Change of Perspective or Thanks Lady Who Was Sitting Next To Me...

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I do NOT have cute feet..as a matter of fact rumor has it that when I was born and my mom was counting my toes, my dad said..well never mind what he said..you get the picture!
So, given this scenario and the feet that I have lived with all my life makes it easy to see how over the top excited  I was last week when I was waiting to give blood, and the woman next to me leaned over and said."Your toes are so cute and I love that color of nail polish."
That woman's compliment made my week...and after thinking about it (okay lots of thinking and smiling about it), it taught me something.
Things change! Just because the only prize I ever won in high school was the "Ugly Feet" contest...
That was then.....and cute feet can be...now!

First Day of School...Time to Fix the "Uns"

The world in general tends to start their new year on January 1st,  a great day for new resolutions... and many choruses of Auld Lang Syne accompanied by blasts from noisemakers .
The first day of school for me has always been a much more day of new beginnings and fresh starts.
Even now after the 30 or so years of being a student,  an educator, a parent, and a caregiver who tried to ease the first day jitters of my charges and at a time when those days are just a page in the memory album, the first day of school somehow signals a fresh start, a wave of anticipation that anything is possible. It is also a time to look at the reality of where I have been, where I am and where I am  headed.
And although this September I find myself in many of the not-quite-to-be-celebrated categories (unemployed, uninsured, unsold house, even un-young:)) I embrace September just as enthusiastically as I have in past years when there were not quite so many "uns" in my life. I also rejoice  that the there is no "un" in front of the love from my family and friends and not one in front of my health.
It is time to start a new year and accept what the "uns" continually teach me..and hopefully turn some of those "uns" into "wons".
September and the first day of school signals that the time for me to start is...now.

A Penny Saved...

I grew up with mottos and axioms on the tip of the tongues of parents and teachers..(good morning stur..a story for another day:)). Old favorites like "A penny saved is a penny earned.", and "Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.".
I am sure I have misplaced more than few pennies in my lifetime, but I save in other ways, like shopping at discount, off brand and outlet stores.  When I save money I  always more than a little willing to share (brag) how much and what a great buy I made.  As a matter of fact, my love affair with this type of bargain shopping was illustrated by the picture that my darling daughter-in-law sent me recently.

Guess I better get going and save that penny...now!

Caught Between Two Worlds or...A Moving Experience

I'm moving...or maybe I have already moved...not quite sure these days which house, neighborhood or state I can call home.
I have one foot ready to jump into the new and am testing those waters while the toes of the other foot drag in the old, more familiar and comfortable fit of a lifestyle and loose ends are continually swooped up and tied.
One pet (the cat) is at the new house, exploring the corners and new smells while the dogs mostly travel with me on the back and forth journey that has become my temporary life.
For now I am in that place where if I need a book, a small appliance or even nail polish it invariably is at "the other house"...and compromise (or buying another book or bottle of nail polish) is the easy answer.
It is a bother and pain in the butt to have to search for stuff that is no longer in any of the places it used to be.
It is a royal inconvenience to pack up the dogs and leave the house so it can be shown without the added feature of furry monsters who think it is their job to leave dog kisses and leftover fur on the real estate agent and client.
It is scary wondering how long the house will sit without a new family to make it their own while still requiring upkeep and mortgage payments from a bank account that can only easily support one household.
On the other hand...it is fun to experience waking up on the floor of an empty room where the only thing that decorates it is the comforter that I wrapped up in the night before. Making the bed was never easier than the quick toss of the pillow and blanket into a closet, starting the day was never more simple with only a few left behind outfits to choose from.
One thing remains the same...no matter which house I am at...the day is officially started when I have that first Diet Coke.
It is time to pop the top on it.....now.

