What Is It About Them That Makes Us So Happy?

The bluebird... they say that those who see one will find true happiness. But what is it about the bluebird that makes those who see it feel such joy? And where can one find one? It just so happens that I know the answer, at least to the latter...

You see bluebirds can often be found in the most unlikely of places, and quite often, they are much closer than you think. I have a family of about four bluebirds that live outside our house, in our backyard. We have some beautiful trees back there, where they have quite happily built a nest. There is plenty of food in the local area for them, so it is a fortutitious arrangement -both for the bluebirds and for us.

My children love to see the bluebirds. I often tell them the stories of bluebirds bringing happiness, and in my opinion, having them right outside our home, only proves all the old wives tales to be true. I don't know how any person that is ever lucky enough to see a bluebird could not experience true joy in their heart.

Just looking at them brings a smile, and you feel the happiness building up inside. It's impossible to not realize that Spring is finally here, if there is a bluebird outside my window. They, along with the daffodils are the true harbingers of the season.

I wish that I could catch one of those that live near us on film, and perhaps one day I will, but until then,this picture will have to do. I am wishing all of you, my friends, all the joy that the bluebird brings.

Shouldn't Every Day be Earth Day??

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb


I actually don't like the term "global warming" and prefer Climate Change - but that is just semantics. I was surprised at how many still want to debate that something in our world is happening. " We don't know what temperature the Earth should be"...... " Scientists can't agree on whether Global warming is happening"..... " It isn't our fault..."

The fact of the matter is - SOMETHING IS HAPPENING. Weird weather patterns, strong storm development, strange sudden deaths of different species - we can put our head in the sand all we want, but something is happening. Let me ask you, when you have a personal problem in your life, do you ignore it until it goes away? Probably not, because like all problems, ignoring it won't fix it, but only make it bigger. The principal is the same here. Ignoring that climate change is happening - putting our head in the sand and yelling, "It's not our fault!" - these are just delaying tactics that are not only counter-factual but detrimental to dealing with the problem as well.

Let's review the things that we know - from just looking in the papers everyday - are happening.

* Throughout the world we are having heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather. For those of you about to say that we have cold weather too, that's right. Global climate change will affect weather patterns, so in addition to the warming, we also have droughts and fires, ( anyone see the huge fire that was burning in GA just recently?) and also heavy rain and snowfalls.....

* water temperatures are on the rise and so are water levels and the occurances of tidal flooding

*the glaciers are melting and both the Artic and the Antartic are warming

*In fact, Climate change is happening so rapidly it is making it difficult for species to adapt to the change and some are even in danger of extinction. ( Here's a link: Global Warming Killing Some Species )



Now, ,I know that some of you will say that I am a naysayer - a speaker of doom and even worse - an "Al Gore minion". None of these things are true. I am about facing problems and dealing with them. This is who I am. This isn't some little problem that we are talking about - this is our planet people - our home. Is it ok to live with our heads in the sand and leave our children and our children's children a dying world? I don't think so! I love my planet - it's a beautiful place and it is home to so many wonderful creatures. Does it matter to you if the polar bear - or other species- become extinct because we failed to stretch forth a saving hand while there was time? It matters to me! I don't want the only place my children can see a polar bear - a whale -a penguin - a tiger - and others ... to be in a zoo. Do you? And it isn't just the animals.... crops are dying too. Do I have your attention yet?

We weren't given this planet to be it's owners, but rather it's stewards. We were sent here to care for our planet and all it's creatures, not just to look after ourselves. Little changes can make a huge difference to the health of our planet.

1. Reduce, reuse, recycle....

2. Use less heat and air conditioning...

3.Change your lightbulbs to energy efficient ones....

4. Plan your errands - drive smart and drive less....

5.buy energy efficient products - like hybrids, and avoid products that come with excessive packaging, especially formed plastics.

6.use less hot water

7. Turn your lights, computers and appliances off when they are not in use.

8.plant a tree

9. have your house tested to see how energy efficient it is....most utility companies will do this for free.

10. Encourage others to conserve.



Today I am doing 7 out of 10 of the above mentioned things. I am working on improving that. What about you? Will you be a steward with me and protect our beautiful planet for our children, or will you continue to keep your head in the sand? The decision is yours.

Look Out - I have a LURKER!

It turns out that my husband really does occassionally read my blog here, though he never leaves a comment. What's up with that? When he first told me that he had read my blog the other day, I was a little concerned. After all, I have said some less than flattering things about his mother, and at first, I felt bad. Here's the reality though, this is MY blog. I write it with the assumption that perhaps no one will read it. Why do I write it then?

I write to process. I write for me, because that's what people who write do. I write because I have to. I write to help me clear the cobwebbs from my brain. I write to be honest with myself and the way that I think and perceive the world. If I can't share my honest feelings here, to myself and any who may be reading, then where can I be honest?

