A Clean Beaver Always Finds More Wood

   Most often people just put up Christmas decorations, but I have to clean.
   Not a little cleaning, put all framed photos away, bring out all the framed Christmas photos. Find and clean, all the Christmas dishes, linens, polish furniture, baseboards, the list is long. I also have to complete the job in one day, and collapse, singing Oh Come All Ye Faithful ! ( Bill reminds me, that I am like my mom and dad!) ( which I think is a complement, because I only gathered all their good genes!) My family are Clean Beavers!!!
  I bet you didn't know where I was going with this title.
 While doing my winter cleaning (yes, I have a housekeeper, but.....only I can really clean)(  my mother!!!yikes!!) I pulled out a drawer with crap written all over it. The drawer was Emma's in the kitchen, I transferred my control, and let her go to it. Throw out, purge, make room in the manger!!! I will tie it all up in ribbons and Baby Jesus to get things done. After a spell, she said, " Some of this is your stuff!" So I held out my hands, and this jewel of a piece of advertisement dropped in my lap!!!
 A Clean Beaver Always Finds More Wood, I love that sentence, but what is the marketing tool? I scan down, and its Playtex clean wipes! Called fresh and sexy! What in the world crazy is this? I come from a clean beaver family, but I was not thinking of finding more wood!!! I was thinking that with all the swimming, beavers are clean animals, so I tore this out, to use in the future! I never read the fine print, not even sure if I ever called my private parts!! a beaver!! I howled with laughter and I said out loud, " There is a blog in this!" and "Emma, don't throw anything away, there could be diamonds in that trash pile!" she kept shredding!
 I have folders of good material, and you know, MY notes!! but when one from long ago, jumps out at you, and you can tie it to Christmas, those are few and far between!
  This clean beaver, has finished with the Christmas decorations, with my cards left to do.
  There are still Thanksgiving leftovers to pick at, and football games to view.
  The weather is crisp and sunny, beautiful Saturday noonish.
  Hope I made you smile, and encouraged you to clean!

From Pumpkin to Pine

  I had a moment of semi-clarity this morn, when after my bath, dressed and groomed, I smelled a house full of pumpkin. Pumpkin candles lit all over my house, to usher in the blessings of the feast. Then while riding the Bi-Polar express, I thought in less then 24 hours I would smell pine. We only have three, maybe four weeks, to get our 'Ho" in order.
  I thought of the Cox family saying their sweet good-byes to their momma, my future daughter-in-law saying, "YES" to the dress, while making my shopping list.
 My Boston bunch so far away, and New Hampshire crew even more in the distant.
 My brothers, my parents, relatives and friends, not near, yet with me, in so many ways.
 The holidays, after the loss of our Ward, will never be the same. Never is a long time, and with all the candles lit in the world, that remains. I know he is sitting next to me, as I type. Maybe twirling his hair, as a little boy, or making a lego village. I hope he knows about Hart getting married, so he can be with us for the hoopla. I hope he knows, that Emma is still the queen, and doing good things. Your older brothers are just the same, Keith's sick sense of humor, that we adore, Kelly works hard, and still enjoys movies, like we Barons do. Brian's ADD still in tack, trying to raise boys and keeping his wicked personality. He is such a good father, and husband to the "The Emily of Boston", they are a hot mess of fun. Dad is older and wiser, and we still make each other laugh. We work hard each day. Hope you are enjoying all your mom's painting? Its good, right? So happy that you had this talent, where ever you land, I hope that your art is all around. You have the palette of the universe, keep painting my precious child.
 I still smell you around, but honestly the pumpkin smell is a little overpowering right now!
 Yes, I still light up the house, someone has to!
 So thankful to be a mom to these wonderful children, and Uma to the best boys on the planet, Adrian and Finn. Blessed  beyond reason, in this season, where pumpkin to pine, surround the memories of love.
 Now let me go crank up this cooking, and decorating.
( I seriously may leave the lights up forever!!)
Happy Thanksgiving( You are welcome for the picture of our toilet!!, Honestly I don't know why I added that picture, for Thanksgiving, but it made me laugh!)

