you are worth the effort!

In order to believe in and experience your own sense of worth you make a decision that you are worth believing in. Then, you tell yourself just that. You must find the words that capture all the things you need to hear and, whisper them softly to yourself. You must ask yourself what needs to be done to make you feel stronger, better, and brighter. Once you figure out what those things are, you do them for yourself. If by chance you discover along the way that what you are doing is not helping you to believe something better about you, stop! Do something else! Do something that makes you feel good, look good and, bring you closer to realizing the truth that you are good.

Find the way and, the words and, the methods to do and, to say what you need to hear and have done. Do it because you are worth it! Do it because you deserve it! Do it because you believe in yourself! Do it because you want to demonstrate that what you believe about you will attract others to you who will help you along.

The One Glove

<-- The One Glove

Now how cool is THAT?!

:-)

(it was a rush job.....)

(But it WORKS.)

A-Typical

One Glove

I think I'm going to decorate the glove.

Yes, glove.

On the palm of my hand I have blisters. The ones on the arm are thankfully covered by the sleeves that are required this time of year.

Ummmmm....sleeves are required ALL times of year given I have wrinkley arms--but especially now with stupid blistery things on 'em.
Needless to say--one cannot work unless one has blisters covered up.

Michael Jackson.
I look like Michael Jackson with my one hand covered in a glove.

Yesterday it was my only option. None of those little circle bandaids were available.
Still not available this morning....shoulda made that effort and I did not.

BUT!!

I have a glove and I have pins and doo-dads I can put on it.

I need an orange one.....or a black one I can decorate!

I can put ooky spooky things on it and be stylin'!

Ohhhh.......I have buttons and fabric glue! :-)

And a bit of time before I have to head out for the administrative meeting!

This is almost as good as toys!

(not quite......but dang close!)

TFTD

Little by little, we learn to take the risk of revealing ourselves. We disclose the real person within to others. We pick safe people, and we begin to disclose bits and pieces about ourselves.

Sometimes, out of fear, we may withhold, thinking that will help the relationship or will help others like us more. That is an illusion. Withholding who we are does not help the other person, the relationship, or us. Withholding is behavior that backfires. For true intimacy and closeness to exist, for us to love ourselves and be content in a relationship, we need to disclose who we are.

That does not mean we tell all to everyone at once. That can be a self-defeating behavior too. We can learn to trust ourselves, about who to tell, when to tell, where to tell, and how much to tell.

To trust that people will love and like us if we are exactly who we are is frightening. But it is the only way we can achieve what we want in relationships. To let go of our need to control others - their opinions, their feelings about us, or the course of the relationship - is the key.

Right.....round two!

I think I can safely say I'm not one of those 'three weeks'--I'm one of those 'three months or three years' people.

This was the 'warning' I got from the physician about that 'shingles' condition.

Round two.

The good news--the Bug doesn't have chicken pox but clearly has some viral something-or-other..so says the girl's physician. And that same physician told her she doesn't believe it's shingles that the girl has, but they've taken skin samples just the same.

<-- has shingles

And gave kisses and hugs and shared pickles with the bug.....

Grand. Well--I hear tell it's good for them to have chicken pox after a year so.....

Maybe since the darn stuff didn't explode until this morning that means she's not in line to pick it up from Nana?

One can hope.

And I didn't end up with a script for the one of the 'stupid meds'.

Mostly cuz I saw the doc I'm familiar with and told 'em I wasn't doing it.

But I do have one stupid med!

And yes, I'm feeling stupid already.

*sigh*

Three months!

I'm gonna hope for the 'three month' sentence.

Three years?

Sounds like a pain in the.....(this time) hand and arm?

Oy brother.

Down the Middle

Reading for the Day

Love soothes, encourages, inspires. It enhances our wholeness, both when we give it and when we receive it. Without the expression of love we are severed from our family and friends. It's the bond that strengthens each of us, giving us the courage to tackle what's lying ahead.

We need not wait for someone else's expression of love before giving it. Loving must be unconditional. And when it is, it will be returned tenfold. Loving attracts itself, and it will heal us, soften the hard edges of our lives, and open us up to receive the blessings that others' gratitude will foster.

