Pink Flowers and Nifty Shadows …

I suspect I’ll continue to share photos & tidbits here (as well as on my two blogger sites) from time to time … but I publish more regularly at my NEW self hosted blog called Giraffe Journal and my Labyrinth Journal website so I hope you’ll visit me at either (or both) as time permits.

Scroll down for Shadow Shot Sunday and more …

Just these two roses
blooming on the parkway now …
and pink Azaleas

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday and Today’s Flowers

Potted plant shadows
playing on my patio …
amidst STRANGE weather!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Shadow Shot Sunday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. my Explorer is ready to hit the road again next week after having some maintenance work completed today.

2. for a productive morning at home followed by a pleasant afternoon with my sister ending with ‘fish tacos’ at Duke’s … delicious day & dinner!

3. the sun’s breaking through earlier again this morning after a couple of overcast days here at the beach.

4. a lovely lunch with a good friend, the kindness of strangers, learning to use Skype today and helping someone else get started with Skype too.

5. that I discovered and am participating in a Festival of Change at Online Clarity.

6. I watered the yard deeply in anticipation of the trip and that my neighbor will feed Ms. Kitty in my absence.

7. I’m packed & ready to drive to Phoenix, AZ tomorrow with my sister where we’ll spend the next 6 days.

8. that Molly loves to visit Camp Ilene when I travel & can’t take her with me … for 4 additional free Buttermilk Spice muffins from Mimi’s Cafe to bring with us … and that my sister wanted to stop at the Cabazon outlets yesterday because I found an excellent ‘deal’ on a lovely white bag at the Brighton store.

9. to be attending the Your Purpose Summit with Baeth Davis this weekend even though I’m thoroughly confused at the end of the first day’s sessions.

10. Barb encouraged me to attend the VIP party last night even though I felt overwhelmed because this morning clarity has come through my journaling and I’m ready for what comes next.

11. for yesterday’s ‘private analysis of my hand’ along with the many people I’ve met who have helped me figure out my ‘purpose’ and the book I’m going to publish with the help of the people at Vervante.

12. for some ‘down time’ Sunday afternoon to relax around & swim in the pool at the resort & spa after the event ended … finally!

13. for the delightful & surprising ways things fell together on the drive back from Phoenix. It’s good to be home again.

14. for emerging clarity about the books I’m going to publish & the business I’ll begin based on them.

15. all 8 of the domain names I wanted were available at GoDaddy so I bought them all … and I’ve connected with a website designer I met last weekend who I’m hoping will develop my site with me so I can devote my attention to other things.

16. Michelle at GoDaddy ‘tech support’ called this morning and helped me set up ‘LabyrinthJournal.com’ to be hosted at WordPress as a ‘site under construction’ with an email attached to it for ‘business’ purposes clear signs of progress.

17. for a good night’s sleep and breakfast out with a friend this morning since I’ve not yet gotten myself to a grocery store since returning home from Arizona on Monday.

18. I’ve created a new place to playfully share stories online called Giraffe Journals and hope you’ll want to check it out & play with me there … just because.

19. a friend told me about the Surf City Surf Dog contest at Dog Beach this morning … it was great fun and I took lots of photos to share, but for now … here’s a ‘kewl’ YouTube video is from the Los Angeles Times:

20. for visitors to my new self-hosted WordPress blog, Giraffe Journal, who left supportive, enthusiastic comments as I step out into this virtual world to be known … just as I am.

21. for all the wonderful resources coming my way to help with this huge transition in my life.

22. to know I’m changing in small but significant ways each day as I step into my future … pursuing my purpose passionately!

23. I’m one of the first six to sign up for the six-month Get Your Book Done Live training with Christine Klosur & Lynne Klippel. That means I receive a free one-hour ‘coaching’ call as a bonus in addition to big savings on the cost by paying in full up front!

24. for people like Marianne Williamson who inspire millions to step up & take meaningful actions … making a difference. I highly recommend watching this interview on ‘mashable tv’ that won’t seem to appear here (as it did at Small Reflections) no matter what I do, but (fortunately) DOES show up when I click the preceding ‘interview’ link.

25. for a pleasant lunch & visit at Z’ Tejas with a friend this afternoon … sharing a delicious enchilada entree & yummy skillet cobbler dessert!

26. for ‘Rick’ at GoDaddy tech support who exhibited great patience and resourcefulness in assisting me with ‘access’ issues at my new self-hosted Giraffe Journal site last night after I changed the URL earlier in the day.

27. for a lovely afternoon at the Lyceum Theater viewing ‘Alice’ followed by dinner at Mimi’s Cafe in Newport Beach with friends yesterday. Life is good indeed!

28. I spent the morning on my front patio writing & occasionally visiting with passers-by while Molly played with a new neighborhood puppy named Guapo.

29. to get my hair cut today 😉

30. for the Women on Purpose Online Telesummit … the first 3 calls have been filled with useful information!

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists –September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Advertisement

Pink Roses – August Gratitude List

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
Finding Beauty and Just for the JOY of it!

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for another long & good night’s sleep … time this morning to write & wander the grounds around K’s house by myself while enjoying morning coffee … perusing & taking a few notes from the lovely books about Labyrinths that K left on the night-stand … walking her labyrinth alone (after walking it with her last night) … connecting with her over coffee on the patio later, sharing personal stories (along with laughter & tears) … reading & responding to her ‘black book’ … savoring breakfast on the patio with K & R … watching & photographing hummingbirds at the feeder before showering and packing up to hit the road for Flagstaff. I’m so happy the Mountain Lion fetish spoke to her!

2. an easy drive from Placitas to Flagstaff yesterday (gaining back the hour I lost as time changed from Mountain to Pacific) … with gentle showers along the way that paused for me to carry in my luggage before starting up again & falling through the night … another wonderful night’s rest … and morning pause in the rain for me to load ‘stuph’ into the Explorer … followed by an easy drive today from Flagstaff back to Corona where I picked up Molly who was ‘tired, clean, sweet-smelling, & happy to see me’ … then home again where we’re happy together.

3. for time to transition back into life as I live it while holding on to the energy & ideas from the retreat … telephone connections with friends ‘C’ and ‘S’ … making plans to connect later this week … a lovely visit in the blue chairs on the patio with neighbor ‘B’ who looked after the yard & Ms. Kitty in my absence …

4. for another restful night … writing while getting laundry done this morning … checking out & listening to the first 3 of 21 ‘Successful Authors Secrets’ talks after Jen shared a link in a follow up email … being reminded of ‘abundance & support’ … realizing I don’t have to do anything alone.

5. I picked up mail yesterday afternoon so I could pay bills electronically this morning after doing some writing because this afternoon I’ll be driving with friends to the Laguna Playhouse to see ‘Life Could be a Dream’ …

6. for a lovely long visit with ‘C’ to catch up over lunch … sharing a bit of my Taos experience while learning what’s being going on with her.

7. I could help out neighbors with guest parking issues on this BUSY ‘surfing contest’ weekend 😉

8. I responded to Facebook ‘friend’ requests and sent friend requests of my own using the ‘retreat roster’ (along with ‘invites’ to retreat participants without FB accounts) as a way of reconnecting after being back home almost a week … then added links to recent blog posts.

9. for a lovely & longer than usual visit with friends at this months Retired Gals Lunch.

10. fascinating & practical information from the daily Successful Authors Secrets calls this month.

11. I managed to share some photos from the Taos Writers Retreat with other participants at the Google Group & Facebook today.

12. for a delicious ‘taco meal deal’ at Mimi’s Cafe for $9.99 … starting with salad & ending with a petite dessert (bread pudding) currently in my refrigerator waiting to be enjoyed later along with a free 4 pack of muffins in my freezer 😉

13. the Verizon Wireless store in Newport Beach had a Palm Pre Plus I could look at … even though they couldn’t give me the low ‘online price’ of $29.99 in the store.

14. for leftovers from Mimi’s Cafe, time to write & organize photos to share, and sunshine finally here at the beach!

15. I ordered a Palm Pre Plus online this morning and learned it was FREE with a ‘smartphone’ upgrade & 2 year contract renewal (rather than the $29.99 online deal I saw last week that seemed pretty good at the time especially considering it lists for $699 and I’ve always liked Palm OS products)

16. my sister and her husband arrived home this evening where they’ll stay for a few weeks taking a ‘breather’ and dealing with ‘necessary stuph’ before they hit the road again right after Labor Day next month.

17. my Palm Pre Plus arrived this morning and I managed to get it activated and data transferred from my old LG phone.

18. with help from Palm Tech Support I managed to get my 6 year old old Palm Life Drive (that hasn’t been backed up for months since my old Dell running XP crashed) to HotSync with my newer Dell laptop running Vista after which another Tech Support person helped me successfully transfer other data from my computer to my new smartphone … pretty nifty 😉

19. for a new perm & haircut yesterday and time to ‘play’ with my new Palm Pre Plus today … teaching myself how to use it effectively.

20. for a pleasant lunch & catch up visit today with a good friend after which I ran a bunch of errands which included using my 20% coupon at Staples on writing supplies.

