This way up

The View

Fairy Reminder

There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. 

But the only time that is yours is the present.

Overflow

Fairy Wisdom

Learn from those who share your opinions. 

And learn even more from those who disagree with you.

Stuck in the middle with you....lalalala

Wednesday Whine

It's cold.  :-/

(it's the midwest---it's November....duh.)

I don't WANNA go to work.

(there's a news flash--go anyway and you'll be hard pressed to LEAVE on time cuz there's always that one more thing that you need to involve yourself in....)

I don't WANNA sit in meetings all day.

(again--you'll get there, go and at least a half a dozen times you'll hear 'wow...what a great point--thanks for bringing that to the table'...)

I don't WANNA haffta deal with some supervision issue with a grownup.

(does anyone?.....there's a growth opportunity for another person and you're not going to take it and run with it?)

I sometimes resent that my brain undoes my whine AS it's happening.

Whatsupwiththat? 

:-/

TFTD

Simply going through the motions of forgiving or accepting forgiveness will not get us very far. 

We must squarely face our feelings and tell someone so we are no longer alone with our guilt. 

Then, if there is the possibility for repair without further hurt, we must make repair. 

In this concrete way we can be genuinely forgiven and fully accept forgiveness. 

When a person has a spiritual experience like this, they mature and gain the ability to forgive others.

A skyfull of evening

Things that make me happy....

....the stack of completed cards ready to now be written in and sent on their merry way.  *laughing*  Guess that means they're not REALLY completed, huh?

....the new pen that used to belong to someone else.  It's glittery and it writes really nice.  (yes, they told me I could keep it.  LOL)

....bringing out the penguin mug!

....new sticky notes with snowmens on 'em.

....leftovers, believe it or not!

....himself going up the ladder and down the ladder and up the ladder and down the ladder and up the ladder....*snickering*  Hangin' lights dontchaknow!

....the pretty layer of ice just forming on the pond.

Reading for The Day

It's healthy, wise, and loving to be considerate and responsive to the feelings and needs of others. That's different from caretaking. Caretaking is a self defeating and, certainly, a relationship defeating behavior - a behavior that backfires and can cause us to feel resentful and victimized - because ultimately, what we feel, want, and need will come to the surface.

Some people seem to invite emotional caretaking. We can learn to refuse the invitation. We can be concerned; we can be loving, when possible; but we can place value on our own needs and feelings too. Part of taking care of ourselves means learning to pay attention to, and place importance on, what we feel, want, and need, because we begin to see that there are clear, predictable, and usually undesirable consequences when we don't.

Be patient and gentle with yourself as you learn to do this. Be understanding with yourself when you slip back into the old behavior of emotional caretaking and self-neglect.

But stop the cycle today. We do not have to feel responsible for others. We do not have to feel guilty about not feeling responsible for others. We can even learn to let ourselves feel good about taking responsibility for our needs and feelings.

This post brought to you by the number "7"

Right.....on occasion it's good fun to indulge in a bit of community play!
(Thanks Linda!!)

So I'm playing on invitation!

Right.....Seven things about Mel!
Try not to laugh.....k?  LOL

• Did you know I was the etiquette book in my elementary school play?  *polishing nails*  And I was a darn GOOD etiquette book, too.  I turned in a circle and waved.  Why--I don't remember.  It was my part?  And yes--that was the extent of my acting career.
• Did you know that I don't like meats? Yeah.......ya probably knew that if you've stopped by this joint more than once.......  But did you know I don't like meat sooooooooo much that I make he-who-cooks take it off my plate if he's doled out (what I think is) too much? Yeah, well....I do.  :-/  I do NOT LIKE MEATS.
• Have I ever mentioned that I don't like showers--  Not even if I'm muddy.  I might stand under it and wash off the mud......but then I'm about rinsing out the dirt and filling up the tub with bubbles and duckies.  LORD help me when I get to the stage that getting OUT of the tub will become an issue.  But I hear tell they make tubs that now have doors that open up!  I might have to do some investigative work on that one.  Or.......invest in a crane.......
• Many moons ago I gave up wearing matching socks.  If you give me socks that match--I break 'em into singles and find a mismatch.  It started out as professionally made mismatched socks but I have warped into mismatching my own.  I personally enjoy wearing the duckie socks with the turtle socks.  And I'm all about putting the batty socks with the elf socks!  LOL  We'll refer to it as 'sock diversity'!!
• I'm a life long Green Bay Packers and New York Yankees fan.  No--I'm not the one that changes just to be a fan of the 'good teams'.  I was rooting for 'em when they SUCKED. 
• Please feel free to analyze this--I doodle boxes when I'm trying to be 'good' in a meeting.  Not flowers.  Not squiggles......boxes.  Dimensional boxes no less.  (I eagerly await the analysis!  LOL)

Oh gosh........one last tidbit to toss out there......

