Who Knew Life Could Be So EVERYTHING?

 I always thought I knew what my life would be like.

I was going to grow up, become a doctor and work with mitochondrial research.

I was never getting married... but if I did, I was never having kids.

And then I had kids--- six of them! 

And I got married--- 3 times!

And when my life was finally perfect, I was loved and I loved unconditionally...

My children were all growing into amazing, intelligent and really good people!

And then my husband got sick and then he died. 

And my kids were grown and on their own. 

And I was alone and afraid and all my dreams had died.

A dear friend made me drink a cup of her special coffee and it changed my life. No, seriously, it really did Happy coffee helped to combat the anxiety, sadness, despair I was feeling after my husband died, helped me to get my energy back, balanced my hormones so that I could function again... and I was losing weight! 

Without the Happy Co products I do not think I would have been able to survive. I would not have been able to begin to live again. 

I got a new job I loved. I met new people I had fun with but they didn't quite understand me. I joined widow groups so I could find people who understood me even when I didn't understand myself. 

I found my tribe of crazy widowed people online.

We went on trips together, we met for dinners and picnics and we were there to life each other up on the hard days and celebrate the good ones.

And through these, i began to feel like ME again.

I began to have dreams and make plans and set goals for myself.

I began to see the all the colors in my life come back to their full brilliance ...

They began to light my way and show me the path to living my life and feeling EVERYTHING!

And that is how COLOR ME EVERYTHING was born. I decided to create art using photos I have taken and unusual words or poems or phrases I have created and put them in an online store. These words and places in my photos have helped me to heal, to grow and to believe in myself again...

I have re-discovered how to LIVE LIFE FEELING EVERYTHING and i want to share that with the world! 

Who knew life could be so EVERYTHING?

And who knew EVERYTHING could be WONDERFUL!

The Life and Times of.... BusyMom!

BusyMom here...


Yeah, I know it's always me and I'm always Here.


But sometimes, okay, a lot of times...


I wish I could be somewhere else.


Like...
When I come in from a long night at work to find TeenBoy asleep in the dark on the sofa instead of on the school bus I just passed coming up our street.


When I come down in the morning only to find half-eaten bowls of cereal and cups of hot chocolate on the computer desk and breakfast room table, milk and cereal splashed everywhere, covered in ants who believe they have found The Promised Land and quickly sent out word to family and friends... all one million of them! 


When I get in my van and am hit with the noxious fumes from the dirty cleats and sweaty t-shirts and shorts and Under Armor soccer and football gear someone, Not Me most likely, has shoved under the back seat.


When I walk into the living room only to discover I am standing in yet another puddle left by StupidDog for me to find... usually the day after I steam cleaned the carpet, of course.


When I look at my day planner and calendar and try to sync them only to realize the computer program just won't let me be in 4 places at the same time... Silly computer! Doesn't it understand that I am BusyMom- a Super Hero in my own eyes?


I have been known to think derogatory thoughts about women who walk away from their children, their maternal obligations, to live lives unencumbered.
And yet...
Sometimes...
Just Sometimes....


I think that maybe I can understand the need to just be somewhere else...


And then the kids come home from school...


And SIX gives me a hug and a smile and that daggone dimple in his chin and the twinkle in his baby blues just gets to me...


BratChild hands me an order form for her soccer uniform sweats and I am so proud of her starting position on the High School soccer team I could cry...


ManChild drops by to spend a few hours before going to work... something we don't get to do now that he has moved out and is making his own way in the world like a real ADULT...


When GoodMom calls just to tell me BabyG smiled or FancyPants is finally interested in potty training...


When SmartGirl has a day off and goes to TeenBoy's football game with me and I see her cheering for him and the pride that shines through for her not so little brother... 


The same pride and love that all of my children show for one another... on occasion and not usually in public


I cannot imagine being anywhere else, living any other life, having any other family...


So...
BusyMom here...


And Here is where I'll stay.

Life Got In the Way

Yes. Life did get in the way.

But then, it's the living of life that makes us.
Both the good and the bad things that happen while living our lives.

Sometimes it seems there is a lot more bad than good.
Right now is one of those times.

Yesterday a dear friend died.
I had the pleasure of being able to take care of her, keep her comfortable, and even to give her comfort during her last day with us.

For that I am thankful.

Every person has a purpose.

I believe that my purpose is most often as a caretaker.

