Fireworks in the making or ???

Yes, another photo of the Puget Sound.    One day we will live there instead of vacation.  Not that there is anything wrong with vacations there of course !  I got to thinking about how we decide to make something a goal….. do you have any you are working on now ? I have a number of them and I work on them each day.  Eating right, working on my books, making sure my family is in order, checking on my sister……lots of things.  Some simple. Some not so much. 

In giving a concession to my poor “slammed in the big metal door toe”, I was sitting with my foot up, watching some television.  I was reminded once again of how fleeting life can be. There are some givens with life, as follows. 

1. We all die. 

2. We never know when this may happen. 

3. Some know how (disease) 

4. Most of us don’t 

Thusly, I think of one of my favorite lines.  I have no idea who came up with it, but here it is.  “Life is not the number of breaths you take, but the number of times that take your breath away”.   Hmmmm, I have not typed that out before, and something does not look quite right.  Oh well.  I think you get the idea, right ?  Live in the moment, not where you hope you will be next year, or in five years.  Don’t be the person who leaves a special nightgown in it’s paper with the dear card from your husband……..waiting for the perfect occasion to wear it.  If you live like that, you may well never find that “perfect” moment.  Because the next time it gets out of the drawer is when someone is taking your stuff to the thrift store……Kind of an ongoing “bucket list” per se.  Being kind, living each day like it was your last ?  Those things don’t come out of thin air, they come from people who have faced their own mortality and come to accept it. 

Just enjoy life.  Enjoy who you are.  If you don’t like something, as long as you have another day - you can change.  You can make a difference, if only to your cat or dog.  Or go out and help the world, whatever is your passion. Because we all have passions, it just takes some people time to figure out they have them.  

Pay tribute to those that have gone before us by enjoying our lives NOW. 

I have a little plaque that I have had for many years, likely since I was 13 ? 14 ?  It is a quote from Fred Allen.  It says…… 

“You only live once.  But if you work it right, once is enough”.  

I have always liked that, it just took me a lot of years and mileage emotionally to “get it”.  Now go out and enjoy your family, friends, pets, etc.

 Today is one of those days I know I want to blog, but words are elusive.  Oh well,  maybe later on.  Settle for a photograph instead and enjoy your Sunday !

Hmmm, let me look into this and I will get back to you soon !

I talk to my animals. All of them. And not just when one may be stepping on my foot (or heaven forbid THAT toe ). I sing to them at times too, and am always grateful that we don’t have neighbors nearby. That would put a severe crimp in my interaction with them all VBG ! My chickens are great help. They follow me to wherever I am going, and look into any and all matters I bring up. Or that they get into. I can talk to them, and like all of my animals, they listen, are not judgmental and can help me by listening and not giving me any grief about what I am mulling. Horses are the best for crying on, they stand and listen. My 22 year old mare Rusty, who I have had since before she was foaled, listens best of all. She also has given my hugs with her head and neck when I was in the depths of despair over my husbands illness and subsequent death. Great therapists they all are.

Tweetie, overseer of all things chicken and otherwise !

This happened this morning, true story.

So, the woman picked up the box of frozen leaf spinach for her goat, collected the newspaper and commented to her pet chicken ” I am going in to read about my friend in the paper now”.    Ha !  True !  I just did that

Next week begins the Survivor All Stars.  I have an acquaintance who participated in this show, Benjamin “Coach” Wade.  Good luck to him this time around.  Maybe he will win.  Maybe he will get voted off first.  Who knows ?  All I do know is that this time, I am going to have to watch that  show…….

Beachside flowers Puget Sound July 07

Seriously !  The year is really 1/12th gone already, isn’t it ?  Yikes.

While we continue to scramble to keep things going the right direction, I can still stop and ponder this.  I am thankful for so much, I could complain about our old wiring in our old house, but at least we have a roof over our heads.  I could complain about the difficulties I have been having for the past couple of weeks – since slamming the barn door on my big toe, but at least I have my foot !  Which is a huge thing………and I appreciate it !  So much of the world touched in so many ways with the natural disasters, and we are so lucky to be able to keep going forward. 

I appreciate it.  Thank you to all my friends and family who do hear me bitch and complain, but at the end of the day we are not in such a bad place, are we ?

Have a nice evening all !

Heron looking for breakfast - Puget Sound, August 09

I do, really.  Standing overlooking things, wondering what is just below the surface.  For me, in years past, the “water”  below the surface was clouded so darkly that it was impossible to know what was coming.  Now, life is in better order, not easier order on some levels, but more obvious.  My sister is doing very well, mom’s back is healing.  My son is busy being himself   Me ?  I am sorting, tossing, writing, enjoying my horses and goats and chickens ….cats and life.

