Haiku Friday #47 - Anticipation ...

Seems like there might be a theme for today
and , if so, I apologize for doing my own thing ... but
there's just one thing on my mind
this morning .

For several months
I've experienced challenges
with this computer.

512 mgs ...
not enough RAM anymore
(though this Inspiron

91 hundred
Dell laptop has served me well
since 2003).

After checking out
many brands at different stores
I determined a

Dell from Costco with
4 GB of RAM and a
17 inch screen

would be perfect ... but
it seemed 'prudent' to call Dell
just to see what 'deals'

not advertised on
their web site might tempt me to
order one direct.

As it turns out ... this
proved to be an excellent
idea because

Dell beat Costco's price
and offered a 'package' with
even more features!

So ... I've ordered a
1720 Intel
T 9-3 hundred

2.5 GHz
320GB hard drive...
I can hardly wait!



I'm not thrilled to switch
from XP Pro to Vista,
but I realize

it would be foolish
to buy a new laptop with
old 'technology'

so I'm counting the
days until June 26th ...
and just maybe it

will arrive sooner?
Stranger things have happened in
my life. Hopefully

this new Dell will serve
me for years to come the way
my 'old' laptop has.

~ ~ ~

My 46th Haiku Friday is at
Sacred Ruminations

For a Mr. Linky to other Haiku Fridays
go to A Mommy Story or
Playgroups are no Place for Children.

To see more previous Haikus,
click on the Haiku Friday label below this post
or in the sidebar under About Me.

Thought for Today
I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it." Pablo Picasso

Haiku Friday #37 - Focus on Thinking

Happy Mother's Day

I hope that you're all
planning something delightful
in addition to

whatever else your
family does ... Make it a
day to remember!

Thanks to Scylla at Law & Motherhood for this cool Haiku button

Many of you moms
diligently raising kids
may be in'trested

in the T-13
I posted here yesterday
highlighting clear 'signs'

of 'improved' thinking ...
observable ... yet precise
methods to measure

and facilitate
growth ... development ... in your
children and yourselves

as you interact
with 'curriculum' and those
who might be engaged

in the process of
education in our schools.
Listening to the

thought-provoking link
will uplift (and entertain)
while raising a few

issues worthy of
reflection and discussion ...
Together we can

make a difference
focusing on 'creative
capacity' might

shift the 'focus' of
schools to help our children thrive
Just 'imagine' this!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For a Mr. Linky to other Haiku Fridays
go to A Mommy Story or
Playgroups are no Place for Children.

To see more previous Haikus,
click on the Haiku Friday label below this post
or in the sidebar under About Me.

Thought for Today
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." attributed to Harry S. Truman

An emailed message worth sharing

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because ...

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were OK.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! No Internet or chat rooms......

WE HAD FRIENDS
and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good .

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

For those that prefer to think
that God is not watching over us,
go ahead and ignore this.

For the rest ... pass it ON

Super Tuesday

I voted and hope you did too if you live in one of the states involved. I even let myself get talked into signing up to work at the polls in future elections.

Voting Reference Information from my sidebar

• League of Women Voters
• Project Vote Smart
• Vote 411.org Election Information

Thought for Today
"Yours is not the task of making your way in the world, but the task of remaking the world which you will find before you."
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

8:20 PM addendum
I've been watching election results on ABC for about an hour. Now that the polls are closed in California we should begin to get results from here. This is the 1st time we've voted so early in this state. Since our primary used to be in June, it seems strange to be voting so early in the year. I'm surprised at how close things are between Obama and Clinton across the Nation, and because Democratic states aren't "winner take all" ... following the delegate count should prove exciting ... so I'm going to sign off for the night.

Wednesday 2-6-08 addendum at 4:30 am
Just woke up a little while and turned on the television to see what happened while I slept. I've also logged on to CNN's Election Center 2008 Primaries and Caucuses and am watching with interest as the page get updated every minute or so as the results come in. As someone born before television existed (and when telephones had "party" re: shared lines), I'm often amazed at what technology can do. Unfortunately, I'm not as technically skilled as some and my attempts to include data here have resulted in frustration ... so methinks I'll give up in that regard (at least for the time being). The two pages I've found most interesting are these with results for Democratic and Republican races.

