A 99 Cent APP

We've been enjoying our family on vacation this week. Our grandson turned five, and we were able to spend our first birthday with him in four years. Most of the time that pleasure is for his other grandparents who live close by.

This year just happened to have several things that came together at the last minute and we were able to spend time together as a family.

We spent part of the time on the big island of Hawaii and went to a special resort so that he could meet and pet dolphins for his actual birthday on December 4th. We think he enjoyed the experience, and we hope he will remember his fifth birthday.

But it wasn't until we were back in Maui that I received a heart-felt thank you, complete with love pat and him telling me how much he loved me. It was right after I downloaded a 99 cent APP on my I-Pad, and he could make and decorate virtual cookies.

Little people are easy to please, and most of their problems are easily solved. A 99 cent APP, a bit of your time, and life is good.

If only it was that easy for the adults in his life. 

Entrepreneurship

Our family is currently exploring the idea of starting a couple of different businesses. Several ideas are being floated, and nothing is firm yet, but the energy is flowing and ideas are popping.

We come into this with a variety of skills and experience in a number of fields - finance, research, investor relations, accounting, management, computer modeling, experience with start-ups, resource development, alternative energy, human development, psychology, human relations, marketing, teaching, cooking, writing.

Surely we can create a business opportunity, don't you think?

If fact, I would bet that you have family and/or friends that come with a variety of skill sets that create something completely different when you put them all together. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I would also bet that same set of family/friends have some great ideas - just simmering on the back burner.

New ideas, new businesses, fresh starts. I think we're going to have create our own opportunities in the future. Maybe we can do it the way it should be done - with mindfullness, gratitude, and environmental awareness. 

Look For The Signs

I believe that when we commit to something - truly commit - the universe starts organizing to make it happen. Even if we don't know the details, we can daydream the perimeters of how we want our lives to look. For example, I have been dreaming of a shared-resources community for some time. I've posted about it more than once on this blog. But the place to form this community has eluded me. I vacillate between Portland, OR and Maui, HI. Portland is where my children reside, and we love the city - well to be honest, I probably love it more than my husband does. In fact, he feels the rainy winters more than I do. We lived there for about 2.5 years, a few years back.

Maui, on the other hand, is where my husband feels he is most comfortable. There is something about the Aloha Spirit that inspires him to be the man he wants to be. Corporate America has not been the place to feel connected to what he feels is important - all those fuzzy things like love, kindness, the environment. So when he sees himself retired - it is not in a city, but much closer to whales - his current obsession.

Which brings me to the gist of this post. When we commit to what we want in our lives - the universe begins organizing, little signs and synchronicities emerge, and the puzzle pieces begin to come together to make it happen.

The other day I had read something that made me feel that I no longer wanted to live in America. I won't go into the details, but it just felt as though the country has been going in the opposite direction from all the things I believe to be important and true. I started looking at New Zealand properties, I looked at Canadian properties - but both felt very far from home. (I know, I just said I wanted to move away from America - but let's face it - it is my home and I do love it in so many ways.) Anyway, one of the other issues that I have been noodling is the fact that there are very few people in my life that share my same belief system, that see consciousness as anything more than having one's eyes open. We have plenty of friends - just none that share my worldview. I feel like such an oddball sometimes.

So I was feeling a bit down about things when I looked down and noticed Maui Vision Magazine on my automan - which is all about holistic living in Maui. Many people advertise alternative business practices in this magazine. I had one of those "light-bulb moments" when I realized that the small island of Maui is where "my" community resides. It is where my husband wants to live, and where at least one of my daughters would like to raise her family.


I had also talked about a school in this post, and my youngest emailed me the other day saying that since her nephew could not find a preschool that didn't require being on a waiting list from birth - maybe she and I could create a preschool if she couldn't find a job with her masters in education - which she begins in June. She was thinking Portland, but why not Maui?

My post from yesterday was written by a man by the name of Mark Sheehan. I mentioned his name in my post. Look what I found in Maui Vision Magazine today:

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE THE FUTURE

There is a growing movement that recognizes how small sustainable communities can make a big difference for the health of the environment and the quality of life for everyone. Even in big cities there are co-operatives forming to share resources and reap the rewards. Maui is the perfect place for new models of community to grow and flourish.

