Just plumb funny

We were watching football last weekend, when we saw the Mastercard commercial with Peyton Manning where he gives a "Pep Talk." You can go to the web site and "personalize" your selected pep talk. Whoever came up with these deserves a raise... pretty funny stuff!

Joy defined

I watch the side door of the school. It's 3:05PM. Out he comes.
I see the huge smile on his face as he starts up the sidewalk.
He's moving less purposefully today. More engrossed in his own world.
He starts to skip.
He skips a few times and then, turns fully around twice
before starting to skip again.
All the while, a knowing smile on his face.
Skip, skip, skip... turning with arms outstretched.
All the way up the sidewalk to the car.
The grin is huge, the joy is palpable.
Unselfconscious joy.
Fully unconcerned with what other might think
of this big 15 year old, skipping and turning.
Oh, to be in his head at this moment.
To see life as he sees it, and then fully understand.
Joy defined.

Being creative

I couldn't quite find the perfect birthday card for my Sissy,
so I decided to try and be creative and design one using photos
I've taken of my friends on Chickadee.
I suppose you can do this in Photoshop, but hubby knew a
sure fire easy way to do it in Powerpoint, and thus,
a one of a kind birthday card was created!
I think it turned out quite nicely!
Huh...Martha Stewart has nothing on me. ;c)

Contemplating?

The rain softly fell on a cold breezy day.
With feathers fluffed, he sat in uncustomary stillness
seeking shelter from the now leafless branches.
Must he be contemplating the winter to come?

Bluebird for my Sissy

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Sissy!

I caught this bluebird just for you!
I noticed a flurry of activity in the front beds and when I
looked more closely, saw several bluebirds eating the berries
from the Liriope. This was taken through the window as I knew
if I raised it, they would have scattered. Click on this cutie!

Fifteen months...
that's all that separates us in age.
We understand one another so well.
We can speak without talking at all.
We know when to encourage and we know when
to just be there with open arms for one another.
We have been through so much.
We are the Purple Sisters.
At the end of the day, it will be you and me baby...
sitting on that beach, fruity drinks in hand, laughing at
the adventure that was our lives.
I love you so very much and am so
happy you are home and close to me again.
Have a glorious day celebrating YOU!

Flicker for me!

Yea! Hooray! I finally got a visit from a Northern Flicker!
I had not seen one in forever, and had
never seen one here on Chickadee.
They are just such cool birds.

In my language

Wow... I can't believe I had not heard of this earlier in the year. It takes some time and compassion to watch, but you will be rewarded in the end when you "hear" this individual with autism "speak" to how his brain works differently from ours. Amazing. Simply amazing.

Oh, but it was so good

My entire family was there plus my cousin, her husband, and their son. My mom put together such a feast. There was broccoli salad, black eyed pea salad, cranberry salad, ham, turkey, dressing, corn, green beans, whipped potatoes with gravy, rolls, and cornbread. The dessert table held a coconut pie, pecan pie, and a berry/rhubarb pie. Uh, I brought... the tea?

There was so much to be thankful for. It was all so very delicious and everyone ate until they had to stand and jump up and down a few times to get it settled enough for pie. I am always amazed at the dinners she can put together. I wish I loved to cook. I wish I even liked to cook. And yet I know that one day, it will be me and my sister doing this. It's almost a lost art in a way. Big family meals now only happen a few times a year. It takes so much preparation and planning to execute such a delight, and yet my talented mommy does it effortlessly. I am in awe really. I always clean up, as the person who cooks all that should never, ever have to clean up. I don't mind cleaning up at all. I am a good cleaner upper.

Today, I will take Sam to the railroad museum as the season is winding down and they will soon close until the spring. We've been so many times, taking the same train ride, but it never gets old for him. As for the mall? Huh, there is not enough money you could offer me. Good luck to all you brave bargain hunters out there.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today I am thankful.
I am so thankful for my family.
I am thankful for life.
I am thankful for all of my blogging
friends who bring a smile to my face daily!

