Sisterhood Award/Prayer Request

I'm honored that KimboSue nominated me for the Sisterhood Award. KimboSue was the first blogger I ever followed and really connected with, plus she motivated me to start blogging. Thank you, Kimbosue. Please take good care, lots of love to you, Dean, and Peanut coming your way. Now, onto the Sisterhood Award:





So here are the rules:

Put the logo on your blog or post.
Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude and/or gratitude.
Be sure to link to your nominees in your post.
Let your nominees know they have received the award by leaving them a comment on their blog.
Be sure to link this post to the person who nominated you for the award.

And in no particular order, the Nominees are...

Cara - The Bear and The Comedian
Mrs.Spit Spouts Off
Tara - Too Much Information
Soralis - Twins plus One
Sara - Gas Passer
Annie - Witches, Words, oh my!
Kim - Wicked Stepmom
Lori - Weebles Wobblog
Heather - Joys in My Life
Momma Val
Susan - Musings over coffee
Barbara - Burble

I appreciate each one of these bloggers and thank them sincerely for sharing their thoughts, spirit, and wishes and allowing me to do the same. Blessings to you all, always and in all ways, Martha

Please keep my dear blog "sister" Kimbosue, and her baby in your prayers and best wishes. Kimbosue is being monitored for the pregnancy complication of preeclampsia. Thank you so much.

What's Up Wednesday

Our dog, Charley is usually a very sound sleeper in his crate. However, last night, Charley cried and fussed throughout the night like a brand new puppy. My husband and I both went down to alternatively check, then yell at him to "Be Quiet!" My cat, Abigail was also on high alert last night, sitting on her perch by the window, instead of asleep as is her usual routine for 22 out of 24 hours. There was a disturbance in the animal kingdom.

I found out the cause of the pets' upset when I went outside this morning to walk Charley and found literally gobs and gobs of cat hair. It looks like the fur of possibly two of my neighbors' cats and luckily no blood. So hopefully that means it was just a cat fight and not an owl or coyote attack.

I live adjacent to the Santa Clara River which is a desert river which sounds like an oxymoron. A desert river's flows are seasonal based on rain. It also flows underground during the dry season, approximately 9 months out of the year. (Gee, aren't you glad you stopped by for this little geography lesson?) Anyway the riverbed is a direct "wildlife highway" for the coyotes, possums, bears, (Yes, we had a bear cub in our neighborhood almost twelve years ago!) and other creatures to come down from the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains to hunt, drink, and reclaim this territory from suburbia. It is not a place to have outdoor pets and another neighbor has lost several cats to coyotes. (They are slow learners I think. The humans, not the coyotes who learned really quickly that pets = reliable food source.) Our bunny, Copper got killed by an owl several years ago when she refused to go into her hutch one night. Pets are definitely not on the top of the food chain in my neighborhood.

I am relieved I don't have to deal with any injured (or worse) animals in my garden, as I plan to spend some time out there planning my garden and lawn "rehabilitation". First on the list is reseeding the lawn which looks like a mud pit. Of course, serious weeding, trimming, and debris clean up is needed. Then, onto the fun stuff, composting and mulching the flowerbeds, replenishing the bark under the tree swing, and then putting in flowers and seeds for lots of Spring, Summer, and Fall color. I was looking at Pacific Giant Primroses at the garden store yesterday and the flowers were so brilliant and happy. I also can't wait to go to the "Rock" Store and pick up a couple bags of river rocks to use in the front flower beds. I enjoy seeing the boulders, slabs of slate, and rocks of all sizes and colors. A couple years ago I put in a slate pathway in front of my husband's shop in the backyard. That was fun, and not as hard as I expected. I do like rocks, especially in a garden. I like yard work too, I enjoy getting my hands dirty and feel at peace working with Nature. Plus, nobody bothers you when you are pushing a lawnmower.

What's up with you this Wednesday?

Perfect Moment Monday brought to you by Mr.Crankypants

Our youngest son, the 11 y/o, has been Mr.Crankypants, disagreeable and short tempered, very much not his usual upbeat and sunny self.

