** Finding Bliss in Every Day Life **

 Nick Nixon & me 10/23/10.



A few months ago, I wrote a little on my blog about Nick Nixon. Nick was a country music singer/guitar strumming star in the 1970's. I'm pretty sure when he first began, I wasn't "into" country music yet. I grew up mostly on The Beatles and Motown, and didn't care much for what I thought was "that-old-twangy-hee-haw" kind of stuff!  But, that changed when I was married to First Husband (FH). Country music was a regular part of military life, especially the years we lived in Germany. There wasn't any American television, but we had one radio station: Armed Forces Radio Network. I listened to every kind of music they played and that's when I began to like country.

Okay...getting back to Nick... jump ahead about 40 years and I discover he's a member of Saturday Writers , plus the "Coffee & Critique" group I recently joined! That man can write stories as well as he can still sing!  He's currently working on his memoir and we know thousands of readers out there will also recognize his talent.

 These 2 pictures were taken Saturday at the Kisker Road Library in St. Peters, Missouri. Nick participated in an event which featured local authors. I surprised him when I walked in with this old LP of his, which I found on E-bay! (I wish y'all could've seen the look on his face when I first held it up!) I asked him to autograph it and he signed it to The Ronald and me. Of course, I've already played both sides a couple of times, and he sounds great. His voice is obviously different, but I can tell it is him. I really believe his voice has gotten better with age. I think these days he sounds a little like Merle Haggard, whom I love. AND, the best thing about all of this.....Nick Nixon is one of THE nicest, most talented men you'll ever meet.....And he's still so darn cute, isn't he?!  Here's a You Tube link, if you'd like to see and hear a slightly younger version of Nick:  Trust me...you'll love it!!

                                                        

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The trees in my part of the world are so gorgeous right now! Some are a little past their peak and some are just getting there. This one is in my neighborhood and I just had to stop and take a picture of it Friday. My subdivision is a fairly new one, therefore we don't have large, old trees. But the colors on this one just took my breath away. That's what fall leaves do to me. They literally make me stop to catch my breath, and utter words out loud, even when I'm alone. It's like watching fireworks on the 4th of July: Ooooh...Aaahhhh!  I SO wished I had my camera Sunday, because a friend and I went shopping and passed dozens of trees that shouted out to be photographed. Then Sunday night, we had thunder storms and I'm so afraid the trees will look entirely different today, but I'm going back to the one area that is nearest my home, and this time I'll have my camera with me.                                                                                                                              

I took the picture below to share one of the views from our deck. That large, dead-looking tree is where we've seen our owl friends, sitting on the very top branches. There's usually just one owl, but a couple of times, we've seen two of them. Maybe a mom and a pop? In the late evenings, I hear the hooting quite often, but it's usually too late and dark by then, and so I can't see anything.

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have quite a few magnificent tree photos to share!

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree” -- Emily Bronte

** It's a Grateful Friday **

♪♫   Just a quick note to mention I've changed my Play List again. If you normally hit your mute button the second you arrive here.....I totally understand! I can't really read and/or write with music playing, either. I like to listen to it as background music as I do filing, de-cluttering, etc.   ♪♫

So, today I'm playing what I call Beautiful Music. You'll hear Vivaldi, Susan Boyle, Beethoven, Michael Buble, and Charlotte Church....just to name a few! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.....but if not, go right ahead and hit that old mute button!
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I wasn't feeling very grateful a couple of hours ago, yeah....ME! Can you believe that?! Every now and then, the old "woe is me" comes to visit and it takes me awhile to drop-kick it back out into the atmosphere. Ooops, look out! I hope I managed to send it to the middle of nowhere, where it won't hit anyone!

We all have mini incidents & inconveniences that disrupt our lives. And there's those major issues.....illnesses, accidents, family quarrels, financial problems, and loss of loved ones due to divorce or death. So, occassionally I have to remind myself that no matter what I may be going through at the moment, it is so minor compared to what millions of other people have to deal with....maybe on a daily basis.

Therefore, I've changed my attitude and I'm truly experiencing a "Grateful Friday"! I wish one for you, too!

