GROW GROW GROW

All the gardening bags have dirt and seeds in them. Cross your fingers! I hope they work great!

PROCRASTINATION

TWELVE

I did this thing today!!!

I spoke with Renee at Verizon and she helped me understand my plan. She also said this...

It would have been less costly to go with AT&T but Verizon has always had my back! 

1 2 3 4

Being aware of your surroundings is a big part of being present, being in the moment. I try to focus on being present as much as possible. I think that too often we end up in auto pilot mode and we can miss out on the here and now. 

I love taking drives, seeing new places and destinations. But sometimes you see the most interesting things when you aren’t really looking. 

Not long ago m, as I was headed to work, there was some construction on 9th Street, at the Art Museum. So I detoured from my regular (auto pilot) path. Here is what I saw...

1 As I rerouted my journey, I was following the herd of morning auto commuters when I slowed to a stop. I was on a one way street, and parked next to me was a hurst. Not something you see parked, nowhere near a funeral home, in a small town. But wait, this old hurst had writing on it, and it looked like... closer scrutiny... someone’s personal ride! I looked for a driver or any one near the vehicle.There was no one. I felt a bit creeped out that someone “wanted” to hang out in a hurst. The light turned green... I moved on!

2 It was a lovely warm morning, my windows were down and my play list was turned way up.  “Cradle of Love” by Billy Idol (1990) was playing. As I came to another stop light I turned my volume down slightly, because I do realize that everyone else waiting on the light may not want to enjoy my play list with me. But wait... Someone else was listening to the same song! What are the odds? Different spot in the song but same song. So funny!

3 As I pulled slowed to the next street light, I saw a sight I had never seen before. (Big City or small town... I may just be a sheltered woman, or maybe it’s because I’m not Catholic but this sight was new and slightly disturbing to me. It’s not like I have EVER seen it before, because I haven’t.) There were three nuns, in full, head to toe, habits, walking across the street. One after the other, in a row. When they stepped up onto the sidewalk, they each went in a different direction. I wanted to just watch, or maybe not, I’m sure this could be the start of a zombie event if let to get out of hand. The street light change and I moved on.

4 My path was back on track, I was on a two lane country road with lots of other vehicles. Lots of traffic, but the area is lovely, woods on both sides of the road. I try to keep a safe distance behind the driver in front of me so I can see my surroundings, safety first and all that. But as the semi-truck up ahead hit his breaks and it of course had a ripple effect back to me, I was now directly behind the guy in front of me. Please keep in mind that this is the tree enclosed road where I have encountered a road raged fox, I have been dive bombed my an owl and you constantly need to watch for road kill as you commute with all the rest of the two lane traffic. So as I was doing my best to be aware, out of the woods run 4 High School track stars. All with the same hair cuts. How do I know this? Because I was doing my best to not be aware that all four boys had only guy shoes and the same boxer length shots on... and nothing else. So eyes to the road I realized that the guy in front of me had also been surprised by this impromptu  track event that had hopped out of the trees. But then as I witnessed, in my rear view mirror, the lady in the car behind me was caught off guard, swerving wildly as she gained her wits. 

Oh my, the things you see as you work to be in the moment! 1 2 3 4

NORMANDY

9,000 Fallen Soldiers Etched into the Sand on Normandy Beach to Commemorate Peace Day on September 25, 2013

 British artist Jamie, accompanied by numerous volunteers, took to the beaches of Normandy with rakes and stencils in hand to etch 9,000 silhouettes representing fallen people into the sand. Titled The Fallen 9000, the piece is meant as a stark visual reminder of those who died during the D-Day beach landings at Arromanches on June 6th, 1944 during WWII. 

The original team consisted of 60 volunteers, but as word spread nearly 500 additional localresidents arrived to help with the temporary installation that lasted only a few hours before being washed away by the tide.  

IN THE SUNROOM

SOMETHING NEW

 I was driving through the middle of Kentucky not too long ago when I saw something I hadn’t seen on a Kentucky farm before.

Now I have seen cows, the fat happy kind, and horses in all sizes. I have seen chicken of all types, plus ducks, geese and turkey. I have seen pigs! Oh that one was sure cute. I have seen bison, donkey, goats, sheep and cute happy lambs. I have even seen lama.

But this was the first time I had seen camels on a farm. Not just one but two! And they were lovely! Needless to say, this girl was delighted!

F•R•I•E•N•D•S

The Reunion 

I loved this! 

WEATHER OR NOT

It’s has been very warm here in my bit of Heaven the last few days. We had “Blackberry Winter” a couple weeks ago, when the temperatures dipped down to chilly and the BlackBerry bushes were all in bloom. Then the ‘hot with no humidity’ rolled in. That made me think of Phoenix for sure. I even drove home with my windows down so I could enjoy and not forget that feeling of convection oven heat. (Just one of the many reasons I moved from The Valley of The Sun). The temperature was higher here then in Arizona one day. Yikes

Yesterday was foggy on my drive in and warm and rainy on my drive home. I like the constant change. I really do! I think that this tiny cold spell that’s coming tomorrow will be “Locust Winter”. The locust trees are in bloom currently, and they are lovely. So bring on another chilly day! I love where I live!

