Go Carts

The last time I rode in a 'go-cart- was in Revere beach when I was about ten years old and thought I was the best driver in town as I bumped into everything in sight. I don't remember them being as pretty as these and they certainly seemed much larger. Some one has a really great imagination and so much ingenuity to create a new run about. I bet it would be a lot of fun to ride all over town in one. Wonder when they go up for sale? I wonder if I put it on my Christmas list if I would find one under my tree?

It has taken all day for the blog to become operational. For several days now it has been an iffy proposition. The blogspot. com must have had problems they didn't identify and I have wasted a lot of energy and patience trying to get a picture to come up or a written word down. I wish the blogspot folks would just let us know the system is down, but do I listen when the computer is telling me in its own way to shut it off and go about other business....no.....I have to keep trying and all I got out of it was higher blood pressure. Okay, you can laugh.

I just spent a lovely misty Saturday doing a few household chores. I am enjoy my son John who is home for the weekend. It goes by much too fast. I didn't pull any tricks but treated my children to dinner out at O'Hallorans and was surprised to find we were the only diners for some time. Dinner was okay, but . . . yeah, there goes that but again . . . not as good as their usual fare. I had cod and it wasn't bad. John had ribs that looked like they were better than my cod, and Pat sent her salmon back to be cooked as the center was raw. Nothing stopped us from cleaning our plates and we didn't leave a flower on the plate. Gripe, groan and moan is just part of not eating at home where the chief cook and bottle washer always puts a decent meal on the table. But going out is such a treat and no dishes to clean up. Come to think of it I always loved doing the dishes after a huge meal. There was something soothing about having your hands in hot soapy water and it helped the digestive system as well as a chance to meditate. Now the dishwasher does it all . . . um, some improvements take away a bit of joy.

It's Halloween and it was fun to treat, only because I couldn't think of a trick or two to play. The children were kept busy in town as we only had two little ones come to our door. I am glad I didn't buy a lot of candy or I would be eating leftovers for weeks to come.

I hope you had a good Halloween and had lots of tiny ghosts and goblins to entertain you and eat up all your candy. Wide hips are not in style this year. I have to tell you I am very happy to be able to talk with you tonight. I can have sweet dreams now....and hopefully so will you.

Frustration

I could do with an Irish tantrum or two after waiting for what seemed like hours to have a picture uploaded. Something is wrong with the entire Blog today. I have been all day trying to get on to do my normal blog and add a picture or two, but, no.....no way will it allow it. I can type right now but I am wondering for how long. What mischief does this machine have in store for me? Why wont it let me blog? Why does it have to act up and stay stubborn when I have done absolutely nothing to create a problem for it? I'm thinking of a problem or two I could invent but then I'd be cutting my nose off to spite my face and I wouldn't be able to blog ever again. I would miss musing.

Sunshine today and a ride to Crescent City some thirty miles south of us. The highway, called the Redwood Highway is pleasant in that the redwood trees standing so tall and straight, weave a magic spell as the air seems to open up and the smell of pine makes one feel alive. We did a little shopping in Walmart and that took care of the fresh air in a hurry. The store is massive so I get in my walking exercise. I am in a quandary though as I look at all the shoppers and cannot help but think of those awful "Walmart Shoppers" pictures put on the computer. I really don't think they are funny, more insulting than not. People dress as they can afford, some look neat no matter what they wear and then there are those that could wear ermine and look sloppy. It is the nature of the beast. All of us need to remember we have had our days when we were not always up to par. A lot of the problem is (this is my thinking on this subject) is that over the last forty years or so we have become slobs. We threw out the getting dressed up to go to town. In my day, aha, where have you heard that before?, we would never be allowed out the door to go shopping downtown without gloves and a hat, a dress, coat and hosiery and shined shoes. We became more lenient as the hippy generation took over and then the 'me' generation and allowed ourselves to become slobs. Take a good look around and you will see what these folks with the cameras are looking at. Not very complimentary even though the camera doesn't lie. Today I saw a lady in a conglomeration of colors and style like I have never seen in all of my days, but then I had to remember this is Halloween and the folks are dressing for the occasion...the laugh is on me. or . . . given to our conversation today . . is it? Maybe that is her mode of dress. Dress....dress....I think it has been twenty five years since I have worn a dress, not because I do not like them, but I have very large feet, bad feet as well, and wear the ugliest of Granny shoes so I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress. I wear trousers, the nice kind, the good looking kind (no you can't take a picture of me from the rear.) and am neat, tidy, clean and matched. In fact daughter Pat calls to find out what uniform color I'm wearing so she doesn't have the same colors on. We don't want to be known for twin outfits.

