Thoughts and Pics to Celebrate My Birthday

So today I'm a year older. I'm older now, so I don't greet the day with a huge smile and great expectations of cake and candles as I used to. It's just as well - the number of candles that the poor cake would be asked to hold would melt the frosting. But I did awaken to sweet birthday greetings from several on-line friends as well as cards from my friend Poo in California and my father-by-marriage. I ended up smiling in spite of myself due to the kindness of others :D

I love cupcakes, and these look so delicious and happy.

My DH is giving me a nice chunk of $ from our income tax refund so that I can get a new computer built by my computer guru. I'll slip the money over to a separate account next week, but then hold on until after Bead & Button Show so that I can determine how much money I'll actually have available to add to what DH is giving me. I know what I want won't be cheap but I'm hoping that Dale and I can come up with something killer that will hold me for many years.

Dale has built more than 50,000 computers over the years. I know
he'll put a killer system together for me. It will be so nice
to have something less clunky that actually works efficiently.

I'm an adopted child, so not really cushy mother/daughter, but I'm in a mood for celebrating my birth today through picture. So the pics I have chosen today are parents and their babies. OH - AND BEFORE I FORGET...Some of you may have seen this earlier on a friend's post, but for Cute Baby Kittens, check out the live camera feed of these newborns... Now for pics for the day...

Starting out - I love giraffes. They're so amazing and graceful.

I'm afraid I'm not 100% sure about what kind of animal
this is, but it's so cute and I love the eyes.

Who can resist baby kitties - even the larger kind like this cougar?

Oooooh, penguins. This King penguin's wing over the
younger one is so cute!

So there you have it, parents and their children showcased through a variety of beasties to celebrate my own birthday in the style that I love. I hope each of you reading have a great weekend, and if you can afford the calories, eat a piece of cake, a cupcake or a cookie for me.

One Positive Step-One Step to Go and a Look at Minnesota

Yesterday afternoon the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Freedom to Marry bill to allow same-sex marriages in the state. Now the bill goes on to the Senate where it is expected to pass. I'm not counting on anything until we've achieved true success and the bill is signed into law, but we've taken one more very important step in the right direction.

The first battle is won but the war still rages on. One more
hurdle to pass.

I was on my computer last night sending an email to my Senator and urging him to vote in favor of the bill. I'm not 100% sure when it comes up in the calendar, but the session is winding down so I expect it to be soon. I really want this signed into law before the end of the legislative session this year. I want to be living in a state that acknowledges civil liberties in the manner of our heritage.

Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes. This is one from
the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on the border with Canada.

Minnesota has a proud heritage of being at the forefront of liberal ideals and causes. We have had serious movers and shakers coming from the ranks of those who lived in this land of 10,000 lakes. So as I move into a weekend and salute mothers tomorrow, I thought I'd take a little time to celebrate my adoptive state.

I've loved Prince for many years - so talented (and not too
bad looking either).

Famous musicians include LaVerne, Maxene and Patti Andrews (The Andrews Sisters), Bob Dylan, Judy Garland and Prince Rogers Nelson

E G Marshall left a large legacy of film roles behind him.

Actors include E.G. Marshall, William Demarest, Jessica Lange, Jane Russell, Wynona Rider and Kevin Sorbo.

F Scott Fitzgerald - such a pretty boy.

On this weekend of "Gatsby" (new movie) opening in the theatres, authors from Minnesota include F Scott Fitzgerald, Garrison Keillor, Sinclair Lewis, and in a related publication - Charles Schultz of "Peanuts" fame.

Hubert Horatio Humphrey was Vice President under Lyndon Johnson and
ran for President in 1968 where he lost to Richard Nixon.

And of course I can't ignore the politicians - both good and bad from my adoptive state. These include two vice presidents - Hubert Horatio Humphrey and Walter Mondale, an infamous senator Eugene J McCarthy, and a Supreme Court Justice - Warren E Burger.

Walter Mondale was Vice President under Jimmy Carter and ran
for President in 1984, losing to Ronald Reagan.

Are there others? Of course there are. Like any state in the union, we have had our famous and our infamous people and I'm sure there are many that you could add to my small sampling above. In fact, I can think of at least four more actors right now. But like all lists, this must come to an end. Have a wonderful Friday...

