It's Never Too Late for Baskets of Hope

Sometimes, life is just a mystery.  OK, more than sometimes.  Like yesterday, for instance.  A mysterious Monday mood that seemingly came out of nowhere.  Typically, I love a new day because it's like you have a brand new slate.  No matter what your life slate has been, a new day brings hope.  Maybe that's what happened yesterday?  My hope got up and went and everything seemed to be falling on my head.  Spring has hit, and I'm still wiggling into those jeans...but making progress;>  Easter Sunday is coming and my family is 3,000 miles away.  It just seemed that many things in my life are hanging in the balance with an uncertain future.  Well, that was untill this morning when my long time friend, Sandy, called.  She was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on a Southern California freeway on her way to work.  After our initial catching up, I wailed a little about my dilemma's and then she went on to tell me her husband is coping with cancer.  They had planned to retire in Idaho but now said it looks like she'll be going to Idaho ... alone.  She said she didn't like being alone after being in a partnership for so long.  It was a second marriage and happier than her first.  She quickly piped up, "Jennifer, don't postpone your life.  Don't let something that might or might not happen keep you from today." 

We do get in ruts from time to time and feel down by the mysteries of life.  It's the ebb and flow but Sandy's words and reminder to not postpone living were grounding.  Thus, I've started!  I've cleaned off a shelf in my office ridding space of unwanted CD's, books, and other paraphernalia cluttering not only my shelf, but my mental space. It is a new day, the sun is shining, and I'm recharged:>  Sandy's phone call was special for it was like a personal delivery of a basket of hope.  See you next time...Top Blond Taking the day.

 

 

 

 

 

"Spring Jeans with Jiggles and Giggles"

Oh, my.  I did it!  I slid into my newest pair of spring jeans just freed from the dryer.  After sucking it in, assuming a few acrobatic positions for the zipping, and nearly fainting for the buttoning, I'm actually now seated at my computer talking with you.  Now, in the event you are of the male gender and reading this you likely won't be able to relate to these amazing feats just for a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a new wooden salad bowel.  I heard if you eat lots of salad it helps reduce these sumatra antics.  But, the, "jiggle gender," unless you're Courtney Cox that is, just might be able to relate.  And, if Liz Curtis Higgs, author and humorist, is reading this perhaps I've evoked a giggle or two.  Liz, if you're not familiar with her, is one of those lively and amazing down to earth, home and heart kind of woman with a uniquely spirited sense of humor.  Not only will she keep you in stitches but you'll be giggling all the way to the lettuce aisle.( www.LizCurtisHiggs.com).  Well, now that I've manuevered the "seating" in the dryer fresh jeans, it's time to see if I can actually manager the "walk and breathing" at the same time.  Have to get that salad bowel...maybe by June, it'll be a smooth slide without that last the jiggle to wiggle into summer jeans:>

Until next time...Top Bonde taking the day!

 

Spring Clean

The other night I was out of my semi-expensive face washing solution.  So, when I was rumaging underneath the bathroom sink among the shampoo bottles and "volume & body" mousse containers, I came across my travel soap container.  Ah!  I could use the Dove creamy complexion soap I'd put in the container that had, "Dove" etched on the lid.  It was a gift from my friend, Doreen, and I loved using it for travel.  It would work just fine until until I could get to my dermatologist's office for a refill, I thought to myself.  But, after a couple nights I kept thinking as it was sudsing up that it didn't quite smell like Dove.  As I recalled Dove has a gentle and really clean scent.  This scent seemed stronger and manly. And, it was a little blusih green too....Dove was white.  Pure white.  Oh, No!  As I was rinsing off the greenish bubbles from my cheek and chin it came to me...Irish Spring!  This is Irish Spring deorderant soap!  It was then it came back to me!  It was on sale at the supermarkt and I'd picked up a couple bars and now I was washing my delicate face with Irish Spring deorderant soap!  Nothing like being Irish Spring clean.  Think it's time to make a run for that refill now! 

