Translate

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Earring 0062 - Hours in the Day

Almost done with school and think I may have more hours in my day in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it too. Already have started reading a lot. You'd think that I didn't have enough schoolwork and my regular workload. It's a good thing that I taught my cat how to dust. She dusts my desk, my couch, my window sills, and a lot of the floor. Oh that's right, she doesn't have a tail. Maybe that's why I need to dust more often! Sometimes it's good she doesn't have a tail. Only her paws get stepped on this way. Back to books, right now I'm reading one Kindle book, listening to two books via Overdrive, and reading one paperback. Just got a new book from the library that I reserved a couple of weeks ago so I have to hurry and finish my Kindle book. My preference is non-fiction but every once in a great while I throw a fictional book in there. Wisconsin Public Radio is reading an interesting book at 12:30 p.m. and I may have to put that on my wish list at the library.

There's so many resources available for free books now. On a regular basis, besides the public library (which has access to the rest of the libraries in MN), I use

https://www.bookbub.com/ebook-deals/recommended?page=12  - each day I get an email of recommended books. I don't get many from here but there are some interesting ones. I'm just getting the free ones. They link you to different sources so it's not just Amazon.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ - I've been using this one for years. It has some interesting old books on it, kind of like rare finds.

https://librivox.org - These are audio books and has been in existence for years. They're always looking for people to record for them. Thought I might do that sometime. At this site, I learned about the rest of the Wizard of Oz books. One thing they warn about at this site is the U.S. copyright laws.

http://www.storylineonline.net/ - This site has books for kids. I have to admit that I like to have a storybook read to me every once in a while. At one time, they had Polar Express on the site and that's when I feel in love again with children's books. Actors from SAG (Screen Actors Guild) read the books. The object is to reach as many children as possible worldwide.

Yesterday I heard a quote. I think it was from the book that I was listening to on WI Public Radio. "No man is an island; Every book is a world." After looking it up, the book is called "The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin. Guess it's time to get that book on my list!

Earring of the day

Can't you see spring in these?

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Earring 0061 - All in a day

These earrings remind me of a day. Just an ordinary day with coming into my life; new people, people I've known all my life, people who I didn't know but my parents knew, people my brothers/sister/sister-in-laws knew, people I've known for a short time and people I've known somewhere in between all of the rest. Can't forget people who knew people who knew people...I know your mom from my aunt's friend type. Everyone has a story and most people would like to tell their story. I like to listen so I hear a lot of stories and have been that way all of my life. There haven't been too many strangers in my life except "those" scary people that I have never had a desire to know because of fear. Those are the people your mom told you to stay away from. She was right about most people. She got to know people by listening to them. Wish I could hear the stories she could tell. Whenever we took a road trip, she always had a story to tell about the area. It could be from a dance she went to or someone she met while camping at one point in her life.

One of the stories mom always liked to tell was when she was younger and went out dancing. I know exactly where it happened and I'm sure my siblings do too. The driver of the vehicle they were in missed the turn and went down into the creek bed but not into the creek itself. Well, mom wasn't supposed to have been out dancing and got caught. Her stories had morals to them too. Years later the road was changed so it would be harder to miss the turn.

I even have a couple of stories to tell on that same road. One of them left an impression on me. We went to mom's hometown shortly after a flash flood had gone through. Quite a few miles before her hometown, was a house that was very close to the river. The water had gone through the second floor. Now, this is how I remember it but that would have been an awful lot of water. Think that it is possible because I know how high streams can get in just a couple of hours. It doesn't take much. I do remember the windows on the second floor were broken and there was stuff hanging out of the windows. Pretty sure it did go through the second floor.

The other story was of an accident that my husband and I had. We were driving from my parents back to our apartment. I was laying down in the back seat. Ironically, about the same place where my mom had had her accident when she was younger was where my husband pulled over. He said he didn't feel good about something and it was strange and he wanted me in the front seat. Within about four miles of that, we were passing a car when a car popped up. We had no where to go but into the ditch because the car we were passing would speed up and down and same with the person who was behind us. Into the ditch we went. There was only one injury and luckily it wasn't bad. Lots of things go through your head when you're a teenager and something like this happens to you. No matter how many years go by, I will still remember this accident in detail and am glad it is in the past.

There's probably more stories about this road now that I think about it because it is along this road that we fished when we were younger.

Everything is so intertwined, just like these earrings.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Earriing 0060 - Monday

 


My camera discolored the photo of my fingers a little. The top finger looks like it's not a finger. Took the photo in darkness so I suppose weirdness is to be expected.

Today was a busy Monday at work. You wouldn't think a cemetery would be so busy. Before I knew it, it was noon and then all of a sudden it was after going on 5:30 p.m. The days fly by.

Nothing comes to mind tonight other than some words about my carpet. That little cleaner sure made my carpet brighter. It took out spots and stains so my carpet almost looks new. It feels new too. It even makes the rooms fresher smelling. My cat is happy with it too. So can you read anything into carpet cleaning? Guess anytime you read something, you can look for the hidden meanings of the story. With Easter just past us, I feel a lot like my carpet.

These earrings would have been another stunning pair on Donna. I can almost see them on her with her dark hair. So pretty.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Earring 0059 - Changing Goals

My goal today was to complete the following tasks: clean my carpet, do laundry, and put away my winter clothes (or as my sister says minter clothes - she does lisp, we both create new words accidently).

The laundry didn't get done. The lady who lives right across from the machines decided to do a lot of laundry today. Usually, I get my two loads done starting at 8:30 a.m. but she beat me to it. I was kind of upset about it because I had to haul laundry down two flights of stairs. She could do her laundry any time. If I lived across from the machines, I would love it because I could always pop a load in. Then I realized I was wasting time on being frustrated and how dumb it was to let someone else take control of my mood and time. Still, if she were to move, I would like her apartment.

