yes…that's the book for me

the b-i-b-l-e…

the bible was a mainstay in my life growing up. the book awed and captivated me…i felt compelled to read it…over and over again…each time, finding something…something that i could think about and ponder…and apply to my life. it was if God himself had spoken to me…after all, i was brought up to believe that the bible was the “inspired” word of God. the books…the chapters…the verses…all inspired by…all “breathed”…by God. how could that fact alone not captivate and pull one in?

well…God’s voice captivated me. it was a strong and absolute voice. in the old testament…before the “new law,” God had an angry and booming voice used to deal with the doubting Israelites wandering through the desert. God often times chose to speak in different ways, through different people and things. God spoke to moses via a burning bush. He spoke to king nebuchadnezzar via prophetic dreams interpreted by daniel. God spoke to abraham via an angel…asking him to sacrifice his only son isaac.

God began speaking very differently in the new testament…under the “new law.” He now chose to speak through His only Son, Jesus. and…all of the sudden…not only does the voice change to one of love and acceptance…but…the written word changes too. the words that Jesus has spoken…are identified with a different color of ink…red! all of the sudden, the harsh and booming voice of God…gives way to the kind and gentle words of His Son…Jesus. Jesus knew how to talk to people…how to listen to their needs. He spent time with everyday people, with everyday problems…sharing His message of love and forgiveness. His voice…captivates me.

good morning!

good morning starshine…the earth says, “hello!”

it was 4:30 am…still quite dark outside. the air conditioner was churning its recycled air throughout the house…incidently the temperature of the air inside was much warmer than the breeze from outside. it was the first time in days…that she hadn’t woken up with a sweat soaked t-shirt. the signs were all in place…hopefully, it would be a cooler weekend.

what woke her up? she couldn’t quite remember. she certainly must have slept well…her cpap was still attached to her face, and she felt envigorated…ready to face the day. but…back to what woke her up at 4:30 am. was it sarah mumbling in her sleep? was it gunther…sassing for his breakfast kibbles? or…was it her own growling stomach?

she was pulled from her rem sleep…initially by sarah, and the mumbling she was making in her sleep. she laid there…semi-awake, semi-asleep…trying to guess what sarah might be dreaming about. while almost dropping off of the deep sleep cliff…once again…she felt the very familiar touch of a soft, warm muzzle on her left elbow. “good morning, mama!”…gunther said in his own special way…”i have to go potty!”

they went outside together…the mama and her “boy”. it was nice outside. cooler outside, than inside. the morning air screamed fall…autumn…crisp, cool, clean. they went back inside together. he looked at her wanting his breakfast kibbles. she said that it wasn’t time yet. he let out a long sass of…”…oooooooooooooooooooooooh!” she caved. she had a sick and growling stomach. she decided to feed the dogs, so that she could feed herself, without feeling guilty.

she sat in her recliner…enjoying the darkness of the living room. she unwrapped a tuna sandwich from safeway. she took a bite, then another, and another…until it was gone. it filled her…she was quite satisfied. the air outside was much cooler than the air inside…and…crisp…very crisp. she thought to herself that fall was here…finally! she went back outside. she sat down…in an adirondack chair…in the cabana. watching dieter, gunther, and spreckles play.

she went inside. she turned off the air conditioner, and opened up the house. it began filling with the cool…outside air. she smiled to herself…thinking that fall had finally arrived. the air inside…became like the air outside. cool. crisp. clean. she sat back in her recliner. popped the foot rest up. closed her eyes…and embarked on a “cat nap.”

worst pick-ups…

the worst…

i have never tried to pick up someone using a line. i feel that most pick-up lines are offensive. i guess if someone is going to use a line…they better put some thought into it…and it least make it original and unforgettable.

the worst lines, in my opinion, are the ones that are unimaginative, such as:

“come here often?”

“what’s your sign?”

