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6th Blog Blast for Peace
November 5, 2009
Today I join Mimi Lenox and many other bloggers in the 6th Blog Blast for Peace … and invite YOU to join the wave today on your Blog. Just click Mimi’s link and read the directions for getting your own Peace Globe to personalize and publish. Then follow the directions to share with others through her official sites … and visit others blogging for peace.
Click to embiggen for better viewing
If you missed them, click for links to my previous Blog Blasts for Peace in November of 2008:
Sacred Ruminations- The Strength of Gentleness
Small Reflections-A Revolution of Music,
Blog Rolls & Bling – What if? (a Colorful Alternative to Bombs)
and June of 2008:
Thirteen Thoughts on the Topic of Peace
Peace in Every Step
Sacred Ruminations- The Strength of Gentleness
Small Reflections-A Revolution of Music,
Blog Rolls & Bling – What if? (a Colorful Alternative to Bombs)
and June of 2008:
Thirteen Thoughts on the Topic of Peace
Peace in Every Step
Click for others participating in
the 6th Blog Blast for Peace!
the 6th Blog Blast for Peace!
See my other 2009 Peace Globes at
Small Reflections
Sacred Ruminations
Thought for Today
“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)
Ruby Tuesday, Mosaic and
Blue Monday are in the next post.
Scroll down for Thursday Thirteen
Alice Audrey of Alice’s Restaurant honored me with Nemo’s Award and I’m delighted to accept and to share it with others today.
Neno’s Award—-Rules and Regulations
1. As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.
2. To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.
3. Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.
4. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.
5. Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.
6. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.
7. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.
I’ve written about Why I Blog a few times already, and I’ve decided to revisit this July 2008 List of 13 Reasons here … just because. I’ve amended that list in purple with some additional thoughts reflecting changes in my blogging over the past year or so. I’m celebrating my 2nd Blogoversary at Small Reflections right now and at Sacred Ruminations on Friday, October 23rd. My first Blogoversary for this blog, Happily Retired Gal, will be on November 25th.
It’s clear to me that blogging …
** provides a way for me to experiment with sharing what I write … without having to sit face to face with someone as I do this thing, and I’ve discovered that I’m much more of an introvert than most people (including myself) generally realize
** allows me to become accustomed feedback from a variety of readers and get over my tendency to keep what I write to myself
** introduces me to others who write (and take photographs)
** keeps my mind active and learning new things all the time
** stretches my imagination and my boundaries
** fills free time with interaction when I’m alone
** opens my eyes to what is … and what might be … if only
** expands my world and opens me up to new possibilities & experiences
** allows me to make & interact with ‘virtual’ friends
Initially I blogged because others suggested I might enjoy it. They were right. I did ;–)
1. Each day at Small Reflections I wrote whatever entered my mind, pretty much as if I was writing in my journal, and at Sacred Ruminations I followed Carla’s example … celebrating My Sacred Life for a month in daily posts then changing to a weekly Sacred Life post, while sharing whatever came to mind each day.
2. I visited other bloggers to gain ideas & information, returning to my own blogs to experiment and share what I’d encountered.
3. When 2007 came to a close, I revisited my first ten weeks as a blogger and thanked my ‘blogging buddies’ … linking to various posts I’d written and activities in which I’d participated … surprising myself with what I’d discovered & accomplished in such a brief time.
4. In mid-January I pulled together my Small is Beautiful Top 7 in ’07 Blog Review at the request of Magpie Girl, and by the end of January I’d reached 100 posts.
5. Once again, at the suggestion Anglophile Football Fanatic … I created a list of 101 Things About Me on my 101st Post … sharing a brief history of my life … revealing more perhaps than I intended to, but leaving it ‘just because.’
A few days later (when I reached 106 posts on my 2nd blog, Sacred Ruminations) I created A Milestone Missed? in which I celebrated and reflected about blogging to that point.
6. I had participated in NaBloPoMo and Holidailies … posting daily on both blogs for two months straight, and with encouragement from Sandy of Momisodes (although I had reservations) I signed up for Blog 365, but began to do some rethinking.
7. I moved the initial information introducing myself from the About Me section of the sidebar to How I Became a Blogger and introduced myself all over again briefly in an updated paragraph which remains in my sidebar now but is in need of another revision soon.
