The Loss of a Pet - It's Always Difficult

I'm running late today, so it'll be a short post. But I also had a rather sleepless night, so I'm wondering if it will be possible to sleep-swim. Hmmmm, a thought, for sure! I might find out. I finally had a chance to catch up on posts and emails from friends, though, in the wee hours of the night/early morning. One friend of many, many years posted that she had to have her beloved dog put down over the weekend. She arranged to have them come to her to keep the tension down and allow her pupper to be surrounded by the things familiar in her life. I wept when I read this, and I have tears falling again now. 

This is one of the last photos of Pippin that my friend 
shared with us. Here's her Halloween costume from this 
year. Such a wonderful outfit indeed. Pippin was never 
very fond of winter, however, so I'm sure she's glad to 
not have to deal with another one. 

I've known this particular friend as an online friend for almost two decades now. A very long time. When I first came to know her, she lived in the West Coast, in San Diego. At that time she was one of two friends I had who lived in that area - both have now moved across the country. My friend moved to New Jersey and the other friend of mine moved to Florida. An adventure for everyone, I'm quite sure. 

It is never easy to uproot and move a long distance away. 
I moved across country from New Mexico to Minnesota, 
these two friends both started out in San Diego, one 
moved to New Jersey, the other to Florida. That's a LONG 
way to go. 

There's really nothing like a pet, however, to help you with such a move. Uprooting a life to start a new job or a new life randomly, can be heartwrenching. My New Jersey friend moved to bring herself and her Mom closer to other relations. She now has a loving family close by and her new life seems to have worked out quite well for her. My other friend moved because of health reasons, which haven't been resolved yet, but I have hope that they will be soon. 

I know that my own pets will be waiting for me, and I trust 
that Pippin will be waiting patiently for my friend to join 
her many years from now. The love of a pet is a true 
one, and not even death can end it. 

But, above all else, my heart is aching for my New Jersey friend right now. It's always a hard, hard thing to lose a pet, and her dog was the last bit tying her to the old San Diego life she had led. All of her bridges have now been burned behind her, and she's walking on her own now. I'm writing this to remind her that because of our modern world, we're actually never truly alone any more. She's been my friend for many, many years, and we'll continue to be friends for as long as she will allow me to be one for her. I know all of you have friends like that, so take the opportunity today to reach out to some of them. Tell them how important they are in your lives, because I can tell all of you, my readers, that you're massively important in MY life and I'm grateful every day that you're here for me. So, I'm off to the pool. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Apologies, Beeps in the Night, and an Upcoming Sale

I hope I got caught up with everyone's posts and made comments where I could. I had a "free" hour+ to spend on the computer last night. I apologize - sometimes time just isn't there for me to be "spot on" for my comments. Be assured, I do catch up ASAP and leave my feedback, especially when asked. 

I count some of you, my readers, as some of 
my very best friends. I've known several of you 
for more than a decade - probably closer to two 
decades by now. I chat to you every morning, 
and I try to keep up with your lives as well. 
You  live in my heart. 

Next week will be an experiment at the shop. It's the first week of our "Inventory Reduction" sale, and it's encompassing large categories of my best-selling seed bead - Delica beads. It's not a  across-the-board discount. It doesn't apply to every style. It does, however, encompass all of the sizes other than the standard (and most popular) size 11o, and some select styles of 11o that aren't super popular. It will be a LOT of work behind the register, but I think I've figured out how to make things a bit easier on me and my staff. At least, I hope I've figured this out. 

We're going to be doing at least one, possibly two, Inventory 
Reduction Sales on select categories of merchandise each 
month. We need to clear out slow-sellers and less popular 
colors/styles of beads. I doubt we'll do anything about 
the Indian goods - but I have other outlets for those items. 

