Dragonfly

I've seen several dragonflies lately. When I went out to the mailbox a few days ago, a dragonfly escorted me, landing briefly before zig-zagging away. Then yesterday, I went out in to the courtyard to water my flowers, and saw two dragonflies, one of which almost collided with my nose. Today I received a "thinking of you" card with, you guessed it, a dragonfly on the front.

So I Googled "symbolism of dragonfly" and was amazed at the information on the internet. Seems the dragonfly is a powerful totem in Native American, Celtic, and Japanese culture.

Inhabiting the two worlds of water and air, the dragonfly goes through quite a metamorphosis. Born in lakes, ponds, and swamps, it actually spends most of its life underwater, only to shed its old skin after several years and live a few short weeks, flying along the water on luminous wings.

Dragonflies represent the powers of light and transformation, and the ability to see through illusion. They bring prosperity and harmony. The dragonfly, as a totem, teaches skillful action while maintaining a free and joyful sense of being.

Dragonflies symbolize illusion, dreams, change, enlightenment, swiftness, dreams and seeing the truth. They are messengers of the elemental world. They are connected to Summer. Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change. Dragonfly medicine always beckons you to seek out the parts of your habits which you need to change.

The Dragonfly by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Today I saw the dragon-fly

come from the wells where he did lie.

An inner impulse rent the veil

of his old husk:

from head to tail

came out clear plates of sapphire mail.

He dried his wings:

like gauze they grew;

thro' crofts and pastures wet with dew

a living flash of light he flew.

Yesterday

I thought about you on the way home from work yesterday

I had something to tell you, something I needed to share with you

and for a split second, my mind forgot, that you were gone

for that fraction of time,

the world was right

two years vanished,

like a nightmare in the light of day

and I was happy,

truly,

for a moment.

When You Only Have 100 Years to Live

I'm 15 for a moment

Caught in between 10 and 20

And I'm just dreaming

Counting the ways to where you are

I'm 22 for a moment

She feels better than ever

And we're on fire

Making our way back from Mars

15 there's still time for you

Time to buy and time to lose 15,

there's never a wish better than this

When you only got 100 years to live

I'm 33 for a moment

Still the man, but you see

I'm a they

A kid on the way

A family on my mind

I'm 45 for a moment

The sea is high

And I'm heading into a crisis

Chasing the years of my life

Within a morning star 15

I'm all right with you 15,

there's never a wish better than this

When you only got 100 years to live

Half time goes by

Suddenly you're wise

Another blink of an eye

67 is gone

The sun is getting high

We're moving on...

I'm 99 for a moment

Dying for just another moment

And I'm just dreaming

Counting the ways to where you are 15

there's still time for you

22 I feel her too

33 you're on your way

Every day's a new day... 15

there's still time for you

Time to buy and time to choose

Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this

When you only got 100 years to live

-Five for Fighting

Savannah

I'm in Savannah, vacationing with my little sister. Savannah is beautiful, historic, gracious, inspiring and sultry. Our hotel is wonderful. We're having a blast :-)
http://www.mansiononforsythpark.com/

Denver Takeoff

Purple ribbon clouds
ripple with fire as
the setting sun
hugs the horizon
painting the sky in
gold and pink
stretching out to
palest blue and
high above
a silver half moon
shines like a bright
light on a lonely road
calling me home...

Back to Beautiful Wyoming

I'm getting ready to go back to Wyoming with a group for a few weeks. Hope to be back with new posts soon. Peace.

A Walk to Remember

In the U.S., a person dies by suicide every 16 minutes, claiming more than 31,000 lives each year. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in this country, third among teens and young adults.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the leading non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research and education, and to reaching out to people with mood disorders and those impacted by suicide - those of us known as "survivors." AFSP funds research aimed at improving our understanding of suicide and ways to prevent it, as well as educational activities to increase awareness about prevention, warning signs and the mental illnesses that can lead to suicide.

