Soft... gentle

randomartdesign suggested we post, if we're so incline, something soothing, something gentle, something soft. I have nothing to say as I wipe tears from my eyes and feel my heart sob silently. I am so inclined.


Now for the not so soft. I found a blog of someone from Mississippi, thanks to dejablu503. I haven't checked it but there is suppose to be a live cam working there. Here is an entry from the blog:
"Looting: The police are looting. This has been confirmed by several independent sources. Some of the looting might be "legitimate" in as much as that word has any meaning in this context. They have broken into ATMs and safes: confirmed. We have eyewitnesses to this. They have taken dozens of SUVs from dealerships ostensibly for official use. They have also looted gun stores and pawn shops for all the small arms, supposedly to prevent "criminals" from doing so. But who knows their true intentions. We have an inside source in the NOPD who says that command and control is in chaos. He reports that command lapses more than 24 hours between check-ins, and that most of the force are "like deer in the headlights." NOPD already had a reputation for corruption, but I am telling you now that the people we've been talking to say they are not recognizing the NOPD as a legitimate authority anymore, since cops have been seen looting in Walmarts and forcing people out of stores so they could back up SUVs and loot them. Don't shoot the messenger....

The aftermath

From Damnportlanders via dejablu503, a personal video clip from Gulfport.

http://zero.imt.uwm.edu/aftermath.wmv

Show them you care....

Send them a jar of Jiffy peanut butter.

What? Yeah, to show someone you care give them some peanut butter. Jiffy to be exact. That's what their advertisement says. What a bunch of crock. Crock? Peanut butter? I wonder if there's a pun in there.

Emotional advertisement. Pull at their heart strings, that's how to sell crap. I can see it now. The young man, horny as hell, gives the stupid female a jar of Jiff hoping it will do the same as lying the words "I love you".

Another option is to use guilt and pride. If you are a good parent you will give your kids (insert product name here). The logical next step is to know you are a horrible parent if you haven't given your child that particular product. Gasp!

If I stand here with a phone, jar of peanut butter, and a bottle of coke, will you know I care about you? Call me cynical, but I don't think so.

'Nawlins' local news sites

Here are some links to news stations in New Orleans, if you're so inclined.

http://www.wwltv.com/

http://www.wdsu.com/index.html

http://abc26.trb.com/

~~
On another note... I just saw a headline saying "HoBo Chic is in..." YaHooo...woot woot woot
Just goes to show ya, if you live long enough you, too, can be in style. HoBo Chic... well, HoBo anyway, is my very favorite-est style. I'm so in!!

This and That

First comes words of concern due to hurricane Katrina hurling herself through the Gulf Coast states and stomping all over peoples lives. Second comes a reminder to send 'good thoughts', in whatever form suits you, to all the other peoples throughout the world suffering from Mother Nature's menopausal tantrums. I do have one word of advice for our Southern folks..... MOVE!
(edit: My most humble apologies for the above comment ("move"). Another lesson for me to use my brain before engaging my mouth in an attempt to be witty. Sooo Sorry.)

After things have settled down for the Katrina recovery efforts, if you know of someone blogging from the area would you please share the link with me/us. And yes I do rubberneck accidents, always giving gratitude that it wasn't me. (Of course, if you play the odds, well...... gulp)

Raining! We have rain today. Maybe not the heavy duty kind, but it is a notch up from 'showers'. I'm a rain person and the webs between my toes have started to shrink. Oh wait.... maybe its just toe-jam. Shrinking would be a good thing, then, huh. DOH!

I would like to add a stats counter for my site and I've come across some free ones but I don't have a clue as to what to look for or what to get. Experience is the best teacher, but she grades too hard. And what do these people get for giving out free coding...anyone know? There's always a payoff and its nice to know what it is. (And "payoff" is not a bad word in and of itself. I know I usually like getting paid off...its usually for my silence.)

I have around 100 blogs bookmarked. I say 'around' because I am always deleting and adding, but not at the same rate. A couple of blogs that I've deleted in the past have been readded to my list. I'm easily swayed.

