Sunday, August 31, 2008

Sunday Secrets: Aug 31, 2008

I found these PostSecret cards on various sites on the web. They're not all this week's secrets; some have been around for quite a while. Most of these were posted on the PostSecret Facebook fan page. Some may have come from MySpace. One is from an international site.

Each card made me laugh and tickled my brain ... or got me to wondering, thinking, remembering, sighing. Since I'm adding so many images this week, I'll keep my comments to myself.
:X

Enjoy!
(Uh ... beware. Some of these are R-rated!)





PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. I find it to be an amazing sociological experiment.

The Pirate Ship

More from the fair ...

One of the newer rides offered at this year's county fair was the Sea Ray pirate ship ride. It's basically a gigantic swing that, at full tilt, has its passengers at at 90°+ angle from the ground.

Most of the photos I took were too close to fit the entire ship. I was only able to capture the tail end flying through the blue sky.

I didn't have the nerve to go on the ride myself, so I can't claim to know the thrill of the plunge.


But in the photo editing process, I uncovered this ... which really does say it all!

Excitement on the High Seas

Another Way to Say It


I prepare the images for the Today's Phrase posts about a month in advance. So it always surprises me when these phrases dovetail so well into something specific in my life.

This one, for example, which I prepared and labeled a month ago, speaks so succinctly to the story I told last night. It was time for the old cutting boards to go. Time for me to let fall away another remnant of that first failed marriage. Time for me to bring to the forefront of my mind the important empirical lessons I learned from my grandmother.

Now look at what is left! This shiny new marriage that works! (And a couple new, upgraded cutting boards, to boot).

It wasn't all that big a piece of the pie that had to go. And there's a whole hunk of my life and memories left to enjoy.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Watch Me Bloom

I took another baby step in personal growth today. On the surface, the action may seem pretty silly and like a non-event: I threw out a couple old kitchen cutting boards.

This story begins over 20 years ago.

My first husband had a drinking problem. I tried to cope with it by getting counseling and treatment for myself and by attending Al-Anon meetings. Eventually, my husband started taking tentative steps into alcohol treatment and AA. But because he was there voluntarily, rather than under court order, and because he had never been caught by law enforcement, he thought the rules that applied to the treatment group at large did not apply to him.

Thus, outpatient treatment never really worked.

One day when the drinking was just too horrible for me to stand ... and because I was concerned about how my husband would behave around our 8 month old infant and 2.5 year old daughter, I had him committed to a detox center. From there, he went directly into an inpatient treatment facility on the other side of the state. Our health insurance did not cover the treatment, so we needed to find another source of money for the payment.

My grandmother had left me a small inheritance. She asked only one thing of her grandchildren: that the money be used for something that would last, that would help us move our lives forward. Like ... for schooling or a down payment on a house. I'd been saving the money for that very reason.

But my husband was not much of a believer in the strength of the US economy and never wanted to put down roots. He was just too pessimistic that any money we put into real estate would be recouped when we sold our home.

So I took a deep breath, and used my inheritance to send my husband to rehab. After all, I reasoned, I want my marriage to be a lasting thing. I want it to move my life forward. Grandma would be OK with this use of the money.

I put all my eggs in the rehab basket.

My husband was away for a month. He went to the seminars, took notes, wrote journals, did arts and crafts, took the steps of rehabilitation as they were presented to him, said all the right things to the people in charge. I was home alone, taking care of the two babies, completely stressed out and scared. In the course of that month, I contracted strep throat. My sister, the nanny, came to help me out for a while. I was incredibly grateful to her for her help and care. We grew closer as sisters than we'd been in years. The minor downside was that having her travel to Idaho was yet another expense for me.

When my husband got home, we were SO full of hope! Maybe finally we could be the healthy, happy family I wanted to be. He brought gifts for the girls that he'd made in the crafts class. He brought me two wooden cutting boards he'd crafted, sanded and oiled to use in our kitchen. We splurged and spent a night in a hotel together, hoping to re-start our marriage commitment.

But as with many folks that go through rehab, it didn't 'take.' Within 3 days, he was drinking again. Things at home went from bad to worse. That Fall, he lost his job. Six weeks after that, we separated under very bad circumstances. The babies and I went to live in a woman's shelter for six weeks, having packed only one small suitcase. From there, we were on our own.

After a year and a half of haggling and lawyers and court sessions and attempted family counseling and tears and hurt and betrayal and anger, the girls and I finally got the rest of our belongings and the marriage was dissolved. Among the items I retrieved were those two wooden cutting boards. That was all I had left of my inheritance from my grandma.