No picture today. It will not work. You will have to guess how Maxine looked when she muttered those words about something hanging off your mouth.....and I wont repeat the rest, after all I am a lady who dresses in style.

I hope you dress in style and are clean, tidy and comfortable in your jeans and top, sneakers or thongs, whatever, smile and the world smiles with you . . . weep and you weep alone. I'm crying....I want a picture....I want the blog to work. I want...I want.....oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Hometown

I do not remember what it was that I was looking up one day but I came across some pictures, on the computer, of different towns and cities that you could pull up and check out. I was writing about Newport, R.I. and had found several pictures I could use in my story "Bodewel Manor" and I checked a little further and there was my old home town. I grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts some eighty-five years ago and I see these pictures are as old as I am. I am sure the entire city has changed by now, but then one never knows. I'd like to plan a trip back there and check it out.

I spent a lot of time at Lynn beach when I was growing up. We walked. Yes, just like the old sayings of long ago . . . 'we walked a mile....' and we did. It was depression years and no one could afford a car, even a tin lizzy. The bath house was huge and I do not remember using it very much. We were sand crabs and loved being out in the open, walking the beach or playing in the big waves.

I do remember City Hall and I bet that hasn't changed. It really was a very beautiful old building back then, so it has to be a relic today. As for the square, I think it is Magraine square and there was a department store there that I worked in selling handkerchiefs during our High school Christmas break. I must not have been a productive sales lady as I do not remember keeping that job for very long. What I do remember is the months, or more like a year or two, when I buzzed dishes in the huge cafeteria with hundreds of tables. My friend, Blanche, bless her heart, I haven't thought of her in years, was my work partner and we could fill a tray fast and high earning our twelve dollars a week from six a.m. to three p.m. every day. That job brings back lots of memories and some of them are written in my tales.

I wish I had found my old High School and the double Commons leading from downtown to the west side of Lynn where my old grammar school was located on Robinson Street. I do have a photograph of the house I lived in when I was very small but don't have a scanner to show you. Funny how the mind works and some of the street names come back naturally to the brain. Myrtle Street, Blakely Street, Wyman Street, Boston Street and I bet I could think a little harder and come up with a few more. We used to bounce a ball and put our leg over the ball and call out the names of the streets until we couldn't think of a name and then had to pass the ball on. Um. . . Bowley Avenue, Flint Street . . . I'm on a roll.

I hope you can think of the names of the streets where you played as a small child. I hope the memories are happy ones and that they make you relive a few golden moments and make those laugh lines worth while. Make today special, call or write an old friend or even a relative you haven't contacted in some time. I'm going to send a Halloween card and scare one or two with my ghostly presence.

Scary

Pat took a picture of a huge spider web in her yard. I had a similar web, maybe not quite as elaborate. I think my spider was a bit lazy. The web was almost the same size but it did not have all of the fancy webbing that Pat's spider produced. I got out my camera to take a picture of the spider web attached to the big hedge and one of my rhododendron bushes and hoped the huge spider would stay posed for me. Somehow I touched the plant boughs and the web detached bouncing the spider off its throne as the wind and rain set the remainder of the web swinging free. I liked Pat's web better anyway, you have to admit it really is an awesome sight. The spider makes it look easy but it is a lot of hard work and I have to admit I admire the spider for its ingenuity and the beautiful finished product. Pat tells me they are pumpkin spiders and come out this time every year.

The caption on the e-mail with the pictures of the polar bear said something about daring to open it if you could stand being scared and seeing a polar bear attacking a human as it was very gory. I was uncertain as to whether or not I wanted to look at anything gory but curiosity got the best of me and I opened the e-mail to find that polar bear in full attack. Isn't it something? Really cute and gave me a laugh for the day.

It is already the last days of October. It seems I write those words a lot . . . 'the last of' and another month has gone by. It doesn't seem like it should be holiday time again. I am bitter sweet about holidays. I really do love them and all they stand for, but I also am wishy-washy about all of the excitement and work they bring about, to say nothing of the expense. It is all in the mind . . . I'll be okay once I get the hang of it. I want it to be like it 'used' to be and it never can be as my world has changed as well as all within my little realm.

Change is necessary for growth, so I'm told, but I'm not sure I want everything to change. I kind of like some things just as they are. I don't think we think about change until a time comes along and we find a loved one can't make it 'home' because of a long distance away, bad weather, or our grown up children are starting traditions in a home of their own. Sometimes it is an empty chair that will never be filled again and our heart hurts, but we reluctantly accept the changes and we find, although things are different, it is like a quote I read yesterday . . . "Life is not the way it is supposed to be. It is the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."