21. for this 5th day in a row of BLUE SKIES & SUNSHINE here in Southern California at the beach … it’s been a long time coming since summer is almost over and school will begin soon.

22. I uploaded three more albums of Taos photos to my Facebook page and picked up LOTS of 3×5 cards to begin a writing project.

23. I signed up for an online challenge for a 40-day ‘Inner Mean Girl Cleanse’ & shared at Facebook after which a few of my Taos friends joined too. We’re ready to release old toxic habits that no longer serve & replace them with more loving ones.

24. I called Palm Tech Support with my questions this morning because I learned nifty new editing shortcuts & lots of other tips too 😉

25. I met my sister & her husband for breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe in Long Beach this morning … we had a delightful catch up visit.

26. for this entire day spent with my sister … visiting as we ran errands together, shared a tasty ‘sushi’ lunch at Matsu in Huntington Beach & free lattes at Peet’s later in the day when we stopped by to purchase a pound of specially ground coffee for the new ‘French Press’ mugs (purchased at Sur Le Tab in Newport beach earlier in the day).

27. I’ve signed up for a 4-day event in Phoenix, AZ designed to help me clarify my purpose for a writing project … and my sister has agreed to come along as my free guest so we’ll have 6 days together since we’ll drive both ways. Molly will enjoy another week at Camp Ilene in Corona 😉

28. I finished & mailed off a hand-written letter to a friend from the Taos Retreat this morning and enjoyed a lovely phone connection with another retreat friend in the late afternoon.

29. for today’s wonderful celebration with family & friends at McIntyre House in Los Angeles … as a loved one celebrated a year of sobriety!

30. I’ve signed up for a Festival of Change at Online Clarity … “a celebration and exploration of how we align ourselves with the flow of change – simply, naturally, and with a deeper, richer awareness” … and am looking forward to participating ‘virtually’ in another event tomorrow night: A Call to Conscious Evolution: Our Moment of Choice at Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.

31. I’m meeting my sister, her husband, and friends for breakfast this morning … after which my sister & I will spend the day together again.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Weekend Miscellany after my trip and my July Gratitude List transferred from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Weekend Reflections,
Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday
and more …

It was lovely to find roses of many colors
blooming in my yard when I returned from Taos …
Today I’m sharing the PINK ones because it’s Saturday!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
and Mosaic Monday

Reflective Scenic Shadow Shot Photo taken at
Henningsen Gardens in Taos, New Mexico

(straight out of the camera above, watercolor filter below)

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Weekend Reflections, Scenic Sunday,
and Shadow Shot Sunday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. Serena Williams won her semi-final match against Kvitova and will play for her 4th Wimbledon and 13th Grand Slam title on Saturday.

2. both men’s semi-final matches at Wimbledon were competitive and fun to watch … especially the one with Nadal and Murray.

3. Serena Williams has played beautifully throughout the entire tournament (setting a new record for ‘aces’ served, dropping only 3 games in 7 matches) … winning the Ladies Championship match at Wimbledon … surpassing the Grand Slam totals of Billie Jean King.

4. the Rafa Nadal-Tomas Berdych final match at Wimbledon was competitive for the three sets it took for Rafa to win the Championship for the 2nd time, though I confess I was hoping for a 4 or 5 setter.

5. this year’s 4th of July weekend was less chaotic & disruptive than the norm here at the beach in So Cal … (probably because the weather was cooler driving loud party-goers indoors earlier than usual) and the fireworks (provided by Disneyland this year) were quite spectacular!

6. the sun came out … FINALLY this afternoon around 4:30.

7. for Lee who keeps my hair ‘care-free’ … although this time he cut it quite a bit shorter than ever before & I’m not quite sure I like how it looks at the moment.

8. to be writing regularly again in my journal, even though I’m not blogging much these days.

9. my season tickets for the Laguna Playhouse arrived in the mail this afternoon … finally.

10. an email coupon from Mimi’s Cafe for $5 off my delicious Blackened Salmon lunch today … and another to use at dinnertime in the next couple of months.

11. for a long (2 hour) catch up call from my sister (currently just outside of Glacier National Park) last night.

12. that today is Retired Ladies Lunch because it’s always fun

to reconnect with friends 😉

13. for late afternoon sunshine after another overcast day.

14. the folks at Allen Tires take such good care of my Explorer … checking & rotating the tires at no cost … letting me know when work needs to be done.

15. for trustworthy mechanics at Gustafson Brothers who keep my car running safely and well.

16. for last night’s fascinating skies and this morning’s beautiful double rainbow 😉

17. for beautiful sunny mornings and warm weather at the beach … finally!

18. life with Molly — especially the joy-filled way she delights in simple things each moment … reminding ME to do likewise.

19. for good friends who help me remain calm in the face of challenges, reminding me to breathe & relax.

20. I got everything packed for my trip to the 2010 Writer’s Retreat in Taos, New Mexico … though it took longer than anticipated and I was watering the yard until rather late this evening.

21. I made it safely from Southern California to Flagstaff, AZ and found a room for $69/night … more reasonable than the $130/night I paid in 2007.

22. for a good night’s sleep in Flagstaff (from 9pm until 6am) with no train whistles disturbing my rest every 15-20 minutes all night long (as happened at the more expensive lodgings in 2007) … and a safe drive from Flagstaff to Santa Fe, New Mexico today where I’ve secured lodging at the lovely old El Rey Inn for two nights so I can do some sight-seeing with my Nikon D60 in hand this evening & tomorrow … (snapping photos to share when time permits) … before driving up to Taos on Saturday morning 😉

23. to be in Taos at the Mabel Dodge House connecting with other writer-participants and beginning our journey together this evening.

24. for the delicious Southwestern meals prepared & presented with love, art, and attention to detail in addition to the Dance of Shiva shaking up & altering the patterns in my brain … opening me up to new possibilities.

25. for cool gentle rain showers moving through the area and LOUD cracks of thunder now and again.

26. to be writing in this awesome place … surrounded by energy & support.

27. for fellowship with my house-mates … sharing & responding to our writing … asking & answering questions leading to new insights & directions for my writing.

28. I talked with Jen today … (following up on conversations with Luna & Jill last night) … leaving with a ‘theme’ for my project … running into Luna at the gardens & taking in her suggestion for a book title … wandering with my camera taking photos … eventually settling down near Kara to write before eventually heading back to MDL for lunch … then on to Jen’s afternoon session on ‘structure’ … just what I needed.

29. I’m HERE now … on retreat … learning, writing, connecting with others, listening and sharing … growing, accepting, grounding, receiving, sensing, giving, protecting, opening with the Dance of Shiva … practicing a bit of gentle Yoga … savoring delicious Santa Fe meals … wandering the MDL grounds & Henningsen Gardens, snapping photographs … taking everything in with gratitude … exhaling to breath in when I find myself holding my breath too long.

30. for the authentic emotional validation received in K’s response as she listened to me share a bit of writing from this morning … suggesting the path ahead may be precisely correct in this moment. What a delightful & surprising gift as I prepare to head toward home …

31. to stay in Santa Fe at the El Rey Inn again last night where I slept long & soundly … enjoying delicious warm home-made flour tortillas with breakfast this morning … meeting & chatting with ‘Midge’ (an early-riser like myself who was traveling with ‘late-rising’ friends) … before walking Canyon Road to see & photographic public art … finding & purchasing lovely ‘basket photos’ as gifts … then shopping at Keshi for ‘fetishes’ to give friends back home … and finally driving to Placitas to stay with K & her husband overnight … getting a guided tour of their lovely home … wandering later alone to take pictures … walking K’s labyrinth with her & having R take photos of us, then taking pictures of them together … sharing a delicious meal on the patio and tasty ice cream later in the living room over pleasant conversation as we watched & listened to the storm before turning in for the night! I feel blessed and oh so grateful 😉

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November,
October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Serena Williams – 4th Wimbledon Win and my June Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Mosaic Monday
Ruby Tuesday and more …

Roses photographed
in my yard and filtered with
Watercolor here

One more strawberry
from my yard … delicious treat
as I wait for more

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday and Today’s Flowers

Strawberries and Cream
is the name Serena gives
to this year’s outfit

Happily today
Serena Williams achieved
13th ‘major win’

playing Wimbledon
against Zvonareva this
morning in straight sets

passing Billie Jean’s
total of 12 major wins …
What a sight to see!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Mosaic Monday and Ruby Tuesday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. that I’m feeling healthier after a weekend of cold symptoms.2. my DVR hasn’t deleted tennis matches I’ve not had time to watch yet.

3. for caller ID … allowing me to ignore annoying calls from people I don’t know who ignore ‘Do Not Call’ listings hoping to sell me things or services I neither need nor want.

4. that (after uninspired & disappointingly short women’s semi-final matches yesterday) both men’s semi-final tennis matches at the French Open were competitively entertaining … although I hoped that Melzer would win the 3rd set against Rafa so the match would have continued to a 4th (and possibly 5th) set like the Berdych-Soderling match did … just because.

