Truth...

Odd that I would get this message:

On this day of your life, we believe God wants you to know ... that there are many truths, and they all point to one source - God.

Do not spend energy arguing whose truth is righter, - just like all life springs forth from one source, so are all truths but a reflection of God. Accept another truth as another way of loving God.

 

Not spending time on who is right - just very disappointed in the knowledge of a lie.

Just the way you are...

I saw this today:

On this day of your life, we believe God wants you to know ... that you are perfect as you are.

God doesn't create faulty life. No. Everything created by God is perfect, and so are you. So stop driving yourself mad with endless ways to improve, and just accept the glory of your being as is.

 

Leaves one wondering - why do others find so much inperfection, then?

Early morning grumpiness...

Last night, I fell asleep watching Miranda on PBS.  I love that show.  She is quirky and basically a very "normal" person whom I can relate.  Like her mother, my mom was very pretty and before she got married, she had several boyfriends.  Me?  Completely different story.

Anyway, my work cell phone started ringing at 6:30 AM.  I have been up since that time, so that required a visit to Starbucks for a venti pumpkin spice latte.  I also picked up a sausage egg mcmuffin with cheese.  I feel a bit better now.

I have made out my grocery list.  I will be heading over to the grocery store to get those items as long as something for lunch.  Dedicating the rest of my day for cleaning the kitchen and living room.  I can finally open the balcony door and allow the dogs to go out there while I vacuum the floors.

I am not really committed to much today.  I am sure that there are more "important" things that I should be doing according to some.  However, this business regarding my apartment is more pressing.  I live here and I am tired of the mounting mess.

My other goal is to take back my life.  I know I say it all of the time, but it is something I need to do.  I need to make changes in my life to make "me" happy.  Yes, damn it!  I am going to be selfish for a change.  I have put others and their opinions before myself.  When these people start living my life, then we can talk.  Otherwise, take a stinking hike!

One thing I have toyed around in my mind is really radical.  I have thought about dying my hair jet black and getting hot pink and blue streaks.  Why?  Heck - sounds like it would be fun.  I know a woman at work with hot pink streaks in her hair.  I figure, why not?  Would my hair be that much of a distraction?

I know - 46 year old trying to be a kid.  Of course, it was something I always wanted to do with my hair.  I guess my inner rebel is dying to break out and do a little dance!

Love Lost on Some...

Everyone wants to find that special someone.  Most are lucky to have found their "mate"' when they are  in high school or college.  Others, get the degree and job, then find their "mate."  Some of us, well, we just never find that "mate."

I never dated in high school.  Let's be honest, no one ever asked me out on a date.  So many factors there:  I was overweight or I was a bitch.  I did date a few times over the internet, but nothing ever came from those other than a free meal.  (Mind you, I did try to pay for my meals.  I did not believe it was fair for someone to buy you dinner if it was a one time thing.  That is just taking advantage.)

I quit the internet thing because I was getting hit on by married men and let's fact it, that is just asking for trouble.  That was all at the end of my 20's and beginning of my 30's.  I had my crushes and all of them crushed me.  Heck, I even sought therapy for my love-lorn issues and here I am.

When I turned 40, I took a long, hard look at myself.  What was wrong with me?  Was I really a homosexual and had no clue? 

Well, the homosexual side could not be the case.  Too many times, I would think about how hot a guy was and I had very little interest in women in that manner.  That answered that question.  However, I still could not figure out what was wrong with "me?"  Why couldn't a man be interested in me?

I must have tons of warts and horrible smells to drive men away.  My co-workers say it is because I am not needy enough.  I need to be more helpless.  Is that what is really driving the men away?  I am not helpless?

A lot of the time, I just figure that maybe God does not have a mate for everyone.  That is just how it is - some have their mates and others are the loners reserved for some special purpose.  I just happen to fall in the latter category - it just isn't meant to be.

Do I want to get married?  That is not a "must" for me.  I just wish I had someone who would want to spend time with me.

God's Message To Me:

On this day of your life, we believe God wants you to know ... that there is no need to obsess over a decision.

God has more in store for us than we can ever predict, and what we fear are bad choices frequently turn out for the best, because our hidden aspirations know better where we are going than our rational minds.

 

Always interesting...

Difficult week behind me...

This week has not been an easy one.  Yesterday, I found out that a possible job opportunity had been removed in favor of hiring contractors for the position.  *sigh*  It made me incredibly sad.  I was hoping to work with a former manager and possibly get away from the high stress. 