The sale itself is a 50% off sale - something we've NEVER offered in our 30+ years of retail. We're trying to clear out the chaff and leave the kernels of wheat. We need to be lean when we do our Close-Out Sale later this year. So, meanwhile, our customers will be able to take advantage of some really awesome savings on a product they love. I'll see what happens - it's one full week of six days, with savings of 50%, so it might be a zoo; but I'm hoping it will be a steady flow instead of a flood. 

We've never done discounts this deep before. Our pricing 
is fair, and we're well aware of what other places charge 
for similar items. But, we're going to do it now. I have 
four sales currently in the works, and then we'll reassess
and see how things are going. 

To top off (or to start) my day off on the "right" foot, the downstairs smoke alarm beeped four times while I was in the shower. *sigh* I checked both of our smoke alarms after I was dried off and dressed, and they're showing "green", but I suspect the batteries need replacement. I'll set DH off on that task for the day. He'd BETTER get it done - it's not super hard, and it really won't take him a lot of his time. It was unnerving, to say the least, hearing the beeps when I couldn't do a thing about it. I figured I'd just die in the shower - LOL. 

We have something similar to this in our 
den and in the upstairs hallway. I don't think 
we've changed the batteries in several 
years, so having it beep on me this morning 
wasn't unexpected, but it was a bit of a 
shock, and certainly came at a poor time since 
I was in the middle of my morning shower. 

So, I'm done rambling for the day. I hope I've caught up with everyone's posts, and that everyone who had a birthday earlier this week has been contacted directly in a note. I hate being late for celebrations, but it's just been one of those weeks where I had too much crammed into too few hours. Have a wonderful Saturday, I'm going to enjoy my Sunday of relaxation and be ready to dive into the sale starting Monday. *Hugs* to each and every one of my readers - you're my lifeline to sanity (now and again only, because being insane sometimes describes my life to a "T" - LOL). Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Friends Both Near and Far - I Love and Appreciate You

I'm sorry I didn't comment or read anyone's posts yesterday (or respond to any comments left by you on my own post), but as I had thought, it turned into a VERY busy day. I didn't even cook much - just my Wednesday chicken for dinner. But I did set up the laptop and continue working on the database for the Swarovski crystals, which I worked on until I was ready to go to sleep. I did get a lot done, but still have a lot left to do. 

I LOVE my standing Ott light that 
I got for "free" several years ago on 
a holiday sale. I use it a lot. Yesterday's 
computer work would have been 
impossible for me without the extra 
light I got by bringing my lamp in 
from the den into my work area. 

Aearwen and I had a delightful chat yesterday, starting out by laughing at her calendar mix-up from Monday, and progressing to other items - some light-hearted, some less. We always seem to find things to talk about, and have done now for years. It's been a wonderful friendship - my "sister" in California. I hope that sometime we might be able to actually meed face-to-face, but as I grow older, I also realize that may never happen. Does it really matter? No, not really. Our hearts met a long time ago and they touch every time we talk. 

Even though I haven't met a lot of my 
internet friends in person, I still hold 
all of you in my heart. We may never 
actually share a hug, but you're dear 
friends, despite our distance. 

There are other long-time friends I'd love to meet. On the opposite coast is Pippin's Mom (Shirebound) - LOL. Again, we've been friends on-line for more than a decade, but we've never had the chance to actually meet in person. She now lives in New Jersey, and yes, I'll be heading to NYC for my family reunion in August, but ... we're in the middle of trying to get the store shut down, and I can't spend the extra time in the area that I dearly wanted to do. I'm quite unsure if we'll be able to meet up, but my schedule is still slightly fluid. I'm not willing to shut that door of possibility quite yet. 

I'll be going to New York City in August for my family 
reunion, but I can't take the extra week I dearly wanted 
to take, so I can't drive out to meet Shirebound or 
my friend in Pennsylvania, Raven. I'm bummed about 
that, but needs must, and I'm needed back at the shop 
ASAP to keep on track for our closing. 

