like a rock

(the moral of this picture is, if you want to take macros...dust first)



Truth burns up error.

~ Sojourner Truth ~

Love Thursday Continued on Friday

Love has a hem to her garment that reaches the very dust. It sweeps the stains from the streets and lanes, and because it can, it must.

~ Mother Teresa ~



PS...

(Yesterday's photo is of the wishbone of a goose.)

Love Thursday ~ 01.29.09

(anyone know what this is?)

God is not threatened by differences. It's we who are.

~ Richard Rohr ~

water meter

That's all. Just "water meter."

i believe in rainbows

(Thanks, Rob, for letting me use your pictures.
I love this one so much, I use it for
the wallpaper on my Treo.)

In the story of Noah and the flood, God puts the rainbow in the sky as a symbol of His promise that He will never again destroy the world in a flood...at least not the whole world all at once. I wonder today if that promise also applies to snow.

Yes, it is snowing again here in Portland. It's not deep yet. However, the snow continues to fall steadily. Spring can't come soon enough for me this year.

Today, I am holding onto the promise of the rainbow. Hope. Hope that change is coming.

And God said, "It is good."

(Rob took both of the rainbow pictures outside
Rob & Julie's house in Phoenix, Arizona.
They don't get many rainbows in the desert.)

Song running through my head: Rainbow Connection by Kermit the frog

peace is a verb

Peace is not a passive but an active condition, not a negation but an affirmation. It is a gesture as strong as war.

~ Mary Roberts Rinehart ~

Food for thought

(elephants on my mantel)

Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he's the one that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.

~ Mark Twain ~
American Novelist

May it be so for the whole planet

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray,

that this mighty scourge of war

may speedily pass away.

~ Abraham Lincoln ~
Second Inaugural Address (1865)

6 Road

(picture from Mayan-Calendar-Code Daily Tzolkin)

Today is 6 Road in the Mayan Calendar.

The calendar is determined by a combination of 13 "tones" and 20 "sun signs" for a total of 260 days. The 260 cycle is based on the return of Venus in the sky. Venus is a feminine sign--the planet of love, affection, attraction, harmony, merging, values, nurturing, social urges, art, beauty--you get the drift.

Oh, my...can you imagine what a world would be like if those things were in the background of everyone's consciousness?

According to the Mayans, we choose the day we are born and the tone and sign for that day tell us our purpose in this life. Everyone knows it. The entire community supports and nurtures that purpose in each individual from day one.

Imagine again...knowing why you are here, what your role is in the community, and having everyone respect, value, and support you in your purpose. When we walk through life in sync with our tone and sign, we are in communion with the Divine and everyone else. Imagine! (I'm beginning to sound like John Lennon here....)

"Six" (6) is the tone of flow. It is movement and process, creativity and change, steady progress and perseverance for the long haul.

"Road" is the archetype of leadership through service--being the guide to the future through humble, empathic presence and example.

Today is my Mayan birthday. Knowing this information explains a great deal to me about myself and my urge to be of service in this world at this time...this lifetime. Knowing my tone and sign helps eliminate the impulse to compare myself to others and what they are accomplishing or the place they hold in the community. Who I am...the place I hold...the work I do is uniquely mine--no better or worse than anyone else's. This knowing also relieves pressure I may feel from anyone who may want me to be or do something other than who or what is in line with my divine purpose.

I am looking forward to what this day unfolds for me.




To find your Mayan birth date, here is a calculator.

For a very readable and understandable book about the Mayan calendar, check out The Mayan Code by Barbara Hand Clow.



Song running through my head: Imagine by John Lennon (Imagine that!)

Love Thursday Bonus ~ 01.22.09

Thanks, Meg.

Head on over to Chookooloonks to check out more Love Thursday.

"We who believe in freedom cannot rest..."

(today at the post office)

The struggle to maintain peace is immeasurably more difficult than any military operation.

