"Notable" Bumper Stickers

Spread the word, not gossip.

Back the Badge

Jesus Christ is Lord
Not a Cussword

One of the values of road trips is seeing noteworthy bumper stickers and church signs!

Lucky Duck

Yesterday I awoke to a very quiet morning round here...so quiet that at about 100ft. away I could hear the cows ripping the grass up and chewing, chewing, chewing. That there is a soothing sound. Then when I was having my morning pee I happened to glance into the woods behind my cabin and there was a coyote no more than 30ft. away (separated by a 8 ft. deer fence) She was ah itchin' and ah scratchin' sumthin' fierce. Seems like she'd just get settled in for a rest and then have to scratch the hell outta some body part. Eventually though, she found a good nappin' spot at the base of an oak with the sun shinin' upon her beauty-full , wily self.

Then this a.m. I awoke to both the smells of a medicinal broth I had put in the crock pot last night that cooked throughout the night and the blooming jasmine just outside my bedroom window. I lay in the bed with the sun shinin' on my face and felt crazy lucky.

Hair Dilemma

A male acquaintance recently offered to cut my hair. Inside I was thinking: "yes, a gay guy wants to cut my hair." It's like a gay fella saying he has some interior design tips...it does not get any more fabby than that. So, imagine my surprise (and dilemma) when I found out the man is NOT GAY. Oy. I am once again leaning towards cutting it all off. If I wasn't scared of looking like a Q-tip I would do it in a heartbeat!

Out of the Mouths of Young, Handsome Men!

On Wednesday mornings I volunteer at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in the gardens. There are a group of "regulars" that come weekly and then usually a fair amount of people that show up less regularly. One of the things I love about going is that it tends to draw a younger crowd (20's and 30's) who are, in general, doing interesting things and are excited about making change in the world. Yesterday I was working with a young, handsome man. He was inquiring about my name. I told him I received that name when I was in high school. His response: "Wow, you've had that name a long time." All I said was "ouch" and he immediately started back pedaling, trying to explain what he REALLY meant! We both had a good laugh!

Out of the Mouth of Kidlets!

My little buddy, Don, was over visiting yesterday. It was a warm day so he was shoeless. He was wanting to step down off the porch and go into the yard. But, he said one of the paths was pokey and the other dirty (there was potting soil where he would have had to step and he does NOT like to get dirty)
I didn't say anything and just let him figure out what to do. He turned around and decided to go back in my house and as he did so he said as much to himself as to me: "I'm a drama queen.!!!"

Death and Dying

I just completed a two day workshop with an organization called Final Passages out of Sebastopol, CA.
We addressed many different aspects of our death and dying...like home funerals, green burials, taking care of the body after death, etc. It was incredibly interesting and really opened up worlds of possibility about how we can be in charge of our own end of life care...and how beauty-full and creative it can all be. It makes me look forward to something that before had felt so scary and unfamiliar. And that's part of the point...to reclaim this process...and how doing so speaks to wholeness...and how it changes the grieving process...and so much more. One of my favorite activities was decorating a cardboard casket. We all quietly and with great focus spent about half an hour making art on this casket while remembering a loved one of our own that had passed. I could go on and on...
I sure hope no one I know and love dies any time soon but if they do I am going to have a completely different experience of that journey. One I actually look forward to instead of fear and dread.
Check them out at: www.finalpassages.org

Lucy the Artist!

My new ceramics project entails recruiting friends' dogs (along with their person) to come to the studio and glaze my plates. In theory, said tail is dipped in glaze while dog's person is at the front of their pooch acting as head cheerleader and I am at the other end strategically placing the plate in optimal glazing position! Last night Lucy, pictured above, was the artist. She has a great tail for glazing...very brush like...but instead of using it like a brush, she instead chose a unique method of sitting on the plates while 3 humans foolishly tried to get her to wag!!! Below you will see a photo of Lucy's work.

If you live nearby and would like your dog to give it a whirl (tail required!), just give a shout.

Realization

Today, seemingly out of the blue, I realized that REALLY there is no difference between life and death. Mostly we hold them as opposites...but really they are the same. Somewhere in me I had known that but today I got to "understand" it on a much deeper level.

Aries Women...

My Aries friend referred to my attraction to Aries women as: "astrological magnetism!!!"

Go Speed Racer

One of my favorite people who goes to senior bingo is an 88 year old woman who has a pretty hard time moving her body around. She can still walk, but very slowly and with the aid of a walker. After lunch today she needed to get across the room for the bingo game. Instead of making her get up and schlep over, the 19 year old kind hearted fella who calls the bingo came came behind her and told her to lift her feet off the ground. He then slid her still in her chair over to her bingo table. Upon arrival she said: "I haven't moved that fast in years.!!!"