• Did ya know I'm a bit quirky about my clothes closet.....and how it's arranged....   At any given moment you can open the closet and discover things grouped according to length.....or colour.......or article of clothing.......or matching items.......or most/least worn......or......  *laughing*    

Feel free to analyze that one too!  ;-)

.....just resting!!!

Ohhhhhhh........There's a dead toad in the yard.

Oh no.  Not Toby.....

No......  It's probably his arch enemy.  Or a cousin that was visiting from Maryland......

Of course you have to go out and investigate.  In case......


No, he's not dead.

Well, don't touch h.........k......

Yup.  Frozen.  He's dead.

Eww.  You touched a frozen toad.  That's just wrong......Ohhhhhh...now I'm sad again.......  WAIT--maybe he's just sleeping!

No.  I think he's frozen to death.


Of course you then have to investigate on the world wide web.  Don't toads hiberate?  They DO hibernate.  Maybe he really IS just sleeping?

And of course you have to go back outside.
With the spade.


Well then--we'll bury him, shall we?

He's hibernating.  He's not really dead.  We can transplant him to the garden!  And come spring he'll wake up and go 'whoa......how'd I get here!!  musta been those really cool humans!'.  So yes--I want you to loosely bury him so he can breathe.  In the garden.  Under leaves and such.....

Bit like a Monty Python scene here......  You want me to transplant a frozen toad--he's just resting.

Yes! He's not really frozen.  They have anti freeze in their little bodies ya know!

Righhhhttt......


Of course there's a missing square piece of sod in the yard.
Of course Mr. Toad is safely tucked away in the garden.
Of course I'm hopeful come spring he'll awaken and be eternally grateful.

Of course we're like a Monty Python scene.

*laughing*
And I'm pretty sure the neighbors were watching.

Days Gone By

QOTW

What item do you often misplace?



I had to think about that for a bit......I was going to say my keys, but that's just not true.
And I've never lost and had to have them replaced.

So, I had another cuppa coffee!

And the answer is *drum roll!* the silly work cell phone.
Yes, I have two cell phones. I've tried to eliminate one, but that hasn't worked so far.  I'll keep trying.
I've located it in some pretty odd places, so I'm convinced it has a mind of it's own.  And I've lost it more times than I care to admit--and once I killed it......because......

So!!  It's either a deep psychological scar that goes back to pre-womb stage OR....it's simply that I don't like talking on phones and one is too many so two is forgettable?
Or maybe it's because I've not bothered to get a holder for the work one cuz donning two holders is......anal?
OR--maybe it's some desire to actually lose the darn thing AGAIN and hear from the boss "gosh--you lose more it than you use it......you can be excused from carrying it".

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AGE.

......just sayin'.........

Fairy Reading

Each of us is blessed with an internal guide, a source able to direct our actions if we but acknowledge it. 

Never are we in doubt for long about what path to take. 

The courage to take it might not be immediately forthcoming; however, it, too, is one of the gifts with which we've been blessed. 

Courage is ours for the asking. 

Right direction is ours for the taking.

Down on the Farm

Sleeping with Bread

"Notice your feelings--positive and negative--throughout the day and reflect on the moments that are significant to you.  These are the events that God is trying to tell you more about--examine these significant moments more deeply"......
"When the Examen is done over time, we begin to see the patterns of consolation (times when you feel the most alive, energized and connected to God) and desolation (when you feel God's absence or perhaps hopelessness)."

Patterns.....
I haven't always liked looking at the 'insanities' in my life--those things I do over and over and over again, expecting different results.
I'm stubborn and prone to human-ness......  I decide if I just try harder and longer and maybe this time with a bit of a twist--it'll work.

