Love Bomb

I've posted in the past about Hate Bombs - those emails that you receive that start out funny or interesting and then they drop a Hate Bomb - usually something about Obama.

Well I found a site that does the exact opposite. Every Thursday I receive an email about someone that needs encouragement - maybe they are depressed, or going through a hard time. Then I have the option to go to that person's blog and leave a word of encouragement. It is easy, it is positive, and it just might make a difference in someone's life. If you have someone you would like to nominate for a Love Bomb, you can do that as well.

This week I dropped by a blog written by a mommy whose tiny baby was about to go through open heart surgery. At last count she had 113 commenters.

If you are interested, you can join here. Go ahead - drop a Love Bomb!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sheet Rant

When did sheets get so expensive? Why are they so complicated? And more importantly - why am I so fussy about sheets?

I know this is a low priority problem compared to some, but what are blogs for if not to occasionally rant about low-priority dumb stuff? It's the mundane that takes up a huge part of our lives.

I've been sheet shopping this week. The bottom sheet seems to have sprung a tear - just when they were the most soft and comfortable. Of course it's that way. Just when something is perfect, we find ourselves in replacement mode.

My first stop was the Internet. Just to remind myself what constitutes a good sheet - softness, durability, sheen, color, price. Of course it must be 100% cotton for maximum comfort, at least for those of us that are hot, not hot, hot, not hot, hot... Egyptian cotton is the most sturdy, with long fibers. So I'm looking for high thread count for softness, Egyptian cotton for durability, sateen finish for comfort, in the color Ivory. (I'm known for my comfortable beds - mine should be no exception!)

Next stop was Macy's, and a very sweet young man who knew his sheets. He steered me to two different ones, and I made my choice. Off to the check stand ---  total price - $800. No, that is not a typo! $800 for one set of sheets and (2) extra pillowcases.

Next stop - Bed, Bath & Beyond. I found 750 count, 100% Egyptian cotton sheets with a satin sheen in Ivory. Great. Only $199. Much better, I thought. Although spending $200 on sheets should be something that that is off-putting,  but after looking at so many sheets, I'm happy to pay it. Off to the check stand.

Okay, so the sheet set was $199 but I needed an extra set of pillowcases. The extra set of pillowcases came to $69. That is $35 per pillowcase! Really?? 

So there is my consumer rant for the year. I hope not have to buy sheets for several years, but when I do - I plan to go into our 401k to pay for them.

Addendum: The additional pillow cases, once washed, were a different color.  Geeze. Back to BBB. Or maybe my old ones will do...

Letting Go

July is the month for letting go, according to channeler and energy worker, Lee Harris. You can read his energy forecast for July here.  He says we may need to surround ourselves with different people. Some of our old relationships may not fit this new energy. He also refers to the nervousness and lack of settling in many people, and that we cannot fail to be affected by these energies.


Yet he reminds us -  all is well - no matter how it looks.

I have found this to be true in my own life. Some people are not, shall we say, relaxed? We need to let their stuff move on through. Most of us have enough of our own stuff without taking on their stuff, right? Letting go of the old, especially old wounds and activities that no longer serve, has been part of my personal paradigm for a while now.

Coincidentally, my husband and I have also experienced a renewal of old friendships that have been on the back burner for many years. Friendships that were almost forgotten. In one day we had three sets of old friends call and want to get together.

So what do you think that is about?

Do our friendships serve certain functions at different times in our lives? Maybe circling back around as we enter into new life stages? Could we be looking back to old friendships that may share our value systems, because many that we are around now do not? Or maybe we just want to see if the spark is still there...

You can watch Lee's forecast for 2011 here.

This is just a little reminder that it's okay to let go sometimes.

Hot Town - Summer In The City

Whew, I guess summer is finally here. It's supposed to be 93 today. I don't know about the rest of you, but all I want to do is lay next to the lake and read novels. I haven't read much of anything of any real value for some time now. But maybe that's what summer is all about - a time to soak up some sun and let your mind wander.

As for me, it's Lake Tahoe time. Cool blue water beckons. The fact that it's icy cold and I will probably only walk out to my waist for another few weeks has not deterred my determination to eventually make the final dive and swim. It's the first one of the season that's always the hardest.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Community Herbalism & Natural Medicine

There are big things going on in the world of change. We often don't hear about them, and they go unnoticed by most of us, so I would like to pass this along because prescription drugs are a bugaboo with me, as most of you know. We are being prescribed more and more drugs at younger and younger ages, and it is scary how many prescription drugs are now being prescribed to children. My posts here and here talk about this problem.

Secret Notebooks and Wild Pages has done a post on Community Herbalism and Natural Medicine that is well worth your time to read. The Thread is a community based educational program located on the East Coast. Please visit her  to see if this might be something you could advocate in your area, or if you live nearby, you may want to stop by for a visit.

It's time to plant the seeds of how we want to see the world change. It will not get done unless everyone decides to do their small part.

I also believe it's time to go back to nature to address many of our present-day illnesses. Mother Nature has always provided for us. We've just been led to believe otherwise.

Revolution/Evolution

Are we beginning to see a youthful revolution? Have they finally had enough of the old ways? War, greed, and out-of-control capitalism have left too many angry and out of the loop. The polarization of the haves and the have nots, the unending consumerism and decimation of our planet, the lack of integrity of our political leaders may have finally come home to roost. And what is interesting is that it appears to be spreading from country to country all over the world.

Coming out of the Fourth of July holiday, I thought this video appropriate for the times:

Grandma Hat

It's time, once again, to swap my armchair-philosopher hat for my grandma hat.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy Fourth of July to all of my American friends!