My September 2010 Gratitude List

Make Time for Small Reflections

I'm not sure just why I chose to publish my gratitude lists at Happily Retired Gal way back when (rather than here at Small Reflections) ... especially since the coding demands there makes the task so challenging each time I do it, but I seem to recall sharing August's list here as well. Methinks I'll continue that practice (at least for as long as I continue to maintain a 'sidebar' gratitude list here) ... so here's September's list as I begin a list for October.

September - 2010
1. my Explorer is ready to hit the road again next week after having some maintenance work completed today.

2. for a productive morning at home followed by a pleasant afternoon with my sister ending with 'fish tacos' at Duke's ... delicious day & dinner!

3. the sun's breaking through earlier again this morning after a couple of overcast days here at the beach.

4. a lovely lunch with a good friend, the kindness of strangers, learning to use Skype today and helping someone else get started with Skype too.

5. that I discovered and am participating in a Festival of Change at Online Clarity.

6. I watered the yard deeply in anticipation of the trip and that my neighbor will feed Ms. Kitty in my absence.

7. I'm packed & ready to drive to Phoenix, AZ tomorrow with my sister where we'll spend the next 6 days.

8. that Molly loves to visit Camp Ilene when I travel & can't take her with me ... for 4 additional free Buttermilk Spice muffins from Mimi's Cafe to bring with us ... and that my sister wanted to stop at the Cabazon outlets yesterday because I found an excellent 'deal' on a lovely white bag at the Brighton store.

9. to be attending the Your Purpose Summit with Baeth Davis this weekend even though I'm thoroughly confused at the end of the first day's sessions.

10. Barb encouraged me to attend the VIP party last night even though I felt overwhelmed because this morning clarity has come through my journaling and I'm ready for what comes next.

11. for yesterday's 'private analysis of my hand' along with the many people I've met who have helped me figure out my 'purpose' and the book I'm going to publish with the help of the people at Vervante.

12. for some 'down time' Sunday afternoon to relax around & swim in the pool at the resort & spa after the event ended ... finally!

13. for the delightful & surprising ways things fell together on the drive back from Phoenix. It's good to be home again.

14. for emerging clarity about the books I'm going to publish & the business I'll begin based on them.

15. all 8 of the domain names I wanted were available at GoDaddy so I bought them all ... and I've connected with a website designer I met last weekend who I'm hoping will develop my site with me so I can devote my attention to other things.

16. Michelle at GoDaddy 'tech support' called this morning and helped me set up 'LabyrinthJournal.com' to be hosted at Wordpress as a 'site under construction' with an email attached to it for 'business' purposes clear signs of progress.

17. for a good night's sleep and breakfast out with a friend this morning since I've not yet gotten myself to a grocery store since returning home from Arizona on Monday.

18. I've created a new place to playfully share stories online called Giraffe Journals and hope you'll want to check it out & play with me there ... just because.

19. a friend told me about the Surf City Surf Dog contest at Dog Beach this morning ... it was great fun and I took lots of photos to share, but for now ... here's a 'kewl' YouTube video is from the Los Angeles Times:


20. for visitors to my new self-hosted blog, Giraffe Journals at WordPress who left supportive, enthusiastic comments as I step out into this virtual world to be known ... just as I am.

21. for all the wonderful resources coming my way to help with this huge transition in my life.

22. to know I'm changing in small but significant ways each day as I step into my future ... pursuing my purpose passionately!

23. I'm one of the first six to sign up for the six-month Get Your Book Done Live training with Christine Klosur & Lynne Klippel. That means I receive a free one-hour 'coaching' call as a bonus in addition to big savings on the cost by paying in full up front!

24. for people like Marianne Williamson who inspire millions to step up & take meaningful actions ... making a difference. I highly recommend watching this interview:

mashable on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

25. for a pleasant lunch & visit at Z' Tejas with a friend this afternoon ... sharing a delicious enchilada entree & yummy skillet cobbler dessert!

26. for 'Rick' at GoDaddy tech support who exhibited great patience and resourcefulness in assisting me with 'access' issues at my new self-hosted Giraffe Journal site last night after I changed the URL earlier in the day.

27. for a lovely afternoon at the Lyceum Theater viewing 'Alice' followed by dinner at Mimi's Cafe in Newport Beach with friends yesterday. Life is good indeed!

28. I spent the morning on my front patio writing & occasionally visiting with passers-by while Molly played with a new neighborhood puppy named Guapo.

