Rainy Days and Sundays Always Bring Me....

Although I work from home, there still seems to be something special about early Sunday mornings. With a cup of coffee at hand and the computer warmed up and ready to cruise, I feel like I am this close to heaven.

What saddens me today is that I have not posted on this site in over a month. This is the favorite of my blogs - the one I truly enjoy posting. The other blogs I maintain seem more like a job, whereas this one is a fun, anything-goes kinda place to let loose and express myself.

This Sunday morning I'd like to share some good things that are happening in my realm:

Rain Can Be a Good Thing

Today, as I look out at the cloudy skies and light rain, I am so glad that we have our current weather. For some reason we have a lot of green grass after a very heavy snow-filled winter. This rain will help our grass grow and thrive. I feel for those who are battling the floods in Fargo, ND and the blizzards in the central plains area. The snow is heading towards my sister and brother, but hopefully it will settle down before it reaches us.

NetFlix is Cool

My daughter, Deb, really impressed upon me the benefits of NetFlix and how much enjoyment I could get from the variety of movies and TV shows they have available.

When the British TV show Midsomer Murders were showing on A&E, I could hardly wait for Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening to watch these magnificent mysteries staring John Nettles.

Unfortunately, A&E stopped showing all the good shows: Midsomer Murders, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and many more. I miss them all!

Now, thanks Deb!, I get to see all the Midsomer Murder shows. A&E only showed a very few, and then repeats. There are now more than sixty original shows completed, and with the recent announcement of John Nettles retirement (he is now 65 after all), there will not be very many more.

However, I have a list of the first 59 and have my NetFlix choices in order by episode so that I receive the shows as originally shown. So far I have watched eight. I will happily continue on with my very favorite movie pastime for quite some time.

I would also like to see if John Nettles' original very successful series, Bergerac, is available. I believe there are ten years worth of that British hit detective show. Can you see that I am a John Nettles fan?

Big Sunday Breakfast

Every morning I start off with a cup or two of coffee before eating a light breakfast. Why is it that I always feel the need for a large Sunday morning breakfast? Does that stem from my childhood? Or from going out to eat on many a Sunday morning over the years? Anyway, it is a pleasure that continues to this day.

Sunday Morning Country Music

Every Saturday and Sunday morning I listen/watch CMT's Top Twenty videos and Country Insider shows. Prior to those shows coming on, CMT plays about four hours of country videos. My recent favorite song/singer/video, Troubadour by George Strait has been replaced by Carrie Underwood's I Told You So.

I love where singer/song writer Randy Travis surprises Carrie by coming onstage from the back following her singing his song at the Grand Old Opry. It's a great moment of a young singer surprised onstage by an idol of hers.

Rainy days and Sundays have a special feel to them. Rainy days for staying in doors, reading, watching TV, napping, baking cookies, or whatever else we feel like doing at the time. Sundays have their own special laid-back vibe.

How about you? What are your favorite rainy day and Sunday moments?

Port Aransas, Texas - My Next Home

Sometimes in the midst of frigid weather, less than stellar living arrangements, and frustrating situations, one needs reassurance that better times are ahead. This is my carrot-at-the-end-of-the-stick for the future.

More pics forthcoming. In the meantime, to see more of Port Aransas click here.

Healthy Living Coming Soon to Elder Care Cafe

Tomorrow morning at the Elder Care Cafe, a post will announce the upcoming 2009 healthy living initiative. The initiative will include regular posts highlighting living a healthy lifestyle - body, soul, and spirit. A newsletter sent directly to your email box is in the development stage and will kick-off in 2009. Yet to be determined is the frequency of the newsletter - never daily, but may arrive weekly or monthly.

I'm excited about the upgrade Elder Care Cafe has received lately. It was a much needed refreshing and repairing of the site, and now it is ready to enter the new year in style.

If you have any questions or topic suggestions, feel free to leave a comment on the site.

Elder Care Cafe is geared towards the elderly and those who care for them, but any baby boomer or senior citizen will find interesting articles.

We at the Elder Care Cafe, both on the 'net and here on blogger, are looking forward to a fun, healthy, and prosperous new year.

How about you? What are your plans for the new year? Do your plans include living healthy?

Can't We Just All Get Along?

Late last week I ran across a surprising rudeness in a writing forum. Normally I don't hang out in forums anyway, too much on my plate, but I had the desire to connect with other writers on that website.

The attitude of some of the people and how they were treating others was so disturbing, I made the decision over the weekend to not participate or even read the posts from that site.

This morning when I woke up, the overall growing rudeness of society was on my mind. I revved up the computer, opened my email, and lo and behold, I had received Cheryl Richardson's weekly newsletter.

Her topic? "Speak Up: Are You Tolerating Bad Behavior?" Hmmm! God and the whole universe must have heard my concerns.

Here is an excerpt from her newsletter: "Use your voice. Speak up. Tell your truth. Stop tolerating less than what the wisest part of you knows you deserve. These are some of the messages woven into my next book, The Art of Extreme Self Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time."

Following a story of a young mother with two children, Cheryl further notes, "When we learn to speak up for ourselves, for example, we feel compelled to speak up for others who haven't yet found their voice. When we learn to stop tolerating bad behavior, we have a hard time allowing that same bad behavior to happen to others as well. When we start to accept a higher standard of living, we can't help but want that same standard for others, too. And, most important, when we learn these lessons that raise our level of consciousness, we begin to understand that we are all connected and that we have a responsibility to care for one another."