~ Anne O'Hare McCormick ~
first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for foreign correspondence

Song running through my head: Ella's Song by Sweet Honey in the Rock

Happy Love Thursday, Everyone!

One photo: 44 words

(Michelle and President Barack Obama singing the national anthem)

freedom : proud : courageous : smart : inspiring : inclusive : compassion : articulate : leader : peaceful : listen : humble : direct : laughing : crying : relieved : hopeful : encouraged : educated : family : unassuming : caring : american : loving : hands : concerned : engaged : engaging : smile : funny : real : respected : respectful : serene : strong : committed : aware : awake : community : common : authentic : communicate : united : mahalo

Song running through my head: Tomorrow from the musical Annie

A New World Coming

Good morning, Mr. President Obama.

May your term of service be mightily blessed. May we all pull together and work for the good and well-being of all.

I pray for you and your family, health and happiness...and the rest you will need to get through these coming days.

Yesterday, Martin Luther King's birthday (at least the day we celebrate it) you asked everyone to do community service. According to the radio, some places where citizens went to serve had four, five...even six times the number volunteers they usually had.

We are listening, Mr. President. We are willing to follow a leader who will lead us in truth and integrity. And we are watching, Mr. President. We are watching to see that you walk the talk you gave us during the campaign.

We are behind you, Mr. President.

Take us forward.

Song running through my head: A New World Coming by Mama Cass

Shutter Sisters: Bonus Shot

Song running through my head: What the World Needs Now by Dionne Warwick

Happy Birthday, Martin...and thank you.

And I say to you today, that if our nation can spend thirty-five billion dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and twenty billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God's children on their own two feet right here on earth.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr. ~
August 16, 1967
Speech: Where Do We Go From Here?

Song running through my head: Blowing in the Wind by Peter, Paul, & Mary

Mangy Squirrels!

(Squirrel Central)

That's not a pejorative. They have mange. Really. So I went to the Backyard Birdshop where I buy squirrel food and asked what they know about squirrels with mange. I left with a recipe for "treatment":

Flax seed oil, peanut butter, and brewer's yeast on whole wheat bread. Roll it into a log and cut it into about four pieces. Then feed it to the affected squirrel.

I don't have all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to improvise: Every other day or so, I give them a piece of Surviva bread with bacon grease on it and sprinkle it with nutritional yeast. I cut the slathered bread into squares and place it on an aluminum pie plate with the sides cut down--otherwise, they step on the side trying to get to the food, flip the food all over the place, scare themselves, and make a huge mess on the deck.

They love it. I don't know if the treatment is magic or not, but the one who has the worst case is actually starting to grow some fuzz back. I am sure that the extra nutrition and energy-producing fat must help.

What you see above is the squirrel pantry, and what they don't know about yet is that the leftover homemade sourdough bread (all organic ingredients) will convey their next treatment. Why you ask? Well, let me put it this way...if I can cut the bread I will feed it to them. I might have to break it. With a hammer.

(No, I am not going to serve them tea. That's just where the teapot lives.)

What if we were really meant to live in peace?

(Reflections on a Jaguar at night)

I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can,
only as one who has seen its brutality,

its futility, its stupidity.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~

Top Down Day

The sun was shining and I had errands to run. I put on my boots...


...and my Life is Good shirt...


...put the top down and took off.

First stop--gasoline. The light came on last night as I was almost home, so refueling was priority number one.

Second stop--car wash. The entire winter and much of the fall coated the car and it was time to get it off. I stopped at my favorite car wash. Ah, just in time. He was just finishing the car ahead of me and I was next. Before he finished, I looked in the rear view mirror and about five cars had lined up behind me.

3:05 p.m.

Next stop--Tomahawk Island to deliver birthday cards to my friend who is taking off early tomorrow for a cruise through the Panama Canal for her 50th birthday. Since I didn't win the lottery, I don't get to go.

What is this? Since when did rush hour start at 3 o'clock in the afternoon?

