Cars Come & Cars Go, SomeThoughts On The Toyota Problem--

We know so many Toyota owners, it reminds me of the 60's when just about every family owned a Chevy. It's good that Toyota made a public recall, for at least now, the owners of these questionable cars can hopefully "get some satisfaction", & be safe. The safety part is what remains in question, & is most important for the people continuing to drive these cars. They are being told by news reports how to readjust their driving, in hopes of not running a muck. I think more assurance of safety is needed here, as it's a real stress knowing that people during their every day commutes are at dangerous risk.

Ralph Nader thankfully can be credited in obtaining the first automotive recall for Chevrolet's Corvair from his book, "Unsafe At Any Speed." Since then other major recalls have been put in place against the car industry, Ford for it's Pinto, & Volkswagen for it's ejector seats, just to name a few.

We just replaced my 15 year old Volvo. When we got it, it was 3 years old, & all the recalls by then had been taken care of. Recently as we were looking for a replacement car, Toyota had definitely been in view, the reliability & quality was constantly in the forefront of our thinking, but in the end I stuck with the car I had become most familiar with. We owned a Toyota back in the early 70's, it had belonged to my friend's brother, as he & his family were moving to Canada, & they replaced it with a new one. Even though we had all the service records of that Corona we were never happy with it, for the engine blew, & the investment we had made was a total loss. That may be the ultimate reason as to why I never became a Toyota fan again, just couldn't forget that short termed ownership chapter.

Toyota will rise again, & regain their reputation, but it will take hard work & a positive pr. They can do it, but for now anyway they are not "simply the best". Perhaps in time, there will be a renewed appreciation of the American car industry in Detroit. The universe holds the possibility of more than one shining star, & Toyota will have to sing a different song in their next galactic orbit.

Some Things That Capture My Imagination In Wintertime*

This sweet image of "shalom/peace" which I found down in our cellar, belongs to a friend. My husband is in the process of fine tuning it, so she can have it on the door of her home. Can you see the little peace sign & tree worked into the image? What a unique, intricate & classic design.
It seems that my dear Dolly so enjoys chewing. Just ask this penguin. [#!*#!]

A new week, & how very wonderful to begin with the warmth of the winter sun gracing us. A herd of young deer just ran through our woods, as I was on the phone with our eldest son. No pictures this time, we were chatting as they moved through quite quickly. I do think that Dolly is effectively keeping them away from my garden, with all her dogie smells & the like. For her Birthday this spring I'll be getting her the invisible fence, that way she'll be less confined, & be able to have a more natural life. "Good for you Dolly, we're getting there. You're so talented." When you're not chewing on penguins, that is.

Well I need a cup of java in my tank, as it's necessary to go, "a food gathering". Before leaving the house it is always "the hair" which requires a bit of moisturizing, due to it's natural nature [a future essay topic, for sure], but in the meantime I'll just deal with it, & defrizz as best I can. My husband is out walking in the snowy woods with our pup, & I, well I better get myself in gear here, before it gets too cold outside again. Yes wintertime, we wouldn't have it any other way-- Keep those ice caps & icebergs as their meant to be, with no politics, truly.

Ok, my coffee is all brewed, & it smells just right!

On This Blustery Day In January*

Our new book related venture "Dear Lester & Louise" [dearlesterandlouise.blogspot.com] has been getting wonderful support by friends & family alike. Which made last week artistically productive & it feels just right!

This is the week of my husband's birthday, so we plan on doing fun stuff here & there as the week progresses. We had intended to go out for a fish dinner tonight, but due to gale force winds, that plan got switched to watching our net flicks DVD from the John Adams series, until we loose our power. It's been interesting learning in depth information about John, Abigail & their family. So went the nation, to now....

Today started out with Conservation Commission work of the New Year. It is very purposeful, time consuming & detailed in nature. As we think global & act local, every little bit helps. Time management & balance is the key, as we do the best, that we can.

