SPRING CLEAN

I aspire. I'm not even at my own house right now, but I'm feeling the sap rising--that impetus to start tossing stuff out. I'm rereading Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. Most books about organization are written by naturally organized people who don't understand how clutterbugs can be that way. They have such helpful tips as:

OHIO: Only Handle It Once
Create a system
Everything has a place, & a place for everything.
Tackle one thing at a time.
If you haven't used it in a year, chuck it.
Put things back when you're finished.
Repair it or chuck it.

And so on. It's all so common sense. But to paraphrase John Morgan, it's not your intellect that got you into this mess and it's not your intellect that will get you out. Enter Karen Kinston, who acknowledges and respects the subconscious. "Your home is an outward representation of what is going on inside you, so if you are messy on the outside there is a corresponding mess of some kind on the inside too. By sorting out the outer, the inner starts slotting neatly into place. "

It's interesting how she relates emotional states to disorganization. She said she's never met a "depressed" person who didn't have a mess of a house. Which came first? It doesn't matter. Your environment is what keeps you stuck where you are. To paraphrase Bruce Lipton, "Change your environment, change your life."

Your subconscious mind will suppress these things nicely for you if you ask it to, but it takes a lot of your energy to do so.

We're still talking about our homes, right? Oh, she delves into way more!

P.S. John had a great post on clutter a few months ago with an interesting meditation exercise. Go see.

MATH!

What we need

That's right, a little healing:


I have a new-to-me blog to read: The Fail Blog. Real examples of paradox, misspellings, & grammEr mistakes. Hysterical. I found it from my current fave Cakewrecks. Humour is everywhere if you're looking for it, and this is the everyday kind of humour I appreciate. Have a FUNny day. :-)

Hysterical, as in funny

Saw these while thrifting. Better than putting on your cranky pants. ;-)

Book Club

Jerry Stocking started a book club & this is what we're reading. It's really a fascinating study on gender roles and differences. Norah Vincent becomes Ned and:

Joins a bowling team

I threw like a girl and it bugged me as much as it bugged them. If I told them the truth at the end of the season I didn't want them to have the satisfaction of saying, "Oh, that explains everything. You bowl like a girl because you are a girl."

"I gotta say," he said finally, "that takes balls . . . or not, I guess. Wow, you're a F-ing chick. No wonder you listen so good." ~Bowling buddy on being told Ned is really Norah.

"You're cool. I don't care what you are. I really like bowling with you, man. Shit, you're cooler than Bob." This wasn't exactly the collest thing to say in front of Bob, since Allen was Bob's in-law.

Visits strip clubs

"I go to some of these bars, " he said, "and this is the family man in me, and I say to myself, these girls were sombody's daughter. Somebody put them to bed. Somebody kissed them and hugged them and gave them love and now they're in this pit."

"Or maybe someone didn't," I said.

"Yeah," he nodded. I've thought about that, too."

Goes on dates with women

You were the eager athlete, the brightly colored bird doing the dance, and she was the German judge begrudging you the nod.

I still talked too much with my hands, and sometimes I still applied my Chapstick with a girlish lip smack.

I found myself thinking about rejection and how small it made me feel, and how small most men must feel under the weight of what women expect from them. I was an actor playing a role, but these women had gotten to me nonetheless.

"Maybe some part of me knew," she said. "I don't know. You made so much eye contact. You listened so well. You weren't hairy. I'm not sure."

Stays at a monestery

. . . where she's suspected of being gay by some of the other monks. And she makes the mistake of calling an elderly monk "cute." "He's not cute. You don't call other men cute."

And this is as far as I've gotten in the book. It's funny & sad & thought-provoking. Thanks, Jerry for turning me on to the book! :-) H.

P.S. Jerry now has a blog! Go see.

Quotes for the Day

Can't nothing make your life work if you ain't the architect. ~Terry McMillan

Stop wearing your obstacles like a hair shirt. ~ Margot Potter

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it. ~Chinese Proverb

You can have what you want or your reasons why not. ~Jerry Stocking

I’m all for riding the current wherever it takes me, but there must be a reason they put paddles in the boat. ~John Morgan

Day of Rest: Down My Road

It's on the verge of spring. I can feel it, even tho we're in a final cold snap & had a dusting of snow. The birds are singing more to wake the trees from their slumber and all around we're waiting for the world to awaken once again.

