JOHN MUIR SAID IT BEST

 Most people are on the world not in it

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

Peaceful slumber to all the moments of 2010 that need to be gently stored away.

Welcome all that are yet to be lived.  Promise to live them with a heart full of mercy and most of all

JOY!

GOOD FORM!

It's December.  It gets kind of cold.  I still try to walk.  For my health.  I don't have to walk.  I want to.  At least that's what I tell myself.  "Yes,  you want to."

Yesterday I saw A.

He has to walk.  He is afflicted.  With a disease that took his mother's life and his brother's life at a very young age.  His ability to drive was taken from him.  He walks.  Not for his health, but because he must.

It's cold.  I'm pretty sure by the way he walks it must hurt.  He is bundled.  Hat, coat, gloves.

I see him down the block.  He meets three cars in a row.

He smiles.  He waves his happy exaggerated wave.  And he walks.

A=Amazing
A=Awesome
A=Attitude

A+ Albert...you are my kind of man!  You are an inspiration more than you will ever ever ever know!

IF WALLS COULD TALK

Cute little show that comes on early while hubby dresses for work.  The show features old houses in which some kind of neat treasure or message is found within the walls during the renovation.

If my walls could talk they would say two things...

OUCH and ADIOS!

SPARKLY RED SHOES

Go with anything!  Especially words to a great song!

ONCE I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO WIN

Once I thought, was pretty sure in fact that I was going to win the HGTV home in Sante Fe.

So sure in fact that I picked a home that I had already been to in Taos that I knew was for sale, left a token gift for house via peep, planned my sale of house I won to purchase house I visited and my speech to peeps about how magic it was to just plan on being blessed because you are a good person.

I'm sure the right person won.  She lived in Alabama.  So I am still in line for some good stuff.

We have a winter time Wheel of Fotune ritual.

Blazing pinon/oak mix fire

carpet picnic

cocktail

wheel of fortune

contest to shout out the puzzles

We are all good at solving

and sharing

so....I decided since we are all so good at it and so very lucky...I better get my Spin ID Number.

I did.

WHEEL. OF. FORTUNE!

7 PM CST

PHASES

NASA reports that this is the first time an eclipse has coincided with a solstice since December 21, 1638, and the next one won't come around again until 2094.  When things this spectacular happen I say get on out of bed to see it.  1:41 AM for me.  I was quite pleased that two other folks in my family left their cozy covers and stepped out into the cold December night to see.  And one across the street neighbor. 

Ok....so I was cold and maybe shivering a little, but here it is from my tiny little place in the universe.

Perhaps I need to read up on what my camera is capable of at night.

It works just fine in the daytime and from what NASA says...I have time to study up for the next one. 

Or...get a fancier camera!

LIFE LIST NUMBER 12 YOU ARE MINE

Number 12...you are accomplished! Celebrated!  As of 7 PM, December 20, 2010.

Number 13.

YOU.

ARE.

MINE!

This time next year I will still be singing!

O. YAY!

13 YEARS

Every day with you is sweeter than the day before

Every day with you I love you more and more

December 20, 1997

I HAVE A DREAM

I had a dream.

That I was playing Silent Night on the cello and hubby was singing.

We were in his church.

That Christmas he bought me a cello.

I have not accompanied his singing at church.

That’s because our ensemble was not yet complete.

We are waiting on Betty to play it on the piano so that she can cover for my inadequacy. In case hubby is unable to.

These old piano keys are chipped from B racing his hotwheels across them. And now, the C scale is marked with blue painter’s tape. For Betty.

One day in the near future we will all perform Silent Night at FBC in Gruver.

Together.

Between now and then, it’s possible that we will add a mandolin.  And a gypsy tambourine.

NOT ALONE

Just at the corner of the Dumas highway where it intersects onto Lake Merideth road we stopped the car.

We had discussed becoming blood brothers before and knew that it was something we wanted to do.  My idea I'm sure as I remember watching westerns with my brothers.  They always played cowboys and Indians and they always pretended to be blood brothers.  Except they didn't have to pretend.  They are real life blood brothers.

He pulled out a little needle and I wondered a. where did he get it and b. how long had he had it

"You ready?"

He drew blood first.

