The Secret

[Seeker13]

Sandy,
19 degrees today, supposed to warm up again by the weekend. This is serious yoyo type weather, seems no two days in a row are the same. We don't have fire and smoke to worry about, so I'm counting my blessings. I keep praying for rain for you folks, sorry about the humidity and smoke. Um, I believe your lungs are pretty important organs!

I remember Miss Sadie, so happy she's doing well. Tell her the bunnies are there to make her life more interesting! We have a species of flies that bite, and it hurts, leaves little bruises! Don't get me started about the fruit flies! Is it so wrong of me to tell the mosquitoes, biting and fruit flies that Australia is great this time of year! Well, guess I really have nothing to complain about since they're all dormant up here now. Probably should rethink my intentions, not really a very spiritual way of thinking.

Our tree is still up also, and all the decorations. It's just so festive! Lights on a timer, so I'm greeted with a warm colorful glow to start my day and end it. Might at least put away the decorations this weekend... might.

My son said to me today, "Mom could you at least pretend to not like your granddaughters so much?" Had just shone him a video of Nova and I playing in soapy water in the kitchen sink(washing off the finger paint). We were blowing into the water with their reusable straws making a ton of big bubbles! Nova got it right away! She has me cracking up for half the day! I kid you not at 19 months already telling knock, knock jokes! Her vocabulary is exploding, but she'll get so excited telling me a story complete with hand gestures and laughter, I really have no idea what she's saying! She can go on like this for a few minutes. Gets me chortling every time! Then repeats the same story two more times exactly the same way. Being with her is such a joy, missing the center isn't quite so bad, and I don't get sick as often.

Hope the air clears and the fires extinguish soon. I'll continue with prayers.

Love,
Kim

[Sandy]

Hi KIm,
It sounds like you have a ball with Nova. I was going to say she was so lucky to have you for a grandma but then I think you are lucky to have her too...so blessings abound all around. I love to hear tales of tiny and Nova... I think their exploits would make a lovely book series for kids. with your humour you could be the next "Beverly Cleary. (boy I just dated myself eh? But I di love her wonderful books as a youngster)

There's a fly buzzing around me as I type. It's after 11:30 pm... Well he can stay in for the night if he keeps those tickly germy feet to himself (herself? ) I think we'll let you keep your own flies, thank you. That is one insect that seems to be doing well down here regardless of conditions...roaches too. Bleah... Sometimes the huge wood roaches wander in just to surprise me, or so it seems... I do NOT like those kind of surprises.

We had rain again last night...Lovely and maybe a little more on the way tonight. It was cool 19 here too (Celsius ) It was cool enough I made a pot of split pea soup. George loves the stuff but has been to hot for awhile to even consider it.)

Well I took the Christmas tree down. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...Well wasn't hard emotionally but those lights! I had them wrapped around tree branches willy nilly...don't know what I was thinking. So there are no more warm pretty lights and cinnamony smells. (homemade cinn ornaments) but the flat looks a bi bigger somehow and it is easier for me to see the TV. and Christmas season is only 10 months away.

Okay I must get to bed. Nelson got PP fixed up so hopefully she can post to her hearts content.
Have fun with the family today. I'm thinking of all of you with gratitude and saying a prayer for your blessings.
Good night
love
Sandy

[Seeker13]

Sandy,

Was wondering if Lynn's posting problems got sorted! Lynn are you out there?

Seems we're on a two day cycle as far as the weather goes. Temperature is up, down, up, 40F degrees yesterday, everything melted, now 26 snow and drifting, more on the way today. Oh, well keeps us from getting complacent I guess. Thaws are wreaking havoc with my allergies though.

What do you mean you dated yourself? Those books were great entertainment! Know I should do something about the stack of stories piling up, but I don't know where to start, and always seem to be busy with one thing or another. I keep saying, "Some day!"

Every once in awhile I stop and marvel at how lucky my granddaughters are. They are so loved, and surrounded by family that adores them!... I am the luckiest grandma ever! Actually Dave and I are going over to babysit tonight. Think this will be the first official 'date' Dan and Rachel have been on (longer than two hours) since Nova was born. Guess they're excited! Rachel sent a hopeful text at 8:00 this morning checking to see if we were still 'on" for tonight!

Don't worry won't send our insects your way. But, "Shhh," don't tell them that... want to keep them guessing.

Christmas does take up a lot of space, and is cluttery,... but I'll continue to appreciate the holiday cheer for a few more days. Think it's because every little music box and wreath holds a memory. Dan, who is NOT sentimental what so ever, even appreciates so many reminders of his childhood at Christmas time. Aleah on the other hand, is just as sappy as me.

Christmas season is only 10 months away.

Indeed!

"Lights," You say! Oh, you must have seen my tutorial! That's the only way to decorate a tree, sets the stage for the whole ensemble! My motto in winter, "More lights!" In summer, "More flowers!"

Every time you tell us it rained, I breathe a little sigh of relief for you. Will continue my prayers for as long as it takes to extinguish the fires and give some relief to all of you who are enduring the effects. During this weather cycle, we're inundated with moisture of one from or another! When I start complaining, will try and remind myself of what it could be like to experience the opposite.

"Stay safe you stoic Australians, and all the creatures who surround you! Hopefully soon the land will begin to heal."

Love,
Kim

[peacockplume]

Hi y'all,,,
yes,,I made it back,,,with much gratitude to Sandy, Geoff, and Nelson....

computers.....bleah!!! microsoft is making a lot of changes and basically scre---ing things up...

but at least we still have the internet,,,,apparently the Indian government shut down the internet all over India..
I did see it on the news,,,but with fak- news and all that,,,who knows what's true in that arena any more...
mainly I try to be 'discerning' if it doesn't ring true,,,I shelve it!! If it does ring true and I don't like it,,I bless it and move on!!

