Happy New Year

I send my wish to each of you for a peaceful New Year. May all your dreams come true and may we build community together in this difficult time. Hope abounds - blessings to you.

Happy Hanukkah

This photo is my friend A - who is the son of my business partner. He is a beautiful boy with a sensitive soul. The candlelight and expression on his face say so much. Hanukkah the festival of light.

I am finally on the mend. Today is the first day I have felt better. I am preparing to depart for Seattle early tomorrow morning.

I send you good wishes tonight. Love on wings of gold. Merry Christmas. Happy Kwanzaa, and may we all have a blessed New Year.

Musings

I continue to battle this cold or whatever the bug is - good lord, I have been home recuperating for half of this week - again.

Yesterday, I finally filled the antibiotic prescription given to me last week. That is real desperation, as I rarely take any prescription meds let alone antibiotics. I am being hopeful tonight that I will wake up much better in the morning.

It surely is cold - recently the Twin Cities broke 40 year low temperature records! Between snowfalls, the sun shines brilliantly everyday turning our world into a sparkling wonderland.

I am beginning to prepare for my trip to Seattle - I depart December 25 and will be there until January 3. Woo Hoo!! A real break - not a trip to take care of someone else, which has been the case most of the time this year. We have lots of fun things planned - I will be sure to take photos and post while there.

It has been such a strange time - I just saw a piece on the evening news about the jacking up of interest rates by credit card companies. In the piece, a women who looks like your local retired librarian, said, "I would be better off going to the mob to borrow money." Truly a sign of the times.

I here, just here ----- staying warm and healing. Talk to you soon........

Winter in the Northland

It is just downright cold here in the Upper Midwest. I have been home all morning working but now am on my out to a meeting. It is 2 pm and it is minus three degrees!!!!

It is beautiful outside though. Pristine white - sparkling and clean. I am dressed in layers and am actually feeling better for the first time in nearly two weeks - glory be!! We Minnesotans are a hardy lot!!

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Just a quick drive-by! I am slowly healing - back at work yesterday and today (so far). It is bitterly cold here in Minnesota - below zero this morning in my backyard. It feels so good to be up and about after nearly a week in bed!!!!! I was boring myself. Still moving really slowly and taking a bunch of Chinese herbs and such. I will kick this entirely - I am committed.

For those of you in the northland - stay warm. For the rest of you - we don't want to hear it :) - more to come.

We Are One People

Filmmaker Mark Johnson traveled around the globe getting street musicians and others to record part of the track for Stand By Me. Using battery powered equipment and a pocket full of Frequent Flier miles he got tracks from dozens of performers. Each one was able to wear headphones and hear what the other performers had done.

What is Your Blog's Myers-Briggs Type

I found this cool little website, Typealyzer. You input the url of your blog and it gives you a little Myers-Briggs analysis of your blog. My blog is an ESFP, which is different than my personality inventory when I took it as part of my job in the early 1990's. The site is just for fun - try it if you need a quick little diversion.

I am still sick and stayed home from work today - spent the day in bed, napping, reading, sipping tea and playing with my new (gasp) IPhone!! I so hope I awake feeling much better tomorrow. Talk to you soon.

New Look for the Diningroom

I have wanted to "finish" the diningroom since the remodel in 2005 and just didn't get to it until November. I think the new area carpet really finishes the room. (Can you see Miss Kitty under the chair?)

I have an icky cold and am trying to kick it for the second time in as many weeks. I am taking another round of Chinese herbs and have an acupuncture appointment tomorrow afternoon. Here I am - in my fuzzy slippers and big warm sweatshirt just sipping tea and making a big pot of Chicken Soup!!

My time with my friend V was really nice. I am looking forward to my trip to Seattle.

Good news about my mother. She is now out of the walking cast and can move about without the aid of a walker. She also says the doctor doesn't want her to use her cane either. I suspect the doctor told her to use the cane at times but she would never share that with me.

She will begin in-home rehab shortly and has been told that she can no longer do outdoor, fitness walks and should never kneel again. She has healed much better than they expected at her age. I am grateful.

She says she will slow down now and "stop running around like a crazy person" - what that means is Mother spends a great deal of time moving so fast that she is out of her body a lot of the time. For instance, you cannot put even a used tissue in the bathroom waste basket and expect that it will be there in half an hour - she runs around and picks the tissue out of the basket to throw in the trash. Sigh.

Things feel so much better now that I have just relaxed into the now with her. It is her life - these are her adult decisions - there are things she is doing that are dangerous and can have far reaching negative consequences for her - still, those are her adult decisions.

It is very cold in St Paul - we are back in our boots and gloves. I put the small shovel and the window scraper in the car this afternoon. Winter - I love living in four seasons, it is good for the body and soul.

Talk to you soon...................