Thy will be done.

{So far we still have our power & no need as of yet to hook up the generator, which is good.}

"Dear Lester and Louise", A New Blog For This New Year !

Some things are of course a bit easier for some, & not so for others, but ultimately when you stick with it, & keep a hold onto a dream, it can, & does get done.

So when you get a chance & if you're up for some cuteness, do visit a new blog, which has been created for children of all ages. Our characters are sweet, unique, punchy & with it. Their adventures can be followed at [dearlesterandlouise.blogspot.com]. Lester and Louise will be having their first book published this summer, we'll keep you posted.

Tomorrow Wednesday 1/20/10 , A New Posting For A New Blog

It's been such a long time in the works, but tomorrow's the day. My dear friend-coauthor, & I are finally ready to put a bit of solid information out on the net. Soooo, once I know how to cut & paste properly I'll be able to provide a more solid link, but until then it will have to be by the blog address, & tomorrow's the day, as we are ready to go! Yes, we're coming to a computer monitor near you.!

Martin Luther King Day 2010 *

Time has certainly flown by for many-- It seems like only yesterday I was watching Dr. Martin Luther King on TV, giving his passionate, "I Have A Dream," speech, live & on the spot.

Looking back at those hectic, historic times of the 1960's, even then, living through it, it zoomed by quite rapidly, as does life today.

The dream shall never die, as we continue to carry it with us in our hearts, minds, thoughts & deeds. We have certainly come a long, long, way, but those steps, that journey was only a beginning. When the time comes that we no longer need to legislate, common decent treatment of one another, such as basic human rights, only then--- "We'll know we have made it, we'll know darn well." *

So until that day, we'll "continue to continue", & not pretend that all is right with the world & remember our potential-- to take that moment of thought seriously, & from there, do the right thing. Yes, at times it won't be easy, but "we can, can, work it out." * Martin Luther King, in the spirit keeping with Henry David Thoreau & Gandhi, brought nonviolent resistance to the fore front of America.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , may the life you have given, for the cause of equal rights, world peace & justice, be forever remembered & acted upon for generations to come. May you rest in peace, as our Creator has taught, though we are but human, we are capable of greatness, by acts of kindness & the courage to speak up when we have been wronged. For when we muster the courage to speak up as honestly & as plainly as we can, we help not only ourselves, but share this awareness & perspective with the other, who may not, until that moment, have even been aware of their effect on an other's world. Courage comes in all shapes, forms, colors & tones, as does music, the "universal language". One of the earliest of lessons taught to me some 55 years ago, is to, "stop, look, & listen." Yes, a good first lesson on the long journey to peace, & to think that too was taught in song.

{The quoting of the lines from the included *song, were inspired by a PBS documentary I was watching last week, when I heard a familiar song after so many years. It was of course originally done by The Pointer Sisters, probably in the 1970's. The documentary is entitled, "Young At Heart". "Young At Heart" is about a community chorus & their director. They are from N. Hampton, Ma. This chorus has an excellent, punchy & unique sound, of which their talent has taken them all over the world, including Prince Albert Hall in London. In their travels they have performed to "sold out" audiences, the average age of a chorus member is 72. I therefore remain, "forever, hopeful", as music has the power to keep us, "forever young", as it has been known to provide motivation & comfort during massive population movements of social change, historically & to also heal many an individual heart along the way, on life's personal journey. Hospice is just one social change movement, that has always known this.}

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*{Today is our son's 24th Birthday, prayers for health, & happiness, on this special day, as are thoughts & prayers for the above noted essay.

*Amen*

Prayers Of Relief, Help & Healing For The People Of Haiti*

Many of us awoke with the tragic news from the Caribbean area of the world, as a recent earth quake has taken the lives reportedly of thousands. According to the latest report from the Friends Committee, an arm of the Quakers here in America, the loss of life is of 100,000 people.