I don't think face-to-face friends are any more or less valuable that those who can't pop over and meet you for lunch, though. I think my on-line friends are just as real and valuable as those who are only a few miles away. The wonderful thing, however, is that I've met them through the internet, and they've become valued and cherished friends, despite our never having been able to share a hug. 

Every one of my on-line and far distant friends are 
JUST as appreciated as my friends down the street. We 
may never meet in person, but that doesn't change a 
thing. You're still a highly valued friend of mine. 

So today's post is for you - the friends nearby and those afar, those I've met and those I'll probably never meet. You're all valued, you're all loved and you're all cherished in my heart. Have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. I'm off to the pool. Slava Ukraini. 

Housecleaning - Getting Ready for Migration and the Change of Seasons

It's my "day off" today, and I have five of them left before Sharon arrives for the State Fair and Renaissance Festival. That's not very many days to pound my house into shape, but she's seen it at its' worst over the years, as well as at its' best. I suspect this year will be middle-of-the-road. I have done the vacuuming, and cleaned my dragon shelving, and her room is ready for me to set up the bed. I will be concentrating on straightening up some of the other rooms today, and maybe digging into the computer room to get things a bit less "piled" in there. 

The shower, always a major cleaning job, is actually looking 
great now. I've been cleaning it on the days I'm showering 
at home, and it's in great shape. That's a good thing, because 
it can be a horrendous job to get clean if I'm not ahead of 
the game. 

But it's still an errand day - groceries are important. I'll need to do Whole Foods as well as my local grocer today, so two of the three places I shop. I don't get much at Whole Foods, but they're the only place that carries the bread products that I love. It's hard to find tasty non-grain breads and I'm not fond of eating cardboard. 

My hummingbirds will start migrating south in 
September, with a few hanging on through October. 
I'll make sure to keep food available for them until 
the end of October, then put the feeder aside for the 
Winter and begin feeding again in March. 

Yesterday evening I quickly fed my hummingbirds before making my own dinner. I'm rather astonished by how quickly I can make their food, clean the feeder, and get things back onto the hooks. When I started, several months ago, it was quite a procedure, but I've got it totally nailed now, and the hummers
seem to be happy with the nectar I make for them. I'll keep it up until the end of October, unless we get a serious snow before then. They'll start migrating south next month, but there are always some hangers on who stick around a bit too long. It rather sounds like DH and I and hanging on to the shop in some ways. 

Having a coffin that can be written and/or drawn on 
is new to me, but what a wonderful idea. Red will 
make sure to have a message on there from all of us 
who got to know Kei through her Tolkien fiction, so 
we're all going to be represented on there in some 
fashion. 

Keiliss will be buried on Tuesday. Red put information in her post yesterday on how we can send funds to the family to help them with expenses, and I'll be sending some their direction via PayPal today. Funerals are expensive. Apparently Kei requested that her coffin be of a style that will allow people to write and/or draw on it. What a lovely idea. Red said she'll make sure to write something of her own, and then a second writing for Kei's Tolkien peeps. So, we'll all be included, and that's making me tear up again. Damn. 

I've got goals for today. I'll have to see how far I 
get with them. I have five days off until Sharon 
arrives, and a lot still to do in the house. 

Have an excellent Wednesday. I have a million things to do today, but I'm glad I'll have a chance to get some of them accomplished. Goals, you know? They can be important. Slava Ukraini. 

A Rare Photo of Myself and A Scrunch Bug Also - Hmmm ... Nope - Not Similar At All

It's going to be a very busy day, and I already got caught up in something on-line and almost missed posting today's blog post. That would have been tragic. I don't post every day, but it's extremely rare that I'm not posting Monday through Saturday. It's a way for me to clean out my thoughts, touch base with my friends, and generally start my day. So ... here we go today. 

This is the shirt my friend sent to me 
celebrating the Colorado Avalanche's 
achieving the Stanley Cup this year. 
It now fits beautifully. 

