Heading Home

It has been a whole year since I've been to Tahoe.  It was October of last year that we left for Portland, intending to move more of our life to the city closest to our children. At that time I started an Intention Board (previous post) for a boat to keep in the San Juan Islands. Our intention was to sell Tahoe and take up a new adventure. Well, that didn't happen. We're actually quite grateful that we are not now worrying about how to take care of a boat as our life circumstances changed. Living in two places is difficult enough.

I look forward to seeing old friends, having lunches and dinners with people I've known most of my life. It's been hard going through what we have without the benefit of friends and family. We are lucky to have a couple of old friends in Portland full time, and a few friends that pass through when they are visiting their children that live here. But, for the most part, we depend on each other for social interaction. Great until one of you gets sick, and the other one needs use a shoulder to cry on, or a giant glass of wine over lunch. Our daughters are great, but they are dealing with their own issues with their father being sick. And they are busy with their own lives, which is how it should be.

So we're heading back to Nevada tomorrow. I look forward to the creek behind our condo and the smell of pine in the thin mountain air. Rich is feeling great and nearly back to his old self. He was unable to continue chemo because he just couldn't tolerate it. The doctor sent him home and told him to enjoy his life and bring back pictures. What this will mean in the long run is uncertain. But then, everything about this disease is uncertain. His tumor was unmethelated, which means the chemo was not going to be as effective, and since he literally quit eating and drinking for several weeks, it was clear he would not survive the "cure."

So we live in the moment, day by day. And tomorrow we're going home!

Forty Years

(My husband and I with our lives stretched out before us.)

A few weeks ago a dear friend died, leaving his wife of 45-years and a young, vibrant family behind. He died way too soon. His funeral was last week. Attending were a myriad of people, bits and pieces of his life throughout his lifespan.

He and I met while I was still riding my bike around the block - around 13 years old. Throughout the years we shared many memories, a lifetime of laughs, and a few tears. We've been a part of different groups of people, corresponding to whatever our interests were at the time. But throughout, we have remained friends. Separate, but somehow together.

As I've mentioned, a diverse group of people attended the funeral, but none more interesting than the group we were friends with at the beginning. The ones we were friends with while on the cusp of early adulthood. I had not seen many of these people for 40+ years. We literally lost touch for the bulk of our lives. We went from young and hot (a euphemism used by several), to grandparents in a blink of an eye. The middle years somehow cut from the whole, leaving bookends, instead of chapters.

We caught up on marriages, children, illnesses, and gossip. Was there really some question about the gun used in our friend's suicide 25 years ago? Could her husband have been the culprit? How is your sister? Did she ever marry that guy you hated? Seriously? They want to remove your entire colon? You talked to my ex-husband last week? I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your daughter....

On and on we tried to fill in the blanks. To match the face in front of us to the face we remembered. The twenty-something that had life stretching out before them, with everything still to come, to the face that has had its share of pain, strife, struggle, and joy. Grandchildren. Comparing numbers, you could see the pride we all shared in our little ones. Most were close to their own children and had good relationships with extended family. A few struggled with substance-abuse issues and one or two actually found themselves in really bad circumstances at some point in their lives.

(My dearly-departed friend.)

One thing stood out. None of us were unscathed. We all had something that we endured that put a wrinkle here or worry-line there. I guess that's what life is about. Dealing with the curve balls as best we can and enjoying the small things that life has to offer. Like old friends catching up on the years, sharing stories about the ones that are no longer at the table.

He would have loved every minute of it.

I hate to say this, but I might have to do Facebook.

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.

7 Secrets of Synchronicity

I've finished 7 Secrets, and as is my policy to pass on information that could be useful to some of you, here is my review:

As some of you may know, I met the MacGregors while they were doing the research for this book. They were just starting their blog, and had put a Goggle Alert for the word "synchronicity." Up popped my blog with this post. We later met for lunch while we were all in the Columbia River Gorge area. They were in Hood River on vacation, and we were in Portland visiting our children. So I have been looking forward to the outcome of their hard work for some time.

I was not disappointed. It is well-researched and well-written. Using anecdotal stories, many from bloggers, the book helps you to realize how the world is so much more than we ever believed it to be. That blogging in itself, may be synchronicity at work in a very powerful way. How often have you found information from blogs that you may have been seeking, or needing and didn't realize it, until you read it on a blog?