“do you have the time?”

picking-up…

pick-up…

 

i generally, as a rule, really despise pick-up lines…and the whole “dating” scene. i find pick-up lines to be rather insincere and patronizing. i ask myself…what self-respecting woman, or man, would fall for something…a pick-up line…so meaningless and hokey.

do pick-up lines lead to anything more that a “hook-up?”

who comes up with these lines?

why do people feel the need to open up a conversation with a seemingly “empty” platitude?

i have never really heard a pick-up line that i liked. i have heard some that i felt were clever, even laughable…but, really just obnoxious overall. i will, however, share something that did “work” on me…embarrassing…as it may be.

a friend and i decided to go and walk around the pride festival one year in balboa park. we were walking around…minding our own business, when we walked past a tent…where people were dancing on a dance floor. i don’t dance…so…i wanted to just keep on walking, but, my friend wanted to go and dance. i stood to the side of the dance floor and waited very impatiently for her to get done with her “one dance.” at one point…i happened to look up…and make eye contact with someone…as i had been averting my eyes…making sure not to lock in on anyone. i felt my face go red and hot…i started to walk away. someone yelled at me…i looked up…and i saw the girl that i had locked eyes with. she was looking at me. she threw an imaginary lasso rope around me…and preceded to “pull” me in. i was completely mortified…and i “ran” away. in the end…i was later “chased” down by this strange girl, and she was successful in her quest to get my phone number.

i am not proud of it…but, that was a “pick-up” that was used successfully on me.

la jolla…my favorite place in the world…so far

my favorite place in the world…so far…

i love la jolla. i was born and raised in san diego, california. most weekends…sundays after church, if we were “good girls,”…were spent at la jolla shores. my parents would lay out and sun themselves. my sister and i would swim in the ocean for hours…riding waves into shore on our boogie board. my mother would pack a great picnic lunch…either roast beef sandwiches and homemade potato salad…or shaved ham sandwiches and homemade potato cheese soup. it was always such a treat to sit on the 70′s colored bedspread…bright yellow and burnt orange flowers…in the warm sand…savoring every delicious bite of our picnic lunch.

Some of the places that made la jolla so dear to me include:

the birch aquarium at scripps institute of oceanography,
http://www.aquarium.ucsd.edu/

the museum of contemporary art san diego,
http://www.mcasd.org/

the sunny jim cave store,
http://www.cavestore.com/

la jolla shores,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla_Shores

la jolla cove,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla_Cove

what i consider to be my ten best qualities

the list…

generous
i am very generous with what i have to offer others…whether it is my time, my money, or my help.

kindness
i am kind to others. i am often times the caring stranger that listens to another’s story, offers some money for food, or just gives a needed hug.

patience
i am a very patient person. i can wait for a very long time to get what i want. i have always felt that if something is worth having…it is worth waiting for.

loving
i am a very loving person. when i love a person, pet, or thing…i love it with my whole heart. i make sure that the person or pet know that they are very loved.

responsible
i am a very responsible person. i can always be counted on to be there…to do a good job…to help in any capacity.

trustworthy
i am a very trustworthy person. i can be trusted with secrets, money, plans. i can keep a secret as long as is needed.

loyalty
i am a very loyal person. i will stand by my friends or family to the bitter end. once i accept you…you gain my loyaty and trust…i will fight for you, i will believe in you, i will die for you.

honesty
i try to be a very honest person. i try to always tell the truth…even when the truth hurts. honesty is the best policy.

humor
i feel that i am a person who has a very good sense of humor. i try to look at this in a humorous way. laughter is the best medicine.

vigilance
i am a very vigilant person. i try to be ready and prepared for most anything…pet emergencies, earthquakes, sickness. it is always good to be prepared.

the notebook…it makes me sob every time

a very moving movie…

the notebook is a fantastic movie that deals with the theme of, “love conquers all.” it shows us that if we find our true soulmate in life, never give up…because someday, in someway…love will find you again…love will bring you and your soulmate together…forever. it also gives us a glimpse into love and aging. the movie gives a remarkably good look at what happens to a couple as they love each other, and get old. the movie very realistically depicts what it is like for one partner to have alzheimer’s, when the other does not…the frustration and the joy of some small remembrance.

this movie makes me cry every time. being a true romantic at heart, the love and level of intimacy that these characters possessed was just overwhelming. to me…it just screamed, “true love,” and, “love conquers all.” both of these values are very important to me, when it comes to selecting a partner. it also makes me cry, when the aged couple interacts with one another in such a knowing and loving way…him remembering every little detail…and her relying on him to tell her what she can no longer remember on her own. one could in the end, no longer live without the other…they were true soulmates.

lu lu and gunther have a short fictional conversation

lu lu and gunther…a short conversation

fictional dialogue between the shadow versions of lu lu and gunther (the boxer dog)

lu lu: “let’s go for a photo walk this morning gunther.”