I used to love decorating at the house,,,and I didn't totally give away ALL my xmas decos,,,so I'm in for a treat when we stop living in this home on wheels....no solid plans yet,,,but ideas are starting to flow!! I can't believe we've been doing this for 7 yrs this May!!

Kim,,,maybe you could keep a small tape recorder in a pocket,,,,and start telling your stories into it....saves a lot of time when you can't sit down to get at it....just keep a supply of tapes for different stories...thats sort of what I used to do...
now they are all in storage....

suppertime happening here now,,,,catcha all later
xoxoxoxoxo pp

[Seeker13]

Sandy,
Ha! Just sent you a message on Facebook that I couldn't sign onto the boards! Tried several times, sent you a message, tried again, then could! Please disregard the Facebook message.

Dave and I had fun time babysitting last night. He played Candyland with Tiny. Nova sitting on his lap, kept stealing the cards, throwing them up in the air and taking his player from the board when he looked away. She knew exactly what she was doing, trying to make him laugh. He stayed until the girls were in bed. Nova went right down. Tiny has always bed a fussy sleeper. We tried all the tricks, reading several books, having a snack, letting her bounce around in her room for and hour, having a few more snacks, sitting outside her door so she could see me,... and another snack. During this time she ran back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. "I'm just not tired!" Sitting at the table to eat another snack, she sighed, "Grandma, I just have a lot of things on my mind." So, I made a list of all the things on her mind. Got another piece of paper while she explained why she wanted to turn their living room into a jungle. Her mom had already let her move two huge palm trees in and hang a giant fern from the climber... There living room is more of a glorified jungle gym, any kids dream!

I sat and recorded. She went on, "Maybe I should buy a plank(to cover up the ladder hole so Nova can't get up in the climber), a stuffed guinea pig, a pretend fish tank. And I want to buy lots of plants so my living room could be a jungle! And I wanted to buy real banana trees and pear trees, and get strings to tie fruits to the loft... I want my living room to look like a paradise. I want plants hanging from the loft and the ceiling, and I want pineapples... Wouldn't that be magical! Hey, Grandma! I'm going to find my jungle book so we can see what else we need!" We found five more books about jungles and talked until her parents came home. Of course she was completely naked the whole night.


Lynn,
Glad to see you're back! Did your internet problems have anything to do with India?... I'll never understand this stuff.

Seriously, you've been nomadic for seven years? Wow! Where has the time gone? Pretty sure I would need a home base. Our long term plan for building an apartment in the basement for Aleah, was after we retire(IF Dave ever retires), to rent out the bigger part of the house and we'd move down to the apartment for part of the year and travel for the winter months... Probably should start weeding stuff out now, 'cause that might happen... in ten years or so!

That's a good idea for recording ideas. I can mull a story over in my head for days, or sit down at the laptop and have it spill out as it plays out in my head! My problem is not taking the time to write the stories down, the stacks of them on my shelf, full zip drives, and space taking up the hard drive, are testaments to that. I do stay really busy, but mostly it's not getting down to business and figuring out how to get them published...and I'm a coward! What if they're stupid?!

Ok, time to pack up Christmas.

Have a great day everyone!


Kim

[peacockplume]

Hi Kim,,,
Meditaation Day,,,and this is my 3333 post...I had to make it here!

I love Tiny,,,,what a creative mind!!! now you'll have to look for a set of lights with fruit on them to hang in her trees...spring, summer coming,,you should be able to find them easy!! They seem to come out on balconies for summer...

Don't think India had anything to do with being blocked,,,,it was only on the mb...weird,,,but fixed,,,I'm grateful!!

This is curling season (being Canadian and all) and the Continental Cup is on it's last day...this year tho, us Canuks are taking a beating,,,,although,,,you never know!!

yup,,,7 years!!! and I feel a big change coming,,,have never felt we didn't have a home base,,,since we still make home on the Island, it's just that we take the 'home' with us when we come south. This year we may do some shifting around tho,,,

we are talking about selling the RV,,,,buying something slightly smaller to travel in and also keeping something more permanent on the Island....that's just the broad thoughts...we'll see what works out...when it does!! We do really like the spot we have when we are there...one summer we drove up Island and stopped in at EVERY resort on the way,,,for more than 100 miles,,,up to and past Campbell River,,,,and nothing took our fancy! When we got back we realized how much we liked it just where we are!!
Then for a couple of years we thot we might just move to another site at the resort. Now,,,after all the work we did on the garden last year, we have decided to just stay put!!! The garden got a major remake last spring,,,and I mean major!!!
During last winter,,they had a lot of snow,,,and the people plowing the roads in the park, didn't notice where the garden ended and all the BIG rocks that went around the end of the garden were 'moved'....the plants were rather mooshed...it was a disaster!!

so,,when we got home, we had to lift all the plants,,,I potted them up and made a holding nursery lol...we oops...Allan,,dug up all the soil,,,repositioned all the rocks,,,and refilled the planting area. While doing all of that,,it gave us the chance to re-design the garden. Our garden runs between 2 sites,,,and standing down by the road looking up,,,it's in the shape of a thermometer...
At the road the rocks go around it in a U shape,,,and theres a large rock (actually part of the mtn) in the centre. Then the edges curve in and go up both sides, probably about 20 ft....at about a 3ft width, then on our side it is only 2 ft for another 10 ft or so

So after getting the front U part done,,,we looked at the next 5 -10 ft stretch and decided to re design that,,,,so we removed all those plants,,,and thoroughly cleaned the area....mega periwinkle..out, out, out...weeds, grass,,,and things that the birds had seeded for us...(we never planted that!!!),,,my holding area was getting bigger and bigger...
At the end of that section, the garden strip narrows again,,,,it might get enlarged this year!! lol

Anyway,,,it turned out great!! even tho it took us (mostly Allan) a whole month plus to do it.. I had a lot of give aways...and probably more this year....was just looking at my pics and the day I did the edging was May 9th so 50 days to do the whole remake!

