almost midnight...

I watched the "Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" on channel 8 tonight. No matter how many times I see it, I still cry. Seeing it reminded me of the time I spent in San Fran attending the SFAI(San Fran Art Institute).
More on this later. Come on Elsa, time for night-night! meow!

Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, let's please take time out from whatever it is we're doing; to say a prayer, to observe a moment of silence, to honor and remember all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. We owe them so much.

Unexpected ways...

For this Memorial Day weekend, I really wanted to go camping. To my favorite "home away from home" -- Edna. Well, Lake Texana State Park actually. It's just on the outskirts of the tiny little town of Edna (The City of Flags) bout 2 hrs south on 59. Well, I didn't get to go. But sometimes, (like the Garth Brook's song) God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. I had such a nice walk Saturday morning. It's about as close to nature as you can get, in a city suburb, without going to a park. The yards, here in The Heights, are so nicely populated by all different kinds of trees, bushes, plants and flowers. And people have personalized their yards with their own special touch with wind chimes, fountains, sculptures, statuary and other interesting and sometimes whimsical touches. And when I pass by all the homes, I can't help but wonder who lives within? Who are they, were are they going and what are they doing with their lives? Are they successful? Are they happy? Are they troubled? Sometimes there are clues to be found on the outside. The kind/style/condition of the house, the kind of vehicles parked outside, the apperarance of the yard. But not all can be gleaned by mere appearances alone. Who knows what darkness may lurk inside --- the seemingly normal, innocent, status quo? Conversely, who knows what genius lies just beyond the front door, eking out an existence, trying to stay true to their selves and their art. Be it an artist, poet, musician, actor, dancer or writer. How to pay the bills? Keep a roof over the head? Food on the table? While trying to maintain their integrity -- trying to push forward, trying to better their selves and their craft. Aiming for higher ideals and goals, hoping to be discovered and appreciated some day. But the most important achievement, aiming to be a better person and artist and getting there. Sometimes (unfortunately) in the artistic world, you have to die before you can be recognized and achieve fame. But I digress. The other discovery I made Saturday was quite by accident. Which by the way, some of the best things in life, love and art are discovered by accident. I was at the Galleria (I know, can you imagine me -- who hates "mecca's to materialism" -- actually being in one, and of all days -- Memorial Day wkend? I must be crazy!) Anyway, I was on a mission.
I had my list. The clerk in Kirkland's noticed it and asked me, "you have a list of stores?" Yes,
I replied, that and a to-do list. It keeps me on track. I went by Crabtree & Evelyn to see if they had any India Hicks body wash. They were out. Then I went by La Madeleine's to redeem the coupon I had for my free birthday dessert. I ended up getting the fruit tart. I was on my way out of the Galleria, passing by the ice rink, when I stopped in my tracks. There in the ice rink, was some kind of special production going on. There were all these little kiddos dressed in beautiful, elaborate costumes, skating to some dramatic music, like a ballet on ice. The fact that there were some imperfections made it all the more endearing. You could tell they put their all into it --some were quite young, a couple were quite good. So it was quite an unexpected moment of simple joy and unexpected beauty. By the time I got home, it was pouring down rain. So I decided to wait awhile before heading out to I-10 and 6. In the meantime, I went out on my back porch. It's all enclosed (but with nice views of the trees) and is a nice, quiet, personal space. There are a couple of nice big potted plants, my sling-back chair and a small table. I plugged in the Christmas lights (I know, it's May, but the lights are white), lit some candles and a sage wand. The rain was coming down in torrents. But the setting was so tranquil, so transedecent, I was trasported away. What a nice way to spend a rainy, rainy afternoon.
Just think, If I had gone camping, I would have missed all this. The Lord does, indeed, work in mysterious ways.

"Embedded"

When I was in the bathroom the other night, getting ready for bed, I noticed an old nail -- all but buried -- in the bathroom door (I live in an old duplex). That got me to thinking (I know, just a little, bitty, old nail can set her off). The word "embedded" came to mind. And I thought how people can be like that nail. Embedded. Whether it's in a job, a relationship, and/or a living space. We may not be happy with our situation, but we "settle." Perhaps we've been there a long time and feel like we're in too deep, that we can never pull ourselves free. Or we're afraid we can't find anything or one better. And sometimes we never realize that we're in a prison; of our own making. And that WE are the only one who has the key. That only our self can set our self free. Perhaps it's more safe, comfortable, to stay where we are than to venture ahead, take risks and risk failure. Fear of the unknown.
Oh wow-age! How can she get all that from just looking at a frickin nail for pete's sake?! I guess it's the artist's whacky, creative, imaginative brain -- for better or worse.