I Don't Even Think It's Winter

   The news from Buffalo, New York is grim. Some fifty or a million inches of snow is expected to blanket that fair city. The home of the hubs. He is just giddy over this polar demon. It reminds him of days gone by, where they used the porch as the freezer. Snow up to the window sills, snow igloos, shoveling and more shoveling. I remind him, I shovel "sunshine" ( thank you Saul ) I cover my eyes during the news, the snow horror will give be nightmares. Dr. B continues to share the pictures off the internet, of the snow drifts. I remind him that crazy people live in Buffalo, you are lucky I saved you. Just this morning, I asked him, if he was wrapped up warm enough, and he shrugged , " This is nothing!"
  He is as usual, so right. I feel like the national guard should be called to rescue these people from this place of no return. This Florida girl, thinks this cold spell, we in Georgia are under, is something!!
  Last night, my Bill, likes to update me on current affairs. He knows even if the TV is on, I most probably have not paid attention. I get bits and pieces, and I damn sure knew who People magazine voted for most sexiest man alive! Snow levels in the tundra of Buffalo, not so much. He also wanted to update me on Charles Manson. It was early evening, so I assume, he thought this man could no longer freak me out.
" Bonnie, did you hear Charles Manson is getting married?" hubs
" Hush, I don't need to hear his name, or the crazy child that wants to be his wife! but thank you for the information!" said I.
" I put Charles Manson and Snow in the same category, the need not to know!They are both horrible things, that cause me to itch with hives!" I wish the news people would realize that he does not deserve any air time, he is a vulture looking creature, who is evil. And snow, let the people who are living in the local area, have all the news, so they can make a good decision to get the heck out of there. There are many places that are not habitable, maybe Buffalo is on that list? I know it produced a very great person in Bill, at least Grace and Ralph did. AND....I have spent the last 34 years getting him farther down south. Key West is still my plan, with a good AC unit, for the doctor to chill in.
  I pray for all the people who are cold, I pray without ceasing, that no one is cold. I have to be honest, I pray daily to be able to sing! with no luck! Each and Every day, I pray to sing, and I do believe in the power of prayer, just sometimes it snows! and it snows hard! I have to remember its his plan not mine.
AND...he or she...knows our prayers before we ask, so if you are listening...and I believe you are...please help all these cold people, and let me sing really good for one day!! Like Barbra or Aretha or Joni Mitchell, or Marvin Gay.
 Amen, and Namaste

Sponge Worthy

   Being a child of 1952, the 60's were my years.
   I think they were the most remarkable times to grow up. Maybe each generation thinks that. I can only write what I know to be true, my truth.
   I know that the space race, was a huge part of my upbringing. We lived in Florida, we think that the space program was ours to have. Again, maybe Houston felt the same way? Cape Canaveral, The Right Stuff, watching flight after flight of unimaginable rockets go into orbit. It was fantastic, out of this world, enjoyable.
  SO...when I heard somebody was landing a gadget on a comet, my ears perked up." How is this possible?" my next question to myself, was " How are YOU BONNIE, asking that question!" 
  Then I heard, it has been ten years in reaching this comet! The adult child that I occasionally tend to be thought(maybe out loud), " Wonder how much this cost, when people are still starving all over the world!"
    Let me back up..
This is all happening at about 5am, over coffee with the hubs.
Our eyes are just slits, not yet looking darling.
Now back to children starving. I grew up in the 60's, I did inhale, and I care about all people. I'm a bleeding heart liberal, bra burner female activist, civil rights supporter, Aids caregiver, tree hugging special human! I believe you feed people before you shoot rockets off! You heal people with modern medicine before you catch a comet, but I believe in research and science. I should have stopped with a question, but I like being married to a very smart Dr. Bill, and I was not all awake, so I asked, " What kind of information could a comet tell us? Ebola is eating people alive, people are sick and starving all over the place, that is crazy!" (run on sentence, have to use, when ranting)
So at 5:03 Dr. Baron said, " Well the molecular....."
That is all I heard, " Stop Bill, people don't just spew molecular around in conversation, and this sponge is not worthy of such information!"
Note..he is still talking through my stop, " we may need to live in other solar systems.....it is crucial ...the comet carries organisms from..."
I ask him, " Did you ever watch Lost In Space, or My Favorite Martian?"
So we sit and laugh, two different peas in a pod.
I had to know, so I continued, " You do believe in feeding people and Doctors without Borders, right?"
He spoke, " Of course, you will handle that end of the spectrum!"
Again we laugh.
Our morning chat, taught me, that education is the most important thing.
And second, compassion has to work with the educated, side by side. Either one by itself, lacks the ability to work. Each day we have to just soak up the knowledge, and filter the crazy.
You have to be sponge worthy( thank you Elaine from Seinfeld) every second of every day.
Life is full of mystery, amazing stuff you can learn from a comet, and a child from the 60's.
Enjoy

Did You Look Under My Bed?

