our daily blog is
from ♥Lovey♥
so well written with
nothing other than love~~
Dreams Do Come True
by ♥Lovey♥
To Dream: to see, or have a vision of, in sleep, or in idle fancy;
I have often read or heard of dreams coming true but to know the dreamer and witness the dreams coming true is a story and a piece of myself I would like to share.
This was not a dream of riches, or fame, or to reside on an exotic island.
This was a simple dream to live a normal life to the fullest.
My brother Tim is 3 years my junior.
He was born with a genetic disorder called "Phenylketonuria" a.k.a P.K.U.
As a child this condition was explained to me in simplistic terms.
My brother was born allergic to protein.
In those days there were no infant testings for this type of disorder.This lead to many children being fed protein for the first 6 months of their lives and that protein destroyed brain cells which caused mental retardation.
My brother was diagnosed just before his first birthday.
The damage was done.
Doctors advised our family to place him in an institution for the rest of his life because he would be a "vegetable", a term used frequently in those days. Meaning unable to communicate or walk or care for himself.His brain would always be that of an infant.He was also a severe asthmatic.
My family disagreed.We brought Tim home.He began a diet without protein, only supplements that stopped further damage to his brain.
He learned to walk, talk ( sometimes too much) and became an active child in a special school learning new things everyday.
Daily Tim would be beaten,picked on and called horrible names by the "normal kids" as he waited for his school bus.
That fear and anxiety did not stop this little boy.It made him stronger and more determined to be something in his life.
He dreamed of being a sports superstar, having his own place, having a wife, and living life as he saw others living theirs.
In 1986 Tim went to Calgary as an Olympian in the Special Olympics.
As I watched him run to the finish line,I saw this little boy running into a man, and it was at that moment I knew there was nothing going to stop him from living his life exactly the way HE wanted and without discrimination.
He brought home a gold and bronze metal.The Canadian Government recognized him for his accomplishments and contribution to the community and country.
Four months after the Olympics Tim came to live with Terry (my hubby) and I.
Our focus was to help Tim go from dependent to independent living.
Tim was classified "high functional"but some family members disagreed and believed Tim would always be dependent on someone in the family for survival,we disagreed.So we began the journey to the next part of his dream.He lived with us for 9 years.
It was a struggle and more, but the outcome is a dream come true.
My brother is a well respected and intricate part of the community.He works along side the mentally handicap and in May he will be celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary.
His dreams came true. He earned his metals, he became independent and he has a Mrs.
He is living his life without discrimination or fear.
Dreams do come true, sometimes we need a push, and hand up, or someone to show us the direction, but if we know the dream, there can be no stopping us.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Vacations!
iteach is the writer
of our daily blog today!
such a sweet person she is!
Enjoy!
Vacations!
by iteach
Oh, my heart just melts every time I think of the word "vacation". My shoulders start to sag and I get this dreamy look in my eyes. Then I start to think about the hotel and I have a smile from ear to ear. I love how the maid folds the toilet paper into a triangle and the little salt & pepper shakers that come with my room service tray. Oh, I so want to share my favorite vacation with you and I would also like to hear about yours.
I have been blessed with so many memories of some great vacations that I don't know where to start.
Should I talk about my childhood trips with my family?
Or maybe the vacation to Europe with the French Club in high school ?
Maybe all my adventures when I was "single girl"?
How about my trips with my husband or children?
Too hard to decide, but I decided on my "single girl" adventures. At the age of 25 I was involved with the most amazing handsome man. We talked about marriage and children nonstop. However it ended tragically and heartbreaking. It was a violent death that maybe I will share on another blog entry. Then a year after his death are school district went on strike for 22 school days! That was the last straw. My teaching job was the only thing that kept me moving every day. Even after the strike ended my spirits were broke. After a couple months of more sadness, I started to get angry. I thought enough is enough. I am not going to sit here and wait for Prince Charming to come knocking at my door. I am also not going to have my job of teaching be my only passion in life. So out of the blue I decided to take a vacation on my own and that idea made my heart beat an extra beat.
I went to our local travel agent after school one day for help. I explained to her that I wanted to go somewhere on my own. I wanted to go to a place where I have never been before, so I rattled off to her the few places I have been with my family. Then I told her that I was a teacher with a small budget. So she thought about it for a few moments and said "Atlanta, Georgia". She said Delta has a hub there and it would only be $139 round trip. I had no idea what a "hub" was, but $139 sounded great to me. I had never been to Georgia and boy was I excited.
At that time I didn't have a computer, so I went to our little local library to do research. I went on the computer their and found Atlanta's tourist web page. I was so excited to find out that there was so much to do in Atlanta. I immediately started to write down a few places I would like to visit. Now I won't bore you with all the places I visited in Atlanta, because that is not what made this trip special. This trip was special, because on how it made me feel.
Boy, did I feel like Mary Tyler Moore. I was dying to throw my hat off in the middle of the street. I felt like I could do anything and that I could make my own happiness. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. That trip was a turning point in my life. I fell in love with myself and I learned that I can stand on my own two feet.
of our daily blog today!
such a sweet person she is!
Enjoy!
Vacations!
by iteach
Oh, my heart just melts every time I think of the word "vacation". My shoulders start to sag and I get this dreamy look in my eyes. Then I start to think about the hotel and I have a smile from ear to ear. I love how the maid folds the toilet paper into a triangle and the little salt & pepper shakers that come with my room service tray. Oh, I so want to share my favorite vacation with you and I would also like to hear about yours.
I have been blessed with so many memories of some great vacations that I don't know where to start.
Should I talk about my childhood trips with my family?
Or maybe the vacation to Europe with the French Club in high school ?
Maybe all my adventures when I was "single girl"?
How about my trips with my husband or children?
Too hard to decide, but I decided on my "single girl" adventures. At the age of 25 I was involved with the most amazing handsome man. We talked about marriage and children nonstop. However it ended tragically and heartbreaking. It was a violent death that maybe I will share on another blog entry. Then a year after his death are school district went on strike for 22 school days! That was the last straw. My teaching job was the only thing that kept me moving every day. Even after the strike ended my spirits were broke. After a couple months of more sadness, I started to get angry. I thought enough is enough. I am not going to sit here and wait for Prince Charming to come knocking at my door. I am also not going to have my job of teaching be my only passion in life. So out of the blue I decided to take a vacation on my own and that idea made my heart beat an extra beat.
I went to our local travel agent after school one day for help. I explained to her that I wanted to go somewhere on my own. I wanted to go to a place where I have never been before, so I rattled off to her the few places I have been with my family. Then I told her that I was a teacher with a small budget. So she thought about it for a few moments and said "Atlanta, Georgia". She said Delta has a hub there and it would only be $139 round trip. I had no idea what a "hub" was, but $139 sounded great to me. I had never been to Georgia and boy was I excited.
At that time I didn't have a computer, so I went to our little local library to do research. I went on the computer their and found Atlanta's tourist web page. I was so excited to find out that there was so much to do in Atlanta. I immediately started to write down a few places I would like to visit. Now I won't bore you with all the places I visited in Atlanta, because that is not what made this trip special. This trip was special, because on how it made me feel.
Boy, did I feel like Mary Tyler Moore. I was dying to throw my hat off in the middle of the street. I felt like I could do anything and that I could make my own happiness. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. That trip was a turning point in my life. I fell in love with myself and I learned that I can stand on my own two feet.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Curious, Friendships?
Maureen, our night owl chef
is the bearer of this question
for our daily blog~~
makes you think!
Curious
by Maureen
I am curious about how people define friendships. Is it different for different types of friends? Do you have one set of rules for real life friends, cyber friends, your best friend or just people you may hang out with but not share all of your life with? Can cyber friends be real friends? Do loyalties and convictions differ between the types of friends?
What is the meaning of friendship to you?
is the bearer of this question
for our daily blog~~
makes you think!
Curious
by Maureen
I am curious about how people define friendships. Is it different for different types of friends? Do you have one set of rules for real life friends, cyber friends, your best friend or just people you may hang out with but not share all of your life with? Can cyber friends be real friends? Do loyalties and convictions differ between the types of friends?
What is the meaning of friendship to you?
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tater, the Clever Cat
Just_Lin is the
nightowl who wrote our
daily blog
such a fun memory!
Tater, the Clever Cat
by Just_Lin
I used to rescue feral kittens and loved them all but Tater was one of the special ones. Even as a kitten, he preferred me to his litter mates. When they got too rambunctious, he would come sit between my feet. He ended up doing that alot. He was so fat and round that he reminded me of a tater tot, hence the name Tater.
He was gray striped and white, with markings by his nostrils that seem to give him a snotty look. And his attitude lived up to that perception. Because I had so many cats, I would sleep with the bedroom door closed so as to keep them out. All except for Tater who would curl up against my chest as I lay on my side, just as if we were spooning.