I asked him if he liked being part of our family. (He has been exasperated with all of us, so I was unsure what to expect.)
S. said, "Yes, it would be too hard to get used to another family's habits."

This reason made me smile, "...another family's habits" indeed. No "I would miss you, Dad, and brother", no missing the pets, our home, it was our "habits"! Another routine or lifestyle would just be too much for him to cope. So, even though he is frustrated with us as only an eleven y/o can be, he's sticking with us.

Thank you and for more Perfect Moments, please visit Lori.

Q&A about blogging

From Zen Ventures, a little Q & A about blogging-
1.What do you hope to achieve in blogging?
2.Why do you blog?
3.What do you blog about?

1. I really don't know what I hope to "achieve" with blogging, really no aspirations except learning and connecting with folks on a host of topics, share some laughs, and learn more about myself and the great world through others' experiences.

2. I comment, therefore, I blog. I can be quite the commenter, so turn around is only fair play. Some of the bloggers I follow share very personal and heartfelt experiences and I want to give them the opportunity to weigh in on what I have to share. The give and take is what it's all about. I also telecommute and enjoy the virtual community and support of my blog friends. There is genuine connection and caring, it's just wonderful.

3. To borrow the term from the inestimable Lori of Weebles Wobblog, I am a free range blogger posting about whatever catches my fancy and touches my heart. And I try not to bore anyone, including myself.

So there you have it, please play along by answering any or all. Thank you so much.

Black Humor- Warning:Clinical Adult injury/death/stupidity discussed

Like alot of clinicians and first responders, I have a black sense of humor to help cope with unique and often stressful situations.

When I first became a RN I worked in surgery and recovery room at a community hospital. One evening we had an elderly gentleman accompanied by his extended family come in to have a foreign body removed from his backside. He required surgery, as this foreign object, a can of air freshener, was firmly lodged up his lower intestine. The surgeon said the man told him he sat on the can "by mistake". Some mistake. After the can's removal, we tested the air freshener, (away from the sterile field of course!) It worked perfectly before we put it in a specimen bucket to send to pathology. (That must have made for an interesting pathology report.)

Twenty years ago when I worked in the Emergency Room at a large medical center in Florida, we had multiple trauma victims arrive from a high speed police chase and collision. This included an elderly woman driver in the wrong place at the wrong time and a drug dealer trying to evade arrest. I remember the ER doc and I working on the dealer and when she found a big zip.lock bag of crack coca.ine stuffed in his pants, she held it up to the waiting police and yelled out, "Party at my house tonight". The drug dealer survived. The elderly woman, a grandmother, did not.

Fifteen years ago when I was flying out to California from Florida, the airplane flight crew requested professional medical help. I dutifully pushed my call button and went up to First Class to "check out the situation" at the request of the flight attendant. (Btw, whenever anyone uses the word, "situation", it means seriously eff'ed up.) I walked into the first class bathroom to find a man pouring blood out of his cowboy boot into the sink. There was blood on the floors, the counter, alot of blood. I asked him, "What happened?" He turned to me with bloodshot eyes and reeking of alcohol and said, "I had a zit on the back of my leg and I popped it." I said, "Well, I guess you won't do that again." (Clinical note:It was not a zit. He suffered bleeding from a leg varicose vein and had clotting problems due to alcohol use.) He was stable and we did not have to make an emergency landing, saving Amer.ican Airlines thousands and thousands of dollars from fees and missed passenger connections. For my trouble, I got a lame letter from the airlines giving me a $100 off a FULL FARE Ticket with blackout dates! Talk about black humor, I guess the airlines have it too.

Death of a Hired Hand

It has been gray and dreary here these last few days with strong storms coming down from Alaska. Winter is the rainy season in Southern California. The rain reminds me of my "Repair Guy" Alex who died in an accident on the slick roads last winter. Like most homeowners, once you find a "Repair Guy" that is good, reliable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable, you are breathing easier knowing you have a partner to help with the things that inevitably break down. Alex was there to help ever since we bought our house twelve years ago. Alex nursed my old washing machine back to health and gently broke the news when it was time to let it go. He tuned up the furnace and easily diagnosed and fixed our tempermental refrigerator. We got to know each other through our intermittent visits to keep this 40 year old house running. He saw my kids get bigger and I learned about how he moved to the United States from the Ukraine twenty years ago and about his wife and son. We had a bond.

