Don't Be!

d o n ' t   b e  

l i k e   t h e   

r e s t   o f   t h e m

d a r l i n g 

- c o c o   c h a n e l

Blue

Blue is used in a lot of music,

some of my fav blue songs:

Keith Urban sings :  Baby, blue ain't your color

Kenny Wayne Shepherd sings: Blue on black, tears on a river

Willie Nelson sings: Blue eyes cryin' in the rain

Elton John sings:  I guess that's why they call it the blues

Elvis Presley has his Blue Suede Shoes

Linda Ronstadt sings about the Blue bayou

Neil Diamond is Forever in Blue Jeans

the list goes on and on - it's a very popular theme!

And if you Google:  "Blue is the color of the sky and sea.

It is often associated with depth and stability.

It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence,

intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body.

It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect."

I wonder if I should leave these blue stars on all night?

Star Gazing

I saw these pretty little lights

(on clearance for 75cents!)

and pulled them out today

as I was thinking

we all need to be reminded

to put life on pause

go outside in the dark and

look up

the stars are heavenly!

Parasol UP!

Here in the Valley of the Sun
we have a monsoon season -
July and August are typically
rainy, hot, and humid
with thunderstorms that pop up
out of nowhere on any given day.

My parasol won't protect me
in the middle of a storm  ....
but it's fun for photos!

Bubbles

Whenever I use this little cut-out
I always thing of bubbles ---
and the phrase "Calgon, take me away!"

Be Strong

When you go

through hardships

and decide not to surrender,

that is strength.














Be strong.  People say that often, usually in times when
there doesn't seem to be anything else to say.  But it's a
good phrase.  There are some days where turning around,
crawling back into bed and curling up seems like the
better idea...  That's when it's time to Be Strong.
Move forward and complete the tasks at hand,
the next steps are important too.

I struggle some days;  smiling at everyone seems like
too much work.  When that happens, one of my "go to"
tasks is to take a walk, get physical, get the muscles
warmed up, the heart pumping just a little harder.
A little bit of music along the way can help, too.

Sometimes that's all it takes to get thru the next few
hours, the rest of the day.  And hopefully, a little
stronger to face the next day as well.

If you're like me, you hide these "dark thoughts".
People who see me don't know the struggles,
and that's ok.  I'd rather they didn't.
But they're there from time to time.

Spriiiing!

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: 

if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, 

prosperity would not be so welcome."

― Anne Bradstreet,

Celebrating a wonderful spring day 

here in the Valley of the Sun.

Sadie and I took our walk and 

it's as if all the trees suddenly 

burst their buds, 

welcoming the warmth 

as much as she and I !!

Just Jeans

I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: 

the most spectacular, the most practical, 

the most relaxed and nonchalant. 

They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity

- all I hope for in my clothes.

Yves Saint Laurent

Someone said

"Denim is a way of life"

and to be frank, it's my

go-to nearly every day.

Nothing else says comfort and ease

(and who doesn't love all the pockets!) 

Just sportin' an old comfy pair on this

Superbowl Sunday while I zip around

getting chores done. 

If you're into the game, 

I hope your team wins! 

Wedding Blahs and some

my daughter is getting married.
or so it seems.
she has vanity fair ideals and dreams
with a wal-mart budget.

if there's going to be a wedding in
march, girl's gotta get on the stick!

lousy at planning, she asked for help.
and i was willing to give it my all
until her daddy stepped in with $10k
no way "shabby chic" or anything
"home spun" will fit in with his plans.

so why is it that when a person offers
money, they expect to have a say-so in
how it's spent?  she will have to be strong!

i remember my first wedding, to her daddy,
but in fact, i remember it only as an overall
deal, and not the details.  why?  i'm not
really sure, perhaps because it was planned
by my mom more than me.   there were
200 guests -- i think i knew about 50 of them.

my last wedding i remember in great detail
because it was on the cheap, and it was fun.
nothing formal, nothing traditional - a simple
backyard wedding.  i sewed my dress, and
the tops and vests for the kids (they were
the attendants).  my mom came and helped
make spicy meatballs and potato salad.
we had a pony keg for drinks.

when it comes to weddings,
less is more.  IMO.
but what do i know?
mine didn't last.

Morning

“Laugh at yourself, 

but don’t ever aim your doubt 

at yourself. 

Be bold. 

When you embark 

for strange places, 

don’t leave any of yourself 

safely on shore. 

Have the nerve to go into 

unexplored territory.”

