Make Time for Small Reflections
Mabel Dodge Luhan House
... our meeting room
and a few Outdoor Views of the grounds
around the Mabel Dodge House
Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in My World and Outdoor Wednesday
Herein are my Morning Musings
... just for the JOY of it!
August - 2010
of my Palm Pre Plus uploaded to
Facebook then saved to my laptop
so the resolution isn't the greatest but ...
... I'm actually IN this photo
along with all the participants of the
2010 Writers Retreat in Taos, New Mexico!
Yes you can click to embiggen ;-)
Small Reflections ... Smile Back
participating in My World and Outdoor Wednesday
Herein are my Morning Musings
... just for the JOY of it!
... followed by a few photos from Taos below
Click for others participating in
Random Tuesday Thoughts, Wordful Wednesday
and Just for the JOY of it
Click for others participating in
Random Tuesday Thoughts, Wordful Wednesday
and Just for the JOY of it
Yes ... life IS good ... delightfully BUSY too, but you won't hear (or read) complaints from me. I'm happily engaged in many new activities taking me away from blogging for the time being ... but hopefully not forever. I try to keep my sidebar Gratitude List updated as time permits ... and hope to continue the process I started a few years ago because counting my blessings tends to make life even better all the time. On this final day of August, I've decided to add this month's list here ... just because. I'll transfer it to Happily Retired Gal tomorrow (if time permits) or as soon thereafter as possible ... beginning a NEW list for September.
August - 2010
1. for another long & good night's sleep ... time this morning to write & wander the grounds around K's house by myself while enjoying morning coffee ... perusing & taking a few notes from the lovely books about Labyrinths that K left on the night-stand ... walking her labyrinth alone (after walking it with her last night) ... connecting with her over coffee on the patio later, sharing personal stories (along with laughter & tears) ... reading & responding to her 'black book' ... savoring breakfast on the patio with K & R ... watching & photographing hummingbirds at the feeder before showering and packing up to hit the road for Flagstaff. I'm so happy the Mountain Lion fetish spoke to her!
2. an easy drive from Placitas to Flagstaff yesterday (gaining back the hour I lost as time changed from Mountain to Pacific) ... with gentle showers along the way that paused for me to carry in my luggage before starting up again & falling through the night ... another wonderful night's rest ... and morning pause in the rain for me to load 'stuph' into the Explorer ... followed by an easy drive today from Flagstaff back to Corona where I picked up Molly who was 'tired, clean, sweet-smelling, & happy to see me' ... then home again where we're happy together.
3. for time to transition back into life as I live it while holding on to the energy & ideas from the retreat ... telephone connections with friends 'C' and 'S' ... making plans to connect later this week ... a lovely visit in the blue chairs on the patio with neighbor 'B' who looked after the yard & Ms. Kitty in my absence ...
4. for another restful night ... writing while getting laundry done this morning ... checking out & listening to the first 3 of 21 'Successful Authors Secrets' talks after Jen shared a link in a follow up email ... being reminded of 'abundance & support' ... realizing I don't have to do anything alone.
5. I picked up mail yesterday afternoon so I could pay bills electronically this morning after doing some writing because this afternoon I'll be driving with friends to the Laguna Playhouse to see 'Life Could be a Dream' ...
6. for a lovely long visit with 'C' to catch up over lunch ... sharing a bit of my Taos experience while learning what's being going on with her.
7. I could help out neighbors with guest parking issues on this BUSY 'surfing contest' weekend ;-)
8. I responded to Facebook 'friend' requests and sent friend requests of my own using the 'retreat roster' (along with 'invites' to retreat participants without FB accounts) as a way of reconnecting after being back home almost a week ... then added links to recent blog posts.
9. for a lovely & longer than usual visit with friends at this months Retired Gals Lunch.
10. fascinating & practical information from the daily Successful Authors Secrets calls this month.
11. I managed to share some photos from the Taos Writers Retreat with other participants at the Google Group & Facebook today.
12. for a delicious 'taco meal deal' at Mimi's Cafe for $9.99 ... starting with salad & ending with a petite dessert (bread pudding) currently in my refrigerator waiting to be enjoyed later along with a free 4 pack of muffins in my freezer ;-)
13. the Verizon Wireless store in Newport Beach had a Palm Pre Plus I could look at ... even though they couldn't give me the low 'online price' of $29.99 in the store.
14. for leftovers from Mimi's Cafe, time to write & organize photos to share, and sunshine finally here at the beach!
