Whatever you'd like, Honey.....

Well, shoot.
I had good intentions.....when I got up from my desk, and thought I was headed into the kitchen to take steaks out to thaw.   What I did was a few dishes, then I opened the blinds because it was all rather dim.  I played with the puppies, taught Seamus the word "bone" (well, I've started to, anyway), and wiped down the counter and put a couple of things away, shut the puppy gate and came back into the office.  SGTex looks up and says, "Hey, are you hungry?"  I'm like, "Oh darn, I meant to take steaks out to thaw....."  So now he's in the kitchen getting some late lunch together, and he's taking something out of the freezer for a late supper.  He's offered a couple of suggestions, and I'm pretty much agreeable with whatever it is, lol.  I'd better be...Just call me Ditwad.  (Is that a bad word??) 

So, what's for dinner?  We're having some "Yes, we'll have whatever you'd like, Honey......"

Well, I don't mind telling you, he's  a great, creative chef.  There have been the most amazing cookies and breads baked in our cute little kitchen, some of which are his own, personal, off-the-cuff, on-the-spot recipe.  Our midnight popcorn picnics are most always enhanced by delicious nuts that he's spiced and sweetened.   And don't get me started on the mixed drinks he's concocted.  WoW. 

The man works magic in the kitchen, etc..... So come to think of it, just call me Lucky. 

Shawn
****
photo courtesy of:  I forget.  But BTW, feel free to go to the sidebar and find the widget where you can translate this into any language you choose.  Have yourself a ball...LOL!!

A windy wedding....

Disclaimer:  Okay, so it's a windy day and I'm pretty much in wedding mode for the next few months.  There's a good chance my blogging might kinda roll in that direction.  Consider yourselves warned.... ;+)

Isn't this a great picture?!  I would have loved to have been there.  Hey, I would have loved to have been the photographer that day. 

I'll admit it.  Wedding planning can get pretty interesting.  Basically what's on my mind these days is the guest list.  We don't have an A list and a B list, per se.  What we do have is the means to accommodate a certain number of our Near & Dear ones, and we hope those who will be joining us on our wedding day will be glad to be there.  I picked up a great tidbit on a chat board one time, and it was this:  Limit your guest list to those people who you feel sure will wake up on the morning of your wedding and say, "Yay!! It's Shawn & SGTex's Big Day, and I can't wait to get there!!"  Anyone who doesn't fit that picture might rather stay home...Hmmm.
At the time I read that, I basically thought that I'd better be the one-- no wait, *we'd* better be the ones waking up with that attitude, heheh!!  IOW, we sincerely hope that those we're inviting will be glad to take part in the celebration.....

And there will be cake.

Shawn ;+)
****

photo courtesy of:  Foosies, http://4.bp.blogspot.com/

Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ....

Cleopatra....

is someone I've always greatly admired. 

I won't lay out her entire biography here, but do want to mention that she was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, ruling with her father and then her brothers, whom she married. 

She was the lover of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian (Augustus).  Remember Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton?
After Caesar's assassination she aligned herself against his brother with Mark Antony, who was the legal heir to Caesar's throne.  She also became his lover and mother to his three children.  Both she and Mark Antony committed suicide...Tradition tells us that she did herself in by way of an asp bite.  O.M.G(ess), in this case. 

According to Wikipedia, "Her patron goddess was Isis, and thus, during her reign, it was believed that she was the re-incarnation and embodiment of the goddess of wisdom."  She is reputed to have been brilliant, intelligent, beautiful, a force with which to be reckoned, and I just really admire the heckoutta that.

Brains and beauty--now there's a much-desired combination.  Oh, and let's not forget to add "a sense of humor" to her list of highly female attributes.  The story goes that she had a surprise meeting with Julius Caesar.  A beautiful rug was delivered to him, and when it was unrolled, there she was...   Can you imagine?!  Obviously, he must have been very pleased to make her acquaintance~ the embodiment of the Goddess Isis....

Shawn
****
photo courtesy of: http://2.bp.blogspot.com

My mosaic mood montage....

Flower petals.  We've got a million of 'em.... Ever since the first bouquet of long-stemmed red roses SGTex sent me in WA, I've been drying and saving flower petals.  First of all, because I just couldn't part with them, and second of all, because we'd be using them to scatter at our wedding...At the time it all started, I had no idea how perfectly they'd suit our purpose.  The little downtown park is all brick, and there will be a petal path from the street to the wall-of-water fountain...Well, over the last 5 years you can imagine how many petals have been gathered and stored away for safekeeping.  Lots and lots. 

And that is how I came to find this beautiful mosaic picture, all about flower petals :+). 

So many thoughts are swirling around in my head lately.  There's been a lot going on right here at home, more than enough to keep my mind well occupied, IYKWIM.  SGTex has been given more responsibility and a new position at work- and yes, he's doing a fandangtastic job, thankyou very much!  I'm very proud of him.  He's an achiever and has heaps of ability, which he puts to great use. 

It's also gardening time out back, and he's in charge of that, too.  We've had some of our first harvest already- green tomatoes fried SGTex style, and a delicious zucchini, the texture of which was amazing, melt in your mouth.  On the other hand, my most anticipated blooms never had a chance.  Evidently nasturtiums are on the salad menu of the neighborhood squirrels....I couldn't believe my eyes the other day when I started down the front steps-- it looked like someone had taken scissors and given all the plants a bad haircut!!  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  I've been really wanting nasturtiums to grow here.  Maybe next season...

Beyond what's right here close to home, there's the oil spill.  Like many of you, we've been watching late night CNN and are feeling more and more frustrated and disgusted with BP oil and all who are mixed up in this big mess.  The harm done is hard to imagine.  I don't know how those people sleep at night, really.  It's not their loved ones who died, it's not their wildlife, their wetlands or coastline that is affected.  Yet.  Utterly shameful.

And now I've gotten myself all involved with Lily & Hope, the black bears in Minnesota (see posts below).  As of tonight, Baby Hope is still lost and alone in the woods, but was spotted a couple of times over the past days.  Food has been left out for her in what should be familiar places, so perhaps she will be able to take nourishment.  We'll learn more about her misadventure tomorrow.  I've been heartbroken just thinking about her being out on her own in the woods, such a tiny bear girl.  She needs to be caught and carried off to her mother once again.  Many tears have been shed, and many prayers have been said over that situation here in America and elsewhere. 

Our wedding plans continue to take shape, and I'm grateful for that.  It will be a busy summer with lots to do before our big day in the Celtic New Year.

All in all, it's been a good June so far for us here in our home.  I hope it's been that way for you, too.

Shawn
****
photo courtesy of:  http://rlv.zcache.com/purple_blue_iris_flower_petals_mosaic_montage_poster

On this Memorial Day 2010....

"Since they kissed the lads they loved so dear and sent them to the front..." 

Just wanted to share this lovely postcard c. 1906-1911 in remembrance of those who have given their all, in order that we can celebrate our freedoms. 

Our hope and prayer is that all wars will end, that all our men and women will safely come home again~ to stay.

Blessed be....

Gratefully,
Shawn & SGTex
****

Our very beginning....

Jerusha Day!!!


