Frogs for Breakfast

Thursday I was stranded with only one book. How I got stranded with only one book to read (or not read) and more than enough time on my hands to read the whole thing is unimportant. It seems that the important thing is that ~ IF you are required to eat a frog, do it early, do it quick and don't waste your time staring at the frog it will only ruin your appetite.

I did not find a section on WHY one would be required to eat a frog. That doesn't seem to be the point.

In the meantime...I hope you each get done all those things you wanted to get done. (Thank you Brian Tracy for a quick lesson while I was so thoroughly bored.)

Chop Wood

Chop wood, haul water, achieve enlightenment, chop wood haul water.

It's somewhere there in the middle.

I'm off to go chop wood....

Apparently

Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.

~Mark Twain

Background thoughts

At the time of my divorce there was some discussion among my support group that I should recieve a half interest in the assets that I shared with my then husband. I had let my then husband know, and I firmly believed (still do) that I did not want to take the house from him, not the car, the van, the camper or any of the wonderful and expensive woodworking tools in the garage. I wanted him to have all those things he cherished and had worked for. I was willing to walk away. I firmly believed that I would be taken care of. I did not worry about how an equitable split would be made. My support group worried about the "how". I believed that an equitable division would occur I just didn't know how.

I spent many hours in prayer and reflection and no obvious answers came to me. I gave this over to the universe. I handed it over completely the night before we met at the lawyers office. When I woke the next morning and eventually went to meet with my then husband and our lawyer I did not allow any thoughts to come to me of how this would all work out. In fact, no thoughts regarding this quandary came up at all. As I sat next to my then husband in the lobby area of the offices my then husband pulled out a letter he had received since I had moved out. He handed it to me. He didn't say anything, yet he was giving it to me. What he handed me was basically half of what we had together. It is no business here exactly what was in the letter. Suffice it to say that with faith alone I had received what I didn't know to ask for. It was given to me. I never demanded a thing. It was offered. It was the most respectful thing my ex husband had done for me in a very, very long time. We could both walk away with our heads held as high as one can in these situations.

I feel like this now. I know something is happening. I don't know what. I don't want to ask for anything specific as something I may never have considered is in the background. I merely need to be in a place to receive when it comes to the foreground.

The "other" side of life

Here it is. The thought I was trying to get to while you were here.

I have visions that feel wonderful and right. It is the vision of money falling onto me, the sky full of money in floating bills down onto me. I am catching these bills, they fall into my hands and I am giving the money back out easily and effortlessly to little boxes that send the money back out again to the people that are asking for it, that I repay, and that I pay forward. There is just an unending stream of this money falling for me. Whatever it is I am doing to receive this money is enjoyable and a "god" given gift that encourages me to do more and receive more. This image that comes to me often these days, this image is what I wish to translate into an action. My question to "the all there is" is how do I make this come to pass? What "thing" is it that I do that is so inspiring that I can't help but do it? I have to bring this image out of the spiritual and into my life.

I know what it is. I do know. But, I haven't been able up until now to see, or to accept, or to do what that is. There is something shadowing this obvious answer. Something that keeps me from that firm and absolute belief. I would like to believe it is in my writing. I am getting closer to the "whatever" it is when I am writing. The first request to the spirit is then, Please, allow me to believe and then to see the actions that will bring this to pass. I am in the midst of surrendering. It feels right. It feels scary. In an exciting threshold sort of way. I ask then to allow me to allow myself to step over that threshold and make this my life in joy and peace.

The media does make light of this thought pattern and derisive comments. One more reason I am proud of myself for not having cable service.

The Rain has Begun

The rain has begun here in the Northwest. I have been counseled by three separate people to purchase Vitamin D in bulk to get through these next several months without wanting to slit my wrists in despair at the weather. Leaning over my balcony I see the grass and weeds are being replaced by mushrooms. There are all kinds of mushrooms peeking their varied heads up at me. Not quite the dandelions that over run the yard in July and August, more sublime in their coloring, but just as populace.

I do like it here in the Northwest. I do feel like I'm home. Time to pull out the books and label /name these beauties.

Waiting For the Library to Open

Every season is remarkable.

Pink petals in Spring and now in Autumn.
Red leaves to color the asphalt.
I wonder at what age a kid will now ask..."What's that?" It's Superman's dressing room, dear..."Who's he?"
Bears will always have the right of way.
Even at the library.

Suzi Homaker is Considering an Oil Change

But, Suzi being a single girl, is wondering about the used oil coming out of the vehicle. She is fortunate to live within walking distance of the oil recycling drop-off center. Disposing of the oil won't be a problem. Or will it? How does one get the used, gunky, dark and crusty oil to the drop-off center? I dunno.

Looking around the apartment for something to put the oil in, as it comes out of the vehicle and then to get it trasported to the drop-off, Suzi wonders if the plastic tub she uses for mixing floor cleaner and then mopping her kitchen and bathroom would work. Well, sure. Why not? Ever resourceful, Suzi is considering using plastic wrap to seal the oil in the tub until she can drive the block and a half to the center. Maybe "Press 'n Seal" would work better? If she drives less than 8 miles an hour it shouldn't slosh too much in the back of her car, maybe. Hmm, Suzi wonders, what cleaner will get the tub cleaned out enough to use it again for her floors?