A Very Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Strength

I always knew my sister was strong. Growing up, I was the younger, more compliant and fearful one. I did everything I could not to stretch the boundaries or get into trouble. She on the other hand, lived life with abandon. She was so self-assured, and so self-confident. I so wanted to be just like her. Maybe the stars were such that my Pieces spirit would never be able to have her Sagittarian confidence, but I still dreamed of being able to open my mouth and tell people exactly how I felt.

Over the years, and life experiences, I learned to find myself and appreciate my more tentative and emotional response to life. She softened as well, so we were able to understand each other better, and forge a very strong sister bond. But I've always known that no matter what, she was the stronger one. That is, until she spent 15 years trying to put everyone else first. Oh, her strength was still there, but the internal knowledge of owning her own strength faded away over time.

Yesterday, I welcomed my strong and brave sister back. She stepped out, opened her voice, owned her truth, and put it out there. She was calm, she was composed, and she was at peace once it was all said and done. I felt as if I were standing on the sidelines, cheering on my team, full to bursting with the pride of accomplishment as she relayed to me the conversation she had with He Who Will Never Crush Her Spirit Again. I am so proud of her. I am so in awe of her fortitude and the strength she is taking back. She is reclaiming her life, and in the process, her strong, beautiful spirit is once again shining. I love you so much my sissy. TAWONDA!

Catalog browsing

I got a new catalog in the mail yesterday that I've never seen before. They have some very unique things! As I was flipping through the pages, I saw these very funny wine towels with quotes from W.C. Fields.

I just had to giggle. There has to be something funny about having fifteen to twenty catalogs delivered in your mailbox in one day. Gee, do I catalog shop that much?

"Someone forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live
on nothing but food and water."

"I cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."

"A woman drove me to drink and I never
had the courtesy to thank her."

"Somebody left the cork out of my lunchbox."

Book cover meme

Thanks to Ruthie for a fun meme idea!

The object of the meme is to go to Amazon and type in your name under a book search to see what comes up. Well, I knew that my "Y" would end up being an issue, since I am not a plain Jane, no sir. Sure enough, I mostly got results of Jayne Anne Krentz romance novels, but I did find this fun book when I went to the advanced book search and looked under children's books.


And just where did that "Y" come from you ask? Well, the other results that kept coming up were all about my namesake below.... yep .... the year was 1962... hubba, hubba baby. And, I look sooo much like her too! LOLOLOL!

What kind of flower are you?

Um... lilies are pretty to look at, but boy can they have an... err... odd aroma? :c)

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?

Happy Saturday!

(Had this ready for this morning's posting, and Blogger was being really snarky... )

(A sweet Tufted Titmouse just for Ruthie!)

It was a busy week with our TV appearance on Wednesday. All went well, but the host had not prepared and had no clue why we were there. So, Dr. J and I spent the majority of our five minutes discussing what hyperbaric oxygen is, rather than tooting our horn about our recent accreditation survey. Oh well. At least we got some good exposure for our unit.

Today, I am helping with a Heartsaver CPR class at a local church. It's been a while since I taught the lay public, so it should be fun. Plus, I'll be "monitored" while doing it, and then given my CPR Instructor's card afterwards. They now make you be monitored doing a course before issuing your card. Remember... push hard and push fast! :c)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Attitude is everything

(Making the email circuit, but worth reading.)

