11/13/2021

Me thinks communication is the

name of the game . . .

Being nigh onto a hundred years

old, I can still remember snail

mail, telegrams, greeting cards . . .

all before the age of e-mail.

But here and now, I will confess

that one of my fave modes of 

staying in touch, would be the 

infamous postcard.

It's ever so much fun collecting

them on trips, buying them at the

post office, ordering them on the

internet. Best of all for me though, 

is making them myself.

I like to collect cards, old and new, 

along with certain kinds of special

papers, to create postcards. I'm 

not particularly adept at any kind

of hobby, but so love me some

postcards.

And best of all, one of my most

prized treasures, would be my 

grandma's postcards from around

the turn of the century.

They are precious beyond belief.

The stamps are most wondrous.

The handwriting is ever so sweet;

the messages, priceless. What a 

thing to pass down, generation to 

generation.

Sooooo, send me a postcard if 

you like . . .

who will i hear from

pray send me a card or two

best love notes ever

11/12/2021

Me thinks 'tis a rare man who

indulges his woman in the most

interesting of activities . . .

So love me some eating in bed.

It's incredibly fun to have a movie

fest on a given afternoon. Much

enjoy hitting a pub (never a bar) 

from time to time. The odd trip,

a drive up through the mountains, 

luxurious picnics . . . I love it all!

I absolutely must both credit my

guy and thank him for indulging 

me in my somewhat silly notions.

I find these bits and pieces add 

sweet spice to our lives.

If I could give any advice to 

the marrieds, both young and 

old, 'twould be to salt and pepper

their relationships with small

surprises, out of the ordinary

activities, and whatever comes

to mind outside the box. 

And frankly, not a bad idea to

amuse oneself as well . . .

playing with notions

so love me small bits of fun

surprises are us

11/11/2021

"What if our religion was each 

other. If our practice was our life.

If prayer, our words. What if the 

temple was the earth. If forests 

were our church. If holy water--

the rivers, lakes, and ocean. What 

if meditation was our relationships.

If the teacher was life. If wisdom 

was self-knowledge. If love was the

center of our being." ~Ganga White

Yoga Master Ganga White, offers 

us food for thought with the above 

words. I will ponder them at length.

The older I get, the more accepting

I am of others' beliefs. It matters, 

doesn't it?! It's important that we 

all have the freedom to believe as 

we are so moved. And frankly, 

what would make it right for me  

to repudiate someone else's beliefs? 

Again, food for thought.

In my dotage, have to admit I much

enjoy pondering these issues. I still

have a long way to go obviously, but 

I hope to be invited to the other side 

with even more understanding and 

acceptance under my belt!

pondering my doubts

pray open my heart and eyes

need to understand

11/10/2021

Having trouble with blanket

statements of late . . . the terms

'all' and 'always' being a bit of 

a clue!

"All men are assholes. Women 

are such meddlers. Mothers-in-

law hate their children's spouses. 

The kids of today are so spoiled. 

Grandmothers overindulge their

grandkids."

These statements simply cannot 

all be true. We know there is both

good and bad in every category . . . 

and somewhere in between as 

well.

There are phenomenal people 

who have made mistakes. There 

are rather wretched citizens that

from time to time do something

unexpectedly wonderful. And

we all have done various of both.

Where are the answers? What

solutions entice? And, how can

we each be of help?

It occurs to me that acceptance

may be the answer. Worry about

our own actions rather than those

of others. Trust that the Universe

is unfolding just as it should . . .

and ever and always help all of

those that we can . . . 

 . . . and let's lose the blanket

statements already!!!

believe in the good

we will always have that bad

lets focus on right

11/09/2021

Broken? So what . . .

We all are to some extent. 

It might be depression, the

onset of winter. It could be

that painful apathy in a

long-term relationship. 

Some are out of shekels and 

need the money. Owe bills all 

over town. Can't sleep at night

with bill collectors on the mind.

I struggle with winter; you may 

have issues with the heat in 

summer. One way or another it's

always something.

Been there, done that . . .

Let's just get on with it!

Having said that, it's simply not

that easy. Depression needs to

be dealt with and relationships

decided about. Money has to be

found to pay those pesky bills

and surviving winter SADS or 

summer heat are real!