Part of the laundry was my winter clothes so that hindered that. The other part was that it's so cold that I had to wear a sweater today. I'm pretty sure it wants to snow! This week is supposed to be the ugly side of spring - cold and windy. Even the birds are taking shelter from the weather. We had a thunderstorm close by last night and another one today. I love thunderstorms so I was relaxed. My cat finally doesn't mind the storms. The sound of wind still bothers her and I don't know why because I always have fans or air purifiers going.

Last but not least, the carpet got cleaned. A coworker leant me a small Bissell carpet cleaner. It worked better than the big one I used last time. Bobbi likes the clean carpet. She's spent most of the day laying on the carpet even though it's not dry yet.

Keeping my niece close to my heart and in my prayers.

Another spring earring - Donna, the earrings aren't bringing spring!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Earring 0058 - Schools Almost Out for Summer

Only have a little over two weeks of school left. Think I'm done for a while. It's been a wonderful learning experience. Formal education was right for me when I got out of high school. It didn't fit with my energy and schedule. Online classes changed that whole perspective. What I realize now is that when I'm done with my classes, there's YouTube.com and there's so much you can learn on that. My teachers frequently refer to YouTube with links. It's not something I've used for citations yet but maybe in the next couple of weeks, I will have to try that. It won't affect my grade anymore so it will be nothing but a learning experience for me and maybe others.

Tomorrow is one of my brother's birthdays. So today, we went for a four-hour ride out in the country. Usually he drives and I get to do all of the sight seeking. Today, I drove and didn't get quite as much sight seeing in but got some places I can go back to see. We were in my dad's home area and there are many Amish living in the area now. I knew they were buying up properties but didn't realize they had expanded so far. We didn't go there to "look" at the Amish like those tour buses. But if you have ever seen Amish men in the field, I would encourage you to stop and watch. Their work ethic is super. One time, from a distance, I watched four Amish men cut down and tree and saw it. Other times that are interesting is at harvest times or when they are plowing. They know what hard work is. Brings back memories of when I worked cutting and baling grass. Yes, I did say and mean grass; it was experimental grasses and at harvest time, it was only my boss and I to do the work. Glad I did it when I was younger and not now. Used bag and to lift 50 pound bags of grass seed several days at a time. Don't know if I could throw one of those bags as far as I used to be able to.

My brother and I had a good time. We never run out of conversation. This time he told me about when they were kids and went to our dad's family farm. I remember playing in the fields and sledding down the hill. My brothers got to do so much more because they were older. They used to follow the hills down to a river. Pretty sure they played all the way too. Do kids still play like that? We all grew up with vivid imaginations. I know that's were I get my creativity from.

We went out to visit our dads mother's grave. Didn't know my grandfather because he died when my dad was young. My dad would be 100+ if he were alive today so that should give you a clue how long ago my grandfather died. Beside my grandmother and grandfather, there were a couple of aunts and uncles, a first cousin and then several  older cousins that I can barely remember. There is a woman's grave there with our same last name but I can't remember who she was and I forgot to look to see when she passed. Will have to look that up later.

Still trying to bring in spring by wearing earrings...maybe spring will come or maybe summer will beat it...


Wish I could ask Donna where she got some of the earrings like the earrings above. They're so unique.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Earring 0057 - It's Friday


This was a fun pair of earrings to go with my "cruise" blouse that I never wore on a ship. Maybe someday but maybe not. It took me a half hour to find the right pair of earrings this morning. My blouse had oranges and blues in it and none of the earrings were right except for this pair. The centers of the earrings reflected colors from my blouse. It was pretty cool.

It's Friday. It's been one of those weeks that seem long but all of a sudden the week is over. So much was accomplished today that I had a sigh of relief when I walked out of the office. Like it when there's headway and you know you can start another project. Should be a fun week next week. Memorial Day is just a little bit over 4 weeks away. Then there's summer!

You'd think that I had all of these plans for a summer vacation but I don't. This was just a long winter this year. I'm ready for the warm breezes to blow through my windows during the night. This morning when I looked out the windows, I could have sworn there was snow on the hills. It may have only been fog or frost. It was gone by the time I looked again about an hour later.

Today, I was asked about multi-tasking. I think some people are really good at multi-tasking because of their organizational skills. That's me...remember, I alphabetize my spices. You should see my quilt material - it's all color coordinated and organized even further.

Have an enjoyable weekend!

PS Donna loved weekends.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Earring 0056 - Laughter

Walt Disney said "Laughter is timeless, imagination has no ages, and dreams are forever." He really knew what he was talking about. I can remember being taken to those places as a child on Sunday nights "Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, The Wonderful World of Disney, Disney's Wonderful World, Walt Disney, The Disney Sunday Movie, and The Magical World of Disney. The series spanned an incredible 54 years—13 seasons of which were hosted by Walt Disney, himself." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVMnC2esOEM&list=PL4BAC7037010FBCF0&index=3

Watching some of these shows brings back so many memories. I can remember watching some of the ABC shows through fuzzy reception. And then the shows went to NBC and I was so grateful because we could get NBC! Think some of my favorite shows were from "Tomorrowland." Wonder what kids nowadays would think of our old television sets, rabbit ears, and watching television as lines pass through it because the reception isn't very good.

Laughter continues to play a big part of my life. Even when I'm home by myself, you will hear laugher coming from my apartment.