The seven secrets of synchronicity, as explained in this book, breaks down the components of synchronicity. Explaining what it is, how it works, how to recognize it in your own life, and more importantly, how to have more of it! Understanding what it is enables the individual to live on a deeper level, more in tuned to their environment, other people, and other living creatures. This book shows us how to recognize the incredible interconnectedness we all share, and how to respect it.

I also enjoyed the "Divining Synchronicity" section of the book. I have always been very curious about I Ching and Tarot cards, but didn't really understand how they work, and how they can be a useful tool in everyday life. Now that I'm past my grandmother's voice telling me all things divining are the devil's work, I can follow my instincts regarding energy, consciousness, and connection. So I have ordered a brand new set of Tarot cards. I'll keep you updated on my new adventure.

I believe the human being is going through an evolution. I think that these ways of "knowing" will someday be the norm and what we feel to be cutting edge will one day be archaic. But for now, this book will appeal to those who feel as I do - the world is changing and so are we. It's time to embrace the  paradigms of the future.

Soul Groups

After yesterday's post, I thought I would do some research on soul groups. Whether or not you believe in such things, the thought of "soul groups" or groups of souls that come together is rather interesting to contemplate. This from Crystalinks:


Do you feel that there is a group of souls on the planet, that you are supposed to meet, and do some spiritual work with?


The group could be you, and one other person, or several people, who are all on your frequency. You sense each other's presence. They may be other aspects of your soul wanting to come together.


The Internet has been instrumental in bringing soul groups together.


But this feeling goes beyond the Internet. It is a feeling in your soul, you sense these people, often living in areas not near your home.


The people who share our journeys vary as we learn and move on.


If you feel that is time to meet them, and they too are in readiness, synchronicities will reunite you. You must feel this tugging in your soul.


Many people want to have metaphysical adventures, but they have no free time - work, school, family, or other obligations fill up their time. When you are ready, you will make time, and it will be amazing.


You need amazing in your life.


There is nothing more fun that meeting someone on the same path....you speak the same language...often the written word is not needed. You realize that you are going through something together that will make you more aware when you are finished...like taking a voyage.


If you sense these souls....just relax your mind and body...clear your thoughts....see yourself as a beacon of light....send out a message...they will hear you.


They may come in to help with healing and clearing, or for something beyond.


You will recognize each other and move forward.


You never know who may show up.

My New Home

I'm moving into my new home. Next Tuesday our things should arrive from Minnesota.

It isn't exactly what I was expecting for my next home. No, not at all what I pictured in my mind.

Two years ago, almost to the month, we put our "home" in storage, after selling our house in Minnesota, and moved to Tahoe, into our very small vacation home. Thinking everything would be a short time in storage, certainly not two years, we stored almost everything except for a few clothes. After all, the place at the Lake had all the other things we would need for our short stay. What we couldn't have anticipated, of course, was the economic meltdown our country would experience.

Two years later my husband has accepted a job right back where we started six years ago - my home town. Time to think about a place for our stuff things. The only problem? We have changed. No longer needed is the big home and all the trappings. We can be happy in a downsized environment. But we need a place to do that. A home big enough to hold all the stuff things until we can go through them to sift the gems from the chaff, such as the tiny silver container that holds my children's first teeth, or the gold-sprayed noodle "jewelry box,"made by my youngest in Brownies.  Or what about that Christmas decoration my daughter made in first grade of dough that looks exactly like she did at that age? No, I need time. Time to go through everything we've accumulated over thirty years of marriage, time to decipher what's important and what can move on.

Enter our new home: Looking for a home to lease has become rather easy in this economy. Who knew really nice homes would be available for less than our mortgage payment on our last house, without gambling the down payment, and being tethered to a mortgage? Who knew that we would be in a home much nicer than what we would have looked to buy, if we had decided to do that? Craigslist has many homes I was thrilled to look at, and contemplate renting. The only problem was getting the owners to take them off the market for 2+ years. (Our lease is for two, and a third at our request. By then, my husband hopes to permanently retire and we will move to the Portland area, probably buying our "forever" home.)

So this new environment of leasing one's home is new for both lessors and lessees. When we finally made a decision between three, all of which would have worked for us, the owner asked to meet us and Lucy, our lab. Obviously she was concerned about a big dog on her property and in her beautiful home. They had only cats.

Lucy passed the muster, and we were seated at her dining room table when we started to talk about each other and how we came to be at this place in time.

