Oh the Conspiracy Theories abound.

We have noises from outer space, and sightings of weird creatures in the woods.  UFOs.  Ghosts and other-worldly entities.

(Personally, I don’t discount the any-of-it.   Who am I to say they aren’t true?   There does not seem to be a lot of proof, either way.)

But back to it.  This is an area of life which is mysterious, and evasive.  It can be perplexing, intriguing, and sometimes downright creepy.  There are  simply times when things occur in life which are bizarre, and uncanny.

Some people explain them away, as coincidences, or mistakes.

Yet.

Now.  I DO have a personal experience to share with you.  Yes, one phenomenon which happens on a regular basis.  It sends shivers down my spine and makes the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I call her…. “The Lady in the Grocery.”   She changes form… like a shape-shifter… from one time to the next.  But she is the same.  Let me explain.  Most every time I visit a grocery or mega-mart… there she is… in the parking lot… tooling around in one of two vehicles.  A very old and dented Pinto….. or some over-sized sparkly Cadillac.  She nearly side-swipes me before taking up three spots in the parking lot.

But it doesn’t end there.  Next, we bump into one another at the entrance.   And then she body-blocks me as she ambles to retrieve a cart.  This takes several minutes.

As I go to get a head of cauliflower in produce, there she is again.  Blocking the entire fresh-produce area, as she determines which bag of carrots might be the best for her….. baby or with the peels.

Snack Aisle.  All I want is a box of Saltines.  Everybody knows Polly wants a Cracker.  Oh BUT NO.  There she is… her fists clinched tightly around two bags of Goldfish… will it be Cheddar or Pizza flavored this week?

Deli.  Please… just some sliced ham.  Again, she has beat me there.  How this happens I do not know.  I walk faster than the wind… and she seems to prattle along at a snail’s pace.  But she is always one step ahead of me.  (I know.  It creeps me out too.)
Back at the deli counter…. she is getting 12 very small containers…. one each of everything… from Fruity-Marshmallow-Jello Surprise…. to Drowning-In-Mayonnaise Broccoli Salad.

Checkout.  Two aisles open.   The first has 23 people in line.  The second row… just the Lady in the Grocery stands there.  After much deliberation, I begin unloading my cart on the belt behind her.   By the time she is done, the other 23 people have left the store… are at home in their kitchens fixing dinner…..  AND…. AND…. The Lady in the Grocery is still fumbling through her purse for the 15 cents-off-coupon for Goldfish. “Lady…. I will give you a whole DOLLAR if you will JUST CHECK OUT!”

The next time I go to the grocery… she has slightly morphed into another being… with a different physical appearance… but she is back again… to haunt me.

I’ve captured her on film… at least 20 times.  Every time I take the evidence to the Police… she has foiled me again.  She has managed to appear as some sweet little old lady in the photo.  And all I can do… is shake my head and say “Dag Nab It.”

Dag, dag, dag, dag nab it.
Unless I start growing my own…   I need the Grocery.

The Head. The Heart.  And The Soul.

If you can get these three things to line up… you are truly a fortunate person.

There have been times in my life when I have known this.  When the head and heart and soul are all in agreement.   The result is inner peace.  Serenity.

But to maintain this on a daily basis has been nearly impossible for me.  Most days, it seems,  my physical being and my spiritual being are slightly out of sync.  Sometimes… completely out of whack.  It is like they decide to play a game of tag, or worse even yet…  Tug of War.

I think that finding true inner peace is golden.  If everyone had it, the world would be a much different place.  A better place.  It is a thing to be sought and treasured.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if my spiritual self could match up with my physical being…

It can be likened to the clouds and the sun.  These are two completely different things, but they work so perfectly together.  They join up flawlessly and exquisitely.  A creation of incredible beauty and magic…  even when the sky begins to darken.

Tonight, we had some friends over to watch the Bengals vs. Steelers.  Let me do a little background here.  Most of our friends are Bengals fans.  I have followed the Steelers since I was a pretty little whipper-snapper.  So at times… there can be a playful banter between us.