Gifts that Keep on Giving

Presents...I love them..I love to think about them, buy them, make them, give them and receive them. I like them on traditional gift-giving holidays and also on days where there is nothing on the calendar that requests a gift.
I tend to send thank you notes as soon as a gift is received, (thanks mom) but lately I have gone back over the long list of presents that I have been lucky enough to receive and realize that some of these gifts merit MORE thanks...yes..they were THAT wonderful!
Most of these presents had much more wrapped up in them than the actual gift.
Mom and Dad...you gave me the gift of knowing what it felt like to be a beloved member of our family, a group of people that supported me, loved me and laughed at my terrible jokes...even the ones that got me banished from the dinner table when I was 15 because I. would. not. stop. telling. them!
My drawers are full of amazingly fun and funny presents from my children...the semi-real gold elephant charm with the not so semi-real emerald imbedded in its' side, bought and ordered through the mail, (before the internet) by a ten year old, because it brought good luck as well as being green!
Along with the Mother's Day cards over the years, I have a few of the notes that were left on the kitchen table, when my kids were teenagers, detailing who would be where and what time my kids would be coming home or calling to check in..again pre-texting:), they are a slice of life that tell me, my kids were giving me the gift of checking in, despite what they thought of it, because it eased my mind.
Will I ever stop saving words? I don't think so, the beautiful hand-written letter I got this year from my daughter thanking me for years of mothering, is a keeper...and will be re-read again...and again..and again!
Other gifts that I remember and give thanks for anew...
The gift of happy memories...thanks for the birthday sky dive, the travel that has added so much to my life, the lake home, the way you honor and take care of your kids and mine, all of the animals and the countless ways you encourage and support every idea that flashes across my brain and ends up as conversation during our "debriefs", over dinner or in the front seat of the car!(p.s. my iPhone is also amazing!)
My sisters give me fun gifts that always make me smile or laugh...original art and photography, silly cards, and one of the best..the Scotch cooler..who knew??
Other gifts that deserve another round of thanks and if you are reading this you know who you are:
The bottles of wine labeled with the picture of animals no longer with us, and words that make me remember and smile.
The gift of organizing, cleaning and straightening my living space, saving us all from the randomness of my idea of controlled chaos, this one goes on the list right under the gift of loving my son.
The gift of the camera that was passed on to me, opening up the door and introducing me to the delights of digital SLR photography.
The set of skies, secondhand, that my dad re-invented for better than new, every night after he came home from work when I was 13.
The skates, golf clubs, bike, kayak that were not only gifts but doors to the gift of trying new things.
Tennis lessons from a very patient offspring and for showing up at a match I was in, because it was fun to have the tables turned, and watch mom after years of mom watching kids!
The t-shirt bought by a child for me at an event for the same reason!
The childhood friends of my kids who stay in touch now as adults...awesome!
This list could go much longer..but to everyone who has gifted me with these and other gifts not mentioned...thank you.
Your gifts then, have helped me to become who I am ...now.

Stash the Rose Colored Glasses---and Stay Positive

It's true...the rose colored glasses through which I view the world are officially no longer a permanent part of my face!
This is not to say that I have become a pessimist, a curmudgeon or a cranky old lady..(although there have been minutes, well okay maybe more than a few minutes, lately when I played all of those roles).
I have always had a very basic positive, upbeat take on life and I still do but there are differences between being inanely cheerful while disaster debris is falling all around your head and being proactively productive and smiling while taking care of the debris that is flying around your body.
This does NOT mean whining! In challenging times, whining helps no one and all it serves is to make the rest of the world realize that no matter how old or successful you are..you are being a brat..and no one invites brats to their birthday party! The trick is to become that person who has feet planted fairly steadily on terra-firma while still retaining a smile on the face, a song in the heart and an optimistic view of tomorrow. Easier said than done..well yeeaaauuuuh..but who said it was easy..if it was easy, it wouldn't be as much fun or as rewarding when it works!
It is amazing to wear rose colored glasses..trust me..I have a whole wardrobe full of them... a pair to match every life circumstance and I will accessorize my life with them again and soon...but some times call for us to stare down life without the rosy glow but instead in the bright light of a positive attitude and sunny disposition..and that time is...now.

Lions and Tigers and Bears..Oh My....

