Washcloths that Expand

Years ago I found these fun washcloths in the Disney store and bought one for each of our children in a favorite character from a movie we liked for their Easter basket. Last week I was in a store and saw a bin full of miscellaneous cloths and thought of my little guy friend from Jordan. I thought I bet he has never seen one of these. As I searched through and found Iron Man I saw Ariel from The Little Mermaid which was my daughter's favorite Disney movie when she was 5 years old. So just for fun I got that one to put in a new beautiful mug I bought her in VT last week.

Both recipients loved the washcloths and our daughter gave hers to her husband, (Prince Eric, he has black hair and ice blue eyes) to drop in water and watch it expand because he had never seen one before. My husband then told me that when he was little, his Grandmother used to buy these to take on vacation when she went on cruises. She would give a couple to him and his brother and they loved dropping each in water and as any child would be, was amazed at watching it expand into a full size washcloth. 

In the days of old the washcloths his Grandmother bought were plain colors, blue and yellow. Disney as always came up with the brilliant advertising idea to sell these with Disney characters on each knowing a child would delight in watching their washcloth expand with colorful characters and then using it to bathe.  Disney has the best ideas!

Thankful for Disney and all its wonderful childlike places to visit with magical toys for the young, keeping our childhood alive for a little bit longer. We all need to keep that child alive for a lifetime. Life is more fun this way.

Sometimes Cats

We have cats. When I'm sitting doing work of any kind, typing, sewing, drawing, painting, preparing food, building, cats jump into the middle of my work. Sometimes I smile and pet him, sometimes I push him to the side, sometimes it makes me a bit miffed, sometimes annoyed, sometimes happy, sometimes love the distraction, sometimes reminds me to slow down, sometimes to drop the anger, sometimes to relax, sometimes joy to feel the softness, sometimes fun to play, sometimes...

Thankful to have had cats in my life to help me along the way in good times and in bad, I love cats!

Body Eclipse and Peeper

In 1978 a honeymoon was not on the list of things to do after our marriage. We stopped in Niagara Falls for a couple of days on our ride back from Ohio to New York. We were married on a farm in a meadow that was formerly a corn field now turned into a meadow for events for a ministry we were members of at the time. As it was, we were doing volunteer work at the "Rock Of Ages" and planned to be married on the only day we had off from working. Our lives were not rotating around a wedding day like most couples.

Niagara Falls was memorable but it was a short vacation and on to New York. I am somewhat surprised to get married, it was not my plan for my life, so a big wedding and all the surrounding things a normal bride would do was not my style anyway. A big celebration like a honeymoon was not important to my new husband either it seemed.

Thirty years later my Sweetheart arrives home with two airplane tickets to a resort in Puerto Rico for two weeks to celebrate our thirtieth!  What?

We went to Boston to get passports in an afternoon and were off the next day to Puerto Rico.  The room in PR was one of the most luxurious suites we had stayed in.  The first 24 hours Sweetheart was so tired he slept. So in the morning I got up, took a shower and went out to breakfast without him.

And that was the morning I smelled heaven!  In the spa like bathroom there was a shower gel, "Body Eclipse" that smelled so fresh, so clean, I loved it! Not just a little I loved it, a lot of I love it! What a great way to start your day! I got dressed and slipped out without waking him.

I spent the morning exploring the resort and the beaches and returned to the room to find him still sleeping! The darling, he works so hard all the time for our family.  I grabbed a book and quietly so as not to wake him went out on the private terrace to enjoy the bright, warm, sunshine, relax and read until he awakened. It was a great way to start the "Honeymoon."

Later he got up said "Good morning Love" and after brief conversation about how I spent my morning went to take a shower. He comes out, saying, "Wow did you smell that shower gel? It is the best smelling fragrance I have ever smelled! Love it!"

So tonight as we are walking the driveway together in the cool crisp evening air we hear the first single "Peeper" of the year. We listen ever so closely and go to the area where the peep was and smile both of us so happy to hear spring and its dear critters on its way.  Not sure if it is a frog or insect, sounds more like an insect. Made us happy anyway.

We talked about our thirtieth anniversary celebration in Puerto Rico and how much we loved the hermit crabs on the beach and swimming in the resort pool with a big Iguana. Brown lizards were everywhere, on every wall and walkway. We were careful not to step on any of them.

So back in the house after our walk in our driveway, Sweetheart has a box on the table that came for me while I was napping earlier. I open it and Voila!  Body Eclipse! The shower gel we loved at Puerto Rico! I had searched and found it online last week, ordered a gallon for us to have for out fortieth anniversary year. Sweetheart was so happy!

Happy Anniversary early Sweetheart, thank you for marrying me and giving me three wonderful children.  Thank you for being my best friend. I love you again today.