Hump day

I received this email the other day:

Five Rules for Men to Achieve a Happier Life

1. It's important to have a woman who helps at home, cooks from time to time, cleans and has a job.

2. It's important to have a woman who can make you laugh.

3. It's important to have a woman who you can trust and who doesn't lie to you.

4. It's important to have a woman who is good in bed and who likes to be with you.

5. It's very, very important that these four women do not know each other.

When I shared this with my honey, he laughed. And then I said, 'of course I'm all four'. He agreed (how could he not --- and still live??!! LOL) He said yes, plus one more: artist extraordinaire. Thanks baby!

Musings...

UPPER ROOM
God shows no partiality. - Romans 2:11
Thought for the day: 'We are to respect one another because God respects us.' - Sheila Hicks (Tennessee)

SIMPLE ABUNDANCE
'If I were asked to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say: the house shelters daydreaming.' - Gaston Bachelard
From Sarah Ban Breathnach:
'It takes literally years to birth a dream, whether it's a family, a career, a home or a lifestyle. Dreams also extract a price. Dreams cost money, sweat, frustration, tears, courage, choices, perseverance and extraordinary patience. But birthing a dream requires one more thing. Love. Only love can transfrom a houseful of needy, self-centered individuals into a loving, close-knit family, a passion into a livelihood or a dwelling into a home that perfectly expresses your authenticity. Even when money is not a consideration, love and time are still necessary to turn a house into a home.' Sarah tells how Samuel Clemens poured so much money into his home, he went bankrupt. Which he resolved by writing books such as "Mark Twain." 'Because of all the love he and his family bestowed on their home, "it had a heart and soul, and eyes to see with; and approvals and solicitudes and deep sympathies; it was of us, and we were in its confidence and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benedictions. We never came home from an absence that its face did not light up and speak out in eloquent welcome --- and we could not enter it unmoved."
How cool is that??!!
Sarah goes on to say...'Is there a woman here who doesn't long to live in such a home? A home that embraces, nurtures, sustains and ind inspires? Still many of us think this will only happen when we've got the money to move someplace else. Surely, it can't happen here. I mean, just look at this place! But let's take another look. "I dwell in possibility," Emily Dickinson confided. We can, too. Don't look at the problems. Search for the possibilities. It doesn't matter where you live at this moment. It may not be your dream but it does shelter your dreams. Those dreams can transform it into the home for which you long. Love knows how to paint, refinish, plaster, wallpaper, stencil, plant, sew and build, even on a budget. Love knows that whatever you lack in your checking account can be made up by investing time, creative enrgy and emotion. We need to learn Love's decorating secrets.'
In conclusion, Sarah says..."But before we can pick up a hammer, a paintbrush or the real estate ads, we need to daydream. Walk through the different rooms where you eat, sleep and live. Bless the walls, the roof, the windows and the foundation. Give thanks as you sift and sort, simplify and bring order to the home you have. Realize that the home of your dreams dwells within. You must find it in the secret sanctuary of your heart today before you can cross the threshold of tomorrow.'

Spirituality, Simplicity & Serenity

Thought for the Day:
'Even when trouble surounds us, God will never leave us alone.' - Jan Leary (Georgia)

Simple Abundance
'Out of clutter, find simplicity.' - Albert Einstein
Sarah Ban Breathnach wrote about spring cleaning for the month of May. Here is an excerpt for today's date: "After a morning spent sifting and sorting through the beautiful, the useful and the useless, I glanced around our living room floor. It resembled an archaeological dig with small stacks of artifacts all separated according to their domestic categories. I woundered what a late-twentieth-century anthropologist considering the juxtaposition of junk and precious mementos would tell the world about the woman. As I wandered through the rooms of the house, I began to search for the common thread in the lives of the world's great spiritual teachers and traditions: Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Lao-Tzu, The Hebrew prophets, The Moslem Sufis, The Catholic saints, The Hindu rishis, The Shakers, The Quakers, The Amish. They all embraced simplicity. Spirituality, simplicity and serenity seem to be a sacred trinity; three divine qualities of the orderly soul."
Sarah is inspiring me to get off my duff and attempt to de-clutter my humble abode. Simplifying is liberating! Sometimes it's hard to get rid of stuff. But I make three piles: keep(has to be beautiful, useful or sentimental), give away(if I don't use it or wear it, might as well give it to someone who will!) and throw away. I try to read the current month's magazines and get rid of them before the next ones arrive. It's a slow, tedius project, but there's hope! I can actually see the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel." So if I can do it, there's hope for hoarders and collectors everywhere! And I have to give credit to my boss too. She's the one who turned me on to the Simple Abundance book. And she's the one who gives me all the wonderful decorating/interior design mag's and Sotheby's cataglogs when she's through with them. They're chock-full of innovative ideas and beautiful things which inspire me and help jump-start my imagination! Oh and I musn't forget my honey! He is always encouraging and supportive of me. So ya'll keep those creative juices flowing and good luck!

