Sunday at the Shore

Here I am, awakened way too early by my torties plaintiff cry: “Feeeed Meeee!” She is getting scrawny again, though on the recommended dose of hyperthyroid medicine. She upchucks cat food, both wet and dry. I’ve tried various brands, including the luxury naturals and organics. No luck with any of them. I have her on people protein now: chicken, tuna, salmon. She eats that well, no problems. Still, a visit to the Vet is on the horizon. I’ll take her to see someone new, someone recommended. A little further away, but worth the distance. She is my CatKid after all.

 

I’m hanging  a combination, curio shelf in my room to fill with my collection of whales, shells, mini-boats and other unrelated things.  How enchanting to bring the ocean attitude into my home. To look at and resonate with all the little pieces of beach and bric-a-brac that remember my soul, as it once was, as it always is. My beach posters are tacked to the balcony walls. I can watch the surf come in whenever I’ve a heart to go wading into the shallows. The carved wood placard of boat, gull and lighthouse I found at a thrift store is awaiting touch-up strokes from my nimble brush. Plus a old weathered frame will contain a wispy beach view, soon to be painted. The land-locked  balcony slowly being revitalized into an outward area of unlimited horizon.

 I ordered Beach Mist and Shore Breeze room spray for that special touch. No, I don’t run around in bathing suits, but in the summer  I do enjoy wearing shorts, tank tops, unfettered feet. I thought of covering the carpet with sand, but I think the cats would confuse it with litter. nonono  There’s enough to pick up around here with barf and hairballs. So I resist the tactile transformation, being satisfied with the visual and aromatic cues.

 I am transformed by the creation of a life-size diorama of my favorite watery, breezy habitat, even if it is located on a virtual, inland sea. This is my tranquility, my peace. The four walls, concrete foundation and small room size disappear into nothingness when I cast my eyes around the enriched view and deeply inhale the enchantment of a perpetual beach-dweller.

 

Best wishes, Whisel*

Ah, The Smell of it!

While doing some random searches on the internet for body mists and room sprays, I almost fell out of my chair when I discovered this:

 

  The fragrance is called DIRT. The promo says…..
“This down-to-earth room spray smells exactly like the dirt from the fields of the Pennsylvania family farm belonging to Demeters founding perfumer. Notes of soil, minerals and corn.”  Yeah, I wonder if there’s also notes of barns, stables and pigpens? hmmm

 

 The aroma is called GLUE. The promo says….

“Glue Pick-Me-Up Cologne Spray has the fragrance of airplane or car modeling glue. No, it is not toxic and no, it will not make you high.”        And so…. if it can’t fix you or send you into orbit, what’s the point? 

 

 

Have a whiff of this. It’s called TURPENTINE. The promo says….

“You know what Demeter Turpentine smells like…That odorous ointment for bad paintings. Well here it is in a unique cologne. Hey, people like it.”      I went to Art School for four years. My brain is more than addled.

 

And finally, my favorite: FUNERAL HOME. The promo says….

“Much more cheerful than it sounds. Funeral Home Pick-Me-Up Cologne is a gracious blend of Lilies, Carnations, Gladiolus and Chrysanthemums. A hint of Mahogany and Oriental Carpet. “     It’s that hint of casket and Oriental Carpet that scares me.

People pay actual money for these scents. I suppose there are those edgy folks who might enjoy fragrant excursions into the weirdness of the humon psyche, but I hope I don’t know any of them. Personally, I’d rather make my own sprays from distilled water and a complexity of essential oils. I’d use a tried and true recipe, because if the results smelled like a funeral home, I’m moving out.

Best wishes, Whisel*

Any aromatic recipes for room or body mists that you’d like to share?

Semi – Colon Cartoon

That being said, my actual topic has nothing to do with semi-colons. Nor chickens. Not even grammar. Nope, I’m talking about whole colons. About people who have them and might be a little chicken when having them examined, and stressly expressing themselves in non-grammatical English. But I thought it was a cute cartoon to parlay my essay into a territory of other loop-de-loops. (lions and tigers and scopes, oh my!)