Reincarnation

My mom and I were having a conversation the other day in which she mentioned the idea of reincarnation...she wasn't sure she believed in it but in case there was such a thing, she wanted to come back as a husband!!!

Congruence

I am of the opinion that there are lots more congruent events happening in our lives than we know how to pay attention to...and it sure is nice when we can and do notice them.
I was wanting to purchase a flower essence from a company that sells hundreds and I couldn't figure out how to hone in on the one I needed. So, when I went to sleep that night I asked for my dreams to help guide me to it/them. Sure enough, I dreamt about Ireland. The next day I went to the section of their repertory that listed their Irish essences and just perused the titles...and knew the exact one the second I read its name!

Amazing Animal Day

Yesterday morning I heard a coyote yipping and yipping and yipping. So , I went outside to check things out. I found the coyote in my binoculars and just watched. It was an entertaining sight as she was marching around the pasture, throwing her head up and yipping away for a good long time. And then suddenly I saw the cows running after the coyote! All the girls plus their adolescent children were driving the coyote off...of what I 'm not sure because they have no newborns at this time. But, the girls would all run in one direction and then the coyote would switch sides and as if doing synchronized cow dancing they would all turn direction again and head for the coyote. I guess the coyote ultimately gave up...that is until this eve when I saw the same dynamic only this time there appeared to be two coyotes. I didn't have my binocs on me so I couldn't see details. This dance didn't last as long though it could have been going on for some time without me noticing. Those coyote critters sure are beautiful. Speaking of, on my way home late yesterday afternoon driving through quasi rural areas, I saw a bobcat. I did the proverbial double take and assessed the traffic situation in a heartbeat then veered over on the shoulder and flew out of the car, binoculars in hand! I only got to look at her for maybe a minute or so but my oh my, what a gorgeous creature.
I feel so grateful to live where I do...that I get to see so many "wild" animals in a day. In addition to the coyote and bobcat sighted yesterday, I also got to see white pelicans, egrits, wild turkeys, deer, lots of hawks and a loon. Made my happiness factor shoot straight up!

A Cute Little Visitor

Last night our friend, Nube,  (pictured above) had a sleepover at our house. She's as sweet as she looks and wants nothing more than to spread the love (well, treats are a close second!) So, she was a wee bit taken aback when the first individual she "met" upon her arrival was Liza, my bad ass girl cat. If given a choice Liza would really prefer to be the one and only animal in my world. She has never taken a liking to any other animal as Simon, my boy cat can verify! Even when she moved into my house that I shared with my then cat, Willy, she had an ongoing pissy attitude with him as well and it was HIS house. Anyway, when Nube walked in she had something to say! Puffed up and hissing, she let Nube know not to take one tiny little step closer or else! Fortunately, Nube was all too happy to oblige and didn't even want to look in Liza's direction! Simon bolted behind the lazy girl and just watched. Before coming to live with us, Simon lived with and loved his dog, Jasper...used to hug him, bump him and curl up right next to him for sleep! But since then Simon hasn't made any other dog friends. However as the night wore on he kept getting closer and closer to Nube while revving up his motor. It sure seemed like he wanted to be friends but he just had that little bit of hesitation. Nube was perfectly polite and tried not to look too hard at Simon cuz it seemed like she knew it would scare him off. The night went well with Nube sleeping in her bed in the main room and the cats in the bed with me. Nube's person said she loves to snuggle in the bed but I knew if I brought her onto the bed I may as well have moved into the doghouse!!!
This morning brought more ease for everyone (well, as much ease as my girl is capable of anyway!) Simon and Nube touched noses and hung out on the porch sunning themselves. I do think that if Nube stayed here longer the two of them would have struck up a friendship. But, her mom missed her terribly and she had to go home late this morning.
Liza was a happy camper!

A Beating Heart

I borrowed a stethoscope from a friend because I wanted to listen to my own heart beat. It's one thing to intellectually know that our hearts are ah pumpin' 24/7 but it's an altogether different experience to actually hear it beating. Tripezoid! It's also very soothing to listen to...I think that if I was a person who had trouble falling asleep I would try and put myself to sleep by listening to my very own heart beating. Once again, I am appreciative of and awed by all the elements that go into keeping a body functioning properly. What a dang miracle.
Then I wanted to listen to my cats' hearts beating but all I could hear was very loud purring!

Sometimes I Marvel

at just how backwards we humans still are. In an article about the changing role our animal companions play in divorce settlements I learned the following: pets are considered property in every state in the country. It goes on to say that for years, they have been divvied up like furniture during divorce proceedings. But, the article says, times are changing.
"Judges are viewing them more akin to children than dining room sets. They are recognizing that people have an emotional attachment to their animals."
Really?!!!