To those I miss.....

Today is Memorial Day.

A quiet day of reflection to those special people who touched my life:

Mom and Dad who loved me without question, supported me always, and embraced and enveloped me with their love when all I wanted to do was crawl in a hole and escape the world as I knew it then. Mom and Dad instilled in me the value of who I was - and made me who I am today. Memories flood through me, so happy and loving of the good times, remembrances of who you were and what you meant to me. I miss you...every day of my life! And what I wouldn't give to be able to sit down and talk with you, be near you, feel your loving embrace, or hear your laughter just one more time.

Earl - who left this earth far too soon, and left behind a hole in our hearts for missing you so much. You gave tirelessly of yourself and asked nothing in return. Your daughters and wife miss you so - but it's not only them. The whole town mourns your loss, as do I. You were more than just my brother-in-law, you were my brother and my friend.

Jerry Z and Sniper Bob - both of you touched my heart more than you'll know. Your laughter, jokes (perfectly timed to make me laugh when I needed it the most) and your presence always brightened the days. A quiet smile and gentle ear were given freely by both of you - to anyone who needed it. Both of you gone far too young - but yet the years that you lived were a treasure to those who knew you. You were my friends and I miss you.

To Mom and Dad, Earl, Jerry and Bob - I dedicate this poem I found out on the net.

I opened the door to a sweet, heavy, morning air.
Sleepy branches of evergreen stretched their shadows across
the sky.
And I thought of you.


In the heavens, a carnival of colors on display.
I could almost taste the different hues of pink and blue.
I thought of you.


Birds of color awoke to this brand new day and sang a song
for my wonder and sadness.
Alone and still, I whispered these thoughts only to the face
of the wind...
Hoping he would carry them to you.

This morning, a soft canopy of dew covered the ground.
So fresh to glisten, I was unable to find the tear that I had dropped.


-Poem by Paula A. Seiler

Life's Lessons

Greetings Everyone,

I received an email about 9 years ago from a far-away-friend that touched me to the core. It was entitled "Life's Lessons." I printed it out and tucked it away to read when I needed some inspiration. I ran across it awhile ago and, not surprisingly, it touched me as much now as it did then. So, to my friend Lee - wherever you may be, thank you for sending me something so beautiful and for thinking of me. Be well My friend.

Life's Lessons
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, they serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be; your roommate, neighbor, professor, long lost friend, lover or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you and at the time they may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, will power or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, if they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life and the successes and downfalls you experience, they are the ones who create who you are. Even the bad experiences can be learned from…those lessons are the hardest and probably the most important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about you. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen, let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it.>

Family and Memories

Good Morning Peoples,

I hope this finds you all well and good on a beautiful Saturday morning. I'm drinking a cup of coffee and doing some reflecting.

My brother, sister and I went to the cemetary on Thursday night in our annual visit to our parent's graves. We dutifully make it look pretty by triming around the stones, digging up dirt and planting live flowers, and triming the trees. This has been a yearly ritual for me every since I was a young child - going to the cemetary with my mother to spruce it up for my grandparents.

Since 1991 when my father passed away, my brother and I have gone every year, and more recently, my sister has joined us. I look forward to it every year.

Many people ask me why I look forward to going to the cemetary and do all that work. All I can tell them is....family.

It's a time for those wonderful memories of our parents to come out as we dig, plant, and trim things up. Thursday night I was admonishing my brother for destroying a bird's nest while he was trimming the tree. He said, "yeah, I know...Dad would have scolded me too." We also talked about our grandparents - also buried there - and about the kind of people they were. They died while I was young so I didn't know them, but my sister shared some stories and brought them alive to me. It was the same as a young girl, being with my mother and planting flowers on my grandparent's graves. It was a time of reflection for her - and she shared stories with me then too, so I would know who they were and what kind of people I came from. My heritage.

Family and respect. It's all about family, my good peoples. You care for them while they are living, why wouldn't you want to honor their memory by caring for them while they are gone? Doing something minor such as planting flowers is the least I can do for them giving me a lifetime of memories to pull forward whenever I need to feel close to them.

So - my friendly advice to you this Memorial weekend is.... go honor those who loved you - but visiting the cemetary and maybe planting a flower, or laying a rose on the head stones to let their souls know that although they may be gone,they are never forgotten.

Torture at the Gym

Well - not quite "torture" but definitely not a pleasant walk through the tulips, if you get my drift! Oh my goodness! I have got to get to the gym more often. A few short months ago I was able to run full out on the treadmill at 6mph for interval training. Today? Well, let's just say that I managed interval training but it certainly wasn't at a full out 6mph. Quite humbling. Does anyone have any answers as to why it takes our bodies so long to build up strength and endurance, yet it takes just a blink of an eye to lose it if you're not using it? HATE it when that happens.


An earlier blog stated that I had packed on some weight and I didn't know why or how. That's a cop out. I do know. Less time in the gym, that's why. Now, I know that I teach Yoga three nights a week - and that is a good workout in of itself however, the body needs some cardio training once in a while to keep the ole heart and lungs happy, know what I mean. I made it the the gym twice this week and today's workout was a killer, but I made it through. I guess my goal for next week will be to make it there three times a week and see if I can ramp up the volume on the treadmill a little bit more.