I was checking out Michele's place. She's one smart cookie... she writes a sentence or two asking for reader participation and they comply. One entry had over 300 replies. I wonder if she gets email notification when people post comments. That would be overwhelming. Anyway... I got sidetracked. I was checking out her "site of the day" which was Sugar Mommy's.

She's my kind of blogger, Sugar Mommy. She has young children and I don't (insert a snicker from a surviving-parent-of-adult-children here). Ah, the memories. But I knew she was my kind of peeps when she wrote about her FIL (father-in-law for those not familiar with the abreviation yet...SIL, BIL, MIL) deciding to stay in his house since he's a whole mile from the coast in Nawlins'.... she called him a dumbass. Yes, my kind of people. And I, too, hope he's okay.

(00) I just realized I started blogging before I finished my morning ritual of reading my faves. That's not like me. And its not like I had something big to write about here. hmmmm Interesting.

I gotta go now.... might be back later.
Doncha jus luv her!

Blogging Protocol

I need a manual of instructions for blogging. A book of manners, if you will. Maybe someone will answer my questions here? (thats a hint and an invitation, if you so choose to accept the mission.)

If you add a link to someone's blog, is it necessary to let them know?

If you pilfer...I mean 'share' something on your blog that you got from someone else, I know you should reference your source on your blog, but is it necessary to let the other person know you've done it? (and I'm talking borrowing some little tidbit...nothing huge.)

Once you've figured out how to get email notification when someone comments on your blog entry, should a response be returned by email or posted on the blog? Or both?

And here's a couple of other generalized questions...

In layman terms:
what the hell is an RSS feed and what does it do?
what is a blogroll and what does it do?
why do people give out free blogging space (or photo space)...what is their payoff?
do you trust PayPal and how do you get your money from it?
should I wear this pink outfit today or go with the yellow?

What's the deal here?

I'm not political by nature. I try to stay away from talks concerning politics... it makes for a nicer environment. For the most part, I rank politicians in the same category as car salesmen. They'll say whatever they think you want to hear to get what they want. In any event, I try to give the benefit of the doubt to incoming presidents until there couldn't possibly be any doubt. I've done that with the current incumbent as well. And there is now no possibility of doubt. Sigh.

But what's the deal with Bush appearing in front of handpicked audiences only? What's up with that? Is the big, bad Texan afraid of something? Is it nothing more than a "photo-op" kind of thing? A manipulation of public opinion? Gasp.

I've had an "aha" moment. Its because the good ole boy would no doubt lose his beans if he had to stray from the script. We would see his brilliance uncovered. It must be pretty dangerous.... his intelligence would be loose. Yes, that could be very dangerous.

Its nice how writing things down can often give you answers. I wonder what the Bush girls have been up to lately. Keeping them under wraps must be a real challenge, too.

Saturday

It is Saturday, isn't it?

I've been wasting time brousing thru EBSQ, a site for self-representing artist. It has a wide variety of styles... mostly visual arts, with a few "crafts" thrown in for good measure.

The artists I looked at in detail seem to be mostly self-taught. Being a self taught artist is no indication of talent or lack thereof. Its a bag of beans. Some are very good, IMHO, and some should try cooking as their mode of expression. One such artist stated she was an English and Art Teacher. That took me aback. "She's teaching this stuff?!" Poor students...what a rip off. However, to put another spin on it, I admire her willingness to make a fool out of herself. Wait... that's not a very good spin. I...admire...her....gutsiness, yeah...her gutsiness, her willingness to put her art out for public display. Ya gotta have balls to do that. Did I mention I have big balls? Beach balls!!


(I hope I don't get in trouble with the Maxine people. Its a compliment, guys, a compliment!!)

My bookmarks

I have too many sites bookmarked. I had quite a few before even seeing my first blog...now they are running amok like seeping water. Thank goodness for file folders, yet even using those it has gotten to be too much.

So... I have created subfolders. Folders abound, folders galore...folders upon folders. You get the idea. I now have a "favorite blogs" for those I read each and every day. Sometimes several times a day. It currently has thirteen entries. Everything else remains in the original "blog" folder. There are 79 entries in that one. What do you mean I spend too much time on the pc?

