Viva Fiesta!!!

Saturday we attempted to go to the Chasco Fiesta which has been going on here in New Port Richey annually since 1922 . It is intended to both honor Native Americans' contribution to local culture, as well as providing financial help to downtown businesses. We couldn't even get within two miles of the festival, so went instead to the Recreation and Aquatic Center which just opened here last year where the antique flea market part of the Fiesta was taking place.

We had a great time and Steve found an old leather stirrup which he bought as a doorstop for our Southwest-that-turned-into-Western Room. I got some really neat handcrafted wood earrings.

The Fiesta goes on for 11 days so we'll be going back during the week to check it out.

The Old Status Quo

March 27, 2008
Life As We Know It
The Status Quo

When our lives are going well, and sometimes even when they aren’t, we may find ourselves feeling very attached to the status quo of our existence--life as we know it. It is a very human tendency to resist change as though it were possible to simply decide not to do it, or have it in our lives. But change will come and the status quo will go, sooner or later, with our consent or without it. We may find at the end of the day that we feel considerably more empowered when we find the courage to ally ourselves with the universal force of change, rather than working against it.

Of course, the answer is not to go about changing things at random, without regard to whether they are working or not. There is a time and place for stability and the preservation of what has been gained over time. In fact, the ability to stabilize and preserve what is serving us is part of what helps us to survive and thrive. The problem comes when we become more attached to preserving the status quo than to honoring the universal givens of growth and change. For example, if we allow a situation we are in to remain stagnant simply because we are comfortable, it may be time for us to summon up the courage to challenge the status quo.

This may be painful at times, or surprisingly liberating, and it will most likely be a little of both. Underneath the discomfort, we will probably find excitement and energy as we take the risk of unblocking the natural flow of energy in our lives. It is like dismantling a dam inside ourselves, because most of the work involves clearing our own inner obstacles so that the river of our life can flow unobstructed. Once we remove the obstacles, we can simply go with the flow, trusting the changes that follow.

Naming Names

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Marion Michael Morrison just doesn’t have the same ring as John Wayne. Names are important. They have influence. Take for example, the strength conveyed when the Rock of Gibralter and the Hudson River came together to create Rock Hudson. Here are a few more interesting facts about names:

“Me, Tarzan. You, Jane. . .Parker.” Yes, that was the vine swinger’s partner’s last name.
One of the most recognizable dolls on the planet is named Barbie, Barbie Roberts to be exact and her boyfriend’s name – Ken Carson.

The Skipper kept his professional distance from Gilligan never once calling him by his first name, Willy.

He hid his identity behind a mask, but I’ll bet Tonto knew the Lone Ranger’s real name was John Reid.

The next time you are eating a Granny Smith apple, you can thank Maria Ann Smith for sharing her name with the fruit.

The L.L. of L.L. Bean stands for Leon Leonwood.

Surveyor Col. Sir George Everest lent his name to the highest peak in the world.

Hector Boiardi changed the spelling of his name on his products to Chef Boyardee because no one could pronounce his name.

Ian Fleming borrowed the name of his most famous character, James Bond, from an ornithologist from Philadelphia. While living in Jamaica and working on his first novel about the British spy, Fleming picked up Birds of West India by the real Bond. He chose the name because it was brief, unromantic and masculine.

The chef on the Cream of Wheat box goes by the moniker of Rastus.

Bingo was the name-O of the Cracker Jack dog. The Taco Bell dog answers to Gidget.

The name of the cigarette company’s symbol is Joe Camel.

Charles Pillsbury started out milling flour with his uncle. In their first year of business, he made $6,000 in profit. He took the money and started C.A. Pillsbury and Company in 1872. The Pillsbury Doughboy, proper name Poppin’ Fresh, came along in 1965.

According to family legend, Wizard of Oz creator Frank Baum came up with the name for his fictitious land after looking at a filing cabinet with a drawer labeled O-Z.

Teddy Roosevelt was the first to use the term White House. He had it printed on his stationery in 1901.

Today's Viewing Entertainment

We rented four movies yesterday, and watched "Disturbia" today. The beginning and the end were great, but the rest moved a little slow.

Watched the final episode of "Jericho" on TV last night, and I'm sorry it won't be back. I really liked some of the characters and the plot line. Reminded me of the book, "On The Beach" by Nevil Shute which I read years ago.