Sometimes you'll see these cows standing in the river, drinking.

There's not a lot of colour going on, everything is muted shades of browns & grey. But the light this time of year is spectacular and it draws your attention more to all the textures going on. There's also a clarity and crispness to the air that's hard to describe.

Here's a study in negative space! And the sky was SO BLUE this day!

Final bend around my road.

I see hearts wherever I go. :-)

B-day celebration with Ex-XM Radio Guy

I finally got together with Ex-XM Radio Guy for our January birthdays. After Xmas, he told me that his GF, Red Lobster, gave him a rock. It's one of those special we'll-each-keep-half kind of rocks. What am I supposed to do with a rock? he says. Hahahahaha So as I was walking to the postbox one day, I saw a really cool rock. So I dolled it up, and this is what I gave Ex-XM Radio Guy for his birthday:

See? It's an elephant.

I glued little sparklies on it & used a gold pen to write OM.

And of course, a labyrinth. It glows in the dark. :-)

Great . . . a rock . . . he says. "You can use it as a doorstop," I said helpfully. Hahahaha

This is the card that I gave with the gift:

So obviously not a card for a GUY.

Time for yourself, yada yada . . .

Hahahahaha

So let me s'plain. He's got a v. sweet severance package and so he's not suffering. Plus, he gets to spend time in his little-cabin-in-the-woods. After working 15-hour days for the past few years, it's been like a vacation. But his parents, of the Depression Era, are all worried about him not having a job. So that's our little joke.

So this is what he gave me:

3 CD's that he fished out of the trash at XM for me: Kathy Griffin, For Your Consideration, advanced copy of Goo Dolls Greatest Hits Vol. 2, & The Clash, Revolution Rock. See the Police Evidence bag pictured above? That's what he put the CD's in. He also gave me Walk Hard, THE funniest movie I've seen since . . . it's a fake biopic in the vein of Spinal Tap. Hysterical! Also pictured is a collection of Star Trek pez dispensers to pass on to Brother D. [I'm totally his favourite sister now!] And a pack of Old Gypsy Fortune Teller cards, circa 1940. How cool is that?

We had Indian food and then we went thrifting. At one store this cashier stood at the front and YELLED for her supervisor. KATHY! HEY, KATHY! Just then we see this woman walk-running from the back storeroom to Cashier Girl. Shhhhhh! You don't have to yell. Blah blah, use the intercom, blah blah So after she leaves, Ex-XM Radio Guy says to Cashier Girl, "How much will it take for you to yell Kathy, again? I got 5 bucks, here." Nothin'. "Anyone? $5 to yell Kathy." Hahahahaha I almost did as we were leaving . . . so that was our b-day vizzie. I have another story to tell, but I'll wait for next week . . . .

P.S. What do you think of the new blog header? It won't be up for long--just until spring. :-)

Off she goes . . .

I took Mum to the airport early this a.m. And when I say "early," I mean we left at 4 a.m. in case of commuter traffic. We breezed thru to the airport and Mum breezed thru the TSA line--she was the line. She called: "There was no waiting in security and I'm at the gate drinking a $2 cup of coffee!" She's going to the Dominican Republic to help build a house. Or as Brother D calls it, "a cinderblock shack." Last night we went to dinner at the BEST restaurant (the BEST, Jerry!)Element's, in Front Royal. Here's a brilliant idea for all you restaurants out there: the early bird, $15 dinner: salad (green or Ceasar), entree (fish, chicken, or steak) dessert (cake, bread pudding, or pie) Delicious!

On the way to dinner, I snapped these photos as we drove by:




This is Mum's favourite view. It's remained relatively the same for the past 35 years. She said, "It's so bucolic." Speaking of bucolic, time to get on with the day!

