For the love of cats...

We love our kitties. But, kitties do age, and ours are now over the ripe old age of 17! They're very sweet creatures, entertaining us with their goofy traits and 'cuddle' ways for all these years. But, age brings it's challenges with pets, as with humans, and sometimes you become 'nursemaid' to them for their quality of life and health.

We've had this experience with both of our cats over the last few weeks. Mookie - my "golden boy' - was diagnosed with cancer. As with most cancers, this one can be managed (with medication) for a time. He's been my constant companion every day and night, always loving to cuddle in a warm bed and rub his chin all over your hand, or ankle to 'mark you' as belonging to him.

Then comes the big surprise with Betty, the cat I gave Tony several years ago to keep him company in his condo while we were dating. Betty is the cutest, tiniest little cat that captures your heart just by seeing her.

She was having difficulty walking last week, and seemed very lethargic - not her usual 'prancing' self. Tony noticed that she seemed to have blood in her eye, so with all signals 'GO', we immediately raced to the Vet Emergency Center at Tufts to see what was going on with her health. Bad news - she's 'legally blind'. She can see lights and shadows. Good news - this condition can be managed with medication.

So, we have our two little sprites that are reaching their 'retirement years' and we are helping their transition. We both have great soul attachments and love for these feline family members, so the next steps will be tough. But, love does find a way. Their tomorrows will not be in vain.

Cooler Temps and Warmer Clothes!

One week ago, I was in shorts and a t-shirt feeling the heat we'd been experiencing back in July! I thought we'd never transition to the Fall that I love...

Ever since we had a rain storm 2 nights ago, the muggy air and temperatures have settled down to a point where we can turn off the air conditioners, and replace shorts with warmer leg-wear, and t-shirts with light sweaters and sweatshirts! Oh, how I love Fall! The slant of the sun, the length of the day, and the changing colors of the leaves makes every day a new view into the world. So great to be alive!

Go out and take a walk, sit on a step, listen to the leaves rustle in the wind. Savor these moments today. Enjoy your world!

Andrea

Take me out to the ball game!

It was a great day for a ball game!! Warm, low humidity, blue sky transitioning into a pastel sunset. Even though the Red Sox lost to the Angels, Fenway Park had the crowd spirit that continues to get high marks for me. And who could ask for a nicer backdrop??

Play ball!!!

Andrea

Beautiful Day!

So the hot weather seems to have abated, and the evenings hint at the coming Fall season. This summer has truly been a stretch of hot days, followed by a few milder ones, then back to hot-and humid for a stretch. I've lived in New England all; my life, and don't ever remember these extremes. It seems I'm not the only one. This month's 'National Geographic' has the weird weather as its cover story. Diving into the periodical provides more statistical data and trends about the past years, and predictions of future trends. It is scary. The world is small. The actions of one land, could affect us all.

I still believe in people's will to change things for the better. It's time to push policies and environment improvements to the forefront within every country so that there will be a tomorrow for our grandchildren.

Peace.
Andrea

Crazy Hot!

We're going on almost a week of hot and humid temps here in Massachusetts! Not as bad as the mid-west and the crisis in the farmlands. But, whether or not this is another sign of global warming, it's a very oppressive climate by New England standards. Take a dip in a pool, or stake out some shade beneath a tree, or stay inside with a fan or AC and a cool drink, and call it Siesta!

Let's all look to the sky for rain!

"City of Thieves" - great read!

Just finished this wonderful novel by David Benioff. Easy-to-read, suspenseful, violent, with multiple levels of angst, terror and love.

This is cleverly written by Benioff. He uses the Leningrad blockade and war stories of his grandfather (really?), accounts of the blockade obtained through research, and his own creative weaving of fact and fiction, character creation, and a dozen eggs to deliver a story I could not put down.   His novel is a reflection of great storytelling and disciplined pacing. It was worth every page-turning moment!

Pull up your favorite reading chair and step into war-torn Pita this Summer. You'll enjoy the trip!

Andrea

Shifting Sands

My husband and I spent a heavenly week on the coast in Cape Cod's National Seashore. We discovered this place by accident several years ago, and continue our annual return each Spring before school is out for summer.

We think that the ocean is timeless at times; but, the sands on Cape Cod are always changing, along with the shoreline. I remember coming to this beach in my late teens and early twenties when the dunes gradually led you to the shore. Due to the destructive winds and storms of the Atlantic, these gradual dune drops have been changed into stark 30 foot cliffs of fragile dune sand, and 50 feet of the shoreline has returned to the sea. But, there's still beauty in the light, the tides, the wildlife.

You can't leave without a smile.

Celebrate the changes, and rejoice in the here-and-now!

Andrea

A Little Piece of Heaven

I listened to a tremendous sermon in church on Sunday, given by an Irish Missionary living in Haiti. It was a moving, thoughtful, funny, introspective and gratifying reflection of life in one of the poorest nations on this planet. It was also a wake up call to me. He talked about the urgent need for everyone to find their 'little piece of Heaven' in the world. It can be a place, a person, a pet, a moment; but, no matter what it is, embrace it and continue to go back to it for strength and appreciation.

I have many pieces of Heaven in my life: a loving husband, dear friends, a warm family, sweet pets, and an overambitious house;-) But, I return to these staples in my life every day to share the joys, sorrows, gossip, stories, and love that keep me grounded in this very fast-paced, beautiful world we all call 'home'.

Look for your little pieces of Heaven in your life and let them know.

Love you all!

Andrea

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy LYRICS

Sometimes we need to know that we are all a little crazy;-) Cee Lo Green got it right. Love this song!
Hope you like it as I do.

