Sunday, July 31, 2011

Daily Reminder # 424

The glass on my door is so dirty that the camera resists
focusing... that and red seems to bother it, but it's always
a thrill to me see these guys. They usually don't linger, but
junior was on the porch (see below) so Dad hung out too.


Beautiful weather here today.  Sparrow Killer has broken his truce with me, though I don't know if he made another kill, just that he was back under the deck yesterday afternoon.  Other than that, the deficit "talks" have me in a pretty dark place, so I will just offer gratitude today, I think, and lots of pictures. 
























Some things I'm grateful for today: (items in red are pre-gratitude, an attempt to charm the Creative Forces of the universe to be even more generous to me.)


  • Angel and Tara Grace
  • my little house
  • no humidity
  • fans
  • water
  • my camera
  • birds
  • bird seed
  • sunshine
  • Schwans
  • lemon sherbert
  • coffee and Int'l Delight
  • my nieces, my nephew and their families
  • that they are happy and successful
  • my friends
  • my neighbors
  • my back yard
  • my back door
  • my TV
  • the remote control
  • the mute button
  • paper towels
  • Netflix
  • more flowers in the back yard
  • zero balance on my credit cards
  • a clothes dryer
  • new curtains
  • blinds for the front window
  • Nintendo
  • freshly painted living and bedroom walls
  • paid off mortgage
  • winning lottery numbers
  • a truckload of money (big bills)
  • $5,000/week for life from PCH
  • a ceiling fan in the bedroom
  • a sun room on the back of the house
  • seeing the red list turn to black
  • reiki
  • angels
  • miracles
  • my Tibetan salt lamps
  • my rock collection
  • beauty
  • sight
  • hearing
  • taste
  • touch
  • smell
  • the aroma of white sage
  • Dr. Bronner soaps
  • my chair/walker
  • my cane
  • that my legs still get me around with help
  • indoor plumbing
  • electricity
  • music
  • the joy of singing
  • Pandora radio
  • ear phones
  • computer games
  • my computer
  • the internet
  • email
  • the ability to read and write
  • the ability to type
  • the ability to think
  • that I can't act on my desire to see the members of the Tea Party wiped from the face of the earth
  • the possibility of invoking the 14th amendment
  • my niece's generosity in offering to help me if the government blows my life up
  • resilience
  • determination
  • hope
  • that in this moment I am ok
  • food in the refrigerator
  • today
  • laughter (not so easy to come by at the moment)
  • humor
  • love
  • hope (I know I'm repeating myself0
  • life

WISHING US ALL PEACE AND PROSPERITY

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Daily Reminder # 423

(Please scroll down to Thursday for the Weekly Wordzzle Challenge)

I'm so confused! Somehow I got it into my head that Thursday was Friday and I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Saturday so now I'm having a second Saturday and all disorganized. Of course I'm obsessed with the debt battle. It's looking like my life and my credit may be wrecked next week through no fault of my own. Ah, joy!  But the birds are pretty. The sky is blue. The electric is running. Today I am alive and have a home and food. One day at a time. One day at a time. Today I am ok. Thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever..... agggghhhhhhh.,...... Breathe... breathe..... Right in this moment I am fine. 

This is Sparrow Killer. He and I had a telepathic stare down
chat yesterday. I told him that I understand he is who he
is, that I wished I could get him a home and medical care but I
can't and that bird killing is his nature but that I don't want him
doing it by my bird feeders.  I asked him to go elsewhere.
He didn't like it, but seemed to listen.  Sat under the quince for
a bit, then started to come over. We had another chat and
he left. Hopefully he will continue to honor the no porch rule.
I'm not counting on it, though.
For some reason I thought these guys were Purple Martins.
They are actually Brewer's Black Birds. 




Female Red-winged black bird











Some things I'm grateful for today: (items in red are pre-gratitude, an effort to inspire the Creative Forces of the Universe to manifest abundance in my life... MASSIVE abundance... and soon!)