Many of the 'regular' blogs are sites that don't necessarily update regularly, so they can wait for a while, then I go in and catch up on several entries at a time. Still, there needs to be some pruning, but I must do that when I'm feeling ruthless.

More folders are needed. Actually, what is needed is for me to just clear it out.

Thursday's Thirteen

1. ohmygawd...it's Thursday already?! Well, I knew it was Thursday, but I forgot about "thirteen". 2. I stood at the open bathroom window in the middle of the night listening to the sounds. That means it was quiet and I could hear the crickets. It was nice. 3. I've been observing my mood changes. It changes without any outside influence at all. My 'thinking' hadn't changed either... just my mood. Interesting. 4. I love the apartment in the movie "Green Card". An inside outdoor garden. I guess that would be called a green house, but since its in an apartment, I bet there is a specific name for it. Anyway, I watched the movie over and over just to see the green house. 5. I've done the same thing with "As Good As It Gets". Watched it a gazillion times just to look at the studio and art. (Nicholson's character has a great painting of two elderly black guys sitting together.) The movie is excellent, too. 6. Its suppose to be hot today... 90 degrees. Maybe we'll luck out and the weatherman will be wrong...again. 7. I have thirteen paintings hanging on my apt. walls... six are completed. (hanging unfinished paintings is an excellent way of keeping them away from my 2 yr old grandson's curious hands.) 8. My grandson is at that ADORABLE stage. His bulky diaper switches this way and that as his short little legs try to run, his cheeks shake, and he is totally focused on trying not to fall down. So damn cute! (ah..er..his facial cheeks shakes. I don't know about the other ones.) 9. I need to start making some money to supplement my Social Security. I did up a budget and I've got $12 mad money left over. Mad money because I've probably forgotten something that costs more than $12 and I'm gonna be mad. 10. I've started four different thoughts here but they don't fit. Number 10, number 10...what could number 10 be about? 11. My printer is out of ink. Not sure when I'll be able to get another cartriage. BUT... I did get some batteries for my digital camera. Now all I have to do ....... 12. I haven't been listening to enough music. I need to get back to that. 13. If any of my readers want to do Thursday's Thirteen, please join in...if you want to use this form, see below where to get the code for it. Whew...that makes thirteen. I wonder if these will get better with practice. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

Grandma x twelve

I watched the boys today while mom took care of some errands and to check out a job fair. I managed, but mom came home right on time.... it had been five hours. I don't like to push my luck. Or theirs, either.

Tornado Boy (almost 2) and the wee one (4 months) seem to have a bond between them. It started upon the wee one's birth. I'm guessing the wee one came to help Tornado Boy get through life while dealing with his anger issues. In return, TB will protect his brother to the max. Its interesting to watch the births and see the baggage they bring with them.

The baby is grandchild number eleven. My son stopped by this afternoon and told me his new wife is pregnant. That will make number twelve. Then, if you add the 3 step children that has joined my son (he already has four children) ....that's fifteen. That's a lot. My son plans on having one more, too.

My son, who manages the apartments, brought more good news. Two of the tenents are going to be evicted. The ones who do crack. The third tenent, who also has some strange things going on, will probably happen next. They already have a ten day notice to get rid of the puppy they have. The rental agreement states no pets. (They had put new carpeting down and now the puppy, who has fleas, is pooping on it. She's also pooping in the grass. Tornado Boy stepped in it.) Since these tenents moved in there have been multiple incidents of loss... stealing ladders (they were chained and locked), porch things. People who look like holocaust victims go in and out of the places all hours of the day and night.... drug tranfers happen in plain site. Anyway, its a colorful life that I get to observe.

Oh gawd... I almost started to talk about the weather. Gasp. Its time to sign off.

But...but....but...

My daughter would take every thing I have and give it to strangers if they asked for it. (Actually, they wouldn't even have to ask for it.) And she'd walk away without a second thought about what is hers to give away and what is mine. Oh hell, what am I talking about....what is mine IS hers. At least in her mind. GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR!

