New Year Wish, Think Peace

Have a serene, joyful New Year, one in which you have many moments of true abundance. Wishing you blessings of health, hope, and love and enhanced ability to feel gratitude and peace wherever you are.

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." Hal Borland. This quote was found on The Quote Garden

Gorgeous Sights in Hilo

Finally uploaded one pic. More to follow.

Hawaiian Islands, eye of the beholder

Vacation travel to the Hawaiian Islands

I just returned from a fifteen day cruise to the Hawaiian islands. Wow! What beauty and fun. Living inland on the desert, as I do now, I was thirsty to soak up the grandeur of the sea and nourish my spirit by being away from the familiar and witnessing the lush variety of fauna and flora in our 50th state.
A few interesting sights were Foster Botanical Garden, ʻIolani Palace, and Ala Moana Shopping Center (visited on black Friday) on Oahu. I relish people-watching and this location was the ultimate place to take note of Honolulu's diversity.
I was fascinated by the rain forest and gorgeous orchids at the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden in Hilo and awed by Kilauea's volcanic splendor on the Big Island. Maui and Kauai were two other lovely islands I visited.
My trip provided time and space to relax, explore, learn and expand my horizons. I'm glad I went and grateful to be home.

Today's quote was found on Brainy Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/travel.html

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Little Bee, Chris Cleave, Human Condition

I just finished reading Little Bee, in the large type version. This remarkable novel from British author, Chris Cleave, is the ultimate in fast paced drama,suspense,character development,and entertainment. The writer's story telling ability and vivid characters drew me in and captured my attention from the first sentence on. I have told everyone I know about it and give it a thumbs up, here on my blog.

Jack Kornfield, Selflessness, Sense of Self

Brief and to the point...Wanted to share with you that I'm reading a wonderful novel, Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. The writing and story hooked me from the first sentence which is, "Most days I wish I was a British pound coin instead of an African girl."

Today's quote comes from Jack Kornfield, the author of the book, A Path With Heart. "There are two parallel tasks in a spiritual life. One is to discover selflessness, the other is to develop a healthy sense of self. Both sides of that apparent paradox must be fulfilled for us to awaken."

Enjoy a lovely evening.

Advice from Chris Brogan, Next Level of Blogging, Willingness

Willingness to learn is a quality I admire and thanks to Erika Dreyfus' Practicing Writer Newsletter, my mind had food for thought. Taking it a step further, when I  reflected on the section of Erika's Nov. 2009 Newletter authored by Chris Brogan, I became anxious to pass the information along to you. Find the complete article at http://www.chrisbrogan.com/50-ways-to-take-your-blog-to-the-next-level: Here's a summary of what resonated with me:

1. clarify goals for blogging
2. be honest about purpose
3. deliver original material that's simply put
4. keep personal subjects and useful ideas or information in balance
5. use social/networking tools and skills to catapult your blog to the next level.

Happy adventures in blogging everyone and ponder the quote for today.

"Uncertainty is a sign of humility, and humility is just the ability or the willingness to learn." Charlie Sheen


/

Coin a new word? Blurker, Sounds Good

A friend who wants to remain anonymous saw my post from yesterday 10/27/09 that read:

I don't really know whether there's an official name for blog lookers. I know what the term "follower" means, but am asking about the term for those that check out blogs and go on to the next, without saying they have visited.. Does anyone out there know of a term? Please let me known.

His answer was- I think it's a "blurker," a combination of the words Blog and Lurker. Sounds good to me!

Yesterday I forgot to include a quote so here's two to catch up:
"If a man happens to find himself...he has a mansion which he can inhabit with dignity all the days of his life." James Mitchner

""Ever'thing there is but lovin' leaves rust on your soul." Langston Hughes

Signing off now. Bye.

Walk, slow start, where I need to be

Hi Blogpeople,

I don't really know whether there's an official name for blog lookers. I know what the term "follower" means, but am asking about the term for those that check out blogs and go on to the next, without saying they have visited.. Does anyone out there know of a term? Please let me know.