Let's start with this. An online friend of mine, a true ice hockey fan, sent me two amazing gifts at the end of this year's season. She sent a Kirill Kaprisov NHL Crossover Jersey, and a Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Winners v-neck t-shirt out of the blue to me. This was a very generous gift. She was concerned about the sizing, and the jersey is big, but it's a jersey. It's winter wear. I'll be wearing turtlenecks and sweaters under it - no problem for that amazing jersey. The t-shirt, however was a bit more problematic. I did wear it one day, but it was WAY too big (it's a medium, so NOT a large size, but I'm wearing smalls these days). But I totally LOVED the shirt. So I took it to my tailor and had her bring up the shoulders and lower the armhole, resetting the sleeves. Now it's perfect, as you can see here. (Av's T-shirt from Sharon was also a medium, but since that was a standard t-shirt cut, it didn't need a re-do. I think my tailor did a great job on my v-neck and I adore the shirt. I'm going to wear it A LOT.) 

I'll even do a close-up for you. It's not the best 
photo in the world, apparently my phone "chirped" 
while Chickie was taking the picture and it is 
slightly out of focus, But, I can live with it. I'm 
no runway model, but I'm me. And my tailor did 
a fantastic job on the shirt! 

On today's agenda, after making my next batch of Ogre Juice, is housecleaning and setting up a different set of Wi-Fi Range Extenders. I wasn't happy with the last ones I bought, so I got a different brand/style and I'll deal with getting those set up today. I already forsee that it might be a PITA, but that's the price I pay for getting a better signal on the patio and in the kitchen. In housecleaning, I hope to vacuum and steam clean my living room carpeting, and maybe the hallway on that level. I'll deal with the upstairs on Wednesday if I can squeeze out the time for it. 

I'm still getting these little "scrunch bugs" along 
my ceiling and on my bathroom walls in the 
downstairs bathroom. I'm only getting 1-2 on 
an average day, but still. I have no idea what 
they are, and they don't bite, and are really small, 
but they are annoying. I'd like the only mobile 
things in this house to be DH and me. 

So, as you can tell, it's going to be a busy "day off" for me today. No real surprise there. It's a good thing I like to be busy, because I surely am. I hope all of you have a wonderful day. I'll be back tomorrow, and PLEASE, I would very much appreciate your votes for my latest story dealing with the topic "Unconventional". I NEED those votes to stay in the game and I really want to continue with this talented group of writers for as long as I possibly can. Slava Ukraini. 

T-Shirts, Range Extenders and LJ Idol - Also, Don't Forget Le Tour de France

Two t-shirts were delivered to the shop for me yesterday, one that I had ordered with the old WildFit logo, and one from my BFF, Sharon. Sharon found me a perfect Stanley Cup t-shirt, and I'm wearing it to the shop today. If the Minnesota Wild couldn't win Lord Stanley's Cup, then at least my second favorite team, the Colorado Avalanche pulled it off. So, this is my final gift from this year's ice hockey season, and I'll be wearing all of these for many years to come. Happily! 

My second Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup 
Champions t-shirt is also fabulous. This one 
is from Sharon, and it arrived at the shop 
yesterday. I'm wearing it today - very happily. 
Thanks to my "Bestie". I absolutely LOVE it. 
The front logo says "Found A Way" with the 
A being the logo of the Avalanche. Perfect! 

I'll be watching Le Tour de France, of course, as they continue crossing the Massif Central towards the Pyrenees. BTW, if you didn't catch Stage 11 on Wednesday, and you only watch one stage this year, that's the one to watch. That's the one that they'll be talking about for years and years to come. That stage showed what bike racing really is all about with attack after attack after attack and it came down to the last little bit of road before a final winner. If you get Peacock, go and replay/watch this stage. I watched/listened to it yesterday afternoon while working on computer work for Etsy. I didn't get to "watch" a lot of it - glances here and there from the phone on my lap - but what a magnificent day! They'll be talking about Stage 11 as one of the best ever in the long history of Le Tour de France for a long, long time. 

