Smile

Out on the trail this morning, I noticed the faces of those who passed by. I felt especially recharged when I passed someone who smiled back at me and said,"Good morning!".  On the other side of the coin, when someone just plodded along and didn't even recognize my existence, I felt a little devalued.

So, I got to thinking about how true it is when you hear that smiling, not only makes you feel better, but sends fibs to others that they are ok, too.  I know someone who once was upset because a man passing her in the store told her to smile.  Obviously, she was sending a message, as she walked through the store, that she was unhappy and probably not that happy with someone else, too.

It isn't that I think we need to deal with life in an entirely Polliannic way, necessarily, but there is enough "real" life going on without a gloomy face  making it worse. I know that we can become so self absorbed with our problems that we send a negative message to others without realizing it.

So, be "in the moment" and look at your fellow human beings you encounter and give them you best smile.  You'll feel better and so will they.  Make their day!

Rowl's debut

Here he is, everyone.  Ready for the presses, I hope.This is the result of a lot of back and forth input until you finally come to enough of a consensus that everyone can live with it.  One more hurdle jumped over to reach the completion of the event. And one to go(money, but isn't it always?), but we'll get there, I know.

So today was one of those days I was talking about yesterday.  Putting the balance into my life.  I spent a delightful day with friends, exploring new territory for me.  The Villages.  Everyone, who watches national TV anyway, has heard of the Villages.  For me, it was like walking onto a movie set where the director said,'READY ON THE SET, ACTION!" Surreal. 

When you come from an old western Montana town and you live in an old FloridaCracker town, both with all the original character put there from years of weathering life, walking into a town trying hard to look the part, is unreal.  A town needs to walk the walk before it has a right to try to look the look, I'd say. It just seems they didn't earn the right to have that look, which made it look strange to me.

You could tell, though, that the people living there find this all quite natural, as they zoom around in their golf carts down the roads.  And speaking of golf carts, they had the fanciest carts I have ever seen, as if they represent a symbol of their competition with each other.
 I

I told Nancy that I couldn't wait to see their thrift shops, as I knew they would have all the big brand names in them  Her reply was,"They don't have thrift shops".  What was I thinking, anyway?  I really can't imagine any of these people caught dead in one!  Guess I don't belong in the Villages.

Balance

Sorry readers, I am still working out the kinks for sending you ROWL to see.  I have spent so much time on it, Michael is shaking his head, to put it mildly. Right now I as having it resent to me in a more accessible mode.  So in his place you get this.

Had to get your attention some how.  I needed a lead in to my topic for today, balance.  Balance is the key to the success of everything on this earth.  For a tree to grow, it needs the balance of water, nutrients and sun.  My orange tree is in bad shape right now. A little cold weather makes the fruit nice and sweet.  However, a  heavy freeze has caused damage to it, with all the leaves gone and death to many of the branches. Last summer the long spells with out rain caused most of the oranges to drop off and rot. Not enough of one thing and too much of another has taken its toll.

Same with us humans.  We may notice that we are feeling out of sorts some how.  Yet if we examine our daily life we will notice that we are out of balance.  Too much of any one aspect throws us out of whack, literally.  Too much time on the couch, not only gives us flabby muscles, but can cause depression.  Getting up and exercising helps bring back the balance and makes you feel better. 

When you have a healthy balance of work, play, diet, exercise, and your spiritual life, your entire well being feels happier. I bring this up because I hear of too many trying to regain their balance the wrong way, often with antidepressants or by other artificial means.

 So the next time you feel things are out of sorts with you, examine your day.  Then what ever you have been spending too much time with, be it too much junk food, too much negative work, too much inertia, look at the other side of the spectrum and fix it.  Clean up your diet, have some leisure time doing something you enjoy, stress free time, exercise and you will notice how wonderful you feel when your are back on an even keel and balanced.

 That balance in your daily life helps you keep your balance when things are unavoidably out of sync. Like me standing on one leg, if I didn't do it regularly, then if someone even breathed on me I'd fall over. Been sitting here too long today.  I'd better get up and get moving or I'll have more than a sore rear.

Logo dilemma

Michael left the house at 6:30 this morning to go run a race.  That was something I just did not need to do. I was out running at the same time as his race, more or less, anyway, but at my leisure, my pace and where I chose to be. He came home after his race with his first place medal and his t-shirt, which I know he won't wear, probably (not his type). He wasn't happy with his time, however, even though the course was hilly and he hasn't run many races recently. I was impressed though; 22min. and change. He said I would have gotten a first place medal, too, because there weren't any females as old as I am.  I don't know if that is good or bad, but the medal still wouldn't have tempted me.