The earrings I wore today had nothing to do with laugher other than they weren't the ones that I picked out earlier this week to wear. Still haven't worn one of those pairs yet. Think my cat is laughing at me about that because I was being so smart picking out earrings ahead of time.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Earring 0055 - Remembering Donna

From: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/death-of-a-loved-one

Whoever said that loss gets easier with time was a liar. Here's what really happens: The spaces between the times you miss them grow longer. Then, when you do remember to miss them again, it's still with a stabbing pain to the heart. And you have guilt. Guilt because it's been too long since you missed them last.”
Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, The 13th Sign

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.
From an Irish headstone”
Richard Puz, The Carolinian

“I love you every day. And now I will miss you every day.”
Mitch Albom, For One More Day

“The anniversary date of a loved one's death is particularly significant. You will have done something you thought was impossible a few months earlier. You will have survived an entire year without someone who was as important to you as life itself.”
Bob Diets

I probably should have worn a wild pair of earrings today. Had a meeting so I wasn't able to do so. Here's as wild as it got....


Donna, thanks for being in my life.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Earring 0054 - Photos

My phone is supposed to take really good pictures. Well, it does but then just before it takes the final adjustment, it goes fuzzy. Can't figure that out. Plus these are purple earrings but the photo had to be adjusted otherwise it they would have looked blue. Hoping my MotoX does some kind of upgrade to enhance the camera. Great phone but lousy at taking close-ups like my earring photos.

Photos, I have a ton of them. I inherited two suitcases of photos. One day this past winter, my brother and I went through a lot of them trying to identify who the people were. Someday, no one will know who the people in the photos are. I couldn't tell you now whose who in old photos of my grandparents and their families. Considering so many baby boomers are working on genealogy, you would think I would have a little interest in it. Don't think anyone in my family is very interested in it. There's not a lot of photos left because of a water problem.

In my living room, I have a sofa table that my son made. It has lots of storage in it and is filled with photos. These photos are from my childhood through my son's childhood, marriage, and grandsons. Not sure but there might be some photos of the trips I've taken around the U.S. It seems like you take photos and then don't look at them so I haven't kept up on them.  Nowadays, most of my photos are used for my quilted wall hangings for ideas.

I would consider my oldest brother a professional photographer. He was into photography for years. Got my first camera from him when I was in grade school  maybe when I was in 4th or 5th grade. About the time was 15 or 16, I joined our school's short-lived photography club. He kept giving me cameras and I kept taking pictures. Pretty sure my sister got her start the same way. She still takes a lot of photos. Now, my photos are all of memorials in the cemetery where I work.

My son and his family may have fun going through my photos some day. Just like my brother and I had fun going through photos. It brought back a lot of memories even though we have a gap between our ages. The activities that we did as kids didn't change, the kids just got older.

My sister-in-law Sandy does a lot of photography. She has used her photos in cards, etc. Beautiful photos of flowers and scenery.

They say a pictures is worth a thousand years. I wonder how many words my pictures are worth...

Monday, April 21, 2014

Earring 0053 - Thankful

 
I'm thankful for Donna that she loved to shop and buy earrings. I'm thankful that my sister-in-law thought of me and I became the owner of all these earrings. Everyone of them probably has a story that Donna could have told. Knowing Donna, she probably even knew where she bought each pair. These earrings are so unique. They don't look like they were mass produced. Thanks Donna. Thanks Sandy.
 
The greatest gift you can give someone is giving up their life for them. I often think about that and think who would I give up my life for. My son and his wife were willing to give up their lives when they chose to serve in the military. My nephew did the same. I'm thankful that all three are still alive.
 
I know I would give up my life for my son and wouldn't hesitate to do so. Same with my grandsons and my daughter-in-law. I think I would go as far as giving up my life for my nephews too. Then it starts to get sticky. Would I give up my life for my siblings or their spouses? We're so close in age, that at this point in our lives, I'm not sure. I love them so much but I wonder. Sometimes I think because I am alone and they have spouses, it would be better if I did. Would I give up my life for a relative (other than the ones mentioned) or my friends? Would I give up my life for a complete stranger? If God asked me to give up my life, would I? I'm hoping that I would be strong enough that I could give up my life if God asked me to. I'm also hoping that I would give up my life for my religious beliefs.
 
Have you ever wondered who you would give up your life for?
 

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter from Us to You

It's not the ears that are upsetting to the cat...keep looking.
It's a look-alike of Susie's dog, Sparky.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Earring 0052 - Happy Trails

 These are kind of golden in color. They could have matched some of the sand piles that my brother and I saw today on our road trip. There is a lot of frac mining going on this area. With it are lots of signs protesting the mining. Ironically, the homes that are displaying these signs are extremely close to wetlands (probably was a wetland before they built). Other homes with the signs are sitting on top of hills. Neither of these are environment-friendly, as is the frac mining. However, I think what they are really protesting is the traffic that comes with the frac mining. It's a tremendous business. Still, if they were so concerned about Mother Nature, they wouldn't have built their homes were they did. Just an opinion.
 
There was a lot of indecision when it came to the earrings this morning. Funny thing is I have several pairs set aside for this coming week. Wonder if I'll wear them or pick another. Timing of indecision is kind of weird because within minutes of it, my brother called and asked if we should go on a road trip. You usually don't have to ask me twice to go on a road trip - I can't get the word "yes" out of my mouth fast enough.
 
