Monday on a dime...

Spent most of today doing housework, with a little outside work thrown in for good measure. I vacuumed and shampooed the living room carpet and rearranged the furniture. I think I like the way it looks...better, 'cause it nearly killed my husband moving that hideabed across the room! lol... I did laundry too, and cleaned the chicken coop and glued Frank and the Fairy back together again. (That would be my garden statues of St Francis of Asissi and the garden Fairy, both of whom were damaged in a storm last year. ) Frank lost his head, luckily all in one piece. The garden fairy lost an arm that was holding a scalloped dish up to her lips. A little super glue and all's well with the world.

I woke up thinking that I'd better get a few things done before my dr appointment on Wednesday, just in case they decide to fix this knee faster than I expect. The recovery time is a couple of weeks at least, and I needed to get the carpet cleaned. I started out with a nice long list and got everything done on it except a couple of items... tonight my leg is hurting like crazy.

It's been a long day....I have a sick puppy and a missing kitty and probably all will be well in the morning. I am tired and going to bed.

Thank goodness tomorrow is another day, and I get a second chance at making it count.

Blessings all around...if we just stay aware and in the present!


Namaste.

Sunday Funday

Ahhhhhhhh.......another weekend over and done. Home late (like 11:30PM) from a particularly good birthday meeting where my sponsee with 6 months didn't show (fell asleep and didn't wake up until half an hour before the meeting was over) and my dear friend celebrated 10 years. There was cake and tears and lots and lots of love. My friend's sponsor died about a year ago of brain cancer, and one guy there tonight gave him the 10 year coin that his deceased sponsor had given HIM...another (one of his sponsees) gave him an AA ring that belonged to the deceased sponsor. It was a beautiful thing to behold...

Funny how I have about a gazillion pictures on my computer and I'm recycling them already. And somehow I KNOW I haven't posted a gazillion times...lol

I'm feeling very grateful tonight. One of my ex-sponsees who left me for another (lol) and then relapsed is back with 30 days (thru her church, but "somehting is missing") and sent a message to me tonight thru another woman that she loves me and misses me and wants to come see me. I am so glad to hear that she is back....I'll call her tomorrow. Looks like we're having a 4th of July BBQ for all the homeless and wayward alcoholics who have no where else to go and think that I operate a summer camp for them ...LMAO....And you know how much I hate a good party....Seriously, it will be a blast and I've already informed them that I'll provide the place and they all have to provide the food. They're all jumping up and down and hollering "YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!"

I'm so grateful that when I was new, there were people around who took us newcomers by the hand and said ...Come on--here's how you have fun without drinking! We had spaghetti dinners and bbq's and bonfires at the beach and sock hops, for crying out loud. We had walks in the woods and weenie roasts. We learned to take other new people by the hand and say Hey! Here's how WE have fun without drinking!!

I can't tell you the warm and fuzzy feelings I get when I overhear a newcomer saying, "Wow, we went to Annie and Pat's for a cookout, and it was SOOOooooooo great!!!!!" When I look around the living room or the backyard and I watch people learning to talk to each other and smiling and not wanting to go home. It's such a blessing...to be able to live like this and do these things and mean them and be happy about being able to do them.

God's got a deal for drunks that don't drink....


Namaste.

A Sultry Saturday....

Squash




Aha....It's a sultry and hot Saturday...this weather tries to let up some, but can't quite manage. Tonight there is sheet lightning in the distance, but the chance of rain is only about 30%. Not enough...and I suppose I'll have to be out in the early morning, carrying a bucket and watering my incredibly thirsty flowers. Checked on the garden this evening...most of the bigger veggies are doing well, but some of the smaller ones are feeling the dry...

Thought I'd write in blue. Just because I can. lol The dishes are done and the animals are fed and the doggies are outside for their final rush before bedtime. I think I'd maybe like a larger font though. Not that any of this really matters in the Great Cosmic Scheme of Things. The miracle is that I'm writing at all.

I have been incredibly busy the past few days. And I am exhausted and trying to catch up on my rest, futile an act though it is. I heard 2-- 4th and 5th Steps in 2 days. That was emotionally exhausting for me, for some reason. I had a young woman and her 13 year old son here for 2 days. I have had planting to do and holes to dig. And it has been outrageously hot here, with threatening heat indexes. And then there is, of course, the housekeeping and the animals and the rest of my lovely tangled life as well.