I allowed myself to wallow in the anger, resentment, and depression.  Now, it is time to reflect on what it is that I really want and how to go about getting it.  My main goal is to reduce the stress and gain more time to do the things that I value the most. 

In other news, the weather is starting to actually feel like "fall."  It is a bit nippy outside and of course, the dogs love that.  This is their kind of weather.  Tomorrow morning, it is supposed to get into the upper 30's.  Now, there is a cold snap.  Perfect weather for me to turn on the self-cleaning for the oven - warm the apartment without using the heater.  :-)

Tomorrow, I definitely need to concentrate on the things I need to get done.  I am over my "energy crisis"...well, somewhat.  I am still suffering from the all nighter pulled last weekend.  Laundry and dishes are on the top of my list.  After that, clear clutter in the living room, then work on the kitchen.  Sunday, work on the bedroom.

Next weekend, I hope to go see two movies.  Alex Cross and Chasing Mavericks.  I love the Alex Cross series by James Patterson.  I like "talk radio" for when I am working.  I guess I like it because I can work and follow along at the same time.  Also, I have this fascination with just listening to the radio as many people did in the early 1900's.  I do not need TV all of the time.

Anyway, I got hooked on Alex Cross series by listening to the audio book London Bridges.  After that, I started reading the paperbacks that my mom had.  She was amazed that I read 3 books in one day and could actually talk about what I had read.  So, I had my own mind set for who should play the various parts.  I think Tyler Perry will make a great Alex Cross.

As for Chasing Mavericks, all I am going to claim is that I love Gerard Butler.  I won't deny it - he is handsome and the voice...that is all it takes.  Still, he is a great actor as well.

This evening, I watched Mockingbird Land.  It is a revamp for The Munsters.  I love Eddie Izzard, but the show itself was very clever and I loved how they updated the various characters.  Too bad that it was just a one-off.  Maybe the ratings will help it along...who knows.

Time to watch this week's episode of Elementary.  Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu are great as Sherlock Holmes and Watson.  Making Sherlock a recovering addict is a very modern twist.  I have watched the Sherlock BBC Series and loved that as well.  Heck - I even love the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. All are very well done in my opinion.

Time to just relax...oh, I cannot forget today's message from God:

On this day of your life, we believe God wants you to know ... that you are a human being, not a human doing.

Take time to just be, to breathe slowly, to feel your body that is the temple of your soul. No activities, no worries, no buzzing.

 

Hmmm...maybe we are both on the same wavelength?  BTW - where is that successful man who is in the medical field who will be crazy about me?

Is God Really Trying to Reach Me...

On FaceBook, I always take a moment to read the "God Wants You to Know..." messages.  In my mind, I know it is all for "fun."  However, there is a small piece that mulls over how close these messages are.  Take today for instance:

On this day of your life, we believe God wants you to know ... that if you relax, it comes.

Don't seek, don't search, don't ask, don't knock, don't demand - relax. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, God shows you the way.

 

Someone obviously knows I am highly stressed.  Of course, anyone that knows me knows that I have way too much stress.  I can never seem to relax.

 

My hope is to relax some this weekend.  Granted, I will be working on removing clutter, but I do not want to worry or stress over anything.

Dark Times Lie Ahead...

It is never easy handling a situation when everything that worked wonderfully craters before your very eyes.  I have no solid explanation why so many things failed, but it was a good definition for EPIC FAIL.

I am shell shocked and mortified.  I do not even want to go into the office.  I am trying diligently to sort out the matter.  What I can say is that I did not work in the areas where the failures occurred.  There are some people who continually refuse to read and follow directions.  I wrote out a document specifying exactly where everything was located and indicated which area.  I am at a loss of what to do.

So, I sit in this dark, cold time trying to determine what are the next steps.  I know God puts all of us through a test of some sort.  These types of tests, I could really do without, but apparently, I need to figure out how to fix this issue once and for all.

I am angered by the fact that whatever I say, others take offense.  My goal is not to blame - just get the facts and present them.  If I am wrong, then so be it.  I just want to make the situation better for the future.  I cannot sit back and constantly deal with finger pointing.

Seems like there is no time...

When preparing for a major release where I work, it seems that there is never enough time to get everything done.  To make matters worse, others continue to fill my plate with their "priorities".  I am past the "worrying" stage and entering the "accepting" stage.  It won't be perfect - these things rarely are perfect.  Simply go with the flow and fix the things that you can.