We’ve been planning this party for a long time… but the game time was changed to the Sunday Night Game.  This is problematic for a bunch of old women who typically go to bed by 9:30 or 10:00 p.m.  A few of our group couldn’t make it because of the sickies.  There are a lot of bugs going around right now…. and we aren’t talking spiders or crickets.

So it was a small group, but a good group.  The game still rages on at this point….. but the party is over.  Everyone left at halftime, after we had eaten the bulk of the pizza and cookies.  Nonetheless, we shared good company and conversation.

But here is the real deal.  The point of all of this.

I am fortunate in the area of friends.  I have a very special few… who I love dearly… and I truly would do anything for them.  They come in all different shapes and sizes, and from all different walks of life.  I was reminded, once again, of my good fortune tonight.

A couple of them… I wish I could scoop right up… and move them right next door.  Cool women… who make me laugh, and think, and engage. This can be a difficult task for introverted me….. but they make me feel easy.  They are very kind to me,  and it truly warms my heart.

While I’ll probably never be a Bengals fan… even though my good pals are… I will always be a fan of these friends.  They are yet another one of life’s joys…. and I am grateful.

And finally….I will be even more grateful if the Steelers can win.

Every time I look at Frances, I am reminded of all the good in the world.  This is the absolute truth.

She is the quintessential good dog.  Again, I kid you not.

For those of you who do not know Frances very well…. she came to us in 2005.  She showed up at Bullen Ultrasonics, and Mary called me to come get her from the Plant.  I did.

Oh, we tried to find her rightful owners.  And when that failed, we tried to find her any owners.  We came close, but it was a series of “high hopes” and subsequent “let downs.”   This was all coming during a very hard emotional time in my life.  Finally, and thankfully, we decided to keep her.

We did not want another dog of this size.  We certainly did not want a black, dog of this size.  But that is what the Universe delivered.  So we accepted.
But the Universe decided to deliver more.

When I took her to her first Vet appointment, the good doctor informed us that the new dog in the family was about 2 years old…. and very pregnant.  And… a couple of weeks later… we had 13 puppies.    We found good homes for all 13.  A big shout out tonight to all of them… from Dashe, to Eddie, to Rudy the Runt.

But back to Frances.   She truly is the epitome of friendship.  She is kind, compassionate, funny, completely dedicated, fiercely loyal, well-mannered, and highly protective.  She is a giver and a watcher.

It is in this complete package, that such a lesson is learned.  On the outside… she was everything we did not THINK we wanted in a dog.  On the inside…. she is everything we could ever have hoped for in the truest of friends.

In our years, we have had many canine pals.  But Frances is by far the best of the best.

When the Universe opens up and gives me a gift… I hope I am always smart enough, open enough, and willing enough… to accept it.

Frances taught  me this.

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.  —  George MacDonald

To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.  —  Steve Prefontaine

Little things.

Some of the greatest ideas… can start with the smallest of things.  As the old cliche’ goes… a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  But it is true.

To reiterate.  A mathematical question was posed to me today.
If it takes six men, to dig 36 holes in two hours, how long will it take one man to dig half a hole.

The answer is… there is no half of a hole.  As soon as the shovel pitches that first bit of dirt… you have a hole.  (Arguably, and I did…. it may not be the size hole which is required for the project… but nonetheless.  I digress.)

The fact of it is…..  some pretty amazing things start with the smallest of seeds.  It just needs to be planted and nurtured.

Otherwise… it is merely bird food.

And this is where it came to me tonight… as I sliced into an apple.
If we want to do something great… it will most likely take a considerable amount of work.  It make take a lot of doing and effort.  But it has to start somewhere… with something.  The smallest seeds eventually turn into impressive trees.  But you can find evidence of such… in the midst of the fruit.

The smallest thing…the tiniest seed….  the first move in the right direction…  and we have begun.

The littlest step.  And there it will begin.

Well….. one thing is for sure.   The Christmas Holiday takes a great deal of preparation for the entertainment segment.  And just like that…. the candles on the dinner table are blown out . …. the roast beast is no more ….the wrapping paper hits the recycle bin… …. and the celebration is over.