Willow Tree - "Grateful"

(courtesy google search)

“When we are grateful for the good we already have, we attract more good into our life. On the other hand, when we are ungrateful, we tend to shut ourselves off from the good we might otherwise experience.” - Margaret Stortz

** Happy Birthday, Mark! **

Today is my youngest son's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mark! Wow...you are 23 years old! Where have the years gone? I still feel the same age I was when you were born. How can that be? I'll never forget the day I truly saw you in a new way. We lived at our other house and I was standing in the kitchen. You just got home from school and you looked like an entirely different kid than the one who was there that morning! It was as if you went to school as a little boy and came back as a mature boy. That was a sad day for me. But I got over it, of course! I knew you had to grow up and become a man....and you truly have. I couldn't be any more proud of you than I am at this moment. Well...at least not until your next wonderful accomplishment!

The following quote is one that Mark sent me a couple of years ago. He knew that I would love it, and I do.

When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I wrote down "happy".

They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life.

Anonymous

** Family Fall Festival - Fundraiser & Fun **

"Bring the Swing" Family Fall Festival   

Please join the Cottleville Firefighters Community Outreach (CFCO) to "Bring the Swing" at the Family Fall Festival. All proceeds to benefit the purchase and installation of the Liberty Swing.


When: This Saturday, October 23, 2010
Time: Noon - 11pm
Where: Cottleville's Legacy Park (behind Cottleville City Hall)

SPECIAL EVENTS:
Ronald McDonald Magic Show: Noon - 1pm
Clydesdale appearance: 1 - 3pm
Washers Tournament: 4pm registration

Event Includes:
Hayrides, DJ, face painting, raffles, bounce house, basketball shootout, hay maze, pony rides, petting zoo, pumpkin painting and much more! After dark, enjoy a band, bonfire and the Haunted Hayride! Also, bbq, chili and beer brought to you courtesy of Mannino's Market and the Cottleville Rotary Club.

** The Liberty Swing is a state of the art playground swing that locks wheelchairs into the swing and allows children and adults with disabilities to swing without leaving their chair!

The mission of the CFCO is to "raise our community's educational and awareness levels of safety and health issues in hopes of preventing misfortune..." The CFCO has been raising awareness and funds to bring the Liberty Swing to Cottleville, which will be the 2nd in the state and 13th in the nation! For more information about the CFCO, Fall Festival, Liberty Swing or to donate on-line please visit http://www.cottlevilleswing.com/.  ** Obviously if you don't live near St. Louis, Missouri, you won't be able to attend. If you'd like to be involved, though, and make a donation, please go to the link provided.**

This magnificent swing was invented by an Australian man named Wayne Devine. Please check out the You-Tube videos included on the CFCO website. You'll probably need a hankie when you see the joy and smiles on the children's and adult's faces!

I hope everyone knew I couldn't be in another disheartened temperament again tonight, right? Two days in a row? Never! (that pertains to my political post of yesterday!) And look what a wonderful event I have to share. ☺

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." -- Melody Beattie

** From Sweet to Sassy **

A BIG Thank-You to Ellie for awarding me this Happy 101 Sweet Friends Award! Anyone who reads her blog will surely know that she, too, is very much a Sweet Friend! Thanks for thinking of me, Ellie!

Ellie has also just inspired me to "attempt" to make an addendum to my Writing Schedule. As much as I LOVE blogging....writing my own, reading others', leaving comments, meeting newer bloggers, etc....I MUST cut out some of that blogging time and put it toward Writing Time! I hope to announce my decision sometime tomorrow.

P.S. - Posted on 10/18 @ 9:25pm

           Because of a couple of comments I've received already, I just want to make it clear that I am definitely NOT going to stop blogging! I'm just going to cut back on the amount of time I spend on it. I need to get a handle on my time management in general, in order to get all the things accomplished that I sincerely need and want to do. Hopefully, you won't even notice a change. But I'll know! I'll know that I am using all the hours in my day in a productive way....Starting tomorrow!

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I really, truly prefer to not discuss politics and/or religion because we all know where those discussions lead. (You just knew there was a "but" coming, didn't you??) ...BUT, How many of you are sick and tired and disgusted and annoyed and angry at those local political commercials we're bombarded with?? WHEN did the ads stop telling us what GOOD a candidate would do for us....and turn into one that says what BAD stuff the opponent has already done, and will continue to do?? THAT'S the kind of junk that makes us apathetic. Why bother voting? Is every single politician a scoundrel of some sort? How are we to know?

I always think of those famous lines in the movie "Network" made in 1976. Just look how the following words are still true today....34 YEARS LATER:

 "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad!... You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it......"  (Spoken by Howard Beale, portrayed by Peter Finch)  

I leave you with the following quotes. All said by the remarkable, extraordinary, the genius...Mark Twain.


"Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it."


"We have the best government that money can buy."

"Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."

♫♪ So Much to Say ♫♪

Every time I say, think or hear the words "so much to say", I always think of the Dave Matthews song. I must admit I rarely understand most of the lyrics to his songs, but I love the tone of his voice and all the magic he does with it. I love most of the music, too......lots of great dancing songs. And...oh yeah...he is definitely easy on the eyes!! Woot!

One: I was surprised and saddened to hear of the death of Barbara Billingsley, one of America's greatest TV Moms, but, she lived a wonderful life, right up until the age of 94 years young. Thanks for all the memories, Mrs. Cleaver!

Two: Yesterday, The Ronald and I took grandson Scotty to the Life is Good Festival in St. Charles. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. All proceeds went to the Life is Good Kids Foundation.

I love the entire Live is Good story. If you don't know about it, or the merchandise, etc. click Jake's on Main (Street). I didn't have time to buy anything, but since we're fortunate to have a Genuine Neighborhood store so near, I can certainly get by there sometime soon.

Three: I'm still in a very good writing mode. In fact, I've been working diligently on a Saturday Writers contest that must be snail-mailed by the 20th of this month. (a birthday for a special person, too!) I'm also getting other contests and submissions written on my schedule, in hopes to keep better track of them. I actually got a little networking in at the festival yesterday, too!! Ah yes, Life is definitely Good!!

(courtesy Jake's on Main site, one of T-shirt logos)

* Anthology Acceptance & Other Writing Info *

First of all, I am thrilled to announce that an essay I submitted for the anthology, Cuivre River Anthology, Volume V, has been accepted! More on that at a later date.
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The newest Tiny Lights Sparks newsletter came out today.  Susan Bono is Editor-in-Chief ....extraordinaire! Please check it out, especially the section: Lights Online and then Searchlights & Signal Flares. That's where I submit monthly "answers" to Susan's very curious "questions". I've mentioned quite a few times, too, that anyone can submit their answers and they will be published online. There are no requirements, other than keep it "nice". There is no entry fee, judging, or money award involved, but "Hey...You get to see your work published!" I can't figure out why more of my writer friends haven't sent in some of their scathingly brilliant work!! Also, this month's "Featured Writer" is none other than fellow Missourian and great friend, Theresa Sanders (or Teri as most of us know her!) Why not go to the site and sign up for the monthly newsletter? Tell Susan, "Becky sent me!" ☺

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Welcome to my newest follower!... Betty Henderson, whose blog is Windy Ribbons. Betty's brand new book is just out: From Trash to Treasure; Evolution of an Ozarks Junkyard. Just the title made me curious! I've included the link to High Hill Press, Betty's publisher, where you can read Chapter One, for free! 

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In an attempt to find A GOOD WAY to keep track of the submissions I've sent, PLUS keep track of places I WANT to send my writing to, I typed up a "Writing Schedule", which is similar to the one in Bylines Desk Calendar. Sylvia Forbes, publisher & editor, included a really cute Top Ten Reasons to Buy Bylines Calendar on the website. (Sylvia also came to speak at one of our Saturday Writers meetings and she was excellent.) I hope the writers chosen to be part of the 2011 calendar will be announced sometime soon, because I submitted something and haven't heard yet. Even if I don't make it into the calendar, I'm surely going to purchase one because it is so much more than a calendar. Find out more on the site.
Last of all:  Happy Writing.....and Follow Your Bliss!

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“I began to have an idea of my life, not as slow shaping of achievement to fit my preconceived purposes, but as the gradual discovery and growth of a purpose which I did not know” -- Joanna Field

** Visions of Blissful Messiness **

This is the left front corner of my desk. I noticed it after I uploaded some photos from my camera, which sat on my desk, while plugged into my laptop. I thought it looked so interesting from this angle So, I thought if it looked kinda cool to me....it may also look that way to others!


I wish I could say this is my pile of submissions, but alas...it's mostly junk mail and bills. I have a tendency to ignore that which I do not want to face. But, on top of those envelopes, are some notebooks and calendars which help me with my writing.....and yes, there is ONE anthology submission which I worked on so diligently yesterday afternoon and into the night! I AM writing again! I AM writing again!

(P.S. I inadvertently forgot to mention and welcome my two newest followers: Sandra and DanPloy. Thanks for becoming followers! I hope you enjoy visiting.) 

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then, is an empty desk?" Albert Einstein