Happy New Year!

(This is still my favourite New Year's You Tube vid.)

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!!

Lang may yer lum reek!!!!

Silly String Stocking Stuffers and the Sensational Ensuing Stramash ( a noisy commotion, uproar)

My favourite part of Christmas has always been the Stocking stuffers. Even better than receiving, though, is the planning on what to put into the stockings for my husband and kiddies. Well, on one particular shopping hunt my eldest daughter and I laid eyes on a certain item that has been known to wreak havoc on any well laid party plans; and, certainly those of the most strict holiday fashion. And, they just happened to fit perfectly into a Christmas stocking....

As I'm working the Christmas holiday both eve and day this year....lotsa holiday babies tae swaddle....We decided to open the stockings early on my day off. I don't have any evidence, er, pictures of the madness that followed....but if you can imagine 5 people abandoned to insane fun, 5 cans of various coloured silly string, and one small sitting room. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. My husband only wanted to know which 'adult' sanctioned the purchase....my eldest and I just shared conspiratory smirks...
(and, I'm sure I'll be finding bits and pieces of string till Easter, but hey ho,... ho ho ho......)

"In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away"

- shing xiong

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!

Is it Christmas already?? That's alright, I'm working anyway..the travails of a hospital nurse ;)

Last night was a fun 'holiday' night with a visit to a magical Christmas light extravaganza. If you can imagine a cul-de-sac of about 15 houses, all covered with lights and decorations in the Disneyland fashion. Then you follow the sidewalk that has become more of a lighted candle trail in the Mexican tradition-Luminarias; I didn't take a photo with my phone, but the borrowed one above might give you an idea. We walked around to the various houses where there were groups of carolers, and hundreds of people wishing each other well. There were camping style fires in (safety) pits at the various houses, a trombone/trumpet group, and for the finale was a small cadre from the local pipes and drums marching band.

Good friends, warm fires, coffee with Irish cream, and pipes and drums....A great evening with holiday spirit!

Tis the Season for Giving

Eight Gifts that Don't Cost a Cent!

This simple checklist can help measure how you are nurturing your relationships.

The Gift of Listening
But you must really listen. Don't interrupt, don't daydream, and don't plan your response. Just listen.

The Gift of Affection
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

The Gift of Laughter
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

The Gift of Solitude
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone.
Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

The Gift of a Favor
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind. Good deeds are cool.

The Gift of a Written Note
It can be a simple "Thanks for your help" note, or a longer expression of your appreciation for that person being in your life. A brief handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime.

The Gift of a Compliment
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job," or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

The Gift of a Cheerful Disposition
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone.

These are eight important ways we can contribute toward whole and healthy relationships. They cost nothing, yet they may well be the most valuable gifts we can ever offer another person.

(received via email)

Nova Scotia kilted lovin'

"Maj Vare Valkommen" (welcome blessed spring)

This is for all my rain drenched blog pals who are yearning for the warmth of spring! :)

Request to sign 14yr old cancer patient's guestbook

Hi all,
This is a request for you to say hello to a stranger. His name is Brandon, he's 14yrs old, and he has cancer. He's my coworkers son. Here is his 'background story' as told on his website:

"Brandon's journey began with a slight limp on his right side. We thought that maybe it was a sports injury or growing pains. When it didn't go away and he started having pain in the middle of the night, we knew something was wrong. Brandon was diagnosed with chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the right proximal femur in July 09. By August he had gone through a total hip replacement ,metal prosthesis insertion, and hickman insertion. He will undergo 30 weeks of chemo."

If you're reading this and feel moved to give encouragement to this brave, and no doubt scared, young man, please do so. I thought it would be neat if people from around the States, and around the world could say "hey, we're thinking about you, hang in there!!" or something like that.
Hope for tomorrow is strength for today. :)

thanks! :)

Brandon's site:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brandonrussell/guestbook
(you can just put your first name, nickname, and/or last initial for the anon-minded people :))

"Confidence and hope do more good than physic."
~Galen

Motivating for positive change

Credit goes to ER

Happy Samhain!

