07/01/2021

What is it about the 4th of July weekend

that makes it so special?! I find myself 

at the height of anticipation, that whole, 

I can hardly wait, kind of thing.

I understand perfectly that this day, July

4th, 1776, is the date in which we, as

a nation, celebrate the independence of

the United States. And, I honor this!

Still, I love how families living afar, 

get together for the entire weekend and

families living in close proximity, get

together for the day. There are picnics

to enjoy, drinks to be hoisted, fireworks

to be set off and all kinds of catching 

up to happen.

One of the things that really helps  

is that there is usually pretty decent 

weather in July. Obviously, Christmas

and Thanksgiving, not so likely. The

more family that gets together, the

more important good weather matters.

Most homes won't accommodate too

many extra people.

So hey, let's celebrate all of it this 

weekend . . . our country, our families,

the enormous blessings we have in

living here. 

I for one am going to make homemade 

icecream for the first time in about a 

hundred years! I pray I don't overdo it

as that seems to be my modus operandi!

cant wait to see you

family celebrations

what say you we dance

06/30/2021

"She ate pizza when she wanted 

it and greens when she needed it.

She kept the things she loved and

threw out the things she didn't.

She would wear high heels on a

night out and sneakers the next

day. She would drink glasses of

wine, but never forget her water.

She moved fast and stayed still.

She was loud, adventurous and

bold, but also allowed herself to

be quiet, reserved and peaceful.

She was chaos and calmness. 

She made her own rules and

followed her own path. But, most

of all, she never let anyone tell

her how to live her life according

to theirs." ~Sarah Claire

Every now and again, I catch that

odd bit of wisdom in the strangest

of places. The above is one of those.

My entire life, I've complained that

I'm the most unbalanced Libra in

Kingdom Come.

This missive, brings to mind that

perhaps imbalance is NOT what

it's all about, rather a balance 'twixt

and 'tween each side of the scale.

Perhaps, the left side represents 

those sane, wise choices, whilst the

right side of the balance ties in with

our fun, zany side.

It only took me a hundred and one

years to figure this out! But, I like

having sussed out something I can

live with.

When you're up for something, give

me a call, but to tell which side of

my brain you'll be embracing that 

day!

making the effort

a libra in the making

finally a clue

06/29/2021

I find I'm in a continual state of 

amazement being 70, okay 71. 

One simply looks at the world 

ever so differently once older. 

I think it's rather fascinating.

I imagine being retired has

something to do with it. One

can actually slow down and

smell the roses, as it were. I

love looking around at the

beauty that surrounds. Fact

is, my concept of beauty is

somewhat different than when

I was younger. Only natural, 

I'm sure!

I find beauty in my tiny 130 

year old cabin. I love the

grasses and wild flowers that

surround us. Watching the

birds fly in to see what they

can find is one of life's most

delightful pleasures. I enjoy

the skyscapes presented daily.

You never know if it's blue

skies and white clouds or dark

clouds, thunder and rain.

I so enjoy the odd visit from

friends and neighbors, Their

presence reminds me there's

a world out there . . . one in

which I take the occasional

look-see!

Me thinks we could simply

call this heaven and I already

know the shoe fits!!!

heaven on earth now

memories of yesteryear

tomorrow who knows

06/28/2021

The sounds of sorrow . . .

I'm so trying, making every effort, 

to live in this world we've been given.

Or, should I say, gifted?!

There's ever so much good here on

Mother Earth and I love and enjoy 

the life I've been gifted. Having said 

that, I might do well to never watch 

the news, nor listen to tales told out

of school.

I cope pretty well if I don't see scenes

depicted on the news of street violence.

I find the banality and levity of stars'

lives hard to imagine, much less accept. 

Have zero idea why, but my guy watches 

these.

So, wherein lies the answer? Is it head

in the sand time? Ne'er buy a newspaper?

Don't watch the news? None of this . . .

"Say, have you heard . . . ?"

Or perhaps, I just need to give myself

permission to exit reality and simply 

live quietly in my tiny, tiny 130 year old 

cabin and call it a day?! ~!@#$%^&*()_+

Thank the gods I'm a 100 years old, retired

and broke . . . how would I cope otherwise?!

chin up have a smile

mama earths sorrow is mine

no laughing matter 

"I will not give up the flowers in my heart

for stones just because the world is a hard

place. The world is only hard because it

needs more flower hearted people"

~Nikita Gill

06/27/2021

"CHARTREUSE has been made 

by the Carthusian Monks since 

1737 according to the instructions 

set out in a manuscript given to 

them by François Annibal d'Estrées 

in 1605. It was named after the 

monks' Grande Chartreuse monastery,

located in the Chartreuse Mountains

in the general region of Grenoble 

in France."