In the spring of 2005, SGTex and I became acquainted with each other on an Internet religion board. We’d kinda swoop and dip into each other’s conversations, keeping an eye on what the other was saying on various topics, but it wasn’t until the subject of monkey bread came up that we actually engaged each other directly…

Anyway, back to our topic.  I’m very interested in genealogy, and it was on May 30, 2005, we were chatting on the board about his ancestress Jerusha.  Our conversation became involved to such a degree that I wondered if we might take it to email, which evidently is exactly what he had in mind. Well, we did, and that is how we became involved, way back when. The most amazing month followed, I kid you not. Whew.   So in case you were wondering, that is how our time together began.

Thank you kindly, Jerusha. I’ll be forever grateful….

Shawn
****
photo: The Guitar Juan Gris, 1913 (150 Kb); Oil and papier colle on canvas, 61 x 50 cm (24 x 19 5/8 in); Private collection, Paris (DC42) / Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris / (SGTex named his guitar Jerusha- a gift from me)

While there's life, there's Hope....

Maybe you've heard all about Baby Bear Hope, alone and lost in the Minnesota North Woods over this past weekend.  She and her mother Lily became separated when Lily went to investigate some tracks.  By the time she returned for her cub, 50 hours had passed, and Hope was nowhere to be found.  A torrential rain complicated matters, and it seemed like Hope was lost, until a cub was spotted by a homeowner who lived near the area.  The cub got away, but a search was on, while the world waited and prayed (on Facebook!)  Later, Hope was spotted in a cedar tree, and it has since been reported that she was rescued, stowed away in a pet carrier and returned to her mother! 

I haven't seen the video yet, but you can bet I'll stay up to watch it. All of this has been rather heart-wrenching, thinking about Lily, discouraged and confused, how it must have been for Hope to find herself alone for so long. I can't even begin to imagine how those who were searching felt when they finally discovered little Hope in that cedar tree. Wow.

Talk about a happy ending...which is actually pending, but I'm betting that these two bears will sleep in and awaken with a sense that all is right with their world...


Shawn
****
 
photos borrowed from Lily The Black Bear fan photos on Facebook, Crys Davis, Sarah Peterson Dykstra
"Lily the Black Bear is part of a long-term research project run by the North American Bear Center (http://bear.org) and the Wildlife Research Institute (http://bearstudy.org) out of Ely, Minnesota."

What not to wear....

Okay, this is *not* what I was going to blog about today, but gee whiz, no matter how many times I slap myself, I can't seem to shake off the urge to say something.  Really. 

I had heard that the Chinese are irritated with people in Shanghai showing up downtown (see how that goes--up--down--lol) in their jammies during the 2010 World Expo.  In fact, they've hired women (who wear red banners) to stand around on street corners and stop/scold pajama-wearers and send them home to change.  Apparently, the Chinese don't want to give visitors the wrong impression. 

Anyway, this is what Venus wore yesterday at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, the fashion capital of the world.  It must have shocked the socks off her opponent, Switzerland's Patty Schnyder, loser. 

I can only imagine, as Venus triumphantly walked away, that many in the crowd were thinking like me, "Now, there goes a winner." 

Shawn
****
photo courtesy of CBS news online 05.24.2010

Okay, so I'm a day late commemorating a very bad day....

I know, I should have posted something about Mt. St. Helen's May 18th eruption yesterday, but things weren't really, what shall I say, "conducive" to blogging, so here I am today.  If I checked back to last year at this time I probably said something about the mountain going off, but I'm not checking the archives.

This evening I thought I'd sit down after dinner and post some sort of a fluff piece (I know, we get a lot of that here, lol), as I'm in a good mood and all is right with my world.  But then I remembered the mountain, so here's a shot of her having a very bad day, the likes of which she'd not had in a very long time, and we all hope to never see her do it again.  To tell you the truth, I was in California at the time and missed out on May 18th.  Not too much later, though, I got to experience her 2nd eruption.  It wasn't as bad as the first, but I don't have a lot of good things to say about that day.  It was one horrific mess, and I don't want to ever go through that again.

So, what is happening at our house?  Other than long hours working at The Job, SGTex is getting some gardening underway.  I'm impressed!  Tomatoes are great.  Zucchini is blossoming.  Hyacinth bean vines coming up.  Morning glories starting to do their thing.  Okra is still in hiding.  I'm not sure about the peppers.  Four o'clocks are elusive.  Nasturtiums better *not* turn out to be all leaves and no blossom again.....Passion vine is growing like crazy up the front porch railings, just as I'd hoped.  Globe thistles are taking off and should be just right next to the garden gate, maybe discouraging the neighbor puppy from gaining entry, lol.  Our wisteria bloomed after all (yay!) and we've got climbing roses that are really, really pretty, in spite of the fact I have yet to find my rose pruners :+).  I'm very lucky my man is an excellent and willing gardener!!  He's brought in the most gorgeous bouquets.  You should see the huge vase by the altar with a beautiful floral mix of spring colors.  (Thank you, Dearling!)

Puppies are pretty well-behaved and are inseparable, best buddies.  They are so cute.  Really!  Our wedding plans are underway-- see our updated news for that. 

I guess that's about it for now.  I think it's time to play a little Mah Jongg and then call it a very good day, as good days go.

Goodnight!
Shawn
****

Májiàng, Majiang, Mah Jong, Mah Jongg, Mahjongg....

....is a game I've always wanted to play for the longest time, and I've wanted authenticity, more like the American 1920s parlor version. 

Give me a lace cloth-covered table, and let me sit, gossiping with other bored-looking, beautifully dressed modern women, drinking martinis with pretended indifference, all the while contemplating my strategy, lazily fingering the beautiful, delicate tiles with perfectly manicured hands.  Now that's one way to spend an afternoon (if you've nothing better to do, that is--;+) thankfully, I do! lol)

For the longest time I've shopped the antique stores and eBay, searching for a set from the past, and they're either too pricey, have to come all the way from the Orient, or they're missing some tiles or instructions.  I finally did find a site online where I might, someday, if I'm lucky, be able to acquire a nice set, and then learn to play, perhaps gathering a group of like-minded, Mah Jongg-lover types with nothing better to do on an afternoon.  Or evening, when they can bring their men along.

But meanwhile, back at the desk, I guess authenticity isn't allothat, so I'll just settle for the online I'net version.  It's simpler, free, quite sufficiently mind-numbing, and one doesn't have to get all dressed up to go do it.  Besides, I really can't stand gossip, actually do prefer my husband's company to that of a bunch of bored/boring women, and I prefer mint juleps to martinis....

Shawn
****
photo courtesy of ubcvault.ca

"I'm not alone, I'm free....

.... I no longer have to be a credit, I don't have to be a symbol to anybody; I don't have to be a first to anybody."  Lena Horne


I spent quite a bit of time looking for the right picture, and frankly was overwhelmed with the selection!  Obviously a woman of class and great talent.  Here she is at the Waldorf Astoria. 

I don't know a lot about Lena, but feel compelled to say something to mark her passing from this life into the next.  I'm sure she's already missed by many.

A sense of humor, a powerful voice (that she complained about--what??!!), a magnificent smile....One tough lady who obviously looked life straight in the eye, grabbed each day and gave it a hard shake, haha!!!