What should Suzi use? Is she better with the "Press 'n Seal" or the plastic wrap? Should she drive the disgusting refuse to the center or walk it over? Can she drive less than 8 miles an hour without backing up traffic too much? If she walks it over to the center does she have cruddy enough clothes (and shoes) to be sloshed on? What cleaner will clean out the car after half the oil sloshes all over the floor from the two turns she needs to make to get to the center? Decisions, decisions.

Reading list

And so, I am between assignments for work. I get to sleep in. I get to take naps in the middle of the day. I am writing and cleaning. I am in a good mood and life is fine. I have time to meet new people and have. It's been interesting. Mostly, I've been reading.

Tom Robbins - Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas - What a great wordsmith. Oh, if I only had talent like that...

Jude Deveraux - High Tide - Romance novel with murder and suspense; what's not to like?

Huffinton Post Complete Guide to Blogging - About time I learned what the h*ll I'm doing.

Juan, The Craftsman

It was a project weekend last weekend. It was nice to have the full 3 day weekend, with Columbus Day in there for us Gov't workers. The result was wonderful. As each night passes since last weekend I am reminded how really wonderful it is. To have a bed, not just a mattress on the floor but a real live bed, is truly a thing that defines 'home'. A mental shift has occurred that I didn't know would happen. I now feel at home in this apartment. I feel a sense of place I didn't know was missing.

Juan, thank you. This is craftsmanship. For those of you just stopping in, the backstory is that Juan flew up last weekend from paradise to the cold, wet Northwest with the offer to build a bed for me. I took him up on the offer. I'm not generally one to ask or expect, much less accept, offers of help. Maybe I'm getting wiser as I get older. Although that statement may be pushing the envelope. This bed is a thing of beauty, comfort and functionality. The entire frame and headboard knocks apart to travel flat. Ikea...eat your heart out. I have a one of a kind, made by a friend, expressly for me, perfectly measured and built bed. What's not to love?

Juan sliding in the finishing piece.

My sanctuary

Life is good.

Juan, thank you. This is perfect. I mean that.

Señor Carpintero

Have carpenter will travel...

So many angles to assess...
Pieces to keep track of
Support beams to work in for a sturdy bed...

Finished piece to be posted sooon....

Puzzling Day

Sunday was a puzzling day. I spent a good portion of my afternoon looking mostly for the piece with the yellow flowers and blue edge. As far as puzzle pieces go this one was elusive. I still haven’t found it. I know it’s in the box. It’s there. It will show itself eventually, it has no choice. This brings me to admit that this puzzle seems to be a pretty good analogy for my life. All the pieces are there. Right now, I don’t know where they all fit, I just know they will. When I stir up the pieces in the box some pieces look familiar, some don’t, some are face down, some rise to the surface repeatedly.

I had it in my mind to find this one puzzle piece with the yellow flowers and the blue edge. I started by moving all the pieces in the box to one end and slowly, one by one, sifting through the pieces looking for yellow flowers and for blue edges. I found the legs on the flying bug and was able to pop that into place right away. Then I found the crescent edges of the moon – three pieces that fit wonderfully and allowed the tops of the trees to come together in a string of puzzle pieces leading further into the center of my puzzle. As I looked for that particular piece to my puzzle (not to forget the yellow flowers with the blue edge), I found all these other wonderful pieces that I recognized, that fit, that make up this intriguing picture.

It’s not just a puzzle. I found myself wondering about all the pieces of my life – what I’ve done, what I’ve not done, what yellow flowers I have planted, what deep blue nights I have witnessed. It is nice to call to mind that all the puzzle pieces are here. Just because I can’t see where they fit, doesn’t mean they won’t. In fact, all the puzzle pieces will fit – it’s just a really, really big puzzle. I am not to forget that while I look for one particular puzzle piece there are plenty right in front of me that fit right now.

Weather Report

My balcony

Bike riding weather today!! Excellent, excellent excellent morning. I cannot believe that it has been a year since I've been on my bike. I lived on my bike last year - went everywhere. I cleaned the bike up and put it away last year in October; oiled the chain, took off gadgets for holding things, wiped it all down pretty and tucked into the back corner of the garage where the salt wouldn't get to it.

And then the great re-location of 2009 swept in and pulled the bike out of the corner and tossed it into the back of a pretend pick-up truck. Poor bike was hoping it would go for a ride, it went for a ride alright. Spent a week in the back of the pretend pick-up with ever changing snow and 70 mile an hour winds with an ironing board for company for god's sake, where's the dignity in that? To be thrown into the back of a truck with no cover, no care; whipping, biting winds, sun all day then cold, burning cold all night. The front rim warped. Or had something set on it - possibly the cooler. It never recovered.

I finally got the new rim two weekends ago. I dunno, it just didn't make the top of my to-do list like somethings do. And then it took me two weeks to pull the bike away from the balcony wall and pop the new rim on there. Just in time for the end of the season. Today is sunny and dry. I rode for an hour an a half, is all. Stuck to intra-city trails too. If it's dry tomorrow I'll kick it up a knotch. Especially as my tennis partner is MIA these days. When she wants a break from living her life and wants to come out to play, well she knows my number. I'm ribbing her and she knows it. There's only so many dry days left (I've been told).

To continue with the weather report, then...how many ways are there to say "rain"? Although from what I've witnessed - it seems I should be learning all the cloud formations instead. We may be coming on rainy season, but there seem far more cloudy days than rainy days.

Let's see:

Rain

Showers

Drizzle

uhhhh.....(I'll work on it)