Seems the logo for the Recycling program is leaning towards having a realistic trout, Rowl, on it. We have put more time on this decision than any thing else we have worked on, it seems.  I made a caricatured one, then was persuaded to make him more fish like and not so porpoise like. Then, it was back and forth about how can he look more trouty. Then a realistic one was submitted.  However, he looked too angry to me.  I was told trout aren't happy when they are caught to which I said he has not been caught, he is happy because his water is clean and free of trash.  So two smiling trout were sent to me, who looked more sinister and leering than smiling.

 I would sent them all for you all to see, but I don't know how to get them to my blog from my email attachments.  So until I do you, will just have to try and visualize the trout and hopefully let me know what you think.  Besides, "Who cares!".

Elephants again

Yesterday's art lesson was an elephant. It was actually a fun project, learning about wet on wet, shadow, etc.. His tusks are even, by the way, they just don't look it here.

It sure brought to mind the fact that when there is an elephant in the room it is difficult to focus on anything else.  All you can think about is the damage it could do and keeping everyone safe.  That elephant just takes over.  I guess the thing to do is put the elephant where it belongs.  You can't control the elephant when it is in the room, but you can put it in its proper place so you can see the other things you had been missingthat are in the room.

Home cooking!

Self photo

Love, love, love this photo.  This is why I go to the beach.

Michael with running buddy, Steve.  This is why Michael loves coming to the beach.

It's good to get away, but it is just as good coming home.  We had a nice seafood dinner the first night, which we ate early so that we could be done in time for the sunset.  The second night's dinner place, recommended by friends, was a wash.  I do not like to eat my seafood fried and that was all they had.  You had to really hunt for the crab in my crab cakes, which ended up giving me a bit of fits to my stomach.  I like to be adventurous with food when eating out, but the older I get I tend to think it best to stick with what I know.  Keep it simple and identifiable.

Anyway, we bought lots of veggies at the commissary later, which I took home and then roasted a bunch of.  The paper had an article about  roasting all kinds of veggies, which retains their nutrients best. So I roasted asparagus, brusselsprouts and cauliflower, which were all totally awesome, in my book. Of course, I ended up with plenty of brussel sprouts to myself.  The secret is: oven 400 degrees preheated, lightly coat veggies in olive oil and roast about 30 min., depending on the density. Believe me, brussel sprouts have a whold different flavor, much milder.  They suggested bacon bits on them, but I like them the way they were. 

Sprinkle parmesan cheese on the cauliflower and the let the asparagus speak for themselves.

First he needs another eye. 







Tomayto, tomahto

How ever you pronounce the word it is all the same tomato.  Doesn't change the nature or the truth of the tomato one bit.  Reminds me of the comment made by a political candidate about references to the Earth made by our current president.  Anyone who has any command of the English language at all knows that the word reverence means deep respect, not a bad thing to have for the God given treasure we were given to enjoy and care for.  I know the quote in the Bible says we should be good stewards of the Earth.  Why?  Because it is the God given home that is ours to respect.  When you respect something, you take care of it.  That doesn't mean that you worship the Earth any more than you worship anything else God made.

 Do I worship my husband?  Of course not, you say.  Do I respect him?  Sure, and I try to show him that respect by taking care of him; feeding him what will keep him healthy and encouraging him to take care of himself.  That's respect, not worship. 

So the meaning of tomato didn't change when I pronounced it differently. It was just another way for most of us to say something we would define as a delicious fruit we enjoy in so many different ways. Of course, some of us just don't like tomatoes.

Happy birthday, friend!

This post is dedicated to a friend who is having a birthday today.  Betts is a friend in a million, believe me.  I think she turns 79 today, but you  would never believe it when I tell you about her.  She has more energy and vitality for life than anyone I know.  She doesn't miss a beat. I always have to laugh out loud with some of the things she says.  Yet, she has a heart bigger than any I've ever seen.

The amazing thing is she isn't one who just talks about what needs to be done about a problem.  She actually gets in there and gets her hands dirty.  But while she is getting the job done she is having the time of her life. Everything is done with a flare like no other.