I'm glad she had such a long life.....  It's good that we'll get to remember Lena, thanks to surround sound and the silver screen.  And Netflix ;+)

Bye bye, Ms. Lena Horne.

Shawn
****

An exercise in free exercise...

Another National Day of Prayer, downtown at tiny Minter Park.

Curiously, this time our Interfaith ceremony appeared to be the only public observance in town. I suppose Pray Big Country (the consortium of local clergy who always used to stage Christian-only events as directed by Shirley Dobson's NDOP Task Force) decided to heck with it if they couldn't hijack the City Hall venue. Moreover, the fountain whose blessed white noise we so enjoyed in prior years had been shut off, maintenance timed just right by, er, City Hall.

Attendance was a bit sparse, no doubt affected by a goofy rumor that the whole bit had been canceled by President Obama. Oh, well! This remains a terrific improvement, IMO, over those days in the late 1990s and early 2000s when, clasping my beads and chanting softly, I roamed the periphery of a crowd so pointedly lacking in religious diversity as to represent unlawful use of government property.

06 May 2010: An appropriate level of news coverage as prayers for America were offered by participants representing several faith options, namely Baha'i, Anglican, Muslim, Protestant, Buddhist, Unitarian Universalist, Roman Catholic and Jewish. There was a spirit of peace and respect, as always, and the earnestness you'd expect of folks gathering to pray for America in a time of hope and progress and controversy and reform and hardship...i.e., those forces that affect us all the time.

When it came to the Buddhist part, I put up the poster Shawn and I had assembled minutes earlier, simply NAM_MYOHO_RENGE_KYO, and said this:

"Buddhism teaches that suffering proceeds from desire, which principle is aptly illustrated by America's addiction to petroleum. Because of that appetite, we are immersed in the great sorrow of war, and have once again incurred ecologic and economic disaster. In fact, the oil spill is very much an allegory for karma, that ruinous defilement that only diligent effort can clear away. The Buddhist formula for achieving this is Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, a crystal of perfect wisdom distilled from the Lotus Sutra that invokes the power of the living law of the universe. Anyone who's so inclined is invited to join me in chanting for transformation of the national karma."

I chanted daimoku for about a minute.

I would be remiss and a dufus if I didn't thank dear Shawn for all the support and encouragement she affords in this matter that matters to me, and humbly ask her to come along ASAP and bless the Interfaith Council with her eminently valid point of view.

SGTex
****

photo of SGTex courtesy of: R.Erdrich/Abilene Reporter News 05.06.2010

"You may all go to hell...and I will go to Texas!"

Hey, I didn't say that--Davy Crockett did.  Well, he said it first, anyway.  When I think back to the *packing up and getting me from there to here* process (what we now call the 'Meanwhile Time'), I'm almost very certainly positive I must have said words to that effect---or worse. 

Lots has changed since then, and for the better.  I remember days and weeks and months of boxes and bubble wrap and newspaper and decision making and all that goes into moving.  It makes me exhausted now to even think about it.  I'm very thankful that's all said and done.  And I did it for a Very Good Reason- the best in all the worlds ;+).

Maybe it's on my mind as we approach our 5 year mark, as it was just about now in 2005 that I began to notice someone who called himself SGTex....Hmmmm....and by the end of May-- well, it was then that SGTex and I began our Adventure....

Counting down to Jerusha Day, Mister... ;+)

P.S.  I love you, Baby.

Shawn
****
uber cool photo courtesy of texasdarkside.com/deathstar

TTYTT..........

I had the strangest dream last night..one of those undreams.  A big old manse of a place and a wonderful kitchen with a farm sink and marble facade, more like it belonged on a fireplace, but here was this amazing structure, cool to the touch.  I remember that so vividly.  A huge wall of paned windows on the right floor to ceiling and the light pouring through.  Green, green grass lawns extending into the distance. 

Well, for some reason I decided to clean the marble and I took a rag and started to polish it with some sort of powder, and the brown streaks and shadings started to disappear and all that was left behind was the white and silver and gray, a beautiful slab of old marble with a few cracks here and there.  One more strange thing was that there was a sort of wire scrubber like we use these days and a thread of that got stuck on a nail near the floor, and I remember pulling that away. It was strange how vivid it all was.

Anyway, I was so pleased with how it turned out, I went into the attached drawing room and beckoned my friend or lover or whoever it was (I never saw a face but just knew there was someone significant there) to come see how lovely it was.  They came and saw my accomplishment and thought it looked nice, too.

So, that is all I have to say about that.

What's really going on in my mind and heart right now would be a little TMI, so I'm writing here, playing our songs at top volume and hoping while I'm doing this with one part of my mind, listening to the music blasting in another part of my mind, some control of what's left will start to creep in and I won't go totally off the deep end. 

Ever have a day like that?  Or a week?  Or a month?  Or a lifetime?

Is this blog post getting a little dark?  Maybe so.  But it's MY dark, so tread carefully.   

Perhaps this is just a bit of Beltane backdraft.

Shawn
****

photo courtesy of damnfinepictures.com blogspot 2008

I never met a Dorothy I didn’t like….

Isn’t she a beauty? Dr. Dorothy Height has gone from our world now, yet she has left us talking about her behind her back, so to speak.


I won’t even pretend to understand or be aware of all that she accomplished in the interest of civil rights. I suspect you don’t have to be black (and I’m not) to wonder who will come along and take up her cause(s)…

So, I just happened to be surfing the I-net and somehow found myself on the “clutch mag” page, glimpsed this picture of Dr. Dorothy and thought, “Wow, look at her. How wise and beautiful, and how sad those she left behind who were lucky enough to love her and learn from her must be….” And then I thought, how marvelous and amazing it must have been to be her. Just think, accomplishing so much for others and making a big difference in a big world, being steadfast and focused about it all….and yet, she was merely a woman with womanly flaws and womanly vulnerabilities. Just between you and me, don't you think she had something extra, that “above and beyond” what it takes to be a dynamic woman of color in today’s world?  Look at her, she must have!

There were two very special women in my life named Dorothy….

When I was a child, Dorothy A was wonderful to me. She had a cupboard in her kitchen that was for me (as well as other really little kids) and it was filled with wonderful things. She laughed a lot and said funny things, like “This day God hath *not* made.” She was an artist and I really, really like her a lot. She lived at the south end of Oregon.

When I was an adult, Dorothy C was wonderful to me. She lived up the hill a ways from me. I was kinda new in town and she came knocking at my door, bearing homemade cookies. That was the first of many, many wonderful visits. She was always encouraging and enthusiastic. I think her motto must have been “You can do it!” She was a writer, the wife of a writer, and I really, really like her a lot. She lived at the north end of Oregon.

I’m really lucky to have had a couple of Dorothys in my life.  I think they believed in me.  They were both good and beautiful, just like Dr. Dorothy Height. May she R.I.P….

Shawn
****
photo courtesy of: clutch magazine

National Day of Prayer Need Not Be Unconstitutional....

On April 15, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. She is mistaken, of course. Presidents and Congress have violated no one's rights in proclaiming this patriotic holiday. If there has been a civil liberties problem associated with the official (city hall or courthouse) observance in some communities, it is only because churches have been allowed to commandeer the affair and make it Christian-only, and that is vexingly contrary to the "no establishment" clause of the First Amendment.