Due to all of that, my minimalist or clutter cleaning activities have come to a screeching halt.  Not surprising.  That tends to happen from time to time.  Work starts full blast and I feel I barely have enough time to walk the dogs and get something to eat.

On the doggy front, Bo has strained his back.  What does not make it better is that Chloe will occasionally attack him on walks.  Seems like she is trying to charge at some animal in the bushes and Bo happens to be in the way.  So, I end up getting onto her for hurting him.  Not that it really makes much of a difference.

I am going to just try to find that serene place and try to regain some sanity.  I am sure that will help.

My Daily "God wants You to Know":

we believe God wants you to know ... that every time you pretend to love, you impoverish yourself more and more.

Love has great potential to enrich your life. But if you are just playing a role, pretending to love, it's only going to poison you. Because you are teaching yourself that it's just a game, and slowly but surely you will lose the capacity to open in love.

 

 I thought about this for awhile.  "Pretend to love"?  I am not sure how to take that, really.  I love a lot of things and those things I do not love, well, I try not to bother.  In regard to "love" with a special person, you have to meet someone before even attempting that.

Something to ponder...

Worrying Over My Furry Babies...

He is my "special little guy."  I adopted Bo April 2, 2007.  Little did I know how sick he was until I got him.  I took Bo to introduce him to the family when I got him.  My mom could tell that he was very sick.  The poor little guy only weighed 8.6 lbs and you could easily feel between the ribs.

When I headed home with my new "baby", my mom cried because she believed that he would not make it because he was so sick.  She was worried about what his death would do to me.

Well, I got him to our usual vet and she got the little guy all fixed up.  He had almost every kind of worm and to top it off, he had an intestinal infection.  Also, the food I gave him would come right back out - quickly.

He got the shots and meds and I started seeing the little dog I thought I would be getting - "Mr. Playful" showed up.

Years later, Bo is still around and very much healthy.  He weighs 16.4 lbs and is quite happy.  Unfortunately, we have to deal with the occasional back problem.  Sunday was the start of one of those days.

I noticed Bo had hopped up on the sofa and fell asleep.  I did not bother him, so after I sat down to eat, I began to see that something was not quite right.  I gave him some pain meds, but that did not seem to work for him.  We ended up at the vet this morning because I just did not want this to continue.

He had to be sedated for X-Rays, got an injection for pain, pain pills, and instructions to restrict activity for the next 60 days.  Yeah - I can try, but I cannot promise much on that.  If you know Bo, he has a mind of his own.  However, right now, I can control his activity because he really does not want to move. 

I realized that I am lucky that this is the worse for him.  Another friend had to make that tough decision for his "baby" today.  While I was sitting in the office, I teared up because I know I will have to face that at some point.  Right now, I will do what I can for Bo to get him better. 

Today's Message From God to Me:

On this day of your life, Melissa, we believe God wants you to know ... that it's okay to ask for help.

Sometimes we get overwhelmed with the details and complexities of our lives. Sometimes we need some help to get untangled, to gain a new perspective. Ask for help. Help may come in human or divine form. It may be seen or unseen. Ask, and ye shall receive.

Sometimes, it is pretty eerie...

Someone reading my blog and influencing this "God wants you to know..." message?  This is just a little eerie for me:

On this day of your life, Melissa, we believe God wants you to know ... that it is time to finally forgive yourself.

You've carried the guilt, the shame for long enough. You've kept your wounds open for long enough. The time has come to let go, to heal. Keep the lessons and let the pain heal. Yes, you know what we are talking about.

 

Then, again, none of the stuff that the psychic at Marie Laveau's told me has come true.  Still, that was fun to do.

Hiding the pain...

I was checking my Twitter feed and came across this article:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/pancreatic-cancer/lisa-niemi-swayze-on-life-after-patrick-he-ll-always-be-with-me.aspx?xid=tw_weightloss_20120117_news

After reading the article, I read some of the comments of many who experienced having to do the "care-giving" for their loved ones.  So many memories and thoughts rushed through my mind that I broke down and cried. 

My mom passed away on January 6, 2010.  She was afraid she would not make it through Christmas or New Years, but she did.  On New Year's Day, she told me how much she loved me and was still concerned that I was so very unhappy.  The next day, she slipped into a coma, then she passed away 4 days later.