She asked for my plunger and then handed it over to one of the neighbors. WTF? She didn't even ask if strangers could use it... And I don't know why I'm reacting like this because after all it is only a plunger... BUT I DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE'S SHIT ON MY STUFF! Know what I mean?

There's a damn principle somewhere in here that I can't articulate... but I know its in there somewhere.

Yesterday she asked if one of her no-account friends could borrow my vacuum cleaner. WTF? Oh yeah... like I would get it right back. And who knows what she would be cleaning with it. The friend can't even manage her own affairs, let alone someone elses things.... HELL NO!

And GAWD... I'm turning into my mother!!!! Nnooooooooooooo!

Just to top things off... my daughter just let me know there's no gas in the car. Again. I told her over and over "I need the gas that is in the car". DOES IT SINK IN? HELL NO! "I'll put some gas in it, mom...honest." Well DUH on me. You can just start calling me Mrs. NOOOOOOOOooooooooo from now on!!

Guilty (blush blush)

"Why should God give you more if you are not grateful for what you have?"

~~Write It Down, Make It Happen

Vblogging

I just discovered vblogging today. Video blogging. Check it out here. Rather than writing about your day, with vblogging you film it. Way kewl.

There are cameras EVERYWHERE! No more nose-picking in private... or in your car.

There are such juicy treasures out there in webville... so many delicious blogs and personal sharings. I'm so impressed with a lot of the writings.... and I'm even impressed by the not-so-creative writings of those whose talents lie elsewhere, for their voices can be as entertaining and helpful as the others.

I spent a good deal of the afternoon checking out As Time Goes By, a blog about the joys of aging. Anyway, I think it was 'the joys'. She has a "timeline" series where she shares photos from her life with short narratives explaining them. It doesn't take pages and pages of dialog to express a whole life episode... just the facts ma'm. They can rip your heart out if you've got a even just a few ounces of life exposure under your belt. I teared up a few times, I can tell ya.

Anyway, there's a whole community sprouting up arounding aging. After all, we are in the majority now. And that's great... except its too bad it had to come at the end when we are more sedate. Well, at least some of us are.

I need to find a site-counter... something that lets you know how many times your site is visited. But I've become a little paranoid over downloading anything (or adding coding to your site). Plus I don't know why someone would create a site-counter and give it away for free... I would like to know what the unwritten cost is to doing that. What is their payoff for doing it. And in case you wonder, "payoff" is not a bad word, in and of itself.

A Pledge

"Elaine made a pledge to herself that she would not do anything she did not enoy."

Write It Down, Make It Happen (pg 211)
Henriette Anne Klauser

Thursday Thirteen

Here I go... trying Leanne's coding for my "Thursday Thirteen" entry.

13 Super Sweet Morsels about The Crusty Crone 1. I'm wondering if this coding will work okay or not. Have I "inserted" things in the right place? 2. If it doesn't work, then I can always come back and take it out. 3. I was finally able to stock up on my favorite incense yesterday, Nag Champa. My true favorite is Prasad's Patchulie (that I can't spell) but its difficult to find. 4. I woke up too early this morning. Oh my, I'll have to take a nap! 5. This seems like such a simple thing... thirteen things, but damn! I'm stumped. 6. I have no more excuses left for not drawing or painting something today. 7. I live in an area with a lot of addicts and gang members. Its 10am and someone is out there yelling right now. I can't tell if they are arguing or just communicating to each other. 8. I've called the cops to come see about a domestic violence situation in one of the apartments here. 9. I don't have a phone, which makes #8 even more amazing, doesn't it. I don't need a phone. When I had a phone the only calls I got were for someone else. Or to ask me for money. I have no need for a phone. 10. After I watch the daily painting program on the public tv channel in the afternoons I continue watching the Bearstein Bears and then Reading Rainbow. (Lavar's such a cutie and I love seeing the book illustrations.) 11. I need to do laundry. Its becoming a desparate situation. 12. I love PBS programming...usually. But British sit-coms are a bit odd. 13. Now I get to figure out if there is some stuff to delete from the coding here. Wish me luck. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)Note from me: I don't know if I can link 'here' or not, but I'll leave the words here just in case. Let's try this: Leanne's Morsels

"In order to thrive as artists..... and, one could argue, as people.... we need to be available to the Universal Flow."

