Monsters in the ocean

In the ocean
Where the monsters bleed
In the gorgeous depths
Where everyone can feed
Life is fast approaching panic
But the companies are having fun
There’s money if they wait
More money, if they’re late
Fixing the monsters

What is Celibacy?

Celibacy can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed by
circumstances.

While attending a Marriage Weekend, Walter and his wife, Ann, listened to the instructor declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."

He then addressed the men, "Can you name and describe your wife's favorite flower?"


Walter leaned over, touched Ann's arm gently, and whispered,'Gold Medal-All-Purpose, right?'


~And thus began Walter's life of celibacy.

Phil and Buster

Washington, DC was the sight of a giant protest today. Canines from across the country came in for the “take your pet to work day.” Congress showed a lack of concern for the loss of trees within the USA capitol.

“It is becoming progressively worse as time goes on,” according to one official dog, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “I cannot share with you the action we pursue, but stick around. When Congress breaks for lunch, you’ll see the problem we face.”

Several agencies, along with Phil and Buster, have teamed up to confront this head on. “We may have to bark quite loud, but we intend to be heard,” said Buster.

His pal, Phil, sat back, snickering: “Oh yes, and wait until Congress try to use their toilets. Those bones we flushed are set to return. That’s what we call “Phil and Buster to the rescue.”

Photo credit: came to me in an email with 37 others; I liked it.
Story: I made it up, though, there’s always someone protesting something, in Washington, DC.
Moral of the story: “Save the trees” or “can we simply flush bad politics?”
Resolution: Plant more trees? No more “take your pet to work” days?

Saturday's storms

A friend called to make sure I was okay, having been through Saturday’s storms. Sure I was fine. She said that on the TV news were stories of terrible winds, hail, and storms, in my area. Not me, I had wonderful breezes, gentle rain, and a nice cool wind.

Later when going to the store I noticed my neighbor’s house. Oh my! Just a couple of streets away from me and the damage is irreparable. One of the community’s two hundred year old trees had cut the house in half. Really; it looked like a raw egg had been cracked open, everything spilling out, onto the ground around it. The foundation cracked apart and the house shifted off of the foundation in many spots. I was grateful to hear it had been sitting empty for two weeks pending some renovation work.

I never heard a sound. My home was so quiet, except for the gentle rain against the window. I'm so glad that house was empty.

two rolls please

I step lightly, going forward, into my path; is this the way I'm supposed to walk? For now I think so. I think I need to move easy through what appears to be a maze or picture puzzle.

When I realized I had started another seven year cycle of age, I knew there would be changes. There always are things that I let go of, and things that I obtain. So it's not surprising that I rediscovered something from a long time ago.

I bought two rolls of bubble wrap. Here's to making it through this next seven year age.

in the yard

Most of my weekend was spent out in my yard; lots of flower beds to tend. This is a favorite Iris. It's a fast spring this year, as summer plants are already popping up.

~That's all.

living amongst the cheap

I made a reservation with the city-county office to take a special driving course. My own insurance company was allowing a ten percent discount for those who completed it. Oh hey, I can do that. Sure, I was calculating the monies saved and where I would use it; never gave a big thought as to where the course would be located.

The advert said, "Learn to drive on rough, rugged terrain. Wind-swept, breathe-taking dunes await your arrival. Enjoy your extra time at lunch visiting our shops!"

On the morning of the class I arrived at the chartered bus stop; just a one day trip, they said, so I packed light. It was slow going at first, with the driver verifying every one's reservation. Still I was so excited, I almost missed the fact that we only traveled half a mile before we stopped. We stopped?

Oh the visions of grandeur that left my brain in a two second flash. We pulled into this conglomerate of parking lots. We were at a mall that had been closed for quite some time. A gigantic oval of sand circled 'round and 'round, and I thought: "I don't know what to think about this!"

It was rough alright. The sand was anything but still, shifting constantly, with highs and lows that made me nauseous. Cute, little fake palms trees disappeared when Mr. Wilson did his "James Bond" spin. Then Mrs. Spencer ran over them, dropping her transmission and a load of trans liquid into the sand. "Not to worry!" she yelled as she stepped out of the car, "they use sand at the race track, to take up spills, all the time."

Finally my turn arrived, and I stood there looking at the utter destruction of the driving course. "Excuse me," I addressed the instructor, "how can I complete the 'sand dune run' without a sand dune being there?" The sharp shrill of a whistle met our ears, as he called everyone to go.

The bus driver handed out an 'exit surveys' - asking students' opinions of the course. "Oh well," he says, "there's always the great shopping here."

Charity begins at home

Kitty Hawk Beach sunrise - the Outer Banks of North Carolina


It’s an old saying but one that needs to be paid attention to: “charity begins at home.” Knowing what we have, what we need, and what we can give away, is empowering. For me it evokes the ‘fruit of the lips,’ of saying praises and thanks.

Lately I’m reminded of what I have that needs nurturing and care. Within myself there is much to be thankful for. The changes I’ve been able to make that give me strength; better choices envelope health. And when I’m not worried or bothered about my health, I can move on to other areas that need renewed attention.

For the better part of three years I’ve forgotten me. You cannot imagine. It’s like I woke up one morning and said this is now going to stop. Out of the air, something like a scoop of magical dust of maturity, hit me like a brick. I needed to give to myself. I needed to recognize that I was losing me, otherwise.

