The Spelling Police

I'm pretty sure we've established

I'm far from perfect

but

there are fewer things that drive me crazy
as a reader

than the following errors

their, they're, there
your, you're
it's, its
affect, effect
I've seen it in
magazines
newspapers
menus
books
blogs
etc

These are things
we all learned in elementary school
but
when these common mistakes are made
they make the writer appear far more
dumber than they really are
and
causes the reader
(namely ME)
to wonder if she should point out the mistake
let it go
or
never to read anything by that writer again
 the
English language
is a conundrum
but
one I feel we must guard
carefully

A moment in time.. for 27 years

Have Kleenex handy....you're listening to a real love story.

Fast Forward

In another life......

 This was small

 This was normal

 This was dull

 This was tedious

This was blase'

Once upon a time
living a fast lifestyle

was forgettable 

and boring 

and 

expected

Although it was fun at the time

my old life

feels like a lifetime

ago
Once in awhile
I'm obligated to go back
return to the chaos
and
it's then that 
I understand again why I left it

 I can say with gratitude
I'm so happy to be home again
in my real home

living more simply
feeling better

being kinder
listening

and
breathing in and out

slowly

Empty

Some days

the glass is half full

some days half empty

and occasionally

that glass is

completely dry

It seems
I have an empty well

which means

I don't feel motivated to share 

myself

my inner feelings

my acerbic wit

my heart

I don't want to fix things 

nor mend relationships broken

I don't want to lend an ear
nor advise

I don't even want to hear good news

and so

gentle reader

I am taking some time away from this blog

a week or so should put me to rights

I doubt it will be longer 

but if it is

I'm sure you'll be just fine

~* Thank-you*~

World War III

Am I the only one 

freaking out about the possibility 

of 

World War lll

?

Let's recap our position

10 years ago

America invaded the Middle East

(as terrorists, since the United Nations were in opposition)

We have troops still in Bosnia

We just bombed Libya yesterday

North Korea is making noises like it wants America

wiped from the face of the map

(and has the nuclear power to do it)

and

God-knows-what-else-is-out-there-they-aren't-telling-us

Now 

would be the perfect time for a huge war

America 

is on her knees economically

our allies are few

our troops are thin

our people divided politically

our world position isn't one of respect

Think about it

Am I being ridiculously paranoid?

perhaps

or

perhaps not

The Learning Curve

This past week I had 

to give up on my beloved 

Blackberry phone
in purely technical terms

the rolly ball thingy decided to stop working
(wh-what? that isn't techno talk? oh.)

After 

nearly 2 years I suppose it's time
she was allowed to rest
Good bye my friend...goodbye

Since
everyone I know 

loves their Android phone

I caved in and chose the global unit

Supposedly it
will work just fine for international travel

does just about everything 

except wash my dishes

(and I'm sure there's an application for that)

the problem is me
ME

I was so attuned to my beloved Blackberry

I knew her quirks

her sleek pink case fit perfectly in my hand

she cradled my ear like a sweet friend

her glow was unmistakable

This
new Droid is almost harsh

in its capabilities

so sure of itself

a hefty masculine weight

hard edged
slide out keyboard
not a gentle pixel to be found

sporting a black and white utilitarian edge

and
I swear it eats
  it's own battery for breakfast

 I
suppose it all takes some getting used to
the
new technology
new feel
new applications
I can only hope I can find it within myself
not
to throw my new toy against the wall
while I'm
learning

Laughter: Music of the Spirit

Did you know that

laughter

releases endorphins

a chemical 10 times more powerful 

than the pain-relieving drug morphine

into the body 

with the same exhilarating effect 

as 

doing strenuous exercise
?

So

the next time you feel like you need

to take a pill

have an alcoholic beverage

reach for another cookie

lash out at someone you love

try laughing really hard

first

Luck of the Irish

Happy St Patrick's Day!