Notsomuch.....
True about multiples of things in my life--drinking, drugging, unhealthy relationships....even bothering to open the directions that come with newly purchased items that need assembled.
Try harder!!  Try longer!!  You, too, can be insane!

I've been at the weekly 'Examen' for a bit of time.  And I do a nightly inventory--which gives me something tangible to go back to look at.
I've decided G-d might want me to be doing something with these 'intolerant' thoughts of mine. Now granted, they don't come out of my mouth--but I'm pretty convinced that they're eeking out in my attitude at times. Even when/if they're not, the very act of hanging on to them and acting as IF takes a whole lot of energy that I could be using in other places.
And frankly, I don't like how it FEELS to think those intolerant 'better than' thoughts that whiz through my brain.  I know I'm not 'better than'....I know we're all G-d's kiddos......

Stupid brain.....

Okay--I get points for not sayin' what comes to mind.  Or at least at one point in my life I did get points for that.  Notsomuch today....  I used to believe I was entitled to say what I thought because I secretly knew you wanted me to.  And when that got ripped out of the realms of my self appointed-responsibilities, I used to get great joy from acting in a kindly manner while I plotted in my head.  I even self reported to the WPIML .....and I didn't get it when he actually had me go back and spend more time with the person that was driving me nutz--the one whose head I wanted to squish into itty bitty pieces.....
*sigh*  I'd spend more time with them, come to know them as a human being and miraculously, they'd turn into a decent person.  Who changed--them or me.... Me.  Go figure.

I'm there again I think.
Or at the very least, the same issue is there.  I'm  not making the effort and that unkind, gee let's squish their head into smithereens thinking is there.  I can FEEL the irritation slip in, the body tenses up and I'm dealing with that warp speed, judgmental, better than thinking.  And while I think I handle the moment appropriately at that moment.....more oft than not I'm inventorying impatient, intolerant crap at the end of the evening, frequently going back to the person to apologize for what might have been interpreted as crappiness of attitude even if they didn't perceive it as that.

I knew it was.

Over and over and over again.  Frequently with the same people.
And while they might have said or done things--their choices don't give me that 'please excuse Mel from being loving' excuse.

Stupid patterns.
Stupid brain.
Stupid ego..........

When I'm done muttering over me going BACK to what doesn't work--I'll thank the Big Guy for bringing this one back to my attention........again..........

:-/

Today's Reading

Once, a four-year-old girl found a penny and showed it proudly to a stranger. The man scoffed, "What do you expect to buy with a penny?" The child with faith replied, "I can buy a wonderful wish at a wishing well with it."

What can I have faith in today?

The Wee Ones

Ever have one of those moments

Troubles of your own making, Mel.

A + B = C (and C is not in your best interest)

Sheeeeeeshhhh...  *sigh*

I love when I do A and B and live in some form of denial, thinking C ain't gonna happen!

C is gonna happen!

Right.
Lemme get a bucket and mop and start clearing up the self created mess.
:-(

Ohhhhh......

Reading for Today

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.

If I am in need today, if I have a problem that wants a solution, I will reach out to others with love. They'll hand me my answer in return.

Dam Steps

It's Friday--

And it's the Friday after the holiday when all good folks are tucked safely away with family, friends,  shopping carts and left overs.

Which means Mel will go to work and try to figure out the last minute 'problem' that happened to get fixed at 3pm Wednesday before everyone left for their 'long holiday weekend'.
That's fixed for 'them'.

All I have to do is destroy and redo what I did so that their fix actually works.
Leastwise that's what they thought.

*scratching head*

Howzatwork?
You 'think' you have it fixed.......

I'd wait until Monday morning to sadly inform them that it's NOT fixed, but that would just mean I'd be destroying and redoing AGAIN at the Nth hour to make their hopeful fix work.

I lovvvvvvvvve computerized programs--when they work.
Ours is broken.........
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Fairy Diddy

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles.

The Buddha

Blessings

Fairy Dust

A bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song.

Joan Walsh Anglund

...eat mor chikin

Fairy Dust

It’s great to be where you are, and it’s great to have what you have. It’s great to know what you know, and it’s great to be who you are.

The opportunity to live a life of joy, meaning, and fulfillment is not somewhere else, or in another time or situation. It is right here, right now.

QOTW

How do you get your news?