I didn't find out Alex had died until last summer when I called his office to schedule a repair. The man who answered the phone became choked up and told me that he was sorry he would have to send someone else out as Alex had been killed in an accident in the rain last winter. I burst into tears, the loss of this young man struck me so hard and I was overwhelmed for quite a few minutes. I apologized for my emotional outburst and expressed my sympathy for Alex's family and coworkers.

A friend who also had Alex as their repairman had a similar reaction as me upon learning of his death. I thought, "Gee, we were just customers of a serviceman. Why this level of emotion?" I realized that it's not the quantity of the relationship per se, but the quality. That this person and I had a genuine connection and caring, and like ripples in the water, it touched my heart and spirit. I think of Alex's wife and young son and how they must miss him. I am not ashamed to say I miss him, not because of his work, but because of who he was and how he treated me, kindly, patiently, and warmly.
Rest In Peace, Alexander. Thank you. (Отдых в мире, Alesander. Спасибо.)

Love is In the Air

Hello this after Valentine's Day Monday and I hope you had a weekend filled with love. I sure did, I was treated to a favorite meal cooked by my husband. This meal is fantastic, it's broiled salmon topped with brie served on a bed of cooked spinach with dill cream sauce, with a side of sliced poached green apples and Yukon gold mashed potatoes. We are talking major heavenly delight in the tastebuds department. Ah, so good. My other delights were sweet cards from the family and a one lb.box of See's chocolates. Yum, yum, yum. I am lucky that my husband is so romantic. (Sometimes more so than me!)
I think my husband has passed this trait on to our soon to be 14 y/o son who is at the movies on his first date. Ack! Our teen was walking on air and a little nervous when he told us, "C. and I decided we like each other and want to go to the movies tomorrow. Sorry for springing this on you." It's okay, I told myself, it's just great. It's so sweet to see him all excited and walking on air getting ready this morning. I asked him how his guy friends will take his new status as part of a couple to which he said, "They will have to deal with it." And so will I.

"And stay right here, 'cause these are the good old days." Carly Simon, "Anticipation" lyrics

A Heart for Art

I am participating in an Art Festival sponsored by artist, Mother Henna. For this festival, I had to post about Art. It can be anything, a poem, a picture of your artwork, an essay describing your relationship with art, etc. I am not an artist per se, but I am passionate about the arts in all forms and seek to make it part of my life and home.

In writing this post, I have been thinking about growing up in an "artistic" household surrounded by artists, musicians, and actors. My parents and siblings are all talented musicians and my mother and I have enjoyed "walking the boards". My mother also painted and sculpted and owned an antiques and art gallery for many years. I remember my mom saying that good music, books, and art are just as important for childrearing as good nutrition, sleep, and play.

I was thinking of art in its' traditional forms, of something that is produced, a final product, a book or something to hang on the wall and admire. Then I realized this is so limiting, art is the process, the journey, the struggle, that connects us to "flow" or higher power where you feel part of and in sync with the universe.

I create art when I am present with my family and comfort and care for them.
I create art when I provide compassionate and excellent care at my work as a nurse.
I create art when I can make a little baby laugh while waiting in the check out line.
The craftsmen who install moulding, a surgeon replacing a worn out arthritic knee, a granny singing to her little ones, the cook creating a meal, these are all artists.
Art is in the doing.

Thank you to Mother Henna for celebrating Art and providing me the opportunity to reflect on its' role in my life. Your thoughts on art and its' place in your life are most welcome.
Many thanks, Martha

Major Blog Housekeeping- Tags, Memes, Awards

I am seriously behind in my blog housekeeping with Tags and Memes to answer and Awards to acknowledge and pay forward. I apologize for my tardiness in this post and really appreciate the Shout Outs from my friends across the cypersphere.

This first item of business is a photo tag from Marvelous Muse Swings all the way from the tropic beaches of Florida. This is a 6th folder, 6 picture tag where you go to your computer's 6th photo folder and post the 6th picture in the folder. You also have to describe the photo. Fair enough. That would be great except I only have 5 photo folders and a bunch of photo orphans, so I posted the 6th picture and here it is.