So accept the changes in your life. Take a look at something scary over Halloween. Bring a gift to a hostess, eat hardy, sip gently. Make today a good one . . . cope!

Illness

Illness comes to each and every one of us without an invitation or awareness. I had no idea they had so many colored ribbons for the different types of cancer. As a youngster I never even heard of the word cancer and for the life of me I cannot figure out how we have so much of it today. In my day we heard of consumption and polio, both eradicated. Now if we find the cure for cancer and HIV and a few more of the dreaded auto immune diseases that are on the attack, we will all be better off.

I think each of us knows some one who is hurting from a disease that is attacking their immune systems relentlessly. The experimental drugs are many and are poison to the system, yet there is nothing on the horizon that actually works to cure the dreaded diseases. We live in a strange and hard world where our politicians can throw our tax money away, as if it were salted pop corn, yet never donate a cent towards a cure for these terrible diseases. With the new flu running rampant there is a rush on for a vaccine, untested as far as I have heard, to give to pregnant women and small children to save them for dying from this flu. It used to be children and oldsters because they were the most vulnerable, but someone out there seems to think they know how this flu is going to react and who it is going to tackle first. Doesn't make sense to me. There are so many different types of flu and to my knowledge no vaccine has been made to cure any of it. Each one of us is different and our bodies react differently to medication. My soap box advice this morning is to think first, try and stay as healthy as you can by living the best way you can, and if you do get a flu, no matter what it is called, chicken broth by the gallon, stay home and rest, works every time.

I pray for faith, hope and charity for each and every one of us. So do your part and go light a candle, give a couple of bucks to the cause, get out and walk in one of the walks if you can and if you think about it, hard enough, write your representatives and remind them that it is much more important to spend some of our tax dollars on helping the scientist find a cure for all of the diseases, than bailing out the greedy who are living so high on the hog. I'd like to see a ribbon of red, white and blue, for freedom from all diseases. A big order, but one a lot of prayer and a glow of candles could fill. Written are words that say, "Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened to you." So, I'm asking. I'm knocking. How about you?

Formal Gardens

Butchart Gardens in Victoria British Columbia, Canada has claim to the beautiful gardens you see here. Once, many years ago, I visited these gardens with two lady friends and we walked the paths, took pictures each step of the way as we marveled at the awesome beauty before us. When I returned and was working on my second story poem book, "Sights and Sounds Traveling Around" I wrote:

Formal Gardens

"Whenever we visit formal gardens/ we see a perfect show/ God's beauty surrounds us/ as the flowers seem to glow/ The talent of the gardener/ who manipulates the ground/ mulching, weeding,/ as he plants seeds all around. Rock beds, grass of green/ pavements to walk and be seen/ looking, looking everywhere/ breathing in the fragrant air/ The colors, like the rainbow,/ bring pleasure to our sight/ the shrubs, the trees sway in the breeze/ making everything all right.

At the time I titled it "Bouchard Gardens" and only when I received the e-mail yesterday with so many beautiful pictures did I realize the spelling in my book should have been "Butchart Gardens" . . . having a little French gene or two, my 'bouchard' sounds good to me and it is much to late to change the title in the book. I think Mrs. Butchart would have been pleased to see the pictures of her garden in my book and the story poem that I wrote to show my appreciation for all of her hard work. I wonder if she had intended to have formal gardens, or was her love of flowers just a natural progression after seeing one beautiful bud knowing she could not stop until she planted as much of a variety as she could. It makes me think of 'Pa' who had a sixty by sixty city lot and had the gnarled hands of a gardener. I wrote a story about him and his garden in a small genealogy booklet I made for my children when I introduced them to the yard I grew up in and the wonderful man who tended that garden. There was absolutely nothing that wouldn't grow in his yard from the beautiful beds of flowers, to fruit trees, all kinds of summer and winter vegetables, a grape arbor and a tiny chicken shed with climbing roses. I was so lucky to have this yard as my play ground even if I didn't like weeding and picking up the hedges as they were trimmed. If I didn't work, I didn't get paid and if I didn't get paid I couldn't go to the ten cent movie on Saturday afternoon and buy some penny candies on the way. Come to think about it, all that work did me good as I am now a 'clip' artist here in my own gardens.

I hope you have a lovely yard with flower and vegetable beds, and that you take time to tend them. If not, buy a round tub and plant some flowers and vegetables and enjoy the fruits of your labor. We have a storm coming in today and the sky is pewter, no sign of wind, as yet, but I have high hopes our incoming storm will be a doozy and blow in majestic turbulence to tell us winter has arrived.