I rarely watch television and simply do NOT watch news broadcasts.  Occasionally I glance at the headlines that make the internet web page, but more times than not, I try to ignore those.  LOL  On occasion we pick up a local newspaper--but you'd have to know what makes the 'news' in a small town to appreciate it.  LOL   Ya know, it's filled with who's 4-H cow got sold to who, and who visited who's cousin six times removed in North Dakotah.  (no, I'm not kidding!  LOL)

So......I'm notsomuch a news saavy kinda gal.

I rely on he-who-is-the-wealth-of-information to keep me informed of what I 'need' to know.  I must say I think he's got splendid tastes in that department.  He shares happy news, cool news and 'MUST know' stuff cuz it's.........a must.

Every once in a while (it's rare, actually....) he starts to share something that's a bit outside of my 'need to know' realm---and I cover my ears and start to sing a happy song.
That usually corrects his error in thinking.  :-/

*laughing*  He catches on very quickly!

Towering Bases

Fairy Reading for The Day

Generously and sincerely offer your encouragement, but don’t become dismayed if that encouragement is not immediately embraced. Do what you know is good and right and effective, even when there are few who understand and support you.

There’s no need to compromise your values in order to get along with others. You can be genuinely kind, understanding, compassionate and helpful while also staying true to who you are.

Life is much too precious, and too full of great opportunities, to get mired in the negativity you encounter. Choose to rise above it, and encourage everyone else to come along.

:-/ And again....... Oy......

Right.

I love being the voice of reason.

I've now cancelled Thanksgiving with the girl, her partner and the Bug.  *sigh*
I know it's the right thing to do.  That doesn't stop me from second guessing it and scrambling on the 'NOW what.......'

The other mom in the equation will have dinner in the early evening.  It's a rather large gathering with extended family.  It happens every year. And every year it's been a bit of a kerfuffle.   It's 90 minutes from them--2 1/2 hours from here....maybe three.  Dinner here would need to be noon-ish in order to get there with time to spare, of course.  And I work the morning of the holiday so my staff get time with their families.  Not to mention that the driving to the other mom's would mean darkness in the height of deer season--along the river in the wooded areas no less.

Every piece of me told me this was a bad plan.  I talked it with her last week and told her 'bad plan'.  Better to hit one parental home with driving in daylight than to try to cram two in with 4 1/2 hours of driving--2 of those in the dark.......on the holiday itself.  Offered to do dinner the day prior even--didn't work cuz of work requirements for them.  That'll happen!

As much as I enjoy the Bug dragging everything out and the girl dragging everything back, a 20 pound emu-like turkey in the oven and all the goodies that go with it that I can't eat...LOL....--it's just not smart.
So I told her to make the trip there and not here.
Love 'em to bits--but I'm not okay with this 'gotta hit two homes in one day' deal with them on the road for a good chunk of it.  I have vivid memories dividing holidays between two families, with wee ones in the car for five hours....and I gotta say......they aren't particularly warm, fuzzy memories.
They really CAN just do one.  And they can drive there in the daylight, even!
I don't mind which day of the week we get together, feed our faces, have silly conversations and get crazy.....we can do that any day of the week, any day of the year.

*laughing*  That's just every time we get together anyway!

Now--that leaves Thanksgiving with ME.......and 'he who laughs at us colonists'.
We're gonna haffta plan something really spiffy, really QUICK!

Downstream

TFTD

The simple, common things in life can be just as enjoyable as the big, impressive things. When you make the choice to enjoy life itself, you’ll find yourself being lifted up by anything and everything.

Enjoy life itself, with all the ups and downs, and you won’t waste your precious time worrying about what’s coming next. Relish the experience of life itself, and every day will be filled with opportunities for true joy.

Hushed

Sleeping With Bread

Anger.

Sad.

Fear.

Joy.

Those were the four 'feelings' I got to choose from during the three day training that I attended.  Every morning we were asked to 'check in',  choosing only from those four feeling words to sorta 'inform' others how we were feeling/doing.
I was thrilled, of course.
Thrilled to be doing the training.
Thrilled to be 'checking in' with others that I'm unfamiliar with.
Thrilled to be driving 3 hours at times when deer most like to wander across the road to see what's on the other side.
And thrilled to be getting to do all this--with bronchitis working it's way into the acute stage.
Utterly and completely thrilled.
(Yes, I'm dripping with sarcasm here........)

