Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
My oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A
Mister bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A
Wonderful feeling
Wonderful day...
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. We all know this little ditty... Great song. But not at 6:30 in the morning.
My sleep patterns are erratic. My mother told me from the day I arrived in the world I did not want to sleep at night. I still have some difficulty with that nighttime sleeping business. My ideal sleep schedule would be go to sleep at 3-4 AM and get up about 10:30. AM. The rest of the world doesn't function within that schedule all that much. When I lived in Indonesia, there is a 13 hour time difference, 10 AM in Colorado is 11 PM in Indonesia. I slept pretty well there. My sleep rhythm is much more suited that time zone.
Him, on the other hand, after 13 years of retirement, still wakes between 5 and 6 AM no matter where in the world he is. He sleeps until 7 every couple of months.
I wake up sleepy and groggy. He gets up, literally, singing or whistling Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. It hurts my head for someone to be so chipper and chatty so early. Him learned a long time ago to take his happy to work, now to his man cave, and not to share it with me. Dimples is an early riser. She has the best part of her day from 7-12 every day. She is so cute and chatty when she comes into my bed for a cuddle for 10-15 minutes before we start the day. The best part of the day is when she comes running from her room to my bed and we wake up together.
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah may not be echoing through the house out loud very often these days but the spirit of it is still ringing thorough the house house by the very attitude that abides here.
Are you a morning person a groggy waker?
Friday, April 26, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Y2K or Other Reasons to Prepare
Y2K... You remember the day the world was supposed to go crashing into the sun? We as a world, tried to prepare for the imminent disaster that was going to happen. The stock market was going to crash. All financial services were going to come to a halt. And all utilities would be out of service for who knows how long... That Y2K.
Him and I were living in Indonesia at the time. He was in charge of the entire IT department for his and the national Telecommunications company for all of West Java. He and his team would be responsible for getting everything back up before we crashed into the sun. It was a big deal. And because we were on the other side of the date line and one of the first places that would be effected by Y2K it was a bigger deal. The baby bell in Colorado would be watching with interest.
They all decided if the earth was in fact going to crash into the sun, they should have a party and we should all be together to observe the carnage. There was food, party hats and horns. It was after all, New Years Eve. We gathered at the company offices, 8 stories above all the revelry on the streets below. As the new year ticked into existence, we all huddled around a computer to see if it quit working, blew up or kept running.
As y'all know. It was a bust. The world didn't implode, the markets were fine, everyone still had electricity and automobiles were still running.
One result of the Y2K scare was people were quickly trying to get foodstuffs and water stored in case there was mayhem. They were frightened to think their way of life was going to get disrupted somehow. They did not know how to prepare or know what they needed to do.
The LDS Church has long been a proponent of being prepared. We are advised to have a years worth of specific foodstuffs. We are advised to have as much water as we can. We are supposed to have fuel, a means of heating our house in the event of loss of power and have some cash on hand. I suppose there are things on this list that would be harder than others for some people to gather. We are not hoarders. This is not end of the world preparations. We are to have this in the event of life. A lost job, a winter storm, financial changes and the like would be much easier with a little foresight and preparation. I know a family that lived out of food storage for the two years it took him to find another job. Not having to buy food for a family of five, relieved a great burden for this family. Being in Indonesia for Y2K, with my food storage in Colorado and having no way to store food where I lived, was a more than a little disconcerting.
We are supposed to be prepared to meet our Savior and Heavenly Father. This is a slightly more difficult proposition then getting some food together. It should be a higher priority. But just like storing the essentials in food storage, preparing to return to our Father requires some planning, more than gathering food together in the basement.
Firs, we need to know what we want to do. We need to know what our goal is. We need to prepare by doing the things we have been commanded to do, even when it is hard. Not getting back where we want to be will be a bigger disaster than if Y2K had actually happened the way they predicted. Like food storage, we need to make up our minds to prepare, then be about the business of taking the steps to get it done. Preparation makes everything easier and less stressful. It also makes achieving that goal much more likely to actually happen.
Are you prepared for the challenges the business of living throws at you?
Him and I were living in Indonesia at the time. He was in charge of the entire IT department for his and the national Telecommunications company for all of West Java. He and his team would be responsible for getting everything back up before we crashed into the sun. It was a big deal. And because we were on the other side of the date line and one of the first places that would be effected by Y2K it was a bigger deal. The baby bell in Colorado would be watching with interest.