There's something special about watching spring unfold in front of you on road trips. From the increasing number of kinds of birds to the different types of wildlife and landscape that changes each day enhancing the rides. Yesterday, my sister and I saw deer, very small warblers, a kingfisher that dove into the water for food, alpacas, flowering cottonwoods, eagles, egrets, cranes, hawks, and the list goes on. Can't forget about the sounds either. Many different bird and frog sounds. There was one kind of frog that made a purring noise just like a cat. Neither my sister nor I could remember ever hearing it before. Today, my brother and I didn't see too many animals or unfolding of the colors of spring. We were along smaller rivers and yet there was very little movement except for a lot of vultures. In a couple of weeks, green will be here. Even though the browns were okay to see yesterday, I'm ready for a new color. We take different routes all of the time so the trails are never boring.
 
One of the things my brother told me about was a story of when my brothers were kids. Mom and dad used to take us fishing. It didn't make a difference how old we were. I remember my sister at a very young age alongside the bank really close to mom and dad. Roger told me that they used to catch tadpoles and raise them. There was a big barrel on the back porch where they kept the tadpoles. Eventually, the tadpoles changed into frogs. They had to be scooped out because the frogs couldn't jump out of the barrel. Roger said he thinks dad got tired of the barrel being on the porch and one day it was just gone. My sister and I raised tadpoles too. I remember when they changed into tiny frogs and can envision it to this day. We had our frogs inside and I think it got too hot for them and they died. I'm definitely not good raising frogs. One time when my grandsons were staying with me, I got them an aquarium and some kind of frogs. Well, one day when I came home from work, the frogs were no longer the right color. Guess it got too hot for them where we kept them. That's the last time I tried having frogs.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Earring 0051 - Blending In

Always thought it was good to blend in but today I learned that we need to stick up for what we believe and not deny our beliefs. If you blend in, you may not be standing up for your beliefs. So many years I have been in the background and watched the world go by. My sister-in-law has been pointing out things that have been happening in the Twin Cities. There are many homeless high school students. It is one of the projects that her and my brother's church has stepped up to the plate to help.

Watching all of my Korean shows, I realized how close I am to people of Asian descent (even though I am not Asian). My son and his wife met in South Korea and someday one of my grandsons wants to travel there. It is one of the couple of countries that I would like to visit. Looked at working in South Korea but unless you are connected to the US military, it probably won't happen. They don't need me to take a job away from someone who was born and raised there.My heart breaks for the families who lost loved ones on the ferry in South Korea. 

Both my sister and I are learning about the prison camps in North Korea. It boggles my mind that these camps have been in existence for 50 years. Three generations have to pay for the sins of those who violate North Korean law. The people in these camps (gulags) are treated like people in Nazi camps in Germany. They are starving, many only know about North Korea and how US wants to annihilate them (which is not the case); they are in forced slavery and most of the them have not committed any crimes (the pay for the sins of their relatives). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_North_Korea
http://www.hrnk.org/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3326738/I-saw-an-entire-family-being-killed.-They-were-put-in-the-gas-chamber-where-they-all-suffocated.-The-last-to-die-was-the-youngest-son.html

I've blended in for so long that I didn't know about the prison camps in North Korea and just learned about the insurance fraud the North Korean government committed a few years ago. I don't want to blend in anymore; it's not what we are supposed to do. The above links are not pleasant to read and if you are like me, you will be surprised at the horror that is happening today.

Funny how my earrings were chosen today. I had on three different pairs before I decided just to have my earring be simple and blend in with what I was wearing. Little did I know that I was going to learn about blending in today.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Earring 0050 - Unique



These are pretty unique earrings. The ends are flexible so that they don't hurt your earlobes. Very pretty too. Donna must have spent hours shopping for earrings to find ones that are different. They're probably not one-of-a-kind, but I've never seen a pair similar to this before.

Can't stay awake to write anymore so it's a short post. How do you catch a unique rabbit?

Unique up on it. See...I need to go to sleep. That joke was for you Susie.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Earring 0049 - Numbers

Always thinking about numbers, Monday was 4-14-14. Today, I was wondering how to use 49 and started looking at the 49th parallel. Then decided to bring it closer to home. Being in Minnesota, we are approximately at the 45th parallel. It's almost half-way point between the Equator and the North Pole (close enough for me). Wikipedia is one of my favorite places to find things so I looked up the 45th parallel and took a quick trip around the world http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/45th_parallel_north. Of interest was a sign that was posted located in New Hampshire. The sign gave the location's latitude, which is " A line from this point through the center of the earth would emerge in the Indian Ocean 982 miles southwest of Perth, Australia."  Then you think of the missing airlines that went missing and they are searching an area about 1,000 miles west of Perth. I've been troubled with this missing airplane since I heard about it. Now they are going to explore uncharted Zenith Plateau. Wonder what they are going to find. It's all a numbers game until flight MH370 is found. "An oceanographer has said the deep-sea search is like "sending a man to the moon".'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/missing-plane-live-military-plane-3293254#ixzz2z6zPYJeP


Here's earring 0049

With my imagination, I have come up with several ideas on what these earrings remind me of. What do you see?

Monday, April 14, 2014

Earring 0048 - Moons, Milky Way, and More

What an appropriate earring for today!!! This morning when I put these earrings on, I saw geometric shapes and thought it would be fun to wear with the shirt you see in the background. Susie told me about everything that was on the earrings so I had to take them off right away. These earrings are so appropriate because tonight Mars is the closest it will be to earth this year, there's going to be a blood moon, and a total eclipse of the moon. They are televising Mars coming into view - watch the Eastern sky and it sounds like it will be extremely bright and colorful. Then later tonight is the eclipse. Have to set my alarm clock for about 12:30 a.m. so I can check the skies. Haven't had too much luck when it comes to watching meteors that last two years because of cloud cover. Skies are suppose to be somewhat clear tonight so I have my fingers crossed.

