{pawprints}

Legend of the Sleeping Giants

This arrived in my email today... truly a New Year's gift that I wanted to share...

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Ancient legend foretold of a sacred time of renewal of the human spirit. The Muses of Inspiration granted a blessing on earth and created a window of time when human beings can create a fresh start. During this phase, all the mistakes, regrets, missed opportunities and errors in judgment are purged from the human memory in the primordial fires. It is a time when all fear of failure is transformed into strength of character and clarity of purpose. With proper preparation and humility we are told the human soul can make a request of the universe and our inner being: to transmute the flame of regret into the torch of dreams fulfilled and ignite the fire of burning desire in the heart of the seeker.

The legend was concealed to prevent its power from being used for less than honorable purposes and was hidden in the heart of each new being born on the earth. Each new baby is born with the spark of truth and the germ of their life's purpose on earth. If the human pursued their heart's desire, the spark would begin to glow and take hold and lead the seeker to success. If the human took the path of least resistance and settled for a less than glorious life, the ember would grow cold and life would be empty, no matter the achievements. There was only one magical time of year when all sparks could be renewed and unite into a glorious blaze of triumph, at the birth of the New Year.

The Legend of the Sleeping Giants

As each year of human existence passed, the flames of truth buried in the hearts of humanity grew dimmer and dimmer. The nine sister Muses, the guardians of inspiration for the human race, were saddened. Did the humans not know that their lives were meant to be a blessing, full of love and abundance? Why did they live like insects, small and insignificant; did they not remember they were Giants, with the power to manifest wonders? Could they not see how beautiful and glorious they are? Why did they choose suffering over joy? How could they create poverty over wealth? Why did they choose anger over love? Did they not know that they had the power within them to create a magical world of joy?

It was as if a veil of sleep had fallen on earth and humans became the victims of life instead of the original intention, which was to be the Victor. All a human had to do was follow their heart's desire, protect their thoughts from negativity and focus on love.

The nine sister Muses being of one mind declared a moratorium on Strife and set out to create a remedy to aid the sleeping human race. They called upon the qualities of the Ancient Ones to restore balance on earth:

• They besieged Mnemosyn (Memory) to free the minds of humans from the past. With a blank slate each spirit could start anew. The Muses requested the following gifts to be bestowed on humankind.

• Eros (Love) fills the heart with compassion, first for self, and with that peace comes unconditional love which flows to others.

• Himerus (Desire), who lives in delight, breathes new life on the spark of truth in each heart and renews the passion for life.

Father Time granted a window in which humans could purge the past. By the stroke of midnight on December 31st each year, the past must be completed and all issues must be burned in the fires of regret for the rebirth of spirit to occur.

The Muses called on the collective strengths, wisdom and powers of the ancient Gods and Goddesses to support the humans in facing their fears, making amends and forgiving themselves.

• Zelus (Emulation) granted humans the ability to recognize their gifts and qualities in others and the vision to find their mentors.

• Cratos (Strength) fortified the human will with courage to face the things that must be faced for the human spirit to grow.

• Eos (Dawn) promised a new beginning every 24 hours and Helious (Sun) gave warmth and encouragement. Soliel (Moon) promised rest and recuperation of the body.

• Eunomia (Order) reminds humans of the first law of abundance, order in all things, for as within our hearts and mind, so is our outside world revealed.

• Dike (Justice) reminds humans to forgive all debts, right all wrongs and release those who have hurt us. For as we forgive are we forgiven.

• Eirene (Peace) provides the silent mind in which we can hear our inner voice guide us to our unique truth.

• Charities (Graces) endows the human spirit with gentleness, so that we tread lightly on this earth and bless those we encounter.

And when the sister Muses saw the stage was set for a glorious rebirth of humanity, they made this decree:

"Every human who accepts these gifts, lets go of the past and blesses each other with forgiveness and grace will be released from the pain of their past errors. They will be granted the guidance and protection of Metis (Thought) and receive the gifts of Nike (Victory) in the year to come."

The Muses cautioned humankind to guard their dreams from the effects of negative people and events.

"Tell only one who will hold your vision as dearly as you hold it when you are nurturing the seeds of possibility. Build a fortress around your mind so only positive thoughts are entertained. The laws of the Universe govern the results. Whatever thoughts you plant will reap a harvest. Be vigilant to plant thoughts of love and positive energy to reap a harvest of abundance."

And so Calliope, the chiefest of all the Muses sent this blessing to earth:

"Children of the Universe, the time of renewal is upon you. By the  stroke of midnight on December 31st you must complete the cycle of the past, forgive yourself and your brothers and sisters, be thankful for your blessings and stake your claim on your future."