Hope all is well blogger friends. :)

Thus begins the holidays. This is the first Halloween in a while that I had to work, but the kiddies improvised and had their fun. Though no pumpkins nor tumshies this year...ah well

Hopefully, I will have more time for blogging, soon. Interesting how much I miss the blogging interaction. Seasons, seasons.... :)

It's been a pleasure

Thank you all, fellow bloggers, it's been a pleasure. Life is busy, blogging has been a pleasant distraction but I've my childrens' education, as well as my own commitments to Uni, my family and career; and well, the rugby's afoot. Hopefully, I'll be by for a read, to see what ya'll are up to. Wishing you all well! I'm always available by email. :)

Life has its seasons

Time to say goodnight

to all you trolls out there in RL and virtual world: with what you have given, may you be blessed with what karma duly brings; and, by the way, contrary to my correct southern American and British upbringing....awa an bile yer heid, you can pòg mo thòn!

Casadh an tSugain - Micheal 0'Domhnaill and Bothy Band 1979

"Joy, sorrow, tears, lamentation, laughter -- to all these music gives voice, but in such a way that we are transported from the world of unrest to a world of peace, and see reality in a new way, as if we were sitting by a mountain lake and contemplating hills and woods and clouds in the tranquil and fathomless water."

~Albert Schweitzer

Raggle Taggle Gypsy -Bluegrass meets Irish

"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."

~Alexander Graham Bell

"Peace is not the absence of war; it is a virtue; a state of mind; a disposition for benevolence; confidence; and justice."

~Baruch de Spinoza

Dog story to greet the day; I love stories with happy endings

(Rommel,RIP, and Kitty lounging near the under-construction koi pond)


"Pooch saves Lost Boy in Wilderness"

(Sept. 8) - A stray pooch who got a helping hand from a Canadian family more than repaid the favor when he saved the family's 2-year-old son in the Yukon wilderness.

The British Columbia family, whose name was withheld at their request, took the yellow dog under their wing after encountering him on their trek through the bush. The scruffy-looking mongrel had porcupine quills sticking out of his snout, and the family tried to help him by pulling some out, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported.

Last Thursday, as the parents were setting up a trailer in the evening, their 2-year-old son, Kale, disappeared wearing only a T-shirt. News of a missing boy triggered a full-scale search involving rescue professionals and many local volunteers.

Rescue parties located Kale more than 24 hours after he vanished. With him was the stray dog, who had kept the little boy warm by cuddling with him during the damp, cool night and protected him in the bear-infested woods. "The night was cold and wet and the terrain in the area is rough ... Most adults wouldn't make it through the night before succumbing to hypothermia, let alone a 2-year-old child," Michael Pealow, a member of the Whitehorse District Search and Rescue Society team, wrote in a blog post, according to The Globe and Mail.

"A bear could have got him. Anything could have happened," Mike Bondarchuk, a volunteer who helped search for Kale, told the newspaper. "What we do know is the dog stuck with him, all night and all the next day."

The dog's owner heard the whole story and came forward. Kim Dolan instantly recognized the canine hero as her dog, Koda, who had been missing for about a week. She said she had adopted Koda several months earlier after the dog was abandoned in Ross River, British Columbia.

"He's a total mutt. A total kid dog … he just wants to be loved," Dolan told The Globe and Mail.

Although she said it was hard to do, Dolan decided to give Koda to Kale's family.

"He was meant to be there at that time," she said. "It was tough to give him away. I was in tears … but it was the right thing to do."
aol news

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us." ~Robert Louis Stevenson

"Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the Virtues of Man, without his Vices. This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the Memory of Boatswain, a Dog."
~George Gordon, Lord Byron, "Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog"

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am."
~Author Unknown

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands...

The pic below was taken in Washington State, but it reminds me a bit of the Pennsylvania woods where I endlessly explored as a child. Happy memories for the most part, yet bittersweet as there was always a hint of emptiness following my dad's death when I was 6. So, where am I going with this....?
Childhood stories always had happy endings, right? Well, come to find out, sometimes life isn't always easy or turns out as we thought it would, shock! It's easy to get down on yourself and/or the situation of things, to feel alone. Though, in reading out in blogland, and talking with friends, there's stories that one can relate to, and we're reminded we're not alone. And, as my friend reminds me, it's always good to remember your circle of influence as to what you can or can't control; and to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Which sometimes doesn't sink in right away because I'm feeling stroppy.

