Bugaboo

How you would like to help the small (population 380) town of Fargo, Georgia replace their firetruck while getting a cool souvenir at the same time?
Have you heard about the "Bugaboo T-Shirt"?

Here's the story.

Here's the order form.

Get a shirt (or two) today!

Pandora

While I was chatting with a friend at lunch, she mentioned that she rarely (if ever) listened to music on the radio because she never liked any of the music that was played.

That's when I told her about Pandora. Pandora provides a way for people to have "stations" that play music suited to their tastes. They explain how it's done here.

They also have a blog and podcast.

It really is an interesting way to explore different kinds of music and examine what types of music appeal to you. I can't wait to hear what kind of station my friend creates.

Toilet paper wedding gowns

While I'm all for recycling and wise use of resources, I must admit I would not have considered creating my wedding gown from toilet paper!

The dresses are quite lovely. My only concern would be rain storms and tears (crying). Well, I would be afraid of tears (rips), too.

There are quite a few instances of clever use of unconventional materials. The most famous is probably duct tape, although there are other examples.

Here's a clever use of coffee sleeves.

I'm feeling inspired now! Let's see what I can create . . .

Ebb and flow

While I don't live very near the ocean, I do notice the ebb and flow of life. I frequently see it in the garden. Sometimes it's brimming with flowers, other times with weeds, and if it's very cold or very dry, then there's not much growing at all.


Nasturtiums that were in my garden a couple of months ago have taken their leave of the garden. If all goes well, there will be a few volunteers to welcome the new seeds I plant next year.

As the nasturtiums departed, morning glories and cosmos brought their contrast of color as cool purples and blues mingled with warm, rich orange.

Now the morning glories are gone and marigolds, zinnias and daylilies have begun their summer show.

Life tends to be like that. Activities that take priority at one point fade into the background at another time. Sometimes you return to them, other times you don't. While it may be sad to say goodbye to something that was once part of your life, that's the way of the cycle of life.

When you learn to recognize your personal ebb and flow, you will find that you are better able to plan your activities to match your strengths, interests and energy levels as they occur. It gives a whole new meaning to "go with the flow"!

Summer is here

I know that Summer doesn't officially begin for a few more days, but my garden says that it's summertime.

My "garden guardin' goddess" is ready for her second season. She could stand to have a bit more spanish moss hair, and her garden twine dress has seen better days, but she's happy to be in the yard where she can enjoy the sun, breezes, and growing things. This summer I may make a sister or two to join her.

Now that the rains have returned, the yard is starting to fill up with plants and flowers.

The tomato plants have reached the point where they present a ripe tomato each day when I come home. That may not be a big deal to a lot of people, but my tomato growing history is not a happy one.



The first tomato plants I grew were taller than me -- and had no fruit. They had spent all of their energy growing green stuff, not red stuff.
The next time I tried, I did have some nice tomatoes ripening on the plants, until the bugs and animals got to them before I did.

This year I decided to try grape and cherry tomatoes . . .

Success at last!

I think they're too small to catch the attention of the critters, so I've been able to enjoy my tomatoes this year.


Meanwhile, the flowers are flourishing.

Seeds planted several weeks ago are sprouting and starting to bud and bloom.


The sunflowers, while small, are continuing to grow, as are the cosmos, marigolds and zinnias. The garden is full of splashes of yellow, orange, and red.

The bees and lizards and dragonflies zip around the yard using my bamboo stakes as launching and landing pads.

I really enjoy seeing the wild creatures enjoying the garden.

Excuse me, I think I hear my garden calling . . .

What to do?

When I walked into the living room the other day I saw a flash of movement in the tree by the front door. As I sat and looked out the window, I realized it was a tiny bird.

It hopped from branch to branch and then flew to the archway leading to our front porch and clung to the stucco wall. After it left I went to the front porch to see what attracted the bird there.


To my delight and horror, I found a lovely little nest the bird had built in one of my pots. The nest is a work of art and represents hours and hours of labor from this little creature. Unfortunately, the location is very, very bad. The pot is on a stand that is only a couple of feet high, and it's right by the main entrance to our house.

While we wouldn't touch the nest, others might. We don't have many human visitors, but we do have frequent visits from raccoons, as evidenced by their muddy footprints left on the concrete walk after they dig in my water garden. Raccoons are omnivores and will eat anything.

There are also two large Cuban treefrogs who live on our porch light. They also will eat anything that will fit in their mouth!

What to do? I looked at birdhouses and thought of ways to hang the pot so the bird could still reach it, but I came to the unhappy conclusion that they would not return to the nest if I touched it, and they and their babies would be at risk if I left the nest there.

I had to move the nest.

While not a solution I would have gladly chosen, I took the nest out of the pot and put it at the edge of the woods. I know the bird won't use the nest, but I hope someone will use the materials to build a home for themselves.

Transitions

Is change good or bad?

Yes.

The choice is yours.

Diane Mashia says: What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, God calls a butterfly!

How do you find the butterfly moments of your changing life?

Since change is part of our lives, we benefit from learning how to cope with change.

Choose your goal and approach it one small step at a time. It’s easier to commit to small changes and simpler to adjust your course when necessary.

You are daily surrounded by opportunities to make progress toward your goal. As you focus on your goal, you will become more aware of these opportunities.

When you decide to change it is important to remember:
Change is uncomfortable, even if you have chosen it.

Anatole France said, "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."

Are you clinging to things that are holding you back?

It may be time to release some of the things that suited you at other stages in your life to make room for the things that will help your reach your current goals.

Is it time for a change?