So, how to cope? For some, it

will be their faith. Others feel

they just need to buckle down

and deal with it. Still, there are

those who trust in miracles.

One way or another, we seem

to get through.

I think it's probably a good idea

to remind ourselves that every

single soul on the planet is

going through something. We

are not alone in our dealings

with misfortune. 

I pray we each find a way of

coping with whatever difficulty

we've been dealt! Perhaps, the

coping itself will bring relief.

trying to survive

tis hell in a handbasket 

wheres glinda the good

11/08/2021

So interesting the things that

couples do together and don't

do together . . .

Trips, mini vays, eating out

watching movies . . . all fun

things that are enjoyed by

couples all over the planet.

Still, there are things that we

all enjoy doing on our own. I

know a lot of women like to

shop on their own. A couple 

of gals get a kick out of eating

lunch out. I even know there

are those who run and exercise

on their own; heaven forbid!!

I'm thinking this is healthy,

perhaps even the way things

ought to be. But, what to do

to make certain we're both

taking care of our marriages

and ourselves?!

Me thinks 'tis a good idea to

keep watch on our intentions,

our needs. It matters! Ask the

difficult questions already!

Am I more interested in me or

in my relationship? Or, am I

certain I'm taking care of both?

Do I remember that a marriage

is an investment and it matters?

Am I remembering to be kind

to me as well as my better half?

Good stuff to be reminded of.

Think I'll take it to heart. Here's

hoping I take my own advice!

are you listening

some good things to think about

pray make the right calls

11/07/2021

Birthdays ahoy . . .

Funny how grandparents get 

such a kick out of attending 

their grandkids' b-day parties. 

In thinking about it, it occurs 

to me that witnessing the joy 

of children is so refreshing.

That kind of innocence . . .

priceless!

Might be a lesson here . . .

I've never been just quite sure 

where that sweet innocence 

comes from. It occurs to me

that it could be their lack of

experience in the real world.

So, my question would be . . .

"How could we oldsters 

possibly get back some of that 

innocence we lost so long ago?" 

Me thinks it might be the key 

to some of that misplaced 

childish joy.

Answers? Look on the bright

side? Strive to be positive?

Hang out with the little ones?

Know this! I'll be pondering!

who holds the answer

what is the price to be paid

joy at any cost

11/06/2021

"When you're deeply sensitive,

love is ecstasy. Music is godlike.

Heartache is a wide, somatic 

wound. Visual natural beauty 

is jewel-drenched, wild bliss.

Tension and conflict are muscle 

tightening and toxic, straight 

down to the cells."

~Victoria Erickson

Love some of Victoria Erickson's

insightful ramblings . . . words to

live by; make no mistake! Alas . . .

I've had some rather different 

life experiences from being 

deeply sensitive. I would argue 

that the other side of love is 

heartbreak, but music does save 

the day!

Mother Nature, on the other hand, 

is one of the greatest loves of my 

life. Me thinks she's responsible

for all of it . . .  both the love and 

the music . . . along with her 

amazing, glorious self!

How I wish we honored her, took

care of her, and kept our damn

trash off her magnificent arenas!

When are we ever going to grow 

up and get a clue?! We've destroyed

the entire planet, used up precious

resources, and overpopulated to our 

hearts' content! Not really sure we

actually deserve any more chances.

so wish i could help

pray give us another chance

feeling your sorrow

11/05/2021

I dreamt I found us in England, 

much enjoying most wondrous 

and well deserved travels. 

We ambled along river banks,

enjoyed store fronts, and most

especially, the teas! It was

almost a mission, having tea

each day in a different venue.

I so longed to serve my own.

Somewhat by accident, we ran

into some old friends, Wes and

Heather . . . incredible! Clearly,

I needed to invite them to tea.

We were staying in an ancient, 

three-story mansion, currently 

being use as an inn. I explained

to the majordomo exactly what

I wished to do and obtained

permission.

I swear, I scrounged the entire

palace, searching for the exact

pieces I wanted. Lace and linens,

embroidered napkins, old silver

serving dishes . . . I ordered the

goodies and we were set.