Well, my first husband didn't live much longer after we divorced. He died over 15 years ago.

I've used those cutting boards for over 20 years now. They've been sanded and bleached and sanitized over and over. They are well used — now cracked and stained. The thing is, worn out as they'd become, I just couldn't get rid of them. After all, it's all I had left of my inheritance!

Until today.

Today, my sweet husband Dale and I bought two new beautiful big wooden cutting boards. After talking to my two oldest daughters on the phone, I ceremoniously threw the old ones away.

After all, the best memories of my grandmother do NOT reside in those kitchen tools! The best memories reside in the kitchen, where I cook spaghetti sauce and lasagna and pizzelles using her recipes.

The best memories of my grandmother reside in my ability to knit, for she taught me.

My best memories of my grandma are from one summer in my college years when I spent two nights a week with her in her Los Angeles apartment. The first hour of the visit, I'd listen to all her complaints and the frustrations she felt from getting old. Then she'd feed me an excellent home made (partially home grown) meal. And she'd tell me stories. And show me her journal of interesting articles, bits of inspirational verse, and jotted down thoughts and feelings. We went through her dresser drawers together. She gave me a gorgeous royal purple nightgown and a length of exquisite Japanese printed silk.

Today, I took another small step in my personal growth. I released the 'things' that were part of a hurtful past and enshrined in these words the memories of the best parts of my love of my grandma ... the woman whose name I bear.

Like the petals of a rose
That fall off in the night
My past lets go of me.


To read the entire poem, look here

Gator Aid

Another from the county fair ...

Gator



This was just a baby gator. He was standing still all the time I saw him. Not all that interesting just sitting there in his pool. He didn't even blink.

But the sign on the side of the pool made waiting in line behind all the kids worth while.

Keep It Up


One of my favorite phrases I use to keep myself on track is:
I have Drive, Spirit, Stamina and Endurance

I tell ya ... those qualities are really important as I continue on this weight loss journey. My husband and I have been at it for a year now. I've lost a total of 20 lbs on the program ... over 30 from my highest weight ... at my best, I was 40 lbs down (then regained some). I'm thrilled at the changes we've both had.

But last month, I was completely worn out from the menus. I went off plan quite a bit. Went back up another 5 lbs. So starting last week, I found a second wind and am back on plan again. We went in for our weekly appointment. My good work put me down over 3.5 lbs this week!

One thing I've learned is that for the plan to work for ME, I have to adapt a few things. Like ... I'm willing to take a 3 mile walk to Denny's if the reward is a strawberry waffle! Sure, it's not on plan. But it is part of the stuff that makes life fun and worth living. The walk and talk with my husband. The yummy food. The overall experience.

But to get to have that little pleasure, I must be persistent the rest of the week.

It's worth it. It does pay off.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Bubo Virginianus

Another pic from the county fair .....


Great Horned Owl

Puttin' It Off


Ummmmmm ... simple, simple pleasures:
Morning snack.
My second shower of the day (after walking/running and some yard work).
Shaving my legs.

No more Sasquatch!

Let's Roll!

Deranged

I don't remember where I found this strip ...
but it cracks me up, so thought I'd share


Thursday, August 28, 2008

Out on a Limb

This fellow posed for a picture at the Kootenai County Fair last weekend.

Green Tree Python


More fair photos to come this week!

First Things First

LOL

Gosh, did I need this message today! It's 11:30am and I've barely started my day. My mind is spinning. I'm messing around on the computer too much — again!

True, I did manage to shower, dress, start the laundry and get my bed made. But ... then I got off track.

So time to return to self-discipline. Stop spinning. Move on to the ONE next step. Then do first things first.

It really is never too late to jump start your day.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

On My Desk - Hats, Hats & More Hats

If it's Wednesday, it's time for another installment of On My Desk
I've missed this the last couple weeks!


Today's desk? The table in our family library.

Hats, Hats & More Hats

These are the hats I've made since the first of the month. I took my looms with me on my trip because I thought knitting hats would be a fairly mindless way to pass the time and keep my nervous hands busy while my friend had her medical procedure.

I knit at the hospital. I knit when we returned to her residence. I knit as we watched movies together. I knit as I tried to get over jet lag and return to Pacific Daylight Time. I knit as my daughter and I caught up on our favorite recorded TV shows. And I've been knitting all through the Democratic National Convention coverage.

That's an average of knitting one hat every two days. It's been a great way to use up spare skeins of yarn.

