All Saints Day....St. Tazisimo...

They are, you know... they're 4-legged saints... or maybe angels, if you must. They bless us and make us smile when we want to cry, bring us out when we want to curl up and hide...make us cry for joy at their antics and yet they hold a common bond to those who came before them. They are similar but, oh so, very, very different... which makes us love them for who they are.

You all know what I'm talking about. We do it again because of the last "angel" who tread their paws upon our hearts, but we are quickly reminded that they are gone and this new, little creature has very different "fingerprints of God" written all over them. They look into our souls, and know our most intimate ways, for they live with us, and love us without measure or judgment, and we realize that they are their own, special, individual beings, regardless of how much they remind us of their sister spirits. And they remind me, how very thankful we should be. All the time.

Peace and Solitude.....

Pathways....



I spent a peaceful day today, enjoying the last day of Summer, as the dawn of Autumn was climbing in the Hills, at a wonderful place called "Pathways Spiritual Sanctuary". A close friend of mine told me of this most special place nestled in the Black Hills, and took me there today. A generous individual named, Dave Snyder, opened this "slice of Heaven" up in July of this year. He created a walking path, approximately 2 miles long, that winds throughout his property. You get to experience whispering aspens, with their leaves dancing in the wind, and pines, gently swaying in the breeze. You eventually find yourself walking through a Labyrinth and then, a little later, next to the reflection pond. During your journey you also get to lumber onto the prairie, where, while you amble closely by, 7 horses acknowledge you, all while you finally see the Llama, resting in the grass, next to an old homestead. It was a calming, spiritual day. It was exactly what I needed, exactly what my soul needed. Obviously, it has inspired me to once again blog... about something interesting. Welcome Autumn.... looking forward to what you hold for me.

Don't Hate Me Because I Don't Blog (often enough)

Kay.... Been busy, like all my other cohorts who live in places where the sun only really shines (you know, with a feeling of heat) for a mere 3, MAYBE 4 months of the year. We gotta get to cramming all our garden growing, kayak rowing, hiking, biking, horse back riding, 4 x 4 -ing, home improving, garage sale-ing, stay up late-ing, bbq-ing, night jacuzzing sorry asses exhausted so that we can tolerate the brisk chill of fall air as it descends from our close neighbors and good friends in Canada. Whew! It's been busy but lots of fun! I'll blog more later... till then, here's a picture of my little boy. Doesn't he look all tuckered out in that chair?

"Too much time on my hands..." Styx

So, I know you all may have expected me to do the memorial to Bella, but I've decided not too. Here's where I am at. It was tragic, sudden, horribly sad, and life goes on. I've worked through it and thank goodness I have a phenomenal group of friends and family that continue to encourage me and make me laugh!!!!

Now, back to the title of my blog. Have you ever had a friend, that you just knew had too much time on their hands? Well, I've suspected it for a long time, but this week, Gina (mi Canadian amiga amore)and her very good friend Kathy (aka Kevel88) giggled their little asses off whilst they SLAMMED my blog with wonderful whit and whimsy. Let's say they retired too early (like at 50) and now wonder what to do with their time, beside blog, and comment on blogs. When I finally got online I had 20 new posts!!! A record breaker!!! The quotes are beyond wonderfully funny, I'm just amazed that they did it in the record time they did! Gina said some wine was involved, but trust me, if you're with Gina, no wine is needed as a motivator. Love you girls! Thanks for helping me blog. Just one final question... Bette! Is Poontang really a food???!!!! Oh, and T Snipe isn't Wesley's brother, he's Wesley's polar opposite.


June 27, 2010 7:41 PM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"I'm not controlling, I'm just right"

June 28, 2010 8:50 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"Never apologize for being neat"

A Non Y Mouse

June 28, 2010 8:51 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"Never put anything off until tomorrow what you can do today"

A Non Y Mouse

June 28, 2010 8:55 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"Exercise is not good for you. Why else would it hurt?"

T.Snipe

June 28, 2010 8:59 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"Yeah, I really like that poontang."