Thursday Thirteen #4

Lest you read only this blog (& not Sacred Ruminations) and think I've lost my ability to count accurately, my 3rd T-13 is located there in case you missed it last week.

Here are Thirteen Quotes I find worth consideration:

1. "If you think you can, or think you can't ... you're right." Henry Ford
2. "Make a habit of two things: to help or at least do no harm." Hippocrates
3. "Nothing great was ever accomplished without great enthusiasm." Ralph Waldo Emerson
4. "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain
5. "Happiness does not come from doing easy work, but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best." Theodore Isaac Rubin
6. "Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions." Dag Hammarskjold
7. "It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better." Ella Mallart
8. "I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: Try to please everybody." Bayard Swope
9. "I'm worried that we live in a climate where we are not allowed to fail and therefore we are encouraged to take fewer and fewer risks. For all human endeavor is set by risk, as the physicist Franz Kernig believes. Freedom risks its own abuse, thinking risks error, speech risks misunderstanding, faith risks failure, and hope risks despair. The risk of life is death, and man is man only by virtue of his risks of the future." Madeleine L'Engle
10. "In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures, for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning refreshed." from Kahlil Gibran's THE PROPHET
11. "We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. ... And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Nelson Mandela
12. "Yours is not the task of making your way in the world, but the task of remaking the world in which you will find before you." Franklin Delano Roosevelt
13. "Live as if you were die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Mahatma Gandhi
    

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

For
easy
access,
I’ve listed
more T-13 links
along with
the Thursday Thirteen
Blogroll to my
sidebar

My Luck Quotient and other Random Musings

This Blog-thing came up as a "random choice" while I was doing the "inner child" quiz from Lucy's today. I used a different Quiz at Sacred Ruminations earlier and found myself pondering a variety of issues there for quite some time this morning. It's all saved as a "draft" as I go about the day's activities ... but here I am generating a similar (but different) post. If you take this quiz, I hope you'll share YOUR results in a comment (or a link to your Blog if you'd rather share there).

Your Luck Quotient: 84%

You have an extremely high luck quotient. Not only do you consider yourself lucky, probably everyone you know does too. But you're smart enough to know that you've mostly made your own luck. By being positive, open, and flexible, a lot of luck has come your way!

How Lucky Are You?

I'm reminded that over the past week or so, Bloggers have discussed a "Reading-level Analysis" tool that apparently analyzes URLs and assigns a "rating" from Elementary School to "Genius" levels. If you want to give it a try, it's here. When I've tried it, this Blog comes up College Undergrad Level, but Sacred Ruminations comes up "Genius Level" ... but since I write them both, I can't help but wonder what criteria is used. The one thing I am relieved about is that they neither comes up "Junior High" where I know from experience, hormones are raging and the brain is "on hold" for the most part. If you'd care to share ... feel free to add to your Quiz results.

For the "public service" part of this post, I offer the following link to a one at Living on Purpose that asks the question ... "What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" If you decide to consider the question on your Blog, be sure to leave a link here. I'll do likewise. That way we can share our answers with other another.

In case you
missed yesterday's
winner ...

Congratulations
to Carrie of
Earthmovers and Sandcastles
who is the 4th person
to correctly identify all ten of
the Christmas Carols
in the Quiz.

Reminder: You've got 3 more days to figure out the Christmas Carol Quiz answers and email them to me. Did you notice the "snowy" effects in the award Mary created that's now displayed in the sidebar here? As previously announced: Peajay, Joy and John were the first 3 Bloggers to get all 10 correct and have the Small Reflections Christmas Carol Quiz Award to post on their Blogs.

Who's going to be next?

Happy 9th night of Hannukah
to all those who celebrate
this holiday.

Yard Reclamation Project -- Part 4 or Coming to my Senses and Gratefully Accepting Help

This continues the saga of the Spring and Summer of 2006 when I decided to make some changes. If you missed earlier installments (and want to catch up) you can look here for Part 3, here for Part 2 and here for Part 1.

After 27 years,
the individual Tam Junipers
on the parkway
had grown together to look like this,
and the Korean grass clippings from years of edging
had taken root underneath
and strugged for
dominance.