Now on to what's happening today...Slow start after a long walk and short chat with one of my neighbors. She was gardening and decorating for Halloween. I admire this lady, who lives fully, despite the fact that she has pancreatic cancer. I was pleased I had the opportunity to speak with her and grateful she and I got a chance to enjoy this beautiful sunny day.

Today I'm thinking of all my blessings and saying Thank You too.

rose is a miracle of nature

Followers Widget New Feature

Hiya to all of you who read my blog. Please note my newest addition. For your convenience, I've added a Followers widget at the top of the right sidebar. When you read one of my posts and want to comment or start a discussion, please insert your email address and hit submit. You'll get updates hot off the presses!

--------

Love of Nature, Human Being, What to do? Or Be?

This post was started on 10/24/05 in the evening. There’s little going on in my outside world-nowhere to go, no people to see. For a moment, I felt empty. Then I remembered that I’m not a human doing. I’m a human being. Can you relate? Although I was extremely productive in career endeavors this week, I did my part to contribute to my overall well-being, and was of service (I volunteer to help newbie’s learn the ropes in a group I attend), I had little time left over to kick back and relax.

Invention of Lying, Truth or Dare, Thoreau Quote

I was mildly entertained by the movie, Invention of Lying. Ricky Gervais, a comic actor who co-directed and co-wrote the satire/farce with Matthew Robinson (release date 10/2/09), receives mixed reviews. The movie is a fantasy, taking place at a time when everyone in the world tells the truth except for one misfit in the film industry (played by Gervais). After discovering he can lie, Gervais tries to use this knowledge to further his goals. Others in the cast include Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K. as well as John Hodgman, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, and Jeffrey Tambor.
Although Invention of Lying shows the struggle between lying and truth telling and what force wins out, this interesting premise isn't developed well. The writers miss an opportunity to compare it to current political or economic situations in American society. Gervais and Robinson select a love relationship to illustrate their message. Their buildup and technique is to repeat the same joke over and over and I sighed in relief by the time the film ends. Readers out there. What did you think of the film?

How to use a "Break", laughter, blogger on and off time

Hi Readers,

Happy Columbus Day as well as a rousing Happy Monday. I'm back at my computer after a few days off. A dear relative came for a visit and my husband and I played host and hostess as well as tour guides. We went out fun-ing at the Patagonia, AZ Fall Festival and Nature Conservancy on Saturday and our community fair on Sunday. Both fairs had lots of arts'n'crafts, trinkets, music, ethnic and regional foods, and tons of people. It was great being outdoors in perfect weather and sharing the day with loved ones.

Before I go any further, here's the quote for today. "You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself." Ethel Barrymore. I'll write more about this after the "break," as I need to practice using the "break."


Yes. It worked. For those who don't know, there's an icon up at the top of the blogspot post composing space that looks like a sheet of paper with a chunk taken out of the middle. This area has jagged edges that run horozontially and looks exactly like a break.
Now on to my pondering.

I agree with Ethel Barrymore (Oscar winning actress for None But the Lonely Heart in 1944), who was born August 15, 1879 and died June 18, 1959. Laughing at myself means that I choose to take what I do or don't do less seriously. Well, at least treat myself kindly so that I don't feel shame and am motovated to improve my lot, stick with it, and grow.

Quote, Bonus to blog, Learning Curve, Blog addition, Risk and Grow

I’ve decided to offer you, dear reader, a bonus.What’s that, you may ask?
Each time I post, I’ll include a quote that may or may not directly apply to the subject I’m writing about, but hopefully will be thought provoking or stimulate some insight about learning curves.

