There seems to be a promise of spring in the air lately. Cherry trees are blooming, tulips are popping up, and temperatures are mild. Yet, I hold out for Buttercups. Nothing says spring like those brightly painted, happy little wild flowers, picked by the fist-fulls as kids. They are the official stamp of spring in my book. I’ve been keeping an eye out for them, maybe I’ll spot an early bloomer here or there. But so far, I haven’t seen any. Buttercups prefer warmer weather and sunshine, kind of like I do. The longer the days are, the more likely we’ll start hearing reports of Buttercup sightings. They are almost as important as whale sightings this time of year. When the whales come through, we know summer is just around the corner. When the Buttercups bloom, it’s even closer. I think they’re under-appreciated. Have you ever seen a happier flower? Do you know of any other color that smiles the way Buttercup yellow does? And Buttercups demand nothing of us. Everything they need is provided by Mother Nature. No soil preparation or fertilizer required. No weeding or hoeing. They get to be wild and free, the way we’d all like…
Month: February 2010
Quiet, Please…
There is a lot of talk about cleansing these days. It’s supposed to help prevent cancer and all kinds of medical issues. But cleansing is just as important for the mind as it is for the body, most specifically, noise cleansing. There was a time when the sounds of the city were woven into the fabric of my life. It didn’t matter what time it was or weather it was night or day, the background sounds were always there, filling every possible nook and cranny of my brain. Constant traffic noise, the activities of neighbors, voices, lawn mowers, a drill, a saw, music blasting, door bell ringing, dogs barking, airplanes overhead, even the static of electricity charging through the electrical lines hanging above our house. There was a time when I was so accustomed to an abundance of sound, that most days it went unnoticed. Anyone been there? An astonishing amount of noise passes through us on a daily basis, yet I find it most noticeable when I am removed from it. The noise seems to stand out in total silence as if it takes time for all the sounds to fade away. When it finally does, we are left…
Supplement This!
As I nestle into the 50’s, I’ve noticed some rather disturbing likenesses between my parents and myself. Now, they are in their 80’s and are therefore expected to have less than reliable memories and knees and hips requiring repairs. It’s also normal to see them throw ten or twenty pills down in a twenty four hour span. I’ve spent many years shaking my head and vowing to be as different from them as night and day. I will not be a slave to prescription drugs nor will I take a suppliment for every little thing that comes along. Right? I was doing quite well on my no pill diet until my cholestrol showed up in digits high enough to stop an elephants heart mid beat. That was the beginning. A little Lipitor for that along with something herbal. Well, two or three herbal things, actually. Need to get that under control. Then came the “change”! Oh, yes, I am in the midst of the ever so dreaded change. Go crazy or break down and take some flax, nighttime rose hips, femal, soy, etc. There now. That’s not so bad. Just a few suppliments here and there. I’m no spring chicken after all. Oh, the…
Be Mine, Valentine!
There was a time when Valentine’s Day meant slipping coyly between the sheets wearing skimpy bits of satan and lace after a glass or two of champagne and a heart shaped box of Sees’ Chocolates. Those were the days, weren’t they? Remember how it was before babies? When we were young and firm and everything was right where it was supposed to be? Me neither. Yet, I suppose I could try it again. Just for laughs–for old times sake. Dig out one of those teddies and try to stuff myself into it. Then put on some stilletoes and prance around the house. The problem is, I’ll fall and break my neck in those stupid shoes and the teddies are long gone along with the fit little body they adorned. I always remind myself that the girl I used to be is still here, somewhere. She’s just tucked away under a nice layer of life. Youth is over-rated anyway. It doesn’t come with experience, knowledge, patience and tolerance. Those are character traits we earn through years and years of groveling our way through the traumas and terrors and pitt falls of reality. You know–raising kids, living from pay check to pay check, loving the relatives, wondering where all the friends went and…
Men-O-Pause
Interesting word, isn’t it? Menopause. Men-o-pause. Who ever came up with that word was trying to relay a very important message. I’m sure of it. I have hot flashes. When they happen, I need to separate myself from anything that produces heat, like my husband. I take a pause from my man. Hummmm. Sometimes, my hot flashes make me cranky. Just sometimes. When that happens, I separate myself from anyone around me, usually my husband, so I don’t do anything I’ll regret, like rip his face off. And then there are those special times when menopause causes my body to crave dark rich chocolates in enormous quantities which are never enough. When that happens I need to separate myself from anyone who looks at me while shaking their head and says, “just remember this when you get on the scale in the morning.” That would be my husband. Every once in a while, I have the menopausal bloats. When that happens, I ask my husband, “Do these jeans make me look fat?” If he is suddenly frozen in place, like an ice statue with a slight tremble, I separate myself from him so I don’t force a lie out of the…