The other day...

...might have been a day to celebrate a birthday.  The person whose day it was is no longer "with us," so to speak, but there are more than a few memories of who she was and what she did and said and thought and loved (whew) that live on in my mind.  Or maybe it's just in my heart, most days.

A few of you know who this is, just by seeing the flowers.

She loved delphiniums.  Flowers that grew as tall as they could along the fence behind the white daisies, with bees, heavily dusted with pollen, busily buzzing around.  She'd cut bouquets for friends and to take to church.  The floral stems were so many and so tall that they had to be laid out on a towel in the back seat of the car, with a tall vase wrapped in tissue paper, waiting her arrangement.  Just beautiful.  I always liked to gather up the fallen blossoms and dry them in a dish on my dresser. That's a fun memory.

What else do I remember about her?  Oh, that on her birthday morning one of us would have a heckuva time getting a parking spot close to the Pioneer Bakery so we could go pick up her usual cake.  She loved the springtime bouquet of daffodils and grape hyacinths designed to fit on a round cake with almond filling between the layers, frosted in buttercream, and the cake almond flavored, too.  Vanilla ice cream picked up on the way back to the house.  Coffee would be served and frilly napkins and gifts stacked nearby with ribbons and cards over which to exclaim.  Lots of laughter.

Those are the bright, happy memories that offset some of the more serious thoughts and questions I still have that emerge in dreams of days gone by, when family was close and people were in touch.

I do know that she would have been helping me get to where I am today, in Texas.  She'd have lots to say and be sending bulbs and tubers and seeds for gardens (same temperate zone) and she'd be telling me to stick up for what I believe and live my dream.  Don't set those goals aside!  Don't be talked out of anything about which you really care or believe or want to try!  Hang on to those "manners" and get back your equanimity.  Be proud of what you've accomplished and done.  Don't pay attention to people who don't pay attention to who you are or what you know or where you've been.  Speak less often if you have to.  Think more.  Don't get mad....get even.  (That would be a BIG one)  You don't have to yell to be heard.  Just keep your Truth and Be You.

Yeah.  Those would be the positive influences she had back when, and still would have.  There are negatives in there, too....but it wouldn't be nice to speak ill of the dead.  Especially when you're talking about them on or near their birthday.

Haha!!

Happy Birthday, EL.  You did right by me, and I do thank you.

So there.

;~) Shawn xo

Oh, and by the way.....

You have 2 cows...

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk

FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk

NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then
throws the milk away

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy
grows.
You sell them and retire on the income

ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (VENTURE) CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by
your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption
for five cows.
The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company.
The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States , leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release.
The public then buys your bull.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes.
The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to
produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why
the cow has dropped dead.

A GREEK CORPORATION
You have two cows. You borrow lots of euros to build barns, milking sheds, hay stores, feed sheds,
dairies, cold stores, abattoir, cheese unit and packing sheds.
You still only have two cows.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three
cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce
twenty times the milk.
You then create a clever cow cartoon image called a Cowkimona and
market it worldwide.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows,
but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the ** out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least you are now a Democracy.

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive...

attributed to Matthias Vargas
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With thanx to our friend Magda, who lives in South Africa and is very funny.

The problem with the world today ....

.... is that everyone says they care, but most (including me many times) don't back it up with any effort. One can only assume that if caring is not backed up by effort, then it is not really caring. 

Nobody has time to sit and relax and talk and play. Everybody is too busy with their own lives and dramas. People will be sitting across from you and not even notice that your hair is on fire. Its always about tomorrow and next year. I am having this experience so I should post it on Facebook.

Everybody has their nose in their phone texting and multitasking and we all forgot how to be just plain ole friends and family that do things with each other and communicate and watch the kids play, or even play with them ourselves. 

It used to be so easy to be a friend and have friends and it has turned out to be the hardest thing in my life to do anymore. You build relationships over the years and then they get blown off and you never see that person again except maybe at their funeral. You gather with friends at Christmas or Fourth of July or birthday parties, and realize you will probably not see them again till the next celebration. I may be getting old, but I liked it back when our phones were connected to the wall and there were not 150 channels on TV, and 30 some-odd cold medications to pick from and just too many choices.

You and your friends wore the same thing more than once and your car was a beater and you and your girlfriends all got together and borrowed each other’s clothes and went with a carful to the drive-in and never paid attention to the movie. We were actually forced to stay connected with each other, stay in one place, do one thing at a time (maybe two).