And usually I don't mind giving comfort, offering support, being there when others need a shoulder or a body to lean on.

Right now...
there have been too many deaths in my circle of friends for me to bear.

Sheila Kaye Davis         1976-2011

I will persevere.
I will carry on.
I will because there is no other choice but to go on.

And by so doing I will honor my friends who have left me behind...
Cindy and Sheila...

I'm the one that's left... I'll try to make you all proud of me.

And I'll try to get back to blogging regularly and my diet and...

well, Living My Life!

Writers Workshop: Helen Keller Inspires me... sometimes my kids make me wish I couldn't hear them OR see them.... sometimes

Today's Post brought to you by:   

Mama Kat's Losin' It

Prompt#5:

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you can not see the shadow" - Helen Keller

In what ways are you able to stay positive about something that sometimes brings you down?

At first, I thought this prompt was really hard. 

Then I realized

It's Not! 

What do I do to help with things that bring me down?

This! 

This is what I do.

I write. 

And sometimes, instead of feeling like a failure or that my life is miserable or unbearable...

I actually, really and truly, like my life and the trials and tribulations it brings.

What do I have in my life that sometimes brings me down?

Hmmm, good question.

I have TeenBoy and BratChild and SIX...

And then I have a mortgage company from HELL

And 2 grown children  I still support...

But the biggest elephant in the room is my health.

I have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia... 

or a combination thereof...

or none of the above.

Depends on which doc you ask on which day of the week.

I have written about my life , my kids,  my mortgager and  Living with Lupus.

I have no idea whether anyone actually reads these posts, but they help me to let off steam or use sarcasm and witty repartee to deal with the bumps along my life's path.

How do I stay positive?

Not sure that I do, but I am sure that I don't let the suicidal thoughts,  or homicidal ones for that matter, have any real space in my head... 

And that's about as positive as I can be... 

Like, Love, Don't Totally Hate???

Writer's Workshop-

Once again brought to you by the letter 'M' for Mama Kat




This week's writing assignment : 10 Things You Love About Fall

1) SCHOOL- for the kids.

I just love when they are gone all day and the house actually stays clean for a while- please note that a while is code for until the kids get home with their wet, leafy-soled shoes and backpacks over-burdened with text books and binders and hoodies that smell faintly of wet dog, or teen boy... same difference... that will in mere moments be strewn hither and yon throughout the house as soon as their feet cross the threshold.

2) FOOTBALL- no explanation needed

3) It's NOT Winter

The sun is still shining when I go to work AND when I come home keeping up the appearance of summer days not so long gone by... easing me, nudging me, gently into the coming season.


4) HALLOWEEN!!!

Jack-o-lanterns, Scarecrows, ghouls and witches... my family fits right in!
And my favorite holiday of the year. No anti-climatic let-downs, grumpy relatives barely tolerating the other's existence, no finger-pointing or misguided clumsy attempts to make the warring factions declare a cease fire long enough for a 'Family' dinner... just kids dressing up, play-acting, laughing and having fun... pure unadulterated JOY shining out for all the world to enjoy.

5) Sweaters-

soft and fluffy, warm and fuzzy, haute couture or rough-n-ready campout gear... they just make everything better.

6) Colorful leaves-

reds, oranges, yellows and browns mingle in a dance as old as time as they flutter silently, wimsically, landing as softly as a hushed breath at my feet.

7) & 8) SmartGirl and SIX's birthdays

October 1st SmartGirl will be 26... with her college degree in hand, part-time student aide position at the local elementary school and a burning desire to find a 'REAL' job. One using her degree, getting paid enough to move out and pay her own way in the world... She wants nothing more than to be a Grown-Up... me too!

November 3rd will see the onset of SIX's 12th year. A year sure to be filled with teen angst and anquish... unless his grades don't improve rapidly... in which case he may find that his 12th year will be the "Year of Incarceration"... one in which he is doomed to spend his spare time staring at the walls of his bedroom, reading books (I know, a fate worse than death!) and doing "Extra Credit" homework...

This list is supposed to be 10 Things I love about Fall... but in actuality, I don't really LIKE Fall...

October is my favorite month, but only because if the warm and sunny days with a hint of freshly mowed grass and over-turned soil wafting thru the trees from the farm around the corner; the deer, with felted mini-antlers that eat the berries off the bushes in the yard; the last of the hummingbirds and butterflies that boldly come right up to me as I sit out back enjoying the sights and scents of the woods, the garden, the world around me that I call HOME.