Yesterday, I took little nan (my inner child) to her new dentist, for the purpose of getting a new crown. Little nan had met the dentist at her dental check-up a few weeks earlier and the young, energetic, professional was a big hit with little nan.
The first thing that Big Nan remembered to do, was to breathe deeply. She reminded herself to stay present in her body so that she could comfort little nan, when she got squirmy. She also needed to be in the now, because she asked questions of her dentist and dental technician that little Nan was afraid to ask. Big Nan and little nan found out yesterday that things can't change unless they do the footwork and risk doing things in a new way.

Here's the first quote folks...
"To be safe is to be afraid." – Coyote, in a Crow Legend

Contact with my inner self through the writing process

Last night I attended my writing group. It was great to get and give feedback to each other, in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Although genre's vary, I sense group members need or like support, encouragement, and validation for their work (including me). Thanks group for your help. When I arrived home afterward I was wired. My brain was filled with new ideas and my heart sang with inspiration.
A writers' life can be lonely and gut-wrenching at times so belonging to a group has helped me keep the passion alive and the writer-fires burning.

In Peace and Health,
Nan

After View

This is the after view. Now the lemon tree, rose bush and gas bar-b-que are visible. That bucket is used to collect rainwater.In Peace and Health, Nan

Here yesterday-gone today

Yesterday, the big excitement at our home was that we had a big Palo Verde Tree removed. It took two men and major equipment to cut it down and remove the roots. The tree was so gigantic that it was infringing on our neighbor's property (her chimney), loomed closer and closer to the gas bar-b-que, and rested on our roof. The green monster shed at the slightest hint of a breeze and although it was beautiful in bloom and did provide some much needed shade, I was relieved and sad to see it go. The blossoms, droppings, and sharp smaller branches fell off at different times during the year and landed on our patio, other shrubs, and made a total mess of our backyard. But, I remember times I glanced at the Palo Verde out of my bedroom window and had a light heart. It seems like it grew from a little stick of a thing to a massive out of control monster only in the last few years My husband had the dubious pleasure of raking the muck and mess and he's celebrating one less job to do. I've provided the before photo. I'll send the after later on.

Palo Verde Tree

This Palo Verde Tree was chopped down and removed from our yard yesterday.

Patience and Persistence Packs a Punch

The combination of patience and persistence paid off for me and I'll explain why. Up until this morning, I didn't know how to edit my posts on oblogger.com. Each time I clicked Edit Posts on the obloggernewbie.com blog spot dashboard, then checked the box next to Edit View, I froze (waiting for something to happen). I ventured no further. Today, on a lark, I clicked the box next to the Edit portion and the word Edit and voila. I'm able to edit posts. This may not seem BIG to you, who have mega skills in the techno world, but to me, it made me feel GREAT!

Have the best day you possibly can. Create abundance and peace in your life today and your karma will spread positive energy around.

Adventures in blogging up close and detailed

Blogging adventures up close and personal


Early this morning I discovered how to change the template colors on my blogspot (my last post mentioned that I didn’t care for the green that was in my original layout). By clicking the tab on layout in the dashboard and clicking again on font and color, I replaced the green. When I was through making my choice, I clicked save. Whee. What a relief.
I also figured out how to drag and rearrange individual portions of this blogspot.
Blogger.com (my host's address is http://www.blogger.com) provides help articles, user discussions, and forums. Blogger is a free blog publishing tool from Google. So get ready world….even though I feel like I’m in blogging Kindergarten, I’m determined to go for a blogging spin.
What were your first experiences learning something new (it doesn’t have to be about blogging) and how did you overcome obstacles to learning? Please let me know.
In Peace and Health, Nan

First Edition of O Blogger Newbie

Yikes. This is for real...my first effort to communicate with you out there. Exhilarating and daring to do this without knowing many of the concepts or skills involved in blogging. Please bear with me and, if you'd like, share some of your newbie blogging experiences with me. From past experiences, I've discovered I learn best if I don't feel pressured. I'll be going slowly (perhaps two or three posts a week) and my intention is to be courteous to you too.

I don't care for the green portion of this blog spot, but don't know how to change that. Can anyone out there explain how it's done?

Speak to you down the road.