Special Day Today

One of my favourite blogs that I read religiously is by my friend-boss John Morgan of Grasshopper Notes. Today marks the first year anniversary of his blog. Hop over there and wish him a . . .

HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!!!

Forgetting the Bad

The above picture is a Grasshopper Note quote from John. He said it to me in a conversation. The photo is a shot of one of the hundreds of sunrises I used to watch in my old backyard. *sigh* LOVEly. So I was a bit . . . down, yesterday. Not something I usually admit to, but there it is. Too many notes. So here's the good: the gratitude I feel for friends & fam. THANK YOU for your kind words. Doug is on the road this week for us and called yesterday to get a head count for our seminars last night. He went all Ericksonian on me. It was v. cute. And John, my boss, my friend, manages to say the right thing at the right time. THANK YOU. I really am so blessed.

It is hard to feel anything else when you feel grateful.

P.S. I received a comment from a fellow percussor enthusiast for my Percussor 101 blogpost. A friend! Carol Porter lives in Hawaii & wrote a great Sept. 17th post on her own percussor experiences. (I tried to click on the actual post to create a link, but it didn't work, so that's why I'm giving the date for it). Hi Carol! :-) H.

Day of Rest: Grasshopper on Goldenrod

Saw this little guy sitting on goldenrod yesterday. In shamanic traditions, the grasshopper represents leaping forward, and following your inner voice. The main qualities associated with this goldenrod are: KNOW THYSELF & staying connected to a sense of higher purpose. A good reminder for us all.

Of course I don't see grasshoppers without thinking of John Morgan, author of Grasshopper Notes. My favourite quotes this week:

"Debating is a strategy taught to win a war; communication is a framework to find peace."

"There is always a benefit to watering down your thoughts and one of the best ways to do it is to give undiluted attention."

Inspiring Blog Award

What a wonderful surprise! Yesterday Nature Gal, who's photography is stunning, stopped by yesterday's blog & left me with this:

How cool is that? It was created by another blogger, Ida, also a fabulous photographer, with the suggestion to pass it on. I am going to have to figure out how to translate Norwegian so that I can effectively communicate to these 2 gals! So I'm passing it on to the blogs that I visit regularly:

Holly Brimhall: Mother, wife, sister, daughter, & photographer. She captures all the sweetness & optimism of the human spirit in her pictures. She has handled a difficult year with such GRACE--truly an inspiration.
Margot Potter: Bead Queen & so much more, for your daily dose of creative genius, inspiration, & "Super Girly Goodness." Margot ROCKS! And I discovered her through . . .
The Crafty Chica: Kathy brings her glittery sparkle to everything she does--and she does it all! She inspired me to build my first website. She prolly doesn't know that, but she is a champion for the DIYer.
B. Bliss: I adore this gal. Great photos & quotes, I love seeing the world through her eyes.
Lastly, to John Morgan. I know this award is a bit . . . er . . . floral, but you can get in touch with your feminine side. His Monday morning Grasshopper Notes ROCK & I read his blog every day, religiously. He really is a daily dose of *inspiration*

2 Quotes & a Sunrise

This morning's sunrise off my front porch.

"Your fear of risk

only protects

the mundane existence

you seek to escape from."

~from this week's Grasshopper Note.

When I let go

of what I am

I become

what I might be.

~Lao Tzu

Ornament Thursday: INSECTICA

I knew immediately what I'd be featuring for this month's OT. For Christmas, I made Grasshopper Quote cards for the creator of Grasshopper Notes, John Morgan (also my boss and friend). My mother is also a huge fan, so for Mother's Day, I made her Grasshopper Quote cards, too. Here's the bag I sewed to hold the cards. I printed the image of the grasshopper onto T-shirt transfer paper & then ironed on to the fabric.


You could do this with any favourite quotes. I used Publisher and created a template to put the quotes, and then I made the back of the cards with the picture of the grasshopper.

I painted a plain white box with green acrylic paints, and glued an image I printed of the grasshopper onto card stock. I liked "Grasshopper Quotes" because it rhymes with Grasshopper Notes, and because I write my favourite quotes on sticky notes and post them on the wall where my desk is.

Click here for links to the rest of the talented OT gang!