Some nights Tater would refuse to settle down. He would attack my feet if they moved under the blanket. He would jump from one dresser to the other, sliding into perfume bottles and making a racket. When he was in this kind of mood, I would have to get out of bed and put him out of the room. Well, he didn't like being ejected so he would go to an end table in the living room where the telephone was and start scratching at it with his paws until he got the receiver to fall from the cradle and land with a clatter on the hard wood floor. Mind you, I was very much a late night person so this is all going on at sometime after 1:00 a.m. Hearing this commotion, I would throw back the covers, fling open the bedroom door and go stomping down the hall saying very bad words. Meanwhile, Tater would race past me, down the hall and jump on to the bed. Sometimes he still wasn't ready to settle down so we might go through this routine several times a night, with me getting more and more angry and expressive each time.
Well, one night we are going through this routine and I am really exasperated. I'm stomping down the hall yelling four letter words, Tater is racing past me to the bedroom, I go to slam the receiver back down in the cradle and right before it lands, I hear "Hello?". I'm stunned! My cat has made a crank call! The deed was done. There was nothing I could do about it. I had already swore at this person and slammed the phone down in their ear. I go back down the hall and there is Tater curled up smugly on the bed.
The next day I called the phone company to have them check in case it was a long distance call. They will take the charge off if you dial long distance by accident. Anyway, the customer service lady was laughing her head off at my story. She said she was never able to get her telephone messages at home because when the answering machine would start going, her cat would run to it and start pawing at it until he hit the right button to turn it off.
Tater has been gone for many, many years but he will always be extra special to me and always hold a special place in my heart.
nightowl who wrote our
daily blog
such a fun memory!
Tater, the Clever Cat
by Just_Lin
I used to rescue feral kittens and loved them all but Tater was one of the special ones. Even as a kitten, he preferred me to his litter mates. When they got too rambunctious, he would come sit between my feet. He ended up doing that alot. He was so fat and round that he reminded me of a tater tot, hence the name Tater.
He was gray striped and white, with markings by his nostrils that seem to give him a snotty look. And his attitude lived up to that perception. Because I had so many cats, I would sleep with the bedroom door closed so as to keep them out. All except for Tater who would curl up against my chest as I lay on my side, just as if we were spooning.
Some nights Tater would refuse to settle down. He would attack my feet if they moved under the blanket. He would jump from one dresser to the other, sliding into perfume bottles and making a racket. When he was in this kind of mood, I would have to get out of bed and put him out of the room. Well, he didn't like being ejected so he would go to an end table in the living room where the telephone was and start scratching at it with his paws until he got the receiver to fall from the cradle and land with a clatter on the hard wood floor. Mind you, I was very much a late night person so this is all going on at sometime after 1:00 a.m. Hearing this commotion, I would throw back the covers, fling open the bedroom door and go stomping down the hall saying very bad words. Meanwhile, Tater would race past me, down the hall and jump on to the bed. Sometimes he still wasn't ready to settle down so we might go through this routine several times a night, with me getting more and more angry and expressive each time.
Well, one night we are going through this routine and I am really exasperated. I'm stomping down the hall yelling four letter words, Tater is racing past me to the bedroom, I go to slam the receiver back down in the cradle and right before it lands, I hear "Hello?". I'm stunned! My cat has made a crank call! The deed was done. There was nothing I could do about it. I had already swore at this person and slammed the phone down in their ear. I go back down the hall and there is Tater curled up smugly on the bed.
The next day I called the phone company to have them check in case it was a long distance call. They will take the charge off if you dial long distance by accident. Anyway, the customer service lady was laughing her head off at my story. She said she was never able to get her telephone messages at home because when the answering machine would start going, her cat would run to it and start pawing at it until he hit the right button to turn it off.
Tater has been gone for many, many years but he will always be extra special to me and always hold a special place in my heart.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
A Grateful Night Owl
our daily blog
was written with
affection by Sac Barb
this blog "night.owls.sb"
was named by
her, and we in turn
named it after her!
Enjoy!
A Grateful Night Owl
by Sac Barb
I reached my Medicare birthday last October and even though I used a computer at work, I only had to do simple things on it - email, draft memos/letters (someone else spiffed them up for me), and check my calendar. I didn't even have to make entries in my calendar because no one trusted me to get it right, so I had a secretary to help me. I also had Tech Support to come running when I really screwed things up. So, I never thought in my retirement, that I would turn to the computer to occupy some of my time.
I've always been a "night owl" so I watch the late night shows, especially the Tonight Show. I was always intrigued with an Intern on the Tonight Show and when he went to Torino to report on the Olympics, I enjoyed his segments. He always ended his report with an invitation to visit his blog. I didn't even know what a blog was, so I checked it out and became a lurker for over a year.
Finally, one day in April 2007, I took the plunge and posted a comment and was very surprised when I was welcomed by some of the regular blog buddies. I found myself posting comments more often and becoming friendly with people I never met in person. Then in July, I had surgery and these same stranger friends showed such an outpouring of love and support, my heart filled with warmth. I received so many cards that the staff at the "home" were all talking about the patient in room 605 that got mail every day. ( I know this only because my neighbor worked there and told me). I even got gifts in the cards and a big box of "things to keep me busy," including chocolate. Thank you again, Lynn D.
I found that I had become addicted to that blog and while I was unable to post a comment or read the blog, I had to talk to someone who could update me on what was happening. Thanks, DonnaJean.
Then in September one of the Blog Buddies decided, in an enormous leap of trust and faith, to have a BBQ for the Bay Area Bloggers. Now, I am about two hours from the Bay Area, but I was invited anyway and I had misgivings about going at first. But, I was very curious about the people I had been "talking" to all these months, and I decided I had to go. It was a very good decision. The people I met were warm, friendly, and well, just wonderful people.
Fast forward to today and I find myself in a new blog situation which, in my opinion, has brought forward the cream of the crop from the other blog, although we are still missing some. I am so honored to be a part of the Night Owls and I salute each and every one of you for your honesty, wicked sense of humor, and compassion. Thank you Carol for creating this wonderful, safe place for us. And I have to thank that Intern for bringing us all together. I will forever be grateful that I decided to make that initial comment. I truly love all of you, without exception!
was written with
affection by Sac Barb
this blog "night.owls.sb"
was named by
her, and we in turn
named it after her!
Enjoy!
A Grateful Night Owl
by Sac Barb
I reached my Medicare birthday last October and even though I used a computer at work, I only had to do simple things on it - email, draft memos/letters (someone else spiffed them up for me), and check my calendar. I didn't even have to make entries in my calendar because no one trusted me to get it right, so I had a secretary to help me. I also had Tech Support to come running when I really screwed things up. So, I never thought in my retirement, that I would turn to the computer to occupy some of my time.
I've always been a "night owl" so I watch the late night shows, especially the Tonight Show. I was always intrigued with an Intern on the Tonight Show and when he went to Torino to report on the Olympics, I enjoyed his segments. He always ended his report with an invitation to visit his blog. I didn't even know what a blog was, so I checked it out and became a lurker for over a year.
Finally, one day in April 2007, I took the plunge and posted a comment and was very surprised when I was welcomed by some of the regular blog buddies. I found myself posting comments more often and becoming friendly with people I never met in person. Then in July, I had surgery and these same stranger friends showed such an outpouring of love and support, my heart filled with warmth. I received so many cards that the staff at the "home" were all talking about the patient in room 605 that got mail every day. ( I know this only because my neighbor worked there and told me). I even got gifts in the cards and a big box of "things to keep me busy," including chocolate. Thank you again, Lynn D.
I found that I had become addicted to that blog and while I was unable to post a comment or read the blog, I had to talk to someone who could update me on what was happening. Thanks, DonnaJean.
Then in September one of the Blog Buddies decided, in an enormous leap of trust and faith, to have a BBQ for the Bay Area Bloggers. Now, I am about two hours from the Bay Area, but I was invited anyway and I had misgivings about going at first. But, I was very curious about the people I had been "talking" to all these months, and I decided I had to go. It was a very good decision. The people I met were warm, friendly, and well, just wonderful people.
Fast forward to today and I find myself in a new blog situation which, in my opinion, has brought forward the cream of the crop from the other blog, although we are still missing some. I am so honored to be a part of the Night Owls and I salute each and every one of you for your honesty, wicked sense of humor, and compassion. Thank you Carol for creating this wonderful, safe place for us. And I have to thank that Intern for bringing us all together. I will forever be grateful that I decided to make that initial comment. I truly love all of you, without exception!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Beans, aka Legumes
what is it with these little things
that make my tummy rumble
they say beans are good for
you, i have read that somewhere,
i was even told my by elders
"to eat my beans at every meal"
try as i might, to love them and
and at times i do, i have to plan
my day around them, if i eat
beans, i must stay put!
yes, of course we have "beano"
and even good ole "gas ex"
but who the heck can remember
to inhale these deterrent's of
tummy rumble, when you
have so much else to remember!
i always wondered, who concocted
"beano" since it was devised to
be taken before eating beans
then why do we eat them?
all i know, if a bean is near by,
and enters my tummy the
rumble begins!
so for now, unless i plan
accordingly, no beans will be
entering my tummy as the
rumble is way to loud!