  • Angel and Tara Grace
  • fans
  • water
  • blue skies and cool breezes
  • peach mango yogurt smoothies
  • my microwave
  • that in this moment I am ok
  • wet cloth on the back of my neck
  • my Tibetan salt lamps
  • my TV
  • the remote control
  • my camera
  • my home
  • my back yard
  • birds and bees and butterflies
  • my computer
  • the internet
  • the ability to read and write
  • the ability to type
  • sight
  • hearing
  • taste
  • touch
  • smell
  • the aroma of white sage
  • the colors of the rainbow
  • Sam-e
  • Omega-3
  • IP-6
  • Vitamin D-3
  • a clothes dryer
  • more flowers in the back yard
  • new curtains
  • blinds for the front window
  • a ceiling fan in the bedroom
  • zero balance on my credit cards
  • paid off mortgage
  • a truckload of money (big bills)
  • $5,000/week for life from PCH
  • winning lottery numbers
  • freshly painted living and bedroom walls
  • Nintendo
  • a sun room on the back of the house
  • seeing the red list turn to black
  • reiki
  • angels
  • miracles
  • flowers
  • Netflix
  • the joy of singing
  • laughter
  • paper towels
  • my chair/walker
  • my cane
  • that my legs still get me around with some help
  • ideas
  • words
  • wordzzles
  • poetry
  • inspiration
  • hope
  • resilience
  • determination
  • my rock collection
  • my friends
  • that my friend Dan got a raise and big promotion
  • my nieces, my nephew and their families
  • that they are happy
  • AIM
  • SKYPE
  • Google
  • YouTube
  • bird seed
  • the back door
  • possibilities
  • love
  • compassion
  • life

WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL DAY!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Daily Reminder # 422

(Please scroll down for the Weekly Wordzzle Challenge. Accidentally posted it a day early.)

Think I will just do gratitude this morning. Went to bed too late even by my pathetic standards and got up very late. I have a problem I'm not sure how to deal with but it has me pretty upset. A feral cat - we haven't had man around here in the past - has figured out that if he hides under my deck, the birds are easy picking. He picked one easily yesterday while I was watching. Now I feel like I need to either figure out a way to screen that off (and get someone to do it for me) or discourage the birds from coming around. What makes this an extra bitter pill is yesterday when I first went back there there were maybe 20 sparrows and red wing black birds have started visiting and the blue jays and cardinals (though they don't stay). Anyway, I'm pretty shaken by the event. I love cats but I don't love this one very much. I know he is doing what comes naturally. I wish I was capable of trapping him for neutering etc, but I'm not so now he is just another burden on my worry list. I guess he can replace termites who were taken off last week. Apparently we are too far north for termites to be a big issue. Whew!








Some things I'm grateful for today: (items in red are pre-gratitude, an effort to persuade the Creative Forces to help me create my vision for a better life.)

  • Angel and Tara Grace
  • fans
  • birds
  • my camera
  • iced tea
  • my TV
  • the remote control
  • my computer
  • the internet
  • google
  • ear phones
  • Maurice Hinchey (my congressman)
  • water
  • Dr. Bronner soaps
  • my rock collection
  • my Tibetan salt lamps
  • the US mail
  • kitty hugs
  • my cane
  • my chair/walker
  • that my legs still take me from room to room with a little help
  • freshly painted living and bedroom walls
  • zero balance on my credit cards
  • new curtains
  • blinds for the front window
  • a truckload of money (big bills)
  • Nintendo
  • paid off mortgage
  • more flowers in the back yard
  • a sun room on the back of the house
  • $5,000/week for life from PCH
  • a clothes dryer
  • a ceiling fan in the bedroom
  • winning lottery numbers
  • seeing the red list turn to black
  • Netflix
  • reiki
  • angels
  • miracles
  • music
  • the joy of singing
  • sight
  • hearing
  • taste
  • touch
  • hearing
  • the telephone
  • friends
  • my nieces, my nephew and their families
  • Sam-e
  • Omega-3
  • Vitamin D-3
  • IP-6
  • ideas
  • words
  • wordzzles
  • imagination
  • inspiration
  • resilience
  • determination
  • my SSD
  • food stamps
  • hope
  • love
  • life

WISHING YOU A LOVELY DAY!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Weekly Wordzzle Challenge # 163


I'm tired and lazy today so I thought maybe I'd give Fred Johnson, Paragon of Virtue, another week. His tory began here.

Update: I just realized (7:00 pm Friday) that today is not Saturday and yesterday was not Friday and that I posted this a day early. I don't know how I got my radar all out of whack like that. Hmmm. Senility?



