One more thing...

Mercury is poison.  It is not healthy at any level.  That is why the EPA wanted it regulated.  It is my deepest hope that we can re-visit this and all of the unregulated poisons floating around in our air and water.  This includes anything that has to do with "Safe Fracturing Technology," and "Clean Coal!" Any time you have to say something is safe in a commercial, I hope we all know that is a bunch of Bull*hit!  SCOTUS: you are 4 for 6.  There is still work to do!

SCOTUS...

You have done so many good things this week, BUT, your ruling on the death drug to be used in a method of killing criminals, was not correct.  The death penalty is already unconstitutional, and to allow bad drugs which prolong and cause the inmate to suffer needlessly, is inhumane.  Killing anyone for their crimes has NEVER brought anyone back.  The cost of all the stays, and legal wrangling is prohibitive.  Let these people live out their lives having to THINK ABOUT what they have done!  Take all the money it costs to keep them on death row, and use it for someone's benefit.  You really bungled this one! If those of you who thought this was a good idea sat through one of these person's horrible experiences, I'll bet you would change your mind.

Can you spell...

M E L T I N G!  I will never get used to this much heat.  It makes me feel like a wet rag.  I have fans all over the house, but the temperature in the house doesn't vary much from morning to night.  Hot, Hot, Hot!  No, I don't have air conditioning.  I am sure there are more of us who are in the same situation.  All I can say is Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.  Most of my fans are directed at C@boy.  He nearly sits on them.  He asks that you check yourself and your pets for dehydration.  On a pet, you can tell if the scruff of the neck goes down quickly when pinched. This means they are likely hydrated.  I check several times a day.  On yourself, pinch the top of your hand and if it goes down quickly, you are likely O.K. So, check yourself and loved ones frequently!  It takes little time or exertion to become dehydrated.  One of the things that happens is a headache, or worse, your blood pressure will go up.  You do not want to end up in the emergency room!  Long waits, and lots of needles.  So become best friends with water!  It is a good habit to have, anyway! 

I remember...

this song my mom used to sing when I was young "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative."  Funny how you remember certain things at certain times.  I was talking to a dear friend about all the great things I see happening.  I was excited about the Supreme Court rulings, and the fact that maybe we are turning a corner on some of this hate.  He pointed out all the people who are coming out to defy the new rulings. Then I heard this song in my head, the one my mom used to sing to me.  There is wisdom in that song.  It seems simplistic, but, if we just dwell on all the things that are going wrong, we are using up valuable energy that could be spent on making things right.  So, sing the song with me, you can make up your own tune! It WILL make a difference in how we think and act!  I promise!

Today is....

"Appreciation Day." Let's start with our world.  For all of us who have healthcare!  YEAH!  For all who can get married, who previously couldn't, YEAH!  For people who are now becoming more aware of us all being ONE, YEAH!  For those now paying attention to things that could help us be united, YEAH!  Lastly, and most important, for those of us who are learning to appreciate ourselves, YEAH!  It all starts with each and every one of us.  This creates the RIPPLE we need to heal the earth and it's people.  I honor you all and wrap us all in light as we move forward.

We are moving toward

honoring ALL of humanity!  Thank-you again, Supreme Court, for making the right decision to honor marriage among those who willingly love and commit themselves to another.  I continue to feel optimistic about the direction we are going.

O.K. O.K.

I just read the post back to little mister.  He was upset because I left out that a good brushing will also help him stay cool.  Actually, a good brushing is the answer to most of his problems. So he suggests you remove all that pesky  loose hair from your pets.  Thanks, C@boy!

C@boy on summer

C@boy is enjoying his summer, but he wants to remind you that the reason he is enjoying it so much is that he has a cool house, a cool place to sleep, and plenty of fresh, cool water.  He does not travel in the car, so he is safe there, but he would be in air conditioning if he did, and a window would be open. He asks that you do the same for your beloved pet.  This kind of heat can kill a pet very easily, especially those of a "certain age!"  Do not take your pets out in this heat if you can possibly help it.  He wants all his furry friends to be safe and cool, just like he is!

A short note to

the Supreme Court:  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Millions of people thank you!  Now do right on marriage equality!  We are moving in the right direction! :)

Have you noticed....

It is all the same guy.

"THINGS"

do not cause deadly acts.  Symbols, people's deep seeded hatred, culture and mental health issues do.  We live in a country where there is so much talk about controlling  things.  We should focus on the root causes.  We need to examine our attitudes and challenge ourselves to stand up to jokes and comments that go against our humanity.  In the past, we have made "hate" a standard acceptable belief.  It is not!  Lots of "things" can be used to fuel this destruction.  When will we choose to respond?  What will we do next?  We need to stand up even when it is uncomfortable, and do it now!  Our society's future hangs in the balance!