They all decided if the earth was in fact going to crash into the sun, they should have a party and we should all be together to observe the carnage. There was food, party hats and horns. It was after all, New Years Eve. We gathered at the company offices, 8 stories above all the revelry on the streets below. As the new year ticked into existence, we all huddled around a computer to see if it quit working, blew up or kept running.
As y'all know. It was a bust. The world didn't implode, the markets were fine, everyone still had electricity and automobiles were still running.
One result of the Y2K scare was people were quickly trying to get foodstuffs and water stored in case there was mayhem. They were frightened to think their way of life was going to get disrupted somehow. They did not know how to prepare or know what they needed to do.
The LDS Church has long been a proponent of being prepared. We are advised to have a years worth of specific foodstuffs. We are advised to have as much water as we can. We are supposed to have fuel, a means of heating our house in the event of loss of power and have some cash on hand. I suppose there are things on this list that would be harder than others for some people to gather. We are not hoarders. This is not end of the world preparations. We are to have this in the event of life. A lost job, a winter storm, financial changes and the like would be much easier with a little foresight and preparation. I know a family that lived out of food storage for the two years it took him to find another job. Not having to buy food for a family of five, relieved a great burden for this family. Being in Indonesia for Y2K, with my food storage in Colorado and having no way to store food where I lived, was a more than a little disconcerting.
We are supposed to be prepared to meet our Savior and Heavenly Father. This is a slightly more difficult proposition then getting some food together. It should be a higher priority. But just like storing the essentials in food storage, preparing to return to our Father requires some planning, more than gathering food together in the basement.
Firs, we need to know what we want to do. We need to know what our goal is. We need to prepare by doing the things we have been commanded to do, even when it is hard. Not getting back where we want to be will be a bigger disaster than if Y2K had actually happened the way they predicted. Like food storage, we need to make up our minds to prepare, then be about the business of taking the steps to get it done. Preparation makes everything easier and less stressful. It also makes achieving that goal much more likely to actually happen.
Are you prepared for the challenges the business of living throws at you?
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
X- Challanged or Why I Dont Have A Decent X Post
I never know what to do with an X. Wen playing Words With Friends drawing an Xmakes me shudder a little bit.
I can usually find somewhere to put an X in the middle of a word, but most of the other X words I know are proper nouns.
So this is my tribute to the mighty X.
I can usually find somewhere to put an X in the middle of a word, but most of the other X words I know are proper nouns.
So this is my tribute to the mighty X.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Weather or Why Mother is So Fickle
Mother Nature is so very difficult. We cannot reason with her. We cannot talk to her. Sme of us have tried pleading, even begging her to stop snowing on us...
It was snowing when I left home for Minneapolis to visit my dad. I was happy I was leaving the snow to come where it was actually Spring. Not so. Two days after I arrived we had 8" of snow. Yay. But, the got at least 14" of snow back home. So there is that.
We are supposed to get 5" of snow here tonight. erk.
I fear we will only have two weeks of summer beginning July 23rd. Mother Nature does not care. She will do what she will do.
I will not whine about the snow over much. We need the moisture. Snow or rain is critical in my little town. It helps us so we won't be sucking smoke all summer. Regardless of the intellectual understanding of why we need the moisture, I'm ready for the rains to come and be done with the snow.
Is it Spring where you are?
It was snowing when I left home for Minneapolis to visit my dad. I was happy I was leaving the snow to come where it was actually Spring. Not so. Two days after I arrived we had 8" of snow. Yay. But, the got at least 14" of snow back home. So there is that.
We are supposed to get 5" of snow here tonight. erk.
I fear we will only have two weeks of summer beginning July 23rd. Mother Nature does not care. She will do what she will do.
I will not whine about the snow over much. We need the moisture. Snow or rain is critical in my little town. It helps us so we won't be sucking smoke all summer. Regardless of the intellectual understanding of why we need the moisture, I'm ready for the rains to come and be done with the snow.
Is it Spring where you are?
Monday, April 22, 2013
Virtue or What I Strive For Everyday
There are vary virtues. Mr. Webster defines it as:
1. the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong
2. any admirable quality or attribute
3. morality with respect to sexual relations
4. a particular moral excellence
The following is a list of the virtues I am striving to achieve in my life.
Temperance is a virtue. The ability to control the need for instant gratification.