5. for a good night’s sleep 😉

6. both the men’s and women’s Championship Tennis Matches were competitively entertaining this year.

7. a fun catch-up visit with my sister last night on the cell phone.

8. for a free medium latte when I purchased a pound of decaf coffee beans at Peet’s today.

9. for a delicious breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe, leftovers for tomorrow, and a free 4-pack of muffins currently in my freezer 😉

10. for afternoon sunshine bringing blue skies following morning drizzles all week.

11. after weeks of tendonitis in my elbow limiting activity, I’ve been able to toss a toy for Molly to fetch this past week and we’re BOTH happy about that.

12. for a tasty home-cooked meal at a friend’s house after which we watched ‘The Blind Side’ … what a wonderfully uplifting film about real people!

13. my neighbor from across the street who loves Molly came over today to play fetch with her … saving MY arm for another day’s play.

14. to connect with friends at Retired Gal’s Lunch this afternoon and catch up on summer plans.

15. my friend ‘S’ wasn’t injured physically when she totaled her Forrester this afternoon while driving home.

16. I was available to drive ‘S’ to her last craft class this morning so she could collect her ‘creative stuph’ … it was fun to meet the people she’s talked about for the last couple of years.

17. to hear from my sister finally … (this time from Colorado) … they’ve not had cell service and I was beginning to worry just a bit because it had been quite a while since her last call, but they’ve been enjoying their adventures on the road and that’s a good thing.

18. to all the ‘virtual friends’ who continue to visit my blogs whenever I find time to post something … hopefully one of these days I’ll be able to catch up with each of you 😉

19. for the 1st bloom ever on a relatively new Day Lily in my yard … a little lighter in color than my older one.

20. Wimbledon starts tomorrow and my DVR is cleared off & set to record ESPN’s coverage so I can record matches to watch as time permits.

21. that Roger Federer found a way to come back from 2 sets down in his first 2010 match at Wimbledon against the Columbian Alejandro Falla (who played the match of his life even though he couldn’t quite pull off the upset) to win his 200th match in a major tournament (saving match points along the way) … joining the likes of Jimmy Connors at 233, Andre Agassi at 224, Ivan Lendl at 222 and Pete Sampras at 203. That could have been the worst 1st-round upset ever at Wimbledon!

22. the veterinarian had a big bag of Molly’s Royal Canin Duck & Potato food in stock today.

23. for a tasty breakfast and a free 4-pack of muffins at Mimi’s Cafe this morning … with leftovers for tomorrow too 😉

24. John Isner won his 3-day 1st round Marathon Match against Nicolas Mahut … though I do feel bad that either had to lose this multi-record breaking 5-setter!

25. for all I’ve learned about Photoshop Elements, allowing me to ‘fix’ and share pictures I’ve snapped of ESPN’s tennis coverage with my Nikon D60 … quite fun 😉

26. Andy Roddick is through to the Round of 16 and seems to have a good draw against Yen Hsun Leu, a player I’ve not heard of or seen play before.

27. American Sam Querrey and Australian Leyton Hewitt made it through to the Round of 16 … with Sam to play Rafa Nadal and Leyton to play Novak Djokovic on Monday. I’d like to see those matches 😉

28. that both Serena & Venus are through to the Quarter finals in both singles & doubles, but saddened at the upset of Andy Roddick along with losses by Leyton Hewitt and Sam Querrey (both in untelevised matches) … and I confess that I’m upset with NBC’s coverage starting so late on the West Coast pretty much after all matches have been concluded in England.

29. Serena has made it through to the Semi-finals though what a surprise to see both Kim Clijsters & Venus Williams upset in their matches today.

30. to watch competitive men’s Quarter-final matches today at Wimbledon … but saddened to see Roger Federer out of the tournaments & learn of his injuries.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my  WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November,
October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Pink Blossoms-Shadows-Blue Skies with Variable Clouds-May Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Shadow Shots,
Sky Watch, Midweek Blues, Yard Art,
Weekend Reflections & my May Gratitude List

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday,
Today’s Flowers, and Macro Monday

Straight out of the camera above & Poster Edges below

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others sharing Shadow Shots on Sunday

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Sky Watch and Midweek Blues

Click to embiggen for better viewing and
for others sharing Yard Art

Straight out of the camera

Palette Knife Filter

Watercolor Filter

Click to embiggen for better viewing and
for others sharing Weekend Reflections

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. I’m glad to have transferred my April Gratitude List to Happily Retired Gal at WordPress this morning along with my post with miscellaneous weekend memes so I can begin my May list this afternoon.2. to have Internet access (with help this morning from Time Warner Cable Tech Support) after my D-Link router failed yesterday leaving me w/o access when I returned home from the ‘Eagles’ matinee performance at the Blue Moon Theatre and dinner at Knott’s Berry Farm.

3. for pleasant ‘gardening’ weather over the last couple of days … making the time pulling weeds, cleaning up my yard, and tilling the soil for new planting all the more enjoyable.

4. my $30 refund check from Staples (for recycling old printer cartridges) arrived in a timely manner to help defray the cost of a new wireless router … the Home Valet Plus from Cisco, an easy to use system.

5. one Gladiola shoot survived ‘doggie play’ and is beginning to produce lovely pink blossoms from the bottom up. I’ll share photos soon.

6. I remembered to celebrate (belatedly) my 500th post at Sacred Ruminations and plan to celebrate my 250th post at Happily Retired Gal tomorrow when I share my Fave Five on Friday (and possibly a few weekend memes) there.

7. for the folks at SimpleTruths.com and the resources they make available … like this brief inspirational video Dreams are Whispers from the Soul …

8. to hear from my sister (after more than a week w/o contact) and catch up on travel adventures in the Southwest …

9. for those who send me occasional emails that remind me of what I know, but tend to forget in the busy day-to-day activities of my life.

10. for the monthly opportunity to connect & catch up with retired friends over lunch today …

11. that I decided to cut myself some slack and skip this session at the local Adult School because it’s given me time to do other things with my mornings.

12. the small market a few blocks from home carries ‘half & half’ so that I can walk to replenish my supply when I run low rather than drive to the supermarket.

13. for the $20 I saved at Petco today (using my card along with coupons) when I stocked up on treats & chews for Molly.

14. to be able to help a friend with email issues by setting up a ‘gmail’ account for her that imports her verizon.net email and replies as if she was actually using the Verizon account without having to put up with its ‘quirks’ … pretty nifty.

15. to have finally found time to create and publish ‘a catch up post’ here at Small Reflections and to share lovely pink gladiola blossoms at Happily Retired Gal (after about a week of non-computer related activities kept me away from this virtual world). I appreciate continued your visits & supportive comments … thanks so much!

16. for delightful phone connections with friends & family during this weekend and a fun visit to a local nursery with a friend during which I picked up a variety of colorful bedding plants for my yard.

17. I saved almost $43 on my grocery shopping bill today using coupons!

18. to have fresh produce and food in the fridge this morning with numerous ‘options’ from which to choose for breakfast 😉

19. to get half of the new bedding plants in the ground this afternoon when the drizzles cleared.

20. for a lovely afternoon at the Laguna Playhouse followed by an early dinner at the Beachcomber on the beach in Crystal Cove … an absolutely delightful outing!

21. the remaining bedding plants are in the ground and everything seems to be surviving just fine.

22. that the French Open begins tomorrow so there will be TENNIS to watch for two weeks 😉

23. I won those free tickets to the three Pacific Chorale concerts … the 3rd concert is tonight: Rachmaninov Vespers.

24. for my DVR capturing matches so I’ve had TENNIS to watch today.

25. it rained in Paris so I could catch up on yesterday’s matches before the DVR dumped them to record new matches.

26. for a new perm … I love wash & wear ‘care-free- hair!

27. we’ve had warmer sunnier weather here in So Cal at the beach this week.

28. I learned about Google Docs in an Adult School class this morning.

29. the gal at Time Warner Cable ‘tech support’ got the Tennis Channel to work again fairly quickly this morning so I can record matches to watch later on today.

30. my neighbor picked up milk for me & BowWow Beanie toys for Molly at the market today … saving me a trip.

31. for an hour-long ‘catch up’ phone call from my sister who’s currently on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon after spending a week at Lake Powell without cell service.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists –May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November,
October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Pink Flowers – Shadows – Critters – Macros and My April Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Camera Critters, Shadow Shots, and
My April Gratitude List transferred from
the sidebar at Small Reflections

My early pink Spring roses took a beating from recent rains followed by strong winds … but are still fascinating to me. I hope you enjoy my pink floral views.

Click any image to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
Mosaic and Macro Monday too

Molly Smells the Fading Roses
on a Sunny Spring Afternoon

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Camera Critters, Pet Pride,
and Shadow Shot Sunday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for a pleasant day spent with my sister while accomplishing a few necessary tasks.

2. for the day to rest & recover at home 😉

3. to spend the afternoon with a good friend … enjoying lunch then helping her run some errands and trouble-shooting some computer problems for her.