No small wonder we've decided to "like" where we are at!!!

Well,,that's it for today,,,, I've had the curling on, in the background (not doing so well lol) I've missed my brunch and
it's 7 hrs from now to meditation time...

sending love pp

[Seeker13]

Lynn, {{{{{HUG}}}}}

Yay, 3333! I never thought of fruit lights, thanks for the suggestion. They did have lights and a wreath hung on the loft for the holidays. Their climber came from my center when it closed. So amazing... and huge! The creater was a master craftsmen. The four posts are actual cedar trees stripped of their bark, leaving the beautiful blond wood. The splayed part by the roots are still attached, with railings made of small branches. Fortunately they have cathedral ceilings and open living space. Sure wouldn't fit in my house!

Lol! My gardens are the main reason I wanted to stay in the apartment at our place after we retire! Yours sounds like quite the undertaking, yay Allen!No wonder it took 50 days! My kind of yard. I remember the trip you took that summer! Are they still in danger of being plowed over? If so maybe you can stick in a bunch of tall reflectors around, so the plow guy is aware of their location. Sounds like you two have a big decision to make when the time comes.

It was heartbreaking when my brother-in-law rented our place when Dave and I managed the motel for three years. Of course he and his wife didn't know anything about flowers, and I never had the time to get back here to work the beds. Their plow guy did the same with the berm, big old rocks pushed half way into the yard along with plants and soil. My sister-in-law has MS, so they had him plow up a bank all the way to the front door, unfortunately it was the lawn. Dave and I had worked years establishing decent grass, hauling in truckload after truckload of compost as there was no topsoil to begin with. Oh well, live and learn.

This next summer I plan on moving the berm to create another parking space, It's kind of awkward being close to the apartment door. Moving it will give them more of a sense of their own space. Ah, now you have me dreaming of wind flowers and roses, primrose and peonies, lilacs, and forsythia, tulips, daffodils, lilies, phlox, snapdragons, nasturtiums... Oh, gees, what will I have to move when we go into the apartment!... Nope can't go there yet.

I'd better think of getting some sleep. Wanted to get the group meditation down while still fresh in my mind. Hope your team made a come back, "Go, Canuks!" Or what ever the team name is.

Love,
Kim

[peacockplume]

Kim
Oh boy, oh boy,,,are you gonna have a big job,,,,and you know you will!!! Just start this summer and do container gardening,,,little bit at a time, especially your perennials...I stick with perennials,,,I don't have stamina anymore to always do annuals...not even one!
As it is,,,when we get back, we are going to have to divide and move some plants,,,we forgot how big they would grow,,even just over one summer...like we have 2 huge hostas,,,and we planted smaller hostas around it,,,hahahaha,,,they totally got hidden. I want to group my Columbine more together instead of all through the garden,,,they spread toooooo easily,,,
but over the rest of winter,,you have the chance to design it on paper,,,,
Yes,,,our plan before we left was to put rebar posts with flags at the top....but we didn't....sooooo ??? keeping fingers crossed,
and it's snowing up on the mtn this week,,, However,,,even if the round end gets plowed over,,,it's just heliotrope,,,or hellebore,,,I get confused,,,but they are easy to replant and they grew very nicely over the summer,,,there is no chance of them wrecking the rest of it,,,being too far from the road edge,,,so what will be,,will be!
As for the rest of it,,,re selling the RV,,,what to buy,,where to move,,,who knows,,,that's another, what will be, will be.

Thanks for that lovely meditation report!!! I could envision being there!!

nuf for now,,, pp

[Sandy]

Wow, just e reading all the posts here I missed. I'm not sure where to begin to catch up. I want you to know I thought of Tiny this week when we were shopping at Aldis, Kim. They had these big ole not quite fruit lights but similar on sale and I couldn't resist buying a cheap set. I really wanted two but G wagged his finger at me. ) Anyway I am going to hang them up in honour of Tiny and to bring a little of her enthusiasm for life into our existence. I listen to both you guys talk so easily about changes in your beloved gardens and lives and I dream of so easily going with the flow. I still tend to work against the river of life...trying to preserve and protect everything exactly as it is at this moment and lamenting the inevitable changes to the status quo.

But oh well... is there anything more pleasant then enjoying a creative effort with Mother nature? I have been running buckets of water back and forth to my once beautiful lavender bushes. Yep, they are massive bushes because I never cut them back. This isn't really enough water but it helps keep them alive until what I hope is inevitable fall rain begins. The weather people are calling for rain but it doesn't look like it right now. I hope and pray it is falling on the areas that need it the most. I suspect it will after what pp envisioned in meditation. In God's time.

My neighbour is an arbourist and he has been hired to help clear dangerous trees from the fire areas in the south of us. He showed me photos last night of a tree (2 feet in diameter they had cut in the fire zone of a couple weeks ago. The trunk still in the ground side was glowing red because the roots are still on fire. I was thinking about this this morning and broke into tears...for these once beautiful living beings... I remember from the books we have recently read about trees that they can live on long after their trunk is cut via roots and fungi connections to others. So seeing the roots ablaze... well I felt like I was seeing death... painful, torturous, prolonged death of a living thing. I suppose it is part of life but frankly we've seen enough of it! Everyone has and this morning I am defiant!

Okay...lol time to walk bare foot across the bendies. It is amazing though what a little rain can do. Our yard is already getting green again.