The simple truth is...

that if we can stay present and seek to be happy, we cannot repeat past failure.  Sounds easy.  It isn't.  But, the good news is that we can practice, practice, and finally, practice.  I know we are not "made" to take the time to do this, but if we could start when we are young, with the help of parents who are present, that would be the ideal.  Think of all the mistakes we could avoid!  The simple fact is that we are never too old to start.  If we are in the moment, we can make good decisions.  If we seek to be happy, we can find a way.  This is something I work at a lot.  My life is finally changing because of it.  Serendipity comes my way, like it has been invited.  It has through the energy I put out.  So, join me in the "take a little time" club.  It has big payoffs.

"Go dark for dinner!"

The "Dixie" company has a new commercial.  It suggests that families put their cell phones down and away from the dinner table on Sunday's.  It shows people actually talking to each other!  Let's try it!  Let's try it every night!

OOPS!

I neglected to talk about yesterday being Father's Day.  My own father was one I seldom saw as my parents were divorced when I was 2.  He did, however leave me with a dry wit, and an ever-questioning mind.  If you are lucky enough to have a father who is present in your life, I hope you will thank him for that.  Just like families, extended members of the family can be loving father figures like my Uncle Bud was. So, be sure to show gratitude to those males who have given you guidance and have been there as a loving presence.  

The longest day

In the U.S. it is the summer solstice today.  We have a whopping 16 hours of daylight!  Celebrate summer, celebrate the day that we have so much light.  Take that light into your hearts and shine it on all of us.  We could sure use it!

The Mariners found their "GUY!!!"

I was thrilled to find out today that GAR is now the batting coach of the team!  It had to be him or GRIFFY to come and save them.  Who better than a man so invested in the team!  YEAH!!!!!  Did I say "HELL YES!!!!!  We can jump for joy, now!

Lessons from W.W.F.

I believe a person can get a lesson from just about anything!  So when I got one from "Words" this week, I said, "O.K."  I had a bad tray, one with 5 vowels and 2 consonants.  Of course several of the vowels were the same, and as I sat shaking my head, I decided to just take a breath.  Right in front of me was a place I could put my O and my E !  Yeah!  It wasn't a high scoring word, but it was SOMETHING. I played "ODE."  Then I took a quick look at my tray before I got the new letters and found an "R."  But the die was cast.  To my dismay, I could have put that "R" on it to make "Rode!  It would have been a triple word. Hmmm, I thought, why didn't I pay better attention?!  I won't regale you with all the times I have messed up a square on "Two Dots,"  but suffice it to say, that has happened, also.  What I am trying to say is that we miss the little stuff a lot, some of it very important.  I, for one, will be paying a little more attention to the small stuff from now on, not just on my phone, either!

Let's hear it for Tylenol

These fine people have a new commercial which shows all these different families and says, "Family is not defined by 'who' you are, but by 'how' you are!' The more we come around to right thinking, the better! Kudos to you!

Potential vs Production

Potential, what a great thing to have.  And yet, if we just have potential and no "giddy up" to go with it, it just sits there like a lump of clay.  If you marry potential with production, you get success.  We all have talent, potential.  The Mariners have potential.  They have many good players.  Why, then do they fail so miserably lately?  Why are they underachieving?  The answer lies in the fact that they have not put the two together.  When they do...watch out!  No one can touch them.  They are not the only ones who fall down on this, though.  We all do. As my dear friend told me this morning, "potential means you haven't accomplished anything."  He used to be a coach, himself, so he knows first hand about these things. Thanks honey!  The point is that these two things need to go hand in hand to produce results.  Enough said.

The Purrrrrfect Candidate!

I was in deep discussion with C@BOY last night.  We were considering his running for president.  Did you know that about 200 persons have already registered?  We think the criteria is that you have to be good looking, comfortable in your finances, and finally, and the most important, BREATHING!  Guess what, he has all three!  He feels he is also qualified because of his early days, living in the streets, and the fact that he always is just who he is., no pandering.  When he is extremely irritated, he gives me a good swat, when he is just "done," he hides under the bed.  He is a good communicator.  You  always know that he is "saying what he means, and meaning what he says!"  Well, if that doesn't speak of a great candidate, I don't know what does!  Now, to fill out that pesky form.  His writing is a little "scratchy."

It's about time!!!!!!! But Thanks!

The word is out!  There will be a woman on the 10$ bill for the 100th anniversary of women being able to vote!  They don't know who, yet, but I guess we get to vote!  Now, if they will try not to take away all of our women's rights, we might be getting there!