Every morning I checked in with my 'feelings'......Anger and fear.
Every morning someone tried to 'make it all better'.
Every morning I assured them that they were 'just feelings', that they were 'mine', and that they weren't 'responsible to make it all better' cuz that job is all mine to do.

Every evening someone would look at me and voice confusion on how I could be angry and fearful--and still appear to be having a good time.

*laughing*
(One cannot expect me to be where I'm NOT on one pot of coffee.  Don't get between me and the carafe of coffee and things will get different without any personal damage to YOU.  And second--)
Someone taught me long ago that 'feelings' weren't 'facts', that I could feel what I feel and still be a competent, capable, responsible human being.......in fact they demanded I be.
I wasn't keen on the 'demanding' part, but ah well.......
With lots of time and LOTS of practice--I discovered they were right.
'Feelings' don't get to dictate my actions or become my excuse.
They're 'just feelings'.
And I'm practiced enough to know -- I get to choose.

I did NOT choose joy when I 'checked in'.
It's that simple.

Coulda!
Didn't.

The training was actually very validating and enjoyable.
The people attending were nice enough--eager to learn and very entertaining.
The drive there and back--gorgeous.......brilliant spectrum of colours filling the sky as the sun rose and set.  And I was taken good care of.  Deer crossed unharmed.
The bronchitis edged itself into what it was--cuz that's what bronchitis does.

And 'feelings' change any time I decide to change them.
Feelings aren't 'fact'.

I came out of the training in one piece.
Truth is, I was a bit concerned how I'd handle the training--even though I'd been insistent in wanting to attend.  All of my staff are trained and while I had an introduction and investigated the curriculum,  I'd not personally been trained to provide it--which meant actually participating in the curriculum.

And while all of the above things were true--the deer, the 'check in', the fact that I'm not civil until I hit my third pot of coffee--the DUC (D.eep U.nderlying C.ause) of the matter is I protect me.
It's a survivor's skill.
I set a groundwork for boundaries verbally, and emotionally.
Verbally I set the limits--and emotionally I help the other person waffle and second guess themselves about whether or not they reallllly want to cross them.
I make it very hard for others, at that moment in time, to see me as 'approachable'--and that in turn buys me time and the physical space to plan my next method to protect me.

Yes, it's manipulative and dishonest.  I inventoried that the first night of the training.  I've spent a lifetime doing it in varying degrees.
I said as much to the trainers.  I shared that with the participants.
And then I advocated for others-- because that's what I do.


So of all things, during a week of great joys and wonderful moments (cuz wow......there were mountains of those!)-- why is this the 'bread' that I'm holding on to?

Because it's sustained me for a lifetime and kept me protected from real/imagined danger. It's bought me enough time to go DUC (D.eep U.nderlying C.auses) hunting--feelings aren't 'fact'--so I can be truthful with me and others, cuz that's the right thing to do even if it's not always the most comfortable thing to do.
I'd also like to think it's given me the privilege to be effective in working with others which, in turn, continues to nourish my soul.

It's one of my greatest consolations--
I continually stand in awe that horrid, awful, seemingly unbearable yuck could be used for the good not just once but over and over and over and over again.
And that, for me, is doing more than surviving--it provides me with the freedom to really live.

Daily Reminder

"Remember the old Chinese handcuffs thing," a friend reminds me when I get stuck doing the same thing over and over, even though whatever I'm doing doesn't work.

A Chinese handcuff is a toy, a small bamboo tube, about four inches long. You stick an index finger in each end. Then when you pull, you're trapped. The harder you pull, the more stuck you get. Your instinctive reaction, not the handcuffs, keeps you trapped. To set yourself free you have to take certain steps. Letting go isn't enough. You have to relax, then gently push in before you can pull yourself loose.

Sometimes taking action means relaxing and doing the opposite of what our instincts tell us to do. If we have tried to do something a hundred times, and the way we're doing it hasn't worked, it probably still won't the next time. It may be time to try something else.

For the record.......

Three times in November.

And yes, it was my reckless, loop-dee-loopin' little kite that attacked his (aka MINE) big kite.

ONE of them ended up being very sad.

:-(

Poor little kite.....

(no worries--I'll get a very nice brunch outta this one!  LOL)

Reading for the day

Today I will do one thing more than I think I can do.

