Changes.

I'm starting to understand

(finally!)

what is meant by ''turning tides''

I've always felt a pulling back
almost like an icy blast
the realization
taking me by surprise
kind of shocking, really
so

what happens when

seasons change
trust changes

attitudes change
conversation changes

relationships change

?

I don't know
I suppose
just like the tide

there isn't a damn thing

I can do about 

it

Just a Week......?

I was talking to a good friend of mine

the other day

a guy in his mid 50's

estranged from his lady love of 15 years

struggling to re-connect with her

and as I listened to him

(for the 382nd time)

bemoaning the 

fact they didn't ever

have alone time

I

suggested they take a week

go to a far off region

just the two of them

no TV

no phones

no books

no computer

no internet

no work

and just....be together

I was completely taken aback by his reaction

it was almost as if I'd stomped a kitten

He was aghast

''what in the world would we do?''

he sputtered

I

stopped and thought about it for a minute

and

 decided to tell him what *I* would do 

if I had the opportunity to spend

all that time with a partner I loved

we would have 

tons of 

conversation

picnics

walks on the beach

sex

kite flying

wine at sunset
kissing for hours

blanket forts

photography

the list is really endless

but

as I ran down that list to my friend

I could tell he didn't get it

and so I stopped

because

if 

he can't stand to spend a single week alone

with his lady love

then she isn't someone
he is supposed to be with

in the first place

You've been Flamingo'd

What does a bored 48 year old

do to the neighbors
on a Saturday night

for fun

?

Yep.

Notify Me....Never

One 

of the biggest things police officer 

spouses and families
dread

is the random knock on the door

telling them their loved one 

has been killed or seriously injured

in the line of duty

This has been my reality

for the past 29 years

as a wife

so

I've been asking Wes what the 

notification policies are 

at his department

and I discovered

he

didn't really know

his reply

"I guess the Chief and the Chaplain would show up''

well
 since it's ME
daily uncertainty simply isn't going to work 

So
in my quest to remove the ''what ifs''

last week
I wrote a note to be placed in Wes' personnel file

designating a certain officer 

(a good friend to both of us... a riding buddy)

to be the 

liaison between myself and the police department

the person who will be my notifying officer

because I know

in the unlikely event of a catastrophe

when the chips are down

( and I fall apart )

he is the kind of stand up guy

who

would know exactly

what to do

ULTRA NEW !!

Thank-you, Amazon

for

only selling 

NEW

toilet paper

!!!

Hands

 

Call it a recent obsession
Lately

I've been photographing hands

doing ordinary things

extraordinarily

What color is your parachute?

Recently

during a delightful 

''getting to know you''

sort of interview

I was asked the following question

"what color best describes you?'

I didn't skip a beat
My answer: 

"Plaid"

There was a minute of 

stunned silence
(and a grin)

then he said

''NOBODY has ever said plaid...you DO think outside the box''

Well....duh.

Sleepless in Oregon

Sleep...perchance to dream

I haven't been sleeping well lately

I bought new pillows

and 

forced myself to sleep on them

flopping around like a trout

trying to get comfortable

however

once they got broken in

they were flat and stupid

I'm always cold

then I'm too hot

the phone rings at all hours

 the dog whines to get up on the bed

the neighbor's lawn service starts at 7am 

Wes is there, snoring

then he isn't

its getting to the point

I'm convinced I am going to 

have to remove 

both

the pillow top

and 

the puffy down mattress pad

to get down to the 

pee
pea

A Trust Broken

25 years of marriage

down the drain

4 children devastated

1 wife humiliated

yet another reason

why I have gone on record here

 many times

saying

you really NEVER know

what goes on behind closed doors

even when there are cameras

pointed directly at their

face

The High Price of Mastery

Every Thursday

I've been taking all day classes

on 

food preservation

canning

dehydrating

freezing

&

cheeses

It's been more intense than I expected

between homework and critical thinking

and hard metal chairs

I'm pretty tired by day's end

June 16th

I will have earned my 

''Master Food Preserver Certificate''

 This means 

I will be expected

to teach courses

write articles

handle speaking engagements

and man booths at farmer's markets

regarding food preservation
It also means
I probably won't kill
anyone
eating my homemade stuff

How cool is that?