Some answers...part 2

We live in a reactive world. Therefore, we have become reactive.  Our media does little to support our mental health.  We live in busy ness, anger, fear, and our perception that we have lost all control.  In reality, there is little we can control except ourselves and our reaction to all this mess.  It is hard, but we can do something to mitigate the situation.  We need to understand why we feel angry.  I personally feel angry when I am afraid.  If something is wrong, why can't I fix it?  If I am ignorant about something, I can't come to much of a conclusion about it.  The one thing I know for sure is that there are a few things I can do that will make a big difference, but they have to start with me.  I can take time to breathe.  So, morning, noon, and nite, I take time to just breathe.  I breathe in gratitude and I send out love and compassion on the out breath.  It doesn't take much time, but if I stick to my schedule, my days are pretty smooth.  I am asking you to do this with me, as we all know that collective work impacts all of us.  Turn off the T.V. Turn on seeing beauty in the small things.  One of my favorite songs says:  "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."  It can, and will!

A question.....part 1

When we are balanced and content, when we have a good sense of ourselves, what is our world like?

Baseball......

It's not for the faint of heart!  I love baseball!  It is such a sport of nuances.  I love to watch for the signs.  I love to figure out what pitch will be sent next!  I love to see a team DO BETTER THAN ONE HIT IN AN ENTIRE GAME!  Mariners:  You have lots of talent!  You show us this occasionally, lately, but WT* is going on?  P L E A S E   figure this out!  You are putting an enormous strain on one of you best and long-time fans!  Hell, you are baffling us all!  I would like to go back to watching more than one inning!

???

If we are all one, and therefore all connected, why don't we start acting like it!?!

Is it balanced?

No, I am not talking about your checking account.  I am talking about your life.  Actually, I am talking about all our lives.  Yesterday, I started my day in a beautiful meditative state.  I was thinking about the beauty of the sun on a spider web.  It was glowing in the sun and moving just slightly in the morning breeze.  I was wondering how such a tiny being could make something so beautiful, and also aid him in his quest for food. Do spiders get in a hurry?  Do they get stressed out if their webs are not perfect.  Do they eat up other spiders who get in their way?  (well, actually some of them do.)  But you get the gist of what I am saying. I think most spiders just "spide."  It made me think, again, of what it means to be in the moment and just be, because that is really all we have, now.  It seems to me that we are at our best if we do that.  Then we create something beautiful for all.

I love Socrates!

He said: "Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune." 

An Observation

I got up early again this morning with the intention of continuing to pot the rest of my garden plants.  It is so nice and cool, and I have this wonderful nook in my kitchen filled with plants in windows.  What I have done so far, is to read, have some coffee, and meditate on a spider web glistening in the sun.  It feels so good just to breathe, and be.  The next thing I notice is some pieces of cactus plants a friend gave me over 10 years ago.  They are just pieces of plants, and I never bothered to transplant them.  I was getting ready to prune one piece that looked like it was dead.  On the end of it was a tiny little growth, green as can be, just hanging there.  I was thinking of how some things in life can make us feel like there is something dying in or on us.  Then I saw that a new piece of life can grow from it.  It made me smile!  Some of my best lessons come when I am just being present to what is.

Find someone

you admire, and be like them.  I tend to get upset by people who are behaving in a manner which is disgusting to me.  It has been happening a lot lately, especially in politics.  What would happen if I found someone who was living their life in a positive, loving, open, spiritual manner, and modeled my life and thoughts after them.  I know my blood pressure would go down, my anger would dissipate, and I would feel calm.  If this happens to me, what would happen if we all tried this.......

Let's hear it for Wells Fargo

These fine people realize that a child needs loving parents.  There are all kinds of loving parents, mom and mom, dad and dad, mom and dad.  How dare anyone  who says they are a good christian, suggest boycotting W. F.  And we wonder why we question so many actions of the people who are so intolerant.  EVERY CHILD DESERVES LOVING PARENTS and if you have a soul at all, you would know that.  

A novel idea

Morning after morning, I awake at the first dawn.  It is getting light pretty early, and I haven't gotten all the darkening shades up yet.  I just resist it!  The problem is, I wake up at 4:30!!!! Morning after morning, I tell myself it is just to early to get up, but not today.  It has been so hot, it is even hot after dark and my plants who need attention have been moaning and groaning.  So, today, I sprung out of bed, made coffee, finished reading a book I started 3 weeks ago, and went out to see if I could get them to sing!  Lo and behold, all it took was some water, dirt, and new pots to get a symphony going.  I have dirt all over me, there is a mess on the back porch, and I am on my second cup of coffee, but I feel like a million!  So do they!!!  YEAH! It is 9 A.M.! Now I will schedule my 1 P.M. nap. Zzzzz U!

Thank you for all your support!

We must have some cat lovers out there.  We could feel the loving energy sent to us when C@boy was so sick.  I am pleased to announce that he seems to be back to his "old!" self today, doing all the things he normally does in this oppressive  heat.  So, once again, we could feel the love, and the fact that it heals is sitting on my lap and purring as this posts.

