Friends

"Each friend represents a world in us,
a world possibly not born until they arrive,
and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." ~ Anais Nin

Forecast Shower Today "The Reign of Cats"

Today several of my blogging friends are hosting a virtual kitty shower for our fellow blogger Kathy( http://trekcapri.blogspot.com/) who today becomes the proud mommy of kitty "Elizabeth". In honor of this happy occasion I dedicate today's post to Kathy and Elizabeth. May your shared lives together bring you great joy and happiness.

CAT THOUGHTS

DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from shredding the occasional piece of furniture.

Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant and cough it up on the carpeting.
DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded -must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed (again).

DAY 762 - Slept all day so that I could annoy my captors with sleep depriving, incessant pleas for food at ungodly hours of the night.

DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan ...

DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason, I was chosen for the water torture. This time, however, it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth and the tiny bit of flesh under my claws.

DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer." More importantly, I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The Bird on the other hand has got to be an informant. He has mastered their frightful tongue (something akin to mole speak) and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room, his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time...

Kathy- I'm sure Elizabeth will be a different sort of cat from the one speaking above... your kitty will be kind and loving and of great company. Welcome to a great home Elizabeth and Congratulations Kathy!

The Time is NOW

Take Your Time

Image from: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/sandrac/

"For fast acting relief,

try slowing down." -Lily Tomlin

High Returns

"An investment in knowledge
pays the best interest."
-Ben Franklin
1884-1962

Your Umbrella

"Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good,

sometimes it's bad,

and there's nothing much you can do about it

but carry an umbrella. " ~Pepper Giardino

Where One Resides

"Come! Live in the light! ♥ "

This is what my friend Anne had written on Facebook the other day. I remarked I love the sound of this and that it should become my daily mantra. Just wanted to share this with you.

The Best Kind of Rain

"The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency." ~Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons

Rain is Falling

"I hear the drizzle of the rain

Like a memory it falls

Soft and warm continuing

Tapping on my roof and walls."-Simon and Garfunkle

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. " ~Langston Hughes

Cherries in the Snow

I remember watching my mom put on her lipstick when I was a child. She used a small aqua colored lipstick brush. Pushing a small button at one end made a brush appear. She'd give a few tiny strokes of the brush against the lipstick and then outline her lips. This was done with great care. I was mezmerized by how adept she was at doing this so perfectly. Then she'd apply the lipstick within the outlines. To end this ritual sh'd press her lips together once..."mwah" was the silent sound I imagined and then she'd place a tissue between her lips to blot the freshly applied lipstick. Voila'...done.

Her favorite color lipsticks were by Revlon. They had great names like "Cherries in the Snow", "Love that Red" and "Fire and Ice".

I loved the way "Cherries in the Snow" sounded.

Who gets to name lipsticks anyway?

A bit of history:

Fire And Ice lipstick and Cherries In The Snow nail polish were launched in the 1950's and are still popular enough to be sold today, more than 50 years later. Revson's "Fire And Ice" advertising campaign won an award for the best advertising of 1952, and with "matching lips and fingertips" as a new Revlon slogan, he ensured that ladies would buy a nail polish every time they purchased a lipstick.

Insight Within

"Be at least as interested in

what goes on inside you
as what happens outside.
If you get the inside right,
the outside will fall into place."
-Eckhart Tolle

For YOU

This is my wish for you:
comfort on difficult days,
smiles when sadness intrudes,
rainbows to follow the clouds,
laughter to kiss your lips,
sunsets to warm your heart,
hugs when spirits sag,
friendships to brighten your being,
beauty for your eyes to see,
faith so that you can believe,
confidence for when you doubt,
patience to accept the truth,
courage to know yourself,
love to complete your life.
-anonymous

To Be Or Not To Be

"One should either be a work of art
or
wear a work of art." - Oscar Wilde

Sisters

Aria and Athena

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities.

She is your witness,

who sees you at your worst and best,

and loves you anyway.

She is your partner in crime,

your midnight companion,

someone who knows when you are smiling,

even in the dark.

She is your teacher,

your defense attorney,

your personal press agent,

even your shrink.

Some days,

she's the reason you wish you were an only child.

-- Barbara Alpert

Dream It, Do It

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Finding Your Key

"Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing,
you will be successful."
-Albert Schweitzer
1875-1965

Happy 1st Birthday Rex

Pictured here my niece Celina and our families newest member her baby son Rex.

" There are two great days in a person's life.

The day we are born

and the day we

discover why."

I saw this quote on my friend Sandra's blog: http://acappuccinoaday.blogspot.com/

I think it is profound and beautiful.