Dorothy, on the road to Oz, was afraid of the lions, tigers and bears that might be lurking in the woods, preventing her from reaching home.
We all meet our own version of lions, tigers and bears every day, but we don't need to be afraid of them, we just need to be able to recognize them and work with them.
The lions in our life mimic the behavior of their jungle counerparts. They march around the office, parading their superiority (they are the named king after all). Not afraid to roar when things displease them, they can be heard coming down the halls and it can be a knee shaking experience when there is a lion roaring at your desk or in your kitchen. The thing to remember about lions is that they are inactive for about 20 hours a day, getting their roar on for only about two hours daily and they are not as social as their pride. The rest of the time they prefer to spend time patrolling the edges of their territory keeping it safe from intruders. They are not particularly good hunters, leaving that job to the more agile lionesses.
If you have a lion in your life, it helps to remember that the roaring they do may not be directed at you personally. It is in part to keep the fearful things away from those they feel the need to protect and perhaps to hide a bit of their vulnerabilty and inability to hunt as well as the rest of the group.
Work to the lion's strength, accept that a lion will have periods when he is onguard for mistakes that can hurt his pride. If you can co-operatively provide the "kill" for a lion while not backing down from his roar, chances are that the lion will no longer fear your presence and mistrust your judgements and channel his roar so that you are no longer the recipient of it.
Tigers on the other hand might be even more difficult to work or live with. Their method of operation is to slink around stealthily, constantly observing and moving. They do take time to play but can change direction and pounce on their prey in a matter of seconds. Much like their smaller domestic counterparts they may like to play with their prey before demolishing it. Tigers are solitary workers and protective of their territory however, tigers can be good at sharing their kill with others they trust after the most token displays of resistance . If you have tiger creeping around and playing in your aisle, acknowledge their presence with a wave and smile and recognize that they can be a good coopeative partner and will share information for the common good...And take time to play...tigers get their best work done and then like to play, play and play some more.
Bears...ah those warm and fuzzy animals that slept with us at night to keep away the goblins in the closet! What's not to love about these funny, huggable animals? Bears are big, powerful and clumsy. They are also shy and frightened of people and will usually run in the opposite direction when coming face to face with a person. The exception to this is the mama bear who is guarding her cubs from perceived danger. If you work or live with a bear, the best piece of advice is to tread carefully when attacking a person or a project they have invested time and nurturing on. Understand that you don't have to present real danger to the project... perceived danger is enough to cause the most lovable of bears to rear up on their back legs and give warning growls. Bears also love honey and all things sweet so a thoughtful act or deed does much to turn a menacing brown bear into a cooperative, team teddy.
We all have one or more of these creatures in our life, we all can BE one or more of these creatures. A little kindness, psychology and fair play will allow for peaceful co-existence with the wild things in our life and allow us to reach our goals.....now.

What's Your Brand of Loyalty?

Loyalty...a word that maybe gets tossed around passionately in deep conversations, in shouted voice on the sidelines of athletic events and perhaps flirtatiously on barstools in your favorite pub.
Everyone proclaims some kind of loyalty to something, be it their family, work, city, toothpaste or car.
Loyalty differs not only with respect to what or who one is loyal to but also in the scope of it.
Flavor of the Day Loyalty says I think "this" is a terrific person, team, city, product and I will stay true to it...until the next next terrific person, city, product comes along and offers me more bang for my buck or more games in the winning column. With this kind of loyalty I don't want to tattoo your name on my arm... but I might consider a washable henna tattoo.
Because that is the Way it is Loyalty This loyalty says I am loyal to this because MY parents, family, teachers, ministers, coaches are... so therefore I am too. This type of loyalty is rarely questioned, thought about or consciously chosen. You don't see it emblazoned on anyone's arm either..because parents, teachers and ministers are not usually found with tattoos on their arm... be they ink or henna. This loyalty feels good..because it defines not only what we are loyal to but bonds us to a group we are comfortable with.
Floating Loyalty I will be loyal to a person or a thing over the course of many months and years. Our relationship waxes and wanes, according to what or who else I am currently being wooed by at the moment, and how convenient it is to be loyal. Floating loyalty is open to testing other newer and improved products and people but doesn't replace the old with the new..but instead just supercedes it and positions the old faitful brand down a little lower on the loyalty chain...maybe for now..maybe longer.
Until Forever Loyalty This loyalty plays out best between best friends, lovers, combat buddies and parents for their children. It says "no matter what you do, where you go, and whatever new thing supercedes me in your affections, I will always be loyal to you and know I can count on that loyalty in return from you. I don't need to get a tatto, ink or henna on my arm because this tattoo is etched in my heart and on my soul.
There is room within us for all of these kinds of loyalty, and more besides.
Our lives are multi-colored afghans warmed by past, present and yet to be formed loyalties.
I cherish all the ones from my past, sustain the ones that I hold today and anticipate the fun of future ones.
I look at loyalty a whole new way ...now!