Kitchen & Master Bedroom

Here's our little U-shaped kitchen accessorized in blue, of course; the master bedroom has a palm tree motif; we have a gorgeous palm tree comforter for the bed, but it's rarely on it.

And Yet More Apartment

Still not sure how this all happens, but here's our smaller of two bedrooms AKA the "Southwest" room, the storage closet with all of Steve's strange stuff on the shelf, the lighthouse half-bath, and the full bath. That's my Dad's old hat on the coatrack.

Our Apartment

Here's a few pics of our apartment from the front door to our tiny terrace. Will add more in my next post. Still a rookie at this and it takes me a lot of time, but practice will hopefully perfect this.




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On Liking Yourself

March 25, 2008
Accepting Yourself
A Dynamic Choice-Maker

There is no such thing as a good person or a bad person. There are choices and actions that lead us in different directions, and it is through those choices and actions that we create our realities. Sometimes we choose or do something that takes us in the opposite direction of the reality we want to create for ourselves. When we do this, we feel bad�uneasy, unhappy, unsure. We might go so far as to label ourselves �bad� when a situation like this arises. Instead of labeling ourselves, though, we could simply acknowledge that we made a choice that lead us down a particular path, and then let it go, forgiving ourselves and preparing for our next opportunity to choose, and act, in ways that support our best intentions.

Many of us experienced childhoods in which the words good and bad were used as weapons to control us�you were good if you did what you were told and bad if you didn�t. This kind of discipline undermines a person�s ability to find their own moral center and to trust and be guided by their own inner self. If you were raised this way, you may find yourself feeling shockwaves of badness when you do something you were taught was wrong, even if now you don�t agree that it�s bad. Conversely, you may feel good when you do what you learned was right. Notice how this puts you in something of a straitjacket. An important part of our spiritual unfolding requires that we grow beyond what we learned and take responsibility for our own liberation in our own terms.

You are a human being with every right to be here, learning and exploring. To label yourself good or bad is to think too small. What you are is a decision-maker and every moment provides you the opportunity to move in the direction of your higher self or in the direction of stagnation or degradation. In the end, only you know the difference. If you find yourself going into self-judgment, try to stop yourself as soon as you can and come back to center. Know that you are not good or bad, you are simply you.

Housecleaning

Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ya Gotta Love Nurses

A nurse walks into a bank, totally exhausted after a 20-hour shift. Preparing to write a check, she pulls a rectal thermometer out of her purse and tries to write with it.

She looks at the flabbergasted teller and without missing a beat says,

"Well, that's great..........that's really great..........some asshole's got my pen."

Confused and Dazed

When exactly did used cars become "pre-owned" cars? Is this supposed to make them more appealing or allow the car lot to charge more? And when did a suspect become a "person of interest"? Sometimes I just can't keep up with these changes. And now there are cell phones, PDAs, MP3s, IPods, Blackberries,and so many other electronic devices out there that I have to ask our younger friends what they are! I'm beginning to understand how Mom feels now about just plain old computers!

Steve had two teeth (the first of six) pulled today so he's gone to bed already even though it was shortly after 8PM at the time. For him, a regular night of sleep is about four hours; for me, it's eight and then I only get out of bed 'cause my back hurts. It really bites getting old. Imagine how hard it must be for Slug who'll soon be three years older than me! I love having an older sister!

Why Women Cry

A little boy asked his mother, 'Why are you crying?' 'Because I'm a woman,' she told him.

'I don't understand,' he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, 'And you never will.'

Later the little boy asked his father, 'Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?'

'All women cry for no reason,' was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the 'phone, he asked, 'God, why do women cry so easily?'

God said:

'When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,
yet gentle enough to give comfort

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.'

'You see my son,' said God, 'the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides.'

The Fuzz Family

Took me nearly an hour, but here's a couple of photos of Lena and Ole, AKA Beanie and Roly Poly.

Adult Resignation

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on
a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple; When all you knew were colors,
multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair.

That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness, and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in the snow.

So . . . here's my checkbook and my car-keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements.

I am officially resigning from adulthood.

I didn't write it, but sometimes I wish we could all do this.

Wacky Easter Wabbit

Rabbits, birds and eggs were strong symbols of fertility and rebirth in the spring season, especially in pre-Christian pagan celebrations.