But see those fuzzy purple hats at the top of the photo? Those are the direct result of my best friend's enabling abilities. She took me to a Job Lots store -- a new experience for me -- and we bought those skeins for only $2.00 each.

:: sigh ::

It's far easier to purchase additional supplies than it is to use up the stash on the shelf. But I'll continue making a valiant effort.

Sure hope there are lots of kids and teens out there that need warm hats this winter.

-

p.s. You think I'll ever get back to cross-stitch? I'm starting to twitch, so perhaps I'll stitch again before too long.

The Silver Lining


I suppose this is another way of saying that every cloud has a silver lining, yes?

When I was a single mom working at the county courthouse, there was one co-worker that I just could not get along with. She had such a superior and cranky attitude! Working beside her was an "awkward situation." [Understatement!]

I decided that I wanted to change the dynamic. So I played a game with myself. I decided that I would watch her and find one good thing that I could honestly compliment her on. That made me stretch, and it took a little while. But by the end of the day, I'd done it. If I remember correctly, it was something as simple as complimenting the new way she wore her hair ... something like that.

But the compliment was sincere. And because it was and I went out of my way to praise her, the dynamic of our working relationship did change for the better. I learned a very valuable lesson that day, and have since passed it on on my children.

Our own attitude has so much to do with how we view, act and react to situations. Even in awkward situations, it is possible to seize on that one good thing.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Only in Idaho

We all know how the sounds of gurgling water can capture our attention and draw us into a quiet, meditative state of mind. All over America, water features are being incorporated into the landscapes of homes and office buildings.

Beautiful koi ponds. Lovely rock riverbeds with streams where the water makes bubbling and soothing sounds. Lily ponds complete with flowers and frogs. Small man-made waterfalls. Or wall-hung and tabletop water bubblers that add serene natural music to a patio.

Well, a new office building went up next door to Jodie's orthodontist's office. And this is the water feature displayed prominently before the front door:

Oddball Water Feature

Yes. That is the stump of a pine tree 'planted' in a bed of white rocks and pine mulch with an accent of day lilies.

It's not even a REAL pine stump, but one made of some kind of composite material. Which means ... someone thought this was a good idea and did it on purpose. And someone else picked it out and approved its installation.

:: shaking head ::
No accounting for taste, I guess. I like the idea of a water feature just fine. A more common version around here is an artistically placed pile of rocks where the water streams down into a shallow pool.

But this? This one just makes me shake my head. Around here, we try to get RID of the pine stumps in our yard. Pay good money to have them removed.

Who knew? I could have been paid to have someone pull mine out of the yard and convert it into 'art'?!?

Perfect Smerfect


I'm trying to obliterate the word 'perfect' from my vocabulary. It's just too hard to live up to -- for me or for anyone or anything else.

Now, depending on the situation, I substitute 'reasonable' or 'manageable' or 'excellent' or 'good enough.'

You'd be surprised, though, how often that word 'perfect' slips out of your mouth. Try being aware of it for just one afternoon. And then see if by substituting a different word might be more accurate in its meaning, but may also take a bit of pressure off yourself. You can strive for personal excellence. But striving for perfection just wears you out too much and can make you feel like you just never reach your goal.

Monday, August 25, 2008

From the Air

Flying out of the Hartford, CT airport and heading south to Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, I got a glimpse of this out the window of the plane ...

Island of Love

I'm not sure what state this is in, or what river it's on, so I couldn't tell you how to find it. I thought it was so cool to see a heart-shaped island with a heart-shaped lake in the middle of it.

If any of you readers know more about this topography, leave a comment and teach me a thing or two!

Gratitude


I'm so totally zonked today that I need something to lift my spirit.
Zonked ... overtired.
Cantankerous.
Prone to acting as Monster Mommy.

One person I'm really grateful for? My husband.
He's been undeniably sweet and gentle with me today.
A good listening ear.
Compassionate.

Tonight, my gratitude rests in him.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Lily

When I was in Connecticut, I was pretty good about getting some walks in. My friend lives at the bottom of a very long hill. So the start of the walk was quite a climb. I had to stop twice on the way up just to catch my breath.

The scenery was so pretty, though, that it was worth the walk. Along the way, I found this lily of brilliant color.

Go!


I need this reminder today. Ever since my cross-country trip, I've been lax around here. My sleeping patterns are messed up again which messes with the rest of my life's routines.

But with the start of a new week, it's time to get back on track.