B. Scnit over dinner at a Thai restaurant.

June 28, 2010 9:04 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"You don't even know what a 'write-off' is."

J. Seinfeld

June 28, 2010 9:08 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

From my husband this week: Winter-miserable! Summer: Miserable with less clothes on!!

June 28, 2010 9:16 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"Behind every successful man stands a suprized mother-in-law."

A Non Y Mouse

June 28, 2010 9:26 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder."

T. Snipe

June 28, 2010 9:28 AM
Blogger Cowgirl said...

"Don't worry it will spin out of control before it flips."

Chad Gates spoken to vgina regarding her driving around in a teeny-tiny, Triumph GT-6 sports car that she finally totalled.

June 28, 2010 9:31 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart. ~Erma Bombeck

Therefore: Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

June 28, 2010 9:40 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

Avoid any diet that discourages the use of hot fudge.

June 28, 2010 9:41 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

The older I get, the more I'm like one of those hybrid cars. I gain more on less fuel!

June 28, 2010 9:48 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

I have everything I had 20 years ago, only it's all a little lower.
Gypsy Rose Lee

June 28, 2010 9:55 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
— Albert Einstein

June 28, 2010 9:59 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

June 28, 2010 10:02 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film!

June 28, 2010 10:04 AM
Blogger kevel88 said...

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."

"They misunderestimated me."

'Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?'

'Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.'

'I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.'

--George W. Bush

June 28, 2010 10:16 AM

Quotes...

I've been reading quotes lately... and I have decided to add my faves, the ones that best describe who I am, my feelings, my struggles, my life thoughs, to my Blog Title. So keep an eye out.

I See You....

If you haven't seen the movie Avatar, see it. It's mostly a fantastic fantasy for your eyes, but with a great story. This film held more for me than I ever though it would, as I'm not a "sci-fi/fantasy" kinda girl, but it has deep, rooted, parallels, for me, spiritually anyway. Some of you get it, some won't, and that's ok. It's about worlds that are driven by different things, different agendas, different spiritual views. The soundtracks title song "I see You" sums it up for me...well, regarding me and my faith in Him, and well, He's my Avatar... my other world.

Here's the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YDz-ftqr1g&a=L_5Cg6iZ_fA&playnext_from=ML


I see You

Walking through a dream, I see You
My life in darkness breathing hope of new life
Now I live through You and You through me, enchanting
I pray in my heart that this dream never ends

I see me through Your eyes
Living new life flying high
Your life shines the way into paradise
So I offer my life as a sacrifice
I live through Your love

You teach me how to see all that’s beautiful
My senses touch Your world I never pictured
Now I give my hope to You, I surrender,
I pray in my heart that this world never ends

I see me through Your eyes
Living new life flying high
Your love shines the way into paradise
So I offer my life, I offer my love, for You

When my heart was never open, and my spirit never free
To the world that You have shown me
But my heart could not division
All the colours of love and of life ever more

I see me through Your eyes
Living new life flying high
Your love shines the way into paradise
So I offer my life as a sacrifice
And live through Your love
I live ….
And, I see You……

Family life in South Dakota...

Life is good.... in most places, but mostly in South Dakota... for me.....

We have had a wonderful time visiting with my father, brother, sister, mom, Uncle George,and Aunt Dianne for the last 3 weeks.... Fortunately, for us, they have experienced the phenomenon of 3 seasons in 3 weeks (something we spoken of that none have believed) Spring... Winter.. Summer... They arrived to Spring... nice, tepid weather.... then the snow arrived.... and it snowed and snowed (winter)... then the heat arrived... and once again, someone was awed....in the Black Hills of South Dakota.... We also experienced "Adventures in SoDak" when we hulled a felled tree from the road with our (every smart SoDak resident has one...) TOW ROPE from the back of my car...rode horses, caught fish (in the snow, in the rain, in the sun... all in the same day).....GOTTA LOVE IT....

Here are some pictures (and video) of our joyous time together... First one is Andrew riding Lacy and the second one we call... "If a tree falls in the forest in South Dakota...get'er done!"