I did as she wished - I was not home when she actually passed away.  My mom feared that it would be too much for me to handle.  She was probably right, but I feel I should have been there.  I drove as fast as I could that very early morning to be with her before the funeral home took her.  I cried and cried.

I cried because I lost someone who brought me into this world.  I lost the one person who was always there for me.  She was the one who stayed up late at night to help me get reports and projects done, made my clothes when nothing fit from the stores, helped with ailing beloved pets, and did so much other things for me.  When the problems were over her head, she was right there supporting me. 

I also cried because I felt I failed her.  The guilt I had for the times I had put work ahead of caring for her during those last months.  Even though people tell me that she understood, in my own mind, it was just wrong and I have so much guilt. 

I felt so very alone.  I am blessed to have a few friends who tried to help me get out away from all of it for short periods.  They would help pull me away by telling me of their news, good or bad.  I love them all very dearly for what they did for me.

In the end, I still have this guilt.  Even though my father would help, I felt very alone with trying to care for my mom.  When we did finally hire a sitter, I had even more guilt.  I should have been there and cared for her, but I had so many other responsibilities. 

My mom's friend brought us food.  I was blessed at the time for a high school friend's brother doing a food delivery service where I could buy ready made meals.  Other than that, it was really tough trying to manage all of that.  I am an only child and other relatives live out of town.  My father was still working and I understand how tired he was, then having to come home to take care of mom was a lot of work.  For awhile, I was there everyday - day and night.  It was so much to juggle and manage.

Not a day goes by that I do not think about mom.  I wish that I could still call her and talk to her or let her try some of the new stuff I have been cooking.  I miss her laughing at my work stories and telling me how I should be grateful for having a job.

I just wished I knew how to forgive myself and get past this pain I hide.

Future planning...

This week, my plans regarding cooking pretty much disintegrated quicker than expected.  First, I was not feeling my best.  Next, a friend not only fixed an impromptu dinner for the both of us, but wanted me to go out to dinner the very next night.  So, left with some spoiled food.

I hate it when that happens.  Hoping that I regain my energy soon.  I hate that dragging feeling.  It makes me cranky and not very pleasant.  In regards to the friend, she is taking off to Washington DC, so I can really devote time to my own projects and cook my own food.

So, this weekend, I have planned to do the following:

Continue my work for Simple Living - 30 days
Take advantage of my extra space for setting up my "mise en place"
Get more shrimp and chicken tenderloins
Cook Shrimp Gumbo for Saturday and put away leftover for lunch and dinner during the week
Cook Hungarian Chicken Goulash for Sunday and do the same

I have "work" work to do, but I am going to try to wrap that up early, so that the rest of the weekend is MINE!  :-)

I get these "God wants you to know" on Facebook.  Today's message was interesting:

that decision is only wishful thinking until you take that first irreversible step.

You can tell yourself that you have already decided, that nothing now can stop you, but if that step backwards is so much safer than step forwards, what will hold you true to your path when the going gets tough? Sometimes, the right thing to do is to take that first irreversible step, the one after which you cannot go back. And now, for you, is one of those times.

 

So, I need to make that first irreversible step.

Procrastination...

For as long as I can remember, I have suffered from procrastination.  As I got older, I realized areas where I could not procrastinate.  I had to take special care that projects were planned properly and given plenty of lead way.  Murphy's Law is a bitch - take it from me.

Still, I cannot get over taking the time to make sure I get my part of a project done in a timely manner.  Then expected to help the person who waited until the night before to complete their part.  It is a consistent pattern. 

This week, I have been really suffering from a lack of energy.  In the mornings, I feel like I am dragging and by the end of the day, all I want to do is go to bed.  So, here I am helping someone who decided to wait until the last minute to do something and it is failing.  Needless to say, I am grumpy.

I realize that this is probably payback for all of those times when my mom stayed up with me for similar reasons.  I only hope that she is smiling when she sees I am doing much better at making it early or on time with my various appointments and projects.

Still, I have to deal with Murphy's Law tonight.  Only have a day to make sure there are no issues and guess what - there is a problem.  Nothing I can do to fix it right away - it takes time to get renewals.  Oddly enough, the pieces I did, seem to work beautifully, but the parts my partner did are failing.  I am supposed to figure out the fail.

Since is is very last minute, I conjured up a quick solution.  Use the pieces I created to keep the application working while sorting out the other person's issues.  Maybe I can get some sleep soon!

On my Simple Living project, I am behind.  I am too OCD for my own good, but I will catch up soon.