When our windows needed repair at the church, she provided the monies to repair them.  When we needed $1,000 to open our account for the Recycle Project, she didn't bat an eye.  Now that we are planning our Big Burger Bash Festival, she once again is ahead of the game, planning her pink Minnie  Mouse like outfit to wear. Our receptions always have her signature flowers and doilies on every table. She walked, passing out invites to our church to everyone watching the 4th of July parade, as our float progressed down Main St.. At every special church service her signature geraniums would mysteriously appear around the front lawn. She'll walk your legs off at the Relay for Life event. But she can do that because she still enters 5k runs. The first 1 mile race I saw her in she was running in hiking boots, which didn't slow her down one bit. Her eyes and ears are always tuned to what needs to be done before anyone is even aware there is a need.

Her plans for celebrating her birthday are to take a zip line wearing her pink outfit, visualizing herself like the GEICO pig squealing,"Wheeee!" all the way.  That image defines Betts.  Living life the way life was meant to be led.  I hope I can live it with even an ounce of her gusto.  Happy birthday, Betts and many more to come!  You go girl!

You can't see the onion in the background.  Bad lighting. I had to complete the picture quickly, in one sitting since I needed the pepper and onion for our dinner.  It was quite an interesting sensation to be cutting up my props, knowing there was no return. I saw my neighbor, Nancy, this morning on her way to get lots of fruits and vegetables for her visiting grandkids.  She said she will keep me supplied.

I went for a walk instead of a run this morning.  It was all about not wanting to sweat.  Anyway, as I was crossing the bridge I noticed these fishermen on the lake on this gray, dismal morning.  I saw their reflections in the water that my art teacher had said we should be noticing. She said to observe how the reflection mirrors the colorings of the objects.  So, I rushed home, got my camera, and hurried back, hoping they hadn't moved. Now I have something to try out my painting skills on.

Yesterday, while running along the trail and as I bent over to pick up a Breakfast Biscuit wrapping, a young man, standing beside the trail, pointed out a raccoon to me.  He was commenting about what a cute raccoon it was.  Well, in reality it was a very sick raccoon, standing there with his head down, swaying on his weak legs.  He didn't notice us or even move.  I was concerned that it might not only be a sick raccoon, but one with rabies, possibly. 

So since home was another half hour away, and the park attendants were off for the holiday weekend, I ran into the local bike shop and asked if they could call animal control to come take a look at the raccoon.  The young man just handed me his phone and the phonebook for me to find the number and call for myself.  I called the number listed, but since it was a holiday weekend they were closed and gave the 911 number to call.  As I proceeded to call them, the young man, noticing I was sweating all over his phone, took the phone and said he would take care of it, as he wipe the phone carefully with a cloth. Hopefully, he followed through.  I didn't go back to check on the raccoon.

 Sorry about the blurred picture.  It says,"Master, how can I change the world?"  "Young Sage, you first must be the change you want to see in the world." Next frame, "Man, this is gonna be a lot harder than I thought."

No gloat!

Homework done for next week's lesson.  I had trouble getting the color right for the orange, so I guess it's a peach. Shadow needs a little more depth, too.

Today on the front page of the paper there were two heart wrenching stories; one about a man with ALS and the other about a two year old born with a heart defect requiring a heart transplant for him in the future. Those are particularly sad stories because, of no fault to either of them, they have grave medical conditions.

I suppose some people think that when I talk about running,exercising, eating a healthy diet and share my healthy recipes I am gloating about being so right all the time.  But, I am not. I want share with my readers what makes me feel so good and why I have so much energy to do the things I enjoy doing. We have enough strikes against us, just celebrating another birthday every year, as we get older.  We don't need to speed up the process by neglecting a life style that makes so much sense.

Then when I hear about people who, to no fault of their own, are suffering, I can't help wonder how  anyone can just throw away their good health so recklessly. I really have a hard time understanding people who neglect their health all their life.  Then when their health falls apart they are whining  and crying as if they are a helpless victim. They know what they should do, but are too unmotivated to do anything about it.

I just want to help inspire people to take control of their life, get the most they can out of it and live.

So, on the way to looking for a recipe for the chicken breast I took out of the freezer for dinner, I came across a recipe for cranberry bars.  Since I happened to still have some cranberries in the freezer from back you know when, I decided to make Michael some cranberry bars for his tea time today.  Got that done, now I need to get back to finding that recipe for the chicken.  I do have a short attention span, obviously.

So much to do, so little time...

Comment regarding yesterday's blog: You can be in the driver's seat or the trunk. That certainly says it all and I know where I want to be riding.