It’s Sunday night. It’s the day before the day before, in other words, Tuesday, 3pm is the colonoscopy. Raise your hand, if you’ve had one. Yep, I thought so. I wouldn’t be going either, unless I needed a fresh set of eyes on the dire-rear situation. Tomorrow, I have 64 ounces of water scheduled, a clear liquid diet, followed by 64 ounces of magickal elixir that will keep me bathroom bound and going with the flow. hahaha (couldn’t resist)

Think happy thoughts. I’ll catch up with blogging when I’m back in dry-dock again.

 Best Wishes, Whisel*

I May Not be Able to Walk that Well, But I Sure Can Get Around

Welcome to my Latest Dream…..

 

It started here in the Potomac-by-the-Lake Apartment Building.

Apparently, they had remodeled the building, adding 7 more floors.

My companion and I were assigned to the 8th floor, Apt 802 which was by the elevators.

The apt. was really posh, came with a sunken living room and a wet bar.

We faced the lake and had a whole wall of windows.

The cats were frightened. Abby and Splatt decided not to move, but to take off on their own.

They wanted their freedom so we let them go. Olivia could not leave her Mother so she stayed with us.

 

On a Friday night after work (?) I think we were working in the building.

My companion was in charge of the laundry rooms on each floor,

delivering left-behind pieces to their owners. All our laundry had to be stamped with an apt. number.

I was in charge of loading coke machines with that OCD Detective, Monk.

He lived in the building and took forever in getting the coke bottles lined up evenly.

Anyway, we had little jobs here that supplemented our income.

 

So on a Friday night after work, we decided to have chips and coke while we watched

Obama’s Inauguration. My companion brought the chips and I said I would go down to the coke machine

and get us our drinks.

 

Apparently, this was like …. a magical apt. building because as I walked thru it and down the stairs

(I guess I was not mobility-impaired) the room shifted up and down, back and forth like a rubix cube.

It was a maze of twists and turns. Although the coke machine was on the back patio, I ended up in the front lobby

instead. The front of the building had morphed itself into a gas station, convenience store, and attached motel.

Very amazing.

 

In the lobby bar, I saw my old friend Cindy, who I worked with in Chicago in the 60s. She looked the same and had her

young son Charlie with her. She was meeting an athletic, Nordic fella that was going to take her roller-skating.

He came in and she invited me up to her apt with them for drinks and appetizers.

I accepted. We had guacamole, chips and white wine. She asked me if there was a babysitting service

in the building. I said: No, but there were tethers attached to the wall where people could secure

their kids or pets while they were out. She liked that idea. I said I had to leave cuz I had to go get some cokes.

 

Again, I went up and down a series of staircases and hallways that kept changing. 

Finally I was at the back of the building…. on the ground floor.

Although now…. the back of the building was like an old shack on a Louisiana swamp.

The water came close to the deck and boats were tied up to piers.

I walked along the edge and saw that Beyonce and Lil Kim were staying here too.

I found out they liked to come here for R & R between their hectic performance schedules.

 

I walked up and down the back border, but could not find a back patio or a back door.

So my only hope was to go around the side of the building thru the front lobby again.

Off I went thru brush and bramble.

 

NOW the front of the building was an old timey adobe… Mexican restaurant with an outdoor patio,

strung with Xmas lights. Very festive. Folks were sitting outside having appetizers and Margaritas.

I went thru the restaurant, into the kitchen, asking – where is the elevator or stairs?

The kitchen staff said, the building was only ground floor level. Now I began to get nervous.

What happened to the apt building?

 

I went back outside and tried to call my companion on the cell phone. But alas, I only had old,

outdated numbers. I was angry at myself for not keeping my phone updated.

I sat on a bench with an elderly, bejeweled lady, her poodle and a flock of seagulls.

The front of the building had changed again to a Retirement Villa by the Sea

in Corpus Christi. And NOW it was snowing! Could things get any worse?

The old lady said: “Rest awhile and be patient. Maybe your Companion is looking

for you too. It may be better to stay in one spot so she can find you.”

She said: “That’s how I met my husband, Charlie.”

She offered me a flute of champagne. I sighed, leaned back, fed the gulls

and decided to wait.

 

Apparently, I fell asleep and the seasons had changed.

