NOTES FROM THE NEST

Usually, "notes" will arrive on a Sunday night.

More than likely the timing corresponds
to my reflection of the two days
of bliss,
away from the place I call

CRAZY.......

48 hours spent mostly in solitude
(both by choice and the ever present dictation of the cafe that consumes my life and business partner,. Mr. J.)

unless you count the brat Cat

who seems disturbed that I have intruded upon HER world
for two days

and keeps one slanted eye on me at all times...

Anyhow,

I want to share a discovery of huge proportion.
An amazing woman,

writer,

songwriter- musician

speaker.

Christine Kane

I found these words of hers on her blog
that echoed my very conversation with a co worker yesterday
about
recession....depression

I told her that if we, as a collective spirit,
could ignore the doomsday bellowing
and instead
believe the best
and act that way
speaking only positive words
sending a positive vibration out to the universe
WE could make a difference..........

and then today I find this artist
and her blog
and her thoughts that mirrored mine
and I am sure many, many more.
She wrote this:

You can choose to participate in a recession or not. You are a point of power in this game. Even if the whole world agrees that everything is in a free-fall, you can still expand. You can still generate and regenerate. You can still create and create again. This is wealth.

When you live consciously, then you are no longer a part of the mainstream thoughts — the caterpillar pillar. You no longer look to anyone or anything outside of you to define your reality. You choose that for yourself now. Remember? You define abundance. You decide whether or not to shrink or expand. You choose whether or not to participate in this line of thinking. This is wealth.

Either way, you’re going to eat food. Either way, you’re going to buy gas and go perform and teach and share your soul. Either way, you’re going to wake up each day, and decide that it’s going to be a great day.

So, don’t fire the cleaning lady. Pay her extra.

Don’t look at the numbers as you fill your gas tank. Decide to have more than enough. And then look at the sky and smile at the satellites.

Don’t shrink and hide your light. Shine brighter and share yourself with people.

Don’t deny yourself joy and delight. Buy a reckless bouquet of flowers for your coffee table.

Don’t lock yourself up in your house. Invest in yourself and go to the workshop.

You create flow. You generate wealth. Your choice to expand will always lead to greater abundance.

Be very very clear that you are the point of power in your life, and that there’s no such thing as recessions where you live.

My dear bloggie friends

enjoy her message and her music

I, for one,
am setting this sketch that I doodled out
in my favorite moleskine
a few moments ago

I was thinking about how PIA
hates Halloween trick or treaters


am heading over to i-tunes
to purchase her music

LOOKING TO TRADE

What I have:

New issue of Somerset Holiday & Celebrations

filled with beautiful holiday artwork.
Not just Christmas, but Halloween, Easter, Valentine's Day......

It's just lucsious.

What I am looking for:

Cloth Paper Scissors issue,

Number 5 to be exact.
Winter 2005.

Now, this is a pretty good deal since
this brand spanking new Holiday issue is twice the price.

But you see, when you really want something, the value is dear.

Yes,
I can order a back issue.............but this is more fun!!!

Leave me a comment here to begin the swap process if you are interested.

TODAY IS THE DAY

Happy Saturday bloggie friends

So, last week I posted that I wanted to pay it forward......

send out to the universe..a gift

from a special place in my heart.

But it bothered me a bit that only one name would be chosen.

That is always the problem I have with gift aways.

I want everyone to be the receiver.

So..................

during the week I had enough postcards made for

everyone who took the time

to leave me a note.

That just made me happy.

They are high quality cards that you can use as a postcard, of course,

or just save.

The accompanying prose is on the back.


It's a small thing.........a glitter of happiness and hope

so each of you that left me a comment on my last post-gift away below

send me your snail mail at faerieluna at cox.net
(I write it that way to avoid all that awful spam.......but I'm sure you knew that!!)

p.s. Sharon, Peggy, Cat, Carol, Sarah, and Andrea I am all set with your addy

And you are asking who is receiving the original piece????????????????
that would be

Sherri..........who finds herself all tied up in ribbons!!

I am pleased to be sending this to you and will need your snail mail

and I know I don't have to ask you to 'pay it forward'
as you do that all the time it seems.


Oh, and a shingles update

Thank you for all your notes and good thoughts
I have had a much better week
But I wanted to tell you something important

YOU CAN GET A VACCINE FOR SHINGLES!!!!
Yes.....I learned that from my doctor this week

She wants me to have it as it to prevent it returning

AND, her advice is to call your insurance company to see
if your plan will cover it

Can I just say..............

DO IT!!!!!

I wish I knew about it before this
because the PHN is awful!!

the rash is somewhat managable
PHN........I can't even describe
so I pasted info below to try

What Is PHN?