She said they had thriving business when they decided to take on a partner. This partner ran their business into the ground, severing long-forged relationships and basically ruining everything they had worked their lives to build. They had been in litigation and the result was that they could not work within 50 miles of the mutually owned business for five years. The severe downturn in the economy also hadn't helped.  They had decided to move to California and pursue other avenues until the five years was over, traveling back to the area for nine days every six weeks to keep an eye on the business.

Unfortunately the economy had not only wreaked havoc on their business, but had also left them unable to sell their beautiful home. They were stuck. At this point I asked what kind of business they owned,  and she said a hair salon and medical spa. A light bulb goes off and I ask her if it's @#$%$ Salon? She says yes, and I tell her it was the salon I frequented when I lived there six years ago, but had noticed it had completely changed since I had returned. And it had. It was almost completely empty when I made an appointment. It used to have about 25 hairdressers, often a six week lead time for my hairdresser, a full upscale spa, etc. Now it had about three people working. No one in the waiting area or spa. I thought it had been the economy. At that point I told her who my hairdresser had been and she was shocked! It was her husband! My hairdresser was now renting me his lovely home! He enters from the bedroom area and remembers me with a hug, telling the realtor that he needed to know no more financial background from us because he trusted me.

We feel so fortunate to have sold our home in Minnesota, just as the downturn was gaining momentum, that our intention was to help someone else out, if at all possible. A symbiotic relationship, mutually beneficial, was the goal. We have that and more. I have offered to let them show the house the last month or two that we are living there. Houses usually show better with furniture, and I've learned how to sell a house. Three houses in five years - I know all the tricks. (Washing machines are great places to put stuff from the counter when the realtor calls and wants to show in the next 30 minutes.)

We will live in a lovely environment with a view of the city, something I had always wanted. They, in turn, found a brand new condo on the ocean that was willing to lease, completely furnished. They will only move their beds and the rest will go into storage, until the next chapter. Which, by the way, she says will entail downsizing.

Good Time Had By All

It was a fabulous wedding. Gorgeous bride, handsome groom, funny speeches, and really nice people (especially at my table). The dinner was delish and the wine flowed. I had a wonderful time - maybe a little too much of a good time, actually. After finally getting to bed around 2:00 a.m., I sported a bit of a headache the next day. Which may explain the reason that I did not get one good picture! I snapped away, taking 56 pictures and not one good picture of the bride and groom! And only a couple of pictures that turned out at all. Geesh

That's what I get for taking the camera that fit in my evening bag. Oh, and chasing down the waiter taking that bottle of white wine off the table...

I'm hoping her mom, who pulled off a flawless evening for 250 guests, gets to put her feet up this week.  For all of you mothers and mothers-in-law who are doing weddings in the next couple of months - all I can say is be sure to eat your Wheaties. I have to admit, it's far easier to be a guest. My daughter's wedding was small and intimate and I felt like doing nothing more than lying on the beach for a week after.

But they are always worth it. What's better than watching two young people start their lives together amid fun, laughter, wine and roses, surrounded by those that care the most for them? So congratulations to Nick and Lindz - may you have many, many happy years.

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!

Girl's Night

I'm visiting my daughter in Portland this week and one of my favorite places is the Northwest 23rd, or alphabet blocks, part of the city. Full of old victorians and posh condos, it has plenty of shopping and restaurants of all persuasions. My daughter and I met one of her best friends and her mother for dinner tonight and had the best time! Our dinner at The Matador was wonderful, and the drinks were well appreciated. What is it about getting together with friends of the same sex that allows for a sense of renewal? My husband, happy back in the mountains, is hosting his annual get-together with the boys for four days of skiing, wine, and red meat.

I guess we just need time once in a while to talk about the things that are interesting only to others who noodle on the same thoughts. We talked weddings, hair, makeup, friends, and shoes. None of the things my husband and his friends are talking about, I'm sure. They're talking finance, politics, snow, and skis!

Spring Cleaning

I'm in the process of cleaning up my blog. I have been following many people that either have not posted in several months, have not commented here, or have eliminated their blog altogether. So I stopped following several. However, if I stopped following you and you do stop by here occasionally, or may return to your blog eventually, please let me know! I will be more than happy to add you back. I would hate to lose a friend that is just taking a break.

Remember, many of you are followed on my dashboard, not just on my sidebar. I still go there to check up on people I haven't heard from in a while. But if you haven't commented here, nor have you written on your blog in three months, I'm assuming you have moved along. In that case, I wish you all well, and if you return at some later date - please drop by.