 ~ Alan Alda 

I have always enjoyed the wit and wisdom

of Alan Alda ... or was I crushing on

Hawkeye Pierce ?

*grins*

I had to replace my worn out TV (finally!)

and now have a "smart" tv.  And I promptly

checked out Netflix - and found they have

the TV series MASH!  I've been on a 

binge-watch, but limiting myself to 3 episodes

a day.  Even among the humor and satire of

the show, there's a warmth that exudes from

him - from all of the cast.   Love it :)

A few years back, my local PBS station

carried his series Scientific American. 

His voice is soothing, and he's fascinated

by the topics he explored.   I watched every

single episode of those as well.  

And my all time fav Alan Alda movie?
Same Time, Next Year. 

It's simple, yet complex, I watch it often! 

If you haven't seen it -- you should :) 

The flashbacks to different decades is fun!

Blue

“The sky is the most glorious blue

I've ever seen.", she said.

"I used to think there couldn't be

a more beautiful blue 

in all the world.", he replied.

"What changed your mind?" she asked

"I saw your eyes.” he told her.














sometimes photos don't need
words at all.  it was a mood
to be captured, and as this
mood spilled into Sunday,
i was reluctant to do much
of anything except the basics.

Hues of Blue

 It's wonderful

when you can bring

sparkle into people's lives

without fading away

from your own true color.

Keep the hue in you. 

~Dodinsky

i hope these photos

of mine bring a little

sparkle into your life,

if only for a moment.

If you had to pick

a "true color"

for yourself,

what would you pick?

People ask my fav color

and i have always said

'green'

but lately, i'm thinking

that i'm true purple

to the core.

But blue is pretty good,

don't you think so too?

Light

ignite the light

and let it shine

just own the night

like the 4th of July!

baby, you're a firework

come on show 'em

what you're worth!




Katy Perry's song....
my granddaughter
taught me the song.

It took a while
to enjoy the song
(i'm more partial
to country! hehehe)








It's inside of all of us,
a light shines,
if only we let it.
Stop being afraid
of being yourself,
stop trying to be
like others.
The best advice:
Be Yourself!

Be You

 Learn to... be what you are, 

and learn to resign 

with a good grace 

all that you are not.  

~Henri Frederic Amiel

did you have a good Monday?

i always anticipate Mondays

expecting the worst.....

that way when the worst happens,

i'm not surprised!

*smiles*

Sundays

It takes courage 

to grow up 

and become 

who you really are.  

~e.e. cummings

 

experimenting with my camera

made my Sunday feel 

as if i actually relaxed .... 

creativity to be myself

and of course 

have some fun

i hope your weekend

was as beautiful 

as the sun rising

in a warm morning sky. 

More Dance

Dance, 

even if you have 

nowhere 

to do it 

but your living room.  

~Kurt Vonnegut

And those who 

were seen dancing 

were thought to be 

insane 

by those 

who could not 

hear the music.  

~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

just ~ a ~ lot ~ of

early ~*~ morning ~*~ fun

hope you're enjoying

this series of pix

Peek-a-boob

Hey! It's summer! 

Be free and happy 

and danceful and 

uninhibited .... 

~Terri Guillemets

Just a quick

peek a  boob! 

*giggles*

Move!

“I move, therefore I am.” 

-Haruki Murakami, IQ84

i love the fluid motion of the scarf on the still morning air
there was a playfulness this morning that i haven't felt in
a long time - and that can be very uplifting!

Dance!

Dance like nobody's watching!

I don't know who said that,
but this morning
as the sun was rising.....













 

.... i grabbed a scarf

and started my own

little dance ... :)

Do you ever feel like doing that??

Denim Jacket

I can remember seeing this denim jacket in the Spiegel catalog back -- way back -- probably the late 80's (if my judgment of the shoulder pads era is correct! haha).  It was "love at first sight" -- there was nothing to dislike about the lines of this jacket.  It had matching pants as well.  And I ordered it.  Wore it often -- until I outgrew it.  But I kept it.  Part of that "some day I'll wear this" thinking.

I moved this jacket with me from Calif to Ohio to Arizona ... and today when I was cleaning out, I slipped it on and ... this is a first ... its technically too big for me now!  While that makes me overjoyed, I'm also ticked off with myself.  I could have been wearing this as a jacket through our 'winter' here -
and looking good!

I admit, I didn't have the heart to put it in the Goodwill bag.  I am going to try and take a couple of seams in....  :)