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a condition that affects the nerve fibers in the skin. It is the most common complication of shingles and results from damage to nerve fibers during shingles. The rash and pain from shingles usually lasts about a month. But in people with PHN, the pain from shingles may last for months, and sometimes years, after the shingles rash has healed. For many people age 50 or older, prescription oral FAMVIR® (famciclovir) may significantly shorten the duration of PHN, reducing the number of days you have pain. In one clinical study, people age 50 or older who took FAMVIR experienced PHN for about 63 days compared with 163 days for people who did not take FAMVIR. The people who took FAMVIR started taking the medication within 72 hours (3 days) after the shingles rash appeared. FAMVIR is available in easy-to-swallow tablets. The pain from PHN occurs because of damage to the nerve fibers caused by a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus. Nerve fibers send messages from the skin to the brain. When nerve fibers are damaged during an outbreak of shingles, they are not able to send messages as they normally do. The body may perceive these "mixed messages" as pain. Age is a primary risk factor for the development of PHN. Older people are more susceptible to PHN than those who are younger. PHN usually does not develop in people under age 50. However, over 40% of patients with shingles age 60 or older develop PHN. After the shingles rash has healed, 75% of people over age 70 have pain at 1 month, and 50% still have pain at 1 year. During an outbreak of shingles, other risk factors for the development of PHN include: Greater pain severity Greater rash severity Sensory impairment (problems with feeling touch) in the affected skin Painful period before the shingles rash appears The trigeminal nerve (a nerve in the face) is affected Prompt treatment with an oral antiviral medication like FAMVIR (within 3 days after the shingles rash appears) may reduce the duration of PHN in many people

Every Step On The Path Is Meaningful
~

every day is a gift
every moment..
precious
an opportunity to

love

forgive

be kind

create joy

be generous

make a difference

~

OH, THE BLISS OF SATURDAY MORNINGS

Good morning dear blog friends

There is so much on my 'to do' list

the house has suffered along with me

for almost four weeks

and, I must tend to it.

There will be little,
if any,
art today.

But all I need do is look through the window

and bliss out on the beauty of

nature's art

the sun shines..
the birds chirp and twitter..
the bougainvillea is stunning..
only 85 so far...
what a relief from triple digits!!


Today I am taking an opportunity for generosity

a small 'pay it forward' if you will

after THIS compassionate soul

reached out and gave of her time

and her 'shoulder'

and laughter

and allowed my floundering, hope of relief...

to be renewed.

Thank you, sincerely.


My 'Pay It Forward'

so .....
if you have read this far

this is a GIFT AWAY post.

yes..

I will give this original watercolor piece I did earlier this year.

A steadfast angel

with a message:

Every Step On The Path Is Meaningful

4x6 matted in cream 8x10

signed
and poetry (Every Step) hand written on the back
From my heart.......to my hand..........to you.

Leave your comment here
with your e-mail address so I can contact you
(especially if you don't have a blog)

A name will be chosen next Saturday, September 20

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

After talking to the birthday boy today
I walked to my mailbox
and there
in the corner

growing through the rocks

a darling heart cactus!!

this is for you, Ryan

What a wonderful gift as I think on this special day 34 years ago.
Yes, 34.

He was (is) a first in so many ways.
Arriving a year and nine months after a winter wedding,
we were children having a baby.

Our first child

first son

first grandchild on both sides.

The cutest little beany baby, not even 7 lbs.

sigh

and now......such a wonderful young man
funny, affectionate and down to earth.

Happy Birthday, Ry!!!

I had to sketch a birthday faerie for him
nothing too girlie.

A fae with an edge......

UH OH..........I'M IN TROUBLE!!

I did the usual "don't mention this to children so they don't worry" thing.

Forgetting they visit the blog.

I meant to mention it,

really I did.

But you know how it is
once you are on the phone with your little birds

you have your "MOM ears" on
and you are totally
into what they are saying..........

and you decide NOT
to tell them something
that might worry them
needlessly........
especially just before they start a little vacation

or the night before they head back to semester

and most especially...
when they are far away.

We are always protecting them.....
our little birds.......

even though they are now wonderful adults.

NO, I DID NOT LEAVE ON A MYSTERIOUS AND EXCITING EUROPEAN ADVENTURE



NOR HAVE I BEEN KIDNAPPED BY PRIATES
(how bad could THAT be??)NOTHING THAT WONDERFUL

Truth is I have become familiar with shingles

you are thinking........."she is into roofing now?"


No.

Instead, after almost two weeks of unrelenting pain
and very little sleep

I schlepped off to see the doctor.
Something I rarely do.

The funny looking row of bite-like and itchy, hurting bumps
wasn't as alarming
as the constant throbbing, pain
that would not be relieved with any of my tried and true remedies.
Evidently this is called

postherpetic neuralgia


I was grateful it was on the right side
(back)
and not the left

or I would have been sure it was a heart attack
(.........the longest one in history.)
as the pain would radiate right through to my chest in
a constricting sort of way.

Arriving at the doctor's office
with blood pressure off the charts,

the rather quick diagnosis

SHINGLES

That nasty, opportunistic virus that we all carry
if we've had chicken pox.

One that waits........
oh so patiently........
for a time you are not exactly feeling well

or are perhaps STRESSED.

I had been under the impression that this malady was exclusively for the elderly.

WRONG!!

I do not wish this on any one, any age.
Except maybe one or two people who have really, really been evil.

The good news.........I am responding well to treatment
and have slept pretty well now
for the first time in two weeks.

So I will be back here this weekend and check on everyone.

If any of you dear bloggies has experienced shingles.........
DO drop a note and share any advice you might have.

That's all for now from the nest.