HOW CAN YOU GET STARTED?

Consider making a list of people you know who share your values and have specific skills and resources. Go online and look at types of shared living to get ideas for what you want. Start a list of your needs and resources.

THE RIGHT PROPERTY FOR THE RIGHT COMMUNITY

For the last 25 years I've been helping people locate and buy ideally suited sustainable Maui properties and know what it takes to form a functioning co-operative. If you want help from a realtor with a lot of experience in this realm, give me a call.
Mark Sheehan - Coldwell Properties

I think we are going to give him a call...

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays - until recently.

It used to be a time to get up early and watch my children rub the sleep from their eyes, getting excited about their Easter baskets. It was a time to pack up days worth of cooking for the Easter Picnic - which was often in foul weather. It was a family tradition, dating back generations. Often we would drive over the Sierras to California to meet family for our picnic, since Nevada is often raw in the early Spring.

But lately the children are grown, and live 600 miles away. It's just not easy to be together for every holiday. And for some strange reason we forgot about Easter this year and visited our family in Portland last weekend! Why we didn't check the calendar and make it this weekend I will never know.

Anyway, we will do what we did last year and attend a lovely Easter Brunch at the Lone Eagle Grill right on Lake Tahoe. It is always festive, and after a few glasses of champagne I get over the loss of my family tradition. Next year, however, I think it's time to rally the troops and make sure I have everyone together to watch my then-four-year-old grandson compete with his cousins for eggs. I know I'll have to give up one of the other holidays but it will be worth it. I'll make potato salad and milanesa sandwiches, and watch the next generation after our children (whew!), carry on the family Easter tradition.

What do you do?

Graduate School

We have spent the last few days in Portland, Oregon visiting our family. There is nothing better than having my small grandson light up when he sees us. I remember when his mother did the same thing many years ago. He will only be goofy about his grandparents for a short time, and before we know it, he will be too cool to show excitement when we come to visit.

We had great news while we there - our youngest received acceptance to the graduate program and school that she sincerely wanted to attend! Not an easy school to get into, we hope that the education she will receive will help her to be a great teacher someday. It's what she has always wanted to do, and I know from watching her on the soccer field she is tough enough to handle high school students. I was inspired by Obama's call to the nation to encourage our children to be teachers, something our country needs, in his State of the Union address.

I will admit that I've tried to sway her in other directions, simply because we do not take education seriously in this country. Not to mention the difficult social issues our teachers are supposed to deal with on top of teaching. Add the violence in our schools, the shootings, and there is no wonder parents are not encouraging their kids to teach. Many have master degrees, yet earn a paltry salary compared to other professions. There is no doubt they must really want to teach, to go against those odds.

So our lives will change over the next couple of years. Everyone has to make sacrifices in hopes she can start her life without massive college debt. Is there anything worse than that? Other nations don't require their kids to start their lives that way. Unless we find a way to help our young people get an education without crippling debt, the United States will continue to fall behind other countries in education. We need to stop pumping our treasure into the black hole of the Military Industrial Complex and start taking care of our citizens. 

A Full House

This Thanksgiving will mark the first time in several years that my family will be together at my table for dinner. It seems that either we were in another state, we were living in too small a place (Lake Tahoe), or different members had other obligations, etc. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I am also nervous. The Thanksgiving jitters usually start a few weeks before the big event and culminate just before the dinner goes on the extended table, hopefully still hot. I'm expecting 22 for dinner this year.

The tables will extend far out into the living room. I like to have everyone seated together - even the little children. It's a formal affair with silver, china, crystal, and flowers. The only one of the year for my very casual family members. This will be the first time I will have my grandson at my Thanksgiving table, not to mention our niece and great niece. There will also be some contenders for my other niece's hearts. We will have a chance to check them out, as they do the same. There will be a puppy and a tiny little dog to keep Lucy company. They will make sure the floors are  kept free of crumbs, I'm sure.

The next day is movie and sandwich day, and also the start of the soup. We buy our tickets ahead of time if the movie is new and hard to get into. Sometimes we split up if we have little children. More and more I'm happy to go with them to the G-rated Disney movies. This year there will some who will want to see the new Harry Potter movie, which is not at all for small children. I'll have to wait for it to come out on DVD -  as I'll probably be in Tangled, a new animated movie about Rapunzel. I wouldn't even think about parting from my 2.5 year-old grandson on movie day.