The Easter Bunny itself has roots in Germany, and the folklore of the egg-laying hare made its way to Pennsylvania Dutch country through early German settlers. The "Oschter Haws" brought treats in the form of coloured eggs to good children, much like that other holiday gift-bringer, Christkindl, who later became Santa Claus.

Are you enough?

Nothing Big Required
You Are Enough

Most of us have the feeling that we are here to accomplish something big in our lives, and if we haven’t done something that fits the bill we may feel as if we are waiting. We may feel incomplete, or empty, as if our lives don’t yet make sense to us, because they don’t line up with our idea of major accomplishment. In some cases, this may be because we really are meant to do something that we haven’t yet done. But in most cases, we can let ourselves off the hook with the realization that just being here, being ourselves, is enough.

As we live our lives in this world, we share our energy and our spirit with the people around us in numerous ways. Our influence touches their lives and, through them, touches the lives of many more people. When we strive to live our lives to the fullest and to become our true selves, we are doing something big on an inner level, and that is more than enough to make sense of our being here on this planet at this time. There is no need to hold ourselves to an old idea in the back of our minds that we need to make headlines or single-handedly save the world in order to validate our existence.

We can each look within our hearts to discover what is true for us, what gives our lives meaning, and what excites us. We can release ourselves from any pressure to perform that comes from outside of our inner sense of purpose. Staying in tune with our own values and living our lives in tune with our own vision is all we need in order to fulfill our time here. Our lives are a process of becoming so that we cannot help but cocreate; being who we are, responding to each moment as it comes, we can trust that this is enough

New Drugs for New Pain

Saw the Good Doctor on Friday and she poked around in between my back ribs until she hit the exact spot causing me problems. She said I pulled a muscle that's in between my ribs and might've even cracked a rib! All from using exercise equipment. She prescribed Aleve, Vicodin and Soma. Soma is a muscle relaxer I've never taken before, and she told me to take one when I got home and another an hour before bedtime. I took the second one at 11:30 last night, and didn't wake up until 11:30 this morning! Would you believe I was still groggy when I finally got up?

Today I only took one since I'd like to see a bit of the weekend while awake. We WERE going to the flea market today, but I just didn't have any energy so I mostly shot the day doing computer stuff, reading and eating.

Made some banana bread since I had three overripe bananas I didn't want to waste. We gave a chunk of it to our new neighbor, Brent, who seems to be a really nice guy, a single dad who has custody of his eight-year-old daughter, Hyler. She's spending the night at a girlfriend's house and he was so worried about her being away from home. Steve tried to reassure her by telling him about his brother who has only one child, a daughter, and how paranoid his brother used to get when his daughter was away from home. Brent spent almost two years in Iraq and seems quite mature for his 32 years; said his military experience definitely made him take a serious look at his priorities, and Hyler is that priority. He seems like a good father, and he's actually got an IQ that probably has three digits in it! Nice to meet someone who speaks intelligently and loves reading!

Old Proverb ala China

"You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair."

Chinese Proverb

Aches and Pains, and JJ

I managed to get to the gym three times last week, and twice this week in spite of the fact that my ribs were hurting something fierce! I had hoped that if I just exercised through it, it might abate, but it's gotten worse. I have no intention of stopping my gym workouts, but had to make an appointment to see my doctor about this rib thing. Feels like it did many years ago when I broke two ribs in a car accident. No pain, no gain? I've been eating aspirin and Vicodin for two days now and it's getting ridiculous. Can't take ibuprofen since it causes stomach cramps, so we'll wait and see what the good doctor has to say.

Meanwhile, back at the lust ranch, JJ was at a point with Tish where they'd meet occasionally in the wee hours of the night only for the purposes of quenching their mutual need for frequent sex. Two nights ago she called him drunk as a proverbial skunk, and said the cops stopped her, took her car keys and told her to walk home. Apparently she was pretty far from where she lives. She carried on like a complete lunatic until JJ agreed to pick her up and get her home, at the same time calling him all sorts of names and cursing him out. Since then he hasn't answered his cell phone when he sees that it's her calling. We'll see how long that lasts!