Dogs and food...

"Awwwww...they are so cute!"

Sure, this picture shows their adorable, angelic side.  However, there is a hidden agenda here:

Stare down the human with a lot of guilt to cause the human to give up the following:

Pizza crust
Yeast rolls
Cookies
French fries

If the stare down does not work, then get in the human's face and vocalize your displeasure at not getting what you want.

I have to admit, the "stare principle" cracks me up.  I love these two clowns very much.  I admit, I am pretty blessed to have them in my life.

Medications...

I have finally succumbed.  I have to have a pill organizer to help me remember that I have taken my medications.  I tried for years to do this on my own memory, but as I get older and more busy, I keep forgetting.

I neglected to take my medication last night because I was really dragging and decided to take the dogs to bed and lie down and rest.  I read about half the book Tell Your Time regarding time management.  The book is more about managing your personal time.  I have another book I am reading about time management, Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern.  I am trying to understand how to apply her system for work.  I bought the notebooks from Levengers and thought I might see if the system works for me or not.

Progress report on Simple Living - 30 Days to Less Stuff and Move Living.  I have made storage spaces in my cabinets for storing my stand mixer, blender, and slow cooker.  I actually use the coffee maker and toaster, so I am leaving those items on the counters.  I do have more real estate on the counters, but I am still working on this.  I am trying to set up an area for storing the few cook books I have.  I have to admit, I probably won't buy anymore cook books.  I have a note book that I write out recipes.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I feel like I am getting somewhere with the apartment clutter.  Hoping this next weekend, I can get even more done.

Update on clearing clutter...

Overhauling the kitchen.  Talk about taking on a big project.  I have managed to find and make storage spaces for my stand-up mixer, blender, and slow cooker.  I wanted to make sure that these items were easy to pull out for use.

I am leaving out the toaster because it is a heavy beast and I actually use it.  If it were lightweight, I might reconsider it.  I plan on storing the George Foreman Grill and steamer.  I never use either one.  The grill is messy and too large to handle.  I have a grill pan that is a bit easier to manage.  The steamer is a pain to clean and I use steamer bags to steam veggies.

I am going to clean out a drawer and re-arrange it.  I need to remove the rolling pin and put it elsewhere.  That way, I have more room for putting in the wash cloths or move the silverware there.  That might be the better idea.  I might even take out those items that I do not use on a daily basis and store them.

I feel good about all of this.  I just hope that I can continue on this roll and clear out the living room, then do the same with my bedroom.  That way, I have my zen back.  :-)

Technology Highs and Lows...

I am huge fan of new technology.  Then, again, there are some things where I go "Nah - I don't think so."  Not a huge fan of going out and buying a 3-D TV.  My current TV does enough for me.  Outside of that, I do not want to buy 3-D glasses to watch TV.  It really is not necessary for me.

However, some technology, I love.  When I used my Palm TX to keep track of my appointments and such, I used Pocket Quicken for my portable check book.  It was great!  I would make a payment/write a check, put the entry into Pocket Quicken, then when I got home, sync my changes and they would appear in Quicken on my desktop.  I loved that!

Well, when smart phones came around, the Palm TX became obsolete, but there was no program available that would do what Pocket Quicken could do.  Until now.  Apparently, Quicken has worked out something using the iCloud for helping sync the transactions.  Of course, I have to go out and get Quicken 2013 to make this work, but then again, I have Quicken 2011 on my desktop.  It is probably time to upgrade anyway.

Time to get back to the "cleaning".

Trying new things...

When I moved out of my parents' house in 2001, I was not a cook.  My mom was the best and will always be the best cook in the world.  I can only hope to be as good as her.

My first foray into cooking something completely on my own was when I read about a meal in Cooking Light magazine.  Needless to say, that turned into a disaster.

When I would go home, I would sit in the kitchen and watch my mom cook.  In the past, I would never want to cook because it was a chore.  Not in the sense of doing the cutting up and such, but my mom wanted it just "so."  She would get frustrated with me and I would leave the kitchen.

At this point, I would watch and ask questions.  I got the hang of how she made "goulash", so I would make a lot of that.  I talked with her about how she made tuna noodle casserole.  I got the recipes for making shrimp gumbo and hungarian chicken goulash.  All of the comfort food I loved.  I made mistakes, but I learned from them.

My kitchen in my first apartment did not leave a lot of room for putting meals together.  When I started my attempts on making banana nut bread, my mom started the plan for getting me some Calphalon cookware and cook books for Christmas that year.  She was quite happy that I was cooking because she knew that I would continue to live on my own.