I used to comb over patches of grass

looking for the elusive 

4 leaf clover

and 

then one day I realized

if 

I invested the time I wasted

looking for luck

and 

spent that time working on my dreams

and myself

I won't be just lucky when an opportunity

arises

I'll be ....prepared

when it does

A Beige Life

I 

have a friend who stages homes for sale

She takes out everything personal to a home

paints the walls neutral colors

puts in decorator accessories

Her 

home is a beautiful fashion plate

her own personal fashion sense is impeccable

(think pointy toed shoes, cashmere twin sets)

But

I have to ask people of her profession

Do buyers really WANT a beige room? 

Isn't that the same as having a beige life?

Or 

do people default into beige

because it's easy and expected

and safe

?

I think having something

like a purple house 

(no, that isn't my style--trust me)

isn't easy in the least

because bucking the system

 swimming against the current

showing who you really are

in many ways

takes a ton of courage

 and
how I wish people could be who they really are
free themselves
of self and society
imposed shackles
in every aspect of their life
without fear of
retribution

The Prank

Some things are just funny

Survivor...The Real Game

(click on the picture to enlarge)

The nuclear reactor meltdown 

in Japan

has me fairly concerned

I live very near the Oregon coast

The
news media here

are saying the radiation could possibly

carry in the wind

and

head straight toward my area
bringing 750 rads into the air
(1000 rads will cause certain death)

I understand
the pharmacies and hospitals

are

laying in a supply of potassium iodide

which will help neutralize the radiation

 this is a great alternative to that whole painful
death thing

however

wouldn't you know
the only allergy to medications I have

would be to iodine

so 

once again

I'm left hanging in the wind
sitting here
wearing an aluminum foil hat
eating enough carbs to numb the fear
and
wondering why Twinkies
don't actually have an expiration date
I guess
I am a girl without a plan

and really

doesn't 

that just figure

?

The Rescue Club

I feel just awful about what Japan
is going through right now
the ramifications of this disaster
will be felt for many generations
I'm sure
....
At
the risk of sounding heartless and cruel

( I am neither of those things)

I would like to to give voice
to what many in America are wondering

Someone
please tell me why
 the United States

feels the need to run to the rescue

of 

every country hit by a disaster

I wonder where the rescue
money is coming from

and
the man power

I mean

our own country is at 20% unemployment
(some places more, some less)

soup lines are getting longer

our people are homeless

hungry

&

unable to afford medical care

I 

guess I also wonder

where these countries were

when Katrina hit and devastated millions

and
the BP oil spill spoiled our waters

(a British company, by the way)

Where
were these countries
when
America was in 

trouble

?

Cheap Thrills

It doesn't matter what

political party

religious affiliations
continent

or

generation

you are 

we are all people who live on this planet

and
we are
harming her

on a daily basis

I believe 

(and hope)

she can repair herself in time

if the damage isn't too great

but

we all need to realize

there are serious consequences to 

cheap gas

inexpensive power
pesticides

strawberries in December

war
because sometimes cheap
is pretty damned
expensive

Pied Piper

Pure Imagination....of course.

Unboxed

I don't get it

I have been told time and again

that I think outside the box

I suppose I do

in many instances

but

I suppose my next question to people

would be

Why 

would anyone ever

WANT

to have their thoughts locked up in a box

in the first place

?

Honey Bear?

I know I devote quite a few posts 

to food quality

and

I realize I probably sound like 

some crazed food fanatic

I'm really not

but 

when I see this kind of packaging

hiding
 corn syrup and coloring

imitating real food

like 

natural honey

it really makes my blood boil

 We

all need to read labels

&

take responsibility

for allowing our food

to become contaminated

with junk

Sometimes....

Self Discipline

This week

I am hunkering down

getting a bunch of stuff done

things I've been procrastinating

things that take time

effort and especially

imagination

which for some strange reason

I have had precious little of lately

I suppose I will find it again

once I get started

but

how I wish self discipline

tasted like 

cotton candy

Signs of Spring

Since Spring wasn't coming to me fast enough

(I'm impatient like that)

I decided to go to Spring

These pictures are from me and my camera

being out and about in Oregon

Looking for signs
of
sunshine

Proud Mama-Oregon State University Sheep Barns

Chicken Nuggets-The original

Hanging with the peeps at the Feed Store

Greener Pastures

There are some naked sheep hiding somewhere...shivering.