I told him that if I were him, I wouldn't make a habit of reading, because he may not always like what he hears. That's life. I have good days, and bad days. I feel lucky that my good days far outnumber the bad. However, on those days, I need this outlet most of all. If I'm not being honest, then this all really is a pointless endevour. So I struggle on, regardless of who is reading and what they may think about it.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Things I Wish that I Could Change

I wish that I could go back to that Good Friday so long ago, and make my Dad eat his words. My Grandmother wasn't sick. My Grandmother didn't have Cancer and she wasn't dying.

I wish I could go back to that Easter, and keep him from telling me that my Grandmother passed in the night.

I wish that I could stop drawing the horse picture in my mind - the one that I spent hours working on to make my Grandmother feel better. It was returned to me, unopened. She never got it.

I wish I could go back and say goodbye. I never had the chance to. Sometimes I dream about her, and she's alive and wondering where I have been all these years. That's the hardest thing.

Ever since that day 28 years ago, Easter has never been the same. My life hasn't been the same. My Grandmother was my best friend. Before she died, I lived a charmed life, I didn't think that anything bad could ever happen to me. Then.... devastation.

I miss her every single day and I always think about how different my life would have been had she lived. I wish she could have met her great - granddaughters - each one of them have so much of her. My oldest has her eyes - my youngest shares her ( ok - OUR) quick temper and a name. I know that she would have doted on them.

It makes me so happy watching my mom with my children because it is almost like a brief window to the past. I'm a little girl again, that awful Easter has never happened - and there's my Grandmother. I am so glad that my children love my mom the same way that I loved my Grandmother.

Things I will Always be grateful for:
1. Her quick smile
2. Her flambouyant style.
3. All the card games she taught me.
4. Those days at the beach.
5. Her stories about the lizards and swimming with a full stomache.
6. The way she doted on my grandfather, but got angry with him sometimes too. She would let him get so far and then she would say, "Oh BULLSHIT John!"
7. I remember the way she used to talk in her sleep, some of my funniest memories are about that.
8. Whenever we went to visit, she would make us chips and dip. My sisters and I called it dippy cheese. I can remember the little egg shaped dishes she always put it in.
9. I can remember the way she smelled - Wind Song or Chanel No.5.
10. I will always be grateful for every second of every day that I had with my Grandmother. I miss her still. I miss her always.

It's Almost OVER!!!

72 hours and 30 minutes from right now and counting.... No, I'm not looking forward to Tuesday at all. Can you smell the sarcasm? I am so beyond ready for this to be OVER and just to publicly reiterate my promise to myself- I am never going to be commplicite in torturing myself ever again.

What exactly does that mean? Well, for starters, if MIL wants to visit she can make her own travel arrangements. I have only had to change this ticket 4 times. Yes, you heard that right. Secondly, if her son wants to pay for her ticket, that's fine, but I am never going to feel sorry for her and actually suggest it. Yeah, sign me up for three weeks of endless droning hell.

In fact, the least amount of association I have with my husband's family, the better. I am more and more convinced every day that he is the ONLY sane member, and all the rest are certifiable. Scary.

Tuesday is going to be a BEAUTIFUL day!

What Are YOUR Accedssories?

I had someone ask me a question about Life Accessories. HUH?? I had no idea what she was talking about until she explained that Life Accessories are those little things in our every day lives that bring us joy. They don't have to be the huge gesture or item, just the simplest of things. I started to think about it, and I realize that there are so many ways and reasons to find joy EVERYDAY.

My mother is probably the happiest most joyful person that I know. She finds happiness every where she goes. In fact, her favorite mantra is, "Let's all get back to happy!" I love that and it's a saying that I want to start adopting more in my own life. I thought about it, and you know, I laugh more when I am with my mother than any other time and I wondered to myself why that was. Now I know the answer, because joy follows her everywhere she goes, and better yet - it's contagious!

If I really appreciated all the little accessories that I have in my life, my heart would be full of gratitude and joy! Think about it, it's difficult for a heart that is full of gratitude for even the smallest things to be unhappy. A grateful heart just has no room for that emotion because it's too full of love.

All of this brings me back to my life's accessories. Here are some of them:
My lilac and lemon Yankee candle - the smell of it brings me so much joy and reminds me that soon, my own Lilacs will be blooming!

Silence - I love the quiet. I love to be alone with my own thoughts, to do as I please - to simply enjoy life.

Good music - as I have been told on many occasions, I have extremely eclectic tastes. Still, a song or CD can alter my mood and uplift me faster than just about anything besides my children.

My pictures - looking at the memories that my family has built over the past 9 years makes me happy and makes me long for the memories that I know the future will bring.

A hot bubble bath - remember the advertisement "Calgon, take me away!" They were really on to something! A hot soak truly can transport you to a better place.

My garden - helping God bring beauty into this world is right up there with giving birth. It's the same concept but this time, my children are flowers.

Vanilla and jasmine scented shampoo- now that my hair is longer, I love being able to smell it. The scent wafts over me at unexpected times and makes me happy!

These are just a few of the little things that I experience every day that make me happy. What are YOUR life accessories?