A twisted tale.

The last week in October and Halloween is about to rear its ugly head. What used to be a fun time has become a stress time due to commercialism and greed. No, I am not going to get on my soap box but I am going to be more of my own person and not allow the holidays to become an albatross around my neck. Christmas decorations are taking over the stores and we haven't had time to buy our Thanksgiving turkey. Family members are trying to make up their minds how they want to spend their holidays leaving the hostess up in the air as to whether or not to buy for a crowd. Whatever happened to the Norman Rockwell picture of American families celebrating each other as well as the traditional turkey dinner? Whatever happened to the one gift idea to celebrate the birth of Christ without having to break your bank account buying dozens of presents for everyone. Why have the holidays become a burden? Am I the only one that is getting these vibes? Should I blame it on getting old?

I'm not alone as I hear the different conversations between others and know we have only ourselves to blame for the change in our attitudes. We have allowed Wall Street to dictate our holidays, guilt to come in bundles as every organization under the sun demands equal donations of money for their cause as they inundate you with mailing paraphernalia in all of its glossy colors. So how do we go about fighting city hall and make the holidays fun and exciting ? . . . I think the answer lies within each of us. We finally have to stand up and be counted. We have to give thought to what it is each of us wants to do and how each of us wants to celebrate the upcoming holidays and stick with the plan that makes it work for us.

I don't want to travel, it is beastly to be stuck in an airport or a bus station for hours usually in a bad storm. I don't want to be the chief cook and bottle washer. I want cooperation and each one bring a dish. I don't want a dozen gifts I don't need but one small gift that says I love you. I think I am in a slump and I had better do something about it.

I have decided. Do you know what I am going to do? I am going to pass out some candy. I am going to buy a turkey and cook it along with all the trimmings and whomever wishes to come is welcome. I am going to buy a lot of gifts, maybe not expensive ones, maybe hokey ones, but I will have such fun shopping and wrapping and Christmas morning brunch will be delicious whether I cook it or not. I will enjoy whichever family member or friend shows up and if no one shows then I will have to find my way to the casino and play my favorite machine and maybe, just maybe I'll win a big one. There is nothing like having holiday spirit when it finally gets here.

Make your holidays just the way you want them as you celebrate with your family and friends. If you are all by your lonesome then my door is open. Hot apple pie, right out of the oven . . . I can hardly wait.

Sisters

It would have been nice to have had a sister or two but I really cannot complain as I had several very close and dear girl friends who were surrogate sisters in my lifetime. This week is 'sister's week' and the words are soft and special in the article that has been going around on the computer this week. I just had to laugh out loud at the picture of the two little girls showing off their finery and one in the pose of Marylin Monroe, the all time beautiful star of Hollywood who was touted as one of the most beautiful ladies of our time. Now there is room for arguments there, but it depends on our own idea of beauty. The old expression of 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is more truthful as the physical beauty fades with age while the inner beauty shines forever. Check your girlfriends and sisters out and think about whether or not it is external beauty that draws you to them, or is it the inner beauty, the unselfishness, the love they exude that makes them close to your heart.

Like the bird with one leg housed in a shelter watched three tiny orphaned rabbits and reached out with its wing and sheltered them with love and caring. Sisters are like that. Just when you think you would like to smack them upside the head for being mean, selfish, not caring and whatever other words you can think of in your display of temper when angry with them or yourself, they come through with the understanding and caring that only sisters can bring. Some of my wildest and best memories are times spent with my 'sisters' who never tired of 'being there'. We all have them in our lives, so this week, take time to show them how much you appreciate having a sister.

Lunch out would be good, but if they are not physically close by, a phone call would be great so you can plot and plan some time to get together in the future. Don't let too much time go by, it has a way of going much too fast. To all of my sisters, which includes my daughters and my granddaughter, my heartfelt thanks for the sharing and caring . . . Je vous aime de tout mon coeur.

An Artist

Can you find the artist hidden in his own work? Liu Bolin hides himself in his pictures, one way to become famous as an artist and that is to do something no one else thought of. Of all of the pictures that were in the e-mail yesterday, along with the few words about this invisible man, these were the two that stood out showing how really clever he is. I though you might enjoy seeing them.