Having everything you want right now or striving to have it all has made us less human and less happy. Things. Then more things.

If a friend does not act the way you want them to you blow them off instead of talking it out and all that history goes down the drain. Everybody can see the faults in others and will only accept people that are doing what they think is the right thing. We don't mind pointing out what is wrong with another but have a hard time with giving actual deep spiritual hugs and saying “I really love you and I want to know what you are going through.”

We don't let our children be children. We want them all grown up in one second and to keep up with the other kids the same age as them, and be the best at everything. We don't want them to act like babies. We don't want needy, imperfect kids or grown-ups around us. We call them emotional vampires. We don't accept imperfection in any area of our lives. But NOW is all there is and this always involves imperfection. We need to accept people we love for what they are now, not what they can be in the future.

Our children won't really remember how nice and perfect their house was. My favorite house growing up was my Nanny's (grandmother’s) and I remember going out and playing with friends, playing card games at the dining room table, eating chocolate cakes that she made with pecan halves on top, smells of her soap when I took a bath, the color of grass and a sprinkler to play in, the picture hanging over the bed I slept in when I spent the night. It feels like contentment and security. We remember the things that are usually uneventful that happen daily and that invoke the feelings that someone cares and loves us no matter what we did.

These days, I have never been so lonely being surrounded by people. I remember when we looked at each other in the eye in the supermarket and said hello. I remember when someone driving had the courtesy to wait until they person in front of them made a turn without blaring on the horn or speeding around to cut in line. I remember when people said they were gonna do something with you and actually followed through. Or maybe I just remember it all wrong. I'm just saying that I need to be present for a person sitting in front of me. That is the best gift I can give to the person I love. Focus. Listen. Look at a person. Don't run away if they cry or get angry. Make an investment in flesh and blood. Matter.

I have probably three huge boxes of pictures and mementos and at least 30 or more home movies of people that I once loved or called friends. Many have died and many have left my life or me theirs for stupid reasons. Most are not in my life anymore. They rejected me or I rejected them. We don't stick around and work it out. Maybe all those memories are worthless in the end. Maybe it is better to be a robot. I don't know. Get it done and don't let your emotions get involved. That is maturity right? Don't be weak. Don't cry or act like you care. Don't wear you heart on your sleeve. Become a robot. People like you better that way.

Sylvia d'E

Our guest blogger is smart, sweet and funny.  She's a dynamic woman making a difference in San Angelo, Texas, and we're privileged to have her as a friend.  Thank you, Sylvia!

Happy Valentine's Day....

....from Texas, America!!!

Shawn & SGTex
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Words shared with me....

"The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.


They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth."


~ Henry Beston "The Outermost House"


These words were shared with me today, and I wanted to share them with you.

Namaste'

Shawn
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Just dropping by...

.... to share this word of advice.

Especially to me.

Wouldn't it be a different world if we made an effort to value the feelings of others?

Just imagine.

Ciao~

Shawn
****

It's hard to stay positive when....

....I know that bad things are happening on the planet.

Japan.  Well, my goddess, what can I say about Japan?  Isn't it strange that a tsunami that wiped out so much of their property and people and the earthquake that has devastated them (not to mention the Fukushima fiasco and ruination of the ocean that is coming) hasn't convinced them to stop torturing and murdering dolphins at Taiji Cove year after year?


I find it totally dismaying that human beings are deliberately cruel and stupid at times.  It bothers me that various bears suffer mistreatment because of human greed and maliciousness.

I'm disgusted and angered when I know that the Orca population is greatly diminished and family pods are broken and babies are separated from their parents and those held captive are living in torment and oppression because we as human beings feel the need to be "entertained" and organizations like Sea World try to pass off their mistreatment and greedy practices as "educational" endeavors.

And what is Russia doing putting captive Orcas on display for the Olympics?  Not going to be watching that...

I'm overwhelmed with sadness.

Shawn
****

I'm pretty sure....

...that it's not just me.

Have you ever made plans for something and been really looking forward to "it," only for those plans to fall by the wayside because what was on the other end of the plan-making fell through?  Or, maybe I could make that "WHO" was on the other end..yada yada.  

I dunno, but I do find it, shall I say, "unfortunate" to have that happen.  It makes me discouraged and dismayed that I can look forward to some event or process and be enthused (there's an old word) about it, and then have it go all to bits.