Playing on Team Kindness

Pay it forward...random acts of kindness...
I saw one happen today and a smile was reflected on my face for a few minutes, but the one reflected in my heart wil last longer.
I was at the light rail station with my daughter , waiting to get a ticket to go to the Twins game. The line was long, but people were waiting in a "Minnesota Nice" fashion, despite the sound of the nearing train.
A young man ahead of us in line inserted his card into the machine. He tried several times and was obviously having a hard time getting the machine to read his card. He looked over his shoulder and realized tht line was about 10 people long and took his card from the machine and headed to the end of the line, so he could try again but not make so many people wait.
When it was our turn, my daughter bought three tickets instead of two, and went to the end of the line and quietly handed the young man one of them. He was surprised and thanked her in words and with a smile. ( I was not surprised, this is a young woman who has a very big kindness gene, and acts on it often).
She explained to me that this was not the first part of the story, but that a few weeks ago while riding the train in New York City, she had inadvertenly bought a non-rush hour ticket and was riding during rush hour. A gentleman sitting next to her gave the conductor the difference in her ticket price when he overheard her telling the conductor that she did not have cash but only cards, which were not accepted on that train. She said ever since that happened she has been looking for a way to pass on that act of kindness.
It is very rewarding when you see your offspring becoming a player on the world kindess team.
It also is a reminder to me to become a little more aware of what is going on around me so that I can play on that team...now.

Dear Spirit Airlines,

If I carry my lunch onto your plane..but I eat it before we land...do I get a refund..now?

Looks Can Be Deceiving..or Do What You Do Best!

I love cupcakes and it seems like everyone else in the world loves cupcakes these days too.
There are cupcake bakeries and specialty shops popping up all over..a cupcake lovers dream.
I was passing a Cinnabon last night and they had simply amazing looking cupcakes in their display case. Who knew they baked cupcakes?? They looked like cupcakes right out of a glossy magazine advertising a very posh party. As a matter of fact they are on the home page of their website. http://www.cinnabon.com/home.html
They called my name and I bought the vanilla one with the white frosting flower with the blue center on it. And this awesome looking cupcake... tasted like it was made out of glossy paper from my favorite magazines.
Cinnabon makes delightfully delicious cinnamon buns, but if all of their cupcakes taste like this one did, they need to do what they do best...make simply awesome cinnamon buns...and leave the cupcakes to Magnolias and Crumbs...at least for now.

Kicked to the US Curb

If you missed the 60 Minutes story on Nadia Prouty, check it out today.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6341542n
After years of top flight service to the United States does the mistake she made as a 19 year old deserve the huge price she continues to pay...now?

Forget Neiman Marcus, Let Me Loose in Home Depot

I want to bottle and sell whatever is in the air at Home Depot. The minute I cross their threshold I feel like a master contractor. The second I enter the garden section I feel like I can tackle any dry barren piece of earth and turn it into, if not the Garden of Eden at least a lush, green, multi-hued photographers dream backdrop.
One piece of tile, held in my hands, in the aisle of a Home Depot becomes a floor covering, a fireplace wall, a kitchen backdrop, the cover for my picnic table..the list goes on and on. Their color palette makes me believe those tints were personally developed for my walls alone.
I, almost without fail, make a purchase every time I am in the store, but more importantly, even as I exit, I am planning my next visit.
Home Depot lives their tagline, "You can do it...we can help".
Home Depot makes me feel competent and creative.
Home Depot "gets" it!
I wish it were open...now.

Plastic or...gold?