 Today was a repeat lesson on fruits and veggies, since there are several new members that weren't in the last series of classes.  I know, they all look like they are at attention, but you have to work with what there is and that is how they were set up, from my angle. So our homework is more fruits and veggies.  She suggested finding plastic ones, but that kinda feels like cheating or something.  So I'll just have to work fast or use the fruits Michael won't eat too fast.

Since the recycling project is on hold until next Wednesday, I actually have the time to think about the rest of my life. So many options; invite the ladies over for left over muffins and tea(I have sorely neglected my social life lately), paint veggies, work on a Relay for Life rap.  So many choices, so little time, if I don't get off the computer and get busy.

If you fail to plan...

If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.  Heard it over the years, as we all have, but it is as true as ever.  If you don't plan your life, then some day you'll be sitting in your rocking chair wondering what just went by without you even noticing it until then.

Sure, I know, we all hear,"But, we need to stop and smell the roses!"  Yes, you can do that along the way, but if that is all you do, then you are bound to be one of those people who blames society for the fact that you have nothing to show for your life. But, that is another story.

Too many people just let life happen to them, without any thought about being in control of what happens to them.  I think, to some extent, people let TV live their life for them and they don't plan anymore then to plan what they will watch that day.

This isn't just for young people starting out making career choices either.  At any point in our life we should be adjusting, refining, and setting new goals for our self.  That is how you get the most out of life, I believe.  The moment we think we don't need goals to set our eyes on and how we will get there with them, is the moment we have given up having the rich, full life we were intended to live. Amen

When I went out this morning my way was paved by the neighbor down the street on his bike.  He had picked up all the trash, leaving me time to notice other things.  The  woman wearing a sari,who came out of her house carrying a small container of incense which she held with her arms stretched up towards the heavens, was a beautiful and moving sight. The elderly lady who has only been on the trail twice now, stopping to take in every little aspect of nature she saw along the way.  I could see the joy on her face as she stopped to chat a bit.  The dozen white ibises crossing the trail in front of me.  I hope that, if a black cat brings bad luck, a bunch of white ibises means good luck.

Happy Valentines' Day!

I didn't have anything but a morning kiss for my Valentine this morning.  So when I returned from my morning run, I made some Valentine muffins for him.  Of course, as usual, I didn't have the ingredients required for the recipe, but that didn't stop me from creating my own version. And of course,  they are super healthy. Great for breakfast or afternoon tea time. I thought they were worth passing on to my blogging fans.

Small bowl: 1 1/2  cup whole wheat pastry flour
Less that 1/2 cup sugar
2 teas. baking powder
1 teas. baking soda
1/4 cup dark chocolate baking cocoa

Larger bowl: 1 cup All Bran cereal
1 cup quick oats
1 1/3 cup milk  Soak for 2 minutes
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup canola oil
two over ripe bananas mashed
Combine with dry mix   and pour into cupcake holder
Bake 375 degrees for 16 minutes
Next time I'll add chopped walnuts to give it the omegas, too
1/4 cup applesauce

Tonight I'll make him a special dinner, of his choice, which he hasn't told me yet, because we are now leaving to go stock the larder, and he will see what strikes his fancy.  He wanted prebreaded shrimp, which made me cringe.  I told him I can achieve the same using Panko and a package of raw shrimp that isn't as heart wrenching.

Most of the ladies here went to lunch at an Italian restaurant today to celebrate Valentines' Day.  I begged off, saying Michael and I are spending the day together doing our usual thing.  I just couldn't see coming home to my Valentine with pasta on my hips and garlic on my lips.

14 and counting!

Today is our 14th anniversary.  Someone asked me how many years we have been married, but I couldn't give the answer right off the top of my head.  I don't know why those kinds of things just don't make an impression on me.  I don't seem to keep track of time lapse very well.  Certain dates stick with me and I can tell you what I was doing when. But, how long ago means doing the math and I don't seem concerned about that.

We could relate back to what we did for each of those 14 years.  Michael has always been great about making a big deal about it each year.  Since he had jury duty today, we had to put plans on hold for a bit.  We did go out for a nice dinner tonight, though.  Valentine's Day is really anticlimactic to our anniversary, being the day after. He pretty much combines the two into one big event.

He always plans a trip to somewhere.  Today, now that we know he doesn't go back for more jury duty, we made our plans.  We are going down to Treasure Island by St. Pete for a couple of nights.  I love going to the beach, walking along the water line looking for treasures.  Hopefully, the weather will be decent.  That is one thing we can't control, so guess we'll make the best of what ever we get.