I might be trying to dig this up even now
had I not allowed these men
to help.

Watching these guys work made me grateful
for the good sense to allow myself
some rest and assistance.

As I shared in a previous post, it took three workers more than 4 hours (using power tools) to make the lawn area level. Even better, they hauled away the debris so I didn't have make multiple trips dragging heavy trash cans filled to capacity the 120 feet from my front yard to the alley behind my house :)

The "parkway" task took 4 workers almost 5 hours to accomplish!

Next comes some additional ROOT removal
followed by the replanting that
I did myself :)

Reminder: You've got 5 more days to figure out the Christmas Carol Quiz answers and email them to me. As previously announced: Peajay, Joy and John were the first 3 Bloggers to get all 10 correct and have the Small Reflections Christmas Carol Quiz Award to post on their Blogs. Who's going to be next?

Happy 7th night of Hannukah
to all those who celebrate
this holiday.

Reclaiming My Front Yard (Part One) or The Way Things Were Before I Started

As per Karen's suggestion in a recent comment,
I've decided to share the following saga in three parts.

In April of 2006, my front yard looked like this ... overgrown and crowded ... with plants and trees as out of control as the Korean grass that had crept over the concrete footers, infiltrated the rocks of the stream-bed drainage area and sneaked under the Tam Junipers on the parkway in an unsightly manner.

Navigating the walkway toward the house, avoiding the overhanging bushes and the fruit-laden branches of the Dwarf Meyer Lemon tree, required special skill for the Postman and other visitors. Ms. Kitty enjoyed the jungle-like growth because it offered many hiding places, but to me ... it had become an embarrassing eyesore.

Returning from a Caribbean Cruise, I struggled to drag my suitcase up the sidewalk and into the house muttering under my breath. The next day on a whim, I purchased several pairs of gloves and a hand-held electric clipper at Osh and got started doing what I could to take charge of the mess and reclaim the yard.

This was no small task and took the better part of 6 months to accomplish, but little by little I succeeded in pruning, weeding, ripping out, and reclaiming the space. This is Part 1.

Part 2 (the gradual process of reclamation) and Part 3 (new plants and regrowth over time) will follow in separate installments.

On Mindfulness, Transforming Anger, Practicing Peace, and Making a Difference

This morning, I found a post entitled "Mindfulness and Transforming Anger" at The Dream Life. It started me thinking about what matters and what doesn't. While listening to Ram Dass and Thich Nhat Hanh (two of my favorite people) discuss this topic -- I found the video clip both timely and perfect. I decided immediately to mention the post here, and to add a sidebar link at Sacred Ruminations so I (and others) can return easily to be reminded as needed in the future.

While I was at You Tube I discovered the following related links. I believe each to be well worth the time required to watch and listen whenever time permits. Thich Nhat Hanh speaks on Living in the Present Moment, Mindful Walking, and Peace in Every Step. The first two are a few minutes long. The last video link is more than an hour in length, but resonates so truly with my personal experience and beliefs that I opted to include it for anyone who cares to listen.

My "ex" was drafted in his mid-twenties and spent 13 months in Vietnam ... returning alive, but forever changed. In turn, my own life was altered. He was a social worker and I an educator. We did what we could with what we had to effect change in positive ways, yet we each spent many years frustrated and angry at the recognition that the main thing to be learned from history is that we don't learn from history. In the early 70s, I recall attending a meeting of a group called "Beyond War" based on an Einstein quote to the effect that war is obsolete. A story was shared there (leaving me with a vivid & long-lasting image) in which people were sitting together in a room filled with barrels of gasoline. Each person held a book of matches, but no one was foolish enough to strike one because doing so would destroy themselves along with everyone else. The older I get (and, of course, I'm a dinosaur) the more I realize that carrying anger & frustration doesn't help solve much of anything.

(Hmmmm ... that reminds me of a pink t-shirt I used to wear often that said something like "Never try to teach a pig to sing" on the front and "It wastes your time and annoys the pig" on the back) ... but I digress and my mind wanders easily these days. Forgive an old broad, please? :-)

While listening this morning to Ram Dass and Thich Nhat Hanh, I recalled that a couple of days ago I left a comment elsewhere on a different (but similar) topic and I share an excerpt here because it captures the essence of how I'm changing (with more effort than I care to admit) and articulates my current belief about how to make a difference which could lead to resolution of the difficult issues of our time. I quote myself here ...