Weight didn't go so bad today. I need to be get back in to the free weight again as that is where I always see my greatest improvement. The machines are good, but it tends to make me go on autopilot and therefore I'm not concentrating on the muscle as much as I should. Oh well, at least I got there, did it, and got out alive! ~LOL~

Doing the housework thing this afternoon. A friend and neighbor called last night and invited us out to his 60th birthday party. That should be fun. I met him back in my crop insurance days and fondly called him "silver fox" - quite frankly....he's got the prettiest silver hair - and he's easy on the eye too! :-) Anywho, I'm going to finish up with the housework, see if I can get my vacuum cleaner working again, and then slide through the shower and get gussied up for tonight.

Thought provoking thought of the day:If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you give up?

Mine would be - smell

And the wind gently caressed my skin....

Yeah right! It's a freakin hurricane out there! Geeez Louise! Just for once I would like to have a day without wind. I must admit that the temperatures are pretty nice out there though. It really makes up for the last couple of weeks of cold stuff we've had. But now I need to get busy and do a LOT of outside stuff - like getting my decorative rock around me house looking...decorative again! Ha! Getting my deck scrapped and washed and maybe - just maybe - I'll paint it this year. NOT. I have too much on my plate to do that, but at least it won't look quite as ragged as it does now.

I was telling a co-worker today that I started my annual batch of raspberry slush! Oh goodness good peoples...that stuff is WICKED! I had a batch last year and remember fondly the one Saturday afternoon when it was about 90 out. I thought I'd go sit on the deck, drink some slush and read a bodice-ripper. The first glass went down soooo well that I made myself another. After losing track of time I thought I'd better get going and get supper started for "T". I stood up...and promptly sat back down - and stayed there until T came home! I was TOAST. If'n I can find the recipe in my treasure chest of recipes (otherwise known as the black hole drawer of my kitchen cabinet), I'll dig it out and post it for you all. Hmmmmm.... JUST the thing you need on a hot day!

Well, T is home and he just asked me where I was taking him for supper. Burger King sounds good, doesn't it? (grin).

I'm going to end this post with a thought provoking question......
If you had to select the most beautiful face in history, whose face would you pick?

One day closer to Friday!

Gracious sakes - today went fast! Can't believe that I started Monday out by wishing it was already Friday, and here it is Thursday night and Friday is just a sleep away. Yeah!

Today was a pretty good day all things considered. I spent the morning in a training class that was pretty interesting. The topic was "gangs" and I learned quite a bit, unfortunately there is a ton more to learn. It really is quite unfortunate that I have to even learn about it at all, but given where I work, it always best to know whom I have surrounding me and what type of activities they participate it. It was sad to learn that an average age of a "shooter" is 12-17 years of age. Given that I live in a rural state I always figured that gangs were part of the "city" life....but I understand that it is even here, in my small rural town. What drives a person to become a gang member? Is life really that bad for you that you need to join this "extended family" just so that you have someone to love? I can only hope that some of these youth - or adults for that matter - find a way out of the gangs and find some worth to their lives - something other than "shooting" "drugs" "stealing" or anything else that the "family" deems you worthy of.

In so far as this evening, I came home from class tonight and started supper and picked up around the house a little. Sad to say that by the time Friday rolls around, the house is in need of some TLC ~L~ And equally sad is that by the time Friday rolls around....I need some TLC too! ~LOL~ Oh well....that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

I have to work a "fishing tournament" on Sunday afternoon, but other than that, my weekend plans are going to be hitting the gym for a VERY extended workout on Saturday morning. My thighs seems to have found 7 extra pounds in the last few months and I need desperately for them to pack up and leave! It takes FOREVER to lose but yet it (weight) comes back on in a blink of the eye. I think that I will also see if I can muck around in my rock garden and get it ready for more rock. I don't have much of a green thumb going for me lately so the best I can do is find some pretty decorations, plop them down on the rock and call it good! (Don't have time for anything living - cuz I forget to water and things die within days a matter of weeks!). "T" says .."take pitty on the poor things will ya shortstuff!" ~LOL~

Well, I'm going to update my other blog now so that I can email some stuff out to my yoga clients.

Y'all take care now, y'hear?!

~S~

Welcome to Happy Hour!

Ok, I know what you are thinking - Happy Hour is for drinking. Au contraire my fellow peeps! Happy Hour is a place where you can unwind after the day - kick your shoes off, sip that pretty little drink with the umbrella in it and let the stress of the day roll off your shoulders.

This little blog is meant to inform, enlighten, empower, provoke, invigorate, and inspire. I will do my rambling here and see what thought provoking responses I get from the other side of the monitor (that be you folks!).

So, welcome to my Happy Hour!

No designated driver needed here - just a healthy dose of humor!


Remember - Do not hang all your clothes on one nail!