For example:  

Our wedding was supposed to be at the park, outdoors.  Big storm.  It all turned out all right, because we had a reception venue, so we combined it all and people got a little surprise prelude to their cake and music.

A holiday get-together road trip.  Fell apart because the person on the other end flaked out.  Still a bit ticked off about that.

Date for me to make the move to Texas:  Multiple postponements.  We're both still a bit ticked about that.  I'm here now, though, and we had a wonderful road trip.

Job stuff:  Crapola.  People being hind-ends of horses.  What to do?!  Pick up and try again.  And again.

Other stuff:  People don't follow through, say what they mean and life has hairpin curves and U-turns, etc.

Last night I was griping and SGTex suggested I look on the bright side and see the positive.  That's what I'm going to do after I get over my little rant-fest.  I know I can't be the only one who feels this way.  

Generally, I put on a pretty good Pollyanna-ish attitude face and act like everything is just fine.  I'm famous for the "Just fine" answer when asked, "How are you, Shawnie?"  People don't much ask any more.  Except SGTex.  He asks.  

And thanks ever so much, Goddess, for that.

Shawn

****

It's cold here in America....

....and this came down my Facebook newsfeed.  We here in our part of Texas aren't having these kind of issues right now, but we have in the past, and we surely will again.

So, give thanks!!

See you later....

Shawn

It's here....

...and we're pretty excited about it!!

Best wishes from Us

Happy New Year....

....and best wishes for every happiness to you all.

The past 12 months have been filled with all sorts of interesting experiences.  Some were easier than others and some were pretty hard.  All in all, we have been blessed, so we are grateful.

I think we are happy to wrap up 2013 and certainly look forward to 2014.

Cheers!!

Shawn & SGTex, Sebastian & Seamus

Bears....

~The Bornean Sun Bear~ 

Conservation website address:

http://www.bsbcc.org.my/

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/sunbear.bsbcc/info

About:

Through conservation, rehabilitation, education and research, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) aims to protect the future of the world's smallest and least known bear.
MissionThe mission of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sabah, Malaysia, is to promote sun bear conservation in Borneo through animal welfare, conservation, rehabilitation, education and research - giving captured sun bears a better home and restoring their right to live in the wild, by:

Creating the capacity to confiscate, rehabilitate and release suitable orphaned and ex-captive bears back into the wild.

Providing an improved long-term living environment for captive bears that cannot be released.

Educating the public and raising awareness about this species.

Achieving increased protection for sun bears and their habitat through ongoing research, increased knowledge and awareness, and further protection of habitat.

Description:

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) was founded in Sabah, Malaysia in 2008 as a two-stage effort to provide the care, rehabilitation and release of orphaned and captive sun bears, as well as address the lack of knowledge and awareness of this little-known bear both in Malaysia and internationally.

Up until April 2010, there were 12 confiscated young bears living in cramped indoor quarters on the BSBCC site. As the situation for these captive bears was pressing, funding and construction of the BSBCC began to move these bears into more appropriate living environments.

The construction was divided into three development phases to achieve two bear house blocks and eight fenced forest enclosures for the capacity for 50 bears, quarantine facilities, offices, a visitor centre and viewing platform, and a system of forest boardwalks. We are dependent on donated funds for the development and although we are almost half way through, we still have a long way to go.

How to get there, ticket pricing, etc:

The BSBCC centre is currently not open to the public. More details coming soon.

How to contact us?
You can either email, call or leave a message on our page.

Holiday memories....

Some of my friends answered this holiday question:

 What's one of your MOST stand-out favorite memories of the Season?

SHAWN: Being a little girl, shopping with Grandma. The Bon Marche' in Seattle all done up in shades of pink with giant ornaments hanging from the ceiling.   As an adult, taking my annual teacher's bonus check and doing up an entire Xmas celebration for a family with small kids--I brought in a tree and we decorated it, wrapped presents, fixed cookies, candies, music and a meal--the whole shebang.  That was great fun.

 DENNIS: Definitely my mother's attention to detail and all the "treats" she prepared, like homemade ginger bread men, chocolates, and cookies. The brisk walks up back on the farm to cut-down the Christmas tree. The simple things...