Our friend Carol and family are jetting off to the islands soon – escaping the crush that the Olympics bring to their city.  I was thinking about that – going from what is now comfortable hovering around freezing for the high temp, to go to the islands.  I would suffer culture shock once again no doubt.  One day I may venture there.  Or go on a cruise.  But for now, I am happy here, getting the next step in order.  Writing, family, critters.  Not always in that order, but enjoyable nonetheless.

It is blue skies here today, icy, some crunchy snow. 

Enjoy your day !

No, not me.  I am still in the high country of desert and snow.  This is just a gorgeous shot though.  A fellow that I have met several times is on one of the LA based daytime dramas……..and he is on the “Soap Cruise” that fans participate in.  He was so happy to be going, and I grabbed this photo from his Twitter feed.  His name is Christian LeBlanc.  This was leaving Miami.   Makes me wish I were there too !  NO SNOW ON THE GROUND !  **  sighs **  Oh well.  You can follow Christian at CJLeBlanc on Twitter if you are so inclined

It was actually warmer yesterday, just above freezing for the most part when I was outside working it seemed.  Looking forward to spring of course. 

Best get moving, been busy with family and writing of course

Enjoy your day !

Happy Birthday Mom !

I am taking dinner over, and made a chocolate chocolate chip cake with scratch buttercream chocolate icing   Who needs dinner with that in the house  ? VBG !

Hope everyone has had a good Sunday – trying to snow here again…..

With sunrises like this who needs electricity ?

Well, we do, especially if one wants to blog – or upload photos.  We have had a series of outages,  and while that puts a stop to all things electric, including having water, at least we have our woodstove to keep us warm.  The weather here is challenging, tough to live in at times.  I look forward to once again living in a milder climate.  Whine whine whine.  Ok, enough of that.

Today, on the horse racing front, on a good note, Barbaro’s brother Lentanor broke his maiden on the turf yesterday.  Their owners, the Jacksons also released the sad news, that the filly foal that Barbaro’s dam was carrying was lost.  Sometimes mares just lose foals.  This mare is getting older and it can begin to become a pattern, be it hormonal or structural.  A sad day for the legions of Barbaro fans, but having the brother win yesterday takes a tiny bit of the sting out of the sad news.  Life goes on though….

A female  labrador dog is to be reunited today with her owner.  An older dog, she ran off after deer.  The deer apparently took exception to this and whacked the dog a good one, gashing her side and giving her a lot of bruising.  She appeared at a house of a friend of mine, a nurse, who took her to the vet (who stitched her up), then the shelter.  My friend who is the a/c officer and runs the shelter told me about her - and asked me to listen this am to  our local radio show that people go on to sell things or look for lost pets at times.  I heard the owner looking for  her dog on the air and called her - she was overjoyed to hear her dog was going to be ok.  The dog was a nice girl, she went to  my friend, then right into her house and laid on her own dog’s bed by the fire.  Quite a character !

My wild white cat Kona was injured several days ago, getting caught on a piece of plastic chicken wire that was tacked securely on a post.  How she did it I have no idea.  All I know is that I found her in time, and while a wild WILD cat, she lay still while I cut her loose…..her ligaments in her “wrist” are hurt and hopefully will heal ok.  Poor girl.  She went right under the house, and I have seen her once, and the food I leave for her is eaten.  After surviving the coyote or whatever had attacked her before she appeared here a couple of years ago, I know she is one tough little cat. Oh !  She just appeared, and is having her breakfast.  I am glad to see her.

Enjoy your hopefully no more rain or snow Saturday !

Dawn over the nearby lake January 2010

Beautiful way to begin the day – all I had to do was walk outside over the ice covered walkway, over the ice laden grass by the barn and shoot through the power lines

Enjoy your day all !

How did that happen ?  Where does the time GO ? 

If I weren’t so darn cold in here, I would type lots.  But I can’t, as my woodstove chimney is out of order.  Tomorrow we will disassemble the stovepipes in the living room to see what is up with that.  Lots more cold wet weather coming and I am getting really pissy about being so cold !!!  Funny how today outside was mostly a sweatshirt and no coat……. weather at 40 degrees, but inside, in the morning it was NOT ok to be 48 degrees.  The sun was out today though, and it warmed up the living room to a respectable 58   Good thing.  I appreciate it.

Anyway, stay warm, enjoy your family and I will check in again once it warms up in here !