FLOODS!!!

Just wanted to fill everyone in on the floods in our area. We are safe where we live, but it is a mess around here. We know two families that live near the river. One of them has a really nice BIG ole house that they have redone and filled with antiques. It is beautiful!! As of this morning when I talked to Joyce, they were ok. The river had not risen this morning, although the news reported it had risen a foot and a half in some nearby areas. It is 3o feet over its normal state. The other friends we have live in a small trailer. They were asked to evacuate the area last night. Haven't heard yet what has happened today. But all are safe and ok. I called our friends in Nashville, TN today. It was a scary phone call. She basically said (In under 30 seconds!) that they were living in chaos and life was not good, but they were fine and no one had died! Felt a LITTLE worse after the conversation - because there is so much more I want to know.. but she was in a rush and going a little crazy. Will try her again sometime. So, that's the story for now. Back in 1937 there was a HUGE flood here in KY. I am going to attach some links. One of the more interesting stories from that time is about a cow that ended up standing on a second story balcony when the waters subsided. There is a mural in Paducah and I think a restaurant. I will attach a story about that also if I can find it. Chad and I are safe at the moment. Its just further signs of the times!! Buckle your seatbelt.. it's headed your way next!!! (or probably sometime soon!) And remember, we are one day closer to the new world!!

** Correction... the flood of 1913 is the one that had the cow story. Notice the pic above.. upper right hand corner..

The Great Flood of 1937
Wall Murals painted in Paducah<> (this is really cool in person! Come see!)
Nashville, TN flood pictures

Hummingbirds!!

Hummingbirds are very abundant here in KY. I have slacked off a little this year from having my feeder up and ready. Mainly because I desperately need a new one and I am looking for a special kind. ANYWAY, here is a site I found where you can make your own food and feeders. (Nope, haven't attempted feeders this way yet. I made some real cool ones from old glass soda bottles, but never found the right tips for them. The ones I bought leak! Now I am afraid to buy any more..bummer!) Enjoy!!
Hummingbird Stuff click here!

Have you danced today?

We should consider every day lost in which we have not danced at least once.

- Nietzsche, philosopher

Borrowing the quote and comments from Sparkpeople.com. They send me an inspirational newsletter everyday and I thought this was full of nice thoughts. My comments will follow..ENJOY!

Finding and celebrating the joy in life
Each day is a new chance to find joy and to dance. If you let it pass or think it useless, the chance is gone and you'll never get it back. When was the last time you played? Or just did something for the sheer fun of it? Joy is not found in the world around you, it's within yourself. You can make your own joy, especially during those dark times when you need to really feel alive again. Fun and play are healthy antidotes to taking life--and ourselves--too seriously. They're proven boosters of immune systems and mental health and make life worth the trouble. So do the twist. Sing in the shower. Learn a magic trick. Watch a cartoon. Challenge some kids to a game. Don't let a single day go to waste.

Patti's thoughts: I do try to do this daily. At least find something to find joy in. Growing up my Mom always taught us to 'make your own fun'. Especially if we were doing something we really didn't want to or knew we weren't going to enjoy. I think that is great advice. Whenever we left the house she would say...HAVE FUN! No matter what we were going to do. If we don't see the joy in life, we will live a miserable life. In this system of things, I sometimes feel like I am just going through the motions. Just living one day at a time to make it to the new world. But, in spite of all the promises the future holds of a MUCH better life, let's not forget to appreciate what we have been blessed with in this life. I woke up this morning feeling a bit grouchy. We are having a weekend full of HEAVY rain and storms AGAIN! (Same thing last weekend). We had a leak in our closet during the night last nigh.. so here we are, half asleep, cleaning out my closets... ALL my dress clothes, shoes, purses and bags, etc, etc.... NOT FUN. But when I started playing with Jaxson and Gidget, all the ugliness seemed to fade away. I decided to have fun, in spite of feeling grumpy. Now, what can I do to make the rest of the day fun? Dance in the rain? Hmmm... We'll see! Make yours a good one!!!!

"When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy." -Samuel Goldwyn

This came in a newsletter in my email today. I thought it was an encouraging thought. Do we truly tell the people in our lives that we are proud of them? Do we applaud them, not only physically but in our hearts also. Can we make it a goal to each day find something special about those that we love and tell them. Maybe we can choose one person a day and focus on their good traits and what they are able to accomplish in life. This will help us all to have a more positive attitude toward our family members and our brothers and sisters. Not only will the person we applaud feel good, but we will feel good too! And really who of us couldn't use some more "feel good" moments in life? So,why not start today to applaud those that are important to you and see what happens! I think you will like the results!!

PS> I applaud all of you who are reading this - for being my friends and always being there to support me!!

WOW! It's been a year!

So, it's been that long since I visited my blog and wrote about my life. A lot has happened in a year. Mainly, I've become more focused on the more important things. I am hoping to get inspired to write in my blog on a more regular basis and I hope you will check back with me and see what is going on. I recently watched the movie, Julie and Julia. It inspired me to, not only try some new recipes, but also to start blogging again. The power of blogging is undeniable. Great movie, btw.. a few problems with it, but over all worth watching. Updates since last May... well, there has been quite a few, but most of all, we have a new member to our family. WELCOME GIDGET!! She showed up in our garage and decided she was going to live at our house! Cats are soooo good at convincing you what THEY want..lol.. As someone dear to me just reminded me... they own you, you don't own them! This has mostly proved true in her case. Like the times she walks down Chad's body at night just to jump off the bed (and get his attention I suppose) or how she has to sleep on MY pillow..even though she has one of her own! Or, most recently how she begs me to play with her first thing in the morning with the laser light. She sits and stares me down until I cave!! Hehe.. But don't let me fool you.. I love every minute of it. A friend recently asked "What is the point of owning such an independent creature?" Well, I could blog all day about how she has to be with me in every room or how she loves to play fetch like a dog or how she reaches her arms up like a child when she wants to be picked up, but my best response happened 2 days later. She caught her first mouse...YES - it was in the house (this time of year the field mice are trying to get inside.. I guess because the farmers are planting their crops.) Glad to have her kill that mouse that him eat my food or crawl on my stuff and infest it with germs while I sleep!! So, today's blog is dedicated to the cat... whether he/she is indoors or outdoors, a snuggler or an independent critter, long hair or short - they deserve our salute and love. After all, as Sigmund Freud put it so well, “Time spent with cats is never wasted.”