Every year, cities all across the country host "Out of the Darkness Community Walks" to benefit the AFSP. By walking in one of these walks, you will be walking with thousands of people nationwide to raise money for AFSP's vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, and assist survivors of suicide loss. Suicide is a tragedy that takes an enormous toll on family, friends, co-workers, and the community.

I urge you to go to http://www.outofthedarkness.org/ and find a walk in your area. My home town will host its third annual OOTD walk this September. I will be walking in memory of my loving husband and others lost to friends I have made through my association with the AFSP. If you can't walk, please consider making a donation to a walk near you.

For more information about the AFSP, visit:

http://www.afsp.org/

Close

A rose in a book of poems
soft and flat from the pressure
“umm” said she as the pages
turn and stir
the air with

grapefruit-scented

black chantilly
and pomegranate-flavored
lips whisper secrets
through the sleepy light of
a make-believe sun that shines

on this make-believe world

As Long As You're Mine

Ok, I'm a sucker for romance. I love the movie "The Notebook". Here are some scenes set to a song from the Broadway Musical, "Wicked". Enjoy, my fello chick-flick lovers.

Women of Leisure

I see them every morning

these women of leisure

taking their morning walks

decked out in their

Juicy Couture track suits

and their diamond earrings

sipping their insulated cup

of hot gourmet brew

as they catch up

on the latest gossip of

who's doing what and

with whom while

contemplating their ten o'clock

tennis lessons and whether

or not they should have

manicures today when they

lift their hands in an

obligatory wave

as I ease around them

on my way

to

work

Things That Make Me Go..???

1. Why can women remember an exact sentence word-for-word, in an argument with their husbands from ten years ago, along with what he was wearing at the time and his facial expressions and men can't recall a single detail? Yet... Men can remember a specific play in the third quarter of a football game from ten years ago, as well as the player's names, numbers, stats and the final score of the game, along with how many stadium hot dogs they ate?


2. Why is it so difficult to get grass to grow in the yard, but not in the cracks in the sidewalk?


3. Why is the line I'm standing in always the slowest moving, until I switch lines?


4. Why are CDs so difficult to open? Is all that tape really necessary? While we're talking about stuff that's hard to open, who came up with that thick plastic that batteries and things are packed in? It takes a chain saw to open it. I hate that stuff and it can't be good for the environment.


5. Why do items that are sugar and fat free, cost more when they have fewer ingredients?


6. Why is the time on my cell phone and my computer different? Aren't they both connected to the same atomic clock in the sky? Maybe the atomic clock needs some of those chain-saw proof batteries.


7. Why do teenagers use text messaging instead of phoning? Isn't that technology going backwards?


8. Why do people still smoke cigarettes?


9. Why does one sock always vanish from the dryer? Where does it go?


10. What happened to all those "W The President" stickers you used to see everywhere?

Chasing Cars

I am always in awe of songwriters. Just wanted to share these lyrics from a song I love.

We'll do it all

Everything On our own

We don't need Anything

Or anyone

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world

I don't quite know

How to say

How I feel

Those three words,

Are said too much

They're not enough

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time

Chasing cars

Around our heads

I need your grace

To remind me

To find my own

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes

There all I can see

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things

Will never change for us at all

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

-Snow Patrol

A Wise Friend Said....

every end

is a beginning

and every beginning

is an end

and in this way

the ebb and flow of life

has its amazing cycles

and the love goes round

and round

and in and out

and round

and about

and all of this

is ours

Purple Dusk

It is the murmur of a brook
The laughter of a child
All the fragrance and romance
Of woods and grasses wild

It is inside the echo in
The hills that hold the dawn
In every dream that lingers
When the purple dusk is gone

It is the quiet gentleness
Of sky and waters blue
It is the all-embracing gift
That life has given you

-Thank you, amazing, talented, and wonderful friend for sharing this poem with me.

Lovely

I came across this poem while researching medieval epitaphs on the Internet one day. No author was listed, but I thought it was lovely and wanted to share it. Enjoy.

