Pumpkins & Goblins & Witches & Pumpkins-- "Oh My", Have A Safe & Fun Halloween

It's Rain, Rain & More Rain Today, A Good Time To Bake Cookies*

I have this really good batch of dough which I had to freeze, for peanut butter cookies. I was so busy a few weeks ago & just couldn't get into devoting the time needed to bake a batch, but today's perfect for that, so here goes, time to wrestle with the carbs, but this recipe has a good amount of protein from the peanut butter & the egg whites, so a few chocolate chips really won't hurt.

What do you think? I know Hillary said she doesn't bake cookies, & I don't make them as often as I used to, but there's nothing like a fresh batch right out of the oven., especially on a damp rainy day. Now if I remain determined & guilt free, I'll be certain to hop on the bike & tread mill later. Dolly usually enjoys keeping me company when I do that, & perhaps a cookie for her too, as she's been so very good.

"News Flash", "News Flash"-- I've been a sampling, & they are *excellent & to think, healthy too!

H1N1 Or As Some Would Like To Say-- "When Pigs Fly", I Say-- Be Prepared

Well I did it, being I'm one of those front line health care workers, a nurse who has been soldiering on in this profession for just about 4 decades, I must say, yes I took the shot for the reemerging flu season. I would like to take this time to encourage everyone to listen to the CDC who also gets their information from the World Health Organization. Go on line, find the advisory for this flu season, & just do what is necessary for your family & yourself, be prepared.

In the above photo I'm at our state's local Health Dept. & am being administered the H1N1 vaccine, by Dan a very kind & skillful nurse, it didn't even hurt, honest.

Wishing everyone good health now & in the coming season, take good care.

A True Stairway To Heaven, Which Was Once Under The Sea*

This past week has gone by so fast, nonetheless I couldn't resist rounding up a few more images of last Sunday's, not so typical, "walk in the park". Photos can't possibly capture it, as it was amazing to learn that this section of North America was at one time totally, under the sea.

So what we were viewing & walking on are the crevices, & rock formations at the bottom floor of an ocean, totally emptied of the sea water it once contained. The stairs, paths, & embankment rocks were of course placed by a crew of men from a work project for the State of NY's state park system. So very beyond words this unbelievable workmanship, to appreciate & enjoy for generations.

This has been my latest buzz, when asked what's new, & what we've been up to. The absolute joy & thrills of nature, & you don't have to travel very far to view these amazing occurances, they can be found at--

Robert H Treman State Park- http://nystate.ny.us/parks/135details.aspt

Buttermilk State Park- http://nystate.ny.us/parks/151details.aspt

Water From Before Time*

My first posted video with further information to eventually follow, in our time relative present.

Dolly I'm Home*

Home this morning way before noon, & quite content to enjoy the day,
& now our autumn leaf piles have a new character to partake of the fun.

We arrived home yesterday evening having had dinner on our way back, stopping in Sturbridge, Ma. at the Ugly Duckling Tavern which is upstairs in The Whistling Swan, a colonial era type public house. Our shared dinners of Fish & Chips & a Greek Salad, was just perfect, especially the fresh baked frocita with it's aromatic herbs, very flavorful indeed.

Dolly stayed with her Aunt & Uncle at the kennel until this AM, as it was uncertain when we would arrive home yesterday, being the traffic or weather can prove unpredictable on these scenic jaunts. Our trip to Central NY is at the least 5 hours, so when I said-- "Hello Dolly!" It was well worth the wait.