Today's stage is hilly, but the final climb at the 
far right of the profile map is a killer! It's going 
to be a day of hurt going over all of these smaller 
hills that still hold challenges for all of the riders. 

I installed some Range Extenders over the past couple of days, hoping to extend our WiFi into the back yard as well as some areas of the house that get spotty signals, like the kitchen. So far it seems to be working. I didn't get top of the line, more middle of the pack, but for what I paid, I think they'll do the trick. I might change the location of the one in the den to a different plug that DH suggested, but at least we're up to 4-5 bars from 1-2. A definite improvement, especially in the kitchen which has always been a problem area for me. 

I bought three RangeXtd WI signal extenders 
a week or two ago and got them installed and 
accepted by my router on Wednesday and yesterday. 
They're actually quite compact, only 3" x 2-1/4" 
(8 x 5.5 cm) and installation was pretty easy. 
My home firewall is still not 100% happy with
them, but it's getting there. 

I have to get going on my next prompt for LJ Idol. I know what I want to write, it's just getting the right words to come to paint the picture I see in my head. I could see it as a novel, but I'm just writing a story so I have to see if I can make it condense into something reasonable. Of course it's disappointing to have received my first strike, but if I'm lucky, I can hit it out of the ballpark this time for the home run. 

I'm really glad we had a "smaller" group when I joined 
and started writing with LJ Idol. Apparently, it has 
been groups as large as several hundred writers at a 
time, and I don't think I'd have the time to read and vote 
on that many stories. That would be a shame, because 
every writer in the group has their own style and their 
own tale to tell. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Lots to do today. Time to exercise my brain, not just cool down from my 2-miles on the treadmill. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Be kind, be safe, and Slava Ukraini. 

The Garden, A Zoom Call and a Mystery

I have no idea how the Samsung training went between Chickie and DH yesterday. He didn't say a thing about it when he got home, just looked at the garden, deciding it should wait for water until this morning. Was that the right decision? Hard to say. We've had some real problems with the garden this year and he's very unhappy with it. But, on the bright side, my raspberries are at the beginning of ripening, and one of my tomato plants has already given me my first ripe cherry tomato. Generally, he may not be happy with the ornamental part of the garden, but I'm quite happy with my edible parts so far. 

My determinate cherry tomato plant is starting 
to have the first ripening fruit of the four 
tomato plants I have this year. I can hardly wait 
to have fresh tomatoes for my nightly salads. 

I had an 11:00 am zoom call yesterday, and built my day around it (aside from the usual Wednesday grocery shopping and three loads of laundry). At 4:00 am I had my usual phone call with my good friend in California - Aearwen - who has come through her Covid scare pretty well. She's still getting really tired easily, but she sounds SO much better. What a relief. 

Yesterday's Zoom call was a live check-in call with 
the founder of WildFit, Eric Edmeades. He's a bit 
older than this photo now - the beard is totally grey, 
but he's still a power and force, believing in all of 
us with all his heart. He lives in the Dominican 
Republic, and his power was going on and off, so 
it was an "interesting" video call. But I'm glad I 
was able to "attend". 

I was doing a quick check on my DW and LJ boards last night and got a notification that a long-time friend just unfriended me. Out of the blue. I'm quite shocked and disappointed. I'm going to write her and try and discover why. I'm mystified. Completely in the dark on this one. I'm quite upset at this one. I've been unfriended in the past, and I've done it to a few people in my past as well, but it's always been a last resort and there usually has been some sort of kerfluffle that led to it. I can't think of a single thing I did that could have caused this one. But life goes on. Friends lost and friends gained. 

Usually when I've been unfriended in the past, it's because 
of a kerfluffle in a shared platform. I don't think I've been 
saying anything super controversial lately, unless this 
friend decided they were tired of my mundane viewpoints. 
I have no idea, so I'll write her and maybe get an answer. 

