Remember.....

Baby souls follow.

Young souls lead.

But old souls, Susan, are happy to dance alone.

Not that I'm spying on you,
The Universe

orange swirl

If I can place the blame somewhere it would be 'summer made me do it'.

I went grocery shopping while hungry (always a mistake) and gave in to the temptation. Orange delight: vanilla and orange sherbet ice cream.

Back in the day - age 7, Hatton Street, San Diego - mom would give us kids a dime when we heard the tiney sound of the ice cream truck coming our way. I'd scurry to the curb, peer at the menu board and agonize. The multi-colored missile pop or a creamsicle?



Although the missile pop was bigger, the creamsicle's flavors blended so nicely; a bit of creamy yet tangy on a stick.

It's a flavor I haven't yet outgrown.

Adoption

This video made my nostrils flare and tears leak from my tear ducts. Especially the part where Sarah tells of seeing the picture of her soon-to-be daughter and knowing right then that she was a mom.

My daughter and son-in-law have plans to adopt one day.

I can't wait.

(PS - Choose - or not -to ignore the reference to Mormanism)

The beauty of tension

Summertime is a busy time. Places to go, gardens to sow, weed & harvest, barbecues, overnight guests, camping trips, vacations, days to simply enjoy the season..... I love it all. But, cram all of the above into a 34 hour work week and my edges feel squeezed.

My BFF, Kathleen, listened patiently while I vented recently. 'The worst part is I have no time to create & my brain is overflowing with ideas', I whined.

Her gentle response is wise and noteworthy. 'Remember. It's the tension in our lives that gives rise to creativity.'

Without tension, our landscape would be muted and mundane.

Thank you, Kathleen, for once again freely sharing the wisdom you've learned through the' school of hard knocks'. I will continue filling my little notebooks with inspiration and ideas, biding my time until the rainy days return (all too soon) when I'm stuck indoors and have opportunity to create to my heart's content.

a pictures speaks one thousand words

My week in review - a photo montage:

Eager faces - Daddy's plane has landed!

Hot weather = pool time

Tasty summer harvest

'What are Words'

I'm touched by this young man, his music and his story.

I don't watch American Idol so you if you are a fan, this story will be old news. I've heard the name 'Chris Medina'. I just can't tell you where. Until now. I stumbled across Chris' story somewhere on the web telling about his fame due to his short stint on American Idol earlier this year.

While a contestant on the show, Chris told how his finance, Juliana, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident a mere two weeks before their wedding leaving her in a wheelchair, struggling to recover. Chris, a Starbucks barista, has spent nearly two years caring for her. Although he was later eliminated from the show, Chris' story caught the attention of songwriter and producer Rodney Jerkins who was touched by Chris' devotion to Juliana . Rodney wrote a song loosely based on Chris' story and asked Chris if he would record it. 'What are Words' soared to No. 24 on the iTunes top 200 charts. Chris' new found popularity found him making appearances on The Tonight Show and Good Morning America.

The Universe works in profound ways. Donors, touched by Juliana's struggles and Chris' devotion, have been generous with their dollars, aiding in Juliana's recovery.

I know a young woman named Sarah who suffered irreversible brain damage when hit by a drunk driver driving the wrong way on an interstate. This accident not only turned Sarah's life upside down but the lives of her family as well. Despair, medical bills, nursing care, therapists, bedside vigils , lawsuits, back strain, infections; heaps of difficulties. Yet love is lavished daily upon this young woman by her family and friends, again and again and again.

Chris Medina is a young 26 with endless possibilities ahead of him, not to mention his talented voice. Yet he's choosing Juliana to be a part of his life.

I admire this man.

OCD or simply organized?

We have three bathrooms in our home. While the kids were still residing at home, my biggest challenge was in keeping the bathrooms adequately supplied with toilet paper.

In my younger years, we did not buy in bulk. Nor did Costco exist back then. (Cover mouth with hand & emit a soft gasp.) When we ran out of something, mom simply added it to her grocery list and, come grocery day, that particular item would be available to use.

One day dear husband Glynn became exasperated when finding a stack of napkins on the bathroom counter. The toilet paper dispenser was empty once again. (doomsday music inserted here.) He declared from that day forward he would be taking over the responsibility of supplying our home with adequate toilet paper. That was over 10 years ago and, I must concede, we have never lacked for toilet paper since that time.

His distribution and supply talent has morphed into other areas of our home as well. I noticed these boxes of dishwasher detergent on our garage shelf last week. I have 2 bottles of liquid detergent awaiting use under the kitchen sink, as well.

Glynn is quite adept at quoting this ditty:

'Prior planning prevents poor progress'.

His organizational skills extend into his bathroom, too. Why stop with one extra bar of soap when one can have 4 or 5?

Thanks to him, we'll have clean hineys, clothes & dishes for months to come.

I love this man who generously shares his bottomless supply of affection as well...