gunther: “okay, but i don’t want to be gone for too long! i’m supposed to help grandpa feed the horses in 10 minutes or so…”

lu lu: “i see…grandpa takes priority over mama now. i think that i’m just a little hurt by that.”

gunther: “it’s not like i don’t want to spend time with you, i just love getting to visit with julio and scampers…and grandpa gives me special treats.”

lu lu: “i got it! let’s take a photo of our shadows together…there…take a look.”

lu lu: “how do you like my new photographer’s vest? grandma bought it for me for my birthday?”

gunther: “i like it a lot, but it looks really weird in this photo. what are those two flaps hanging down?”

lu lu: “i’m not quite sure…pocket flaps i think…”

gunther: “oh. grandpa is calling me…i better go.”

lu lu: “okay…i’ll see you later! have fun and be careful!”

dead in montana

sometime in october…i received a rather frantic voice message from sister…she was out of breathe…huffing and puffing…all I could make out…was…”how do those people live like that”…”what is wrong with them”…and the words “leg” and “bathroom”…i called back…and listened intently to what she had to tell me…

she had to use the bathroom…she stopped by my parents house…she ran in the back door…and into paul’s bathroom…finished…she went to the sink…began to wash her hands…went for the anti-bacterial liquid soap…and let out a God-awful shriek…my mom came running down the hallway…my sister quickly exited…ran to her car…and returned with her camera…

she quickly snapped two photos…before she lost her nerve…or her lunch for that matter…my mom stood there bewildered…not knowing what had just transpired…shaking…my sister asked her…”what is that doing there”…my mom stuck her head in…looked around…shrugged…and said…”what”…frustrated…my sister then pointed and shook her finger…yelling…”that that”…

my mom looked again…this time she had a faint glimmer of recognition…and a smile…and said…”oh that”…”that’s a deer leg”…my sister responded…”i know what that is…but what is it doing in here”…my mom looked at her and very matter of factly…replied…”well…i had no place else to put it”…

a few weeks later…i received another frantic voice message from my sister… i returned her call and was treated to the story…of the…dead deer head…

hannah…my year old niece…was outside playing with my dog gunther…gunther is her friend…she calls him…”good dog”…my sister was helping my dad bale hay…and left hannah and gunther to play together…within a few feet of her…at some point…hannah became very excited and chirpy…making new noises…clapping…and saying…”good dog”…over and over again…

melissa…my sister…looked over…and saw hannah petting and patting something…she came over and was mortified by what she saw…hannah was petting…a dead deer head…while repeating…”good dog”…over and over again…melissa composed herself…tried to appear unaffected and nonchalant…picked hannah up…and said…”no…not good dog…dead dog”…and walked away from the thing…

later…melissa asked my dad…why the thing was there…behind the big red barn…my dad answered…”decomposing…i want the maggots and bugs to remove the flesh…so that i can do a european mount”…she then asked if this process…was how most hunters achieved the desired affect…he answered…”no…but i don’t want to pay to have some taxidermist let his maggots and bugs do it”…

a few days after that…my sister called again…this time…i answered…wanting to know of the next calamity or trauma or oddity…this time…i was informed about the second…and last dead deer head…just hanging around at the weigand homestead…

apparently…my mom asked my sister to take some vegetable peels out to the coop…for the chickens…my sister scooped them up…went to the coop…unlatched the squeaky old door…pulled it open…she found that her eyes adjusted very slowly…to the dark inside…once adjusted…she noticed that the laying boxes were empty…but she heard the sounds of the sleeping birds…she turned around…and dropped the peels…at the same time…as she screamed…and ran…

what she saw…was dead deer head number two…propped up…on the coop floor…covered with chickens…sleeping with their eyes open…perched in it’s antlers…

after seeing this one…she stopped asking “why”…and just realized…that on weigand property…you have to be prepared for anything…and…you always need to carry a camera…because if you don’t…who will believe you…

the first thing i remember…

i remember…

my earliest memory was quiet, sheepish, shy. it was soft, fluffy, warm. then it became cold, wet, and sticky.

it was the memory of my very first visit, from my future best friend of all times! my dog, muffin.

she snuck into my room…leaned over my cradle…sniffed me tentatively…and then gave me kisses.

it’s no wonder that my first word was, “muffin”.