I will reach a little further than whatever I believe my limitations to be. Usually, when I take that little extra step, it seems easier than I thought it would, and I feel better too.

Gathering Support

Ha. Ha. Very funny.

........there are some sleepless moments that get to happen.  Sometimes that's because there's too much energy at bedtime, sometimes it's a head full of 'stuff' that's not been sorted through--sometimes turning the brain off just doesn't happen....sometimes it's eating the wrong thing (so I'm told) and sometimes it's simply a  lack of tiredness.

I think it was a blend of multiples in my case.

I pulled the laptop from the dressers' top and turned it on.
Now--one would have to understand that I've failed to use the darn thing for months and months....like six or eight months worth of months.  Which meant six or eight months worth of updates and scanning and downloading and......stuff.
Any thought that I'd simply get online and do some reading and perusing of web logs needed to be chalked up to a pipe dream--everything was running as it tried to update and make things talk to each other.

Did that stop me from trying to open the web browser--no..... (duh.....like it needed one more thing to think on..)....the whirling circle stopped whirling again and again--not because it was freezing, mind you, it was simply stuck on a thought that it wasn't ready to move from. I'd unstick it. of course--the ol' control/alt/delete deal again-- and gee.....BACK it would go through the whole process.....again.....
Gee......
The darn thing was doing what I was doing.  *laughing*  
So I sat and waited, refraining from the pushing of  control/alt/delete--no point in ending the stuck appearing whirling circle--it simply need to run its course and I needed to LET it.

Darn laptop didn't have permission to act....... like ME.

And lessons in 'keep doing whatcher doin', keep getting whatcher getting....' didn't need dropped in my lap courtesy of the silly machine at two in the morning.
Right?

Oh that sense of humour that the Big Guy has is realllllllllllllly starting to wear on me......
*laughing!!*

Today's Reading

There are many ways to be good to ourselves. Here are just a few:

At the beginning of each day, we can think about what we'd like to accomplish. This can be a routine household chore, a professional objective, or a living principle we'd like to work on.

As our day unfolds, we can engage in an enjoyable diversion or work on a pet project. Often, these activities clear our minds and free us to think more calmly about matters which trouble us.

In the evening, we may want to review the day's events, and our reactions to them, with a friend. Or, we may simply want to sit quietly and allow our thoughts to wander as they will. Keeping a journal at these times is a helpful tool for self-discovery. By recording our reactions and thoughts as they arise, we often get a better perspective on ourselves as well as our experiences.

TODAY I will be good to myself. I will find something I enjoy doing, and I will do it. I will also take time to get to know myself - either by sharing with a trusted friend or by writing my thoughts in a journal.

Ugh....

Yes, I'm unwell.
Yes, I finished 2 days of the 3 day training.
No, I didn't make the third day.....I remained at the worksite until I thought I needed to be done--went home, laid down for a bit and consequently felt better which meant....yes......I  could go back to work.  So I did.

*sigh*
I know it made sense when I decided it?
Hows come it doesn't make so much sense now?
*sigh*

I'm a dweeb.
Obviously.......

Shell Shocked

TFTD

Change. It's scary. It's hard. It's needed. Sometimes it feels good; other times it feels bad. But one thing is for sure: it keeps on happening.

Just when our life seems settled, it changes. We can't stop life. We can't stay this age forever. The world changes. Life moves on. There are always new things to do and learn.

Fishin' Hole

Prezzies!!

Barb's having a give-away and has invited those of us who have the privilege of viewing her photos and hearing of her life, to extend the invitation to others.

http://photodreamin.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/i-interupt-this-photo-series-for-an-announcement/

Let's keep in mind these are prezzies she picked up on vacation--with the give-away in mind.
I think she scores hugely in the department of "thinking of others".  Personally, I was blown away that she would purposefully and planfully bother.  But I've come to know Barb as a very huge hearted person.

Drop by--take a peek.  Sit a spell and have coffee......LOL  There's something to be said about a good cuppa coffee and peek into the world through her eyes.
I seem to remember it was a posting on Vent's web log that led me to Barb's.  I'd say that was a very fortunate happening.
Yup.........LOL.....I'm blaming Ron!!

Dusting

It's better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

--James Thurber

Cuz it makes ya laugh

Things that make me happy....

