What is so rare....

These last days of June are perfect here in the Midwest. The breeze is cool but not too, the sun is bright but not blazing and life is good. Well except that I am staining the house that grew up. There is nothing like covering a house with stain and a roller to make you realize how much it grew. My original plan has been resized. I was planning on an overall stain but am beginning to think there are many areas that still look fine from the last staining. When a house grows in stages there are older and newer sections. I'm thinking the older stages can come first and the newer ones might wait a year or two. The fun part will be the pigbarn or loony bin. The tip top. That great guy Stan is still working while I'm vacationing??? He is getting the heeby jeebies thinking about me hanging out the windows of the pigbarn which is my solution to reaching the top. My butt, being very heavy, I will sit on that while hanging out and I'm sure that I will be sufficiently anchored. I guess he wants to be here in case I fall so he can watch.

Something good happened last night. I remembered a dream. I don't very often. It was about work. We were having an assembly where someone gets up and tells us how much we are doing and how much better we could do it. Before anyone could speak, I noticed two janitors, three actually, but I can't name the last one. O'Dell and Booker are the two I can name. They all looked overworked and sore. I immediately dashed onto the stage ahead of the speaker and asked if they would like to see some Yoga stretches. O'Dell (steady, loyal and ornery) nodded and Booker (serious schemer) just watched. Think the third guy watched also. I did a cobra, pose of the child combination. If you aren't familiar, the cobra consists of raising up on your arms while lying face down so that your back stretches at the waist. The pose of a child begins on all fours, then you push back with your hands; butt rises and face touches the floor, relaxing pose. Anyway my back bend was very deep and the feeling was exquisite. I remember O'Dell joining me and Booker hesitating.

Recently I took a cd from the library by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, she explained the basics for interpreting dreams. I was able to conclude that I was feeling trapped at work with other trappees. I stold the spotlight and showed a way to heal and find freedom in the positions. That's it in the concise form. It gave me a valuable insight. I recommend the cd but don't recall the name. Anyone out there who does know more about dreams I would like to hear from you.

Isn't Curly glowing?

Bitter and the Sweet

We lost our oldest dog Woka, she was Bernie's mom, and she always kept his ears clean. We put her down because she was ill and it was the day before we left for vacation.

The trip was good, great guy saw someone he hasn't seen in years and met some wonderful new people. I got to spend more time with Curly and Many Hats and their mom. Cocky stayed home with her dad. Curly introduced me to "iddy biddy birds" which is what she was calling horseflies. I love her logic. Stan and I now have a new name for flies. I had a bad cold the whole time but Stan climbed the dunes and had a lot of fun with our guests.

On the last day we learned that someone Stan cared about had died. He was saddened by the news. We stopped at his son's in another town on our way home. His new daughter is precious.

We got home safe and sound. The next day I rescued Cocky from her experiment in hair color. She was red and she only wanted a highlight. She is still red but has more highlights and looks cool. Today I got to see two good friends, Latin Rapunzel and Alabama Annie. Life is sweet.

5 more days.....

...until the big vacation at Lake Michigan. We are all anticipating a great time and a wonderful get together with relatives, some mine and some great guy's. Some we saw yesterday and some not for a while. My 3 grandgirls will be there, Many Hats, Curly(#3) and Cocky(#1). Cocky is 13 and definitely her nickname, (quiet, confident with a sharp, quick wit).

I had lunch with Curly and Many Hats on saturday. We ate at Triangle Park which has a pond on the property stocked with catfish(humungus!), geese and a swan and swanlette. Curly was very happy because she likes to feed "duckies" and they are her favorite bird. Many Hats was enamoured with the baby swan and quite vexed that the catfish were getting the baby swan's food first. The waitress gave us a lot of stale bread and we were the first feeders that day so we had a good reception. Curly really liked it. Oh yeah our lunch was delish too.

By the way, Latin Rapunzel, Many Hats wants to see you. It may be a week before there is more from here but there will be much to report about our big camping trip.

The spirit meditates

This week I attempted to escape my farmer work or your worth nothing background. It isn't easy. I attended a meditation class. The class was 90 minutes long. We were encouraged to choose a chair or cushions on the floor. I being a smart yogi showoff brought my own pillows and sat lotus fashion on them. After about 50 minutes of the pillows and constantly shifting position my butt was screeching, "enough already. " I decided to continue sitting and told my butt to relax which it wasn't doing very well. It seemed it like screeching better. After 60 minutes it was saying, "Let's get out of here." Since I couldn't find a way to leave with out disturbing the other participants, who were sitting quietly, I remained seated. Though I did try to think of some way to leave inobtrusively and the only thing I could think of that would work was to disappear in thin air and so far I haven't mastered that trick. My butt was not relaxing so I told it that it could choose between the pillows or the chair. The last ten minutes were the fastest and that chair was the most comfortable I've been in for quite a while. Actually the whole 90 min. went quickly except for the screeching.

The next day I had an awareness about the prior evening. I wasn't good at being in the moment. I can be there when I think about it for about 30 seconds then I have to think about it again because I forget where I am. There was nothing to do but be in the moment on the pillows with my bottom in pain. I could have left or moved to the chair but still I was there in that room and in the stillness. The leader was directing me to focus on my breath and to find the source of my breath. Two simple assignments that are often very difficult to maintain. The source of my breath and my breath are not the most fascinating things to focus on however I am very grateful for both. I am also more aware of the things in life that are going on, like the cotton clouds and the many shades of green in the leaves. Each day has so much to offer if I will only look. The way my white shephard cocks her head and watches me when I say her name. The way my cat shuts up her nagging meow when I stroke her back. Things that could be considered mundane can be of interest if given attention. It is good to be aware.

Moist morning

Walking to Curves this morning I noticed the rain has stopped. We had a heavy drumming rain from about 2 a.m. until 5:00 +. At least the times I woke up it was raining. It was so relaxing and steady that I didn't wake up for the first two gongs from my tibetan alarm clock, but my back up alarm (great guy Stan) said, "Hey that's the second ding, wake up." Anyway back to walking downtown this morning. All the sidewalks were dark from the water, the bricks were a different color and the plants were drooping from the raindrops. Flowers observing the earth below unable to raise their heads because of water weight. The landscape seemed painted with a new brush. Quiet reigned over what would later become noisy engines, brakes and squeaks. How infrequently we find peace. How luxurious when we do.