Monday, January 30, 2012

Metaphors and Analogies

Winter is hanging on....
although
February will soon kiss
sweet little January goodbye!
With sky so blue
I wonder...
Will Winter cover our world in a blanket of white?

Happy Monday!
With love and hugs
xo

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Just thinking...


"He who overcomes
others is strong,
He who overcomes
himself
is mighty."
~Laozi


With love and hugs.
xo

Monday, January 23, 2012

YAY!





You all know how much I love...
The Giants vs. The Patriots!!

Go New York!


With love and hugs.
xo

Thursday, January 19, 2012

A Double Dose


And hugs.
xo

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Tell Congress NO!

Tell Congress NO!
Go to Google...Sign the Petition!
Tell Your Friends and neighbors!


With love and hugs.
xo

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Red



"An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere,
 while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight...
 the truly wise person
 is colorblind."


~Albert Schweitzer

Be safe.
With love and hugs.
xo





Monday, January 16, 2012

Social Networking


We never know what life has in store for us.
I know that sometimes it appears that some people are happier,
healthier, and sometimes, just plain luckier than me. Life has given me a smorgasborg of experiences. Some happier than others. Today was one of the happier ones so many years ago. It was when my first nephew was born. It was January 16th, but it was a Sunday. And, it was Super Bowl Sunday! I was away at college, and a telegram arrived announcing his birth. Except, Western Union got it wrong. It read "Janie" has arrived. It was supposed to read.."Jamie" has arrived. I remember feeling sad and homesick that I wasn't able to join in the festivities and celebration. A new baby boy! Miami to NJ was way too far for a visit. My only connection back home was an occasional letter from my Mom, or a collect phone call on a Sunday evening. How times have changed. Today, that little baby boy is all grown up! He calls Las Vegas his home, and he has his own baby girl. Actually, 2 girls! Consequences kept us distant and apart for so long. Facebook and a woman  changed all of that! I am so very grateful! A very special Happy Birthday, James! May your dreams come true!

With love and hugs.
xo

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Dancing With The Moon


Trees, proud standing people
stretching fingertips to the sky, reaching, praying
glorious attention, breathing light,
strength
shelter
timeless confidence
bending and firm
comforting
rooted chorus line
dancing with the moon, the wind, the clouds
framing bursts of stars
tender rugged celebration
absorbing and releasing life
each holy branch holding
the power of the Universe.
There.

~Wallace Stevens

With love and hugs.
xo

Monday, January 9, 2012

Paperwhites


Happy Monday from my kitchen to yours!
With love and hugs.
xo

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Twenty Twelve


20 Ways to Get Good Karma in 2012.


1.Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2.When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s:

- Respect for self,

- Respect for others and

- Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke  of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and

think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

~The Dali Lama~

Happy Weekend!
With love and hugs.
xo

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Turkey Vulture and a Patient Cat

'The rugged old Norsemen spoke of death as Heimgang-"home-going".
So the snow- flowers go home when they melt and flow to the sea, and the rock ferns, after unrolling their fronds to the light and beautifying the rocks, roll them up close again in the Autumn and blend with the soil. Myriads of rejoicing living creatures, daily, hourly, perhaps every moment sink into death's arms, dust to dust, spirit to spirit-waited on, watched over, noticed only by their maker, each arriving at its own Heaven-dealt destiny. All the merry dwellers of the trees and streams, and the myriad swarms of the air, called into life by the sunbeam of a summer morning, go home through death, wings folded perhaps in the last red rays of sunset of the day they were first tried. Trees towering in the sky, braving storms of centuries, flowers turning faces to the light for a single day or hour, having enjoyed their share of life's feast-all alike pass on and away under the law of death and love. Yet all are our brothers and they enjoy life as we do, share Heaven's blessings with us,
die and are buried in hallowed ground, come with us out of eternity and return into eternity.' "Our lives are rounded with a sleep."

-John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir-

Do you see the patient cat?
Cobblewood Road
November, 2011

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Seventy Six Days...


Until Spring!


Love and Hugs.
xo

Monday, January 2, 2012

Sugar Coated Weekend

There is a sugar coated mountain in Maine. Otherwise known as "Sugarloaf".
Located in the Carrabassett Valley of Western Maine, the "Loaf" is the setting of my brother and sister-in-law's new weekend home. We took a trip there last week to visit. A long drive from New Jersey, it's about 9 hours from home. It was so worth the drive! Once we arrived, the strong winds just about blew us in the door! I could not believe my eyes. What a spectacular place! The quality of the craftsmanship and the details in the design and interior left me speechless. I felt as if  I was in the setting of Country Living Magazine shoot. Perfection! The log interior is bright and light. With an outstanding view of the 'Loaf' from the great room windows, the mountain becomes a magnet from dawn to dusk. The trails were snow covered, but there was little snow compared to most New England winters. It made for hiking and exploring rather easy, and definitely enjoyable. Surrounded by our family and friends, we learned in a very short time that it's easy to fall in love with the 'Loaf'.
We celebrated Kim's Birthday, we chilled in the sunshine, we toasted with the kids, and we met and fell in love with the newest member of the clan, Miss Bailey. What a little pip she is! And, as if we needed to party some more, we were also lucky to be at the 1st New Years Eve bash! There was live music and dancing and bubbles in the air! There were fireworks on the mountain, and a dusting of snow to complete the festivities! The photos give a little sneak peek, and I woke up this morning looking for the Mountain!
A fabulous time was had by all. My Mom could only say..."WOW"!!
Happy New Year and I hope yours is sugar coated!
With love and hugs.
xo