   As I sit in front of my writing tablet, well....that was a little Jane Austin.
   As I sit in front of my computer, notes on the side, my mind wanders.
   I need to write this personal blog, and sometimes it is just difficult.
   I need to always look under my bed, to this day, monsters?
   The monsters are so real in your youth, they are big and a putrid color of green. Why they reside in closets and under the bed , remains a mystery to me.
   You would think, or like to think, that as we age, the monsters go away. That is so far from the truth.
   I have a friend whose young son, has been diagnosed with cancer, and is in the fight for his life. The monster lives in his liver and colon, and his parents are afraid.
   My brothers have monsters close to home, that I wish were gone, when we turn on the lights. It scares me.
   This week, I woke Bill up, telling him of another nightmare I was having about my son Ward. I had marks in the palm of my hands from my fingernails, gripping so hard. I could not save him in life or in dreams. The monster of grief, never leaves me.
    Yet, peace also lives with me.
     It just seems, that some weeks, monsters win, and I have to get busy.
     Prayer, meditation, good thoughts sent out into the universe, good deeds, and a extra Prozac thrown in.   
     ( firm believer in medicine and work!) ( Prayer is work! believe me!)
    The weather and the holidays, grease the tube of melancholy, so I crank up the music. ( thank you Perlotta, for my Chanukah, Thanksgiving, Christmas gifts. Bette and Barbra, saved me!)
     Thank goodness for Egg Nog Light, its out now, and I love it. Thank whomever decided to put the word light on the outside of the carton, it makes me feel better.( Paleo people, I know its probably the devil, but I need some joy juice!)
      So excited for Christmas Carols, and smells of Thanksgiving. See.....that monster doesn't look so bad anymore. My cousin Jeannine use to say, " I just like all the combination of Thanksgiving food, on my plate."
Sometimes it is all about the combination, and cousins.
     So enjoyable to hear from cousin Mel this week, to rant with each other. Only cousins can just let it spill out!!! Good, Bad and Crazy all at one time. Our tongues were just a wagging.
     She has her monsters, just like we all do. Sometimes it helps to share.
   Now how do I wrap up this entry?
    In a blanket, my favorite one, one dog and a cat, good book, happy family and  a big sigh..I hope the monsters stay away for the night, sleep tight.( and while you are looking under your bed, you are on your knees
    
  

Extraordinary

 I have such an affection for this word.
 No one should ever feel ordinary.
 Extraordinary, with a cup of awesome!
  Life is at its best, can and is a struggle to survive. But.......that is not enough
  To survive, exist on this planet, is for moss.
 We humans, have evolved, I hope to see the remarkable. To see it, even in the moss! ( I have to tell my extraordinary yardman, leave my moss alone, I love it!)
  We are responsible for our extra!
  Our extraordinary in the ordinary, that is our story.
  This Sunday morning, while eating goat cheese and wheat thins for breakfast, I had to close my eyes and just be so thankful. Wheat thins make me think of my mom, and goat cheese, reminds me of the farmers market, when it was warm. Warm air, and mom, my extra.
  AND... a post I came across, (where I don't know?) ( I read all the time, you know that)
  10 Ways to Live an Extraordinary Life by Courtney Carver. I think she may have a blog also, guessing, bemorewithless, is listed above the article, could be something! Extra!
  The list
   1. Pay Attention *    ( * means I do this, could not find a check mark?)
   2. Be grateful *
   3. Stop comparing * ( so useless, never have done it)
   4. Let go (hard...work in progress, thanks to Frozen)
   5. Make space ( ?? throw stuff away?? clear our my head??)
   6. Admire small miracles *
   7.Slow down * ( not hard, I like slow)
   8.Write it down * ( all the time)
   9. Act like a tourist ( This is my favorite, I have never thought of this before. I will adopt this attitude right now. I love this number 9! Think how excited you are when seeing something grand for the first time. Your life should take your breath away! Where is my passport?? I will take it to the grocery store!)
   10. Be Extraordinary* (of course!)
 Now that is a good list. Most of it, we know, but do we practice it.

 Unplug ( how do you do that!)
 Realize that you are the one holding on, with a tight grip.
 Try to recall that first tomato of the summer
 A friends bellowing laughter.
 Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine

 Examine how you treat yourself and others. You are wonderful, the best. Treat others just as special.
 Paint a picture, write a story, cook a good meal, visit someone in a nursing home, live, live, live with utter abandon.
  Find the extra, or make some extra of your own! ( I just wanted to try the underline button, key)
  Atlanta is beautiful today, so let me go explore it.
  Sunday thoughts with a little Extra!!!!!!!!