I'm swimming today, and if my weather app is correct, I'll be swimming during the one hour of today when we'll have rain. We only get chased out of the pool if there is lightning, and this should just be rain, so I'll be surrounded by water. It's always unusual but rather fun to swim in the rain. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. As always, Slava Ukraini. 

Friends Locked vs Open, and Holiday Food Thoughts

Last week I published a short story for LJ Idol and because the members of the group are generally unknown to me, I opened my journals (DW and LJ) so that the other members could read and could comment if they wanted. But having my journals other than friend-locked makes me nervous and uncomfortable. I'm grabbing names from those who commented and adding them to my friends list, and I'll be closing my journal back down again, locking it away from strangers and occasional visitors. If you receive a "friend" request from me and you commented on the story about my mother, accept the request if you want access to my journal after mid-week. 

I prefer to have my journal friends-locked. I'll be 
setting it back to that by mid-week and hopefully 
will have added all commentators on my stories 
to my friends list before then. 

We're entering into November now. For some of my friends, NaNoWriMo has started. I used to participate in that, and had a lovely time with it, but found the timing difficult. So much happens in the latter parts of the year. November brings Thanksgiving, along with finishing up my annual holiday cards. December brings Christmas/Solstice/Hanukkah along with the family pressures, the purchasing impulses, and the year-end deadlines for the shop. All of November and December also bring food challenges. For me, a person who suddenly finds myself a bit more fragile than I'm used to being, it can be a difficult two months. 

Thanksgiving Day is one of the few holidays we have here 
in the USA that revolves almost totally around food. The 
majority of people will roast or at least eat turkey with all 
of the side dishes. Those who don't like turkey will have 
ham or roast beef. Either way, whatever choice of protein, 
it's a holiday celebrated with food as the centerpiece. 
Having no oven will make this year quite challenging 
for me. 

I'm going to find food challenges one of more difficult parts. Mainly because I won't have an oven until early December (best guess). That shoots a nice large bird out of my wheelhouse, at least until Christmas. I'm not used to turkey at Christmas, but that may be what happens. My goal will be to end the year at the same weight I am today, and move into next year still comfortable with my relationship with food and exercise. It shouldn't be much of a problem, as long as I stay aware of the trigger foods that DH considers important. 

Chex Mix is a cascade and trigger food for me. I only have 
it once a year, but when DH makes it, I'm grabbing handfuls 
from the large stock-pot every time I'm passing by. I'm also 
packing lidded containers for breakfast and lunch, and 
quite frankly, I find it my most addictive food. I'm not 
sure if I can ration myself effectively through this treat. 
I'll certainly try my best, though. I don't want to fall 
back into poor food habits because of my love for 
Chex Mix. 

I started the cover embellishments for my holiday cards on Saturday morning. Hopefully I can get some more done today, and have the covers wrapped up no later than Wednesday. I might bring my cutter and the cardstock home with me on Tuesday night and take a couple of hours on Wednesday to work on the next portion. This whole event (as usual) is only conceptual in my mind. I think it will work, therefore I will make it happen - LOL. It's not going to be easy, but it's all coming together in my brain. 

My holiday cards are always a multi-step 
process. This year has more complexity in 
one aspect, less in another. It's always a 
challenge. I started late this year, but I 
think I'll have them sent out on time. My 
personal deadline is always to have them 
in the mail no later than Winter Solstice. 
I'll make that this time too, but it might 
be close. 

Got to run. The pool is calling my name and I have to get moving to make sure I have everything together that I need. Have an excellent day, be kind to others you interact with, and remember to take some time for yourself. All too often we make time for others, pushing our own needs to the bottom of the pile. Remember, you are of equal importance to all others in your life. 

Top Songs and Memories - A Journey of Recollection

I notice, from entry notifications, that many of you looked up the top songs for years you graduated and posted them. I've been enjoying reading through the lists and there are some great songs on there. I'll look in-depth when I read and respond to your posts, but thanks for taking the ball and rolling with it. 

