Friday, August 17, 2007
Quote-of-the-Day for John
"Among those whom I like, I can find no common denominator. Among those whom I love, I can. All of them make me laugh." ~W.H. Auden
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Hummingbirds, Essences, & Bears, Oh My!
I'm seeing and doing things I've never seen & done before! OK, so Mum gave me this really cool hand-blown, red glass hummingbird feeder. [Is that the hummingbird feeder I gave Mum? my sister asked on her last visit. Oops.] Anyway, I finally googled a nectar recipe (SO EASY! 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil water, add sugar, let it cool. Refridgerate what you don't use). So, today these hummingbirds are wizzing by and chasing each other, and then! Have you ever seen a hummingbird...stop...and perch? For not even 2 seconds, which I guess is a long time in Hummingbird Land. Amazing.
I've started creating my flower essences, and I did another batch today. 3 different flowers, but I don't know what they are, so I'm going to take them to my friend Ilene for identification. She's the herb lady and owner of the FABULOUS Apple Cottage in Luray. She has an awesome garden in front of her store and she's giving me some St. John's Wort flowers tomorrow.
Yesterday while driiiiiiiving down my road through the woods, I finally saw one--a bear!!! WOW! Not a baby, but not huge, either. Way cool! It all happened so fast that there was no time to even take a picture.
And...you know how your mind makes generalizations & assumptions? So when I saw the pink ribbon magnet on the back of this car, I automatically thought, "Breast Cancer Awareness." This one was pretty with little flowers around it and it said, "Support our...BOOBS?" Which makes sense, right? Except that it didn't say that. It actually said as I got closer to it, "Support our troops." But wait! I thought the colour code for troops was yellow. Now I'm all confused...which is a good thing because it means I may be about to learn something new....as an ErickDobsonian might say.... ;-) H.
I've started creating my flower essences, and I did another batch today. 3 different flowers, but I don't know what they are, so I'm going to take them to my friend Ilene for identification. She's the herb lady and owner of the FABULOUS Apple Cottage in Luray. She has an awesome garden in front of her store and she's giving me some St. John's Wort flowers tomorrow.
Yesterday while driiiiiiiving down my road through the woods, I finally saw one--a bear!!! WOW! Not a baby, but not huge, either. Way cool! It all happened so fast that there was no time to even take a picture.
And...you know how your mind makes generalizations & assumptions? So when I saw the pink ribbon magnet on the back of this car, I automatically thought, "Breast Cancer Awareness." This one was pretty with little flowers around it and it said, "Support our...BOOBS?" Which makes sense, right? Except that it didn't say that. It actually said as I got closer to it, "Support our troops." But wait! I thought the colour code for troops was yellow. Now I'm all confused...which is a good thing because it means I may be about to learn something new....as an ErickDobsonian might say.... ;-) H.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Quote-of-the-Day
"True creativity quite simply starts with balancing your emotions and activating the power of the heart. Through practicing emotional management from the heart, you tap into the highest form of creativity possible-recreating your perceptions of reality." ~ Doc Childre
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MUM!!!
When I was little, she used to call me Treasure and make me soft boiled eggs with "soldiers" for dipping. I watch her with my nieces and nephews now and see the love and joy and pride in her face for another generation. She is the glue that holds our family together, the Queen. No really, and with the British accent!
There are so many things that I am grateful for: she taught me to sew and knit and cook for an army. We sibs cook giant pots and casseroles of food--even for two. I don't know how to make single servings. That is why there is a freezer.
More than the overt teachings, I learned by her modeling. Age is never an excuse to stop doing anything: she took up skiing at 41, karate at 46 (she's a black belt), took my brother bundgie jumping for his college graduation, and just for kicks, went to body guard school at 65. We had a lot of fun with that one. We created scenarios where she was security for Sean Connery and he's lying on the ground having been shot and she'd say, "Oh, get up. You're not hurt. Just a minor flesh wound!"
