Moving … and helping a friend

This is going to be a busy week as I finish packing up boxes and move myself into a slightly different place which will actually be closer to the part-time job, and has the environment I need for a more peaceful existence.

I won't go into the details, but sometimes the energy of a place can affect too many aspects of one's life to be enjoyable. When we are younger we seek out places where we can bounce about and have others with similar energies. But there is a reason why senior homes and assisted living are not necessarily bad.

That is NOT where I am heading yet, but I do want people around me who have a sense of their direction and balance and I found a location and a nice little home that I hope is going to fulfill my expectations, not far from where I have been living.

A brand new kitchen and a nicer view...

The outbuilding to the right is the studio…can be heated.

Best of all, it has a brand new kitchen, space for a dining room table and room in the back for a studio where I can have all my art activities. I am truly excited and by this time next week have the intention to be settled.

Another delightful aspect is the closeness to a park so I can go walking or biking without fearing for my life on the roads.

One of my Intender buddies is also looking to move things around in her life and she has a practically brand new camper in Yuma, AZ that she would like to sell.
It is one that has a queen bed, bath, and a nice kitchen with pop-outs for the living and dining area.

If you are looking for something like that as a winter retreat, contact me and I will forward the photos to you.

We've had a mild winter, according to the locals, but this place also has a pellet stove, which will help with heating should winter get nastier between now and April, and certainly will be more economical.

Work continues to challenge me and time will tell whether or not this racehorse can make it around the track.

So, dear readers, wherever you are in the world, I hold the intention that your life is coming together in this new year of 2014 and you are being inspired and excited by what is coming for you. And the weather isn't too cold….

Funny thoughts

I stood in line at a familiar coffee place and listened to an order for Chai Tea and said to no one in particular, moving my arms and making a zen-sort of movement, "If this is what Tai Chi looks like, then what does Chai tea look like?" The lady in front of me laughed and did a reverse movement with her arms saying, "Something like this?"

What funny thoughts have you had lately? How have you made someone smile? I'm all for sharing some light as we move into the new Solstice and a new year.

Christmas sunrise 2013… the Light cometh.

60's songstress is gone, the memories linger on

Mary Travers, part of the group of Peter, Paul and Mary from the 60's, died in 2009. As a part of that generation, when I heard that news it was one more reminder that time marches on, a premise that in no way was minimized when they started playing the group's songs in tribute to Mary.

I remember being in the hospital on a morning in late December in 1967 and hearing someone playing "Puff the Magic Dragon" loudly from their car. I had just given birth and was holding this new life in my arms and feeling quite inadequate to what I expected to be a long-term connection.

All those hormones, all that fatigue from the work of delivery, and yet the song grabbed me. I listened and here are the lyrics again:

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee, 
Little Jackie Piper loved that rascal Puff, 
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. oh 

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee, 
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. 

Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail 
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail, 
Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came, 
Pirate ships would lower their flag when Puff roared out his name. oh!

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee, 
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. 

A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys 
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys. 
One grey night it happened, Jackie Piper came no more 
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar. 

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain, 
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane. 
Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave, 
So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave. oh! 

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee, 
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

Some people say the song is about the illusions created by smoking "that devil weed," but to me it is about how we all grow up and leave behind the things of childhood, and how quickly it all happens! I am among the fortunate parents who have been able to see their children into adulthood, but the years have gone by like droplets of water over Niagara Falls, into the mist of memory.

Niagara Falls, New York… on my bucket list.

That day and that song are indelibly etched in my memory and I thank that group for giving me a special tie-in to that birthing day. Today, 46 years later, I hope the Numero Uno will listen to the song and know that I celebrate the life and lessons brought about by this truly blessed event.

Do I need to add I am filled with pride at all the accomplishments NU has achieved? Have a wonderful birthday, my dear, and a Happy New Year!

The kindness of strangers

For some time I have dealt with crazy, wacky, nutty, strange people in my life. We all do, really. And I wonder if the absurdity of bright lights and pumped up music and all the attempts to hold off the dark of the long nights in December doesn't in some way make things harder?

The day before Solstice, these lights fend off the demon dark
and offer light when, at almost 8 a.m. in the NW, there is little.

Mental illness is defined here as a condition which affects a person's ability to cope and live a normal life. All the disorders that are elements of an individual, when they begin to take over that person's life, become definers of the person, rather than allowing the personality to shine.