PAULA: Getting to come to Abilene where my aunt/uncle would have the tree already up and decorated. From the living room there were 2 doors on the same wall. Uncle went to the farm, cut down 2 cedar trees. The best side was chosen and all the branches cut from the back side. Trees were wired together and all the extra branches were wired in so the tree was always extra full. There were bubble lights and regular light and wonderful old ornaments and presents -LOTS of presents. We got to stay out here until the day before school resumed after the New Year. It was warm with good food, trips to the farm, visiting with grandmother and other relatives and always a warm fire in the fireplace. It was definitely a magical time of the year. The department stores would always have such wonderful windows with all different kinds of animation and featuring the hottest toys of the season. Loved going to see them - it was a big deal!

BONNE: Christmas at Grandma's house. Long car ride, lots of presents, house smelled soooooo good, and she too had bubble lights which fascinated us. We were friends with local kids so we'd go out and play in the snow with them.

SYLVIA: Riding the pink pig around the top of Rich's store in Atlanta Georgia at the age of 5 maybe?

RENATE: Looking at all the decorated shop windows, that were especially beautiful for Xmas and dreaming that Santa would bring one of those wonderful things. I grew up in Germany and we did not get to see the tree till Christmas Eve. The anticipation was huge.

STEPHEN: My fondest memories of all the Christmases past would have to be the two years that I was Santa Claus for Toys for Tots. The second year each child got a bicycle and loads of other stuff. When they sat down on my lap and started telling me what they wanted, and then the bicycles were brought out to them, their faces would transform into pure joy. They were priceless. It felt like it was 120 degrees in that Santa suit, but the expressions on those faces made it totally worthwhile.

JACK: When we lived in Spokane we drove over to Idaho, went up into the mountains in a state forest where one could legally do so, and cut down a tree in a pretty heavy snow. It was about as Christmasy as it gets.

JOANNA: Christmases in Gravenhurst, at our cottage. Skating with our new skates on the frozen lake. Lying on the fresh clean snow counting the many stars in the clearest black sky. The lakes are iffy now at Christmastime, we used to have to portage over frozen Muldrew lake. That was 40 plus yrs ago.....

PAUL: Being Santa at my Grandaughter’s daycare for all of the kids was a blast.

JUDITY: One of my favorite memories was going to Jordan Marsh in Boston and entering the train room in the toy department. That store knew how to celebrate the holidays, and even their window displays with all those moving Christmas dolls seemed magical.

ELIZABETH: One of my favorite memories is going to Bristol, Tennessee, with my mom and dad (before they split). All the store windows were decked out so pretty for Christmas and it was the first time I had ever seen animated mannequins. I was in dreamland (was about 4) and particularly remember a store window that had a living room scene with fireplace, Christmas tree, with Santa and Ms. Claus just rocking away. That was one of the very few good memories I have of my mom and dad as a couple. That was such an exciting day for me.

We hope you make some of your own merry memories, wherever you may be.

Brightest blessings for the season and new year to you from Texas!

Shawn & SGTex
****

Bears....

From time to time I'm going to be posting about something dear to my heart:

http://www.freethebears.org.au/

https://www.facebook.com/freethebearsfund

"Founded by Mary Hutton in 1995, Free the Bears is a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting, preserving and enriching the lives of bears. Please help us in stopping the abuse, neglect and illegal trading,

Mission
Dedicated to protecting, preserving and enriching the lives of bears. Please help us in stopping the abuse, neglect and illegal trading.
Company Overview
Founded by Mary Hutton in 1995, Free the Bears is a non-profit organisation based in Perth, Western Australia, dedicated to protecting bears throughout the world. We currently work in six countries throughout Asia where bears are illegally captured to be butchered for their body parts, turned into medicine or bear paw soup or incarcerated in bile farms.

We recently made animal welfare history as part of a coalition of international conservation and animal welfare rescue groups, in tandem with Indian Government bodies, in helping to rescue the last ‘dancing’ bears off the streets of India; bringing an end to a centuries-old tradition that has inflicted terrible cruelty on thousands of highly endangered Sloth bears.

Every single cent donated to Free the Bears is sent directly to our overseas projects as part of our unique 100% guarantee."

Fa la la la la....

Let it snow....

Crystals arise when a pure compound passes gradually from liquid to solid form. The elegant regularity of a crystal is attributable to the way its molecules have configured and fit together. The angles and distances between atoms are determined by the strong bonds of fundamental molecular structure, and then weaker bonds amongst the molecules determine in turn the most comfortable interrelationship as they gather, when cooling from a melted state or drying forth from solution.