:O)
that make my tummy rumble
they say beans are good for
you, i have read that somewhere,
i was even told my by elders
"to eat my beans at every meal"
try as i might, to love them and
and at times i do, i have to plan
my day around them, if i eat
beans, i must stay put!
yes, of course we have "beano"
and even good ole "gas ex"
but who the heck can remember
to inhale these deterrent's of
tummy rumble, when you
have so much else to remember!
i always wondered, who concocted
"beano" since it was devised to
be taken before eating beans
then why do we eat them?
all i know, if a bean is near by,
and enters my tummy the
rumble begins!
so for now, unless i plan
accordingly, no beans will be
entering my tummy as the
rumble is way to loud!
:O)
Friday, January 25, 2008
Checkers
To: Canadian girl
From: The Night Owls
Dedicated to: ♥♥ Checkers♥♥
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in
all the world is more grateful for kindness than the
loving heart of me~~
Do not break my spirit, teach me slowly as I learn
from you. Your patience and understanding will
quickly teach me the things you would have me learn~~
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's
sweetest music, as you must know by the wagging
of my tail and my gentle purring when you are near.
The sound of your footstep falls upon my waiting ear~~
Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for
I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed
to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the
privilege of sitting on your lap~~
Keep my bowl filled with milk, for I cannot tell
you when thirst comes~~
Feed me clean food that I may stay well, so I can
play and jump and in quiet times slide between
your legs and purr, and most of all sleep beside
you as you rest~~
And, my friend, when I am very old and I can
longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not
make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having
any fun. Please see to it that my life is taken gently.
With you my by side I shall leave this earth knowing
with my last breath I draw that my fate was always
safest in your hands~~
Let the angels come, as it is my time, and my dearest
friend, my memory will always be in your heart~~
♥♥♥♥
From: The Night Owls
Dedicated to: ♥♥ Checkers♥♥
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in
all the world is more grateful for kindness than the
loving heart of me~~
Do not break my spirit, teach me slowly as I learn
from you. Your patience and understanding will
quickly teach me the things you would have me learn~~
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's
sweetest music, as you must know by the wagging
of my tail and my gentle purring when you are near.
The sound of your footstep falls upon my waiting ear~~
Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for
I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed
to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the
privilege of sitting on your lap~~
Keep my bowl filled with milk, for I cannot tell
you when thirst comes~~
Feed me clean food that I may stay well, so I can
play and jump and in quiet times slide between
your legs and purr, and most of all sleep beside
you as you rest~~
And, my friend, when I am very old and I can
longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not
make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having
any fun. Please see to it that my life is taken gently.
With you my by side I shall leave this earth knowing
with my last breath I draw that my fate was always
safest in your hands~~
Let the angels come, as it is my time, and my dearest
friend, my memory will always be in your heart~~
♥♥♥♥
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Seeing
today, our daily blog
is from VIG
i shall stop this morning
and look around as this
blog shows me the reason
i should~~
Seeing
by VIG
In the beautiful west coast city, I enter the area that is called the Downtown Eastside. It is a part of the city that the wealthy talk about with unbridled disdain and disgust in their privileged voices. It is the place where people go who have lost sight of childhood dreams and who have found poverty and addiction in their place. It is not a “nice” part of the city and the “nice” people of the city are warned to stay away. I keep my eyes down as I walk to the bus that I pray will take me out of there quickly and without incident. I walk as if I am not there and hope that I am not approached. The masses struggle by, carrying with them shelter and worldly possessions in shopping carts and garbage bags. A woman in a doorway lies blanketed by empty bottles and a man staggers toward me with his hand out. My eyes drill into the sidewalk and I rush by without raising my gaze from the concrete. I disregard any attempts that he is making to ask me for the help he needs to survive the day - in whatever way that might be. Through fear I ignore him and continue on, then I hear a voice plead “Why won’t anyone look me in the eye anymore. Aren’t I a human?” That voice stops me in my tracks. Perhaps it is a line that he has found successful in “guilting” people into giving. Or perhaps I am the straw that breaks the camels back. Another person he passes on the street that he determines, by whatever criteria, could help him and could see him, but who is choosing instead to render him invisible. I realize that I, who consider myself to be a caring person, am fooling myself. I am caring when I feel safe and am in the “deserving” part of town. In an instant and without looking, I have judged and determined that the person with his hand out is a threat and a social problem and thereby worthy of being passed by. I go back to him and give him the five dollars that I would have spent at the first Starbucks that I saw while riding on the bus. I look him in the eye and smile. He says thank you and God bless like he really means it. I continue down the street and I raise my eyes to see what I have been missing. And I smile. I smile at every human that I see. The response that I receive in return will stagger and affect me for many years. People I come across on that street of misplaced dreams seem genuinely shocked that a passerby is making eye contact and is smiling. And every person smiles back at me. From the words of the man with the outstretched hand and in those shy, authentic smiles, I learn to lift my eyes from the pavement and to really see “the human” in us all.
is from VIG
i shall stop this morning
and look around as this
blog shows me the reason
i should~~
Seeing
by VIG
In the beautiful west coast city, I enter the area that is called the Downtown Eastside. It is a part of the city that the wealthy talk about with unbridled disdain and disgust in their privileged voices. It is the place where people go who have lost sight of childhood dreams and who have found poverty and addiction in their place. It is not a “nice” part of the city and the “nice” people of the city are warned to stay away. I keep my eyes down as I walk to the bus that I pray will take me out of there quickly and without incident. I walk as if I am not there and hope that I am not approached. The masses struggle by, carrying with them shelter and worldly possessions in shopping carts and garbage bags. A woman in a doorway lies blanketed by empty bottles and a man staggers toward me with his hand out. My eyes drill into the sidewalk and I rush by without raising my gaze from the concrete. I disregard any attempts that he is making to ask me for the help he needs to survive the day - in whatever way that might be. Through fear I ignore him and continue on, then I hear a voice plead “Why won’t anyone look me in the eye anymore. Aren’t I a human?” That voice stops me in my tracks. Perhaps it is a line that he has found successful in “guilting” people into giving. Or perhaps I am the straw that breaks the camels back. Another person he passes on the street that he determines, by whatever criteria, could help him and could see him, but who is choosing instead to render him invisible. I realize that I, who consider myself to be a caring person, am fooling myself. I am caring when I feel safe and am in the “deserving” part of town. In an instant and without looking, I have judged and determined that the person with his hand out is a threat and a social problem and thereby worthy of being passed by. I go back to him and give him the five dollars that I would have spent at the first Starbucks that I saw while riding on the bus. I look him in the eye and smile. He says thank you and God bless like he really means it. I continue down the street and I raise my eyes to see what I have been missing. And I smile. I smile at every human that I see. The response that I receive in return will stagger and affect me for many years. People I come across on that street of misplaced dreams seem genuinely shocked that a passerby is making eye contact and is smiling. And every person smiles back at me. From the words of the man with the outstretched hand and in those shy, authentic smiles, I learn to lift my eyes from the pavement and to really see “the human” in us all.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A Basket of Memories
nightowls, our daily blog
is from our own Bon'Oregon
what a ingenious idea!
A Basket of Memories
by Bon'Oregon
Recent blogs and posts about departed loved ones and fond memories of them reminded me of something I made many years ago for my mother. At the time, I thought it was just a little something extra for a birthday, to entertain her for a few moments that day. It has proven to be much more than that. Many of you are so crafty, I thought you might enjoy taking the idea, modifying and improving upon it in any way you choose.
First, I found (at Michael's, of course) a miniature oval wicker picnic-style basket (approx. 5"h. x7"l. x 4" w.). You know the type: two-sided flip-up top that folds up from either side to the center bail handle. I chose to embellish it on either side (bring on the glue gun!) using matching leather oak leaves with tiny bronze acorns. A length of narrow ivory matte satin ribbon completed the presentation.
THEN, the fun began! I purchased a lined note paper tablet which had various pastel colored pages and, using the paper cutter at work, cut identical-sized 1 1/2"h. x 6" w. strips (approx. 100 of them). Over the course of a blustery November weekend, I nestled in with my fondest memories, from early childhood in our family home through middle-age occasions and events, all of which had included my mother. Once I got started, there was no stopping. From the most mundane and fleeting moments that I had no idea were permanently etched in my memory bank, to the more major milestone moments, the floodgates were open! On each slip of paper I wrote one little memory. Each of us has a different life and different memories, so yours would be unique unto you, but I'll share just a few of mine (not too personal) which included.....