It's the Little Things that Matter

In my day yesterday, it was the little things that pulled the day from just OK into WONDERFUL. Just little things like...

Target got a bit of my money. I bought a new bathroom carpet for my guest bathroom and a full-length mirror for the 3/4 bath. The carpet is bright, sunny yellow - so pretty and happy. The room is small with yellow ceramic tiling, black and floral wallpaper and a floor of tile in pale tones of grey, yellow and blue. I have had a blue and white striped carpet in there for years, but it was disintegrating so it was time for a change. This one is a warm and sunny yellow and VERY soft. My feet approve!

That's what I need to remember. Despite the weight, I'm
still a pretty good looking XX-year-old broad!

The mirror was something I have been wanting for many years. Now that I'm serious about losing weight I really wanted to be able to look at myself realistically, not in my mind's eye. The mind is a liar. My mind tells me that my body is a lot better looking than in reality. And even though I've lost weight, I have a long way to go. A truthful mirror is essential to my success. So I spent the money and bought a full-length mirror and mounted it on my door yesterday. DH hasn't seen it yet. He'll probably notice it this morning. He might pitch a fit because I put screws into the door, but if we sell the house, they can buy the mirror too. I think I could afford a new one if we were to move.

I was very careful at the grocer yesterday, figuring that I can pop back over again later in the week if I need to. I got two pounds of strawberries and a bag of oranges, but since I still had grapes I didn't pick up more of those. I did get chicken which I made for dinner. Yummy! It's the first time in weeks that my Wednesday grocery shopping has been less than $50. My funds are very limited this month, so that was a VERY good thing.

The infamous "Plot Twist" - gotta love it!

I had a fantastic talk with my friend Aearwen in the afternoon. We talk every week and it's always fun, but this time we delved into plot development, backstory fill-in and Point-of-View theories in several original fiction pieces that we are working on. We bounced ideas off each other, talked about particular issues and possibilities in plot twists and turns, and generally had such fun that I was very surprised when I checked my computer and realized I had been on the phone with her for more than an hour. I could easily have talked longer, but those chicken breasts don't cook themselves, so I had to sign off.

Squeezing in some writing unfortunately did NOT come with
an omelette attached, but it had its own rewards.

I actually did get a bit of writing done yesterday too, although not as much as I wanted. My latest short story is being squeezed out one little bit at a time. I really want to get back to working on my latest o-fic instead, but I have to finish the short story first. Both of the stories are compelling to me and they are screaming at me from opposite sides of my head like two children calling for attention. *sigh* It's so unfair. After a few weeks of nothing knocking at my mental door, I now have two suitors calling for my time, each carrying gifts and flowers. Which to choose....

I have a new bumper sticker for my car and my DH will be MOST
upset with my putting it on, but I don't care! Gay Rights are Civil Rights
and are LONG overdue. This has to pass!

Finally, today is a very important vote for same-sex marriage rights in the state of Minnesota, so I'll be using the picture above as my avatar today and even though I haven't checked in on FaceBook for a couple of weeks, if I do I'll switch my pic there for the day also. Cross your fingers that this passes now - we need to extend true civil rights in all aspects to all of our populace.

Spring - It's Finally Here - Baby Celebration

Well, today is the seventh day without snow on the ground or falling from the skies, and even though we may get some rain today, the temperatures won't fall low enough for it to turn into flakes. So...I am officially declaring WINTER IS OVER (and it's about time)! Therefore, in celebration of the new grass coming in, the new leaves budding out on the trees, and the flowers bravely trying to come up in the beds throughout my city, I am going to post pictures of young things because we were all young once. Don't forget to allow yourself to remain young at heart no matter what the calendar says and enjoy the pics below...

Yes, this is a rat with a stuffed teddy bear (mini of course). Too cute!!!

Ooooh! Baby hedgehogs! I'm totally in love!

To my eyes this looks like a baby owl jumping for joy. I'm not sure
it's an owl, but I am sure it's really cute!

And finally (for pics) a reminder to live dangerously and hang
on for the ride. This baby fox has a great lesson for us in such a cute way!

Finally, give yourself an opportunity to catch the Google animation today (with headphones on because it's Dave Brubeck's jazz accompanying the graphics). Google is celebrating Saul Bass' 93rd birthday with wonderful graphics and Dave Brubeck playing "Unsquare Dance". Worth the listen, worth the look. Have a wonderful Wednesday...