29. to get my hair cut today ;-)

30. for the Women on Purpose Online Telesummit ... the first 3 calls have been filled with useful information!

FYI - My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this 'Daily Gratitude List' in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what's right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists - July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists - December, November, October, September, August, July June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists - December, November

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"God gave you the gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say 'Thank You'?" William Ward

Thursday Thirteen - Just for the JOY of it!

Make Time for Small Reflections

Herein are my Morning Musings
Random Tuesday Thoughts
and Wordful Outdoor Wednesday

Tuesday morning, March 23rd
1. It's 6:22am ... the fur-kids are fed and thoughts are swirling in my head. Where to begin? Perhaps with National Puppy Day (lest I forget). I'm listening to Eyewitness News (ABC7 in Los Angeles) and they're encouraging folks to send puppy photos to share. Methinks I'll just share here and get on with my randomness, but if YOU'D like to share YOUR PUPPY pictures or see the puppies other have shared,you'll find more information here: ABC7 Celebrates National Puppy Day. Here are links to a few of my of my favorite 'puppy posts' ... just for the JOY of it!

Molly learns to use the stairs
Molly Montoge - Change
Molly as Teacher
Molly at the Beach & Doggie Spa
Celebrating Molly's 5th Birthday with Nostalgia

Ohmygosh ... I've got to STOP being nostalgic and get on with my randomness! I do love my little Molly girl and share about her often don't I ...

2. My right forearm hurts. I've been wearing a 'tennis elbow brace' for a while now and it helps ... sort of but not really. Fortunately I'm fairly ambidextrous ... born left-handed but pretty much forced to do things right-handed from an early age does have some benefits. Transplanting shrubs over the weekend to make room for my 'birthday rose' probably didn't help much. Today is the first time I've noticed that typing hurts, though I have friends who think it's caused my 'mouse activity' in my computer classes, blogging, and Photoshop play. I guess they could be right.

3. I'll write more specifically about the actual 'fix' in a separate post (for the benefit of other owners of Dell laptops with 'dim monitors' making use without a power cord impossible), but for now ... I'm dancing for joy because mine's fixed at last!!! Let's hear it for persistence paying off folks ;-)

4. I love Microsoft Security Essentials!!! A while back I dumped McAfee (even though I'm paid up until next November) because I got tired of it's increasingly intrusive & inept presence on my computers. Just now, when I logged on to my Photobucket account to retrieve this animated 'Snoopy' gif ... MSE popped up with a 'severe threat' (that it had already quarantined and suspended) warning & gave me the option to 'clean' which I did ... all without having to shut anything down. FYI the threat was from from Exploit:Win32Pdfjsc.EI and when I checked just now (after the fact) on the Internet for additional info I learned ...

Exploit:Win32/Pdfjsc.EI is a detection for files that use an obfuscation technique in an attempt to evade detection. This technique is generally employed by malicious PDF files that target software vulnerabilities in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader. Once the malformed PDF files are opened by vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader, the embedded JavaScript gets executed and loads the exploit. The exploit may execute code to download and execute arbitrary files on the affected computer. These files may include additional malware. There are no obvious symptoms that indicate the presence of this malware on the affected computer. Files detected as Exploir:Win32/Pdfjsc.EI usually arrive on the system where the user visits a Web page that contains a malicious PDF file or opens an e-mail containing the ODF file as as attachment.

What I know for sure is that I'm happy to know that Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly & simply in the background on my computers .... keeping me safe without charging me an arm and a leg or eating up precious memory doing things I don't understand or care about.

5. Hmmm ... it's now 7:54am. I need to take Molly for a walk so perhaps I'll stop my randomness here to publish and be on my way. I need to pick up a bag of mulch for the planting of my rose bush tomorrow. Interestingly my Wednesday class has been canceled due to a special event on the high school campus so I can be here after all when the gardeners visit tomorrow. Gotta luv serendipity, right? Now I have two more vouchers for one-day Friday or Saturday classes to redeem before the close of the school district's fiscal year in June.

6. Finally, for my Outdoor Wednesday visitors ... here's the space I've cleared for my new Veterans Honor rose bush ...

some of the shrubs I dug up and put in pots for the time being along the new rose bush to be planted ...

and one of my Amaryllis plants beginning to bloom ...

You'll note another bud coming up at the base of this plant. I've got several more Amaryllis plants in various stages so I'll have blooms to enjoy for a while.