8. Interestingly, fellow bloggers honored me with ‘awards’ that I displayed in my sidebar and passed along to others in posts with links … introducing my ‘virtual friends’ to one another and building a ‘virtual community’ of sorts.
9. I celebrated my 63rd birthday online … here and here … participated in the Ultimate Blog Party … joined a wide variety of new weekly activities … and generally had fun playing.
10. As my sidebar got cluttered, I created a special page for Awards & Bling at Small Reflections to make room for new things.
11. When folks complained about the site locking up and/or being slow … I created a 3rd Blog and moved them over there instead.
12. Gradually I’ve added sidebar links to my posts by category in the About Me section in hopes that visitors could locate, read, & comment on what interests them more readily.
13. To speed up things even more at Small Reflections, I moved my multiple Blog Rolls over to the 3rd Blog along with Logos and Links to memes I enjoy. After several friends lost control of their Blogs, I decided to back up my 3 blogs at WordPress … then started this 4th blog to teach myself how to use the WordPress format.
So … to answer the question of Why I Blog …
it’s FUN and I enjoy everything about it!!!
Sometimes ‘life’ intervenes and takes precedence over blogging, but when things calm down this Blogosphere remains … inviting us each to share & engage as much or as little as we choose. These days I share more photographs and mosaics than words (other than a bit of Haiku) … but I suspect that I’ll return to writing eventually and hope to achieve a better balance of images and words. This is my 178th post here and I’ll be celebrating my 1st Blogoversary at Happily Retired Gal on November 25th ;–)
Since there’s no specified number of folks to give this award to, I choose to share this award with EVERYONE who would like to ‘snag’ it and pass it along on their blogs. I just ask that you acknowlege & follow the rulez enough to share why you blog (as briefly or in as much detail as you choose) … include where you found it by linking here … then let me know when you’ve published your post so I can visit your blog.
Click image or here: 2nd Blogoversary at Small Reflections
and for others participating in T-13
Thought for Today
“Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind.” Marva Collins
Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)
Redneck Wins the Lottery: Courtesy of Comedy Central Daily Email
A Redneck buys a ticket and wins the lottery. He goes to Austin to claim it where the man verifies his ticket number. The Redneck says, “I want my $20 million.”
To which the man replied, “No sir. It doesn’t work that way. We give you a million today, and then you’ll get the rest spread out for the next 19 years.
The Redneck said, “I want all my money RIGHT now! I won it, and I want it.”
Again the man patiently explains that he would only get a million that day and the rest during the next 19 years.
The Redneck, furious with the man, screams out, “Look, I WANT MY MONEY!! If you’re not going to give me my $20 million right now, THEN I WANT MY DOLLAR BACK!”
Click for ChrisB at Ms Cellania where I’ve enjoyed Witty Wednesday for a while now and for more Witty Wednesdays at Small Reflections.
Thanks to Sandee of Comedy Plus for sharing these latest awards. I want to them with all my regular visitors. Please snag, enjoy & share with friends … just because. If you wish to follow rulez … check them at Sandees. If not, share as you choose.
Ivanhoe passed the Life is Grand award along to the first 5 visitors who commented on her post … with the following instructions: List 5 reasons why you think life is grand and pass the award on to 5 bloggers. Those who know me are aware I’m not big on rulez … but here are 7 reasons why I think life is grand … and all who believe life is grand & leave a link are welcome to snag, enjoy, and pass this award along … just because.
My life is grand because:
1. I’m happily retired … grateful that I was raised to live within my means … avoiding debt and managing money responsibly … planning for the future throughout my life so I don’t have to work for a salary ;–)
2. I live near the ocean where I can walk daily with Molly and take photographs with my new camera.
3. My sister is back in town and we’re having wonderful times together. When she’s on the road we can talk to one another on our cell phones as often or as long as we wish thanks to Verizon’s free cell to cell minutes.
4. I’m blessed with wonderful friends and neighbors.
5. I’ve discovered this ‘virtual world’ known as the Blogosphere and met many interesting people.
6. I’ve discovered the local Adult School offers marvelous classes on a wide variety of subjects for reasonable prices. Many of my regulars have seen what I’ve learned about Photoshop Elements over the past year. My first Writers Workshop class begins tomorrow.
7. I’m blessed with good health, endless curiosity, and a willingness to teach myself whatever I need to know … when I need to know it. I’ve finally learned to ask for help when necessary.