Now about the children book writing...Here are a few URLs to get you going, KIM...PP too...

https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-publish- ... rens-book/

https://www.wikihow.com/Publish-a-Children%27s-Book

https://guide.balboapress.com.au/LP02F0 ... 838de3909d

http://how-to-publish-a-children-s-book ... hers&tst=1

I've had this idea in the back of my mind for some time of trying to create some kind of publication with articles, poetry, art, music, health, recipes, gardening... maybe even jokes and crosswords...but all relating to joyful life and living, with spirit overtones.... Not a clue what this kind of thing would entail... shoot I can't even post a photo... LOL I'm thinking a nice bit of fiction would be nice too... I have a few ideas myself.

Oh well... the world beckons...

I too cannot believe it has been 7 years since you guys have been mobile, PP. Where does the time go? I also cannot believe I have been here in Australia 15 years. My beautiful garden back home doesn't exist anymore. Only in my heart I suppose. I can't really unlock those memories though as most times it brings pain and sadness as well. I keep thinking it would be nice to have the perspective to see it differently, but no... I can't go there.

So I do what our landlord will allow me to do here and be happy for that. This year I am happy to have anything even our home at all. So many others cannot say that and have lost everything.

I want to make sure everyone knows it IS NOT ARSON causing the fires in Australia. No crazy "greenies" running around setting fires to promote climate change agenda((wouldn't that be counter productive anyway?...silly notion) No, nearly all have been naturally occurring. ..what you see is what you get and is now life in Australia... maybe the world if we don't get on the ball and "light a fire" under our leaders.

George just got up so I have to go... I am going to make this a good day. Plant something in the shade and say a prayer for Urantia and all the people I love....that is you guys...

Thanks for all you do to lighten the world and my/our outlook.
love from,
Sandy

[peacockplume]

Hi Sandy,,
I certainly hope things are starting to improve down there,,,it's been so horrible for you all.
Mother nature is sure doing her work all over the world,,,,earthquakes in Turkey, near Cuba and Jamaica the other day,,,but I gotta feel that fire is the worst....

sending prayers all the time

What brought me here today tho was I was just going to the coffee house to sit and chat....
I was trying to change my avi the other day,,,,and couldn't re-size a more current picture properly,,,
in the end,,,mrs plume made an appearance...but I will keep working on it...

the wind is blowing up a good one today here in Bullhead City,,,really gusting strongly,,,,sounds like it could rip the little slide awnings right off if they weren't tied down,,,fortunately they are,,,the wind just lifts and slams it down,,,very noisy.

I went for a ride yesterday to Las Vegas airport (didn't go into the city),,we dropped someone off at the airport,,,went to Costco, then drove back....it was a beautiful day though and no wind...

well,,,sorry,,,gotta go,,,my washing machine just stopped,,,and I can't just let it sit....crinkle city!

chat later dear friends..
pp xoxo

[Seeker13]

Lynn,
I was going to comment on your gorgeous Ms. Plume! Very lovely. Did you go to Vegas to get away from the noise? That sounds stressful! Is it always windy like that there?

Sandy,
I've been wondering how it was gong down there too. Any relief? No progress on the book publishing front, but I did finish Nova's and Grandma's Good Morning Song. I record them on my phone so I don't forget the tune. The internet was out yesterday at the motel. I usually play a lot of music throughout the day, so I played the song for Nova. Don't think I'll be forgetting that tune any time soon! Whenever it ended she said, "MORE!" Kind of got sick of hearing my own voice! Sent it to her mom and dad this morning, it was playing when I got there, and Dan was humming the tune when they left! Now I just have to finish the story.

Was suppose to thaw this week, but thankfully it's held off. When Tiny got home, the whole family went out and did snow painting( a little bit of food coloring in water filled spray and squirt bottles). The snowbank was a masterpiece!

We'll enough tea for today, hope you all have a great night, or day depending what your heading into.

Kim

[peacockplume]

Just left a note on the 888 thread about my trip to vegas...but can add more here while I sit out on the balcony sipping some chai!
where we live on the Hat,,(Malahat) on the Island,,we have a neighbour across the road who goes down to Lake Havasu for the winter...
oops,,I just hit something trying to type with all 10 fingers and my font size blew up, will try to fix it later...
anyway,,,then there's another couple that drive down just after xmas,,,then he flies home (to work another coupe of months) and she stays in another park down here. She couldn't get into the same park that I'm in....so around the end of Jan,,he flies home and I go for the ride so she has company coming back,,,and we manage to take a different route (get lost) back here ...
Last year when we came back I missed the exit and we ended up on the highway going to Kingman, because I was taking pictures and the highway had been improved with exits and bridges,,etc..but it was a good miss as the hwy we were on went past a little LITTLE town called Chloride, one of those very eclectic old mining towns that is nearly a ghost town, artsy f-artsy now,,,not much to see,,,very old.
But we got to see it and crossed it off the bucket list!
This time,,,we got on the right road,,,but missed the turn to Bullhead City, and ended up in Needles,No problem getting home from there and included a stop she wanted to make anyway. All is good!!!
Now we’re into the WIND again!,,,it was a no wind day for the trip,,,but the next day we had wind up to 50 miles/hr….today its only 20mph,,,so feels like a great relief…Just not nice enough to stay outdoors for very long….I wear a hat that covers my ears…..I’m ready to move out of Bullhead City!!! We’ll see!!!
Yes Kim,,,apparently it is windy in Bullhead City,,,it’s situated between some mtns with the Colorado River making it the perfect funnel….It was windy last winter,,,but we thought we’d try it again for many reasons,,,,but I won’t be doing this again!!! We are already considering on going back to the resort we first went to,,,,,we may even do it for our last month here! Just depends,,lots to consider!