Trout vote

I've been busy all day working on "the project".  So no words of wisdow to share today.  However, after vising, revising and valuable input, it has ben determined that the only obvious critter for our logo is a trout.  No duh! Lewistown, of trout fishing renoun, for heavens sake!  So how is ROWL the trout?  Recycle Our Waste Lewistown  We're hoping to get the schools involved with posters for around town and I'm hoping to put ROWL on t-shirts, too.  Which is better big ROWL or Smaller ROWL?

I've fixed his tail to look like a trout's, I hope, on the smaller version.

I could turn him to a different position, if it would look better. Maybe his body turned a little clockwise more. He's a rainbow trout, by the way.

I need feed back.  Is he gripping enough? If not how can he be more so? Thanks.

Dogs

Today it was a bit blustery out when I headed for the trail.  It rained last night, cooling the temperature a bit this morning.  I should have known it would rain, since I finally gave my plants some water yesterday.  We just haven't had the rain we need and with the warmer winter, the lake is low and the plants are dry.

Yesterday must have been the doggie parade on the trail.  I passed several dogs of different types decked out for their morning walk or bike ride, as applied to a couple. Just as I don't know one car from another other than by color, I'm no expert on particular breeds of dogs either.

But, one man had a wiener dog decked out in a jacket with a wiener dog print on it. His poodlie type companion was wearing a pink tutu kinda skirty thing. They knew they were looking pretty fashionable, taking in the admiration from passersby. Another dog went by in his seat on the back of a bicyclist.  He was sporting a green, hand knit cable knit sweater.  You could tell a lot of love went into the knitting of that sweater.  You could also tell the dog thought so, too.

Then along came a little shitsu  type dog with his master following behind.  I told the dog he was a real cutie.  He seemed to already know that.  In fact he seemed to know he was so cute he didn't even need to wear some silly outfit to prove it.

Today there weren't any dogs walking their masters.  Must have been the weather.  Not fit for man or dog, I guess. Just some of us persistent trailers.

Can we change?

I was thinking today about how I'm not the person I was in my mother's womb.  I do believe our personalities are pretty much innate, but I know that for a fact  my personality has evolved over my many years.  Good, bad or otherwise.

I was extremely shy, as a child, with people I didn't know very well. I think I was pretty immature, too, thinking back on some of the choices I would make. Maybe you could say, I had a personality that just didn't seem to have much going for it in my youth. 

I remember one time, when I was 14, my mom wanted to give me a little social nudge.  The Rainbow girls were having a big dance that she really must have wanted to see me attend. She was friends with the British Consulate there in Panama and knew their son was home from boarding school for the holidays.  So she persuaded me to call and invite him to the dance.  I called and he said okay, he would go with me.

Mom had a dress custom made by a seamstress for me.  She must have thought that would turn her shy, awkward  daughter into a beautiful butterfly. I noticed right way, however, that the big,turquoise ovals on the fabric went one way on one side of the skirt and the other way on the other side.  Even I  noticed that and there was no way to cover it up, either. I was starting out with one point against me.  I looked like I was wearing a clown suit.

Anyway, my dad drove me to the boy's house the evening of the big dance.  When I went to his door, everyone was surprised.  Even the boy.  He didn't know anything about my call or the dance.  Apparently, I had gotten a wrong number and the guy on the other end had just said anything to get me off the phone.  The boy's family was having some big dinner, but they still made him come with me.

So we didn't say one word to each other in the car going or on the way home.  It wasn't much better at the dance.  We just sat and looked at the people around us having a good time. The only one more miserable than I, was the boy, obviously.

So, where was I going with this example?  Just to show how much my personality has changed since that night. People who know me now would never believe it.  Now, most people wonder," how do you shut that woman up, she has an opinion about everything!"  I was born shy and inept, but that didn't mean I had to spend my life that way. I would have never recognized the person I am today, back then.

I know I'm not speaking for everyone.  Most people come out of the womb in a lot better shape personality wise than I did, I'm sure.  Back then I didn't know I had a choice.  Now I do.  Your personality may be innate, but you don't have to keep it for a lifetime.

Logo for recycle program

So what do my readers think? Yesterday I was given the suggestion that we have a logo and anagram for our recycling program.  I tried all kinds of combinations, wanting to have Recycle and Lewistown in it and thought that REAL would be a reasonable anagram. As I lay in bed thinking last night, I would get up, take my paper into the bathroom for light, and try the latest version.  There were some that were ok, but not just right.   This morning I tried a few more. Still not spot on.