Tonight I learned something about crossing fingers. I thought it was a superstition that we learned when we were kids. Now I know different. Fingers crossed is symbolic the Christian cross and used when the person needed protection when faced with evil. It was also used during Roman times of Christian persecution to help Christians identify one another. A later use  was for a child to cross their fingers when they told a little white lie (one that I did use as a child) thinking that it would protect us from saving us from hell for telling the lie. Basically, it is no longer a symbol for Christians but I think it might be good to use it again and tell people its story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossed_fingers


Susie saw the Milky Way in the earring on the right, close to the bottom. With this picture it is too difficult to see but she was right, it did look like the Milky Way. You can sure tell we have the same mother - well-trained eyes to see things that other people would never see.

I wonder what Donna saw in these earrings that made her buy them other than they are black and there are geometric shapes in them. Might not have told you but maybe you can tell by the earrings that have been shown, there are a lot of earrings with geometrics involved!


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Earring 0047 -Forgiveness


Someone said my earrings look big. Most of them really aren't big, it's the photo that makes them look that way. These earrings are what I would call "big" and are about two inches from the top and curve around to the back. So they really aren't too big. Aren't they pretty? They have a nice luster to them and I wore them most of the day. Often on weekends, I only wear earrings for part of the day. My earlobes kind of need a break like the rest of my body.

Today I learned so much about forgiveness and anger. If you know me, you know that I'm not an angry person. It's such a waste of time. Lately, I have been angry about something that I have some control over the situation but not a lot. Now I know that I just have to keep praying that God will help me through this and that I forgive the person. I was told that I should keep forgiving the person even if it's on a daily basis. Then all of a sudden, I will have forgiven the person. Why didn't I think of that? Sometimes you have to realize that you don't have all of the answers and you need to ask help. Help is always a prayer away. The funny thing about this is after this revelation, the theme song from "The Sound of Music" played. If you read my blog a few days ago, that is one of the songs that I had displayed the lyrics for. And at the final crescendo "My heart will be blessed with the sound of music. And I'll sing once more.", I realized that everything is in the timing.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Earring 0046 - Funny Story

 
Had fun today. Sister and I went shopping. We get along really well and even though we work together five days a week, we can still spend a Saturday together. It hailed five times when a storm passed through. Driving on the Interstate a little later, it hailed again. The sound was almost deafening in the car but it was brief so that helped. After I took my jacket off, Susie said to me "Those earrings match your shirt. Did you know that." We looked at each other and started to giggle. Of course they did, otherwise I would have worn a different pair. We laughed pretty hard because right after she said it, she got this look on her face that said "I can't believe that I even said that!" Being able to chose from so many earrings makes it easy to kind of match a blouse or shirt.
 
 
My shirt was pretty flowery, almost Hawaiian but not. It had shades of green that were leaves and stem-like pieces, along with purplish flowers. It's one of my favorite shirts because it reminds me of being on a vacation. Trust me, it is not a Hawaiian shirt but more of a muted, pastel tropical shirt; not the vivid Hawaiian-type. However, I pretty much love Hawaiian shirts - they make good pieces of material for my quilted wall-hangings that I create.
 
Susie was kind of silly today singing bird songs. Must have been because we only saw a few eagles. Did see quite a few kestrels, mostly females. I remember the first time I saw a kestrel. Thought it was someone's tame bird that flew out of its cage. Here's a picture of a kestrel.

Adult malehttp://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_kestrel/id

Making a pair of earrings that looked similar to kestrels would be pretty cool. I'd wear them and I bet you Donna would have too!

Friday, April 11, 2014

Earring 0045 - Happiness

 
 
Have a great camera but focusing is not its strength. You can still clearly see these simple earrings. My sister commented on them all day; I think she said they made her happy. Think she commented on them at least five or six times, maybe even more.
 
Tonight I had a little more happiness added to my life. Haven't seen my friend Jessica for about four or five years. Hopefully now we will keep in touch so they next five years are filled with hugs. She's been through a lot the last five but I couldn't find her. Looked around the corner when I was downtown and there she was. Glad that I took the time to see and not just look.
 
Jessica has hair like Donna's, dark and beautiful. They may even have some similarities but mostly because you know where you stand when you are with them. So full of love, just waiting to give some of it away.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Earring 0045 - Little Bit of Heaven


Will have more tonight on this. Wanted to make sure that I could have the photo in when I write.

These earrings are so heavenly that I can see the skies in them. I love clouds. When we were kids, mom would always be pointing to the clouds and saying "do you see..." We saw that and much more. Kind of like if you look at the earring on the left towards the bottom, there are two volcanos erupting and below you can see the ocean waves hitting against the volcanoes. Above are the clouds with maybe rain showers that you can see streaming down. And above those, you can see the expanse beyond our atmosphere.

I still look at the clouds and see many things that most people wouldn't see or even take the time to see. "Clouds in My Coffee" was sung by Carly Simon. It sure brings back memories of my past marriage. I used to sing it at the top of my lungs so many times while I was driving. Sang it while I was dating, sang it while I was married, sang it while we were separated, and sang it after we got divorced. Can't sing it anymore because the words won't come out, just tears. Tomorrow, I will look at the clouds and put that song away; don't need tears now because it's like crying over spilt milk.

