Simple Minds

Simple things entertain simple minds, or so it is said.
I don't think I agree. Well, I do agree that simply things do indeed entertain simple minds, what I disagree with is that this statement infers. That simple things entertain ONLY simple minds. I am not saying that I am particularly deep of thought, I just want to discuss the merit of allowing simple things to not just please, but entertain you.
We could easily discuss at length the definition of 'simple', before ever getting into this topic. But for the purpose of the point, lets say that 'simple' things, are things that would entertain a reasonably intelligent, observant 10yr old.
Finding a frog. Watching sheep in a field playing and leaping over one another. Falling stars. A cuddly pet. Figuring out some new little device. Shadow puppets. Tossing a stick for a dog. A day that the air sparkles with frost. These sound so silly in a way don't they? Lets consider.

Finding a frog. Frogs are cool. Even if you think they are yucky, you have to notice how neat they really are. Frogs have all different kinds of pupils, some round, some slits, heart shaped and triangles. Adult frogs absorb oxygen through their skin, along with water (they don't drink). And most frog can change their color to blend with surroundings, so it is super cool to actually find one! It encourages appreciation for nature, and to be more aware of your surroundings.

Watching sheep in a field playing and leaping over one another. Seeing such docile creatures, learning to play and relax despite that they are easy prey, and a coyote is probably eyeing them, smacking his lips... shouldn't we learn to be that way? Not afraid to play and have fun regardless of our problems.

Falling stars. Eventually someone tells us that it is not a falling star, but a meteor, so our knowledge is expanded, and the sight is no less unique. A brief, beautiful streak of light, that you must either have looked at the right time, or have waited patiently, is a gift. Rare enough that you can feel special for having seen it. A reward for those who wait.

A cuddly pet. "I'm so very happy to see you, I don't care if you think you are the worst person in the world, you are the best to me!" recepetion. Everyone needs to feel that unconditional love.

Figuring out a new device. Like a puzzle, this gives a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, albeit small. But you fell smart, and capable, oh, and up to date!

Shadow puppets. Enjoying a masterful shadow puppet shows appreciation for creativity. Being able to master said puppet shows personal creativity, as well as a willingness to please and entertain guests. It encourages much needed playfulness.

Tossing a stick for a dog. A repetitive, non-strenuous activity lowers blood pressure. And doig something so simple, that imparts such joy, for the critter teaches us how good it feels to make someone/thing else happy.

A day that sparkles with frost. Yes it's COLD, but the air around you is sparkling! The conditions have to be just so, that moisture is feezing so quick it glimmers around you. It is so achingly beautiful, so uncommon and so easily dismissed. Look on the bright side, silver lining, glass half full. There is always a positive, just look for it!

Is it still so silly?

Fairy Tales

When I was young, in my heart of hearts, I knew I wanted to grow up and be pretty, and find a nice guy and be married. My problem was, I didn't think I was ever going to be pretty, so I grew up far from your typical girl in most ways. I climbed trees and carried around a jack knife. My dad taught me how to shoot guns and swing an ax, catch, kill and gut fish. I swung hard and kicked harder. I must have figured that if I wasn't going to be pretty, my life was going to be harder, and so I better learn how to manage. Which I did.
But, I still wanted the fairy tale. I wanted the perfect first kiss, and the Disney-style first true love, and a happily ever after ending.
Being a rough and tumble girl, some these things happened a little bit late for me, since most boys probably figured they would probably get punched if they tried to kiss me. To be fair, most of them were right.
At any rate, life has taught me many thing regarding my fairy tale.
There is no such thing as a perfect first kiss. Yes, yes, it may make your heart flutter, but it is awkward, and messy. Then you have to figure out how you behave with each other afterward, ugh.
And please, correct me if I'm wrong, but Disney is a little unrealistic in the love department. After the initial knight in shining armor feeling, even if you are thoroughly swept off your feet, reality is... different. And while Princess may have loved being put on a pretty pedestal, it is way better to see eye to eye with someone.
As for the happily ever after? Well, thats a matter of opinion I suppose. At least, trials in real life don't usually involve battling a witches or overcoming evil spells. But most of us don't get to ride into the golden sunset on the back of a white steed. Fortunately I prefer palominos.
Life, is not a fairy tale. Fairy tales don't hurt, they don't disappoint, don't make you cry. But, the best parts about life, are way, way better then the best parts of a fairy tale.