????

Some things

it seems

will always remain 

a

mystery

Feb 15, 1950.....

How did Walt Disney know?

A Cringe Worthy Past

As a child

you're born ignorant 

that is

until 

your parent teaches you 

Then

that is all you know, until you are exposed

to other viewpoints

learn

different ways of doing things

and
you put that knowledge 

into a template of sorts

and measure everything 

you hear 

against what you actually know

For instance

I remember my father

dumping barrels and barrels

of used motor oil

down our very long driveway

making the gravel less dusty

I don't think he realized

he was harming the environment

ruining the soil, the air and the water

and I also

remember trips to the beach

playing in the tide pools

when we kids would pick up 

all the starfish we could find

dozens and dozens

and

put them into a plastic bag

bring them home to dry out

eventually forgotten and tossed into the trash

never understanding these were living creatures

or realizing how this would disrupt the eco balance

As I regularly walk the beach

in the Pacific Northwest

seeing a starfish in the tide pools is fairly rare

and
I often wonder how
my earlier actions 

played
in that outcome

Word Up

I'm learning 

not to use generalized

words like

always

&

never

because they aren't true

the minute they leave my lips

Hmmm

I received this on my computer.

Somebody has a sense of humor over my grave misfortune, it seems.

 

 500 Internal Server Error

Sorry, something went wrong.

A team of highly trained monkeys has been dispatched to deal with this situation.
If you see them, show them this information:

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The Birthday Boy

Wes' birthday was Saturday

He opted for a ''princess day''

meaning
he didn't want to make any decisions

  be held accountable for his actions

 watch his cholesterol 

and 

he wanted to be 

pampered

&

surprised

 I was able to pull the day off

spoiled him without much of a hitch

(I did say no to the sponge bath, however)

but 

some of the best surprises

came from the people who didn't know him

those people were willing to go the extra mile

to make his day special

for instance

this donut appeared out of no where

at the breakfast place

a farm we love

I  think little touches

such as this
are like hugs from strangers

They
reinforce my belief
in the inherent kindness

of humans

Make Lemonade

I 

know a lot of good people 

who have had lousy things happen

Job Loss

Divorce

Handicapped Children

Businesses Closing

Health Issues

When
these things occured

they let it consume them
they became cocooned in pain

the problem became their entire life

They
couldn't see this supposed setback
as a stepping stone

an opportunity, if you will

to something new

a new path

to forge

a new life

and what makes me angry

is
how much of their life
(and others)
they have squandered

playing the victim

waiting for opportuinities

instead of making their own

when there are other people

who will never have the same chances

they have

and would give anything

to be them

even for a day

O.M.G.

Break Out

I've always wondered

if humans

who are in fairy stable 

socio-economic areas

(ie not starving in an African continent)

all have addictions

of some sort

?

Alcohol, 

Drugs 

(including prescription and caffeine)

Cigarettes

Porn

Food

 Sex

Internet

 Plastic Surgery

Texting

seems to be the way so many of my friends cope

with today's pressures

when 

they give up one addiction

it seems as if

another takes it's place

It's 

enough to make me say

''hmmm''

Yesterday Was Sublime

BEST. DAY. EVER.

(doesn't Tawanda look cute there in the middle?)

Bliss.

Today 

is supposed to be

70 degrees and sunny

instead of pulling out the lawn mower

re-stringing the weed eater

pressure washing the moss off sidewalks

I

and a few others

will be blissfully flying

thru some serious curves

making our way to the coast

with our bikes

ipod blazing in my ear

stopping off

for some buttery clam chowder

served in a sourdough bread bowl

raising our voices to be heard

talking smack about

how someone came into a corner too hot

who is the worst rider

who has an ugly bike

then

knuckle bumping and nods

as we suit up again

taking the winding road back

tired and spent

smiling 

the whole way

home

Think.

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
-- Martin Luther King, Jr

Gotta love Stewie

It doesn't matter how often I watch this...it STILL makes me laugh.