Today, I got serious about my meal plans again. Time to get on with some more weight loss. I've been plateaued long enough.

Tomorrow, a thorough Home Blessing. The poor floors and carpets need some attention. And the laundry. And the trash is piling up all over the house. Won't take long to have things spiffy again if I focus ... and dig in.

Sunday Secrets: Aug 24, 2008

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. I find it to be an amazing sociological experiment. These secrets peaked my curiosity this week:

Sounds like an interesting exercise. I sense I have a lot of fears. Maybe if I write them down, I'll see that I'm not as frightened or as loony tunes as I *fear* I am.


Good men always turn me on. I lost a friend because I *thought* he was one of the good guys, but I learned he wasn't supporting his kids. When I called him on it, he ended all contact with me. His loss.


Wow. Makes me wonder what went on behind this closed door. Was a life saved? Were life lessons learned? Or was it just really good room service?


I do, too. It looks healthy. It looks like life. Will I miss it when menopause begins?

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Our National Bird ... Almost

Are you sick of me talking about these wild turkeys yet?

Flock o' Wild Turkeys

Well, then ... I'll try to contain myself and make this the last post about them.

But just look! I count at least 27 of them in this photo ... and this was not all of the ones that were roosting in the back yard that day. By the time I got my camera and stood by the window (thus, the streaks of reflected light), the turkeys sensed my presence and started scooting back into the woods.

Their movements are so funny. Sometimes it looks like they are playing tag, three at a time, chasing each other back and forth across the lawn. Most of the times I saw them, it looked like there was one lookout who would warn the gang, "Humans! Humans!" and the rest would scurry out of sight crying, "Ack! Ack! Get out of my way! Humans!"

There seemed to always be one straggler, though. It reminded me of kids in a pool. The mom calls, "Time to go, kids!" Most of them swim obediently to the pool steps and crawl out of the water. But there will always be one ornery kid that just loves swimming and can't get enough of it, so stays in the pool long after the others have followed orders. After all, what's the mom going to do? Jump in after him and pull him forcefully from the pool?

[Gee. How do I know about this scenario? Hmmm. Yup. I was that kid!]

Watching these turkeys reminded me of that. They were so playful and goofy and yacky. A pure pleasure to watch and set me to giggling.

Did you know that Ben Franklin recommended that the turkey be named the national bird — not the bald eagle?

Author G. T. Klein wrote that the turkey is "wild and wary to the point of genius." I love that description.

Perhaps my affinity to the beast has less to do with its antics, its history and its reputation, and more to do with the fact that I was born on Thanksgiving Day. At least one less turkey was eaten that night. Family legend has it that my dad made a dinner of hot dogs to feed the family on that holiday. I have a perverse pleasure in knowing my entrance into the world altered the course of that celebration.

Facing Dragons


I'm really not much of a traveler. So the idea of taking that trip to Connecticut had my nerves on edge. I enjoy flying a lot. But it's that part about getting the ticket, the boarding pass, checking the luggage and getting through airport security that gets me all balled up. Not sure why, but it does. I get real, real quiet. Any extra noise / talking / chatter sets my teeth on edge.

But you know ... I did it. Going there and coming home.

Having stepped through that process with the help of family on one end and friend on the other, I feel a bit more sure. I have a firmer belief that I can figure out how to do it the next time the opportunity presents itself.

I suppose the same thing can be said about learning a new needlework finishing technique. I can read instructions, follow the images, work out how to do it in my head. I can gather all the supplies. Then ... I get stuck. I don't want to get discouraged by all there is to learn. I want to confidently jump in and try the new technique.

But I freeze, believing — or fearing? — that I'll mess up some step and not be able to recover from the error. It's quite an unreasonable belief that I won't be able to figure out the next step. So I stall before I ever get started.

But if I can just push forward, I usually can find a creative way out of any jam I get in. Even if the finished piece doesn't come out with the precise results I had in mind, I usually do manage to get passable results.

I call pushing past these types of self-doubts "facing dragons." Learning to face and conquer one kind of dragon can often translate into facing another kind. If I can find the courage to just trust myself once, the next time I'm asked to trust my judgment, it might be just that much easier.

It's odd to have lived a half century and still be grappling with such an unreasonable fear. But step by baby step, I continue to face these dragons. Oft times I learn that they are not dragons at all.

They're just little lizards.

Friday, August 22, 2008

A Place for Deer ... and Wild Turkeys

This beautiful spot lies just across the street from where my friend lives in Connecticut. It's rustic and lush, full of Shasta Daisies and Queen Anne's Lace. In the early morning light, or at dusk, you can also see deer ... and that crazy family of wild turkeys.