HAPPY B-DAY to 3

I went thru a period of painting yantras. I didn't know what they were at the time, I just painted what I saw. I painted a few for friends and this one belongs to my friend Dee. She is a fellow Reiki Master and friend for the past 20 years. It's her birthday, which she shares with my friends Doug O'Brien & Alaria. Dee has not met Doug, but I introduced her to Alaria, and Alaria to Doug. I met Alaria at a labyrinth party at Susan's. Small world! Doug & I go waaaaaay back to our fire-walking-woah-clapping-Tony-Robbins daze. Anyway, I'm wishing a HAPPY Birthday to all 3 & sending Reiki BLESSINGS thru the airwaves. :-) BIG LOVE, H.

Cozy slippers

My SIL came shuffling into the kitchen one a.m. in these:

A gift from chiro-sister 2 years ago, they started off as horses. No, really, they did. This fam is all about horses!

Now they sorta look like hamsters, don't you think? Still furry & cute, modeled by one of the nieces. I found a really great quote, so here you go:

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. ~Wayne Dyer

Treasure Hunt

It started at the Dollar Tree when I was getting wrapping paper. I saw V-Day cards and thought I'd get some for my sibs & nieces/nephews. I included candy necklaces and Chicklets. I sent those off to Pioneer Sister. But since I was going to visit Brother D over the weekend . . . one of my nieces requested a treasure hunt. Good idear! I love treasure hunts. Growing up, we would have rhyming clues hidden all over Skymont at Halloween and other holidays. When my stepsons were young, I'd do Easter basket treasure hunts and send them all over the place. Brother D's kids love horses and pictured above is a small representation of their collection, with all the clues, ready to hide: in Mum's car, out in the yard, in the laundry room, etc. How can we make this even more funner? Turn it into a treasure hunt.

I got nothin'

Happy Prezzie's Day. For some entertainment, I refer you to Cakewrecks.

Back tomorrow.

Day of Rest

This is part of a sign from an hardware store in Huntington, WV. Lots of reminders to Love thy neighbor all around. Have a LOVEly day!

HAPPY V-Day!

LOVE actually is all around. :-)

P.S. For a different kind of V-day awareness, click here.

Quote-of-the-Day: Grandparents

Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

~Franklin P. Jones

Quote-of-the-day and . . . .

Mum models the sweater that she'll never knit again! You start at the sleeve and knit it from there. No seams or pieces. V. impressive!

I've been staying at Mum's this week. We have a fierce wind going on that started last night. Fierce! And a sideways rain that washed my car so I don't have to. Mum is out the door at 5 a.m. and called me from work later.

Mum: Hi dahling, I don't know if you're going out today, but I just wanted to call and let you know there's a tree blocking the road.
Me: How did you get out then?
Mum: Well, you just have to drive through the field. Of course it was dark and I had to back up aaaaaaaaaaaall the way up the road. But perhaps you'll be able to see if it's still there in the daylight.

OK, then. I of course made a joke about her moving the tree herself. Quote-for-the-day:

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. Marion C. Garretty

Quote-of-the-Day: LOVE Actually

Quote-of-the-Day : St. Augustine

St. Augustine also said, "Lord grant me celibacy--but not yet." Hahahaha

Quote-of-the-Day

Love is the great democracy--all of us are equally deserving of its welcome. ~Bradford Keeney

Day of Rest

Last night at dinner, we were talking about table manners. As you can imagine, Mum was v. strict with us growing up. It was like dining with the queen every night. I will not raise Barbarians! So I said, "You know what's the worst?" And before I finished, my nephew interjected: "Watching a live birth?" Hahahaha Above is a pic of yesterday's walk through the woods.

In this purely for the laughs

I'm at Mum's helping with Pioneer Sister's kiddliewinks. Convo on the way home last night:

Nephew #2: Hey! I see penis!
Little Sis: Penis?
Nephew: Hehhh . . . . not penis. Venus!

Sounded like penis to me. Glad he clarified. Hahahaha

Mum got a new desk chair and saved the big box for the kids to play in. It's a house, it's a spaceship, it's a . . . . bed? I was looking for Nephew #1. There he was, curled up in the box with the flaps closed up.

Me: Oh, there you are. What are you doing?
Nephew: I'm going to bed in the box. Now go away.
Me: OK.