4. I’ve learned about and signed up for the 2010 Summer Writers Retreat at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House & Conference Center in Taos, New Mexico … I’m looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and meeting new people too.

5. there’s room for Molly at Camp Ilene when I go to Taos this summer so she’ll get a ‘doggie’ vacation … with the opportunity to play with fur-friends for a couple of weeks while I’m away from home.

6. to connect & catch up with another friend for brunch … using a ‘buy one breakfast – get one free’ coupon at Mimi’s Cafe.

7. for the opportunity to reconnect with my cousin & his wife (along with my sister & her husband) at the Knott’s Berry Farm Chicken House this morning.

8. today at home to rest & recover after watering the yard this morning before the winds kicked up outside.

9. to spend today with my sister … hanging out & having lunch later at Matsu, my favorite local Japanese restaurant.

10. I’m beginning my days writing ‘morning pages’ as I used to do for decades …

11. my roses have started to bloom already 😉

12. the rain stopped long enough to squeeze in a walk with Molly this morning before I went to my Windows 7 class.

13. for one final breakfast at the Harbor House Cafe in Sunset Beach shared with my sister this morning before she and her husband head for Yosemite and places beyond.

14. I drove into my sister’s after today’s Windows 7 class to teach her (one final time) about labeling photos in Windows Photo Gallery before she & her husband leave on this trip and hopefully she won’t spend HOURS ‘renaming’ the photos as she’s done on previous trips.

15. that through sheer persistence and experimentation, I’ve managed (finally) to correct some of the frustrating ‘glitches’ on the Dell Inspiron resulting from all those dreaded Blue Screen of Death Crashes during the first 20 months I owned it … before (with Dell Tech Support’s assistance over a month or so) finally ‘stabilizing’ the system.

16. for all the beautiful ROSES blooming in my yard currently … pink, red (scroll down for these), and apricot (I’ll add the link soon once I share them – see the end of my April 23rd post here at Small Reflections).

17. I’m getting my files backed up on an external drive, slowly but steadily. One of these days I’ll figure out how to make that happen automatically.

18. to be attending a ‘Spring concert’ this afternoon with friends.

19. I’ve managed to find and copy most of the photo & data files from an old backup of the Dell that ‘crashed’ a few weeks ago and I’m very relieved.

20. I ran errands after class today so the Explorer has a full tank of gas, Molly has food & treats and I have fresh groceries in the house.

21. It’s started to rain late this afternoon … and I’ve moved Ms. Kitty’s bed and the blue chairs to a dry alcove by the front door.

22. the weather cleared enough for a pleasant camera walk this afternoon and I remembered to pay my bills online today.

23. to have connected by phone this morning with my sister and her husband as they were leaving Yosemite … headed up and over the Sierra Nevada Mts.

24. for beautiful clear sunny weather to spend time in my garden (after a sleepless night due to noisy neighbors) and an evening phone call from my sister letting me know they made it safely over the mountains … staying in Bishop, CA for the night before heading to Death Valley on Sunday.

25. for a good night’s sleep … and David Pogue’s Windows 7: The Missing Manual. What an incredibly useful (not to mention entertaining) resource!

26. I’ve set up an automatic backup for my Sony Vaio and shifted relevant files from an external backup of the old Dell Inspiron 9100 that crashed a while back.

27. my brother-in-law managed to share three ‘snow photos’ from their recent visit to Yosemite with help from their oldest son. Here’s one … I’ve shared the others on Friday at Sacred Ruminations: (They’ve been resized to be smallish files but you can click to embiggen a bit for better viewing)

28. for all I’ve learned in my Windows 7 class that ended today and the week-long ‘break’ before the next session begins.

29. I’ve checked out Goldstar.com … finally! What a nifty way to save money while getting out to enjoy entertainment opportunities.

30. for my sister’s sons … Happy 28th birthday to Daniel and happy 30th ‘gotcha-day’ to Casey! I love you both 😉

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists –April, March, February, January
2009 Lists – December, November,
October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, it only matters where you’re going.” Brian Tracy

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

PinkSaturday-Today’sFlowers-WeekendReflections and March Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Scroll down for Weekend Reflections

Springtime blossoms from
my garden … pink and yellow
just for Easter time!

Straight out of the camera above
Poster Edges below

Reflected blossoms
white and yellow irises
gracing my parkway

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers
and Weekend Reflections

“The story of Easter is the story of God’s
wonderful window of divine surprise.”
Carl Knudsen

Easter is the demonstration of God
that life is essentially spiritual and timeless.”
Charles M. Crowe

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. that the damage from the ‘twister’ that touched down nearby in my neighborhood over the weekend was minimal.

2. I managed to make the phone call to call Anthem Blue Cross Senior Services and still get to class this morning just before the class started so I didn’t miss anything.

3. for a hair cut & perm after a pleasant lunch with my sister at BJs … I do love ‘minimal effort’ hair!

4. Tracy filled in for Nami (who was ill) at this morning’s Digital Media class and we learned a couple of nifty new techniques that I’m looking forward to playing with as time permits.

5. that although I received a ‘denial’ letter from United Healthcare on 3-3-10 (regarding Plan D Prescription coverage for failure to supply required information), TODAY’s mail contains an ACCEPTANCE letter & payment coupon book … so I guess I’m covered finally! Third time’s the charm 😉
In addition, a refurbished keyboard for my Dell Inspiron 1720 arrived in today’s mail … THAT was QUICK! It’s installed and I have no more sticky keys … HOORAY!

6. for a day at home to catch up on tasks I’ve neglected for too long …

7. that I picked up the iris bud knocked off the stalk by Aloha & Molly playing on my front lawn and put it in a tiny vase on my kitchen window ledge because it opened today … beautifully.

8. my computer continues to work without crashing as I catch up on blog visits over the weekend and this afternoon.

9. for a fun afternoon with my sister … even though the winds were gusty & cold we bundled up and walked out on the pier, enjoyed a late ‘birthday’ lunch of ‘fish tacos’ and ‘Hula’ pie(with Margaritas) at Duke’s

then walked the Tuesday Street Faire on Main Street … stopping to enjoy the live music entertainment before heading home.

10. for coming up with a plan ‘b’ …
Since I didn’t have time to devote to the ‘inspiration video’ I wanted to create (see #7 in Sunday’s post at Sacred Ruminations), I’ve gathered photos of Molly (regular & resized versions) to bring for part two of the Friday Movie Maker class so perhaps I’ll be able create something to share on one of my blogs after all.

11. Although the ‘scheduled auto post’ for my Yard Art #2 didn’t work, I’ve manually published it this evening belatedly at Happily Retired Gal. I’ve got my ‘wireless router’ working again and had Time Warner Cable ‘tech support’ reconfigure my ‘cable modem’ … so when Vinnie from Dell Tech Support calls tomorrow at 1pm (after my Movie Maker class from 8:30-11:30am) perhaps he’ll be able to deal with the WLAN crash issues. Keep your fingers crossed for me. It’s been another BUSY week, so I’ll be catching up on blog visits over the weekend again.

12. Dell Tech Support is finally researching the problem I’m having with my ‘too dim to read’ monitor display when running on battery power.

13. Costco had one Sony Vaio left last night (on sale for $100 off) so I’ve got a new notebook to play with. It’s a 64 bit computer running Windows 7 … came with minimal software but should run the programs I own & use. If not, I have 90 days to return it.

14. all but two of the clocks in my home changed themselves for Daylight Savings Time overnight while I slept … so I didn’t have to change them myself and I knew the correct time without realizing it 😉

15. I spent the day productively … and am tired so I should sleep well on my freshly laundered sheets tonight.

16. the magnitude 4.4 earthquake centered about 30 miles north of me in Pico Rivera at 4:04am didn’t cause much damage … and served as a ‘readiness’ event to check our ‘earthquake preparedness’ here in Southern California.

17. the piece of metal I thought was a filling … isn’t. After visiting the dentist yesterday afternoon & getting the good news, I dropped by Duke’s (at the urging of a friend) … let a manager know what had happened and (after he consulted the head chef) learned that the mysterious piece of metal comes from a ‘fastener’ on their ice cream containers. As a thank you, they’re mailing me a ‘gift certificate’ … an unexpected but delightful turn of events. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

18. for friends who invited me to join them today at the Laguna Playhouse for a delicious lunch and entertaining play by the Second City: ‘Can You Be More Pacific?’ (lampooning Laguna Beach and Orange County, California) … making for a pleasant afternoon.

19. my sister and I enjoyed a delicious ‘sushi’ lunch at Matsu around 1:45 today … slipping in just before they close at 2pm because I waited for Dell Tech Support’s scheduled 11am call longer than I should have. Click for the latest update

20. I was able to move plants from my parkway to make room for the Veteran’s Honor Rose birthday gift from my neighbor and hopefully my gardener will remember to plant it for me on Wednesday since I’ll probably still be in my Windows 7 class when they do their twice monthly yard maintenance.

21. I was able to spend significant time todday catching up with blog posts that had collected in my reader. I’m especially thankful for everyone who makes the entire post available in their feeds because it makes catching up so much quicker and easier.