And with this gift received and acted upon, the embers in the hearts of humankind started to glow and burn brightly. The Muses and the heavens saw our lights burn brighter and brighter as we reached out and touched the lives of all around us. We traded our weapons for plowshares to feed each other, we shared our gifts with those less fortunate and with each life that was renewed with love, the gifts of abundance and joy filled the lives of all humankind.

May this next year bring you all the love, health, wealth, passion, happiness and fun that you deserve.

Liberty's Eye Surgery Redux

It's beginning to feel a lot like the movie "Groundhog Day" around here.  This morning we went for our two-week check up on Liberty's eye -- only to find out that the ulcer, although getting better, had not healed -- and in fact was still covering nearly her entire cornea and was in a state that actually required they repeat the procedure they did last time. 

Poor thing was sedated, they did the de-breeding and scoring procedure, and then loaded her up with some outrageously expensive antibiotic ointment ($70 for a tube that is literally half as long as my pinkie finger).  She was like a big, furry drunken sailor coming out of the dr.'s office...  and getting her out of the car once we got home was no small feat, let me tell you.  Fortunately, one of my friends came along with me, so at least there were two of us to lift the 100 lbs of sacked out weight.

One sad puppy (and this was pre-the eye ordeal)...

So it has been quite an ordeal for her.  At the moment we have 3 different ointments that are supposed to be administered at various points throughout the day, and then separately we have a bunch of pain meds...  which I'm thinking of taking myself, if this keeps up!

Keeping our paws crossed that this goes well...

For now, we're all crossing our collective fingers and paws in the hopes that this time it works 100%.  The eye doctor said she's never had the repeat the procedure 3 times -- so I'm hoping that Liberty won't be setting any new records for her.  We'll know in 2 weeks, when we go for our next follow-up visit.  Until then, if you could all keep your fingers/paws crossed too, I know that Liberty would appreciate it.

don't like the weather? wait a day.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (Christmas Eve) of this week, we had two huge snowstorms roll through the area -- or as they are now referred to -- Snow "Events" (who thinks this stuff up?).  By Wednesday morning, the view of my backyard looked like this:

view from upstairs...  december 24, 2008

In the first three weeks of December, we'd had upwards of 24" of snow...  We were also having some unbelievably cold weather (which usually doesn't produce much snow -- but this time it did!)...  temperatures in the negative single digits all day...  and in the negative double digits all night.  This is the kind of serious weather that can be really dangerous.

Yesterday and today, though, there has been a total turn around.  Yesterday, temperatures were in the 40's, and today we're expected to reach the high 50's!  Here is the same view of my backyard, as it looked this morning (just 2 days later):

lake view...  december 27, 2008

I have a very nice, very large, lake in my backyard -- compliments of the THUNDERSTORMS we had last night -- and the constant rain we've had today.  Tomorrow it will be an ice-skating rink, because the temperatures are supposed to drop again.  Sheesh!

Still trying to remember why I live here...  something about loving the change of seasons...  but honestly, I prefer that the changes not happen all within a week.

Christmas favorites

I will admit it.  I have a love/hate relationship with the Christmas tree.  Love how it looks when it's all done -- not so fond of the process of getting there (which largely has to do with the fact that it is such a pain to get all the stuff for decorating out of storage... but that's a whole different story...)

Anyway...  this year the tree got up a bit later than I had hoped, and despite the fact that it has dropped nine trillion pine needles on the floor, there are still enough left on the branches to make it look halfway decent.  One of my favorite parts of the holidays is sitting with a glass of wine or a nice hot cup of tea and just starting at the tree in the evenings (I am so easily entertained).

What I like most is remembering the stories behind my favorite ornaments...  so thought I'd take a moment to share a few of my favorites...

the announcement...  december, 1987

My best friend, Holly (yes, she has a December birthday) totally made my Christmas in 1987 when she cleverly announced her pregnancy with this amazing little cross-stitched ornament that she made for me.  It was the beginning of my being Aunt/Auntie Lynne to some very special children... and if I had to pick just one ornament as a favorite, this one would be it.

a tribute to my kitties from mom...  early 1980's

In the gene pool that my parents created, the vast majority of the creativity that each of their three children possesses comes from my mom's end of the pool.  One year, she decided to make us all paper mache ornaments honoring our pets.  For me, she made this little mouse -- a small tribute to my cats, Stars & Stripes (had quite a patriotic naming convention going on there for a while with the pets).  I think the teeth on the mouse are my favorite part...  of course, the wiskers are kind of cute, too... 

my first christmas on my own -- december, 1980

I will never forget my very first "out on my own" Christmas tree.  I had no money, and the only thing that I could afford was this scrawny Charlie Brown type tree for my apartment.  But I really wanted a real tree, so that's the one I got.  When it came to decorating it, I had zip.  So my mom and I put our "more creativity than cash" hats on, and actually made a really pretty tree using only white lights, a bunch of icicle ornaments that she gave me, and some red paper mache hearts that we had gotten at some discount store...  the whole tree was so simple -- and so beautiful...  and then on Christmas morning, this ornament was one of my gifts...  the only color other than red that was on the tree -- and it was so pretty!