If we

live well and love well, our lives will have been a success.  Sounds sort of simplistic, doesn't it.  Living well takes some work.  I am not necessarily talking about being wealthy (although that might be fun,)  I am talking about wealth of spirit.  If we honor our fellow humans by treating them as we want to be treated, and treat our Mother Earth the way she deserves to be treated, then we are well on the way to loving well as well. (say that 5 times fast!)  Things are just things.  Happiness starts within us. So, for today, and continuing, let's live and love to the best of our ability.  Then we can watch the world change in all the right ways. 

Everything isn't always

always as it appears!  My plant that wouldn't bloom, took 4 months to bloom.  All I had to do was love and care for it.  My C@boy was very sick and I thought he was leaving.  Today, he seems much better.  All I had to do was let him be and love him.  ( I am not deluded, I know he is getting really old)  I thought I had lost a book I really needed to find.  All I had to do was quit worrying and just find it.  I did. It showed up in an unlikely place.  I finally got off level 85 of "Two Dots!"  I thought I would never get past those awful fires!  The point is, I need to not do so much pre-determining!  I don't know about you, but it works out better, when I don't.  

At the end of the day...

and after being grateful for all you have, empty your mind.  This is another thing that takes some practice, but, you will sleep like a baby.  Actually, it is good to empty your mind more than once a day.  I am getting better at this. There is so much chaos and busy-ness, we need to honor ourselves in this way.  Try it, you'll like it. 

Take time....

to notice all the little details in your life.  We all know how busy our days can be.  They seem like a blur.  Lately, though, I have been trying to slow my brain down and really see what is going on around me.  My violet is finally blooming, and now I have 5 beautiful flowers, but today, I really looked at them.  They are such a wonder.  I also realized that C@boy purrs for a long while after I hold or pet him.  My daughter can fall asleep mid-sentence, before she gets up in the morning.  The view from my laptop changes constantly because there is a wonderful Magnolia tree in front of it.  I view all these things through lace curtains.  If I slow down, just for a few minutes, so many things are reveled to me, that I normally miss.  When I slow down, life is peaceful and serene.  Take some time with me to notice all the little details of your life.  You won't regret it!

Today is...

"Let go of the outcome, day." O.K.  Mercury is in retrograde.  If you don't know what that means, look it up.  But if things seem as if they have been going backwards, or sideways lately, and your technology has had a mind of it's own, that might be the reason.  It seems as if all these things I have no control over have piled up into one great heap recently.  At first, I was trying to sort it all out and feeling pretty cranky and a little scared.  Then I realized that I have control over..... So, I gave up on trying, and making myself nuts.  Acceptance is freeing.  Contentment with what I can't fix is soothing.  So, for today, and with a lot of practice, I will learn to "let it be."  It is much healthier that way for all of us. 

C@boy wanted me to remind you

that today is "National Hug Your Cat Day."  He is feeling better because I have been hugging him so much, today.  He also wants me to remind you that 3.4 million kitties do not have homes.  He is a rescue cat, himself, you know. So, love the one you have and or look into your heart and rescue a little piece of love for yourself.

Who's our "guy?"

As you may know, I am a Seattle Mariner's fan, and have been for over 20 years.  I watch other sports, too, mainly college basketball.  What I have learned over these years is that each team has to have a "guy" to be successful.  When the Mariners had Griffy, they were about the most cohesive team around.  He made sure everyone was on the same page and even made  Itchi become more of a team player.  You can look at any really successful team, and there is a "person."  Look at football teams, and really any other sport, there is someone who holds things together by making the team act like a TEAM.  This year, I really like our manager, but who is our "guy?'  "We need legitimacy in the locker room."  I don't think we will get to far without figuring this out.  JUST SAYIN!

:(

C@boy has been very sick for the past 24 hours.  I was up all night with him.  He seems a little better today. I know, he is 19.  Please hold him in the light!

The only time is...

now.  Be grateful now. Breathe now. Be happy now.  Be healthy now. Nourish your spirit now.  Look and really see, now.  Love unconditionally, now.  Did I mention be grateful, now. Now is all we have, don't waste it.

It's BIG BUSINESS!

What is big business, you say!?!  It is the "dumbing down" of America!  Recently, teachers in my state staged a walk-out.  It happened because our state refuses to fund education.  If you listen to the news at all, many inaccurate things are repeatedly reported. Or, try the commercials. If you hear something enough times, you start to believe it.  Those wily Republicans have their fingers in all these processes, including trying to break unions, and privatize everything.  If they had their way, we would all be so poor, we would spend our time just struggling to live.  Wait a minute.  That is what is happening to our ever-shrinking middle class already.  We certainly don't need health insurance, immigrants do not get to have a path to citizenship, human rights should go back to the 50's, lets see, what else?  Oh, yes, we all need to become the "worker bees!"  After all, it is just "Good Business," right?  I meant "RIGHT WING."