Do not stand at my grave and forever weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
I am the ocean's deepest blue
The world is filled with my love for you.

My Windowless Room

You built a windowless room
and put me there
A cold and dark place
but you did not lock
the door
I did

I locked myself in that place
and let the years of darkness
wrap me in the comfort
of consistent misery

I did not long to escape
but found solace in the
emptiness of my soul
laid open by the pain
of loss and the torture
of what might have been

And then one day a single leaf
floated under the door
landing silently at my feet
I lifted it, inhaling spring
and remembered life
before the room

With the leaf in my pocket
I crossed the threshold
stepping out of the safety
of my companions of shadow
and felt the sun on my face

I turned to look,
but the room was gone
and I forgave you for
putting me there
and I forgave myself
for staying

A Song I Love

Do you always trust your first initial feeling?

Special knowledge holds truth bears believing

I turned around

And the water was closing all around

Like a glove

Like the love that had finally, finally found me

Then I knew

In the crystalline knowledge of you

Drove me thru the mountains

Thru the crystal-like clear water fountain

Drove me like a magnet

To the sea

How the faces of love have changed turning

the pages

And I have changed oh, but you...you remain

ageless

I turned around

And the water was closing all around

Like a glove

Like the love that had finally, finally found me

Then I knew

In the crystalline knowledge of you

Drove me thru the mountains

Thru the crystal-like clear water fountain

Drove me like a magnet

To the sea

Crystal-Stevie Nicks

In the Garden

I had the privilege of walking through my mother's garden this weekend. Everywhere there were signs of spring. The daffodils and narcissus were in full bloom, the hyacinths were budding and filling the air with their sweet scent. Tulips bent gracefully in the afternoon breeze and jasmine covered the arbor in a romantic tangle of glossy green leaves and bright yellow bell-shaped flowers. Tiny wild violets dotted the lawn and a few dandelions dared to show their sunny faces. The dogwood trees shimmered in the afternoon light, full of buds, ready to burst. Big fat bumble bees buzzed. Birds made their way back and forth between the cedar trees and the bird feeder, fussing at the squirrels who insisted on stealing their sunflower seeds.

I looked around and thought about my plants and flowers at my own home, suffering from neglect that comes from a person who has withdrawn from the world. Last year, I lost some plants that I have had for years and years, because like myself, I did not take care of them.

I realized that it's time for me to leave this winter behind. Spring is here and I'm ready to get back in the garden.

We Made a Mess

My mother used to always tell us "if you make a mess, you clean it up." I was thinking about this recently, at the 5 year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq.

We (the United States) made a mess. A big one.

I am really struggling with this war. First let me say, I was against it from the beginning. I was never convinced that those grainy spy satellite photos of supposed "weapons of mass destruction" sites were indeed, just that. Once we got in there, and realized there weren't ANY WOMD, it was too late. We had done too much damage to the country's infrastructure. From there, the downward spiral began.

Today they announced that we passed the 4,000 mark, on number of U.S. deaths in Iraq. Four thousand. Some would argue that it's a tiny amount compared to the lives lost in other U.S. wars, but tell that to the parents of those 4,000 dead. And while you're at it, tell it to the parents of the soldiers of the coalition - who aren't Americans and didn't even have a "dog in this fight." Tell them. Oh, and please don't forget the innocent civilians in Iraq, the women and children, who have died. Let's not forgot those who struggle to live every day in a world of violence and chaos.

I really want us to get out of Iraq. I really, really do. I think we are fighting a losing battle. I think as soon as we withdraw, the country will clash in civil war. It's like they're just waiting for us to leave so they can kill each other.

But on the other hand, we made a mess. We have destroyed this country. Sure, Saddam was a madman. Sure, he was a murderer and tyrant. But is this country better off now because the U.S. took this action? Most people would say "no" not by a long shot.

