Monday-noon

You know it is a dark day when you go to take a picture out the window in the middle of the afternoon and the flash goes off. Not enough light yesterday--LOL!

The prompt for today made me giggle.

What is between love and hate?

Well, indifference was my first thought.

But then...

...think of all the millions of couples who's stories would fit between those two words!

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A doing laundry and puttering about day. Supposed to get into the 50s to be the warmest day in a while and the sun is shining. Good day for the trick or treaters.

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Just a quick hello.

You will probably see quite a few of these mini-posts in November--LOL!

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Happy Halloween!! :)

Sunday-noon

It was another gorgeous sunrise yesterday!!

For a few minutes the sky will glow on the horizon and the colors shift...

...until the sun rises up...bright and yellow. :)

Karma's been spending a lot of contented time in her newly uncovered bed.

Doesn't seem to miss her box cave.

Karma doesn't pine for the past or think farther ahead than her morning treat.

A police car sat outside for a long time?

I puttered about.

Got the art table pretty much set up for November--tada!

I decided that I am finally going to use one of the watercolor journals that I made a few years ago.

Yes! I have been so afraid to actually use them--to make that first mark, you know?

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[Confession. I have a lot of different types of journals in pristine condition.]

Anyways, I made my few journals with actual 140 lb. watercolor paper. Just cheaper paper from a tablet, but it's watercolor paper. So, I should be able to really play!!

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I got out a couple of the Sucrets watercolor palettes I made...

...my Radiant Rain and other misters...

...and my trusty timer so I don't overdo it. ;)

I was wondering how I could paint and mist on just the one page and not get it all over the place. (The journals I made are about 5 X 7 or smaller.) I decided to cut up some butcher paper to slide under the page and over the adjacent page. (The paper was so curly that I had to kind of roll up in the opposite direction and smash a little to flatten it out.)

Anyways, I'll try that and see how it works. [With my anal/OCD tendencies, I really wonder how good I can ever expect to be at this being "loose"--LOL! Wish me luck, eh?]

I have a non-stick sheet underneath it all. Leah and I actually use oven liners for craft sheets. They're larger than most of them they sell at the craft stores and we got ours with a 20% off coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond so they were cheaper, too. ;)

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For any actual misting I have a good sized designated cardboard box that I use. Don't want colors on the white walls--LOL! I'll set the misting box up on a TV-tray next to the table when I am arting--LOL!

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So...getting all prepared for November. ;)

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Today is a gray, dark, rainy day.

I was up late and slept in.

Prayers for those who need them.

Hope life is treating you well today.

:):)

Saturday-7am

Saw quite a bit of sun yesterday. Been nippy. Only 24 degrees right now. Supposed to maybe hit 50 today. Looks like kids will have to bundle up this Halloween.

My order arrived from PaperWishes yesterday. When they said suede paper, I thought they meant the actual textured suede paper, but it just is regular paper that has a suede look to it. (The brown and blue ones.) And then I got the red paper with the various colored dots on it, too. They are each a stack of 25 sheets for $2.50! Ten cents a sheet! Can't beat that.

Then...I've been watching youtube videos where people make these art journals...well, for a couple of years now. Reminds me of finger painting, actually, but with brushes. (Not that I haven't seen people use their fingers.) Just do whatever you want...no rules. Kind of like abstract painting or collage in a journal.

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Anyways, I've seen many of them use these plastic templates or masks that have fascinated me. You can mist over them or use a sponge to daub paint over them to leave the imprint. I ordered these before I was positive I was going to try to do the Art Every Day. Now I'm even happier that I did and I'll probably try starting an art journal.

Aren't these cool! I got the small (6 X 6 inch) bare trees...

...and the flower branches and birds.

And I got one of these 8 X 8 inch framed masks with the bird and branches. These templates and masks can also be used on cards, too. Now I have to dig through my journals to find one that I can use as an art journal!

Well, yesterday was the last day for Karma's big box cave. I need my art table back--LOL! So out it went to the dumpster. She still has her cat bed...which is now extra interesting because it is not in the box, of course.

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What cracks me up is that Karma still loves that bottom edge of the shower liner (tied the strips together). She thinks it is alive...because if she paws at it in one spot then other parts down the line will sometimes move. So she stares and stares at it...waiting for it to move. Paws at it...buckles it up...

...and then jerks her head to catch it moving anywhere she isn't touching it.

