play of colors

“When I bring you colored toys, my child,

I understand why there is such a play of colors on clouds,

on water,

and why flowers are painted in tints”
~rabinadranath tagore

asher and i were outside and i just happened to look up and see this

i shaded his little eyes so he could share it

and he said it was like a butterfly.

good to be reminded to look up

purrrrfect peace

these are a FEW of my favorite things......

(besides my family, of course!)

~the Crave Salad at the Flying Star Café in Albuquerque New Mexico
(Bleu cheese, toasted almonds, field greens, fresh strawberries, tart apples, oranges & dried cranberries tossed in Tomatillo Lime Vinaigrette) i'm craving one now!

~the ocean…..every part of it

~antique stores….i don’t know anything about antiques….i just buy what I love

~rainy days…….. love the way it makes the whole day an experience

~music……all kinds….music is like a fragrance to me…..i can remember a time in my life when i hear certain songs

~photographs.....i love spending days just going through pictures….it is a moment stopped from running away….to be shared again

~chandeliers......i only have two that are special….but if I could, I would have them all over the house

~dishes……rather than shoes, or purses or clothes…..i could buy a new pattern of dishware about every couple of months….i fall in love with colors and patterns….

~hydrangeas…......i wish I would have known I loved them when I lived where I could grow them!

~mermaids.....i would love to have a figurehead of a mermaid off an old ship in my house

wellness wednesday

The best six doctors anywhere

And no one can deny it

Are sunshine, water, rest, and air

Exercise and diet.

These six will gladly you attend

If only you are willing

Your mind they'll ease

Your will they'll mend

And charge you not a shilling.~

~ Wayne Fields, What the River Knows, 1990

remember

Air Force Captain, Jeremy Fresques

died May 30, 2005

26 years old

weekend

hoping your umbrella

is bringing you bliss this weekend

deena's joy today......

this is my friend deena......

and today is a day of celebration for her

she is having her 6th and last chemotherapy treatment today

she will be getting another PET/CT scan in two weeks and her Oncologist will decide if she can move on to radiation at that time

she is requesting prayers for moving on!!!

she was diagnosed on 10/28/2007,with stage 3C, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, with 29 lymph cancerous & HER2Neu a 3+ , and as of 1/25/08, the PET/CT scan showed it was in her bones, ribs, adrenals & she is in Stage 4 (metastasized throughout her body).

she is a mother of 3, daughter, grandmother of six , wife of a wonderful man, friend & artist.

her blog can i be pretty in pink?

shares her journey with Breast Cancer.

i'm sure she would love to hear from

any one who would like to wish her well....

and please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

thankful thursday

there is a cool breeze stirring

it is only going to be 85 degrees today

cloudy skies

feeling soft raindrops

fresh smell of rain

doors are open

air-conditioning is off

scorched and wilted plants showing courage

a beautiful break

from this desert heat

tuesday's treasure

this is my mother's Bible

its worn pages

remind me that

daily

i would find my mother

at the kitchen table

drinking tea

eating toast and jam

and reading this Bible

nothing interfered.

a very sweet image

and example

left by her

sweet sunday ride

the diamondback della cruz....art in motion

my husband got this sweet, sweet cruiser for me yesterday

for a mother's day gift

doesn't she look like she should live at the beach?

well, to celebrate

we rode to

the coffee shop

and

joe's farm grill

this morning and met

some of the girls and grandbabies

and had a wonderful breakfast!

with a few detours thrown in

we figure we rode 19 miles this morning

i love how she rides

and i look forward to doing a lot of cruising with her

and hopefully some of that will be where i can smell the ocean

and feel the sea breeze.....

but for now.....

della cruz and i are happy to cruise around here!

faraway fridays

this is silver creek falls state park, and it is nestled in the hills east of salem, oregon.

the canyon trail is a nationally recognized trail system that leads hikers along the banks of the north and south forks of silver creek.

it takes you to 10 majestic waterfalls, ranging from the grand south falls (177 feet), to the delicate drake falls (27 feet).

four of these falls have an amphitheater-like surrounding where you can walk behind the falls and feel the misty, crisp spray.

The canyon trail and the falls descend to a forest floor covered with ferns, mosses, and wildflowers.

it is a gorgeous rain forest, and i vividly remember the awe i felt hiking to the falls

absolutely beautiful!

wellness wednesday

sat out on the back porch yesterday

listening to the thunder

feeling the cool breeze

sipping hot tea

reading this book

written by my favorite author

joan anderson

.......and i feel nourished

a few of joan's thoughts:

~embrace change--knowing that life is always being reconfigured

~befriend the person you are striving to become

~welcome new paths. enjoy the detours

~strive to go deeper rather than just forward

~know that most unnecessary demands come from the unfinished parts of self

~beware of speed. it is often one's undoing

~wholehearted is the way. halfhearted will kill you

~harness your evolvement

~let go of what is outlived to make room for the unlived

"i am as unfinished as the shoreline along the beach,meant to transcend myself again and again."~joan anderson

tuesday's treasures

these sweet little bells

were made by brittni and cory.

i don't know what day exactly they were given to celebrate

but they were made in 1989.

i know it was a school project

so i am assuming that the colors were already assigned

as the twins were never in the same class

and there are only slight differences in these little singing treasures.

of course, stranger things have happened,

i once took them, independently, to the eye doctor

for a checkup and to pick out glasses

and they picked out the very same frame!

i guess i need to ask if they remember more about the making of these little gifts!

love and appreciation

♥

to all of you

who have/are

raising, loving and nurturing children

and to those who are on their journey to doing so

i wish you a beautiful day

of love and appreciation.