FOUR

 Yesterday I watched four turkey walk through the woods. They were all perfectly spaced in a row. They were close enough that I could see them very well. And although these large birds are beautiful in their own way, they reminded me of the Beatles on Abby Road! 

It made me laugh!

ALL THE FLOWERS

Just a few pictures I took 

on one of my adventures! ♥️

FESCUE

KENTUCKY

When I first came to Kentucky I was sure I had found everything magical and perfect that I had ever imagined. 

I had no idea that there was so much green in any one place. I remember walking through the woods, listening to the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees. 

I remember walking through the meadow, through the tall grass. I remember how the fescue felt as I ran my hands through it. That walk and so much of that first Kentucky experience was a bucket list event for me. 

I remember watching the storm clouds roll in fast and low. And how it would rain so fiercely, then it would be cool and lovely.

I remember how blown away I was by all the barns. I loved the barns. 

I had never seen hydrangeas in so many colors as there were on Griffith avenue. They still make me smile each time I drive down that charming street.

I loved that all the towns were small and charming. So ‘down home’ friendly.

There were frogs and owls and acorns that had inhabitants. Everything was so enchanting.

I knew I would love it here. But when I came to Kentucky I truly fell in love. 

DIFFERENT GIFTS

"We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.” - Fred Rogers 

ERIC CARL

From the Eric Carle Team: It is with heavy hearts that we share that Eric Carle, author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and many other beloved classics, passed away on Sunday, May 23rd at the age of 91. 

 

When asked why he thinks The Very Hungry Caterpillar has remained popular for so long, Carle said, “I think it is a book of hope. Children need hope. You, little insignificant caterpillar can grow up into a beautiful butterfly and fly into the world with your talent.”

 

Thank you, Eric Carle for sharing your great talent with so many generations of young readers. 

"In the light of the moon, holding on to a good star, a painter of rainbows is now traveling across the night sky," his family wrote in a statement.

♥️

TRUST IT

Trust the feelings you get. When you find what makes your heart happy... trust it. 

Move forward.

WRITE IT DOWN

 Ease your mind by transferring thoughts and feelings onto the page.

Have you ever found yourself going over negative emotional experiences and their causes in your mind over and over again? Keeping a journal is an effective way to short-circuit the thought loop. Getting it down on paper may be just what you need to move forward. Even when things are going great, writing can become a meditative practice… a soothing habit to include in your morning or evening routine. A few tips:

• Forget should — your journal is for you, so write whatever you want — whether it’s your deepest hopes and fears, progress toward a goal, new ideas, or simply a recap of your day. Just let it flow out, unimpeded.

• Start small — write a few lines and see how it feels. This isn’t homework; as your journal habit develops, some days will prompt longer entries than others.

• Go back from time to time and reread previous entries. You may be surprised to see how your own mindset evolves over time or be struck by a sense of accomplishment over old conflicts eased or worries washed away.

When you put pen to paper for a few minutes a day, you may experience health benefits like less stress and interpersonal conflict, improved mood, and better problem-solving skills.

https://journaltherapy.com/journal-cafe-3/journal-course/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_journal_through_your_struggles

SPICY SOUP

I had tortilla soup for dinner, it was good. Lots of cumin. Cumin smells like body odor to me. So wrong that that tastes so yummy when it smells so bad. 

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Thanks for remembering my Half Birthday!

TOTAL ECLIPSE

https://www.almanac.com/total-lunar-eclipse-may-26-strange-and-short?trk_msg=1B11FT0IF71K51CMMFBP9J8C80&trk_contact=EOMNDKKMMUHOKHA3SJECSC252K&trk_sid=GLGB2O8BB1KG48KBB14U4CPAQS&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Total+Lunar+Eclipse+on+May+26%3a+Strange+and+Short+(read+more)&utm_campaign=Companion+Daily

WHOLEHEARTED LIVING

CHALLENGE EXCEPTED

The Next

Level Of

Your Life

Will Demand

A

Different 

Version 

Of You!

TRUST

BREATHE

TENNESSEE CAR CRASH

After I dropped my son at the Nashville International Airport this past Monday, I made a couple stops before I got on the highway. Once I was on highway 65 I figured it would be smooth sailing and I would be home in a couple hours. There is a stretch of the divided highway close to Nashville that has beautiful mature trees in the median. It’s one of my favorite parts of the drive. But on Monday all traffic came to a stop as I got to that spot. I sat on the highway for over an hour. The weather was wonderful, so my windows were down. There was no traffic on the other side of the highway, at all. You know when they close both sides of a divided highway the wreck is bad. I watched several emergency vehicles zoom down the shoulder, then on the opposite side of the highway...then I heard the helicopter. I said a prayer for all involved. 

After about an hour they let the northbound traffic go, but the southbound was backed up for miles. Super scary stuff.