woof...  the start of the dog themed ornament collection

The addition of Liberty to my little family (which at the time just contained my cats, Stars & Stripes, and me) brought with it a whole host of dog-themed Christmas ornaments - and I have to say that all of them are ones that I love.  I think it would be so fun to do an entire tree in all dog-related ornaments one year -- perhaps that is a good goal for ornament collecting!

the back side of the tree -- december, 2008

I love this tree-topper that I found several yeas ago.  Forgive the fact that I shot this photo from the back side of the tree -- but the way I have the gold ribbon bow and streamers coming off the tree topper, it's a little hard to read the thing from the front.  This year, more than ever, I know the depth of what "best friend" means when it comes to our canine companions -- and how deep the void is when they are gone.  Logan, sweetie -- if you're reading this from heaven -- this will always remind me of you.

To all of you who read this blog...  and especially to those of you who have extended yourselves in friendship and support in so many ways...  I wish you and your families the Merriest of Christmases -- and the very best that 2009 has to offer.

Peace,

Lynne

nothing says "Merry Christmas!" like open plumbing

It all started innocently enough.  I made dinner for us on Saturday night, and as I was cleaning up the dishes, the sink wasn't draining...  so I flipped on the garbage disposal...  everything seemed fine there -- but the clog was not moving.  Grrrrr.....  The one thing that I will always give my guy a high-five for is his willingness to try and fix things that break at my house (and believe me, lately there have been plenty of opportunities!).  So he tried plunging... then we went to the store to get Liquid Plumber...  more pouring, waiting and plunging. 

Nothing.

This went on for hours.

Now me -- I would have called the plumber after the first bottle of Liquid Plumber didn't work.  But my guy is a little more obsessive tenacious than I am.  So every fifteen minutes we were up checking on the sink -- plunging it -- and surmising what could have possibly caused such a thing?

Finally, we both agreed that Step #4 on the instructions on the Liquid Plumber bottle were in order:  Call The Plumber (it really says this on the bottle!). 

Fortunately, one of my dear friends has a brother who is a plumber, so I feel like I have a trustworthy and skilled resource when it comes to plumbing.  He came over Sunday morning and tried for hours to get the thing unclogged.  And trust me when I tell you that he enlisted some very heavy-duty plumbing artillery!

Not only that, he actually went down into my crawlspace.  Trust me -- it's like the John Wayne Gacey crawlspace down there.  Dirt floor...  about 4' tall...  dimly lit...  the perfect place to hide a body (if one were so inclined...  but I digress...)

Here is a picture of the entryway to that beauty...  sorry about the blurry photo -- but trust me when I tell you that it doesn't detract from the overall ickiness of the space.

 
He pulled out all the stops.  Used every plumbing trick he had. 

Nothing.

So we made arrangements for him to come back and pursue the last resort option -- go through the wall to replace the pipe that we couldn't unclog.  I am so grateful that I'm not having a house full of people this holiday!

I'll spare you the picture of the clogged pipe that was the culprit behind all this -- suffice it to say that 70 years of kitchen use and 1 1/2" galvanized steel pipe don't make good companions...  this baby was corroded and filled with petrified "stuff" that literally was like cement.  No wonder all the other attempts to clear it didn't work.

Now, though, I have beautiful new 2" pvc pipe that practially sparkles it's so clean...  and the sink works like a charm! 

For me, I'm just truly grateful that:

    a) I have a plumber I can trust
    b) This whole shebang came in under $1,000 (I had visions of much more!)
    c) I don't need the house to be "presentable" for guests
    d) No dog has yet gotten her head caught in the exposed pipes

So for now...  we're all just going with the flow (a little plumbing humor...  get it?)... 

From our house to yours...  a very merry Christmas to you!

brrrrrrr....

view from my window

Right now it is 2 degrees outside.  I am not kidding.  The wind is blowing at about 40 mph. (again, not kidding), and the 2"-3" of snow that we got last night is blowing and drifting all over.  Winter in Illinois...  quite a wonderland (as in, "I wonder why I live here?").

But this weather is actually good for me.  It forces me to stay inside and get some things accomplished.  I have been spending the morning drinking copious amounts of coffee and wrapping presents...  and making my list of last minute things that I need to pick up (shirt boxes, etc.).  I feel oddly at peace with where I'm at this Christmas -- which believe me, is nowhere near where I'd like to be -- but a simple glow of acceptance of what is seems to have come over me -- and I am fine with all of it. 