"If we could just accept that we're not "alone" but rather "all one" we'd each do what's necessary to resolve the world's problems recognizing "we're all in this together" ... especially since we've seen earth from space and know how "precarious" life can be ... and we've learned that butterflies in Zimbabwe affect weather on California's coast. I have this image in my mind of a giant jigsaw puzzle and each of us is a piece. When we get lost (or fail to show up and get connected) gaps exist that no one else can fill."

One thing I know for sure from personal experience ... change begins with each of us as we gain awareness of what's within ... learn to own, honor, and live as congruently with our convictions as possible ... find ways to understand ourselves and others ... practice compassion & kindness while we pay attention to the results of our thoughts, words, and deeds as reflected in our relationships with others.

There are many paths, tools & habits to assist and/or guide our journey. A COURSE IN MIRACLES states "when the student is ready, the teacher appears" (and vice versa). It also assures us that all it takes is "a little willingness" to be open to the possibility for change. Don Miguel Ruiz offers a simple (if not easy) path through THE FOUR AGREEMENTS. Hundreds of others point to ways to begin ... and practice ... each moment ... to awaken to and embrace truth as we understand it in each moment.

I'm reminded of Thailand Gal's Blog Blast for Peace ... and perhaps this is my version? I offer it here for your consideration and comments.

Recommendations for your Consideration

Guilty With An Explanation: S.O.S.

Seemed to me like this post was one worth learning how to use the "Link to" function here at Blogger. Hopefully it works and I hope you'll take time to read and consider taking action on this issue.

And while I have your attention, you might want to check out the following: The Myth of Pure Whiteness on Los Angelista's Guide to The Pursuit of Happiness and His Girl Friday's latest post at Wellied on Life entitled Enya-Boadicea

My brother used to say "discretion is the better part of valor" and I'm taking it to heart today with GR

Alle alle auxen ... free!

After accumulating more than 900 new posts vying for my attention in Google Reader (watching the number drop as I devoted significant time to reading and leaving occasional comments on newly discovered Blogs ... only to see it climb again when I encountered more fascinating new sites everywhere I explored), I've decided to use the feature that allows me to "mark all posts as read" from now on when I add a new site, rather than continuing to try to "catch up" with previous posts as I've tried to do the past week or so. Clearly, it's a losing proposition anyway. Eventually I may go "exploring the past" ... but for now, I'm sticking with NEW posts to save my sanity. :)

I do like the convenience of GR letting me know when a Blog I've discovered (and enjoy reading) has something new so I don't need to search aimlessly any longer. Google Reading allows me to use my "computer time" more productively, and in addition, this nifty free program allows me to read posts "black on white" ... which is easier with these aging eyes than trying to decipher white writing on a dark background ... and that (in itself) is a gift to myself.

I've added a few new "favorites" to my link list here on Small Reflections finally (something I'd neglected for a while once I started using GR) and will try to keep it current as I find interesting Blogs. Live and learn ... baby steps. :)

The only problem with Google Reader or What a Rich Resource!

I love Google Reader (except for the frustrating fact that I now have more that 450 new posts to peruse because I keep finding new & interesting sites to add as I meander through the Web). It's about as bad as my regular MSN email box that often ends up collecting 500 or more emails because I tend to ignore it for long periods of time. There is an option in GR to "mark all posts as read" but that seems to defeat the point, so I choose not to do that ... yet.

Fortunately, GR allows me to organize Blogs into categories so I can easily check out new posts from my Writers Retreat Friends, Virtual Buddies, and a variety of other "categories" I've created to "sort" these blogs into manageable "chunks". The category called "Blogs to Check out Someday" has 460 or so in it currently, but I'm not letting myself feel pressured by that. I try to check out about 10 each day .. but I know there will be rainy days down the line when I'll sit down by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate ( & perhaps a few cookies) to scan them quickly ... adding some to categories that "fit" and deleting others I won't feel called to keep.