Just a note on those sites Sandy sent,,,the second link (I think) wrote this,,,
The First Australians

The first Australians have a deep connection with country, its animals, plants and places. They believe that the spirits of their Dreamtime ancestors, who walked the earth in a time before time, still dwell in sacred places on country as do the spirits of the 2,000 generations of people who lived before them. These ancestral spirits can be found in ancient trees or rock formations, in significant places or can be recognised in the behaviour of native animals.

That’s what reminded me of my connection with rock spirit…

I can just imagine the fun there was snow painting!!!,,now you’ll need the thaw for the clean up!!
Chai done!!! And it’s 2:22…hahahahaha

Loves pp

[Sandy]

Good Morning everyone,

Not sure how far I will get on this before George gets out of the shower but here goes...

Kim,
all those year, living in snowy Ohio and I never once thought of snow painting. I think I missed out on something very enjoyable. (My boys too) But it is never too late for my grand kids eh? So I'll mention this to their parents.

No chance of snow here anytime soon...or well...ever...sigh. (By here I mean where we live in the world down under) Today and tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 40 Celsius. I turned the air conditioner on this morning and wow so far it is working. So we may not fry after all. (That's always a good thing.)

Are you still having trouble getting on the board? Hope all is well.

PP, I love the wind but it is a pain when it causes noise, or is a little too strong. (Like 50 miles and hour.) That's a bit much. It is a little windy here at times too. So depending on the direction of these winds determines our temperatures from day to day.

I just want to say real quick that I cannot hear chai anywhere without thinking of you as you talked about it and even gave us your recipe on this thread many pages ago. Funny how these" little bits" stay with you, eh?

Love you guys, I'll be back a little later.

Sandy

How's Laura?

[Seeker13]

Good Evening!
I was thinking of Laura too when Eric asked if mm was Memaw on the Happy Birthday wish thread. I know she was having a pretty tough time a few months ago.

Sandy,
40 degrees Celsius sounds so much better than 104 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm melting just thinking about it... and the air is toxic? Sure hope the air conditioner holds out!

So far tonight didn't have any problems and it didn't kick me off switching threads. Cleared my browser like Geoff suggested. Lol! Took a loooooong time. So hopefully that was the problem! Tell Geoff thank you for me.

Oh, your grandkids have to try snow painting! So much fun! We had dragons, trees, and flowers under a blue sky with a sun and a moon!... And of course lots of blobs. It was kind of cool(actually it was kind of cool about 25 degrees F), because a snowbank provided a perfect canvas. In the summer we do water painting. Best part NO CLEAN UP. Give a kid a bucket of water and a paintbrush. As soon as the sun hits it, POOF, disappears.

Lynn,
50 miles and hour isWIND! I love it too, to make waves, laundry smell heavenly, blow leaves on the trees, fly kites.... but not when it rattles my house! Is that why they named it Bullhead City? The past couple of years we've had a few 'straight wind' episodes in our area. Man, takes down a swath of trees like a tornado went through. And it's only in a small area, like takes out everything on one side road, leaving it unfazed on the other. Never heard of them before that.

Sounds like getting lost with your friend is an opportunity for exploration! Huh, you must have an interesting bucket list.

We did the snow painting out in back, don't have to worry about messiness. Its just a few drops of food coloring in each refill, so not even recognizable when the snow melts.

Okay ladies, better close, no tea tonight, just water, and a tangerine!

Love to you both,
Kim

[peacockplume]

Good morning ,,,well it is here for another few min hahaha

well, I've gotten rather lazy these days Sandy,,,I buy pre-made chai now,,,keep trying different brands,,,,pretty much the same, in fact in Costco the other day, I saw a different one,,but I resisted the urge, as there's still a new carton in the fridge...lol

Yes, I did get to talk with Laura yesterday....I invited her to our Sunday night meditations,,,along with a good pep talk!! We had a long talk and in fact finally sounds like she's starting to deal with issues that would aid in her healing. That's all I can say..

They have moved to Florida, bought a house, but she has a lot of stuff to go through there to even get on the heart transplant list.
which was why they moved there. She couldn't get one in New Mexico. But they tell her she really needs one. She still has only one chamber that is working.

I told her I would ask for her to be put on the healing list.

and yes,,,the wind is still blowing,,,rocking the rv,,,,reminds me of riding the train sometimes....really!!! and we're getting from 18-21 mph for the next 5 days....but we do have the sun and no rain,,,,,hmmm sometimes I wonder
truly,,,I could NOT live here permanently....I'm an Island girl,,,lots of water,,,lots of green,,,lots of trees,,,
yet when we do stop coming down here,,I will probably miss it,,,just a tiny bit! The winter temps in the desert are much like our fall, and early spring on the island,,,,and our summer temps on the island are much like the spring and fall down here....with a few splashes of heat....we would not make it through a summer down here! Maybe when I was younger...much younger!!!

Well,,think that's all for today,,,see y'all later,,

loves,, pp

[Sandy]

It's still warm today but not as bad as the past two days. As I type in fact the clouds are covering the relentless sun and it feels so much better. I do not handle heat well. Normally we would have our air conditioner on when it was that hot but it has definitely gone kaput. So ... George and I sat outside yesterday in the shade with our feet in a large bucket of water. LOL We may have looked rather silly but it did help. I thought about a trip to the beach but my swimsuit has lost its' elasticity. Not something other visitors would have appreciated from this matronly ole gal. LOL We couldn't find G's suit either soooo we decided to just stay put. One doesn't go to the baked beach under those conditions unless you can at least periodically immerse yourself in the waves. sigh

I will send Laura to George, PP. Let's hope she can soon feel a hundred per cent better. Lynn, do the doctors know why one of the ventricles is not working?