22. … and I’m dancing for joy!!! My Dell Inspiron 1720 has been unplugged for more than an hour… I have an hour and 54 minutes left on battery power and the screen is bright enough for me to read easily!!!!! What a wonderful surprise THIS is after all the hassles I’ve been through previously. I’ll explain the final modification Tihman from Dell Tech Support had me make this afternoon in a blog post soon so that others with this ‘dim monitor issue’ can try to fix THEIR laptops too.

23. the Health Reform Act finally passed and was signed into law! Methinks it’s long overdue. If you have doubts or concerns, I offer this link to a recent NY Times opinion piece by Paul Krugman on Health Reform Myths for your consideration.

24. for Dalton at the Bella Terra Staples store in HB who helped me set up my new Canon ‘all-in-one’ wireless MX870 printer. Perhaps I’ll finally get my very belated Christmas cards printed & sent out soon 😉

25. I spent a pleasant day with my sister (starting with a tasty breakfast shared at Mimi’s Cafe) and my 18-55mm lens is back (finally) … working just fine!

26. for beautiful Spring weather here in Southern California at the beach. I suspect we’ll have lots of ‘inlanders’ visiting today and tomorrow.

27. for time to do some catch up blog visits (after being away from home most of last week) as I took minibreaks from writing personal notes in my belated Christmas, NewYear’s & Easter cards.

28. to catch up with my ‘writing buddy’ from Taos in a phone call this morning before continuing to write notes in the cards & catch up on blog visits.

29. what I thought to be ‘one last purple iris’ isn’t … another has opened and there are two more purple buds as an added surprise.

30. the Canon printer did a great job printing envelopes (after I managed to create a new address database in the newer Dell) and most of my belated Christmas, NewYear’s & Easter greetings are in the mail. I’m still digging around for a few addresses since I can’t seem to find the backup from the old address database (from the Inspiron 9100 that died recently) on my external drives.

31. for a lovely sunrise this morning!

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – February, January
2009 Lists – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

YARD ART along with my February Gratitude List transferred from the sidebar at Small Reflections

Mary the teach at Work of the Poet
has asked bloggers to share Yard Art on Thursdays …
Lots of people who live near the beach
in Southern California ‘decorate’ their yards
(often in unique ways) so I’ll have a steady supply!
Here’s MY first contribution …
(NOT from my yard)

Click to embiggen and for others sharing Yard Art

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. the transfer of my sidebar gratitude list to Happily Retired Gal went a bit smoother this month.

2. my computer cooperated and allowed me to do some catching up on blog visits today … I really appreciate folks who make the entire post available in the feed (rather than just a few lines) because I actually get to SEE everything and can click over to comment periodically 😉

3. to Hootin’ Anni and Lori E (of Family Trees May Contain Nuts) for sharing Valentines with their visitors … reminding me to do likewise! I’ve added mine to the top of my sidebar (here too) .  I invite you to ‘snag’ a copy to enjoy if you wish … just right click on the image to save it to your computer.

4. for a pleasant outing with my sister today … and a ‘fix’ for my Blogger photo upload problem.

5. to stay home most of this rainy day … leaving only briefly to assist a friend’s sister resolve some camera and computer problems.

6. that the two small leaks in my living room ceiling (from the deck off my upstairs bedroom) seem minor … especially as I watch the devastation caused by mudslides in the La Canada-Flintridge area and problems created by the record snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic east-coast states.

7. Molly & I went for a LONG walk today … enjoying the dry weather 😉

8. for another day of clear weather and the opportunity to connect with friends for lunch to catch up with one another.

9. today’s rain has been the gentle steady drizzily kind.

10. my pansies have survived the rain and some of my bulb shoots have already started to bloom … earlier than ever. I’m still trying to identify the pretty white blossoms shared previous.

11. for memories of my mom on the anniversary of her birth.

12. I’ve cleared off space on my DVR to record the Olympic broadcasts so I can watch them as time permits.

13. I’ll be spending the day with my sister (and possibly a good friend if she’s feeling up to it) starting with a camera class on ‘lighting’ at the sole remaining
Ritz Camera store in the Orange County area this morning then letting the rest of the day unfold spontaneously.

14. I had canned food for Ms Kitty when I ran out of dry food w/o time to get to the store. Methinks SHE was happy too 😉

15. Shen & Zhao have returned to participate in the Winter Olympics one last time … they skated beautifully Sunday night.

16. that (although they made some mistakes in their long program Monday night) Shen & Zhao had enough of a lead from their short program to win the Gold Medal finally on their 4th trip to the Olympics (at the age of 31 & 36) with Pang & Tong taking the silver after they’d just missed the podium (in 4th place) four years ago in Torino. What a night for China!

17. for a good night’s sleep after several ‘restless’ ones.

18. that Evan Lysacek skated two ‘complete programs’ beautifully in Vancouver, won the Gold medal and has handled all the petty ‘controversy’ over the ‘quad’ in men’s skating (stirred up by questions posed by the press to Evgeni Plushenko who seems upset that ignoring changes in scoring didn’t win him a second Gold medal on the strength of his jumps and intimidating bravado) magnificently. As Scott Hamilton & Dick Buttons eloquently point out, the event IS called Figure SKATING for a reason!

19. although things didn’t go exactly as planned … my sister & I spent a delightful afternoon together and I got a $49 refund from REI because the kewl Keen boots I bought there less than two weeks ago at full price were on sale yesterday. Lucky me 😉

20. for sunshine today after last night’s rain … especially since more rain is predicted for Sunday night and possibly throughout the entire week ahead.

21. for morning coffee with half & half 😉

22. that I finally managed to connect to the Internet after my ‘wireless router’ died overnight

23. it’s my 65th birthday and I’ll be celebrating with my sister!

24. that Channel 4 makes actual ‘video replays’ available on its website because for some reason my DVR didn’t record last night’s events so I missed the women’s short programs in Figure Skating (along with whatever else was broadcast). I’m looking forward to catching up as time permits.

25. I managed to fix my DVR so it recorded the Olympic broadcasts to view as time permits.

26. my sister & I celebrated my birthday again … this time at Duke’s as we planned to do (but didn’t) on Tuesday.

27. my neighbor gave me a lovely Veteran’s Honor rose bush for my yard on Friday … a gift from her father who has raised roses for a long time.

28. that even though more ‘wet stuph’ is predicted, yesterday’s rain has stopped for the time being making for lovely Southern California weather all day long.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists – January
2009 Lists – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

More Views from Balboa Island along with my January Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Mellow Yellow Monday
(along with Pink Saturday & Today’s Flowers)
is in the next post

More views from my walk
on Balboa Island this
weekend with my sis …

Kewl ‘ruby’ brick work,
blossoms, and ‘accents’ on the
yard’s ‘inhabitants’

More ‘rubies’ below …
Cyclamen blossoms I think,
if not mistaken

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in My World,
Ruby Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for all the new & old friends in the Blogosphere who visit and leave comments on each of my blogs. Thank you all 😉

2. I managed to successfully transfer my December Gratitude List to Happily Retired Gal this morning on the 4th try. I’m not sure why, but I kept losing my sidebar there this morning … but all’s well that ends well, right? Right!

3. Molly got to play with the 3 pugs (Jake, Alle, & Noah) this morning … see Pug Invasion if you’ve forgotten or missed this post from mid-March.

4. I opted for the extended warranty when I purchased my Nikon D60 & Tamron lens last January at Ritz Camera. I should have them back in less than a week since I chose to drop them off at the camera repair shop this afternoon (rather than the one remaining local Ritz store in Fashion Island) to be cleaned & adjusted (something I was advised to do at least yearly).

5. I found my old Casio Exilim camera and it held a charge, so while I’m experiencing a bit of ‘withdrawal’ without my Nikon,
I have something to use in the meantime.

6. for time to create a mosaic with Monday’s surprise sunrise photos and to publish it at Small Reflections before leaving for class tonight.

7. to be home after spending the day at my sister’s house making 247 tamales (about a hundred more than usual) … I’ll be catching up on blog visits tomorrow and sharing photos from the day soon since she let me use HER camera since mine’s in the shop getting cleaned & adjusted after it’s first year of almost continual use.

8. for a day at home to catch up on blog visits, create multiple ‘tamale and critter mosaics’ then write Haiku reflections to share at Sacred Ruminations as a follow-up to the ‘big day’ of tamale-making.

9. I added to yesterday’s tamale post … (Blogging my Blessings there and providing a bit more info in response to questions). Spending time with my ‘reader’ last week … cleaning house (eliminating blogs no one has posted on in a long time), marking older entries as ‘read’ & reorganizing entries into functional categories is helping me manage time for blog visits more easily already.

10. my sister & her husband met me at the Harbor House Cafe in Sunset Beach for ‘brunch’ this morning. Since my ‘all-in-one’ HP printer still doesn’t work, my BIL is going to scan my sister’s tamale recipe then email it to me so I can share it with those who asked for it.

11. the camera shop called to say my camera & lenses are ready for pickup … HOORAY!

