A trip to the country

Fall is in the air - and the mountains - and in my blood. So off I went to the mountains to say hello and commune for a bit.



The weather was perfect, the crowds weren't too large. I drove Skyline Drive for about 10-12 miles, all the way up to just over 3600 feet.



I sat on a rock, watched the almost-full moon rise, and grounded. It was a good trip. But I still had to come back....I missed my hubby and dog.

On the same wavelength...

I've often seen couples who seem happily married, yet have a variety of opposing views. And, while I figure "to each their own" it makes me wonder just HOW happy and together they really are.

As for me and Mr. Intangiblearts (my wonderful hubby) - I think we see eye-to-eye on probably 90% of things. And the other 10% almost never gets in the way. (I say "almost never" not because we argue about it, but to acknowledge that it's even there....gotta be honest, ya know?)

One thing we're both on the same page about these days is politics. We (this country) are in dire straits right now, and I don't know if enough people realize it. Yes, America is a good place to be - if you're lucky enough to be making enough money to be relatively debt-free, if you're employed in a job that isn't facing potential melt-down, if your ENTIRE extended family is also in the same position...which means MOST of the "middle class" are NOT the lucky ones right now. Our political relations with the rest of the world are suffering - we're either looked upon as war-mongering bullies, or ignorant bullies, or potentially catastrophic idiots, all due to the past number of presidencies which have NOT built up good relations but have continued to reinforce the "we are always right" attitude which has brought us into many wars and conflicts and kept us there far past our effectiveness.

I fear this nation is past its Golden Age, but we're unwilling to move into the next stage with dignity, intelligence, and a forward thinking plan. We seem to be clinging to the glory days of yesteryear with our fingernails, determined to maintain our standing even though it's painfully obvious that it has drastically changed.

Take for instance the presidential race....my hubby says it well here. All I can add is that I really hope, pray, cross-my-fingers that somehow America can pull out of this severe downward spiral before too many more people get hurt/loose their job-house-family. But hope is a very fragile thing.

ARGH!!

The gods-be-damned dining room ceiling fell down!!! Now we have to have the whole thing replaced, and the walls painted as well (the plaster damaged the walls as it fell).

ARGH!!!!

We're not going to be able to fix the back yard. We can't afford to have the house painted (exterior). We can't get the lower bathroom done (so we'll have to shut the water off again this winter). We can't get the front hall wall fixed. We can't repair the cement steps next to the garage. We can't do anything with the front yard (no $$ and no energy at the moment). The back door is beginning to not work well. The ceiling in the upstairs bathroom isn't looking all that good....and we have mice. Oh, and the basement is a storage disaster.

ARGH!!!!

expression and a point of view

I admit that I am not a voting member of this nation and to me that means I don’t have the right to argue which side is better – since I’m not going to back that up with a vote.

But I do have views, opinions, beliefs. One of them is about abortion. I am totally “pro-life” - - in that I think it is each individual’s decision and right about how their own life should be lived. No one should dictate what I can do with MY body. That means, of course, that people need to be intelligent and responsible, and not use abortion as a form of birth control.

Being the non-voting person I am means I don’t really follow the candidates and hear what’s being said about them. I had heard a bit about Palin, her Down’s baby, and her pregnant, teenaged daughter…and I wasn’t that impressed. But today I found this article in a British web Newspaper…and it says exactly what I feel. The only thing left out – in my humble opinion – is the phrase “Just because you can breed, doesn’t mean you should.”

There are sooooo many humans on this planet already – hey people, we really don’t have to worry about survival of the species anymore!! At least not in terms of a lack of births….now we have to figure out how to feed, clothe, and educate the species (everyone!) – to make sure this survival isn’t drudgery, hopelessness, pain, and suffering. We need to focus on each other, to help us become the best people we can be – which, surprisingly, may NOT be what society says you should be. Yes, everyone is an individual – but we share this mighty planet, look to her for sustenance, therefore we must act in concert…but not as automatons, or followers, or slaves.

This is, and will be forever, an ongoing battle – because someone will always think they have the “right” way to do things (meaning that your way is wrong!). Am I saying that I’m right? No, not for everyone….many people need guidance, direction, assistance, to live a life that seems worthwhile. But no one should ever be forced/coerced/tricked into doing something that they don’t truly want to do. That only begets misery, lack of enthusiasm, and resentment.

All this – to say that abortion isn’t evil, isn’t wrong. It should just be used as any other tool – with intelligence.

Travels

Just back from a week in the UK. Most of the time was spent in London, with 2 nights up in Newcastle. There will be pictures soon - please be patient. We visited friends, family, and fabulous places. Saw many beautiful sights, ate in many fun places, and got rained on quite a bit.

Being back in the states is both good and bad. Rather than be dark and dismal...I'll just leave it at that.

Cheers.
(oh, and that's not one of my pictures....borrowed from the web...but similar to one of mine--as a view from the London Eye.)

wishing, winning, and losing

So many words bubble inside – hope, despair, anger, frustration, self-pity, determination. Thoughts ricochet around, bouncing off walls of black and white. Images parade by my inner eyes; of me, of where I want to be, of what I want to do, of what I want to BE. My dreams build up, big and filled with hope, just to be ignored by fate or whatever is moving me forward. Sometimes I see myself changing direction – off in a new pursuit of something worth-while or fulfilling. I could be so good at… or I’d love to do… or I think that I could really kick butt at…. Other times I see myself stuck at the crossroads, never taking that next step down one of the many roads in front of me. And still other times, I see me sitting still, stuck by inertia, unable to extricate myself and knowing that no one else can pull me out either.

So many thoughts wish to come to the surface, to be voiced. But I restrain them, smother them, try and see that they really aren’t as true as they think they are.

One of my mottos is “you can’t win if you don’t play”…but I think someone either changed the rules or shut the game down without letting me know. There’s no winning for me.

Bad times happening for good people

It just ain't fair!!! Please send thoughts of healing, safety, and sanity to my friend Anithe and her family.

Thanks!!