I realize most of you don't have as much "leisure time" as I do ... so this post is my humble attempt to help expand your virtual horizons while saving time and simplifying the discovery process ... though I'm sure as you venture out you'll find things I've not yet discovered, and I hope you'll share in return. Remember I'm a "newbie" to all this ... starting less than a month ago.

In addition to Google Reader, the "rich resource" I wish to write about here is Patti at 37 Days. I'm sure many of you have already discovered her, but she has my head spinning and reminds me of my friends Holly (from the Writer's Retreat) and Elatia (from my EBB training) who are "strategic thinkers" ... from whom ideas simply flow abundantly. What an amazing gift to share so freely.

I've already mentioned the 37 Day Complaint-Free challenge (and a few other ideas) in a post at Sacred Ruminations, but find myself captivated by so many of Patti's ideas. Her post Listen Fully visually & verbally illustrates the point beautifully that I'm sharing here. In it, after sharing the link to Prospero's Book, she quotes that post within her own as I've done here (to spread the word and get folks thinking and talking ... perhaps even making different choices today and tomorrow).

"In his book A Time before Deception, Thomas W. Cooper writes that native peoples around the world have 'specific moral standards for communication.' Those he lists are provocative standards for all of us who speak or write--that is, all of us:

1. listening fully with the heart, no matter how trivial or wrong the discussion may seem;
2. not interrupting another's communication;
3. not walking between conversants;
4. speaking softly, especially to elders;
5. speaking only by invitation when among a group of elders;
6. avoiding slander and defamation of all kinds;
7. communicating as an individual (contributing independent ideas to the council) first, then communicating in synch with the group (once policies have been set);
8. truth-telling;
9. inner communicating (morning and evening sanctification, periods of guidance) must precede outer communicating, openness to the Great Spirit is essential;
10. communicating with the whole tribe or whole earth in mind so as to honor others."

And adds ...
"I love this. Let's adopt it. Let's make Successories posters of it (or not). More than that, let's just do it."

Like Patti, I'm delighted at the "web-like" ways of this World-Wide Web! The teacher-in-me wants EVERYONE to know, think and talk with others about such rich ideas and possibilities. And so ... this morning, I "touch magic ... and pass it on" hoping others will do likewise.

On Cooper's article I wonder ...
Don't we all deserve such respect? Don't we want our children to learn these practices? To borrow a phrase from Chani's recent Blog Blast for Peace ... "If not now, when?"

If Patti's site isn't enough to capture your imagination and cause YOUR head to spin, check out the following:
-- On Becoming a Tooth Fairy at A Life Outtacontext
-- Lynda and the Alphabet among other things at ELLOUISESTORY
-- see what Lucy's been sharing about Where Spirituality and Creativity Meet where I found links to Abbey of the Arts
-- discover Carla (and her mom's inspiring messages) at zena musings and/or Women at Rest and find links to other bloggers sharing their Sacred Lives, encounter thought provoking posts like Sunrise Sister offers at Mind-Seive and inspirational conversations occuring at Hearth Talks
-- or find Joy's interesting pictures & entertaining life stories at The Joy of Six

You get the idea (and you know why GR is jam-packed with possibilities). Now go explore ... and share your own recommendations as well. It's a community out there! :)

Saturday's Saga or Life Away from the Computer

Late Friday afternoon workmen arrived next door to "tent" the neighbor's house for fumigation. I knew it was happening and planned accordingly for Saturday.

Molly and I took a long walk early and played "fetch" in the front yard until she was exhausted (it's no small thing to wear out a not quite three year old Lab). I showered, dressed in purple & red, donned a red hat, gave Molly a "Greenie" & a new Nylabone ... and left her safely indoors with the windows shut ... to chew & snooze away until I returned to play with her again.

Thus I left home (and the virtual world of bloggers) to join my favorite Red Hatters out in the world. I picked up A and we drove together ... joining the other gals at a Red Hat Holiday Boutique before moving on to have lunch at a Soup Plantation restaurant in the area. This year's boutique was tiny compared to last year's event and some of the women seemed disappointed, but I'm trying not to spend money anyway ... so I enjoyed visiting with everyone I hadn't seen for a while. The folks at the restaurant set up tables for the 12 of us and we had a wonderful time together. These gals know how to have fun.

