Phoebe

Every winter running almost to spring. The PHoebe shows up. This year I think I have a pair. They have become my fairytale
bird. They are so elusive and hard to spot. They flit and shake their tail a lot. But I love them. They kind of look like those junco's. Like a nun bird. I call Junco's the nun birds because they have like a grey hood over their head and back. With an ivory stomach. Anyway. My passion for Phoebe's started few years ago. Kind of like my passion for blue buntings, grosbeaks and
painted buntings. (which one has never shown up, and the other two have only appeared in my yard in the winter once in 20 years.

Which, by the way, my husband and I just realized we have lived here for twenty years. In our entire married lives which is 43 years we have never lived anywhere more than ten years. So we feel it is time to move. We like moving. I don't like starting over with a garden or yard. I always try to get my husband to buy me a place in which some 90 year old lady gardener tended it most of her adult life, and it would have old rose bushes, and huge mature 100 year old tree's. Once, the first home we were buying we saw this house down in Miami, Florida. The house was "nothing" not anywhere near right for us. It only had one bathroom. And my husband has a rule. Must have two bathrooms. But it had the garden of eden in the back yard. And I don't mean that jokingly, it was like the garden of paradise, Every flower or plant I have ever wanted was in that yard. And i begged my husband to buy the place. But he refused. I have been known to buy a house for the yard. ha ha. Even sometimes for an awesome front
door. But I still remember that yard. I would not have had to plant a thing. Just keep the garden going. So, anyway, we are researching where we want to move. Tennessee has been looked at and mentioned. On our trip out West in April we will check out Montana. We just want change.

Ok, so I got a half way decent picture of my Phoebe to share with you. He/she was in the shade. But you can still tell it is a Phoebe. Also a new photo of me. I will try to update more often.

Just Another Hang up

Go to this web site and enter the contest to win a cute wristlet.

http://justanotherhangup.blogspot.com/2010/01/wristlet-give-away.html

Girl

I realized after reading someone's poetry that I never really blogged about how we came by our dog, Girl. Some things just aren't planned. And they come into your life with an insistence that seems written in stone. By that I mean, it will happen whether you want it or not. I had never taken in a stray. We had always paid big money for a pedigree. After we lost our little west highland terrier at age 8 to cancer, we said never again. No more dogs to fall in love with and weep over when they go.

Then Girl showed up. I remember the first time I saw her. It was pouring rain, kind of like it is doing but then it was accompanied by thunder and lightening. And I see this half grown mutt racing up and down the road in a panic. Going to each fenced in property trying to find a place in. She came down my driveway. I let her stay on my front porch. Our uncle was the past president of the humane society. It is a no kill non profit privately owned facility. They don't take dogs and cats until there is an opening. So, Ralph's Uncle asked us if we could just keep her on the front porch, safe until he could get her an opening. So, this is how it all started. I had never owned a stray let alone an outdoor dog. So, we fed her, watered her. Eventually petted. her.
He kept taking her down to his facility to see if a spot had opened up. Then it got cold. I took to bringing an old quilt out to the front porch for her. Next thing I knew I was spending all my time on that old quilt out front with her. I was falling in love and didn't even know it. She was inching her way into my heart. Bit by bit. And there is something about a stray. They are so appreciative of every scrap of love you give them. Even just a passing pat on the head. It breaks your heart. And so it went. Uncle Lennie kept trying to find a placement and we would only call her " Here Girl" because we had no intention of ever keeping her. We were through with dogs breaking our hearts and dying on us. So we never gave her a name. This went on for weeks.
Finally one day my husband just said to his Uncle. Forget it. She's ours. We gave her a bath, brought her into the house. And we never did give her a name. Because by that time she thought her name was "Girl". And so the universe gave us a dog.
And she was very protective of us. But very gentle with children. She was like a gentle giant. And she grew. She grew so much that when she would try and sit in our laps, only a tiny portion would fit. But she kept trying as funny as she looked. Then when she realized she was too big for that. She would come and lay her head on our knee and look up at us. I would give my whole entire world for one more of those looks. And she was pure joy to watch. At about age 2 or 3 she would leap through our woods like a goat, straight up, straight down and flush out birds and rabbits. She never really wanted to catch them. She just liked the game. We think she had some bird dog in her because she would stand by a tree, catch a scent of something and freeze and just point in one direction for fifteen minutes. We took her everywhere. She went to Colorado. She went to Canada. She was a well traveled dog. And when we got our motorhome her favorite thing was to visit campgrounds. She loved it. Her favorite was the mountains and forests. She did not care for the ocean too much. She loved campgrounds that were full of other dogs.
And one day we inherited a little dog named Tiny. He was a mini dachshund. He fell in love with Girl but she only tolerated him.
We loved Girl for ten years. Then she got sick. They never did find out what was causing it. Her lungs were cloudy and the Vet suspected cancer. We kept her comfortable but in Sept she passed away of an assumed heart attack at home. I whispered to her. Find me Girl. Find me. And life will never be the same without her.

