Entry #26: A Backyard Angels' Chant, The Rain Barrel's Save and Are You Proud Of Your Thoughts Today?

Dear All:

September's shining ways have said goodbye and we seem to hold our breath while inching our way to October's golden ruby rainbow. The leaves are letting go gracefully and continue with Autumn's pixie dance to delight us all. Accompanying this dance is an angels' chant of birds singing that takes my breath away! This magic happens to be birds in migration that have perched themselves in our backyard. As the golden, curly leaves twist and leap to their respective rhythms, the birds whistle, cry and chirp to their hearts content! I shall never get over the beauty of this heavenly song and the way it makes me feel.  

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1. The backyard birds are chanting like angels in September's very bright stillness.
2. I'm going to get my happy on today!

As the whistles and chirps amuse me, there is no feeling I can describe like that of the big, blue and powerful blue jay. Do you know how we associate music/songs or sounds with memories? The strong cries of the blue jay remind me of my grandparents house in Babylon, NY's Argyle Park (which is so dear) and other memories are of camping deep in Northern California's, Point Reyes. Blue jays are typically aggressive towards other birds, but I just love them (I guess I always have empathy for the bad asses) and their songs give me a great feeling of living and being outdoors. 

With all of the excitement going on, I have to continually look at ways that I can help others, find ways in which I can learn about saving our dear Earth's resources and finally, to grasp the power of my thoughts and nourish them on a daily basis.

With the deluge of rain this summer (which made for this season's perfect bloom), I've thought, what would it be like if we capture nature's water in rain barrels? What is the process? The Natural Step Monona posts, "Rain barrels hold water that has been collected from roofs. This is water that normally runs down the downspout and into the storm sewer. By saving it in rain barrels, the water can be used in place of treated tap water (reverse osmosis filter anyone?). Since residential irrigation accounts for approximately 40% of domestic water consumption, you can see how stored rain water can ease the need for water demand, our groundwater is conserved and the useful life of our wells is prolonged. Electricity costs and pollution associated with pumping water from the aquifer (the aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel/sand) from which ground water can be usefully extracted using a water well) is reduced." Everyone stop laughing, we've heard it all if I am talking about aquifers! Stop it!

With birds chanting in the backyard and hope for more rain, who would think that our thoughts are physical? Who could ever imagine (thank you Ms. Oprah Winfrey for introducing The Secret to our mainstream selves) that inner thoughts could be creating the life we are leading? This idea on "thoughts" keeps coming up from Deepak Chopra to James Allen to Eckart Tolle. If thoughts are tangible, does it mean that 1) good thoughts cannot produce bad results  2) loving thoughts of others can bring good kharma  3) bad thoughts cannot produce good results 4) loving thoughts of ourselves can create a happy life (no matter what) 5) kind and wishful thoughts of those that have hurt us can produce a positive reality 6) our thoughts are manifesting what is currently going on in our lives good/bad 7) clear thoughts of a dream can become real (even in the chaos) 8) understand that unkind thoughts of others can be hurting ourselves 9) our thoughts of others mean that they are thinking of us too 10) kind thoughts toward humanity can give us hope?

Tweets

1. Are you proud of your thoughts today?
2. "Good thoughts cannot produce bad results, bad thoughts cannot produce good thoughts."--James Allen
3. Is your karma sending you a message? 
4. I Get Over Myself when I pray each day for kind and loving thoughts (no matter what)!

Thank you all for reading in the very busy days. Let's consider (for a moment) the benefits of the rain barrels and think kind thoughts of ourselves and humanity and see what it brings, I'm just saying....

Lastly, let's pray for the women, children & animals who need our determined and fierce protection at all times.

With Love & Sincerely,

Kristen

P.S. Happy Birthday to Laurie Saccacio who is one of the best friends anyone could ever have.

P.S.S. I am currently working on getting a "legitimate" address for soldiers' boxes from Joe McCormick, neighbor and "Wounded Warrior Project" bicyclist. Keep calling me on this!