The one below comes with RULEZ using your Music Player on Shuffle … but since I don’t HAVE a music player (with or without shuffle), I’m unable to participate. Sandee did, however, so click on the link to find rulez and her responses if you have the requisite music player and wish to participate.
Thought for Today – The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” James Openheim
Mary at Work of the Poet asked Ruby Tuesday participants to take this quiz …
and these are MY results. (See next post for my Ruby Tuesday sign)
Given the fact that I’m a Pisces born on the cusp near the end of February and Amethyst IS my birthstone, the description ‘fits’ and purple IS a favorite color of this Red Hatter ;–)
You Scored as Amethyst
“Like the healing and symbolic properties of the amethyst you have a strong and clear mind. Blessed with an inner calm and peace you are not one to break and fall mentally. Being such a clear minded person (assuming you are one) you may possibly have some strong psychic links.”
So Which Mystic Gemstone are You? Give it a try!
Thought for Today
“These gems have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of.” George Eliot
Now for a little Blogthing fun …
| There Is 1 Gap in Your Knowledge |
 Where you have gaps in your knowledge:
Science Where you don’t have gaps in your knowledge: Philosophy Religion Economics Literature History Art |
Sigh! I suppose I should feel reassured, but I find myself wondering which science question I missed … wishing they’d provided that feedback. How silly when I could be focusing on the fact I got all the other questions correct even though I’m getting older & have been ‘happily retired’ for seven & a half years. Methinks I’ll choose to allow myself to feel reassured that my mind still works and simply release the ‘judgments’ altogether … just because. LOL
If time permits, I hope you’ll play along either in comments below or on your own blog … leaving me a link so I can read your results too. If you do decide to play … feel free to ‘snag’ the award above or any award at the bottom of my sidebar to enjoy and share as you choose ;–)
Recently Sandee of Comedy Plus received this Friend Award from Colleen of Life is a Story in the Making and passed it along to HER bloggy friends. Thank you so very much.
Here are the rules:
“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find, and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
Sandy wrote: “Everyone knows I don’t follow the rules very often and I’m not going to disappoint anyone on this award either. If you want this cool award then please help yourself,” and I’m saying the same thing to YOU. May we spread friendships throughout the Blogosphere by sharing generously with one another. If you’d like to try out some new blogs, see the list of bloggers I highlighted for the Lemonade Award … and remember … I do LOVE comments and link-love too!!!
Thought for Today – “The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.”
1. Sunrise-Sunset, Blog Your Blessings, & Sacred Life Sunday are at Sacred Ruminations along with Monday Motivator
2. Two awards are up for grabs (to enjoy & share with others) along a variety of Christmas music & fun activities are at Small Reflections (see sidebar links). I hope you can drop by when time permits.
3. The Lemonade Award is up for grabs on this blog along with other awards in my sidebar to snag, enjoy & share with others in the spirit of the holiday season.
4. Hootin’ Anni’s Christmas give away starts today! Be sure to drop by … check out her 2008 Holiday Tour, Faces of Christmas and be sure to leave her comments.
5. I’m delighted to share that it’s raining (finally) in Southern California … gently & steadily here at the beach … with snow falling at the 3000 feet level.
I remember taking this quiz once before and sharing my results at Small Reflections (as part of a Whimsical Wednesday post), but when I saw it at Greyscale Territory on Friday and answered the questions again ... my results were different so I'm sharing here and will link the two posts for comparison.
What Tarot Card are You?
You are The Sun
Happiness, Content, Joy.
The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent.
Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way.
The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light that comes after the long dark night, Apollo to the Moon’s Diana. A positive card, it promises you your day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. As the moon symbolized inspiration from the unconscious, from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made fully consciousness and wide awake. You have an understanding and enjoyment of science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect, clarity of mind, and feelings of youthful energy.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
Thought for Today- "Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures." H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Life's Little Instruction Book
received the Lemonade Award from Page at The Road I’m Traveling for showing gratitude or a good attitude (from “if life hands you lemons, make lemonade”)! She explained how she felt both humbled and honored at the same time then passed this nifty award along to 10 others … and I happen to me one of the lucky recipients. She wrote: “Storyteller – You’ve been a wonderful encourager! I love seeing your name appear in my comment sections!” I feel similarly humbled & honored and want to say …Thank YOU Clara!
Here are the rules:
- Put the logo on your blog or post.
- Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
- Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
- Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.