I think we would all like to be invisible some time. Our world is crazy and we are not far behind it at times when life seems to tackle us and give us some serious thinking time. I know I find political cartoons something to laugh out loud about, but it is the ingenuity of the artist, not the facts of what is actually happening in our political arenas. Most of the time I feel sorry for our leaders as they have a job that no one else can handle, or want, because of the magnanimity of the problems that exist. They don't have to find ways to line their pockets and get rich on us, but that is the name of the game and we have accepted it over our life time. Complaining doesn't cut the mustard, but in the long run if they get too far to the left or to the right and wallow in the middle we can upset their apple cart and vote them out. . . thus thinking time. On the other hand we have family problems with lots to think about as our children and their children are living in a world of hazards and they are floundering for want of a decent job and a place to call their own. A lot of them created their own hell by free spending on credit cards without a thought to the hole they were digging themselves into. They have to travel the road as we did and they will make it in spite of our doubts or worries. It is just theirs to do. BUT, there is my word again, it is not easy for any one of us to become invisible and hide from living. Everyone of us has a problem, the young to learn how to get started in life just to walk and talk; the growing youngsters who have such challenges with all of the open free ideals of this generation which is so different from our own generation and leaves us in fear that they wont make it to adulthood without deep scars. The non committed couples who need moral stamina in their lives and realize what loving someone really means. The older generation slowly walking to the garden gate who need to find a place to die in peace without feeling they are a burden. A burden. . . how could they be when at one time they had no thought of the burden the children were to be in growing up, if they had, maybe there wouldn't be quite so many today. Each of us will face life as it comes and do our best with it. So one artist hiding in his own pictures brought about some unexpected musing this morning.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and find the artist within them. Do give some serious thought to your life and know which areas need a boost from your inner resources. Light a candle for all and ask for continued blessings while the storms approach today and the sunshine takes a rest.

Political Humor

How the cartoonists come up with current news so fast is an amazing feat to me. I may not always agree with what they have to say but I sure get a belly laugh or two out of their work. That duck gets around almost as often as the bunny who never runs out of steam. The latest battle between the Obama team and Fox news is interesting, fodder for a debate team as to whether or not there is free speech in our country. We listen to those who bellow and roar about what they think is going on but we have sense enough to know that all of the facts are not presented on either side . . . yet. Until then we listen and soon there will be a time to vote keeping in mind 'the facts' of the different debates that have been ongoing for months now and make up our minds whether to keep or let go of our representatives who are not able to stand up and be counted for their constituents. Some have become big disappointments, all because they make a promise they do not have the stamina to keep to the American people as a whole.
It is like trying to get on with ones neighbors, or trying to keep up with a friend who is not sure he or she wants to work at that friendship. It is the age old problem we fight all the time," two is company, three is a crowd, four is too many and five not allowed"

I don't know about you, but I keep a candle lit for everyone whether they are politicians, clergy or the generals who lead the way. As human beings they need to be true to themselves and their beliefs before they are led down a path of degenerate power trips. As Paul Harvey would say, 'and that's the rest of the story.' as the politician cartoons open our eyes to the current events of our day.

I hope your day is as good as you can make it. I hope you will find reasons to go off your diet and have a special treat to whet your appetite and relax with the sense of well being. Put your feet up and read up on some of those cartoons, it can't hurt if it makes you laugh out loud.

Signs of the Time

Ah, Maxine, how well you know me as I read a little 'singage' that tickles my funny bone. These are signs coming out of England, and I do enjoy English humor. Ever watch those English sitcoms on television ? If not tune in and have yourself a great laugh.

As one sinage said: Did I read the sign right? Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.

In a laundromat: Automatic washing machines. Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.

In a London Department store. Bargain Basement Upstairs.

In an Office. Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back or further steps will be taken.

In an Office. After tea break staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.

Outside a second hand shop. We exchange anything. Bicycles, washing machines etc. why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain.

Notice in a health food store. Closed due to illness.

Seen during a conference. For anyone who has children and doesn't know it, there is a day care on the first floor.

Tongue in cheek humor. We know the signs meant well or at least the person who made them had good intentions. It is our sense of humor that kicks in and saves the day. I haven't seen any church signs lately but they are usually hilarious. I'll keep my eye open for one or two, meanwhile you go on a hunt and see what is out there to tickle your funny bone. Sometimes it is automobile bumper stickers, or a road sign or two that makes us laugh out loud. So, as you go about your day today look for some one thing that will bring laughter to your eyes.

Follow Up on Istanbul

I'm back. Yes, that encyclopedia on line is tremendous, a wonderful tool to satisfy my curiosity.

Earlier today I wrote about Istanbul being the only city in the world that lies on two continents, Europe and Asia. I found out that it was the capitol of the Roman Empire (330-395) and is located on the Bosphorus Strait. It is the largest city in Turkey and is also known as Byzantium and Constantinople. Aha, that's where the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby connection came from....remember the song.

