good reasons for loving fridays

i'm home today!


hooray for Fridays ... I say. And who doesn't! I suppose someone who's Monday began on Friday wouldn't like Friday's too much, unless of course they had a job which entailed testing chocolate or ice cream or mattresses, or how long it takes to fall asleep under a down comforter, or playing with puppies all day. I suppose then one would love their Monday which was really Friday for everyone else, and then the people who loved Friday wouldn't like Friday so much anymore because they couldn't wait wait to get back to their ice cream and chocolate, mattresses and puppies. That said ... what the heck is this post all about anyway?

oh yes, today is Friday. And I have many things to do, but being a free bird on Fridays I flutter around and do the things that give me great pleasure, one of which is shopping for silver findings, such fun, and the others entail eating comfort food like macaroni and cheese and playing with my two unmannerly parrots, my sweet doggies and extremely chubby cat. Such things don't really take getting used to. They are sort of the frosting on the cake of life. Such things are Fridays made of!

i happen to have a rather stealthy parrot climbing up my back right now. He's tired of seeing me type, because he wants me to take him to the kitchen where he can really have some fun. Mr. R is a Dusky Headed Conure and he is very silly and full of play. Problem is, parrots, unlike dogs and cats, rarely nap. They can play non stop all day like a child with ADD ... and with the same attention span, or lack thereof! Needless to say, parenting a parrot is not for the faint of heart, nor the sleepy. The one really good thing is that you can, of course, lock them in a cage and toss away the key ... then go take your nap. I suppose if you are thinking seriously about getting yourself a parrot, that is, something a bit more troublesome than a parakeet or cockateil, I would recommend you borrow one for a month from a friend. At the end of which time, you may have a change of heart! Lovely though they are ... breathtakingly beautiful, in fact, they are also very bright, constantly searching for fun, food, something to chew, and companionship. They don't like being alone but prefer to be in the midst of the flock with all the accompanying noise. And if there is not enough noise, they will gladly create some for you!

right now, ms. L is chewing on my mouse, and mr. R is climbing up an electrical cord. Ahhhh yes. The wonder of parronting.

as you know, i've been working hard to keep up with my New Year's resolutions ... well, thank heaven's I have a whole year. But I have been doing my 4 days a week of exercising ... which by now has merely caused me excruciating pain in my upper arms and thighs! Practicing my guitar, per my son's instructions ... which has left me with burning fingertips that waver between shooting pain and absolute numbness (just wait until the calluses form, he says! I've been reading my books ... now I have two going and finding it hard to get in that 1/2 hour a day! I can, alas, make macaroni and cheese, a good Greek salad and a pretty tasty shrimp curry.

Today, I'm thinking that chocolate brownies would make a quite tasty vegetarian dish ...

I wonder if I have any baker's chocolate? ....

the white stuff makes a brief appearance

it came in the night ... when the house was silent


and we were all sleeping ... okay, most of us were sleeping ... someone was creeping about and leaving their telltale footprints ... Frosty? Is that you?



giant flakes fell from the sky



then sadly ... the grownups had to go to work and by the time they got home...



it had mostly melted away. All that remained was Frosty's skeleton! Not quite a children's story, is it?

I love the snow!

(sigh)

a very misty Friday

home today and i hardly know where to begin. It is the day to bring down the tree and remove the last vestiges of Christmas....



time for the penguins to stop their chorus for another year...



the wreaths on the chandalier must go ... and copious dusting must ensue...



the ornaments must be wrapped and stored...



the little tree, once lush and fragrant is now dry and eerily combustible seeming! it appears cramped in its little corner, sans brightly wrapped gifts beneath it's boughs, now dropping needles and begging to be returned to the earth in the annual "Kelly family" ceremony ... the burning of the tree (before it burns us, of course!)... we, a secret band of pyromaniacs, watch enthralled as the first match is tossed and it goes up in flames with a gasp ... that could've been our living room, we each consider wide-eyed! Still ... always a sad day this! (You're not convinced)



out my window, the cedar is still green and the hazelnut bare... the sky is a dusky grey, the landscape blurred by the rising mist from the earth...



another year begins for us all.

And then there's Mr. R... the imperious green conure, for whom this....



is just another day to make trouble!