I heard that the U.S. is having a difficult time getting the Iraqi government to take responsibility for even the smallest of duties - like paying teachers. Even though the U.S. is pouring billions of dollars in to Iraq, schools aren't getting built, teachers aren't getting paid, electricity is not coming on, unless the U.S. pays for these things directly. How do we get the Iraqi government to take a leadership position? How do we get the Iraqi government to be fair to all its citizens? How do we fix this mess that WE created?

The five year anniversary of a war that Cheney said "might last 60 days." I really have no idea what the solution is. I do know that the war is creating a huge strain on our economy (unless you're an oil company or military contractor).

I think we owe it to the Iraqi people to fix what we broke. I'm just not sure how we do that - is it fixable? Are we just spinning our wheels? How many more soldiers have to die because of a lie?

Finally, will the world ever evolve in to peace? Why is it so difficult to love our neighbors?

Orchids Bloom

In the Deep

In the

Dark

quiet Secrets

wrapped in promises

shielded by Love

Glimmer

in the Golden Light

of Hope

and

Hopelessness

the Cherry Blossoms

Fall

the Butterfly

Lands

Orchids Bloom

elements combine

and I smell the wet grass

and Feel your Hand

in Mine

Cat Lady

I’ve got a birthday coming up. Not a milestone birthday…more of a “tweener”… between a semi-milestone and a milestone. Figured it out yet? Me either. Nor have I figured out why this birthday is bothering me so badly.

Maybe it’s because I’m alone and don’t have my sweet husband home to forget my birthday and then remember it suddenly and go all out making up for it? Maybe it’s because the reality of my age is starting to show in tiny lines around my eyes? Maybe it’s because I’m hiring people who were born after I had already graduated from college? Maybe it’s because I think about the years left in my life and there doesn’t seem to be so many? Maybe it’s because there are a lot of things I thought I would do by this age that I haven’t done? Humm. Maybe.

I certainly don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I’d like to forget it actually. If any of my friends are reading this, this is not a hint! On the contrary, I prefer to let the day pass unnoticed, in a peaceful, ALONE manner (with a few margaritas to ease any suffering). I ask you to please ignore it! I don’t want to be reminded that I have a better chance of being struck by lightening than EVER re-marrying – at THIS age. Thanks, Mr. Guy-Who-Conducts-Such-Cruel-and-Heartless-Polls. You suck. And by the way, I don’t think I want to date, much less re-marry. I think I’d make a great little old spinster lady with 500 cats.

It could happen.

Come Into My Sleep

Now that mountains of meaningless words
and oceans divide us
And we each have our own set of stars
to comfort and guide us
Come into my sleep
Come into my sleep, oh yeah
Dry your eyes and do not weep
Come into my sleep

Swim to me through the deep blue sea
upon the scattered stars set sail
Fly to me through this love-lit night
from one thousand miles away
And come into my sleep
Come into my sleep oh yeah
As midnight nears and shadows creep
Come into my sleep

Bind my dreams up in your tangled hair
For I am sick at heart, my dear
Bind my dreams up in your tangled hair
For all the sorrow it will pass, my dear

Take your accusation, your recriminations
and toss them into the ocean blue
Leave your regrets and impossible longings
and scatter them across the sky behind you
And come into my sleep
Come into my sleep
For my soul to comfort and keep
Come into my sleep
-Nick Cave

Landslide

Denied

Please do not come here

looking for absolution

and peace
the earth revolves

around the sun

no matter what
so do not come here

seeking

signs of life

and a pat on the back
you seem to be

?confused?

about what this is
I do not blame you
it is easier to think

about other things,

happier things
time passes

but does not heal me
and coming here

will not make you

feel any better
about yourself

or me

Mouse Heart

The blood runs cold

through her empty heart
a heart so badly wounded
though it may one day heal
will be scarred and reformed

tender flesh replaced

with wire and steel
reinforced with iron and ice
beating faintly

like the tiny heart of a mouse
inside a bunker

buried deep

Lost

Winter

The winter vine curls around the post
frosted leaves stretch and shiver
reaching for the distant sun

The blackbirds come in clouds of

ebony iridescent wings, moving and shifting
then landing in unison on the sleeping grass

In front of the fire I sit lost in the flames
wrapped in the quiet of winter’s day
For a moment, I think all is as it should be

Without You

The sun sets in the west
and in the fading light
I see my reflection in the window
another day of my life is over
another day without you

The leaves of Autumn fall
drifting slowly to the wet earth
I look at your photograph and wonder
how many seasons will pass
how many seasons without you

The Flood

When the rain comes and it will come
will the birds sing, will the bells ring?
Who will know that it is done?