This can eventually lead to her arched-back leaping about like a jumping bean with her hair spiked out on her back and tail. Funny, she's clumped the long plastic liner rope into a blob during the night and is lying on top of her kill as I am typing this. I imagine there was some cat jumping bean stuff going on while I was sleeping.

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Anyways, yesterday was her last day in her saber-toothed tiger cave. ;)

I'm all signed up for both NaBloPoMo and Art Every Day Month for November. New badges with links off to the right on the blog here. (Not actually that crazy about the NaBloPoMo badge--like them plainer.) Now that Karma's cave is gone from under the art table and I can fit a chair there again, I will set up something before Tuesday. Hopefully I'll find a journal I can destroy--LOL!

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I was thrilled to be tired and in bed by 8:30pm and up at 5am this morning!! Setting the alarm those two days maybe worked after all?! For one day, anyways. Happy, happy me. Well, I am up at dawn, so going to go take some pics of this cool sunrise. Bye for now!! Have a fabulous weekend! :):)

Friday-10am

Karma using my foot as a pillow.

As an additional motivator I decided to join Art Every Day which is for the month of November, too. I will be counting making cards, videos about crafts/pens, doodles, cooking, sketching, writing, whatever. They're pretty loose with the rules.

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The rules (which were made for breaking):

I keep the rules for AEDM really simple and very loose. I encourage people to make something every day, but my goal is to foster more creativity, so if you make just one piece of art per week or just one for the whole month, that's fine with me. The idea is to bring more creativity into your life, not to make you feel overwhelmed, pressured, or guilt-stricken. Art is loosely defined here. I mean art in the sense of anything creative, whether it be painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, cooking, decorating, writing, photography, clay, jewelry-making or whatever.

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I'm thinking of setting up my art table with my watercolors or Chinese Brush Painting so that it is easy to go work for a while at any old time. I haven't done that for a long time. And I've always said I wanted to try the doodling zentangles--so I can just keep something by my chair for that. I'll be plenty busy making cards in November, for sure. ;)

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I think I just needed to change things up...give myself a jump start. Leap into low gear! ROFL!! :)

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Speaking of...as a warm up for November...the prompt for today is:

Have you ever been between a rock and a hard place?

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To me, that means not knowing what choice to make or actually feeling you have no choice in the matter at all. Most definitely!

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The advice I always got from GA (guardian angel) was: When in doubt, do nothing. Step back. Weigh the situation. Wait. Listen. The way will become clear and you will know what is the right decision...the right thing to do. You will feel it in your gut...your heart...your soul. Have faith.

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Easier said than done.

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I was so impatient when I was young. (Still can be!) Waiting did not come easy for me. Learning how to become more objective took time. And trusting my gut feelings...well, I was always second guessing or talking myself out of negative reactions (not Minnesota nice, you know--LOL!). Stepping back and waiting...well, that was like giving up the reins!! ;)

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And listening!! My mind would be going 90mph milling endlessly...trying to figure out the solution. You can't hear guidance if your thoughts are too loud. You don't catch the hints if you are so preoccupied you are paying no attention. But it is so difficult to shut that mind chatter off.

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For me, that involved trust. Trust that I would be okay. Trust that I was worthy of being one of God's sparrows.

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The last time I was between a rock and a hard place was when my health was so bad that I was forced to quit college. I could barely physically function, couldn't support myself, had been turned down twice for disability, was losing my apartment, had already lost my car, had no place to move to and no money to move...was so depressed that I was seeing a free counselor and would just cry my way through my sessions. (Normally, I'd rather die than let anyone see me cry!) I could see no way out. I'd be on the street at the end of the month...right after Christmas.

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Out of sheer exhaustion, I finally let go of it. Handed it over. Gave up. Let go and let God, as they say. Even with all my decades of practice and seeing that it actually works...I still cling by my fingernails to the reins. But I handed it over. Quit the internal struggle. Felt much calmer inside...even though everything was still just as dire.

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Within a week and a half...I was finally accepted on disability, would get a back-pay check that could pay for me to move, and even got "help" finding this apartment! How? I had been looking for something available that was super cheap because I wasn't going to have much to live on...and available immediately. The low income places had waiting lists.

