Randomness

Laughter

I sat on the beach yesterday with my daughter-in-law and her dear friend and laughed till I cried. Literally wiped away tears of laughter as I witnessed the girls get carried away in the hilarity of their goofy moment. They were beyond comic genius, and the farther they went, the better I felt. Did they sense I needed a little release, a cleansing of pent up frustrations mixed with a dollop of anxiety? Or was it just chance that I stumbled upon “Laugh-In with Tanya and Katherine?” I guess it doesn’t matter, but I’m sure glad I did. Too much time has gone by since I’ve had a good belly laugh like that and somehow, it made every little thing all right. It was even better than a nap, or a glass of wine, or even a massage. My whole being lightened by this dose of all natural medicine. And it was free! No prescription needed! I believe it when science says laughter is good medicine. It’s more. A good hearty laugh can relax, revive, refresh. A good belly laugh releases tension and takes the edge off of difficult situations. Laughter can actually build relationships and diffuse negatives like anger, fear,…

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Randomness

Changes

  Why does everything have to change? Flowers bloom and disappear quick as the sun sets in Aruba. People burst through the front door of our lives then sneak out the back without a second thought. Beloved dogs are puppies one day and arthritic the next. It’s hard to keep up! My favorite place on the planet is right where I live with my husband and dogs on this rocky Washington beach. But, it’s changing just as rapidly as everything else. The sand is shifting, rising high up our bulk heads. Fall is in the air loud and clear and the water has become so cold it’s almost unswimmable. Almost. Yet, that’s just the small potatoes. The big spud is “who’s living there now?” New people in the old places. Where did our friends go?  Where are the familiar families? How can we refer to “the Sater place” when Beware of Doug and Pat no longer live there? It breaks my heart as it does so many of my neighbors. What a lovely couple and what an amazing family we’ve enjoyed for so many years. The house is stripped bare, an empty shell waiting for the new owner to come…

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Randomness

Eclipse News

The good news is, I made it through the eclipse without frying my eyeballs out. The bad news is, I was so unprepared, no protective glasses, nothing, so I ended up watching it on the NASA website via laptop. Oh well. It was all very interesting and Lord knows we need a little excitement now and then, so I guess it was a good thing. I made my dogs go for an early morning walk so they wouldn’t be outside when things were happening. I mean, what if they were innocently following the flight of a bird and the bird flew right in the path of the eclipse. Then what? The last thing I need is blind dogs! Not to make light of a serious situation, mind you. I know it’s nothing to mess around with, yet for some perverse reason, I had to rein in the urge to run outside screaming and just look up. Just look up and see what the heck is going on, bare eyeballs and all. Kind of like those people who run and hide from a bad guy only to give themselves up at the last minute. “Here I am! Here I am!” But,…

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Randomness

Where Have I Been?

It’s Thursday, my usual day to post a blog. The only problem is the last Thursday I posted a blog was two years ago! Guess life just got in the way. Or rather, I invited a lot of life into my schedule which upset the balance and kicked blogging to the curb. Time to regroup. There is actually enough time in every day to get everything done that needs getting done for the day!  So, back to blogging. I’ve missed it. In the mean time, I hope the smoke clears up and our air quality goes back to where it was a month ago. It’s always been one of the best things about living in the Pacific Northwest! Later, Mary Ann

Randomness

The Wisdom Tree

Rebecca lay snuggled up to the trunk of the enormous old Oak, eyes closed, her breath as smooth as a satin ribbon. It had been far too long since she’d felt such peace, or rather, since she’d allowed such peace. It was as if she were bundled neatly in a cocoon as the wind whispered soothing words in her ears. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled the fragrant air. The Oak was a towering giant with limbs stretching out in an all encompassing manner. His name was Your Highness. That’s what she’d named him the first time she made her way bravely through the meadow to climb into the branches and be held in his arms. She was the princess and he was Your Highness. He spoke to her as did the wind and the deep green fluttering leaves as they whipped together in the elements. She felt warmth radiating through her bones and goodness and truth at her fingertips. The bark of Your Highness was hard and grey with deep groves and ridges. Rebecca used to love working her small fingers into the grooves, making her feel attached. She smiled at how different and difficult it was with…