This picture of me and and some coworkers taken after a team building skit or some other vital piece of business during a work conference six years ago. I am wearing the beehive red wig and cat eye glasses, very glamorous.

The next item I am pleased to share is The Honest Scrap Award which I was so sweetly given to by two of my heroes- Amazing Ashley and Cara Mia.


The attendent rules:
Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. Then, list at least 10 honest things about yourself.

1. Lists about myself make me self conscious.
2. I contemplated answering this list with song lyrics like, "Born in the USA" and "Dancing in the Moonlight".
3. I have provided emergency nursing care twice on commercial airplane flights.
4. I have lived in 5 states.
5. I am good and like all animals, but prefer cats.
6. The most pets I have ever had was six pets. This included the 3 cats and dog I brought to my marriage and my husband's two cats.
7. I met my husband at my cousin's wedding. He says it's a "target rich environment" to meet someone. I wore a purple satin gown I referred to as the "grape gown". It obviously worked.
8. I am very concientious about wearing sunblock. Everyday, all the time, and multiple applications. I had skin cancer removed at the age of 28 years old.
9. I like to cook and bake. Apparently this is unusual, most folks only like to do one or the other.
10. A couple of years ago, my teenage niece told me that she read the phrase, "Don't Take Offense Easily" in a book. For some reason this really stuck with me.

I would like to invite Mrs.Spock, KimboSue, Are You Kidding Me, Annie, Soralis, Heather, and Kalei to play along in the Honest Scrap pile.

The next delightful Award is from The Jason Show, a warm and witty blogger who always brings a smile. Thank you, Jason for The Lemonade Stand Award. (Does this mean I make lemonade out of lemons?)



Here are the rules for The Lemonade Stand Award:
1. You must link back to the person you received the award from.
2. You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

The ten bloggers I would like to invite to The Lemonade Stand are:
Mrs.Spock, Momma Val, Cara, Kim, Annie, Kimbosue, Soralis, Kalei,
Are You Kidding Me, and Heather.
You all are the "pause that refreshes", always!

The last piece of business is a meme from dear Momma Val from beautiful Chicagoland. This is a twist on the Honest Scrap Award as you can see by the yes, you guessed it, More Rules:
From Momma Val - "Instead of saying where you live, what state your hair is in, etc. you will share bizarre little things about yourself. Maybe you have some guilty pleasures, maybe you have some OCD that you desperately try to hide, whatever the case may be this is your chance to spill it. Let's all remember to be honest, not to judge, and to have some fun being able to embrace our oddities and laugh at ourselves. Thought this might be a nice mid-week tension reliever.

So please, if you are tagged, copy and paste this entire post. Then replace my quirks with your own and tag up to ten people, unless you have A LOT of quirky friends then tag em all!!! Have fun!"

In the spirit of fun, I will be a good sport and share 10 quirks about me.

1. I find quirks in others very endearing.
2. I have an incredible sense of smell.
3. I have a very sensitive palate and tastebuds.
4. I like my gray hair.
5. Getting older isn't bothering me.
6. I consider myself an intuitive, I can frequently predict who is on the phone or at the door.
7. I have trouble sitting still for extended periods of time.
8. I have been through multiple natural disasters, Hurricane Andrew in Florida in 1992, the Northridge Earthquake in California in 1993, and the California Wildfires last fall.
9. I am good at imitating accents, I am especially proud of my Scottish brogue. My uncle can do a Scotsman speaking Yiddish, so this gift runs in the family.
10. I can remember phone numbers without effort. My husband calls me a walking rolodex.

In addition to tagging the lovely 10 bloggers listed above, I am tagging John Deere Mom and Jason because I want to learn about their quirks too! I am also tagging all of the linked bloggers who would like to share their 6th picture from their 6th folder, well, please do so!

Awards and memes, like most housekeeping, is hard work. Thank you to the presenters and to the other bloggers for playing along. This is the most link intensive post I've ever done.

One Sentence Post - Teach Your Children Well

In addition to educating our teen and preteen about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and reckless driving, I have now just warned them strictly against eating any Peanut products!