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Well, it was one of those naggy things that GA does. I kept getting the name of this complex in my head--kept popping in over and over--be in my mind as I was waking up or falling asleep--annoying the heck out of me. Their ad said 2 and 3 bedroom apartments--no one-bedrooms--not worth calling, right? Finally I called, just to quiet the naggy voice in my ear...to prove I was right, of course. Lo and behold, the lady said she had a one-bedroom that was going to be available because they were evicting someone. It was not even listed yet and she said they had so few one-bedroom apartments at all in the complex that they didn't even bother to list them on the ad. I set up an appointment to see the apartment. When I called back for directions a different girl said there were no one-bedrooms available...but I had her check with the other lady. No one else in the office had even known about it yet! I just so happened to call and get the one lady who knew. (Can you hear the Twilight Zone music?)

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So, I had fully expected to be living in a dumpiest of dump efficiency apartment and having to put half my things in storage/sell them/give them away...and been happy to not be on the street. But I ended up here! In a newer complex with an elevator, dishwasher, pantry, balcony Dagan and Leah helped me turn into my little porch, washer and dryer in my apartment (rented), garage, and I discovered I could finally have a cat again!!!

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God had better plans for me than I could have ever imagined or figured out on my own. :):)

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I was a falling sparrow.

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I was actually seen...and caught.

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That is why I am so very grateful for my home.

My sanctuary!! :):)

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Rock and a hard place?

Peel back those gripping fingers...shut off the mind in spin cycle...trust...and let go.

Thursday-12:15pm

Karma sun worshiping.

She'll be playing chase the sunny patch on the carpet all winter.

We had a very restless sky for a couple of days.

Today is blue-blue-blue. Was in the 20s last night. Only 39 degrees right now. Not like it hasn't been frigid before Halloween before, but it always seems too soon.

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Here's today's prompt:

What is the best part about being between two projects?

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Being done with the first one! :)

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Honestly, I seldom have only one project going. Born multi-tasker. And, since I have a lot of down time these days where my mind is the only active part of me, you may have noticed that I have a lot more planning time than actual doing time! Now days I'm a slightly frustrated multi-tasker with numerous projects lined up at all times. Well, all that planning makes me happy, keeps my mind busy, and pretty much keeps me out of trouble--LOL! And I do appreciate finishing a project even more than I ever did before. ;)

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Dagan and Leah didn't come over last night. Poor Leah was sick. They didn't want to expose me so Dagan stayed away, too, just in case. We'll see about next Wednesday.

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And, I couldn't say anything before, but Caroline got a promotion! She is now the supervisor of all the supervisors (needs a new title). She didn't want to give up coming to clean for me, so we had to switch to Wednesdays. No problem. I am so happy for her. She just kept a couple of clients and I am glad she chose to keep me! We were trying to remember how many years she has cleaned for me every two weeks. Been a few. Congrats, Caroline!! :)

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We got a notice about random apartment inspections again today starting at 1pm. They only pick a few and don't visit all of them any more. I wonder if we were sold? This new random thing has been going on for over a year now and this time they mentioned a company I had never heard of before (that's doing the random checks). We used to have a yearly inspection of all apartments and now we have a few of these random inspections in a year. Whatever. Makes no difference to me. I'm here. I'm almost always here. ;)

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I was sleeping sooo well. Going to bed before midnight and actually sleeping a total of 8-9 hours!! Then a couple nights ago--poof! Couldn't get to sleep for love or money until 3am. Same last night. Such is life. Set the alarm to get myself up early anyways both days--always hoping that might work one of these times--ROFL!

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Has anyone ever taken the Myers-Briggs test?

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I was peeking at the groups on BlogHer (many not active) and saw a couple groups based on their Myers-Briggs results. I guess they were looking for like-minded people. I did the complete long version test years ago for free and was an ENFP. I went to look for the test online and was surprised to find the first several sites I looked at were charging for it. Maybe if I look harder I could find it for free. Was just curious as to whether I might come out in a different category after a couple of decades. You know how your life views can change over time in a lot of ways--and I have been forced to slow down and relax my typeA side--well, I wondered if it would effect my answers or not? Just curious.

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Anyone else know what their results are?

Have they ever been known to change?

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I have been feeling just fine--my normal stuff--but been so lazy! I suppose it could be the change in the weather--makes one want to hibernate--or just that feeling so awful for a month wore me out. Whatever. I've been happily watching movies and TV--reading--playing with Karma--cooking--puttering a little...just not overly ambitious to do anything extra. The days have been flying by! Just feels good to be back to regular aches and pains, I tell you. Been catching up on combing Karma's thick fur...whew! (Can only do a little at a time anywhere but down her back--silly girl!) I am amazed at the amount of fur that comes off of her!