Microwaves

What is it about trying to use someone elses microwave? I can drive a different car, assemble shelves out of a box, train a dog, figure out how to hook the game box, to the amplifyer, to the DVD, to the TV, I can change car batteries, and door knobs, and refinish a dresser.
But a microwave? Unless it's exactly like our microwave, which it never is, it's like a mystical box, trained only to function at the touch of it's master.
If I can even manage to get it open, what?! Sometimes the handle is hidden, or there is no handle but some fancy ass button to push! Once I have entrusted my beloved dish into the gapping mouth of this bias device, I poke tentatively at a few buttons, it beeps in response. I raise an eyebrow, and push cancel... again. Power level, quick defrost, (why wouldn't there only be quick defrost, forgo the alternative 'slow defrost') time cook, then there are pictures, of what? Is that a potatoe? Popcorn and pizza even!? Wait, two pictures, with dots beside it!
Beyond comprehension, hardly worth trying to figure out. Instead, I look sheepishly over at the smirking householder, pleading with my eyes that they rescue my cold meal. They input the magic combination, and the microwave whirs away obediently.
BUT, THEY ARE NOT SUPRISED! Not because I can't figure it out, but because microwaves in another house are nearly impossible for most of us!

What's your gripe?

There are a huge variety of grapes that become wine. The grape is the source, the beginning, the essence of each wine.
Some lighter, darker, fruitier, delicate, spicy, sour, wild.
Then there are varietals, that is, the product of more than one.What makes the difference between a reserve, a bottle of plonk and vinegar?
The secret is in the ingredients, and the process.And not to be forgotten, supply and demand. Quality in short supply is more valued than quality in abundance, and far more valuable then quantity over quality.

Huh, interesting.

There are a huge variety of gripes that become whine. The source, the beginning, the essence of the whine. Some lighter, darker....

The Mysteries of Trees

Why do some trees come into leaf faster then the trees beside them? In a whole row of trees, why does it get to be the first to put on it's lush summer robes? Does it happen to sit on a patch of particularly rich and/or moist soil? Do the air currents flow a certain way, that bring warmth to this tree and not the others? Now, does this special tree also lose it's leaves faster come fall, is that the price of it's early flamboyance?

That brings us to fall colors! Why do some trees turn before the trees beside them? One tree stands naked first, is it drier, colder, malnourished? Why does one tree of the same species blush red, while another yellows, or turns orange at the cooling assaults? And yet some, some stay green untill the leaves drop, crisp, from the branches?

How is it that some years, the fall season is full of fuchsia to rich crimson, the next an array of yellows ranging from soft to burnt shades? What happened one year to the next, worse thunderstorms, extra caterpillars, or fewer worms? Was the first frost too early, or maybe too late? Was there more pollution, less rain or higher temperatures? Had the spring been overly cold, or wet, had the snow stayed to long?

What secrets do you keep, hidden in your wardrobe, you people of the forest

What's in a name?

We all have our OCD tendencies, who knows how they start, but they become a part of us. I will not buy a broken chocolate bar. And...

There is an entire set of rules to name an animal at my house. I don't know if I would be the same about naming a child. I know that any child of mine would have four names, a hand-me-down name, a name all of their own and a very old name, then the family name. And the acronym must not spell anything suggestive, or rude. Thats just asking for them to get teased. So, maybe I would be just as bad about a kids name.