Some will depart for Sacramento on Saturday, and the house will get a little quieter. We'll probably take a ride to Lake Tahoe and show off our beautiful lake to our niece who grew up in DC. Hopefully the roads will cooperate.

By Sunday morning as my daughter drives off to Portland with said niece and grand-niece it will get quieter. And by the time my older daughter is put on the plane with my grandson is will be quiet as a tomb. And time to clean up, I might add.

What about you? Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner?

You know you're getting older when...

You attend a book fair and find someone who has done a small book on your high school that is titled: Birth Of A Hawk - Proctor R. Hug High School Remembered. It was the last word that caught my eye - what do you mean remembered?

Wasn't it just 1968 and I was attending a brand new high school in Reno, the first in some time? One that had the community in an uproar because for the first time it would have white children bussed from all over the city to actually attend school with black children? It now seems so laughable.

I was drawn to the title and sure enough - I found myself in the very first picture taken of the students assembled in the school square. There was one of my girlfriends - wearing one of my cute pink dresses - which she borrowed constantly, as I remember. There was my first love and high school sweetheart, who died at age 20 of a drug overdose in San Francisco, standing next to me. My name is printed in the back as one of the first students to go all three years and graduate from this new high school.

I guess you know you're home when you can attend a book fair put on by the Historical Society and talk to an author from Austin, Nevada, who said your uncle met him every day out in Kingston (about 30 miles from Austin), to collect his mail. This, of "The Loneliest Highway" fame. Yes, the author was also the mailman. Or talk to a lady standing nearby that says she is a cousin of your nephew's father, and knew your father and uncle well.

I came home with a big bag of books, and the feeling that maybe, just maybe, I will somehow end up staying in this place where I was born. That serendipity pulled me back after only six years for a reason. Maybe I was only meant to leave for a while. Whatever fate has in store for me, maybe it's in the place that my family has lived for five generations.

Either way, it feels good to be somewhere where  'people know your name.'

Fleas

WARNING: Gross topic, don't read while eating.

When all is said and done, I think fleas are going to inherit the earth.

My daughter has only been in her apartment for three months and is now living with friends as she tries to find a place with hardwood floors. Why, you say? Why is she going to great expense, not to mention the time and energy it takes to move, so soon?  She has asthma. Places with carpet are turning out to be very unhealthy for her. Especially if those places have problems with pests.

Let's back up.

She signed a lease that had a disclaimer stating that there were no "pests" in the apartment. Being young, she signed the lease. She hadn't noticed any pests during the tour, after all. What she thought she might see would be a mouse, or spiders, certainly not fleas.


But it wasn't long before her cat was infested with them. They were all over the carpet. She dipped her cat, put a collar on her, cleaned the apartment floors, used over the counter pesticides, had an exterminator come in, but eventually the fleas literally made her cat (age 13) so sick, she had to be put to sleep.


She has found them in her bed, on her boyfriend, all over the carpet, and the last straw was her puppy (despite Advantage). She has moved out, and after giving 30-days notice, she has vacated the apartment. Now they want to hold her to the one-year lease with one-month's rent as her default. We're thinking - why exactly do you have that disclaimer in your lease? Have you had this problem before? Maybe in that very apartment? And since you have that disclaimer, how do you know there were no pests living there?


At any rate, paying for two places for the 30 days is fine - but another month to get out of a lease for an apartment that is uninhabitable seems a little over the top. They need to pull the carpet from that apartment and replace it. Evidently it's the eggs that you can't see, and can't get rid of. 


I'm so glad that I live at an altitude that does not have fleas! Little #@$%^&!

New Grand Puppy

The decision has been made. Little Lhasa goes home with my daughter on Monday!

The Quiet Returns

The house is already too quiet. Order has been restored.

The refrigerator is too full of all the things I wanted to cook in the short amount of time that they were here. The kleenex and television remote fished from under the couch. The frosting wiped from the back of the chair.

My grandson is gone.