....smiley muttons mittens on cold hands.

....burbling alfredo sauce with BIG mushroom chunks.

....fuzzy penguiny slippers.

....kite flying in November......twice!

....the giant Halloween hat prezzie.  :-)

....a cleared out car......whoa....

....the finishing pieces on the snowman quilt--4 years later.  LOLOLOL

Fairy Words for the Day

The only way out is through. The only way to heal the pain is to embrace the pain.

--Fritz Perls

You are like a diamond that is continually being polished and perfected. As this purification proceeds, old thought forms and negative patterns rise to the surface to be released. Past unfinished business must be completed. Old traumas that have been stored in the body ask to be discharged.

This is not a bad thing - far from it. The fact that painful events are being re-experienced is a sign that healing is taking place. Although you may feel tempted to run from these feelings, let yourself experience them. As you allow yourself to feel the pain, the pain diminishes and eventually disappears.

Alas and alack......

I'm toting a box of Kleenex every where I go.....  So far it's feeling like it's all in my head--literally and maybe a bit figuratively. 'Cept my chest is tight and my body aches--  And  I remember last years' adventure......oy......

I've rang the doc for an appointment and it's Wednesday afternoon--betting I won't lick this by my lonesome and I KNOW how hard it is to get into see the doc this time of year at the drop of a dime.
But that was with a bit of deal cutting--see, I have a three day training.....and I've been pretty insistent on attending.  Soooooooo.....  I set the appointment for Wednesday afternoon so I could cancel if I was better!

(I'm smart like that!!)

k......not really smart, but the people around me shushed when I told them I had an appointment?

'Cept the doc told me if it exploded overnight I needed to see ring in the morning so he could ring the local doc and get me in, pronto.
Gee....sounds like too much drama to me--but okey doke!
Wednesday afternoon!!  (after day 2 of the training, tyvm!!)

So.....it's me and Kleenex.
And the hope that it's not going to turn into the crud that it turned into last year which had me toting around the nebulizer, popping steroids and missing a week of work.

I really, really, REALLY want to attend the training, dangit.....

RAWRRRrrrrr!!!!

k....
It's just a cold.
It's just a cold.
It's just a measly, bothersome, irritating cold.  :-/

Dormant

QOTW

What do you need to clean out?



Uh oh.....  Yeah, well......ya know that little closet that's visible to everyone when you open it to hang up a coat?
I think that's what they refer to as a 'coat closet'.  LOL

Yeah--that one.  Definitely needs cleared out.
I'd take a photo, but I'd be embarrassed--which I am any time I open the darn thing to hang a coat.
Not mine, of course--I don't bother to hang mine.  I draped it over the chair back or drop it on the couch--or toss it on the bed.
Somehow it finds its way to the closet.  I believe it walks there and places itself on the hanger.

Needless to say....that little space has accumulated a whole LOT of things that just don't belong.
By memory:
Coats, sweaters, sweatshirts, a couple of suits that cannot be winter worn, mittens, gloves, hats--flags that go on the flagpole (everyone stores those in the coat closet, right?), puzzles yet to be put together, a file box, hiking boots and sneakers, a couple photo boxes (filled, I believe...), a sewing box, a walking/barking/tail wagging Pluto that hides from the Bug, the iron (I think), scarves, and the vacuum cleaner attachments were shoved in there last I knew.......  And that's just from memory.  WHO knows what else is in that bitty space!!

It's winter-like out there.....no more avoiding that wee space cuz coats are gonna haffta be hung!

No worries--I'll put that on the 'to do' list!

His.   LOL
Yup..........that works!
:-D

Daily Reading

The winds of change blow through our life, sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm. Yes, we have resting places - time to adjust to another level of living, time to get our balance, time to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our breath.

But change is inevitable, and desirable.

Sometimes, when the winds of change begin to rustle, we're not certain the change is for the better. We may call it stress or a temporary condition, certain we'll be restored to normal. Sometimes, we resist. We tuck our head down and buck the wind, hoping that things will quickly calm down, get back to the way things were. Is it possible we're being prepared for a new "normal"?

Change will sweep through our life, as needed, to take us where we're going. We can trust that there is a plan, even when we don't know where the changes are leading.

We can trust that the change-taking place is good. The wind will take us where we need to go.