New Synchronicity Wesbsite

Trish & Rob MacGregor started a new website for their soon-to-be published book "Seven Secrets of Synchronicity." I've spent some time clicking around on the site and found it to be very interesting and informative. If you are puzzled about what synchronicity is all about, or you have a story to share with them, by all means - pay this site a visit.

I had the good fortune to meet the MacGregors while they vacationed in Hood River, Oregon, and we were visiting family in Portland. Since they live on the other side of the country - it was synchronicity that brought us together for lunch. They had placed a "Google alert" for "synchronicity" while working on their book, (yes, you can have Google work for you), and my blog post just happened to come up. Again, synchronicity. They were just the people I needed to meet at that time of my life. Trust me, they are very knowledgeable.

This has happened more than once. Issues that I may be working on just happen to come up in another person's blog post. Sidebars will show websites or other blogs that turn out to be just what I'm looking for. I've read a ton of books that inspire and facilitate my writing because someone recommended them to me in their comments, or better yet, in comments to another person. Some bloggers have become email friends, and we exchange thoughts on a variety of subjects. People with lives so different from mine, so far away from me, but sharing common interests. They often show up encouraging, or offering advice, just when I need it the most. The more that I'm aware of synchronicity in my life, the more alive I feel.

What about you - have you experienced synchronicity lately?

Fondue

We went out to dinner with friends last night to a local restaurant that serves fondue. If you have never had this fun meal, trust me - it's ideal for a cold winter night when you want to extend the meal to include plenty of wine and conversation. This particular dinner included both the cheese and the hot oil pot. It had a very cool butane burner that I finally found through Amazon.com which keeps the oil nice and hot. Much better than sterno. I've added it to my "wish list":

We have always had fondue for New Year's Eve. We never enjoyed the forced feeling of frivolity, preferring to stay home and have a nice fondue dinner in front of the fire. We start with a toast of champagne, and open a really good bottle of red to follow.

This year we have offered to babysit our grandson so our daughter and son-in-law can go out. I wonder if they will eventually decide to stay home as well. It is a great time to look over the past year and decide what worked, what didn't, and where you would like to go in the new year. At any rate, fondue is a fun way to spend an evening.

Last Big Weekend

I'm feeling the end of summer, the beginning of fall, here in the mountains. With it comes a pensive feeling for the start of winter. I always seem to feel this way at this time of the year. It's not that I don't like winter, I actually love it. No, it has more to do with the isolation that winter will bring. Snow, icy roads, a 25 mile drive on winding roads to Reno, and a mountain pass to get to Sacramento, where my brother lives. So, we will not head out as often. My husband will buy a season pass to his favorite ski resort, but I will need to find my own release from cabin fever. I quit skiing several years ago, after a particularly bad fall. I realized I was never a good skier, and I had actually become downright dangerous.

There is a new Pilate's studio nearby, so between that and the big indoor pool for swimming, I will keep going with my goal of losing weight, and getting fit.

We are enjoying this last big weekend. Dinner with friends from Arizona last night, a lunch-party with my cousin this afternoon, followed by a friend's birthday party in another part of Reno this evening. He is from New York and is having cold cuts flown in for his party. Evidently Reno lacks in the cold-cut department.

We feel blessed to have friends and family this weekend. We feel blessed to have a home, and enough of everything. We'll pass on thinking about our problems for the day. Instead we will live in the moment, and be thankful for all that we have that is so wonderful in our lives.

Where do the years go?

One of my girlfriends, that has been a friend for over 35 years, come up to spend the night and go to the lake with me today. It was fun catching up, as we rarely talk on the phone more than a couple times a year. But many years ago, when we were both very young and single, we developed a tradition of going to the lake at least once a year. When we first started going we had our bottle of wine and some towels, maybe a sandwich, and headed for the beaches you have to hike down from the road to access.

Over the years that changed to the crowded Sand Harbor beach with very soft sand that our children played in with their buckets and shovels. It has an area that is protected and shallow - which makes it warmer than the lake and ideal for little swimmers.

A few years ago my daughters and her daughter quit going with us, opting to go to the lake with their friends (to the beaches you hike down to access.)

This year our day was spent on the West end of the lake at a park that was an old mansion and playground for the rich and famous during the days of the Comstock and timber barrons out of San Francisco.