It took me an hour and a half to go from North Portland to Tomahawk Island and back home. Less than 30 miles. Sigh. By the time I got close to home, I decided that all the rest of my errands could wait one more day--and I would do them sometime other than rush hour.

To amuse myself in stop and slow traffic on the way home, I pulled out the camera. With the top down, all I had to do is stick the camera on top of the windshield while I was stopped, wait until I crept into the right position and snap a beautiful shot of Mt. Hood covered in snow, glowing in the sun.

Here's what I got...






Crap.

Love Thursday ~ 01.15.09

A big kiss in the sky
(I'd rather think it's that than chemtrails.)

Love, like truth, is the unassailable defense.

~ Diane Ackerman ~
A Natural History of Love

Happy Love Thursday, everyone.

For the last two days, the sun has been shining and I have managed to get out for a top down ride--mostly doing errands, but that's okay. Being outside in the sun soaking up vitamin D is a good thing.

I signed up for a class today through PCC. Creating Web Pages. I have wanted to do this for a long time and finally...finally...got my act together to find the class and enroll. I am sure I will practice all my new learning here. I'm sure you can hardly wait!

Thanks for stopping by. Leave me a Love Thursday story or a link to your own post for LT.


*Love Thursday brought to you by Chookooloonks

A New Baby

Remember this?



And this?



Well, now there's a new one of these!

(toothpick added for perspective--it doesn't live there)

16 things* about me...

(Project 365 ~ 01.12.09)

I drink black, unadulterated coffee. The only exceptions to this are cafe sua da or cafe granita.

I am an empath and a...what's the word for someone who feels others' physical feelings in her body? Both of these can be wonderful--and challenging.

I am a patriot who abhors war. What better way to "support our troops" than to want them to stay alive?

I have more money invested in my teeth than in my retirement account. I may not be able to afford food when I am retired, but by golly, if someone invites me to dinner I'll be able to chew.

I have swum with--and actually touched--a dolphin (it was in captivity and touching was allowed).

I love thermal pajamas with pockets in the pants (sometimes I even wake up with my hand in the pocket).

I majored in theatre in college. I love going to the theatre and sometimes it is really bittersweet because I would love to be up there, involved with the production...especially on stage.

I make lists. Getting things out of my head and on paper helps me. Sometimes I end up with a pile of lists; then I go through them to consolidate back to one. I love checking things off. Sometimes when I accomplish a task that wasn't on my list originally, I write it down and cross it off. That way I can see what I have really accomplished. And it feels so good to cross things off a list.

I love shoes...and boots...and flip flops...and Crocs.

When I go to Hawaii, I feel like I am at home. At least once every trip someone thinks I am local. I am honored.

Sometimes when I read others' blogs, I wonder if I should leave a comment--I almost feel intrusive--but then I think about how much I love it when the lurkers un-lurk at my blog, so I do.

I am currently reading and studying about the Mayan Calendar and I find it fascinating. I am curious about whether anyone else out there is interested, too. Are you? I am sure I will be posting tidbits as I learn more.

As much as I love blogging and taking photos, I have been slow to get my stuff uploaded to flickr (or any other related site). I'll get there. Somehow, thinking about it, I feel kind of exposed. (I have no idea why that would be different from this!)

Only for a brief time in my 20s did I want to have children. I taught public school for several years and spent a lot of time with kids. I love other people's kids. I am glad my parents had kids. And I am content with the decision I made not to have children.

I am somewhat ambidextrous. I play sports and do gross motor skills right handed. I eat, write, and do fine motor skills left handed.

I know a lot about health, healing, and natural remedies. Much of it, I have learned in self-defense. Whenever possible, I look for the non-pharmaceutical approach to getting well.



There. That's 16. Consider yourself tagged. When you've posted, come on back and leave your link here. I'd love to read your list.


*A response to Something Cheeky, Mother May I, and kelly rae.

Jump Start

So here's my plan...