 :-(

His mother took full advantage of having grandparents to babysit, however. Several play dates with old high school friends gave her the respite from motherhood so desired in this life stage. She mentioned that the friends she grew up with also have the ability to keep her laughing. They've had years of helping her create a shared sense of humor, after all. She started kindergarten with most of them.

So quiet it will be for another few days.

Then the vegetarian cookbooks come out for my youngest daughter, who is currently obsessed with finding a puppy. At twenty-three she doesn't believe me when I tell her the desire to nurture a puppy is often a precursor for wanting a baby. She doesn't draw the correlation. But that doesn't stop her from wishing she could have a "puppy shower" for needed puppy accouterments such as a puppy stroller - so needed when puppy needs a nap, or "has had too much sand," she says.

And can also be used for transporting stuff at music festivals, of course.

Toy Story Three

So off we went to the movie with our 21/2 year old grandson today. He is all things Toy Story, and transports his Buzz Lightyear and Woody everywhere he goes. What was surprising? The tears in my eyes at the end of the movie. I won't be a spoiler of endings - but just let me say - I'm glad I saved my older daughter's Polly Pockets and my younger daughter's Floppy Dolls.

Pulling them out of their boxes for my grandson to play with, and watching his mother enjoy her toys as much as he was, made hauling them around for three moves definitely worth it.

After all, toys are people too!

Entertaining

We are finally settled enough in our new home to entertain. One of my very favorite things to do. Today a dear friend will arrive for about a week, followed by our daughter and grandson, followed by our youngest daughter. For all of you parents out there that live far from your children - I know you understand my excitement!

I found this very "cool" popsicle maker. My husband and I have tried freezing orange juice and they were wonderful. I'm hoping to make some really fun ones with my grandson. I splurged on the fast freeze maker because it will make the popsicle in 7-9 minutes - which is about the attention span of a toddler. (It will make up to 9 popsicles from a single freezing of the maker.) My thoughts are that he can help me make them, and then eat his hard work while he is still thinking about it. :-)

In the meantime my husband is enjoying my healthy experiments. I'm going to try grape juice tonight. Or how about blueberry lemon-verbena?

Rest In Peace, Auntie

Some lives are harder than others. My Aunt had one of those.

Born late in life to her parents, she was always loved, but the family had moved on from small children. Some in the small town in which they lived thought she was actually the illegitimate daughter of her older sister, age 18, who would eventually become my mother. Of course, she wasn't, but the stigma would follow her like a cloud through life. A dark cloud followed her everywhere.

She was caught in a fire that destroyed the family restaurant, while still in her crib. Caught in the back, she was left to perish until her older brother broke free from those holding the family back and raced in to save his baby sister. He would be known as the family hero, especially by her.

They rushed her, wrapped in sheets, from the small town of Gerlach, 100 miles to the nearest town which was Reno, Nevada. She was badly burned, thought not to make it. She did. She was always bucking expectations.

Scarred for life, she had a tough one. The same uncle once said that she never mentally matured beyond age 18. He was right. She never did.

She was desperate for love. Desperate for someone to care enough for her to give her what everyone around her had. But only used and abused, it never happened. She never quit looking - in all the wrong places.

A son, without the father. Raised with the help of her mother. A prison term of 18 months for a mistake made while trying to ingratiate herself with the wrong people. No one was ever hurt, or a victim of any crime. She never got over it. Never recovered from it. Was forever terrified of authority. Her one and only brush with the law. Cementing the fact that the poor go to prison and the rich hire lawyers that evade even the most heinous crimes.

The last ten years were in bed, cared for by her son and his family. Felled by congestive heart failure and diabetes, one leg amputated, the other in jeopardy. Beautiful grandchildren that she adored, so proud of their accomplishments.

After my visit earlier in the month, she evidently didn't make it home again. I have no idea why she wasn't taken home that day - she was waiting to go. But instead she was sent to a convalescent home. It must have been such a blow. All she had with her were some pictures of her dogs - long gone, but not forgotten.

Her heart stopped five times last night. They revived her every time.

Until this morning.

Now she can go home, walk into the arms of those that love her, free from pain.

Rest in peace, Auntie. Give my Mama a kiss, okay?

A Nudge From Beyond

In Trish and Rob's book 7 Secrets of Synchronicity they talk about the interconnectedness of all beings. How sometimes we are nudged in directions that we don't always understand when it is happening.