You can tour the mansion and the grounds and/or sit under some lovely trees on rolling green grass the extends down to the beach and water:

We sat mostly under the trees, as tanning is not something either of us does anymore, sans the bottle of wine. Wine? In the middle of the day at the beach? Ummm who's DD? We didn't swim much, something that we have always enjoyed doing together. But we talked and enjoyed the view, and the companionship that comes from years of knowing one another. We caught up on what our children were doing, how their lives have turned out so far, what they aspire to in the future.

We realized that time has marched right along. Our children are now in charge of their lives, making their own decisions, creating their worlds. Ours has changed. We are slowing down, enjoying the little things, the small moments. Our bodies have changed, our hair, wrinkles have appeared. But we are still the same in so many ways. All the little ways that attracted us to each other all those years ago. We may think differently, but we respect each other. We know each other's tender places, because we were there when they were experienced. The scars that are healed now, but were once so raw.

And we wonder - what is in store for us now? How many more years will we come to the lake for our day?

Measure for Measure

Every year there is a Shakespeare On The Lake series. It's held on Sand Harbor, which is also our favorite beach. This year the two plays that you could choose from were Measure For Measure, or Much Ado About Nothing. We went to Measure for Measure last night with a group of friends.

There is something magical about watching a great play, written by The Bard himself, while enjoying a good bottle of wine and wonderful food. You can either bring a picnic, or buy there. We chose to buy dinner there, and some of us had grilled tri-tip sandwiches or grilled fish tacos. The menus were varied and well-prepared, showcasing fresh vegetables and lean meats.

As I sat watching the sun go down on the Lake, and stars appear in the sky, I swear I could smell the beautiful clear water. I have always thought water didn't have a smell, unless it was chlorinated or not clean, but now I can actually smell water, including the stream running behind our house. Fresh clean water is what I am grateful for today. It is our last day on the beach with our daughter and grandson, and I will drive back to Portland with them tomorrow for a few days. So today is our last summer day together. It's bitter-sweet, and I will enjoy it to the max.

Hope your summer is going well, I have enjoyed reading your blogs this past week. On occasion I've tried leaving comments that have been eaten by Google. As soon as I pick a "user" which is Google, my comment disappears. Especially for those blogs outside the US. Firefox won't even let me sign in, so I've been using Safari. Anyway, I will visit you again. Have a great day!

Party Pack

For those of you new to my blog, we moved from the city in which I was born and raised (Reno, NV), and lived for 50 years, (OMG 50?), to Portland OR for 2.5 years and then 2 years in the Twin Cities. For all of my life I can remember wanting to move and live somewhere else other than where I was born. Before we moved to Portland we bought a place at Lake Tahoe, about 25 minutes from Reno, and kept it while living elsewhere. So we always had one foot back in my home state.

One of the things I noticed when I moved to these other areas was how hard it was to establish new friendships. In fact what I noticed was that friendships, real friendships, require time and energy. Or they need to have some kind of history in order to be meaningful. Otherwise they are acquaintances. We no longer attend school functions, so friendships were not formed while sitting on bleachers for hours watching our children play soccer, or dance recitals, or school functions and carpools. We met our neighbors, but because of lifestage differences, the friendships were warm but not conducive to being very close. We found that our true friendships remained back in Nevada, where we had left our history.

Which brings me to last night. We were invited to a very old friend's home to welcome back their son who has been deployed with the Navy. To say we had fun is an understatement. There is something about toasts in your honor, great big meaningful hugs, and a "party pack". A party pack is a pack of very thin Capri cigarettes that my friends and I would occasionally indulge, after several glasses of wine, since our children were tiny and easily ditched for ten minutes. They were carefully hidden in the recesses of our shelves in the garage of our home of 16 years. Which was right behind the home of said friends, and right next door to other neighbors who had children the same age. We raised our children together, spent hours and hours talking, laughing, drinking boxed wine, trading coupons, cooking huge potluck dinners, and occasionally disappearing for a cig (gasp!) Women only.

So last night was all about reminiscing. One conversation was about my children being fifth-generation native Nevadans, and that Bruno, a little bar owner in Gerlach, Nevada, known far and wide as the "voice of Nevada" to anyone attending Burning Man, is actually a fraud, having only moved here in the 1950's. My father's family moved there in the 1800's. Who else would care about that story? No one outside of a small circle of long-time Nevadans, believe me!