7. Watching & listening to President Obama's comments at the Health Reform Bill signing on ABC7 News this morning fills me with pride. If you missed it, I'm sure there will be a link on the Internet soon and I recommend that you check it out when time permits. This is a historic moment for Americans. The bill may not be perfect ... but personally I believe these changes are long overdue. If you have doubts, I offer this link to a recent NY Times opinion piece by Paul Krugman on Health Reform Myths for your consideration. Of immediate interest to me is the financial relief for seniors in ill health on Medicare who are currently trapped in the so called 'donut hole' paying excessive amounts for their prescriptions. I understand that they'll get a $250 rebate this year, next year a 50% reduction in prescription costs, and by the year 2020 the crazy 'donut hole' will be completely closed.

Wednesday afternoon, March 24th (post amended for Thursday Thirteen and Just for the JOY of it ... with apologies to those who have already visited and commented on the above ... you know how I like to 'multi-task' in my posts ... especially when I'm pressed for 'visiting' time in the Blogosphere)
8. On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010. Click to learn more ...

To participate, just flip off your light switch at 8:30 pm local time to cast your vote for action on climate change.

9. My gardeners didn't come on Wednesday afternoon as scheduled ... I know not why so I'm feeling a bit frustrated because my Veterans Honor rose bush NEEDS to be planted soon and I have no idea when they'll make up the missed day. I'd really like to be here when they plant it for a variety of reasons. If they come tomorrow, I won't be around because I'm spending the day with my sister ... just for the JOY of it! She'll only be here three more weeks because she & her husband plan to head for Yosemite (and beyond) in their Pleasure Way on April 15th. I've not done so for a while, but I occasionally share her photos from the road with is 'logo' and labeled 'SistersPics' ...

10. Dalton at the Bella Terra Staples store in HB helped me choose this 'all-in-one' machine last Friday then suggested I wait for the weekend to see what went on sale. On Tuesday afternoon, he helped me set up my new Canon 'all-in-one' wireless MX870 printer after the guy on telephone Tech Support in Tulsa, Oklahoma said he couldn't help me do anything until the 'extended service plan' info showed up in 10-14 days.

11. I used it to print my belated Christmas Cards Wednesday afternoon ... just for the JOY of it! I hope to get notes written in them and envelopes addressed so they'll arrive before Easter. Regular reader might recall that my HP Photosmart 6180 'All-on-One' printer developed problems when I tried to print my cards last December. Better late than never, right? Right!

12. Ohmygosh ... the gardeners just arrived (at 6:30pm) so I'm going to get my rose planted after all! Hooray ;-)

Here it is in the ground ...

13. The fur-kids have both had dinner but I haven't ... so methinks I'll stop here and fix something because it's already 7:15pm.

Click to embiggen any image & for others participating in

Random Tuesday Thoughts
Wordful Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus
Outdoor Wednesday, Thursday Thirteen and Just for the JOY of it
Hope you're each having a delightful day!

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" Robin Williams

Beautiful Bountiful Blessings ...

Make Time for Small Reflections
Scroll down for T-13, Haiku Friday, Sky Watch
Camera Critters, and Pet Pride

Beauty found this week
in my garden, changing skies
and the Blogosphere ...

1. Janie in Utah bestowed this lovely Happiness Award on my blog (in the good company of 9 other bloggers) last week writing the following ...

"Small Reflections Visit here for lovely mosaics and other interesting presentations of photos on a variety of subjects, a visual feast."

... and I want to say THANK YOU Janie! I appreciate her 'no strings' policy because I have trouble with 'rulez' these days, but I will share

13 things I love:
the companionship of family, fur-kids, & friends
my happily retired life ... health & energy
the unexpected coincidence (God's way of remaining anonymous)
opportunities to learn and to share with others
the healing effects of laughter (and tears) in the moment
sunrises & sunsets
music, books & stories to enjoy
authors & people who inspire others
collecting & sharing quotes
taking & publishing photographs
creating mosaics & collages
writing 'conversational' haiku
visitors to & comments on my blogs

I offer this Happy 101 award to any visitors who would like to share what they love on their blogs and pass it along to their bloggy friends. I would appreciate a 'link' back here so I can visit your blog (and your friend's blogs too) if you do decide to share.