Oh what a glorious day! Once a year

we get together to make Chartreuse. 

The idea is to gather as close to 100

fresh herbs as possible. We've been

making it once a year for many a 

year and I believe the closest we've 

gotten is in the 70's. Still albeit 50, 

like today, or a tad more or less, it 

always turns out wondrously!

You must remind me, if I forget, 

to offer you a little sip of this

delightful ambrosia when you

come to visit. It will make your

day! I always like to make a

wish when I treat myself to a sip!

I would have to admit that one 

of the things I like about living 

in my130 year old cabin, is being 

surrounded by so many magical

herbs just begging to be made

into Chartreuse.

magic in a glass

have a sip with me and mine

tis ambrosia

Salud!

06/26/2021

"I'm spiritual, not religious, 

which means my beliefs can evolve."

~Unknown

I read the above quote this morning.

Got me to thinking. Thought it might

be a good idea to look up the definitions.

"Religion is a specific set of organized

beliefs and practices, usually shared by

a community or group."

"Spirituality is more of an individual 

practice and has to do with having a

sense of peace and purpose."

I love language, languages in fact. 

I enjoy nuance and different shades 

of gray, if you will. I even get a kick

out of splitting hairs! Might just have

something to do with why I became

a Lang Arts teacher.

Language is a precious gift to one 

and all. And, in this case, I believe it

helps to understand whether one

embraces the religious or the spiritual 

path.

Me thinks there's naught wrong with

either. May have something to do with

one's belief system or even personality.

Bottom line, 'tis always a good idea to

know where you stand . . .

I may be spiritual rather than religious,

but I will ever and always honor you

and your path!

06/25/2021

"Empathy is a choice and it's 

a vulnerable choice. In order 

to connect with you, I have to

connect with something in 

myself that knows that feeling."

~Brené Brown

I've been pondering empathy of late.

I imagine for some it's,  been there,

done that. Others, when listening 

to your pain, truly make an effort 

to understand.

For me, in my forty plus years of 

teaching, I found empathy to be the

key to excellence in my field. Kids

appreciate being understood just as

much as adults do.

My issue was, and is, an inability

to separate myself from another's

pain. Many a night, during my

teaching years, I sobbed myself 

to sleep. Still, I felt it better to 

feel my pain than to be insensitive 

to theirs.

I thought perhaps age would bring

about the ability to be empathic

and yet be able to step aside from

other's pain. Alas, it has yet to

happen for me. Maybe one day . . .

And maybe, it doesn't even matter!

Sharing each other's sadness and

sorrows, painful that they may be,

is exactly what is important!

06/24/2021

Anoche, soñé que visité a mi familia

en Chiapas, México. Lamentablemente, 

no he tenido la oportunidad de irme en

varios años.

En mi sueño, me dieron un espacio tipo 

desván en donde pudiera estar y descansar 

durante mi visita. Y ya que cada quien 

estaban en sus mutuos trabajos, pedí una 

escoba para barrer mientras.

Estaba yo barriendo cada rincón, bajo cama,

mesa y cajonera para alistar dicho espacio 

para mi estancia. En vez de paredes, sólo 

habían columnas, así que se sentía muy abierto, 

exactamente como me gusta ya que soy tan 

claustrofóbica. 

Y yo barriendo, pude ver a la gente mientras 

iban y venían. Saludé y me saludaron. Aveces 

paraban un rato para platicar y aveces salieron 

con obvia prisa.

Me acuerdo de un par de viejitos. Se sentaron 

en la orilla de mi espacio a platicar y echarse 

una fumadita. Me hicieron un montón de 

preguntas. Esto no me molestó para nada, 

hasta sentí cierto cariño para los ancianos.

Al fin, llegaron mi gente del trabajo. Tantos 

gritos de alegría, abrazos, besitos . . . y Doña

Clemen y Don Rafa viendo y meneando sus

cabezas. Rafita y Carlín, todavía jóvenes y 

aún sin familia. Rosi y Clemen al igual. Cómo

lloré al verlas. Pregunté por Doña Rebe pero

no sabían donde estaba.