Little did I know I am known far and wide for my wonderful cooking! Who knew? Of course I did do a lot of cooking in those days as I had children to feed and I took great pride in showing my love for everyone with food. I had no idea I would be remembered for it. And there, carefully tucked underneath the coffee table on the deck of their home, hidden from view, was a thin pack of Capri cigs...

I guess there is no place like home.

Fingerprints and Blogging

Have you ever noticed that everyone's blog roll is different? Even very like-minded people have blog rolls that express their individuality. Yours may be more heavily into children and babies, like my daughters, or music, or poetry, or art. But all of them seem to have an exclusive fingerprint, expressing that person's desire for friendship, understanding, faith, caring, and education. We run to the ones that are our teachers when we feel down, and to the ones that make us laugh when we need a good one. We reach out to those that we feel might need a friend, and gladly accept the hand of friendship from others. We revel in the good fortunes of our blogging buddies and strive to give heartfelt advice to those going through tough times. And all through this amazing labyrinth, we find what we need and what may need to be given. One of a kind fingerprints. Possible relationships with people all over the world. People who are much more similar to us than not. Each with their own blog roll, expressing their distinctness.

The dynamic nature of such an interface is remarkable. You are free to pick and choose among an ever-expanding field of extraordinary writers. The trouble for me is finding the time to follow all the ones I want to follow. I only give a cursory glance at all of the news programs that I once followed so carefully. Books remain unread. All the while I float around cyberspace learning more in a day about a variety of topics that I never imagined even existed. 

What about you? Do you have an expanding fingerprint/blog roll?

Serendipity

Have you ever met someone, had an immediate connection, and promised to get together at some later date and then didn't follow through? If so, then you and I are much alike. I have had that happen more than once, and because follow-through is not my strong point, I have passed up many times the possibility of making new friends. But last night we had a great evening of talk and dinner with a new couple that we will definitely make time to see again. The woman did my blinds during our remodel and from our very first meeting, I felt as though we had known each other for years. Both married about the same length of time, both with two children, one still in college, both not much into drinking, but love a glass of Grand Marnier, in a warmed glass no-less, after dinner on occasion. I don't think I have ever had a friend that liked that! She thought having one of those, on my deck with the stream as a background, on a summer evening would be heaven. My thoughts exactly! Where did this woman come from? Anyway, she called a couple of days ago, said she and her husband, who is her installer, and as nice as she is, were going to be up this way and would we like to get together? I said yes, lets have dinner at a new Mexican place we found to be really good. After three hours, some ta-kill-ya, wonderful food, we felt like old friends. So next time that happens, I'm going to take the initiative and make the first call. After all, what do we have to lose? And the gain could be serendipity.

Love those Labs

Three of the couples from last night's dinner have labs. One couple always have two black labs at any one time. One couple always have chocolate labs, and currently has a very young one. And of course, there is our Lucy.

P.S. Will post the artichokes and chicken recipe when my husband sends me the pic he took. I think you might like to try it if you like artichokes and/or chicken.

Our Reptilian Overlord - Part 2 of 2

Many parts of the brain evolved after the "reptilian". And to keep it simple, I will just say that the "mind" is the result of the functioning of the brain. I believe that we are spiritual beings, therefore I am of the "Dualist" school of thought, i.e., the mind is the interaction of brain and spirit. 

I think of the mind as the "drama queen" of friends. You know the one. She often overreacts to information, dramatizes, and disses. She never lets go of a topic, even if it is hurtful. She talks, talks, talks, long after you wish she would just be quiet. (Especially when you are trying to go to sleep.) She can be repetitive and scary. She has some really terrifying stories to tell of what could happen to you. On the other hand, when she is feeling good about herself, she is a best friend. If you can let her know when she is out of line, she calms down, and does what you need her to do. But she's not easy to control.

So how does that relate to the "reptilian overlord"? 

When our senses detect something as dangerous, such as the loss of our retirement, or a desirable woman your husband notices, or that scary man in the alley, it sends signals to your brain that interacts with your friend, getting her all worked up. As she goes into full-on drama mode your body responds with appropriate hormonal activity. Now here is the catch, the brain doesn't know the difference between something made up, (imagined), and something that is actually happening. But that's another story. Suffice to say, when the more basic part of our brain is activated, we can respond in ways that our more reasonable parts are quite shocked at, mainly because our "dramatic" friend is egging us on. The trick is to know when she is right and you better listen, when she needs to calm down and be quiet, and when to run.