Entry #25: September's Happy Shining Ways, The Pat Tillman Story and My Disbelief

Dear All:

September's happy shining ways are here again! Every leaf is smiling with sun shining on its happy face and every bush is bathing in its final spot light of the season's last performance.  We are in summer's final color scheme (after a deluge of rain this week) and right into autumn's sexy rainbow. We are talking gorgeous. Thank you for nature's beauty that keeps on giving! 

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Heaven on earth is September's daylight that illuminates every leaf, flower and tree with its happy smile. Good morning!

Our zinnias are still beaming with the preppy pinks, deep sunset oranges and now turned marmalade yellows. We wink and giggle at our dear garden of happy marigolds, tomatoes of yellow, orange and red this time of year and now welcome the leaves fall pixie dance rehearsal.  The atmosphere is still at the moment and the cicadas are ringing and cheering out there --  giving us an impression of comfort and peace. 

I suppose living in the seconds just before and after what is happening in my life (can anyone say denial, my favorite place? ) are what are keeping me happy enough to bumble through these blogs. 

However, as we approach a grueling historic event (that none of us will ever believe took place), we feel a sense of anxiety. We are all aware that our troops took out Osama Bin Laden (it really was Puffy, my bunny right?) and that we are ten years from that catastrophe and today (9/9), we are being egged on by a little "red alert" here in NY, because the Taliban is fucking threatening us again, from Pakistan (of all places). Where is Iran in all of this? When our wars with the Taliban began (Iraq 2003 and Afghanistan 2001), it seemed as if the US had a strategy (like pre-911 Gulf War ). Here we are ten  years later and no end in sight.

Our guys are getting their asses kicked out there, like the honorable and amazing Pat Tillman. I was not that familiar with his heroic/tragic story until I watched the HBO Special and learned about another film directed by Amir Bar-Lev'. Netflix Online reports, "Pat Tillman's family comes forward to tell the real story about what happened on 4/22/2004, in Afghanistan when the pro football player-turned US soldier was killed by friendly fire and not the Taliban, as first reported. The documentary films by Amir Bar-Lev' piece together the Tillman's search for the truth, how they exposed a military cover-up that led to top ranking officers and called to the carpet the likes of Donald Rumsfeld."--Netflix Online.   Silence. More silence.

Please don't mind me because I smell way too many flowers over here, but after viewing this story, I shook my head in disbelief of the current human condition in this extreme case. I am in great disbelief that war occurs in any one's lifetime (not just mine) ever and also while interacting with others as a "practicing adult".

I am in a continual state of disbelief of adult behavior. I am surprised how we 1) "me too" with every story that a loved one/stranger has to say, we can't just listen?  2) we are in silent conflicts with others who did nothing to us directly 3) we do not compliment one another more often or at all 4) we compare ourselves to others so that we look better  5) we talk shit about others actions (when it has nothing to do with us) 6) we are not in control of our self importance  7) we judge  - I do! 8) we contradict ourselves with what we say and how we behave 9) we are not sincere 10)  we have difficulty actualizing our greatest intentions. There I said it everybody, "Get Over It,"  because I know you love me til the cows come. 

Twitter Bugs

1. Has anyone brought your ego and its silliness to your attention and you thanked them for it?
2. "Your imagination will create drama out of nothing unless you live in the moment."--yahoo Astrology
3. I Get Over Myself when I understand and implement the state of "high mindedness."

Thank you all for reading during the early days of this ravishing autumn about to take place. Let's accept the world as it is (rogue, maybe?) let's continue to probe for every one's truths and become better at negotiating some peacemaking deals. Let's be more mindful of our behaviors that make us look uninteresting and boring.  I'm just saying.

More Twitter Bugs

1. I Get Over Myself when I realize how my destructive ego makes me look uninteresting as a person.

Lastly, let's pray for the women, children & animals of war, war and more war who need our fierce protection at all times.

With Love & Sincerely,

Kristen

P.S. I am going to send my boxes to the troops if it kills me. Cookies and wipes. Will you guys call me on this and remind me until it is done? Please?