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?" So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw
that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and
noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and
noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

~~~

Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet
is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,

Speak kindly...
Leave the rest to God

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

OK, so I had to laugh

Sometimes, you just have to laugh out loud!

I was going through the stacks and stacks of Christmas catalogs in the mail yesterday, when the cover of the What On Earth catalog made me stop and giggle.

I don't know about anyone else, but I am already sick to death of the election talk. You'd think the media are the only people voting. I somehow think Hillary would probably take this likeness of herself as a nutcracker as a compliment and get a good giggle out of it as well.

When change comes

"Change is the essence of life.
Be willing to surrender what you are, for what you could become."

At church Sunday, we had our annual meeting where new members of the Vestry (the 12 people who help lead the church) are elected, and a report is given on the financial status of the church as well as where we've been and where we see ourselves going. At our church, it is incorporated into the service itself as most people don't want to stay afterwards for a meeting, and this way, we meet together so we can all be informed, and we worship at the same time. It seems to work well. I've only been attending this church for two years now, and due to issues at my last parish, I've been guarded in how emotional I've allowed my investment to be there. I feel connected and yet, still sort of standing on the outside at times. But even I could feel there was change in the air. As our priest got up to give his report, and discuss where the church has been, I felt it coming. Sure enough, he opened his mouth to say, "That is why I am announcing my retirement today." You could have heard a pin drop. He's been there for 16 years... and was there at the very beginning when they met in the old county courthouse and then an elementary school before building the current worship space. There were many gulps as tears were held back.

The last Sunday in January will be his last Sunday there. It seems so sudden, and yet, he's at an age where he should be able to slow down and enjoy life a bit. No one begrudges him that. Everyone wants to be happy for he and his wife who have put so much of themselves into this parish which once was only a small mission of a larger area church. But change is hard. Change is unknown. We all know that clergy is not "the church" and that the people will carry it along, and yet, the unknown is hard.

In the Episcopal Church, finding a new pastor is a very deliberate, methodical process. It is done in a very distinct and thoughtful way. A search committee is formed. Surveys are taken of the congregation in terms of where we see ourselves now, where our strengths and weaknesses lie, and what direction we see ourselves going in the next years. That creates a updated profile of our church. Only then is it put out to the national register for potential new ministers to view and decide if we seem like we're a good fit for them. They submit their own resume and if they seem like good potential fit, the search committee may quietly and anonymously make a trip to their current church to see them in action, and to observe their parish life there. The candidates are then narrowed down to a few and only then is a decision made about who might be the best fit for where we are now. An offer is then extended. This process takes anywhere from 12-18 months. In the interim, we have to use supply clergy, or if we are very lucky, we might find an interim rector for the year.

It's a difficult time, no doubt, but a necessary one in order to truly take this time to honestly take a look at where we are and to find the best candidate to help lead us in the direction we see ourselves going. We truly do surrender what we are, for what we might become. Hopefully it will be a very beautiful thing indeed.

Resting spot

This past weekend, we were out working in our front beds when
I saw a grouping of birds high up in the top of the hackberry trees beside
the lower drive. I ran to get my camera and was
smiling as I saw all these pretties
sitting together as if they were just taking a rest
from the feeders and maybe comparing notes?

Fall on Chickadee

Finally, we have some color on Chickadee.
It's been so very dry this year that we wondered
if we'd have any colors at all.
Here we are half way into November and they've
finally emerged in all their glory.

Amazing mums

One thing I learned from my mother-in-law is that having a pretty
bouquet of flowers on your table goes a long way in adding
a touch of beauty and happiness to a room.
And so, I have found that I find myself gravitating towards
the pretty (and inexpensive) bouquets at the grocery store.
It brings me great joy to see them on my table.
I found these amazing mums at the Bi-Lo almost two weeks
ago (I kid you not) and they are still just as glorious as they were then.
I added a pretty ribbon, and they have more than been worth the $5
I paid to have them grace my table.

Time does fly, does it not?

(Time Flies by Bruce Rolff)

We've all heard it said. As kids, adults talked about how fast the years were flying by. For us, an hour was an eternity. Boy, I am so feeling this at this point in my life. As I was looking around for scientific explanations, I came upon this web site which gives an interesting theory. What do you think?