I remain, naturally, especially blessed to have a full and frantic life...complete with lots of people and animals and stuff to do all the time. I am suffering with this knee...I have full empathy for dear Una...until you've had this problem, you have no idea just how painful it is. I am limping terribly and in constant pain now. It hurts to sit and drive and get up out of a chair. I'm trying to keep the swelling down by keeping it elevated as much as I can. I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday to get a referral to a guy who can fix it.

My beloved is helping me as much as he can. Today we went to a matinee to see a new Sandra Bullock movie...sweet and funny. Then we came home and had breakfast for supper, since neither of us really very hungry, we just had eggs and toast. Beautiful orange large yolked brown eggs from my chickens and a wonderful 8 grain bread, toasted to perfection.

Everywhere I look, I see the elegant blessings of a sober life. Filled to the brim with love and laughter and service and joy. A life I could never have imagined for myself. A life that is the gift of taking some simple steps and staying away from the drink, one day at a time.

....and
"holy is the place I stand
to give whatever small good I can
and the empty page and the open book
redemption everywhere I look
unknowingly we slow our pace
in the shade of unexpected grace
and with grateful smiles and sad lament
as holy as a day is spent.
and morning light sings providence
as holy as a day is spent."
(--Carrie Newcomer)

Namaste.

Wicked Good Wednesday

Blazer and Merlin...taking a break.

Had an interesting day today and will keep this short and sweet. Kittens had the devil in them, puppies were racing around in high gear most of the day, and I had a frustrating moment or two. But the good news is this:

*Never once thought about drinking
*Felt especially blessed several times throughout the day
*Made a doctors appointment about my knee
*Got to chat with several sober drunks
*Got to help with a 4th step
*Ate some more Good&Plentys :)
*Got to read for awhile this afternoon with my leg propped up on 2 pillows
*Got to be used by God to reunite a mother and her youngest son...even if only for a couple of days



Life is good.


Namaste.

Twoderful Tuesday

Busy busy today. Tried to get outside and do my digging before it got too hot, but alas...it was already hot when I woke up. I planted 4 beautiful cone flowers around the birdbath in the front yard, 2 pink, 2 white. I moved the birdbath a tad...forgot how heavy that darn thing is. I also planted the pine tree out near the woodpile along the tree line. And I got 6 sweet banana peppers in the ground. By this time it was 11:30 and I was about to pass out, it was only about 92 degrees, but the heat index was 102. Then I moved inside, for the air conditioned part of our program. lol I showered and washed my hair and then took a break before beginning on my "LIST". I accomplished more than I thought I would, because I was feeling pretty wonkey from all that sun. More than once I thought of napping, believe me.

Made a lovely pasta/chicken salad for supper because I couldn't bare to even think of eating anything hot. I grilled the chicken and then cut it up into the farfalle pasta with a bunch of spices and parmesan cheese, as well as red peppers and carrots and snow peas and onions. Mixed it up with some mayonnaise and threw it into the fridge. Then I made a Waldorf salad too. I just ate a small bowl of that...ooohhhh is it good. I've been craving it for a week.

I have overnight guests again, sleeping in the spare room. One of my sponsees and her 13 year old son. They've just retired for the night, and so the house is quiet again.

Had a wonderful conversation with a friend today, reminding me that life is precious and good, and there is so much more to wealth than money. Something we probably all need reminding about, from time to time. I came away from that phone call feeling especially blessed.

BTW--Butterburgers are a trademark of a Wisconsin company called Culver's. They make a mean frozen custard as well as the yummy butterburgers. I'm not sure if the name comes from the buns being buttered and toasted, or if they actually put a slice of butter in the middle if each hand pattied burger. (That may sound a little weird to you, but it's an old tried and true restraunt trick). Try it sometime, you'll be amazed by the rich change in flavor.

Okay, my head is starting to hurt. Must be time to get off the computer.

Namaste.