Yesterday I went to about a hundred sporting events...and it only took about two hours, and I never left my kitchen.
On the "we're moving to-do list" was a one liner... it read "pack up trophies."
The trophies represent countless hours of watching my kids and their teammates play games..all kind of games. There were team trophies, individual trophies and even ( I confess)..the first and only trophy that ever was awarded to me!
The trophies were posted to Craigslist under the "free" heading, in the hopes that they could perhaps be recycled for young Twin Cities athletes. Within three hours I had three takers...all coaches. Before I gave them to the softball coach ( he coaches THREE teams) I took them down from the high shelves above the stairs where they have lived since the mid 80's and cleaned off years of dust. While doing this, the plates on the bottom once again became readable..so I read...and in that way re-visited the events where they took place. I could not remember all of them, or even which ones belonged to which child..but there were a few that stood out and those memories totally made my day. These included the very first trophy ever to enter our house..we were all so proud of David's first (4th place:)) Little League trophy..who knew then that plastic trophies multiply faster than rabbits? I laughed out loud when I took one down that was facing the wall, and remembered how Molly insisted that it go that way because it was a trophy for "Double Consolation Winner" in a 6th grade basketball tournament..and she insisted it only meant her team on that day was the best of the worst! The (one and only) academic trophy was from a pre-sixth grade summer reading contest entered by David and three of his classmates. I cannot remember the questions or the score, but I hold in my heart the memory of the teacher who would call them "her" students but not until September..who attended and cheered them on to victory. As I dusted the plates off of the trophies, the memories flooded the kitchen, of past games, teammates, tournament weekend drives, hot dogs eaten on the fly between games (except for the youthful vegetarian who would only eat ketchup on a bun),selfless coaches and fun (and funny) parents who shared parts of their lives with me as we shared the sidelinles of events.
I'm glad that the trophies will get to sit on someone's shelf again instead of ending up in a landfill. I'm proud of my kids for not needing a trophy as proof that they were part of something bigger than themselves and were good at it.
However guys...the mom and family historian in me surfaced at some point during the day..and I pulled out and saved one trophy for each of you... and hopefully if you look at it years from now..it will be a reminder of all those who were part of the village that raised you, and the time they spent enjoying it..and you!
But that is for the future and I am off to find a box for those reminders of times well spent...now.

And in the off season....??

It was a baseball kind of weekend that included a tour of the new Twins stadium and the re-signing of Joe Mauer. The stadium is every bit as wonderful as all the advance hoopla promised and I can't wait to enjoy watching the boys of summer play while the sun warms my face and the skyline of Minneapolis serves as the backdrop.
Really glad that the Joe Mauer will be behind the plate. I think he is a tremendously talented athlete and probably an even nicer person but I have to at least ask it once...is ANYONE worth that much money?? For playing a game?? The good news is that baseball is a relatively short season, so maybe in the off-season Joe can work on finding a cure for cancer or solving world peace.
At least that is what I think...now.

I'm Waiting for the 7th Generation ....

Lately, it takes even longer for me to get out of the house in the morning than it used to. Something rather time consuming has been added to my usual routine of tooth-brushing, dog feeding and making sure my shoes match.
Now before I even begin to search for my car keys and grab my diet Coke from the fridge, I have to find a plain brown wrapper and some tape to wrap my Non-iPhone in so that I can avoid the embarrassment and pain that comes from having a phone that does not have 75,000 apps available to it…(and therefore to me).
I used to love my PDA… I got to play Bubble Breaker while sitting in waiting rooms, standing in elevators and during the change of innings at Twins games.
That was then….This is now…
Everyone sitting around me in those waiting rooms, standing in elevators and during the change of innings at Twins games is breathing into the microphone on their iPhone so they can blow up a virtual balloon (Bal-Loon), virtually doing their book club reading (Classic) or turning their friends into Bobbleheads (Bobble Head)..and as for me….
I am holding something wrapped and taped in a plain brown bag…playing Bubble Breaker.
Who would believe this is still true... now?

Money or Minutes??

In these days of belt tightening many of us are feeling economically challenged... there is way too much month left at the end of the money.
For others, the bank balance remains in the black... but the "to do" list still looks pretty intimidating at the end of a day that was crammed full of activity.
If you could choose to have a surplus....would you order some extra dollars for your bank balance or a watch that moved more slowly through your day?
I'm thinking about how to find those extra dollars and that extra time...now.