I'm in with Jump Start with Shutter Sisters. Every day (starting today) until the end of January, I plan to shoot something cozy or colorful...or something that just makes me happy.

And five days a week, I will do something with my hands--away from the computer. Today, I wrote a birthday letter to someone who has been my friend since college. What a joy to have friends who hang in there for more than 30 years!

I am also committed to a Project 365, even though I don't have it up on flickr yet. I have started th photos and eventually I will get to the uploading. Of all things, I decided on a 365 self-portrait. Oh. My. God. What have I done? It is one thing to have my photos online...quite another for them to be of my face! So, I expanded my definition of self-portrait. Each one is a picture of at least some part of me. (Now, don't go there....)

And last but not least, I am committed to posting to my blog every day. Don't worry. I won't post a self-portrait every day. I do plan to post at least one of my own photos, though.

That's what I'm going to do. How about you? Feel free to tell me about it here or leave me a link.

Got the little bugger...

Still not quick enough to get all the settings just right, but at least I got the shot...and not because I was quick. Thanks for posing, little buddy.

Update: Yes, that is St. Francis.

I love elephants...

...and this story made me cry:


Watch CBS Videos Online

Courage, Love, Justice

(out of the hole--hiding in a basket)

So let me tell you: I intend to protect my home. Praying--not a curse--only the hope that my courage will not fail my love. But if by some miracle, and all our struggle, the Earth is spared, only justice to every living thing (and everything is alive) will save humankind.

~ Alice Walker ~
The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear

Pseudo-post from the bottom of a deep hole

I was going to write a meaningful post this evening--be all smart and funny and articulate and...things like that. Instead, I had a difficult interaction that threw me into shame and feeling bad. It is hard to be creative from here.

I hope that when I come out of it I remember what I was going to write about.

Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Anyone know the odds?

About Love Thursday

Love Thursday is the brain (and love) child of Karen at Chookooloonks. She has invited all who want to participate to create their own Love Thursday posts, then come to her site and place your link in the comment section.

Pictures, stories, quotes, or lists--however you want to express your love on any particular Thursday will do...because, after all, the world does need more love. So do join us.

If you go to the "Search This Blog" line at the top of this page, and type in "Love Thursday," you will see my previous posts for this weekly event.

Love Thursday ~ 01.08.09

Religion without humanity is poor human stuff.

~ Sojourner Truth ~

Let Peace Begin With Me

( The four sides of a post at Franciscan Renewal Center)

Peace can only last where human rights are respected,
where people are fed,
and where individuals and nations are free.

~ Dalai Lama ~

The Day After Twelfth Night: Twelve Things

(Limes in Arizona)

1. Tracey at Shutter Sisters invited us to post a soft shot that we kept--even though it "should" have been in focus. As I said once before, there's something about each shot I keep that I like. It may not be technically correct, but...oh,well!

2. I always thought that January 6th--Epiphany--was Twelfth Night. Alas, Twelfth Night is Epiphany Eve (and a Shakespearean play).

3. Sometimes buying the basic cheapy is good enough--especially a hot water hose for the washer.

4. In Oregon, 59° and rainy can feel colder than 22° and snowy with less humidity.

5. Meg posted this today and it made me laugh so much, I played it several times...and laughed every time:



6. I get really annoyed when a replacement part costs more than the entire original item--and that is if you can even find the part to buy.

7. Today, on my Project 365 (which is not on line and currently resides only in my computer), all I could manage was to take a shot with my Treo and email it to myself. Didn't even feel like pulling out the camera. Hey...it counts.

8. I love my auto mechanics at The V Shop. Honest. Efficient. Caring.

9. Banana is still under the tarp. Maybe tomorrow I can unveil him.

10. Saturn retrograde is good for cleaning up old messes. I have been getting organized. Me!

11. Currently, I am reading The Mayan Code by Barbara Hand Clow. Fascinating explanation about the Mayan Calendar and what all the dates mean.

12. Yesterday's photo was someone knitting. (Yes, Carrie and She, you are right.) Here's a less blurry shot:

Things are not always what they seem to be.