A few minutes later, Mum is standing there talking to the box. You need to come out and get ready for bed . . . blah blah blah . . . brush your teeth . . . blah blah blah . . .

I look over to the guest room and there is Nephew safely tucked away in bed.

Me: Um, Mum.
Mum: [to the box] You need to come out of the box. [to me] What?
Me: He's not in the box anymore.
Mum: Ohhhhhh . . . [eye roll]

Nephew this a.m. said to Little Sis: Hey! Don't you know that when I'm in the box you're not supposed to push against it?

That's right. We don't like it when other people challenge our boxes. Today we're going for a hike and then it's off to see a Charlie Brown Musical. Fun times!

Quote-of-the-Day

20 years ago I was at a lecture with some Indian guru. At the end of it, everyone could talk to him for some personal advice. I don't remember what my question was, but he said to me in broken English to meditate more. Afterwards, I was talking to other people and they were marveling at his wisdom.

Yoga Chick: He is so right, I have not been meditating enough.
Random Guy: That's what he told me, too. I've really been ignoring my practice.
Me: Wait a minute . . . .

That's right. That was his advice to everyone. Which, when you think about it, is not bad advice. Things are much more peaceful & balanced after meditation. All those little Mark Twain worries melt away. Meditation, not medication. ;-)

And you thought this was a hair wash post.

HAPPY Birthday!

Today is Pioneer Sister's b-day. The first 4 of the clan were 16 months apart, she is 4th in the line-up. Mum once said, "Don't ahhhsk me about the '60's, I was too busy having children!" My sister is my mother's daughter: nothing stops her. She blazes her own trail and has the just do it attitude. For the purposes of this blog, I call her Pioneer Sister because she is. She & BIL renovated an old hunting lodge in the middle-of-nowhere from the ground up. Literally! At 8 months pregnant with #3, she was down in the hand-dug stone well repairing it. This past summer, she finished painting the whole house on the outside. I marvel at her strength and tenacity. She really is one of those Super Moms who does it all: takes care of the house, the family, the garden. On top of that, she can do math so well, she works for an accountant!

In our family

she did come

smiling, sweet

red-haired one.

Standing guard

at Christmas time

gifts to open

in a line.

Ghost tag games

Husker Du

playing Spit*

We LOVE you.

Happy Birthday

little sis

Happy birthday

Here's a kiss.

*Before you say Eeeewwwww! Spit was a card game and she was always the fastest at it!

Snapshots from the New England Road

It was quite the trip. I got gluten free pizza on my birthday! And we had 21 inches of snow in the middle of it all. As we were driving on the highway through the blizzard, John said, "Talk to me, Hali." I'm too busy praying, I said. We stopped in Lebanon, NH at a ski/golf shop. I got some great long underwear, the kind that skiers & mountain hikers wear. Warm but not bulky. I didn't have much time because John said, "You're cutting into my nap time." Hahahaha

Here are a few pix in no particular order . . . in answer to Are you drinking coffee? Just for last week:

"Certified" sounds so official. Who is this "Rainforest Alliance" of the Holiday Inn? I hope this rainforest "content" is only coffee. And what's the other 70%? Uncertified content?

This was so funny to me because I have more wood in my woodshed and WOW! Really? That's how much wood costs? John said it's for the tourists who want to have a log fire.

I took this next picture for my nephew who loves all-things-piratey:

This was a great seafood lunch. The most entertaining thing is listening to John identify people's patterns in the restaurant. Then John said as our young waiter was taking our order, "This guy is an Enneagram 7." Remember Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Adventure? Yeah, like that. I said he was in a band, so John asked him if he was. Psychic today! How did you know? Waiter Guy asked. And then, Guess what instrument I play . . . trick question! I don't play anything, I'm the lead singer. So cute. Hahahaha

This is a v. popular restaurant. The Illegal Sea Foods restaurant is in the back alley. Hahahaha

I'm back, baby! * F5

Are you using "baby" now? Because you know, that's my thing. ~George Costanza

And there's my Seinfeld reference for the day. And here's a little guy who was in my front yard this a.m.

Just a frosting of snow.
Is this the Big Storm we were bracing for?

*I'm back and I'll be posting daily unless my satellite doesn't work.