done.....

so

very

done.

Gratitude.....

I am grateful for all Service Members,

past, present and future

that make a huge sacrifice

for us all.

My brother went to Iraq,

twice.

I am so very grateful that he came back unharmed.

smiles.

smiles......Friday.

My Uncle David attached this photo to one of his emails....

I love Sunflowers.

LOVE.

They always make me smile.

I hope your day is filled with 

love

smiles

and 

sunflowers......

WTF.......

On February 27th 2013,

I was in my downstairs office

and noticed a wet place on the carpet.

The beginning of a nightmare.

truly.

on-going......

A water leak from outside into our condo,

began a long string of events

that I am unwilling to 

re-tell.

However, 

after many sleepless nights,

and much "hoo-ha"

the work began......

The front yard was trenched.

The water-proofing was installed.

The front steps were replaced.

And

work

began inside

(after months of no work in between)

The young men began to remediate the 

"MOLD PROBLEM".

Haz-mat type plastice sheeting went up.

Blowers were installed.

Protective breathing apparatus were used.

And

then

it 

came 

to 

a 

HALT.

"Ms. Reed, please come down here, I have something to show you...."

water is still coming in to our home.

I am so discouraged.

I want desperately to be optimistic.

But, I am done.....

no smiles today.

Today, I am grateful.....

so, here's why....

life delivers things you don't expect, sometimes.

usually, I find myself totally unprepared....

But,

I have learned

that when I've been blind-sided,

I can get out my toolkit of chaos busters.....

My Gratitude list is the best on I can think of when I have nothing else to say.....

so, here tis....

I am eternally grateful for coffee

I am grateful for roses.....

and sunflowers...

of course, the beach....and sun....and quiet....

I am so very, sincerely, honestly grateful for my sweetie....

and magnolias....

and waterlilies.....

hydrangeas....by the bucket full!!

pasta.....;-)

homegrown tomatoes.....

and, as Wallace says, "CHEESE!"....

and bread.....(I am noticing a pattern here....)

and different types of CHEESE!

from assorted countries.....(thank you Whole Foods)

and lastly (but never leastly, is that a word?)

Chocolate!

There, I feel much better now....

don't you?

now

I 

can 

smile.

First of the season!!

That's right!

Mr Blue Jay.....

Not as sweet as a Blue Bird,

and he has a very distinct

in fact, sort of annoying call.

But he is my 

bellwether that fall is well and truly here.

Even though 

I sit here at my desk in shorts,

t-shirt and sweat....

Isn't he handsome?

Yes, I know.....in a semi-obnoxious way, right?

I live in the town in which I grew up.

When I was elementary school age, my parents fed the birds each winter.

Predictably, as soon as we saw our first 

Blue Jay of the season, we would put up the bird feeder and carefully fill it.

There were tons....no TONS of Blue Jays back then.

In the last century......

decades ago.....

Now I sound just like my parents...

Have you seen a Blue Jay?

What is your bellwether for fall?

Any interesting fall practices in your family?

smiles!

(I usually try to use only my own images in this blog, however the Blue Jay I saw today wouldn't pose, so this is a googled image)

My focus was "off" a bit today.....

but that hardly matters...

really.

perhaps my hands were shaking.....

too much "joe"....

perhaps, there was a chill in the air.....

naw.......hot flashes take care of that!

Actually, I think everything might have turned out just as it should.....

A dear friend sent this to me yesterday....

"She Let Go”

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments.

She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.

She let go of the committee of indecision within her.

She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely,

without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice.

 She didn’t read a book on how to let go.

 She didn’t search the scriptures.

She just let go.

 She let go of all of the memories that held her back.

She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.

She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it.

She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.

She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.

She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.

She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.

She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.

She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word.

She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations.

No one thanked her or praised her.

No one noticed a thing.

Like a leaf falling from a tree,

she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle.

It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.

It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be.

 A small smile came over her face.

 A light breeze blew through her.

 And the sun and the moon shone

 forevermore.

I am sorry I do not know the author, it was not me obviously...

smiles!

September.....Blessed.

No, I didn't get to go.....but someone did!

This is what passes for coffee in the afternoon, these days......too many Hot Flashes, otherwise.

These are the lovely roses that my sweetie blesses me with.....regularly.

THIS is the someone that enjoyed a trip to my favorite city on earth.....lucky dude!

I am equally blessed though, I managed to sneak in a trip to the beach last month...

HERE is where I sat my big fat butt, for days on end....

When it wasn't right next to this bag, on the sand....

smiles.....

August......hot.....lovely....perfect......smiles!

Summer has a way of...

slowing us down....

Thus

the 

lack 

of 

recent

posts.....

smiles!

Doing 

very

little

here,

how

'bout

you?