Words this next week's 10-word challenge: chalk, pattern, built-in bookcases, psychopath, a wolf in sheep's clothing, hot and humid, fanciful, ugly duckling, braggart, salad   And for the mini: peace, purple, pelican, particular, pugnacious


My mega: 

It was now three months since Fred Johnson had been drawn into the kingdom of Sunday by the Spark the wizard and his magical tree stump to replace the recently executed Paragon of Virtue. He was beginning to feel more at peace with his new situation and to in fact enjoy the unique perks of his new title. For one thing, he had now lived in a lovely farm house.  He had planted a vegetable garden just outside his study and his chef - yes, he had his own chef - prepared him a home grown salad along with the superlative meals he had every evening, usually in company with the wizard and his stunning daughter.  Despite being quite large and lavish, the house had a homey quality to it. The decor - which he should have hated - made him feel at home in some odd way. There were carpets with exquisitely detailed patterns that seemed to sooth the eye at the same time they inspired a feeling of strength and purpose. His favorite room was the library, which had built-in book cases full of amazing volumes and curious instruments of magic. The art in the library was composed of fanciful chalk drawings of different fairy tales. His favorites were the ugly duckling, Little Purple Riding Hood (the kingdom of Sunday tended to fancy the color purple), and Sleeping Beauty. But his particular favorite was of a story unique (at least in his experience) to Sunday about the Bird of Paradise, the story of a pugnacious bird, which in this drawing looked rather like a pelican. In the story the bird confronts and outsmarts a braggart psychopath usually portrayed as a wolf in sheep's clothing and transforms him from a being of evil to a doer of good deeds. Months later, when he had learned all his magic spells and passed a number of tests, he learned that the Bird of Paradise was also known to citizens of Sunday as the first Paragon of Virtue. No shortage of wonders befell him in his new world. On a more mundane plane of wonders, another thing he loved about his lovely home was that no matter how hot and humid it got outside, the house was always perfectly comfortable. He rightly suspected that this was probably some kind of magical enchantment bestowed on him and the house by Spark. He loved that tiny old wizard. 


My mini: 

One night in early fall, about six months into his Paragon training, Fred told Spark about a particularly amazing dream he had had the night before. In it, the pugnacious pelican from the Bird of Paradise drawing in the library had visited him in his garden three times. On her first visit, she had plucked a feather from each of her wings and one from over her heart and had somehow tied them together on a chain of tiny gems that shone with every color of the rainbow. This she had blessed and put around his neck, kissing him lightly on each cheek. On her second visit she had handed him a crystal goblet inviting him to drink the shining liquid it contained. Tasting it, he knew without knowing how, that he had drunk a cup of her tears. Amazing as the first two encounters had been, it was her last visit that was the most profound. This time, she transformed from the awkward pelican into a beautiful maiden in a flowing purple gown that looked like water and clouds and radiant light all at the same time. Kissing his forehead this time, she placed a crown of flowers on his head and lightly touching his heart, had whispered, "you are ready," only to vanish as though he had merely imagined her presence. He awoke with a feeling of such profound peace that he felt rather like he was made of radiant light himself.  When he told the wizard and his daughter about his awesome dream, they had both beamed with joy and Spark had cried. "I thought she might visit you! Congratulations. The Paragon has ordained you. You are ready to assume your duties."


And the 10-word: 


Following his dream time ordination, the 2nd phase of Fred's Paragon of Virtue training was begun. Much to his dismay, it seemed he was required to do more than just admire the books in his lovely built-in book cases; he was expected to read them. All. Every one. As he sat contemplating this seemingly impossible task he felt as though the chalk drawings he had been so fond of just days earlier were now mocking him from the wall. Several times he felt with the grim certainty that fanciful ideas sometimes produce in imaginative people,  that Purple riding hood and the ugly duckling were each and both shaking their heads in disappointment at his unworthiness. And as for that wolf in sheep's clothing in the paragon drawing - he felt with great chagrin that the miserable braggart psychopath was literally jumping up and down in scornful delight that the new paragon was to be no match for the forces of darkness. It was a special blessing then, that the paragon painting always filled him with the memory of his dream and a vivid memory of the taste of Paragon's tears and of her touch and gentle whisper. Outside the house, a pattern of hot and humid weather seemed to have resumed with a vengeance and his salad garden, sadly, was paying the price. The up side of this, was that it made the cool embrace of his house all the more welcoming and much to his own shock, almost without his realizing it, the impossible task of reading through the library books was getting accomplished.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words for next week's 10-word challenge: water-logged, pillows, cane, winding roads, pumpkin, music, German shepherd, flying, fortress, poetry


And for the mini: salivate, enriched, eastern, proposal, movies






Thanks you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for some guidelines to make the game more fun. There are no rules, just some general guidelines and tricks.