It is going to have the distinction of being the Capitol of Culture for 2010.


It has to be one of the best places to visit if you have a mind to travel. The bridge in the picture takes you between the two continents over the Bosphorus strait which divides the city. I'm ready to pack . . . are you? I'll carry your bags if you buy the airline tickets. See you tomorrow. Smile a lot today, it's good for the body and the soul.

I Didn't Know That!

It is fun to get an e-mail and find out about a lot of information you have never heard of and probably never gave thought to. I find it fascinating to discover some of the tidbits like the picture of the cars in Detroit most likely back in the 1930's showing the very first paved street in the USA. The traffic on the road made me laugh as today our highways are inundated with thousands of cars making their way from the suburbs to the big cities, bumper to bumper in the wee hours of the morning hoping to get everyone to work on time.

I never heard that Istanbul is the only city that lies between two continents. Now I want to know more about it so guess I'll have to google and find out more. My curiosity is peeked and I wonder what age the continents split and when and how Istanbul came about. Sultans, belly dancers, long knives, come to mind from books I've read or was that ideas from watching Bob Hope and Bing Crosby chase Dorothy Lamour around the globe.

How about that Big Apple . . . New York City . . . an apt name for it. I found out,by reading the article, jazz musicians called the cities they played in 'apple' You can imagine when they got to New York their eyes were opened as it is one of our most fascinating cities and so easy to get lost in.....a big city....thus the name 'The Big Apple". I've been to the Big Apple and loved it. I worked at New York Central Station as a reservation and message clerk assigning roomettes on the trains going from New York to San Francisco, California. A job I hated to give up but marriage and babies proved to be the best job in the end.

I hope you are happy in your job enjoying the challenges both in the good and the bad days. Or should I say in the slow or fast days? Relax, prioritize your priorities and enjoy the day as it enfolds. Make it a good one.

New Birth

What a marvel e-mail is when I receive such wonderful, interesting and unbelievable new knowledge about what is happening in our world. I copied a few of the pictures showing the yacht Maihen traveling in the South Pacific ocean. As they sailed along a huge area of sand was floating on top of the waves just as if it belonged there.

Then a disturbance in the waters ahead, a protuberance shot up out of the water and then a huge black cloud covered the sky . . . a volcano . . . the eruption creating an island, a brand new piece of earth from the thaws of the ocean. Can you imagine what it must have been like? I am excited just reading about it and seeing the pictures and wonder if I would have had the courage to stand on deck and watch this happening. Most likely I would be saying every prayer I knew that we would stay safe on board, but on the other hand, a prayer or two thanking God for the show, which was nothing short of a miracle. This happens in our oceans all the time so maybe those underwater actions are not as bad as we think they are. We connect them with tsunami and fear but keeping faith we realize there is a purpose for everything that happens in our world.

I hope you find some excitement in your life today, a new birth or a rebirth, some one event that will make you feel like you are sitting on top of your world. Make today the best ever.

Day Dreaming

Yesterday I wrote to you about the artist bears on display in our town and when I saw this little fellow I had to add another tale about a bear, this one is a Panda bear from the Chinese special Panda Reserve in Beijing. I think the caption, if I remember correctly said, "help, help, I'm stuck!"

What a cutie, who wouldn't want to go and rescue this little guy. In fact who wouldn't want to hop a plane and go visit him. I would. I have a bit of the travel bug in my mind today. How much fun it would be to be packing for a trip to somewhere. I've always wanted to take all of my children to Ireland and rent a cottage for a month and see the country as it should be seen. Then go about and find out where the ancestors came from and do a bit of genealogy while there. As I get older in body, but not in spirit, I fantasize about such a trip and the joy of showing my children their roots. But . . . there goes my favorite word again . . . it takes a bit of magic to get all of them together at the same time, along with the money I was going to earn from my best seller still to come once I am discovered. Well, my intentions are good and we all know about good intentions. So back to my musing about wishing for a trip to somewhere and it is about to be granted as daughter Patricia and I are going to go up to Lincoln City where there are shops to check out and best of all we are meeting my daughter Christine who will drive in to join us. A short reunion will do our hearts good and become a memory to salivate over in the winter gray days ahead when travel is cut to a minimum and we are back to our two and a half hour drive north or south depending on the fog and the rain. A trip is a trip and no matter how long or short it helps sooth the savage travel bug within.

I hope you love to travel and have many opportunities to see people and places you love. Plot and plan so that when the time comes you are ready to pack and go. Have fun and be sure to take pictures then blog so I can enjoy your adventures too. Make today a good one.