There is butter softening on the counter... and this afternoon I will make some cookies... Not 35 different kinds, as I was originally planning (well, okay -- not 35, but maybe 5 or 6), but that's okay.  These are for the guys Busch Auto, who do such an amazing job of taking care of my car -- and are some of the nicest, most honest people you will ever want to meet.  Something tells me that they won't mind if they don't have a fancy plate of beautifully decorated cookies -- that they'll be okay with the basics.

It's interesting to me - this wash of okay-ness in the midst of so much that is less than "perfect."  Perhaps I am making progress after all.

Liberty update

It's been a heck of a week for Liberty.  The ulcers on her eye got much worse last week, and my vet wanted us to see the Doggie Opthomologist (who knew they had such a thing?).  So Monday morning we went -- and Monday morning they did a bit of surgery on Liberty's eye to try to get the ulcer to heal.  I'll spare you the pictures - and instead post this one from last summer -- a bit better looking than the current pup!

She's a trooper, though, and I actually think she's feeling a lot better.  At least now she's keeping her eye open (as gross as that can sometimes look) -- but a sure sign she's feeling less pain.  She should be feeling much better in a couple of days, but between now and then, I think she is most bummed about the fact that she can't go running and rolling around in the new 6" of snow we got last night. 

Definitely a white Christmas here, I think!

a year ago today...

I miss her so...   Logan 12/07

This picture was taken almost exactly a year ago today. 

It will be 11 months on Sunday that she died. 

As I was driving home today, I was thinking about her, as I do every day, and was just so filled with gratitude to have had the profoundly beautiful experience of loving her.  And while I still get teary at the thought of her not being here when I walk through the front door each day, enough time has passed that I can appreciate all that she left behind:  a more open heart; an acceptance of what is; and a unique understanding of what it really means to love, and be loved, unconditionally.

2009 word for the year: completion

One of my favorite bloggers, Christine Kane, has been doing a series of blog posts about Choosing Your Word for 2009.  Her philosophy is simple:  resolutions don't work; focusing on incorporating the full power and meaning of a word does.  I have to agree with her on the New Years' Resolution part.  While I dutifully make lists of them each year, they often feel more like my internal Negative Nellie voice scolding me for all I haven't done, rather than a nurturing voice helping me see what's possible.  Inevitably, by the end of January they are forgotten, or replaced by whatever issue of the moment seems to be grabbing for my attention.

For all kinds of reasons, this has been an incredibly difficult year.  I've been wallowing in the drama and self-pity of it for months and months, and quite honestly, am kind of sick of myself and this story of OVERWHELM that I've woven through seemingly every fiber of my being.  Yes, things have been tough.  Yes, I have had to face some really, really frightening things.  But I have also done my share of magnifying that is not helping the situation any.  In fact, it's made it worse.

As we come to the close of 2008, I am drawn to the idea of choosing a word for 2009 for myself.  A word that will be inspiring and meaningful for me.  A word that will enhance my life when applied to it with proper action.

My word for 2009 is going to be COMPLETION. 

My intention for 2009 is to remove the barriers to joy and success that I set up for myself when I fall into the trap of, "I am just so BUSY!  I have too much to do, so I can't (fill in the blank)." and open the doors to new opportunities by clearing away all the mental clutter and anguish that's part and parcel of the many loose ends that I've allowed to persist in my world. 

By clinging to my default position of being so busy and overwhelmed, I hold myself back from really enjoying life.  Instead, I focus on what's not done, and how bad I am for not having finished whatever it is that's not done, and then leaping to the conclusion that somehow I should be punished for all that I haven't done.  The punishment is always denying myself the time to enjoy whatever it is that I think would be fun (a day off, a trip to the art museum, whatever), and instead, I obsess about how terrible I am for not finishing something (instead of actually buckling down and just getting the damn thing done).  I am a piece of work sometimes, I'll tell you.

I understand that it is a process.  My habit of procrastination did not develop overnight, and I expect that it will require quite a bit of awareness -- and, quite honestly, some genuine gentleness with myself -- to overcome it.  Right now, though, I see it as essential to my growth in all areas of my life.  The feeling of being inextricably mired in the backlog of all that is undone is my #1 source of anxiety right now.

And I have the power to change that.

So here's to 2009...  and to the process of completion.

snow queen

 
We got our first real snowfall of the season last night/today...  and let me tell you, this puppy dog could not have possibly been happier!

She cracks me up -- do any of your dogs do this?  At the first sign of snow on the deck, she begs to go outside, then literally throws herself on the deck and rolls around in it like it's some kind of magic elixr. She buries her head deep into it -- nose first and scoots her whole body into it...  like a little shovel is attached to her head.  And then she flips it up in the air and trust me, if dogs could laugh, she would be in hysterics!

Watching her in a state of complete, unadulterated bliss this morning was the best part of the whole day.