I started watching a lot of Food Network and soon, I moved out of that apartment and into my current apartment.  The kitchen was larger and had more space.  Pretty soon, I was baking cakes, cooking other types of meals, actually using the cook books and cook ware.  Mom was excited when I would come home and try out a new recipe on the family.  She enjoyed my cooking for her.

Towards the end, she would ask me to make her hungarian chicken goulash.  It was her favorite and she said I made it better than she did.  Now, I do not believe that, but I would make it for her.  I had cooked a few Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  The one thing I never quite got down was how to make a gravy.  She would always chuckle about that.

Today, when I returned from my New Orleans trip, I have made Jambalaya.  She was never a fan of that, but with me making the pralines, she would have enjoyed that.

Achieving Simple Living - Day 3...

Day 1 - I managed to write up my dreams of what I would like to see in my life and what I really want.

Day 2 - I cleared out the underwear drawer.  Threw away worn out items and put still usable items into a plastic drawer system for storage in the closet.  As various pieces wear out, throw them out and grab from storage.  Considering how much I kept buying underwear while staying at my parents' house during my mom's illness, I have an over abundance of those items.  Same goes for socks.  This weekend, go through my make up drawers and clear those out or move stuff into the larger storage.  What is unopened/unused, I will donate to the local women's shelter.  I might be able to do the same with a couple of purses that I have. Otherwise, throw out if I have not used in 6 months.  I hate to do that, but shoot, I have to get rid of stuff.

Day 3 - today - Finding 20 minutes of just quiet time to think.  No music and no reading - just sit and ponder in the quiet.  I would do it while walking, but I end up having to walk the dogs and there is no real quiet doing that.

I feel energized.  I have a purpose and a goal.  I am taking off Friday and Monday, so I am going to step away from work those two days and concentrate on decluttering as much as I can in this apartment.  I will go through my DVD collection and only keep those DVDs that I really love.  Look to sell the ones I have that are still in good condition.

I am thinking of getting another bookcase for the living room.  There I will put my few cookbooks and other odds and ends.  See if I can donate some of the computer books I no longer use.  Luckily, I am moving towards the electronic age of using Kindle and iTunes.  That helps with the clutter.

Slowly, but surely, I will get my life under control.

Getting behind...

It seems to be a trend with me.  I get all gung-ho about doing something, then I start slowing down.  Monday night, it was having dinner with a friend who cannot understand "no" or at least, the kind ways I was trying to say no.  Next time, I will just be blunt.

Last night, I had plans to work on Lesson 2 for "Simple Living", but felt just too wiped out to continue further.  The most I did was call an old friend and talk about old times, which I really enjoyed.  Walked the dogs again, then went to grab dinner.  Once I ate, I pretty much headed for bed.  I was that exhausted.

My evenings are a lot like that.  I rush to get to the office, deal with everything in a rush there, then rush to get home to walk the dogs.  Rush, rush, rush...small wonder I am exhausted.  There has to be some middle ground.  I just have to find it or figure out how to control this "rushed" emotion.  There is a time and place for "rush, rush, rush".  Just not every day.

As seasons change, so does my sinuses...

I love fall.  I love watching the leaves turn into beautiful colors and the cooler air.  Seasons are much like how we grow old.  The Spring - everything is young and fresh.  Summer - hot and steamy.  Fall - the wiser beauty comes.  Winter - harsh cold and the passing of what was there.

Heh - so much for my insightful side. 

The morning ritual in my home is that the dogs generally wake me up to let me know it is THAT time.  Time to run them outside for their morning constitutional.  As the seasons change, the more I notice how my nose runs and I get a lot of drainage in the back of my throat.  Last night, I felt the beginning of a scratchy throat.  Time to drink even more water.

When I get back inside my apartment, I spend the next 20 minutes clearing out my sinuses in order to get rid of the drainage and runny nose.  It is annoying.  However, it is also my body's way of noticing how the seasons change.

First Monday in October...

First Monday in October is always reserved for the Supreme Court to start session.  Well, this first Monday in October for me is the beginning of a few new starts:

• Monitor my health - blood sugar, pressure, and pulse
• Monitor my eating habits
• Exercise each day
• Work "Simple Living - 30 Days" with Cathy

Too much clutter and chaos in my life is causing undue stress.  It is time to get that under control and now.