pounce

This morning there was a little tiger waiting for the school bus by the front door of the building. He was ready to pounce! How fun for this little guy to be dressed up in a tiger suit and on his way to school. And how fun for me to witness that little piece of Halloween happiness first thing in the morning.

Quote from Henry Van Dyke;

Be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to play and to look up at the stars."

I'd better go buy some candy for stray tigers wandering around the neighborhood!

perplexed

The complexities of the relationships we encounter throughout our lifetimes can be overwhelming. I have complications in several that are puzzling. The calming factor in the perplexity is that I am not alone in this situation. Every person has relationship challenges to attempt to solve, or to let go.

I like to harbor resentment for a time---let those who have offended me suffer ill will in my thoughts for a time. Then I make peace with myself, knowing that karma will bring them few good things for being unkind to me. Is that wicked? Hoping for bad?

Mourning the loss of connection is another challenge. A person wonders whatever happened to the pleasant times in the company of those who are absent from our lives--not dead, of course, that's a whole different loss. But the folks who were once so integral in our lives some times fade away.

My issue has to do with some unrealistic expectations, unkind words, and not being candid with the truth. My friend K told me once, "Why lie when the truth will do?" Another nice woman I know deals with physical & mental challenges by living her motto, "It is what it is."

Deal with it.

Quote from Buddy Hackett;

" Don't carry a grudge, When you're carrying the grudge, the other guy's out dancing."

take care :)

pre-dawn

It's 7:15 a.m. and I'm already done with several of my daily duties. The sun isn't above the horizon yet I've been to the airport, walked a mile with the dog, had 2 cups of coffee, ran the dishwasher, first load of laundry in the dryer, second in the dryer, checked email, and am listening to the Today show news as I go about all of this.

Is it better to have early morning light or a later sunset? It's terribly disappointing to me when we set the clocks back and suddenly it's dark at 5:00p.m. But it's also difficult to be enthusiastic in the morning when it's pitch dark! Which do you prefer?

It must be my Scandinavian heritage nudging me toward the light. The time we spent in Norway with the long daylight hours was great. I'm not good with time changes during travel, so when I woke at 4 a.m. in Oslo I went out for a run because it was light outside! (Maybe I'd start running again of it were light early here!) In the evening we'd be out and about til 10:30 or so thinking it was around 8:00p.m. What fun.

Quote of the day from Martha Washington;

" The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our mental disposition and not on our circumstances."

take care!

periwinkle

What better color is there? A bit blue, a bit purple, just cool and calm.

I need some periwinkle today because the sky is full of fog, the trees are nearly all brown ,with a few rich spots of color left.

To add to my dismay, Patrick is packing for NY. He'll be conducting business in my favorite part of Manhattan--midtown. I'm dying to go with him.

So for the next few days I'll be pouting (oh! a good "P" word!) about missing a chance to be in Manhattan. A couple of years ago I was with my Aunt in Manhattan while she worked during the day, I ran all around the city having the most fun ever! Then we attended Broadway shows in the evening. What fun.

Quote of the day from Emory Austin;

" Be cheerful even when you don't feel like it."

Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.

pelican

This entry is not about pelicans.

It's a bird and a word that begins with "p."

My real concern of the day is outerwear. Previously I have stated that wearing the right outfit can make a profound difference in the day. I am beginning to doubt my words.

Today I've been outdoors with the dog twice, in the cold misty rain. This afternoon I concluded that no amount of Lands End outerwear is going to make me feel comfortable in this damp weather. The layered fleece with water repellent is too hot, the rain slicker is too chilly. My new hat looks and feels marvelous. This problem leaves me choosing the outfit for the day in layers. Tee or turtle, vest or pullover, jeans or cords, footies or knee-highs, etc.

Who knew that moving into the heart of the city would force me into a lumberjack look? Perhaps I should look at the L.L.Bean catalog more seriously. Plaid is cute, right?

Quote of the day from Frank Lloyd Wright;

" If you wisely invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life."

take good care.

probable prickles

Yes, prickles, not pickles. We will be eating some pickles today, but first we may get our fingers pricked by cactus. The activity for this beautiful Sunday in sunny Mesa is creating a cactus garden. Aly is going to make one and we'll do one for G&G's deck as well. We saw some nice chunky barrel cacti today at the swap meet but they were a bit too big. I'd prefer starting small with this new project.

When we walked through the Botanical Gardens last February we saw such a wide variety of cacti and desert plants that were lush and beautiful. I would love to try and create something vast and fantastic, but will settle for small and cute.

I've been told one uses kitchen tongs to plant cactus--large or small. I hope mother doesn't mind when her tongs go missing!

Quote of the day from Gary Zukav;

"We have much to do together. Let us do it in wisdom, love and joy. Let us make this the human experience."

take care.