12. for Tuesday with my sister. We had a wonderful time together. I’ve shared ‘fountain photos’ from the Shops at Mission Viejo at Happily Retired Gal.

13. her husband emailed the tamale recipe to me so I could share it with those who asked for it.

14. that I’d saved often while creating my Thursday Thoughts … so that when Mozilla crashed this morning (as it does all too often due to a problem with my wireless card and/or driver that no one seems to be able to find or fix) … I was able to pick up where I left off rather than starting over.

15. for the ‘free ticket’ (worth $10) for a Friday Class at Adult School … (apparently M-W classes got these because of the Monday holidays making the courses shorter than T-Th classes so this was how they ‘evened things up’.
I used it this morning to learn about Facebook. I don’t know that I’ll find time to actually USE the information, but at least I understand how Facebook works now … sort of. LOL

16. we’ll be getting some much needed rain in the coming week. I’m hopeful the folks in the recently burned areas won’t suffer mudslides however.

17. I remembered to answer the Simple Woman’s Daybook questions to share with my Blues & Mosaics at Sacred Ruminations and to publish Macro & Monochrome photos at Happily Retired Gal … so I’m ‘set’ for Monday.

18. my DVR recorded the Day One tennis matches overnight at the Australian Open … so I can watch today as I visit blogs.

19. there were breaks in the rain so Molly & I could get outside for some much needed exercise.

20. for this afternoon’s (much needed) appointment to get my hair cut … and I’m hoping for a break in the weather to drive into Long Beach … then on to my sister’s in Cerritos and back home to feed Molly before my Adult School class tonight at 6pm. I’d kind of like to just stay home in this kind of weather, but I’ll drive carefully and hope for the best.<

21. last night’s class was canceled … (because the HB police asked yesterday afternoon that residents not drive for the next 48 hours unless absolutely necessary ) … so I didn’t have to go out in the storm again … at night.

22. that I took the initiative and drove to the local Social Security office (in the rain) to get my paperwork scanned into my file rather than continue to wait for the ‘secure envelope’ to arrive. Wish I’d done this a week ago!

23. the rain seems to have stopped this afternoon and it’s supposed to be clear on Sunday.

24. the laptop still ‘boots’ after multiple ‘Blue Screen of Death’ crashes this past week … so I’ve had time to back up my recent files & photos before I call Dell again, but the crashes have been frustrating when I try to visit blogs and leave comments!

25. I was able to help my sister get started on a computer related photo project over the phone and still get myself to class last night to learn some kewl new ‘digital media’ techniques.

26. my faulty wireless LAN card & Mozilla let me visit some blogs this morning before crashing …

27. for the ‘kewl’ new skills & techniques presented in tonight’s Digital Media class. Now what I need is time to practice 😉

28. my persistence paid off with Social Security. After spending MANY hours on the phone with multiple calls (asking many questions until I connected with the right person), I finally have my ‘claim number’ for Medicare, allowing me to finish signing up for a ‘supplemental care’ & ‘drug plan’ … so coverage should begin on February 1st (barring any unforseen issues).

29. I rewarded myself for a challenging week dealing with Beaurocracy by spending the day with my sister today and signing up for two ‘review’ Digital Photography classes with her tomorrow … one in the morning & the other in the afternoon.

30. for the Digital Photography 1 & 2 classes at Ritz Camera in Fashion Island letting me get my settings right again … and learning a few new things about the Nikon D60 to practice in the future.

31. to watch Roger Federer play well to win his 16th Major Championship in straight sets against Andy Murray at the Australian Open … regaining that title after losing there the last two years, putting him at #1 again … the first father to win a Major Championship since Andre Agassi did it in 2003.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

December Gratitude List from Small Reflections

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for all I’ve learned about blogging … especially HTML codes that allow me to transfer my gratitude lists to Happily Retired Gal more easily these days.

2. I managed to stay awake all the way through my computer class from 6-9pm last night even though I’d been up since 2am.

3. that (with the information I’ve learned in my ‘Fix Your Own Computer’ class) I’ve managed to speed up my old laptop considerably … and hopefully make the newer one more ‘stable’ (crossing my fingers that I won’t get the ‘Blue Screen of Death’ several times a day any more)

4. for a pleasant ‘catch up’ lunch with a good friend and phone chat with my sister who is gradually headed home for the holidays

5. I attended the wonderful Vanguard University Christmas Concert last night at St. Andrew’s church in Newport Beach … what a glorious way to get me in the holiday mood 😉

6. for my many ‘virtual’ friends sharing their thoughts and photographs in the Blogosphere.

7. it’s RAINING … finally 😉
8. there’s a break in the rainy weather so Molly & I can take a long walk together, but more of the ‘wet stuph’ is on the way.
9. I’ll be getting a new perm this afternoon.

10. I’m registered for 3 new Adult School classes in 2010 with a good friend. It’ll be fun to have this regular time to connect twice weekly for the next few months as we learn more about Photoshop and collages.

11. for another day of light drizzily rain.

12. I was able to share Satsuma tangerines from my sister’s tree with friends and attended a Buon Natatle Party last night … catching up with friends I’ve not seen for many years.

13. I finally figured out (with the help of Google) how to change the letter of my 1TB WD ‘My Book’ drive with the Vista OS after one got accidentally changed (wreaking havoc with the PSE6 ‘organizer’) when I installed a new WD Passport drive to back up photos for safety’s sake.

14. I remembered that today’s the 2nd Monday of the month so I didn’t miss catching up with friends at Retired Ladies Lunch 😉

15. that after spending the day successfully backing up my photos on a WD Passport Drive, finally I managed to create and publish my Almost Wordless Outdoor Watery Wednesday post with photos from the Bolsa Chica Wetlands after the Rain before heading to my Fix Your Own Computer class tonight.

16. that I’m able to access the Internet with my ancient laptop while dealing with connectivity issues on the newer one … even though it’s E X T R E M E L Y
S L O W going to access & comment on blogs!

17. that this afternoon I was SUCCESSFUL finally in getting my newer laptop (a Dell running Vista) to access my encrypted wireless network … so I’ll be able to visit blogs more easily again, however I’m leaving for class soon so those visits will need to wait until tomorrow.

18. for all I’ve learned about fixing my own computer in my Adult School class and that I’ve got the rest of the year off for the holidays!

19. My sister and her husband have returned home and we’ll be able to celebrate Christmas together with extended family!

20. for a delightful day spent with my sister yesterday starting with a delicious meal at Z’Tejas (I’ll share photos another day), followed by a long walk (enough to make my feet hurt) with good conversation, late-afternoon coffee at Starbucks, and topped off with a lovely Christmas concert at the OC Performing Arts Center’s Segerstrom Theater.

21. I created my Christmas cards to send to family & friends.

22. after spending more hours than I care to admit trying to make my printer work, I’ve decided to send New Year’s cards this year in order to cut myself some slack and limit stress.

23. for all those who offered suggestions and/or support as I worked on printer issues … as yet unresolved.

24. to spend the day with family in Hemet … celebrating Christmas Eve with my sister, her husband, their two sons (age 30 & 28), my brother’s widow, their youngest son, his wife, their two daughters (age 5 & almost 4), and their son (age 2).

25. that I woke early enough to visit many of my virtual friends leaving Joyous Christmas wishes before taking Molly for a walk then heading to my sister’s house for traditional strawberry waffles.

26. for a good night’s sleep 😉

27. I may be able to get my belated Christmas cards printed with an OLD Photosmart printer if I can get the driver’s installed & functioning on my laptop running Vista.

28. for last night’s holiday gathering at a dear friend’s house providing the opportunity to connect with folks I’ve not seen in a long time & to meet new people.

29. for glorious ocean views & sunsets 😉

30. this entire day of gentle drizzily rain soaking the soil rather than running off down the street.

31. for good heath during 2009 and the many ‘virtual friends’ I’ve encountered in the Blogosphere.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

My Watery Outdoor World in Southern California November’s Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Thirteen photographs
of my world here at the beach
… click to embiggen

Original – Straight out of the camera

Poster Edges – lightened

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in My World, Outdoor Wednesday,
Watery Wednesday, Midweek Blues,
and Thursday Thirteen

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for the pair of season’s tickets to the Pacific Chorale concerts that I won in a drawing. The first concert on Sunday evening was magnificent 😉

2. I was home with ‘L’ called this morning to let me know she was going to be in the area and wanted to meet for breakfast. We had a wonderful visit and a tasty meal.

3. I had time & opportunity to REST today when I realized I wasn’t feeling top-notch … and that the Vitamin C, chicken soup, extra water and rest seemed to stave off whatever bug was trying to take hold.

4. I managed to finish creating Peace Globes and posts for each of my blogs in time to post before I went to class tonight.

5. for all those participating in today’s Blog Blast for Peace: Dona Nobis Pacem.

6. for wonderful ‘catch up’ cell phone visits with ‘C’ and my sister … both of whom are traveling in RVs with their husbands.

