Conventional Wisdom

    Haha, you thought I was going to talk about the GOP convention, didn't you? Or rather the shelved convention, as they await Hurricane Isaac. But no! I decided long ago that talking in a public venue about politics/child rearing/marriage tips/gun control/meat eating is a BAD idea. Why? Because the people that agree with you know where you stand and the people that disagree with you will just try to change your mind/call you an idiot/tell you that you are wrong/shoot you/roll their eyes/or generally make your life miserable. So I am sticking to subjects we can all agree on:
   Dessert for breakfast. My son and his girlfriend made the MOST amazing pancakes I have ever tasted. Here is the recipe. Oh my goodness, I think these are truly the best pancakes I ever ate. Now if you are dairy intolerant, you might have to change them a bit, but for those of you who can throw caution to the wind and calories to the thighs, this is the TICKET! (If I was in charge of a political campaign, I would so make these my main platform)
http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/03/01/cinnamon-roll-pancakes/

     Must eat pancakes. Now.

   One of the things we have enjoyed the last few days of summer is doing absolutely nothing. DH and I are go-getters. We almost always have a project or two or ten that we are doing, but no, we have determined that what we needed this summer for healing of the mind/body/soul was to just be together. And do no major projects. Just take it easy and take some trips. One trip that we took this week wasn't very far, but it was so enjoyable. We drove through our beautiful state about a hundred miles away to a lovely museum and some of the most breathtaking scenery ever. There is something so lovely about rediscovering things we might have started taking for granted.
   Things like the gentle summer breezes. The touch of a hand when you are feeling out of sorts. The note from a friend saying they are thinking of you. The trees. Oh how I love trees.
   When I was in third grade, it was discovered I could not see a blasted thing past my hand in front of my face. Funny thing about unseeing children, they must think everyone sees this way. I know I didn't question it, all I know is I never was able to pass the spelling tests: The teacher wrote the week's words on the board and I couldn't see it!
   Anyway, I do remember getting glasses. OK, they were the funky, cat-eye weirdo looking ones but I remember putting them on and saying "Oh! The trees have LEAVES! I can see the LEAVES! I can see the birds! I can see the butterflies on the leaves! Oh Oh Oh!"
   It was the single most amazing thing EVER in my world. Keep in mind this was 49 years ago, and I will never forget that moment.
   Except...I took those beautiful trees for granted after awhile. Oh, I noticed them and all...especially during the breathtaking autumn (hands down my favorite time of the year) but I forgot that amazing feeling of being able to see those leaves delineated each one more beautiful than the last. The outline, the perfection, the color. Well, on this trip, I remembered that feeling as I plopped down on the grass on the grounds of the museum and looked up at the trees. I drank in the sights of their majestic beauty.
   I thought of how we are all so different like branches and leaves. How some of us are straight and tall, others are gnarly, some short and stubbly, others singular and solo. The colors are different, some of us sway this way, others that way...but WE ARE ALL FROM THE SAME GROUND. We grow differently, we think differently, but we are all in this together. We should be seeking common ground, not things that threaten to divide us. We should help each other when a storm threatens to topple us, we should lift the other up when the winds grow strong, we should support the branches when one seems weaker. We should stop taking each other for granted. We should love one another in spite of our differences and forgive when we are hurt.

Can you believe that BLUE?

   This has been a tremendous time for us after DH's stroke: We are reminded that there is nothing more important than the love we share on a daily basis. The small things have suddenly taken front and center stage as we create our new normal.  Our family and friends bring such joy into our lives. Thank you for this.

    And now for something completely different!!!! DH and I saw this thing traveling down the highway, the phone camera cannot possibly capture the HUGENESS of this thing, but look how long the truck is transporting it, now see how far it extends past the end of the truck. WHAT IS IT???? I thought it looked aeronautical like a wing from a plane, DH swears it is part of a wind turbine, but the turbines we saw were more slender, less cylindrical. So help us out! What is it? Help us name that thing!

   And I will leave you (no pun intended) with a couple of photos from the sculpture garden that just made me happy. No huge deep meaning, just cool things to look at. Have a great last week of summer, enjoy the breezes...

(Inspired by an Origami lily)