I'm with you with water and green and growing things...I am definitely not a desert dweller. Although I must say for awhile this summer it has seemed that was so. We watched a telemark film (actually it was a nine part series on the 100 anniversary of the canal system and the lovely boats that carried people up and down it in Norway. All that cool beautiful water and stunning landscape made me want to cry and to learn to speak Norwegian, I might add. It may sound silly or even boring to some folks but looking at all the lovely people turning out along the canals (a very long journey) waving their flags and smiling made me long to be there and stand on the shore, feet in water and speak with the locals. We are all much the same under the skin with family, friends, loves, pets etc...

DEspite the heat you will nevr guess what I made for us to eat for supper yesterday...???? split pea soup. To my credit I made it early in the day so that all we needed to do was warm it a bit for dinner. Oops comp just told me I have run out of battery so must go before it goes out...

Love you guys
Sandy

[peacockplume]

just a quick reply Sandy,,
have to send a correction,,,,,Laura only has 1 chamber workin,,,,the other 3 are kaput,,,i know one is completely not working,,
the other 2 are almost as bad,,,,I will get better details soon,,,maybe call her again tomorrow,,,sometimes I don't get through.
talk soon sweetie,,,,
we had company today,,,and I;m heading for bed....my back is calling for me to be prone....
love you xoxo
pp

[Seeker13]

Hello all,
Oh, sweet hearted Laura has not had it easy, I'll ask her spirit to join me in The River before going to sleep tonight.

Sandy,
I will pray that the heat and fires abate and you get an air conditioner that works. There's still a lot of summer left for you, right? Shorts and a tee-shirt are perfectly acceptable swimming attire. George does love your pea soup! I can't even think about making it in the summer time! Did you ever figure out what was going on with Sadie?

Lynn,
I'm with you, could never handle the summers in Arizona, like Sandy do not handle the heat well. Some people have inferred it makes me down right cranky! Hope it was a good visit with your company and that your back feels better after a rest.

You know I've had such a wonderful couple of days, I feel guilty as others suffer so. … but here goes.

Yesterday spent hours cleaning, cooking, getting ready for our family dinner Pasty Party. Dave made the pie crusts. I tossed two roasts in the crockpot with onions and basil stems, chopped and roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, potatoes, and made a huge gluten free pot of gravy. This morning all I had to do was make the angel food cake. When everyone arrived, everything was out in separate dishes for them to roll out their dough and put whatever they liked in their pasty, and their initial on top so we knew whose was whose. I'd made the angel food cake in two pans. Tiny and Nova each got a little rubber spatula, Lite whipped cream, and fresh strawberries to decorate the cakes. They were BEAUTIFUL Tiny has had practice at this, so knew just what to do. Nova likes to do whatever Tiny does. I figured very little of the whipped cream or strawberries would make it on Nova's cake, but it's really quite amazing how she watched her sister, spread the whipped cream and stood the strawberries up on top of her cake! Let's be clear though, a lot of the whipped cream and strawberries went in their tummies long before it was time for dessert!

While dinner was baking, the girls and their parents went down to the toy room. Tiny thought we should all dress up! She brought each of us all the crowns, strings of beads, necklaces, and tulle we could wear. Dave didn't have a crown, he had on a purple Easter hat instead, a Star Wars light saber, and about five foot of tulle dragging behind him. He ended up tucking it in his belt because everyone kept stepping on it. My tulle was dark purple with sparkles, crown was gold. I only had one gold necklace, and another that was very sparkly and had three huge court jesters attached to it. Aleah wore a rainbow colored slinky on her wrist as a bracelet, the prettiest crown we have, and pink tulle was tied to her pony tail so she looked like Rapunzel. Think Dan had on at least ten necklaces and one on his head. Rachel can pull off any look. She had a hair clip with three very large flowers, and the standard tulle, and necklaces. Of course both the girls were decked out too. We were a very sparkly crowd! When Tiny asked if we could all keep it on for dinner, we're like, "Okay!" Before eating though Rachel took a group picture, we were all in super hero poses, mine was the best. Oh, the dogs were dressed up too.

I highly recommend roasting the veggies for anyone who makes pastys, it's a lot of prep work, but the flavor is so delicious! And above all else, you must dress for dinner.

To round out the evening Clementine spent the night, we watched the Disney version of Robin Hood.

Love you guys,
Kim

[Sandy]

Well it is nearly 4:00 am and I am still wide awake.

PP how's your poor back? I can empathise as mine used to be a problem too until I hurt my shoulders. LOL That sounds strange I know, but, hurting my shoulders forced me to sleep differently and that cleared up all my back problems. My poor George is having trouble with his shoulders too now. He doesn't sleep well because of it. One hurts so bad he cannot sleep on it so he is stuck on one side all night...so as you can imagine he gets sore on the better side and perpetuates the problem. (he can't sleep on his back as he quits breathing. )

The winds changed and a low front moved in from the south this afternoon bringing with it a mild thunder storm, cooler temps, and blessed rain. So I am happy as Larry tonight...I just hope the areas still dealing with fires gets a bit of it as well.

Kim, you asked about Sadie. Well she was back to her old happy self today so who knows maybe like me she just plain didn't sleep good that night. I've been putting water bottles out for the bunnies to help keep them cool. They've really learned to appreciate them. I gave Sadie some too but she completely ignored them.

You know, I hate to admit this, but I have never made pasties. They sounds so delicious and fun, the way your family makes them anyway. Seriously, you guys are such a hoot. Such free beautiful spirits. I hope a little of it rubs off on me. Now, I have a question...What is a tulle? Sort of like a boa? I can't think of a boa without thinking of the character, Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island. ( Isn't it weird how some things just stay with you.