Good temper is a virtue. The ability to not only not get angry, but to be happy while you live this life.
Ambition - self-control regarding one's goals
Contentment - self-control regarding one's possessions and the possessions of others; acknowledgement and
Courage - being able to do what is right no matter the situation.
Patience - being patient is not like there having a bucket to hold your patience in. You don't empty it and run out of patience. We have all the patience in the world, if we choose to exercise it.
Persistence - this is the stick to it virtue. Finish what you start and start what you will finish.
Fair-mindedness - be fair. be happy when someone else succeeds Give yourself the same fair mindedness, whether you win or lose.
Tolerance - the ability to accept that others make choices or live their lives differently. Accept it and move on
Honesty - be honest in all that you do. I don't think this applies telling your friend that dress makes her butt look big and that you hate it. Of course this depends on the friend.
Respect - everyone deserves respect. There should be no room in our hearts to be mean and hateful to anyone you come in contact with.
Self respect - respect for ourselves. To stay true to our convictions and forgiving ourselves when we forget this virtue..
Kindness- there is no reason we can't be kind to everyone we meet. It doesn't mean we have to sit and break bread with the dirty, scary homeless guy, but we don't have to treat him with disgust and disregard when we see him. Life is already hard enough.
Kindness - play nice. We will be better for it.
Generosity - help those who have less. Even if you have little ourselves. Give what you can when you can.
Forgiveness - the ability to get over it. Let it go. In the grand scheme of things there is little that will matter in five months let alone five years.
Compassion - compassion and empathy go hand in hand. The ability to see the struggles and pain someone is going through. And to feel their sorrow.
These are not intended to be commentary on anyone except myself. This is not a comprehensive list by any means. These are some virtues I want. I want to be less judgmental. I want to learn forgiveness better. More patience is critical with a three year old around. I have advanced from a bucket to a Rubbermaid tub to hold my patience in.
Virtues are the things we strive for. Things that will make us kinder, gentler and better people. The more virtues we are able to incorporate into our daily lives while not have to be conscious of trying to exercise a virtue, but have it be a natural action or reaction, the happier we will be and the happier those around us can be.
I want to be virtuous. I want people to want to be around me. I want people to know my word is gold. I have a long way to go but...I've come a long way.
What virtues are you striving for?
1. the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong
2. any admirable quality or attribute
3. morality with respect to sexual relations
4. a particular moral excellence
The following is a list of the virtues I am striving to achieve in my life.
Temperance is a virtue. The ability to control the need for instant gratification.
Good temper is a virtue. The ability to not only not get angry, but to be happy while you live this life.
Ambition - self-control regarding one's goals
Contentment - self-control regarding one's possessions and the possessions of others; acknowledgement and
Courage - being able to do what is right no matter the situation.
Patience - being patient is not like there having a bucket to hold your patience in. You don't empty it and run out of patience. We have all the patience in the world, if we choose to exercise it.
Persistence - this is the stick to it virtue. Finish what you start and start what you will finish.
Fair-mindedness - be fair. be happy when someone else succeeds Give yourself the same fair mindedness, whether you win or lose.
Tolerance - the ability to accept that others make choices or live their lives differently. Accept it and move on
Honesty - be honest in all that you do. I don't think this applies telling your friend that dress makes her butt look big and that you hate it. Of course this depends on the friend.
Respect - everyone deserves respect. There should be no room in our hearts to be mean and hateful to anyone you come in contact with.
Self respect - respect for ourselves. To stay true to our convictions and forgiving ourselves when we forget this virtue..
Kindness- there is no reason we can't be kind to everyone we meet. It doesn't mean we have to sit and break bread with the dirty, scary homeless guy, but we don't have to treat him with disgust and disregard when we see him. Life is already hard enough.
Kindness - play nice. We will be better for it.
Generosity - help those who have less. Even if you have little ourselves. Give what you can when you can.
Forgiveness - the ability to get over it. Let it go. In the grand scheme of things there is little that will matter in five months let alone five years.
Compassion - compassion and empathy go hand in hand. The ability to see the struggles and pain someone is going through. And to feel their sorrow.
These are not intended to be commentary on anyone except myself. This is not a comprehensive list by any means. These are some virtues I want. I want to be less judgmental. I want to learn forgiveness better. More patience is critical with a three year old around. I have advanced from a bucket to a Rubbermaid tub to hold my patience in.