I held out my finger, closed my eyes and got ready for the stab.

We were both bleeding ever so slightly as we sat on the side of the road.

We mixed our blood and swore to be blood brothers for life.

And then we sealed it with a kiss.

That was 15 years ago.

Blood is thicker than water...and... love is thicker than blood.

HANDY AND DANDY

I wanted a quaint brick paver porch on my 1920 Southern house.  A brick porch would fit the white plaster, green/black shutters, widow's walk and stately columns.

So, I ordered the bricks.

And they came.  On multiple palettes delivered just at the edge of my yard...what seemed like miles away from where they were going to be laid.

Not only would I lay them one by one, I would more than likely move them that way.

To the rescue...my handy dandy brick hauler.

Kind.  Thoughtful.  Caring.  Genius.

One 8 year old boy, one bicycle, one rope, and one pizza box.

He loaded as many bricks as he could...coming to this number by trial and error, and delivered to the front porch a load of bricks for me to lay.  Each time he announced his arrival with, "handy dandy brick hauler!"

Together, he and I made short time of a daunting task.

Today, the slightly imperfect porch at 104 Barkley still exists.  And I was right.  It did enhance the feel of the home.

And my grandmother was right.

You can tell the character of a man by the way he treats his mother.

EASY BREEZY

I am in love.

Yes..that's right...with a detergent product.

Since my iron and ironing board were snatched up in my free crap on the curb pile, I was kind of in a dilemma.

But I recently found and highly recommend Downy Wrinkle Releaser.

All you have to do is take your clothes from the washer or dryer, place on a hanger, spritz on the front and back, and walla...no more wrinkles and a  fresh downy fragrance.

I buy them two at a time!

COOKIES FOR THE FUTURE

A new fortune is in my cookie.

Online news in another county.

O Yay!

http://www.highplainsobserverhutchinsoncounty.com/

ROAD SCHOLAR

1 box of red jello
1 can of green beans
1 banana nut muffin
When you walk into the store, get a small basket just inside.  Put these 3 things in the basket.  Take them to the front and pay for them.  Charge them to me.  Our charge number is 127. 
These are my instructions to my 4 year old peep.  Why? 

I am exercising her memory, expanding her world, and giving her freedom.

I sit in the car and wait for her to walk out...with her bouncy blonde ponytail and toothy grin.

After she does this a time or two...I'll give her 5 things to remember to get.

When she is 8 she announces that she wants to be a Rhodes Scholar.  I didn't even know what that was.  I had to look it up...without the aid of the internet.

She went on to save the whales, crusade on behalf of  no more elephant ivory, and start a spirit squad in her backyard all the while planning a "BIG SALE ON THE PORCH" and writing a book about squirrels and birds.

Well, no wonder.

Today, she is a landman.  She is a single mother of her clone.  She is about to purchase a home.  A nice one.  She is about to go to Rome.  Alone.  She has issues and struggles every day.  She never says a bad word.  She is a light of energy.  And she is indeed...a Road Scholar.

Who knew?

I am glad.  I want to be on her road.  It's a good one.

SPEAKING OF ANGELS

Copper finials arrive. 

I am the type of person who hangs a strip of wallpaper and then a picture. In other words, getting completely ahead of things.

We are so far away from any kind of decor, but finials have arrived and I am consumed with finding a way to attach them to the 30+ foot peaks.

Text message to Manny: Are you afraid to get on the roof at 822?

Manny:  No.  Why do we need to?

Me:  To set some copper finials.

Manny:  I will meet you there in 5

Me to peeps:  I have a real bad feeling about Manny.  He's so young and I wouldn't let my son get up on that roof.

Peeps:  I don't think he should. He could get hurt.

Manny and his peeps arrive.  Manny is fine but his peep helper is LOADED!  No way! 

But just around the corner is an angel unaware, complete with cherry picker.  And his own tools.  And a giving spirit. 

He has no idea he just saved Manny and peep's lives. 

As dusk approaches, first one copper finial, then two, then three.

Angels come in all forms and ways.  With all kinds of good to do.

What I wonder is this...does Manny have any idea he had an angel step in on his behalf?

I know I do. 

I. DO. KNOW. IT.