~~ Julia Cameron
~~ The Artist's Way : a spiritual path to higher creativity

Unsolicited Advice

I was reading another blog about "hate emails" she receives. I guess I'm naive beyond just plain dumb. I would not have expected total strangers to 'ride someone's ass' as it were. What the hell are they thinking? If you don't like what someone says on their blog... and "their" is the operative word here... then don't read it. What? That's too simple? I thought so... to complex for them. Oh well....

Let me just say up front.... "They call me Crusty....Crusty Crone....and I'm not called that because I'm sweet. Ya got that?"

(insert evil wicked snickering here)

For consideration.....

"You will do foolish things,
but do them with enthusiasm."

~~Colette

Thirteen Thursday

Leanne's idea of listing thirteen things about ourselves sounds like fun. Its a way to join in... and the fact that it can be fiction of non-fiction is an added enticement.

**1. I don't know every much about blogging technical thingys ('You link here and I'll link there and we'll end up linking in circles') but I'm willing to bluff.

**2. I'm only on number two and I'm already drawing a blank. But its the first drawing I've done in a long time. Oh dear.

**3. There's a sink full of dishes waiting to be washed, but checking my favorite blogs comes first every morning.

**4. My first 'stop' each morning is at Sheila Hudson's blog and then on to her friends' list. It is thoroughly enjoyable and I love seeing the art work that is shared.

**5. I'm concerned about whether or not I can come up with thirteen items.

**6. I only drink coffee (I'm a Starbuck's snob) when I have some of Folger's Cafe Latte mix (mocha almond jive only) to add to it. Love the flavor!

**7. I'm "retired" and have just begun drawing my Social Security benefits. Its called "creative living" but I'm enjoying it... A LOT!!

**8. My favorite color is a deep rich yellow and all colors of green follow closely behind.

**9. I didn't realize what my favorite color was until I was in my fifties.

*10. I live in a tiny one bedroom apt. with the idea that the bedroom will be the studio. My bad. The bedroom is storage. Hopefully I will be able to change that shortly. Afterall, I'm practically making a commitment here in public. Perhaps I'll shame myself into getting it done.

*11. Three more to go....

*12. I love the rain, but some sunshine here and there is a nice change of pace. Sunshine makes people smile more.

*13. I haven't picked up a paint brush or pen in months... we're talking like six months or more. I don't know what my problem is, but I'm sure the head of the list is 'lack of discipline'.

I made it. Now I have to read it over to see if there's anything I want to change my mind about. Okay...its a go.

Fall is Coming

Autumn is in the air. I've been feeling it for a couple of days, now. The nights cool off and the days are mildly warm and happily sunny. However, its suppose to change this weekend and get up into the 90s. And yes, weather is all I have to write about. That's because the last few days have been perfect and deserved to be noted as such.

(Later) Looks like if the comments section is left open to all then I will be spammed. I've removed the ability to post a comment on this entry while I check around to see what I can do further.

Originality

What ever happened to original thinking? Has the human species been on earth so long that there's nothing to be original with?? I'm so sick of dumbassed reality shows. And lets get real here... they aren't reality shows. They are setups. The audience is not so stupid that they missed the brats on Nanny 911 saying something hateful and then looking off camera as though to say "did I say it okay?" Give me a frigging break.

And watching someone eat maggots...that's suppose to get me all tintilated? I don't think so.

Can't the networks come up with something original? Or must everything be overdone repeatedly? Over and over and over and over... only the names are changed to protect the guilty.

And did comedy die when I wasn't looking? Can't they come up with something funny without attacking someone? Always with the cheap shots. Its a sure sign that the writers are on sabbatical... permanent sabbatical. If they can't write anything funny without the cheap shots, then they aren't comedy writers and you shouldn't lie about it.

And what about Tuesday?

I almost lost Tuesday, too. Whazzup with this? I guess that's what happens when you don't have to keep track of what day it is... you know, when you're re-tired.