Last week I was unboxing and going through some really old stuff that has been stored in a trunk that my brother made for me. In my exuberance to rid myself of "stuff," I came across a box that belonged to my mother. I'm not sure when it was given to me, but I think it was when my grandmother died about ten years ago. I was busy with children and work at the time and didn't go through the box, which had  Joyce's Correspondence, on the top. My mother died when I was six years old.

When I opened the box there was a picture of my aunt, my mother's sister, on the top. She was about five years old in the picture. I immediately felt guilty for not visiting her in way too long. My aunt is completely disabled from diabetes, having one leg amputated and completely bedridden. We talk occasionally on the phone and I send her money and other things that she needs when I can. But I have avoided visiting her because it is just painful and unpleasant. I know, selfish of me. But she lives in California and we have been living in Oregon and Minnesota, so visiting has been easy to avoid. I might add that she lives with her son and his family, so she is surrounded by people she loves, she is not alone.

But that doesn't excuse me. I know that.

Just as I was leaving for Sacramento (where she lives) I get a call from my brother. He says our aunt is in the hospital and may not make it. Visiting her is now unavoidable, as I am heading in that direction for the 4th of July at my brother's house.

All I can say is thank you to the nudges I was given, including the picture in the box of my mother's correspondence. She was awake and feeling well enough that she was heading home that day. My aunt was so happy to see me, and my brother, that it brought tears to my eyes. She kept saying how much she loved us.

I don't know how much longer she has, probably not long. She has congestive heart failure, diabetes, and may lose her other leg. For a woman that is only 61 years old, she is not in good shape. But for me it was a lesson learned. I'll make a point of trying to see her every few months. It was not as bad as I had feared, and the good that came of it far outweighed the bad. My mother and grandmother would want me to take care of her in any way that I can. So that is what I will do.

I've hidden money in her bag, to dole out to her grandchildren. I've ordered new hospital gowns for her, and sent her a bottle of her favorite perfume - Poison by Christian Dior.

But more importantly, I'll gift her with a visit from someone who loves her.

Overwhelmed

Surrounded by unopened boxes, what am I doing right now? Blogging, of course. When in need of distraction - what could be better?

For some reason this move has been harder than the last two. I am having a very difficult time throwing out food that was in storage for two years. With so many hungry - it seems such a travesty. But without knowing what is spoiled and what is not, most of it is going. The temperatures in Minnesota are extreme, leaving even canned goods suspect. The boxes remain stacked next to the pantry. They've been there a week so far.

On top of a move, we will have company tonight and tomorrow night. My nephew is graduating high school and family will be here from out of town. I need to make a cabbage salad - an absolute favorite of my family, and requested by my sister:

Fume Chicken Salad

1/2 head cabbage, shredded
4 green onions, chopped
2 TBL sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 C slivered almonds, toasted
1 chicken breast (marinated in teriyacki sauce) - cooked, cooled, sliced thinly
1 pkg Top Ramen noodles (without seasoning), crumbled

Dressing

1/2 C canola oil
3 TBL rice vinegar (I always use more)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt or soy sauce
1/2 pkg dry mixture from soup

Just before serving, break up dry Ramen noodles; add dressing and toss.

I always double this recipe, as it goes that fast!

My brother just called for directions to my house. Eek!

Lindz is getting married!

I'm currently in Portland to attend my daughter's friend Lindz's wedding. She is marrying the most adorable man tomorrow night and to say we are excited for her is an understatement. We've enjoyed following along with her and her lovely mother through all of the planning, and now the day is almost here.

My older daughter will be a bridesmaid in the wedding, and my youngest is actually having her hair done in celebration. If you knew my youngest, you'd understand the importance of that event. As for me, I'm celebrating with a manicure and pedicure.

So hopefully I will have a picture or two to post on Sunday... stay tuned, and have a great weekend, everyone!

Some Drawbacks

There are definitely some drawbacks to my husband returning to work. Spoiled, I know, but I am quite used to having my coffee delivered to me in my chair by the window each morning.  I miss having my breakfast cooked and delivered to same chair by the window as I check my blogs. I have a humidifier that is constantly out of water, and I haven't had to vacuum in two years. Now I'm expected to remember the dry cleaning and to pick up the mail. Not to mention cooking. My husband now wants dinner. (Can you imagine?) Gone is the don't bother with dinner dear, I've been snacking all afternoon.