15. I ordered a Palm Pre Plus online this morning and learned it was FREE with a 'smartphone' upgrade & 2 year contract renewal (rather than the $29.99 online deal I saw last week that seemed pretty good at the time especially considering it lists for $699 and I've always liked Palm OS products).
2. an easy drive from Placitas to Flagstaff yesterday (gaining back the hour I lost as time changed from Mountain to Pacific) ... with gentle showers along the way that paused for me to carry in my luggage before starting up again & falling through the night ... another wonderful night's rest ... and morning pause in the rain for me to load 'stuph' into the Explorer ... followed by an easy drive today from Flagstaff back to Corona where I picked up Molly who was 'tired, clean, sweet-smelling, & happy to see me' ... then home again where we're happy together.
3. for time to transition back into life as I live it while holding on to the energy & ideas from the retreat ... telephone connections with friends 'C' and 'S' ... making plans to connect later this week ... a lovely visit in the blue chairs on the patio with neighbor 'B' who looked after the yard & Ms. Kitty in my absence ...
4. for another restful night ... writing while getting laundry done this morning ... checking out & listening to the first 3 of 21 'Successful Authors Secrets' talks after Jen shared a link in a follow up email ... being reminded of 'abundance & support' ... realizing I don't have to do anything alone.
5. I picked up mail yesterday afternoon so I could pay bills electronically this morning after doing some writing because this afternoon I'll be driving with friends to the Laguna Playhouse to see 'Life Could be a Dream' ...
6. for a lovely long visit with 'C' to catch up over lunch ... sharing a bit of my Taos experience while learning what's being going on with her.
7. I could help out neighbors with guest parking issues on this BUSY 'surfing contest' weekend ;-)
8. I responded to Facebook 'friend' requests and sent friend requests of my own using the 'retreat roster' (along with 'invites' to retreat participants without FB accounts) as a way of reconnecting after being back home almost a week ... then added links to recent blog posts.
9. for a lovely & longer than usual visit with friends at this months Retired Gals Lunch.
10. fascinating & practical information from the daily Successful Authors Secrets calls this month.
11. I managed to share some photos from the Taos Writers Retreat with other participants at the Google Group & Facebook today.
12. for a delicious 'taco meal deal' at Mimi's Cafe for $9.99 ... starting with salad & ending with a petite dessert (bread pudding) currently in my refrigerator waiting to be enjoyed later along with a free 4 pack of muffins in my freezer ;-)
13. the Verizon Wireless store in Newport Beach had a Palm Pre Plus I could look at ... even though they couldn't give me the low 'online price' of $29.99 in the store.
14. for leftovers from Mimi's Cafe, time to write & organize photos to share, and sunshine finally here at the beach!
15. I ordered a Palm Pre Plus online this morning and learned it was FREE with a 'smartphone' upgrade & 2 year contract renewal (rather than the $29.99 online deal I saw last week that seemed pretty good at the time especially considering it lists for $699 and I've always liked Palm OS products).
16. my sister and her husband arrived home this evening where they'll stay for a few weeks taking a 'breather' and dealing with 'necessary stuph' before they hit the road again right after Labor Day next month.
17. my Palm Pre Plus arrived this morning and I managed to get it activated and data transferred from my old LG phone.
18. with help from Palm Tech Support I managed to get my 6 year old old Palm Life Drive (that hasn't been backed up for months since my old Dell running XP crashed) to HotSync with my newer Dell laptop running Vista after which another Tech Support person helped me successfully transfer other data from my computer to my new smartphone ... pretty nifty ;-)
19. for a new perm & haircut yesterday and time to 'play' with my new Palm Pre Plus today ... teaching myself how to use it effectively.
20. for a pleasant lunch & catch up visit today with a good friend after which I ran a bunch of errands which included using my 20% coupon at Staples on writing supplies.
21. for this 5th day in a row of BLUE SKIES & SUNSHINE here in Southern California at the beach ... it's been a long time coming since summer is almost over and school will begin soon.
22. I uploaded three more albums of Taos photos to my Facebook page and picked up LOTS of 3x5 cards to begin a writing project.
23. I signed up for an online challenge for a 40-day 'Inner Mean Girl Cleanse' & shared at Facebook after which a few of my Taos friends joined too. We're ready to release old toxic habits that no longer serve & replace them with more loving ones.
24. I called Palm Tech Support with my questions this morning because I learned nifty new editing shortcuts & lots of other tips too ;-)
25. I met my sister & her husband for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe in Long Beach this morning ... we had a delightful catch up visit.
