The Spirit

Spirituality for me is found in the questions, if you stop questioning are you still spiritual? I think spirituality is pervasive, it must bind your humanity together, the physical, the mental, your health, your soul, the human being. Like the mortar in concrete binds rock, stones, pebbles, sand together to make a strong bond. I do practice a particular faith but I find a lot of people confuse religiosity with spirituality and for me I would rather be defined by my spirit than by my religion.

What does God want for us? I think He wants us to be the best versions of ourselves we can be. Everyday we should wake up and say - "OK self, what do I need to do today to be the best Me I can?" Could you imagine a world where everyone did that? Wow.

Fish

I used to have a fish at work... Well, first I had "Flash", then "Flashback", then "Trey". I found it quite relaxing to have him there. After a while it would seem that the fish would start interacting a little bit with me. Would swim toward you when you talked to them, etc. I think it was Flash who lived the longest, he was around for ~ 1.5 years, his predecessors did not fair as well. Flashback lived ~1 year and then Trey only ~ 6 months. It just didn't seem right to get another one. With the trend I was setting he probably would only have lasted ~ 3 months. There are still times when I have thought of getting another but better sense prevails. I'm not sure if a life in a mud puddle somewhere is better than in a bowl on my desk but at least the mud puddle is their natural environment. There is something very relaxing about watching fish swim around though. I wonder what it is? Perhaps their fluidness instills a sense of freedom in the viewer...

December...

Here it is December 6th and I haven't had a post all month... Why not? I guess just too busy! I love this time of year. The weather is so much nicer than the summer months. You can grow things and they live :o) I can ride a bike and not die :o) I can take my pup to the park and she won't die :o) I love Christmas, the decorations, the family, etc. I have started to put up Christmas decorations but am still not done yet. No tree... I'll wait till maybe next weekend. I do have a "real" wreath on my front door. I love how it makes the entry smell so nice! I'll do more during the week. I need to recruit my boys to help. But most of the time trying to get them to do something is so draining that it is easier to just not ask...

I'll try and post more often - and more photos!

Quite Contrary

Can you see the tomatoes? Hopefully we will have fresh tomatoes around Christmas. I was hoping to have fresh green beans, but I don't think that will happen.
Lots of fresh herbs, Basil, Thai Basil, Thyme, Mint, Chives, Dill, and Rosemary. It is nice to be able to use fresh herbs for cooking and they grow so well during the winter and spring here. I have tried to grow things during the summer but it is so hot, most of the time everything just burns. I just can't give it enough water and shade. Even my established trees struggled last summer, it was just brutal.
Peas... I can't wait for these to be ready to eat.
More tomatoes. I planted Roma and Grape tomatoes, I just don't remember which plant is which. No worries, I'll figure it out as they grow. I had planted a pepper plant but that mischievous Boston Terrier tried to eat it... I'm hoping it will come back, but it is behind schedule. I have been successful at keeping her out of everything else - so far. Only time will tell if I will continue to be successful - she is a sneaky one :o)

Addicted to the Bottle

Why is the bottom of this bottle all dusty??? I stopped at the gas station and picked up a Diet Coke. When I get home I set the bottle beside a chair (on a table top) in the family room and go to the kitchen to make a turkey sandwich. I return to my chair and notice my drink is missing... Where could it be? Wait a minute, where is that mischievious Boston Terror, oops, I mean Boston Terrier of mine? I go out into the backyard and there I see my DC in the dirt and my little pup standing over it. Yes, she is a bottle thief. When she was a pup her favorite toy was an empty bottle. Now, she thinks any bottle is fair game. Set a water bottle down, she will try to steal it, set a soft drink bottle down, she will try and steal it. I wonder if there is a 7-step program out there for her??
Hello, my name is Zoe. I am a bottle addict...

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm not big on the holiday, I think everyday should be a day of thanksgiving, and I'm sure for most it is. I do however, realize how important it is for others. Usually I spend the afternoon with a good friend. ¡Salud! I didn't get a photo of all 14 of us but I did get one of two of us :o) After dinner was over and the kitchen cleaned it was time to sit outside and relax. This is what is nice about living in Az. I love the weather this time of year. The evenings are cool enough you can light a fire outside, if you like, and just enjoy the company of others.

Homophones

When my eldest was in elementary school he had an assignment to come up with 10-15 homophones. Words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have a different meaning. He had come up with several on his own and now was asking for help. My sister from out of town was visiting, my sister who leaves near here was in attendance, and we were all at my mother's house so there were a lot of folks available for input. It is amazing how when you are trying to think of words like this, your mind just goes blank :o)
Suddenly my mother yells, "I've got one! You know, 'tick' like the tick-tock of a clock and 'tick' like this wood is very 'tick'." We all fell over laughing. You have to realize that my mother is from Ireland, so her "TH" is pronounced very similarly to how a "T" is pronounced. We then told her, "No Mum, that is just your Irish accent." She was so proud of herself :o)
My eldest this morning was asking me if Gran had an accent. It is funny because I didn't think she did, I guess because I lived with her and she was my Mum, that is just how she talked. I would hear other people's (like relatives) accents however. I'm sure my Mum's had been diluted over the years and from living in 3 other countries other than Ireland.