Seconded by May with it's emerging greens, tender yellows and understated pinks and reds of the newly budded trees, flowers and bushes; the quiet of the mornings broken only by the staccato twittering and chittering of mated birds calling to one another from the nest; the call of tree frogs all day AND all night...

which leads into the months of June, July and August... resplendent in all their Summer Glory of color and sound and scent...

As each month takes it turn on the calendar, so each Season has it's place in our lives... And every Season has something to Love... all you have to do is look.

Friday Foto Feature- I know it's Saturday... Pretend Will Ya?

More through the Eyes of BratChild...



















TWLOHA
National Suicide Prevention Week - SHOW YOU CARE- SUPPORT I'M ALIVE!

Resolutions Revisited

It's been a while since I made my New Year's NOT Resolutions.

Umm, like 8 1/2 months?

And it's been nearly that long since I have thought about them. Well, I think about them often, I just don't look into myself to see if I am actually achieving any of these non-resolution goals.

Today I think it is time I did.

1) I wanted to get healthy, regardless of weight-loss or non-weight-loss, I wanted to eat better and exercise.

Well- I am dong both. Yay Me! I walk several miles several days a week. I have been swimming in my backyard pool- need to do more of that before it's too cold! And I have been eating better. More fruits and veggies, less Ben &Jerry's and chips.

2) I wanted to be a better mom.
Okay- so that is not going as planned. My children have not suddenly started to WANT to be around me, but then they don't run screaming from the room as soon as I enter either so... that's a good thing, right?

3) I wanted to feel better about myself and where I (and my family) am headed- financially, emotionally, and physically.
To that end we are working on home improvements that we are hopeful will help us to get our house sold sooner- rather than later- once we put it back on the market... after football and soccer season is over, of course. ( part of the being a good mom thing there... kids need to finish the season with their friends... it may be their last in Maryland! )

4) and not really the final, but for today it is... I wanted a better relationship with HeMan Hubby.
I think we are doing better than we have in a very long time. He still works entirely too much. And I still spend entirely too many hours doing things with/for/because of the kids and helping friends in need...but the time we spend together has been full of playful banter, warmth and happiness. He even spent an entire week on vacation with the kids and I and DID NOT work... I think we are connecting more than when the kids were little... maybe because they aren't little anymore?

Whatever the reason, or the facilitators, life is good in our home. And our relationship is solid, and a true partnership.

I hope that our children see this and seek to find something similar in their own relationships as they grow.

Then my ultimate goal will have been reached...

to raise productive members of society... who live anywhere but with me!

He Said She Said ... What?

The BusyFamily recently took a road trip South to visit other BusyFamily branches.

In preparation for the trip BusyMom took the vehicle in for a check-up.
Oil Changed
Washer fluid refilled
Brakes checked
A/C .... whoa! A/C???

Yep, the A/C is broken.

I told HeMan Hubby it was, back in March, when we apparently did not speak the same dialect.

He SAID he understood.
He SAID the part was a recall issue and was being ordered...
back in MARCH!

So The BusyFamily packs up and heads out...
South on 95 on a SUNNY, HOT Friday in July...
(read:the surface of the sun would have been more comfortable!)

Through that wonderous land called NORTHERN VIRGINIA and into the land of Smoked Hams and Giant Sombreros and beaches begging for sand castles and children to appear.

Yes, we sat on 95S, with no air conditioning, with all windows open, wet hand towels across our laps, necks and foreheads as we crawled along at negative miles an hour, through Virginia, North amd South Carolina!

Somewhere along the way... I think it was about 10 minutes after we started LOADING THE VAN!

HeMan Hubby turned on the A/C.

What are you doing? I asked

Getting the A/C going so it will be cooled down when the kids get in. HeMan Hubby replied.

Why? The A/C doesn't work. It's broken. You said the part is on back order for the recall so IT'S NOT FIXED YET! I answered oh so very calmly.

Oh, you mean it doesn't get cold at all? He asked incredulously.

Ummm, No. That's what I meant when I said the Air Conditioning doesn't work!

And thus began The BusyFamily Vacation of 2010...

Friday Foto Feature

SIGHTS OF SUMMER...

The Who and What I Am...

People who know me know what I do for a living.

At least I think they do.
They seem to know I am a nurse. I work nights. I do something with kids.