I really should go to bed... Still not tired...sigh

Love and hugs from,
this night owl

[Seeker13]

Goodness!
Sounds like everyone could use a spa... month. Seems like the first place we put our stress is in the shoulders and neck. And what's up with the insomnia? Ai,yi,yi! Wonder if a group EFT tapping session would work for us? Group Binaural beats? Ha, I'm going to invite you all to join me in a few minutes... sorry Sandy if you fall asleep in the middle of something.

If George quits breathing while sleeping on his back, is he on a CPAP machine?

Glad to hear the weather is cooperating lately and Sadie is feeling better. You guys deserve some relief! Your bunnies are so lucky to have you.

Pastys are not all that well known. They're like a meat pie in a sealed pocket. Think the lumberjacks in the U.P. started eating them as a way to carry their lunch in their hand.... although our family stuffs them so full they can't be picked up, … besides they must be slathered in gravy!(low sodium, corn starch, veggie bullion kind). Would be a dreadful waste having all that drip on the floor! "Mmmmm, pastys…" nope way too late for a snack.

I love my family! Think we all still have a child like spirit inside... that explains why not one of them likes to do dishes! Anyway, all you have to do is tap into your own inner child. Music and dancing bring them out in an instant! Not to mention crowns, jewelry and tulle. Hey, no one was wearing fairy wings! How'd that happen?

Tulle is a netting type material, the kind you make tutus with. One year my sister made a whole rainbow tent out of it for her daughters birthday! So we still have yards and yards of it coming out of or ears!... Besides, you can't be a princess or a fairy without it! Also fun to cut 12 inch squares and hold them over a fan, "Poof," magical. Hmmm, do they still make vacuums with the reverse blower on them? Maddy their puggle was wearing the purple boa. Later she had on a couple of Mardi Gras necklaces, reminded me of a rotund old lady that wears her jewelry too tight..., it was not a good look for her!

I can't think of a boa without thinking of the character, Ginger Grant on Gilligan's Island. ( Isn't it weird how some things just stay with you.

It is..., then other things are like, "Poof," and fly right out the window.

Okay, time I start thinking about that EFT tapping and binaural beats. I'll send out some prayers for a cessation of painful sleeping and plethora of restful sleep for all of you, sweet dreams! Well, you know, when it's time for all of you to sleep.

Love,
Kim

[Sandy]

Hey Kim,

Thanks for the "B"beats... I actually fell asleep during the meditation, but maybe my subconscious/soul ran with it for me... didn't sleep long. never can during the day too many things need my attention and George is always in the back of my mind.

You asked if he was on a cpap machine. No, but he probably should be. I'll talk to our Doc when we see him next. I tend to listen to him breathe while he sleeps. It's always faster then my own. And I always have an ear out for it and when he gets up. which makes me wonder about the soundness of our sleep.

But I am a bundle of energy most days and I feel strong(invincible) so that's maybe good.

I think what both G and I need is silliness... I wonder... music and dance... maybe that is what is missing. He is always on his computer during the day, concentrating on this and that and getting advice from "his friends" so I try not to be too noisy in our tiny place.

I'm going shopping a little later so may pick up a variety of veggies to roast for pastys. YUM.

Do you have a recipe for the dough?

Thanks for educating me on tulle. LOL I just had a mental image of me walking around in a tutu. Well if that wouldn't lighten me up don't know what would.

It is so nice today. I am in heaven. .. almost cool even. A shame to waste it on grocery shopping but it will be nice to enrich the pantry with some healthy food. I'm going to buy some red cabbage and beets to try one of Rod's latest recipes in the Urantia book section. (UB COOKING thread) He's leaning towards recipes that are good for people with diabetes but they support other healthy avenues as well. This recipe coincides with an article he posted that speaks of the value of eating foods that produce nitric oxide in our bodies.
We are already eating some of them...like watermelon, walnuts, Kale, beets, red cabbage...can't remember the others mentioned.

Okay enough out of me. Have a good one...
love,
Sandy
hmmm .... My goal for the day is to, in some way, add some music and dance into our lives. I'm not "jumping off those waterfalls" * yet but definitely working towards that in my heart and mind. (*From Kim's beautiful poem, Forgot,Envision, Imagined) viewtopic.php?f=7&t=29360#p205212 Check it out...

[peacockplume]

I love reading your posts,,,Kim and Sandy....when you both write,,your posts come alive with vision....
wish my meditations would do as well,,,lol
I felt like I was right in your house Kim,,,your delicious descriptions of all the going ons...tulle, beads and pasties!!!

and believe me,,I was hopping thru the trees with you Sandy, reading your meditation....snapping crocks indeed!!!

We went to see someone on Sunday afternoon, they were prepping for superbowl,,,(how could we forget that was happening)
by the time we came back the WIND,,had started to BLOW for the next 4 days,,,today is the 5th,,it's still blowing...gusts over 50 mph
we pulled in the big slide,,,much quieter inside,,,and tomorrow the wind is supposed to be done with (till the next one of course)

I just realized that's why my days have been disappearing,,,melding into one long "waiting for the wind to stop" it's actually very disturbing....I don't mind the RV rocking,,,that reminds me of being on a train,,,ad I LOVE trains!!