Meadow

I could look out the bedroom window and rest my eyes here. It's the type of pastoral setting that inspires poetry.

Now Is The Time


Well, then ...

I say THANK YOU to all of you that stop by to read my blog and check in on my creative pursuits. It's great to have the opportunity to share the things I love.

Now ... go say something nice to your significant others. Mine are upstairs. Might as well go tuck them in with some cozy talk.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Airport Art 3

What can be more artful than the natural beauty of a western sky?

Sunset over O'Hare International Airport

I took this image while waiting for my United flight to depart ... Chicago to Spokane.

Fly away
Fly away
Fly away home

Passing It On


I've been spending way too much time over on Facebook in the last few days. One of my high school classmates started up a Class of '75 group and contacted a bunch of classmates. Now we're all building profiles, scrambling to try and put married names with maiden names, faces from 30+ years ago with aging mugs, and pulling long-dusty memories out to make present-day connections. My hands smell like mildew from riffling through the pages of my senior annual.

It's been interesting.

One aspect, of course, is that now our children are the ages that WE were when we met and learned together. Posted are lots of high school graduation photos of our lads and lassies ... with us as the proud parents.
[Note to self: add photos of my own kids' graduations to Facebook]
;-)

Looking at our profiles, we find that most of us are just good common people, scattered across the country, doing everyday middle-class stuff like working decent jobs (long-haul truck drivers to computer analysts), raising children, enjoying our vacations and hobbies as we can, trying to get along with spouses and extended families.

In the photos, some of us look like life has beaten us up a bit. Others look remarkable — much the way we did as we walked the hallowed halls of Fullerton High. And many, many of us have expanded our gene pool to the next generation ... our children ... who are living out hopes and dreams of which we'll likely only get to see the beginning stages.

Airport Art 2

This humorous bit of airport art was found at the Hartford, CT airport near the United terminal.

Frisbee Cow

I don't know if this athletic cow can jump over the moon, but she sure could stretch up and grab the yellow disk out of the air.

(Please forgive the sloppy photo-editing job. There was just too much backlight and glunk in the background ... it's late ... and this is all I could manage at midnight).

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Music: A Favored Soundtrack

When I was in Connecticut, one of the ways my friend and I spent time as she recovered from her surgery was to watch films on DVD.

At one point, I suggested that she pick two of her favorite movies that I'd never seen to share with me. I picked two of my favorites to share with her.

Ladies in Lavender was one of my choices. It's a fairly recent find for me. The story is of two elderly sisters (played by Judi Dench and Maggie Smith) who share a home on the Cornish coast. After a terrible storm, they find a young man (played by Daniel Bruhl) washed up on the shore, barely alive. They nurse him back to health.

The young man is from Poland and speaks no English. As he learns to communicate, it is revealed that he loves the violin, and indeed, is a very gifted musician trying to escape the tyranny of his own country and make his way to the new world where he can express himself freely.

It's a lovely story of lost love. Transferred feelings. Desire for beauty. Desire for a fulfilled life.

The soundtrack is magnificent. The music is written by Nigel Hess. The violin performed by Joshua Bell.

Though not normally drawn specifically to violin music, this movie/CD really captured my heart. The music is sweet and haunting and pulls one's heartstrings. It's lovely the way a gull soaring over the ocean is lovely. The strains allow my imagination to wander and wonder that mere humans can create something so wrenching and powerful.

I'm Smitten with Words


It's no secret. I love words.

It's all my mom's fault. She loved words, too. She was an avid crossword puzzler. Worked on them to her dying day. She had a great vocabulary and encouraged her eleven kids to develop an excellent word set of their own. She loved Scrabble. It was a big deal the first time I ever beat her at that game. Mom gave me the gift of words.

I love the nuances words can bestow. One of the least favorite phrases ever thrown in my direction came from a psychiatrist who told me, "Oh, it's all just semantics." As if to say ... if he tells me one thing it means exactly the same as another and I ought not be so sensitive to the words he chose to use. Who cares about connotation?

Uh, no. I don't believe that. Word choice does matter.

I enjoy poetry (the reading and the writing).
I enjoy novels (especially those with excellent character development).
I enjoy essays (my daughters are fairly gifted at these).

I love sung words, lyrics. I love the word lyric.
I love whispered words, confidential secret sharings (are there any other kind?) and inside jokes.
I love word play. My sweet husband gets the gold medal in this category.