But the worst part about him returning to work? I have to do dog duty. Yep, without even my morning coffee to sustain me, I have to follow my dog around with a little pink bag at 7:00 a.m. after slipping and sliding down a damp incline and crossing a creek. That is so not right.

Paying Attention

So many of us ask for answers to our questions, but how often do we listen for the answers?

My younger daughter has been struggling with what she wants to do for post-graduate studies. She is leaning toward nursing school, and has started the process to begin the pre-requisites to apply. But she isn't totally sure that she doesn't want to go into Naturopathic Medicine, of which there is a really good school in Portland. It is exactly like entering medical school, in terms of curriculum and cost. Not a decision to make unless one is fully engaged.

Yesterday she was buying some veggies from a fruit and vegetable stand when the man behind the counter said he was a clairvoyant/psychic and was picking up on her "frequencies." He said he saw her doing something with healing, children, and plants. He saw plant starts, but didn't know what kind. He also said her father's father was around her.

Now for someone to say these things out of the blue is odd, but what is even more odd is that her grandfather passed away a year ago and was a doctor who, while being an Internist, believed in preventative care to the extreme. This daughter is very interested in plants and sustainable gardening, asking to attend the Master Gardner program as a recent graduation gift. She took this as a possible answer to her question - nursing school or naturopathic medicine.

My point is that we often ask questions to difficult questions, but don't always pay attention when the answers come our way. We expect them to come verbally, or in some way definitive. I think we need to pay attention to subtle cues and gentle reminders that often come to us in obscure ways. Whether or not you believe this man to be a psychic, he gave her information that she needed. Her desire to heal and her love of plants can be combined in a naturopathic way, which is something I see for the future as more and more people become aware of the inherent risks of a pharma-based medical system.

Which makes me wonder how many of my own questions could be answered if only I were paying attention?

Boy Handled

That's what my husband has been calling our trip to Oregon tomorrow. He tells everyone we are going to be "boy handled."

It will be an experience. Our grandson has not been apart from his mother and father for over 24 hours in any one stretch. They will leave for 10 days to Costa Rica, and we will be the care providers of a two year old firmly attached to his parents. We have no idea how he will handle this separation, but we intend to thoroughly enjoy being with him. Now that my playmate is returning to work, this will be our last getaway for a while. Luckily the new company is allowing him to work from Portland, as I would have been alone with my little guy. (It's been quite a while since I've handled a two year old all by myself.) This way his Gumpa will have some quality time before our lives become tied down once again.

In other news, my youngest will be home from Thailand on Friday. Not a moment too soon for her family. She lost her only form of money the second day she was there! Thank goodness for Western Union and Internet cafes. Maybe next time she will listen to her mother when she tells her to take two ways of accessing money while traveling.

On second thought. Probably not.

Keep Her Safe, World!

Terra Galleria Photography - Thailand

The hardest thing for me to do is to let my children go off into the world. I know I have to do it. But it just wrenches me in a way that is impossible to describe. We spend our lives protecting them. Then at some point we're pushed out of the equation. We are no longer in charge. And while we know, on a deep level, that we've never really been in charge, we have at least had some idea of where in the world they were at any given time. Not so when they hit a certain age. That's when they make their own decisions to expand their universe.  Off they go, and we have no idea where they are. We know what country, but that's about it.

They'll travel in their own way, without benefit of knowing exactly where they will sleep that night. They will meet people without benefit of their parent's spidey sense, hopefully depending on their own. We did our best to develop it in them, after all. We paid for the inoculations, made sure they were carrying "Deet," sent them all the State Department updates, warned them against carrying their passport where it could be lost or stolen. We assure them we will pony up money if it looks like they will run out (and maybe make a poor decision about where to sleep, what to eat.) But after that? We have to let them go...

We ask the world to watch out for them. Keep them safe. Return them to us, please.

So I'm sending it out there -  Please world, watch out for my little girl. She is sweet, kind, a humanitarian. Her mother often learns from her. She's worth protecting. And if I come across yours? I'll be happy to return the favor!