The mere fidgeting of the western world with all it's known problems is just dust compared to a scale such as this.

Just think how effective & helpful we could be, if our time & energies world wide, were not consumed with maintaining the status-quo, & acts of war were to cease, *forever.

Why not dream, for acts of human kindness does happen. We could continue with the UN & have the Humanity Olive Branch Force, working with UNICEF & other organizations within the UN. Nations of the world could do this continually if wars did not exist, for now & ever more.

We must of course do what we can for the peoples who are located in a part of the world that has experienced such a horrific event. Our world, it turns, it heaves & erupts from it's very core. In science we know much, but ultimately we know so very little, as humanity does it's very best to help & to cope. These are the issues we must harness our energies to fight, for the right to protect & live healthfully, no longer fightning one another.

Doctors Without Boarders and other organizations of the UN, thank God for the heroic good of the people.

*Amen*

Skiing On A Garden Of Grass*

Cross country skiing at a local golf course. Not too many runs left before this snow is gone....

So, How's The New Year Going--

How's it all been going out there, amigos & amigas? My New Year started out busy, which is the norm for most I guess. I like busy, but not so busy that every hour of the day is spoken for. I will work at the time management aspect of the day to day, but ultimately I love it all. Even when it's way too hectic or stressful, & come down with a minor cold, as I did this year, which is no surprise, as it was very stressful. It's the quandary of a delima here or there, & the figuring out of how to solve it, for the present & then how to best prepare as a preventative. But solutions do come, & if I weren't learning along the way, then what would be the use.

I'm still struggling with the finer aspects of computer technology, but make small in roads here & there. Attaching written documents took a long time coming, but I did finally figure aspects of that out, & the reward of learning this new technique has really proven most helpful in refining the loose ends to my efficiency. "Practice does make better.", as my now 26 year old son taught way back when, during his grammar school years.

Dolly too is making progress, she listens better, & better, & has adapted to this human implemented pack leader approach. Thank you Cesar, as we are both practicing what you have taught.

Anyway here we are almost half way through the first month of the year. Our driveway is still covered with a thin crust of compacted snow & the gardens & woodlands surrounding the house still appear somewhat other worldly with snow encrusted branches. The yucca plants are especially lovely in the snow, & will always remain special to me, stiff, stark, angular, upright & jagged. It's in late spring or early summer when their cream colored, tiny lily formed blossoms appear, if you're lucky. I have a special place in my heart for the yucca, as it reminds me of the plight out in the west, a place where the nuclear industry wants to bury it's waste. It was, & may still be proposed, for the rugged, unassuming, innocent-- Yucca Flats. It is there where they want to store, all of our nations nuclear waste, which of course takes thousands of years to decompose to become free of nuclear contamination. What kind of a time management program is that? Yet the beauty of the yucca speaks, from there to here. Do we hear.....

A Late Afternoon Of Cross Country--

Cesar who, you may ask? Cesar Millan of course, "The Dog Whisper" !
Dolly romped a little & I skied a bit. The perfect formula for a well balanced day. I even baked some cookies. "Not for you Dolly, too much sugar, & don't even ask, yes I was bad."

All In Good Time, As We Step Out Into The New Year

This unique sculpture is for all to view at the United Nations, a one in a million trip.

This other photo speaks for it's self, at a cozy harbor beach in Cape Cod, Ma. Just one of those many spots from when we were a flegging nation. We're watching the John Adams series now, a good reminder of how we started out so very small, this unique United States of America, our work still, in progress....

Time has a way of waiting for no one, constantly moving forward, going, going...

So with that on my mind, I do think a more efficient approach to time management may prove invaluable, as the pendulum swings, & the sands extend, but time is not linear. I've been told it bends, & the tides ebb, flow & change. Don't you just feel it within, it's all very much connected.