Still, sitting here tonight, letting my thoughts wander....I remembered some basic rules on life that I read and really enjoyed; and then wished others would follow as well....which brings me back to the circle of influence.... ;D

The following is from a site that I googled for the 'all I really need to know':
(site credit)

"ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN"

"(a guide for Global Leadership)"

"All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:

* Share everything.
* Play fair.
* Don't hit people.
* Put things back where you found them.
* Clean up your own mess.
* Don't take things that aren't yours.
* Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
* Wash your hands before you eat.
* Flush.
* Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
* Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
* Take a nap every afternoon.
* When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
* Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
* Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
* And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK."

"Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living."
[Source: "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum. See his web site at http://www.robertfulghum.com/ ]


"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. "
Albert Camus

"Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconcious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character. "
Stephen Covey


Thoughts?

Adventurous Hero or Selfish and Hollow?

This article caught my attention tonight. I'm all for following your dreams, and reconnecting with some of your loves you had as a child, in that what was set aside perhaps can be realized as an adult. Writing one's own obituary, now there's a shake up as to what path you are on in your life. Have any of you tried this exercise? I just might, though I don't think I'll be jumping ship over it. Rather, I'd want to bring along the crew.

In your opinion, is she justified in her wanting to seek out her dream, help the environment, even though it means leaving all behind, including her husband? Or, are her actions taken too far, and this just another example of the "me" generation, shedding responsibility and commitment for self-gratification and self-centeredness?

Thoughts?

AOL: Rower finds Inspiration in the Unknown

CNN: Rowing Oceans for a better world

Life's merry-go-round

Busy day with guests tomorrow, so I wanted to have at least one more post for my thoughts. As the kiddies have grown older, it's been so fun to see their personalities and characters developing, or should we say, evolving. They've had certain personality traits and aptitudes since day one, so I find it very interesting to see what they're drawn with regard to interests and career potential.

I often think of the road I've taken, and the road I might have taken were things a bit different with regard to choices made in my early Uni days, for good and bad. Perhaps in a cosmic way, Lucy and I connected, because she only just recently wrote a poem on her reflections. I draw attention to Lucy, her above photo, and her poem, People Watching.

Homework assignment: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Well, September brings the start of the school year for the kiddies (although this year the eldest started her first semester of college just last week-of which I'm still in total denial :/).

Now, this homework exercise doesn't quite apply, since my kids are older, and we home school.
I still have the liaison teachers that we work with, however, so you never know. Sometimes the teacher will give a writing prompt at our meetings to gauge progress....

Credit for the following goes to Scots, so I hope he doesn't mind me borrowing it, (do you? ;)

A teacher gave an assignment to her new classroom of students: "What do you want to be when you growup?" One of the students drew this picture and gave it to the teacher...




(Here's the reply the teacher received the following day)

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.
The truth is I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.
>From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

Captions anyone?

Pic inspired by Angus' Jumbo Firemen post

Also, by Cherie, Your Age by Chocolate Math (and there's now an algebraic explanation)

Corried doon for the night

This picture caught my fancy. One it's cute. Two, it got me to thinking of the safe, cozy place I'm sleeping while the firemen and other personnel are battling away against flames, smoke and incredibly rough terrain. Makes me quite thankful, actually.

Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult situations. I was going to write a post on standing to the test, facing our fears, enduring difficult situations, being thankful for a place to rest though it may not be perfect...but, I think you Get it. Will just share a quote:

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
-Helen Keller

In looking for the evening's song, I happened upon this lullaby. It corresponded with the thought for the post title. The video is an interesting insight to a life I'm unfamiliar with, other than I knew that mining was both difficult and dangerous.

Men being men, and, er, the sheep are scared...?

Wicked Tinkers and Craig Ferguson

Sometimes ya just gotta blow off steam and have some fun!
Life is just too short!

Looking forward to seeing the Tinkers in October; they are one of the best in tribal music.

Bagpipe = music Yes!

A Year, minus a day...