Gone Are the Days But We Are Still Here

Gone are the days Sweetheart and I were teenagers and he was in the Albany Academy being military disciplined while I, four years younger was smoking pot and hanging out with a crowd too old for me talking about going to Woodstock.

Sweetheart was so close here in Selkirk, had I been here I would have traveled back and forth to attend even if it was only for a day. As it was I was in NC and I knew it was a rock festival with hippies and although I was as rebellious and wore some of the clothing, I was not among the "hippie per se generation." I did get rid of my bra and my mother was horrified to see me in a tee shirt with no bra!  She was also upset I would not wear a girdle, Egads No! But what else is new?

In the next few teen years I was exploring natural herbs and remedies, drinking green juices, and lived in a commune for a summer with a group called, "Fellow Laborers."  Another story another day. So tonight my sophisticated self was preparing vegetables to make fresh juices in my Breville juicer and I popped in a "Woodstock 1969" documentary DVD. I still prefer natural remedies and no drugs.

Sweetheart and I watched , laughed at the people running and jumping in a slip and slide mud puddle while it rained. It looked like fun. We sang along with Joe Cocker and others while I danced around my nice clean dry kitchen with a bathroom nearby and a warm bed to crawl into. Cats hid, the music was too loud for them.

Yeah those were the days but I enjoy Woodstock more now watching from home.  It was so hot that summer in the Catskills, sweaty, dirty, no restrooms, not enough food and water that I would not have liked it. The people were awesome to brave the elements for the music. It was more than the music, people were gathered to protest the war in peaceful unity.

What I loved best about the concert was that it was organic. Meaning big advertisers had no idea it would be that big so there were not huge signs everywhere like, "Nokia, Nike, Verizon, etc.  The corporations would have been all over that stage like a National Baseball Stadium if only they knew.

Both of us have a friend that went to Woodstock for three days. Someday we plan to watch the DVD again and really look to see if we can find him/her for fun.  Yeah that's what we call fun now.

I said, "I can't believe you did not go?"

He said, "Not till a year later did I get into that scene."

"Are you saying I corrupted you?'  Wink, wink.

He said, "No, I was far gone before I  met you."

Truth be known we saved each other.

You know the music was nice and although people were smoking pot and doing acid, they looked out for one another and yes it rained and was unsanitary but there re was not any violence. The 80 arrest were for having  illegal drugs on them, LSD and heroin, the three deaths were purely accidental. Says something about our generation. More love and peace, less hatred.

Thankful  to have my Sweetheart from my generation so we can remember things together, we are one. Now we are going to see Eckhart Tolle and practice peace with the Stoics. Life moves on.

Who Knows A Disappointment Can Be The Beginning?

Speaking with a friend today we were talking about how we all make plans but who knows for sure if the plans will work out especially if a major move is involved. I immediately thought:

     "If you are invested in security and certainty, you are on the wrong planet."~ Pema Chodron

When Pema said this, I laughed and laughed! This is the truth. In life I have learned you roll with the punches and know whatever happens you will land on your feet and keep moving.

Thankful to be here, after quite a few bumps in the road.

Raising Children is Like Launching a Rocket

In speaking with my Sweetheart about raising our children he likened it to NASA launching a rocket into space.  NASA does everything in its science to build a rocket that will go into space and return home safely but the reality is once that rocket is launched NASA has no control.

If things went well in building the rocket hopefully it will survive the massive heat from take off and disengage into the world for a clear ride. And hopefully it was built to weather any unforeseen obstacle it encounters in orbit. Finally when needed the rocket can land safely in water with expanded information to begin again.

I'd say. "Yes" this applies to the parents who "Love" as a verb, not a noun.

Thankful for our children. They are good, compassionate, and kind people in this world.

Love of money or Love of life, Which do you Choose?

Of course we have all moved on from the old fashion thought that "money is the root of all evil."  Now we correct ourselves to say "the love of money is the root of all evil."  The truth is we all need money to survive on this planet and we all need to find a compassionate way to earn it.

Now this is the truth of money earning, if you go after a position, a job, just to make money and more of it, you will make wrong decisions along the way. 

The beauty of being brought up in a home where we are taught to work with our hands and minds in service to others is to make decisions based on our love of life, our concern for our fellow human and the environment.  In this pursuit, love of life and compassion, we make fewer bad choices and mistakes.

Just look around and notice in life that people that serve others with an open heart, can rise up in health and wealth, No secrets, no gossip, no lies to cover up what they did, no covert operations of how they got money.  When you live a honest life there is no need to lie, steal, or cheat anyone. There is enough for everyone. 

Thankful to be among the ones who sleep well at night because I have a clear conscience.