In case you don't know about Red Hatters, you can learn about the Red Hat Society at their official website.

"The Red Hat Society began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor and elan. We believe silliness is the comedy relief of life, and since we are all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together. Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next." Sue Ellen Cooper, Queen Mother

Women 50 or older wear purple with red hats while those under 50 wear lavender with pink hats. During our birthday month, we reverse the colors ... wearing either red with a purple hat or pink with a lavender hat ... so feel free to wish us "Happy Birthday" when you see our colors switched.

I joined the community of Red Hats a few years ago when I found myself alone (after my sister retired and hit the road with her husband ... and my best friends left for a few months simultaneously). I knew I needed someone other than Molly to get me out of the house. So I logged on to the official website, entered my Zipcode, looked around, found an event close to home, donned a purple outfit & red hat, and went "tea tramping" ... in search of folks I liked. That's how I encountered Sisters at Heart, the gals I "played" with yesterday. I occasionally link up with two other Red Hat groups for a meal or activity as well.

But I digress ... back to my vagabond sister and her husband. After retiring from the work force, B & R rented out their house (for gas money they explained), leaving Jeff (a friend of their oldest son) living in "Grandma's quarters" (you might recall mom died in 1989) in charge of collecting and depositing rent from others in the house. However, they returned after about 3 months when she fell and dislocated her kneecap. Fortunately Jeff agreed to find other lodgings allowing them to move back in into their house during her recovery & physical therapy. Living with strangers in the rest of their house presented interesting challenges for all concerned, but they were home for about 6 months before hitting the road again ... this time leaving a room available for future emergencies.

This time they meandered through Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Canada ... visiting friends & seeing sights along the way as they headed for Alaska where they spent a month touring with other RVers ... having a wonderful time. Afterwards they drove through Canada into Montana ... and on to Colorado where they visited with more friends ... experiencing snow for the first time as RVers ... eventually heading south through New Mexico and into Arizona ... intending meander through the South on their way to Florida. However, once again (this time after being on the road for almost 6 months) health issues brought them home unexpectedly around Thanksgiving of last year. It was my brother-in-law's knee replacement that "came apart" and needed to be redone ... requiring about six months of recovery & physical therapy. As I've written elsewhere, they're currently on the East Coast and plan to winter in Florida.

This is all to explain how it came to be that I didn't post anything yesterday. Here is Saturday's saga ... and perhaps I'll find something to blog about before this day ends, posting a second piece to make up for missing yesterday ... or not. :)

More Discoveries in Blogland and the "Real World" too -- or It's All About Balance

These may all be "old hat" to YOU, but I feel like a kid in a candy store and find myself wishing I'd found all this sooner.

Who knew? Certain not me ... but I'm learning about Widgets & iGoogle where I've created a personalized home page containing handy resources like Weather Forecasts ... Dictionary, Thesaurus, Spell-check & Wickipedia links ... Photo Links of all types ... Quotes ... even Games (like Bejeweled) and so much more, all right here on my computer screen at my fingertips ... instead of the blank page I've looked at all these years. Let's hear it for OPTIONS!

How fun to observe the "beach scene" I selected for a "theme" at the top of the page change as the day progresses. It was dark with I started in the wee hours of the morning, then the sun rose, and colors gradually shifted through the variations of a regular sunny day, followed by a gorgeous sunset and finally became evening again. It's all pretty cool!

In case you're wondering where "the dinosaur" has been, I've been living life out in the world with the TV & my computer turned off most of the time ... mindfully paying attention to each moment ... discovering peace is a choice at every turn, no matter what happens ... grateful for my "happily retired" lifestyle and the expansive time I now experience regularly (instead of rushing hither and yon trying to do too much ... focused on everyone else's needs rather than my own as I did for all those years in the work force) ... continuing to practice The Four Agreements as presented by Don Miguel Ruiz ... eating healthily ... looking for the upside in all things ... walking Molly at the beach ... getting together with friends ... gardening ... reading ... writing in my journals for myself ... trying to figure out what to do next ... and being here seems perfect for now.