Dolly's Great Adventure*

Well we're off to the great white north, tomorrow morning, it's been snowing there on & off for some days now, brrrrr. Dolly's at the kennel under the watchful eyes of her dogie care taking Aunt & Uncle. I miss her. She's been there for several days now as there's much to do to get ready for our trip & bringing her in several days early was a compromise agreement on the part of the kennel owners & myself. Just several hours before we were to go I discovered she was missing from the yard. A few concerned phone calls to my son & husband, & I finally figured out that she had followed my husband's car out of the yard, on his departure from the property. "Dolly, Dolly!", I called & waited, called & called, from the deck, the front porch & all angles of the yard, it felt so strange, here I was in the midst of what was becoming a "dogie drama" & then it was over, she suddenly appeared, like out of no where, like a movie; panting, out of breath, seemingly exhausted, relieved, so very happy to have found her way back home. For the near hour when I discovered she was missing, it was like she had vanished, would I ever see her again, & then there she was, like out of no where. She must have lost her way in the woods for a bit, & all she needed was the urgent call of her new owner, "Dolly, Dolly", what a set of radar ears.

Images & Symbols, Reminders Of Our Greater Selves*

Yes, it is wonderful that our new President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Peace, the essence of a positive life, among nations, within our own communities & the bodies, minds & spirits of each & every one of us, it is the ultimate, the finest aspect of any human being.

With that said, what remains-- Congratulations to all citizens of the United States of America for this noble distinction, as with this award, goes great responsibilities for all of us, in keeping with the spirit for, "Peace on Earth."

The way to peace is a personal yet mutual path. As Confucius from centuries past continues to remind us-- "Forget injuries, never forget kindness." Peace has always been at hand, & it is for us to decide how we are to continue to live. One of the challenges that has remained with us, is that some interpret acts of peaceful, loving kindness, as a weakness to be over powered. Will human beings ever see the the day when a small element of our specie is able to put aside a sense of acting out on their hurts & negative feelings from so deep within them? Those of us who refuse to accept the opposite of peace as a negotiating tool must forever remain hopeful, for a grim alternative to hope, in this nuclear age, that we were born into, conflicts with all of our positive human potential, as world wars, no matter the number they named the war, or the slogan that had been given or sung, the historical proof is that the solutions that came from these conflicts often times produced other far reaching problems for the ills of humanity.

All we can do is to keep keeping on, & as we do that we must remember that the Nobel Prize for Peace brings with it an awesome responsibility for us to always do the right thing.

As Tavis Smiley would say at the end of each and every program-- "Keep the faith." I say that too, & add of course, "Peace be with you."

Sweet Dreams All, Tomorrow My Alarm Goes Off At 5:30AM, It Will Be Coffee Time, Do Join Me--

This steaming photo was from a section of a mural in a really cool coffee house in Warren, R.I. The coffee, tea & all that they offered was excellent & the environmental decor was very much in keeping with our philosophy, as you can tell from the opening image.

A Bike, A Path, A Simple Formula For Autumn

Our most recent bike ride was yesterday afternoon, the location; the East Bay, which is along the Narragansett Bay coast, of Rhode Island, the Ocean State. Yes, one of the smallest states in the union, & also a state with infinite ocean views, [Rhode Island's name the ocean state really becomes clear on a day like the one we just experienced.] Riding along the bike path on a perfect October day, breath taking, beautiful with all it's simple pleasures. We'll just have to be sure to take the bikes out whenever we can, as much as we can, for autumn is fleeting in this neck of the woods & down by the bay too.

& They Call It Puppy Love--

Here we are in October. This is my weekend to work, but no matter how busy I may get, the care of my puppy is at the top of the list. Dolly now weighs approximately 31 pounds. She's up to date with her heart worm medication, & tomorrow I'll be giving her the necessary medication to prevent flea, tick & diseases from those pesky mosquitoes.

Having a pup for a pet again gets me out of the house for the main reason of sharing my company with her, nothing more & nothing less, & she is oh, so appreciative. She's learning good manners for walking on a leash & all it takes is a few minutes of our striding together, & she definitely gets it. How can I describe the tilt of that little head, looking up, with the slightest of angles, just so she can get a glance of my approval. It definitely inspires me to keep working with her, as she has the potential to be a really wonderful pet. Manners are definitely something she can learn. There's a special sense of surprise in having a mutt & knowing the sweet potential that shined through in her early puppy days are what won me over. "Sit, come & stay, & God bless you Dolly", when you sneeze.

It's a labor of luv, "ruff " ! {or is it "woof "!}