Then today, I showed Michael what I had so far and asked what he thought.  Just like that he was able to come up with this one. Recycle Earth Aid Lewistown.  Wow!  Just like that!
 The logo was a natural, with Spring Creek flowing through and the mountains surrounding the town.

Michael has been so supportive.  Most of the time I can't read him, but when I was discouraged, he  tried to boost my spirits and give me hope. I can always tell when he thinks I don't quite have it right because he reserves comment.  Yet, when I get it right he is right there with a compliment to let me know.

I usually trust his judgment and know  he is usually right on with his opinions.  However, I still leave a little room for my own creative judgement in the end.

Pick yourself up

As the song goes," Pick your self up, dust yourself off and start all over again."  Or something along those lines.  Anyway that is my mantra today.  The recycle meeting went, if I were being honest with myself, as expected.  I was frustrated about not being in the room and not hearing everyone very well, much less being able to identify who was speaking each time. I realize I'm not getting this phone conferencing thing down very well.

Anyway, issues were posed that will sooner or later have to be dealt with, ie. The exposure of employees to toxic residues from the plastic.  I would think masks and rubber gloves used during handling should remedy that pretty well.  Also we would need to educate the public well to prevent that as much as possible.  The bottom line was there is much work yet to be done before even the grants can be applied for.  I have tried to fill in all the blanks I could and dot all the i's I knew about, but that wasn't enough.  Everyone who had been involved had thought we were getting it together pretty well, anyway.  Not.

What I came away with from the experience was a sense of defeat to an extent and wondering why in the world I ever thought I could pull this whole project off in the first place.  No wonder no one had taken on this challenge before.  They were just smarter than I am, I think.  They could see the pit falls ahead that I was oblivious to and fell right into.

Last night I was defeated.  But, this morning I woke up with my mind going a mile a minute with filling in all those blanks and dotting all those i's. I feel like one of those politicians running for office, every time they get knocked down they come back more powerful than ever.  Hooah!

Know your voice

This morning was misty and  gloomy out, with a wind blowing through the palm out front. I really wasn't looking forward to going out for my morning constitution. I was thinking abut all the things I needed to do to prepare for the  Recycle Lewistown conference taking place this afternoon. I had to disengaged my brain and just let my feet take over or I wouldn't make it out of the door at all. As it ended up, a 30 minute walk around our half mile loop a few times did me good, helping me get my head back on track, too.

We really have many voices in us that help determine what we do or should do.  It just means knowing which voice to listen to and when. I would never have gotten any fresh air this morning if I had listened to my head.  My feet were the right voice to listen to that time. Then again, sometimes I need to listen to my gut over my head.

For instance, I feel that I should put my money where my mouth is with this recycling project that I initiated. However, my head could think of hundreds of other things to do with that money and my heart could think, like Michael's, that that money could go to feed some hungry people instead.  I know my gut is right on this one.  Hungry people are important to feed, but if that is the extent of our thinking about how we can help correct the problems of the world, then we have tunnel vision.

I learned something about pasta sauces last night.  A lot of a good thing is not necessarily a good thing.  I know the secret to a real Italian spaghetti sauce is the cream added to it. It gives the sauce a mellow taste and a perfect consistency.  However, when you keep adding more cream to the sauce because it is getting too thick, it doesn't improve it any. Then all you end up with is a sauce that tastes like the cream and nothing else.  Not the intended goal and not too tasty.  Doesn't seem that I listened to any of my voices that time.  But, if I learned something for the next time, that's what matters.

IThe game

Michael and I watched the Super Bowl last night.  I know, probably 90% of the nation was watching, but I am usually one of the %10.  I hear so much about the commercials afterwards that I figured it is time I get in the loop so I know what they are talking about.  We did miss the National Anthem, though, that I read was done well.   Darn!

I noticed on the trail this morning that many of the walkers were pretty subdued.  I figure those are the people from New England.  Those who seemed a little more buoyant in their step must have been the New York fans. Most everyone here is either from New England or further north yet. I was a Patriot's fan because of my dad, who was from Massachusetts before he came out to Montana at 30 years of age, fresh out of seminary.  That seemed as good a reason as any, I figured.

Michael was good about explaining things to me without making me feel dumb. Of course, I don't know all the ins and outs of the game since I never watch it otherwise. We all have things we enjoy and things we could do without.  And televised sports are things I can do without.  That may seem like a sacrilege to many people, but there are some of us like me out there.