But.  I contend that it is all much more than that.  More than candy canes, bows and ribbons, baked hams, and tinsel.

The trueness of the holiday is this.    It is home.  It is our people.  It is our “togetherness”.  The part that we really prepare for is in our hearts.   That takes a lot of time, and work too.  Lifetimes of giving, sharing, honesty, compassion, hope, and loving.   Yet…. long after Santa has flown back to the Northernmost Pole…. and the Elf on the Shelf goes to the Yukon Territory for the summer….  we are all still here together.  Celebrating the blessing of together.  Sharing our lives.

May your candle burn bright now… and always.  May you be a bright light for others… and a place of warmth.  May you all be awesome.  Today and every day.

You know… things happen at the strangest times… and in the most surprising of ways.  Tonight, we all had settled in for the evening.  The family had been here all day, and we shared a wonderful Christmas Holiday.  My Mom, some siblings, and nephews.  We ate and ate.  And sang and sang.   And shared good stories about life.

Anyway… back to tonight.   When we got the dishes cleaned and put away… we decided to head off to bed.  It was quiet in the house.  I had my sleeping cap on.  We were beat.  The dogs were worn out.  Heck… even the mice were tired and I don’t think a single creature was stirring.  I am pretty sure I had started to dream about sugar plums… or something.  Maybe they were Ooompaloompas.

But nonetheless, I heard a noise out on the lawn.  I thought.  It was some sort of clatter.  When I checked it out… through the sash … it looked just like a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.  And wouldn’t you know….. old  St. Nicholas went right down the chimney and came out with a bound.

No milk and cookies.  Fresh out.  So I gave him some Reuben Dip and those little party rye breads.  It was either that or cheesy potatoes and green beans.  We had a lot of leftovers.

But low and behold, he asked what I wanted for Christmas.  And I told him exactly what I wanted.  “Love, joy, happiness, health, and peace, for my family and my friends.”

Now…. Kirk….my Sock Monkey had been praying to get a new puppy.  Well… Santa left him an “Elf on the Shelf” instead. What the heck?.  It seems that NOW…..  I have joined the ranks of the “Elf on the Shelf” Mothers.

But no matter..  And….. just then….. Old St. Nick winked, and put his finger on the side of his nose… and before I knew it… away he went.

As I look back on the day… I would have to smile from ear to ear.   A beautiful family… and friends… sharing throughout the day.  And of course…. my  happy little monkey with a new pal….. his Elf on the Shelf.  I’m not sure it gets any better than this.

So… with that I say….
Happy Christmas to all… and to all a Good Night.

I would like to suggest a New Holiday.  I’ll get to it here in a little minute.

But first, the Holidays.   A two-sided coin, indeed.  The holidays can bring out the very best in people… and the very worst.

In reference to the latter.  All you really have to do is spend any time in a shopping mall, or grocery store…. a couple of days before Christmas… to see the absolute worst of humanity.  But.  Let’s put that aside and talk about the goodness, shall we?

Yes, the Good.  The Magic.  It is in the air at Christmas Time.  I wonder why this happens right now … this cheer and good will toward men?  Why do people take such notice of this during a holiday such as Christmas?  I wish we all of us,  could do this every day.

The Wonder of the Every Day.  That is my proposal for the New Holiday.

I have a little story about a friend of mine.  I have know her for several years. In years past, we had been nothing more than fleeting acquaintances, really.  But now.  I have gotten to know this person so much more.  And I really like her.  I trust her.  I consider her a true friend.  Probably one of those people I could call in a pinch.

It turns out we like a lot of the same things.  I used to do Food Photography, and she likes photos of Food.  Good photos.

We both love rocks.  Like crazy.  And good music.  And peace, and good will.
At any rate, I am so glad to have her as a friend now.  After a lot of years of just a pleasant “hello” when passing on the street.    She is incredibly kind, and has such a good spirit and energy about her.  She kind of glows.  Not like Rudolph glows… but like bright warm lights glow.

And that… is one of the Every Day Wonders of Life.