That brings back memories too. How many times did my sister and I get yelled at for spilling milk! Can't tell you which of the two of us spilled more milk! I could not resist the following joke from http://www.simplybovine.com/cow_jokes.html

All I Need to Know About Life I Learned from a Cow

1. Wake up in a happy mooo-d.
2. Don't cry over spilled milk.
3. When chewing your cud, remember: There's no fat, no calories, no cholesterol, and no taste!
4. The grass is green on the other side of the fence.
5. Turn the udder cheek and mooo-ve on.
6. Seize every opportunity and milk it for all its worth!
7. It's better to be seen and not herd.
8. Honor thy fodder and thy mother and all your udder
relatives.
9. Never take any bull from anybody.
10. Always let them know who's bossy.
11. Stepping on cowpies brings good luck.
12. Black and white is always an appropriate fashion statement.
13. Don't forget to cow-nt your blessings every day.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Earring 0044 - Precious Things

Besides family, I have some precious things in my life. I have a family bible that was given to my parents when they were married. There's a huge encyclopedia-type book that has stories in it besides interesting facts. There's a lot more books because I like to collect old books. I have my grandmother's book that she used to teach her classes (very old). I have a piece of jewelry that went from my great grandmother to my grandmother to my mom and then to me. It's suppose to go to my daughter but I don't think that my son will have a sex change for that or any other reason. Someday maybe it will go to a great granddaughter - time will tell. There's odd jewelry and glassware that has stories to go with it, which are nice but not necessarily precious. Because there's so much on books, I thought of something else precious to books....


It appears that Bobbi likes books too.


This pair of earrings aren't going to become precious to me because they fell apart while I was wearing them. Must have caught on my coat or something. Oh well - I know I have more pairs to choose from!




Something else that is precious to me is to see where my blog is being read. So far people from the following countries have read my blog: United States, Canada, Germany (quite a few from Germany), Poland, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Brazil, Ecuador, Malaysia, and today, Netherlands. I'm just a nobody from the United States but I am filled with joy that others read this. Thank you and I hope that I touched your heart in some way.





Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Earring 0043 - Black Hole

 
This isn't really about a black hole but more about time. There's so much to learn about black holes and time. Loving science fiction the way I do, it's easy for me to associate the two. For more than over a year, I have been watching foreign movies (with subtitles). Got a jump start on it when I took a Chinese culture class. Awesome class by a fantastic teacher (she lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area) and how I relate to others have changed because of that class. The foreign movie I'm watching tonight had a fortune teller in it. She told this young lady to let bygones be bygones and quit wasting time on what had happened in the past.

It's so easy to have someone tell you to do that. It's even easy for you to tell yourself to do the same. When you feel wronged or that you wronged someone, it would be wonderful if you were able to put that time in a black hole and have it disappear like it never happened.

This kind of reminds me of a sad memory that I have that I wish that I could undue. Every year May 1st I relive something I cannot undue. It was a difficult time of my life because my husband and I were separated. Periods like this are tough but with God you can get through them. My son tried his best to help me through this time. One night he made me a sit-down candle-light dinner. He gave me a card that I still have and it looks just like when we made it. Even in sad times, there can be much happiness.

On May 1, the doorbell rang. I answered it but there was no one there. The doorbell rang again. Again, I answered it. After the third or fourth time, I was getting pretty upset. I know that I yelled at my son when I caught him doing it. Then my heart broke...my son was placing a May Day basket on the door handle but I hadn't opened the door enough so that I could see it. Ironically, as bad as I felt for yelling at him, my heart was so filled with love and joy that no one could ever take that away from me. What an act of kindness and pure love. Even though I always get teary eyed on May 1, I know how much I'm loved. Oh yeah, I still have that paper May Day basket and in just a few weeks, that basket will be 30 years old.

These black earrings reminded me of a black hole. You can almost see something more in them if you look deep into them. Instead of doing that, just let God swallow up the bygone and you'll be much happier.









Earring 0042 - Day Late Dollar Short


Sometimes one gets so busy that it doesn't make a difference how organized you are. Yes, I am an organization nut. Donna was also well-organized and her daughter Sandy, is just as organized as I am. I always thought it was weird to have your spices in alphabetical order. Now, I've decided it's weird if they aren't in order. I can find my spices really quick without much effort. Not sure if Donna was that organized but I know Sandy is. People who aren't organized are usually a day late and a dollar short. This time my posting took the blunt of my busy day at work. By the time I got home, it was time to do a little homework and vegetate for the night.

Here's another pair of earrings that I wore but probably won't wear again. They are different. The earrings are almost pearlized even though you can't probably tell that.


There must be some reason for the stripes in these. For the life of me, I can't figure it out. First the earrings are a pretty cut and second, they are pearlized. Why would anyone put stripes on these beautiful earrings?


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Earring 0041 - Exclamation!

Terrible photo but the earrings make a statement for the day.
Don't they look like an exclamation mark, only upside down? Bet they really looked great on Donna with her long hair.

Today was another great day. Birds flying caught my eye while I was in my bedroom this morning. Couldn't believe what I saw...eagles flying! I quit counting after 50 and quickly left the house to go on a road trip. However, it had to wait a little until I was done with church. Oh, the temptation was strong just to go eagle watching especially since there were so many in the air. Then I decided that it was temptation in a pure form and that I needed to choose what was right. I went to church and am very happy that I did that. The Lenten sermon was on letting go of something that you needed to let go of. So my morning started off to a good start.

Only about half of the sandhill cranes were at the same spot as yesterday. They were still making the noise that my one brother cannot imitate. Even though my sister wasn't with me, I still made the noise and chuckled at it too.

The eagles where everywhere today in the sky. Only saw a few on the ice and maybe one or two in the trees. Quite a difference from yesterday. After I crossed the river is when I hit the jackpot. Within a nine-mile drive from one small city to another, I counted 146 eagles. So many adult eagles were doing the talon lock. Today the eagles were noisy whereas yesterday, I don't think I heard any of the eagles making any sounds. I quit counting because there were so many eagles. When you can stand alongside a round and count 50+ eagles soaring above you, it is a wondrous thing. It took my breath away. They really enjoyed the thermals today and it was a beautiful sight to behold.