Swept away in the churning flood
carried on foam of angry crests
the dark sky rushes overhead
heavy with the black clouds of dread

and the wet trees stand
oblivious on the shore

Tattered Threads

I live in a world full of people
yet I am alone
They move around me

in a blur
as I stand frozen in the shadows
cast by men with cold hearts

Between the world of the living
and the dead I wander
a ghost passing unnoticed
through the eternal dimness
held together by tattered threads

I shout, but no one hears me
lost in the roar of everyday life
they forget the forgotten and
send me the unspoken message
that indeed even God has forsaken me

Today

The green rolling hills flash by

carrying me further away from you

great white clouds hang high

in summer sky of deepest blue

My heart desires not

to travel this road

that takes me far from

where I want to be

but we both know

that the sun will rise

and tomorrow will come

so today,

I

must

leave

In My Dreams

Lost in the dim of twilight waking
I cling to dreams
and search for you

beyond the stars
around the Southern Cross
to the end of the earth

I reach for your hand as
the day breaks
and in the cold light of dawn
I hear your voice and know
I will see you again
in my dreams

Drowning

The rope slips through my fingers
and I begin to sink like a river stone
towards the bottom of the deep blue sea
arms floating above my head
hands waving in the currents
like drifting ocean grass
the light of the sun fading
Darker and colder and deeper
the water becomes
until finally, my feet touch the sand
So soft and quiet is the ocean floor
where the only sound is my own heart beating

Guardian

Bright stars shine in skies of slate
In this place of dreams and whispers
Every wish the dark night offers
Echoes morning’s hopeful song
Love is near. (The forest sighs)
We have been waiting…
all our lives.

Beautiful Wyoming

Just returned from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Beautiful place. Great people. Clean Air. Peace.

Tiny Angel

Yesterday, I lost a true and dear friend and member of the family. She had four furry little legs, a pom-pom of a tail, and a permanent smile on her sweet tiny teddy bear face. She was my constant companion for ten years, meeting me at the door every day with unconditional love and joy. She was happiest when she was in my lap getting her soft little ears scratched. Her expressions often made me smile, and her snoring made me giggle.

I loved her from the first moment I saw her – all 8 furry ounces of her. Full grown, she was a whopping nine pounds. She was a gentle, good-natured animal who loved everyone. She never bit, or even growled at a single soul. They say all dogs go to heaven. If that is true, then heaven just got a little sweeter. I love you Bama Girl!

Future Unknown

Run with me to the edge of reason
Sail the uncharted waters
Fly the unfamiliar skies
Leap the chasm of faith

Come with me to this strange, exotic place
a realm of foreign mystery, and fear
a land where you will never know,
what

happens

next

Toujours Provence

I'm leaving Wednesday for Provence and will be out of the country for a couple of weeks. This trip will be different from the trip last year, for many reasons. This time, there will be almost 300 people with me.

See you at my journey's end.

December 15, 2006

I carry your memory in my heart
and your death certificate

in my bag.
The women in the hall are
talking about shopping
and I want to scream at them.
I do not want to hear about
their ordinary lives when mine
has been turned upside down.
They can not see these pictures
in my head or the angel standing
next to me, holding me up.
I reach for the memory of that sunny
day in California,

a fast convertible,

and you.
The elevator opens.
Move legs.
Their high heels click on the marble floor.
Hurry,
the sale ends at 10:00 p.m.!
I close my eyes and wish
the world would spin
the other
direction.