*Bubble lights on the Christmas tree *Summer neighborhood parties with homemade, hand cranked ice-cream and fresh in-season fruits. *Making sure we got home from Wednesday night church in time for 'Ozzie & Harriet'. *Walking through the snow to cattle auctions in Snohomish with Grandpa & Uncle Marvin. *Picking green apples together in the abandoned orchard where Dad was hunting. *Watching Sputnik overhead from the backyard *Sitting together glued to the TV for 4 days when JFK was assassinated. *Collecting Beanie Babies together *Climbing sand-dunes while camping at Honeyman *Shopping together for THE dress for your 50 Year High School Reunion.......After about 100 of these, I folded each in half, fortune cookie style; then, 'scrambled' them gently together so that the different colors and decades were well mixed. All were then tucked loosely into the 'Basket of Memories'.
I don't recall what my primary birthday gift to Mom was that year. But, I can tell you that the 'Basket of Memories' delighted her that day and stayed on the side-table next to her favorite chair for the rest of her life. She'd often call me on the phone to chat about the context of a particular memory. We dumped them all on the dining room table and had many a chuckle over Saturday coffee more than once. When she couldn't sleep at night after Dad passed, she'd get up and read through a number of them again and again. She'd shake the basket and pull one out like a Thought for the Day with her breakfast some mornings. Now that she's gone, I have the 'Basket of Memories' again, and return to it often. Last Mother's Day, I took the basket with me when I went to 'visit' with her at the cemetery and I swear I could hear her chuckling along with me.
Your 'Basket of Memories' might be a different shape or size. It might be housed in a hat box, dad's or child's lunch box, or a family heirloom. It might be from you to a parent, spouse, child, lover, best friend, or all of the above. But, trust me, it will be a gift that keeps on giving.
is from our own Bon'Oregon
what a ingenious idea!
A Basket of Memories
by Bon'Oregon
Recent blogs and posts about departed loved ones and fond memories of them reminded me of something I made many years ago for my mother. At the time, I thought it was just a little something extra for a birthday, to entertain her for a few moments that day. It has proven to be much more than that. Many of you are so crafty, I thought you might enjoy taking the idea, modifying and improving upon it in any way you choose.
First, I found (at Michael's, of course) a miniature oval wicker picnic-style basket (approx. 5"h. x7"l. x 4" w.). You know the type: two-sided flip-up top that folds up from either side to the center bail handle. I chose to embellish it on either side (bring on the glue gun!) using matching leather oak leaves with tiny bronze acorns. A length of narrow ivory matte satin ribbon completed the presentation.
THEN, the fun began! I purchased a lined note paper tablet which had various pastel colored pages and, using the paper cutter at work, cut identical-sized 1 1/2"h. x 6" w. strips (approx. 100 of them). Over the course of a blustery November weekend, I nestled in with my fondest memories, from early childhood in our family home through middle-age occasions and events, all of which had included my mother. Once I got started, there was no stopping. From the most mundane and fleeting moments that I had no idea were permanently etched in my memory bank, to the more major milestone moments, the floodgates were open! On each slip of paper I wrote one little memory. Each of us has a different life and different memories, so yours would be unique unto you, but I'll share just a few of mine (not too personal) which included.....
*Bubble lights on the Christmas tree *Summer neighborhood parties with homemade, hand cranked ice-cream and fresh in-season fruits. *Making sure we got home from Wednesday night church in time for 'Ozzie & Harriet'. *Walking through the snow to cattle auctions in Snohomish with Grandpa & Uncle Marvin. *Picking green apples together in the abandoned orchard where Dad was hunting. *Watching Sputnik overhead from the backyard *Sitting together glued to the TV for 4 days when JFK was assassinated. *Collecting Beanie Babies together *Climbing sand-dunes while camping at Honeyman *Shopping together for THE dress for your 50 Year High School Reunion.......After about 100 of these, I folded each in half, fortune cookie style; then, 'scrambled' them gently together so that the different colors and decades were well mixed. All were then tucked loosely into the 'Basket of Memories'.
I don't recall what my primary birthday gift to Mom was that year. But, I can tell you that the 'Basket of Memories' delighted her that day and stayed on the side-table next to her favorite chair for the rest of her life. She'd often call me on the phone to chat about the context of a particular memory. We dumped them all on the dining room table and had many a chuckle over Saturday coffee more than once. When she couldn't sleep at night after Dad passed, she'd get up and read through a number of them again and again. She'd shake the basket and pull one out like a Thought for the Day with her breakfast some mornings. Now that she's gone, I have the 'Basket of Memories' again, and return to it often. Last Mother's Day, I took the basket with me when I went to 'visit' with her at the cemetery and I swear I could hear her chuckling along with me.
Your 'Basket of Memories' might be a different shape or size. It might be housed in a hat box, dad's or child's lunch box, or a family heirloom. It might be from you to a parent, spouse, child, lover, best friend, or all of the above. But, trust me, it will be a gift that keeps on giving.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Fantasies of a Peri-Menopausal Woman
Lynn D is the the writer of
our daily blog today!
enjoy her fantasy ;O)
Fantasies of a Peri-Menopausal Woman
by Lynn D
Yes believe it or not I have a rich fantasy life. It may not be what you think (Tina, Mo and others get your mind back on the sidewalk) my fantasies of late involve Cell phones…..
I am on an innocent shopping trip to the grocery store. I have my cart in hand and I am wandering the aisles looking for the items on my list. I approach the bread as I need a couple of loaves of whole wheat, but I can’t move, I can’t get to it because some lady (I use this term loosely) is blocking my progress as she has stopped in the middle of the aisle talking on her damn cell phone. I stop and listen and really people do I have to hear about Uncle Tom’s prostrate problems while I am shopping?????
Now here is the fantasy I slip into, I grab the phone from her hand and start sprinting down all of the aisles grabbing cell phones as I go. I am tossing them into the gourmet Olive bins and lining them up to run the cart over and over them. I tell you it is exhilarating. But the reality is I wait or go around her.
Now I was at the library a few weeks ago. People this is my Sanctuary akin to my sacred place. I love to go there. Until the day I ran into the Brittney and Lindsey wanna be’s. I am browsing and looking for my books and a phone rings! I am thinking NO Not Here! Britt answers the phone. It is their friend a Paris wanna be. They have a whole discussion about meeting at Jack in the Box (our town equivalent of a night club) and whether or not Damien will be there and he is Soooooooo Hot.
I realize that I am slipping into a fantasy of ripping the phone out of her hand and race walking to the book drop and down it goes!!! I am laughing gleefully as they whine behind me. I point to the sign you know the one with a cell phone pictured and a big red circle with a line through it? Even the library realizes they are challenged and put a picture up for them.
Sometimes fantasy turns into reality. I was at the movies with Mr. Lynn D we just spent about $25.00 for our tickets and bucket of popcorn. We are settling into our seats as the previews begin and what do I hear? Yes you guessed, a cell phone ringing behind me. Now I don’t know if it is the lack of hormones or I am just loosing my mind but I turned around and the woman is actually answering the damn thing. I look her in the eye and say “Oh no you didn’t”, in a far off distance I hear Mr. Lynn D mumbling something about bail but I just keep my eyes locked on this woman as she hastily closes her phone and turns it off.
I know this is crazy but I just could not take it anymore!!! This is not Get Smart people the cone of silence does not drop around you when you answer that cell phone.
I know you are thinking what is her point? Well I don’t know that I have one, but I just keep wondering what has happened to common courtesy? Are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we no longer feel the need to consider others? Are we so important that only our needs are the ones that matter?
Just maybe it is being peri-menopausal and I am slipping my bonds of reality. Or maybe I am just a cranky bitch.
our daily blog today!
enjoy her fantasy ;O)
Fantasies of a Peri-Menopausal Woman
by Lynn D
Yes believe it or not I have a rich fantasy life. It may not be what you think (Tina, Mo and others get your mind back on the sidewalk) my fantasies of late involve Cell phones…..
I am on an innocent shopping trip to the grocery store. I have my cart in hand and I am wandering the aisles looking for the items on my list. I approach the bread as I need a couple of loaves of whole wheat, but I can’t move, I can’t get to it because some lady (I use this term loosely) is blocking my progress as she has stopped in the middle of the aisle talking on her damn cell phone. I stop and listen and really people do I have to hear about Uncle Tom’s prostrate problems while I am shopping?????
Now here is the fantasy I slip into, I grab the phone from her hand and start sprinting down all of the aisles grabbing cell phones as I go. I am tossing them into the gourmet Olive bins and lining them up to run the cart over and over them. I tell you it is exhilarating. But the reality is I wait or go around her.
Now I was at the library a few weeks ago. People this is my Sanctuary akin to my sacred place. I love to go there. Until the day I ran into the Brittney and Lindsey wanna be’s. I am browsing and looking for my books and a phone rings! I am thinking NO Not Here! Britt answers the phone. It is their friend a Paris wanna be. They have a whole discussion about meeting at Jack in the Box (our town equivalent of a night club) and whether or not Damien will be there and he is Soooooooo Hot.
I realize that I am slipping into a fantasy of ripping the phone out of her hand and race walking to the book drop and down it goes!!! I am laughing gleefully as they whine behind me. I point to the sign you know the one with a cell phone pictured and a big red circle with a line through it? Even the library realizes they are challenged and put a picture up for them.
