The Land Down Under

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** NOTE: If you are visiting this post for the first time, please click on the song 'Land Down Under' on the player (lower left side) for the full effect! It really is a must-do! : )

So, I'm in the process of cleaning today. The patio. The rugs. The dust. The bed sheets. I'm also catching up on a few phone calls, installing Photoshop onto my computer and checking the cat's ears to see if the mites are gone. It's been a productive week - both mentally and physically. I visited with a woman earlier in the week to help me get myself 'unstuck' as well as I started a 'body cleanse' program (from Trader Joe's) to help detoxify my body....I figured if I was going to detoxify my mind, might as well throw the ol' bod on the train for the ride, too. I'm feeling like my t's are crossed and my i's are dotted. : )

Then...

I saw it...

in the last issue of my now-cancelled Oprah magazine...

an article about "Brown Betty"...

?????

HUH????

Oh yes, ladies! Just when you think you've got your act together, your bills paid, your house dusted, laundry done and food in the fridge...you might want to double check something else.... do you have gray hair 'down under' ????

Heaven forbid if you do!!! BUT WAIT!!! You don't have to endure the embarrassment of being gray 'down there' any longer! Grab yourself a box of 'Brown Betty'! In 10 - 30 minutes, depending on the amount of gray (and how stubborn it is), you, too, can put on that 'finishing touch'! As the ad reads:

betty™ products are especially formulated color dyes for the hair down there. In less than one year, over 100,000 happy customers are using betty to naturally match their hair above, cover gray or just for fun! Whether you're a blonde (be a true blonde now!), radiant auburn, rich brunette, raven black or want to try hot pink for fun, our easy to use no-drip formula gives you the perfect finishing touch!

Oh yes! Hot pink for FUN!!

FUN??!!???? How much fun would I have running around town with a pink patch?? Really! Tell me!! At 51, is my life going to be enhanced, filled with unbridled glee and will I have a smile on my face because I'm pink???!!??

And thank gawd it comes in a 'no drip' formula! That's a relief! I wonder...do you have to do the classic 'patch' test before applying it to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction to it in the process??

But wait!! There's more!!

If I'm really feeling fiesty and so Californ-I-A, there's Malibu Betty - not to be confused with Malibu Barbie, although, now that I think about it, Malibu Barbie probably wishes she had some Malibu Betty for Malibu Ken to enjoy.

You've got to be kidding me..seriously! And if you're single, like me, who do you share this with?? Do you smile smugly at your girlfriends over your margarita at happy hour and say coyly "Notice anything different about me?" ...

....and then drop your pants??!???

Do I stand in line at the post office, quietly giggling to myself, because I spent $20 bucks (gas prices, be damn!) for a box that has turned me into a 'radiant auburn' in the 'land down under'???? I mean really!! You've got to be kidding me!! It's all I can do to remember my appointment for my hair on top!

And all this time, I thought 'Brown Betty' was a dessert.

A Visionary

Last week I happened to catch 'Oprah'...twice in one day. Normally, I can't handle even one of her shows; however, this one was about acknowledging the energy that we all have within ourselves to attract what we want or need in our lives. One of her guests wrote a book that I'm currently reading - 'You Can Heal Your Life', of which I spoke about 'forgiveness' in my last post. Mentioned on the show, and in the book, is how your inner spirit has the ability to attract that which you seek for your life. Now, don't roll your eyes at me - just yet...'bare' with me for a moment! On the show, some videos illustrated how some women had created boards - visionary boards - which hang in their kitchen, bedroom, office...wherever. These women had taped, stapled, tacked and stuck pictures, notes, sticky notes, ripped out articles of whatever they wish for in their lives. Yes, it could be 'material' things such as a purse, vacation, special piece of jewelry, etc. Or, it could be something as sweet as love, a new career or job, a mended relationship, a healthier body, a cabin in the woods, writing a book that's settled in your mind, going back to school for that degree, finding peace. The point is that if you envision this in your mind and spirit, the universe has this tricky way of bringing that to you which you seek and need.

So, this got me to thinking as I read this book and reflect on being stuck in the mud, as I have been. I am such a visual learner... classic! Maybe this way of thinking would help me visualize what I want for myself - dreams, goals... and help me move on. I think I needed to make myself a 'vision board'.

This afternoon I dragged out all of my scrapbooking supplies and papers. I had stopped at a store and picked up a few sheets of some papers that I thought would make a soft background of pinks and greens...I am so into pink since being on my own!

I played around with it all for a while, letting it sort of design itself. I resisted the temptation for this to looked 'planned' or 'perfect' or 'show-y'. That, I felt, would defeat some of the purpose of my letting go...being open to new things instead of feeling like I have to control every minute detail about everything. I worked with what I had...and I made what I had work.

This is the result! A 'vision board' to hold my dreams, my wishes, my goals for my future.