The Long & Windy Road, Like A River--

Today we awoke with the usual snowfall that New England's winters bring & after a brief coffee, my favorite pet, took off like lightning to our neighbors, to check out the snow plowing activity. Oye, there I was sipping my coffee, sharing a telephone conversation with a friend, & the shift occurred; I was already wearing leggings, as it is quite cold here in the morning, so after calling my neighbor to say I saw Dolly take off in their direction & I'd be right over, I quickly got myself prepared to weather the weather. She came back with me quickly & with ease, but due to her wanderlust, unless she's with one of us out in the yard she'll have to be kenneled either in her playground area which is fenced in & contains her igloo, or in our cellar in her crate. She likes the crate best, but I really can't use that space a whole lot, as she does need room to exercise. Even in the apx. 12' by 12' kennel area, she really doesn't get proper exercise, & she gets rather hyper from the pent up energy.

I've been allowing myself the luxury of catching up on some recent articles from past issues of The New Yorker, & The New York Times Magazine. The New Yorker with it's usual cutting edge articles is always worth delving into. It was an article from The New Yorker Magazine that got me involved & out there as an environmental/peace activist. The article goes back to the 70's & it was written by Barry Commoner, a renown scientist. My husband wanted me to read it, I was a new mom then & it gave this newly blossomed Mother Lightning all the information needed to speak out for the future generations, of which I've been doing ever since.

I must admit some of the previous chapters from this year's personal holiday season were quite exhausting, not hard to guess which chapter was the heaviest, but resolving issues in a positive & healthy way is so worth the time & energy, then after needing recharging, rebooting, & bouncing back to enjoy 2010 in all it's entirety, a continuum of an interesting journey.

Greetings Of The New Year 2010 From The Peace Garden !

I really enjoy the message of this snowman. It was becoming a bit frayed at the bottom from winters past, & was loosing it's hem. I just got through putting "a stitch in time", into this jolly ole' flag, only time will tell, how well it will weather this winter. I'll keep you posted, of course.

This interesting gnarly, knotted tree, so like the family of humankind. Very old, & rooted, very deep. How this great tree maintains it's strength & flexibility is what so mystifies us, as the storms & the winds come & go, for hundreds of years. We too have the ability to learn from this great tree. Let's us not kid ourselves in thinking what a perfect picture, all is good, all is perfect. All can be improved. By saving the grounds that our trees grow upon, we therefore save ourselves, from the complicity of a machine driven world & all it entails. Trees too represent the human family, our personal & interconnected family trees. Yes we will continue to weather, the aim is to grow older with dignity & respect as we walk this path into a new decade of an exciting New Year. Love, dignity & respect-- the golden key, that roots every human being, as we've seen the effects when these elements are missing.

It was a very sweet New Years Eve for my husband & I, we visited with our very gracious & special friends of our interfaith group. They were most *welcoming & shared with us a delightful dinner, of fresh handmade gourmet pasta, with a delightful red sauce, accompanied with salad & bread. Their charming neighbor across the way, brought homemade fudge, which we enjoyed for dessert with tea. Our addition was a cheese tray with a New Years Eve pomegranate in accompaniment. The dinner was delicious & wonderfully textured by being with such wonderful people who are very interesting, kind, generous, talented & fun.

The evenings focus was "not by bread alone", as there were prayers read for the well being of family, friends & the world, followed by an interesting discussion of the various religions of the world, & touching ever so gently on our own relationship with God & the faiths we have developed over this lifetime, & how it relates to us & our world at large. The past, present & future of religion in the world, all given insightful perspectives by the six of us present, a most interesting & respectful discussion so fitting, as 2009 was about to close.

So in a continuum of last nights prayers, a peaceful, healthy & happy New Year to all in this new decade of 2010.

May God bless you & keep you as you walk this path upon our earth & may we continue to strive for the mutual betterment of a world free of pollution, a healthy world for nature, which of course includes us, & our continued melody that sings-- "War is not the answer, only love will conquer hate."

*Amen*