Sometimes fantasy turns into reality. I was at the movies with Mr. Lynn D we just spent about $25.00 for our tickets and bucket of popcorn. We are settling into our seats as the previews begin and what do I hear? Yes you guessed, a cell phone ringing behind me. Now I don’t know if it is the lack of hormones or I am just loosing my mind but I turned around and the woman is actually answering the damn thing. I look her in the eye and say “Oh no you didn’t”, in a far off distance I hear Mr. Lynn D mumbling something about bail but I just keep my eyes locked on this woman as she hastily closes her phone and turns it off.
I know this is crazy but I just could not take it anymore!!! This is not Get Smart people the cone of silence does not drop around you when you answer that cell phone.
I know you are thinking what is her point? Well I don’t know that I have one, but I just keep wondering what has happened to common courtesy? Are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we no longer feel the need to consider others? Are we so important that only our needs are the ones that matter?
Just maybe it is being peri-menopausal and I am slipping my bonds of reality. Or maybe I am just a cranky bitch.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Paul
today's daily blog was
sent to me by East Bay J
it makes you think how
life is just so very precious~~
Paul by East Bay J
I met Paul on December 23rd.
Paul was born on December 22nd. For some reason, I can't remember if it was 1994 or 1995.
I had come into work and looked at the assignment board, and that day I would be taking care of baby Paul.
I started to get report from the day shift nurse. Baby Paul had been born at another hospital, a seemingly normal, healthy, full term little boy.
Something happened, tho.
His mom had been holding him, and he stopped breathing. She might have been dozing, but she didn't immediately know that Paul was not breathing.
When she had looked down and saw he was blue, she ran out of the hospital room, carrying Paul, yelling for help. The staff immediately started resuscitation, and got him to the nursery where he was intubated and put on a ventilator.
He was transferred to our hospital, where he would get the Level III/advanced care he needed.
He had arrived to my hospital earlier that day. He had been given all kinds of tests, tests to find out why he stopped breathing, tests to see if his organs were working normally, and a test to see if his brain was active.
The news was not encouraging. Baby Paul's first brain test, the EEG, showed that there was no activity.
The EEG would be repeated the next day. Then further decisions were to be made.
I spent the evening shift taking care of Paul. There really was not too much to do for him, just make sure his iv's and ventilator were running correctly, that he was staying warm, checking his vital signs. His parents and other family and friends were there the whole time, they took turns holding Paul, and changing his diapers. We dressed him in cute baby clothes.
His mom showed me his outfit that they had picked out for the special time when he would go home. I remember watching her as she looked at him, searching with her eyes for answers. What could possibly have gone wrong? He was a full-term, chubby, healthy baby with blond hair and blue eyes. A normal, uneventful pregnancy and normal delivery.
No one knew what had gone wrong, there were not yet any answers. Tests so far had revealed nothing. The staff at my hospital could offer nothing more than our support and hugs.
At midnight, I gave report to the nurse who would take over Paul's care. I drove home with a heavy heart, knowing what would probably happen the next day. I dreaded going to work the next day and actually considered calling off and telling them I was sick.
The next day, I was surprised and relieved to find that I was not assigned to baby Paul. I would be working in the newborn nursery.
As I started to take over for the evening shift, a co-worker came to me and I just knew what she was going to ask. She asked me to trade assignments, she had been assigned to baby Paul and could not do it. I said ok and headed to the NICU.
When I walked in, I was not surprised to learn that the decision had been made to remove Paul from life support. His brain test earlier in the day revealed the same, no activity. There was a woman from the organ donor program, speaking to Paul's parents. She had forms in her hand and they were deciding whether to sign them. My heart was breaking and I wanted to run out of there so fast.
The whole evening seems like a blur to me now. There were all kinds of people, in and out, and I wanted them all to go away so I could take care of my baby. I guess I was just dreading what was to come and wanted it all to stop.
We cleared a small room that we normally used for meetings, quiet time, there was even a breast pump in there. Paul's family, friends, and a priest were entering the room.
My job was to remove Paul's iv's, then finally the ventilator tubing from his throat. Then hand him to his mom and dad who would hold him for his final time on earth.
In all my years of nursing, this was not something I had ever had to do. We had lost babies before, usually they were too tiny or something was wrong with them and we knew ahead that they would die. But never had I seen a seemingly normal, healthy baby suddenly go bad and have to be removed from life support.
When it was time, I helped Paul's mom dress him in his special going-home outfit. We put a cute hat on him, wrapped him in a blanket. I had removed all connections to him and cried the whole time. I did something that I didn't often do and we were not encouraged to do, I kissed his little hand and his little cheek. I took him to the room and gave him to his parents.
I remember thinking "fly away, little angel" and closed the door.
sent to me by East Bay J
it makes you think how
life is just so very precious~~
Paul by East Bay J
I met Paul on December 23rd.
Paul was born on December 22nd. For some reason, I can't remember if it was 1994 or 1995.
I had come into work and looked at the assignment board, and that day I would be taking care of baby Paul.
I started to get report from the day shift nurse. Baby Paul had been born at another hospital, a seemingly normal, healthy, full term little boy.
Something happened, tho.
His mom had been holding him, and he stopped breathing. She might have been dozing, but she didn't immediately know that Paul was not breathing.
When she had looked down and saw he was blue, she ran out of the hospital room, carrying Paul, yelling for help. The staff immediately started resuscitation, and got him to the nursery where he was intubated and put on a ventilator.
He was transferred to our hospital, where he would get the Level III/advanced care he needed.
He had arrived to my hospital earlier that day. He had been given all kinds of tests, tests to find out why he stopped breathing, tests to see if his organs were working normally, and a test to see if his brain was active.
The news was not encouraging. Baby Paul's first brain test, the EEG, showed that there was no activity.
The EEG would be repeated the next day. Then further decisions were to be made.
I spent the evening shift taking care of Paul. There really was not too much to do for him, just make sure his iv's and ventilator were running correctly, that he was staying warm, checking his vital signs. His parents and other family and friends were there the whole time, they took turns holding Paul, and changing his diapers. We dressed him in cute baby clothes.
His mom showed me his outfit that they had picked out for the special time when he would go home. I remember watching her as she looked at him, searching with her eyes for answers. What could possibly have gone wrong? He was a full-term, chubby, healthy baby with blond hair and blue eyes. A normal, uneventful pregnancy and normal delivery.
No one knew what had gone wrong, there were not yet any answers. Tests so far had revealed nothing. The staff at my hospital could offer nothing more than our support and hugs.
At midnight, I gave report to the nurse who would take over Paul's care. I drove home with a heavy heart, knowing what would probably happen the next day. I dreaded going to work the next day and actually considered calling off and telling them I was sick.
The next day, I was surprised and relieved to find that I was not assigned to baby Paul. I would be working in the newborn nursery.
As I started to take over for the evening shift, a co-worker came to me and I just knew what she was going to ask. She asked me to trade assignments, she had been assigned to baby Paul and could not do it. I said ok and headed to the NICU.
When I walked in, I was not surprised to learn that the decision had been made to remove Paul from life support. His brain test earlier in the day revealed the same, no activity. There was a woman from the organ donor program, speaking to Paul's parents. She had forms in her hand and they were deciding whether to sign them. My heart was breaking and I wanted to run out of there so fast.
The whole evening seems like a blur to me now. There were all kinds of people, in and out, and I wanted them all to go away so I could take care of my baby. I guess I was just dreading what was to come and wanted it all to stop.
We cleared a small room that we normally used for meetings, quiet time, there was even a breast pump in there. Paul's family, friends, and a priest were entering the room.
My job was to remove Paul's iv's, then finally the ventilator tubing from his throat. Then hand him to his mom and dad who would hold him for his final time on earth.
In all my years of nursing, this was not something I had ever had to do. We had lost babies before, usually they were too tiny or something was wrong with them and we knew ahead that they would die. But never had I seen a seemingly normal, healthy baby suddenly go bad and have to be removed from life support.
When it was time, I helped Paul's mom dress him in his special going-home outfit. We put a cute hat on him, wrapped him in a blanket. I had removed all connections to him and cried the whole time. I did something that I didn't often do and we were not encouraged to do, I kissed his little hand and his little cheek. I took him to the room and gave him to his parents.