I'm just sort of bullshitting, though. I really didn't misplace Tuesday. It was here all along masquerading as Monday. I played along with it for a while, but then got bored. I yanked on the mask unexpectedly and Tuesday almost dropped a load of crap. You should have seen its face. TOTAL SHOCK... followed by disappointment. Tuesday's always disappointed when its striped to its bare essentials. (see...its essentials aren't all that big...but I don't mention it. Tuesday's a little embarrassed by it all.)

But ya gotta luv Tuesday. Without it the week would never end!

Sunday is missing!

Sunday is missing. I don't know what happened to it. I've looked everywhere but its no where to be found. Sigh. But I guess that's okay, because if I found it I wouldn't know what to do with it. What does one do with two days in one? Its Monday now... so what would I do with a Sunday as well? There's just too much to hold. How could I possibly cram 48 hours into 24? Its just not doable. (Is that a word?) Do-Able. Do I really care? No. This is my blog and I can have whatever words I want or don't want. Well, maybe not... I don't think I can not have words, otherwise what would a blog be?

Its all downhill... losing Sunday has turned everything upside down.

"SUNDAY.... SUNDAY, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Skip it. To hell with Sunday. I'm going to play with Monday today. Just watch and see if I don't!

Black as a Berry

That farmers' saying, black as a berry certainly fit Tornado Boy yesterday. He played with the neighbor kids ALL afternoon... and he held his own, too. The other kids ranged from five to probably eight yrs old, and TD comes in at 22 months. One of the neighbors has a wading pool and it was the center-stone of all play on this day. With all that sun and play, TD did indeed look like a ripe berry. A juicy ripe berry.

Tornado Boy was thoroughly engaged and totally committed to the pseudo freedom he had yesterday. And he was able to stand his own ground among these bigger kids. When baby-talk didn't return his toy, he fell back to employing his equalizer, which worked like a charm. Its a high-pitched, blood-curtling scream coming up from deep within the diaphram and hurled into the universe. It stops all activity immediately. And the toy (or whatever) that triggered the outburst is returned immediately. I saw it work successfully several times.

This age is so damn cute!! They will never look as innocent as they do at this age.

I watched the boys last night so mom could go have some fun. It was pretty easy. The minute mom left, TD took his very tired and tear-stained face (he still cries a little when mom leaves) and climbed up on the couch and was asleep within one minute. And he never woke again until this morning.

The wee one had some trouble getting comfortable enough for extended sleep. He has a cold and was all stuffy... it makes it hard to suck a bottle and breath at the same time. He has such a mellow outlook on life... calm and mellow. He spent some of the time giggling. Part of the time it looked like he was giggling at me and the rest of the time he must have had a spiritual visitor who was a standup comic. What an infectious giggle. Doncha jus luv it!!

Mom didn't come home until around 5am. She had to 'wait for someone not drunk' to bring her home. So I've been sleeping most of the day. Its so kewl to be able to take a nap whenever you want to...its just great.

Yawn...yeah I know. Its boring...but its done.

Another day, Another dollar

After reassuring the IRS they would get their money, you know, since they refused my first born, they lifted the hold and all is back to "normal". If/when I can show them I had already paid said amount, then all will be reversed.

I'm glad I didn't get all hysterical over it. I must be maturing. And life goes forward from here.

The I.R.S. came awalking......

The IRS came into my life today. Sunshine and rasberries.... NOT! My 2002 tax filing has gotten all screwed up and the ball began rolling because of a mishappen (yes, I'm wording this nicely) on their end of the stick.

This was the year I quit my job and cashed out my 401k. I knew I would take a tax hit but I was willing to do that. I just wanted out. I wanted freedom. I wanted no responsibilities. (BTW, I have never been successful with that one.) I paid over $12k for that year.

And here is where the records start getting screwed up.

The IRS sent me a form saying I only owed $9k and they sent me a $3K refund check. I remembered being very surprised but who am I to say the IRS is wrong. So I deposited the refund and went on about my way.

Several months later I remember getting notified that there had been an error on my tax filing (they didn't mention who made it) and that I owed them $3k. (I'm just rounding off here.)