Anyway, our first pet was a our cat. She has lovely blue eyes, mostly white, with patches of brown and tan, a very long dark tail and dark ears. I named her Cappuccino. A vague reference to her coloring, and an original name. And yes, I did name all our animals, my husband didn't really care, and he didn't want to be caught up in my crazy naming methods. After that we were given a grey striped, blue eyed cat. He was already named Ditty, because their daughter had found him and she couldn't say 'kitty' properly. That worked, it was cute, had a story, it started with a different letter then the first, and had different sounds all through it. Sometime or other, I was given my first horse, he was already named Boogie. That would not do, I don't do mucus of any way shape or form. But I couldn't re-name a gift, so it was just Boo. And it matched well, he was a silly, spooky horse, and again, the first letter and the sounds were different. Then I bought a tiny little puppy, she was so cute! Thing is, I didn't ask to buy her, I just bought her, and my husband? Welll he was less then pleased with me, but I picked a name to suck up... Cadillac! It did suit her, a long shiny, black dachshund. And, in the long run, my hubby was pretty easy to win over. In the spring our dog Shadow (didn't name her) had puppy's and my husband claimed the only brown one in the litter, she became Rootbeer. But now all of the pets I had named had double letters, and there were two 'C's and two drink references *tsk tsk* At least they were all names I had never heard before. I bought a horse, Tia, I only had her for a little while, already named, and a name that worked. And an old girl, so I wouldn't change it on her. But, when I bought my next horse, I thought very carefully. He was already named too, but he was too flashy for the simple name he had been given. A beautiful sorrel (red) with bright white blaze, socks, and belly, full dark red mane and tail. He carried his head high, his tale flagged, stepped like he was dancing all the time. I had some ideas, but nothing would stick, then I drove by a sign for one of my favorite places...Jasper! It was perfect, a semi-precious, red stone, with strengthening properties. It started and ended with new letters! I was dissapointed later to here someone had named their dog, Jasper, another named their kid Jasper. By then it was too late though. Over the next couple year we had a few animals; a sorrel paint named I named Tagger, then renamed Tango to get rid of the 'R' ending and another double letter. A fancy white kitten with an attitude, Cleopatra(damned C's I started paying closer attention to the first letter after that.)A pretty piebald(B&W) mare with blue eyes that I named Monday because thats when she arrived at my house, and a nod to her eyes and prettiness(Blue Monday, Monday's Child) Then I got a black puppy, with speckled feet, I called her Peppermint. There is big palomino paint I bought with a name I didn't like. He is a big boy, thick and beautiful, after much consideration I tagged him Felix, it means warrior, and I had decided I liked a shortish name for my horses. A black curly haired puppy who is called Rizz, sometimes Rizzy, Rizzo, Rizado, named so because rizado is curly in spanish. I know, another double, but the name also needs to be original and relate to the animal in some way! Another dachshund was given to us, already named Happy, I really, really tried to find something that suited her better then that, but to no avail. She is a very happy little dog, and my husband said he liked it the way it was. (grrr, more doubles!) Diva was an old mare that was given to me, named for her attitude, another "D" but it was short, had a 'V' which was new, besides she was old enough that I wouldn't change it. When I bought a colt named "Mark" that was just too boring, and he became Eliot instead, because it was a cute name and followed all of the letter rules. I bought a horse named Horse, that wasn't gonna last. He's B&W, like a cow, so going through dairy cow names I hit salers, brown cows, but oh well, with an adjustment he is Sailor. It's a stretch I know, but it works. Hey, now three of the horses have an 'L' in the middle, how did I not notice that?

Keep in mind that I didn't have all these animals at the same time, I only ever had five horses once, and two were being sold. I never had more then three dogs at once, or three cats at once. The animal numbers peaked at five horses, three dogs and two cats.


Currently my husband and I own cats: Cappuccino and Ditty, dogs: Cadillac, Rizz and Happy, horses: Felix, Diva, and Sailor. I love all of the names individually, but as a group, the rules are not followed all the way. There are too many double letters now, and too many 'L's, two 'D's, two 'Y' endings and two 'S' sounding endings.

Now, my mom has given me her kitten, an adorable chocolate brown tuxedo, with white framing his nose. (doing his best to interupt my typing as we speak) His name was Dexter first, which breaks all my rules with a 'D' 'X' and 'R' ending. Mom renamed him Rowdy because, well, he IS! But that is another 'R' 'D' and 'Y' ending. . I need an ending of 'N' or 'T', I'm thinking Nougat, or something to do with his brown tux. No, not Tux... it has an 'X'. Wait, John Legend wore a brown tux to the Academy Awards...hmm, Legend? What about famous tuxedos, Bond? Brosnan? Or tux brands, styles....
With three dogs, three horses and three cats... I am going to miss my naming process. It will be a while before I can go through the labourous decision, the research, consideration and labelling. *sigh*

Tune in!

How is it that people pay so little attention to their bodies?? No really...
"I went to the hospital because I was having stomach pains, and I was in labour!" ?????????? SaY wHaT? What did you miss? The weight gain, the lack of menstration, the baby moving, maybe weird cravings? Granted some, SOME of these women may have continued life as normal right till the point, but most likely they didn't want to know and didn't pay attention!
"I have a headache, and my eyes are dry, maybe I'm allergic to something."..."Well, have you drank any water today?"..."No, why?" Gahhhh! Really? Your brain floats in water, your eyes float in water... so if you don't have enough of it....
"I went in for a physical and I am healthier then the doctor!" Buddy, you are 300lbs, and you smoke like a freakin chimney, what in gods name is your doctor like?
"Do you have a pain killer?"..."Maybe, why?"..."I have a bit of a headache... toothache... backache... cramps... muscles pain... "(daily occurance)..."The doctor says I have a stomach ulser." Huh, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
"My little guy was home sick from school for a couple days, I felt so bad for him, so made him pancakes and gave him icecream." awww, how, wait, you did WhAt?? You fed him crap, and more crap, ontop of the crap his body was trying to get rid of? Great parenting!
No, I am not the most health concious person in the world, I eat junk food, and go outside without my jacket on, but I at least try to listen when my body yells at me.
Milk=phlemy throat, so I don't drink milk.
Too much sugar=soar throat, so when I am sick, I don't eat sugary stuff.
My entire girl cycle is off= appointments.
No water=a body that isn't 90% water like it's supposed to be, so when I hurt a little, I drink water just to see what happens.
Pills=chemicals/possibly addictive and/or harmful substances, so when I am feeling yucky, I see what the earth can offer first, resort to chemicals if that doesn't work.
Ingesting chemicals=bad, so I don't smoke (does anyone at all have an excuse for this anymore?) and I really try to limit processed anything.
Our body doesn't whisper, it yells, all the time! Why do most of us choose only to listen to the good stuff? It's like having a friend that we only visit with when we need to talk, but are busy when they need to talk.
People...TUNE IN!