In regimented accordance with all these affinities and angles, molecules work out the most stable arrangement and ultimately present a statement about themselves to us. If it weren't for this, we might still be wondering about the structural nature of the executive genetic material, for Watson and Crick had to make crystals of DNA and shine x-ray light through them to eureka the remarkable double helix.

Not to disillusion those who need to believe Jack Frost is a real person, but it is to me a happy point of fact that frost's fractal feathery fronds and the special beauty of snowflakes come about in this way, too. H2O maintains an angle of 104.5 degrees, stout chemical bonds keeping the hydrogens and oxygen together in a molecule, while gentler attractions decide the way they array when they find themselves at a low temperature. The most stable state entails compromise, as there is considerable repulsion between like-charged ends as well as attraction between the oppositely charged points, accounting for the expansion we see when water freezes, as well as a tendency to form a ring of six V-shapes that may ultimately express itself in a swirl of tiny sprites we can view with a magnifier and be impressed---or spread out this way and that across a pane to result in those crystal coastlines, cascades and crochet for perusal by sleepy eyes at sunrise.

What we have here is an awesome living universe – its pulse unmistakable in the cyclicity of planets and atoms and electromagnetic waves. The great universe manifests the profoundest good, eternal and perfect; my religion refers to this absolute as the Dharma or Wonderful Law.

SGTex

****

That was a chicken?! I thought we were having turkey!!

Well, here I am and it's not like I've got this big thing I need to share.  I'm just sitting here at the desk doing some Facebooking and waiting for my husband to get home.  It's a beautiful day and the birds are singing outside the office window as if it were spring, but it's not.  Autumn has come to Texas and we're actually not going to mention how the roses are blooming all over town and things look rather green.  Not too many pecans on our trees, but there are a few and the squirrels have been busy as can be.

We've had another change of routine around here and I think I'll like it better not having the Mister working hours and miles away from home for several days at a time.  That's going to be better for me, and I hope it will for him, too.  I guess I wouldn't make a very good long-haul trucker's wife, heh heh.  Quelle surprise!!

No, I'm not the clingy, dependent "attention whore" type.  I just like having my Man around.  ;~)

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us here in America and people are starting to shop for the big day's meal.  I'm not sure what our schedule will be, but I have been making notes about the menu.  I'm a traditionalist, and I've fixed I don't know how many Thanksgiving meals, but it's still fun to pore over the recipes and get ideas and make lists.  I'm more the Barefoot Contessa than I am Martha Stewart in some ways, but it's nice to imagine emulating the best of both.

(Might as well face it, Shawn.  You're more apt to go totally Gordon Ramsay before we sit down to supper.)

Yeah, don't I know it.  This is what happens when I decide it's time to blog and I haven't a thing to say?!  ;~)

Shawn
****

Shame on Sarah....

Thanks to SGTex who redesigned this meme today...

The best laid plans....

....might be unnecessary.

What?

Ever since the first across-the-country driving trip I made as an adult, I have been aware that I am a planner.  Big time.  I'm comfortable with list-making, note-taking, planning the calendar and marking the days and weeks and months off according to my pie-in-the-sky goals, which I inevitably fail to meet.  (insert wry smile here).

When SGTex and I had our Big Road Trip from the Oregon coast back to Texas, it was planned out as to what we might see and where we might stay.  Wonderful.

The thing is, I don't remember being quite like this as a child, and I don't think my parents were big planners in great detail.  The announcement was made that we were moving house, and we did.  When it was time for the family vacay, we did.  We stopped at different sights to see and there was always a light on in a motel somewhere.  It was relaxing being the person not in charge of it all.  Life was easier that way, without the self-imposed accountability thing.  Haha. But then, if you look back to younger, innocent days, what would you tell yourself to do or not do?

One thing I have discovered along the way is that planning is great fun.  Another thing is to not be surprised when the planning doesn't exactly pan out the way you planned.  And that is actually okay.

I saw a meme go by on Facebook and it was the one that says, "If you could write a note to your younger self using only 2 words what would you say?  Here are some of the 2-word notes that my friends left behind. Wise words, and actually quite inspiring.  Names have been deleted to protect the not-so-very-innocent here ;~).

Here goes:

You can….Ignore Mum…Stay single….Wrong turn….Follow instincts….You’re enough….Find love….Have faith….Trust yourself….Learn “no”….Let go….Love me….You’re wrong!....Buy Apple….Love yourself….I’m ok….Educate yourself….

Be wise….Just relax….Stay aloof….Get educated….

And mine:  Carpe diem.

Shawn

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