I glued pretty papers to a big piece of foam board. Next, I gently glued pink gossamer ribbon along the edge to give it a soft touch.

Then I placed some mini quote stickers here and there: 'why not?' 'live your passion' 'chase life' and the definition of 'dream'.

Finally, and I think my favorite part, I think, are the letters in the upper left corner - 'visions for me'. Because that is what this board contains.... visions for me.

In the coming days, I'll be posting pictures, notes and doo-dads of visions that I have for me. Goals. Wishes. Dreams. What if's...?? I'm anxious to see what I envision for myself.

I haven't hung my board up yet...I'm cleaning up from the creative storm that blew through this house a few hours ago. But I think I'll be hanging it up in my bedroom - on the wall opposite my bed....where I can be reminded before my head lays on my pillow and again before my feet hit the floor of what my visions are for me.

What visions do you have for yourself? Hmmm?? Perhaps you might need a board, too!

Transition, Tires and Telephones

There is so much going on within me the last 3 days. I've wanted to post, but the events have been unexpected and great; at least in my world. So bear with me as I move through these milestones!

Transition: moving from one realm or reality on to the next. This I have struggled with for 2 1/2 years. Today I can begin to say "I finally 'get' it." I took a step towards forgiveness and understanding. A step that I thought I had already taken, over and over before. But apparently I hadn't. I greeted my ex with a sincere "Thank you for being a great father to our children." We had a nice visit when they picked up M and again when they dropped her off. I felt hope for the first time in years that maybe he is okay...that things are okay. I've been reading a book "You Can Heal Your Life". It talks heavily about forgiveness. I thought I was the queen of forgiveness, but my step today told me that I am not...and have not been. Today was a small, beginning transition from burden to joy.

Tires: Bought myself a brand spankin' new set of tires for the Tahoe yesterday. Not really planned. But figured I'd better take good care of my Tahoe as it has to take good care of me. Besides, any smart mountain woman knows you don't go running off into the woods without your vehicle in fine shape. Consider me ready for a frolick in the forest!

Telephone: So, I figured I would call my dad and wish him a 'Happy Father's Day' this morning while I watered my garden. Afterwards, I set my cell phone down on the table in my English Garden and I specifically said to myself "DON'T GO SPRAYING IT WITH THE HOSE OR GETTING IT WET LIKE THE TIME YOU WASHED IT IN YOUR JEANS POCKET!! GEEESH!!" Well, I got a bit distracted taking some garden tape and a support post off the almond tree, which led to me to doing some cleaning around the patio, which led to me testing certain sprinkler stations to see if all heads worked correctly, which led to a cool shower, which led to me toweling off and getting a sudden thought of 'WHERE'S MY PHONE????', which led to me rushing downstairs buck-naked and slipping on my lime-green crocs, which led me to running around to the English Garden side, which led me to picking up my phone off the table...covered in sprinkler puddles of water. This all led me to my AT&T store.

When I say 'bear with me'...apparently I really mean 'bare' !!

Getting Out of the Mud

The Taunting Tree - Episode 2

When last we left our heroine, Velvet Brick, she had just made peace with her mulberry tree, albeit with a chain saw. Serenity covered the back yard and all seemed well in this corner of the world. Until... well... let's let her explain how this all went down... and we do mean D-O-W-N !


I am finally feeling human again! After crashing in the afternoon yesterday and sleeping for almost 12 hours, I am coming to terms with the end of school, the beginning of summer school and the easing into summer-time days. A good buddy of mine, Steve-a-rino and his friend had a date with my back patio cover. The dang thing has had a case of wood rot that has, literally, caused it to begin to crumble. So the boys showed up bright and early yesterday for some demolition and reconstruction! They know their way around a saw and hammer and, despite my offers to help and concern for tetnus should they step onto a rusty nail, they shoo-shooed me off to school and said it was all under control! And it was! My patio looks spanking new again!! This afternoon I skipped outside to admire their craftmanship and re-hang my wind chimes when it happened....that tree off my patio...the one with the huge, half-dead limb from last year's freeze, the one that waves to me at my bedroom window with it's gnarly, dead sticks for fingers.......was taunting me.

'Well, well... what have we here? A face-lift for the patio! How lovely. Too bad my sorry-looking branches detract from it all. But what can you do about it, Little Miss Pink Top with Chocolate Brown Capris all ready for an evening of reading and relaxation?!!

He-he-he-he....!"

Well....... for one thing, I can get out my ladder and ...you know... my chain saw.

I can also look on the internet for instructions on how to trim a 5-inch limb in such a way as to make it fall in a certain direction.

I can also decide to just wing it the best I can, letting gravity to most of the work and pray for a little luck (I so did not want to call my buddy and explain how I now needed a repair job on my patio cover!!)

Ahhh... the scent of victory skips on the breeze again... and 15 feet of limb awaits for bulk trash pickup!

Let peace and serenity reign again!