I remember thinking "fly away, little angel" and closed the door.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Clemente, My Brother
many yrs ago my brother was born
7 yrs earlier than i he was named
after my grandfather as it had to
be, those were the hidden rules,
the male namesake, my mom
had no choice, Clemente it was
there were so many yrs between
us that i don't really remember growing
up with him, it just seemed we were not
connected, he was far away, invisible perhaps
he had a family a wife and three boys
i wonder sometimes if he was invisible to them
as well, as after 20yrs or marriage he was gone,
left them, he just, well moved on, and from what
i can see he did not look back!
i could have never done that, i could
never imagine my life without my boys
we are close the four of us
like a family team, they have taught
me so much, and i them
my sister-in-law has now become
my sister, no blood, but so very close
invisible then, invisible now
same parents, same blood
yet so very different
we lose life at certain times
it can be untimely or it
can be a life lived long,
either way its devastating
my brother is gone, but in a very different
way, still the feel of devastation is there
my brother is fine, very happy with his life
it is after all his life, his road to travel
life, so different~~
7 yrs earlier than i he was named
after my grandfather as it had to
be, those were the hidden rules,
the male namesake, my mom
had no choice, Clemente it was
there were so many yrs between
us that i don't really remember growing
up with him, it just seemed we were not
connected, he was far away, invisible perhaps
he had a family a wife and three boys
i wonder sometimes if he was invisible to them
as well, as after 20yrs or marriage he was gone,
left them, he just, well moved on, and from what
i can see he did not look back!
i could have never done that, i could
never imagine my life without my boys
we are close the four of us
like a family team, they have taught
me so much, and i them
my sister-in-law has now become
my sister, no blood, but so very close
invisible then, invisible now
same parents, same blood
yet so very different
we lose life at certain times
it can be untimely or it
can be a life lived long,
either way its devastating
my brother is gone, but in a very different
way, still the feel of devastation is there
my brother is fine, very happy with his life
it is after all his life, his road to travel
life, so different~~
Saturday, January 19, 2008
"The Room"
this blog was sent to me from
Tina~in_ut to share with
all of you the "nightowls"
read and enjoy as its
astounding!
"The Room" by Tina~in_ut
Dedicated to: naughty_croc
The Room
A friend of mine added a room onto her house recently. With the help of mutual friends, she painted, decorated, and furnished the room. It was kind of hard to find at first…you didn’t really notice the addition. Every time someone new finds it, everyone inside shouts a welcome!
The room is huge. There is a small kitchen with a large table. The fridge is always stocked with beverages….ALL kinds of beverages. Everyone takes turns making or bringing food…well, except for one, who is cooking challenged! She’s only allowed to buy.
There are enough television sets for everyone to be able to watch whatever show they want. There is even enough room for someone to run around like crazy with a sling shot and not get in the way of the others watching the latest and greatest show. The room is so spacious, that if everyone wants to watch the same show, every person has a great view of the TV and a comfortable chair to relax on.
If you are sick, it’s the best place to be. There are plenty of couches to lay on and doze. There are many who suggest remedies and takes care of the sick ones. Rarely will you catch what they have.
The room is very loud. It’s also very quiet. Sometimes everyone is talking at once, and other times, we sit in silence just enjoying each other's company.
I think the best part about the room is that you can say anything….anything at all, and you will be accepted. Some have other rooms they visit…some don’t. That is okay. Some have differing opinions. That’s okay, too. Some only pop in occasionally or maybe just once. That is just fine. Whatever you need. The room glows with love, acceptance, and most of all, laughter.
One last thing….the room has HUGE windows along one side. Sometimes, if we look carefully, we can see someone peeking in. If that’s you, please come join us!
Where is that room you ask?
You’re standing in it!
Tina~in_ut to share with
all of you the "nightowls"
read and enjoy as its
astounding!
"The Room" by Tina~in_ut
Dedicated to: naughty_croc
The Room
A friend of mine added a room onto her house recently. With the help of mutual friends, she painted, decorated, and furnished the room. It was kind of hard to find at first…you didn’t really notice the addition. Every time someone new finds it, everyone inside shouts a welcome!
The room is huge. There is a small kitchen with a large table. The fridge is always stocked with beverages….ALL kinds of beverages. Everyone takes turns making or bringing food…well, except for one, who is cooking challenged! She’s only allowed to buy.
There are enough television sets for everyone to be able to watch whatever show they want. There is even enough room for someone to run around like crazy with a sling shot and not get in the way of the others watching the latest and greatest show. The room is so spacious, that if everyone wants to watch the same show, every person has a great view of the TV and a comfortable chair to relax on.
If you are sick, it’s the best place to be. There are plenty of couches to lay on and doze. There are many who suggest remedies and takes care of the sick ones. Rarely will you catch what they have.
The room is very loud. It’s also very quiet. Sometimes everyone is talking at once, and other times, we sit in silence just enjoying each other's company.
I think the best part about the room is that you can say anything….anything at all, and you will be accepted. Some have other rooms they visit…some don’t. That is okay. Some have differing opinions. That’s okay, too. Some only pop in occasionally or maybe just once. That is just fine. Whatever you need. The room glows with love, acceptance, and most of all, laughter.
One last thing….the room has HUGE windows along one side. Sometimes, if we look carefully, we can see someone peeking in. If that’s you, please come join us!
Where is that room you ask?
You’re standing in it!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Rob, the Magic Elastic
dearest nightowls,
our surprise daily blog
from none other than
our "whabby"
pull up a chair, and enjoy!
Thanks so much, cpgem8, for asking me to post a blog on the Owl’s Nest. I like it here, and was delighted to accept!
Wow, Owl Nesters. You’re probably hoping I’m going to take this opportunity to spill some nasty cyberspace secrets and juicy gossip. Ha! When cpgem8 asked me if I’d do this, her request acted like a kick in my pants, motivating me to finish off one of a trilogy of "blogs" that I’ve been working on for my MySpace page (sadly, more off than on) since last March. Ouch! I beg your indulgence in letting me post that blog here. It means that I’m going to hopefully amuse you… and maybe even engage you, if I’m lucky… in a really big topic this morning. Gigantic, in fact, because it’s no other than… the expansion of the universe itself!! Yep… I’m going to try to convey some of my understanding of what it means when you hear on a science show that the universe is growing bigger over time.
Let’s begin with one of my favorite blog devices: that pesky old visualization exercise! Imagine you are in your kitchen and are pulling out three ordinary items from one of your drawers: a 12 inch ruler, with all the ordinary colored markings delineating inches and fractions of inches along one side; a nice stout (thick and wide) four- inch long elastic band; and a thin-tipped black magic marker.
I love that elastic band, because it’s so amazingly useful as an explanatory device. I love it so much, I’m going to call it Rob. Rob the Elastic.
Now, imagine you take the elastic band and align one of the curved ends with the "bottom" of the ruler (the "zero" point on the ruler’s scale). Then, you gently lay the rest of the elastic lengthwise along the business (marked) edge of the ruler. Be sure you’re not stretching the elastic, at all. You just want to be straightening it out to its full (but still limp) length, so that the other curved end is exactly aligned with the four- inch marker on the scale.
Easy, right? Next, pretend you take your magic marker and draw three narrow vertical lines along the side of the elastic closest to you, producing three black stripes. Please carefully select specific positions along the elastic to make these stripes. One should be exactly at the 1-inch mark on the ruler, the second one exactly at the two-inch mark, and the third exactly at the three-inch mark.
Now comes the really exciting part of the exercise (LOL!). I want you to imagine grasping the bottom of the elastic band and wrapping it around the bottom edge of the ruler, right inside the marked edge. Carefully lock down and immobilize the bottom of the elastic by pushing it against the ruler with your left thumb, on one side, and your left index finger, on the other.
You’re almost there! The only remaining thing I want you to imagine doing is grasping the other curved end of the elastic with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, and in one smooth motion, a motion that takes exactly one second, stretching the elastic until it just fits over the other (top) side of the ruler.
Let’s consider what you’ve accomplished with this little "wrap-around" action. Literally one second ago, Rob the Elastic was limp, only four inches long, and a little embarrassed, to tell you the truth. Now, as a result of your rather firm handling, Rob is a proud 12 inches long, stretched comfortably between the top and bottom edges of the ruler.
Simple, huh? So simple, you’re probably wondering why we’ve even bothered to imagine getting Rob stiff at all. Well, remember when we had Rob in his original (unstretched) version and you marked him with stripes at the one, two, and three-inch locations? The thing I want to draw your attention to now is where those stripes ended up along the ruler following the stretch. The answers are totally intuitive. Rob stretched from four inches to 12 inches, exactly three times his original length. The stripe that was originally one inch from Rob’s base was originally ¼ of the way to the end of the elastic. That’s still true after the stretch; that stripe is still ¼ of the distance to Rob’s tip, so it is now three inches from the origin. Similarly, the stripe at the original half-way point (two inches from the origin) will be right smack in the middle of the stretched version, at the six inch point on the scale. Finally, the stripe that was originally at the three-inch marker willbe ¾ of the way to Rob’s tip, at the 9-inch marker on the ruler.
But hold on a minute, everybody. The most intriguing aspect of these black stripes is not their absolute distance away from the point of origin. It’s determining how fast the stripes moved during the one second that you were manhandling (!) Rob. The stripe that was originally at the one-inch location moved to three inches. Since speed is simply distance divided by time, and the stripe moved a total of two inches, it moved at a speed of two inches/second. But, the stripe that was originally at the two inch location moved from there to the six inch mark, and so it had to be moving at a speed of four inches/second. The three-inch marker moved to nine inches, for a speed of six inches/second. Rob’s tip, originally four inches away from the origin, moved all the way to 12 inches (eight inches/second).