Release Me

Release me
from these bonds that tighten
with every breath I take.
You left me imprisoned,
chained to dreams turned dark
and cold as steel.
Unable to move
I am locked forever
in this grey timeless place
Waiting for you
to set me free.

Fortress

Turn

then

twist

open slowly

and peel

layer after layer

to reveal

the hidden places

tightly

woven

over years

of pain

and loss,

until

fear

has built

a fortress

around

your

heart.

Forgiveness

I wake
to feel the yearnings
of my soul
so long sleeping
far beneath

the stone
that is my heart.
And hear the echo
of hope

once lost
fade into the

deep valley

of grief
from which

I rise.

Out of Town

I'll be out of town traveling on business until January 26th. Thanks for all the positive feedback on "Evangeline" (new readers).

Peace be with you.

Shelter

My Strength
Is
Gone.
Against the Wind
I
Fought.
And only
Now
Do
I
See,
How strong
You
Were for
Me.

If I Could

If I could

paint

your life

anew

I would

paint your sky

forever

blue
and fill your days

with golden

light

and ever

endless

star-filled

nights

Not Home for the Holidays

My daughter and I will be in the mountains of North Carolina for the Holidays.

To my faithful readers near and far (all three of you), Happy Holidays and a Blessed New Year!

xoxo

For Life

The geese of winter
land on the lake.
Silver wings stretched
they break the glassy
surface of the water
and float together
in the morning mist.
Bound for life
they wait for spring
through frost and
winter’s pale moon.
Black necks curved
in grey-feathered sleep.
Rest now, for soon
the journey home.

Fall

On the edge
looking down,
it seems so far to fall
take a deep breath
close your eyes
spread your wings and fly
fly to hope,
tomorrow’s child
waiting on the sun to rise
waiting on a future moon
life will not wait for you

Sand Castle

The sea

has finally washed

away

my carefully constructed

sandcastle,

washed

away

the form of

my

identity,

leaving only infinite

grains of sand

along

a scattered beach.

-unknown author

For BCP

I had a dream last night. I was on a dark beach with you. But you were much younger than you are now, you seemed to be around 6 years old. Your hand felt very small in mine.

There were storm clouds and lightening rolling over head. The wind was warm and fierce. But we stood there and faced the wind blowing our hair back, our jackets flapping. At the edge of the surf, our toes met the lip of foam, growing ever closer to covering our feet, sucking the sand out from under as it retreated.

Overhead, the storm charged the air and lightening descending in crooked arcs aross the black sky, bouncing through menacing clouds, briefly lighting them with bursts of purest white.

We were facing it - head on - knowing that sometimes things are so much more beautiful after the storm has passed, we waited together.

Walt Whitman's poem is about a father and daughter, but it sounds like we had the same dream.
We will make it through. I love you!


On The Beach At Night, by Walt Whitman

On the beach, at night,
Stands a child,
with her father,
Watching the east,
the autumn sky.

Up through the darkness,
While ravening clouds,
the burial clouds,
in black masses spreading,
Lower, sullen and fast, athwart and down the sky,
Amid a transparent clear belt of ether yet left in the east,
Ascends, large and calm, the lord-star Jupiter;
And nigh at hand, only a very little above,
Swim the delicate brothers,
the Pleiades.

From the beach, the child,
holding the hand of her father,
Those burial-clouds that lower, victorious,
soon to devour all,
Watching, silently weeps.
Weep not, child,
Weep not, my darling,
With these kisses let me remove your tears;

The ravening clouds shall not long be victorious,
They shall not long possess the sky--shall devour the stars only inapparition:
Jupiter shall emerge--be patient--watch again another night--
the Pleiades shall emerge,
They are immortal--all those stars, both silvery and golden, shall shine out again,
The great stars and the little ones shall shine out again--they endure;
The vast immortal suns, and the long-enduring pensive moons, shall again shine.
Then, dearest child, mournest thou only for Jupiter?
Considerest thou alone the burial of the stars?