Strawberry Festival - Pasadena, TX

This weekend is the Strawberry Festival at the Pasadena Fairgrounds (Fairmont Parkway @ Red Bluff). If you've never been and don't have anything to do this weekend, you might want to check it out. It's Fri 3pm till midnight, Sat 10am till midnight and Sun 10am till 7pm. They have the world's largest strawberry shortcake (yum!), strawberry dacquiri's(yummier!), arts & crafts, Bar-B-Q cook-off, live music, helicopter rides and last, but certainly not least, mud volleyball! I think I'm gonna wander down there Fri eve with Lidia and whoever else I can shanghi! Right after I attend the Donor & Volunteer Appreciation Picnic at the Center for Hearing and Speech: 3-6pm fajitas and 'ritas! yeee haaa!!!!!!!!!!!

Reflections

From THE UPPER ROOM
- Thought for the day:
'God offers water to satisfy our soul's thirst. Drink deeply!'
- Prayer:
'O God, you are the fountain of living water and the giver of life. Teach us to drink deeply of your refreshing waters and to be saturated in your love.'
Amen
from Carol Purves (Essex, England)

From SIMPLE ABUNDANCE:
'Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order.' - Anne Wilson Schaef

"How much of our lives is frittered away - spoiled, spent or sullied - by our neurotic insistence on perfection? Today, accept that perfection is unattainable. In real life we should strive to be our best - not the world's. Perfect women do not manifest on this plane of existence. Celebrities who sell perfection are more to be pitied than censured, envied or emulated. Why? Because, despite their fame and bank accounts, they rarely know a moment's peace; the whole world is watching, waiting for a misstep. Thank you, no. I'll pass. Won't you? Perfection leaves so little room for improvement. So little space for acceptance - or joy. On the path we have chosen, progress is the simple pleasure to be savored. Daily.' - Sarah Ban Breathnach
From ME:
I have the greatest neighbor! Bruce and his "fur children" schnazers Baxter and Jaxson. Bruce is a very thoughtful and considerate person. If I happen to be gone, or forget to wheel my trash can out to the curb Mon morn, he'll do it unasked. And oftentimes when I return home from work, he has already put my trash can back up. If I go on one of my "camping runs" and forget to tell him, he'll pick up my mail and hold for me. When I took the paper, he would always pick it up from the yard (he gets up early - 6:30am - to take the "boys" for their morning walk) and place it upon my doorstep. He always gets me a nice little something for special occassions, but sometimes he'll bring me over some roses from his garden, "just because". When Bruce goes out of town I like to return his favors by taking care of his dogs and/or picking up his mail and newspaper. This last weekend I did just that. Well, not caring for the dogs because he took them with him. When I returned home from work yesterday afternoon, there was a plastic sack on my door and inside was a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and a thank-you note from Bruce. Thank you Bruce, you ROCK!!!

Happy belated Mother's day!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all you mommies out there! I took my Mom to the beach. That's what she wanted to do for Mother's Day. What a cool mom I have!!! We went to Bolivar via Winnie because TxDot decided to tear up the Gulf freeway during the prime beach-going months (May till November). Mental giants! Not! Any way, we went to the beach, sat in the sun, wiggled our toes in the sand and threw back some cold ones! Doesn't get much better than that! I even took a dip, the water was cool, green and clean. So pleasant. The pelicans graced our presence with several fly-by's and fly-overs. Many thanks to my honey for offering Mom and I to go swimming over at his neighborhood pool (which is very nice) and to cook a nice, delicious meal of talapia (and more) for us. But it was a "girls' day out." Mom, hope you had a good time, I know I did!