Now it was a chilly Fall day with bushels of leaves flying in the air.

The building was a lodge in the Colorado Mountains.

Cars came and went from the parking lot, pulling in for directions, to buy food

or to register for the night. Finally, finally….. my companion pulled up

in a light brown, 1972, Ford pinto, honking her horn.

I was so relieved I almost cried.

She said: “Where have you been?? I’ve been circling this building for almost a year!”

I said: “I just went out for cokes and couldn’t find my way back.”

She said: “Come on… if we go thru this doorway together, holding hands,

we can step back in time and still catch the Inauguration.”

I hopped to it….. and off we went to our 8th floor apt, with chips, dips and cokes.

The last scene I remember was the two of us sitting on a couch.

The TV playing Pomp and Circumstance

as Obama ascended the podium and began to speak.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

‘Wine, margaritas and champagne’ ….. that’s alot of booze for a person who doesn’t drink.

Maybe next time, I can dream up some mojitos and vodka martinis, which would be more my preference.

 

Best Wishes, Whisel*

Scarfing Time Is Now

Like any trendy Fashionista, I am into scarves. Last year it was socks. Next year, who knows, maybe hair extenders. But this year it’s scarves. For the neck, the shoulders, the head and even belted at the waist. Ok, “belted at the waist” was a versatility I had at 35 years of age. Today it’s a memory.

 Let me show you some in my collection. The first two were bequeathed to me by my Mother. The colorful, ornate one on the left is an outdoor scarf. Though I do wear it indoors, so warm the energies. The blue bandana on the right was her “work towel”. I remember it wrapped around her neck before air conditioning, vacuuming and doing laundry. It holds her vitality.

 

Look! Just a sampling of the many colorful bandana scarves given to me by my Dear Companion. A wonderful birthday gift. I feel very debonair wearing one of them.

 

 

More birthday gifts. Two long scarves from my Companion’s daughter. Very nice. I do like scarves of any length, fabric and design.

 

 

Finally, a Picasso scarf gifted to me by MY daughter.  Worn by an fanatic, scarf modeler.

Not Pictured: Many hand-knitted scarves made by a friend Texas.

Why scarves? They’re mysterious, exotic, adjustable, serpentine, moving, warming, covering. I like it all.

It’s good to have friends. And scarves. And changing fetishes. So tell me, are you any kind of apparel collector?  I may find it interesting, so do share, please.

Best Wishes, Whisel*

49 Degrees and Traveling

Today has been a roundabout, elliptical, sling-shot sort of day. Beginning with the weather. A balmy record of 93 degrees, up from the frisky, chilly temp of 44 two-days ago. I don’t know exactly what season it is, but the upcoming temps might be ping-ponging among all four. I’m alternating between thermal pjs at night and afternoon shorts/T-shirts.

I had a deep grieving period of missing my sister today. Not only missing her, the personality, but missing the liveliness of her energies around here. After all, there’s not too much zipping around in a senior building. Most of us are on assisted devices, traveling a wobbly distance of 300 steps an hour. If anyone is zipping along in this building, they’re usually horizontal and accompanied by paramedics on their way to the hospital. So my able-bodied and hyper sister was a breath of fresh intensity for 10 days. She symbolized Life and vitality while she was here. Shifting back into neutral was a shock to my system.

Truly, I felt that I needed sunshine, movement, people and activity that wasn’t medically related. I needed to zoom out of the apartment and get my face in the sunshine for awhile. I felt on the verge of tears actually, so I just put my trust in The Many who help Guide my life. “Show me. Show me.” I appealed. “How do I cotain this deep ache?”. Then I went semi-zipping to the elevator into the lobby.

One of the plants in the lobby has this blue, glass watering bulb in the soil. As the sunlight shone thru it, I could see a sad, frowning face with a tear drop. Oh no, I could not stand to look at it. In the dining room, folks had gathered for a memorial service for a recently deceased resident. Yikes! I seemed to be surrounded by the blues or maybe the sad, cyan, sombers.