While my dad adjusted us for everything ( Nooooo! Not the toggle recoil!!!), anything to do with bleeding was Mum's territory: the famous butterfly stitch. We all wore a box of bandaids at one time or other. You'll be fine. And we were.
I love her laugh and she has anchors that will set her off, like... SHEPHERDS. Oooh hoo hoo hoo! She sparked in all of us a passion for lifelong learning. She says she's not creative but she sewed our clothes when we were little, does calligraphy, refinishes furniture, and most recently built a harp from scratch. I've never particularly cared for harp music, but now that I've built one I guess I'll learn how to play it. I love how she does things JUST FOR FUN and that learning is fun.
I admire her strength and sense of adventure. She met my dad in the Yukon wilderness where she was working with Eskimos. On my 7th birthday, we left our home in California: 4 kids & another on the way, to the frozen Virginia country. We lived out of our camping trailer until the dome was built and even then, that was still like camping! I had a Marine friend in college who once said, Anyone who likes camping just hasn't done it enough. Amen.
I once asked her about L.A. and the riots in the 60's and she said, "Oh, don't ask me anything about the 60's, I was busy having children." The first 4 of us were 16 months apart. Having raised only 2 children, I don't know how she did it! And that is when you really appreciate your mother: when you're faced with parenting. She gave us chores and bedtimes and limits and consequences. All those things that as a child, make a parent "mean." But really mean, the ultimate love and sacrifice. It's OK to be mad or upset or disappointed, I still love you. And you won't appreciate all this until you're a successful adult--but that's my job: to raise you to get along in this world and be able to take care of yourself.
She had 6 children she calls her "Blessings" and said that "childbirth was just a bit of pressure." No big deal. As a midwife, she's delivered 2000+ babies, including most of the grandchildren at home. She went with me to my first Hypnobirthing lecture before I became certified, and the instructor said, "Childbirth is really just pressure." My mother wacked my arm and gave me the Mum-I-told-you-so Look. I am so grateful to have grown up with her as a calm alternative to the emergency pregnancy-as-a-disease mentality in our society. Babies come when they're ready, she always says. A lesson in patience, in trusting Nature, in trusting in your body's innate intelligence.
When people see us together, they say they can tell I'm her daughter because we look exactly alike. The funny thing is: we don't. I am my father's daughter: same eyes, bone structure, sense of humour. However, I have her smile and I like to think, her cheerful optimism. Once we were out to breakfast with a family friend, Melody. I said, "Don't they have any proper butter?" as I'm giving an Ick Face toward the fake stuff. Melody laughed and said, "You sound just like your mother!" And so I do. We appreciate proper things: butter, napkins, cleaning supplies, and anything of Quality.
Back in the '80's, it was all the rage to wear men's paisley pajama's with bangles and crucifixes. I hope you don't tell people who you are, she said as she saw me going out into the world in that get-up. I walked out onto the front porch and yelled: "Hey everyone! I'm Anne Holliday's daughter!"
THANK YOU, MUM. My heart SMILES whenever I think of you. And I can't express how much I LOVE YOU I APPRECIATE YOU and how PROUD I AM to be your daughter. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :-) BNO
There are so many things that I am grateful for: she taught me to sew and knit and cook for an army. We sibs cook giant pots and casseroles of food--even for two. I don't know how to make single servings. That is why there is a freezer.
More than the overt teachings, I learned by her modeling. Age is never an excuse to stop doing anything: she took up skiing at 41, karate at 46 (she's a black belt), took my brother bundgie jumping for his college graduation, and just for kicks, went to body guard school at 65. We had a lot of fun with that one. We created scenarios where she was security for Sean Connery and he's lying on the ground having been shot and she'd say, "Oh, get up. You're not hurt. Just a minor flesh wound!"
While my dad adjusted us for everything ( Nooooo! Not the toggle recoil!!!), anything to do with bleeding was Mum's territory: the famous butterfly stitch. We all wore a box of bandaids at one time or other. You'll be fine. And we were.