♥

far away fridays

again, not so far away.....

come take a

60 mile walk with me

starting in gilbert az,

and continuing through mesa, tempe, scottsdale and phoenix

it was the breast cancer 3-day

20 miles each day for three days

so get your tennies on!

love thursday

"rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time" ~ john lubbock

if you are looking for me today.....

this is where i'll be!

(in mind & spirit only) ;-)

wellness wednesday

may is national bike month

and the league of american bicyclists

is promoting bike-to-work week from may 12-16

and

bike-to-work day on Friday, May 16.

we go and have coffee every once in a while

to a cute little shop several miles from home

and every time we go

there are the neatest bicycles

parked outside the shop.......

they make me wish i had ridden one there too!

so..... this is the bicycle that i am yearning for:

isn't it sweet?

it is the orvis retro schwinn classic cruiser bike

this article talks about these "new" cruiser bikes saying "we baby boomers yearn for a simpler life and perhaps simpler ways of getting exercise.

we like the “no special equipment needed”, just jump on and go, idea real well. if you are not going off road much and don’t care so much about speed, check out the many different Cruiser Bikes out there today. think back to your youth as the wind rushes through your hair and those trees and cars whiz by."

i'd love to cruise to my little coffee shop on one of these and burn some calories at the same time: enough to make up for that coffee and homemade pastry i'm going to have!

(only drawback.....for the price of this bicycle.....it should pedal itself)

tuesday's treasure

growing up

this was always filled with nuts

and resided in our kitchen

as far as my memory serves me

the metal pieces are a nutcracker

and some little "picks"

to get those stubborn pieces out

of the shell.

i'm not sure where it came from

i just remember it was great fun to use

and a definite memory from my past

of standing in the kitchen around this bowl of nuts

waiting for my turn to use the nut-cracker

i love its unique design

so when Dad put it in some "stuff"

for our 3-Day garage sale last year,

i quickly rescued it.

i haven't used it .....but maybe i need to start

so it can

continue being useful....and make new memories

for others

a new week

the greatest gifts

may we break boundaries, tear down walls,

and build on the foundation of goodness inside each of us.

may we look past differences, gain understanding, and embrace acceptance.

may we reach out to each other, rather than resist.

may we be better stewards of the earth, protecting, nurturing and replenishing

the beauties of nature.

may we practice gratitude for all we have, rather than complain about our needs.

may we seek cures for the sick, help for the hungry, and love for the lonely.

may we share our talents, give our time, and teach our children.

may we hold hope for the future very tenderly in our hearts and do all we can

to build for bright tomorrows.

and may we LOVE with our whole hearts, for that's the only way to love.

~unknown

trot little horsie

i was awakened about midnight by this little horsie

click-clacking .....then

here a whinney, there a neigh.....

it has happened more than once.

usually when the wind is blowing

but last night....it was very still

i think he just needed some attention

which he got this morning

brody is feeling better

and i'm sure his buddy is too!

love thursday

I made my comittment to walk the 2008 Arizona 3-Day tuesday, april 29th.

I have known for about a month that I was most likely going to walk.....

but when Bryan came home from work that day,

I said.....I need to comit....today!

April 29th is a significant day for me.

My husband Bryan had prostate cancer surgery 3 years ago on this day...

April 29, 2005 and is doing wonderful

and this year on April 29th,

my daughter Cassie's dear friend, Cathy had a double mastectomy.

So, it was meaningful for me to make this my day of comittment.

I started blogging last year, and met Deena

who is going through chemotherapy for Stage 4 invasive lobular carcinoma.

Her blog is to share with others her journey.

And also this year, our cousin Jill had surgery

and is going through chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.

In 2008, I will walk once again inspired by the memory of our Mother, Juanita Pearl.....

for my daughters and grandchildren,

for the women and men in our family.....

and for those women fighting this disease.

My brother Kenneth, and his daughter Rachel are also walking

and have already begun training.

I believe they are up to 9 or 10 miles now.....

so I need to get these heel spur free feet moving......and start training for my comittment!

i will be once again need to raise $2200.00

to be able to participate.

so if anyone is a fundraising genious....or just a great one

please feel free to email me your ideas or to leave them in your comments

we do a lot of fundraising each year

but it is always nice to have new ideas

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