The City of Abilene has wisely heeded this plain point and has had fair and lawful National Day of Prayer events in the two ways that it can be done. In 2005, wonderfully enough, a City Hall observance was conducted by the Interfaith Council and featured Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Bahá'í and Universalist prayers. It was very right and very American to have the community officially embrace religious diversity like that -- but then we were just as appropriate last year in having no ceremony at City Hall, the faithful gathering at one park or another for their observances, respectively inclusive and exclusive. That way, too, the principle of constitutional religious liberty was maintained.

Though the latter method with no ceremony at City Hall might appear more satisfactory to Atheists, nonbelievers in prayer could very well participate, too, show up to be heard and respected for their philosophy that the religions are mistaken and that rationality and a humanistic ethic are more beneficial. Free exercise, thus, for Atheism as well. How generous and liberal is the spirit of the constitution, if we care to step up and claim the blessings!

Judge Crabb's well-meaning decision was a bit wrongheaded, but not as whacked as the rumor, spilling across the Internet at about the same time, that the National Day of Prayer for 2010 had been canceled by the president! That farcical myth obviously germinated out there on the fringes, where (ahem) informed and thoughtful folks take this president for the Antichrist.

As this good society advances, our freedoms may develop and refine and adjust to suit the idea of equality, but there is no reason to expect a capricious about-face -- especially while we have an administration so nimble of wit as to comprehend liberty and equality at the same time.

SGTex
****

Nothing profound to say, just an excuse to listen to our tunes for a bit....

...and to say "WoW!" about the redbud that was blooming around town...We don't have that up in Washington that I ever saw. I'm the consummate lover of all things tree. I absolutely adore Texas, and have been delighted with all the gorgeous specimens that adorn the streets of this city. There's something wonderful about the old, ordinary Douglas Firs back home, I know, but gee whiz, the trees in Texas are very, very special to me. I'm thrilled that the house across the street from us has a glorious redbud, right where I can look out the window and see it.

I think I made an error this evening. I wanted to do something nice for SGTex while he was out shopping for groceries and getting dinner. I washed his very old, very pretty blue hurricane lamp. I did such a thorough job of it, that I washed the blue right off the chimney. :+( I feel very awful about that...but he just called to tell me he's on his way home and maybe he won't be too unhappy with me. I hope not.

So, it's a rainy and cold Saturday evening and I should go put on a pair of his socks, but here he comes with dinner. Oh good, he wasn't mad at all. In fact, he was marvelous....and I am so in love with this man.

The lamp is tucked away safely in the china cupboard and my man is home.

All better now :+)

Shawn
****

So there was this deputy sheriff, a priest and some guy in a tutu….

…who appear in my dream last night.

I’ve been knocking out carbs, see, and I start dreaming. In my dream I get up from somewhere to grab a bite to eat, and the next thing I know I lay eyes upon a huge saucer with some ginormous pieces of white bread.

As I said, I’ve been knocking out carbs. Apparently in this particular state of Dreamland, it’s illegal to be in possession of *white bread.*

Enter the deputy sheriff, who informs me that since I've been caught with white bread I'm on my way to jail. I am astonished! Now, I must tell you it is small comfort when the priest steps forward and pats me on the shoulder. He then kindly explains to me that I’m going to have to surrender my Social Security card, signed in own hand with black (not blue) ink and it must be left on my bedroom dresser to be collected later.

At this point, I realize that my darling husband SGTex is at my side, who jumps up to announce, “I’ll get it for you, Honey!” (I vaguely remember giving him a sideways, withering glance, for he seemed suspiciously too enthusiastic and helpful. Hmmm. He later told me that he felt that surely he was up to something and had plans to save me from such an awful fate. Well, okay then...)

So, the priest fades out, but the guy in the tutu is still standing there staring at me with this odd look on his face as I begin to wake up.

Later when I described my dream to SGTex, he suggested that I should have just gone ahead and eaten the damn bread, because then I couldn’t be charged with possession.

Sweet dreams....

Shawn
****

"Are you blogging, Honey?"

"Uh huh, I think so...." I'm not really sure what I'm here to say, actually. I had the urge to blog, I guess because it's a nice Sunday evening and all is well with us. I suppose I could say something about our car sitting in the Starbuck's parking lot, where it died. Well, paused, shall we say, not actually expired.....which makes me think I could say something about Urge, one of Noel's cars from long ago. (See the play on words, urge to blog, Urge the car, our car issues, yada yada. I think I've mentioned Urge before). Sigh. I told you I didn't have a lot to say.

But it's actually nice to sit here and listen to our tunes--that's fun :+). I could mention this great picture I found when searching for spring shots, and since it's such a lovely spring picture taken in the Holy Land/Japan (you Baptists out there don't be shocked--Noel is Buddhist). That's one of two locations I've always wanted to go and see the cherry blossoms, the other one being Washington DC. They're lovely in Olympia, WA on the capitol grounds there, too, but I've BTDT.

Speaking of blooms, I'd better get out there and water the hanging baskets, so that's about it for now.

Shawn
****

photo courtesy of: Tripadvisor,Photos of Asakusa, Taito, MaySpecial/Guam

שיר השירים

Shir ha-Shirim....

The Song of Solomon has always been a favorite, and I haven't read it in a long time, but I did think about it the other day, musing about poetry and prose and things written recently, things written long ago, and just how important is the written word. I don't mind telling you that my most fav writer is my DH, SGTex. His stories absolutely rock, I kid you not.

Anyway, he and I were talking about closed-mindedness, censorship and such things the other morning. I briefly touched on the destruction of the library at Alexandria, Egypt. I remember how sad I was as a child in school when I learned about those events and thought about how much we might never know, what treasures of thought and ideas will never be discovered, since it all went up in smoke. My teacher told me to not be so upset, that it was a very long time ago. But you see, at that time in my life the library was my most favorite place in the world, and I couldn't imagine it all disappearing on me, YKWIM?

According to Wikipedia, destruction is said to have happened not merely once, but four times: Julius Caesar's fire in The Alexandrian War in 48 BC, the attack of Aurelian in the third century AD, the decree of Theophilus in AD 391 in response to the Emporor Theodosius ordering the destruction of all pagan temples, and then the Muslim conquest in AD 642 or thereafter.


A crying shame.

So, what does the Song of Solomon have to do with anything? Nothing, except I'm wondering if somehow it accidentally got left in and unintentionally became part of the Canon of scripture. Maybe the person responsible for censorship was actually a nonreader and didn't get past the title (or else he had a thing for a hot love story), so there it remains.

Like I said, it's a good read....

Shawn
****

photo courtesy of: Tabitha of MyHeartBeads on Etsy

Le sacre du printemps.....

Just stopping by to say Happy Easter! It's been a beautiful spring day here in Texas, all blooming and balmy. Tomorrow we'll hang our his-n-hers petunia Easter baskets on the front porch (our gift to each other) and enjoy being homebodies.

We're wishing each of you a great day, celebrating it your way...

Shawn&SGTex
****

photo courtesy of media.nj.com/hudsoncountynow

An April Fool's Day Clinic Visit....