If only a blueBird Poem I wrote

Today two bluebirds were checking out my bluebird houses. I cannot even describe properly the joy I felt. There is no way to explain it. I am just a total bird geek. The two that send me over the edge when they show up every year are bluebirds and hummingbirds. Well, bald eagles do too but those are scarce around here. But we did have "one" one time. So, anyhoo, I read something awesome about the bluebird family, how if the female adult bluebird dies, the fledglings from the last nesting will help the male adult feed the new babies. I thought, how superior they are to us humans. If only they knew. So, a few years back I wrote a poem about it. Oh, and here are my bluebirds. Enjoy. I sure did. I even bought some mealworms today. Gross looking. And I plan to put them out in the morning.

If Only a Bluebird



Imagine a world in which
every cell is connected
to every other cell.


One cells pain, would
radiate to every other
cell.
Instantaneous empathy.


No media news or publicity
would have to tell us
how to behave, or not.
I am you, you are me.



Maybe on some alien
planet
in some far away galaxy
there exists a connectedness.

If only a bluebird,
if only we knew,
we haven't a clue.

Spring is right around the corner

A robin told me so. Whenever Robins show up in flocks I am always always enheartened and uplifted. No matter that it is January and 20 degree's. They herald spring to me. And they are so comical and crazy and well, nuts. And they make funny
bird noises. We had a huge influx of Robins the other day. Spring can't be far behind.

I continue to have good cancer checkups. But my stress level is always high just before the checkup. Every little scratchy throat becomes a threat, every minute thing a mountain. I am hoping as a dear friend who survived this to pass his five year point said, Live as if it never happened. Live life, not fear. I am hoping to get to that point one day.

Our weather is warming up. We were in a deep freeze for over a week. For Florida to be below freezing for five and six days in a row is so unusual as to almost be a warning. That something is wrong with the universe. I am watching Ellen right now. Last night American Idol was quite good. I liked Victoria on there as a guest. I like her better than Kara. Ok, my Mac battery is low and I am too darn lazy to go plug in. Now that darn commercial. Plug it in, Plug it in. Is now stuck in my head. Later.

Christmas Day 2009

Well, Chelsea's (our granddaughter) Great Uncle Tim drove all night to get here for Christmas with her brother Jacob. Jacob lives in Missouri with his Dad and Chelsea lives here with her Mom. And we had a great dinner. And tomorrow Chelsea will get to go back with them to Missouri for a week of Christmas break and see her Dad and all her cousins up there. I got three great books for Christmas. A new camera lens from my son Paul. I gave my husband a new solataire game. And a battery operated Helicopter. I got a nightgown, clock, earrings and much more. I was warm today but tomorrow should be chilly.
I cooked a Ham and garlic cheese grits cassarole, macaroni cassorole, sweet potato. etc. etc.

Christmas Shopping Ugh

Still have to take Chelsie, my granddaughter to Hot Topics clothing store in the Oaks Mall in Gainesville. I think these
are Goth clothes, all black. That's her thing. Jeans, long wild socks, t-shirts, unlaced sneaks. She said when she went to homecoming everyone was shocked to see her in a dress. So, today waiting in line at post office to mail last two gifts
to last two kids. Have not even shopped for groceries for Christmas yet. Maybe I will make garlic cheese grits cassorole. And homemade Mac and Cheese. That is Chelsie's favorite. Listening to Rosie Radio while I update this. And loving that Rosie is having the same pain with a teen girl as I had with my adopted daughter. I knew nothing about girls. I had three boys. The first time she stomped up to her room and slammed her bedroom door, I called my girlfriend (also my daughters best friends Mom And I said, "Liz, what the hell is she doing? ? And Liz says, "Oh thats normal, a regular occurrence with teen girls, slamming doors" " And wait til you get the little notes shoved under your bedroom door. " Noooooooooooo. I guess I was never
a typical teen. I never had any rebellious words with my Mom. My Dad was absent and not emotionally available so I was
my Mom's best friend. I never ran to my bedroom and slammed my door. So I completely could not relate to this

I got my hair cut today. It is too short but because I had radiation for seven weeks and the hair that grew back in along the
back is very curly and dark auburn, she had to feather it short in the back. But it will grow back. And the sun will lighten the new hair. Ok, later.