Virtues are the things we strive for. Things that will make us kinder, gentler and better people. The more virtues we are able to incorporate into our daily lives while not have to be conscious of trying to exercise a virtue, but have it be a natural action or reaction, the happier we will be and the happier those around us can be.
I want to be virtuous. I want people to want to be around me. I want people to know my word is gold. I have a long way to go but...I've come a long way.
What virtues are you striving for?
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Urgency or Why I Try To Relax
There is a sense of urgency in our society. The need to get somewhere quickly. Needing to have supper by a certain time so everyone can head off in different directions to do things that are urgent. One only has to watch drivers during rush hour in any city in America to see people almost frantic with their urgent need to be somewhere and traffic is messing up their entire day. Rushing kids to school, running through an airport, scrambling to get the lesson finished or changing how you eat to be healthier or thinner or because that is how your friend cooks. There is even a sense of urgency about the way we play. There are some that want to do it all. Just look at the number of extreme sports and the increasing number of participants in them.
I often wonder if they were this frantic 100 years ago.
Of course, there are things in life that require urgency. Hurt people need tending. Crops need to be harvested before rain moves in. Babies will not wait to be born. These, and other events must be treated with urgency. But...most of the urgency in our lives could be avoided with more planning. Or in my case, paying better attention to what I'm doing in the first place.
I have almost reached a point in my life where I can honestly say I don't get excited unless someone is bleeding not breathing or floating down the river when they shouldn't be. There just isn't that much that gets me too excited anymore. I suppose that comes with age. I just can't worry about the little things anymore. It's too exhausting.
When I travel, I have my bag packed a week before my travel day. It helps me remember everything, saving me from purchasing needed items with travel money. I have all the clothes I want in the suitcase. This eliminates the need to do laundry two days before I leave so all my clothes can dry on racks since I don't use the dryer for my clothes. I don't have to pack dirty or wet clothes. My cosmetic bag or carry on bag sits on my bathroom counter filled with everything I will need and is available for me to put in last minute items... I realize this habit makes many think I am a little OCD about my packing habits. Not so. It prevents the urgency and anxiety of packing at the last moment.
Proper planning removes the urgency of what to cook for supper. I'm very lucky here because Him cooks as much or more than I do and will eat anything as long as it fills the hole. He will eat popcorn for supper, so there is no urgency for me in that regard.
We should slow down. Enjoy the quiet times of life. Planning will certainly help, but not feeling the need to do it all, for everyone, the instant they want it will help considerably. Being in a constant state of urgency is stressful both physically and emotionally. I tried to give it up some years ago. Some days I even succeed.
Is your life full of urgency?
I often wonder if they were this frantic 100 years ago.
Of course, there are things in life that require urgency. Hurt people need tending. Crops need to be harvested before rain moves in. Babies will not wait to be born. These, and other events must be treated with urgency. But...most of the urgency in our lives could be avoided with more planning. Or in my case, paying better attention to what I'm doing in the first place.
I have almost reached a point in my life where I can honestly say I don't get excited unless someone is bleeding not breathing or floating down the river when they shouldn't be. There just isn't that much that gets me too excited anymore. I suppose that comes with age. I just can't worry about the little things anymore. It's too exhausting.
When I travel, I have my bag packed a week before my travel day. It helps me remember everything, saving me from purchasing needed items with travel money. I have all the clothes I want in the suitcase. This eliminates the need to do laundry two days before I leave so all my clothes can dry on racks since I don't use the dryer for my clothes. I don't have to pack dirty or wet clothes. My cosmetic bag or carry on bag sits on my bathroom counter filled with everything I will need and is available for me to put in last minute items... I realize this habit makes many think I am a little OCD about my packing habits. Not so. It prevents the urgency and anxiety of packing at the last moment.
Proper planning removes the urgency of what to cook for supper. I'm very lucky here because Him cooks as much or more than I do and will eat anything as long as it fills the hole. He will eat popcorn for supper, so there is no urgency for me in that regard.
We should slow down. Enjoy the quiet times of life. Planning will certainly help, but not feeling the need to do it all, for everyone, the instant they want it will help considerably. Being in a constant state of urgency is stressful both physically and emotionally. I tried to give it up some years ago. Some days I even succeed.
Is your life full of urgency?