Well, bummer but I was glad they sent the notice when I still have some 401k money left. They don't show it was received. ("Please Lord, don't tell me I forgot to send it in!") Now I need to verify if the check was ever processed and I don't have any records from that far back to even know what check number it was. Remember, I've been trying to downsize. I shredded a lot of papers. Now I have to see if I can somehow get information from my banking institution just using my faulty memory. This should be loads of fun.

In the mean time, they've put a hold on my checking account. I've made arrangements for monthly payments (and fees and interest and etc.) and they will lift the hold but it will take several days....maybe even up to 10+ days. And during this time I can look and see $50 in my account calling my name but I can't touch it. Sigh. And I was so happy when I looked at my account earlier today. Foolish me.

I hope I am able to find the proof I need to show the IRS I paid back the refund and this situation will disappear. And if I don't, then the best I can say is that all the arrangements have been made and I don't have to go thru that particular mess again. (I waited 25 minutes to be able to talk to a live person.) This is the best I could do regarding a positive spin on things. And I think its pretty good for me.

Actually, I'm handling this pretty well. Right now, anyway. There may be a time in the future when I'm feeling stressed and I bitch about it, but right now I'm doing okay. Its only money. wahhhhh

On a brighter note, its hot here.... got up in the 90s today and we might hit 100 degrees tomorrow. Be still my heart.

If nothing else, today has demonstrated how to stay in the centered place based on what's inside and not on external situations. We'll see how long it lasts.

Ooops...my bad!!

I think I might have egg on my face. It won't be the first time. I've had plenty of practice with it.

I just checked my profile/settings area and discovered a place where I can 'clear' it so anyone can post a comment. It needs to be tested to see if a comment can be posted without registering on Blogspot. I don't know if that's what "anyone" means or not. If everything works out then I will publically apologize for ranting about my misperceptions. DUH.

Added: ah...er....once again the Universe has given me a lesson demonstrating that 'I don't know what anything is for'. Sigh. The comments sections is now open to all. No need to register. My apologies to Blogger.

Added even later: I've updated the "about me" field in my profile, but (sigh) it hasn't changed it on the blog. Maybe its a timing issue.

Tree root growth rate

I was sitting on my porch (a slab of concrete with steps) having a break... you know, a break from sitting inside. Anyway, I was looking at the trees in front of a large apt. complex that was recently built across the street. The trees are young but look like they might just make it after a shaky start. I was wondering what is going to happen once the trees mature and their root systems spread. From that question came another one: Are there trees where the roots reach a mature level and then do not become any bigger...and by bigger I mean they don't spread any further? I think that would be something to consider when planting a "baby" tree next to a driveway or sidewalk.

I tried to google my question, but I just didn't have the focus to spend much time trying to find the page with the answer. Then I thought...'why not ask on the web...there are lots knowledgable gardeners out there'. Then I needed to decide where to ask the question. Here was the easiest place to ask. It also demonstrates my non-need for an answer.

To tell the truth, if I don't get an answer it won't matter. I'll no doubt forget I even asked the question in an hour or two.

As I peruse many blogs in an attempt to keep from doing anything productive, I've noticed many women say they love gardening...love getting their hands dirty and to watch their 'babies grow'. It sounds lovely but when I try to mentally put myself there...I get a very fuzzy picture full of drops of sweat, painful backs, and sunburned skin. Oh yeah, and very dirty fingernails.

Next time I get an urge, maybe I'll try keeping indoor plants healthy before I try anything outside. I use to always have leafy house plants. When first brought in they would appear green, full, and healthy. After acclimating they seemed to all slim down and lose compactness. They seldom actually died, but they weren't that 'happy go lucky' looking type of plant you see in the nurseries and garden stores.

I have to think about all this. I've spent the last couple of years trying to rid myself of an many responsibilities as I can. Caring the house plants bring some back. I'll have to really give it some thought. Perhaps I'll leave it up to the Universe. If I'm to try it again, caring for something living, then I'm sure a plant or two will come into my life. If anything happens I'll try to remember to post an update. And the operative word is "try".