I love her laugh and she has anchors that will set her off, like... SHEPHERDS. Oooh hoo hoo hoo! She sparked in all of us a passion for lifelong learning. She says she's not creative but she sewed our clothes when we were little, does calligraphy, refinishes furniture, and most recently built a harp from scratch. I've never particularly cared for harp music, but now that I've built one I guess I'll learn how to play it. I love how she does things JUST FOR FUN and that learning is fun.
I admire her strength and sense of adventure. She met my dad in the Yukon wilderness where she was working with Eskimos. On my 7th birthday, we left our home in California: 4 kids & another on the way, to the frozen Virginia country. We lived out of our camping trailer until the dome was built and even then, that was still like camping! I had a Marine friend in college who once said, Anyone who likes camping just hasn't done it enough. Amen.
I once asked her about L.A. and the riots in the 60's and she said, "Oh, don't ask me anything about the 60's, I was busy having children." The first 4 of us were 16 months apart. Having raised only 2 children, I don't know how she did it! And that is when you really appreciate your mother: when you're faced with parenting. She gave us chores and bedtimes and limits and consequences. All those things that as a child, make a parent "mean." But really mean, the ultimate love and sacrifice. It's OK to be mad or upset or disappointed, I still love you. And you won't appreciate all this until you're a successful adult--but that's my job: to raise you to get along in this world and be able to take care of yourself.
She had 6 children she calls her "Blessings" and said that "childbirth was just a bit of pressure." No big deal. As a midwife, she's delivered 2000+ babies, including most of the grandchildren at home. She went with me to my first Hypnobirthing lecture before I became certified, and the instructor said, "Childbirth is really just pressure." My mother wacked my arm and gave me the Mum-I-told-you-so Look. I am so grateful to have grown up with her as a calm alternative to the emergency pregnancy-as-a-disease mentality in our society. Babies come when they're ready, she always says. A lesson in patience, in trusting Nature, in trusting in your body's innate intelligence.
When people see us together, they say they can tell I'm her daughter because we look exactly alike. The funny thing is: we don't. I am my father's daughter: same eyes, bone structure, sense of humour. However, I have her smile and I like to think, her cheerful optimism. Once we were out to breakfast with a family friend, Melody. I said, "Don't they have any proper butter?" as I'm giving an Ick Face toward the fake stuff. Melody laughed and said, "You sound just like your mother!" And so I do. We appreciate proper things: butter, napkins, cleaning supplies, and anything of Quality.
Back in the '80's, it was all the rage to wear men's paisley pajama's with bangles and crucifixes. I hope you don't tell people who you are, she said as she saw me going out into the world in that get-up. I walked out onto the front porch and yelled: "Hey everyone! I'm Anne Holliday's daughter!"
THANK YOU, MUM. My heart SMILES whenever I think of you. And I can't express how much I LOVE YOU I APPRECIATE YOU and how PROUD I AM to be your daughter. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :-) BNO
Monday, August 6, 2007
Quote-of-the-Day
I had to come out of my Blog Hibernation because this was too inspirational not to share. I got this in an email from Dr. David Lee who is one of my most favourite positive people on the planet!
If you share enough good news, there will be no room for the bad.
Amen. And may God's Goodness, Grace, & Mercy be in your heart.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Update, Guests, & Flying Squirrels
I'm going to take a break from blogging. It's not that I don't have anything to say--lots going on. However, I'm working on a new labyrinth script, I've got some art things that have a dead-line AND I've taken a job with John Morgan, "America's most FAMOUS hypnotist." The latter of which requires a lot of phone time. So here's a lengthy update and then I'll send an email out when I start posting again.
THANK YOU, Ruthie :-)
My sister Ruth came for a visit a couple weekends ago, read my blog post "Labyrinth Mourning," and said, "I think it's clear what we need to do this weekend." So we gathered river rocks and built a new labyrinth. It's half the size of my one in WV, but since I don't know how long I'll be here, I didn't want anything too permanent. I have pictures--but of course they won't upload. Stupid dial-up.