I managed to get out the door, into the sunshine before I broke down into sobs. It really helped to bake for 15 minutes in the hot air. Whew! I smiled and conversed with a couple folks before heading upstairs to cook a low-fat pasta scramble. While toddering thru the lobby I glanced at that watering bulb again. The sun had moved in a different direction. Now it was casting a face with a smile. 

Home again, I was nudged to call a friend in Wisconsin. Amazing. The first thing she said to me is: “I’m so glad you called. I feel this emptiness in my heart from missing people.”  Oh my goodness, was that synchronicity or what? So together we understood how that felt. And together we helped each other climb out of the pit.

Then I spied my colonoscopy brochure and realized my ‘get-ready’ day starts this Friday with the appointment scheduled for next Tuesday at 3pm. Ok, so much for missing people. Time to step into the moment and plan for a procedure. Wow… I’ve traveled 49 degrees in several directions today…. and I’m a better person for it. And I am thankful to The Many and to the every Special One who shares my life on a consistent or intermittent basis.

Best wishes, Whisel*

Sister

My sister left this morning, boarding a train at 7:30 am to take her home. It was such a good visit. Ten days just zoomed by.

She loves this area with beautiful trees and a lake with walking trails. Ducklings and goslings swimming in straight lines between their two proud and protective parents. White, pink and yellow flowering trees that bloom in Spring. She took many photos. I will make some watercolor pictures for her when she returns later in the Fall, or perhaps next year.

 

 

And what a help she was around the apartment: cleaning, dusting, cooking and hanging up posters and window decorations. She loves organizing and keeping house. Apparently, I didn’t get too many of those domestic genes. She loves watching movies, so as a treat in the evening, I ordered: Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire, Australia, and Frost/Nixon. Sometimes we would hold hands during our conversations, so we would have extra skin contact that keeps our closeness imprinted between visits. It is good to have family and friends that seek your company.

 

Now I am back to my moderate rhythms of life today. Slow and easy. And steady as she goes.

 

Best Wishes, Whisel* 

….. Who has visited you lately? or ~

….. Whom have you gone to visit?

Happy Mother’s Day

I hope it was sweet. No matter where your Mother is, who she is or what she’s doing now.

I usually sing to my Mom on Mother’s day. Any show tune will do. Then I wait for her smile to appear in my heart. I know she’s listening…. keeping an eye on what amusing thing I may be up to. She knows I’m rather funny and imaginative. Our humor was our best bond, wrapped in love of course.

 

This year my sister came to visit me on Mother’s Day. She brought me a rose…. and energy, and hugs and kisses. Wonderful sweet stuff, plus zany conversations, delicious home cooking, house projects I’ve put on hold because they were too high or too low for me to get a grip on….and a trip to Target. My sister, the mobile, athletic one who walks several miles daily, who loves to organize, to read and to inspire. My little, hippity-hoppity companion who gives me joy each time she visits. I treasure all the days. And when she leaves on Sunday, I’ll miss her.

 

But I’ll keep the rose and press the petals inside the book: Simple Abundance, that she gave me as a gift.

A book, a beloved Person, a rose. Life is good. 

 

Best wishes, Whisel*

So I’m Not So Crazy After All. . .

On a beautiful Saturday morning who wants to contemplate Physics and its latest theory. . .well, I do.

Drinking my morning coffee, I turned on the History channel and was delighted to see there a program on M Theory Physics (see a brief background and basic description below)  What caught my eye, although I am always interested in what the Physicists are up to, was the discussion of not only multiple dimensions but parallel Universes.

My smiles began there and it wasn’t long before the tears of Joy were trickling down my cheeks. Now, I might be the only person you know that is overcome by tears of joy while exploring physics. . .but it took my breath away and I said to myself, “They are actually beginning to get it!”

Things Metaphysical studies and spiritual seekers have “known” for ages are now being “proven” theoretically by scientists.  We have had our own proofs from inner knowing and an unending flow of information from “Higher Sources” and so it is thrilling to see these changes in thought and postulations of theories that we already know exist.

Multiverse, parallel universe, multiple dimensions, multiple versions of “us” in existence in multiple universes, every considered thought or choice of a direction we choose to go existing simultaneously with this earth version of “us”, unlimited potentials, vibrational energy membranes. . .these were the substance of the theory as several respected physicists explained them in lay terms.