Yesterday when I took Molly out to play in the front yard where she can run freely ... chasing & retrieving her favorite toy endlessly burning off energy, I smelled gas in the air ... knocked on my neighbor's door to get her input & help with tracking down the source (thinking I needed to alert the Gas Company right away) and afterwards we chatted a while ... discussing a variety of topics (including but not limited to)
--her concerns about why the mainstream media doesn't cover positive stories & how frustrated she feels at times to realize a few corporations have so much power to control the flow of information, exerting such influence in our society & the world at large
--my recent experiences on the computer, specifically Thailand Girl's Blog Blast for Peace and some of the other topics I've written about previously on this site and at Sacred Ruminations
--our shared concerns about the war in Iraq and other pressing issues
--discussions she has with her grown children and their kids about world affairs and personal choices

When she mentioned her daughter-in-law was interested in learning about Blogs, I encouraged her to tell Y to stop by ... and I invited B inside to show her what IS available "free" right here on the Web. She expressed amazement ... wondering aloud (as I often do) who pays for all this free "stuph".

The teacher in me is happy to share in this way ... spread the word ... bring others to this richly diverse community of individuals willing to share so freely ... who will, in turn, talk with others out in the world at large ... about issues that matter ... enriching us all.

With that in mind, this evening I offer the following links for your consideration:
The People who Matter Most
PhD - Short Course in Leadership

Did you know about:
--the Random Acts of Kindness website with inspirational stories and action ideas for communities and classrooms?
--the Giraffe Heroes blog encouraging people to overcome apathy and fear ... to stick their necks out and do something about the problems of our times?

And, if you need a chuckle, check out:
Train Ticket story
Two Duck Hunters from Wisconsin (mentioned in yesterday's post)

It's been a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
I hope YOURS was enjoyable too.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Blogland Discoveries and Busy-ness

If you haven't discovered Talking Bear at Sleepy Bear Hollow, may I suggest you begin with When Bulls Teach Bears How to be Men, a personal story with a powerful message that I'll remember and share with everyone who will listen for a long time to come. His humorous piece about the two duck hunters from Wisconsin will have you laughing out loud. (Thanks again to Annie for telling me about Google Reader so I can read his posts dark on light which is easier on my eyes.)

When you have a few minutes, I highly recommend Thailand Gal's Blog Blast for Peace -- If not now, when? manifesto. It's certainly generated lots of comments on her site, and I've had several discussions with neighbors & friends about the issue it raises today. I suspect those conversations will continue.

I enjoyed the Cleaning Poem by Paul and birthday greetings to Senior Writer on the Elders Tribune. Happy belated birthday to Marlys. I'm catching up you see. :)

Reminders to self:
Here are a few ideas I'd like to remember and tackle eventually (but not now because I'm doing enough already ... as witnessed by the email message sent by my friend M today ... offering HER advice as follows:

"I think you are one busy little girl! Remember to eat right and get some exercise or we will find you sprawled out on top of your computer -- that is my motherly advice for today."

Rest assured M, I'm eating right, getting enought sleep, and Molly keeps me well exercised. You needn't worry. Right now everything is new and fun. As long as that's the case, I'll be fine.

But I digress ... so to continue with reminders to myself ...
-- I don't know where Olivia gets the energy to do so much, but she's setting an exemplary example with her month-long One Thing- Be Brave video documentary. (How does she DO this? There's so much I don't know!)
--Now I see she's doing NoMoWriMo also. You can check out her progress on more video at Happy Luau. I love to write too, but 20,000+ words on a novel in 4 days boggles MY mind! You go girl!
--Methinks I'll save MY first novel attempt for NEXT November. I have, however, left posts on each of my sites every day. I think that has a name too, but it escapes me right now.
--Start reading Eat, Pray, Love
--Check out Picasa: re Visual Scribblings for future posts
--Find a magnifying glass so I can decipher Visual Scribblings #2
--Return to Rainbow Dreams and follow the links to get acquainted with members of that Virtual Circle
--Figure out how to write a response here and link back there
--Explore some of the "writer's links" like Sunday Scribblings and Writers Island to get acquainted with how they work, who's out there, what they're writing, and consider joining in the fun.
--Don't mess with posts once they're published. Leave them be ... just as they are. (Don't ask!)

Now you know why the previous post has the title it does, but that's enough for so ... so I'll stop.