Bruin Festival

'here, here, the bears are here, all over the main street, in front of every merchant' s shop and they are spectacular. Twenty five artists outdid themselves in painting scenes and character into the bears which command attention. I couldn't put all twenty-five on but thought I'd give you an idea of what a few of them looked like. Son John and I took a walk along the main street with our cameras and marveled at the differences in each bear. The colors were bright and striking and the scenes within the scenes were awesome. I'd hate to have to be a judge and choose just one. The write up in our local Pilot said it was sponsored by the Evergreen Bank and the Pilot. There will be a one thousand dollar shopping spree for the person who finds "I love Brookings" painted on one of the bears.

It would be hard to describe all of them as some are the old brown bear and some are silver toned, others have colorful heads and bodies that tell a story, like the Hawaiian bear with the hula girl and those beautiful flowers that only the islands grow.


You can imagine the hours of work put into the detail of each of the bears. The size alone is awesome as some stand at least ten feet high. The imagination and the costumes on some really caught the eye. It was also our second Saturday of the month Art Walk in which our galleries participate with a showing of artists work and also artists demonstrate how they complete a picture in whatever medium they are working in. There is always a little wine or a tidbit to bite into and I think Brooking folks have enveloped the art colony with a lot of love and respect. They really make our town come alive.

I am thankful to each and every one of them and hope if you are in our area you will take time to come and see what new and novel idea they will come up with next. You cannot stay down in the dumps when you have such terrific displays right on main street... 101 north and south of town, you can't miss them.

Tree Houses

These pictures brought on a bit of musing yesterday. I had several very wonderful attachments to e-mails that were outstanding, one being the treasures of Russian architecture and the tremendous beauty of the country and the palaces. The spectacular beauty of the marble used centuries ago is still awe inspriring. I wish I could have shared it with you, but those e-mail pictures cannot be copied. Now the tree houses were a different story, and here are a few in all of their glory. I always thought a tree house was a couple of planks thrown across the boughs of a tree, at least it was for us as children. A cherry tree in my friend's back yard where we sat high off the ground and our tree house served us well for hours of play. Of course hanging by our knees was even more fun until one of us fell and got a scrape or two.

These tree houses are a bit above the norm, I would say. It takes a lot of money and talent to be able to own a tree house like these. I wouldn't mind having one to live in, would you? I am laughing as you would have to be young and spry to be able to reside in one. I am having trouble just getting up out of a chair, imagine my trying to climb the stairs to get into one of these. Of course if I had that kind of money I would be able to hire someone with the know how and have an elevator just for me, but I would have to have someone pull the ropes for me. Ah the whimsy of it all. Some things are for the very young and other things are for the very old. I find the older I get the less I want as most things are just that 'things' and I don't have the 'wants' and my 'needs' are few. Still, I like the idea of a tree house and if I had the where-with-all I would build one for my granddaughter so she could come with a friend or two and find a cozy place to stay when she came for a visit. I bet she'd love it.

So, if you are like me and enjoy looking at the tree houses which fire up the imagination, maybe you are young enough to tackle a little one in your back yard. If you do, invite me over so I can look at it, but know for sure I wont be able to climb your tree. Have fun with your imagination today, find reasons to smile and a belly laugh wont hurt at all.

Free Space

Isn't this a terrific picture of our space craft coming back home? My imagination soars when I read the stories and see the pictures that we are fortunate enough to receive as they soar above the earth. I marvel at the strength and intelligence of the men and women who are a part of this program which takes them to the far reaches of outer space. Rocket science at its best. I am wondering about that shot to the moon recently . . . um, not a space ship but a real true shot, wonder if we should be buying a plot or two in case they do find water. Beach front property? There are mountains and a valley or two, maybe we should send Johnny Appleseed along on one of the future trips. Just think, clean air, untouched pure water, a new beginning, what would we do with all that? Don't answer that.

So today muse along with me and enjoy a trip to the moon and back in the stories we read and hear about and say a prayer or two for those who are brave and knowledgeable flying off to a world most of us will never visit . . . who could afford it?

Today seems like a good day to free ourselves of being inside, take a walk outside, smell the last of the summer roses and walk for awhile, listen for the wind if it is blowing in your neighborhood, relax and enjoy today. One of our resident deer just walked across my view from the alcove window, a small one with a voracious appetite that takes the good tiny buds and leaves from the beautiful Rhody near the walkway. If I do not get flowers in the spring I will know why. So my musings are to have a free day, the sun is peeking out, more clouds expected, but in the interim I can be snapping a picture or two . . . if I can get son John,who is here for a few days, to go out and about on a small adventure or two. Maybe I can bribe him with a fish and chip lunch out deal, it's worth a try.