Things are starting to get a little weird! You were playing with a single object. Yet, different parts of the object were moving at different speeds during the one second that you stretched it out. For every additional inch that the stripe on the elastic was originally displaced from the point of origin, an addition two inches per second was added to its speed. One inch away, the stripe traveled at two inches per second, its initial distance from the origin (1 inch) multiplied by the two inches per second expansion rate; two inches away, the stripe traveled at (2 * 2 inches/second) = four inches/sec; three inches away, the three-inch stripe traveled (3*2 inches/sec) = 6 inches per second.
Notice the power we suddenly have with this clear, breathtakingly simple mathematical relation, nesters! We can use it to calculate the speed that any arbitrary stripe would travel, at any arbitrarily distance from the point of origin along a ruler of any arbitrary length, as long as this "mega-Rob" elastic was stretched at the same 2-in/sec rates. For example, suppose you had used elastic that was six inches in original length instead of four. If you stretched it out at this same rate of 2 inches/second, the end of this elastic would travel out to (6*2) + 6 = 18 inches in the first second, moving smartly along at 12 inches/sec.
OMG, though. What if we pretended that Rob was infinitely elastic, and you are all superwomen with the capability and stamina to just keep stretching him? Where would the original one-inch marker be located at the end of the second second (get it?) of stretch time? Well, we know it was at the three-inch point at the end of the first second. During the second second, then, it would be traveling at (3 *2) = six inches/sec, which would place it at the ninth inch point on the ruler. Notice the increase in the speed that this mark was experiencing over time; originally at 2 inches/sec during the first second of stretching, it’s speed increased threefold in only the second second!! Imagine (and go ahead and calculate, if you like) its speed, and how far away it would be after 10 seconds. After 1000 seconds. After one million trillion seconds!
The universe behaves in EXACTLY this way, owl nesters! It’s just constantly stretching out at an expansion rate, not of 2 inches/second per inch, like Rob, but at 72 kilometers per second per megaparsec. What that means is, every second that goes by, there is 72 kilometers of additional space between us and objects that are one "megaparsec" away (a megaparsec is 3.26 million light years, about a million light years further than the Andromeda Galaxy). For objects that are twice that distance away (two megaparsecs, or about 6.5 million light years), there is 144 kilometers of additional space separating them from us with every elapsed second.
The Universe is far, far larger than these paltry numbers, of course. Estimates are that there are objects as far as 36 billion light years from us. However, there is so much space being created every second between us and galaxies that far away, that the light from these objects will never reach us. Light travels at "only" 300,000 kilometers per second. When we get far enough away that 300,000 kilometers or more of additional space is being created between us and the object every second, it’s equivalent to the light being frozen!
What I’ve been describing here is what happens to the universe as time progresses. The reverse is also fascinating, that is, what the expansion rate means for the universe as we run time backwards. But that’s a topic for another blog!
Thanks so much for your attention to me and to Rob the elastic. This has been totally fun!!
Rob, the Magic Elastic
our surprise daily blog
from none other than
our "whabby"
pull up a chair, and enjoy!
Thanks so much, cpgem8, for asking me to post a blog on the Owl’s Nest. I like it here, and was delighted to accept!
Wow, Owl Nesters. You’re probably hoping I’m going to take this opportunity to spill some nasty cyberspace secrets and juicy gossip. Ha! When cpgem8 asked me if I’d do this, her request acted like a kick in my pants, motivating me to finish off one of a trilogy of "blogs" that I’ve been working on for my MySpace page (sadly, more off than on) since last March. Ouch! I beg your indulgence in letting me post that blog here. It means that I’m going to hopefully amuse you… and maybe even engage you, if I’m lucky… in a really big topic this morning. Gigantic, in fact, because it’s no other than… the expansion of the universe itself!! Yep… I’m going to try to convey some of my understanding of what it means when you hear on a science show that the universe is growing bigger over time.
Let’s begin with one of my favorite blog devices: that pesky old visualization exercise! Imagine you are in your kitchen and are pulling out three ordinary items from one of your drawers: a 12 inch ruler, with all the ordinary colored markings delineating inches and fractions of inches along one side; a nice stout (thick and wide) four- inch long elastic band; and a thin-tipped black magic marker.
I love that elastic band, because it’s so amazingly useful as an explanatory device. I love it so much, I’m going to call it Rob. Rob the Elastic.
Now, imagine you take the elastic band and align one of the curved ends with the "bottom" of the ruler (the "zero" point on the ruler’s scale). Then, you gently lay the rest of the elastic lengthwise along the business (marked) edge of the ruler. Be sure you’re not stretching the elastic, at all. You just want to be straightening it out to its full (but still limp) length, so that the other curved end is exactly aligned with the four- inch marker on the scale.
Easy, right? Next, pretend you take your magic marker and draw three narrow vertical lines along the side of the elastic closest to you, producing three black stripes. Please carefully select specific positions along the elastic to make these stripes. One should be exactly at the 1-inch mark on the ruler, the second one exactly at the two-inch mark, and the third exactly at the three-inch mark.
Now comes the really exciting part of the exercise (LOL!). I want you to imagine grasping the bottom of the elastic band and wrapping it around the bottom edge of the ruler, right inside the marked edge. Carefully lock down and immobilize the bottom of the elastic by pushing it against the ruler with your left thumb, on one side, and your left index finger, on the other.
You’re almost there! The only remaining thing I want you to imagine doing is grasping the other curved end of the elastic with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, and in one smooth motion, a motion that takes exactly one second, stretching the elastic until it just fits over the other (top) side of the ruler.
Let’s consider what you’ve accomplished with this little "wrap-around" action. Literally one second ago, Rob the Elastic was limp, only four inches long, and a little embarrassed, to tell you the truth. Now, as a result of your rather firm handling, Rob is a proud 12 inches long, stretched comfortably between the top and bottom edges of the ruler.
Simple, huh? So simple, you’re probably wondering why we’ve even bothered to imagine getting Rob stiff at all. Well, remember when we had Rob in his original (unstretched) version and you marked him with stripes at the one, two, and three-inch locations? The thing I want to draw your attention to now is where those stripes ended up along the ruler following the stretch. The answers are totally intuitive. Rob stretched from four inches to 12 inches, exactly three times his original length. The stripe that was originally one inch from Rob’s base was originally ¼ of the way to the end of the elastic. That’s still true after the stretch; that stripe is still ¼ of the distance to Rob’s tip, so it is now three inches from the origin. Similarly, the stripe at the original half-way point (two inches from the origin) will be right smack in the middle of the stretched version, at the six inch point on the scale. Finally, the stripe that was originally at the three-inch marker willbe ¾ of the way to Rob’s tip, at the 9-inch marker on the ruler.
But hold on a minute, everybody. The most intriguing aspect of these black stripes is not their absolute distance away from the point of origin. It’s determining how fast the stripes moved during the one second that you were manhandling (!) Rob. The stripe that was originally at the one-inch location moved to three inches. Since speed is simply distance divided by time, and the stripe moved a total of two inches, it moved at a speed of two inches/second. But, the stripe that was originally at the two inch location moved from there to the six inch mark, and so it had to be moving at a speed of four inches/second. The three-inch marker moved to nine inches, for a speed of six inches/second. Rob’s tip, originally four inches away from the origin, moved all the way to 12 inches (eight inches/second).
Things are starting to get a little weird! You were playing with a single object. Yet, different parts of the object were moving at different speeds during the one second that you stretched it out. For every additional inch that the stripe on the elastic was originally displaced from the point of origin, an addition two inches per second was added to its speed. One inch away, the stripe traveled at two inches per second, its initial distance from the origin (1 inch) multiplied by the two inches per second expansion rate; two inches away, the stripe traveled at (2 * 2 inches/second) = four inches/sec; three inches away, the three-inch stripe traveled (3*2 inches/sec) = 6 inches per second.
Notice the power we suddenly have with this clear, breathtakingly simple mathematical relation, nesters! We can use it to calculate the speed that any arbitrary stripe would travel, at any arbitrarily distance from the point of origin along a ruler of any arbitrary length, as long as this "mega-Rob" elastic was stretched at the same 2-in/sec rates. For example, suppose you had used elastic that was six inches in original length instead of four. If you stretched it out at this same rate of 2 inches/second, the end of this elastic would travel out to (6*2) + 6 = 18 inches in the first second, moving smartly along at 12 inches/sec.
OMG, though. What if we pretended that Rob was infinitely elastic, and you are all superwomen with the capability and stamina to just keep stretching him? Where would the original one-inch marker be located at the end of the second second (get it?) of stretch time? Well, we know it was at the three-inch point at the end of the first second. During the second second, then, it would be traveling at (3 *2) = six inches/sec, which would place it at the ninth inch point on the ruler. Notice the increase in the speed that this mark was experiencing over time; originally at 2 inches/sec during the first second of stretching, it’s speed increased threefold in only the second second!! Imagine (and go ahead and calculate, if you like) its speed, and how far away it would be after 10 seconds. After 1000 seconds. After one million trillion seconds!