Hubiese querido quedarme otro rato, pero

obviamente, desperté. Me di cuenta que mi 

cara aún estaba mojada de lágrimas derramadas

en mi sueño. Me siento entre gozosa de haber

visto a la familia y desconsolada de haberla

dejado tan pronto. 

Ay Dios . . .

06/23/2021

Been thinking about old practices,

celebrations and traditions that

have gone somewhat astray . . .

I do miss holiday cards, not exactly

sure why. They're a rather Facebook

mode of staying in touch. Some

simply sign and send; others write

entire pages.

I love handwritten letters, getting

them in the mail and have even sent

them for years. But e-mail is ever so

quick and dirty! A good way to keep

up with today's speed. And, as I'm a 

hundred years old, 'tis easier to type 

than write!

I see families in restaurants on special

holidays rather than cooking their own.

I get it! I find the idea of preparing so 

many dishes overwhelming. Bring on

the menus!

Coffee shops rather than tea, take out

instead of a sit down meal, order in

pizza in lieu of cooking. None of this

is wrong or bad, just is! 

I pray I'm not too old to keep up!

help me ascertain 

which is better old or new

some of each perhaps

06/22/2021

Morning of the day after . . .

Oh, I do have to chuckle!  First

Winter steals Spring away from

us and then, when we finally get

some heat, it's cold and rainy for

the entire Summer Solstice!

As my dad used to quote, "If you

don't like the weather in Colorado,

wait 15 minutes."

Sooooo, what is it about weather

anyway?! I met an old dame this

week who shared with me that

Winter is her fave time of year 

as she literally can't take the heat.

Might just have something to do

with the fact that she looked like

she might weigh about 85 lbs. 

on a good day. Others swear by

Spring and Fall as supposedly

weather extremes are less than

the other two seasons.

I'm beginning to think I need

to stop paying attention to the

weather and just get on with

life!

whats the weather like

rain or shine have a good day

im intending to

06/21/2021 - Summer Solstice

I was beginning to think Litha 

would never happen . . .

Existing through months of Winter, 

adding in several stolen weeks from 

both Autumn and Spring, I calculate 

Winter's season was roughly doubled! 

Not even certain how I've survived, 

but God in heaven, Summer has finally 

arrived!

Today . . . Litha, Summer Solstice,

the first day of Summer . . . a day 

of pure joy for so many, especially

for those of us with SADS . . . 

I am ever so grateful!

Do come Mr. Sun, fill my body, 

my mind, my soul, with your heat!

I must be able to remember the 

warmth of your rays once the 

dark returns . . .

summer is my time

pray stay yet another while

boon of my being

Happy Summer Solstice!

09/20/2021 - Father's Day

I feel my father is never very far from

me. I talk to him every day. I tell him

my thoughts and that I miss him. I

even feel that he hears me . . . I'm

certain of it!

It wasn't that long ago that I realized

when in prayer, I find myself talking

to dad. I doubt God minds very much

as he is a father as well and probably

gets it.

I think about the father of my children

and what an amazing gift he gave me

in my children. I think about the fathers

of my stepchildren and again, I am so

grateful for the gifts they gave me in 

my stepchildren. 

I love Father's Day, the memories 

flooding back, the acknowledgements.

I would remind those lucky enough

to still have their dads, to spend time

with them. Alas, their time by our

sides is not eternal.

so wish you were here

father to end all fathers

oh how i miss you

06/19/2021

When I'm queen of the universe . . .

things are going to be very different!

There are things I'd like to change,

fix, remove!!! Probably, the fist thing

I'd like to demolish from the face of 

the earth would be child molesters, 

spousal abusers and purveyors of

violence of any kind!

It occurs to me, although I'm not a

true socialist, that there's no point

in millions of people starving whilst

others have billions they would never

be able to spend in several lifetimes.

What would be wrong with remaining

a millionaire, but then sharing the 

billions of excess?! 

World hunger would be a thing of the 

past! Schools could be built and staffed 

in a manner that the student-teacher 

ratio would better support learning! 

Health could be better assessed and

improved with more medical personnel,

hospitals and sanctums.

If good things happen in threes, perhaps

bad things do as well . . . so don't even

ask me what I would like to do to drug 

pushers . . . and no, I'm not talking about

the odd joint!

~!@#$%^&*()_+

Remember to vote for me .  . . 

Okay, tantrum over . . . I think!