Choosing specific recipients is always a challenge for me because I’ve made so many ‘virtual friends’ and enjoy so many blogs … so I’m breaking the rules to share this with anyone who believes THEY make LEMONADE from lemons.
That said … I do like to introduce my friends to one another and since this is a new blog I’ve decided to highlight a few friends … just because. Each of the women listed below has impressed me in a different way. They’re listed in no particular order, some may already be recipients, and all truly deserve the Lemonade Award for having a great attitude.
- Yertle of Smile, Play, Dream – is a ‘working mom’ of two young boys who nurtures herself & others by sharing her journey honestly, expressing her gratitude for the many simple blessings in her life, offering motivational ideas on Mondays and visiting ‘bloggy friends’ whenever time permits … participating in ‘memes’ when they strike her fancy & sharing link-love generously.
- Joyce of Mom’s Musings lives a very busy life. Another working mom (and grandmother too), her attitude is always upbeat & cheerful, and her posts are thoughtful & uplifting. She leaves wonderfully supportive, encouraging comments on the blogs of others and always responds with friendly emails to those who comment on her blog. Her joy in the Lord shines consistently.
- Lisa of Lisa’s Chaos takes and shares the most wonderful photographs on her blog. Seeing the world through her eyes uplifts my spirit, enhances my appreciation of nature, and motivates me to look more closely at everything & take photographs differently.
- Sandy of Momisodes creates & shares entertaining and thought-provoking pieces regularly. She writes from her heart, knows how to tell a story to draw readers in … and shares photographs with a quirky originality, sense of perspective, & clever titles or captions. Along with a handful of other ‘virtual friends’ … she provided the support & encouragement I needed early on to make me into the (slightly obsessed) dedicated blogger I am today.
- Mama Zen at the Zen of Motherhood writes with a wry sense of humor about her life with Baby Puppy and Daddy Zen, displays a quick wit & succinct style of writing I envy, expresses her point of view on a variety of subjects and publishes book reviews too. The comments she leaves when she visits always make me smile.
- Karen at Journey to Authenticity has been a wonderful friend & encourager from the beginning. We met at a Writer’s Retreat for Women at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico during the summer of 2007 and each started blogging a few months later. She’s the only ‘blogger’ I’ve ever met in ‘real’ life! Busily raising a young son with special needs, Karen’s blog presents a delightful mix of photographs, anecdotes about daily life and memories, entertaining stories, and an honest exploration of her life as a wife, mom, and aspiring novelist.
- Sandee at Comedy Plus consistently makes me smile and often laugh aloud with what she shares on her blog. She has many friends in this virtual world, I see her upbeat, supportive, and encouraging comments all over the Blogosphere. Sandee shares awards generously on her blog (methinks this might have been one) and is quick to participate in ‘memes & quizzes’ when they strike her fancy. I’m always surprised when she finds my posts so quickly … often before I’ve finished ‘refining’ them ;–)
- Raven at View from Raven’s Nest shares wonderful photographs, well-written stories, lovely poetry, and expresses her opinion eloquently on a wide variety of topics when she feels passionately about it. She’s the creator of Saturday’s Wordzlle Challenge and although I don’t participate, I do enjoy reading when others do.
- Sylvia From Over the Hill may not realize that she’s responsible (at least in part) for this fledgling WordPress blog. When she lost control of her original blog (I’d add the link but my computer won’t load Google Reader for me to find it right now) she didn’t skip a beat but moved on and created this new one … publishing prolifically on a variety of subjects demonstrating passion & creativity along with a delightful sense of humor and a knack for photography. I responded by quickly learning how to back up my blogs on Blogger and here at WordPress too … then decided to ‘experiment’ with this new blog as a way to learn how things work.
- Tammy of Mom Knows Everything & A Little Girl Talk generously helped me with some ‘technical issues’ when I experienced difficulties creating original ‘headers’ for my first two blogs. She publishes daily on both blogs … shares her creative handiwork & photos of her children in the midst of their daily life … and frequently visits others leaving comments often.
So, if you want to read some uplifting blogs – those that promote an attitude of gratitude – check these out! You can also click on the links in my sidebar here and/or at Blog Rolls, Bling, & Blurbs for more bloggy friends I like to visit … many are deserving of this award too and I hope they’ll ‘snag’ it to enjoy and share with others.