I'm a night nurse, working private cases for special needs/chronically and terminally ill children.

So yeah, they know what I do, kinda.

When I started this blog I wanted to take a look at my life.
But not just the living of my life. I wanted to look at the choices I make, and have made, and try to figure out how they got me to the person and place I am today.

I've written about lots of things. I use comic relief to take the edge off topics that are hard for me to discuss, or are just really serious.

I have found that my natural tendency to be flippant or comedic at times has resurfaced after 20 years in hiding. And I find that I speak my mind and let my personality come out in person a lot more.

I named this blog Dawning... one- because Dawn is my name, and two- because I wanted to find myself, the me I thought I had lost along my life's journey.

I have found she was not lost so much as sleeping, somewhere hidden in my inner self.

And yes, she is waking, and like the Dawn of a new day...

She is ready, and raring to go...

And she doesn't mind bringing you along for the ride.

Oh, and for those of you who are into names... my first and middle names together actually mean- A new day reborn...

I guess my parents picked the right name for me way back when... right?

Sticking to the plan.... or doing nothing all day... oh, the choices we must make!

Louisiana feeling the effects of the BP Oil Spill


Today's post was going to be about the oil spill in the Gulf.

Rue McClanahan dying much too young.

Why people bash Kate Gosselin for trying to be a mom taking care of her kids while her private life, her husband's indiscretions, the crumbling of her world as she knew it, played out for all the world to see....

Instead, I am sitting on my back deck, watching the leaves blow in the cool breeze.

Watching the dog run through the yard, barking at rabbits and squirrels who dare to enter his domain.

Searching out, and finding, the source of the loss of water from the pool every night...

It's a small leak in the return hose where there is a crack in the fitting... yes, a small and easily repaired thing... Thank goodness!

Folding towels, washing HeMan Hubby's yucky clothes from his weekend as Harry Homeowner- Home Improvement Warrior.

Getting caught up on the show's I DVR'd last week, but never found the time to watch.

Yes, today is a do-nothing day.

Or as much of a do-nothing day as I get...

And I revel in it... knowing that one week from now...

The kids will come home from school for the last time this year...

And SUMMER VACATION will officially begin...

God Help Us All!

Solar Power... or... I love the Sun but it doesn't love me!

Yes, I worship at the shrine of the sun.
Or I would, if I didn't have to worry about this pesky sun-sensitivity thing.

I LOVE the outdoors.
The Sun.
The Air.
The Nature.

From early Spring thru late Fall you can find me on our porch, or on the deck, or in the pool.

I can't spend as much time actually IN the sun anymore without getting a rash and burning easily, but where there's a shady space or a Teflon coated SPF 75 umbrella....

You'll know where to find me.

And if I'm not in the shade, or under the umbrella...
Look in the garden and I'm sure I'll be there pulling weeds, planting flowers, playing with the pond fountain and getting entirely too much sun...

Like I did this weekend.

I know, I know...

Sunscreen everyday keeps the wrinkles at bay!

BratChild and SmartGirl did remind me, but of course AFTER I was already turning a rosy pink...

And pink really ISN'T my color!

Now IS The Time...

It's 7:30 am and the kids have gone off to school in a mad whirlwind of book bags, brown paper lunch sacks with jackets trailing behind.

There was the usual morning tug-of-war to get them out of bed and into clean clothes, fed and appropriately groomed; the endless battle of wills to get them to put on jackets or hoodies before heading out into the cold, damp foggy morning. And now that they have left, en masse, the house is eerily quiet and calm.

So now is the time for me to get some work done. I have entered into a new financial endeavor, writing ads online. So far it has earned me 53.00 and cost me about 100.00. But the ads have only been up for a few days so I am still in the learning curve thing on how to make the ads catchy enough to generate more traffic to the merchandisers site.

Now is also the time for me to do some online reading on how I can use my writing skills to add to my income. Which at this point is non-existent so it can only get better, right?

I know a lot of you out there see the 'Work From Home' ads online all the time and are leery. Well, some of them are real and seem to actually work. At least they have for me thus far.
Don't get me wrong, it takes time and a certain ability to put words into some kind of sense that will catch the attention of John Q. Public, but other than that?

Well, it seems now is the time for me to try new things and think outside of the box....
Maybe Now is Your time too!

Thinking too Hard? Or not Enough?