When I watch the eagles, an inner peace comes over me. Any worries that I might have disappear (not much of a worrier but we all have our times). If I could carry a tune, I would sing out loud when I'm in the eagles' presence. Not sure if I would sing "On Eagles Wings" or "The Sound of Music (http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-sound-of-music-maria-lyrics-the-sound-of-music.html)."

The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears
My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds
That rise from the lake to the trees
My heart wants to sigh like a chime
That flies from a church on a breeze
To laugh like a brook when it trips
And falls over stones on its way
To sing through the night
Like a lark who is learning to pray
I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I've heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I'll sing once more
 
On Eagles Wings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Eagle%27s_Wings) was written by Father Jan Michael Joncas. I just learned that Father Joncas teaches at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul MN. I wonder if I have ever met him.
 
 
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in His shadow for life,
Say to the Lord, "My Refuge,
My Rock in Whom I trust."
CHORUS:
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His Wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.
CHORUS
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come.
CHORUS
For to His angels He's given a command,
To guard you in all of your ways,
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
CHORUS
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
After rereading the lyrics for both songs and singing them in my head, both songs are so appropriate.

I've been eagle watching for many years and love to see the numbers have increased so much. It's unbelievable from seeing an eagle occasionally 30 years ago to seeing the eagles that we see now. Obviously some protected animals can succeed. The following is a poem I wrote years ago. I used to travel weekly to see a nest and watch as the eagles came and left (did this for a few years). We had a bad storm one year and the next blew down. Prior to the storm, the nest was occupied. This poem got published in a book a few years back but I never bought the book in order to have a copy of it. It's simple poem with no rhyme just reason. We all face changes in life and our life depends on how we look at those changes and what we do in the future.


To My Friend
 

Flying high in the skies

Soaring with your mate

Teaching your babies

So they may be on their own

That is what you were meant to do

 

Mother Nature has had other plans

For you and for yours

Who knows why the winds of change

Blow the way they do

But they’ve changed things forever

 

And now you’ve left behind

Your companions…

Your mate and I

Together we shall remember you

Truly you will be missed

 
For a short while after the storm, I would see a single eagle near where the nest was. There hasn't been a nest there now since 2001.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Earring 0040 - Spring has sprung!

Today was a day where God led my path. First, I tried getting my hair cut but the stylist that I've seen for a number of years has the weekend off. Long time ago I learned don't just let anyone cut your hair. Plus I made a promise to a very good friend of mine who was also my stylist for 15+ years not to cut my own hair. I've kept that promise and I hope as she is looking down on me from the heavens that she has a smile on her face.

Since that didn't work, then my next stop was the public library. Thought I had a book to pick up but it was an ebook that was available for download. Using Republic Wireless, I'm able to have access to many applications and Kindle is one of them. (Republic Wireless is less expensive than Straight Talk and it's a great service too - I don't get a commission from them but am happy to promote them because they offer affordable cell communications that are good.) Back to the library. The closest parking place was a couple blocks away. Our library does not have hours conducive to working people. They are only open on Saturdays until 2 pm, aren't open on Sundays, and are only open till 6 p.m. sometimes during the weekdays. The public library in Joplin, MO, is customer-oriented because they are open seven days a week and have hours so someone working during days can use the library at night. The one good thing about our library is that you can download books and now magazines. Haven't been able to set up an account for the magazines so that was another reason to go to the library. Oh well, maybe next week...

Looks like I will have to come back to attach the photo of the earrings. They were a fun pair that went great with jeans. I'm so grateful to be wearing my gifted earrings. Being able to write about them has been an added bonus. The earrings have been very beneficial for me!

With the plans changing, I thought a ride would be nice. The weather was beautiful and I knew the eagles would be flying. Called my sister and off we went on a ride for about 80 miles. What a blessing we received! It took us an hour to go 15 miles.  Before we even got out very far, we saw a snowy owl. We've seen one in the same spot a few years ago. It must be passing through.

There were so many eagles and ducks. My sister got all excited when she saw a couple of sandhill cranes. Typically we see a few a year but she was able to take a couple of photos of them. If I can get some of her pictures from today, I will post them. We were almost to a tiny town and we had to stop. My sister said that I should look at the birds in the field. We couldn't tell what they were. There was no place to pull over so I stopped in the road (there was no traffic). Got the binoculars out and were amazed at what we saw. I counted at least 83 sandhill cranes in the field. What a sight they were. They were also flying overhead of us in pairs. Both my sister and I can make the noise they make. Until today, I had never heard a sandhill crane. The funny thing is that it is a noise similar to one that we used to tease our second oldest brothers about because he couldn't make that sound. Needless to say, for a lot of the trip, my sister and I were making sandhill crane noises. My throat still hurts.

It was an exciting day. We saw over 270 bald eagles. Many pairs were doing their mating ritual, the talon lock. It's pretty cool to see one of the eagles roll underneath the over to lock talons. Years ago we were told that most people wouldn't have an opportunity to see something like that. The year we were told that, we saw it. The eagles dropped from the sky and before they got to the trees, they broke away. That time was the most vivid time for a talon lock and I haven't seen one that spectacular in the last 20 years. However, the eagles today were doing the talon lock and tumbling downwards, not quite like the one time we saw it, but it is a beautiful sight to see.