Some things change yet somethings stay the same

It always amazes me when I realize how much things seem the same, but in reality they are totally different. On the first morning on my recent vacation with Rick back on Isla Mujeres, I sat on the beach and contemplated all the beauty around me and how it appeared to have not changed at all when at that very moment it was changing. The waves where not the same waves I enjoyed a year ago and every piece of sand and most of the seashells had been moved, removed, replaced, changed. The clouds were different, the air was different.... I was deep in thought when low and behold... God sent me something that hadn't changed. Bounding through the bushes, just like the first day of my first trip with Gina, came 2 of the 3 beach dogs from the year before.


They were still here greeting the new visitors to the Isle. The sun was the same, the simple beauty of the Mexican lifestyle was the same, and I was here again. At peace.



I enjoyed seeing this beautiful Isle again and this time sharing it with Rick. I found myself stunned that I could be somewhere, exactly where I was, almost exactly a year later, and it seemed like a totally different place because although it was still the magical stage from a year before, the characters changed, the daily activities changed, the overall chemistry of individuals held a dynamic that was totally different from the trip a year before. In my quiet time, my solo time, this trip I enjoyed the locals, the simple, beautiful, delicious food that they prepare daily as a means of income. As always, I attempted to increase my Spanish language skills, which are minimal at best, but heartfelt none-the-less and of course, I was able to make several individuals giggle at my failed attempts at saying things, which would then make me wonder what I had said. :) Needless to say, the magic of the Isle hadn't changed at all, it was just a bit like a mistress I had to steal away alone with, in order to find.



As she charms, the Isle had us all in love with her. Rick, Brent, and Berta had a fabulous time diving. Their mornings were filled with undersea adventures, and the days would grow into experiencing some of the local fare as well as sampling the Mexican Caribbean Liquid Gold and Silver.... Don Julio. It got to the point where we changed Brent's name to "Don" and Rick's name to "Julio" and we would introduce them as such. Between the tequila and the "Cuban" (yeah, right) cigars, Rick and Brent brought prosperity to the people. Berta and I got to the point where if the boys were missing we knew just where to find them. The local bar at Casa Ixchel, literally the bar "two doors down". Through the boys' tequila tastings, and their adventures, we were able to meet the owner, his family and friends, and enjoy complementary food and drinks.








A different year, a different view, a different love for all this very versatile LADY had to offer to each of us.

A year ago today... a week from tomorrow.....

All week I've been reminiscing about my time with my wonderful friend Gina, on Isla Mujeres. AND, all week I've been dreaming about sharing Isla's beauty with Rick. Chica (the dog who found herself on a plane home with me) and I have been having the "Do you remember what we were doing exactly a year ago today?" conversations. I looked at her pictures and see such a different dog now...she's confident, owned... ready to attack.... Amazing really.

A year ago today...




A week from tomorrow....

Apparently a good thing to keep on hand

1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The stuff dissolves adhesive.

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2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.

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3. To clean your eyeglasses, simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.

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4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.

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5. Spray vodka on wine stains, scrub with a brush, and then blot dry.

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6. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

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7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.

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8. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle with vodka and spray bees or wasps to kill them.

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9. Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water into a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for a slushy, refreshing ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.

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10. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers, fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days. Strain liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.

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11. To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.

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12. To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.

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13. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.

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14. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the urushiol oil from your skin.

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15. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.

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Silly me! I used to drink the shit!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Yep, it's that time again, when you're ready to get outta dodge. After months of saving money, you begin the "countdown" to your vacation. You're ready for that time when you get to go somewhere different and make new memories.

I'm officially less than 2 months from returning to Isla, this time with Rick. I want to give to him what my friend Gina gave to me. A wonderful adventure on a magical island. Trust me, I've already begun to dream about the fresh ceveche, cheap, cold beer, fresh veggies, street tacos, tamales, and the like. I can't wait to walk the downtown streets and see all the lovely people. To vistit Casa de Animales, to lie in the sun and take it in. To recharge, and rejuvenate.

I borrowed that cap picture from a fellow blogger. I loved it when I saw it. I just wish I could have tasted the beer that was underneath it.