Logtime: The Logarithmic Explanation

Since the linear view of time perception seems inadequate, it is reasonable to look for a non-linear alternative. The observations we make about the apparent shrinkage of our years as we age strongly suggest a logarithmic scale: stretched out at the low end and compressed at the high end.

That our time perception should be logarithmic can be easily rationalized (although proving it is a different matter!). The simple premise of Logtime, from which the logarithmic relationship can be derived (see Appendix ), is that the human mind judges the length of a long period of time, such as a year, by comparing it with current age. For example, a year adds 10% to the life of a ten-year-old, but only 5% to that of a twenty-year-old. For the twenty-year-old, two years are required to add 10%.

The Logtime hypothesis is that it is this percentage that we perceive, not the years themselves: to the twenty-year-old, two years will seem to pass as quickly as one year will seem to the ten-year-old. Similarly, three years to a thirty-year-old and four years to a forty-year-old, etc., will seem to pass equally fast. (This argument was recently found to have been used, comparing a "child of 10" with a "man of 50", by Sorbonne professor of philosophy Paul Janet, date unknown but quoted in an 1890 book by the eminent Harvard philosopher and psychology pioneer William James , who seemed to accept the description but added his own explanation of an underlying psychological cause which would be difficult to analyze quantitatively.)

The Logtime hypothesis is consistent with the widely accepted description of the perception of physical stimuli commonly referred to as the "Weber-Fechner law" . For time perception, clock time (calendar age) is the "stimulus". Weber-Fechner has been found to be only an approximation over a limited stimulus range, and this would probably be the case for aging perception if objective measurements were possible.

The older we become, the faster we seem to age or, conversely, the shorter the years seem to be. Mathematically, this relationship is said to be either logarithmic or exponential, depending on which variable is used as the reference: the length of the years seems to shrink logarithmically if we regard our subjective aging as uniform, while the speed of passage of these years seems to increase exponentially if we regard the years as being of equal length. Using other terminology, our sense of aging follows an arithmetic progression while the corresponding calendar years follow a geometric progression.

The Logtime hypothesis probably applies to all time intervals, not just years and seasons. Our days and hours should be similarly shrinking as we age, but short-term psychological factors tend to dominate, making the shrinkage less obvious.

When we are young, the changing nature of our lives tends to obscure the shrinking years: the twenty-year-old rarely thinks about how life was at age 10; life at 20 is filled with different activities and concerns, and it is the future that dominates reverie. (The twenty-year-old may be loath to admit to even having been 10, let alone suffer the remembrance of it!)

It is only after life becomes more settled and routine that we become more retrospective, and only then do we have an easier basis for comparing the years. However, we tend to adjust to our changing time scale, and our declining physical abilities tends to conceal the nature of the underlying change: since we see ourselves as "slowing down", we accept that life around us seems to go faster. (Of course, if you accelerate down the road, the passing scenery also accelerates!*)

Mrs. Grosbeak visits

I was certainly surprised to look out and see her!
Welcome back dearie! So where's your hubby?

Push hard and push fast

On Tuesday, and again today, I am taking the AHA's CPR Instructor Course in order to be our unit's dedicated re-certifying person for our staff. I was a Red Cross instructor back in the 80's and even took this AHA course in the early 90's to assist the home health agency I worked for at the time in keeping staff up to date.

Every five years, the AHA brings together all the smart heart minds and decides upon any changes and recommendations to update how we teach CPR. The updates in 2005, which were implemented in 2006 changed a good bit. The new rule across the board is to "push hard and push fast." They found that people were losing valuable time rechecking for pulses and breathing when they were not adequately moving blood through the heart. So now, the ratio is 30:2 across the board (with the only exception being 2-man CPR for a child or infant which will be 15:2) and so you now do only ONE initial pulse check before starting your 30 compressions to 2 breaths, and you continue this cycle until advanced life support (ambulance crew) arrives to take over. The advent of AED's in the public have greatly increased chances for survival, and have become easier and easier to use. I encourage everyone to learn the basic steps of CPR. You just never know when you might need to know what to do to help save a life. Check here to find a training site near you.

From the AHA website, here are the updates for 2005...

The 5 major changes in the 2005 guidelines
are these:
• Emphasis on, and recommendations
to improve, delivery of effective chest
compressions
• A single compression-to-ventilation
ratio for all single rescuers for all victims