Cheryl's Take Action Challenge is, "This week, practice speaking up to insure that you have the skills to not only take good care of yourself, but also care for others as well. Look for at least one opportunity a day to use your voice. Offer your opinion during a meeting, tell your partner what you need to feel more supported, or set limits with a friend who drains your energy with her constant complaining. When you learn to speak up in little ways each day, you'll find that you can count on your voice to be there when you need it most."

In this particular forum, there were comments about the number of people no longer participating in the forum. Gosh, I wonder why!

It isn't just this one forum, I have seen this in a number of areas on the web and in society around us. It isn't just because of the economic crisis either, this has been going on for a while. I started noticing a rudeness somewhere around the mid-1990's in the workplace, and at church, of all places.

I was taught to live by the golden rule, do unto others... but, unfortunately, quite a number of people didn't seem to have that kind of "bringing up" causing them to miss an opportunity to be kind to one another, make a positive difference in someone else's life.

As sad as it is to walk away from a forum that actually had people with experience and knowledge they were willing to share, I know in my life I am not willing to pay the price of experiencing their negativity to gain that knowledge.

What do you think? Have you experienced a growing rudeness around you? How are you treating others? Are you willing to take Cheryl's challenge this week?

Woman Arrested for Virtual Murder

In the you-got-to-be-kidding department, a 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.

So, a word to the wise - next time you consider doing-in someone's avatar, you better think twice. Could get you in a lot of trouble.

Click on the title of this missive for the rest of the story.

What mayhem have you gotten yourself into online? Anything you care to share with the rest of the world, well, at least with this elite readership?

Join Care2 This Sunday. Here's Why...

Check out this great site to help celebrate International Day of Peace and the Global Sound Healing Event for Healing on Earth. Here is a blurb from their site:

"This Sunday is the International Day of Peace. Join Care2 members, spiritual leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Grammy-nominated sound healer Jonathan Goldman, and millions of others in a Global Sound Healing Event for Healing on Earth."

There is much more info there, so swing on by. Then, come back Monday and let me know how everything went.

What are you doing this weekend for the International Day of Peace? Please let me know in the comments.

Hurricane Ike: Good News, Bad News

As Hurricane Ike slammed into the Houston area, I could not help but be thankful the Corpus Christi area did not take a direct hit. My Texas family members rode out the storm in San Antonio, and will probably head home as soon as possible so my daughter can report to the hospital where she works.

Due to high winds and waves, they may still have received damage to their home, which is located on an island not far from Corpus. I am praying all is well, with little or no damage.

Hurricane Ike was the largest seen in a long time and will affect many millions as it continues to travel onshore, and in the days ahead affect the weather patterns as far north as Detroit and northeast to the Atlantic. It amazes me that a hurricane hitting Texas can affect weather in Detroit and New York, but that is the nature of the weather currents.

I hope few people lost their lives, and the power is restored as swiftly as possible. After our bout with six power outages last year, I understand how frustrating it is when there is no power in the home.

I am sure the hurricane will affect many for days and weeks to come. But for today, I'm just thankful that my family is safe.

New Storm, New Concerns

Looks like Ike is headed through the Gulf of Mexico towards the coast of Texas. Depending on where it lands, my family may or may not take a direct hit. They are on an island off the coast of Corpus Christi. We will follow the Hurricane as it gathers speed and heads toward the coast.

Storms are always worrisome because they are unpredictable. Especially those that twist like hurricanes and tornados. Let's just pray that when it reaches the coast, the wind would have died down as much as possible for a soft hit, and the people would follow the evacuation orders. The officials know what they are doing and people need to take heed during these dangerous times.

No furniture or possession is worth risking your life. Common sense and early reaction has saved many lives in the past. I hope people take heed and go to a safe place.

Have you been involved in a major storm lately? What did you do to prepare?

Yeah! The Women Won - Finally!

Over the past year, my aunt, uncle, Dad, and I have played a series of cribbage games. Although we women win a game on occasion, the men have always won the series.

Well, yesterday the women won!

We were invited over for lunch, which was delicious. A pleasant surprise? The meatloaf was made of venison.

Then Dad and I headed for home, taking the long way around through the countryside where Dad was raised. We did a drive-by through the cemetery to check on Mom's flowers. We decided to get a fresh hanging basket although winter will arrive all too soon.

All in all, a beautiful Friday heading into the Labor Day weekend. Country drives have long been a family favorite, and this drive did not disappoint.

Best of all? The women prevailed at cribbage - this time.

Do you ever take long drives through the countryside? What is your favorite location?

Perspective to the Rescue

If you keep on doing what you are doing

you will keep getting what you are getting.

Monday’s post provided a strong lesson in frustration and perspective. Using a quote to start the post, I then wrote the body text. Somewhere along the way, I realized the whole piece would stay left aligned or centered, but I could not in the middle as intended.

I went back to the settings are to see what caused the problem. After all, other posts were okay. In frustration, I finally shut everything down.

Instead of glaring at my computer as if it had become my enemy, I settled in to read a magazine. After a few minutes, the proverbial light bulb came on.

Early in the morning, I had changed some of the settings not realizing how the changes would affect the alignment of the post.

When I began this post, I tested the reset settings and, wallah, my first line stayed centered as intended.

And what did I learn from this, you may ask. Well, when frustrated:

1. Step back from the situation
2. Relax
3. Focus on something else, i.e. reading, TV, taking a walk
4. Allow the solution to come to mind

When I stepped back and allowed my mind to think of other things, the answer arrived. All is well once again in potpourri land.

What situation are you facing where a change of perspective might bring you the answer? Do you have a technique that helps in times of frustration? Feel free to share a comment.