Something there is,
Something there is more immortal even than the stars,
(Many the burials, many the days and nights, passing away,)
Something that shall endure longer even than lustrous Jupiter,
Longer than sun, or any revolving satellite,
Or the radiant brothers, the Pleiades

Long and Winding Road

I'm traveling for a few days. I'll be back with new content, sometime next week.



Aller avec Dieu.

For Mary Ann & Clifford, Married 55 Years

"Be the captive of Love
in order that you may be truly free-
free from coldness and the worship of self.

Thousands have passed who were wise and learned
but who were strangers to Love.

No name is left to them,
nothing to proclaim their fame and
dignity or to relate their history in the march of time.

Although you may attempt to do
a hundred things in this world,
only Love will give you release
from the bondage of yourself."

-Hakim Jami, Sufi Master, 1492

Wish Upon a Star (or Two)

This weekend brings the return of the famous Leonid meteor shower, which has a storied history of producing some of the most sensational meteor displays ever recorded.

The year's encounter is predicted for 11:45 p.m. ET Saturday.

A lounge chair or blanket, warm clothes, and a snuggle-buddy are all you need. Find a dark location away from city lights, with a clear view of the eastern horizon. Lie back, face east, and scan as much of the sky as you can.

Scientists are expecting between 100-150 meteors per hour during this cosmic event.

That’s a huge opportunity for wish-making, if you’re in need of a few. I know I am.

Some of My Favorite "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handey

"When I found the skull in the woods, the first thing I did was call the police. But then I got curious about it. I picked it up, and started wondering who this person was, and why he had deer horns."
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"We like to praise birds for flying. But how much of it is actually flying, and how much of it is just sort of coasting from the previous flap?"
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"How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have that dangerous beak."
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"It makes me mad when people say I turned and ran like a scared rabbit. Maybe it was like an angry rabbit, who was going to fight in another fight, away from the first fight."
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"When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmm, boy."
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"When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school we'd all go play in his cave, and every once in a while he would eat one of us. It wasn't until later that I found out that Uncle Caveman was a bear."
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"I hope if dogs ever take over the world and they choose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas."

Travel Day

I'm getting ready to leave for the airport. It's going to take me all day to get home, if you count the two-hour time difference and the layover in Houston.

I will be so tired by the time I finally land, get my luggage, try to remember where I parked my car, get out of the parking deck, pay the toll, fight the rush-hour traffic, unpack the car, read the mail, walk the dogs, take a bath, and go to bed....

I think I better have a Starbucks Grande or two before I take to the skies.

See you on the other side of the country.

Election Day

I stood in the rain this morning, in a long line that snaked around the corner of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church (my polling place).

Under the circumstances, I was surprised that the turnout was as good as it was. Everyone seemed determined to vote come Hell, or in this case, high water. My feet got soaked. My shoes are probably ruined (how many black pumps does a girl need anyway?).

Besides, it's a small sacrifice to pay for the privledge of living in a democracy that so many have died defending. In spite of some really stupid politicians, America is still a great country.

Please don't forget to vote.

Missing You

Something reached inside my chest today

and squeezed my heart.

It happened when the breeze

went dancing through the trees

and turned their leaves

upside down.

I tilted my face to the sun

and felt the place you used to fill,

now quiet and empty.

Missing you in falling leaves

and the slanted light of Autumn.

I Wanna Go Home

I travel often for work. Some people think it's glamorous, but it gets old. Here's a song dedicated to my fellow Road Warriors.

"Home"
by Michael Buble

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris or Rome
But I wanna go home
I wanna go home

May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two "I'm fine baby, how are you?"
Well I would send them but I know that it's just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
I wanna go home

I gotta go home
Let me go home
I'm just too far from where you are
I wanna come home
And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life
It's like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not come along with me
This was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me come home

P.S. I'll be in Vegas next week for work. Don't hate me.