Another Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day !

In honor of my friend Marie,
who is a ovarian cancer survivor
and thriver, I had hoped to get
 this together yesterday so

I could remind everyone to
 wear teal today.  If there is
still time, please add a bit of
teal or wear a whole outfit

in memory and awareness

of Ovarian Cancer.

As I wrote earlier in the month,
 September is Ovarian Cancer

Awareness Month.

I have my bracelet that I

am wearing today.

It says "it whispers...so listen".

 I also made these little

ribbons several years

ago and passed them out to

friends and the women

at my bank.

For more information and

to donate, even a small

amount, please visit

 these websites:

Ovations For The Cure of Ovarian Cancer

~~~~~

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance

~~~~~

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition

Love ya Marie....so glad you

are alive !   :o)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Few are those who

see with their own

eyes and feel with

their own hearts.

--- Albert Einstein

The Second Day of Autumn

Look what I woke up

to this morning .....

We might get a bit of rain

tomorrow, although the sun

is making it's way out right

 now.   I am so glad to see

 the HOT weather go.

Yesterday it was 95 degrees

and just not fun.  Today they

say it will be 84 and tomorrow

 only 70, but the rest of the

week will be in the 80's

with a couple of days back

 to 90, but at least not 95!

   I have lots of outside work to

 do including planting these

(and more) .....

.....with the help from my

dear Pansy.....

Oh, how I wish she could help me !

Speaking of help....I keep

forgetting to mention that

Cheryl and I saw the movie

 "The Help" last week.

I hadn't read the book, but

the movie was FANTASTIC!

All 4 main characters were

wonderful, but for me the

actresses that played Minnie

(Octavia Spencer) and Hilly

(Bryce Dallas Howard) were

just too much!  Loved them

both, well not Hilly's character,

 but both of their acting was

superb in my opinion !   The

fashions and sets were perfect

 and the colors and patterns were

such a treat for the eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I had a nice visit with my old neighbors

from 1999.   I have seen them here and there over

 the years, and we always said we would get together,

 but never quite made it happen.  They are so very kind

and easygoing and said to just call whenever I had

time...so Wednesday I called to say how about Thursday

and we settled on Friday.  I can't believe I forgot my

camera.   Their yard is absolutely enchanting!

Their house is on a mountain and they have tiered

and tiered the property with tons of rocks, stone and

cement and then planted 100's of trees, shrubs,

and flowers....figs, olives, apples, roses, jasmine vines,

wisteria, lilacs, veggies...the list goes on and on.  There is

 a water shortage in that area so they were only watering

the veggies.  Unfortunately the roses may be gone next

year.  They also had a waterfall that went from the top

of the property to the bottom, but had no water in it.

Too much to run right now so I will have to go over

this winter after a good rain to see.  :o)  And the view

 of the lake....oh my goodness!  I had kinda forgotten

 how gorgeous the view really is, but the drive into town

is 25 minutes and just too far away for me to want to live

 up that way again.  After my 3 1/2 hour visit I headed

 over to Cheryl's (she is up that way too).  Since I am

 rarely in that area I had called her earlier to see if

 she wanted to watch the last episode of All My Children

 together.  She has watched it for all 40 years, since

she was a teenager! 

Above photo from ABC Studios

All My Children logo as in the "New Decade" credits

 (December 22, 2010-present)

 I haven't watched AMC since the

early 80's, but with it's end, I decided to watch this

last week.  It was so fun, but almost sad to see all the

 old characters that were still on.  Not sad for them,

but for me...thinking about how young they were back

 then and although they all looked great now, that meant

 me too, growing older and thinking about how young I

 was back then!  Pretty emotional.  The whole week's

worth of episodes were quite nice....all ran along at a nice

 clip (not dragged out) until Friday's episode!  

A disappointment for sure.

They claim they will be bringing back the show on

the internet, but already some of the actors have found

other jobs so it will not be the same.  Of course, they left

 the show with a cliffhanger !  Total bummer!   I was so

hopeful that they would continue along the path of this

past week and end it positively instead of with

a literal bang!   Oh well, I should know better with

the soaps!  I am glad though that I watched the last

 week and wish all the actors the very best in whatever

 they all choose do in the future.   :o)

Thanks for the memories!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun, with all those

planets revolving around

it and dependent on it,

can still ripen a bunch

of grapes as if it had

 nothing else in the

universe to do.