26. for this entire day spent with my sister ... visiting as we ran errands together, shared a tasty 'sushi' lunch at Matsu in Huntington Beach & free lattes at Peet's later in the day when we stopped by to purchase a pound of specially ground coffee for the new 'French Press' mugs (purchased at Sur Le Tab in Newport beach earlier in the day).
27. I've signed up for a 4-day event in Phoenix, AZ designed to help me clarify my purpose for a writing project ... and my sister has agreed to come along as my free guest so we'll have 6 days together since we'll drive both ways. Molly will enjoy another week at Camp Ilene in Corona ;-)
28. I finished & mailed off a hand-written letter to a friend from the Taos Retreat this morning and enjoyed a lovely phone connection with another retreat friend in the late afternoon.
29. for today's wonderful celebration with family & friends at McIntyre House in Los Angeles ... as a loved one celebrated a year of sobriety!
30. I've signed up for a Festival of Change at Online Clarity ... "a celebration and exploration of how we align ourselves with the flow of change - simply, naturally, and with a deeper, richer awareness" ... and am looking forward to participating 'virtually' in another event tomorrow night: A Call to Conscious Evolution: Our Moment of Choice at Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.
31. I'm meeting my sister, her husband, and friends for breakfast this morning ... after which my sister & I will spend the day together again.
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
Below is a 'screen shot'17. my Palm Pre Plus arrived this morning and I managed to get it activated and data transferred from my old LG phone.
18. with help from Palm Tech Support I managed to get my 6 year old old Palm Life Drive (that hasn't been backed up for months since my old Dell running XP crashed) to HotSync with my newer Dell laptop running Vista after which another Tech Support person helped me successfully transfer other data from my computer to my new smartphone ... pretty nifty ;-)
19. for a new perm & haircut yesterday and time to 'play' with my new Palm Pre Plus today ... teaching myself how to use it effectively.
20. for a pleasant lunch & catch up visit today with a good friend after which I ran a bunch of errands which included using my 20% coupon at Staples on writing supplies.
21. for this 5th day in a row of BLUE SKIES & SUNSHINE here in Southern California at the beach ... it's been a long time coming since summer is almost over and school will begin soon.
22. I uploaded three more albums of Taos photos to my Facebook page and picked up LOTS of 3x5 cards to begin a writing project.
23. I signed up for an online challenge for a 40-day 'Inner Mean Girl Cleanse' & shared at Facebook after which a few of my Taos friends joined too. We're ready to release old toxic habits that no longer serve & replace them with more loving ones.
24. I called Palm Tech Support with my questions this morning because I learned nifty new editing shortcuts & lots of other tips too ;-)
25. I met my sister & her husband for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe in Long Beach this morning ... we had a delightful catch up visit.
26. for this entire day spent with my sister ... visiting as we ran errands together, shared a tasty 'sushi' lunch at Matsu in Huntington Beach & free lattes at Peet's later in the day when we stopped by to purchase a pound of specially ground coffee for the new 'French Press' mugs (purchased at Sur Le Tab in Newport beach earlier in the day).
27. I've signed up for a 4-day event in Phoenix, AZ designed to help me clarify my purpose for a writing project ... and my sister has agreed to come along as my free guest so we'll have 6 days together since we'll drive both ways. Molly will enjoy another week at Camp Ilene in Corona ;-)
28. I finished & mailed off a hand-written letter to a friend from the Taos Retreat this morning and enjoyed a lovely phone connection with another retreat friend in the late afternoon.
29. for today's wonderful celebration with family & friends at McIntyre House in Los Angeles ... as a loved one celebrated a year of sobriety!
30. I've signed up for a Festival of Change at Online Clarity ... "a celebration and exploration of how we align ourselves with the flow of change - simply, naturally, and with a deeper, richer awareness" ... and am looking forward to participating 'virtually' in another event tomorrow night: A Call to Conscious Evolution: Our Moment of Choice at Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.
31. I'm meeting my sister, her husband, and friends for breakfast this morning ... after which my sister & I will spend the day together again.
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
of my Palm Pre Plus uploaded to
Facebook then saved to my laptop
so the resolution isn't the greatest but ...
... I'm actually IN this photo
along with all the participants of the
2010 Writers Retreat in Taos, New Mexico!
Yes you can click to embiggen ;-)
Small Reflections ... Smile Back
Thought for Today
"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in." ~Alan Alda
"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in." ~Alan Alda
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