Dancing for Joy, I AM.  Bolstered by my truth verifier of tears, unfailing as it is, I am absolutely soaring .

May your day(s) be a Joy filled and as endlessly exciting as mine.

Blessings and Hugs

Shirl

From Wikipedia:

In the early years of the 20th century, the atom – long believed to be the smallest building-block of matter – was proven to consist of even smaller components called protons, neutrons and electrons, which are known as subatomic particles. Beginning in the 1960s, other subatomic particles were discovered. In the 1980s, it was discovered that protons and neutrons (and other hadrons) are themselves made up of smaller particles called quarks. Quantum theory is the set of rules that describes the interactions of these particles.

In the 1980s, a new mathematical model of theoretical physics called string theory emerged. It showed how all the particles, and all of the forms of energy in the universe, could be constructed by hypothetical one-dimensional “strings,” infinitely small building-blocks that have only the dimension of length, but not height or width. Further, string theory suggested that the universe is made up of multiple dimensions. We are familiar with height, width, and length as three dimensional space, and time gives a total of four observable dimensions. However, string theories supported the possibility of ten dimensions–the remaining 6 of which we can’t detect directly. These “strings” vibrate in multiple dimensions, and depending on how they vibrate, they might be seen in 3-dimensional space as matter, light, or gravity. It is the vibration of the string which determines whether it appears to be matter or energy, and every form of matter or energy is the result of the vibration of strings.

String theory then ran into a problem: another version of the equations was discovered; then another, and then another. Eventually, there were five major string theories, all based on a 10-dimensional universe, and all of them appeared to be correct. Scientists were not comfortable with five seemingly contradictory sets of equations to describe the same thing.

In the mid 90s, a string theorist named Edward Witten of the Institute for Advanced Study and other important researchers considered that the five different versions of string theory might be describing the same thing seen from different perspectives. They proposed a unifying theory called “M-Theory“, in which the “M” is not specifically defined, but is generally understood to stand for “membrane.” M-Theory brought all of the string theories together. It did this by asserting that strings are really 1-dimensional slices of a 2-dimensional membrane vibrating in 11-dimensional space.

M-Theory is not yet complete, but the underlying structure of the mathematics has been established, and is in agreement with not only all the string theories but with all of our scientific observations of the universe. Furthermore, it has passed many tests of internal mathematical consistency, which many other attempts to combine quantum mechanics and gravity failed. Unfortunately, until we can find some way to observe higher dimensions (impossible with our current level of technology) M-Theory has a very difficult time making predictions which can be tested in a laboratory. Technologically, it may never be possible for it to be “proven.” However, many cosmologists, including Stephen Hawking, are drawn to M-Theory because of its mathematical elegance and relative simplicity. Physicist and bestselling author Michio Kaku has remarked that M-Theory may present us with a “Theory of Everything” which is so concise that its underlying formula would fit on a t-shirt.^[1]

Books

Most people like to discuss what they’re reading or recommend what they’ve read. I am just casting my eyes around my little space looking at the books I keep around for reference or maybe I read them months ago and haven’t yet put them away. No matter… they are my sweet books, gifts to the mind and heart. Let me give you a tour:

“Journey of Souls” and “Destiny of Souls” by Michael Newton, PhD. Two fabulous collections of case studies.                       I can open to any page and envision the realms of recovery between lives.

“New York Times Crossword Puzzles – easy” When my mind wants to play.

“Altered Books Workshop” Fun and innovative techniques for creating altered art. I make mini-pieces 4 x 6.

“The Rice Diet Solution” Heck, if I have to be on a bland diet, I might as well expand my perspective in this area.

“Heal Your Heart” by Kitty Gurkin Rosati, stories of lifestyle changes through nutrition, exercise and spiritual renewal.

“Roget’s Thesaurus, 1937 Edition” Fascinating words like: homogenesis, rouge-et-noir, argillaceous, covercle

“Bible – King James Version” I’m forever interested in how Biblical events and beings are similar                                             to UFOs and extraterrestrials.

So, what’s on your desk? In your creative space?

Best wishes, Whisel*