Perfect Moment Mondays with The Tobys

Hello this rainy, wet, and dare I say, dreary Monday. It's just glorious and cozy and so great to finally have winter. I felt cheated out of winter until these latest storms hit the coastline. I digress as usual as the topic that I am to post today pertains to Perfect Moment Monday. I was feeling like I didn't really have any perfect moments to share these last couple of weeks. Most days, (except when I'm in the throes of PMS), I'm pretty darn content with an abundance of perfect moments that are kind of boring. I recognize this is a good thing.

My perfect moment occurred while reading an email from the Maven of Perfect Moments, Lori of Weebles Wobblog. I had nominated Lori for The Toby Award bestowed by our Dear Mrs.Spit to acknowledge our "quiet heroes". I would like to share my nomination that I sent to Mrs.Spit regarding Lori.

Lori is so deserving of this sweet recognition for many reasons. She is an adoption midwife, helping educate and support families through the process of adoption. She teaches and inspires by sharing her stories of growing her family through open adoption.

I appreciate Lori for being a promoter of Perfect Moment Mondays ( http://weebleswobblog.blogspot.com/search/label/perfect%20moment ) which is a blog sharefest on fostering appreciation for our abundance.

Lori is also an avid supporter of the Adoption, Infertility, and Loss Community as seen with her work with Lost/Found Connections and Stirrup Queen sites.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to recognize someone I hold in high regard. Her posts always make me smile and make me want to meet her for lunch or a margarita.

Mrs.Spit posted the Award on Sunday and I appreciated the acknowledgement of Lori and her love and commitment for creating families. Lori, in turn, gave me a most Perfect Moment when I read this email from her this morning:

I replied on Mrs Spit's blog, but let me reiterate that I am so honored and humbled. That the award comes from you makes it even more special.

Thank you so much for really hearing my message. It's what every blogger/writer wants: to be understood and "gotten."

Thank you to both of these kind women for the perfect moments of genuine connection and caring. Thank you also for taking the time to read and I send my best for you to have a multitude of perfect moments!

Eight is More than Enough?

I have been disheartened about the recent news about the birth of octoplets in California with the use of Assisted Reproductive technology.(ART)

The clinicians who initiated this pregnancy are reprehensible and unethical, and did not follow clinical guidelines and standards of care. I fear it will cause a negative cultural mindset against ART.
I am concerned for the children. The mother's pyschological state is suspect at best. She has no means of support for these children, (besides hawking them like a sideshow attraction). It looks like my husband and I, and all the taxpayers of California, just gained ourselves 8 more dependents in addition to the 6 children and the mom too!
When I learned of the news of these octoplets, I was reminded of a billboard on the Flor.ida Turnp.ike that reads, "If you can't feed them, don't breed them."
What were these so called adults thinking?

Updated: I wanted to Thank Annie, Mamma Val, and Mrs.Spit for bringing up the crucial issue of the severe risks to the mother's health in carrying such high order multiples. I was amiss in not mentioning this in my initial post. (Not enough caffeine?) I thank you all for addressing yet another ethical issue pertaining to something that feels like it's out of a science fiction novel.

Observations while driving

These are my observations while driving the highways and streets of Santa Clarita -

People in California can't drive in the rain. They drive too fast, tailgate, and have no clue about how to deal with puddles or skidding. The concept of safe stopping distance is completely alien to the California driver.

I saw a bunch of human skeletons loaded in the back of a truck on the freeway. What would cause alarm and distress in other cities, is just another day of transporting stuff to the film set. I still think it's cool to see all the TV filming nearby. I walked my dog through the local park as the set for the TV show, NCIS, was being "struck" or taken down.

The Department of Motor Vehicles office was closed today, part of the closure of California state offices due to the budget mess. There was a guard posted at the door. Two days a month, state offices are now closed with the employees "furloughed" without pay. Ten percent of their pay to be exact. Their pay from the 6th biggest economy in the world.

What a crazy world.

I should be working or cleaning or something

I should be working or cleaning the house, but here I am with another post, mostly about nothing.