I will admit that in recent years I have wondered if I have missed my calling, or more so, perhaps I am being called to something more but have not yet answered...
my most fervent wish in life is that I make a difference in someone's life, that the lessons I have learned- most heartbreakingly- will be able to be turned into something helpful and positive to others...
Ok- it is time for me to go back to reading my email and stop philosophizing... or thinking so hard.
My weekend was quiet and productive. Steam cleaned an entire room, scrubbed all the hardwood and kitchen floors, cleaned out the cabinets and washed all the dishes in the back of said cabinets that were covered in dust and pollen and other... cleaned the pool then sat by said pool and read, not one, but two books.
But best of all, I got to spend the early morning hours outside enjoying the cool breezes, pale sunlight filtering thru the hazy clouds and listening to the music in the voices of the tree frogs, hummingbirds, chickadees and pileated woodpecker ( that insists on tapping away on my shingles!) and acknowledging that my wants will come when it is time (but darn it the lottery or a contract on my house NOW would be wonderful).
I am always telling my children that things happen for a reason, we just do not always understand or know the reason at that time. I also tell them that things work out the way they are supposed to, when they are supposed to. This is a lesson I have been privy to over and over again all my life, and one that I am still trying patiently to learn.
In the words of the great music legend, Freddy Mercury, I Want It All and I Want It Now!

Just Say NO!

Just say No! ... to drugs, to alcohol, to cheating, to lying, to living above your means, to judging others, to wasting resources... these are the messages we hear constantly via family, friends, media.
But there are other things some of us should say NO! to. Things we are ashamed to talk about. Things that we are afraid will make us look bad in other's eyes.
I am one of those people who should say NO! a lot more often than I do. And not to bad things...
I am ashamed to say that I should say NO! to requests from the PTA, Sports Teams, DeMolay, Rainbow, family, friends... I should, but I don't.
I teach my children that to Give of One's Self is the reason we are put on this earth. To help others when we are able, to think about the other person, or the greater good, before ourselves is how God wants us to live our lives. That if you say you will do something then come hell or high water you do it. Your word is your bond. Your Integrity is the best measure of the person you truly are. If you cannot be trusted in small things then you will never be trusted in large ones.
These are the simple truths that I base my life, and how I live it, on.
Now I have come to a place in my life where saying NO! is required more often than I want to admit, not because I am lazy or getting old or even uncaring. No, it is worse than that, for me at least. I am tired. I am literally tired of doing, going, planning, making, building, organizing, calling, begging- for the schools, the sports organizations, the youth groups, family, friends, and work. I have cut and pasted. Made phone call after phone call. Planned event after event. Often used my own money with a small hope that I would be re-paid, and more often not.
I want to say No! really, I do! But then I get a call from my Mother-In-Law. Would I go to chemo with a family friend- just to make sure he is okay on his own? Of course I can. Oh crap- I was supposed to say NO! to that wasn't I? But what if that were my loved one- husband, child, mother, father, sister, brother... alone in a world of medical terms and unknown outcomes? Wouldn't I want someone there to be with them? Isn't that what I teach my children we should do? I lead through example. My children see me volunteering, helping, giving of myself- even when I have nothing left to give. But to do otherwise would make me one of those "Do as I say, not as I do" people. That I could not abide.
And if I had said No! to sitting with a family friend while he recieved his chemo treatment I would have missed out on a wonderful, lively and intelligent conversation. I truly enjoyed talking with him about common interests, life lessons and lives we lived in the past. I gained more from him than I could have possibly given.
And that is why I continue to say YES! to so many requests for my time, energy and resources. What I gain is so often more than I can possibly give, the lessons learned, the people met, the time well spent is almost always worth any sacrifice I had to make to keep my word.
Almost.
Just Say NO!--- yes, I do say no more than I used to. I am easing into it. It is hard to change the way you have lived your life for 40-something years all at once. I think that by the time I am old and gray- okay more so than I already am- I will have this NO! thing down.
Until then, I will continue to make small strides toward that end. I will still say YES! more than I should- for my own health and welfare- but I still have children that are learning how to be good people and the only way I know to do this is by DOING what I tell them they should do.
So... please, only ask me for help if you REALLY need it... you know that I cannot
Just Say NO!... not yet anyway!

Do you ever wonder...?