04/01/2010
GoodLuck Buddy Walk-In Clinic
66613 Public Option Loop West, Omigosh, WY

PATIENT NAME: WEASELSPAT, SCOOBER T.

FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Worms.

CHIEF COMPLAINT: "I really, really don't like the chief."
The patient is a 44-year-old male with a history of spackle and longstanding muleskinner blues who presented to the Drama Department on 04/01 boasting of whacked shivers and alluvial bonk once a day, every day and all day long since Tuesday. The patient is a poor geographer.

ALLERGIES: Air and water.

MEDICATIONS: Asafetida 3 g suspension around neck as needed, Brillo 1 pad wet to underarm twice a day, Remotil 2 whiffs something awful, Wazoo Powder up nose half the time, Dramatix 600 mg daily with regrets and Whuptidoo p.r.n. for blinking shizzles.

PAST MEDICAL HISTORY: Uncomplimentary.

PAST SURGICAL HISTORY: Left rib smackdown with toggle x3, DermaBlonde closure of right nostril for no good reason, childhood appendix transplant. The patient had a Harley-Poot procedure and reversal last year.

SOCIAL HISTORY: A cursing home resident. Denies having any kind of fun, ever.

FAMILY HISTORY: Positive for a mother and father.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: Vinyl size table. GENERAL: Curled up in the corner, honking loudly. HEEHEE: Zither versus whackster astrolabes noted within the woozle mucosa. Entirely ridiculous otherwise. Oriented to the date of April 01. HEART: Rattly rate in rhumba, no runs, no hits, no errors. HINEY: Deferred. LUNGS: Two. ABDOMEN: Old bees, Mom tends her. No gargling or Reba hound. EXTREMITIES: Extreme. NEUROLOGIC: Like urologic, but with NE.

IMPRESSION: Good, first.
The patient improved promptly upon slapping and was further disciplined with a Schlitz-Borney strap. The patient tolerated the indignity well. Wonka Cream 90 g topical to elbows daily until square. The patient left against all odds.

SGTex
****

photo courtesy of cartoonstock.com

"When the power of love....

....overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
Jimi Hendrix

Perhaps we could give peace a chance right here at home. (Okay, Lennon just kinda slipped right in there, lol)

I've been reading and listening to what people are saying about the Health Care Bill and all that has happened since Sunday. Honestly, I'm appalled. Not at what passed or what didn't pass into law, but what has come to pass in the hearts and minds (what's left of them, that is) of America's sons and daughters. People seem to be ignoring reality and are being hateful on both sides (but especially the conservative extremists, who seem to ignore facts and blindly spew hate rhetoric).

Maybe I'm saying that as an excuse to post this beautiful window being created by Jack M, a friend of SGTex. When I saw it, I was blown away by how lovely it is, a work in progress. It spoke to me at the time about what it actually takes to accomplish peace. It doesn't just happen without considerable effort, and every step taken toward reaching peace is beautiful and meaningful and necessary.

But peace, when it is attained, remains fragile. It must be handled with care so as not to be broken. If that should happen, we pick up the pieces and begin the work again, in order to achieve a new, even better peace...

It's something I'm working on understanding better. Jack has a picture of the original window he created. I'm not sure, but I think it had an accident (something about a dog, lol)... Maybe we'll get to see the finished project one of these days, and by that time peace will have been given a chance.

I certainly hope so. Thanks, Jack. We're impressed.

Shawn & SGTex
****

I know, it's me again....

...and I have no idea why I'm back so soon. We had a splendid weekend--the very best ever, in fact. Spring is happening here at our little cottage, what with the front door painting all finished and some planting done. The gardening is underway, so we're pretty excited about that.

I'm finding it somewhat interesting to read and hear what America has to say about the Health Care Bill...Wow, there's a lot of vehemence and melodrama by the conservatives who resent reform being thrust upon them, with head-shaking and eye-rolling by the more liberal folks who wonder why something wasn't done lo, those many years ago by the Republicans when they had the chance. Well, I guess it's a matter of hindsight being 20/20 and "we woulda if we coulda." Now we will just wait and see how things pan out. I've always been fascinated by politics, yet find it dismaying to see how easy it is for discussions to break down into arguments and hurling insults. Personally, I wonder if there might not be just a little bit of racism that's burbling under the surface. Kind of a "who do they think they are" mentality, which I find revolting, don't you? I thought so.

Today SGTex went to his Interfaith Council luncheon and meeting where his friend Mr. H.T. made an interesting presentation of several prayers and shared about matters of Islam. What he's told me about it has been absolutely fascinating. We're lucky to have people like Mr. H.T. here in our town.

Well, I guess it's time to call it a day, so here's to a wonderful rest-of-the-week!!

Shawn
****

A Texas Friday night....

...thunder and lightning in the distance and every once in awhile the sky lights up and the air crackles. It's rockin' and rollin' out there, making it romantic in here...

We put a brief playlist on the side bar ----> with some of our most favorite songs from our very beginning. It was literally a matter of him putting the music back into my life, sending me tunes across the miles, and it was like hearing them for the first time, really. WoW. As time goes by, we might add to the list, but for now, enjoy.

What a week! An emotional rollercoaster with a big dose of the good, the bad and the ugly all rolled into one. I'm exhausted from it all, but grateful everything came out all right in the end. Whew.

I've given some thought to things that have stressed me out, pretty much, and what it comes down to is remembering how I need to live, and to what I aspire:

THE FOUR AGREEMENTS ~Don Miguel Ruiz's Code For Life~

(Agreement One) Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

(Agreement Two) Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

(Agreement Three) Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

(Agreement Four) Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

A nice recipe for happy. Just add Shawn, and stir.

Shawn
****

Très chic ...

Well, the subject came up a couple of times in the last week. SGTex gifted me with a bottle of the cologne on my birthday (ala Celine Dion), and I absolutely love it! A sexy fragrance and it makes me feel all woozy about him... ;+). (Excellent choice, Honey). And then the word came up on Facebook again, just a bit ago. I had been looking for something in regards to "chic" and this mag cover image popped up, so there it is. Hmm, come to think of it, I could have pulled up something on CHIC, as I'm all for a little R&B, that's for sure....

Yes,I had a lovely birthday celebration, in case anyone is wondering. We started just after midnight and quite carried on for the rest of the weekend. Chocolate (as in cake and Bliss) and spent some real quality time together. Birthdays are a LOT nicer with my Man, TTYTT. A good work week, followed by what he dubbed a "Honeymoon Weekend," so I'd say things have been going well.

Spring has sprung on our street, and we're getting underway with the garden. Well, he is-- tomatoes went in, he's got this neat tiller thing that he uses and I see some seed packages laying on the breakfront in the kitchen, with some peppers which have been sacrificed to seed collection. I'm glad I'm hooked up with a gardener.

Our front door is now freshly painted a *chic* shiny black, thanks to my Man-of-many-talents. It looks great, and will be perfect, as soon as he mounts our plaque which states "This is a Buddhist home."

I really like that. A lot.

Shawn
****

photo: mag cover of Chic Today Volume 023 Flights of Fancy

I'm not quite sure what to call this one....