The piece of junk mail worth $19!
Friends Bess-from-massage-school & husband Val-who-did-my-website came for a few days. We went to Luray Caverns and I got in because I could show a Page County address. Yey, me! The caverns are AWESOME! And here's my Seinfeld/Larry David episode: A tour guide who yaks the entire time and manages to say NOTHING. "These formations are called the drapes. As you can see, [indicates with flashlight] the curves of the rock here resemble drapes." And then later, "These formations are called 'the fried eggs.' " Let me guess...because they look like fried eggs? And then! She's quizzing people! [Points with flashlight to rock formation] "What do you think this formation is called?" And she's not asking for anything scientific. There were lots of guesses, all WRONG, of course. What's wrong with silence? What is this obsession in our culture to fill up every empty space? As my old director Ed Steele at Wayside Theatre used to say, "LESS IS MORE."
Red raspberry season!!!
YUM! Bess & Val & I went hiking & berry picking. We also found some wild blueberries. In fact, I'll be picking some more today....
Squirrels can fly?
I have little bird houses on trees around the house from the previous owner. I was sitting in my chair near the telephone pole reading my book, and I heard a rustling in the box above and out pokes a furry little head. Too small to be a squirrel, and it didn't look like a chipmunk. Some sort of rodent, but not pointy enough to be a rat...mystery solved when Val, who's v. tall, tapped on the box with his water bottle and out scampered a little squirrely thing up to the top of the pole. There it turned to face us, unbushy tail twitching at us. And then--THEN! It leapt from the top of the pole into a nearby tree a good 2o feet. It was the most amazing thing to see, right before our eyes. It happened so fast. And there is such a thing as flying squirrels, I remember seeing something on Discovery, or TLC or National Geographic back in my TV-watching days.
Another Seinfeld episode:
As I may have mentioned, I have dial-up. Hehhh.... So I got a package with Embarq (AWESOME customer service!!!) who has a deal with Earthlink (CRAP customer service). Now that I have Embarq, I can cancel my Earthlink account and it will be handled by Embarq. Except I can't. Earthlink cut off my service because I didn't pay the bill--which I didn't because now I have Embarq. 4 live chats, and countless transfers to India and back to Embarq--4 HOURS of life force sucked out of me that I will never get back. My mother was with me for the first 2 of it, and it just became a joke: No! Don't transfer me! And then it was back to India to the v. polite person who would then transfer me to Embarq. So I just went ahead and paid Earthlink. I just got an email notification from Earthlink that my bill is due. Hehhh...stupid dial-up.
4th of July Celebration
Went to Mum's annual concert followed by fireworks. I recorded the fireworks because my nephew Ian was SO EXCITED that it made the experience that much more special. I have him on tape saying, "WOW! This is better than Christmas!" I LOVE fireworks, so it was really great to be able to share it with such an enthusiastic audience. For Ian's birthday on the 11th, I printed out one of the fireworks photos and glued it on top of a Christmas card. I love that he was born on the 11th...because it's one more, innit?
And for Entertainment
No TV, but I have DVD's, so I have had a Christopher Guest Fest. Favourites: Spinal Tap, Best in Show, and Waiting for Guffman. All including with commentary.
Books: I rarely read fiction, but re-read Clan of the Cave Bear. It's different reading a book again 20 years later. It's not even the same book. Right now I'm reading Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. It's a fascinating account of her work with animals. She's autistic and has an uncanny ability to see as animals see and understand their behaviour. It makes me think of Dave Dobson who says that we are "herd animals."
A friend lent me Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, which I've not read yet. You know what's funny? That's not a labyrinth on the cover, it's a maze.
Well, that's the update. If I find myself feeling chatty, I may post again. For the most part tho, I think I'll take the rest of the summer off. :-) H.