Middlin' Monday

It was one of THOSE days around the old homestead. Up at 5 to whisk that darling boy off to work so I could keep the car. I needed to get some groceries, veggies mainly, for juicing. And critter chow. I got home and did a few little things outside while it was still cool enough to breathe. (It was already 80 degrees by 8 AM !!!) You could feel the humidity rising. Then I hustled myself indoors and started on some things like my grocery list, the laundry, the catboxes, the food bowls 2 for dogs, water and food...and 2 for cats water and food... and read some emails and the like while I waited for it to be late enough for the store to open. Then I was off to Edwardsville, where the fun places like Aldi's and Home Depot and Culvers are found. Because I was out of juice for my normal breakfast (hence having to get the veggies), I just had coffee. BY the time I was out of the grocery store, I was starving and feeling a little goofy, so I decided a nice Culver's Butterburger was just the ticket. There just happened to be one right by the Home Depot. (Are you following my logic here??...sheesh....) I have been doing rather well at cleaning up this toxic waste dump of a life of mine, and so I'm going to have a freaking BUTTERBURGER for breakfast!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, was it ever good. We don't eat red meat at home anymore, but do occasionally have a burger or a nice steak out...rarely more than once every couple of months though. I polished that baby off (in my defense I did get the small regular burger...) and felt so good I went to Home Depot and bought some gorgeous coneflowers , 2 pink ones and 2 white ones. I'm trying to decide the best place to plant them...have some ideas and I'll photograph them tomorrow so y'all can have a look see...

Anyway, then I came home and finished the laundry, made about 7 quarts of juice, cleaned up all that mess and started supper. Before I could click my heels 3 times, it was time to get that darling boy from work. We had a lovely supper of apple glazed pork (ribs) . It's a great recipe I got from a low carb cookbook, and I jazz it up some and it's to die for. Add a little corn on the cob and some greens and VOILA! it's a meal.

Tonight we went through a box of old cassettes that has been in the garage forever (every garage we've had!) lol There are lots of speaker tapes and the Big Book on tape, as well as lots of music, some wonderful (Uncle Bonsai. Romanovsky and Phillips.) Some classic (Ray Charles, Tina Turner) Some awesome (Natalie Merchant. Indigo Girls). We played some of the more fun stuff (Uncle Bonsai). If you have never heard them, you need to find them and listen...they're freaking hysterical and wayyyy talented.

Now, everyone's asleep and the dishes are done and the lunch is made and the catboxes are cleaned[again] and the critters are watered and fed. The kittens have been hell on wheels all day today, so it's a nice change for them to be sleeping, so cute and innocent.

All's well in the world...I have a box of Good&Plenty to keep me company through the long night. (Black Licorice is my downfall...I love this stuff. I especially like the kookaburra soft black licorice and I can't find it anywhere anymore. Good&Plenty is the second best. Don't try to tell me anything about red licorice--Pfffftttt! ) LOL

A good productive day. Wearing a brace on my knee and cannot decide if it's helping or not. The pain is getting bad, and I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and make a doctors appointment. Fell down the stairs 10 years ago and had an arthroscopy to repair the torn miniscus. They said it would be good for 10 years...and here we are. Sigh...I'm just getting the colonoscopy paid off!! :~0

Alrighty then...back to my emails and readings. My whole day was a study in gratitude....'Nuff said!


Namaste.

Sundays Summer Solstice

Just home from the summer solstice celebration out at the La Vista Ecological Institute. It was lovely, as usual. There were incredible desserts brought by everyone as part of a potluck..and one of the most gorgeous Trifles I have ever seen. Me??-I brought a watermelon. lol

We spent most of the morning, early afternoon working in the yard. Mowing (finally dry enough and cool enough)...well, sort of cool enough. The temps were about 89 with a heat index of ONLY 97.... It had to be done, as the grass was up to middle of my leg. I mowed the front and part of the side, and my wonderful husband mowed the back and the other half of the side. We make a great team. I pulled weeds from flowerbeds too and he worked on the picnic table he's building me. Then we cleaned up and set out to have dinner at the Dead Lobster *grin, where we dined on broiled fish and shrimpies and scallops. AND those wonderful cheese biscuits. man, I love those things!! Then it was off to gas up the car across the river, where gas prices are always at least 20 cents a gallon cheaper than they are over here. Then we went up to the Oblate for the solstice celebration. It was a grand time altogether.

It's nice and cool here in the house with the air on...so humid and muggy outside tonight. I have to get up early and take himself to work so I can keep the car in the morning. I'm winding down, thankfully, and should be fast asleep in just a few minutes.

My gratitude list for tonight is short and sweet:

* My husband, who loves me always, no matter what
* My friends who tolerate more than anyone should have to from me
* My Creator, who continually puts the most amazing people in my path
* My gardens, my home, my pets and my sober world
* My blogs, that give me joy and an eye to the outside world



Namaste.