It's Saturday night and I'm *in between*--thinking back over last week and looking forward to what's coming next. Monday is my birthday, and I'm looking forward to that. Not so much the 'adding another year' aspect, but about having a nice time with my man and our being together here, under the same roof, in the same time zone, etc.... That's worthy of celebration, in my book!

I was really proud of SGTex this week. He received his pretty-much-annual invitation to speak about his Buddhism at a local university class on world religions, and he gave a wonderful presentation. I listened in by cell phone, as I was at home working and doing puppy rodeo. It was a very interesting lecture and time of testimony, followed by some pretty insightful student questions. That was great! One thing that he talked about is the interfaith aspect of our relationship.

I guess we are pretty unique and different, and I think the picture here illustrates that. It's a Pagan Buddhist Japanese shrine, and what does actually not apply to us is this: Neither of us is Japanese, lol. I'll let you arrive at your own conclusions about the rest. ;+).

I really like spending time with SGTex, and it's nice that we don't wait for a special occasion to go out to eat or do something enjoyable together. An old friend mentioned that she hadn't been out with her husband for a loooong time, and that was remarkable, evidenced by another friend's exclamation of "PTL" over it (eyeroll here by me). Hmmm. What's up with a couple who claims to share the same practice of faith and values, yet don't share much, if any, of their free time? Not being on the scene, I can only speculate, and I'm not going to waste much thought on it. But I guess why this came to mind is that this morning, DH and I did have a discussion about the merits of eating in more often rather than going out, and I will confess that I didn't have the greatest attitude about it at the time (I like going out!) Come to think of it, I might have been a little more cheerfully practical, had I bothered to remember that I have it pretty good compared to some wives out there...And if you have any doubts, just ask my husband. He'll tell you how good I have it....LOL.

Don't I know it !!!

You're absolutely right, Darling....

Shawn
****

Good grief....

We lost a dear friend the other day to cancer, but she'll have no part of any persistent crying or sadness, which would be "bad grief." She passed on to her next life, and today, especially, she's been in my thoughts and on my heart. She made the most of living, and as it turns out, she made the best of dying. She knew how she wanted to live, and did a great job at it. When it was time, she knew how she wanted to go, and did so, leaving behind explicit instructions that said what she wanted us to remember and how to cope, which would be "good grief." We're trying our best...I am amazed and inspired. She's gone from us now, but will never be forgotten. (To tell you the truth, I fully expect to bump into her somewhere in time, as she's one of those rare people who has such a vibrant and strong personality that absolutely refuses to be ignored, LOL.)

So now it's time to get on with life and make the most of it....

Shawn
****

Great Expectations.....

...and I don't mean the book, I'm talking about "baggage."

Earlier this morning SGTex and I were sitting here in the office talking before we actually got down to work. He mentioned our plan to rent a car for our next extended out-of-state trip, and said we should be sure to have it all packed up, loaded with stuff to the point of nearly bursting, like we did when we made the big trip from WA to TX in 2008. He says we travel better that way. I laughed. But then, I got to thinking about it. Baggage. I came to Texas with quite a bit of it, and not all of it was particularly useful, IYKWIM ;+)....

Somebody on one of the boards once talked about the responsibility we have (or don't have) to make our life partner happy. I think both DH and I believe in making each other happy. I know he really aims to please and does a lot to make me happy and keep me that way. Every once in awhile he'll flat out ask me, "Are you happy?" Usually, it's a bit of a loaded question, because I've given a signal that I'm not.... I know it's very important to me to make him happy, and I am to do so, (or die trying, lol). Anyway, getting back to that board/bored question--the consensus was that it's our own responsibility, it's on us to make ourselves happy, and nobody else should get that involved in the process. I don't think I believe that. There's something quite important about seeing to the well-being and making the one we love feel loved. I know I really appreciate the fact that he cares about me and my ups and downs, and I do about him, and what's going on with him.

We're finally, really and truly all organized with our wedding celebration, after rescheduling and relocating and revamping everything. We actually have contracts we're signing, have the venue established, the reserved rooms for guests (and that would be a few of you out there~) so we are pretty excited. But I hear tell there might be a change in the cake flavor again--there's always something, huh?!! :+).

Anyway, this was a cute comic and I thought it appropriate, since the general gist of things around here for the next good long while is going to be about how a man loves his woman and a woman loves her man. That would be what's going on about us- my He and his Me....

Shawn
****

A 100-year-ago wedding....

It's Friday night and I've got some time on my hands....

So, having wedding planning on my mind, I went searching for some vintage photos and ran onto this picture. The claim is made that "the first white wedding picture was known to be taken November 1910 in Detroit, Michigan." I'm not sure if it's this very one, but it was interesting to me, as sometimes it feels like it's been a hundred years since we started making plans for our wedding celebration!

Plans are kinda like that, though, and I suppose most particularly weddings. We're not having the traditional ceremony or reception by any means, nothing like what we see pictured here, but that doesn't mean that we haven't been stretched <-----> budget-wise, schedule-wise, patience-wise, changing the date, the venue, the guest list, the refreshments, the officiant, the theme...just about everything except what *really* actually matters.....What's really important: The Who, the Why, the What. And I'm really, really glad about that!!

Shawn
****


photo courtesy of: fashion-era.com/Weddings

It's Valentine's Day, and I'm living with the King of Hearts...

But I can still feel for you who wish you were having a happier, more romantic holiday (you know who you are). I used to be one of those people who avoided Hallmark shops and the greeting card aisle at Albertson's when everything started bursting with red and pink hearts and ribbons and streamers. It's a lot more fun now, I don't mind telling you, as I give you a {{{hug}}} and tell you to hang in there, your day will come.

Here's how it happened at our house:

Our Valentine's holiday started a bit early this year. SGTex came home with a pretty little red rose plant and a new house key (another story there) and a sweet sticky note saying really nice things. Then a few days later he showed up with a cute stuffed monkey bearing a "Be Mine" heart. He says "it was the only simian they had left"(lol)and it sits atop my computer armoire. What I won't tell you is that he did that by way of smoothing my all-too-often-ruffled feathers. It seems I can be quite the witch, and it had not been a good day, bless his heart. Anyway, last night we went out for Chinese to celebrate SGTex's new job, and we made a last minute, late night run to Walgreen's, where we split up and picked out some Valentiney things. Being the gent that he is, SGTex ended up sending me out to the car while he stood in line and paid for it all, declaring that he wouldn't peek at his card and candy and Valentine pencils, lol. Then a coffee stop and we went home to celebrate. It was a gorgeous starry night, and by the time it was two minutes past midnight and actually February 14, he'd surprised me with a dozen pink long-stemmed roses, chocolates, sweethearts, a lovely card and pink champagne cocktails, served with his handmade ham-n-cheese rollups, all served bedside....Yeah, go ahead and sigh.

We did stop all the heartsy-flowery fun long enough for the Atlas Van Lines truck to roll up and the King helped Mr. Trucker Guy unload 1000 pounds of furniture and boxes that made the long awaited trip from Washington. Thank you, Honey. You're The Very Best!!!

XOXOXOXOXO, ETC....

Shawn
****

photo courtesy of: I dunno, I forgot to check

By the way.....