(The about photo is not from my wreck, but is a representation of what the other car looked like at 110mph combined impact;...and what, no doubt, my car would have looked like were I in it, and not my truck)

On August 26, 2008, I had a meeting with fate. The day was ordinary enough; I had just finished a 12 hour shift at the hospital. Walking out to the parking lot, I spied our white Ford pick up truck, a F350 4x4 we use as a work truck. You see, my car was in the shop, again. Why couldn’t they just fix that electrical problem so the battery would stay charged? However, instead of grumbling about it, I was actually in a reflective, yet positive mood. It was by luck that we even were able to buy the truck; I had a fond picture in my mind of my husband driving it with his cowboy hat on and a big smile on his face. Yes, I was truly thankful for God’s blessing. Really, to be honest, I felt moved to thank God for that truck.

Little did I know that not 30 minutes later I would cross paths with drunk driver, a man down on his luck, at the bottom rung of desperate and probably suicidal. The sun was setting as I turned the corner to head up the hill. I was maybe a mile from my home. I slowly accelerated as I approached the crest of the hill. Suddenly, up over the top of the hill came a pair of headlights staring right at me in my lane. I moved over to the right, the headlights swerved to my left. I let out a half breath as I thought the driver had corrected to his own lane. I was wrong. He swerved back into my lane, veering straight for me. I veered the truck to the right as far as possible and hit the brakes. The dusky eve made it hard to see, I couldn’t remember if I was near the high berm or near a drop off that went down into the desert. This whole length of time was all of about 3 seconds though it seemed an eternity of slow motion. I hoped that I was far enough over that he might just side swipe me.

A glance over to my slight left told me there would be impact in less than a heartbeat, the head lights were there just in front of me. I remember yelling out, "No!". I heard a load roar, saw the white from the air bag and then all went black. I came aware to the silence of nothing moving, it was all black and grey in the twilight. Somewhere in the distance a horn was blaring. It was my truck’s horn, I realized, going at full blast, but it sounded so far away. I felt all alone; and, I was trapped. I tend to be a bit claustrophobic so this was not good, and there was smoke from the airbag, the engine? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I couldn’t get out of my door. My chest felt like a ton of bricks, with a sharp piercing pain any time I moved. My ankle was folded over onto itself; and the steering wheel was closer to my legs, so it was hard to move. I couldn’t raise the middle seat divider to even crawl out the passenger side. I was trapped. I was alone. It was all I could do not to panic, yet I did to a point as anyone would, even with the training of a first responder. It was all I could do not to give into the spinning dull heaviness in my head. I had to stay awake. I had to call for help. My phone was miraculously still in my pocket, though hands shaking, I was able to dial home knowing my husband was there.

Funny thing the mind, and the emotions. I thought to be the calm cool professional when I called him. After all, my work requires me to stay level headed and rational. Yet as soon as I heard his voice, I lost it and starting crying, my voice raised, yelling into the phone, he sounded so far away. I told him my location. However, what I told him was impossible because the name of the roads which I told him were not even close to each other. I was looking at the nearby hill but gave him the name of a hill road 5 miles away whose name I was more familiar with. Luckily for me, he was able to call the local police station and find out if a wreck had been called in near the route I usually take home.

Meanwhile, I realized that I wasn't alone; I saw some people outside my truck, but no one was coming to help me. Why? Why were they not coming up to my truck to help me? Finally, a woman came and looked in the window. She tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge. She walked around to the passenger door and tried to open it but it was locked. I was so tired, my head was so heavy. She kept knocking on the window, what did she want? Oh, I need to unlock the door. She crawled into the cab, saw my name badge, and identified herself as a former co-worker, a nurse from the emergency room of my hospital; I told her my name and that I worked NICU and something about calling my husband. She started asking me questions, but I just wanted to go to sleep. She was relentless. She told me I had given my husband the wrong location. I tried to argue; funny, it’s in the blood even then. Finally, I told her, “it’s all right, my husband will find me.”