Self Murder

Suicide is the last ditch effort of an impossible selfish person...this opinion was the unspoken thought at the back of my head since I had first heard and understood that people actually took their own life. My resilient, quiet, but always managing way, could not understand why on earth someone would do such a thing. To be perfectly honest, I still don't understand, and I hope and pray that I never fully do. What I do understand now is the soul shattering reality of having someone you love take themselves from you. Not someone you know and like, but someone who shared your life, enriched it with every event and made you smile inside and out. I understand the lung crushing grief, the inescapable guilt, and the dull ache that sits just around the corner of every memory. Is suicide the last ditch effort of an impossibly selfish person? In many cases yes. But, en mass, it cannot be painted that way. Sometimes, despite a team of professionals, and a horde of supportive, devoted family, an illness of the mind that is born of the devil himself, wins. "When people kill themselves they think they are ending the pain, but all they are doing is handing it on to those they leave behind." -Jeanette Walls. Shells of people remain behind, parents, siblings and friends with shadows of who they used to be, crying at the sight of certain wines, the sound of certain music, the discovery of forgotten items. Some recover, some are never the same. I don't know where I am at this point, my resilience hasn't failed me, but the right song nearly brings me to my knees, dreams are mixed blessings. I will be OK I'm sure, but I will never be the same. Though I am getting better and trying really hard, I can hardly contain a shudder when most people hug me. Before I even realized it, I had withdrawn from many of my friendships, neglecting the bonds that helped hold me together. Thankfully my marriage remained a sturdy oasis, and the friendships were easy to recover. Is suicide the last ditch effort of an impossibly selfish person. If you see the swath of destruction at it's heals, you have to say yes. But if you know a wonderful, caring to a fault person, with charisma, beauty, easy sense of humour and a quick mind, who makes that choice, you have to say no. We are all entitled to our selfish moments aren't we? Does it serve their memory well at all to think that way, no, does it calm our grief, certainly not. The questions we are left with after are never ending, are they?

Life Themes

There is no theme to life. Not really, we may be sisters, daughters, mothers, (not me) friends, wives, co-workers. Maybe we are lawyers, janitors, doctors, or barmaids. None of these are themes.
We may love dogs, cat, horses... now that, that can almost become a theme. If we get wrapped up in showing, breeding, and competing. If our house is a menagerie of little puppy/kitty/horsey coat-hooks/watches/art/doormats/fridge magnets, that might be like a theme.
But is it healthy? Since a theme is what everything else is based on, should one single thing in life guide every aspect? Wait...as I write that, I know. YES absolutely.
But not our role in life, not our work, family members or anything physical at all. Because none of those things can flow into everything. Simply being a sister, we might be a great sister, won't encourage us not to steal things from work or lie about an animals training or breeding to make a sale. And owning a wonderful pet may make us value the life of animals, but will it help us treat our mom with respect or keep a friend's confidence? Making something physical our life theme, may very well damage all other areas of life. "Workaholic" has become a common phrase, concerning someone who tends to neglect family, friends, and pets alike, in favour or their job.
So, what theme will guide our relationships to success, and make us honest, hardworkers? What will make sure we play fair, stay balanced and look after our responsibilities properly? It is our values, our beliefs. The set of standards we hold ourselves to and know are right.

UP!

Have you ever seen the side of a house that is covered with vines? It reaches along each tiny seam , winding up along little nooks and crannies, following no specific route except UP! It clings to every cleft, wrapping it's self snuggly around whatever hold it needs to get UP! And all the while it is pulling fresh nutrients from the ground and profusely pushing out leaves and blossoms to share with the world. It never takes a break, night falls, it may tuck away its flash flowers, as it continues its diligent climb UP!
As long as the house is built for it, the vine causes no damage in it's persistent, endeavour. In fact, as it slowly blankets the wall with it's lush foliage, it creates an insulation of sorts. Keeping the sun off the brick, allowing the house to stay cooler in the summer heat. Sometimes the vine even has blossoms that perfume the air seductively. But it's only goal, is UP!
Only when winter comes, and the vine stands naked in the cold, does it wait. Maybe it even dies back to the ground. However, when the warmth returns, the trek is once again taken with vigor, UP! UP! UP!