No complaints

I read an interesting article in the paper the other day. It was about a pastor, the Rev. Will Bowen, in Kansas City. He proposed that members of his church wear purple bracelets to remind themselves not to complain. He asked each member to go 21 days without a gripe, criticism or gossip. If a mistake happened, the person had to switch the bracelet to the other wrist and start over again. Most members liked the idea but found out it wasn't easy. After four months, only 12 church members had reached the goal. Even Bowen himself wore out several barcelets before he reached the 21-day mark, which took 75 days. Then a ripple effect happened last October after a story appeared in the Kansas City Star and was reprinted in more than 30 newspapers across the country. People from nearly 80 countries have asked the church for 4.5 million bracelets. The list includes American Samoa, Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Tatarstan. Bowen has appeared on Oprah, NBC's Today and radio shows in the US and Great Britain. He gives five to 10 tv interviews a week. The church Web site (AComplaintFreeWorld.org), once had only 85 hits a week, now gets more than 40,000. Although the church has had only a slight increase in membership, Bowen said people from Japan, Portugal, the Philippines and the Virgin Islands say they listen to his sermon online and consider Christ Church their church. Bowen's big push now is to encourage the government to proclaim a National No-Complaint Day the day before Thanksgiving. "Then we would spend a day of gratitude, because the opposite of complaining is gratitude." It gives pause for thought. I don't know about ya'll, but if it takes a pastor 75 days, I can't imagine how long it'd take me! I may not have a purple bracelet, but I am going to try to make a concerted effort not to complain, criticize or gossip as much.

Whatta wkend!

Whew! What a wkend!! Went to the Galveston Historic Homes Tour. I've always wanted to go, finally got to. Elaine accompanied me, she's been going for like 13 yrs. It was quite a "marathon." She got to my house at 8:30am, we left shortly thereafter. Got to G-town a little after 10am. Would've been sooner 'cept for the construction on I-45 around Bay Brook Mall. You have to exit the freeway and travel on the feeder for awhile. Anyway, we did 7 out of 10 homes with a drive-by of a house in restoration progress. You have to stand in lines, then go in groups of anywhere from 5-7 people. Luckily it was overcast and there was a strong breeze. We had a quick bite at the 19th Street Market, pretty yummy! The tour is from 10am to 6pm, we finished around 5:30pm. Next we headed to Murdock's, sat on their deck watching the sea and had a cold one. If you've never been, check it out next time you're in Galveston. It's quite relaxing and worth the detour. Murdock's, for those of you not familiar with it, is built out over the water and its next-door neighbor is the Balinese Room. We were pretty hungry by this time so we decided to try a new place. Well, new to us. Actually I had lived across the street from this restaurant back in the 80's. But for some reason, never tried it. It's Di Bella's on 31st and Ave P. If you get a chance, check it out. It's really delicious!!! I especially enjoyed the lasagna. There's very little advertisement, except word of mouth. It's where the locals eat.
Yesterday Masoud and I went on a cleaning frenzy. First to my house where we took up the carpet rugs in the living room, bedroom and kitchen. He took them outside and cleaned them with his shop vac. Elsa had done her share of covering them in several layers of cat hair. Poor Masoud had to wear a face mask. He looked like a haz mat tech! He rolled them up and put them in his car. Then we went back to his place and cleaned my car. Once again the mask and shop vac were put to the test. They came through with flying colors! My car hasn't been this clean since I bought it (2000). It even got an Amor-all(sp?) treatment.
Well, guess I better get my butt back in bed. Poor honey probably wonders what happened to me. Have a good one!

In reaction to recent events...

What is the world
coming to??!!
When mass-murderers
are blowing away
fellow classmates;
Leaving a trail
of blood and destruction,
When the children
are playing the choking game,
When murder-suicides
are commonplace,
What is happening??!!
Is everybody going insane??!!
Is there any hope
for society?
How can we reverse
this epic violence?
***
Running down the corridor
Frightened and in pain
Hurry, quick, run
he's right behind
and getting closer
Duck, quick!
there's another
round, another
hail of bullets
raining down
Screams and cries
of pain
echo off the wall
raging in the hall
of emptiness
in vain
bodies lie all around
life has flown
God help us
the world
is coming
to an end.
***
Darkness
punctuated
only by flashes
of bright light,
the deafening roar
ringing in my ears,
deafening sound
trying to escape,
please, i don't
want to die,
getting closer
sharp, shooting
pain, ripping
tearing, falling
hitting, lying
blood ozing;
my life blood
ebbing away,
life is fleeing
just one more breath
but the pool's deepening
and the lights dim
one last time.