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Got my Halloween candy ready. Wonder if there will be any kids this year? Some years I get a few and some years none at all. And then--ready for my blogging every day in November (or attempting to--LOL!).

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Oh, and I made a late in the month small order from PaperWishes that should be here tomorrow. I'll show you, of course.

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Already almost the weekend...almost end of October...can't believe how quickly this year has been going by. Shockingly speeding past!!

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Well--have a nice slow weekend. :):)

Saturday-10:30am

It's the weekend already!

For that matter, it's almost Halloween! Where did this year go?

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Thanks to everybody for your advice and wise counsel. :)

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I read more about the NaNoWriMo (the novel in a month one) and got a response from them about creative nonfiction/memoir. They directed me to a FAQ rules list I hadn't found yet.

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What genres are okay? Can I write fanfiction? How about a memoir?

Any genre of novel is okay for NaNoWriMo. Yes, really, any genre. Fan fiction is okay. Steamy adult content is okay (as long as you are careful about where you post it!). Memoir is a sticky one; as long as it is fictionalized, it is okay, too. We just want you to be excited about writing. If what you’re writing doesn’t qualify as a lengthy work of fiction, we’ve set up a group for NaNo Rebels in the forums.

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Fictionalized memoir? Really?

NaNo(rule breaking)Rebels? Really?

This absolutely, positively cracked me up!

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I took my "rejection" as the universe telling me to laugh...and take some time to ponder what's underneath this. Honestly, I think that after feeling so miserable for over a month and then finally feeling more human...well, my mind and spirit were trying to make promises my body can't cash. ROFL!

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I'm passing on NaNoWriMo altogether. ;)

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I'm not even sure I could post every day for a month for the other blogging one, but I at least have a shot at that one. May be less photos and some short posts--LOL!

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But--digging deeper--why did I want to do any of this in the first place?

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What probably interested me at first were the writing prompts. I see other bloggers do those weekly fill in the blank or answer these following questions forms. But I have never joined one because I knew I probably couldn't physically depend on being able to do that each and every week and I am on the OCD side, as you know. Which is why the shorter time period interested me. Only one month.

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Having writing prompts is good because...well, I never know what to write about. That's how I felt in the writing classes in college. I had so many life stories floating about in my head that I didn't know what to pick. And then...did I really want to go back there? In order to "show don't tell" and do some serious writing I have to return--almost experience it all over again, you know? And even when I learned wonderful, positive things over time...well, a lot of it was hell to live through in the first place, you know?

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The other big reason.

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GUILT!

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I started college at 48 and got all this positive feedback and encouragement for my writing. Won a couple of school contests and was told so many times--"you're a writer"--"you have a gift"--changed my major, was published in lit journals, won a couple more contests. There were actually a couple professors pushing me to apply for the MFA Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa! They actually thought I had a shot of being accepted--there!!

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But my body was taking over my life. I fought it...for years. Hung on by my fingernails. Even switched schools so I could attend part time and was still determined to continue. Even started checking into low residency MFA writing programs at one point...even though they had an MFA program right here in town. Why? Because I had a hard time making it to classes...maybe I could take classes from home after I graduated?

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Wishful thinking.

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I finally couldn't even sit at the computer for more than a few minutes anymore, couldn't make it to classes, couldn't even get assignments done at home...was in dreadful shape...terrible pain. Talk about stubborn. Took an entire year of never being able to complete one single class to convince me I couldn't manage to graduate somehow, some way.

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I dropped out with 16 credits left to go.

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Haven't done any "writing-writing" since. Been about seven years now.

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In 2009--right after Christmas--because of prodding and somebody paying the entrance fee for me, I won the Tom Howard Poetry Contest ($2,000) with a poem from a college poetry class. Wow! Used the prize money to buy my McLap. Thinking maybe I could write-write again if I didn't have to sit at the desk computer and could use a rolling laptop table by my chair...???

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Well, I can spend a bit more time at the laptop than I used to be able to manage at the desk computer. But...have I done any writing-writing...any polished, professional type writing? No.

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I blog and have a wonderful, amazing blog family. I learned how to make videos. This past year I have gotten back to journaling and reading again. But I have I done any serious writing? No.

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That is the guilt that fuels the desire to push myself somehow to write again. All that supposed potential and all...but, I still sit here and don't know what I would write about, anyways. Have I really got anything to say? Which brings me back to the prompts--LOL!