What a beautiful day to be blessed with.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Earring 0039 - Ain't It the Truth

Catfetti
The delicate strands of loveliness that fall wherever a beloved pet pussycat decides to sleep. Catfetti can be identified for its uncanny ability to spread to places where a cat couldn't possibly have been: the dry cleaners', the gym or the office. Catfetti has a unique quality, in that it appears white when stuck to a dark surface, yet dark when it's stuck to your best white shirt.
Argh! My tuxedo's covered in catfetti! I don't even own a cat!
 
All dressed up and somewhere to go and yes, there's cat hair. Some good ideas on how to take care of the fur can be found at http://lifehacker.com/how-do-i-deal-with-pet-hair-getting-everywhere-639771593/all
 
Personally, I have come to the conclusion that like everything else in my home, I should be grateful for the reminders that my cat gives me. No matter what, I can't ignore my cat even if I wanted to. My cat probably thinks I should be happy that she allows me think of her throughout the day as I am picking off pieces of fur.
 
I started to think about how people believe that my cat rules the home and how crazy that is. Then I realized that it's just a way to add humor to life. But then it sunk in and I realized "Who am I kidding?" because the cat is a cat and does run the house; she lets me think that I'm in charge every once in a while.
 
Bobbi and I had fun picking out these earrings this morning. I think purple might be her favorite color even if it kind of clashes with her coloring. However, Donna must have liked purple because it was the 4th largest color collection (silver, black, blue, and then purple).
 

These are a beautiful purple but no matter how many pictures I took, they turned out blue. Found a solution to make them look purple: put them on purple plastic. The color of the purple popped out. The good thing is that I didn't have to dye my hair purple to make the purple "pop" next to my hair!
 
 
 

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Earring 0038 - All that glitters is not gold

Beautiful earrings these are, yet you cannot see how they glitter. No matter how many photos I took, they wouldn't shine even though they had many facets that shown brightly.


O hell! what have we here?
A carrion Death, within whose empty eye
There is a written scroll! I'll read the writing.
All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold.

 William Shakespeare - "The Merchant of Venice" http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold.html

Donna didn't get to wear these earrings. They were still on the original package. She missed something because these are beautiful earrings. "All that glitters" came to mind and I wanted to have a "what does this mean" from someone other than me (I'll add mine but you already know that!). The best answer that I liked was from Aggi74 answered it 8 years ago:
                                                   
"It means that appearances can be deceptive - that is to say, things are not always the way they appear to be. In another manner of speaking, it means that the true value of an object / person is not its external appearance, but its actual substance or what it is made of. "  
 
These are beautiful earrings but when you look at them, they aren't the prettiest. It's when you look closer you can see that there is more to them than you originally thought. How many times have you been turned off by an angry person only to realize later they only needed to vent. Once they got that out of their system, they were really nice people. I'm not saying that goes for everyone but it's usually beneficial to your if you give someone the benefit of doubt. Actually, it's pretty wonderful when you can find that piece of gold that they want to share through kind words.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Earring 0037 - Basic Black

Today's post will be simple just like the earrings I wore today. It's a good thing to have simple things as part of your life to make up for all of the times of busyness and stress. A simple pair of earrings can make the complexity of the day vanish. It's almost like taking a long  soak in a hot bathtub.


Maybe the cat that likes earrings so much helps. She was so busy checking these earrings out and couldn't rub my hand fast enough. It was kind of funny watching her and it was difficult to take a photo. Ironically, before she was on my lap, I had taken about ten photos of the earrings and they were all blurry. After Bobbi got on my lap, the first shot taken was all that was needed.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Earring 0037 - Fireworks


These earrings reminded me of fireworks. It's hard to see but there are silver flecks along with the pink and green. On a hot summer night, we could watch fireworks from the upper bedroom windows. You had to strain some to really see them but you didn't have to strain to hear them. I can remember being really young and only hearing the fireworks as I was falling asleep. For years, I was afraid of the boom noise that they made. Have to admit that I was afraid of thunder also. Somewhere along the line I convinced myself that thunder were the angels bowling and the lightening was when they got a strike. Maybe that's where lightening "strikes" came from? Alright, that's a stretch of the imagination.

We had a bowling alley two blocks away (you had to cut through the alleys and then it was two blocks). It was fine for us kids to go there and watch the bowlers as long as we didn't get in the way. Sometimes strangers would buy you a pop and you could sit at the tables drinking out of a bottle with a straw in it. I remember watching my dad bowl there. Bet my brothers remember dad bowling. I was pretty young when he couldn't bowl anymore, maybe around six or seven, if even that old. Dad had bad knees. Instead of inheriting money, we inherited bad knees. At least we inherited all the good parts of our dad too and that is so much more valuable than good knees.

Dad had a lot of surgeries on his knees. The hospital got to know us kids since it seemed liked we were always there. I got to catch Ed Sullivan once when he was there. He was just getting out of an elevator or going into it. Can't remember which. Something else that was cool was that they had a mail slot that was between the elevators (outside - between the elevator doors). People floors above you would slide their mail into the chute and down it would go. It was another thing in life that could keep me busy -- either that or it had something to do with watching people from different nations using the elevators. Every once in a while mom would give me an envelope to put into the mail slot. Simple joys in life.


I still enjoy sitting by elevators and watching the people come and go. Having a good imagination helps too because you can make up stories about the lives' of these people. Guess when you do that when you're younger, you have a tendency to do that when you're older. Maybe all of these people of different nationalities helped me with acceptance of differences and instead of thinking of them as being different, all I wanted to know was about them. As a kid, there were no language barriers when speaking with people from different countries. I met people from all over the world but it was mostly women because they would take the time for a little kid.

People are like books. They come in different sizes, colors, smells, and have different stories. It's when you open up them up and pay attention to what's inside that you can start to understand.