Category Archives: Thoughts On Life

Gifts

Thoughts On Life, , ,

20150314_171048

This figure was a gift from my friend Tina. I keep it out all year because it represents so many things to me. It reminds me of the dogs I rescue. And the gift that these dogs are. And I, of course, think of the friend who gave it to me when I see it. Tina has since left this world but her gifts have not. Her gift of friendship and the thoughtful attention she showed in giving are still with me.

So although this is a Christmas gift and it brings to mind the gifts of hope, and peace, and love, I find it to be appropriate throughout the year. It is a reminder that I should try to  exhibit these traits and be a better person.  These are ideas that I want to keep close to me the whole year long.

Happy Harry London Day!

Thoughts On Life, ,

20150216_212109

This was the 10th annual Harry London Day.  What, you haven’t heard of that holiday? It might be because there are only two of us who celebrate it. It usually coincides with President’s Day. I have that day off from work and it is usually the first Monday after Valentine’s Day.  This is significant. At Harry London’s they make delicious, fine chocolates. The original purpose of Harry London Day was for my daughter and me to go to the Harry London production and sales facility to procure many fine chocolates at discounted prices. All the chocolates from past holidays, namely Valentine’s Day and a few things that remain from Christmas, are 50-75% off. Pictured above is my haul from this year. This chocolate does last us for a long time which is good because that tin contains 6 lbs. of chocolate. My daughter and I have been celebrating this holiday since she was in high school and this was the 10th year for it.

The significance of this holiday has grown far beyond that of its origins. After the first couple of years it also became known as Mommy-Daughter Day. It is a day that is just for us. First we go to the chocolate factory, then we shop at World Market and look at exotic things. This is usually followed by a trip to the pet store and then a craft store. At this point we are famished and stop for lunch and to hang out for a while. The lunch location varies by year depending on what we decide will be fun that day. This year was IHOP for some more decadence. Raspberry, white chocolate chip pancakes for me and chocolate pancakes with chocolate chips for her. From that point we went back to shopping and as always ended up at the bookstore to rejoice in the magic that such places hold. And of course we take the gems we have gleaned from the shelves back to a table, and again hang out.

Once again, the significance of something in my life is about love. How fortunate I am! Something that 10 years ago started out as a physical pursuit, is about the love and enjoyment of time spent. When my daughter was still in high school, I offered one year to let her invite a friend along with us, thinking that it might make the day more fun for her. I was met with the response, “No, it’s Mommy-Daughter Day!” What a blessing. This girl (young woman now) wants to spend time with just me. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world either. Now we start the countdown months in advance. We plan so that we can savor the anticipation. Although it is still referred to around our home as Harry London Day, it is so much more. The chocolate is a nice side benefit but the real miracle is the love.

P.S.  I notice that the tags for this post read Chocolate, Daughter, Love. Quite similar to Eat, Pray, Love. This day of the year does help sustain me.

Girls like to be Pretty

Dogs & Other Animals, Thoughts On Life,

20150214_134558

 

Phoebe is no different than any other girl. She likes to feel pretty. She loves her necklaces and sweaters. For Valentine’s Day she got a new necklace. (One dollar at Walmart. ) I held it up and she hurried over and stood in front of me so that I could put it on her. She also loves her sweaters. She waits for you to put those on her too. I don’t think it’s so much what she is wearing as the fact that she gets loads of attention when she is wearing it.

20150214_134338

 

That’s ok, it’s as much fun for us as it is for her!

Still Life

Country Life, Thoughts On Life

20150124_153447

This picture, taken on our side porch, speaks volumes about my life. In the foreground is dog paraphernalia. A leash with choker collar so those needle nosed rescue shelties can’t get away. An Elizabethan collar from two foster dogs ago. Baxter ‘ s frisbee is there. A tote bag for my library books. Plants that I brought in to winter over:  a fig tree, a seckel pear sapling, a cutting from our ancient azalea. And behind that, catnip and thyme that are dry and waiting  to be stripped from their branches and stored. Not to mention everything is on the table where we sometimes eat dinner in warmer weather. So much to be gleaned from an ordinary photo.  Simplicity can speak volumes.

Green Bowls of Love

Thoughts On Life

20150115_064147

I love these green bowls!  For one thing they are green. And a very pretty shade too.  They  collapse for storage so they take up less room.  What a  nifty idea. Or you can use them in the collapsed state with something like taco dip in the center and tortilla chips in the outer ring.  Usually I use them for parties since they are large and hold a lot of food. So these bowls make me think of  fun.

20150115_064455

My favorite thing about these  bowls though is that they were a gift from  my sister-in-law, so every time I use them I think of her. She has a set of them and liked them so well that she thought I would enjoy having a set as well.

So these bowls serve two metaphorical purposes for me. One, they remind me to be grateful for the common, everyday things that I encounter in my life. They remind me to see more than what is in front of my face. And two, they remind me of love. I think of the kindness and thoughtfulness that was involved with the giving of them. And how awesome it is that I have a sister-in-law that I love. As I used to tell my daughter when she was in school, your actions can make or break someone’s day. You can be the bright spot that affects how they feel. Your actions, be it a smile or a kind gesture, can have far reaching effects, quite possibly more than you will ever know.

The Good Decision

Thoughts On Life

Wygelia

Today I was going to make an unkind statement about someone. The person wasn’t present and the statement was true. Then I asked myself, “Why?” Why say it? Sometimes venting is good but was it really necessary in this case? Would it serve any purpose, would it improve on the silence? And would it be kind?  So I bit my tongue and remained silent. It was hard.

This sent me on a philosophical trip through my mind.  It tends to get crowded in there so this took a while.  If it took so much effort to stay quiet and not make the comment, was it worth it?  Why not just say the idea, be done with it and move on?  I have Gandhi’s “10 Fundamentals for Changing the World” posted near my desk. I looked at the list and by not making the statement I was honoring 8 of the 10 items on the list.  I want to change the world. Please, note that I mean for the better!  So this time I prevailed and made a minute difference in the universe.

But it was not easy.  Is it easy to do the right thing and make good decisions?  I conclude that it is not.  If it were, the world and everyone in it would be happy, upstanding, and contributing to the betterment of society.  Sadly, we know this is not the case.  So I believe that it is worth the effort to make the hard decisions.  Hopefully next time, this type of decision will be just a little bit easier for me.

Namaste.

It’s here. New blog underway!

Thoughts On Life

20141225_110120

Hi! I’m planning to write about animals,  animal rescue work, and the country lifestyle. This will include things like cooking, gardening, and other things that might come up in daily life. Pictured are Baxter and Shelby showing how much fun we have around here.

Sanctuary Acres is what I decided to call my home many years ago.  It was my hope that it would provide safety and peace for all who entered, both animal and human. And so we begin!