With that... i begin the list:

learn to play an instrument -- number one son has offered to teach me guitar! i begin by learning a strange rock riff he feels will 'limber me up' ... sore fingers and tennis elbow later ... ouch?

make three new pieces of jewelry each week ... oh, that one's easy! Right?

take a photography class to shoot my jewelry better

take a class on birds nest rings (the ones with the big, fat gemstones wrapped in silver wire)

learn one excellent vegetarian recipe a month. (Oh, I must've forgotten to mention i went veggie this summer ... for the LAST time!) Not so easy when one must cook meat for the natives. But my thinking is, a good palatable vege dish will perhaps replace meat for the natives, too!

lose weight ... i shall say no more!

exercise 4 x weekly! (good heavens! who's writing this list, anyway?)

write one paragraph per day, whether it be poetry or prose

complete daily studies of A Course in Miracles

take 1/2 hour to read my favorite books each day!!!

take time to have fun with my friends WEEKLY! Go to breakfast, dinner, drinks, dogwalking or laughing over the phone

go to the stables once weekly to be around my favorite animals in the world

invite a friend to dinner at least once a month!

volunteer ... the humane society?

toss out all non-essential things in my home ... give them to the Good Will ... simplify!

purchase a good, sturdy bike and stop driving to the grocery store ... use pedal power!

do the 21 day Master Cleanse! Gaaahhhhh ... this will most certainly be the subject of many blogs entries!

Sign up for the Masters in HR Certification at UW in September

Sit for the SPHR certification exam by summer

get a pedicure before summer

relax more....

have more fun....


(sigh....)

resolve to evolve

previous New Years when i made an attempt at "resolutions" it seemed "life" infringed upon my better judgement, bulldozing my rosier dreams aside, or else, and more than likely, I just forgot them. Because I was struggling through school, or barely surviving in the city on my own, or too busy with a new job, or falling in love or falling out of it, or going back to school, or raising a child, or assuming multiple new chapters in my life ... all of which could have been preceded by resolutions had I only known what was to come, but that instead just sort of happened, with little effort on my part in the way of conscious decisions for change, despite my best intentions each first of January.

Anyway ... all that aside. What I'm trying to say here is that, this year is different. I've decided to resolve to resolve to change for the sake of my own evolution. Or that's how I explained it to my 17 year old son who asked me as I sat propped up on my pillow staring thoughtfully off into space, journal opened in my lap, pen poised. "What's the purpose?" ... and for once I had an answer that didn't sound like something my mom would've said... as in, "because, that's just the way it's always been done... it's what you're supposed to do, see?"

"To evolve!" I said almost too quickly. And it sounded so eloquent falling from my hopelessly boring lips I realized I was on a roll and determined to let these strange words flow as they seemingly desired... I went on... "to become somehow "better" than you were last year. A better person ... more knowledgeable, more fit, more thoughtful, more loving, more compassionate, more capable, less judgmental, less uptight, more carefree, more competent, more Godlike" okay, okay, I get it! he says loudly, hand up in the air. Need I say I may have gone a little too far with that last one? Still...

in wishing all and myself included an uncommonly blessed season, and these things don't just "happen," we must in effect make some form of effort to create our lives, I believe. Therefore, I take the first plunge and think about what I wish to accomplish this year, but also try to send my mind to the end of the year to feel what it will actually feel like to have accomplished these things ... will it feel good, as if I've truly grown and changed for the best? I'm thinking it will. Perhaps only incrementally, but growth incrementally or staggeringly is growth, which is not stagnation, which means to me doing nothing, basically, but to sit and rot like bad pond water. Not good. Even frogs don't lay their eggs in rotten water. What the heck does that mean? God knows!

i'm still working on my list and when it's complete I will post it here. I'm really hoping to find lists of resolutions throughout the blogosphere ... maybe some that will inspire me in ways I haven't even considered!

Join me, will you, in resolving to become a better person in 2008? Here's to conscious evolution!

~L

Happy New Year!

how quickly Christmas passed ... although technically, the 12 days only began on the 25th. Still, it seems the years are racing by us now. And the shops are decorating for Christmas in September! Hey! What about Halloween! Thanksgiving! ... I must've missed those displays in the summer... I'm sure you know of what I speak!

i'm still wrestling with that nasty cough I cought earlier in the month, but feeling a bit of relief so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just barely. But, seeing the end is half the battle. Feeling tired... exhausted actually. Still, the thought of a new year gives me hope. And isn't that the golden fruit? Afterall?

i am hopefull... and I pray that all of you have just a little hope for a most stellar year. I've made some resolutions, despite the fact that most of my previous resolutions have been broken before the years have ended. I was amazed by the fact that I actually stuck to some of last year's, and so this year I am committed to commit! (So, who doesn't PLAN to commit to their resolutions) I hear you thinking....

well, you're right of course. I'll give it a good go, let's put it that way! Since I have a few days to pinpoint my plans for the new year, I can turn them over a few times in my mind's eye and make sure they will provide some sort of return worthy of a commitment, or at least, give my life some umph! I hope (plan) to post my resolutions here for curious eyes ... but mostly so I can say, I said I'd do it, and you witnessed my saying it, so I can't pretend I didn't intend to do it ... you get my point. perhaps...just perhaps... that will help me to stick to my resolutions with even more resolve and focus.

i wish you all an uncommonly blessed season and hope you too have a floating hope in your hearts for a fabulous future beginning in 2008!

peace....

