Spring Sunshine

"She was actually learning to love Arizona. 

The beauty and color and solitude, 

the vastness of it had called to something deep in her...."

Ok... so it's not so "vast" in my own backyard

but still, when I visited Arizona back in 2007,

I felt a calling and knew it would be home.

It took a year to get things rolling, to find a job,

pack up all my things, then load them in a truck

that I would drive cross country, towing my car

behind me!  It was a grand adventure, and 

about the scariest thing I've ever done!

But I did it.   It was tough, but mile by mile

until I couldn't drive any longer, I'd stop

for the night, only to carry on and do it all again

the next day.  It took nearly four days to get all

those miles eaten up.  I lived on peanut butter

sandwiches, pretzels and bottled water, because

I never knew where I would stop.  You can't just

pull up to a drive-thru window in one of these things! 

It was 10 years ago this month when I did this.

Where does the time go?   It's so hard to believe

it's been this long, and yet I feel as if I just arrived!

Looking back

“If you can love someone

with your whole heart,

even one person,

then there's salvation in life.

Even if you can't

get together with that person.”

― Haruki Murakami, 1Q84









This is one of my fav authors,

but when I read this, I realized

that sometimes this is how life is.

Have you ever met someone and

thought "Oh yeah, I love this person",

even though you know in your heart

that you could never be together?

I've had that once.

Sometimes I get reflective on things like that.

A sign of growing older ... lots of reflecting.

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!

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.

Negativity

Every now and then,
I post something on
deviantArt.

It's rare that I come
across negativity,
but it happened again.

For the most part, I just
shrug it off - not everyone
appreciates the same kind
of art.   I'm guessing the
person who left the comment
(a female) is young, and
assumes that every body
should look ....
like it stepped off the pages
of Playboy or Penthouse.

The human body is a work
of art!  But, to each their own :)

(Photo from 2013, not the
one generating negativity)

Quiet Time

“Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, 

the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. 

Time to dream, 

time to contemplate what's working and what's not, 

so that we can make changes for the better.” 

― Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

This is my fav non-fiction author.

She has good sound advice, has been

through many life issues, and came through

them with a wonderful outlook on life.

I think that's what we all strive for:  happiness.

Or maybe peace, contentment.  All those good

feelings that don't come around often - we're too

busy trying to keep up, rather than slowing down,

taking moments for ourselves.

May you find one of those kind of moments today.

I'm a Woman!

“I can't decide

whether I'm a good girl

wrapped up in a bad girl,

or if I'm a bad girl

wrapped up in a good girl.

And that's how I know

I'm a woman!”

― C. JoyBell C.

Laugh

You grow up the day you have your first real laugh

–at yourself.

-Ethel Barrymore

Why Not?

The best and most beautiful 

things in the world 

cannot be seen nor even touched, 

but just felt in the heart.

-Helen Keller

there are days when i sit down to post here, and 

i can't help but think to myself:  "Why?"

"What is the goal here? What is the point?"

and i don't ever have a definitive answer to that.

Its not about sex.  i guess its just the mystery of

it .... a unique woman unafraid to go beyond 

the boundaries of society - not in a gaudy way

like you see in magazines.  Just in a way that

shows that there is beauty in things and places

you don't expect to see them.  i think moving to

the desert has done that for me.  At first glance,

this is a hostile, barren place to live.  But if 

you watch a cactus, steadfast against the heat 

and limited water supply, slowly grow its only 

flower whose petals are delicate as tissue paper 

and brightly colored, you realize that it takes 

quite an effort to be so beautiful, even for such

a short time.  A cactus flower rarely lasts more 

than 24-36 hours.  If you don't happen to catch it, 

you may not get to see it again for another year.  

Maybe i'm just rambling in a moment of time that

has me wondering "why" .... and that's when i

tell myself, "why not?"

No limits

Never limit yourself 

because of others’ 

limited imagination; 

never limit others 

because of your own 

limited imagination.

-Mae Jemison

Love is Life

Love is life. 

And if you miss love, 

you miss life.

--Leo Buscaglia

Be Bold

Live in the sunshine, 

swim the sea, 

drink the wild air…

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be bold ..... Be Brave ..... Be Yourself! 

Singin' 60's

I'll sing to you each mornin'

I'll kiss you every night

But darlin', don't cling to me

I'll soon be out of sight

But we can sing in the sunshine

We'll laugh every da-a-y

We'll sing in the sunshine

Then I'll be on my way

From 1964 by Gale Garnett

(*hear it here*)

it was a gorgeous morning here

in the Valley of the Sun ---

and this song has been ringing

through my head all morning.

I can remember sunny Saturday mornings, 

doing the little chores that my parents 

assigned me and my siblings.

This would come on the radio, and

my sister and I would belt it out,

singing to our hairbrushes ---

oh yeah, we were   S*T*A*R*S!  

*laughing* 

Sunshine

"You've got to get out

and pray to the sky

to appreciate the sunshine;

otherwise, you're just a lizard

standing there with

the sun shining on you."

--Ken Kesey

that was pretty much my Saturday -
parts of it spent lazing in the sun
like a lizard.
Other parts of it were being busy
outdoors in the sunshine,
working my garden,
and in the last heat of the day,
shedding the last of my clothes
to feel the warmth of the sun
on my naked skin.

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.