Oregon is typically green, but this is just beautiful

Flowers peeking under a tree

All wobbly legs and curiosity

Baby Bargain

While 

shopping in the Dollar Store

(for the aforementioned umbrellas)

I turned down one of the aisles

and

spotted a home pregnancy test

for $1
On the box
there appeared to be
English
and
what looked like Swahili writing

I admit
I completely laughed out loud

I think
of 

all the things I wouldn't trust

coming from a dollar store

an
ancient dusty foreign
pregnancy test

is

right up there on

top

The Umbrella Project

While
out doing errands and such
I noticed

in my hurry to ''get things done''

I realized I wasn't interacting much

with my fellow human beings

so

I decided to do my own personal

umbrella project

I bought 10 umbrellas

in various colors

at the dollar store

a simple and easy $10 investment

I kept the umbrellas in my car

and 

handed them out to people 

who had been caught the deluge of rain 

which we commonly have in Oregon

 Other

than being a great way to
keep someone dry
build community

bring a smile to someone's day

(including mine)

my little umbrella project has

been a great way for me
to look outside my bubble
&
notice things

Just this past week
I've 

given umbrellas out to 

college students walking home from school

elderly people with scooters

a homeless guy recycling cans

a gentleman waiting for a tow truck

a Japanese business man

(who bowed so often and low, things got embarrassing)

2 women shopping

a family out walking their dog 

people I would normally never have talked to

and 

you know....

it's pretty cool to see those umbrellas being used

Just
yesterday I saw the homeless guy

out and about

with his jaunty purple umbrella

(now covered in stickers)

dumpster diving

in relative dry comfort

Maybe
what I did wasn't rocket science
or fancy-schmancy
I was only giving away $1 after all
but
perhaps ordinary people like myself
and you
just need to look around
open their eyes
get inspired
and
see what they can do for others
and ultimately
themselves

Special

During a recent question and answer session

I was asked 

''What makes you special?''

oh dear
I was actually stumped for an answer

kind of started to sweat a little 

stumbled over my words

mind and heart racing

because

the things that I think make me special

may not be of value to someone else

After 

some quick thinking

I realized what made me special 

in my own mind

and I said the best and only answer I could

''I think I'm conventionally unconventional...and fairly fearless''

whew

I guess being fearless is due to my constant quest 

to grow and change and evolve

I skydived when I was in high school

(long before it was trendy and tandem jumps were the norm)

I learned how to build houses from a friend

and 

was the general contractor for the house

I built on 55 acres

I've started businesses that are still in existence today
I've had to make private choices that would surprise you

I write things which shows others my vulnerable side

(not always easy for me to do, by the way)

I ride a really big motorcycle
I love too hard

I scuba dive

but 

beyond all that

what makes me the most special

is  that

I

live

Give us this day...

(the above picture is of my Pullman sandwich bread)

Yep
every week

I bake my own bread

I mean

who wouldn't love

  straight from the oven

deliciousness

?

I know what you're thinking
but
It's not like some hippy-dippy tree hugging ideology

I simply prefer to know

I'm using (and eating)

quality ingredients

like 

olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground whole wheat

honey
no preservatives
handled with care and love

I can't say that about any grocery store brand

besides

there is something completely

soul satisfying 

about making a sandwich

out of bread 

you crafted with your own 

two hands

 

Matters of the Heart

Have you ever helped a friend

spent hours and hours

days weeks and months

listening

cajoling

supporting

helping

while they go through their personal heartache
and after a time when
things have calmed down
the minute you think

their situation has gotten better
some sort of normalcy has returned

they must be doing just fine

crises averted

then

completely out of the blue
in a back handed kind of way

you find out

they have jumped back on the merry go round
thinking this time will be different

yet
doing exactly the same things

that put them over the edge in the first place

I guess
all I can do in this particular situation
is stand by with a safety net
attempt to keep my mouth firmly shut
and be a
friend