Solstice! only 5 more days to go

i'm sitting at my desk today, the house all decorated and a sparkling coat of frost on the trees and lawn, and instead of feeling grateful, I am feeling, well, short changed... why me and woe is me?... coughing like a dog ... sick as a dog, in fact ... and I have to wonder ... where does that come from? I mean ..."Like a dog?" when referring to sickness and laziness and smelliness ... (dogs always seem to get a bad rap when it comes to all the ills of humanity... dogs and pigs that is, I think) anyway, ingrate that I am, I am highly bothered that somewhere along the way during these 12 merry days of Christmas I was unmerrily invaded by a microscopic bug that settled into my bronchial tubes and caused much havoc among the natives. I've been trying to cough it all up for days and the result is extreme exhaustion and even some downright depression. So many things to do and no energy to do them!

today I will admit is the first day among many that I've felt the least bit of energy to sit at my desk and pound away at the keyboards. So I should be grateful. I even took the family mutts for a long walk, and as I trekked along behind them, huffing and puffing, I coughed my head off. Well, I do actually have my head now, but at the time, it seemed to be lagging behind somewhere and I wasn't too pushed either to go find it!

this afternoon, despite my desire to go to bed and dull my central nervous system with cough medicine laced with codene, I've been invited by my son to accompany him and his girlfriend to the mall for lunch and loafing. Considering 17 year old boys rarely want their mothers along for much of anything when they have girlfriends, I realized I should be grateful, and decided I must take him up on his offer and so, precious delirium will have to wait. Sigh.....

at the back of my mind a nagging thought triggers some guilt, i have many commissioned pieces this season and most are due by CHRISTMAS MORNING! I should be working. BUT... instead, this weekend will be a busy one frought with me bundled to the nines, fingerless gloves, mufflers and ear muffs while i hunker over my work table "creating" glittery things. It's so cold down there this time of year. I turn on the space heater and put it right up against me, practically, just inches from being a fire hazard (okay, so maybe it IS a fire hazard)... and then I try my best to achieve a state of comfort. This is necessary in order for creative juices to flow, otherwise, one's mind wanders to visions of hot cocoa and roaring fires and feather beds piled high with comforters and cozy socks ... you name it. Anything BUT creating. So... I suppose the point here is ... wish me luck?

Finally...i hope you are enjoying your 12 days to the fullest and that today, you are beside a warm fire place or in that feather bed with comforters piled high, or enjoying a cup of steaming cocoa while you listen to Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" ... my most favorite Christmas music in the world!

in keeping with the theme of gratitude which is what this season is all about... I am very grateful to Charles Schultz AND Vince Guaraldi for creating wonderful memories for me. I can't quite get enough of that wonderful little animated film, A Charlie Brown Christmas ... and listening to the music reminds me of all those wonderful Peanuts characters I so love. Thank you, gentleman!

Blessings on this Solstice night and best wishes, friends,

Christmas is nearly here!

Well, I didn't get too far in my countdown because number one son absconded with the camera and then I couldn't find 5 Really Cool Things (at least all at the same time) ... I do love horses, kittens, country roads, farm houses and rainy days, but just try getting those really cool things into one photo shot!

so now it's the 15th and I'm not sure what day of Christmas that makes this... and I'm really not sure when the 12th day of Christmas starts anyway. All I do know is there's one more week to go!

I do have my tree decorated FINALLY! And although the living room has some seasonal decor decking the walls and halls ... the three presents under the tree is/are the sweetest "thing" of all. Only THREE! That's because our tradition has been to wait until Christmas for the magic to arrive. The few little bits before the big day are just harbingers of things to come. Of course, none of these three things are for me because Yours Truly is the decorator and wrapper in this little house. And despite the best intentions... we're all last minute shoppers, too!

we've never been an over the top sort of family this time of year, although having one child, that child tends to be somnewhat spoiled, just a bit! Now that the child is 17, hopefully he will see that it is his turn now to do a little spoiling of others. For those of you who have "only" children, you too understand just how difficult it is to teach these young ones the concept of "sharing" ... especially when they've never had to wrestle their favorite toy out of the hands of a sibling.

still, the days of toys are pretty much over. Now, it's a different sort of plaything... guitars and amps, skateboards and video cameras ... these are the items on the lists of only children who are 17. AND...Girlfriends.... did I mention that? ONLY Sons often disappear to assist the girlfriend's family with decorating and preparations. As mine did last night. Something about setting up the nativity scene at the church and Mexican food afterwards. Who knew it would come to this?

i asked number one son if he would like to go with me to Seattle to watch the Nutcracker or see the symphony to help capture that special Christmassy feeling. His reply? Mom, I'm just happy when the house is all decorated like you do every year, and everything smells so nice and Christmas music is playing. That's all I need to feel the spirit.

sigh.... perhaps he'll be okay after all.