Click for others participating in
Thursday Thirteen

2. These iris shoots popped up last October (one photo at left but more shared previously) after a brief rain followed by sunshine and now my yard looks like the photo on the right ... so I'm thinking I'll have irises in bloom sooner rather than later this year.

Click to embiggen for better viewing
Below you can see what they looked like last year ...

3. I already have Johnny Jump Ups spread by the birds each Spring, Nastursiums ready to bloom, and this lovely (but as yet unidentified) white bulb blossom (might it be Lily of the Valley as some suggested previously?) bursting forth in my very wet yard ... with new growth on my rose bushes and more iris shoots on the parkway near some purple 'volunteers' (also of an unknown variety).

Some folks suggested it might be Lily of the Valley and my neighbor thinks it could be Narcissus, but when I looked those flowers up in Google, I discovered they don't look like this ... so I'm still hoping someone might know what it is and let ME know too.

4. This Amaryllis bulb is showing signs of life too (on the left) and here's a view of what it looked like last Spring (on the right) ...

5. In between rainstorms we had some variable skies (always beautiful) with opprtunities to get outside for a while!

Looking out my front
window my view changes with
storms just passing through


In between rain storms
blue patches appeared for brief
moments ... happily

As for the fur-kids ...

Molly played and Ms Kitty
watched the world go by

Click for others participating in
Finding Beauty, Friday Fave Five,
Haiku Friday, Sky Watch,
Camera Critters & Pet Pride too
Feel free to snag & share the Valentine
at the top of my sidebar too ;-)

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Living on purpose requires us to find what we love fiercely, give it all we've got, and then pass it on, as if it were a torch, to those who follow." Dawna Markova

Milestone: My 501st Small Reflections Post CameraCritters#48 and PhotoHunt too

Make Time for Small Reflections

Who knew I'd take to blogging like this?
Certainly not me, but I'm delighted
to have encountered all of you
in this virtual world!

Click for HF#118 - SkyWatch#31
This is my 48thMisty Dawn started the meme and explains the rules here.
Snowy Egrets
Click to embiggen for better viewing.

This week's theme is ... Thankful

Gratitude is one of my favorite subjects. I've been keeping 'thankful lists' in my sidebar here since November & move
them to Happily Retired Gal at the beginning of each month
as I start a new one. After Monday's Amazing Rainbow ... spending my birthday with my sister at the wetlands with
my Nikon 60 & Tamron 28-300mm lens in hand I gratefully captured this Snowy Egret in flight!

Click to embiggen for better viewing.

Click for others participating in Wordless Wednesday on Friday,
Camera Critters and other Photo Hunters this week.

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." Thornton Wilder

HF#119 - FaveFive#4 - Today'sFlowers

Make Time for Small Reflections

Scroll down for Five Favs & and Today's Flowers
HaikuSkyWatchFriday is at Happily Retired Gal

Friday already?
Don't know how this week vanished
without any posts

since Monday when I
celebrated my birthday ...
Seems my scheduled

activities were
just a bit too much because
today I feel sick ;--(

Sore throat ... drippy nose
body aches from head to toe ...
I'm 'holed up' alone

hoping that Zicam
Vitamin C and bed rest
helps me recover!

Thanks to everyone
for lovely birthday wishes ...
Gratitude abounds!!!

Click for others participating
in Haiku Friday this week.

Click for others participating in Today's Flowers

... in addition to the Cumulative Gratitude List in my Sidebar this month, here are Five Favorites from this past week:

1. My purple iris buds (click for last week's collage) burst forth gloriously this week in tantuple blossoms!

2. Other bulb blossoms burst forth as well ... if anyone knows what these yellow flowers are, I'd love to know myself ... and would appreciate any insight visitors might provide about them.

3. Although it's been just a couple of weeks since I cut back my roses, new growth is springing forth already. Isn't that amazing? I certainly hope the wintry weather over many parts of the country comes to an end soon and that others see signs of Spring in the days & weeks ahead.

4. Excellent weather followed Monday's birthday surprise rainbow permitting my sister & I to spent several hours walking the nearby wetlands with cameras in hand ... birdwatching. I hope to share some of those photos for Camera Critters this weekend.

5. I enjoyed the second meeting of my Writers Workshop last night. I look forward to reading the pieces of writing submitted by classmates this week and participating in discussing the work next Thursday in addition to receiving feedback on the writing I shared.

This is my 4th ...

Click for others participating in Friday's Fave Five

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"I have never had so many good ideas day after day as when I worked in the garden." John Erskine