Dear...

Dear JR in I-F28,
Why do you make such a big deal out of a simple request and drag it out for more than a week? Why do I have to drag each individual item needed for us to process material at your site out of you one by one? Did we not provide you a comprehensive package when you had to run material on this side of the world? Are you trying to get back at the crabbiest member of our team (who has nothing to do with this material) through me? Gosh, I find it so difficult to work with you sometimes, and then others - you respond so quickly. What is the deal? Enough already.

Bike

Sunday, November 22nd. I went for a bike ride, first one in a long while. The summers here are so brutally hot, I just don't have the dicipline to get motivated to ride in the summer. I don't like riding alone either so that limits me - I think I need to just do that more often. Sunday I went on a 14 mile ride. It was nice, the weather was beautiful. The only problem is having to stop for stoplights/traffic, that can be annoying, I would like to find a nice long stretch where one doesn't need to cross major roadways or such but I don't want to "mountain" bike either. Off road is too intimidating for me. I think I will try to go out and ride shorter rides by myself, perhaps then I can gear up for a longer ride by myself. Now that it is documented somewhere I'll feel more inclined to do it? We'll see :o)

Tatoo

I have a tatoo. Only one, though I have often wanted more. My family is against them, well, except my mother... She is the only one who knows (or I guess knew) about my tatoo. She thought it was wonderful. My only regret is where it is... I got it many years ago on my lower back, because I thought it would be the easiest place to hide it and now lower back tatoos have such an awful tag "tramp stamp". Haha, I think I am about the furthest thing from a "tramp" that you can get to. My niece would love to get a tatoo however her parents are (my sister and her husband) would not be thrilled about it. She has cystic fibrosis and would love to get a tatoo of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation logo. If she doesn't have the opportunity to get her tatoo, I will get one for her as a memorial tatoo. I hope that she can get it for herself.

My Spiritual Space

I am so fortunate to have my spiritual sisters. A small group (there are 8 of us), ranging from 40 years old to 75+ years old. We meet ~every other week for spiritual direction/guidance/support and what an awesome group of women they are. We are reallystruggling with a pastor who is mentally ill (I am thinking perhaps bi-polar) and our faith community is imploding. Yet through it all, we have each other - thank goodness! I am having a hard time with people that I trusted and admired who have really caused harm to others close to me. The lies and deceit is incredible. For probably the first time my faith has really been shaken... Previously I have had "issues" with the institution of church but was always grounded in the faith community and the people... now.... not so much. Where is God in all this? What am I called to do? I used to be present in the community every week - now it is a struggle to go. I know that I will make it through this. I know that I will always have my spiritual group to lean on, but this is an unknown space for me.

Lists

Things I like:
The weather
Talking to friends about nothing
My pup
Soft sheets

Not so much:
Milkshakes
Okra
Loud people
Drama

Things I saw yesterday:
A bookstore
Yummy goodness at Trader Joe's
A friend's Blog
A clean house

Things that are wearing out quickly:
Shoes
Coffee Cup

My radio stations on Pandora:
Celia Cruz
Manos al Aire
Classic

Electronic gifts I might not refuse:
a Blackberry
a new laptop
a flat screen television for my room
an iTouch

Problems my car is having:
Sometimes it won't start
Center console in backseat squeaks when it is closed
Seats are dirty
Dings and dents

Things to be happy about:
My boys are healthy
My sister is coming for Christmas
Tomorrow is Friday
I have great friends

This is my photo for the day. My mother is from Ireland and brought me a claddagh ring back one year, I wear it daily. The silver chain is a bracelet that a friend of mine made, I really like it.

Adult Children

How do you motivate an adult child to do something? My eldest is not going to school, is not working, is not volunteering, he stays home and plays video games... I have tried everything I can think of to get him to do something, anything... At what point do you say - enough. I don't think he would be successful out on his own at this point. He lacks in self confidence and in social skills - but the longer he stays home - the deeper his hole becomes. He is so gifted and talented, I find it frustrating that he isn't applying his assets. Gosh sometimes this parenting thing just sucks!

Took my pup out for a walk today and came across these beautiful white Bougainville. It is nice to live in an area where you see blooms of some sort all year long :o)

First day out

Well, this is it. I have been wanting to start a blog and just didn't know where to begin. Then one of my friends said - just do it. So here it is :) I'm not sure at this point what my blog will contain or what the theme will be. I think I will just let it flow and see what happens. I would like to try and post something everyday to start, to get the juices flowing and I will try to include a photo a day as well. Welcome to my crazy yet somewhat boring life.