Soon, everyone and the world showed up. I found out later, no one wanted to approach the truck for fear that they would see a second fatality like the man in the car. I was told that only 1% survive wrecks like mine, with minimal injuries like I sustained. I thank God for that. To think of the events leading up to me Not being in my car that night. Gives me the shivers, really. I think, again, one year later.....to what purpose am I still here? A lot of personal growth, a marriage strengthened, I've met friends for life over a praise song on the internet, as well as other friends since. I have an overall better outlook on life; and that, though we have choice, it is not by our power really that things are. Such is faith.

My days aren't perfect and rosy, nor do I always feel chipper and cheery...I still do my share of whining/whingeing.....but there is a much stronger undercurrent of gratitude, strength, humour, wisdom. I am humbled by those who I know and know of, who were not as fortunate in their outcomes; this seems to bring a greater burden, a more weighted outlook to life.
(if you've made it to the end of my rambling, then I thank you....I still think I have more questions than answers, though, to this thing called life...perhaps you have a story to tell as well...then we can put all the pieces together and maybe make some sense out of it all...! :))

reference post

Please, no, not another one...

1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve you, but don't start anything."

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says "A
beer please, and one for the road."

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?"

7. "Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home." "That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome." "Is it common?" Well, "It's Not Unusual."

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, "I was artificially inseminated this morning." "I don't believe you," says Dolly. "It's true; no bull!" exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but I couldn't find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, "Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!" The doctor replied, "I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!"

13. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.

14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says, "Dam!"

16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them to disperse. "But why," they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

18. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt, and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him. (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good).... A super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

20. And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Murder Mystery, part one

Photo courtesy of SBH, as well as the reference post.


The following is a work in progress, written on a whim one day, after reading TB's post on the death of character. Comments and critiques welcome.

Do you think today's society is short on character? Do you think character (and all that character is) has been all but killed off?

Dime Store Detective and the Death of Character

It was a grey morning, a steely grey morning, with clouds hanging over the city like thick cigar smoke lingering over a poker table; and, it smelled just as bad. The body had been there for weeks, in a small closed-in room, upstairs in a two story rundown row house. Nobody reported him missing, no one seemed to care. Yeh, it stunk all right.

It started out as any other day, hitting the snooze button for the third time as the rain poured down outside. The one room flat was colder than cold with the heater on the fritz again. I finally rolled out of bed, climbed into my clothes and trudged down to the corner deli for a coffee and a Danish. Quarter past nine, I arrived at the office. Stella had already been in; she had the day's files all neatly typed up and sitting on the desk. She's good, that Stella, a top level secretary fit for corporate. She's always been A-one in my book. I couldn't do without her. Ten years now, she's been here, and her birthday's on Tuesday. I'd better get her some flowers.

"Ring!" Someone at the door but no one expected; the flowers will have to wait. I glanced up at the clouded glass on the upper part of the door, and wow, what a silhouette! I closed my jaw, and called out that the door was open. "Come on in," and boy did she, with a saunter that could kill. Auburn hair, maybe late twenties, and dressed to the nines; she was a classy dame allright. Her eyes gave me the once over. With a nod of her head and an eyebrow raised, she asked, "You Dirk Tawse, the detective?"

"That's me," I said, and invited her to sit down, "how can I be of assistance?"

Over the next hour she's telling me her life's story. Seemed to me she could be anyone on the street, you know, just trying to make it in today's world. She was caught up in a life of busyness and trying to get ahead. She had been on a quick errand to her grandparent's empty old house. Only it wasn't empty, because he was there. Finding that body shook her up, as life's unexpected turns can do. She wanted to know if I could help her.

"Sure," I said, "sure, lady." "Let's go over to the house and have a look."

Captions anyone?

Busy work weekend, all. Thanks for your comments, and will return the favour shortly. :)

The Yardbirds - For Your Love (1965) (Full version)

classical music?! :D

Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan

¡la música muy atractiva, nos dejó bailar!