--- Galileo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAPPY THE DAY AFTER

THE FIRST DAY OF FALL !

The world surrounds us with perfections.

Look what was in the

garden last week?

I love finding praying mantis!

As I was taking the pictures,

it lifted up it's little front legs

 as if to fight me.   As if I

would hurt it!

Can you see his wings

a buzzin'?  Click on pic

for larger view.

And of course there are lots

of bees!   I love bees too!

These bees were starting

to fill up on pollen...their

little legs were covered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each day, awakening, are we

asked to paint the sky blue?

Need we coax the sun to rise

or flowers to bloom?  Need
 we teach birds to sing, or
children to laugh, or lovers
 to kiss?  No, though we
 think the world imperfect,
 it surrounds us each day
 with its perfections. 

We are asked only to
 appreciate them, and to
 show appreciation by living
 in peaceful harmony amidst
them.  The Creator does not
 ask that we create a perfect

world; He asks that we
celebrate it.

--- Robert Brault

The Hope of Glory

Taken in 1959 when my

 Mom was 22 years old.

Nancy K. Stout

San Francisco, Calif.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today is the 7th anniversary

of my Mother's physical death.

It is amazing to think 7 years

have passed since that day I

saw her take her last breath.

As Mike said in our Christmas

letter that year,  "she believed

she would be healed until the

last moment and that is what

true faith is".   She was 67

years young.  She always

seemed young, that is why

it was a shock when she was

diagnosed with leukemia the

year before.    Sometimes it

seems like just yesterday

and other times forever.

  Her favorite bible verse

 was from Colossians 1:27

"Christ in you,

the hope of glory".

We had a plaque made with

that verse and placed it

on the railing of Capitola

Wharf as she loved the

ocean as much as me.  In

fact, I am sure that is where

 I get my love for the sea.

In October 2006, Mike and I,

 and my cousin Zona and her

 husband Howard, who came

out from Colorado, scattered her

 ashes in Monterey Bay.  I told my

Mom that I would not keep her

 ashes on a mantel or shelf.  I almost

 kept a bit to put in a pendant and

 now I am glad I didn't.  It took me

two years to get it done, and I

couldn't bear to go another

winter without finally doing it.

It was a perfect day and I

remember thinking "Dang, Mom

would have really loved to

be out on this boat". 

Which I guess she was.  :o)



All Is Well
Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped into the next

 room I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,

 that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which

you always used
Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity

or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed at

the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the

 household word that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect,

 without the trace of shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It it the same as it ever was,

 there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind

because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval,

 somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.
All is well.

--- Henry Scott Holland
1847-1918

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had a little card that someone

had given me that I think

had a lovely sentiment about

someone's passing, but I could

not find it anywhere!   I moved

it about a year ago and I have

hundred's of little places I

tuck things into, but I guess I

missed one !   So I went online

and found the above and below

poems that I am sure my Mom

would have liked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I AM NOT HERE

Don't stand by my grave and weep,
For I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint of snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning,

 hush.
For I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circle flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand by my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die.

--- Hopi Grief Song/Prayer

 This is one of the last photos

 I have of my Mother and I.

  It is a bit grainy as I took a

 picture of the photo.

Actually all of the photos

on this post are taken that way.

Taken when I was about a year old.

When I come to the end of the day
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not too long
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love we once shared,
Miss me but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take
And each must go alone.
It's all a part of the maker's plan,
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart,
Go to the friends we know,
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds -
Miss me, but let me go.

from http://www.motivateus.com/

The good, the bad and the JOY!

For the past few days most

Americans (and our international

 friends) have experienced sad

 and for many, painful memories

 on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. 

 I feel there is not much to say

 on that subject that hasn't already

 been said this past week.

Our best is to remember each

 person and event as being

connected to us all and that by

 honoring ourselves and the world

around us with love, patience

and the commitment to do what

 is right and good we are never

 really separated from each other.