Happy St. Pat's

I'm not Irish, not even remotely. Not even third generation Irish-American claiming to be Irish. But I used to have an Irish education professor at Shepherd College. He had the best accent; I would get lost in the lilt of his lyrical voice. And once I ate green eggs--wait, that was for Dr. Seuss Day. Never mind. Luck is often associated with the Irish and so in case you missed it from last month's Ornament Thursday, you can check out my Labyrinth o' Luck. And here's my green inspiration for today:

Looking back often gives you a glimpse of the plan at work. How many times in your life have you noticed that something wonderful or fulfilling that you now experience could have never happened if something specific didn’t happen? Many times that something was not a pleasant experience, yet you, in retrospect, recognize it was a necessary step to get you to where you are now. You may have never consciously written that script but if it wasn’t written for you, you would have never arrived.

P.S. Check out John's blog post on luck today. :-) H.

For My Fellow Anatomy Nerds...

"The brains of a cell are not where the genes are, it's not the nucleus...the brains of the cell are in the membrane. The cell membrane lets us talk to each other." ~Dr. Mehmet Oz

WHO DOES THIS SOUND LIKE??? That's right: Bruce Lipton! And yet, go to any basic biology book--even an anatomy & phys. book, and it says that the brain of the cell is the nucleus. It was just a passing comment, but having been through Bruce's Biology of Belief seminar and reading his book--WOW! That was my excitement for the day. Now...let's get Bruce on Oprah!

It's really great to see holistic healing getting attention in mainstream America. And speaking of Brimhall... Dr. John says that health care in our country is really disease care. While we're at it, let's get Dr. Brimhall on Oprah! I want to see Oprah get lasered. Ah...cold-laser therapy....Have a FABULOUS day!

P.S. Awesome post from the Grasshopper on anger. Go see.

Mmmm...Monday....

I did say that I wasn't posting on Sunday, right? So yesterday was a bonus. Today we had our first frost...I would upload a frosty photo except that I'm on dial-up back-up; perhaps because my satellite dish is frosty? Dunno. And I was so looking FW to ditching Earthlink. Hehhh.... Anyway, so will do pics later. In the meantime, here's a quote from John Morgan's blog post, I Hate My Body.

"The last time most women felt comfortable in a bathing suit was at age 10. That alone should tell you something about how we perceive our bodies. Here’s a question to ponder? How cooperative would you be with a person who detested you? My guess is not very."

Insightful. Inspired. True. A great read for gals AND guys. I wonder if you'll be curious enough now to go read the whole thing....

Blue Bird of Happiness

Did I mention that I'm not posting on Sundays? No? Well. I'm not. If God can rest, so can I. Do you think God has Pajama Days? Hmmm...so I heard from Mum-in-Scotland. She was at a library (proper pronunciation "Li-BREE") and emailed me. She does a mean Scottish accent, can't wait to hear all about her trip when I pick her up next week!
I took this picture the first week I moved into my little river house. I'd never seen a completely blue bird before, or since. Cool, huh?

There's more I could write, but I got nothin' on the Grasshopper today, (profound, funny, & EL-oquent!) so go check him out, already & have a FANTABULOUS day!

This Is Where the Title Goes

I find myself not posting because I'm such a visual gal, and being on dial-up, I can't upload pictures. I keep promising myself I'll go to the internet cafe...but who am I kidding? I'm lying like a big dog. Am seriously considering joining the 21st century with a satellite hook-up, even if I don't know how long I'm out here in the wilderness. I've seen scientists in the Amazon rainforest with laptops--it shouldn't be so hard in rural Virginia, right? Hehhhh....

This is what I would show you if I could:

Yesterday while walking Barkley & Remington, I found 11 four-leaf clovers, one right after another. ELEVEN. My favourite Spinal Tap-inspired number...because it's ONE MORE, INNIT?

And here's a picture of The Grasshopper, who sent me a lovely surprise in the mail. I have a Grasshopper journal and tea mug and shirt-that-fits.

And here's a picture of Margot Potter, whom I absolutely adore. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her blog! And she was so sweet to give this Labyrinth Gal some "linky love." Thanks, Madge!

Well. Now I really am inspired to do nothing but upload tons of photos. It shall be done. And soon. Promise, no more lying dogs.