Put down the mouse and step away from the computer

I am stuck - held captive by the doldrums of indecision, the lethargy of apathy, the blue funk of the blahs.

It's not that I'm bored or looking for something to do. To the contrary, I have more "to-dos" than I could possibly finish in several lifetimes. So, I have chosen . . . to do nothing.

Well, not exactly nothing. I'm collecting more and more ideas, information and books, and list after list of possiblities. My favorite place to run away from life is my computer. So, instead of gradually working my way through possible projects, paring down and selecting the top candidates for completion, I'm adding to the stacks of the undone.

Today I've decided (with not a little prompting from a person who shall not be named) that I have to put my foot down and step away from the computer and back into my life. Please excuse me while I pull out the shredder, the trash bin and my to-do list. I'm stepping away from the computer and back into my life.

What would you have done if you were in my shoes?

Several of us went to a fabric dyeing class taught by Mark Sherman last month. We were warned to wear old clothes in case of wayward dye.

This sounded like an opportunity to us, so we bought white tennis shoes in hopes of having shoes to match our t-shirts.

Fabric must be prepped for dyeing, and we had not done that. So, I arrived home with undyed white shoes. What to do?

With Sharpie® in hand, I created a pair of personalized shoes, of course. What would you have done if you were in my shoes?

"Element" of surprise

As I drove to work on the Monday after Easter, much to my dismay, I verified a statistic. In a survey conducted by Progressive Insurance, it was found that "There is a higher likelihood of an accident when you are 1 mile from home vis-à-vis 20 miles from home. Accidents were found to be twice as likely to occur."

This is what my Honda Element looked like before I crossed the intersection:



And this is what it looked like after someone drove east across my southbound lane:





Thanks to a good set of brakes and a vehicle designed to protect me, I was able to walk away from the collision and only have a few bruises and aches as a result. One of the people who witnessed what happened said she was amazed when I got out of my Element. Frankly, I was too.

Unfortunately, the Element did not fare as well. The insurance company declared it a total loss. I will certainly miss my Element. It has seen me through hurricanes, day trips and a multitude of errands. It was always available to carry just about anything anywhere.

It has been two weeks since this happened and I am still navigating the maze of paperwork and phone calls that dealing with insurance companies requires. When everything is finally in place, I know what I'm getting to replace my faithful Element - another one! I can't imagine driving a more versatile, reliable and safe vehicle. "Every piece has its purpose."

In Memory of Bentley

Bentley died in February. I think of him often, especially when I explore our yard. When he was healthy, Bentley would go outside with me and scout out all "points of interest".

I his honor, today I went on a tour of our yard and took photos of the critters Bentley might have discovered.

He loved to hunt lizards. . .



. . and he spent lots of time on the back porch checking out the visitors to our pond.


I found this beautiful black snake . . .



when I walked over to look at this tree because I saw insects flying around it.



Upon closer examination, I discovered it is a honey tree - look at the bees!



And finally, I convinced this butterfly to stop long enough for a photo op.



I thought that was a fitting end to today's exploration since it is Easter Day and the butterfly is a symbol of rebirth and resurrection.

Although it seems far too short, I'm grateful for the time Bentley was in my life and the pleasant memories I have of him.

Goodbye, little buddy. You are missed and fondly remembered.

Busy as a . . .

The other day I noticed several bumblebees on the few remaining cosmos flowers because, unlike most bees I've seen, these bees were not flitting from flower to flower. They were curled up on the flowers and very still. They appeared to be . . . sleeping.



I'd never seen sleeping bees before, so I did a little research.

Bees do sleep.



Isn't it funny to think that the very creatures humans say they are "as busy as" take time to rest?



Maybe we could learn one more lesson from our busy bee friends and be as intentional about taking time for renewal and refreshment as we are about reaching goals.

The next time you're buzzing around thinking about how busy you are, perhaps you'll remember the bumblebees and take a moment or two to slow down for a bit. I think you'll be glad you did.

A colorful walk on Thanksgiving Day

QB and I went for a walk this morning and saw bits of color along the way:










Happy Thanksgiving from QB and the rest of us.

Nip it in the bud

"Nip it in the bud."

The person most responsible for making this phrase famous has to be Barney Fife, Deputy to Sheriff Andy Griffith. His catch phrase has inspired at least one rap song and numerous comedy routines.

I was recently reminded of the wisdom of this saying when I took a moment to really look at the flower beds in my yard.

The cosmos plants were fading away and ready to be removed. I pulled out the dead plants, making sure the seeds stayed behind.

Then I found plants I didn't want in the bed. These plants had also flowered and were starting to go to seed. I wasn't going to allow the plants or seeds to stay in my yard, so I started pulling up the plants. They were much more difficult to remove. The roots were a lot bigger and deeper than those of the Cosmos.

I had noticed the plants when they were a smaller, but didn't bother removing them. Now, instead of tiny, easily removable seedlings, I was dealing with sturdy plants that wanted to stay where they were. After a lot of struggle, I finally removed the plants from my beds. Some of the seeds have fallen in my yard, so I know the plants will return, but I will be sure to pull up any seedlings I spy next year. I do not want to wrestle with those plants again.

How many times have I ignored an issue in my life until it became a huge problem? How much easier is it to deal with a problem when it first appears rather than ignoring it until drastic measures are required? How much pain and trouble could be avoided by choosing another path?

It's time to re-examine my life so I can weed out any problems and nip them in the bud.