Hope

Never give up hope. It's a word that's easy to say but hard to live when your life has crashed around you. But the rescue of three kidnapped women from a Cleveland, Ohio home late yesterday has brought hope back to three families who had been clinging to gossamer threads for more than ten years. A set of situations coalesced to allow Amanda Berry and two other women along with a six-year-old child to be rescued from a run down house in Cleveland. They had been kidnapped and held for ten years or more by three brothers. Their rescue was nothing short of miraculous - a neighbor hearing a woman calling out for help forced the front door open, allowing the women to leave and phone 911. A neighborhood and a city are celebrating today.

Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were two of the women rescued yesterday.

My latest novel centers around never losing hope. Although I'm only a few chapters into it, that seems to be the thread that will hold it all together. As always, when I start writing something outside of the Tolkien universe I needed to break away from the writing to do some research. Fortunately, research can be fun, especially in this age of the internet, Google and You Tube, so all is good. I'm dreaming of the story so I feel comfortable with how it is progressing. I also have two short stories in the Tolkien universe in the works and they are turning into a lot of fun, so I'm back into a writing groove again.

So many things to do, so many things to look at.
Bead & Button Show is the largest bead show in the
nation. I've attended every year since the mid-1990's.

Good experiences can create hope and for me, my annual experience is the Bead & Button Show. I always look at this week of classes, social engagements and friends with hope that it will be an amazing week and that everyone I meet will be happy to have shared this time with me. I received my badges and tickets in the mail yesterday. Nothing ever seems real until I'm holding these in my hand. But in less than a month, I'll be in Milwaukee enjoying the experience of being surrounded by creative people, learning new ways to play with metal and fire, and trying to not spend money that I don't have. I'll be paying this vacation off until late this year but it's worth it. I finally got the classes paid off in March, then I paid for my trip to Chicago when I paid down my credit card bill yesterday, and now I'll have a hotel bill to pay off until the end of the summer. Attending the show usually gives me nine months of paying my credit card down, but seeing good friends and the high of being with people who are creative and artistic - well, as the commercial says, "Priceless".

Hope is a small flame, but it must never be extinguished.

Hope is such a human emotion. It buoys us up in rough waters, gives us strength to forge on when everything looks dire, and pushes us to do our absolute best. It is hope that keeps someone diagnosed with a serious  disease to keep fighting, it is hope that keeps a parent in difficult circumstances focus on raising a child to do have a better life, and it is hope that allows me to think that someday, in an unforeseeable future, there will be peace on this planet. I refuse to give up my hope. 

Celebrating Cinco and Music

We had a marvelous Cinco de Mayo yesterday. DH started the day out with Chorizo omelettes and we ended the day with steak burritos. Between meals we were glued to the TV as the Minnesota Wild won Game 3 in our round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And we capped the day off by watching The Amazing Race final. All in all it was a great day. I didn't do any writing but I did beta the next chapter of Lai's latest so I accomplished something, at least.

Cinco is always a good time. This colorful sign
seems to be full of celebration.

Those of my friends from outside the US may wonder - what's up with Cinco de Mayo? Well, in the US it is celebrated as a party holiday, somewhat similar to St Patrick's Day. Cinco actually celebrates the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the battle of Puebla. This isn't Mexican Independence Day, that comes in September. But a lot of people in the US probably think that it is. It is celebrated with tequila drinks and Mexican food. Since I'm dieting and DH is not good with tequila, we kept our celebration to food only. So good!

Dusting - something I should probably do more often...

I did some housecleaning on my Dreamwidth account and pulled out some subscribes from people who had unfriended me, some more than a year before (I'm not really current on these things because I really don't care all that much). So anyway, the point of this is that if you feel that you got unsubbed in error, let me know and we'll get things back together again. Otherwise, I'll just consider that I got rid of some cyber-cobwebs and all is good.

I love recommendations for You Tube. Got any for me?

I had my nose in books for most of the weekend, my happy point. Several of them mentioned songs or specific orchestral pieces that were fun to find on You-tube and one even led to my purchasing a piece on i-Tunes. I can't resist a good classical music piece, but I rely on friends and books to help me with current music, especially trends and groups from outside the US. Thank goodness for the internet - all of you keep me hopping :-)