Good Bye 2008. Don't let the door hit you in the backside on your way out.

Good bye to your ice storms and icicles. Thanks for making it easy to bid you adieu.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I am not grateful. I appreciate all the good things that came through you. I mean, take a look at the election. And the road trip to Wyoming. Time with family. Sunny summer into late fall. Healing. Movies...lots and lots of movies.

Let's be honest. You have been challenging for me. I spent the year being unable to work much because of my health and lack of energy and that meant using up a lot of savings. The wars continued. The economy tanked. Corruption was exposed--wait, maybe that should go in the previous paragraph.

2009, I'm ready. Let's move forward. Let's blow this pop stand and find some real fun and adventure. Let's find a way to work together and stop blaming each other for the ills we see around us. Let's use some of the angry energy to propel us into solutions. I'm looking forward to it. I hope you won't let me down, because I am going to try to stand up to my word.

My word for the year is RICH. I want richness in all its manifestations--and I want to become more aware and grateful for the richness I already have.

Tonight I am waiting for you to arrive--you'll recognize me...I'm the one in the blue sweatshirt with no cuffs and micro-holes all over. Believe it or not, I feel rich in this threadbare shirt. I feel powerful in my own skin.


I'll be drinking Black Bubbles. Hopefully, all the way to the bottom of the bottle.


So long, 2008. You served your purpose and I am grateful. You made me so ready for what is next. You made me yearn for 2009.

(And that part about being true to my word? I admit, I have already failed. I promised CWL a response to her question. I thought I would do it today. Didn't happen. I'm sorry. It's in my queue. I won't make another promise about a date to expect it, but it will be soon. I will send you a message to let you know when I've posted. Thanks.)

Saturn goes retrograde tomorrow...

(On the prayer chapel at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale.
If you look closely, you can see the hand print of someone
as if they were hanging on and slid down the edge.)

...and I have been feeling it all day today. It's like I can't get my feet under me. I can't get moving in the morning. I am a hair away from being late all the time. There's one errand I can't get done. Everyone else on the road is in my way and doing something stupid right in front of me--just to annoy me, I'm sure.

Today's post? This is it. This is the way it is. "Give me a quiet place..." please.

Tomorrow? A new installment of "What Would Wanda Do?" Tune in tomorrow for the answer to the question posted by one of you!

In the meantime, have a good night.

I Follow Barefoot

I Follow Barefoot

I long for You so much

I follow barefoot Your frozen tracks

That are high in the mountains

That I know are years old.

I long for You so much

I have even begun to travel

Where I have never been before.

Hafiz, there is no one in this world

Who is not looking for God.

Everyone is trudging along

With as much dignity, courage

And style

As they possibly

Can.

~ Hafiz ~

Favorite Photos of 2008

(Canna Leaf)

The Shutter Sister invitation is to choose your favorite shot of the year. I don't know that I can do that. I have a few I am quite proud of, however.

Feel free to browse back through the posts and take a look.

In fact, if you have a favorite, please let me know.

Saturday in the park--I think it was the fourth of July...

(Just a little tropical feel to go with the melting snow.
This was a few days ago so we still had
snow on the deck and railing.)
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I didn't really go to the park and it is December 27th, but compared to the weather of the last few weeks, it could be July 4th in Oregon. It rained all day and that is usual here for the summer holiday.

The snow has melted, except for the deep patches. I expect that another day or so will wash those away as well.

Blue Chairs

The day after Christmas, I am still waiting for gifts to arrive. The weather prevented delivery...of UPS, FedEx, and even the mail. Yes! The mail! Neither rain nor snow nor sleet...HA!

No worry.

Be happy.

Because of Our Wisdom ~ Love Thursday 12.25.08

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Because Of Our Wisdom

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In many parts of this world water is

Scarce and precious.

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People sometimes have to walk

A great distance

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Then carry heavy jugs upon their

Heads.

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Because of our wisdom, we will travel

Far for love.

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All movement is a sign of

Thirst.

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Most speaking really says,

“I am hungry to know you.”

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Every desire of your body is holy;

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Every desire of your body is

Holy.

.

Dear one,

Why wait until you are dying

.

To discover that divine

Truth?

~ Hafiz ~

Peace...please

What kind of peace do we seek?
... Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave.
I am talking about genuine peace,
the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living,
the kind that enables men and nations to grow
and to hope and to build a better life for their children
-- not merely peace for Americans
but peace for all men and women,
not merely peace in our time
but peace for all time.

~ John F. Kennedy ~

Gone.