But then, not everyone thinks the things I enjoy are anything to get excited about either. So tit for tat.

I just heard that my idea for a Relay for Life fund raiser has been approved.  My Big Burger Bash Festival is a go. This is a project that will be good for, not only Relay for Life and St. James' Church, but for the town of Lewistown, too.  More on that later as plans develop.

It's tea time and my tea and oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies are waiting.  Then, I'll write my next article for the Lewistown paper.

Sandhill cranes

Sandhill  cranes are the most comical birds I know.  They make a horrendous racket while flying over head, sounding like an old married couple that can't agree on anything.  Some of you are saying," Oh yeah, like you guys."  No a lot noisier and disagreeable than that.

They have been spending more time in our back yard recently; maybe it's the seeds spilled out onto our lawn by the cardinals when they eat from  our bird feeder. Maybe we have an infestation of some bugs I don't know about.  I don't really know, but it seems like they are hanging around a lot because they know that I appreciate seeing them here.

Yesterday I was sitting out on the lanai all ready with my paint supplies, waiting for some inspiration to come along.  And along they came.  A pair making their usual loud din until they settled down to check out the weedy grass.  One stood there for the longest time, allowing me to study him carefully and trying to burn every detail of his appearance into my brain before he moved away.  He stood there stark still as if to say,"Hey, can you capture my photogenic side if I stand like this for you?"

After realizing, finally, that the only way to really capture that perfect pose was to take an actual photo, I rushed in to get my camera. That seemed to be the signal to him to move on.  "Look, Lady enough is enough.  If you can't get it down by now, then you're hopeless," he seemed to say.  "I've got better things to do with my time than pose for you." 

I can't blame his impatience, the way I was talking to him demanding that he turn this way and that.  It  must have been the limit for him when he struck that really cute pose with one leg tucked up and his wing feathers stretched out and I told him to hold it just like that. Even funny, noisy sandhill cranes have their serious side.

More about my friends

My whimsical bird in the front yard. I love the way he bobs up and down with the breeze, balanced on a thin rod.  Looks like he is concentrating on getting that lizard.

I stand corrected.  I should have remembered that "Sometimes I feel I a nut, sometimes I don't" is from the Mounds bar commercial, not Honey Nut cereal. No one else corrected me, but I knew that if Michael read my blog he would correct me in a minute. That's where husbands come in handy sometimes. Thanks Michael. I really don't mean that, only kidding.

More about my friends being an olio bunch.  Okay, so that is a frequent word on crossword puzzles that happened to come to mind. Anyway, even though they each have their own little idiosyncrasies, they do have one thing in common.  They all see life with the glass half full rather than half empty, so to speak. Some are widows, others divorced, some with husbands hale and hardy and one with one not so hardy.  But, they all have a spirit of getting the most out of life, whatever that may mean for each of them.

For the Nancys(two of them), that means socializing and being with people more than most of us care to be. For Harriet that means seeing the world through a creative eye, be it her home or her style of dress. Maybe it's from having a photographer's eye. For Julie it's her practicality, while at the same time being a very gracious lady( her thoughtfulness has taught me a thing or two). For Janet it is being a good friend to her friends and being the most organized person I know, a container for each and everything. For Louise it's living out her faith in her volunteer work and committment to being healthy. For Georgia, it is her devotion to her golf game and having a good time. I don't know Eve very well, but I think she is one who is not going to suffer up north in the winter when she has good friends down here to come and enjoy.

Anyway, they all find the brighter side of most everything in life.  Except politics and we'll just leave that one alone.  Hard to be positive about everything.

The plastic reycling project is at a standstill almost as we wait for the next meeting to take place on Tuesday, with all the principle players there to pull everything together.  The money isn't exactly pouring in, though. Of course, you can't get blood from a turnip, so to speak and Lewistown isn't exactly rolling in dough right now.  So I expect it is time that I step up to the plate, put my(our) money where my mouth is, and make my financial contribution.  Maybe that is what everyone is waiting for.

 



An olio of friends

The luncheon went well with everyone very complimentary about the quiches and the company. I baked three different kinds of quiches, with the idea that, with the varied pallets, everyone would find at least one to her liking. I think the Lorraine was the favorite, with the spinach a close second. The crab was in the ranking, too, though. allrecipes.com was a lifesaver. The frozen dessert was simple to make and went over well, I think. I picked up the recipe at a church potluck. A can of crushed pineapple, a can of cherry pie filling, a can of sweetened condensed milk and Coolwhip.  Mix and freeze, that's it.