A shot in the Dark - Pink Panther intro theme

Sorry, Uber, I draw the line at Eminem! ;D

Luigi Boccherini: Minuetto (classical)

ahem, let us add more decorum rather than dwell on the decadent disposition of the daring darling flapper age.... ;D

Roaring Twenties: Sam Lanin - Yes! We Have No Bananas, 1923

Memories

It's finally happened, I've gone off my rocker...was it raising children, was it keeping pace with a dynamic driving force of a husband, was it too many dings on my helmet from haphazard cycling, horseriding and rockclimbing? Or was it spending time with loving grandparents who introduced me to numerous wonderful things from the experiences of their own lives. From bagpipes and drums to the music and dance of the roaring twenties and the swinging forties.

I blame these two gentlemen, James and Angus, for tormenting you with the above song....
;D

Chopin - Nocturne op. 72 No. 1 (remake)

Life and unexpected turns

"Experience is a jewel, and it had need be so, for it is often purchased at an infinite rate."
-William Shakespeare

Life does have these unexpected turns. For good or for bad. Yet, when we consider what could be a bad turn of events, is there not a lesson, perhaps, to be learned from it? And, therefore the bad event, in a way, redeems itself for good?

Simplistic, I know, but the hour is late; yet, these thoughts keep me from sleep. We are troubled when things do not seem to unfold as we thought they would or should, even with every effort on our part. Suddenly, we turn around and that moment in time is gone forever, and we are left stunned and feeling helpless, perhaps hopeless. There are often no words for these times, only the love of our friends to see us through, and revive the failing spirit within us.

Many people, I think, underestimate their value, the merit of their experience, the merit of their very life. We all have some good to give while we are here on this earth, in our strengths; and, even, dare I say, in our weaknesses. We are not alone, though we may feel lonely. We must just think on those golden moments of our life, force ourselves to dwell on them if we must, to keep us going, to keep us breathing....for who knows what the tide will bring in tomorrow.

reference post

A wave is but many drops of water...

Photograpy credit: Clark Little, Oahu, Hawaii

“Too often we underestimate the power of

A touch,

A smile,

A kind word,

A listening ear,

An honest compliment,

Or the smallest act of caring,

All of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

-Leo Buscaglia

easy post, why not?!

You Are Kayaking

You have a competitive spirit, but you don't like to compete alone. You do well in a partnership, where you can feed off the other person's energy. If you have the right partner, nothing can stop you. Your energy is infinite!

What Olympic Sport Are You?

Surprise!

Pete and his buddies were hanging out......and planning an upcoming fishing trip. Unfortunately, he had to tell them that he couldn't go this time because his wife wouldn't let him. After a lot of teasing and name calling, Pete headed home frustrated. The following week when Pete's buddies arrived at the lake to set up camp, they were shocked to see Pete. He was already sitting at the campground with a cold beer, swag rolled out, fishing rod in hand, and a camp fire glowing.

"How did you talk your missus into letting you go Pete?" "I didn't have to," Pete replied. "Last week when I left our meeting, I went home and slumped down in my chair with a beer to drown my sorrows. Then the ol' lady snuck up behind me and covered my eyes and said, 'Surprise!'."
"When I peeled her hands back she was standing there in a beautiful see through negligee and she said, 'Carry me into the bedroom and tie me to the bed and you can do whatever you want'... SO HERE I AM!"

Ya gotta love Political cartoons

Mamma's love

Nature at its best. For a wonderful post on man's best friend, visit over at EasyPeasy. :)
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these pics came via email with this info:

I have never seen anything like this. This is a newborn offspring of Taskin, Gypsy Stallion
owned by Villa Vanners that was born in Oregon.

These pictures were immediately after his birth on April 6. The mare laid down and
then he trotted around and crawled right up into her lap.

Are you on Belay?

Over at James place there was a fun post with some funny comments. However, one of the commenters made a reference to 'not wanting to know how the story ends, which is why he doesn't want to die', but he 'didn't understand why Christians had a problem with dying'. This caused me to wonder about such a comment, and what I felt and thought about the whole thing. I only partly answered him there, assuming his prompt wasn't rhetorical. But that wasn't enough and I had to continue with this thought; so, rather than drone on there with something that not all might be interested in, I thought rather to put it here. The pic is not of me, but it well could have been me, albeit 20 years ago when I was still quite wet behind the ears and naive to the world! :)

So, my answer to D was this: I think the answer in part, is that the Christian is, human, in the sense of having that strong pull to cherish life, to be alive. Without this drive perhaps mankind would have given up, perished a long time ago.