On CNN I saw one of the reporters who was back from Haiti, now here in the states talking, and he mentioned how it was frustrating (my word) to not have any one person to "shake a fist at," or blame. I thought that was interesting and thought about it for awhile.
So, there's nobody to blame for the earth giving way beneath the feet of these people, but soon enough there are those to blame who descend upon Haiti like carpetbaggers in the Old South, taking advantage of them, representing themselves as The Answer, speaking for and serving God.

Sure they are...

Shawn
****

photo courtesy of infodigest.files.wordpress.com

Did you see that robin?....Did you see that, Robin?.....

Okay, well...Last week we saw a big pretty robin sitting in a tree outside the restaurant window. It was an encouraging, "oh, it's gonna be spring soon" sight to probably anybody this time of year. Today, someone posted on one of the chat boards that they, too, had seen a robin here in Texas. What makes this worthy of comment? Well, I don't know, but suppose it's that we here in the land of sunshine and moderate temps are watching the Eastern seaboard get buried in snow. We're not really gloating about blue skies and open windows (40 degrees here), and I confess to getting pretty tired of the rain we had (and there's more to come). It's really pretty out there today, so we're feeling pretty blessed and think it might be nice to let everyone else know there is some hope of clear skies--outside of Texas, lol.

Which brings me to my, umm, point. I googled "robin" in the Images category and was given 4 choices: Robin, as in Batman (one thumbnail shows 'em kissing, lol), the English Robin (really cute, one of my fav birds), the American Robin, and then of course, this Robin, as in Williams.

Actually, there's not a lot to talk about here and I'm not sure why I'm even blogging today, but it's Saturday and I don't have to be working. The kitchen is in need of some serious attention, the bed isn't made yet, the house needs to be cleaned and put in order, but I'm working on the first cup of coffee and just finished a lovely SGTex breakfast. He's here in the office working away and it's nice to just sit and look out at the sunshine and relax for a bit.

Someone else was posting on their blog (Hi, E) about Groundhog Day. This is one week I seriously would not want to live over and over again, for the most part. There were some good times, which I do look forward to repeating (Hi, Honey), however. All in all, it's nice that the sun comes up (somewhere) every morning and the moon shines on the day every night, that we're given a fresh opportunity to rise and hopefully shine once more, thanks to Tender Mercies....

Shawn
****

P.S. SGTex is wishing I'd left this alone when I published this with an over-sized, HUGE pic of RW, which only got his ear, award, and hand showing his wedding ring. His point, "It was a BIG robin..." It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he doesn't come along and redo the picture to make it so. I'm putting this here by way of explanation, just in case, LOL!!!

picture courtesy of xoncemorewithfeelingx.files.wordpress.com

How 'bout we take a little break from all the smarmy stuff and get down to business, boyhowdy?.....

My friend Lilly asked a very interesting question on another board I happen to "own," regarding the subject of feeling sorry for a particular lady whose husband has been caught cheating, contributing to the baby bastard population (which probably sets him apart from Tiger Woods)and then lying about it, right smack-gob in front of America....Do I feel sorry for that wife? You bet. But not only because of what her cheating husband has been getting himself up to, but because she got mixed up with him in the first place. I wonder how long it took for her to figure out that he was not all he cracked himself up to be. This possibly isn't the first time she's had to deal with this matter, but chances are, it will be the last. Really, it's hard to know how sick she must feel, considering what she's already forced to endure in managing her life and the journey before her. Good grief. She's kept her dignity and dealt with it gracefully, and she should be admired. And what should become of her cheating husband? I'm going to be just a tad bit more than mildly interested to see him get what's coming to him. And, FWIW, I'd feel the same way if it was somebody's wife doing that to her husband. I believe in the sanctity of a committed relationship, whether it be within or without the so-called confines of marriage. Just in case anybody's wondering....

Cheaters never win. Pretty boys never quite seem to age well, ya know?

Shawn
****

photo courtesy of redhotbulldogs.com

For the love of gods....

The tale of Cupid and Psyche has been retold many times over. As a student, I loved Greek mythology and pretty much devoured any literature that fell into my hands about the gods and their dealings with mankind. "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis is a favorite of mine, and it gives the story of Psyche from her older, less attractive sister's point of view.

It's funny how I actually started out thinking about that book and did some research, delving into the meaning of C.S. Lewis' tale and all about that. Which, of course, led me to looking into more about Psyche and Cupid. Before I knew it, I was thinking about the upcoming Valentine's Day....

SGTex has said we should "do something romantic." Well, that shouldn't be too difficult, since romance comes easy for us. I'm one of those few,lucky women who just happened to land a man who doesn't mind being romantic--in fact, it comes naturally for him, thank the gods.... ;+) I don't mind confessing to being utterly and completely spoiled that way. It's been nearly five years since the first of many, many dozen red roses...Lately it's been mistletoe, the Buddhist embracing his Pagan, hmmmm....

Anyway, it's very late and we're here together in the office doing our thing, back to back. Before too long we'll turn out the light and spend what's left of this night doing our thing, side by side... He just asked me if there's any reason we shouldn't sleep in for awhile, come morning. I told him I couldn't think of any reason why not, so he jumps up, comes over and kisses me....

G'nite.

Shawn
****

picture: Cupid & Psyche, Canova 1796 The Louvre Museum, Paris

On Haiti....

I was searching for a picture to go with some thoughts here about Haiti, and couldn't find anything that actually showed what I felt I had to say. Was it Anderson Cooper the other night who said something about the camera lens being too small? I think maybe it was. I thought this was a beautiful work of art and wanted to share it here.

Anyway, we've been watching CNN and like everyone else, we're greatly moved and saddened by the misery and devastation. We truly wish we had the resources of time and energy and finances to give, and offer our prayers for those dear people with such a great need. Those who survive have much to endure. Their lives have been forever changed....


Shawn
****
Picture courtesy of: The Haiti Art Cooperative, a network of non-profit projects with programs in Haiti serving Haiti's poor, including persons deported, streetchildren, orphans, students, persons in need of medical care and families.

I didn't know we had Stellar's jays in Texas.....

We went out to lunch today and on our way home I spotted a pair of Stellar's jays in a nearby tree. I hadn't seen any of those since living in the Pacific Northwest, and admit I was really surprised and impressed by their high-color beauty. I had to come home and google to see if it was even possible they'd come here, but sure enough, some had been recently sighted in San Antonio. Well, I don't know why I'm going on about birds, except that they were awfully pretty and it was fun to see them.

Right now I'm waiting on the really neat plant stand SGTex has painted for the top of my etagere here in the office. It looks rather oriental and exotic, so I'm very impressed! We found it back in September at an antique shop when we were on vacation. Speaking of painting, he picked up a couple of books on furniture painting at the library today. It's about time I got re-inspired. That's something I really love to do. In fact, there are times when I could be persuaded to do just about nothing *but* that sort of thing...Maybe that's what SGTex had in mind....

The Christmas outdoor lights came down this evening and we finally took the wreath off the door. I was reluctant about that- it was so cute and festive out there. This house is just made for cozy holidays. Don't ask if we've taken down the tree yet....I said, don't ask....Maybe if we're lucky we'll get another snowfall before spring. I really was happy to see a white Christmas, all romantic and pretty.