My new I.touch is here, Happy Dance, tap, tap, tap, wiggle, wiggle, and my whole library was restored like a charm. Happy Dance again, wiggle, wiggle, wave arms in air! I'm very pleased to get my upgraded electronic toy, can't you tell? I was looking at some games in their application store, they actually have a Yard Sale and Redecorating Game, how cool is that?

In other news in Sense of Humorville, I have connected with a few close friends from my home town with my 30th high school reunion face.book page. Even though we haven't been in touch for a decade, it's amazing how we just pick up the conversation pretty much where we left off. It's wonderful to connect with these girlfriends and chatting with them is like a comfy pair of old shoes. Not all of the feelings dredged up are all positive, warm, and fuzzy, I've thought about and revisited some very negative and trying times and experiences through this cyperspace pre-reunion. Again, things that haven't seen the light of day or consciousness in a decade or more. Even though I made major screw ups in high school and beyond, they, along with the good stuff, have made me who I am today. It's a mantra of acceptance and forgiveness for my choices. I think it makes me a nicer and kinder person.

I have some blog housekeeping to attend this week including a #6 picture meme from Marvelous Muse Swings and an Honest Scrap award from Amazing Ashley. (I am in the mood to alliterate names today.)

So, regarding much ado about nothing, please let me know-

What should you be doing?
What are you doing the happy dance about?
What makes you a kinder person?
Any blog housekeeping on your horizon?

DeCode Wednesdays

Greetings this beautiful DeCode Wednesday. I am playing along with Zen Ventures today where you post a picture and folks try to identify it or what is unique or different about the picture.

Does anyone recognize the famous land formation in the picture above? Or where they might have seen it before??


It's Vasquez Rocks in Northern Los Angeles County near my home. In addition to being a great place to hike and rock climb, it has also been the setting for many TV shows and movies including Star Trek, Little Miss Sunshine, CSI, and many others.

Thank you for your guess and if you ever are in Los Angeles, please let me know and we can go for a hike in this beautiful place.

Sympathetic Ear, anyone?

I am proud to say that I am usually good natured and even tempered. However, I am human, even more so now, that it is apparent that perimenopause is kicking my a$$ with a fair degree of moodiness, insomnia, and night sweats. I have observed people, (my husband specifically), don't take kindly ever to me having a bad day or expressing negativity. I often feel like I have to edit my negative feelings. My girlfriend puts it perfectly when she said, "Sometimes you just want your husband to just nod his head and say, "Those Ba$tards." I have learned I have to use a disclaimer when I need to vent to my husband, I will tell him, "I don't need you to judge or solve this problem, I just need you to support me and listen." With the disclaimer, Mr.Sense of Humor "gets it" (well most of the time). After almost 16 years of being together and 15 years of marriage, I am still learning about marriage and our relationship. I am still learning guys feel a need to fix things when all that's called for is a sympathetic ear.

Movie and Reunion Reflections

My husband and I saw Slum.Dog Millionaire last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an engaging and suspenseful movie that told the story of how a young man from the slums of Mumbai wins the biggest prize on a game show. This is a wonderful movie that lifted my heart and made me reflect on my own excess of good fortune and extraordinary wealth of my country and home. It is humbling to see the extreme poverty and street children of the third world and how they struggle for the most basic necessities; food, shelter, and safety. My pets have a better standard of living than these children and it's heartbreaking. You can't help but think, except for the circumstance of birth, there but for the Grace of God go I...

I got an announcement that my 30th High School reunion is planned for this summer. I had really wanted to go, but now that the date is set, I'm not so sure. I would love to see all my friends again, but it seems a little overwhelming. The High School reunion has their own facebook page and I've been sending some messages back and forth to my classmates. It's great to connect with some old friends, it's like opening up an old book I haven't read in a decade. I can't believe it's been thirty years since high school and we all still remember each other. (Well, at least most people.)

I have no plans today except to watch the commercials for NFL SuperBowl. I do not like watching sports (Boring!!!), but the commercials are alot of fun. (Usually better than the game.) I have 3D glasses for a few commercials will be in 3D. Pretty cool.

Well, off to fold laundry and tidy up the house before the Big Ad Blitz. Best to you and yours this Sunday.