Then I continued here in thought with this: I liken being a Christian to being on a rock climb. Cliche' maybe; but the climb up the rock is like your life, a combination of your willingness to dare, to plan, to maneuver combined with what the rock/life has to offer, the variety of holds, outcroppings there for you to grab, etc. What we are willing to chance makes for the climb; and, the belay rope (Christ) is there to catch us when we fall. Other religions have different beliefs, as well as those who choose no Creator. I respect that; and, am okay with it, so long as it doesn't impose upon my freedoms. I cringe when the Christian religion (or any religion) starts shoving rules down my throat, to be honest. For Chrisitanity, it's not supposed to be about that (but that doesn't help all those burned on the pyre, does it?)

As for the afterlife, I suppose the rockclimb applies as well. There was one particular climb that was a favourite of our climbing group, but it was a bit 'narly'. There was a point in the climb however many feet up, maybe 100-200 feet, where in order to proceed upwards, you had to side step around this massive projecting boulder. This sideways move involved absolute commitment; if you failed, there would be a pendulum type fall, if you were lead climber. The move was easier to do for the guys who were 6ft, as they easily had the reach to almost where the ledge was, merely a small jump, but for lil ole me (I'm only 5'7), the reach was more of a comittment to a careful lunge....all done blindly mind you...the rock you were on, you had to wrap yourself around it (to get around it), and couldn't see to the other side. You just had to trust that the ledge was indeed there, as you've been told. So, to the Christian, our faith tells us the ledge is there...but we still have to leap at it, blindly.

Is human nature ever completely comfortable with the unknown? History, to me, reveals persons who thirst for the truth, who are inquisitive, who want to understand and want a hands on with things. Maybe that's why having faith, especially in something intangible, can be so difficult a concept to grasp. Yet, the creation really does reveal the Creator, one really only need to pause and soften their heart to look.

The Strength and Vitality of Jala (water)

Photography by Clark Little, Oahu, Hawaii

Perhaps a post for another day: water, a necessity for all life, representative of emotion...are we barely dipping our toes into the water or are we throwing ourselves full on into it? Perhaps somewhere there is a reflection of your life at the moment...

Meglio Stasera (Pink Panther)

You have to love the rhythm, the flow, the feminine...we are a force of nature, aren't we ladies...a quiet and soothing, nurturing ebb and flow of the tide or a strong wave of emotional passion and energy, heaven help those in our path... :)

Jala, the ebb and flow

Photography by Clark Little, Oahu, Hawaii

Chinese acrobatic troupe: Swan Lake

as graceful as a swan...quite incredible

Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China - Swan Lake 2/2

not your everyday ordinary frogs...

Thoughts on Nature

(Fidalgo Island, Wa.)

Beauty and the Beast Nature is beautiful, quiet, and serene, nature is the forest, with its many shades of green. Nature is the birds, welcoming in the dawn, nature is a calf, struggling to its feet as soon as it is born. Nature is a salmon, swimming gainst the stream, nature is a volcanic geyser, venting off steam. Nature is a beast, kicking up a storm, nature is the trees all bent, and broken, looking so forlorn. Nature is lightning striking the ground, nature is a forest fire, consuming all around. Nature is a tornado, with its screaming roar, nature is a tidal wave, washing every thing ashore. Nature can be a beauty, and nature can be a beast. ~ Tango ~

(an Eastern Sierra stream)

Time for a Lament: Is America in Crisis?

Song: Niel Gow's Lament for the Death of his 2nd Wife (Scottish)
Credit: YouTube: jerald1610

Thoughts about Health Care

Nurse and hospital workers at Gettysburg
From: Francis T. Miller, The Photographic History of the Civil War, 1911 (credit)


Well, I thought I was going to end silly week with the second Limerick, but this news came my way today. So, I'll end silly week with, Politics.

The health care issue is a big thing here in the US, rightly so. The US outspends other countries about two to one in administration costs.