So what does this look like to you?

Weather...or not.

These were taken moments ago and it continues as we speak....

This little light of mine--I'm gonna let it shine....

(A Christmas gift--salt candle)

I believe in person to person; every person is Christ for me, and since there in only one Jesus, that person is the one person in the world at that moment.

~ Mother Teresa ~

Ten Things about Today.

(My beverage of choice.)

1) Woke up to more snow this morning.

2) Accomplished a task that has been in my inbox since last October. No...not that one. October 2007.

3) Drove top down for errands this afternoon--until it started hailing, sleeting, snowing, and raining all at once.

4) SO got to try out a Christmas present...one of these!

5) Played with my new Gorillapod.

6) Partook of my favorite beverage.

7) Managed to take self-portrait #2 of my Project 365.

8) Saw this wonderful story online.

9) And watched this amazing clip. My family is in Tillamook County. This did not happen to them--thankfully.

10) And not enough has been made about Lars and the Real Girl. Oh. My. God. Rent it. Watch it. I loved it. I cried. I laughed. Incredibly well written and acted.

(I think San Pellegrino should advertise on my blog. Don't you?)

The picture has nothing to do with the post but it's my blog and I can do whatever I want because it's called "What Would Wanda Do?"

.
(Self-portrait 1-1-09. This is the beginning of
Project 365. We'll see how far I get....)

.
.
Carrie at Fully Caffeinated posted her question here:
.
Beautiful poem and all, who doesn't love Hafiz? But, more importantly, how does one go about removing grease (specifically butter) stains from carpet, yellow upholstery, T-shirts, sports jackets, pajamas, etc.
.
Thanks, Wanda!
.
.
I am so glad you asked, Carrie. This is something I know about. When you have a salsa shelf chest like mine, you either learn some good laundry tricks or wear a bib. And then there was Larry my extreme geriatric cat (that's what the vet called him)--may he rest in peace. You know how old cats are. I learned a lot about cleaning up yellow spots from him.
.
Let me start by saying that I get no kick-back from any of these companies, but if I had had some foresight, I would have bought stock in them. Never mind the economic downturn, I keep them in business on my own and I might as well be putting the profit back in my pocket. But I digress.
.
I recommend Kids and Pets--the only place I have found it is Target--and Shout--you can get it at most grocery stores and maybe Target but not at Costco, not the one near my house anyway.
.
Both of these are enzyme concoctions that work on the stains. Enzymes are magic! Enzymes require time to work so you have to let the stuff sit on the spot for a while before "rinsing" it up or washing the garment. K&P is for the carpet and furniture. You can probably use it on the clothes, too, but I keep Shout in a spray bottle near my laundry basket for the clothes.
.
Pour K&P on the stain. Be generous--but you first might want to spot check somewhere it won't show to make sure it doesn't take the color out of the carpet or upholstery. Let it sit at least several hours. That might be enough time. When you rinse it up, start by blotting from the outside edges inward on the stain. Then pour fresh warm water on the whole thing and continue to blot inward using an old towel. I also have a handheld carpet cleaner (like a little wet-dry vac) that works really well to suck up the old dirty wetness. If you can leave the enzymes on longer (24 hours or even several days), they will have more time to work and may do a better job with the first application. However, repeated applications will do the same trick if you are concerned about leaving the stuff in place.
.
I keep Shout in the closet with my laundry basket. When I remove a garment with a spill on it, I immediately spray the spots, roll up the shirt, and put it in the basket where the treated piece sits until time to do laundry again. Now,let me tell you about how I do laundry. One of two issues determines when it is time. Either I run out of underwear or I can't cram anything more in the laundry basket. I have a lot of underwear. When everything is clean, I have enough for at least 2 weeks. (TMI?) I have stacking laundry baskets--3 of them (whites, colors, darks). So unlike many mothers with children, I am not doing laundry frequently.
.
If you do laundry daily, you might need to let some of the treated pieces sit aside for a while to let the enzyme do the work. I sometimes let it sit for a week or more and then do the laundry in the usual fashion. Even if you can't leave a favorite shirt in treatment for a week, leave the enzymes on for as long as you can. If you treat the spots repeatedly, they will come out.
.
All that being said, avoid Spray and Wash. It used to be a good enzyme product and I can buy it at Costco. Now it has an additive that takes the color out of clothes if you leave it on the fabric to let the enzymes work. They have "new and improved" themselves right out of my market share. I avoid as many chemicals as I can, use free and clear and sensitive skin products, go for the unscented as much as possible. Some laundry detergents (Tide is notoriously bad for this) have neurotoxins in them. That's why good old enzymes without some kind of chemical booster are better for people, clothes, the environment, and all other living beings. Why, I even know of people whose depression went away when they stopped using Tide and similar products.
.
(Perhaps Kids & Pets, Shout, and Target will want to advertise on my blog now. I hope so since I am really screwed when it comes to Spray and Wash, Tide, and maybe even Costco.)
.
I hope this helps. Leave me another comment and let me know.
.
._________________________
.
Now for the picture (above) and Project 365. The idea of my project 365 is to take a self-portrait a day for 365 days. What better day to start than January 1st? So this is the first one. I opened the shot in Photo Studio and the color was way off, so I started fiddling. I slid the hue and saturation sliders all the way to one end and this is what I got. I kind of liked it so I decided to keep it. (Don't worry, I will post something other than self-portraits, too.)

