funny, interesting, and a little strange...

This made me laugh...

Came across 2 pictures this week that were interesting. This first one made me laugh... so simple, but so funny.

This next one was on the National Geographic site that pops up on my iPhone... very unusual and definitely interesting.

You probably saw it somewhere also... but apparently it's the way the sun hits the falls this time of year that makes it look like flowing lava.

I didn't plan on posting about this, but my original thoughts were a bit strange. I started with this...

Have you ever have something happen and know that it was a 'sign'?  I know this sounds strange and maybe it is, but I feel that things like this happen more often than we may realize - and only occasionally are we 'aware' of the significance. 

Recently something like this happened to me and although I won't go into exactly what it concerned, I am convinced that it was the sign I asked for. Was it actually? Or was it just a coincidence? Some people believe there are no coincidences (I've heard this on detective shows). There's no way to know for sure, but I choose to believe it was the sign I specifically asked for.... and this is enough for me. 


Has this ever happened to you?

strange weather, beautiful blooms, critters, and coyotes

Is it just me or have you noticed that the weather around the world has been a bit erratic?  I know that hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunami, earthquakes, lava flows, floods, etc. happen... and have happened throughout history,  but do they seem to be happening a lot more?

I do believe in Climate Change... and I expect this is all a part of that, but with the earth warming and the seas rising, I worry (no, not worry exactly... but am concerned) that things may be happening faster than people seem to realize or care to admit. 

We went from almost 80 degrees to in the low 20's recently... and although probably not that unusual - seems like a small warning sign saying the weather is 'in flux' (not sure that's the right word, but it fits my feeling).

Anyway, on to happier things...

Amaryllis with 4 blooms on each stalk

Thought you might like to see our amaryllis in total bloom. It has 4 large flowers on each stalk. Really pretty! And so far, the cats haven't even noticed it. Of course it's not usually in the center of our kitchen... but the light was better here for the pic.

The weather here has been cold, damp, and downright nasty. Perfect for sitting by the fireplace with a good book.  Since I use that area for my pottery too... it's a great time to underglaze my little critters.  

seal 

puffin

These are on the shelf ready for the first firing...

Oh.. and a heads up! DH and I just chased a very large coyote out of our backyard! He was after one of the feral cats. Don't think he caught him... at least we hope not. DH went out with one of those 'screaming canisters' and I ran out banging pots together. He ran. Must have jumped the 6 foot fence...

We've had a few coyotes around the neighborhood. They usually run when you make noise. I've never worried too much about them, but some areas (Frisco, TX) have had people attacked lately... really odd that they would do that. 

As always - Have a wonderful week and thanks for reading! I plan to go make a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf for supper tonight... something I saw on one of the cooking shows and thought the boys would like. Will let you know how it turns out. 

the possiblity of dreams... and other things

My son recently texted me about how he believes that dreams are sometimes prophetic - or if not prophetic... at least a form of guidance. I tend to agree. Now not all dreams have this tendency. Some are simple re-enactments of what's going on in your life, whether it's real life drama, worries, TV shows, etc.   And some of these are jumbled up nonsense. But.... I have had dreams that helped me solve a problem or make sense out of something that never did before. 

And I think that when I dream of family that has passed, it's a form of visitation. Whether or not this is because my mind wishes it to be so is of no importance - I enjoy the visit - whatever the reason.

I'm re-reading a book I read a long time ago called "Minding the Body, Mending the Mind" by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. (Personally I think it should have been called, "Minding the Mind, Mending the Body".  But it talks about something called Psycho-neuroimmunology or PNI.  I don't intend to explain what this is... but I take it to be the study of how the mind affects the body - in this case the immune system. It seems to confirm the belief that 'attitude' is extremely important in how our body functions. In many ways we already know this, but this research into the subject tries to explain why this is so. 

Many will just call this "psycho-babble" - but I find it fascinating and it confirms things I believe, but cannot explain.  Crazy? Maybe - but happy crazy. 

I have always believed that my mind knows exactly what my body should do... and it knows how to mend itself... if everything is working correctly and we have the courage to trust this knowledge.  That's one of the reasons I always give my body time to recoup on it's own when sick... and not involve a doctor unless certain criteria are met (fever over 103 F, 2 weeks with no improvement, etc.) This has always worked for me for the most part. But I do realize it may not work for everyone nor may not work for me as my body ages and things no longer work as well as they used to.

But it's an interesting read.

Also just finished my new little clay critters. If you can't tell what they are, there's a seal, a chicken, and a little puffin lying on his back with his feet in the air.  They are in the process of drying... and will be under-glazed later this week. As you can see, the chicken and puffin are already almost dried, but the seal is still wet clay. The grey clay (cinco blanco) will whiten upon drying. 

clay critters

Streetlight Update!  Yesterday a crew came out and worked on our streetlight most of the day. I have to say it looked like some sort of electrical problem as they dug a fairly good sized hole in the area. So I feel a little better about them taking so long to replace a light bulb - as apparently that wasn't the prob. Just wish someone would have told us up front in the beginning. But hey! we're not in the dark anymore!


Oh, and I have to say that sometimes this digital world we live in  (online messages to the city and also to doctors and their billing services in particular) is more efficient than the old way (calling by phone and/or trying to reach them by mail). It's been DH and my experience lately that we get answers back faster by sending a text message than any other method of communication. Have any of you noticed this?  We've been a bit slow to connect up digitally with our doctors, etc. But once done, we can go online and send questions, messages, etc. - and believe it or not sometimes get an answer the same day. 

Thanks for reading! And know that I appreciate your comments!

grandkids, superbowl, cats, and an Amaryllis

grand daughter at her desk at St. Joseph's

DH and I were there for her first Grandparents' Day Friday. She turned 6 in November and is in Kindergarten at St. Joseph's.  We were worried when she started as she always said that she wasn't going to school... that she wanted to be home-schooled. But as it turns out, she loves it. There are only 15 in her class and after visiting this week, we both agree that it seems to have been a great choice.





Today is the Superbowl. Will we be watching? Probably not. We are Saints fans and even though I don't sit and watch the game normally, DH said that he wasn't going to watch it either. More than likely most of our friends and relatives in New Orleans aren't watching. From what little I know/or heard, it was a botched call - but it happens. My philosophy is: breathe in, breathe out, and move on. But of course it's easy for me to say... not so much the players.

Tux, Julie, and Ghost are taking full advantage of the situation. They are sleeping in DH's chair today - where he usually watches TV. 

And I can't remember if I mentioned that we have a crazed Cardinal that keeps throwing himself into our window. It's been going on for weeks. Apparently he doesn't hurt himself or he would have stopped by now. I took a video, but can't figure out how to get it from my iPhone to the blog. I tried to send it to my email (like I do pictures from my phone), but it doesn't seem to work. Anyway, I can post a picture of Tux watching him.

Tux watching crazed Cardinal

Oh... two other things I should mention: First, they still haven't fixed our streetlight... and second, our Christmas Amaryllis is starting to open!

 
It's not a great picture and I had to enlarge it so you could see the red colors. Also, it's getting tall and top heavy.  We may need to put it into a heavier container (there's hardly any dirt in the one it came in).

Enjoy your Sunday and have a wonderful week!  Since the groundhog has predicted an early Spring.... we can only pray that this crazy weather is on it's way out. Stay warm and stay safe!