Andrea

Reminders of the American Dream

I had the privilege of meeting a wonderful Indian man from Calcutta last night. I was at a stop light in DC. He was the cab driver. The long pause between 'red' and 'green' gave me the opportunity to ask where he was from in India, and this was the story he told me...
He and his wife - with their firstborn son - came to the United States from Calcutta in 1982. Calcutta was no longer the 'Paris of India' that it used to be back in the late 1800's. Like many great locations, it had descended into poverty and corruption over the years, so he found a path to bring himself and his family to another land of freedom and potentials for himself and his children - the United States. Once in the U.S., he found a position as Manager of a gas station, and worked happily there for years. He and his wife had another son. He worked and saved to make sure his children could receive a quality education. Today, one son is a Nuclear Medicine Specialist in the Medical industry, and the other is a government Accountant. This Indian gentleman has since left his job, but wanted to continue working and meeting people as a 'cabbie' in DC. He did not want to take money from his sons.
I told him he must be a wonderful father, and he thanked me for the kind praise. "You know", he said, "my boys are still worried that I work too much." As I thought of something to say, he held up a piece of paper with his start time jotted down, and he continued, "They restricted me to 3 hours a night."
Then, turning back to me with a wink, he added, "I'm glad they still think I'm a wonderful father, too."

Take time at stop lights to share a story and a wink. It will leave both of you smiling.

:-)
Andrea

Pacifism versus Activism in Relationships

I think everyone encounters these personal traits in their relationships at some point in life. I have. It prompted me to do some research on how great men and women have talked about them. I like the messages found in these two quotes:
Pacifism
"Bullets cannot be recalled. They cannot be uninvented. But they can be taken out of the gun." 
Martin Amis (b. 1949), British author. Einstein's Monsters, Introduction (1987).
Activism
“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” 
Mahatma Ghandi

Teach your children well. We all have this responsibility. Take action actively or passively. Doing nothing is a cop-out.


Andrea

Finding Your Best Self

I was watching one of the voice talent shows this week, and was amazed by the voice talent, and the humility and gratefulness that each singer presented to the audience. Many of these individuals had been on their own search for a long time. They were true to their schedules, held fast to their own disciplines, and created beautiful music through their passion and belief in themselves. They didn't give up, and the Universe responded.

Many of us never get the chance to test our own limits, and to challenge ourselves, and look to God, or the Universe, or your own Greater Power for support and follow-through. We all live busy lives and need to meet the financial and life needs of our families. But, what if we could take the time to find that inner self - that Beethoven or Mozart, that Degas or Warhol, that Gibran or Pirsig, you? What would we find?

Think about your best self today. Who is she? Who is he? Take them out and play. You may be surprised at the powers and talent within you!

Andrea

 

Joyful Wonder

Life, as an adult, sometimes suffocates those moments of wonder you had as a child - moments of mystery (where does all of the rain go after it falls?), moments of creativity (what animal does that cloud look like?), moments of empathy (who will care for the baby birds when their mother is gone?).

We should reach back to those moments often while we are wearing our 'adult clothes'. They help to open our minds and hearts to the everyday life around us, and may even give us an idea or two on how to solve a challenge or problem we may be facing in our grown-up existence.

As the author, Robert Fulghum wrote in "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," "...Wonder. Remember the seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we're all like that."

Find the wonder in your world today. Stop. Think about it. Then, Go. It could change your life for a moment, or a lifetime.

Enjoy:-)

Andrea

The Beauty of an Egg!

I came across a Julia Child PBS show during a streak of channel surfing the other day. She was amazing! The entire show was about the egg - how to cook it, how to peel it, how to use the egg yolk, how to use a French food mill to create egg yolk stuffing, and how to present the egg creation. She also followed through with how to choose an appropriate wine to accompany this delight.

How refreshing to see the beauty of this simple egg creation in the hands of a seasoned and classy professional in the days when food professionals didn't worry about getting 'chopped'. She cared about the needs of her viewers and delivered!

Bon Appetit!

Note: I tried to find a link to this video with no success, but found another 'eggciting' Julia episode on you tube: Julia Child ,Eggs,Omelette Show

Andrea

April showers are finally here!

The rain started slowly yesterday morning and continued to gain momentum over the course of the day. By evening, the rain was coming down strong, the wind picked up, and the evening skies gave way to sunlight and a happy, wet yard. The trees were plumped up with new energy, and the little red robin stood as a fat happy avian soldier in the front yard looking quite pleased with his fresh breakfast of worms;-)
We needed this rainfall. So happy the skies turned.

Replenish yourselves today!

Andrea

Sun kissed day...

A light, cool breeze teases the hair around my head with each small burst of wind. I'm sitting on the patio in the back of the house with my little dog. The muffled sound of construction can be heard in the distance, coupled with the sound of happy Mockingbird tweets echoeing from a tree at the back of the yard. The bees are buzzing around the flowers close by, while the ground phlox is spilling it's white and lilac colors over the edge of the brick wall behind the garage.

What a lovely, gentle day to reflect on the the simple everyday noises and events around me. I'm a lucky girl:-)

Enjoy your worlds today!

Andrea

My beautiful hillside...

We've lived though a unseasonably warm and dry winter, quickly transitioned into an early, dry Spring, and are hoping for an end to this drought we're having in the Northeast. Yet, despite the lack of raindrops, we're still able to appreciate the flowers and flowering trees we have on our hill. Sometimes it feels like we live in a country painting - the birds fly back and forth singing, and the trees bend with the breeze, while the sky provides the bluest backdrop to this calm scene. These are the moments when I wish that I had the perspective and artistry of a painter. So, I'll take a chance with my camera;-)
Have a wonderful day, and appreciate those artistic views in your world.

Fondly,
Andrea