The holidays seem to bring added stress and a sense that we must all be a part of the whirligig action that makes up the days between Dec. 15 and January 2.

Depression is not just a temporary state of mind for some people, but a black dog that is waiting around the corner ready to pounce on them, overwhelming their ability to do the simplest tasks.

Today I crossed paths with someone who is usually very upbeat and positive, but he said something that made me realize that we just don't know what challenges the 'holiday season' can bring on.

And then later I witnessed something that gave me renewed hope for our species: an older woman was shopping and when she got to the cashier, realized she didn't have enough money in pocket or on her debit card to pay.  She apologized to the cashier for the trouble she caused by getting things that would have to be put back and started to walk away. Just then a man of about 35 years of age stepped up and said, "I will pay for it all. Merry Christmas." Everyone around was awed and there were tears in the eyes of the woman who clearly did not expect any assistance. I am grateful to have been a witness to this Universal love offering.

Blanche Dubois, a character from Tennessee Williams' play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," (and the movie) continued to dress and act in strange ways as she was trying to live in a world that her mind did not recognize. She said in her final line in the play, as she was being taken into a mental institution, "Whoever you are, I depend on the kindness of strangers."

Williams used the character of Stanley to drive home the point of Blanche's fragility, and to show how insensitive some people are to what is seen as mental weakness, as well as to point out that people in general have the belief that those struggling with mental instabilities are liars.

As a society we've come a long way in the effort to recognize that mental illness really is an illness, and various disorders are elements of mental health. I've not done a very good job understanding all of this. I'm discovering I still have a lot more to learn.

And perhaps there are people who will arrive at the intersection of your life now, this red and green season of lights that may be more confusing than traffic signals. Those folks may not know where they are headed, or how they will get there. Maybe this is the time to be a little more patient, remembering that even as strangers, we all seek a little kindness.

May your holiday be tolerable… if not
bright and cheery, and may you have signs
of hope along the way.

I am thankful (and grateful) for...

A beautiful sunset as seen through the lighted trees in
the small park in Sequim, WA

A waterfall of lights in the same park…. and

how entrancing the gazebo looks now in the winter light.

And of course, my grandchildren, my children, my friends far and wide, the challenges and joys in my new daily routine, the support that comes from surprising quarters to solve problems and always, my Intender family that lifts me up when my own wings are a little damp.

I hope all my readers find their joy in this coming season of lights and music, however it pleases you. May we all find space to allow the differences to simply be part of a new way of seeing the world and not support those who want to limit and control everything. Blessed days ahead, my friends.

Where do you go when…?

the dump burns down? I'm not a dump picker (not allowed here anyhow), but it was/used to be a lot less expensive to take my garbage and recyclables to the waste transfer station about five miles away.

Last Sunday it burned to the ground. No one knows how it started, but how it finished was to obliterate all the structures, and make it impossible to recycle or receive trash there.

The company, Waste Connections, Inc. has a contract with the city of Port Angeles and cooperates with Clallum County.

Today I decided to drive up that road to see what I could see. There were six other cars presumably hoping to leave their trash there as well. Surprisingly they were mostly unaware of the fire. If those people were subscribers or followers of the Peninsula Daily News, they could read the story here.

But service and solutions after the fire did not seem to be on the minds of the company.

It is not possible to see the fire damage from the gate, and there is very
little information for customers arriving to recycle and dispose of their trash.

My background in public relations caused a rise in temperature and ire… how easy it would have been for company leadership to put a plastic real estate type of box with an information sheet and map for their customers.

Fitting that the company used a black trash
bag to cover up the sign, but this is a poor
way to communicate to clients.

Instead they simply took a black plastic bag and some duct tape, and wrapped up the informational sign that lets drivers know they have turned on the right road, Blue Mountain, to get to the dump.

Now drivers who know where they are going, still keep on driving the mile up the road to find a padlocked gate, with only a number to call and no directions to the Port Angeles transfer station.

And it costs twice as much to drive twice as far. Now we have to drive past the City of Port Angeles, out past the cemetery and airport.

Even though the larger waste processing facility is located on land with an impressive view, it is not small-user friendly. Instead of $5 for a load, it's a $10 minimum…. hmmmm.

Although the sun was shining, my mood was not so bright -wondering just how many times I might have to make this trip before the Blue Mountain transfer station is open again.

As one leaves the Port Angeles transfer station, just before
arriving at the cash window, it is possible to see all the way
across the sound to B.C. Lovely sunny day...