Do you ever wonder why we do the things we do?
I do... and I am sure I am not alone in this endeavor. Although, I have no idea why I spend precious time wondering about these things.
I have also noted I spend time worrying about things I have no control over or cannot change.
I do not recall spending this much time on such things when I was younger- not to imply that I am older now- just that maybe I thought about what I was thinking less than I do now?
Alright, you got me. I am older. And wiser? I'd like to think so, but then that gets me thinking about things I need to remember (in case I suddenly get alzheimers or something) and the things I want to remind myself to remember ( like where I hid the cookies so the kids wouldn't find them then I forgot- they're probably stale by now anyway). Then I start thinking about all the things and people I have forgotten and that turns the wheels and the mind skids to a grinding halt reminding me of my class reunion in July ( that I am the planner of and have much to do yet) and the thought of July brings me to the eagerly anticipated birth of my first grandchild due the first week of July which brings me to... wondering when the baby will be born, who she will look like, will she be smarter than the generation that has gone before, will she be successful and happy and loved and appreciated... and why do I even spend the time wondering these things in the first place? Then comes the worry. Will she be healthy, will my daughter survive the delivery without killing her husband, will I be in town when the baby is born ( she better wait til I get back from vacation!), will she be tiny or big ( like her mother and aunts and uncles were)?
So here I am back at the beginning, again.
Do you ever wonder why we do the things we do?
My answer is no... I'm too busy wondering to actually DO anything!

It's Raining... Again!

Hey there! Today is my mother's birthday. In addition to that we celebrated my oldest daughter's coming baby in the traditional way- with a shower ( how appropo is that?).
Again add that tomorrow is Mother's Day and that yesterday my oldest niece turned 16... this is a very busy week for us. Did I mention that my oldest son was 20 a few days ago and his girlfriend became the same age the day before that?
As you can see just keeping up with the goings-on in our family can be trying and quite exhausting all by itself. Now add to the equation RAIN. Yep, that lovely life-giving manna from heaven that has been falling from the sky every single day for the last 10 days without fail. Granted, not every day has been a torrential, never-ending downpour; but quite frankly many of them have. When I have made allusions to keeping an eye out for an Ark to come floating into my back yard over the last few weeks, I have been only half-joking! The rain came down so hard on Thursday the water rushed off my roof in such a volume that it completely jumped the gutters and fell like a waterfall to the garden below. Of course it continued this way for hours at a time off and on throughout the day. And again, may I reiterate, this is not the only day in the last 2 weeks it has done so.
Upon waking yesterday I was stunned to see a brilliant shining orb of such a golden hue it gave the appearance of a highway warning sign flashing across the horizon. I should have heeded it's warning. I should have realized it was indeed flashing a warning to the unsuspecting and oh-so-naive humans below. It was shouting out, " Hey You! Stop and Enjoy My Warmth cuz I Ain't Gonna Hang Around Hear All Day Long!". Man, I should have been paying attention. Perhaps then I would have spent an extra few minutes enjoying my morning cuppa joe and watching the hummingbirds and house wrens in the yard. Perhaps I would have taken the time to walk leisurely through my yard and appreciate the new green blades of grass and the patterned petals of my clematis unfurling among the emerald green vines climbing the trellis by the walk way. Perhaps, I could have done all of these things, if only I had paid attention.
When , you may ask, did I begin to notice the lovely world in which I live? When the storm clouds came rolling in and the winds forced the last die-hard blossoms from their tenuous hold on the branches of my cherry tree. That is when I looked up and realized that golden globe was obscured from vision by grey-white, slate and nearly black ominous clouds that were moving across the sky. And with them came the electrically charged air with the scent of ozone riding high and fast. Yes, only then did I stop and appreciate the beautiful day, er part of the day, that God had given me.
So today dawned bright and full of promise for a sun-drenched day full of the anticipation of the many lazy days of summer to come. I took note of this sign of spring and renewal of life. I made the time to stop and really become a part of it. I sat on the front porch with a cup of coffee ( or 3) and watched the high floating white clouds drift along. I listened to the 'Cheerio' of the cardinals and the 'thruuuuuuuuummmmm' of the hummingbird's wings as they came and went among the garden plants below me. And I made the time to thank god for his gift of another day started with such grace and beauty.
It's a darn good thing I did too! The clouds have already rolled through bringing darkness and oppressive humidity in their wake. They have opened their floodgates and poured down upon the already soaked to over-flowing earth yet more of their liquid refreshment.
Yes it's raining... again.