The universe behaves in EXACTLY this way, owl nesters! It’s just constantly stretching out at an expansion rate, not of 2 inches/second per inch, like Rob, but at 72 kilometers per second per megaparsec. What that means is, every second that goes by, there is 72 kilometers of additional space between us and objects that are one "megaparsec" away (a megaparsec is 3.26 million light years, about a million light years further than the Andromeda Galaxy). For objects that are twice that distance away (two megaparsecs, or about 6.5 million light years), there is 144 kilometers of additional space separating them from us with every elapsed second.
The Universe is far, far larger than these paltry numbers, of course. Estimates are that there are objects as far as 36 billion light years from us. However, there is so much space being created every second between us and galaxies that far away, that the light from these objects will never reach us. Light travels at "only" 300,000 kilometers per second. When we get far enough away that 300,000 kilometers or more of additional space is being created between us and the object every second, it’s equivalent to the light being frozen!
What I’ve been describing here is what happens to the universe as time progresses. The reverse is also fascinating, that is, what the expansion rate means for the universe as we run time backwards. But that’s a topic for another blog!
Thanks so much for your attention to me and to Rob the elastic. This has been totally fun!!
Rob, the Magic Elastic
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Sunshine, Yellow, Smiles
i always seem to be happier in
the bright warm sunshine
i know rosie always says
the sun makes her the
happiest always
when i see the sun
in the yellowest of color
i somehow know it is going to
be a good day, its like
walking outside and seeing
a old friend someone you
have not seen in a while
however knowing this
friend is full of warm
yellow sunshine, and then
you get the smile, so you
are assured its going to be
a good day!
rosies always says
to look for the pure yellow
well i think these
nightowl bloggers have
found the yellow
maybe not "pure" ;O)
but yellow nonetheless
actually these nightowls
don't need the pure
as long as they have the yellow!
agree?
♥♥♥♥
the bright warm sunshine
i know rosie always says
the sun makes her the
happiest always
when i see the sun
in the yellowest of color
i somehow know it is going to
be a good day, its like
walking outside and seeing
a old friend someone you
have not seen in a while
however knowing this
friend is full of warm
yellow sunshine, and then
you get the smile, so you
are assured its going to be
a good day!
rosies always says
to look for the pure yellow
well i think these
nightowl bloggers have
found the yellow
maybe not "pure" ;O)
but yellow nonetheless
actually these nightowls
don't need the pure
as long as they have the yellow!
agree?
♥♥♥♥
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Olive Branch
i really did not know
the meaning behind the
words "olive branch" i heard
them said many times but
never really took the time
to understand the meaning
the help i needed was google
as the answer was before me
"the olive branch, apart from its literal meaning
as a branch of an olive tree, symbolizes peace and goodwill"
so now i got it, the understanding
of it, these words have been a
part of my being since i have
been me, so why is it i don't
use these words when i love
the meaning?
i think its because we get
so caught up with the little
things in life, we forget the
meanings behind the words
i have taught myself to move
on, to enjoy, to embrace
and now i have learned
a "olive branch" can give
me peace and goodwill!
and in life, there should
be peace, i know at
times its hard to find
but hey, nothing is easy!
if i ever see a olive branch
or if ever a olive branch is
given to me in any form
i will reach out and grab
for it and be grateful~~
thanks "iteach"
this blog is dedicated to you!
:O)
the meaning behind the
words "olive branch" i heard
them said many times but
never really took the time
to understand the meaning
the help i needed was google
as the answer was before me
"the olive branch, apart from its literal meaning
as a branch of an olive tree, symbolizes peace and goodwill"
so now i got it, the understanding
of it, these words have been a
part of my being since i have
been me, so why is it i don't
use these words when i love
the meaning?
i think its because we get
so caught up with the little
things in life, we forget the
meanings behind the words
i have taught myself to move
on, to enjoy, to embrace
and now i have learned
a "olive branch" can give
me peace and goodwill!
and in life, there should
be peace, i know at
times its hard to find
but hey, nothing is easy!
if i ever see a olive branch
or if ever a olive branch is
given to me in any form
i will reach out and grab
for it and be grateful~~
thanks "iteach"
this blog is dedicated to you!
:O)
American Idol!
ok, i am a official goof
(as birdee would call me)
i love american idol
its brings me such fun!
these young american idol
wannabe's so full of vigor
and hope, they are not
even sure what life has in store
for them, all they know is they
want to sing and be the next
american idol
youth is good, such a great
time in life, when nothing
was a issue and your life
was boundless~~
Season 1...Kelly
Season 2...Rueben
Season 3...Fantasia
Season 4...Carrie
Season 5...Taylor
Season 6...Jordon
Season 7...????
lets cheer these kids on
i want to see them sing
any song they want
as long as they sing
and i hear the music!
happiness tonite!
:O)
(as birdee would call me)
i love american idol
its brings me such fun!
these young american idol
wannabe's so full of vigor
and hope, they are not
even sure what life has in store
for them, all they know is they
want to sing and be the next
american idol
youth is good, such a great
time in life, when nothing
was a issue and your life
was boundless~~
Season 1...Kelly
Season 2...Rueben
Season 3...Fantasia
Season 4...Carrie
Season 5...Taylor
Season 6...Jordon
Season 7...????
lets cheer these kids on
i want to see them sing
any song they want
as long as they sing
and i hear the music!
happiness tonite!
:O)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Pennies
there is something about
pennies that i just don't like
try as i might there is
just no connection to real money
i don't like the way they
smell, kinda dirty, like
a rotten copper smell
and what use do they have
nothing is a penny anymore
except maybe the penny slots
and if you do play the penny slots
not much of a payoff, i would think
i don't keep any pennies, i give
them away, no connection
now my connection is very
strong with the $100.00 bill
here is where i connect!
nightowls, blog away
as its another day!
pennies that i just don't like
try as i might there is
just no connection to real money
i don't like the way they
smell, kinda dirty, like
a rotten copper smell
and what use do they have
nothing is a penny anymore
except maybe the penny slots
and if you do play the penny slots
not much of a payoff, i would think
i don't keep any pennies, i give
them away, no connection
now my connection is very
strong with the $100.00 bill
here is where i connect!
nightowls, blog away
as its another day!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Pietri
last night i went to see
my godchild ride her
pony, yes she owns a pony
(well i guess her parents
own the pony!)
i stared in amazement
as she was so focused on
riding, trotting, galloping
her face so serious
at five yrs of age
she rode like a pro
such a sweet child
pietri lives in a stable
near her home well
taken care of, so happy
he seemed when she approached
him! what a sight
i now have another great
memory in my heart
i had a pony when i was a child
however mine fit in my pocket
and was plastic!
oh, how times have changed!
bloggers, this is ur blog
invite who you wish
enjoy!
:O)
my godchild ride her
pony, yes she owns a pony
(well i guess her parents
own the pony!)
i stared in amazement
as she was so focused on
riding, trotting, galloping
her face so serious
at five yrs of age
she rode like a pro
such a sweet child
pietri lives in a stable
near her home well
taken care of, so happy
he seemed when she approached
him! what a sight
i now have another great
memory in my heart
i had a pony when i was a child
however mine fit in my pocket
and was plastic!
oh, how times have changed!
bloggers, this is ur blog
invite who you wish
enjoy!
:O)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Decompress
its the weekend and time
for me to decompress
sometimes during the
week i roll along
not thinking, not breathing
just doing
when saturday comes
i reflect on the week
and wonder was it
different then any other?
i think not, as life just
goes, i want to halt at
times, but it just seems
impossible!
perhaps someday!
blog away
this is urs
enjoy!
:O)
for me to decompress
sometimes during the
week i roll along
not thinking, not breathing
just doing
when saturday comes
i reflect on the week
and wonder was it
different then any other?
i think not, as life just
goes, i want to halt at
times, but it just seems
impossible!
perhaps someday!
blog away
this is urs
enjoy!
:O)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Who Knew
it seems there are night owls
i would have never guessed
my ambien keeps me settled
or i would assume a night
owl i would be~~
wow, i went for 40
seems much more
this is cyberspace
i should not be surprised
this is ur blog
do as u plz
fun!
:O)
i would have never guessed
my ambien keeps me settled
or i would assume a night
owl i would be~~
wow, i went for 40
seems much more
this is cyberspace
i should not be surprised
this is ur blog
do as u plz
fun!
:O)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Welcome and Hello!
this is a place where
we can blog and comment
anytime we like
chit chat is fun
lets give it a try
20 or more who cares
lets go for 40
change is good
new beginnings
happy 2008
we can blog and comment
anytime we like
chit chat is fun
lets give it a try
20 or more who cares
lets go for 40
change is good
new beginnings
happy 2008
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