I just figured out the connection between the post and the picture! The picture is the color of the salsa stains on my shirts!

2009: I LOVE First Love Thursday

(Somewhere, it's beer o'clock.)

>

>

I don't do new year's resolutions. They never worked for me. I think I stopped making them when I was a teenager. Goal setting has always been a challenge for me, too. Perhaps I am too right brained--or maybe I am lacking focus. I like to think it is the former; however, whatever the reason--and in case the reason is the latter--for 2009, I am choosing focus and direction instead of resolve.

Several people in my online community encouraged me to choose a word for the year. The first word that popped into my head was "RICH," and no matter how I tried to go around it, that one stuck. There you have it. I want, hope for, and intend to focus on richness this year--in all layers and levels of my life. Food, money, and my relationship with others and the Divine.

I will also focus on the richness that I already have. Today, I have enough and in much of the world, that makes me incredibly rich. I have friends who love me and will be there for me no matter what. Even when I can't feel it, I have an abiding knowing of the presence of the Divine.

How does it get any better than that? Come on...show me! I am ready.

I love Brené's writing at Ordinary Courage. She declared this "2009: year of the superpower." Karen (also an incredibly talented writer and photographer) at Chookooloonks asks the question in her authentic you interview series, "What is your superpower?" and Brené asks the next question, "What is your kryptonite?"

Last night for our New Year's Eve exercise, SO and I discussed our powers. My superpower is x-ray knowing of intra- and interpersonal dynamics. I see what's wrong...whether physically for someone or interpersonally in relationships. And then I know the strategy to fix it. This includes having a powerful bullshit detector.

My kryptonite is when my desire to be compassionate and of service gets railroaded by shame (I "should" be able to fix it or do more--or, I did it "wrong") or I fall into being an empath (I feel what others feel) and my heart aches. Being an empath is also a power for good, but there is a point where what the other is feeling becomes personal to me and I am undone. So perhaps a better way to say this is that my kryptonite is "taking [fill in the blank] too personally."

This, the year of the superpower, by bringing mine into awareness, I will continue to pay attention to what I know...and when I fall into the feelings, whether my own shame or extreme resonance with what the other is feeling, I get to further my study in not taking it personally.

And Tracey in today's Shutter Sisters asks, "What's your mantra for the year?"

Here's mine...




Will you join me? What's your word? Your superpower? Your mantra for 2009? I'd love to hear.