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And then I seriously wonder if I really need or want to be writing anything more than my blogging and journaling and letters, anyways? Is it just guilt? Is it just feeling I am letting other people down? Professors from all those years ago? Friends and family who thought, to my surprise, that I always was a writer in the first place?

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This is what I've been milling over and around for the last few days. More than you cared to know, but it is what it is. There's a battle between my body and my mind. If I only have limited amounts of time...what are the priority choices, you know? What do I give up in order to add writing-writing? How could I shift my time around? And then my body makes sure I only have so much control in the first place--LOL!

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So, I guess I have decided that I am going to start small and see what happens. I'm going to try the blogging for a month and using the prompts. If I actually blog for 30 days in November I will be quite surprised. I don't really care if I make that part of it or not, to be honest. But I will try to use the prompts for a short answer when I do blog. I think they have the prompts Mon-Fri. That's my plan.

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If any of the prompts trigger a good personal story that might be worth writing more about...then I can see about maybe doing that in a right and proper manner later (which I would post on the stories blog). Or just go ahead and just tell more of the story right then in the blog if I'm up to it, you know? I have transferred some of those (I consider a rough draft) into the stories blog already.

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So, after all that (ROFL!) all that is going to happen is that I will be blogging a bit more in November, answering prompt questions when I blog during the week, and you may hear some more life stories. :) If there are any stories that come up that you'd like to hear more about or you particularly find interesting, please let me know, okay? Any feedback is always welcome, as you know. And you can ask me anything. :):)

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Oh, and I am probably going to drop the quotes for November as they do take a while to sort through, too. In fact, I think I will start today with that and be on my way.

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Thanks everybody!!

Love and hugs!!

Thursday-11:30am

Was a wispy cloud morning yesterday...

That turned gorgeous!

Was a blue sky, cotton cloud, nippy fall day!

This morning.

Karma catching her rays.

Proof she's not always happy to see that darn camera.

But she gets over it quickly.

I switched Karma over last night to her heavier leather "winter" collar. ;)

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Was a strange morning. There had been fog and it was only 26 degrees at 9:30am. And do you see what I see? Frost!

Frost on the garage roofs!!

Something to discuss today.

I have been debating about joining NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for November. You just try to post every day for an entire month. It used to be on Ning, but is moving to BlogHer.com. I got a notice email because I opened a free account on BlogHer a couple years ago and forgot all about it--LOL!

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I haven't been blogging (almost) every day for a long time now. When I was doing that I would get so far behind on reading other people's blogs and replying to comments on mine that I got overwhelmed. I value my blog family. But I have also, since then, quit facebook, twitter, flickr, and a few other online activities...so...maybe I could do this? Or make an attempt, anyways. They do have daily writing prompts. That would kind of be fun!

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Well then that got me to start wondering if I could combine NaBloPoMo with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). With NaNoWriMo you try to write 50,000 words (about 170 pages) during the month of November. One of my new visitors, Trisha, was the one who reminded me of NaNoWriMo (which I had heard of but had never looked into because of my limited computer time). One of her blogs (here) last year was for NaNoWriMo! I read the entire blog!

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So, I read a little on their site about NaNoWriMo. Quality is not important. Quantity is. That is the most freeing part...and the part that would be hardest for me to get past when it comes to having people reading it. The purpose is to have you just write and write and not worry about anything...grammar, spelling, punctuation, perfect wording, or all the other things that stop writers from writing. It's a kind of jump start, I guess, for trying to write a novel.

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Truth be told. Since college and getting a couple short stories published, I have had it in the back of my mind that maybe my separate memoir short stories could be gathered together if I wrote enough of them to make a book, you know? Wanted to call it Flower Child and have a watercolor painting of a field of Minnesota wildflowers on the cover.

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Secret dream.

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That kind of went by the wayside when my health took such a nosedive. But then...since I got the laptop and have the laptop table and can sit in my comfy chair...I have built up more available computer time most days when my body cooperates...and then recently I've run across some bloggers who paint with words and have been inspirational...

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...but then I read on NaNoWriMo's site that they are talking about fiction. Hummm...Trisha's was memoir? I am not a fiction writer. I write creative nonfiction or memoir--whatever they want to call it. I wrote an email to ask if it had to be fiction. If I could ever, ever in a million years write that much in a month it would be a bummer to be denied my special award button just because I don't write fiction. Not that that would stop me--LOL! ;)

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I'm not sure how the nuts and bolts of this would actually work with NaNoWriMo? Would I have to start a new blog or write on their site or could I use my SoulComfort's Stories blog?