On Appreciating the Bath

In ancient and medieval times, people bathed frequently. By the 17th century, people regarded water immersion with caution, in large part because of the fear of disease, particularly the Black Plague. Instead, people of quality (the upper classes), changed clothes several times a day and took sponge-baths with wine and other fluids.

No doubt we would find the hygiene of the period unsanitary and the people foul smelling. The elegant clothing worn by the courtiers was rarely washed (although the linens worn underneath were washed regularly). To mask the odours, men and women doused themselves with fragrances and perfumed the air with pastilles of amber and jasmine.

What??? No Givenchy, Calvin Klein or Georgio?

Answers and Ice Cream

Today's mail brought a reply to my recent letter to Edy's Ice Cream in which I complained about the waxy chocolate chips in the Mint Chip flavor. It contained the usual corporate blah, blah, blah -- "We are committed...", "highest quality standards...".

My favorite line was "...we are sorry that you found the chocolate chips to be a disappointment and, consequently, did not enjoy your purchase."

They enclosed a flavor list, a coupon for a free half-gallon of ice cream, and two coupons for discounts on future purchases.

Now Steve wants me to write to General Mills about a piece of plastic he found in his cereal so long ago that he can't remember when it was. I will never write lies about a product, just comments on something yucky or disappointing.

When I was in college, I wanted to become one of Nader's Raiders -- perhaps this is just a late-in-life way of expressing it! I'm going to have to write more letters now that I have the time. I once had a letter published in the New York Daily News! And you had no idea you were dealing with such celebrity!

Revelations

Been a bit outa touch for a few days with some kind of virus or whatever; one of those things that knocks the wind out of your sails but doesn't kill you, although you might wish it would.

I got out of the shower this a.m. and made the fatal mistake of looking at myself in the mirror as I was drying myself. I truly look like eithe a stack of Michelin tires, or a snowman made up of four layers rather than three. What to do...

Wish I hated sweets -- I suppose it probably doesn't help if I go to the gym three times a week and then stop at CVS one the way home for smokes and three or four marshmallow eggs. At least I feel better than I'm overweight and working out -- one sort of cancels out the other. Maybe it's because at least I doing SOMETHING. I like the gym because there are a lot of women there who are older than me. Yesterday I chatted with a woman who was trying to get in shape for her fiftieth wedding anniversary! There's really not a lot in life that contributes to one's feeling of youthfulness after fifty.

Dali -- Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of the Salvador Dali Museum? In 1982, the Salvador Dali Museum opened in St. Petersburg, Florida. Dali was a Spanish painter who was best known for his surreal paintings. It's a must-see tour if you find yourself
down in Florida!

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Today's Inspirational Quote:

"Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to
sublimate them."

-- Salvador Dali

Courtesy of Firebox

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me and my brother who is four years older than I am. I was maybe 1 and a half years old and had just recovered from an accident in which my arm had been broken among other injuries.

Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a get-well gift and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news and my brother was playing nearby in the living room when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water.

After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!!'

My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then says, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet??'

Did you know...

... that today is the birthday of Cadbury's Chocolates? In 1824, Cadbury's Chocolates began as a tea and coffee shop begun by 23-year-old John Cadbury in Birmingham, England. Make someone happy by sharing your chocolate!

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Today's Inspirational Quote:

"Do not worry; eat three square meals a day; say your prayers; be courteous to your creditors; keep your digestion good; exercise; go slow and easy. Maybe there are other things your special case requires to make you happy; but, my friend, these
I reckon will give you a good lift."

-- Abraham Lincoln

A Big Whoops

Marg was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. Early one morning, she received a call from the doctor's office to tell her that her appointment had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30am.

She had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45 am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so she didn't have any time to spare.

As most women do, Marg liked to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time she wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So, she rushed upstairs, threw off her pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave herself a quick wash in 'that area' to make sure she was at least presentable.

Marg threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to her appointment.

She was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when she was called in. Knowing the procedure, Marg hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended to be in Paris or some other place a million miles away. Marg was a little surprised when the doctor said, 'My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?' She didn't respond. After the appointment, Marg heaved a sigh of relief and left the office. The rest of the day was normal...some shopping, cleaning, cooking, etc.

After school when her six year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, 'Mommy, where's my washcloth?' Marg told her to get another one from the cupboard.

She replied, 'No, I need the one that was here by the sink. It had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it.'