I guess that's about it for now...Guess I'll go put some potatoes on to cook. He's got the steaks smothered in garlic, and has plans for some lovely fried green tomatoes.

Is your mouth watering? ;+P

Shawn
****

photo courtesy of: http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/images/stellers-jay-helen-california-2007

A wonderful find...

We appreciate crystals as repositories of order. Experiments in origin-of-life chemistry have shown that an inaugural phase of evolution likely entailed the arraying of amino acids on the lattice of crystal faces. Molecular players fit just so along such scaffolding, establishing the sequences and rudimentary code for ongoing increase of order = beauty = gain and goodness...

No wonder folks imagine (or maybe they simply discern) that crystals influence/direct an "energy" (chi) to mystic efficacious effect. Such is our intuition on handling a nice, heavy mineral crystal from the Earth. It's like the wonderful law, profound and fundamental.

Shawn was looking for something Texas for her Facebook avatar and recalled that blue topaz is the state gemstone, whereupon she found this picture. It's just like her to creatively discover striking and meaningful images for this blog, but she really blew me away this time, for...

This is the very specimen my uncle Dick romanced from the granite and sand on a lease out on the Seaquist Ranch near Mason, back in 1969. I'll never forget the way he tumbled the humongous thing out onto a cup towel on my parents' dining table, along with a couple of other large chunks to make a rockhound/treasure hunter's eyes bug out. A spectacular find, and famous.

It's just like my Shawn to acquire for us this significance, considering our plan/dream of topaz hunting one of these days. Goes to show you, she will divine us a fabulous cache, pointing a magick finger where I'm to dig. Thus it is I who have found a gem extraordinaire.

SGTex
****
Photo from utexas.edu

Hyvää Uutta Vuotta....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! As we come down the home stretch to 2010, like everyone else, I can't help but take a look back over 2009 and think, "Wow, what an adventure!!!" Last year at this time we were getting ready for our trip to DFW to see King Tut, to celebrate New Year's Eve at a wonderful, romantic B&B and then attend a great Buddhist New Year's Day celebration, after which we picked up our Havanese puppy, Sebastian. We had no idea we'd fall so much in love with the little guy that we'd not make it through spring without adding his little brother Seamus to the family!! We've changed addresses and have had a wonderful time in our little home. We've done lots of working, lots of playing, managed to take another B&B vacation. We've had some sad times and some glad times. We celebrated 09/09/09 in a most unique and wonderful, life-changing way...It's been an exhausting, exhilarating, and completely amazing year.

About all that's left to do is gather some mistletoe and chill the champagne...

Life has been good, to say the least. May ours, and yours, only get better in 2010.

Shawn
****

(that's Happy New Year in Finnish, btw...)

Yes, Shawn, there is a Santa Claus....

No, I'm not entering my second childhood, lol. It's just that I've always chosen to reserve that special corner of my heart at the holiday time for Father Christmas. I grew up knowing full well that the gifts under the tree came from my family. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are of spending the night in the front bedroom at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Tacoma, getting up early at the crack of dawn to get ready to get on the bus to Seattle and shop the big department stores with Grandma. I could hardly wait to see how Frederick and Nelson had decorated their store- not just the display windows, which were amazing, but they'd change their carpeting colors and have enormous ornaments and snowflakes hanging from the ceilings and glass counters covered in snow, draped in ribbons and trees all lit up, with wonderful music playing. And the Dickensian carolers singing outside.... and the doorman all decked out in holiday splendor. Then on to the Bon Marche, Nordstrom, and back to Tacoma to go to Rhodes and Peoples....We'd first go to the bakery for biscuit, then the linen department for the latest sheets and towels by Vera, the book department for the new book Grandma had picked out from the NY Times Bestseller List, then lady's wear. We'd stop and have lunch in the restaurant and watch the fashion show. I'd have grilled cheese and dill pickles, a milkshake that I could barely see over. We'd linger awhile, then go to the toy department. It was a great day of riding the elevators and escalators up and down until I was exhausted. I helped Grandma carry the paper shopping bags (most of what we bought would be delivered to the house the next day). Then it was back on the bus. I'd doze in my seat, leaning on Grandma, as evening fell. We stopped off at the meat market in Tacoma and I'd pick out what we were to have for dinner (I just realized that somehow it always ended up being pork chops, no matter what I picked out) and we'd get "link weinies" on a string (I got to count out as many as I liked) for breakfast with toast in the morning and biscuit. Last, but not least, we'd go to the dime store, just for fun. We'd finally get on the city bus and ride up the hills. I got to pull the cord to ding the bell when we neared our street and we'd be dropped off in front of the house, just after dark. Grandpa would have put on the coffee and the house was nice and warm...It was a lot of fun.

So, actually, I guess it's the spirit of Old St. Nick/a.k.a. Grandma Mary that I've actually tucked away in my heart and I've never quite gotten over it...As an adult, I managed to acquire the most fabu Father Christmas collection. They're long gone now, hopefully having found their ways into the homes and hearts of other, like-minded realists ;+).

Happy Holidays!!!

Shawn, who loves her Santa Baby SGTex
****

photo courtesy of Vintage Postcards, a depiction by Raphael Tuck

We thought this was cute, in a holiday sorta way....

Thanks, Kim T! And may your days be merry and bright....

Shawn&SGTex
****

Here's that old family favorite holiday cookie....

BACARDI XMAS COOKIES:

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Bacardi Rum

Sample the Bacardi to check quality.
Take a large bowl, check the Barcardi again, to be sure it is of the highest
quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one teaspoon of sugar...Beat again.
At this point it's best to make sure the Barcardi is still OK, try another cup, just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in
the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off floor. Mix on the
turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with
a drewscriver. Sample the Barcardi to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who giveshz a sheet. Check
the Barcardi. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one
table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash
the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget
to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Rarcardi Bum and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS

(and if we posted this last year, well, we said it's an old family favorite)

Shawn&SGTex
****
photo courtesy of kingarthurflour.com

Robert Frost had it down cold....

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." -Robert Frost

It just doesn't seem possible that it's December already. I think it was on CNN in the early morning hours that someone said they were amazed that it was the first day of the last month in this decade...Wow. I would never have believed that life would have taken the turns that it has over the past few years. All I'm going to say about that is that I'm grateful.

Lately I've been thinking about love and what it means, the effect it has and how it is manifested. I've no time for much reading these days, but I'm aware of what's out there on the subject of love. Like "The 5 Love Languages" book that is quite popular. Or how about the Greeks? What they say about love 5 different ways: Epithumia (strong desire, longing, lust), Eros (romantic, passionate, sentimental-goes nicely with epithumia), Storge (comfortable, as in old shoe--not to be avoided, because it's the belonging-type love), Phileo (comradeship, friendship), and Agape (selfless, giving, without thought of self). Or how about Sir Richard Burton's translation of the Kama Sutra? Not for sissies...Then there's the letter to the Corinthians chapter 13, or Letter to the Brothers, two passages included in our wedding ceremony.

Actually,I tend to agree with Mr. Frost.

photo courtesy of mediastorehouse.com (a picture of a frosty leaf to go with the poem by Robert Frost--get it?!)