  I know, easy to say, but true.  

 I still struggle with my Mom's

death 7 years ago on the 15th. 

 But I have to believe this way...

the interconnectedness of Life

and the Grace of God, the Creator.

I hope everyone has heard

of Mattie Stepanek .  He wrote this

poem the day of the 9/11 attacks.

   What a special soul to have graced

our earth.  Oprah interviewed him and

 said he is her top favorite guest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  But for 1000's of penguin watchers,

this past weekend also showed

the reality of nature and not being

able to control everything.   Our

little friend, Happy Feet's

tracking device has fallen silent

since last Friday the 9th, 5 days

 after his release.  There are many

speculations as to why this has

happened, but for me and many

others, we choose to believe that the

tracker simply fell off and Sir Happy

Feet is still swimming around and

 enjoying himself back in his home,

the Southern Ocean.   To read

 more click HERE

Photo courtesy of Saphira Brillant Nrew

So my contribution to our world

of emotions was to take 2 glorious

days and do just as I please.  I know,

many who know me say "well you

do that anyway".   Yes, but this

time I gave myself permission to!

After Friday's news of Happy Feet's

tracker being trackless, I figured the

weekend would be the perfect time

to do all the things that are within

my power of doing to make myself

happy and therefore bring up my

positive vibration quota.  We also

had a mini-heatwave here with the

temps. rising to 100 degrees...

hopefully summer's last hurrah

.....so with 9/11 looming,

Happy Feet supposedly "lost"

(but not really, just untrackable)

and the heat, which makes me

more irritable than usual, this

was the perfect time for indulgences. 

  I decided that I would

eat chocolate cake,

 have a cocktail or two,

buy some flowers for outside to spruce

up for fall,

finish watching season 7

of the Gilmore Girls (which I am

still doing)

spend more time with my little kitty

Pansy and give her extra rubs

under her chin.(which she loves) 

Oh yes, my favorite Fresh Roll

 at our new Thai restaurant,

 Chalerm Thai Bistro  in Lakeport. 

 (I bring my own to-go containers)  

 They also have a wonderful peanut 

sauce for dipping. 

And of course a couple of blended

mocha coffee drinks for good measure.  

 What a joy to give yourself

permission to do the things that

bring you joy !   Now I know I do

 most of these things, but usually not

all at once!  The only other thing that

 would have been perfect was a

 massage, but it was too late notice

 to do anything like that.  My 2 days

of indulgence did turn into 3 though

and maybe the whole week! 

 On Monday Marie and I met up again 

 and spent an hour and a half at

 Michaels the craft store!  I found
 these darling penguin stickers
 without really looking and I had
to have them.  :o)  I hope to do
a small scrapbook of Happy Feet
one day. 

 We also had a

quick lunch at the temple again. 

 When we were together

 last Thursday we noticed that there
 was one of those Halloween super
 stores opening in Ukiah for the
season.  They were to open this past
weekend so we thought we would
get together again on Monday to
 check it out, but when we went by
 they still weren't open...:o( 
They hope to be open this

 Saturday so we might have to do it
 all over again next week.   :o)   We 
 also had planned to go by our 
 favorite nursery last week too, but 
didn't make it....so we went by
yesterday and were a bit disappointed.  
They usually have wonderful displays
 and all sorts of blooms, but not much
 this time.   I guess the past heat was
 a bit too much.  Anyway, I hope all of
you will take a couple of days this
year and plan your own days of
indulgence.   Even if you have to set
 aside some money each week and
 save for it....it is so worth it.  So I
think I contributed to the world's
 vibration in a positive way and
helped the economy a bit too in the
 process!  Now if I can just keep this
feeling going indefinitely without so
many indulgences that cost money !   

What are the things you would

do on your own perfect joyful day...

just for yourself?   Remember

you have to take care of yourself

before you can truly help others.

I always think of the instructions

on planes,  "and parents please

put your mask on first and then

help your children on with theirs."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who looks outside,

 dreams;

who looks inside,

 awakes.

--- Carl Jung