I decided to look up the top songs for the 
year my parents were married - 1932. 
Of course, they were in Europe, not the 
USA, but in America, the top song was 
"Brother Can You Spare A Dime" by 
the immortal Bing Crosby. Curious about 
the song? Follow the link to a you-tube. 

The idea of songs and memory strikes my post today because memory is a funny thing, triggered by so many events. A scent can bring back a memory - cookies or bread baking, the sweet smell of a candy store, or even the exhaust from an old car. All of those things can spark a memory that had been long buried. 

One of my favorite songs while in High School was 
"Windy" by The Association. I remember listening 
to my radio until they announced the top song of the 
year, and this was the one. Want to listen? Follow the link. 

Sometimes a specific feel to a day can bring back a memory. Early, bright blue mornings in the cold of an 8:00 am mountain breeze brings back memories of my childhood, one particular summer day, when I was playing on the driveway in front of the plum trees that were leafed out but not bearing yet. The birds were singing and the day seemed so full of promise and excitement. I've never forgotten that small slice of time. I have no idea if the day fulfilled its' promise, but it inspires me now, almost 60 years later. 

I'm a big fan of Bette Midler, and another friend's 
list of songs had "The Rose" by the Fabulous Ms M. 
It was a song, it was a movie, it was wonderful. 
Can't remember the song? Just follow the link. 

A taste can bring back memories - the sharp tint of lemon in a tart, the first taste of a good coffee on the tongue, or the sweet burst of flavor in an early autumn apple, all of these things can spark memory. So if so many things can bring back memories - good or bad - why is it so difficult to understand and pin down memory for science? 

Memory can be a maze through which we wander. As 
long as we can escape the maze and rejoin the world 
at large, all is good. I suspect people with Alzheimer's 
have just gotten stuck in their maze and can't find 
their way back out again. 

I think that everyone thinks about memories differently. To some people memories are like leaves in a book, other people have film strips. I have corridors - bricked and comfortable, but behind some of the bricks are memories I don't want to think about, whereas others memories just lurk in spotlights on the walls, around the corner, or flashing onto the corridor flooring. I wander through different pathways, never worrying about where I'm going, only amazed by what I recall. 

Do you picture your memories in any special way? Are they points on a wooded pathway? Are they lights in an internal sky? Share with me, and find one excellent memory to share too because we all need positives these days and sharing virtually is what we do within our journals. Have an truly wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Stay-at-Home Day 26 - Escalations in Timing

Stay-at-home in my area is in effect until May 4th, although DH suspects it may be extended until the end of May. Either way, I have a car needing help and, fortunately, insurance adjusters seem to be considered "essential". Therefore I met Cindy in my driveway this morning, as she took a careful look at my poor car. 

I adore my car, my Mazda CX-5 has been a great car for me, filling
all of my needs for more than five years now. I'm not sure I'd
look at a different brand when it comes for replacement. It really hits
almost all of my buttons. 

After consulting with DH yesterday, I phoned my insurance company yesterday and discussed getting my shark-fin replaced. He said I had comprehensive insurance and no matter what, it would only cost me $50 up front. Finally, the multitude of dollars I've paid for insurance will have an opportunity to pay me for a change. Whoot! 

Whoot! I'll get my car fixed and it's only going to cost me
$50. (Of course, that doesn't really count, since I've paid
my insurance company thousands of $ over the years.) 

I met their adjuster this morning who said the roof looked dented to her, and additionally, with the hairline cracks in the paint finish around the fin, she said it should be fixed by a body shop which would be able to repair or replace whatever needed doing and get my poor car back to showroom finish. 

Sometimes we all get caught up a creek without a paddle.
Life happens. Hopefully, the water is shallow enough that
you can walk yourself out once again. 

She said the insurance company would cover all incurred costs including a rental car for me for however long my poor car will be at the car doctor. The estimate she sent to me and the body shop she recommended came to more than $1600! I guess that rock did a lot more damage than I originally had thought. I'm so relieved I have insurance that will cover this. I'd be totally up the creek without a paddle without it. I would have a really hard time coming up with that much money. 