Our guests were sweet and even

took us on a most harrowing 

drive afterwards . . . other side

of the road and all that. Still,

rather than worrying about being

killed, I was concerned about

getting all those tea pieces back 

to their right spots by curfew. 

Go figure!

Can't help but wonder if Wes

and Heather enjoyed the tea as

much as I did?!

wonder and wonder

will i ever go again

so miss my travels

11/04/2021

So excited . . . we're off to see

the wizard; I mean the kids!

I do seem to enjoy doing things

by the month and November is 

indeed all about Thanksgiving. 

Above and beyond all else, our 

children are the most special of

all to us!

So fun . . . we get to enjoy our

youngest; birthday ahoy! I find

it rather amazing to watch the

children, young with their entire

lives ahead of them . . . and here

we are about a hundred years old

and well on our way out!

Seeing family is not only a miracle,

but it's rather a panoramic view of

life as we know it . . . We are the

elders; parents, slash grandparents.

Our children follow, with children

of their own . . . our grands, as I

like to call them. Three generations!

Looking at this amazing picture book

in front of me, I find myself wayyyyy

beyond thankful; I feel ever so blest.

blest beyond belief

adore our little rascals 

so love all of you

11/03/2021

It's hard to say goodbye . . .

Seems that the entire month

of October has been about

getting ready for the ancestors,

for our beloved dead.

And all of a sudden, although

not quite so suddenly, it's time

to take down the altar, wipe

our tears away and bid our loved 

ones adieu.

In a way, it's both painful and

a relief. One simply cannot live 

forever on the street of the dead.

Transition time . . . greeting that

special day of Thanksgiving and

all that goes with . . .

House to clean, calls to make,

invites to prepare and send, a

meal to plan and thanks to be

given.

This does rather distract from

the sorrow of recent days, as

well as giving something to

look forward to.

I love seeing my children in

their adult roles of hosts, cooks,

entertainers. It always wows me.

I will be taking along the odd 

contribution to the meal, but

this time around, I'm a guest

rather than the mom. Feels a

bit odd, make no mistake!

so looking forward

leaving my sorrow behind

a kind of balance

11/02/2021 - Día de los Muertos

In spite of the many names we

use to honor today, it's all about

those adults we've lost in our

lives.

That wondrous altar we've used

during the month of October to

honor our dead, stands at the

ready for today. By now, we've

added those precious photographs

of our lost ancestors and perhaps

other loved ones lost to us.

The 31st, we paraded through the

streets dressed as the dead. The 

1st, we honored the loss of those 

precious souls dearest to our hearts,

our children. Today, finally meeting

at the familial altar, the storytelling

begins.

Perhaps, we have beer or wine 

to sip. A few snacks to munch 

on as we tell tales out of school.

Bits of cloth to dry our tears . . .

Let the stories begin!

Me thinks the reminiscence tends

to be somewhat the same year

after year. Some details may be

added and others dismissed, but

we do know and recognize our

stories.

We chuckle at Tío Pepe's antics

at parties, the fine cuisine of mi

abuela Clemen, the jokes la

cuñada used to so badly tell, and

on and on. As we embrace the

memories, tears may begin to

fall 'midst the laughter, but one

and all, precious beyond belief.

I find, just in the telling, that my

heart already pains me. I feel that

lump in my throat and tears nigh

onto brimming over . . .

dios me ayude

le ruego me consuele

dolor me puede 

11/01/2021 - Día de los Angelitos

Today, in those wondrous Latin

American countries where we

celebrate the three Días de los

Muertos, we honor the precious

children we have lost.

At the familial altar, photographs

our lost family members and 

ancestors are moved closer to the 

rear of the altar. Near the front, 

we place pictures of our sweet,

dear children, lost to us.

We often use toy kiddy plates 

and cups to put out their favorite 

foods and beverages. Small toys

little cars and dolls are also placed 

amongst the pictures.

We have honored our ancestors

and loved ones, but naught can

compare to the enduring pain

and sorrow of losing our little

ones. Those tears, copiously

falling at the altar, are precious

to the gods.

Oh, to hold our babes close to

our hearts, just once more . . .

niño chiquito

ay como te extraño

anlloro verte