Seconds

These are the pictures I took at Sporthaven beach when the storm started to move in yesterday. It will give you an idea of how the ocean reacts to the aftermath of a storm on the other side of our world and finally reaches our shores. We are dull and gray today but no rain, although we may get a bit more. I'm for that as my flowers and bushes are already holding up their stocks and stems as though they were blessed from the heavens . . . come to think of it, they were.

The big bear standing in front of our only theater is one of many. They are all around town and on the main street so there is no way to stop to take pictures of the others until we go for a walk around town. We found a quick parking spot yesterday so I handed daughter Pat my camera and she took this one so I could give you an idea of the talent we have in town. Some of the bears are outstanding in color and design. I hope I get around town to take more pictures before they are gone.

Two blogs in one day may be the straw that broke the camels back, or the ink that spilled. . . I'm going, I'm going.

Bad Start . . . Good Ending

I made it. I have been futzing around with this blog for a half an hour trying to put the picture of the sheep on so I could show you what a communication company in Germany does with old telephone cords . . . yep, the sheep are all made from telephone cords and displayed in their showroom. Clever.

Meanwhile I put the cartoons on. They came in yesterday with a reminder that our favorite characters have grown older. Time does not stand still even for our imaginary friends. I think we ladies are all smiles knowing Barbie has caught up with the rest of us. A commercial unfair image to hold up as a 'norm', especially to those of us who are 'heavenly'endowed. I can see a grin or two as the men look at Superman, yes, he too has caught up with reality. Cartoons, don't you love them?

Oh to be computer literate and be able to communicate well. I had a bad start with the pictures as they were duplicates, well ---- when I chose them I thought they were different. Trying to take them off is not in my in my repitoire so there has been several deletes today. But like all good things I have a happy ending and I did get one picture on and the cartoons which I hope will make you laugh out loud.

Make today a good one even if it is stormy. If you need a good paperback to read, pick up "Sails" by Patterson, good rainy day read.

Hay!!!

It is October, almost half gone which I find unbelievable as I am still wondering what happened to the month of June and on. There was an e mail article on what farm children do to keep from becoming bored and many pictures of clever images made from harvested hay rolled into large squares or circles. I thought the two I have here were cute and it brings to mind that Halloween is just around the corner.

Once upon a time I used to make homemade donuts for Halloween, something my children and their friends enjoyed with a big cold glass of apple cider. Gone are the days when you could pass out a donut, or a home baked cookie or some other speciality from your own kitchen. The world became a bitter place when some folks decided not to put off their lights and not participate but to add some one dangerous thing to the treat they pass out so reluctantly. Now we have fallen into the commercial habit of buying out the candy manufacturers goods and can spend twenty dollars or more depending on how many of the little ones come to your door. I just visited Walmart and saw the bags of candy were from two dollars to twenty dollars. I didn't price the children's costumes, but I'd suggest that mothers get busy and use their imaginations. Who can afford such stuff? I am beginning to sound like my friend, Maxine, in one of her cartoons where she says, "Every Halloween I pretend to be the same thing...not at home." So, like Maxine I will be out for the evening as we have no little ones in the neighborhood and I do not intend to 'feed' the big lions and tigers that come down from the hills with pillow cases to fill. Gee, if I keep this up I may make it to 'Bah Humbug' before my children do.

Today, we have our first measurable rain storm coming up from the south and if I heard the TV commentator this morning winds may reach 50 miles per hour. Daughter Pat and I took a ride to Sporthaven beach where the waves were coming in heavy and loud as they crashed into the shore. I took one picture but it didn't come out because everything was gray, fog, water, sky, and two lonely gulls. The new younger set are really beautiful. They stay brown and mottled in colors of beige and deep browns tightly feathered to their bodies. Lovely little gulls that fly down to the parking area hoping for some tidbits from the car owners. We are firm believers in letting them feast from that big ocean in front of them.

I am listening to the rain beat against the drain pipes, a comforting sound as the rain pours from the heavens. I hope you have some rain in your life soon, not too much, but enough to help the flowers and the bushes and drown your negative thoughts and change them into a bubbling spring of delightful dreams. The attachment today was so beautiful, lovely pictures and words to live by, like: "Learn to Live . . . Enjoy life . . . this is not a rehearsal." and another you will like to remember, "Don't count the days . . . Make the days count." Are you listening to me? I hope so because "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges." Aah, 'food for thought.' I have all of you in my life so my days are just fine. Thank you.