But to go out in this wind....no, no, no,,,,,and would't you know,,,we had to yesterday...
A friend texted me about a problem,,,and she needed help....so we went out,,got what she needed,,,went to her resort, which is up on a bluff overlooking Bullhead City....he fixed her problem and we were leaving....before I could say,,,hang on...
he opened the door and had started to step down....the wind caught the door,,,and nearly blew him away....good thing he had a good grip on the handle,,,but he did literally get blown off the stairs....

so,,ya can understand,,,when I say,,,I'm done with this WIND....in this place anyway! But there just aren't many days for me to go outside and enjoy myself,,,unless we go somewhere.....so,,,,not a happy camper at the moment....

it is getting better tho,,,,no wind tomorrow!!!

k guys,,,gtta get up andstretch my back,,,time for brunch,,,quesadilla time!!

loves,,pp

[Sandy]

Well PP I must admit I feel your writing is as descriptive as it gets. LOL I was right there with Allan being blown off the stairs. (Did I spell A's name right? I can never remember if it is with an e or a) But despite the rattling around...just think of the information the wind is passing to you. This wind could have passed by George and I, for instance, as we stand in our back yard watering the garden...or Kimmie and her Tulle wrapped dancing family up north and Eric and his dalmatians down in Houston...The wind wraps us and gently connects us all in mind body and spirit. When the wind blows it is a wonderful time to do a wind ritual or meditation. Let me see if I can find one on line....

Here's a very short one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaTCQHLO-_c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r99DIRPE2s
This one is a lively piano thingy... Wasn't what I was looking for but I found as I closed my eyes and allowed the music to lead me I found visions came easily... perhaps a good practice sort of thing to help us develop freedom to visualise...go with the flow in meditation...develop a light touch and heart...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPNHZTe6doA Here's a longer one...a cleansing wind meditation. I haven't done this one yet so if anyone does please let us know what you experience...

Anyway, there are many out there for all differing ritual needs some of the best meditations though are ones you and the celestials call up yourself, eh?... We do not necessarily need to be guided as we go with the flow...But some suggestions... one might be to allow yourself to be a bird or even a leaf or a feather (Now I am smiling remembering the AC )and soar with the wind from one place to another...I have found that this has allowed me to feel a "connectedness" with people, plants animals and places in this world.

aiyi ai George is up so I must leave and help him with his blood sugar monitering etc...

Love to all, and have a "tulle wrapped" kind of happy night or day!
Sandy

[Seeker13]

Lynn,
Oh man! I wouldn't love the wind either after the time you guys have had! Great you were able to help a friend, but SCARY! Glad you were alright in the end, be nice for you to have a little reprieve. Trains are nice once in awhile..., but wouldn't want to live on one! I sympathize, there have been way too many inside days for me also. I LOVE being outside, but have had a hard time enjoying myself here this past year, because so much rain, rain, rain! We live in the woods, with all the moisture, the molds have been wreaking havoc with my allergies. With so many thaws we've had this winter, still been a problem. I guess Mother Nature has just been too overwhelmed, seems like everyone has a weather story. I try to include Urantia in my daily healing prayers.

Time for brunch! Uh, uh! Time for dinner!

Sandy,
Here is our pie recipe. My family has been using it since I was in single digits.

Foolproof Pie Crust

This is a recipe for five crusts, actually cut way down as it is the from a pie stand that sold hundreds of them when I was growing up. Scraps can be re-rolled and not be tough. Can be refrigerated up to three days, can be frozen, thaw until it's soft enough to roll.

Ingredients:
4 C flour(not self-rising)
1 TBL sugar
2 tsp salt
1 3//4 C shortening(do not substitute, oil, lard, margarine, or butter)
½ C water
1 TBL white or cider vinegar
1 lg egg

Directions:
In a large bowl stir together with fork flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in shortening until crumbly. In a small bowl beat together water, vinegar, and egg. Add to flour mixture stir until all ingredients are moist. Divide dough into five flattened round patties. Wrap each patty in wax paper and chill at least 1/2 hour. When you are ready to use lightly flour both sides of the patty, roll out on a lightly floured pastry cloth(I roll out on floured wax paper, easier to put it over pie plate and peel off). If the mixture sticks to the rolling pin, scrape it off and add a little flour to the rolling pin. Roll it to a thickness of 1/8 inch and two inches wider than the pie pan. Fill, and flute edges, bake as directed for individual recipes.

Happy baking!

Letting you know I'm getting my mom voice on.
This is actually for anyone who stops breathing while they sleep! Please talk to George's doctor about getting a sleep test. I being an extremely stubborn person(Yes, I'm willing to admit this), finally talked to my doctor about my concerns about sleep apnea, another thing that runs in our family. Turns out I have a pretty serious case, probably what led to my eye problems. I'm lucky though, could have easily been a stroke or heart attack, causes high blood pressure and a plethora of other problems. Turns out I stop breathing 29 times an hour, and oxygen levels dropped down to 59%... They told me anything below 80% is dangerous. Been on a CPAP machine for two years, it was a really hard transition for me, I'm such a finicky sleeper, but I kept trying. Finally have the right fit and mask for me, sleeping much better and for longer intervals than I have in a very long time.

AND you've had so any scares with George's health, it sounds like your loosing sleep and quality of sleep worrying about him. Maybe it would give you some peace of mind. Okay, lecture over.

Music and movement is good for everything that ails you! Inserting a little of both can turn a bad day around. You know squirt guns are fun too! Bubbles? You can blow bubbles inside you know? When I was in college we'd spend hours throwing a balled up sock at each other... think I'll go get one right now!

Love to you both, please stay safe!
Kim

[Seeker13]

Sandy,
Sorry just saw your last post. I love the idea of doing a wind ritual!

Forgot to mention I saw a cougar crossing the road on the way to work this morning! On the way back thinking about it, looked in my rearview mirror and there was a little brown and white mouse running back and forth in my rearview mirror! If your recall, "Not a fan." It was about around the same place I saw the cougar. So, what do I do? Stop and try and get the mouse out, and risk getting eaten by a cougar? Or keep going and risk getting eaten by the mouse(used to be quite phobic about mice)? Ended up continuing on home, singing quite loudly telling the mouse he didn't have to eat me! got out of the car, left the back door open, asked my son to please go make sure it was out of my car... Then asked Dave to do the same when he got home.

Kim