It was a delight to hear from my old friend. I've kept in touch
with her for many years, and it was wonderful to catch up again. 

On a totally different note, I got a lovely catch-up letter from an old friend yesterday, a screen name that some of you may recognize - Kymahalei. Many years ago, when one of her kids was applying for one of the local private colleges in the area, she had come up from Indiana and we had a chance to meet at the coffee shop next door to my shop, to share a cuppa and gossip. I send her a holiday card every year, and it was absolutely lovely to hear from her. I thought I'd let all of you who remember her fondly that she's doing great, she's teaching and excited to be helping students once again, and if you want to transmit messages to her, I'd be happy to pass them on, or her old email is still current as well. . 

On that note, I'm out of here for the day. Late once again, but it's amazing how busy I can be during an enforced vacation time - LOL. As always, Stay Safe, Stay Home, Stay Well. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Grief and Loss - Reaching Out

It's always hard when one goes ahead on a road you can't follow. It's always hard to lose an anchor, a loved one, a friend and confidant. It's an unexpected emptiness when turning a corner and not seeing the person you expected, when wanting to ask a question, or to share good news. It's an emptiness that never truly gets filled. It's the death of someone beloved, and this happened to two members of my extended family - on and off line - this past week. 

Near death experiences often mention a long tunnel
lighted at the far end. I'd probably be looking for the
graffiti, but that light is rather mesmerizing, isn't it. 

In my own family, we lost a cousin, a father of two. It's on my sister-in-law's husband's side of the family, so a distant cousin by marriage, and I can't say if I ever met the man, but my nieces and nephews knew him and know his wife and children. The memorial is scheduled for today with the funeral scheduled for Wednesday. This death was hard because he killed himself and that will leave lots of questions behind for his immediate family; questions about what clues they missed, what they might have been able to do, and a lot of second guessing. It's tough to lose a family member that way. It seems to add extra sting to death's grip. 

Maybe we move through the clouds into a type of
vortex. A force of nature on an supernatural plane. 

In my on-line family, a dear and long-time friend lost her mother over the weekend. In this case there was an illness as well as a respectable age, but it's still not going to be easy for those who are left behind. My heart goes out to her daughter and son who will be missing her presence. 

This tunnel exhibits a nice Fibonacchi curve in it, the curve
that exists throughout nature in almost every living thing. 

It's an odd thing about death. It occurs around us every day - plants, animals and people are always being born and dying. It's common. But it also is the Great Mystery - that journey that continues onward without signposts or road maps. Many people believe that you meet again with loved ones and move into a condominium in the clouds. It's that old "My Father has many houses" message and I'm sure that celestial property values are determined on piety and proximity to the Big Dude. But that's totally NOT my thing. 

If I'm going to consider tunnels and star-shine, I'm going to go
with dimensional tunnels to the stars. We are all made from
stardust and powered by energy and light. If we believe Einstein,
matter is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes form. 

On the other hand, when you think about those words, "My Father has many houses", and consider that we are all light, energy and stardust, perhaps they do make sense after all. We are members of the cosmos and matter is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes form. Matter can become light, and light can be starlight, moving into the universe and joining with light from billions of stars throughout the void. Here, there are indeed 'many houses' and lots of room since the universe is expanding. 

In the end, how will you be remembered by those you
leave behind? If you will be remembered with love, then
you will have lived a successful life. 

So, to wind down, do we meet our loved ones again? Will we recognize them if we do? I suppose it's possible, I certainly can't discount that possibility. But to be a mote of light in a universe of stars? That will be heaven for me and I will ride the solar winds and play in the galactic clouds. 

On that note, I'm moving along. DH's Valentine's celebratory meals put four pounds on me so it's back to the gym for a serious workout today. LOL Have a good Monday and I'll return tomorrow.