Dear Words, Hope You are Having a Good Time on Your Vacation

Some days the words rush out of my head, push each other out of the way and spill onto the computer screen efortlessly, moving at what seems to be warp speed and way ahead of my haphazard typing skills. Other days it seems as if the individual syllables need to be squeezed out of my fingertips and painfully deposited on the screen.
And yet even on those days when my brain seems capable of no more than one syllable words and two word sentences, my love affair with words continues and my passion for the written and spoken word remains.
Today will be a day devoted to things other than writing, as it seems to be a day when the words cannot be coaxed from the recesses of my mind and I have temporarily misplaced the key to unlock them...at least for now.

Channeling Free Time

I am not fluent in tv. It pretty much takes an event like the Olympics for me to sit down and watch. Even as a kid I never thought cartoons were funny or entertaining and rarely watched tv. When the conversation turns, as it does, to who is winning Idol, or what happened on The Office I can add nothing to the spirited and opinionated conversations that take place around me. For years I have followed several tv series based only on the conversation of those around me.
TV is not a huge factor in my life and not because of a religious, philosophical or educational view of television.
I am not and never have been (especially at 8 years old) been interested in making a political statement by not watching. If anything I didn't even bring it up as it seemed almost un-American to not know what was happening in the Cheers bar or in the Friends apartment.
When I lived alone weeks went by without the tv even being turned on.
So..my question is..WHAT do I do and what have I accomplished in the hours, days and weeks that the rest of the world watches tv?
Um..I am not really sure..I know what I was not doing. I didn't find a cure for cancer or the common cold, I didn't figure out if there is life on Mars, and I have yet to run a marathon or run for political office.
I read a lot but not enought to fill ALL those hours, crafts and cleaning (neither of which holds my attention for very long) don't do it and I don't have the financial means to travel whenever the urge hits.
Recently I found that social networks were taking up a huge chunk of my time but that is a story for another day.
I think I will probably never be able to account for all that time I didn't spend watching tv...but after reading Seth Godin's blog post for today http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ But it's better than TV I know how I will be trying to use that time...now!

The Joke is on Me!

We all have stories of the the friends or relatives who died with a houseful of possessions that were the "good" ones, the ones they were saving for a "special" day. The fine china that collected dust in the hutch, that great bottle of wine in the cabinet or the outfit that looks awesome...if only anyone would have ever see it worn!
I never EVER saw myself as one of "those" people.
BUT....for the last 15 years I have been walking on and living with carpet that could generously be described as "a little worn". I looked forward to the day when floor covering in a warm, fashionable shade would welcome guests into my house.
The house will be on the market in a few weeks...with brand new wonderful chocolate colored carpeting to greet friends and family of the new owners.
I am laughing at myself as I realize that I was indeed one of "those" people as I get ready to rip up the old carpet...now!

Well…I Meant it at the Time…

At some time in our lives, everyone has said something that in the end was not followed through. I don’t think any of us, (or at least most of us) were telling a lie. Because at that moment, it seemed the right thing to say, be it that we were trying to cover an awkward or painful experience, make someone feel better, or that we really did think it would happen. Things change and often these statements and semi-promises don’t happen.
Here are some that have been said countless times over by many of us. I think we all meant them, probably more than a little, at the time but….

“Let’s do lunch.”

“You guys would be PERFECT for each other.”

“I’ll call you next week.”

“I’m sure they allow pets, you should get a puppy.”

“I bet you would look cute with” (choose one…or more) “short, red, straight, permed, streaked, punk-rock hair.”

“I mean who can object to a tattoo, especially such a small one?”

“Gym memberships are on sale, I’m going to get one and start working out every day.”

“It’s not you, it’s me.”

“If you don’t like it, you can always return it.”

“We should have an opening coming up soon, we’ll call you.”

“It’s so easy, anyone can do it.”

“I would NEVER do THAT.”

“You want to get WHAT pierced? Make the honor roll this year and we’ll talk again.”

“No, really, it’s fine.”