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Randomness

Hands of Time

  It wasn’t often he had time on his hands. Normally, there was nothing but a shortage. Yet, somehow, on this rainy windy morning, he had time; time to pick and chose, time to use or waste, time to wonder. He studied the clock above the work bench hanging among the menagerie of tools. The hands were long black sticks with arrows on the ends pointing to the numbers on the face. It was an old fashioned clock, the old man thought. A clock much like himself, he smiled. Reaching for the tube of Arnica Lotion, he unscrewed the cap and squeezed a dime size amount into his palm. Ivan slowly massaged in the therapeutic lotion, concentrating on his swollen fingers. His thoughts were on the many half finished projects he’d accumulated, much like all the half finished dreams stored in his mind. Never a shortage of either, it seemed. The hands of Ivan’s had been chubby and dimply when he was a baby busily pushing and pulling and exploring with all the time in the world on his hands. His teenage hands banged on a typewriter, gripped a baseball bat, and grabbed for food every chance they got. They…

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Randomness

Wake Up!

Every year, the arrival of spring brings a new reminder of how blessed we are to live in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, it often takes an out-of-towner to bring the stunning beauty surrounding us each and every day of our lives, to our attention once again. Do we take it for granted? The mountains; towering and snow-capped, Puget Sound and Lake Washington and all the other spectacular bodies of water encroaching our land, land so lush and green and rich. Do we take it for granted? The fresh seafood; crab and salmon and oysters growing wild in our backyards. The farm fresh deliveries of lettuces, squash, beets, onions, garlic, and kale to name only a few. Do we take it for granted? I know there are times when I do. And then comes along the out-of-towners. Thank goodness for them. They are amazed by the beauty regardless of rain or shine, stunned by the gifts Mother Nature has bestowed upon us as though we must be her favorites. I think we are! As nature yawns and stretches and shakes off the dormancy of winter, so should we. Grab a rain jacket and dirty sneakers and head outside to see what’s…

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Randomness

The Invisible Man

He really hadn’t meant to burn the place down. It was a prank gone awry, something to get her attention. Yet, the fire raged, the sirens screamed, and the police lights flashed. He sighed; why was it that nothing ever turned out the way he thought it would? Maybe next time he should try a different approach. If she survived, he’d simply ask her out. The End

Randomness

The Scream That Wouldn’t – Pt 2

I knew the highway was no more than about a quarter of a mile farther and things would be better there. I was proud of myself for getting this far and sighed deeply as we snuck cautiously around the bend in the road and then slammed the brakes, slammed them so hard I thought my foot would go through the floor. Thank God we were going so slowly or we never would have stopped. As it was, Peggy Sue and I came to a halt about four feet from a man standing smack in the middle of the road. He was visibly relieved to see us stop and also aware that I was too stunned to do anything. He approached the driver’s side and made the roll down your window motion. I had my hand over my chest making sure my heart didn’t jump out yet managed to lower my window. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “Thank goodness you were going so slow. I couldn’t get out of the road, it’s solid ice.” That’s when I noticed a Suburban laying sideways in the ditch. “Is that yours?” I pointed to the vehicle. “Yes, unfortunately it is. I’ve called but no…

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Randomness

The Scream That Wouldn’t

The winter of 2007-2008 is noteworthy for two reasons: one being a memorable time for the community around Rathdrum, Idaho, and one for me personally. First of all, we had a record one hundred ninety inches of killing-me-softly snow; and second, it was the first time in my entire life I’ve completely lost my voice. I don’t mean the “laryngitis” kind of lost it, I mean a desperate to scream my lungs out yet not managing so much as a squeak, kind of lost it. As you will see, both these things happened in the same day. It all started with that snow storm, the absolute dumping of eighteen inches of white powder on the cabin, on the cars, on the roads. Most importantly – the roads. This was in addition to the twenty seven inches we were already dealing with. My husband, Zeke, had just shoveled and cleared the way for me four hours prior, making it quite manageable if only I would have left. But then it started up with a vengeance. I kept cleaning and packing things up, believing it would let up in a minute and then I’d head out the door. A minute turned into…

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