This was actually a luncheon for my friend Harriet, in an off hand way, since we aren't supposed to do things for each other's birthdays, as it wouldn't be fair for those with summer birthdays, so they say. Her birthday is actually tomorrow.  I have a leopard scarf that I bought for her before the new rules were put in place.  I bought it with only her in mind at the African Team Ministries booth our church had at the Chokecherry Festival in Lewistown last summer. So tomorrow I'll take it to her and apologize for breaking the rule as I say, Happy Birthday. It is all sooo weird.













It is interesting how nine women,  with the differences we have in our political and religious views, can get together and enjoy an afternoon socializing together.  We actually get along quite well and are able to avoid the pitfalls that could be senstive to someone in the group. I think women can do that quite well. We respect the differences and enjoy the person inspite of them.

We figured if women go a chance to rule the world this would be a lot friendlier world to live in. Wish we were given the chance. Wow, Just think about it a while.

Eight matching plates

Michael's pride in a job well done, laying the new mulch.

We've been busy getting the house ready for my ladies' luncheon tomorrow.  I guess you always clean with a more critical eye when you are expecting company. Michael is a good worker around the house.  However, as when I was a child, there are some foods in the fridge that are off limits to him right now. I did make his lunch for him, though, when he finished his work, of course.

I have eight matching plates and had invited eight ladies to the luncheon.  Perfect.  However, I had a nagging thought running through my head that I should include Louise, too.  Louise is a good person who juices all of her food, except her daily oatmeal. She looks great for her 75 years.  I would be happy if I aged that well. I've known her since we moved here nine years ago, but we really aren't buddies or anything like that. She's an across the street neighbor, I wave to mostly.

She has a husband who is gravely ill with heart problems so bad the doctors don't want to operate on him.  He could die on the operating table, the doctors say. He doesn't like Louise's food so he goes out for every meal, morning, noon and evening, religiously.  You can tell the time by his trips.

But, back to my nagging feeling.  I thought about it a lot.  I hate not having matching plates, but I hate more having that nagging feeling that I should do something I have put off. So I went over and invited Louise to join us. I hope she is happy about that and wants to come.  I thought it would be good for her to have something else on her mind besides her worries about Bob.  I don't know if she'll want to eat my quiches, but maybe she'll enjoy the company.  They are all her neighbors, anyway.

I'm glad I invited Louise.  I'll deal with the odd plate problem that doesn't seem such a big deal after all.

Take a closer look

I just thought I'd put a few pictures of Michael doing what he enjoys doing so well, to see if he is paying any attention.  He hadn't been reading my blog until I chastised him for not being my biggest fan.  He does enjoy his pastry, I'll have to say.

There was a considerable amount of litter on the trail today.  I picked up all that I could, considering the fact that the trash bins were so far apart and it meant carrying everything for about a mile.  But, I didn't disturb the bag of dog poop the man placed along the side of the trail this time.  I told him, as I jogged by, that I wasn't going to take his bag this time.  He said he's like Hansel and Gretel, he needs it to find his way home.  Okay, to each his own.

I notice that when I'm on the trail, not everything is as I think it is when I am looking from a distance.  However, as I get closer, I find that what I thought, for instance, was a plastic bag at a man's feet was really the roller blades he was on. Or, some one walking away from me is actually coming towards me.   What ever, things just aren't all that you think they are until you get closer.

That's true about people.  As you get to know them a bit and talk with them, you find out the truth about that person. Good or bad, but I do believe it is usually for the better.  For instance, there is a woman who walks her little wiener dog before she goes to her job as a trail attendant each day.  I have always said hello as I ran by each day and she never even looked up, keeping her eyes on her dog.

Then today, after I used the restroom, I saw the woman, her name is Mary, cleaning them up.  So I told her how much I appreciate her efforts and how nice it is to go into clean bathrooms on the trail. When we got to chatting I learned all kinds of things about her, her children, two daughters, and  her interests, she helps with her daughters' soccer teams. She told me some of the problems they have had with vandalism and the challenges they face on a daily basis. She's a nice lady.

So I changed my former impression of her, now that I have gotten closer and had a chance to know her a bit. It just takes a moment to stop and take a  second look to get to know people a bit. Who knows, it just might change your thinking and alter your world for the better.