So if I don’t write very much or very often, it’s due to my new choice. Maybe you know how free and fully I want to live. This blog is simply not big enough for me to live within.

My Mom use to say: “Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have peanut butter.” She also said, “Charity begins at home.”


(A special thank you to Heather P. for her wonderful blog that touched my heart this week.) Blog title: "Soundoff"...see my reading list!

Iceland's volcano: Eyjafjallaokul in our thoughts

mind demon

"A Jewel Shining through," left me this comment and I'd like to respond via this post. She's very much in tune with self-discovery being a form of recovery.

"Dixie, well done on reaching back and drawing yourself back to your true self - you still have that spark within, however dim it might seem to you now, just a breathe will fan the flames again. Wishing you the best, Julie xx"

Thank you Julie. I know you get it; most have no clue. They think I'm living in the past or refusing to let it go. But what if the past suddenly catches up and I have to ask where the events existed to begin with? Does an event have anything to do with my current reality? Then again, most know nothing of 'emotional amnesia'... so the nightmares or the dreams mean nothing to them either. (More of that another time or another blog.) I'm glad you visited. XX

In my estimation there are many years I can't recall due to trauma. That hasn't stopped them from sending me messages! The 'self-help' aisle is lined with greedy people. Looking over the products they present can be frustrating. I tire of being someone's subject; I enjoy being human.

Excuse me, the little demon on my shoulder is trying to tell me that I have no more strength. "Oh! did I knock you off? So sorry!"

;)

the graduate

What seems like a long time ago has returned to teach me. The joyous life of that special girl holds out her hand for me to take. I've decided to respond as best I can; she has dreams I'm slowly remembering. She has spunk and spark, things I need to live boldly... as I "boldly go where no one has gone before."

If I write here it is to clear my head. The book I started is calling me to complete it. So if you get anything out of this, congratulations.

If it's true that "I am my own worst enemy"...then I can also be my own best friend. Just like the graduate I was many years ago...I trusted me first.

~dc

a real snow job

Alice is a friend of mine who lives in North Dakota. She laughs at me whenever I tell her: "It snowed here last night." I go on and on, all excited, thinking a 2 inch snow is something to be excited about... until Alice sent me this photo from her local news. I almost died laughing at myself. I call her "Alice in wonderland' now; I mean how the heck do you get around in that mess? I'm hoping she'll send me the photo of the plow that cleared that.

So if you're not in the Dakotas, you might not get it. Get what? ...get the 22 feet of snow. Now that's a real snow job.

~Thanks Alice. Maybe you'll see the ground by summer.
~dc

the brushes are drying

Water. I need water. I need it to keep my brushes from drying. A very simple need and yet I keep forgetting to retrieve it.

My needs are so simple and yet I deny myself the treasury of life. This stops now! From now on, I live, I move on to a place where I'll be free to use or not use my talent. I will not allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of what I want, or don't want.

I took a trip in a time machine
It was the strangest place I've ever seen
No one there resembled 'green'
So I came home and recharged my batteries.

No one. No one. No one is going to stand in my way!

~dc

going with the flow

There's no quick fix for every thing that comes and goes along my path. I use precious tme to build my mind and my body suffers. There is balance, but I have only had a glimpse of it...as I go from one extreme to another.

In the living room, on my couch, I sat; tears in my eyes, I wanted to begin anew, but how? The phone rang and a friend explained her son was having surgery. Four years younger than me and tomorrow he faced bi-pass surgery on his heart. She called because she wanted me to pray for him.

God,(as I like to call Him) has always answered my prayers. It's not always in the manner or time that I expect, but that's okay, we have an understanding. Strange... I sat there just minutes before wondering what to pray for myself. I'm thinking I needed a different focus; was that fast or what?

If you're reading this and you use prayer: please pray for Robin.

~

Standing still

Late at night when the house is very quiet, I feel as if, time is standing still. There's a silence that beckons me to write but the day has left me exhausted; tonight I'll write anyway. I'll write because if I stop I may never start again.

Experiences of the past three - four months has left me with lots of questions. I've decided it's just one thing at a time... and if time is standing still...my chances of success might be better.

That's really all I have to share.

13 years ... nothing's changed

... except me.

It's Over!

...due to lack of interest!

To my friend: Hazelmarie Elliott (mattie)

Time, space or place will never change the feelings I have~
your thoughts often inspire me to travel on
as I've my own song~
yet once thought to borrow a chorus from you

The wind is strong today~
yes indeed, "farewell for now"
I release your hand at the first steps' landing
but the chorus will forever play in my heart

Tell God and Fate, hello~

Pretty and pretty loud!

Quite a lovely bird! Absolutely and completely colorless...well, almost; yet enough to be called an 'Albino Peacock'. Albino indicates little or no pigmentation or color. The Albino Peacock is quite the rare bird, but just as noisy as their colorful counterparts. Try whistling in the loudest, highest-pitched sound you can possibly make... and they are still louder!



Uh-oh... cover your ears. He's staring at the camera!

When animals ask...

During the first week of March, when the temperature in Southern Australia reached 120 degrees F., the koalas started approaching humans for water. Some went to nearby homes, but this one stopped some bikers.




It behooves us to watch for animal distress, help them when we can, especially when they ask. This had never happened before to the people of Austrailia. They answered the call by placing large containers of water on porches and out in their yards. Or as these bikers did: they stopped and shared their supply!