Other ‘holiday related links of interest:
Christmas Fun & a Quiz
SnowGlobe Fun & NORAD Tracks Santa (with games & activities for kids of all ages)
Holiday Fun (12 Days)- A Musical Revival of Sorts
Carol of the Bells – Straight No Chaser
A Doggie Guaranteed to Make you Laugh!
Thought for Today – “A wise man does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” Epictetus
Remembering Daddy
My dad was born on December 7th in 1903. He was 2nd youngest of 13 kids and grew up in rural Kansas ... went to school until the age of 13 when the family needed his help to work the farm. He used to tell us stories about his early life ... (like cracking open watermelons & eating the center before feeding the rest to the pigs) ... and wished he could move his family back to Kansas (or Colorado where he lived on another farm with his family as a teenager before moving to California in his twenties). Mom was a 'city gal' who wouldn't hear of it!
He married my mom in May of 1933 (or possibly '34?) in the Dutch Reformed Church. I don't know much about their early years other than that they met through their respective relatives in a 'traditional' manner. Mom's favorite brother who had married a cousin of my dad's introduced them and they fell in love.
My brother was born in October of 1936 ... my sister in March of 1941. Both were extremely ill as infants and required stomach surgery to survive. Each was skinny throughout their lives. I was born in February of 1945 as healthy as they come. They delighted in my 'sturdy chubbiness' and I grew up 'chunky' ... struggling with weight-related issues most of my life until I joined Weight Watchers in my 40s and learned to eat right.
Dad worked long hours as a maintenance electrician in a rubber plant that manufactured battery cases (among other things). It was his job to keep the ‘Banbury machines’ running, and whenever they broke down … the plant called & dad went back to work at all hours. He never complained, and when WE did … he reminded us always that he was fortunate to HAVE a job to bring home a paycheck each week.
We always ate meals together … said grace before … engaged in conversation during … and listened to Dad haltingly read from the Bible afterward. We took turns drying the dishes, but Mom always washed because she didn’t trust us not to break anything in the large sink filled with soapy water.
We played Canasta, Pinochle & board games as a family. Dad enjoyed tossing the baseball, playing ‘catch’ with each of us … and pushed us in the HUGE SWING he constructed in the back yard (so high that Mom would worry & tell him to be careful) but we knew we had to hold on tight and no one ever fell.
He taught me to turn a somersault when I was 3-ish … sang silly songs & told stories in the car when we went as a family for Sunday drives … loved baseball and listened to 2-3 games at a time when he was home … looking through ‘change’ to find missing coins for his ‘collection’ …
Dad was a gentle spirit with a kind heart. He never drew attention to himself, would give you his last dollar if you needed it, always had a joyful twinkle in his eye, shook hands with people as they left church through the side door … telling them he was glad they’d come … making friends we didn’t know about everywhere he went.
After ‘Scratchy’ … our feral cat got into a fight that resulted in half of his face being torn off and there was no money to take the cat to a vet, Dad climbed the tree in the back yard twice daily for weeks to apply antiseptic medicine that undoubtedly saved that cat’s life.
Everyone in Dad’s family lived to a ripe old age … well into their 90s & even over 100. What no one realized when he returned from work covered from head to toe in coal dust looking much as if he was wearing ‘black face’ make-up like Al Jolson was that breathing that coal dust for all those years would result in the wide-spread cancer that killed him in the Bicentennial year … 1976.
As I remember Dad on what would have been his 105th birthday, I offer this ‘quiz’ … suspecting it would produce that wry grin.
Click pie image above for other Slice of Life participants and these links for more of my family memories shared previously at Small Reflections.
Thought for Today
“If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.” Haim Ginott
The analysis indicates that the author of https://happilyretired.wordpress.com is of the type:
ISFP – The Artists
The gentle and compassionate type. They are especially attuned their inner values and what other people need. They are not friends of many words and tend to take the worries of the world on their shoulders. They tend to follow the path of least resistance and have to look out not to be taken advantage of.
They often prefer working quietly, behind the scene as a part of a team. They tend to value their friends and family above what they do for a living.
Gender Analyzer Results
We think https://happilyretired.wordpress.com is written by a woman (68%).
Click to check the Gender and/or Type of YOUR blog(s).
Click to see results for my other blogs
Small Reflections and Sacred Ruminations
Thought for Today –“Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or late, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you.” Fanny Brice
Happily Retired Gal 
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