(except newborns)
• Recommendation that each rescue
breath be given over 1 second and should
produce visible chest rise
• A new recommendation that single shocks,
followed by immediate CPR, be used to
attempt defibrillation for VF cardiac arrest.
Rhythm checks should be performed every
2 minutes.
• Endorsement of the 2003 ILCOR
recommendation for use of AEDs in
children 1 to 8 years old (and older); use a
child dose-reduction system if available.

They're back!

Most of the Goldfinch headed north to nest in the late summer with only a few stragglers hanging around. I have missed them and their distinctive chirping. Recently, I found this really cool thistle feeder from Gardener's Supply, and filled it up in anticipation of their return.

It hung out there untouched for several weeks, except for the occasional House Finch trying to eat from it. Finally, this past weekend, I saw movement on the feeder and saw at least seven or so Goldfinch on it. They seem to love it and have already emptied half the seed! It's so good to have them back.

Unexpected surprise

As Sam and I were leaving the neighborhood yesterday morning, we passed the ponds at the entrance to our subdivision where there are two huge dead trees. I always look towards them as you never know what you might see. In September, I saw the eleven Turkey Vultures roosting there.

As I glanced over, I viewed this lovely sight. A Belted Kingfisher looking for an early morning snack! Another lifer for me! I did a quick U-turn to rush home for my camera, praying the entire way that he'd still be there when we got back.

He was framed so beautifully with the changing leaves behind him. I was snapping away hoping at least one image would be in focus. What a great way to start the day.

P.S. A Very Happy Birthday to my sweet hubby! We celebrated this past weekend, but today is the actual day, so now I can tease him for being 'as old as' me. :c)

Mrs. Purple Finch

I looked out to see these pretty female Purple Finches
eating along side the males yesterday.
There are probably four or five males and three or
so females I've seen at one time.

I could just stare at their raspberry brilliance all day long!

Purple vs. House

I am rather enthralled by these beautiful finches
and when I looked out this morning, I saw the perfect
contrast demonstrated with the Purple Finch on the
upper perch and the male House Finch below him.
I hope they stick around for a bit...
oh, and I *think* I had a fleeting glance of a
Pine Siskin this morning as well!
We shall see what the day reveals.

A lifer for me!

I was on the phone on Thursday when I looked out to see what I thought
was a House Finch, but when I grabbed the binocs, it looked a bit
too red. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was not
a House Finch, but a real, honest-to-goodness Purple Finch!
It took off before I could get off the phone and grab the camera
but came back yesterday afternoon with more friends.

Aren't they glorious? I've never, ever had them at any feeders
since I've been feeding the birds for 20 years.
Maybe God knew I needed a good end to my week. :c)

P.S. Sam had a great day on Friday.

One of those weeks

(Before a great vision can become reality there may be difficulty. Before a person begins a great endeavor, they may encounter chaos. As a new plant breaks the ground with difficulty, foreshadowing the huge tree, so must we sometimes push against difficulty in bringing forth our dreams. - "Out of Chaos, Brilliant Stars are Born")

Autism has not been my friend this week. Maybe it's just growing pains, or maybe it's just plain ole' testosterone, but Sam has has his brain in chaos since Tuesday. He has gotten angry over the slightest, silliest things and some of these incidents have escalated to the point where he lost control. He pinched his dear parapro on Wednesday, and yesterday he bopped her on the chin. I knew when he got in the car yesterday it was going to be a long drive home. Ms T had already called me on her cell before he left to let me know what had transpired and told Sam she had to let mom know. He hates for me to be upset with him, which I guess is a good thing, but I was on my seventh day straight going to work, and was not looking forward to that long drive home. Trying to figure out how his brain processes things and what might have set him off is like trying to do a six star Sodoku at times. He can't articulate it. He only knows that he has lost the treat of going to McDonald's this week. He alternately cried and was angry as we tried to sort out what happened and discussed why it's never OK to hit anyone when we are feeling angry or anxious. Oh, he knows better, but sometimes in the moment, he just reacts. I couldn't make much sense at all of why it happened, as we're not so great answering "why" questions.

I just tried to hold it together as I could feel my own resolve breaking as my brain struggled to understand "why" as well. Why me? Why autism? Why my child? Why my life? What could, should, would it have been like without all this to understand? It all just poured out of me once we were home. I sobbed as, I too, struggled to understand when sometimes there is just nothing to understand.

Once he was all calmed down, we called Ms T to apologize and let her know that Friday would be a better day. There will be no McDonald's after school today as a reminder that there are always consequences. We'll try again next week. Next week, we can start all over again, trying to understand.

Oops, she caught me

Pretty Tufted Titmouse flying in quickly to nab a seed.