A little hubris, and then vindication

So I live in Massachusetts but work just about fifteen minutes over the border in New Hampshire. New Hampshire has a very different culture than Massachusetts, especially in the part of NH where I work. Sometimes if I'm being really cruel I'll joke that it's like a Third World Country. One thing in particular drives me crazy and that is, the poor plowing that happens in NH during the winter. Once you are 50 yards or so over the border into NH the road will go from bare to snow covered. This 50 yard mark is the exact location of the turn around for the plows. Every storm is the same.

On Wednesday of this week we had a snow and ice storm. Not too bad but still very messy to drive in. On my commute into work I finally had a chance to grab my camera to document the cause of my frustration. This is a picture of the plow that I followed from Massachusetts into New Hampshire. Note the condition of the road in MA. Just wet pavement.

And then, just past the magic turn-around, snow covered!!!



I was incensed for the hundredth time.

On my way home, though, I felt the fall after the pride. The roads in NH were still snow covered but were drivable. However, once I crossed over into MA the traction was much worse and I slipped several times. I was feeling quite sheepish. Not to worry, though, because vindication would soon be mine. The next commute, the road in MA were down to bare pavement and the NH roads are still covered with ice ruts.

If anyone within my earshot complains of paying income tax in MA I will quickly direct them to my blog where the evidence of the difference this income makes is clearly on display!

Sacred Life Sunday

I owe you two Sacred Life Sunday posts. I know it's not "owe" but more would like to share two posts with you. Last Sunday was another snowy day. Between what fell during the day and that night we had roughly 8 or 9 inches of snow. I was sitting at my desk on my laptop when I saw a neighborhood cat working its way through the snow. By the time I got my camera it had reached the cover of our neighbor's sun porch. I snapped a couple shots of it there before it started out into the weather again. The snow was right up to the bottom of its belly..
I also was able to take a faint picture of the cat trail left in the snow.

I'm not sure what it was about the cat that connected me to Spirit that day but it did. Maybe it was wondering about what the cat was thinking sitting under the porch. I am a sound believer that animals have thoughts and dreams. I've caught Pogo, one of our dogs, sitting in the the sun in our backyard on a beautiful early fall day. No reason for him to be there, other than to be enjoying the warm and the light. There is Spirit, running through all of us, whether we have fur or skin.

Today is clear but cold. A beautiful blue sky overhead. I have been thinking for several days now of taking a picture of the baseboard heating elements in the house because I think they are so cool. They are cast iron, like most of the metal things in my house, like the tub and the sinks. I had never seen anything like them before I bought my house. Today the sun allowed me to take a couple of pictures of them. The wordage on them says "Base Ray." I'm assuming that they were put in when the house was built in 1953. Base Ray just sounds like a 1950s term. Science-fiction-ish and modern. This is a section of the element in the dining area. They're either painted white or this brown color. We repainted one of them in the room where my computer is but I wouldn't do it again. I'll just leave them as is in the rest of the house. Just love them.

These are some other random pictures I've taken recently. Last Sunday I made the puffiest German pancake ever. It rose so high it touched the oven rack above it. It was a little tough, I think I stirred it too long, but was just beautiful.

I. bought me a beautiful Pelikan Piccadilly Circus fountain pen as a do-over birthday gift. I had been using his (he has the Place de la Concorde model) and had fallen in love with the way it writes. I love pens, ink, paper, and all related accouterments. I've used my pen several times now and can't wait to write something with it. I had been a slacker pen pal to those I had met through Letter Writer's Alliance but the pen has breathed new life into my pen pal habits!

Lastly, I purchased this sheet of vintage stamps from eBay. I love it. They are $.08 stamps (not sure how I'm going to use them because I don't have other postage that adds up to $.42) of Postal People. I had forgotten about the adhesive on the back of stamps before the self-stick version came out. Love the colors, the retro look to the clothing, the car, etc. I wonder how many of the jobs portrayed in the stamps still exists in the Postal Service today with all the automation. Now I have to find other stamps to buy to bring me up to $.42! Poor me. ;)

Really lastly, I. and I went to a PRNE meeting yesterday and have agreed to write a blog for PRNE and to create a Facebook page for the group. I put both together last night. Please check out the blog http://poodlerescuene.wordpress.com/ and add Poodle Rescue of New England as a friend on Facebook!


Bright blessings,

Blessings

My dear friend S. called me yesterday to tell me that her daughter. who had cancer last year, had just gotten the good news that she was cancer free. This is her second check-up since she ended treatment. What wonderful news!

A friend and co-worker received a well deserved promotion so I made this card for her. It's a variation on one that I made for my mom, which is a variation of one I saw on the Papertrey Ink gallery. What is different in this card are the butterfly punches. I was very happy with how it turned out. I. thought it is the best card I've ever made and I agree! The recipient emailed me today to tell me she had received it and how much she liked it. What could be better than that?

Warm blessings,

Gan Mao Ling

I feel it coming on again. At the beginning of November I let myself get overtired, staying up to watch the election and such, and came down with a nasty cough. I let it go for a couple of weeks before I finally admitted that it wasn't caused by my allergies. I saw the NP at my doctor's office and she prescribed an antibiotic and prescription-strength cough medicine. After a full week I finally felt better and the cough was gone. It's now back.

Again, last week I got overtired going back to work after being on vacation for two weeks and the cough started up again. I had a lymph draining massage on Friday night which made me feel some better. On Saturday, I spoke to my acupuncturist who gave me Gan Mao Ling to take. It's an herbal supplement that is supposed to help prevent you from getting sick. I took it on Saturday and yesterday and then again this morning and was feeling much better. But I slacked off today and didn't take it for the rest of the day. Now I feel crummy again. Fortunately I have an appointment with the NP for Friday morning. Moral of the story, do not let myself get overtired. Please send me healing energy this week while I try to fight this pathogen off. I would greatly appreciate it.

And I just realized I totally spaced out on Sacred Life Sunday yesterday. I'll set up a reminder for myself now so I don't forget next week's. Maybe I'll sneak in a late edition of it for this week.

Blessings and light,

Sacred Life Sunday

Last year I started taking a picture of something that reminded me of the Sacred, every day. It didn't last long but I really love the idea of it. So I'm going to try it again this year, except I'll make it more manageable and do it just on Sundays. I promise to try to find the Sacred in things besides my dogs but for my first Sacred Life Sunday, here is my picture. Jack was napping on the couch earlier today and was in between naps when I took this. It is my belief that there is a soul in everything and when I look into the eyes of any of my dogs, or any animal for that matter, its presence is so clear to me. See if you don't agree...

Bright blessings,