Something that definitely needs to be addressed. For the most part, most everyone I talk with agrees that something needs to be done so that the poor guys stuck in the middle are able to have their medical needs adequately met (the rich will always be seen to, the poor have government aid). Most Everyone I talk to Do Not want Socialized medicine! How do our government officials think they can afford it? Or, are they trying to Feel how they think about it as they work things out? (*Emotion based thinking/planning, a post for another day)

The plan in Massachusetts isn't doing well:

"Universal coverage in any form is an increasingly elusive goal. Several states (including California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin) have attempted major efforts to advance toward health coverage for all citizens. All have had to turn back because the costs were prohibitive." (Hawaii also)
Source

Don't get me wrong, I want EVERYONE to have adequate and affordable health care access.
I am in the health care profession. I see the need. I see the waste. I see the ridiculous things that bureaucracy and the liability culture heap upon us.

I'd love to hear what UK and others living with socialized medicine have to say. I know that for the average problem, things are affordable, accessible, and adequately seen to. However, I've also heard of the horrors of waiting forever for things that should be seen to sooner; and, would the person to have enough cash or private insurance, they would be.

My Swiss friend spoke of the health care she received while back at home. I think the US should take a closer look at the Swiss system. While not perfect, there are things that can be learned.
I like the idea of health care not being employer based. This is one thing that can be so limiting to a person with making life choices here in the US.

I do have this nagging question, though. If we really want health care (and retirement benefits) improved, would things be more quickly fixed if we demand that Congress have the same medical and retirement package like the rest of us?

This video clip is a reflection of things to come, I wonder. People are tired of elitist government officials; people are nervous, upset. These politicians are not royalty, they're public officials, so why should we the people have to 'wait to have an audience'?

I know, I know, politicians are busy people too...they have all of our money that they're busy spending, and sending business by way of family members....too bad these Retirees didn't have any money to donate at the time, maybe Ms Feinstein would have had time for them, to hear their grievances, as a public servant should...

(and yes, I know that the reality is that things can't be dropped for any 'drop-in'; however, the way this situation and these people were handled seems to speak volumes).

(*Feelings based motivation can be a good thing, but logic needs to prevail when programs are implemented that involve human behavior and economics: Food for thought and the WIC program, a post for another day)

Limerick ReDo-15" to be sure :)

There once was a rugger from Eire
Who ran like his pants were on fire
To the ruck he did jump
pounded all with a thump
Twas the posts and a try he did aspire.

Off the pitch he was a gallant lad
And only was very occasionally bad
With a few of the lasses
And lifting those glasses
A good time for all they had.

A song he could lead for he was quite charming
Did I say with the lasses he was disarming?
You need watch your knickers 'round him
'cause he's quite astoundin'
But don't get him mad, he's alarming.

Right, James, down to 15" by a few seconds, uninterrupted for the most part. ;D

Limerick Challenge: the aftermath... :)

Had some fun with this. Now as James suggested a 15 minute rule on the challenge, I do think I'm within the time frame. I started writing last night during a sci-fi action film that was more effects than plot. Got some strange looks from my family, though, as I was audibly sounding out the limerick...
...finished up this morning and here's the result:

There once was a girl from Muskogee
who went north to Newark for a hoagie
but to her dismay
they were sold out that day
so the sandwich clerk offered her a stogie.

But, sir, I don't smoke she politely declined
for to do so would find her terribly maligned
by the people back home
who said not to roam
those Yankees have vices, they opined.

So away home she went
'round gents is time better spent
though they too roll tobaccy
they ain't near as wacky
as those Northerners, she did lament.

For Limerick wit from James and friends click here
and for Welshcakes here. Will add others as they create. :)

Kitiera Belly Dance Improvisation to music by the Wicked Tinkers

yes, this is for silly week, enjoy!

Will you come up to Limerick?

Thanks to James for passing on to me that it was indeed silly week; not that I need an excuse, but it does allow for a break from the heavier topics. And, laughter is always the best medicine.

So, with that said, I was over at Jams' place and lo and behold he spoke of the ultimate of silly, poetry that is.

And, now for the challenge.....Silliness is a foot.....and I challenge One and All to write with their fantastical wit and blogging whimsy, the Ultimate Silly Limerick.

Dare I say, No Rules apply.... :D