Fun, fun, fun!

You can do this

and this

from this
if you go here! http://www.befunky.com/photoApps.php#
How fun is that?

Random images I haven't been able to post

Soul soothing simple things

The lovely and ever soulful Christina wants us to talk about simple things that soothe our souls today...so without pictures (still on borrowed time/machine) here is the list that I have been keeping since I heard about today...and it is lots more than 5!
1. silly signs that make me smile (Texas Watermelon -Blessed by Jesus, Dust Free Path, Butterfly crossing)
2. a yellow dragonfly that landed on the sidewalk at a bus stop amongst dried up orange peels
3. extra cherries in my cherry limeade
4. a butterfly landing on my shoulder and staying there as I walked around the butterfly pavilion
5. a baby's laughter on a swing
6. the sound of rain!!! in the desert!!!
7. a new place to watch stencil videos and a new stencil master to watch create magic
8. laughing with the friend who has known me the longest about how ridiculously connected we are
9. hearing from someone else what a good adult my son is
10. opportunities and options for the summer
11. celebrating the birthday of my far away twin nieces in my heart and in words, mine and theirs, they are good adults too!
12. whimsy in gardens that are filled with life (you'll love this picture!)
13. a really, really good book from an author that I love and hate, Elizabeth Berg. She sucks me in every time and then some of her endings just break my heart and I think I will never read her again and then A Year of Simple Pleasures -aahh... makes me want to read it again and again and I just finished it
14. knowing that bright and shiny things await
15. the Factory of 5th is reopening! it's a studio/gallery that has been closed to public gatherings for a while and now will have a show in July! yippee-ki-yea, back in the saddle again
16. catching the moon through the clouds...I know! clouds in the desert... that actually produced moisture...who'd a thunk it!
17. my asparagus fern bloomed this amazing white feathery flower, I had forgotten they did that
18. hearing/seeing what other people find wonderful today
19. a library that has computers and Internet
20. the connections made through time and space and knowing that my tribe really is out there, gathering up simple things to share!

Pictures will follow when I can (especially signs!! You gotta see the blessed watermelons)

Quick check in

At the library, borrowed time and computer, hope to be back in time for Simple Wednesday over at Christina's place. If I'm not...check it out!

Love Thursday

By way of Secret Notebooks, Wild Pages, by way of Chookooloonks (new to me) I give you my Love Thursday. Some times you just have to gather your heart around...

I'm not a big "heart" person (well I would like to think that I do have a big heart) but I do seem to see them a lot lately and I do have a purple heart tattoo from many years ago so maybe they are making their way back into my line of sight...

I am better now

A day at the zoo with a borrowed grandchild and a saucy peacock goes a long way...

Focus

I know I've been gone, I know I should have checked in and said hi, I know that people care about what is going on. So here's the deal. I have been trying to figure out what to focus on. See a tragedy happened in my neighborhood, just a few steps away. A horrible tragedy, but not my tragedy. One that has consumed my neighborhood. It is hard not to get sucked into the whole thing when police are everywhere and helicopters are hovering about your head day and night. And then there were the reporters and looky lous. Aye, aye, aye...those vultures never left the area. People stood and stared at where it occurred. It all gave me the creeps and made me so angry. Angry that everyone tried to get their few minutes of fame and swarmed the reporters every time a camera showed up. Angry that it happened at all. Angry that it became such a news event. Angry that I am so angry. And then the churches got involved! Saturday night there were men in white robes from somewhere important wandering around pontificating among the native dancers playing their drums and the whole thing was caught on tape because every news station sent great big trucks with giant lights and many cameras to catch each and every reaction of every poor soul that chose to be there. It was ghoulish. Another event today at another church. Same coverage, same camera in faces, same quest for a few minutes of fame. Where were all these people before the tragedy? I am not letting myself off the hook either. Maybe it's true...humanity is only good in theory...
And me? Mostly I stayed away from home. I went to the Botanical Garden, visited with friends, spent time in the library. Chose not to spray in the backyard to avoid the helicopters. Yes, I am acting like a chicken shit. Yes, I didn't want to get involved in all of the speculation. Yes, I was so sorry it happened, but my presence was not what was needed to figure out what happened. Me staring at the place didn't make it go away. Yes, I am owning each and every judgmental statement I've made here. Yes, I am trying to figure out what I should be learning from the tragedy and my intense reaction to it. But mostly, I am trying to figure out what to focus on.