“We’d like you to be in charge of a special project, you’d be really good at it and it won’t take much time at all.”

“I left the map at home, but I can remember how to get there.”

The list can go on and on and it would be fun to hear from you about any I missed.

What I try to take away from this is that, no one deliberately sets out to tell you a lie, hurt your feelings, or make promises that end up in the black hole of our memory banks, but things change. The best of us forget things, make mistakes, don’t follow through, and do or say things we never thought we would.
That’s life, it is a growth and every day we get another chance at it…
I’m all for that, I am a huge believer in second chances… it is why you won’t get crossed off my list if you don’t follow through but at the same time it is why I am trying to be more careful of the words that come out of my mouth...now.

I'll Take Two Silicone Ones Please

Silicone spatulas, that is. I LOVE them. They make me happy. Sometimes the right tools for the job can make a rank amateur feel like a pro. Silicone spatulas do that for me. When I am waving them around in my kitchen they make me feel like I could give Emeril and Paula Deen a lesson or two.
Do I care that silicone rubber is generally non-reactive, stable, and resistant to extreme environments and temperatures from -55°C to +300°C while still maintaining its useful properties (according to Wikipedia)? Not so much...
Do I care that the spatula has been around since 1525? Only in that it has had time to be improved...no first generation spatula for me!
Do I care that silicone spatulas come in all the colors of the palette? And in all sizes, including special mustard and mayo spatulas? And that they can be engraved to say anything I want? And that almost every store sells them? And that every cake I make is way more fun to make with a bright burst of color on the edge of the handle?? Yes, yes, yes, yes and YES!
Can't say it enough...silicone spatulas = fun.
Oh and as for that other silicone product...there was a time when I might have taken two of those too, but that was then and this is....now.

Closet contents...in the box? Or in the heart?

Changing a residence... in my life I have moved across town and across the country...some people do it with far more frequency than I have become accustomed to...after seven moves in four years it has now been TWENTY SIX! years since I hauled out boxes and had to judge all my "stuff" with discerning eyes and decide which will become part of the next move and which will find homes somewhere else...some ..even (gasp) in the trash! Closets and drawers, long just kept shut as museums to no longer needed stuff must now be visited and sorted.
In the attempt to become one of those people who move on, it seems, almost effortlessly and seamlessly from adventure to adventure and place to place because they realize that "stuff" is just..."stuff" I check, sort and toss with determination and my own brand of common sense.
Will the decision making about what to keep or toss get easier as I get older because the weight of some of that past baggage is no longer relevant, or just a little too painful to be carried to the next destination? Is it because I want to keep all the joyful times in my heart instead of in a closet? Do the happy times sing louder if they are not taped up in a box, but instead let free to go round and round in my head?
I feel blessed to be able to agonize over these decisions. The populations of Haiti and Chile, the victims of floods and fires, the homeless and the about to be evicted have those decisions yanked from their power and decided for them in minutes.
How grateful they would be, and I am to be able to grab another box and fill it...now.

Just Another Manic Monday...

Two months of Monday's ago the work week started when I grabbed a few Diet Cokes from the fridge,left the house and danced in the car to the oldies all the way to the office.
Since then the work week starts when I grab a few Diet Cokes from the fridge, stay in the house and head out to the computer in the porch.
I miss the feeling of "belonging" somewhere, the hum of activity that naturally happens when people share space and the proximity to the latest news in the business world.
However... in this moment there is no cattiness, although there IS a feline who watches me from his spot in the sunshine atop the couch, the golden retrievers are both too busy playing with tennis balls to indulge in office politics and positioning and I finally work out of a corner office with a window...at least for now.

Who Put the Rotary in My Life Map??

Sometimes life happens to you and sometimes you make things happen in life...I am currently in the middle of that place where both sides of life are in turn assaulting or cradling me. The trick is to navigate to where the acceptance of one and the energy of the other do not engage in combat, but instead learn to live at least semi-harmoniously in my head and heart. It is neither a positive place or a negative place...but instead a place to just be and process and enjoy... there is no magic mapquest to here, and I am the one who must write the plan for how to make it my own but it is a place I call home... at least for the now.