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Television or Why I Don't Watch Much
We have a number of televisions in our home. Him watches a few times a week. He watches the news some, mostly to get financial information, and to make sure there isn't eminent danger from a zombie attack, vampires taking over the world or any mosquitos damaged in a nuclear accident swarming our way. Other than that he learns on the Syfy channel how to defend against those events and more. He insists the programs are instructional and crucial to our survival.
I on the other hand prefer cheesy detective programs, occasionally NCIS, which are not so cheesy detective shows. I like The Voice, a lot. I manage to catch to maybe three shows a season. I like Project Runway. Again a show or two each season. If I turn the television on I usually watch The Mentalist, Castle or Bones all day. If I watch at night, I'm going to be up late because I will get involved in a movie. I can't walk away from a movie, no matter how dumb it is or if I have already seen it. Unless I'm spinning or knitting I don't turn it on.
Television is mindless entertainment. Sometimes we need that. Something that does not require us to think. Something that takes us to another place that is far away from the problems in our life. I would rather read a book.
Television is so mesmerizing that your metabolism drops to a level 14% lower than when you're asleep. It's no wonder people who watch hours every day are called couch potatoes. Our bodies slow to that of a potato. We almost go to a full stop. It's also why I can eat a whole bag of kettle chips. I'm hypnotized and don't know what's going on.
I recently had a procedure that required me to be on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours followed by twelve hours of fasting. I made the mistake of watching television to entertain my brain and take my mind off the 437th cup of broth I was having that day. I never realized how many commercials there are that deal with food or products used to prepare food. They are of course designed to make you go to the kitchen during a commercial and get a bag of kettle chips.
I decided a long time ago that televising stunts my creative process. Not to mention stunting my ability to get motivated to clean my house. We didn't have a television for many years when curly was growing up just so she wouldn't watch every spare moment.
It's better for me not to turn it on. I can't abide the constant noise. My dad has the television on 24 hours a day. He sleeps with it on. He used to sleep with the radio was on back in the day when television were a piece of furniture nearly as big as the sofa. When I visit here it Is deafening even though he keeps the volume fairly low. He just needs the background noise, he's not even paying attention to it while he works crossword puzzles or is napping. I cannot concentrate with all the noise.
There are good things on the television. Toddler tv is amazing and very educational. Dimples has learned much from watching Kipper, Super Why and Sid the Science Kid. And I know that Him will be able to protect us when the zombies make their move.
What do you watch to educate you brain.
I on the other hand prefer cheesy detective programs, occasionally NCIS, which are not so cheesy detective shows. I like The Voice, a lot. I manage to catch to maybe three shows a season. I like Project Runway. Again a show or two each season. If I turn the television on I usually watch The Mentalist, Castle or Bones all day. If I watch at night, I'm going to be up late because I will get involved in a movie. I can't walk away from a movie, no matter how dumb it is or if I have already seen it. Unless I'm spinning or knitting I don't turn it on.
Television is mindless entertainment. Sometimes we need that. Something that does not require us to think. Something that takes us to another place that is far away from the problems in our life. I would rather read a book.
Television is so mesmerizing that your metabolism drops to a level 14% lower than when you're asleep. It's no wonder people who watch hours every day are called couch potatoes. Our bodies slow to that of a potato. We almost go to a full stop. It's also why I can eat a whole bag of kettle chips. I'm hypnotized and don't know what's going on.
I recently had a procedure that required me to be on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours followed by twelve hours of fasting. I made the mistake of watching television to entertain my brain and take my mind off the 437th cup of broth I was having that day. I never realized how many commercials there are that deal with food or products used to prepare food. They are of course designed to make you go to the kitchen during a commercial and get a bag of kettle chips.
I decided a long time ago that televising stunts my creative process. Not to mention stunting my ability to get motivated to clean my house. We didn't have a television for many years when curly was growing up just so she wouldn't watch every spare moment.
It's better for me not to turn it on. I can't abide the constant noise. My dad has the television on 24 hours a day. He sleeps with it on. He used to sleep with the radio was on back in the day when television were a piece of furniture nearly as big as the sofa. When I visit here it Is deafening even though he keeps the volume fairly low. He just needs the background noise, he's not even paying attention to it while he works crossword puzzles or is napping. I cannot concentrate with all the noise.
There are good things on the television. Toddler tv is amazing and very educational. Dimples has learned much from watching Kipper, Super Why and Sid the Science Kid. And I know that Him will be able to protect us when the zombies make their move.
What do you watch to educate you brain.
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