Top Blond taking the day...see you next time:>

Unladly Like Landing

You just never know what your next step will bring.  This afternoon when I was dashing out my front door on my way to work, it seems a few things might have happepned to cause my sudden transportation to the pavement.  One, I simply missed the last step.  Two, my feet adorned in knee high boots for our near freezing temperatures, got tangled with my long skirt.  Or, three, my head was getting there before my feet.  Because, with my handbag slung over my shoulder, small tote and water bottle in one hand, and my Dannon Light'n Fit Strawberry Banana Yogurt in the other, there I was being thrust in flight and landing skimble-scamble on the side walk.  Splat!  Guess I was neither light nor fit!  Not quite the position that matched the cosmopolitan image I was seeking.  So, what does one do when finding themselved splayed out on the street for all the neighbors to see?  First, you check your pluse.  If you have one, you smile and pick yourself up with whatever remaining grace you can muster, dust yourself off and search for cuts and scratches, and then continue to your vehicle and never look back.  To my surprise my body survived with no fractures, no apparent cuts or scratches, and essentially, pain free.  And though my pride suffered, I was blessed.  Except, all afternoon I worried about the container of Light 'n Fit Yogurt.  It must still be rolling around in the street and run over by now with a creamy mess everywhere.  I'd picked up my water bottle but going for Yogurt must have been beyond the call of duty.  At that point, all I cold think of was leaving the scene of the fall pronto before the passengers in the passing car started gawking my way.  I guess sometimes in life things comes back to you because when I arrived home, the container of yogurt had been retrieved by some kind soul and placed on one of the steps where it safely survived in natures natural refrigeration.  And now that I'm back where I started from with all my belongings, my unfit body at least in tact, and my wounded pride on the mend....tomorrow is a new day. 

Tobblond taking the day!  See you next time!

Oranges and vinegar do not mix

It's been one of those days...actually, a really good day since not feeling well the two previous days.  But, knowing I had to work today I prayed to feel better when turning my light out last night.  To my thankful surprise, I did!  And then, there were some very nice surprises before the day ended that made me feel happy.  In fact, by the time I got home I was cherry and feeling upbeat and just well, maybe trying to do too many things at once.  Because, that's when it happened.  That's when somehow I managed to knock over the vinegar bottle.  Life is funny isn't it?  I've liven in my current apartment for the past seven years and never even ever had vinegar on the table before.  But, in January, when visiting mom and dad in California, mom prepared fresh spinich a few times and served it with vinegar.  So, I promptly came home and got into the "Popye mode" believing I'd become stronger...and found myself buying bag after bag of fresh spinich!  Like mother, I wanted vinegar with it...thus taking out my cute little hardly used, eggplant purple vinegar bottle from my Ethan Allen Hutch.  For some reason, in the middle of dashing off an email, I dashed off to the kitchen for some important reason...which now escapes me...to retrieve something...which now escapes me...and somehow manged to tip over the apple cider vinegar bottle which totally surprised me!  The watery liquid oozed over the dollar bills and change I'd set out for the car wash tomorrow and all over my coveted Steven Covey papers on, "Find Your Voice."  Wtih a dramatic reach I saved my date book.  As I was saying earlier about oranges...I'd just sliced some fresh oranges and had sprinkled them with walnuts for a late night snack...but the sweet aroma of oranges and the tart smell of vinegar do not mix.  Oh, well.  Tomorrow is a new day and in spite of spills...flops, or lack of memory, see you at the top:-)  Top Blond taking the day...!

Whispering wind in the Woods

It's March 1, 2005.  A fresh blanket of white greeted us this morning from the near foot of snow that fell last night.  After brushing the glistening soft powder from my Jeep, the wonder and mystery of a gray winter day had me.  I found myself going for a walk around my condo complex breathing in the fresh air and throwing snow balls into the woods.  For a moment, I longed to have someone special to share the fun and frivolity with. But, this morning, I was going solo and making the best of it.  I discovered it was much more fun aiming snow balls at tree trunks and seeing how far I could throw them than hurrying back to empty the dishwasher.  I wasn't really sure I was finished with my outdoor jaunt but it was time to head to the post office to mail a batch of cookies to my sister.  It was then I knew for sure I had to give in to the last vestiges of winter and continue in my call of the wild venture.  But, where?  Where could I get away from shoveled pavement and noisy streets?  As I pulled out of the post office parking lot, my destination suddenly became clear.  Emerson Woods only about fifteen minutes away. After arriving I found that no one was venturing out on the snow covered paths...no one, that is, except me.  I couldn't resist.  Perhaps a cardinal will land on a tree branch.  Or, a deer will saunter through and I'll snap my first award winning photo!  However, neither cooperated; not even a rabit!  But, that didn't stop Top Blond. And so with a long twig that served me well as a walking stick, I began my trek into the woods.  I couldn't have been happier!  It would have been so easy to ignore my inner voice for one reason or another.  It's not every day that I have the opportunity to act on a whim and follow my heart. But, today was mine and I would have missed natures gift.  The wind whispering high in the barren branches, the scrumptious crunch, crunch of my boots as I made footprints along the pristine path, and the shadowy images of the spindly trees sweeping across the fallen logs and twigs when the sun peeked through the steely gray sky were like healing balm.  And like a hug I gave to myself...to reaffirm that no matter what the day brings...Top Blond is taking the day and it's going to be a good one...see you next time.