THANK YOU, Ruthie :-)
My sister Ruth came for a visit a couple weekends ago, read my blog post "Labyrinth Mourning," and said, "I think it's clear what we need to do this weekend." So we gathered river rocks and built a new labyrinth. It's half the size of my one in WV, but since I don't know how long I'll be here, I didn't want anything too permanent. I have pictures--but of course they won't upload. Stupid dial-up.
The piece of junk mail worth $19!
Friends Bess-from-massage-school & husband Val-who-did-my-website came for a few days. We went to Luray Caverns and I got in because I could show a Page County address. Yey, me! The caverns are AWESOME! And here's my Seinfeld/Larry David episode: A tour guide who yaks the entire time and manages to say NOTHING. "These formations are called the drapes. As you can see, [indicates with flashlight] the curves of the rock here resemble drapes." And then later, "These formations are called 'the fried eggs.' " Let me guess...because they look like fried eggs? And then! She's quizzing people! [Points with flashlight to rock formation] "What do you think this formation is called?" And she's not asking for anything scientific. There were lots of guesses, all WRONG, of course. What's wrong with silence? What is this obsession in our culture to fill up every empty space? As my old director Ed Steele at Wayside Theatre used to say, "LESS IS MORE."
Red raspberry season!!!
YUM! Bess & Val & I went hiking & berry picking. We also found some wild blueberries. In fact, I'll be picking some more today....
Squirrels can fly?
I have little bird houses on trees around the house from the previous owner. I was sitting in my chair near the telephone pole reading my book, and I heard a rustling in the box above and out pokes a furry little head. Too small to be a squirrel, and it didn't look like a chipmunk. Some sort of rodent, but not pointy enough to be a rat...mystery solved when Val, who's v. tall, tapped on the box with his water bottle and out scampered a little squirrely thing up to the top of the pole. There it turned to face us, unbushy tail twitching at us. And then--THEN! It leapt from the top of the pole into a nearby tree a good 2o feet. It was the most amazing thing to see, right before our eyes. It happened so fast. And there is such a thing as flying squirrels, I remember seeing something on Discovery, or TLC or National Geographic back in my TV-watching days.
Another Seinfeld episode:
As I may have mentioned, I have dial-up. Hehhh.... So I got a package with Embarq (AWESOME customer service!!!) who has a deal with Earthlink (CRAP customer service). Now that I have Embarq, I can cancel my Earthlink account and it will be handled by Embarq. Except I can't. Earthlink cut off my service because I didn't pay the bill--which I didn't because now I have Embarq. 4 live chats, and countless transfers to India and back to Embarq--4 HOURS of life force sucked out of me that I will never get back. My mother was with me for the first 2 of it, and it just became a joke: No! Don't transfer me! And then it was back to India to the v. polite person who would then transfer me to Embarq. So I just went ahead and paid Earthlink. I just got an email notification from Earthlink that my bill is due. Hehhh...stupid dial-up.
4th of July Celebration
Went to Mum's annual concert followed by fireworks. I recorded the fireworks because my nephew Ian was SO EXCITED that it made the experience that much more special. I have him on tape saying, "WOW! This is better than Christmas!" I LOVE fireworks, so it was really great to be able to share it with such an enthusiastic audience. For Ian's birthday on the 11th, I printed out one of the fireworks photos and glued it on top of a Christmas card. I love that he was born on the 11th...because it's one more, innit?
And for Entertainment
No TV, but I have DVD's, so I have had a Christopher Guest Fest. Favourites: Spinal Tap, Best in Show, and Waiting for Guffman. All including with commentary.
Books: I rarely read fiction, but re-read Clan of the Cave Bear. It's different reading a book again 20 years later. It's not even the same book. Right now I'm reading Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin. It's a fascinating account of her work with animals. She's autistic and has an uncanny ability to see as animals see and understand their behaviour. It makes me think of Dave Dobson who says that we are "herd animals."
A friend lent me Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, which I've not read yet. You know what's funny? That's not a labyrinth on the cover, it's a maze.
Well, that's the update. If I find myself feeling chatty, I may post again. For the most part tho, I think I'll take the rest of the summer off. :-) H.
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