Your Work Space

"If a cluttered desk
is a sign of
a cluttered mind,
what is the significance
of a clean desk?"
-Laurence J. Peter

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

"No city invites the heart to come to life as San Francisco does. Arrival in San Francisco is an experience in living"~William Saroyan

The Ones That Interest Me

"But they danced down the street like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a common place thing, but burn, burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awwww!"

-from "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac

A Perfect Fit

"The best moments in reading are

when you come across something-

a thought, a feeling, a way of

looking at things-that you'd

thought special, particular to you.

And here it is, set down by someone

else, a person you've never met,

maybe even someone long dead.

And it's as if a hand has come out,

and taken yours." -The History Boys

My Symphony

Image by Karen Harvey Cox

I saw this on my friend Holly's blog (http://matildamutterings.blogspot.com/)

"To live content with small means,
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion,
To be worthy,
not respectable,
And wealthy,
not rich,
To study hard,
think quietly, talk gently,
act frankly,
To listen to stars and birds,
to babes and sages,
with open heart,
To bear all cheerfully,
do all bravely,
Await occasions,
hurry never,
In a word to let the spiritual,
unbidden and unconscious,
Grow up through the common;
this is to be my symphony."
~~ by William Henry Channing ~~

The Meaning Of Your Life

"Meaning is not something you stumble across,

like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt.

Meaning is something you build into your life.
You build it out of your own past,
out of your affections and loyalties,
out of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you
out of your own talent and understanding,
out of the things and people you love,
out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something.
The ingredients are there.
You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you.
If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure is of less account."
-John Gardner

Keep on Smiling

A smile a day keeps the doctor away!

What's In Store For You

"The future doesn't lie ahead of you waiting to happen.

It lies inside you,

waiting to be discovered."

I had a very happy birthday

On Monday I awoke to this sky.

I thanked God for this most magnificent present...my first birthday gift of the day.
Such a beautiful way to start the morning.


I picked up my daughter Athena and we drove to Pasadena for a mother-daughter spa day. It was the perfect way to relax...jacuzzis, saunas, towels rolled in ice chips, fruit bowls and lemon water and teas and luxurious massages...a real treat.

At 1:00 we crossed the street to City Thai and had a nice lunch and thai iced tea. I loved that.

What a gift to be able to spend time with Athena who fortunately is still on winter break from college. I love whenever we can spend some quality time together.

This is Colorado blvd. in the heart of downtown Pasadena. You can see how close the foot of the mountains are to this city. When I was around 19 I dropped out of college for a year and leased a store front a block down from this intersection. Along with 3 other college students we owned our little hippie store. We made clothes, jewelry and crafts and had alot of fun. After a year my parents said I had to go back to college. It was an exciting time but this part of town was not fancy like today. Now this place is booming with stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, Pottery Barn, Tiffany's and the like. A great place to shop and eat.

Also the main street for the annual Pasadena Rose Parade on January 1 of every year.

I love these old fashion street lamp posts.

Lots of quaint alley way cafes and shops.

We got carried away shopping after lunch. Then I had to fight traffic going home to meet Mike for our night out.

Photo courtesy of Jerry

We didn't have time for a fancy restaurant but the famous "In and Out" burger, with french fries and a coke went great with our movie plans.

Made it just in time to see this movie at the 7:00 showing. Thought it was a perfect "feel good" movie" to cap off a great birthday.

And for those of you who might be wondering, I celebrated my "29th birthday" this year. Just as I have done for several decades now. Soon my children will be older than me but then again age is sometimes a state of mind.

In one sense I do believe the following by Emily Dickinson

"We turn not older with years, but newer every day."

- Emily Dickinson

And in another way I think the following though funny is feeling truer each year:

"Inside every older person is a younger person - wondering what the hell happened." - Cora Harvey Armstrong

PS. Thanks to everyone that sent me such wonderful birthday wishes on my blog, on facebook and via email.

I am rich beyond measure because of your friendships.

The Dream Within Us All

"The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream.

The oak sleeps in the acorn,

the bird waits in the egg,

and in the highest vision of the soul

a waking angel stirs.

Dreams are the seedlings of realities."

Today Is My Birthday

Note to Self:

Happy Birthday to me and throughout the next year
remember to keep telling yourself this:

"Remember today, for it is the beginning of always.

Today marks the start of a brave new future

filled with all that your dreams can hold. Think truly

to the future and make those dreams come true." -Unknown

Shared Happiness

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." --Hindu Prince Guadama Siddhartha