(Help, Trisha!??)

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The more I talk about this, though, the more I realize that it might be hard to combine the two challenges...and I'd probably be in way over my head, physically. But...the writing bug has been nibbling at me lately...hence the magnetic draw to NaNoWriMo. Especially since it doesn't have to be polished, you know, like when I was in college or trying to write for publication (what I call "writing-writing"). But can I get it in my head that it is just a first draft and leave it alone...that is the question--ROFL!

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I never know which stories to write about. In college I had to ask professors to give me prompts. [Well, how about your first memory? Okay, how about an epiphany moment?] That is why I thought having the blogging prompts from NaBloPoMo (can you keep these two straight--LOL!) might actually help me--and why I thought about combining the two groups. But...that's about 1700 words a day! Holy Moly!! How many pages is that a day?

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Well, I am debating...milling...pondering. I need to figure out how this would actually work. The daily blogging one is easy. You just sign up with a blog address and go to town on whatever you want. But I need to try to figure out how the novel writing one works. I might have to actually sign up to be able to get all the information.

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Okay, I just had a school flashback! I copied and pasted this onto a document page to see how many words I had---ROFLMAO!!! 875. Okay--this would have been halfway there.

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Well, I will investigate this further. I'm tentatively thinking of keeping my regular blog here pretty much the same, except for adding a response to the daily blog prompts...with short answers. I could keep all the actual longer story writing on another blog--no pictures. That way, if anyone was interested they could always go there, but it wouldn't bog down my regular blog here for a month, you know? And I'm hoping I can just use my other stories blog for that. (There's a link on the top right side to that blog already.) Anyways, I am just thinking out loud here.

Let me know what you think, okay?

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Oh, and I'd have to set a time limit for myself each day so I didn't overdo it. It really doesn't matter if I came anywhere near the 50,000 words. The point--for me, anyways--is the jump start. And, if you're interested, you'd be able to read some rough drafts of some of my crazy life stories.

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I have eleven days to decide. ;)

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"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Winston Churchill

Wednesday-11am

The roofers have been working steadily...

...gathering the shingles as they arrive on the crane and scattering them on top of the garage roofs like sprinkles on a cupcake.

Karma listens...

...to the shouting, the music, and the hammering. Doesn't seem to bother her when it is farther away, but she pays attention...well, when she isn't snoozing. LOL!

They seemed to be randomly skipping around to different garage roofs.

Working away every day. We've had no rain.

They finish one...

...and move on down the way to another one...skipping over a few.

Me...I've been puttering away every day. Got the art table cleared off...

...quite a few things moved around in the bookcase next to the craft table...

...and even got everything off the craft table that needed to be removed. Down to specific project stuff, now--tada! Been over a month since I could call all the surfaces in this room my own again--LOL! (I'm ignoring the bedroom for now.)

As I cleaned, the roofers skipped way down to the far end of the garages...

...to choose a couple more to start on.

Yesterday I walked some paperwork down to the office. (For some reason, every two years they need me to swear in writing that I am not a student.) So, I asked about the roofers and why they are skipping half the garages. Found out that it was the insurance company that decided which garages had suffered wind damage to the shingles and they were only re-doing those particular garages. Okay. That makes sense. Mine wasn't one of them...and I am glad of that, I guess. I had no leaking and hope I won't have any in the future, either. Means they'll be finished faster, too. ;)

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Then Caroline came over to clean yesterday afternoon. Right as she got started the UPS man arrived with a really big box!! I was so excited! Caroline helped me open the box later as I told her the story. When I was talking on my blog about my herbs Terah (Cowgirl Red) asked me in the comments if I had a dehydrator. Nope. She said she had one she never uses and she'd mail it to me as a gift!! Wow!!!

This just blows my mind!

Now I will have to read the instruction booklet to find out how to dry my herbs...and other stuff, too! ;)

Thanks so very, very much, Terah!!

People like you restore my faith in humanity!!

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Am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude.

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I just have to say that I have met the most wonderful bloggers! As people, you are shining examples of kindness, heart, talent, honesty, optimism, joy, perseverance, empathy, silliness, generosity, compassion...

brings tears to my eyes.

You lift my days.

I am proud to know you all!!

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"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

Marcel Proust

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"A friend is someone who reaches for your hand, but touches your heart."

Kathleen Grove