Happy Hour Chatter

For you blog stalkers out there, you must know by now that every year, just before Memorial Day, my brother, sister and I go to the cemetery to spruce things up a bit: trim the headstones, plant flowers, etc.   The evening, of course, usually ends with us toasting our parents memories with a beer or two (or three).   It’s amazing how the memories come flooding back to me.  I remember going down to the cemetery with my mother when I was a child and doing the exact same thing - except in those days we didn’t drink beer!  (ha!)  Mom usually took me for an ice cream cone and a drive around town afterwards.  Sometimes, if Dad was with us, we would go down by the river in the park and have a hamburger that we’d gotten from the café.   Last night we ended up at the Dally-Up Saloon and had some (more) beers and hamburgers, all the while discussing whatever trials and tribulations the four (my sister-in-law was there also) were going through.   I think that with each...

I wasn’t a popular person in high school – in fact, my circle of friends were few.  I didn’t go out a lot on weekends, I didn’t wear the most fashionable clothes, nor was I a stunning beauty.  I was alright with that though.  My father said, “it’s alright, you just do your own thing… march to the beat of your own drum.”  I guess I’ve always been a bit of a loner and resisted going with what was normal or acceptable. I tended to be off by myself and do what made me happy rather than what made everyone else happy.  One might say I was a bit of a geek.  (I know! Hard to imagine, isn’t it??!!) As childhood gave way to adulthood, I continued to march to my own drum. Some days I marched a lot faster and with purpose, other days the beat of my drum was a soft echo in the background.  I still marched though; and I still do.  I tend to be the independent one in the corner laughing when someone says “you shouldn’t do t...

I got up to the sound of gentle rain against my window.  A soft breeze bellowing the blinds through an open window and the smell of fresh rain.  I had a leisurely cup of coffee, did some yoga – not much, about 20 minutes of sun salutes, then got ready for work.  The morning was beautiful and calm – just the way you want a morning to be. The drive in to work was uneventful and calm.   I arrived at work five minutes early even.   I was smiling as I walked in the door. Then…….. somebody stole my Happy! I was pulled in 20 different directions at once, and of course, everyone wanted something “yesterday.”  I found out I’d been conned by an inmate and I pleaded with the COS to give me 5 minutes along with the little bugger…but I was shot down in a heartbeat.   Spoilsport! I ate twice my normal amount of calories by 10:00 am, I had a headache cuz I’m trying to cut down on caf...

.. the snake was just as startled as I was....but at least there wasn't any blood involved! ~L~  Man do I ever have an aversion to snakes!!  I was mowing grass tonight and reached down to pull some weeds from my rock garden ....and there he was.   Long, slimy, and stealth.....just laying there in the rocks sunning himself as if he owned the place!  So not cool!  I screamed and attempted to run away but my feet wouldn't move....  I was frozen in place.  And the stupid snake didn't even have the common courtesy to slither away!  It just laid there with it's beady little eyes fixed on me!  Course, if it was like me, it was frozen in place also.  All I know is that we stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before I picked up a rock and  threw it at him - then screamed when it started to move.   I'm pretty sure that it was thinking " geeze lady....pipe down and let me get out of here!" ~ LOL ~ One would...

Skip (literally) out of work at noon. Take Mother-in-Law out for lunch. Have a training session with Mark at 2pm. Crawl out of gym at  4pm. Go home and clean house. (Yuck) Convince hubster he should take me out for supper (Yeah). Pretend I’m 27 and stay up till midnight and drink a cool alcoholic beverage.  (Dream) Fall in to bed exhausted at 10:00 pm (Reality).         

Oh, I know!  You are probably thinking “what’s so good about it?!”  Well, one could say, that it is good because:  we draw breath and our heart beats, we have another day during which to impact someone’s life. Or maybe it is good because we are doing something that we truly love and get great enjoyment from it.  While I know that some days are tougher than others (boy do I know it!), I also know that each day is a gift and should not be taken lightly.  And by now you are probably saying, “enough with the happy bulls**t Sherry!”  ~LOL~ My sister is really enjoying her day!  She was part of a group that won $250,000 in the lottery.  Yeppers!  She was one excited cookie!  Though she has to split with 18 other people, AND take taxes out, she’s still richer today than she was on Monday!.  Good for her!  Now, I  texted my cousins in California and Val said, “soooo, another tr...

  I’ve JUST been notified that Happy Hour Chatter has reached the 13,000 hits mark!  Yeah!!!!!!   This is a good thing.  Although my life is boring and blasé`, peeps are still interested in lil ole’ me!  J  

I’ve come to view my yoga mat as my “sanctuary.”  On the days when I find life difficult, I have found that stepping on my mat brings me relief from whatever may be causing me stress.   I believe that it’s a matter of “letting go” for an hour that does it.  I can move, breathe and focus on nothing but being on my mat and in my practice. I’m learning to let  go of all the other stuff in life for that time; I don’t even think about it.   Consequently, when my practice ends and I “return to the world” as it may be, whatever has been bothering me doesn’t seem as important any longer.  Oh, the problem or stressor may still be there, but I find that I’m better equipped to handle it.   My mind has more focus and clarity with which to deal with things.   I became emotional the other day when talking about this.  I’m passionate about yoga – and ...

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's out there.  I hope your day was an enjoyable one.  I think back lovingly to memories of my mother.  I really do not know if there is a day gone by that I don't think of her in some way or another.  I look at pictures of her and I smile, I run across something that she wrote to me (a card perhaps), and I cry tears.   There is a song that clutches my heart every time I hear it as it reminds me of mom and how I feel about her.  It's by Caitlin and Will, and it's called "No Address In the Stars".  This is verse #3: Without you here with me, I don't know what to do. I'd give anything Just to talk to you Oh it breaks my heart, Oh it breaks my heart, But all I can do Is write these letters to you, But there's no address in the stars. What I wouldn't give to talk with my mother; to ask her simple things like: what she used in her cake batter to make it so moist, what were her dreams and hopes for herself ...

Ok.  I know why I’m in a funk!   It’s the weather!  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  It’s May 5 th for chrissakes!!!  We’re supposed to be experiencing 70 degree weather with blue skys and gentle spring breezes. Instead, we are experiencing gale force winds, rain, winter storm warnings (for the western part of the state), and it’s dark and gloomy.  It hasn’t done much for my disposition that’s for sure. Someone commented that I was a bit “testy” in my previous blog post and went on to say that it was “uncharacteristic” of me, as I’m a yogi and supposed to practice love and tolerance.  True.  The key word in that sentence is practice .   I try hard every day to live the good life and to practice tolerance and love. Most days I succeed.  Others, I fail; yesterday was one of those days. It probably had less to do with other people an...

1)       If you wanted it yesterday, you shouldn’t have given it to me today. 2)       The words “Please” and “Thank you” are NOT foreign words. You should try them sometime. 3)       Please, when I’m on the phone and I say, “I’ll be just a minute”…please do not hover within earshot so you can listen to my conversation. 4)       My pens are MY pens….end of story. 5)       When you take the last of something – effectively depleting the stock of said item – please say something BEFORE someone else needs said item.  The “oh yeah, I forgot to tell you” doesn’t cut it . 6)       When I say, “I have plans”, please don’t ask “what are they”?   If I wanted you to know, I would have told you. 7) ...