7. I’ve managed to stay ‘functional’ …(if not totally healthy)… by mindfully limiting my activities the past week or so.

8. the folks (vacationing from New York) renting the house next door for a month seem friendly and have two standard poodles — Katie, the elder white one, is standoffish but Molly likes to play with Ned, the young black male 😉

9. I managed to visit the grocery store today so I’ve got fresh produce in the house again … finally!

10. for what I learned in my first ‘Fix Your Own Computer’ class tonight … and for the lessons to follow. Hopefully I’ll figure out what causes my Dell 1720 laptop to crash so regularly and get it fixed … finally 😉

11. Service Champions checked out my furnace this morning so I can turn it on to take the ‘edge off’ on chilly mornings again.

12. for my DVR so I can fast- forward through commercials when I do watch televised programs … saving about 20 minutes out of every 60 to use for other endeavors.

13. Stephen King has written and published a new book … I’m looking forward to reading it 😉

14. for a fun catch up phone visit with my writing buddy from Taos this morning and a beautiful warm sunny day outside as I watered my overly dry yard.

15. my sister called last night after having no cell signal for the several days.

16. to reconnect with a former student in the Jury Pool yesterday … we had a nice chat before getting sent to a court room for Jury selection that will continue tomorrow morning at 9am. So far I’m still in the audience watching and listening … so I guess we’ll see what happens next.

17. that even though I was selected for a jury, we were released in time for me to drop by home to feed the fur-kids and still make it to my my evening Adult School class by 6pm. It was a LONG day, but I managed to stay focused until 9pm and drive home safely.

18. California courts are ‘dark’ on Wednesdays giving me the day off because tomorrow will be another LONG day starting with Jury Duty and ending with an Adult School class from 6-9pm again. Hopefully I’ll have time to drop by home to feed the fur-kids between the two activities.

19. after coming down with the flu yesterday morning and coping with nasty symptoms throughout the night, I was able to keep a few soda crackers and a bit of chicken soup down … then sleep this afternoon … finally.

20. that (although not totally healthy yet) I’m feeling much improved this morning and even managed to create a Haiku Sky Watch Friday post at Sacred Ruminations using a mosaic I created last week … though I don’t know how much energy I’ll have to visit blogs today because my head hurts. I’m hopeful the trial continued yesterday without me since there was an alternate juror, but no one called me back after I called in sick.

21. to be feeling MUCH better today!

22. my sister called and we had a nice catch up visit on the phone … they’re visiting with friends in Northern California and will spend Thanksgiving in McKinleyville.

23. I had energy enough to take Molly to Dog Beach in the morning and to the groomer in the afternoon … so she’s clean, soft & sweet smelling for the holidays 😉

24. I went to the Water Store today because it will be closed tomorrow through the weekend. I also did my grocery shopping today and saved almost $50 with coupons!

25. to be celebrating my 1st Blogoversary at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress blog.

26. for phone calls from family & friends today.

27. I walked down to the beach to watch and photograph this afternoon’s glorious sun set over the ocean.

28. the laptop didn’t crash during the 6 hours it took to make a full backup of my PSE6 catalog.

29. my sister and her husband are finally headed for home and should arrive in a couple of weeks so we’ll spend Christmas together this year. Hopefully they’ll stay here for a while before hitting the road again.

30. I’ve kept this daily gratitude list for 13 months. I’m trying to decide whether or not to continue the practice. Guess I’ll see what I do tomorrow 😉

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” B.B. King

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Belated Pink Saturday, Monday Flower Mosaic – My October Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Photo Hunt & Color Carnival are in the next post

Belatedly here …

I hope you enjoy my pink

flower mosaics

Stained Glass Filter

Solarize, lightened

Click to ‘embiggen’ and for others participating in

Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers & Mosaic Monday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”  Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August.  I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because.  Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. Molly got to play with canine fur-friends at Camp Ilene while I drove a friend up to her house in Lake Arrowhead so she could take care of business related to the sale of the place now that she’s moved back to the beach.

2. the hot, dry, windy weather is predicted to end early next week and we’ve got a chance for drizzles … finally.

3. my sister called last night from the road … outside of Boise, Idaho and we were able to catch up with one another in a long chat on the cell phone.

4. the weather has cooled off considerably today.

5. I’ve finally managed to sort out the data in Quicken after multiple computer crashes messed thing up.

6. to have made it through last night’s Digital Media class on my own (since my friend ‘C’ is on the road with her husband) without getting totally lost even though it’s been months since the previous DM class … a HUGE relief actually.

7. to catch up with my friend ‘C’ (currently RV traveling in Michigan) on the cell phone today … almost as if she was in town.

8. for my sister’s photos from the road ;–)

9. the smell (and taste) of coffee (laced with half & half) in the mornings.

10. for a chance of rain next week … I’m keeping my fingers crossed because it’s been a long time since the ‘wet stuph’ fell in Southern California, but I’m also hoping it won’t cause landslides in the recently burned areas.

11. for the company of fur-friends.

12. we have cool overcast cloudy skies with the promise of rain for the next few days … I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

13. for overnight rain and morning drizzles.

14. we actually got REAL RAIN falling S L O W L Y enough last night & this morning so as not to cause mudslides in burn areas … I captured raindrops on blossoms to share at Happily Retired Gal & rain clouds to share in a T-13 Haiku Friday Sky Watch mosaic today here at Small Reflections.

15. for a full night’s sleep without interruption!

16. for friendly neighbors 😉

17. I was at home when my sister called from the road today. We had a good visit on the phone.

18. for wonderful memories of my brother.

19. for blue skies and lovely weather.

20. my neighbor shared new varieties of plants with me as she modified her own garden … then helped me split & replant my Amaryllis bulbs this morning.

21. Alice Audrey shared Nemo’s Award with Happily Retired Gal and that I’ve passed it along to others in my T-13 post there.

22. to celebrate my 2nd Blogoversary at Small Reflections today!

23. our local library invited Lisa See, author of Shanghai Girls, to give a talk yesterday … it was wonderful!

24. for a long catch up visit on the phone with my sister today.

25. Molly has two Golden Retrievers visiting next door and has gotten to play with them all week.

26. for the new PSE6 techniques I’ve been learning this month.

27. to be getting my hair cut tomorrow 😉

28. I’m able to pay bills online rather than writing individual checks and mailing them as I did once upon a time.

29. for a full-night of uninterrupted sleep!

30. the weather is sunny & clear … ‘buy one, get one free’ breakfast for lunch at Ruby’s on the HB pier was delicious … and my errands are finished so I’m home again this afternoon with time to relax and perhaps visit a few blogs before taking Molly for her afternoon walk.

31. Ms Kitty’s reclusive rather than friendly with strangers … especially at this time of year.

 

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’”  William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

 

Today’s Flowers – Breast Cancer Awareness – September’s Gratitude List from Small Reflections

“Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity.”

John Ruskin

“Pluck not the wayside flower;
It is the traveler’s dower.”

William Allingham

“Flowers really do intoxicate me.”

Vita Sackville-West

“Bread feeds the body, but flowers feed also the soul.”

the Koran

Click to ‘embiggen’ and for others participating in

Today’s Flowers

American Cancer Society

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Celebrating 25 years of Awareness, Education, and Empowerment

Click for more information about breast cancer awareness:
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
The National Breast Cancer Foundation

Cancer Awareness Calendar

Click for more information about Cancer Awareness ribbons

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”  Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August.  I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because.  Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for televised tennis to watch from the US Open in New York.

2. for a lovely visit with retired friends this morning as our working buddies begin the 2009 school year with students.

3. the Americans are doing well at the US Open Tennis Champion-ships. Many are already into the 3rd round and that hasn’t happened in quite some time.

4. for family & friends … phone calls & face to face visits. Today I shared a delightful lunch with a friend at Dukes where I ate my favorite dish (Seven Spice Ahi with steamed veggies substituted for the rice) and Hula Pie since we were celebrating J’s birthday belatedly.

5. for time spent with my good friend L who called to ask for a favor … and I was happy to oblige.

6. there’s been amazing tennis to watch on television today (detailed in my Sunday BYBS post at Sacred Ruminations) … catching up on yesterday’s matches too … gotta luv DVRs ;–)

7. for the continuing success of Melanie Oudin at the US Open Tennis Championships in New York.

8. for my happily retired life ;–)

9. Adult Ed classes start today and my morning Power Point class was kewl. I’m looking forward to experimenting on my own with what the instructor covered and to returning on Monday for the next class.

10. for this afternoon’s amazingly colorful sunset … viewed & photographed from my upstairs deck out back. Perhaps I’ll share a few tomorrow.

11. Molly & Aloha are becoming friends … gradually.

12. the rain finally stopped long enough for Rafa & Gonzo to finish their match and for Kim & Serena to play theirs, but I’m a bit sad at how both unfolded so strangely.

13. the weather in New York is clear … permitting match play to continue this morning, a day behind schedule ;–)

14. the Williams sisters were able to play in the Doubles Finals after the unfortunate incident on court Sunday night.

15. for some free time this morning to do some catching up on blog visits after falling WAY behind for a few days.