It's such a simple thing asked of us - to love one another. Unconditional love of our sisters, our lovers, and our children breaks down the barriers to our achievements and theirs. Loving frees us to enjoy life. It energizes us and makes all goals attainable.

Sharin' Dill Pickle(s)

Bug bought me a prezzie--it makes whoppin' BIG bubbles and there's a pair of 3D glasses to wear, too.

She wore the glasses and made the bubbles. We played outside on the swing set and then played inside with the kitchenette. We made hot dogs, pizza and french fries. And then we had snack cuz mom let us--a shared dill pickle! :-)

Interesting way of sharin'--she puts it in her mouth and attacks me with it. Well, I'm suppose to eat one end while she eats another.....but I got to giggling too hard.

"Nono Nana--eat the pickle....."

Yeah, well, I did.

And then we got out of those outdoor clothes.

Ohhhhhh.....guess what Bug?! You have chicken pox.

"I have chicken pox mommy!"

Mommy wasn't amused--she assured me the Bug had been crawling around in the basement while they were cleaning yesterday. And see--even she got bit by a spider or something....multiple times.

I asked if she found the spider and I asked to see the bites. And then I asked if she'd been feeling a bit stressed lately.

I hated to tell her it was shingles.

She showed me her 'bites' and I had to shake my head and close my eyes.

Shingles, dearheart.
And Bug has chicken pox.

"I have chicken pox mommy!"

I just smiled weakly.

"MOM......you shared a pickle and kisses and hugs and......oh GREAT.......I have shingles...."

Uh huh.
Hugs.

Kisses.

And a pickle.

Okay...two pickles.

Nana snuck into the kitchen and got a second one when mommy was upstairs to find out if the daddy ever managed to get chicken pox.

THEY WERE REALLY GOOD PICKLES.

(Just sayin'.......)

Workday Done

You know how you know noises?

Yaknow--like the sound of the ice maker happenin'. Well, that's if you have an ice maker--which we don't.

Okay--lemme try that again..... Like the noise of the furnace kicking in!

We have one of those and it makes a noise--which I don't notice any more.

Yeah--those noises.

The ones you hear and tune out cuz they're familiar and they belong.

4:15 and there's some creepy noise goin' on.

No--it wasn't the banging of door in the wind. That was yesterday's 'Mel's beating the dying coffee maker into submission' noise.

This was more of a 'whomp......shhhhhhh' noise.

I laid there for a bit, frowning in my fog.

'Whomp.........ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......'

Ah. New coffee maker works......I think I'm joyous.

'Whomp.....shhhhhhhhhh'

'Whomp............ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......'

I couldn't help it.
I laid there, listening.

And then I nudged him.

......hey......

'Whomp..........shhhhhhhhhhhhh'

......wakeupwakeup.......

'Whomp........ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......'

Hear that noise?

'Whomp..........shhhhhhhhhhhhh......'

This is the sound of a non-circumcised coffee maker puking out coffee.

'Whomp..........shhhhhhhhhhhh.....'

Ya know the sound of someone rolling over and pulling the blankie over their head?

____________ <-- insert it here

I'm a happy woman.
I'm an antagonistic woman--but a happy one............with a cuppa coffee in the jack-o-lantern mug.

Life is good.

Today's Reminder from the Reading Fairy

The solutions to our problems are seldom found in our heads. They burst forth from our hearts. We suddenly seem to know what to do. Perhaps someone else's words or behavior will trigger the inspiration we've longed for. We can let our concern today be on the moment and the experience. We can let its power wash over us, and in the wake we'll find the answers we search for.

When we're brittle, cold to others, we close off whatever messages are being directed to us. Our love for others softens us; making it possible for the words and ideas we await to permeate us.

Over The Edge

Bit obsessed.....

Just a bit of blind obsession.

A tad.

Coffee only came out if I bounced the coffee maker on the counter-top.

Yeah.....it was 5:32.

I'd waited and tried to analyze the problem, but without caffeine.....I was more into solutions.

He decided maybe I'd snuck out to watch sunrise and it was a 'left open door' banging in the wind.

Ummmm......notsomuch.