Looking back, see here and here and here and here. Today, they're gone.
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Okay--not quite.

Monday: Solstice Follow-Up Pictures

Just to show how much difference one 24 hour period can make, take a look at these and compare them to the pictures from my earlier post today.
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The weekend's accumulation.

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The Tree.

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The laurel is so heavy today it is almost dragging on the ground.

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Rosemary.

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The banana...with rope lights wrapped around
the base and a tarp (the brown thing) over it.

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The recycling bins with the week's accumulation of snow.

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Yesterday's footprints.

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Barbecue anyone?

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Droopy laurel.

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Outside view of the tree.
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The lion's head.

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Frank with snow past his knees.
(The dents in the snow on the left side of the railing are
where the squirrel hopped along it today.)

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Apparently, we had several more inches of snow last night.

Winter Solstice Pictures

It was the shortest day of the year and darkness fell slowly, starting at 3:00. Remember this? Well, here's the solstice view:
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Taking a picture of your own foot with a view from the side is not easy:
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What you can't see very well is that the snow came almost to my knee...and almost to Frank's (I call him Frank. We're close like that.) knees, too:
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Look at how much ice formed on the laurel:
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And the rosemary:
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I threw food out for the squirrels. It landed on the sheet of ice on top of the snow. I felt sorry for the little guys sitting on the ice, but I guess they are built for it.
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The bamboo bowed to the ferns. The recycling trucks didn't even try to make it to pick up our stuff this week. We haven't bothered to bring in the bins in the neighborhood, either:
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More icicles on branches:
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Yes, that really is a hummingbird at the feeder. I took this shot right away so I would be sure to get something, but he didn't stay long enough for me to get the camera adjusted properly. A pro could have had an album of shots by the time he flew away. I'm still working on the speed thing. Oh, well:
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The lion on the back deck:
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One of my favorite winter shots...doppelbock:
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And an update will appear later today....

How we decorated our tree this year

Amazing Video (...and the Give Away continues)

Just watching brought tears to my eyes.



The Give Away continues. In case I was misleading, it is really more of a town than a city.

I have been to the center of the universe...

...and I have pictures to prove it.

If you can tell me what city this is, I will send you the t-shirt of your choice. [See sidebar for options.]

Leave your answer in the comments. The first correct answer wins.

Dew I love you?

Pretty lame for Love Thursday...but it was the best I could do today.




And the answer is...




...of course, I do.

Art, I want you...pass it on

I got it from Andrea and Karen. I passed it on. What're you gonna do with it?

Do you think they are related?

(Marty lounging on the deck.)

(Cooper...not my photo, nor my cat...lounging on the sofa.)

Take a look at this guy's work. Watch the slide show. You won't regret it. My only regret was that his work is more stunning than mine!

How to be removed from a telephone solicitation list.

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Did you know that when you answer the phone and hear a computerized voice offering to lower your credit--as if you would take an unsolicited credit offer from a computer--and you happen to be cranky because you are in the middle of installing software on your computer (so, of course it isn't going well...and they did, after all, interrupt you) and you say in a loud and firm (did I mention cranky?) voice, "I hate you and I want you to stop calling me!" that that will make them go away?
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Seriously.
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Dead stop in the middle of the offer.
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I'll have to try that again.

Snow! What Would Wanda Do?

Sunday morning it snowed...and snowed. We had a four inch accumulation before the sun went down.
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The laurel leaves looked like low-hanging spoons full of sugar.
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Snow drifted and froze to the patio door.
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Everything was untouched whiteness. No squirrels knocked on the door today.
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I know that to those of you in the North and Northeast, this is nothing. Here in the Pacific Northwest, life comes to a grinding halt when it snows. We could be hunkered down for most of the week.

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I went out and rented some movies to watch and while I was at it, I had my last meal out for a while--lunch at the Mexican restaurant across the mall from the video store. We came home, played dominoes, drank tea, and looked at more snow falling.
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It's not that we can't manage the snow. We have vehicles that can get around and plenty of clothes to handle this kind of weather, but the highway department here isn't prepared and we are plowless in these parts (except for the mountain passes).
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Not only that, but many people don't know how to drive in snow around here. There is only so much you can do to stay out of the way when someone else doesn't know what they are doing. Since I don't have to be out in it, I probably won't be for a couple days.
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I guess I'll hunker down, watch a movie, watch the fireplace, drink some more tea...or a glass of port.
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That's what I'm gonna do. What about you? What is your favorite snowy evening activity? What do you do when you are housebound? Leave me a note. I could use some good ideas.