These blessings, just waiting to happen… around any corner at any time…. are one of the finest things about life.  Friendships for us to find.  Very cool rocks to discover.  Bowls of tasty ice cream… just waiting for us at Ben & Jerry’s

I truly believe we find what we seek.  It is when we ask… that we receive.  Maybe not what we want… but what we need.   So. Happy Holidays to You.  May the gifts abound.
Happy “The Wonder of Everyday”…. the best holiday of the year.

To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.  — Confucius

It used to be… when you had a virus… and started hacking… it pretty much meant you had some strain of the flu.  You might get a day or two off from work.  You’d feel like three-day-old-cat poop.  And Tylenol would be your best friend for about a week.

But NOW…. if there are viruses, and hacking… it generally has to do with that screen and keyboard in front of you right.  Yesh.  Yesh… I shay.   Computer Hackershh.

Now… given the topic of recent events… I will tell you this much.  We don’t want to get into a hacking war.  Not with anyone.  Especially a nutty as a fruitcake, off one’s rocker, not right in the head, raving mad, batty, bonkers, cuckoo, loopy, ditzy, loony, bananas, loco, with a screw loose, touched, gaga, out to lunch, Dictator-Maniac.   Yet… here we have it.   Tonight, North Korea’s Internet went out.  All of it.

I will reiterate.  It is a bad idea to start a hacking war. It could be way worse than nuclear threats. Because before you know it, the planet will be dark, and lacking mass communications.

One of my favorite singer / groups, is David Byrne, and The Talking Heads.  And one of my favorite songs is…. “Nothing But Flowers”

It talks about civilization after what may have been a nuclear war, or a major power grid failure… due to… welllll …. you know…. cough, cough, hack, hack.

One of the lines in the song goes….

“Once there were parking lots
Now it’s a peaceful oasis
you got it, you got it

This was a Pizza Hut
Now it’s all covered with daisies
you got it, you got it.”

I hope this doesn’t get out of hand… I do.  Because I like electricity, and heat.  I like getting my food at a grocery, and driving a car… with gasoline in the tank.

By god, I like Netflix and Facebook. And Cheetos.

I say… “Make Love, Not Destructive Code”

Maybe I’ll write a song.

Imaginations are everywhere.  Dreams.  Stories.
I imagine a lot of things.    However…. one thing that is factual is today’s date.  Well… sort of.  I mean… humans devised the calendar to keep track of the days, weeks, months, years.  So, I guess that is a little imagined too.

But this is the day of the Winter Solstice.  A thing of fact…. and of legend.

To define it…. a solstice is either of  two times in the year.  It could be the summer solstice or the winter solstice.   These two days occur when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon, marked by the longest and shortest days.

Now….  at times…. we humans can be pretty smart and observant…. and imaginative.  The earliest people on Earth noticed things.  They knew that the sun’s path across the sky…. the length of daylight….. changes.    They built monuments such as Stonehenge in England ….. or, for example, at Machu Picchu in Peru ….  to follow the sun’s yearly progress.

And the winter solstice has been celebrated as a part of this.  The shortest day of the year.

But since the earliest of times… there have been stories… and legends… and traditions…. passed from one generation to the next.

And with that…  I give you the Yeti.   Or….. as  some of us like to call him  …. The Abominable Snowman .

Now, there have been sightings, time and time again….. of this Yeti… which is an apelike, cryptic creature.  He is said to inhabit the Himalaya region of Nepal and Tibet.  The Solstice is a huge “sighting” day for the Yeti.

I don’t know…. I guess I just think… who is to say it isn’t true?  The story, the legend, has carried on for hundreds, and hundreds of years…

So, with this Winter Solstice… I say embrace the things you believe in.  Our power lies in the power of the mind.  How we think.  How we believe.  Yes.  During this sacred day of Winter…. I say… Embrace the Yeti.  Find the truth in the Big Snowman. Believe in the Magic…  and the Magic will believe in YOU.

“The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. stone crumbles. wood rots. people, well, they die. but things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on.”   — Chuck Palahniuk