Just me beating the hell out of the coffee maker, glaring at he-who-wanted-to-know-what-all-the-racket-was-about.

'I'm not allowed to talk?'

No. Just get the **** outta my way--I've beat it into submission enough to get a cup and I intend to drink it.

And then.....

He cut the cord.

HE CUT THE CORD.

Safety, he says.

Safety?!

SAFETY?!?!

He whipped out the scissors and with NO thought, not even a word--he cut the cord.

He. Cut. The. Cord.

'Well, that's that then'.

OMG.....

The darn thing was as close to dead as it could be--he didn't have to humiliate it by circumcising it!

It was all I could do, but I waited until 9a.m.

And then I went downtown on a mission for a coffee maker--in this bitty town, notsomuch to choose from.

I could buy an espresso coffee maker for $210.
I don't WANT espresso--I wanna freaking coffee maker that works?!
I could buy a 4 cup maker.....

Four cups.

FOUR CUPS?!

They can't be serious.....four cups?!

k.....problem....

Nuffin'.

NOT ONE coffee maker in this bitty town.

Nada.

Nil.

Zilch.....

And I can't even wing it with the old one and beat on it to get a cup in the morning--HE CUT THE FREAKING CORD!!!!!!
I was pretty sure we had electrical tape.

I was pretty sure I could piece it together if need be.

O
M
G

k.... I mighta panicked.

I think the text mighta read 'OMG NONE!!!' followed quickly by a 'GET THE JEEP!!'.

Bit obsessed, he says.
Bit preoccupied with a coffee maker, he says.
You have all day, he says......
Plenty of time, he says.

Just get in the freaking Jeep.

Uh huh......and who was the one in the Jeep pointing at the out-of-state drivers who were 'making a mad dash to WalMart'. Didn't I 'see the huge ad for the limited sale on coffee makers'?

NO-- the fella with the Illinois plates didn't turn into WalMart.

Yes-- I have a new coffee maker.

And YES-- he-who-found-it-amusing-that-I-suggested-going-faster is still breathing.

........barely.....

*checking*

Yup.

There's a day out there happenin'.

Patio swing needs retired.
Leaves need sucked up.

There's a Jeep with a full tank of gas.

Sun's shining.....

Work/play/work/play/work....

PLAY!

Gee. That wasn't hard at all! :-)

Mornin'.....

Daily Reading

Sometimes the people we care about the most are the people we treat badly.

We don't always mean to or want to.

At times we just don't think.

Other times we do it because we know we can get away with it.

We must learn to value and honor those blessings we call friends; they are few and far between.

They come to share a part of life with us.

How we treat them is a reflection of our thoughts about life.

When we tax our friendships with abuse, neglect or mindless actions, we shut ourselves off from the support that makes life easier to bear.

When we fail to nurture our friendships, it is a sign that we do not nurture ourselves.

When we treat our friends with kindness and respect, they are obliged to do the same.

When we hold our friendships in high regard, we learn to feel good about ourselves.

When we value our friends and the relationship, they know it, and they will do their best to keep things in balance.

Today's Thought

Most people will do everything in their power to avoid admitting I don't know!

When you do admit I don't know some people respond as if you are crazy!

Adamantly they want to know what do you mean you don't know?

Contrary to popular belief, when you don't know and can admit it, you are in line for a great healing or a magnificent blessing!

Few know-it alls are blessed with new insights or information.

When you are willing to acknowledge that you don't know, you open yourself to all sorts of information and assistance from life.

Not knowing may send you on a search.

It may open your mind and your eyes to things you have never even thought of before.

The things you discover in your search may bless you at some later date, or the search may heal some long-held fear.

What a blessing!

An admission of not knowing is a sign of great faith and trust.

It means trusting that even when you don't know, you know that when you need to know, you will know!

An admission of not knowing is an act of great humility that leads to the healing of the ego.

It is the ego that fosters an internal sense of inadequacy.

When you feel or believe you are in some way inadequate, it will always feel as if you have something to prove.

Admitting that you don't know is a very loving way to acknowledge that you are absolutely fine with who you are and that you are not afraid to admit it.

What else do you need to know?