Poor Mamma Kitty

Our neighbor found this poor skinny mamma under their shed with many kittens. The kittens don't have their eyes open yet. Mamma is so friendly, I called to her, and her little paw came out from under the shed. She was starving to death. We put the food down, despite being so hungry, she wanted a pet first before she ate and ate. I have two days to find them homes before my neighbors send them to the pound. I need some help with fostering. I can't because...I have three cats, two dogs, and a husband who will probably leave me if I bring in anymore pets. HELP... I will pay for shots and spaying. Also, I suspect she may be part Abyssinian. She has that sweet personality, and I think once she is fed , she will be extremely pretty.

Happy New Years!

Another year has gone by (sigh). Is it just me or is time moving faster? I know we've all had our personal struggles and hard earned triumphs. If you're reading this, you survived them, congratulations. I raise my cup to you...cheers. I wish for you peace and happiness in the coming year. Thank you for being here. Your friend Rosemary XXOO

Burning the Old Year
by Naomi Shihab Nye

Letters swallow themselves in seconds.
Notes friends tied to the doorknob,
transparent scarlet paper,
sizzle like moth wings,
marry the air.

So much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
Orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.

Where there was something and suddenly isn’t,
an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space.
I begin again with the smallest numbers.

Quick dance, shuffle of losses and leaves,
only the things I didn’t do
crackle after the blazing dies.

Panhandlers

I usually give money to panhandlers if they ask for it. If someone is hungry, I'll buy them something to eat. Shit, If they need a drink, I'll give um money for that. BUT there is this one panhandler that I have no heart for. Years ago she gave me a sad sob story (a good one) about her kids and being stranded and needing cab fair. She wanted 20 dollars. I offered her $1 to make a phone call. When I opened my wallet she saw a 5'er and told me she'd take that. I gave her $1, then she called me a bitch. I saw her 2 more times at other locations around town, each time a different sob story, then I'd tell her that I KNEW her. I relayed the story to my mom, who then met "my friend" at yet a different location. Well, I decided to fill up the gas tank last night at the service station, and there she was. As I pulled up in the VW bus, she gave me her typical well rehearsed panicked look expecting to get somewhere and didn't, so she moved on to another car. I don't know what came over me, but when a sweet hearted woman started pulling out her wallet, I ran over to her car wearing my ripped up clay covered jeans and slippers screaming " NOOOO.... DON"T DO IT.... SHE'S LYING!". I think I scared the sweet hearted woman because she left in a hurry, then my "panhandler friend" did her obligatory calling me a bitch and left. A nice looking Hispanic man in his 50's approached me laughing and told me that he also "knew her". Just like me, he usually gives to panhandlers but this one was different. He'd been approached by her numerous times in different locations all over town. Once he was with a cop who recognized her and offered her a couple of dollars to leave. She took it and proceeded to press the other people in the group for more money.

Do I have a point to this story, not really. I'd like to end it with some tid bit of wisdom, some lesson learned. Should I write a pan handler book of etiquette? If I did, I'd write some tips like 1) Don't lie, or if you lie, don't lie really big. 2) Keep it simple and friendly because you may run in to these people again. 3) Take what you are given and don't press for more. 4) When you have burned your bridges and people keep recognizing you, it's time to move out of town.

Hey, I don't mind sharing. I just don't like to share with mean, abusive people. Oh, and if you're in town here, and you run into her. Believe me you'll know it when you do. Think twice about opening your wallet to her. Your money could be better spent on a more deserving charity.

Nifty Gifties

luv flowin randomly =)
For the first three people whom respond and repost this challenge, I will send you something. It might be something I've made, or something cool from my hidden stash, it might be a mixed cd or a rubber duck, or a book I think you will enjoy...or something else that is lovely...

Whatever it is, I promise I will get it to you in 30 days or less (depending on where you live;-)

The only thing YOU need do in order to participate is to be one of the first 3 to reply AND post this very same thing... just cause it's fun to give people stuff...

Heeeellllllooooo out there.....

I've been MIA for awhile, not on tribe, not dancing, not potting, not nothin. I've been trying to make my "Hospital & Community Health" ROP class a good one. I've given myself a few years to develop the program & my skills teaching to see if I want to continue on this path. This is my last test year to see if I can turn it, so I have to give it my best. I'm speaking to you now from the vortex of Power Point Prison.....Chapter notes, humph. Anyway, I miss you all. We've also rescued a Lab/Weimaraner mix from the pound and are planning on turning her into a hospital service dog. If everything comes out as planned, I'll be taking her to school with me. We've started training this month at the SPCA 1x per week. We will see...she's scandalous.

Dream Scape

I've always had lucid dreams and feel so blessed that I can remember where I've been traveling when I wake. So many strange and beautiful places, stories, and people. I have died and been reborn from the ashes. I've jumped from a cliff feeling myself falling into an abyss. I've flown into the heavens and drown in the depths of the sea many times. The Kalahari bushmen say "There is a dream dreaming us". I believe that, and last night I had a dream unlike usual. There was no story but a vision of beautifully framed pictures. There was a tree on top of a lush green grassy hill. It was the size of an old apple or olive tree with no leaves only small beautiful pale pink roses, and it was completely covered with them. I stood underneath it and looked up at the sky. I saw there a beautiful white bird flying toward me where I stood very still. As it came I noticed that it was made of light and it landed... on my head. Tell me your favorite dreams.

Pandora.com

I think I may be the last person to know about this, but in case I'm not, thought I'd share. There's an online site, Pandora.com, which is a FREE=D radio station that you can type in an artist you enjoy and they will play that artist's music and other artists that they feel have a similiar style to the one that you picked...It's soo much fun. They pegged me right a way. Also, you can feed back if you don't like a song and they'll stop playing it. How about that? Have fun!

This world

Lately, I've been waking up in the middle of the night with those sinking feelings. The sinking feeling that the planet is about to implode. I feel like I'm living in la la land, merrily destroying the planet with my lifestyle and indirectly hurting others. I drive across town to work. I drive the other way to drop the kids off at school. I'm on some petroleum jag. I keep doing it because I want my kids to go to the terrific schools, so I drive them. I want to help the kids on the other end, so I drive there. I can't sleep so I turn on the TV, CNN, horrible pictures of Iraqi children suffering. I wake up and drink my latte and have pizza for breakfast. My children want to go to a movie today, piano lessons yesterday, violin on thursday. The Iraqi children were laying naked on the cement floor. I wonder how does George sleep?