Now and then, I even enjoy dirty words (if blurted in an appropriate context). Naughty can be fun!

My favorite words? Those written in thoughtful, personal letters. Those that allow the writer to reveal himself to the reader. Those that were chosen carefully, crafted creatively, edited (if not over-edited), and delivered.

Some of my sweetest friends became my sweetest friends through the written word ... where they allowed their souls to be half revealed, half concealed. Those letters are tucked away, in safekeeping to enjoy again another day. Letters, as jewels. Moments of revealed confidence frozen in time.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Airport Art 1

Clouds and Clunkers

As I traveled across the country last week, I enjoyed some interesting sculpture in our country's airports. If I remember correctly, this installation is in Chicago's O'Hare Airport in the terminal where American Airlines bases their operation.

A Gem of a Life


When we were kids, my younger brother Jon used to have a rock tumbler. When he was in polishing mode, that thing would run and run and run. It seems like the motor would drone on for days. But when the noise finally stopped, he did get some awfully nice-looking shiny stones.

The thing is, turning this lump of mortal clay into a shining example of humanity does take a while. To me, the part about grinding down and polishing up is not an either/or option. Both are necessary.

At least in my case, I found that the bumps of life had to grind me down first. My burrs and pits needed to be smoothed out before the polishing could begin. Yet the transition from grinding to polishing had everything to do with my own self acceptance and a decision to recognize that some of the flaws in my surface were features, not bugs ... unique points of interest, not scars to be wiped away.

So now I've taken up my polishing cloth. I rub my surfaces until they emit a soft glow. The gem is revealed.

After all, my name is Margaret. And Margaret means "pearl."

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Landscape Feature

My trip to Connecticut ends tomorrow. One of the features I've really come to love, besides the lush greenery and forests, is this ...

Stone Wall

These stone walls are so pretty, and line most of the properties in the neighborhood where my friend lives. I really enjoyed strolling beside them on my afternoon walks.

I'm told the main reason they are there is because the darn ground is just so rocky, home owners pile the rocks up along the property lines to get them out of the way of other features they want in their yards ... like vegetable and flower gardens. Or ponds.

Some of the stone walls are very straight and sealed and tidy. They look sharp and architectural. Others are very low-to-the-ground and piled haphazardly. The type of wall in the photo above is my favorite kind. Some place in between a pile of rocks and a buttoned-up proper wall.

It looks deliberate, but not too fussy. Aged. Sturdy. It's got plants growing in the gaps. You just know that field mice or chipmunks and spiders have a home there. It marks a boundary without creating too much of a barrier.

Who Matters


One thing about blogging ...

It sure is an open forum to say what's on your mind.

The statistics for my blog say that I get about 25 visitors on a typical day. Now, I know that four of those are usually my immediate family. I know that some are friends that I invite to pop in to see my photos. And I know some regular visitors are members of some of the same stitching groups that I belong to.

I'm not so sure who the other folks are. I was surprised to learn today that one of my best friend's sisters stopped by. That's cool.

Maybe if I was aware of just who it is that pops in on me, I'd be more cautious about what I write here. So in a way, I'm glad I'm somewhat unaware of those identities because I feel like I'm starting to get in a groove about what I feel like sharing here. If I thought too much about who was reading it and their perceived opinion of me, I might edit myself too much. I was editing myself more when I first started this blog.

Then I learned that the blogs I enjoy reading are those where the writer told a bit about their family life and opinions in addition to talking about their interests. So I've been doing a bit more of that over the last few months.

I've been injecting a bit more of my humor, too. It can be a little *different* ... I was often razzed about it as I grew up ... but it's me. So I've been practicing being brave enough to put it out there.

After all ... the people that mind don't matter, right? If anyone were to be cruel about something they read on my site, it would say more about them than about me. And what it said would not be very complimentary.

The people that know me and love me and matter to me, not only don't mind my writing and opinion and humor, but pretty much look for it.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Acting Our Age


Yet another example of the silly fun I have with my best friend.

This photo was taken a week ago at the Peabody Museum. I was shooting the polar bear, because it's one of my husband's favorite animals. (Why shoot it? It was already dead and stuffed!) My friend thought up this ruse and insisted I take another shot.

One of these days ... I'll have to have her tell the story of how, in our college days, we went camping in the Idaho wilderness. She claims I tried to pet a moose. Then I embarrassed her by pointing out the bares.

I'd tell the story myself, but my version of the tale is not quite so tall as hers.