16. Adult School survived the High School District’s Budget cuts earlier this year. My Power Point class meets this morning (I love to learn new things) and I’m getting a new perm this afternoon (very much needed since I’m swimming regularly these days). Life is good!

17. My neighbor has hired a trainer to help her with Layla.

18. I participated in Pink Saturday for the first time last week and remembered to get my link to Beverly in time for tomorrow’s Pink post too ;–)

19. for the lovely pink sunset this evening.

20. to find the recent reminder from Bobbie of Almost There about the Pinwheels for Peace Project in time for me to share my thoughts at Sacred Ruminations this morning.

21. for the companionship of Molly and Ms. Kitty.

22. for considerably cooler than predicted weather here at the beach in the midst of the HEAT WAVE in Southern California.

23. that the winds have been weaker than predicted creating better conditions for fire fighters to gain control of the wildfires currently burning in Southern California.

24. for the smell of coffee and early morning sunshine ;–)

25. I attended this morning’s Publisher class and learned quite a bit about how the program has changed over time.

26. to learn a bit about Medicare options at a meeting this morning … gathering information to read as I make this health care decision over the next few months before my 65th birthday.

27. for a ‘catch up’ phone call with my writing buddy from Taos giving me a ‘break’ from computer issues at just the right moment.

28. the weather has cooled off a bit … finally.

29. for all I’ve learned about Power Point this month.

30. Allen Tires had time to check & rotate my tires, Gustafson’s made time to change the oil in, do a safety check, and even wash the Explorer (all without an appointment) … before tomorrow’s drive up the mountain to Lake Arrowhead.

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’”  William A. Ward

My World, Midweek Blues, and August’s Gratitude List from my sidebar at Small Reflections

My world near the beach
simple … relaxed … colorful
Just Joey Roses

not so hurried now

that I am retired from

teaching … sharing life

with Ms Kitty and

Molly who meets visitors

joyfully each day

Click to embiggen for better viewing …

My wider world
has wildfires burning and
watching coverage

on the TV news

generates sadness for all

those affected by

the destructive flames

more than 200 thousand

acres already

4 years without rain

generates unlimited

fuel for wildfires

Click to embiggen for better viewing …

for others participating in My World

and Midweek Blues … t00.

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”  Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August.  I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because.  Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for ‘perfect messages from the Universe’ arriving as needed this morning.

2. for a phone call from my sister this morning … she wanted me to know they’re back in the USA … in North Dakota.

3. for the way I combined Mosaic Monday with Mellow Yellow, Ruby Tuesday, and Midweek Blues … gotta luv multi-tasking and I really like the way that collage turned out.

4. ‘D’ was at home when I called and had time to chat.

5. for attending last night’s free concert in the park with ‘S’ … another enjoyable evening

6. my hair is short again … good to go for another 6 weeks

7. my neighbor told he about the free Ukelele concert down by the pier. Molly & I walked down there with a friend, enjoyed the music, and just got back a little while ago because we decided not to stay for the free movie afterward.

8. for my Florian rachet garden clippers ;–)

9. I got to swim laps last night in a friend’s pool then watched an entertaining funny film.

10. for lunch with the other Retired Gals today ;–)

11. for a morning swim before getting on with the day’s activities and errands.

12. the skies eventually cleared allowing the sun to shine, even though it was almost sunset as that occurred ;–)

13. the LOVELY colorful sunset this evening! I’ll be sharing photos soon.

14. the sun came out earlier today so the weather was warmer for my morning swim and Molly made a new friend of a 3 month old Damation puppy named Aloha!

15. my sister had a cell signal (after being w/o one for several days) and called from Minnesota tonight … allowing us to catch up with one another as we chatted for about an hour.

16. for the free Dixieland Concert in the Park this evening.

17. the sun FINALLY came out even though it was late afternoon when it did so.

18. I swam yesterday & today because I’m thinking of taking tomorrow off to meet a friend for brunch at 10:30.

19. my sister thinks seeing her photos on my blogs will be fun.

20. my neighbor Mike volunteered to help me pick the limes from the TOP of the tree and ended up trimming those high branches for me. What a guy ;–)

21. for a beautiful SUNNY morning to swim (finally) … especially since later in the day the weather got cold & nasty and ‘thunderstorms’ are predicted for tomorrow. I’ll believe THAT when I see it!

22. I managed to get myself over to swim for 45 minutes this morning even though the skies LOOK LIKE we MIGHT get some rain after all … and that would be a good thing given the minimal rainfall we’ve had this year.

23. to experience unexpectedly glorious sunshine for my morning swim, a delightful free late afternoon concert by the Pacific Chorale at the Orange County Performing Arts Center followed by a delightful dinner & visit with friends.

24. Osh carries liquid Terro so I could pick some up for a friend who has ant scouts in her condo.

25. for CLEAR BLUE SKIES and a bright sunrise! It feels like summer finally ;–)

26. for the 2 dozen or so Apricot colored roses on my Just Joey rose bush plus another dozen buds. What an amazing burst of color ;–)

27. I’m building my swimming stamina a little more each day.

28. for cell phone connections with my sister, no matter where she is on the road. Her most recent call was from Boulder, Wyoming. They’re headed for Colorado soon and will spend Labor Day with friends who live there.

29. the winds aren’t blowing as the wildfires burn here in Southern California. I’m praying for quick containment.

30. for fire-fighters and support staff to combat these devastating fires burning all over our state. I’m praying for their safety as they battle the flames and provide aid & comfort to those displaced from their homes.

31. Serena & Venus Williams and Andy Roddick made it through their first round matches at the US Open Tennis Championship in New York and there will be TENNIS to watch on TV for the next two weeks ;–)

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’”  William A. Ward

Scenic Sunday and July’s Gratitude List Transferred from the sidebar at Small Reflections

Huntington Beach Pier

destination to cool down

Sunday afternoons ;–)

Click to embiggen for better viewing …

and for others participating in Scenic Sunday

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”  Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of JULY.  I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because.  Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. Andy Roddick defeated Leyton Hewitt in a marvelous 5-setter and moves to the semi-finals to play Andy Murray on Friday. The Williams sisters play their semi- final matches tomorrow and I’ll be watching ;–)

2. Serena managed to outlast Elena Dementieva in the highly competitive first women’s semi-final match … one for the ages. It’s a shame Dinara Safina couldn’t put up the same kind of fight in her semi-final match with Venus.

3. I’ll be able to watch the men’s semi-finals on television today … <Hooray!!! Andy Roddick won his match against Andy Murray so he’ll play Roger Federer in the Wimbledon Championships on Sunday!

4. Serena Williams won her 3rd Wimbledon Women’s Championship in a competitive match against her sister. I celebrated he 4th of July by watching … then walking through the 4th of July PARADE crowds in downtown Huntington Beach taking photos to share.

5. The men’s Championship Match at Wimbledon was one to remember … exciting to the very end. Andy Roddick fought valiantly throughout making Roger Federer work hard for his 15th Grand Slam win to break the record of Pete Sampras.

6. for a long ‘catch-up’ phone call with my sister ;–)

7. to reconnect with a long time friend from my past for lunch today.

8. my small neighborhood market carries half & half so I can walk over to replenish my supply between trips to the grocery store.

9. for daily walks along the beach with Molly and/or my Nikon D60 … and time to enjoy both.

10. for unhurried time to write and read … especially in the morning

11. for shade on my front patio … (see Shadow Shot Sunday at Sacred Ruminations)

12. cell phone conversations with my sister and Taos Writers Retreat Buddy last night and today.

13. for a pleasant lunch with my retired friends and a lazy afternoon ;–)

14. I took time to read DIVINE JUSTICE by Dean Koontz today … just for fun.

15. I had time to spend catching up on blog visits today.

16. I took time to write after listening to part one of a two CD set called Zen Howl (by Natalie Goldberg and Doshe Port) that I bought in Taos, NM two years ago but never opened until this morning.

17. to live near the ocean and close enough to a Starbucks to walk there in minutes. Both provide nifty places to sit and write for as long as I choose.

18. for the delightful sunrises over the past few days.

19. for shade & cool onshore breezes in the afternoon on these hot days.

20. my sister called this afternoon from Banff National Park in Canada as she waited for the Indian dances to begin.

21. for morning coffee with half & half and Entemann’s Raspberry Danish Twist. YUM ;–)

22. authors have shared their insights though the printed word benefiting all who follow.

23. I’ve started to write again … and to share a bit myself at Sacred Ruminations.

24. for a long catch up call from my sister traveling in Canada.

25. for a delightful walk downtown to the surf contest with a friend and nifty photos of the Surf Contest to share.

26. for the pleasant Concert in the Park last night.

27. I can use my PSE6 skills to share mosaics.

27. Wally Lamb writes books ;–)

28. to catch up with a few friends yesterday via phone.

29. the weather is cooling down a bit at last

30. that Molly & Jenke got to play together one last time before the move.

31. for a delightful walk with friends down to the Craft Fair & Farmer’s Market then out to Ruby’s at the end of the pier for dinner. Lovely end to the month ;–)

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’”  William A. Ward